Ensign Lyra Voss: Practical Joker
Sarah Terry
((Main Sickbay Meeting Room – Starbase 118))
Lyra could feel Dr. Foster’s battle of wills vis-à-vis the plate of donuts and couldn’t help the corner of her lip turning up when he finally grabbed one and ate it. After all, what was life without a couple donuts? There was a soft ding from her PADD to indicate it had finished collating the data she’d requested.
Voss: Okay, I do see a possible correlation in the Klingon medical records. A lot of these... ::air quotes:: definitely not illnesses... were happening in patterns that suggest a contagion. Seems like it would crop up seasonally, during what sounds like a powerful rainy season. Maybe something like an Ameoneian flu? We even have a viral antigen analysis, though it’s only from a single sample. It might be enough information to start working on a diagnostic test? If anyone looks under the weather when they arrive...
Drex: That’s useful. Even one antigen sample gives us a starting point, and comparing it to the seasonal patterns you identified could help if anyone shows signs of illness when they arrive.
Foster: And we can likely isolate some DNA strains from the single sample, then cross reference with the rest of the records.
Lyra nodded - if they could figure out how to identify the virus, then they could figure out how to treat it. Maybe even develop an antiviral medication for it. Based on the records available, it seemed the Ameoneians and Klingons just treated symptoms and knuckled through, but that might not be enough for species with weaker immune systems.
Wethern: ?
Drex: :: The Denobulan’s head suddenly rose.:: How many different species are onboard the base now?
That was a good question - Lyra had looked through some initial statistics when she was stationed at Starbase 118, but she had no idea how many different species were represented amongst the almost 200,000 people living on the station. Dr. Foster looked up the precise answer.
Foster: As of last night’s sensor census, 207 species, which can slightly change based on boarding.
Voss: ::with wide eyes:: That’s a lot of different immune systems…
Wethern: ?
Drex: On my first mission, Commander DeVeau was able to create an antidote using some of my blood. If we have samples from other species here, we could run preliminary tests to see who might be more susceptible to illness and perhaps who is naturally more resistant.
Foster: We don’t have an extensive bank of samples, but we do have some.
Voss: Actual stored blood? I didn’t realize we kept any on hand.
Granted, she certainly wasn’t a doctor. She’d assumed it was all replicated, but it did make sense to keep fresh samples available. You never knew when there would be a replicator malfunction, or perhaps something lacking in the replicated version, or a species that didn’t believe in using replicated blood, or any number of other possibilities. The universe was wide, and it always paid to have contingencies in place.
Wethern: ?
Drex: Just in this room, I count four different samples. Am I wrong?
The color drained from Lyra’s cheeks. She didn’t really have a problem with blood - at least not other people’s blood. She’d done combat drills, seen some injuries, gotten an A- in her first aid and field medicine class, but… there was something about seeing her own blood that turned her stomach. It was supposed to be on the inside. Not the outside. She shuddered.
Foster: You are not wrong.
Voss: ::nervously:: Uh that’s… I mean, sure, if we need to take samples, we certainly could, but if there’s already a supply in the blood bank…
Wethern: ?
Foster: If I was running samples against an unknown for preventative or research reasons I would try to get samples of each major galactic blood type – Iron based, Cobalt based, Copper based, so on, and then if possible from species known for increase immune capabilities such as Klingons or Denobulans.
Lyra brought up the scant Ameoneian medical records again to look for any information about blood type.
Voss: Looks like Ameoneians are iron-based, like Klingons. If we can isolate the virus, we can test to see if it affects species with the other major blood categories. Once we know that, we can move on to developing the appropriate anti-virals.
Wethern/Drex: ?
Dr. Foster called up some more information as they started putting a plan in place for the testing environment.
Foster: In cases where replicated blood will not work and we do not have enough time to grow or clone the patient’s own blood we do have a small blood bank in medical lab two. Since we got upgrades to our blood synthesis units after the attempted assassination of Praetor Taron, we have barely had a need for donated blood outside of research purposes, so I think we could use whatever samples still remain there.
Praetor Taron was the leader of the Romulan Free State, wasn’t he? Lyra wondered what his assassination attempt had to do with the station upgrading their blood synthesis units. It hadn’t…the attempt hadn’t happened on the station, did it? Maybe it was just that it was a large, destabilizing event in the region? Either way, she was relieved that it seemed they wouldn’t need to sample the blood of everyone here in the room.
Voss: Perfect. While the lab preps the samples, we can run the environmental simulation Lieutenant Drex suggested?
Wethern/Drex: ?
Foster: Let me see what resources Med lab 2 has currently. I know they were working research for the outbreak on Holcom Colony, the stores might not be updated. ::He looked to Corey:: Does Lieutenant Voxa still run Lab 2?
Wethern: ?
Foster: Great I’ll send her a message.
Lyra moved over to one of the computers and pulled up the software to simulate environmental conditions on Ameone.
Voss: ::to Drex:: I’ll input the baseline information we received for the current state of the planet, but do you think we could extrapolate back past the orbital fires and ice age? I’m curious if we could get some data about the planet’s original environment.
Drex: ?
Wethern: ?
Dr. Foster had opened his mouth to response to Dr. Wethern when he was off by a comm line chirp and the sound of (presumably) Lieutenant Voxa’s voice.
Voxa: =/\= Hello Sirs, you were asking about the blood stores in lab 2? The ones we keep as a blood bank.=/\=
Foster: =/\= Yes, I want to confirm that we haven’t used them since the upgrades in 2401, and could we take some as research samples.=/\=
Voxa: =/\= Upgrades, Sir? =/\=
Lyra was mostly focused on the environmental simulation, but she noticed a strange little waver in the Lieutenant’s voice. She seemed a little confused. Dr. Foster noticed as well - he repeated his explanation with a touch of concern on his face and his antennae cast downward.
Foster: =/\= Yes, the upgrades to the blood synthesis units. =/\=
Voxa: ::There was an unpleasant pause before she answered:: =/\= … yes, of course. =/\=
There was a slight collective furrowing of eyebrows in the meeting room as they listened to the voice on the line. If Lyra had known Lieutenant Voxa at all, she would have tried reaching out telepathically to see what the confusion was about, but Med Lab 2 was decks away and she’d never met the woman - casting her mind at random through the station to look for her would bring nothing but cacophony. Maybe the lieutenant was always a little forgetful?
Drex/Wethern: ?
Voxa: =/\= ::grasping for something familiar:: The samples… yes, I can collect a spectrum of blood-base types and bring them up for you. Ensign Wethern, should I put your name or Commander Foster’s on the requisition order? =/\=
The eyebrows all fell further. Lyra looked at Lieutenant Drex with a shrug - neither of them were familiar with Voxa, but surely it was unusual to forget the CMO’s rank.
Voss: ::whispering to Drex:: Out too late for New Year’s, or what?
Drex/Wethern/Foster: ?
Voxa responded to the correction with obvious flustered embarrassment.
Voxa: =/\= Oh I…! I’m so sorry. It’s just… it must be this headache, that’s all. I’ll get those samples to you right away. Voxa out. =/\=
The woman cut the line before anyone could ask another question, and it left a slightly uneasy air in the room.
Voss: So… is she much of a practical joker? Or…?
Lyra let the unasked question hang between them.
Drex/Wethern/Foster: ?