Ensign Keneth Nakada - Infected Part II: Electric Boogaloo
Keneth Nakada
(( Botanical Lab, Deck 2, USS Compass Rose ))
If Starfleet had one of those crow-sourced rating systems every species seemed to independently develop to to equally mixed results, Keneth would have asked for five stars.
Beck: A standard medical computer out of roughly nothing five minutes ago? I've got engineering background and that still sounds like magic to me.
Apart from his queasiness, drowsiness, probable fever and general wooziness, Keneth considered this mission a success. Beck immediately set about to performing his analysis and Keneth smiled weakly as the man complimented him. Kel seemed to be equally out of it, and according to his heart rate monitor, the effects of the adrenaline were wearing out.
Kel: We need a solution sooner rather than later.
Nakada: The :: pause :: the medical algorithms scale quadratically with the number of cores. We should be seeing much better resolution on the results.
He slumped against the wall. It wasn’t quite the exponential speed up an ASIC-style processor might give, but it was a damn sight better than waiting for a single tricorder to save their souls.
oO Hungry … breakfast … avocados … liiiiight … Oo
His mind has started drifting again as a mild delirium set in. He wondered if he should take another shot of the epinephrine. He had held it at bay while he had work, but now that the cluster was working, his brain seemed to have given in.
Beck: That sim is done and had about a 70% recovery rate. The tricorders have already started new computations based on that one and are working on adjusting the variables to bring that up to something a little more acceptable.
A brief silence fell over the trio, all waiting to see if this was going to work as Quentin had hoped. The device in his hand chirped and he looked at it with a grin.
Beck: Eureka.
Keneth pulled himself to, and with great effort focused on the commander’s voice. It was like sloughing through mud, each moment bizarrely slow. Even weirder was that he knew it. He could see himself processing information slowly, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Like being trapped in his own mind.
He hated it. There was little he despised more than losing his faculties, ever since the nitrous his dentist had given him to yank a wisdom tooth out. He had requested no pain medication for the next one and had bit down on a popsicle stick as the nurse looked at him as though he was out of his mind. But to lose control, that’s how his brother had died. Keneth clamped down on the resentment boiling up.
Kel: That antibody there. ::pointing:: It's from the one the captain recovered right? I think it targets the locus of the nanomachines. Could we adapt that antibody so the immune system can clean out the nanomachines? The antisense battery could quell the viral replication.
This sentence meant very little to him, so he kept silent, flexing his toes and fingers to stay grounded,
Kel: ::looking at Quentin:: What do you think? Doc?
Beck: That sounds just about right, yes. This won't do a thing against the base virus itself, but since the modifications were built around it, we shouldn't have to. Antibody targets the nanomachines, antisense battery slows the replication, badda bing, badda boom.
Nakada: Boom goes the virus?
Hopefully the virus, and not him. Though if the Compass Rose spontaneously exploded he wouldn’t blame it. It was more disaster than ship now. He glanced at the scorched walls around them. It was a shame.
Kel: We should find Syrex, see what she thinks needs to be done to deploy this.
Beck: I have an idea for that, but I agree, we'll want to get her input. We should be able to apply treatment directly with a pair of hypo injections, but that's going to take a while to do manually…
Keneth glanced back.
Nakada: It also it … through the :: pointing at vents :: —
Before he could articulate his sentence, though, the comms rang. He went silent.
Deacon: =/\= Deacon to commander Kel =/\=
So the thermite fire hadn’t completely destroyed the ship.
oO Good job, Roop. Oo
He still felt uncomfortable about how he had left that situation unresolved. He knew it hadn’t been his call, it was Kel’s. But he still felt as if he’d abandoned the problem and Roop.
Kel: =/\= Kel here. =/\=
Beck: The antisense RNA could probably be aerosolized and distributed via the ventilation system, but what about the antibody? That's a little trickier…
Deacon: =/\= We’re all wrapped up here, spiderbots were ejected. Want us to head to you? =/\=
Kel: =/\= Excellent work Lieutenant. If your team is up for it, you can begin sweeping the ship and getting patients to the triage area. I think Dr. Beck is on the verge of a breakthrough. =/\=
Deacon: =/\= Aye, Commander, we’ll join you. We’ll take the long way and do a sweep. Deacon out. =/\=
Kel: =/\= Good luck. Kel out. =/\=
Keneth pulled himself to his feet — he didn’t want to fall asleep, god knows what the virus did to the brain. Standing up, however, involved significant wobbling. His head was spinning now, and it took all he had not to pass out. He had gleaned enough from the conversation to know that the immediate danger had passed and Beck had figured something out. And not a moment too soon — it seemed the disease was returning with a vengeance.
Kel: If you will both excuse me for a moment. I need to throw up.
Beck: I appreciate the warning and the attempt to do it not in my lap. I've already been thrown up on once today.
The commander proceeded out into the hallway. Moments later, the faint sound of retching came through, something Keneth did not respond well to.
Nakada: :: weak grimace :: Ahh — what he said. :: pointing out to the hall. ::
And he followed the commander right out into the hallway where he promptly vomited over a disgusting smelling pool of sludge on the ground.
oO All in a day’s work … ? Oo
NT/End Act III for Keneth Nakada
Ensign Keneth Nakada
Engineering Officer
USS Ronin
J239706KN0