Engineering Turns to Medical Movement
Posted on Mon Oct 2nd, 2023 @ 3:19pm by Lieutenant Callan Armidale & Lieutenant Commander Frasier Greene & Lieutenant Dovenice Nyx & Lieutenant Commander Ukram Gocx & Christine Graham
Edited on on Mon Oct 2nd, 2023 @ 3:24pm
2,350 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission:
First Contact
Location: Helivan Starship: Stasis Pod Centre
Timeline: MD1: 1555 hours
Previously on Star Trek: Intrepid
"Okay, I'm here..." Nyx announced her entry. "What did you need doing?"
Having spent much time listening to Comms Traffic, Sydney flinched at the sudden, screeching scream of surprise as it came through her subdermal receiver, but didn't go rushing off like most of the others. Waiting the few seconds needed to be sure she was correct, the Ops Chief looked up from her tricorder to the Chief Engineer, "As she was saying, LT, we need you to figure out a way to fashion a temporary battery onto these pods for transport. Preferably ones that can then be interfaced with the ship's power conduits once we get them to Intrepid." Offering her tricorder to Nyx, its display showed the readings and scans that Sydney had taken with the hope the engineer would be able to think up a quick solution to their pod power problem.
And Now the Continuation
Nyx accepted the tricorder from Reid and looked it over. She brushed her hand through her hair, pushing the moist locks off her face, while she silently studied the readings. Then she handed the device back.
"Let's take a closer look," Nyx said, though the implied "us" was more of a "me," unless she did mean "us" and included the joined symbiont in the count? She physically looked at the life support units next, crouching down on her knees, then crawling to inspect the current connections.
Sustaining life through suspension was a complicated process. The technology in the room was as impressive as it was intricate. Nyx stood up again, "Why do we want to move them to the Intrepid? This isn’t a plug-and-play technology. The power system is specifically designed for this ship and would need specialized transistors. I could set something up, but it will take at least a day – or longer – to design a power system to keep a steady energy flow.
“And then, when you want to return the pods, there’s no guarantee that everything will be returned to its proper place... I’d hate to void the warranty.”
Taking the tricorder back, Sydney took a step back to allow the Chief Engineer to ply her expertise on the situation. Even if she didn't show it, the Ops Chief was not surprised by the observations given since her own scans told her much the same. "I agree," she replied, "The bases seem to be handling the load for now. While the animal and biological samples could use a once-over by Sciences aboard Intrepid, I don't think we could or should move these. If we wish to wake them, it would be best to do it in place."
Folding her arms over her chest as she continued to stare at the pods, Sydney directed her words to the Medical Chief, "Doctor Greene, could you have your teams sent over so we can rouse them in place? I think waking them up in a familiar environment would make for an easier transition than if they awoke on the Intrepid anyway. I can start looking into how the process works via their systems."
"That wasn't the original plan," Greene replied returning to the two officers. "However I'm happy to refer to your judgement based on the differences between our technologies. If it would be hazardous to transfer the inhabits to the Intrepid we can improvise a set."
Turning to Dovenice, "Could you and your teams look into repairing and powering up their shuttle's main power plant? Regardless of what happens with the Helivans, we're going to have to send them on their way, so that will be the biggest priority to get them efficiently moving again. With Commander Lorut overseeing the transport and care of the animal and biological samples, I'll oversee our work here for the time being."
While Sydney wasn't terribly accustomed to taking on command, this wasn't one of those situations she hadn't dealt with before. Ultimately, this was just dealing with a technical situation, which was well in her wheelhouse, as well as conversing with an alien intelligence, which wasn't practically different than her past work with sentient computers, just more fleshy and, hopefully, less megalomaniacal. Tapping her commbadge, =/\= "Reid to Intrepid. Lieutenant Nyx has determined we could not safely transfer the stasis pods to the ship, so we'll be bringing the Helivans out here. Let the designated Engineering and Medical teams know to prepare and travel over. And let Commander Lorut know of the situation. Reid Out." =/\=
Turning to the other two officers, Sydney was quick to inform, "I'll start work on figuring out how to work the controls. You all should have the translation algorithm working in your tricorders and PADDs. Once we get them raised from stasis, the U.T. might be rough, but I'll see if I can improve it as we go to clear up the translation. Shouldn't take long once they get talking based on the intel obtained from the Romulan intelligence we have from before." Glancing at each and looking for confirmation, the Ops Chief asked, "We all understand our roles?"
"In short, keep everyone alive and coherent during reanimation," Greene shrugged. "Not the ideal setting in these warm cramped conditions but we'll get through. Gocx may struggle in here though."
Unlike the others, Sydney could more easily translate the Helivan text thanks to her implants and fluency with Romulan, which quickly led her to reveal a worrisome hiccup in the plan she'd just laid out. "That wouldn't be an issue since Lieutenant Nyx got the coolant system back online.., but we have another issue." Swiping and moving through the various commands on the pods' control screens, the Ops Chief let out a heavy sigh as she stood up to stare at the group of pods.
There was clear worry in her voice as she explained, "These pods aren't going to open without main power. They're designed to only use their internal battery to maintain the stasis, not handle the needs of full reanimation or even provide a breathable atmosphere. Once we initialize the reanimation process, they'll enter a light coma-like state before eventually suffocating. Given what we've already done, if we don't revive them, we won't be able to get them back on course, but if we do, we'll have to figure out a way to get these pods open quickly. From the scans I took, trying to force them could cause them injury or even kill them." Sydney was clearly racking her brain as she stared at the pods, trying to find a solution to the jam they found themselves in.
Suddenly reaching a hand up towards her ear, the Ops Chief's gaze came up before shifting over to Doctor Greene. Listening intently through her subdermal receiver, it seemed she was getting a message from her subordinate on the ship that had suddenly changed her worry and dread to hope and optimism. "Good work, Callan," she said before turning her attention fully to the Medical and Engineering Officers.
Sydney's mouth began to move a lightyear a second, "Okay, here's what we're going to do. That was Armidale. He said with the scans I took, he was able to isolate the occupants from the pods and can beam them out once they exit their suspended stasis stage. He'll beam them directly to sickbay where you, Doctor Greene, will take over for their care. Once we start this, it's going to be an 'All Hands on Deck' situation, so, if Chief Nyx doesn't mind, both of you will be beamed with them so that you can get to work making sure the diagnostic systems can be fine-tuned correctly for their alien biology."
Glancing back and forth between the two officers, Sydney paused before asking, "Thoughts? Concerns? I think it's the best shot we have if we want to save them and bring them out of stasis safely."
Frasier forced himself not to react physically as the conversation spun out, in his opinion this was the original plan and had been his preferred from the start. To revive them in Sickbay where they could do so in a controlled manner and react to any complications. He will himself not to sigh or shake his head in frustration: "Reviving them in Sickbay was always the preferred option," the Doctor replied stiffy his tone betraying how he was feeling.
Nxy crossed her arms, waiting to make sure the Operations Chief was, truly, finished with talking. "I've counted about three places you want me to be," the engineer noted and counted them out on her fingers. Working backwards, "On the Intrepid after pulling these people out of suspension, fixing the ship's main power, repairing the shuttlecraft's power source? I believe my initial orders were to assess the ship's systems but not make repairs until we have an analysis of the problem or problems. I'm not sure where I should be."
"Well, those second two are just semantics..," Sydney said deadpan. "With all of the lifeforms being beamed off, and us unsure of how the Intrepid's Diagnostic Systems will react to previously unseen alien biology, that seems like the more pressing concern. If they die as a result, then there's really no point to repairing their vessel. I will stay here and diagnosis the vessel's systems issues. It seems to be the most logical course of action."
"You can't call a ship a shuttle and expect me to follow along with what you're saying," Nyx complained.
Gocx had gotten the communique. With a quick motion, he turned on Christine, the Intrepid’s EMH Mark XV. The Klingon took several minutes, filling the EMH in on the goings-on aboard the Helivan ship - unnecessary as she self-updated upon activation - before heading to the airlock. After a moment, Ukram appeared on the Helivan starship. He found the group quickly, Doctor Graham following close behind.
"Doctor Greene? I've brought Doctor Graham," the gruff Klingon said. "Can we get some air in here?" He was already sweating. "I'll take this one," he said, pulling his tricorder from his pocket, and taking a place at the furthest pod. "On your orders." He waited.
Frasier really did sigh this time as he moved toward the new arrivals. "Once Reid and Nyx have ironed out the kinks, we're transporting the three occupants to sickbay to be revived," he explained. "The pods do not have enough power to complete the cycle having been running off battery for the last four months. Please gather what information can you in order to have the best set up in sickbay to support their recovery."
Ukram nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, beginning to record. "Life signs seem strong, but they're unconscious," he said. "Brain waves are low," he reported. "They seem to be in otherwise good health-no sign of any bacterium, virus, prion or eminent disease that would cause them to voluntarily go into stasis. Weird.”
Christine had interfaced all the information gathered by the crew as they had been moving through the ship. Gocx looked like he was already overheating, odd considering the Klingon propensity toward heat and leather. ’Too much time aboard Starfleet starships,’ she decided. She would continue to monitor him secondarily.
“Have you considered, Ukram, that there is a distinct lack of edible food. I would suggest that this crew did not expect their starship would breakdown while en route. Without food, they chose to go into stasis rather than die,” the Andorian EMH replied to Gocx’s observations regarding their sleeping patients.
"I have considered it, Christine," he said. "And that makes sense, as well, but I feel like, given what Commander Lorut Vila reported, they were prepared for a lack of food. If they had an entire ecosystem, surely, some of that is sustenance," he reminded her. "Perhaps they were fleeing something."
Moving to the other pod, to await her time to transport her patient. While she did so, she started a medical file upload between her tricorder and the Intrepid’s main medical systems, thereby creating a baseline for their normal static life signs.
Ukram was correct, their patients seemed to be in good condition. As much as she could see of her patient, he was dressed finely and wore a good deal of jewellery. She was not sure, but it seemed unlikely that all Helivans would be well fed, on such a desert planet as theirs, dressed finely and wearing jewelry that was made of silver, gold and diamonds.
“I suspect these people to be from the Helivan’s highest caste,” she informed the others. “We should proceed with much caution. Especially with the female patient,” Christine informed the assembled crew.
Ukram nodded. He agreed-they were royals, or at least what he'd picture in his head as such. It was a quaint ideal-monarchy, but he understood. Hopefully, their plan would work and upon their awakening, they would be able to answer questions. "Perhaps it's best if you take the younger female, Doctor," Ukram suggested. He didn't know much about women, but he suspected that if he were a young lady and opened her eyes to HIS face, he'd be afraid.
The Andorian EMH was flattered, but she didn’t have the authority to make that decision. Nonetheless, Christine did scan the woman’s pod. “I don’t know if I’m of highest service,” she answered Gocx. “This one has a tiara, a symbol of royalty, perhaps even their princess. I think Doctor Greene should be her carer and we will split the men?” she suggested.
"Sounds good," Ukram said. "Dr. Greene, does that sound good to you?" He asked.
"I have no objections," Frasier acknowledged their discussion. "Reid was able to translate elements of their language via the Romulan database from their previous encounter in written form." The human turned to the hologram: "Christine with your higher capacity you may need to take the lead on the early vocal interactions until clear line of communication can be made."
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