a rescue into difference

Posted on Sun Dec 27th, 2020 @ 6:47am by Commander Ichiko Gail & Lieutenant Mica Rue & Lieutenant JG Charlotte Aschail

Mission: Enforced Intermission
Location: escape pod

=/\= Escape Pod =/\=

It wasn't long after that the vessel came into view and the reassuring words of their rescuers filled the pod. Charlotte and Mica had laid down before, Charlotte stretching out on one bench while Mica had curled tight into herself on another. Both faces contained the stress of pain. Lance sat nearby, watching both with worry.

Within minutes of the encounter, a blue light came over the interior of the pod and the three were transported to a large bag, cots set up all around, Starfleet and the large rabbit-like beings rushing from place to place.

The cargo bay was vast. Nothing like the Astraea's, aside from the slight difference that this cargo bay still existed. Cots, blankets, and beds denoted severity, with Ts'usugi in medical uniforms roaming from cot to cot, from bed to bed, from blanket to blanket. To some, it was merely a check in and a warm bowl of soup. To others, it was a rush to preserve life. From the severely injured, to the severely inconvenienced, everyone was attended to.

Lance had moved over to Charlotte and grasped one of her hands. It wasn't that he didn't care what happened to Mica, but he'd been working with Charlotte for several months and well... His eyes went up as the rabbit-like beings bustled about, then cast themselves back down as Charlotte just laid there, chest moving up and down as the only sign she was even still alive.

Making those rounds seemed to be someone of authority. Dressed in the same uniform as the others, but this officer had others defer to him. Confer with him. On his rounds, he made his way to Charlotte, Lance, and Mica. New arrivals, and it was well past time to evaluate. Flanked by two assistants, who would branch off to attend to something or provide assistance, before returning.

"My name is Jeng. I'm the head of the medical department on the Tantamount, and the director of wellness and health." he started. Calm and professional, like he had this conversation a hundred times.

118, so far, and climbing.

"We'll have a counselor on hand shortly to help the Astraea crew move on, if help is needed, but at the moment, I want to make sure there aren't any immediate injuries that need my attention. So, as the universal saying goes... how are we feeling?"

This time, Lance's eyes came up and met the medical officer and he came to his feet, never letting go of Charlotte's hand. Worry was deep in his gaze as he tried to hold himself together as the only one able to talk for the women, or so he thought. "Sir. I'm fine, but the Lieutenants here..." His voice quavered, "Mica's implants were shorting out so she had me overload them to burn them out and Charlie here." He squeezed her hand, no response, "Sh-She took a heavy dose of radiation trying to shut down the warp core. Mica tried to get as much of it out as she could, but..." He trailed off.

Jeng paused, and then gently reached across to Charlotte's face, where he placed his fingertips at five locations on her face. "Hmmm, elevated temperature. No subculture twitch." he paused, and moved his hand slightly down to probe gently around her jaw. "Hmmm..." he didn't seem excited for what he found, or didn't find. There was a small converse between one of the nurses flanking Jeng, and Jeng himself. The converse was brief, though it was in the native tongue of the Ts'usugi. Musical, melodic perhaps, but obscure, and at the moment unknown to the masses. Once the conversation was over, Jeng turned to Lance, "Type Seven radiation is difficult to remedy, but we will do our best. I've sent one of the nurses to get the required treatments. We've spent the trip over preparing our systems to fabricate treatments in line with the crew's respective biologies." he stated.

"Implants, you say." Jeng leaned in slightly to get a closer look. "Tell me more. Replacing them here may prove difficult, we may need to move her to the primary infirmary if needed."

They were not in the escape pod anymore, of that Mica was sure. Nearby she heard Lance talking with someone with an accent she was unfamiliar with. The male's voice held an authority. Then the person was leaning over her, a shadow obscuring the light from her eyelids. Mica's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She just needed to open her eyes. She needed to do it...now. But she was so tired....

Lance shook his head, "I don't know." He looked worriedly down at Mica, "All I know is the Lieutenant said that they were malfunctioning and hurting her and she needed me to overload them with a modified spanner. I couldn't begin to explain them."

"Well then, we're about to find out together." Jeng said with a reassuring smirk, as he gently placed his hand along Mica's face, his fingertip placement very similar to how he initially inspected Charlotte. What did he say her name was? Oh yes...

"Mica, can you hear me? I'm Doctor Jeng, I'm here to help. I want you to calm yourself as much as you can and listen." a pause, as he lightened the pressure he was placing on her face, his fingertips hardly even touching her at this point. "Can you move your eyes? Your eyebrows? Clench your jaw? Anything." he asked. That was his play. Tactile communication.

LT Rue felt the touch, heard the man’s voice as consciousness rose again. Her eyelid’s fluttered. She was trying to respond, to surface again, but it was difficult, as though her body was stuck in a sticky gelatinous substance.

The other of Jeng's attending nurses had a scanner of some form in their hand, running it along Mica's body while she centered herself. Giving her something to focus on seemed to be working.

Trying to calm herself, Mica finally managed to open her eyes, though just slightly. She worked her tongue in her mouth, feeling her teeth clench.

"One step at a time, Mica. You're doing wonderful." he spoke, calm and cool. He removed his hand from her face, slowly, letting her adjust to the soft lighting in the cargo bay turned triage center. "I'm going to ask you some questions about your implants. Answer in as many words as you can, but at least try to answer. Even if it's just a whisper." he pointed up towards his head, towards his lengthy ears, "We get good reception in here." he joked. Possibly a history in pediatrics.

"Are your implants medical in nature?" he started. "Do they stop pain?" he paused between each question to allow her time to answer, "Do they allow mobility?" he stopped after those three. Waiting for more answers.

The Lt closed her eyes in a long blink, slipping her tongue over her lips, just barely. But her mouth was dry, so dry. Still, she was coming back to herself, if only for a bit. Brief moments of lucidity were a blessing at this point though, and Mica was just thankful she was getting that much.

“Enaren,” the woman whispered, hoarse. “To stop forced thoughts.” Beside her, she flexed her fingers. At least, she thought she had.

The first nurse returned with a case, hyposprays for treatment of severe radiation contamination. "Get our guests some water." Jeng told his other nurse, and with a nod the rabbit was off. Jeng remained, "Then you are among friends. A Ts'usugi's thoughts are their own, our minds in a cage." he tapped his temple. "We are silent. Our secrets our own. Be at ease." then Jeng looked up at Lance. "If she's a hyperreceptive telepath, we'll be best off relocating her to primary medical, with my medical opinion being to limit her exposure to non-Ts'usugi personnel until her implants can be restored."

"Ts'usugi aren't as vulnerable to telepathy as most other races." he advised, before turning his attention back to Mica. "I'll have to move you to our medical bay."

While the doctor arranged transport, the Lt closed her eyes again. She needed strength. She needed to tell them not to fix the implants, though she doubted they could - based on the intensity of the beam she was fairly certain that nothing remained of the devices more than fused chips and polymer. And now, that was alright with her. She would re-learn how to live without them. The Gods knew she had done it for much of her life anyway...

When Mica opened her eyes again, somewhat quicker this time, one of the large rabbit nurses was hovering over her, raising a cup. In response, the Lt opened her lips and graciously took in as much of the clean water as possible, raising a shaking hand to hold the cup closer, to consume it. Needy for it, the liquid sloshed over Mica's mouth and cheeks, until the nurse pulled it away.

Mica's heart sped with the excitement, and when she lowered her head back to the bed, she tried to mutter out a "thank you". Her heart rate indicated on the screen nearby showed her calming, the water nourishing the tissues of her mouth, her throat. She could feel the liquid travelling through her system, soaking in. Despite the pain it caused along her temple, the burns on her skin from the short-out, she let her face fall sideways.

They had already moved her, and through the clear partition nearby she could see Doctor Jeng and starfleet medical staff conferring. Past them, worse cases of injured being lay on beds, staff rushing to save them, to treat them.

Worse cases....When the nurse returned to her side, Mica tried to grab her arm, her fingers unable to find purchase. Still Mica tried, her eyes wide with worry. She tried to ask the nurse about Charlotte, if the effort had worked, if the Captain had made it out, the other crewmates. Her heart raced, thinking that the only people from the Astraea were the ones in the medical facility. And would would Mica go? Her place upon the Astraea was only temporary - would she be sent back to Trill? To her brothers? She couldn't, not now. Not now that she was back in space. She needed the security of the black void around her, of the variety of races and cultures, sentience and challenges...Of course it would take her losing that opportunity to know she needed it...The Lt clamped her eyes shut as the words poured from her, though she doubted anything coherent had come through at all. A tear ran down her cheek, her head throbbing while she tried to reign herself in. The Ts'usugi doctor had said they'd be safe from her, but what of the others...

The medbay of the Ts'usugi was a soft green in color, almost a gentle blue-green. The illumination was soft, probably around seventy percent the intensity of Federation lighting. There was a soft scent in the air as well. Mint, was it? Or something very close to it. The entire environment seemed to promote relaxation, promote healing not just on a physical level, but perhaps also on an emotional or spiritual level.

The attending nurse on duty took note as she reached out, feebly but still it was a motion. She took a spot next to Mica, and gently took her hand. "Everything will be fine." the standard beginning line. "You focus on recovery. You'll be with your friends soon enough." It was just like Jeng said... the thoughts and feelings of the Ts'usugi were theirs alone. Casual empathy, casual telepathy... there was nothing there.