Another In A Long List...

Posted on Sun Jan 12th, 2020 @ 11:59pm by Captain Benjamin Ingram Dr & The Narrator
Edited on on Tue Feb 4th, 2020 @ 3:59pm

Mission: S2:1: Into The Drowning Deeps
Location: Canopus Station Medical Centre
Timeline: MD 2 : MD 2 : 12.40

Aimee had spent only five minutes looking at her office. It was a complete wreck after Senior Chief Sharona and Bar'soon had been done in there and she sighed heavily. Next time she would have less destructive guests
Long jeans, a black long sleeve t-shirt, and a gray beanie was her choice in outfit with a pair of long boots to go with them. She took her sidearm and attached it to her belt loop. She didn't think she would need it, but at least she had it just in case and then she disappeared to go find Doctor Vissla. She pressed the communicator she had pinned to her shirt, "Counselor Paulsen to Captain Ingram I'm on my way to meet Doctor Vissla."

=/\="Very good. I've taken the liberty of sending a Security Team down to the medical ward. I'll be joining them shortly."=/\= Ingram responded a moment later, the hum of one of Canopus Station's tram-like turbolifts reverberating through the commlink. =/\="You should also find a Dr Kilgen waiting for you at the entrance. He's our resident expert on the Concordance faith implant. Don't worry, he knows what you look like. You'll find him rather unphased to your appearance."=/\=

"Well that's something at least," Aimee responded to the Captain, "Counselor Paulsen out," She said into the communicator.

Her own tram ride through the Station's myriad levels was uneventful save for a minute where the tram exited the interior tunnels of the station's transit system and into the open docking hub. Here the soft blue glow of the dock lights gave everything an underwater look. Along one pier stretching out from the central hub tower of the station was the Curry class construction ship USS Please Read The Instructions. On the opposite side of the pier to the Starfleet Corps Of Engineers vessel was a sleek, sword-like vessel that shared some of the similarities of its Federation counterparts. Long and narrow, with the nacelle's stacked vertically at the aft, it looked like a shark. That must be the Carcosian ship.

And then the tram entered the airlock tunnel, heading back into the station proper. And before too long it came to a rest, the auto voice announcing they had reached their destination.

'Canopus Station Medical Centre'.

The door's of the tram opened to reveal a wide atrium in calming whites and rounded edges. A glass-enclosed fountain rested in the centre, acting as a calming point of reference for all. White smock wearing medical techs milled here and then, discussing things in hushed tones. One stood from the crowd, mostly because instead of staring at her, he was looking at her. He was taller than most humans by at least ahead, though he was not human. Jet black skin, with golden eyes that seemed to spray little wrinkles of light out from the corners like illuminated crows feet. His head was lined with delicate-looking fronds, like the spines of a lionfish, that glowed a festive assortment of greens and reds.

"You must be Dr Paulsen," the dark-skinned alien said and stepped towards her. His voice was deep, a resonate baritone that was probably a good one for laughing. "I'm Researcher Second Rate Kilgen, formerly of the Xilosian Medical Municipality. Though I am told the position used in Starfleet facilities is 'Doctor'. A pleasure to meet you regardless."

Aimee supposed that technically she was a Doctor because she did have her Doctoral in Psychology so she did not correct him on the matter, "Most in my species would refer to me as Counselor Paulsen, but as I do hold my Doctoral in Psychology, Doctor Paulsen works all the same," She said with a smile on her face. "Pleased to meet you as well." Aimee was still grinning which was perhaps the first occurrence of that all day. Given the day she had there was little surprise in the lack of smiling so far.

"So if I understand correctly," Aimee began after her facial expression changed to one that was more neutral, "Your species have a special relationship with the situation that has befallen these marines?" She questioned rhetorically. "I was able to read up on several of the species that the Canopus crew and Traveller crew have met since being in this region of space." She explained to him.

"Yes. You could say the Xilosian's and the Concordance have a very unique relationship. More so now we have evidence of other races who have met them, and have not been so fortunate as to survive in even such a diminished stances as ours," Kilgen said, the spines atop his head shifting to a heated yellow as he spoke. "I was fortunate, that up until the last few days of The Fall Back, I was working on the fungal infection on behalf of the Civilian Mandate and the Military Cadre. Funding, test subjects, samples, we wanted for nothing. We made the patch tests, which are extremely effective in identifying an infected individual prior to the fungal agent crossing into the brain. I can't tell you how many lives the patches saved, identifying people who would have become symptomatic in a matter of hours. I must say that this approach has been attempted before. Though I do hold some small hope that given the groundwork of mental conditioning, the Concordance propaganda broadcasts and the like, hasn't imprinted on them that you will succeed where we failed."

"If I understand Captain Ingram's plan correctly," Aimee started, "He's more interested in seeing how the infected reacts to my appearance," She remarked with a shrug of her shoulders. "Frankly, I'm not entirely sure how they will react to my outward appearance either. Has anyone attempted to just sit and talk to them? Try to build some sort of relationship with them? Any of the infected I mean."

"Attempts were made. But given we were still trying to determine the nature of the infection vectors, all of our attempts were either made using holographic or medical personnel in bio-suits. As you can imagine those mediums lead to triggering of various negative responses. We have tried using family members of the infected Marines, a few had dependants on the Station. That lead to...an unfortunate event. One of the dependants, the husband of a Marine Gunnery Sagregent broke containment. In the ensuing violent reaction that followed close proximity to an infected, he broke four ribs, dislocated one arm and suffered a mild intracranial bleed."

Kilgen stopped momentarily.

"All of which were fixed with the medical science you have on hand. Normally a Xilosian would be in a sick berth for months healing from those wounds, but an afternoon in this facility seems enough. In either case, he was fully healed but unfortunately was exposed to saliva from his spouse. The full conversion was recorded at 18.59 hours last night. We have the ferromagnetic imaging hologram of the infection taking hold, and spreading thanks to it happening within this complex," Kilgen said as he continued. "So yes, we've tried talking. Face to face leads to violence, the pheromonal triggers activating the adrenal response."

Aimee had her arms crossed and was rubbing the base of her chin while she listened to what the Xilosian was telling her. She wondered if this would work the way it was meant to. "Well I suppose there's only one way to know if this is going to work or not," Aimee remarked with a shrug of her shoulders. She dropped her arms to her sides, "I suppose I should get into a bio-medical suit."

"We have one waiting for you in your size," Kilgen said. "There is also an armed security team on stand by, as well as one officer in the room with you. We can't risk keeping a transporter lock on you incase we beam you out along with infected matter. That's also another thing the medical personnel here have tried. Truly a land of miracles."

Aimee had nodded her head as she disappeared around the corner where the bio-medical suits were stored. She was able to quickly change into it and come back around the corner. She had her arms crossed, "This thing isn't the most fashionable thing I've ever worn," Aimee remarked with a sarcastic sounding tone and a slight laugh. "I've worn worse," She finally admitted. "Lead the way Doctor."