Doctors Fit Note

Posted on Tue Mar 31st, 2020 @ 7:04am by Captain Remas McDonald & Lieutenant Mar Megara MD

1,909 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: S1.5:1:A Time To Heal
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD26 14.15

Remas walked into sickbay just in time to see the team from the flight deck enter through the opposite entrance. It was hard to miss the group, given Liars & Traitors was still being treated as the 'honoured guest in chains'. Some of the nurses and orderlies in the ships medical facility looked at the Reka warrior with a mixture of oathing and fear, given what had happened here not over a month earlier.

That would be a challenge to work over another day, given the fact the Seven Dancing Shadows Den, of which their tame Reka was a member, might very well be their only ally in Messier 4 at present.

"I'm told we made something resembling mild progress on the front of evading detection during the transit phase of the operation?" Remas asked as he joined the others. "In fact, the reports I got was that for three levels below the Flight Pod I had Reka manning the controls and work station for a half-second? Would someone like to fill me in?"

"I would if I could, Captain," Jolani told Remas in a disturbed voice, her normal flat voice noticeably absent. "What I do know is that I do not like what that creature did to me." She pointed at L&T.

There would not have been a person under the sun who wouldn't have resounded with a great level of perurbed after having witnessed what had happened. Gaz was on edge, his finger never too far from his trigger nor his eyes wavering too much from the Reka they were escorting down to Sick Bay. His lips were pressed together, his brow low and his whole demeanor returning to that of the 'Grumpy Gaz' status some of the crew had come to know. He couldn't care much for the rest of the orderlies reactions, he couldn't care much for how the nurses scuttled out of the way when they saw the Reka walking towards them. Nor did Gaz care at this present moment that L&T was their only ally, a supposed ally who had only very recently attacked fellow lieutenant Jolani Kohnar.

And that wasn't going to fly at all.

"I think we're needing to teach this one about boundaries, cap'n." Gaz replied, thumbing over to the Reka.

Remas raised an eyebrow at the Reka.

"She is a singer. I am able to project the idea of illusion through her so many see what I wish. I have done this twice, and each time it is not believed that she is the focal point," the Reka said, using the Captain's own voice to speak. Liar's again reached out, only to be stopped by Remas's own hand.

"I think the commonality of your species makes it a smidge hard to understand folks have boundaries," Remas said slowly, letting go of the Reka's leathery wrist and looking at everyone involved. "She made projections?"

"That's the jist of it, sir," Brynna stepped in to say. She wasn't entirely sure if she would be of any use down here, but she had been a witness. She was no less disturbed than the others, although her facade remained icily stoic. "It would seem that the lieutenant here is some sort of psychic amplifier, if I'm understanding right. Our Reka friend here used her to amplify the projects without Lieutenant Kohnar's consent, and it was not taken to kindly. By anyone, really."

Meg has approached when they all entered, but didn’t really know what to make of the group, until she spotted some mild bruising on a lieutenant’s neck. She stepped over while opening her tricorder to scan her. “Are you alright?” she asked. “What has happened?”

"He grabbed my neck, after I disputed him," Jolani replied extremely annoyed. This was the most emotion that any crew member had seen out of her since they had left Federation space. "And if what Lieutenant Keil says is true, then he has violated me even more deeply than I imagined. You are all aware that I am Halanan, no?"

"Ah, I think I see the rub of it," Remas said. "Halanan's have an ability to projecting a seemingly solid image of ones' self in times of emotional stress. Think of it as a personification of Id and Ego, almost entirely their own person and entity. But ye were not the one projected, and as far as I know, a Halanan's projection ability usually ends up with a single projection and a state of deep unconsciousness."

Gaz looked between everyone, taking in what they each individually had to say. Something about Halanan's. Something about projections. "I have to echo what Brynna's said. Not taken kindly by anyone. I want to hear a decent explanation from them about what the hell is going on."

Jolani shot the Captain a dirty look. "We are taught to control that at a very young age. It is shameful to speak of it or allow it any free reign. Please do not speak of it again."

"Ney offence intend-" Remas began to say, but he was interrupted as the clawed feet of Lair & Traitors curled up in frustration, ripping at the carpeting lining the sickbay deck.

"She is a Singer, able to project a thought image to others of a flock!" The Reka growled. The voice they were using was a hodgepodge of different people, shiting from one to another mid syllable. L&T Pointed to Keil. "This one will follow your orders and fly through the stars of a Myriad held system. She will be found out, and the Myriad will know of us! The Singer can hide us from the sight of their burning eyes and the many Reka who flock to its banner, and all you do is talk! All is noise! All is inaction!"

"That as well maybe, but it is not an ability to be used like a comm panel. And to demand its use against the will of another is not the way of Starfleet, or the Federation," Remas said, taking a step towards L&T as the ExpSec officer under Gaz's command took a step back to clear away some of the nurses and patients in Sickbay. He looked at Keil. "What's your assessment of your chances of getting into the system to act as the relay for our jump?"

"Not impossible," she drawled stoically. "But not fantastic. From what I can see, it's not a matter of being a good flyer but being a lucky one. We might get lucky. The study and planning continues to try to make it less about luck, but I can't make any promises." She might as well have been telling him that it was raining on Ferenginar for all the inflection she offered.

"I've found luck to be a poor helping hand when its on offer..." Remas said, musing. "So let's look at this from another angle. What if we stripped down Gryphon, taking away most if not all of its more advanced system. Turn it into the most basic form of flying rock, with manual flight control. Just enough to get it through the system on a ballistic course to Casstaul and relay back the positional data for the Traveller to make it QSD jump? It would trade luck for skill in the pilot."

Gaz narrowed his eyes, glancing over at L&T. "Building on the Cap'n's answer...is there anyway to go simple and trick them into believing it's a flying space rock?"

"If we arrive in the Ortt Cloud, we could have the Traveller accelerate to a degree of C and then use the new flight pods magnetic catapult to fire the stripped-down Gryphon ahead of us. Ballistic trajectory, with enough reaction mass in the tanks to slow down when it's close enough to the planet. Stripped down to the space frame, with the underside armour acting as a heat shield for atmospheric entry...Gryphon should have the sensor shadow of space rock." Remas mused, looking at the squadron leader. "Of course to get it's already sleek radar shadow down even farther, we'd need to strip out most of the secondary systems, half the sensors, the back seat, and the inertial compensator. Meaning...the deceleration phase would be punishing."

To say the least, Brynna thought wryly, but she thought through it all and nodded slowly. "That could work," she agreed. "I can handle it. Just make sure we leave enough to relay the message. Hate to go all that way for nothing." She smiled darkly.

"Agreed," Remas said. He turned back to the Reka. "For the time being, you'll be escorted back to your quarters. When we arrive in the system I'll have you brought to the bridge."

"You are making a grave mistake," L&T said in Remas's voice.

"Possibly and potentially, but they've been saying that since we arrived here in Messier 4," Remas turned his head to Dr Megara. "Is there anything you can do to help Lieutenant Keil endure the long duration high gee deceleration phase? Blacking out in a ship with minimal to no automation is not something I think this mission can endure."

"I do not know about preventing blackouts, but there are portable stimulators that will revive after a set amount of time," replied Meg, crossing to a nearby drawer and pulling out an armband. "They are usually used for concussion patients to wake them periodically throughout the night as the first night there is typically danger of slipping into a coma. We can set it for a shorter time period, though, as long as we know when the high G's will begin."

"Every little bit helps," Brynna said. This was not going to be the most enjoyable of tasks, she knew, but... She was the most stalwart of her pilots. Able to persevere. She wouldn't let anyone else do it.

Gaz nodded, trying to simplify everything in his head as his eyes shot over to L&T, swallowing any partial bad feeling down in a desperate attempt to remain as neutral as he could. "All good thinkin' about the present moment and what needs to be done, but what's the plan for once we get this portion of the plan squared away? Or we taking one bridge at a time? Because more I know, more I can plan and prep for yous lots protection."

Jolani visibly relaxed and turned to Remus and said, "I like this plan much better. I will fly us as stealthily as possible. If anyone can get us through, it will be me," she told him with pride. "And I appreciate your sensitivity on this issue."

"Never a thought far from my mind," Remas lifted turned his hand over, the holo panel floating above the knuckles displaying a ship's chronometer. "The QSD jump from Carpathia to Casstaul should take us about a half-day. Have Shadi's crew of eager wreckers from Engineering help with stripping the Gryphon down. The yard crew should have us free and clear of the repair cradle by mid-morning tomorrow. In the afternoon we see what comes of the plans of mice and men."

"Yes sir," Jolani replied, a bit of pride coming back into her voice before an angrier tone took over. "And you will keep him away from me?" she asked of Remas regarding L&T.

First Among Liars & Traitors had all four eyes narrowed and aimed squarely at Jolani.

 

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