Conversations

Posted on Tue Jan 17th, 2023 @ 11:00am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun

Mission: Planet of the Dinosaurs
Location: Medical tent
Timeline: Early morning day 3

She wasn't aware how long she'd been asleep, it felt like an eternity and an instant at the same time. A confusing feeling for anyone. Hushed voices were reassuring and yet busy concurrently and the steady rustle of fabric indicated movement.

She cracked open an eyelid and waited for her vision to clear, mildly perturbed when it failed to solidify completely. Still she could make out the blurry form of her husband on the cot next to her, and Commodore S'thenosis one over again. What had happened to Remal and the Commodore? Had they been injured during the storm? The shelter was filled with various wounded, mostly from the cave in but some from the camp as well.

"Remal?" Her voice was hoarse and caused the pressure in her skull to ramp up a notch.

His body was at rest, his mind lost in a fog where time was moving slower than the world which surrounded him. He lay upon the cot like bed, his eyes staring at the ceiling above. They were coated with a white film as though he was blind, and his pupils were hyper dilated. He was the embodiment of a proverbial zombie minus the desire for human brains.

A nurse walked up and checked his dilation and pulse every hour. As he held Remals wrist he caught sight of Rhenora looking in his direction and so offered a comforting word. “We’re doing everything we know of for your husband ma’am. I promise we will figure out what’s wrong and have him back to work in no time.” He smiled a comforting but uncertain smile before finishing his measurements and moving off to deliver his updates.

That threw her a bit, no it threw her a lot. They didn't know what was wrong with him and thus wouldn't know how to treat him or assist any more than monitoring and trying to keep him stable and comfortable.

Rhenora sat up and swung her legs over the side of the dot, stopping at the persistent glare of the CMO. She reached and took her husband's larger hand in her own, running her thumb over the broad surface.

"You don't know what's causing this do you?" She asked Wilson, her tone matter of fact and not accusing in at way.

"We have some theories, but I need to study it more before we formulate a treatment plan. Right now he's stable-ish." Sarah turned back to her work, almost unable to meet Rhenora's eyes.

The nurse returned again, his focus now on S'thenosis. His tact careful but forthcoming as he checked the Draconians eyes. "Right now we are sampling the fauna and the wildlife for clues. It appears to be a genetic abnormality caused by something on this planet. More and more people have experienced headaches, slow thought processes and other symptoms indicative of a devolutionary state of being."

He paused to explain in more layman's terms. "Everything, right down to the cellular level has shown an accelerated de-evolution. This trick now is to determine what before we can understand how to treat it." He paused again as he saw the look on her face. "And before you ask, yes, everyone has experienced some level of change. It's just that some are faring better than others. The poor Commodore is of reptilian descent which may have factored into her changes while the counselor may have been in close proximity for too long. Jury's still out on that one.

"Holy Firecaves" Rhenora breathed as she continued to hold Remal's hand in her own. His skin pallor had changed and he definitely did not look completely Bajoran at this point. Rhenora was no doctor but even she could see the ticking time bomb was accelerating, particularly if everyone was affected. "How's Sarah doing?" She asked cautiously, trying to gauge how long it was before they lost their singular genius in all things medical.

"She's not doing too badly, however it's only a matter of time. Commander House and Crewman Patin dropped by earlier with the comment they hadn't felt any headaches being back on board. We've drawn a sample of their blood and hope to use it to work out a more concrete hypothesis.

"If it's something local here, we can relocate back to the Sunfire…it may buy us some time" Rhenora suggested.


TBC