Posted by Lieutenant Commander Dr. Solomon Kane (Chief Science Officer/Research & Development) in Main Sim- Conference Room (All Senior Staff)

Posted by Lieutenant Surra Almikaz (Chief of Psychiatry) in Main Sim- Conference Room (All Senior Staff)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Alexis Bonner (Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in Main Sim- Conference Room (All Senior Staff)
Posted by… suppressed (11) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
A chirp of the comm system had Dira move from her seat. “Here we go folks, look alive,” she said with a tiny grin before activating the call.”

Commander Myqian, XO

Kane yawned and rested his head in his hand, elbow on the arm of the chair.

Kane, CSO / R&D

Alexis swiveled in her chair to look at the screen, she glanced up from the PaDD, Oh good it’s starting. She went to open a new document on the PaDD but there was no stylus attached. She reached up snagging one that was almost falling out of the bun anyway, and kept tapping away at the PaDD. Anyone who didn’t know her would think she was doodling and not paying attention at all. That was so far from the truth it was laughable.

Bonner, AMO

• Oscar Cascarrabias, CE

OOC: I’m going to assume that all the characters that need to be here have arrived already. Feel free to slip them in before Dira starts the call.
IC:
On the screen a woman with dark hair swept up off her face appeared, her warm brown eyes gazing intently. Her uniform and rank identified her as a Rear Admiral. She smiled as the Ogawa’s staff came into view. =/\=Good day everyone, thank you for gathering. I’ll try not to take up too much of your time. I’m Rear Admiral Melody Gutierrez and I was recently contacted by the Diplomatic Corps. Apparently your little promotional video has a fan,=/\= she said, shifting into a grin. =/\=For the last three years the Federation Council has bene hosting a diplomatic delegation from a species called the Kelakgh from Gossaneen Three in the Gamma Quadrant. They are Humanoid though have a few quirks that you’ll have to keep in mind. Apparently for the last year their Ambassador, one Salin Mero has been experienced a series of symptoms and general unwellness. She’s seen several doctors and all agree that aside her basic symptoms have no physiological cause and are likely just due to the stress of living on a planet with a slightly different atmosphere and gravity. The Kelakgh use a breathing device when in a different atmosphere but even factoring in the environmental differences, the doctors haven’t bene able to find anything actually wrong with her.=/\=

Gutierrez offered an apologetic look. =/\=This is all complicated by the fact that Ambassador Mero is known to be quite the hypochondriac and always believes there is something wrong with her. Which… is understandable given she was apparently rather ill as a child and spent significant time in medical facilities. It was enough that while she loves the people that practice medicine, she has a deep phobia of medical facilities. So you will have to contend with that as we’ve agreed to humour the Ambassador and have her be examined by your team.=/\=

=/\=The Ambassador has her own vessel and travels with her aide and two personal guards. They all have been living on Earth and been immersed in the different cultures around them so aren’t requesting any special accommodations except for their living spaces to be adjusted environmentally for their ease. They are fine being elsewhere on the ship and using their breathing apparatuses.=/\= The admiral exhaled. =/\=Questions? =/\=

~Mischief Maker

Alexis looked around, no one was asking anything. She had several suggestions off the top of her head, but decided if the woman was coming anyway, they were moot. “Admiral it would be of great benefit to us if we could have her complete medical history, all current tests and examinations, atmospheric and environmental compositions of her homeworld, as well as where she has been staying on earth, and the specifications for the breathing apparatus before she arrives.”

Bonner, AMO

After Bonner asked her questions, Surra added, “Is she currently being treated for her hypochondriasis? I can’t know for sure, but thus seems to be the core of the Ambassador’s issue since it has been confirmed, on some level, that she has no physiological cause for her symptoms. In any case, I would like to have one of my direct reports, Dr. Grayson, exam the Ambassador. I, on the other hand, would like to review her medical history with Dr. Bonner.”

Almikaz, CoP

Oscar actually had something pertinent to contribute, and, in spite of the personal connection (childhood spent as a medical patient for long-term illness), it had nothing to do with him personally. “How much maintenance do their breathing apparatuses need? Is it like the Benzites, where they require daily upkeep, or is it something more like the Barzans, where the maintenance depends upon a case-by-case basis? Have they asked for any improvements that the Federation might contribute to their pecsonal atmospheric modification devices, and if so, is the Ogawa crew going to be part of that?”

• Oscar “The Grouch” Cascarrabias, CE

Brad just raised an eyebrow throughout the mission assignment. An entire ship, his entire department, tasked with the examination and possible treatment of a single diplomat? The general conclusion of the Earth physicians that her condition was most likely psychological, brought on by a difference in planetary composition, would be relatively trivial to test, especially given that none of her staff had reported similar afflictions.

“Will we be remaining in Alpha Quadrant for the duration of this exam, or are we also being tasked with escorting the Ambassador home?” he asked. He hoped not, he was quite content to leave his short-lived attachment with diplomacy in the past.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Gutierrez held up a hand on the screen and offered a polite chuckle. =/\=I know you are miracle workers, but I am not the patient. Your questions about history, and test results are better directed to her or her assistant when she comes aboard, however I will be sure to send you the briefing packet that is available for their species, home world, customs, et cetera. I don’t believe there is any need for you to leave orbit just… treat the patient and send her on her way. If it is all in her head I am sure you can walk her through that as well. =/\=

Brad nodded, relieved. He’d learned quickly he was not suited to diplomacy, and while he couldn’t truly say he was allergic to diplomats, he was somewhat reliably able to make himself feign an allergic reaction to get out of functions where large concentrations of them were present.

She paused then and added, =/\= I believe they use a form of cartridge filter to take the oxygen out of the air. A breather similar to the Barzans. They have a Rubidium based physiology, similar to our own, but instead of potassium they have large amounts of rubidium. When exposed to oxygen rich atmospheres their blood ignites, thus the need for special protections in surgery as well.=/\=

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

“A species that spontaneously combusts in Earth-like atmospheres… No wonder diplomacy has taken so long.” Oscar leaned back, considering the ramifications. “I remember during the Dominion War, the Federation was adding members six months after first contact. On the plus side, these people will feel comfortable around me - I’ll just wear my iso suit like normal, and everything else will be fine. As long as none of them assume that I’m a physician, that is.”

“Make sure that the briefing packet has any k own cross-species viral vectors the Ambassador’s species may be susceptible to. Oh, and dietary restrictions. I don’t relish the idea of samples being sent to the lab that we have to start at ground zero to try and analyze. And hypochondriac or not… we can’t rule out the fact that they actually might be sick.” Kane said.

Kane, CSO / R&D

• Oscar “The Grouch”, CE

The Admiral smiled at Kane and Oscar’s observations before nodding. =/\= Yes of course Commander Kane. Starting from scratch would be a waste of everyone’s time. Their diet is mostly vegetarian, though they do eat meat on occasion. I suppose like humans in that way. Foods high in potassium of course. Generally they avoid alcohol as it metabolizes differently giving them a bigger bang as it were.

And chief I am sure you will be a good person to liaise with them then. They aren’t very trusting but kind enough. =/\=

GM Wombat

Bonner glanced at Walker. “It might be best to start from scratch. It seems it has been decided there is nothing wrong with her, and if we proceed from that perspective we will miss what is wrong with her.” Just because you were paranoid didn’t mean someone wasn’t after you. She turned her attention back tobthe screen. “Admiral, what is our medical exchange with the Kelakgh like? It would be beneficial to have a basic genetic work up for the Kelakgh in case the issue is a matter of genetics. I understand getting that information will be a matter for Salin Mero, but it would be a shame to offend her as soon as she arrives if we already know they are unwilling to share such information.” Of course if they were unwillingness share in order to help one of their own diplomats, then Alexis thought very poorly of them. The kick of information wouldn’t stop her from diagnosing and treating them. It just took away one of her tools.

Bonner, AMO

“I do not want to sit here and debate or try to speculate what’s wrong with her. I’d rather get to work. However I do agree with Dr. Bonner. It may be best if we start from scratch and do our own observations.

Brad gave a nod. In some respects, it would have been better had she not been here to hear the implied bias of the initial briefing, since they could not truly work ‘from scratch’ having done so, but there was absolutely merit in holding everything they were sent back from the main diagnostic team until after they were able to conduct their own assessments.

He would still look it over, and then meet with the team that handled the Ambassador’s intake and testing. If their results came back differently from the prior exams, he’d be able to tell them so, and they’d be able to go over the differences as a team to try and find a cause.

On his own PaDD, he sent a message to her:

Not going to say this in front of the Admiral, as she clearly is just humoring this woman and expects us to validate what Medical has told her, then send her away, but I agree. I’ll go over their results myself and hold them in my office, so they don’t bias our own diagnosticians. Assemble a team and brief them on the bare basics: patient’s species, gender, presenting with unknown malady. Full intake exam, subsequent testing to be determined.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Alexis read the note and nodded slightly. She would put some thought into who before she made a decision.

“Admiral, what is Ambassador Mero’s ETA? I think she should undergo a psych evaluation first before a physical examination is done on her.”

Almikaz, CoP

Alexis listened and very quickly sent a message back to Dr. Walker. It was his purview as Chief of Staff to decide how to handle it after all. The note read:

I disagree. For three reasons. First we will have to take several readings and samples for the lab. Those tests will take quite some time to get back. It would be ill considered to make her sit and wait when we can do a basic physical and she can use the down time to see you. Second it is SOP for medical patients to to see medical first and psychiatric patients to be seen by your department first. She is asking for medical help. Sending her to psychiatry first sends the message that we don’t think there is anything wrong with her and aren’t taking her concerns seriously. That is bad for the patient, no matter what is wrong. Which leads to my third objection. We want clear unbiased evaluations. If she is seen as psychiatric patient first it can skew the point of view from which the medical and psychiatric teams approache her diagnosis.

Bonner, AMO

OOC: Sorry Jennifer, I am a little confused and wasnt sure if I needed to respond here. Was your note for Surra or Brad? If for my character I will respond accordingly.

Mika

OOC: The note is for Dr. Walker. Sorry for the confusion.

OOC: Fixing Split

IC:

Kane scoffed loudly. “That should definitely not happen first. We’re bringing in an unfamiliar species with unspecified health complaints that have either been missed or dismissed by the previous attendings. Sticking them in a psych office first thing after jump is only going to serve to put them on edge… or just straight up make them mad. Medical needs baseline information before any, or at least the minimum amount, of external stimulus is brought to bear that could have implications to that baseline.” and he looked at Almikaz. “Besides, its SOP that any new arrival goes through a medical screening as a priority. Especially when we are dealing with an unfamiliar species. Let the Medical team get their tests and data first so they can start developing a plan and the labs can start getting processed… then we start talking mental health.” He looked at Walker and said “Last thing we need is for an ambassador to drop dead in the Counseling Suite because we decided to head-shrink them before we gave them an exam.”

Kane, CSO / R&D

Bonner pointed her stylus at Kane and nodded in agreement. In that typical seemingly, but not, distracted tone of hers, “What Dr. Kane said.” Amazing how similar his comments were to her own note to Dr Walker.

Surra fixed her eyes on him and said, “You obviously made your point. With that loud scoff and all. You certainly shouldn’t be the first person she come into contact with either. Wouldn’t want your angry and despotic tendencies affecting the friendly nature of the ship.” Then she rolled her eyes…hard.

Alexis looked up and raised a brow. How unprofessional and aggressive and in front of the Admiral. Then half a second later Alexis simply didn’t care. Her priority was the patient.

Kane looked at Almikaz with a blank expression for a moment… and then he grinned and winked at her before leaning back and smiling like the proverbial cat that ate the canary.

After she took a calming breath, because this man tended to upset her whenever she came into contact with him, she simply said, “Of course I will go with whatever the recommendation is. I figured I can at least speak with her upon her arrival and get a clear sense of her state of mind. Possibly alivate any concerns she may have, I do believe that a fear of medical facilities was mentioned? Maybe a ship full of doctors could put her even more on edge.”

Almikaz, CoP

“I think it would be beneficial to remember that the Admiral said Ambassador Mero specifically requested us. She saw the promo and jnows we are a hospital ship. She isn’t being forced on board. But keeping that in mind,” she turned to Walker, “We can endeavor, whenever possible, to make house calls. Patient quarters are equipped with most of the basic monitoring equipment if we need to use it.”

Bonner, AMO

She didnt know if Bonner was talking directly to her or just generally making a comment, but she didn’t appreciate her starting her sentence with I think it would be beneficial… The comment would have been better received if she wasn’t Kane girlfriend and if she somehow said it directly to her. Without looking at the woman Surra said, “I, on the other hand, think it would be beneficial to remember that the patient has fears, whether she is coming aboard the ship willing or not. Just as you can make visits to her quarters, so can my staff as well. It’s not like it will take a week or even a day to evaluate her and determine her stateof mind. I simply want to do a quick mental check and prepare her for her potential treatment. What, you want to just start poking her with all your instruments as soon as she step aboard the ship?”

Almikaz, CoP

OOC: Fixing Split

Kane looked at the CoP with a confused expresssion. “Uh, Doc? You know we don’t have to ‘start poking her with all our instruments’, right? Scans and biobeds have really helped alleviate the need for hypodermic needles and the like for the last… oh… several hundred years.” He leaned forward and put his arms on the table, looking directly at Almikaz. “And I and everybody else here gets the need to heal the whole patient… physical and mental. But we gotta prioritize. And first thing is we have to ensure that whatever is wrong with her isn’t going to effect the crew of this ship, right? Right.” He then looked up at the Admiral and said “And we’ll have a complete set of records for the Ambassador prior, correct?” His tone wasn’t one of asking a question. “And we need everything… for however long she has been seen. Every note, lab result, test request, consult, doodle, prescription, or paper airplane that anyone connected with her has made.” He looked at Almikaz again and said towards the screen without looking away “And I’m sure the good Doctor here would be most grateful for any notes from any previous mental health assessment, too.” and he looked back at the screen. “Whole patient health… right?”

Kane, CSO / R&D

You should know, her thought was in reference to him being hundreds of years old himself. “It was a figure of speech, I cant believe I had to tell you that seeing how sarcastic and condesending you are being right now. Futhermore, don’t patronize me, I am fully aware of the equipment we have on this ship and how it functions. Maybe you just can’t fathom anyone being as smart or smarter than yourself.” Narcissist she thought to herself. “And…for your information I have always been about whole patient health. Mind and body, so don’t try to lecture me on the concept.”
Oh how she disliked this man. He had the ability to make her blood boil with anger. And she was mad at herself for letting him get under her skin.

Almikaz, CoP