Posted June 24, 2022, 9:36 a.m. by Lieutenant Junior Grade Serral Echei (Science Officer) (Lucas Foxley)
Posted by Lieutenant Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) in Side Sim: “Replicating” A Leg
Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Serral Echei (Science Officer) in Side Sim: “Replicating” A Leg
It was Serral’s first official day of duty aboard the Chernov, and he was resuming his projects where he left off when he had to pack up to leave his previous position. He had a case he was working on.. a cybernetic leg for a patient who’d lost their own to injury. Legs were very specific, in order to bear the weight correctly and not put too much incorrect strain on the back and pelvis. They had to be the right length. This patient was… Serral stopped to read the file. Five feet and nine inches tall. And… about a hundred and sixty five pounds. There were pictures included, of the person as a whole, and several detailed shots of their remaining leg.He began to work, building the frame first, metalic bones which had to match the length of the real bones in the other leg. Patients were allowed to choose how the new limb looked. There were compounds that would be almost exactly like natural skin, save for the fact it would never discolor or bruise. But one could also choose a more… cyberpunk, machine looking finished product. Either way, the frame and inner components were the same. Assuming the patient’s nerves were intact enough, technology could make the leg feel similar to a real leg. In that case, one had to choose the skin. This patient’s injury hadn’t made that an option.
Serral wanted to make sure he had the length right… He needed something to compare it with. He was too tall. He had yet to meet her properly, but he had seen someone who judging by looks was about the right dimensions. The ship’s first officer, T’Aria. Hopefully she wouldn’t think this was a waste of her time… but it was necessary for his work, logically he should make sure it is as accurate as it can be. So, reaching for the comm panel, he put in a page for T’Aria to meet him down in the science labs.
~ Lt JG Echei, Sci
T’Aria received the comm at an unremarkable commpanel on Deck 13, metres from the control room where she met NLieutenant with Lak. Their biweekly meeting progressed with reports, complaints about flight rotations, and many failed attempts at humour and sarcasm. It was decidedly routine, but T’Aria did not mind. She struggled to decipher the tones and meanings contained in vague missives and one-sentence updates. In conversation, however, there was less room for misunderstanding. She appreciated body language and inflection… and simply the opportunity to ask for clarification.
“I will be there momentarily,” she lifted her thumb from the commpanel and turned for the turbolift.
“Acknowledged.” Came a swift reply.
T’Aria knew Lieutenant Echei from the file that crossed her desk days before, but they had not formally met. He was a cyberneticist with a PhD from the Betazed University of Sciences… and that was the extent of her knowledge. Naturally, her curiosity crew as she entered the turbolift and ordered it to Deck 4. What did he need? Any accommodations or supplies would be run by Lt. Commander Grey. He could seek out Doctor Symar or Lt. Lovejoy for inter-department support. And she doubted he’d been aboard long enough to get ‘into it’ with another crew member (though it wouldn’t be a first). If not those, then what?
She pondered the possibilities as the turbolift grinded to a halt and she stepped into a corridor painted blue with science officers. In less than a minute, she found herself strolling into the science lab with a keen eye searching for someone who matched Echei’s personnel photo and background. She spotted someone who could fit the profile (and who she didn’t recall meeting before) and took a chance in approaching them.
“Lieutenant Echei?” T’Aria rose her voice on the off-chance this wasn’t Echei but he was nearby.
— T’Aria, XO
In front of the scientist was a mesh frame in the vague shape of an upper leg. He couldn’t start on the knee or lower leg until he knew how long to make the femur. Off to the side was the femur, a metallic bone made of medical grade materials, meant to last many years without the need of replacement.
The trick to these, to making them respond like a real limb, was making them as similar to one as possible. A mix of bone and “muscle” and mechanical parts came together to make it work. Officers were even able to return to duty, assuming they could follow medical advice.
When he heard his name from behind him, Serral turned to greet T’Aria. He was taller than her at 5‘11’‘, a height that he must’ve inherited from his Vulcan side. To go along with that, he had Vulcan pointed ears and the green tint to his skin said he must have copper-based Vulcan blood. And yet, there was the clear mark of his other half, his irises pure black and his face shape more rounded and soft than the typical Vulcan.
He was well-built, not overly skinny, but also not the largest, and looked to be in shape, but certainly no star athlete. He wore a standard issue uniform at the time, complete with… comfortable black walking shoes. Practicality over style, apparently.
There were other differences, created by the melding of two very different species into one. They were mostly internal, not immediately visible. For one, most half-Betazoids, when the other half was Human, had less empathic ability than a full Betazoid. Vulcans were also a slightly telepathic species, shown in their culture with the ability to mind meld with other living beings among other things. The result of which was that Serral possessed only slightly less empathic ability than a full Betazoid. A troublesome talent for a Vulcan. He could control his own emotions, not those of others.
“Commander T’Aria. A pleasure to meet you properly.” He said, in a not very deep but not overly high pitched voice, “I need a little assistance with my present project and you happen to be the only person I’ve seen about the right size to be of help. I was… hoping you wouldn’t mind.” Counting on it, really. Serral could do this without her, but it would be faster with her.
~ Lt JG Echei, Sci
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