Posted by Captain Chris Taggart (Captain) in Main Sim: Romulan Sickbay - An Unwelcome Homecoming [TAG T’Aria]

Posted by Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) in Main Sim: Romulan Sickbay - An Unwelcome Homecoming [TAG T’Aria]

Posted by Captain Chris Taggart (Captain) in Main Sim: Romulan Sickbay - An Unwelcome Homecoming [TAG T’Aria]
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
(Snip!)

Kastarak had found a molecule-for-molecule exact equal mapping (and a projection of the tumour’s metabolism) from both instruments. The best thing would be to do the extraction now.

“Captain, with your consent, we wish to extract the tumour within a few minutes. The extraction will be performed by transporter technology. It will leave a cavity in the cerebral cortex, where it has been, and it is likely to give you some haemorrhaging in the cavity. We will need to keep you under observation to see how the cavity heals, and how the neurons and blood vessels around the cavity will react. The human brain does not have any pain sensors, so you will likely feel nothing from the surgery, and it can be performed while awake. Indeed, being awake and conscious is preferable.”

– Ensign Kastarak (doctor / counsellor)

“I understand doctor. Please inform Commander T’Aria about the situation and that she is in command until Doctor Symar tells her otherwise. You two know that I was a surgeon before assuming command? And I’ve never heard of doing this. But I trust you both completely. I’ll stay awake and calm myself while you two get ready and tell T’Aria.” With that Chris closed his eyes and began taking deep, calming breaths.

Chris

“Yes, of course, sir” replied Kastarak. “I will inform her at once.”

He tapped the internal ship communicator, “Kastarak to First Officer T’Aria.”

– Dr Kastarak

[O]T’Aria, here…[O] came her swift reply. [O]How can I assist you, doctor?[C]

— T’Aria

Kastarak thought whether or not to tell her all the information over the communicator, but decided to wait until she came to Sickbay. It was no way of knowing who could over hear the conversation.

“Commander, I implore you to come to Sickbay at once. It is of critical importance and constitutes a medical emergency. ” That was all he could say while protecting the captain’s right to privacy of his medical condition. However, once T’Aria could make it to Sickbay, the safety of the ship would overrule the captain’s health privacy in as much as possible for T’Aria to understand the situation and take command of the ship. This, she didn’t know now, of course.

– Dr Kastarak

T’Aria appreciated the urgency of his request with a terse ‘acknowledged, doctor’ and severed the commlink.

Staying in character would be made slightly more tricky with T’Aria around, but Symar fought the urge to revert to his natural state, “I will be standing by at the transporter controls if you need me En-, forgive me, Doctor Kastarak.”

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-

“Of course, sir,” said Kastarak, understanding Symar’s predicament (though not fully, as he wasn’t aware of the fullness of Symar’s emotions for T’Aria, but he sensed enough to make sense the gist of it).

In as little time as the turbolift and winding corridors would allow, T’Aria appeared in sickbay.

She located Kastarak beside a biobed (its tenant hidden from her) and approached, narrowly missing Symar. Confusion pervaded her expression sooner than she could purge it. Did this ‘medical emergency’ not require the input of their medical chief? She raised an eyebrow at him in greeting before joining Kastarak. He made the report, so perhaps this situation involved the mental wellbeing of their – T’Aria glimpsed the patient – Captain?

“Doctor, Captain.” She dismissed the discomfiting blend of emotion in seeing Taggart apparently injured and addressed Kastarak, “please report. What is the nature of the emergency?”

— T’Aria

“Sup T’Aria.” He said as he waved at her.

“Captain, if I may–” Kastarak said to the captain before quickly turning to T’Aria. “The captain will undergo surgery – a medical emergency that cannot be stalled more than a few hours – through transporter extraction. During this time, and during his recovery, the captain will not be fit to serve. Accordingly, under Starfleet regulations, in as much as they apply to our strange circumstances on board this ship, Dr Symar and I will authorize you to take command of the ship until the captain is fit to resume his duties.”

Kastarak paused, but not long enough to allow T’Aria to ask any questions. He knew T’Aria would understand the lack of detail for the captain’s condition, as she, too, was a trained medical profession and someone who had undergone several command courses.

T’Aria listened with narrowed, attentive eyes and respected the brevity of Kastarak’s report. He was an attending physician. If he did not consider information critical to the Captain’s wellbeing or the safety and conduct of the ship, then she did not expect to know. There was no room for inoperable details. They served only to make space for confusion and deprive them of necessary time. So, she stayed quiet.

“As we will employ the transporter extraction as our method – it is the safest option under the time constraints the medical emergency sets – it is my understanding that a certain spacetime environment is needed for it to function properly. The ship cannot be in warp. It cannot have its shields or deflector shields up. The cloak must be turned off. The extraction will be instantaneous. As soon as all these functions are off-line and the environment is safe from spacetime or energy distortions, Dr Symar and I can conduct the appropriate extraction. At maximum, a minute to double-check that all such systems are indeed offline and to precise the extraction and conduct it. Immediately thereafter, these functions can be put online again. As acting commanding officer, it will be your decision, based on your judgment and your understanding of not only the patient’s health and priorities, but, indeed, of that of the entire crew and its ship and mission, if and when to turn these systems offline.”

Kastarak paused to underscore the gravity of the situation.

“However, I must reiterate that the captain requires this surgery within a few hours – the sooner the better. There is, as far as Dr Symar and I understand, no alternative method with the technology and skillset we have on board. It is for you to decide if and when it is possible to conduct this procedure.”

Taggart’s condition demanded an immediate extraction of what T’Aria assumed to be malignant tissue, a procedure whose success hinged on the use of transporters. There existed a potential for danger if it was not precisely timed. Fortunately, they had not yet encountered a hostile force. Kastarak had said the procedure would be ‘instantaneous’. Therefore, if they could locate an uninhabited star system less than a few hours’ travel away, they could use the immense energy output and density of matter to evade wandering scans… if briefly. They needed only a few minutes. That was hardly too much to ask or deliver. At least, theoretically.

T’Aria considered the predicament for a few heartbeats before stating, “I understand, Doctor.”

He turned to the captain, “Is there anything you wish to add, captain?”

Kastarak then glanced at Symar standing by the transporter controls. He was still looking “Vulcan enough” for the situation, but his emotional state would soon break through. T’Aria needed to leave and the procedure performed quickly so that Symar could de-mask and rest. But the captain’s life and the welfare of the ship’s crew were more important than Symar’s stress. Nonetheless, Kastarak pitied him.

Once the captain and T’Aria had spoken with one another, they could agree when to transfer command, and then T’Aria could return to Bridge to make all necessary adjustments and scans as might be necessary, before giving the go-ahead for Symar and Kastarak to perform the extraction.

– Ensign Kastarak (physician / counsellor)

“I don’t really have anything. T’Aria. I have a bad brain tumor and these fine gentlemen here are going to fix it for me. I’ll be back to help you soon. Hopefully. I know the timing sucks, but crap happens. I’m sorry.”

Chris

“Humans have many strengths, sir, but controlling cell division is not one of them. You have no reason to be sorry,” she assured. “On your command, I will return to the bridge and begin scanning our general vicinity for suitable places to shelter while you undergo the procedure. Are you ready, Chris?”

— T’Aria

“Thank you T’Aria. I am ready. You have Command.” With that Chris turned his head away from her and closed his eyes trying to calm down.

Chris

“Commander, may I speak with you outside for a moment?” Symar had been thinking this conversation over for the last minutes and, as a lot of Doctors do, decided he
needed a second opinion.

-Lieutenant Symar: Chief Medical Officer-