Medical consult

Posted on Wednesday 2 January 2019 @ 13:49 by Commander Caroline Miller & Commander Cale Llewellyn DSci & Lieutenant Michael Ki MD

Mission: The New Collective
Location: Chief Medical Officers Office
Timeline: Before "Out of the Box"
1362 words - 2.7 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Caroline looked horrified as they piled into Dr Ki's office to discuss the Chief Engineers situation. "I'm sorry. I have to ask. What is the deal with the Irish women on this ship? So rude and angry."

"I wouldn't know about Irish women but I can atest to women in general on this ship; they tend to let their own judgment be overridden by their mental state. I know from experience, that women, in general, are all volatile to anyone despite their training, Counselor. But I agree with you...in general. At least," Cale offered his two cents no matter how useless they may be.

Michael laughed out loud partially because after the past events he needed a laugh, and partially because what Cale had just said was amusing. "Please take a seat. I asked you both here because from what I saw time is of the essence. We need to ascertain what is going on with Ms O'Hara and cure it. My fear is that it could be a new Borg weapon, and heaven help us if that is correct."

"I looked up the meaning of ""Agus is féidir leat a ithe mo thóin," she pronounced in Galiac terribly reading it from her PADD. "Translation is something along the lines of "You can eat my arse," she stated. "Complete insubordination and to the Captain of all people. Either I have to prove whatever just happened to her completely fried her mind briefly or I have some serious work with that woman to do around her attitude. Knowing my luck, probably both," she sighed.

"Again I agree with you, Counselor. She should be brought up on charges of insubordination but after we have determined if it was her in the first place. Her mind could have been affected by being in contact with the Hive mind. First of all, we have no clue what the effects of sharing one's mind with that large and massive a presence is. We also don't know much about our good chief engineer's mental state as it were. So I suggest that she be evaluated not only medically but mentally as well, as per the captain's orders. What are your suggestions, Doctor Ki?" Cale asked.

"Commander I have to disagree on one point. We do have records of people being connected to the hive and exactly what that can do the brain. The issue at hand here is what I warned everyone about before this blasted mission. The Borg are the most adaptive species in the galaxy. With every encounter they study and then adapt to succeed. They have had decades to study humanity and the Federation it is quite possible that they have now devised a weapon to assimilate the Federation. However, I am a realist and I know that hypothesis is if nothing else extreme. No matter what the issue with her is I agree that medical, and social science will have a hand in restoring her health. As to the insubordination while I agree with you there as well, I do not believe it is our place to say anything even if it was her and not the Borg. It was the Captain that she offended and it would be he to write her up if that is at all needed. You both may not know that I am a Diagnastician. So whatever is wrong with her with your help I will get to the bottom of it."

Michael stood and keyed some commands into the computer screen on the wall behind him. "What you see here is three scans of the patient's brain taken at three different moments. The one on the top was taken just before she left for the mission. The bottom left taken upon her arrival while still unconcious, and the bottom right just after she came to conciousness. I would ask that you take a close look at the frontoparietal network in each scan. This is where everyone's unique personality engram is developed and stored." Ki paused for and stroked his chin. He walked out from behind the desk to allow his colleugues to have a better view. "Commander I am curious what did you mean when you mentioned your special skills to the Captain?"

"Quite simply, Doctor, I was referring to my empathy. The same special talent I told you about when you performed my physical. Or have you forgotten already?" Cale said in simple terms. He wasn't trying to belittle Dr. Ki, just tell him what he was referring to.

Michael snapped his fingers of course that was what Cale was referring to. "No, I have not forgotten, you must forgive me there has been a lot on my mind. My apologies. Well have a look at the data tell me what you think. I believe that we can combine all three of our talents to solve this case."

"My apologies, Doctor Ki, I too have had a great deal on my mind of late. I'm afraid I'm not up to date on the latest medical protocols so my contribution will be more on the scientific side than anything. So let's have yours and Doctor Miller's interpretation of the data first before I take a look at it and we can proceed from there, yes?" Cale said wanting to leave this in their capable hands. His presence was merely afforded him by the Captain to provide them with something neither of the two doctors was capable of providing themselves; a true look into Lieutenant O'Hara's emotional state.

"The data is extraordinary. Her brain is reacting in ways that indicate a major shock and trauma. It also indicates some telepathy and empathic contact, going by collocative scans of Betazoids and other races with such gifts. It would be interesting to run a comparison against your brain chemistry Commander," Caroline nodded at Cale.

"My concerns at present are getting her brain back to some sort of normalcy for a human. I hypothesis that now the "link" is hopefully severed that will likely happen in its own healing. Or perhaps as she says its something residual with her dataport technology which I would like to know more about. But the concern of course is O'Hara mentioning a voice. Contact with a specific voice. Then she seemed to clam up and change the subject," Caroline observed. "One can only hope that was not a new queen rising. If thats possible with the Borg."

"That's what has me worried, Counselor. The contact with that specific voice and not the Hive," responded Cale.

Michael stroked his chin as he listened to his colleagues talk. "Hmmmm, I wonder if it would be possible to isolate the memories of that contact and make a holo projection in the holodeck of them. Then we can see them first hand as she saw them in her minds eye. Perhaps we act in sequence. Commander Llewelyn you attempt to reach her emotionally first. If that fails or better with the information you gain I can then perform the surgery needed to take care of the physical. The final step and perhaps the hardest would be the counseling sessions to follow. What do you think?" He addressed both Cale and Caroline when he spoke.

"I think I speak to her first. Its better to see if she can just remember and tell us what happened and what was said before having someone have to recreate holomemories and need to consider surgery," Caroline suggested.

"Agreed, however, the surgery is going to be needed regardless. The damage to her frontoparietal network is too extensive to not repair with surgery. That said I do not see a need to get that done first. Her life is in no danger at the moment. So, Caroline the patient is yours. If my assistance is needed I will be at your disposal." Michael's demeanor had changed. He was a man on a mission now, this is what he loved diagnosing and treating the unknown.

OFF

Lt Michael Ki MD
CMO
USS Merlin

Commander Cale Llewellyn
Chief of Strategic Operations/ Second Officer
USS Merlin

Counselor Caroline Miller
Chief Counselor
USS Merlin