Incoming Casualties

Posted on Sat Oct 12th, 2024 @ 5:26am by Lieutenant Xex Wang & Lieutenant Axod Qo & Lieutenant JG Gwenwyn Marwol & Ensign Noah Balsam & Lieutenant Irynya & Lieutenant JG Sheldon Parsons & Ensign Tamblem Dravor

Mission: Mean Green Queen
Location: Main Sickbay; Deck 2
Timeline: Mission Day 5 at 0815

[Main Sickbay]
[Deck 2]
[0815 hours; Day 5]

The bleachy-medical scent of the Dot's routine night-shift ministrations of decontamination still tickled the nose, mixing with the scent of brewed coffee. An early-morning go-getter sat on the middle of a biobed in a t-shirt, their Bolian blue skin vibrant and their face smugly bemused as they awaited being complimented on the results of their physical. The nurse, sipping her brew, studied the result which seemed to confirm the Crewman's pleased expression. "Alright Mr. Kro-" She began.

Marwol had been at work for 15 minutes now. Today he had appointments, not with servicemen but with paperwork. Reporting what equipment and medicine was left, where it was left and who used it, would take probably all morning then after lunch a little bit of HR and for the last hours of the shift, a work plan review, where people would be better suited and what tasks to give out then passed onto Xex to review and either veto or approve... "Whoever said being an Adminsatior was ever fun needs to be shot," he said to himself.

Walking across the floor, travel mug in his bad hand, his left and in the good hand, the right was a pink folio case filled to the brim with PADDS with the data he gathered yesterday for the work he was doing today dawning the blue uniform, said hi to the medical staff and made small talk whenever he was near.

Standing at an auxiliary station , Axod was going through a list of his appointments for the day. He was just about to head out to set up for his first client of the day, but decided to stop and see how his department comrades were doing and see what they'd all be up to for the day.

In his office, visible through the transparent panels, Xex was stood in front of his desk, sorting through the ever-present pile of PADDs. Though coming to the end of his watch, he looked fresh and well-put-together, the trials of Timmoz’s transplant largely absent from his outward appearance, at least. Nevertheless, he seemed slightly agitated, glancing frequently toward the large status readout on his wall, his eyes scanning often between the readout and sickbay’s main doors. The earlier call from the bridge, coupled with the request for an emergency response team had the Sojourner’s CMO on edge.

It was not often that an emergency response team was requested and Xex had been pleased with their response time, but had heard little since the EMTs had reported arriving on scene. Hoping no news was good news, he had tried not to grow too alarmed, but as the minutes ticked by, the effort was inexorably sliding into failure. Marwol’s motion crossing sickbay’s floor caught the corner of his eye and he looked up to judge his assistant’s state of mind; he usually tried to give the young man a few minutes to caffeinate and get his head wrapped around the start of the day before approaching him with any turnover or additional tasks. Today however, he decided that regardless of the young man’s state of mind, he would need to be briefed. With one last worried glance at the status report, Xex strode into main sickbay after his assistant.

He never reached him.

The energy of the medical wards shifted immediately. To some it was an instinct of "wrongness." To others, it was the flickering on of several consoles on standby. And just like that, Sickbay changed. Monitors pulsed and lit up. The dominating icon: a light blue caduceus pulsing, radiating out circular rings of light in a similar way as a yellow alert. Words flashed across the middle, accompanied by the computer's feminine voice over a rounded medical alert sound.

"Code Blue Triage. Casualty Event," the computer stated in its calm, "Code Blue Triage. Casualty Event. Standby to Receive." The status report screens listed:
- Five Incoming Casualties
- Standby LMH Protocols for Overflow
- Quarantine Protocols: unknown biological contaminants detected
- Inform Main Bridge

Marwol had just entered his office or he called it, his cupboard and settled his things down when the bells rang. He knew exactly what was wrong but when the computer readout was happening, all hands were needed on deck.

"Okay, people!" He shouted as he entered the ER to the gathered emergency physicians & nurses, and trauma surgeons. Sojo was a small scout so naturally, the ER was tiny. "Gloves and masks, please. I know everything you do... Nothing."

Ax looked around at the sudden shift in the space following the alert. He dropped his PADD and stepped to a decontamination station. He quickly sheathed himself in the appropriate protective gear. Though he wasn't useful in a surgical sense, he could definitely assist in triage and in basic medical treatment. He pulled his gloves on and joined the assembling medical team in the main ward.

As Marwol leapt into action, Xex seemed content to let him direct sickbay’s staff, apparently confident that his assistant had the effort well in hand. His own features had creased into a frown, however. Though he had been half-expecting the arrival of the response team, an emergency medical transport meant the situation had escalated. The faces of Ensign Dravor and Xex’s entire emergency response team swam into his mind’s eye, but he firmly shoved them aside, refusing to imagine the cause of the casualties. Gathering his wits swiftly, he snapped, “Computer initiate quarantine subroutines foxtrot and lima. Hold that buffer!”

Intraship transports rarely included contamination protocols— they took longer and were largely unnecessary when beaming from place to place aboard. However, the transporter’s buffer was still the best place to scrub unknown contaminants, and Xex would be damned if he didn’t utilize every tool available to combat ‘unknown contaminants.’ The computer chimed, but to Xex’s mind, the time between the computer’s acknowledgement and the first of the particles appearing was too short. His frown deepened, and he too moved to protect himself even as the five figures materialized.

Materializing in a prone position on his back, Dravor kneeling over him, Sheldon was utterly covered in some kind of strange green goop. It was in his hair, on his face, dripping down his body -- it was, no joke, literally everywhere it seemed. Mixed with the acid-green goo was the stark contrast of his own crimson blood, which was dripping from the torn corners of his mouth and from the two barbs that had anchored themselves in his body: one in a fleshy shoulder (having ripped through his bath robe) and the other implanted into a bare thigh. Blood trickled down his leg to stain his once-white unicorn slipper, its mate not present on the other foot, which presented pink-polished toes instead.

Sheldon looked up at Dravor with -- despite the green goop and blood trails, which made him look almost vampirish -- what could only be a wholesome smile. "You-you saved me, Temblem," the young engineer breathed with bewilderment, those same stars that had earlier been in his eyes shining again. "Thank you," he said, reaching up instinctively to cup the security officer's face with his (sadly) goo-laden hand. "If it weren't for you, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead." His hand lowered then, Sheldon having realized himself and some of his guard rails going back up, but he remained looking up at the Trill with a fondness he'd likely not seen from Sheldon since that night on Risa so long ago, it seemed.

Tamblem smiled down at the Engineer, trying to wave off his praise, "I think it might have been you that saved us all, Shelly." He seemed to catch himself as well, realizing he was surrounded by folks in sickbay and no longer in goo-covered quarters with just his friends. "I umm I'm glad you're ok," he whispered before the medical staff swarmed them.

Like Sheldon, Irynya and Kestrel were both on the floor. And, like Sheldon, both were absolutely covered in goo. Though they hadn't been right next to each other before the transporter had moved them, they were now and Irynya's feet, also bare as she had never bothered to put on shoes, bumped up against Sheldon's painted toes. She was half reclining, knees curled toward her chest and one elbow propping her and Kestrel, facing her, was still crouched, holding the other woman's hands in her own. Of the two, Kestrel was largely untouched. Other than a tear in her uniform where a barb had grazed her she was simply covered in an enormous amount of goo, her normally spiky black hair drooping under the weight of it and making her look a bit like a drowned rat.

Irynya, though, was far worse for wear. A belt of welted blisters the shape of half dollar suction cups ran across her abdomen. Angry and red, the marks appeared to have torn around the edges, with blood oozing slightly along their curved outlines giving them an even more livid look than if they were simply angry and red. A trickle of blood had formed near the top of her waist and run slowly down her abdomen as if joining the various sores as gravity pulled it down to the deck plating. There were scratches, too, on her face in particular--half moon shaped as if someone, or something, had clawed at her, scraping her skin with fingernails.

Squeezing Kestrel's hands tightly before letting them go, the Risian woman scrambled to a sitting position. Wiping her cheeks where tears tracked downward with goo besmirched wrists she hissed when she came in contact with the scratches and quickly gave up the effort, tucking her arms tightly around herself and pulling her knees close even as she twisted her head to take in the people around her in a quick, nearly unconscious, headcount.

The EMT medic that had been rushed to Room 4-13 was kneeling over the fifth casualty: Noah Balsam. He appeared conscious but dazed, one of his long legs bent at the knee. And much like his friends, he was entirely in sleeping attire- boxer briefs and a SOJO shirt. His shirt had been pierced and badly torn with the pale skin underneath raised and in places bloodied. Like the Risian, equidistant suction-like edema snaked around his torso with evidence of skin tearing. More troublesome were the same marks along his throat and one positioned precariously near his carotid was drying but had stained his chest and shirt.

If it wasn't for his unmistakable build, he might have been harder to recognize. His nose and mouth had gushed with a caked dry blood and strange organic, almost ectoplasmic residue. One of his nostrils was visibly torn and now his nose set off at a slightly off angle. Whatever that had assaulted him had broken his nose. He was coughing and when he did, his back arched as the medic mumbled for him to take deep breaths.

"Trying," Noah choked around.

As the last particles solidified, sickbay’s quarantine protocols snapped into effect. A containment field appeared, cutting off one section of sickbay’s main area and separating the victims from the rest of the ship. It shimmered slightly, remaining a visible reminder of the edge of the contaminated zone, but Xex could easily see through it, and his triage brain immediately began cataloguing injuries as he finished the last of his preparations and turned to Marwol, lifting his brows with expectation at the surgeon’s orders. He couldn’t help the gaze that flicked to the single EMT that had beamed in with the victims, knowing the man would be one of their best sources of information.

Gweynwyn was, by all means not a trained Emergency Physician and Trauma surgeon but a ship this small you worked any speciality. Standing in the centre of the ER with the other Doctors & Nurses, once everyone had beamed in, they leapt into work.

Standing by Sheldon, Kestrel and Irynya with Noah being rushed into a trauma bay just in eyeshot. Gwenwyn pointed at the bay and 2 Doctors and 1 Nurse began to run towards the EMT. With his eyes, it was easy to see these people had just minor wounds and if treated in the wrong place they would become major... Thankfully they weren't in the wrong place. Pointing at the cut on the Risian whose blood was a blackish colour "Capillary bleeding, clean and patch!" He shouted over the scrambling. "Collect the goo and get it to science"

His eyes moved to Kestrel's. "Just grazes, water and badge. Again with the goo."

His eyes moved over to Sheldon's, he didn't judge him for wearing a unicorn slipper or asked where the other was, he gave a quick reassuring smile as he peered over the dark red blood coming from his leg. "Venous bleeding, clean and get the DR (dermal regenerator) on it and same with the goo!" Then rushed over to Noah.

Doctors were fussing over him, checking his response time, airways, breathing and circulation. They acknowledged Gwenwyn had entered the bay but didn't say anything. Then Gwenwyn saw the suction marks on the boy's neck, his brow crossed at the sign "Stabilize him, check carotid venins for bruising and tricorder for minor internal bleeding, deal with his leg later let the adrenaline hold the pain, in case he might need surgery."

Dr Marwol came back out of the bay, heading for the heap of people, looking over the others too for suction marks, the Nurse had cleaned Irynya's stomach and suction marks were visible too. "What you people doing, wresting with an octopus?" He quipped, he wasn't known for good bedside manner but even he knew he had to get better at that. "Check her arm for bruising & internal bleeding," He said to the Doctor.

Still unaware that the bio forcefield had come down, "What happened?" He finally asked.

It was Kestrel who answered. She'd stood once Irynya released her hands and, despite dripping goo, was the least scathed of the group. "They'll have to give the rest of the details," she said. "I was second to the scene and they were already fighting the... thing... creature... when I arrived. It had Sheldon wrapped in its tentacles and Iry pinned to the ground with one and it was... doing something like it was trying to cover her face. Maybe suffocate her? I'm not sure. We were hitting it hard with phaser blasts and it was annoyed, but not... I guess can I say it was annoyed?" She frowned and her face dropped. "I'm sorry, there was a lot of confusion and... and... I'm getting details confused. Either way Tamblem got Sheldon free and Sheldon made something at the replicator while we all tried to keep the thing from escaping and then he had fire and... well... it's dead now. At least I'm pretty sure it is." She looked from Sheldon to Irynya and then to Dravor and frowned, frustrated with her retelling before looking back to Marwol.

Shame the attacker died, in a way it was why they were all here in the delta quadrant, to explore new life. "I've sent the goo upstairs for research, as for yourself, we'll have to quarantine you, all of you to be exact... We don't have an Infectious Diseases section in our med bay so bear with us while we try and find a room where we can monitor you safely." The only quarantine area was the ER which was used pretty much every waking hour because people refused to book a doctor's appointment and there was no physician specialised in Infectious Diseases, all on staff were emergency physicians, trauma surgeons or both, same with the nurses too. "Oh and don't wash the goo off, upstairs might want more and we don't want to find out how it reacts with water and drains right now." Fighters & toss were crossed it wasn't an Infectious Disease because Sojo was only prepared for an outbreak of the common cold. The only place to fight the disease was Pathfinder station or a passing Starfleet battleship.

Although they did not have specialized departments aboard the Sojourner they did have a CMO with a specialty in xenopathology, and while Marwol took charge of the victims' triage, Xex was busy poring over the results of the goo analysis that were already flooding into the diagnostic terminal nearby. Acting off Kestrel's report, he'd double-checked to make sure the medsystem's quarantine protocols had extended to the victims' suite and, once assured it was sealed from the rest of the ship, he'd sent off a quick report to the bridge. Now, he focused on the issues at hand. He was experienced enough that whatever it is he was reading barely touched his face, manifesting only as mild interest. However, the restless movement of his feet, as though he yearned to be in motion, gave him away.

Eventually, he gave in to his restless feet and tore himself away from the terminal, stepping up to murmur in Marwol's ear, "Nevermind the drains. That goo has mildly digestive properties. We need to clean it off immediately, or they may develop adverse dermatological reactions-- more adverse reactions, that is. If the preliminary results can be believed, the longer it remains in contact with exposed skin, the more pronounced the sensory affects will be. Initial simulations are showing sensory crossover-- tasting or hearing through their skin, for example-- but the model isn't sophisticated enough to tell whether this is a mild, or severe effect. Let's get it cleaned off ASAP. Use sonic protocols if necessary." Sonic cleansing was not usually their first choice, owing to the potential aerosolizing of particulate matter, but Xex was anxious to clear the dermal danger.

"My colleague, Doctor Xex," Montioned to Xex who just whispered into his ear, "He's just got back the results regarding the goo... We have learnt it can digest things so we need to wash it off now before you require reconstruction plastic surgery. He'll take you somewhere you can clean up," Gwenwyn was never fond of beating around the bush, people needed to know every risk regarding their health. "No need to worry about your young Ensign friend (Noah). We'll get the hose." Lowering his facial mask, there wasn't a reason to wear it as nothing was airborne.

Now that things were starting to calm down, Tamblem began to focus on himself and his injury as the adrenaline wore off and pain crept up his side. Looking down, he could see a shard protruding from his right thigh. "Huh, that's going to leave a scar," he stated as if he were discussing the weather. Now registering what Gwenwyn was saying, he looked around his goo-covered self. "This stuff better not digest my spots."

In the chaos calls by orderlies for space and to initiate a quarantine path to the surgical ward led to the image of Noah, his knee up, on a grav stretcher, being whisked away on a whisper as the quarantine field shifted.

"No need to worry sir," Gwenwyn said to the Trill Male but he watched Noah get whisked away, which made him curious as to his knowledge, no one told the Doctors there to move him... Maybe Xex did? "It would take quite a while for the goo to eat your spots but no need to panic," He finished up by giving his best smile, trying to reassure him.

A whimper came from the direction of the Risian still crouched on the floor. She'd unwound her arms at the news that the goo had digestive properties and begun to wipe at herself anywhere her skin was exposed. Her face. Her arms. Her legs and feet. It was a frantic sort of flinging movement that was less effective at removing the goo than it was at alerting those assembled to her mental state. Irynya could feel panic threatening to claw its way up her throat again as the goo suddenly seemed to her to be alive on her skin--threatening to close in on her and making her breath come fast as the feeling built. "No," she murmured quietly to herself. "No no no no." An image of the mask-like protuberance that had come from the creature, reaching with suction like fingers to close around her face sent her heart racing and she felt hot tears tracking down her cheeks again. "I need to get this off," she said to no one in particular and more weakly than her usual demeanor warranted.

The moments had flashed by in an instant, and Axod hadn't moved from his place. The Medical teams were more than capable of completing things without his assistance, at least for the moment . Then he heard the familiar voice of Irynya, she was clearly upset. He looked around, trying to discern where she was in the melee of Sickbay. Until he spotted her, flailing and flinging the unknown goo off of herself. He made his way towards her with haste, but was careful not to charge her. "Hey Iry, it's me Ax." He said, sounding a little patronizing but fighting not to. He reached out a gloved hand and placed it on her shoulder. "Why don't we get you cleaned up? How's that sound?"

She looked at the gloved hand first and then up to the owner of the voice. She hadn't known the counselor long, but neither were they strangers. Like some of the others she'd made it a point to introduce herself when he'd arrived wanting to make the transition from Bracco to Qo as smooth as possible should she need the counselor's services. She'd been largely without incident, though, for some time and now, sitting on the floor, she looked up at him with panic in her eyes and nodded mutely. She didn't move, though, and eventually managed, "I need to get it off of me," in a voice that was quietly desperate.

Part of her brain recognized what was happening; that her response to the goo was over the top and that if there was a real imminent danger steps would already be taken to get them cleaned up more quickly than they were. That part of her brain was mortified at her fear, and the way she couldn't seem to help brushing at herself as if doing so would somehow truly remove the substance. The other part, though, was louder, and that part seemed determinedly fixed on the idea that she would find herself suffocated by goo anyway... It had, surely, to only be a matter of moments.

Axod nodded. He did, truly, sympathize with Iry. He couldn't say how he'd react for sure, but he wouldn't be as cool as a cucumber if he were in her shoes that was certain. "Why don't we get you cleaned up then?" He gently grasped her arm to help her up. "We have a sonic shower specifically for medical decontamination." He hoped that stating such would be some comfort to her. "But if you'd rather, I'm sure we can arrange for a chemical decon shower." He kept his face neutral, not wanting to overwhelm or frighten her any more than the situation already had.

The Risian shook her head, the motion a bit more frenetic than normal. "The sonic shower is fine," she said and her voice indicated that she was convincing herself as much as anyone else. Surely the sonic shower would be better than being slowly consumed by dead alien goo. She took a breath. And then another. And finally she got to her feet, mortification setting in on the heels of the anxiety. The panic still lingered, but it wasn't immediate now that they were doing something and its minor retreat had created room for the rational part of her brain to point out that she should have had it together. "Thanks," she said, still holding onto the counselor's arm as he directed her.

Axod held her with his gloved hands, keeping her steady as they started to move toward the decon area. "Can we fire up number two?" He called to a Medical Technician who was prepping the sonic showers for decontamination. The tech nodded back in the affirmative. He turned his attention back to Iry. "We're going to get you into Chamber 2. I can replicate you a gown or something else to wear after you're done." He sounded earnest. "Whatever you need." After closing the short distance, they reached the prescribed sonic shower and the familiar hum of the waves met their ears.

She froze, just for a moment, contemplating the enclosure of the shower with trepidation. But Qo was there with her and the others weren't far off, and this was Sickbay. She wasn't going to be in there longer than necessary. With a deep steeling breath she stepped into the cubicle, the oscillating waves washing over her as the door closed behind her.

She took the shower in breaths. One breath, standing in the pummeling sensation of the sonic waves she let it begin to slough the goo off of her. Two breaths, it slid down her body, leaving trails on her pajamas. Three breaths and her hands came up to the sticky hem of her t-shirt. Four and she'd pulled the shirt free and hooked her fingers in her shorts. Five, and the rest of her clothing met the floor taking with it the goo that had coated each article. For long moments she simply stood there, mentally tracking every place that the digestive goo was removed. And then she got her hands involved, running them through her hair and shaking it as if that might help loosen anything that had clung on. She stayed in the shower a full five minutes longer than necessary, waiting until she was absolutely certain she felt clean... or as clean as she could feel when the mental echoes of the slimy remains still lingered in her head. Then she pushed a button on her wall console.

"I think I'm all set," She said, more weakly than she would have liked, into the comm meant to notify whomever was outside of the shower that she was ready to come out. They would evaluate if she could first, but at least that process was started. She closed her eyes and waited. And breathed.

Lieutenant Qo had quickly retrieved a standard issue sweatsuit from the replicator and waited for the system to signal all clear. He handed Iry the clothes. "I hope these are comfy." He said with a warm smile. "We can go join the others when you're done." He stepped aside to let her finish up.

With a weak smile that she didn't feel Irynya took the proffered clothing. "Thanks," she said quietly, donning them just as quickly and then stepping out to follow Qo back to the group.

As Irynya returned, clean and clad in goo-free sweats, Xex gave Axod a nod of thanks for his steady help, and then himself escorted Kestrel through the cleaning and decontam procedures while Gwenwyn tended to Dravor's leg; there was only so quickly they could de-goo folks, there was no sense leaving pieces of shrapnel sticking out of humanoids while they waited.

Gwenwyn had disappeared and reappeared with medical tools in his hands, crouching down to Dravor the Doctor cooly said. "Don't move, the quicker this is done the quicker we are finished." Referring to the metal shrapnel, picking up a tool in his non-scarred hand he began to remove the metal out of Dravor. After a few moments of grunting and groaning on Dravor's part, Gwenwyn's head poked up. "Finished. I would offer you these as a souvenir but this is not metal from a bulkhead."

The tactical officer followed Xex to the decontamination showers. While she would certainly be glad to be rid of the goo she felt a bit guilty as well. Of the group she seemed the least worse for wear, simply eager to get this done with and be cleared so she could get her report written up for the new security chief that had come aboard. She made quick work of the shower, removing clothes and staying only the allotted amount of time before signaling she was ready to return to the group.

Awaiting Kestrel's reemergence, Xex returned to the processing and simulation data that was steadily coming in about the goo, both from their own scans and from some preliminary reports the science types were sending his way. Any thoughts he might have had about the data were interrupted however, when the EMT raised his voice over the general din, "Uh, doc-- er, Chief?"

Trying not to smile at the EMT's slip-- attempting to get a specific someone's attention in sickbay by saying 'doctor' was an exercise in futility-- Xex turned, his expression politely interested. It immediately turned serious at the look on the tech's face, and the silvery man left the clean clothes for Kestrel outside her cubicle before crossing the intervening space in a couple long strides. Even from across the room, he could see the young man's breathing had become even more labored. "I didn't do anything, I was just setting the cup for resetting his nose," the tech babbled, but trailed off as Xex set the biobed's active diagnostics to working, the blue beam passing back and forth over Noah's body. Though the doctor's eyes were only for the diagnostic results, he reached out and squeezed the tech's forearm. "It's an admirable effort, Jens, but it looks like he has more pressing issues than a crooked nose. Look," Xex reached out and expanded the floating hologram of Noah's lungs, "he managed to inhale some of that goo." Leaning over slightly, so his silvery features filled Noah's vision, Xex said, "Noah, you're doing great. Keep trying, we're going to get that goo out of there. Don't speak, just nod or shake your head. Are you able to see clearly?"

Noah nodded his head. "M-mostly." His throat was raw and felt gummed up. And breathing felt like he had bronchitis. Everything hurt and he kept wanting to reach up to feel the crooked and torn shape of his nose.

"Hear?" Xex pressed.

Noah nodded. "Ok there."

Xex managed to suppress a smile; the young specialist had inadvertently answered his question anyway. "Good. Jens, the infrared pulminoscalpular beam, please." Understanding seemed to dawn on the EMT's face and he made a few adjustments to the bed. Xex turned his attention to Noah. "Just hold still. We're going to break some of that up and loosen its hold on your bronchioles. It's going to-- well, I think the best comparison I can draw is it's going to tickle. But in your lungs. It's a weird sensation," he advised, clearly speaking from experience. Looking up, he nodded to Jens, who pressed something and indeed a reddish light began to swathe Noah's narrow chest, the beam passing quickly back and forth over him.

And it did. The young specialist squinted his eyes and furrowed his brow at the bridge of his nose. It was a bizarre sensation. It half-reminded him of that old-fashioned thumping on the back test. That, and something vaguely like... an electric current? It was making him slightly nauseous with its reverberations. But what he hadn't expected was- it gave him the hiccups. It was just enough of a sensation to unsync his diaphragm with his breathing. "I hope-" and he hiccuped. "I-H hope that means its working..."

Xex's lips quirked in that infuriating way doctors had of responding to your concerns without actually answering any questions. As the last pass finished and the beam disappeared, Xex's expression shifted intently, watching carefully to gauge the engineer's reaction to the treatment. "That's it, just cough it all up, let it come. We want it all out of there, post haste." With a tech's instincts, Jens was in place with a small container in an attempt to keep the results of Noah's coughing from spraying across the entirety of sickbay.

It started as a cough- it ended up as more of a retching as he turned and coughed into the nurse's provided receptacle. The sludge was... unpleasant. It felt like a lot of phlegm. But it didn't taste like it or look like it. And worst of all perhaps... he still had the hiccups between retchings.

"Excellent," Xex said with a decisive nod of his head, although Noah probably would not have agreed with his sentiment at that precise moment. He observed the sputum with interest as it continued to be expelled from the young man's lungs, his attention shifting back and forth between the strange substance and the patient himself. As Noah's hiccup to cough ratio increased-- the former beginning to take over from the latter-- Xex turned and swiftly ordered something from the replicator behind him. An inhaler-like object shimmered into being and he passed it over to the hiccup-victim. "Here," he said, "Take three deep breaths with that, five seconds in, ten seconds out. It'll help ease the irritation and inflammation in your lungs." Xex neglected to even mention the hiccups, hopeful that the careful breathing would also help to calm Noah's diaphragm.

Noah did as was instructed and his hiccups gradually ceased even though he still felt a little queasy. He rolled back onto the bed and grimaced. "Can someone please fix my nose? I-it's the only part of my face I kind of like."

"I dunno," Xex came back, "it gives you a certain rakish air--" He broke off at the expression on the young engineer's face, clapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Of course. Jens was just getting to it. It'll be like you never had the worst roommate of your life." At least, he hoped this morning was among the worst Noah had had in his short life. Homicidal mutagenic beings definitely should have ranked up pretty high.

Jens nodded, mustering a confident air for his patient as he stepped forward to continue his work straightening and setting Noah's nose, taking care with the delicate cartilaginous connections and sensitive airways. Satisfied with the tech's work, Xex stepped away again to assure himself the rest of the patients were on a similar mending course.

With the security folks firmly in hand, Xex's first priority was Sheldon, whose leg was no longer leaking; bright pink patches of newly regenerated skin was all that was left of the nasty spiked wound on his thigh and shoulder. The spikes themselves had been carefully laid aside on a tray, and Xex nodded with approval at the containment field that had been activated around them. He noticed Sheldon's bathrobe had also been removed to treat his wounds, and lay in a sad, goo-and-blood covered heap in its own containment field. He wouldn't have expected anything less from the Bolian nurse, an efficient, detail-oriented woman, but it was satisfying to see his people using their heads in emergency situations.

Having cleaned the goo off the engineer before it could do more than turn his skin splotchy with angry red reactions, she was currently carefully sealing the edges of Parsons' mouth, which had been torn wide in a grotesque grimace. This type of regeneration required a lighter touch, due to the delicacy and mobility of the tissue around the lips; once again, Xex approved of her decision to leave it for last. Her meticulous care would have Sheldon back grinning in no time-- if Sheldon could stop fidgeting. Stepping to the side of the nurse, Xex laid a hand on the young engineer's uninjured shoulder, squeezing gently in an effort to anchor and distract him at the same time. "Almost there, Sheldon. I know it itches, but it won't be long now. Can't have our best stand-in nurse all scarred up, now can we?"

Now sans robe and slipper -- it, too, had been taken away and sequestered behind a quarantine field -- Sheldon now sat on a bio bed in a nondescript medical gown, also given to him by the Bolian. While the nurse worked, the young engineer eyed the slipper in its containment chamber, eyes covered in a sheen that could only mean the brimming of tears. The nurse might mistake them for a reaction to the pain from his wounds and the ordeal he'd just gone through but said tears were, in fact, dewdrops of grief. Those slippers had been a gift from someone special and the one before him, at least, was half dissolved from the goo and stained heavily with his own blood. He wasn't sure what had happened to the other slipper.

At the touch from Xex, however, Sheldon turned, relieved to see Wang in all the chaos. "B-best stand in nurse?" Sheldon asked in disbelief at the word "best," returning the silver-skinned Doctor's look with one of his own. "I'd laugh b-but --" a quick frustrated hand wave at his mouth indicated doing so would undo the great work the Bolian was carefully attending to. "Thank you, though," he replied meekly, the compliment -- even if an exaggeration of his medical skills -- landing anyway. As the moments passed, the comment engaged the hyper-fixation part of his brain and set it on a new path away from injury and tentacle trauma to one of questioning his usefulness as an emergency medic. Could he be of more value to the crew if he officially embraced that role? Would Xex be willing to take him on as a student? He wondered.

"You are most welcome," Xex replied with every evidence of sincerity. When you only had the one stand-in nurse, it was very easy to use superlatives to describe him. "Just a few more minutes and we'll have you all patched up and ready to get back to-- " Xex broke off as he realized he had no idea what Sheldon had been doing before the Goo Incident. He waved a vague hand as a stand-in for any words. Glancing at the Bolian, he saw she had just about finished up the regeneration, now Sheldon had held still for her. "Be careful with that smile, yes?" the doctor cautioned, "You know how new skin is." With one last squeeze of Sheldon's shoulder, clearly meant to be comforting, Xex stepped away again.

It looked as though the crisis had passed; their folks were getting the treatment they needed, and the invading lifeform had been neutralized. All that remained now was to mop up the goo and, worse, report the entire debacle to the bridge. Resolving to make sure his clerical duties were attended to, Xex made one last round of the hapless roommates and the pair of security before collecting what analysis they had of the goo and stepping into his office.

As he did so, he tapped his commbadge. "Wang to the bridge. I have a follow-up report on that emergency response team..."

A post by:

Doctor Xex Wang
Chief Medical Officer

Doctor Axod Qo
Ship's Counselor

Doctor Gwenwyn Marwol
Assistant Medical Officer

Lieutenant (JG) Irynya
Acting Chief Flight Controller

Lieutenant (JG) Kestrel
Tactical Officer

Ensign Noah Balsam
Systems Specialist

Ensign Sheldon Parsons
Engineer

Ensign Tamblem Dravor
Security Officer