S4: E11 - Fracture Lines

[Hanir Seph]

"NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[Transporter Room 1]
Koroz whipped his head to check his surroundings as they were brought back to the Challenger, his wild hair flinging this away and that. Now that they were back on-board and the rush of danger passed, the sting of the Klingon's fist-beaten wound was returning more stridently. As he had been called to duty earlier than his shift, he worried that he would be released before completing a normal round of work. Knowing that security was likely still short-staffed, he felt an obligation to offer to serve.

"I'll volunteer for brig duty until the end of my shift, if need be." he said to Commander Sigursdottir. "I was only..." He trailed off, only now noticing her sitting, her head in her hands. To his eyes, she was committing the botlh'egh, which might translate to "˜Center Yourself', a ritual in which a warrior sought their core and shut out the outside influences. He silenced himself, feeling guilty for interrupting his commander in her pursuit of her center.

NPC Crewman Frank Burke
[USS Challenger - Sickbay]

From the moment they arrived in Sickbay, Burke tried to keep out of the way, moving to stand by the door with his back leaning against the wall.   Right now the focus of the medical teams were rightly on Lowe and T'Kel.

Burke knew he'd done his best to stabilize both of the officers with what medical tools he'd been given and trained on.  But as he watched Lowe's biobed from across the room, the readings appeared almost completely flat.   Damn it!  He slammed his fist hard against the wall he was backed against.  It didn't seem like the man would pull through.  "Bastard Romulans!"  Suddenly, Burke too had the desire to keep watch on them in the Brig (not knowing that the Captain had ordered them returned to the planet).

[Sickbay - ICU - USS Challenger]

Lisa finally got her wish, but as the away team was returned she was quickly made aware that they weren't out of the woods yet. No sooner had Hanir made her prediction about the away team then Koroz, Burke, T'Kel, Ruth, and the others showed up and she and Lagar were working on Lowe. Jess had T'Kel, Chloe had Burke, and Nathan Koroz. When Lisa saw Lowe she ran over and kind of caught Lagar in her wake as she went. Five minutes later, they had a crash cart and defibrillator hooked up. Lisa also brought out a cortical stimulator cart out if they ended up needing it, but as soon as everything was there she began trying to revive him. She didn't notice the captain when he entered, because she was completely focused on operating the defibrillator. As the shocks continued to fail, she looked over at Lagar and gave him a look that hopefully said, We need to try something else."

She began prepping for surgery, which meant Lowe would have a machine breathing for him while she healed the internal bleeding in his heart. Lagar continued trying to revive him the "traditional" way right up until it was time for surgery and he had to scrub up. When she was sure everything was ready, she took a breath and gave a confident look to Lagar as he stood at the ready. She was beginning to acquire an audience, but this was not the kind of performance where you had to show off. If her very best wasn't good enough, she would never forgive herself.

After she stabilized Lowe, she put Lagar in charge of operating the artificial breathing. As she made her first incision she called out tools and held her hands out to accept each one from one of the green tendrils. It was working efficiently, and the surgery was going well. She could feel the eyes on her as she worked. Her expertise made the acts look easy, but in truth she was struggling to stay calm enough for her hands to not be clammy. In her mind she was running through all the steps she would need to take until the heart was restarted, and as she sealed up the incision, leaving behind no scar, she knew she'd have to go back to stabilizing with the defibrillator. The team and patients collectively stepped back as she cleared for more shocks, but as the machine continued to fail she called an EMH over to verify the best plan of action.

She once again looked to the ensign at her side. "We've gotten this far, the injury is healed as much as we can. If you have any other suggestions, they are certainly welcome. At this point we need to take him off the life support and the EMH will attempt CPR. If the internal bleeding is healed enough his heart should restart...and we'll apply cortical stimulator." She had the plan. She couldn't control whether our not it would be successful.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Aside from the terse interaction between Lisa and Lagar, sickbay was silent. It was as if everyone was collectively holding their breath until it was known of Lowe would survive or not, thus Burke's outburst was heard quite clearly by all present.

"Struth Mister Burke. And Thelal would stand out in a room full of bastards, but there's nae we can do about it, save trust in Doctor Belmont. I don't ken if'n you believe in any higher power, but if'n you do, now would be a damn fine time ta ask him for a wee favor regardin' Mister Lowe."

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

Hanir continued backing away from Commander Sigurdsdottir, keeping the corner of her eye on Lisa, Lagar and the EMH working their heroic measures. The rest of her attention was on the Away Team and the Captain. As an Enlisted person and indeed the most junior of the crew, her authority was limited. She kept a careful watch on Koroz and Burke. Though both were keeping silent vigil, she saw that both of them were as tense as a guitar string.

Slowly making her way over to the Captain, she once again lowered her voice: "Captain, I definitely recommend some Holodeck time for everyone to... Ease off the pressure. If I can't compel them to talk to a Counsellor, then they need to work it out in other ways. I can see this mission has affected everyone pretty badly... Sir." She sketched a mild bow and casually made her way back to an out of the way corner.

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

"NPC Petty Officer Koroz

[Transporter Room 1]
Koroz whipped his head to check his surroundings as they were brought back to the Challenger, his wild hair flinging this away and that. Now that they were back on-board and the rush of danger passed, the sting of the Klingon's fist-beaten wound was returning more stridently. As he had been called to duty earlier than his shift, he worried that he would be released before completing a normal round of work. Knowing that security was likely still short-staffed, he felt an obligation to offer to serve.

"I'll volunteer for brig duty until the end of my shift, if need be." he said to Commander Sigursdottir. "I was only..." He trailed off, only now noticing her sitting, her head in her hands. To his eyes, she was committing the botlh'egh, which might translate to "˜Center Yourself', a ritual in which a warrior sought their core and shut out the outside influences. He silenced himself, feeling guilty for interrupting his commander in her pursuit of her center.

[Transporter Room]

Ruth looked up from where she sat on the step and patted Koroz gently on his arm getting to her feet.

"Thanks for your understanding Koroz.  You will join us in the Sickbay until such a time as you are fully checked out. Then I recommend taking the rest of the day off.  If Security really need you, liaise with..."

She stopped realising that T'Kel as Security Chief probably wasn't in any fit state to be organising rotas for staffing.

"... Lt. j.g. Abisa or Lt. j.g. Oh gods..."

Ruth realised very quickly that Security was without 2 of their more senior officers.  Since both T'Kel and Lowe were seriously injured.  She refused to think 'dead'.

"Belay that about taking the rest of the day off.  Sorry.  When Sickbay check you out as fit for duty you may return to duty and work with Lt. j.g. Abisa."

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 1 - Bridge]

Lahr's antenna drooped to either side at hearing Ruth suggest they all go to Sickbay - that generally meant she too had been injured otherwise she'd be already on her way up to the Bridge.   A quick glance back to the Captain with an acknowledging nod and Lahr was working the Transporter controls himself sending her and the security team to Sickbay.

Lahr raised an antenna in surprise hearing the Captain's order in regards to the Romulans.  Why the hell would he release them?  They attacked Ruth!   But past experience with the Captain told Lahr that his criticism of the Captain's decision wouldn't likely be favorably acknowledged - likely just earn him time on the hull (something Lahr had just managed to narrowly avoid) all this time... so the Andorian said nothing, letting Lt Morgan acknowledge the orders and pass them along to Transporter Room Two.

Lahr sat sullen in his seat worrying about Ruth and wishing Burke had done a bit more than just stun the Romulans, if they weren't going to be otherwise punished for their unprovoked attack on the away team.

NPC Crewman Frank Burke
[USS Challenger - Transporter Room One]

Burke chuckled and handed over the axes to his superior.  Under normal circumstances, it wasn't really appropriate for an enlisted to accept such an offer as what the Commander offered, but then given that she was dating his bestfriend who was also enlisted, Burke figured what the hell.  "Sounds good."

The Commander's very weary pose had Burke watching from the corner of his eye as he assisted with the wounded.  He noticed that even Koroz quieted down at her very vulnerable action.  Burke shook his head - still not seeing what attracted Lahr.  The woman was way more emotional than Davies ever was.  And man could she ever talk up a storm!

He'd likely saved their lives by his interrupting the Commander and her speech earlier but Burke wasn't naive enough to figure his shouted interruption of the comm call would be considered acceptable by anyone but him and maybe Lahr.

It was then that the transporter beam picked him up again and deposited him down in Sickbay.

[USS Challenger - Sickbay]

From the moment they arrived in Sickbay, Burke tried to keep out of the way, moving to stand by the door with his back leaning against the wall.   Right now the focus of the medical teams were rightly on Lowe and T'Kel.

Burke knew he'd done his best to stabilize both of the officers with what medical tools he'd been given and trained on.  But as he watched Lowe's biobed from across the room, the readings appeared almost completely flat.   Damn it!  He slammed his fist hard against the wall he was backed against.  It didn't seem like the man would pull through.  "Bastard Romulans!"  Suddenly, Burke too had the desire to keep watch on them in the Brig (not knowing that the Captain had ordered them returned to the planet).

[Transporter Room > Sickbay]

Ruth sat looking at the away crew and grateful as the blue light took them once again up to the Sickbay.  She looked guiltily over at Lowe and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

At Burke's outburst of 'Bastard Romulans' she let out a dry mirthless chuckle and then winced, clutching her side at the pain from her wound.

"Please, don't make me laugh.  It hurts."

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Aside from the terse interaction between Lisa and Lagar, sickbay was silent. It was as if everyone was collectively holding their breath until it was known of Lowe would survive or not, thus Burke's outburst was heard quite clearly by all present.

"Struth Mister Burke. And Thelal would stand out in a room full of bastards, but there's nae we can do about it, save trust in Doctor Belmont. I don't ken if'n you believe in any higher power, but if'n you do, now would be a damn fine time ta ask him for a wee favor regardin' Mister Lowe."

"And that's why my reaction.  I thought my ex who was the reason for me initially joining Starfleet was bad, but compared to Thelal, he's an absolute saint.  As for Dr. Belmont and her team, I have no doubt to her abilities but I trust Eir to guide her hand and work beside them.  Every deity in the universe couldn't save Thelal if I ever cross paths with him again however, so if that ever is going to happen I'll check myself into the Brig to save you the bother of the paperwork for me killing the ... no ... bastard isn't a strong enough epithet."

Breathing heavily, and tears mostly of rage, but also of both emotional and physical hurt now flowed freely down her face.

She watched as Lisa worked steadily, finally finding somewhere to sit, refusing to give in to the fact that she herself was injured and needed attention until she knew one way or another if Lowe was going to pull through.

"Ian... I'm sorry.  I might have antagonised the Romulans, but they arrived with weapons set to kill, I don't think it would have made a lot of difference, I doubt they would have negotiated or spoken but, if I had anything to do with them firing I'm truly sorry."

Starting to feel light headed from loss of blood and the severity of the pain, she nodded to Burke.  "Any chance you could find a replicator and get me a mug of hot Yorkshire tea with milk and 2 sugars please. Maybe a couple of chocolate digestive biscuits to go with?"

Anyone who knew Ruth knew that she normally drank Ratkajino, black, unsweetened.  She only drank tea when she was sick, and then rarely sweetened, but she'd been in Sickbays often enough to know that the sugar for some reason helped with shock, and as she'd started to shake, she knew she was going into shock.  Along with feeling cold (if anyone touched her skin it would feel clammy) and having shallow breathing, her breaths coming in sharp intakes because of the pain, anyone with even field medicine would know that she wasn't doing too well.  However, she refused to give into it until she knew the rest of the away team were seen.

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

Hanir continued backing away from Commander Sigurdsdottir, keeping the corner of her eye on Lisa, Lagar and the EMH working their heroic measures. The rest of her attention was on the Away Team and the Captain. As an Enlisted person and indeed the most junior of the crew, her authority was limited. She kept a careful watch on Koroz and Burke. Though both were keeping silent vigil, she saw that both of them were as tense as a guitar string.

Slowly making her way over to the Captain, she once again lowered her voice: "Captain, I definitely recommend some Holodeck time for everyone to... Ease off the pressure. If I can't compel them to talk to a Counsellor, then they need to work it out in other ways. I can see this mission has affected everyone pretty badly... Sir." She sketched a mild bow and casually made her way back to an out of the way corner.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded absently at the Counselor's suggestion, there had been more than a few casualties on this mission and talking to someone after a trauma was usually helpful. His eyes never left Lowe's stricken form, but he did reply.

"A good idea Counselor."

[Transporter Room]

Ruth looked up from where she sat on the step and patted Koroz gently on his arm getting to her feet.

"Thanks for your understanding Koroz.  You will join us in the Sickbay until such a time as you are fully checked out. Then I recommend taking the rest of the day off.  If Security really need you, liaise with..."

She stopped realising that T'Kel as Security Chief probably wasn't in any fit state to be organising rotas for staffing.

"... Lt. j.g. Abisa or Lt. j.g. Oh gods..."

Ruth realised very quickly that Security was without 2 of their more senior officers.  Since both T'Kel and Lowe were seriously injured.  She refused to think 'dead'.

"Belay that about taking the rest of the day off.  Sorry.  When Sickbay check you out as fit for duty you may return to duty and work with Lt. j.g. Abisa."

[Transporter Room > Sickbay]

Ruth sat looking at the away crew and grateful as the blue light took them once again up to the Sickbay.  She looked guiltily over at Lowe and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

At Burke's outburst of 'Bastard Romulans' she let out a dry mirthless chuckle and then winced, clutching her side at the pain from her wound.

"Please, don't make me laugh.  It hurts."

"And that's why my reaction.  I thought my ex who was the reason for me initially joining Starfleet was bad, but compared to Thelal, he's an absolute saint.  As for Dr. Belmont and her team, I have no doubt to her abilities but I trust Eir to guide her hand and work beside them.  Every deity in the universe couldn't save Thelal if I ever cross paths with him again however, so if that ever is going to happen I'll check myself into the Brig to save you the bother of the paperwork for me killing the ... no ... bastard isn't a strong enough epithet."

Breathing heavily, and tears mostly of rage, but also of both emotional and physical hurt now flowed freely down her face.

She watched as Lisa worked steadily, finally finding somewhere to sit, refusing to give in to the fact that she herself was injured and needed attention until she knew one way or another if Lowe was going to pull through.

"Ian... I'm sorry.  I might have antagonised the Romulans, but they arrived with weapons set to kill, I don't think it would have made a lot of difference, I doubt they would have negotiated or spoken but, if I had anything to do with them firing I'm truly sorry."

Starting to feel light headed from loss of blood and the severity of the pain, she nodded to Burke.  "Any chance you could find a replicator and get me a mug of hot Yorkshire tea with milk and 2 sugars please. Maybe a couple of chocolate digestive biscuits to go with?"

Anyone who knew Ruth knew that she normally drank Ratkajino, black, unsweetened.  She only drank tea when she was sick, and then rarely sweetened, but she'd been in Sickbays often enough to know that the sugar for some reason helped with shock, and as she'd started to shake, she knew she was going into shock.  Along with feeling cold (if anyone touched her skin it would feel clammy) and having shallow breathing, her breaths coming in sharp intakes because of the pain, anyone with even field medicine would know that she wasn't doing too well.  However, she refused to give into it until she knew the rest of the away team were seen.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

The hitch in Ruth's voice did draw Ian's attention away from Lowe and he immediately noted her injuries.

"Digestive biscuits my arse! Doctor Fellows, Commander Sigurdsdottir is wounded!"

Jess immediately appeared and steered Ruth a biobed. Once there, she applied a hypospray to Ruth's neck and said.

"That will help with the pain. Nurse Heesou hang a liter of type specific while I close this wound."

As Jess worked, across the room, Lisa and Lagar applied the cortical stimulator to Lowe. After an eternity, but what was actually closer to ten seconds, the biobed gave a distinctive thump-thump. Weak at first, but becoming stronger and more regular until all of sickbay let out a sigh of relief.

Ian closed his eyes briefly and mumbled.

"Thank the Maker."

More clearly he said.

"Outstanding work Doctors. We've taken it on the chin this mission, but thanks ta your yeoman work, we will leave Edoran with as many crew as we arrived with. Thank you. I've got ta get back ta the bridge."

Ian was beaming as he left sickbay and headed for the turbolift.

[Lagar]

[Sickbay - ICU - USS Challenger]

Lisa finally got her wish, but as the away team was returned she was quickly made aware that they weren't out of the woods yet. No sooner had Hanir made her prediction about the away team then Koroz, Burke, T'Kel, Ruth, and the others showed up and she and Lagar were working on Lowe. Jess had T'Kel, Chloe had Burke, and Nathan Koroz. Ruth, well, she'd find help if she needed it. When Lisa saw Lowe she ran over and kind of caught Lagar in her wake as she went. Five minutes later, they had a crash cart and defibrillator hooked up. Lisa also brought out a cortical stimulator cart out if they ended up needing it, but as soon as everything was there she began trying to revive him. She didn't notice the captain when he entered, because she was completely focused on operating the defibrillator. As the shocks continued to fail, she looked over at Lagar and gave him a look that hopefully said, We need to try something else."

She began prepping for surgery, which meant Lowe would have a machine breathing for him while she healed the internal bleeding in his heart. Lagar continued trying to revive him the "traditional" way right up until it was time for surgery and he had to scrub up. When she was sure everything was ready, she took a breath and gave a confident look to Lagar as he stood at the ready. She was beginning to acquire an audience, but this was not the kind of performance where you had to show off. If her very best wasn't good enough, she would never forgive herself.

After she stabilized Lowe, she put Lagar in charge of operating the artificial breathing. As she made her first incision she called out tools and held her hands out to accept each one from one of the green tendrils. It was working efficiently, and the surgery was going well. She could feel the eyes on her as she worked. Her expertise made the acts look easy, but in truth she was struggling to stay calm enough for her hands to not be clammy. In her mind she was running through all the steps she would need to take until the heart was restarted, and as she sealed up the incision, leaving behind no scar, she knew she'd have to go back to stabilizing with the defibrillator. The team and patients collectively stepped back as she cleared for more shocks, but as the machine continued to fail she called an EMH over to verify the best plan of action.

She once again looked to the ensign at her side. "We've gotten this far, the injury is healed as much as we can. If you have any other suggestions, they are certainly welcome. At this point we need to take him off the life support and the EMH will attempt CPR. If the internal bleeding is healed enough his heart should restart...and we'll apply cortical stimulator." She had the plan. She couldn't control whether our not it would be successful.

Ensign Lagar
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Lagar toiled diligently, the plant-thing showing no signs of stress as his tendrils worked to support Lisa's efforts. His twisting mass of limbs might appear a confused mess at first, but Lagar was anticipating which tool his superior might need next, holding one nearer than the others at just the right moment. When Lowe was successfully stabilized, Lagar helped confirm it by double-checking the vital readouts on a nearby screen. "He's stable, doctor." he reported, hearing an initial, grateful sigh from some of his colleagues in the room. Lagar chose not to tell the audience that the patient was far from saved just yet; the work had to continue.

The same readout gave Lagar the pace at which to operate the artificial "˜lung bellows' that kept Lowe breathing. The Phylosian, lungless himself, could only guess at what the sensation of breathing must feel like. He knew that much of it was involuntary, managed automatically by the brain's autonomic system in much the same way that Lagar's system moved fluid throughout his body until he needed to command it in specific ways. Similarly, Lagar knew that humanoids could be reminded of their breathing and, as a result, find themselves forced to manage their breathing automatically until the brain "˜forgot'. This "˜manual breathing' state could even be caused by reading about it. Very interesting indeed. Despite having no such organs of his own, Lagar had operated a manual breather twice before attending Starfleet Medical; once on a Rigellian and once on an Andorian. Using digital dials, he kept the breathers moving at the recommended flow and pace.

Lagar returned the look of the Lieutenant, nodding with her assessment. "With the damage healed, his own body needs to take charge, and resume its functions." he agreed.

[Transporter Room]

Ruth looked up from where she sat on the step and patted Koroz gently on his arm getting to her feet.

"Thanks for your understanding Koroz.  You will join us in the Sickbay until such a time as you are fully checked out. Then I recommend taking the rest of the day off.  If Security really need you, liaise with..."

She stopped realising that T'Kel as Security Chief probably wasn't in any fit state to be organising rotas for staffing.

"... Lt. j.g. Abisa or Lt. j.g. Oh gods..."

Ruth realised very quickly that Security was without 2 of their more senior officers.  Since both T'Kel and Lowe were seriously injured.  She refused to think 'dead'.

"Belay that about taking the rest of the day off.  Sorry.  When Sickbay check you out as fit for duty you may return to duty and work with Lt. j.g. Abisa."

NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Following his Commander's orders, Koroz sat heavily onto an available biobed so that Ensign Rashar could handle the disruptor burn on his arm. The Betazoid went to his work diligently, arcing the fields of the dermal regenerator in measured passes around the edge of the wound, and then more deeply at the core. If Rashar noticed the additional blunt trauma that had been self-inflicted on the wound, the Ensign said nothing of it in the moment.

The Klingon was silent, struck by a strong sense of shame for taking even the briefest moment of a doctor's time away for his negligible surface wound. At the moment, Koroz's orders were to see his wound healed, and then resume his duties to the best of his ability. He knew he would also need to complete his report of the day's hectic and harrowing events.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

As Jess worked, across the room, Lisa and Lagar applied the cortical stimulator to Lowe. After an eternity, but what was actually closer to ten seconds, the biobed gave a distinctive thump-thump. Weak at first, but becoming stronger and more regular until all of sickbay let out a sigh of relief.

Ian closed his eyes briefly and mumbled.

"Thank the Maker."

More clearly he said.

"Outstanding work Doctors. We've taken it on the chin this mission, but thanks ta your yeoman work, we will leave Edoran with as many crew as we arrived with. Thank you. I've got ta get back ta the bridge."

Ian was beaming as he left sickbay and headed for the turbolift.

Ensign Lagar
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

There it was! Faded, but present"¦ The quiet but violent pulses of the ventricled little organ in Lowe's chest cavity resumed their vital work, thrusting flows of oxygenated blood through a fibrous network of twitching tubules. A revolting process, to be sure, but one that meant life for the humanoid. "We've got him." he said to his supervisor.

It was at the moment of Captain Galloway's clearer announcement moment that Lagar became aware of the presence of his Captain in Sickbay. The Phylosian's bright yellow eyespots blinked briefly as he listened to the man, considering the significance of his personal attendance. To Lagar's perspective, many of the Challenger's crew had come to harm this day, and the Captain was here, personally making sure that they were healed safely. Commander Sigurdsdottir was present as well he noticed, surely for the same reasons in addition to her own need for treatment.

The Phylosian looked up now, trying to scan the room to get an idea of what had transpired around him while focusing on Lowe. How long had it been since his shift with Lieutenant Belmont had begun? "I think"¦ that's everyone." he said aloud, beginning to set aside the used tools for cleaning and offering to help Lieutenant Belmont un-scrub.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 1 - Bridge]

Not long after the Captain left the Bridge, poor Lt Morgan had to deal with repeated incoming calls from the Romulan ship demanding to speak to Captain Galloway.   The first time, Chloe informed Thelal that the Captain was in Sickbay checking in on those his officers fired on.   The second time, Thelal called up, daring to complain Challenger had beamed up his personnel - apparently the Romulans had been just about to do that but Challenger got to them first.   Lt Morgan ordered Lahr to send the Romulans the coordinates of where the stunned Romulans had been deposited.  That they couldn't pick up their own crews bio-signals suggested to Lahr that they took a fair amount of damage during the pulses.    The third time Thelal called he was furious that one of his officers had been killed.  Chloe had the common sense to not comment at all and instead looked to Lahr and silently signaled him to put the Romulan ship 'on hold.'

Lahr's antenna waggled in amused acknowledgement.  He even gave the Romulans a sampling of his best 20th century elevator music while they waited.   Of course, he and the officer covering security were alert for any aggressive activity on the Romulan ship.

It was just about this time that the Captain returned to the bridge smiling.

"Sir, you have Thelal on comm one waiting to speak to you about the death of one of his officers.  Apparently when Transporter Room Two grabbed the Romulans, they only selected the living ones.   So his body got left behind and was lost to the explosion.  From his rant earlier Thelal is blaming us for not retrieving the body."

It made no sense to Lahr but then the relationship between the Captain and the Commander was just odd.

NPC Crewman Frank Burke
[USS Challenger - Sickbay]

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Aside from the terse interaction between Lisa and Lagar, sickbay was silent. It was as if everyone was collectively holding their breath until it was known of Lowe would survive or not, thus Burke's outburst was heard quite clearly by all present.

"Struth Mister Burke. And Thelal would stand out in a room full of bastards, but there's nae we can do about it, save trust in Doctor Belmont. I don't ken if'n you believe in any higher power, but if'n you do, now would be a damn fine time ta ask him for a wee favor regardin' Mister Lowe."

[Transporter Room > Sickbay]

Ruth sat looking at the away crew and grateful as the blue light took them once again up to the Sickbay.  She looked guiltily over at Lowe and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

At Burke's outburst of 'Bastard Romulans' she let out a dry mirthless chuckle and then winced, clutching her side at the pain from her wound.

"Please, don't make me laugh.  It hurts."

Unfortunately, Burke wasn't religious.  He found no comfort in the notion of a higher power.  He'd heard rumors of powerful beings claiming to be gods when they were just as mortal and flawed as the rest of the species in the galaxy.  So prayer was out of the question.

Burke looked over to Ruth at her dry laugh and nodded grimly.  "Sorry." then went quiet as she turned her attention the Captain and shared with him her regrets about the mission.   Burke tried not to think poorly of the Commander.   Yeah, she had been rather insulting with the Romulans but she was correct, they Romulans had been primed for a fight.

[Sickbay - ICU - USS Challenger]

Lisa finally got her wish, but as the away team was returned she was quickly made aware that they weren't out of the woods yet. No sooner had Hanir made her prediction about the away team then Koroz, Burke, T'Kel, Ruth, and the others showed up and she and Lagar were working on Lowe. Jess had T'Kel, Chloe had Burke, and Nathan Koroz. Ruth, well, she'd find help if she needed it.

Before Burke could overstep himself and comment, Nurse Chloe Davies arrived to treat his injuries. Burke always found it awkward around the woman now that she and Lahr weren't together.  But her care of the few minor injuries he sustained was professional, so after the first initial moment of not knowing what to say or how to act, Burke settled into his usual routine.

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

Hanir continued backing away from Commander Sigurdsdottir, keeping the corner of her eye on Lisa, Lagar and the EMH working their heroic measures. The rest of her attention was on the Away Team and the Captain. As an Enlisted person and indeed the most junior of the crew, her authority was limited. She kept a careful watch on Koroz and Burke. Though both were keeping silent vigil, she saw that both of them were as tense as a guitar string.

Slowly making her way over to the Captain, she once again lowered her voice: "Captain, I definitely recommend some Holodeck time for everyone to... Ease off the pressure. If I can't compel them to talk to a Counsellor, then they need to work it out in other ways. I can see this mission has affected everyone pretty badly... Sir." She sketched a mild bow and casually made her way back to an out of the way corner.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded absently at the Counselor's suggestion, there had been more than a few casualties on this mission and talking to someone after a trauma was usually helpful. His eyes never left Lowe's stricken form, but he did reply.

"A good idea Counselor."

So caught up in Chloe's (Davies not Morgan) treatment of his injuries and his keeping an eye on Lowe, Burke didn't even notice the counselor watching him or Koroz.  Probably a good thing too.   He wouldn't have appreciated her comment - nor the Captain's agreement... not in the least.   When it came to counselors, he and Lahr thought the same.  They were best kept at a distance.

Starting to feel light headed from loss of blood and the severity of the pain, she nodded to Burke.  "Any chance you could find a replicator and get me a mug of hot Yorkshire tea with milk and 2 sugars please. Maybe a couple of chocolate digestive biscuits to go with?"

Anyone who knew Ruth knew that she normally drank Ratkajino, black, unsweetened.  She only drank tea when she was sick, and then rarely sweetened, but she'd been in Sickbays often enough to know that the sugar for some reason helped with shock, and as she'd started to shake, she knew she was going into shock.  Along with feeling cold (if anyone touched her skin it would feel clammy) and having shallow breathing, her breaths coming in sharp intakes because of the pain, anyone with even field medicine would know that she wasn't doing too well.  However, she refused to give into it until she knew the rest of the away team were seen.

It was while Chloe the nurse was off to get a specialized treatment tool, that the Commander seeing him alone - and likely thinking his treatment was done, called on him to get her a mug of tea ... with biscuits.  It was an odd request.  Not at all like her usual drink.  He looked over to her and noticed suddenly her all too apparently symptoms.  Oh frak! She was going into shock!  But before he could say or do anything the Captain himself also noticed.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

The hitch in Ruth's voice did draw Ian's attention away from Lowe and he immediately noted her injuries.

"Digestive biscuits my arse! Doctor Fellows, Commander Sigurdsdottir is wounded!"

Jess immediately appeared and steered Ruth a biobed. Once there, she applied a hypospray to Ruth's neck and said.

"That will help with the pain. Nurse Heesou hang a liter of type specific while I close this wound."

As Jess worked, across the room, Lisa and Lagar applied the cortical stimulator to Lowe. After an eternity, but what was actually closer to ten seconds, the biobed gave a distinctive thump-thump. Weak at first, but becoming stronger and more regular until all of sickbay let out a sigh of relief.

Ian closed his eyes briefly and mumbled.

"Thank the Maker."

More clearly he said.

"Outstanding work Doctors. We've taken it on the chin this mission, but thanks ta your yeoman work, we will leave Edoran with as many crew as we arrived with. Thank you. I've got ta get back ta the bridge."

Ian was beaming as he left sickbay and headed for the turbolift.

Splitting his attention between the treatment of Commander Siggurdsdottir and Lowe,  Burke struggled with whether to let Lahr know she'd been injured bad enough to go into shock.   Dammit.  Nothing good would come of telling his friend now... it would only distract him.  Thus, Burke said nothing.

[Hanir Seph]

[Transporter Room > Sickbay]

Ruth sat looking at the away crew and grateful as the blue light took them once again up to the Sickbay.  She looked guiltily over at Lowe and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

At Burke's outburst of 'Bastard Romulans' she let out a dry mirthless chuckle and then winced, clutching her side at the pain from her wound.

"Please, don't make me laugh.  It hurts."

"And that's why my reaction.  I thought my ex who was the reason for me initially joining Starfleet was bad, but compared to Thelal, he's an absolute saint.  As for Dr. Belmont and her team, I have no doubt to her abilities but I trust Eir to guide her hand and work beside them.  Every deity in the universe couldn't save Thelal if I ever cross paths with him again however, so if that ever is going to happen I'll check myself into the Brig to save you the bother of the paperwork for me killing the ... no ... bastard isn't a strong enough epithet."

Breathing heavily, and tears mostly of rage, but also of both emotional and physical hurt now flowed freely down her face.

She watched as Lisa worked steadily, finally finding somewhere to sit, refusing to give in to the fact that she herself was injured and needed attention until she knew one way or another if Lowe was going to pull through.

"Ian... I'm sorry.  I might have antagonised the Romulans, but they arrived with weapons set to kill, I don't think it would have made a lot of difference, I doubt they would have negotiated or spoken but, if I had anything to do with them firing I'm truly sorry."

Starting to feel light headed from loss of blood and the severity of the pain, she nodded to Burke.  "Any chance you could find a replicator and get me a mug of hot Yorkshire tea with milk and 2 sugars please. Maybe a couple of chocolate digestive biscuits to go with?"

Anyone who knew Ruth knew that she normally drank Ratkajino, black, unsweetened.  She only drank tea when she was sick, and then rarely sweetened, but she'd been in Sickbays often enough to know that the sugar for some reason helped with shock, and as she'd started to shake, she knew she was going into shock.  Along with feeling cold (if anyone touched her skin it would feel clammy) and having shallow breathing, her breaths coming in sharp intakes because of the pain, anyone with even field medicine would know that she wasn't doing too well.  However, she refused to give into it until she knew the rest of the away team were seen.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

The hitch in Ruth's voice did draw Ian's attention away from Lowe and he immediately noted her injuries.

"Digestive biscuits my arse! Doctor Fellows, Commander Sigurdsdottir is wounded!"

Jess immediately appeared and steered Ruth a biobed. Once there, she applied a hypospray to Ruth's neck and said.

"That will help with the pain. Nurse Heesou hang a liter of type specific while I close this wound."

As Jess worked, across the room, Lisa and Lagar applied the cortical stimulator to Lowe. After an eternity, but what was actually closer to ten seconds, the biobed gave a distinctive thump-thump. Weak at first, but becoming stronger and more regular until all of sickbay let out a sigh of relief.

Ian closed his eyes briefly and mumbled.

"Thank the Maker."

More clearly he said.

"Outstanding work Doctors. We've taken it on the chin this mission, but thanks ta your yeoman work, we will leave Edoran with as many crew as we arrived with. Thank you. I've got ta get back ta the bridge."

Ian was beaming as he left sickbay and headed for the turbolift.

Ensign Lagar
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Lagar toiled diligently, the plant-thing showing no signs of stress as his tendrils worked to support Lisa's efforts. His twisting mass of limbs might appear a confused mess at first, but Lagar was anticipating which tool his superior might need next, holding one nearer than the others at just the right moment. When Lowe was successfully stabilized, Lagar helped confirm it by double-checking the vital readouts on a nearby screen. "He's stable, doctor." he reported, hearing an initial, grateful sigh from some of his colleagues in the room. Lagar chose not to tell the audience that the patient was far from saved just yet; the work had to continue.

The same readout gave Lagar the pace at which to operate the artificial "˜lung bellows' that kept Lowe breathing. The Phylosian, lungless himself, could only guess at what the sensation of breathing must feel like. He knew that much of it was involuntary, managed automatically by the brain's autonomic system in much the same way that Lagar's system moved fluid throughout his body until he needed to command it in specific ways. Similarly, Lagar knew that humanoids could be reminded of their breathing and, as a result, find themselves forced to manage their breathing automatically until the brain "˜forgot'. This "˜manual breathing' state could even be caused by reading about it. Very interesting indeed. Despite having no such organs of his own, Lagar had operated a manual breather twice before attending Starfleet Medical; once on a Rigellian and once on an Andorian. Using digital dials, he kept the breathers moving at the recommended flow and pace.

Lagar returned the look of the Lieutenant, nodding with her assessment. "With the damage healed, his own body needs to take charge, and resume its functions." he agreed.

NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Following his Commander's orders, Koroz sat heavily onto an available biobed so that Ensign Rashar could handle the disruptor burn on his arm. The Betazoid went to his work diligently, arcing the fields of the dermal regenerator in measured passes around the edge of the wound, and then more deeply at the core. If Rashar noticed the additional blunt trauma that had been self-inflicted on the wound, the Ensign said nothing of it in the moment.

The Klingon was silent, struck by a strong sense of shame for taking even the briefest moment of a doctor's time away for his negligible surface wound. At the moment, Koroz's orders were to see his wound healed, and then resume his duties to the best of his ability. He knew he would also need to complete his report of the day's hectic and harrowing events.

Ensign Lagar
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

There it was! Faded, but present"¦ The quiet but violent pulses of the ventricled little organ in Lowe's chest cavity resumed their vital work, thrusting flows of oxygenated blood through a fibrous network of twitching tubules. A revolting process, to be sure, but one that meant life for the humanoid. "We've got him." he said to his supervisor.

It was at the moment of Captain Galloway's clearer announcement moment that Lagar became aware of the presence of his Captain in Sickbay. The Phylosian's bright yellow eyespots blinked briefly as he listened to the man, considering the significance of his personal attendance. To Lagar's perspective, many of the Challenger's crew had come to harm this day, and the Captain was here, personally making sure that they were healed safely. Commander Sigurdsdottir was present as well he noticed, surely for the same reasons in addition to her own need for treatment.

The Phylosian looked up now, trying to scan the room to get an idea of what had transpired around him while focusing on Lowe. How long had it been since his shift with Lieutenant Belmont had begun? "I think"¦ that's everyone." he said aloud, beginning to set aside the used tools for cleaning and offering to help Lieutenant Belmont un-scrub.

NPC Crewman Frank Burke
[USS Challenger - Sickbay]

Unfortunately, Burke wasn't religious.  He found no comfort in the notion of a higher power.  He'd heard rumors of powerful beings claiming to be gods when they were just as mortal and flawed as the rest of the species in the galaxy.  So prayer was out of the question.

Burke looked over to Ruth at her dry laugh and nodded grimly.  "Sorry." then went quiet as she turned her attention the Captain and shared with him her regrets about the mission.   Burke tried not to think poorly of the Commander.   Yeah, she had been rather insulting with the Romulans but she was correct, they Romulans had been primed for a fight.

Before Burke could overstep himself and comment, Nurse Chloe Davies arrived to treat his injuries. Burke always found it awkward around the woman now that she and Lahr weren't together.  But her care of the few minor injuries he sustained was professional, so after the first initial moment of not knowing what to say or how to act, Burke settled into his usual routine.

So caught up in Chloe's (Davies not Morgan) treatment of his injuries and his keeping an eye on Lowe, Burke didn't even notice the counselor watching him or Koroz.  Probably a good thing too.   He wouldn't have appreciated her comment - nor the Captain's agreement... not in the least.   When it came to counselors, he and Lahr thought the same.  They were best kept at a distance.

It was while Chloe the nurse was off to get a specialized treatment tool, that the Commander seeing him alone - and likely thinking his treatment was done, called on him to get her a mug of tea ... with biscuits.  It was an odd request.  Not at all like her usual drink.  He looked over to her and noticed suddenly her all too apparently symptoms.  Oh frak! She was going into shock!  But before he could say or do anything the Captain himself also noticed.

Splitting his attention between the treatment of Commander Siggurdsdottir and Lowe,  Burke struggled with whether to let Lahr know she'd been injured bad enough to go into shock.   Dammit.  Nothing good would come of telling his friend now... it would only distract him.  Thus, Burke said nothing.

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

Hanir nodded, then cleared her throat and tried to catch as many eyes as she could: "Everything is starting to get under control. I strongly, strongly urge everyone to talk it over with someone. It takes as much strength to admit that you can be emotional as well as courageous. If you don't take my advice, then at least write up your debriefing reports, and unwind. You will feel it tomorrow as the adrenaline wears off. Counselling is here if you just want to vent or talk." She walked over to Lagar and Lisa, lowering her voice slightly: "Good work. The offer goes for the two of you as well. You've both been through a lot today."

Hanir decided to leave, as sickbay was still fairly crowded. Stopping in midstep, she turned around and headed to the Holodeck, intending to learn some hand to hand combat skills.

[Ian Galloway]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger - Deck 1 - Bridge]

Not long after the Captain left the Bridge, poor Lt Morgan had to deal with repeated incoming calls from the Romulan ship demanding to speak to Captain Galloway.   The first time, Chloe informed Thelal that the Captain was in Sickbay checking in on those his officers fired on.   The second time, Thelal called up, daring to complain Challenger had beamed up his personnel - apparently the Romulans had been just about to do that but Challenger got to them first.   Lt Morgan ordered Lahr to send the Romulans the coordinates of where the stunned Romulans had been deposited.  That they couldn't pick up their own crews bio-signals suggested to Lahr that they took a fair amount of damage during the pulses.    The third time Thelal called he was furious that one of his officers had been killed.  Chloe had the common sense to not comment at all and instead looked to Lahr and silently signaled him to put the Romulan ship 'on hold.'

Lahr's antenna waggled in amused acknowledgement.  He even gave the Romulans a sampling of his best 20th century elevator music while they waited.   Of course, he and the officer covering security were alert for any aggressive activity on the Romulan ship.

It was just about this time that the Captain returned to the bridge smiling.

"Sir, you have Thelal on comm one waiting to speak to you about the death of one of his officers.  Apparently when Transporter Room Two grabbed the Romulans, they only selected the living ones.   So his body got left behind and was lost to the explosion.  From his rant earlier Thelal is blaming us for not retrieving the body."

It made no sense to Lahr but then the relationship between the Captain and the Commander was just odd.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian snorted at Lahr's report that Thalal was unhappy. He smiled and said.

"On screen."

The image resolved to Thelal's angry visage, which was actually an improvement from his usual arrogant sneer, at least in Ian's opinion.

"You have gone too far this time Galloway. One of my crew is dead and thanks to your imbecile crew's interference, it's not even possible to recover his body! I will-"

"ENOUGH!"

Ian roared and being both interrupted and yelled at surprised Thelal who was clearly unused to either event.

"Your man is dead because your people opened fire on my away team with weapons set ta kill. Even though we would have been justified in killing your entire landin' party, we only stunned them. Your fatality was from him bein' hit by a rock, not from bein' shot.

"As our governments are technically neutral, your people firin' on mine, leavin' two critically wounded in the process, is an act of war. Are you prepared ta initiate direct hostilities? Because I am!"

Thelal was taken aback by Ian's venomous tone and his expression shifted from anger to one of cold calculation, something not lost on Ian who had enough experience with the Romulan to have a small idea of how he thought.

"Weighin' your chances that your battleship mouth can back up your row boat arse Thelal? Please, by all means give the order ta fire and you'll find out the hard way what a Trailblazer can do."

Feigning an outraged demeanor, Thelal resorted back to his usual overbearing superiority when he replied.

"You are clearly distraught Galloway, perhaps the strain of command is weighing you down. Maybe speak to one of those counselors Starfleet puts so much faith in. You are obviously out of your depth as a captain to threaten me with a war you have no authority to start. As you seem unfit for a rational conversation. I will choose to ignore your empty threat and allow you to go on your way rather than destroying you as I should. Consider this kindness, my last act of kindness. The next time we meet it will be followed by a full spread of plasma torpedoes."

The screen shifted back to that of the planet as Thelal cut the connection. Ian could only shake his head at the Romulan's audacity.

"Just when I think he's about the biggest git in the galaxy, he goes and finds a way ta be an even bigger one. Lieutenant Morgan, please hail Minister Conacian."

The Orion appeared on screen and he was back to his fawning obsequious persona.

"Captain Galloway, I can't thank you enough, you have saved my people, the damage is excessive, but you somehow managed to stop the quakes and whatever was firing on the ships in orbit. On behalf of the people of Edoran, I offer you my sincerest thanks and I do hope that this will end the ghastly investigation into the loss of the Dawnspring."

"It does Minister, we have recovered as much of the debris of her as we could and if you need any assistance in ecological recovery, all you need do is ask and the Federation will provide a dedicated research vessel to do so."

"Thank you Captain. I will discuss your generous offer with the Council and will notify your government should we need help. Safe travels to you and your crew Captain."

"Thank you Minister."

Once the connection closed, Ian spoke to Ensign Shazham at the conn.

"Helm, our business is at an end here, make your course 147 mark 29, take us ta warp seven once clear of the system."

[Lagar]

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

Hanir nodded, then cleared her throat and tried to catch as many eyes as she could: "Everything is starting to get under control. I strongly, strongly urge everyone to talk it over with someone. It takes as much strength to admit that you can be emotional as well as courageous. If you don't take my advice, then at least write up your debriefing reports, and unwind. You will feel it tomorrow as the adrenaline wears off. Counselling is here if you just want to vent or talk." She walked over to Lagar and Lisa, lowering her voice slightly: "Good work. The offer goes for the two of you as well. You've both been through a lot today."

Hanir decided to leave, as sickbay was still fairly crowded. Stopping in midstep, she turned around and headed to the Holodeck, intending to learn some hand to hand combat skills.

NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[Sickbay > NCO's Quarter's of Koroz and Blackfeather "" Deck 4 - USS Challenger]

With his colleagues stabilized, and his own orders clear, Koroz left Sickbay, thanking the Betazoid doctor for his efforts in a low, gruff voice. He made his way directly to his quarters to work on his report, knowing that the sooner he wrote it all down, the clearer and more factual his report would be.

The door whooshed open, revealing his sparse quarters. He dropped heavily into the plain chair in front of his computer terminal, aggressively thumping his fingers on the digital keyboard. With diligent typing practice recommended by his supervisor, Lieutenant T'Kel, Koroz had managed to reach a regular 15 words-per-minute, adjusted for spelling corrections. Even when typing in his native tongue, the Klingon rarely surpassed 25 words-per-minute, so 15 was a decent accomplishment, and he remembered feeling a little pride when his Vulcan superior had told him that it was "œA marked improvement over your previous capabilities". He remembered Burke slapping him on the back after that, telling him that was "˜high praise'. He supposed it was. That same supervisor had been struck down this day, along with several of his fellow security officers. None had been slain in combat, and any scars that might survive the fawning medical care of the ship's sickbay would be proud reminders of the battle.

Time passed while Koroz typed away; he had just completed his retelling of the firefight with the Edoran soldiers and reached the moment of the subsequent interrogation. Commander Sigurdsdottir began interrogating the two survivors. he wrote carefully. She told one soldier that"¦ He paused. Something about his wife and children? That he was going to miss them? Koroz looked away, though his quarters had no decorations for him to stare at while he tried to focus, struggling to remember. Ruth hadn't told the man she would kill him, it was different, but Koroz knew what she meant when she said it, and he had been proud of her to threaten to slay him. Ruth had done something with her phaser rifle, then, fiddled with it. She then told the Edoran soldier that he was going to take the team to the site of the science problem. She said that Starfleet would pay for his funeral if he did not, that was it. Koroz typed this out, then slowed again, rubbing at his brow. He was remembering now, but he was still puzzled, particularly now that the intensity of battle had ended. There was something strange about the choice to threaten the captured man. He remembered a training exercise back during his training to enlist in Starfleet. He remembered actors, people pretending to be a captured enemy. He remembered that he attempted a battlefield interrogation himself, and told the enemy that he would die if he didn't reveal information, troop movements, orders of battle"¦ He remembered being corrected for this"¦

Koroz switched to a new window on his screen, bringing up the Starfleet General Orders. His eyes glazed over as he scanned through them; don't visit Talos IV, Starfleet personnel may intervene, the no-mutiny order, and there, General Order 25. "˜Proper treatment' for civilian and military personnel taken into custody. The soldier was a prisoner of war, a uniformed soldier taken captive in battle. Ruth hadn't directly threatened the man's life... Just intimated that he would be murdered. Briefly, only briefly, Koroz wondered whether he should leave this part out of his report, and he shook his head in the empty room. He couldn't omit details, couldn't lie in an official report. He was no coward cooking books or miswriting reports, even if it meant"¦ Even if it meant potentially hurting a superior officer.

"Hurting..." he said aloud to himself in the empty room. Was he hurting Ruth, by writing his report? Would he be punished for including the event? More importantly, would she be angry with him? Among Klingons, a warrior told the truth, even when it was inconvenient for others, but she could still be angry that he would challenge her authority by"¦ Reporting her. Koroz greatly disliked the feeling roiling up from his guts. Was he reporting her by writing these truths? Would she include the same details about her words in her own report? What about his colleagues? Koroz reached up to the site of the disruptor would on his arm, squeezing the muscles there to bring out the sore pain of healing flesh underneath. The pain helped him focus. Courage meant telling the truth particularly when it was difficult. But this was Starfleet"¦ Were the rules of war bent when needed? Ruth had said as much on the battlefield, something about semantics. He... would need to report that as well. "This is hard." he muttered.

More time passed, and Koroz completed his report, reciting facts to the best of his memory, leaving nothing out. He felt he had a moral imperative to share precisely what he remembered, even at the risk of angering his Commander. He would need to be courageous. He decided that Ruth would expect as much from him, and that he shouldn't fear reprisal for describing what occurred. Koroz pressed the button to submit the report and immediately pushed his chair back, as though physically distancing himself from the computer could push him away from the discomfort of his moral quandary. He stood, yet again standing too swiftly and knocking the chair backward onto the floor. He was always doing that, but today his own action annoyed him, he felt like he didn't belong in his own body. The Klingon left his room, hoping that a return to his security duties on the ship would help him get away from the confusing feelings that this event brought out.

[Ruth Sigurdsdottir]

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded absently at the Counselor's suggestion, there had been more than a few casualties on this mission and talking to someone after a trauma was usually helpful. His eyes never left Lowe's stricken form, but he did reply.

"A good idea Counselor."

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

The hitch in Ruth's voice did draw Ian's attention away from Lowe and he immediately noted her injuries.

"Digestive biscuits my arse! Doctor Fellows, Commander Sigurdsdottir is wounded!"

Jess immediately appeared and steered Ruth a biobed. Once there, she applied a hypospray to Ruth's neck and said.

"That will help with the pain. Nurse Heesou hang a liter of type specific while I close this wound."

As Jess worked, across the room, Lisa and Lagar applied the cortical stimulator to Lowe. After an eternity, but what was actually closer to ten seconds, the biobed gave a distinctive thump-thump. Weak at first, but becoming stronger and more regular until all of sickbay let out a sigh of relief.

Ian closed his eyes briefly and mumbled.

"Thank the Maker."

More clearly he said.

"Outstanding work Doctors. We've taken it on the chin this mission, but thanks ta your yeoman work, we will leave Edoran with as many crew as we arrived with. Thank you. I've got ta get back ta the bridge."

Ian was beaming as he left sickbay and headed for the turbolift.

[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

"But Lowe..." Ruth protested weakly.

Ensign Lagar
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Lagar toiled diligently, the plant-thing showing no signs of stress as his tendrils worked to support Lisa's efforts. His twisting mass of limbs might appear a confused mess at first, but Lagar was anticipating which tool his superior might need next, holding one nearer than the others at just the right moment. When Lowe was successfully stabilized, Lagar helped confirm it by double-checking the vital readouts on a nearby screen. "He's stable, doctor." he reported, hearing an initial, grateful sigh from some of his colleagues in the room. Lagar chose not to tell the audience that the patient was far from saved just yet; the work had to continue.

The same readout gave Lagar the pace at which to operate the artificial "˜lung bellows' that kept Lowe breathing. The Phylosian, lungless himself, could only guess at what the sensation of breathing must feel like. He knew that much of it was involuntary, managed automatically by the brain's autonomic system in much the same way that Lagar's system moved fluid throughout his body until he needed to command it in specific ways. Similarly, Lagar knew that humanoids could be reminded of their breathing and, as a result, find themselves forced to manage their breathing automatically until the brain "˜forgot'. This "˜manual breathing' state could even be caused by reading about it. Very interesting indeed. Despite having no such organs of his own, Lagar had operated a manual breather twice before attending Starfleet Medical; once on a Rigellian and once on an Andorian. Using digital dials, he kept the breathers moving at the recommended flow and pace.

Lagar returned the look of the Lieutenant, nodding with her assessment. "With the damage healed, his own body needs to take charge, and resume its functions." he agreed.

NPC Petty Officer Koroz
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

Following his Commander's orders, Koroz sat heavily onto an available biobed so that Ensign Rashar could handle the disruptor burn on his arm. The Betazoid went to his work diligently, arcing the fields of the dermal regenerator in measured passes around the edge of the wound, and then more deeply at the core. If Rashar noticed the additional blunt trauma that had been self-inflicted on the wound, the Ensign said nothing of it in the moment.

The Klingon was silent, struck by a strong sense of shame for taking even the briefest moment of a doctor's time away for his negligible surface wound. At the moment, Koroz's orders were to see his wound healed, and then resume his duties to the best of his ability. He knew he would also need to complete his report of the day's hectic and harrowing events.

Ensign Lagar
[Sickbay - USS Challenger]

There it was! Faded, but present"¦ The quiet but violent pulses of the ventricled little organ in Lowe's chest cavity resumed their vital work, thrusting flows of oxygenated blood through a fibrous network of twitching tubules. A revolting process, to be sure, but one that meant life for the humanoid. "We've got him." he said to his supervisor.

It was at the moment of Captain Galloway's clearer announcement moment that Lagar became aware of the presence of his Captain in Sickbay. The Phylosian's bright yellow eyespots blinked briefly as he listened to the man, considering the significance of his personal attendance. To Lagar's perspective, many of the Challenger's crew had come to harm this day, and the Captain was here, personally making sure that they were healed safely. Commander Sigurdsdottir was present as well he noticed, surely for the same reasons in addition to her own need for treatment.

The Phylosian looked up now, trying to scan the room to get an idea of what had transpired around him while focusing on Lowe. How long had it been since his shift with Lieutenant Belmont had begun? "I think"¦ that's everyone." he said aloud, beginning to set aside the used tools for cleaning and offering to help Lieutenant Belmont un-scrub.

It was then she heard the Phylosian doctor say 'we've got him' and she picked up the steady thump thump of the heart rhythm on the machine.  It was then she admitted that she was hurt, and allowed Jess to do her work without protest.

NPC Crewman Frank Burke
[USS Challenger - Sickbay]

Unfortunately, Burke wasn't religious.  He found no comfort in the notion of a higher power.  He'd heard rumors of powerful beings claiming to be gods when they were just as mortal and flawed as the rest of the species in the galaxy.  So prayer was out of the question.

Burke looked over to Ruth at her dry laugh and nodded grimly.  "Sorry." then went quiet as she turned her attention the Captain and shared with him her regrets about the mission.   Burke tried not to think poorly of the Commander.   Yeah, she had been rather insulting with the Romulans but she was correct, they Romulans had been primed for a fight.

Before Burke could overstep himself and comment, Nurse Chloe Davies arrived to treat his injuries. Burke always found it awkward around the woman now that she and Lahr weren't together.  But her care of the few minor injuries he sustained was professional, so after the first initial moment of not knowing what to say or how to act, Burke settled into his usual routine.

So caught up in Chloe's (Davies not Morgan) treatment of his injuries and his keeping an eye on Lowe, Burke didn't even notice the counselor watching him or Koroz.  Probably a good thing too.   He wouldn't have appreciated her comment - nor the Captain's agreement... not in the least.   When it came to counselors, he and Lahr thought the same.  They were best kept at a distance.

It was while Chloe the nurse was off to get a specialized treatment tool, that the Commander seeing him alone - and likely thinking his treatment was done, called on him to get her a mug of tea ... with biscuits.  It was an odd request.  Not at all like her usual drink.  He looked over to her and noticed suddenly her all too apparently symptoms.  Oh frak! She was going into shock!  But before he could say or do anything the Captain himself also noticed.

Splitting his attention between the treatment of Commander Siggurdsdottir and Lowe,  Burke struggled with whether to let Lahr know she'd been injured bad enough to go into shock.   Dammit.  Nothing good would come of telling his friend now... it would only distract him.  Thus, Burke said nothing.

"Bu-Burke..." Ruth said haltingly.  "Belay that request for tea and biscuits, and it's fine.  I don't think you meant to make me laugh. When I'm not so hurty then I'll be more than happy to laugh again.  And I know this might sound irregular but you're Lahr's best friend.  I'd like you to come and have dinner with us in my quarters some time, as a thank you for getting us out of there in mostly one piece.  It looks like we'll all survive!  And the offer of that drink still stands."

She dropped her voice to even more of a whisper, beckoning him down to her face then said "And there's more than one kind of actual alcohol in my quarters.  And yes the Captain knows... after all, I get him a bottle of Scotch every time I get my own!  Oh and can you let Lahr know I need someone to put these axes back up on the wall.  I don't think I'm going to be stretching that far for a while.  Let the poor thing know I'm fine, or those antennae of his will be perma-droopy and we can't have that!  He's astute enough to know if I called for everyone to be beamed to Sickbay that I'm injured too.  That and the fact that I'm not on the Bridge ranting at Thelal!"

[USS Challenger-A | Sickbay]

Hanir nodded, then cleared her throat and tried to catch as many eyes as she could: "Everything is starting to get under control. I strongly, strongly urge everyone to talk it over with someone. It takes as much strength to admit that you can be emotional as well as courageous. If you don't take my advice, then at least write up your debriefing reports, and unwind. You will feel it tomorrow as the adrenaline wears off. Counselling is here if you just want to vent or talk." She walked over to Lagar and Lisa, lowering her voice slightly: "Good work. The offer goes for the two of you as well. You've both been through a lot today."

Hanir decided to leave, as sickbay was still fairly crowded. Stopping in midstep, she turned around and headed to the Holodeck, intending to learn some hand to hand combat skills.

"Counsellor?" Ruth waited until Hanir caught her eyes again, then seeing the black eyes of a Betazoid and she nodded.  "I realise now why you were backing off from me before, it's ok no offence taken...I hope my thoughts and distress didn't hurt you too much.  It must be as much a curse as a blessing for you." the meds and blood were starting to take effect and she was feeling marginally better.

"I'll book a few sessions with you any time that is convenient to you, I have other things to discuss with you too.  Unrelated on the surface to this but connected I think in some way, but you'll hopefully be able to make more sense of this tangled ball of thoughts than I can!  Jess, I need to talk to you or Lisa about something too... physical rather than mental, but it's um... personal.  I'm not, before you give me that look!"

[Ian Galloway]

[Captain's Ready Room - USS Challenger]

Ian looked out at the stars streaking by absently as the Challenger was at warp and he began speaking.

"Captain's Log, supplemental. We are headin' for Starbase 84 ta drop off the survivors of the Dawnspring and rendezvous with a Federation registered transport for escort duty. We believe we have discovered the cause for the loss of the Dawnspring, a malfunctionin' Iconian device fired a subspace pulse into the unshielded ship and that resulted in a warp core breach.

"The leader of the Edoran government, Minister Conacian was clearly hidin' something from us, but with no evidence of his complicity or jurisdiction to question him, we had to leave that part of the ship's loss unresolved. Conacian presented his most pleasant persona that we had ended the threat ta shippin' ta his world. It is however, gallin' ta know there was more ta the loss of the Dawnspring that will never be answered.

"Even more gallin' was yet another encounter with Commander Thelal of the IRV Khranu. Given this is now the third time we've had run ins with him, it is clear he is trackin' what we are doin' as it nae coincidental that we keep meetin' him in such divergent locations. It is also clear that things are escalatin' with these encounters as this time members of his crew fired on members of a Challenger away team with weapons set ta kill. Thelal stated that the next time we met it would be followed by a full spread of plasma torpedoes. Given our ships are so closely matched, should he follow through on that threat, how that encounter would end is too close ta call. We will have ta be especially on guard in the future if'n we remain on the Romulan border. End log."