S3 - M3: State of Emergency

[Kirok]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"I agree with you doctor.  Everyone keep their com badges with you.  Constant communication between the three groups will be the most certain way to come out of this in the best condition possible" Kirok said.

"As such, this meeting is adjourned.  I will be in the command center should you need me" he added.  Then he lifted his right hand and spread his fingers and ended with "long life and peace."

He remained in his spot for a moment.  To see any there were any questions.   He offed a nod, though, specifically to Kyle.

[NPC -EQ]

EQ raised his hand to say hi to the CSO.  "I have fun memories of them too.  Let's hope that they are all home soon" he said sincerely.

[Kyle Briggs]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

As the meeting went along, Kyle had requested reports from all departments asking for updates of all available personnel. They were slowly beginning to trickle in and we was putting together his team for the planet. He had himself and the big guy that had volunteered. From the crew that was available, he pulled together eight engineers, five security officers and three from the medical staff. He quickly sent the roster to Kirok.

Big guy that volunteered.

Security
Lieutenant(jg) Susan Dobbs
Lieutenant(jg) Anthony Henderson
Ensign K'bos
Ensign Samuel Cole
Crewman Cole Davidson

Engineering
Lieutenant Wade Simmons
Ensign Georgina Wood
Crewman L'ovogh
Crewman Dexter Harris
Crewman Jonas Lang
Crewman Reuben Moss
Crewman Diana Ramsey
Crewman Daniel Newman

Medical
Lieutenant(jg) David Brinkman
Ensign Martha Duncan
Ensign Jane Larson

"Do we have transporters or do we need to use shuttles?" he asked Kirok as the others were starting to file out of the room.

[Hrafn Falleg]

[Briefing Room > Ops Centre - Katra Station]

"Actually, Sirol.  If Dr. Xiiv can spare you, you could be useful in the Operations Centre."  Truth be told Hrafn didn't want to lose any more of her 'family' and while Kyle counted, he really couldn't be spared as XO of the station, he had to go do things.  If she could spare Sirol she would, of course Kirok could countermand her.

As she entered the Ops Centre of the Station she looked to the Captain.  "I've asked Sirol to come up here, if the doctor can spare her... but I've given her the choice to go wherever she wishes so long as she's helping out.  She's just as worried as myself about the children, so whatever is going to help her keep her mind on the task in hand... that will be what is best I think.  I'm no counsellor but I'm a mother, and you have to be a little bit of everything!"  she smiled weakly.

"However, there was method in my reasoning, almost Vulcan-like... if she's here, she can man Sciences, and I can take point on Ops as I have done may times previously when we've had to juggle staff a little so that those with experience in say Engineering... not my forte... could go there and I can handle things on Ops."

[Kirok]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"We have transporters, but I would suggest shuttles.  Ensign Drake should be available to be your pilot.  Should I have EQ get Dillon for you?" he asked when the room was starting to clear.

He waited a moment longer until they were alone.  "Dillon may be useful in helping us locate the mission girl.  Finding her may help to repair any political damage the debris caused.  So we should use any advantage we can - including mayking a production out of a shuttle landing compared to transporting down unnoticed by the population below.

I am no fan anyone using political favor to sway our decisions.  Never have, never will.  But this is our reality, my friend, and me must play the hand we are dealt" the half Vulcan added.

[Ops Center]

Kirok stopped just inside the door after he entered the Ops Center.  It had been awhile since he had been the commanding officer of any ship or station.  So, he took a moment to look around and take it in.

"Of course.  Please take Ops" he said to Hrafn.  Then he called out "report" from the door.

An officer looked up from a duty station.  "Sulluk and the other reported in at DS9.  All of the officers are accounted for and unhurt.  I was just preparing to run a scan of the general area to check for familiar bio signs" she said.

"No need, Ms. Falleg will do that.  You are relieved.  Go get some rest" he said to the officer.  Then he walked to the newly vacated terminal and logged in.

[Kyle Briggs]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"We have transporters, but I would suggest shuttles.  Ensign Drake should be available to be your pilot.  Should I have EQ get Dillon for you?" he asked when the room was starting to clear.

He waited a moment longer until they were alone.  "Dillon may be useful in helping us locate the mission girl.  Finding her may help to repair any political damage the debris caused.  So we should use any advantage we can - including mayking a production out of a shuttle landing compared to transporting down unnoticed by the population below.

I am no fan anyone using political favor to sway our decisions.  Never have, never will.  But this is our reality, my friend, and me must play the hand we are dealt" the half Vulcan added.

"A shuttle will work just fine. I'll message Drake to prep a Danube class. That will have enough room to take us down in a single trip. It'll be a bit snug but we'll survive." Kyle replied as he began a message to the young pilot. "And EQ? That must be the big fella that volunteered. If he can get Dillon, that's good. He can just meet us at the shuttle."

With that settled and everyone else pretty much gone, Kyle completed his message to Ensign Drake.

To: Ensign Gideon Drake
From: Commander Briggs

Requisition a Danube class shuttle right away. You will be piloting us down to the planet. We will have roughly eighteen passengers. We depart in fifteen minutes. Acknowledge.

With that done, he headed to the shuttle bay to await the others.

[Gideon Drake]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"A shuttle will work just fine. I'll message Drake to prep a Danube class. That will have enough room to take us down in a single trip. It'll be a bit snug but we'll survive." Kyle replied as he began a message to the young pilot. "And EQ? That must be the big fella that volunteered. If he can get Dillon, that's good. He can just meet us at the shuttle."

With that settled and everyone else pretty much gone, Kyle completed his message to Ensign Drake.

To: Ensign Gideon Drake
From: Commander Briggs

Requisition a Danube class shuttle right away. You will be piloting us down to the planet. We will have roughly eighteen passengers. We depart in fifteen minutes. Acknowledge.

With that done, he headed to the shuttle bay to await the others.

[Ensign Gideon Drake | Sweet Tooth Cafe | Promenade | Deck Fourteen | Katra Station]

Gideon perked up when he saw the message. He was expecting a flight assignment. What was interesting was that, for once, he wasn't transporting refugees. They were heading down to Meridian. Gideon felt a rush of excitement. This will be his first time to Meridian.

Tapping his comm badge, Gideon replied, "Ensign Drake to Commander Briggs, I'm on my way."

Licking up the last of his Choco Loaded, Gideon headed for the shuttle bay. Runabout made sense, to him; much as he wanted to have taken his favourite scoutship, the Squall, he felt such a ship would've been too flashy, and anyway, fitting eighteen blokes inside would've crammed it up.

[Ensign Gideon Drake | Shuttle Docking Pad | Docking Pods | Katra Station]

In no time at all, Gideon got to the shuttle docking pad. It wasn't too hard to look for a Danube. All he had to do was pick one. And he found one all right, at least the name that stood out to him the most: the Araguaia. He commenced pre-flight checks and all the usual stuff expecting in flying the usual craft. All this took less than twelve minutes. He was definitely ready.

"Ensign Drake to Commander Briggs," he said, "Runabout Araguaia is ready for you."

Now all he had to do was wait for his passengers.

[Hrafn Falleg]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"We have transporters, but I would suggest shuttles.  Ensign Drake should be available to be your pilot.  Should I have EQ get Dillon for you?" he asked when the room was starting to clear.

He waited a moment longer until they were alone.  "Dillon may be useful in helping us locate the mission girl.  Finding her may help to repair any political damage the debris caused.  So we should use any advantage we can - including mayking a production out of a shuttle landing compared to transporting down unnoticed by the population below.

I am no fan anyone using political favor to sway our decisions.  Never have, never will.  But this is our reality, my friend, and me must play the hand we are dealt" the half Vulcan added.

[Ops Center]

Kirok stopped just inside the door after he entered the Ops Center.  It had been awhile since he had been the commanding officer of any ship or station.  So, he took a moment to look around and take it in.

"Of course.  Please take Ops" he said to Hrafn.  Then he called out "report" from the door.

An officer looked up from a duty station.  "Sulluk and the other reported in at DS9.  All of the officers are accounted for and unhurt.  I was just preparing to run a scan of the general area to check for familiar bio signs" she said.

"No need, Ms. Falleg will do that.  You are relieved.  Go get some rest" he said to the officer.  Then he walked to the newly vacated terminal and logged in.

[Control Centre - Katra Station]

Hrafn smiled at Kirok. "Even on a damaged station... isn't it magnificent?!" she gave the departing officer a nod and a slight smile of pride.  Katra was home to her and she was a little 'houseproud'.  "Thanks for keeping things going as much as you could, we appreciate it!" she said.

Most of the staff knew her... largely due to the friendliness of the children, and the fact that she'd been there since Katra was commissioned and put in place, she was part of the fixtures and fittings and she didn't intend going anywhere for long!

"Well Captain, I'm happy to take any station but I'm most proficient on Science and Ops.  However we're going to need Engineering to make sure that we're able to get communications in and out.  I understand they're probably inundated with requests at the moment so may I suggest that anyone who has Engineering as a secondary skill is seconded to them for any minor tasks that can be done, the faster we get repairs done the better.  Also request more teams from DS9 if possible."

She logged in and configured the console so that she could toggle between Ops and Sciences .

"I'm glad to hear that the Officers are safe, now just to find the rest of them.  I've got the normal Science scans started that I normally like them to have running in the background anyhow, I can now organise all the rest...hopefully.  Like any mountain, one stone at a time and it'll still be moved.  Anything specific you want dealt with or shall I just start working through the mental 'to do' list I have?! Including starting an investigation into what happened and how it happened." the CSO asked, mentally rolling up her sleeves and getting cracking.

Knowing that Tess, Rayek and the others had safely got to DS9 helped a lot to assure her that the others would be found too.  She started to hum under her breath a song from an old Earth cartoon holomovie, but she found it difficult to whistle so she sort of 'da-da-da'-d to that part.

"Just whistle while you work, da-da-da-da-da-da-daaaaa
And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place
So hum a merry tune
It won't take long when there's a song to help you set the pace

And as you sweep the room
Imagine that the broom is someone that you love
And soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune
When hearts are high the time will fly so whistle while you work

So whistle while you work..."

'Where are all the extra woodland creatures to help out when you need them?  A few dwarves wouldn't hurt either!  Useful with pick axes and not afraid of hard work!!' she grinned inwardly and continued humming.

[OOC: Those looking for the Brauhaus Gamma Cut Scene it has been moved to Winding Down, Clearing Up on the holodeck to free up the main mission]

[Amarande Xiiv]

[Medbay - Katra Station]

Xiiv spent no time getting started, laying out a plan with as much. of the medical staff as were left. Teach team would have an area to cover, logging names, badges, etc until they had a working log of those found, injured, or deceased on station. She also made sure the planetary folks got a few of her helping hands as well in case more than just logging was needed.

Now, she just needed an update on Zex.

"Can you tell me what the latest is on our friend?" she asked one of the doctors, gesturing at the comatose woman. It was plain to see she'd been through a tough go and Xiiv went through her chart as the medical officer updated both herself and Eydis. 

[Hrafn Falleg]

"Actually, Sirol.  If Dr. Xiiv can spare you, you could be useful in the Operations Centre."  Truth be told Hrafn didn't want to lose any more of her 'family' and while Kyle counted, he really couldn't be spared as XO of the station, he had to go do things.  If she could spare Sirol she would, of course Kirok could countermand her.

[Operations Centre - Katra Station]

Hrafn remembered that she had Sirol there and turned to the Romulan.  It was only then that she noticed how drained the woman looked.

"Sirol dear, how remiss of me.  Like the officer who has just left I think you need some rest.  Please, go and get checked out by Dr. Xiiv and then ask her, if it is her medical opinion of course, to put you on light duties at most, maybe triaging people since we do need all the hands helping we can get, but if she thinks you're too exhausted, then go and lie down, please.  And don't worry about the family.  I promise to get word to you the moment we have word."

She gave Sirol a brief hug, and a brave smile and almost shooed her away with a little motion of her hands.  For all she knew that Sirol was older, she did remind her of Ruthie, and for that reason the 'mother hen' in Hrafn kicked in, besides the fact that if she didn't look after 'Nantie Sirol', the children would be most annoyed with her once they returned!

[Kirok]

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"A shuttle will work just fine. I'll message Drake to prep a Danube class. That will have enough room to take us down in a single trip. It'll be a bit snug but we'll survive." Kyle replied as he began a message to the young pilot. "And EQ? That must be the big fella that volunteered. If he can get Dillon, that's good. He can just meet us at the shuttle."

With that settled and everyone else pretty much gone, Kyle completed his message to Ensign Drake.

To: Ensign Gideon Drake
From: Commander Briggs

Requisition a Danube class shuttle right away. You will be piloting us down to the planet. We will have roughly eighteen passengers. We depart in fifteen minutes. Acknowledge.

With that done, he headed to the shuttle bay to await the others.

[Briefing Room - Katra Station]

"That would be correct.  He is an XB as they prefer to be called now.  He is a good man and Dillon appears to like him" Kirok relied.  Brief and to the point as was his style, but hopefully conveying an appropriate amount of information to satisfy the XO.

Awhile later, the XB arrived with Dillon.  The dog was in a crate.  He looked up at Kyle and sniffed threw the cage door.

"Reporting for duty, Sir" the enlisted man said.  "Once we get down to the planet I'll put him on a leash.  Till then he'll be ok on the cage" EQ added.

[Control Centre - Katra Station]

Hrafn smiled at Kirok. "Even on a damaged station... isn't it magnificent?!" she gave the departing officer a nod and a slight smile of pride.  Katra was home to her and she was a little 'houseproud'.  "Thanks for keeping things going as much as you could, we appreciate it!" she said.

Most of the staff knew her... largely due to the friendliness of the children, and the fact that she'd been there since Katra was commissioned and put in place, she was part of the fixtures and fittings and she didn't intend going anywhere for long!

"Well Captain, I'm happy to take any station but I'm most proficient on Science and Ops.  However we're going to need Engineering to make sure that we're able to get communications in and out.  I understand they're probably inundated with requests at the moment so may I suggest that anyone who has Engineering as a secondary skill is seconded to them for any minor tasks that can be done, the faster we get repairs done the better.  Also request more teams from DS9 if possible."

She logged in and configured the console so that she could toggle between Ops and Sciences .

"I'm glad to hear that the Officers are safe, now just to find the rest of them.  I've got the normal Science scans started that I normally like them to have running in the background anyhow, I can now organise all the rest...hopefully.  Like any mountain, one stone at a time and it'll still be moved.  Anything specific you want dealt with or shall I just start working through the mental 'to do' list I have?! Including starting an investigation into what happened and how it happened." the CSO asked, mentally rolling up her sleeves and getting cracking.

Knowing that Tess, Rayek and the others had safely got to DS9 helped a lot to assure her that the others would be found too.  She started to hum under her breath a song from an old Earth cartoon holomovie, but she found it difficult to whistle so she sort of 'da-da-da'-d to that part.

"Just whistle while you work, da-da-da-da-da-da-daaaaa
And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place
So hum a merry tune
It won't take long when there's a song to help you set the pace

And as you sweep the room
Imagine that the broom is someone that you love
And soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune
When hearts are high the time will fly so whistle while you work

So whistle while you work..."

'Where are all the extra woodland creatures to help out when you need them?  A few dwarves wouldn't hurt either!  Useful with pick axes and not afraid of hard work!!' she grinned inwardly and continued humming.

[Control Centre - Katra Station]

Kirok's left eyebrow arched slightly.  Falleg was full of suggestions.  All good, of course.

She was obviously stressed.  She had personal connections to all of the newly found officers.   But her missing children were obviously present in her thought given the fact that she was singing a children's song.

"It is good new, indeed.  Let's hope that we get news about your children soon.  But Kirok is fine" he replied, partially to comfort her.

By then his duty station dinged to let him know that his log in had been successful.  He worked in silence for a moment.  Knocking out some of the things Falleg had suggested.

[Medbay - Katra Station]

Xiiv spent no time getting started, laying out a plan with as much. of the medical staff as were left. Teach team would have an area to cover, logging names, badges, etc until they had a working log of those found, injured, or deceased on station. She also made sure the planetary folks got a few of her helping hands as well in case more than just logging was needed.

Now, she just needed an update on Zex.

"Can you tell me what the latest is on our friend?" she asked one of the doctors, gesturing at the comatose woman. It was plain to see she'd been through a tough go and Xiiv went through her chart as the medical officer updated both herself and Eydis.

[Medbay - Katra Station]

The doctor turned when he heard the new voice.  "Oh.  Hello" he said.  Then he followed Amarande's eye to their 'friend.'

"Ah.  Our resident Deltan.  The riddle wrapped into a mystery.  Wrapped in a conundrum.

Eydis brought her in 13 days ago.  There were signs of trauma.  A puncture to her right, just below the color bone, cut threw her uniform.  A simple x ray showed a possible fracture on her c-4 c-5.  That was the best we could do at the time.  She showed positive involuntary responses to legs and arms during the nerve test.  But with her being un-conscious we don't know if she is capable of voluntary movement.

So we put her in a halo devise.  Drilled holes in her temples.  No sedation given.  The bed tilts every minute.  Internal functions are fine.

I sent for toxicology, but did not hear back yet.  I don't understand why she is in a coma.  But there is lots of brain activity - almost like she wants to tell us what happened.

There is a crown in her personal belongings.  I don't know what it is.  Was she royalty of some kind?" she asked the doctor and Eydis.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

:: Kylata II | SFI Outpost ::

~13 Days Ago_

The man, if you could still call him that, blubbered like a small child who'd had its favorite toy taken away. As he sat, hunched over the plain durasteel table with his head in his hands under the solitary glare of a harsh overhead light, he sniffed and babbled incoherently. The room, save for the table and two chairs was completely unfurnished. The walls, floor, and ceiling were comprised of the same material as the table and chairs. There were no windows, but there were several small, black domes on the walls and on the ceiling which allowed recording devices to monitor any and all activity in the room.

Across the table from the man, Lieutenant Kyan Mackenzie quietly finished writing down on a padd the product of their conversation. Several minutes passed with the only sound being that of the skritching of the stylus on the padd's surface and of course the soft blubbering from the man across the table from the Onlie officer. When he'd finished writing, Kyan tapped the padd with a flourish and dropped it on the table, which caused the room's other occupant to startle, and raise his head. Although he went out of his way to avoid eye contact with the boy across from him, lowering his eyes instead to the steel tabletop.

Kyan considered him for a moment before his face brightened and he spoke. "Sure and it's thanks we give ye for yer helping us out with this." he offered cheerfully. Then, "And yer sure that you've nothing else to say on it? Nothing ye left out the now?"

A silent but emphatic shake of the man's head was his answer.

Kyan shrugged. "Ok." he offered jovially, hopping off his chair and collecting the padd from the table. "Then I'll just be leaving the now, and give this over to the grups outside. And they'll soon be coming in to take you... wherever you're going."

Silence was the only reply he got from the man who kept his eyes on the table. Kyan smiled as he turned on his heel and walked to the door. It opened after a retinal scan, which he had to stand on his toes for, and then he strolled out and down the corridor to the Station Chief's office. He rang the chime and a few seconds later the door swished open and Kyan stepped inside.

It was a cramped room, not like other bureaucrats' offices. There was a single window which was small and, at the moment, shuttered. SFI's Sector Chief for the area sat behind his desk as Kyan walked in. He didn't look up from his padd, and indicated that the Onlie ought to deposit the one he carried on a pile with several others. Kyan did so, and then deposited himself in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"So what's next boss?" he asked earnestly. "I think we got everything that there is tae be getting from this one sure, and if not..." the ancient boy grinned like a predador, which always seemed to put grups off when he did it... for whatever reason.

The Chief's eyes remained glued to his current padd as he spoke. "You were out at Katra a few years ago right?"

Kyan nodded, for all the sense it made to do so. Then spoke up. "Yup. I was there for a wee spell. Why?"

Finally the Chief looked up. "I'm sending you there." he offered. After another long look at the padd in front of him he continued. "Someone or some thing set a bomb off on that station and nearly killed everyone aboard, as well as the people down on the planet. You will be on temporary attached duty with the station."

"Ahh." Kyan replied. "Its after finding out who done it you'd want me?"

The Chief nodded. "Yeah." he answered a bit absently. "You'll work WITH the crew on this. You know Captain Kirok?"

The crimson haired boy searched for the face to put with the name for a moment. Finally it clicked into place. "Oh! yeah! Sourpuss Vulcan guy. Yeah, I know him. Why?"

"You'll be reporting to him. Get a ride out there and get to it. We have no idea who did it or why, which isn't how we like to operate...AND Katra is close to US. So we need to know something ASAP."

Kyan offered a put on salute as he rose and turned for the door. "Aye Aye boss!" he chirped as he walked to the door. "See you in a few weeks!"

"Don't get killed." the Chief deadpanned. "And don't make any messes."

The last bit triggered his memory and Kyan turned back briefly. "Oh yeah! Funny it is that ye've mentioned that." he offered. "The guy in room two peed all over himself. I think it's corrosive too... better get someone in there!"

The Chief's next words, which were probably something one wouln't say in "polite" company, were lost to him as the doors whisked shut.

:: Katra Station | Operations Center ::
~ 13 days later (Present Day) ~

Kyan had been on the station before, but never in Main Ops. As he stepped off the lift he took a brief moment to look around before finding his query. The place was much bigger and more... crowded than a starship bridge, or even the Ops center in Starbase Columbus was. Finally, after familiarizing himself with the general layout, he noticed the Vulcan Captain sitting at a console and made his way over to him.

"Captain Kirok." he began to get the Vulcan grup's attention. "It's pleased I am to be seeing you again, and reporting for duty here on the station. The Sector Chief says I'm to be helping you catch whoever tried tae blow up yer station, the creature! So here I am... and my orders." he offered the padd as he finished.

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / OCC >

It had been curious.
On multiple occasions Hrafn had told her to not worry, to not blame herself for the children's situation. She had been with them, yes, but her latest memory of that day had been a stranger [spoiler][Drake][/spoiler] dragging her out of debris and through the docking bay.
She did not recall the children, nor anything else she had been doing there"¦
Had she attempted to evacuate them?
Had she even been successful?
Her memory was still fuzzy to say the least, and as she stood there, next to her superior on the OCC, trying to put together the puzzle pieces of the incident, squinting at the painfully bright lights and trying to ignore the physical pain that slowly seemed to make her posture cave in the longer she was on her feet.

[Operations Centre - Katra Station]

Hrafn remembered that she had Sirol there and turned to the Romulan.  It was only then that she noticed how drained the woman looked.

"Sirol dear, how remiss of me.  Like the officer who has just left I think you need some rest.  Please, go and get checked out by Dr. Xiiv and then ask her, if it is her medical opinion of course, to put you on light duties at most, maybe triaging people since we do need all the hands helping we can get, but if she thinks you're too exhausted, then go and lie down, please.  And don't worry about the family.  I promise to get word to you the moment we have word."

Only ever when she was spoken to, Sirol's focus snapped back into reality, focusing Hrafn and Kirok.
She had been following her superior, simply due to the fact that no one had ordered her otherwise and Hrafn had offered to claim OPS duty, which would have made the science station vacant anyways. A simple matter pf logic.
The news that the rest of the Crew had arrived safe at DS9 felt like an instant stress relief, and Sirol noticeably exhaled and closed her eyes for a second.
Her Captain was safe! And so were the others!
Her old Captain of course.
Looking at Kirok she squinted. Was he the replacement?
He certainly gave off an entirely different vibe than his predecessor. Less welcoming; less galvanising.
But then again he had been thrown into Katra in entirely chaotic circumstances. He might as well turn out to be a surprising enrichment to the OCC just as everyone else she had met here so far had been.

Slowly the scientist looked up to Hrafn and eventually nodded.
Had her state been that bad?
Was she radiating her pain all across the OCC already?
Was this the stage of "˜unfit for duty' she had reached at this point?
Rubbing her freezing hands together she looked down onto her feet again.
"œOf course Lieutenant. There is no need to apologise.
I will report to sickbay momentarily. Let me know if I can assist you with something from down there."
With that she was already about to leave when all of a sudden, the other officer hugged her.
...Hugged her!

She gave Sirol a brief hug, and a brave smile and almost shooed her away with a little motion of her hands.  For all she knew that Sirol was older, she did remind her of Ruthie, and for that reason the 'mother hen' in Hrafn kicked in, besides the fact that if she didn't look after 'Nantie Sirol', the children would be most annoyed with her once they returned!

Sirol noticeably stiffened up; almost even flinched.
Despite all of her empathy, knowledge of interspecies behavioural patterns and interaction strategies; she had not been prepared for someone to hug her.
At first the gentle but noticeable pressure on her chest almost made her panic, yet as she began to tell herself that it was Hrafn; one of her new allies; her friend"¦ She seemed to ease up a little until she eventually held her breath and just took in the situation for a moment.
This had been her first hug ever since her brother's declared death twelve years, seven months and thirteen days ago.
She did not say anything, but she understood the gesture, and acknowledged that it had been just what she needed.

< Katra Station / Medbay >

As to be expected, Hrafn had been correct. Sirol was worse off that she had assumed herself.
As she left the turbolift leading towards the Medbay, her painkillers had completely stopped working, having Sirol feel the full broadside of pain: The crushed and healing bones, the pressure of her uncomfortable [and subjectively too tight set] exoskeleton as well as the raging headache.

Her spirit was at a new low point.
She was not even useful enough to perform fundamental sensor duty at the OCC"¦
The only uplifting part was Hrafn looking after her and sending her here.
An order was an order after all. And Sirol gladly obeyed.

As the doors hissed open and Sirol stepped in, she quickly looked through the room, scouting for the new Chief Medical Officer; spotting her in a conversation with other staff members,
She had not talked to the new Doctor yet, and hardly would call this the ideal circumstances for a first meeting, but then again, she was not here to make new acquaintances [no matter whether or how much she would have enjoyed to].
As the Doctor eventually was free, Sirol did a step towards the stranger, her face visibly pale and painted with physical pain.

"œLieutenant Falleg asked me to report to you for an evaluation of my status.
This and I am also here to assist you and the staff in tasks you deem suitable for the aforementioned current state.
Ensign Sirol; Xenologist; Fveirrolh'khyi-cultural exchange program.."

[Amarande Xiiv]

[Medbay - Katra Station]

The doctor turned when he heard the new voice.  "Oh.  Hello" he said.  Then he followed Amarande's eye to their 'friend.'

"Ah.  Our resident Deltan.  The riddle wrapped into a mystery.  Wrapped in a conundrum.

Eydis brought her in 13 days ago.  There were signs of trauma.  A puncture to her right, just below the color bone, cut through her uniform.  A simple x ray showed a possible fracture on her c-4 c-5.  That was the best we could do at the time.  She showed positive involuntary responses to legs and arms during the nerve test.  But with her being un-conscious we don't know if she is capable of voluntary movement.

So we put her in a halo devise.  Drilled holes in her temples.  No sedation given.  The bed tilts every minute.  Internal functions are fine.

I sent for toxicology, but did not hear back yet.  I don't understand why she is in a coma.  But there is lots of brain activity - almost like she wants to tell us what happened.

There is a crown in her personal belongings.  I don't know what it is.  Was she royalty of some kind?" she asked the doctor and Eydis.

She flicked through the reports, scanning the bloodwork and frowning before tilting the PADD at the doctor and lowering her voice so the conversation was between the two medical professionals.

"The toxicology was sent to me and I was unable to access it. You should have followed up appropriately by ordering another lab, especially if it was thirteen days ago. It's showing high amounts of sedative in her system as of thirteen days prior," she tapped the data in irritation.

"As I've only just arrived and have been unable to access it, you should have taken more strides to figure out what's been going on. I don't see any more blood work on her at all, which is vexing to say the least. The supposed fracture we can take care of in a moment with a Osteo-regenerator, which should have been done in the first place. If you would be so kind, please, get her down and out of that contraption. I will see to the rest of her care. Doctor, please make yourself useful with search and rescue. If anything like this comes up again, you will alert me promptly."

One would think that Medbay had been ripped in half and this side transported to the twenty-first century. Honestly, this entire set-up was barbaric. There was no need of the Halo at all. But they had done what was possible at the time, though it made her want to yell about it. With a look that should have withered the other doctor into a corpse, Amarande turned to Eydis, adjusted her manner and offered a somewhat strained smile.

"Eydis," she said in a quiet voice, "my Deltan customs and practises are sadly lacking. Do you know what the aforementioned crown is used for?"

[Amarande Xiiv]

< Katra Station / Medbay >

As to be expected, Hrafn had been correct. Sirol was worse off that she had assumed herself.
As she left the turbolift leading towards the Medbay, her painkillers had completely stopped working, having Sirol feel the full broadside of pain: The crushed and healing bones, the pressure of her uncomfortable [and subjectively too tight set] exoskeleton as well as the raging headache.

Her spirit was at a new low point.
She was not even useful enough to perform fundamental sensor duty at the OCC"¦
The only uplifting part was Hrafn looking after her and sending her here.
An order was an order after all. And Sirol gladly obeyed.

As the doors hissed open and Sirol stepped in, she quickly looked through the room, scouting for the new Chief Medical Officer; spotting her in a conversation with other staff members,
She had not talked to the new Doctor yet, and hardly would call this the ideal circumstances for a first meeting, but then again, she was not here to make new acquaintances [no matter whether or how much she would have enjoyed to].

As the Doctor eventually was free, Sirol did a step towards the stranger, her face visibly pale and painted with physical pain.

"œLieutenant Falleg asked me to report to you for an evaluation of my status.
This and I am also here to assist you and the staff in tasks you deem suitable for the aforementioned current state. Ensign Sirol; Xenologist; Fveirrolh'khyi-cultural exchange program."

"Acting Chief Medical Officer Amarande Xiiv," she said with a nod, gesturing for the Ensign to take an unoccupied seat on one of the beds.

"Mm, you've had a rough time of it, Ensign, and it looks like you're having a worse time at the moment. Let's see if we can't get that pain under control," she called up the Ensign's chart, looked at the painkillers, adjusted a hypospray and with a soft hiss injected the proper amount. "And," she said, inspecting the exoskeleton with deft fingers, before frowning lightly. Hmm, yes, a little too tight, she thought as she untightened the unit just a little in the proper spots to provide some relief, "see if we can't make you more comfortable. Is that a bit better? We can adjust it until it's supportive but not restrictive."

Amarande let out the softest of huffs.

"Sorry, I move very quickly these days. I was with a Vulcan refugee and war relief fleet for about five years before I joined Starfleet proper, so I've seen my share of strife." She didn't touch Sirol other than strictly necessary and her words were a soft murmur that conveyed gentle sympathy.

[Kyle Briggs]

Katra - Corridor ===>Lift ===> Shuttle Bay

Kyle had just reached the lift when his comm sounded. It was Ensign Drake acknowledging his message. He had to admit, he was impressed with the promptness of the young man. He entered the lift with his other thoughts. He'd never worked with a, what was Kirok had called him? An XB. Kyle had been in Starfleet long enough to know that allies came in all shapes and sizes. He wasn't one to judge. The man had been one of the first to volunteer and with his size, they could probably use the muscle as well. A few moment sleter, Drake contacted him again to let him know that they  had a shuttle and he was prepping it now. The lift stopped and the doors parted and stepped out into the shuttle bay.

Shuttle Bay - Shuttle Araguaia

"Ensign Drake. Good to see you again." Kyle said, referring to their flight out form DS9. "Wish it was under better circumstances." He stayed outside the shuttle while the Ensign completed his pre flight checks. It didn't take long for the others to begin arriving. EQ was the first and he was carrying a pet kennel that looked to be heavy but he showed no strain of the weight .

"Thank you for stopping by the Captain's quarters and picking up Dillon, EQ. I'm sure he will be a big help down there." Kyle said as he reached down for the dog to sniff his hand and see if he remembered him from the flight out. He stood back up and straightened his uniform. "And thank you again for volunteering. Hopefully, things won't be as bad down there as I'm expecting."

Within minutes, everyone else had arrived and the shuttle took it's leave of the Katra. It didn't take long to see the damage as they approached the planet. Kyle stood and addressed the crew.

"When we land, I want us to split up into three teams. The medical staff will be the leads. I want one medical with three engineers and two security." he said. "I know there aren't enough of you for that, Crewman Newman, so you and I will accompany Doctor Brinkman along with Mister EQ and Dillon. I will act as the extra security and engineer. If you come across any major, life threatening injuries that need to be beamed back up to medical, DO NOT hesitate to call for the extraction. Getting them up there ASAP. If they can't be beamed up, get them back to the shuttle for Ensign Drake to take back. Hopefully, he won't have to do too many back and forth trips but we will utilize him as needed. Any questions? Good. Move out."