Spots Redux

Posted on Thu Dec 12th, 2024 @ 4:27am by Lieutenant Julianna ("Jules") Raihan & Lieutenant Patrick Ryan M.D.
Edited on on Thu Dec 12th, 2024 @ 4:27am

894 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: A Silence of Friends
Location: Sickbay, Deck 4, USS Thunderbird
Timeline: MD002 - 1500

At 1500 hours, Jules re-entered Sickbay. All in all the day had been more interesting than expected. And now, the best part. Undergoing the procedure that would restore her to her natural state. A Trill without a symbiont was bad enough; a Trill without a symbiont AND without spots was, well, not any sort of Trill. It would be a relief not to have to figure out clever but vague answers to why she didn't have them though she would, if truth be told, miss going under cover. Now that was interesting work.

"Ahhh Lieutenant. Come on over. I have a biobed waiting for you and all set up for the procedure." Pat said pointing over the the empty bed.

"Did you need me to change," Jules asked, pausing before the bed. "It's a head t0 toe thing, I'm afraid."

"I figured. " He handed her a gown. "I was prepared. Once you get changed lay on the bio bed. I'll put the scanner over you and set it up and we will be good to go."

Jules changed quickly, eager to have the procedure done and over with, but not for the reason some would think. Getting her spots back, becoming her self again, meant putting aside the years of undercover work, living a twenty-four seven lie. And while she liked her job, there was a part of her that would rather just be Jules. And so, she hopped up on the biobed and called out, "Ready."

Doc nodded. He spoke little as his mind did the working as he did what was needed. Large portable scanner resting over the patient. He typed a few commands into the system. "So this will do it's thing. If you need anything or feel weird or have an issue, this is an emergency stop button. It will stop the machine and move everything away. You should Not feel a thing. I will check on you every few moments. Though I'm not going far. Just over to that bio bed to update it."

Jules stretched out on the biobed, arms at her sides, palms flat on the bed, and relaxed, inch by inch. Eyes closed, she let her mind drift while the machine did its work. This being her first day on board, she'd set it aside for the business of settling in and tomorrow would be her first day on shift. There was a lot to do. The new player among the Maquis, for one, an individual who kept their identity hidden. Then there was Sayal Mazi and his group, planning on taking down Cardassians who were responsible for war crimes. A lot to research and catch up on. Five years in the field. It would take a concerted effort to get current.

Doc made sure everything was running smoothly with the machine and the transformation. It was something he hadn't done before himself but was glad that he could finally check this off his bucket list. Taking one last look at the screen which showed the system was acting normal, he walked over to the biobed he was going to work on and began typing his codes in and working on it, glancing over at the screen with Jules to make sure nothing was happening out of the normal.

The Maquis, Jules mused, were an interesting group. Claimed by neither side, the Maquis were justifiably angry at having their home worlds ceded to the Cardassian Union where they would never be treated as more than second-class citizens. If that. Their leadership proposed independence, neither Cardassian nor Federation, but that would never stand. The Federation might agree but the Cardassians? Never. Which put the Maquis at risk; hard to help a group that would rather shoot you than listen though. Not her problem, thank anyone who was listening. Sympathizers now, the ones who worked against Starfleet from the inside, they were a problem for everyone.

She lay on the biobed, trying hard not to move, but quiet didn't come naturally to Jules. She felt itchy and more than a little restless. She wanted to watch the machine's progress. She wanted to pace and scratch her nose. Show off her spots to Daegan, the only friend she had on this ship. Maybe look into Masterson a bit because the feeling coming off of her wasn't at all pleasant. Mostly, she decided, she wanted this done. Over. "So ... Doc," she said. "How much longer is this going to take?"

Doc walked over the biobed and took a look at the screen. "I believe..." he said pushing some buttons on the screen. "That you should be done..." he said typing in a few commands. "Now." he said. He turned off the scanners and moved them out of the way. "A good job if I don't say so myself." He did a quick scan to make sure she was good to go. "And that is how we say, all she wrote."

"Excellent," Jules said as she hopped down from the biobed. Relieved to be able to move freely again. "Thank you, doctor. Feels good to be back to normal again."

Doc nodded. "Glad to be of assistance. If you need anything else, you know where to find me."

A Post By

Lieutenant Patrick Ryan, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Thunderbird

and

Lieutenant Julianna Raihan
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Thunderbird

 

RSS Feed