Truth or Death
Posted on Tue Dec 3rd, 2024 @ 10:49am by Lieutenant Maya Canak & Lieutenant Commander Viessa Kenobi
Edited on on Wed Dec 4th, 2024 @ 12:39am
1,538 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: Sick Bay - Deck 9 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD011 0800 hrs
Once Vamcet was settled on a biobed and Maya was certain he wouldn't be waking up soon, she set the controls to run a detailed scan. She had no idea if any previous medical information was accurate, and if it was, how old it was. Better to get a thorough baseline now and go from there.
While the biobed ran scans, she felt his skin, pinching it lightly to check his overall health. It was something her grandfather taught her: don't always rely on machines. You never know when you'll need to practice the old-fashioned way.
She took off his shoes and felt the pulse in his feet and toes. She checked his hair, going so far as to pull out one hair and look at it under a microscope.
She glanced over at one of the nurses who was trying not to show her shock at Maya's archaic techniques and smiled. "It's always good to stay in practice. Who knows when we'll have to help people on a planet without all the bells and whistles. I'd like you to take fluid samples and run them through the computer. Compare them with the records we have on file. Consider it a backup. I also want a sample to hold in stasis."
The nurse shook her head. She said nothing as she followed the doctor's orders.
There were times—rare though they were—when a physical sample was needed. Sometimes for testing, sometimes for diagnosis, and sometimes for verification. Besides, to her, practicing medicine was more than just plugging someone into the biobed, then doing whatever the computer instructed.
"So far his vitals look good, but there's something odd…" Maya turned to Viessa. "Come have a look and tell me what you think while I set up some alternate tests."
Viessa had been monitoring Vamcet in a different manner whilst Maya did her checks. Her techniques made Viessa offer a wry smile as she approved of the them. She'd been around a long time and sometimes technology didn't always make things easier, sometimes it made people lazy. As an empath, she sensed turmoil within him. Cardassians typically possessed disciplined minds, so his inner conflict was both unusual and concerning.
Approaching Maya, Viessa nodded in agreement. "He's conflicted," she stated plainly. "His mind appears to be in a state of confusion, and the brain scans reveal only a minor deviation in his primal nexus," she explained, displaying it on a hologram. "The primal nexus is the repository for Cardassian physiological blueprints. It holds all the information necessary for the body and mind to recover from trauma and injury. Yet, it also encompasses an individual's deepest fears and anxieties. "There's some activity there that deviates from the norm... but our understanding of Cardassian biology isn't as comprehensive as we'd have people believe," she admitted.
"Our understanding of many things is not as comprehensive as we believe. Many of our ancestors had knowledge we lost centuries ago and still can't reproduce." She brought out an old book and flipped through it. "I think there's something physically wrong with him that's causing the trauma you mentioned. There's a...shadow, for lack of a better word, in one of the scans. I think we should run more tests. I'm not satisfied with this baseline. What do you think?" Maya liked to get other opinions when possible, believing that talking over a conundrum helped the mind recall needed information. "Maybe a two-pronged approach? You could look at the primal nexus and I'll run a more comprehensive series of scans to see if there's an underlying condition that's hiding from us."
"I have an affinity for old-style medicine. Having been around for quite some time, I find that the older methods are often superior to the new." Viessa smiled. "It's unfortunate that we've lost so much from bygone centuries," she sighed. "Conducting additional scans on the shadow, and perhaps a more invasive neural scan on Vamcet with his consent, could yield a clearer understanding of the situation. If he wears a cortical scanner, it will provide a more distinct image," she nodded, affirming her thoughts as a stray hair fell across her face. "I'll examine his primal nexus more closely; opportunities are rare given the few Cardassians in Starfleet."
Maya nodded. It was rare that she had the opportunity to work with someone who appreciated older methodologies, so she looked forward to puzzling out what was wrong with their patient. There was also a lot she could learn from the other doctor in the process. "Let's see what we can find that doesn't require permission first." She focused her next scan on the brain as a whole.
Viessa nodded, examining the primal nexus more closely. Believed to be the most ancient segment of a Cardassian brain, it was said to hold the physiological blueprint of a Cardassian. It preserved all the essential information for the body and mind to recover from trauma and injuries, but it also harboured an individual's profoundest fears and anxieties. "His body temperature is elevated beyond normal," she observed. "And his brain chemistry is unusually active, like the fires of one thousand suns."
"We'll focus there, then." Maya programmed a series of brain scans into the computer. She paused, then added three-dimensional mapping so they could have a virtual look at what was inside his head. Just to see if it would show anything, she programmed in an old-fashioned cerebral angiography.
"I know I said I loved old-fashioned medicine, but..." Viessa grinned as she activated the holo-display after the scans were complete. Before Maya and Viessa appeared a vivid representation of Vamcet's brain, in all its Cardassian splendor. "I adore these updated holo-displays," she remarked, twirling the image of the brain slightly.
"In general, yes. But there are times I do enjoy a good, old-fashioned herbal remedy. Now, let's see what we have." She joined Viessa at the holoscans. After a moment, she pointed to one of them. "Computer, enhance image." Yes, there was definitely something there.
"It appears to be localised in the region of his brain that affects his emotions. This may be what has made him give himself up so easily. Cardassian's aren't known for surrendering, Dominion War aside, although that was more a concession... Anyway," Viessa continued. "It's a mass of some sort. If it's affecting his mental state then this could be what prompted his 'want' to come with us."
"Indeed." Maya enhanced the area to get a better look. "That does appear to be some sort of glioma in the prefrontal cortex. And that shadow could indicate necrosis." She shook her head and turned to Viessa. "We'll need a sample for analysis. If we're correct, the placement could definitely be the cause of the Gul's change in personality." With the location and number of tendrils, surgery would be tricky, even with modern medicine.
"If he wants us to remove it at all." Viessa commented. "I hope his pride doesn't lead him to be foolish and deny anything is wrong.". Cardassian hubris was the downfall of many of their species Viessa felt but more recently, or after the war, they'd mellowed a little. Not by much though. "I'll gather the sample."
"Please do." Maya looked at the tumor again. "We also need to ascertain the growth rate." She sighed. "And inform the captain."
"Well now we have a scan of it we can assess if/how fast it grows." Viessa spoke confidently as she took a quick sample of the tumour and passing it over to Maya. She was closer to the analysis machine.
Maya placed the sample in the machine and began the analysis. "Yes. I would be very interested to see that data. We also need to verify if it can safely be removed." Now that they found the tumor, there was so much more they needed to know before making a proper diagnosis. She set up a series of scans to check on how far the tendris had spread and the rate of necrosis. "We should inform the captain as well."
"That would be your position now." Viessa said in relation to informing the captain, she was no longer CMO and didn't want to step on her toes. "I'm just here to help you and do whatever you need of me." she smiled at the younger woman. "We can collect the data and go to see him together if you want? Otherwise, I am happy to leave it in your hands."
"I don't mind if we go together. Two heads are often better than one, and we both found the tumor. Once we have all the pertinent information, we'll take it to the captain." Then the analysis machine beeped as the data began to scroll across the console. Maya looked through it and nodded. "Let's see what the captain has to say, shall we?"
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Maya Canak
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Commander Viessa Kenobi
Forensic Pathologist, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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