Meanwhile, in the City...

Posted on Tue Nov 23rd, 2021 @ 8:00pm by Lieutenant Commander Diane Doctrine & Lieutenant Talsi Carey & Lieutenant Commander Rutherford (RJ) Milton & Lieutenant Sky Jansen-Carey & Lieutenant Vanessa Jackson & Rotush Kenear Minister
Edited on on Fri Nov 26th, 2021 @ 7:16am

Mission: The Mentarin Effect
Location: Mentar, planet's surface
Timeline: present

Commander Sandoval gave the orders and who was to go where with whom.

Commander Doctrine nodded with a firm "Aye sir."

"Ma'am, please," Marisa corrected. "I'm a scientist. I don't follow that particular custom."

Diane looked around trying not to be embarrassed. True, she'd only been on the Resolution a short time and hadn't had the chance to get to know anyone better as of yet. She took a step closer to the ship's XO. "Please explain?" she asked quietly.

"My apologies," Marisa said. "I joined Starfleet after going through university and then teaching. I also worked on some archaeological sites. I was generally Ma'am or Professor. Then I joined Starfleet and became a Lieutenant, but I can't quite adjust to being called Sir. I'm still more scientist than officer. Does that help?"

"I understand now. Thank you." the intelligence officer replied. It was unorthodox but Diane accepted it.

Diane called out to those who were to head to the hospital with her. Once they were gathered in their group and heading towards the medical facility she said, "Let's stay close together and keep and eye out. I'm still not sure what that crowd has in mind." They only had to walk about two city blocks to get to their destination.

Sky followed the others and headed off.

Diane addressed her group as they gathered, "Rotush and I will take point followed by the rest. Lieutenant Carey will bring up the rear. Like our XO said, keep your eyes peeled."

Tal nodded as she awaited the others to move in front. As they did, she nodded to the XO, and followed.

Vanessa kept close to Amelix to make sure she didn't fall asleep. She hoped getting inside where the air was cleaner would help the Chief, but if not, she'd continue to assist.

Rotush walked next to the doctor. "The hospital is full, we had to make several buildings into makeshift hospitals. sterilization isn't as it should be."

Vanessa overheard Rotush' comment. "Sterilization?"

"Our cleaning procedures of the buildings are not up to par. Our health and safety committees have stated. But there is no choice in the matter."

"What do you mean, no choice?" Vanessa asked. She'd never seen anything in such a dangerous condition before.

"You have not been to war torn areas." Milton said calmly for his mood. "Or a rampid viral infestation." He was leading with his tricorder as they walked. "While not quite up to our standards, for the need and having to adapt it is better than some I have seen."

Milton was moving to the front, "Used the level one breathing masks as according to all scans the particles should be safely filtered." He urged. "I will have some mobile sterilization fields for the more severe wards brought down once I get a handle upon the situation.

At the mention of problems on the planet, Amelix started becoming more animated. "Ooooh! Creating a sterile field down here should not be a problem. The question is how to make that sterile field." She looked over at Vanessa and asked, "Do we have any restrictions on how we are permitted to assist? I can think of a million different ways to create sterile fields and potentially to fight viral infestations. Of course, I would need to run them by a doctor. They should know more about the ramifications but wiping out viruses should not be overly difficult as well, if we could obtain samples of the viruses! This is what antibiotics were created for! Haven't your people figured those out, yet?"

"Yes, there are restrictions," Vanessa said, knowing Amelix' first instinct would be to block everything.

"What are the limitations?" Amelix asked, her llowed on with those going to the hospital, she could only hope they didn’t encounter any unpleasantness on the way.

Marisa gathered the group going to the mines. "Keep an eye out," she said quietly. "If there's going to be trouble, we're the most likely to encounter it." She nodded to themind whirring with solutions. "But really, it would not be much of a problem to create a vacuum in a cylindrical forcefield, subject it to extreme heat and then extreme cold and then vent the contents! Instant sterilization! Isn't that just awesome?!"

"Yes, but what would we be sterilizing?" Vanessa asked.

"Everything in the field, of course!" Amelix looked at Vanessa stunned. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Have you accounted for the type of sterilization, the people inside the force field, and any medications, food, water, or that medical personnel will need to come in and out of hte force field?" Vanessa asked.

"Well, of course once someone enters, you have already flushed the field, so anything that comes in, is solely that from the person coming in," Amelix told Vanessa as if it was obvious. "I mean, you can't protect against everything unless, of course, you have a separate chamber that acts as a sterlization chamber leading to the sterile field. I mean, that could be very interesting but I don't think most life forms would stand up to a vacuum, high temperatures, or extreme cold, right?"

"No, they wouldn't. I think a standard containment field would suffice," Vanessa replied. "Considering the parameters."

"Standard doesn't sound like they want, though. Am I wrong?" The Tygarian looked around at everyone hopefully.

"I believe they've got sub-par equipment. Standard would be an improvement," Vanessa countered. "We can verify that theory while we're here."

"But standard is so boring," Amelix pouted. "Certainly we could make improvements! And, yes, we will definitely have to check out what they have! Of course, I have to wonder if we're tinkering too far. Are we advancing their knowledge inappropriately?" Amelix wondered for a moment before stating, "Of course, knowledge is power, so maybe we have to teach them!"

"We also have to look at the demands we've put on them and their ability to do the job safely," Vanessa added. "The mineral they mine is not worth their lives."

"Oh, nothing is worth that!" Amelix readily agreed. "We'll help fix them up! No problem! Then they can get back going with their normal routines!"

Vanessa nodded in agreement.

Sky was looking around as they went, “Do you have Counsellors and Psychologists? Those who look after the mental well-being of your people?”

"Counselling is performed usually by the drs. There is no separate between the mental and physical health as its deemed to be the same. Fix the physical health and often the mental health gets fixed and vice versa."

Diane was keeping an ear open to the conversation going on behind her while keeping her eyes on the streets around them. The crowd seemed to have dissipated and no longer posed a threat. They were almost to their destination.

Rotush walked up to the door, "Inside there will be a room with safety equipment. It is something we do have proper PPE. In the critical wards, a full body containment is needed, however unless the doctor deems it necessary, we are going to go by the labs, we have video feeds of patients with all vitals shown of each patient."

"We should be able to do a proper analysis of the patients and their symptoms," Diane asked the Resolution's CMO.

Milton glanced at the person at the entry door. "That will do until I can get a sterilization field ready and able to get really close to the patients." He agreed. "Though I think I can get some scans from the area while we monitor vitals."

Vanessa walked around, looking at monitors and taking scans.

Diane asked Rotush, "Has this been going on since you've been mining?"

"Since we found several new veins of the ore. There was different characteristics to it."

"What sort of different characteristics?" Vanessa asked. "And how has that affected the miners?" She sent a quick message to Sandoval to alert her to this so she could do some scans at the mine.

"The people were getting sick over longer periods of time, now... its more frequent." Rotush replied looking in. "What took years to develop, develop in weeks or months."

"Could that be a direct result of this new ore you're mining?" Vanessa asked.

Rotush turned to the Medical officer. "No idea, some think its coincidence. Others think tampering by the Orions, the Federation or the Klingons. Perhaps you can figure this out Doctor."

"We'll certainly try," Vanessa said. She was growing more concerned the more she learned about the way the miners and their families lived.

"I think we'll do better than just try," Diane mentioned with narrowed, almost angry eyes.

A brown blur announced, "OF course we will do more than try! We will succeed! I know that we will! We're really amazing at science, right Lieutenant Jackson?!"

Diane couldn't help smiling at the science officer's optimism. It was refreshing.

Vanessa chuckled at her boss' enthusiasm. "Yes we are. And we'll do what we can to help."

Rotush looked at the anxious officer. "I like your optimism."

"If you think you can't, you're right!" Amelix informed everyone. "So, why not determine that you can?"

"All right then," Diane asserted and wanting to get things moving, "What can we do right now?"

"We should take a tour of the facilities and have a look at the illnesses caused by the mines and the pollution," Vanessa offered. there would be more, but that was a place to start.

Rotush nodded, "Right this way." He turned to Hall way. "To the left coming up would be patient zero's. Those far along that know there is no hope to survive, yet they have agreed to be, and I am afraid to say this so lightly, experimented on, so that others may have a chance." They came to a window. Stopped, on the other side there was countless beds in their own little plastic room. "The disease, weakens them quick, but kills them slowly. Their organs are too weak to recover, yet they live."

Sky frowned feeling every emotion there was coming from those inside. “All their hopes and dreams shattered, now they just wait here to die?” She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the victims. “How transmissible is this... disease, as you call it?”

"It is very, we don't have a very good handle on it. It probably would help if people had worn protective equipment in the beginning before it started getting bad. Now it is to the point where everything we do, causes it. But we don't know the origin. Or the mutations."

"I believe we can help you find out," Vanessa said. "We have another team taking a good look in the mines." They were already looking at ways to improve the air pollution.

Rotush nodded, "If we are lucky, you can help those in here recover, where our medicine is unable. They give a lot asking for so little."

"No promises of a miricle cure." Milton studies the readings from his tricorder and the feed from the ward of each person he could detect. "WHat I will need is to actually check those among what are deemed the most Healthy examples of the population to get a base line to compare to this ward and the other like them." Milton nod. "THat will help figure out where it is affecting the population stricken."

"That would be appreciated Dr " Rotush replied as they continued. "If you follow me the labs are just ahead. Where all our research can be found along with our developments and discoveries. As well as everything else you can think of."

Sky walked a little way away from the group taking in the area, the hospital was in dire need of proper ventilation as well as sterilisation. Everywhere she looked there were areas that could be improved. She kept walking until she came to the end of the corridor, turning another corridor briefly she apologised as she bumped into someone who appeared to be in a rush to get out. The man coughed, and kept going not even bothering to apologise for crashing into her. Shaking her head she made her way back to the group.

Diane noticed the temporarily missing team member rejoining the group, "Find anything interesting?" she asked.

”Apart from a very rude man who almost knocked me over, nothing” Sky offered a smile. “This hospital is in dire need of our help, it’s not in a good condition.”

Diane glanced around with an unpleasant look on her face, "That's an understatement."

"I apologize for my people's attitude. Especially in here, tensions are high. Just want to be careful not to get too close" Rotush stated.

Vanessa was looking around, noting the number of patients and the overall conditions. Even as a scientist she could tell that this place was understaffed and the equipment outdated.

"You know," Amelix started, "efficiency could be improved if the patients were able to be monitored, several at a time. Perhaps if we hooked several into a monitoring system, the computer could watch for abnormalities.... Or an extra holographic doctor. Do you folks have holographic doctors?" Amelix asked excitedly. "They're really useful, though their personalities often leave something to be desired. They're famous for having a poor bedside manner but if all that matters is a cure...."

"They could definitely use a better monitoring system," Vanessa said.

"Wonderful!" Amelix responded. "Exactly how much do you think that the Commander will let me do in creating a better monitoring system. After all, the ideas are percolating and I'm anxious to get started!"

Rotush looked to the officer. "If it helps us, then you have free range on what you can do."

Tal smirked, "Careful what you tell that one Minister." She quipped.

"Free range!" Amelix replied excitedly. "Well, now, Ms. Jackson, we have a lot of planning and rearranging to do! We need to make sure that we have state of the art biobeds with larts that directly alert a doctor or nurse if there is any change in the readings. Of course, those changes would have to be programmable in such a way that it only the readings they care about that send alerts! And then, wouldn't it be wonderful if there was an automatic pier to pier transport system so that sterilized area could be limited and a patient pre-prepped for surgery! Oh, that's such a wonderful idea and I have a hundred more!"

"Told you." Tal couldn't help but laugh.

Rotush eyes widened. "Free range is a whole lot more than I had expected. Perhaps one thing at a time... Lt." Truth be told all those ideas sound amazing.

Rotush’s comments were still ringing in Sky’s ears, she was practically face to face with the man who bumped into her when he coughed all over her. “Is there a danger to us?” She motioned to the away team members “From being in close contact to anyone whose ill?”

Diane's brow knit deeply, "I guess that would depend on whether the sickness is transmissible from person to person or it's caused by environmental conditions? Rotush?" She looked at their liaison.

"The Orions have human members who have come to the planet, stayed a significant amount of time. They did not get sick or show signs. Although there could have been certain factors."

"Did they go into the mines or just stay on the surface?" Vanessa asked.

Amelix was not paying attention to the current conversation. She was completely lost in her own world. "Now, these will just have to be removed to make room for the...."

Diane was started to get concerned by Sky's questions. "Sky, are you all right?"

Sky looked towards Diane offering a nod. “I’m fine, it’s just...” She looked towards the Doctor then back at Diane. “I think you should quarantine me, the man in the corridor he literally coughed in my face. It maybe nothing to worry about but better safe than sorry. Hell at the worst you’ll have a patient to study from infection point.”

Rotush paused. "We do have a quarantine area. Its probably the safest for you if you choose to go there." Rotush replied as he turned. "Explain the man, I will have him checked out as well. A cough here can mean numerous things."

Sky nodded. “Well he err...he was roughly dressed, dirty clothing, dark hair, and just a little taller than me.” She paused. “I’ll take the quarantine, I don’t want to put anyone at risk.”

Rotush paused. "This was not how I expected this to go." He replied as he turned to his aides who then rushed out. "This whole thing is getting out of hand. This... whole..." He paused, he genuinely was at a loss for words.

"We don't blame you," Vanessa said. "But we would like to know what sort of contagious diseases are being treated here." It might give the doctor a heads up as to what to look for.

"I think we need to find out if this is a biological or an environmental disease," Diane added, "Once we know that we'll be in a better position to treat and prevent it." Then she turned to Rotush, who seemed genuinely put off, "It seems this has been out of hand for some time. Please, tell us how we can help."

Rotush nodded. "Its a matter of people not wanting to protect themselves to protect others... anything we implement it is forced off by either the Orions or the people.'

Sky was teetering on a nervous knife edge, distancing herself from the others in the away team for safety’s sake. She was soon escorted away to an isolation room. To say she was scared was an understatement, but at least if she did get sick it would give the doctor a chance to study infection from scratch.

Diane opened a comm-badge channel to Sky, "Hang in there. You know we'll do everything necessary for you."

Milton came rushing into the area of the Hospital, sliding to stop near the door. He had doned his Level one Gear for the Hazardous cases , he was in a lighter version of a Space Suit with laser induction filters, nothn short of a .0001 was getting past his filters.

"What is going on here?" He took out his tricorder. "I need you to step back as I am coming in." He announced. " I can perform he scans I need and gte some idea of what you are experiencing, hard to do out side the isolation." There was a small airlock; basic filtration of microbes through an air flush installed. "Just relax, it may only be nerves."

Sky offered a smile as Milton arrived in the room. “I don’t have any symptoms for you to check so far Doctor, this is just a precaution.” She was extremely relieved to have him there nonetheless. “I encountered a man in the corridor, he was more or less face to face with me when coughed all over me. He didn’t look at all well.” She paused to turn her head away as she sneezed into the crook of her elbow several times.

"Thus causing an increase in the lactate production in your brain and the respiratory shortness of breath." Milton smiled. "You are suffering from a slight panic , that is all that the biological scan records. It would take more than that usually but I would relax here for a bit just to make sure." He started for the exit. " If you feel anything strange let me know I will check back in an hour."

Rotush and the others stood outside watching through the window. "Maybe calling you all here was a mistake."

Vanessa turned to him. "Why do you say that? The counselor is being overly cautious, but since your health issues revolve around the pollution and the mines, it is unlikely that she was exposed to anything more severe than a cold. That does not alter the reason we're here."

Diane became suspiciously curious, "What kind of mistake Rotush? I'd really like to know what you meant by that."

Milton came to talk with the two in the corridor.

"There is something that I would like to check, it is a sort of contaminate style of exposure, we are looking naturally for a quick fix but it could take exposure to the source of this to build up toxic level. That is why I am having my staff and the computer concentrate on three or six months of record to collate information."

"Very sound reasoning Doctor," Diane answered, "Please keep us updated on your findings." She turned back to Rotush, "I'd still like to hear your explanation for why you think contacting us was a mistake."

"There is the whole matter of your captain, from what I hear, caused a whole command shuffle on your ship. If she is indeed in contact with the illness then, it can lead down dangerous road."

Diane didn't like the implication Rotush seemed to be making. "Our captain is doing fine. He was given the position per standard Starfleet protocol. He took over when the Resolution's original captain became incapacitated which I might add happened on this planet," she pointed to the ground.

"I was just saying that it would not have happened if we did not invite you here. But what is done is done, there is no need to worry about it." Rotush replied as he stepped back.

"But you would still be in need of help," Vanessa said.

"But it would not be anyone else's problem."

"No. You'd be killing your own people rather than asking for help because you don't want to risk anyone else getting sick, even if they have the medical facilities to deal with it? That's not a decision I'd be willing to make," Vanessa said. "Personally, I'd rather save lives."

"I suppose you are right Commander. Does not make the burden any lighter."

"Let us help make your burden lighter," Diane replied. Trying not to sound exasperated she went on, "Yes, the Federation needs and wants the resources Mentar is supplying but we don't want it to cost the lives of your people. That loss is unacceptable to us. Please, we have the resources to make the mining safer and to deal with this disease whatever it is."

"This outbreak is rapidly spreading." Milton interjected. "But I do not believe it is a foreign agent; the symptoms are closer to a progressive type that has an additional catalyst causing the increase of symptoms in more severe conditions. The rate is remininciant of an infleuenza; as an example that is a new strain inducing more severe conditions we are now witnessing." He pointed out. "This is a more severe version of what is a long term accumulative style disease from my initial observations, this has some similarities to other symptoms from mining planets. I just need to isolate the catalyst."

Pausing Rotush thought about it. At least this wasn't just on his planet, and it was fairly common. "Drinking supply, insect bites, air... there could be so many Doctor."

"I'm sure we can narrow it down," Diane stated.

Rotush nodded just glanced at the ir from behind the glass.

Vanessa smiled reassuringly. "The doctor can run tests to narrow it down. She'll be fine."

"Our hospitals don't measure up. Doctors are more volunteers with no education in the field, and learn as they treat."

"Do they have any medical training?" Vanessa asked.

Rotush turned. "Not the training needed. Some looked over animals, some used to look after the dead."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. This was surprising information, but better left to the doctor to address.

Diane spoke quietly to Vanessa, "I'm sending a message to the Captain. Medical education is something Starfleet can add to the list of things we can aid Mentarians with, it might help in the negotiations going on."

Vanessa nodded. "That's a good idea. They need that, at the very least." She still couldn't believe there were no trained doctors here.

"What more do they need?" Amelix cried out as she was diagramming the room and trying to fit in all of her various creations as they came to her. "I'm going to need to know if I'm going to be completely redesigning this medical facility!"

"These people need people to teach them," Diane started and even though it sounded futile, continued, "... the medical profession."

"Yes," Vanessa said, nodding in agreement. "At least one fully-trained doctor assigned here and updated equipment."

Rotush looked over at the two discussing, "Starfleet would do that?"

"Of course," Vanessa looked at Rotush, surprised. "They generally do in situations like this. But then, we're generally asked first. This is the first we've heard about your problems."

"Had we known about the problems that have been going on," Diane added "We'd have offered help much sooner. Somehow there's been a breakdown in communication. This will be rectified."

"There's been a communication but from the wrong source. Apparently." Rotush replied as he nodded in agreement.

"The wrong source?" Vanessa asked, curious.

Diane's eyes narrowed at Rotush. "Which source, if I may ask, are you referring to?" the commander asked.

"Orions keep constant Contact with us. They have a contact close to me, I am unsure who it is."

Now Diane's eyebrows rose with surprise. She suspected this scenario but needed more proof to bring to the Captain. "There's an Orion agent here, on Mentar?"

Vanessa looked from Diane to Rotush and back. The Orions were in constant contact, and they allowed the planet to get this bad?

"It is the only way they would have found out about the Federation, someone was waiting for your away team. Waiting for a target. Unfortunately, they got one." Rotush replied as he looked back through the window. "Makes me wonder if they will try again."

"If they do, they won't catch us off-guard," Vanessa replied quietly. The more she learned about the Orions and how the people here were treated, the more she disliked them.

Diane's eyes narrowed, "I suspect they will," she said evenly, "But Vanessa is right," she looked to her fellow officer, "We're ready for them this time."

Rotush nodded. "I hope you will be. Is there anything else we can be of assistance."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow at Diane. The doctor needed to get the counselor to the ship. After that, there were reports to write, but she wasn't sure of anything else they needed to do here.

Amelix rushed off to Vanessa and said, "I need more equipment from the ship. We have a lot to do in order to get this place up to something that resembles modern technology and we have so many plans on how to get it beyond current technology! I'm going to need your help, of course. I can't do it without you. So, perhaps we should just get up there, right?!" Without waiting, Amelix took Vanessa by the shoulder and started leading her towards the door. "I don't know what I would do without you!"

"We do, but we need to wait for the negotiations," Vanessa said. "We're supposed to report our findings first. Then the Captain can help you get what you need."

She had no doubt that when Amelix was done, they'd have a top notch facility.

"You're right, Lieutenant. Let's get back and report in." Diane offered.