| Talk About Specimens |
| Summary: | Trask comes to ask Kadena about the Cylon samples. Samuel comes to get his ankle checked out. |
| Date: | 05 Aug 2041 AE |
| Related Logs: | Any with cylon and/or specimens. |
| Players: |
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| Sickbay |
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| Being able to accommodate combat casualties requires room, and the Sickbay has it. Beds line each side of the room with privacy curtains strung up and readily available. Large vaulted lockers hold access to the supplies at the far end of the area. Nearer the front, a Petty Officer sits ready to dispense simple items like ibuprofen and aspirin. Further to the rear is an area prepped twenty-four hours a day for emergency surgery. To the side are a set of double doors that lead to the Recovery Ward where patients can recuperate. |
| Post-Holocaust Day: #160 |
With the daily grind going on as normal, there is a small group of people sitting or standing around while waiting for appointments or meds while a small knot of nurses and medics take care of all that while also keeping up on charts and the dispensing of pills. One of the nurses, Kadena Macer, is busily scribbling down the results of a blood test in someone's records which is then put away where it belongs.
By now, the sight of Lieutenant Kal Trask would be a familiar one to a decent number of the medical staff, for he visits daily to check-up on one of his pilots whose been in a coma for the past few months. Now that Evandreus and Penelope have been deemed well enough to be discharged, he no longer camps out at their respective bedsides during what little off-duty time he has. "Lieutenant Macer?" She is recognized, so it is a question asked as a segue into other questions.
Turning around, Kadena blinks when addressed only to smile warmly upon seeing Trask, his face most definitely a familiar one to her. "Sir. What can I do for you?" Stepping around and away from the desk, she approaches him only to then stop several feet away, making conversation easier without there being too much of an invasion of personal space for either of them. "Do you have an appointment today?"
"Well, I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of LT Doe, for starters." Kal can be well-mannered when he wants to be, after all, and he is not one to lack in appreciation. "And, no. No appointment, although one might be necessary."
"Of course, sir. It's my job, after all." Despite her saying that there's a softness to her voice that could very easily hint to the fact that she has grown a bit fond of the very pilot their discussing. The latter part gets Kadena's brow to raise and she nods, her expression concerned. "Alright. Let me get an appointment pad and we can get that set up." Turning, she takes a few steps and grabs for the forementioned pad with one hand while the other is used to extract a pen from a pocket.
The nurse is concerned. How cute. A hint of amusement tugs at the corners of the SL's mouth. "Yeeeeah… see, the thing is that I'm not entirely sure who I should be seeing. Since Lieutenant Bia is undoubtedly busy, and because you were on the away team for the last mission," that latter part more murmured so as to not carry, "I figured you'd be a good point of contact."
Samuel has arrived.
Kadena purses her lips before saying anything, the mention of the mission getting her to falter, causing her smile to dim by a few watts and her shoulders to slump a hair. "I'm always available to discuss what I am able to, sir," she offers, standing by the reception desk while Trask stands a few feet away, the pair discussing a topic of some importance if her suddenly-intense expression is any indication. "I am free right now, in fact, sir."
Trask, in-contrast, appears to be unbothered. And, well, perhaps a bit surprised to be granted an audience so soon. "We can go over the preliminaries, at least. Major Hahn will be submitting a formal inquest."
Making his way into the sickbay rather slowly, Samuel's expression is one of someone that not really wants to be in the place he's entering. Glancing around for a few moments, he nods to both Kadena and Trask, before stopping near the entrance, trying to keep out of sight while being here.
"Inquest?" That has a rather ominous tone but Kadena shakes off the chill that threatens to settle into her spine, that made a bit easier when she catches Samuel's arrival out of the corner of her eye. Holding up a finger to him, she looks directly at Trask, her head bobbed in a faint nod. "If you don't mind following me while I get our newest arrival checked in I'll be more than happy to speak with you now." Angling a shoulder towards Samuel, Lieutenant Trask is invited to do that while she turns to face the other man. "Hey. How can I help you?"
Like a good boy, Trask follows Kadena. This also means that his eyes follow hers to land on Samuel. Tilting his chin, he greets the Marine, "Blaine. 'sup?"
Oh no. He's been spotted. Samuel's expression looks a bit like an animal getting caught in a cage now. "Me? Oh… Noth…" He trails off, and takes a few deep breaths, before he grimaces a bit. "Had a bit of an accident in the gym. Ankle hurts a bit," he admits, before he offers a bit of a nod to Trask. "Not much, sir. How about you?"
Kadena chuckles. "Ah. The clumsy sort," she asks playfully. "Alright. Let's get you checked in and everything and I'll check you out." Turning again, she gets a clipboard with a fresh chart page, that being what will be added to Samuel's charts upon the conclusion of his examination. "This way, if both of you would so kind." Charm on to it's fullest, each one is given one of her million-watt smiles as she gestures to a bed.
"The usual End-of-the-World, trying not to die or get anyone killed kinda stuff." So nonchalantly is that relayed to Samuel. "I'm sure the good nurse, here, will get you all straightened out." The pun may or may not be intended. Either way, Trask idly waits while the ankle is examined.
Samuel lets out a breath, before he nods a little bit, moving over in the direction of the indicated bed, a little slowly. "At least it's not the same as every other time…" he mutters to himself. Trask's reply gets a bit of a nod, "Not dying sounds like a good plan, sir," he offers, before he nods a bit more.
Kadena reaches out and touches Trask's arm, inviting him to speak if he wants, the fact that he's here with a purpose not forgotten by her. Once Samuel's seated she smiles and goes about the exam. Whatever he has for footwear is removed as is the sock and she begins to feel around, her fingers pressed here and there, paying attention to his reaction to whatever pain that might cause as well as to if there are any bones that feel out of place. She is silent for now, letting them talk.
Invited as he may be, Bootstrap declines to speak about what he came by to discuss. Instead, he carries on with the Marine, "Better than Plan B, anyway."
"Much better," Samuel replies to Trask, with a bit of a nod. Wincing a bit as his ankle's being pressed. The injury shows signs of being ligament problems, and nothing broken, at least.
Disappearing for a few, Kadena returns after a moment with an elastic bandage, a light duty form, a small vial of those wonderful, non-addictive pain meds and a set of crutches, all somehow cleverly juggled in hand or under arm. "Alright. I think it's just a sprain so what we're going to do is wrap it and have you put on light duty for three days. Want you to use these crutches as much as possible for that time. Bring them back when you're done. Take these…" she passes over the small bottle of pills over, "…one twice a day as you need for pain. Best to take it with food on your stomach." Everything either handed over or set down, now, Dena begins to wrap Samuel's ankle, this done swiftly thanks to how simple of a task this is.
With nothing to really contribute, at the moment, Bootstrap asks Samuel, "So. You dream about bears and wolves?"
Samuel grimaces a little bit, taking the pill bottle as he nods to the nurse's words, "Want me to bring back what's left in the bottle as well?" he asks, quietly. He's not too fond of pills, it seems. He then blinks a bit at Trask's question, pausing a few moments, before he shrugs, "About as often as I dream of getting shot by one of my best friends," he replies, with a bit of a grimace.
"No. If you don't want to keep them then flush them." Straightening, Kadena fills out the form she brought with her and it's handed over, now. "For whomever you have to tell you're on light duty. Think that's it unless you want an ice pack to take with you?"
"I hope that means never," the ECO dryly quips. "Otherwise, you should consider getting a best friend who won't shoot you."
"I'll have to," Samuel replies quietly, to Trask's words, "Since she most certainly died when the Colonies fell." He then nods a little bit as he takes that form as well, shaking his head at the mention of the ice pack. "It's okay. Thanks for the help." Starting to get to his feet and grabbing the crutches now. "I'm sorry for interrupting what you two were discussing, sirs…"
For a moment, Kal considers saying something in response to the news of Sam's dead friend. His mouth even opens a tad to indicate that he intends to speak. Ultimately, he simply shuts his trap, brown faintly furrowed, and lips taking a complementary retreat. Those expressive brown eyes, though, set into a 'yeah… that sucks, dunnit?' look. "No need to apologize, Corporal. Just make a swift recovery." The smile is genuine, even if a little wan.
"It's alright, Corporal," Kadena says in echo. "Hope you feel better soon." She begins to fill out the chart form now, looking between the marine and the pilot, the latter getting a brow arched at him. "I'm all ears now, sir," she offers with a smile.
Samuel nods a little bit, offering a brief smile to the two of them, before he starts to move, slowly at first, since it takes time getting used to using the crutches. Looking a little relieved, perhaps.
"See ya, Sammy," is offered as a farewell. Once the Corporal is on his way out, Trask turns his attention to Kadena. Is there somewhere more private we can converse?"
Kadena looks around after waving to the younger enlisted man, her expression baffled. "Maybe the CMO's office. Don't think she's in currently so it should be free?" She's not used to having to think about privacy much so it takes a second but she is soon nodding as if in affirming her idea to herself. "Yes. That should work."
Samuel finally makes his way out the door and around the ship.
Onward to the CMO's office it is! Considering the subject matter, privacy is prudent. Once within the room's confines, the Taurian gets straight to the point. "It's about those Elevens that were brought back for analysis. As I understand it, the reports say there really is nothing to make them indistinguishable from a person. What I'm wondering, though, is whether any tests have been done to see if there might be something — anything, really — that would account for conductivity. The blood samples, from what I've been told, aren't the same as the goop from the Heavy Raider, but has anyone experimented to see how one might affect the other?"
"To be honest, I haven't really touched the goop or any of the organic specimens since I've gotten them cataloged. There was a need to rush copies of the video to the XO and other people, sir." Sitting on the edge of the CMO's desk, she looks at him and pauses, her eyes holding to his. "I hadn't thought about that. That's a good idea. You were in charge of the investigation of the Raider, sir?" Her mind's working overtime now as she asks that, what she knows versus what she needs to know mulled over.
"I assisted with the dismantling and led the team assigned to analyzing the wireless communications device," the SL asserts, with a vague nod, quasi-leaning against a filing cabinet. "The latter powered on when filled with the goop and then hit with an electrical charge. I'm trying to determine how the Eleven was able to interface with not only my Raptor, but the other ships that were in-flight, both Colonial and Cylon. I haven't heard anything about a jack in her arm, but she somehow managed to plug into the system with some wires she ran sub-dermally."
Kadena nods. "I'm not sure, myself. I noticed how she was connected to something via what I thought were tubes when we happened upon her at the Cylon research facility but what that could entail eludes me. I can give you a copy of the footage I recorded when we were there. It might be able to help enlighten you as to what she was doing. As for the blood, I might be able to part with a small sample." Reaching up, she rubs the back of her neck. "Is this why the CAG has an interest in this? Because of the Raider?"
The man seems more or less appeased by the offerings. "The CAG is interested in anything that can help better protect the fleet." That's all he says about the matter. "Not sure what good the footage will do, but, sure. Taking a look can't help. I'll draw up a formal request for some samples. Really, though," Trask notes, "I'm more interested in what Medical might be able to determine. The Cylons have nanite technology. Maybe it's just the stuff of sci-fi movies, but can nanochips be implanted at as cellular level? More to the point, what are the silicon levels in the skinjobs. If they are somehow biotech creatures, their base elemental properties might differ from ours. I'm no doc, but I have a feeling that silicon levels aren't the kind of thing that gets checked."
The nurse smiles as she shakes her head. "I'll run some tests and get the results to you as soon as they come out but outside of that I really don't know what to offer." There are a lot of promises but Kadena should be able to make good on at least most of them.
At that, Trask visibly perks-up. To the rest he nods and smiles a small but pleasant smile. "Thanks. Whatever you find — or don't find — will be of a great help. So, don't sweat. You needn't offer anything more." That smile takes a faintly amused cast.
The fussing at the back of her neck stops and she smiles, glad to be of help. "No need to thank me, Lieutenant Trask. It's my pleasure to be able to lend some aid. I just hope it'll do us all some good."
The way his brows contort is indicative of 'wait… something is amiss'. "I thought we had skinjobs on ice…" Which means there should be no problem getting a sample. "Are there /other/ organic Cylons?"
There's a lightbulb that flashes on over her head and she is quick to nod, Kadena's face flushed a bit out of embarrassment. "Oh. Yes, we do. I'm sorry, sir. I got so wrapped up on the subject of what I brought back that what we already have totally just leapt out of my mind." Taking a deep breath, she falls quiet for a minute, trying to calm herself before saying anything else. "I can let you take a look at it if you'd like. At the corpse, that is."
Kadena adds, "As for others, there is indication that there is but as to who they are, we don't know."
As for the others, Trask makes a vaguely dismissive gesture. It wasn't what he meant by 'other' organic Cylons. "Thanks, but lookin' at the corpse won't do me all that much good. It really is better to have an actual sample since a wider range of tests can be conducted. If you can do a… biopsy?" His shoulders arch in an 'I have no idea if that term is even appropriate' manner, complete with matching facial expression. "And send the sample to Engineering, that'd be best. As much as it's within my means and inclinations, I lack the necessary time to conduct the tests. Besides, Gabrieli needs to earn his keep." Spoken in the ragging way one friend disses the other.
Kadena hmms and nods. "Of course, sir. I'll get that to the ChEng." Chuckling, she looks over Kal's shoulder and raises a brow, shrugging. "This is a lot more complicated than what I'm used to, I have to admit. Usually when there is something medical to investigate it's just us. But now we have Engineering and mechanics and intell and the Wing…lots of fingers in the pie, sir. Lots of…angles to have to consider. Sorry if I am frakking this up."
"As far as I can tell, you've yet to frak-up anything. Do as I ask, and I won't have to tell you otherwise. 'Cuz if I have to, I will." The good-natured delivery is at odds with the somewhat harsh words. Regarding fingers and pie, "All the more reason why clear communication is a necessity. Paper trail is your friend, JiG." That all said, Bootstrap eases off the filing cabinet. "Thanks for your time, El-Tee. If you need anything, holler."
Kadena straightens from her seat on the desk, posture corrected to something just shy of being at attention. "Yes, sir. I will be sure to keep everyone on the same page. Thank you." Kal isn't saluted but there is no small measure of respect in her voice. "I'll let you know, Lieutenant. Thank you."