Facts From Fiction

Posted on Tue Feb 26th, 2019 @ 5:18pm by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Commander Rita Paris & Lieutenant Commander Sonak & Lieutenant Asa Dael & Emergency Medical Hologram (Adam Power) Mk X & Az'Prel

Mission: Recovery Trek
Location: USS Hera, Deck 12, Sickbay
Timeline: 2396

The newcomer to the USS Hera had arrived in an unconventional manner. But then, on the USS Hera, unconventional seemed to be the order of the day.

The Vulcan freedom fighter from a universe gone mad that no longer existed had been delivered to the Hera, and her presence aboard had been approved by the captain. Now came the true tests- medical and science. After all, while she was willing to extend a hand to a lost traveler, and embrace them, Rita Paris was also the suspicious sort, and she maintained healthy skepticism. Until there were facts to verify the mysterious traveler’s claims, she would take them with a grain of salt. Trust had to be extended, yes, but gullibility was undesirable in the First Officer of a starship. Thus even in moments such as these, she maintained a touch of skepticism, although she did not allow it to override her compassion.

Moving into Sickbay, which occupied the entirety of Deck 12 in one form or another, Paris strode along at her brisk military pace seeking the ship’s chief medical officer with Lieutenant Mnhei'sahe Dox close behind. Tapping the commbadge on her chest, a three-dimensional reproduction of the embroidered antiquated Starfleet delta of command from her own era, Rita spoke clearly.

“Lieutenant Sonak, please report to the chief medical officer at your earliest convenience,” she ordered professionally as she navigated her way to that locale, guiding the potential new recruit where they needed to be next.

The familiar soft deep voice answered promptly.

''Acknowledged; Commander, please allow me five point three minutes to secure the ongoing experiment.''

And at the exact designated time, the doors wooshed open to admit the blue clad chief science officer of the USS Hera. He went straight to Rita and stood at attention, hands at his back.

''Lieutenant Sonak reporting as ordered, Commander.''

“Outstanding- thank you, Mister Sonak. May I introduce Az'Prel… the last known survivor of the 'mirror universe' of our former universe. That’s a mouthful to say,” Rita chuckled, then stepped aside to reveal the slender Vulcan woman in dated Klingon armor. “Miss Az’Prel, this is Sonak of Vulcan, a fellow survivor of the splinter timeline from whence we originated, the mirror of your universe.”

The Vulcan's left eyebrow rose.

''Indeed? Fascinating. I have read the reports of the legendary first journey of the USS Enterprise command crew into this parallel universe, and later of some officers of Deep Space 9, but I was not aware such a journey had also been made in our original parallel universe. It should prove most enlightening to compare the differences between all those realities regarding our kind and our culture. I look forward to enlightening discussions with you.''

He lifted his hand in the well known parted-fingered salute of his planet.

''Peace and Long Life, Az'Prel of Vulcan.''

Az'Prel lifted her hand in similar greeting. In her own universe, using the salute was a sentence for instant death in sight of a Terran, but here it seemed it was not so. Thus she felt it behooved her to return the trust her fellow Vulcan had placed in her. "Live Long and Prosper, Sonak of Vulcan."

While Sonak and Az'Prel were exchanging greetings, Asa walked into the reception area of Sick Bay.

Huh. No blood, no fire. This is the type of visit Asa liked.

“Greetings, Commander, Lieutenant, and you would be...?” Asa said, offering their hand to shake to the newcomer.

The displaced Vulcan stiffened slightly, expecting the out-thrust hand to be some sort of attack, but none was forthcoming. Instead it seemed to be some sort of greeting. Rather than replying with an out-thrust hand though, she kept hers at her sides where they could be seen at all times. "I am Az'Prel, freedom fighter. I am the sole survivor of the collapse of my universe, of which I'm told Commander Paris and Lieutenant Sonak are the sole survivors of the mirror version."

''An accurate assessment,'' Sonak confirmed in his customary even tone of voice. ''Yours is the confirmation of the threat to the multiverse this aberration of our own artificial parallel tangent was estimated to be. Had it gone by unchecked, the presence of our pseudo-reality would have spread like a cancer among all the other parallel universes, like yours, corrupting and ultimately destroying all reality with it... all because of mistakes in this universe. Realizing the situation, it was our duty to correct it.''

A look of concern crossed Asa’s face. One did not have to be a telepath to see this person was hurting.

Moving their hand to the side to indicate an available biobed Asa said, “I see. From what I have heard, that is not an easy place to originate. I’m sorry for whatever heartaches you have known. Would you please allow me the honor of checking you over? I’d hate for you to survive a universe collapsing just to perish of something treatable…”

Their tone was soft, as was their face. Asa stood still, waiting on Az-Prel to move of their own accord. To a veteran of combat, it may have seemed threatening to do otherwise, Asa remembered, thinking back to their courses on dealing with POW’s at the Academy. Was it possible to be a prisoner of a universe? Well, if it was, anyone from a mirror universe was likely to feel that way… anyone worth knowing at least.

Standing a bit further back, Dox was still in observation mode, but was picking up on Az'Prel's rising anxiety. The chronal refugee might have been Vulcan, but it was clear to Dox that this Vulcan had a slightly looser grip on their emotions, which was more than understandable. She was glad Sonak was present for Az'Prel to call upon for help.

"You are the attending physician then?" Az'Prel was now deeply suspicious of this person. Attempted physical contact, no introductions, looks human... She almost expected to see a pain booth when she turned around, and for a moment she was starting to feel cornered with all these uniformed officers around her. Slowly, she took a deep, meditative breath to recenter herself, her hands tensing for a moment. She then turned to look in the direction the person had indicated to see some sort of unfamiliar bed-like structure that looked soft and almost comfortable.

The displaced Vulcan then nodded slowly and moved over to the biobed, unfamiliar with the workings of it to the point where she just stood next to it. "I believe I am suffering from malnutrition. Also, I have not kept to the normal Vulcan diet for many years due to necessity so my digestive tract has not been... Compliant."

Sonak nodded.

''I have programmed the full culinary data of our homeworld into our replicator system. And you will find that my wife added a substantial number of Human dishes, adapted to our cuisine and palate. The pot pie in particular I would recommend. And if you are in the habit of consuming animal flesh, this dish can easily accommodate it. This should help you get back progressively to full Vulcan diet of this universe, if you choose to do so.'''

“Yes, those are certainly things that we can help with,” Asa replied, oblivious to the faux pas they had created.

“Won’t you have a seat please? The bed you are leaning against probably wasn’t all that common where you are from, huh? It’s a diagnostic tool that will help me monitor your vitals and other functions. I would also like to use a handheld device called a medical tricorder to get some more in-depth readings. Would you like to see the device before I use it?”

Then, calling over their shoulder, Asa said, “Nurse Vimes, can you please bring us some Pot Pie a la Rita and Ginger tea for our new friend?”

“Of course, Doctor Dael,” the matronly woman cooed in response before going to the replicator to procure the food requested.

“Ah, we just came from the galley, Doctor Dael. I think perhaps belay the pot pie,” Rita intervened, hoping to ease some of the tension she was sensing. “Az’Prel, this is our ship’s physician. I know what that might mean where you come from, but I assure you, they are dedicated to healing, not harming, and they genuinely have your best interests at heart.”

The displaced Vulcan took a moment to nimbly hop up onto the biobed, laying on it in the manner she assumed was correct before nodding to the physician. "As I have not seen anything that would cause me to distrust any of you, I will choose to trust you for now, but you will have to forgive my concerns. I have not known human physicians to be kind."

Asa’s head popped up, surprised that the idea a doctor would make a career of anything other than healing. Ears blushing at the embarrassment of all the signals they had clearly read wrong, Asa continued.

“Please, forgive me Az-Prel. I know little about where you are from, and I meant no harm. I know it might be hard to believe me, but I do want to help, truly. If it helps, I’m not human, but El-Aurian. I don’t know if my people were in your universe or not, or what they were like if they were. Here, we are few in numbers, refugees from our planets destruction by the Borg. Until you reach a higher comfort level with humans, I will be happy to restrict the personnel treating you to myself and other non-humans, barring medical emergency.”

Holding up the medical tricorder, Asa continued, “I’m going to conduct a scan of you with this now. Would you like to inspect the device before I use it?””

"That would appear to be some form of two part medical scanner. Beyond that, logically, as your technology is far more advanced than I am familiar with, I would likely fail to make any further determinations as to its purpose." Pausing a moment, Az'Prel nodded. "Please proceed."

Flashing a warm smile, Asa proceeded to set about fully scanning the young Vulcan woman. The whirring ceased as the device clicked off, and Asa pulled up a seat to speak to Az'Prel at eye level.

Speaking softly, Asa gestured to the Dox, Paris, and Sonak, "Az'Prel, would you prefer to speak just the two of us, or are you okay discussing your health in front of our friends here? It is entirely your decision."

"As they will likely need to be briefed on the situation anyway, I see it as only logical that they be present," the displaced Vulcan replied. She had not been fully examined by a proper physician in over a decade, however, she was fairly certain there were no major issues to be concerned about.

Taking a deep breath, Asa continued in a calm, steady tone.

"You are correct, you are severely malnourished. The long term vitamin deprivation and atypical diet for a Vulcan has stripped your intestines of their typical layers of celestin insulation, causing ongoing intestinal distress. You have a backup of sodium chloride in your liver, and scarring from a poorly healed laceration there as well. The scars I have no doubt are visible along your back, along with decreased bone density along poorly healed fractures which tell me you have been through much. The tears to your ligaments from holding stress positions are going to cause a decrease in mobility over time, your bones are going to become more brittle, and the flood of stress hormones for an extended period of time is causing adrenal fatigue. The doctor that performed the surgery to close the tear in your heart from a stab wound, I'm guessing, did an admirable job, but the third ventral artery is beginning to fatigue. I honestly can't fathom how much pain you are in, but if you will let me, I can help all this get better."

Az'Prel listened and nodded, taking it all in. "I have been through much and it seems the several years I spent in the agony booths were unkind to me. Do you require the removal of my armor to proceed with treatment?"

At the mention of the agony booth, Rita shuddered slightly at the memory of her own relatively brief time spent in one.

Keeping their smile reassuring, Asa nodded softly. "Yes, we will need you in a surgical gown, ideally freshly bathed. I will need time to prep my surgical team, around 2 hours, but there is no rush. If you would prefer to sleep first, we can do this first thing tomorrow. If you would like this done today, I will introduce you to the rest of the team and we can proceed. This is your body, and I want you to know you are the final authority about what happens to it and when, okay?"

The displaced Vulcan averted her eyes, instead focusing on the ceiling above them as they thought about what might possibly be coming up. These people have shown nothing but compassion and given of themselves. They have carefully extended trust as if I were a wounded animal, which on certain levels, one might suppose I am. They are offering me help and refuge, without expecting anything in return. Everything in her told her this was a trap, and yet the body language of everyone here said that this was how they had been raised- with openness and kindness. Even their hands were soft and had no true callouses. The closest thing that resembled her world was the captain of this ship, whose stance clearly expressed that she had grown up in an environment where she had needed to watch her back, but not to the level of those in her own universe.

Her logic spinning in circles now, she decided to trust in something beyond logic, that she had come to rely on in those later days. "I will trust you and accept your help, but I will require... Assistance... in disrobing. I have not taken this armor off in many years."

"This sounds like some privacy is called for," Paris opined. "Doctor, Mr. Sonak, I know Command will want some quantum scans to verify Ms. Az'Prel's origins. Please insure that we have those, and as her transcription from one universe to the next was facilitated by the Prophets, she may not suffer the usual chronodimensional issues. But please keep an eye toward mending those as well, so that everything doesn't taste like tinfoil to her for the next few months, if you please. With that said, we'll be in the waiting area, unless you require our assistance, Doctor?"

"Aye, Commander," Asa replied softly, keeping their eyes firmly on their charge, sensing the turmoil hidden behind those eyes that never quite reached their own.

''Agreed, Commander,'' Sonak replied. ''Scans have already been taken, and are currently under computer analysis and record. I will send you the full report tomorrow morning nine hundred hours.''

"Az'Prel, I would be honored to help you if you allow, or would prefer Mr. Sonak?," then turning to the ever present Nurse Vimes standing by, "Will you please bring us some undergarments and scrub style pants and wrap front shirt? Nonabrasive material level eight, Vulcan fiber plese?"

"There may be medical complications," Az'Prel stated simply as she began unwrapping the armor around her forearms and removing it, to reveal not only fine scar lines all over her skin, but the imprints of manacles in her wrists. She then stood to remove her chestplate, the majority of which came off easily, but the underpart looked like it had sealed to her. Carefully and with assistance, she peeled the thick garment off to reveal a heavily and deeply scarred body. She was voluptuous, but it was obvious she had been repeatedly beaten with some form of energy whip on a regular basis. The removal of her boots and pants revealed more of the same - long term signs of damage that clung to her clothing like they were still healing.

Seeing the damage, Asa noticed a spike in vitals on the biobed. Reaching out for their PaDD, Asa adjusted the temperature for this area to be the average temperature of Vulcan on a spring day- warmer than Starfleet standard but not unbearably so.

"Nurse Vimes, please also bring us some sterile wipes, warmed to 39 C if you would," Asa said softly before continuing, "The damage to your dermis has been exacerbated by the armor removal. We need to stabilize your wounds and perform the first of three procedures immediately to avoid sepsis. I am going to need to touch you in several places, as well as my colleagues. One of them is holographic, so you may not perceive his thoughts as you can mine. My primary surgical nurse in human, but I give my word she is a kind person. Is this acceptable?"

Previously Asa had forgotten about the touch telepathic nature of Vulcans, accustomed to working with Sonak and others with mental barriers in place. The criss cross of scars on Az'Prel's body showed she likely did not have the same defenses in place.

And she did not. She had no such training, nor was she familiar with them. Any mental defenses she had had long ago been beaten down and now she felt weak and defenseless, protected only by that of the teal surgical gown she was now being covered in. Shaking slightly from the exposure as well as her own defenselessness and weakness, she nodded and leaned back on the biobed, her eyes now closing with moistness. "I am at your mercy, Doctor..." Her voice was thin and reedy as she spoke, as if she had little left to give.

"Thank you, Az'Prel, all will be well, I promise. You may lose consciousness, but don't fear, Nurse Grimes and I will be here when you wake."

Turning to look over their shoulder, Asa motioned towards the EMH. "Doctor, your assistance please? If you could please focus on the repair to the patients heart ventricle, I will work on skin graft incorporation and tissue regeneration. Gloves on please, maintain sterilization surgical field but minimize skin to patient contact whenever possible. Nurse Vimes, please start an IV with intestinal repair and full Vulcan vitamin and mineral restorative, series seven delta, 27mcc per hour mixed with pain receptor numbing agents, maximum dosage per weight."

"Yes Doctor, " Nurse Vimes intoned softly, moving quickly and efficiently to carry out orders.

"How we looking?," Dael inquired of the EMH, hands busy with extracting micro debris from Az'Prel's soles.

The English modeled EMH had several tools and scanners in hand as he worked, gloves on as he spoke. "Crude but effective work. Whomever did this surgery was very skilled and saved your life. I can't imagine it was pleasant though. It looks like you were stabbed with a Terran officer's dagger, if my database matches the dimensions correctly. Any deeper and it would have severed your vagus nerve so you're lucky to be alive."

"Your assessment is correct," Az'Prel replied quietly, the memory of her near death and escape coming back to her. She had lost much that day, yet gained a measure of freedom.

Working from the soles up, Asa was now at Az'Prel's thighs, removing debris, extricating pieces of armor that had fused, healing scars, sterilizing, injecting copper and calcium at strategic points to prepare for future surgeries, and scanning for full cellular anomalies or markers indicative of the mirror universe. They saw Nurse Vimes had hung the IV and was now standing nearby, nervously wringing her hands as she felt for the patient.

"Nurse Vimes, can you please prepare recover suite 3 for Az'Prel? She needs a surgical sterile room for the next 24 hours for her skin to heal."

Vimes left, grateful for the opportunity to move and be useful.

Now working on their patient's thighs and lower abdomen, Asa said to the EMH, "We should do her back swiftly, working together, and do it last. How long do you need?"

The EMH replied immediately. "Three minutes. I just need to finish repairing some tissue damage in the left aortic chambers and I'll be done."

"Take your time, pacing to match," Asa replied.

Then, Asa caught Az'Prel's eyes, " How are you feeling? Any dizziness? Pain levels?"

"I am accustomed to pain," was the only reply Az'Prel gave, her eyes still closed.

"Ready when you are, Doctor," Asa said to the EMH. As a pair they helped Az'Prel turn to her side, the industriously set about healing as much of her skin as possible, Asa once again starting at her feet, leaving the EMH to begin at the patient's neck. They worked together on much of her back before Asa stopped, stepping back to help Az'Prel sit up.

"Can you please gather us a full set of vaccinations, Doctor? I think we have done what we can today, she is stable and able to disrobe if needed. Her heart is healing and in 3 days we can complete the next stage of healing, unless you see something else?"

"I'd like to do a gene panel to check for any abnormal markers for the sake of thoroughness," the EMH replied as he started in on scanning for the needed vaccines and gathering... Apparently every single vaccine in the Federation database... "According to your antibodies, you've never had a single modern vaccine in your life... I suppose that makes sense. We can give you the initial ones now and then the rest in three days. That shouldn't make you too tired."



Meanwhile, in the waiting room, Rita Paris paced as she spoke. "Here I thought I had it bad coming from the past and another dimension. At least in ours the only real danger was implausible villains, gigantic starships and the occasional plot to destroy the Federation. Or just, know, getting blinded by lens flare. But the Mirror Universe... Sonak, do the scans verify her quantum signature- well, I guess we have nothing to compare it to, do we?"

The chief science officer of the Hera shook his head.

''In point of fact, we do. I have the specific signature from our former false universe, and that of the original Mirror universe taken on DS9 during several interactions with people coming and going to this universe. A preliminary comparative study with that of this Az'Prel shows the same quantum aberration in her quantum signature, relative to her prime universe, that we both had here when we appeared in this one. I am currently having the science department confirming my findings, but at first estimate, her story appears genuine.''

"That's actually a huge relief. Given the nature of her arrival and everything I've observed, I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, but we'll need some hard data to provide to the brass to verify it. Your scans along with the eyewitness accounts should do the trick, since I am not sure if 'the Prophets of Bajor decided that we should take her home with us, no I don't know how they found her, go ask them yourselves' was going to fly as an official report." Dropping down into a seat next to where Sonak was seated, stiffly erect, she leaned in toward him a bit as she spoke.

Sonak raised an eyebrow.

''I was not aware that the Federation or Starfleet needed the Bajoran wormhole aliens their... imprimatur, before making and implementing a decision. Whatever we decide should be in the best interest of the individual and the community, not to... please, let alone obey the will and dictates of certain entities, however powerful they may be. Would it be so, the whole Federation, it's history, it's nature, structure and very reason to be, would fall apart as a mere illusion, and a miserable one at that.''

"It looks like she's been through hell and back. Do you think she's going to be able to accept this reality? Do you think she'll be able to mix with the crew?" Rita paused, holding up a hand to forestall what she suspected would be the immediate response from the somber and stoic scientist. "I know, each according to their gifts, but observation and reccomendation- should we send her to Starfleet Psych for a few years for therapy, or should we keep her close so she can get a microcosm of modern Starfleet on the Hera? She was kind of entrusted to my care, and I feel responsible for her. Plus we might have hastened the demise of her universe..."

Still listening, Dox's face had a look of contemplative concern. "Pardon me, Commander. But... Considering everything she's been saying... my initial thought is that sending her off to a large, faceless complex might do more harm than good. It might undermine whatever good has already been done here. Plus... maybe it's my own personal bias... but I've had my own share of therapists. A few from Starfleet Psych when I was in the academy. And I'd put Doctor Dael up against any three of them."

Feeling like she might be being a bit too emotional, Dox didn't pull back but instead doubled down. "She needs to see compassion. Between yourself and Doctor Dael and this crew, I don't know of a better place in this fleet for that."

Aforementioned Doctor then popped their head in around this time. "The Doctor is wrapping up with Az’Prel, but I wanted to come have a word. She has been through hell and back, multiple times. In the course of removing her armor for treatment, we found large sections of severely scarred and wounded skin, pieces of her clothing had fused to her, and she has been harshly mistreated on more than one occasion. Wounds are consistent with 20tht Century Earth Prisoners of War, except with energy weapon damage in addition to the stress position torture signs. Her psyche is likely not in very good condition, and she has severe malnutrition complications."

"Combined with a lack of immune system to almost anything she will encounter in this time… well, let’s just say we have a long road ahead of us. In another day, I will need to conduct a second surgery to encourage bone and tissue regrowth while repairing previous damage. Then, in about 2 weeks we will need to set and re-heal a few skeletal points and focus on softer internal organs. She needs rest, food, and safety. All scans are consistent with the story of her origin that has been given, which is all the more reason to assume she has severe psychological damage."

"Lieutenant Sonak, are you available to help her rebuild her psychic defenses? Those seem perilously low as well. I honestly think if she hadn’t been brought here, and if her own universe was still around, she would have been dead within a year.” Doctor Dael was rubbing the back of their neck with one hand, pinching the bridge of their nose with another, and then pulled up a seat to speak with Rita, Sonak, and Mnhei'sahe.

Leaning forward to rest elbows on knees, Asa looked up with a pained expression and said, "Truly, if her body is any indication, she has led one of the hardest lives a person can imagine. I cannot authorize her to leave Sick Bay until after the next surgery- at the earliest- and I want medical staff in attendance for any interrogation. I cannot predict what triggers she may have, but if she enters a state of distress, the damage could be catastrophic."

Between being chided over being misunderstood by her own husband in a question, then having the answer derailed by Dox, now with Dael talking interrogation, Rita Paris had officially reached a stage of irritation. But, calm and cool would see her further than giving vent to her frustrations. “I’ll try to keep the deep interrogations down to a minimum, Doctor. We tend to call them debriefings when last I checked, but absolutely, you can have whatever medical staff you wish present. Would you prefer her to be isolated so that we cannot potentially cause more damage?”

So much for keeping your irritation out of it, Rita Paris chided herself internally. Given the circumstances she felt she’d been doing rather well winning over a shell-shocked survivor of a hellish reality that was a warped and twisted reflection of their own. But then, what did she know of trauma and shock, given what an easy and simple life she’d led. Apparently everyone else had stronger opinions that were more relevant here, and all of them were greater experts on the subject.

Picking up on Rita Paris' irritation, Dox shrunk ever so slightly, realizing that she should not have spoken out of turn about what she didn't know enough about. She was there to observe, and silently chastised herself to remember her place and not allow herself to get too comfortable.

Sonak then straightened himself to attention, hands at his back.

''There might be an option to both bring her up to speed with this reality, and ease the mental baggage she carries over from her reality. Simultaneously we could accomplish this with a subject-willing, foolproof interrogation to get the knowledge and assurances we need; a mind meld.''

Unaware of the unintentional hurt they had caused, Asa nodded, “Isolation isn’t needed, in fact it will do her good to see some recurring friendly faces, I’m sure, and I would posit that the two of you would know best some of what she is going through. Her quarters in the recovery suite here in Sickbay will help keep her from harm while her skin heals. She isn’t ready to be out and about the ship quite yet, not with so many grafts and abrasions just being healed."

"As for a mind meld…I have to trust your judgement there, Lieutenant Sonak. All I can do is tell you this is a fragile survivor, with very little energy reserves left. Getting her to eat regularly and get sleep over the next few days is honestly going to be as much as part of her healing as anything I can do. Out of curiosity, does the Vulcan Science Academy have anything on the mirror universe that would help us here, in terms of dealing with wounded Vulcan survivors of the Terran Regime?”

Sonak frowned a moment.

''Not much since the initial contact made by the crew of captain Kirk in the 23rd century. From what has been gathered from their brief encounter with the Commander Spock of the Mirror universe of this one, It is not the Vulcans who embraced the teachings of Surak. It was those who would flee the homeworld and establish their opposite version of the Romulan Star Empire. Back on Vulcan, in the same peculiar reversal of this parallel reality, those still on the planet would continue the emotional savagery of our ancestors, including invasive mind probes and the consumption of animal flesh.''

He looked at the chief medical officer of the Hera with a frank stare.

''If we are to offer the mind meld to help our refugee transdimensional friend, it would be wise to first explain clearly to her that here it is not a means to torture and subjugate individuals through the use of our race's psionics, as I would hypothesize was possibly the case in her home dimension.''

Nodding thoughtfully, Asa replied, “I would suggest then that you explain how you will conduct a mindmeld to her, and I can explain that having received one myself that it was neither traumatic nor intrusive, as could any others that are willing.”

''Whenever you find it convenient, Doctor,'' the Vulcan said with a nod.

Taking in the emotional tone of the room, Asa continued, “Everyone seems a little bit frayed. It’s been a hard day, and I know everyone is concerned about our newest passenger. It is possible clearer heads might have better ideas after some rest. Az’Prel will likely sleep for the next 10-12 hours with the drugs that were delivered in surgery. How would everyone feel about re-convening in 6 hours or so? Maybe a bit of a rest will help us all.”

“Done,” Paris rose, trying to search for her good humor and instead all that came out was command. “Call me when she wakes and is prepared for visitors please, Doctor. I’ll be sure to bring my least intrusive tools for the ongoing interrogation.” With that sarcasm in her wake, Commander Paris strode out of Sickbay.

“Aye, Commander,” Asa said softly, feeling the wrath of the Valkyrie storming from Sick Bay.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Dox and the rest of the assemblage left one at a time leaving only Asa.

They checked on Az’Prel, peeking in to her room in Sickbay to find the woman already fast asleep. Asa wrote a quick note and left if displayed on the monitor in the room simply reading, “Rest well, if you need anything, I am in just in the room next door –Doctor Dael”

Then, deciding to just call the day a loss and off duty long ago, Asa went to the adjoining room and lay down on the bed, sleeping fitfully for the rest of the night.