What About the Scientists? (part 5)

Posted on Fri Mar 26th, 2021 @ 8:08am by Lieutenant Commander Amber Quinn & Lieutenant JG Ronen Kym & Captain Ka'Tock & Lieutenant Trei Jansum & Lieutenant Remy Boudreau & Lieutenant Zuub & Lieutenant JG Paris Deville & Lieutenant JG Tessa Nicoles
Edited on on Fri Mar 26th, 2021 @ 10:09am

1,412 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Caverns of the mind
Location: Conference Room

[PREVIOUSLY]

'Again, we'll need a long-term study to probe the hypotheses we've made so far,' Remy said, matter-of-factly. He was on to Deville's game. He was bored and sore attention wasn't being paid to him. 'Planetary ecosystems are complex, as I've said. I apologize if I sound like a broken wheel.'

[CONTINUED]


"Broken wheel wasn't what I was thinking." Paris replied quickly, smirking a bit as he looked down for a moment before looking back up. He looked to Amber and chuckled slightly before saying softly. "Next time I should talk even slowly and use smaller words so he can catch everything. His brain obviously got overloaded."

Zuub's antennae thrashed expressing her discomfort with the situation. She wondered how quickly Lieutenant Deville was going to get thrown into the brig for disobedience.

"Moving on," Amber said, pulling the conversation back on track, "We'll send a team down to stun the scientists and bring them out of the caves, then transport everyone to sickbay." She glanced at Ka'Tock in case he wanted to interject anything. "Science will send more people and there will be more investigations here. Our job is to take care of the scientists, get them stable, and move on."

"To protect the away teams, I would suggest EVA suits along with trackers being ingested by the individuals. I have heard that the bite of animals can break skin and appear to have a quick reaction. If they break the suit, we need to know where our people are and hopefully beam them up quickly," Zuub told everyone.

Paris leaned back in his chair, taking the PADD he brought in, back into his hands. He resisted the urge to laugh, or comment, at the suggestion from the doctor. Not because it as bad, not at all, but because Paris remembered suggesting the same thing in the beginning. However, it wasn't taken as seriously as it would be now, coming from Zuub instead of him. He was beginning to sense a pattern forming.

Amber raised an eyebrow at Pars and shook her head. This was neither the time nor place for this. She wondered what he was after.

"The mission was to find out what happened to the Scientists." Ka'Tock interjected. "Despite the Sales pitch by Mister Paris had nothing to do with the mission assigned. We are here to make sure the Scientific team is safe, with that as my objective I concur with Lieutenant Zuub in using EVA suits to do the operation. Following the first rescue of our ship personnel we will stun the indigenous inhabitants, remove the team to cease any further contamination and head back to the nearest Station as per our orders." He looked about the room. "Other tribes and inhabitants aside, the team were to observe so their presence should not be among the tribe."

He looked to Paris.

"Your survey will be logged and forwarded to the Scientific branch of Star Fleet; any observations will fall to them and we will be stationing warning buoys that this planet is not to be approached per Prime Directive." Ka'Tock nodded. "You all know what you must do." Giving a warning glance to Paris. "Use the transporter enhancers and get the scientists out. Commander Quinn is in charge of the Rescue Away team." He nod to them all. "Meeting adjourned."

Paris chuckled quickly before bringing the mug to his lips. He took a sip from it before whispering softly " Sales pitch?!" Before standing up from his chair. He shook his head, smirking, while his mind raced with things to say but he only held back before remembering his business was done regardless. Any regrets he would have had no longer existed.

The change in Paris' attitude and the emotion he projected changed. Amber wasn't quite sure what it meant--if it meant anything at all, but she didn't like it. She nodded to the others and went to make the arrangements for the away team.

But first, she stopped the doctor. "I think you should check Lieutenant Nicoles. She's not herself and I wonder if she's been affected by the planet," she said quietly.

Zuub stopped and looked down upon Amber, "Was she in the caves? And why do you think she was affected?"

"Yes, she was," Amber said. "And I believe she's been affected because she's dressing in a manner unlike herself and her thoughts are...strong. She's dating a woman in security, but her thoughts in this meeting have been on the men and her attraction to them."

Zuub's antennae started to thrash about. "If what you are saying is true, then the transporters are unable to filter this out. We might have to re-examine everyone that was in the caves and anyone in contact with those persons since we got back. A quarantine may be in order. Lead me to her immediately."

Amber looked around. "She's over there," she said, indicating the medic.

Zuub turned around. However, by the time she did, the Lieutenant was gone.

"I'll ask her to stop by sickbay," Amber said.

Kym was slow to stand. She smiled at Remy. "See you tonight." The thought of dinner gave her stomach happy butterflies. She gently touched his arm and went to talk to set an appointment with Trei.

He smiled as he got to his feet, 'looking forward to it - have a nice day in the meantime. Remy reflected he at least had something nice to look forward to at the end of the day. Once again to his consternation a briefing session hadn't gone to his liking. Having no further business he headed out the door with a wave, and headed for his office to prepare a preliminary report.

Paris walked to the door, finishing up the contents of his mug, before stepping out. He turned off his PADD and released a deep sigh before saying, under breath. "Next time I drink something stronger. It'll be easier to sit through another one of those damned things."

Nicoles sauntered out of the meeting; walking like a model on the runway ; expression of a smirk at the ready as she finger waved.

"Ta-ta Yew' All" SHe was sure to make her way out 'after' Mister Paris, he did keep himself rather... toned and his rear view was at least work making note of.

Amber turned, catching Tessa's thoughts. Today, she thought. That woman would see the doctor today.

"Commander." Ka'Tock spoke. "Can we put the ship in an orbital angle to verify and maybe get scans of the people Paris discovered in his low level pass?" He nod. "Maybe at an orbital angle to look at those cliff caves from not straight above?"

Amber nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll see if Lieutenant Deville is free later today."

Something had finally shaken Trei out of his reverie about Azusa. Paris and Boudreau. Paris drove him insane, but he had to admit that the man had been trying to help. He might have been a little heavy-handed in his approach, but he had been trying to help. Boudreau, though, seemed ticked off about something to do with Paris. He had been too distracted to notice, but he did notice that both men seemed upset at the end of the meeting. Trei shook his head. Interperson conflict was not his problem just yet; when it started making its way towards physical altercations, then it is his problem, though hopefully he could stop it before the first blows fell. He'd talk with the counselor about some preemptive measures with Paris's personal approach to other people.

All this went through his head, quite loudly, as he recycled his cup and made his way towards the door.

Trei was still not blocking this thoughts and they were loud enough for every Telepath in the room to pick up on. Amber watched him go and shook her head. Another person she needed to talk to. If he didn't tone down his thoughts, there'd be more trouble. She sighed. Tessa, then Paris, then Trei. Then she'd lock herself in her quarters with a glass of wine and some Mozart. Or maybe Beethoven.

____
OFF


Lieutenant Remy Boudreau
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant JG Paris Deville
Chief Flight Control Officer

Lieutenant Zuub
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Commander Amber Quinn
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Commander Ka'Tock
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant JG Ronen Kym
Counselor

Lieutenant Trei Jansum
Chief Security Officer

Lieutenant JG Tessa Nicoles
Medic

RSS Feed