Welcome Wagon (Part Two)
Posted on Sun Jun 22nd, 2025 @ 12:30am by Chief Petty Officer Biv Th'shrolneq & Lieutenant Amy Gordon
1,723 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
The Foragers
Location: Empok Nor, Docking Ring
Timeline: Same day as the Zulg's posts.
[Continued]
Sickbay was busy as Angela was treating people with minor injuries, and some smoke inhalations . She looked up to see two Andorians walk into sickbay. She blinked as she thought it could make a good joke. Two Andorians walked into sickbay... "Hello, may I help you?" Looking literally upwards at both Biv and Zuub. "Are you injured?"
At the voice, Biv glanced around and saw a possibility of escape. "Ma'am," he gestured toward Angela, speaking to Zuub. "Look. An officer type lab goon. Bet they know everything. All you have to do is ask."
"Lab goon?" Angela raises a blonde eyebrow at Biv. "I am not a goon," she replied, giving a pointed scowl at the obnoxious male Andorian. She turned to the other Andorian "Do you need some help with injuries?"
"I do," Zuub confirmed in her soft, wispy voice. "That, there is Biv. I am Zuub, the new Chief Medical Officer of Valiant. I have just recently arrived here on Empok Nor and this all started. Do you know anything about this purple substance?" Better figure out what it is before you play with it.
Angela blinked for a moment, "What are you talking about?" feeling confused as to what Zuub was referring to.
Zuub's antennae started to whirl and wobble. She pointed to a person over to the side. "The purple substance on that person and others. It should be analyzed. Also, you have not told me who you are, other than not being a lab goon as Biv had rudely suggested."
"I am Lieutenant Angela Abernathy, Chief Medical Officer.” Angela looked at the person who was covered in goo. "Strange. Let me get a hazmat suit on and I'll see what we can do. And I am wondering if they should be put into quarantine." She also grabs her medical tricorder. "Would you like a medical tricorder as well?"
"Yes, please. As this is your station, I will defer to you," the Andorian offered. She looked back at the goo. "I really must say that like the hue of the purple substance. I find it rather interesting. I do hope that it is not harmful." Zuub's antennae started to writhe gently.
"Well then let's get working." Angela glanced over towards where Biv was at, "Help me herd some of these people into quarantine. I need to find out what this is." There was an area to where that could be done and to where they could be cleaned off. "Though I could utilize the transporter as well, maybe. She assigned a couple of other people to help in this. "Computer begin scanning those who are covered in this purple sparkly goo."
"Although, I would be very interested in seeing what would happen to Biv if he touched these people, I do think that the transporter is proper protocol," Zuub informed Angela. "Besides, if it is something known, the transporter on the point-to-point transport may actually isolate anything that is harmful."
"Do you have a problem with Biv? Is that why you are wondering about that?" Angela huffed. "Let's get that sample that you desire, and one for me, then get those people cleaned up." making good on her decision. Two test tubes, a sample for herself and one for Zuub. Then a site to site transport for those who were affected by the purple sparkly goo. And isolate the substance from the victims."
"A problem with Biv?" Zuub's antennae started to whirl unsteadily. "No. Why would you ask that?" Zuub inspected her sample visually. "Let's go to your lab and run some tests. I've never seen anything like this before, and it is visually pleasing."
Angela turned to Biv, "Thank you, I'll take it from here" giving the male Andorian a smile.
Angela also had hid a smile, noticing the antics of Zuub's antennae. She nodded in agreement. "Let's get this tested." She led the way to her labs. Once in there, Angel put a sample upon a glass slide and brought it under scrutiny. As she raised and lowered the small platform of the microscope. She thought it was interesting, turned towards Zuub, "What do you think of this? " she asked after getting a sample put into the mass spectrometer.
If Zuub had eyebrows, she would have raised them. Instead, her antennae twittered. "Quite an interesting pathogen and I do not believe it is natural, which means this is a biological attack of some sort."
"Let's see what a scan of this can tell us," she stated, doing such on the other part of the sample." Angela hmmmnned as she examined it. There was a beep from the scans and Angela looked up sharply, gasping out. "Zuub, do you see that? There's a hallucinogenic property to that substance. What in the stars, who decided to do this?" Angela sounded rather miffed "If I could hunt down the people who made this...."
Yes, I want to hunt down who made this, so I could make it better! Zuub thought to herself, realizing that Angela had quite a different idea for why she wanted to hunt people down. Her antennae alternated between wobbling and writhing as she tried to keep her emotions under control. "So, are we agreed that this is an intentional attack?"
"From all indications I am seeing, this is intentional. And with the chemical compound, it sticks to everything. Purple Ooblek with a glittery hallucinogenic drug. It's pretty but dangerous," Angela stated. "Even though this makes me upset, I will say the creator of this was ingenious. I am impressed."
"I am as well," Zuub agreed, secretly wanting to meet this person. "Well, first we will have to determine what makes it adhesive so we can keep it from sticking to people and things. Then we will need to determine how the hallucinogen works so we can combat it. Once we have figured it out, I may have to try replicating this thing. It is pretty." And I bet the sensations could be very fun, unless it is the other kind of hallucinogen.
"You like to live dangerously don't you, and yes, I agree it is pretty. Anyway, let's get to work and figure this out." Angela turned back to the samples and tested them. "I am not about to use anyone to test the effect of the drug, not by a long shot."
"Live dangerously?" Zuub asked, curiously. "I just think that there may be other applications for this thing, once it is determined how it works."
"Well could end up being utilized to trap someone with it. A glue trap upon the floor. And we definitely need to figure out a counter for this substance. Anyway, you now have your own sample and I have mine. We can work on this together or, we both work on it separately and share findings with each other. What do you think?" Angela looked at Zuub.
Pinching his nose, Biv said, "Sorry to interrupt, sirs. Doctor Zuub, we really should get you checked in on the Valiant if there aren't dead people here that need fixing." He thought about that and said, "Well, mostly dead."
Angela glanced over towards Biv and Zuub. "Well, you've got your sample, I'll probably see you later on Zuub. Looks like you are being summoned." giving a nod towards Zuub. "Thank you, Biv for your help." Angela replied, giving Biv a smile.
With a sideways glance toward Zuub, Biv rolled his eyes slightly and told Angela, "Oh yes ma'am. So much help. Sheer tons of it." Turning to Valiant's CMO, expectantly he smiled. "There's even fresh pastries and coffee aboard, ma'am."
Zuub looked at Biv and answered, "I do not know why you believe pastries and coffee should tempt me to go to Valiant when this problem is occurring. We need to develop a solution to this problem. The first part would be to find a way to dissolve the adhesive quality of this contagion."
Biv resisted the urge to swear and smiled instead. "Aye ma'am. True. But it's not a Valiant problem. It's a station problem. Valiant's time is shore aboard the station and there are certain things that need doing. The station is in good hands and it may very well be that the Captain will want you helping them once you're actually aboard and not in a travel state, but our ship is pulling out in about a day or a so. You've yet to see your sick bay and make sure it's ready to go."
"And that gives you, your own space to do what you'd like to do." Angela responded. "As I said we can compare notes, when we can meet up once more." An orderly poked his head around the corner. "Doctor Abernathy, you've got a patient that needs tending to." Angela gave a nod, then turned to Biv and Zuub. "Well I've got to go, and so must you. I'll see you when you come back this way, whenever that will be." Angela securing her sample of the purple ooblek, briskly walked away.
Zuub's antennae started thrashing about awkwardly. This doctor was quite strange. Collaborating together would make more sense. It was almost as if this doctor wished to be rid of her. Was she perhaps responsible for this contagion? That seemed a bit farfetched, but it was something to be considered. "If you insist, doctor. I will study this separately."
Angela paused, "I need to take care of my people, and we can collaborate over subspace on a protected channel. You though have a ship's medical bay to tend to." This time Angela disappeared from view. She too wished to collaborate more about this substance, but time moves on and so does duty.
The Andorian's antennae wobbled more. This doctor was strange and perhaps that was saying something considering Zuub knew she was not typical. But, choice having been taken, she told Biv, "I suppose that you should take me to the Valiant. Just make certain not to get any of that goo on you, lest you become my newest patient."
"Yes, ma'am Biv replied as they finally got moving. "I'll be fine. I'm used to being in sticky situations."
Lieutenant Commander Zuub
Chief Medical Officer
USS Valiant
CPO Th'shrolneq
Operations/Transporter Specialist
USS Valiant
Lieutenant Angela Abernathy
Chief Medical Officer
Empok Nor
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