POST #154 Clues
Posted on Wed Oct 23rd, 2024 @ 10:02pm by Lieutenant Marty Stokes & Lieutenant V'Lar & Lieutenant JG Maddy Dale
Edited on on Wed Oct 23rd, 2024 @ 11:37pm
1,012 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission: Secrets
Marty left the Admiral’s room and headed into the main ward of sickbay where she practically ran into Maddy. “Oh sorry,” Marty said with a giggle. “I guess I’m a bit preoccupied.”
"What with?" Maddy asked "Because the last time you were preoccupied with stuff we ended up winning a Daystrom Prize for medicine."
“It’s the Admiral,” Marty said quietly. “You might want to keep an eye on him, he’s got a lot going on.”
"Tell me." Maddy said motioning Marty into her office.
Marty took a seat in front of Maddy’s desk. “The admiral has been seeing beings from long ago,” she said hesitantly. “It’s classified, I can’t say much but the delusions are very serious and it’s putting a horrific strain on him.”
"And your diagnosis is?" Maddy asked
“If we can’t help him get past this,” Marty said with a sigh. “I sense that the hallucinations will literally drive him to a state of permanent insanity.”
"When does he see these hallucinations?" Maddy asked
“All the time according to Olvera, they started out slowly at first but then they became more and more numerous until it’s all he sees now are the beings,” Marty said looking at Maddy with concern. “Have you ever heard of such a case like this?”
"Not with hallucinations." Maddy said "There are case studies of former Borg drones who once liberated from the collective fall into what you and I would describe as multiple personality disorder, that being because the drone retains the memories of each individual it assimilates. When those different personalities essentially fight for control the liberated individual has been known to speak and act as those personalities and to some extent incorporate their surroundings as part of it. This is a branch of medical science that we really don't have a thorough grasp of because there's in truth no way to know if it's really a hallucination."
“I’ve asked about any type of medical conditions or outside forces but so far there has been nothing to account for his strange behavior,” Marty said a bit frustrated. “Have a crack at it if you can think of anything that might have been missed.”
"Scientific method." Maddy said "If I ask you what could cause hallucinations you'll list all the potential medical causes that you know of, so how do you handle each of those causes? How do you rule them in or out?"
“Process of elimination,” Marty said with a nod. “Not sure if it’ll work in the Admiral’s case, his is very severe.”
"What are the medical reasons that could cause hallucinations?" Maddy asked
“Different diseases, abuse of certain medications,” Marty said quietly. “But those conditions have been ruled out.”
"Which leaves?" Maddy asked
“Outside forces?” Marty said worriedly.
"That still has way too many variables." Maddy said "He's the only one seeing these hallucinations right?"
“As far as I know,” Marty said with a sigh. “What are you thinking?”
"Common causes for hallucinations include deprivation of various things, food, drink, sleep." Maddy said "You've also got things like being intoxicated or overworking, stress etc."
“True but not sure if that’s what’s happening here,” Marty said thoughtfully. “I mean, if it were, how would we miss it.”
"Well it's not like we're around the Admiral every moment of the day." Maddy said as V'Lar suddenly appeared in the doorway.
"Let me guess." V'Lar said spotting Marty "Admiral Bradley?"
"How'd you know?" Maddy asked
"Interesting conversation with Commander MacMahon." V'Lar said "Can you pull the Admirals physicals for the last eight years?"
"What am I looking for?" Maddy asked
"Something that doesn't belong." V'Lar said
“Like what?” Marty asked curiously.
"Anything that might conceivably be a technological means of inflicting what he's going through." V'Lar said "Anything that doesn't match up against his record."
"And then compare against a fresh battery of tests." Maddy said "Meanwhile what do you want me to do when he wakes up? Can't keep him sedated forever and I don't want to get him addicted to sedatives."
“I had suggested a mind meld,” Marty said looking at V’Lar directly. “Are you up to the challenge?”
"Counsellor how well versed are in knowledge of mind melds?" V'Lar asked
“I’ve used them before in situations where the patient wasn’t responding to more conventional treatments, I’ve gotten some good results, Maddy here could tell you that I’m not your run of the mill shrink,” Marty said with a grin.
"I'm sure she could." V'Lar said "Understand this, Vulcan society in conventional terms to an outsider would appear to lack intimacy, what you might call flirtation, innuendo and so on. That's the case because Vulcan's suppress their emotions and only mate once every seven years." she took a breath "I'm fortunate enough that a particular third of my DNA counteracts that. But to the more culturally observant Vulcan society has adapted to this, the mind meld is the Vulcan equivalent of sex, Vulcan neuro-pressure is similar. They're intimate acts, when I mind meld with someone I'm letting them into my very being and they're letting me into theirs. I experience everything they've experienced, feel everything they've felt and in return I open my darkest and most secretive places to them."
“I understand and have been through one myself, it was very in lighting and I only ask the most trained Vulcans to do a meld because I know what it entails,” Marty said quietly. “I had hoped you’d be willing but I can try to find another if you’d prefer.”
"I'll do it but first I want the doctor to run her tests." V'Lar said
“Agreed,” Marty said with a nod at Maddy. “We’ll wait until you’re satisfied, good enough?”
Maddy nodded in agreement.
Off:
Lieutenant JG Marty Stokes
Chief Counselor
USS Arcadia/USS Obsidian
Lieutenant JG Maddy Dale
ACMO Medical Officer
USS Arcadia/USS Obsidian
Lieutenant Junior Grade V'Lar
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Arcadia/USS Obsidian
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