Postmortum
Posted on Thu Dec 18th, 2025 @ 9:43pm by Commander Rhupert Tyree & Commander Daynah Ral & Lieutenant Commander Zuub
1,271 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
On the Trail
Location: Avan's Colony, Quatral Prime
Timeline: Two hours after D is for Diagnosis
The converted bay seemed to have absorbed the morbid investigation into its atmosphere. At least for Nurse Weld and she had aided the doctor’s work, attempting to keep her bias and previous autopsy experiences to herself. The cadavers all were bathed in bright light, but the darkness around the rest of the bay cloaked the area, causing the tables to almost appear as small islands onto themselves.
The nurse gathered instruments and moved them to a basin to be cleansed before turning back and saying, “If you like, Doctor, I can start closing the bodies if you’re finished with them."
"Yes," Zuub answered, her antennae wilting. She knew she was right and now they had the proof. "Nurse Weld, please close up. I think we have all the data that we need to prove our point."
Weld moved to her task but couldn't help asking, "Prove your point...that the computers were glitching somehow? I'm not sure as to what Point you are driving at, doctor? Perhaps you have a diagnosis and treatment plan we can apply?"
Daynah had seen the data as Zuub did work. These people had breathed a mixture of soup that they should not have been breathing. The question she could not answer, at least not at the moment was how or why they breathed that sludge. She decided that the doc's explanation may inspire her. "Yes, Doctor what are your findings here?"
"Commander, there is no doubt that the autopsies confirm what my tricorder stated on my initial diagnosis. These people suffered from decompression illness. This is evident from the nitrogen bubbling in the bloodstream. However, the computers here do not reveal that same diagnosis." She paused while her antennae fell limply forward. "This leads to these possible conclusions: The computers have been malfunctioning. However, that is unlikely as all the readings are correct but the diagnosis is not reached. Since that possibility is unlikely, the only other conclusions is that someone, at some point, caused the computers to not recognize this ailment, which meant somebody knew what was happening here and the ailments are deliberately being allowed to occur."
Daynah had suspected as much, it was why she had engineering, operations, and intelligence working on the computer issues. But there was more that they needed to learn here. "Doctor. How could these patients have gotten decompression illness. They were not far enough underground, nor were they underwater. If we take your suspicions about the computer as fact for the time being. The question would be why someone would want to do such a thing. Additionally, how would someone accomplish such a task. Both the logistics of working with the computer, and the medical feat of causing patients to decompress without the pressure buildup."
Zuub's antennae started to warble unsteadily. "The how is simple. Someone has created these conditions such that a poison is being created in this atmosphere. I would suggest it might be from the regular mining activities, though I have not confirmed that yet. As to why would someone want to do that? Well, I can only suspect that since these are Cardassian machines and this station was manned by Cardassians before these people were here, that someone wanted to kill Cardassians. Well, either that or the Cardassians themselves wanted to kill these people. Either way, you would have to ask whomever programmed the computers to not recognize the ailment."
Weld listened to this diagnosis and frowned, her complexion paling as she stepped to a nearby cleaning station where sonic waves stripped the spray on coating she'd applied to her hands and forearms for the procedures. Turning to a work station they'd brought in she brought up independent information on the condition known as generalized barotrauma. She brought up information from the Colonies systems and then stepped over to the stand-alone terminal the Doctor's tricorder was plugged into. "Something is causing excess Nitrogen to be stored in our bodies," Weld said, working at keeping her voice dispassionate and professional. Something must be wrong with these old systems..." She sucked in a deep lungful of air then caught herself and forced the air back out, like that would help.
"We can treat this...but what if our supposedly purified oxygen is also compromised? We'll have to take all of this apart, make sure the systems are giving us correct information and then begin treatment...the worst cases can be put into chambers where life support is at one hundred percent and can be trusted to handle hyperbolic compression. Our livers and systems can take it from there...but we need to get the air fixed, or we won't get anywhere...."
The enormity of the whole mess threatened to overwhelm the normally implacable nurse.
"That is an engineering problem but it is a correct analysis of the probem, Nurse Weld," Zuub responded, her antennae hanging limply forward. "Perhaps we can analyze the purfication systems before engineering or operations arrives to take some sample readings. I might suggest getting in a space suit first, however."
"My thoughts exactly Doctor. I am going to suit up and do just that. Nurse Weld if you an take me to your purification system we can get started." Daynah then opened the channel. "This is Rix to the Adelaide. Send me down one enviro suit."
The computer aboard the Adelaide took in the request, analyzing and confirming Rix's (Dayna's) the voice print then activated the transporter for a point to point delivery. A meter from where Dayna stood, in a clear space a duffle containing what appeared to be an older, possibly used, but well maintained enviro suit kit.
Edina stood and looked at the Cadavers as she fought the cough bubbling up. "Doctor. What do you suggest we do in the meantime? Telling the other colonists seems the thing to do. And I do need to go check on everyone. I've probably been gone too long from the clinic."
Zuub answered, "We need to get everyone in suits. It is the only way we're going to be able to protect anyone here. I could fill up some hypos and alleviate some of the symptoms of the current victims, but ultimately they need to be in a suit or out of this place."
Edina thought about that for a minute and shook her head slowly. "There aren't enough suits, I don't think. And that might be a moot point. There's no guarantee that the suit filters will work any better than the others. As to abandoning the colony, maybe we can bring at least the worst cases aboard your Adelaide? Your air isn't tied to ours."
"We absolutely can bring the worst cases on teh Adelaide. We have limited resources but even being in our air with medication will assist," Zuub answered.
Daynah was not one for covert operations as she made sure everyone on the crew was aware. She also knew that the doctor simply wanted to make sure that her patients got well. However, Daynah thought bringing anyone up to the ship was a horrible mistake. However, this was neither the time nor the place to argue that point. She would send her opinions to the Captain to make sure that he was aware. Additionally, she knew that the Doctor was right their ship would help the patients survive. This was a catch twenty-two if there ever was one.
END
A joint post by:
Edina Weld
Chief Nurse for Avan's Colony.
written by R. Tyree
Lieutenant Commander Zuub
Chief Medical Officer
USS Valiant
Commander Daynah Ral
Executive Officer
Chief Science Officer
USS Valiant
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