SIM:Lael Rosek - THAT Conversation Part II (Gorkon)

Previous sim "THAT Conversation, Part I"	Lieutenant Lael Rosek HCO Officer Starbase 118 USS Gorkon NCC 82293	Next sim "THAT Conversation, Part III"
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((Skyfire’s Office, Sickbay, USS Gorkon))
{{Time Index: En Route to Risa}}

:: Lael sighed as she entered Chythar’s office to find him and Dassa already waiting for her. He’d sent her a message scant hours ago saying that he had news about her surgery, asking her to meet with him in his office after her shift. She sank into the chair facing two of her closest friends. This was no doubt about the conversation she and Chythar had had before she left for Luraul. ::

Skyfire: We have been doing some homework, holding conversations, and coming up with solutions to your nanite situation. Thought ye’d want us to lay our hands in the table, so to say.

:: He was bad at inserting random poker references into conversation, but he was hopeful she took his meaning.::

Alexander: :: nods :: You were saying there were three possible solutions?

Skyfire: Option one: print a plastic spine and use stem cells to build the tissues surrounding it. Option 2, something akin to… :: He snapped his fingers a couple of times to prompt himself and glanced at Dassa, hoping she would finish the thought for him. ::

Alexander: Genetronics. We replicate a whole new ready to go spine and surgically insert it.

:: As much as Chythar disagreed with Dr. Russell’s ethics, he couldn't deny the results. It was an option. Not one he could see himself recommending. ::

Rosek: :: blinks :: Both of those sound pretty intense. What are the risks and the recovery time?

Skyfire: With the stem cell one, you’d be looking at maybe six months of desk work and the cells not forming properly. :: Again, he paused and looked to Dassa. Not because he couldn't finish the thought, but Dassa was the surgical expert. ::

Alexander: :: grimaces :: There’s one of two ways it could go with the stem cell one. We’d be using skin cells and forcing them to turn into the needed cells. Either they don’t and nothing happens...or they turn into something else entirely. Mutations.

Rosek: ::closes her eyes and breathes:: Cancer.

Alexander: Something like that, yes. Typically with modern technology, we just target and remove the mutated cells. But your case is more complex. The procedure to do so could damage what little of the living spinal column and tissue is left. There would be no going back. It’s complex enough to do this with a small section of your spine much less the whole thing. Genetronics has gotten more sophisticated since it was first implemented, but the procedure is still highly suspect. To date, a Klingon and a few Humans are the only known ones to have undergone the procedure and the Klingon only survived due to redundancies in his biological systems.

Rosek: ::swallows roughly:: So if the stem cell idea fails and the cells mutate, I’ll either be paralyzed entirely or I’ll be at a high risk of dying going the genetronics route.

:: Neither option was ideal, but she had summed up the risks adequately. Chythar brushed a strand of hair from his eyes and nodded slightly. ::

Skyfire: Yes. It isn’t exactly ideal, but the options exist. Your nanites may help reduce the recovery time, though I would need to check your file again before giving an estimate by how much.

Alexander: ::nods:: And the nanites could help reduce the chances of mutations. :: pauses :: I saw in your file that Jansen made some modifications to your nanite therapies a couple months back?

Rosek: ::gaze drops to her hands and she nods:: Just before he proposed, yes.

:: Chythar had a sip of his tea and listened. Dassa was leading now, in her element. As much xenobiology was the CMO’s passion, he knew little about Lael’s specific needs. ::

Alexander: ::nods and pauses:: While I’m fairly familiar with your biology, my knowledge of nanotech is limited.

Skyfire: I took an extension course in biocircuitry, but I am also not versed in nanotechnology.

Alexander: :: thoughtful :: Is it fair to say Jansen is fairly well versed in nanotechnology?

Rosek: :: smiles shyly :: Yeah. He told me when we first met that he had a specialty in it.

Skyfire: I’ll make an effort to ask him, if you like.

Rosek: :: pauses and nods :: I don’t know what he’ll say, but you can ask.

Skyfire: Simple. If you’d rather I didn't, then I won't. I want this to work as much as you do, but don't want to make it any harder mentally than it has to be.

Rosek: :: pauses :: There is something you should both know.

:: Dassa frowned at her friend, leaning closer. ::

:: CD’s brows knitted together, as though she was about to drop the proverbial bombshell.::

Skyfire: What's that?

Rosek: ::pauses and turns to Chythar:: Over there...things were awful. Death was something we faced even more often than we do now. Before you and I met...before all this drama with… ::blushes:: Jansen has my medical power of attorney.

:: Chythar gave no reaction other than schooling his features back to the casual calm he preferred. ::

Alexander: :: eyes widen :: Are you bloody serious?! What the hell were you thinking?

Rosek: :: glares at her :: We were very much in love and I trusted Jansen above everyone. Chythar and I hadn’t become close yet and there was a good chance we’d never make it home...so I signed it.

Alexander: :: gapes :: Does he know?

Rosek: :: pauses :: No. Thankfully, it never came to that. But he was all I had over there, so naturally he would have been the one to decide anyway.

Skyfire: Okay. Well, I won't get into whether or not it was a good idea. Not my place to. Do you need time to consider the options?

Rosek: ::sighs:: It sounds to me like the only real options are whether to do the stem cell procedure or not to. Genetronics sounds a little iffy for my liking. ::pauses:: Let’s go with the stem cell procedure combined with the nanites.

:: He stiffened as he heard the words, but knew she would not change her mind once she’d set her course. He kept the grim smile from etching its way onto his features and nodded faintly. ::

Skyfire: Alright, lass.

---
Lt. Lael Rosek
HCO Officer
USS Gorkon
I238110RH0

&

PNPC LtJG Dassa Alexander, ChD, PD, PDS
Medical Officer
USS Gorkon
I238110RH0

&

Lieutenant Chythar Skyfire
CMO
USS Gorkon
O239002CS01