Some Much Needed Help

Posted on Thu Apr 13th, 2017 @ 1:34am by Commander Andrew Knight

Mission: The Space Between
Location: Various
Timeline: MD 8 1415

Drew was jogging down the corridor to the massive docking port when a shout out pulled him up short. He turned to see Cara getting off a turbolift. He waited for her to make the short trek to him. "Glad you could make it slow poke." He gave her a wide grin.

"What's the rush?" Cara asked walking up to Drew. She gave a quick look around then, when she was sure there were no witnesses, she gave him a quick kiss.

Drew returned the quick kiss, but got straight back to business. "The incoming freighter has a Lieutenant Donovan aboard. She says she's a nurse and I know how much you've been needing to fill a senior position in the medical staff."

"Lieutenant? You mean Starfleet?" Cara asked as she hurried along side of Drew.

Drew gave his sort of nod that wasn't exactly a nod. "I'm hoping so. Considering I don't know of any Delta Quadrant faction that uses our rank system." He punched a code to open the personnel door to the large hanger area and gestured to Cara. "Lovely ladies first."

"Thank you," Cara said with a smile as she stepped passed Drew and into the hanger. A small oddly shaped freighter that had, obviously, seen better days, was turning around and settling onto the deck. "Starfleet? In that?" she said, looking at the ship doubtfully.

Drew gave the battered ship a dubious look. He glanced at Cara and shrugged. "Bright side is that it probably doesn't hold a hoard of Delta Quadrant invaders intent on overrunning us." He turned back to the ship. "At least I hope not."

The Arnev's engines shut down and the loading ramp on its port side began to lower. Four awaiting security officers positioned themselves at the base of the ramp as a young bald man dressed in cargo pants, gray shirt and weathered leather jacket he got off of some pilot in a crap game while in the Alpha Quadrant and a phaser pistol holstered low on his right thigh, stepped into the doorway and grinned at the welcoming committee. Behind him stood a large red haired man with a large bushy mustache.

A detail emerged from another door into the hanger and double timed it up to the Arnev. The detail consisted of two from security, an engineer, a hospital corpsman, plus an officer and non com leading he detail. The officer looked at Drew and Cara as the couple approached. "Sorry sir, I wasn't aware you wanted to personally oversee the arrival."

Drew gave a wave. "Curiosity ensign. You and your detail follow docking protocol. We'll wait to greet our guests."

"What? No band? No confetti?" Braylin said as he stepped onto the ramp and looked around. "I come bearing gifts," he said, stepping to the side of the ramp and gesturing to his passengers.

Dressed in tattered and soiled Starfleet uniforms...one red and two gold...three shell shocked looking young men stepped into view of the ramp door and stared out of the Arnev.

"My God," Cara murmured and tapped the comlink in her ear. "Get an EFTS team up to the main hanger bay STAT," she said, softly.

Pushing through the three young men was an older robust woman in a filthy teal tunic...missing half of a sleeve. "Who's in charge?" she called down as she stepped onto the ramp.

The ensign spared a quick glance to Drew before stepping up to the foot of the ramp. "Ensign Perry ma'am. I am the Officer-in-Charge of the reception detail."

"This is a Starfleet base," Donovan said to the three young men behind her and she walked passed Braylin...the others following. "Ensign....your security detail can stand down. Capt. Braylin and his partner are OK. And as you can see...we," she indicated the three Starfleet officers behind her, "are Starfleet."

Cara left Drew's side and walked up to the bottom of the ramp just as the hangar doors opened and an EFTS team came in. She waved them over and said, "I'm Dr. Nichols. Chief of Medicine."

Donovan looked at the doctor then at the two medics. Looking back down at the doctor she nodded. "Inside. I did the best I could with what I had to stabalize her," she said. "Zaen....show them," she called to the mustached man at the top of the ramp. "She was caught under a catwalk when it came loose. Her left femoral artery was severed and her femur crushed. We were able to transfuse her and I managed to use an electrical hotwire to cauterize the artery and we fashioned an old Hare traction splint to reduce and stabalize the fracture but it has been a couple of weeks and an infection has set in and I haven't been able to get a handle on it."

Cara looked up at the woman in awe. She could tell by the woman's face that she had been doing this job for much longer than even Cara had. Her calm was inspiring. As tempted as she was to go see the patient for herself, she waved the EFTSs on and let them do what they were trained to do. As the two medics disappeared inside she asked, "are any of you injured?"

Donovan shook her head. "Superficial injuries that have pretty much healed," she said. "By the way... I'm Donovan. Cate Donovan. RN." She moved off of the ramp and held out her hand.

Cara took the woman's hand and shook it as she said, "welcome to the Rock. You wouldn't happen to be looking for a job would you?"

Donovan chuckled. "Well....I open to negotiations," she said, sounding serious but her eyes sparkled mischievously. She glanced over her shoulder at the door of the Arnev to see if they were bringing her patient out.

Guessing for the reason Donovan had turned to look at the door, Cara said, "she'll be beamed directly to our ER. In fact she's probably already there. What say the rest of you join us so I can give y'all a once over just for GPs." With that she led the Starfleet officers out of the hangar.

Drew stepped forward and greeted Michael, whom he assumed was the Captain of the this...ship. "Lieutenant Commander Knight, I'd like to speak with you once medical screening is complete and you've been assigned temporary housing for you and your crew."

Braylin smirked. "Your hospitality is generous," he said, shaking Drew's hand. "But Zaen and I won't be needing housing. We prefer to stay with our ship. And we won't need medical clearance because we aren't going to be staying. I just need to repair my EPS Flow Regulator and we'll be on our way."

"It's fine if you don't want temporary lodging sir." Drew looked at the port inspection detail before continuing. "But all visitors are required to submit to medical screening. We can't run the risk of biological contamination. Soooo. It's either that or quarantine for you and all those aboard."

"Fine," Braylin said, reluctantly. "Come on Z. Let the Fleeters do their poke and prod then we can get to work on getting out of here."

Zaen frowned and walked over to the control panel in the hull next to the ramp. He opened it and pulled a lever. The ramp retracted and the door closed with a clank of the locking mechanism. "No one touches her," he said to the deck hands, then he followed his partner and the Commander out of the hanger. "I hate doctors," Zaen grumbled as he walked next to his partner.

"I know, Big Guy," Braylin said with a grin. "But it's not going to be bad. I've been through these things before and they are a breeze." Then his grin turned to a confident smirk. "Especially if that pretty red headed doctor. She can give me a physical anytime," he said with a lecherous chuckle.

Drew frowned for a moment at Braylin's comment as a twinge of jealous annoyance coursed through him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he spoke in a no nonsense tone. "I'd be careful there Captain. I have it on good authority that Doctor Nichols' boyfriend might not the kind of person you want angry with you."

Braylin smirked, confidently, and said under his breath to Zaen, "I've never let that stop me before. I'll take my chances," and the two pirates exchanged an inconspicuous low five.

END