On The Dog Walk

[DJ McKinny 0]

A Joint Log by Captain Ayers and DJ McKinny

 

"If it's not one thing, it's another, " mumbled DJ as she strolled through the dog walk with Gilbert. The black and brown basset hound was having the time of his life. Poor Gilbert, since joining Aegis, DJ had neglected him terribly. She never expected she would have to spend so much time at the office or in meetings or at seminars or at after hours chats with upset patients and staff....the list went on and on and on..... Small pleasures, like long walks with Gilbert, were relegated to the bottom of the "To Do List." And there were never enough hours in the day to get half way down the list, much less to the bottom of it.

 

She had gotten home a little earlier than usual that afternoon. As always, Gilbert enthusiastically greeted her at the door, his tail wagging so hard it swung his hips from side to side. When she stooped down to pat him on the head, she could almost hear him pleading with her....."please spend a little time with me today...I miss you so much."

 

So she had gotten down on the floor with "The Brush." She spent 15 minutes running it back and forth over Gilbert's back and another few minutes on his ample belly. She was a little surprised just how ample that belly had become. And that was her fault. Gilbert ate the same amount every day but since their arrival on Aegis, his exercise time had been reduced to practically nothing. Who was to blame for that? He couldn't take himself out. And he sure wasn't going to turn down a meal. That simply wasn't in his nature.

 

She quickly prepared his dinner, taking care to cut back just a little. While Gilbert ate, or rather, inhaled his food, DJ looked for the leash. To her dismay, it took her a few minutes to find it. The moment she picked it up, Gilbert raced to the door and started his happy dance. For the first time in weeks, they were going for a walk. It was way past time, for both of them.

 

DJ always enjoyed walking with Gilbert. As he stopped to read the messages from other dogs and leave his own calling cards, she had time to clear her mind and think of things other than work. She often talked to Gilbert about both important and trivial issues. He always listened even if he didn't pay close attention. More importantly, he never talked back. Of course, the exercise didn't hurt her any either.

 

Perhaps it was because this was the first walk she and Gilbert had taken in weeks, but for some reason, DJ's thoughts kept drifting back to the job, especially the chat she had with Nick Lepage earlier in the day. She was truly impressed with how dedicated Dr. Lepage was to his quest for a cure to the Rixian Plague. She understood the medical complexities of the situation. But she'd never met a Rixian. Nick Lepage had not only met one, he'd worked closely with her, albeit for only a short time. For Nick, this quest had become a personal crusade. He was determined to save Dr. Lanvin and her people.

 

Although she wasn't an expert on Rixian Plague, one thing DJ had going for her was good instincts. She finally learned to trust them years ago and they had served her well. Dr. McKinny knew a disaster when she saw one coming. And she had a gut feeling there was a huge one on the horizon where the Rixians were concerned. What DJ didn't know was how to prepare young Dr. Lepage for "failure." Not his own, personal failure, but the failure of an entire society to make necessary changes before it was too late. In fact Dr. McKinny had a sinking feeling it was already too late for the Rixians. Her biggest fear was how Nick Lepage would react to that.

 

She was lost in thought when she realized Gilbert had stopped walking. She glanced up to find him sniffing someone's foot, his tail wagging happily. She raised her head to find the foot belonged to none other than Captain Nick Ayers. His sudden appearance surprised her.

 

"Good afternoon, Captain," said DJ, wondering how she could have been so distracted she didn't notice him coming her way. She glanced down at the basset hound. "And may I introduce you to Gilbert. I can tell he's pleased to meet you."

 

Nick smiles and leans down to scratch Gilbert behind the ears. Standing he says "I wasn't aware you had a dog as well, Doctor." He nods towards a young Siberian Husky a short distance away "And that is Diamante. Diam for short." Diamante comes wandering over and after considering Gilbert for a few seconds, Diamante nudges the smaller dog playfully.

 

"Curious. I walk Diam here every day usually at this same time and have never noticed you or Gilbert here before. You must walk him at a different time." He pauses then adds "Or I guess I may have just not noticed before. Usually I'm lost in my own thoughts or wi.." He cuts himself off and frowns inwardly. He covers the gaffe by saying "..or distracted by Diam here."

 

DJ frowned slightly and shook her head. "I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I've been so preoccupied lately that I haven't spent much time with Gilbert. But," she continued. "That is something I plan to rectify. Effective immediately, no more late nights at the office, unless there is a bona fide emergency. It isn't good for me or Gilbert and I think I may be setting a poor example for some of my staff."

 

The staff member she was referring to was Nicloas Lepage who was recently ordered to his quarters for 24 hours of rest by none other than the stations' XO. Commander Hawke could have done far worse. Lepage literally questioned her authority. She could have had him disciplined. Fortunately, the Commander realized Lepage's uncharacteristic attitude was the result of exhaustion. Hence the order to spend 24 hours in his quarters catching up on much needed rest.

 

DJ wasn't sure the Captain was aware of the incident. He and Commander Hawke were close. There was a good chance Ethan told him what happened with Lepage. But just in case she hadn't mentioned it, DJ thought it better not say anything. However, thinking about the Hawke/Lepage incident reminded her of something else she wanted to discuss with Ayers.

 

"Which reminds me," she said quickly. "Did you know that Dr. Lepage forwarded his report on Rixian Plague to Dr. Lanvin?"

 

Nick smiles as he feeds a treat to Diamante. "Yes, I do know that Dr. Lepage has done so. Even if I hadn't seen the computer log of all incoming and outgoing transmissions I would have figured he would. Dr. Lepage is not one to let something go..." His smile slips as he considers the Rixian situation "...even if the worst is a probable foregone conclusion. I just hope he can handle what will probably turn out to be a tragedy." Nick pauses momentairly as he straightens to his full height. "Speaking of Dr. Lepage, did he get that rest he needed?"

 

So the Captain knew Commander Hawke had ordered Lepage to his quarters for rest. DJ really wasn't surprised. From the day she arrived on Aegis, she'd strongly suspected Ayers and Hawke were more than friends. Just how much more was none of her business. All she was concerned about was the Captain's reaction to the incident. From his demeanor, he didn't seem all that bothered by it.

 

"Yes," replied DJ with a chuckle. "Dr. Lepage is now well rested. It was very kind of the Commander to give him such leeway. I'm not sure I would have been so generous had he questioned my authority."

 

She tugged on the leash to pull Gilbert back a little. "He's taking this Rixis Project very personally," continued DJ, frowning slightly. "Lepage has invested a great deal of time and energy into the research. But his dedication goes beyond that. He really wants the Rixians to survive. I've talked to him a couple of times about the possibility of failure. To be honest with you, I'm not sure how he'll react."

 

DJ stepped over Gilbert as he tried to walk between her legs. She barely managed to maintain her balance. As her Basset Hound continued sniffing about, she tilted her head slightly and looked directly at the Captain. "If I may ask," she began cautiously. "Why are you so convinced the worst is inevitable?"

 

He sighs and closes his eyes for a few moments. "Because they seem even more entrenched in their xenophobia then they were before. I didn't even have to be empathic or telepathic to pick up on the hatred and fear that was rolling off that Rixian Captain and their Ambassador was just barely better. And from what the Doctor that accompanied them indicated, she and those who are more open minded are rather in the minority. And even she wanted so desperately to cling to their supposed superiority. Unfortunately history often has a way of repeating itself. They did not listen to those that knew better last time..and I very much doubt they're going to listen to those who know better this time. I hope I'm wrong, I sincerely do. All across the galaxy are planets that testify to races long gone..and some that are nearly gone. It would be a tragedy to add one more to the list, yes?" He shakes his head for a moment "Perhaps I'm being overly cynical."

 

He glances at her for a few seconds before continuing. "The Rixians are going to face a cultural upheaval the likes of which I don't think you or Doctor LePage or frankly anyone else on this station quite realizes the scope of. A great dark wave is descending upon them and it's going to destroy everything in its path. Not just one neighborhood, not just one city..not even one province for lack of a better word. Their entire planet is going to be swept up by that wave and when it's through what will remain will either be a species that managed to survive...or a species that will be nothing more than dust blowing in the wind."

 

"And the irony of it isn't lost on me. They came to my people asking for help and when they didn't get what they wanted they retreated into their xenophobia and lashed out at those around them..including those who they came to for help. And finally..they died out or so we thought. And yet centuries later..here they are..in the same exact position they were before..and in the same position my people have been in for the last one hundred or so years."

 

DJ listened intently as Captain Ayers explained himself. She didn't miss the fact he kept mentioning "my people." McKinny knew that Ayers was of mixed pedigree. One parent was El Aurian and the other a Terran human. She couldn't recall which was which but she got the definite impression that Ayers identified quite strongly with his El Aurian heritage. She supposed that was only natural. She'd studied his file thoroughly....twice. He possessed several El Aurian traits that would predispose him to such an allegiance.

 

"You could be right," she replied with a pleasant smile. "You may very well be overly cynical. Then again, it wasn't genetic manipulations or xenophobia that ravaged the El Aurians. In spite of the Borg, some El Aurians survived."

 

DJ again found herself tangled in Gilbert's leash as the short legged hound wove in and around her feet. "It appears the same thing happened with the Rixians, or whatever their ancestors were called, " continued DJ, as she manuevered her dog over to the side of the walkway. "They disregarded the advice they sought from the El Aurians and retreated into their xenophobic parnoia But, somehow, enough of them survived and reproduced. The result....several million Rixians."

 

"I tend to agree with you that the Rixian situation could very well end in tragedy," said DJ while trying to keep Gilbert from pulling her down the walk. "I don't know as much about them as you or Dr. Lepage. But there is a good possibility a substantial percentage will not survive this crisis. So, what do you think we should do for those Rixians who manage to beat the odds?"

 

He considers what she asked for a few seconds then says "That will depend on what they do. If they ask for help I imagine Starfleet would move in to do so. But we can't force our help on them. And it is just as likely that what they face will so completely fracture them as a race that they'll resort to what could diplomatically be called tribal barbarism. In such a case they would lose most of their technology in all likelyhood and would fall under the protection of the Prime Directive. Which means there would be very little if anything we could do for them." He sighs and shakes his head "What happens next is really up to them, Doctor, as cold as that sounds."

 

It did sound cold....very cold. But DJ knew the Captain was right. As she'd tried to explain to Nick Lepage, everything depended on what the Rixians chose to do. "Personally," she stated flatly. "I think they may end up with a civil war on their hands. Lepage sent the entire report to Dr. Lanvin....all of it. Including his determination that genetic engineering is responsible for their current problem. I have a gut feeling word will get out and when it does, there may be hell to pay."

 

DJ paused a moment and gazed off into the distance as she considered the horrors that could await the Rixian people. "The xenophobes won't disappear. Neither will those who've worked so hard to develop their genetic engineering program. But there will be others who want immediate change. And they'll probably want revenge too." The CMO again looked at Ayers. "What is our position on asylum?"

 

"That's kind of what I meant by "tribal barbarism." As for asylum, it would depend on each individual situation. It was mentioned to Dr. Lanvin when she intruded in the arboretum where Et..." He catches himself and frowns slightly. His involvement with Ethan wasn't really a secret and yet he isn't sure he wants to admit it. They didn't really see it as being of anyone elses business. Finally he shakes his head slightly and says "..where Ethan and I had dinner for my birthday last year. But she wouldn't take it and I doubt that will change. Dr. Lanvin is as stubborn as your Dr. LePage is. I'm not sure how willing Starfleet and the Federation would be willing to take asylum requests for an untold amount of people. And to be honest...I'm not sure how well or how fast the Rixians could assi....." Again he frowns at what he nearly said though for very different reasons. "....adjust to life within the Federation."

 

"At the time, Dr. Lanvin may not have felt it necessary to consider asylum," replied DJ. "She could have changed her mind by now. When Lepage contacted her, he said she spoke very....carefully. He took that to mean she was being monitored. I wasn't there so I can't offer an opinion on that. But if Lepage is correct, the situation on Rixis may have deterioriated to the point where Dr. Lanvin and others would be a little more interested in asylum."

 

Gilbert was anxious to resume the walk and wasn't shy about letting DJ know how he felt. He'd been tugging and pulling on the leash all along. Now he started barking. DJ knew she had only a moment more to finish her chat with Captain Ayers. "Would you have any objection if we worked up a contingency for.....rescuing the Rixians who may ask to leave their planet? I'm not saying such a thing would happen. No one on Rixis may ever ask for asylum. Even if they did, the Federation would have to authorized it. But, it would be nice to have a plan of some sort, just in case. Especially when you consider how ill some of those people will be."

 

"From what little I know of Dr. Lanvin I doubt there would ever arise a situation in which she'd request asylum but then omniscient I am not. I will talk to the Admiral about a contingency plan. But you should know, we can't exactly give them the idea of asylum. If any of them request it is going to have to be their idea. And I somehow doubt the Rixian government will be too keen on letting anyone just leave. If they're paranoid enough to monitor Dr. Lanvin's communications, they're paranoid enough to do other things." He sighs quietly "This is going to be messy no matter which way it turns out, Doctor. I hope you and Dr. Lepage are prepared for it."

 

"Thank you, Captain," replied DJ. "I appreciate you speaking to the Admiral." Gilbert continued insisting they continue their walk. "I know it will be messy. As for being prepared, it's difficult to prepare for something with so many unknown variables. Hopefully, we'll hear from Dr. Lanvin soon. Then we'll have a better idea about what's going on and what to expect."

 

Gilbert tugged one last time and DJ was forced to follow. "And thank you for taking the time to chat." She nodded toward her impatient canine with a slight frown. "But if I don't go now, he's going to dislocate my shoulder." She turned and continued down the walkway at the quick pace forced on her by her four legged pal. "Geeze Gilbert," she whispered. "That's the station CO, for crying out loud! Where are your manners?