The Excrement Has Impacted with the Rotary Air Circulator

[Kansas_Jones 0]

03.15.07

USS Agincourt NCC-81762

“The Excrement Has Impacted with the Rotary Air Circulator”

What in the blue be danged Roddenberry blazes was going on around here?

 

JoNs couldn’t put her paw on it. From the moment she entered the sickbay to check on things, there was something in the air. The situation in general just seemed off.

 

She observed – rather, stayed in the shadows all feline lurking like - the questions that Doctor Levy and Lieutenant Major Rieve were asking the woman - Apple, or Melissa - as she had come to be known. It sometimes helped to let others do the investigating, while you took on the role of observer. Think of it as a variant on the “good cop, bad cop” ploy. Solid answers were finally being nailed down, or so Kansas was hoping.

 

The female had been a passenger on the White Star, a ship mastered by a Captain Collins. Apparently, Melissa and Collins were partners in a scam to rip off Apples family, with Melissa impersonating the woman. JoNs was extrapolating that the original Apple herself had been lost in space or some such, and then she would ‘suddenly’ be found in the form of Melissa masquerading as Apple to be reclaimed by any current family. A couple of things didn’t make sense though, such as the age of the pod (2057) versus the actual date that the White Star had been in service (2307). Or why Collins had left Melissa drifting in the ancient pod. Although, the fact that the White Star had been recorded as destroyed sometime in 2307 might factor into that. For now, JoNs was assuming that the original Apple had been listed as missing from the same decade that the pod was in use, hence the need to use an ancient travel pod.

 

Regardless, all the departments would pool the information gathered from the pod, past historical documents, and the questioning of Melissa herself, to further expand on this already growing mystery.

 

Suddenly, the general feeling in the sickbay really shifted, and the Caitian's concern shifted as well from information gathering to procedure initiations. Doctor Levy became openly hostile to Melissa, becoming abusive. Melissa had actually apologized to Kansas for her earlier insults. Lt. Major Rieve remained the stoic marine guard, pulling Levy from the patient, so that was good. Lieutenant Kairi stepped in at that point, walking Levy to her office in an effort to get the medical doctor to calm down. She had seen enough and it was time to clear the medical bay - the Caitian’s instincts were red lining.

 

JoNs basically told Lieutenant Murray to get out – she’d have to apologize to him later. She was thankful when Rieve had stated she was staying as the primary internal guard; Kansas felt better knowing that Hair had her back. And with two of her best enlisted security guards currently outside the bay, and line officer Spitfire on his way, Kansas felt certain enough to finally deal with the irate doctor and whatever (or whoever) else happened within the next few seconds.

 

How in the hell does a security chief tell the medical chief to avoid contact with a patient? And for that matter, when had she decided to fully lock down the medical area? JoNs had read some past, though rare, security cases of the chief asserting their authority with regard to a ship board “trouble spot”. This was totally one of them – she was convinced that somehow, Levy’s telepathic abilities had been compromised by Melissa, and vice versa. That they had both gotten into each others heads and started acting out of character. Then again, maybe not, and JoNs was chasing the stardust. But, regardless, things were not well here in the sickbay and she would deal with any repercussions later.

 

“Doctor Levy, I request that you do not treat this patient anymore….” Of course, this went over with Levy about as well as Andorian opera would at a Klingon Coming of Age ceremony.

 

In the process of the conversation, she contacted Spitfire to get a twenty on his position.

 

Kansas wasn’t sure what happened then. There was motion somewhere behind her. Her sensitive ears picked up on Rieve talking to Melissa, and the undercurrent of menace in the marines tone.

 

…Rieve was pointing her phaser rifle at Melissa! JoNs abruptly cut the comm to her junior lieutenant and bolted toward the female marine, covering the distance with long feline strides. “Hair!” Oh my gods…

 

Know what is said about everything going slow motion when you are shot? Yes, well, it is rather disconcerting.

 

Rieve spun and fired at Kansas, point blank, no hesitation, dead on. Oh, no…wait…lets not use dead. This was one of those times when that solid marine training was not a good thing.

 

The beam lanced out and nailed the Caitian chief square in the chest. The impact knocked her backwards and she slammed into a small desk attached to the bulkhead, sliding across the surface and wiping out several pads, data chips and specimen jars in the process. She landed hard on the carpeted decking, hearing a pop and feeling a sharp pain in her right wrist as she impacted. Her chest was a strange combination of fire and numbness, but basically it hurt. Her un-injured left paw groped feebly at the phaser attached to her waistband, but she couldn’t focus enough to lock onto anything or anyone for very long.

 

Shouted voices were indistinct and too low to make out.

 

Somehow, Spitfire had gotten into it with Rieve and the two were currently playing Phaser Hide and Seek among the bio beds. It really looked like…fun…Jamie was trying to stop Levy from going…somewhere. Melissa looked frightened out of her skull. Honey, you have no idea.

 

Alert klaxons were going off. Red…Red...Red…noise…noise…noise. A strange smell snaked its way into her nostrils.

 

Well, it looked as if Kansas had been taken out by one of the few and the proud, rather then a chest bursting insectoid-type leaping from host Melissa. There go my credits in the security office pool.

 

Then the blackness was all enveloping, and she stopped fighting it.

Edited March 16, 2007 by Kansas_Jones