I Want a New Drug: The Ferengi Cure

Posted on Sat Nov 4th, 2023 @ 8:49pm by
Edited on on Sun Nov 5th, 2023 @ 11:06am

1,521 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Deck 12 Sickbay
Timeline: MD C14 1200 hours

"Dr. McEntyre, I think we found something," Maya called out. "Take a look at this."

J.R rushes into the room from the Main Sickbay where he'd be examining patients, his lab coat flowing behind him as he came in at a jog.

Lieutenant Foley was jolted to attention by Maya's voice. He'd been watching images of the virus react to various compounds for the last few hours, and had lost track of the fact that there were other people in the room.

"What did you find, Dr. Lenn?"

J.R. asks most curiously, tail swishing in excitement of the prospect of finding a cure to the virus. His ears twitched as he looks over the screen.

Rikka had overheard them so had quietly wandered in after J.R. she was as curious as him.

"A few of the anti-virals that Dr. McEntyre compounded earlier killed the virus, but the formulas weren't stable, because the pyrocytes were too damaged." Maya explained. "Compound C-34 can be stabilized if we add the the Ferengi immune system enzyme to the compound, and include a pyrocyte booster into the protocol approximately four hours after administration of the medication."

“How soon can we have a test sample ready? I’d like to make sure with a test subject before replicating more of C-34?” He inquired of Dr. Lenn with a most curious purr, happy to have been part of finding this result.

“Once we know of its real world viability, we can replicate enough and start vaccinating people. I’d preferably like to assemble a medical team to beam down, any recommendations on who to include aside from yourself and I, Dr. Lenn?”

"The hospital staff is familiar with Nurse Kerr, she was on the initial away team, and has taken several shifts to work in their hospital since," Lenn responded.

"First we need to see if the Ferengi have ever tried replicating the immune enzyme pryzyne. Starfleet Medical and the Interspecies Medical Exchange programs have never tried. If not we'll be working from scratch," Lenn explained. "We should contact Nurse Kephi, she was the away team's liaison at the Hospital."

J.R nodded, going over to key a comm pad. "Starship Columbia to Nurse Kephi on Campor III?

The nasally voice of a Ferengi female responded, her image coming up on the viewscreen with a half second delay. "Yes Columbia. Do you have good news? I don't believe we had a chance to meet when I was on board. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" She gave the doctor a toothy grin.

"This is Doctor J.R. McEntyre, I'm the Assistant Chief Medical Officer. We do have promising news on a vaccine but had some questions we want to run by you, if you have some time?" J.R. answered her calm and professionally.

"I'm hoping to inquire on whether or not you've tried replicating the immune enzyme Pryzyne? We believe that the Virus attacks the pyrocytes in Ferengi blood, which makes y'all more susceptible to the disease."

Kephi lowered her voice, "Yes, some of our Doctors have discovered that too. We're trying to not let word get out among the general population before there is a treatment. There would be widespread panic." Kephi paused and appeared to be looking around her surroundings. "We've always understood pyrocytes to protect us from almost all ailments that other species encounter. It's helpful when being in the trade business as you can imagine."

"Pryzyne. Yes, we have replicated this, it is useful when someone has been severely injured. Is the cure as simple as pryzyne? Surely there is more to it than that, Doctor?" Kephi inquired.

Lissa had walked up, hearing Kephi's voice. She spoke softly to J.R., "It's okay, Doctor. She's of the younger generation. She's not trying to make a profit, she just wants to help her people."

J.R. nods and turns back to the screen.

"We think we've found a promising solution in combination with a compound we've formulated, along with the administration of a pyrocyte booster into the vaccination protocol approximately four hours after primary administration of the vaccine."

"We can bring you the pryzyne. How much do you need?" Kephi offered. "We have many patients willing to be part of a test group for trial runs of whatever Starfleet comes up with."

"I don't want to overtax what limited resources you have. We're willing to replicate the pryzyne ourselves, if you could provide us with the replicator encoding for it." J.R. suggested.

Lissa's eyes went wide and she bit her lip as she waited for Kephi's response.

"We're Ferengi, Doctor. I assure you our resources are sufficient, and we trust in the Great River," Kephi responded, looking at the doctor as if she were scolding a child. "However, your offer is quite generous, assuming you do plan to teach us how to make the cure ourselves once you've perfected it?" Kephi asked, now shrewdly. She did not want the Ferengi to be dependent on Starfleet if another such outbreak occurred.

"Starfleet is not in the habit of hording cures for sick and wounded peoples. I assure you, you'll have all the technical knowledge to keep manufactoring the vaccines." J.R. reassured the Ferengi Nurse with a soft smile. Starfleet's first duty is to the humanitarian aid of all life in the Galxay.

Kephi's posture relaxed, and she gave the Doctor another toothy smile. "As long as we are on the same page then, I'll send you codes and formula you need to replicate the pryzyne enzyme. Is there anything else we can do to help?" Kephi asked.

"Not at the present time. Just continue your good work down there. Once we have the vaccine developed we'll beam down with a medical team to begin trial runs. I look forward to meeting you, Nurse Kephi." J.R nodded in appreciation.

"Same to you, Doctor. Kephi out." The comm link ended, and within five minutes the code and formula arrived.

J.R. looked over the coding and formula before handing it over to Lenn. "This looks promising, how soon do you think we can have the Medical Replicators pumping this out?"

He was excited, tail swishing back and forth, equally as excited.

"No time at all," Dr. Lenn responded. "We can give this to Brad, and we can start producing it right away." Lenn handed the PADD to Lissa so she could find their medical technician.

"Then let's be about it then. We got a Vaccine to produce. Let me know when we have enough to start trials runs. I'll go inform Commander Chalan and get equipment ready for a landing party."

J.R. went into professional mode, taking charge, nodding to everyone.

"We're close, I feel it. I want to also say good work to everyone thus far and once we know we've got a working vaccine, The first rounds at Boomerangs are on me!" J.R. beamed that happy Caitian smile.

Foley jumped in, "I suggest we ask if Officer Savin in science can assist with compounding the medication. He has quite a few years of experience at the Vulcan Science Institute. He's been following our work."

J.R tapped his commbadge "Officer Savin report to Sickbay"

J.R turned to the others. "We've got a lot of work to do, so lets be about it then. I want status reports on the hour until we got enough to start a test group. Thank you all"

Savin walked briskly into Sickbay and directly into the laboratory. "Is the medical team prepared to compound the medication?" he asked.

"We've got the materials, if we can get it compounded in the next few hours or so, we can beam down at Planetary Dawn. How soon can they be ready, Mr. Savin?" J.R. asked as Savin walks into the lab.

"May I see the the formula, and whatever raw materials you have already prepared?" the Vulcan science officer asked coolly.

J.R nods and hands over the PADD with the data.

“The medical replicator should be able to handle this much pyrocyte for the amount of C-34 we’re compounding. How soon could we have this?”

"Agreed, Doctor." Savin accessed the LCARS panel to input the formula into the replicator's database. "Many studies have concurred that the most efficient way to create a stable pharmaceutical compound, is to instruct the medical grade matter synthesizer to formulate each ingredient in the specified order before exposing the formula to atmosphere."

Savin looked up. "Compounding the ingredients separately is not only less efficient, but can result in a less stable medication."

One hypospray materialized on the replicator's platform. "If the calculations were successful, the maximum output per command, will yield forty doses every 42 seconds."

“Excellent! Let me know when we have enough for a test group. Let’s assemble in the transporter room in say…2 hours with full medical load outs,” J.R said to everyone.

Lieutenant J.R. McEntyre M.D.
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Columbia

Dr. Maya Lenn M.D.
Physician
USS Columbia

Ensign Diasheliss Kerr
Nurse
USS Columbia

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