Medical Trials: Ferengi Cure

Posted on Sat Nov 18th, 2023 @ 10:49am by Commander Chalan Kendri & Lieutenant Commander Rikka Takanashi M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Johanna Lyngstad

1,787 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: Campor III - Resupply
Location: Grabok Settlement, Campor III
Timeline: Day 14: 1600 hours

The medical team assembled in Transporter Room 3, joined by First Officer Chalan and Chief Security Officer Tomm. The two had led the initial away team to the Grabok Settlement, and Commander Chalan felt that it would be good for diplomatic reasons for them to hand the mission over to the medical staff in person.

"Commander Tomm, Lyngstad you're with me, Dr. Takanashi, Dr. McEntyre, and Ensign Kerr, we'll all go down first. You can bring the samples in your medical kits, but we will have the medics bring the rest of the supplies in the next transport," Chalan ordered as she stepped onto the platform. "Everyone ready?"

“As ready as we’ll ever be, Commander. Let’s go,” Tomm said. He stepped up on the platform and pulled down on his tunic.

"We're ready Commander. We've spent the last few hours replicating enough doses for the settlement. I hope this is the answer we're looking for in helping the colonists down there," J.R. said with confident smile, patting his labcoat pockets to feel if he had his tricorder, med kits and glasses.

Kendri nodded to the transporter operator and the group beamed down just outside of the doors to the hospital, and again were rushed by a group of excited Ferengi medical officers. This time the team were not in hazmat suits and had no worries of infection, and were hoping to carrying the cure to their problems.

The excited group of Ferengi also stayed behind Kephi and Krata this time as if they'd been instructed to do so. Many were standing on their tip toes, crouching low, or trying to peer around the edge of the group to get a better look at what they had brought. As Kendri and Kobi approached Kephi the next group of two nurses and three medics appeared behind the first group with two anti-grav units carrying the containers, one with the initial vaccine, the second with the follow-up protocol.

Kendri placed her palms together briefly as she greeted Kephi and Krata. "It is good to see you both again, and that you are well. You remember Commander Tomm and Commander Lyngstad from when we were last here?"

"Yes, yes of course. Hello" she said nodding to Lyngstad" She turned to Tomm, "And you're the quiet one," Kephi nodded smiling up at the security officer, extending her hand to him in a human greeting of a handshake. "Good to see you both again as well."

“Uh, yeah, that’s me. It is nice to see you,” Kobi said as they shook hands. He grinned at Kephi and nodded in Krata’s direction. “Krata.”

"I hear you are here with good news?" Krata asked, rubbing his hands together. Takanashi remembered him as being the one who thought to sell the cure for profit.

"We do," Kendri replied. "You'll have to let the medical team know how many patients you'd like to start with for a trial run. They're prepared to work with you until we get this right." Kendri answered.

Kephi stepped forward gently pushing Krata out of the way. "We thought we could start with 50 patients, and observe them overnight, then if things go well, start on the rest in the morning, if that makes since with the doctors."

“That’s a sound plan. I’ll accompany Nurse Kephi to the medical center and begin inoculations of the patients and set up the monitoring equipment. If you’d be so kind to lead the way, Ms. Kephi.” J.R. nodded his head, smiling. “If that is agreeable with Dr. Takanashi?” J.R asked, turning his head to Dr. Takanashi.

Takanashi nodded her head in agreement.

"Come along then, let's get you inside," Kephi said to the group. She turned to the medics who had followed them out. "See if they need any help with their things," she told them.

Kephi went back up to Commander Tomm. "Will you be able to stay with us a while, Commander?" She asked, looking up at him with a toothy grin as she linked her arm with his. "You and your team I mean? We would be honored to treat you to a dinner - one prepared to your liking, of course."

Kendri walked alongside them, a noticeably amused expression on her face as the Ferengi nurse flirted with their Chief Security Officer.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind, but it’s up to Commander Kendri here. She’s team leader and in charge of our away team operations. As Chief of Security, I don’t think it could hurt sticking around. What do you say, Commander?” asked Tomm.

He noticed that Kendri was amused and entertained by Kephi’s noticeable chummy behavior toward him. He was still attracted to Kendri, but he appreciated the Ferengi’s kindness.

"I'm sure that dinner would be appreciated. Our Captain would be honored to meet the members of your colony, if you are positive it would not be too much trouble. I know our stay was brief, last time," Kendri responded.

"Very good, very good," Kephi nodded. "I'll let our event coordinator know that the dinner is a go." Kephi looked up at Tomm, "I'll save you a seat next to me." She reached up and squeezed his cheek playfully before walking over to a comms station.

Kendri looked at Tomm and barely suppressed her laughter. "Looks like you have a date tonight, Mr. Tomm."

Kobi smiled right back at Kendri. “Certainly looks that way, Commander Kendri. Feel free to join us. Wouldn’t want you to feel left out.”

"Dinner sounds good. Looking forward to it," answered Johanna.

"Oh, I don't feel left out," Kendri assured him.

The medical team walked around them, the nurses, including Lissa walking with the doctors to begin distribution. A male Ferengi, older, wearing a lab coat, white hair peeking out from his inner lobes approached the medical team. "Greetings, I am Dr. Grad. The patients who are ready for trial are on our second floor. If you will follow me this way, and explain more about what you have been working on before we proceed."

J.R. nodded and followed Dr. Grad.

"Our research seems to indicate that the virus attacks the bodies pyrocyte cells. With that in mind we've developed a vaccine with a pyrocyte booster that we hope will be the cure to this outbreak. We've got enough stock to inoculate all fifty patients for this trial and once we've analyzed the results, we can begin a mass vaccination of the entire settlement," J.R. explained as they walked.

Rikka pondered the idea for a few moment. "I would like to narrow that down to ten." She suggested simply. "And we'd need their permission to try it out on them."

"We have over 200 patients who have applied to be a part of the clinical trials, Doctor," Grad responded. "They understand the trial phase that the drug is in. Don't you feel ten is a small sample size to start collecting any empirical data on how the drug will work?"

J.R spoke up, turning to Doctor Takanashi. "Ten patients seem like too little of a sample size. I'm reluctant to disagree with you, Doctor Takanashi, but I feel more patients would be better to study the long term effects. 50 patients at least for a good sample size."

Dr. Kephi held up a finger as an announcement that he wanted to speak. "Our researchers were going to recommend no less than forty patients to begin. Fifty would be acceptable. We believe it will be easy to find more volunteers we just have not spoken to everyone yet to avoid a mass request that we cannot fulfill." The doctor sighed. "And you know the Ferengi, there would be bribes, and calls to the Grand Nagus."

"Anyway, back to the point. we have our patients grouped for the clinical trials so that the sample includes patients of different ages, genders, blood types, and severity of symptoms," the Ferengi doctor explained. "They understand the risks. Ferengi risk waivers are very thorough, I assure you, but if you have your own, you may present those as well. You will not get that variety in a ten patient trial size."

Nurse Kerr listened to the doctors, and pretended to be fidgeting with her medical kit. She agreed with Dr. McEntyre, for the reasons that Dr. Grad explained, but she wouldn't say anything to the doctors unless they were behind closed doors.

"Forty is good, fifty would be better. I would like to get started as soon as possible if it's agreeable with all involved," J.R said, addressing everyone.

"Fifty it is then. Right this way," grad said rubbing his palms together. "The patients will be pleased that the trials are starting."

Grad led them down a ward that was familiar to Lissa, but neither Takanashi nor McEntyre had been down to see. One wing of the second floor held the all fifty patients that had been selected by the Ferengi medical researchers for the first round of trials. No one else was being treated in this wing.

Even without examining the patients up close, it was obvious that the least symptomatic were in shared a room with one other person and the rooms were closest to the lifts. The most ill were kept 8-10 patients in a long room, with a glass wall, so that medical staff could see easily into the rooms if a patient needed urgent care. Nursing stations were set up near each of these intensive care units.

"We have cleared office and laboratory space for you to work," Grad said, gesturing to an open door at the end of the hallway, between two rows of rooms."

Lissa walked into the rooms and saw a pleasant office connected to a large laboratory, and unloaded some of the materials and medical supplies on a large desk getting everything ready for the doctors.

J.R. came in behind the nurse, setting down his medkits and containers of hyposprays.

"We'll get started with the most ill patients first. Then we'll work our way down to the least critical patients and observe the results. I want to make sure that the critical patients get the vaccine first, so they have the better chance of survival."

Lissa along with the other nurses lined up in the hallway to take their orders from Dr. McEntyre and Dr. Grad. The five nurses were each assigned ten patients to administer the protocol to, under the supervision of the physicians. The medics, including Cadet Ki'ana were each assigned to one of the nurses to assist with handling equipment, taking notes, and providing care to the patients who needed physical assistance.

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