Round 13 Lt. LtCmdrs Isaac Green and Jaxon Mc Ghee *Unexpected Events*

[Toni]

((Duronis II))

::Isaac set the shuttle down in the Lokesh City Spaceport, and after securing the ship he stepped out. He blinked his eyes at the brightness from the twin suns and raised his hand to shade them. He missed the sunglasses mandated by Fleet Captain Turner, and in an effort to be inconspicuous he decided not to try and find a pair from a local shop. He wasn't dressed in a Starfleet uniform, but found he was able to blend in fairly well with the exception of the lack of the colored band along his hairline. He walked away from the spaceport, turning west toward the Federation Embassy as soon as he could. Following a pathway toward the beach, Isaac decided to use one of the rear entrances to keep from creating too much of a commotion.

He quietly passed through the security checkpoint, receiving a day pass as his own security clearance had expired upon leaving the Embassy. Standing on one of the many paths, he paused for a moment, taking in the scent of the flora before he continued. Ignoring the occasional crewmember or Embassy staff out and about in the gardens, Isaac slipped along unseen until he reached the Engineering and Maintenance Facility. The trip through the facility to his destination was short and he arrived and paused at the door before calling. The blurt of the computer while in the lift had told him what he already surmised... his codes had been changed as soon as he had been reassigned. Taking on an old fashioned approach, Isaac balled up a fist and knocked on the door... hoping to arouse the attention of a specific officer. He waited for what felt like an hour before the door slipped open. He answered the questioning look on his friend's face with as much of a smile as he could muster. ::

((Utilities Complex, Level 4, Mc Ghee Personal Quarters))

:: Jaxon had spent the last few hours rereading the information they had collected on the security incident. So far the he had managed to piece the movements of Mike, Joel and the two technicians together and found nothing out of the ordinary, apart from the fact that Valentino was a Marine and entered the EUC in the middle of the night. To remain fair and unbiased, he had given the evaluation of Joel’s movements to another officer and had also sent him on his way to meet with the Captain as requested. He was expecting the results soon. All the more so was he surprised when his heard a hammering on the front door of his quarters. The short, heavy set man set down his Padd, conscientiously secured the computer screen displaying his own results and got up to answer it. The person at the door was not the person the Chief was expecting and the he needed a moment to process all the details. ::

Green: Hi, Jaxon.

Mc Ghee: :: puzzled :: Isaac? :: looks up and down :: What the hell happened to you?

Green: It's a long story, Mate. ::Trying to maintain the smile, even though the pain was starting to show through:: Mind if I come in?

Mc Ghee: Of course, come in, come in.

:: The engineer stood back to allow his friend to enter his quarters. While the taller and heavier built man passed the small kitchen area, Jaxon watched his gait and took in the little details. He had already seen that Isaac was uncharacteristically out of uniform and his current clothing wasn’t in the best condition; Jaxon was unsure how long his friend had been in them. Almost absently he reached to the door keypad and tapped in a private code that didn’t even appear on the station computer, sealing the door. He crossed the room to the large and open living room where two armchairs stood before the holographic fireplace. Jaxon didn’t have a couch in his living room as it would encourage groups of visitors. ::

:: Isaac let out a long breath, finding it increasingly difficult to hold back the grimace struggling to become apparent. The act of breathing alone caused pain akin to a white hot poker stabbing into his left side. He leaned against the back of one of the armchairs to steady himself. ::

Mc Ghee: Feel free to take a seat, Isaac… :: watching him sit down :: this isn’t a call for old times’ sake is it?

Green: ::Gently laughing, which caused him to flinch against the searing pain in his side:: What makes you say that?

Mc Ghee: Well, your clothes have seen better days and you turning up without an announcement are good indicators, but the way you’re clutching your side and how carefully you took a seat tell me a lot more. Bruised ribs?

Green: Broken, I think.

:: Jaxon whistled quietly at his friend’s answer and fought the urge to ask why he hadn’t had himself treated yet back; Isaac would have done so if he had had the time. Instead he had sought him out here at the Embassy which wasn't exactly close to the Mercury and that all had to have a reason. There had also been talk the last time Isaac had disappeared and while Jaxon had curtailed his curiosity in interest of their friendship, he knew Isaac had the qualifications for certain work. So far everything discretely pointed out that that calling a medic wasn’t a current option, through all the same Jaxon felt that Isaac should have something for the pain. ::

Mc Ghee: Which remedy do y’prefer; standard issue field medkit, or an 18 year old bottle?

Green: How 'bout we start with the bottle, then we can go from there.

Mc Ghee: :: nodding gravely :: A good choice.

Green: I think this is the first time I've seen your flat. Nice place you've got here. ::Isaac was obviously trying to make small talk while his friend made his way across the room.::

:: The Chief crossed the room to the bar table on the far side and two glasses, the ice bucket and water jug. He brought everything to the side table set up between the two armchairs, quietly placing the medkit to one side; it might be needed after the internal anesthetic had begun to work. ::

:: Isaac watched the Welshman drop cubes of ice into two highball glasses and he felt himself begin to salivate. He realized it had been a long time since he had eaten anything other than the slop like gruel served to him during his stay with his captors and his stomach growled quietly while he waited.::

Green: Synth?

Mc Ghee: :: pouring :: No, no. The real McCoy. None of that replicated rubbish.

Green: Fit for a king, mate.

Mc Ghee: :: taking a seat :: So. What the hell happened to you?

:: Isaac took the glass and drew a sip of the amber colored liquid. He felt the burn of the scotch on the back of his throat; it tasted so good he took another drink before he set the glass down on the side table. He immediately felt the sedative effects of the alcohol and a slight calmness came over him. He knew then he was safe. ::

Green: Nothing I guess I didn't bring on myself... in a round about way. ::Isaac paused and took another sip of his drink:: You've been around Marines enough to know how lugheaded we can be. Well, the Marine Major on the Merc has a brother who controls a faction of not-so-nice people who are hell bent on taking control of the Major's family's birthright on this planet.

::Isaac took another drink, draining the glass. He set the glass on the table next to him before he continued.::

Green: So, anyway, I went with the Major on an expedition to find out what this brother was so interested in on a planet near the family's home world and the brother attacked the planet and the ship we were on. During the attack, I was sucked into space through a breach in the hull. I figured I was a goner, but seconds later I was beamed aboard the brother's ship. ::Isaac paused for a second, thinking about the past three weeks.:: I think I would have rather stayed in space.

Mc Ghee: Uh-huh. :: taking a sip ::

:: Jaxon knew he was no coucellor, but he had rough idea of how humans ticked and listened quietly to Isaac account on what had happened to him. A few questions occurred to the engineer, but he didn’t bother to interrupt not wanting to halt his friend, instead he swirled his glass and continued listening to Isaac’s account. ::

Green: It might have saved my life, but their motivation wasn't kindness. In fact, I'm not sure what their motivation was. For the last three weeks I was locked in a room not even large enough for me to lay down in and subjected to regular beatings. The most interesting part was they didn't even ask me a question... ever.

Mc Ghee: And how’d d’you get away?

Green: Luck, really. I think they got complacent and it gave me a chance to make a break. I made my way to the shuttle bay and stole the crate that brought me here. The shuttle next to the one I stole made a great bomb, and it did exactly what I wanted it to do. Anyway, they weren't able to follow me and I had no idea where I was or where the Mercury was, so once I got my bearings I came to the only place I could think of... here.

Mc Ghee: Who’d have thought; Til’ahn as a port of call.

::Isaac looked longingly at the bottle of Scotch on the bar, then thought about the rumbling in his stomach. A wave of nausea swept over him, brought on by the pain in his ribcage.::

Green: Maybe we should try that medkit out.

Mc Ghee: Of course, :: sets down his glass. :: just a sec.

:: Jaxon stood up, took the med kit from the side table and dropped to one knee beside Isaac’s chair. Opening the case he begun to extract the various devices, the essential depth scanner, the regeneration probes and the emergency hypos; they were all set up to have quick access. He knew Isaac trusted him, but the man was also a Marine so sometimes the best remedy was being faster than the patient. Of course routine helped and it didn’t take long for Isaac to notice. ::

Green: Where'd you learn how to do that? You throw that thing around like you should be wearing a blue shirt.

Mc Ghee: :: quietly, reserved :: I wasn’t always an Engineer, Isaac.

:: Jaxon paused, remembering the quirk of fate that almost had him wearing a blue uniform in lieu of a golden one. The events that subsequently unfolded finally led to a engineer’s uniform, but there were things you didn’t forget and amongst them was emergency triage to your own child. It wasn’t anything he spoke about often, but Isaac was different, had saved his life on more than one occasion and also knew the value of discretion. From day one the Marine had refused to accept Jaxon’s self-imposed social detachment and for some reason the Welshman had accepted that. It was strange how two stubborn and possibly negative characters traits could lead to friendship. ::

Mc Ghee: :: taking the scanner :: I don’t whether it was luck or otherwise, but the reason for not becoming a doctor faded away and so I became an Engineer.

:: Isaac had always had great respect for Jaxon. From the day he met the Welshman on their final academy cruise, the abilities of the man always amazed him. ::

:: Jaxon passed the device over Isaac’s side and read the information. It had been years since he had needed the med kit, but, thanks to his eidetic memory, it all came back to him swiftly and seeing the results, the short man took up a hypo and loaded the cartridge, placed it one side and selected the dermal regenerator and the deep tissue regenerator. ::

Green: Well, I think you missed your calling, Mate.

Mc Ghee: :: absently while working :: I doubt it Issac; I don’t usually have the patience. A plasma conduit doesn’t argue back.

Green: Well, you could'a fooled me... ouch!

:: Jaxon knowledge of medicine wasn’t nearly as vast a self-respecting doctor, but after the scare all those years ago he had spent hours reading anything on emergency medicine and first aid. Today he knew it was an escape mechanism of a young and inexperienced father, a way of forgetting what was currently on his mind, but the upside was that he now knew a lot about a variety of injuries, including the background information that many forgot. Isaac’s discomfort was due to the fact that he was breathing and disturbing the broken bones that were trying to heal. Jaxon had a high pain tolerance, but he also knew that broken ribs were no small matter; the smallest movement could cause pain so intense that paralyzes most immediately. ::

Green: You, uh..::Gently moving to a position where he could remove his shirt.:: ...need me to take this off?

Mc Ghee: No, you can keep it on; this is a combat med kit. Clothing doesn’t bother the tricorder or regenerator.

Green: ::Letting out a short sigh:: Good, I'm not sure I could get it off if I had to.

::Isaac closed his eyes and let his friend administer his ministrations. The regenerator delivered heat to the local area, and the feeling was slightly relieving.::

Jaxon: :: quietly, working :: This’ll tingle a bit.

:: Jaxon worked on the large hematoma surrounding the actually broken ribs. He knew this wasn’t the correct approach, but also was aware that it was more patient friendly as the sensitive upper layers also caused discomfort which caused more pain during treatment. During his scanning he found something not immediately apparent and nodded to himself. It was respectable that Isaac had made it this far without passing out. It also meant more complications as one of his friends ribs had been shattered on the curve pinnacle and natures design proved detrimental. In this case it meant that Isaac’s chest was pulling on the broken bone designed to create a cavity to allow breathing and preventing it from returning to its original position. ::

::As the machine did it's duty, Isaac felt the described tingle under the skin. It almost tickled, bringing a pained smile to the large man's face.::

Mc Ghee: Okay Issac, you have four broken ribs and the last one has … jutted itself under the break lineage; it’s probably causing the majority of the pain.

Green: Whatever it is, it sucks. In the grand scheme of things, what does all that mean?

Mc Ghee: :: thinking :: It means the rib broke twice in almost one place and as gravity naturally places an amount of pressure on your chest, it is stopping your rib from drawing back to its original position. I need to pull it back and set it with the regenerator.

Green: And just how do you plan on doing that?

:: Isaac was no doctor, but he knew the procedure the engineer had described wouldn't be comfortable, to say the least.::

Mc Ghee: Shall I apply a local anesthetic?

Green: I have enough dope in my system already. Just do what you have to do. I promise to try and not slug ya.

:: Jaxon knew the Marines were proud men and women; friendship either way and even here in the privacy of his quarters, Isaac was no exception. It was just like no one in his department using Jaxon’s private tool kit, some kind of unwritten code of conduct which boundaries overarched practically everything. ::

Mc Ghee: :: grins at his friends response :: … Okay Issac, you have to exhale.

Green: I tell ya what, pass me that bottle. I think I need another hit off that before you start your torture. ::Trying to smile::

:: Jaxon grinned and passed the bottle to his friend and watched him pour another measure. While he downed the amber fluid, Jaxon waited until he was ready. Once so, Jaxon probed for the single rib as gently as possible and spoke up again. ::

:: Isaac took a long pull from the bottle, hoping to himself that the liquid courage would take hold before Jaxon started twisting and pulling on his fractured body.::

Mc Ghee: Okay on the count of one.

Green: Alright...

Mc Ghee: Ready? Three … :: pulls::

Green: SON OF A...!

Mc Ghee: Sorry, buddy … :: scanning :: but its free and I can set it now.

Green: ::Fighting the wave of nausea:: There's more?

Mc Ghee: Just a few more moments…

:: Jaxon spoke absently while reading the scanners data, trying to move the injured bone and work the regenerator at the same time. True to his word the bone was soon in the right position, but the Chief was certain that the 3 or seconds had felt likes ages to Isaac. ::

::Isaac waited for more crunching and grinding, but the regenerator began to knit the bones and he started to feel the relief. It was slow, but the little bit of relief after so many days of fighting the excruciating agony was like bliss. Soon he was able to take a deep breath, which was something he hadn't been able to do since Dante's boot was laid against his side. That felt like forever ago now.::

Green: Jaxon, you're a life saver, mate.

Mc Ghee: :: mumbling :: Hardly… but thanks all the same.

:: Jaxon spent a few more minutes setting the last of his ribs, by which time the ex-Marine was breathing a little easier. Then he took up the hypo and reset the dosage to a much lower setting and gave him a shot. Mc Ghee was pretty certain that Isaac wanted to remain clear so the meds were just enough to provide a bit more relief while he gently strapped the regenerator over the damaged area; it would finish what he had begun. ::

Mc Ghee: That’ll do for now.

::With the release from the pain, Isaac's mind began to gain clarity, and even through the alcohol he remembered that he was still missing in action.::

Green: I guess we should see the Skipper, as soon as you're done there. I imagine I have a bit of explaining to do, and a ship to get back to.

Mc Ghee: :: getting up :: Do you want to use the Embassy network?

Green: All my codes are changed. The only reason I was able to get into the Embassy grounds is because the Marine guard recognized me. I tried to gain access and the computer denied me.

Mc Ghee: Ah, yes. The code rotation. :: putting away the medikit items ::

Green: I'll have to send a priority message to Commander Kells to let him know I'm here.

:: The regenerator was doing a fine job of repairing the damage done by the Fanelian's. For a moment, Isaac allowed his mind to wander toward a bit of revenge; which he knew would come in good time. ::

Mc Ghee: You can use my desk :: pointing :: I’ll set up a link for you. While you contact Kells, I’ll bring Captain Turner up to speed. :: Break :: Computer; priority message to XO of the USS Mercury. :: To Isaac :: Isaac I’ll be outside talking to the Captain.

:: Jaxon left the man alone and stepped out into the corridor so Isaac had some privacy while he spoke to his commanding officer. ::

TBC!

JP By

Lt. Commander Isaac Green

Chief of Security

USS Mercury NCC 99812

--

We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. ~ George Orwell

And

Lt Cmdr. Jaxon Mc Ghee

Chief Engineering Officer

USS Thunder NCC 70605

Embassy Duronis II

[Alexander Matthews]

That was a great sim, a pleasure to read.

[T'Mihn]

:: Cringes:: YoW!. ::Shiver:: Oo, poor man. Don't do that to me. Good read.