Lower Decks: Lieutenant Chythar Skyfire

[StarBase 118 Staff]

:: A deep pulse of bass music opens up with a graphic of turbolift flashes over the screen before the screen lights raise up to focus in on Vulcan man seated in a chair with a pair of ceramic coffee mugs on a small table between his chair and the as of yet off screen occupied one. ::

Sopek: Hello and Greetings. My name is Sopek and it is time once more for an installment of The Lower Decks. Where we leave behind the center chair and big office and go down below to speak with the crew of the vessels and bases in Starfleet. ::He shifts slightly to meet the changing camera and waves a hand to the other chair.:: Tonight’s guest is Lieutenant, junior grade, Chythar Skyfire. Currently he is a Medical Officer on the USS Excalibur-A. Welcome Lieutenant.

:: The lieutenant stepped forward onto the screen and smiled toward the camera before heading to the unoccupied chair. As he sat down, he smiled softly. ::

Skyfire: A pleasure to meet you at last, Mr. Sopek. I’ve been a follower of The Lower Decks since my graduation from the academy last year. I believe you mentioned Argurtha in your message to me. Was it my work there that you wished to ask about?

Sopek: Of course if that is what you would like to start there. Please start by telling a little about the mission to our viewers.

Skyfire: The mission was to render aid during a crisis that I referred to as the Argurthian Plague. Argurtha was one of three planets along the Romulan/Thracian border. We were given the Excalibur-A as our ship, a lot of us were reassigned from Starbase 118. The plague had already claimed over a thousand lives by the time we got to the planet, and it was the first of three in which the outbreak was recorded. I was one of the doctors on the first response team.

Sopek: And what happened there when you arrived?

Skyfire: We were quickly ushered to the makeshift medical facility where the research was to take place. Doctor MacLaren was actually the lead of the relief effort, with myself, Crewman Banks, Doctor Folds, and Doctor Baker as her assistants. We were looking into x-rays and tissue samples to examine correlations. I at first thought it was similar to an epidemic on Earth in the 21st century, and that theory was quickly disproved. Doctor Folds and at the time Ensign Cuthbert went down to the morgue to investigate one of the people carrying the plague.

Sopek: What avenue did you take in your research of the plague?

:: CD blinked for a few seconds and attempted to recall the details. His encounter with the bomb may have distorted a few facts in his mind, but he tried to piece it together for the camera. ::

Skyfire: I spent most of my time analyzing blood samples, and attempting to distinguish antibodies. It wasn’t until I discovered that Lieutenant Luna Walker was a carrier of two different strains that it began to make sense. She was a carrier, but it wasn’t spreading. Due to her unique Romulan and human physiology, the human side was providing the necessary antibodies at a rate sufficient to stave it off.

:: Skyfire’s words broke abruptly, trying to recall the rest of it. He blinked again and took another breath before continuing. ::

The abundance of vitamins D and C were present in the blood sample I took from Lieutenant Walker, and my prior scans of the Romulans I treated had those vitamins as well at a 10 percent decrease from that of a human. I made sure to account for that in the information that followed.

SOPEK: Fascinating, so with that information it must have been easy to get to the solution of the problem then?

:: With a nod, he gave a faint grin. ::

SKYFIRE: It wasn’t easy. A bomber came through and disrupted the research. I wound up temporarily deaf and with a minor concussion, the rest of the medical team were worse off. Except for Dr. Folds, who beamed back aboard the ship with our wounded colleague Cuthbert before the bomb went off.

SOPEK: What happened then? With so many injuries and your own capacity diminished, was it hard to work?

:: The medical officer had a sip of his coffee, thinking for just a second before making a reply. ::

Skyfire: It was difficult, yes. My mind hyperfocused on healing the crew members around me, and it took several minutes for Captain Nicholotti’s words to actually register in my mind. She told me to get back to work on the plague antiserum. Lip-reading served me well, as it’s a passive skill I learned when I blared music growing up.

Sopek: I see. Fascinating, so once it was prepared how did you distribute it in a timely manner?

Skyfire: Ensign Folds was called in to the office to confer with me and Lt. Commander Brek. Once it happened that we were done talking, he ordered Nurse Briskow to begin the synthesization. During that time, I was typing up my report as I was ordered. I helped Briskow and typed up my report at the same time.

SOPEK: Did you expect to reap your rewards for such a job well done?

SKYFIRE: No, I wasn’t expecting anything from it. Just a commendation that I did good work. I included in the addendum I wasn’t after awards or promotions, that I didn’t want the position of CMO. The half pip caught me completely by surprise. The campaign ribbon I was expecting. The rest, I was blown away.

SOPEK: A reward for a job well done.

:: He nodded and gave a grin. ::

Skyfire: Indeed. Something I will continue to aim for: performing my job well.

Sopek: Can you ever see yourself moving into more of a command role?

Skyfire: If I surpass Chief Medical Officer, then yes. Otherwise, not in the immediate future.

Sopek: I wonder if you could clue us in a bit about what has been happening on your ship since then?

Skyfire: I could try…gained some new crew members, had a promotion from Lieutenant JG to Lieutenant in the form of science officer Sal Taybrim, the return of our former chief engineer from the Atlantis, the court-martialing of Lieutenant Vitor Silviera, and the wake of Fleet Captain Kali Nicholotti.

Sopek: Yes I understand the Excalibur is under a new command, how is your new commanding officer working out for you.

:: Skyfire’s eyebrows raised slightly, as though this was news to him. Instead, he chose a simple response that clearly conveyed his surprise. ::

Skyfire: We have a new CO?

Sopek: I would like to thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. May you have many more adventures in the stars.

Skyfire: Not a problem, Sopek. Maybe we may speak again after my next breakthrough.

Kat joined SB118 in February of 2389. Originally born and raised in the Silicon Valley, and has recently taken up residence in Mukilteo Washington. She’s a student of business management, web design, and English Literature, in possession of an Associate of Arts degree from De Anza College that she achieved in 2008 and makes chainmail armor in her spare time.

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