resolution JP - Lt. Cmdrs. Adea and MacKenzie, & Cmdr. Teller - Putting the Right Foot Forward

[Alieth]

And finally the last part of this little arch. It was wonderful to be able to read it and see the change unfolding little by little in front of all of us.

I just want to mention that there may not be any tattoo parlors, but of course DS224 has tattoo artist

Good job guys!

@Addison MacKenzie @Genkos Adea @Geoffrey Teller

 

Quote

 

((Station Medical Facilities, Deck 226, Deep Space 224 - A Few Hours Later))

 

With the surgery completed, Geoff and Addison once again reappeared from the scrub room, this time in civilian clothing. Genkos had been moved to a regular room down the hall, and it was time that the pair checked in on him and his new prosthetic. As they rounded the corner, they spotted Genkos on a bed admiring his new limb. 

 

The procedure had gone well for the most part, with the neural regulator functioning perfectly and the limbs mounting plate expertly implanted and micro-anchored by the good Doctor.  Geoff was glad to see her surgical skills hadn’t atrophied in the least since leaving the Thor, although he was slightly surprised she etched her initials and ‘wuz here’ on the plate just prior to installation.  Years from now some other surgeon would likely have a very confused chuckle about that.  

 

Genkos appeared to be in good spirits as he experimentally wiggled his new toes.

 

MacKenzie: Well, how’d we do?

 

Adea: Well, it’s not the worst leg replacement I’ve ever had.

 

Geoff scoffed slightly.  

 

Teller:  Listen to this guy - we build him the most sophisticated limb in the sector and he’s...nonplussed.  

 

MacKenzie: ::unimpressed:: He dated Xerix - I shouldn’t be surprised.

 

Choosing to ignore that, Genkos decided to take the road less travelled. Otherwise known as the high road… It had been one virtually untrodden by his ex-boyfriend.

 

Adea: I suppose “technically” it was the best but ::he gestured to Teller with a thumb:: you think I want him knowing that?

 

Geoff barked a laugh.  

 

Teller:  Oh don’t you worry about my ego, Genkos, got plenty of people back on the Thor who will merrily take me down a peg or two when the opportunity arises.  ::Geoff shrugged and looked over at Addy::  People here too, come to think of it.  

 

MacKenzie: ::nodding:: The truth, my friend.

 

Genkos stared at his newfound friends; long, lingering looks at them both as he exhaled deeply and with a profound sense of satisfaction. 

 

Adea: Thank you, both. I truly appreciate it.

 

Geoff smiled and shook the man's hand. Genkos had never been a big fan of shaking hands; the custom being virtually unknown in Betazed tradition, and it had always caused such a kerfuffle with his cane. But in this instance, it was as warm and as friendly as a full-bodied hug.

 

Teller:  Enough of that, I think I liked it more when you were insulting us.  Besides, thank us after you’ve had more of a chance to test the thing.  Any complaints - take them to her.  ::Geoff tossed a thumb in MacKenzie’s direction::  You could try getting a hold of me on the Thor but, ya know, subspace and wormholes and whatnot.  

 

Geoff briefly and flawlessly pantomimed a distortion filled comm call.  His colleagues were deeply unimpressed.  

 

MacKenzie: Typical - build the device and run off. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll be able to take care of it.

 

She shot the engineer her famous side-eye. Genkos had never seen it before, only heard tell in legend. It was quite something to behold.

 

Adea: ::under his breath:: Oh my. ::at full volume:: I’m sure there won’t be anything wrong; you were both very thorough. But still, best to check I suppose.

 

Addison’s withering gaze didn’t escape Geoff’s notice, but he’d so often been its recipient over the years that his face had largely cauterized and scarred over.  Even then, he felt a distinct chill seeping into his pores.  Geoff headed to a nearby workstation and activated the controls.  

 

Teller:  I’ll make sure the telemetry link to the station’s computers is up and running so we can look at the diagnostics in real time and make any adjustments we need to make.  

 

Addison nodded and then put her arm underneath Genkos’ to help him up.

 

MacKenzie: Alright, up we go.

 

Adea: ::as he was raised upright::  Oop-la.

 

Genkos stood on his own two feet, albeit leaning on Addison, and felt no pain. For the first time in a decade, it wasn’t hurting just to stand. Unwilling to believe that could possibly be the case. He gestured for Addison to step aside for a moment. He wavered unsteadily for a second, but remained erect. He looked at them both, and then a moment later felt that familiar twinge of discomfort at the base of his heel. There it was, like an old friend that had outstayed its welcome. 

 

Geoff was completely engrossed in the flood of data coming from the limb and adjacent neural regulator.  The computer was still building a baseline of the feedback levels, but he could already see areas where too much tactile data was being relayed and started making small, on the fly adjustments.  

 

Adea: Well it passes the first test. I can stand at any rate.

 

Addison moved a few steps in front of Genkos and then gestured with her hands.

 

MacKenzie: Can you try taking a few steps for me?

 

Teller: Genkos, hang on a second.  I think there’s a little residual nerve damage here from the original accident that never quite got taken care of.  I’m going to dial the feedback for those sensors down a little bit - let me know how it feels.  

 

But that pain rescinded. Evaporated, even. And Genkos was again standing without pain. Still not believing his luck, he took a step forward on his left leg and immediately went kareening to the floor.

 

Adea: The second test, not so much.

 

Addison shot Geoff a look as she moved to help Genkos stand again. Genkos gratefully, if sheepishly, accepted her help.

 

MacKenzie: Is it possible it’s phantom pain, or is there something wrong with the prosthetic?

 

Geoff winced as Genkos toppled to the floor and checked the settings he’d just input.  Now it was his turn to look sheepishly over to Addison.  

 

Teller: Ok yeah, sorry, that one’s on me.  Put the decimal point in the wrong place, ended up reducing the motor feedback by 100%.  Sorry, sorry.  ::Geoff reentered the values and checked them closely before updating the limb again.::  Ok, try now.  

 

Genkos took a ginger step on one foot, the right one first, and then the left. There was no pain. Genkos looked up at them both in a brief show of amazement and took another few steps; there was no pain on any of them and Genkos marvelled. This was the first time since he was basically a child that it hadn’t been painful for him to walk. 

 

Addison smiled and nodded thoughtfully, pleased at her colleague’s apparent progress.

 

MacKenzie: ::cheekily:: Would you look at that?

 

Teller:  That’s better - all the feedback levels are in the green now and the regulator is self-attenuating.  Once we get a stable sensory range established, the leg will be able to self-correct if it ever runs into too much stimulus - decide to go hopping through a lava field, maybe. 

 

Addison nodded, playing along with the game.

 

MacKenzie: ::to Genkos::  You know, all that lava jumping we do on the Resolution.

 

Adea: ::hands firmly on his hips:: When do you imagine me to be frollicing on a volcano, Mister Teller?

 

Teller:  Hey, it could happen.  Doc - think he’s ready for something a little more acrobatic?  

 

Genkos raised an eyebrow hesitantly; just because he could suddenly stumble without falling didn’t mean he was ready or willing to do backflips.

 

Adea: Define ‘acrobatic’.

 

Addison put her hand on her chin and thought a moment.

 

MacKenzie: Jumping jacks.

 

Adea: What is a jumping jack, and how do I… what, kill it?

 

She [...]ed her head and furrowed her brow.

 

MacKenzie: You’re joking...

 

Geoff swung his arms out to the side and flapped a bit. 

 

Teller: Remember the basic physical drills from your cadet days?  If they were anything like mine, you did thousands of the things.  

 

Genkos nodded grimly; he had horrid memories of his Academy instructor, a particularly nasty Romulan named Lurith, forcing Genkos to do them in the mud and the rain. Sometimes without the benefit of his prosthetic. He wondered briefly where Lurith was now. He hoped it was somewhere unpleasant.

 

Adea: Ohhhh. I know what you mean. ::he jumped once, arms and hands flung out like a classical star shape:: Like that?

 

MacKenzie: Sounds about right!

 

Teller: I can check for torsional stress between the limb and the mount, make sure it’s not twisting or deforming, and calibrate the feedback level so you exert the right amount of force.  ::Geoff turned back to the controls::  Ok, go.  

 

Adea: How many? Please say one.

 

MacKenzie: I would like ten, please.

 

One would have been enough. However, she couldn’t help herself. After all, they needed to make sure the prosthetic was working properly.

 

….Really.

 

Geoff could see the decidedly evil glint in Addison’s eye from across the room and smirked.  He wasn’t sure what poor Genkos had done to earn her ire, but he knew better than to get in the way of it.  

 

Teller: Well Doc are you sure that’s enough?  I’m thinking twenty just to be on the safe side.  You know us engineers - safe to a fault.  

 

Geoff winced slightly, wondering if the universe would allow him such a bald faced lie without being struck dead on the spot.  When no wrathful lightning bolts or transdimensional beings appeared, Geoff let out a small sigh.  

 

Adea: ::giving Geoff a look that would melt a steel beam:: She’s the doctor, I’ll do ten.

 

MacKenzie: ::to Teller, with the slightest smirk:: He’s a smart cookie.

 

Geoff watched as Genkos begrudgingly jumped jacks, slowly increasing the kinetic force the leg was exerting with each jump.  Geoff hadn’t actually established an upper output on this design, and now seemed as good a time as any.  Geoff set the output to maximum and on his next landing, the deck of the surgical bay rang like a struck gong.  Geoff glanced over his console in alarm, and noticed a significant dent in the floor where Genkos’s new foot had left a perfect outline.  

 

Teller:  Huh.  

 

Adea: It was like that when I got here, right?

 

Addison raised her arms and offered Geoff the “what gives?” look without offering an accompanying vocalization.

 

Teller:  Yeah I’ll turn that down...still though...didn’t expect it to work that well.  I mean...sorry?  Is that what you were looking for?  ::Geoff thought about it and nodded to himself:  We’ll roll a cart over that, they’ll never notice.  

 

Adea: ::giggling:: We can always blame an ensign. I vote for Meidra.

 

MacKenzie: ...the smartest of cookies you are, dear Genkos.

 

Geoff reset the output to slightly less super-human levels and saved the settings.  All the diagnostics looked great.  

 

Teller:  Well we’re in pretty good shape, actually.  Doc gets the final say of course but I think that thing’ll keep you dancing for a while.  Oh, I almost forgot!  

 

Adea: Do I want to know?

 

Teller:  There’s three little studs under the front lip of your new kneecap.  Press and hold for two seconds.  

 

Genkos looked a bit suspicious but complied, and a moment later there was a small hiss from the side of the new appendage.  A perfectly rectangular outline formed, and the scabbard popped open, presenting the angular black handle of the collapsable weapon.  

 

MacKenzie: Ta-da!!

 

Adea: Oh man, now this is a trifle extra.

 

Teller:  I had a little bit of that mesh left over, so I threw it on the handle there.  Open the blade to take a look.  

 

Genkos activated the controls along one side and a moment later, the blade assembled itself from micron thick folded segments stored inside the handle.  The mesh updated and suddenly Genkos was holding a jaunty looking nautical saber, complete with brass accents and pommel guard.  

 

MacKenzie: Yo, ho, ho...

 

Adea: ::gingerly swinging his new toy:: Avast mateys! Well, I should definitely put in my transfer to Security now. “Has own sword, will travel”. 

 

MacKenzie: We’ve got a future Section 31 operative here, if ever I’ve seen one!

 

Geoff coughed uncomfortably and adopted a dark, somber tone.  

 

Teller: We’ll get you fitted for a black leather jacket right away, Operative.  

 

Genkos pressed a button and the sword disassembled itself into a black handle and he returned it to its place in his calf. 

 

Adea: Now are we absolutely sure this doesn’t contravene any Starfleet regulations? I don’t want Knight all up in my business… again.

 

Addison pointed at his leg.

 

MacKenzie: That is not only Starfleet Medical-approved, but it’s also Resolution First Officer-approved.

 

Geoff shrugged, saving the configuration and closing out the diagnostic systems.  

 

Teller:  Pfft, I knew a Klingon security officer who carried around enough knives in her pants to open a cutlery store.  You’ll be fine.  But if you do turn towards a life of piracy with that thing I expect the first case of rum.  

 

Adea: ::remembering an old mission to the piratical asteroid of Nassau:: It’s been known to happen...

 

Teller:  In all seriousness, Genkos, thanks for letting me help out.  It’s good to get away from the Paddwork every now and then.  Plus, gave this one ::Geoff nodded towards Addy:: a chance for some payback, and I’m sure she appreciates it.  You ever need anything, either of you, just drop me a line.  

 

Addison bowed to Geoff, and Genkos inclined his head. 

 

MacKenzie: You know, it’s not too late to take this show on the road…

 

Adea: Ha, maybe for you. I’m already exhausted.

 

Teller:  Well, you should consider taking a short walk and then getting some rest.  In a day or two, that thing will feel like it’s always been there.  I’m going to transfer everything I’ve got, schematics, control interface, construction notes - over to the Resolution’s computer core.  If Addy needs to make any adjustments she’ll have absolutely everything you’ll need.  

 

MacKenzie: Dr. T’Suran should be able to monitor the implant and will be more than capable of handling any rehabilitation you need.

 

Adea: Good old T’Suran. What will you do while I rest, Mister Teller?

 

Teller:  Me?  Well I think I’ll go find a drink.  Four hundred levels in this big metal tub, there’s gotta be a bar somewhere.  

 

MacKenzie: And you’re in luck - no tattoo parlors.

 

Genkos rolled his eyes at what he assumed was possibly an in-joke.

 

Teller:  Oh don’t worry, I’ll stay out of trouble.  ::Geoff winked as he headed for the door:  That’s a Good Job Guarantee.  

 

 

[End?]

[Fin]

[Finito]

[Das Enden]

 

===============================

 

Lieutenant Commander Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS

First Officer

USS Resolution

V239601AM0

 

&

 

Lieutenant Commander Genkos Adea MD

Second Officer & Chief Medical Officer

USS Resolution

G239502GS0

 

&

 

Commander Geoffrey Teller

Executive Officer

USS Thor - NCC 82607

Commodore A. Kells, Commanding

V239509GT0