Recovery: The First Survivor
Posted on Sun Aug 17th, 2025 @ 10:18pm by Lieutenant JG Aziza Diouri & Ensign Iozhara & Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant Daynah Ral & Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone & Lieutenant JG Jezra Siv MD & Lieutenant JG Kasper Andersen M.D & Ensign Charlotte Dawes
Edited on on Fri Aug 29th, 2025 @ 11:59pm
2,192 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Gone, Without Ever Knowing the Way
Location: Medical Bay, USS Astrea
Timeline: MD 06
Surface of TE 3X031, Class L Moon in Typhon Expanse
[Acknowledged; notify the medical team that there will be survivors incoming shortly.] Alex smiled slightly; this is the sort of thing she had joined Starfleet for. Saving lives and making a difference.
"Ral here Doctor. I have the emergency beacon locked on. Transporting directly to Sick Bay. Energizing." There was a pause in the communication as the transporter effect took hold of the survivor and Daynah tracked the transport. "Transport complete Doctor."
Medical Bay
"Captain Johansen to Sickbay, prepare for the potential of additional survivors, stay on your toes."
The comms came in one right after the other as the body of a badly mangled human female.
The transport shimmered out, and in its place, the figure of a woman solidified upon the biobed. She was an unsteady architecture of blood, torn fabric, and bone set at unnatural angles.
She drifted in and out consciousness--the world a big bright blur. She could barely keep a coherent thought--but she knew she was being cared for. A rescue team had come and a gentleman with the calming voice had saved her. They'll take care of me now, she reminded herself. I just need to hold on a little longer.
But how would they know her name? I am Aziza Diouri.
Her mind tried to swim upward, but the water was thick and stinging. Shapes moved around her, white and blue, quick hands gliding over her skin like ghosts. She felt the cold kiss of metal at her temple, the bite of something sharp at her hip. Suddenly, everything lurched sideways in her skull, like she had been pulled away by her feet and tossed around as though in zero-G.
Aziza Diouri. She clung to that. The syllables curled inside her head like a prayer her mother might have whispered to her as a little girl. A name meant home. Morocco. The way the winds scoured the foothills of the Atlases, the bright silk threads in her grandmother's hands. Her father's rough laugh echoing down the narrow alley behind their home near central Amizmiz. The lights of the souk from her bedroom window.
Pain dragged her back down, hot and unmoored. She wanted to scream, but her voice had already vanished into a tight, wet rasp. She felt her lips move. Maybe she said it aloud, maybe it was her imagination: Aziza Diouri. Lieutenant. Starfleet.
Someone leaned close. A warm shadow across her cheek. She caught a word--"safe"--and for at least a moment, something deep inside her began to unfurl.
Alex materialized moments after Aziza and looked around sickbay, setting eyes on Jezra. “She’ll need spinal surgery; probably more than one honestly. How versed are you?”
Jezra's acknowledgement was merely a formality as the transport completed. Immediately, she was at the biobed, doing initial assessment on someone with the horrifying misfortune of being conscious while trying to assure her that she was safe. "While I am not a surgeon, I am quite versed in trauma medicine, Lieutenant." Thanks to modern technology, she knew that the other medical staff had been alerted when the phrase "medical emergency" came over the comms and they'd be in sickbay at any moment. "Siv to Doctor Andersen and Ensign Dawes, scrub in once you get here."
"Already on my way," came Kasper's response. He'd heard the words 'medical emergency' and had already started making his way when Siv called through. Luckily he hadn't been too far away so he was scrubbing in within a few minutes.
Charlotte's voice came in over the comms in acknowledgement.
The cranial imaging unit put on the woman's forehead gave insight to some intracranial bleeding, as well as a skull fracture that insufficiently relieved pressure. That alone made it tricky to administer something for any pain, as premature administration could make things worse. The biobed's scanner indicated damage to the spine, specifically to where the thoracic transitioned to lumbar. It was in three places, and it explained why the woman on the bed seemed rather unaffected by the pain of the other injuries. The doctor was quick to activate the biobed's medical forcefields in select places, ensuring that the woman remained still and wouldn't make the injuries worse. Internal bleeding, some broken bones... as the Trill got the area ready for surgery, they asked Alex, "what happened?"
“Best I can figure is that she was crushed by some of the wreckage down there. She is lucky to be alive in all honesty. Can the bio-bed take over the functions currently being sustained by the stasis generator on her arm?” Alex stepped over from completing her own preparations for surgery to take a closer look. She extended a hand to Jezra. “We have only briefly met in passing so far; Alex.”
The Trill merely gave a nod to Alex's greeting, ignoring the extended hand to keep herself sterile. "Jezra. We can catch up later. The biobed can take over the stasis generator, option five under the Stasis Management section of the biobed controls."
“Excellent; we can get it transferred over while we wait for our other surgeons then.” Alex retracted her hand. Baka. You just prepared for surgery; don’t break the sterile field.She tapped the console on the biobed; initiating the stasis field transfer. “I’ll take lead on her surgery; feel free to utilize who you need to handle the rest of the survivors that might be found. I should only need one other; though it isn’t going to be an easy or short surgery.”
Alex watched the biobed monitor as the stasis field was fully transferred and then she typed in the commands to initiate a full body scan. Once that was initialized she pulled a pair of shears out of a surgical tray and began to cut and remove Aziza’s tattered uniform.
"I can assist until more survivors come in, and Kasper can fill in for me," Jezra said. The Trill assisted in the removal of the uniform, bare skin only visible for a couple seconds before sterile sheets were draped over it to preserve dignity.
"Excellent; I am going to need access to her Lumbar spine pretty quick. Do these beds rotate or are we going to have to manually flip her?" Alex checked the tray of instruments and smiled to see that not only did she have a laser scalpel but that her own metal ones were prepped and ready to go should they be needed for more dexterity.
"Yes, Doctor. These are the FTR-III's, we can get her into any position you like," Charlotte offered. She typed in a code and called up the comprehensive holographic control panel. "On your orders, Doctor."
Alex nodded to Charlotte. “Go ahead; sooner we get started better odds we have. Administer 5 cc’s of anesthezine, 20 mg of Lectrazine, and 10 cc’s of Alkysine.” She picked up the extroscalpel and looked to everyone in the room. “Are we ready?”
Charlotte nodded. "Initiating rotation sequence now, Doctor. Half-speed."
Alex watched the bed rotate, bouncing on her toes to dispel the nerves that had her just slightly on edge. The moment that it locked in place she took a step closer and activated the Extroscalpel, bringing it close to Aziza’s back. She was quick as she created an incision that was the first step to gaining access to the woman’s spine. She glanced up to the nurses briefly. “Sonic Spreader ready; get the incision open as soon as I am through the derma.”
Her eyes refocused on the work in front of her and she carefully and precisely cut down until there was only the layer of muscles left before she hit the spinal column itself. She had to stifle a small groan as she was finally able to see the beginnings ofextent of damage for herself. The spine appeared to be completely shattered; with shards visible in the layers of muscles and tendons . She deactivated the laser scalpel and held it back out to the nurses. “Hand me the 10 blade; I want to do this last bit manually.”
Charlotte's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but she didn't say anything to question the doctor's orders. She merely reached for the scalpel and carefully passed it to the doctor. "10 blade."
Alex flexed her hand carefully around the scalpel before pressing it against the tissue and neatly giving herself a window to the spine and then she grimaced and took in a sharp breath. The spine was nearly pulverized with only 3 large chunks remaining mostly intact. “Going to be alot of work. Sonic Separator please, Charlotte. Going to need to see what we are doing.”
"Yes, Doctor." Charlotte picked up the instrument, and held it out for the doctor. "Sonic Separator, ready."
Alex motioned to the opening to indicate that Charlotte had her go ahead to activate the sonic separator. “Once that's activated we’ll need an osteogenic regenerator. It’s going to take a little while; perhaps another surgery after this one but I think we’ll be able to reconstruct at least some of this. I think we will need to replicate a structure to attach what we can salvage to though.”
Alex looked up to the others in the room. “Lets get three half-inch osseous sections replicated and set up our pinpoint transporters.”
"Ja," Kasper confirmed with a nod as he proceeded to start the initiation sequence for replicating the required materials. "About two minutes for the sections."
The osteogenic regenerator was tucked into the second drawer of the surgical cart, half-shielded by a sleeve of sterile cloth. She retrieved it, cradling the device in her palm and brought closer to the sterile zone. She adjusted the calibration ring by feel, the soft clicks familiar beneath her gloved thumb. Bone density variance, heat limits, integration cycle. She could've done it blind, and nearly did, eyes fixed on the shattered ruin of a spine that once held a person together.
Alex nodded; lifting her hands free and taking the opportunity to stretch while she waited for the replication.
Even though it was only a couple of minutes that passed, Kasper grew impatient with the replicator as it took its dear sweet time to make the parts they needed. Once it was done, he took them and handed them over to Alex, "Three half-inch osseous sections as requested."
Iozhara handed the regenerator forward to Blackstone.
Alex took them one by one and set them where they would be easily accessible. “Okay; lets get the shards out; we can transport them out onto the tray with the osseous sections. Once they are with the new segments go ahead and use the osseous regenerator to restore and fuse as much as you can.”
Kasper took the regenrator and readied it for use. It was something he'd only done in simulations a while back so it would be interesting how he managed with it.
While Alex took over the spinal surgery, Jezra tended to some of the other injuries on their patient. The spine was bad, the pressure in her skull was bad, the bleeding hadn't stopped... this was going to be a tough battle to win. Surviving this would be a miracle in and of itself. "Get a blood transfusion set up," the Trill told another nearby nurse. "Get two litres of Universal, there won't be time to type and cross." The nurse rushed off, and Jezra focused her attention back onto their patient's head, using a steady hand to repair the head injury.
The rest of the ship faded into the distant background, the patient's life hanging by a thread, some small miracle having kept her alive long enough to make it to this surgical ward in front of this team of trained surgeons and their staff, each with their own gifts that they used to heal. They had hours - days really - of work in front of them, the still unnamed patient had weeks of a fight in front of her, but this team was determined not to lose her.
Captain Remira Johansen
Commanding Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant Daynah Ral
Chief Operations Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant J.G. Jezra Siv
Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant J.G. Kasper Andersen
Medical Officer
USS Astrea
Ensign Iozhara (and as Aziza Diouri)
Nurse
USS Astrea
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