Expanse of the Mind
Posted on Thu Jul 24th, 2025 @ 1:27am by Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone & Lieutenant Commander Eirly Andersen
3,623 words; about a 18 minute read
Mission:
Gone, Without Ever Knowing the Way
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 4 - 1500
ON
Dr. Blackstone was tending to her daily duties in sickbay; there were a couple patients that she had checked on and she had just sit at her desk after ordering a Raktajino. She breathed her first true breath since she had walked into the medical bay. As she sipped her drink she groaned as the headache she was nursing had yet to be affected by any form of stimulant or caffeine.
Usually when Eirly came into the Sickbay it was to either see her brother or her boyfriend or both, but today she'd made sure neither of them were working because the last thing she wanted was for them to think there was something wrong with her that she wasn't telling them. Or even seeing Charlotte for that matter now she was involved with Kasper. Only whoever she saw now would be able to tell her what was wrong.
Stepping into the Sickbay, Eirly looked around to find Dr Blackstone at her desk and smiled. They hadn't been introduced as of yet so it would be good to meet someone new. "Dr Blackstone?" Eirly queried as she kept the smile on her face and walked up to the desk.
Alex looked up from her desk; not having heard the sickbay doors open. She motioned for the seat across from her with one hand and straightened herself a bit. She looked just a little disheveled despite her best efforts. “That would be my name; how can I help you…” Her eyes looked over Eirly’s collar pips before finishing “…Commander?”
"Andersen," Eirly finished for her, "But please call me Eirly when we're like this. I don't like using rank unless it's a formal situation, if I'm being honest." She took the seat offered. "It's good to finally meet you, I've been told a lot of good things about you and your work. I've really only come here for a kind of a check-up because I've been feeling kind of weird lately and I know it's nothing to do with catching a cold or anything like that."
“Eirly then; Doctor, Doc, or Alex works” She looked Eirly over for a moment noting an air of tiredness just below the border of exhaustion. “How’ve you been sleeping? And what kinds of symptoms are you experiencing?”
Eirly cocked her head to the side at Alex's facial expressions and wondered how far she could take this meeting before she advised the other woman to rest. It seemed like everyone was coming down with something. "Well, there's been a couple of days of nausea and headaches, my body feels like it's aching everywhere, and I've been getting tired a lot more. And I don't know why, because I've been doing everything right: drinking plenty, maintaining a balanced diet and working out but not overdoing it."
She took a breath before adding, "I didn't exactly want to bring this up with Drs Beckett or Andersen because they'd go overboard with trying to find out what's wrong and treat me like I'm fragile."
Alex rubbed her brow; feeling a momentary flash of the concern in Eirly accompanied by a sharp pain. “I don’t think you are fragile…” she paused to pull up Eirly’s chart in the computer and nodded to herself for a moment. “…however; I do think it is likely the effects of the Expanse. It doesn’t seem to be related to any form of latent telepathic ability however by reading your chart.”
Alex stood, stepping around the desk and placing a hand on Eirly’s brow before indicating one of the empty biobeds. “If anybody asks this is just a routine check-up on my orders; lets do an exam and a little bit of bloodwork to rule out any infections.”
"How can it be latent telepathic abilities when, as far as I'm aware, I'm 100% human?" Eirly questioned with a frown as she got up and walked over to one of the indicated biobeds to sit on it. "That's rather strange you say that. But either way, I'm happy to do the exam and bloodwork and whatever else is needed so we can figure out what's going on."
Alex shook her head. “I don’t think that in your case it is anything to do with telepathic ability; I only mention it because we have been treating a rash of Expanse related symptoms among the crewmembers that are telepathic; even latently.” She pulled a hypospray from a tray nearby and pressed it against Eirly’s shoulder. It took only a moment and the vial inside the hypospray filled with crimson fluid which she then took and deposited in a diagnostics machine in her office before stepping back.
“I myself am suffering some effects” she brushed back her hair on one side to reveal the ears that marked her half-vulcan heritage. “The expanse is still relatively unexplored and unknown and despite having travelled through it myself I still know next to nothing.” She pulled a medical tricorder off a console and began a scan of Eirly; foregoing a scan with the bio-bed for the moment.
"What kind of effects are you experiencing yourself?" Eirly nodded in understanding and winced at the hypospray to her shoulder. "To be honest, this is the first time I've been in or near the Expanse, so I don't have the slightest idea on what we should be expecting."
“I developed a migraine yesterday that I just can’t shake but that being said I am faring better than some of our other telepathic crew.” Alex read through the tricorder results as she spoke. “The Expanse is…. Almost like an entity in and of itself. Difficult to determine or say how it will affect any one person. Any nightmares recently?”
"I don't really remember dreams or nightmares, but there have been a couple of times where I have woken up with a start. And then the nausea kicks in and I completely forget anything about what was going on," Eirly frowned. "Does that kind of make any sense to you?"
“Improper sleep can cause some of your overall symptoms… but I wouldn’t expect that from someone who is a non-telepath.” She stepped back and rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t see anything on the tricorder…” just then the biobed console chimed and caught her attention. She stepped over to it and read over the bloodwork. “You have a slightly elevated white count, a touch anemic… and your hemoglobin is a touch low.”
"What does that indicate?" Eirly queried. "Is this something I need to be worried about?"
“I am not sure what it indicates just yet… go ahead and lay back and I’ll run a more in depth scan from the biobed. That being said; I wouldn’t get too worried just yet. It could just be allergies or your body reacting to the stress of increased duties while we travel across the Expanse.” Alex’s tone was soft and reassuring as she spoke and prepped the biobed scanner.
Doing as she was told, Eirly lay on the biobed and smoothed out her uniform while she waited, twisting one of the rings on her finger as she did. "Here's hoping it's only allergies or stress related," she said in a hopeful tone. A thought for the alternative was fleeting as it came and went, leaving a small dose of anxiety to settle in the back of her mind.
Alex gave her a reassuring smile and nodded as she initiated the scan. She noted the anxious tick but said nothing. “Well; if it is more we’ll know before it can become a problem.” While she waited for the scan to finish she prepared another hypospray; this time one with a concoction of vitamins, antibody boosting enzymes, and supplements to help with energy and focus. “In the meantime; just as a precaution I’ll give you a dose of an immune boosting concoction.”
"What's in this?" Eirly trusted doctors and what their intentions were but it was always good to know for herself. "Just for my own peace of mind, I mean."
“Of course; it is just a cocktail that targets a few things. First, energy with Vitamins B12 and a supplement derived from Ginseng Root that I grow myself. Immune support with Vitamins A, C, D, and E, as well as an artificial enzyme. And Third it helps boost memory and focus with extracts from Gingko Biloba and Bacopa Monnieri which are grown alongside the Ginseng Root in my quarters.” She pressed the full hypospray against Eirly’s upper arm and pressed the button to initialize the injection before she continued. “I have found that this helps patients recover more quickly from Neurosurgery. It also helps to lessen side effects post-op.”
It was a relief to hear it was mostly natural ingredients that were in the immune booster she'd just been given, and a wonder to know that even though medicine had come so far in the last century that real herbs, spices and edible plants were being used. "Neurosurgery? What kind of side effects can a person get from that?"
"It depends on the surgery as each one can be different; most commonly though Neurosurgery can leave patients with difficulty focusing or speaking. It can also leave patients comatose, vegetative, heavily confused, suffering memory loss to varying degrees, cause excessive sleeping or in the worst of cases we just lose the patient altogether." She paused and chuckled to herself for a moment. "Even with the advancements in Technology that both the Human Race and Starfleet as a whole have discovered... Neurosurgery is still extremely traumatic on humanoid bodies and it is a hard recovery. I have done clinical studies for years trying to find something to ease the negative side effects and make recovery easier and in the span of 10 years this cocktail is the best thing I have found."
"Oh wow, that's really impressive." Eirly didn't know the first thing about how complicated surgery was, let alone neurosurgery, so she wasn't going to pretend she did and end up looking like an idiot. That was her brother's department. "Well, here's hoping you're not going to find any abnormalities with my brain and that surgery isn't required." The suspense over not knowing what was going on was starting to creep into her mind.
The analyzer chimed and Alex stepped over to read the results of the bloodwork, a small frown growing on her face briefly. “Well; your bloodwork came back interesting… you have a mutation of your COL5A1 and COL5A2 genes. Have you been experiencing any issues with your joints seeming more flexible than they should or perhaps grinding or popping. What about seemingly random and unexplainable bruising?”
Eirly thought about it for a moment and tried to recall the last few weeks and what she'd noticed happening with herself, "I, um, have noticed there was a couple of unexplained bruises on my hands, forearms and my legs, but that's about it really. And there have been a couple of times where I've sat down and it's felt like one of the discs in my back has popped into or out of place." She shifted a bit on the bed, feeling slightly uncomfortable from Alex mentioning a genetic mutation. "What do you mean by genetic mutations? This is going to lead to something bad, right? Or is it going to be one of those helpful mutations?"
Alex nodded as Eirly answered her questions and then after a long moment stepped back over to Eirly. Just as she was about to speak the biobed completed its scan of Eirly and she paused to take a look at the results as they automatically appeared on a nearby screen. Alex hummed softly to herself as she thought through everything. She looked to Eirly and glanced over what bits of her skin were revealed and then palpated a few different areas.
“I want to be certain before I make any diagnosis but I have a working theory based on the results so far and what you have said. Are any of these spots tender or do they feel a little bruisy?” She asked as her palpations shifted between the spots around the joints in her extremities.
"I've been known to get bruises around there, yes." Eirly's voice was now full of concern at the questions being asked.
Alex made an affirmative sound in her throat as she shifted to place one hand on Eirly’s shoulder and then using the other to test the movement of the joint. After a tense moment that seemed much longer than it was she stepped back and offered Eirly a hand to assist in sitting up. “Your shoulder feels a little bit like it’s rotating on a bunch of gravel…. okay. There is good news and there is bad news which would you like first?”
Oh no. Eirly sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the biobed. "I'll take the bad news first, I guess?" There was a sense of dread and uncertainty that settled onto her shoulders when she answered, like this diagnosis was going to be something that would have a ripple effect on the rest of her life.
Alex smiled and directed Eirly’s gaze to the large screen that was behind the biobed where the beds scans were already displayed. She pressed a couple of buttons and a section of the screen filled with the blood and DNA results as well. “Okay; the bad news is that I am about 99% certain that you have a condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It is relatively rare and while the last century or so we have learned a lot about how to identify it we haven’t gotten so far in treating or controlling it and there is no known cure at this point in time.” As she spoke she highlighted the mutated genes that indicated the condition.
“EDS affects the soft connective tissues in the body; especially musculature and tendons. Basically your body does not produce enough collagen naturally to keep those tissues at peak health and as such they are going to slowly degrade and break down.” She paused to breathe and to give Eirly time to examine and acknowledge everything.
"There is no known cure at this point in time". Eirly slowly nodded as she took the information in and her grey eyes widened slightly as she looked at the scans. Her heart was beating hard as she took a couple of breaths in and out to try and get her head around it. Her voice held no trademark happiness when she finally spoke, "So there's no cure. And everything will start to slowly degrade and break down. How long until I'm not able to do anything?"
“That is where the good news comes in.” Alex placed her hand on Eirly’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s going to be an adjustment for you; however we caught it early. You are just a little older than the normal range where it is usually caught but that can be attributed to the simple fact that it is as uncommon as it is. Additionally you don’t appear to have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome that often accompanies certain types of EDS.”
She paused and grabbed the hypospray again though she didn’t load it. “The other good news is that with current technologies in Starfleet Medical we will be able to manage it pretty well. I am going to put in a referral to have a therapist work with you to help build up muscular and tendons strength in your joints. All of your therapy will be done in water as it is low impact and I recommend that you do not engage in high impact activities like running, jogging, and if you do any martial arts you are going to have to train carefully, though martial arts can help relieve the stress and anxiety and maintain the muscle mass from therapy… just be careful not to do sudden moves.”
Alex pressed the hypospray into Eirly’s hands before continuing. “Also; the cocktail that I gave you already today will help slow the progression just a little bit; as will the collagen supplement that I am going to synthesize for you. I will also provide a lightweight anesthetic to help you with the pain and discomfort that will come; especially during resting hours. I’ll ensure it is dosed properly so that you can still function in your duties. I want to see you in sickbay at least once a week for an injection of the collagen supplement and a quick exam so that we can track your progression. All that said though; we will be able to manage this well so that you can continue to live your life without major interruptions. I predict at least another year before anything gets too bad; though that is just an initial prediction that I will adjust over the coming months.”
Eirly’s mind was reeling with all the information she had just heard. Low impact activities, water therapy, anesthetic for discomfort, collagen supplements. The pain was going to increase immeasurably and it was going to impact her duties, her life, her relationships and everything. "This is... a lot to process, I'm going to lie about that."
She breathed in and out again and looked down for a moment, processing and appreciating the way Alex was being so kind and comforting about it. Her emotions were mixed and all of them were valid: pity, sadness, guilt, determination. She wanted Malcolm, her mom, even Kasper. "I, um. I think I need some time to wrap my head around this. And then I'll need to tell the Captain too. And Malcolm."
“Naturally; take your time with it. I have to make a report to the Captain at weeks end; I can hold off on informing her until at least that time and I am happy to be there when you talk to the Captain. I will do everything in my power to keep you working and able to do your duties.” Alex smiled; and sat beside her, offering her a small hug. “It is a lot; but its good we caught it early. I am here if you need anything; anything at all.”
Eirly leaned into the hug and gave Alex a small smile, "I appreciate that, I really do. And I would like it if you were there when I tell her, please."
“Done and done, then. Would you like the first collagen supplement today or later this week? I should be able to quickly synthesize one for you.” The doctor sat beside her for a bit, not immediately making any move.
"Um, I think I'll have it now because why delay the inevitable?" Erily replied in a quieter tone
Alex chuckled slightly at the comment. “Well; hopefully that doesn’t apply to the condition itself.” She stood and went into her office; sitting on the desk as she searched through the database and then after a few minutes of silence she stepped to her replicator and came back out of the office with a small vial of yellow serum which she slotted into a hypospray and administered. “And thats the first dose; I combined two different supplements that are pretty heavy. I figure starting aggressive and tapering down a little is the best start.”
"And this won't make me drowsy or anything for the rest of the day?" Thankfully she had already finished her shift but there was still a lot she wanted to get done before relaxing for the rest of the day.
Alex shook her head. “No effect on you at all; it’s the equivalent of taking vitamins in the morning.” She offered Eirly her hand again. “I am glad that we were able to get to the bottom of your concerns; though I am sorry that it is such a life altering thing. I will be doing some research to ensure that I can best help you through it.”
It was a small relief in the tidal wave of emotions and thoughts that came with the life altering news. As she stood up, Eirly looked at her and offered a genuine but small smile. "Thank you, i really appreciate it. But can I ask one favour from you? Please don't tell Malcolm or my brother before I get a chance to."
“Doctor Patient confidentiality.” Alex’ reply was simple but sincere. “I cannot necessarily promise the same for the Captain; I will however be sure to give you some time before I speak with her… research takes time after all.”
"Thank you," Eirly said again with sincerity. "I think I'm going to take a little bit of time to myself now before I speak to anyone else." Alone in her quarters with no one else around.
“Of course; I will deliver a few vials of the light anesthetic to your quarters later this evening, along with a hypospray for them.” Alex smiled and stood back up. “You know where to find me if you need.”
"I do, thank you." Eirly gave her an appreciative nod and a slightly sunnier smile than before as she took her leave of the doctor and left the sickbay.
Off
Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
Lt. Commander Eirly Andersen
Second Officer
USS Astrea
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