The Search for Answers

Posted on Wed Jul 30th, 2025 @ 3:15am by Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone
Edited on on Wed Jul 30th, 2025 @ 4:11am

524 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Side Plots
Location: Personal Quarters - Dr. Blackstone
Timeline: Gone, Without Ever Knowing the Way - MD06 2100

Alex stepped into her quarters and let a bated breath sigh out of her. She rubbed at her temple as she was still fighting a headache borne of the Expanse but she knew that she had some work to do before she could properly allow herself to rest. It had been a couple of days since she had seen the second officer of the Astrea and had to deliver the diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos. The past couple days had been heavy with tending to the survivors of the Dalton and she had scarcely had time to look further into it.

She stepped to her replicator and leaned against the wall slightly wearily. “Raktajino; double strength.”

She watched as the replicator created her drink and picked it up as it finished and took a sip; grimacing as the bitterness hit her. Still an adjustment.

She walked to her desk and slid behind it; turning to look over her physical medical books for a moment before pulling one off the shelf labeled Disorders of the Connective Tissues in the Human Body and opened it to the index, scanning through it with a finger until she found the listing for Ehlers Danlos. “Hmmm… pages 320-345; somehow thats more than I expected to see on this with its rarity.”

She opened to first page of the section and began to read through it for a moment before turning to the computer and setting the book beside it. “Computer; pull all available information on Ehlers Danlos Syndrome” she leaned back; one hand on her brow. After a couple of minutes her personal computer chimed that the search was done.

She took a long draught of the Raktajino and sighed as the caffeine washed over her. “Time to riddle this out.”
—————————————————————————————————
5 hours later
Alex leaned back into her chair; her headache having only increased as she read but despite that she wore a small smile.

She now had a PaDD beside her that she had been making notes and running some theoretical calculations on. She had a few different options before her that she thought would help to retard the progression of EDS in Commander Eirly.

She picked up the mug for her Raktajino and absentmindedly raised it to her lips though there had only been dregs for several minutes. With a sigh she set it next to the other two mugs that had once held the same and shook her head slowly. She was satisfied that she had been able to review as much of the data available as possible though something still ate at the back of her mind; feeling very much like an untended itch.

Slowly; she stood; leaving the PaDD where it was as she stretched. “Not much more that I can do for now.” She told herself and strode to the center of her quarters where she had a meditation mat set that faced out the window and toward the stars. She settled onto the mat and placed her hands on her knees. She breathed deeply and tried to focus her mind; staring out into the void of space.

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