Inside the iceman

Posted on Mon Nov 11th, 2024 @ 8:04am by Commander Sthilg & Lieutenant JG Daisheliss "Lissa" Kerr & Josef Forstinger

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Medbay
2567 words - 5.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Sthilg wished to himself as he placed his coat on his chair before he picked up the padd with today's lists. He had a checkup with Josef Forstinger. Knowing the science division had requested they take a look at him as well the lizard sent over a message before picking up his coffee. Now just to wait for the new arrival to arrive.

Lissa Kerr walked into the Medbay, ready to consult with medical regarding Josef Forstinger, an individual who had been recently revived from a cryogenic state, having been frozen since the 20th century - a rudimentary time for such technology.

"Hello, Doctor. How are you doing today?" Lissa asked, noticing the Gorn CMO on her arrival.

" I'm well." The gorn replied as he handed his college a coffee cup. "Coffee?"

"I'll pass, but thanks," Lissa said placing the cup aside. "They drill it into your brains, no food in the lab. It's almost a Pavlovian response when I'm working anymore."

After the two finished their Exchange, the person of interest finaly entered the medbay. Having found it after a bit of wandering. Spotting the two immidiatly, he approached. Of course he internaly was still slightly....uncomfortable with the appereance of certain Aliens, but he grew more accustomed to it by the day. "You wanted to see me, Doctor ?"

"Hello there Mr Forstinger. I hope you don't mind but me and Lieutenant Kerr and myssself would like to run sssome more tesssst. Given your extended ssstay in cryosssleep i'd like to make sure everything in your body is working perfectly." The gorn explain din his best grandfatherly tone.

"Hi there," Lissa said offering the man a warm smile. "I'm sure many of us must look strange to you," she added referring to her own green skin. "My father and his family are human actually. I spent quite a bit of time in Kentucky when I was younger. Maybe you're familiar with it?"

"I dont like being poked by needles too much Doctor. But sure, I got nothing else to do. If its any reassurance I am not puking up Ice, yet." he jokes. Nodding to Lissa as she addressed him. A Dinosaur and a Green Woman. Well, it could be weirder...right ? "Cant say I've been. I am more....European. I did know someone from Kentucky though, think he got ripped in half by-nevermind. Apologies. Just direct me where you want me" He trails off, recounting some past event as his expression goes dead for a second but stopping himself of going into any further detail.

Lissa raised an eyebrow when Josef didn't finish his thought. "Well, if you ever need to talk, it shouldn't surprise you that most of us here have probably seen a lot ourselves. Things get weird out here, you're right," Lissa agreed. "But, lucky for you modern medicine hardly ever uses needles anymore, so that's one less thing to be worried about," she added.

"I think one of the things we were wanting to take a look at is your immune system, which is why Dr. Sthilg and I thought to work together. You should have immunity to pathogens that don't even exist naturally anymore, and we're very interested to see how you're adapting to current pathogens," Lissa explained. "There are no outbreaks on the ship, don't worry. But anywhere you go, there are foreign objects in the air, on a table, in your cryo-unit that might make one person ill and not affect the other at all. For your health - and science, we'd like to keep a close eye on that."

" I can assssure you my friend we have far more effective toolsss than needlesss. " the gorn said as he lead the way to the biobed with the more intense scaner. " Jussst lay down on here and relax." He said tapping the biobed.

"Well, thats a relief. And youre right. Wouldnt want me to catch the Martian Flu." he joked. He had not been sick so far even in captivity. But wouldnt want to test fate. So as the gorn led the way hed find the Biobed and lay down as instructed. Certainly better than any physical he had....so far. "So, what else do you need ? My ancient medical history ?" he finished as he settled in, quieting down as to let the two finaly begin their work.

"Knowing any injuriesss you took would help." The lizard said as he started up the machine. " Just lean back and relax this may take a while."

Lissa stood next to the doctor closer to the foot of the bed so that the man wouldn't feel boxed in and tried to offer a reassuring smile as the doctor attempted to get a medical history.

"Well I cant remember everything dock. Those were an....eventful 4 years. I got shot many times. From what I remember at least once in each shoulder, once in the stomach, twice in the chest and-right. I once had my right arm almost ripped out by one of those freaks, though it only popped out of the socket. Got caught in a few explosions too but never took any shrapnel-I think." he retells the injuries he can remember. Simply leaning back as instructed and letting the dock get to it.

" I know that feeling lost two of my testiclesss to an IED and had my arm ripped of my body." Sthilg replied as he typed to make sure to check those areas.

"Since you've been revived have any of those areas been giving you any trouble?" Lissa asked. "Any pains, aches, stiffness?"

The Mans faced scrunched slightly as the doctor told his story. Okay, guess he didnt have it all too bad after all....
"A bit of stiffness. Some headaches and shortness of breath I guess....I even puked up water once." That wasnt all. Hed probably also mention the nightmares. And sometimes seeing things that werent there especially in the dark. But, thats probably a side effect too. Right ? Didnt have to appear crazy.

" Any nightmaresss?" The gorn added in his calm doctorly tone. " it's okay everyone hasss been having them." he reassured him.

"No, just a few here and there." he let slip. The Biobed soon giving out the data the Doctor wanted, what did he want to take a look at first ?

"Totally normal for a lot of people who aren't used to space travel," Lissa interjected. She was leaning back against the lab counter watching carefully, waiting until she was needed, and trying not to hover. "Space is - space. Cold, dark. Even now not everyone loves being on ships. But with everything that you were experiencing before... I mean. That stuff can cause nightmares too."

"Well they haven't been about space so far-" he responds, yets get interrupted by some continuous readouts of the Biobed. His body had definitely been through the ringer thats for sure. Bones had been broken, and flesh had been torn. Incredibly there were still a few bullets in the man, tugged away in places they wouldnt be immediately dangerous, yet that 20th Century Medicine had a hard time extracting lest theyd open him up like a pig for slaughter. His Immune System was also...weakened. Perhaps due to the horrible conditions of the slave camp, of which he also seems to have a few diseases brewing away inside of him, or just the side effects of reawakening from his frozen slumber.

" Hum." Stilg said at the date came flooding in his white eyes scanning it over and already beginning to form plans. " We'll have to put you on a course of drugs to help get you immune sssyssetm back up to peak condition. We'll need to remove the bulletsss asss well." The old saw bones explained.

"Bullets, eh?" Lissa commented tossing Josef a nod of respect from her spot still leaning against the back counter. "I bet you've got some stories to tell." She stood up straighter and walked over to where Sthilg was working and took a closer look at the readings.

"We'll want to take it slow, his immune system might as well be set to zero right now. Everything he has immunity to has likely been eradicated or mutated so much that his immunity is nil." Lissa shook her head and checked herself and looked at Josef. "And unfortunately, you haven't been exposed to our environment long enough to be able to take a regular dose of a vaccine. One step at a time though. Luckily the ship is a pretty healthy place, it's a great place to get acclimated," Lissa stated using her best reassuring voice.


" Indeed. we'll ssstart on a treatment to help boossst your immune sssyssstem." the lizard told the man from another time. At the same time he reached for the hypospray which had just replicated.

"As long as I dont have to walk around in a plastic bubble, I should be fine." he quips as he waits for the two to continue doing their work. Further analysis from the Biobed and simply looking over him reveals some more pecularities, other than some stitches in his hand and back still being present-rather visible due to a black string being used-the biobed also gave some more read outs, like that his eardrums showed increased wear and tear, and that extremely faint traces of (2S)-N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine were still in his blood system..... Methamphetamin ? How ?

" Hum." The lizard said as he looked at the reading coming in. " How very odd." he added as he ran a more detailed scan.

The more detailed scan revealed more details. There was no injection site-no scars from a needle or anything that would hint towards it. Analysing the Decay and the residuals in his bloodstream, his high had worn off a week or two before the ships arrival and rescue. But, that would mean he had ingested enough Methamphetamine for a week long trip-interrupted by stasis. That amount would have laid out a large mammal- and was something certainly not induced by his captors. It would explain how his unmodified body could have survived the stress of cryostasis so well and also be able to fight in the arena. But it also posed more questions. He certainly did not look nor act like an addict. So where had he found so much-and why had he ingested it in the first place ?

Lissa looked at the readings and at Josef with a sympathetic eye. "You were a soldier in the Eugenics War, right? Were you given anything to help you fight? Like a drug, or something you would ingest?" She asked directly. She saw no shame in asking, her own people used such tactics and she knew enough of human history to know that they weren't above it either.

"Its a bit hazy-but I think I took something before being frozen. Pervitin." A quick flash suddenly went before Josefs eyes as they went blank for everyone else. He was back there. His friends all dead. Shots ringing out around him, a box of pills scattered around and its contents almost soresn out around the floor, the pain of a bullet wound in his stomach.

Then he returned. He was back in Sickbay. The only noticable thing now was a slight twitch from his right hand. "Right, Pervitin was the historical name. Ironic that we had to use World War 2 Stocks. Its Methamphetamine." He seemed open to admitting taking it. He wasn't an addict-but he didn't seem willing to reveal why.

Lissa nodded. "We can see the metabolite in your system - indicating very high dosages. I wish I could say the practice of doping soldiers to push them to their limits was ancient history, but it really doesn't go that far back into Starfleet history. The Orion people still do it today."

Again, that his levels were-or had been high was an understatment. In Reality, he had taken his whole squads supply in one go. Not expecting to make it far. Only to wake up on the other end of the galaxy. There was a quick flash in his brain. A Drug fueled haze. First the sprint as bullets inpavted around and into him. And later the arena. The distinct feeling of pummeling in someones-or somethings head.

"Well, my Grandfather always told me they ran out of bullets before drugs. Never believed it until I experienced it myself" he joked, thought his tone of voice wasnt jovial. More so sad.

Other than the few scars, bruises, bullet holes and bullets in him, the only other meaningful discoveries were that his ears showed wear and tear. No wonder when things explode around you. Or once did. Which seemed to be cherry ontop of the amount of physical scars he carries.

" Well it'sss a good thing we have a counter to it nowerdaysss." Sthilg said from his chair as he slid it over to the replicator before typing in a command. " You're body ssseemsss to be doing a decent job of going cold turkey so I'll give you something to help purge what'sss left from your body. Along with a little sssomething to help your immune sssyesstmsss recovery. "

"I mean, I wasnt a full on addict-I guess." he responded as the doctor went to replicate the necessary things. "Though, with my immune system, does that mean I cant leave the ship while it recovers ? Or do I have to get locked into a plastic bubble." he partially jokes, though in reality he wishes that wasnt true. He was starting to miss the sky-and the sun. Even though the ones he was going to see in the near future werent the ones he was accustomed to....

" The ssship is a clean environment. If you are going to have any time of the ssship i'd recommend you wear an environment sssuit. I'd like you back in here for a checkup at least every two daysss." The gorn replied loading up the shots into a hypospray. " Don't worry you won't feel a thing."

"Every two days ? Doesnt that seem a little much ?" he didnt really complain, but was moreso suprised at the frequency. But then again, the doctor said he did have practicaly no immune system to speak of.

"I'm sure it won't be for too long," Lissa commented sympathetically. "Honestly, with what your immune system has been through, you very well could respond and adapt pretty quickly. Generally the more pathogens our immune system has fought, the stronger it is. What doesn't kill ya makes you stronger, right?" Lissa gave him a smile and sort of nudged her head like it was okay for him to smile too. "Anyway, if you do, I'm sure doc will be able to start spreading out appointments, until he gives you the all clear."

Josef bregrudingly nodded, at least this didnt involve any needles-so it could be worse. "Alright, alright. Well Doc, I got all days of the week free, so go ahead and choose any time and date that fits you. Ill orient myself around that." he says to the gorn, giving him the freedom of choice. At least this means he has something every 2 days to plan his life around.

" I'll sssee what timesss i have available and let you know." The old doctor said with the best warm smile he could manage. " Other than that your free to go Mr Josssef."