MED_J_O and MED_A_Hilbert to ALL

[flavourtown]

[ The video opens with a shot of Doctors Hilbert and Jiaoqiu seated in front of the camera. In the background is the pristine medical wing, a stack of tablets on one table. Jiaoqiu is the first to speak; his ever-present genial smile in place, and his tone pleasant. ]

Good morning, crew. As some of you may know, the crew that were active before us – may they rest in peace – did extensive research on the infection as they were suffering it, and that knowledge is classified to Medical staff. After some discussion, Doctor Hilbert and I decided that it was best for us to share that research with the crew.

[ In contrast, Hilbert has his ever-present frown and general attitude of ‘I would much rather be anywhere but here.’ Still, he pushes past the grumpiness to continue. ]

Some of you know basics, but best to have everyone on same page, yes? Infection of previous crew was rapid. Symptoms progressed quickly, in less than twenty four hours. Time between infection and death was forty hours maximum, nine hours minimum. Initial symptoms are hives and fever. Later symptoms include tumors and total organ failure.

The contagion started in the science labs, after the crew there had sampled dust and gasses from a nearby nebula. It took six days for the entire crew to be infected, and in the end, Doctor Devi ascertained the cause of the infection: an alien, amoeba-like lifeform.

[ Jiaoqiu pauses to let that sink in, his smile having turned a touch apologetic. ]

Doctor Devi was actually in the process of creating a vaccine. It was unfinished, but he still administered it to Captain Drake in the hopes that it would work, because his own symptoms were too far advanced.

Vaccine’s use was... partially effective. It stopped Captain from dying. Good news. But vaccine turned malignant aspect of tumors to symbiotic. It created feedback loop where virus and captain feed off of each other and tumors continue to grow. We have not seen Captain because he physically cannot leave Bridge, or even move in first place.

[ For the first time in the conversation, Hilbert’s grumpy exterior falters a bit. That is an objectively horrible fate and a brief grimace of something that might be worry flits across his face. Jiaoqiu's expression, too, betrays his ill-ease with the Captain's state; it's clear neither of them are happy about this, to say the least. ]

Rest assured, we will be continuing work on the vaccine to the best of our ability. For now, we can take comfort in the fact that the amoeba truly is contained, and current risk of infection for the crew is at zero. I've also been trying to work on solutions to be able to deliver medication to Captain Drake, but so far I've been unsuccessful. We'd welcome any input on that.

[ A bit too quickly, Hilbert continues with, ] Any useful input. Useless ideas or flights of fancy will be outright ignored. Now. Undoubtedly you have questions. Go ahead and ask them and Doctor Jiaoqiu and I will do best to answer.

Comments

SEC_Z_Massani

[anesthetic_rage]

[That synched up with the information Hilbert had given him from before with a few more tidbits that were ... less than reassuring. In particular, the problem seemed to be that this space amoeba was an inhabitant of the nebula, which meant it was still out there.]

Right. I'm not going to be much use in helping get medication to the captain right now, so good luck with that rot.

But, something you said tickled my brain in a way that's a little nerve-wracking. You said it was nebula dust they sampled. What are the odds that we might accidentally sample more of that shit? We ARE still in the Nebula right now, after all.

[flavourtown]

Hello Zaeed! While I'd need to double-check with Science personnel to be absolutely certain, I'd estimate the chances of accidentally sampling more is astronomically slim. Sampling space dust would be a complicated venture, involving either

a) a person in a suit manually going outside the hull to collect scrapings of it as the space dust collected under our hull due to our artificial gravity, or
b) an extended robotic arm of some sort that would have to be directed, and then the sample sent through an airlock

Unless L3TH3 is doing so behind our back, I feel confident that it couldn't get inside accidentally.

[tarakan]

And considering the lengths L3TH3 went to with regards to disinfecting the ship, I would be very surprised if any unsecured traces of the sample remain in Science Division.

[anesthetic_rage]

That's about what I thought the two of you would say. Let's just sort of keep that shelved 'just in case' once we're out of the Nebula. To make sure we don't have a re-start of the infection. Still, after 20 years, I should hope the ship did a thorough job of cleaning the hull.

[flavourtown]

Given the typical problems of space travel -- particularly, the problem of space junk accumulating under the hull -- I would assume the ship comes equipped with drones to clean detritus away. Whether or not those are still functioning, though, is anybody's guess.

[tarakan]

Zaeed, I suggest you ask L3TH3 or Operations Division about cleaning the hull instead of us.

[ aka 'not my division' ]

[anesthetic_rage]

Fair enough, Doc. I'll add it to my queries when we get the next situation report. I'm going to assume that they sterilize the bots when they come in for servicing until then.

[The alternative was terrifying.]

That's about the only thing I really have to add to all this. thanks for filling the rest of the crew in. We don't need them confused.

[flavourtown]

Let us hope so. The last thing we need is another wave of infection.

And you're welcome, Zaeed! We can only hope that this sharing of information will lead to greater understanding.

[tarakan]

Happy to be of service.

SCI_R_0

[itdoesntlikeyou]

[No suggestions or questions come in for a while, despite the fact that Rin almost certainly caught on to this message as soon as it was sent. They're busy having a Reaction to this that involves finding a spot as far from the wet labs as possible and maybe a little bit of mental screaming. Sure, the AI described the situation, clinically. Picturing the Captain trapped by some alien contamination is enough to get their leash giving a single worried beep anyway.

They're just... not going to focus on the painkillers bit. Not because Jiaoqiu's wrong, but because they really need to not talk about the pros and cons of a particular solution right now.]

Medical records include no symptoms involving irrational behavior, compulsive movement/action, actively seeking transmission to other crew members? L3TH3 mentioned only that infection had reached 100%. Access to crew cryostasis may or may not have been a rational action when faced with full loss of crew with a vaccine in development.

[flavourtown]

Hello Rin! No, records indicated no irrational behaviour, compulsive action, or intent to spread. Fever did reach up to heights of 104, which could produce abnormal behaviour, but none of the records indicated that it was a pattern.

Are you suggesting that some of the infected crew may have placed themselves in cryo to prevent their own deaths?

[tarakan]

Based on the rapid infection rate, I would mark that as implausible. Cryostasis can be complex procedure, and mortality rates were rapid. Most of science and engineering developed symptoms in a day. Only seventeen crew members remained standing at the end of the week.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

Just wondering if there were behavioral symptoms to go with the physical ones.

[And they're going to leave that right there, don't worry about that particular nightmare of a train of thought, it's cool, it's fine. Everything's great. They're not living in the aftermath of some weird zombie virus.]

Can reasonably assume attempts to wake other crew members were due to the need for additional Science and Medical personnel to combat high infection rates. An evaluation which L3TH3 disagreed with. How much data is preserved on the vaccine?

[flavourtown]

While I can't say for certain if anything regarding the vaccine was lost, the notes taken are thorough enough to be able carry on from. Doubtless there are bits and pieces Doctor Devi forgot to write down, perhaps, but otherwise it's comprehensive.

We're not presently in any danger of infection, but we'll continue work on the vaccine nonetheless.

[tarakan]

Rest assured, neither Doctor Jiaoqiu or I want the worst case scenario to happen. We will do our best to make the vaccine as close to usable as we can.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

That sounds promising.

[Can text be inherently sarcastic? Maybe it's the font. Maybe it's just Rin.]

How close to effective can you get it without a specimen to test it against?

[flavourtown]

[ Yeeeeah. Jiaoqiu has thought about that. He hasn't come up with any good ideas other than testing it on himself, because he couldn't ethically ask anybody else to volunteer. ]

We'll have to work off of known theory, which will make it considerably more difficult. Hilbert is an excellent doctor, though, so I have faith.

[tarakan]

Thank you for the compliment.

[ This is why Jiaoqiu rocks. ]

You are right: though we can create a possible replica of the vaccine, it's effectiveness will only be seen if we have another outbreak. Understandably, I would prefer that not to happen.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

Would current biometric data from the Captain be helpful in the process?

Hypothetically.

[flavourtown]

Very much so! It would be useful both for any attempt at the vaccine, but especially for our attempts to deliver medication to him: current biometric data would go a great way to informing us of correct dosage necessary.

How would you get such information?

[tarakan]

In addition to biometrics, a blood sample would also be appreciated—though I know that would be exponentially harder to achieve.

[itdoesntlikeyou]

If you want a blood sample you're going to have to walk through the lasers yourself. But I think Security may be able to get access to monitoring equipment even there. I'll ask them.

[flavourtown]

That would be amazing, Rin, thank you! 🙀

[tarakan]

Any little bit would help. Even base biometrics would be appreciated. Thank you.

ENG_V_Saverem

[plantussy]

That's horrifying. Poor people, and the captain must be in such agony.
Thank you for sharing it with us, though.

[flavourtown]

Hello Vash! You're welcome; we agreed it was best for everybody to have this knowledge, and not have it be classified solely to Medical.

I do agree that what Captain Drake is experiencing is horrific. If I were in his position, I'm not certain I'd have the same dedication and strength. I just wish there was a way that I could get pain relief to him.

[tarakan]

The command track within L3TH3 is broken. I asked it who the next in command was and it gave me something akin to a feedback loop.

I also wish we could send pain relief to the Captain. [ because that's the right thing to say in this situation. ] But any attempts to do so must be done under the table.

[plantussy]

I agree that everyone should have it, even if it's a lot to take in. I wish we could help him, too. Let me know if there's anything I can do?

[ He doubts he can do anything at all, he's an engineer whose only medical knowledge is how to sew himself up until he gets to a medic. Still, he's could reroute power to medical if needed. ]

The chain of command being broken is really bad news. What happens if the captain passes?

[flavourtown]

[ Welcome to the exact problem that Jiaoqiu had tried to lay out to Wolfwood while they'd been banging on the door trying to stop him from suffocating the Captain. ]

I have no idea. The AI could simply refuse to nominate a new Captain, or its protocols for promotions may be damaged from time and disrepair. We currently have no way of knowing, unfortunately.

[tarakan]

Give me a moment, I asked L3TH3 this question last month.

[ and thirty seconds later, ]

The captain suggested appointing the next most seasoned commander. However, while that will work for keeping order among ourselves, I do not know if L3TH3 would recognize command status.

[plantussy]

That's not good. I can understand having the chain of command being the most experienced person, but you're right. Maybe L3TH3 won't accept that.

[ Sigh. ]

If the AI has errors in the databank I worry what else might have been corrupted over time. It could probably do with a restart, even if that would wipe everything L3TH3 has learned in the past sixty years.

[flavourtown]

And yet I find myself uncomfortable with the idea of resetting the AI, considering how much it has learned. Surely there must be ethical ramifications to such a thing.

[tarakan]

Ethical ramifications? The AI is lines of code, resetting it would be equivalent to turning a computer on and off. There is nothing ethical about unplugging your toaster.

I think a reset would help. However, I also think that it would be best if one of our more computer-minded dug around in the programming to see if this is a simple fix or not.

[plantussy]

No disrespect meant, but that's a dangerous way of thinking about it. Somehow people considered mechs a species 50 years before the Hybrid Liberation Act.

[ In some people's eyes, 'lines of code' had been seen as more sapient and worthy of freedom than hybrids... which says a lot about people. (Humans, a voice sounding a lot like his twin says in the back of his head.)

That said, L3TH3 worked on parameters and rules, and mechs generally had freedom of choice. ]

Maybe Rin can look into it.

[flavourtown]

Exactly. I'm no AI expert; I have no idea if L3TH3 is capable of emotion or higher thought. I'd want a thorough study done before any consideration of wiping its memory.

[tarakan]

Do either of you know if anyone capable of making that study has been revived?

[plantussy]

Rin's in CompSci, I think they're the closest we have.

OPE_N_Wolfwood (text)

[lastdecember]

You could add whatever medication you wanted into the oxygen supply for the bridge. I know a guy who can show you where the access point is.

[ The captain can't even move? That's worse than Wolfwood was imagining. They should have let him kill the poor man. ]

[flavourtown]

[ ... OH. GENIUS. ]

Hello Wolfwood! That's an extremely novel idea that I hadn't considered would be feasible, but if you say that we can access the oxygen supply, it would only be a matter of aerosolizing the medicine and ensuring that it's only pumped into the bridge and not the entire ship. Would that latter part be possible?

[tarakan]

Very sound idea. We do not have anything on hand that could reverse the captain's situation but at the least, we could give him painkillers.

[ plus, there's just something about drugging someone via the oxygen supply that sounds like an absolutely fantastic idea to Hilbert. ]

[lastdecember]

[ Oh. They're taking him seriously? Huh! It was a good idea, but he wasn't expecting anyone else to see that. All right then! ]

Here.

[ He may have gone a little crazy, but he was thorough about it! This message comes with an attachment that shows a section of schematic for the ship's ventilation system. The bridge is a closed loop, with a whole section of the ship's air scrubbers and C0₂ diverters dedicated to keeping the disease contained. The diverter for the bridge loop has been circled on the schematic -- the air from that point is going towards the bridge, so it would be a good place to add in medication without risk of backflow dumping contaminated air into the rest of the ship. At least, that's Wolfwood's assessment. L3TH3 might feel differently about such things. ]

Just don't mess up or we're all dead.

[flavourtown]

Thank you very much, Wolfwood. We will consult with the engineer and with L3TH3 to ensure there's no flaw in the plan and that we will not erroneously be dosing the whole crew.

If this works, you will be saving Captain Drake from an incredible amount of suffering.

[tarakan]

And considering how small our current crew is, it should be easy enough to find oxygen masks or something of the like for everyone before the attempt is made.

Thank you from my end of things as well.