Jordan did her rounds on both Lieutenant Moore and Cadet Harris.  Moore was improving to a degree, yet the injuries weren’t healing as quickly as she would have hoped or liked.  She’d sent samples off to the various science teams onboard to see what they could find.  Cadet Harris was a better story, and there was a good chance she’d be ready for duty tomorrow.  The others were moving up and out of their various stages.

=^=Markonian Outpost to Mercy Sickbay – we have a medical emergency with one of yours.  Transport to our location.=^=

Reid didn’t even wait.  She ran to a console and sent the transporter request.  Seconds later, she was gone in a flash of light.

And reappeared in a very in-progress sickbay.  A Starfleet medical officer waved her over, “Commander Okada Katsumi was shot by a Voth disruptor moments ago.  She was protecting a Voth from another.  The suspect has been arrested and is being investigated as we speak.”  He led her to the biobed, “We’ve stabilized her, but she’s going to need intensive care.  Her vitals are all over the place, and we’re not sure why.  Whatever he shot her with was meant for a Voth physiology, and we’re still trying to catch up on the species makeup of this quadrant.”

Jordan accepted a tossed medical tricorder and did a quick scan, “This looks like another patient of mine…only she was shot by a Devore weapon.  Is she safe to transport?”

The doctor shook his head, “That’s why I called you here.  The transporter filters out things…and I was worried that whatever she got shot with…if it got caught up in the biofilter, it could do serious harm depending on how attached it is to her or even inside her.”

She had to agree with him, “Right.  We’ll manually transport her.  I’ll get my triage and trauma team over here, and we’ll take it from here.”  The busy doctor thanked her and was moving on to the next case.  Reid made her calls, and as soon as the crew arrived, they began to accelerate the process of getting her ready to move and then moving her as quickly as possible to the dock with the Mackenzie.

They arrived in Sickbay in a calculated rush, moving the XO intensive care, where the trauma and triage team went to work.  They moved her off the mobile monitoring systems and transferred her to the Mackenzie’s sickbay systems.  Samples were taken, readings were made, and continued stabilization orders were written.  Doctor Reid worked seamlessly with her team as they tersely spoke orders, reports, and progress updates as they went.  They all knew Okada – her ascension to the role of XO had helped keep the crew together in the days aboard the Eddie.  She had been invaluable in ensuring the culture of the Mack fit into the same mold as the previous assignment.  The orderlies took the samples and readings and walked them to the science team down the hall.

Reid pulled her up her stood beside Okada.  Her eyes flitted open, seeing the Chief Medical Officer and the world around her for the first time.  “Am I…dead?”  She was weak, and the pain was slashing around the inside of her body like a wild samurai.  “It hurts like…hell.”

Reid slipped a hypospray into her hands and measured out the pain medicine, “You’re alive, Chief.  Let me see what I can do about the pain.”  She pressed it against the neck of the XO, pressed it, and waited a moment until the tight focus slowly faded from her patient’s face.

“That’s…a lot better.  Thank you, Doc.”  Okada shook her head, “I still don’t feel right….even with the pain dulled, there’s something there.”

Jordan confirmed, “We’re not quite sure what it is, but between the Devore hand weapons and the Voth – they’re having unintended effects on the human body.  We’ve got science working on it.  I can slow it down, but I’ll have to slow your body…stasis is the only surefire way to bring this thing to as much as a full stop as I can manage.”

“That doesn’t sound fun.  You’re going to be short an XO.”  Okada grimaced, “Although if it stops whatever this is…I’m not going to fight it.  I’d rather live, Doc.”

Jordan nodded, “Your assistant chief engineer is in similar trouble.  We put her in stasis this morning.”

The Chief Engineer’s eyes went wide, “That’s not good.  You need a chief.”

“Captain Harris was a chief once.  He can do it again.  Plus – you said so yourself – you’d rather live.”

Okada closed her eyes, the absence of light bringing her a measure of relief.  There were no good choices in the Delta Quadrant.  “OK.  I don’t like it.  And I don’t want it….but I need it.  Make it happen, Doc.”

Reid stood, made notes on her PADD, and handed it to the team she had called to the bedside, “Same as Greer.  Take care with her…she’s a bundle of nerves.”  The team went to work.  Jordan stepped aside and tapped her badge, “Doctor Reid to Captain Harris – You’re needed in sickbay for an update.”  He replied that he was on the way.  Glancing at Okada as the work began to put her in stasis, she had to wonder – how could they protect against such an enemy?