Don's autopsy

Posted on 08 Mar 2012 @ 3:18pm by Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal

1,576 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: M8-A: Kzinti War - Recon from Hell
Location: Sickbay and Captain's eady room
Timeline: After the Two Captains post

When the dark haired betazoid passed her, Ciara leaned against the bulkhead, pursing her lips. She raised her eyes and viewed the queue forming outside sickbay. The woman in her, just wanted to hide, run away, take to process the loss of her family. If a counselor knew when it happened, she would be booked off, but no one knew yet. But the doctor in her wanted to help. Maybe working, at least for now, would take her mind off the numbness she felt.

The other consequence of her assistance would be that she woudl go on record here. No more under the radar for her. Perhaps, they will be too busy to realize who she had been before and she could simply slip away and tender her resignation directly from Star Fleet HQ.

Breathing in and out slowly, she entered sickbay. The first MO she saw, she stopped. "I am a Doctor, where can I register?"

The MO, seemed flustred from all the work and the full sickbay. "Come with me...." she said hastily. "I AM COMING!" she shouted to a demanding Klingon. "SIT DOWN ON YOUR ASS AND WAIT YOUR TURN!!" she said and then looked apologetically at Ciara. "Sorry..... " she said. "Put your thumb here," she said to register the woman as a serving doctor on the Achilles.


"No worries," Ciara said with an polite smile. ~What the hell was I thinking!? This is nuts~' she thought. "The Starbase looked the same at times..." she said quietly, still looking around at the mayhem, as she placed her thumb on the padd. A cardassian doctor rushed out and Ciara eyes followed her as she disappeared through the doors. Usually this would have thrilled her, the pressure, the patients, the challenge, but not today. The smell of blood and medication just reminded her of what she walked into in her and her family's quarters. She bit back tears and smiled.

The information from the Starbase had already been updated to the ships's computer and promptly it confirmed Commander Ciara Griffon Brannagh as a registered MO, educated in medice and law.

"You are the Executive Officer," the doctor said surprised. That was the last thing she would have expected of the seemingly demure woman.

"By default," she said sadly.

"Well, welcome Commander, here is a list of patients that need attending," she said.

Ciara nodded and got to work.

It was a few hours later, when two security officers and the same doctor approached her. Her heart jumped to her throat. It was the same when.....

"Commander, can we spaek to you, please..." the other doctor asked.

"Sure," Ciara said, wiping stray hair from her clammy face. Environmental control had been severely taxed with the added lifeforms on the ship.

The security officer stepped forward. "Ma'am, we were informed that you have experience with autopsy's." he said

Ciara's eyes flicked from one to the other. "Yes...." She was confused. Surely alot of people died in this battle. "Why would you need one? It is only needed when crime is suspected, or when cause of death is ambiqious or uncertain.... she ventured.

"This is murder, Ma'am," said the officer again, obviously distressed by having to announce it.

"Oh, ok..." she said still questioning as she took the offered Padd, reading through the data. A frown furrowed her brow, as she read the details, her eyes constantly going back to the awkward stretch of the thin fabric of the body bag over an object sticking from what seemed to be the chest area.

"Yes Ma'am...."

"I am sorry..." she mumbled. "It must be difficult for you..." she said warmly now. "I need room....?"

"Oh... of course, use the CMO's office, that is all that is available and private now...we will wheel in the equipment.." said the medical officer.

"Please take his body there, I will start immediately..." Ciara said, touching the arm of the distressed officer. She smiled greatful.

"If you need to talk, you are welcome, ok?" Ciara invited.

Once alone, Ciara got coffee from the replicator in the office and started the computer. "This is Commander Ciara G Brannagh, the Medical Examiner on duty for the autopsy of Commander Dononvan Killian, Executive Officer of the USS Achilles, Stardate 65743.34, office of the CMO."

She opened the bag, revealing the full horror of whatever happened to this officer. Ciara steeled herself as scenes from her own family and what the Kzinti did to them, threatened to surface. The stark contrast of his open throat and his attractive face, shook her. Opening the bag further, she saw a Klingon ceremonial weapon sticking from his chest, perfectly placed to slow and agonizing death as well as several other stabwounds. Her trained eye noticed something immediately, but she wasn't going to make any conclusions before having followed procedure.

Carefully examining the body in it's entirety for fresh lesions, and she noted every of the six stab wounds, the incision accross his throat as well as any sign of struggle. She didn't expect to find any. She shook her head in horror as she made her first conclusion.

"The obvious cause of death is loss of blood, caused by a sharp force injury across the throat of the victim. The incision transects with the left jugular vein," she said as she opened the wound a little, "the trachea and the right jugular vein," she said, pushing her own disgust at the cold blooded nature of what she saw.

Ciara proceeded to make observations concerning the primary cut. The killer was right handed, used a very sharp broad blade, possibly a kind of hunting knife, as it had a sharp point and a broad blade. The blade left no molecular trace whatsover in the wound, indicating that it was a very rare and expensive black market weapon. She did not presume it was the dk'tagh.

And she was right. Once she had removed it from the stab wound in the chest, she scanned it carefully. The crest immediately indicated the owner of the knife. Noting the result, she then placed it in an airtight evidence container. Science would recheck it later. It left molecular trace in the stabwould and in all the other wounds, but not in the cut in the Commander's neck. he could have survived the stabwounds, if he had been found in time, she remarked sadly to herself. But it would not have helped him. The lack of blood from them, indicated that they were made post mortem, immediately after, but not before the cut.

Ciara grabbed the top of her amrs as she paced to record her conclusions in the ship's computer.

She then proceeded with an in depth scan of the body, cell by cell.

It was some time later that she sat up sharply and viewed the rsults again. "What?" she asked herself. Highly surprised she looked at the results again. Her shoulders slumped a little from tiredness, but also from empathy for the man the laid before her.

She realized that she didn't even have a communicator. "Damn...." she said and reluctantly she sent a message to the ship's CMO, who treated teh commander for a headache, but from what she saw, there was no way he could have known the cause. She knew the captain would want to see her to explain her results, but she hoped not.


=========

Solor stood with the Padd in his hand, facing the Captain. He was not the CMO, just by accident coordinating sickbay at the moment. "Sir," said the Vulcan Medical Officer. "I have received this report from the Madical Examiner who conducted the autopsy on the late Commander Donovan Killian. My opinion is that you should discuss it with the ME herself," he said in typical Vulcan monotonous fashion.

Da`nal thought on the recommendation for a moment. "Medical Examiner, we don't have a ME, you must be referring to the EMH, surely you can fill me in." Da`nal still didn't like sickbay....especially medical holograms.

"No, Sir, it is better you talk with her, I will not suggest it if it was unneccessary or illogical," the Vulcan insisted. "And no Sir, we don't have a Medical Examiner on the Achilles manifest, but one of the survivors from the Starbase has experience as a ME. She was asked to do teh autopsy," he explained. "She is not a hologram, he stated without thinking it was funny, even if it sounded that way. "I can have the ME meet you here," he suggested, to the stubborn Klingon.

There wasn't time for a seperate meeting right now; "Have her report to the observation lounge for the briefing with the senior staff."

"Your logic in this decision is flawed, since you have not reviewed her report, nor taken into consideration that I would not have come to see you in person had I not concluded it to be nesseccary. I could have sent you the report, but I will inform her, Sir," said Solor. He took a step back and turned around and walked back towards the door. He had to resist shaking his head over the Captain's reaction.

Da`nal made a mental note to have the Vulcan assigned to waste processing. ~If another Vulcan says I'm illogical....First Charg and now this one too~

----------------------------------------

Capt. Da`nal
CO

Commander Ciara Brannagh
Trying to resign
(NPC by Sharon)

The Vulcan Solor
Medical Officer
(NPC by Sharon)

 

RSS Feed