First Signs of Life...
Posted on Wed Jul 8th, 2026 @ 10:27pm by Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone MD/DSAPM & Lieutenant JG Jezra Siv MD & Captain Remy Johansen
2,132 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD013
The caves of Mak'ala were quiet, the gentle ripple of liquid in the pools echoing off the stone walls. Of course, it was just a memory, a snapshot in time of someplace safe. A snapshot, except for one pool. Submerged in the liquid was a dark shadow. A body. Not a real body, but consciousness that shaped itself like one. It was comfortable submerged beneath the surface, like it was sleeping.
It was time. A faint chime sounded, coming into the memory like it had come from the depths of the caves. The surface of the pool faintly swelled, then rippled formed as the shadow stirred. A hand broke the surface of the liquid, then the other, and they felt for the rough edge of the pool. Chestnut-coloured hair came next, and when its face cleared the surface, it opened its mouth in a gasp for air.
Jezra opened her eyes.
For a couple seconds, she stared at the ceiling of sickbay as her senses came back. Steady beeping above her. Gentle pressure against her back. She blinked a couple times as she looked around, her disorientation waning as she concluded that she was laying down, on a biobed. Sickbay. Her stomach was a little uneasy. She was thirsty. Cautiously, she shifted onto her side, then slowly pushed herself up. The grey shirt and pants weren't hers. Sitting up helped the nausea a little. The beeping drew her attention to the wall, where she could see the biobed straining to keep track of her vitals. Slowly, she scooted to the edge of the biobed until her toes met the cool floor.
Shuffling to the CMO office, she spotted Alex. Jezra gently knocked on the side of the frame, "hey, um... what happened?" Her voice was hoarse and cracked, which made Jezra frown a little and gently touch her throat.
Alex looked up from her desk, well their desk and gave Jezra a severe look. "Ah; I did miscalculate the dose needed to keep you under; I did not want to overdo it though. How are you feeling, Dr. Siv?" The title was addended both to remind Jezra of who she was should it be needed as well as to convey the respect of the role. Slowly after she finished the severe look gave way to a thin smile.
"Ever wake up hungover?" Jezra quietly cleared her throat, as if it would get rid of the hoarseness. Moving cautiously, she stepped over to one of the chairs and eased herself into it. As stubborn as a doctor could be as a patient, she knew her own limits and knew better than to push them. Jedex did that enough for a lifetime.
“Once or twice; yes.” Alex’ gaze stayed on Jezra for a moment and she was silent as she mulled the thought. “Jedex was… Interesting.”
Jezra gave Alex a confused look. "How do you know about Jedex?" Her voice became more of a whisper, not because the prior host was any sort of secret, rather it produced the least strain on her throat.
“I met him. Briefly.” Alex noted the drop in Jezra’s voice and idly gave a slight nod; picking up a PaDD that lay on the desk near the computer and typed in a couple of notes.
"Met him?" Jezra reached out to Siv to figure out when. She had all of Jedex's memories, and Siv remembered an interaction as a sense of familiarity, but she couldn't figure out when in Jedex's life they had actually met. She had no memory of Alex before she came aboard. "My condolences." The smile that normally accompanied such a tease was a barely noticeable shift in her lips. "I... I believe you, but I also don't... can't find that memory. When did you meet him?”
“A couple days ago; while I was guiding Siv through an assault and defending you both.” Alex’ tone alone told the truth of the statement, though even she did not fully comprehend what had occurred. “I doubt there is any existing records of events similar to what happened to you over the last few days.”
"Guiding... Siv? As in, a meld?" Jezra asked. She then chuckled, though in her effort to avoid strain on her voice, it was more like a few bursts of air. "That's impossible." As she spoke, a feeling of uncertainty came over her, like she knew her own words were wrong.
Alex nodded. "Dr. Beckett can confirm it; though the medical reports are already compiled and ready to file. I was not really expecting it to work but alas..."
Despite the doubt, something in Jezra had a feeling that Alex's words were true. But how could it be? Symbionts were simple creatures, while it was known that they had telepathic capabilities, it wasn't nearly as strong as that of even a Vulcan's. Jezra shook her head slightly as more questions came up. "Walk me through what happened. We left the holodeck, and we argued a little... or something like that... am I fine to get some water? My throat feels like I swallowed sandpaper."
Alex chuckled before turning to the replicator behind the desk and retrieving a cup of Vulcan Spice tea for them both. "This will serve that feeling better at the moment; should be the perfect temperature." She took a breath before beginning to recant the tale of the last several days.
"You have been in a medically induced coma for the last 2 days 17 hours post stabilization. Your body was meant to be getting a break. I haven't decided whether I should compile a separate report for the Symbiosis Commission or not. Hells; I am not even sure whether I violated guidelines and rules of the Symbiosis Commission in the process of saving you and Siv both."
As Alex talked, Jezra accepted the cup and took a sip. Two and a half days... no wonder she felt both rested and sluggish. "I can help with drafting something for the Symbiosis Commission, but there's guidelines for weird cases. As for which of us to prioritise... well, neither of us actually died, so I won't tell if you won't."
"Ordinarily; I would not leave details such as that out of reports or alter them for.... consumption. However; in this instant I think it may be prudent to soften the blow." Alex nodded; looking to Jezra.
"You are up earlier than I expected you to be; how do you feel exactly?"
Again, only a hint of amusement as Jezra expressed it, as if the emotion itself were dampened. "Please, I do not need another talking to from the Commission about keeping the symbiont out of danger. Jedex did that enough for multiple lifetimes." At the question, Jezra turned self-reflective. "Joined Trill tend to recover from things faster, so I do feel rested, but because it's been a few days everything is just... thick. You can hear the vocal strain, but the tea is... is helping..."
A headache rolled in, and Jezra's words faltered. The gradual tension in her skull made her set the cup down as her other hand touched her temple.
"It may yet be too early to be up and about for you. Without my intervention I suspect you would have joined the Ambassador." Alex reached across the desk to steady Jezra.
Maybe Jezra should be the patient she wanted to see in the world. "I did feel alright, but this was sudden," she explained. Blinking a couple times to try and get rid of the sensation, Jezra brought herself a little closer to the desk in case it did get worse. The desk was closer than the ground, after all, and it would be easier for Alex to catch her. She rested her arm on the surface as her hand remained at her temple.
Alex watched for a moment before pulling out a tricorder from the desk drawer. She flipped it open and removed the attached probe. She came round the desk, leaning against it as she examined Jezra closer. She had not yet turned the tricorder on. "What does it feel like?"
It was a couple seconds before Jezra responded. "A headache. Difficulty concentrating, like navigating through fog."
"Hmmmm... your telepathic link to the Symbiont may still be healing. Try to take it easy. Take a few deep breaths." Alex activated the tricorder and watched the readout like a hawk, looking for anything she wasn't expecting to see.
Jezra's compliance was visible in her shoulders as they slowly moved with each breath. Simply not thinking about the symbiont was easier said than done. It was probably comparable to asking someone to walk and not use their feet. "What are my isoboramine levels?" She asked.
Alex searched the readout, nodding slowly to herself. After a few moments of tense silence she looked to Jezra. "They aren't great but I don't see a reason to worry about them..." She picked up a PaDD off the desk and pulled up Jezra's most recent physical, looking through it. "...Comparing your most recent check-up and your current levels you are sitting about 15% lower than your standard baseline."
In the pause, Jezra had closed her eyes to try and focus. She heard Alex's reply, it just took a few beats to comprehend it and a few more to think of a reply. She knew it was common to see headaches and brain fog at around 15% below baseline. Memory flashes or hallucinations, and eventually neural shock, were next if her levels kept dropping. But it was usually a self-regulating system, so why was she so low? "If I've been resting following an incident, 5% should be expected. Headaches are a sign it's too low. A dose of sodium isoboramine should help... I think."
Alex motioned to the seats on the other side of the desk from the on duty physicians. "Sit. I will retrieve it." As she finished speaking she stepped out into sickbay and returned a few moments later with a hypospray. "I think I am going to do a dose and a half; just to be safe."
Jezra gave a subtle nod, then felt the hypospray touch her neck. A few seconds passed before she began to relax, taking a slow deep breath as the headache loosened its grip on her skull. It was a few additional seconds before she sat up and leaned back into the chair, instead of leaning on the desk. "Thanks," she said.
"Well; I am not about to let you expire so easily after the work I did to pull you through the attack; now am I?" Alex smiled; her words meant strictly as a jest. "Really though... we need to stop trying to tempt death. Sickbay would fall apart without either of us here to run things."
Normally, Jezra would have chuckled, or given some sound of amusement at Alex's words. Instead, it was merely a brief, and less emotionally present version, of a smile in return. "I'll try to make sure your efforts don't go to waste."
"That is the logical choice. You look like you need some more rest, why don't you do that and we will reconvene later to catch up and discuss everything." Alex gave her a brief, reassuring smile "I promise; I won't burn down sickbay"
Even though Jezra certainly felt alert, she was currently outranked in several regards and in no position to argue. With caution, she pushed herself up out of the chair, taking her time to avoid lightheadedness. "If I could borrow your shoulder... just in case," she asked, knowing it would probably be more bizarre if she didn't ask for support. Besides, a little help now was far more preferred than the embarrassment (and pain) of falling over later. She did not need to contribute to the stigma of doctors being the worst patients.
Alex wrapped an arm around Jezra's back; helping her to the biobed and ensuring the lights were dimmed appropriately. "We'll talk next time you awaken; I am going to administer some more sedatives to allow your body to rest." She picked up a hypospray off the nearby tray and pressed it to Jezra's neck gently. Afterwards she turned on a heel, checking the displayed vitals from the biobed and routing them to a display in the office and she returned to work; keeping a close eye on the vitals through the night.
Lieutenant Alexandra Blackstone
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
Lieutenant J.G. Jezra Siv
Chief Medical Officer
USS Astrea
RSS Feed