Genetic Progression

Posted on Mar 20, 2017 @ 11:32pm by Ensign Sofia Andersson & Ambassador Xana Bonviva
Edited on on Mar 20, 2017 @ 11:32pm

Mission: In Place of God

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"Genetic Progression"
[previous post was "There Is a Disturbance on The USS PHOENIX" by three amazing writers]
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LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SD [2.17] 0320.1045
SCENE: Vulgar Tribble

Xana Bonviva walked into the Vulgar Tribble; it was a bustling scene of activity. Walking over to the bar two Bynares came up to her. “What is--”

“--your order?”

“One Bolian firewater, please,” Xana smiled.

Within moments a glass of white wine appeared. Frowning at it Xana murmured. “I like wine but this is not what I ordered.”

“Iphie said--”

“--she’s not responsible--”

“--for you--”

“--being stupid.”

Folding her arms and leaning them on the bartop Xana smiled again, this time a bit more forced. “Please bring me Iphigenia.” When the Bynares began to speak to each other, Xana began to wonder if she was going to have to interject. Thankfully Iphie came out from the kitchen, stuck her fingers in her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. “Go handle another order,” Iphie told Calvin and Hobbes. Turning to her sister she said, “And no firewater for you.”

“Hi Iphie, I’ve missed you too. Yes, it’s lovely to see and talk to you too,” Xana wryly smiled.

Iphie came around and hugged and kissed her sister, who did the same. Sitting next to her at the bar she said, “I haven’t changed my mind. You get stupid on firewater.”

“Maybe I need to be stupid,” Xana sighed.

“You can do that sober,” Iphie pointed out. Grabbing a drink from Calvin she waved a hand and said, “But amuse me what do you need to be drunk for? You entertain me all the time being sober and doing stupid stuff.”

Xana gave her younger sister a look. “I came here to ask a favor--”

“My favorite kind of conversation,” Iphie grinned.

“I need to have a conversation with Michael and I can’t go on the Bridge. So perhaps neutral territory would work best,” the elder Bonviva sister explained.

Iphie nodded at that. “Sure, you and Cap’n Homie can meet here to discuss stuff.” Her face brightened up. “I’ll need a special menu. And drinks. Oh what time of day is it? Are we thinking a breakfast tete-a-tete? Wait no, that has the wrong vibe. Definitely dinner. No that’s too intimate. Lunch. No, who has serious discussions over PB&J? High tea? I don’t think Cap’n Homie does scones. Oh the decisions!”

Xana smiled as she watched Iphie get passionate about meal planning. “There are other things…” When Iphie made some non-committal noises, Xana said, “I need the name of a good doctor.”

Iphie became serious. “Not Aerdan?”

“Aerdan would worry and fuss and become obsessed. I think for this I’d like someone who is...clear headed,” Xana explained. “Someone I don’t have a friendly history with.”

“Sofia,” Iphie answered with uncharacteristic seriousness. “Ask for Sofia.”

Xana nodded. Tracing her finger around the edge of her glass she said, “You know Iphie...I told you because you had to know. So you could get tested if you wanted. Because I wanted you to know.”

Uncomfortable with the turn of conversation Iphie nodded but said nothing, sipping her own drink.

“I didn’t tell you so you could punish Jake,” Xana finished off.

“He’s divorcing you when you need him most,” Iphie hissed, feeling more comfortable with the turn in conversation.

Xana took a sip of her drink as she weighed what she was going to say. “He doesn’t know.” Seeing Iphie’s jaw drop the elder sister smiled wryly, “Any other time I’d enjoy that expression.”

“What the what? You didn’t *tell* him? He’s your husband! He’s the father of your children,” Iphie whispered. Looking down she kicked the bar stool, “I really thought he knew.”

Xana held up a hand. “My children will find out when they’re old enough. They’re too young now. Their lives are in too much upheaval to find this out too. My marriage is *my* marriage. But our decision to end things had nothing to do with this and you need to stop taking it out on him.”

Iphie drummed her fingers on the bartop, a dark look creasing her brows. “Especially as I thought he...I’m mad at you now.”

“For that I’m sorry,” Xana sighed. “I’d like it if you forgive me. But I’d like it if you forgive Jake even more.”

=/\=
Scene: Sickbay

Xana Bonviva walked into Sickbay to find it a bustle of activity. However, in many ways Sickbays were the same regardless if it was on a ship, station, or planet. You checked in, gave your stats and waited your turn. Most of the time unless it was a true emergency you waited patiently for the next available practitioner to see you. But as she had a special request, Xana waited a little longer, which was fine since it wasn’t an emergency.

Sitting on a biobed, cross-legged, Xana read a PADD on a policy treatise until a young blonde doctor came over. “Hello, I’m Dr. Andersson,” Sofia introduced herself.

“Hello, I’m Xana,” the azure woman smiled as she put down her reading. “You came highly recommended. And I need that now.”

Sofia nodded. The doctor reviewed the current readings seemed to be within range. However, digging within more recent test results revealed a series of conflicting test results, from BOLARUS, EARTH and VULCAN, all from the last two years. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on,” Sofia prompted softly after she finished reading.

“I was in the war on BOLARUS,” Xana explained. “I was injured; well many times. And I thought the resulting symptoms were because of that. Medical facilities were really about patching you up and sending you back out. It wasn’t until I was back on EARTH that I got more a checkup and figured out there was more to it. Then I moved to VULCAN and... well let’s just say I’m not their typical patient.” Smiling as she leaned her chin on a hand she said, “I’d just like to figure out a course of treatment to be steady as I’m about to travel.”

Sofia nodded her understanding of the situation and asked for Xana to lay down on the biobed so that a complete bioscan could be performed just to make sure that everything was up-to-date on her patient's file. "Just relax and don't worry, this won't hurt a bit... but obviously you already knew that," the CMO added recalling that her patient had a few seconds ago detailed an extensive list of previous medical visits.

Minutes passed as the Doctor and head of the Medical department of the USS PHOENIX made her way through a long battery of tests, not leaving anything unchecked. There had been no reason not to be thorough and insure that nothing beyond the stated medical issue had been present. With everything on the physiological and viral field having come up negative as had been expected, Sofia refocused her search, this time at the genetic level where the issue had been said to be.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Xana repeated trying her best not to allow her own concerns to explode at the sound of such a general and unspecific statement. "'Oh' good or 'oh' bad?"

"'It's an 'Oh' I'm not sure since I don't recall having ever seen anything like this before," Sofia explained, her eyes locked on the main bio-display.

"That is not very reassuring Doctor."

"I'm sorry, it is just that I am not overly familiar with the genetic crossovers and overlaps found in a Human/Bolian hybrid. The odd pair-base sequences that was previously identified is there, that much I can confirm but I need to look into this a little more closely to make sure," the CMO explained as she called up all available information on what she had discovered "Oh," the Doctor said once again, the intonation having clearly been one of disapproving disappointment.

"Doctor?"

"Sorry," Sofia quickly apologised having realized that she had been less than forthcoming with any sort of information on her diagnostic. "You can get up. I have obtained all of the information I required from the bioscan."

"Doctor, you do not have to be this way, I am already well aware of what I have, I was simply coming to you in search of treatment," Xana explained seeing a rapidly growing concern in the features of the CMO.

"During the war on BOLARUS, were you exposed to any type of high energy anaphasic or tachyokenetic energy?" Sofia inquired.

"Not that I recall, why?"

"Your most recent medical file from EARTH medical clearly shows a genetic mispairing, but not on the scale that I detected a few moments ago. From what I can see, whatever generic problem you are afflicted with is a progressive, degenerative, genetic disease one that appears very similar to Spinocerebellar Ataxia although this one appears to be attacking your Bolian genetic structure. I am not sure what might have triggered the sudden acceleration in the disease's progress but I can assure you that I will find a way to stop it or at the very least slow it down enough to give you and I as much time as possible to find an effective treatment," the CMO explained having already summon everything available on that particular genetic problem.

"How is this going to affect me?" Xana questioned, trying again to not let her concerns take the better of her.

"In humans, Spinocerebellar Ataxia primarily results in poor coordination of hands, speech, and eye movements which gradually moves to muscle movements leading to unsteady and clumsy motion. The fact that you have not yet displayed any of these symptoms is a good sigh and shows that we have discovered this well in time to be able to find a way to treat it without hopefully any side effects.

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NRPG:

A little joint effort between Sarah and myself setting up for future intrigues.

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Sarah Albertini-Bond

~writing for~

Xana Bonviva

AND

Tiffany Reeve

Ensign Sofia Andersson
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS PHOENIX