Rough Knuckles

Posted on 29 Jun 2014 @ 4:20pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Thaddeus Quint M.D. & Lieutenant JG Noxa
Edited on on 29 Jun 2014 @ 4:22pm

2,601 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Pursuit
Location: Deck 4, Sickbay
Timeline: February 1, 2388 || 1605 hours

"Hey, I had every right to. You should have been there, bashing his face in is the least of his problems" Noxa said to one of her security officers, Ensign Leon Bowman. She saw Leon's suspicious look. "He was going to fire on Commander Kos. I did what I had to in order to neutralize the situation" added Noxa before waving goodbye to the ensign.

She entered Sickbay in order to have Doctor Quint give her a good look over. Noxa was well aware that there would be a slight problem in regards to her right hand. It had been causing her some discomfort. It was also obvious to the naked eye that her hand was swollen. She suspected that she may have broken some of her knuckles or fingers on her right hand.

Noxa, having entered Sickbay did not care to wait. She plopped herself onto a bio bed, sitting on the edge of one and called out. "Doctor Quint!" she said in a squealing shout and waited for him to see her.

Thaddeus Quint, dressed in surgical attire, looked up at the shrill sound with a glare across Sickbay towards the Ferengi security officer. He was standing over a biobed, dermal reginerator in hand, apparently in the process of operating on one of the Karemma crewman.

The process of repairing the internal damage on a species he wasn't fully familiar with was a delicate one to put it mildly. The second Karemma, who had suffered massive plasma burns, was unconscious on the adjacent biobed, having already been treated first since his injuries were more immediate.

"What's so important, that you feel the need to interrupt me as I'm operating on a patient, Lieutenant?" Quint asked in a frosty tone of voice.

I miss Doctor Milo though Noxa with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Doctor" she said apologetically with sincerity. "I forget how understaffed you are" Noxa added.

"My hand is busted up fairly well. I suspect that my knuckles are broken" explained Noxa.

"Broken knuckle? Well that's never an accident." Quint remarked. The doctor then flicked his head towards one of the empty biobeds on the opposite side of the Sickbay and unwound enough to say, "Have a seat over there, I'm almost done here and I'll be with you in a moment.

Without waiting for a reply, Quint turned his attention back to the patient on his table.

Noxa had nodded and took a seat where the Chief Medical Officer had directed her to sit down. A few minutes had turned into several and Noxa was growing slightly impatient. She had been tapping her feet and thinking about what she would put in the report to the Commanding Officer.

It was perhaps ten minutes before Quint finished up operating on the Karemma, having his annoyingly cheerful Bolian nurse finish up the task and making sure he was properly sedated for the next few hours while he healed. Taking off his gloves, and washing his hands painstakingly slow to anyone who was waiting on him, he finally approached Noxa tricorder in hand.

"Broken knuckle you say?" Quint said as he started to scan Noxa before shaking his head, "Might've been better if you did break it. The swelling wouldn't be so bad, but you just sprained it."

"Might have been better if I broke the idiots face. However, I'm sure he'll be fine" replied Noxa with a small toothy grin. "Broken... sprained... I don't care what I did, just treat it" she said squirming around.

As Quint opened a drawer with practiced efficiency to prepare a hypospray. While he was doing so, the doctor did have to ask, "So who were you beating on anyways?"

Noxa sighed. "That idiot D'rimo. He went after Lieutenant Commander Kos with a weapon. I responded with my fists" responded Noxa. "He deserved it."

"Mister 'I don't care if my crew are dead or dying, fix my ship and stop bothering me'? So he's an assailant on top of remorseless? I'd say I hope you broke something important, but then I'd likely be the one ending up having to fix it." Quint snidely remarked as he injected the Ferengi with the hypospray, "That will help with the pain and alleviate the swelling."

Quint then put the hypospray back up and produced a dermal reginerator. He activated the medical instrument, and held it over Noxa's swollen knuckle with a practiced hand, repetitively moving it back and forth over the injury. After a time, he looked satisfied and shut the instrument off.

"How's that, Lieutenant?" the doctor asked.

Noxa smiled. "Much better. Thank you, Doctor" answered the Ferengi. She scooted off the seat and stood as tall as she could, which was hardly all that tall. Like most people, the doctor was taller than her but quite a bit.

"How are our friends doing?" she asked in regards to the Karemma. "Do you need any help?" she asked kindly.

"Well mister puncture wound should be fine. I'll let him go in the morning. Mister plasma burn's first phase of treatment went well, though I want to let that set until morning before I finish it." Quint said with a shrug, not having any proper names for the Karemma as both were unconscious, "Not sure what you want to help with, Lieutenant, unless you or the brass are just dying to question them."

Noxa nodded. "I have some questions but, the Captain of First Officer should probably take the lead. The one I really want to talk to is D'rimo."

Anxious to find out what transpired on the X'annon, Harvey left command of the bridge to Lieutenant Sherman. Soon he would speak to this D'rimo that had been brought into custody, but he first wanted to get the thoughts of other members of the Away Team first. Naturally, the first stop would be sickbay, where the first of the Away Team had returned.

Harvey entered the room, instantly spotted his Chief of Security and Chief Medical Officer and caught the tail end of their conversation. "You'll have to get in line, Lieutenant." Looking to the doctor, Harvey asked, "How's it going, Doctor?"

Noxa flashed a small smile. "Oh come now... are you really going to ruin a girls fun, Captain?" joked the Ferengi with her eyes wide. "I'll get in line, but you had better leave me something."

"I fail to see how questioning a prisoner would be fun, unless you're just a sadist," Quint remarked bluntly enough, his expression blandly stating he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. The doctor turned to the captain and answered with exaggerated patience the same information he had just told Noxa about the two unconscious Karemma, before adding, "If you're here to question them, the first one should be available in the morning."

"Indeed," Harvey muttered, looking in the direction of the Karemma. "If you've finished with them, perhaps you should join us." Looking to his Ferengi Security Chief, but still talking to the doctor, Harvey added, "I believe we have a guest that requires medical attention."

If Quint was enthusiastic about the idea, he hid it quite well. But the doctor did manage a nod, "Very well." the doctor said with the air of someone granting a generous concession as he got a medkit and slung it over his shoulder. If nothing else, Quint figured this would be a good opportunity to see what this new crew was really about. He would've hoped the fun comment was just an entirely bad taste joke, but neither of them really denied it.

With a nod, Harvey ordered both officers to follow him from sickbay to the turbolift, to the Guest Quarters where D'rimo was being held. The two ensigns flanking the door instantly stood aside at the sight of their captain.

"As you were," Harvey ordered, entering his command code into the door panel. The doors parted, revealing a standing Karemma with a blood-stained face.

D'rimo's eyes immediately locked onto the short Ferengi. "Get her out of here," D'rimo warned.

Harvey chose for the moment to overlook the order, and instead gestured to Doctor Quint to look him over. "I'm Commander Harvey Geisler, captain of the Black Hawk. I've yet to speak to my team about what happened aboard the X'annon. I thought I might hear from you first."

Quint took a moment to examine D'rimo with a distant expression. He produced a dermal reginerator from his medkit and instructing the Karemma to hold still, he began to apply it to the visible bruising on the freighter captain's face, courtesy of Ferengi fists.

"Oh by the way, since you had expressed such touching and heartwarming concern about your injured crew members," Quint said sardonically as he continued the application of the reginerator, clearly recalling the how captain was more worried about repairs than his dead or dying, "I'm sure you'll be happy to know the two members of your crew are recovering nicely in my Sickbay. Though I suppose it's even odds you would've just left without them if you had the chance."

Noxa looked at the Karemma and then at Captain Geisler. "With all due respect, Captain, unless you order me otherwise, I'll be remaining here at your side. This pleasant man has already presented himself as a threat to Commander Kos. Thus, I do not feel comfortable leaving you nor Doctor Quint with this man."

"Thank you," D'rimo replied in a stern tone to the doctor while keeping his eyes fixed on the Starfleet Commander. "Contrary what you people may think, I do care for my crew. Times are hard, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" Harvey replied, stepping forward, stopping four paces short of the Karemma. "The Black Hawk--"

"I am grateful, Captain," D'rimo interjected. "Make no mistake. Were it not for you, I would be dead and my cargo stolen."

"And I understand you have quite a variety of it." Harvey narrowed his eyes. "Equipment. Spices. People."

"They stopped being people a while ago. We all did."

"Oh so you're a slaver on top of a heartless ingrate who tries to hit women? I suppose all we need now to complete the picture is you were enroute to the death camp." Quint scornfully snapped, "Though I suppose I can agree with the part of you and your crew not being people. Even animals aren't so base as to cruelly enslave others."

D'rimo scowled at the doctor, insulted by the comment.

Harvey did not disagree with Quint. Years of wearing the red collar however forced a bit more restraint upon him. "The Federation--"

"Has no authority here!" snapped D'rimo. "As soon as my crew is released, I'll be on my way. I know you have no authority to keep me here."

"Authority?" Harvey replied, closing the distance to two paces. "I'm starting to think I interrupted a liberation party. Maybe I should leave you and your crew to those that wish to liberate your cargo."

D'rimo fell silent, but only for a moment. "You know not of what you speak, Commander. In times of desperation, one must do what it takes to survive, no matter the cost." Shooting a glance at the doctor, he added, "Even if it is your very soul."

"Oh boo-hoo, everyone else just never understands why we have to commit such evil acts, it's just not fair," Quint mocked, shaking his head as he put his dermal reginerator away. He was a doctor, not a diplomat and made no pretenses to being one. The Karemma captain freely acknowledged the wrong in what he was doing, but just didn't seem to care. That only made him worse in his opinion, at least a madman was deluded enough to think he was in the right. Quint seemingly didn't care that he was right next to the Karemma captain, as he had just treated his wound.

"But let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings," Quint quoted with sardonic relish, not that he expected anyone to get it, "So what's your sad story then... since we just don't get it?"

D'rimo continued his locked gaze on the doctor, considering the words for a moment or two. "Ask my cargo," he finally answered. "And then maybe you will understand my story."

Harvey held his stance, his eyes narrowed and fixed on D'rimo. He didn't like whatever it was the Black Hawk was now involved with. It seemed every action he had taken today had deepened the mystery he first discovered a month ago. If D'rimo wouldn't answer, maybe the others would.

The captain glanced at the doctor for a moment, then over to his security chief. "Very well. As you've pointed out, I have little authority in this situation which is the only reason you're not in my brig. Until I return, you're restricted to here."

"And as long as my cargo wanders your ship," D'rimo warned, "you better keep your defenses up. The Golden Stars does not tolerate failure. They will be back."

Harvey, after a final glaring stare, nodded to both officers, nonverbally ordering them to follow him outside. Once there, he led them a few paces down the corridor and stopped. "Thoughts?" he asked them.

"If nothing else, there are other people to question. Someone's bound to talk," Quint said with a shrug. It wasn't a problem with any easy answers, but fortunately he wasn't the one who'd have to figure it out, "If nothing else, we have full access to his ship. I'm sure they would have documentation of their mission, their... cargo... and just who these Golden Suns are."

"I want to find out where these people came from," Harvey gruffed. "Commander Kos should be bringing them by sickbay shortly, doctor. Give me a full report as soon as possible. Hell, I'll even come by to see them myself." Looking to Noxa, Harvey ordered, "Take Dicon and Vex back over to the X'annon as soon as possible. Poke around and see what you find, and try and get that ship stabilized. Regardless of what we walked into, we're obligated to give aid. I just want to find out what kind."

"Puncture wounds, plasma burns, broken fists, broken faces and now refugees," Quint mournfully said with a long sigh, "Always nice to have something to look forward to. Though I think your counseling department would be better suited to find out anything about those people."

"True," Harvey replied, his own medical past kicking in. "But malnutrition can also be an indicator of lifestyle. That could tell us more than what these... refugees may be willing to share."

"Tell us more about their captors anyways," Quint said darkly. He shook his head briefly, for an organization that upheld non-interference as it's prime directive, Starfleet sure had a tendency to get itself involved in every foreign dispute it could, "I'll be back to Sickbay to see to it then."

Harvey nodded and turned to Noxa. "Get Dicon and Vex over to the X'annon. See what you can find."

Noxa's eyes told everything she was more than delighted to be returning to the ship. "We'll tear the X'annon apart and see what there is to find. However, we'll be sure to clean up the mess we make" replied the Ferengi.

The captain replied, "Get to it." With a final nod to both gentlemen, Harvey turned and found the nearest turbolift. Commander Kos was due back any minute and he wanted nothing more at this point than to hear her report.

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