Post 320: The "Situation" Part One

Stardate: 70725.1230
Title: The "February Grace Situation" Part One
Author: Lt. (jg) February Grace
Time: After "An all expenses paid trip"- (When the Independence reaches Trill)
Scene: Personal Quarters
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"Precious and fragile things need special handling." ~Depeche Mode
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Waiting for her escort to arrive and take her to the runabout, February knew in her heart that this was goodbye. She was certain of it. Her friends aboard ship didn't know it yet, and hopefully would realize it only after she had gone.

She had never been good at goodbyes.

Whether or not she regained her sight had become a moot point, literally overnight. As it turned out the searing headaches, dizzy spells, and the latest decrease in her visual acuity were merely warning signs.

Indications of a much larger problem.

After they'd escaped the holodeck, Dr. Trind began asking pointed questions as she checked February over. The young pilot was saddened by the tone that resonated through the doctor's voice when she finally made her diagnosis, despite her carefully constructed veil of calm.

February's ailments were more than just unfortunate after-effects of the damage from the fever and seizures she had suffered following
the original joining procedure, Trind had told her grimly. Her levels of the neuro-transmitter isoboramine were dropping. The doctor tried to intervene, but they continued to fall as the hours had passed. By the last reading they were at seventy-six percent and still declining and that meant only one thing: symbiont rejection was already in progress.

If her isoboramine levels dropped to forty percent of normal, the symbiont would have to be removed in order to save it and February would die within hours. But this would happen only if they couldn't find the cause of the problem and stop it, Ashlyn had stressed. She wasn't ready to give up on February yet, but being a joined Trill herself Trind knew that if there really was a chance of saving Bru and her symbiont, it existed only on their home world below.

February really didn't need a professional opinion to tell her that carrying Grace was killing her. She had known deep inside for months now that she was becoming overwhelmed by the chaos of the being she'd joined with and its past six lifetimes. Too much weight, too much history. Too much to carry. She was so tired.

She only hoped that she could leave the ship quickly, quietly, and without having to explain to anyone.

After watching over her through the night, Dr. Trind had left her only moments before to change her uniform and throw a few things into a bag for the trip to back to Trill. She asked if February had any special requests for the journey, and February had two.

First, she asked that their exit be made as covertly as possible, and second she wondered if Ashlyn would ask Vedek Jariel to make the trip with them. There was something unique and special about the man, almost an angelic aura that surrounded him. For reasons she couldn't put into words, February found solace just being in his presence.

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Lt. (jg) February Grace
Helm/Flight Controller
USS Independence