"Being A Scientist Means That You Do Not Believe In Ghosts, Or Does It?"
(Previous Post: "Tears And Ghosts")
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Stardate: 60327.1632
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Corridor Outside Sickbay
The Shillian scientist had been in the corridor outside of Sickbay speaking with the Enaran Marine when the ear-piercing scream of the Chief Medical Officer was heard. Pravat had instinctively wanted to follow the Nausicaan in but after having noticed the state that the Chief Science Officer had been in thrown in, the Marine had decided otherwise. The Chief of Security had been more than ready and capable of taking care of whatever had happened in Sickbay allowing the head of the Marines posted on the ANUBIS to insure the continued safety of the Shillian woman. No to mention that leaving Ensign Rostov to take care of this would take his mind away from having been told to stay behind after Captain Rikar had reconsidered the idea of having the Nausicaan by her side while confronting Admiral Koniki.
"What do you think happened?" The Shillian asked in a whispered tone as she stared wide-eyed at the closed door as if she had been on the verse of developing x-ray vision within the next few seconds.
"She probably saw a ghost," the Marine said trying his best to hold back his laughter. Pravat had not meant to make fun of the Chief Medical Officer, especially when considering the loss that she had experienced, but the thought of the Doctor reacting as she had after having seen a flickering shadow had been more than the Marine Command Officer could resist.
"Do you really believe that Ensign Summers saw a ghost?" The Chief Science Officer asked, not at all appearing shocked by the suggestion made by the Enaran Marine. "I mean we were trying to prove that the essence that made Richard who he was had been trapped in the body of David for years, and we were working on a way to remove that entity and separate the two. So although the exact terminology of 'ghost' may be inaccurate, the idea of shapeless non-corporeal entity does appear to be possible and it would explain in some ways many legends surrounding ghosts and other supernatural events recorded in the histories of numerous other worlds. Therefore it is within the realm of possibilities that Doctor Summers did see a ghost or some yet to be explained immaterial entity."
The Enaran Marine suddenly realised the extent of his error and vowed to never again joke with the Shillian Scientist within earshot. Not wanting to have to endure another long-winded explanation or opinion on the possible existence of ghosts, spirits or unexplainable visions, the Marine decided that joining the Nausicaan in Sickbay would be the safer course of action.
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Stardate: 60327.1635
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Sickbay
When she entered the room, having followed the Enaran Marine with whom she left safer with, the Shillian Scientist found the Head Counsellor kneeling next to the sobbing and distraught Chief Medical Officer who acted as if she had seen a ghost. As the Chief Science Officer approached the two women on the floor the ideal that had been started by the Enaran man continued to flourish in the mind of the Shillian.
Seeing just how hysterical the Chief Medical officer had been made the Shillian Scientist consider that the Marine might have been correct in his earlier opinion which made the Chief Science Officer inspect the room and notice the Nausicaan Chief of Security scanning the proximity of the bed where David rested.
"What is he looking for?" The Shillian woman asked, finding the sight of a Nausicaan using a tricorder around a dead man most intriguing.
"Lea says that she saw Enaii standing over David," the Head Counsellor replied, not hiding in her voice that she had been more inclined to believe that what the Chief Medical Officer had seen had been one of the two sisters with whom they had had earlier dealings with. It had been possible that because of the shock caused by the death of Lieutenant Dawson the Doctor had failed to remember the uncanny physical similarities the sisters had with their former Intelligence Liaison Officer, but the possibility that what Ensign Summers had seen could have actually been a ghost peeked the interest of the Chief Science Officer.
As the Shillian scientist returned to a standing posture she reached for her tricorder which hung on her belt anytime the Chief Science Officer left her quarters. Within second the scientist had joined the Nausicaan in his scan of the dead body and of the area surrounding him.
"If there was something here, it left no traces. I am not picking up any type of residual energy which could account for a beam-in or beam-out," the Chief of Security said glancing to the scientist now by his side. Believing in ghosts had not been something that the Nausicaan did, so it had made sense for him to go under the assumption that what the Chief Medical Officer had seen had been an intruder of some sort.
"That is not entirely true," the Chief Science Officer said as her scans focussed on the body of the deceased Chief engineering Officer. "Whoever or whatever was in here did leave something behind, at least that is the only way that I can explain what my tricorder has picked up."
Unable to make any sense of what the Shillian woman had said, the Nausicaan Chief of Security glanced over to the device in her hand recognising that her tricorder had been calibrated to be far more sensitive than his own. What Ensign Rostov saw being displayed on the tricorder of the Chief Science Officer make the Nausicaan stop dead in his tracks. "That is impossible."
"Computer," the Shillian said after having confirmed that the readings she had obtained were indeed accurate, "activate the Emergency medical Hologram."
"What is the nature of the medical emergency?" The artificial Doctor asked as per his programming.
"You need to stabilise this man," the Shillian said while pointing to the Chief Engineering Officer.
"This man was declared dead less than ten minutes ago," the Hologram said looking not at all impressed by the fact that his earlier diagnosis had been challenged by a scientist.
"You might want to revise your position on his condition," the Chief Science Officer said showing the display of her tricorder to the holographic Doctor whose expression immediately changed from disbelief to astonishment.
"There was *no* neural activity when I declared him dead," the Emergency Medical Hologram said as he reached for the nearest medical tray. "But now not only is there a faint neural activity throughout his cerebral cortex but I am picking up faint signs of respiratory and cardiovascular activity. This man is alive, barely, but alive none the less."
The report made by the holographic man proved to be more than enough to send the Chief Medical Officer back to her feet and to the bedside of the Chief Engineering Officer who had apparently been given a second chance at life after all.
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Jessica Solarik { maya_992003@yahoo.com }
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
"To see the world in a grain of sand, 2005 post #465
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)
