From: Christine Fontaine
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 14:11:16 -0500
Subject: USS CHESAPEAKE: Setting Up The Medical Labs
SD 90326.1407
MD 03.1230
Scene: Sickbay: Medical Lab 2
Ensigns Mike Moore and Carol Moore were busy setting up equipment in one of
the medical labs. Carol, as usual, was chatting away and Mike was listening
patiently to his wife's ramblings. Shaking his head, Mike couldn't help the
smile that played across his lips as Carol continued talking.
"That little Sivaoan, she is just so adorable!" Carol exclaimed, "I have to
keep reminding myself that she's a physician. She's just so *tiny*, its
hard to believe that she's an officer."
Mike nodded. "Well, I think you'd do well to remember that she is."
Carol smiled, "yes, she does seem to be a bit fiesty, doesn't she?"
Before Mike had a chance to reply Ensign Scott MacMillan walked in,
carefully carrying a tray full of innoculants. As he gently laid the tray
down on one of the lab benches, a wide grin returned to his freckled-face.
"Safe and sound," he stated to himself and to anyone else who might be
listening.
"Ensign MacMillan?" Carol walked over to where the young medtech had
deposited his cargo. "You served aboard the REGENT with Doctor Ledoux,
right?"
"Yep. Sure did," Scott replied with a grin.
"Was she always this quiet?"
"Carol!" Mike protested. "You shouldn't be asking such things."
"Nonsense. I'm just concerned. I'm worried about the doctor. She seems to
be hurting."
Scott nodded. "Well, Doctor Ledoux and Commander Wilson - he was the
REGENT's Operations Manager - well, they were a really tight couple, you
know? She must miss him somethin' terrible."
"Oh, poor thing," Carol murmurred. "No wonder she seems so upset." She
walked back over to Mike and put one arm around him. "Can you imagine if we
were separated?" she asked her husband, squeezing a little tighter.
"And Doctor Ledoux," Scott was continuing, "well, she's one of those
senstive types, you know? But she's a top-notch CMO," the medtech asserted.
"You know," Scott added, "the REGENT's last mission was anything but easy."
The medtech shook his head, recalling the feelings of terror that had
travelled like wildfire through the REGENT when the order had been given to
abandon ship. "The REGENT-A was destroyed, you know," he stated, all traces
of his former grin now gone. "Those of us who managed to evacuate, well, we
were lucky to escape with our lives. Of course," Scott mused, "none of the
senior staff was aboard at that point in time."
"They weren't?" Carol queried, curious. "Where were they?"
"Well, I'm not real sure," Scott admitted. "You know how rumour travels
aboard a starship. Anyhow, scuttlebut had it that they had travelled
forwards in time. Don't ask me how," the medtech held up one hand, "I'm
just tellin' you what I heard."
"Oh my," was all Carol had to say.
"At least I managed to save the Doc's cats," Scott said, "and the look on
her face when she was reunited with them, well, it make it all worth the
effort." Scott grinned, remembering how much fun it had been, looking after
the two felines. Doctor Ledoux's Siamese had provided some warmth and
comfort to the occupants of the escape pods. It was amazing what the
presence of two little cats could do.
Further conversation or speculation was forestalled by the appearance of
Doctor Ledoux herself. Noticing that a dead silence had enveloped the room
upon her entry, Catherine could feel a warm blush creeping up her face.
Within seconds, her cheeks were coloured a bright pink, clearly noticeable
against her pale skin.
As Ensigns Moore, Moore and MacMillan went back to work, Catherine walked
over to one of the lab benches. Arrayed in neat rows along the back were a
series of batch bioreactors, designed for the cultivation of pharmaceuticals
that could not be replicated. Many drugs, due to the nature of their
chemical structure, could not be replicated successfully and so each ship's
sickbay either had to lay in a store of those particular pharmaceuticals or
else cultivate the drugs themselves. Doctor Ledoux preferred to use the
bioreactors to prepare the required medications. That way, you could be
sure that you always had some on hand and could produce more should it
become necessary.
The diversity of the microbial world never failed to fascinate Catherine.
Microorganims could be used to produce a wide variety of useful biochemical
agents, the desired products either being primary or secondary metabolites,
or else by-products excreted by the microbe. Yeasts, filamentous fungi and
other microorganisms could all be used to obtain valuable products. Even
certain bacteria were useful in certain fermentations.
Standing in front of the bench Catherine re-counted the number of
bioreactors. All the pertinent figures were on the PADD she was holding,
but she wanted to double-check and make sure that everything that was
supposed to be here, was, in fact, present and accounted for. After
verifying the number and volume of reactors, Catherine proceeded to scroll
through a list of unreplicatable pharmaceuticals.
Doctor Ledoux spent a few minutes reviewing the list of drugs, along with
their uses and the normal quantities required. Carefully scrutinizing the
data, she finally made her decisions. Meticulously, she indicated which
bioreactor would be used to produce which pharmaceutical and in what
quantities. Armed with this data, along with the volume of each reactor
vessel, she returned to her office, ready for the next step in the process:
calculations.
Sitting down at her desk, Catherine looked over the numbers on her PADD.
While she would have been happy to do the calculations by hand, the computer
made that completely unnecessary. To it, the calculations involved were
trivial, even if they did require the solution of multiple differential
equations.
The numbers were there in an instant: intial innoculum concentration, final
biomass concentration, initial substrate concentration, final substrate
concentration, retention time in the reactor. The simple numbers scrolling
across the screen belied the complexity of the biochemical reactions
proceeding within the bioreactor. So many different variables, all having
an impact on one another. Yet, such incredibly complex systems could be
reduced to a series of first order differential equations. And it was
amazing how well the models reflected reality.
After all of the kinetic paramaters had been determined, Doctor Ledoux fixed
her attention on the nutrient broth required to support each of the
different microorganisms in each reactor. While some microbes showed
astounding flexibility and were thus able to use a wide variety of carbon
sources, other microbes, such as the yeast, had very specific nutrient
needs. Catherine also had to ensure that all of the macronutrients and
micronutrients required for metabolism were present in the bioreactor.
Satisfied that everything was in order, Catherine put down the PADD and
leaned back in her chair. The reactors were currently undergoing their
cleaning and sterilization cycles, so they would be able to begin the
cultures the next day. Sighing, the vet tucked a loose curl behind one ear;
there was nothing else she could do about the bioreactors that day.
Clasping both hands together, Catherine stretched out her arms in front of
her, trying to work out some of the tension in her muscles.
A few moments later, Doctor Ledoux returned to the PADDwork awaiting her on
her desk. It seemed as if the 'paperwork', even if it was electronic, never
ended. Well, perhaps a bit of music could make a time pass a little more
quickly. "Anna?" Catherine queried. Receiving no reply, the vet realized
that she had done it again. Accustomed to the anticipatory computer system
aboard the REGENT, who was called 'Anna', Catherine had to get used to the
fact that when she wanted the computer she had to address it as such.
Sighing, a few tears escaped Catherine's emotional control. How she missed
the REGENT. How she missed Rich. Closing her eyes, the vet took in a few
deep breaths, clearing her mind, refocusing her thoughts on the task at hand.
"Computer?" she finally queried softly. "Please play a random selection
from Ledoux Music Collection II."
With the strains of Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" filling her
office, Catherine bent back over her PADDwork.
Respectfully submitted,
Chris Fontaine
LCDR Catherine Ledoux, DVM
Chief Medical Officer
USS CHESAPEAKE
<< NRPG >>
Melvin: I'm an engineering student too. In my last semester as a matter of
fact. So if my posts drive you crazy, well you know why - I'm *definitely*
already crazy (can't survive four years of engineering without being crazy.
After all, we're paying them to put us through torture. ;)
Masako: Piano aboard? Definitely. :) I can't remember if I ever saw a
piano in TNG (except in the holodecks) but I do know they had their little
musical performances. At the very least I'm sure we could requisition an
electric keyboard for the recreation areas. :) Is there a Rec Officer in
the house?
TTYL!
Chris - off to study industrial micro...
***********************************************************************
* Chris Fontaine * "If I waited for perfection... *
* cfontain@uoguelph.ca * I would never write a word." *
* http://www.uoguelph.ca/~cfontain/ * - Margaret Atwood - *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* LCDR Catherine Marie Ledoux, DVM, CMO, USS CHESAPEAKE, NCC-31813 *
* LCDR StarSong to-Ennien, MD, PhD, COUNS, USS LEVIATHAN, NCC-25002 *
* RADM FireSong to-Vensre, MD, ALB Adjutant, Armstrong Lunar Base *
***********************************************************************
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