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Traveller Map: Exocet

Mikhel Dromah is hired by Sir Lt Gopal Sultana & Athena Solis on way to Marduk

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Either Mikhel or Athena sees the 'Help Wanted' or 'Worker Available' ad in the local employment bureau listings, or both, and meet. Mikhel is heading to the same place, for the same reason. It just needs matching up whether they could work for each other, and it turns out the terms were acceptable to Mikhel, and the qualifications were satisfactory to Athena. There was a Med Bay on the ship wanting a 'Doc', so that worked out well.

The list of jobs Mikhel could fill is not exclusive to 'Doc'. Mikhel is a back-up small craft pilot (unusual, but true), has a certificate for A/R operation, is familiar with remote drone operation (can make use of the on-board probe drones in both operation and repair), and can do some ship security in a pinch. For the Lab Ship, Mikhel might be very well be an asset.

1104-294-09:00
On Pioneer entering orbit around Exocet and checking local Traffic/News/Information, and after discussions with Sir Lt Sultana:

Captain Solis to Mikhel Dromah: Have you served on a Laboratory Ship before? We avoid combat. It is not conducive to research. Does your experience include acid and sulphur burns? Animal and xeno puncture wounds? Experience with catastrophic amputations is an asset. Marduk is in our current trajectory. A swift response is encourage. Pioneer Out."

1104-294-12:00
Later in the day, on Exocet, Mikhel sees message and replies:

To Pioneer Captain from Mikhel Dromah,
My primary experience is combat related, but I have served aboard Hospital Ships. Never dedicated Laboratory Ships. I am confident in handling normal injuries, besides injuries sustained in combat environments. Chemical injury experience is limited to Chemical Warfare casualties, but I can research and prepare for caustic industrial chemical treatments. Most of these require neutralization of the caustic chemical without exacerbating the existing wound, then regenerating the damaged tissues. With appropriate facilities, anything can be repaired if the patient isn't affected beyond 80% (heart and brain unaffected). I have had to treat casualties suffering from indigenous fauna injures, up to partial consumption of organs and limbs. Again, TL14 autodocs are capable of nearly full body restoration, with time.
If you are interested in a detailed summary of my employment, I can provide a listing of systems and ships where I have been employed. It is extensive.
I await your reply with enthusiasm.

Captain Solis to Mikhel Dromah: "A detailed summary of employment including a listing of systems and ships would be beneficial. A time will be sent to meet if application is accepted. Pioneer out."

1104-294-18:00

Athena sat at the Starport café with a glass of sangria, waiting for the supposed medic to show up. She had her doubts, as she always did, with new hires. It was one of the downsides of taking over the Pioneer - needing crew to help run it outside her circle of scientists. While the Lieutenant tried to reassure her (even as she adjust to him being a new part of the crew as well), she pointed out that this Mikhel Dromah wasn't even a doctor. What good could he do for the Pioneer? But her Med Bay was empty, Harold was still reckless, her new specimen wasn't the friendliest, and it would be good to have someone more qualified on board to handle that mess.

Athena will see a man of above average height and slim build enter the café, dressed in scrubs, and a ship's jacket. There will be a large shoulder bag slung over his left shoulder.
"Captain Solis? Sorry for being a bit delayed. The clinic is short staffed, and an accident casualty showed up with serious injuries. I came as soon as I could. Thanks for your patience."

After a second or two to take in the sight before her, with slight curiosity for the shoulder bag - was he already set to leave? - Athena stood up and offered her hand for a short, formal handshake as etiquette required before sitting down and indicating Mikhel should as well.

"Delays can be deadly ... Mikhel? Dromah? How do you prefer to be addressed?" With a slight frown, and shake of her head, she continued, "While the rest of your resume was acceptable, you did not mention time management in your skills. Is this something I should be concerned about or is it a case of priorities? If the clinic is short staffed, what's prompted you to want to take up a job on a ship?"

Having noticed the visual exam, and the lingering over the shoulder bag, Mikhel is a bit chagrined. He shakes Athena's hand with a firm grip, and sits across from her.
"I would have changed, but people don't schedule their accidents for the convenience of others. And the bag is my portable MediKit. I always carry it, if I'm not in a medical facility. This is so I'm never without my tools. Because people don't pick convenient places to have their medical emergencies, either. I try my best to manage my time, but am at the mercy of other people's needs. As for how to address me, you can call me anything you want. Mikhel works well. M. Dromah if you wish to be formal. If it is an emergency, and you need to get my attention, 'Medic!' or 'Corpsman!' works best.
And the clinic is short-staffed because Exocet is chronically short of qualified staff. I'm in the clinic to pay for accommodations and food, while I try to hitch a ride to Marduk. If we can come to a mutually acceptable agreement, I'm with you for as far as you'll take me."

Athena is silent for a moment with consideration. It takes her a moment to realize it is how casual he is that is a bit ...disquieting? Was that it? She certainly preferred professionalism, especially upon meeting someone for the first time, but then, Sherris kept telling her to lighten up. Athena already knew Sherris would like him, but Athena wasn't convinced yet. Well, at least he didn't insist on being called doctor after giving his resume a glance.

"M Dromah, then. Are you always on call when at the clinic? It will be expect on the ship. A handful of us sometimes work late into the night. We do not currently have someone to assist you, but we do have strict SOPs on the ship. Accidents are rare, but when they happen, they are often not minor."

Athena took a sip of her sangria, as she asked, "Is there a reason for going to Marduk? For passage to Marduk, working passage can be negotiated. If we find it conducive to continue together past Marduk, we can further work out a contract. The Lieutenant has been taking on the new hires. You may inquire with him."

"How would you prefer to be addressed? Do you change titles with roles? Such as Doctor Solis if I am going to discuss your scientific side, and if I'm going to discuss ship's business, do I address you as Captain?" Mikhel pauses and then goes for it. No way to hide this. "Please understand that I will address you as you wish, but I CAN NOT use an honorific or title with anyone I respect. It comes from the culture within which I was raised. It is not disrespect, but because I respect individuals that I avoid 'Sir' or "Ma'am". It is a quirk that has caused me no end of grief in the Imperium Military, but I spent 18 of my formative years using the honorifics as curses or labels of derision." Mikhel displays a wry smile. "The Lieutenant and I will, no doubt, have to come to an agreement, as well, if he holds to honorifics.
I understand that accidents don't schedule themselves. As to severity of accidents, I have military Damage Control training, as do all Navy and Marine personnel. I hope we don't have to use that level of Emergency Response to things on your ship. I will hold myself available at all hours. However, I do need some rest.
I am heading to Marduk for personal reasons. I don't know how things will work out, but I may be heading anywhere thereafter. If our paths align, and we are still amenable to travelling together, perhaps we can consider a new arrangement."

"We can worry about passage beyond Marduk later, then," replied Athena, nodding. With almost a smile, she added, "Sir Lieutenant Sultana is, thankfully, fine not being addressed as such unless in full formal situations." She took another sip of her sangria, any hint of the almost smile gone. "I dislike being called ma'am. I worked hard for my doctorate and to become captain of this ship to not be addressed as such. Use them as they fit the situation."

"We do have stricter protocols on board the Pioneer including our decontamination procedures due to the work we conduct. There will be sections of the ship you will not have access to without my permission. I expect my crew to operate with limited oversight as my experiments often demand my attention. With that said, do you have any questions or concerns, M Dromah?"

"As this concerns the running of the ship, and about crew... Captain, I have worked in secure military environments, and they can get really crazy about whom is allowed where. Within the military, and because I worked with casualties/patients that dealt with extremely sensitive, comparmentalized security topics, I carried the highest security clearance of any person or place I worked. People talk under anesthetics, or in semi-conscious states of injury. Medical personnel hear a lot of things they should never know anything about. So, if there are things on the ship that are 'classified' or that researchers wish to protect, I fully agree to sign, and more importantly will abide by, any non-disclosure agreements that are required for working on your ship. I will vigorously oppose any restrictions on access to places on the ship, if there is an emergency. If there are hazards, and the restrictions are to protect me from hazards, I expect to be made aware of the hazards, and more importantly, trained to deal with them, if I have to respond to an emergency. I will not work on any ship without the freedom to respond to sophonts in medical distress. If I have to 'dress up' in protective gear to get to my patient because of the situation, I want to be the one assessing and dealing with that risk. Running around trying to get 'permission' is not anything I want to be doing, when a life is on the line. Worse, if the person injured is you, and there are lock-outs in place that I can't get through."

Athena bit her tongue. This was already getting tedious. Giving herself a moment for composure, she replied, primly, "You will have emergency override codes to be used ONLY in such an emergency. You will have access to the SOPs so you know what to expect in each lab. Entrances are appropriately labeled with expected hazards. You do know how to read Chemical and Biological Hazard Signs, yes? Old school, but necessary if we do not have time or access due to power failures to look things up."

"If you last beyond Marduck, we can discuss better training and expanded ship access beyond emergencies, but the work we do is delicate and not worth the time if you are only here temporarily. Consider this the probation period. An NDA can be formulated if you pass it."

"Captain, I will study the ship's layout so I know the ship even in my sleep. Response to emergencies are not the time to be researching things. You have a Medic for your ship. This is looking to be far more interesting than the last 400-tonner I was on. That was the INS O'Rourke, with 60 breathing casualies, and 30 troopcicles." Mikhel slides over a chip with his employment history, including a few of his military Pers Evals. The Lt would know how to read them, and what they meant. Most civilians wouldn't be able to translate the militareze terms and phrases. Not mentioned yet was any abililties in security. The Captain did infer shooting wasn't part of the role of the ship, but the Outrim Void had dangers. "There are details to work out, but if you wish, I can discuss them with the ell-tee. It will take a day or two to wrap up things with the clinic, if that is OK? Any other details you'd like to cover? If you'd like an escort somewhere, I'd be happy to cover your back. Just so you know, I always carry defensive devices. I am currently carrying three different Stunners. Even in self-protection, I try to preserve life. Although, I don't necessarily consider criminals "intelligent life".

"I find discussions on what constitutes intelligent life fascinating, but I do not believe that is what you mean." Athena finished her drink, glad the negotiations were over. For now. She took the chip, pocketed it to give to Sultana later, and stood up. "A couple days, M Dromah, no more. We are on a tight schedule."

With that realization, she gave a sigh and rubbed her eyes before realizing she may have found a solution to her other problem. Assessing Mikhel once more, she said, "I do have cargo to check before it is loaded on the Voyager to bring to the Pioneer. It is only the basics, food and the like, but my staff are preoccupied leaving me with this trite task as I am already at Port. Perhaps it is something you could assist with? Now or tomorrow is fine, but certainly before we leave."

"Captain, I'd be pleased to be of service, at your convenience. If you'd like, I will escort you to the Port. You could direct me to the cargo, and leave it to me to check over. You could get on with your priority tasks, and I can deal with the inspection. To clarify, you want a standard condition and health inspection? I can have the paperwork signed off, and the cargo ready for pick up later tonight, or tomorrow."

Mikhel recalled an inspection he'd done in the past, and decided to prep before the inspection. Now that he had a Stun Flashlight in his MediKit, he'd dig it out to do the inspection. That other inspection would have gone soo much easier, if the wildlife that jumped out at him had met a stunner, and not had to be dealt with using bare hands.

"Just a standard condition and health inspection, correct. I have acquired some lab equipment that I'd rather focus on inspecting. Exocet may not provide much in the way of exports, but you can find some valuable field equipment in places such as this one. The question is always the condition of it. My attention is best given to the equipment rather than some... mushrooms or whatnot," replied Athena as they walked towards Port.

Mikhel waits for the Captain to check in with Port Security and Cargo Holding. Mikhel presents his shiny, new Doctors Without Borders ID and Certifications, and gets the Station Staff's OK to check out the cargo for the Pioneer. He then requests some work gloves, and pulls out a "flashlight" from his shoulder bag.
"If you'd be so kind as to direct me to the holding area for the Pioneer's cargo, I'll check it out now."
Once at the cargo, Mikhel goes over the outer containers and the seals, checking documentation and recorded seal numbers against the seals on the containers. Mikhel also checks integrity, and looks for any irregularities. If possible, Mikhel will borrow a scanner (checking the calibration and the date of last verification), and do the sweep for anomalies. Then, into critter mode, looking for any sign of the usual suspects (cause vermin tend to follow sophonts everywhere). Mikhel notes for future reference if there is anything unusual in the cargo, things that the Navy or Marines don't usually bring aboard. Live specimens? Food for live specimens? What would a lab ship need, and what does it say about what's happening aboard?

The live plants were in self-contained greenhouse style transport cubes, but there were windows. And with the flashlight, Mikhel did a thorough look at, in and around, the foliage. Wait! Plants don't move like that!
"Jerahmia! Would you be so kind as to grab a small pet travel container, please! Quick as you can!" Mikhel turned off the flashlight, but kept his eyes on the spot under the plant. A moment later, something peeked out from under the leaves, barely visible in the poor ambient lighting of the Cargo Handling area. Bad words. There was, at least, one Duct Spider in among the plants. Now, how to deal with it.

"My man, do you have any small tracking tags around? We have a critter in the plant transport. Perhaps even a few. And possibly eggs for which to search."

Jerahmia gives Mikhel an indignant look. "We don't have any pests on our station!"

Mikhel points to the plant through the inspection window of the greenhouse cube, and with Jerahmia looking, turns on the flashlight. The Duct Spider skitters out of view.

Jerahmia mumbles a few uncouth words, and stomps off to the Cargo Office. "We'll take care of that pest for you, sir!"

Mikhel wasn't sure he wanted to kill the critter. He had run across them before, and Mikhel had questions about their habits. Most places, they were exterminated with extreme prejudice. However, they did exhibit an odd trait. They collected things. Particularly shiny tools and devices. It seemed as if they understood these things were useful, but hadn't figured out why. They just collected them. Which annoyed most crews and passengers. Not to say that loose tools and gear in ducts, and other hidey holes, was not a hazard on its own. The Captain may not want uninvited guests aboard her ship, especially if they got into the labs. Really bad things could happen to experiments. Uncontrolled things, and research would be messed up. So, no. Not wanted on the Pioneer. But, kill a possible intelligent creature out of hand? Just because we didn't understand them? Mikhel didn't like it. However, there isn't likely a "Home for Wayward Duct Spiders" anywhere on Exocet. The thing will probably be exterminated, once Mikhel was out of sight. Bad words. Find a way to do this humanely?

"Captain Solis! If I could have your attention for a moment? Do you have a way to dispose of lab specimens in a humane way? We may have a critter or few of which to dispose."

Does the Code of Ledriasda even appy to Duct Spiders? Are they that intelligent?

"Lab specimens?" asked Athena reading over the permit paperwork for the other cargo. "It depends on the type of specimen, but we still utilize 2-step methods. Why?" She finally looked up, still with disinterest before guessing the concern. "Invertebrate? Some simple ethanol or sodium hypochlorite should do the trick in a pinch. Mechanical euthanasia or freezing would be a good follow-up for it. But it is worth asking staff about their failures of their fumigation protocol."

"Captain, there is, at least, one creature in the plant transport crate. How it got there, we can determine later. A few questions arose immediately, not knowing what is being done on your ship. Are the plants specimens, and to be handled without pesticides and chemicals? Is the creature the specimen, and the plants a transport habitat? Do you want a new specimen to study, and do you want it alive? All of the questions are not SOP for how Duct Spiders are usually handled. My go-to response in this case, for the safety of the ship and any experiments in progress would be to exterminate the creature, and a thorough check of all the other containers for live creatures, and any egg sacks. Extermination would usually be by crushing the pest in the most expedient manner, usually a boot. In this case, I'd consider luring the creature out of the transport cube, before attempting disposal, so the plants are not damaged." Seeing Jerahmia returning with the "cat crate", Mikhel gestures to the approaching technician. "I will proceed as you direct, Captain."

"If it is not in the crate of provisions for the ship, it is likely plants for Dr. Harold. It will state on the paperwork. None of my researcher are currently studying duct spiders so they are not a potential specimen of concern. Extract or exterminate as you see fit."

"DCO, Captain!" Mikhel gives the Captain a sharp salute and turns to Jerahmia. "Lets see what we can contrive. Giving this a bit of thought, the small animal carrier will not be sufficient to contain the critter. Let's examin the Transport Pod for ingress holes and damage. Might want to check all the light metal containers for holes, as well."

Mikhel will spend a few minutes on each container that isn't made of very sturdy metal, checking any places small critters could gain access. There will likely be at least one hole, on the plant container, unless the Duct Spider came from the original packing/shipping location. Then, once the number of holes is determined, stasis boxes will be needed. Possibly sonic pest repellers might drive the spiders out of the holes, into boxes to be 'frozen'. If not, boxes fixed or held to the holes, while humans chase or scare the spiders into the holes. If that doesn't work, tranq sprays will be prepped, and let off into the containers, and any carcases will be put into stasis boxes. Hopefully, the tranq gas puts them to sleep, and doesn't kill them. After that, a thorough check of all containers with holes will have to be checked for egg sacks. This could take a lot of time. There may need to be even more thorough checks of any/all contents when the containers are unloaded. This will have to be done in a containment room of some sort, with all holes/vents covered with plate metal, as mesh and vent ducts can't be depended upon.

"Athena simply watched for a moment before returning to her task. She wasn't going to make this her problem unless necessary. It shouldn't be that hard to get rid of a duct spider or two.

Having checked all the containers, only the plant transport pod had external damage. A single hole near the bottom of a corner. "Jerahmia, do you have a sonic pest repeller and a Tranq gas dispenser? Oh. And some masks for us, would be a good idea."

Jerahmia: "We could just squish it, you know. It's what we always do." Shrugs.

"Yeah. We could. And what would we learn? What do you know about these things?"

Jerahmia shrugs. "Who cares? They're pests, and SOP is kill on sight."

"Yeah. That's what I know, too. But, where do they come from, and just how smart are they? They get onto stations and ships, even with all the precautions and tech to prevent them getting into the places we find them. And I've heard they steal tools and shiny objects, hiding them away in stashes. What is up with that? Killing them doesn't teach us anything." Mikhel picks up the critter container and puts it up against the hole in the transport pod, with the door of the container open. "Please get the other gear, and we'll learn something, together."

Jerahmia returns with the masks, gas and repeller. Mikhel and Jerahmia mask up, with Mikhel taking the gas dispenser, and standing over the critter container. Jerahmia takes the repeller and prepares to open an inspection panel on the far side of the pod. Mikhel nods to Jerahmia, and the sonic repeller is switched on. A scrambling sound is heard coming from the pod, and it moved across the pod away from Jerahmia very quickly. Into the critter container with a crash, and Mikhel sprays the vent holes with a burst of Tranq gas. The thrashing diminished rapidly. Mikhel quickly maneuvered the container to pull it away from the transport pod, and close the door. Mikhel monitored the container, watching for any signs of the spider chewing through the casing. There were a few attempts, but they were feeble and not effective. Finally, any motion in the container ceased. Mikhel gave Jerahmia a thumbs up, and Jerahmia turned off the sonic repeller.

Mikhel removes his mask, "Thanks, Jerahmia! Awesome! Now to figure out what to do with this bug. Do yoy have something a bit more robust? Cause this won't hold it long, if it's conscious." Note: Mikhel hasn't checked to see if the Tranq gas has killed the duct spider. He's just hoping...

Jerahmia removes his mask as he walks off to get a harder case, shaking his head.

"Captain? Do you have any way to store a specimen on your ship? Can we put it in suspension, until we can get a bit more info on them? If necessary, we can euthanize it. But I'd like to broaden the knowledge of these things, and maybe deal with them intelligently, rather than from ignorance."

"You intend to study duct spiders, M Dromah?" said Athena with slight curiosity. "They're beneath the study of many, but that doesn't mean there may not be something worth discovering. The Pioneer specializes in specimen study. I'll send a request to Eleni. She deals more with the invertebrates. For now, we can put it in stasis."

Athena shook her head, saying, "Just be careful, or I may have to start calling you Doctor."

"Doctor, we know how to deal with rodent pests, because someone, somewhere, took the time to study them. And there are the uses of them in laboratories for a lot of studies. So, they are known, and still we have to deal with them. Ineffectually, even with the knowledge, it seems. We know next to nothing about these critters." Mikhel lifts the carrier and gestures to it with his other hand. "Supposedly, these things are somewhat intelligent. How intelligent? Smart enough to get into places even rodent pests don't manage. And the tool gathering? Really weird. In the Marines, or on Navy ships, eradication was the only thing to do. Nobody had time to even think about studying these things. Maybe, now, I can indulge in a hobby? And maybe, with your permission and supervision, do something worthwhile for posterity, instead of cleaning up other people's messes. Oh! You did say something about discussions of intelligent life. Perhaps, duct spiders will add something to that discussion, being they are little criminals, too."

"The latest research, which as you point out may be outdated, argues duct spiders to be proto-sophonts," replied Athena, looking at her pad and click a few buttons. "While I did not intend to return to my days as an advisor, your argument is decent, and I do appreciate curiosity." Athena looked at him with thought. "You should review the Pioneer Ships Charter when you get a moment, but given you're asking to be an advisee and not a researcher, in addition to the job you were hired for, depending on the results of your... hobby, I reserve the right to negotiate a higher cut and first author rights."

So. More research in the offing. What reputation does this doctor have, and will it be helpful associating research to her? She, definitely, has credentials, which Mikhel does not have. And if we are speaking of publishing, is this the topic Mikhel wants associated with his name? Only one way to find out.