Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2013 11:57:46 GMT -8
Grace was sure that some people wondered about her. She'd come into Sickbay with a smile and leave just the same. Naturally, she maintained a smile at appropriate times during the day. Truth be told, removing that smile from her face was quite a task. She had been so excited when she first came aboard the Talon. Even now, she was still in the honeymoon period of her first assignment. Everything still seemed new and fresh, and amazing. Grace was still in awe with childlike amazement each time the her eyes fell upon one of the beings originally from the Gamma Quadrant. She even grew excited by simply doing the inventory of their medical supplies.
At that moment, however, Grace's eyes were glued to the images displayed before her. Any concept of a smile was a foreign one half a galaxy away. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her vision blurred for a second, and Grace new instantly what the problem was. Her hand rose to wipe at her eyes, and she felt her skin moisten from the tears that had welled there. Taking in a deep breath had turned into a sniffle. Grace exhaled and tried to clear her throat. She had to be objective about this. She knew that no good would come of getting emotionally involved, but considering what was in front of her, how could she not?
She watched the video display of one of the hatchlings. She knew from the instant her eyes fell upon the Breatach infant that something was wrong. It was probably the first time in her life she wished that death had claimed at least one more person, than it had chosen to spare. Her hand pressed the audio to mute the sound. All she could do was watch the child writhe a few seconds longer before it became motionless.
Grace looked away. Swallowing hard, her eyes turned to look at the PADD that held most of the statistics. She looked at the percentages. The increase in birth defects was obvious, and the infant mortality rate had risen as well. If the Talon didn't succeed in their mission, it was possible that the extinction of a race was underway. Perhaps Grace was exaggerating, but she didn't see how. The eggs depended upon the phases of the moon for development. Already, a number of those eggs had ceased to be viable. Breas was clearly ideal for the gestation and reproduction of its people. There were no promises that another environment could sustain them.
Grace pressed a few buttons on the PADD. She looked at some of the theories that had been proposed. So many of them seemed to be a shot in the dark. Mainly because they were based in understanding the physiology of the Breatach. Grace had been studying... everything. Their physiology... their diets... the various stages of growth. And still she felt helpless. If this crisis was going to come to an end, the traditional conditions of the planet would have to be restored. Yet, what about those that had suffered because of it? Those already born with defects and still in gestation? The obvious choice seemed to be genetic resequencing, however, there seemed to be a great deal more to account for in the Breatach DNA. Enough that there were yet to be any successful projections.
Grace sighed and placed the PADD back on the desk. She was almost hopeful that someone would limp through the door complaining of a sprained ankle. At least that was something that she could fix. Right now, she simply felt helpless. She reached up and ran her hands through her hair, as she silently told herself that she couldn't give up. Besides, Dr. Ericson had practically everyone working on this. Lowly nurse or not, orders were orders... and lives were lives.
TAG: Any
At that moment, however, Grace's eyes were glued to the images displayed before her. Any concept of a smile was a foreign one half a galaxy away. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her vision blurred for a second, and Grace new instantly what the problem was. Her hand rose to wipe at her eyes, and she felt her skin moisten from the tears that had welled there. Taking in a deep breath had turned into a sniffle. Grace exhaled and tried to clear her throat. She had to be objective about this. She knew that no good would come of getting emotionally involved, but considering what was in front of her, how could she not?
She watched the video display of one of the hatchlings. She knew from the instant her eyes fell upon the Breatach infant that something was wrong. It was probably the first time in her life she wished that death had claimed at least one more person, than it had chosen to spare. Her hand pressed the audio to mute the sound. All she could do was watch the child writhe a few seconds longer before it became motionless.
Grace looked away. Swallowing hard, her eyes turned to look at the PADD that held most of the statistics. She looked at the percentages. The increase in birth defects was obvious, and the infant mortality rate had risen as well. If the Talon didn't succeed in their mission, it was possible that the extinction of a race was underway. Perhaps Grace was exaggerating, but she didn't see how. The eggs depended upon the phases of the moon for development. Already, a number of those eggs had ceased to be viable. Breas was clearly ideal for the gestation and reproduction of its people. There were no promises that another environment could sustain them.
Grace pressed a few buttons on the PADD. She looked at some of the theories that had been proposed. So many of them seemed to be a shot in the dark. Mainly because they were based in understanding the physiology of the Breatach. Grace had been studying... everything. Their physiology... their diets... the various stages of growth. And still she felt helpless. If this crisis was going to come to an end, the traditional conditions of the planet would have to be restored. Yet, what about those that had suffered because of it? Those already born with defects and still in gestation? The obvious choice seemed to be genetic resequencing, however, there seemed to be a great deal more to account for in the Breatach DNA. Enough that there were yet to be any successful projections.
Grace sighed and placed the PADD back on the desk. She was almost hopeful that someone would limp through the door complaining of a sprained ankle. At least that was something that she could fix. Right now, she simply felt helpless. She reached up and ran her hands through her hair, as she silently told herself that she couldn't give up. Besides, Dr. Ericson had practically everyone working on this. Lowly nurse or not, orders were orders... and lives were lives.
TAG: Any