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Research Lab, [MFE] Med Force One, Omega 49 System
Nerve staples. To Doc, they were every bit as evil as cardamine and every bit the problem to treat. Fact is, his attempts at treating cardamine addiction didn't go well and removing nerve staples often resulted in patient death or paralyzation as the stories go. He was working with his neurology chief, Dr. Hans Gruber. After a long day of research and study, they were talking over coffee.
"Hans, I want to help this woman but honestly, I am afraid to try it for fear of what it may do," commented Doc. "I mean, when the Coalition made those, they were the perfect compliance tool. Remove them and someone dies or is paralyzed. But with the Vulkhan gone, they are a thing of the past or at least I hope they are."
"Wel, we could contact the Coalition," replied Hans in his Rheinland accent.
Doc shook his head, "I would rather not for the same reasons I would rather not contact the Outcasts about cardamine."
"Fair enough," replied Hans, "You mentioned the nanite technology. What have you found?"
"Well, we could try it but we would need a full and detailed readout of the staple," Doc explained. He then turned to Hans, "Do they integrate with the spine in that they take on their DNA and such?"
Hans sipped his coffee before responding, "As far as I know, they don't but they are so deeply embedded that they become difficult to removed. We should be able to get a detailed scan."
"How about deactivation," asked Doc.
"Not sure," answered Hans. "The only person that I can think of the might know that might be someone like a Lane Hacker. They are that good."
"But equally tough to talk to," answered Doc. "My recent talks with them were met with hostility so we will have to figure this one out I think."
They finished their coffee as the com went off. Dr. Holliday, your patient is here.
"Acknowledged," he answered back.
"Hans, let us meet our patient."
Together, they entered the room where Miss Kim was sitting and talking with one of the residents.
"Miss Kim, I am John Holliday and this is my chief neurosurgeon, Dr. Hans Gruber. Welcome to Med Force One."
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Personal Quarters, [MFE]Med Force One, Omega 49 System
Somewhere in between admitting Miss Kim and a later part of the day, Doc was in his personal quarters looking into old records. Somewhere, he knew that he had once treated a man for a nerve staple. How could he forget when it was an old friend to whom he owed much in the form of Premier Alvin Katz. He dug through records and notes of old, looking....searching....trying to remember where in the database it was stored. Finally, an old record popped up.
"Yes!" he shouted with a grin. He swigged his Scotch as he read and reached for his com, calling down to medical storage.
"It might be hard to find, only because I purposely buried it to never be seen again but saved should I ever need it so I am guessing it has a lot of dust on it," he told the attendant.
"Yes, Sir. I will check and get back to you," was the response. As he waited, he kept reading as his heart sunk a bit before he sat back.
"Alvin you old dog," he said into the air. He re-filled his Scotch glass, raised it and toasted Alvin. "Been a long time, old friend. Looks like again you will save another life." He then took a drink before setting the glass back down.
"Doctor Holliday, I found it," was the message.
"Good!" stated Doc, "I will be right there."
Before he left, Doc transferred the file and the news to Hans.
"Doctors, it's good to meet you both. I've heard a lot about you, and your reputation as a miracle worker."
Kim Ye-jin was a short Kusari woman with a distinctly military bearing wearing a crisp, freshly pressed uniform of the Fourth Octavarium Fleet. Though only 40 years old, she bore the scars of a very hard life that left her prematurely aged, looking more like a woman in her early 50s. Despite her parade-ready demeanor, she appeared distinctly worn down, as if she hadn't been sleeping much recently.
"It's nice to finally find someone who might be able to help with my problem. The Natio's doctors have been able to mitigate the worst effects of the staple, but haven't alleviated them entirely. Instead of a blinding pain, the staple's punishment has been reduced to a dull ache whenever it judges me insufficiently loyal. The staple will eventually adapt, though."
Ye-jin paused a moment, then looked towards the wall, unable to look the doctors in the eye as she started speaking again.
"My father, if he were still speaking to me, would probably tell me this is karma for the misdeeds of my past. My job during the Volkhan's rise, before being transferred to the fleet, was internal security. I was one of the few who's loyalty wasn't obtained through a staple's conditioning, and I organised and oversaw the implanting of nerve staples in quite a few of the fleet's more reluctant personnel. "
Ye-jin paused for another moment, clearly in pain, both from the shame of her past actions and the staple's judgement of that emotion.
"I did many terrible things in the name of loyalty, things I'll never be able to repay, even if I live as long as a Maltese Don. One of the things I did out of loyalty, however, is what brings me here today. Just before the tide of war turned against the Volkhan's forces, I volunteered to receive a prototype second generation nerve staple. I'm afraid I can't tell you what's different about it from a technical standpoint, however. I wasn't cleared for that information."
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"Miss Kim, we are glad you are here," replied Doc with a kind and gentle tone. "You will not be judged here for your past." His face went straight for a moment. "My past is not exactly clean either but I do not live in it. You too will get your chance."
He softly smiled again. "Miracle worker? Well, to some I suppose but in reality, I am just an old country doctor who has found more power in saving lives than taking them. Perhaps after we deal with the staple I can put you in touch with some of our mental health professionals. I think you will find them to be very helpful."
"Now, about the staple. I did some digging for old notes. With all of the surgeries I perform, it is easy to forget the ones you seldom do or even done only once. Only once have I removed a nerve staple and that I removed from your old premier and my old personal friend, Premier Alvin Katz."
Doc sighed for a moment. The thought of his old friend both lifted him and left him slightly hurt. He missed him and remember the mess of a man that he was when he performed the surgery. Burned, broken and stapled, he was saved. His whereabouts now were unknown and he just missed his old friend.
Doc managed a soft smile as he spoke to Miss Kim, "It is a delicate surgery, one that I am not totally comfortable with. Yes, I did it but when you cut into someone's brain stem, well, you are playing with a life right there which is why I brought doctor Gruber here. He is a neuro specialist and will perform the operation itself. I will assist. To say there are no risks is an outright lie."
He sat before her for a moment looking into her face. He saw the wear on this young woman and felt sympathy flow through him. Regret...it was something he knew well as was being lonely.
"Dr. Gruber," Doc stated to his colleague, "I will let you answer questions she may have as you are the lead on this."
"Miss Kim," he returned, "I need to get some forms for you. I will return in a few minutes."
With that, Doc left her with Dr. Gruber.
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The failed summit was done and things were grim. Still, Doc held hope. He loved his home and now it was under threat from of all people, the Bretonians. He had grown to hate them but especially the commander of the battlegroup in the system. His personal vow was putting a bullet in his head if he ever came to his front door.
Still, he had four things that he loved more than life itself, his 3 children and his love, Alessa. Emiko, his eldest, was 19 and able to be on her own. His younger twins now 16, Henry and Aiko, were in school aboard Med Force One and quite smart for their ages. Emiko was tending to the estate to help her father.
Doc had spoken to his daughter at length this morning. Bretonian encroachment wasn't in thought as they sipped morning coffee together and shared a few laughs. It was his eldest that he sought opinions from.
"How would you feel if Alessa were to become your step-mother?" he asked her.
She just smiled. "Daddy, you deserve to be happy. Even mother would approve." Emiko looked skyward, "And she does. She knew that you were right."
She took a sip and nodded, "Be happy, Daddy. You need some in these hard times." Doc's response was taking her into his arms and holding her.
He went to his West room where he had an engagement ring hiding. It was of Molly gold and a 3 karot Rheinland diamond with some smaller satellite diamonds around it. Yes, it was time but waiting for the right time. It put a smile on his face this morning.
![[Image: 7Md2x4D.png]](https://i.imgur.com/7Md2x4D.png)
