Star Trek: Starbase 777 - medical-wards

With the characteristic transporter noise, the acrobat appeared on a biobed, the two doctors beside her.

Once again, Diahjir turned to the other doctor, as while he was trained in surgery, he was not sure of the other's qualifications. Nevertheless, he was planning on taking charge during the surgery itself, as was his duty as a surgeon. "Lieutenant, ah, I'm sorry, I never caught your name, but might I ask what your specialty is? I might need an extra pair of hands during this procedure and would like to know how much you know." He thought for a moment before he readied himself to rush out of the room to change into some surgical gear, but that could wait until after the lieutenant's answer.

"Ch'rhytross, sir. Emergency medicine." Iviaan followed suit, setting up the bio-bed to keep an eye on the patient's vitals. He triggered the steri-field around her, standing back to check if there was anything more, anything the tricorder would've missed. "I'll follow your lead.*

The scanners the biobed was equipped with revealed that this woman was Trill, in her early forties, and that aside from the severe injuries to her lower body, there were some recently healed injuries in her arm and neck muscles, most likely from the same fall. As far as the computer could tell, they were healed quite expertly, and indeed, it seemed that the circus was capable of healing many injuries that occurred during work. At the same time, a Security alarm went off. A popup on a nearby console notified anyone present that the genetic profile of the woman matched perfectly with that of a missing person's case filed seven years ago, of a woman called Morowa Rina. (edited)

6

Diahjir trusted the team he had with him, and so, once he was ready, and the patient was ready, he turned to the team and got ready to begin. "We will have to put you under anesthesia in order to perform the surgery, do you consent to this?" He asked the patient in a voice that suggested that this was completely normal, it was, after all, a completely normal surgery.

The acrobat paused, for just a few seconds, before sighing. "Yes, okay, that's fine," she said, reaching for her own mask so it wouldn't get in the way. She revealed what was underneath, hesitantly, showing a solemn, round face. Her grey eyes stood out against her dark skin far better than the wooden mask, and she looked worried, which was probably justified in her situation.

Diahjir nodded, smiling at her before beginning the procedure. "You are in good hands here," He responded before he began the process to apply anesthesia, hoping that by the time they both counted down from ten, she would be in dreamland and they could get started fixing her up.

It took a while, especially with the difficult fractures along Rina's spine, but eventually, her bones were restored to a degree that allowed a bioregenerative field to take care of the rest, and it was certain that she would be able to make a full recovery thanks to the attentive care of doctors Lan and Ch'rhytross. In a bit, she would even be awake and alert enough to answer any questions.

All done! Ivi dropped the steri-field and started doing away with the equipment. "Good work, sir," mused the TTS, despite their back being turned for the moment.

Diahjir was glad that it was over, smiling happily at the fact that their patient would make a full recovery. "Thank you, you did well as well," He spoke before he turned to help with the equipment, after all, many hands made light work!

That's that all tidied up! Their hands washed and their equipment cleaned and organized, Iviaan sat, observing the patient's vitals carefully and making sure everything really was working alright while waiting for her to wake up.

Ding dong. "Security popping in." And Syrax. "How are you doing, miss?"

Mathra had sat up on the biobed, nursing a glass of water, her mask still discarded to the side for the time being. "Markedly better than I was before, I'd say," she responded politely, likely having been informed by the medical officers that Starfleet Security was wanting to ask her some questions.

Erra followed behind The Detective™ and Syrax, keeping her PADD open to take notes. The lieutenants had the lead now, per the ACOS - it was nice to sit back and scribe for a change, not having to be the brains of the operation. So, she stayed quiet unless Kirio needed immediate assistance.

"Hi-i-i," he offered a wave, posture hunching in that typical "I-am-not-a-threat" display of his. "Glad to hear that! We'll do our best not to bother you too much, and, well... if there's stuff you don't want to speak about, you don't have to. That okay?"

Mathra nodded, taking a sip of her water. "Alright. Ask away," she said, her grey eyes tracking the three of them.

"Before I say anything, I want you to know that if you feel uncomfortable at all, you're free to abstain from answering my questions." Kirio took a breath. "Do you.. Do you remember your past, before the circus, or did you opt to have your memory altered?"

Mathra looked... surprised, at the question, her eyes widening visibly, sighing and shaking her head as she responded. "I don't remember much. My childhood, mostly, as I was happy then."

"Would you like to know, or would you rather stay as you are now?" Kirio figured the latter, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. "I know you're allowed to get your memories back whenever you want, but... well. Just in case."

"I- no, I would like to stay as I am, please," Mathra answered hesitantly. "I would have chosen to have my memory altered for good reason."

"Yeah. It makes sense." Kirio noted it and moved on. "The circus, I assume you're happy there, by the sound of it. And beyond the accident. How long have you been performing for?"

Something in the way that this woman spoke made Erra's heart ache. She didn't show it on the outside, as she kept her cool and continued to type as Mathra responded.

"Yes, I am happy. It, we take care of each other." She seemed uncomfortable, just slightly, as if she needed to defend herself and her place in the circus. "I've been performing for a little under five years, I think. The first two years, I just trained with Vi- with the most senior acrobat, and learned all the tricks of the trade. I'd done a lot of gymnastics when I was younger, so really, it was mostly relearning all of the things I already knew how to do."

"That's good. That you've found a close community and you had plenty of proper training, I mean." Kirio smiled a little sheepishly. They weren't trying to be attacking, they were just..a little distracted, thinking about what to do now, racking their brain to remember if there was a way they could close the case without alerting the public, without confirming her dead or alive. She was content in leaving her life behind. At the same time, was there a way to leave it without neglecting their duty? "What is it like? Your traditional showtime routine."

"We get ready in turn order, meaning that Lord Janus is ready before everyone else, together with the prop masters and the light crew. He starts the show, and as he puts on his speech, the clowns make sure they're ready to go. We're right after them, so we get into our outfits, and quietly head up to the rafters. The lights are on the ring, and in that light, it's difficult to see anything else, so we take the audience by surprise when the first artists take to the skies. Right at that moment, the net lifts, and we know that even if we fall, we'll be safe." She laughed then, at the irony of that statement. "Well, most of the time." (edited)

And Erra documented near every word that Mathra said, noting that she was happy, and that the circus members take care of each other. She also noted that there was a hesitancy for Mathra to have said the name 'Violet' - in the moment Erra put a star next to Violet's name, noting that there was reason to investigate Violet further. When it came to the routine, it seemed there was nothing really too noteworthy, it was a typical routine that sounded like it was well rehearsed, of course minus the 'most of the time' to account for the accident. But Erra wondered... even though Mathra said she was happy... was she at peace? Like, really at peace with herself and her life? Was there something she wish she had, maybe something that got erased with her memories? She'd have to hold onto that question and ask it later on when Kirio was finished with the initial investigation.

Unfortunately there wasn't a particularly neat way to resolve this. Closing the case in any way could potentially raise questions with anyone keeping tabs on it, and for closing the case, there would need to be a note made on why it was closed.

Kirio inclined their head, smiling alongside her laughter. She certainly sounded happy. A lot happier than she had been. They looked at the information they had— on the wife and mother that had been left behind years ago— and squeezed their PADD a little tighter. "I won't lie, miss, your case is a puzzling one. You, legally, are a missing person. That's why the alert went off. That's why I'm talking to you, today." They leant forward. "I won't give you details of your life before since you didn't want them. However, there are people who will be looking for you. Or, the you that existed before the one that sits before me now. If we close your case, they will start prying for answers. However, if we leave it open, we can't promise your privacy if another incident happens in another show, and another alert goes off." They pressed their lips in a tight line. "How do you want to proceed?"

Mathra visibly paused at the question, stilling completely as she thought. "I don't know," she said, pausing once more. "I think- oh, but... I don't know who is looking for me..." she thought for a while once more, but then she shook her head. "I left for a reason. Leave it open, I will deal with a next time if it comes."

Kirio remained still, giving her time and space to think. "Are you positive?" they asked, not trying to steer her any which way, just trying to make sure.

Erra stopped typing as soon as she heard the woman's answer, looking at her. While it didn't show on her face, which she maintained professionalism and tact throughout - internally, she weeped for this woman. The majority of her life was one she wished to forget. But she decided to keep it that way. In that case, Erra was no one to judge or criticize her decision. All she wished for -- all anyone wished for, for that matter -- was this woman's safety and peace of mind.

Mathra nodded. "I knew when I chose to lose my memory that I was leaving something behind. I did it anyway, presumably to lose the weight of it. Worrying about it now would defeat the purpose, so I won't. Please do not close the case." She seemed determined, though she required two hands to lift the glass up to her lips once more to take a sip.

"Alright." Kirio moved for their combadge to alert the rest of the team, but paused. "You're very strong, you know. I'm sure you know that much."

Erra kept quiet the whole conversation, not wanting to interject from Kirio or Mathra. But when there was a silent moment, Erra finally opened her mouth to speak -- hesitated... almost decided not to... then committed to it. "I hope you find peace," she said softly to Mathra. "If you've already found peace, I hope you maintain it. That's all we can ever ask for you. Your peace, and your safety."

And here it was again, the feeling of inadequacy on his part - for Syrax was finding himself siding with the circus, again. Was the concept of leaving something bad behind and starting fresh and anew really so bad? Sure there were the kids, but... Mathra seemed content, didn't she? And safe. Surely her decision didn't come just from some minor inconvenience? For someone to leave their life behind like that, it took... well... he knew exactly what it took. Joining Starfleet because he wanted to fly ships was only just a part of the reason. Hell, knowing how to take a vessel and fly it far, far away ~~from Vulcan~~ was all part of the escapism as well. Despite how much he genuinely loved the craft. Hell, maybe some part of him loved it that much directly because of that. "Well then," Sy offered the acrobat a warm little smile, "I suppose the mystery stays unsolved, then! Anything else you'd want us to do, or are you content with just that ending?"

"That's all from me, thank you," Mathra said easily, not picking up on Syrax' inner turmoil at all, but giving him an easy, happy smile in return nonetheless. Despite having a mystery go unsolved, it seemed that at least one person was very happy with the outcome.