🚀 go-pugleaf

[ADMIN: this happened a bit earlier than the current point in the Flaw
story; Scott Kellogg (Foxx) was ill and not able to answer mail. Here
is a missing chunk of the story. Thanks to Carl Fogelin for Quig.]

**

"Look, Quig," 'Kaena says huffily, "I just want to see the guy in private
for a second! I'll refer you to him after I'm done for whatever you need, 
I promise. Just let me talk to him in private first. Please?"

"Gee, I thought you were the one tagging along with me, but..." Quig pauses.
"go ahead.  What I need should not take much time."  And as an after thought,
"remember 'Kaena, time is limited."

 A visitor is announced at Doctor Foxx's ship. It's 'Kaena, the sniffling
 Vargr whom Foxx had talked to at the Rest. He's sort of bouncing from
 foot to foot as if anxious or nervous. "Uhm, hi Doctor. C'n I come in?"

 Foxx stands in the Liar's airlock looking over 'Kaena curiously.  He seems
 slightly confused, but polite.  "Oh, of course.  Come right in."

 As 'Kaena steps through the airlock, he feels a brief snap as his fur
 suddenly stands on end, and a bit of ozone bites at his nostrils as he
 passes through a sterilizing field.

 Chris then leads him down a short corridor and into sickbay where his
 seeing eye bot Victor is cleaning up some blood and tissue samples.  He
 pops them into a drawer and a LCD label display lights up "Etheridge, Jake
 Larynx Regeneration Culture."

 Foxx shrugs.  "Sorry for the mess..."

 Sickbay is decorated with antique anatomy charts of every imaginable
 race from Ael to Zho.  A small plaque is off in the corner with an ancient
 looking document from a medical school on some obscure planet called
 San Antonio with a date on it in some old out of date calendar.

 This is counterpoint to the modern equipment of sensors, tissue generation
 vats, and large ultragrafixholodisplays.

 Chris gestures for 'Kaena to have a seat on the optable, and plops down
 in a chair.  "Now, what can I do...  Ummm..."  He leans forward and
 looks at the Vargr carefully again.  "Have we met before?"

 "WHURF?!" 'Kaena blinks at Foxx. "Are you serious? You treated my
 allergies at the Haven's Rest only a little while ago-- you were the
 first doctor I ever met who could stop my nose from running! You told
 me to stop by and get an extended prescription, and I wanted to talk
 to you about my sarcoptica...."

"Oh!  I'm sorry!" interrupts Chris.  "I didn't recognize your voice now
that your throat's cleared out, and I never saw you with my eyes shut
down."

"Oops," 'Kaena says. "My goof. Sorry about that."

"Well, a little gene therapy ought to clear up that allergic condition,
It's really the simplest treatment from the patient's point of view, and
we could clear any other genetic diseases simultaneously if you have them
or even cosmetic conditions while we're at it..."

"Sounds okay to me," 'Kaena says, "But my buddy outside and I are in a bit
of a hurry, and if it takes a while I may have to take a rain check...."

"Kaena suddenly grows very serious. "Doctor, you're a man of integrity
and bravery. I'd like permission to call on you for medevac and trauma
treatment in an emergency... I've been hired for a mercy mission that
may involve people on my team getting shot up, and it would be good
if we could call in a mobile med platform once we get out of the free-fire
zone. You're under no obligation to come in if there's direct risk to
you or your ship, of course, but can I call on you once we're clear?"

Foxx scowls seriously and glances over at Victor then back to 'Kaena.
"I take it this is why you're in such a hurry.  Well, as a Soldier of
Light, I answer all distress calls, but it makes it a lot easier if I
know what to expect in advance..."

Foxx heads over to a equipment bench, rumages around for a second, and
pulls a small med-comp out of a drawer.  "Here...  if you have problems,
place this on the chest cavity of the injured person.  It will transmit
vital signs back to me so I know what to expect...  The transmitter is
not a scrambled one, so you may want to be careful in it's use."

"Thank you, Doctor," 'Kaena says. "I hope we won't need it."

Foxx eyes the Vargr askance, "Oh, 'Kaena?  As a Soldier of Light, I
don't get involved in political matters or personal feuds.  As far
as I know, I'm merely answering a distress call."

"Understood," 'Kaena says. "As for the other, getting rid of my
allergies sounds wonderful, but right now I'd settle for getting rid
of my sarcoptica. Can you help?"

"Sarco..."  Foxx puzzles a moment.  "Mmmm."  He considers pulling out
the musty old Latin dictionary holocrystal, when he manages to puzzle
it through.  "Oh I see.  Well, for a permanent solution, we could take
care of that with the gene therapy I mentioned before, but that will
take some time to set up the nanocytes and take effect.  If you're in
need of immediate relief from the irritation, I can perscribe some Retin-F.
That will to stop the itching, but the loss of fur will take some time
to regrow."

Victor brings up a plastic bottle of Retin-F and hands it over to 'Kaena.
Chris nods, "Just spread it over the affected areas.  And it should relieve
the symptoms.  As for attacking the cause of the problem...  Well, 10 cc of
Orthidrin ought to make your skin hide less paletable to the parasites
unless they're a mutant strain..."

Foxx turns to a wall unit, "Orthaidrin, 10cc, please."  The display lights
up with the PDR reference with info on dosage effects, and side effects,
and a slot opens with a loaded osmotic pressure inducer.  Foxx takes the
inducer and proceeds to hold it up against 'Kaena's arm under the fur.
A slight buzzing rattles 'Kaena's ears as the inducer drives the drug
across the skin and into his blood.

"Now," continues Foxx, these measures are temporary, and the allergies
and mange... errr... *Saroptica* can just as easily return.  So, let me
take a skin sample so I can program up some nanocytes for your return."
There's a quick jab on 'Kaena's arm as a small scrape of skin is taken.
"There.  That ought to be enough..."

'Kaena only winces once-- at the mention of the word "mange." He rubs
his arm thoughtfully, then grins, "Thanks, Doctor. I owe you. Oh, one
more thing. I have a friend outside who wants to talk with you; I have
no idea why. His name's Quigley; everyone calls him Quig."  'Kaena
giggles slightly. "He's a miner; he's been underground so long his
brains are a little loose, I think. He talks to his jackhammer.
Please be nice to him?"

"Certainly," winks Chris, "I've got some anti-psychotics around here
somewhere.  Since you're in a hurry, psychotherapy might take a while..."

'Kaena goes out and collects Quig, who had started to wander the starport.
They both come back and 'Kaena makes introductions.

"Hi doc" says Quig.  "I don't have much time, so I'll come straight to
 the point.  Do you carry any antidotes for neuro-toxins?"

The question seems to surprise both Chris and 'Kaena. "What do you
need that for?" they both ask in unison.

"You see, I mine the 'combs." replies Quig, "The area I'm about to
work in is loaded with Grimjaws, Snuffer Tars, and Shreekharmons.  My
kit is running low on antidotes, so I decided to come a calling..."

Foxx's eyebrow climbs a bit, "The classic antidote for neuro-toxins
are almost as bad as the toxins themselves.  I'd prefer to give you
some broad spectrum nanocytes programmed to look for the specific
toxins and take action.  They're a touch more expensive, but they
don't take you off your feet for days either..."

"By the way, what's your insurance company?"

"Who's insure ME?" Quig snorts, and looks to thin air at his left.
Cocking a thumb at Foxx, he says to no one, "Must be tetched."

Foxx looks sidelong at 'Kaena, who shrugs. Foxx gets the nanocytes.

**

Once outside, 'Kaena asks "Are we really going to run into those things?"

"How do I know.  I didn't see any, but it pays to be prepared."
-- 
mike metlay * atomic city * box 81175 pgh pa 15217-0675 * metlay@netcom.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I have news for you. 'Thppht' spelled backwards is STILL 'thppht'."