"Second Opinion"

Lt. Cmdr. Shirik Lektar, Ops Chief

Lt. Tyzur, Chief Medical Officer

Stardate: 58807.16, 1630h

Location: USS Vanguard, Sickbay

***

Tyzur sat at his desk in Sickbay, reviewing Lt. Cmdr Lektar's medical records for what was, technically, a routine follow-up.

Technically.

He had already reviewed the original scans from the Constellation, along with Doctor Piche's notes regarding the experimental treatment he had been developing for Lektar's myelin deficiency. The procedure had been ambitious, but the underlying idea was sound enough to warrant a closer look. What interested Tyzur most was what had happened in the intervening years.

He brought up the older neurological scans on one display and prepared a fresh diagnostic profile on another. A few additional scans were queued, ready for when Lektar arrived. There was little point in drawing conclusions from the old data alone. Whatever Piche had discovered, Tyzur wanted to know what Lektar's nervous system looked like now.

The Sickbay doors opened.

Tyzur looked up from the console as Lieutenant Lektar entered.

He gave her a small smile and gestured toward the biobed.

"Good to see you again, Commander. Before we get started, how have you been feeling since we last spoke?"

Tyzur gave the console another glance before turning his attention back to Shirik.

"It has been several years since Dr. Piche took his scans," he said. "Whatever he found then, your nervous system has had a considerable amount of time to change since."

He gestured toward the diagnostic scanner.

"I'd like to get an up-to-date neurological scan before we make any assumptions about the treatment he proposed."

He paused, considering his next question.

"Before we start, though, have you noticed any changes since then? Anything neurological changes in sensation or perception, coordination or responsiveness, unusual weakness or fatigue, headaches, that sort of thing?"

He paused briefly.

"Anything that seems different from how you were a few years ago?"

Tyzur nodded at her answer.

"That certainly won't hurt. Regular exercise can help maintain coordination and muscular function, although it wouldn't normally compensate for the underlying myelin deficiency itself."

He moved to the side of the biobed and activated the diagnostic scanner. Rather than reaching for one of Sickbay's standard handheld instruments, he raised his cybernetic right arm.

A small section of the arm's outer casing shifted with a quiet mechanical click. A cluster of fine emitters extended from beneath it, their operation almost indistinguishable from the other medical instruments around the biobed.

"Hold still for me."

The scan began, the emitters sweeping across her head as a stream of neurological data appeared on the nearby display. Tyzur watched the initial readings carefully, making a small adjustment to the scanner's parameters.

He glanced briefly at Shirik.

"Let me know if anything feels uncomfortable."

Tyzur watched the first layer of neurological data appear on the display, his attention moving between the readout and Shirik's neural activity. The scan went deeper, mapping the structure and conductivity of her nervous system rather than simply looking for obvious physical damage.

After several moments, his expression changed almost imperceptibly.

He adjusted the scan parameters and ran another pass.

"Hm."

He studied the results for another few seconds before looking back at Shirik.

"Interesting."

He didn't elaborate yet. Instead, he returned his attention to the display, bringing up the older scans from Dr. Piche's examination alongside the new ones.

"There are some differences here that I wasn't expecting. Give me another moment."

A few more moments passed as he compared the two sets of data.

"Your myelin deficiency is still present, but it's not affecting your nervous system uniformly anymore. Some pathways are significantly compromised. Others appear to have adapted around the deficiency."

He paused, considering the implications.

"That adaptation is probably a large part of why you're functioning as well as you are."

His gaze returned to the display.

"Which creates a problem. Piche's treatment was designed to restore myelin wherever it was missing. That approach could interfere with some of the adaptations your nervous system has developed."

He turned back toward her.

"The treatment may still be viable. But we'd need to make it considerably more selective."