Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, or anything that is in this story.
Vulcan's Might
Chapter IV
Sitting rigid, his skin as gray as the statues on the homeworld, Gul Emdel watched as a Cardassian ship was destroyed. He, the grate commander that was renowned for his detachment, openly snarled as two more Galor-class warships were destroyed by a shockwave. Then, ever so deliberately, Gul Emdel's snarl became a smile, as yet another Romulan ship started to decloak.
"Give the signal." Was all the Gul had to say. The Relix, and twenty-two other ships, disengaged their cloaks, making themselves visible to the Romulans. Before the newest Romulan Warbird could fully raise its shields, all twenty-three Cardassian ships opened fire.
Once the Romulan ship was nothing but debris, three of the Cardassian ships began shooting at the two remaining Romulan ships, which bore the names Victory Flight and Triumphant Strike respectively. And so it was that, in a matter of seconds, a sector of space that once was clad in the green might of the Star Empire was seized by Cardassians. The Romulan Eradication had begun, and Gul Emdel was happier then he'd ever been before.
Being a doctor was something she's never considered; her mother, before the end of her life, had been a civilian merchant, owning an excessively profitable shipping company. Her father had worked for Starfleet Intelligence, before he'd died in an Environment Dome malfunction. With both of her parents dead by the age of eleven, and a twin brother to look after, becoming a doctor had been the farthest thing from Alexia's mind.
Now Alexia was the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Advent, a post she'd held since the vessel's commission. Alexia, as attested by her peers, was a gifted doctor, an excellent surgeon. But what Alexia A'Dare was most talented at was research.
Alexia, at the age of ten, had been accepted into the Medical Program at California Institute of Technology, a program, better then even Starfleet Medical, which was second only to the Vulcan Science Academy. She spent less than a year at the Pasadena school, before she had to leave and attend to her brother. But during the time she was there, Alexia made a name for herself.
Once she was certain of her brother's wellbeing, she returned to school; this time, however, she joined Starfleet Medical. While her instructors were well aware of her abilities, Alexia constantly refused to graduate early. And thus, Alexia A'Dare was able to spend most of her pre-career days researching.
Yet, despite her aptitude at medical research, and despite her skill as a doctor, Alexia couldn't help her captain. From the moment he'd steeped aboard the Advent, Alexia had tried everything to correct the captain's condition. She's tried everything, and everything had failed.
Sebastian Acumen's condition was so simple, so easily treated for anyone else who suffered from the same ailment. Sebastian, however, wasn't anyone else. He was, so far as Alexia knew, the only living victim of Tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis, once called the white plague, was caused by a bacterium that was long ago eradicated. Only one in every seven billion humans was afflicted by the bacterium, and all of them were diagnosed with consumption within days of the infection. And all of them were cured. Except for Sebastian.
Sebastian's body was incapable of surviving the only drug capable of curing him. In fact, Sebastian's body was incapable of surviving almost every drug that was approved by the Federation. So, for the past year and two months, Alexia had been giving her captain a mild stimulant, which helped give Sebastian, at the very least, the appearance of health.
For the past three hours, from the moment Captain Acumen had been discovered unconscious in a turbolift, Doctor A'Dare had been trying to wake her captain up. For the past three hours, with ever attempt she made, Alexia further proved that her captain was, and for the foreseeable future would remain, in a coma.