Day 217 (Open)

[freedom_engineer]

Who: Colin, Rosethorn,anyone else who wants to drop by
Open: Closed to Rosethorn, Open like a door afterwards
When: 217, all morning
Where: Colin's workshop
What: Colin's at his workshop for anyone who needs to talk to him
Format: Prose to start, but will match
Warnings: There be Colin here

As he had been doing ever since the plague had been resolved, Colin was busy at work on some project of some sort. He'd been in a very poor mood for quite some time, and had been mostly keeping to himself. The movies nights that he'd set up had been a good distraction, and there would be another one this evening, but that was at least ten hours away.

In another couple of hours, he'd set out with someone for another salvage run. Until then, he works with his head down. Someone might be able to catch him by surprise, if they remember he's got a proximity sensor...

Comments

[doctor_dragoon]

Yuki's learning very quickly not to challenge Colin unless he wants pretty immediate results.

"Hopefully I won't have to do any surgeries at all."

Unlikely considering their circumstances, but a guy can hope. Hope that Haruka's condition remained stable, hope that no one manages to get seriously injured on the Skyway, hope that nothing worse than their plague experience decides to come along.

And people wonder why Yukio worries so much. He leans over a bit, briefly inspecting the craft, but not touching. Put a gun in his hands and he can do some pretty crazy stuff, but he doesn't take chances with things beyond his realm of knowledge, especially when it's something that Colin's obviously put a lot of work into.

"Something like this would've been useful when Haruka-san and his friend arrived."

[freedom_engineer]

"Actually, we're going to move on to surgical techniques once you think you can handle it," Colin says gently. "Because fate is not so kind as to offer you such a smooth ride. Fortunately for everyone, I like to be prepared for whatever fate can try to deal out."

His grin only widens as he speaks, and he nods at the observation. "That's why we originally went back to the observatory," he says. "This place needs vehicles so we can react faster to things that happen out there."

[doctor_dragoon]

Yukio sighs, putting on a small smile and loosely crossing his arms over his chest. What they're talking about is scary, but no more so than his first foray into his exorcist training. The main difference here is that he doesn't have his father here to help him through it. Not that Shiro could've helped him much now that things were going this far.

Someone has to have these skills, though, and Yukio's reaching a point where he won't be able to put off the next step for much longer.

"I know. It's always better to be prepared." He straightens up a bit. "Do you think something like this could ever be made able to carry wounded along with the pilot?"

[freedom_engineer]

That question actually makes Colin pause and think.

"Give me a moment to consider that," he says quietly. "It's not an easy answer."

He stands upright now, looking over the airship appraisingly. "Anyway, while I'm pondering the logistics... You doing okay? You look like you've got a lot on your mind, and could use a friendly ear."

[doctor_dragoon]

"I'm alright. It's just a lot of information to take in."

Referring to all the cramming he's been doing since the quarantine dropped, of course, because Yukio talking about his feelings? Maybe actually voicing some of that anxiety? Yeah, right.

"Actually..." He hesitates for a moment before reaching into one pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper. "I've been over the possible outcomes concerning Haruka-san's condition, and I came up with a list of equipment I think we're most likely to need."

[freedom_engineer]

"It is a lot of information to take in, that's why I don't wanna overwhelm you," Colin says, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder before taking the piece of paper and giving it a review. "You're a combat trained medic, after all. You gotta know the effects of stress on the brain."

Keep running from everything, Yukio. Colin's got his eye on you.

At the moment, though, he's just going to review that list of equipment he's compiled.

[doctor_dragoon]

The list is handwritten in neat print, listing several different types of machines that the hospital needs, along with their general purpose just for Colin's reference. Lower down there's also a list of dozens of simpler, handheld surgical instruments. It's the sort of list that would send any first world financial department into a conniption, but Colin did say he could build almost anything...

Yukio looks to the floor with an awkward expression, frowning at the tiles while Colin's occupied with the list. The effects of stress? Yeah, he's pretty familiar with them. He's been dealing with them for longer than anyone his age should ever have to, and more so than ever just before he woke up in the Bastion, but just like home? It's something he has to do. He should count himself lucky that he at least has time to think on things and study up here rather than just reacting and hoping he's doing the right thing.

"... I know. But this is important."

[freedom_engineer]

Colin continues reading the list, and he takes a pencil out of his pocket to scribble some notes of his own about construction times. It's a good list, he'll admit, but with everything, it's an impossibility. It would take months of construction time to make everything.

"Important indeed," Colin says. "But so is taking care of yourself. Bear it in mind, Yukio. Anyway, this is a good list, but it's also not an easy one. If you want all of this, you're going to have to prioritize. I can make it all, but the total time to create everything would be months. Pick the most important items, and we'll start from there."

Still not looking up from the list, Colin gestures towards the airship. "Sadly, this isn't much of a patient transport. It could do in a pinch, but it's no ambulance," he says. "We'd need something a little more specialized to transport wounded and keep them stable."

[doctor_dragoon]

"I thought that might be the case."

Yukio nods and gestures for the paper and pencil. He'd spent enough time poring over the material that he could easily mark off the priority equipment.

"And your plate is already rather full as it is. Just being able to get to the wounded faster will already be a major improvement."

[freedom_engineer]

Colin holds the paper and pencil out to him, looking back to the aircraft as Yukio goes to work.

"I'd kill for a decent fabber, but that kind of technology is dangerous in the wrong hands," he says in resignation. "I can't bring it here."

He shakes his head and moves to lay back down on the dolly. "This ship will be able to move people very quickly, but she'll be a little frail, I'm afraid. It seems the Caelondians don't really know how to armor their ships and keep their skyworthy."

[doctor_dragoon]

"Not surprising considering the state everything else ended up in."

Sounding slightly bitter about their general situation and the apparent incompetence of the people who caused it? Yeah, just a little. Yukio mulls over the list for a few moments before circling a few items to prioritize.

"I think, above everything else, this place would benefit from the presence of a blood bank, and ABO typing supplies should be fairly easy to produce."

[freedom_engineer]

"A blood bank shouldn't be too difficult, really," Colin says, wheeling himself part-way back under the ship while still looking at Yukio. "Refrigeration, storage, the only hard part will be the blood. I MIGHT be able to splice the meat lab into producing blood, but I wouldn't count on that until I actually prove it can be done."

[doctor_dragoon]

"Even normal donations from the population would be better than nothing, especially if we have enough matching blood types."

Or if they're lucky enough to have a truck load of people that just happen to have type O, but he's not optimistic enough to assume anything like that.

"Of course, this is assuming we don't end up with multiple casualties at once. And that said casualties are human. And that we can work out a cycle of donors, since whole blood shelf life is only half the recovery time required between donations..."

Yuki frowns down at the list in his hand as if the paper itself is at fault for their complicated situation. Oh, bother.

[freedom_engineer]

"If wishes were horses," Colin says, resuming his work on the aircraft. "I estimate we either need everyone in the Bastion to donate a pint or equivalent of their blood every month, consistently, or we won't have enough for any surgery. There are too many different species here for it to work. IF I can get the meat lab to kick out blood packs, it will take some of the load off that, but it still has limited cycles. It's not easy work in the slightest."

He sounds displeased with a great number of variables in those scenarios. "If we do some more reading, we might be able to find techniques for blood preservation. As I recall, blood storage in my medical tech level can last for a little under a yea," he says. "Much, MUCH more time than twenty and twenty-first century medicine. But still, more homework for both of us."