[snip]

=/\= We can’t possibly continue with the tour now. You have much more serious things to deal with. Just tell us how else we can be of help to you and I’ll make it happen. =/\= Glen told the First.

After a moment the First nodded, looking about it seemed the emergency services had things more or less in hand. =/\= We should return to the Council chambers. I am sure they have heard of the impact by now and will want to ensure you are safe and sound. =/\= She suggested. =/\= Any further help they can then inquire with you, in truth I am unsure what you could provide right now. =/\= she added.

=/\= Once my crew have finished giving medical assistance we will return =/\= Glen agreed. =/\= As for additional help, you will need medical supplies and equipment, infrastructure repairs and reinforcements, and we can also help you with emergency planning and a mitigation strategy for the future. =/\=

There was the usual pause, before the First nodded some, =/\= I am sure the Tri-Council will agree to your aide, for now though we should return there, local emergency forces seem to have arrived and have this in order, and the worse of the injured are already being cared for to the best of our abilities. =/\= She said, nodding as while they had been helping the last of the lost more emergency service personnel were arriving and moving to action. Another group was nearby securing the asteroid impact site and remains as if it were some foul beast to be disposed of. Given the Alstarian paranoia on such things it probably in their distant past was such a thing to be done.

Kord nodded.

“Please lead the way.” he said to the First.

The First nodded, =/\= This way, I will call us a hover cab. =/\= She said, leading the team some distance down from the crash site to where triage units were setup. After a few minutes on a comm line unit a blue-gold hover cab with seating for six showed up. Boarding it they were soon on their way at a decent air clip back to the Council Chamber building.

Glen gave permission for some of the landing party to beam directly back to the Merri. Dr. Jasper had been keen to return to Sickbay and tend the injuries.

Glen mused on the fact that meteorite incidents were such a common occurrence that Alstaireans had superstitious rituals and customs based around them.

“Does this happen often?” Kord asked.

• Kord, XO

=/\= Captain, this is Dr. Jasper. We’ve finally got sickbay under control, thankfully. None of the injuries we received were fatal, fortunately. How are things looking planet-side?=/\=

=/\= We’ve arrived back at the Council Chamber now. It looks normal here. The meteorite site was being cleared up by local militia. Apparently, this is a frequent occurrence here, and is treated as quite an everyday experience. I’m glad no one died and that you have the treatments in hand. I’m not sure there is any more we can do for them without some engineering solution to their problem. Obviously, I’ll be putting that in my report to Starfleet. =/\=

=/\=A frequent occurrence?=/\= repeated Jasper, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. =/\=They get pummeled like this on a regular basis, and it’s no big deal? I feel really bad for their health care system, then. I can’t believe that they’re willing to just overlook a massive geological catastrophe and just go on about their business.=/\=

=/\= Well, that’s what we’ve been told. They seem pretty nonchalant about it… and the Merrimack is backing that up with near planet asteroid orbital plotting. =/\=

=/\=Is there a surgeon general in their government, or some kind of medical liaison that we could speak to? I refuse to believe that any health care system worth anything at all is at peace with this many casualties on a regular basis.=/\=

=/\= We’ve not been introduced to one, but there will be. You saw their teams yourself, very efficient. Long term, I’d like to get them to join the Federation and then we can apply a full planetary engineering solution here, with long range forecasting and orbital phaser platforms. Short term, we can only patch them up and offer medical supplies. It isn’t a good remedy but with non-aligned planets that’s Starfleet policy. =/\=

-Glen, CO