Confronting the Plague

Posted on Wed Apr 22nd, 2026 @ 1:19pm by Lieutenant Commander Deanna Celes & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Lieutenant Inara Senn

1,173 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Shuttle Incident
Location: Planet - Loras

The beleaguered medical practitioner looked at Sam like a confused zombie. He seemed to groan incoherently for a moment before he began to finally make sense. He saw Sam and her Vulcan companion, "StarFleet. Thank God. We don't have the resources for whatever this is."

"We kinda got that bit, but the data your government sent us was...let's just say incomplete" Sam started and was pointed towards a notebook filled with scratching.

"My notes, they're all we have" he admitted as Sam moved over to the book. "There was a flash in the sky, then everything and everyone started to die."

Deanna walked the streets of the colony, scanning everything. The trees looked like they were becoming brittle, the leaves a sickly yellow and pruning. The bodies on the streets were an ashen color. She looked for any sign of animal life, but thus far no signs of anything. She noted that it was quiet, eerily so, as if everything on the planet had hushed all at once. Even the winds were quiet at the moment. She was positive this was a purposeful use of a biogenic weapon, but they still needed to prove that.

"Odd" Sam mused as she poured over the scrawled notebook, engrossed in the hasty scratchings. "It's a viral disease that appears to have radiation components, that's why its effecting everything. There was a bright flash and it rained for a short period. That rain would have been triggered deliberately and used as a carrier. As soon as it got into the air, the watrr, the food..." her voice trailed off. "Someone wanted thesr people and their colony gone."

The doctor came over, a deep purple hue rising from the rash on his flesh. "It starts with the purple rash, then the cough, then it progressed to systemic failure faster than any virus I have seen. But I offer you a fresh case to study to solve this"

"How long?" Sam asked, tricorder out already.

"An hour, by tomorrow I'll be like the rest of them." The readouts filled Sam's screen, and she uplinked the Washington's computer and copied the data there as well. The physiology was similar to human, ehich helped greatly.

"Right...I have a broad spectrum antiviral...let's try this first" she encouahed the doc to sit in his office, the only space that wasn't overflowing, and carefully monitored his body's reactions.

< Bridge >

Jon sat on the bridge not speaking just sitting, waiting for a word from the away team. The longer the time went between them contacting the ship, the more convinced he was that is was beyond serious. This was a planet size catastrophe.

Inara walked up to the medical practitioner. "I need access to every sensor on this planet. If xenobiology could study this event, we might be able to reverse it."

"Go to it and see what you can determine Inara; we've got to get some answers and get a handle on this disease." Jon told the science chief.

Callie was still keeping a sense on the planet, not liking what she was feeling at all. “This planet just doesn’t feel like a thriving civilization should, it feels so…off, it gives me the creeps.” She sighed. “I hope we can help them.”

"Cmdr Celes is sending up tricorder data for Lt Senn and the science department to review" Ens Kuzma reported. We also have begun scans of the biosphere as requested. Sir, the planet has definitely been exposed to a toxin or bio agent of some sort, but it hasn't spread globally. It seems to be limited at this time to the colony and roughly a 100-kilometer radius beyond."

"Oh, this is a declaration or war, No doubt about it. A planet that is biologically dead is not worth anything." Inara noted. "By all deities that are holy... I do not want to fight another war, especially one where we could all die horribly from some bioweapon." Inara tapped her comm badge. "Senn to Exobiology. Prepare to configure the lab for Andromeda type biological research, I want full decontamination, baryon sweep purge. Sealed environment, environmental suits, the whole shebang. And if anyone makes a mistake down there, we'll be dead."

Back on the planet, Deanna entered the hospital and located Sam. "I think we can safely assume this is a biogenic weapon. Scans from the ship indicated it isn't global yet. But this is definitely beyond just the people. I couldn't find any animal life, and the plant life is infected."

On the Washington's bridge, Jon listened to Inara rail. "I agree Inara, this is a biological weapon no doubt about it, now I need you along with Sam, Deanna to figure out how we combat it and save these people, this world."

Sam continued her treatment using the limited resources of her medkit. She needed something else, more variety, more data...more everything.

"Howard to Washington, can you beam me down a full spectrum of viral medications, radiation antidotes and whatever else you think may be useful? I have a patient willing to try anything we may have to solve this" she spoke carefully, understanding she was toeing the moral and ethical line.

Jon heard Sam's request for a broad range of medicines all based on dealing with radiation. "Grayson to Howard. We have your request Sam and Medical is processing the items you requested. They will be at your location within the hour."

Deanna chimed in as well, "Inara, run through a radiation series. We may be able to break down this virus with a limited burst of radiation, at least in the plant life."

"Go ahead Inara. We need to try something to combat this virus." Jon told the science chief.

"I don't think we're gonna have much success in an hour. We're looking at rapid onset and progression of symptoms, this patient has a few hours to live. At best. " the tension in her voice was evident. "The anti-viral has had no effect, but I have a hunch the key lies in the radiation that destroys the immune system." Sam explained.

"Do what you can Sam. Keep us advised." Jon replied not liking this at all.

"Yes Sir" Howard replied, and closed the channel, refocusing her attention on the doctor who was now sagging in his office chair. Sam dug further into her medkit, tweaking a hypo for radiation exposure and drawing from the stock she had put aside her herself in csse she became compromised.
"This might make you feel queasy, but I think it might help" she said cautiously, injecting him directly into his main artery. Within a short period of time there appeared to be an improvement, albeit a minor one.

"Deanna, I think I may be onto something" she tapped her communicator. "Requesting permission to use our team backup medication on a patient trial..."

On the Washington, Jon listened to Sam's request. "Permission granted Sam. Just make sure you keep enough for you and the rest of the away team."


TBC

 

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