Bloodhounds Pt. 1

Posted on Fri Sep 17th, 2021 @ 8:24pm by Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr & Lieutenant LeFaye Antoinette

Mission: Breen in Paradise
Location: USS Washington

The turbolift had left only a few moments ago from the bridge before Shran had spoken to Ayana. She had kept a solid poker face while the captain informed her of the suspicions he had discussed with Dex. He had given her the order to work with Dex to figure out where the security breach was and to plug it. He was adamant about her orders and she knew all too well exactly what he meant. She took her job seriously, and in this instance she felt it a matter of honor that she locate the would be assassin quickly and quietly.

She had yet to meet the new doctor and was a bit hesitant. Much like Shran she wasn't fond of doctors, though she had learned to warm to Samantha after a while. From what Shran had told her and what she was aware of from looking over things as de facto security chief, this doctor Dex was quite an accomplished medical practitioner. She hoped that they would be able to work together without much issue.

Ayana entered the lab and looked around. She saw Dex on the far side, hunched over a console. She approached slowly, "Doctor, everything alright?"

Dex jumped as she had been analyzing her own blood for isoneural peptides which were increased during the Pon Farr. She now knew she had eight days give or take to complete the cycle. She had injected herself with 9ccs of dexteroprovaline to suppress her emotions. That would work for a few hours. She turned to see Lieutenant Hillis and remembered that the Captain had asked her to work with the Lieutenant to try to find out who the possible assassin on the Washington might be.

She smiled. “Lieutenant Hillis, Doctor Shoniara’s T’ghann Dex,
“ she held out her hand in the human greeting. “ I am pleased to meet you. I hope we can work quickly and efficiently together. Has the Captain filled you in?”

Ayana shook her hand and took the opportunity to give her a once over. "Yes, the captain has given me the details. I understand you are working on a treatment for this virus, and that somehow the captain had been infected. Considering what he told me, it sounds like a rather serious security breach, one I wish to remedy immediately." She looked at Dex in an analytical fashion and then looked at the console and the surrounding area quickly.

She took a few steps away from Dex and then asked bluntly, "When did it start doctor?"

“It started a couple of days out of DS9, we had a couple of patients with what looked like a plain respiratory virus. The human crewmen who had the virus recovered even though there had been some mutation which resulted in some of them becoming quite ill. Unfortunately we had a sudden Fatality, crewman Hennes who was Bolian. The virus attacked his RNA genetic sequencing causing his lungs to virtually decompose within minutes and we could not save him.

The virus was found to pass from humans to non humans by any incident that produces a break in the skin, body fluids, or even passed on in a drink so Bolian, Andorian, Trills, Vulcans all non humans were, …..are vulnerable. I tested the Captain and found he was infected so we put him through the transporter decontamination cycle and it removed the viral pathogen. That means that he received the virus whilst on board.”

Dex sat. “Excuse me for sitting but I am not feeling well myself..and no I do not have the virus.” She smiled. “I am..going through something Vulcan.” She carried on. “Whilst I was in the lab I worked on the process of reverse engineering the viron . I will not bore you with the science Lieutenant but I found an element of the virus that I had seen before a few years ago. It was Breen in Origin. Actually it was a genetic splice of Breen RNA transmutated to DNA so it would lie dormant in a human host, or just cause slight illness but then be passed on.

I think the Captain now agrees with me that someone on the Washington is trying to infect every non human. This virus untreated will kill non humans. I am in the process of working with the transporter Chief to run all our non human crew through the decon sequence but, unless we find the carrier then he or she could very well re infect our crew. Dr Howard and I came up with a inoculation for our human crew members that means they can no longer pass it on or be rendered seriously ill with it.”

She walked over to the replicator and was about to order her usual Dela leaf tea and stopped dead. Lieutenant I’ve just had an awful thought, we need to check the replicators, this could be the method of transmission?”

"I had the same thought. We'll need an engineer to be thorough. Luckily I happen to know one I can trust for this matter." She walked closer to Dex, "And while I thank you for your synopsis, my inquiry wasn't about the virus but rather about you." She looked closely at Dex, "How long have you been dealing with Ponn Farr?"

“How did you know?” Shoniara felt her face burn. For a moment her usual Vulcan calm deserted her but, in a way it felt good that someone knew enough to know. “About three days,” she said “It is a year early or I would have prepared. I am finding it…..” she paused trying to find the right word, “difficult to be dealing with this at this time I should be concentrating on this virus. I have about nine days to sort it out, and….I currently don’t know how.”

Ayana kept a stoic demeaner. "You aren't the first Vulcan I've known to go through it. During the war...I knew someone. We grew very close. Sadly I lost him a few months after." She moved towards the a chair in the lab and sat. "I understand what it does to Vulcans. I won't say anything to anyone. Just glad you are honest about it. I have been told there is a treatment, something to do with a holodeck program developed by the EMH of Voyager. It was kept rather quiet. You Vulcan's do like privacy."

For a moment she felt her gorge rising as she balled her fists in anger and embarrassment but managed to keep her cool. “I am so sorry you lost someone dear to you but yes, we are a very private people but I am only half Vulcan and the thought of being ruled by this……Pon Farr imperative and being out of control, and I AM out of control. I cannot control my thoughts, I cannot control my body,” her voice rose as she talked. "This is the one time I need my Vulcan cool, I need to be able to reason to prevent this virus from killing anyone else.” She stood and shouted “I should have saved Ensign Hennes, I should have realized that the virus could replicate and re metabolize……She lashed out with her hand punching the bulkhead. Then as easily as it had started it finished. She sat down again nursing her bleeding hand. “This is the Pon Farr.”

Ayana remained like a statue. She understood all too well the emotional swings that Pon Farr had on Vulcans, the fact that they couldn't control their emotions and were relegated to basic primitive instincts was something no Vulcan cared for. It was something that was more severe than anything humans went through, and yet she could sympathize, though she dare not verbalize it. She watched as Dex smashed the bulkhead and was thankful that it wasn't a console or worse, her. She grabbed the medkit and pulled out the tricorder and scanned Dex, "It would appear you have a hairline fracture along with a few minor abrasions. I believe you can handle the treatment yourself doctor." She placed the medkit on the console in front of Dex. "While you handle your treatment, I'll get my trusted engineer down here so we can proceed, if that is acceptable?"

Dex smiled ruefully. “That is acceptable Lieutenant and, thank you.” She shook her head exasperated with herself and proceeded to treat her fractured third metacarpal and abrasions. Done she ran the tricorder over her hand. “There good as new. What next?”

As Dex completed here somewhat rhetorical question the doors to the lab opened and in came Lt. Antoinette. Ayana gave a small smile and looked at Dex. "Doctor, let me introduce you to my cousin, Lt. LeFaye Antoinette, our de facto Chief Engineer. I believe we can now get all the technical aspects of your plan underway without issue."

LeFaye extended her hand to Dex, "Pleased to meet you. How can I help?"

“Pleased to meet you Lieutenant.” She proffered her left hand and withdrew it twice as quickly. “Injury” she said. “Right, we have a virus that can possibly be transferred in liquid via the replicator. I know nothing about replicator technology is this possible, if so is there a decontamination cycle in the replicator, if not can we install one?

LeFaye nodded her understanding. "Yes it is possible, no the replicator doesn't have the same medical decom as the transporters, but yes I can input something to screen out the contaminant. I'll just need the data to create the addition to the replicator systems. If you have a transporter decom pattern for it, that would be perfect."

She took the chip from the side of the console and handed it to her. “This is from the transporter following the addition of the decontamination protocol. Will it work for all the replicators throughout the ship? ‘Thank Surak we might be getting somewhere’ she thought. “Lieutenant is there any way we can trace which replicator the original virus was inserted. It would have to be an attenuated virus so it would show very strongly?” She looked at Ayana and smiled. ‘I wonder if maybe I could have found a friend’ she thought.

LeFaye took the chip and scanned it with her tricorder. "Yes, this will do nicely" she said after a moment. "I should be able to make the necessary changes to the replicator systems throughout the ship in short order. Probably take me a few hours to ensure it is integrated into all replicator units, but once in we should have no problems." She considered the other items Dex had asked. "As for determining where it might have originated from in the replicator system..." she walked over to a computer console and input a few commands, "here you go. Appears to have first been created in a medical replicator in Science Lab 2. It was transmitted into the computer core and has apparently been designed to replicate itself in any beverage ordered via the replicator system." She input a few more commands. "I have isolated it in the computer core to keep it from further infecting through the replicator system. I'll have to purge the core to eliminate it completely, and that may take a few additional hours as well. I would suggest I focus on the decon protocol for the replicators first."

Dex looked at Ayana. “Well, it seems like we are heading to Science Lab 2.” She turned to LeFaye “Thank you very much for your help and please keep us appraised of your progress? Shall we go?” she said to Ayana, "there’s no time like the present.”

Ayana nodded. She looked at LeFaye and gave her a smile. "Let's go. Time to hunt down a traitor."