Lockdown

Posted on 21 Sep 2026 @ 7:08pm by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Lieutenant Daynah Ral & Lieutenant JG Aerie Mak & Lieutenant JG Kelly Khan & Lieutenant JG Quinn Mackie & Master Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin-Crehan

1,919 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Acceleration
Location: Bridge
Timeline: February 8, 2391 || 2100 hours

Joey stood beside the center chair, shoulders squared, gaze sweeping across every officer on the bridge. She cleared her throat. “By order of Captain Geisler,” she began, voice edged with the gravity of the moment, “I’ve been placed in command of the ship.”

Her hand rested lightly on the back of the chair, grounding herself as she continued. “The remaining crew of the Tiburon were infected with a mutagenic virus. It’s already begun altering them. Because of that, the bridge will be placed under full lockdown until we can determine the extent of the threat.”

A flicker of relief crossed her expression at the thought that her twins and dogs would soon be safe in the ready room.

“Those who were part of the away team—and anyone else who was exposed on our end—are being quarantined. Medical and Science will work around the clock to understand this virus, and with any luck, develop a cure. But until then, containment is our priority.”

Joey straightened, her voice firming as she looked to Daynah. "Lieutenant Ral, you are permitted to leave your post and return to your department. You will need access to things there that we can't replicate here," she stated. "Once there, you should also consider placing your department under lockdown as well. Everyone else, follow all lockdown protocols and remain at your stations.”

"Aye Commander." Daynah said and stepped toward the turbolift. She could not say that she was happy to be sent off the bridge. In fact she would rather have been there in order to learn faster what was going one. However, being in the labs would be more helpful to solving this whatever it was.

"Um, ma'am... Commander?" Quinn asked, sheepishly raising his hand like a young elementary student. "Given that we're just on the onset of... whatever this is, we should consider calling for a couple of relief officers that can be on standby in the conference room."

Joey turned toward Quinn, catching the nervous lift of his hand. For a heartbeat she hesitated. She had wanted to keep the bridge as sealed tight as possible, but he wasn’t wrong. They were running out of uncontaminated departments, and the bridge crew couldn’t run on adrenaline alone.

She gave him a small nod. “You’re right, Mackie. We need relief officers on standby.” Her voice stayed level, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable. “Science, Medical, and the transporter room are already compromised. That doesn’t leave us many options… but we’ll take what we have.”

Her gaze swept the bridge again, weighing the urgency against the shrinking pool of personnel they could safely pull from. They had a little time—barely—to get replacements in place before the situation worsened.

Joey tapped her combadge. “Geisler to Rasputin-Crehan,” she said, standing still and waiting for the response.

=^=Master Chief Rasputin-Crehan here.=^= came the response over Joey's combadge.

“Mila, I need you on the bridge as soon as possible,” she said. “Bring a full list of our current crew roster—everyone except senior staff, Medical, and Science. We need to identify who can safely cover bridge operations during lockdown. I'll explain that further once you're here.”

=^=I am being on my way,=^= came Mila's response over Joey's combadge.

Kelly had turned pale and looked over at Quinn, wondering what they were going to do. She pulled up the Flight roster on her console and checked to see who was due to come on shift next and who was available to fill in. "I have T'Rassa, Bongol, Vargas and Tyla on the available backup rotation, Commander," she offered.

Joey stepped closer to Kelly’s station, scanning the names she’d listed. The tension in the bridge was a living thing, but her voice stayed steady. “Good,” she said, nodding once. “From that list, pull one backup officer to be on standby in the conference room. Whoever’s best suited to step into bridge rotation.”

"Acknowledged, Commander," Kelly said even thought Joey was already on the move again. She picked two for every shift, one in case the other fell sick or something happened.

She didn’t linger—her gaze moved to Mak at Operations, her tone shifting into command mode. “Mak,” she said, “I need Operations to start prepping for department lockdowns. Prioritize securing internal systems, isolating sections we know are already contaminated, and reinforcing emergency routing. We’ll need Ops to keep the ship running smoothly while half the departments go dark while whatever this is starts to affect our crew."

"Yes, ma'am," Mak nodded. He looked over his calculations for department lockdowns. Implementing protocols, he Isolated the contaminated sections and reinforced the emergency subroutines. They were in the mess now, and there's no coming back from it. His console beeped with each confirmation as he began his backup contingencies.

For the first time since Joey stepped into command, her composure wavered—just a breath, just long enough for the weight of everything beyond the bridge doors to press in. Harvey. The away team. The crew. Everyone was now exposed to a virus no one understood.

And the Nightingale…

She hoped the medical ship would be able to help them once they arrived. But hope was all they had. Questions outnumbered answers a hundred to one.

She steadied herself, shoulders tightening as she forced her focus back to the bridge. Her gaze swept the room again, lingering on each officer as if silently willing them to stay healthy, stay sharp, stay here. The bridge was the last clean nerve center they had. Once Mila arrived—once the relief team, the twins, and her dogs were safely inside the ready room—the hard lockdown would seal them in for however long this crisis lasted.

“Everyone, maintain readiness. We’re on borrowed time until our lockdown begins. Keep your stations stable, keep your heads clear, and keep each other safe.”

The turbolift doors opened, allowing the holonanny to step out with the Geisler twins in its arms. It paused in the doorway, anticipating the twins to struggle at the sight of their mother. The anticipation was justified once Jameson began to struggle against the holographic embrace. “Momma!” The little one cried out. 

Relief broke across Jory's face like sunlight through storm clouds. Alison’s voice followed right behind her brother’s, calling for her with a soft, trembling insistence. The holonanny stepped forward, arms full of wriggling twins, and Rico and Pequeño trotted out at its heels, tails wagging furiously the moment they spotted her.

Joey didn’t hesitate. She crossed the bridge in quick, purposeful strides—command presence giving way to pure maternal urgency. Rico let out an excited bark, Pequeño circling her feet as she reached the holonanny. Jameson practically launched himself into her arms the moment the holographic field loosened, Alison following with a quieter but equally fierce cling around her neck.

“It’s okay… I’ve got you,” she murmured, voice low as she gathered both children close. Their small hands clutched at her uniform, their faces pressed into her shoulders. For a moment—just a moment—the chaos outside the bridge fell away.

It was almost unheard of to have children on the bridge. Under any other circumstances, it would have been unthinkable. But nothing about today was normal, and keeping them anywhere else would have been a risk she refused to take.

Rico nudged her leg, whining softly; Pequeño sat pressed against her boot, trembling with anxious energy. Joey shifted the twins in her arms and gave the holonanny a firm nod toward the ready room. “Come on,” she said quietly, guiding the hologram and her dogs with a gesture. “Let’s get them settled. They stay in the ready room until this is over.”

The holonanny fell into step behind her, cradling the twins’ dropped blankets and toys as Joey carried her children toward safety.

Mila exited the next turbolift, a look of deep concern on her face as she monitored departmental reports that were coming in on her PADD. She attached it to her forearm and looked around before she saw Joey with the twins and dogs heading for the Ready Room. "Commander!" she called.

Joey turned at the sound of Mila’s voice. Jameson clung to her uniform, Alison tucked against her shoulder. She pressed a kiss to each small temple, lingering just long enough to steady them—and herself. “It’s okay,” she whispered, voice low but firm. “You’re safe in here.”

She shifted her hold, passing the twins carefully back into the holonanny’s waiting arms. Rico whined, Pequeño pawed at her boot, but she gave both dogs a gentle touch to reassure them before straightening. “Keep them inside."

The hologram nodded and stepped back into the ready room, the doors sliding shut behind it with a soft hiss that felt far heavier than it sounded.

Joey exhaled once, then pivoted toward Mila. “Mila,” she said, closing the distance between them in a few purposeful strides. “Please tell me you’ve found a few individuals who can serve as a relief team.”

"Da," Mila said as she closed the distance herself. "I am having three of each for needed positions from each shift."

Joey shook her head before Mila even finished. “No. I only need one relief team,” she said firmly, lowering her voice so it didn’t carry across the bridge. “The fewer people we bring here, the fewer chances we have of bringing whatever this virus is to the bridge.”

She stepped in closer, her tone softening but never losing authority. “I just need one team—small, efficient, and easy to isolate in the conference room.”

Her gaze flicked to the sealed ready room door, then back to Mila. “We keep the bridge as lean as possible. That’s our best chance at staying clean.”

"You are asking me to bring list, da?" Mila looked a bit confused. She hadn't been asked to bring people with her, only the crew roster of those cleared for the bridge and had the PADD with her.

The Intelligence Chief nodded and held out her hand. “Let me see the list and who we can pull without risking exposure. I'll have them report to the conference room.”

Mila handed her the PADD. "What will you be having me doing?"

“I’d like you to stay on the bridge,” Joey told Mila as she took the PADD. “If I need you, I want you close.”

She didn’t wait for a reply—her eyes were already scanning the roster, flipping through names with quick, practiced motions. The list was longer than she wanted, shorter than she needed, and every choice carried weight. A few names stood out—officers with cross‑training and the kind of steady temperament she needed in a crisis. She tapped each one, marking them for immediate assignment.

Then tapped her combadge. “Geisler to selected personnel,” she announced. “Report to the conference room immediately. You are designated as the relief team for bridge duty.”

The channel clicked closed and Joey lowered the PADD, exhaling once before meeting Mila’s eyes again. This was a tense and stressful situation, and she had no idea how they were going to come out of it.

"Da," Mila said, wondering if she would get to see Chow again. It was a frightening time and she knew very little and now she had to do it without Aidan.

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