Quarantine

Posted on 21 Sep 2026 @ 2:58am by Captain Harvey Geisler & Commander Madelina Barnes & Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Lieutenant Commander Kennedy Monroe M.D. & Lieutenant Ranul Frex & Lieutenant T’Mari Rael & Lieutenant Daynah Ral & Lieutenant Lucas Abrams M.D. & Lieutenant JG Daniella Blake

2,138 words; about a 11 minute read

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

T’Mari had never known Sickbay to feel so different, but then she’d never been in quarantine with a possible mutation virus, or whatever it was, on the loose before either. Everyone was busy doing everything they could to get a handle on what was going on, to find out what was infecting those that had already arrived. She felt nervous, almost claustrophobic but the odd thing was she wasn’t afraid of tight spaces, this was different and a whole lot more serious for everyone involved.

From the Tiburon to the transporter room of the Black Hawk, then another transport to Medical, Camila found that she was rapidly becoming sick of the latest mission. She had seen a man/tiger thing in a Starfleet uniform eating another Starfleet officer and she couldn't reconcile it in her mind and wondered if this were the end of the line for her and the cursed ship.

Frex wasn't far behind the rest of the group that had to go into quarantine. He just hated the fact that he had to do it and be away from any repairs that the ship might've needed. Not only that, but he wanted to figure out what happened on the Tiburon and what those monsters or creatures were. But, Frex also knew that this was needed. Very needed. So, he sat his Trill behind in the quarantine zone down in Sickbay.

Meanwhile, Kennedy was holed up in the ship’s medical lab poring over everything she knew about the strange mutations so far. She was fully aware and supremely grateful she didn’t have to research any of this alone and she was liaising with science as well as continuing to check in with her people concerning the crew‘s status.

Kennedy wasn’t accustomed to leaving the actual direct patient care to others, nor would she have considered herself a virologist or anyone of that sort as part of her core professional identity,, but she understood as this ships senior medical officer, she couldn’t simply leave the research to others while she spent all her time checking people’s temperatures and offering comfort because it was more familiar.

Maddy stood in Sickbay with the others, a sinking feeling in her stomach. The reality of this situation settled in her chest like a weight—this might not be temporary, not a quick check‑in or decontamination sweep. They were here for however long it took to understand what was happening on the Tiburon… and what might already be happening to them.

Her thoughts snapped immediately to her husband.

Tom would have no idea. No warning. No hint that she might not walk through their door tonight, or tomorrow, or… who knew when. The idea of him pacing, wondering, worrying—it twisted something sharp in her stomach.

She didn’t want to scare him. But she couldn’t leave him in the dark.

The redhead stepped away from the cluster of newly arrived personnel and crossed to an unused console. Her fingers hovered for a moment, trembling just slightly, before she began composing a message—short, careful, enough to reassure him without revealing what might be classified details. She exhaled slowly, sending it off before she could second‑guess herself.

Behind her, Shay appeared with the group, her eyes sweeping Sickbay with a grim sort of resignation. After everything they’d endured—hostile planets, malfunctioning tech, near‑death encounters... mutating into other creatures was climbing the list of “worst possible situations.” Maybe not the absolute worst, but it was definitely in the top three. Especially after seeing what had become of some of the Tiburon’s crew.

T’Mari was starting to get a headache, she wasn’t sure if it was just tension from the emotions in the room, or something else. She felt fine otherwise so she decided to wait and see if it got any worse before worrying the medical staff, they were busy enough already.

When Harvey materialized in sickbay, he found himself a man out of place. It was clear the chaos from the Tiburon’s crew had had an adverse affect on the medical staff. And, while those crew members were safely secure behind forcefields, just their presence was an omen to the rest of those who had been exposed. Mutations were their future, and uncertainty as to what they would become. 

A quick survey revealed that the ship’s Medical Chief was nowhere to be found, likely already at work studying whatever this was. But her absence had left a vacuum in the room, as if everyone wanted to do something, but no one was eager or brave enough to step up. Harvey may have willingly relinquished command, but he was still the Captain. And leadership was something he could provide. 

“The medical complex is not terribly large,” he stated to the room, “but just large enough to spread out.” Harvey turned to face the away team. “All of you have been exposed to this the most, and the transporter chief and I significantly less so. There’s not enough isolation rooms for all of us. You’ll need to stay here with the medical staff and the Tiburon crew already under treatment and observation. Miss Mitchell, I think you and our transporter chief will move to isolation so we can track you independently.”

T’Mari was glad to see Harvey, but at the same time she had a responsibility to keep everyone safe. “Sir, you’d better include me in that isolation order. I don’t feel ill, but I have a headache that’s almost the size of this ship and it’s not getting any better.”

“Are you sure that’s wise, Counselor?” Harvey asked, turning to the woman and raising an eyebrow. “You’ve been here at the ground level, and isolation will remove your knowledge from the group working to solve this. Though, to be fair, I plan to move shortly to the lab with Doctor Monroe and have Lieutenant Ral meet us there.”

T’Mari paused to think about it. “I guess it could just be the emotions around me” she offered a smile. “I’ll stay and help as best as I can.”

Shay swallowed hard, her hands tightening into fists. Isolation. The word alone made her stomach twist. She didn’t want to be shut away, not when people were suffering and she could help—but she understood the Captain’s reasoning. She’d been on the Tiburon. She’d breathed in the infected air. She came into close contact with an infected individual.

“Understood, Captain,” she said quietly, though her voice carried the tremor of someone forcing herself to accept the inevitable.

A nurse stepped forward, gesturing gently. Shay cast one last look at Maddy, then at the transporter chief beside her—both of them pale, shaken, and exhausted. “Come on,” the nurse said softly.

Shay nodded once and followed, the transporter chief falling into step beside her. The doors hissed shut behind them, sealing them off from the rest of the team.

Maddy reappeared moments later, her combadge still in her hand. She’d sent the message to Tom—short, urgent, and edged with fear she hadn’t let anyone else hear.

Something has happened, and we don't have any answers yet. Things on the ship could get bad. Stay in our quarters. Keep the door locked, and don’t open it for anyone but me. I’ll explain everything as soon as I can. I promise. Love, Maddy

She cleared her throat. “Hopefully,” she said, voice rough but steady, “most of the ship will be spared since we acted so quickly. Containment is our best shot at trying to stay ahead of this.”

Her attention shifted to Camila, her expression tightening with urgency. “Commander,” she said, “you should alert your staff that under no circumstances is the forcefield around our two Tiburon guests to be lowered. Not for scans, not for conversation, not for anything. If they need medical treatment or anything, we can figure out a way to do it safely.”

"It's already in place," Camila said. "We updated all the Security procedures prior to this where the Brig was concerned.

"Power should be alright enough to keep the forcefields going over there," Frex said to Camila. "That's one thing I did try and make sure was good. Power, life support, and forcefields."


===Medical Lab===

A quick glance at the monitors aimed at Main Sickbay alerted Kennedy the space was filling up and while she thought she had left adequate instructions for her team before heading to the lab, she realized the usual organized chaos of the medical center was now just a little more chaotic than usual. Chagrined and hoping Geisler would understand her reasoning even if he didn't agree with it, she tapped her combadge and opened a channel to the new arrivals. "I apologize to all for not being there when you beamed in. I initiated quarantine protocols and headed to the lab." As she spoke, she also reviewed the updates that had just come through. No one else had mutated into something unrecognizable...yet, but that didn't mean they wouldn't.

Monroe felt flush but wasn't going to entertain thoughts it meant anything else before she had to.

The Captain tapped his badge in reply, “You did the right thing, Doctor,” he assured her. “Time is of the essence. We may and may not know what the future holds, other than what we currently see with our eyes, and it’s best to make the most of every moment. I will be joining you shortly. If you have any remaining unexposed medical staff, I would recommend hazmat or EVA suits as a precaution.”

“Already done, sir,“ Kennedy replied. “I look forward to seeing you as soon as you can.“


===Sickbay===

Harvey turned back to the Away Team and took a moment to gauge their expressions. "I don't recommend sitting around and waiting for the inevitable," he said at last. "Twelve hours is both a short and a long time. Stay in communication with your departments, and record everything you experienced or encountered on the Tiberon. Leave no detail untouched. Our hope at stopping and reversing this lies in all of the data. Let's just hope we can catch it in time."

"I think I'd just want to know what those creatures were over there," Frex said as he grabbed a nearby PADD and started pulling up information about the Black Hawk's systems, making sure they were still in good shape since he left on the away mission. Thankfully, the Black Hawk didn't seem to be in too bad of shape.

“I’ll get started on my account now," Maddy stated. The memory of the Tiburon’s frozen corridors still clung to her like frost. She pulled a PADD from the nearest tray, already opening a fresh log entry as she spoke.

“Once that’s done, I’ll go through the Tiburon’s logs—bridge, engineering, medical, anything they recorded before the mutagen started affecting them. If we can pinpoint how long they were in the nebula before symptoms appeared, we might be able to map the progression. And maybe find something—anything—that will give us more insight into their situation. Who knows? Maybe I'll find some answers about the creatures."

"I'll get a mobile Security command station set up for myself and Lieutenant Mitchell," Camila said.

Harvey nodded to Camila, then turned to Maddy. "Commander, you and I both may not be in command of the ship at the moment, and we can't let our rank block the medical staff from doing their jobs. The priorities are containment and safety. Quarantine methods can always fail, so we should be prepared to completely seal affected areas off if at all necessary."

T’Mari was looking around all was okay for now, but that could very soon change. “I’ll let you know if I sense anything unusual Sir.”

T'Mari's remark reminded Kennedy of something important. "Please don't hesitate to report any changes you notice within yourselves or others, either mentally or physically," Kennedy encouraged. "Don't dismiss the smallest things because you want to keep working or because you think you're overreacting. I'd much rather risk having wards full of hypochondriacs if it means I have a chance to gain more clues about how to combat this as quickly as possible."

"You heard the doctor," Harvey said, mustering a smirk with every possible bit of energy he could draw. "Communication is everything. Let's get to it." His eyes darted from Camila to Maddy to Ranul. "Best of luck."

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