Change of Plans

Posted on 10 Apr 2016 @ 7:02pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Jiang-Chao Xiao & Commander Jayla Kij & Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast & Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale

1,509 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: USS Black Hawk || Bridge
Timeline: MD 6 || 1100 hours

Harvey stepped out of his ready room and approached the command chair. He'd been in the Ready Room for the last half hour or so, reviewing the various departmental reports that had piled up over the last few days. He nodded to Commander Xiao, the Executive Officer who had so enthusiastically taken Commander Kos's place for this mission. "Status report, Mr. Xiao?" Harvey asked.

Jiang-Chao looked up at Geisler as he vacated the center chair. "Excellent Captain. Much of the crew is planetside. Things are quiet." He looked towards the Trill seated at the front of the bridge. "Lieutenant, orbital status?"

Harvey barely listened to the helmsman's report as he took his seat. He hadn't expected anything out of the ordinary, and he wasn't surprised when the report came back positive.

Temerant Bast sat at his console, trying his best to look sharp and professional - but the truth was, he was still feeling some of the aftereffects of that cocktail he and Camila had improvised down on the planet, mainly in the form of a mild headache. His console suddenly flashed, as it detected an incoming transmission. He read the information displayed on his screen.

"Sir," he spoke. "We have an incoming transmission from the planet."

Bast's announcement grabbed Xiao's attention. "On screen Lieutenant," he said quickly, forgetting momentarily that the Captain was present.

The screen flashed, replacing the image of the planet below with that of the Administrator Falow. Harvey immediately noticed the Wadi's downturn expression. "Administrator, what can we do for you?"

"Captain, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid we won't have your shipment by tomorrow."

Harvey was a bit surprised by the announcement, and before he had a chance to argue or find out what was wrong, Falow continued.

"I'm not sure if you've yet heard, but our hospital wards have seen an influx of patients in the last day. So far, nearly fifty have died."

Harvey wanted to sink into his chair in shock, but his long-dormant medical mind took over, as well as his natural curiosity. "Did any of these deaths start with sore throats and exhaustion?"

"I'm not sure of the details," Falow answered. "Our doctors are trying to figure out what exactly it is, but all I know is that our hospitals are filling up fast. Any... assistance you can provide would be appreciated."

The Captain nodded. "I'll have my Chief Medical Officer contact your local experts. We'll do our best."

"Thank you, Captain." The transmission ended, restoring a view of New Risa on the viewscreen.

Bast's brow furrowed. He recalled the strange behavior of the people in the bar. The furious bartender, the man who went completely crazy and started dousing himself with liquor, and everyone who seemed like they hadn't slept in a week. Reflexively, he started looking at the faces around him.

Jiang-Chao watched the exchange from his seat next to Geisler's chair. He could tell that serving under Geisler would afford him a very different experience than he was getting from Captain Aaronsen on the Aries. Geisler had a certain demeanor than Aaronsen, who was very by-the-book. Geisler, though not seemingly lax, didn't appear to be as strict. Unlike the Captain, JC's background was not in medicine, so he wasn't sure what Geisler's line of questioning was attempting to get at.

"Commander," Harvey said, looking to his XO. "Recall all personnel. Shore leave has ended."

Nodding, JC turned to the small console next to his chair. He entered a recall order on the console and had it dispatched to all crew members on leave.

To Lieutenant Bast, he said, "Get Lieutenant Di Pasquale and Doctor Kij up to the bridge."

Bast hit the commpanel. "Lieutenant di Pasquale, Doctor Kij, please report to the Bridge immediately."

"On my way," Camila reported before she turned Security over to the duty officer and headed to the bridge.

Having received the summons, Jayla hurried from Sick Bay and made her way to the bridge. "What's going on?" she asked, slightly concerned, as she walked out onto the bridge.

Harvey gestured for the senior officers on the bridge to join him in the conference room.

"We have a situation," he explained to the new arrivals once they were inside the room. "I just talked with Administrator Falow. In the last few hours, fifty people have died in the hospitals, and the number of patients are continuing to grow. It sounds like something is running amok on the planet."

Bast was the first to speak. "Lieutenant di Pasquale and I may have seen something down on the planet, a couple of days ago," he said. "We went to a bar on the northern continent, and everyone there seemed... rather out of sorts," he summarized. He then gave them a more detailed observation of the behavior they had observed.

Camila nodded. "I have a few people from Security who have reported in to Sickbay today as well." She looked at Doctor Kij. "Has anyone who didn't go on shore leave reported any symptoms?"

"I'd have to see who didn't go down to the planet to know that," replied Jayla. "So far, everyone who has come to Sick Bay was just coming back from leave. I thought maybe It was an alergic reaction, but... fifty deaths. Fifty? Did he mention what the symptoms were, Captain?"

Harvey shook his head. "Falow wouldn't say. We'll have to get in touch with the local hospitals right away." He looked back to Lieutenant Bast who had described that bar for a moment, then back at Kij. "Doctor, have you observed anyone coming through sickbay like how Mister Bast described?"

"No," answered Jayla. "It's mostly just sore throats and an inability to stay awake."

Bast looked at Camila. If those people in the bar had been infected with a deadly disease, that meant that he and Camila had both been exposed. He wondered how she was feeling, but it wasn't the right time to ask. Reflexively, he stepped closer to her.

"Captain," he said. "Lieutenant di Pasquale and I may have been exposed to this... pathogen," he said after a brief pause. "Should we be quarantined until we know more?"

Harvey considered it for a brief moment. "It's possible every single person who beamed down to the planet has been exposed," Harvey said, feeling a tickle in his throat again. Perhaps he'd been exposed as well. It would explain a lot about how he'd been feeling the last few days. "Quarantine itself may not be effective. Death from disease or pathogens generally don't happen overnight. If that's the case, the Black Hawk has already been compromised."

Bast continued. "Everyone who went on the planet used the transporter. I should go over the transporter logs to see if the biofilters missed something."

"Do that," Harvey instructed. "Enlist whatever help you need." He looked over to Xiao. "Contact Commander Walsh. We might not be able to quarantine this ship, but we need to quarantine this system. Communication probes, fighter patrols, whatever. No one leaves and no one arrives. Not until we can sort this out."

Xiao again nodded his understanding. "Of course Captain. Should I try to enlist help from the locals as well? It would help us maintain a quarantine without overtiring our crew."

"We'll have to," Harvey replied. "As skilled as our security team is, I doubt this is something we can do on their own. There's several million people here."

"I don't believe everyone used the transporters," Camila said. "Shuttles were used for a few people at the very least. On of my Security officers, Ensign Hernandez said he and Cadet Cherno took a shuttle to the planet. Is there any signs of what shows up first?"

"I'm not sure if what we've got is the same as what the planet has, but sore throats are first here," answered Jayla. "Followed by severe exhaustion. That's as far as it's gotten here."

Harvey nearly froze in his chair. He purposely didn't make any eye contact at all with anyone in the room, especially Jayla. If this was the start of some sort of affliction, he was certainly compromised.

He cleared his throat and somehow managed to stifle the cough that attempted to follow it. "Whatever it is, we need to get to the bottom of it. Contact the local doctors and see if we can find out what the symptoms have been and how long they take to manifest, especially the lethal indicators."

Jayla nodded. She hoped the doctors on the planet had more information than the Administrator had given to the Captain.

"Do you want me to put Security on standby, Captain?" Camila asked.

"Definitely," Harvey replied. "If we are looking at an outbreak, it's going to take every hand to contain it until it's resolved."

He looked around the table. "Unless anyone else has something to say, let's get to it. There's a lot of work to do."

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