When a fire starts to burn...

Posted on Sat 5th Jul, 2025 @ 1:22pm by Commander Entaaro Nasz & Lieutenant JG Bikram Auden & Crewman MED-Comps Pentaptych LPN & Captain Gordon Francis & Commander Heriah Rex & Commander Mikaela Locke & Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Lieutenant Sufai Kell & Lieutenant Victor Delling MD & Khellian s'Siedhri MD

2,750 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: R&D department (Medical) - SB109
Timeline: 1400 hours

{SB109 OPS}

Entaaro monitored over a thousand communications a minute, it was easy to do so, the computer was able to analyze and he heard a staticky medium generally all day. When a distress call came in he heard it before the computer did.

"Captain to Ops," called Entaaro.

Within a few short seconds, Captain Francis exited his ready room. "Report," he said in calm fashion, taking up the central spot in front of the sandbox. Commander Rex was currently elsewhere.

"We have a priority one distress signal... USS La'an, a medical fast response vessel." Entaaro continued the report as people chimed in, "470 life forms from... Torval V, they are in a critical- Captain Axbras is issuing a Code 7-10, they are requesting medical assistance. Torval V is now declared a Quarantine zone!"

"Give me the skivvy on Torval V," said Francis. "Why are they quarantined?"

Entaaro sent his meta data to the Sandtable, "The Xir'Kai and Drivathi are inhabitants of the Torval system. Torval Five is their primary world, supporting four colonies in their local area, since these factions have come to conflict, the Xir'kai have shown a willingness to use biological agents against the Drivathi. Captain Axbras has sent a packet from their medicad, forwarding to MCO for analysis."

"Biological warfare makes me sick," Francis remarked. "Tell the La'an message received, please wait, then send all available data regarding biological warfare on Torval V to medical, including as much history behind it as necessary. Make Science aware as well." Francis sighed. "How far away is the La'an?"

Entaaro consulted the conn, "Long range sensors are having trouble due to the recent Isolytic discharges sir, as much as ninety hold on... using the USS Boyajian as a parallax determinant I can narrow that... seventy one minutes, give or take."

From overhead,

=/\=Sickbay to Ops?=/\= Came the voice of Dr. Delling, as he'd just received a massive packet of information on the priority data channel, overriding what he'd been doing.

"Ops here, Doctor," Francis responded. "We have a Code 7-10 with 470 infected passengers on their way from quarantined planet Torval V. I need you to be an expert on it within the next ten minutes. I also need to know what it will take to create a safe environment to treat the passengers, and please don't say it's impossible. We've already sent you the data. Thank you!"

He heard the tzk of the closed channel before he had a chance to even reply. Victor thunked his closed fist on his forehead before he tapped a button on his desk. It sent an alert to all his Doctors that were off duty for this shift of an emergency, and that he needed them in sickbay ASAP.

Francis tapped his badge again. "Francis to Commander Rex."

{Dr. Graves Office}

Heriah had only about a 30-second walk ahead of her before entering the Counseling office for her meeting with Dr. Graves. It was a meeting she had finally set up after she was sure Rikata had contacted the counselor about her on top of her orders to do exactly that; meet with the counselor. The second Frank's voice came over her commbadge, she spun on her heels and started slowly away. She swiped at her commbadge.

Back in Central Ops, =^="Rex, here. Go ahead, Captain."=^=

Francis quickly filled Commander Rex in on the situation. "I need you to assist Medical in quarantine procedures."

=^="On my way,"=^= her voice returned.

"Computer," she said as she stepped away from the counseling office area, "please alert Dr. Graves an emergency has arisen. I cannot make our appointment." The computer bleeped an affirmation as she sped up her stride, happy to be doing anything else other than seeing the counselor.

In his office, Paul heard the alert informing him of a large file download seconds before receiving Commander Rex's cancellation of their appointment. He grumbled under his breath but sent a quick reply thanking her for informing him of the cancellation. He also checked their calendars and rescheduled her appointment to the same time the following week. He'd had to employ the same tactic with Horatio Drake when Drake had commanded the base; he had no hesitation about doing the same thing now.

Then he turned his attention to the file download and swore under his breath. Bioweapons were vile things, and this one was no different. He left off reading the more incomprehensible cellular biology files and concentrated on anything that informed him about Xir'kai and Drivathi culture. That would give him some idea of how the infected patients were likely to react to their illnesses and to any deaths resulting from them. From what he could see, the death toll on Torval V was already high.

He tapped his communicator. "Graves to Matav. Clear my appointments for the rest of today and for the rest of this week, as much as possible. We have a quarantined ship incoming with over 400 patients, and I anticipate Sickbay will be swamped. Delling will want all hands on deck. Let me know if any of my current appointments have urgent needs requiring my attention."

"Aye, sir," his yeoman replied over the comline. "Commander Rex's appointment is the only one I see flagged as high importance. I see it's already been rescheduled. Shall I move Lt. Ildaran's to next week?"

"Please do. Graves out," Paul said.

{Main Infirmary}

In the massive suite of their primary medical ward, Victor stepped out into the main sickbay and glanced around at the gathering staff. "We have a vessel coming in, from Torval V, a planet under quarantine due to a plague of unknown origins. There is a massive data packet being distributed to the medical mainframe. Pull as many nurses and ancillary staff as you think you will need. There are 470 people needing assessment and treatment as immediately as we can manage. Suggestions?"

=^="Rex to Dr. Delling,"=^= Heriah's voice came over his commbadge.

"Yes Commander?" He answered holding up a hand for silence so that no one interrupted his conversation

=^="With the number we have incoming, I am uncertain if Sick Bay will not be overwhelmed. Might I recommend we fashion the docking port and immediate residential suites in the vicinity into a medical processing unit. Containment shielding can be activated, one of your LT's and a team can process and identify dire cases for Sick Bay. Others...If we can treat them down here, then we treat them down here. Thoughts?"=^=

"My staff and I had only just begun to discuss the logistics of this particular problem. If you have a certain place in mind where this could be easily managed, I am all ears."

=^="The docking port this ship is headed toward and its immediate processing area. Quarters in that area are already sporadically being used for transients. They can easily be moved to better accommodations and we repurpose those quarters as well as all adjoining corridors. Emergency shielding can block off all access from the rest of the starbase except for the one we decide upon."=^=

"Is that feasible for a full isolation setup? We do not yet know if this pathogen can jump species or how it is spread, and we'd have to seal off everything and run force fields along every joining of every deck-plate on the entire area. And we'd need to have separate air supplies and filtration systems. Can that be done on such short notice?" Victor thought it might be possible, but it would take an enormous amount of work from engineering.

Bikram responded within earshot, "Dr. Delling! I've got the sisters on double-checking the seals now but yes. Ops is installing mobile field containment, Security is clearing the wards." He was referring to the pentaptych Vertiform servomotors under development in the medical wards, they were amazing medical assets. "A17 should be in sterile fields within the next two minutes, ummm approximately room for three hundred."

Heriah's voice returned after having heard all that Bikram had said. =^="Full force field shielding is going to be in place at the start. This will sever all corridor access, Jefferies Tube access, even ventilation. Though two ventilation units in the area will still supply and circulate breathable air. I would suggest Life Support in the sealed off area to be circulating aerosolized vaccines and all personnel going out of the area to be quarantined for 12 hours and released only after passing 3 bio scans to ensure this disease does not affect the rest of 109. This can be done and has to be in place on such short notice. This ship is already inbound. We have to act."=^=

"I will take three hundred spots, with my thanks for the alacrity in which you have worked. " Victor said gratitude in his voice for the response. "The priority will be given to those not showing symptoms I think, as we can attempt to halt the virus in its various stages if they are separate enough. Ideally, I want my people in isolation garb with their own portable oxygen supplies. I am sure such a thing is possible, as we should all be fitted with the appropriate gear. "

{Security Office}

"You've got to be kidding me..." Mikaela Locke exclaimed out loud, as her current display in the security office was overridden by a stream of data regarding an incoming vessel with nearly 500 infected passengers from a quarantined planet. She tapped the text message facility on her console.

Locke to ops. Have received sit rep. Am on my way up.

About four minutes later, she strode into ops, where Captain Francis was stood at the main situation table. "Captain," she acknowledged, joining him at the table. "What do you need, sir?"

"I need you to coordinate with medical on security detail of the quarantined area," Francis told Locke. "Anyone coming or going must have special clearance and a damn good reason to be headed there, wherever that may be. Please be careful and thorough."

"Aye, sir," Locke replied, formally and headed to the turbo lift, already contacting medical, before she reached the sliding doors.

{OPS}

The more Paul read of the quarantine report the angrier he got--until he finally told himself to get his emotions under control and get to work. He shut off the influx of information and reported in. "Graves to Ops. Report received. I'm on my way."

Entaaro announced for everyone in OPS, "The Medical Report summary is complete, I am uploading to command console."


Subject: Preliminary Summary for Emergent Mitochondrial Collapse Syndrome (MCS-X) among Dravathi Refugee Populations
Date: Stardate 91304.5

❖ Overview:
Emergent cases of Mitochondrial Collapse Syndrome (MCS-X) have been identified among Dravathi refugees arriving from Torval V. This syndrome is a biogenically induced genetic degradation, weaponized by Xir'Kai forces during the early phase of the Dravathi civil war.

Genetic analysis reveals that MCS-X originates from a retroviral agent engineered to specifically target mitochondrial DNA within Dravathi clone-caste lineages, corrupting the essential POLM1 and ND6-X loci responsible for mitochondrial energy conversion.

The virus inserts destabilizing sequences that lie dormant until triggered by cellular stress (e.g., radiation exposure, illness, physical exhaustion), initiating catastrophic systemic failure within a seven-day window.

Notably, natural-born Dravathi show minor resistance; however, clone-line Dravathi—comprising an estimated 43% of their population—exhibit near-universal fatality without intervention.

Origin and Deployment:
Biogenic Agent: "Krix Pathogen," developed by Xir'Kai bioweapons division Theta-Tarn.

Delivery Method: Atmospheric nanoparticulate dispersion over major cloning complexes at Cerov Prime and Lantis Crèche.

Intended Effect: Induce slow systemic collapse among Dravathi clone populations, disrupting their societal infrastructure without overt kinetic warfare.

Captured communiqués confirm that the Xir'Kai anticipated a collapse of Dravathi defensive capabilities within two months of exposure, but have not been able to contain it at present.

Pathophysiology:

Primary Mechanism: Viral integration into mitochondrial genomes, leading to enzymatic dysfunction and ATP collapse.

Secondary Effects:
Anaerobic metabolic switch (severe lactic acidosis)
Neural ischemia (stroke-like episodes)
Microvascular rupture (internal hemorrhaging)
Cardiac electrical destabilization

Latency Period: Variable — typically 3 to 7 cycles after exposure.

Trigger Factors: Subspace radiation, extreme exertion, psychological trauma.


Symptom Progression (Post-Trigger Event):

Day, Symptoms, Observations:
1 Mild cognitive fog, muscle fatigue, nausea. Tricorder shows early mitochondrial energy output decline.
2 Speech disruptions, blurred vision, tingling extremities. Neural scan reveals early ischemic patches forming.
3 Seizure events, localized paralysis, hearing loss onset. Cortical swelling; emergency intervention advised.
4 Confusion, arrhythmias, psychotic episodes. Irregular EEG patterns; visual cortex degradation noted.
5 Multiple organ stress; onset of hepatic and renal failure. Bloodwork shows lactic acid levels exceeding 20 mmol/L.
6 Semi-comatose state; respiratory collapse. Life support ineffective without mitochondrial stabilizers.
7 Systemic shutdown; death inevitable without full organ replacement. No known recovery post-Day 6 without radical measures.

Current Mitigation Efforts:
Isolation Protocols: Refugees undergoing medical quarantine upon arrival to Starbase 109.

Palliative Treatments: Hyper-oxygenated plasma transfusions, mitochondrial stimulant infusions (quantum phase cycling), lactic acid blood purification.

Note: All treatments are temporarily delaying progression, but none have proven curative.

Research Directives:
Collaboration initiated with Dr. Selar of Vulcan Medical Academy and Lt. Cmdr. Sharav of the Xenopathology Division. Experimental genetic resequencing proposed.

Strategic Implications:
If MCS-X escapes refugee quarantine zones, it may cross into genetically similar humanoid species (notably Betazoid, Trill, and Human hybrids), posing catastrophic biosecurity threats across Starfleet jurisdictions.

While the pathogen shows strong species specificity, cross-mutation risks under high-radiation subspace travel conditions remain under study.

Early estimates project that, without intervention, clone-caste Dravathi populations may experience a 78% fatality rate within six standard months, irreparably altering Dravathi civilization.



Paul entered Ops and went to his station. The quarantined ship was still about nine minutes out.

Sufai was mid sentence as Paul took his seat and she continued her litany of instructions directing her personnel and Engineers to action.

...the La'an is to be received at Habitat ring, via Gantry at airlock 17. Adjacent structures have been emptied for space, and isolated. Engineering is maintaining containment for the new quarantine wards via Type IX fields generated at EPS junctures with redundant power failsafes, medical will receive the patients via transport to Infirmary based on triage by EMH. Medical Wards will be filled, but they have a capacity for two hundred, with the overflow in A17 quarantine zone, this is likely only the first of many vessels to arrive, Kya in Garden Sector... district... um is setting up space as well, as much as two hundred which can be ready by the days end. Dispatches out to our Tactical department to find actionable intelligence, Security is maintaining the Quarantine, site to site will be the only transport permitted. We are also using the Vertiform medical drones for direct care and access until transmission vectors and counters can be tested. Starfleet medical is dispatching two mobile hospital vessels, Tigris and Euphrates for additional arrivals ETA is three days two hours. We should expect more refugee vessels, possibly all sick. Given a seven day mortality window, and approximate time of departure the first fatal cases will have already begun by now. OPS, anyone from these regions should be prevented from station entry and remain on the La'an. Does this work Captain?"

Francis couldn't help but smile as the new Lieutenant gave her report. He was more than impressed. "I think that sums it up spectacularly, Lieutenant," he said. "Get this plan to Commanders Rex and Locke, as well as Dr. Delling."

Sufai nodded, "Aye Sir" She then barked a command tone to end all others, the precursor to a formidable mothers imperative tone with a sharply enunciated, "Ensign!"

Her attache had survived where few others had dared to tread. Sufai demanded perfection and extracted it by force, yelling at the young Bajoran, "Get this disseminated to Medical staff, it carries the weight of Captain Francis, any push-back comes to me first, if you can't handle it. I want status updates every fifteen, got it?"

To Jilaise credit, he moved on the last syllable of her words knowing she was done and not wanting to be scolded for wasting time. There was no time to waste, and he began making the calls to dpartment heads two at a time.

For Khellian's part, he was glad that the new Chief had spoken to him about the new alert codes, for when the message was sent to his PADD about sending non-critical patients to him from sickbay, he nodded resigned to the task. It had been good of Victor to warn him, for emergencies rarely if ever announce themselves beforehand. He went to ready the bigger clinic for the influx he was sure to see.

-TBC-

 

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