Star Trek RPG - Mission #2: "Primum Nil Nocere"

Collins remembers that the Yorktown is still two days away. See post 1001.

Rangin's scan reveals that the transporter room's door is a standard Sakathian interior airtight door. It would hold against several normal Sakathians doing their utmost with bare hands to break it down. As for several - or a mob - of altered Sakathians...? He just doesn't know for sure, and tells his commanding officer so.

Kylah finds several long metal rods and tools that can be used as blunt instruments, enough for everyone. There are no cutting blades or energy tools, however. There is also no ammonia, bleach or lye, but she finds a Sakathian hydrogen-based astringent that Jovan says is flammable if exposed to direct flame. The Sakathian tech immediately understands the concept of a Molotov cocktail, and offers to help make them.

Delaney, up to his elbows in one of the bulkhead panels, looks a little irritated at Collins's question and says, "No, thank you, ma'am. None of you have transporter engineering quals. I just need to get it done." She can see he's under a lot of stress.

After another scan, T'Var is now convinced that Porr's wife is undergoing a complete physiological alteration and turning into a zombie.

Rangin mutters a quiet aside to Dr T'Var, out of others hearing, while using the pretext of looking over the readings. "My apologies for saying this, but if she is turning as you think she is, are you going to restrain or prevent it from occuring?"

"An excellent question, Mr. Rangin," T'Var whispers. "I am unsure as to whether I can 'prevent' this alteration."

T'Var continues to scan and record her findings. She also takes a tissue sample for later examination -- if they ever make it back to the ship.

The doctor will continue to monitor Porr's wife closely. T'Var administers a strong sedative to the Sakathian woman.

After helping Jovan put together some incendiary devices, Kylah suddenly rises to talk to Collins, drawing her mission commander as far away from the Sakathians as possible while keeping her words to a near whisper.

"Lieutenant, I was thinking... As Porr is the chief of security, he may have some form of handcuffs on him. If so, they may be of use in restraining his wife. I know it is a difficult thing to ask of him and unlikely he will agree, but maybe he can be convinced that it is for her own protection..." She hesitates, then looks down at the ill Sakathian woman and winces as if feeling the woman's agony. "As it indeed would be," she says, her voice even more quiet and grim. "Else we may need to--to use a more permanent method of keeping her from attacking."

"I can't get Porr to even acknowledge I've been speaking to him, let alone comply with a request. But you're welcome to try, Ensign" Collins stations herself near the door, ready to shoot any unwelcome thing that breaks through.

From her scans and all her thinking about it, T'Var knows of no means to prevent the alteration.

Porr doesn't allow her to take a tissue sample, or to sedate his wife. When she approaches again, he suddenly seems to focus on her. Before anyone can react he draws his phaser, points it at the Vulcan and says intensely, "Heal her, Doctor. Make her well."

As Collins walks away, Kylah stares at her superior's back in frank disbelief. She cannot imagine delegating such a task to the most junior member of the crew, especially one who's had strained relations with Chief Porr since arriving. Do these humans possess any natural leadership qualities? she thinks, turning from Collins to Pourtash, who has shown precious little initiative since before the fight with the slime devils, and then to Delaney, who refuses to even direct others trying to help him fix the all-important transporters simply because they are not officially qualified. Doctor or not, T'Var should be leading this mission, she thinks furiously.

Kylah looks warily at Porr. She knows the man is anxious and torn. He can't be expected to put the good of the crew ahead of his wife, despite--or perhaps because of--the obvious dire fate awaiting her. She also know he has a phaser, and part of her is afraid that he might act irrationally if he thinks her a threat.

And just as she's about to approach him, she sees him remove that phaser and aim it at T'Var. Her whole body jerks to a halt, and her gaze shifts to the doctor. Not knowing the results of T'Var's scans or diagnosis, Kylah won't utter a word until she hears what the older woman will say. Finally she looks back at Porr, staring at him, trying to anticipate his next move--and read to fling her knife if he harms a hair on T'Var's head.

T'Var remains calm, despite the phaser aimed at her.

"Once we are off this station and have returned to our vessel, Chief Porr, I will do everything in my power to assist your wife."

The doctor calculates the possibility of disarming the Sakathian -- something she is more than capable of doing if necessary. Her experience as a member of the V'Shar comes flooding back to her. If she must kill Porr to protect the others, she will do so.

T'Var holds out her hand. "Please give me your weapon now," she says evenly. "We will need it to protect ourselves -- and your wife -- from the altered Sakathians headed our way."

Collins turns, phaser aimed, to face Porr. "Lower your weapon, Chief. Doctor T'Var is already doing everything she can. If you fire on anyone, be assured I will fire on you."

Porr's eyes flick towards Collins, then back to T'Var. His entire body is tense, and his gray skin gleams with sweat. He says to T'Var in a choked voice, "We can't wait that long. It'll be too late. What can you do for her now?"

T'Var knows that, despite her training, she probably could not disarm him as long as he's focused on her - she wouldn't be able to cross the space between them before he shot her. She cannot tell what his phaser is set on.

The others in the room stare, holding their breath, at the confrontation.

"Dr T'Var, in your professional capacity, does this teleport room contain the necessary facilities to help her with her medical condition at this point in time?" Rangin asks quietly, emphasising his words and firmly hoping to get the point across to Porr.

If she turns, he thinks to himself, who knows what state Porr will get into.

"If I am to assist your wife, Chief Porr, we must leave this station." T'Var takes a step in Porr's direction. "I believe I can help her with the proper medical and research facilities."

The doctor holds out her hand again in the hope that Porr will give her his weapon. "Please help us to help your wife."

Collins repeats "Put. The weapon. Down."

Kylah remains silent and still, though inside she's far from calm, feeling emotionally battered on all sides. The omnipresent danger of the relentless altered Sakathians outside that everyone knows are looming ever closer; the wild, unpredictable chaos that Porr's wife is clearly experiencing; Delaney's frustrating lack of progress with the transporter. Above all, Kylah is keenly aware of Porr's fractious state: while part of him seems rational, his desperation to save his doomed wife is obviously putting him close to the edge.

She is glad for T'Var's logical presence and calming voice, and takes her own cue from it by refusing to speak. Kylah fears too many people talking at once could push Porr over the brink.

Porr turns slightly. Before Collins can react, he shoots her with his phaser and she falls, stunned, to the deck. "Kick her phaser over here," Porr rasps to Kylah. "And you, Doctor - help my wife, heal her, or I'll kill one of your shipmates."

Appalled, Jovan says, "Porr, don't...."

"Shut up," he says. "Not another word."

Porr's wife begins to go into convulsions.

T'Var's patience has grown thin. And with Collins unable to take charge of the situation, T'Var will do so.

The doctor lunges at Porr, hoping he is distracted enough by his convulsing wife to give T'Var a chance to disarm him

She also hopes Rangin and Kylah will take her lead and assist in getting Porr under control.

Kylah, who was staring down at Porr's wife when Collins was shot, looks up in utter shock at the sudden devolvement of the situation into violence. Now she has to free her mind of all the frenzied thoughts and try to calculate the best tactic.

Despite her instincts to do so, diving for Collins's dropped phaser is out: Porr is likely anticipating such a move. Instead she'll wait until he's forced to deal with the powerful Vulcan, and once his attention is diverted, Kylah will take any clear throw she gets at Porr with her knife. Ideally nonlethal, but at this point she's not picky.

Collins twitches slightly.

T'Var crosses the short distance to Porr in an impressive lunge. Porr twists away from her, but she is able to grab him. He tries to bring his phaser to bear on her.

Pourtash, Rangin and Waite simultaneously also move to attack Porr. Kylah does not have a clear target for a knife throw.

Collins is phaser-stunned and completely unconscious, but no one knows for how long yet.

Unable to assist in the attack, Kylah looks back at the writhing woman on the floor. The pain radiates outwards so intensely that for one irrational moment she doesn't understand how the others aren't crippled by it. Some possibly masochistic instinct leads her to kneel down beside Porr's wife and, grabbing her hand, clutches it while looking up at the security chief.

"Porr!" Kylah cries out--almost sobs. "Stop this. Stop this. Your wife is in agony. Every moment you delay T'Var from sedating her is causing her--" Kylah's voice breaks and she shakes her head, wincing. "The pain is excrutiating. Be merciful! Put down your phaser and allow T'Var to put her in as deep a sleep as possible, and let us restrain her to keep her from harming herself; we have no medical equipment to save her now. Deep sedation, slowing down this horrific process, is the only chance she'll have."

Swallowing, she stares intently at the Sakathian man, someone she's mistrusted the entire mission. Now her voice is choking with the weight of her sympathy for both members of this couple. "I beg you, in the name of the love you bear for her," Kylah says desperately. "Stop this madness and do not make her suffer further!"

Probably not having the greatest experience in combat and seeing Dr T'Var and Pourtash jump Porr, Rangin goes for the phaser, before joining in. It may not be necessary in bringing down Porr, but it may be necessary in stopping his transforming wife.

T'Var continues to wrestle with Porr, using all her Vulcan strength and V'Shar training to subdue him. I must secure this phaser, T'Var commands herself.

Porr and T'Var scuffle, with neither getting a clear advantage. Both are very strong, although Porr is considerably bulkier. Waite punches Porr, who shrugs off the blows. Porr seems to ignore Kylah as he grapples with the Vulcan. Pourtash grabs Porr's right wrist - the phaser is in his right hand - and tries to hold it down. Rangin is able to grab the phaser, which goes off again, missing him and Pourtash but hitting the ceiling. Rangin savagely twists it, badly bending several of Porr's fingers, and wrests the weapon free as Porr yells in pain and frustration.

Porr's wife's convulsions get worse, Hayes sees.

Rangin backs up a couple of steps and checks the phaser is on stun setting and adjusts it if needs be.

"Cease fighting. Now!"

If Porr doesn't stop pretty much immediately, or looks to dive for the other phaser, Rangin will use it.

T'Var continues to struggle with Porr. She is aware of everything going on around her, however. With Collins down, T'Var takes it upon herself to assume command -- at least for the moment.

This situation needs to be addressed and quickly. T'Var does not know how good of a shot Rangin is with a phaser, but sometimes tough decisions must be made. If he misses.... Then that can be dealt with as well. The doctor cannot attend to Porr's wife -- or Collins -- while fighting with Porr.

"Rangin, stun Porr right now!" she yells at the young officer. "That is a direct order!"

For better or for worse, Rangin fires at Porr and will continue firing until he is stunned. He really hopes he manages it first time and doesn't stun either of his crewmates.

Collins just lays there.

Rangin has never heard a Vulcan yell before and is rather startled by it, but he is close enough to the Sakathian man that he cannot miss. He fires once, and Porr goes completely limp. T'Var will need a moment or two to disentangle herself and catch her breath.

Porr's wife is still convulsing.

Hayes hears Delaney, who had barely looked up from his work on the transporter during the struggle, mutter, "Almost there... almost there...."

"Well done, Mr. Rangin," T'Var says as she pulls herself free from Porr.

She will attempt to sedate Porr's wife as deeply as possible in the hopes of preventing any transformation at this point. If she cannot, she will have no choice but to stun the Sakathian woman with a phaser blast.

Once T'Var has dealt with Porr's wife as best she can, she will check on Collins and do what she can for her.

And hopefully, Delaney will have them all off this station ASAP.

Collins still just lays there.

T'Var sees no way to prevent the transformation of the Sakathian woman - if a transformation is indeed what is taking place. As T'Var scans her again, her convulsions stop, and her heart flatlines. Brain activity also drops to nothing.

"Do you really need to stun a dead woman, Doctor?" Pourtash asks quietly as he sees T'Var raise the phaser.

She has more luck with Collins. A few drops of cordrazine, administered by hypospray, and Collins comes to. She has a massive headache but is otherwise all right.

Rangin passes the phaser to Dr T'Var and then, once she is awake, Rangin will pass the other phaser back to Collins.

He will then do a check to see how close the altered Sakathians are to the room.

"Are you able to assume command?" T'Var asks Collins.

T'Var readies the phaser for heavy stun in anticipation of using it on Porr's wife and/or the altered Sakathians if they are able to breach the door.

The doctor does not relish the thought of setting the phaser to anything stronger -- and more deadly -- but she may have no choice.

Kylah looks down at the body of Porr's wife. "I have a suggestion," she says calmly. "If the hallway outside is still clear of the creatures, perhaps we should move her out there. She is very likely in the process of becoming one of those beasts, and dealing with her will be a waste of time that we can ill afford. On the other hand--and I do not wish to be disrespectful of the dead, but my thoughts are for those of us still living--if she remains merely a corpse, she may at least provide some...distraction to the others." She hesitates, then adds: "I also request permission to search Chief Porr to see if he has any hidden weapons or items of use to us."

Finally she turns to Jovan, Hayes and Delaney. "One thing I would have liked to have asked Porr is the whereabouts of Director Geb. Do any of you know what became of her?"

"Yes," Collins says even though the drum line of a marching band is practicing in her head. She takes the phaser offered by Rangin and stands ready to defend her team, Jovan, and even Dr. Waite.

Rangin's tricorder scan shows that the altered Sakathians, or zombies, are within a few meters of the far side of the corridor door - that is, just down the hall and two doors away.

Waite nods energetically when he hears Kylah's suggestion. "Absolutely," he says. "Great idea. Let's get her out of here, or we could all be in danger from her."

Jovan answers Kylah's question, "I heard Director Geb over the station's comm system, just after the outbreak began, giving orders for security teams to respond. She said she was under attack...." She gulps. "She screamed, or someone near her screamed, and then the channel went... silent. I never heard from her after that."

Neither Hayes or Delaney have seen or heard from Geb all day.

Rangin checks the reading he is getting from the monsters against any reading that Porr's wife might be giving off, indeed he will surreptitiously scan everyone in the room, just to ensure no-one else is infected.

If asked what he is doing, he will respond he is just doing a general scan just to make sure that there are no others that they were not aware of.

"Ensign Kylah does make a valid point," T'Var says. The doctor's gaze rests upon Collins. "The choice is yours, of course."

Collins moves to the door, and holds her hand over the release button. "Let me know when you're ready. While it may be disrespectful, it may be most efficient, and safest, to just throw her out there." Collins is still trying to shake off all the bongo playing beatniks in her head.

While disturbed that Director Geb is very likely a victim of the creatures by now, Kylah is relieved--to say the least--that the others in the crew agree with her thoughts about moving the body outside the transporter room. Truth is, her distaste for Waite is so great that when he immediately approved of the idea, Kylah instinctively began to doubt herself, or at least her motives. She wants the body gone for a few reasons, not just the crew's safety. One bittersweet blessing is that with the apparent end of the woman's life signs and brain activity, her agonizing torment has ceased.

She glances at Rangin, curious about his scanning, but glad to see it. The more information the better. Assuming that the strong T'Var and Pourtash are the likeliest candidates for moving the body, Kylah turns to face Collins to repeat her request now that her superior officer is thankfully recovered. "And may I have permission to search Porr, Lieutenant? If he has anything that can be weaponized, or perhaps restraints, we might make use of them. Further, it might be best to remove them so that once he awakens and sees his wife gone..." She's suddenly filled with a wave of pity and guilt at the prospect, but she shakes it off, swallowing. "...I fear he may not react well."

Collins is tempted to tell Kylah to throw Porr outside, too, but instead tells the ensign "yes, sorry, search him. Remove *any*thing he might use against us."

Hayes seems very uneasy. She says, "Wait a minute. What if she's not actually... you know, turning into a zombie? From what we've seen so far, they'll bite or even eat her if we put her out there and they make it through the other door. Don't we have an obligation to treat her remains respectfully?" Jovan looks pensive.

Kylah is busy searching Porr's body. In his pockets she finds a small electronic gadget that she can't figure out how to activate, two slim battery packs for his phaser, and what appears to be a Sakathian set of handcuffs.

Delaney keeps working on the transporter.

"Are those handcuffs, Ensign? Cuff Porr to his wife and move them to the far corner of the room, away from the transporter pads," Collins states decidedly. She turns to watch Delaney working but doesn't say anything aloud, she just thinks "hurry up. hurry up."

As Kylah was just about to ask Delaney what this electronic device might be, Collins's order now takes a few seconds to resonate in the ensign's mind before it fully sinks in.

Kylah turns swiftly to her mission commander. Sheer disbelief nearly renders her speechless, but she is rarely in that mode for long. "Absolutely not, Lieutenant!" she blurts, clutching the handcuffs in white-knuckled hands. "Such an order would be unseemly even if Chief Porr's wife were merely dead. Handcuffing him to a woman almost certainly turning into a murderous creature...?" She shakes her head in horror at the thought. "Yes, he has been a nuisance and a threat, but he was watching his wife die and under great strain. He does not deserve this. I cannot and will not perform such an act."

She turns her pleading eyes to Pourtash and Dr. T'Var. "Speak reason to her! Doctor, you know Veling Porr is turning into one of those creatures. You know there is no way to stop it. I will put Chief Porr in cuffs to restrain him, but connecting him to his dead wife, soon to be a cannibal, is beyond cruel and unusual punishment -- it is a death sentence!"

Rangin's jaw drops for a moment when he hears Collins' order to Kylah.

"With the greatest of respect, I believe being stunned by the phaser may have done you more damage than first thought. Handcuffing Porr to either the corpse of his dead wife or a, soon to resurrect, altered and cannibalistic creature is beyond comprehension."

Rangin continues his scanning, checking to see if the body is indeed changing any further.

T'Var sighs. "With all due respect," she addresses Collins directly, "Chief Porr's wife, in my professional opinion, is dead. There is strong evidence that she is in the process of alteration."

The doctor pauses a moment. She shifts her gaze to first Porr and then his wife. "Porr's wife presents a threat to all of us within this room. Chief Porr does not."

T'Var returns her attention to Collins. "Your order to remove Porr's wife from this room is a logical one, Mr. Collins. Your order to handcuff husband and wife together within this room is not."

Rangin's scan shows no change in the condition of Mrs. Porr's body. Porr himself remains phaser-stunned.

An unusual, muted hum fills the room, and Delaney says with relief, "That should do it. The transporter is ready... I think. I'll want to test it on something inanimate before we try it on a person."

"Right," Collins headache starts to clear, "cuff Porr, and place him in the corner. Get his wife's body out of here, as respectfully and quickly as you can." She looks around the room for a portable storage bin or barrel for Delaney to use as a test subject; failing that, a chair or table. Whichever object is to be used, she directs Delaney to it. "Okay everyone. Positive thoughts." She watches as Delaney tests the transporter.

Kylah does her best not to aim her decidedly less-than-positive expression at Collins while she carefully places one half of the cuffs on Porr. Then she glances around to see if there's anything she can cuff him to, instead of restraining both hands together; if the altered Sakathians do force their way inside here, she'd hate to lose one obviously strong fighter altogether, or leave Porr helpless to defend himself. If there's a metal bar or anything sturdy to use, she'll attach the other half of the cuffs to that; if not, she'll have to restrain the Sakathian despite her concerns.

She still assumes the stronger crew members will move the dead body of Porr's unfortunate wife. Meanwhile, as Delaney is busy with the transporter test, Kylah takes the strange little gadget and moves to Jovan, wondering what the woman must think of them after the last five minutes. "I am sorry for that," she says softly, hoping Jovan's judgment of the "off-worlders" will be tempered by the fact that none of the other officers agreed with their mission commander's ghoulish suggestion. "May I ask, do you know what this electronic device is for?"

T'Var grabs Porr's wife by the shoulders. "Mr. Pourtash, please assist me," she says. "Mr. Rangin, if you would open the door for us."

Delaney takes a small tool from his stack of Sakathian tools, scans it with his tricorder, and puts it on one of the five pads of the transporter platform. He beams it away into space and back; it takes a second or two longer than a standard Starfleet transporter. He scans the tool when it returns and smiles for the first time all day. He says to Collins, looking over the data, "It looks good, ma'am. Full reintegration... molecular pattern integrity nominal. I could beam a person - a volunteer - over to the shuttle, or we could send a blood sample or something else if you want to take it a little slower."

Pourtash and T'Var lift and carry the late Veling Porr to the doorway. Does Rangin scan the hallway outside before opening the door?

Kylah places one handcuff on Chief Porr and locks the other to a nearby structural support that is strongly attached to the deck. Jovan, shuddering a little at the sight of Mrs. Porr, turns to Kylah and says, "The device from his pocket is a thur'lel, a sort of communications device, data compiler, and personal calendar. I have a similar one myself."

"I'll go" Collins tells Delaney almost too quickly. She turns to the others "Stand by. Once I'm on the shuttle, I'll let you know that I've made it and you all can start beaming over." Collins steps onto one of the pads and waits for Delaney to hit the buttons.

Kylah is intrigued by Jovan's response. Perhaps Porr's device has information on the experiment that will help explain this disaster; Singh did request that she retrieve any data that might be of use to them. Kylah quickly asks Jovan, "Can you show me how to retrieve data from this? And do all crew members have one?" She suddenly wonders if this might be a way to attempt a communication with Director Geb, if the woman is still alive--and sentient.

That's when Delaney announces his success with the transporter and Collins immediately volunteers.

At this point, nothing her mission commander does surprises Kylah. She doesn't even bother suggesting an alternative; if the transporter malfunctions it will serve Collins right, just as it will probably serve her right--in a rather gruesome way--if the creatures attack and murder all of her crew, including the helpless and injured Fujishiro, while only the Lieutenant (Junior Grade) is safe on the shuttle. Let her explain that to Starfleet, Kylah thinks dryly. No doubt it will probably involve some heroic escape rather than a selfish, cowardly decision. If that happens, she had better hope we're all dead.

She does, however, turn to Collins--already on the transporter pad--and says icily: "As you will not be needing it, Lieutenant, perhaps the phaser might be of use to one of us left behind?"

Collins considers Kylah's suggestion, then says "and what if, somehow, there is a Sakazombie on the shuttle? No, but I will beam weapons and tools back." She steps one foot off the pad "unless you'd rather go, Ensign?"

Kylah stares evenly at Collins. "Lt. Delaney said the transporters were down for maintenance; I do not see how one of the altered Sakathians would have had the opportunity to travel. However, if you are accepting suggestions, I would take Lt. Delaney's advice and test using a sample of DNA, tissue or blood. If by some remarkable display of rational thought, a feat as yet unshown, the creatures have managed to transfer to our shuttle coordinates, a blood or tissue sample will probably be a useful bait to them. Should it return untouched, this is likely proof that the altered Sakathians have not miraculously learned how to transport themselves aboard a shuttle they probably had no knowledge of in the first place. If it is stolen, and they are on board, then it's quite possible they have someone far more rational working with them. Either way, we gain knowledge at no danger to ourselves."

She takes a breath, knowing she's doing a very poor job at keeping her voice neutral; she doesn't much care if she's charged with insubordination at this point--she's already flatly refused an order, how much more trouble can she get into? "Finally, as long as you're asking for my advice, if all goes well, I would certainly recommend that the first people transported to safety on board the shuttle should be our injured parties, and then the civilians. Those of us in the best condition to fight--and Chief Porr, if he is still unconscious--should be the last to leave."

Rangin has been scanning everyone as well as making sure the exterior corridor is clear before opening the door for T'var and Pourtash. He will do one final scan to see if there is any change in the state of Porr's dead wife.

On hearing Kylah's response to Collins, Rangin does wonder why she keeps needling her but decides that pointing out a minor detail might solve the problem. "Kylah, I believe you are wrong this time. Lt Collins is in Security and should be the first person across with a phaser given the situation to ensure its safety for those to follow."

At the same time Rangin is talking to Kylah, Collins steps back onto the pad and hollers "Energize" before anyone else can object.

T'Var is focused on removing Porr's wife from the room, yet is aware of the conversation around her.

"Mr. Rangin is correct," T'Var says. The doctor wonders why Collins did not give another member of the group command -- just in case something does happen to her -- either during transport or once she is beamed to the shuttle.

T'Var sighs as she awaits Rangin's report from his scan of the corridor.

"I will take command until Mr. Collins contacts us from the shuttle," she says.

Kylah remains undaunted and, typically, is angered and frustrated by the others' lack of agreement. She'll never lose that portion of her upbringing that expects obedience from others, despite her Starfleet training, her untried status as a junior officer, and several years of an abruptly lowered rank in the royal hierarchy where she was suddenly treated not as a would-be Dohlman, but a slightly elevated servant.

She has to look at Delaney, wondering his thoughts on having his expert opinion ignored. Sending a living being--or two, Kylah thinks with a brief glance at T'Var--on an untried journey through unfamiliar transporters that have only just been fixed seems like a pointless risk, especially when a disaster would mean both the loss of their team leader and also the only other weapon that could truly save them from the altered creatures.

All she says is "Aye ma'am" to T'Var, rather dully. She is suddenly aware of how very tired and weak with hunger and thirst she is. Those food and water rations are almost calling out to her, and she can't believe Elasians feel such physical needs more powerfully than humans. I suppose Vulcans probably can force themselves not to need food or water. Perhaps such a race's empathy for others' weakness is minimal. And thus, ideal doctors, she thinks dryly, having bad experiences with medical personnel throughout her history.

But she will certainly not suggest anything further. Her nature will not let her look weaker than the humans. If Waite can manage without replenishment after hours and hours of physical stress and activity, Kylah certainly can. Stubbornness wins out over practicality, and she forces her vaguely dizzy mind back to the electrical device and waiting for Jovan's assistance. And hoping that Collins hasn't just made a foolish mistake.

Pourtash says tentatively, "Mr. Collins, you were just phaser-stunned and then revived. Are you sure you're...?" When he sees how determined she is, though, he shrugs. Delaney meets his eye, nods, and activates the transporter console when the Security officer yells.

Collins disappears in a cascade of blue light. She finds herself a few seconds later in the cool, darkened cabin of the shuttlecraft Meitner. The stars are ablaze through the bow viewports, and the space station is clearly visible a few kilometers away. She is alone.

Rangin's tricorder scan shows three altered Sakathians just outside the door.

Rangin shakes his head. "There are three of them just outside the door, so I don't think I will be opening it any time soon. I do hope that Lt Collins is successful. "

Collins opens her communicator "Collins to Delaney. I am on board the Meitner. I will beam over a medkit and some phasers. I will then ready the shuttle for launch. We'll leave when everyone is aboard. Start beaming everyone over. Confirm. Collins out." She grabs the items and puts them on the shuttle's transporter pad and [attempts to] energizes.

T'Var is relieved that Collins has successfully beamed over to the shuttle. She gently lowers Porr's wife to the floor.

"As soon as the shuttle is ready, we will transport the civilians first, then our wounded." The doctor looks about her at the assembled group. "Those of us able to repel the altered Sakathians -- if they are able to breach this door -- will transport over last."

T'Var sighs, hoping Collins is able to send over a few phasers. She also hopes Porr's wife will not transform completely until everyone else is safely aboard the shuttle.

Rangin relaxes slightly hoping that this may be over sooner rather than later, then catches himself as until everyone is on board the shuttle it is not over.

While he goes back to monitoring Porr's wife, he asks Dr T'Var, "We will be taking Porr with us, won't we? We can't exactly leave him here."

"Yes," T'Var replies. "Civilians first. Then our wounded." T'Var pauses a moment. "Then, hopefully, the rest of us without incident."

Class F shuttlecraft like the Meitner do not have transporters. (I remember no such capability ever being shown in a TOS episode; see http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Class_F_shuttlecraft).

Delaney asks T'Var, "Are we beaming both of the Porrs over, or just the Security Chief, since he's still alive? I can beam over Dr. Waite and Jovan, our two civilians, and Lt. Fujishiro, since she's unconscious and wounded, right now, if you like."

Ten of us in a shuttle that seats seven, for two days, Kylah thinks, giving a rigid shake of her head while staring warily at the door. I suppose if the creatures break in, they'll likely thin us out; that should make the shuttle much more roomy for Collins and Waite. She has the strangest urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. How fortunate that Collins kept the phaser. Two days with Waite and she might have the need of it after all.

She wishes Jovan would respond to her question about the thur'lel, especially if they might be able to contact any of the other Sakathians or researchers hiding somewhere. Once they're on the shuttle--if indeed they all make it--there will be no way to return. And no way to save anyone who might be left behind.

The thought gnaws at her, and for the dozenth time today she's haunted by the memory of all the anguished souls she knows were abandoned in the laboratory while she, T'Var and the rest ran away.

An idea strikes her and, after staring at the device, she abruptly turns back to Jovan. "Is it possible for your transporters to lock on these devices and someone wearing them? If we can communicate with anyone on board and find someone alive, perhaps we can transport them here, and then to safety." She looks hopefully at the Sakathian, wanting desperately to help anyone they can. "The shuttle is small, but discomfort is better than death."

Jovan seems fixated on the late Mrs. Porr. She drags her eyes away from the corpse to say shakily to Kylah, "I guess I could try to access this thur'lel." She taps at its tiny keypad briefly, then shakes her head. "No, it's code-locked, and I don't know what Security Chief Porr's passcode is. You don't wear a thur'lel; it's carried in a pocket or bag. I suppose it might be possible to scan for them, but I don't know that we could reach anyone through them - mine hasn't worked for most of the day. The collapse of the station's communications system probably affected all of them."

"Chief Porr will be coming with us," T'Var says. "His wife will not."

T'Var thinks a moment, then nods. "Yes, Mr. Delaney, begin with Dr. Waite, Jovan and Lt. Fujishiro."

Collins sits at the shuttle's comm and readies the vessel so that they can get the frack out of there as soon as everyone is aboard. She suddenly realizes she did not leave anyone in charge of the group. "Collins to T'Var. Please see to it everyone is safely transported" she pauses briefly wanting to add 'leave Waite and Porr behind for zombie-feed' but doesn't. "Collins out."

Kylah is extremely disheartened that the small device cannot be used for much purpose, certainly not until Porr is awake. She curses whoever destroyed the communications systems on this station, and still finds it curious that such creatures with no apparent rational thought had the capability of planning and acting out such a scheme.

She hears the discussion about the possibility of transporting Porr's wife--what kind of madness was that, Delaney? she thinks, finding it hard to believe the engineer was being serious. But part of her suddenly feels a pang of empathy and looks at the Sakathian security chief. "Dr. T'Var," she says quietly. "I wonder if you might consider reviving Porr. If the creatures enter he will be no use to us in this state; if they do not... I believe he should be awoken before transporting him either way. He should have the opportunity to say goodbye to his wife."

Pourtash and Delaney gently lay Fujishiro on the transporter platform. Jovan steps up, too. Dr. Waite steps onto the platform, then hesitates and says to Dr. T'Var, "You know, I don't have to go right away. Someone else can go instead of me, if they want. Ens. Hayes, for instance - ladies first?"

Collins powers up the shuttle and runs a preflight systems check and standard diagnostic. Her fingers seem to fly across the pilot's control panel. All seems to be well - helm, navigation, life support, sensors, shields, communications, artificial gravity, inertial dampers and so on. She begins the engine startup process; she can have impulse power in two minutes and warp drive in ten.

"Mr. Hayes is a Starfleet officer. Civilians to safety first," T'Var tells Waite. "But thank you for the offer."

T'Var considers Kylah's suggestion for a moment. "Chief Porr was not helpful to us when conscious," the doctor replies. "I sincerely doubt he would be helpful to us now."

The Vulcan's gaze pauses briefly on Porr and then his wife. "I understand why you believe Porr should have the chance to 'say goodbye' to his wife. However, I do not think it wise under the circumstances."

With a tired sigh, Kylah looks at the floor and shakes her head. "I understand, Lieutenant," she says flatly. "He was not helpful to us before. Of course, his wife was not dead then. But even cuffed and sedated, he might well cause us trouble if he were revived long enough to say goodbye. Yes, it is indeed a logical decision."

She can't even look at Porr, unconscious as he is, and she doesn't want to look at Jovan, either. What will the Sakathians say of Starfleet officers? One willing to cuff a husband to his dead and soon-to-be-a-cannibal wife, another refusing to allow the man the dignity of a death rite--and, yes, another who suggested tossing the wife's body out for bait. Kylah can't forgive her own grim recommendation, even if it was the sensible thing to suggest at the time.

Nevertheless, Kylah has no sense at all that either Collins or T'Var suffer from any deep regret--T'Var might not even be capable of such a feeling.

And when the noble Federation first met Elasians, they called us barbarians, she thinks.

She herself isn't as stoic, can't even comprehend being so. This is far from the first time Kylah's noticed that she's more affected by such things than those around her--to the point of physical pain, at times-- but it's certainly the first involving such life-or-death choices.

Trying to avoid such ruminations, particularly the thought of Porr reawakening on the shuttle alone, Kylah focuses on calculating the remainder of the transport journeys. Once Jovan, Fujishiro and Waite are transported, that will leave Hayes, T'Var, Pourtash, Rangin, Delaney, Porr and herself.

Apparently only three may go at a time. If Porr is left unconscious, he might as well go in the next batch, as he cannot help fight the creatures if they enter. Rangin may still be ill and T'Var might recommend he leave. Who else? Then a more worrying thought occurs to her: after the next batch, there will be four remaining. One person will be left alone at the end.

Kylah turns to Delaney worriedly, uncertain how this Sakathian technology works. "Sir, the transporters will allow for timed operation, won't they? The last one of us will be able to begin the process and then beam off the station?"

Dr. Waite accepts T'Var's decision with a nod. Moments later he, Fujishiro and Jovan disappear into the transporter effect, and Collins reports from the shuttle, "All three are safely aboard. Send the next group, please."

Kylah then asks Delaney her question. The engineer looks startled and says, "Oh, crap! I hadn't thought of that, I was so focused on getting the system up and running. No, there's no timed or automatic function. Someone's going to have to stay here to beam the last person to the shuttle."

Rangin's continuous scan of Mrs. Porr reveals a sudden resumption in brain activity; her heart also inexplicably restarts, but at a slower rate than before. Just as he's about to say something, Hayes says, in horror, "The body... it's moving!" The remaining members of the Yorktown's boarding party can see that the dead woman's hands and feet are indeed trembling slightly.

From out in the hallway, an unearthly, wordless moaning begins, and you hear the scratching of fingernails on the door.

"Transport Chief Porr," T'Var orders.

The doctor quickly assesses the current situation. "Mr. Pourtash, keep a close eye on Mrs. Porr. If necessary, use lethal force to stop her."

T'Var sighs and looks about slowly. "Mr. Delaney, if you cannot find a way to time or automate this transporter, one of us must stay behind." The Vulcan sighs again. "I have no desire to ask for a volunteer," she says.

The doctor advises Collins of the transporter issue.

"Are there any other transporter pads here, or failing that can we get to a shuttle bay?" asks Rangin while concentrating on the readings from the dead body.

While eyeing Porr's wife, Kylah holds her hand to her head, trying to ignore the rising panic and chaos. "It seems pointless to wait until she worsens to handle her," she says, her voice brittle. "Why not sedate her now, Dr. T'Var? Oversedate her, if possible. Or stun her again. She is a distraction we can ill afford."

Rangin's suggestion of more transporters suddenly reminds her of an earlier idea. "We were told earlier there is no place to dock a shuttle," she says, trying not to snap because she knows it's not Rangin's fault her nerves are afire. "But if someone must be left behind--perhaps there's a way to hide or travel to another transporter area, if any exist, via an air vent or access tube."

She looks around the transporter room to see if there are any obvious candidates for stealthy egress. If she finds one, she'll also check her communicator to view the station map to identify where such a chute or vent might lead.

Pourtash and Delaney put Chief Porr on the transporter pads, and Delaney beams him over to the shuttle. Collins confirms his safe arrival via communicator.

Now Hayes, T'Var, Pourtash, Rangin, Delaney and Kylah remain. Delaney says to Dr. T'Var, "There are two other transporter rooms on the station, but their transporters might be offline, too, and I don't know how long it would take to fix them like I did this one." There is a long silence, and he coughs nervously. "I'll beam you all out of here, ma'am, and stay behind. Just leave me a phaser."

"No, I'll do it," Pourtash says firmly. His jaw sets. "Command trumps Engineering, Jim. You and the others should beam over to the shuttle now."

Kylah checks the station's deckplan. There is an airvent leading from this room, but it looks too small for her, or anyone else remaining, to squeeze through.

The scratching on the door continues. Mrs. Porr is still trembling, perhaps a little bit more than before, Hayes thinks.

Rangin look at the two posturing humans wondering why the pair of them are trying to outdo each other with bravery. Noble, but futile.

"Perhaps, before we start deciding who should stay or go, it may be worth asking if the shuttle can assist us in this situation. Perhaps using sensors to see if the other transporters are working, detect how many altered Sakathians are around, possibly assist in us all leaving alive and in one piece...." he lets his voice trail off hoping the idea might sink in.

Before making any decisions regarding who -- if anyone -- should stay behind, T'Var checks in again with Collins.

"Any assistance you can give us from your end would be most appreciated," the doctor says. "We are running out of time here."

When Kylah hears Delaney and Pourtash's words, she nearly gasps in alarm and outrage. Fortunately Rangin steps in with his calming words--and she has to give him a quick look, sensing that he's not overly impressed by their voluntary sacrifices; the thought almost makes her smile despite the gravity of the situation, but the truth is, there are few if any options here.

Busy concentrating on the problem, she misses most of T'Var's conversation with Collins; did the Vulcan make the problem regarding the trasnporters explicit? Kylah hopes so. Especially since if anyone is going to order a crewmate to a suicidal fate, it should be the one who's in charge of the mission and left them in this dire circumstance, without one of their best fighters and without the only other phaser they've found.

But doling out blame is pointless right now. Later, yes--oh my yes. Not now.

"It is foolish and cowardly to leave anyone behind to fight and die alone," Kylah says, drawing up to her full but admittedly unimpressive height. "No Elasian would retreat when we have strong fighters and weapons at our disposal. The incendiary devices, a phaser, clubs, cutting tools--surely these will give us at least some chance of success?"

Finally she kneels down and, though keeping a safe distance, stares grimly at Porr's not-late-enough wife "As for this woman, I think she is somehow linked to those outside, and perhaps they to her, as well. Notice that she only became active when those creatures reached outside this door. I believe we must end her--and now." Kylah's dry throat swallows with difficulty, and she pulls out her knife. "We need not waste the phaser's battery power. If--if needs must, Doctor, and you do not think you can sedate her into a peaceful death, I can remove her head from her neck. With as sharp a blade as mine, it will be quick and as painless as possible." Though not for me, she thinks, forcing her expression to remain strong and unflinching despite the churning horror of having to make such a proposal.

"She's already dead," Hayes says skeptically. "Or was, anyway. Is sedating her going to do any good?"

Collins says over the comm channel, "I've taken the three phasers out of the shuttle's arms locker, and put them together a few meters away from me. Lock onto them, Mr. Delaney, and beam them there. I think we can ignore Sakathian law, under the circumstances."

Delaney says, "Aye, aye, ma'am. Energizing." In moments three phaser-2s appear.

"Anything else I can do from this end?" the Security officer asks.

T'Var sighs heavily.

"What are your orders?" the doctor asks Collins. "At this point, we have two possible choices. One of us stays behind while the rest of us transport to the shuttle." T'Var pauses a moment. "Or we stay here and attempt to fight off the altered Sakathians just outside the door."

T'Var looks about her at the assembled group, then says, "Of course, if anyone has other possible options?"

Rangin begins to wonder if anyone is listening to him.

"There are two other transporter areas in this area. If one of them is undamaged and has a working timer on it, then our problems may be resolved. We can ask the shuttle to scan and see what condition they are in. If they are both working and clear of people, we can transport everyone to that room. Whoever is left behind here will then be beamed across using the transporter in the room we move to. Then we can all transport to the shuttle using the working transporter. It does rely on the other transporters working, but is better than fighting our way through a multitude of altered Sakathians."

Delaney says, "The two other transporter rooms are on this station, but they're not really 'in this area.' If we didn't beam directly to them, which can be tricky even with a Starfleet transporter, we'd have to walk to them, and who knows how many zombies we'd run into out in the hallways?"

Hayes adds, "I doubt any of the Sakathian transporters have timers or automatic beamout controls, but I could be wrong. This is the only one we've seen up close."

Mrs. Porr stops shaking. Rangin's tricorder scan of her shows increasing synaptic and nervous system activity. Her heart continues to beat at a slower-than-in-normal-life rate. After a loud gasp, she also begins raspily breathing.

Collins says, "Thank you, Mr. Rangin. Any other recommendations, anyone?"

Kylah flicks a sympathetic look at Rangin, then turns to Hayes and snaps, "I'm a communications officer, not a doctor. But Mrs. Porr has a heartbeat, respiration and brain activity--all of which count as being alive in any medical text I've ever perused. I do not see why we cannot try giving her an overdose of sedative." She raises her voice and aims it at T'Var and her communicator. "Lieutenant Collins, I mentioned this before you were contacted--I believe there might be some sort of link between Porr's wife and the Sakathians outside. There is no doubt she is changing, and I notice that her activity seems to have been triggered by the nearness of the creatures to this room. I've suggested killing her, in as painless and respectful a manner as possible, whether by sedative or knife or even beaming her into space if necessary--but definitely killing her, and soon."

She takes a breath. "And I also have suggested that we stay and fight as long as we can. We have weapons and hopefully they do not. Abandoning a crewmate is not an option we should consider unless it is truly hopeless. In my opinion," Kylah adds, a bit belatedly.

"Finally, whatever happens--are there rations and water on board the shuttle, sir? If there are not enough for two days, we should probably beam some over to you. If the worse comes to the worst, we will not need them--but you will."

"Well, if you would prefer, we could hide in one of the modular areas and jettison it from the station, while getting the shuttle to hold on to it for a couple of days until help arrives. Although we may run out of something to breathe by then"

Despite the distractions, Rangin is still monitoring the new revived body trying to see if the new patterns match those of the creatures outside and if it has gained the strange colour that the other altered Sakathians also had?

"It's quite possible that she never actually died and all that has happened is a deep, comatose state, which we could not detect, and this is some kind of metamorphosis. I hope those phasers are on a high setting, if you intend to use them. They did not appear to help the Sakathians much. I would give serious consideration to restraint of the body though."

Collins says, "Thank you both. There are plenty of rations and water aboard the shuttle, enough for a couple of weeks at least."

Jovan, overhearing Rangin's comment, says, "There's no way to jettison any part of the station that I know of." Rangin's scans of Mrs. Porr's body show her biological processes, although difficult to understand, are identical to those of the altered Sakathians that the party has earlier encountered, and to those clawing at the door outside. He and Dr. T'Var simultaneously notice the woman's skin slowly but perceptibly turning a darker shade of gray, and the start of some bleeding from the ears and eyes. Her eyes are still tightly shut.

Hayes picks up one of the phasers, and looks askance at the reviving corpse. "What should we set them on? 'Stun' might not be enough to stop her, if it comes to that."

Collins adds to her statement "No one is getting left behind except the Saka-Zombies. And that includes Mrs Porr" She glances over to Chief Porr to make sure he's still "out" and didn't hear her last statement. "Look around for a pole long enough to reach the control panel from the transporter pad. "Or maybe rig up some sort of Goldbergian gadget that you can trigger from the pad to energize the transport remotely. I'll look around the shuttle to see if there's anything that will help that endeavor. Collins out." She looks around for any spare bits.

"Looking at these readings I would not consider going near the body now, its pretty much the same as the creatures outside. I would consider setting the phasers to somewhere between stun and kill to be sure."

He looks at the tricorder in his hands and wonders, "Mr Delaney, could you integrate a tricorder into the teleportation device and use that as a timed trigger?"

T'Var listens to those around her and to Collins on the shuttle.

"I do not believe stunning Mrs. Porr would help in any way," the doctor says in resignation. "Set phasers to their strongest settings and use them if necessary -- on Porr's wife and any altered Sakathians if and when they breach the door."

Collins can't see anything useful in the shuttle cabin for operating a Sakathian transporter at a distance. However, the sensor panel beeps at her.

Delaney gets a faraway look in his eyes at Rangin's question. "Hmm. I hadn't thought of using a tricorder as a transporter remote controller. That could work." He smiles for the first time since you entered the transporter room. "Let's see... gimme a minute...." He opens up his own tricorder and begins delicately poking around inside.

Hayes nods at T'Var's order and sets her phaser on kill. Pourtash picks up a phaser too, sets it, and says, "We could still beam some more people over to the shuttle now, couldn't we? Who should go?"

The bleeding from Mrs. Porr's ears and eyes gets a little worse, and she moans.

The moaning, scratching and pounding at the door is becoming louder. It really is very creepy. The hair on the back of Rangin's neck begins to stand up.

With Dr T'Var also monitoring the not-so-late Mrs Porr, Rangin turns his attention to the door and the scraping from outside. He's hoping the door's thickness is still the same and that there are still only the three altered creatures outside.

"Mr. Rangin, please scan just outside this door. I need to know exactly how many altered Sakathians are currently there."

To Hayes, T'Var says, "Once Mr. Delaney has finished with his work and we can all transport over to the shuttle -- you, Rangin and Pourtash will go next."

The doctor watches Delaney closely. "Kylah, Delaney and I will leave last."

There's an answering nod from Rangin to Dr T'Var's request.

Collins turns her attention to the shuttle's sensors.

Rangin's tricorder scan indicates there are still only three altered Sakathians outside the door, which so far seems to be holding. When he broadens his scan, he notes another eleven zombies approaching from both directions along that hallway.

"I don't mind going last," Pourtash says. "I just wonder if, while we know we have time, we shouldn't beam more people over to lessen the risk to everyone?"

The shuttle's sensors show the approach of a Sakathian ship. It is about five times the size of the Meitner.

Kylah barely hears any of the discussion around her, focusing solely on Mrs. Porr. Soon her mouth tightens, and she glances from the reanimated corpse to the door not far away--hearing the creatures outside, the moans that so clearly communicate their singleminded, insatiable hunger. She turns back to the woman on the ground and imagines an almost tangible cord binding her with the three beings who crave only flesh, desire only destruction.

Shuddering with nausea, Kylah staggers back and, grabbing one of the phasers, ensures that it's on its maximum setting--only utter disintigration will satisfy her--and aims it at the security chief's former wife. "We must kill her now," she says in a voice that starts weak but rises in determination as she continues: "They know she is here. We must kill her now!"

As desperate as she is, her Starfleet training will not let her shoot. She looks to T'Var, wild eyes almost pleading for permission. "Let me end this, Doctor!"

"I have no problems going next, but I would prefer to not be ordered to leave until I know everyone will be able to leave safely."

Hearing Kylah's words. "I'm not sure what lies in front of you actually counts as her anymore, just something else resident in the same shell. I can't wait to see what the files we uploaded have to say on this."

He eases his shoulder back slightly, the wound on it still painful and discomforting, but with the slight lull and the screeching from outside, it is reminding him more and more of its presence and how it was inflicted. There's a moment's pause, then he hastily starts scanning himself. "One of those things bit me, I wonder, I wonder..."

"If possible," T'Var says in a determined tone, "we will all leave this station together."

The doctor directs her gaze to Mrs. Porr, then to Kylah. "When I give the order, you may take action, Ensign," she says. "Not a moment before. Do I make myself clear?"

"How are you coming with the transporter, Mr. Delaney?" T'Var asks.

"We've got company!"Collins shouts over the comm. She scans the Sakathian ship for weapons capability and shield status. "How soon before everyone can beam over?" she asks whomever might answer.

"I think I can do it," Delaney says, working quickly with his toolkit and tricorder. He is sweating and stressed. "It's going to take me a few minutes. I'm going as fast as I can."

Mrs. Porr's eyes fly open and she trembles as she lies there, but does not get up. The zombies outside cry more loudly, and begin pounding on the door.

Collins's scan and the subspace transponder signal shows that the approaching vessel is a Royal Sakathian Navy warship, HSMS Vigilant. It has two phaser banks, ten fusion-warhead torpedoes and pretty good deflector shields. Although no match for the Yorktown, it could blow the Meitner to bits quite easily. The Starfleet shuttle has deflector shields but is, like most such craft, unarmed.

Collins hears Security Chief Porr begin to stir behind her; the phaser stun effect is apparently wearing off. He is still handcuffed. Jovan coughs nervously.

Though her stomach twists and jumps at the sounds outside the door, Kylah keeps both her gaze and aim square on the reanimating body in front of her, the phaser trembling only a little with effort--as well as the frustration roiling within her.

"I repeat that this woman--" Kylah flicks a acknowledging glance at Rangin, then returns it to Porr-- "this thing is aware of its brethren trying to get in, just as they are of her. And I suspect they gain strength through their shared existence!"

Kylah lowers her voice as best she can, knowing T'Var will not be swayed by emotion. "So what is your order, Doctor," she whispers. "Shall I wait until she attacks and the creatures attack with her?"

Collins stuns Porr again. Wouldn't want him giving the Vigilant orders to blow this ship out of the sky, she thinks. She hails the approaching ship. "This is Lieutenant JG Jeremi Collins of the Starfleet Vessel USS Yorktown. We are here in a peaceful capacity. But we have wounded and limited resources."

Does Rangin find anything unusual when he scans his shoulder given the apparent infectious nature of the Zombies?

"Mr. Delaney is working on the transporter right now," T'Var answers Collins. "We will hopefully be able to join you on the shuttle soon."

The doctor then advises Collins of the situation with Mrs. Porr and the altered Sakathians just beyond the door.

"As a physician, I find myself in a difficult position," she tells Collins. "Despite the obvious condition of Chief Porr's wife, I do not wish to give the order to fire upon her."

T'Var allows Collins a moment to digest what she's been told. "However, if your orders are to end any possible threat Mrs. Porr poses to us, I will comply with that order."

Collins tells T'Var "Hold her off as best you can. Kill only if necessary. There is a Sakathian ship out here - they ay be better equipped to deal with the Saka-zombies." Collins turns back to her comm to await a response from the Vigilant.

Stunned by Collins, Security Chief Porr slumps to the deck of the shuttle again without a word.

"Why do you know so much about these zombies, Ensign?" Pourtash asks Kylah.

Hayes says to Collins over the comm channel, "Why doesn't Kylah set her phaser on stun, Pourtash sets his on heavy stun, and I'll set mine on kill? We'll try them in that order, if there's time; I'll fire only if the other two seem to have no effect, or if she evades them."

Rangin is no doctor, but his scan of himself shows that he has some kind of viral infection. There is nothing like it in the Starfleet medical database. It is similar to that which affected Fujishiro, but seems less severe, and has not spread through his bloodstream the way hers did. His shoulder is slightly tender, but he otherwise feels all right.

The small viewscreen on the front control console of the shuttle fuzzes over, and a black-uniformed Sakathian man appears. He says gruffly, "This is Captain Grevers of the Royal Sakathian Navy. We're responding to a distress call from the Uminnel Space Station. Our scans have shown that the station has been overrun by what appear to be criminals or the insane. What's going on?"

"Do it." Collins tells Hayes.

Kylah tenses at Hayes's suggestion and the subsequent agreement from Collins. "Aye ma'am," she mutters while lowering the setting of her phaser, but her resentment only grows. Are these people mad? Collins stuns Porr twice while this monster-to-be is allowed to survive? What is the purpose of waiting? Kindness? Not from Collins. And meanwhile T'Var will not even listen to my suggestion of euthenasia. Her nausea is building along with her anger and it takes all her will not to edge her thumb over the settings to push the phaser a notch or two back into the kill range.

Then she realizes Pourtash has asked her a question. This human should acting on what she knows, not wondering how she knows it. But Kylah has no difficulty responding.

"As for 'why' I know so much of these creatures, Lieutenant, for those with eyes to observe and ears to hear, it is not a difficult conclusion to make," she says with barely a look in Pourtash's direction. "Did you not notice that it was only when the creatures approached that Mrs. Porr began displaying this reanimating activity? That with every groan and cry from outside, her movements and awareness have increased? And the awareness of her presence seems to be spurring their activity just as much."

She swallows more bile rising from her stomach. The more she hears the creatures, the worse she feels, and it's taking all she can to concentrate on her words. "Further, my specialty is xenolinguistics. I'm not saying their grunts and subvocalizations are actual language used to speak with one another, but--but there are other ways of communicating."

Despite her lack of complete candor, she's genuinely astonished that such a question would even be raised. It seems clear as daylight to her that there's a link between these creatures. The tie binding them might as well be a visible chain made of titanium. She shakes her head infinitesimally. One expects such ignorance from parochial humans, but how can T'Var not recognize it? Her fingers tighten on the phaser.

Pourtash looks skeptical at Kylah's explanation, but says nothing else.

Mrs. Porr abruptly sits up and places her hands on the deck. She looks around, not seeming to focus on anything, then throws her head back and gives an unearthly scream, which is answered by the zombies outside in the hall.

Delaney glances over his shoulder worriedly, and says, "Just another minute or two...."

The Sakathian captain scowls. "Why do you not answer my question, Lt. JG Collins?"

because the person controlling my character missed that paragraph

"My apologies, Captain" Collins turns back to the view screen. "I am unclear as to the specifics but apparently, an experiment being conducted on the station went horribly wrong. Some sort of virus has been loosed and is altering the DNA of the Sakathians aboard the station. Once Doctor Waite is safely aboard this shuttle, he will be the one to answer your questions in details. Meanwhile, several of the Miskatonic scholars have been fatally wounded, the animals we brought with us from the Yorktown have not fared any better, and several of my crew have been severely injured. We are trying to get them to safety but they need medical attention beyond our current means."

"Oh great. Whatever is causing the alteration looks to have a nasty viral component like nothing I have seen. and I would guess that Fujishiro and I both have it. We may require quarantine facilities for the pair of us at some point in the near future. I wonder if the genetic alteration was on more than just Sakathian by mistake."

At hearing the unearthly wails, "Looks like they are communicating, probably food in here."

T'Var watches Mrs. Porr calmly as only a Vulcan can do.

She orders Pourtash to use his phaser on her -- which is set to heavy stun.

If that doesn't control Mrs. Porr until Delaney can finish with the transporter, T'Var will order Hayes to use her phaser and hopefully end Mrs. Porr's suffering -- and any threat she may pose.

The instant Mrs. Porr sits up and lets out her wail, Kylah backs up a step in both alarm and preparation. Rangin's words are barely audible through her churning thoughts, but she hears enough to cast a defiant glance at Pourtash at the Cordanite's agreement with her own judgment.

But her attention quickly returns to Mrs. Porr, petty victories not being very important right now. The plan to stun the reanimated woman seems ridiculous, an attempt to fob off the ultimate responsibility to the Sakathian ship above--or worse, to leave her to the slavering jaws of her fellow creatures.

But Kylah's been rendered impotent by Hayes's suggestion and Collins and T'Var's implementation of it, and all she can do is hope the two with weapons calibrated to useful settings can finish this ghoulish stalemate. And hopefully, the chaos within Kylah will decrease.

Is Collins purposefully deceiving the Sakathian officer? Dr. Waite is already aboard the shuttle.

Capt. Grevers replies, "We've been picking up lifepods from the station and have heard several strange stories about what happened, but yours makes some sense. Do you have any Sakathians with you? How many of your people remain on the station?"

Pourtash does not need to hear Dr. T'Var's order a second time. He presses the trigger button on his phaser-2 and a bright beam of blue-white light hits Mrs. Porr, who falls over, moaning and shaking a little, but apparently not fully unconscious. The zombies outside get even louder. The door is now shaking with their blows.

no deceit intended - I just forgot

Collins suddenly remembers that Dr Waite is sitting right there and wonders why she is so scatterbrained and unfocused lately "Again my apologies Captain Grevers," she grabs Waite's arm and pulls him towards to the screen, "This is the man who can answer any questions you have about the experiments that were conducted on the station" she does not let go of his arm as she prods him to address the Sakathian looking down on them.

"Progress report, Mr. Delaney," T'Var says. "We are running out of time."

Waite looks startled to be thrust in front of the comm screen. "Um...." he says to the Sakathian officer. "Hello, Captain. Uh... I was one of the Earth scientists working on...."

Grevers says, "Just a moment. Lt. Collins, I repeat my earlier questions: Do you have any Sakathians with you? How many of your people remain on the station?"

Delaney says to T'Var, "Almost there...." He is clearly working as quickly as he can.

Mrs. Porr glares balefully at Pourtash and his phaser. She hisses at him and then begins hunching herself towards the door, almost crawling. She moves in a very creepy, inhuman - even insakathian - way.

"There are two Sakathians on the shuttle with me - Security Chief Porr and Merrike Jovan. Director Geb's whereabouts are unknown. One of my crew is on the shuttle as well, but she is in need of medical attention. There are six others, the rest my crew, still on the station - some of whom also need medical attention. One of my crew has been working on the station's transporter to be able to operate it remotely to get them all off safely." Collins realizes she's been speaking very quickly, and pauses to take a breath, "Any help would be appreciated."

Staring at Mrs. Porr, Kylah is perplexed and fascinated despite herself to see that the Sakathian woman is crawling toward the creatures on the other side of the door, rather than attacking either Pourtash or any of the targets inside the room. She knows these new altered beings are connected, but would have expected Mrs. Porr to exhibit far more violent and predatory behavior after transformation. What does she need from the others? Kylah wonders. Do they seek each other right after being... born?

Kylah's eyes narrow. Still aiming her phaser at Mrs. Porr's head, she doesn't wait for T'Var's order before pushing the weapon's setting back up to the lethal range now that they know a heavy stun has little effect. And her mind focuses on trying to identify what these creatures' ultimate goal is.

"Please tell me she is not trying to open the door" blurts out Rangin horrified by the sight in front of him.

T'Var continues to remain calm despite everything going on around her. She updates Collins on the current situation.

"Is it possible for the Sakathian ship to transport us out of here?" the doctor asks.

"Director Geb was already picked up from a lifepod, and is now on her way to Sakath IV for debriefing," Capt. Grevers says. "Tell Porr and Jovan to stand by for beamout. I regret that, due to my orders, we will be unable to assist you. Once your crewmates are removed from the station, leave the system immediately. The King has declared the system closed to offworlders until further notice."

Pourtash noticed what Kylah did, and says sharply, "You weren't ordered to change the setting of your phaser, Ensign. Change it back."

Mrs. Porr draws closer to the door and begins to stand.

Trembling, Kylah ignores Pourtash. "Dr. T'Var," she says in a voice as firm as her grasp on the phaser. "I know Lieutenant Pourtash is my superior but I have believed him not in his full faculties ever since he was attacked, continually hesitating rather than acting as he should. So I beg you listen to me. My instincts--my suggestions and suspicions about our circumstances--have been proven right multiple times on this mission. You know that!" She whips her glance around wildly to Rangin and Delaney and Hayes before returning to T'Var. "All of you have seen it! And I am just as certain at this moment that Mrs. Porr aims to open that door unless we stop her. Doctor, if you have any trust in me at all, or even if you do not, use your own logic and let us kill this creature now!"

Finally Kylah lifts her chin and swallows. "Else you had better have Lieutenant Pourtash stun me, for I swear, to save all our lives I will kill her myself if she gets an inch closer to that door."

Collins goes to wake Porr and get him to his feet "Jovan, please help me. Captain Greavers will beam the two of you to his ship." Once they are ready, she signals the Vigilant. When they have dematerialized, she hails T'Var. "We won't be getting any help from the Sakathians. You and Pourtash stay with Delaney and beam the others to the shuttle now. Get that remote working. We have been 'uninvited' with prejudice. Collins out."

T'Var sighs.

"Mr. Delaney, transport Hayes, Rangin and Kylah to the shuttle."

The doctor holds out her hand. "Mr. Kylah, your phaser please."

Kylah cannot believe her ears. This mission crew seems to be made up of arrogant and distracted officers and blind, passive followers of orders without an ounce of instinct or initiative among them. Is this Vulcan so unwilling to shift from protocol that she'll just listen to Collins's command without even updating her on what's happening in this room?

Instructed for years to distrust the Federation despite entering Starfleet, Kylah can almost hear her guardian's insidious voice telling her to let the three superior officers commit suicide. The Sakathians will overtake them all, and good riddance, Aldaan would say.

But despite T'Var's infuriating stoicism and reluctance to act on her own initiative, Kylah likes the older woman, as much as one can like anyone who clearly doesn't respect her. Kylah certainly doesn't want T'Var dead.

Yet if she shoots the Sakathian now, Kylah will probably be stunned, possibly even placed under arrest, eventually called to task for disobeying multiple orders, and then likely drummed out of Starfleet. Surely she wouldn't be allowed to remain after so many problems on her very first mission.

And there will be grim consequences for her back on Elas if this happens.

Kylah can think of only one last tactic to save these hidebound fools. Keeping her phaser on Mrs. Porr with her left hand, she flips open her communicator.

"Kylah to Collins," she blurts as quickly as she can. "There is a dire situation here. Mrs.--" Do not mention her name, Porr will go mad in the shuttle, she realizes in a flash before hurrying on. "The--the transformed Sakathian was hit by Pourtash's heavy stun but kept moving and is heading straight for the door. I am absolutely certain its aim is to let in the other altered creatures, as it is definitely aware of the others' presence, as they are hers. If we do not kill this thing now--as you ordered earlier--the three officers left behind while we transport will be overrun and murdered by a stream of up to fourteen of these beings!"

Blinking the sweat from her eyes, Kylah stops only to gasp for breath. "You have seen that my judgment is sound before, Lieutenant, and I swear to you that there is no more time to waste: this creature must not be allowed to open this door or your three highest ranking crewmates will be dead!"

T'Var places her hand on Kylah's shoulder. "Trust me," she says softly. "Give me your phaser and transport to the shuttle."

The doctor then confirms for Collins the current condition of Mrs. Porr. "With your permission, I will deal with Mrs. Porr myself."

T'Var's main concern is for the safety of those left on the station. If Porr's wife is to be killed, these young officers should not have to take on that responsibility.

"Do what you have to," Collins tells T'Var, "just get off the station as fast as possible. Delaney, how's that remote coming?"

When Kylah materializes on the shuttle, Collins points at one of the rear seats "Sit." she tells the young ensign "I don't want to hear a word from you until we are safely away."

When Kylah feels T'Var's hand on her shoulder, she's both surprised by the gesture--it's been a long time since anyone, even her family, touched her with any gentleness--and suddenly alert. She only dimly hears T'Var talk to Collins. Then Kylah's right hand abruptly drops her communicator, and in a swift move latches onto the older woman's arm. Maintaining the physical connection, she stares at the Vulcan with desperate eyes but says nothing.

Kylah is still on the station. Pourtash, startled by her move, turns and points his phaser directly at her. "Drop your phaser, Ensign, right now," he says firmly, "and let go of the doctor."

Delaney pauses in his work, staring at the confrontation.

Hayes says, her voice quavering a little, "Uh... we really have to do something about Mrs. Porr."

Chief Porr remains unconscious, of course, Collins having phaser-stunned him again just a few minutes earlier. Jovan says to her, "Thank you for all of your help. I'm... I'm really sorry this didn't end any better for you," just as she and Chief Porr disappear into the Sakathian warship's transporter effect.

T'Var can sense Kylah's thoughts.

"Stand down, Mr. Pourtash," the doctor orders.

T'Var takes hold of Kylah's phaser, hoping the young ensign will release it. "Let me do this," she tells Kylah.

The doctor notices that Delaney has stopped working on the transporter. "Finish the task at hand," she tells him.

Kylah keeps looking at T'Var and, with a sudden exhale, relinquishes her hold on the phaser and the other woman's arm, letting her arms drop to her sides. Exhausted, all Kylah wants to do now is collapse or lean against the wall for support. Instead she just slumps slightly while standing in place, hoping against hope that she's just made the right decision. She continues to stare at T'Var, though shifting her gaze to take in Mrs. Porr's actions as well.

While the rest of the crew seem intent on arguing about Ensign Kylah's action, Rangin decides that the best place for him to be to prevent anything further is between the the door control and the late lamented Mrs Porr. He was over there as he was monitoring outside and its easier to get a scan when closer to the door, despite the banging on it.

He's been bitten once, so better him than another and it might ensure they get a move on. He drops the tricorder on its strap and raises the cutter waiting to see if anyone will do something or if Mrs Porr decides to try and do something about him.

T'Var checks the phaser to make sure it is indeed on the strongest possible setting. She takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly.

The doctor fires the phaser at Mrs. Porr.

Pourtash raises an eyebrow but obeys Dr. T'Var and points his phaser back at Mrs. Porr. Kylah is now disarmed.

Delaney resumes his work with the tricorder.

Dr. T'Var fires her phaser, set on kill, at Mrs. Porr, and the Sakathian woman falls to the deck in a nimbus of blue light. She does not move, makes no sound, and appears to be completely dead. Again.

The zombies in the hallway now scream and howl even louder. With a ear-shattering CRASH, the door falls into the room, and three zombies crowd through. Many others are right behind them. Rangin, standing near the door, is immediately attacked by one of the three, and bitten badly on the right forearm.

If you had asked Rangin, a few days ago, what he was expecting on this tour, being face-to-face with a zombie Sakathian who wants to eat him, would have not have been even close to the list. He feels sharp, vicious pain as the creature sinks its teeth in to his arm and reacts with slightly less decorum than might be expected of Federation personnel, but perhaps might be expected given the circumstances.

"GET IT OFF ME!!!", screams Rangin as he swings the raised cutter around as hard as he can towards the creature holding him.

Written by WES and posted at her request:

T'Var aims her phaser at the altered Sakathian attacking Rangin and fires. She then fires on the other Sakathian zombies nearby.

As soon as the door bursts open, Kylah stares in abject horror at the creatures swarming into the room. Two heartbeats later, she spins around, eyes searching wildly for the phasers beamed in moments ago. Rangin's desperate cries of pain and fear go right through her, competing with the Sakathians' vicious roars for dominance. The sheer hatred overwhelms her but also gives her a much-needed singleminded sense of purpose.

She spots a phaser. Lunges forward, grabs it, pushes the setting to its highest. With all her years of knife target practice she chooses a target, the first Sakathian T'Var has not yet hit. And fires. She backs away but continues to fire at every being who is not a member of her crew.

"You will die!" she screams in Sakathian. "Retreat or all of you will die!"

Dr. T'Var picks her targets carefully, doing her best not to hit any of her crewmates.

The doctor's years of training and experience with the V'Shar take over completely now. She is no longer a physician with a desire to heal. In this moment, she is a Federation officer who will kill any and all enemies within range of her phaser.

T'Var hits the zombie biting Rangin and it falls to the deck, dead. Rangin is caught on the fringes of the phaser blast, however, and also falls, stunned. His forearm is bleeding badly.

Kylah hits the zombie she was firing at with a Sakathian phaser, and it too is killed. She misses the next one and it races towards her.

Hayes and Pourtash also begin firing as more zombies crowd into the room, snarling and screaming incoherently.

Delaney's voice, half scared and half exultant, carries over the bedlam: "I finished! It's ready!"

With obviously no time to test the transporter, T'Var orders Hayes and Pourtash to help Rangin to the transporter and get off the station while the rest of the group continues to fight the altered Sakathians.

Once those three are safely to the shuttle, T'Var will then order Delaney and Kylah to the transporter. She will join them and they will all hopefully transport to the shuttle without further delay or complications.

Collins helps Rangin to a seat once they materialize. "Collins to T'Var. They're here. Come aboard." She breathes a brief sigh of relief "Lieutenant Pourtash, take the helm and be ready - I want full impulse once everyone is aboard." She sits at the comm "Shuttle Meitner to USS Yorktown. We'll be heading to the rendezvous as soon as the rest of the crew is on board. How quickly can you meet us? We have injured. Collins out"

Kylah sees the Sakathian continuing toward her and re-aims her phaser. She's terrified but filled with increasing rage--and she's all too aware that some instinct inside her wants to tear into her enemies with her bare hands, as if she's one of the animal-like horde herself. She pushes the feeling back and fires.

If she's successful, she'll do her best to kill any of the creatures near poor Rangin, clearing a path for Hayes and Pourtash while being careful to avoid her crewmates.

If not, she'll keep blasting her phaser at this charging Sakathian--taking out her knife with her free hand, just in case.

Once again, don't assume that complicated actions - especially in the middle of a battle - happen just as you intend. State what your character wants to do, and I'll let you know if it works or not.

There are still several zombies between Rangin and the rest of the party; fortunately, they seem to be ignoring him at the moment. As soon as one altered Sakathian is hit and falls to the deck, though, another has rushed into the room. Hayes realizes that the Starfleet boarding party has now seen several more zombies than Rangin's earlier scans showed. Are they converging from elsewhere on the station?

As it lunges towards her, Kylah squarely hits the Sakathian which she'd earlier missed. It falls on its face with a hoarse scream, skidding to a halt with its bloodied hand just a meter from the toe of her boot.

T'Var, Hayes and Pourtash each fire repeatedly, choosing their targets carefully and hitting far more often than missing. Eight Sakathians soon litter the floor, but more are crowding in. The noise and smell are indescribable.

Delaney calls to T'Var, "There are five transporter pads, and six of us. Someone should go over to the shuttle now."

Doing her best to ignore the dead body at her feet, Kylah turns her attention to the Sakathians blocking Hayes and Pourtash from Rangin. After firing a shot, she glances over their heads to the hallway beyond, wishing in vain that the teeming mass of creatures would prove to be decreasing in number--but the opposite appears to be true.

We have to stop them from entering somehow, she thinks desperately. Else we'll have never thin out the herd of Sakathians in here!

A thought strikes her, and suddenly she looks down toward the makeshift incendiary devices Jovan helped create earlier. Without further hesitation she makes a dive to grab one of the Molotov cocktail flasks.

Trusting Delaney's engineering expertise and judgment, she whirls and yells at him. "Will a blast in the hallway endanger Rangin or any of us?"

Delaney blanches. "I don't know... it probably would. Better to stick to phasers for now, I think."

Disappointed, Kylah nods. I'll save it as a goodbye gift as we're leaving, she thinks grimly, leaving the flask at her feet and returning to blast the phaser at the creatures blocking Hayes and Pourtash from saving Rangin. Or just Pourtash. Hayes could be the one to leave; Pourtash can likely grab Rangin by himself.

But these strategic thoughts vanish swiftly. Mostly it's emotion that's surging through her. Anger blocks out the pain of knowing she's killing sentient beings, those whom only yesterday--perhaps just this morning--she likely passed in the corridors or ate meals with in the dining hall.

All she knows now is that she wants them dead.

T'Var continues firing as she attempts to make her way to Rangin.

She hears Delaney calling to her.

"Everyone keep firing and make your way to the transporter pads."

T'Var will do her best to reach Rangin and carry him to the transporter on her own. If she needs help, she'll order Pourtash to help her.

.... *waits for rescue* ...

Kylah suddenly notices T'Var moving toward Rangin and swiftly adjusts her aiming to avoid accidentally shooting the tall Vulcan, and Pourtash, and Hayes. Three of us all going after Rangin--has T'Var forgotten she already ordered Pourtash and Hayes to retrieve him? "T'Var!" Kylah screams above the din, ignoring protocol entirely as she tries to be heard over the creatures and the noise from the phasers. "The three of you can't all do the same thing, you'll get in the way of each other's fire! Since Delaney needs one of us to leave, let Hayes go!"

T'Var realizes that it's useless to shout orders with all this noise. She will just have to trust that her crewmates will work their way toward the transporter pads as quickly as possible.

The first order of business, though, is to rescue Rangin. The doctor fires at the Sakathians around Rangin, hoping to find an opening so that someone can seize the opportunity to reach him, then get him to the transporter.

The altered Sakathians continue to crowd into the room, screaming unnervingly, but the Starfleet officers choose their shots and cut them down one by one. After several more minutes, close to two dozen dead zombies litter the deck, almost filling the broken doorway. There are many places in the room where you could not step without putting your foot on one. Finally no more enter. There is a lull, and although you hear noises down the hall, it sounds like there are none just outside.

Kylah sees that her phaser's energy is nearly depleted; she has perhaps two more shots left. The others each have between six and ten.

Hayes begins to shake badly, drops her phaser, sits down and leans against a bulkhead. A zombie got almost within arms' reach of her before she was able to hit it.

Pourtash joins T'Var in dragging Rangin out from under several dead zombies. The xenobiologist is conscious but groggy. His blue Sciences uniform shirt is now badly stained with zombie ichor.

T'Var orders her five crewmates to the transporter pads immediately. She has everyone give her their phasers.

"Mr. Delaney, I will need you to show me how to use the transporter for all of you." The doctor pauses a moment. "And then how to transport myself when you are all safely on the shuttle."

Rangin groggily allows himself to be carried by his crewmates to the transporter while trying to get rid of the stars floating around his head.

"Are we still alive?"

Relieved to see Rangin freed at last, Kylah takes a deep breath. She'd be tempted to collapse like Hayes, but this sudden quiet and lack of the Sakathians' furious onslaught has so lifted a burden from her chest that she's almost lightheaded at the sense of release.

Then T'Var's order shocks her--though by now, nothing Starfleet officers do should be a surprise.

Kylah glances at Delaney rather than the Vulcan, wanting to gauge his reaction to T'Var's command. As weary as she is at always having to argue with her superior officers, she cannot in good conscience--or even just by her nature--remain docile when she feels she is right.

"With all due respect, that is an imprudent action. It wastes time by requiring Delaney teach you a skill he is best equipped to perform, and besides, leaving you alone is utterly reckless. What if the Sakathians reach you after we've gone? We have two severely injured crew members and no chance of connecting with the ship for two days. Would you leave your patients without proper medical attention for that long?"

She grabs her incendiary device and moves to the door, looking out to see how far away the Sakathian creatures are--and how plentiful. Shuddering, she looks toward T'Var. "Even with a dozen phasers you can't fight off those creatures alone! You would be martyring yourself and possibly condemning Fujishiro and Rangin as well."

She pulls herself up formally, her gaze piercing T'Var's. "I recommend we go three at a time instead."

If the Sakathians are at least several yards away, Kylah should add: "And I also suggest creating a barrier for the creatures--flames will do the job nicely," she adds with a sudden humorless smile while lifting the flask made by Jovan.

Everyone is now on the transporter platform but T'Var and Kylah. All have turned in their phasers to the doctor but Kylah.

The noises in the hallway have gotten a little louder, and maybe a little closer.

T'Var has Delaney and Kylah switch places on the transporter pads. She will then have Delaney transport them to the shuttle. Kylah is free to keep her phaser or give it to T'Var or Delaney.

Once T'Var is contacted by Collins that everyone has safely arrived on the shuttle, she and Delaney will attempt to leave as well.

Now? ;)

Collins helps Rangin to a seat once they materialize. "Collins to T'Var. They're here. Come aboard." She breathes a brief sigh of relief "Lieutenant Pourtash, take the helm and be ready - I want full impulse once everyone is aboard." She sits at the comm "Shuttle Meitner to USS Yorktown. We'll be heading to the rendezvous as soon as the rest of the crew is on board. How quickly can you meet us? We have injured. Collins out"

You should still wait to see if what T'Var ordered actually happens. The transporter could break down, the zombies could attack at that very moment, etc. Your posts should just be about what you intend to do. No harm, no foul this time, though, so don't worry.

Delaney immediately beams Pourtash, Kylah, Rangin and Hayes to the shuttle, and they materialize safely there. T'Var hears Collins's report of their arrival on her communicator moments later, and Delaney carefully sets the tricorder for his and the Vulcan doctor's beamout with a five-second delay. They both quickly step onto the platform. Just as the transporter effect takes them, they see three more dark gray zombies enter the room through the shattered doorway. The Sakathians' angry screams of frustration as they rush the platform are the last sounds the two Starfleet officers hear while aboard the accursed station.

The entire boarding party is now aboard the shuttle, along with Dr. Waite. Fujishiro is flat on the deck, still unconscious and feverish. Rangin is conscious, still a little groggy as he shakes off the phaser-stun aftereffects, and his arm throbs with pain where he was bitten. Hayes still looks very upset; T'Var thinks she may be in shock.

Pourtash says quietly to Collins, "There will still be a lag before the Yorktown gets our message and responds, ma'am. Given her speed towards us and the time passed since our last message, maybe 15 minutes or so each way...?" That sounds about right to Kylah. The helmsman sits down in the pilot's seat and runs through a quick preflight checklist, and nods, smiling. "Everything checks out." He touches the control panel keys. You all feel the shuttle turn in space and then begin to accelerate, passing over the station and heading out of the system. He says, "Course set for Cavinre... going to full impulse now. I'll go to warp when we're out of Sakath V's gravitational field."

"Good" Collins acknowledges Pourtash. To T'Var she says "please do what you can for the wounded." To Kylah, she says "Sit." as she points to one of the rear seats. "I don't want to hear a word from you until we are safely away."

Since arriving on the shuttle, Kylah has remained in place, standing stock still in dread, when Delaney and T'Var materialize as well to allay her fears. After confirming Pourtash's query with a distracted nod, she's about to express her relief to T'Var but is silenced by Collins's order. Her face burns at the rebuke. All she can do is move to the back, where she sits and looks straight ahead. I'll have plenty to say soon enough, she thinks contemptuously. But to the Captain, not you. And you'll not like it any better then.

Despite her exhaustion, hunger and thirst, she remains stiff as a board in her chair. Kylah could collapse as easily as Hayes, but her pride won't let her. Nevertheless, she grips the chair seat beneath her, knuckles whitening as she girds herself against what she knows is coming. Sure enough, though the cacophony of emotions that have assailed her all day are now stilled, those that now replace them aren't much better. Within the space formerly occupied by fear and fury are the echoes of what each Sakathian's death--the deaths beckoned by her own hand--felt like: Inarticulate rage. Unbearable pain. Then emptiness. Over and over again.

Her Starfleet training included a brief warning on how it would feel if a battle ensued and one were forced to take a life. Not surprisingly, the instructor could not have known how Kylah in particular would respond, and thus had no advice even remotely relevant to her situation. Remembering his platitudes--"Lethal force is an unfortunate but necessary act you may be required to use to defend yourself or others"--does little. It certainly doesn't stop the echoes.

Kylah hasn't cried since her parents died ten years ago. She won't do so now.

T'Var begins as thorough a medical check of each officer as she can under the circumstances, then will report her findings to Collins and begin whatever form of treatment she can while still on the shuttle.

Dr. T'Var finds that Fujishiro is feverish and nearly comatose. A full scan with a medical tricorder shows that her brain activity is deteriorating, as if her brain were being cooked inside her skull by the fever. T'Var can't think of what else can be done for her.

The Vulcan healer gives Rangin a full-spectrum antibiotic dose via hypospray, has him lie down on the deck and covers him with a blanket.

Hayes tells her, "I'll be OK, Doctor. Thank you. I just... need some time to think things through." She looks pale but already a little more relaxed than on the station.

"Can I help?" Dr. Waite asks her.

Everyone else seems to be all right other than some scratches and bruises.

Pourtash asks Collins, "Top speed to the Yorktown, ma'am? That'd be Warp 4, if you wish."

"Make it so, Lieutenant" Once they go to warp, Collins sits next to Kylah "Ensign, blurting out suggestions when under stress is one thing, and sometimes useful. All but telling your commanding officers that they are wrong and foolish is not and borders on insubordination. Prior to the accident, you acted well, especially in trying to improve relations with Director Geb and the Sakathians in general. Even after the accident, you acted well, remaining cool under pressure. But once the situation became bleak and our lives were in danger you reverted to some sort of spoiled child. I know everyone reacts differently to stress, but to advance in Starfleet, you must learn to maintain professionalism. I will tell Captain Singh about the things you did well, and where you did poorly, I will report it as an expected reaction by an ensign on her first mission. You will not be reprimanded this time, nor disciplined. But you will not be at the top of anyone's list for a mission until you have demonstrated more control and respect." She gets up to go back to the front of the shuttle, but turns "and it would be perfectly acceptable and understandable if you wish to request a change of quarters." The last thing Collins wants as a roommate is someone who holds a grudge. She sits in the command chair and stares at the chronometer, willing the time it takes for her message to reach the Yorktown to speed up.

"Thank you, Henry," T'Var answers. "I am most concerned with Mr. Fujishiro. Any and all suggestions would be most welcome."

T'Var's sensitive Vulcan hearing cannot help but take in what Collins has just said to Kylah. Perhaps, at a more appropriate time, the doctor will sit down with the young ensign and learn more about what's going on with her and why she acted as she did while on this mission.

Pourtash nods and takes the Meitner to Warp 4. Soon you cross the orbit of the outermost planet of the Sakath system and head into deep space.

Waite says, "None of our experiments exposed human beings to the latest batch of ntLd serum. I just don't know why she's reacting this way to what I presume was a bite by one of the... altered Sakathians." He looks over T'Var's tricorder readings, shakes his head and says, "I'm sorry, T'Var, but I think her condition is terminal."

In the cramped confines of the shuttle, Rangin can't help but overhear this. He feels nauseous and uncomfortable, but not dying. Hayes gives him a drink of cold water.

After Collins's speech, during which Kylah was as silent and immobile as a statue, the younger woman waits until her superior officer leaves her alone again before she so much as blinks.

Kylah has never felt as demoralized, impotent, misunderstood, underappreciated and dismissed--at least, not since she left Elas. Her efforts at not crying are weakening treacherously, and she continues to dig her fingernails into the uncomfortable seat, using pain to distract her and keep the shameful tears at bay.

The resentment burns so brightly in her chest that the thought suddenly occurs to her that if her Guardian were somehow able to contact her at this very moment, asking her yet again to undertake one of his multitudinous schemes that would betray the Federation's treaty with Elas in favor of the more dangerous but profitable Klingons, a secret, dark part of Starfleet Ensign Kylah would be sorely tempted to comply. Or at least consider it.

This fleeting notion terrifies her and she closes her eyes to rid it from her mind.

When she opens her eyes again, she watches T'Var and Waite with Fujishiro, and then shifts her attention slightly to Hayes's actions. She approves of the latter and cannot fathom why these Federation medical experts are relying merely on their tools. Are they so reliant on their precious scientific technology they're confounded with basic physiological crises that can be controlled by other, less technological methods?

Kylah once had a raging fever as a child, to the point where she actually heard voices that weren't there--for her, this was especially disturbing--and when nothing else worked, the royal physicians had packed her in ice to lower the fever boiling her brain and forced fluids and salt to a degree that Kylah could not stomach any sort of fowl broth for weeks afterward.

Even Hayes, a mere ensign, seems to understand the importance of hydration. But the two doctors are wasting time looking for causes, checking their instruments, and shrugging their shoulders. Incredible.

Only when Waite gives an outright false theory does Kylah finally break her silence. We're out of range of the station now, she thinks sullenly. Surely Lieutenant Collins will not order a court martial for my daring to speak.

"No, Dr. Waite, Mr. Fujishiro was not bitten," she says clearly but in a dull monotone. "She said herself she wasn't wounded until one of the creatures just grabbed at her. It appears this infection is the result of that scratch on her arm, which you sterilized twice yet it kept bleeding." Her gaze ignores her crewmates and focuses on the water stores in the shuttle. Kylah then adds, with as little inflection as possible: "If I may make a suggestion. Of course, our physicians on Elas are far less sophisticated and have fewer advanced technical tools at their disposal than Federation medical professionals. But when confronted by such a high fever, they simply make certain to keep the patients well-hydrated and do all they can to keep them cool. Perhaps decreasing the temperature in here will buy Fujishiro some time?"

She looks at Rangin with sympathy and concern. And you too, I hope.

Having been attended to by Dr T'var and accepted the hypospray, Rangin thinks back over the last few minutes. On the one hand, he's glad the trick with the tricorder worked, on the other hand, the news concerning Fujishiro is severe. After listening to the others, he ponders back on other cross transmission diseases he has encountered, not as a doctor but as a exo-biologist.

He pushes himself into a sitting position, his back to the wall and blanket wrapped around him. He forces himself to speak, despite the nausea, to get the message across.

"Kylah's right you know, you do need to lower her body temperature. That heat is probably the body trying to fight it off. The antibiotic you gave me, is probably going to do nothing apart from make me feel like something is being done. It's partly viral in nature, you'll probably need to identify and create a retro virus if you want to save her. If you want to slow its progress, I would suggest putting her into coma to try and prevent too much damage to the brain. If you're lucky, she may be able to fight it off over time, but she's going to need all the time we can give her."

He takes a deep breath, the ache in his shoulder and arm currently dull, but raw, throbs of pain.

"I'd start with taking blood samples from me and saying why I'm not as badly affected, probably species based... who knows... blood transfusion........may be of use."

He slumps slightly, worn out, and breathing deeply trying to recover from the exertion.

Collins does not turn around to face Kylah after she corrects the doctor, She has a point, Collins thinks, and at least this time she was calm about it. Collins' focus is on the all too slowly closing gap between the Meitner and the Yorktown. She is aware of what T'Var and Waite are tryong to accomplish, but she doesn't trust Waite any farther than she could throw him. T'Var must have this under control. I have no medical background so I'd only be in the way. She continues to stare at the passing star blurs.

T'Var listens attentively to Kylah and Rangin. "Your suggestions are valid," the doctor replies. "I can assure both of you that I am doing everything possible to assist Mr. Fujishiro. Unfortunately, as Dr. Waite has stated, we do not know how humans are impacted by this virus. Proceeding with what is considered logical may in fact do more harm than good."

The doctor scans Fujishiro yet again, then frowns. "Until I have access to better medical facilities...." T'Var shakes her head.

"You cold blooded..." utters Rangin under his breath but probably loud enough to be heard without realising it.

"Doctor," he says at a more controlled volume, "You know the effect it has on Sakathians. You can see the effect it is having on both Coridanite and Human. We have the files from the station and my tricorder readings. Draw your conclusions from the facts you have at hand and act. If you don't have all the facts. Use your experience and guess. If you don't have the tools here. Improvise." biting off the last words at the shock of T'Var's non-action.

Kylah stares at T'Var in acute disappointment at the doctor's frustrating reply. She's trying to think of some response that won't get her into more trouble when she hears Rangin's half-muttered insult, followed by his cogent argument. If the situation weren't dire she'd cry his name aloud in her homeworld's traditional manner of displaying approval. Instead she nods and sends him another supportive, affirming look. She turns to the Vulcan again.

"Mr. Rangin's suggestions are more than Dr. Waite provided, despite being the one to help develop this experiment," she says softly. Even when trying to remain calm, Kylah cannot let Waite's responsibility go unremarked. "Something in the Coridanite biology may be the key to saving Fujishiro. There is no other way to perform more research or gain more insight until the Yorktown arrives--or unless we chase down that Sakathian ship, which seems an unlikely option."

Suddenly she remembers the data device she took from Chief Porr. Without his password, only the Yorktown's powerful system might have a chance at decrypting whatever information is stored there. She curses inwardly at having lost the chance to talk to the security chief before he was transported off the shuttle.

But she focuses on the here and now--which is what she's certain T'Var must do. "I only ask you this, doctor: what profit is there in doing nothing? Is it not true that sometimes one must treat the immediate symptoms even if you do not know the underlying cause? For example, you closed Fujishiro's bleeding wound before knowing the precise nature of what caused it--not once, but twice. For all we know, letting her bleed might have prevented the infection from running through her system. But she was in danger of blood loss and you made the only logical decision at the time." Kylah shakes her head wearily. "I cannot imagine any logic in just waiting while this poor woman dies or is permanently brain damaged by her fever."

She falls silent, wishing for the thousandth time today that there were more she can contribute--or would be allowed to contribute. All she can do is think. Why is Fujishiro so much more affected than Rangin? He was bitten twice, she was merely scratched with a far less invasive wound. Perhaps the infection is not passed on by saliva...

Kylah thinks back to each of the people attacked in one way or another by the Sakathians. She remembers one constant: each one had dark stains--not blood, but some sort of excretion or ichor from the creatures--on their uniforms. Could the ichor itself be poisonous? Might contact with the altered Sakathians' skin have triggered this virulent infection?

She is neither a doctor nor scientist, and knows her ruminations are useless. Uttering them aloud to T'Var would likely be considered more insubordination. While she's moving beyond the point of caring about being reprimanded, she doesn't think her pride can take another hit. So instead, while their superiors wait to make their decisions, she turns to Rangin and murmurs her theory to him, ending with: "If this is so, could some sort of antivenom be produced if the ichor on the stained uniforms were examined and its toxic agent identified?"

The stars ahead streak past as the shuttlecraft Meitner continues forward at a steady Warp 4.

"Would you mind the helm for me, please, Mr. Collins?" Pourtash asks as he engages the autopilot. He turns around and says, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving. Can I get anything for anyone?" He goes aft to check the emergency ration storage locker.

The subspace comm panel soon chimes. Collins presses the Receive key and you all hear Capt. Singh's voice: "Lt. JG Collins: Your latest message has been received and understood. We're still on our way at maximum warp. If you maintain Warp 4, we should meet you in approximately 30 hours. Do your best for your injured and, as soon as possible, submit a full report on what happened. Members of your boarding party who are capable of doing so should also submit personal reports. Singh, S.P., USS Yorktown, commanding."

A human doctor would be quite insulted by the comments of her crewmates. T'Var, however, is not human, therefore she remains calm and will do her best to reassure them that she is doing all she can to provide the proper medical assistance to Fujishiro under the circumstances.

"I understand your concern," the doctor replies. "I have given Mr. Fujishiro broad-spectrum antibiotics and other medications which should help with her fever and other symptoms. While I do not believe lowering the temperature of the shuttle will make much of a difference, we can give that a try -- with Mr. Collins' permission."

"Just a protein bar and some water for me thanks" Collins tells Pourtash as she taps the panel to take the helm. She also adjusts the shuttle's internal temperature to 18 degrees Celcius. "Grab a jacket, if you need it," she tells the crew, "Also, in case you didn't hear the Captain's message, she would like personal reports from everyone who is able. Once I give Pourtash back the helm, I will write the mission report."

Only now, that things have calmed down, does Jeremi become aware of the looming nausea threatening to overtake her yet again. She calls back to Pourtash "Lieutenant, please see if there is any herbal tea back there."

"Not hungry thanks, just some water." says Rangin as his stomach rebels at the thought of any food.

"We have plenty of ichor, I'm covered in it, but somehow I don't think its a cause in itself." he responds to Kylah, "Check the medical data you uploaded to see if it contains what the transmission vectors are."

He picks up his tricorder and starts going over the readings he took from himself and the late Mrs Porr. "Dr T'Var, my apologies for speaking out of turn," he enquires, "but what are the current readings on Fujishiro and are they starting to look like either of these?"

Pourtash, Hayes and Waite munch on Starfleet-issue protein bars. Hayes is particularly thirsty and drinks a lot of cold water.

There is no herbal tea. Pourtash brings Collins a protein bar and a glass of water, takes his seat again and says to her, "I relieve you, ma'am." He leaves the autopilot engaged but keeps an eye on the control panel.

In looking at the readings from Rangin, Mrs. Porr and Fujishiro, T'Var sees some similarities but more differences. Each has or had some kind of bloodborne viral infection, apparently artificial, but it affected each of them differently:

Rangin was bitten by an altered Sakathian, and has been left sore, tired and nauseous, with a slight fever. The full-spectrum antibiotic which T'Var gave him does seem to be helping with a secondary infection which, she thinks, may have arisen from his exposure to the Denebian slime devils.

Mrs. Porr was bitten and then rendered unconscious by her infection, bled noticeably darker blood from the eyes and ears, was confirmed dead, but then "revived." She was, without question, physiologically and mentally changed by the virus.

Fujishiro was scratched, not bitten. She has been consistently and dangerously feverish, lapsed into unconsciousness and now coma, and has seen a steady degradation of brain function. T'Var cannot, with just her tricorder and medical scanner on the shuttlecraft, explain why three individuals - Coridanite, Sakathian and human - have reacted differently to what appears to be the same or a very similar virus. She knows that she will need the much more extensive resources of the Yorktown's Sickbay and Medical Lab.

Kylah could eat five protein bars right now but takes just one and some water, gratefully. She's been famished on and off since the seige began, and her mouth is as dry as dust. Now she's also cold thanks to the lowered temperature of the shuttle, but for obvious reasons Kylah doesn't even want to see if there are any extra blankets to use as a cover. She's the one who recommended the lower temperature, and she's certainly not going to reveal her petty discomfort as a result.

As she sips, she glances at Hayes with curiosity. She's been acting a little odd since the attack. T'Var found no physical injuries on the other ensign. Still, Kylah wonders if Hayes is still reeling from her close call with the Sakathian who'd nearly reached her in the transporter room. Then again, all of the crew--well, excepting T'Var--probably have some form of trauma as a result of the gruesome events today. Kylah realizes she doesn't even know if there's a qualified psychiatrist on board the ship; probably not, she's unaware of Starfleet making mental health a priority. Perhaps one of the other doctors on board the Yorktown is qualified to assist in such matters. As kind as T'Var has sometimes been, one can't expect much emotional support from a Vulcan.

Shaking her head, she turns to Rangin when he responds to her question. "I'll check the records, thank you," she says, a trifle hesitantly. She's not entirely certain what she's looking for, especially since--if Waite is to be believed, which admittedly is a big if--the altered Sakathians were an unintended result of the experiments. Not wanting to say this aloud, she simply adds, "I fear that whatever strange new species or physical characteristics these creatures developed were probably not recorded; there wouldn't have been time. Of course, you know biology far better than I, Mr. Rangin. You are likely correct."

While running the search, Kylah finds herself wondering exactly what happened in the hours or moments leading up to the alarm this morning. The truth is, none of them, not even Waite, were in that lab when the Sakathian research subjects apparently took over. How did it happen? How could the researchers not know what was happening? Were the Sakathians' transformations instaneous? That would seem hard to believe; outside of the magical horror tales she used to read to her younger siblings, no one changes from sane, rational being to monster in a mere moments. Such a biological change couldn't occur immediately. Even Mrs. Porr took some time to transform--though Kylah realizes she doesn't know how long before her death and transformation the woman was bitten.

All this being the case, were there any symptoms shown prior to the sudden display of vicious, animal-like characteristics? If so, why was everyone caught so off-guard?

So many questions, and none of them answerable except by Waite--whose testimony is unlikely to be trustworthy. Only some survivor who was in the lab--or someone with access to the secure video or audio records--would know exactly what happened.

Kylah's mind again flashes on the data device she purloined from Chief Porr. If she or some of the expert technicians on the Yorktown can hack into it, might it contain any video or audio data from the station's security monitors? Definitely something to consider when they get back to the ship.

The ship. This leads her to ponder the Captain's orders for a report. There's much she wants to convey, but putting it all in a written report makes her uneasy.

She puts her rambling thoughts aside and focuses on her data search. Anything that can help Fujishiro must be her first priority.

dpr

Frankly, T'Var is truly stumped by the information she currently has regarding this virus. There must be a connection of some kind. And there must be a way to reverse the results of the infection.

"When we return to the Yorktown, I will need to know everything you can tell me about these experiments and what could possibly have led to this most disturbing outcome," T'Var says to Waite. "You must be completely honest with me. The more information you can provide, the better."

Waite seems exhausted and irritable. He says to T'Var, "I've told you everything I know already, and helped download data from the research banks before we left the station. I'm as baffled as you are. Right now I'd just like to get some sleep, all right?"

Pourtash, while still watching the shuttle controls, takes a small subvocalization contact pad from the comm panel, puts it on his throat, and begins inaudibly recording his report for the Captain.

Hayes and Delaney, however, both decide to get some rest. They get blankets from the aft storage compartment, lie down on the deck a few meters apart and are soon asleep.

Kylah continues her research, but it's really not her field of expertise, and nothing leaps out at her.

Feeling gladly alone in the quiet, Collins grabs a PADD and types her mission report, hitting only the highlights, as she knows Captain Singh will want more details at the debriefing. No sense in telling the whole story twice. She chews the protein bar slowly and takes small sips from the water, lest her nausea finds reason to wake up.

T'Var is certain Waite knows much more than what he's willing to share. Perhaps once he's had some sleep and nourishment....

The Vulcan sighs. She will eat and drink a little something, then get some rest. She will then begin her report for the captain, keeping her focus on the medical/scientific aspects of this mission.

Kylah watches the others around her in the darkness. When she notices that T'Var is still awake, having somethng to eat right now, she moves closer to the older woman--careful not to disturb those who've fallen into much-needed sleep.

Before she addresses T'Var, she briefly gazes out at the infinity of space outside the windows. The sight makes her feel more vulnerable than usual. In a vessel like the Yorktown, it's easy to forget just how small even a starship is when compared to the universe through which it travels. In comparison, their shuttle is a speck of dust: invisible and insignificant.

"Doctor," she says softly. "I am sorry to interrupt you. But Rangin suggested that I look for any possible virus transmission vectors recorded within the data we downloaded from the lab's computers." She quickly explains her theory about the ichor being a possible poison, considering that the scratch on Fujishiro's skin seems to have been more dangerous than the deeper bites on the others.

"It is unlikely that I am correct, but perhaps there is other information here that you might find more useful. I don't really understand much of the medical terminology," she admits.

Kylah awkwardly holds out her tricorder. She's glad that as a Vulcan, T'Var is unlikely to hold a grudge for their earlier disagreement. She's also grateful that the darkness hides her flushed face. It's not easy for her to admit her own ignorance.

T'Var takes Kylah's tricorder and looks over the information. "This is quite interesting," the doctor says. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Ensign. I am sure it will prove useful."

With a nod, Kylah sits beside T'Var. She belatedly realizes that she could have just sent the information to T'Var's tricorder directly without having moved an inch. But she knows why she didn't. Unconsciously, she wants to sit beside the Vulcan. Despite their clashes earlier, it's T'Var who provides Kylah with the most sense of serenity. Her orderly mind and unflappable demeanor are like a calming blanket. The others... Even in rest, they still remind her too much of the chaotic violence of this day. Kylah desperately craves emptiness, silence, peace.

She rests her head against the window and closes her eyes, trying to focus on ridding herself of all the horror still clogging her thoughts. It's a vain attempt, of course: Fujishiro is still gravely ill, Rangin in pain. And so is Kylah--even though it's hours later, she can still feel the dull ache where the slime devil bit her.

But Kylah tries anyway. It's all she can do.

Waite gets a blanket and beds down on the shuttlecraft's carpeted deck for the night. In less than a minute he is quietly snoring.

Rangin feels very tired and also slips off to sleep. There is no change in Fujishiro's condition.

T'Var looks over the tricorder data Kylah gave her. Nothing leaps out at her at first glance; she will need many hours to review it and compare it to the observed symptoms of her patients.

Pourtash finishes his report, edits it, sends it to the Yorktown, and stretches. "Why don't you two get some sleep?" he asks T'Var and Kylah. "I'll stand the first watch."

T'Var acknowledges Pourtash's offer with a nod, then closes her eyes.

Rangin did try to get a few notes down for a report but dropped off in the middle of it.

Her report finished, Collins asks Pourtash "Are you good with the helm, Lieutenant? I want to grab a catnap here in the chair."

T'Var drifts off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Pourtash says, "I'm fine. I'll wake you when I need someone to take the conn." Collins falls asleep within minutes.

Rangin sleeps but tosses and turns. He wakes about three hours later, very sick to his stomach, and makes it to the head (toilet) in the shuttle's tiny aft bathroom just in time to barf. He feels achy and feverish.

Kylah tries to follow T'Var and Collins's lead, but keeps waking up in several restless cycles. She's uncomfortable with being in such close proximity to this many others when trying to sleep and finds it extremely distracting. She awakes again with Rangin, noticing his distress and worrying about him.

"Do you need anything, Mr. Rangin?" she whispers. "Should I wake the doctor? Or I could check the emergency stores; perhaps there's an antiemetic that might help you."

Rangin shakes his head, mumbles indistinctly and crawls back to his place on the deck. He pulls his blanket tightly around him, shivering. Pourtash frowns but doesn't wake Dr. T'Var. After awhile, the young Coridanite xenobiologist drops off to sleep again and is still.

Waite's snoring gets a little louder.

About an hour later, the communications panel chimes. Kylah sees there are two messages from the Yorktown, one for Hayes and one for Collins.

Kylah runs a weary hand over her face--the communications chimes woke her during one of her brief moments of sleep--and, after taking in a deep breath, reluctantly moves to wake the mission commander.

"Lieutenant," she says in a soft voice to Collins while gingerly nudging her. "You've just received a message from the Yorktown. Shall I route it through to your tricorder?"

If Collins says yes, Kylah will forward the message for her private perusal. Otherwise she'll give control to the comm panel to the older woman.

She'll then go to Hayes and will try to wake her as well--being even more gentle, considering what seems like Hayes's fragile emotional state--before making the same offer.

"Hmmm? mrflmmbl uh..." Collins stretches which clears the fog of sleep "to my tricorder, please, Ensign. Thank you." While the message downloads, Jeremi sits upright and checks the shuttle's panels as a matter of routine, making note that only an hour has passed.

T'Var's sensitive Vulcan hearing wakes her to the noises surrounding her. She looks about slowly. The doctor notices Rangin and immediately goes over to him. She scans Rangin with her medical tricorder, then frowns.

Collins sees that the Meitner is on course and running smoothly. Pourtash looks a little ragged but insists he's willing to remain on duty for now.

Both messages are text-only. Collins reads hers; it doesn't take long. Hayes also awakens and reads hers.

Dr. T'Var sees from her scan that Rangin is getting sicker. As before, the infection is similar to but not identical to that of either Fujishiro or Mrs. Porr. He is more feverish and dehydrated than earlier. His sleep is fitful and shallow; it does not appear that he has had sufficient REM sleep in the past day for a Coridanite of his age and brain chemistry.