"Putting Heads Together"
Posted on 09 Feb 2026 @ 12:42am by Lieutenant Commander Claire Dunross MD & Captain Sabrina Corbin & Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD
1,375 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Silent Inheritance
Location: CMO's Office - USS Arawyn
// CMO's Office :: Arawyn //
"Would you like coffee. It's the real thing I picked up in a shop on Lathira during shore leave," Riah asked her colleague, Dr Dunross.
“Oh, no, thank you. I’ll grab a cup of tea instead.” Claire said with an appreciative smile at the gesture, ordering an Earl Grey with milk and a stir of honey from the replicator.
"We have a couple of issues I wanted to discuss. I invited Captain Corbin to join us. She said she'd show up as soon as possible, as she had another appointment, but I didn't want to delay this issue too long," Riah explained. "As I said in my memo, we have a problem on Lathira, that seems to be becoming our problem. There is an outbreak of Novaryn-C in children under 10 -- so far under 10 years of age -- at 3 different clinics in a specific province on the surface, including the Kestral Reach community.
"Our whole crew has potentially been exposed," she continued. "What's odd, is that these children - five so far - have been vaccinated, and the vaccine appears to be providing some protection, but not enough to eliminate symptoms and contagion. In addition, the children are not improving on existing protocols for treatment. Some are getting worse, which you know is fatal from nervous symptom involvement, and ultimately encephalitis.
"We need to find out a little more from a medical perspective, and see if there are any other reports in the Federation of such an outbreak or failure of vaccines. We need a plan that includes the Solara Research Clinic on the surface and the doctors in those clinics. But I figured we needed to discuss it between us and Captain Corbin first. The Captain is aware of the issue and has tasked me to lead that overarching issue. I wondered what you might have to offer about such a thing?"
Claire had been quiet through most of Amberlyn’s explanation, listening rather than interrupting, her attention fixed somewhere just past the rim of her teacup. It didn’t sit right. Not quite.
When Riah finished, Claire nodded once, slow and thoughtful.
“If the vaccine is still offering partial protection,” Claire said at last, “then something in the pathogen has shifted rather than the treatment failing outright.” Her gaze moved briefly toward the office display, mind already arranging possibilities. “That makes the samples our most reliable starting point.”
She set the cup aside. “If we can leverage the science department for comparative analysis—genetic drift, protein expression changes, anything that might be interfering with immune response—we may be able to determine what’s blunting the vaccine’s effectiveness.” A pause, honest and measured. Easier said than done.
Her eyes returned to Amberlyn, steady and pragmatic. “If we can identify that factor, we can adapt the vaccine rather than replace it. That gives us a clearer path forward.”
"I agree," nodded Riah. She took a sip of her coffee. "It has mutated. But just here on Lathira? Or elsewhere in the Federation? I'll check out that long distance information. And why only these young children? If their vaccines were the same as the older children, and the adults, the virus may just be slower to overtake the vaccine. Our crew was vaccinated elsewhere. They might act as a study group that IS still effectively fighting off the virus, unless they and the Lathirian adults begin to get sick. Then we will need a lot of that new adapted vaccine and good anti-viral."
Children first. It was almost always children first. Developing immune systems, narrower margins for error across species. Claire kept her expression neutral as the thought settled in. Grim business.
“That pattern isn’t unusual,” Claire said carefully. “In mixed populations, children tend to show vulnerability before adults do. Human, Andorian, Bajoran, Trill—it’s developmental physiology more than genetics.” She paused, deliberate. “It doesn’t mean the vaccine has failed outright. It may simply be slowing progression in older patients.”
Her gaze stayed on Riah. “I’d caution against assuming this is confined to Lathira, or that it’s already widespread elsewhere. We don’t have enough data yet to support either conclusion.” A brief beat.
“I’d recommend drawing samples from crew who spent time on the surface,” Claire continued. “We can compare immune response markers against their vaccination records and exposure duration. That should tell us whether the environment is interfering with efficacy, or if we’re seeing the early edge of a broader shift.”
Her tone remained measured. “Once we have that, we’ll know which direction to move.”
The soft chime at the office door announced another presence before anyone spoke.
“Apologies for the delay,” Captain Corbin said as she stepped inside, her voice calm but carrying the faint edge of having come from somewhere else entirely. She gave Amberlyn a brief, apologetic look. “I was detained longer than anticipated.”
Her gaze shifted to Claire, assessing without scrutiny, and she inclined her head. “Captain Sabrina Corbin. We haven’t been formally introduced.”
“Lieutenant Commander Claire Dunross,” Claire replied, rising just enough to be polite before settling again. “A pleasure, Captain.”
Corbin acknowledged her with a small nod before taking the seat Amberlyn indicated, folding her hands loosely in front of her. “Riah asked that we not delay this discussion. I understand you’ve already begun outlining the medical concerns.”
Amberlyn summarized efficiently, touching on the pediatric cases, the partial vaccine response, and the lack of improvement under existing treatment protocols. She finished with Claire’s recommendations regarding comparative sampling and cross-departmental analysis.
Corbin listened without interruption, her expression intent but controlled. When Amberlyn finished, she exhaled once, slow.
“That aligns with what I was briefed on,” she said. “I agree with drawing Science into this immediately, and Operations as well. I don’t want Medical carrying this alone, not when we’re potentially looking at environmental or systemic variables.” Her eyes moved briefly between the two physicians. “Use whatever analytical bandwidth you need.”
She paused, then added, almost casually, “I’ll also make myself available for sampling. I spent time planetside in Kestrel Reach and the Tide Gardens. If my data helps establish a baseline, you’re welcome to it.”
Her tone remained even, but resolute. “For now, let’s proceed on evidence, not assumptions. Once we have clearer data, we can decide how broadly this needs to escalate.”
Corbin leaned back slightly, signaling she was done speaking. “Please. Continue.”
Riah nodded. "I'm going to contact Starfleet Medical Research Division and see if it is more widespread. As you say, Captain, here, we proceed with evidence. On Awawyn, I recommend a random sampling of say 50-75 people, rather than the whole 230+ crew. I'll put Dr Kim in charge of obtaining that sampling. We'll ask the clinics to sample some of the older children and adults on Lathira. We have records for the results of lab work on the sick children, but we can have actual samples brought here to Arawyn.
"Meanwhile, I'll put Drs Kim and McDavid on analyzing our samples of the crew and comparing with Lathira samples. See if there is anything developing. And we will get with Cmdr Sovak and ask for a team in Science to run their models based on those same samplings. See where we stand as that process develops. Dr Dunross, how about coordinating with Cmdr Sovak's people? I'll introduce you to him myself. I'll connect with the clinics on Lathira and Starfleet Medical."
Corbin nodded once, decisive. “That’s a sound approach. Keep the sampling targeted and coordinated, and loop Science and Ops in as discussed. I want regular updates as the data comes in, but otherwise proceed. You have my full support.”
Claire inclined her head once. “Of course. I’ll coordinate directly with Commander Sovak’s team and ensure our parameters remain aligned. I’ll report back as soon as we have actionable data.”
Riah nodded to Dunross and then to Corbin. "Thank you Captain for joining us and for your support. You can expect regular reports."
~~~~~
LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer
LtCmdr Claire Dunross, MD
Asst Chief Medical Officer
Captain Sabrina Corbin
Commanding Officer
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