Pathogen Precautions

Posted on 20 Jun 2026 @ 4:46pm by Lieutenant Commander Riah Amberlyn XMD & Lieutenant Commander Steven Remington & Commander Suzanna Batenburg & Lieutenant Ryan Collingway

1,322 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Time After Time
Location: Briefing Room Five :: Awawyn

//Engineering///

For engineering, the red alert hit the department a bit differently than the rest of the ship. The last time there had been one, engineering had suffered catastrophic damage. The tension was high in the room.

It wouldn't happen this time, Ryan told himself firmly. They weren't caught off guard. Weapons and shields were fully energized. He was watching the readout when suddenly his combadge chirped.

"Batenburg to Collingway, Flammia, and Remington. Please report to Briefing Room Five in ten minutes. We will be deploying to the surface."

Ryan glanced at Ensign Sorensen, who had temporary AEO codes. He couldn't imagine the tension getting any easier with him leaving. "We'll get through this. Not a scratch while I'm gone, okay?"

Sorensen nodded. "I promise, if you promise to figure this out before it gets any crazier."

"Will do," Ryan said, and left.

///Briefing Room Five///

Ryan entered the briefing room and immediately sat down. "Reporting in," he said simply to Batenburg.

Remington followed on Collingway's heels,. "Remington reporting," he acknowledged Batenburg, who was studying a holo-projection of the California neighborhood, now devolved into chaos. Steve sat down and added his eyes on the projection.

The Quartermaster was permitted entry, and delivered the clothes as requested. He had gotten advanced notice of who was going and replicated appropriately to each member's size. Plain clothes for the most part. Nothing that would stand out in any way. Pockets and purses to hide combadges and potential weapons, of course. "Commander," he said respectfully, and left.

Several moments passed before Dr Amberlyn entered the room and quietly took a seat. "Dr Dunross is right behind me," she offered softly to Batenburg.

“Please, take a seat,” Suzanna began once the team had assembled. “Some of you are already aware that we have escalated to Level Two of the intervention matrix. Evidence indicates that an external actor has interfered with the Sherman Oaks fragment. Most notably, the local solar cycle has ceased. The sun is no longer setting, and the inhabitants have begun to notice.”

She activated the display, allowing images and sensor data to appear. “The situation has become more complex. Multiple subspace fractures have opened, apparently connecting to different eras or timelines. During the last incident, Klingon and Romulan Birds-of-Prey from the mid-twenty-third century appeared in the sky while engaged in combat. The event was visible to the civilian population.”

Suzanna allowed a brief pause for the implications to settle. “Through passive monitoring, we intercepted a civilian transmission that may provide our first actionable lead. One of the residents reported a young boy who appears connected to the disturbances. The same transmission provided the location where he was last observed.”

The display shifted to a map of Sherman Oaks, highlighting a residential cul-de-sac. “Our objective is straightforward. Locate the boy, determine his connection to the anomaly, and identify whether he is the cause, a victim, or merely a witness to the events unfolding around him.”

She looked around the room. “Given the increasing instability of the fragment and the presence of additional actors, operational security is critical. We will be dressed in period-appropriate civilian attire and will conduct ourselves as local residents. Starfleet equipment will remain concealed unless circumstances dictate otherwise.”

Her gaze settled briefly on each member of the team. “Questions?”

Ryan looked around the table. "Lieutenant Remington and I were theorizing that someone was directly responsible for these events," he began. "If we determine he is responsible, do we attempt to bring him back to the ship? What would be our next move?"

Suzanna looked toward Collingway and gave a slight nod. It was a valid question, though one for which they possessed insufficient data. “Based on the information currently available, the entity presents itself as a young boy,” she replied. “Beyond that, we cannot draw reliable conclusions. Whatever is responsible for these events has demonstrated capabilities well beyond our current understanding.”

She paused briefly. “If the boy is the source, then his appearance may be genuine. It may also be a construct, a disguise, or simply the form through which we are perceiving something far more complex.”

Her expression remained composed. “Until we determine exactly what we are dealing with, I have no intention of escalating the situation unnecessarily. Nor am I prepared to place the Arawyn at risk. Our objective is information gathering and assessment. We will proceed cautiously and adjust our response based on what we learn on the surface.”

Suzanna glanced around the room. “Assume nothing. Observe everything. At present, our greatest vulnerability is acting on incomplete information.”

"True," said Dr Amberlyn. "We must avoid contact with the people unless it is absolutely unavoidable. We carry pathogens that might kill off these people in a matter of weeks, if not hours, so we do not want to pay for our curiosity with their lives. We must locate the boy, and even then, keep our distance. These people are frightened and chances are hysterical. It's going to be a challenge for us to not try to comfort or reassure them. You must ignore their hysterics and stay focused on the boy."

Ryan nodded in agreement, his eyes widening as he considered that possibility. The prime directive was already taking a beating. It was pretty much gone if this escalated into a full-blown medical crisis which required Starfleet intervention. The clothing was passed along the table. His were jeans, white sneakers, and a striped shirt. It made him look like a college student, which was probably the idea.

Steve Remington's set of clothing was also well-worn blue-jeans, a medium blue t-shirt and brown, black and cream-coloured flannel shirt, the hem of which hung down to mid-thigh, hiding anything at his waist, and equipped with large chest level pockets in which to hide a comm badge. A pair of equally worn brown leather boots completed the outfit. He cocked his head as Amberlyn spoke. "I assume we will go through decon before we beam down, and when we come back?"

"Indeed. All precautions possible," replied the doctor.

"Agreed, Doctor Amyberlyn. Do we need any inoculations prior to beaming down?" Suzanna asked.

"Most of what we can assume are pathogens we would encounter have already been included in our current vaccine regimen. I would want to check a few things before we depart. The five minute warning before this meeting about an away mission didn't give me much time to complete that program. It would take perhaps 15 minutes and I could bring any additional inoculations to the transporter room to be administered before we beam down. And decon would of course be included in the transporter room as well," replied Riah.

"Understood." Suzanna grabbed the set of clothes brought for her. "Unless there are any questions, everyone has 15 minutes to get changed and report to the transporter room."

As the officers filed out of the briefing room, Suzanna remained behind for a moment, reviewing the latest sensor data on the display. Nothing about the situation inspired confidence. Every answer seemed to generate three new questions.

She tapped her comm badge. “Batenburg to Bridge. The away team will be transporting to the surface in fifteen minutes. Has there been any change in conditions within the fragment, or an updated location on the boy?”

She waited for the response, her gaze lingering on the map of Sherman Oaks. If the boy truly was connected to the anomaly, there was no guarantee he would remain where he had last been observed. Given the scale of the disturbances already attributed to him, assuming normal behaviour patterns would be illogical. The sooner they reached the surface, the greater the probability of finding him before the situation changed yet again.

~~~
Cmdr Suzanna Batenburg
XO USS Arawyn
Everything fits, otherwise we'll make it fit!

LtCmdr Riah Amberlyn, XMD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Arawyn

Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Arawyn

Lieutenant Steve Remington
Acting Chief Science Officer
USS Awawyn

 

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