Groundcar

[Savros 0]

Crewman Robert Mathios stood with his Mark II Phaser in hand. He thought it a curious thing to see the Vulcan Science officer running to reach the ground car. No doubt he had some logical reason, but the level of importance he placed on the urgency of the matter was overshadowed by the humor of seeing the arms of the overly large suit flapping freely as he ran. If he didn't know better, he'd think the Vulcan was pretending to be a court jester. Suddenly Robert imagined Savros in a medieval jester costume, juggling. A smile came to him as he received the signal to lower his weapon.

 

"Are any of you sick or injured?" inquired Savros, having stowed his tricorder in his left arm flap.

 

The passengers shook their heads no. Seconds later a chirp sounded and Savros opened his communicator in his right hand and adjusted it to the oncoming signal. "This is Lieutenant Savros, do you read?"

 

From inside his protective suit, Savros noticed the driver pressing a button, "This is Marcos Palmenti. You are Starfleet, yes?"

 

"Yes, Marcos," he paused looking at their reactions. "Can you tell me why you were attempting to leave?"

 

At this the driver espoused his displeasure with a number of hand gestures. He was clearly upset, "Leave? Fronda and I are trying to find out what happened. No one is answering."

 

"Yes, I understand. The area is being quarantined. Is your groundcar positive pressure?"

 

The human female next to Marcos spoke, "Quarantined! But Yolanda and Mirando! Our friends are in there!" As she spoke, her hands showed a feeling of desperation that gave the Vulcan the impression that they needed more information before they would be able to feel safe.

 

"Listen to me carefully. I will provide you with as much information as I know, but you must stay in your groundcar and keep calm." The three travelers nodded their heads as Savros continued, "We are investigating a disease outbreak in the area that is highly infectious and potentially fatal." At this, Fronda burst into tears and sobbed into her husband's arms. "By coming here, you may have put your lives at risk, so it is imperative that you remain in the vehicle and explain where you have been so that we can determine your level of risk and take appropriate action."

 

The travelers began to relate their tale. Marcos and Fronda owned a store in north western settlement. They had business dealings with Yolanda and Mirando, and had developed a friendship over the past several years. The Efrosian female was a priestess who came to pray with members of her faith who were suffering from an illness. She convinced the couple to take her on the 6-hour journey to Giiwyen. When they arrived no one responded and they wondered if their subspace transponder was working. Marcos tinkered with it while Fronda piloted the vehicle in a circular pattern to see where everyone had gone. A half an hour later, a phaser came from the sky and they landed the vehicle. They have been waiting to see if anyone would come.

Savros listened to the story and decided they would normally be considered low risk, but realized that they were still dealing with an unknown agent and that caution was advised. "Thank you for explaining. If you are certain that none of you left the vehicle, then you may not have been infected. Of course, you will have to be quarantined till the doctor clears you."

 

Fronda sat back in her chair and used a handkerchief to remove the tears from her eyes. Marcos flipped the toggle switch to give them a moment of privacy, and a few moments later he spoke, "We understand. Can you provide us with food and shelter?"

 

"I shall make the arrangements."