Homeward Bound

[Cptn d'Ka 0]

Homeward Bound

Dr. Mimi Pavilion and Captain d’Ka

 

Her polished hull gleaming in the light of Aegis’ fighter bay, USS Missouri’s VIP shuttle settled silently on the deck. A moment later, with a whisper of hydraulics, the shuttle’s ramp lowered before a sea of blue, red, white, gold, silver, and gray — officers of the Allied Powers shoulder to shoulder, rank upon rank in strict formation, dress uniforms studded with insignia. From the shuttle’s darkened interior, Captain d’Ka in Sindar formal and Commander Lei’ri in Qr’var formal, emerged, their eyes front, expressions stern. They paused, then stepped to the side and turned to face each other, waiting to flank those who would follow.

 

A crisp command echoed from the bay’s entrance, triggering a sharp, collective attention, and the Honor Guard advanced in slow, strict step, their ceremonial boot heels clicking a cadence on the deck plates and cutting through the otherwise complete silence of the bay. At the bottom of the ramp, their boots slapped together before they executed a crisp about face and presented the flags of the Allied Powers in tribute before the assembly, ready to lead the deceased to a place of honor.

 

In the first row, Lieutenant Commander Mimi Pavilion, Commander Brian Brown, RSE Commander Tylus Petrinius Jorahl, and Starfleet Surgeon General Admiral Gren DeJariov led the slow, respectful salute as the first flag-draped pod, flanked by pall bearers, exited the shuttle and moved slowly down the ramp. Eight more would follow in procession through the bay, into waiting turbolifts that would take them to the topmost observation lounge whose superior external view offered a quiet, contemplative space for them to lie in state until their families arrived.

 

Several hours later, Drs Pavilion and DeJariov were aboard USS Missouri, speaking with Dr. Shazarim, the attending physician for the surviving crew of USS Vladivostok.

 

Mimi, after spending the last few hours looking over the files of the survivors, looked between Drs DeJariov and Shazarim. “Alright, so how are the Vladivostok survivors doing as of now? Also, do we know of any contagion that could possibly infect the general population of this station, if and when we transfer them over to Aegis? I need to know what we’re dealing with.”

 

“They are doing as well as can be expected, Doctor,” Shazarim replied, with a weariness that comes from too many late nights and the constant monitoring of critical patients. “Physically, they are recovering, but very slowly. Psychologically?” His lips pursed, and his arms crossed. “It will take a while, Doctor Pavilion. Their period of isolation was short, but it was brutal by human standards. The one Romulan and two Vulcans among them seemed to fare better, but I wouldn’t rule out any psychological damage across the board.

 

“Contagion?” Here Dr. Shazarim addressed them both, especially keying in on Dr. DeJariov. “We’ve found no evidence that they’re contagious, but your medical facility is better equipped than ours. As a warship, we don’t often encounter contagious diseases, so we don’t have the extensive equipment that would rule out everything.” Shazarim nodded slightly in the direction of the Surgeon General, hinting that Missouri’s medical equipment could use an upgrade.

 

Mimi nodded, as she jotted down what Dr. Shazarim was saying. “The autopsies on the nine fatalities, what did you determine on that, or do we need to do a full autopsy on them?”

 

“I wouldn’t rule out a complete autopsy again, Doctor, though ours was quite thorough. For the sake of the families, maybe an intensive deep tissue scan? Only a suggestion. But here,” he handed her a PADD, “our results were pretty clear and straight-forward. As far as we could determine, the causes of death were environmental exposure, malnutrition, and allergic reaction. Which reminds me….” Shazarim reached for another PADD and handed it to her. “We couldn’t determine what this substance was. It was found in most of their systems, both living and deceased.”

 

Mimi took the PADD and looked it over. “That’s interesting.” She handed the PADD over to Dr. DeJariov. “Were you able to determine what the substance is or not?”

 

“Only that it’s alien to our area of space. It’s possible that it triggered the allergic reaction, but we’re not sure. And yes,” Shazarim nodded to DeJariov’s look of surprise as he reviewed the PADD, “it’s very strange. It’s hard to tell if it’s plant or animal, and even more puzzling when you realize that the Vulcans and Romulans also had a hard time dealing with it, though they did survive.”

 

With a focused look on her face, Mimi found it hard to believe what was just mentioned. “That is odd. It’s possible that their bodies managed to digest it well enough to get the needed nutrients to survive.” Mimi looked between the two other doctors, then focused in on Doctor Shazarim. “Anything else we should be aware of?”

 

“Not that comes to mind, Doctor. If we do find something else, of course we’ll inform you immediately. But,” he checked the chronometer on the wall, “we’re due to depart in about thirty minutes and our operations officer would like to know if you require site to site transport. I would suggest that, as a precaution.”

 

“Agreed. Permission granted for site-to-site transport of the patients to the main medical facility. Once done, I suggest, Doctor, that you and your crew get some much needed rest,” Mimi replied.

 

“Oh, yes,” the doctor said on a sigh, a slight grin creeping into his weary expression. “The captain promised some down time, but just when is in question. However,” here he raised a brow and his grin broadened, “you still owe me a tour of your new station, Doctor, the next time we pass through. Deal?”

 

Mimi smiled, “Deal.”