Fragments: Subterfuge, Part 1

Posted on Mon Jul 28th, 2025 @ 2:38pm by Captain T’Kal & Lieutenant Commander Clay McEntyre & Lieutenant CASTIEL 'Cas' Johnson MD & Petty Officer, 1st Class Emilie Dovria
Edited on on Thu Oct 9th, 2025 @ 7:49pm

1,457 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: ARYL 1X03: The Listening Post
Location: Station Delta IV Medical Bay
Timeline: Simultaneous with "Fragments: Data" and "Fragments: Interference"

One of the station's security officers was immediately on hand in the Transporter Room and immediately escorted the USS Ark Royal's Chief Medical Officer and one of her nurses to the medical bay.

It was a lot smaller than the one aboard the Ark Royal. A single biobed. A small cabinet filled with old supplies. This was less a sickbay and more a first aid room, at best able to keep someone stable until emergency relief could arrive.

Under normal circumstances, it was all the fifteen-crew station needed. But today it was overwhelmed. One patient lay on the biobed, monitors showing her stable but in rough shape. A man sat on the floor next to the biobed, sweating profusely, his face swollen, his hand bandaged up.

In the corner, for there was nowhere else to put it right now, was a body bag.

The station's medic had a sweaty brow and tired eyes. "Doctor, thank you so much for coming." He also nodded respectfully to the nurse.

"Glad its not something airborne." Cas replied as he glanced around. "First I want a rundown on the situation, when was the first case, transmission, and anything that might have changed before hand." Looking at the body bag. "I will take the body back to the Ark Royal and place it in the morgue, along with any patients you have. I will also require a list of your supplies, and anything that you require before we depart the station, I would prefer it to be sooner than later."

Emilie all but ignored the medic as he engaged Castiel in his conversation as she toted her medical kit over to the two patients, taking a quick glance at the biobed readings and assuring herself that the readings showed the patient as stable. If something changed, there would be alarms and other alerts to warn them and she crouched down by the patient sitting on the floor, taking out the hand scanner and beginning an examination of the man. There was always a risk, but she'd been in worse places.

Alarms started going off on the nurse’s medical tricorder. This distracted the medic from his conversation with the Doctor. He went to look over her shoulder. “What the hell is that?” Next to the warning lights was a display of a highly complex protein, one which they could not have been expose to accidentally.

“Something that means we can’t go back to the ship just yet.” Emilie said with a knowing look to Castiel, “Sir, we need to nail down the transmission method before we leave. I don’t think it’s able to be passed on, but I’m calling for a quarantine until we do. This sir,” Her eyes went to the medic, “Is a protein strand which is interfering with the body’s functions, or at least that’s what I’m hypothesizing until we can run some tests. No unprotected contact with clothing, skin, bodily fluids or the like, but…” She glanced around before beginning to rummage in the bag that held her own version of a medical kit, “We don’t appear to have the resources we need here, Doc.”

"Contact Dr Hellman on the ship, get him to send over the supplies thats needed." Cas replied as he went over her findings. Turning over to the medic. "As ranking Medical officer here, I agree with the doctor here about the quarantine. All station personnel are hereby ordered to remain in their quarters until further notice."

"A doctor I am not." Emilie said softly, possibly not even loud enough to be heard. They likely weren't in danger, but but always better safe than sorry. Her scanner finally came up with an answer, "Ricin is what the scanner says, but until we can get a full analysis, there's a chance it's wrong."

"Lt Johnson to Captain T'Kal." Tapping his communicator. "We need proper hazmat suits over here, the station has been exposed to what we believe to be Ricin. Its not airborne, but until we know what its been in contact with, we cannot go without a suit on. I will also need a full security detail, and a workup of all crew members of the station."

Office

T’Kal stepped away from her team to open her communicator and listen to the Doctor’s report. “Understood. Stay where you are. The necessary items and crew will be sent your way momentarily.”

This changed everything. Ricin. She had heard of it during her time in the foreign ministry. A traditional tool of murder and assassination. Fairly easy to make with basic scientific skills. Deadly. Not an accident.

She adjusted her communicator, closing her channel with the doctor and opened one with the ship. “T’Kal to Ark Royal. Mr. McEntyre, report to medical. There is evidence that the sick engineers have been poisoned. And have the Quartermaster send over protective equipment.”

Ark Royal Bridge

McEntyre sat up in the Captain’s Chair, his eyes widen. “Poisoned? I’m on my way.” He closed the comm, standing up as he did.

“All stations, yellow alert!”

The ship lighting turned a yellow hue.

“I’ll be on the Station, lieutenant, you have the deck” he tells the lieutenant on Helm as he heads for the turbolift to head for the station.

Infirmary

It didn't take long for the equipment to be beamed over, and after suiting up, he walked over to the patient. "This is going to be touch and go, Ricin is very deadly. Smallest exposure..." He turned as he walked over to the medic. "The first officers, what did they have in common before they got sick. Where did they work, what department... anything to narrow down commonalities."

From behind an isolation window, a small knock was heard. Pointing to his communicator in his hand, Clay McEntyre stood in full tactical gear. He nods to the doctor to pick up his communicator.

Picking up the communicator, "Commander, I take it you have been informed of the situation."

“That you found Ricin here, I have Lieutenant,” Clay started. His face sour and grim, “My main concern is how did Ricin end up here in the first place? It’s not a naturally occurring substance and I doubt the station has materials to even manufacture it. Which is concern into itself.”

"Ricin is actually very cheap and easy to make." Cas replied. "Transmission through contact is minimal, you will get sick. Ingestion that can happen afterwards, say wiping your mouth, eating, covering your mouth while coughing. Then you have the problem." He looked at the body, "I'm searching for anything that the victims might have had in common. What part of the station, what they ate, what dept. For now, I need all station personnel confined to their quarters... anything that would require manning, have crew brought over from the Ark Royal, in protective suits, we don't know where, or how the Ricin is being delivered. Or if there is still a threat."

“I’ll begin deploying SecForces onto the Station.” Clay nods before he switched frequencies to contact the captain.

“McEntyre to T’kal. Sir, I am declaring a Class One emergency. The station is going on full lockdown. Biomedical threat confirmed. I’d advise taking the ship to Red Alert and a 24 hour standing watch.”

“Understood,” the Captain’s voice said through their communicators. “I’m ordering the ship to Red Alert. Station Ops will pass along the alert status here.”

A moment later, the lighting changed, reflecting the Class One emergency in progress.

Emilie had pulled a pair of gloves on and had begun to do a detailed check on the patient on the ground, "Sir," She addressed the medic, "I'll need an IV rig, normal saline with revantin," She referred to a medication that was good with regulating blood pressure and had few adverse reactions, "Fluids are important in these cases, remember, no skin-on-skin contact."

"There is nothing really to do here but watch these three." He brought up the computer, "They are all engineers, however two of them shared a cabin. He turned to the station medic. "Any changes to the patients, let us know. Lieutenant, PO Dovria, we have a few primary crime scenes to look at, before security does their thing that will more than likely contaminate anything we can use."

Emilie glanced up from the patient and nodded, "Yes, sir." She concurred, then glanced to the medic, "Glove up, keep a close eye on these two. Any changes, let the doctor and I know right away."


To be continued...

 

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