Down With The Sickness

Posted on Tue Feb 23rd, 2021 @ 12:57am by Lieutenant Junior Grade Karis & Commander Alexis Agrax (*) & Commander Christopher Mitchell & Petty Officer 2nd Class Halla Dezom (*) & Lieutenant Commander Ranav Voss M.D. & Major Levi Drake

Mission: Cosmos
Location: New Rixx
Timeline: December 2396
1122 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Alexis jumped out the shuttle and ran across to where the pilot had pointed out that the vast majority of the patients were. The Commander had not changed from the dirty uniform or even grabbed something to eat or drink in her haste to be of assistance to her fellow species. Betazoid flu was a killer if you were not immunised. She did not even wait for anyone to catch up as she burst into the room and stopped dead as she saw the 50 or so colonist laid up on cots sick with many Starfleet Officers from the ship now helping now that they were aware of the problem. The noise of the telepathy hit her hard making her double over holding her head as she tried to rein in the pain and fear enough to be of use.

Ranav wasn't far behind the Commander carrying in what medical supplies he could from his own arrival. It helped that he had a good idea of what to expect though as he entered it still caught him by surprise. He had never seen so many suffering from the ailment that affects only those gifted with telepathy, a problem the physician didn't have to worry about.

"Commander," the Bolian physician stated sitting down all the cases of supplies and then opening up one quickly, "here, either you take another dose yourself or you get back on that shuttle and head back to the ship, you'll be no help in your condition."

Alexis shook her head as she slowly took in breaths through her nose and out through her mouth. "I am fine." She whispered standing up to find someone who could give her a run down on what was happening.

"Agrax." Christopher called, approaching her. "Outside. You're no good to anyone like this." He took her firmly by the arm, knowing that she would need encouragement to follow that particular order. He motioned to the other officers just arriving. "Spread out. Sort out medical care and logistics," he ordered as he eased Alexis just outside the main entryway and held her there. "Easy now. After all that bravado about being prepared, I don't want to lose you now. Use your head."

“I am inoculated.” Alexis breathed looking down at his hands on her arms holding her firmly. “I just ... all of them are in my head begging for help or feverish dreams. It’s like a nightmare.” She admitted clutching his shoulder to bring her back focus. Maybe the doctor was right she needed a dampener.

"Inoculated or not, you're clearly not totally immune," the XO replied. "Give yourself space, we can handle this."

"I am fine," Alexis whispered softly stroking his cheek absently before she pulled back. "I am going to get a dampener." She assured disappearing off quickly to the medical supplies for a moment before returning.

"Commander," Ranav spoke as he stood up from the crouched position he had taken to attend to a patient, "I don't have time to argue, but I don't need another patient here."

Karis sighed and then turned her head to the ceiling and sort of shook for a moment as if she could just open a hole in her leg and drop every bit of nervousness out. She was scared that although her species wasn't usually telepathic, there was the bond with Ryon to consider. She did feel things from him occasionally and she generally knew what he was feeling when he was close to her. They had never spoken inside their heads. But maybe the virus wouldn't know that.

Alexis looked relieved as everyone ignore her outburst as they looked at the scene. “We need to get the Commodore down here. She would be in her element.” Alexis whispered taking off her jacket to prepare herself. “Any of you know s as nothing about Betazoid influenza?” It was the human term for it.

"Until this mission, I didn't know there was such a thing," Karis answered her honestly. "You don't think ... it can't affect other races right? I mean even if they were a tiny bit telepathic or say empathic?"

"No. I have never heard of it crossing over. We are inoculated from it really young due to the effects it can have on our telepathic abilities." It was a killer disease for Betazoid's it knocked there empathic and telepathic to shot if they survived it left them scared. "I do not think there is any other virus out there that had such an effect other than natural things that can happen to Betazoid's as we get older."

"Is it dangerous?" Levi piped-up, suddenly concerned about having armed marines on-site, especially if telepaths were sick enough to lash-out.

"Not really. But they will all need dampeners for their telepathic abilities right Doctor?" Alexis said feeling a bit under pressure here as the only Betzoid especially as she was still waiting for the effects of her medication to work.

"Dampeners would be the first step," The physician stated, "then they will have to be monitored and treated for the illness."

“And discovering what caused it is the second as they should be immune.” Alexis said thoughtfully as she held the hypospray out for someone to administer.

The Bolian nodded and took the hypospray, "I don't know about immune, seems it finds a new way to cause problems, much like the flu it will mutate and come back in a slightly different form."

“It’s something that was annihilated decades ago.” Alexis commented on rolling her shoulders as the medicine moved through her nervous system relaxing her.

Christopher nodded thoughtfully. "Then while we treat the sick we need to understand the cause. If this virus has re-emerged after centuries, then that is worth considering." He looked at Alexis. "Those Betazoid monkey creatures we saw - you said they shouldn't be here either. Is that a connection?"

“Maybe.” Alexis said softly with a shrug. She had no idea what was going on here but she was intrigued.

"Could be," Ranav offered as he headed into the group of sic with a hypospray in hand and a medkit full of some of the same treatment, "could have mutated and infected the creatures and then passed back to them."

“Let’s get on to helping people hmm?” Alexis said taking a few deep breaths now she was calmer. She offered Christopher a smile and a nod she was fine now. She would be back to normal in a few more moments.

"I don't think we should ignore it. Let's send a team out to check them. In the meantime we should make sure that we're coordinating efforts with the medical staff here. The Marines can arrange logistics," Christopher suggested.