Episode XVIII: Fatal Contact

[Louis de-Point du lac]

"That would make sense" Louis said walking up behind them "accept for the fact she hasn't been here before. No Starfleet ship has."

[Commander Vorak]

"You forgetting her visions" he said grimly "in the mean time Doctor, I am going to command this ship. You said I will be fine for several days and I see no reason to leave Mr Lichfield who is inexperienced with such matters and command in charge."

[Will Litchfield]

Will chimed the ready room door. No answer.

[Lt Matina Jade]

Jade watched Vorak leave and turned to the Doctor.
"Doctor I...What if I was here?

[Commander Vorak]

Vorak walked onto the and noted the concerned look of the crew.
"I will be fine for several days" he spoke and moved down the ready room door "no answer?"
Lichfield shook his head.
Vorak frowned and code opened the door to find the Captain. Out cold on the floor.
"Captain!" he called and knelt down beside him taking scans with a tricorder "he is alive" he told Lichfield.
Sickbay, the captain is out but alive. His age must have effected how his body took the decease and it appears to have shut itself down to in recovery attempt. I am using the side to side transporter to beam him to sickbay.
He stood watching his friend dematerialize and walked back onto the bridge with a fleeting pace.
"Hail the First Ministers office now!" he ordered.
"Your on sir" said the Communication Chief as the the screen flickered showing a subordinate.
"We must speak with the first minister" Vorak spoke.
"You are not your vessels commander" came the desk officers reply.
"I am in command at this time, our Captain is ill as are we. We must speak to you Minister."
"He is very busy..."
"Then tell him yourself that our landing party has contracted a fatal illness while on your moon investigating a civilian wreckage appearing to have been shot down by one of our ships. The ship exploded as we tried to access its computer logs" he said and waited watching the alien look on in shock "now can you summon him?"
The officer tapped a few buttons and send a text format message and received one in return before replying minuets later.
"Bring you ship into our orbit, he will beam onto your ship with his guards shortly" they were told as the screen went blank.
"Helm take us in" he ordered "Mr Lichifield you have the bridge, watch your step."
-COM- Doctor meet me with a security detail in the transporter room-COM-
Vorak left the bridge and down to the transporter room.
It was time for answers.

[Beathan MacAinmire]

"Perhaps missy thos visions be the key. I be wishing we kulda indus them fastar. but ye be under stress."

:-XDoctor meet me with a security detail in the transporter room

:-XAye sir.

"DuLac Ye be in charge. I'm running a scan on Lt.Jade's curent and past bio analisis. Contackt me when it be finished." The doctor commanded then promptly lef tfor the transporter room.

[Louis de-Point du lac]

Louis nodded and walked over to the Captains bed freshly beamed to take results before going to the task asked of him. Sickbay was filling up.

[Commander Vorak]

Vorak watched and nodded as Beathan walked in then turned his attention back to the transporter as it completed its cycle.
"Commander" spoke the First minister "may we speak in a more private location?"
Vorak gestured and followed as they made their way to the conference room and sat down. Beathan and Vorak one side with the guards behind them. The minister and his own escorts the other.
"So we are here, speak" said Vorak frankly looking on.
"We do know what has happened and how it came to be. But if I tell you this you must listen and try not to judge us. We had no choice."
"I am listening" Vorak replies moving uneasy.
"Your starship the USS Torrent made its way into our space some 15 years ago. We made what you call first contact and then it happened. The atmosphere from our planet for some reason was fateful to any species but our own. Your crew made a plea for help and we said we could cure them. And we could, we just had other motives at that time."
"Like?"
"A civilian cargo ship was passing into the sector. It was from our neighbors, the Kerken. They started the war!"
"war?"
"Yes, and they were sending this as a peace offering. But from our readings we made judgments that it was a trap then..."
"You had the dying and desperate crew do your dirty work" Vorak spoke sharply.
"Yes. We had no choice. They eventually did as they asked after there Captain and first officer was dead along with most of the crew. The women who took command was just a raw cadet. I think her name was...Jade something."
Vorak shot up and looked at Beathan.
"By the time they got back to us there were barley any. We gave them a plant we knew would cure what they had. Its poisonous to us but we had found its chemistry for this anti reaction to our atmosphere helpful in curing our own..."
Vorak bore into him obvious waiting to hear the point of the matter.
"By the time her and this medical Cadet finished it, they were all dead except for her. It wasn't our fault!"
"You could have given it to them without doing your task and many more would have lived."
"Maybe."
"So why doesn't she remember any of this?"
"You know her?" he asked surprised.
"Yes" Vorak said somewhat irritated at the confessions told here "she is member of this crew."
"Then the cure would..."
"Have worn off, the virus effect her faster. Yes we know."
The Minister gulped "well we had experience with science of the mind, and we learned the anatomy of your species from dissections of the bodies on your ship" he was speaking very solemn and hushed now knowing he and he people were in trouble for this now "we scanned your database. We knew you destroy our world for this."
"That is not our way."
"We didn't know that! We reprogrammed her memories of the events to give her an attack from a common enemy we found in your data banks. The Klingon's. Gave her even a memory of her fathers...passing from a Klingon blade. Quiet brilliant work from our doctors. Then we destroyed your ship and the evidence with it. And we have feared your return since. That was the reason for our abruptness before."
They sat in silence for a moment before Vorak spoke.
"And you could have given us the flower from day one. Your news also brings new you could have told us that we had it from the first away mission, which of course means that the disease is contagious. And that is why Yuri is dead being in contact with myself" Vorak had to use all his mental blocks to keep from anger now "and now you sit and tell us this."
"We are so sorry and accept what ever comes of this."
"Did cloaked ships follow us to your moon?"
"How did..."
"Did they?!"
"Yes..."
"I see" Vorak then looked at the table and spoke again "give us the leaf, that will be your redemption for now."
"But we don't know how to make it, to avoid deaths in the days it would take to make it" the First Minister replied.
"No" replied Vorak "But Ms Jade does."

[Flt Lt Greg "HITMAN" Campbell]

" Sir I think that if I went with a flight of fighters and flush out anyone who may be in that area "

[Commander Vorak]

Vorak turned to Greg who had entered the room.
"No Flight Lt. They have told us of it now. All we can do is in my hands. The hands of a Vulcan mind meld."

[Lisa Rogers]

Lisa shook her head slighty as she was hit by a dizzy spell, with Lt Jade out of action, Lisa was left in charge of the Marine unit and security officers, People were dropping like flies ans these aliens had with held the information about the cure.

Hopefully commander Varok could do something about this in the quickest time possible, Lisa was rather fond of Jade as a head of department maybe even as a friends in a some what warped kind of way. Jade was a tough cookie alright, she trainned her men as if this was the last day of the lives and that death could get them at anytime, Her fighting skills were unmatched by anyone on the ship and in the Divsion, she had experienced this first hand in there own sparring match in the Rec hall. She was also the only person that Lisa could of depended on when her first love Conor Zepplien had died.

Losing Jade above all would of been the hardest blow of all not only to her but the entire crew but there was one person who would of not know till it was too late..... Ruger McValen. Anyone with eyes could see that Jade liked him more than a friend even if it did feel like pulling out Jade's teeth to get her ot admit it.

Doctor MacAinmire and Louis de-Point du lac of ocurse were doing all they could but if they were truly going to succeed the secerets that these people held would be the key, Commander Varokwould need ot convince them that our needs was a worthy cause.

Lisa pondered as she reasied that she had a headace brewing just behind the eyes, an effect of the virus?

[Will Litchfield]

Will was on the bridge, looking around at crewmembers, trying to accertain if they were fit for duty, he was glad to be finally sitting in a chair again.

[Lt Matina Jade]

Jade looked up as Vorak and the Doctor entered sickbay. They explained everything and with every detail her face reddened more. There wa sonly one question on her mind. Why?
It was then Vorak stepped back and the alien was there.
"You son of a!" She launched up and was held down by her own fit for now men "I'll kill you!"

[Commander Vorak]

Vorak stopped her and looked down at her.
"Lt, stop it. He will supply us with the source of the cure and we may then go on our way. But as you may know. I need you."

[Lt Matina Jade]

"Me? But I have forget it thanks to them" she sneered trying to calm down.