Captain Seth sat nervously in his chair on the bridge of his ship, and just stared to the side of the bridge, deep in thought. It was not a great look for a captain. He should have at least stared at a PADD so it looked like he was doing something. But truthfully, he was shuffling things around in his head, trying to find solutions to the problems he was facing. He had just sent Captain Santiago back to the Excelsior, and he needed some time to think without him. He lost his train of thought when heard the comm system beeping.
“Captain, we’re getting a recorded incoming message from Counselor Jenovia on Draloos IV,” said Ensign Ester.
Seth became even more nervous. “Put it on-screen,” Seth instructed.
“Captain Seth, I hope you receive this message. All of our normal methods of communication are being jammed. We’re using a secure signal to get to you. Lieutenant Commander Thorn and I have run into some trouble at the hospital. Some terrorists have attacked us in the building. We have the situation under control now, but we have a much bigger problem on our hands. The state of the whole Draloos IV population is much direr than Jerad had originally led us to believe. There has been some kind of a deadly virus that has been unleashed here on the planet, and everyone is at risk. We need you to pick us up from the Draloos IV as soon as you can. We have important information about Jerad that you might not like. Please tell the Doctor that we will be bringing aboard someone who is infected and needs medical attention right away, with your permission of course. You will want to immediately quarantine her. End transmission.”
“That’s all there is, captain,” Ester said.
Jenovia’s message certainly did not sit well with the captain. Seth wasn’t finished here on Draloos V yet, but Jenovia’s message was unnerving. He knew full well that he would need to hear what the Counselor had to say about Jerad, particularly in light of Min and LeCroy’s findings. Whether Seth could admit it or not, he was already beginning to trust Jenovia’s instinct on things. What worried him more however was that if he left Santiago behind on Draloos V, he would do something foolish that would jeopardize the whole mission. But Seth just didn’t have a choice in the matter. “Very well, then, Ensign. Captain Seth to the Doctor.”
“Dr. Min here.”
“We’re going to start heading back to Draloos IV to pick up Thorn and Jenovia. We’ll return here shortly. But get your sickbay ready; the Counselor says she’s bringing in someone who is going to need your help, right away.”
“Understood,” he replied.
“Ensign, you know what to do. Full impulse.”
