*** Med. Advisors Office * SB Unity ***
Almost six weeks had passed since the reports from USS
Scavenger and Wayfarer had caused Rangi so much concern.
Three officers onboard the two ships had all worked in the
Biogenic unit where the rescued hostages from the Breen
freighter had been taken and all three had displayed the
same symptoms as those unfortunate people.
Rangis initial thought had been to quarantine the ships but
Shane had correctly pointed out that there was no proof that
the three suffered from the same condition and had not been
willing to take two ships out of active service on what was
really only a hunch.
He was ofcourse being totally rational and as the days
passed and no more cases were evident, Rangi had had to
agree that Shanes view had been valid, although she couldn't
feel relaxed about it.
The three men had overcome the fevers and respiritory
problems and to all intents and purposes were healthy, just
as long as one overlooked the strange thin dark lines that
remained obvious on their bodies.
Every day a report had arrived on her desk from both ships
and every day the problem seemed to diminish.
It wouldnt go away though because reports from the Medical
Research Intelligence on Aphos still had no conclusive
results to offer and until they had, Rangi couldnt shake the
thought that coincidences are too much of a simple
explanation.
Her enquiry at the outset as to where the two ships had been
since the three men joined the crews had shown only two stop
overs.
The Scavenger had spent a total of six days in orbit above
two mining colonies in remote areas before the CMO and CScio
had become ill.
Contact with anyone had been minimal, for the visits had
been to transport replacement tool parts and only two
engineers had transported to the surface of the planet at
the second stop. One had remained there and the other had
returned to her ship.
The Wayfarer had not stopped at all.
Now the standard isolation time had been exceeded and even
allowing for the unknown, because the three crew were as
healthy as they could be, there had been no reason to keep
them in biofields any longer.
The medical officers on the two ships requested her
permission to release the patients into quarantine rooms,
giving them more freedom but under observation and she had,
albeit reluctantly , agreed.
Now she forwarded the latest update to Shane. The report
would lay on his desk unread until he waded through the back
logs because it was no longer of priority and yet......
Rangi sighed and stood up from the sofa where she had been
sitting compiling the report.
{...and yet...} she thought standing at the viewport and
looking down at the planet far below.
{....and yet what?}
She shook her head.
Something didnt seem right but 'what' it was or 'why' it was
she couldnt say. It was a feeling, unsettled and niggling
but evasive.
She couldnt explain it..... but she didnt like it.
*** End Log ***
Commander Rangi Summers
Med Adv 1st Task Force
CMO SB Unity
