The Ghosts of the Sick
Posted on Sun Oct 25th, 2026 @ 10:49am by Lieutenant Junior Grade Rachel Sinclair & Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke
Edited on on Sun Oct 25th, 2026 @ 10:53am
874 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Episode 18 - The Edge of Darkness
Location: Medical Bay - Camp Nostromo
Timeline: MD004 1100 hrs
Accompanied by Lieutenant Sinclair, Hermia made her way to Nostromo's Medical Bay. Hopefully they could find out what happened here by consulting the CMO's records.
The silence was almost deafening. If it weren't for the corpses, you could imagine everyone was out on maneuvers.
As the Medical Bay doors came into view, Hermia's hand returned instinctively to her side arm.
She could shake the feeling she was being watched. She told herself it was just the Camp's Security System.
Keeping her head on a swivel, Rachel walked with Hermia in a search for answers. Stepping forward, Rachel attached the manual door release to the med bay doors then turned back to Hermia, "Ready?"
Taking in a breath, Rachel pulled one of the doors open just enough for them to make entry. Slipping in first, Rachel held up her phaser, she scanned the room for any movement. so far, seeing nothing. "Looks clear."
Hermia followed her in. Visually scanning the empty room, she saw a door to an adjoining room that was slightly ajar.
The doctor drew her own phaser and silently indicated the room to Rachel.
Nodding, Rachel moved towards the door, keeping her phaser up. Grabbing the edge of the door, she carefully pulled it open, peeked in and froze. “Klingons?”
"Strange." Hermia said for want of a better word. Taking out her medical tri-corder she began to scan.
Moments later. "They're all dead." She said. "It appears someone experimented on them. They've all been exposed to different 'treatments'."
The CMO was horrified, but kept her composure. "Okay, Lieutenant let's return to the main medical room and see if we can find anything in the medical logs."
Rachel nodded, swallowing to try and keep her lunch down. This looked gruesome.
Hermia made her way to the CMO's office and tried to access the CMO's computer without much luck.
"Computer provide me access to the CMO's Computer." She said.
"Unable to comply. Authorization required."
"Lieutenant Commander Hermia Analise O'Rourke, CMO USS Pioneer, Starfleet Serial Number HO-0922-309487. Authorization Eta Omicrom-5-7-9-Alpha."
"Please await retinal scan."The Computer replied.
A beam scanned Hermia's eye.
Moments later. "Identity confirmed, You are now an authorized user. Welcome to Camp Nostromo, Commander O'Rourke."
"Thank you, Computer." Hermia said and got to work.
Reading through the data, she brought up the CMO's files on a disease outbreak. A squad had returned from a patrol, one of its members had picked up a minor chest infection. Treated for it, he got progressively worse. It then spread first to the rest of his squad, and then to the rest of the personnel, become more aggressive as it spread.
This was followed by a list of treatments, that all failed.
Rachel looked over Hermia’s shoulder in shock. “Wait, so this place was hit by some kind of infection? One that even medical couldn’t cure?” She asked, starting to feel panicked.
Trying to put a good spin on the situation, Hermia said. "At least we know what NOT to do."
Message
Lieutenant Sara’draphia T’eseri, CMO, Camp Nostromo:
"Chief medical officers log
Stardate: [data corrupted]
My staff and I have exhausted every possible avenue we can think of to treat this disease, but to date all results have been negative or harmful. I have quarantined worst cases, but still the disease spreads with wild abandon. At present, It appears I am either asymptomatic or the only one immune to the disease. But I haven’t been able to test my hypothesis. Maybe if I had a little more time..."
"Message ends." Came the voice of the Computer.
Hermia a was quiet for a moment. "It was good idea, but I fear the disease had already spread too far in the patients' systems, for it to be a cure." She said at last.
“If the doctor was the only one at the time to be unaffected, the where is she?” Rachel said, scanning the room again for an answer.
"Maybe her life signs are blocked to general sensors." Hermia said. "Computer, locate Lieutenant Sara’draphia T’eseri."
"Unable to locate Lieutenant Sara’draphia T’eseri, though there is a lifesign that maybe hers, but there is interface, making an exact location unavailable at this time."
"That's a big pile of nothing." Hermia said aloud. Turning to Rachel. "Well, we've done what we can do here, let's get back to the ship."
Rachel nodded, taking another look around the scene before them. An entire colony wiped out by some kind of plague. How much did they suffer? How hard was each death on the medical staff? “Yea, alright”
Hermia tapped her comm. badge. "O'Rourke to the Pioneer, two to beam up." She said.
-^-"Commander, this is Transporter Room 1, prepare for transport.-^-
Moments later the two women were enveloped in transporter beams.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke
Chief Medical Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Rachel Sinclair
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer
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