Possession - J.M. Dillard [75]
“But, Captain,” Beverly protested, “how could this happen? Skel passed every quarantine procedure we have. And you’ve talked to him yourself. He clearly is of sound mind and body.”
“Must I remind you, Doctor,” he said curtly, “of Typhoid Mary? We cannot rule out the possibility that he is a carrier, either immune or simply unaware of what he carries.”
“Excuse me, Captain,” Commander La Forge spoke up, “but I checked the fail-safes on the quarantine unit myself. I don’t see how Skel could’ve gotten a clear bill of health if he was infected with those organisms.”
“This problem was faced by the infected starship crew as well,” Picard explained. “They concluded that the organism was smaller than any they had ever before encountered—possibly the size of a subatomic particle or smaller. They are definitely smaller than anything the biofilters are calibrated to detect. During the original outbreak, neither the Federation crew nor the Vulcans were able to develop a test to determine whether or not a person was infected, and they never perfected a device that could detect the entities.”
Picard glanced at Troi, seated near the end of the table. “However—and this is very interesting—the record keepers of the time noted that a skilled, non-touch telepath might have been helpful in diagnosing the disease as it claimed more and more members of the crew. Of course, this was before Betazed became a member of the Federation.”
“Captain,” Deanna interjected, “if you’re thinking that I could have sensed Skel’s harboring those entities, I must say I didn’t sense them when he was in my presence. The only thing I could sense from him was the normal Vulcan controls, and flashes of the terrible memories he has.”
“As I said,” Picard reminded her, “if there is such a thing as a carrier state for this infection, Skel may be completely unaware of it. They may also be masking their presence from us through self-defense mechanisms the likes of which many diseases develop over time. Remember, the first exposure of humans and Vulcans to these entities was eighty years ago. They may have evolved, grown adaptable, grown resistant—we just don’t know enough.”
“Well, you’re right about that, Captain,” Beverly agreed mildly. “Even with the information from Starfleet, we don’t know enough about this epidemic from eighty years ago. Certainly not enough to assume that Skel reintroduced an infection we don’t even know if we have!”
Picard looked at her thoughtfully. “You may be correct, Dr. Crusher; however, considering the importance of the visitors we have aboard the ship and the charge we hold for ensuring the safety of the crew, I feel we must act now.”
Worf sat forward. “If you are saying, sir, that Counselor Troi is able to detect the affected victims with her empathic sense, can she not simply scan the crew and tell us whether anyone is infected?”
Picard turned to Troi as she said, “It’s very likely. However, due to the agitated state I found myself in after probing the alien artifacts, Dr. Crusher has given me a drug to blunt my empathic sense. Right now, the few readings I am getting are quite muted. I doubt if I could act very effectively as a diagnostician.”
“How long will this drug last on the counselor?” Picard asked Crusher.
“Twenty-four hours,” Beverly responded. “However, I administered the drug due to Deanna’s depletion of a specific neurotransmitter. If that condition continues, she will need the muting drug again tomorrow.”
“I understand