<USS Avalon> "Guest or Intruder?"

"Guest or Intruder?"
by Commander Javan Sierra
& Lt. Commander Anthony Manson


His stay on the bridge had been brief, to say the least. Pivoting on his heel he returned to the turbolift the moment that Marksbury had radioed back that the Romulan had been beamed back aboard. It was Javan's turn to do some questioning. The quarantined area on deck thirteen was suddenly the least of his worries. Parting the doors and taking a couple of steps, Javan darted left into his office. "I'm glad you could make it aboard," Javan said to the man bound to the chair in the center of the room.

T'Pex glowered at the officer. It had been an unpleasant experience with this crew. Maybe because he was Romulan. T'Pex was just surprised by the... abrasiveness of these Starfleet people. Looking down at the restraints, "is this really necessary? I pose no threat and yet I'm under restraints." He made a sound, "I might as well have stayed with the Ferengi.

"Well, considering that they're adrift and probably all dying of asphyxiation, I think you're better off here. And, since you're no threat, do you care to tell me why the things you beamed over have forced this crew to quarantine everything on deck thirteen?" Javan sat down, cracking his knuckles, "or is that standard Romulan greetings now?"

T'Pex laughed, "Your view of my species is hilarious. No wonder we don't get along. As for the quarantine, I don't know what you're talking about. My equipment has nothing to do with whatever is happening to your people. Now, is it standard Starfleet procedure to have me bound like a cage animal? Or were you hoping to see me squirm before your superiority?" He gave the officer a condescending look before turning his head and looking elsewhere.

Javan reached out, clenching the man's face with his hands and bringing it back to stare him in the face, "Listen. You beamed over some cases that had a forcefield generator around them. We believe that whatever was in the case, has seeped through the forcefield and infected the deck. Hence, our quarantine. What is in those cases?"

T'Pex looked at him and then jerked his head, forcing the man to release his head, "It's nothing. Don't worry about what's in the case, it's harmless. But if it makes you feel better, a forcefield at level... by your terms," he made some dramatic eye movements, "six would more than quarantine it. No," T'Pex looked at him then, "it wont harm your people. They are fine one way or the other."

"You'd think differently if I beamed you onto that deck, wouldn't you?"

T'Pex frowned and looked at him, "what are you on about? Did you not hear me the first time? I said there is nothing wrong with my equipment, if there was something wrong, I wouldn't have transported it."

"Maybe we should go for a little walk?" He motioned and Orton immediately grabbed the Romulan and hoisted him to his feet. "We're going to deck thirteen so you can see just what is happening. Maybe then, before I transport you into your own foul creation, you'll tell me what is going on and why our people are quarantined."

Orton shoved the Romulan scientist out into the hallway and into the turbolift, "Deck Thirteen." Orton looked over at Javan, nodded, and returned his gaze ahead at the doors as the lift hummed and shuttered to life.

"Your treatment of me is commendable, both of you. I'm sure you're both the pride of Starfleet."

"You're receiving the same treatment than any other possibly hostile person would receive, sir," Orton said, pushing the man out into the hallway. They were stopped immediately by a containment field staring them in the face. Orton exchanged glances with Javan before he tapped his communication badge. "Orton to Hollander and Eckstein, report to turbolift theta."

Within seconds the two of them walked around the corner and trotted up to the field, a mass of electrons and focused energy separating them from the apparent freedom that they'd been robbed of. Eckstein spoke first, pushing a locke of red hair from in front of her face, "Is this the man responsible for this?"

"Fix it," Hollander said bluntly.

T'Pex frowned, this wasn't suppose to happen. His equipment, years of working on it, and it failed him through a simple transport. Tilting his head slightly he moved closer towards the two, but when the young man stopped him, T'Pex turned and hissed, "get your hand off me, Human. Or do you want them to 'suffer'?"

The two froze looking at each other. When the young man didn't move, T'Pex jerked his arm away and walked closer to the field. Looking at either of the two humans at the other end, "how long has it been since you two have been in here?"

"I don't know," Hollander said, glancing at his female counterpart.

"About an hour or so, why?"

T'Pex nodded, there. No harm. The virus wouldn't take effect. They'd be clean of it before they ever found out what they were truly exposed of. In fact, the virus- due to some modifications before that fateful day of his departure- was simplified. He feared that contamination would be too high. The virus after a long period of time would be able adapt not to just human life forms. Not even Senator Cretann and his team of top scientist knew that. "Are you two the only ones behind this field?"

"No," Hollander shook his head, motioning down the hallway. "We're two of the nine that are trapped back here. We were lucky to get most everyone else off the deck before it spread beyond the area where we were working."

T'Pex nodded, and then turned to see his interrogators, "they're okay. Simply get them transported and filter whatever it is in their system out. After than a routine decontamination, nothing more. As for this deck, do the same. There's no harm, as I said, but since all of you are overly fearful, the procedure will certainly put you all at ease."

Orton stared at Eckstein and Hollander, completely brushing the scientist's words off, "Do you have any symptoms of anything Ryan? What about the others?"

Ryan thought for a moment, "I think I heard some of them complaining about nausea or feeling faint. People are having to sit down because their heads are swimming."

"Well?" Orton stared at his captive again.

"It's nothing, it's like getting a..." T'Pex struggled for the word, "that feeling when you're not well, but it goes away. That's what they're feeling." He looked at the young man again, "do I have to repeat everything again? Or did you need me to put it in some other way for your human mind to comprehend?"

Javan intervened, "Well, generally, when someone doesn't feel well, it's not a good sign."

"It's a minor effect. And as I am having to repeat myself," T'Pex made sure each word was heard, "a simple decontamination of them and this deck will solve the problem. My equipment will detect a decontamination and immediately shut down. I designed them, I know what I'm doing."

"Do it," Javan said, nodding to Ryan and Savannah who booked it back down the hallway and out of sight. "Mr. Orton, get our guest set up with some quarters. Make sure there is a security team set up at all times and inform the Captain of his location."

Orton nodded and stepped back into the turbolift with the Romulan, "Guest Quarters." And, like that, they zoomed off to a better residence for their scientist and apparent cargo.



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