Stardate: 70618:1200
Title: The Crystalline Factor (Part 1)
Author: Dr. Lin Talbot
Time: After "Escape or Die" & "Revelations (1 - 2)"
Scene: Planet-Side - Alien Ship


The examination of the 'guinea pig' alien had left Dr. Talbot with more questions than answers. They had been given access to a middle aged male in the advanced stages of the disease, their thinking being that any accidental contact would have, at worst, shortened the life of an already lost cause.

Ensign Heyward pulled off his hazard suit, and, like a caged animal, paced the small lab they'd been given.

"So, what's your prognosis, Doc?"

Lin seated herself at a computer terminal, plugged in the alien medical scanner, and began running the numbers. "Give me a second here to be brilliant, okay?" She smiled.

"Hey... can you bring up a schematic of this ship? Maybe we can find a way out of here."

Lin touched several of the computer's pads. "Sorry, no. Medical records, some science stuff, that's about it."

Within the records was not only information on the aliens, but also a complete work up on the natives as well. Although their version of history had been watered down, the fact that they'd originally come to this planet as plunderers had been conveniently overlooked. Still, the devolution of the planet's inhabitants had been well documented.

"Interesting..." Her eyes followed the genome patterns. "The disease works a lot like a simple rhinovirus."

"I'm no medical whiz, Doc, but are you saying they've got a cold in the nose?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. But it does spread like the common cold. Germs both in the air and on any object that comes in contact with body fluids, etc..."

Heyward had a sudden urge to wash his hands.

"According to their records, everything was fine when they first arrived. The inhabitants were a healthy, intelligent civilization on the verge of inter-stellar flight."

"Warp?"

She nodded. "The natives had developed an immunity to the indigenous pathogen. When the aliens arrived, they had no such immunity so, of course, they got sick. Inside the alien bodies the pathogen mutated. The natives didn't get the plague, but it had a profound effect on their central nervous systems producing an aphasia-type effect."

"They got dumber."

Lin nodded her head and smiled. "You certainly have a way of cutting to the chase, Mr. Heyward. But in essence, yes, leaving them at the intruder's mercy."

Duncan's face grew grim. "Are we at risk?"

"Yes."

"Which? Dumb or dead?"

"Our bodies are closer in similarity to the natives than the aliens. You do the math."

"Once we start dumbing down... they'll be able to control our minds as well?"

"I would assume. But the point is moot. By the time we're at the same stage as the natives the aliens will be dead."

"Swell. So we'll be left picking berries with the locals."

"Mr. Heyward, you don't seem the berry picking type to me."

"You got that right. Marines eat lightening and crap thunder."

Talbot sighed. "Remind me never to pull your finger, k?"


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Ensign (Dr.) Lin Talbot
Medical Officer
USS Relentless
NCC-11966
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