Part II.
Aliens Crossover: The Birthing

Dr. Micheala Williams

"Dr Williams to sickbay." she said over the comm.

"Sickbay here." A voice replied.

"We are expecting wounded. I need a status chamber moved to an isolation room, one in view of main sickbay and a level 10 forcefield redy to be implimented. There are wounded form the away team and extraction team and the nature of their injuries are unknown as yet, so some might be a site to site transport. Also contact Science and get Ensign Rinao,the exobiologist, to sickbay we'll need their expertise." Micheala ordered.

She knew that everything will be ready as she requested.

"Williams to Silarin. We are expecting wounded in. Meet me at the shuttle bay, I'll need you to help the medics stablilise the casualties before transfer to sickbay. Williams out."

The EMH

"Acknowledged," said the EMH as he ended his communications link with Dr. Williams. He exited the patient records program on the console and took out his tricorder to gauge the coordinates of one of the stasis chambers.

Nurse April Kay came out from the lab with replenished hypospray vials. She contacted Ensign Rinao, while the hologram walked into an empty room with reinforced walls and window, and a door of Duranium Alloy. He noted the coordinates, then instructed the computer to site-to-site the stasis chamber into it. Nurse Kay wheeled in a cart of vials, hyposprays, diagnosing and surgical instruments.

The EMH booted up and tested the room's status displays and doublechecked the special biobed. Everything was ready. They left the room and waited - facing sickbay's main doors - in anticipation of arriving wounded.

The EMH

=/\= Colonel Samson to Dr. Williams and the medical staff to the flight deck, stat. =/\=

The EMH ceased his pacing and looked up to meet Nurse Kay's gaze. He gestured for her to do the honors and respond to the hail. Then, he fetched for them two medic kits. They left together silently to the turbolift.

The hologram deduced that perhaps there was an inordinate number of wounded, and a makeshift infirmary had been set up onsite. Then, he thought of the reinforced room he and the nurse had prepared, that conditions called for the away team to be quarantined.

They'd find out soon enough.

They walked together in silence down the corridor towards the shuttlebay. He could have easily transferred his program to the civilian hospital on his own to fetch the medic kit he was accustomed to. Not that it mattered. But it WAS located closer to their destination, and he caught the sense of urgency in the Colonel's voice.

Call it an act of diplomacy. The nurse remove her dog from Main Sickbay. Obviously the hologram had gotten through to Dr. Williams. But April's fondness for the creature hadn't escaped him. Despite his imperative, he felt a touch of sympathy for her. And so he made it a point to accompany her down to the bay.

The heavy doors parted to reveal the runabouts containing away teams within, and Endeavour crew without. He hesitated for a moment. He was the ideal candidate to enter a quarantined area. But so far as he knew, there were no holoemitters on these vessels.

The holographic doctor and Nurse Kay joined Dr. Williams for instructions.

Private Rurek Limrii

Limrii felt the familiar tingle, and heard the familiar whine of the transporter effect course through his body.

He felt the tail of the thing wind tighter around his throat, almost choking him. If he could have gagged, he would have.

Suspended for mere milliseconds inside the beam, he could almost see Sto-Vo-Kor...or was it the drugs Amar had given him?

The next sounds he heard, he wasn't sure what or where he was, but he distinctly heard:

a Feinberger
a medical tricorder
a table scanner whirring closed
the generic voice of the EMH...

It all didn't make sense...he wasn't entirely sure what was going on...he thought perhaps he was in Sickbay, but he couldn't be sure...the thing was covering his face and eyes...but, right then, he knew he was in serious medical trouble.

His problems were only beginning...

The EMH

The EMH was ordered to return to Sickbay and be prepared to receive a patient in the isolation room. He nodded and handed his kit over to a medic. "Computer, transfer the EMH to Main Sickbay."

In a moment he was there, and commed the room's coordinates back to Lt. Raymond on the Nostromo as instructed. He shut the door and locked it. As soon as his recipient arrived, the forcefield was put into place. What he saw made him gasp, despite having no lungs.

It looked like Private Limrii, only his face was obscured by some unknown lifeform. The creature had attached itself via bony appendages, gripping tightly about the poor man's head. As the holographic doctor slowly walked towards Limrii with a tricorder, he noticed a tentacle coiled about the marine's neck. It tightened. He stopped and stood still for a moment, and it relaxed once more.

Cautiously, the EMH approached, and slowly ran the diagnostic component of his tricorder along Limrii's body. He frowned. Not catching any response to his first scan, he did an additional pass around the area of Limrii's head to better analyze the parasite. Component: protein polysaccharines. In some minute spots, the cells were shedding to make way for a more durable exterior of polarized silicone. Not surprisingly, whatever this creature was, it had the potential to develop an exoskeleton. The appendages gripping around Limrii's head were another matter entirely. For some reason, the tricorder couldn't pick up anything; it would have to be recalibrated somehow.

But first: the marine. With the flip of a switch, the doctor engaged the arch. To his relief, the tentacle stayed its position. Activating the bioscanner, he observed the creature's effect on Private Limrii's condition. A natural dampening field was affecting sensors. With some adjusting, he could just catch sight of a tendril of some sort; it extended from the parasite and down into its host's pulmonaries. With such a hold on Limrii's integral functions, the EMH knew that sedating or any sort of anesthetic would be out of the question. He sighed.

Ensign Tel'Rashi Rinao

*Ensign Raymond looked at Ensign Tel'Rashi and just shrugged the turbolift stopped and they headed towards sick bay. As they neared Rinao thought about what they were going to see. Some parasite slowly infecting the marine taking his life to sustain its species. The Decontamination procedures were now in full effect. They themselves would have to go through some form of decontamintion before getting near the new alien life form. They got to sick bay and entered the decontamination zone was up and running*

Rinao>Dari "Okay we need to get into a Contamination suit. Don't want to enter and then spread something over the ship. although im not sure the Alien Parasite has any airborne infections only the one that its infecting the host with"

*The host Rinao shuddered typical science talk rinao this is a Man A marine not a damm science experiment*

Rinao>Dari "Once we get inside well work with the Med staff hopefully we will be able to get the composite structure of this species maybe helping find flaws in its composition to help develop counter measures to this threat at the same time hopefully find a way to help the marine live through this"

The EMH

Its exact influence the parasitical lifeform had on Private Limrii's body was unknown. So medicating, activating stasis, or transporting it off could have dire results.

With the forcefield still up, the hologram walked through it and out of the isolation room to get another medical tricorder, then returned and shut the door behind him. He brought down the forcefield momentarily to enable him to bring the tricorder over to the biobed, then restored it.

The EMH opened the back of the second tricorder and made some adjustments, then trained it on Limrii's head. Nothing. He tried again. Nothing. He sighed with frustration and recalibrated to an obscure and unlikely band. The tricorder responded as he passed the diagnostic component along the creature's bony appendages. He smiled smugly and closed the back of the tricorder, then went over to the biobed's diagnostic arch and made the same adjustments.

What he saw was not pretty. Dr. Williams would have to be informed. Just then, he heard sounds which indicated that others had arrived in Sickbay and were making their way to the isolation room, and calmly turned around to see who it was.

Ensign Raymond and Ensign Tel'Rashi suited up as per regulation with intent to join the EMH in the isolation room. At the window, Ensign Rinao's eyes widened behind her face shield at the sight of Limrii's upper body above the arch. The holographic doctor walked through the containment field and opened the heavy door to greet them. Several biobeds were in use, and other isolation rooms were being hastily prepared by the nurses. More wounded were coming through the door.

"Ensigns Tel'Rahsi and Raymond. Science department," said one of them, "We were summoned here by Doctor Williams to help with the marine casualty. Request permission to be let into the decontamination area."

The EMH made a slight wince of reluctance. "Normally I wouldn't hesitate to follow orders. But if my scans are correct - and I'm certain that they are - then I'm afraid those suits of yours won't do you any good. You will have to remain outside the room until I can present my findings to Doctor Williams. Then, if she says with full knowledge of the circumstances that you may enter, I will most certainly concede."

The two ensigns looked at eachother.

The holographic doctor explained further. "What is happening to Private Limrii is that a parasitic lifeform is incubating inside him. What you see on his face is something which is seeing after the development of that new lifeform, as well as monitoring the incubation process. And I would have to say it is very good at what it does, not to mention preventing anyone or anything from standing in its way. Its material composition is extremely dangerous, and we have nothing to counteract its biological defenses. Not yet, anyway. I could of course work at a neutralizing agent in a holodeck simulation. But we dare not take an actual sample without endangering the very ship itself. At this stage, we have nothing with which to contain a sample of the alien in the first place."

The two ensigns blinked.

"Now, if you'll excuse me: Private Limrii is running out of time. The sooner it is determined how to safely remove this creature without causing harm to him OR the Endeavour, the better off we'll all be. I will leave my combadge open if you have any questions. As soon as Dr. Williams gets here, the sooner we will all know how best to proceed."

The EMH closed the door of the isolation room and walked effortlessly through the containment field. He pondered. This creature had an acidic agent in its blood which was far more potent than any substance known to the Federation and beyond. The key to its containment would lie in the molecular structure of those bony appendages, the ones it was grabbing the crewman's head with...

Ensign Raymond

Dari looked at Rinao as the doctor shut the isolation door.

"Not a whole lot we can do right now, except pray for Rurek," Dari said.

"I take it he's a friend of yours?" Rinao asked.

Dari nodded. "He, Kevar Solazarn, and Maragh Reshtarc. We all served aboard DS9..." He voice trailed off as the realization that two of her firends were dead, and Limrii may be next. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Charlie and I are their children's godparents..."

Dari began to cry...she'd have to be the one to tell the children their fathers won't be coming home.

She looked away, more embarassed than ashamed that she let herself break down like this.

"I'm sorry, Rinao," she said between sobs. "This is all so...sudden." Dari put her hand on the glass separating the isolation chamber from the rest of the ship. Sto-Vo-Kor awaits your arrival, Rurek Lokai Limrii, she thought sadly.

They both left Sickbay to remove their contamination suits, and to gather data on the creature/parasite on Limrii.

Dr. Micheala Williams

With Sgt Amar and the EMH looking after Bronski and Limrii in main sickbay. Micheala started with trige with her nurse. On her rounds she saw Holland helping a wounded Marine.

"Mike." she said.

"You'll be alright." Holland said to the marine whilst finishing up. He then stood and turned to her.

"Doc....What needs doing?" he asked semi rhetorically

"A hell of a lot." she replied. "I need to get back to sickbay. Sned any majors there. Otherwise patch them up ready for decontamination. I'll leave April with you."

"leave it too me."

With that Micheala beamed to sickbay. On arrval so saw Sgt Amar frantic with a marine.

"what happened?" Micheala asked.

"An allergic reaction. I had to do an emergancy tracheotomy and reverse the reaction" Sgt Amar explained.

"Looks like you got him just in time." Micheala complimented. "Do you need anything?"

The EMH

As the EMH pondered various avenues of pursuit, he heard the CMO's voice behind him in Sickbay. He tapped his combadge: "Emergency Medical Hologram to Doctor Williams: I think you should have a look a this."

He waited by the isolation room window with a PADD and a concerned expression knitting his brow.

Rinao came over to the window of the isolation room: "Doctor, since we can't get into take analysis ourself would you please send all information that you recieve to the biolabs for us to Study until you give us permision that it is clear to enter."

The EMH stood on the other side of the reenforced window. He mused that it must have been a strange sight for the marines to see an ordinary-looking man, standing in a potentially hazardous environment without any visible means of protection. However, his advantage could prove a disadvantage, where urgent conditions such as this would be looked on in a diminished regard. His reason for restricting access to the room was by no means a frivolous impulse.

"Certainly." He tapped his PADD and nodded towards another PADD on a tray to the side of the two ensigns. "You will find that the creature's polarized silicon exterior..." he gestured towards the bony claws gripping Limrii's head, "...manages to successfully contain an acid which I must assume is what this lifeform uses for blood. We need to devise something with alkaline properties potent enough to protect any surface it touches should we attempt to remove it. Unfortunately, I could not obtain a full chemical makeup of the acid in question, since its composition includes substances not in the medical or Federation databases."

"And then there's the matter of Private Limrii himself," sighed the holographic doctor, "This creature is holding him hostage while it guards an implantation. I cannot say how long this incubation period will last, but I'd rather not linger while a solution can be devised to safely remove this - 'guardian' - and elimnate its young."

Ensign Tel'Rashi Rinao looked at the data while listening through his combadge.

"If you make any breakthroughs in your research, ensign, I hope you won't hesitate to pass it along to either myself or Doctor Williams. The sooner we get this resolved, the sooner we can ensure Private Limrii's survival and recovery."

Counselor R. Dayanair

{Please tell the doctor to expedite his exam...I feel a sharp pain in my abdomen.}

Day tried to keep her thoughts calm as she answered Limrri....because his discomfort went through her system, {I will tell him....I'll be right here if you need me.}

As she broke the link with him....her stomach started to churn again....the back of her hand flew against her mouth....as she backed away from Nirla and Carlos....walking to the back....she didn't want to draw any attention to herself.

Taking a few deep breathes and swallowing the vile back down her throat....she hit her commbadge, "Sickbay, this is Dayanair." clearing her throat and swallowing again as she waited for the EMH to respond.

The EMH
Counselor R. Dayanair

=/\= Sickbay, this is Dayanair. =/\= The EMH lifted his head from another failed chemical computation and looked out the window of the isolation room. After some seconds, Nurse Elzara Yin nodded to him. He tapped his combadge: "Emergency Medical Hologram to Counselor Dayanair. I'm here."

=/\= Doctor, I just read some thoughts from Limrii...=/\= she cleared her throat again, =/\= ...since he obviously can't tell you, I will. He doesn't have any control over his body functions, but he can still feel and he is experiencing pain in his abdomen.=/\= She briefly thought about why he was in pain and closed her eyes.

The EMH detected discomfort in the counselor's voice. He didn't envy the empath's position at all. Now there were two suffering from this single predicament. It bothered him that he could not exercise his imperative and treat her, that two people relied on the success of resolving this. He spoke low so Private Limrii would be unable to understand him: "Acknowledged, Counselor. A parasite is feeding an incubating lifeform within him. Its molecular makeup is such that we are unable to disable or remove it without doing harm to him OR the ship itself. I can't even chance giving him an anesthetic."

Dayanair sighed. =/\= Believe me doctor, I understand, but please also be advised that he can hear what is being said around him....so I am asking you and your staff....plus the science personnel....to watch what you say.....we don't want him to become discouraged also. =/\=

He turned to the biobed and blinked. Then back towards the window. "I understand. I assume you will continue to give him reassurance telepathically? The more relaxed he is, the slower this process of this creature's may progress, buying us some time."

"Thank you doctor, plus..." feeling her own emotions in turmoil over Limrii's condition...she took a deep breathe and tried to keep the pleading out of her voice, "....please help him."

The photonic man hesitated for a moment. "I'll do my best," he said in an uncharacteristically soft tone. "You have my word. Please keep me informed of any messages Private Limrii needs to convey. EMH out."

Commodore Siit

The away team, although psychologically scared, were in no physical danger. All the vast resources of Endeavour's medical and science department could be concentrated on Limrii... he was the only one in quarantine - harbouring an unwelcomed and a potential deadly visitor.

Siit stood beside Sharas, his XO. The El-Aurian's mind was trying to digest this information. His race in their exploration and vast troves of knowledge had never encountered or heard of anything like this alien species. And what an alien!!!

"Number One, from your observations on the alien vessel, what will happen to Private Limrii?" Siit asked

Sharas only half heard his commanding officers question. His mind was still mildly groggy from his experience.

"I can only surmise that a creature very much like those we encountered will erupt from Private Limrils chest. Of course, not knowing the gestation period of this species, I cannot go so far as hazard a guess at how long Limril has." he replied when the question finally registered.

Siit cursed an El-Aurian expletive in a harsh whisper. He had come across a lot of seemingly impossible situations in his, by human standards, a very long Starfleet career to date. It was a mixed bag on the successful resolution, but one thing that was clear in ALL situations, you tried to allow for all contingencies. He thought about Limrii again..

"Recommendations?"

"I believe this will sound crass, but the best hope for our survival would be to destroy the creature, even at the cost of Private Limril's life." P'Trell said, knowing that the Commodore would most likely balk at killing a member of the crew.

Siit did balk and was taken aback. From all the personal files on Captain Sharas P'Trell, nothing... nothing suggested he was rash or vindictive. The experience on the Wakelev was terrifying, but not one to cloud P'Trell's judgement. However, his recommendation was extreme and Siit would not arbitarily extinguish another person's life. The threat to the Endeavour must be grave if that is the recommendation. Siit paced

"We have to allow medical and science maximum opportunity to save Limrii's life"

'Just as I surmised.' Sharas thought. He unconsciously brushed away a glob of goop stuck on his shirt, "I am not opposed to making efforts to save Limrils life. However, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If killing the creature has the unpleasent side effect of killing Limril, yet spares Endeavour the horror of what happened on the freighter, then I would say we came out on top of the situation."

Siit nodded "Your opinion is noted Number One. For the moment, I suggest we give them as much time as we can" He paused "And we have yet to deal with that freighter. I intend to destroy it. I do not wish to let any unsuspecting traveller stumble into a certain death. Any objections?"

In a very human gesture, Sharas shook his head, causing hs antennae to wiggle from side to side, "You'll hear none from me, nor I doubt from anyone else that took part in the away mission."

Siit nodded and grinned with a fierce manic edge that was totally devoid of humour. It was a small consolation for the death of his crew but he needed it.

"I will see to it now. I will be on the bridge if I am needed, please keep me informed Number One"

"Of course Commodore." P'Trell said. He silently hoped he would be cleared to return to duty. Of course, he was in dire need of a change of uniform and a sonic shower before he went anywhere near the bridge.

"I suggest you take a little time to clean-up before returning to duty" The CO stated as if reading the XO's mind "That is if you are ready and fit"

"Aside from a slight headache and a slight case of distraction, I'm fine. Given what I and te others have gone through, I would say it is a miracle I came away this well." Sharas said, looking down at his tattered uniform.

"Then I suggest we both do what we have to do" Siit said with finality

And with that both officers left to attend to their respective duties.

Private Rurek Limrii

Limrii felt a sharper pain in his stomach...

Commander Dayanair, he thought. I feel movement within my abdomen...

Then the pain passed.

...and now it is gone. Please ask the Doctor if he knows what is happening. I wish to know so I may try to combat this parasite from within.

Limrii lay on the exam table, unable to move his own body.

He felt disgusted...the parasite was using him to incubate something...something he could feel moving in his stomach.

Something that killed the humans onboard the freighter...he recalled in vivid detail how their bodies had been ruptured from within, and now, there was a thing within him that would do the same thing...if the Doctor could not remove it, he would die a horrible death. Sto-Vo-Kor would not accept him if he died without honor...

Commander, I will kill this creature myself to ensure my place in Sto-Vo-Kor if the Doctor cannot remove it and the parasite within me, he thought.

His hand twitched...he had control over his body again. He clenched his fist, then relaxed...

Commodore Siit

Siit entered the bridge and the Wakelev was staring back from the viewscreen, as if mocking him. He walked over to tactical where the officer on duty nodded. Looking down at the display he felt at home. Many a year he was a Security Officer and it was a comfort to go back to ones roots.

The Endeavour shields were raised as befitting yellow alert status. The tactical officer didn't begrudge Siit the opportunity to man his own station. He also was aware that the Wakelev was responsible for deaths. Siit talked as he worked, he had to manually lock onto the Wakelev since the auto-sensors found it difficult to bypass the Thalium hull.

"Locking quantum torpedoes on the Alien vessel Wakelev"

The bridge crew were not phased as they remained at their stations.

"Torpedoes away" As Siit pressed the LCARS console.

Four blue streaks of light leapt from the Endeavour and sped to the alien vessel. Within no time at all they impacted on the inshielded hull and detonated in a magnificent array of light and debris. The shockwave was insufficent to trouble the Endeavour and not even a noticeable compensation was detected.

Siit felt a small consolation as he witnessed the destruction of the alien hive upon the Wakelev. He thanked the tactical officer and went to sit in his chair for a brief time.

Game Master

The shuttle was empty except one occupant. And not one of the 15 000 souls aboard the USS Endeavour was aware of it. It had remained perfectly motionless for the last few hours. Its control a match for its patience and remorseless aggression. In an instant its thought processes changed as the reverent one and the hive was no more.... the link severed. It did not feel loss, regret or even revenge and anger. Instincts over-rode those emotions.... and the instincts were bourne out of complete raw fury..if it was to be compared.

It would create a new hive and very soon it would move when it regonised an opportunity It was aware of the face hugger on board and the new drone that would come forth. It was also aware of the hosts that was around the hugger......

.... The face hugger was not aware of anything except its only function. Its sole purpose was to impregnate...and that what it was doing. It automatically kept the host alive feeding it what it needed until its role was fullfilled. It was armed with many resources to ensure the host could not fight... and it reacted automatically to the hosts movement.

It released a muscle inhibitor into the bloodstream and instantly the host again became totally immobile... usually the host was comatosed and was not aware, it didn't have the mental capacity to understand the terror it instilled into its host....

The EMH

He walked from the window and back through the containment field. The EMH noticed that the tentacle coiled about Limrii's neck relaxed minutely.

It was clear that they weren't going to be able to force the creature off the Klingon. And no doubt any attempt to innoculate it with some sort of paralyzing agent would either prove ineffective, cause it to retaliate, or both. But what if he used subterfuge? He picked up his PADD and ran another computation. Hm. He doublechecked the chemical formula again, then smiled.

The hologram prepared a hypospray of a Delactovine derivative. He walked over to a panel in the wall and opened it. After he made some adjustments to the sensors, he injected a bioneural gelpack. He closed the panel and counted to twenty...

...As expected, the gelpack was filtered and the "impurity" rerouted through the room's ventilation duct. He was going to make the creature "sick". That is, the concoction he devised would penetrate the polarized silicon and put it into a stupor. It would HAVE to abort its activity.

The arch made staccato beeps. The EMH checked it cause: Private Limrii was regaining control of his motor functions. The hologram glanced over and saw the tentacle around its host's neck release its hold. In record time, the creature slide to the floor.

A raised eyebrow. This was too easy. He went back to the diagnostic arch to scan Limrii for the parasite. Nothing. How curious. Suddenly, Private Limrii took a deep breath.

The holographic doctor tapped his combadge: "Emergency Medical Hologram to Doctor Williams & Counselor Dayanair: I've neutralized the parasite."

Counselor R. Dayanair

Day stood listening to Carlos....as he talked about having the same forebiding feeling that was haunting her.

As Carlos continued to talk....she felt the low rumble of growling again as it flowed through her mind....closing her eyes....she saw a glimpse of Mother this time....then suddenly she was gone?

Her eyes popped open, "Mother, she is gone..."

"What??" Carlos looked at Day, wondering if she had finally lost her mind.

Looking around, she noticed Siit and Sharas were gone, "Siit, he has left the shuttle bay..." she looked at Carlos, sighing, "He must have destroyed the freighter."

Carlos still didn't get what she was mumbling about, "Carlos..." she grabbed his arm, "I strongly suggest you get to Peter and make sure he is alright." half smiling she left him and moved over to Nirla.

"Nirla, let's check what's left of the away team." Nirla simply nodded and they both moved towards the group.

Nirla walked towards Kudet and Woo....Day went straight to Annie.

All the while, Day could hear Limrii in her mind, {Limrii, I'm here....I will let the doctor know what your feeling.} then his thoughts stopped...she couldn't hear him at all now....he was still alive....but it was as if he had gone completely comatose now.

Keeping her mind on Limrii as she kneeled down, "Annie.." whispering as she pushed Annie's hair from her face.

But Annie was slow to respond and her words were sluggish....Day looked around the bay but didn't see Dr Williams....looking back at Annie, "Come on sweetheart..." putting her arm around Annie and helped her to stand, "...let's get you to sickbay."

Lt. Bhat'lex

*Bhat'lex looked at the away through the containment field and wondered how long they would have to be there. He wondered about limrri and he was doing. He wanted to go and see how he was but he didn't want to distrub the Medical team in their work. Hopefully they could save him. He turned and ordered all marines on the away mission to go Clean up but stay on high alert once they got there gear. He looked at the marines guarding and nodded at them before leaving to get cleaned up himself*

The EMH
Private Rurek Limrii

He gasped...

And Private Rurek Limrii took the first of many breaths on his own since being attacked on the alien vessel.

He coughed and blinked...and realized he could see the world around him...well, so it was Sickbay, but he was glad (in a Klingon way) to be using his own eyes again.

"Doctor," he said weakly.

"Relax, Private," said the EMH as he entered his report in a PADD. "You've been through a traumatic ordeal, but it looks as though you're going to be all right. There is no longer any sign of the parasite."

"I feel something moving within my abdomen..." Limrii said. "I am feeling a sharp pain here," as he pointed to his stomach.

The holographic doctor frowned and opened his modified tricorder. Passing the diagnostic component over the Klingon's abdominal and thoracic areas, he could detect nothing. He tried the standard tricorder. Nothing. The EMH was at a loss. His expression was no longer reassuring.

"What KIND of pain do you feel, Private?" he asked cautiously.

Limrii: "Doctor, I feel... a pain... in my stomach," he said weakly.

"Yes, but can you describe your pain? Burning, throbbing, stabbing..."

Limrii coughed a bit. "Sharp...like a dk'tahg..."

The hologram keyed in the latest symptoms. "hm." He turned around and looked for Dr. Williams out in the main area of Sickbay. She was handling someone also on the verge of expiration. He turned back to face Private Limrii. As he understood, this was not the means for a Klingon to die. But what could be done?

"Can you not perform surgery and remove this...movement?" he asked weakly.

The EMH winced. "It's not that simple, Private. First, I must locate the creature before I can excise it. Second, it may prove more deadly trying to remove it. The organism which hugged your face contained a substance it used for blood, but with a level of acidity which was off the scale. Had I attempted to remove it by force..." he hesitated, "...well, it would not have been a pretty prospect. What has me curious is what prevents me from scanning it..." The EMH mulled this over while trying to figure more equations on his PADD.

Limrri laid back on the exam table...and contemplated his explanation to Kahless when he went to Sto-Vo-Kor...

Game Master

The muscle inhibitor was slowly loosing its grip on its host. The Klingon Starfleet marine of Private Limrii felt movement and control return to his extremities and move into his limbs. Groggily he tried to sit up and her realised that his throat felt like it had been forcibly fed a dagger, but he shook off any discomfort in the typically stubborn Klingon way.

The EMH had pitted the vast knowledge of the Federation library to the task of removing the parasite. He had proposed a theory and appropriate hypothesis…. But there was just not enough information or time, to assume the independent variable was the cause for the face huggers now apparent neutralisation….

Limrii sat up with his shoulders hunched, head back and eyes closed. He felt weak and cramped but he would work it out of his system, what was nagging was his sore throat and the ache and congestion he felt in his chest…. The doc would see to him…. Then his eyes flew open as he concentrated on his chest and the growing ache. His throat suddenly felt constricted and he growled to clear it, to no effect except one…. He began to descend into a coughing fit, trying to dislodge what he thought was in his throat. Then the dull ache in his chest grew to an unbelievably acute pain…. His body reacted violently to it as even the Klingon redundant anatomy protested with every ounce of its being… and Limrii's entire frame was struck with involuntary convulsions as the creature within began to eat its way out.

Limrii growled, gnashed his teeth and threw his head side to side. He writhed uncontrollable the pain unbearable…. Then it seemed to reach a crescendo and blood erupted outwards and Limrii lays still momentarily, the pain subsiding from the extreme, to barely manageable…. The respite was brief… the pain intensified as Limrii felt something inside him thrash around and strive to emerge….. Limrii knew he was dead, and the pain was exquisite, it was not an honorable way for a warrior to die…. But the pain was sweet none the less…. With that thought he felt the intruder explode outwards….and the light in his eyes saw no more

Limrii's nose and mouth expelled gouts of purple blood and his chest exploded as a creature the size of a humans wrist and forearm sat in the Klingon's intestines and exposed organs. It looked around not caring that it was responsible for carnage and the dead Klingon it had inhabited. Limrii's body still shook with twitching nerves, but no longer violent…..

The newly born alien looked around and allowed its instincts to take over and make the next move…

The drone knew that one of its kind had birthed, it also knew that a lot the hosts in the immediate area had moved on leaving only three. Now it would make its move. With an effortless ease it moved from its position to the entrance of the runabout. Although it had remained motionless for hours, its body did not know what cramping was…. only perfection, raw powerful and unforgiving perfection. It saw a host in front of it and knew two more were around the other side….

Its mind took in the surrounding and found the jeffrie tube entrance almost immediately. It could not enter the tube without being spotted, it didn't care, it was not a problem…. But for the three marines on duty, it would be. It approached Private Gorman, he was totally unaware of the noiseless 2 ½ meter tall alien behind him…. He knew that internal sensors would pick up anything out of the ordinary, so all was well…. It was a fatal assumption.

Its two taloned hands grasped the hosts head from behind with such intensity it could not utter a sound. It then lifted the host a clear meter off of the deck. The marine is such shock and extreme pressure that all he could do was uselessly kick his legs into air…. It easily held up the host and opened its outer jaw…. In a split second the inner jaws extended with such ferocity that they imbedded halfway into the instantly dead hosts brain.

For the moment it deposited Gorman's corpse on the floor and silently moved to the other two….

Private Wilson had just finished bantering with Private Vasquez. She was a very tough marine, took her job with absolute seriousness and could stand toe to toe with many of the men in any operation, strength or wits. Wilson was attracted to the ruggedly tough hispanic, maybe he would ask her out…..

Vasquez smiled to herself, Wilson was ok…. Maybe she would even ask him out if…. She stopped in mid sentence as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. She spun around to be met with an apparation that threatened to send her bowels to water. But she was tough and well trained, in one fluid movement she swung her left fist at the creatures head and with her right unclipped her phaser.

"Oh yeah…" She shouted through clenched teeth

The left hook impacted true, and if the recipient was human, it would have been rendered unconscious… instead she felt her hand shatter as if she had punched straight into a neutronium wall. She stifled the cry, raised the phaser and fired…. Then all hell broke loose….

The Endeavour's internal sensors were triggered and an alarm sounded as the phaser discharge was recorded. The Alien was unaffected but immediately impaled Vasquez through the chest with its spiked tail and was preparing to use its internal jaws. Wilson heard a thud, muffled cry and phaser discharge… followed by an alarm. He ran around the runabout to see Vasquez suspended in mid air by the tail of a beast that on the Wakelev. She held the tail and gagged on the blood in her mouth. As she slipped into unconsciousness she saw Wilson running to her aid…..

Wilson did not stop, but kept running as if he meant to ram and force the alien away from Vasquez. Fear had not even had time to form, it was just aswell…. Faster than possible, the alien spun around, flinging Vasquez into the runabout headfirst, her neck broken and instantly dead. It caught Private Wilson in a grasp and Wilson had two simultaneous thoughts…. One that he would now never get the opportunity to ask Vasquez out… and the other he was going to kill this beast….

Wilson struggled mightily punching kicking and striking the alien, the ferocity and energy pushed the alien back one step but that was all…. As he tired he thought about a way to rid of the alien, decompressurise the hangar… he would of course die, but he would be happy knowing that his little sacrifise would avert the rest of the crew facing this threat….. he was dead anyway, he knew

"Computer, decompressurise hangar…." He started…

The alien simultaneously extended its inner jaws and flinched using its strength in a violent vulgar display… Wilson felt the jaws impact on his face, but felt no pain and knew no more as in a shower of blood his head was ripped clean off his shoulders…..

Within 25 seconds of first moving, the alien drone had killed three hosts…. The alarm had been activated for all of 7 of those seconds and counting. It hissed with neither pleasure nor satisfaction of its handiwork, it was a necessary act. With a blurr of movement, the alien sped to the jeffries tubes where it entered and disappeared into the bowels of the vastness of the Endeavour….

Three crumpled bodies- one without his head and another with half of it missing, and what seemed like gallons of blood had managed to transfer the once spotlessly clean Starfleet hangar bay into a truly gruesome depiction and representation of an abattoir…..

And it was just the beginning…….

The EMH

"EMH to Doctor Williams! Come to the isolation room immediately! Urgent!"

Doctor Williams dashed to the window of the isolation room and gasped at the horror. Private Limrii's chest cavity looked at though it had exploded from a great pressure within. His expression at time of death was that of extreme pain and great anger, all rolled into one.

Sitting in the gore and entrails of the expired Klingon like in a visceral nest was a small, fleshy creature. It had an elongated head and what looked like two sets of jaws, one extending out from the other. It was trying to take swipes at the holographic doctor as he attempted to take readings with his tricorders. It growled and shrieked, and its expressions of rage seemed to intensify as its thrashing limbs repeatedly passed through him.

"It appears to be made of the same materials that - that - MASK - was made of, Doctor!" said the EMH between swipes. "Judging by these readings from my modified tricorder, the protein polysaccharines are being replaced with polarized silicon at a much faster rate!" Sometimes, no doubt due to his programming, the hologram dodged some swipes while trying to talk. "The -- blood -- appears -- to be made -- of the same -- extremely -- volatile -- acid -- as the mask." He was tempted to swat back at the ornery creature, and gestured for a backhand. But he stopped himself; he dared not break its skin.

"Doctor! Please advise!" exclaimed the EMH in panic. Nurses and assorted marine personnel joined the CMO at the window. They were all dumbstruck. Micheala had never seen anything like this in her life, and had no advice to offer. She just stared, her mouth ajar.

The little beast screamed and drooled and thrashed at the holographic doctor. It steadily grew in size while he contended with its assaults. He tried to gather as much data as possible, although he'd rather it were dealt with in a more controlled situation. "I could really use some advice, Doctor!" he called out.

=/\= Beam it out into space!=/\= replied Micheala.

"Beam it off the ship?? It'll die!"

=/\= If it is a threat to the crew... =/\=

The hologram continued to alternately dodge thrashes and allow the alien's claws to pass through him. "But we'll kill it!"

=/\= Didn't you report that its body fluids can compromise the ship's hull? =/\=

"Yes, but-"

=/\= Then beam it off the ship immediately! THAT'S AN ORDER, DOCTOR!=/\=

The EMH complied. "Computer: get a lock on the unidentified life form in Isolation Room Number One and beam it off the ship!"

=/\= Unable to comply. =/\=

Between the creature's relentless assults, Dr. William's order for him to commit murder, and the computer's seeming incompetence, the EMH was starting to get flabbergasted . "Explain!!!"

=/\= There are no lifeforms detected in Isolation Room Number One =/\=

"Of course there isn't..." he muttered.

Just then, the creature decided to jump out of the nest of guts which used to be Private Limrii's thoracic cavity, and started scurrying around the floor, growling and obviously looking for a way out. It moved beyond the boundaries of the forcefield. The EMH was alternately frustrated and fascinated.

=/\= Get it, Doctor! =/\= came Dr. William's voice over the comm system.

"How?! It won't stand still!" He was starting to get frustrated. And when he got frustrated, his remedial interactive training tended to lose its priority. He had no subroutines for any serious athletic movements, so he had to make do with his limitations and gradually learn from experience and adapt. Stalking and capturing a maniacal alien without causing it injury was not going to be an easy task for him.

Nurse Elzara Yin

Elzara looked up in shock as the machines monitoring Private Limrii began to wail in alarm. Excusing herself from her patient she ran over to where a small crowd of medical staff and marines had gathered by the window of the isolation room and peered inside.

Her blood ran cold at the sight of Limrii, or rather what was left of him and she found herself unable to do anything but stand and stare. Elzara was dimly aware that the EMH was talking, doing his best to give a report while dodging the swipes from the alien, but she wasn't taking any of it in, she was to wrapped up in her own reaction.

*we should have spotted it, we should have known* was all she could think. Because of their failure to detect the alien the last thing Limrii had known was terror and pain. Taking a deep breath she swiped away angry tears and tapped her combadge, forcing herself to think clearly. Hysterics wouldn't help Limrii now. "Sickbay to Security, we need a team down here right away."

Counselor R. Dayanair

Day was still trying to console Private Crash when noticed Avakar and Samson near by....they were walking among the dead and wounded.... she made a mental note to speak with Colonel Samson about the matines, the first chance she got.

She started to feel Limrii....he seemed to be doing better and she wanted to check on him plus speak with the EMH about him....but Limrii's condition started to change.

Just as she turned her attention back to Crash....Day felt an odd sensation in her body....her hand automaticly went to her throat again....the feeling of something blocking her airway was stronger this time.

Crash's grief was so great...he wasn't aware of anything going on around him.

Leaning her hand on the floor....Day tried to stand up....she already felt physically and emotionally drained....as the pain in Limrii's body was shooting through her mind and in her chest.

She tried to block it but couldn't....then she realized what was happening to Limrii as she reached up and grabbed the biobed, where the dead marine lays....the pain in her chest increasing as she slowly stands up....her mind yelling, {NO!!! someone help Limrii....please no...}

When she finally stood up....Limrii's body errupted and out came what Day had prayed would not happen to the Endeavour....grabbing her chest as his pain shot through her system, "Someone help...Limrii..."she choked out....but couldn't breath in or out now....as people started to rush past her from the caumotion in the isolation chamber....but she couldn't comprehend anything going on around her now.

Her face grimaced from the pain....while still trying to breath in....as her knees gave out and she slumped to floor....her last conscious thoughts were, {Damn you Mother!!}

Lt Commander Kudet

Kudet was weary beyond anything she'd previously known, but right now adrenalin was coursing through her bloodstream with a puposeful intensity. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but she'd come to Sickbay to investigate the alien lifeform, and that was what she was going to do.

Attempts to beam it out had failed. It was imperative that they find some way of remodulating the sensors to register the creature's presence. She frantically called suggestions to the Holodoctor.

"Try calibrating the tricorder or medical sensors to identify any large silicon-based molecules. If it doesn't register as a life-form it doesn't matter as long as we can identify its presence"

She waited to see if her suggestion had any effect....

Counselor Annie Flynn

"Day!" Annie yelled, managing to gain some control over herself. Without thinking, she was at the unconscious counselor's side in a flash. "Concentrate, Day, c'mon," Annie said, extending her own abilities to help Day control her new found sensitivity.

The EMH

Science XO Kudet could be heard on the comm as the EMH frantically chased the snarling alien around the biobed. =/\= Try calibrating the tricorder or medical sensors to identify any large silicon-based molecules. If it doesn't register as a life-form it doesn't matter as long as we can identify its presence =/\=

"I tried that already," said the EMH, exasperated. "I was originally able to detect it after having calibrated the biobed and one of my tricorders. That's how I knew of its silicon-based physiology..." The creature doublebacked and the EMH abruptly shifted direction, "but it's since managed to mask its signature. My instruments can no longer detect it!"

He leapt onto the biobed arch and tried to pounce it and missed, falling shoulder first on the far side of the room. A collective gasp could be heard from the comm system, then a collective sigh when stood up and continued the chase...

Ensign Tel'Rashi Rinao

*Rinao and Dari stood while all hell broke loose in the med lab. the Doctor seemed to completly forget that he was talking to ensign Raymond at the time and the channel was still open. Rinao Frowned as she listeend to the horror ofwhat had happened. The Creature hadburst out ofthe marines ribscage. By the prophets the very image alone made Rinao want to throw up. Rinao looked at Dari and they both took off down the corridor.*

Dari>Rinao "where we going."

Rinao>Dari "To the Biolab hopefully the Doc will have transferred all data to there and maybe i can think on my feet away to get that wee Parasite off the"

*Rinao suddenly hit the brakes and she slowed her mind thinking of something that filled her with a cold thought.*

*Rinao knew the doctor was busy butshe had to Clarify something*

Rinao>Doctor "The Data said that the sensors couldn't recognise the Alien life form on limmris face and the thing that burst outta him right"

EMH>Rinao "Im alittle Busy Ensign I....."

Rinao>Allatmedlab "If the sensors can't pick up the smaller Aliens it will be as likely with the Larger ones on the Alien Vessel. if one of them sneaked aboard wed have no chance of seeing it. Did the Marines check the shuttle when it came down"

*Rinao anddari started up again and got into the turbolift and headed for The biolabs. Waiting for a response from anyone to put her mind at ease*

Private Rurek Limrii

...and Limrii descended into the pit of Klingon Hell...

His screams for forgiveness fell upon deaf ears in Sto-Vo-Kor...

Counselor R. Dayanair
Counselor Annie Flynn

Day could see Limrii....he was upset....pleading to someone....she tried to reach out to him with her mind and her hand....but her attempts fell on deaths ear....then suddenly he slowly faded from her sight.....pleading as she watched him fade away, {God, please be merciful on Limrii's soul}. Her mind cried for Limrii....in trying to protect everyone on the freighter....he gave his life in the process....then three more images floated through her....she didn't recognise them....but they were definitely crew members. {NO....this can't be!!} Annie's voice started to penetrate her thoughts, "Concentrate, Day, c'mon."

Day's eyes open, "Annie, Limrii is dead..." she grabbed Annie's arm, trying to sit up, "...three other crew members are dead, also..." Annie helped her to stand up, "....one of those THINGS must have been on the runabout.." She stood on shaking legs and looked around at everyone standing by the isolation chamber....all were confused....Day and Annie walked over and looked on....blood was everywhere....she saw Limrii on the biobed....his chest blewn out....shivering as she whispered, "Limrii..."

Day could see the EMH and the small alien....fear and disgust went through as she looked at it....they were at a stand off....the alien must have injured itself because now blood was dripping from its arm....the floor started to melt away under it....it jumped on the holes and then it was gone.

Gasping as she realized there were now two of these menacing THINGS, "Oh God Annie..." turning to look at her, "....there are two of them loose now on the Endeavour....no one is safe....I hope Siit is aware of this..." Her mind didn't want to except any of this, "You and I can't sense them....the ship's sensors can't either." she looked around the crowd of people, for Samson and Avakar....but obviously with what just happened....the marines are (hopefully) moving into action.

Annie squeezed Day's hand.

"We should try to get word," she said. "Don't worry. Once they know, we can try to set up places to corner them." Annie then added silently to herself, 'I hope.'

Sgt Elisad Amar, Medic Recon

*Amar having returned after getting cleaned up, Checks again on poor Sergeant Bronski, She sees Crash crying, and D'Harn is gone.*

~The stuborn Klingon, I'll miss him. ~

*She wipes her eyes no time for that yet, to many things to deal with, later she will think.*

~Poor Crash, to have to go through this. We've lost so many good Marines, damn that alien species.~

*Her attention returns to Sergeant Bronski, he should be recovering, his body is repaired. She sees that Ross has brought in the Tribble.*

~ Maybe that can help bring Bronski around. ~

* Amar glances up in time to see the horendous activities in isolation. Her eyes widen in shock as she sees the creature ~oh Gods~ burst through the chest of Limrii. Even with all her medical training, and what she had seen on the extraction mission, she is still unprepared for this. The creature sitting in the entrails of Limrii, the blood covering it. The look of pain on his face, his bodies violent reaction. Her eyes glaze over and she faints.*

Lt Commander Kudet

After hearing the holodoctor's impatient response Kudet decided to do some investigations of her own. Patching into the remote console of the quarrantine unit she set the computer to run through a whole range of configurations in the hope that it might pick up something.

In the meantime, she also began to monitor the composition of everything else in the room. The creature didn't appear to be feeding on Limrii's corpse, but had to be getting nourishment from somewhere in order to grow. Possibly, a negative reading of the contents of the room could provide information as to what the creature was assimilating, if anything.

While the programs were running, Marisha turned to Sgt Amar who was just stirring and helped her to a sitting position.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry I didn't help you before, but I needed to get scans running on the effects of that..thing" she spat out the word with disgust. This had become personal.

Commodore Siit

Lights flashed on the security/tactical's station and the duty officer read them then transferred the information to the Commodore. Siit looked to see for himself as the turbolift doors opened and Lt's Arman and Carlos strode out.

"Commodore" Arman flatly said

Siit furrowed his brow "Report Lieutenant, what's going on??"

The EMH

The floor of the Isolation Room became slick with blood. The creature - first slithering on its tail, then gradually scurrying on rapidly growing legs - turned it into a sloppy purple obstacle course. It became increasing difficult for the EMH to doubleback whenever it abruptly changed direction on him. But after his attempt to jump it, he found that taking to higher ground wasn't a better strategy.

He'd hope to running it down by out-enduring it. As a computerized projection, endurance was something he certainly had no trouble with. But the lifeform showed no sign of slowing down...

...In fact, while they played tag in Private Limrii's blood, he couldn't help noticing how fast it grew in such a short space of time; he was certain at this moment the creature would have stood hip high to him.

At last, a moment came. He grabbed for its tail. But apparently, the same method it was using to fool the ship's sensors from detecting it was fooling the sensors of his magnetic containment field as well. His hand passed right through it. The creature felt nothing and hadn't caught sight of that moment, and so continued its paces. The EMH started to wonder what part of his physiognomy had caused this…

Lt. j.g. Carlos

Carlos looked over the information streaming onto the Op's console. Arman seemed a little stunned by the information, no doubt because of his firsthand experiance on the frieghter. Carlos however, did not have any such experiance and relled off the information at Siit's request. "We got phaser fire coming from the shuttlebay...............three people down - reportedly dead. It's still pretty jumbled...." he revealed, his eyes never leaving the data as he fired it off. "One of those creatures stowed aboard.............we suspect it's escaped into the jefferies tubes.........." "And with them invisible to sensors, we've no way of tracking it down........" Siit grumbled to himself. "There's more.............in the isolation chamber? The crewman infected by that parasite..........Limrii - he's dead."

Carlos said this so cooly that even he regretted it. But he realised that with such a menace now onboard the ship, this was not the time subtlety.

"Dead? How?" Siit demanded.

"The parasite seemed to have hatched another smaller creature inside of him..........a smaller version of the thing running round the jefferies tubes. It didnt leave much of Limrii........."

Lt. Commander Eric Woo

Whilst Eric was about to respond to Ens. Rhyssa's comment, and a good point at that, he heard a scream, and stood up. At this point, they had not left the quarantine area for convenience, but it seemed that something was up.

Eric shot up, and followed the scream to the isolation area... where private Limrii was kept... but now there was disaster.

Limrii's upper body exploded outwards... by a creature reminiscent of the ones seen on the freighter... those with phasers quickly tried to shoot it down.

"No, wait, that won't solve anything. Computer, seal all jeffries tubes, magnetic and forcefields included. Try and identify the creature in the isolation room, and keep a lock on a target. After locating a suitable target, use that to get a lock on any similar creatures."

The creature just sat there, straddling the gut of Limrii...

The ever so cheerful computer chirped softly as the task was performed.

Eric thought, well, this time it's on our ship, and we've got better resources that than freighter-turned-crypt.

"Woo to Commodore Siit. We've got trouble down in the shuttlebay."

"Siit here. Yes, I know, I've been briefed by Lt. Carlos."

"Sir, I've sealed the jeffries tubes, magnetic seals and forcefields both. I don't know how efficient that will be, seeing as we know little of this creature."

Lance Corporal Steve Ross, Infantry Medic

Ross was hearing things happening, but he was too busy with Bronski to get up and over. It seemed almost anything would scare these hot-shot Starfleet guys. But then he heard the voice of a Marine, and he realized something big was going on. If a Marine was getting excited after that last mission, there was definitely something going down. He stood and walked over, leaving the tribble in the hands of the near-unconscious Bronski. He walked over, then took a look inside the quarantine area. He looked at the deck to his right as he heard a muffled thump. Amar was slumped against the wall, for no good apparent reason. Probably exhaustion. Then he looked inside the quarantine area for a closer look. He shook his head, then looked again, rubbing his eyes. He pinched himself, wondering if he was awake, or just dreaming. It HAD been a long time since his last sleep-filled night. But when he looked back, the thing was still running from the EMH. Ross took a step back after seeing Klingon and human blood intermixed, then let out a yelp of disgust.

"Damn." He rushed up to the window of the quarantine area, watching closely as the EMH swiped at its tail, but the hand passed clean through, not even contacting the alien. Ross shook his head again, waiting.

Counselor Annie Flynn

"What happened?" Annie said, nearly jumping to her feet. Her hands had been holding on to Day and they now involutarily clutched tighter. Realizing it, she pulled away from the Chief Counselor. "What's going on?" She could see the EMH running around in the Quarentine chamber. Blood had spattered everywhere in the room.

Annie knew what had happened. The bodies in the incubation chamber..... All of them had gaping holes in their chests, as if something had burst through.

"By the gods and spirits," she whispered. "This is what Day was talking about." She watched the creature running about in the isolation ward. If it wasn't so frightening, Annie would have laughed at the antics of the EMH to try and catch it.

Commodore Siit

"Enough" The Commanding Officer firmly ordered without drawing the attention of the entire bridge. "We have to be constructive here."

Siit motioned the two officers to the Endeavour LCARS schematics. Siit nodded to his own thoughts then proceeded to spew forth orders that would protect his crew.

"Mr Carlos, Mr Woo and yourself will liase with the Marines and evacuate all civilians to the mall and public areas. No-one, and I mean no-one is to work in the jefferies tubes or in groups less than 5 is that understood?" Siit asked rhetorically and pressed on turning to his Ops officer

"Mr Arman, liase with medical, science and engineering to see if we can track this sonofa...lifeform and then neutralise it." Siit paused then stared pointedly at Carlos "No heroics Lieutenant, if a squad of marines suffered casualties, I don't want you to risk lives due to complacency....is that clear??"

That also was a rhetorical question. Siit turned to head off the bridge

"Our main priority is to preserve lives. I will be in sickbay to see the situation first hand."

Dr. Mike Holland

After triaging and treating the less major injuries sustained to the Marines during the encounter with the Lifeform on the alien ship, Mike Holland, Executive Medical Officer, made his way back up to the main Sickbay, to check on the progress of the marines who had sustained more serious injuries.

To his surprise and dismay, Mike walked into Sickbay to a site of horror, destruction, and gore inside the isolation chamber. The EMH was standing in the chamber with the now deceased Private Limrii, and a hideous little creature was running around, looking for something, what that something is/was, Mike could not tell...

The EMH

This wasn't one of the EMH's more stellar assignments by any means. An unidentified and often unscannable lifeform burst from his patient's chest. A maddening, gorey game of "Ring Around the Rosie" about the victim's remains for almost forty minutes, with indication that he wasn't the only one capable of passing in and out of the forcefield set to contain the biobed. It seemed that the only thing protecting the Endeavour and its crew from this creature of corrosive circulatory fluids was the Isolation Room's reinforced walls and his ability not to injure it. And THEN, there was the matter of its masking its lifesigns from his own tactile sensors; the hologram was unable to touch it.

They reached a momentary stalemate. He stood in a semi-crouched position, the creature growling and doing the same. It growled in the back of its throat - or whatever it had, with one set of jaws open and the second set within doing the snarling. His uniform and shoes were purple with blood as was the creature. Just then, Dr. Holland's voice was heard:

=/\= Doc, tell me what happened, what is that creature, and what happened to the Marine in there? Why is he dead? =/\=

"Doctor Holland," he acknowledged, "This - thing - used Private Limrii as a birthing chamber, sir." He dared not divert his eyes from their staredown, lest it pounce and crash behind him. "I was able to get SOME readings once I recalibrated the biobed and a second tricorder. Both this and its former embryonic guardian contain a form of blood so acidic that we presently have no means to neutralize it. Injuring this creature will result in damage to the ship's structural integrity, not to mention anyone coming in contact with it."

When the alien faked out a gesture to dash, he matched it. The stalemate resumed, the growling a little louder.

"I might like to point out," continued the holographic doctor, "that it has improved its control over camouflaging its lifesigns. Not only can we not beam it off the ship, but even my own program refuses to recognize it; it passes through me regardless of the density of my magnetic containment field. I am not sure whether it is because my form utilizes infrared emissions to sense stimuli, or the creature's impervious nature to forcefields. But the fact remains that I am unable to make contact with it with my own body. It doesn't APPEAR to understand what I am saying, so it is as yet unaware of this. I am merely attempting to exhaust it at this point, but it must possess a high metabolic rate; it hasn't slowed down."

It was on the move again, and the EMH frantically slipped into action. "Speaking of which: It started out -- at -- approximately -- forty centimetres in height -- give or take," he changed direction and continued, "In a very-- short time, it has grown -- to well over -- a metre." He slid and doublebacked, startling the lifeform into running the other direction. "Sir, I'd appreciate any advice or assistance, but-" he changed direction again, "- I'm afraid of the consequences -- if it is exposed to a biological member of the crew. I have -" they stopped again at the foot of the biobed in another stalemate. "- I have data on my PADD of what little information I could gather with the recalibrated instruments. Perhaps it may be of some use? It's on the tray just beneath the window..."

Lt Commander Kudet

After Sgt Amar had returned to Bronski, Lt Cmdr Marisha Kudet turned back to the programs she'd left running. She checked the readings of the modulated scan to attempt to detect the life form.

"Kudet to Bridge, Science Lab and Quarrantine room. I believe that we're all attempting to do the same things here: to fins a way firstly to monitor this creature, and secondly to find a way to neutralise it. I suggest that we pool our results so far and also our mental abilities. Piece-work isn't going to get this solved."

Woo entered looking horrified.

"Sending results of my scans so far... Doc Holland..." she turned to where he was standing near her "could you download the data that the holodoctor has gathered so far and add it to the results of both my scans and those from the bridge?"

She became aware of the Zarnac Abassador demanding fiercely that the creature be terminated. Kudet turned to him.

"Ambassador, we have been trying to do just that, but at present we cant register its presence on any scanners whatsoever. The Holodoctor believes that the creature is modifying its composition in order to avoid detection. I am currently trying to co-ordinate the efforts to analyse the creature so as to maximise the efficiency with which we deal with this threat. Did you find any effective means..."

Kudet's voice trailed off as she spotted the Commodore entering the area.

"Ah Commodore..."

Counselor R. Dayanair

Day watched the EMH with the alien....both were covered in Limrii's blood....his body layed still and silent....he wasn't suffering any longer....at least not in a physical sense....she knows he didn't make it Sto'Vo'Kor....leaning her head against the glass as her heart ached for him.

In the background she heard Kudet conversing with her science department....then a strange voice caught her attention....he was yelling....turning she saw a lizard looking lifeform...she couldn't help thinking again, {Siit is definitely running a floating hotel.}

Sighing she started to turn back to the isolation chamber....but her eyes caught sight of Siit as he walked into sickbay....she stood up straighter and took a deep breathe....he didn't notice her....she knows he probably won't take notice of her for a long time....unless he needs her assistants....but what is between her and Siit is irrelvant for now....the saftey of this crew is all that's important.

Day was still listening to Siit as he addressed Kudet and the lizard person....then she felt Annie stiffen slightly since Siit had walkd in....she was obviously feeling self-conscious....she reached for Annie's hand and squeezed it....whispering, "It's alright Annie."

Annie's hair was hanging loose around her face....Day knows she likes to wear it up....she pushes Annie's hair back over her shoulder....then smiled at her, "I'm just thankful you are alive." trying to lighten the mood, "You still look lovely....even when covered in alien goo."

Lt. Commander Eric Woo

"I apologize, ensign, but I have my duties to attend to, especially in a time of crisis. If you wish to continue this discussion at a later time, please, feel free to contact me. Just... not now, especially with an alien with the potential to ravage the jeffries tubes and ultimately the entire ship..." Eric tried to smile.

He turned to look at the EMH running around trying to catch the creature one last time; it was kind of farcical... in a bitter way.

Just then, Lt. Carlos reported in, with orders from the Commodore... and a request for him to liase with the marine corps.

"Very well, Woo out... actually, wait! I will contact the marines, but I consider myself to be back fully on duty; I will assign various officers around the ship to assist the evacuation. For now, please situate yourself in a central corridor in the commercial sector. I will contact you again shortly. Woo out."

He quickly walked out of the shuttlebay, and noticed that the corridors outside were bustling.

"If I could have your attention, please! Yes... ::claps hands:: Please head towards a public area or near the Mall sector immediately, orders from the Commodore. Exit in an orderly fashion..." Obviously this was not going to work without some help.

He activated his commbadge, before the barrage of people got stronger and knocked him down.

"Woo to Ens. Carter. Ben, please go to the mall to meet with Lt. Carlos. Assist him in evacuating the populace and maintain order, above all! Make sure all are in sight. Woo out.

"Woo to Ens. McNew. Please meet me in the public quarters areas. We are to evacuate all passengers to the commercial areas. Arrive on the double, Woo out."

He hopped into the turbolift, and sped towards the public quarters.

"Woo to Colonel Samson. Sir, I need support for an evacuation of all passengers to public areas, due to the crisis at hand. At your earliest convenience, please station officers around the ship to ease in the evacuation. Try to maintain order, the passengers need not know anything that may alarm them. Thank you, Woo out."

Remembering that he gave the order to the computer to raise all forcefields and seal the jeffries tubes, he quickly headed towards the quarters, where he quickly started knocking on doors, which was met by rather gruff civilians, harshly.

When many were out in the corridors (or at least listening), Eric again brought attention to himself, however efficient that may be.

"Please, in an orderly fashion, head towards the Mall or other commercial establishment. There is no need for concern, this is... simply a drill for evacuation study purposes. Your efficiency will be graded, and those who loiter will be sent... a reprimanding report. Now, go! Go!" Oh, gosh, I hope support arrives quickly...

Making sure no one was listening, he activated his commbadge once again.

"Woo to Siit. The evacuation process has begun. I am now waiting for marine support. Anything further?"

This was not going to be fun... at any time could the creature find a way to escape the jeffries tube prison and pose a danger to the civilians... and when that happens, all hell will break loose... no amount of keeping the truth from the populace will help.

Commodore Siit

Others had stopped thinking that Athon was just rambling and listened intently. Siit walked over to the quarantine window and beheld the alien for the first time. The El-Aurian was not squeamish and he treated the scene before him as another challenge and aspect of duty.

The alien though small was a nasty piece of work. It was resplendent in its economy of movement and design. But that did not stop Siit seeing it for what it truly was... a threat, a pestilence. He hit his comm to the EMH

"Doctor, please leave the chamber. We will try to neutralise the ... creature." Siit ordered not taking his eyes off of the alien.

The EMH materialised outside the quarantine room and Siit ordered the fire-suppression system offline.

"Computer, change atmospheric conditions within the quarantine lab to pure oxygen" Siit ordered

It was easier said than done, setting fire to the room. Modern technology was not so 'archaic', there were transporters, forcefields, and computers that worked miracles. Yet it seemed that the simple task of fire that man had taken for granted for millenia was now too simple. The benefits and curse of technology.

A few officers stood with their tricorders out scanning and recording events. The Alien was continuing to test and probe to find an escape it was not perturbed by the changing atmospheric conditions....

"Oxygen content of Quarantine Lab at 97.4% and rising" The computer droned

The fundamental question now was where was the spark going to come from he was deep in thought

"Anyone got a match?" he said not realising it out loud

Athon and a few others looked questioningly at the El-Aurian but Siit hadn't noticed... we don't have the spark.... getting it in would be no problem- transporters... he stopped in mid sentance and made his way to the replicator. After tapping a few buttons programming an item, he pressed to activate and a 10 cm cube came into existance. Without stopping he took off his commbadge and placed it on top of the cube.

"Ensign your phaser please" The commanding officer asked the young security officer

Siit set the phaser to minimal power and fired a short burst into the cube. Where contact was made, it began to glow and burn slowly, wisps of smokes beginning to appear.

"Computer, transport my comm signal to quarantine room" Siit ordered

It happened so fast but none the less it was spectacular and horrific to witness. The commbadge and cube disappeared and materialised in the quarantine chamber and there was an instantaneous reaction. The room became awash with fire and flame as the Oxygen caught light and burned. All eyes were on the alien as it was engulfed by the hungry flames.

It writhed and screeched as its newly born body had not adapted enough. Siit had a feeling as he watched the slow death of the creature that Athon was indeed correct. Anymore time and it would have been too late. It all happened quickly, the furnace was still being fed with incoming pure oxygen, but the alien was no longer screeching and it at last lay still.

"Computer, restore previous atmospheric conditions to the Quarantine Lab" Siit ordered

The furnace ceased to exist and the room appeared as before except for the chared remains of Limrii, and the dead alien, slightly blackened and smoking. Starfleet standards had required that most materials be non-flammable. So just a fine layer of black dust permeated a few parts of the chamber.

Siit was relieved and looked at the assembled people. It had happened so quickly

"Thank you Athon" was all that Siit could say

There was a lot to be done now..... and he wanted his commbadge back.

The EMH

When the EMH transferred his program outside the isolation room, all traces of the late Private Limrii's blood fell in drops where he had previously stood.

He joined the small congregants as Commodore Siit coordinated measures to have the room incinerated. The thought of perhaps arranging a site-to-site for the Private's remains crossed his mind. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Every second counted where this creature was concerned; it had grown so quickly, and it was anyone's guess how long even reinforced walls would contain it.

Everything was laid waste in the room. He noticed the PADD just on the other side of the window, and recalled hearing its interface activate as he kept the beast at bay. He had hoped Science transferred everything in time.

Private Rurek Limrii

...and Limrii felt himself being lifted up to the gates of Sto-Vo-Kor, leaving Klingon Hell far behind.

"You have fared well, my warrior," Kahless said to him, handing Limrii the finest tankard of bloodwine. "We shall sing the songs of the fallen warriors, and drink to the memories of our brothers! Qapla!"