The senior officers, which included Captain Freeman, Commander Jevor, Lieutenant Reiv, Lieutenant Ivanovna, and Doctor Giovanni, met in the ship's Observation Lounge located just off the Bridge to hear Giovanni's report on what had happened to the crew of the Bristol.
After everyone was seated, Doctor Giovanni activated the room's viewscreen and would make use of it to illustrate several points during her briefing. "It all began harmlessly enough," she stated carefully, relishing her role as orator while some of the junior officers exchanged looks at the impending speech. "An array of alien preservatives, exposed to air by the lieutenant's examination," she listed, referring to the captain's order of Ivanovna to open the cargo they'd received for shipment. "A case of the flu, easily fought off by anti-toxins injected into our air supply. The sudden occurrence of tension and violence aboard the Bristol. Seemingly unrelated events right? Wrong. The flu virus mutated upon contact with the alien airborne preservatives, causing the anti-toxin to have an unexpected effect. You can see here in this diagram," she continued, referencing the viewscreen, "how it affected the average crewman's brain. It increased adrenaline and focusing its effects here, here, and here, made the average person grow more tense, more angry, inducing feelings of violence and paranoia."
"How is it that not all of us exhibited these signs? From what I've read you and Lieutenant Reiv were fine until Yilaan tried to take over your minds," Captain Freeman asked.
"I'm not sure, except that different people handle these feelings in different ways. I would say someone who is more used to handling anger, paranoia, and hatred would be better able to keep these feelings under control," Giovanni replied simply. "This is only a guess really; if those who had exhibited violent tendencies could've been classified by race or age, it would've been easy to categorize by brain structure. Since this wasn't the case, this is the only idea I have, though I'm sure that brain structure probably played a part for certain individuals also."
"How does all of this relate to what happened to Commander Yilaan?" Reiv asked.
"Good question," Giovanni replied. "This mutated version of the Rigellian flu appears to have had a specific and pronounced impact on her Betazoid brain," she continued, bringing up another diagram for the officers' inspection. "It contained all the violent aspects it had on the rest of us, along with one that altered and intensified her telepathic abilities. With the obvious results."
Silence pervaded the lounge for several moments while the assembled officers considered her words, until Giovanni opted to add further information, "The antidote removed all traces of this mutated strain, and everyone has returned to normal behavior. Now, there are those that are showing residual physical and/or mental side-effects from either the virus or Yilaan's attacks; I'm keeping them under observation as appropriate, but I believe that all the survivors will recover fully in time."
"Very good Doctor," Freeman replied. "So is it your medical opinion that no one on board was actually responsible for their behavior?"
Giovanni thought for a moment, then nodded, "Yes sir, that's basically true; those people that were affected weren't responsible for their actions."
Freeman smiled. "As expected, but it's good to hear anyway," he replied, nodding. "Thank you Doctor. Is that all then?" Giovanni nodded and turned off the view screen. "Anyone else with questions?" No one spoke. "Dismissed."
The assembled officers got up from their seats as appropriate and all began to slowly exit the Observation Lounge. "Doctor, Reiv, remain for a moment please," Freeman requested. The two officers did as instructed while the others filed out and the doors closed behind them. "I want to express my appreciation for a job well done. I know you probably feel that everything you two did was just in the line of duty, but I don't think we would be here having this conversation if it wasn't for your skills and your courage." The two officers beamed and thanked him for his praise. "Lieutenant, you've stated in your report that you received 'outside assistance' which helped you throw off Commander Yilaan's telepathic attack. I'm curious as to what that assistance was," Freeman continued. As Reiv started to object, Freeman held up his hand, "I'm inclined to not press you on this, Lieutenant; we've all been through a difficult and personal time. I would hope that you would find a way to express yourself for posterity in your Personal Log, but that is by no means an order." He then nodded to both officers. "Stations." The two left wordlessly and Freeman walked over to the lounge's many windows and stared out into space.
Captain Freeman let a few minutes slip by as he contemplated space before returning to the Bridge. "Lieutenant Ivanovna, keep an eye on the Bridge for a moment; I'll be in the Brig."
"Aye sir," she replied, looking up momentarily from her position at Tactical to acknowledge the order.
Upon arrival at the Brig's office, Freeman entered and nodded at Ensign Davis, the crewman replacing the deceased Ensign Goran. "Wait outside please," he ordered. The Ensign pressed a few buttons on his console, then nodded to the captain and left the office. Freeman sat in the ensign's chair and observed the cells; all were empty now, save that holding Commander Yilaan.
The commander had her face in her hands, but looked up when she heard the captain's voice; she had obviously been crying, though not so at the moment. Her clothes were dirty and torn and her hair was a mess, for she'd not been allowed back to her quarters since the incidents she'd perpetrated on board ship. "Hello sir," she said quietly.
"Commander," Freeman replied. "You don't look very well."
"I don't feel very well," she replied. She stood and tried to straighten her hair and her uniform, but it was plainly useless. At length she exhaled sharpy and her hands went to her face. "Captain, I . . ."
Freeman interrupted, "You need not explain anything or say anything. Doctor Giovanni has informed us all that no one aboard ship affected by this mutated virus that affected many of us is to be held in anyway responsible for his or her actions."
Yilaan shook her head vehemently. "That doesn't matter! I used my abilities in a way that hurt people. I killed a man, Captain!" she half-shouted, running her fingers through her hair. "I viciously probed people's minds; something abhorrent to me. I made them do things. I violated almost everyone on this ship in the most personal way possible. Whether it was some stupid virus or not, I'm still responsible."
"No one thinks that," Freeman replied reassuringly.
"That's a lie and you know it sir! You haven't had to watch Ensign Davis and Ensign Carlyle and Lieutenant Ivanovna eye you warily and keep one hand on their phaser when they're around you. Everyone hates me or is afraid of me, and it's well deserved," Yilaan argued.
"That isn't true. Everyone will know this wasn't your fault, and it will pass. We're all adults here. You've been a loyal and trusted officer on this ship, and a good friend to many, many people. We'll get through this together, but it will take time; time to rebuild the trust. You're right, many people were hurt because of this, and it's going to take some time to get through, but in the end things will be much as they were."
Yilaan forced a half-smile. "You make a good speech sir."
Freeman smiled back. "Thanks. It's part of the requirements of being a Starfleet Captain," he replied with a feeble attempt at jocularity. "At any rate, I've come to let you out." With that, Freeman pressed a couple of buttons and the force field keeping Yilaan in her cell was lowered.
"You could've just sent someone to do that sir," Yilaan noted, eyeing him speculatively as she stepped out of her holding cell.
"Something told me you might've needed a friend."
"Thank you Mark," she replied, touching him briefly on the arm. "And I want you to know that the next time we're on the holodeck, I'll go unarmed," she said.
"Oh no you won't!" the captain chided. "For our next little adventure, you'd better have your sword by your side; we're going to need all the help we can get!" Freeman said as he escorted Yilaan out of the Brig and began to explain the next program he had planned for their enjoyment.
***
Indeed the experiences on board ship had been both personal and traumatic for many of the crew, including Lieutenant Reiv Garon. Putting Yilaan's actions aside, all of his Bajoran spiritual teachings hadn't prepared him for the kind of 'outside help' he'd received that day, nor had it prepared him for the visitation he'd had back in the Sickbay shortly after his beloved Falinn Ehlara had died. At the time, it had been a relieving sort of experience; that she would be with him. He'd half begun to think of it as some sort of hallucination, despite the 'anomaly' the ship's sensor's had detected on the ship at the same time. However, for her to appear again was no hallucination and no anomaly; it was real, and he had no explanation. It wasn't that he minded the visits, mind you; he loved them, in fact, though it tore his heart out each time when she would disappear.
In her memory, he'd kept the Bajoran Duranya, the 'lamp for the dead,' alight since her passing, and prayed for her regularly. He wondered in his mind if that had had anything to do with it, though he couldn't recall anyone he knew having the fortune of a similar experience, though none of his friends or family had ever ventured into space, let alone lost a loved one in its cold expanse. It wasn't lost on him that both times she had appeared to him, she'd saved him; once from himself and now once from Yilaan.
He thought of these things as he knelt and prayed at the Duranya once again; an activity which had become an unconscious nightly ritual for him, much as others would slip into a favorite arm chair to read or put on a certain piece of music after a difficult day.
At length he rose and went over to the chair at his desk, tapping a couple of buttons on the console screen of his computer interface. "Personal Log," he began to say, pausing once to clear his throat. "Personal Log for Lieutenant Reiv, Stardate 90172.5." Reiv paused again and stared at the console. "The captain suggested that it would be good for posterity if I made a full report about the events concerning the recent telepathic attack by Commander Yilaan, and the outside forces that helped me throw it off." He paused again and folded his arms. "I've decided not to take his advice, for those things that are clearly spiritual in nature aren't to be laid bare, aren't to be shared with outsiders. Upon my return to Bajor, I intend to visit with our city's Vedek and obtain guidance. Until that time, the matter shall remain closed within me." He tapped a key. "Computer, end of entry; save and store," he ordered.
The computer made a couple of beeps and whirs indicating its activity while Reiv got up and walked over to his replicator. "Computer, Bajoran tea recipe number three," he ordered; the computer swiftly produced the beverage, one of many he himself had programmed the computer for.
Reiv then went and sat back down on his chair and gazed at the dark computer console, sipping his tea as he stared. After a few moments he tapped a couple of buttons, "Computer, delete Personal Log entry, Lieutenant Reiv, Stardate 90172.5; save and close." The lieutenant then got up and walked over to the window, where he stood, sipping his tea and wondering at the stars.
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