Disease and danger, a study of contagion (Star Trek TOS) - complete

[Shamaël]

That's not a very original title, I'm afraid, but I love this quote so much... I have trouble continuing my drabble thread, so I thought it would be a good idea to start a new fic. I currently have two new obsessions: contagion and Hunger Games. I'm writing a Haymitch fic and I'll probably post it on the forum, but this thread will be about contagion. This is Star Trek (TOS), of course, because where can you study contagion better than on a ship with 420 crewmembers? The plot is a bit far-fetched, and for once it's not really angsty (yes, I know, that's surprising!). I was just wondering how a simple common cold would progress on the Enterprise...

 

Disease and danger

 

"We can travel faster than the speed of light. You'd think we could find a cure for the common cold." (Star Trek Enterprise, "Sleeping dogs")

 

Captain’s log, stardate 4155.76

We are actually orbiting around Gault, a small farming colony that needed some agricultural machinery. Our chief engineer, Mr. Scott, and a team of 30 crewmembers have beamed down to the planet in order to help the locals with the assembly of the most complicated devices. At the same time, our helmsman, Mr. Sulu, who is a former biologist, has asked permission to study Gault’s flora. He came back aboard the ship with interesting species. The mission is a success, and we will be departing tomorrow morning, heading towards the sector L-300…

“With your permission, Sir?”

Kirk looked up to the screen.

“Yes, what is it, Mister Scott?” Jim asked, pausing the recording to listen to whatever his engineer had to tell him.

“Captain, Mr. Fargun, who is in charge of the colony, has requested an interview with you tomorrow, in private.”

Kirk frowned.

“But I’ve already talked to him yesterday, and twice today. He seemed pleased with the progress of the work you’ve done down here with your team. Is there a problem?”

“I don’t know, Sir.” Scotty shrugged. “He seemed to believe that, as a chief engineer, I could… provide him with dilithium in exchange for some precious materials from his planet. The fact that I refused probably upset him, and I think he wished to take a chance on you.”

“You mean he intends to bribe me in order to get some dilithium?” Kirk asked for clarification, completely taken aback. “Does he know that selling that thing is strictly forbidden by Starfleet regulation?”

“That’s what I told him, Sir”, Scotty answered with a wince.

The idea of taking anything from the Enterprise, even a single bolt, was a crime for him, but dilithium was the heart of the ship, the most precious substance they possessed. Kirk grinned at the Scotsman’s face.

“All right, all right, I’ll talk to Fargun later. And don’t worry, whatever he offers me, I won’t take it, I promise. You can tell your team you’re all relieved from duty. You’ve done some great job down on the planet and you deserve some rest. Kirk out.”

Jim raised his head and looked at his first officer, who had listened to the conversation, absolutely still and quiet, as usual, hands behind his back and face expressionless.

“Well, Spock, what do you make of this? Does the man really has the nerve to ask for Starfleet dilithium?”

“It would seem so, captain, unless Mr. Scott is lying, which is very unlikely.”

“Do you think I should beam down on the planet tomorrow and sort it out with Fargun?”

“Yes, I think you should, but certainly not without an escort, captain”, was Spock’s flat answer.

Kirk smiled. The way the Vulcan had become protective over the months was comforting and made him feel secure. He pressed a button on the armchair and called the botany labs. Immediately, Sulu’s voice responded.

“Yes, captain? Do you need me on the bridge?”

“Not at all, Mister Sulu. I just wanted to be sure everything was all right.”

“Everything is perfectly all right, Sir, although…” The helmsman wavered. “Although Fargun put me very ill-at-ease”, he added quickly.

“Did he try to bribe you in any way?” Kirk asked in a clipped voice.

Sulu blinked.

“Yes, captain, but how did you…”

“This gentleman seems to believe he can buy off my whole crew”, the captain hissed. “Sorry, Sulu, that’s not your fault. I just wanted to tell you that you and your team are off duty for the rest of the day. Just make sure the plants you’ve collected are well taken care of.”

“Already done, Sir.”

“Perfect. See you tomorrow. Kirk out.”

Sulu looked back at the fascinating flowers and carnivorous plants Fargun had generously given to him and his little science team. The way the man had casually offered him a jade orchid in exchange for a dilithium crystal had been quite disturbing… The helmsman shook his head and left the room with a yawn. Better not to think about that conversation. He had politely declined, of course, but the man had insisted and Sulu had almost left behind everything his team had already collected.

“Hey, Hikaru, what’s up? You look as if you’re lost in a dream. How about a bit of fencing tonight?”

Sulu smiled at Chekov. The young Russian was always cheerful and in a good mood, and it was somehow contagious. He felt his own problems fade away.

“Not today, Pavel”, he answered. “I’m tired and I need to be on the bridge early tomorrow morning.”

In fact, he thought as the young pilot walked away with a friendly wave, he was feeling unusually tired. The day had not been exhausting though. He decided to go back to his quarters and rest a bit before dinner. Wondering if he should write a small report to sickbay about the plants he had collected, he lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.

He fell asleep almost immediately.

When he woke up, it was 6:30 and he did not feel rested the slightest. On the contrary, his head was pounding, his throat was sore and when he tried to breathe through his nose, he realised that he was awfully congested. He sighed and sat on his bed with an irrepressible sniff. He was hungry (after all, he had not eaten last night) and cold and tired. Still sniffling, he stood up and went to the bathroom. Maybe a hot shower would help him feel better.

Twenty minutes after, when he finally went out of the bathroom, he had to bow to the evidence: he had caught a cold on Gault. Not a very bad one, as the headache was very mild and the fever almost inexistent. But the repeated sneezing and his increasingly runny nose were sufficient (and inconvenient) evidence that he couldn’t just dismiss the illness. As Starfleet procedure required whenever an infectious disease (even as harmless as the common cold) was detected, he had to call in sick, report to sickbay and avoid direct contact with anyone to prevent contagion.

With a very liquid sniff, followed by two stifled sneezes, he grabbed a tissue pack and left his room. At this hour, the corridors were still very quiet and he didn’t meet anyone. Maybe McCoy would have something to alleviate the symptoms? A common cold was by no means a dangerous illness, but it could prove quite unpleasant, especially in its early stages. Sulu hated to feel the wetness in his nostrils, he hated to sniff or to blow his nose in public, and he hated the sound of his sneezes. That was why he always stifled them, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers and pressing hard to reduce the noise.

“Hishhtchh!”

The pilot frowned. He had almost arrived to sickbay, and it seemed that he was not the only one affected by the virus, judging by the sound that came from the open door.

“Heh…Hehh’ITISSHH!”

“Well, Scotty”, Sulu said when he discovered the engineer, hunched up and face buried into a large squared handkerchief, “it seems that we’re on the same boat, you and I.”

Edited December 29, 2018 by Aliena H.

[Jelloicious]

What a delicious beginning!!! 

[Spoo]

Oh, this is fantastic!! You have the TOS voices and dialogue down PERFECTLY.  I feel like I'm watching an episode right now. Poor Scotty and Sulu (but also  at the same time, haha). I can't wait to read more!

Also:

Just now, Aliena H. said:

“Do you think I should beam down on the planet tomorrow and sort it out with Fargun?”

“Yes, I think you should, but certainly not without an escort, captain”, was Spock’s flat answer.

Kirk smiled. The way the Vulcan had become protective over the months was comforting and made him feel secure.

Awwwwwww.  

[ID2006]

Neeeeeed more. This looks very promising.

[AngelEyes]

More of your fantastic Star Trek!!!! You're brilliant! I love the premise!

[Shamaël]

@Jelloicious and @Spoo and @ickydog2006 and @AngelEyes: thank you SO MUCH for all your very nice comments! You make my day!

I have trouble typing accents (Chekov, Scotty), because in French it's not something we do, so if you wish to suggest some changes in that regard, please feel free to do so. (And to point out any English mistake, of course.) This is going to be a "long" story (I can't write anything short anyway), and a "slow" one, so if there is someone aboard the Enterprise you wish me to focus on, just tell me and I'll add a little something about them. (Of course the Triumvirate will NOT be spared, don't worry about that. ) I hope this isn't too slow.

 

Day 1 – 09:00 

Captain’s log, stardate 4155.77

Our departure towards the sector L-300 has been reported due to an incident with Mr. Fargun, in charge of the Federation colony on Gault. I will beam down this afternoon on the planet to settle the matter. Our delay should not exceed fifteen hours.

Kirk sighed. One of the things he disliked the most was to remain poised in orbit for a stupid reason, and this one was definitely stupid. He couldn’t believe that the ship was stuck because a fool had been thinking he could bribe his crew and now was thinking he could bribe him. It would have been laughable if Starfleet regulation had not demanded that when the person in charge of a colony asked to see the captain, then the captain had to beam down. Even if the man was a complete moron, which he clearly was. Fargun wanted to see him, but he had other obligations and couldn’t be available before the evening. So they were circling around with the Enterprise, waiting at his pleasure. Spock, as usual, seemed completely indifferent to the delay, and the crew was pleased with this unexpected day off, but Jim had some trouble containing his annoyance…

“Captain, this is sickbay. May I speak with you?”

Christine Chapel’s voice filled the bridge and Kirk couldn’t repress a smile.

“What is it, Miss Chapel? Don’t tell me that your superior officer sneaked out of his quarters to take back his place in sickbay?”

His question was met with a light chuckle, both from the nurse and from Uhura, who was the only one (with Spock, of course, who didn’t understand the basic concept of a day off) on duty, since there was not much to do on the bridge.

“Well, no, Captain, he’s been remarkably and unusually quiet since you threatened him to lock him behind a force field.”

Jim’s smile widened. Bones had been slightly wounded in a stupid incident and his ankle needed consolidation before he could work again.

“But, I’m glad he’s back tomorrow morning, because I’m afraid we’ll face an epidemic very soon.”

“An epidemic?” The captain stopped laughing and his face became serious again. Spock took a step towards the command chair. “What is it?”

“Just the common cold, Sir, but you know how fast it can spread if we do not contain it right from the start.”

Oh, yes, Jim knew that very well. The Enterprise had faced many harmless diseases during her mission, and even if he was very rarely ill himself (a fact for which he was immensely grateful), he hated those kinds of unexpected viral outbursts that slowed down the ship and affected the crew’s morale.

“How many people have been infected so far?”

“Seventeen, Sir. And they had all beamed down yesterday.”

“So they picked that on the planet?”

“The patients say they don’t recall having seen anyone sick on the colony, but it would only be logical to believe they caught the virus there, Captain”, Chapel answered.

“Be careful, nurse, you’re beginning to sound like my first officer”, Kirk teased her. Behind him, Uhura chuckled again. “All right, thanks for the warning. I’ll be careful when I beam down myself. Apply Starfleet quarantine procedures.”

“Already done, Sir.”

“Good. Have you told doctor McCoy?”

“Not yet.”

“Please don’t. He’d try to get back to work and help you.”

There was a small silence, and then:

“Very well, Captain. I must go now. I have patients to attend to.”

Chapel pressed the button and rose from the chair she’d been sitting on.

“What can I do for you, lieutenant Riley?”

The young man looked at her with unfocused eyes and held up a finger as both a warning and an apology before twisting his head on the side with a very high-pitched sneeze.

“Hiiih-ssschhhiew!”

“I see.”

“I’m sorry Miss Chapel, I just… heh… I just… Hih’ITSchCHHuh!”

Sniffling and blushing, Riley fumbled in his pocket for a handkerchief and dabbed at his nose.

“Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. I’m afraid you’ll have to remain into your quarters until you’re not contagious anymore. I’ll give you something for the congestion, but I can’t do much more to ease the symptoms. Were you on Gault yesterday?”

The lieutenant seemed on the verge to sneeze for the third time, so he didn’t lower his arm and kept the handkerchief close by.

“Hhh- Yes. Ahh..”

“Did you notice someone sneezing or coughing next to you amongst the farmers?”

Riley sniffed (the sneeze had eluded him and he seemed quite frustrated) and slowly shook his head, clearly trying to remember the previous day.

“No – snff – I don’t think so. I just hope I didn’t infect anyone myself.”

“Well, you know the prevention measures, don’t you?” Chapel asked, offering his patient a reassuring smile, a hypo and a small box of pills.

“Yes, of course. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Feel better.”

The nurse looked at the young man while he left sickbay, and went to the small storage room to take an inventory of the cold medicine they had left. She was glad to be on duty. It meant that Leonard, whose immune system was quite defenceless in front of colds and flu, wasn’t going to be exposed to the virus too soon. Christine had understood the hidden meaning in the captain’s recommendation to remain silent about the epidemic when protocol dictated otherwise. The CMO sometimes needed to be protected from himself and his dedication to his work that made him stay awake, even if sick, for hours and hours, until he finally collapsed…

 “Nurse Chapel?”

Surprised, she jumped and turned around to see Mr. Spock standing in front of the desk, hands clasped behind his back. For a moment she was confused about what he was doing here. Since the beginning of her shift, two hours ago, she had seen eighteen patients affected with the common cold, so the first question that came to her mind was:

“Are you… sick, Sir?”

In all honesty, she couldn’t see another reason why Spock would come willingly to sickbay, considering he didn’t have an experiment in progress. He raised an eyebrow.

“Quite the contrary, Miss Chapel”, he answered with his usual calm voice. “The captain send me here because I am the only member of the crew who is not susceptible to human illnesses. He wishes to know if you need any help with the epidemic, since doctor McCoy is currently incapacitated. I am the most logical choice, considering that I have a medical training and that I cannot be contaminated.”

Oh. Well, that made sense.

“Maybe we could ask everyone who beamed down yesterday to report to sickbay and try to avoid contact with other crewmembers. This cold seems quite virulent and eighteen people are already infected.”

Spock nodded curtly.

“It will be done. Anything else?”

She almost chuckled. Even if the first officer’s face was his usual Vulcan mask, it was obvious that he was not thrilled to be here.

“Well, maybe you could go to the general store and see how much cold medicine we have left?”

If McCoy had been here, he would have added something like “I bet you prefer to wander around the ship rather than to be stuck in your least favorite place, forced to talk to sick and emotional humans all day long” – but she didn’t dare.

“HuhhUUURRSSSHHHEWW!”

“Excuse me, Mister Spock, I believe I have a new patient”, she said, recognizing ensign Garrovick who had just stepped into sickbay, announcing his presence by a formidable sneeze.

This was going to be a long day.

Long and monotonous.

Edited February 3, 2018 by Aliena H.

[Jelloicious]

Oh, you handle the voices just perfectly!  I can hear them in my head!  Please, take all the time in the world, as many chapters as you like.  I could read this for days!

[Spoo]

I’d say not to worry about the accents too much, because I can still hear them anyway!  I continue to think that you have the voices and words down fantastically; it’s soooo easy to picture all of this going on on the ship. Poor Bones and his ankle, and Spooock. Something tells me he’s not as immune as he thinks.  Loved the conversation between Kirk and Chapel (very in-character!) as well!

My favorite part: 

7 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“The patients say they don’t recall having seen anyone sick on the colony, but it would only be logical to believe they caught the virus there, Captain”, Chapel answered.

“Be careful, nurse, you’re beginning to sound like my first officer”, Kirk teased her. Behind him, Uhura chuckled again.

If that isn’t TOS humor, then I don’t know what is. Perfect!  

[AngelEyes]

Ooooh! The slow burn. My favorite! 

11 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

Christine had understood the hidden meaning in the captain’s recommendation to remain silent about the epidemic when protocol dictated otherwise. The CMO sometimes needed to be protected from himself and his dedication to his work that made him stay awake, even if sick, for hours and hours, until he finally collapsed…

Oh McCoy!

[Shamaël]

Thank you for the lovely comments! 

On 31/01/2018 at 2:29 PM, Jelloicious said:

Please, take all the time in the world, as many chapters as you like.

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I will take my time, don't worry about that. If there's any character you wish me to spread misery to, do not hesitate in telling me!

On 31/01/2018 at 4:35 PM, Spoo said:

Something tells me he’s not as immune as he thinks.  

Noooooo, what makes you think that?!? I really don't understand.  Thanks a lot for your comment. It's really encouraging.

On 31/01/2018 at 8:32 PM, AngelEyes said:

Oh McCoy!

Well, my headcanon is the same in my drabbles and in this thread, so, yes, McCoy has the unfortunate tendency to... overdo?

In this part, I focused on Jim's point of view. For me, he is a very good captain, capable of remaining calm in the middle of the danger, but also quick-tempered and a bit impetuous when he's irritated...

 

Day 1 – 18:00

 Acting chief medical officer’s log, stardate 4155.77

Today, 36 crewmembers are affected with the common cold. This is a relatively high number, if we consider that the virus has probably been brought aboard the ship only yesterday from planet Gault. The incubation of this specific virus seems very quick – not more than 24 hours – and I hope that we will be able to prevent the epidemic from spreading, but unfortunately I doubt that. Amongst the patients, 29 of them had beamed down, and the last 7 have probably been infected by contact yesterday evening. Doctor M’Benga, who has recently arrived on the ship, has offered to take the night shift and we are waiting for Captain Kirk to beam back from Gault to give us permission to put the ship under medical alert and reschedule our timetable in sickbay.

When Kirk felt his cells fusing back together on the transporter pad, after two long and strenuous hours of uninteresting discussion with Fargun, he was dreaming of a hot shower, and a quiet evening in his quarters, reading an old book or maybe playing 3-D chess with Spock…

“AhhPTSCH’uhh!”

His musing was cut off by a half-muffled sneeze and he turned his head towards the transporter chief– lieutenant Kyle – who had doubled over with the strength of the expulsion, hands tightly cupped over his face. He straightened with a sniff and brought back his fingers on the command panel, muttering a soft “Apologies, Sir”.

Jim tried very hard not to get angry. He knew that, as a starship captain, he should always keep his emotions under control, and when he was under pressure, for instance when the ship was on red alert, he was generally able to remain calm and take rational decisions. But when he witnessed stupid (not life-threatening, not even dangerous, but utterly stupid) behaviours on his ship, he had an unfortunate tendency to lose his temper.

“Lieutenant Kyle”, he said sharply while getting off the transporter, “have you not read, like any member of the crew, Starfleet’s regulation book before coming aboard this ship?”

The poor transporter chief looked at his superior with disbelief and cluelessness, obviously trying to see what he had done wrong.

“Yes, Sir…?”

“Then perhaps you could explain me the medical procedure you are supposed to follow when you are potentially affected by an infectious disease?”

Kyle’s eyes widened.

“Well, Captain… I…” he stuttered.

“You are supposed not to spread it all over the ship”, Kirk barked. “Which you have just failed to do by sneezing into your bare hands, and then laying said hands over the transporter’s control panel.”

The lieutenant hastily removed his fingers from the buttons, blushing. He obviously intended to apologise, but his face went slack, his eyes half-shut, his nose quivered, and he took a desperate hitching breath. Jim sighed while Kyle fumbled frantically in his pocket for a handkerchief. He barely had time to raise it over his mouth.

“Hhh’mptCHhh! Hah-heh’ExTCHuhh!”

“Bless you. Go to sickbay at once, and get this panel control cleaned out ant sanitized. There’s a nasty bug aboard the ship and it seems that you’ve caught it.”

“I’m sorry, Sir”, the transporter chief said, clearing his throat. “I have not been feeling well since this morning and I shouldn’t have waited…”

The captain raised a hand to cut out his apology.

“My mistake, Kyle. I should have informed the crew sooner.”

The prospect of an interview with Fargun had made him forgotten Chapel’s morning call. He had sent Spock to handle the matter and had not given it a thought afterwards. But now, he had to put the situation right, which meant delaying his shower and chess game to fix his own mistakes. Being captain of a starship was a huge responsibility, and he had learnt through the years that solving the main problems wasn’t enough. You have to take care of everything, because when 420 persons are living together in a confined space, even the smallest details are important.

Fortunately, he had Spock to help him with that. And God knew what Kirk would do without his more than effective Vulcan first officer to deal with everything he couldn’t take care of, because he was only human, after all, and therefore fallible.

When he arrived on the bridge, Spock immediately rose from the command chair and took back his place at the science station, understanding from the captain’s look that he didn’t wish to discuss publicly about his interview with Fargun, but that he would fill him in with the details in private later. Through the months, the captain and his first officer had unwillingly developed an illogical way of communicating without saying a word, which had proven very useful in various situations.

“Captain, the last report from sickbay”, the Vulcan declared, holding a PADD out to his superior.

Kirk took it with a nod and started to read it. The figures were not alarming, but he knew too well that if Spock had given him this information before anything else, it was because something needed to be done.

“Uhura, please, open a communication channel all over the shim.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Thank you. This is the captain speaking”, he added in his most authoritative voice. “There is an outbreak of common cold on the Enterprise. For now, it is not very important, but you all know as I do that such things have to be taken care of right from the start. The last thing we want is to put the whole ship into quarantine, which, I must remind you, will be necessary if a third of the crew becomes affected from the same disease. We are far from that number, so please let’s try to do everything we can to avoid spreading the illness. You know the prevention measures, and if you don’t remember them all, you are welcome to read Starfleet regulation, chapter 11, section 03 to 09. If you have any doubt about your health, please report immediately to sickbay and avoid direct contact with other crewmembers. Considering the situation, we will leave Gault’s orbit tomorrow morning, at 8:00 precisely. If you are unable to report for duty, please send a note to Mr. Spock, who will reschedule everyone’s timetable to compensate for those who are off-sick. Kirk out.”

The captain cut off the transmission and turned towards the first officer with a half-smile. They both knew what would happen in the next minutes, or seconds…

The beeping of a communicator broke the calm silence that had settled on the bridge. Jim shook his head with a small chuckle.

“0,67 minutes”, Spock commented flatly while Kirk opened the small device.

“What does this mean, Jim?” The CMO’s voice was loud and angry. “There’s an epidemic on the ship and no one told me? My God, man, you’re impossible! Didn’t that green-blooded computer remind you about Starfleet standard procedure?”

“That’s all right, Bones, Chapel and M’Benga have the situation under control…”

Jim’s explanations were abruptly cut off by a short but very loud sneeze that erupted from the pilot’s seat.

“ATTCCHH!”

Kirk looked up and saw Chekov, whose face buried into his crossed elbows, taking another sharp inhale and pitching forward for the second time.

“AHTCHHH!”

“Yeah, that sounds perfectly under control to me”, McCoy sneered on the other side of the communicator.

“HETCHUH!”

Jim rolled his eyes.

“All right, Mister Chekov…”

But the ensign wasn’t done. He doubled over with another powerful triple sneeze before straightening up and tentatively lowering his arms with a liquid sniff.

“I’b sorry, Captaid. Snirfl – I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t feel sick at all.”

Bones snorted, Spock raised a disapproving eyebrow and Kirk pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Sickbay, Chekov. Now.”

Edited February 3, 2018 by Aliena H.

[Spoo]

Ahhh! It’s spreading, omg.  You’re totally right about TOS Kirk’s temperament by the way; he does get irritable and short-tempered, and he snaps sometimes at crew memeners because of it. Although he was perfectly in line with Kyle, because EWW??!  

I think my favorite part was Bones contacting them almost immediately after the ship announcement.  

[AngelEyes]

You have Kirk's personality perfect.

14 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

The captain cut off the transmission and turned towards the first officer with a half-smile. They both knew what would happen in the next minutes, or seconds…

The beeping of a communicator broke the calm silence that had settled on the bridge. Jim shook his head with a small chuckle.

“0,67 minutes”, Spock commented flatly while Kirk opened the small device.

This! So perfect! LOL Bones!

[Shamaël]

@Spoo and @AngelEyes: I'm so glad you find Kirk and Bones in-character!!! Thank you very much!

This new part has been a bit more difficult to write, because Spock's point of view IS really hard. I focused on his thoughts and relationship with Kirk and Bones, so there's not much sneezing here, sorry. This fic takes place just after "Bread and circuses", an episode I really like, mostly because of the McCoy-Spock dialogue in the cell. What is in italics is a part of this dialogue. I hope Spock isn't too OOC here. Oh, and just to be clear: as usual, I don't ship any pairing. I love the Triumvirate and the way they take care of each other, and there can be some discomfort from Chapel when she has to talk to Spock because she's in love with him, it's canon (but in my opinion she's too professional to show it), and maybe I could hint at some Uhura/Scotty (once again, it's more or less canon...), but my purpose here isn't romance at all. Just... friendship and family relationships, because family is what the Enterprise is, isn't it?

 

Day 2 – 12:30

Captain’s log, stardate 4155.81

We have definitely left Gault this morning and are now heading towards the sector L-300. We received orders from Starfleet to study a strange gas cluster one of our probes found a month ago not far from this sector. It is on our way and, according to Science Officer Spock, the first analysis from what our probes picked up are very promising.

Spock was not completely at ease.

It was not a very common state of mind for him. (Even the expression “state of mind” was not usual do describe his well-ordered thoughts.) Being Vulcan, he was not accustomed to such changes, but living amongst humans had unfortunately made him more or less permeable to his crewmates’ ‘mood’. Especially the captain’s.

And James Kirk was upset since his beam down on Gault.

“Something’s wrong here, Spock”, he had told him last night when they had finally met in Jim’s quarters for a game of chess they had left unfinished because of the captain’s agitation. “I don’t know what Fargun is up to, or why he so desperately want those dilithium crystals, but he wants them badly, and no matter how many times he repeated his goal was to produce more energy and therefore improve the farmer’s rude living conditions, I don’t believe him. And when I refused to give him what he wanted, Fargun didn’t even seem upset. He just smiled and talked about something else. Something’s off on this planet, but I can’t say what exactly.”

Spock had learnt to believe in Kirk’s intuitions. During his first weeks on the Enterprise, he had been caught off guard by the captain’s... personal way of handling the missions, his hunches and his illogical and often contradictory decisions. As first officer, he had tried to advise him against ‘bold moves’, but over time, he had understood that his superior’s intuitions proved right very often. How he managed to anticipate the future and read in people’s hearts was a complete and fascinating mystery to the Vulcan, but he was forced to admit that it worked.

The captain was upset because he had the impression they had left Gault without completing their mission. It was a feeling Spock could understand and relate to. But Starfleet had ordered them to go, to leave Fargun to whatever he was up to, and to study the gas cluster that had recently formed on their way to the sector L-300. Spock should have been pleased with the news, as this strange cluster appeared a very promising field of study.

But Jim’s concern had 'rubbed off on him', as McCoy used to say, and even if the human expression was odd, it was perfectly understandable, even for a Vulcan – and, unfortunately, accurate in this specific case.

“Isshhuh!”

The sound of a sneeze pulled him from his thoughts and he saw Nurse Chapel coming the other way round, a handkerchief clamped over her nose. They were going to intersect and she had not noticed him, so Spock politely stepped aside to allow her to pass in the narrow corridor, but she raised up her head and recognized him.

“Mister Spock, I’m sorry, I hadn’t seen you.”

“It is of no consequence, Nurse”, he assured. “Are you unwell?”

She shrugged with an embarrassed smile.

“It seems that this cold has finally caught up with me”, she answered with a small sniff, and he noticed the congestion in her voice.

“Considering the fact that you have been in contact with sick people for more than twenty-four hours, this should not be a surprise.”

Chapel chuckled.

“No, it’s not. But it doesn’t mean that this is-heh… that this is pleasant AhhSH’uhh! Sorry.”

She blushed while she blew her nose, turning her head away from him.

“I trust doctor McCoy sent you back to your quarters?”

“Yes. If you were on your way to see him, he left for the officer’s mess.”

Spock thanked her and took the officer’s mess path, the sound of Chapel’s third sneeze echoing in the empty corridor behind him. He knew that he should have wished her a quick recovery, or blessed her, or said anything a bit more empathetic, but he found it difficult to let the human part of him take up the reins, even for a short moment.

Do you know why you're not afraid to die, Spock? You're more afraid of living. Each day you stay alive is just one more day you might slip and let your human half peek out. That's it, isn't it? Insecurity.

He swept aside the recent and mildly disturbing thought (doctor McCoy had a very efficient way to see through his Vulcan mask and point out Spock’s weaknesses) and focused on the data he had. Last evening, 36 crewmembers were affected by the disease. This morning, he had personally been able to notice that at least 11 more people had been contaminated in the science laboratories he was in charge of. He needed more information in order to reschedule the daily tasks in his science teams and in Engineering.

In the officer’s mess, Kirk and McCoy were already sitting in a corner of the room, talking quietly. The Vulcan went to the replicator, purchased one of the vegetarian meals the captain and chief medical officer had insisted in adding to the more human menus as soon as they had learnt about the first officer’s diet. McCoy had ragged for an entire week against ‘Starfleet’s stupid anthropocentric admirals’ when Spock had told him that he had eaten the same thing every day during his eleven years of service under Captain Pike.

He had been oddly touched by his two friends’ concern and care, after years of indifference from everyone regarding his Vulcan beliefs.

Why, you wouldn't know what to do with a genuine, warm, decent feeling.

He sat near Jim and looked at the physician.

“How is your ankle, doctor?” he enquired.

“Perfectly fine, thanks for asking, Spock”, McCoy answered. He seemed a bit surprised by the question, and so seemed the captain. The Vulcan hastily changed the topic.

“Doctor, I need the names of the patients you have seen this morning. Eleven people were missing from my science teams and...”

“Yeah, I’ll send you the list when I’m back to sickbay. I had to dismiss Chapel this morning. She thought she could hide from me the fact that she was sick! Huh!”

The chief medical officer’s tone implied that she was stupid if she believed she would be able to fool him, and Spock silently agreed. He knew from personal experience that trying to conceal any medical issue from doctor McCoy was almost impossible.

“And I had to dismiss Uhura”, Kirk added, staring at his salad with utter dismay. When he looked up from his plate, he seemed concerned. “This cold is spreading fast, isn’t it, Bones?”

The physician shrugged dismissively.

“It’s the virus’ purpose, Jim. Spreading.”

[Spoo]

Seriously, your TOS tone and dialogue are so, SO good. Everyone is perfectly in-character!! I loved the idea of including those quotes, because it shows the inner conflict that Spock constantly deals with a lot of the time. Your pacing is also good, and I think the story is progressing very naturally and not rushed (which is a thing I myself need to work on, since I have a bad habit of rushing through scenes).

This was SUCH a good paragraph right here:

3 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

Spock had learnt to believe in Kirk’s intuitions. During his first weeks on the Enterprise, he had been caught off guard by the captain’s... personal way of handling the missions, his hunches and his illogical and often contradictory decisions. As first officer, he had tried to advise him against ‘bold moves’, but over time, he had understood that his superior’s intuitions proved right very often. How he managed to anticipate the future and read in people’s hearts was a complete and fascinating mystery to the Vulcan, but he was forced to admit that it worked.

Even though this is a platonic and non-romance fic, I love this friendship and how it evolved within Spock.

[AngelEyes]

14 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

Spock had learnt to believe in Kirk’s intuitions. During his first weeks on the Enterprise, he had been caught off guard by the captain’s... personal way of handling the missions, his hunches and his illogical and often contradictory decisions. As first officer, he had tried to advise him against ‘bold moves’, but over time, he had understood that his superior’s intuitions proved right very often. How he managed to anticipate the future and read in people’s hearts was a complete and fascinating mystery to the Vulcan, but he was forced to admit that it worked.

I love this. It seems very authentic.

 

14 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

The chief medical officer’s tone implied that she was stupid if she believed she would be able to fool him, and Spock silently agreed. He knew from personal experience that trying to conceal any medical issue from doctor McCoy was almost impossible.

 

LOL

[Shamaël]

@Spoo and @AngelEyes: I can't think of an original way to thank you for your feedback... You can't imagine how much it means to me, really.

On 03/02/2018 at 4:30 PM, Spoo said:

Even though this is a platonic and non-romance fic, I love this friendship and how it evolved within Spock.

I am very ill-at-ease with both writing romance and non-canon stuff. The bromance is there, the friendship is there, so I just focus on it because I'm more comfortable with it. The best thing in TOS is the way Spock becomes more and more human, thanks to Jim and McCoy.

Anyway, I've had time to write last week and this week-end, so here's the new part, but I'm afraid I'll be less regular from now on... This part isn't very 'serious', but I imagine it could happen if four bridge and senior officers accustomed to be free aboard the ship were confined to their quarters... (More sneezing in this part, less psychological analysis.)

 

Day 2 – 20:00

Chief medical officer’s log, stardate 4156.13

Last update about the ship’s common cold epidemic: at 12:00 today, 59 crewmembers were affected. At 16:00, the number had reached 75. And as I’m recording this log, we’re at 91. Which is a lot, I have to admit it. Fifty more and the whole ship will be in quarantine. The captain’s right, that damn bug is spreading quickly. Like, really quickly.

Chekov was bored. He had spent the whole day locked in his quarters, and even if a nurse had come around 12:00 to check if he was doing okay, he was bored. Being sick wasn’t even the problem, because after all, it was just a head cold, nothing really harmful – a slight discomfort, a bit of coughing, a lot of sneezing, no big deal, really – no, it was the fact that he had been confined in his six-squared meters room for more than twenty-four hours, and that he started to stir crazy. He had tried to work, but had found himself unable to concentrate without the faint rumour of the bridge, the humming of the machines, the quiet talking of two fellow crewmembers…

He disliked being alone, but he wasn’t authorized to go out of his quarters and see other people, because he risked contaminating them. He sighed for the millionth time today and glanced at the computer screen. As if on cue, a whistle came from it. Chekov hastily turned it on.

“Hello, Pavel.”

“Hello, Hikaru. What’s up?”

Sulu sighed.

“Well, I spent the whole day pacing in my room. I’ve been told by Chapel that you were ill too, so I called to check you up. How are you feeling?”

The young Russian sniffled and shrugged.

“The problem with the common cold is that you’re not ill enough to need sleep desperately and stay in bed all day long.”

“And that’s a problem?” Sulu laughed. “Would you prefer to be stuck in bed?”

“Well, if I had a high fever and slept most of the time, I’d probably not be aware that I am BORED!”

The shouting triggered a tickle in his nose, and he pulled off a tissue from the box he had placed on his desk.

“Ahh-AHHSSHuh!”

“Bless you.”

Chekov, whose breath was still hitching, shook his head and pitched forward with a second harsh sneeze.

“AHH’TCHh! That, and I’b tired of… ehhh… sdeezig… ESSHHH’ahh!”

“Bless you”, the helmsman repeated politely.

“HETCH’uh! Uh, thadks.”

“You know, Scotty is really bored too”, Sulu said casually.

“Sniff – Who wouldn’t be?” Chekov asked, blowing his nose and throwing away the damp tissue. He had already used and soaked more than fifty of them and he was starting to wonder if the Enterprise stock was going to be enough. Sulu was also wiping his nose with a white handkerchief.

“What I meant was that we’re not allowed to meet healthy crewmembers, but what harm can we do by visiting one another? After all, we cannot be infected twice by the same virus.”

A smile crept over the young man’s face.

“As Mr. Spock would say, this is very logical.”

.

It was almost 23:00 when Lieutenant DeSalle called the captain from Engineering to ask for very specific codes only the Chief Engineer was in possession of. Kirk bit his lower lip. The problem – a slight warp core malfunction – wasn’t that important, but it would delay them if it wasn’t quickly taken care of. DeSalle was more than capable of handling the repairs, but he needed the code to access the computer – and Jim didn’t want to disturb Scotty when the man was ill and probably resting.

After five minutes of hesitation, he went to his desk and made a call through the computer. The Scotsman's face soon appeared on the screen, a bit flushed but perfectly awake.

“Scotty, I’m really sorry to disturb you at this hour when you’re off-sick”, Kirk apologised, “but DeSalle needs the emergency code for the warp core. It’s nothing important”, he added hastily, fearing that the Chief Engineer would immediately rush into his Department to fix his beloved ship by himself. “Just a small adjustment to make.”

Contrarily to Jim’s prediction, Scott nodded as if the problem didn’t concern him.

“Very well, Captain, I’ll send them immediately.”

Kirk had always been very good at detecting lies. One of those ‘human superpowers’ that intrigued Spock, just as the ability to use metaphors or read body language. In this specific case, the engineer was too close to the screen, hiding the view of his room, and seemed embarrassed and eager to get rid of his captain. In Jim’s experience, it meant that he was probably doing something forbidden and didn’t want to be caught red-handed. He was about to drop the case (after all, he knew that Scotty would never, ever endangered the ship) when a loud noise burst out from behind him.

“AAahhHH’AHRSHOO!”

Kirk’s eyes narrowed. Now he couldn’t pretend he hadn’t noticed anything.

“Scotty… What exactly is going on in your quarters?”

Scotty was considerate enough to look ill-at-ease.

“Well, Sir, it’s just that we – sniff… We got bored and...”

“And who, exactly, is ‘we’, please?” Jim enquired, torn between irritation and amusement.

The elder man moved to the right and three bridge officers appeared behind him, sitting around a small table: Chekov, who was holding a deck of cards in his left hand and seemed slightly inebriated; Sulu, whose rare sneeze had given them away (he generally was able to stifle them completely, but had clearly not managed this time) and who was dabbing at his nose with embarrassment; and…

“Uhura, don’t tell me you broke the rules as well?” Jim strangled. “My God, I thought you were sensible!”

The woman gave a hint of a smile.

“Well, Captain, I...”

She cut off abruptly and twisted her head to the side to sneeze into cupped hands.

“Hhh’eeshhhahh! Heh’etchchah! Sorry.”

A chorus of “Bless you” rose in the small room, and the captain found himself joining it.

“If someone’s to blame, it’s me, Sir”, Scotty said. Always chivalrous, the man was trying to avert the captain’s attention from Uhura. “Even if, technically, we’re not breaking the rules. I mean, we’re all sick and we were all tired of being stuck in our quarters, so I took the liberty to… to invite my friends for a little chat.”

Jim knew that he should have reprimanded them, but he perfectly knew that he would have done the same if he had been confined to his rooms. He looked at McCoy, who was sitting in the captain’s quarters, at the other end of the table. The CMO grinned and shrugged.

“I’m sure they’re not the only ones who did that today, Jim. As you well know, morale is a very important factor. If seeing each other can improve their mood, I will gladly give my medical approval.”

Kirk turned back to the screen, eyes smiling.

“Did you hear what Dr McCoy said?”

“Yes, Sir”, Chekov answered. “And I’m glad you asked for the doctor's advice and not Mr. Spock’s!”

Scotty’s face turned pale while his eyelids fluttered.

“Oh, yes, Sir, if you could… ehhh... keep-heh… keep that to yourself? Huhh’IHHtscchh! I’b ndot sure Bister Spock would be as lendient as you ahhhre Hh’IESHHuh!”

The Scotsman doubled over with a high-pitched sneeze. Jim bit his lower lip and behind him, he heard Bones bursting out laughing.

“Bless you. He won’t hear a word from me, Scotty, I promise. And don’t forget to send the codes to DeSalle! Enjoy your sick-day. Kirk out.”

He turned off the screen, but not quickly enough not to hear Chekov in the background.

“By the way, did you know that poker was invented in Russia?”

The captain chuckled and turned his head towards the first officer, who had been sitting near McCoy the whole time, arms crossed over the chest, unamused.

“Well, Mister Spock”, Jim teased him, “it seems that the officers are more afraid of you than they are of me! What do you make of that?”

Spock didn’t dignify this illogical question with an answer.

[Masking]

This story is amazing! I love the way the cold's spreading, and especially the lovely sneezes of those who have it. Looks like they're enjoying themselves anyway.

[AngelEyes]

This is absolutely brilliant! I love that they all break the rules together. I can totally see Scotty blocking the screen to try and cover it up!

5 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

He turned off the screen, but not quickly enough not to hear Chekov in the background.

“By the way, did you know that poker was invented in Russia?”

LOL! Too perfect!!!!!

 

5 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“Well, Mister Spock”, Jim teased him, “it seems that the officers are more afraid of you than they are of me! What do you make of that?”

 

LOL. I feel like this is true!

[Jelloicious]

Have I said you have just the perfect voice for all these characters?   Yeah, I said that.  But I'll say it again, because it's absolutely true!   Loving the progression.  Loving this whole story!

[Spoo]

OMG, they were playing cards!  That’s such a great image. I don’t blame them at all for wanting to do something since they’re all bored, haha. Loved the conversation between them all (including when Kirk joined in), and also when it became apparent that Spock was there the whole time.  

18 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

The captain chuckled and turned his head towards the first officer, who had been sitting near McCoy the whole time, arms crossed over the chest, unamused.

“Well, Mister Spock”, Jim teased him, “it seems that the officers are more afraid of you than they are of me! What do you make of that?”

Spock didn’t dignify this illogical question with an answer.

Too good!!

[Shamaël]

@Masking and @AngelEyes and @Jelloicious and @Spoo: frankly, your comments are so kind! I've just had a very hard day and I read them when I got back home and... and... and THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I imagined that when a contagious illness spreads on a Starship, the infected persons are put on quarantine. But when it becomes too important, the ship still needs to be taken care of, so when a third of the crew is affected, the whole ship is put on quarantine and no more precautions are taken to stop the epidemic. I mean that people can go back to work if they're not too sick, and they have to try and avoid having direct contact with healthy crewmembers, but they're not confined in their quarters anymore. Bones doesn't like it, but it's standard procedure.

And now, time to spread misery to James T. Kirk...  I know that normally Bones doesn't make house calls, but as Sherlock Holmes says, Jim is the exception that disproves the rule...

 

Day 3 – 06:30

First officer’s log, stardate 4156.98

The Enterprise had arrived near the gas cluster we have been ordered to investigate. A science team is ready to launch probes and explore the sector with a shuttle if necessary. I am waiting for orders from the captain.

He woke up, as usual, five minutes before his alarm rang. As usual, he felt the rush of adrenaline through his veins at the thought that they were deep into the unknown and that their mission was to explore it.

What was unusual was the soreness in his throat and the dampness in his nostrils. Not completely awake, he sniffed hard to get rid of the sensation and was rewarded by a burning itch in his right sinus. Before he had time to realise it, he sneezed explosively into his shoulder.

“HHIH’GZSCHhuh!”

Nose running, and now perfectly awake, he fumbled hastily in the dark into a drawer at the side of his bed. The tickling sensation had not been dismissed by the expulsion, but persisted and even increased.

“Hehh… Li-hhih… lights, thirty per… cent... Ahhh… hhhh… HEH…”

He finally found a balled up handkerchief and wiped his upper lip, waiting for the next sneeze he felt creeping into his nasal cavities, forcing his eyes shut.

“Hehhh… Oh, come on… Huhh’TZSHCHiuh!”

He wondered what could have triggered his allergies. Because it was allergies. It couldn’t be anything else.

“HehhhSCHUHhh!”

Except the sneezes were much… ‘chestier’ than what he had experienced in the past, and he had taken his allergy medicine as he had done every day since he was captain of the Enterprise. The only logical conclusion, as Spock would have said, was that he had caught that retched cold.

Kirk sighed and shifted his legs aside, shivering as he left the soft warmth of his blankets. He couldn’t believe it. He was the captain, he wasn’t supposed to get sick. In fact, he was never ill. Since he had been affected by Vegan choriomeningitis years ago, and had almost died in the process, he hadn’t been affected the slightest cold or throat infection. Hell, even the flu prudently remained far from him when an epidemic was running through the ship!

Why now? He wondered with dismay.

He quickly dressed up, hoping that performing his daily usual actions would just chase the illness away, but of course it was an illusion. Half an hour after waking up, he was still feeling light-headed, cold and congested. And the sneezes had not relented in the slightest. With another sigh, he sat at his desk and did what he had to do, but he couldn’t help to envy the crewmembers who organized poker games and other recreational evenings in the privacy of their quarters.

Spock immediately answered the call. Being Vulcan, he didn’t need as much sleep as humans did, which meant you could disturb him at any hour and find him perfectly awake, immaculately dressed and with not a hair out of place.

“Yes, Captain?”

Jim decided to address the situation with humour.

“Well, Mister Spock, it seems that you will be the only senior officer on the bridge today.”

Spock’s eyebrow disappeared in his hairline.

“Are you indisposed, Captain?”

“Great deduction, Spock, really”, Kirk snapped, irrationally irritated at his first officer for being completely immune to human illnesses. “You always say that McCoy has an unsurpassed talent for stating the obvious, but you’re quite good at that yourself, you know?”

The Vulcan’s eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to the side with his best I’m-also-immune-to-anything-petty-you-might-say-because-I’m-more-Vulcan-than-Surak-himself look, and Kirk’s anger immediately fell back.

“I’m sorry, Spock, I’m being unnecessarily snappy. Snirfl- I really don’t like being ill, that’s all.”

He was almost sure his friend would answer him very logically that no one liked to be ill, but instead, Spock gave a nod of compassion.

“I understand, Captain”, he said softly, “and I hope you will feel better soon.”

Jim smiled despite of himself. Sometimes, Spock acted in an unexpectedly warm human way and he knew it was a rare privilege the Vulcan allowed only his closest friends to witness.

An unwelcome harsh sneeze cut off his smile and the captain hastily turned away from the screen to avoid spraying it.

“IHHZCHISHHh’uhh!”

A hoarse bout of coughing followed the sneeze, and when he eventually straightened up, there was a hint of (very well hidden but still present) concern in the first officer’s look .

“Jim, you should go to sickbay.”

Kirk waved his hand dismissively.

“Yes, yes, I’ll go during the morning. In the meanwhile, Spock, launch the probes in the cluster. I want a complete report every two hours about the data you will find in that gas cloud. Kirk out.”

He quickly turned off the screen and slumped into his chair with a new coughing fit. Of course he would go to sickbay… but later. He read the night Engineering report, pleased to see that the warp core now functioned perfectly, and was about to get on with unfinished paperwork when someone knocked at his door.

“I hope you’re decent, because I have a medical override!” A cheerful voice warned him.

Jim rolled his eyes. Of course Spock had not believed him and had sent him the CMO to check up on him.

“You know that when you two aren’t bickering like an old couple, you’re a real nuisance?” the captain asked when McCoy entered his room.

“Don’t sass your doctor, kid, it’s not a very smart thing to do. So, it finally caught up with you, right?”

Jim wanted to answer, but the three fire-fit sneezes that burst out from him, rocketing his lungs on the way, spoke for themselves.

“Hih’ZSCHHOO! Huh’GZSCHHOO! Haah’GSCHHHah! Ugh. I think I’b dying.”

“Don’t be melodramatic, it’s just a cold”, Bones answered, hovering his medical scanner over his friend’s head. “Do you need a tissue?”

Kirk, hands clasped over his mouth and nose, nodded frantically. The CMO grinned but provided him with the item he needed and he almost snatched it.

“All right, you have a low grade fever and, as I suspected, the virus is already coming down your bronchi. Which apparently doesn’t prevent you from the upper respiratory infection”, he added when Jim sniffled loudly before blowing into his tissue. “You are confined here until the epidemic has ended, or the ship is put on quarantine.”

“I almost hope the latter will happen”, Jim mumbled, “because in this case I’d be free to go back on the bridge.”

McCoy shook his head disapprovingly.

“I bet you’d prefer it, but I don’t. It looks too much like a defeat in front of the disease. I can understand your point of view, but as a medical man, I really hope we will not come to that.” The CMO frowned. “Oh, by the way, do you remember yesterday when Spock said he had the impression that a lot of his team were sick?” Jim nodded, poised on the verge of a fourth sneeze that didn’t want to be coaxed out. “Well, I’ve been looking at the statistics, and he’s right. If you except the 30 crewmembers from Engineering who beamed down on Gault, most of the sick people are from Science. It's weird.”

“Well, I’m… ehhh… I’m not in Science, and I’m… ahhh… hhh… I’m sick, and you’re a scientist, and you didn’t catch-heh… catch that thing… Hahh’ITSCHHHish!”

God, it was about time, he thought, wiping his nose.

“Bless you. Yeah, sure, but you know as well as I do that I will catch it one way or another. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Doesn’t it sound like a defeat?” Kirk teased him.

Bones shrugged.

“You know me, Jim, and my bloody immune system. You know that I’m just being realistic.”

Edited February 5, 2018 by Aliena H.

[castiel_angel]

Ohmygod! These are so well written!  I love how dramatic Kirk is😄please continue!!!

[AngelEyes]

6 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

The Vulcan’s eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to the side with his best I’m-also-immune-to-anything-petty-you-might-say-because-I’m-more-Vulcan-than-Surak-himself look, and Kirk’s anger immediately fell back.

LOL. Love this look!

 

6 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

Jim smiled despite of himself. Sometimes, Spock acted in an unexpectedly warm human way and he knew it was a rare privilege the Vulcan allowed only his closest friends to witness.

Awwww

 

6 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“I hope you’re decent, because I have a medical override!” A cheerful voice warned him.

LOL Bones!

 

6 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“You know that when you two aren’t bickering like an old couple, you’re a real nuisance?” the captain asked when McCoy entered his room.

Love when they gang up on him!

 

6 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“Don’t be melodramatic, it’s just a cold”, Bones answered, hovering his medical scanner over his friend’s head.

He can be such a drama queen!

 

6 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“Well, I’ve been looking at the statistics, and he’s right. If you except the 30 crewmembers from Engineering who beamed down on Gault, most of the sick people are from Science. It's weird.”

Ooooh. Intrigue!

 

6 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“You know me, Jim, and my bloody immune system. You know that I’m just being realistic.”

Mmmm

[Spoo]

I love when Spock gets McCoy involved without Jim’s approval.  The three of them are hilarious together! Poor Jim, but I can’t say that I feel too sorry for him.  Looks like it’s only a matter of time for Bones, though...  

My favorite part of this update:

19 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

The Vulcan’s eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to the side with his best I’m-also-immune-to-anything-petty-you-might-say-because-I’m-more-Vulcan-than-Surak-himself look, and Kirk’s anger immediately fell back.

Logical or not, Spock’s got some attitude in him and I think it’s great!  

[Jelloicious]

22 hours ago, Aliena H. said:

“I hope you’re decent, because I have a medical override!” A cheerful voice warned him.

Jim rolled his eyes. Of course Spock had not believed him and had sent him the CMO to check up on him.

“You know that when you two aren’t bickering like an old couple, you’re a real nuisance?” the captain asked when McCoy entered his room.

“Don’t sass your doctor, kid, it’s not a very smart thing to do. So, it finally caught up with you, right?”

Jim wanted to answer, but the three fire-fit sneezes that burst out from him, rocketing his lungs on the way, spoke for themselves.

“Hih’ZSCHHOO! Huh’GZSCHHOO! Haah’GSCHHHah! Ugh. I think I’b dying.”

“Don’t be melodramatic, it’s just a cold

This WHOLE passage....it's just brilliant.  And I am now completely reading Jim's lines with dramatic William Shatner phrasing.  Congratulations on being just that good!  Keep it coming, please!!