The Facts of Death

Lieutenant Logan McQueen was sat in the Captain’s chair, in temporary command of the USS Taurus. With the XO dead and the Captain in Sickbay, sedated and severely injured, the remaining senior officers had been forced to make the decision to abandon for the moment the search for the Federation scientists. None of the senior officers had any command experience and the decision had been made to return to the Alpha quadrant and DS9, where the Taurus’s new XO would be waiting.

They had decided not to send a signal back to DS9 about their current situation, as they were still in Dominion territory, taking a direct route back to the wormhole. Even with the Vorta and the Elite guard Jem’Hadar they had rescued still onboard, it was safer that the ship did not give it’s position away until safely in Federation space.

Suddenly the comm channel opened and Doctor Kahfre spoke.

[Lieutenant Rahel Kahfre to Lieutenant Logan McQueen, we have completed the autopsy and have results for you. I think you'll be quite surprised.] She announced.

"I'm on my way." Logan replied.

He stood up and looked across at Lieutenant Fai Lune, the Chief of Operations.

"Mister Lune, you have the Bridge." Logan announced, walking towards the turbolift. "Sickbay." He announced.

A few minutes later, he found himself in Sickbay with Doctor Kahfre and her brother Ashraf. Over the next fifteen minutes, he listened to the two specialists explain why the Jem’Hadar prisoner had died. For some reason he had suffered an allergic reaction to the ‘White’ Logan had given him after the interrogation. Something in his bio-chemistry was wrong and the more he listened, the more something in the back of his head came to the fore.

As the Doctor finished her report, Logan noticed that she looked tired.

"How long has it been since you've gotten any sleep ?." Logan asked, knowing they had all had little time to rest in the last few days.

"Seventy Two hours." She sighed after pausing "Give or take a couple of hours."

"I want you off-duty as of now to get some sleep." Logan stated. "And that’s an order."

"But my patients…." Rahel protested.

"Will be looked after by the remaining staff while you rest. You'll be no good to anyone if you collapse and become a patient yourself." Logan suggested

She nodded before saying. "I only sleep four hours at a shot. I'll be back here in six or less."

Logan watched the Doctor for a moment, expecting her to protest some more. "Six hours then." He said with a smile. "Is she always this strong-headed ?" He asked Ash.

"Always." Ash replied with a smirk.

A surprised noise came from Rahel as she looked at Ash, her mouth open. Logan looked at the two and shook his head with a smile of his own. He left Sickbay and headed back to the Bridge. As he walked back to turbolift, the closeness between Rahel and Ashraf reminded him of his own bond with Lana. As he reached the turbolift, he activated the console on the wall.

"Computer, state the location of Ensign Lana McQueen." Logan said.

<Ensign McQueen is in the mess hall.> The computer replied.

Logan stepped into the turbolift and stated. "Mess hall."

*Time to see Lana.* Logan thought. *Lieutenant Lune can have the Bridge for a few more minutes.*

Stepping into the mess hall, Logan saw the smile on his sister’s face as she saw him walking towards her.

"Hello stranger." She stated. "It’s good to see you, but shouldn’t you be on the Bridge."

"Just been down to Sickbay to talk to the Doctor and thought I’d see how my kid sister is." Logan replied. "Privilege of being Captain."