Axeline sat in sickbay re-examining the tissue samples he'd taken from the dead corpses he and Lieutenant Commander Chee had found close to the original colony site on Morristown.
Something about these samples was puzzling him; he'd been working nearly six hours, testing and re-testing each sample. Now he had to tell the Commodore that he couldn't say whether the bodies were those of the missing colonists.
An hour later, after returning to his quarters to wash and change, Axeline found himself walking into the briefing room, the last to arrive.
"Right now everyone is here," Wallace said. "I suggest we begin the briefing. Captain Lataro, maybe you should start by saying how it went with the relay station."
Captain Lataro explained about how routine the assignment had been. That the last communication received by the relay station was four months ago and that there was nothing much else to report.
"Captain, I also have Ensign Okul's report on the away mission. He's made a suggestion that the relay station, with modifications, could be used to create a communications link to SB 901."
"Is that possible?" Wallace asked.
"In theory, yes. However, as I explained to the Ensign when he made the same suggestion to me, it would take a full team of Starfleet engineers some time to make the necessary modifications and every seven months someone would have to re-charge the power cells," Captain Lataro replied. "In my opinion, it would be easier to bring in a brand new transmitter and install it. The Ensign has an inquiring mind, but he seems too eager to please."
"Thank you Captain, those were my impressions as well. Still, you can't blame Ensign Okul for trying," Wallace said. "Next, I'd like to hear from Commander Carter."
It wasn't unusual for the Commander to be in staff briefings. What was unusual was the fact that she was being asked to contribute.
"Commodore, as you know we had an accident whilst training," Carter started to explain. "Lieutenant Commander Vasser and her Banshee are both okay, although repairs might take up to a week to complete. As for Lieutenant Tycho, she's obviously distressed by the incident. I've been waiting until things settle down before starting a full investigation. Kim made a mistake; one which she will probably regret for the rest of her life."
"Commodore, Commander, I've read Lieutenant Wolf's medical reports on both Vasser and Tycho after the incident." Doctor Redinium stated. "The Lieutenant Commander is fine and after a good night's sleep, she'll be fit for duty. As for the Lieutenant -- that's a different matter. She shows signs of both stress and fatigue. Although these aren't life threatening, I agree with Lieutenant Wolf in that they could have been a factor in the incident. Lieutenant Wolf has suggested that Tycho should visit Counselor Dawson, something she's refused to do. My own recommendation would be to have Lieutenant Tycho taken off the flight roster until she agrees."
"You can't be serious?" Carter blurted out. "I'm sorry Commodore, but taking Kim off the roster will leave the squad short."
"Commander, I have no other choice," Axeline replied. "At the moment the Lieutenant is a danger to both herself and the other members of the team, not to mention the rest of the ship. Let's remember that she almost killed another member of your squadron. What if next time she fires upon the Hornet."
"She made a mistake," Carter stated firmly, defended her officer and friend.
"And as CMO, I have both a duty and the authority to stop any member of this crew becoming a danger to themselves or others on medical grounds," Axeline replied.
"Commander, I have to agree with Doctor Redinium," Wallace said. "If Tycho isn't 100% fit, physically or mentally, then she is a potential danger. Maybe you could talk to her and make her see that visiting Counselor Dawson is the best way to get back into her Banshee."
"I'll try." Cater replied, finally admitting defeat. "Doctor, I'd like to be the one who tells her she can't fly."
"Okay Commander. Here's the PADD detailing the reasons for her ‘grounding'. She can continue with her other duties and she's not being relieved of duty, so this won't go on her permanent record," Axeline replied, passing a PADD to Commander Carter.
Finally, it came to Chee and Axeline to give their briefing about the trip to the surface. Chee took the lead, explaining about how the cargo had been unloaded and set-up. Then he explained about the trip to the old colony site and finally about Axeline's grim discovery.
"Then we returned to the new colony site and came back to the Hornet." Chee finished. "I guess we should hand over to the Doctor now."
Axeline took a deep breath before starting.
"Commodore, we, or rather I, found sixty-three bodies, the same number as missing colonists. I took samples from about half the bodies and brought them back to the Hornet. The results on these samples have brought up a few questions, questions that I can't at this moment answer," Axeline stated.
"What sort of problems?" Wallace asked. "Are you saying that these bodies aren't the missing colonists?"
"No, the DNA samples show that all the samples correspond to the records of the missing colonists. However, the tissue samples show very little effects from the radiation," Axeline replied. "I'd need to do some more research, maybe bring a couple of the bodies up for a more detailed autopsy."
"Commodore, I'm not happy with that," Chee said. "Disturbing the dead, especially without the permission of the next of kin is wrong."
"Commodore, if what I believe is true, then those bodies in that cave aren't the colonists," Axeline replied.
"Explain." Wallace replied, sounding puzzled.
"The tissue samples show signs of cell degradation, more than I would expect, but I need to make a full autopsy on at least one of the bodies, take samples from deeper tissues," Axeline explained.
"It seems we are in a catch-22 situation," Wallace finally said. "On the one hand, we have the Doctor who wants to perform an autopsy, on the other we have the objections from Chee about disturbing the dead. Doctor, are there any colonists with no next of kin registered?"
Axeline checked the PADD he'd brought in with him and scanned the list.
"Yes, there's a John Xander, a former Starfleet engineer, no family. Joined the colony at the start of the project. He intended to spend the rest of his days on Morristown, building both a home and a community. He's also one of the bodies that I've already got a tissue sample from," the Doctor replied.
"Okay. Doctor, you have permission to retrieve the body and do what you must," Wallace ordered. "McAllister, you'll take the Doctor back to the surface and assist him to retrieve the body. You should be able to use the transporters at close range, without being effected by the radiation."
"Commodore, if it's not a problem, I'd like to take the Doctor back down to the planet," Commander Carter requested.
"Okay, Commander, if you can remember how to fly a shuttle, the job's yours. If that's all, then dismissed. Doctor, I expect a full report once you've done your autopsy," Wallace said.
Everyone filed out of the briefing room.
"I'll see you in the hanger bay in a hour Doctor," said Commander Carter.
"One hour, I'll be there," Axeline replied, watching the Commander head back to Banshee Country.
He turned and headed back to sickbay. He had a fairly good idea why Carter had offered to take the Doctor back to the surface.
back to TOC