Break Thru

Posted on Fri Sep 11th, 2026 @ 4:01am by Commander Marissa Hunter & Lieutenant Commander Amanda "Mandy" Hunter-Corelli & Captain Alec Hunter

993 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Welcome Home Stanger
Location: USS Ares

USS Ares
(Sickbay)

As the command crew debated whether it would be possible to negotiate with the "Bugs," Mandy was hard at work trying to find a way to save the minds and bodies of her compromised crew members. Dani was working just as hard, but it was only a matter of time before she, too, fell under the "Bugs" control. And...a few hours ago, her husband Frank was brought in by security after attacking another crewman in the hall. He was restrained and sedated.

Exhausted and out of ideas, Mandy went into her office. To relax she pulled up an image of a thriving field on her parents' farm back on Camdus. Then...the ah ha moment. The unknown enemy nearly decimated Camdus all those years ago. Nearly everything was laid to ruin. The soil was stripped of vital nutrients by some strange insect plague that must have been carried to the planet by the attacking ships. The insects loved dilithium. Before her Starfleet years, she was a young botanist who was part of the team that saved Agriculture on Camdus.

"No way!" She jumped up and ran to the replicator. "One vile of Camdusformula 390"

She immediately ran to her lab and dropped a few drops of the organic pesticide into a blood sample taken from Dani.

"No way...! CMO to Captain, come to sickbay ASAP!"

On the bridge Alec heard Mandy's urgent call. "I'm on my way!" He replied before turning to Mari, "You have the bridge," As he headed to the turbolift and moment later was in Sickbay, "Here I am Mandy, what's so urgent>"

"Beans Alec...beans." Seeing the confused look on his face she started heading back to her lab. "Follow me.... So you know that I was part of the team that created the organic compound that solved the crop plague that happened after Camdus was attacked right? So the parasites left behind after the attack ate up the nutrients in the soil. Camdus has...had many deep caverns under the ground. After agriculture, mining was our 2nd largest industry. Many were rich in Dilitium. Not so much anymore, the parasites ate right through the soil and decimated the mines."

"Yes Mandy, I know. I was there remember? So parasites ate up most of the nutrients as well as the dilitium in the caves. What's the answer?" He pressed.

"So..I can't say if these little buggers were our attackers, possessed our attackers or just rode with in with their fighters like barnacles or even if they are one in the same species that destroyed our crops but look."

"I tested this before I called you. I added a few drops of formula 390 to a blood sample from Dani. These things multiply in the blood stream they enter."

"Computer, magnify Dani sample A, Dani sample B and Dani sample C" side by side comparison."

"Slide A is a base line, normal blood sample taken during her physical when she first came on board. Slide B is a blood sample taken a couple of hours ago, its obviously compromised..the "Bugs" are still multiplying...they create a kind of neural net within the body...it takes over the victims mind and allows them also to connect to a hive mind...kind of Borg like, but they seem to be able to function independently as well." Slide C, I dropped a few drops of formula 390 on this sample about a half hour ago...the bugs are obviously dying. At this rate, this sample will return to baseline within the hour."

Now...obviously I can't inject pesticide into their bodies...but I should be able to use the base of formula 390 to create a vaccine."

Her face changed to a bit of a grim look. A concentrated version of the pesticide could be used to create a bio weapon that would likely destroy their entire species if introduced while not inhabiting a body."

Mandy looked at Alec waiting for a response, then finally said: Alec, we can destroy them. Or we can convince them to let us relocate them. It's your call Alec."

Alec was silent as he thought on Mandy's question. After several seconds he answered her. "Let's try the diplomatic way first and see where that gets us. If the 'Bugs' are uncooperative we use the vaccine."


Mandy nodded. “The good news is that you, I and anyone that was liiving to n Camdus may have some immunity to these things. You were in your mercenary phase but you were around enough with your supply runs. The chemicals from the pesticide are in our blood. I’m not sure the immunity got down to a genetic level though….being your daughter doesn’t seem to be helping her much in her fight. I’m going to finish the vaccine. I may have to administer it to infected crew no matter how diplomacy goes.
She looked over where Frank was. I’ve had to sedate him 3 times now.”

"That is good news." Alec agreed as Mandy told him she, he and others who loved on Camdus may have some immunity to the "bugs" "Finish the vaccine, prepare to use it on those infected." He answered his gaze going to where Mandy's husband Frank lay, strapped to a biobed. "Hopefully the bugs will listen and your husband, Dani and the others will be free of them."

Mandy managed to perfect the vaccine to get rid of the alien bugs. The surviving race of beings opted to agree to allowing the Federation assist in finding them a new home world rich in dilithium to support them. The Romulan Empire slowly began to repair the damage to their worlds. It would be some time before they would likely be a threat again. For the first time in a long time all seemed good in the universe....or was it?


(Ending this story, hoping what we move to next can go better.)

 

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