Malon Mining Colony

Ril ended the communications with the Sojourner and turned to look at the rest of the away team as they stood in the remains of the colony’s mess hall. The room like so much else of the colony had an eerie reddish glow to it as the lights of their EVA suits helmets and wrist lights reflected off of the blood dilithium and bounced around the room.

“Joy, do you think you can get the Malon out of there? An autopsy may be of some use.” Ril asked while gesturing towards the entombed corpse.

Nurse Joy, who was already standing beside the body looked at it and then back at Ril and shook her head. “Not quickly, or cleanly. It looks like the blood dilithium didn’t just entomb this poor man but has also grown throughout his system as well. I would suggest some tissue samples and samples of the blood dilithium. Once we have more time we can return for him.”

“Very well. Get those and transport them back.” Ril said before turning to Kerry, “Kerry, I know you have collected a few samples, they ready to send back?”

Kerry was knelt down on the other side of the mess hall beside another growth of blood dilithium staring at her tricorder and didn’t respond at first. “Kerry?” Ril called again.

Kerry’s head snapped around and she looked at Ril, “Yeah? Oh, sorry,” she muttered as she realized he had only half heard what Ril had said. “Yeah, I have a few samples that are ready but I don’t think that Malon,” she said pointing towards the entombed individual, “was the only one. I am detecting organic matter in this crystal. I think another Malon or Devore may have had the same fate one deck down.”

“Ghuy'cha',” Ril exclaimed and shook her head. “Right we will check that out when we can but we need to focus on the possible survivors for now. Get those samples ready and lets continue on.”

USS Sojourner; Planetary Study and Geology Laboratory - Deck 6

“Ready for transport,” Ensign Jenoda said from the Geology lab on deck 6. She knew Kerry had told her to leave this to one of the other members of the science team but the chance to study blood dilithium, and samples that had grown around a body was too good to pass up. She hadn’t been overly affected by it before with the other samples beyond feeling uneasy and having some strange dreams so she figured another couple of samples wouldn’t hurt. A moment later the transporter beam appeared and deposited 3 sample containers a few milliseconds before the level three containment field sprang into place.

She looked at the samples in awe as they pulsed with an eerie red light before slowly dimming and returning to, what she would describe as, the natural state of blood dilithium. She wished she could get her hands on one of them but knew that was asking for trouble so she set the computer to run through a series of scans on the blood dilithium. As she did she couldn’t help but feel an increasing sense of dread at her current predicament. As she stood there she could feel her heart rate increase. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way but that didn’t matter. Before her mind could run any further down the rabbit hole her com badge chimed. Reflexively she tapped it, “Jenoda…” she said quickly as she breathing increased. 

“Ensign Toi, this is the Doctor. Your heart rate and neural activity are fluctuating dramatically. Please report to sick bay immediately,” came the EMHs voice.

Jenoda looked around knowing she was in danger. “NO!” she shouted and ripped off her combadge before throwing it across the lab where it bounced off the containment field, “Leave me alone!”

USS Sojourner; Medical - Deck 4

Two decks above the EMH stood looking down at a stack of sample trays that Nurse Joy had transported over and sighed. “Telepaths,” he muttered before looking over at the security officer standing by the door. “Could you kindly go check on Ensign Toi? I suspect the blood dilithium may be affecting her as it has several of the other telepaths,” he said and tossed a hypo spray to him. “This will sedate her.” The security officer glanced over at the two unconscious telepaths currently on beds in medical and was about to say something when the EMH cut him off. “They are sedated and will not be waking up any time soon. Best hurry before she hurts herself.”

The security officer nodded and ran out of medical calling for additional personnel to the lab on deck 6. With that, the EMH turned back to the samples and lifted one up peering at it quizzically and frowned seeing small crystalline growths on the tissue. “Now, I wonder, blood dilithium mixed with organic tissue. What little secrets do you hold?”