Less than an hour after the Blackbird's return, the Odyssey's briefing room filled with low voices and uneasy shuffling. Captain Voss had convened all department heads and senior staff. The lights were bright against the gray walls, illuminating drawn faces. Commander Reed stood at Voss's right, arms folded. Lieutenant Nova Mendes hovered near the back, not typically part of senior staff meetings but present to provide communication logs. Caleb Royce was notably absent – as a lower-ranking officer he wasn't required, and after the mission he had stalked off to the decontamination showers wordlessly.
Captain Voss surveyed the room. She could practically feel the tension simmering. Chief Engineer Singh tapped a pen against his data-slate nervously. Security Chief Raines kept glancing at the door, as if expecting trouble to walk in. Dr. Zhang rubbed the bridge of his nose, fatigue etched in his posture.
"Alright," Voss began, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "You've all seen the initial report from the Halcyon." She gestured to the holographic display at the center of the table. Frozen in three dimensions was a captured image from the away team's helmet cam: the Halcyon's lab covered in grotesque organic growth. A few present averted their eyes.
"We have transmitted our findings to Aurora Station's authorities," Voss continued. "They've acknowledged and have ordered us to hold position at a safe distance. A quarantine and investigation team is being dispatched, but it won't arrive for at least 48 hours."
A muttering rippled around the table. 48 more hours stranded in space, after already delaying their shore leave, and under quarantine no less.
Lieutenant Commander Raines cleared her throat. "Captain, what measures are we taking aboard Odyssey in the meantime? We bought a sample of that... material. Could there be any contamination risk to our crew?"
Dr. Zhang lifted the secure case that sat on the table before him. "The sample is here. Thus far, it's shown no activity. I've run preliminary scans – it appears inert at the moment. No radiation, no obvious airborne spores." He paused. "But I won't know more until I can analyze it under the microscope in medbay. I advise extreme caution: minimal exposure, full hazmat protocols when I do examine it."
"Agreed," Voss said. "Until we know otherwise, we treat it as hazardous. Doctor, work with Science Officer Wei to set up a contained lab. Only you and she are to directly handle the sample. Keep me informed of any findings."
Dr. Zhang nodded. "Of course."
Chief Engineer Singh frowned at the holo image. "Captain, what about the rest of the Halcyon? Those… growths. They looked like they integrated into the ship's systems. Possibly some kind of biomass infection. If so, is it possible it could spread to Odyssey? Through the sample or through our suits or equipment?"
"That's a good question," Voss said, casting a glance to Raines.
Raines responded crisply, "We conducted a standard decontamination on all away team members and gear upon return. Full spectrum anti-bio wash and UV sterilization. I oversaw it myself. If anything living came off that ship on a person, it should have been neutralized."
"Should," Singh repeated, sounding unconvinced. "I'd recommend we run another scan of the away team's quarters and the shuttle bay, just to be thorough. Maybe use the internal sensors to detect any unknown organic compounds."
Nova spoke up softly from the back, "I can assist with returning the internal scanners for that. If we have a sample signature, we can calibrate ship sensors to search for similar compounds elsewhere on board."
"Do it," Voss said. "I want the ship swept top to bottom. We can't be too careful."
Reed, who had been silent, finally spoke, his voice calm but steely. "There's another issue: crew morale. People are on edge. The images from Halcyon have some spooked… others just angry about the extended delay. We need to address that, Captain."
Voss pressed her palms on the table. "I plan to. After this meeting, I'll speak to the crew as a whole. But let's be honest – nothing I say will magically make them happy about this. They wanted to be on Titan by now, not floating out here with... with this." She gestured at the holo of the horrors they'd found.
A silence followed. It was broken by the sudden sound of the briefing room door sliding open. Ensign Dimiyev, one of the junior bridge officers, leaned in. He looked uncomfortable. "Captain, sorry to interrupt. There's, um, a situation in the crew mess you might want to address."
Voss's eyes narrowed. "What sort of situation?"
The young ensign swallowed. "After you announced the quarantine hold... a group of crew started, well, protesting, ma'am. They're demanding to speak with you. Things are getting pretty heated."
Reed exchanged a look with Voss, then Raines. The security chief straightened, already moving toward the door. "I'll handle it—"
"No," Voss said firmly, raising a hand. "I'll go myself." She glanced around the room. "Reed, Raines, with me. The rest of you, continue with your tasks. We reconvene at 1800 for updates."
Dr. Zhang hurriedly packed the sample case and left toward medbay, while Nova and Singh headed for the sensor control room to set up scans. The meeting dispersed, tension following in each person's wake.
Captain Voss made her way to the mess hall, Reed and Raines flanking her. The mess was located mid-ship, a broad open space with tables bolted to the floor, now half-filled with off-duty crew. As Voss approached, she could hear the raised voices echoing down the corridor.
"...we have rights! We didn't sign up to be stuck out here, playing nurse to a ghost ship!" a man's voice shouted.
"Yeah, we should be safe in Aurora by now!" a woman added angrily. "Why are we even risking exposure? Over what? Dead people and some goo?"
Raines gave Reed a sidelong glance. "That sounds like Kowalski and Ferrell," she muttered, recognizing the voices of two veteran engineers known for grumbling.
They entered the mess. About fifteen crew members were gathered in a loose clump, others sat at tables watching with anxious faces. As Captain Voss stepped in, the shouting died down to murmurs, all eyes turning to her.
Chief Engineer Singh's second-in-command, a burly man named Kowalski, stepped forward with a scowl. "Captain," he said, not quite masking the hostility in his tone, "we want answers. Why aren't we heading to Titan? We all heard the quarantine order, but what about us? We're being put in danger and for what? A bunch of corpses on that derelict?"
Voss held his gaze. "I understand you're frustrated, Kowalski. All of you." She raised her voice, addressing the room. "I promised I'd be honest with you, so here it is: The Halcyon experienced some kind of catastrophic event. We don't have all the details yet. There may be a biological hazard involved. Aurora Station command doesn't want us docking until we're sure we're not carrying anything dangerous that could spread. That is for the safety of everyone – not just us, but the station and Titan below."
A younger crewwoman near the back – Crewman Ferrell – called out, "So we're guinea pigs now, stuck with a possible infection? This is insane! That was a research ship, not our problem. We could have let the station eggheads handle it."
Murmurs of agreement followed. Someone else muttered, "Damn right, we should've kept clear."