Outbreak: Training Edition - Part 1/5

Posted on Thu Jul 10th, 2025 @ 10:04pm by Chief Warrant Officer Alexion Wylde & Petty Officer 1st Class Ember Locksley & Civilian Verity Thorne & Lieutenant Astrid Nyx & Lieutenant Aristede Steele PsyD. & Crewman Mateo Gardel & Petty Officer 1st Class Leon Inaros & Crewman Raine Ni-ya

2,495 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: To Boldly Go
Location: Outside Holodeck 1
Timeline: Day 10 - after the crew board Fenrir

ON:

"...so what do you think they'll have us doing?" Dr Ember Locksley looked across to the Chaplain as they made their way from the counselling office to the holodeck. Her smile had an almost teasing edge to it with the question, because holodeck training scenarios were not her favourite way to pass the day. She tended not to wear a uniform during counselling sessions, but she'd changed into one before heading down and had secured her red hair into a simple plait; it seemed the safest bet.

"Sunbathing on Risa?" Verity looked to her with a playfully wistful sigh, before shaking his head with a soft chuckle as they arrived outside the holodeck. "Honestly, it could be anything. I don't have the best track record with holodeck training sessions though. I'm usually the awkward kid left over once all the jobs have been allocated in a group project."

Leon Inaros looked at them as he walked down the hallway, looking at them for a long moment. He himself wore his uniform, the sort of spit and polish that happened whenever someone had come from a Marine background. His hair was pulled back from his face as well and he gave the two others a small nod. "Well, never a good sign when they get us together."

"You mean...all of us," Raine said, tilting her head to the side as she studied them. Medical and counselling. So all the blues were together. Now that was concerning, yet limited the amount of...team building that could be done. "Raine Ni-ya, Science."

Alexion Wylde arrived just in time to hear the introduction. He let out a long, world-weary sigh as his hands dropped to rest on his hips, looking them all over. His expression was clear; please let the next few hours pass as quickly as possible. "A whole troupe of us to play pretend," he murmured gruffly. His eyes fell on the Chaplain, a familiar face that he'd worked with in the past. "Is it going to be so bad we need spiritual intervention?" he added dryly.

"Depends how annoying you get," Raine said lightly as she looked at them, before she shook her head. She had showed up just after being told her Chief had been given an almost-top-secret project to lead. She would miss Hobbes, because she liked him, but what she now had were the notes on what to do. Between her and Kol, they'd have to give medical something to do.

Arriving at the last minute and just finished reporting in, Aristede Steele headed to the holodeck to join the group forming for training. In appearance he seemed to be two things at once. His black hair, curly and somewhat unruly, fell forward somewhat over his forehead and a tattoo covered most of the right side of his face, combined with his dark penetrating gaze, seemed at odds with the immaculate, tailored uniform he wore. He smiled though as he approached and, because he had had time to look over the profiles of the crew on his way out, could put names to faces easily enough. "Hope I'm not late," he said. "Just arrived aboard."

"Welcome, Sir," Leon said as he watched him, clearly trying to figure out exactly what department he belonged to. New doctor, new scientist or new counsellor. There were options. "I am Nurse Leon Inaros."

Raine too looked at Steele, her eyes focused on him with her usual intensity how she usually regarded the world around her. "Raine Ni-ya, science. And what is your specialism, Lieutenant?"

"Aristede Steele at your service. By training," Steele said, "I'm a psychologist specializing primarily in criminal, forensic and social psychology." He bowed slightly as he added with a smile, "recently assigned to the Fenrir as Chief Counselor."

Ember's smile brightened as she nodded gently in his direction, but refrained from offering a hand. "Ah, perfect...I'm Dr. Ember Locksley, counsellor," she introduced herself, clearly pleased to see their chief onboard. And not just because they could now slide all of the admin and hierarchy stuff his way.

"We'll have to get together later when there's a moment," Steele answered. He also was pleased to see her and not just because he could now slide all of the routine crew counseling to someone other than himself. "I'm hoping you'll help me get up to speed with respect to the crew."

"Absolutely," Ember assured with an easy smile, nodding neatly to him. It would be good for all four of them to catch up...if they had any energy left after whatever they had in store for them.

Inaros nodded as he looked at them before he smiled, almost to himself. "Well, at least between us all, we'll represent well in anything that get thrown at us."

"You don't know what sort of mess Science can throw," Raine said lightly, a rasp in her voice as she tilted her head to the side, as if she was listening out for something.

The doors of the holodeck swished open and Astrid Nyx strolled in, nodding to each of the assembled officers she knew and smilingly slightly at them all. The holodeck's yellow grid pattern surrounded them all. Ambient light filled the room from above, leaving almost no shadows at all. It was one of the strange quirks of the holodeck when set to its neutral state, and one of the things that Astrid strangely liked most about the space. As if you were stepping into a magical other-world before the holodeck program even began.

She looked around the assembled officers for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She had planned some of this with Hobbes, but his sudden transferal had left the rest of the work in her hands. Well, fair enough. Emergency drills were something she could handle.

"Welcome, everyone. I know that these things aren't always the way we would prefer to spend our time, but they are crucial for our readiness and safety. Today, we will be working together on a crisis simulation that involves elements from each of your departments. The thing I want us all to remember is that this is not just about reacting to situations, but about how we communicate and support one another as a team."

Ember gave an unconscious nod at the statement, wrapping her arms across her middle as she listened intently. As someone who had served as a civilian doctor, Starfleet medic and counsellor in her time, working towards making a more cohesive team was of keen interest to her.

Leon looked at the others for a moment before back at his Chief. They hadn't gotten off on the best foot, but he was also optimistic that maybe this would iron out those things. Best to get it sorted sooner rather than later.

The doors to the holodeck swished open again, revealing a figure who immediately stood out, even in a room filled with varied personalities. Mateo Gardel, the newly assigned Medical Sciences Specialist, stepped in with a deliberate pace, his dark eyes scanning the group with a guarded curiosity. His uniform was crisp and precise, yet it couldn’t quite contain the flashes of individuality: the subtle pink streaks in his cropped mullet, the discreet silver hoop in his left ear, and the unmistakable air of casual defiance in his stance.

Mateo’s warm olive complexion and expressive features softened what might have otherwise been a brash entrance. His sharp gaze lingered momentarily on the holodeck’s gridlines before shifting to the cluster of officers. He moved closer, offering a half-smile that carried equal parts charm and irony.

“Gardel, Mateo,” he introduced himself with an accent laced with Rioplatense Spanish, his voice low and measured, tinged with a hint of sardonic amusement. “Medical Sciences. Looks like I’m late to the ‘group therapy in space’ session.”

"The scenario is simple," Astrid said. "We've been called to support a medical emergency aboard another Starfleet ship, the USS Hegland. Some of her crew reported ill three days ago, and now almost their whole compliment is comatose. For that reason, we've enacted strict quarantine procedures as we move forward handling the situation. We've beamed the earliest surviving infected crew member directly into sickbay, where we've activated an isolation field around their bed." She didn't add that this particular scenario was part of her proposal to change how quarantines were handled on the ship. A little practical data gathering couldn't hurt her case to the XO.

"The fate of this ship and this crew, as well as those of the Hegland, are in our hands." She hesitated for a moment. "Oh, and before you think that I'm going to be able to solve this for us because I know the answers... I instructed the computer to take a dynamic approach to the scenario, so I don't know anything more than you do. It's all or nothing, folks. Any questions before we begin?"

Verity raised his hand as he nodded, already intrigued by the scenario. Perhaps it was different for him, as a Chaplain rather than a medic, these training exercises were a fascinating chance to integrate himself better into the team. "For the practical purposes of the exercise, will we be confined to the space of Sickbay?"

Mateo stood near the edge of the group, arms loosely crossed, his weight shifted slightly to one side. His expression was a careful mix of disinterest and curiosity, the former a well-practiced mask. As the Lieutenant laid out the scenario, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the melodrama of “the fate of the ship and crew.” It wasn’t that he didn’t take the exercise seriously—he knew the stakes Starfleet simulations could mimic all too well—but the theatrical framing always felt a bit much.

Still, the mention of a comatose crew caught his attention. A condition spreading that quickly? Interesting. His mind began assembling a mental checklist, unbidden: pathology tests, blood work, tissue sampling, and quarantine protocols. The scenario wasn’t just a simulation—it was a puzzle. And if there was one thing Mateo couldn’t resist, it was picking apart something unknown to see how it worked.

The detail about the computer’s dynamic programming made his lips twitch into the faintest smirk. No preloaded answers, huh? He could respect that. It meant no shortcuts or scripted heroics—just raw problem-solving. And maybe, just maybe, a chance to prove he wasn’t just the rebellious wildcard Starfleet seemed to assume he was.

He glanced around the group, his sharp gaze lingering briefly on the Chaplain as he raised a hand. Mateo remained silent, already mentally mapping out Sickbay’s layout in his head. He’d barely stepped foot there yet, but he’d adapt. He always did. The corners of his mouth tugged downward briefly as he thought, Dynamic scenario or not, let’s just hope nobody screws this up before I get to the fun part.

The scenario was meant to be a challenge, and not one outside of the realm of possibility for a ship on active duty, and while some of his colleagues would say that comatose patients didn't make the best counseling subjects, Steele was well-trained in forensics as well. Oh, not the scientific aspects, of course, but there was a lot to be learned from the physical clues beings, whatever world they came from, accumulated in their day to day existence. He had yet to meet the Chaplain and so, he turned to observe the man even as he waited for the answer.

"Excellent question, Mr. Thorne. And the answer is no. Just like with real life, the situation can evolve. Containment can slip. Problems can emerge. We'll be starting in sickbay, but the scenario is designed to test our response to potential break-out conditions here on the ship. The farther it spreads, the worse we'll have done, however. Remember, our goal is to save lives and help the crew aboard the Hegland in addition to the crew here. If this scenario gets so out of hand that we lose control to the point where we're as bad off as the Hegland, we'll have learned two things: that we need to train harder and more regularly, and that we need to improve how we respond. Remember, without cooperation, without the earnest efforts of each and every one of you to do your personal best for the betterment of your fellows, this scenario will beat us."

She let her words sink in for a moment. It was, word for word, almost exactly the same speech that Dr. Voss had given back on the Valkyrie when Astrid had first come aboard. "Remember," she continued, "this isn't about personal glory. This isn't about showing off for your permanent record. It's not even about winning. It's about the lives in our care."

Leon let out a soft breath and straightened where he stood. Permanent record mattered though. Even if taking care of people was the first priority, in his head this weighted as another reminder. And he wanted to do well.

Raine looked at the Doctor with some confusion. Lives? She was a scientist, not...well, she didn't have lives in her care. She had no care, it was the point. She was far removed from that, with her samples and her lab. She glanced over at the other scientists, trying to read their facial expressions.

Mateo caught Raine’s glance and met it with a slight tilt of his head, his expression unreadable at first. But there was a flicker of something—an unspoken acknowledgment of her confusion. His fingers, still resting against his bicep, tapped twice in idle rhythm, a small, deliberate movement. Not impatience. Not irritation. Just… recognition.

Maybe medics were the ones on the front lines, but science? Science made the front lines possible. The people in Sickbay could only do so much if they didn’t know what they were dealing with. That’s where they came in.

Without shifting his posture, Mateo’s gaze flicked toward the quarantine field, then back to Raine. A subtle raise of his brows—barely perceptible—posed the unspoken question: We don’t just study the unknown. We break it open. Tell me you’re not even a little curious.

Then, just as quickly, he looked away, rolling his shoulders like the thought had already passed.

Astrid took a deep breath. "Alright, then. If there's nothing else? We'll get started. Computer? Begin Scenario Alpha-Alpha-One."

TBC:


Lieutenant Astrid Nyx
Chief Medical Officer
USS Fenrir

Dr. Ember Locksley
Counsellor
USS Fenrir
(PNPC - Blake)

Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Fenrir
(PNPC - Blake)

PO1 Leon Inaros
Nurse
USS Fenrir
(PNPC - Hanlon)

Crewman Raine Ni-ya
Science
USS Fenrir
(PNPC - Hanlon)

Dr. Alexion Wylde
Medical
USS Fenrir
(PNPC - Blake)

Lieutenant Aristede Steele
Chief Counsellor
USS Fenrir

Crewman Mateo Gardel
Medical Science Specialist
USS Fenrir

 

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