"Report any strange behaviour." The Captain Said. Zepher nodded firmly and began to monitor the collection of the plants. Scanning a few himself for his own analysis.

.:.Bridge.:.

Lieutenant Commander James Fire sat silently on the bridge it had been an hour since he had told his crew the plan. "Alright, Ensign Ren take us back warp five. Engage."

Ensign Katasha Ren nodded, "Aye sir." She was almost off duty, and she really could use a little time in the officer lounge to take a good long break from all this. "Arrival in a half hour Commander."

James nodded, "Thank you Ensign." He replied and sat quietly drumming his fingers on the edge of his seat as each minute passed.

"Sir the remaining reports from engineering have come in."

James nodded hearing the engineering officer's voice. "Understood." He stood up and walked over to the console in order to read the reports himself. It didn't take too long, "Alright we can't repair those locations on deck nine and ten. But, most of the systems have been repaired. And, most of the damage also fixed up." He smiled, "Carry on Lieutenant." Then he returned to his chair.

.:.30 Minutes Later.:.

James watched as they fell out of warp, "Sapentia to away team we have returned. Do you require any assistance?"

Katasha smiled her shift was up so she stood up and started for the turbo lift. Before she got there she noticed James raising his hand, "Yes Commander?"

Commander Fire didn't look at her, "Good work today Ensign I am quite proud of you...Quite proud of everyone!" He watched as she smiled and left...

::Primary sickbay::

"I was hoping you could use your medical clearance to give me access. I assure you that it is only so I may be of better help to our Chief Engineer." Said Louk.

"Sure, just give me a minute." Said Kerrigan and stopped at a sterilisation station to get cleaned up. She thought briefly about denying the counselor's request, but in the end the doctor's trust in him prevailed and she joined him at his console.

"Computer, access encrypted files. Authorisation: Kerrigan-Four-Two-Four-Seven-Hotel-Oscar-Tango-Hotel." Said Kerrigan and nodded at Louk when the computer complied and carried out the operation. "There you go, counselor. Let me know if there's anything else you need."

::Planet's Surface::

Matija finished analyzing the sample. The tricoder couldn't identify the origin. "Lt. Patton, unfortunately scans are undetermined. The reason is there isn't anything like this in out database. We should that the sample and get it to science team on Sapentia for further analysis."

Greg nodded. "I was afraid we wouldn't find an answer. Unfortunately we will have to wait untill the ship returns"

::Primary Sickbay::

Louk nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, Doctor. I will begin reading them immediately." And with that said, the Andorian walked back into his files and began reading them on his screen. After reading for a few minutes, his eyes slightly widened. "Interesting."

James watched as the crew continued to work on the repairs around him on the bridge. The image of the planet came back into view he looked at it for a moment, "Open a channel to the away team?"

"Channel Open."

"Captain Malkior, and away team this is the USS Sapentia. We have returned to the planet after giving the required aide to the troubled Klingon Vessel. If anybody would like to beam aboard.." He said and sat awaiting a reply. Soon he had intentions on leaving the bridge and making his way towards the officer's lounge for a drink and to relax.

"This is the Captain. Glad to have you back, Commander. Unfortunately, we may have a situation down here. There may be particles or substances here that the away team may have been exposed to, despite the environmental suits. I will report in regularly, but until we know for certain anything in the air down here is not fatal, we will return to the ship. Malkior out."

Before Driam could answer him, the Captain ordered for everyone to return to the ship. A quarter of the party took the shuttle, while the rest of them were beamed aboard. Phoenix nodded a goodbye to the Doctor before returning to Engineering.

"How was it?" Skah asked him as he walked into the bay.

"Peaceful, quiet, and short. First time I've been on an away mission like that."

"You do realize that's how away missions are supposed to go, right?" She sarcastically replied.

"Guess I'm just that lucky." He handed her the tricorder. "Well that's all I have to do today. I'll be in my quarters if you need me." Skah nodded as she began to retrieve the scans from the device.

A few minutes later, Gallant was in his quarters. A glance at the clock told him that it would be an hour before Sura arrived. At first, he tried to read the time away, but found that he couldn't concentrate on the novel in his hands. He briefly thought about going to the holodeck or using one of the holosuites, but didn't want to accidentally spend too much time in there. So, he forgoed that idea.

He ended up pacing for a quarter of an hour. His mind filled with jumbled thoughts and memories. Excitement filled him as he might have finally found a way to end the nightmares. Along with that was the apprehension he felt about the upcoming Mind Meld. He'd already heard about it while he was in the academy, but he'd never seen it in action, let alone experience one.

With nothing better to do, he turned on some music to help calm him and went back to his novel. All the while, something was nagging at him from the back of his mind. Chalking it up to nervousness, Phoenix ignored it.

Gradually, his efforts worked as he started to relax. It was only when he heard the doorbell chime, did he remember why he was still in his room. He quickly put the book away and answered the door. Although courtesy deemed it necessary for Sura to wait for the Chief Engineer to invite her in, she broke the rule as she walked in past Gallant.

"T'Prel is already suspicious of us, so we must be quick." She took two chairs and sat them across from the other in the middle of the room. She sat down in one chair and gestured for Phoenix to do the same.

"Alright then," he replied as he sat. "Just as long as you know what you're doing."

Irritation crossed her face for a moment. "As part of my medical training, I was given basic instruction in psychology, including human's."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Only basic?"

"I know enough to be able to cure you, if that's what you're worried about."

He hesitated for a second before nodding to her. "Then let's do it. What do I do?"

"Just relax and focus on your memories of the event."

That was the last thing he wanted to do. But it was too late to back out now. Using a breathing technique, Phoenix did his best to stay relaxed as his mind drifted down memory lane. Sura slowly extended her hand and pressed it against his face. Before he could ponder her action, he suddenly felt a jolt throughout his consciousness.

Sura and Phoenix almost ceased to exist. Although not physically connected, the mental barriers between them were almost completely removed. He/She were only barely aware of the weak boundaries that identified one mind from the other. With the connection established, it went to work.

Memories flowed through their minds' eyes, until it found the one it wanted.

(Flashback)
For the third time today, Phoenix was charged by a female infected. He fired another beam at her, but his luck seemed to run out when the stun beam struck one of her outstretched arms, which was now immobilized. That didn't stop her from closing the distance in between them and trying to take a bite out of him. The one-armed struggle of theirs would have been hilarious if it weren't for the life-and-death situation at hand. Phoenix, who was only human and suffering from a phaser wound, was slowly losing the contest of strength. Due to their close proximity, the Commander couldn't afford to fire on the infected.

The universe felt like adding insult to injury with the computer announcing the completion of the vaccine. It brought no hope to Phoenix as his attention was momentarily fixed to the computer screen.

(End Flashback)


Sunix "freeze-framed" the memory. Despite the strong emotions and the intense pain the being felt from the memory's recollection, Sunix mentally recorded the data on the screen. During the entire time, it could feel a strange "tugging" sensation within their mind. Ignoring it, Sunix sought to begin the healing process.

Then everything went horribly wrong. Abruptly, a powerful psionic backlash struck them. The connection weakened. Sura desperately tried to understand what was happening when the pair were staggered by a wave of intense emotions. This strength...it can't be human! She realized. Pushing the emotions back, she tried to keep ahold of Gallant's mind.

A horde of bloodied, gory men and women descended upon the Engineer with open maws and clutching hands. With a scream, Sura jerked her hand away from the Starfleet officer. Phoenix's eyes bulged and he let out a loud gasp before he fell out of the chair.

Sura tried to steady her breathing as she tried to figure out what happened. Even after she managed to regain a small degree of serenity, she still couldn't figure out the puzzle. She stared uncomprehending at the collapsed man. Even though she couldn't figure out where the psionic attack had come from, her small amount of medical knowledge identified what was currently afflicting Phoenix.
With a shaky hand, she grasped his combadge. She tapped it once. "Attention. Lt. Phoenix Gallant is in need of emergency medical attention. Please send medical personnel to his personal quarters at once." With the message sent, she concentrated on regaining control over her wild emotions.

Zepher had arrived back on the ship as well, and had gone to his quarters to examine some of the herbs found on the planet. His console began to beep furiously. Zepher activated the incoming message and, as he keeps tabs on all security matters on the ship, was alerted to the Medical Emergency Call to sickbay. He identified the quarters as Mr. Gallant's and proceeded to take a tricorder.

"Zepher to Lieutenant Vuckovic, please meet me at Chief Gallant's quarters." He said already half way out his door.

When he arrived he rang the door bell, with a human sort of impatience, waiting for a reply.