Page 22 of Alien Healer's Touch

"In the medicine? Yes."

Frakes worked efficiently despite his flickering equipment. Hammond watched my every move as if expecting sabotage. Twenty minutes later, Frakes looked up from his analysis.

"It's plant-based. Complex, but nothing immediately harmful according to the ship's chem database. Contains compounds similar to known antivirals."

"Satisfied?" I asked Hammond.

"Proceed," he ordered, though his posture remained stiff with distrust.

I administered the treatment to Roberts first, then Ackerman, explaining the dosage to Frakes as I worked. Within an hour, Roberts' fever broke, the dangerous temperature finally receding. Two hours later, the blue veining on both patients began to recede slightly, its aggressive spread halted.

"It works," Frakes breathed, relief washing over his exhausted features. "Fevers are dropping on Roberts and Ackerman. The veining isn't spreading further."

"It counters the Luraxi toxin directly," I confirmed, moving to the next patient. "But recovery takes time. Maintain dosage schedules precisely, monitor for organ stress – full recovery could take days, especially for the critical cases."

Hammond acknowledged the results reluctantly, watching Ackerman’s vitals stabilize on the monitor. "Effective," he conceded. "But that doesn't mean I trust where it came from."

"Right now, I don't care about trust," I said, preparing the next infusion. "I care about saving lives."

By nightfall, every patient had received the initial treatment, and the worst cases showed marked improvement, their conditions stabilized. Hammond had disappeared, leaving me to work under the supervision of two security officers I didn't recognize. I cataloged the limited equipment, checked dwindling supplies, and tried to appear absorbed in routine medical tasks while surveying the bay.

What I saw disturbed me. The bay had been crudely subdivided with barriers fashioned from thick viewport panels removed from the ship, many bearing scratches or faint stress fractures. Makeshift guard stations, little more than metal desks and chairs, stood at each entry point.

"Dr. Carter." Zara's voice startled me. She stood in the doorway, her security uniform immaculate, a jarring contrast to the surroundings. "Commander Hammond requests your presence in debrief."

I caught the subtle warning in her eyes. "Of course."

She escorted me through corridors walled with metal bulkheads cut from the ship's interior, their original paint scorched or peeling, occasionally forcing one to duck under drooping bundles of multicoloured wiring. Hastily erected energy field emitters hummed loudly at the security checkpoints. At each one, Zara presented her credentials, and the attending guard examined me with increased scrutiny.

"You've been busy," I murmured as we cleared the third checkpoint.

"Hammond's implemented extensive new protocols," she replied, her voice professionally flat. "Especially regarding personnel who've had contact with the Nyxari."

We paused at a junction where two corridors met. A guard passed, nodding to Zara.

"Claire?" I asked when he was gone, keeping my voice low.

Zara's expression remained neutral, but she touched her collar, where I knew her hidden markings lay. "Section C. Isolation level three. Hammond calls it 'decontamination observation.'"

Ice formed in my stomach. "What does that mean?"

"It means you need to be careful," she replied, resuming our walk. "Commander's office ahead."

Hammond sat behind a large metal desk bearing the unmistakable design of theSeraphyne's bridge consoles, a datapad in his hand. "Dr. Carter. Your treatment appears effective."

"It's stabilizing the patients, Commander. With continued application and careful monitoring, I expect recovery for most within seventy-two hours, though some critical cases may take longer."

"Excellent news." He set down the datapad. "Now, tell me where you acquired this miracle cure."

"Local flora," I answered truthfully. "I've been studying Arenix plant properties since our arrival."

"With assistance?" His eyes never left mine.

"I'm a doctor, Commander. Research is part of my job."

"Indeed." He leaned forward. "And will your... research... require you to leave camp again?"

The trap opened before me. "No, sir. I've collected sufficient samples for our current needs."

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