Where death in multiple forms resides

Posted on Fri Sep 19th, 2025 @ 7:41am by Lieutenant Zuriñe Aritza M.D.

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Biosafety Level 4 storage and lab
1122 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Lieutenant Zuriñe Aritza slowly slide into the Level A encapsulated Biohazard suit. She then meticulously looked it over and activated the breathing apparatus. She then walked over to the entrance to the Biosafety Level 4 storage and lab. She input her code and vocalized her accesses code to the computer =^= “Alpha Three One Six Zulu Four Nine Two One; Lieutenant Zuriñe Aritza, Chief Epidemiologist.”=^= Then she stepped up to the retinal scanner.
The computer verified her input code, accesses code and retinal scan. It then ran a laser over her suit to verify no leaks. =^=Accesses to Biosafety Level 4 storage and lab granted to Lieutenant Zuriñe Aritza, Chief Epidemiologist. Welcome doctor the current status of the lab and storage is clear, temperature is -80 degrees Celsius. All stasis chambers are functioning and level 10 forcefields are active around the vault storage. May I inquire as to the nature of your visit today?=^=
Zuriñe chuckled, she knew full well that it was not a polite inquiry into why she was there. If her answer was not correct or out of parameters set for accesses; she would be immediately be stunned at the highest setting and security called for. The Elysium was one of the rare and few Starfleet vessels with live Bio Level 4 pathogens. She was also one of a handful of personnel allowed in the Biosafety Level 4 storage and lab by herself, protocol called for a minimum of two individuals in the area when in use or the pathogens being accessed. The starships that carried some of the highly deadly pathogens were rare; Starfleet usually just had epidemiologist work with computer simulated pathogens, yet there was a need to have these deadly pathogens on hand, therefore certain Starfleet ship’s carried them and the epidemiologist authorized to work on the live pathogens. “I am doing the bi-monthly eyes on inventory of the Elysium’s Bio Level 4 pathogens.”
The computer replied back to the answer =^=Very well Doctor Aritza, you may proceed with the inventory.=^= The computer then logged in her response and when she entered the secure area.
Zuriñe proceeded through the first of three airlocks. The iris shifted shut behind her, there was the sound of hissing as the air was vacuumed out of the airlock. The second chamber iris opened and Zuriñe stepped into the vacuum of the second chamber. The iris shifted close behind her and ultraviolet and infrared lighting turned on, followed by the sound of air being pumped into the room. The lighting remained on as the third chamber iris opened allowing her access to it. Once in the airlock the iris closed and she was dosed with a small stream of viral, bacterial, and fungicidal vapors. Once complete the iris to the storage and lab opened up. Zuriñe stepped in and her suit’s heating system instantly turned on. The temperature would never be allowed to rise above the -80 degrees Celsius it was set at. This was a safety measure.
Zuriñe marveled at the precautions that were made for this Biosafety Level 4 storage and lab. Besides the three airlocks, , temperature, stasis chambers, and level 10 forcefields; the chamber was designed similar to an intelligence SCIF. It was a free floating bi-chamber room, the back chamber holding the lethal pathogens in stasis chambers with level 10 forcefields around them. The entire Biosafety Level 4 storage and lab had an inside level 10 forcefield and an external level 10 forcefield next to the walls. It was a self-contained environment with its own power supply should the ship need to divert power from the chamber or damage to the ships power supplies. Finally the entire bi-chamber could be ejected, similar to the warp core, and would self-implode 30 seconds after ejection. No chances were taken that the pathogens stored on board the Elysium were near fatal to all known species within the known universe and therefore needed to be kept secure and away from those who would use them for harm.
Zuriñe made her way over to the storage vault and the iris door opened before her. Inside were rows of containers with a pale blue haze around them. Here lay the scourges of the known galaxy. Viruses, bacterium, fungal, prions, and other assorted pathogens; each capable of eliminating those exposed to them. All the pathogens in this storage area had no known cure. She picked up a nearby PaDD from a wall slot and walked over to the first container, it was shaped like a burial pod used in the photon tubes; aptly appropriate thought Zuriñe. She tapped a code on the keypad on the container and there was a slight hiss as the top opened an iris on its top. Up raised a rack holding vials of pathogens, fifty in all. Zuriñe took a small scan wand out of the PaDD and began scanning the codes on each vial.
Each vial held a unique pathogen; be it viruses, bacterium, fungal, prions, and other assorted pathogens. This one container held fifty separate ways to kill an individual in the most horrible manner. She had fifty five containers with fifty of them holding fifty vials. The last five were in standby for new pathogens or emergency transfer of pathogens from one of the active vials. The codes on the vials did not provide any indication of what pathogen it contained. Another precaution, one had to scan the vial and upload it to the PaDD, then take the PaDD to one of the computer terminals in the lab and upload the data. The computer would then inform the individual what was in the vial and if need be unlock the holding ring and move said vial to one of the enclosed work stations for an individual to work with. The lab was set up so one could expose a lab animal if necessary for proper experimentation, usually to test a possible cure or to trace how the pathogen entered and infected a host. Zuriñe detested that part of her medical and scientific training, but knew that it was necessary on occasions to perform such experiments, even if it seemed to be a barbaric and antiquated method of science to most of the rest of the scientific community. She chuckled softly, these same individuals also practiced such things within their fields, but seemed not to realize it as such. Computers could only do so much. A prime example had been the highly classified Genisis project. Look at how that played out. Zuriñe went about her task in a thorough and methodically manner, musing to herself whether the Captain and command staff truly knew what this lab contained.