" What've you learnt about our guests so far?" Archer asked Phlox when the captain entered sickbay.
The Denobulan looked up from his work. " I was wondering when you would ask that. These aliens should live. I've removed some of their DNA, and found its completely distorted. Their organs come from different races, and are biochemically altered to adapt to the genetic structure of the Vidiians. I've asked for Ensign Sato to send down a copy of their database so then I can understand their problem better."
" From what we've learnt about the Vidiians they were attacked by this disease suddenly, and they've spent centuries trying to cure it."
Phlox nodded sadly, " They've failed each time. I've also genetically analysed their organs. One of them has had his heart for 3 years, but the disease is adapting to the coding of the heart and is slowly destroying it, requiring a replacement soon. Another one has a liver that's only been genetically adapted 3 weeks ago."
Archer sighed, wondering how any race would stand this sort of life. Phlox then decided to drop the revelation, " Captain, I've been studying the disease, and I've come to the conclusion its artificial."
Archer couldn't believe his ears, " You mean someone developed it deliberately? Why?"
Phlox nodded thoughtfully, " There are two possibilities. Firstly, its a war with an enemy, but who? The Vidiians aren't a warlike people, and their technology's more than a match for dozens of races, besides who would use such an elaborate and slow acting disease? An enemy would develop a biological weapon to work instantly, not gradually, and the Vidiians have been suffering from the Phage for 2,000 years. The second possibility's simple; scientific research."
Archer shook his head, " But why would anyone do it? It's..." Archer trailed off, but Phlox completed his sentence for him.
" Inhuman?" Phlox said. " Captain, need I remind you we're in the delta quadrant, in the midst of dozens of unknown alien lifeforms. Any of them could be scientists of a sort, and they could use a different time table to what humans may. You have to stop thinking on such a limited scale."
Archer bristled at that. The problem with aliens in the Alpha quadrant was that they looked down on humans because of their lack of thought, but Archer knew Phlox was right.
" Do you have any evidence?" Archer asked, changing the subject.
Phlox nodded, " The virus adapts too quickly, I've subjected it to various forms of radiation, mixed it with DNA codings, and the virus mixes with it, destroying it as it goes. The virus is also programmed to seek out undamaged DNA, and destroy it. That's simple enough, and the protein sequences are artificial."
" Someone created this virus and deliberately infected an entire race?" Admiral Forrest asked in disbelief. Archer nodded, sitting in his ready room. It was dark, fitting really because of his mood. " That's what Phlox says. He's examined it and subjected it to various kinds of radiation. It adapts too quickly, and the protein sequences he says adapts and replicates on any genetic material. Its a mess, Admiral. I've seen these aliens for myself, and they look like corpses with rotting skin."
Forrest shook his head, " How're they doing?"
Archer sighed, " Phlox has them in one of the medical laboratories, undergoing examination. He's trying some creativity to try and reverse it all. Phlox is sending the data back to Starfleet medical and the Vulcan medical service, and the Denobulan genetic engineering doctorate. He wants other practitioners to learn as much about the Phage, which is the name of the virus, and try and find a way to cure and give immunity to it." Archer leant forward. " Facility 4 may need to be informed."
Forrest jumped at the name, and now he saw why Archer was putting this message on a priority one gold channel. " I'll see what I can do." Forrest promised, sounding like the facility wouldn't help, but they both knew they would. Facility 4 were always interested in anything, and besides their dimensional experiments had brought ships from other realities and times to their own reality, some of them with technologies thousands of centuries ahead of that of Earth of the 22nd century.
Phlox was standing by the imaging chamber when Archer walked inside. " Your message sounded urgent."
The Denobulan doctor turned around, " Yes, I've been reviewing the Vidiian database and I've found half of the things I've wanted to try have been tried by them. So I started thinking, and I realised that maybe I should look on this from an engineering standpoint."
Archer frowned at him, and Phlox shrugged, " I know, as a doctor I should by using medicine, but I couldn't help it. I exposed samples of the Phage inside the imaging chamber to various kinds of radiation, and I've found that hyperspace radiation from this ship can stop the Phage from adapting to the new treatments. I then exposed the various samples to new kinds of vaccines from Klingon DNA to produce healthy cells. My earlier tests show that its possible to treat the phage, but my work needed checking over before I can use it properly."
Archer was caught with the possibilities. One of Starfleet's top priorities was to secure allies for their expansion of knowledge, and if they aided the Vidiians, then they would get such an ally. Or at least Archer hoped so.
" What about immunity from the disease, can this process do that?"
" The Klingon DNA inside the serum is resistant to the Phage from the beginning, Captain, but since the Phage needs to be weakened before it can be truly erradicated then it can provide immunity. The rest is up to the Vidiians. They'll have to study the principle, and find ways of becoming more immune by themselves. All I can do is provide the pretext."
