Kentauran Date: Phoenix 6, 93
Sedna Orbital Facilty, Kentauran System
00:25 hours

"The contents of the first bio bomb have been sent to our lab."  MoonShadow makes a gesture towards one of the agents standing nearby, who literally trots to her side.  "Captain Krasis has offered the services of Dr. Timoleon in finding anything we can about the pathogen found in that bio bomb," she tells the agent. "Escort the good doctor to our labs.  Oversee and facilitate his participation." She swallows and her throat hurts.

"Damo," the agent nods and takes off to find Dr. Timoleon.

"In the meantime, Captain, let's keep everybody calm.  I'm suspicious of Lupo's sudden illness.  Why is he the only one sick so far?"

"Indeed, something is wrong," Ambasadoro Enrika interjects. "Please excuse the interruption, Captain Krasis. MoonShadow. None of the bombs has exploded.  Why should anybody be sick at all?"

MoonShadow looks at Enrika incomprehensibly.  "What are you saying?"

"None of the bombs has exploded, am I right?" Enrika repeats, but notices a look in MoonShadow's face that gives her concern.

MoonShadow''s thoughts feel thick, heavy and fuzzy.  "Jes, vi pravas."

Enrika touches MoonShadow's face and gives a start. "Luna, you are burning up!"

Those are the last words MoonShadow hears.  Captain Krasis catches her before she hits the floor.  Before Enrika can take another breath, they are surrounded by a crew of Agents.

"The SP is down.  Repeat, the SP is down," one says into a communicator.  "Breathing is shallow, pulse is erratic, no bleeding.  High fever.  Possible infection."

Enrika can imagine the conversation over the comm links and knows what the next words will be.

"That's it," the Agent says.  "This place is under quarantine.  Nobody leaves, nobody arrives.  We are in shut down."

The Agent listens to his comm unit again and eventually says, "The terrorist has been found in the mechanical chase. He bled to death before the hound-bots could find him.  He still had one unexploded bomb in his fist."

"That leaves one more device unaccounted for, and we don't know it's status," Enrika says. "It could have exploded.  We don't know."

"That's right," the Agent says.  "We don't know.  And speculation is worthless until we know more."

"Deputy Chief Lupo and the SP are both sick," Enrika says.  "This is not a good sign."

"No, Damo."

"Who's in charge of the government when the SP is ..." Enrika pauses, not wanting to use the word. " Indisposed?"

"The President of the Parliament.  We've already sent word.  He's on Tierranova."

====

Dr Timoleon looked up from the fallen Deputy Chief Lupo to the surrounding officials.
'From what I am told the bioweapons are supposed to be based around a bacterial meningitus type infection... I do not believe this man is infected with anything such.'
observing the mans swollen tissue, respitory distress and splotchy skin..
'He seems to be in shock, probably a severe allergic reaction? or maybe some kind of poison'.
Adrenaline (Epinephrine) is administered and Lupo appears to respond favourably.

Meanwhile Moonshadow herself collapses. Timoleon assists the Kronberger medics.
Someone points out that the SP has been awake 24 hours and dealing with a number of highly stressful situations....
'We need to get her to this stations medical facilities'...

'I am unfamiliar with your technical capabilities' krasis interjects 'but we can order my ship to have the Lady Moonshadow teleported from here straight to an isolated medical ward'. He offers trying with his best dwarvish stoicism not to be flustered by the deteriorating situation..
'Additionaly if you can find that last bioweapon we can beam it straight into space, my ships sensors cannot penetrate this staions hull so we cant locate it, but if someone were to place a transponder on it...'

====

The Agent looks confused, wondering to whom Captain Krasis is speaking.  He looks around and sees nobody standing or present who is his senior in security, and decides that Krasis must be speaking to him.  "Regrettably, Captain, I must veto the idea of transporting the Damo to your ship.  Quarantine protocols are explicit about that.  Nobody leaves."

"Kio via nomo estas, Agento?" Enrika asks.

"Nubo Argenta, Damo."

"Agent Nubo, can you give us any information on the search for the missing device?"

"The hound-bots are back tracking the intruder's movements.  It shouldn't take too long."

"Bona.  What about Captain Krasis' second suggestion of transporting the device into space?"

"That is beyond my expertise, Damo.  I don't know what kind of environmental threat that might cause.  But wouldn't it be safer to simply delete the datastream?  That way it simply no longer exists."

They both turn to Krasis.

====

krasis replies. 'Its all a question of time, if youve got time... defuse the device, if you havent we'll send it into space and see how the bugs like a radiation infused vaccume'....

====
Kentauran Date: Phoenix 6, 93
Sedna Orbital Facilty, Kentauran System
01:01 hours

Agent Nubo, dressed in an environmental suit, climbs into a disused part of the mechanical chase. It becomes obvious that the way is far too narrow for him to continue dressed as he is.

"Fi!" he swears. "Control, where is that hound-bot?"

"Still three meters below you," comes the voice over his comm unit.

"Is there any way we can program the hound-bot to place the transponder on the device?"

"Does the phrase Opposable Thumbs mean anything to you, Agent?"

"Fi!" An obvious design flaw. "Remind me to talk to the engineers about that."

"Rimarkata."

Agent Numo removes the helmet from his environmental suit, and starts on the rest of it. "Nubo," the comm voice says, "We detect that the seals on your suit have been compromised. What is your status?"

"I'm taking it off, Control. Can't get any closer to the device dressed like this."

There is a long awkward silence on the comm while Nubo finishes doffing his suit. He can imagine the arguments going on between personnel in Security Control. Finally the response, "Komprendata, Nubo. We feel that we must advise you that if the device executes, you'll have no protection from environmental toxins or biologicals."

""Ne ekskremento." Nubo continues his progress down the chase. "Any activity from the environmental sensors?"

"Ne ankoraǔ."

The passage continues to narrow. Looking down, Nubo can just barely see the hound-bot. It looks more like a mechanical spider than anything else, except that the legs don't have joints. They move more like octapoid tentacles. The 'bot is staring at the device.

Nubo suddenly realizes that even if he stands on the device, he won't be able to reach it. The passage is far too narrow for him to turn. Now what?

"Order that 'bot to climb back up and meet me," Nubo commands, and starts climbing back to his suit.

"Confirmed. What is your plan?"

"Hold on a sec." Nubo reaches into his equipment pouch and pulls out a roll of duct tape. The 'bot is suddenly in front of him. Using the duct tape, Nubo attaches the transponder to the 'bot.

"Okej, order the 'bot to go back to the device and wrap it's tentacles around it." Nubo watches as the 'bot climbs back down into the narrow passage.

"Okej, the 'bot has stopped moving," the voice of Control comes over the comm. "Can you confirm that it has attached itself to the device."

"Negativa. I can't see past the thing. Give me a sec."

Nubo considers his options. He still has a spare transponder in case the first one fails. He stkcks that one in his belt, then lowers himself back into the passage head first and climbs awkwardly down the three meters and gets as close to the 'bot and the device as he can. But he still can't see past the 'bot.

"Okey," Nubo strains to say. "Initiate the transporter."

====

'Acknowledged, we have a signal from the transponder..transporter activated'. Ensign Carina daughter of Saracon activates the transporter.

'We have 2 items in the pattern buffer, retransporting now- 5000 km bearings 274 mk 020.. The area is clear of any instillations, satalites or spacecraft'.

5000 km away a houndbot suddenly finds itself floating in space and quickly (one might almsot suspect it of some minor panic were it capable of such an emotion) extricated itself from the bio-explosive device which is counting down 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 , 2, 1...... ( ) (It would say "bang" but hey its a vacuume).

'Station, The device has detonated, we managed to rescue your cute robot before the detonation.. its in the pattern buffer...shall we send it back?'

'Sensors report no detectable microbes in the blast zone'.