Epidemic

*This is from Universe 1*

## Description of Events

*Previous Incident: Hangover Blues*

*Next Incident:*

 The Engineering Department on the Blue Dwarf brief Commander Seymour Niples about a potentially catastrophic fault with the safety mechanisms of the engines. It has degraded to the point of failure, and without a new one the engines could explode and destroy the ship. Unfortunately, no spares are on-board and they lack the materials to manufacture a new one. Niples orders that the ship enter a nearby asteroid field and mine one of the asteroids for the needed material.

Stromile Keegan headed the operation onto the surface of the asteroid, setting up the mining equipment and a small factory to process the raw ore. During the operation, the floor of the asteroid gives way and Stromile and Drusilla Belladonna fall below. In the fall, Drusilla's suit rips. Successfully managing to keep it closed, Stromile and Drusilla make their way out of the cavern. However, unbeknown to them, bacteria slipped in through the tear of her suit. Slowly, but surely, a bacterial infection begins to spread through the crew.

The bacterial infection causes hallucinations to become real and solid, possibly a mutated form of a common human disease. Although there was speculation that the disease was to some extent sentient, the threat posed was too great to allow any time to analyse it.

The hallucinations that the crew of the Blue Dwarf suffered from were extremely varied. A Pink Bouncing Tree was one of the first hallucinations to become solid. The disease seemed to be able to increase the complexitiy of the hallucinations over time. At the height of the infection rate, the disease could create an entire hallucinatory scenario with a replica of the entire crew.

Meanwhile, Phil FeBuggre uses his newly built Time Machine to travel back into the past. He arrives on the Warship Blue Dwarf, moments before its destruction. He saves Penny Lloyd and brings her back to his present.

Charles Keto and Joshua Ventrite begin developing a cure for the hallucinations, which are now becoming dangerous. Niples is forced to declare that the ship is suffering an epidemic. Niples also assumes command over William Cannon, who has become utterly mad, locked in his office, and shooting any and all who try to approach him.

Niples confronts Cannon and, with the help of Katrina Swete, manages to detain him. He did plan to blowout the four main CO₂ tankers in the Engineering Decks, effectively shutting down life support to kill the pixies he was hallucinating. In some confusion, Cannon shoots and kills one of the less violent hallucinations. Niples and Katrina attempt to escort him to the Science Labs, but he escapes.

Keto and Ventrite, with the help of the Pink Bouncing Tree, develop an ointment cure that removes the infection. They also discover another ointment that will fully disintegrate a hallucination. Arming themselves with water-guns filled with the two different ointments, two teams set out to clear the ship.

The two teams rendezvous in the cargo hold, where they discover a still mad William Cannon. They learn that his wife and daughter were killed on their transport vessel in a GELF raid. Plagued by awful thoughts, Cannon grows angrier and angrier. He hallucinates a giant beast, a manifestation of his anger. The beast is brought down, but not before killing some of the crew.

When the violence subsided, Niples arrests Cannon and sets a course for Jupiter Station.