Quarantine (comic strip)

Quarantine is a Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip. It is the tenth story in the US Comic Strips series, published daily in newspapers over a period of 14 weeks by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. The story was set after, depicting events from Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the refurbished USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). In this story, the Enterprise visits Sarsithia to help rebuild a society following 450 years of war.

Summary

 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7708.3.
 * The Enterprise has answered a medical distress call from the planet Sarsithia, in Star Cluster M-21… During the last 450 years, the Sarsith have fought to rid their planet of the Mirmonot, fierce invaders from another star system… The last Mirmonot stronghold, Isoth Fortress, has fallen and the Ruling Council has asked the Federation for aid…

Sarsithia was located near a disputed border between the Federation and Klingon Empire. Aid was requested to help isolate the spread of a plague. Spock linked the ship’s medical computer with one on Sarsith, so Dr. Chapel could compare blood samples and afflictions with those of other amphibian species. Special care had to be taken with the samples; although immune, humans could become carriers of the disease.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7708.3.
 * The Enterprise has answered a medical distress call from the planet Sarsithia. Its ruling council has asked the Federation for aid in combatting a plague… Mister Spock and I are in conference with the Sarsith Ruling Council…

Councilor Arvith invited Kirk and Spock to “share the water” in their council chamber, where discussions were made while seated in water. Kirk and Spock both seemed uncomfortable with the idea of disrobing, but put their feelings aside for the sake of diplomacy. Arvith explained that their entire culture had been based on removing the invaders. Having succeeded, they were now without direction, enduring famine and economic collapse. General Onoth intruded on the meeting. He led an influential, elite faction of their military known as the Brotherhood of Waters. Onoth said the council had become ineffectual, but said he’d come to bring news that Chapel had been in an accident.

Chapel had accidentally broken a test tube, exposing herself to the pathogens within. She’d driven an amphibious craft to retrieve other samples, but her body numbed and she passed out, crashing the vehicle. She was being cared for by Dr. Tath at a medical center.


 * Captain's Log: Supplemental.
 * Dr. Chapel has suffered severe injuries in an accident. We are on our way to Isoth Fortress’ medical center, accompanied by General Onoth, controversial leader of the “Brotherhood of Waters,” an elite military society. Dr. McCoy is beaming down… Postwar famine and plague are serious problems facing the Sarsith. Their 450-year effort to push the Mirmonots – invaders from another star system – from their planet has led to wide-scale unrest and caused economic and social collapse.

Walking with Onoth in public, Kirk and Spock came upon a staged demonstration where one of Onoth’s men fought a civilian over scraps of bread. After arriving at the medical center, they were told by McCoy that the plague within Chapel had mutated into a new form and had to be further researched. Privately, Onoth spoke with Dr. Tath, a member of his Brotherhood, ordering that Chapel not recover “too rapidly.”

Suddenly a blast tore through a nearby wall. Kirk ordered a security team to the surface. Lt. Chekov, Sargeant Ukemi and three others beamed down as several Sarsith fired beam weapons through the open wall. They panicked when they recognized Onoth, who decried them as “common scum” and shot them all. Some of Onoth’s men held Kirk, but released him at Chekov’s urging.

The Enterprise beamed down emergency rations for the public drawn from Portable Kitchen Units, feeding thousands of idle soldiers and civilians around the fortress. Onoth became more desperate, thinking the Sarsith needed a new enemy to focus their attention. Secretly, he assigned Brothers Avoth and Nath to a suicide mission. They flew a fighter out of the system toward Klingon space, found the nearest Klingon cruiser, attacked it, then led it back to Sarsithia.

The plague had been identified as similar to one on Beta Quaternas IV, a planet also visited by Mirmonots, and McCoy prepared a serum. Fearing that Chapel would soon awaken, Dr. Tath injected her with a mild sedative to slow the serum's effects. It had the opposite effect, however, giving her amnesia, paranoia and making her prone to violence. In panic, she belted Kirk, knocked down Umeki, and leveled a phaser at them. Guessing from the fortress that she might be on a prison planet, she fled to a spaceport, taking off aboard a small ship before Chekov and Umeki could stop her.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7715.3.
 * A Klingon vessel, pursuing and firing upon a Sarsith fighter, is approaching the Sarsith star system… and we suddenly find ourselves in the middle of an intergalactic incident…

Captain Kolak followed Avoth and Nath’s fighter, finding themselves seemingly led straight to the Enterprise. Kolak concluded this was a Starfleet trick to incite war. Kolak managed to destroy the evasive fighter, but Rand was able to beam up Avoth and Nath.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7715.4.
 * A Klingon imperial cruiser has destroyed a Sarsith fighter… and we are now involved in an intergalactic incident which could result in a war…

When Rand brought Avoth and Nath to the bridge, Kirk realized what Onoth had been planning.


 * Captain's Log: Supplemental.
 * It is now obvious that General Onoth and the Brotherhood of Waters are the engineers of a plan to involve Sarsithia and the Federation in a war with the Klingons… Despite my efforts, this incident has become a matter of honor for the Klingons… and the price of honor is always high.


 * Captain's Log: Supplement.
 * It is clear that General Onoth intends to involve Sarsithia and the Federation in a war with the Klingons.

Chapel’s ship arrived in the area. In her paranoia, she started firing at the Klingons. Kirk maneuvered the Enterprise between Chapel and the Klingons, but she then started firing at the Enterprise. Kolak paused to reconsider his assessment of the situation. Kirk and Kolak forged a temporary truce.


 * Captain's Log: Supplemental.
 * We must prevent Doctor Chapel from reopening the conflict set in motion by General Onoth. She is in control of a stolen Sarsith ship, and we have the difficult task of trying not to accidentally harm her. Doctor McCoy is desperately trying to find the key to the illness that’s causing her violent actions…

Motivated by the seemingly unprovoked destruction of a Sarsith fighter by Klingons, the Sarsith military rallied, and Chekov reported that an armada of Onath’s warships had launched. Chekov and Umeki beamed up as the armada began attacking the Klingon cruiser. Kolak’s ship retaliated, destroying several of Onath’s warships, but began to take damage. Meanwhile, McCoy exposed Dr. Tath’s tampering and realized Chapel needed immediate medical attention.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7716.3.
 * Doctor Chapel will die very soon, if a heart depressant is not administered to counteract the sedative given her by Tath, General Onoth’s physician. Mister Spock has volunteered to attempt this, but he will be forced to wait. Against my orders, Onoth has attacked the Klingons.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7716.3.
 * Without warning, General Onoth has broken the truce and attacked the Klingons. To make matters worse, my first officer has disappeared!

Spock left the bridge and had Rand beam him aboard Chapel’s ship. But with their shields down, the Enterprise became open to attack by Onoth.


 * Captain's Log: Supplement.
 * The Enterprise is under attack by General Onoth. We must assume he has decided to destroy us as well as the Klingons. Spock is aboard Doctor Chapel’s ship… He has administered a heart depressant to her. However, we dare not lower our deflector shields for one instant to beam them aboard.


 * Captain's Log: Supplement.
 * General Onoth has decided to destroy the Enterprise as well as the Klingons. We are under fire and Spock cannot return with Doctor Chapel because we cannot lower our deflector shields to beam them aboard.

Repeated attacks by Onoth’s fleet finally disabled Kolak’s forward shield. His patience worn thin, Kolak retaliated by destroying Onoth’s ship. The rest of the armada quickly fell back. But with his ship vulnerable to the Enterprise, Kolak ordered a call for reinforcements and a retreat at warp 6. Rand quickly beamed Spock and Chapel back to the Enterprise, and Chapel was immediately taken to sickbay.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7717.5.
 * The Klingons have killed General Onoth. With him dies the plan to involve Sarsithia in a war. Avoth and Nath, two of the general’s men, are returning to their planet in Doctor Chapel’s stolen ship. Perhaps now the Sarsith can learn a new way of life… However, the Klingons do not know the incident is ended. Their cruiser sustained heavy damage during Onoth’s attack, and they are retreating in order to send for reinforcements. We must try to reason with them, or they will return and destroy Sarsithia.

The Enterprise pursued at warp 6.

Characters

 * Enterprise personnel
 * James T. Kirk • Spock • Leonard McCoy • Christine Chapel • Montgomery Scott • Hikaru Sulu • Pavel Chekov • Nyota Uhura • Umeki • Thomas Hadley Takashida • Smith • Gomez

Arvith • Onoth • Tath • Avoth • Noth • Kolak
 * Others

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) • Sarsith transport • Sarsith two-man fighter • Sarsith warship • Sarsith amphibious ship • Unnamed Klingon K't'inga class battle cruiser

Locations

 * Sarsithia • Star Cluster M-21 • Isoth Fortress • Isoth Fortress Medical Center Beta Quaternas Four

Races and cultures

 * Human • Sarsith • Klingon Mirmonot

States and organizations

 * Sarsith Ruling Council • Brotherhood of Waters • United Federation of Planets • Klingon Empire

Science and technology

 * amnesia • amphibian • antidote • blood sample • carrier • decontamination shower • depressant • epidemiologist • immunity • isolation chamber • phaser • plague • plague serum • Portable Kitchen Unit 03 • quinidine • quinidine derivative • quarantine cubicle • sedative • stimulant • tranquilizer

Ranks and titles

 * Councilor • General • Captain • Doctor

Other references

 * hatch • print-out

Information

 * This is the tenth of 20 story arcs set after the events of, and is set during Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). It is the second comic strip story written by Sharman DiVono and drawn by Ron Harris.


 * This story continues as the Enterprise pursues Kolak’s Klingon battle cruiser in Restructuring Is Futile.


 * Recurring Engineering Ensign Thomas Hadley was also seen in The Savage Within, The Wristwatch Plantation, and had a cameo in The Nogura Regatta.


 * Recurring Security Sergeant Umeki was also seen in The Savage Within, Restructuring Is Futile and The Wristwatch Plantation. He was seen with his security helmet off only in one panel on August 9, 1981.


 * McCoy would later make the same mistake as Chapel (accidentally becoming exposed to deadly blood samples, then not immediately reporting it) in the 18th comic strip story, author Gerry Conway’s Terminally Yours.

Background

 * Thomas Warkentin was credited with art assistance. (http://www.hassleinbooks.com/pdfs/TrekComics.pdf) The credit TW was added to strips on October 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 1981.

Related stories

 * – Described the starship refit, crew changes, and technology updates that occurred prior to the events of this story.
 * – The Enterprise visited a planet similarly at war for nearly 500 years.
 * – McCoy infected himself with a deadly Vulcan plague.
 * – Similar assignment for the Enterprise: assist in the rebuilding of a society recovering from a lengthy war.