As promised, a message from Admiral Brayden came to the Captain’s desk, indicating that the starbase was initiating a full medical lockdown in one hour, and that all starships were to stay in dock, and to not allow any personnel to pass between the starbase and any of their ships until the quarantine was concluded. He advised the captains to have their medical teams to do a quick symptoms check, but to be discreet. The disease in question had a low transmission rate, with mild presenting symptoms - but it could prove fatal if it wasn’t treated within the week of infection.

The channel was technically open - all of the recipients of the message could see who else the Admiral had contacted - but the clearance level was O-6 and above for full details. The Admiral had actually given detailed clearance levels below that - medical department clearance for the infection name and identifying markers with strict instructions not to inform the rest of the crew, security department clearance for quarantine enforcement, engineering department clearance to put propulsion systems to idle - which helped provide protocol clarifications even before the question was asked. However, save for the Sentinel’s XO, nobody below Captain’s rank on any of the other ships had authorization to know the full contents of the Admiral’s message.

Whether this plan would allow the Sentinel crew to catch a spy would have to prove itself later.

Pelican, GM
USS Sentinel