Title: The Sigournate Virus
Author: Rose AKA Buffybot76
Email: vampmistress76
Rating: R (just to be safe)
Pairing: Tawney Madison/Dr. Lazarus
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the movie Galaxy Quest. They belong to Dreamworks and David Howard and Robert Gordon, the writters of that wonderful screenplay.
Distribution: You want it, just ask.
Spoilers: For the movie, kinda gives the by play of what happened in while the characters where in space.
Feedback: Yes. But no flames please. I am sensitive to things like that. Constructive Criticism is okay though.
Notes: Hope you enjoy folks. I just couldn't get the plot bunny to leave me alone on this. I know I set a challenge out for it, but I couldn't help but do it. Anyone who wants to give it a shot though, feel free. I'm sure you all could do way better than me.

- Chapter 1 -

- Stardate: 3113.4 -

The crew of the NSEA Protector, consisting of the commander Peter Quincy Taggart, Lt. Tawney Madison, First Officer Dr. Lazarus of Tev'Meck, Engine Gunner Tommy Laredo, and Tech Sgt. Kwan Chen, were bored.

They had not made contact with any other life forms, aside from each other, since their last encounter. That had been with the Thermians, a peace loving group of beings who were being driven from their home of Thermia by the evil Roth'h'ar Sarris of Fatu-Krey.

And of course, Commander Taggart had taken it upon himself, and the rest of the crew, much to their dismay, to intervene and defeat him.

They had beaten Sarris by using the Omega 13. A device they had found on a deserted alien planet, just prior to their scrape with Sarris. So of course they hadn't had the chance to test it and figure out exactly what it did. Needless to say, there was quite a row between the crew and their commander after the space dust had finally settled.

And now they had been drifting for over two and a half Earth months, and were completely and absolutely bored.

Commander Taggart was on the bridge, sitting in the commander's chair, as always. The lovely Lt. Tawney Madison was at her post at the computer console, ready to hone in on any distress calls or hailing frequencies that they might encounter. Laredo was at the controls, steering the large spaceship through the vast darkness.

Tech Sgt. Chen was below in the engineering section, making sure everything was in working order. And Dr. Lazarus, the only crew member not of the human species, was at his station, looking through files from their last communications with Star Fleet.

{There is an incoming distress call.} The computer's artificial voice informed the crew.

"Captain, we are recieving a distress call." Lt. Madison said.

"Open all frequencies. Let's hear it." Commander Taggart ordered.

"Opening all frequecies, sir." Came Tawney's reply as her slender fingers turned a few dials and flipped a switch on the control panel in front of her. Soon a voice was coming over the intercom and filtering onto the bridge.

"...anyone. Can anyone hear us? Please, we need help. This is Professor Rankar Skaritt. I am the head of a mining colony on the planet Mot'tera. We are under attack by an unknown species and they are taking us out one by one. If anyone is out there, our coordinates are 3752 bi-lateral by 2394 tripolar. If anyone recieves this, I beg of you, please come quickly. We need-"

{The transmission has been terminated.} The computer chimed.

"We lost it, Commander." Tawney said, turning to Taggart.

"Commander, I feel there is something off about this transmission. The coordinates they gave would put us off in a sector we have no knowledge of. We would be going in blind, sir." Lazarus cautioned.

"Aw, come now, Laz. Don't get your fins in a curl. We've got to help these people. It's what we do." Peter interjected. "I'm sure we can handle whatever it is on this planet." Turning in his chair, Peter continued. "Laredo, set a course for the planet Mot'tera, coordinates 3752 bi-lateral by 2394 tripolar."

"Aye, Captain." Laredo said, although from the expression on his face, you could tell he did not agree with the commander at all.

Tawney looked at Dr. Lazarus for a moment. Ever since she had joined the crew, she had come to know that whenever Lazarus had a bad feeling about something, he was not usually off. He had saved most of the crew's lives many times, including Tawney herself.

Dr. Lazarus must have felt her eyes on him, for he turned his head at that moment in her direction, and their eyes locked.

For a minute, Tawney couldn't breath.

What was it about the Tev'Meckian. He looked almost human, but for the purple fins that graced his scalp instead of hair. And even that did not stop Tawney from admiring him. His facial features were not what you would call gorgeous or even handsome. But they had an elegance to them. A somewhat attractiveness that pulled her in. His eyes where dark, almost black, with small flecks of gold in them. And then there was the voice. Tawney imagined she could listen to that voice for ages and never get tired of hearing it. It was deep baritone, and when put use, it grazed over her with silky smoothness. She had never heard a voice more enchanting.

Then, quickly, Tawney realized she was still staring at Lazarus. And he was looking at her with the strangest expression on his face.

'I guess he's trying to figure out what I'm thinking. I'm so relieved that he's not a mind reader.' Tawney thought. 'Oh, what am I doing? Obsessing over someone I have no hope whatsoever of ever catching the attention of. He would never even think to look outside his species for a mate. He's too dignified for that, I'm sure.'

Tawney turned back to her controls and tried to hide the blush she was sure was creeping up her neck. 'God, the last thing I need is for Dr. Lazarus to find out I have a crush on him.'

tbc...