[Starship SAVIOR, Conference Room, Stardate 3745.07.31, 1900 hours]

Captain Laura Fowler stands rigid at the head of the gleaming conference table within the Starship as her eyes flicker momentarily to the empty seat where Danielle once sat. "Crew, as you're aware, we've suffered a significant loss. Danielle was more than our head of communications; she was part of this ship's soul." Her gaze sweeps across the faces before her. "We are not just a crew. We are a unit. And it is as a unit that we must face this threat, the SAP, as Parker has deemed it - Sentient Alien Parasite."

"Could the parasite reach the hydroponics?" Elise whispers. Axel leans back, grinning. "Who knows, maybe one of us is the host." He winks at Colby, whose knife pauses mid-chop. "It's in the food, isn't it?" He mutters under his breath, slicing vegetables with a newfound frenzy. Travis, who hasn’t spoken to anyone in days, simply nods at the Captain's words. Sam's fingers brushed an old photo of Danielle. Ethan rubs his temples, sighing, "We'll get through this. We have to."

Across from Callum, Parker's fingers dance absently over his datapad. "We should consider the scientific significance." Parker muses, his tone almost manic. "The parasite's capabilities, its methods of infection, if we could study it, we could understand-"

"Understand?!" Callum cuts in, barely containing his outrage. "We need to survive it, Parker, not resign to be its next meal!"

Doctor Mia sits back in her chair, her expression unreadable. She idly twirls a pen between her fingers, seemingly detached from the tension in the room. "Let's not forget why we're here," Mia says, her voice firm and clinical. "There's a new player. And since they arrived after Danielle’s… passing, we can be reasonably sure they're not our hidden guest." She adds, looking at you.