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Main Sim - Disparate Parts and Paths

Posted Nov. 27, 2021, 1:58 a.m. by Captain Rende Asam (Captain) (Jennifer Ward)

Posted by Lieutenant Markus Woods (Chief Science Officer) in Main Sim - Disparate Parts and Paths
Markus had left the meeting with sense of purpose, and now he moved as such. But part way through he held up short. Taking a detour to his quarters, he searched for a couple of minutes for a pair of devices he’d been working on. With those in hand he made his way out into the corridor, heading for the nearest lift. =^=Deck Five.=^= It was only two decks down, but as soon as it was under way he called =^=Halt lift.=^= The lift came to a sudden stop between decks.

Taking a moment, he closed his eyes, grateful he was alone for this. It had been some time since he’d really … leaned into his abilities. Sure, contacting that Betazoid on the hangar deck had been one thing. But this was different. There were easily a thousand souls aboard. Conflicting minds, emotional states, trains of thought. All of them at once, with a wide-open connection would be paramount to drowning in a raging sea. It could kick off a Mind Storm of epic proportions, and something that hadn’t happened in quite a while. The last thing the crew needed right now was for their Chief Science Officer, the guy who is supposed to provide answers… going down.

However, he wasn’t going that far. There was no way to fully ‘listen’ to all of them at once, even just listening to surface thoughts. instead… it came to him like the din of a crowded restaurant. Faint at first, but then more and more layered, louder and louder as he opened up his senses, expanded his awareness. It was akin to both stretching and throwing his arms wide and just letting it wash over him.

For a couple of minutes he stood in the lift, letting it all pass through. He didn’t listen for specifics. Instead, it became a pattern, background noise. So much so that he wasn’t directly paying it mind for the most part. Any change though in the tone or pattern would catch his attention, even subconsciously. It might take him a few moments to recognize what was happening, but he would key to the change almost immediately. It was a similar trick he’d learned to do with his actual ears when he was still a youth and especially when exploring in the countryside. Now it was mental as much as physical.

But then, he swept out, looking for specific minds. Rende first. While he said nothing directly, she might have felt his presence, a light mental contact, like a hand on the shoulder, so to speak, but nothing more. He sought out the other senior staff that he could find as well as the doctor from earlier.

There was too much going on around the ship. People were stressed, frustrated, angry, scared. It rocked Sharah for a moment, but she absolutely could not be overwhelmed by it. Their XO had been attacked, or…something. Using the only meditative visual that worked, Fayth dragged herself above the waves of noise and feeling and surfed right above the chaos. And then someone’s mind touched hers very briefly. It was calm and still but filled with worry and purpose. The science officer from the shuttle bay. Sharah had far too much going on at the moment to deal with that. A quick ‘listen’ told her that the ‘sound’ and ‘feel’ were the same, and so she didn’t worry it wasn’t who she thought it was. And then she turned her attention back to the room.

=^=Resume.=^= The computer acknowledged with a quick double-beep and the lift dropped once more. Already the center of his forehead and base of his skull were beginning to ache a little. He was going to pay for this later, he would bet. Maybe.

Rende nodded and then felt a gentle presence on her shoulder. It felt like Woods. Good to know someone…oh that reminded her. =/\=Asam to Woods. Eldorin is trapped due to some systems malfunctions, Forgrave has his hands more than full, and Kohr is out of commission. Two of the motes got into him and he’s suffered a massive seizure. You’re acting XO now. Oh and NE Sacco, he just shot our guest, but can’t remember doing it. Asam Out.=/\=

Rende, CO

=^=Woods to Ensign Little.=^= Closing his eyes he concentrated once more as the doors hissed open. There was distress on several decks, and dismay. an alert of some kind in engineering. Malfunction?

=^=Head to engineering. See if you can’t help them get sorted out with their systems. And see if you can lock out the bio-gel packs and run on isolinear backups.=^=

Stepping out into the corridor he headed for the main science labs. Sheridan looked up from her station, her solid and hollow pips on her collar catching the light. “What the hell is going on, boss?”

“It looks like we’re being invaded by some kind of entity that doesn’t seem to have solid matter for a body. Spirits, ghosts maybe. I thought we left all this kind of stuff behind.” He shook his head, and at the same time could feel the disbelief rolling off of his subordinate. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t like it either. it has something to do with our guest… Who…” He frowned at the sudden distresses. “I think is … not doing so hot.” As he spoke he seemed distracted, as though listening to distant conversations in other places.

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you,” Miranda asked. It was half an accusation, half just a matter of fact thing.

“Yes. It’s been sanctioned by Captain Asam. And in this case, I am really starting to think … it’s warranted,” he said, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

Sheridan frowned. “Is it that bad?” Mark didn’t move but she read it on his face and his dark eyes. “What do you need me to do, boss?” It was her semi-professional term of endearment. She could have addressed him by rank, or by his salutation. However, he only stood on formality so long, and it took the edge off of things. These were his colleagues.

Glancing around he frowned. “I think a lot of stuff is coalescing at Sickbay. Go down stairs, start feeding me all the data you can. If they need help, help them.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his pocket phaser and passed it to her. “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this. If you run into those lights, try to get them in a level ten force field. No screwing around. If you have to, you might see how a phaser interacts with one of those ‘remnants’.”

“I don’t like these things. You sure?”

“Yes. You’re more than qualified. Get going.” He pointed toward the door, but flashed her a smile.

“Yes, boss.” And then she was out the door, moving fast.

Mark moved to his office and sat down the devices. One was hexagonal on the ends, and had a spherical housing in the middle, with a small control panel. This he sat on is desk, with the panel facing him. The other resembled a mobile emitter. This, he stuck in a storage drawer, out of the way. Forgetting the devices for a moment he stood. =^=Computer, bring up all the data we have on our guests, and his species. Separate the data dump they sent us into one category. Send all the medical scans and biometric data, lifesigns and so on, to the Bio category, and third, I want all the data we have on the derelict and it’s contents under heading Ship.=^=

=^=Working.=^=

And then ‘Oh gods…it’s coming after me.‘ The contact was female, practically under his feet. Distressed. The doctor.

Thumping his hand on the desk, he wished he could something about that. This whole thing was going belly-up fast.

=^=Sorting complete.=^=

Markus sighed. =^=Okay. Sort all new data streams appropriately as we get them. Review surveillance footage from the time the shuttle with Hab’rabi touched down to present moment. Track all of the motes or remnants. Whatever you want to call them. Give me a map of their movements on my main display here. As much as you can reconstruct their movements.=^= He paused for a moment. =^=Give me a list of any bulkheads or systems you can see that they passed through. Cross reference those lists with any malfunctioning systems.=^= At least maybe with that he could confirm or figure out whether it was correlation or causation. Thoughhe felt he already knew the answer. but maybe it could give him a better idea of their larger goal.

He made a note to ask about energy outputs next, but for now, let the computer chew through his requests.

Lt Woods, CSO


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