Episode 3: Hromi Headache
97718.3
@Maikull
Xarantine Sector; Hromi Cluster
Captains Log: Stardate 97718.3
We have spent the last few days in the Hromi Cluster corroborating federation star charts of the sector. So far no data has indicated any Klingon activity, however plenty of stellar anomalies have kept our science teams busy. It has come to my attention that Lt.Cmdr V’era has been under some stress which has affected her ability to lead her teams. I have sent Commander Stern to speak with her, to try and get to the bottom of it.
The door to V’era quarters rung, causing her to look up from her sofa. She put away her Padd and took a deep breath before answering.
[LCDR] V’era::“Come In.”
[CMDR] Jessie Stern: Commander Stern entered her quarters and looked around. She noticed V’era and smiled. “I hope im not interrupting?”
[LCDR] V’era:: She shook her head with a solemn look on her face. “No…I have been waiting for you actually. Honestly expected Commander Barron. Or Marco and his Security Team.”
[CMDR] Jessie Stern: Jessie crossed the room and took a seat on the couch next to V’era. “Well, when you threaten to airlock an ensign ‘To give him a better view of his mistake’ it tends to raise concern. I assured Mai’kull that there was probably something more going on than just an incorrect report filing. ”
[LCDR] V’era:: V’era gazed away, unable to look the Commander in the eye.
[CMDR] Jessie Stern: Jessie shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat, trying to find the right words. “Look, I’m not a councilor, but I am a Telepath. and I have sensed somethings been wrong since we arrived on Drozana. I didn’t pry, because you never let it interfere with your duties…until now. I’d much rather help you though this as your friend, than have to address it as your commanding officer. Because what you did was unacceptable for a department head.”
[LCDR] V’era:: “I know…I know…” V’era remarked, her eyes beginning to swell with the frustration and pent up emotion.“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I feel hot, irritated, anxious, impulsive; and I can’t explain why! I’ve run scans, I’ve tried to vent frustration on the holodeck! I’ve even tried that stupid Vulcan Meditation! Nothing’s worked!”
[CMDR] Jessie Stern: “Well, I don’t mean to sound patronizing, but are you doing it right? The Meditating? I know you weren’t that close with your Vulcan Heritage. Maybe you missed out on a step?”
[LCDR] V’era:: V’era chuckled a bit at Stern’s words. It was true, her meditation attempts were just sitting on the floor blasting music to try and drown out her thoughts. “Probably not, might have lit the wrong candles. That or ‘Paramore’ isn’t proper meditation music.”
[CMDR] Jessie Stern:Stern grinned, “Well, I took an advanced course on Vulcan Meditation and Mind Melding techniques. I’m not saying you have to agree to it, but maybe if we work together I can help you uncover what’s really going on, maybe something supressed.”
[LCDR] V’era:: V’era pondered on this for a moment, finally gathering the courage to look at the Betazoid Woman. “Where did you learn Vulcan Mind Melding?”
[CMDR] Jessie Stern: She smirked at the question,“Primarily taught for interrogation techniques, but I know how to control it well enough.”
[LCDR] V’era:: After a moment of contemplation, she finally agreed, re-adjusting herself on the couch to sit facing Stern. “Ok. Let’s give it a try.”
[CMDR] Jessie Stern: Stern also moved close to sit directly in front of V’era “Close your eyes and repeat after me.”
The two women sat in a traditional Vulcan Meditation pose, their knees under them and pressing both their index fingers together. As they began to chant, their hands moved in synchrony.
“My Mind to Your Mind”
They each rose one hand, palm facing the other in the traditional Vulcan greeting posture.
“Your Thoughts to my Thoughts”
Their hands reached out, and gently pressed against the other’s face as the telepathic link was established…
USS Sun-Tzu; Conference Room
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “And were sure it’s not a natural occurring phenomenon?”the commander inquired as he looked at the display.
The commander, along with Lt. Commanders Brannigan, Pi, and Southerland stood in the conference room around the display screen reviewing sensor analysis of their recent section of the cluster.
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “No sir, the signal coming from inside the Ion Storm is defiantly artificial. ” he confirmed. “Not many space bearing entities emits a frequency along the Terahertz subspace band.”
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland: “The Ion Storm itself is natural, it’s too large to be generated by a ship, and not even a station could maintain the power output for this long.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: he contemplated the reports from his officers for a moment, as he continued to review the display board.“And we have tried a probe?” he asked fruitlessly.
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: “Yup, destroyed almost instantly upon entering the storm.” he confirmed, tapping on the display and showing the readouts from the failed probe launch
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “So what is it your suggesting?”
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland: Kiff stepped forward and changed the display once again to a spectral analysis of the Ion Storm“The larger the Ion Storm, the more powerful, and this is easily a Level 9 Ion storm, too dangerous to try and take the ship into. However, the fluctuation between ionized particles are also larger.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: “Meaning, a well-equipped shuttle with a highly trained pilot should be able to make it through just fine.”
Barron glanced to Kiff and Zach, feeling this was their plan the whole time, but as he gaze turned to Pi, who gave him a nonchalant shrug, he realized there weren’t many other options. Had it not been for the Klingons using Nebula like this and the Briar Patch in the past to hide operational bases, he wouldn’t even suggest such a risky mission. However, he could not ignore the signal coming from the storm, be it a bi-product of a Klingon outpost, or possible distress signal.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “What steps are we taking to ensure the safety of the away team, should I approve it?” he added the end with great inflection
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland: Kiffs eyes lit up at the question, he had already anticipated this. “So, I will have to take the Quantum Phase Converter offline, and link it to the shuttle temporarily, this will give the shuttle the same Quantum Phase Regenerative Shielding we have on the ship, so IF its struck, say once or twice, it will be able to absorb some of the incoming energy and incorporate the ionic charge to the shield grid.” the Bolian officer tapped the display, showing a schematic of a Type 8 Shuttlecraft “We already have Ionized Gas Sensors onboard that I will tie into the shuttles navigation computer, which will allow you to differentiate between positive and negatively charged ion clouds.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: “From there, its just a matter of piloting inside or around the same charged particle clouds, and avoiding opposite charged ones. Like swimming in the ocean with a Lightning rod. As long as we stay underwater, we will be fine!”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: he pinched the bridge of his nose at Zach’s analogy “It’s the part where you come up for air that has me worried…”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:
“That’s why you need the best pilot on the ship!” the andorian grinned, giving the commander a thumbs up.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: after a moment of reflection, the commander nodded, “How long will it take to make the alterations?” he inquired.
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland: “30 minutes, tops.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “You have a go. Zach will pilot the shuttle, and I’m going to sending Stern with you. Dismissed.”
The Engineer and Tactical officer gave each other a high five before darting out of the conference room, leaving Barron and Pi to review the monitor.
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “If I may sir, are you sending Commander Stern for her Telepathic abilities?”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: Maikull looked back to Pi for a moment before shaking his head, “No, SD13’s SFI office asked us to look out for an abnormal signal. If this is what they are taking about, she will know what to do to handle it.”
Pi nodded at the explanation and did not remark. He had figured the C.O and X.O would manage to still work their way into their old profession. Even when they worked out of Starbase 39-Sierra, the two would often undertake more, covert missions dealing with the Tal-shiar. Barron finally made the move and cleared the display screen, before tapping his comm-badge.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “Barron to Stern, Come in.”
There was a pause, without any response.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “Barron to Stern, Respond.”
Both Barron and Pi looked at each other with a puzzled expression. Pi reached over to the display terminal to run a quick diagnostic on the internal communication systems as Barron Continued.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “Computer, Locate Commander Stern.”
COMPUTER: “Commander Stern is located on Deck 4, Crew Quarters Sierra-1.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : The XB finished his diagnostic and turned to the Commander “That’s V’eras Quarters. Diagnostic shows internal communications are working properly.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: He nodded at the Ops Officers assessment. “Yea, she went to go talk to her after her outburst in the Astrometrics Lab…” tapping his comm badge again“Barron to Lt. Commander Vera, Please respond.” Again there was no answer to his calls. Growing concerned, he tapped his badge a final time. “Barron to Marco.”
There was a confirming chirp before the Photonic M.A.C.O. Officer appeared in the Conference Room before Barron and Pi.
[LCDR] Mark-0: “Yes sir?”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: Barron raised his arms slightly, in a ‘finally’ mannerism before responding. “Commander Stern and Lt.Cmdr Vera arnt responding, please check Vera’s quarters and make sure everything is alright.”
[LCDR] Mark-0: Marco saluted his
C.O. “On it.” before tapping his comm badge “Marco to Security Team Alpha-4, meet me outside Officer Quarters Sierra One.” And with a final nod, he de-materialized from the room.
USS Sun-Tzu; Sick bay (20 Minutes Later)
Doctor Roptojmey and other medical personnel are rushing around scanning and attending to both Stern and Vera who lay unconscious on the tables, as the doors open and Commander Barron rushes in. He suppresses his natural instinct to call for a report, knowing it best to let the doctors do their work. However, he finds it grating standing by doing nothing so he withdraws into the Doctors office to wait for him. After a few minutes, Roptojmey comes in.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “What happened?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: The Klingon takes a moment to gather himself, and places his Tricorder on his desk to download to the computer.“At the moment, we don’t know. Security called in a medical response unit to V’eras quarters where they were both found unresponsive. I’ve already ruled out physical trauma, they weren’t attacked, and their toxicology screens came back negative so its not poison. ”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “So what’s wrong with them?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Right now, I couldn’t tell you. Their both in some sort of coma, but when they came in their vitals were all over the place. We managed to get them stable, both are still showing signs of a fluctuating neurochemical imbalance. We’re running a few tests to try and determine the cause, we should know more soon I hope.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: Barron walked out of the office and to the bio-beds where Stern and Vera lay. He looked down at Vera with concern on his face, but as he turned to Stern, the look was far deeper. He took her hand in his own for a moment, giving it a comforting squeeze before whispering,“Snap out of it Imzadi.” He once again turned to Doctor Roptojmey, swallowing his emotions. “Keep me apprise of their status please.”
Roptojmey knew of the past relationship between Maikull and Jessie. And though the two had not fully rekindled their relationship upon re-uniting on the Sun-Tzu, their feelings for one another hadn’t died out. The Klingon nodded as the Commander’s comm badge went off.
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland:
“Southerland to Barron. Shuttlecraft Stockholm has been outfitted and is ready to fly, just waiting for our Co-pilot.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: There was a look of pained annoyance on his face as he reached to his comm badge. “That’s clear, I’ll be there shortly, Barron Out.”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Ill take care of them here, you go worry about the rest of the ship.” He said reassuringly, giving Barron a pat on the shoulder.
Barron nodded, and reluctantly left Sick-bay.
Sun-Tzu; Shuttlebay
Barron contemplated the situation at hand as the turbo-lift stopped at Deck 6. Exiting into the Shuttlebay, he nodded to Southerland and Brannigan who were outside the craft waiting, and went directly inside the shuttle. At the helm, he sent a message to the bridge for Lt.Cmdr Pi to contact him privately using the C.O.’s office terminal. After a moment the screen lit up with the XB sitting at Barrons Desk.
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) :“Yes sir?” he asked, curious as to the secretive nature of the call.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “I’m taking Stern’s place and leaving the ship with Brannigan, you’re in command till I get back.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) :“Is everything ok?” he inquired further.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “Vera and Jessie are currently out of commission in Sick-bay, security found them unconscious in Vera’s quarters. Doc is doing what he can to figure out what’s wrong. So while I’m out keep an eye on that for me.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Pi did his best to hide his ‘oh shit’ face from the commander at the revelation of the X.O’s condition, realizing the gravity of the situation.“ Don’t worry sir, ill take care of things on this end, be safe out there. Pi Out.”
As the screen shut off, Mai’kull took a few meditative breaths, refocusing himself on the task at hand. Stepping back out of the Shuttlecraft, he met back up with Kiff and Zach who were standing by.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron:
“Well ‘Captain’ Looks like I’ll be your Co-Pilot for this mission.” he said with a grin to Brannigan. “Give me a run down.”
Both Kiff and Zach looked a little surprised at the news, but quickly adjusted to it.
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland:
“Well, the Regenerative Shield Array is online, We will prime the shield’s with a Quantum Entanglement from the deflector before you depart which will give you an extra 17.8% Shield Capacity. As long as you keep the shields up, the quantum state of the shield array should maintain itself for the flight, and help re-direct any low level electrical energy back into shield grid.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:
“The Signal inside the Storm is registering at 316 Terahertz, that’s going to be our navigation point. The Ship will be transmitting a signal at 295 Terahertz that we should be able to pick up from inside the storm. That will give us a definitive start/end point so we don’t get turned around. Navigational equipment won’t do us very good with all the magnetic interference, so we are going to have to fly manually. Fore and Aft communications arrays are attuned to these frequencies so we can position ourselves according to the signal strength.”
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland:
“An Ion Storm is just a giant conglomeration of two types of Ionized Gas Clouds, Positive Charged ‘cations’ and negative charged ‘anion’. Electrical discharge occurs when two opposite clouds intersect causing the electromagnetic reaction. Now the size of the storm means there is larger clouds, which usually means a larger and more violent reaction. However due to the size of the shuttle, you SHOULD be able to pilot in and out of these clouds and avoid most contact reactions.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:
“Problem is, the first Ionized particles we collide with when we enter the storm is going to prime our shields to that charge. So if the shield grid becomes positively charged, we cannot come into contact with a negatively charged ion cloud, or we will ignite a reaction.”
[LCDR] Kiff Southerland:
“I’ve installed Ionized Gas Sensors all around the shuttlecraft to act as a beacon, so you can tell what’s around you. And better avoid reactionary collision.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: ((TL;DR))“So were manually flying blind into an Ion Storm with nothing but Sonar for Guidance, and Radar for navigation. It’ll be like playing minesweeper, except the mines keep changing positions every move. One wrong move and were done for.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:Zach nodded along with the commanders rendition of the scenario, “Yea, pretty much. I mean we can probably handle a hit or two, but not recommended.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron:
“Well, let’s get the pre-flight check started.”
Sun-Tzu Bridge; 30min Later
[ENS] Tyisha Dauenhauer: “Sir, the Stockholm has entered the Ion Storm. We are tracking her transponder signal at 300 Terahertz.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Pi looked up from the captains chair to the reporting Sensor Officer and nodded in confirmation.“Thank you Ensign, keep an eye on it and let us know if it stops transmitting.”
The doors to the Turbolift opened, and Commander Roptojmey stepped onto the bridge, he scanned around seeing who was on duty, and without a word crossed the bridge and entered the Captains Ready-room. Pi looked a bit perplexed, as a second later the Klingon Medical Officer came out and looked him down.
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Where is Commander Barron?” he asked.
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Pi held a very blank expression, as his finger rose from his chair, to point at the Ion Storm on the view screen, “You just missed him…”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: Rop looked at the view screen and put two and two together, slapping his forehead ridges firmly with his open palm “I take it he filled you in before he left?” Not waiting for a reply, because OF COURSE HE DID, Roptojmey waved Pi to join him in the Ready Room, “Come!”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “Alright, what seems to be the situation?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey:Pinches the bridge of his nose as he prepares to deliver the news “The good news is, I have confirmed both Commander Stern, and Lt.Cmdr Vera have contracted Pon Farr.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Appears a bit stunned at the news as he takes a seat on the sofa “And…that’s the good news?” he blurted out.
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Scans indicate that V’era has had it for some time, her internal chemical imbalance is so severe I won’t risk waking her up at this point in time, it’s a task in itself to keep her stable as is.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “I thought Vera’s Romulan Half prevented her from having Pon Farr?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “That’s a general theory, but Romulan/Vulcan Hybrids are still a rare breed. I checked her medical records, and she has never had a recorded case of this, however, track back 7 years, and that puts her a Senior in the Academy. She grew up with a Romulan Lifestyle, so chances are she had an amazing weekend with a boyfriend and was none the wiser.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : attempting to shake off the thought “What about Commander Stern?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Oh her scans indicate she just stared it, however due to the security risk she poses, I don’t want to wake her up just yet either.” The Klingon spoke as he utilized the Captains Replicator to make himself a cup of Raktajino.
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “Security Risk how?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: He blew on his drink for a moment, taking a deep sip before responding “Pon Farr can be transmitted Telepathically. Thankfully, Vulcans or half-breeds are tactile telepaths, meaning they have to touch you to transfer it, which could have been the case for Stern seeing how close they were found next to one another. Stern however is a Betazoid, full-blown long-range telepath. As fun and intriguing as it would be to test that theory, I don’t want to fill out a report to the new fleet, explaining why the ship burst into a 300+ Crewman Orgy.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “Ok, so what are our options? We can’t keep them in a coma forever.”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “That’s where this gets tricky. See, Vulcans usually either just -handle it- with an established mate, or there are meditation practices, or even Holo-programs for this very thing. Problem is, Vera never grew up embracing her Vulcan side, therefor she lacks the discipline. Plus, she’s already tried a holo-program…had Mark-0 pull security logs.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Cringes for a moment having to think of his coworker and friend…in that situation “And, that didn’t fix her problem?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Apparently not. Look, Vulcans are super tight lipped over this, so even now we still only know a faction of what this entails, but I have a theory it has to do with both a physical, and spiritual connection. Vulcans who undergo this either already have a mate, or choose/dominate a mate of their choosing. Its not just bang the first person they see, there is a selection process. And they can be so fixated on that one person they will literally fight to the death over it. Vera…well, lets just say that’s a moot point now.” He hastily drinks his coffee as to try and ease some of the tension of the next set of questions
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “What do you mean?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Look…I’m pretty sure I can fix this whole thing, we just need Commander Barron back on the ship, like…now!”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Trying not to take offence to the Doctor’s remark “Look, whatever it is, I assure you I can handle it.”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: “Oh, no no no! You misunderstand. See, Stern already has a chosen mate…her Imzadi. I know they haven’t ‘been physical’ with each other since they took command of the ship, but those two share a deep bond, and I’m 99.7% positive if I wake her up, HE’s the one she’s going to go after.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : He relaxes some realizing the Doctor’s intent now“Oh, so the Captain just needs to…help cure the Commander.” He paused for a moment, reflecting on everything before realizing a gaping hole in the doctor’s report “Wait, but how does that help Vera?”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: His face winces some, as he was hoping to avoid this question. “Well, you see…when Vera transferred the Pon Farr to Stern, I think Stern also transferred her…affection for the Captain to V’era. Because she’s also moaning in her sleep for ‘imzadi’.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : If it wasn’t for the seriousness of the situation, this would have been hilarious, but Pi was well aware that this was a life-threatening circumstance, especially for Vera. “So, the Captain needs to…”
[CMDR] Roptojmey: Horrified at the suggestion, he threw up his free hand to stop the second officer “Oh gods no! No, my intent is to ‘cure’ Stern, and see if she can perform another mind meld to -share- the experience with Vera. Between that ‘spiritual’ connection, and a hypo injection simulating natural hormones increase from the ‘physical’ act, I’m hoping to trick her out of it. And if that doesn’t work, well we will have a moral tight-rope to walk.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Agreeing with the doctors evaluation and course of action, Pi knew he had to get Barron back to the ship, but with the Ion Storm blocking most forms of communication, there was only one method he knew to try and reach them. Tapping his comm-badge, Pi hailed the bridge “Pi to The Bridge, Begin a signal pulse of our communications beacon to the Away Team, resonate the signal off the old Morris Code for S.O.S. If they are paying attention, it might give them cause to return to the ship.” he hoped…
Hromi Cluster Ion Storm; Shuttlecraft USS Stockholm
Brannigan and Barron sat at the controls of the Shuttlecraft in silence. Zach manning the flight controls, while Commander Barron monitored the sensor readings keeping them on course. The pair had managed to hop into a pocket of positively charged gas and ride it almost exclusively into the heart of the Ion Storm with little disruption.
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:Growing uncomfortable with the silence “Is…everything alright sir?”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: Vaguely paying attention to the Pilots context “There appears to be a negatively charged cloud off the Starboard Bow, but we should miss it.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:
“No sir, I mean, are you alright? You seem unusually quiet.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron:
“OH! Shit, sorry. I’m just worried about Jessie and Vera.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:
“Yea, V’s been acting pretty out of it lately. Did she really threaten to airlock one of her subordinates?!”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: gives a small smirk “According to the complaint, yes. Stern went to talk with her to try and figure out what was going on. That’s when Mark-0 found them unconscious.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan:
“Well, they’re in good han…” there was a bleep on the terminal which struck his attention “Sir, the signal from the Sun-Tzu is blipping in and out, it may be interreference from the Storm the deeper we go in.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “That was to be expected. Signal strength from the anomaly has doubled in intensity, so I don’t think were too far off now.” Barrons console began to beep as well as he reviewed the sensor readings “Looks like our smooth ride is about over, I’m detecting three large negative ion clouds heading on an intersect course to this one, it’s about to turn into one hell of a light show.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: “I’m showing a large enough void, Heading 328 Mark 27. We can try and punch our way out to that, but we will need to locate another cation cloud, because our shield charge will attract the negative anion’s to us.”
The Two worked in silence as the Shuttle’s impulse engines fired, zooming out of the ionized cloud, leaving a trail of positively charged particles behind them. Barron watched on his sonar screen as the three negatively charged clouds collided with the one they just left. The shuttle rocked some as the electrical shockwaves burst behind them, and a stray bolt of electricity arced from the ion storm up through their trail, striking the shuttle.
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: Struggles to stay in his seat from the turbulence “Port Nacelle has been hit! Aft Shields down to 30%” he reported
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: “We have bigger problems, large concentration of anion clouds dead ahead, Port, and Starboard side; and they are converging on our position.”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: “We can drop the shields! That would clear us of our positive charge and let us pass through, but our hull will be ionized at that point. Any other hit we take could be catastrophic.”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: He reviewed his screen again, noting the proximity alarm from the ion clouds“Do it, and Push through, looks like another void beyond this cloud.”
The Shuttle’s shields dropped as they entered the Negatively Charged Ion Cloud at full speed. However, another bolt of electricity struck the main hull, rocking the occupants inside and shortening their consoles. The shuttle spirled out of control as it managed to clear the cloud in time, and somehow came to a complete stop on the void on the other side.
Inside the shuttle, Barron and Brannigan clambered back to their feet, being tossed from their seats in the collision. Brannigan checked his terminal, which was blank.
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: “Controls offline sir.”
There was a moment as Barron too got up to check his terminal, when the power flickered back on, and a voice spoke up behind them.
Unknown: “Terribly sorry, that was my fault, should be back to normal now.”
Both Officers whirled around to face whoever was speaking, finding a woman in a black outfit standing at one of the terminals near the rear of the shuttlecraft. Zach quickly withdrew his phaser, but Barron held his hand out to halt his Tactical Officer.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: skeptically cautious“Hi.” He took a moment to recompose himself, easing Zach to calm down as well before continuing “Apologize for that, you sort of startled us. How did you get aboard?”
Unknown: The woman smiled some at his question “Better question would be, what are you two doing deep in the heart of a level 10 Ion Storm?”
[LCDR] Zach Brannigan: “Our sensors showed it as a Level 9…” he remarked a bit snarky, still holding his phaser firm in his grip.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: Barron shook his head to Zach to drop it“Well, we had detected a signal coming from the storm, and weren’t sure if it was a distress call or not, so we were coming to investagate.”
Unknown: The woman looked a bit perplexed at him “A Signal?” she looked down at the console for a moment and realized what they were tracking, a look of annoyance and grimace flashed across her face as she snapped her fingers. “How embarrassing, I am so sorry…talk about leaving the emergency break on. Didn’t realize you would have been able to pick up on that. Sorry for the false alarm!” she said, resuming her pleasant smile at the two.
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: Confused, Barron reached over to the console nearest him and checked his readings. The signal they had been tracking this whole time was now gone“How did you???”
Unknown: “Look, it was very brave of you to come all the way out here to check on us…A bit reckless, but noble. However, you really need to get back to your ship. Lets just forget this thing ever happened, shall we?”
Before Maikull or Zach could respond, the woman snapped her fingers, and bright flashes of light filled the compartment of the shuttlecraft, causing both officers to shield their eyes.
USS Sun-Tzu, Bridge
[ENS] Tyisha Dauenhauer: “I’m sorry sir, it’s just…gone.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “How the hell does an Ion storm just dissipate like that? What about the Shuttlecraft? Are you still picking up their signal?”
[ENS] Tyisha Dauenhauer: “I’m not picking up any…Wait. I do have the Stockholm sir, but…These readings indicate, its back in the shuttle bay?”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : Looking extremely confused“What?” He looked up on the view screen showing both The Stockholm and the other Type 8 Shuttlecraft sitting in the Shuttle bay, as if it never left. Hesitantly, he reached to his comm badge “Pi to Barron, Do you read me sir?”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: over the intercom “Loud and Clear Pi, Were fine, and…no. I don’t know what’s going on either.”
[LCDR] 3 of 14 (Pi) : “Well, glad to have you back sir, we kind of have a situation we need you for specifically, Can you meet us in Sick-bay?”
[CMDR] Maikull Barron: over the intercom “Yea, Ill be on my way, Barron out.”
Several Hours Later
Epilogue
Captains Log – Supplemental
I have tried…several times to make sense of what transpired today, and I have no idea how I’m going to report this to command. The Ion Storm has completely dissipated as if it was never there. The Sensor Logs of the Shuttlecraft we were in have been wiped, presumably by the mysterious occupant me and Zach encountered. As to the Identity of said person, accusations of “The Q” or possibly “Organian” have been thrown around however, there is no evidence to support either of these claims.
In the case of V’era and Jessie, both have made a full recovery. Cant say I wasn’t a bit blindsided by Roptojmey’s recommended course of treatment, but truth of the matter is Jessie and I have been holding back our feelings for far too long. Thankfully the Mind-Meld worked and it was able to wake V’era from her fever dream. We are wrapping up operations here in the Hromi Cluster, and will be heading for Ayala System next. There should be plenty of time between then and now for us to…come to terms with what has come to pass.
As, frustrating as the past few hours have been, I have to thankful at least the ship and crew are all healthy and in one piece…Any mission you can walk away from huh?
End Log.
OOC Special thanks to @Moose or Co-Starring as my “Mysterious Stranger” aboard the Shuttle! I tried to change up the format a bit, and -tried- to shorten the post so it wasn’t so bulky while still getting the gist of the planned plot across. (Thanks to @Veneela for the feedback) I appologise for the semi-abrupt ending, but if I didn’t stop myself, I probably would have kept going. I think going forward, if I keep doing these, Ill just post the segments one at a time, instead of trying to do the whole ‘episode’, so its a lot easier for you the reader, and less of a stress induced ‘rush’ for me to finish. Going to take a break for a little bit, may post a small short (Hoping for more of a Video Presentation, or Comic Style, will see) And then go onto Episode 4, GM/Directed by @Sam! So stay tuned, thank you for reading and as always critiques or questions are welcome!