[Bridge] Dr. Timothy Alentonis: Crazy Ideas & Old Memories

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Chythar Skyfire

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Jun 26, 2018, 5:41:00 AM6/26/18
to Veritas IC

(( Bridge, USS Veritas ))

 

:: It had been a tough few weeks. Since his acceptance of the position as a consultant on the Veritas, the learning curve for bridge protocol and the adaptation to drills, his role in them and the hierarchical structure of people outside the SAC had been mentally taxing. Apparently though, things had gotten a bit easier. He didn't feel like as much of an outsider now; the crew was giving him fewer funny looks when he wandered into the officer's mess, and he felt that he was getting along well with everyone. ::

 

:: Now that he'd somewhat established his presence on the bridge, he took up one of the science terminals as his own and could continue translating the Romulan logs from up here, since most of his research was usually in the lab. However, today was different. They'd encountered a Borg vessel, and Lt. Commander Evan Delano seemed to be taking no chances. ::

 

Delano: Red alert! Shields up!

 

:: The professor watched on as the Vulcanoid stood only a few feet from the captain’s seat. Tim wondered if the Borg had freighters, given the size of the vessel. However, it was glowing an eerie green that was rather spooky and somewhat intimidating. In the distance, he could see the backdrop of a barren wasteland of a planet that once may have housed life. ::

 

Delano: Mr. Xerix, maintain relative position to the Borg vessel. Tactical assessment. What are we dealing with?

 

​:: Tim watched quietly from his seat and kept quiet. For all the history knowledge he had, he was inadequate when it came to matters of the Borg because he didn't know anything about them, other than that they were capable of assimilating an entire crew and did not discuss options for surrender. ::​

 

Blair: It looks similar to the incredibly well armed Borg probe that the USS Voyager encountered back in 2375.

 

​:: The stories of the USS Voyager were great reference points, and the only ones about the Borg that Tim had heard. No practical experience with the creatures at all. It didn’t look like he was immune to the danger, but he hoped he wouldn’t need to be on the away team. ::

 

Blake/Wrader: Responses

 

Kelrod: Responses

 

Delano: Life signs, Mr. Dugoras?

 

Dugoras: Response

 

Delano: All Borg, I take it?

 

Durgoras: Response

 

Delano: Any sign of other ships?

 

Wolfe/Zhou/Any: Responses

 

:: Evan crossed his arms as he refocused on the display on the viewscreen. No one moved for several seconds, during which time the eerie green light of spookiness emanating from the Borg vessel was enough to make Alentonis wish he could return to the covers of his bed. Alas, that was not to become a reality for him. Nor for any of the crew.::

 

Delano: Ensign Zhou, Ensign Wolfe, what can you tell me about that beam?

 

Wolfe/Zhou: Responses

 

:: More chronitons? That couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Though lightyears away, at the galactic scale, the gas cloud in which they'd found Ensign Mei'konda and Lieutenant Commander Rahman was still suspiciously close. ::

 

Delano: Any similarities to the chroniton readings from the gas cloud?

 

Mei’konda: It reaads… almost exaactly like a chroniton irradiaated version of the nebula that Commander Rahman and myself were scanning, sir.  Back… back where we came from.

 

:: While the officers discussed, Tim began theorizing. The nebula which they found the shuttle could also be the same conduit that may return them back to their own time -- but would it really work in reverse? This was one area of temporal magic that the professor had not visited in his course work. Quantum science, temporal science, and anything to do with recent history were his weak points. ::

 

Wolfe/Zhou: Response

 

Blair: It sounds like more than just coincidence to me.

 

Alentonis: I agree.

 

Any: Response

 

Delano: All right, see if you can get a more detailed analysis . :: He looked to the Ohanze representative and Commander Moonsong. :: Do either of you know anything specific about this planet? Is there some reason the Borg would have taken an interest?  

 

Oracle/Moonsong: Response

 

Delano: Anything to add, Doctor?

 

:: Did he have anything to add? This planet was an unknown in Tim’s little circle of recent explorations. He quickly cross-checked his records with the archaeological council’s database, and cross-checked it with the university database just to be sure. Nothing popped up as an anomaly that would cause the Borg to take an interest. ::

 

Alentonis: Not really. I can’t find anything in either the university or archaeological council databases that would get their attention. However, we don’t know what happened to the Pellica’s crew after they abandoned ship. Working theory: the Borg’s technological advances will be greatly enhanced by reskariaehhrr; which they have only recently rediscovered a source of. Bear in mind I have no evidence to support this theory whatsoever.

 

Delano: Has the ship reacted to our presence at all?

 

Blake/Wrader/Xerix//Kelrod: Responses

 

Delano: Stand by for evasive maneuvers, Mr. Xerix.

 

Xerix: Ready at your command, Sir.

 

::  He still found actually sitting in the captain’s chair to be a contradictory experience. Rather than being more comfortable, it made him feel restless. He forced himself to sit now, briefly regarding the readiness readout on the panel to his right. All stations were reporting ready. ::

 

Delano: Let's see if they want to talk. Open a channel.

 

:: Communication with the Borg had a limited history of success, but on the off chance that things weren't as they appeared, Evan figured it was better to try than not. ::

 

Blake: Response

 

Delano: =/\= Borg vessel. This is Lieutenant Commander Evan Delano of the USS Veritas. State your intenti--=/\=

 

Borg: =/\= We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ship. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile. =/\=

 

:: The cacophony of voices in reply was a predictable response, based on what little about them the professor had read. Having it aimed at a ship he was on though, was creepy and scary. Not a pleasant thought at all. ::

 

:: The transmission cut out before Evan could respond. The small freighter-like vessel turned toward them, the eerie green beam highlighting their ship and bathing it in the same sickly glow. As tempting though it was to say it aloud, he managed to keep his thoughts to himself. Barely. ::

 

oO We are doomed. Oo

 

:: There wasn’t much time to consider that question before the a series of energy beams lanced across space towards them. The ship rocked from multiple impacts. ::

 

Delano: Xerix, evasive pattern Zeta 2. Tactical, all weapons free. Fire at will.  

 

Xerix: Aye, sir!

 

Blake/Wrader: Response.

 

:: The ship shuddered again from another series of hits, while Xerix narrowly dodged a volley of plasma projectiles . A moment later, a wide tractor-beam was pulsing against their shields, rapidly draining them of power.  ::

 

Delano: Reroute power to the shields. Xerix, can you shake them?

 

Xerix:  Not with that tractor, Sir.

 

Blake/Wrader: Responses

 

Sanderson: Shields down to 62%. Collapse in thirty-three seconds.

 

:: The imminent failure of the shields would invite boarders. Boarders would mean that he’d watch his crew be taken alive and mutated into cybernetically enhanced versions of themselves. The thought was terrifying, and if they would not be turned, they would be killed. It was not a pleasant thought; and it triggered another unpleasant memory. One moment in particular stood out above all others ::

 

(( Flashback -- USS Arthur Evans ))

(( 22 Years Earlier ))

 

:: The away team had just returned from the surface and their digging was done for the day. A local dust storm on the planet below had halted any further excavation, making retrieval of artifacts and the away team via transporters impossible. Fortunately, artifacts and people were retrieved via a single shuttle that was aboard the vessel. Unfortunately, the surprise that awaited them when they returned was not at all what they’d expected: most of the crew were either taken prisoner or held as hostages. As he took sight of the horror that awaited him in the shuttle bay, he saw some of the crew lined up on their knees with their hands behind their heads or as a pile of bodies. A surge of adrenaline pumped through Tim’s veins and his hand slid unconsciously toward his gun, starting to slowly withdraw it from its concealed holster.  ::

 

Pirate: Join us, or die.

 

Alentonis: How about...no? :: Bang! :: Always beware the unexpected stroke.

 

. :: The pirate dropped to the ground bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest.  ::

 

(( End Flashback ))

 

:: For a long moment, Tim froze as he relived the memory in his mind, the color draining from his face as he considered the possibility. ::

 

Delano: I'm open to suggestions.

 

Mei’konda: Full weapons fiire in the upper EM baand at the source of the beamhas worked before.  They haave trouble adapting to it!

 

Xerix: Sir, perhaps we could activate our own tractor beam, in repulse mode. Modulated correctly, it should let us break free from the Borg. In addition, it should reduce the damage from their weaponry.

 

Blair: That could work, but it would cause massive damage to our own tractor. And we would have to shut it off the exact second their beam is repelled or risk structural damage of our own.

 

Any: Response

 

::Alex tapped a few commands on his tabletop and transmitted a set of shield settings to both the tactical console and Delano.::

 

Blair: For now I’d suggest modulating our shield frequencies as described in the file I just sent you. ::break:: It’d only be a band aid of sorts but could buy us a few minutes.

 

Delano/Any: Response

 

:: It took a few moments for Tim to regain his wits and focus on the current problem. They would soon be under attack, and the Borg didn’t seem like talking. ::

 

Blair: I don’t have a plan yet, but we need to come up with a way to disrupt their power flow.

 

Any: Response

 

Alentonis: Wait, you said the Borg ship functions like a giant computer?

 

Any: Response

 

Alentonis: Could we risk an EMP transmitted through our tractor beam into theirs to overload the system?

 

Any: Response

 

Alentonis: Well, the other option I can think of is to use the deflector dish like a giant magnet, and when they pull us too close we wipe their hard drive...

 

Any: Response

 

===
​Professor Timothy Alentonis, PhD
​Archaeologist​

USS Veritas NCC-95035
O239002CS0
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