Lieutenant JG Niev Galanis - Hot in Herre
Niev Galanis
((Babbage Science Center, “Whispering Wall” Colony – Planet Imza-4521-L))
Hopper: Niev – how’s it looking? Does it actually seem to be doing anything harmful to the Indy or its systems, or is it just– ::waving her hand gesturally:: –looking through our drawers?
Working away at the PADD for a few moments, setting up filters and displays, soon Niev’s device also populated with information. Their eyes squinted and they spoke out loud as things became clearer.
Galanis: Lots of start up procedures, network requests… it’s like we’ve triggered some kind of bootstrapping process that’s bringing something much bigger online. But some of these signals are strange - if these numbers are correct, it’s pinging something both below us, and around three thousand kilometers away…
Hopper: Three thousand kilometers…? The caves? ::To Varati:: Ensign, have you found anything in the colony’s records about those cave systems?
Looking up from their PADD, Niev slightly raised an eyebrow as they glanced toward their fellow scientist.
Varati: Well, unfortunately, I was only able to find a few older files. Recent files were there, but they were empty. Pretty strange. A rough map showing that there are two basement levels and a few service shafts or tunnels leading away from the main facility. It’s conceivable that the cave system begins behind it. But if it’s that big… we could search forever with hundreds of people and find nothing. - Perhaps the encrypted file contains more information about the cave system because it was in the same folder. ::pause, scrolling through the saved files:: The map and an encrypted file were provided by a “Stros,” and the crew list by a “Dr. Honkanen.” Most of the colonists reportedly complained of psychological problems and tinnitus after a prolonged stay…
Galanis: Their documentation can’t be faulted, at least. Perhaps we can work on decrypting that file in the background while we continue our investigation.
Hopper: Could be worth looking into. But first we need to be sure we haven’t missed anything – including our missing colonists. I think our next move, though, is to poke our noses where we clearly aren’t meant to be looking. Let’s find the access hatch that leads into the underground level you mentioned, Lieutenant.
Widening their eyes noticeably, Niev didn’t do a very good job of hiding their surprise and hesitance. The pragmatic part of them wanted to cut and run now, before things took even further twists. There was no telling what else this Interlink program might do to the Independence. On the other hand… there was no telling if it would just let them leave either.
Varati: Oh, there’s a hidden entrance? But well, an activated Interlink certainly wouldn’t let us in through the main entrance… Then let’s start looking, there’s not a moment to lose!
Galanis: I don’t think it’s going to be very difficult to locate, Commander. There are only a few places on the floor that aren’t covered in this mess of cables.
The unremarkable hatch, built flush with the floor, was indeed fairly obvious if one knew there was a hatch to look for. It took very little time for the trio to locate it, and soon Robin was popping it open, the darkness yawning down below them. Niev swallowed louder than they liked, feeling the tight tension in their chest rising.
Hopper: Either of you scared of the dark?
Varati: ::sighing:: That was sooo obvious… ::rolls her eyes:: Okaaaay, I’ll go first. Flashlight, tricorder…
Raising their hands, Niev was quickly shaking their head back and forth in denial, their words coming perhaps just a little too quickly.
Galanis: No, of course not! …But is it advisable to just… go down there? Shouldn’t we at least find a security or tactical officer to escort us? ::they blinked, glancing between the two and doing their best to hide their nervousness:: …Just in case, of course.
Hopper: For now, we’re just taking a look – seeing what we can learn about how it works. Remember, it said it’s designed to resist interference… Something tells me it won’t take kindly to us trying to force a shut down– ::smirking at Varati:: –or blowing it up.
Varati: Sorry, guys… I know I just get a little too emotional sometimes. Must be those barbaric Orion primal instincts. We don’t have to blow anything up… at least not now. ::pause:: Perhaps we can better recognise where there are potential weak points during operation. After all, the thing is still in the development phase?
Galanis: No need for apologies. It’s good to have a plan B… or C.
Varati: Let’s consider what we have so far:
1.: A short pulse brings the Interlink-system back up… and even if it has its own power supply, hopefully those few minutes weren’t enough to keep it running continuously. So let’s keep it busy until it shuts down again in hibernation. But we don’t know and can only speculate.
2.: We have a huge dampening field here, but it explicitly keeps communication and Interlink frequencies open. Let’s reverse polarity or isolate these frequency bands, even though they probably overlap. This might allow us to somehow interrupt the transmission; as a workaround, it would help until a better solution is found. And
3.: Without help or an external computer, we can’t analyse the data so quickly… but surely Aitas has Fureri on board?! The bot already provided us with valuable data analysis services on the Miombo – and it’s definitely not Starfleet technology, so it’s not susceptible to any backdoors. Since Interlink doesn’t just read the data but establishes a dynamic connection, it must leave some trace. Okay, this turned out a bit longer than I expected, but we should keep this information in mind, and it might be important for the other teams as well. I’ll forward my notes to you. ::taps on her PADD::
Blinking, Niev tilted their head in slight confusion. They couldn’t deny D’Cyra had thoroughly thought things through, but their attention had been on the hatch and the ladder they were about to climb. It took a few moments for them to adjust their line of thinking back to the bigger picture.
Varati: Do you really think I always want to blow everything up? And the torpedo attack against Ravarj was purely defensive!
Galanis: No, it’s quite a thorough report on what we’ve learned so far. Thank you, Ensign Varati.
Hopper: Response
The Orion suddenly began to rummage through her bag again, raising Niev’s eyebrow higher as they tried to puzzle out just what she was doing.
Varati: Where is it? - Ah!
It was… chocolate? Niev almost chuckled. Of course it was chocolate with D’Cyra. The Centauran doubted there were many in the galaxy who could lay claim to as strong of a love for the sweet as this Orion did.
Varati: I need to recharge my batteries too… ::to Niev:: Since it’s your birthday, you get to choose first! Happy birthday, Niev!
That caught Niev off guard. They hadn’t even remembered it was their birthday themself. Stardates tended to blend into just another set of identifying numbers with all of the data they looked at on a daily basis. They didn’t have the two suns or two moons back home to remind them what time of year it was whenever they stepped outside. Accepting the chocolate with a small, surprised smile, Niev nodded their head.
Galanis: Oh… well, thank you. I wasn’t expecting a ‘happy birthday’ in a situation like this. But it’s appreciated, truly.
Hopper: Response
Varati: Ok, after the little celebration, we should leave now before Interlink gets any stupid ideas…
While D’Cyra eagerly consumed her own chocolate bar, Niev’s was carefully deposited inside of their own bag. There’d be time to enjoy it and celebrate later, after they’d figured out whatever was going on at this colony… hopefully.
Varati: ::humming:: inter-LINK… inter-LINK… meh!… what a big $#!@ THING!
Hopper: Response
Galanis: Ensign Varati is right. We should get moving before anything else has a chance to bring itself back online. Shall we?
Without further ado, and surprising even themself despite their resolve, Niev decided to take the lead as the first to climb down the short ladder into the darkness. Their boots clinked softly against the metal as they descended, trying not to imagine some kind of cable snapping out of the darkness to wrap around their leg and pull them away.
Hopper/Varati: Response
Fortunately for Niev, they found solid ground again uneventfully. The first thing they noticed was just how warm and muggy it was down here. Taking stock of their surroundings, before they can even raise their flashlight, they notice the glow illuminating a corridor a short way ahead. The deep, dark blue slowly pulsed brighter and darker, as though beckoning attention toward whatever lay beyond. Raising their light, Niev revealed at least part of the source of heat - computer banks and servers lined every inch of spare wall space, practically serving as walls themselves.
Galanis: I think we can make a very good guess at what all that cabling was running to… though it doesn’t explain why it was laid out so haphazardly…
Niev commented to themself, the nervous waver apparent in their voice despite their attempts at keeping focused on useful observations. The heat, darkness, and cramped quarters provided by the walls gave the underground area an oppressive, claustrophobic feeling.
Hopper/Varati: Response
Galanis: …Are we to investigate further now, or regroup and share our findings?
Hopper/Varati: Response
TAG!/TBC…
