Ensign Kivik: You Are What You Eat
Keegan Flick-Parker
((Conference Room B4, Level 13, Copernicus Centre - Amity Outpost))
Kivik caught one last glance from Ikaia on their way out the door and puzzled at his expression. The Klingon usually showed his emotions quite clearly, but today Kivik couldn’t tell if he was stoically confident or scared stiff. Ne game the CMO an encouraging smile and he nodded back.
Wong: See you on the shuttle.
Kivik: Yes, sir! ::Ne began to leave, but turned back to add one final word:: I have full confidence that we’ll figure this thing out.
With that, they parted ways and Kivik hopped on the train that would take nem down to the Basement, where they kept all the ‘goodies’ - like the lepton diffraction arrays and molecular scanners. It had been some time since Kivik had done any real hard science and as the train rolled of the station, ne felt nir stomach turn at the gravity of what they were doing.
oO Only a few weeks in the Delta Quadrant and already we’re embroiled in a diplomatic mission that could make or break the quadrant’s perceptions of the Federation! Oo
((Section Alpha, Shuttlebay))
The two Talon class scout vessels, the Yosemite (which had affectionally been nicknamed the “Yosemite Sam” by some of the crew) and the Daintree, stood side by side. Kivik stood by the door, a grav sled full of equipment trailing behind nem, staring at the ships.
Ne gulped. Kivik had never been much of a fan of shuttlecraft and nir last mission aboard a shuttle had gone wrong.. oO Very wrong. Oo Besides - ne wasn’t sure how much ne trusted Wong’s piloting skills. It had been some time since ne had seen a demonstration of his piloting and the memory of it still made nem dizzy. All the same - that was the mission.
Kivik hit the controls and the grav sled followed after nem, a few paces behind, as they approached the shuttle.
Keehani: ::Gesturing, smiling, cordial tone:: After you.
As the rest of the expedition clambered aboard, Ikaia watched to make sure everyone - particularly their Hawlat guest - made it onto the shuttle safely and without incident.
Wong: Watch your step. Sometimes the first step can trip you up.
Sahim/Suribana/Keehani: Responses
With the grav sled full of equipment safely stowed in the cargo area, Kivik took nir seat. oO Now if only there were seatbelts… Oo
Once everyone was safely seated, the Yosemite Sam took off and made its way out of the shuttle bay.
((Cockpit - Yosemite “Yosemite Sam” - Angel Grazing Site))
The Yosemite drifted into the Angel grazing site. Colourful gases graced the area in its wonderful technicolour. Stars were as far as the eye could see. Large creatures, the Angels, floated in space as if it were water. Their manatee-like bodies swam and moved about gracefully. Aurora-like tendrils trailing along behind them adding to the colourful display.
The shuttle came to a stop just outside the grazing area to avoid scaring the creatures. Kivik leapt from nir seat and ran to a viewport, looking out at the alien creatures with wonder. Space born creatures were a rarity - and a particularly fascinating subject for a biologist to marvel over. The junior science officer rubbed nir hands together in anticipation.
Wong: Wow…. they’re beautiful…..
Kivik: ::Talking a mile a minute:: Yes! I can’t wait to figure out how they metabolize the gasses of the nebula into usable energy. What do you suppose their base element is? It couldn’t be carbon, could it? What do you suppose their respiration is like? Maybe they don’t respirate at all!
Sahim/Suribana/Keehani: Responses
As the others spoke, Kivik realized ne was getting ahead of nemself. Ne took a deep breath and tried to remind nemself that being careful and thorough was the priority here.
The Angels swam about outside finding new gasses to graze off of. Their movements were playful and graceful. Kivik couldn’t help but feel drawn to them. oO I suppose that’s how the Hawlat feel as well… Oo
Wong: Alright. So we’re far enough away so we shouldn’t scare them. Let’s take our scans and start our observations. See what we can learn about these creatures.
Kivik: Right! ::Rushing to nir stowed equipment and removing a large grey crate:: Let’s start really simple. We don’t want to startle them or cause them any discomfort. A simple molecular scanner can give us an idea of… oO How can I say this in a way that won’t be offputting to the Hawlat? Oo …what elements make up the Angels’ physical forms.
Sahim/Suribana/Keehani: Responses
Wong: Kivik, Suribana, see if you can get your equipment set up, alright? Let’s see what data we can capture here.
Kivik: ::To Suribana:: Doctor, do you think you could help me with this? We’ll need to focus in on the Angels - but they are hard to pick up on scanners. I’ve modified the scanner to increase the range - but we’re going to get a lot more stellar noise clouding up the results, especially from the benamite in the area.
Sahim/Suribana/Keehani: Responses
Kivik and Suribana set about working on the molecular scan. Kivik looked at the display with a hopeful, but confused, expression. It was almost as if the Angels were indistinguishable - on a molecular level - from the surrounding nebula…
Kivik: Hmm... That’s interesting.
Sahim/Suribana/Keehani/Wong: Responses
Kivik: Well, this is a very preliminary result - but I’m wondering if the reason the Angels are difficult to detect is that they are actively blending in with their surroundings. ::Excitedly clarifying:: Not, mind you, in a visual sense - but on a molecular level. They seem to absorb simple molecules from the gasses they eat and incorporate them into their epidermic structures! ::To Suribana:: What do you make of this, Doctor?
Sahim/Suribana/Keehani/Wong: Responses
TBC