Ens. Gnai - Are We Going To Prison... Again?
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Lich
Apr 27, 2024, 3:42:26 PM4/27/24
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((Port Side Observation Deck - Nova Gamma Borealis Cruise Ship))
Gnai was so deeply excited for this excursion, especially after it had finally made it on time. Missing the ship would have put such a damper on the entire shore leave. But now here it was, with some of its colleagues from the Artemis, ready to go on what would hopefully be a very relaxing but informational adventure.
Gnai: Lieutenant Sadar! There is a seat here for you. ::patting a seat next to it::
Sadar: O-Oh! ::sits down slowly:: Th-Thank you, Ensign.
Lt. Cmdr. Dakora seemed pleased, Lt. Jg. Sadar seemed concerned, and Ens. Savel seemed as Vulcan as ever. Nothing out of the ordinary then. It was a shame that Lt. Jg. Sadar was so nervous, there was nothing to worry about. It wasn't as if there were Jem'Hadar taking the ship, or Betazoids throwing them in prison. This was just a quick hop through the wormhole, some opportunities to check out a few points of interest in the Gamma Quadrant, and then a hop back.
Dakora: I just wanted to thank you all again for coming! I’ve never been to the Gamma Quadrant– or through a wormhole at all, now that I think about it.-- And I always find that most firsts are better with friends.
Savel: I too have never traveled through a wormhole. I also see the increased value attached to the experience by getting to share it with those I've become acquainted with. I thank you for the invitation.
Sadar: I-I also have to thank you for the invitation, Commander.
Gnai: Thank you as well Commander! Wormholes are of particular interest to Galadorans. This will be extremely educational. And a good way to spend some of shore leave.
Gnai's interest in wormholes wasn't just from the stories that it had heard of the original Galador being eaten by one, but also because it was just endlessly fascinated by the vastness of space. Wormholes connected these distant parts, even if just briefly. Were it not for this wormhole, it would never have even the chance to study up close some of the strange anomalies that hid within the Gamma Quadrant. But because of it, there was always a chance. That was the beauty of a wormhole, the opportunities for more discovery that it brought.
The ship vibrated, passing little waves through the water of Gnai's tank, and detached from the station. They were off, pushing past the drab station into the dark of night. Soon they'd be watching the great wormhole open, from the best vantage point on the ship.
Dakora: …And here we go.
Sadar: This wormhole is also unique in-so-far that it holds such a significant cultural value to the Bajoran people… I wonder if any studies have been made to ascertain whether their Prophets also reside in other wormholes?
Gnai: That's an interesting question... If they do, is there communication between them? ::trailing off to think::
Right outside their window, the wormhole ripped open spacetime before their eyes in a flash, blooming into a massive spectacle of blue and purple. The colors swirled like some aurora, detached from any sort of planetary body. The blues were from verterons, Gnai remembered from what it had read, but it still found photographs of the wormhole endlessly fascinating to study in literature. And now, face to tank with the real thing? It was unlike anything that Gnai had anticipated. What the literature missed was the scale of the thing, as it took up the entire view from the windows, enveloping the entire ship in the blue swirling light.
Over the ship's intercom, a voice rang out, ready to introduce the wormhole to the masses.
Guide: Welcome to the Nova Gamma Borealis, the only Gamma Quadrant tour provider licensed and recognized by the Government of Bajor. ::He paused.:: If you look out our port side, you will see the dazzling display of blue particles called verterons that make up the structure of this beautiful corridor.
Gnai saw Lt. Cmdr. Dakora lean over to talk to Ens. Savel. It couldn't help but overhear.
Dakora: He could be making all of that up and I wouldn’t know. ::He shrugged and pointed to the phenomenon.:: It does look very nice though. Brighter than I thought it would be.
Savel: I will check his information against that which is contained in Starfleet's database about the wormhole. I can then provide all of you with a brief report on what is factual and what the guide of this tour has taken personal liberties with whenever we return to the Artemis.
Guide: –- we’ll pass through the mouth of the wormhole here in the Denorios Belt and emerge from the terminus in the Gamma Quadrant some 4.7 lightyears from the Idran system. And here we go!
Almost instantaneously, everything shifted as they passed through the mouth of the wormhole. The space outside became a brilliant blue, full of verteron particles and nodes. The ripples that passed through the particles outside the window reminded Gnai of how light dappled on the shallows back on Galador II, ever-shifting and changing with the waves.
Dakora: Amazing. ::There was a sense of wonder in his voice as he spoke.:: I’ve never seen anything like it…
Savel: Neither have I. It is a truly fascinating spectacle.
Sadar: It’s wondrous...
Gnai: It's like... home. A bit.
Scientific journals were one thing, but actually experiencing these things in person was an entirely different experience all together. This is why Gnai had left home, why it had started its journey with Starfleet, even though it felt far out of its element at times. No matter what happened on missions, no matter how many times it was thrown into prison or made to assassinate senators... It could always come back to moments like this, where it got to be up and personal with something it used to only read and dream about.
Guide: That’s 60,000 light years in a matter of about a minute. ::He paused, ostensibly to advance the prompter he was reading from.:: At the time of its discovery it would have taken the Federation’s fastest ship 67 years at maximum warp! Now, sit back and relax as we take a quick hop over to the Idran System, the historic site of Starfleet’s first foray into the GQ!
Yes, once again, their guide was correct, if a bit overly dramatic in his delivery of the information. But then again, if the fact that there was a child on this ship was anything to go by, it was far more for the layperson than the average Starfleet science officer. The history of this was all less interesting than what they had just experienced, but it was excited to see whatever was to come in the various systems that were on the itinerary.
Dakora: Well I’m thirsty and I think I saw a concessions replicator over there somewhere. ::He thumbed back toward the central central deck.:: Can I get any of you anything?
Well. Once again, Gnai didn't really drink... But it couldn't fault its crewmates for trying to include it in their friendship rituals.
Gnai: Roe, thank you, sir.
The same as it had asked of Cmdr. Adea, when he had offered. It would eat while they drank, and participate as best as it could.
Savel: A spice tea, please.
Sadar: I, uhh… I-If it’s available, I’d like a cup of Iner.
Dakora: Doctor Sadar. ::He shifted his gaze to the nervous Mizarian.:: Care to come with me and help me carry all of this?
Sadar: O-Of course, Sir!
As they darted off to deal with the various orders, Gnai was left with Ens. Savel. The two of them had been imprisoned together during the mission, and it hadn't really had much chance to reach out in the interim. The Vulcan's... enthusiasm for starting a fight in the prison had worried it, but there wasn't a reason to fight here, at least.
Guide: And we’ve arrived at the historic Idran Sys– ::His words broke off.:: Wait. What’s that? Uh– stand by, we’re having some technical difficulties.
Horrible timing, that.
Savel: Of the information that he has given us so far, that is the bit I am most suspicious of. We have seen no evidence of technical difficulties of any kind with this vessel.
Gnai: The guide has not lied in his delivery of scientific information. But yes... it seems strange that there are suddenly technical difficulties only as soon as the ship has entered the Gamma Quadrant.
The guide came over the speakers once more, this time acting the blue right off of him.
Guide: There is no reason for alarm! It appears there are some other vessels in the area right now and–
The sentence was rudely interrupted by a loud static noise before a series of beeps sounded. This was just the precursor to the most horrible sound of all...
The sound of someone ruining their vacation.
Voice: Unknown Vessel, you have invaded the sovereign territory of the New Idran Confederacy. Stand down shields and prepare to have your vessel impounded.
Would they end up in prison, again???? Gnai had been enjoying the one break from all the stresses of everything Starfleet had thrown at it, and now they were going to be charged with yet another crime? Unbelievable. Gnai made its suit fall forwards in its seat, resting the tank on its hands, in an imitation of the "double facepalm" maneuver it had seen many times at the Academy in response to results of an exam.
Savel: Ensign Gnai. I believe that our tour has officially come to an end.
Gnai: Absolutely fantastic. ::righting itself again:: Where did Commander Dakora and Lieutenant Sadar get themselves to?
With Ens. Savel, Gnai stood up from its chair, peering out the window in the hopes of finding whatever ship they were being accosted by.
Savel: Agreed, we should locate the Commander and Lieutenant. It will be best if we all remain together.
No luck. This ship had chosen to take up residence on some other side of the ship.
Gnai: Correct. It doesn't -- ::cut off by the explosion::
Just as it was going to call suspicion to the fact that it could see nothing of interest outside the window, a light zoomed past and exploded. The bright light dazzled Gnai, and it soon found itself on the ground, thrown back from the window as the entire ship had been jostled. The explosion had done more than just toss it around, and the entire rest of the ship seemed to be in an uproar about it all.
At least it seemed that their shipmates had found them again, even through the chaos.
Sadar: Everyone okay!?
Gnai: Minorly stunned, but fine, sir!
Dakora/Savel: Responses
Confederate Voice: =/\= Last and final warning. Lower shields. =/\=
A telltale blue glimmer faded over the viewing panels for a second, as the freighter’s shields were lowered, the crew of this commercial venture clearly more than a little shaken by the show of force by the unknown force.
Sadar: That is… Not ideal.
Gnai: Not in the slightest! ::looking to Ens. Savel:: This seems to be yet another crisis together. Perhaps if this is resolved, you and this should not be on missions in the future.
It wasn't one to be superstitious... but this was uncanny.
Dakora/Savel: Responses
From the window, a patch of space seemed to ripple, eventually resolving into a ship of unknown design. Something alien, obviously. This was the Gamma Quadrant. Everything here was alien, if you were being pedantic. The gentle curves of the ship's hull seemed at odds with the blatant aggression, but upon closer inspection, the clean lines were marred with poorly disguised armaments. Or what Gnai assumed were weapons. They looked like some of the things it had seen on diagrams in the tactical class it had needed to take at the Academy, but cruder and more disjointed.
The ship slowly drifted its way towards the ship, clamping on with a docking port, shaking the ship once again as the explosion that it had tossed at it had just minutes before. The civilians interspersed with them were now truly worked up, and the volume of the observation deck had risen with their fears.
Through one of the doors, the Bolian who had been directing all of them ran into the room, closing it quickly behind him and punching in a code - to lock it, perhaps?
Guide: ::shouting:: Quiet! QUIET!
At his yells, the civilians' noise died from a roar to a murmur.
Dakora/Savel/Sadar: Response
Guide: I've been in... brief negotiations with the New Idran Confederacy. This is fine, you don't need to panic--
It seemed that had been the wrong thing to say, as someone launched what seemed to be a half-finished synthahol cocktail towards the door nearby to the guide. Stress had strange ways of manifesting itself in people, and it seemed some of the others around them were not excited to hear about any such negotiations. Some brief yells started up again, as the Bolian tried his best to calm down those that had rushed into his immediate vicinity.
Gnai: More likely surrender, given how quickly this ship dropped shields...
Dakora/Savel/Sadar: Response
Gnai: Is there... any way to contact the Artemis? Or is this ship completely alone here, at the mercy of whatever this New Idran Confederacy may be?
It hoped that it was wrong about being stranded. Once again, out of contact with the ship, and at the mercy of some unknown force of the universe. This time, at least, no one was hurt. Yet.
Dakora/Savel/Sadar: Response
--
Gnai was so deeply excited for this excursion, especially after it had finally made it on time. Missing the ship would have put such a damper on the entire shore leave. But now here it was, with some of its colleagues from the Artemis, ready to go on what would hopefully be a very relaxing but informational adventure.
Gnai: Lieutenant Sadar! There is a seat here for you. ::patting a seat next to it::
Sadar: O-Oh! ::sits down slowly:: Th-Thank you, Ensign.
Lt. Cmdr. Dakora seemed pleased, Lt. Jg. Sadar seemed concerned, and Ens. Savel seemed as Vulcan as ever. Nothing out of the ordinary then. It was a shame that Lt. Jg. Sadar was so nervous, there was nothing to worry about. It wasn't as if there were Jem'Hadar taking the ship, or Betazoids throwing them in prison. This was just a quick hop through the wormhole, some opportunities to check out a few points of interest in the Gamma Quadrant, and then a hop back.
Dakora: I just wanted to thank you all again for coming! I’ve never been to the Gamma Quadrant– or through a wormhole at all, now that I think about it.-- And I always find that most firsts are better with friends.
Savel: I too have never traveled through a wormhole. I also see the increased value attached to the experience by getting to share it with those I've become acquainted with. I thank you for the invitation.
Sadar: I-I also have to thank you for the invitation, Commander.
Gnai: Thank you as well Commander! Wormholes are of particular interest to Galadorans. This will be extremely educational. And a good way to spend some of shore leave.
Gnai's interest in wormholes wasn't just from the stories that it had heard of the original Galador being eaten by one, but also because it was just endlessly fascinated by the vastness of space. Wormholes connected these distant parts, even if just briefly. Were it not for this wormhole, it would never have even the chance to study up close some of the strange anomalies that hid within the Gamma Quadrant. But because of it, there was always a chance. That was the beauty of a wormhole, the opportunities for more discovery that it brought.
The ship vibrated, passing little waves through the water of Gnai's tank, and detached from the station. They were off, pushing past the drab station into the dark of night. Soon they'd be watching the great wormhole open, from the best vantage point on the ship.
Dakora: …And here we go.
Sadar: This wormhole is also unique in-so-far that it holds such a significant cultural value to the Bajoran people… I wonder if any studies have been made to ascertain whether their Prophets also reside in other wormholes?
Gnai: That's an interesting question... If they do, is there communication between them? ::trailing off to think::
Right outside their window, the wormhole ripped open spacetime before their eyes in a flash, blooming into a massive spectacle of blue and purple. The colors swirled like some aurora, detached from any sort of planetary body. The blues were from verterons, Gnai remembered from what it had read, but it still found photographs of the wormhole endlessly fascinating to study in literature. And now, face to tank with the real thing? It was unlike anything that Gnai had anticipated. What the literature missed was the scale of the thing, as it took up the entire view from the windows, enveloping the entire ship in the blue swirling light.
Over the ship's intercom, a voice rang out, ready to introduce the wormhole to the masses.
Guide: Welcome to the Nova Gamma Borealis, the only Gamma Quadrant tour provider licensed and recognized by the Government of Bajor. ::He paused.:: If you look out our port side, you will see the dazzling display of blue particles called verterons that make up the structure of this beautiful corridor.
Gnai saw Lt. Cmdr. Dakora lean over to talk to Ens. Savel. It couldn't help but overhear.
Dakora: He could be making all of that up and I wouldn’t know. ::He shrugged and pointed to the phenomenon.:: It does look very nice though. Brighter than I thought it would be.
Savel: I will check his information against that which is contained in Starfleet's database about the wormhole. I can then provide all of you with a brief report on what is factual and what the guide of this tour has taken personal liberties with whenever we return to the Artemis.
Gnai: He's correct. ::pointing out the window at one limb of the swirling structure around the wormhole:: Those are
verterons, they're the marker for a wormhole. The emission of verteron particles is a characteristic marker of a wormhole, as no other subspace disturbance-- ::cut off by the intercom::
If the information was unwanted, Gnai didn't realize.
Guide: –- we’ll pass through the mouth of the wormhole here in the Denorios Belt and emerge from the terminus in the Gamma Quadrant some 4.7 lightyears from the Idran system. And here we go!
Almost instantaneously, everything shifted as they passed through the mouth of the wormhole. The space outside became a brilliant blue, full of verteron particles and nodes. The ripples that passed through the particles outside the window reminded Gnai of how light dappled on the shallows back on Galador II, ever-shifting and changing with the waves.
Dakora: Amazing. ::There was a sense of wonder in his voice as he spoke.:: I’ve never seen anything like it…
Savel: Neither have I. It is a truly fascinating spectacle.
Sadar: It’s wondrous...
Gnai: It's like... home. A bit.
Scientific journals were one thing, but actually experiencing these things in person was an entirely different experience all together. This is why Gnai had left home, why it had started its journey with Starfleet, even though it felt far out of its element at times. No matter what happened on missions, no matter how many times it was thrown into prison or made to assassinate senators... It could always come back to moments like this, where it got to be up and personal with something it used to only read and dream about.
Guide: That’s 60,000 light years in a matter of about a minute. ::He paused, ostensibly to advance the prompter he was reading from.:: At the time of its discovery it would have taken the Federation’s fastest ship 67 years at maximum warp! Now, sit back and relax as we take a quick hop over to the Idran System, the historic site of Starfleet’s first foray into the GQ!
Yes, once again, their guide was correct, if a bit overly dramatic in his delivery of the information. But then again, if the fact that there was a child on this ship was anything to go by, it was far more for the layperson than the average Starfleet science officer. The history of this was all less interesting than what they had just experienced, but it was excited to see whatever was to come in the various systems that were on the itinerary.
Dakora: Well I’m thirsty and I think I saw a concessions replicator over there somewhere. ::He thumbed back toward the central central deck.:: Can I get any of you anything?
Well. Once again, Gnai didn't really drink... But it couldn't fault its crewmates for trying to include it in their friendship rituals.
Gnai: Roe, thank you, sir.
The same as it had asked of Cmdr. Adea, when he had offered. It would eat while they drank, and participate as best as it could.
Savel: A spice tea, please.
Sadar: I, uhh… I-If it’s available, I’d like a cup of Iner.
Dakora: Doctor Sadar. ::He shifted his gaze to the nervous Mizarian.:: Care to come with me and help me carry all of this?
Sadar: O-Of course, Sir!
As they darted off to deal with the various orders, Gnai was left with Ens. Savel. The two of them had been imprisoned together during the mission, and it hadn't really had much chance to reach out in the interim. The Vulcan's... enthusiasm for starting a fight in the prison had worried it, but there wasn't a reason to fight here, at least.
Guide: And we’ve arrived at the historic Idran Sys– ::His words broke off.:: Wait. What’s that? Uh– stand by, we’re having some technical difficulties.
Horrible timing, that.
Savel: Of the information that he has given us so far, that is the bit I am most suspicious of. We have seen no evidence of technical difficulties of any kind with this vessel.
Gnai: The guide has not lied in his delivery of scientific information. But yes... it seems strange that there are suddenly technical difficulties only as soon as the ship has entered the Gamma Quadrant.
The guide came over the speakers once more, this time acting the blue right off of him.
Guide: There is no reason for alarm! It appears there are some other vessels in the area right now and–
The sentence was rudely interrupted by a loud static noise before a series of beeps sounded. This was just the precursor to the most horrible sound of all...
The sound of someone ruining their vacation.
Voice: Unknown Vessel, you have invaded the sovereign territory of the New Idran Confederacy. Stand down shields and prepare to have your vessel impounded.
Would they end up in prison, again???? Gnai had been enjoying the one break from all the stresses of everything Starfleet had thrown at it, and now they were going to be charged with yet another crime? Unbelievable. Gnai made its suit fall forwards in its seat, resting the tank on its hands, in an imitation of the "double facepalm" maneuver it had seen many times at the Academy in response to results of an exam.
Savel: Ensign Gnai. I believe that our tour has officially come to an end.
Gnai: Absolutely fantastic. ::righting itself again:: Where did Commander Dakora and Lieutenant Sadar get themselves to?
With Ens. Savel, Gnai stood up from its chair, peering out the window in the hopes of finding whatever ship they were being accosted by.
Savel: Agreed, we should locate the Commander and Lieutenant. It will be best if we all remain together.
No luck. This ship had chosen to take up residence on some other side of the ship.
Gnai: Correct. It doesn't -- ::cut off by the explosion::
Just as it was going to call suspicion to the fact that it could see nothing of interest outside the window, a light zoomed past and exploded. The bright light dazzled Gnai, and it soon found itself on the ground, thrown back from the window as the entire ship had been jostled. The explosion had done more than just toss it around, and the entire rest of the ship seemed to be in an uproar about it all.
At least it seemed that their shipmates had found them again, even through the chaos.
Sadar: Everyone okay!?
Gnai: Minorly stunned, but fine, sir!
Dakora/Savel: Responses
Confederate Voice: =/\= Last and final warning. Lower shields. =/\=
A telltale blue glimmer faded over the viewing panels for a second, as the freighter’s shields were lowered, the crew of this commercial venture clearly more than a little shaken by the show of force by the unknown force.
Sadar: That is… Not ideal.
Gnai: Not in the slightest! ::looking to Ens. Savel:: This seems to be yet another crisis together. Perhaps if this is resolved, you and this should not be on missions in the future.
It wasn't one to be superstitious... but this was uncanny.
Dakora/Savel: Responses
From the window, a patch of space seemed to ripple, eventually resolving into a ship of unknown design. Something alien, obviously. This was the Gamma Quadrant. Everything here was alien, if you were being pedantic. The gentle curves of the ship's hull seemed at odds with the blatant aggression, but upon closer inspection, the clean lines were marred with poorly disguised armaments. Or what Gnai assumed were weapons. They looked like some of the things it had seen on diagrams in the tactical class it had needed to take at the Academy, but cruder and more disjointed.
The ship slowly drifted its way towards the ship, clamping on with a docking port, shaking the ship once again as the explosion that it had tossed at it had just minutes before. The civilians interspersed with them were now truly worked up, and the volume of the observation deck had risen with their fears.
Through one of the doors, the Bolian who had been directing all of them ran into the room, closing it quickly behind him and punching in a code - to lock it, perhaps?
Guide: ::shouting:: Quiet! QUIET!
At his yells, the civilians' noise died from a roar to a murmur.
Dakora/Savel/Sadar: Response
Guide: I've been in... brief negotiations with the New Idran Confederacy. This is fine, you don't need to panic--
It seemed that had been the wrong thing to say, as someone launched what seemed to be a half-finished synthahol cocktail towards the door nearby to the guide. Stress had strange ways of manifesting itself in people, and it seemed some of the others around them were not excited to hear about any such negotiations. Some brief yells started up again, as the Bolian tried his best to calm down those that had rushed into his immediate vicinity.
Gnai: More likely surrender, given how quickly this ship dropped shields...
Dakora/Savel/Sadar: Response
Gnai: Is there... any way to contact the Artemis? Or is this ship completely alone here, at the mercy of whatever this New Idran Confederacy may be?
It hoped that it was wrong about being stranded. Once again, out of contact with the ship, and at the mercy of some unknown force of the universe. This time, at least, no one was hurt. Yet.
Dakora/Savel/Sadar: Response
TAG/TBC
Ensign Gnai
Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240102G11
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