Ensign D'tin Breys - All That Planning Down the Drain

[Bea S]

(( Ruined Dock - Callis I)) 

The Ensign looked down, proud of her work. Breys had assembled a veritable bounty of combustible matter, cooking could start as soon as the pike burned down slightly. The feeling that Starfleet wasn't going to ever sit the same in her head still lingered though.

Breys: The fire is ready for you Ensign Jaran. ::she sits down and stares into the water:: Can you two tell me what your first mission was like? I want to think about something other than Callis for a second.

She tried to shake off the feeling. Starfleet was still about helping people. It was just that “boldly going” could be dangerous sometimes.

Jaran: Well, that's a good thing to think about, if you want to consider helping people rather than harming them. And if you like that red crystal over there. I like to think we were able to liberate a subjugated class of people. And I got to inoculate a bunch of people without them knowing, which is very, super totally ethical.

If Breys was being completely honest, she had no idea how to contextualize half of those events compared to the scale of things she had faced. It sounded like first missions never ended up normal.

Silveira: Strange… See to starting the fire, I want to check on something…

Jiran started to crack a chemlight open. They seemed confident that the reaction would get hot enough to light the fire. Their best hope was the reaction was exothermic enough to at least start the fuel smoking.

Breys: Be careful, the reaction's speed increases in the presence of oxygen.

Silveira: The raft… It shouldn’t be moving like this… ::He ached an eyebrow and pointed to the water line:: Is it my impression or the water is lowering?

As Jaran prepared to drip a single drop of the liquid onto the fire pit they had crudely built, Silveira pulled Brey's attention away. The water had definitely begun to lower, and slowly but surely a strangely shaped bunker was revealed. Behind her, a different challenge was still underway.

Jaran: I did it! Fire!

They had produced a notable burning pile, but the time for celebration was quickly waning.

Breys: It's not just you, something is changing the water level fast.

Silveira gestured for Breys to retreat and she quickly complied. Keeping her distance from strange things seemed wise.

Silveira: Let’s get closer to the Doc… It feels like someone pulled the plug…

She took even more steps to put space between her and this. 

Jaran: Oh, of course. Just as I had this fishing thing worked out.

Breys: I don't think the fish are going to be happy about this change either.

Despite this being an attempt at a joke, based on her tone most listeners would struggle to decide if she was that worried about the fish.

Jaran: Hey, maybe this will make it easier for us to find some food? Breys, check out all that exposed plant life.

Breys: I hope that is the only effect of this. That kelp might be good food for a while though. You aren't wrong.

Silveira: Response

As the water was sucked away into nothingness, something appeared below the murky crust of the moss filled lake. A strange room made of stone and metal, coated in algae and slime. It looked incredibly sturdy and certainly did a great job standing the test of time.

Jaran: What is that? Some sort of building? Metal and stone. Doesn't look natural at all.

Breys: It definitely looks like a building. It looks quite old for how well it has held together as well.

Silveira: Response

The strange building seemed to slowly rise from the depths, an illusion as the same depths receded. It was covered in metal and stone and had a rusted, derelict door that sealed it from the water that once surrounded it.

Jaran: Ok, this is fascinating, and I'm sure you both want to go off and explore the surprise building in the alien lake on the death planet. But your injured doctor is very hungry, and is also fairly certain you're both hungry too. Can I at least convince you to let us cook and eat first? And maybe give time for others to get back?

Breys: I don't want to wander into the weird lake building for at least as long as the others are gone.

Silveira: Response.

They speak of the devil and he doth appear, but nobody tells you the same trick works with first officers.

Imril: ::Pointing at the water:: No time for dinner or we’ll be dinner!

Somehow the calm atmosphere of exploration and fishing was shattered by a real and imminent threat.

Munro: I don't think we have long! Trust us, that might have the answers! 

Breys: Are those things close?

Silviera/Jaran: responses

The first officer and engineer shot down the lake while Silveira and Breys gathered the supplies and prepared to move the doctor. Scrambling to repack everything she had just dug through, time felt like it was cheering for her demise.

As the most vital things were wrapped up and slung over Breys's shoulder, Munro sprinted back out of the room and prepared to shepherd the crew into the strange building.

((OOC: Leaving out a line from Imril because Breys couldn't have possibly heard it))

Munro: Get inside the box! 

Without thinking Breys gathered as many supplies as she could, and began scrambling for the rim of the lake.

Munro: Silveira, Breys! Help me!! 

Turning around, Breys realized she had nearly left her patient behind. Silveira was quicker than Breys, and helped haul Jaran off the ground, carrying them alongside Munro towards the steps. Breys attempted to help them over the edge of the lake, and towards shelter.

Breys: Let's get them inside fast, we can make sure the leg wasn't disturbed in a moment.

Silviera/Jaran: responses

Imril: I think we have to lock the bunker door from the inside to reflood the chamber. And do it in a hurry, before the dark things can close the gap and reach the campground.

Echoing through the caves were what sounded like screams. It made Breys's stomach sick, some kind of deep buried fear surfaced and she knew she was not safe.

Breys: I support whatever plan puts me further away from that.

Silviera/Jaran/Imril: responses

As Breys stepped in the room she saw a strange series of consoles, desks, and crystals. The walls were scattered with the crystals in a pattern that was reminiscent of the cavern outside.

Munro slammed the door shut behind them, following the action by sealing them inside with a resounding creak and thud of a rusty metal bar. A strange energy filled the room, something she hadn't noticed was missing returned to D'tin's veins.

Nearly all at once the combadges in the group all started chittering. Breys couldn't help but smile, for the first time it felt like something about the puzzle made sense. Sealed rooms that keep out electromagnetic fields had been commonplace for nearly five centuries. Not every problem was solved, but one solution at a time was all it took.

Munro: Don't get too excited. It only works inside this box. It's what ancient humans called a Faraday Cage. It shields us from the effects of the Maelstrom. But only when we're inside a sealed box. Like this one. Imril and I found what looks like a map with more crystals on it. 

There was another grid of crystals on the floor, this one with details behind it, geographic features, roads, signs of a larger civilization.

Breys: It sounds like you already found more of these rooms, Sir. 

There was a notable pause between the original statement and sir. Breys was still unsure how casual you could be while stranded on an alien planet.

Silviera/Jaran/Imril: responses

Then, from what felt like both inside her skull and in the distance, came the quietest of voices, forcing its way through static as thick as molasses.

Munro: Wait! :: hushed them all :: Can you hear that? 

Breys: Does that mean there are more survivors?

Silviera/Jaran/Imril: responses

Then Munro dashed across the room, hopping onto one of the open consoles.

Munro: Jovenan! Is that you?!

A new, unfamiliar voice crackled through the comm system.

Jovenan: =/\= Yes! Yes, Commander, I am! It’s so good to see you! Can you hear me? =/\= 

Munro: :: elated :: We can hear you?! I think we're in some kind of …

Whatever assumptions Munro was about to make, Breys could find no facts to base them on. She wasn't one to doubt a superior officer but she failed to see how this room was anything but perplexing.

Jovenan: =/\= We can see you. The room you’re in is quite similar to the one we have here. ::pause, looks to the console:: We also have several symbols on the screen. We’ve figured the triangles reference to your health status, but there are also some prominent semicircles. No idea what they mean. =/\= 

The semicircles seemed to match strange semicircular cut outs in the wall, they looked big enough to fit someone, if only barely.

Munro: I think I know what they mean… if I'm right this is some kind of crude transportation network. 

Jovenan: =/\= You might be right, Commander. But we can’t take the risk using it on people, the probability of incomplete or corrupted transportation is too great. We could try it out with objects, first… is everything alright in there? =/\= 

The person coming through the speakers seemed to be a reasonable person. Breys knew time was short but she hoped in vain that Munro would heed the advice.

Munro: There's no guarantee this will work. We get into one of those we might not step back out again :: turned back to the communication console :: Commander, we're ready. Do what you need to do.

Then the rest of them began crawling into the pods. This seemed to be an awful idea. Breys could barely stand normal transporters. The request didn't sound like an order, but generally not one to be left out, Breys crawled into a pod nonetheless. Better to end up wherever this takes them than get eaten by what's out there.

If a normal transporter felt like a bumpy road, this was a ride in a Galaxy class. It felt like Breys was sliding along a bed of silk towards her destination. Something about this felt dangerous, she could fall into the comfort of these paths and never want to leave. 

Flowing through this gentle wave left Breys lost in a sea of warmth. She didn't know where she was going, and at that moment she didn't care.

Just then she felt the touch of someone, a finger with a texture she did not know.

Callisian: Beware the network … it transforms… 

End Act 2 for Ensign D'tin Breys

—--------------------------------------

Ensign D’tin Breys

Science Officer 

USS Artemis-A

A240301DB4