Lieutenant Vailani Zoyara - Not You Too
Luxa Lorana
((The Breetia Forest - New Kehixa, Galaris IV ))
Zoyara nodded towards Lt. Gnai, grateful for the confirmation that the mist wasn’t going to result in them choking, or being morphed into some space alien. It also meant that they had to walk towards a drone that they couldn't even see at the moment.
Vailani: Let’s proceed carefully. Fan out, five metre apart. Watch your feeting, consult your tricorder, the terrain isn’t even.
Gnai: Aye, sir. The tricorders might not be able to compensate if someone trips.
Not a comforting thought, made even more disconcerting when she realised that she had stumbled herself.
She flashed the Lieutenant a look that said ‘not helpful’ before she took some careful steps, her eye flicked to her own tricorder. On the screen there were visible lines that showed the grooves, mounds and fallen tree logs of the terrain ahead of her. She switched on her torch, it wasn’t very useful but she figured the team would be able to see the light through the mist if they required.
She could see the blinking lights of the drone several metres up ahead, it made no movements - she figured that was a good sign. Ensign Tho’Bi was closest to the drone.
Vailani: Tho’Bi what do you see?
She lifted her leg to step over a fairly large log that had fallen in her path.
Tho’Bi: No impact crater (beat) looks like it soft landed.
Gnai: Odd…
Her leg straddled either side of the log, and her hands pushed on the coarse surface as she hauled herself over with a grunt, careful not to lose her balance. She took a breath, half expecting the drone to activate and shoot her.
Tho’Bi: Aye, Aye, Lieutenant.
oO I’m still here Oo
Tho’Bi: It appears to be in some kind of standby mode.
Vailani: Maybe it has a protocol to await retrieval? Or seek an advantage? Proceed with caution, Tho’Bi.
She was aware that without clear information, most of what they knew of the drone was pure conjecture based on a culture they knew very little about. A drone deployed by the Federation, the Klingons and the Tholians would all have a very different outcome and purpose. The same held true for the Kobyar. A guess was all they had to go on.
Tho’Bi: ::looking up at the drone:: It’s like it’s ready for maintenance (beat) but it’s waiting for something.
Gnai: Would a military drone like this… normally enter maintenance mode in a situation like this? How does it sustain the ultrasonic echolocation pulses if it’s in standby?
Vailani: A drone, no matter its origin, is programmed to behave in certain ways, given what we know about the technology we can assume that it came here with a purpose - it could be maintenance. What exactly? That’s for us to find out.
She took some more steps forward, she could begin to see Tho’Bi stood closer to the drone, its spherical shape now becoming more visible to her. It appeared to hover gently above the ground, several wisps of the mist billowed out from beneath it.
Zoyara had a passion for systems, and the application of these systems. She preferred staring down a string of code over dealing with actual persons. She found herself eager to get closer and reveal this one’s secrets.
Tho’Bi: ::looking down at his PADD:: I know this code (beat) It’s Ferengi in origin ::looks across at Vailani:: The control crystal is sending out a rapidfire series of numbers (beat) each one based on a prime number (beat) my bet (beat) those prime numbers are this drone’s serial number.
She nodded, Ferengi technology cropped up in the most unusual of places. The Ferengi had largely put their nefarious ways behind them, decades ago, but remnants of the old ways still prevailed. But, experience told her that if it truly were Ferengi responsible - they’d not make it so easy for the Federation to know about it.
Gnai: So… the Ferengi are potentially supplying the Kobyar with technology? This would have suspected the Grunden to be more likely recipients of off-world goods, at least based on their earlier ignorance…
Vailani: It’s more likely to be the opposite. I’ve never known a Ferengi to show their hand this early in a game?
She was reminded about her trip with Gila to Ferenginar. She enjoyed the rain, and she found the Ferengi people to be some of the most agreeable people to deal with. They understood protocols and the relevant compensation for breaking them.
To her, it seemed unlikely, they’d jeopardise their very profitable standing with the Federation to play war games on this planet without tremendous gain?
Tho’Bi: ::points at the two cylinders:: I think the drone hooks onto the maintenance hub with these two cylinders (beat) then the cylinders are pulled apart to lock on. ::looks back at Vailani:: I think I’m strong enough to pull the two cylinders apart (beat) Lieu-Lieutenant Vailani (beat) you can access the control crystal (beat) and key in the serial number.
Zoyara took several steps closer, her hazel green eyes scanned what she was looking at. She could see the cylinders. Her heart raced ever so slightly as she leaned closer, her small frame sliding in beside the much larger Andorian.
Vailani: Sometimes we have to take risks for rewards. I’m sure that is a Ferengi rule of acquisition. If not, it should be.
Zoyara could see the evolving numbers, a mesh of what she believed to be Kobyar code language, Ferengi and some other mixtures - she even recognised Grunden.
Tho’Bi ::looks at Vailani and Gnai:: there are only two problems (beat) the rapidfire series of numbers are evolving (beat) the Kobyar must cycle serial numbers for security (beat) without our Tricorders ::shakes head:: maybe a Vulcan could do it.
Zoyara actually laughed out loud.
Gnai: Well, there aren’t any Vulcans here…
Vailani: Ensign, I was top of my class in Engineering 420, which was composed of 60% Vulcans. :: good natured :: Don’t you dare underestimate a Bajoran woman. Keep calm, we can do this. Just you focus on holding still.
Zoyara slipped her hand into the inside pocket of her jacket and retrieved her PADD.
Tho’Bi: And ::looks at Vailani:: I have no idea how to key in the serial number manually.
Gnai: How certain are you that this will actually get the drone out of maintenance mode…? It could just as well be the way to fully arm it, or trigger a self-destruct.
Vailani: Believe it or not this is not the first time I’ve had to forcibly access and code alien technology.
Painful memories emerged; blood, pain and Alpha the robotic menace of the Consortium. And the death of a friend. She inhaled a long breath and fought to keep the nightmares away - for now.
She refocused and moved one of the crystals into position. As it connected it shone brightly and made a sound to indicate that it had been connected.
Tho’Bi: Response
The crystal blushed through a series of colours; Zoyara waited for the cycle to complete
Gnai: This just isn’t certain that fiddling with the drone right now is the best course of action… it could be beamed up to the ship, and confined in a stasis field for safety… and investigated properly with all the lab equipment…
Vailani: That’s not an option, Lieutenant. This could be vital evidence.
Zoyara didn’t feel the need to remind the Galadoran that they weren’t even supposed to be here, never mind the diplomatic complications of beaming the technology to the ship. No, this was a problem they had to solve themselves.
Tho’Bi: Response
As the Galadoran began to speak, its voice cut through the mist in a steady rhythm of increasing frustration - or panic. Zoyara configured her PADD, and then moved the other twenty-sided crystals into position.
Gnai: ::somewhat reluctantly:: This is just… worried. It doesn’t seem right that this drone ended up here. It crashed, did it not? But that was closer to the capital, and somehow it’s now here. ::gesturing at the floating drone, then to the thick mist surrounding them:: It might have been moved here by someone, or remote controlled here… this is just worried that this is some sort of setup! A downed drone, potentially rigged to explode if anyone not sufficiently technologically advanced enough to figure out how to hide from its sensors approaches… ::trailing off::
After several attempts Zoyara used her PADD as an interface, which would download the contents of the drone - evidence.
Vailani: Lt..Gnai I understand your reservations and they will be noted in my official record. :: to Tho'Bi :: The PADD will interface and download the contents of the drone’s database once I’ve managed to gain access. There’s something about these numerical sequences… The serial numbers …
Zoyara points to a stream in the sequence. It was an oddity because it didn’t follow the same pattern.
Tho’Bi: Response
Vailani: I think the serial number pattern is a -
Before she was able to conclude the thought a terrible alarm sounded somewhere in the distance. From the location of the township…
oO Gila! Oo
Immediately she tapped her combadge and she was met by the disappointingly familiar sound of an inoperable combadge.
Tho’Bi/Gnai: Response
There was too much happening at once, she looked at the series of numbers and it suddenly dawned on her what they were …
Vailani: It's more of them… it's other drones. This is a beacon!
Tho’Bi/Gnai: Response
The colouring of the crystals darkened to a deep red as the cylinders began to rotate on there own, she took a step backwards.
Vailani: Run! Don't split up!
The Bajoran turned and launched herself through the mist of the forest, in her panic she forgot to mind the fallen log and her leg connected with it and she flew forward through the air as the whole forest appeared to light up around them with deadly drones zooming overhead.
She landed in the thick undergrowth. They were headed to the township.
oO I can't lose you too Gila! Oo
She scrambled through the thick trees, the thorns stung at her, branches caught in her hair but she pushed forward. She wasn't going to lose another friend.
Not again.
Tho’Bi/Gnai: Response
Tags /TBC
Lieutenant Vailani Zoyara
Chief of Operations (OOC: XO)
USS Artemis-A
A240004LL2