Cmdr. Katsim Peri - "We Need More"
Amanda Nordstrom
((Main bridge, USS Amber))
Peri’s fingers deftly danced over the console. The object that hurtled through space was so unique, she was eager to study it, but first, they had to figure out a way to prevent it from colliding with Roatov VII’s research outpost. That was the biggest issue. Once that was done, they could take the time to study it.
Catona’s comment that it was very much like an egg intrigued Peri, and it ran through her mind over and over since he said it. She had to admit, that was a really good description, and she wouldn’t be surprised if it proved to be true. But, rather than dwell upon those thoughts, she reoriented them into getting the tractor beam online. A few taps of her fingers input the command, and a few seconds later, the computer beeped. A glowing light flung out toward the object and drew it into its embrace. Carefully adjusting the strength and pull to gently, very gently, turn its trajectory off to the side. Once she checked the math and saw that the new angle would prevent a collision, she released it. That meant they could…
The computer beeped at her.
As soon as the tractor beam released the ‘egg’, the object shifted.
Katsim: That…that didn’t work. Well, it did, but the object readjusted to its previous course. It’s going exactly the way it was before we moved it.
Surprise was obvious on Forsyth’s face, as it was on Peri’s. Though the woman was not particularly emotive, she couldn’t hide how astonishing the revelation truly was.
Forsyth: What? How is that even possible?!
Catona: Response
Forsyth: and there's nothing manmade on the probe, like engines or….
Katsim: No. At least, nothing that we understand to be manmade.
Peri could not rule out the fact that the egg, or whatever it was, could certainly have technology that was made by…well, whomever they were, but they just couldn’t recognise it as that because it was so very different from their own.
Catona: Response
Forsyth: Right, lock on another tractor beam and bring the object to a halt.
Nodding, Peri’s fingers did their little dance as she executed the commands to the computer, implementing a stronger pull that would hopefully negate the forward momentum of the object.
She was wrong.
Almost immediately, the ship lurched forward, and Peri fell onto her console, the edge of it slicing into her gut painfully. She cried out, as much in surprise as anything, then pushed herself back up, rubbing one hand over her stomach, her lips wrenching upward in a grimace. She wasn’t badly wounded, but she was going to be sore.
Katsim: It’s…not working.
Catona: Response
Forsyth: It's pulling us, how?!
Katsim: I don’t know.
Yet. Hopefully it was only yet, but Peri, recovered from the sudden punch to her stomach, frantically began to search for answers, though they weren’t particularly forthcoming.
Catona: Response
Around them, the ship groaned and metal creaked. Peri’s eyes lifted toward the ceiling as if she could see the muscles of the ship stretching and straining against the force it fought against. Without hesitation, Forsyth gave another command.
Forsyth: Shut it off, now!
Peri didn’t have to be asked twice. She immediately cut off the tractor beam, and the ship almost sighed in relief, even as the force thrust her back into her seat, though fortunately, she didn’t actually tumble from it. Straightening up, Her eyes drifted back to the viewscreen.
Katsim: I’ve never seen anything like this…
Catona/Forsyth: Response
Shaking her head, Peri didn’t have anything she could offer as a suggestion beyond the tractor beam, which hadn’t been her suggestion in the first place.
Katsim: I’m afraid not.
Catona/Forsyth: Response
The more she thought about it, the more Peri began to suspect that Catona was right. This thing was an egg, and the lifeform inside needed to hatch. But why did it need to collide with Roatov VII? She suspected that was the true destination rather than the outpost itself, but considering its speed and trajectory, it would hit the planet at the time when the outpost was facing that direction, thus destroying it and the people who lived there. So what could they do?
Bending over her console, Peri considered the situation. As much as she wanted to offer answers, she couldn’t. Both attempts remained unsuccessful, and though they did delay the object by one minute, that wasn’t enough to prevent a collision. Not only that, they had to consider the fact that if they weren’t careful, they could harm a life form that was, obviously, not malevolent if it was merely trying to go through its life cycle and exist. That was a basic right they couldn’t just dismiss.
Katsim: We’re going to have to take the time and find out more about this. If we can figure out how and why, we might be able to figure out a way to provide what it needs but also protect the outpost.
Catona/Forsyth: Response
-- Commander Katsim Peri Chief Science Officer USS Octavia E. Butler M239008AD0