Lieutenant Sevantha Saa - Herald of the Endless Expansion, The Dark Peace Bringer
Sevantha Saa
((OOC: Erik and I have agreed that the Ring of Light is functioning as a shared NPC in our scene to keep creativity flowing and permit others to make use of it as well should they wish but to keep it in the same style as whats been written already.
Also, there is conflicting information between mission start and sims now in regards to the fate of the USS Phoebe, Staff is currently reconciling the differences and working plot to fully ‘yes and" the contradictions the best we can for the ending..))
(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Octavia E. Butler ))
The lights of the bridge were extinguished following Commander Arlill’s orders. Power now cut, there was hope the entity would pass, no longer drawn to the allure of energy coursing through the ship, but fate did not favor them. A faint ring of white gold appeared on the viewer that had been dead since the initial noise and collision, flames whipped up around it, resembling a solar eclipse. The vision from the void seared itself into Sevantha's mind again; unbeknownst to her, it had burned onto her Betazoid eyes, shifting and rearranging every atom within her.
Heavy set was the pressure it put on her mind and body. Her mind kept imagining a heavy set of hands coming up from behind her and clamping down on her shoulders the way her mother’s would when disappointed. Why? Was this its response to Vala’s attempts to telepathically restrain its spread? Yet this entity clearly was multifaceted, with multiple means to influence events around them.
Saa: …Sir, either we’ve got power and are seeing out there, or… its here…
Every blue and teal clad Starfleet Officer Sevantha knew dreamed of meeting a new species, discovering the unknown, but today, something ancient had found them, a powerful being, and its motives were difficult to decipher.
Arlill: What do you want?
No response…
Arlill: Why are you here?
No response…
Commander Arlill turned towards her quietly in question, and she shook her head. She couldn’t describe in words what she felt.
Arlill: We mean you no harm ::suddenly cut off::
The Ring of Light: I know. It’s been too long. You will serve me.
It knew? It knew. Sevantha understood now that it was aware of what they were thinking, their intention, this time without power as they struggled to piece the ship back together the entity was both studying and engaging them. It was studying their reactions, their minds, how they communicated and worked together while attempting to gain control of them crewmate by crewmate.
Saa: Are you responsible for changing our crewmates?
Was it responsible for what happened to her?!
Yet it did not answer her. Parts of her were suddenly glad she may have been an insignificant by-product of its observation experiments as opposed to crossing the threshold into its personal Tam Elbrun.
Arlill: I ask you again, Why are you here?
The Ring of Light: That is not important. ::beat:: You will serve me.
Arlill: Do you know what happen to our other ship?
She couldn’t take her eyes off screen and the golden ring, the same light burning in her eyes now, and she couldn’t tear her gaze from it. Was this what Vala had felt?
The Ring of Light: They would not serve.
Yavok: ::quietly whispering:: not exactly inspiring.
Saa: ::quietly:: Ensign, not now.
Sevantha didn’t like to pull rank but with the entity before them, listening to their words, watching them, and perhaps even listening to their minds she had to encourage him to act with more self-preservation. Commander Arlill had the Light’s attention and that was where it needed to remain. If this thing had truly altered her as her reflection showed, what could it do to an Ensign ready to get a little smart with it?
Yavok: Yes maam.
Arlill: We’re a peaceful group, we mean you no harm and would be more than willing to…
The Ring of Light: You will serve.
It’s words hung heavy in the air between them, leaving a moment of silence, until another communication came in through the sensors.
EVERYONE! ROLL CALL: List names, location, status & if roots or threats are near you and messages. Nilsen (Diplomatic), Lahl, Forsyth, Kovacs, Valk, Khurlee, Moeller, Lahray. | Lower Engineering, Deck 11. | No casualties. | Roots are here. | No threats. | We are working on restoring power. | Message for Morton, can your roots move power or messages along?
She wished she could feel something normal. There were hints of Arlill’s own stress but the weight of the entity’s presence on her was drowning out everything. Slowly, her fingers shifted to hover over the console to respond, trying to avoid actively thinking of her next actions to see if she could escape the entity’s notice.
Bridge. Arlill. Yavok. Saa… and the- Herald of the Endless Expansion, the Dark Peace bringer
Her eyes widened as her fingers paused and the writing continued. The script was unfamiliar to her, she was far from an expert on ancient dead languages of the Gamma Quadrant.
Arlill: ::turning to Saa:: Is it transmitting from the attached entity or somewhere else?
Back in HCO mode, Sevantha changed course of focus, trying to track where the communication was coming from. The communications were still rolling in.
Saa: Sensors say it’s coming from outside the ship, but I believe the attached entity is acting as the receiver to tap into our communications.
Arlill: Response
Another alert flagged, and she worked to pull up the information.
Saa: Great fire, there's a breach in the Shuttle Bay. ::She turned to the Entity:: Is that you?!
The Herald: All here is me. All here will serve me. By submission, by prayer, by force, all will serve.
In Betazoid culture, stories of creation and the escape of the Great Fire foretold of demons that still resided in the vastness of space. Those who worshipped told stories of Mystics of Krysaros who took to the galaxy with two-handed blades to fight such demons. Sevantha couldn’t help but wonder if something like this is what fueled the stories of old, beings so ancient and consuming, stories of escape through developing their gifts brought about their liberation. She knew the scientific reason her people developed them, having evolved from aquatic beings at some extended point in their history, and yet encounters like this made her wonder. Were any of the stories of myth based in truth?
Arlill: Response
The Herald: Peace. You will serve me, bring peace… and you shall find peace.
What was it’s definition of peace?
Saa: Then why are you attacking us? Why did you change Vala?
The Herald: To serve. ::pause:: Yet she hinders. The Herald needs its beacons of mind to serve.
Arlill: Response
Sevantha tried not to think about the implications, but it was hard not to fill in the blanks. The telepaths on board were intended to be the beacons to spread, to force compliance of the crew, yet now it was finding new ways to engage them. Or testing them? What about the Phoebe? Immediately she attempted to pull up the mission briefing, which when she perceived it, the text did not match what she remembered.
Saa: …The Phoebe had missing crew from an Argonaut shuttle, thats not what I…
The phoebe had made it back. It had checked it and they were following it’s path. Now there were missing crew members? Dozens, which on a scale of a 350 crew Luna Class Vessel was a sizable portion missing. Did everyone know the story she did or was her mind still rattled from the vision? She wasn’t certain any longer and the inability to trust her own mind was becoming frustrating, because right now, it was all she had to offer Commander Arlill and Yavok.
Saa: ~Commander, I think we’re the distraction until we get the receiver off the hull, think we have enough power to polarize?~
The Herald: I am inevitable. You will serve.
Sevantha winced as it heard her thoughts clear as day.
The Herald: Beacon. You are mine. You will serve, or you will be undone. ::dims::
The Herald’s threat was delivered as neutrally as it ordered their servitude. Slowly, she stared at the console, hoping the rest of the crew were faring well enough that Toxin, Yavok, and herself could hold its attention long enough to launch a surprise attack.
Or at least it have them believing it'd be the three of them and one of the other teams act instead. Now was the time to try all methods of escape.
Arlill: Response
[[Tags and TBC]]