Commander Alora DeVeau, Lt. Jania Nis, and Ensign Halla Faun - JP - How Does Your Vala Grow? (1/2)
Jania Nis
((Medical Laboratories, Deep Space 14))
(OOC: this takes place before Morton’s convo with Chen)
The treatment of Ensign Vala Morton had pulled together some of the brightest minds of the quadrants to collaborate on her recovery process. Doctor Jania Nis and Commander Alora DeVeau, previously Chief Science Officer of Denali Station, the Eagle, and now the Thor both sat in the room, full of wisdom and expertise, while Ensign Halla Faun was just happy to be there contributing as there’d been a very specific request for a Starfleet Dokkaran with science experience.
Alora DeVeau wasn’t part of the Butler crew, but when she received a message about the strange situation regarding Vala Morton, another science officer, she did not hesitate. Once Shyla was settled with her Nanny on the Thor, Alora paid a visit to the sister ship - the USS Octavia E. Butler.
The Butler was the first ship of its class she’d ever stepped on, and though Alora didn’t really pay much attention to classes and how they differed, she had to admit, it was a pretty ship. That, however, wasn’t her focus. Instead, she reported to a certain Commander Sevantha Saa, who then pointed her to the Medical Laboratories. Saa, herself, was also in transition, moving over to the Thor where they would serve together. She wasn’t there, but someone else Alora had been told about was - Doctor Jania Nis, who was the one in charge of Vala Morton’s treatment.
Jania had been around most of the afternoon, giving her nurse a break. It was good to get out of Sickbay, which was undergoing extensive repairs, and Vala’s difficult situation made it hard to stay away. She’d chatted a bit with Halla, but mostly waited until Alora arrived to dive into the complexities of the situation.
Halla stared at her PADD at the genetic differences between the Haliian Vala and the new tree Vala, then rotated it ninety-degrees to the right as if viewing the information from a new angle might inspire another thought. She skipped the introduction unintentionally, fascinated with all the data she was seeing, and already contemplating ideas.
Stepping inside the facilities, Alora’s eyes turned upon the other person in the room. Although Alora had never met Doctor Nis before, she knew the name and was able to look up the profile. The other woman, however, was completely foreign to her.
DeVeau: Hello!
She greeted warmly, her face brightening in a smile.
DeVeau: I’m Commander Alora DeVeau.
Technically, she had the ‘Doctor’ part too, but for some reason, it had never felt right to put that in front of her name, so she stuck with the typical rank address.
Jania, on the other hand, felt the opposite way, but “When in Mak’ala…”
Nis: Lieutenant Jania Nis. A pleasure to meet you, sir. We’ve heard a lot about you.
Faun: …::blinks:: Oh! ::realizing:: I am Ensign Halla Faun of the USS Thor, recent graduate. ::Turning the PADD upside down:: The patterns in the data are simply fascinating.
Fascinating, yes, but also frightening. Alora could only imagine how Vala felt, but she had been brought on in the hopes that between her and the two others, as well as everyone else working on the situation, a solution could be found.
DeVeau: That it is! I’m curious to hear both of your insights.
Nis: Some of it, we imagine you know. There was a creature that seemed to be made of … well, pure sound. Or at least it used sound to manipulate reality.
Faun: A transformation through sheer sound is a harrowing experience. Reports were… very classified, but is it possible her transformation into specifically a plant was due to being in the Arboretum and the affected plants resonance blended with her own?
She wondered when they scanned the other plants if there’d be any similarities or shared traits. Maybe she was an amalgamation of the whole arboretum, a whole new species of tree. How terrifying. Halla straightened the PADD the right way before looking to the Commander and Lieutenant listening.
Those classified reports were not classified for her. Of those standing in that room, Alora had the highest rank, and she also had access to way more than the other two, though certainly not the same security clearance as a Captain. Still, she would walk that line and make sure she didn’t reveal anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary.
DeVeau: Sound is a unique and fascinating area of study in science.
Nis: We certainly saw it taken to its fullest potential on this mission.
Faun: It’s not my specialty, but it’s influence on the biology of sentient being is most certainly something I’d like to understand.
DeVeau: We’ve long known that sound could manipulate matter, but I’ve never seen it done to this extent. It’s as if it’s rewritten her entire DNA sequence.
That made things complicated. The type of sound the creature emitted was not easily recreated. However, it had been defeated in a similar matter, but the sound the ships had made was a different frequency. All in all, the records made Alora kind of wish she had been there.
Nis: That is our working hypothesis right now. The strange thing is, it affected a number of crew members, but the majority returned to normal.
Her stomach tightened. The instinct was to add, “or perished,” but it felt like an awful thing to say. It was hopefully a given.
Faun: Sound rewriting DNA. ::ponders:: A creature that could manipulate the harmonic resonance of others… was it to synchronize them with its own, why were there such a wide range of results.
DeVeau: That is a very good question.
Alora didn’t know if they would find all the answers, but she was there to help as much as possible. Mostly, she’d focus on the person who currently looked like a tree.
Nis: Most of the victims do report fairly similar symptoms. Nightmares. Visions of a circle of light. One doctor has reported an abnormal compulsion to … write musical notation. She spoke with staff on DS14, and they say it’s just residual. We suspect other officers are experiencing similar sensations but haven’t reported it.
Faun: My, my, my… ::she light tapped the screen:: Afflictions of the mind, body, and soul it seems. ::she looks to Alora:: I am seeing a commonality that many of the worst cases stem from those with telepathic and empathic abilities, this says to me that the sound frequency may broadcast multidimensionally, if the theories of course that such abilities occur on another dimension or through temporary quantum entanglements are true.
All too eager she read the data though attempt to be respectful to not make light of their tragedy. The Dokkaran bounced on her toes as she continued to read.
DeVeau: Fascinating.
And while it was fascinating, that didn’t really help Vala.
DeVeau: From what I understand, the shuttles, roundabouts, and other craft figured out the resonance of the creature who was causing the problem and used it against them. How did they create that resonance?
That sort of technical assessment was a bit over Jania’s head.
Nis: Don’t look at us, we’re just the sawbones.
Faun: Deflectors and the frequency Commander Katsim discovered!
DeVeau: Right. Okay.
Fortunately, Alora wasn’t starting from the ground up. Already, thanks to Commander Katsim and Lieutenants Saa nad Nis, she had a wealth of information to look through. Stepping over to the console, she tapped on the keyboard to bring up the data in question and focused her attention on the screen.
DeVeau: I’ll request specifications from Engineering on that. Has there been a measurement of Vala’s resonance?
Nis: Yes, and as usual the answer is complicated. Ensign Faun and we were discussing it before you arrived.
Faun: Yes! ::Holding up the PADD to show:: If you look there are multiple resonance frequencies emitting from her. Some I have found to be similar to many of the arboretum plants but then there is a resonance on a frequency common for reader species.
The Dokkaran smiled brightly as she delivered the information.
DeVeau: Oh! Is that so!
(TBC)
Commander Alora DeVeau
Chief Science Officer
USS Thor
M239008AD0
&
Lieutenant Jania Nis
Chief Medical Officer of Physical Health
USS Octavia E. Butler NCC-82850
O240108JN2
she/her/they/their (character accepts either); he/his (player)
"Let your heart guide your hand."
&
Ensign Halla Faun
Science Officer
USS Thor
A240105SS2