Ensign Kansz JoNz - At Least There's No Snakes
Kansz JoNz
((Project Site Central Habitat, Marohu III))
Ow. Getting clocked in the mouth was not how JoNz had thought this day would go. For now, the Caitian stayed on the ground both to recover a bit from the blow and to make sure there was no further assault. Making herself less of a target, if you will.
Kansz was fuzzy - pun not intended - on the details, but she was picking up on the fact that Commander Katsim was making progress with deciphering what this whole room actually was. She had to admire the other woman’s courage; surrounded by thugs and calmly pushing forward to find answers.
The mercenary Vuq was not helping matters…
Vuq: Well?
Katsim: It’s a puzzle.
Katsim: A puzzle that has to be solved to go any further.
Enak: Any ideas as to how to solve it? This is the most progress I’ve made.
Arlill: You’re right Peri, look there ::pointing to a starting point in what appeared to be a radial pattern:: Those words, what do they say?
Enak: Got the fun out of your system?
Vuq: We’re just getting started.
The thugs with Vuq were restless, out for blood. Sure, they followed Vuq but were less interested in the hows and whys of a puzzle; the other mercenaries just wanted to get paid. And if there was going to be shooting, one of the junior mercenaries would likely pull the trigger.
The Caitian piped up from where she lay, speech garbled by the blood in her mouth.
JoNz: Why do you need us to unlock these secrets?
Enak: Because for all his bluster, he can’t actually figure it out.
Vuq: He really does want to die, doesn’t he?
Slam! Enak caught a blow to his face for his audacity.
Arlill: ::looking towards Enak:: Listen, if you want to get yourself killed, keep it up, but for the love of the gods, stop it before you get my team killed.
Vuq: I would listen to him if I were you.
Enak: Well, what does the pattern say? Anyone have any ideas?
Vuq: Hurry up! Your time is running out!
JoNz really didn’t care for the head archeologist, but nor did she want to see him beaten down; she hoped he’d keep his mouth shut.
Enak: These things take time, sir. We can’t just wish a solution out of the ether.
Arlill: It might be easier to concentrate without guns pointed at our
heads. ::beat:: Look, we're all trapped in here, and you have all the weapons. What could we possibly do? ::beat:: I just want what you want—to keep my team safe. Let us work together. We'll find better solutions that way.
Vuq: Just think of us as your…motivational partners.
JoNz: ::spits out some blood in response.
Enak: Could it be related to the position of the planet in relation to its star? I wasn’t paying too much attention to the planetary bodies when we first came in.
Arlill: That was something Hen… ::beat:: I was wondering, something I was wondering, do those look like astrological patterns?
Riley: Would you like a hand up?
The Ensign nodded slightly in agreement and gave her paw to the offered hand.
Katsim: I don’t know. If they have astrological signs, they will not be the same as Earth’s or Bajor's.
Vuq: Get on with it!
He shouted, causing the Bardassian to wince.
JoNz: ::to Riley:: Thank you. Not my Finest moment, that’s for sure.
Arlill: This is a process ::turning to Vuq:: We’re getting there, give us time. Please.
While Arlill addressed the mercenaries, Riley continued to speak softly to the Caitian.
Riley: Understood.
Katsim: We only have the geometric pattern and the colours. I have no way of ascertaining what their astrological signs might be.
Arlill: Everything else so far worked with focusing our minds on specific imagery, is it possible this is similar? ::beat:: What if we close our eyes and imagine these constellations, what they look like, where they might be?
Katsim: I wonder…
Vuq: Better start doing more than wondering.
Enak/Riley/JoNz: Response
Arlill: What if we all try?
Riley: All of us trying to focus on the same thing?
Katsim: It’s not just that.
Katsim: Its’ more mathematical in nature. Possibly astronomical in nature. Or maybe…
She paused, then turned, her eyes lighting up.
Katsim: It’s all of them. And a sequence…the colours…
Vuq: Get on with it!
Katsim: Commander…Would you take the artifact and stand on the white on the platform?
Arlill/Enak/JoNz/Riley: Response
Katsim: It’s a spectrum. Light…white light, is the combination of all colours. Black is the absence…
Katsim: White first. Then pink.
Katsim: Enak, if you would step on the pink, please. Riley, if you could take position on the red.
JoNz…are you able to help? Could you stand on the orange?
Arlill/Enak/Riley: Response
JoNz: Aye, Sir ::to Katsim:: I’ll be fine.
The Ensign made her way onto her intended section.
Katsim: I’ll need to…borrow one of your men. We need six people to solve it. Otherwise it won’t work.
The mercenary wasn’t happy at all with that suggestion and he just stood there glowering at Commander Katsim and then directed his gaze across the rest of the away team. After a few tense moments, he seemed to come to a decision.
Vuq: Satosh, go.
JoNz watched as CDR Katsim directed the offered mercenary to the intended position. The mosaic of colors in the chamber was dazzling, yet overwhelming with the intensity…she probably had a concussion if she found the colors intense.
Arlill/Enak/Riley: Response
As the dias and platform they now found themselves standing on shifted, the Caitian dropped into a crouch in order to keep her balance and be ready for…whatever. A faint rumble could be heard and as the shift came to a stop, a set of spiral stairs could be seen leading downward.
JoNz: That’s amazing!
Arlill/Enak/Riley/Katsim/Vuq: Response
As the movement stopped and the spiral stairs remained uncovered, the colors of the room shifted into a dazzling display as the shades moved in the opposite direction; a control panel, small and compact, appeared from a slide panel set into the wall.
Arlill/Enak/Riley/Katsim/Vuq: Response
Vuq’s thugs began jostling among themselves and the tension and excitement in the room ratcheted up another few notches; there were barked comments of “more treasure” and “the orb” and a few other mutterings. The greed was rapidly outweighing any sort of self-control and JoNz felt the shift in the room.
The lead mercenary needed to reassert control before someone did something stupid.
Arlill/Enak/Riley/Katsim/Vuq: Response