Lt. JG Zalix - I See You Shiver...
James
(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Tizona ))
The ship had landed and they could see a building outside that looked the way they expected the colony to. Only it wasn’t supposed to be here. She pinched her chin ridges as she squinted at the colony and then squinted at her data. The colony was supposed to be 250km away from here! The sensor data had suffered some interference but not to the extent of making this kind of error, and especially not when the data on the landing site had been so accurate. She scanned the structure itself and tried to get updated health telemetry but there were no lifesigns.
Zalix: That’s not the colony.
Varik: No signs of life. It appears abandoned.
Nilsen: What is it?
Zalix: Aside from the fact there’s no one home… It has a similar structure and layout, but it’s smaller - like someone built a smaller model. It doesn’t descend into the ground like the real thing either. It’s more like someone put this in front of the cave system as a sort of frontage. Perhaps a living and work space.
Varik: Interesting. (beat) Were there any permits or construction orders filed in the colony records?
Zalix checked the data she had on the colony to see if she’d missed anything earlier on. Any sign that the colony had started expanding at this site. The use of the same layout of the frontage seemed to suggest the colony and this site were connected. There were no records that this place existed. Perhaps the colony was aware of and had endorsed this site but didn’t want its existence to be widely known? Why would that be? Conducting potentially illegal experiments would qualify. That said, there were other potential explanations too. Maybe the colony was not aware that site B had popped up like a little brother. It did still stand to reason that whoever had put this here may be a part of the main colony or had at least been there long enough to have some basic understanding of its layout. Why they might have chosen to create a mini-clone remained one of a number of mysteries. Whoever was behind this was not currently around. Well, not alive anyway.
Zalix: Unclear. All I can say for sure is - there are no official records marking or referring to this site.
Varik: Then we begin our investigation there. Alright, suit up.
A holodeck crew took over the bridge stations, while Zalix and her colleagues went to gear up for the expedition.
(( Surface, Calsa 3 ))
Aside from the thick warm clothing, Zalix’s kit included a tricorder, a first aid kit, and a phaser - none of which were especially easy to operate while wearing bulky gloves.They were taking an Argo buggy to get them to the front of the compound much faster. They were operating under such tight timeframes that there wasn’t any time to waste and transporters were still out of the question due to local interference. Nilsen piloted the buggy and he wasted no time in getting underway. The buggy roared to life and charged towards the compound. Zalix shoogled back and forth, gripping the tricorder with two hands to better operate it.
Varik: (shouting over the sound of the engine) Take us directly there, Commander. There is no time to delay. (to Zalix) Can you detect any defensive emplacements or security apparatus?
Nilsen: We’ll be there in no time.
Zalix cycled through different types of scans, looking for anything interesting. She had to yell to be heard over the roar of the buggy’s engines.
Zalix: It’s using a lot of power! No obvious traps, defences or security apparatus but I’ll keep looking.
The buggy had decent suspension, which she was grateful for when they hit a rough patch of snow. When the buggy lifted and the wheels left the ground they landed in their seats with a rough bounce. She felt a wave of nausea hit with a side order of mild dizziness and disorientation. Hailstones bounced off the ski goggles she wore, and gathered on her clothes.
oO Motion sickness? Well that’s… new. Oo
Varik: (shouting) Are you aiming for the rocks, Commander?
Nilsen: Yes.
She turned her head sharply at that only to see Nilsen wearing a huge smile and laughing. This was fun to him? She could not wait to get off this speeding death trap. She blinked slowly and allowed herself to picture for just an instant, a nice counseling suite with a stack of PADDs on the desk and a nice steaming hot chocolate. With cream. And Marshmallows.
Zalix: ::To herself breathlessly:: Why?
They went through another rough patch, and Lhandon was reminded of home and the vehicles used on the farm to get around, with transporters usually used only for moving heavy goods.
Varik: (muttering to self) I hope your retirement home has cobblestone walkways.
Zalix: The structure's not standard composite. The material's active, almost organic. Unusual energy pathways running through it.
They slowed down as they approached the building and Zalix continued to scan everything and get as much data as she could. The tricorder wasn’t as powerful as the ship’s sensors and seemed to be having a little trouble penetrating the compound. It was taking quite a bit of work to compensate for the interference.
Nilsen: What’s your scanners say about this building?
Zalix: The building’s power signature matches the storm pattern! ::She paused for a moment, thinking she might vomit but thankfully the sensation died away:: This is the source!
It was too early to say whether the storm had been generated intentionally or if it was an accidental byproduct of some other reaction.
Varik: Response
Zalix expected to be able to identify some kind of entrance as they got closer, but she could see nothing of the sort. The material it was built from was dark, smooth and seamless. It was certainly unlike anything she’d seen before and she was fascinated by it. Zalix squinted as a doorway seemed almost to materialise out of the structure, like its very shape was morphing to accommodate them.
To her great disbelief, when the doorway opened there was a short, wiry humanoid with long blond hair, balding at the top. His eyes were a little dark and sunken - a contrast to his pale skin, and he looked to her to have a very tired appearance. They wore a long, black formal coat, which Zalix gave a cursory glance to as she scanned him as discreetly as possible. She thought perhaps she might have made some kind of mistake with her scan on the ship. Maybe he’d been just outside scanning range and had returned here just ahead of them. Yet the tricorder insisted there were no lifesigns here. Then it struck her. She adjusted her scans to detect other types of life - like holographs and androids.
Unknown figure: Hello!
Varik: Response
Zalix: Hello! My name is Zalix. Pleased to meet you!
Nilsen: response
Unknown figure: You’ve arrived. Please come in.
She’d hoped they would give their name too, but instead, they stood to the side and flourished an arm, inviting them in as they stepped inside. Standing in between Varik and Nilsen she nudged each of them with an elbow, wiped the tricorder’s display - it was starting to frost over. She tapped the side of the device and spoke just loud enough for Varik and Nilsen to hear.
Zalix: He’s an android.
Whether he was a Butler type of construct or a more fully sentient being like Data remained to be seen and she didn’t want to offend their host either way. To her this was deeply fascinating. What had he meant by saying they were right on time? Perhaps it was nothing more than whoever was here had monitored their landing and approach.
Varik/Nilsen: Response
The doorway opened into a space that bore almost no resemblance to the austere exterior. It was less a building than a workshop built around an idea. The chamber was warm, softly illuminated by diffuse blue-white light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. Scientific instruments and experimental apparatus occupied every available surface, interspersed with holographic displays suspended in mid-air, each frozen on a different atmospheric model or weather simulation. Nothing appeared abandoned or neglected; rather, everything looked as though its owner had simply moved from one line of inquiry to the next without ever quite finishing the last. Handwritten notes rested beside impossibly advanced technology, geological samples shared space with climate projections, and intricate mathematical models drifted lazily through the air. There was little sign that anyone truly lived here beyond a modest sleeping alcove tucked almost apologetically into one corner. The overwhelming impression was not one of madness, but of relentless curiosity, of a brilliant mind so consumed by understanding the natural world that every other consideration had quietly fallen away.
Zalix pulled her hood down, and took off the goggles, which were now steaming up. The first thing she noticed was the cold. It was nearly as cold in here as it was outside.
Unknown figure: I will let Master know you have arrived. Please wait here.
Zalix watched as the android walked across the large open space towards the alcove.
Unknown figure: Master, the guests are here.
Once the Android was occupied in the corner of the room, she took the opportunity to conduct some scans of the room, including some discreetly aimed towards the alcove area. Still no lifesigns. She could just see a vague silhouette of a figure lying in the bed. Someone was there. Perhaps the Master was Android. Scan results said no. Holographic then? Also no. She ran through everything she could think of and still came up blank. She toyed with the idea that the cold had damaged her tricorder but it was picking up an abundance of data about other areas of the room. Perhaps they would meet some new life form outside the bounds of what they could identify with traditional means. It was an exciting prospect.
Zalix: A lot of atmospheric, meteorological, mathematical and geological work here.
Varik/Nilsen: Response
Zalix tried to make sense of what she could see around the room. It was like seeing the pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle thrown across a room, and not even being sure if all the pieces are even there. The android’s voice caught her ear making her head turn.
Unknown figure: Master?
oO Oh… Oo
Unknown figure: Master. Please get up. You have guests.
Zalix: Uhhh. I’m a bit concerned that Master won’t be joining us… I’m not getting lifesigns of any type.
She bit her lip and frowned. If whoever was behind this research had perished in the cold, then it might be up to them to figure out what had been going on here and how to put an end to things and stop that storm.
Varik/Nilsen: Response
Lt. JG Zalix
USS Octavia E Butler NCC-82850
O240205VM3