Lt. Commander Toxin Arlill - Oh, Hello.
Toxin Arlill
((OOC: Sorry for the delay, it's my first week with splitting between two jobs of similar nature for two different businesses while still running my photo gig, so it's been crazy, but I'm hoping things settle down a bit next week. I added but didn't push too far on this one, it was already a bit long.))
(( Treasure room, Archeologist “Base Camp”, Surface, Marohu III ))
Forsyth: Take a deep breath, like this. :: Taking a deep breath, then let it out :: and start from the beginning, sir.
Enak: And don’t leave anything out.
Still reeling from his experience, Toxin had no plan of leaving anything out, but how was he going to describe it.
Arlill: It… it ::looking around:: It was here but it wasn’t.
He couldn’t explain it, it felt like he’d not left these caverns, but also felt like, at least to him, this was the exact spot he witness in his momentary escape from this reality into another—something felt off.
Arlill: It was almost like I was watching an old history clip but then living it at the very same moment.
JoNz: It was as if I was right there in a field of flowers, yet I was taking in the smell and not so much being in the field if that makes any sense?
Riley: I might have a theory. Are we welcome to advance them?
Enak: I’m all ears.
Forsyth: I’m getting that same interference with the walls of the place, something in the rock makes getting a clear reading difficult…
JoNz: I’d be interested in that theory.
Riley: Out of body experience caused by something within the statue?
Enak: Well, that certainly sounds like a good idea.
Arlill: It would make sense, almost like they’re showing us their past without taking us there.
Forsyth: Maybe it's a way to learn what happened to the planet. I think something similar happened on one of the older Enterprises.
JoNz: What if it’s some sort of transporter…but that makes no sense as I didn’t go anywhere, and neither did the Commander. Or did we?
Enak: As far as I’m aware, you both were here.
Riley: I didn’t see either of you go anywhere. You did, however, look like you were staring off into the distance at something. I believe it’s called the “Thousand yard stare” in some circles. Scans indicate you weren’t transported anywhere.
Arlill: I dont think we left at all, I think we were shown what they wanted us to see.
That was the best way to explain it. His heart still raced from the intensity of the experience, a lingering sense of disorientation clinging to his thoughts like fog. Despite being back in the familiar cavern surrounded by his team, part of him still felt tethered to that other place, that other time, as if the boundary between past and present had grown dangerously thin.
JoNz: Unless we’re both having an existential crisis? I know what I smelled though.
Enak: I don’t doubt that.
Forsyth: Yeah, you are not the first person of this crew to have a weird vision. We all have something similar happen to us; it probably isn’t even Commander Arlill's first time with this as well.
It definitely wasn't Toxin's first time experiencing something like this, nor would it be the last. The I-Kiyo ruins had a way of pulling at the edges of reality, blurring the lines between observer and participant. He'd felt it before on other missions—that unsettling sensation of being caught between two worlds, two times. Each encounter left him changed in small, imperceptible ways, as if the visions were slowly rewriting something deep within his consciousness. He wondered, not for the first time, whether these experiences were simply showing him the past, or whether they were preparing him for something yet to come.
Enak: I think we need to consider that there was something that happened, but not necessarily physically.
Arlill: Agreed.
Forsyth: Agree, but we need to learn what exactly happened.
Riley: I suppose it could be some kind of first contact type situation.
Arlill: ::looking at Alex:: Why? It’s our job to help, but it’s their job, pointing to the archeologist to discover. ::turning towards Enak:: Any other thoughts?
Toxin welcomed logical suggestions from anyone, as long as they kept their focus on the ultimate goal: supporting the archaeologists and bringing answers back to their allies.
JoNz: First contact? What if they’re right and we did just experience first contact with the I-Kiyo through…through this statue?
Enak: Well, that would be interesting if the statue caused time travel.
Enak: Because, correct me if I’m wrong, but the I-Kiyo are already known to the Federation, now?
Arlill: They are. But I also don’t think this was time travel, I dont’ feel like I left.
JoNz: That's my bad, I jumped the gun as the Humans say and got excited; you're right ::to Enak:: that the ‘Kiyo are already known to the Federation.
Forsyth: Yeah, Chief Engineer Lahl talked about them a few times.
Enak: Is it possible that you were looking at some memories of some of the people that were here first?
Riley: It’s not unheard of. Several of the Bajoran Orbs of prophecy and the like have granted visions to people who use them.
JoNz: …and I likely picked up the smell ::points to nose:: as this can be overly sensitive.
Forsyth: Yeah, a glimpse into the past.
Enak: Well, just thinking, as it’s possible that you did see something, and that something was the past and the memories of those here. That would be really cool to have data on. Almost tempted to touch the statue myself.
JoNz: ::looks up from conversation:: Oh, that's not a good idea.
Forsyth: Yeah, we don’t know a lot about this tech.
Riley: I have also heard of something called a “memory stone” wherein much like a tape recorder, the stone when interacted with in a certain way can grant memories of someone whose life interacted with the stone previously.
Arlill: It’s too bad that ancient computer is offline ::beat:: the hologram.
Toxin wondered if that hologram would ever come back.
Enak: Response
JoNz: ::flips an ear back:: Could this statue function as a transmitter node of a Holodeck set-up?
Forsyth: Good question, maybe.
The idea gave Toxin pause as he had silently been continuing wandering around the statue—curious of it’s origins.
Enak: Response
JoNz: If this thing does transmit memories as well, are we seeing recordings or live moments in these people's history?
Forsyth: Not sure, but I assume it's some kind of advanced virtual reality device.
Riley: Could be both?
Arlill: We’ve already seen they had the technology for all of this ::putting his arms out:: I have no doubt something as simple as a holodeck node would be possible.
JoNz / Enak: Response
Forsyth: Which begs the question, is Marohu III their original homeworld?
Riley: Well, it doesn’t look like the inside of a Dyson Sphere, so I suppose it is possible they became warp-capable and landed in a Dyson Sphere.
Toxin had always had a fascination with the Dyson Spheres, they were feats of truly magnificent engineering.
JoNz / Enak: Response
Forsyth: They were advanced once, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Arlill: Certainly not.
Something felt different, Toxin was mesmerized with the statue, barely registering the ongoing conversation. He wanted to learn more, so much so that his whole body yearned to touch the statue once more.
JoNz / Enak: Response
Riley: True enough. Though the question then becomes, what form of interactions do we take with this thing to study it safely?
Toxin Said nothing but took a step closer again.
JoNz / Enak / Forsyth: Response
Riley: I also did a passive scan of the perimeter just to see that we didn’t have any more uninvited guests. Haven’t found any yet, but heads on a swivel, as they say.
In the back of Toxin’s mind he had no doubt they were referring to the mercenaries, but his focus was on the status and as he took one more step towards it—he reached out again.
The entire world once more went from dark cavern to beautiful lush country side. Once again he didn’t feel like he’s gone anywhere, but he was, at the same time, elsewhere.
Kaelith: What do you think?
Startled Toxin turned around, but it must have been only in his imagination, because he remained in the dreamscape.
Arlill: Who are you?
Kaelith: Like the mountains and trees and rivers that once stood here, I am a part of all of this, all that was, all that is, and all that could be.
Arlill: We thought you were gone?
Kaelith: It’s true and not true, like false spring is to winter, I am resting, and appearing only when needed.
Arlill: So it’s safe to assume we need…
And it was gone, just like that he’d been pulled back from the statue and his connection was lost. Frustrastion came over him.
Arlill: Who did that and why!?
Riley / JoNz / Enak / Forsyth: Response
Arlill: I saw Kaelith
Riley / JoNz / Enak / Forsyth: Response
Arlill: The creature or hologram that Lhandon mentioned in his last debrief.
Lieutenant Commander Toxin Arlill
Executive Officer
USS Octavia E, Butler NCC-82850
Writer ID.: O239910TA4