Vice Admiral Quinn Reynolds - The Dark Beyond (Part I)
Quinn Reynolds
((Research and Development Wing, Gibaria Outpost))
Quinn watched her breath curl into soft plumes of mist, absently tugging at her collar as though the motion could ward off the chill in the air. It was cold in this area of the facility; if by design or malfunction, she wasn’t sure. The heavy-duty uniform jacket helped, the leather-like material keeping her close to comfortable. But her phaser was heavy against her hip, balanced out by the tricorder on the opposite side.
Something hummed behind the stark metallic walls. The sounds of power and machinery, all too familiar to anyone who lived aboard a starship, particularly to an engineer like Quinn. Every once in a while, the lights would flicker, threatening to plunge them into shadows, before recovering their steady shine. The power supply had been fine, at least from their initial scans, which meant something else was interfering with their operation. She was not one given to flights of fancy or anthropomorphism—ships were ‘it’ rather than ‘she’—but it was hard to shake the feeling that the facility itself didn’t want them there.
Reynolds: Well, here we are. This is the wing where they conducted all their research. The gate itself is that way—::she gestured to her left, down the corridor::—and Commander Finch’s team is clearing a path to it. We’re going in the opposite direction.
Spelvan / Valek: Response
Reynolds: The problem is we have a general idea of what they’ve been doing here, but we don’t have the specifics. It’s a private endeavour, and they haven’t been publishing their research. To be honest, I’m not sure anyone really knew they were here until we received a distress call. Our job is to find the lead scientist, rescue them, and recover the facility’s research database. That should help us plan the next steps.
Spelvan / Valek: Response
The lights buzzed and flickered once again, and for a split second, Quinn thought she saw glistening tendrils of red creeping along the wall panels. Phosphorescent, like a child’s glow-in-the-dark paint set, only fully realised and organic. Gone as soon as the lights regained their strength, and when she looked at her tricorder, it politely informed her that there was absolutely nothing unusual about the wall panel. She huffed quietly to herself and started walking.
Reynolds: The lead scientist is Var Gamoya. You might have heard of her: she’s a Kobliad xenobiologist who was building quite a reputation a few years ago. Then one day, she cut herself off from the scientific community. No one knows why.
Spelvan / Valek: Response
Commanding Officer
USS Gorkon
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