Ensign Talon Morda: Church of the flying spaghetti monster
Eston Melton
((Bridge, Deck 1, USS Khitomer))
Morda: Commander? The computer came up with a range of harmonics it can create that might energize those filaments, and the adjustments to the atmospheric sensor diodes to paint boundary lines is ready to go. Shall we proceed?
C. Dewitt: Alright… Everyone stay at your stations. Computer, erect level 8 force-fields around all bridge working stations including personnel.
Azure-tinted energy shells snap-hummed into place around the bridge, hopefully protecting the crew from potentially snapping filaments within their own, personal little brig. Morda briefly wondered whether the force fields might’ve just severed a few of those nano-garottes, leaving segments floating in the air. oO We’ve got enough problems for the next 15 seconds. Oo
Valeris: Ready here, Commander.
Korras: Response
C. Dewitt: Mr Morda, go…
The intercom chirped stayed Morda’s hand from the toggle.
Zerva: =/\= Lieutenant Zerva to bridge. Commander, you wanted me to report immediately on any data I found. This is definitely it, sir. =/\=
The tone: uh-oh. Morda would wager his sencha inoculation insert that Zerva was not about to announce that his “information” involved discovering a rainbow cloud that rains little candies.
Valeris: Talk about timing.
Korras: Response
C. Dewitt: =/\= Please be a little more specific, Lieutenant. =/\=
Zerva: =/\= I’m in Transporter Room Two, Deck Nine. Crewman Chenn was injured when he came into contact with some filaments on the transporter PADD. I’ve got a medic on their way here now. Recommend not using the transporters just encase the other ones are infected too. =/\=
Morda: ::Muttering:: Kriffing clever.
Thelan: =/\= We need to be careful when touching anything it seems. =/\=
Morda: Aye. If they’re tactically deploying these whole-body garottes to transporters -- or airlocks or other bottlenecks -- it could literally and figuratively further incapacitate the ship. ::Nodding toward his console:: Hopefully our trial here works.
Korras: Response
C. Dewitt: =/\= ::nodding:: What systems are infected? =/\=
Zerva: =/\= According to the sensor readings I’ve got, it looks like the invisible filaments are embedded into the PADD itself sir. On top of that some of the threads have weaved their way through the bolians blood on the floor of the PADD causing it to snake about. I have a theory I’d like to test with permission sir. =/\=
C. Dewitt: =/\= We are working on making the filaments visible here on the bridge, Lieutenant. Any ideas how to get them off the ship? =/\=
Korras: Response
Zerva: =/\= What if we could find a way to make the filaments visible and then use the transporter PADD to lock onto it and beam them out? Mind you, I’m not sure what would happen with the filaments the buffer. But if that’s possible, I can send someone from engineering to assist me here, since Lieutenant Michaels is on the away team out. =/\=
C. Dewitt: ::quietly:: Thoughts on beaming it off the ship, Commander?
Thelan pursed his lips and shook his head.
Velaris: It’s hard to say. If the filaments have integrated themselves into our systems, attempting to transport any of it off of the ship could take portions of the ship’s systems with them. ::Beat:: On the other hand, if we do nothing we could end up with busted systems anyway.
The unfortunate duality of the situation they were in. Take a chance and risk breaking things? Or leave it alone and break things for sure. Plus, the number of injured would only grow.
Morda: Is it worth exploring more brute options? Whether a phaser blast can sever them? Or if we can manipulate one filament into severing another?
Korras: Response
C. Dewitt: =/\= Alright, Lieutenant. Go ahead, but I want you to stop what you’re doing on the first sign of trouble. =/\=
Velaris: =/\= We will keep working on getting these filaments visible and try to get it working shipwide. =/\=
Korras/Zerva: Response
C. Dewitt: =/\= Understood. Dewitt out. =/\=
There was a pause as the comm closed. A brief moment. A breath to center oneself.
C. Dewitt: Ensign Morda, go ahead with exciting the invisible strings and try to make them visible. Everyone, keep an eye out and report any strings you can see.
Valeris: Aye, sir.
Korras: Response
Morda re-checked his console, then unceremoniously pressed a button.
Morda: Here goes nothing, Commander.
It almost started as nothing, just a faint heaviness in the air. Then more of a throb and pressure wave. The force fields were insulating the crew from the worst of the resonance effect, but the same pressure-wave permeability that allowed the bridge crew to keep speaking also permitted some of the resonance energy to pass.
Valeris: ::Somewhat pained:: No noticeable effect on the filaments over here, so far.
Morda consulted his board.
Morda: Computer says it’s still cycling through plausible wavelengths and frequencies to resonate with the tendrils. Standby.
C. Dewitt//Korras: Response
oO Ouch. Ouch in my brain. Oo Morda’s skull was becoming its own special kind of echo chamber. Or a space-conch, with some maniacal jokester blowing in his ear trying to make ocean noises to fill the void of all space and time. He thought of his sister, the gifted musician, who’d gone through a low-frequency bass phase that’d twice emptied the house.
Valeris: The honeycomb structure of the filament’s adhesion is destabilizing!
C. Dewitt/Korras: Response
oO That’s unexpected Oo
The probe at the center of the bridge decided to register its displeasure with the resonance effect, shooting off tendrils that damaged equipment and bounced off their force fields.
Valeris: ::Somewhat groggy:: Looks like we pissed off the crystal spaghetti.
C. Dewitt/Korras: Response
A green light on the security console caught Morda’s eye, and he looked down.
Morda: Yeah, but look: ::Pointing at the ethereal blue lines on the deck:: It’s working. We’ve got a “do not tread here” map on the deck to avoid the ones we can’t see. ::Shifting his eyes to the “crystal spaghetti.”:: Commander, I know I was late to the party, but I’ve gotta ask: have we tried slapping that thing in its own confinement field?
Korras/C. Dewitt/Valeris: Response
TAGS/TBC