Ensign James Taylor - Ghost from the past

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((Deck 1 – Main Bridge – USS Narendra))

 

Voss: It shouldn’t be too difficult to introduce into the field harmonics. My only concern would be that we’re coming up on what’s likely some kind of unknown radiation from the nebula, and we don’t know how that will interact with our EM field. We may end up needing pharmacological backup. 

 

McLaren nodded and returned to the center chair.

 

McLaren: We have some time to work on that theory...

 

Kel: Agreed. I’ll coordinate with Medical and Engineering to see if we can simulate the neuromodulator’s stabilizing effect. If this radiation influences emotional centers, we’ll need preventive measures ready before we enter the densest region.

 

Taylor: Let me know if changing any frequency on the shielding can help. I have them set up for a quick rotation.

 

McLaren: Well, perhaps we can— ::McLaren’s words halted as the lights flickered across the bridge, a brief stutter of shadow and static:: We all saw that right?

 

Taylor looked at what the commander was looking at, not seeing what she was seeing.

 

Kel: I saw it too, Commander. It wasn’t just the displays—environmental lighting dipped across the deck.

 

Voss: I… huh. That’s odd. The dosimeters aren’t picking up anything unusual at this distance. ::tapping quickly at her console:: It wasn’t an energy surge - it was a disruption. Like everything cut out for a moment. Let me just… 

 

Taylor: I have no idea what you are talking about. I did not see anything. Nor am I seeing anything on the systems like a disruption or surge. What did you see?

 

McLaren frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing on the console.

 

McLaren: I guess the effects reach further out than we thought.

 

Kel: Then we’d better assume the crew is already within range of exposure. I’ll start passive scans on neural activity shipwide... just in case we’re seeing the first signs of interaction.

 

Taylor: Agreed, I am routing reserve power to the internal sensors, that should increase their resolution.

 

Kel: Initial scans show no anomalies, but I’d like to keep monitoring for early indicators—fatigue, sensory distortion, or emotional irregularities. If this field is already interacting with our systems, it could just as easily be affecting us on a subtler level.

 

Voss: I want to… there’s something else at work here. We’re close enough that we’re getting accurate telemetry from the perimeter of the nebula on scans - density, temperature, particle composition, but… I’m not reading any radiation surges, no storm effects. That power fluctuation isn’t registering as it should. Taylor, what does it look like on your end?

 

Taylor: It looks like a regular nebula, as far as sensors can identify it.

 

He indeed could not see anything else about it. He was doing his best to ignore what he was seeing in the corner of his eye.

 

McLaren: Response?

 

Kel: I recommend advising the crew to minimize stimulant intake until we know more. Caffeine, even chocolate, could amplify neurological responses under the wrong conditions. Best to err on the side of caution.

 

Chocolate.. did that have to be mentioned? Now he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

 

Voss: I think it’s humming. ::no, that wasn’t quite right:: I mean, it… it’s oscillating. It’s acoustic but it’s deeper. Like a stone skipping on the water. 

 

Voss: It’s another kind of wave! Dancing and buffeting and… ::no, these were not encouraging expressions on their faces:: Not ionizing, not electromagnetic, not alpha, or beta, or… 

 

Taylor: Dancing and.. buffeting?

 

It was clear they were hallucinating. Yet, what he was seeing beside him also could not be.

 

McLaren: Response?

 

Voss locked eyes with Kel.

 

Kel: Response?

 

Voss: ::with sudden determination:: I need to get to the lab. I can hear it better in the lab. 

 

Taylor looked at her, but also locked eyes with the person besides him, and felt like he was looking at a ghost.

 

Taylor: ::barely a whisper:: you’re not here. You can’t be.

 

Sarah didn’t answer. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked back at his console.

 

McLaren/Taylor/Kel/Voss: Response?

 

Taylor: I am.. experiencing hallucinations as well. Something that can not be.

 

McLaren/Taylor/Kel/Voss: Response?

 

Taylor: Everything else looks normal to me, but.. I am not sure if I can trust what I see.

 

McLaren/Taylor/Kel/Voss: Response?

 

*****

Ensign James Taylor
Engineering Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
O240010K12