Lieutenant Alira Venn: OMG that's HUGE, part 2
Isara Aleron
As the Ronin dropped out of warp, Alira turned to examine the main viewer, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature. She’d known it was big, but knowing a fact and seeing it first hand were two completely different things and her jaw dropped momentarily. The creature was massive. She could see the blue and teal patterns on its blue-black surface. Words really couldn’t express how impressive it was.
oO Oh my God, it’s huge! Oo
Niac: By the Koala....reduce magnification, I want to see the whole thing.
Nicolau: Sir...we're at minimum magnification. It's...it's just that big.
Raga: By the Branch. Does anyone want to clarify precisely how big this thing is?
Kessler: Using the optical scanner now Captain.. ::beat:: Based on distance, assuming we can rely on the sensors for an accurate distance, this thing is....::double beat:: sir that thing is 2.2 kilometers in length.
Kel: Big enough to have us for a snack.
That was something of an understatement. A standard Akira-class vessel was only a little over 464 meters in length. This thing was at least five times their size, if not more. It also reinforced her case that they may ultimately have to destroy it, even if none of them liked that idea.
Venn: Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Commander.
Niac: Well done Lieutenant, you got us here in time. Mr. Raga....steady as she goes...try to bring us on a parallel course to our...friend out there. Has there been any indication the creature is reacting to our presence?
Raga: Aye, sir. There’s a lot of navigational interference. I’ll try not to ruin Miss Nicolau’s good work. Setting a parallel course. As to whether or not it’s registered us, I have no idea.
Kessler: From what I can see, it does not appear to know or care that we are here.
Kel: Activating sensors, passive only. =/\= Kel to Beck. Let me know if you’re getting anything through the gel packs. =/\=
Beck: =/\= We definitely, definitely are, Commander. Right now it's still mostly just the outline, but give us some more time and some deeper readings, and I think this will clear up quickly. =/\=
The ship was jostled briefly, but Alira was able to maintain her balance and continued her work.
Niac: What's causing that? Is it the creature?
Raga: I don’t know if it’s specifically the creature or a byproduct of however in the winds it’s moving. But there are gravitational and energy eddies rippling out from that thing. I’m having to make minor adjustments on the fly. The pattern seems to be consistent from what I can see, at least they don’t seem to be random.
Kessler: Sir, I recommend we back off a bit. At least out of whatever this energy wake is. It's disrupting sensors even more as we get closer.
Kel: Captain, I'm not getting much from passive sensors. We may need to knock.
Venn: On what? I can’t even be sure which side is the front yet.
Niac: Very well...Mr. Kel...begin active scanning...start with the low power bands...if our friend out there takes offense abort and we'll fall back. Ready on the helm Mr. Raga. Mr. Kessler...if you assess a threat I want those shields up as fast as possible. Lieutenants...you came all this way to see this...hope you're getting a good view because this is...unprecedented.
Raga: Aye, sir. Course steady as we can be along a parallel heading. I recommend we have the external feed put up throughout the ship so everyone can get a look. The more eyes we have on this the better.
Kessler: Aye sir.
Kel: Data's coming back. There's a series of tunnels and chambers inside, not sure what's in them. There seems to be a large chamber on the ventral side with an external opening. ::It seemed as if he might be making an educated guess when he made his next statement:: Waste expulsion?
With Commander Kel’s report, Alira started studying the data on her readout, her initial fascination finally giving way to professionalism. There was some kind of energy pulse coming from the creature at a regular interval, but so far nothing that appeared dangerous to them.
Velis: ::nods:: Given its location, it’s entirely possible.
Niac: Lets try to give that area a wide berth, Toryn. Lieutenant Venn...any of those chambers catch your interest? I'd like to prioritize anything resembling a power source...give the folks back at Daystrom something to puzzle over.
She’d been giving that some thought, but the best she could find was a large mass near the center of the being that seemed to function almost as a heart. Not being a medical officer, or an engineer, she couldn’t be certain if it was a heart or an engine. Or something else altogether. But it was putting out a lot of energy.
Venn: Possibly the heart, Captain. Or an engine, assuming it’s a biological construct. Or neither. I don’t have the qualifications to know for sure. But either way, it’s emitting a lot of power. Enough that it could be the source of those emissions coming from it.
Raga: We’re holding steady at five hundred thousand kilometers from the entity. As for getting a full view of this thing, we could use a class 2 probe.. ::he turned in the seat to look at Karrod:: We could have the flight deck crew push it out the aft flight deck and activate it remotely once it’s clear from us and the entity.
She looked over at the First Officer, now sitting at the helm, at the suggestion of a probe. Scientifically, she realized it was probably a good idea. But she wondered how the creature would perceive it.
Kessler: I can have a Class 2 probe ready and transported to the flight deck in just a few minutes, Captain.
Velis: ::pauses:: Would a probe be able to get close enough without alarming the creature? Maybe a shuttle instead?
Niac: Considering how difficult it is for the Ronin to stay on course, I don't want to risk anything smaller until we can compensate for this...::the ship shuddered again::...buffeting.
Venn: :: shaking her head :: Agreed, Captain. I wouldn’t recommend a shuttle. A shuttle has less defensive capability than the Ronin, and if we spook the creature anyone on the shuttle would be at immediate risk. A probe could also provoke it, but wouldn’t risk a shuttle crew in the process.
Velis: I just think we could get more information firsthand.
Niac: I appreciate your zeal, Lieutenant, but for now we'll proceed with the manual probe deployment. Bring it online when it falls far enough astern to give us some kind of overview.
Kessler: Aye sir.
Raga: Response
Kessler: Probe ready Captain. Transporting it to the forward flight deck now.
Kel: Fingers crossed..
Velis: If the telemetry degrades too badly, we may still want to consider a shuttle later for closer observation.
Velis: Assuming it keeps tolerating us being here.
Kessler: ::in a lower voice:: Did you ever think you'd see anything this large out here?
Kel: ::chuckling:: You missed it, buddy. The Thor was swallowed by something like this. Watch for any sudden movements.
Niac: Hopefully our new friend isn't feeling snacky. But keep your distance all the same, Mr. Raga.
Venn: Response
Raga: Response
Kel: Sir, I'm seeing electrical pulses running the length of the creature, they're increasing in magnitude.
Velis: Captain, if those pulses are connected to the interference spike, we may already be provoking a response…and I’m not sure it’s a good one.
Suddenly, without warning, the power surge from the creature magnified exponentially. But before she could really register the fact, much less report it, the energy washed over the ship and she found herself fighting to stay conscious. It wasn’t a telepathic assault, it didn’t seem, but it had definitely affected her telepathic senses, almost overloading them to the point where it could have rendered her unconscious. Or worse. Her head, however, now felt like tight bands of metal were being cinched around the circumference and she was still having to fight to remain conscious.
Niac: Report...did that cause any damage other than giving me a headache?
Venn: I almost blacked out, and I still have a migraine, Captain.
Kessler/Raga: Responses
Kel: Aaah! My antennae are burning!
She looked over at the Andorian, but her eyes refused to focus long enough and she was seeing multiple images of the Commander.
Niac: Mr. Raga, prepare to change course, Mr. Kessler, bring the shields up. Get a medical team up here.
Alira slumped over the console, still barely conscious, holding her head as if that would relieve the building migraine.
Kessler/Raga: Response
Kel: =/\= Kel to Beck! Are you getting anything at all? I think we may have upset it. =/\=
oO You think, Commander? Oo
Beck: =/\= You can say that again. I'm not a hundred percent sure exactly what just happened, but we are having a few technical difficulties and are working on clearing those out. The data is coming through, though, absolutely. =/\=
Velis: ::to Niac:: The pulses spiked at the exact same time. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
Alira tried to speak, to say it was likely a heartbeat, but when the words tried to come out, something else threatened to come out as well, and it wasn’t words, so she shut her mouth again and fought back the urges.
Velis: Captain, I don’t think it’s upset. I think it might be trying to communicate.
Niac: I suppose a simple "hello" would've been too much to hope for. Do you have anything to base that on, Lieutenant? V'Len...say the word and we'll fall back and figure out another approach.
Venn: If that … :: she fought down the nausea and tried to continue :: was a simple defense … then it might be more … powerful. Captain, we must be … prepared.
Words hurt, and she wasn’t fully conveying her thoughts. Part of her didn’t want to kill the thing, but it had just shown how dangerous it could be, if provoked.
Kessler/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::pauses:: The doctor or Commander Kel can likely confirm this, but I believe Commander Kel’s antennae might be functioning as a radio receiver.
Beck: =/\= A radio receiver, huh? That gives me an idea. =/\=
Niac: Make it quick Doctor, I don't want to expose any of the crew to this if there's a risk of long term damage. Steady as she goes Mr. Raga...but kept that escape course updated.
Thankfully, the turbolift doors whisked open - very loudly to her already pained head - and several medics stepped out. One made his way over to her and began to examine her while the others dispersed around the bridge.
Medic: :: to Alira :: Describe your symptoms.
Venn: Massive headache. Like having banding tightened around my skull.
The medic was already running a tricorder over her and nodded at the readings. He quickly filled a hypo and pressed it to her neck.
Medic: That should help. Give it a few minutes. It may not completely remove the symptoms, but they’ll be manageable for now.
She smiled gratefully, already feeling the effects of the hypo kicking in.
Kessler/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::nods:: I think if we can figure out the frequency, so to speak, we might be able to program the computers to simulate the creature’s “language” and enable us to communicate with it.
Niac: Very well, let's see if we can pin down the source of V'len's burning sensation. Mr. Kessler, is anything hitting the shields? Mr. Raga, Lieutenant Venn...can the probe tell us anything useful? I'd like to be able to politely ask this creature to stop shouting at us.
She looked at the readouts again, her eyes coming back into focus.
Venn: I’m still unable to tell if it was communication or an attack. For all I know, at this point, Captain, it could be both.
Kessler/Kel/Raga: Response
Velis: ::shrugs:: It won’t be perfect, but I think it’s the best we’ve got.
Beck: =/\= Perfect is the enemy of good. We are seeing some progress down here - instead of a vague black outline, it's a vague white outline that is starting to show some deeper details. =/\=
Niac: =/\= Well done Doctor, get as much data as you can. Mark any spots that strike you as particularly important and our guests will prioritize them for further inspection. =/\=
She started studying the data that was now being displayed on her terminal. It was going to take her a bit to understand it, but it was definitely a start.
Niac: Did you find a way to compensate for the turbulence or did that… ::he nodded towards the viewscreen and corrected himself::....or did our friend out there decide to give us a break?
Kessler/Kel/Raga/Velis: Response
Niac: Either way I'm going to take it as a good sign. The question now becomes...how much do we want to test our luck today? Mr. Raga, Chief Kessler...based on the data we've recovered so far...do you think we could safely get an away team or two aboard that vessel? Lt. Velis, Lt. Venn...got any good spots picked out yet?
oO You want me to go over there? Oo
Venn: Not yet, Captain. Are we sure it’s even safe to go there?
Kessler/Kel/Raga/Velis: Response
Venn: Captain, I don’t really relish the idea of killing something so magnificent, but it did just attack us. And it seems it didn’t even try that hard. What if we really and truly provoke it? Then what happens to us? What if…
She stopped, realizing she was making an argument to kill the being, despite her words.
Venn: Sorry, Captain. I just think we need to a be a bit more cautious about this. But, your command, sir, and if you want me to go over there, I will.
Niac: Response
Raga / Kel / Kessler / Velis: Responses
Venn: Aye, sir. Then I think we need to start with some place that seems a bit safer, furthest point away from that energy source in the center.
Niac / Raga / Kel / Kessler / Velis: Responses
Lieutenant Alira Venn
Mission Specialist (Intelligence)
USS Ronin, NCC-34523
A239412S10