Lieutenant Jack Kessler - Angry Crystals, Missing Caretakers, and a Baby, Oh My

[Joel Cannistraro]

((Anterior dorsal chamber, Cosmozoan))

Rox turned and took off her helmet, placing it in the hand that had extended from the table.  Jack just shook his head slightly at the action.

 

Rox:  ::to the table::  Hold this.

 

Kessler: ::opening his tricorder:: Well Rox. What does the inside of a space whale smell like?

Nakada: Responses

Jack turned back to Velis and waited for the Lieutenant to continue.

Nakada: Responses

Rox: Pretty cozy in here.  

Rox suddenly found herself falling as the room quaked once more.  Rox was on her butt while everyone else struggled to stay upright.  

Velis: Narhelion! Show me! Let us help you!

Rox: Struggling to her feet, what now?

Velis: ::studies the console:: Something’s wrong. She appears to be injured. ::taps her commbadge:: =/\= Velis to Kel. What’s going on? Is everyone all right? =/\=

Kessler: ::tapping his combadge again:: =/\= Commander Kel, are you still getting all this? =/\=

Kel: :: groaning::  =/\= Something happened down here, some kind of Tholian spike bomb.  There is a lot of damage. =/\=

Rox watched the room begin to change.  There seemed to be display's forming and the tables were suddenly studded with various buttons and levers.  Rox found that several of the displays seemed familiar.  

Rox: What is all this?

Velis/Nakada: Response

Kessler: =/\= Hold a moment Commander. One of the tables in here just changed. =/\=

Jack stepped over to the table closest to him. The surface rippled into hundreds of different shaped tactile structures, none of which Jack was directly familiar with. The large glowing orb hovering over the table began to shift and turn slowly like a cloud filled ball. The wispy fill of the orb changed to a more visible scene, as if the crew was looking through a window on the side of the creature. In that view was the Ronin, very small and at a distance from the creature. Jack immediately realized that the table was in fact a command and control interface and the creature had provided some sort of control options to them by placing these tactile structures on the table. 

Rox: I think this is an engineering display, but in this case ::beat:: we're looking at heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and gas composition.  

Velis/Nakada: Response

Jack reached out and touched one of the structures on the table. The view of the Ronin changed and now the ship that had appeared small and distant was large and in full view.

Kessler: ::to all:: =/\= We have a control surface here and visual on the Ronin. =/\=

Rox: =/\= Commander these displays are showing the creature is injured.  Respiration rate is unstable and what I think is blood pressure is falling.  =/\=

Velis/Nakada: Response

Kel: =/\= Somehow I'm not surprised.  Luckily I'm here with our surgeon.  See what you might be able to reroute flow around our location. We'll see what we can do from here. =/\=

Kessler: ::gesturing to the other tables:: Check the others. Are they each some form of console we can interact with?

Velis/Nakada: Response

Jack noted Rox had seemed to pause and was staring at one of the glowing orbs. Data was flowing across the orb in the form of text and Jack stepped over to Rox's side to read along.

Narhelion: ~ Self repair possible. But Narhelion is in a partial hibernation state. Will require extensive time to mend without assistance. Narhelion primary offensive weapon, offline. Caretakers. Caretakers would have helped. Narhelion is using most of the remaining resources, focused on mending Tiny Predator outside. ~

Rox: Lieutenant Kessler, it looks like we're getting a message here.

Kessler: So it seems. ::beat:: I wonder what happened to these caretakers the message is referring to?

Velis/Nakada: Response

Rox:  Nakada, this object in this bay here. ::pointing to the equivalent of an MSD:: Is that what I think it is?  Is this ship pregnant?

Jack turned his attention to the display Rox was gesturing at and titled his head to see the image of what Rox was suggesting was a potential infant space whale.

Kessler: ::arching an eyebrow:: Rox, you got explaining to do when we get back.

Velis/Nakada: Response

Narhelion: ~ Caution. Narhelion has detected approaching. Many more angry crystals and unknown vessels with them. Primary offensive armament still healing. Secondary and tertiary armaments are functional but remain in hibernation state. Primary and secondary defensive functions offline and in hibernation state. Recommend hibernation rescindment as soon as possible. ~ ::there was a somber wail:: ~ Please. Narhelion does not want to expire. ~

Angry crystals and unknown vessels with them. Jack looked back at the orb that he had first been standing by and then looked to the other orbs. He certainly did not like the sound of angry crystals but given that the message also read 'vessels' with them gave Jack a sinking feeling.

Rox:  As we say on  Turkana IV, Bohica.  ::beat::  Bend over, here it comes again.  

Glancing a Rox, Jack motioned to the table she was standing closest to while he returned to the table he was originally standing near. He touched the control surface and the image of the Ronin moved, this time being replaced by a view of deep space. Nothing looked out of the ordinary in the view and Jack was not really even sure where in space he was looking. He touched another control surface and the image changed again, this time he was looking down the ventral side of the giant lifeform. A few more control changes and more views of different areas of the creature and the space surrounding it. 

Kessler: I think I am starting to understand the orientation of these controls. 

Velis/Nakada: Response

Placing both hands on two different surface controls Jack moved one hand in a counterclockwise motion while he adjusted his other hand and moved it in a slightly forward and clockwise motion. A moment later he found the angry crystals and the vessel's accompanying them.

Kessler: Bad news gang. The Tholians are on an intercept course it looks like and correct me if I am wrong but aren't those Lattice Alliance ships with them?

Velis/Nakada: Response

Kessler: That message said something about the primary offensive armament still healing right?

Velis/Nakada: Response

Kessler: ::tapping his coms:: =/\= V'Len, we have company on a direct course for us and angry crystals equals Tholians and Lattice Alliance ships. =/\=

Jack looked back to his team and then back at the image of the hostile vessels on approach. The Ronin could stand and fight but they were outgunned. This space creature had admitted it's defensive abilities were healing which meant to Jack they were not a viable option. That coupled with Rox's discovery of what appears to be an infant inside this creature put a whole new twist in Jack's head. They were now protecting two lifeforms.

[End Act II - Lt. Jack Kessler]

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Lieutenant Jack Kessler

Chief Tactical/Security Officer

USS Ronin

T239901JK1