Ensign Akani Xira - Connective Tissue
Renaie Shortrith
((Organic Tunnel, Posterior Dorsal, Narhelion))
Akani: That… that's cool.
Marsek: Every time I think I've seen all of Narhelion's abilities...
Dohna: Let the doppelganger help you ensign Marsek. I'll walk with Xira.
Xira rose from her crumpled state, left arm wrapping around her friend in a sidehug.
Akani: Thank you…
Marsek: I think this should work, Lieutenant. Thank you.
Dohna: =/\= Lieutenant Dohna to Dr. La Croix. We're trying to get back to you. We have a patient, Commander Kel.
De La Croix: =/\= It's 'De La Croix,' dear, not La Croix! What's become of Commander Kel? And where are you anyway? And don't say in a non-descript glowing tunnel or I may just scream! =/\=
Akani: =/\= ::quietly:: We're in some form of cargo bay, I think? =/\=
Dohna: =/\= I'll get back to you Dr. Croix. Dohna out. =/\=
Marsek: Lieutenant, where are we going? Even with the help, I still can't go that far quickly.
Narhelion: =/\= ~ Narhelion will not leave, Tiny Predator to become extinct. Narhelion want Tiny Predator to have many tomorrows! ~ =/\=
oO What? Oo
Akani: =/\= Where are you three? =/\=
Dohna: Ensign Marsek, ::beat:: What do you make of this?
Marsek: ...This is ancient tech, Lieutenant. ::pauses:: It's mimicking...honestly, it reminds me of a combination of a few early civilizations in the Alpha Quadrant. ::indicates the orb:: I could swear I've seen this in an early-warp pre-Federation schematic - I could be mistaken, of course. Judging by the way Narhelion added in our Jefferies Tubes, she's taking parts of ships or civilizations she meets and adapts them to her own design.
Akani: =/\= The cargo bay seems somewhat sheltered, if you'd like to head there… =/\=
Marsek: =/\= Lieutenant Dohna had us pressing forward with Commander Kel. If you're in front of the cargo bay, turn and head west. Follow the ceiling cables. ::pause:: Oh, right. This is Marsek. =/\=
De La Croix: =/\= Leave it to Starfleet to suggest there's a west inside a space whale...next you'll be telling us to loop by the gift shop in the galleria! =/\=
((A few minutes later, Maintenance Bay, Narhelion))
Velis: There they are.
oO There they are. Oo
Dohna: Is it building another ship?
Marsek: ...Using...wow, it's using everything it's learned…
Velis: ::murmurs:: It’s so beautiful.
De La Croix: Basic bi-radial symmetry...structural elements look complete...there are defined features and protrusions in several places. If this was a humanoid pregnancy I'd say it was well into the first trimester. Maybe early into the second.
oO Woah. Oo
De La Croix: Nary dear, I'm very happy for you but it's a bit unladylike to meet a...ship...you like and immediately decide to have a child. Sigh...no appreciation for romance in this day and age.
Wren: ::still enthralled by the baby ship:: Well, my mothers always said if you want a baby….sometimes you make do.
Akani: True…
Dohna: ::pointing to the red and blue tubes:: Are those nacelles?
Marsek: ::checks the tubes and does a quick reference on her PADD:: ...Nacelles from what appears to be--wait, is this early Bolian? ::ponders:: Might actually be Trill, I'll have to cross-reference. Sorry, I know it's not important right now, but those are definitely nacelles.
oO I don't know what language this is… I need to learn something. Oo
Velis: ::shakes her head:: That doesn’t appear to be a Trill design at all.
De La Croix: This is the most incredible example of self-sustaining bioengineering anyone has ever seen and you're debating the finer points of nacelle design?!
Wren: Well, if we’re tracing genealogy of a new-found species, which is essentially what we’re doing, it would be helpful to know what genetics it took from what parent. The replicated Nacelles are based on a variety of designs from a variety of starships. It’s possible that what we’re looking at is… well, all of them. I can see traces of several design fingerprints. Although… look at this slight curve to the top here at the end ::pointing:: And the… I think they look like tendons where the nacelles connect. This looks almost like a flexor? If that’s what they are… the nacelles seem almost like they could flex and move to aid flight.
Akani: It also seems to have some mild defences… I suspect it'll build up when it fully grows.
Dohna: I'm guessing it's early in the process, but the core is online and the keel has been laid. If those are engines they need to grow quite a bit.
De La Croix: We only have our Federation biotemplates to compare it to but usually a child is somewhere between four to ten percent of the parents mass when born. Considering Narhelions size...::she looked around the massive bay and realized it wouldn't be long until the space was entirely full::...we'll have to monitor the growth rate carefully.
Akani: They'll be huge…
Dohna: I mean, I'm no doctor, but it seems like its healthy.
Marsek: ::does her best to disguise her hobble over to a monitor and checks:: It's reading stable.
De La Croix: Stay still, you've torn several ligaments in your leg and hip...what have you been doing? Wait, forget I asked...weren't you dragging an unconscious Commander around? Where has he gotten off to?
Akani: Narhelion made something for him to rest on, and the blob, for lack of a better word, followed us.
Marsek: Look, it's building inside-out - I think those are the warp coils! I guess it built warp first, impulse second.
Velis: ::grins:: This is marvelous! My colleagues will be green with envy that I got to witness something like this first hand.
Wren: When the cosmozoan chose to reproduce with tiny predator, she created an entirely new form of life. I doubt anyone like it has existed before, or will afterwards.
De La Croix: Ah yes, our colleagues. Fascinating as this is...should we not be...escaping by now? I seem to remember some plan including runabouts...and a bath…
Wren: ::pulling out her tricorder again:: I’m seeing that a large number of us are engaged in a different atrium to th-... above us. Considerably so. But I’m seeing everyone is accounted for thus far. ::with immense relief:: There don’t seem to be any casualties.
Dohna: The commander is over here. If I'm reading this right, his vitals are stable. He might even be smiling.
Akani: Thank the Prophets for that.
Marsek: How long do you think this will take? I'm guessing it'll grow more once it's...erm...-birthed-, so to speak. Does Narhelion provide the basics and then protect it until it's old enough, I wonder...
De La Croix: It's grown nearly two percent in just the last minutes...at this rate it'll be the size of this entire room within a few hours. Beyond that...I have no clue how Narhelions reproductive cycle is supposed to function. I'm a surgeon not an obstetrician.
Wren: It’s…. There are membranes forming on the inside that look like walls. Like it’s forming quarters?
Dohna: ::looking up at the growing ship or rather lifeform:: May your journey be free of incident.
Akani: May your path be clear and calm.
Marsek: =/\= Marsek to Commander Raga. Sir, we've discovered Narhelion's maintenance bay and the source of the power drain. She's--she's diverting power to create a new cosmozoan. =/\=
De La Croix: Oh don't forget to mention Commander Kel. I assume he's around here somewhere....and...oh...
There was a chirp from someone's tricorder.
oO What now? Oo
De La Croix: Did you happen to lose anyone else? There seems to be humanoid lifesigns over there.
Dohna: My team was scattered earlier, perhaps it's one of them.
Wren: We still have someone unaccounted for, but-
Akani: It could be them, then…
Xira drifted off as she took in what she saw before her. There seemed to be an entity not too unlike Narhelion that was growing by the second.
Raga: Responses
Velis: It's a nursery.
oO Ohhhh. Oo
De La Croix: Oh look, I seem to have found Beckie.
She kicked the side of his eva suit with a toe and ilicited a small groan.
De La Croix: And he isn't even dead. Will miracles never cease.
Dohna: Not as long as the Prophets watch over us doctor.
Wren: ::Softly:: Thank you, Narhelion….
Akani: ::whispering:: Thank the Prophets and Narhelion…
Raga: Responses
Velis: That's...actually kind of incredible. ::grins:: Terrifying. Complicated. Possibly a nightmare from an engineering perspective. ::glances at Dohna:: But incredible.
Dohna: ::looking at Velis:: We should take as much data as possible. I feel Commander Kel would be sorry he missed this.
De La Croix: Much as I'd like to take this opportunity to remove that vile mustache, we should probably focus on Commander Kel.
Akani: As far as I know, he wasn't injured after he fell unconscious. He still has injuries from before that, though.
Raga/Marsek: Responses
Velis: ::sighs:: =/\= All right, Commander. Now what? =/\=
Raga: Response
De La Croix: Did he say we're diving towards the fissure? I seem to remember it being a point earlier that the fissure would most certainly kill us all...most thoroughly.
Wren: ::a little panicked:: Is the Ronin in any shape to go through it?? Who’s in charge of engineering, is it Nakada? Is he any good??
Akani: I don't know…
Marsek: Responses
Dohna: Perhaps not Doctor De La Croix. You never know what the Prophets have in store.
Xira smiled softly, but still kept her guard up just in case something went wrong.
At least something had gone right, right?
[End Mission for Akani]Lieutenant JG Renaie Shortrith, MD
Counsellor/Medical Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
They/Them (Player and character)
A240204RS3