Ensign Keneth Nakada - Escape From Starfleet Psychiatric Services
Keneth Nakada
(( Compartment 1507, Deck 6, USS Ronin ))
Keneth wanted to scream. Long, hard and preferably into a deep, echoing valley. He had considered replicating such an environment but noooo, the holodecks were booked for six weeks. There weren’t even six weeks to use on shore leave! So he was left to scream into his pillow like the common, unnotable inside-screamer.
Computer: Distress detected, are you in need of assistance? :: beep ::
oO Gahhhh auto-monitor. Of all the mind numbingly idiotic things Starfleet Psychiatric Services had to think of … Oo
For officers returning to duty, such as yours truly, Starfleet Medical occasionally enabled the auto-monitor. It was billed as your friendly emotional support artificial intelligence, designed to help you reach your true, magnificent, breathtaking, potential as an officer. It was also the single most irritating thing in the universe. Twenty minutes ago, he was taking a nice relaxing shower and it warned him that hot water could be harmful. THEN IT MADE THE WATER COLD!
But none of that explain why Keneth wanted to scream.
Nakada: Disregard, computer.
No, that was because he had seen the List. The repair List had 9,394 separate items, itemized, color coded and sorted by priority. Admittedly, some of the list was suspect. “Crewman Norton’s Doorknob is loose.” had rocketed to the top since the enterprising man had submitted it four hundred and seventy seven times.
Still he really didn’t want to fix – any of it. He glanced once at the roster, decided that Commander Tucker was aboard and promptly pulled on some jeans. Normally, he was the stay on board type. He had spent many shore leaves puttering about Jefferies Tubes. But somehow, he just couldn’t any longer.
Computer: :: cheery voice :: Elevated stress levels detected. Did you know that stress is bad for you? Try some light Klingon calisthenics today at 3 PM!
oO No.NO. NOOOOOOOOO. Oo
His eyes darted wildly as he looked for his escape. He’d seen the folks who did Klingon Calisthenics. They would tie his noodle arms into a pretzel and then he wouldn’t even be able to type … on second thought, maybe he should consider this?
Nakada: Computer, stop.
A beep sounded, starting the fifteen minute timeout clock. Fifteen minutes to get out … but to where? He sprinted along the deck, weaving through crewmembers and exocomps and … what looked like a tiny Narhelion in a wig. Of course, the Narhelion! The structure they were in was helping repair the ship, which was great, because they had basically no warp drive to get to Starbase. Shore leave tended to be in new and interesting places, but this was easily one of the most unique Keneth had seen. He thought for a second, but after the near death experience on the bridge, he could use some distance from the ship. Which was how he found himself in the transporter room.
Nakada: Computer, one to beam down.
And it wasn’t a moment too soon.
Computer: Elevated stress levels detected, would you like to try a gagh smoothie? High level of antioxidants …
Keneth narrowly avoided puking as the ship dissolved around him.
(( Caretakers' Nodule, The Reef ))
The station wasn’t squishy. This had been a legitimate concern of his, considering the Narhelion was alive. Crowds milled around him, seemingly looking for quarters. For his part, he wasn’t so comfortable staying … here. He might be on break from the Ronin, but it was still his ship. He had cried and cried at every sleepover growing up, and maybe he’d never outgrown that desire to be somewhere familiar at the end of the day.
It didn’t take long to move past though. From what he could tell, the station was huge, with little doorways branching off all over.
oO Surely somewhere I can scream around here. Oo
He passed through a couple of rooms, but found nothing of particular interest. There were some peculiar decorations, including a strangely shaped spider-like statue in one room. He stared at it for a bit, wondering what it reminded him off. Perhaps a Greek myth? Neither history nor mythology had been his strong suit, though archaeology was quite the common Federation pastime. He stared for a second longer, lost in thoughts of his brother. They boy had loved a dig. Eventually he shrugged, and carried on.
It seemed like he wandered forever, but was likely around five minutes later, whenhe found something that made him stop. The room had a strange feeling when he entered, but he couldn’t quite place it. Soon after he passed the archway at the front of the room, hundreds of flashes filled his vision. He blinked rapidly, trying to stop seeing spots.
Even more curious, however, was the opposite wall, where the lights blurred into a mosaic of sorts. It was filled with vague shapes of a sort, made of either light or negative space. It was almost M.C. Escher like, with every perspective telling a different story. What story though, he wasn’t sure.
Before he could look more closely, the mural suddenly began to move, the light shifting such that the characters shifted. It was a beautiful effect to watch, the scene fading in and out gently. A thud from further down the hallway caused him to jump.
oO What was I thinking?! Obviously we can’t be alone here … Oo
Keneth cautiously continued along the mural. He could hear beeping and muttering as he grew closer, a, mysterious, shadowy silhouette on the ground. Heart pounding Keneth tried reciting first contact protocols in his head.
oO F.I.R.S.T. – find … out? Intimidate? No that can’t be right. Imitate? R for … reciprocate! Yes! But reciprocate what? Oo
He drew himself straight. He WOULD make first contact with the weird spider statue thingy in the room and he WOULD …
Marsek: H-hello?
Nakada: Hello, I am Keneth Nakada :: exaggerated motion to himself :: from the United Fed-
Any: Response(s)
It … it wasn’t a spider. In fact, he was sure it was someone he recognized.
Nakada: :: confusion:: What are –
Marsek: I'm not--I'm just looking!
Any: Response(s)
He could feel a rapid flush in his cheeks as he imagined the torture that would be inflicted upon him if someone discovered he had thought Ensign Marsek was an unknown spider and he had tried to make first contact with her.
oO Ugh. Oo
Nakada: :: embarrassed smile :: Ensign Marsek? I don’t believe we’ve been introduced, Ensign Nakada. :: pause, gestures at mural :: Seems impossible to get meaning from these …
The ensign glanced over her shoulder and back at the tricorder in her hand.
Marsek: ...Impossible? No, improbable, if I could get a read on these figures...
He hadn’t brought a tricorder of his own, but rocks to replicators and all that, he supposed. He crouched next to the mural, looking at the surface. It was smooth, and very white, almost pristine. Light danced across it, but there was something not quite right about it.
Nakada: :: absently :: I think this is a projection.
Marsek/Any: Response(s)
In fact it was a very sharp projection, with very straight contours and edges. It would take advanced optical technology and precision manufacturing to achieve this effect.
Inhale...
A deep breath from his compatriot distracted him for a second. But he couldn’t see why. Then again, it was hard to see anything in the room except the mural. Which was …
Nakada: :: muttering :: Of course! :: to the pitch darkness behind him :: The light isn’t casting any shadows, or even lighting up the room – it’s, it’s almost like it doesn’t exist. :: glances around room ::
Marsek/Any: Response
He wondered if that was why Marsek couldn’t get any read on the figures.
Speaking of the figures, they seemed to still be shifting. He brushed the surface again and it sped up. The vaguely bowing figures seemed to rise, and stand, continuing in almost a march, straight into the distance. The mural almost seemed to continue forever. He glanced at Marsek.
Nakada: :: apprehensively :: Do we follow them?
Marsek/Any: Response
He had basically no experience with the sorts of puzzles archaeology tended to be, if that’s what this was. But it was quiet, and away from the ship, and he could forget everything for a couple hours. Isn’t that what shore leave was supposed to be?
Ensign Keneth Nakada
Engineering Officer
USS Ronin
J239706KN0