Lt. Cmdr. Alieth - Echoes Of The Brain In The Void (Part I)
Alieth
[[Corridor, 47th level, Lattice Alliance Unknown Structure]]
The small group of officers had followed the two Sencha holograms
through a tessellation of corridors and hallways, moving deeper and
deeper into the structure, in search of information and a solution to
the problems the USS Ronin and USS Khitomer were experiencing as they
tried to rescue DS33. And, why not, to discover the mystery that
constituted the structure itself, as different as it was from the
other Lattice Alliance facilities and vessels they had observed so
far.
At one point, the corridor took a downward
direction, before the holograms turned towards a large portal on one
side. As the group approached this entrance, they soon found
themselves sloshing through a sort of light-coloured liquid.
Alieth wasted little time in directing her tricorder towards the liquid, as the rookie put voice to what was on her mind.
Syrex: Speaking of up ahead, does that look like liquid on the floor to you?
The Vulcan's slanted brows furrowed softly in the secure atmosphere of her helmet.
Alieth: It looks like some kind of saline biological fluid. It has traces of proteins and some simple carbohydrates…
The commander stood up again, and looked at her two companions. Lorana's tail, sleeved in an adapted section of her EVA suit, moved from side to side, in something Alieth had learned to recognize as a mixture of excitement and determination.
Lorana: I think it’s time to get some answers.
And before any of them could start moving, all their combadges chirped in unison.
Raedai: =/\= Rhine to away team. The Gormangander's target is Alpha particles. Consuming them diminishes the Sencha radiation, but does not eliminate it and does not seem to be affected by it at any time. =/\=
The Romulan's voice came through at a good volume, but somehow with a slight distortion, as if somehow as he moved deeper into the bowels of the structure something got in the way of clear communication. It was, so far, a subtle quality, a crackle of static at the end of the words, but noticeable to a Vulcan's keen ears.
Lorana: =/\= Thank you, lieutenant =/\=
Syrex: =/\= Can you take some scans for us, Lieutenant? =/\=
Alieth: =/\= Have you drawn any conclusions from your observations so far? =/\=
The mist swirled around the group's boots, concealing the water they were treading in for the most part, which made the soft splashing sounds all the more ominous.
Raedai: =/\= In the long run, watching the Gormangander interact with the radiation is fascinating and useful. But the section they are approaching is shielded with a subspace field, which is more than likely at the right frequency to contain the radiation and prevent problems for the station. We need to run an active scanner that doesn't necessarily give us the necessary information, but can certainly warn them of our presence. But this subspace frequency must be in the systems of this complex. =/\=
Lorana: =/\= So, in other words, we need to hurry things up? =/\=
Alieth: =/\=Give us a few more minutes before performing this scan: if we cannot access the core or an incident occurs, proceed to a secure transport and perform an active scan immediately.=/\=
The Romulan had a response ready, as usual, but this time, remarkably, it didn't seem to come with an ulterior motive or a bias. Something that did not fail to surprise the Vulcan, but which she refused to show.
Raedai: =/\= If it does not cooperate, we can connect the Rhine's computer to the complex's systems, pull up all the information while the active scan is running and run away. =/\=
Lorana: =/\= We’ll do our best, we don’t know what it is we’re dealing with yet. In any case, prepare for a quick getaway :: playful :: don’t get too comfortable in the pilot’s chair, Raedai. I’ll be expecting it back. Away team out. =/\=
Raedai: =/\= Response =/\=
Communication broke off, once again, with a cheerful chirp, that sounded utterly out of place in the oppressive, dark atmosphere of the station, far too light for the thick, dense air on the other side of their EVA suits. Soon only the faint sounds of their suits moving, their filtered breaths, the splash of their footsteps and the low, deep, desolate growl of the station were all that could be heard. Without needing to utter a word, the group resumed their march, their holographic guides having vanished a few minutes before.
Syrex: At the very least, if we can find that frequency, we’ll come away with something for our troubles.
The petite Vulcan nodded, appraising where the young rookie's mind was.
Alieth: Indeed, and with knowledge of the subspace domain with which Sencha Radiation interacts, we could find an effective way to shield against it and derived weapons. Or even counter the very weapons that emit it.
The three of them moved forward into a chamber of sorts. There was a walkway that crossed above a large pooling of the substance. The pool of sorts glowed softly, a faint white glow, like that of an ossuary in the darkest night. A vision that nearly made the Vulcan shudder, not because of death itself, a natural destiny of all living beings, but because of the little desire she had to reach that destiny at the tender age of 47. As they made their way to the cylindrical pool, they could see more details of the room and the pool: the pool occupied the very centre of the room, framed between the pylons that seemed to support the ceiling, and which ascended in graceful arcs, lost in the darkness of the ceiling. The tank itself was filled with a dark substance, despite the faint whitish light it emitted, and when they peered over the edge, they could actually see that there were flashing lights beneath the surface, dim and flickering. Alieth wondered if what she saw as a white light might actually be of a particular colour to other humanoids who, unlike Vulcans, didn't have a vision range that veered slightly more towards the reds. However, it appeared that the core was submerged in the centre of the pool, with four access panels placed around its outer cylinder. These were clearly not designed for humanoid appendages, and had a series of holes and sliders too large for any of their hands.
[[Tags! /TBC]]
Lieutenant Commander Alieth
Chief Science Officer & 2O
E239702A10
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