Lt JG Taj'el - The plot thickens
Taj'el
(( Master Control Room, Studio 1, USPS Showrunner ))
Taj’el was, admittedly, becoming increasingly frustrated, both with the situation and with their own deteriorating ability to maintain structured thought. Emotional spirals rose and fell in waves, each one harder to suppress than the last. They attempted to anchor themselves in observable facts, but uncertainty steadily eroded that discipline.
When Commander Kreshkova approached, Taj’el’s reaction was immediate and uncharacteristically unguarded. For a brief moment, they nearly closed the distance into what could have been interpreted as a gesture of relief, an instinctive acknowledgment that they were not alone in the environment.
The unfolding explanation regarding a treadmill-like system began to impose a kind of order onto the chaos. The repetition of space now carried a plausible mechanical rationale: reused assets, looping pathways, and controlled environmental staging. It was not reassuring, but it was coherent.
Upon the door opening, they were confronted by a more feral Naledi figure—an entity with pronounced, blade-like appendages. The threat was immediate and unambiguous.
Taj’el’s response was purely reflexive. Their body moved before deliberate thought could intervene, and they ducked in time to avoid what might otherwise have been a direct strike. Under normal conditions, such hesitation would likely have resulted in injury.
Something small seized them from behind. As Kreshkova pulled them back. And their fear made them run as a disorienting sequence of doors happened.
At one point the creature was even carrying Taj’el. Tears formed at the edges of their vision, not fully processed yet still physically present, a response the body initiated faster than conscious regulation could suppress. Fear was no longer abstract or compartmentalized.
Taj’el: Don’t eat me. I taste like… um… dog?
Probable Paws: Rut?
Kreshkova: Tito, zhe next time zhey run zhrough, see if you can grab her.
Tito: I’ll try.
Kreshkova: Zhere, Tito! She’s zhere.
Strong arms caught them, steadying their momentum and pulling them out of the chaotic retreat.
Taj’el clung to the larger figure without conscious decision, the reaction immediate and unfiltered, an instinctive anchoring response after sustained threat exposure. For a brief moment, they remained pressed close, their composure reduced to something closer to relief than analysis.
They looked up at the man holding them, expression unguarded, eyes still bright with residual fear but now tempered by recognition and gratitude. The comparison that surfaced was inelegant but accurate: a drenched, disoriented creature finally removed from immediate danger.
Tito: Gotcha you Doctor
Taj’el: Lieutenant… th—thank you.
As the creature was forced back through the doorway and the immediate threat receded, Taj’el’s grip loosened.
With no remaining momentum to support them, they slowly slid down Lieutenant Tito’s body in an awkward, almost absurd descent, until they reached the floor. The residual tremor of adrenaline remained visible in their posture.
Even after contact was broken, they did not fully release their hold, instead remaining lightly clutched to his leg as if confirming, through proximity, that the danger had truly passed.
Kreshkova: Are you alright, Taj’el?
Taj’el: …I… am more shaken than I thought I would be.
Kreshkova: Ve should find a place to regroup. If ve can get avay vizhout zhis creature following us.
Watching Commander Kreshkova cautiously peer through the doorway, Taj’el noted that the feral entity was no longer immediately present. It appeared to have withdrawn deeper into the environment or relocated beyond the visible set boundaries.
With the immediate threat reduced, Taj’el gradually released Lieutenant Tito’s leg and rose to their feet. They brushed themselves off with a small, methodical motion, as though attempting to restore order through physical correction.
Only then did the full weight of their relief register. Their entire posture loosened as their body released a sustained breath they had not been consciously holding. For a brief moment, the tension that had dominated their behavior gave way to something almost resembling disbelief at their own reaction.
Tito: Let’s get back, I have a feeling this Monster is related to the dead person.
Taj’el: I… concur. However, it did possess sharp scythe-like arms. Would it not have simply caused lacerations to the victim rather than strangulation?
Tito: Looks like we've got a mystery on our hands
Pulling out a notepad, Taj’el tapped at its edges and began documenting everything they knew. The act was grounding, structured, sequential, a return to systems that followed logic rather than uncertainty.
They compiled what they understood of the situation: the looping environments, the inconsistent spatial continuity, the repeated assets, and the staged nature of the encounters. Alongside this, they recorded fragments of knowledge retained from S’tark’s prior influence, procedural instincts that, while incomplete, might still be applicable under current conditions.
Their thoughts briefly drifted toward possibilities for concealment or evasion. If standard Starfleet protocols applied, a combadge might have offered signal masking or environmental interference options. The idea was considered, then set aside as speculative without equipment confirmation.
Their hand moved instinctively to their chest. There was no commbadge, the absence registered slowly, then with increasing clarity. Taj’el’s brow furrowed as they looked up toward the other two officers, the realization interrupting their structured cataloging.
Taj’el: I would have said we have a hostile alien, but I suppose it is also part of the mystery.
Kreshkova: Response
Paws: Response
As the dog-like creature rounded the corner, it immediately drew Lieutenant Tito’s attention.
Tito: Where did you come from? I thought you had stayed put?
Paws: Response
Taj’el: Wait... I require clarification. What does this have to do with the alien and the deceased body?
Kreshkova Response
Tito: Timmy fell down a well? Who is Timmy?
Paws: Response
Taj’el raised a hand awkwardly, the gesture tentative, an interruption offered with visible hesitation rather than authority.
Taj’el: So now we must save Timmy?
The question came less as certainty and more as an attempt to establish operational direction in an increasingly disordered scenario. They glanced down at their notepad, resuming their structured note-taking. The act helped stabilize their thoughts as they spoke aloud, half to the group and half to themselves.
Taj’el: A fall can be fatal. However, if there is still water present within the well structure, the primary risk would shift to drowning. That outcome would depend on the specific design of the well and the depth of the water reservoir.
Their tone remained analytical, though the underlying intent was clear: reduce the chaos into defined, solvable variables.
Kreshkova: Response
(( Crime Scene-Outside, Studio 1, USPS Showrunner ))
Unsure of any alternative course of action, the group continued their sweep of the decrepit structure. The pattern of following the dog-like creature persisted. Taj’el recorded the uncertainty without assigning weight to either interpretation. Eventually, the environment transitioned outward.
They found themselves outside the old house, where nature had long since begun reclaiming the structures. An overgrown shed stood nearby, vines and brush partially obscuring its frame. Adjacent to it was a stereotypical well, its stone rim weathered and darkened by age.
As they approached, the situation clarified abruptly. A small team was already present, actively establishing a crime scene perimeter. A body was being recovered from the well. The procedural staging suggested the investigation was already underway at a different operational level, or had been retroactively inserted into the environment as they arrived.
Before the group could fully assess the scene, a young officer broke away from the perimeter and hurried toward them.
Officer: Detectives, Doctor, you made it. One victim. Eighteen-year-old Caucasian male. Presumed cause of death: drowning.
Yellow evidence markers surrounded the body near the well, forming a numbered perimeter. Personnel in white protective garments guided Taj’el forward with practiced efficiency, positioning them for a closer examination.
Gloves were applied again without hesitation. While not a specialist in forensic pathology, Taj’el’s background in biology and medicine provided sufficient grounding for a preliminary assessment. They produced a stethoscope and proceeded with a basic examination of the remains.
The findings were consistent with a post-mortem state. No active cardiopulmonary function was present, however…
Taj’el: Actually… there is no water in the lungs, and, much like the other victim, there is bruising around the neck region.
Kreshkova/Tito/Paws: Response
Lifting the victim’s hands, they revealed paint transfer along with visible bruising across the knuckles and fingers. Holding it up so the others could see their findings.
Taj’el: This implies he fought his attacker, but I am uncertain about the significance of the paint. A proper laboratory, or a tricorder, would be required for definitive analysis.
Kreshkova/Tito/Paws: Response
Standing, Taj’el moved toward the well, forcing their attention away from the personal implications of the scene. The mental separation was deliberate: the deceased had to remain an abstraction, a variable in an unfolding case rather than a recognized individual. Anything else risked destabilizing focus, and potentially revealing too much to an observing system.
Taj’el: It appears a rope was used to lower or dispose of the body into the well. That would account for post-mortem cervical trauma, consistent with a fall after death rather than a fatal injury sustained prior to placement. The victim was likely deceased before entry into the well. ::pause:: What is your assessment, detectives?
The word hung in the air for a moment longer than intended.
Taj’el blinked, expression tightening slightly as the realization registered. The designation had not been part of the established structure. It was an extrapolation, an imposed role derived from observed behavior patterns, not confirmed rank or function.
A brief, quiet recalibration followed. The environment’s influence, or their own psychological adaptation to it, was becoming harder to distinguish.
Kreshkova/Tito/Paws: Response
