[END OF ACT III] Lieutenant Commander Divya Tam: On the Wing of a Worm and a Prayer
mrsciroth
((USS Modi, VX-LON System, Subspace))
Negatively phased entities had been driven away by positively phased entities, who then directed the Modi to a way out of subspace. That path is invisible, difficult to detect, and shaped like a giant worm. This had been a weird day.
Tam: It's still there. Follow it.
Vharo: A few more detection points, I should have a workable track as long as its movements stay relatively similar. If it starts moving erratically, we'll be back to wishes and luck.
Meris: The next oscillation should occur in twenty seconds.
Vharo: Alright, alright. I've got something we can work with, maybe. It's only a trace, detection is another issue altogether.
On the main viewscreen, an overlay of green dots appeared. They formed a 25-degree cone. When the phase of the thing they were following changed, another green dot appeared, and Meris adjusted the ship’s direction.
Meris: If your track is accurate the next oscillation should occur 4 degrees to starboard in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
The blank spot appeared at the time and place it was predicted to appear.
Tam: Right on time.
Vharo: Something like that might just work for a detection, we could get the creatures to saturate it with anti-tachyons. That would be something that we could detect between the spaces since it would be unaffected by the switch. The only issue is the effect said tachyons would have on whatever it is we are seeing if any.
Meris: Commander, I suggest we proceed without the anti-tachyons. We do not want to inadvertently place our friends in potential harm. And, we have just demonstrated that we can predict both the time and location of the next oscillation. Long-term prediction likely will not be possible without considerable further study, but we have one hundred and eighteen seconds to ensure both the Modi and the Thor are in the right position to make use of the Subspace Particle Fountain when it appears.
Tam: Agreed. We can try this without anti-tachyons first.
Meris: In that case, I suggest we communicate our plan to the Thor and then attempt to return to normal space. We can alert the Thor to our success by firing a return probe through the event horizon. They can then replicate our efforts to extricate themselves.
Divya inhaled sharply. This was a big risk, but they didn't see another way out. She had the sinking feeling that if they didn’t make it home soon, they would have to face whatever this was. She was not sure they were ready for that.
Vharo: And I was hoping for an easy exit at the end of this, regardless our ad-hoc track should hold steady enough for this plan to not crush us. Not like we've got a bevy of options anymore.
Tam: We will be the test subjects.
Meris: We will need to close our distance to the creature considerably. While the Subspace Particle Fountain is appearing in its wake, each appearance has only been about 200 kilometers behind it.
Vharo: I'd suggest keeping to the center of the wake, the extremities are massively unstable and are fluctuating well above our likely survivability. It will be a turbulent journey but it will be one we complete with a majority of the shuttle still functional, a preferable outcome.
Tam: Take us in.
Divya put together the computer overlay of whatever it was that created the tetryon fountain, Meris's timing, and Vharo's location projection. She prepared it for the Thor in case they were separated.
The Modi creeped up, and the silhouette was visible for a moment. It loomed above them in such a way that made Divya doubt every decision she had ever made.
Meris: The next oscillation should occur in forty-five seconds. Do we have the coordinates?
Vharo: Standby....I've...got it. ::She set a gold marker on their perceived nexus point.:: Deviation error is negligible at this range so that
shouldn't be an issue. I'll prep the probe for its mission, deployment on go.
Tam: =/\= Modi to Thor. We may have found our exit plan, but it is experimental. I'm sending the information now. We will go through, and you can follow if nothing goes wrong. =/\=
Meris: Response
Tam: =/\= T'Jal, thank you for your help. I am proud to have served with you. =/\=
The beautiful, positively phased entities slowed and allowed the Modi to move past them. Divya watched as the distance between them grew. They lingered, and she wondered if they were experiencing the bittersweet emotions of goodbye. The eight glowing creatures formed a ring and flew in a circle, then they each spun a few rotations before flying away, one by one. T'Jal was the last to leave.
T'Jal Entity: =/\= Goodbye Starfleet =/\=
[End Scene and Act III For Tam]
Kara Clark
Lieutenant Commander Divya Tam
Security Tactical
USS Thor
A240104DT4
She/Her (character and player)
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