[Act I Start] Lieutenant JG Meris: The Tip of the Spear
Meris/Brian
Helmsperson’s Log, Stardate 240305.12, Lieutenant Junior Grade Meris reporting, leading the away team aboard the shuttlecraft Magni.
Captain Promontory’s distress signal had reached the USS Thor in fragmented bursts. What little data survived transmission suggested the civilian liner Syren’s Song had come under attack somewhere within the Svairu Corridor. Commander Saa led the Thor to the signal’s projected origin only for us to discover what appears to be a localized protrusion of the Tangle extending into normal space. The protrusion has been dubbed the "tidepool" and it appears to somehow be connected to the greater Tangle anomaly though it is unclear how.
Near the tidepool we located the Syren’s Song, the USS Janaran, and a third unidentified vessel that appears to bear no official affiliation. Some have speculated it may belong to a local pirate group. All except the USS Janaran were found to be devoid of life. Aboard the Janaran the ship's First Officer was recovered from the warp core. I can't imagine what would possess someone to climb inside a warp core. What was he hiding from? Commander Herrick, Captain Promontory, and Commander DeVeau remain among the missing.
Commander Saa has dispatched multiple teams and my assignment is to lead the survey mission directly into the tidepool region. I'm joined by Lieutenant Commander Saschenka Kreshkova, Lieutenant Vitor Tito, and Ensign Talyra who is on loan to us from the USS Chin'toka - a vessel I know mostly by reputation following my recent acquaintance with Lieutenant Is'Kah Xiron.
I do not entirely understand why Commander Saa selected me to lead officers considerably more experienced than myself. Lieutenant Commander Kreshkova alone possesses more field command experience than I likely will have accumulated for several years. Perhaps Commander Saa believes my piloting specialization makes me suited for navigating the unstable spatial conditions presented by the Tidepool. Or perhaps she simply determined I was the least necessary officer aboard the Thor should this mission fail.
oO That is not the most comforting thought. Oo
Still... I appreciate the opportunity. I only wish the circumstances were different.
In addition, Commander Saa recently advised me that I should speak honestly with Captain Promontory regarding the falsehood I told him on Stardate 240301.19. I intended to do so following the Captain's return from the Syren’s Song. Now the Captain is missing, and I find myself wondering if honesty delayed too long eventually becomes impossible. I sincerely hope the Captain survives this. I do not know what I would do if I never had the chance to right my wrong.
End Log.
((Shuttlecraft Magni, Svairu Corridor))
The Magni cut through the darkness ahead of the Thor like a blade thrown toward a storm.
Beyond the shuttle's canopy, the Tangle tidepool pulsed in reddish-orange waves against the blackness of space, its edges flexing and receding with unsettling rhythm. Not unlike breathing. Or circulation. Thin filaments of iridescent light curled through its interior like bioluminescence drifting beneath deep ocean waters.
If the USS Thor was the spear aimed toward the anomaly, then the Magni was the sharpened tip pointed directly at its heart.
Meris rested their hands lightly against the flight controls, making continuous micro-adjustments as gravimetric eddies rolled invisibly against the shuttlecraft’s shields. The inertial dampeners hummed a little louder with each kilometer they advanced.
Lieutenant Commander Saschenka Kreshkova accompanied Meris aboard the Magni in their role as mission specialist though Meris privately suspected at least part of the Human officer's purpose here was to oversee and evaluate their performance as team leader. Also aboard were Lieutenant Vitor Tito and Ensign Talyra who were there to provide scientific analysis of the tidepool as the shuttle pressed steadily forward.
Talyra was the least known of the officers aboard and, had it been up to Meris, they likely would not have brought the Romulan with them. It was not that the J'naii pilot harbored any ill-will towards the Romulans, it was simply that they were an unknown commodity being thrust into a dangerous situation. Meris reflected on this, thinking...
oO Better the devil you know... Oo
The silence inside the shuttle carried tension, though not panic. Not yet.
Meris: Has anyone ever seen anything like this before?
Kreshkova/Tito/Talyra: Response.
Meris glanced toward the shimmering edge of the tidepool again as another wave of distorted light rolled across the shuttle’s forward shields.
Meris: What is the recommended distance I should maintain from the anomaly?
Kreshkova/Tito/Talyra: Response.
A proximity alert chirped softly across the helm console. Ahead, partially obscured by swirling interference, the faint silhouette of the Syren’s Song slowly emerged from the glowing haze like a derelict surfacing from beneath deep water.
Meris straightened slightly in their seat.
Meris: We are approaching the projected origin point of the Captain's signal.
Kreshkova/Tito/Talyra: Response.
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Lieutenant JG Meris
Helmsperson
USS Thor
A240207M14