Cmdr. Alora DeVeau - "Entry Denied"
Amanda Nordstrom
(( Outpost – VX-LON-3 – The Tangle ))
As they arrived at the outpost, Alora saw evidence of life, but not actual people herself. Perhaps she might have seen more had she looked up when they were landing, but so be it. Outside, the K class planet did not present much hospitality, and so she passed out respirators and warmer clothing.
Stepping outside, Alora scanned the scene, but there was little on such a barren planet. Rocks were plentiful, and off in the distance, the jagged peaks of mountains rose against the thin, dark sky, like teeth of a great beast - and they had just landed in its jaws. Sweeping her eyes away, she noted the long line of flat land that led not only up to the outpost, but beyond. The land itself was black mingled with red and silver, quite pretty, but devoid of plant life.
After asking about communications, Caras confirmed that it was not possible, a disappointment to the science officer. Lack of communication only complicated their mission, but that didn’t mean they would give up, or that it was impossible. They would adjust as necessary.
DeVeau: Well, I was hoping that our closer proximity meant that it would be feasible, but…all right, let’s see if someone will answer the doorbell.
Checking her respirator, Alora then zipped up her jacket and made for the main building of the outpost. Divya had brought them quite close, so their trek was short. Stretching out her hand, Alora tapped the console off to the side, then selected the portion that would alert anyone within of their presence. While they waited, Caras took scans of the area.
Caras: ::scanning:: It’s sending just fine. This habitat still has power…
“It” being the signal sent when she pressed the console. Glancing at the others, Alora stretched out her finger and pressed it again, and once more, waited. Outside, the wind continued its tuneless whistle and tried to cut through the collar of her jacket. While Alora was not Cardassian or Vulcan, she did prefer and could tolerate warmer temperatures. She’d also a pretty good handle on cold, but having wind was a different beast. Flicking her collar up, she drew the zipper to the very top.
Tam: Rude or not, I wouldn't be opposed to insisting we be allowed entry.
Caras: Anything is more welcome than this howling. ::hitting the panel:: Hello!? We’re from the USS Thor, We’re here to assist. We received a distress call.
He didn’t stop there, but continued to scan, trying to get more information that would be useful for them. Hopefully, it would be useful to get them inside, though that remained to be seen. That time, it was Divya who pressed the call button, and announced -
Tam: I am Lieutenant Commander Divya Tam, Chief of Communications on the USS Thor. We understand something is wrong and would like to help if we can. Communications are down, otherwise we would have contacted you before arriving. Please respond.
Despite her attempt, she was met with total and complete silence.
Tam: Is the panel broken?
DeVeau: I’m not the best person to ask that.
But from what she could see, there wasn’t any indication that it was broken. Supposedly the tapping had done something to alert those within. Divya began to press several buttons in an attempt to get some sort of response. Meanwhile, Caras’ scans paid off.
Caras: That's not it.. Wait… that means that the viewer is active… They’re watching us.. Maybe even listening to us.
With that declaration, all lights on the panel suddenly cut out. Someone had indeed been listening.
Caras: Oh no you don’t! We’ve come here to help. Commander Tam, a little bit of assistance?
Stepping back, Alora let Caras and Divya do their thing, though her smile revealed an internal amusement that she didn’t quite share with them. How funny they were forcing them to accept help, but considering the situation, it was an appropriate step to take. Using tools from his kit, Caras soon had the guts of the console exposed.
Tam: If we re-route power from L1 through D6, we should get power and voice back.
DeVeau: I’ll take your word for it!
Alora wasn’t about to interfere or get in the way of people who knew what they were doing. Very quickly, Morro made the modifications and replaced the cover.
Caras: There. The panel is back. We have control. The line is active. They can’t shut us out, or mute themselves, or us.
To prove that they had performed magic, rustling and whispers echoed from the panel. People inside obviously knew they had done something, and now, Alora had an opening.
DeVeau: This is Commander Alora DeVeau of the USS Thor. We’ve received your distress signal and have come to offer aid.
Voice: =/\= No! Go away! We can’t trust you! =/\=
Well. That wasn’t quite expected.
Tam: Commander, what was it the report said the outpost came down with? Tangleitis? Is that contagious?
DeVeau: We don’t know yet, but considering that it’s affecting more than one person, I would hazard a guess the answer is ‘yes’.
Sighing softly, she knew that nothing was ever easy - especially on missions. Inside, people needed help, but they weren’t inclined to accept it. How often had that happened over the course of her years? A few times.
DeVeau: Symptoms of the disease mentioned aggression, but I don’t feel like this is aggression.
Caras: Response
Tam: Ah, paranoia then?
DeVeau: It would seem so.
Canting her head at the panel, she wasn’t sure if the people could see them after whatever Morro did. Maybe not, but it was obvious by that time they could see them.
DeVeau: May I have the name of the person with whom I’m speaking?
Caras: Response
Voice: =/\= No! I said go away! You, leave now or we'll =/\=
The voice cut off for a moment before it stammered back to life.
Voice: =/\= Something bad. We will do something bad. Go, now. Away. =/\=
Alora shared a glance with everyone. She didn’t know who the other person was, but obviously, if a signal had come through, they really did need assistance. Assistance had come, but now they rejected it.
Tam: I fully understand why you wouldn't trust us. We are strangers after all, and you don't know us. Believe me, I'd love to fly back to my warm ship and forget all about this, but we were assigned to check on you. You know how it can be with Command and their assignments.
DeVeau: We’re concerned about you and your people. We’ve heard about the illness, and we’ve come to help you find a cure for it.
Tangilitis was an interesting name. If she had been told that name in a different context, Alora likely would have thought someone was joking or even laughed. There, however, the Tangle was real, and whatever had happened, people’s lives were now in danger.
Caras: Response
Once again, the whispering coupled with some footsteps sounded from the panel, echoing an anxious indecisiveness that plagued them as severely as the actual illness likely did. From the sound of things, someone else shifted into place, and that time, the voice that came through was a little deeper.
Voice: =/\= You could just be saying that. =/\=
Tam: Well, yes, we could. You see, we came across an emergency beacon and responded with two teams with a minimal crew. That's standard. You could scan us and the outpost to see exactly where we are and the types of shuttles we have. That would prove I’m telling you the truth.
The whispering returned, more frantic in nature, and Divya pressed on with her attempts to convince the residents to let them inside.
Tam: Do you know how to scan the outpost?
Voice: =/\= Of course we do! It's this button right here. ::pause:: Oops.=/\=
Oops? That didn’t sound good. Alora froze and listened carefully, but she didn’t hear anything. If it was just a scan, then they wouldn’t.
DeVeau: Divya, keep talking with them.
Turning, she murmured to Caras softly to ensure her voice did not carry.
DeVeau: At this point, we may need to find another way inside.
Caras/Tam: Response
Poor Divya. Diplomacy likely wasn’t on her agenda for the day, but the Ops officer kept them busy while she tried to figure out the next steps with Morro. If Divya could keep them distracted, perhaps they could do something to actually make progress.
DeVeau: What do you have in mind?
Caras/Tam: Response
Normally, Alora would not take such actions so quickly. If they were dealing with people who weren’t their own, she would have certainly tried further diplomatic endeavours and, at the end of the day, back down if they were uninterested in allowing them entry. However, these were not strangers - not really. They were all Starfleet officers, and since strange things were afoot, she was more inclined to take actions knowing that people were in trouble.
DeVeau: I’m not opposed to it. They should be able to recognise us as officers, and if they don’t, then that says something is definitely amiss and we need to get inside.
Caras/Tam: Response
-- Commander Alora DeVeau Chief Science Officer USS Thor & Matriarch of the 15th House Betazed M239008AD0