Resurgens Actio pt 2
Posted on Thu Mar 3rd, 2022 @ 1:04am by Commander Dean House & Commander Finchley Kerr & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Commander Sandra "Phantom" Risa & Lieutenant Commander Thriss Kla'ren & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Lieutenant Niali Korial MD & Lieutenant JG Avarak & Commander Jennifer Baldric & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell
Mission:
Paranoia Nebula
Location: USS Sunfire
Timeline: Current
Last time on Star Trek: Sunfire
Bridge
After Dean and Sandra got their fighters squared away, both of them stepped onto the Bridge. Or at least he did if Sandra didn't want to go up there. Giving a look around a moment. Not bothering, for now, to head to 'his' chair. "There's data that I grabbed before heading back, it should be headed to Science and Tactical now."
"While it is coming through, is there anything you can tell us from your recon patrol Mr. House?" Savar asked his executive officer.
"All I know is that whatever that is, gave both of us the heebie-jeebies. The closer we got to it the more our gut said no. That's why I went in closer before coming back for those scans, sir."
"So we're not exactly sure, Captain." Dean shook his head.
"That thing is alive! There is no question about it. It moves and has the ability to send out certain thought patterns to make you see or hear stuff. I got the sense that it feeds off energy", Sandra said trying to shake the feeling again of someone watching them.
Finchley looked up from his console. He'd been scanning the area around where they'd first detected the Ferengi vessels.
"Captain, with the exception of the decaying ion trails of where the Ferengi ships entered this sector, I can't find any physical traces of their ships anymore, they're completely gone" he told Savar "It would appear that whatever has been causing our troubles has, to coin an old phrase, swallowed them up."
"Interesting." Savar commented simply. "It would appear that your statement is correct Mr. House. As our scans can find no trace of them as well."
"Captain," the young ops officer announced. "Despite our all stop, we are steadily moving towards the Nebula. At first I thought the Nebula was expanding in our direction, but after checking the charts, we have slowly been pulled closer to it. It appears to be a low level type of tractor beam, source unknown."
"It was just a gut feeling, like I said. It'll probably take Science and Ops an hour or two to analyze the data. Which I know we may not have." Dean gave a little sigh. "Lets see what kind of strain it may put if we try to reverse course against it. Reverse one-quarter impulse, Helm."
The helm officer pressed buttons and shook their head no at the same time. "Controls are sluggish at best. The more we attempt to pull, the more it feels as though we are being pulled. It's like something has their tendrils wrapped around us and is pulling us in." He gave a side glance at the ops officer who coincidently had tendrils growing from his face and added, "No offense."
"Hmm..." Dean narrowed his eyes a moment, "Tactical, work with Engineering to reverse the polarization of our hull. Give it a good shock, if doing do doesn't work for the shields."
"The work on depolarising the hull's already completed Commander" Finchley reported to Dean "I'd suggested it to the Captain along with a 'plan b' of raising our shields, oscillating the harmonics and sending a tachyon pulse along the outer edges of the shield giving us the effect to whatever's probably looking to eat us getting very nasty electric shocks. That was just before you came back on the bridge Sir. The Captain asked me to make the necessary arrangements and stand by to implement them" he finished.
Turning to Savar he said "Both plans are now ready Captain, and can be implemented on your order."
Turning to Kerr, Savar addressed him. "Very good Mr. Kerr. Let us try the de polarizing of the hull first. See what kind of results we get with that."
The creature tasted this new morsel within its grasp, wondering how much time it would sustain it for. Many metal alloys, composites, and many many life forms. Yes this morsel was very good indeed.
"Aye Sir" Finchley replied to Savar and at once initiated the depolarisation of the Sunfire's hull.
As it was completed, Finchley turned to the ships Helm officer and said "Try easing us back now, but this time, use thrusters only."
The Helm officer nodded and began firing the thrusters "It doesn't appear to have any eff...no, wait, we've stopped all forward momentum...now we're backing up again. Fifty metres...one hundred...two hundred...five hundred..."
Glad that it was working, Finchley said to the Helm officer "Now slowly increase power till you reach one quarter impulse power, but no more than that."
"Aye Sir, slowly increasing power to one quarter impulse" Helm replied. Moments later they said "One quarter impulse Commander."
"How are we doing on gravitational pull?" Finchley asked.
"It's lessening all the time Sir" Helm reported.
"Keep going, steady now" Finchley said, keeping his eye's on his console as well as listening to the Helm officer reporting.
After a few minutes, the Helm officers voice rang out, "We're free of the gravitational pull Sir!"
"Increase to half impulse, get us at least two sectors away from the anomaly" Finchley replied "and match any increase in velocity of whatever it is coming after us."
"Aye Sir" Helm replied.
Finchley turned to Savar and said "The plan appears to have worked Sir, we're clear from the grip of whatever it was that had a hold of us. We're going to be matching any increase in power they'll try in coming after us. Should I begin a full scan of the hull Captain, just to make sure everything is still structurally sound?"
Savar nodded, "By all means Mr. Kerr. We need not to let our guard down. We are still in a precarious situation. We need not have a structure failure now."
The young ops officer was monitoring the Nebula, suddenly offered in a worried tone, "Captain, look." And pointed at the viewer.
Outside the Nebula creature quickly expanded in the direction of the Sunfire, a gaping maw with translucent tendrils around its peramiter, now within .5 AU of the ship and closing. Its influence and harmonics increasing. Its only desire to consume and it's primary weapon decapitulating fear. Despite to polarized hull, the ship had power and lots of it. Power was always worth the bad taste.
The helm officer suddenly screamed, clutching her ears as the buzzing in her head intensified. Somewhere below decks hundreds of officers, crew members, and enlisted suddenly succumbed to the terror before them. Manifestations of creatures, fires, and all sorts of worst fears alike.
As chaos insued, only a select few seemed immune to the visions and horrors that engulfed them. As S'thenosis stepped out of her cabin for her afternoon stroll she passed several crewmen who were clearly not in their right mind. One man ran toward her, his shirt ripped open, blood oozing from a cut in his chest.
He grabbed her by the arm, "ma'am, their everywhere! We're lost. They will destroy us."
"Who? Who will destroy us crewman?"
He didn't respond, simply clutched his head and ran off. She watched him leave, one eyebrow raised, then turned and moved torward the turbo-lift. This called for a visit to the bridge.
TBC.
