Bridge Post 5

Posted on Sat Jul 23rd, 2022 @ 7:58am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Ashlesha 4827/A & Lieutenant JG T’Neela & Ensign Kitiuas Thenis & Remal Kajun

Mission: New Harrington
Location: Bridge
Timeline: Current

Ensign Thenis did a quick scan and caught the secondary science station just 100km of the starboard bow. There was a bright green flash. and the ship rocked gently from the small blast wave emitted by the explosion. Then what appeared to be a green misty cloud start to drift towards the planet, with two small tendrils, one drifting towards the USS Sunfire and the other towards the Main Orbital Weather Station. "Captain," Thenis said "I recommend we raise shields."

Captain Kaylen Rhenora raised eyebrows at the new development. Apparently they had seriously underestimated this virus. Was it a product of whatever was going on with the master orbital weather platform? Or was this something completely unrelated. " We raise shields we lose contact with the away team and cut off aid to the planet. " She cautioned, but even she couldn't see much alternative. They had to protect themselves against this latest threat.

" Tactical - raise shields and aim weapons on that....thing. Ops, advise the planet we can no longer transport anyone from the flood zone. " She ordered from the command chair.

"Sir!" Ashlesha Green replied with a nod as she put in a call to the administrative office. She found what she hoped was a high ranking bureaucrat and tried to patiently explain the problem.

Ashlesha Gray murmured, We can avoid what is coming at us, but what about what's heading for the planet?" more loudly she said, "Perhaps we need to make ourselves a threat, make it focus it's attention entirely on us?"

Rhenora tactical mind was playing in both fields, if they protected themselves they would be able to keep assisting the planet and possibly rectify whatever issues were going with the weather systems. If they placed themselves in danger and failed - millions would die. It was a moral dilemma with no correct answer.

" Protect the ship first, then if we can destroy that tendril going towards the planet we will" She finally answered.

Ensign Kitiuas Thenis wondered what individual or individuals would be sick enough or unhinged enough to create such a diabolical virus. It most definitely reacted to the small amount of EMP she hit it with in a most explosive way. She now wondered what it would do. She began running another intense scan of it, hoping to find a way to either destroy it or neutralize its effects.

Meanwhile Ashlesha was in combat with that most lethal of adversaries: the bureaucrat.

"No," she said with forced patience, "I do not know when the transporters will be available...No, I am not aware of how many people are currently in danger...No, my 'manager' is not available at this time...!"

Hearing the conversation Ashlesha was having Rhenora couldn't help but smile. Every planet had them, and that didn't make dealing with them any easier.

" We need options people... quickly. Will firing on that...thing...neutralise it or just make it angry?" She asked as she made her way over to where Ashlesha was working.

While Green wrestled with bureaucracy Grey replied to the Captain, "I am not sure if firing on it would harm it, sir, but a shot across it's gassy bow might give it pause and draw it's attention to us. My concern is, what if it spreads into the atmosphere and contaminates the planet's technological infrastructure? At least if we keep it's attention focused on us, where we can keep ahead of it, we might be sparing the planet another potential disaster."

" Mr House, fire a warning shot close to it but not into it, see if you can draw it's attention" She turned back to Green who was getting nowhere with the bureaucrat. " If you cant make him see any sense, don't waste too much breath trying" She shrugged as she headed back to the centre chair.

"Aye, sir," Ashlesha murmured gratefully. As the bureaucrat attempted a snide comment Green made adjustments that made hash of the screen and replied with a mournful frown, "Oh, I -orry, -eaking up, -ying to-"

And she cut the connection.

Ensign Thenis was monitoring the reactions of the green cloud like mist, trying to discover more about it, when a small beeping on her console caught her attention. She looked at it and saw it was the sensor she had on the Anesh and the surrounding area. She gasped audible “Captain, the Anesh settlement appears to have a massive category four dust storm heading towards it. The dust storm is 24.14 kilometers wide or 15 miles wide. It will reach Anesh in the next 45 seconds.” Just as she finished with that statement another beep on the console brought her attention to it, with a sigh she looked at it “Captain, the situation in the Northern Hemisphere is about to get a lot worse, sensors are starting to detect underground sliding which will lead to earthquakes which, “ here Thenis typed on the console a few things “will lead to the capital city. I estimate we have about one hour before the first tremors are felt in the city.” Mean while the sensors on the green cloud like substance began going off. The scent of cinnamon, roses, vanilla, and now lilac wafting off her strongly now, as her anxiety had risen.

"I believe I can make it a little hot for them." Dean amped up the voltage of a few phaser blasts close to it, so it would do just that. It would physically be hotter with less damage value to them.

Thenis watched the science display data as the green mist seemed to ride the Phaser fire away from the ship then slowly spread out even more across the possible curvature of the planet. Meanwhile the tendril coming towards the ship slowly made its way toward them. The other tendril on the other hand seemed to speed up towards the main weather station. "Captain, Commander House, are you seeing the reaction?"

"Damn," Grey murmured as she watched the cloud's reaction. She had truly hoped they could get the thing to turn it's full attention on them. More loudly she said, "Captain this thing certainly acts like an intelligence; if it was more primitive that shot should have caused it to either run from us entirely or turn and come at us full on. Instead it's doing three things at once as if it has a definite purpose."

She turned to Thenis, "Can we tell where the rest of it is bound?"

Thenis returned to her scan of the cloud, the scent of cinnamon, roses, vanilla, and now lilac wafting off her. She tried correlating the data she had with the actions the virus cloud. The strand going towards the main weather station would be there in approximately five minutes. The strand coming towards the ship, approximately ten minutes. The interesting thing was the expanded virus cloud that was now stretched over the curvature of the planet seemed to be forming small strands that were starting to head towards the planet's Lithosphere. She began tracing the route they would take once they started down. They correlated with the ground system weather stations. "Captain, the one tendril will reach the main weather station platform in approximately five minutes, the tendril coming towards us will arrive within ten minutes. The main cloud formation is forming into individual strings and will enter the Lithosphere within two minutes, over twenty ground system weather stations." with this she pulled up and overlayed the information on the main viewscreen.

" Move us between it and the main weather station, then hit it with everything we've got. It had a chance to back off now I need to protect our people" the Captain was firm in her command despite the knife twisting in her gut..get this wrong and not only would the away teams potentially die, but everyone on the ship and the planet as well.

Ensign Thenis gasped out loud as she watched the main cloud formation bunch up into twenty little glowing balls and shot towards the planet like falling stars. Her calculated trajectories being correct the suddenly seemed to speed up and head through the Ionosphere causing it to turn a cherry red then electric blue and finally a neon green in color. Her analysis showed that where these had penetrated the Ionosphere, then the Exosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, Troposphere, and finally penetrated the Lithosphere of the planet next to each of the plotted ground weather stations; it left a vacuum like hole that swirled with the cherry red, electric blue and neon green colors. The nodule vacuums they created where about 0.3048 meters in diameter or one foot in diameter. “Uh, Captain I believe we have a problem.” Her voice squeaked, and the scent of her hormones increased; cinnamon, roses, vanilla, and now lilac wafting all around the bridge.

"To add to the long list of problems we currently have" Rhenora pinched the bridge of her ridged nose as if it would stave off the tension headache that was blossoming behind her eyes. Out of nowhere Ronson, the ships Yeoman appeared with a large coffee nestled safely in her non-spill 'oh crap' mug.

She mulled through the options available, they couldn't extend the shields around the whole planet to stop the breathable atmosphere from leaving. Perhaps they would 'stitch' the holes together enough as though suturing a wound?

Ashlesha found Thenis' scent to be increasingly distracting. Both of her rubbed her face and tried to concentrate.

"The virus exhibits signs of sentience or being controlled. But we're not seeing any means of control so is it too weird an idea to attempt to communicate?"

" This might sound a bit crazy, but can we match a carrier wave to whatever frequency we think it could be operating on and try to communicate?" The Captain agreed as she watched the destruction play out on the main viewscreen. Millions of lives were at stake.

"Worth a shot," Ashlesha Gray noted as her hands flew across her operations console, "Thenis, do you have some idea what frequency it might be communicating on? I can sent out a beam to the main body. Maybe send it binary numbers, something simple to start."

Ensign Kitiuas studied the data that had been collected on the ‘virus’. The nanonite chlorophyllin seemed to react with any energy form directed at it and convert it to another form of energy or store it as necessary. The third strand in the chloroplast tri-helix cell seemed to act as a brain for the individual cell. As she examined the data closer she say signs of quantum energy being sent back and forth along each individual cell, as if communicating with each other. Suddenly she had a revelation it reminded her of a hive mind; similar to Aglaia Ants, Wasp, and Bees. Each was an individual living creature, capable of individual acts and reactions; but when in close proximity of each other the intelligence and capabilities increased. She turned to the captain, “Captain I have made some further discoveries. The nanonite chlorophyllin is able to convert energy directed at it to another form of energy or store it as necessary. The third strand in the chloroplast tri-helix cell seems to act as a brain for the individual cell. The cells seem to be communicating on a quantum level. The worst problem though is that the cells are separate entities, that grow stronger as a hive mind creature, level of intelligence increases as more of them are together, along with the ability of the hive; similar to Aglaia ants, wasp, and bees.”

"Interesting" Rhenora mused, " A hive mind indicates a Queen on some sort though, are you saying these are all 'worker bee's?" Or something of the like.

Dean did some checking for a moment, over a thought he had. "Well if it's quantum, then we can modify a quantum torpedo. Sort of like mines, to emit a conflicting frequency. It should disrupt that coming from the Queen, causing the others to stop what they are doing and run to protect her. If we are still looking for a way to save both that is."

" Ready a torpedo - if we can't communicate with it we may just have to show it we mean business" The Captain lamented. The concept of possibly destroying a new live form was difficult to swallow, but when all else failed, this thing could decimate another planet if they didn't slow it down.

His fingers started on the station in front of him, as well as a PADD. Moving to some other stations as he worked. "I may need to go down and do some physical changes as well, but not yet. Speaking of a frequency. We might could send messages once we lock the one being used down. The only problem would be figuring out the language. What is hello to them, we might accidently send that they're all going to be murdered."

Kit was nervous and her voice cracked a little as she spoke up “Captain, may I remind you the energy released by the quantum torpedo will most likely disrupt their communicating between each other, the energy released WILL be absorbed by the ‘virus’ and may be used against us. I am almost positive it is a ‘hive’ mind though, and no telling how it will react to the away team on the orbital weather station, if that is where it originated from."

" We need to disrupt its method of communication if we can't communicate with it direction to clarify it's intentions. At the moment it's being hostile and posing a threat to our people and those on the planet. Have you narrowed down a method of communication?" Captain Kaylen asked the team in general.

"Right, Ensign. However, that is why we have shields, as well as we'll know the frequency being used," said as Dean looked to Kit from the XO Chair. Was kinda comfy, even if temporary. "This is why we come up with back up plans."

"And with our track record - back up plans of the back up plans of the back up plans." Rhenora laughed as she headed back to the CO's chair and dropped into it, taking a sip of the coffee from her 'oh crap' non spill mug made for days just like this one.

"That as well," glancing back and forth from the XO chair's side console and the PADD, as well as back out along the Bridge.

" So the plans - option 1 - communicate with it and try to negotiate a solution, option 2 - disrupt it's own internal communication, option 3 - destroy it" the Captain confirmed for the benefit of the bridge crew. "Then we still have the issue of the weather platform, and the natural disasters on the planet to contend with. "

Kit began looking at how the "cells" were communicating at a quantum level. She was no expert in the field and definitely not a communication specialist. An idea occurred to her, she turned to Ashlesha and asked, "I know this is a personal question so please feel free not to answer, but you said you are able to 'communicate' with your sister over on the weather satellite station, how do you do it?" Just then two of the monitors she had monitoring the surface went off.

The Captain watched the bridge crew bounce ideas off each other and work like a well oiled machine, despite the new arrivals still finding their feet. They were all talented officers in their own right but working as a team was almost breathtaking. Whilst they were brainstorming how to communicate with the creature, the Captain was doing some rapid study on how they may repair the atmosphere that the creature had punctured.

TBC