Team Savar pt 3

Posted on Thu Nov 30th, 2023 @ 6:16pm by Patin & Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant JG Blake Leone & Ensign Kitiuas Thenis & Senior Chief Petty Officer Ronson Mitchell

Mission: Halloween
Location: Castle - Main Entrance
Timeline: Current

-SNIP-
"What have you done?" A menacing voice from above threatened. "You cannot defy us!"
-SNIP-

Patin raised her voice to the ceiling, "We can, and we will, just try us." She baited despite knowing she only had the one grenade, the enemy didn't know that giving her the upper hand. "Orrr... we can talk." She rolled her eyes at the thought of 'talking' things out, but knew Nozzie would at least have tried.

"We do not desire hostilities, but we will defend ourselves." Savar chimed in. Perhaps they could get the creatures to listen.

The voice rolled like cracking thunder, it was starving and the fresh feast in front of it had a defense it wasn't expecting. However it still believed it held the upper hand.

"We know of your ship, and those aboard it. We have our kind bringing about its downfall and those aboard it will feed us for a long time" The voice threatened again. "Your Captain is frightened, we can feel the fear, taste it even. It is delicious."

Savar said nothing as the creature spoke. It was overconfident, too sure of its position and that would be its downfall. "It is good you know of our ship. We can and will defend ourselves and you will lose." He said with quiet certainty.

"Your ship is ours to do with as we please. It will keep your kind alive until we can feed on them. In the meantime, you and your team will allow us to rebuild our strength." Another apparition appeared at the top of the grand staircase. Black and ghostly in appearance.

"I think not." Savar replied with quiet determination. All while thinking of a way to defeat the ghostly creatures.

There was a green discharge bolt from one of the towers, casting an eerie glow in the gloom as it headed skywards. "Dinner is about to be served" the being cackled. "And you shall be the appetisers"

"Phasers out. Prepare to fire." Savar called out to the other members of the team.

Ronson whimpered, not wanting to be inhabited again, nor to become a meal. He pulled out his phaser. "Are we changing to kill setting Sir?" He asked hesitatingly.

Savar looked over to Ronson, who still looked a little shaky on his feet. "Stun first Mr. Mitchell, then if unsuccessful we will take the next step."

"Aye Sir" Ronson replied. The apparition retreated back along the corridor, wether thinking better of its previous plan or going to get more of its kind. For an instant the foyer was empty of all but the away team. The energy released from the upper tower was building again, the team unsure if it were a weapon or not. Their equipment was now working intermittently, Ronson managed to get a layout of the building on his tricorders before it fritzed again.

"Sir, the floorplan. These look like labs, there's weirdass energy readings coming from there, but the main energy is coming from this tower here" he huddled the rest of the team.

Kit pulled out her phaser and then took one of her small earrings off her ear. What she was about to do was technically illegal in the Federation, but was perfectly legal for an Orion citizen. She opened the casing of the phaser and then squeezed the earring. A small crystal like rock came out. She gentle placed the crystal next to the discharger array for the phaser. Now when she fired the phaser it would create a short burst of antithoron rays. She hoped to the Thousand Gods it would hurt the beings, or at least slow them down.

Savar nodded at the information Ronson showed him. "Let us proceed to the labs. Perhaps we can gain information in how to stop these creatures for good." He looked at the other members of the away team. "Stay alert. Cover each other."

" Aye Sir" Ronson raised his weapon, changed the setting to the heaviest stun setting - and headed up the grand staircase towards the series of labs they had seen. It was time to put an end to this and save their ship from becoming a feast.

"Aye, Sir." replied Kit. She had one last task, she set her tricorder to a very low, inaudible frequency, one that should alarm should one of the non-corporeal entities neared them. I'll have a little surprise if you should. she thought.

"Have you still the floorplan available that we can view Chief?" Savar asked Ronson as the team prepared to move.

"Aye Sir" Ronson stopped and showed his teammates, sending the map to each of their tricorders. They came to the first floor landing, a long corridor with many rooms leading off it ahead of them. "This way" he said.

Kit began a swift scan using the modified inaudible frequency to triangulate where the entities may be. Her tricorder began to beep as she came closer to the hallway off the grand staircase, the beep started getting louder and more frequent. "Uh, folks. We have company ahead."

Ronson pocketed his tricorder and brought his weapon to bear, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. The creatures were coming from a lab up ahead, where one of the energy signatures was emanating from.

"Are there any in this room here?" He asked, indicating the door to his left.

Ensign Thenis turned her tricorder to the indicated room, the beeping slowly died down to a barely audible beep. “There is something in there, but what ever it is it barely registers. The low frequency scan I am using to detect them barely picking up any signs.”

To this point, Patin had simply tagged along, weapon at her hip. They had already demonstrated that a phaser was of no use against these energy creatures. Hell even a propellent based weapon was of no use. In fact, she wondered what they were still attempting to accomplish by moving further towards the potential danger without any sort of plan.

But, her curiosity was piqued and she was on board for whatever may happen. Be it good or blood and gore, she was down for the ride. Taking another hit from her flask before asking, "So, uh, you gotta plan once you bust in on the ghoulies? Or ya just gonna let them take over your body again? Because that worked so well the first time." Her sarcasm seethed.

"We wanna destroy whatever it is they are using to suck energy out of other lifeforms" Ronson replied as they opened the door revealing a laboratory inside. There were several storage tanks, large enough for a humanoid to be placed inside. Cables hung unused inside the suspension medium within the cylinder. It reminded Ronson of an ancient Earth movie called 'the Matrix'. His blood ran cold.

Kit did a quick scan of the so-called laboratory. Her tricorder picked up faint residual emissions from the large storage tanks. When she was done she immediately thought of a Holonovel game she occasionally played that was based off an old Earth video game called Baldur’s Gate Two: Shadows of Amn. It reminded her of one of the Laboratories of the Arch Mage Irenicus. She shuddered, that was not a pleasant Holodeck scene or scenario. She slowly walked to one of the large storage tanks, enthralled by its nature.

Patin took one look at the tanks and the chains within and couldn't help but think about her basement back home on Bajor. "These look fun. Think they plan on using this stuff on us?" She asked with a strange tingly sensation itching at her 'this just got interesting' button.

"We must neutralize the creatures." Savar addressed the group. "Can you scan the tanks and ascertain what their contents are, and can we use them for our benefit?"

"I can think of a number of ways to use these," Patin said, amused. "More importantly, why are they letting us be? Why let us get here without a struggle. You'd think if this room were important they'd be attempting to stop us." She was serious in her tone, then like a toggle was flipped "Ooh I wonder whatever it is, they do hurry. The anticipation has me on edge." She took another drink, then shook her bottle, nearly empty. Far be it she be the voice of reason.

" The medium is capable of containing an organism without harm, kinda like saline I guess. These tubes are interesting, two are for waste, one looks like oxygen, another for nutrients, which means this last one... hooked into that big ass machine over there, must be for harvesting " Ronson paled at the thought and struggled to control his stomach.

Kitiuas walked over to the machine that Chief Mitchell pointed to as being used for harvesting. It had some very old-fashioned dials and levers. She reached over to one of the levers and pushed it forward. One of the tanks began to gurgle and bubble. She pulled down a lever and suddenly a loud screech was heard “Nooooo.” The chains in the bubbling and gurgling tank began to thrash about.

Savar looked over at the machine that Kitiuas had pushed a lever on, resulting in a loud screech which was instantly followed by the rattling of chains and a low mournful wail. What have you discovered?" He asked Kitiuas.

Kit thought a moment as she considered the machine. She carefully came to a conclusion “I believe we may be facing the remnants of the test subjects. These non-corporeal beings are the original victims of the experiments. Now they torment and seek life from their surroundings. I also believe I may have captured one and brought it back to its containment tank.”

Ronson couldn't control his stomach this time and threw up in the corner of the lab. These non-corporeal beings were indeed living of the energy derived from corporeal beings. They had to be stopped.

"Lets blow this joint up" He said as he straightened, "If we cut off their food supply, they'll die"

"I knew I liked this kid, finally, some action." Patin said, the joy within evident on her face. "Just say the word boss and we'll level this place, no sweat."

Kit looked at some of the dials, they were marked in a language she recognized Imperial Kolari. It was extremely old though. “Gisjacheh!” she cursed in low Orion. She quickly read the controls. “Commander, the writing on this control panel is extremely old Imperial Kolari. I can make it out, but a lot of it is archaic in nature.”

"What can you make out Ensign? Is it a way to defeat these creatures for I agree with the Chief, they must be separated from their food supply." Savar answered.

Ronson watched as Kit read the instructions, the slush of water creature had been 'harvested' now floating like a grusesome flotsom within the tank. His stomach lurched again. "Sir the second team is on their way to the upper tower, we may have coms."

Savar nodded at the bit of good news Ronson had provided. "Very good Chief, see if you can establish contact with them. If so, let them know our situation here."

Kit struggled some with the translation as Imperial Kolari was not often spoken or written, and this version was archaic, coming from one of the First through Twelfth Thakolarivaj. What she gathered was that the dials could be used to draw emotional energy from a being and transferring it to another. This process could be lethal for the being having its emotional energy drawn from it, turning it into a dried out husk. The levers allowed the energy to be transferred back and forth between beings and could draw the spiritual self of a being into it.

Kit turned and relayed the information to the rest. “With the caveat. I am translating my peoples language from around 200,993 BCE; and like current Orion it involves a continuous exchange of a subtle, ambiguous code, full of double meanings, ambiguities, intentionally vague words and interpretations that depended on context.” She sighed, “It also means that ancient Orion’s visited, enslaved and tormented the original inhabitants of this planet for their own pleasure.”

Patin froze near the door, "Shhh, nobody move. I hear footsteps." She pulled her sidearm and took a defensive position.