Chapter 02: The Versant [ Day 03 | 2100 hrs. ]
CHAPTER 02: THE VERSANT [DAY 03 | 2100 hrs.]
If we are allowed to do experiments on monkeys because we are superior to them in a certain way,
then someone who is superior to me is allowed to do experiments on me.
- Yuval Noah Harari
In the wake of the battle, the Savi applied themselves fully to the repair of their damaged Precept ship. Yet for areas unaffected, and in regard to ongoing science projects, the Code dictated that that the research must always continue.
Leading the group of young Antes through the winding corridors of the Main Research Hull, Aergyn gestured towards the doors on her left side. She spoke in her light, contralto voice, and glanced towards the students with her black eyes. "<While this whole level is for xenological projects, we are now passing the Correctional Labs. These were not compromised in the battle with the Federation ship, and ordinary procedures have already been initiated with the new specimens.>"
"<Can we see them, Decatria Aergyn?>" asked one male Ante in the back of the group, at least having the wits to refer to her by her title when interrupting her. Still, he had no grasp on what the Code said about proper conduct for a student.
"<Yes, but the Code forbids us to directly interfere with the process, so we can only watch,>" she said and raised her hand. Her suit's signature interacted with the phosphor membranes of the bulkhead, and with her Decatria authorisation, it turned opaque. "This is Septenary Correctional Lab, where specimens collected from combatant smallcrafts have been transferred. The process should begin soon."
[ Septenary Correctional Lab | Main Research Hull | Precept-ship Versant ]
Attn: @Hastata-Nerada (Khorin) @Masorin (Isley) @SummerDawn (K'Ren) @Auctor Lucan (Devyrie Okhala)
Interior Image: Inside the lab, the Ante xenobiologist barely noticed the group of students outside when he moved into the area between the four Resequence Pods. He took a deep breath, and tapped the data tablet in his hand. He did not only raise the pods into an upright position, the mechanical sound of the pod rigs suddenly filling the silence of the lab. He also activated the translator so that the specimens in the pods could understand what he said. With great disinterest towards their plight, stripped and restrained as they were inside the biogel pods, with tubing down their throats for nutrition and breathing, he didn't even bother to look into their eyes. They also had a catheter unit clasped around their hips and genitals, just so that they wouldn't contaminate the biogel. They had woken up a couple of minutes ago, and the xenobiologist had merely waited for their futile thrashing to subside before he presented himself. His translated words would be heard as a vibration applied to their ears and their skulls as a whole.
"My name is Cirand and I will be conducting the correctional procedure on your biology," he said, having said the same words hundreds of times before. It was mere protocol of the Code. "Currently, your deoxyribonucleic acids have mixed sets of nucleotides. In other words, you are of mixed biological origin, and in violation of the gift of the Progenitors. Therefore, you will now undergo Correction. After the procedure is done, your memory engrams will be wiped, and you will be released to propagate your chosen species at your leisure."
Cirand tapped his tablet again, and buttons lit up underneath the thumbs of all four specimens, fitted into their restraints. The biogel was clear enough for them to see the light, if they had the presence of mind to notice them. Cirand continued. "I realise I might use the term 'choice' liberally. Our Code dictates that all specimens should be presented with this humane choice. Your preferential opinion will be put on record, but unfortunately, it is the ease of Correction which will determine which species group is more ideal for your survival. If you put your thumbs on the buttons, you will hear which of your species they represent."
Outside the wall, the group of students moved on.
[ Adjacent Area | Octonary Correctional Lab ]
Attn: @steelphoenix (Deacon) @Brutus (Sarresh) @Masorin (Hi'Jak)
When the bulkhead of the next lab became transparent, the Ante xenobiologist Encegin was giving the same instructions to three other specimens, these collected from the hulls of the Federation ship and one shuttle that had been late to the battle. There had been a fourth specimen in the lab, but she had injured herself in her reaction to the Resequence Pod, thrashing too much after waking up, so she had been dissolved and flushed out with the biogel for Recycling. Since the four pods were in each corner of the lab, the other specimens had seen what had happened, and Encegin was relieved that they had mostly ceased to trash at the sight.
"To encourage adherence to the Code and in wish to keep complete records of all Corrections in our Archive, failure to make this choice - however inconsequential to the result - will automatically lead to your bodies being Recycled in order to sustain the Versant. Since efficiency is the doctrine in all our science projects, you will be given one minute to contemplate your choice, but please keep in mind that your memory engrams will eventually be wiped, and you will have no recollection of the choice by the time of your release."
There were thirty labs in that level of the Main Reseach Hull, and they had all been filled with specimens from the Theurgy starship. Encegin was about to start the timer with his tablet, when she noticed an anomaly in one of the Pods, she frowned and stepped up to it, seeing how - aside from Ash'reem and Human DNA - there were cybernetic implants in the specimen. She sighed, because the transporter operators must have neglected to notice that the specimen was impure. With cybernetics interfering with the Correction, the specimen was usually deformed in the process. Even worse, she could not Recycle the specimen with the new policy about metal slag in the biomatter.
"Specimen Nine-Zero-Six, you should not be here yet," she said and tapped her tablet with her large finger. "You will be cued for purification, where your metallic enhancements will be extracted. Your Correction will be postponed for the time being." Having said this, she had the specimen beamed to containment, and it vanished from out of the pod. Once that was done, there were only two specimen left in the lab.
"One minute starts now," said Encegin and tapped her tablet. "Please keep in mind that you will be Recycled if you don't register your preference."
[ Corridor | Outside the Lab ]
Attn: @patches (R'Rori), @YasyraTrill (Laurel Okhala), @Fife (Cross) @Absinthe (Lahkesis), @Triage (Heather & Sinead) & @Zenozine (Hylota & Vinata)
Interior Image: Decatria Aergyn idly waved her hand at the bulkhead before the countdown was finished, having seen it too many times before. Some of the students stifled protests, likely wanting to see what happened next, but Aergyn was already moving across the hallway towards the next stop.
"<On this side, we have just a few of our Containment cells, where we store specimens that have already undergone Correction, along with those in cue for other alterations or experiments,>" she said and made the bulkhead opaque so that the students could see rows of containment cells. Inside, a new xenobiologist could be seen checking the diagnostic readings on panels next to the cells. In one of the bare cells, the impure specimen from the lab they just saw would have been deposited, but the ones in view for the students were two female specimens that had been collected from another starship 48 hours earlier. They were just waking up after their finished Correction cycle. A male could be seen too, taken from the same escape pod.
"<If memory serves me, these two female specimens were humans mixed with Romulan and Caitian genealogy respectively before they underwent Correction. The male used to be both Bajoran and Vulcan." Aergyn turned to her students. "Overall, the reaction to the Correction procedure varies greatly between all specimens, but the majority respond to the sedatives they are given during the time in the pod. Usually, invasive alterations are conducted before pod resequencing, but in some cases, the process is not complete. Should that be the case, they are either Recycled or scheduled for further alterations, if the remaining alterations are not too much a waste of resources and time, of course. What is interesting about that specimen over there... is that we discovered a close match in DNA among those collected from the Theurgy. It would seem the two specimens are siblings with matching parentage.>"
Having shown the specimens in Containment, which had been given gowns to cover their raw, new bodies and fed regularly to keep them resilient against illness, Aergyn moved down the hallway, gesturing towards the area ahead of the students. She did not know when the three were due for memory removal, but since the Versant was damaged, it might be some time before they could be released.
"<In the Biolabs further down this way, we have a few unique projects starting up, since we have been presented new scientific venues to explore after this most recent forage. We managed to secure what the Federation records call a Teslysliac Duplicate, which will undergo extensive examination. When collected, the specimen was damaged, but we were able to preserve its life for sake of the studies ahead. We were also able to collect something our Archive call an Alata, which we treat cautiously for the time being, since its abilities might harm our eyes when looking directly at it without polarised protection. Oh, and there was a mere human collected by accident as well, and while we had initially decided to just recycle her matter, we discovered a control device implanted in the specimen's brain. After this discovery, we are conducting tests to see if the human can be remote-controlled via subspace signal. Therefore, we have decided to keep her.>"
When Aergyn walked by viewpors that overlooked the spear-like deflector and sensor assembly, and she was bathed in the blue light of the Azure Nebula, she came to think about another unique project in the Biolabs. "<Ah, we are excited to have collected two Ovri siblings from the Theurgy as well. So much has been lost about their species in the latest Cataclysm, but already, we have managed to confirm theories about our own involvement in their evolution. The next step is to determine how far they have deviated from the Progenitors' legacy, and see if they can be successfully Corrected.>"
Having said this, Aergyn's black eyes strayed to the vista outside, her black eyes falling to the area below the armoured bridge module. It was the Scion Nest of the Versant's commanding officer - Semathal. Rumour had it that their leader kept a specimen of its over there....
....and no less than an Aspect Maker, if rumours were to be believed.
OOC: This is the starter for Chapter 02, set at 2100 hrs on Day 03, where we will begin with the scene where your characters awake in pods and are given the choice of Correction or Recycling, or they wake up in labs in various degrees of physical restraint. After they were beamed out, they have been in transporter buffers and then put into their different labs. They have no memories of anything after the beam-out. As for the people from the Endeavour, they have already undergone Correction, choice of species made, and are kept in containment cells, dealing with both the ramifications of their choice and their altered bodies. How invasive the procedure has been is up to each writer, ranging from the pods doing all the work, or invasive surgery having to be done after the pods have re-sequenced their DNA.
Now, you all post at least once now, with a post that has the Correction choice made or simply introduce your non-hybrid characters in their plight. After you all have posted, and Supplemental threads have been started, I will post with Ives and move the hands of time forward, until a point the day after, when the Correction has been made, or further experiments will begin (or has already begun). Contact me over PM or Discord if you want to brainstorm for your character's fate!
@Blue Zephyr , we have already spoken about Tiran and what she is up to, even if she can't quite make a move just yet. Still, it is time to introduce Blue Tiran to Episode 05 and the Theurgy story proper, and the same goes for @patches , @YasyraTrill and @Fife and your Endeavour survivors. 
. If you would rather write the scene where the escape pod is picked up before posting here, I am game. Just let me know what you prefer!
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