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91
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH. 3 S [Day 01 | 1315] Growing New Roots
Last post by AbsintheDeux -
[ PO1st Artimis Saugn | Shuttle craft Faraday | IKS Kolath landing bay ] @P.C. Haring
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Once the trunk was safely secured in the rear compartment Artimis Saugn made her way to the forward section and took a seat. As with standard launch protocol she strapped in and in doing so made the first real sound since she had come to the forward section. She noted the reaction of the pilot and inwardly smiled. It was more than likely she was telepathically invisible and she liked it that way. It was easier to process information quickly when she did not need to keep her thoughts cluttered.

"I have been assigned to the Theurgy to learn about the nature of the parasitic life-form and any possible connection to the prototaxites stellaviatori mycelial network," Artimis explained flatly. It was the simplest version of her assignment that was of public knowledge, her purposes beyond that were strictly need to know. She knew there would be questions about her presence aboard the ship and even though her position was menial, her nature was something of an outlier among the crew, not to mention her physical appearance.

She smiled sweetly. "Kind of a clinical way to say that I'm here for the same reason any of us are here, to beat the bad guys." She held up a fist and beamed in a truly adorable manner. She looked about as threatening as a infant saber cat,
92
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH. 3 S [Day 01 | 1315] Seeding Unknown Soil
Last post by AbsintheDeux -
[ PO1st Artimis Saugn | Diplomatic Council Offices | Deck 2 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] @Ellen Fitz
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For a long moment Artimis said nothing, she simply observed the interactions of the others. Then came the question and her eyebrow raised. She was used to being under some degree of suspicion, so this was nothing new, but it did seem odd. Still she maintained a pleasant smile and calm posture.

"No more so than your biology could be hacked to spread an number of harmful viruses, though from my research into the incident, there was no indication the Teslyliac member of the crew at the time suffered any ill effects, though I have yet to see the medical files on the incident," Artimis replied smoothly.

She sighed and looked around the arboretum and smiled at all the green and life that surrounded them, but a shadow seemed to fall over her as she turned her attention back to Jordan. She studied her for a moment, the way a wine connoisseur studied a new wine. She did not allow herself to stare for long, but she did take a moment to look at her before she spoke again.

"I can understand that it was a troubling experience, but," she tilted her head slightly as she continued, "do I strike you as that much of a threat?" She almost seemed to pout as her eyes seemed to grow larger.
93
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: PRO: S [Day01 | 1030 hrs] The World I Know and the World I Don't
Last post by joshs1000 -
[CPO Avander Lok | Recovery Ward | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Dumedion
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Lok listened with a visual sign of relief on his face as Doctor Leux played off the whole thing as merely some over enthusiastic boxing. The thought momentarily crossed his mind, perhaps I should pick up boxing. I always say I’m going to but never do. He was happy that Arven would show a bit of discretion on this matter. While yes Lok had been on a self destructive streak since the war ended it wasn’t as if he wasn’t trying to get better, see counselors and the like, curtail his drinking; but the main point was is that he do this himself, he didn’t want to burden anyone but a professional with his own burdens and even then he was still hesitant to bring that kind of stuff up.

The voice of Thea returned once more. Guess she’s like an operations officer or yeoman or something, he thought to himself, completely unaware that it was in fact the ship’s AI. She concluded that for the time being with the two most senior officers off the ship that Lok’s medical information would have to wait. Arven was quick to do it the old fashioned way and create an offline copy directly onto a new PADD, along with the information from the one Lok destroyed, something that he found somewhat endearing. He could go on for hours about the endless whining he heard from officers if the internal network went down and they couldn’t access their data or send data someplace else. “Thanks Doc, I’ll try to take care of this one”, he responds with a sharp toothed grin before hopping back off the biobed.

With everything taken care of now medically, it looked as if Lok could finally leave and get back to his, well, life. Arven soon confirmed this but, perhaps curious, asked what the large hulking feline was going to do about a new pair of clothes. Lok gave a simple dismissive wave and replied, “It’s alright, I have some uniforms with my stuff…hopefully they didn’t toss it, but if they did I remember what I need to tell the replicator to get a new one.”

He listened as Arven explained the discharge process and that he was to come see him again for a followup in the next three days. Then, with their business concluded, Lok followed Arven out of the Recovery Ward and back into the Main Sickbay. Now, with a bit more direction he found his way out, still wearing nothing but his hospital gown, he felt really no shame when it came to his nudity. He walked past the reception area and gave a small wave to Nurse Kitty who gave him a curious look and then a nod to Arven who was nearby, “See you in a few days Doc.”

And with that he was out the door and now could continue where he left off or well continue what he had been left with. Whatever plans he had had for his life were over. After requesting the location of his personal effects, he padded his way through the corridors of the massive ship. He pondered his life as he went, what led him here, he wondered if things had turned out different if he would have just gone to another ship and been blissfully unaware of what was happening. At the moment it seemed like his life was over. If anything of what he had seen and heard was true then how was it possible that this all didn’t end with death or rotting away in some prison for the rest of their lives. Would he ever see his family again? Would he ever see home again?

What happened to the good old days, when all you had to worry about as a Starfleet officer was going where no one had gone before?

The world I have known is lost in shadow.

FIN
94
Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: Chapter 5 S [D02 | 0740 hrs.] We The Disgruntled
Last post by chXinya -
[PLt. Selena Ravenholm | Gallli Forum | vh’Jann | Romulus] attn: @P.C. Haring @Dumedion @Griff

As soon as the transporter beam let go and the first raindrops splattered onto her face, Selena glanced up in annoyance at the weather. Of course the transporter operator had warned them about the storm so she knew what to expect, but it was still frustrating. Quickly pulling the hood of the dark grey cloak she had thrown on over her lengthened black hair, the woman turned her attention to a quick scan of the alleyway they’d beamed down into. If the reports of the grey architecture weren’t being exaggerated it was hard to tell the way the dim lighting and precipitation just sucked all the color out of everything that wasn’t a light source. That wasn’t what her enhanced vision was looking for though, after switching spectrums and overlaying an energy scan numerous devices popped up out of the grey dullness. Cameras for the most part, all linked to a central transmitter up on a nearby roof. The others were already commenting on the environment around them, and at Kino’s comment about the surveillance, Selena could only nod in agreement. “Assuming they’re not already on us. As energy dense as a city will be, it’s not quite that easy to hide a transporter signal if they’re looking for it.”

Which is where her skills came into play. It was no coincidence that they materialized right next to the control panel for this section’s surveillance network. Stepping up to the “garbage bin”, Selena’s now flesh-wrapped hand found the hidden control pad and slid it open, revealing the old-yet-still military-grade keypad underneath. Retrieving the small tricorder out of a pocket in her cloak she stood close to the bin to hide her actions from the cameras and started her work to slip into the system. Kino was already griping about the time which brought a furrow to the tech expert’s still-smooth forehead. “Keep your ears glued on, this’ll only take a minute. Just need to make sure I don’t trigger any alerts.” Hathev had some ideas of her own about how big the group should be and Selena chimed in there as well, “Might as well, but I need someone to stand roughly two meters between me and that gutter over there.” She pointed to the rainspout running out of a metal gutter that had been broken off halfway up the wall. “It’ll keep the camera next to it from seeing exactly what I’m doing.”

Watching the cracking program run on the smalls screen, Selena tapped a few subprograms into the queue every so often as the automated security protocols started sniffing for a rat, but she had plenty of cheese to keep those occupied. Thanks to the older, known, protocols this particular access point ran off of, it took just less than the promised minute and she was in. Quickly inserting the pre-made malware Selena smiled as the system’s logs promptly rewrote themselves into a series of nothing but empty, rainy alleyway. “Tch, I expected better out of the Tel Shiar.” she chided the famed intelligence service, uploaded the final programs, then withdrew from the computer.  Pocketing the tricorder and closing the panel cover she turned to face Lillee. “All done here, unless someone happened to actually see us beam in there’s no record of it. As for our own eyes and ears, I can slip into the system whenever I want. I’ll have to be careful with how much I use it though, the more often I slip in the more likely it’ll be they’ll notice the intrusion.”
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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH 2: S [Day 01 | 1435 hrs] When Trolls Dance, Vulcans Growl
Last post by EnigmaTales -
[ Lt. JG V'lana | Sickbay Lobby  | D. 21 | V. 2 ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz

V’lana gave Cross a somewhat indulgent smile, not minding his cursing, and understanding very much how frustrating it might be to attempt Vulcan meditation techniques. Once she had made sure that there was no contraindication to administering a general analgesic, she requested a hypospray with the appropriate dosage, and waited for one of the assistant nurses to bring it.

“Well, first things first, let’s make sure you are no longer in pain. Or at least minor to moderate levels of pain, not.. you said something about trolls. I don’t know what those are, but it doesn’t sound pleasant.” 

She administered the medication, tracking its success through the neurological scan.

“The thing is… you will hate this… but since you are fully Vulcan now, you will most likely have to deal with everything that comes with the territory. Every species has distinctive biology that developed over thousands of years, and it doesn’t really care that you used to be different, or find meditation frustrating.”



She considered, trying to think of a good example. “I get an enzyme injected that allows me to digest what is considered “normal food”, and I generally wear clear contacts that make working on well-lit environments less unpleasant. I could wear contacts to change my eyes, use a bronzer, and I could probably pass as human. But I am not. That became very much clear when someone injected me with a medication that was perfectly okay for humans, but basically fried my brain.”



Which had been the reason why she was in stasis, and V’lana would certainly still be angry at the person who did this - if that person was still alive.

“Fact is, your physiology likely doesn’t give a damn about whether you like meditation or not. Buuuuut I am absolutely willing to see if we can figure out what sort of meditation helps with your current issues, and then see what prevents others from popping up”, she suggested. “How’s the headache? Better?”
96
Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 17 [2200 hrs.] Aftermath's Embrace
Last post by EnigmaTales -
[Lieutenant J.G. V'lana | Arboretum | Deck 22 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Dumedion

V’lana found it curious to be shown where Arven’s mind was going. She had already gotten the sense that the man didn’t socialise much, and his statements regarding potential drama and setting expectations made her beliefe he had been burned more than once.

The next statement, that she was a “nice person” and would find a more suitable social circle quickly enough, only confirmed that.

“I am nice.”, she agreed. “But, believe it or not, I do also have my flaws. Not many, mind you, but certainly a few. Being nice only gets one so far, and it’s always been my… well, less nice friends who enabled me to be nice in the first place. Which is to say that I don’t need people to be nice - I can do that on my own - I need people to be supportive and on my side. Nice people are usually shit at that.” 



V’lana gave a small sigh, and found that once more, her professional and personal life were mixing in ways she didn’t necessarily want. That was less about present company, but rather that her demeanour in a professional context set the expectation that she was the exact same outside of her duty post.

“My best friend is… was…”, she thought about that for a moment, then settled on “Is. She is the same as you. Generally a bit of an asshole, and there were a few times I wanted to throw my PADD at her. I think there was one occasion where I did.” V’lana smiled at that bittersweet piece of personal history.

“What about you?”, she asked eventually. “Do you have friends here, family, people you love - or at least like - or are you somewhat of a lone wolf?”
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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: PRO: S [D01|0925] Mindbuggery Of The Highest Order
Last post by Dumedion -
[LT Arven Leux | Main Sickbay | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Griff
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The change in Alistair’s emotional state was so sudden, so complete, all Arven could do was blink rapidly in amazement; the man's vitals leveled out to normal in a few short breaths – higher brain function enabled nearly instantly – as if something had merely flicked a switch. Bloody hell, the Trill’s mouth opened and closed with attempted speech, as Leavitt actually started laughing. Free from the retribution Arven honestly felt he deserved, the doctor visibly relaxed; head cocked to the side in a curt nod of appreciation at the unexpected dismissal. “Well, Ms. zh’Ptrell is the resident subject matter expert on such things,” he commented distractedly, eyes flicked from the human to the display and back again in a rapid search for further anomalies; lesions, hemorrhages, inflammation, neuro-chemical imbalance, anything else that could possibly explain this incredible shift in behavior, but found none.

Leavitt’s follow-up questions earned the human a dismissive frown and shake of Arven’s head. “Did Sarah instigate a threat-response high enough to trigger you? I doubt it,” Leux answered dryly, his attention focused on the display while his fingers spread and dissected the three dimensional image of Leavitt’s brain. “No, she didn’t notice it because she wasn’t looking for it – she was looking for remnants of the Niga virus and…well I don’t know what else she was doing quite frankly. We do have very detailed anatomy measurements – I’m sure those will come in handy,” he added cynically.

“Steady on, one step at a time.” Once the anomaly was clearly visible, Arven retarded the data recording from before Alistair’s “episode”. “Tumor? Not a chance,  you’d be d- …well. It’s not a tumor. As far as a problem,” he shrugged, “depends on your definition. Look, watch this.”Arven gestured to Leavitt’s brain, while he called up a similar image of another patient from the database to its left – two disembodied brains hovered in the air, painting them both in a light-blue glow. Leux pointed to the new brain. “This is Charlie; his symptoms include night-terrors, anxiety, depression, survivors guilt, classic case of PTSD – but the causality is the same: terrible, horrible experiences. This is Charlie’s threat response.” Of course, Charlie was a young female Petty Officer that died months ago from wounds taken during the Azure Nebula battle, but Arven was stretching the line of patient-practitioner privilege enough already.

Leux tapped a button, and the segmented brain lit up with inner electrochemical activity, like an inverted disco ball; yet the limbic system – that hind-brain, autonomous engine of survival – glowed with dominance. “Charlie is in fear for his life, seeking to escape the torment of his own experience, but there’s no escape from your own mind,” Arven commented quietly with a wave of his hand. “The mind locks up, the body follows – fairly standard response; now, lets look at yours.” Arven gestured back to the rotating vivisection of Alistair’s brain and began the playback.

“Note the spike in activity here,” the Trill jabbed a finger right into Leavitt’s brainstem. “Amy pops, but then –“ he froze the recording, as a bright yellow flash of jagged lightning erupted from the nubs of the amygdala to branch out throughout all ventricular lobes and beyond. "That there is your 'problem'."

Leux folded his arms over his chest with a shake of his head. “Ever seen anything like that? I’m no neurologist – but I sure as hell haven’t,"  he shrugged. “I can’t even tell you what it is, but I can tell you what it’s not.” Arven counted off his fingers. "It’s not synthetic, it’s not mechanical, it’s not supposed to be there, and it's definitely not impeding your basic autonomous neurological functions, because your still alive, obviously.”

Arven shook his head, at a loss. “If this was done during your…treatment aboard the Relativity, I’m not even sure we were meant to detect it; whoever or whatever did it went to obvious lengths to ensure that wasn’t the case – without dabbling into the labyrinthine laws of the timelords and potentially incurring their wrath, I mean. What do you think, Mr. Leavitt? Whatever this is, I’m guessing it’s there to help more than hurt,” Arven nodded to the image of Alistair’s brain and watched the man’s features carefully.
98
Director's Cut / Re: [2380] Starbase 12: Conversation with a Cosmonaut
Last post by Griff -
[Lieutenant (j.g) Alistair Leavitt | Tammy's Joy | Deck 285 | Starbase 12 ] Attn. @Tae
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Alistair grinned. "You'd like my family. Every time that I talk to them, the first thing that they always say is 'are you eating properly?'. I didn't eat anything replicated until I was fourteen, and even then, it was like I had committed a mortal sin."

At that, the pair fell into a comfortable pause. Outside the large viewport, a gigantic freighter sailed serenely by on its way to dock. It was an ugly craft, blocky and ungainly, its hull a faded green. The enormous symbol on the hull identified it as a Klingon ship, but even the symbol was scarred and pitted. The comparatively tiny nacelles attached to the stern looked woefully insufficient to propel such a massive craft through the galaxy.

"That thing has to be at least a hundred years old," Alistair mused. "Maybe more. It'll probably outlast us both, though. The Klingons overengineer those ships like you wouldn't believe. Our modern freighters are faster and more efficient, but not as robust. I'd love to get onboard one of those old buckets one day, see how they operate, their computer systems, how they unload..."

Realising that he venturing off-topic, Alistair smiled apologetically at Valerii. "Sorry, I go off on tangents sometimes. My first real job was all about logistics, and...er...well, I get too deep into it, sometimes, even now." He hesitated, considering Valerii. "You know, I don't think that I've ever met anyone in Starfleet who said that they were a soldier. Not since the war, anyway."
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Interregnum 01-02 S2 / Re: Day 15 [0823 hrs] Starships Aplenty
Last post by tongieboi -
[ Ensign Joseph Adams |Holodeck 03 | Deck 21 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Pierce ]

Joe seemed just as pleased. His smile mirroring her own. Once the large holodeck doors had slid open, it took an awful lot of self control to just stop himself bursting into the program like a dog let off a leash. Instead he walked calmly into the fleet museum, taking a moment to orient himself and recall the vaguely familiar surroundings. The museum had changed a lot from his childhood, but he still recognised a few key landmarks.

It had been quite a long time after all. He'd given the holographic museum officer a cursory glance before his attention was drawn back to the bright surroundings, only returning to focus on his immediate surroundings again once Lauren asked a question.

"Yeah, I'm ready"

He replied with a small nod, although he didn't have any preference for a specific ship class. There'd be time to look at everything, or so he believed. The museum was massive after all. It had to be to fit so many historic ships. Starfleet had a long history, so it made sense there was so much there...

"Tell you what, surprise me!"

He suggested brightly, shrugging his shoulders and grinning again. Curious to see where Lauren might lead him.

"Am I right in thinking this museum can be reprogrammed to withhold any starship in Starfleet's history?"

He wondered, taking a few idle steps further into the interior of the program. That made sense too. It was also one advantage to everything being procedurally generated by a computer instead of actually being real. The museum could hold pretty much any historic starship. Not just the ones that its real counterpart might contain.
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Episode 02: Cosmic Imperative / Re: CH 2: S [Day 01 | 2239 hrs] Happiness and Other Falsehoods
Last post by tongieboi -
[Ens. Joseph Adams | Bar | Below Decks | Deck 28 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @joshs1000 @OPEN

Joe's eyes seemed to widen slightly in intrigue as he mentioned that he'd only woken this morning. Lok seemed much more coordinated than he had been when he'd woken up. Glancing at his hand for a moment, he shook it politely, perhaps caught a little off guard by how small his hand seemed to be compared to Lok's.

"Nice to meet you Lok. I'll be sure to bear that in mind in case I do need a fighter sometime."

He raised a humoured brow, grinning slightly before deciding to risk another sip of his Romulan Ale. Listening quietly as Lok explained his own way of dealing with things. Indeed just getting on with their jobs seemed the logical approach. Especially since there wasn't much else for them to do.

Still, he couldn't somehow shake the uneasiness that came from being a fugitive. The wound that resulted from being forcefully torn from almost every aspect of his life. So engrossed in those thoughts, he hadn't even considered Lok's rank. Although Joe was one to take on board advice from anyone who seemed to know better than he. Lok's words had only reinforced his own conclusions. He had to keep his mind on whatever tasks presented to him. He'd leave the homesickness and pining for his free time.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when Lok's words held a questioning tone. Evidently he'd been asked a question, and his brain raced to catch up to the input from his ears. Abandoning the rumination for the moment.


"Yeah, I went to the academy. Class of 2375."

He replied, keeping the smile on his face even as he took a 3rd sip of his Romulan Ale. He almost missed his fellow graduates. A few of them had to be aboard Theurgy, right? A ship this big...

"I don't think I've met Mr Herrold yet. Am I right in thinking he's another officer assigned to the flight deck?"

He asked with a slight tilt of his head. It would make sense after all. Joe was largely unaware of the current crew manifest. He'd only just caught up on recent events after all. Judging by the context of the conversation, however, he could assume that he was an Ensign, just like him.
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