Planet 1: Lethe

Posted on Sat Jun 8th, 2024 @ 10:30pm by Lieutenant Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida & Lieutenant Commander Liam Reynolds & Lieutenant JG Abrasax & Lieutenant JG Alena Alessa & Ensign L'johk Adams & Lieutenant JG Lyras

1,933 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 1: Palingenesis

ON

"Commander" L'johK announced from the conn. "We have entered standard orbit around the first planet".

Hiro just exited the Ready Room as he already got the update a minute before from Abrasax. "Thanks Ensign." he said as he sat down in the Captain's chair.

Alena listened with half an ear. Her head was pounding. Her telepathy was picking up on something. Whatever it was, it couldn't be nearby. They were in orbit. Not on the planet itself. She tried to use the techniques she had been taught to deal with that telepathy. It didn't help. As the pounding became a bad headache, she tried to focus on the people around her, in the hopes of finding a way to ease the pain.

"Alright everyone, let's get to it." Abrasax called having opened a shipwide channel on the console by the XO chair. He closed it and turned to Liam. "Ops full sensor suite scans of the planet with all parameters, filters and spectrums if you would."

He tapped his combadge. =/\=Abrasax to Science labs begin analysis as the data comes in.=/\= He closed the channel by tapping his combadge again. He turned to Tactical. "Tactical any signs of anyone nearby or any structures?"

"Aye Sir," Liam operated several scans. "Well the planet is a class H planetoid. Atmosphere is 10% Oxygen, 90% Argon. Seismic activity on all continents and the temperature extremely chilly at the top and bottom poles. Hotter I would wager that the great fire of my people in the middle. Unhabitable sir. But ...... the moon ..... the moon is like a little oasis. Gravity and oxygen almost on point with Vulcan sir. Class M."

Lyras listened as the announcement came over the comm. Part of him was excited to see what new species they would encounter. But after prior missions, especially being sent back in time -which to him as actual time traveler due to having been stuck in a buffer for a over a century was very unsettling - part of him was anxious too. "Sickbay is ready," he answered, as he went back to work.

"Acknowledged, Doctor. It's good to hear that, though I expect no problems right now." Hiro replied to Lyras' update. As he closed the channel he looked sideways to Alena. She looked a bit absent. "Counselor, is everything alright?"

"Not really. My telepathy is going full blown overdrive. I've tried all the things and techniques i have been taught, but nothing helps", she smiled weakly. "Something here is messing with me big time. I wish I knew what it was". She sighed. "If this goes on, I won't be of much use around here. It's frustrating to put it mildly".

For some reason, her mind wandered back to the talk she had had with her mother a good while ago. About her lineage, the move from Brazil to the States, everything. To her, it seemed like she had been unaware of the lies that had been told to her.

But why had they lied? There were too many unanswered questions, and she had no answers. But she wished she had, badly so. She rubbed her temples as a spike of pain coursed through her head.

"I must admit I am feeling uneasy as well," Liam said.

Hearing the comment over the still open comm, Lyras frowned as he listened. "That makes three of us," he responded, "I am experiencing a sense of unease as well."

“I find it hard to believe that this is a coincidence.” Hiro said as a frown crossed his face. “How long has this been bothering the three of you? Did it start some time ago or just now?”

"For me, just now," the Vulcan hybrid answered, "but I am only a touch telepath and empath. And I am not full Vulcan." He paused. "I cannot explain what I feel because I do not know what or how I feel. Just extremely uneasy..."

From the sciences stations at the back of the bridge he approached the command chairs. Abrasax wondered about how something could be messing with telepaths and empaths. "Perhaps we could try adjusting our shields and or structural integrity field to some frequency that could interfere with psionics?" He asked, though he wasn't familiar with the theory it was worth at least looking into some trial and error.

"I'm only aware of drugs successfully interrupting things. Frequencies jumps tend to give you a whole other headache," Liam said. "As uncomfortable as it is I would rather not numb my empathic abilities."

"Neither would I," Lyras added uncomfortably. "But perhaps we should monitor all telepaths just the same. We are telepaths with varying talents."

“Alright, then we’ll keep the frequency as it is for now.” Hiro next addressed Lyras. “Doctor, if you’re able to monitor all telepaths onboard then that would be good. Inform us when there is any change.”

There was a pause from the acting chief medical officer. "I would have to 'tag' each telepath sir," the Vulcan answered uncomfortably, "everyone would have to wear a sensor. Perhaps limit it to the three of us for now?"

“Yes, doctor, I see your point. Good thinking. Limit it to the three of you.” Once again Hiro found himself staring at the viewscreen. He had to admit to himself that he wasn’t fully focused on the mission. It was hard to simply ignore what Jean Batiste had told him. “Lets concentrate on this moon for now and study it in depth. The planet below doesn’t have potential for life. Lieutenant Abrasax, gather an Away Team. Scans don’t always give the full picture.”

Alena drew in a breath, trying to push the pain away. "Mine started the instant we went into orbit. There's something here that makes me... well... feel as if there's something of importance here. I don't know why. Either my telepathy going through the roof or I am going insane", she told the people around her with an exhausted smile.

"There's... well, I think i hear shouts from a battle happening. It's vague, but it sounds like some people are trying to retreat", she said slowly. She drew in a breath as the sound of battle spiked for a second. "Retreat! Protect the House!". Alena frowned. What was that?!. "What the hell?", she muttered under her breath.

"You are not going insane," Liam said. "Its not just voices. Images. I can see it. A battle. Was a battle. Its like a memory of an event past."

There was silence on the comm from sickbay. "I do not understand what I am seeing," Lyras finally spoke up. "Why are we seeing this?"

"Away team aye sir, I don't think it wise to have any psionics on the team though as if it is a mild headache up here, down on the surface could overwhelm them." Abrasax said to Hiro, "would you agree sir?" Though having them down there could help pinpoint where the source is but it was a very close pro to con ratio for his liking.

"What are you all talking about?" Abrasax asked after tapping his combadge to join the sickbay call.

"Oh I'm happy to take my chances if required," Liam stated. He didn't go into details about the many things that had been prior headaches. He was still standing. Although Hiro knew a fair few scrapes that had both been through.

“I tend to agree with Abrasax, but if you’re willing to take the chance.. We don’t know exactly what we can expect down there and your talent could give the team an edge.” Hiro said in reaction to Liam’s statement. He turned slightly in the Captain’s chair so he could look at him. “We’ll keep a constant lock on everyone and get the team back when needed.”

"I'm willing to take my chances as well. I want to know what the hell is going on. Might be painful, but rather that and know what's going on, than stay here and not know", Alena stated as she rubbed her temples. She was well aware there was a chance she would break under the pressure from her telepathy. However, she needed to find out what was going on.

She absent-mindedly touched the angel pendant that had appeared a while back in her quarters. She always wore it. She had talked with her mother about the pendant, and Ma had been evasive about where it had come from. It was unnerving that Ma wasn't telling the whole truth.

"I am willing to accept the risk too," Lyras answered, "we can always take measures when it gets too much to bear. I can pack Psy inhibitors if required."

"Commander" Adams spoke up finally, his attention having been focused on his readings. "This may be nothing but I am picking up... something. Its about four kilometres long by one wide sitting at the bottom of the only ocean on the surface. Interference isnt allowing me specific readings I just know its large and the thing is the source of the interference. Could be a ship, might be a city... I cant' really tell!"

“Looks like we already have one question answered. Well done, Ensign.” Hiro got up from the Captain’s chair and walked over L’johk. “Can we use the Transporters and beam the Away Team directly into the structure?”

"Afraid not sir. Transporters wouldn't get us through the interference The Waverider shuttle's shields and structural integrity fields should be enough to survive the pressures down there though." Adams again pitched in, trying to be as helpful as he could.

Hiro looked over his shoulder. “Abrasax, Liam, let’s pull up the schematics of the Waverider and confirm it’s capable of going down to the bottom of that ocean. We don’t want it to implode somewhere along the way.”

Liam nodded in agreement and did as ordered pulling the specs up on the nearest console to them.

To the rest if the Bridge crew, and Lyras down in Sickbay, he said, “I believe it’s best when at least one telepath stays on the Copernicus. Liam, Alena, Lyras, you all said you’re willing to go down there but since Lieutenant Abrasax will be leading the Away Team I’ll let him decide who will be joining.”

"Of course", Alena said with a nod. She hoped that she would be going, but she would also accept it if she wasn't going with the away team. She touched her pendant again, when she realized something.

She took off her necklace to look at the pendant more closely. There were a few words carved into the backside of it. "Little Angel, huh?", she murmured to herself. However, it didn't exactly look like other writings she had been looking at in the past. Maybe it was time to try pushing Ma harder for the truth.

Alena was near certain that the current situation with what the telepaths were experiencing, could be revealed by Ma. She sighed, frustrated that her Ma wasn't going into details. To be honest, Ma had kept a lot of things vague, avoiding to explain a lot of things.

"A medical officer will be required to be on the team," Lyras pointed out, failing to mention that there were medics on board who weren't telepaths.

“You have a point, Doctor. You sure will be part of the Away Team.” To his XO he continued, “Abrasax, have you team report to Transport room 2 in an hour.”

END

 

RSS Feed