Communicating with the Zetarians on the Phoenix
Posted on 11/21/2015 @ 1:00pm by Lt. Commander Jonathan Livingstone & Captain Syntron & Commander David Rogers & Captain Joshua Riker & Lieutenant JG Duncan Argyle
Edited on on 12/10/2015 @ 12:23pm
Mission:
Brave New World
Location: Eden star system
Timeline: 88299.9
A series of bleeps emanated from the transporter control console to Rogers' right and then the faint hue of the level ten force field moved, shrinking inside the bay to come to a halt surrounding only commander Riker. Noting the relieved look on Lieutenant Hunter's eyes, and the stoic , yet determined glance of Lieutenant M'ata's, David looked toward Doctor Gray. The holographic entity, solid as he was, seemed slightly relieved as well. Perhaps only because three of his four charges were, relatively, out of harms way. As soon as the force field ceased shrinking, forming a small but roomy circular shell around the Phoenix' first officer, David heard a tapping coming from the wall behind him.
Realizing the rhythm was morse code, David walked to the bulkhead and tapped back a confirmation signal; .-. --- --. . .-. ... / .... . .-. . / ... - --- .--. / --. --- --- -.. / .- .-.. .. . -. / -.-. --- -. - .- .. -. . -.. / .. -. / -..- --- / ... - --- .--.
Awaiting a reply, David kept an eye on commander Riker while speaking to the rest of the Firebird crew.
"We could all gather over here please Lieutenant's; Doctor Gray?"
Glancing around to the crew and agreeing that all were healthy Doctor Gray nodded and gestured for the crew to follow. As the Firebird crew members gathered around Commander Rogers, Doctor Gray glanced back at Commander Riker, who had not moved.
"I am guessing you are going to have to stay here old friend"
"This one understands, as do we" Riker responded with an energy echo in his voice.
After a moment Riker tapped the small forcefield surrounding him and nodded in approval as the crew gathered around on the other side of the transporter room.
"You guys go on ahead, I'll wait here" Riker said in a voice that was clearly his own.
The security team meticulously checked the Firebird crew individually as they emerged together from the hanger bay. No signs of Zetarian influence were detected. Afterwards, full-passive scans of the interior of the shuttle and the hangar bay found only the entities within Commander Joshua Riker. They were contained within the level ten force field.
The captain ordered the crew of the Firebird to immediately report for a full medical analysis and diagnostics in sickbay before turning his attention to the assistant security chief.
"Lieutenant Argyle, follow me into the shuttle bay. Be prepared to respond accordingly in case anything runs afoul in there while I attempt to communicate with the remaining Zetarians."
"Aye, Captain," the liberated Borg answered, signaling for two guards to position themselves outside at the door. "Here is an EVA suit for you, Sir. All systems including life support have been shut off inside the shuttle bay."
As soon as they were both suited and came in, the door was manually locked behind them. A brief shimmer of energy told them that another forcefield had been erected around the depowered and evacuated hangar bay. The only visible thing beside what their headlamps showed was the prison shuttle, reconfigured as a Faraday cage to secure the Zetarians Science chief Livingstone had lured in there.
"How do you intend to communicate with them, Captain?" asked Duncan, frowning behind his faceplate. "They can't use the shuttle systems and it's a sure bet that they don't know Morse code."
As the captain was pondering the problem, Arguyle received a call from Livingstone, using the secured direct link they shared through their respective implants. After a moment, he nodded and turned towards the captain.
"Mister Livingstone is telling me that he has sent what he calls the SCH in here."
The security officer went back to the entrance and tapped the pre-arranged code on the door. The panel was manually opened and a guard at the door gave him a small disk that he brought back to the Vulcan, placing it on the floor between him and the cell-shuttle before stepping back with his phaser in hand.
"It has been coded to your personal code only, Sir."
This was the SCH, the Secured Communication Hologram, the device they had discussed earlier for the very purpose of communicating with the Zetarians without risking them escaping. As soon as Syntron would request it from the computer, the contained hologram would lure the aliens to it and trap them within the isolated, self-contained apparatus surrounded by a portable forcefield, the same way they had been initially in the shuttlecraft. This time however, they would be able to directly talk to the Zetarians through the small holographic matrix.
Syntron stood before the device as he gazed at the shuttle beyond the level-ten forcefield. They had the Auxiliary Briefing Room on deck 2 prepared with this device for such a meeting to occur with the Zetarians before the destruction of Nuntio and their subsequent emergency departure back toward the Eden system. So much destruction, loss of lives and almost catastrophic consequences with the Draxx had occurred before this opportunity would finally come into fruition once again. The question in the Vulcan's mind was would they be able to resolve all of these remaining situations peaceably?
He spoke to the computer.
"This Captain Syntron, commanding officer of the USS Phoenix. Initiate Holo-Matrix program Z-1A security protocol authorization Syntron-1A-2B-Delta-Epison-3."
Within a matter of seconds the device activated and prevailed upon the entities trapped within the confined craft and presented them with an opportunity to speak once again; but this time without superseding at great risk a biological host.
As soon as it was connected, there was a spectacular display of fiery blue and red lights envelopping the holographic form of Jonathan Livingstone. Obviously, the X'Ell had taken his own parameters to quickly and easily build the program. It was a simple photon cosntruct, with no forcefield component to give it substance and thus possibility to physically interact with the environement. Yet, it was tempting enough for the Zetarians to rush out of their cage and right into it, only to be caged again... but this time with an effective communication interface.
In a moment, the swirling cloud of red and blue coalesced into the semi-translucent Avian humanoid form. The brain implants in it's feathered head flashed red and blue just like it's huge eyes.
The Vulcan commanding officer began with a simple introduction.
"I am Captain Synton. To whom am I addressing?"
"We are from Zetar. Release us."
* * *
Having been checked over, and thoroughly at that, Rogers left the medical bay and proceeded to his office on deck fourteen. His throat would take a few more days to fully heal from the blow commander Riker had given him. Thinking on that, David silently forgave the Phoenix' XO, but even at that, he would never forget the bruising. He just hoped his voice would fully recover. As it was now, his speech sounded like an english speaking Breen. Finally seated at his desk, David first checked the ship's status and the forcefield containments in the hangar bay and transporter room one. Satisfied that these two important security measures were in no danger of relapse, David opened his personal log.
"Personal log, Star date 8831.2; I have returned to the Phoenix to find the Zetarian's still safely confined within the improvised Faraday cage set up in the shuttle bay. Captain Sybntron is going to try and talk to them. If I can, I will attempt to get commander Riker and his two ... parasites? ... out of transporter room one and down to the main shuttle bay as well. I've got an good idea on how this can be accomplished.
I don't fully trust these Zetarians, be they red or blue. Even the so-called good one's are suspect in my mind. Being imprisoned on that planet for years and years should likely drive any sentient a bit stir crazy. I hope the captain knows what he is up against.
Rogers out."
Sealing the log, David arose and went to the turbo lift near main engineering, accessing it to take him back to the bridge.
* * *
With a deadpan expression Syntron responded "You state the obvious."
Inspecting the holographic projection for a few seconds longer, the Vulcan continued.
"We are familiar with your species and the danger you represent to those you come in contact with going back one hundred forty-one point three-two standard years ago on Memory Alpha and other locales in the region. We witnessed what recently occurred aboard the Federation vessel Nuntio and the damage inflicted upon our ship when you appropriated our probes. What is it that you hope to accomplish with this freedom you are demanding?"
"We want to live."
"But not at the expense of other lives."
"We will do what we must to live again."
"We may not have life by taking it."
"We are superior; it is our due."
"No."
Garbled, eerie sounds, like sinister low voices speaking too slowly to be understood, emerged from the now open, barely moving beak. As the strange discourse went on, red and blue colors that had shifted alternatively in the eyes and the lights within the feathered mane of the transluscent X'Ell image now were swirling in a confusion of glowing hues. After a moment, the colors separated again and the voices regained their clarity.
"We shed our corporeal existence in order to survive. But we lost our mean to regain our lives. We could not escape our destiny," stated the hologram flashing blue luminous eyes at Syntron.
And then, eyes and sheereess turned red.
"Destiny is the wife of despair. We will not embrace your cowardice. We will live... if not as we planned, then... as we must."
Syntron stood by silently observing the conflicting exchange occurring between the two factions of the Zetarians utilizing the holographic matrix. As a pause between them emerged, he interjected; addressing his attention mainly to the blue- hued representative.
"The type of existence you speak of and desire no longer exists. It has not existed since you abandoned your corporeal forms long ago, nor will it come back to you presently or in the future; especially at the expense of other life forms. It is a circumstance that you must accept and come to terms with or risk losing what remains of your current state of being."
"We have come to understand this," the blue-eyed hologram acknowledged.
But then, the eyes glowed red.
"We must survive... we knew how we could... we had the means... but we lost it all with the destruction of our homeworld. Fate will not extinguish us. We will survive."
"Your original planet is gone... as you have described. However, you have the opportunity to continue to survive as you currently are on the nearby planet once again" Syntron confirmed to the red entities. "This existence may not be as you once were, but it is more than the majority of life forms have after their physical forms have perished."
Syntron tried to summarize their tenuous situation as succinctly as he could.
"We have the ability to transport you back to the surface once again. It is the only option available that will allow you to continue on. The Draxx are being persuaded by us not to destroy each of you here and now... but this is a very tentative arrangement that has been compounded by your recent attacks on us and them. Their fleet of ships surround all of us at this moment and they will not hesitate to end your existence should there be any deviation from this plan. This is the last chance that I can offer you."
There was a long moment during which red and blue lights crisscrossed the lights in the feathered hair of the artificial construct as well as in the eyes and then even the face and the entire translucent form of the hologram. All this time, the sinister slow growlings of numerous voices filled the air until, finally everything settled with a blueish glow.
"On one thing we all agree. We choose to live."
At the engineering station, Rogers took his seat and began with the set up of the force field transverse. It would allow commander Riker, and his parasites, safe passage from transporter room one to the shuttle bay, where-in the rest of the Zetarian's were stored. The transfer would be routine, but power intensive. As Riker walked through the ship the force field would follow not only him, but the sectors immediately surrounding his position on the ship. This would entail clearing the decks surrounding the path by audio/visual warning. namely, the ships internal alert system. A mobile level ten forcefield would squash anyone caught against the moving field.
As he set the course and allowed the decks to clear, David enabled the alert lights along the wall in transporter room one to accept his verbal intercourse and translate to pulsed lighting. Both audible and visual orders would inform Riker and his ... guests ... to receive instructions to proceed to the shuttle bay. Sending an alert to captain Syntron of Riker's impending travel and arrival, David then spoke to Riker through the lights in transporter room one.
"Commander Riker, please proceed directly to shuttle bay one. Both you, and your guests, will be contained enroute. No deviation will be allowed. Rogers out."
Understanding the plan Riker nodded to gesture that all entities understood the plan. Taking his first few steps Riker looked around impressed as the forcefield shifted slowly with his movements. Pointing to himself Riker spoke.
"This one knows the way"
The doors to the transporter room opened with a woosh as Riker walked through them and turned towards his destination.
Syntron received the transmission from Commander Rogers and conveyed the message afterward to the Zetarians via the holomatrix.
"Your remaining two members are currently en route to join you here... courtesy of our First Officer Commander Riker and through the ingenuity of our chief engineer."
Red and blue lights alternated within the eyes and through the head implants of the holographic X'ell.
"How do we know this is not just a plan to bring us all together to better annihilate us?" it asked as the glow settled to a reddish hue.
With a stoic look cast across his face, the Vulcan commanding officer addressed the accusation directly.
"If that were simply our intention, you would not exist at this moment to even ask that question."
Again, the colors shifted for a moment accross the hologram.
"On this we agree also; our existence is now in your hands. Let History and the cosmos judge you by your actions... as it was for us."
"Captain," Argyle then announced, "Commander Riker and... guests."
With the acknowledging nod of his commanding officer, he opened the door and the First Officer of the Phoenix entered, a forcefield shimmering behind him. Smiling at Argyle, Riker entered the room and walked slowly towards the shuttle. Reaching for the controls Riker pressed a few keys and manually opened the shuttle door. Looking back at those around the shuttle Riker turned.
"This one says he hopes this works. No, he says this better work."
The door to the shuttle opened and Riker stepped aboard as the door closed behind him. The door opened a few moments later as Riker emerged, joined by Captain Syntron, with his eyes back to their normal unglowing color.
"Well that was fun" Riker said glancing over to the Captain.
The blue glow now took place in the eyes and on the lights peppering the image of Jonathan Livingstone.
"We will listen to your proposal."
Syntron gazed for a moment at the avian holomatrix before addressing all of the entities sharing occupation within it.
"While safely ensconced within a shuttle, you will be escorted back in orbit of the secure planet. The vehicle will be programmed to leave orbit and descend through the atmosphere. Even though the shuttle will eventually lose power when it crosses through the null region, you will be able to exit before the vessel impacts upon the surface of the planet. From there you will be free upon the surface to continue on in your present form."
"This is acceptable. Proceed."
The blueish glow left the hologram and, a moment later, as programmed into the closed system established between them, the Faraday cage reactivated itself around the shuttle as soon as the portable hologram was evacuated by the alien electromagnetic signal.
"Lieutenant Livingstone confirms all alien lifeforms are now confined within the shuttlecraft, Captain" Argyle reported from his direct personal link with the science chief on the bridge.
Hearing the familiar voice of the security officer Riker tapped his combadge.
"Acknowledged Lieutenant, good work."
"Aye sir. Thank you sir. And may I say sir, it is good to have you back"
"It is good to feel alone in my thoughts again" Riker replied.
Turning towards Captain Syntron, Riker continued.
"Everything seems to be going according to plan Captain. I will gather personnel reports from all stations en route."
Adjusting his uniform, Riker continued.
"I for one can't wait to get back to work and be done with this whole mess. This will make for quite a mission report"
Assistant chief Arguyle then addressed the Vulcan.
"The bridge confirms shuttle launch ready to be implemented, Captain. Mister Livingstone said that we just need to make sure everything in here is mecanically secured to the deck, then depressurize the shuttlebay completely and let decompression fly the shuttle out. They will have no chance to attempt an escape like if we would use tractor beams. He says that, if we do this close enough to the planet's gravity well, the shuttle will simply enter the atmosphere and consume itself... but not before the Zetarians will have cleared it's depowered hull. They will be back into their cell once again."
As he spoke, numerous technicians had entered the bay in EVA suits as a safety precaution against any surprise escape from the energy beings and worked quickly to secure all other crafts with molecular-bonding clamps instead of the usual magnetic ones. The science chief was really taking no chances whatsoever. By the time Arguyle had finished, they all signaled that everything was ready.
Syntron nodded an acknowledgment as he stepped back from the shuttle area. This time they had contained the remaining Zetarians in a more expendable shuttle than the captain's yacht.
When they arrived back within orbit of the prison planet and all indicators were cleared for departure, the captain of the Phoenix gave the signal to begin the depressurization process of the hanger bay. They could all hear the hissing of gases and afterward witness the releasing of huge mechanical clamps as the massive bay doors began parting vertically down the middle. Lights blinked and flashed on both sides of the doors as the impressive view of millions of distant stars emerged into view as the gap between the doors widened among the vast coldness of darken space. Almost immediately the shuttle was pulled out of the bay and entered the gravitational pull of the nearby planet. Before the bay doors finished closing again, they could see the glowing heat of the shuttle increase as the friction of the atmosphere began to take its toll on the exterior of the shuttle.
Your future begins now thought Syntron, as they watched the shuttle begin to disintegrate on the viewscreen in the viewing area of the shuttle bay until they could see no more.
By Kheren on 11/24/2015 @ 1:50pm
I changed the title because "Showdown" is good for dramatic effect but titles are best serving us when they guide players precisely into what exactly is going on and how they can involve themselves.
By Syntron on 11/25/2015 @ 3:34pm
That's fine. I just needed to create a continuation thread for this aspect of the story.
By David Rogers on 11/25/2015 @ 8:22pm
Uhm, the Firebird crew and Rogers were in transporter room one, not the hangar bay.
By Kheren on 12/01/2015 @ 10:43am
The captain apparently chose to talk to the ones imprisonned in the shuttle instead of those within Riker.
If we need this to happen with the good Zetarians in the transporter room instead, it can be rewritten accordingly.
Captain's call.
By Syntron on 12/02/2015 @ 1:02am
My error... correct it to the location with Riker.
Sorry about that.
By Syntron on 12/02/2015 @ 1:44pm
Since Kheren continued with the events being within the shuttle bay as I mistakenly started, let's continue with this. It may actually prove more interesting and it also utilizes the device created earlier in the story for this very purpose.
At some point as this proceeds we may transport Riker and the two blue entities within him to this area as well.
Let's see how this all plays out.
By David Rogers on 12/05/2015 @ 4:52am
If this method to bring all the Zetarian's together on the Phoenix is not acceptable, I will edit it out. :)
By Syntron on 12/05/2015 @ 12:37pm
Actually, it is an interesting approach ChEng. Commander Riker... proceed to the shuttle bay swiftly as the conversation is reaching a conclusion.
By Kheren on 12/05/2015 @ 4:10pm
Well done BLZBUB.
Data did the same thing once
By Joshua Riker on 12/08/2015 @ 9:05pm
Well done everyone!