S5: E: 8 Echos of a Tattered Past.

[Buck McNair]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was pleased to hear the away team was making progress on their mission, especially given the situation on the ship at the moment. He looked over to Randall who shook his head silently.

"Commander, we've encountered a very large probe that hit us with a subspace pulse that took out every power relay on the ship. We're currently limited ta fusion reactors and thrusters, which leaves us with limited computin' power. In addition, that probe has parked itself in high orbit of the and is bombardin' the planet with a focused chroniton beam. We've had ta dedicate all our resources into tryin' ta stop that. I hate ta do this ta you, but you're goin' ta have ta solve your puzzle on your own."

"If'n you need extraction, we can get a shuttle ta you, but I'd suggest plannin' ahead because we won't be able ta beam you out until we have impulse back online, which will take at least 24 hours."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Buck looked around the bridge as he watched the systems coming to life. Things would certainly be slower than expected after their encounter with the probe. Buck had stationed himself behind his station and leaned against it. There was not much they could do at the moment as engineering seemed to be overloaded with trying to get all the systems up and running. He had been trying to think about what he could have done differently with his scans; a learning curve for the next time something happened he presumed.

He could hear the tones come out of the comms, tilting his head one side to hear it better and thought back to the pattern they had once seen from the probe. Was it another one that the probe would want to hit them again with the Chroniton beam or would it move onto doing something completely different. What it would do now was completely out of their control and out of their reach thus far to stop it. With the pulse, Ops was rendered almost useless without proper access to their computer systems or their paperwork. Buck could have been getting on with that potentially in the mean time. "Seems like there's some access comin' on here, Hoss." Buck glanced at the screen which seemed rather sad to look at without its core functions. "Though can try find some paper and pen if you're wanting me to work the puzzle out still, sir."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

NPC Lieutenant JG Chloe Davies, Head Nurse and
PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake Beach]

[Ensign Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Island on the Middle of the Lake - Kaimo VI]

Once freed from a watery grave, and after calming himself down, Zhuk made his way back to the island, where he laid in the soft, warm sand for a moment, taking deep breaths to recover. He felt both relieved and embarrassed from latching in such a way towards Lahr, though he was glad he was there to retrieve him. Maybe something he didn't need to take that much to heart, considering that the situation had been dire. Still, he wondered if Lahr saw him a little poorly after that outburst.

Why did he care so much about it now?

In any case, he turned on his back as Nira, Chloe and the rest of the team began to tend to their injuries. He watched, curious as Head Nurse Davies worked to mend Nira's broken ribs. Eventually, the Lieutenant was up on her feet, and ready to continue their mission. It was impressive how the technology and the knowledge of medicine joined together to achieve such feats, as he was quite certain that Nira wouldn't be able to continue with her command. Of course, he was happy to be mistaken.

As soon as he heard Petty Officer Lahr instructing him to provide an extra power cell to Nurse Davies once she finished with her duties, he glanced up at him and meekly, nodded. Reaching for his pack, he obtained the requested power and offered it to Chloe.

"I believe that is a fair request. Please make good use of it, Head Nurse."

Though Chloe honestly felt her carrying a phaser rifle was more of a hazard to the team than not, she accepted the power cell from Ensign Mrekrerhas and with a little help from Lahr, she got it connected.  Chloe hated it that Lahr was being so helpful and looking after her during this away mission.  It made it hard for her to hate her ex.
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake - Island Cave]

Standing up, once she had accepted or rejected it, he made sure to reach for his own rifle and keep it close to him. After all, the small break they had was all both over, as Lieutenant Nira ordered him to follow after Savar and her, which he did without question. The troupe made their way to the unnatural cave, and Zhuk couldn't help but note the comment on it being artificial, his hand lightly touching the outside of the cave. Peculiar.

His ears twitched as he heard the tones, raising an eyebrow as they caught his attention. That was before Savar was sent back a few meters from a force field. His eyes soon identified the power sources that seemingly had been built inside of the cavern, and took aim towards the one on the ceiling, wondering for a moment if he should fire against them to disable them.

He waited, though, not wanting to actually mess something up in this situation that would complicate things further, while also checking that Savar was recovering. He was pleasantly surprised when he did, and his ear managed to catch wind of Lieutenant Nira managing to make contact with the Challenger. Still, it seemed that things were becoming tenser as two turrets appeared from within. Those certainly complicated things.

His attention turned to the turrets, finger on the trigger in case the team failed to complete whatever challenge it seemed to be attempting to provide with the tones it made. He just wondered if his phaser and Blackfeather's would be enough to destroy or deactivate the turrets before they could do any real damage to them. He had faith in Lahr and his capability to solve this, though the bickering between him and Davies certainly made him uneasy. He would have chimed in to offer his input, but equations and math had never been his strong suit. He preferred tactics.

"Please, reach a consensus. I would really prefer not having to deal with the turrets pointing at us..."

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira listened to Lahr with intrigue. She admired how Lahr had an ear for these sort of things. For Nira, mathematics were necessary to determine probability, but she never delved deep enough like any typical science and ops officer and engineer. But on a technological level, she definitely needed and engineer, and she admired Lahr all the more for his skill.

Hearing Nurse Davies' reply, Nira looked over and raised an eyebrow so much like a Vulcan, the only thing missing were the pointed ears.

"Lahr does raise a valid point, Nurse," said Nira. "There are times where typical mathematics and physics don't apply. Sometimes two and two can be taken together to make seven. Of course, Lahr has pointed out that there are some blanks and it's possible he's found some. He's got an ear my last ship's Chief Engineer would give a mountain of latinum for," she finished, thinking of Lek.

"Let's do it your way," Nira said to Lahr. "Work your miracle. Zhuk, Blackfeather," she said to the security officers, "stand by. If it doesn't work and the turrets open fire, lay down fire back at them."

She braced herself and waited. She got her own phaser ready and to shoot fast in the event of having to fire on the turrets with the security officers.

Lahr glanced over to Zhuk at the Caitian's comment and couldn't agree more.  The Andorian looked back towards the Commander.  Luckily, he didn't have long to wait before the Lt. Commander Said decided on a course of action.

The Andorian grinned and gave a brisk head nod and called up the appropriate sound files for 5... and 1.  He then stepped forward confidently towards where Savar had been headed when challenged by the tones.   As expected, the 7-tone challenge sounded and the turrets took aim, but Lahr knew he'd gotten this puzzle right.  He tapped his PADD to play the answering tones loudly... then waited to see what would open up for them.

[Cave - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Lahr sent the response and without warning, the turrets opened fire! Fortunately, the system was very old and the tracking was slower than it should have been. It was this, as well as the feline reflexes of the Caitian species that allowed Zhuk to leap out of the way in time. Blackfeather, despite his many years of experience didn't have those reflexes and went down hard as he failed to clear the turret's plasma pulses. Despite being wounded, he did manage to damage one of the turrets, but as the shot was rushed, it did not disable the weapon mount.

Unfortunately for the away team the confined space of the tunnel left precious little room to dodge as the turrets swept the corridor. Lahr felt searing heat lance across his right side as he was kissed by one plasma pulses. It wasn't a debilitating wound, but that didn't make it hurt less. The rest of the away team managed to avoid being hit during the initial volley, but one thing was immediately clear, unless the away team did something very quickly, the tracking system would recover from its slumber of millennia and would begin pick them all off without mercy.

Lahr hadn't expected the turrets to actually open fire.  He'd answered properly.  He'd been positive!  How could he have been so wrong?  These thoughts all bombarded him even as the Andorian tried to dodge the searing hot plasma pulse that headed his way.   He was only partially successful.  He had dodged left but not fast enough.

Lahr screamed out as the flesh on his rightside was cooked.  The smell of burnt flesh assaulted his nose.  While he would have loved to just collapse into a fetal ball from the pain, doing so would be guaranteed death.  Instinctive screamed for him to scramble back away from the threat but that would only increase his time in their line of fire.  Instead, with his antennae laying flat back against his white hair, the Andorian charged forward dodging while he switched from PADD to phaser-rifle-club and attempted to get right under the left turret, leaping up to bash at the barrel to cause it to misfire and maybe even overload.

Chloe thought the whole lot of them were idiots to risk this but the Commander had made her decision.

When things went bad, Chloe, though she wanted to rush in and help the injured, knew that would only be putting more in danger.   She backed off to the entrance to wait for when it would be safe for her to go in and save Lahr's life.  "Dumb@ss!" she muttered as she opened her medkit and readied a few hyposprays with the required medications she would need. 

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Ensign Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Island Cavern - Kaimo VI]

[Cave - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Lahr sent the response and without warning, the turrets opened fire! Fortunately, the system was very old and the tracking was slower than it should have been. It was this, as well as the feline reflexes of the Caitian species that allowed Zhuk to leap out of the way in time. Blackfeather, despite his many years of experience didn't have those reflexes and went down hard as he failed to clear the turret's plasma pulses. Despite being wounded, he did manage to damage one of the turrets, but as the shot was rushed, it did not disable the weapon mount.

Unfortunately for the away team the confined space of the tunnel left precious little room to dodge as the turrets swept the corridor. Lahr felt searing heat lance across his right side as he was kissed by one plasma pulses. It wasn't a debilitating wound, but that didn't make it hurt less. The rest of the away team managed to avoid being hit during the initial volley, but one thing was immediately clear, unless the away team did something very quickly, the tracking system would recover from its slumber of millennia and would begin pick them all off without mercy.

Zhukdra'shar's ears and eyes barely managed to catch the weapon's movement as they suddenly unleashed a volley of plasma fire upon them. Barely able to jump out of the way of the searing hot fire that threatened to disable him and the rest of the away team, Zhuk clung to the artificial wall to try and find some cover. He watched in horror as how Blackfeather, even though he had attempted a valiant effort to fight back, was wounded by one of the turrets, Lahr being burnt on the side by one of the shots.

"Everyone! Stick close to the walls!" He shouted, hoping that would help them avoid the next barrage. It was at this moment that he realized that the turrets seemed to have some kind of delay going on, as they were not firing again. And that he had to capitalize on this short advantage, as there was no room to hide. Taking a deep breath, he leaped into action, a plan swiftly being concocted in his mind.

NPC Lieutenant JG Chloe Davies, Head Nurse and
PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake Beach]

Though Chloe honestly felt her carrying a phaser rifle was more of a hazard to the team than not, she accepted the power cell from Ensign Mrekrerhas and with a little help from Lahr, she got it connected.  Chloe hated it that Lahr was being so helpful and looking after her during this away mission.  It made it hard for her to hate her ex.

[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake - Island Cave]

Lahr glanced over to Zhuk at the Caitian's comment and couldn't agree more.  The Andorian looked back towards the Commander.  Luckily, he didn't have long to wait before the Lt. Commander Said decided on a course of action.

The Andorian grinned and gave a brisk head nod and called up the appropriate sound files for 5... and 1.  He then stepped forward confidently towards where Savar had been headed when challenged by the tones.   As expected, the 7-tone challenge sounded and the turrets took aim, but Lahr knew he'd gotten this puzzle right.  He tapped his PADD to play the answering tones loudly... then waited to see what would open up for them.

Lahr hadn't expected to the turrets to actually open fire.  He'd answered properly.  He'd been positive!  How could he have been so wrong?  These thoughts all bombarded him even as the Andorian tried to dodge the searing hot plasma pulse that headed his way.   He was only partially successful.  He had dodged left but not fast enough.

Lahr screamed out as the flesh on his rightside was cooked.  The smell of burnt flesh assaulted his nose.  While he would have loved to just collapse into a fetal ball from the pain, doing so would be guaranteed death.  Instinctive screamed for him to scramble back away from the threat but that would only increase his time in their line of fire.  Instead, with his antennae laying flat back against his white hair, the Andorian charged forward dodging while he switched from PADD to phaser-rifle-club and attempted to get right under the left turret, leaping up to bash at the barrel to cause it to misfire and maybe even overload.

Chloe thought the whole lot of them were idiots to risk this but the Commander had made her decision.

When things went bad, Chloe, though she wanted to rush in and help the injured, knew that would only be putting more in danger.   She backed off to the entrance to wait for when it would be safe for her to go in and save Lahr's life.  "Dumb@ss!" she muttered as she opened her medkit and readied a few hyposprays with the required medications she would need.

He jumped out of cover, squatting as he fired at the turret directly on his right, before rolling to his left, quickly aiming and firing against it again. Not leaving the mechanical defenses any time to properly aim at him, he vaulted forward, firing this time against the other turret with his phaser rifle, doing his best to increase the setting power as much as possible on the fly. Fortunately, he managed to avoid Lahr in his attempt to disable it with his damaged phaser being employed as a club, hitting the turret instead. That placed a hurdle on his plan, but ultimately, it did not matter, as he once more focused on the right turret.

Hopping to his right once more, and constantly shifting his body around, guessing that would serve to further confuse the sensors, he fired twice against the right turret. Springing up, he kept his rifle close to his chest to keep it from unbalancing him, twirling in the air as he sought to move forward, skillfully landing back on his feet, and using his tail as further support, before releasing another shot towards the left turret, making sure to avoid the Andorian once more.

"TAKE THAT, YOU MECHANICAL ABOMINATIONS!" He screamed out, in what he hoped to be a victory scream, teeth bared and panting significantly from the amount of energy he had expended, and that he barely had left.

[Nira Said]

[Cave - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Lahr sent the response and without warning, the turrets opened fire! Fortunately, the system was very old and the tracking was slower than it should have been. It was this, as well as the feline reflexes of the Caitian species that allowed Zhuk to leap out of the way in time. Blackfeather, despite his many years of experience didn't have those reflexes and went down hard as he failed to clear the turret's plasma pulses. Despite being wounded, he did manage to damage one of the turrets, but as the shot was rushed, it did not disable the weapon mount.

Unfortunately for the away team the confined space of the tunnel left precious little room to dodge as the turrets swept the corridor. Lahr felt searing heat lance across his right side as he was kissed by one plasma pulses. It wasn't a debilitating wound, but that didn't make it hurt less. The rest of the away team managed to avoid being hit during the initial volley, but one thing was immediately clear, unless the away team did something very quickly, the tracking system would recover from its slumber of millennia and would begin pick them all off without mercy.

[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake - Island Cave]

Lahr glanced over to Zhuk at the Caitian's comment and couldn't agree more.  The Andorian looked back towards the Commander.  Luckily, he didn't have long to wait before the Lt. Commander Said decided on a course of action.

The Andorian grinned and gave a brisk head nod and called up the appropriate sound files for 5... and 1.  He then stepped forward confidently towards where Savar had been headed when challenged by the tones.   As expected, the 7-tone challenge sounded and the turrets took aim, but Lahr knew he'd gotten this puzzle right.  He tapped his PADD to play the answering tones loudly... then waited to see what would open up for them.

Lahr hadn't expected to the turrets to actually open fire.  He'd answered properly.  He'd been positive!  How could he have been so wrong?  These thoughts all bombarded him even as the Andorian tried to dodge the searing hot plasma pulse that headed his way.   He was only partially successful.  He had dodged left but not fast enough.

Lahr screamed out as the flesh on his rightside was cooked.  The smell of burnt flesh assaulted his nose.  While he would have loved to just collapse into a fetal ball from the pain, doing so would be guaranteed death.  Instinctive screamed for him to scramble back away from the threat but that would only increase his time in their line of fire.  Instead, with his antennae laying flat back against his white hair, the Andorian charged forward dodging while he switched from PADD to phaser-rifle-club and attempted to get right under the left turret, leaping up to bash at the barrel to cause it to misfire and maybe even overload.

Chloe thought the whole lot of them were idiots to risk this but the Commander had made her decision.

When things went bad, Chloe, though she wanted to rush in and help the injured, knew that would only be putting more in danger.   She backed off to the entrance to wait for when it would be safe for her to go in and save Lahr's life.  "Dumb@ss!" she muttered as she opened her medkit and readied a few hyposprays with the required medications she would need.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira cursed in multiple ways, primarily obscenities in Arabic. She had no blame for anybody. She mostly cursed whoever came up with that puzzle and the defense system.

Zhuk's reflexes were quite good, but Blackfeather was down. She did see that he hit the turret, though it wasn't enough; it was a rushed shot. It also dawned on Nira how slow they were; how old were these things? Still, age notwithstanding, these turrets were shooting plasma pulses and this was a corridor, a natural chokepoint.

Seeing Lahr was at work with sabotaging one turret, Nira set to work in shooting the other. Heavy rapid fire, just in case this was a tough one. Whether or not it was the same one that Blackfeather hit, though in too much of a hurry that his shots didn't hit make the desired impact, it didn't matter to Nira. She laid down enough fire that she would've brought down a marching column of hostiles.

"WE'LL STILL NEED OPTIONS TO GET PAST!" shouted Nira to Savar as she engaged, though she especially took the time to glare at Nurse Davies when she muttered an insult, most likely at Lahr, before she turned her attention on her targeted turret. She wondered whether or not to recommend to Doctor Fellows to remove the "Head" from Davies' title "Head Nurse" to demote the damn woman, and she started wondering if she ought to have brought Doctor Fellows instead.

She kept seeing Zhuk darting back and forth and she admired his reflexes. She moved to do the same; while she wasn't as fast as Zhuk, she wasn't slower than Blackfeather, either, especially from years of training in hand to hand, particularly in dance fights. Zhuk was definitely another to consider for promotion and to put in charge of a Security shift like how she used to be when she made Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Savar, who had been in the process of dragging Blackfeather up to Nurse Davies, nodded as he considered the options to get past the force field once the turrets were reduced to harmless mounts. So far, two came to him: Retrying the tone combination, albeit the way Nurse Davies suggested, though there was plenty of uncertainty as to whether it'll work again, given the three tries; "three strikes, you're out," as referred in Earth baseball. The second option? A small, contained electromagnetic pulse. He, too, had seen how slow the turrets were moving, a sign of extreme age in technology. Perhaps the force field was just as old, and so an EMP could easily disable it. He had two options, but he needed to think of some more that would work effectively.

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Buck looked around the bridge as he watched the systems coming to life. Things would certainly be slower than expected after their encounter with the probe. Buck had stationed himself behind his station and leaned against it. There was not much they could do at the moment as engineering seemed to be overloaded with trying to get all the systems up and running. He had been trying to think about what he could have done differently with his scans; a learning curve for the next time something happened he presumed.

He could hear the tones come out of the comms, tilting his head one side to hear it better and thought back to the pattern they had once seen from the probe. Was it another one that the probe would want to hit them again with the Chroniton beam or would it move onto doing something completely different. What it would do now was completely out of their control and out of their reach thus far to stop it. With the pulse, Ops was rendered almost useless without proper access to their computer systems or their paperwork. Buck could have been getting on with that potentially in the mean time. "Seems like there's some access comin' on here, Hoss." Buck glanced at the screen which seemed rather sad to look at without its core functions. "Though can try find some paper and pen if you're wanting me to work the puzzle out still, sir."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian appreciated the ensign's initiative but had to shake his head as he replied.

"Odds are Lad that whatever they were facin' has already occurred. I'm certain your time would be better spent helpin' engineerin' with replacin' those bloody power relays."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NPC Lieutenant JG Chloe Davies, Head Nurse and
PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake Beach]

Though Chloe honestly felt her carrying a phaser rifle was more of a hazard to the team than not, she accepted the power cell from Ensign Mrekrerhas and with a little help from Lahr, she got it connected.  Chloe hated it that Lahr was being so helpful and looking after her during this away mission.  It made it hard for her to hate her ex.

[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake - Island Cave]

Lahr glanced over to Zhuk at the Caitian's comment and couldn't agree more.  The Andorian looked back towards the Commander.  Luckily, he didn't have long to wait before the Lt. Commander Said decided on a course of action.

The Andorian grinned and gave a brisk head nod and called up the appropriate sound files for 5... and 1.  He then stepped forward confidently towards where Savar had been headed when challenged by the tones.   As expected, the 7-tone challenge sounded and the turrets took aim, but Lahr knew he'd gotten this puzzle right.  He tapped his PADD to play the answering tones loudly... then waited to see what would open up for them.

Lahr hadn't expected the turrets to actually open fire.  He'd answered properly.  He'd been positive!  How could he have been so wrong?  These thoughts all bombarded him even as the Andorian tried to dodge the searing hot plasma pulse that headed his way.   He was only partially successful.  He had dodged left but not fast enough.

Lahr screamed out as the flesh on his rightside was cooked.  The smell of burnt flesh assaulted his nose.  While he would have loved to just collapse into a fetal ball from the pain, doing so would be guaranteed death.  Instinctive screamed for him to scramble back away from the threat but that would only increase his time in their line of fire.  Instead, with his antennae laying flat back against his white hair, the Andorian charged forward dodging while he switched from PADD to phaser-rifle-club and attempted to get right under the left turret, leaping up to bash at the barrel to cause it to misfire and maybe even overload.

Chloe thought the whole lot of them were idiots to risk this but the Commander had made her decision.

When things went bad, Chloe, though she wanted to rush in and help the injured, knew that would only be putting more in danger.   She backed off to the entrance to wait for when it would be safe for her to go in and save Lahr's life.  "Dumb@ss!" she muttered as she opened her medkit and readied a few hyposprays with the required medications she would need.

[Ensign Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Island Cavern - Kaimo VI]

Zhukdra'shar's ears and eyes barely managed to catch the weapon's movement as they suddenly unleashed a volley of plasma fire upon them. Barely able to jump out of the way of the searing hot fire that threatened to disable him and the rest of the away team, Zhuk clung to the artificial wall to try and find some cover. He watched in horror as how Blackfeather, even though he had attempted a valiant effort to fight back, was wounded by one of the turrets, Lahr being burnt on the side by one of the shots.

"Everyone! Stick close to the walls!" He shouted, hoping that would help them avoid the next barrage. It was at this moment that he realized that the turrets seemed to have some kind of delay going on, as they were not firing again. And that he had to capitalize on this short advantage, as there was no room to hide. Taking a deep breath, he leaped into action, a plan swiftly being concocted in his mind.

He jumped out of cover, squatting as he fired at the turret directly on his right, before rolling to his left, quickly aiming and firing against it again. Not leaving the mechanical defenses any time to properly aim at him, he vaulted forward, firing this time against the other turret with his phaser rifle, doing his best to increase the setting power as much as possible on the fly. Fortunately, he managed to avoid Lahr in his attempt to disable it with his damaged phaser being employed as a club, hitting the turret instead. That placed a hurdle on his plan, but ultimately, it did not matter, as he once more focused on the right turret.

Hopping to his right once more, and constantly shifting his body around, guessing that would serve to further confuse the sensors, he fired twice against the right turret. Springing up, he kept his rifle close to his chest to keep it from unbalancing him, twirling in the air as he sought to move forward, skillfully landing back on his feet, and using his tail as further support, before releasing another shot towards the left turret, making sure to avoid the Andorian once more.

"TAKE THAT, YOU MECHANICAL ABOMINATIONS!" He screamed out, in what he hoped to be a victory scream, teeth bared and panting significantly from the amount of energy he had expended, and that he barely had left.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira cursed in multiple ways, primarily obscenities in Arabic. She had no blame for anybody. She mostly cursed whoever came up with that puzzle and the defense system.

Zhuk's reflexes were quite good, but Blackfeather was down. She did see that he hit the turret, though it wasn't enough; it was a rushed shot. It also dawned on Nira how slow they were; how old were these things? Still, age notwithstanding, these turrets were shooting plasma pulses and this was a corridor, a natural chokepoint.

Seeing Lahr was at work with sabotaging one turret, Nira set to work in shooting the other. Heavy rapid fire, just in case this was a tough one. Whether or not it was the same one that Blackfeather hit, though in too much of a hurry that his shots didn't hit make the desired impact, it didn't matter to Nira. She laid down enough fire that she would've brought down a marching column of hostiles.

"WE'LL STILL NEED OPTIONS TO GET PAST!" shouted Nira to Savar as she engaged, though she especially took the time to glare at Nurse Davies when she muttered an insult, most likely at Lahr, before she turned her attention on her targeted turret. She wondered whether or not to recommend to Doctor Fellows to remove the "Head" from Davies' title "Head Nurse" to demote the damn woman, and she started wondering if she ought to have brought Doctor Fellows instead.

She kept seeing Zhuk darting back and forth and she admired his reflexes. She moved to do the same; while she wasn't as fast as Zhuk, she wasn't slower than Blackfeather, either, especially from years of training in hand to hand, particularly in dance fights. Zhuk was definitely another to consider for promotion and to put in charge of a Security shift like how she used to be when she made Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Savar, who had been in the process of dragging Blackfeather up to Nurse Davies, nodded as he considered the options to get past the force field once the turrets were reduced to harmless mounts. So far, two came to him: Retrying the tone combination, albeit the way Nurse Davies suggested, though there was plenty of uncertainty as to whether it'll work again, given the three tries; "three strikes, you're out," as referred in Earth baseball. The second option? A small, contained electromagnetic pulse. He, too, had seen how slow the turrets were moving, a sign of extreme age in technology. Perhaps the force field was just as old, and so an EMP could easily disable it. He had two options, but he needed to think of some more that would work effectively.

[Cave - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Slowed by age the defense system was unable to compensate for the away team's advanced weapons and precise fire, in addition to the completely outside of its programming event of Lahr's physical attack. The turrets were quickly reduced to sparking ruin and silence returned to the long abandoned tunnel.

A further plus to the away team's assault was that the destruction of the turrets apparently caused a power overload that shorted out the force field that had initially guarded the tunnel. With the way cleared, the away team could now proceed as soon as Chloe had finished working on Blackfeather and Lahr. Although the wounds were serious, she was certain she could get the two men back on their feet. One thing did concern her in that her medkit was beginning to run low on supplies because of the demands from all the injuries the away team had suffered during the mission to this point.

[Nira Said]

[Cave - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Slowed by age the defense system was unable to compensate for the away team's advanced weapons and precise fire, in addition to the completely outside of its programming event of Lahr's physical attack. The turrets were quickly reduced to sparking ruin and silence returned to the long abandoned tunnel.

A further plus to the away team's assault was that the destruction of the turrets apparently caused a power overload that shorted out the force field that had initially guarded the tunnel. With the way cleared, the away team could now proceed as soon as Chloe had finished working on Blackfeather and Lahr. Although the wounds were serious, she was certain she could get the two men back on their feet. One thing did concern her in that her medkit was beginning to run low on supplies because of the demands from all the injuries the away team had suffered during the mission to this point.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira and Savar blinked in surprise simultaneously at the force field's shorting-out. Turned out their last resort helped them out after all.

"Well, if this isn't an honest-to-Allah bonus to blow a mind," said Nira in surprised delight.

"Mind-blowing indeed," retorted Savar. "And here it saves us the trouble of having to use the combination again or having to resort to an electromagnetic pulse."

Nira looked back at Savar, grinning wider, and replied, "I'm tempted to ask you to repeat that and in a faster tone, Imzadi."

Savar, who had been around plenty of non-Vulcans to know a humorously unserious quip when he heard one, shrugged in reply.

"Well, in any case, destroying the turrets certainly solved the problem for us," said Nira. "I'm no specialist in technology, but I'm very sure it's older than it looks, for the force field to short out from the turrets blowing. If, and I mean IF, there are Romulans around in hiding, maybe it's old enough to indicate there could've been a hidden Romulan colony here, perhaps one of the first since the division between those who followed Surak and those who became Romulans later on. If not...well, maybe it's way older...Savar, you'd best scan to see how old these pieces of technology are."

Turning to the rest of the away team, she said, "I know you may think I'm paranoid-sounding regarding Romulans, but we are close to Romulan space, after all, and I've had plenty of dealings with Romulans in the past, sometimes with the Tal Shiar. I was even there with Discovery when the Romulan Free State was formed, we were third-party negotiating in behalf of the Federation. But there are plenty of Romulan factions out there, from the Tal Shiar to the Reunification Movement. Allah knows what we'll find deeper in the caves.

"Okay, Nurse," said Nira to Davies, "once Mister Blackfeather is treated, we will continue into the caves. Zhuk, take point. I'll be right behind you. Everybody keep an eye out for any more potential surprises when we move on. Lahr will be with me. The rest will bring up the rear."

After Blackfeather was treated and Nurse Davies informed them of the medical supplies running low, Nira replied, "Well, we'll definitely be more careful. Hopefully, finding the source won't take long. And if we have to remain longer, I can contact Challenger to send a shuttle to drop by more medical supplies."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

NPC Lieutenant JG Chloe Davies, Head Nurse and
PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake - Island Cave]

[Cave - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Slowed by age the defense system was unable to compensate for the away team's advanced weapons and precise fire, in addition to the completely outside of its programming event of Lahr's physical attack. The turrets were quickly reduced to sparking ruin and silence returned to the long abandoned tunnel.

A further plus to the away team's assault was that the destruction of the turrets apparently caused a power overload that shorted out the force field that had initially guarded the tunnel. With the way cleared, the away team could now proceed as soon as Chloe had finished working on Blackfeather and Lahr. Although the wounds were serious, she was certain she could get the two men back on their feet. One thing did concern her in that her medkit was beginning to run low on supplies because of the demands from all the injuries the away team had suffered during the mission to this point.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira and Savar blinked in surprise simultaneously at the force field's shorting-out. Turned out their last resort helped them out after all.

"Well, if this isn't an honest-to-Allah bonus to blow a mind," said Nira in surprised delight.

"Mind-blowing indeed," retorted Savar. "And here it saves us the trouble of having to use the combination again or having to resort to an electromagnetic pulse."

Nira looked back at Savar, grinning wider, and replied, "I'm tempted to ask you to repeat that and in a faster tone, Imzadi."

Savar, who had been around plenty of non-Vulcans to know a humorously unserious quip when he heard one, shrugged in reply.

"Well, in any case, destroying the turrets certainly solved the problem for us," said Nira. "I'm no specialist in technology, but I'm very sure it's older than it looks, for the force field to short out from the turrets blowing. If, and I mean IF, there are Romulans around in hiding, maybe it's old enough to indicate there could've been a hidden Romulan colony here, perhaps one of the first since the division between those who followed Surak and those who became Romulans later on. If not...well, maybe it's way older...Savar, you'd best scan to see how old these pieces of technology are."

Turning to the rest of the away team, she said, "I know you may think I'm paranoid-sounding regarding Romulans, but we are close to Romulan space, after all, and I've had plenty of dealings with Romulans in the past, sometimes with the Tal Shiar. I was even there with Discovery when the Romulan Free State was formed, we were third-party negotiating in behalf of the Federation. But there are plenty of Romulan factions out there, from the Tal Shiar to the Reunification Movement. Allah knows what we'll find deeper in the caves.

"Okay, Nurse," said Nira to Davies, "once Mister Blackfeather is treated, we will continue into the caves. Zhuk, take point. I'll be right behind you. Everybody keep an eye out for any more potential surprises when we move on. Lahr will be with me. The rest will bring up the rear."

After Blackfeather was treated and Nurse Davies informed them of the medical supplies running low, Nira replied, "Well, we'll definitely be more careful. Hopefully, finding the source won't take long. And if we have to remain longer, I can contact Challenger to send a shuttle to drop by more medical supplies."

The adrenalin of the fight had done an amazing job of keeping the pain at bay but afterwards Lahr leaned against the wall with his left side and sank to the floor babying his injured right side.  His antennae remained flat against his head as he looked back towards the others.  Nira looked fine.  Zhuk and Savar too.  But at the back of the cave tunnel, towards the entrance, Lahr could just make out Chloe working on Blackfeather. Roozh!

This was his fault.  He'd given the Commander assurance that he knew the solution, and he'd been wrong.  Lahr's antennae sagged, slipping down towards his ears.  His gaze remained fixed on the distant figure of Chloe watching as she injected Blackfeather with not just one, but two hypos.   The human's wounds must be rather serious.

With his thoughts and attention on what Chloe was doing with Blackfeather, Lahr very heard little about what the Commander said about this maybe being an ancient Romulan civilization... and if truth be told, he cared even less.

After stabilizing Blackfeather, who Savar had been good enough to bring to her, Chloe looked about for her next patient but noted that Lahr hadn't moved from his spot under the broken turret gun.  The nurse hurried along the tunnel to assess the Andorian's injuries next.  Again, two of her prepared hyposprays were used.  An analgesic and an antibiotic.  At this rate of use, they weren't gonna have enough supplies to last for the entire mission.

Since Lahr's wounds were minor compared to Blackfeather's, Chloe didn't stay with the Andorian long.  Just long enough to ensure that Lahr's wounds wouldn't worsen while she was tending to Blackfeather.  Treating the security crewman's plasma burns took up a lot of her dermaline gel and most of the remaining power her in dermal regenerator.  Because she had two patients, with who knew how many more the next skirmish, Chloe was sparing in its use this time.  After fixing up both Lahr and Blackfeather to at least mobility, Chloe approached the Commander privately to discuss with her the concerns about the kits dwindling supplies.

When it came time to press on, Lahr's antennae were still drooped and he had Chloe's phaser rifle that she had passed to him, saying he needed it more than her.   He'd tried to say no but she fixed him with that look that hard stare that promised worse things than a plasma blast if he argued again.  So, he had her phaser rifle in hand and the club-rifle slung over his shoulder.  Where the rifle settled at his back, bumped constantly against his still sore right side but Lahr sucked it up.

That the Commander wanted him up front with her this time was not a good sign.  Whatever chewing out she gave him, Lahr figured he deserved. 

[Ian Galloway]

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira and Savar blinked in surprise simultaneously at the force field's shorting-out. Turned out their last resort helped them out after all.

"Well, if this isn't an honest-to-Allah bonus to blow a mind," said Nira in surprised delight.

"Mind-blowing indeed," retorted Savar. "And here it saves us the trouble of having to use the combination again or having to resort to an electromagnetic pulse."

Nira looked back at Savar, grinning wider, and replied, "I'm tempted to ask you to repeat that and in a faster tone, Imzadi."

Savar, who had been around plenty of non-Vulcans to know a humorously unserious quip when he heard one, shrugged in reply.

"Well, in any case, destroying the turrets certainly solved the problem for us," said Nira. "I'm no specialist in technology, but I'm very sure it's older than it looks, for the force field to short out from the turrets blowing. If, and I mean IF, there are Romulans around in hiding, maybe it's old enough to indicate there could've been a hidden Romulan colony here, perhaps one of the first since the division between those who followed Surak and those who became Romulans later on. If not...well, maybe it's way older...Savar, you'd best scan to see how old these pieces of technology are."

Turning to the rest of the away team, she said, "I know you may think I'm paranoid-sounding regarding Romulans, but we are close to Romulan space, after all, and I've had plenty of dealings with Romulans in the past, sometimes with the Tal Shiar. I was even there with Discovery when the Romulan Free State was formed, we were third-party negotiating in behalf of the Federation. But there are plenty of Romulan factions out there, from the Tal Shiar to the Reunification Movement. Allah knows what we'll find deeper in the caves.

"Okay, Nurse," said Nira to Davies, "once Mister Blackfeather is treated, we will continue into the caves. Zhuk, take point. I'll be right behind you. Everybody keep an eye out for any more potential surprises when we move on. Lahr will be with me. The rest will bring up the rear."

After Blackfeather was treated and Nurse Davies informed them of the medical supplies running low, Nira replied, "Well, we'll definitely be more careful. Hopefully, finding the source won't take long. And if we have to remain longer, I can contact Challenger to send a shuttle to drop by more medical supplies."

NPC Lieutenant JG Chloe Davies, Head Nurse and
PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake - Island Cave]

The adrenalin of the fight had done an amazing job of keeping the pain at bay but afterwards Lahr leaned against the wall with his left side and sank to the floor babying his injured right side.  His antennae remained flat against his head as he looked back towards the others.  Nira looked fine.  Zhuk and Savar too.  But at the back of the cave tunnel, towards the entrance, Lahr could just make out Chloe working on Blackfeather. Roozh!

This was his fault.  He'd given the Commander assurance that he knew the solution, and he'd been wrong.  Lahr's antennae sagged, slipping down towards his ears.  His gaze remained fixed on the distant figure of Chloe watching as she injected Blackfeather with not just one, but two hypos.   The human's wounds must be rather serious.

With his thoughts and attention on what Chloe was doing with Blackfeather, Lahr very heard little about what the Commander said about this maybe being an ancient Romulan civilization... and if truth be told, he cared even less.

After stabilizing Blackfeather, who Savar had been good enough to bring to her, Chloe looked about for her next patient but noted that Lahr hadn't moved from his spot under the broken turret gun.  The nurse hurried along the tunnel to assess the Andorian's injuries next.  Again, two of her prepared hyposprays were used.  An analgesic and an antibiotic.  At this rate of use, they weren't gonna have enough supplies to last for the entire mission.

Since Lahr's wounds were minor compared to Blackfeather's, Chloe didn't stay with the Andorian long.  Just long enough to ensure that Lahr's wounds wouldn't worsen while she was tending to Blackfeather.  Treating the security crewman's plasma burns took up a lot of her dermaline gel and most of the remaining power her in dermal regenerator.  Because she had two patients, with who knew how many more the next skirmish, Chloe was sparing in its use this time.  After fixing up both Lahr and Blackfeather to at least mobility, Chloe approached the Commander privately to discuss with her the concerns about the kits dwindling supplies.

When it came time to press on, Lahr's antennae were still drooped and he had Chloe's phaser rifle that she had passed to him, saying he needed it more than her.   He'd tried to say no but she fixed him with that look that hard stare that promised worse things than a plasma blast if he argued again.  So, he had her phaser rifle in hand and the club-rifle slung over his shoulder.  Where the rifle settled at his back, bumped constantly against his still sore right side but Lahr sucked it up.

That the Commander wanted him up front with her this time was not a good sign.  Whatever chewing out she gave him, Lahr figured he deserved.

[Underground Complex - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Moving past the shattered security outpost, the away team found the smooth tunnels which marked the temple entrance quickly gave way to a series of twisting, winding paths - damp, dank, and dangerous, with treacherous footing and steep drops into bottomless chasms.

Continuing downward, the away team entered the lower levels of the cave complex, there, they found increasing evidence of a vast, technologically advanced civilization. Scanning as the went, they found power cables, fiber optic, and ODN conduits embedded in the walls, floors, and ceiling suggesting that the lost society was comparable to the Federation in sophistication despite a lack of spaceports or orbiting artifacts.

Finally reaching the source of the subspace signal, the away team discovered a sealed vault guarded by diburnium-osmium doors and a computerized sentry terminal with yet another code sequence to answer.

[Nira Said]

NPC Lieutenant JG Chloe Davies, Head Nurse and
PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Crater Lake - Island Cave]

The adrenalin of the fight had done an amazing job of keeping the pain at bay but afterwards Lahr leaned against the wall with his left side and sank to the floor babying his injured right side.  His antennae remained flat against his head as he looked back towards the others.  Nira looked fine.  Zhuk and Savar too.  But at the back of the cave tunnel, towards the entrance, Lahr could just make out Chloe working on Blackfeather. Roozh!

This was his fault.  He'd given the Commander assurance that he knew the solution, and he'd been wrong.  Lahr's antennae sagged, slipping down towards his ears.  His gaze remained fixed on the distant figure of Chloe watching as she injected Blackfeather with not just one, but two hypos.   The human's wounds must be rather serious.

With his thoughts and attention on what Chloe was doing with Blackfeather, Lahr very heard little about what the Commander said about this maybe being an ancient Romulan civilization... and if truth be told, he cared even less.

After stabilizing Blackfeather, who Savar had been good enough to bring to her, Chloe looked about for her next patient but noted that Lahr hadn't moved from his spot under the broken turret gun.  The nurse hurried along the tunnel to assess the Andorian's injuries next.  Again, two of her prepared hyposprays were used.  An analgesic and an antibiotic.  At this rate of use, they weren't gonna have enough supplies to last for the entire mission.

Since Lahr's wounds were minor compared to Blackfeather's, Chloe didn't stay with the Andorian long.  Just long enough to ensure that Lahr's wounds wouldn't worsen while she was tending to Blackfeather.  Treating the security crewman's plasma burns took up a lot of her dermaline gel and most of the remaining power her in dermal regenerator.  Because she had two patients, with who knew how many more the next skirmish, Chloe was sparing in its use this time.  After fixing up both Lahr and Blackfeather to at least mobility, Chloe approached the Commander privately to discuss with her the concerns about the kits dwindling supplies.

When it came time to press on, Lahr's antennae were still drooped and he had Chloe's phaser rifle that she had passed to him, saying he needed it more than her.   He'd tried to say no but she fixed him with that look that hard stare that promised worse things than a plasma blast if he argued again.  So, he had her phaser rifle in hand and the club-rifle slung over his shoulder.  Where the rifle settled at his back, bumped constantly against his still sore right side but Lahr sucked it up.

That the Commander wanted him up front with her this time was not a good sign.  Whatever chewing out she gave him, Lahr figured he deserved.

[Underground Complex - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Moving past the shattered security outpost, the away team found the smooth tunnels which marked the temple entrance quickly gave way to a series of twisting, winding paths - damp, dank, and dangerous, with treacherous footing and steep drops into bottomless chasms.

Continuing downward, the away team entered the lower levels of the cave complex, there, they found increasing evidence of a vast, technologically advanced civilization. Scanning as the went, they found power cables, fiber optic, and ODN conduits embedded in the walls, floors, and ceiling suggesting that the lost society was comparable to the Federation in sophistication despite a lack of spaceports or orbiting artifacts.

Finally reaching the source of the subspace signal, the away team discovered a sealed vault guarded by diburnium-osmium doors and a computerized sentry terminal with yet another code sequence to answer.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira could feel Lahr's uneasiness, and she didn't even need a telepath to see he was troubled, she could see his body language. She patted him on the shoulder to give him reassurance and said, "Hey, it's okay, Lahr, and besides, Zhuk will be in front of us. We have some good crewmembers here on this team."

And so they moved, deeper into winding pathways with some treacherous drops and chasms. Nira couldn't help but be impressed how a whole mountain in the middle of a lake could have this much, and how surprised she couldn't see waterfalls flowing down into the chasms as they went deeper down; they had to be under the mountain as well as under the lake.

But that surprise was overridden by a bigger surprise when they came to the lower levels of the cave system: indications of an advanced civilization.

"Good Allah," muttered Nira. "All this advanced technology, down here all along...they were capable of this technology..."

"On par with the Federation," said Savar. "Except they were so limited here in this island...no spaceports, no orbiting artifacts...why don't the inhabitants of this planet know about this?"

"That's a good question," Nira said, looking around at the various cables, conduits and fiber optics. "But perhaps the village Elders would know about it, but perhaps they feel like they'd rather live a primitive life because it's more stable than what they'd live here...I mean, where's everybody?"

"Perhaps here?" asked Savar, his tricorder directed at a big vault door. "The source of the subspace signal is coming directly behind this door."

"Well, that much is obvious," said Nira with a shrug. "What a way to indicate where the big secret is, and potentially where the natives who know this technology are. Can definitely rule out Romulans, this definitely isn't Romulan in appearance, and this could be even older than the Romulan, maybe even the Vulcan civilization."

"Well, certainly wasn't made yesterday, let alone in a day," said Savar, combining two famous quotes into one. "Won't be easy to get in, these doors are made of diburnium-osmium."

"[spoiler]Shhhhhiiiiit[/spoiler]," said Nira, drawing out her surprised reaction verbally. Savar continued, "Osmium coated with diburnium...genius, they wouldn't even need neutronium. Not even Challenger could get its phaser to drill through the mountain to get past this."

"Well, obviously they had to get a way inside," said Nira, and then she saw a terminal with another code sequence. Same symbol style.

"Well, what have we here," said Nira. "I think we're going to need these symbols to figure out how to get in. If we fail to get the code right, Allah forbid we find a defense system that's worse than what we came across in the antechamber above. Lahr, Savar, analyze it, see what you can figure out. Zhuk, Blackfeather, keep an eye out for potential defenses. Meantime...I think Captain Galloway needs to know about this."

She then tapped her comm badge to call Challenger: "Said to Challenger, we've arrived to just barely to the source of the signal. You're not going to believe what we found down here. It's under the island and...there's indication that there was once an advanced civilization down here. And I mean it in the past tense. Whoever they were, the natives above could be descended from that civilization, maybe offshoots, a people that could be descended from breakaways who could've chosen to revert back to their primitive lifestyles by rejecting it...well, I highly doubt we can talk to the natives about this...here, we'll transmit what we've found down here by images. Hopefully, you'll be able to recieve them."

As Lahr and Savar worked, Nira took images of everywhere they've found in the lower caverns, with Nurse Davies' help, and transmitted them to the ship for the crew above to see.

[Ian Galloway]

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira could feel Lahr's uneasiness, and she didn't even need a telepath to see he was troubled, she could see his body language. She patted him on the shoulder to give him reassurance and said, "Hey, it's okay, Lahr, and besides, Zhuk will be in front of us. We have some good crewmembers here on this team."

And so they moved, deeper into winding pathways with some treacherous drops and chasms. Nira couldn't help but be impressed how a whole mountain in the middle of a lake could have this much, and how surprised she couldn't see waterfalls flowing down into the chasms as they went deeper down; they had to be under the mountain as well as under the lake.

But that surprise was overridden by a bigger surprise when they came to the lower levels of the cave system: indications of an advanced civilization.

"Good Allah," muttered Nira. "All this advanced technology, down here all along...they were capable of this technology..."

"On par with the Federation," said Savar. "Except they were so limited here in this island...no spaceports, no orbiting artifacts...why don't the inhabitants of this planet know about this?"

"That's a good question," Nira said, looking around at the various cables, conduits and fiber optics. "But perhaps the village Elders would know about it, but perhaps they feel like they'd rather live a primitive life because it's more stable than what they'd live here...I mean, where's everybody?"

"Perhaps here?" asked Savar, his tricorder directed at a big vault door. "The source of the subspace signal is coming directly behind this door."

"Well, that much is obvious," said Nira with a shrug. "What a way to indicate where the big secret is, and potentially where the natives who know this technology are. Can definitely rule out Romulans, this definitely isn't Romulan in appearance, and this could be even older than the Romulan, maybe even the Vulcan civilization."

"Well, certainly wasn't made yesterday, let alone in a day," said Savar, combining two famous quotes into one. "Won't be easy to get in, these doors are made of diburnium-osmium."

"[spoiler]Shhhhhiiiiit[/spoiler]," said Nira, drawing out her surprised reaction verbally. Savar continued, "Osmium coated with diburnium...genius, they wouldn't even need neutronium. Not even Challenger could get its phaser to drill through the mountain to get past this."

"Well, obviously they had to get a way inside," said Nira, and then she saw a terminal with another code sequence. Same symbol style.

"Well, what have we here," said Nira. "I think we're going to need these symbols to figure out how to get in. If we fail to get the code right, Allah forbid we find a defense system that's worse than what we came across in the antechamber above. Lahr, Savar, analyze it, see what you can figure out. Zhuk, Blackfeather, keep an eye out for potential defenses. Meantime...I think Captain Galloway needs to know about this."

She then tapped her comm badge to call Challenger: "Said to Challenger, we've arrived to just barely to the source of the signal. You're not going to believe what we found down here. It's under the island and...there's indication that there was once an advanced civilization down here. And I mean it in the past tense. Whoever they were, the natives above could be descended from that civilization, maybe offshoots, a people that could be descended from breakaways who could've chosen to revert back to their primitive lifestyles by rejecting it...well, I highly doubt we can talk to the natives about this...here, we'll transmit what we've found down here by images. Hopefully, you'll be able to recieve them."

As Lahr and Savar worked, Nira took images of everywhere they've found in the lower caverns, with Nurse Davies' help, and transmitted them to the ship for the crew above to see.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was pleased to hear from the away team as it meant they had figured out a way past whatever obstacle they'd called about earlier. They'd made good progress and it seemed like they'd ruled out a Romulan listening post, but now they had a new mystery, exactly who had they discovered? The answer to that question almost certainly dovetailed with the origins of the probe that had disabled the Challenger.

"Data received Commander. We're makin' progress, but the damage ta our power relay system is extensive and we're still limited ta the fusion generators. Report when you know more. Galloway out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Underground complex - Kaimo IV]

As the away team assessed the new code, Savar had time to conduct detailed scans of the facility and after checking the results twice, he grunted in surprise.

"Based on these scans, we can rule out Romulans, Vulcans, or any possible offshoots from either species. According to this data, this facility is over 200,000 years old."

[Nira Said]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was pleased to hear from the away team as it meant they had figured out a way past whatever obstacle they'd called about earlier. They'd made good progress and it seemed like they'd ruled out a Romulan listening post, but now they had a new mystery, exactly who had they discovered? The answer to that question almost certainly dovetailed with the origins of the probe that had disabled the Challenger.

"Data received Commander. We're makin' progress, but the damage ta our power relay system is extensive and we're still limited ta the fusion generators. Report when you know more. Galloway out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Underground complex - Kaimo IV]

As the away team assessed the new code, Savar had time to conduct detailed scans of the facility and after checking the results twice, he grunted in surprise.

"Based on these scans, we can rule out Romulans, Vulcans, or any possible offshoots from either species. According to this data, this facility is over 200,000 years old."

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

"I understand, Captain," Nira replied before he cut the comms. It was understandable that it'd take a while for the images they made to manifest well in Challenger's computers when they're limited to fusion generators. Nira noticed Savar scanning the area amidst the team assessing the code and then heard his grunt of surprise. When he explained, Nira let out an exhale of equal surprise.

"You're kidding," she said in surprise.

"Cultural origins notwithstanding, Vulcans do not kid," Savar retorted.

"Have you rechecked it to confirm?"

"I've checked it over twice. I could check two dozen more times and I would find the same result."

Nira ran her fingers through her hair and paced around; her surprise was so strong in her empathy that anybody and everybody around her could feel her like if something warm was pacing by them.

"Well, there's a strong doubt that there would be Iconians involved," said Nira, bringing up the only advanced extinct civilization that came to her.

"It's not Iconian in origin, that's for sure," said Savar. "We would've found a gateway, whether or not it was operational," he added, referring to the Iconian trademark technology.

"Great," said Nira with a shrug. "So we've got a new primordially advanced civilization of unknown origin with potential offshoots who embrace a primitive status."

"Nira," said Savar with seriousness, "I do wish you would've taken a course on archeology or ancient races at the Academy. In any case, 'primordial' is the wrong choice of word, it would've implied it would've been technologically advanced from the dawn of time. Or from the earliest stage of development."

"Thank you, Savar," said Nira with another shrug, and she kept on pacing, bothered by how particularly old the area was.. "Allah, I wish Akuuta was here...but on the other hand, he wouldn't know any more about this than the typical jungle monkey."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Mountain Cave]

Lahr was silent as he fell into place alongside the Commander, following Zhuk.  He found her words of consolation a bit odd.  As if she thought he was nervous about being on the away team.  Yeah, given his past PTSD episodes he supposed that was a valid concern... but that was wasn't the case at the moment, and Lahr would have thought the Betazoid would be empathic enough to recognize his feelings of guilt at having put the whole team in danger.

The Andorian had honestly thought his being assigned up front was so that she could quietly reprimand him.  So, to hear her reassure him felt really wrong.  He nodded at her words knowing she was owed some sort of acknowledgement, but he avoided actually talking - a sure sign that Lahr was not himself.

The away team moved on from the easy tunnels of the temple into twisting paths that Lahr thought were meant to discourage the locals from being curious of the place.  When he first saw the chasm, he was a little worried they would need to do some spelunking but the Vulcan directed the team towards a safer route.  Along the way Lahr noted the ODN cable and other signs of advanced tech.

He half listened to the Commander and Lieutenant Savar talking about the civilization that created it.  Lahr didn't have an opinion of it, so again kept quiet.

He was a bit intrigued when they came to the lower cavern and found the vault door.  Lahr was smart enough to recognize that this type of situation was one where Lahr the 'Engineer' would be needed.  He just hoped he didn't mess up again.  Just in case, he motioned everyone back a bit and studied the symbols... trying to understand what it meant.

It seemed simple enough.  A count... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... but then it jumped to that line symbol which represented 8.. Lahr had already guessed that the ancient civilization had been 8 fingered.  So, 7 was missing... did that mean that was a tone to play or the symbol to somehow enter at the door?

But if he suggested that and was wrong again... what would be the consequence this time?  Lahr balked at making such a decision.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Ensign Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Island Cavern - Kaimo VI]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian appreciated the ensign's initiative but had to shake his head as he replied.

"Odds are Lad that whatever they were facin' has already occurred. I'm certain your time would be better spent helpin' engineerin' with replacin' those bloody power relays."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Cave - Crater Lake - Kaimo IV]

Slowed by age the defense system was unable to compensate for the away team's advanced weapons and precise fire, in addition to the completely outside of its programming event of Lahr's physical attack. The turrets were quickly reduced to sparking ruin and silence returned to the long abandoned tunnel.

A further plus to the away team's assault was that the destruction of the turrets apparently caused a power overload that shorted out the force field that had initially guarded the tunnel. With the way cleared, the away team could now proceed as soon as Chloe had finished working on Blackfeather and Lahr. Although the wounds were serious, she was certain she could get the two men back on their feet. One thing did concern her in that her medkit was beginning to run low on supplies because of the demands from all the injuries the away team had suffered during the mission to this point.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira and Savar blinked in surprise simultaneously at the force field's shorting-out. Turned out their last resort helped them out after all.

"Well, if this isn't an honest-to-Allah bonus to blow a mind," said Nira in surprised delight.

"Mind-blowing indeed," retorted Savar. "And here it saves us the trouble of having to use the combination again or having to resort to an electromagnetic pulse."

Nira looked back at Savar, grinning wider, and replied, "I'm tempted to ask you to repeat that and in a faster tone, Imzadi."

Savar, who had been around plenty of non-Vulcans to know a humorously unserious quip when he heard one, shrugged in reply.

"Well, in any case, destroying the turrets certainly solved the problem for us," said Nira. "I'm no specialist in technology, but I'm very sure it's older than it looks, for the force field to short out from the turrets blowing. If, and I mean IF, there are Romulans around in hiding, maybe it's old enough to indicate there could've been a hidden Romulan colony here, perhaps one of the first since the division between those who followed Surak and those who became Romulans later on. If not...well, maybe it's way older...Savar, you'd best scan to see how old these pieces of technology are."

Turning to the rest of the away team, she said, "I know you may think I'm paranoid-sounding regarding Romulans, but we are close to Romulan space, after all, and I've had plenty of dealings with Romulans in the past, sometimes with the Tal Shiar. I was even there with Discovery when the Romulan Free State was formed, we were third-party negotiating in behalf of the Federation. But there are plenty of Romulan factions out there, from the Tal Shiar to the Reunification Movement. Allah knows what we'll find deeper in the caves.

"Okay, Nurse," said Nira to Davies, "once Mister Blackfeather is treated, we will continue into the caves. Zhuk, take point. I'll be right behind you. Everybody keep an eye out for any more potential surprises when we move on. Lahr will be with me. The rest will bring up the rear."

After Blackfeather was treated and Nurse Davies informed them of the medical supplies running low, Nira replied, "Well, we'll definitely be more careful. Hopefully, finding the source won't take long. And if we have to remain longer, I can contact Challenger to send a shuttle to drop by more medical supplies."

Zhuk'drashar beamed after the combat had been finished, the success of his victory giving him a significant surge in confidence. Having read extensively about Caitian culture to know that his kind was considered as warrior-poets suddenly made much sense at that point in time. Maybe it was in his genetics, but he felt a boost to his energy once more.

He still couldn't help but check on Blackfeather and Lahr, though with the presence of Head Nurse Davies, he soon focused back on the orders provided by Lieutenant Nira, and took a point at the front of the away team. He wondered what else they would find in the bowels of the mountain, though he hoped that things would be calmer from now on. He really didn't want to try and fight some ancient turrets once more. In the meanwhile, he made sure to keep his eyes forward, though his ears pivoted as Nira spoke of a Romulan origin to the technology.

He did not dare say it, instead just nodding absentmindedly through her explanation, but he really did not believe this could be Romulan in origin. It made no sense to him, considering that he believed that they would have found Romulans by now if that was the case. That they were absent, and that the natives certainly believed this was some kind of place to remain far away from him reassured that his conclusion was correct.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

"I understand, Captain," Nira replied before he cut the comms. It was understandable that it'd take a while for the images they made to manifest well in Challenger's computers when they're limited to fusion generators. Nira noticed Savar scanning the area amidst the team assessing the code and then heard his grunt of surprise. When he explained, Nira let out an exhale of equal surprise.

"You're kidding," she said in surprise.

"Cultural origins notwithstanding, Vulcans do not kid," Savar retorted.

"Have you rechecked it to confirm?"

"I've checked it over twice. I could check two dozen more times and I would find the same result."

Nira ran her fingers through her hair and paced around; her surprise was so strong in her empathy that anybody and everybody around her could feel her like if something warm was pacing by them.

"Well, there's a strong doubt that there would be Iconians involved," said Nira, bringing up the only advanced extinct civilization that came to her.

"It's not Iconian in origin, that's for sure," said Savar. "We would've found a gateway, whether or not it was operational," he added, referring to the Iconian trademark technology.

"Great," said Nira with a shrug. "So we've got a new primordially advanced civilization of unknown origin with potential offshoots who embrace a primitive status."

"Nira," said Savar with seriousness, "I do wish you would've taken a course on archeology or ancient races at the Academy. In any case, 'primordial' is the wrong choice of word, it would've implied it would've been technologically advanced from the dawn of time. Or from the earliest stage of development."

"Thank you, Savar," said Nira with another shrug, and she kept on pacing, bothered by how particularly old the area was.. "Allah, I wish Akuuta was here...but on the other hand, he wouldn't know any more about this than the typical jungle monkey."

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Mountain Cave]

Lahr was silent as he fell into place alongside the Commander, following Zhuk.  He found her words of consolation a bit odd.  As if she thought he was nervous about being on the away team.  Yeah, given his past PTSD episodes he supposed that was a valid concern... but that was wasn't the case at the moment, and Lahr would have thought the Betazoid would be empathic enough to recognize his feelings of guilt at having put the whole team in danger.

The Andorian had honestly thought his being assigned up front was so that she could quietly reprimand him.  So, to hear her reassure him felt really wrong.  He nodded at her words knowing she was owed some sort of acknowledgement, but he avoided actually talking - a sure sign that Lahr was not himself.

The away team moved on from the easy tunnels of the temple into twisting paths that Lahr thought were meant to discourage the locals from being curious of the place.  When he first saw the chasm, he was a little worried they would need to do some spelunking but the Vulcan directed the team towards a safer route.  Along the way Lahr noted the ODN cable and other signs of advanced tech.

He half listened to the Commander and Lieutenant Savar talking about the civilization that created it.  Lahr didn't have an opinion of it, so again kept quiet.

He was a bit intrigued when they came to the lower cavern and found the vault door.  Lahr was smart enough to recognize that this type of situation was one where Lahr the 'Engineer' would be needed.  He just hoped he didn't mess up again.  Just in case, he motioned everyone back a bit and studied the symbols... trying to understand what it meant.

It seemed simple enough.  A count... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... but then it jumped to that line symbol which represented 8.. Lahr had already guessed that the ancient civilization had been 8 fingered.  So, 7 was missing... did that mean that was a tone to play or the symbol to somehow enter at the door?

But if he suggested that and was wrong again... what would be the consequence this time?  Lahr balked at making such a decision.

And, after winding paths that had large chasms next to them that would certainly spell doom to anyone careless enough to not watch their footing, his movement aided by the claws by his feet that dug into the smooth stone to prevent his fall, alongside the soft padding of his digitigrade configuration, he was proven right.

Technology embedded into the rock proved to be close to what the Federation had. He gazed all over in amazement as he tried to make sense of what it could be, up until they reached what seemed to be a large vault door. Hearing Savar analyzing it told him two things: it was very old. And it was not going to be able to be opened through physical force of any kind. Another set of tones and patterns made him roll his eyes as he kept watch around the area, making sure that nothing would spring on them.

He was tired of the puzzles, especially because he now knew that they could be potentially deadly if the wrong answer was inputted. At least, he found enjoyment in seeing such old technology. Maybe he should have been an archeologist. Quickly, he vanished those thoughts from his mind. Being a Security Ensign to be able to see such structures firsthand before any scientists were able to admire them themselves was even better, he quickly surmised.

Still, after a moment of not hearing Lahr come up with an answer, he turned to glance at him. He seemed oddly silent, considering that he had been ready to provide the answer before. Squinting his eyes, he realized that maybe his failure before meant that he was hesitant to provide a response now. Probably not wanting to endanger the crew again.

A sentiment that he felt he understood well.

"Petty Officer First Class ShranLahr," Zhuk spoke up, as he approached him discreetly, doing his best to try and reassure him with his tone of voice, which became hushed as he did his best to keep Lahr from being exposed accidentally,
"Do not worry. We are all but fallible individuals, and we may experience hardship through our mistakes. Gaze at me and my inability to defend Head Nurse Davies and the rest of the team with the large creature that surprised us. Or how I failed to save Lieutenant Nira on my own. And in fact, had to be saved by her. If it wasn't for your assistance, I would have drowned. Now, we require your expertise in this matter, and with the accrued experience, I know you will make the right choice... I will go back to my duties."

He went back to his watch, doing his best to make as if he had always been on the look for danger while keeping an ear peeled in case Lahr thanked him or asked for his help. In any case, he gave himself a mental pat on the back for his assistance.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Mountain Cave - Vault Door]

[Ensign Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Island Cavern - Kaimo VI]

Zhuk'drashar beamed after the combat had been finished, the success of his victory giving him a significant surge in confidence. Having read extensively about Caitian culture to know that his kind was considered as warrior-poets suddenly made much sense at that point in time. Maybe it was in his genetics, but he felt a boost to his energy once more.

He still couldn't help but check on Blackfeather and Lahr, though with the presence of Head Nurse Davies, he soon focused back on the orders provided by Lieutenant Nira, and took a point at the front of the away team. He wondered what else they would find in the bowels of the mountain, though he hoped that things would be calmer from now on. He really didn't want to try and fight some ancient turrets once more. In the meanwhile, he made sure to keep his eyes forward, though his ears pivoted as Nira spoke of a Romulan origin to the technology.

He did not dare say it, instead just nodding absentmindedly through her explanation, but he really did not believe this could be Romulan in origin. It made no sense to him, considering that he believed that they would have found Romulans by now if that was the case. That they were absent, and that the natives certainly believed this was some kind of place to remain far away from him reassured that his conclusion was correct.

And, after winding paths that had large chasms next to them that would certainly spell doom to anyone careless enough to not watch their footing, his movement aided by the claws by his feet that dug into the smooth stone to prevent his fall, alongside the soft padding of his digitigrade configuration, he was proven right.

Technology embedded into the rock proved to be close to what the Federation had. He gazed all over in amazement as he tried to make sense of what it could be, up until they reached what seemed to be a large vault door. Hearing Savar analyzing it told him two things: it was very old. And it was not going to be able to be opened through physical force of any kind. Another set of tones and patterns made him roll his eyes as he kept watch around the area, making sure that nothing would spring on them.

He was tired of the puzzles, especially because he now knew that they could be potentially deadly if the wrong answer was inputted. At least, he found enjoyment in seeing such old technology. Maybe he should have been an archeologist. Quickly, he vanished those thoughts from his mind. Being a Security Ensign to be able to see such structures firsthand before any scientists were able to admire them themselves was even better, he quickly surmised.

Still, after a moment of not hearing Lahr come up with an answer, he turned to glance at him. He seemed oddly silent, considering that he had been ready to provide the answer before. Squinting his eyes, he realized that maybe his failure before meant that he was hesitant to provide a response now. Probably not wanting to endanger the crew again.

A sentiment that he felt he understood well.

"Petty Officer First Class ShranLahr," Zhuk spoke up, as he approached him discreetly, doing his best to try and reassure him with his tone of voice, which became hushed as he did his best to keep Lahr from being exposed accidentally,
"Do not worry. We are all but fallible individuals, and we may experience hardship through our mistakes. Gaze at me and my inability to defend Head Nurse Davies and the rest of the team with the large creature that surprised us. Or how I failed to save Lieutenant Nira on my own. And in fact, had to be saved by her. If it wasn't for your assistance, I would have drowned. Now, we require your expertise in this matter, and with the accrued experience, I know you will make the right choice... I will go back to my duties."

He went back to his watch, doing his best to make as if he had always been on the look for danger while keeping an ear peeled in case Lahr thanked him or asked for his help. In any case, he gave himself a mental pat on the back for his assistance.

Lahr kept his eyes on the symbol display as he tried to play for time.  Roohz!- why was she having 'him' do this again? His guess last time had nearly cost Blackfeather his life.   Wouldn't her snuggle-boytoy, the science officer, be the better choice for this?  The Vulcan was sure to be smarter than he!

While he hesitated on his interpretation of the symbology, Ensign Mrekrerhas came up to him and offered, surprisingly a bit of support.  The Andorian looked to the Caitian,  "Do you have any ideas on this?"

He pointed towards the 7 symbols and the lines beside them.  What were those for anyway?  Wait.. maybe it wasn't a single tone that was the answer but rather a series of 7 tones... 1 through 6 and 8.  Or was that completely wrong like his last suggestion?  It seemed too simple... just like last time and he'd gotten that wrong.

Lahr shook his head and looked to the Commander.   "I can't decide...  I won't!  I shouldn't be here." he affirmed.  "I'm gonna end up killing someone with my ignorance."

That outcome was fine enough if it was just him endangered.. but that might not be how thing's turn out.

"I'll send this scan up to Hyperion. We'll just have to wait for him to have time to provide us the answer." Lahr stated as he scanned the display and sent it up to the ship - Attention:  Hyperion.

[Nira Said]

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Mountain Cave]

Lahr was silent as he fell into place alongside the Commander, following Zhuk.  He found her words of consolation a bit odd.  As if she thought he was nervous about being on the away team.  Yeah, given his past PTSD episodes he supposed that was a valid concern... but that was wasn't the case at the moment, and Lahr would have thought the Betazoid would be empathic enough to recognize his feelings of guilt at having put the whole team in danger.

The Andorian had honestly thought his being assigned up front was so that she could quietly reprimand him.  So, to hear her reassure him felt really wrong.  He nodded at her words knowing she was owed some sort of acknowledgement, but he avoided actually talking - a sure sign that Lahr was not himself.

The away team moved on from the easy tunnels of the temple into twisting paths that Lahr thought were meant to discourage the locals from being curious of the place.  When he first saw the chasm, he was a little worried they would need to do some spelunking but the Vulcan directed the team towards a safer route.  Along the way Lahr noted the ODN cable and other signs of advanced tech.

He half listened to the Commander and Lieutenant Savar talking about the civilization that created it.  Lahr didn't have an opinion of it, so again kept quiet.

He was a bit intrigued when they came to the lower cavern and found the vault door.  Lahr was smart enough to recognize that this type of situation was one where Lahr the 'Engineer' would be needed.  He just hoped he didn't mess up again.  Just in case, he motioned everyone back a bit and studied the symbols... trying to understand what it meant.

It seemed simple enough.  A count... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... but then it jumped to that line symbol which represented 8.. Lahr had already guessed that the ancient civilization had been 8 fingered.  So, 7 was missing... did that mean that was a tone to play or the symbol to somehow enter at the door?

But if he suggested that and was wrong again... what would be the consequence this time?  Lahr balked at making such a decision.

[Ensign Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Island Cavern - Kaimo VI]

Zhuk'drashar beamed after the combat had been finished, the success of his victory giving him a significant surge in confidence. Having read extensively about Caitian culture to know that his kind was considered as warrior-poets suddenly made much sense at that point in time. Maybe it was in his genetics, but he felt a boost to his energy once more.

He still couldn't help but check on Blackfeather and Lahr, though with the presence of Head Nurse Davies, he soon focused back on the orders provided by Lieutenant Nira, and took a point at the front of the away team. He wondered what else they would find in the bowels of the mountain, though he hoped that things would be calmer from now on. He really didn't want to try and fight some ancient turrets once more. In the meanwhile, he made sure to keep his eyes forward, though his ears pivoted as Nira spoke of a Romulan origin to the technology.

He did not dare say it, instead just nodding absentmindedly through her explanation, but he really did not believe this could be Romulan in origin. It made no sense to him, considering that he believed that they would have found Romulans by now if that was the case. That they were absent, and that the natives certainly believed this was some kind of place to remain far away from him reassured that his conclusion was correct.

And, after winding paths that had large chasms next to them that would certainly spell doom to anyone careless enough to not watch their footing, his movement aided by the claws by his feet that dug into the smooth stone to prevent his fall, alongside the soft padding of his digitigrade configuration, he was proven right.

Technology embedded into the rock proved to be close to what the Federation had. He gazed all over in amazement as he tried to make sense of what it could be, up until they reached what seemed to be a large vault door. Hearing Savar analyzing it told him two things: it was very old. And it was not going to be able to be opened through physical force of any kind. Another set of tones and patterns made him roll his eyes as he kept watch around the area, making sure that nothing would spring on them.

He was tired of the puzzles, especially because he now knew that they could be potentially deadly if the wrong answer was inputted. At least, he found enjoyment in seeing such old technology. Maybe he should have been an archeologist. Quickly, he vanished those thoughts from his mind. Being a Security Ensign to be able to see such structures firsthand before any scientists were able to admire them themselves was even better, he quickly surmised.

Still, after a moment of not hearing Lahr come up with an answer, he turned to glance at him. He seemed oddly silent, considering that he had been ready to provide the answer before. Squinting his eyes, he realized that maybe his failure before meant that he was hesitant to provide a response now. Probably not wanting to endanger the crew again.

A sentiment that he felt he understood well.

"Petty Officer First Class ShranLahr," Zhuk spoke up, as he approached him discreetly, doing his best to try and reassure him with his tone of voice, which became hushed as he did his best to keep Lahr from being exposed accidentally,
"Do not worry. We are all but fallible individuals, and we may experience hardship through our mistakes. Gaze at me and my inability to defend Head Nurse Davies and the rest of the team with the large creature that surprised us. Or how I failed to save Lieutenant Nira on my own. And in fact, had to be saved by her. If it wasn't for your assistance, I would have drowned. Now, we require your expertise in this matter, and with the accrued experience, I know you will make the right choice... I will go back to my duties."

He went back to his watch, doing his best to make as if he had always been on the look for danger while keeping an ear peeled in case Lahr thanked him or asked for his help. In any case, he gave himself a mental pat on the back for his assistance.

PO1 ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Surface of Kaimo VI - Mountain Cave - Vault Door]

Lahr kept his eyes on the symbol display as he tried to play for time.  Roohz!- why was she having 'him' do this again? His guess last time had nearly cost Blackfeather his life.   Wouldn't her snuggle-boytoy, the science officer, be the better choice for this?  The Vulcan was sure to be smarter than he!

While he hesitated on his interpretation of the symbology, Ensign Mrekrerhas came up to him and offered, surprisingly a bit of support.  The Andorian looked to the Caitian,  "Do you have any ideas on this?"

He pointed towards the 7 symbols and the lines beside them.  What were those for anyway?  Wait.. maybe it wasn't a single tone that was the answer but rather a series of 7 tones... 1 through 6 and 8.  Or was that completely wrong like his last suggestion?  It seemed too simple... just like last time and he'd gotten that wrong.

Lahr shook his head and looked to the Commander.   "I can't decide...  I won't!  I shouldn't be here." he affirmed.  "I'm gonna end up killing someone with my ignorance."

That outcome was fine enough if it was just him endangered.. but that might not be how thing's turn out.

"I'll send this scan up to Hyperion. We'll just have to wait for him to have time to provide us the answer." Lahr stated as he scanned the display and sent it up to the ship - Attention:  Hyperion.

[Lieutenant Commander Nira Said | Crater Lake Island | Kaimo IV]

Nira could practically feel Lahr's confidence wavering, and she had paced away to half a dozen meters away. She came in close when it felt too strong, and she was surprised at his display.

"Mister ch'Verret," said Nira, putting on her sternness, "what is wrong with you? Just because you got something wrong doesn't mean you have to fall apart. As fatal looking as it was, we're still alive. Besides, you're the best person for the job, to help Savar out. If you're going to fall apart every time something technical goes wrong, you wouldn't be the right Chief Engineer material. My last post's chief engineer never balked, never gave up, never fell apart at something going wrong, he could always find something to ensure it works. Besides, did any of the great Engineers of Starfleet fall apart when something went wrong? Did Geordi LaForge? Did 'Trip' Tucker? Did Scotty? No! They worked their miracles to help their ships and whatever technology could be out of place or a threat, or both! There's a good reason Engineers are often referred to as 'miracle workers.'"

She didn't mean to sound so snappish, but clearly, Lahr's confidence was wavering. In any case, there was more than one time she had to reprimand her Security underlings or even gave a pep talk back on Discovery.

"I don't know whether it will be right, but I doubt this time a wrong answer will trigger a booby trap," said Nira, hoping she was right. "Besides, it's a matter of luck. In any case, we can't get Hyperion fast enough, not with the Challenger's computers being the way they are. Savar can help you if you need to. If you still feel like you don't belong, then I can call a shuttle to bring you back up and replace you with your departmental head if you wish, BUT you are our best engineer right now, and an engineer must not lose his head."

Savar stepped to Lahr's side, nodding in agreement. "She's right," he said. "And Commander Said is a good judge of character. She wouldn't have picked you if she wasn't confident in you. Now, I can help you interpret these symbols..."