S2 M1 - Fathers and Daughters II

[Jada]

[Bridge, USS Healy]

"Ensign s'Metra, if Lt Falleg can spare you, Ensign Corso could use someone from Science to look over the sample he's gathered using the bussard collectors.  An analysis of what has been collected may prove useful."

'Yes, sir.' s'Metra confirmed quickly and hurried to Ops to get the details herself before she went to work at the rear Science station. Looking over Ensign Corso's shoulder, she asked him 'What is this a sample of, and what are the collection parameters?'

[Kalem Michael]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

The Bajoran's statement actually made Tess look up and seek the man's eyes. He didn't even feel it happen? The dislocation of the shoulder was a most painful experience. How was it possible he didn't notice it? Tess looked at him for a moment, assessing the situation. "It is very unusual that a dislocation happens without pain. Are you sure you didn't feel anything?", she asked while she waited for Jayce to join her. Maybe she should take a closer look at Kalem's sinews and joints when they were back on the station.

"I know that it is supposed to be painful. However, I could have been numb to it due to adrenaline. I don't know anymore."

"I'm going to reset your shoulder with the help of Ensign Fuller. That usually is painful, so I have given you an analgesic, just to be on the safe side. For the resetting I need you to relax your muscles completely. Would you rather like to sit down?"

"Ok so your not gonna make a field test and pop it back in without an anesthetic. OK, guess we will find out later?"

[Rayek trLhoell]

NPC Ensign Jayce Fuller
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge]

While Dr. Moreno took over with Lieutenant Saxon, Jayce moves on to unobtrusively checking the others on the bridge.  A quick scan of Caitian before the Ensign left, a check on Lieutenant Ferris and the doctor's younger brother.  Everyone's readings were in the normal range - for dealing with a stressful situation.  Except for the security crewman who'd been standing watch on the Bridge.

He'd been staggered at the ships' sudden stop and sprained an ankle.  The crewman hadn't made mention of the injury but Jayce's medical scanner had picked it up when they scanned him. Jayce was in the process of regenerating the stretched ligament tissue when the doctor called for them.

Lt. Cmdr. Tess Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]
"Ensign Fuller", she called to her. "I will need your assistance once more, please."

"Yes, Doctor. Just one moment."

Lt. Cmdr. Tess Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

The Bajoran's statement actually made Tess look up and seek the man's eyes. He didn't even feel it happen? The dislocation of the shoulder was a most painful experience. How was it possible he didn't notice it? Tess looked at him for a moment, assessing the situation. "It is very unusual that a dislocation happens without pain. Are you sure you didn't feel anything?", she asked while she waited for Jayce to join her. Maybe she should take a closer look at Kalem's sinews and joints when they were back on the station.

"I'm going to reset your shoulder with the help of Ensign Fuller. That usually is painful, so I have given you an analgesic, just to be on the safe side. For the resetting I need you to relax your muscles completely. Would you rather like to sit down?"

They finished up with the security crewman, instructing them to avoid any running for the next 6 to 8 hours to allow the newly regenerated tissue to recover but that walking would be fine. Jayce then hurried to attend the doctor, moving into position behind Lieutenant Kalem.

"Excuse me, sir, I'll need to apply back pressure to your shoulder while Dr. Moreno resets your arm.  With your permission."

They waited for Kalem to give some indication of permission, hands held close to his shoulder but not touching him until he agreed to the procedure.

[Beja]

IKS Nom Pach - Bridge - Science Station

Captain Noh'Ves agreed to testing out the transporter but before they could make any attempt with a morsel of food, they were interrupted news that Tolec and Grom had found the solution. The puzzle had been solved!

All hope Beja had was quickly dashed when they talked of their "solution". The solution that would murder the newly discovered life form, and everyone on the Healy and maybe the Kosst Holana too. Beja kept her facial expression neutral, not letting any outward appearance to her horroried thought at such an event.

The fact that others also were not as enthused about this option, did give her hope that not all was lost. H'rel and K'mpoc both spoke up about their hesitation to destroy their allies, the very people that had even allowed them to get this far in their battle with the true enemy the Romulan ship and their crew. What a dishonor to turn on the allies that supported you in battle? Victory at any cost, was not much of a victory. This could almost be taken for a metaphor for the future of the Klingons. Would they continue to go down the path of war and bloodshed, or would they try and find alternative methods and expand their cultural into new areas?

While Beja listened to the proposals being made around her, a message came in from the Healy.

'Lieutenant your message is received. No contact with the Kosst Holana. We have only minor injuries, but a few are affected by some kind of psychic presence here. Status of Romulan ship? Stand by while we work the problem. Rain check on that duel, Ensign Corso, repeats.'

Beja spoke up, "Sir, the Healy received our message. They state that the entity seems to be having an effect on those that have psychic abilities. They are working on communicating with it and learning its language. They would also  like to know the status of the Romulan ship. "

"May I suggest that before we do anything drastic, that we inform the Healy of the frequency of the subspace, this may be the key to them opening up communication with the entity. I do believe the entity is asking for assistance. I do not believe it is trying to harm us. If we can make first contact with it, we can negotiate a way out of the sub space that will not bring death to us or our friends," Beja suggested to the other Klingons. She hadn't any idea on how it would be taken. But she was not going to let her friends come to harm if she had any way to prevent that.

[Tess tLhoell]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

NPC Ensign Jayce Fuller
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge]

While Dr. Moreno took over with Lieutenant Saxon, Jayce moves on to unobtrusively checking the others on the bridge.  A quick scan of Caitian before the Ensign left, a check on Lieutenant Ferris and the doctor's younger brother.  Everyone's readings were in the normal range - for dealing with a stressful situation.  Except for the security crewman who'd been standing watch on the Bridge.

He'd been staggered at the ships' sudden stop and sprained an ankle.  The crewman hadn't made mention of the injury but Jayce's medical scanner had picked it up when they scanned him. Jayce was in the process of regenerating the stretched ligament tissue when the doctor called for them.

"Yes, Doctor. Just one moment."

They finished up with the security crewman, instructing them to avoid any running for the next 6 to 8 hours to allow the newly regenerated tissue to recover but that walking would be fine. Jayce then hurried to attend the doctor, moving into position behind Lieutenant Kalem.

"Excuse me, sir, I'll need to apply back pressure to your shoulder while Dr. Moreno resets your arm.  With your permission."

They waited for Kalem to give some indication of permission, hands held close to his shoulder but not touching him until he agreed to the procedure.

"I know that it is supposed to be painful. However, I could have been numb to it due to adrenaline. I don't know anymore."

"Ok so your not gonna make a field test and pop it back in without an anesthetic. OK, guess we will find out later?"

While Jayce arrived Tess listened to Kalem. It was not unusual that the spike of adrenaline could make you unfeeling of the pain, but it would become painful once the adrenaline started to recede at the latest. Though hat apparently didn't happen to the Bajoran either. She briefly considered it to be another - rather contradictory - effect of the entity.

"I have already given you the analgesic, so test your pain sensitiviy is not an option right now. Though honestly I wouldn't have considered it testing it with resetting your shoulder right here and now. This is something we can do back on the station under calmer circumstances."

Tess nodded to Jayce and waited for Kalem's permission before she would go on to reset the shoulder. "You need to relax for that. Tell me when you're ready, Lieutenant."

[Kalem Michael]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

While Jayce arrived Tess listened to Kalem. It was not unusual that the spike of adrenaline could make you unfeeling of the pain, but it would become painful once the adrenaline started to recede at the latest. Though hat apparently didn't happen to the Bajoran either. She briefly considered it to be another - rather contradictory - effect of the entity.

"I have already given you the analgesic, so test your pain sensitiviy is not an option right now. Though honestly I wouldn't have considered it testing it with resetting your shoulder right here and now. This is something we can do back on the station under calmer circumstances."

Tess nodded to Jayce and waited for Kalem's permission before she would go on to reset the shoulder. "You need to relax for that. Tell me when you're ready, Lieutenant."

Kalem just simply nodded and said,
"I'm ready whenever you are"

[Solluk]

IKS Nom Pach - Bridge

Noh'Ves looked to Beja as she reported renewed contact with the Healy.  "Tell them the Romulan ship remains frustratingly out of reach, locked in combat with the Bajoran vessel.  Go ahead and give them all of Tolec and Grom's analysis."

He nodded to the two officers, and Tolec held up his datapad and tapped the key that would transfer their complete datasets and discoveries to the Science console for Beja's convenience.

Noh'Ves frowned slightly as Beja persisted in wanting to make contact with this strange, living fold of subspace.  Then he glanced to Grom and Tolec.

Grom's silvery eyes regarded him, in turn.  Noh'ves could not help but remember a time, not so many years ago, when he had counseled Grom against undertaking ritual suicide.  He had assured the man that he was still a warrior.  He'd told him that his warrior's soul continued to reside within his largely synthetic body.

And Tolec, who had once been a capable combatant, now made slow and clumsy in his movements due to a permanent injury to his knee.  It was Noh'Ves who had assured him that there was more than one way to fulfill his duties to the Empire.  A hunter had eyes as well as hands.  A warrior needed to out-think his opponent, not just out-fight him.  Tolec's keen understanding of the rules of the universe allowed him to see what others could not.  His sharp mind allowed him to find new methods of attack that escaped more traditional thinkers.

Could he give less latitude to his own daughter?

Not so many years ago, he had come across his daughter and her now-deceased uncle.   They'd stood alone in the dark, a knife between them.

At the time, he had promised her that she was still a Klingon.

He'd seen her eyes.  Her mind.  Her soul.

He'd promised her that being different was not itself a dishonor.

Were his words dust, now?

Should he not trust his daughter, still?  Should he not allow her to find her own way to be a Klingon, and serve the dictates of honor?

"If your colleagues on the Healy can figure out a way to talk to this place, and convince it to yield, we will not destroy it.  But neither will I wait forever.  It may be that this place will soon choose to do more than hold us here.  I do not like this news of those with mental abilities being made ill.  Your Captain is himself gifted in such a way, as a Vulcan, is he not?"  What a terrible way to fall- to have one's brain targeted by an invisible enemy.

"I grant one hour for them and you to find a way to talk to it, if you can.  And then another hour for them to evacuate their ship, if it comes to that.  Send them whatever data may help.  Put your own mind to it, as well.  You have my permission to do so.  But in the end, we will not remain here and suffer the ignominy of capture.  Not while there exists a means for us to escape this place and conclude our long-delayed hunt."

The mention of escape might remind Beja that there was little that a Klingon abhorred more than being taken prisoner.  Becoming stuck like this, in this strange anomaly, was akin to being seized and thrown into prison.  Granting even a minute for polite negotiation in the face of such a reality- especially when a means to escape had been found- was no small gift.

He hoped she would succeed, but he could not wait forever.

[Beja]

IKS Nom Pach - Bridge - Science Station

Beja intently listened to her father's order, and let out a breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding. There was some hope that there could be another option than having to destroy the Healy and all of them on board. Her father bent, when most other Klingons would have stood tall and rigid in the warrior's way. As she looked around at the other Klingons on the bridge - the one who had been altered into a cyborg, the permanently injured, it dawned on her that she was not the only misfit. Her father had not taken the traditional crew, and had filled his ship with outcast Klingons.

Were they outcasts? Or perhaps was Klingon culture slowly evolving and embracing qualities other than bloodshed? Was her father always this progressive in thinking, or as hard to believe as it was, had she helped to shape his thinking and ideas? Had her own need to find a path that had not been paved in the blood of her enemies opened his mind to other methods? Had she really had such an impact?

All of those thoughts had to wait, right now the most important task was to find an alternative to get the Nom Pach moving again, and communicate with the entity. They had 2 hours, not a lot of time, but she had seen the crew of the Healy do amazing things when there was no other option. She fully believed in them, and their ability to rise to the occasion.

Beja quickly relayed the message back to the Healy.

"The Romulan ship remains static - held in place by the entity too. We have not been able to reach it. But we have discovered the subspace resonance frequency of the subspace domain. This may help Lt. Hrafn in her communication with the entity. The Klingons can give 2 hours for a solution to be found, otherwise they intent to use the warp coils working against each other to create turbulence that matches the subspace frequency of this domain. If this happens, it will tear the entity apart, which will free the ships caught inside. It will create such a force that the Healy being on the edge will be ripped apart. Time is of the essence, the 2 hour mark has begun. Lt. j.g. Beja."

[Solluk]

USS Healy - Bridge

Solluk stood, touring the bridge to observe the work and results being generated by his officers and crew.

The thruster pulses had not resulted in any movement of the ship.  Thruster exhaust had been captured from the thruster vents by whatever forces were at work here, and somehow the expected action-reaction of ship movement had not occurred.  Just as the exhaust products had been instantly captured, the ship itself was held immobile.  It was an incredibly frustrating and apparently instantaneous effect.

Tess was hard at work treating Kalem, who had suffered a dislocation during the initial sudden deceleration as they entered this space.  Normally, an officer would not be treated on the bridge in this way.  But right now they were in a crisis, and Kalem needed to be able to go right back to work helping them all solve the mysteries that surrounded them.  There was no time for traditional methods and convalescense if he could be returned to duty quickly.

Jada was experimenting with shield geometry.  This was something Solluk had some personal experience with.  Even as a flight officer, he had used alterations to shield geometry to create essential deflections of air during atmospheric maneuvering.  As an Engineer, he had delved more deeply into the mechanics of the issue.  He nodded to Jada, "Use care.  Asymmetric shield geometries are incredibly taxing to the field generators.  We don't want to lose the units entirely."  He realized after he spoke that she would be well aware of that fact.  He was letting the anxiety of the moment get to him.

Continuing his tour, he noted that Rayek had been focusing some screens on the Scout.  It soon became apparent to Solluk what Rayek was looking at.  The energy fields that flowed through this space seemed to coalesce around the Romulan Scout.  He exchanged a glance with his first officer, then looked to Hrafn.  People with psionic talent on the Healy had been impacted.  Hrafn had asserted her father was telepathically screaming.  If his power was greater, then the effect must be greater, too.  It was as though the universe itself was coalescing to devour the man.

Though Solluk already suspected that Hrafn's father was the intelligence operative Chevron had told him about, and though Solluk despised what the man had done to their Klingon allies... he could not help but feel a great swell of pity for the man.  And for Hrafn, too, as she was doomed to hear her own father's tortured screams echo through her mind.

s'Metra spoke, and Solluk regarded her.  "Whatever medium it is that fills this space, we need to understand it.  But I can't begin to suggest what that medium will be.  This is uncharted territory.  We may have a reservoir of nothing.  Or we may have a cup of swamp-water teeming with life."

Although Solluk didn't know it yet- a swarm of solanogen-based lifeforms had been collected by the bussard collectors.  Unfortunately, their ability to survive in the ship environment was limited, and already it was beginning to break down.  Brief phosphorescent bursts of light reflected their death screams as they disintegrated.  Unfortunately, no one aboard knew how to interpret the light show.

Hrafn suggested a plan:  Gamma energy seemed to stun the... whatever it was... which surrounded them.  If she could use enough Gamma energy, she might stun it enough to allow the ships present to free themselves.  But that left a question... would they be attacking a new kind of life-form?  "Try to determine as best you can what the safe limits on Gamma exposure might be for the... entity?  Entities?  Present here.  I realize we are working on very little information, but I don't want to kill a newly discovered life-form.  Without knowing exposure limits or long-term effects, I'm reticent to try anything that could be an attack.  For all we know, we might be giving this place cancer."   It seemed a preposterous notion... but was it really so unlikely?  A little Gamma radiation tended to do awful things to humanoids.

Kalem's use of an alternative frequency to breach the communication gap between vessels yielded mixed results.  The new frequency was somewhat less impacted than the old frequencies.  This suggested that the space they were in did not disrupt all energy and all frequencies in precisely the same way.  But the improvement was not profound.  Still, it suggested that there was a frequency they could use to penetrate the area.

Solluk looked to the viewscreen.  At the blinking, sparkling lights.  At the glowing disruptor beams.

All of it, leaking through to them in the visible wavelength.

Just like the running lights they were using to signal the Nom Pach.

"We can see.  I've been a fool not to realize it sooner.  But you were on to it all along, Lieutenant Michael, in trying non-standard frequencies.  We've just got the wrong frequencies.  Ensign Corso has been flashing them visual signals for the past several minutes.  There's no reason we can't do the same thing, but at a much higher rate of information transmission.  Try matching transmission frequency to that of the visible spectrum, 510 Terrahertz and 565 nanometer wavelength.  We may finally get a decent bandwidth that way."

Baby steps.  One foot in front of the other.  They'd eventually get somewhere.

Finally, Solluk came to Saxon.  "Lieutenant.  Lieutenant Falleg may have found a way to stun it.  Perhaps.  I'm reticent even to apply that much force.  But if it does not seem too contrary to say so, I do wish to have an even more forceful option should it be needed as a last resort.  Did you have any thoughts on the matter?"  It felt strange to go from worrying about alien space-cancer to investigating the commission of brutal murder.  But as Captain, he needed to have all of the options.  Saxon was here to make sure that if they needed to draw metaphorical blood, they could do so in the most effective way possible.

[Jada]

[Bridge]

He nodded to Jada, "Use care.  Asymmetric shield geometries are incredibly taxing to the field generators.  We don't want to lose the units entirely."  He realized after he spoke that she would be well aware of that fact.  He was letting the anxiety of the moment get to him.

'Understood.' Jada said with a short nod; she knew it, but hadn't considered it yet. The computer would report a warning if there was a serious issue, anyway. She addressed Saxon, asking 'Has the narrow profile had an effect yet?'

s'Metra spoke, and Solluk regarded her.  "Whatever medium it is that fills this space, we need to understand it.  But I can't begin to suggest what that medium will be.  This is uncharted territory.  We may have a reservoir of nothing.  Or we may have a cup of swamp-water teeming with life."

'Well, first it would be good to know the context of the sample. Did it come from one of the empty voids, the filaments we see, or the nexuses between them?'

[Rayek trLhoell]

Cmdr Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge]

USS Healy - Bridge

s'Metra spoke, and Solluk regarded her.  "Whatever medium it is that fills this space, we need to understand it.  But I can't begin to suggest what that medium will be.  This is uncharted territory.  We may have a reservoir of nothing.  Or we may have a cup of swamp-water teeming with life."

Although Solluk didn't know it yet- a swarm of solanogen-based lifeforms had been collected by the bussard collectors.  Unfortunately, their ability to survive in the ship environment was limited, and already it was beginning to break down.  Brief phosphorescent bursts of light reflected their death screams as they disintegrated.  Unfortunately, no one aboard knew how to interpret the light show.

Hrafn suggested a plan:  Gamma energy seemed to stun the... whatever it was... which surrounded them.  If she could use enough Gamma energy, she might stun it enough to allow the ships present to free themselves.  But that left a question... would they be attacking a new kind of life-form?  "Try to determine as best you can what the safe limits on Gamma exposure might be for the... entity?  Entities?  Present here.  I realize we are working on very little information, but I don't want to kill a newly discovered life-form.  Without knowing exposure limits or long-term effects, I'm reticent to try anything that could be an attack.  For all we know, we might be giving this place cancer."   It seemed a preposterous notion... but was it really so unlikely?  A little Gamma radiation tended to do awful things to humanoids.

Kalem's use of an alternative frequency to breach the communication gap between vessels yielded mixed results.  The new frequency was somewhat less impacted than the old frequencies.  This suggested that the space they were in did not disrupt all energy and all frequencies in precisely the same way.  But the improvement was not profound.  Still, it suggested that there was a frequency they could use to penetrate the area.

Solluk looked to the viewscreen.  At the blinking, sparkling lights.  At the glowing disruptor beams.

All of it, leaking through to them in the visible wavelength.

Just like the running lights they were using to signal the Nom Pach.

"We can see.  I've been a fool not to realize it sooner.  But you were on to it all along, Lieutenant Michael, in trying non-standard frequencies.  We've just got the wrong frequencies.  Ensign Corso has been flashing them visual signals for the past several minutes.  There's no reason we can't do the same thing, but at a much higher rate of information transmission.  Try matching transmission frequency to that of the visible spectrum, 510 Terrahertz and 565 nanometer wavelength.  We may finally get a decent bandwidth that way."

Baby steps.  One foot in front of the other.  They'd eventually get somewhere.

Finally, Solluk came to Saxon.  "Lieutenant.  Lieutenant Falleg may have found a way to stun it.  Perhaps.  I'm reticent even to apply that much force.  But if it does not seem too contrary to say so, I do wish to have an even more forceful option should it be needed as a last resort.  Did you have any thoughts on the matter?"  It felt strange to go from worrying about alien space-cancer to investigating the commission of brutal murder.  But as Captain, he needed to have all of the options.  Saxon was here to make sure that if they needed to draw metaphorical blood, they could do so in the most effective way possible.

[Bridge]

'Well, first it would be good to know the context of the sample. Did it come from one of the empty voids, the filaments we see, or the nexuses between them?'

Rayek, pre-occupied with his study of the before and after density comparisons, hadn't paid much mind to s'Metra's question - which he assumed was for Ensign Corso... that was until Solluk answered instead.  The Romulan tended to listen and pay closer attention when the Captain spoke.

Solluk's description of what they might find though amusing with the reference to 'swamp water' was rather apt.   They had no clue what they were going to find.. if anything.

So when s'Metra questioned further, Rayek turned to the Ensign who had done the collection to answer.  Rayek hadn't specified where in the fold he wanted the collection from... though he did hope that it was from one of the filaments since they seemed the most active - at least visually.

Turning his attention back to his console, Rayek kept an ear 'tuned in' to the conversations going on around the bridge.

His readings unfortunately didn't support his theory fully.  While the Romulan scout definitely has the greatest concentration of the filements surrounding it... much more so than either the Kosst Holana and the Nom Pach.  But the Healy... it still had a large cluster of filaments... now almost directly above the bridge...  despite their use of the inhibitors.

Then it dawned on him, a possible reason why.  He glanced over towards Hrafn.  She had refused the inhibitor - to remain in contact with who... or what she assumed was her father.

His realization was trumped a moment later when the Captain had the brilliant idea to use the frequency of light to communication.  Ugh...  How had he not realized that before, himself?

"A brilliant deduction, Captain.  I too may have discovered something.  The 'filaments of light'... I believe they cluster more around those with strong telepathic ability.   Notice how the greatest concentration is around the Romulan ship.... yet very little around the Nom Pach and Kosst Holana."

Rayek then called up to the main screen the hard wired video feeds from those cameras located on the hull, showing a time lapse from the moment the entered to the presence at 10x speed.

At entry the filaments were spread rather evenly over the surrounding space - like a web spread out to catch a passing fly.  Then the time-lapse video showed an almost immediately clustering to various locations around the hull of the ship... with the largest cluster centering over the bridge.   Over the course of the video... all other clusters dispersed or slowly joined the cluster over the bridge.

"And..." Rayek rewound a section of the video feed and zoomed in on the 'filament'.  What from a distance looked and moved like a long singular strand of pulsating light, on closer study looked to be a collection of smaller individual luminous particles moving in concert.  Much like a flock of starlings, or a school of fish.

"I don't believe it's a singular entity we are trapped by."

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

NPC Ensign Jayce Fuller

At the permission given, Jayce place their hands at Ensign Kalem's shoulder ready to provide the back pressure when called on.

[Mike Corso]

Kalem then preceeded to approach the ops console signaling Ensign Corso to stay seated.

"Ensign switch our transmission protocols from subspace to VHF at 126 MHz and attempt to establish voice communications with the Nom Pach. you might want to try and signal them first to let them know to be looking on the frequency."

The frequency was one that would probably be new to the human operations officer. It was also one that Kalem had only heard rumors about. He had heard about it from his father. Who had been a member of the Bajoran Occupation before becoming a member of Starfleet. It was said that this frequency was used to communicate with other resistance cells. Most of the time in code. This was so that they could hide their communications from the Cardassians during the Occupation. There was however, no sources that would back this up. He had no way to confirm it.

"If that works Ensign try to get a text only signal to the Kosst Holana. Encrypt that one with a Vengenere Cypher using the piece of Literature known as "The Soul of Gratitude" as the key. Include it at the top of the message unencrypted. I'll be back here if you need me."

Beja quickly relayed the message back to the Healy.

"The Romulan ship remains static - held in place by the entity too. We have not been able to reach it. But we have discovered the subspace resonance frequency of the subspace domain. This may help Lt. Hrafn in her communication with the entity. The Klingons can give 2 hours for a solution to be found, otherwise they intent to use the warp coils working against each other to create turbulence that matches the subspace frequency of this domain. If this happens, it will tear the entity apart, which will free the ships caught inside. It will create such a force that the Healy being on the edge will be ripped apart. Time is of the essence, the 2 hour mark has begun. Lt. j.g. Beja."

s'Metra spoke, and Solluk regarded her.  "Whatever medium it is that fills this space, we need to understand it.  But I can't begin to suggest what that medium will be.  This is uncharted territory.  We may have a reservoir of nothing.  Or we may have a cup of swamp-water teeming with life."

Although Solluk didn't know it yet- a swarm of solanogen-based lifeforms had been collected by the bussard collectors.  Unfortunately, their ability to survive in the ship environment was limited, and already it was beginning to break down.  Brief phosphorescent bursts of light reflected their death screams as they disintegrated.  Unfortunately, no one aboard knew how to interpret the light show.

'Well, first it would be good to know the context of the sample. Did it come from one of the empty voids, the filaments we see, or the nexuses between them?'

Bridge - USS Healy

"I...yes, sir," Ensign Corso didn't know what was so special about the 126 MHz band but Kalem seemed to know something he didn't. Captain Solluk had given him a list of known Resistance frequencies to try but that didn't include the ones even Starfleet Intelligence weren't aware of, "You can count on me."

He was familiar with the encryption method Lieutenant Michael recommended for the Kosst Holana from his not so distant Academy days but the Soul of Gratitude required a database search before he could generate a cipher key. Efforts to establish reliable voice communications with Lieutenant Beja and her Klingon crewmates remained stubbornly elusive. Maybe they would have more like this time contacting Captain Dihsar.

"Transmission sent. I'll let you know if we get a response."

Corso shifted his attention to the bussard readouts. Containment protocols were holding up as far as their sensors could detect. In a controlled environment they could examine the anomalous substance's chemical composition. Perhaps the answers to their plight lay somewhere within the basic building blocks of this strange pocket dimension. When Rayek assigned him an ensign with science background he gratefully leaned aside so she could get a better look. The orion girl was younger than him but by now Mike was used to that.

"This is a filament sample," he explained to s'Metra, "Unfortunately the bussards couldn't penetrate far enough to extract nexus material."

He was interrupted by an incoming coded transmission from the Nom Pach.

"Ensign Rhade went down to engineering," Mike gestured to the auxiliary station right next to him, "Take a seat for now and see what you can make of it. I gotta take this call."

He flashed her a nervous grin and began to read Beja's latest. The smile faded from his lips.

"Captain! New message from the Nom Pach. They've identified the anomaly's resonance frequency. Lieutenant Beja believes it might help us make contact. Sir, the klingons say we have two hours before they use their warp coils to destabilize the subspace domain."

To illustrate his point he mimicked an explosion complete with sound effects.

[John Saxon]

[USS Healy - Bridge]

She returned to applying the inhibitor to John's temple, but just then, the man was shaking his head to Jada's following suggestion. Tess lowered her hands again, looking at the man patiently. In response to his remark about the inhibitors Tess said: "The inhibitor merely blocks telepathic abilities of the person possessing these. The inhibitor doesn't do anything to the effect coming from the domain or the entitiy in it itself. Now, would you please hold still for ten seconds", she requested, leaning forward again. Lightly touching the man's chin Tess pressed the inhibitor to his temple with the other hand and made sure it wouldn't get out of place.

She then lowered her voice so much that only John would pick up her words. "Let me know whether the symptoms go away - including the feeling of fatigue." That was why she didn't give him a stimulant. They wouldn't know if it was the drug or the inhibitor working on him.

John nodded. "Yes, Doctor" he replied, matching her volume. It was probably psychosomatic, but he felt marginally better already.

Finally, Solluk came to Saxon.  "Lieutenant.  Lieutenant Falleg may have found a way to stun it.  Perhaps.  I'm reticent even to apply that much force.  But if it does not seem too contrary to say so, I do wish to have an even more forceful option should it be needed as a last resort.  Did you have any thoughts on the matter?"  It felt strange to go from worrying about alien space-cancer to investigating the commission of brutal murder.  But as Captain, he needed to have all of the options.  Saxon was here to make sure that if they needed to draw metaphorical blood, they could do so in the most effective way possible.

Now Tess had finished the fitting of the device, and he was permitted to move freely once more, Saxon turned to Solluk, out of courtesy more than an actual need to look his Captain in the eye - although the dire topic perhaps needed a more compassionate touch than pure detached practicality.

"I believe I do" he replied, his face darkening with heavy responsibility. In actuality the antediluvian officer already had, as ever, several potential options ranging from a quick, surgical solution to a more devastating, and semi-permanent area-denying, outcome which fell just short of breaking several treaties on sentient rights. It was the former that he raised in response. "And ironically, it involves the very material we've recently used to track the Scout ship to this location." He looked over to Lt Falleg. "I would value your input nearer the time" he intoned gently, conveying the solemn contribution she would be asked to provide.

'Understood.' Jada said with a short nod; she knew it, but hadn't considered it yet. The computer would report a warning if there was a serious issue, anyway. She addressed Saxon, asking 'Has the narrow profile had an effect yet?'

At Jada's request, Saxon checked the display on his own screen. "No discernible effect" he concluded, "although emitter effort has increased to 386% but still maintaining full integrity." He couldn't decide whether to be surprised or not at the results; the region they were buried nose-first in demonstrated various, and contrary, environmental and scientific conditions that it was hard to pin down any consistent solution. What was obvious was that the current actions were, at the moment at least, preventing the situation from deteriorating. That could all change if the shields finally failed and they were exposed to the domain without any substitute defences. Speaking of. "Have you yet looked into alternative options to protect the ship if the shields fail?" he asked, referring to his original instruction. It was laudable that the Senior Chief was assisting with the issue of removing the ship from the situation they were currently in, but as Helm, Science and Operations were already heavily involved in doing so, what they all needed was a way to continue to last if the primary means to defend the ship became unavailable. Granted, the survival conditions of being unshielded was untested and uncertain, but some deductions could already be made in order to maintain the status quo.

Still, perhaps it required a more direct observation to ascertain their chances. "Captain" he yet again asked Solluk. "Permission to leave the Bridge - I believe we need to determine the raw effects the domain has on us on our terms...before we're forced to find out the hard way."

What he didn't add was that out of all of them, he was clearly the most dispensable should the results prove inimical to known biological life.

[Jada]

[Bridge]

At the failure, Jada frowned, which on her face looked much more aggressive than she really meant, and began modelling a complex, asymmetrical wedge shape, wider at the aft, narrowing to the fore. Theoretically, the negative gradient would provide resistance against them being pulled further in, and might even help push them out. 'My last ship had ablative armour – not an option here.' she corrected before he did. She was thinking aloud, reminding herself of alternative shielding options; Orions were talkers and listeners, largely. Then she remembered a technique that rarely came up in Tactical teachings these days, but which hadn't been forgotten, just left in place as one of those famous Starfleet redundancies. 'What if we polarise the hull plating? It should harden the hull, maybe even repel some of the barrier matter.' Jada had never polarised hull plating in practice, but figured Century Saxon had probably done it all the time back on the NX-classes or something.

*

'Aha...' s'Metra acknowledged Corso vaguely as she sat down, her attention now on the screen and on the collected sample and measurement data. Random photon bursts, and nothing else... 'Well, that's a bust, there's no matter here at all... But this is subspace, so maybe there shouldn't be.' She began scanning for known subspace-specific particles. 'Here we are, tetryons.' Extruded into normal space, tetryons became unstable with random momenta, and decayed rapidly and energetically. 'That explains the photon flashes.'. But tetryons were just force-mediating particles for other subspatial matter, which was still very unknown to the normal-matter scientists. The only other known subspace particle was one that generated tetryons, named for its famous discoverer, Doctor Solano. s'Metra had his signature on a copy of his book. Energy, mass, spin, it all matched. 'What we have is solanogen!' Ooh, these findings could make her just as famous.

Since they were already in a subspace domain, s'Metra could use stable tetryons to resolve an image, both of the sample and of the environment outside. Then she gasped, 'They're alive! And they're dying! We need to release the sample!'

[Hrafn Falleg]

Lt. Cmdr. Tess Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

Tess handed her over the small jar with the numbing gel. "If you insist, go ahead", she smiled. "Let me know whether it works or not!"

Cadet Benjin Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

Benjin nodded. "Yes, sir." Leaning forward a little he fixated on the display of the forward movement.
When Eli began pulsing the thrusters Benjin glanced on the display, ready to report movement ...! But it was in vain. Soon the ship shuddered and the engines died. "We haven't moved at all, sir", Benjin said quietly. "This-, ... this ... whatever it is is absorbing the energy completely. We're stuck like a fly on flypaper ..."

Benjin looked surprised over to the Chief Science Officer when he received orders from her. He instantly sat up a little straighter and his pulse was spiking. "Uh - ... yes, Ma'am. Immediately", he hurried to say and then turned back to his console. "Gamma pulse generator standing by, Ma'am", the young man reported.

Two minutes dragged on as Benjin was in anticipation of Hrafn's mark. Then finally there was it. He hit the button and the ship discharged gamma energy pulses.

[Bridge - USS Healy]

Hrafn had taken a little of the numbing gel and used it, which was a good thing when she suddenly had a brainwave and slapped the heal of her hand to her forehead.  It still stung but not as much as it had.

"HRAFN YOU EEJIT!!" she yelled at herself.  "Ooops sorry Captain, indoor voice but I really have been an eejit.  Dr. Moreno... the gel works just fine on my temples!" she added rather sheepishly.

"I've been approaching this the wrong way. I'm so used to being telepathic that I forgot the basics of psionics. Those that become psions learn that they can alter their vibrations to produce miracles of intensity to cause certain effects that seem to break the laws of Physics, but these actions are governed by higher laws than the laws we understand.  A psion and other psionic people are trained to send out vibrations that are answered powerfully and immediately.  Vibrations all I need to do is to work out the frequency of the vibrations and we can communicate with the entity! And..."

The CSO got a gleam in her eye and an impish grin on her face...

"If Ensign Rhade could help me out here as he's an engineer.  I'm thinking of something like a marker beacon or ... well it needs to be something that would send out artificial psionic vibrations, but as a constant thus giving the entity something to 'feed' from, It wants vibrations, we give it vibrations... it will hopefully shift it's attention from us and allow us to escape."

She turned to Tess.  "Doctor, do you have readings from myself or any other being on this ship with psionic abilities, and, if so do you have the frequency of the vibrations we put out, if I have the range then I can start trying to communicate with the entity, it would buy us a few hours if we already have the data on hand. Or we could try the data from Lt. Beja."