S2 M1 - Fathers and Daughters II

[Tess tLhoell]

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

[Bridge - USS Healy]

"That makes sense, doc... OK let's try the psi-wave device... I'm game for anything and potentially this could help Dad as well as our crew and anyone else trapped in there.  I'm game." Hrafn said  "If it means I get back to my kids, and indirectly to my husband I'm all for it.  Let's do this."

USS Healy - Bridge

[...]

Investigations progressed to the point that the Doctor and Lieutenant Falleg were ready to attempt a psionic communication.  Solluk nodded his head, "Yes, proceed.  I trust we'll be ready to cancel the procedure if something should go awry."

[...]

With the permission given of both the Captain and Hrafn Tess logged out of the tactical console next to John, locked the station for any officer needed to use it and then went to the replicator in the back of the bridge. The replication of that device required Command level or CMO authorization since it originally had been an interrogation device and could be modified in a way that allowed an indivual reading another individual's thoughts, if the other was wearing the same device.

Once it was replicated Tess picked up the small round slightly tapered device and walked over to where Hrafn sat. Her medical kit was still sitting next to the SCO since Tess had been treating her last. "Okay, I'm going to attach the device to your temple", she announced before leaning forward and pressing the small thing to her skin where it sticked tightly due to special glue. "Turning it on now." A small lamp started to blink. The device now started to build a connection with the truncus cerebri, the brain stem.
Picking up her medical tricorder she linked it up with the device and was now able to control it with it. The display now showed the frequency of Hrafn's telepathic state at the moment. "Hrafn, I will now start to adjust the frequency slowly. Once the frequency of your telepathic waves matches that of the entity, you should be able to 'hear' it/them." She paused to wait for her sign of acknowledgment. "If you start to feel unusually unwell, like dizziness or nausea, tell me."

Waiting once more for her sign of readiness, Tess put her finger on the tricorder and started to change the frequency of Hrafn's psi-waves.

~~~~

Cadet Benjin Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

Benjin had listened intensely to everything that had been going on on the bridge. When Lt. Ferris suggested to try and tow them out with the shuttles, Benjin picked up his ears a bit more. That sounded like interesting fun!
Both the Captain and the First Officer agreed and it was then Benjin turned to Eli. "Sir, asking permission to join the shuttle team." He looked at him, his body tense with hopeful anticipation.

[Hrafn Falleg]

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

With the permission given of both the Captain and Hrafn Tess logged out of the tactical console next to John, locked the station for any officer needed to use it and then went to the replicator in the back of the bridge. The replication of that device required Command level or CMO authorization since it originally had been an interrogation device and could be modified in a way that allowed an indivual reading another individual's thoughts, if the other was wearing the same device.

Once it was replicated Tess picked up the small round slightly tapered device and walked over to where Hrafn sat. Her medical kit was still sitting next to the SCO since Tess had been treating her last. "Okay, I'm going to attach the device to your temple", she announced before leaning forward and pressing the small thing to her skin where it sticked tightly due to special glue. "Turning it on now." A small lamp started to blink. The device now started to build a connection with the truncus cerebri, the brain stem.
Picking up her medical tricorder she linked it up with the device and was now able to control it with it. The display now showed the frequency of Hrafn's telepathic state at the moment. "Hrafn, I will now start to adjust the frequency slowly. Once the frequency of your telepathic waves matches that of the entity, you should be able to 'hear' it/them." She paused to wait for her sign of acknowledgment. "If you start to feel unusually unwell, like dizziness or nausea, tell me."

Waiting once more for her sign of readiness, Tess put her finger on the tricorder and started to change the frequency of Hrafn's psi-waves.

~~~~

Cadet Benjin Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

Benjin had listened intensely to everything that had been going on on the bridge. When Lt. Ferris suggested to try and tow them out with the shuttles, Benjin picked up his ears a bit more. That sounded like interesting fun!
Both the Captain and the First Officer agreed and it was then Benjin turned to Eli. "Sir, asking permission to join the shuttle team." He looked at him, his body tense with hopeful anticipation.

[USS Healy - Bridge]

Hrafn mutely nodded, giving a half smile to the doctor her friend.

After a few moments she slid off the chair clutching her head but waved off intervention, and looked directly at the Captain.

"Sir, I know where my father is, he's in that Romulan ship, and these creatures... they're eating his psionic power, they're slowly killing him or they might render him like a vegetable for all the mind power he might have after they're done with him.  They're feeding on his psi waves, via them and their frequency, because they're hooked into him I can hear him, and them, I don't think there's going to be much of the Dad I know and love there once they've bled or milked him... they'll turn on us more...hungrily.  Can we help, I can't stay here and let him die being this close, I want to say I don't care... whatever he's done the Starfleet Officer side of me knows he must be brought to justice if he's in trouble.  But his 'little Raffie' that's me if you're wondering, still loves her Dad and wants him safe."

As if something managed, love conquers all maybe, after all, to filter thru to Kurt Falleg's brain a couple of word's came through.  "Raffie, love you, this thing is... " the rest was lost to a scream of pain.

"DAAAAAAAAD!" Hrafn cried, tears streaming down her face.  "Being, if you can hear me, what are your demands, we can work with you, but leave my father alone!"

[Jada]

[Bridge, USS Healy]

The idea had merit, but while modern structural integrity fields were an evolution of that somewhat archaic process, there were subtle differences that needed to be resolved. "Excellent notion" he replied. "Contact Mr Rhade in Engineering and see what can be done to modify the structural integrity field to energise the hull."

'Sir.' Jada had acknowledged, then activated the internal communications. 'Jada, Bridge, to Rhade, Engineering – are you able to modify the S.I.F. to energise the hull? We want to try to polarise the hull plating.

[Rayek trLhoell]

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

USS Healy - Bridge

The suggestion to tow the Healy free was such a good one, Solluk was ashamed he hadn't thought of it before.  As had been pointed out, they had the shuttle bay open to space.  Rayek ordered the job undertaken, and Solluk nodded his affirmation.

But then a thought came to him.  "If it works, don't pull us completely free.  Just move us a couple of meters as a test.  The moment we get free, the Klingons will doubtless undertake their plan to destroy this place.  If we can delay that, I'd like to.  Should the Counselor's suggestion that this place is alive and intelligent be correct, I'd prefer to give the local life-forms a stay of execution."

The Captain's specification to only tow the ship back a bit was met with a quizzical look until he explained himself.  Rayek should have anticipated that request.  He nodded.  "Understood, sir. Only a few meters."

Cadet Benjin Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

Benjin had listened intensely to everything that had been going on on the bridge. When Lt. Ferris suggested to try and tow them out with the shuttles, Benjin picked up his ears a bit more. That sounded like interesting fun!
Both the Captain and the First Officer agreed and it was then Benjin turned to Eli. "Sir, asking permission to join the shuttle team." He looked at him, his body tense with hopeful anticipation.

When the Doctor suggested using Tribbles in place of Mice for Saxon's test, Solluk was surprised.

"All right, Lieutenant Saxon.  If you need to expose an animal to the unknown, let it be a tribble."

Investigations progressed to the point that the Doctor and Lieutenant Falleg were ready to attempt a psionic communication.  Solluk nodded his head, "Yes, proceed.  I trust we'll be ready to cancel the procedure if something should go awry."

Rayek smiled slightly at hearing the cadet's request. As much as Rayek felt inclined to answer for the Flight officer, he held himself in check and turned his attention to the presentation that s'Metra showing.  He moved over stand by the Science station, while Tess and Hrafn moved ahead with their psionic wave test.

Meanwhile, operations were underway to save the dying life forms in the bussards by reversing the bussard collection.  The flickering life-forms would survive due to this quick action, and return to the envelope of subspace, leaping back into the subspace bubble while twinkling frantically.  As they did so, the twinkling throughout the entire space altered its pattern.

[Bridge]

Soon, but perhaps not soon enough for the dying solanogen-based lifeforms, they were ejected back out of the Bussard scoop and back into their peculiar subspace domain. After some time spent in study of data recorded during and after collection, s'Metra turned slightly in her seat to address Captain Solluk and Commander tr'Lhoell. 'Sirs? You wondered if these creatures were like insects or fish – well, given the high viscosity of this space, and the need to undulate the body for locomotion, I would say a fish is the closest match. In fact, I created this composite image of one from multiple real-space projections while they were in the scoop...' She gestured any interested eyes to her console screen, showing a golden piscine shape with a short body, large finned tail, and big sucker-like mouth. She animated the image and the fish's body wiggled from side to side, just not in any familiar spatial dimension.

To those very unfortunate few who'd seen the solanogen-based lifeforms – designated Solanae – that had conducted cruel experiments on the crew of the Enterprise-D, or seen the sketches made by survivors, there was a faint yet disturbing resemblance, perhaps, in the piscine appearance or the bulbous eyes. One might trace a line of evolution, or a convergent evolution, between the two.

Meanwhile, as she waited for Saxon's verdict on hull polarisation, Jada was examining the tactical display to see the effects on the shields. There, she also saw the dots ejected from the Bussard collectors and moving swiftly away. Increase activity was induced through the whole network, and more dots steadily approached the stricken ship, now avoiding the scoops. There was something familiar about it all, in the movements and purposes. Jada had hunted and studied animals, and had watched a lot of wildlife documentaries. She called across the bridge, 's'Metra? You remember that maths you were telling me about?' s'Metra looked a little blank; when did she talk to Jada about maths? 'For flocks of birds?'

'Ooh!' Excited by this, s'Metra began tapping on her console, loading equations and creating models.

It was left to Jada to explain, 'Sirs, the motions of large groups of creatures – flocks of birds, schools of fish, swarms of insects, crowds of people – boil down to a few simple rules followed by the individual creatures: don't get so close they collide with neighbours, don't get so far apart they can get separated and lost, and move toward the same average direction and position as the neighbours. From that, the group can keep an overall compact shape, like a big flock of birds flying in a mass. You can add to that other simple rules: approach a food source, retreat from a predator, stay near a nest. Then the whole flock can avoid a predator or zero in on a food source.'

..

Ready to talk now, though not to stop typing, s'Metra picked up the thread of the conversation. 'It's an emergent behaviour! Ah, that's when an action or structure appears in the whole but not in the individual parts, but arising only from the interactions between them. Scientists have been inspired by swarm rules and emergence to create problem-solving algorithms working on the same principles: particle swarm optimisation, even swarm intelligence. So, these fish-things might not be intelligent individually, and these flashes might be no more than like bird tweets, but some form of intelligence might arise as an emergent behaviour. My mathematical model fits theirs.'

'So, all that cosmic crap about an intelligent universe was wrong, cuz?' Jada teased, then frowned at something on screen.

'Well, I wouldn't say that. But everything in it might be, which all comes to the same.' s'Metra revised carefully.

'Well, it looks like this swarm has learned to avoid a predator – the Bussard scoops – and approach a food source – us.' Exhibiting a bit of that flocking behaviour, they were starting to swarm around the ship, only avoiding the Bussard collectors.

Rayek listened with interest to the Orions' suggestion.  He wondered if there might be a way to use this flocking behavior to their benefit.  The suggestion that the creatures were not sentient was discouraging.  But it didn't answer the one question he had.

"That's all excellent information.  However did you learn anything from the sample collected - aside from the creatures - that might give reason to why we aren't able to move or send out a comm signal ... is it these creatures?  Or something else?  Is this subspace fold a constant in this area of space? Or a recent development?"  Rayek couldn't be certain since he hadn't checked the trade routes out this far... perhaps a check of the Numati or Dord shared databases.  Oh!

"The Numati and the Dord servants are both telepathic... they may have come across these subspace folds or these creatures before... check their databases for such."

Speaking of telepaths... Rayek glanced over towards where Hrafn had been fitted with the device and it was turned on.

[USS Healy - Bridge]

Hrafn mutely nodded, giving a half smile to the doctor her friend.

After a few moments she slid off the chair clutching her head but waved off intervention, and looked directly at the Captain.

"Sir, I know where my father is, he's in that Romulan ship, and these creatures... they're eating his psionic power, they're slowly killing him or they might render him like a vegetable for all the mind power he might have after they're done with him.  They're feeding on his psi waves, via them and their frequency, because they're hooked into him I can hear him, and them, I don't think there's going to be much of the Dad I know and love there once they've bled or milked him... they'll turn on us more...hungrily.  Can we help, I can't stay here and let him die being this close, I want to say I don't care... whatever he's done the Starfleet Officer side of me knows he must be brought to justice if he's in trouble.  But his 'little Raffie' that's me if you're wondering, still loves her Dad and wants him safe."

As if something managed, love conquers all maybe, after all, to filter thru to Kurt Falleg's brain a couple of word's came through.  "Raffie, love you, this thing is... " the rest was lost to a scream of pain.

"DAAAAAAAAD!" Hrafn cried, tears streaming down her face.  "Being, if you can hear me, what are your demands, we can work with you, but leave my father alone!"

Her reaction seemed much more painful that previous.  Was that because the frequency was aligned?  Well, that certainly wasn't the boon that Rayek had thought it might be.  Hrafn's mind wouldn't be able to take much more.

"Dr. Moreno prepare an inhibitor unit.  I won't allow her to suffer much longer."

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

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

[ USS Healy - bridge]

Kalem rolled his shoulder around, making sure nothing had been permanently damaged. Rolling his shoulder, windmilling his whole arm, hand over his head, and other things like that. He looked to the doctor that had stayed behind.

"Is that good Doc?"

After being cleared Kalem headed back out onto the bridge.

Jayce observed the motion.. and checked their medical scanner.   "All seems good.  If you experience any further trouble with the joint.  Contact Sickbay right away.  I'll make a note in your file that you should see Dr. Moreno to ensure that there are no further issues with shoulder.  Your tendons seem overly loose which is likely why it popped out. But you cleared for duty."

They looked over toward Dr. Moreno with Hrafn and waited until there was a pause in the conversation to inform the CMO that they were returning to Sickbay.  "I'll call if there's anything Roberto and I can't handle."  Which was unlikely.

[Jada]

[Bridge]

"That's all excellent information.  However did you learn anything from the sample collected - aside from the creatures - that might give reason to why we aren't able to move or send out a comm signal ... is it these creatures?  Or something else?  Is this subspace fold a constant in this area of space? Or a recent development?"  Rayek couldn't be certain since he hadn't checked the trade routes out this far... perhaps a check of the Numati or Dord shared databases.  Oh!

"The Numati and the Dord servants are both telepathic... they may have come across these subspace folds or these creatures before... check their databases for such."

s'Metra shook her head. 'No, sir. Those would be macroscopic effects, not likely to be noticeable at this length scale... I'll check the databases.' she confirmed, rising from the Ops station and returned to the rear Science station, where she could begin with the database searches. After all, why waste time on original research if the answer was already out there?

[Rayek trLhoell]

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

[Bridge]

s'Metra shook her head. 'No, sir. Those would be macroscopic effects, not likely to be noticeable at this length scale... I'll check the databases.' she confirmed, rising from the Ops station and returned to the rear Science station, where she could begin with the database searches. After all, why waste time on original research if the answer was already out there?

Rayek nodded at s'Metra's negative answer.  Fvadt Without some means of studying this phenomenon it would be increasingly difficult to determine a way to extract themselves and the other 'held' ships.  Mind you the Nom Pach believed they had a means of freeing themselves, but potentially at the cost of the Healy.

Rayek glanced at the chronometer.  1 hr 50 minutes left.

IKS Nom Pach - Bridge - Science Station

Beja found the repeating patterns and adjusted the Nom Pach's deflector lights, and began flashing the pattern at the entity.

"There, let's see if the entity gets our message, and will respond back. I think I figured out a few of their words meaning, with their flashes," at least she hoped she had, for all Beja knew she had just asked the entity for a mounted duel, like the Healy had asked the Klingons. She held her breath while she waited and just stared at the computer console, they didn't have that much time left.

With everyone's attention on their tasks, it took the "Are they replying back in Klingon?" query of the security crewman at the turbolift to bring the Nom Pach's flickering lights to his attention.  Rayek observed the lights for a moment and he too was baffled by the flashing which at times did not match any known Morse Code letter, number or symbol he was familiar with.

It took a second Rayek to recognize that same pattern of flashing that the creatures had done after being released.  Oh?  Had Beja figured out a means of communicating with the psionic-eating creatures?  Rayek hoped so.

[Solluk]

USS Healy - Bridge

Solluk looked to the young Flight Control cadet.  Piloting a shuttle on this operation would be good experience for him.  He smiled slightly at the young man in a gesture of support for what was about to be a critically important maneuver.  But the final decision would be up to the department head.

Meanwhile, s'Metra had made a discovery.  Solluk and Rayek's musings were proving to be more correct than they might have imagined.  Apparently, the subspace life-forms filling this space were operating like schools of fish.  "Well, now we are beginning to get somewhere.  Good work on the analysis."

Meanwhile, Hrafn was having the psi-device affixed to her temple.  Solluk glanced between Doctor Moreno and Lieutenant Falleg, and found himself wincing in sympathy as it became plain that the red-headed Chief Science Officer had been flooded with pain.

Jada was interfacing with Engineering, exploring the possibility of energizing and polarizing the hull.  A timely endeavor, as it seemed that the subspace life-forms in this place were suddenly converging on the Healy with renewed vigor.  The shields began to fluctuate as they were pushed to their limits.  Any minute now, they might fail entirely.

"I feel very much like we've come into the center of a feeding frenzy," he remarked.  Rayek chimed in with an excellent suggestion: The information relayed from the Numati or Dord might contain past encounters with this creature or environment.  Although this was utterly unknown for the Federation, those psionically gifted species might have better knowledge.

Rayek expressed concern, then, over Hrafn's agony.  Solluk was forced to agree.  "I concur.  If these creatures don't respond intelligibly in the next few seconds, we must cut it off."

He looked to Tess as s'Metra checked the databases.  Soon, hits would start to surface.  The Dord had sometimes lost ships under mysterious circumstances in this sector and neighboring sectors.  The cause of these disappearances was listed as 'transient subspace disturbances.'

IKS Nom Pach - Bridge

Tolec looked over Beja's shoulder as she worked her lightwork on the console.  "Look.  Their pattern has changed.  And... the lights are also clustering around the Healy with greater intensity.  Is this because of what you flashed?  Or is it some doing of the Starfleet ship?"

He walked around to work beside her at the console.  "I will assist you.  If this flashing or sparkling is a language, then there will be some seperator signal, or perhaps a lack of signal, to designate the ends of words or ideas.  It will be the most frequently used part of their language.  But it may be subtle..."

Grom came up behind the pair, now.  His silvery eyes studied the displays.  "There.  An extra 10 millisecond gap.  That is your word seperator."

Tolec looked over his shoulder, "You have better eyes than I."

Grom shook his head, "Yes.  But more importantly, better neural processing."

Tolec grunted and spoke an aside to Beja, "That is his way of saying he is smarter than I am."

Grom paused and seemed to consider this.  "That is most likely correct."

Tolec looked over his shoulder, "You are lucky that we are friends."

Grom considered this and then nodded, "That is most likely also correct."

Tolec shook his head and his fingers worked the console beside Beja's.   "There.  Now that we know the separator, we can identify individual words.  I hope.  Our universal translators are inferior to those of the Federation.  They benefit from extra help.   Here, send this latest blinking to the translation software, telling it to separate words thus.  It may give you a better result that way.  That is, IF this is a language, and not just the excited sparkles of flittering insects."

[Tess tLhoell]

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

[USS Healy - Bridge]

Hrafn mutely nodded, giving a half smile to the doctor her friend.

After a few moments she slid off the chair clutching her head but waved off intervention, and looked directly at the Captain.

"Sir, I know where my father is, he's in that Romulan ship, and these creatures... they're eating his psionic power, they're slowly killing him or they might render him like a vegetable for all the mind power he might have after they're done with him.  They're feeding on his psi waves, via them and their frequency, because they're hooked into him I can hear him, and them, I don't think there's going to be much of the Dad I know and love there once they've bled or milked him... they'll turn on us more...hungrily.  Can we help, I can't stay here and let him die being this close, I want to say I don't care... whatever he's done the Starfleet Officer side of me knows he must be brought to justice if he's in trouble.  But his 'little Raffie' that's me if you're wondering, still loves her Dad and wants him safe."

As if something managed, love conquers all maybe, after all, to filter thru to Kurt Falleg's brain a couple of word's came through.  "Raffie, love you, this thing is... " the rest was lost to a scream of pain.

"DAAAAAAAAD!" Hrafn cried, tears streaming down her face.  "Being, if you can hear me, what are your demands, we can work with you, but leave my father alone!"

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

The Captain's specification to only tow the ship back a bit was met with a quizzical look until he explained himself.  Rayek should have anticipated that request.  He nodded.  "Understood, sir. Only a few meters."

Rayek smiled slightly at hearing the cadet's request. As much as Rayek felt inclined to answer for the Flight officer, he held himself in check and turned his attention to the presentation that s'Metra showing.  He moved over stand by the Science station, while Tess and Hrafn moved ahead with their psionic wave test.

Rayek listened with interest to the Orions' suggestion.  He wondered if there might be a way to use this flocking behavior to their benefit.  The suggestion that the creatures were not sentient was discouraging.  But it didn't answer the one question he had.

"That's all excellent information.  However did you learn anything from the sample collected - aside from the creatures - that might give reason to why we aren't able to move or send out a comm signal ... is it these creatures?  Or something else?  Is this subspace fold a constant in this area of space? Or a recent development?"  Rayek couldn't be certain since he hadn't checked the trade routes out this far... perhaps a check of the Numati or Dord shared databases.  Oh!

"The Numati and the Dord servants are both telepathic... they may have come across these subspace folds or these creatures before... check their databases for such."

Speaking of telepaths... Rayek glanced over towards where Hrafn had been fitted with the device and it was turned on.

Her reaction seemed much more painful that previous.  Was that because the frequency was aligned?  Well, that certainly wasn't the boon that Rayek had thought it might be.  Hrafn's mind wouldn't be able to take much more.

"Dr. Moreno prepare an inhibitor unit.  I won't allow her to suffer much longer."

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

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

Jayce observed the motion.. and checked their medical scanner.   "All seems good.  If you experience any further trouble with the joint.  Contact Sickbay right away.  I'll make a note in your file that you should see Dr. Moreno to ensure that there are no further issues with shoulder.  Your tendons seem overly loose which is likely why it popped out. But you cleared for duty."

They looked over toward Dr. Moreno with Hrafn and waited until there was a pause in the conversation to inform the CMO that they were returning to Sickbay.  "I'll call if there's anything Roberto and I can't handle."  Which was unlikely.

USS Healy - Bridge

Solluk looked to the young Flight Control cadet.  Piloting a shuttle on this operation would be good experience for him.  He smiled slightly at the young man in a gesture of support for what was about to be a critically important maneuver.  But the final decision would be up to the department head.

Meanwhile, s'Metra had made a discovery.  Solluk and Rayek's musings were proving to be more correct than they might have imagined.  Apparently, the subspace life-forms filling this space were operating like schools of fish.  "Well, now we are beginning to get somewhere.  Good work on the analysis."

Meanwhile, Hrafn was having the psi-device affixed to her temple.  Solluk glanced between Doctor Moreno and Lieutenant Falleg, and found himself wincing in sympathy as it became plain that the red-headed Chief Science Officer had been flooded with pain.

Jada was interfacing with Engineering, exploring the possibility of energizing and polarizing the hull.  A timely endeavor, as it seemed that the subspace life-forms in this place were suddenly converging on the Healy with renewed vigor.  The shields began to fluctuate as they were pushed to their limits.  Any minute now, they might fail entirely.

"I feel very much like we've come into the center of a feeding frenzy," he remarked.  Rayek chimed in with an excellent suggestion: The information relayed from the Numati or Dord might contain past encounters with this creature or environment.  Although this was utterly unknown for the Federation, those psionically gifted species might have better knowledge.

Rayek expressed concern, then, over Hrafn's agony.  Solluk was forced to agree.  "I concur.  If these creatures don't respond intelligibly in the next few seconds, we must cut it off."

He looked to Tess as s'Metra checked the databases.  Soon, hits would start to surface.  The Dord had sometimes lost ships under mysterious circumstances in this sector and neighboring sectors.  The cause of these disappearances was listed as 'transient subspace disturbances.'

Tess acknowledged Jayce comment. "Alright, thank you for your help, Ensign."

It didn't take long and Hrafn seemed to be confronted with an increasing pain-level. However, despite that, she seemed to be able to form coherent thoughts and express them constantly. Tess glanced between Hrafn and the tricorder readings with a stern face. The CSO confirmed their assumptions and even went so far to say that these creatures were able to cause damage or even a person's death. Tess wondered how she could be so sure about it ... was she 'sensing' it or did she have a sort of communication with these creatures? Or did her father tell her that? Was she communicating with him now? She wondered how such communication had not been possible without the psi-wave device now but a couple of months ago it had. Psionics were a strange thing.

Tess' attention was drawn back to Hrafn when she started to scream and cry. She acknowledged Rayek's and Solluk's concerns, though Tess wouldn't have hesitated any longer herself. However, she would refrain from the neural inhibitor for now, she wasn't sure if it would put too much strain on the brain to enhance them and change the frequency first and then block them.

"Hrafn, I will turn the device off now", Tess said, concern colouring her voice as she slowly adjusted the frequency of her psi-waves back to normal with the tricorder and then turned the device off - the small flashing light dying. Normally, so she hoped, the pain would sink back down to the level it had been before.
Tess called up the basic interface of the medical tricorder and started to scan Hrafn, the small probe in hand, to see if there were any alarming changes.

The big question was: had Hrafn been able to communicate with the entity.

If not, there might be just the option to play possum and hope that these creatures would try to find another food source.

Cadet Benjin Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

From where Benjin sat, turned to the side to look at Lt. Ferris, he noticed the encouraging and approving gestures and looks from both the XO and the Captain. The young man grinned, his chest swelling with a little more confidence as he turned his gaze back to Eli, nearly bursting with anticipation.

[Beja]

IKS Nom Pach - Bridge - Science Station

Beja was grateful for the assistance that both Tolec and Grom offered her. She couldn't help but smile as the two bantered back and forth. She couldn't help but interject though, and explain to Tolec, "I think what he meant was that the cyborg implants gave him an edge with processing information like a computer. That probably is what allows him to edge out in seeming smarter than us all."

There had to be some benefits to having a person's body altered with so much machinery after all. Especially for a Klingon to have their body distorted into more machine than Klingon, that had to be a very difficult struggle for Grom. She wished she'd have the chance to talk to him more, but that didn't seem possible. Not with the stakes so high for all of them involved right now. Perhaps later there would be a chance to talk more in depth.

Right now though their suggestions were spot on, and Beja got right down to it. Quickly, she isolated the word separator and began to run the language translator. Sure, the Klingon's vessel did not have the higher tech as the Healy or Starfleet, but that didn't mean that they should be counted out from being able to solve the issue in front of them. What the Klingons lacked in the tech, they made up in their ingenuity.

Beja firmly stated to Tolec, "Yes, it is a language. They might be excited sparkles of flittering insects. But they are excited sparkles of flittering insects that are talking to each other."

She watched the computer console, holding her breath once more, and then in utter amazement she watched as the language translator began to show words. Actual words, she had believed the entity was talking, but to have it confirmed in black and white on the screen in front of her just reaffirmed that despite the pain of the past, her present made it all worth it.

FOOD.  HERE.  MUCH.  YUM.
HARD. SHELL. BREAK. EAT.

They didn't have a lot of words, and they didn't know the actual structure or cadence of the language. There was not enough time available to learn all that. They had less than 2 hours, and they would have to use what they had. Beja picked just a few words, and flashed the lights back to the flashing lights across the sky.

'No Harm, Not Food, Let Go'

[Jada]

[Bridge, USS Healy]

Soon, s'Metra found some results from her database search of subspatial anomalies reported in and around their sector, and found some in a shared Dord database. 'The Dord report losing a few ships in and around this sector. Cause unknown, attributed to "transient subspace disturbances". I don't think they were very interested, but it suggests it's a short-lived or occasional event.' That was the who and the where of it. Now, she only had to work out the what and the why and how the hell to get out of here. A subspatial fold, a subspace domain inhabited by solanogen-based lifeforms, slowed or frozen normal matter. How to put it all together? But it was hard to concentrate with the yelling and the alerts and the risk of imminent destruction.

'Shield stress increasing!' Jada barked urgently as she saw the solanogen fish-creatures impacting on the shields, going at it like moths to a light. Alone, they were tiny, weak, and no threat at all, but in such vast numbers, they combined to a significant force, focused on certain areas of the ship, closest to the hull, furthest from the Bussard scoops. They would wear them down like ants on a bull stuck in a bog. And the shields were already overtaxed, emitters running above strength to hold the barrier at bay. And they were failing. 'Emitters down to 285% power, shield integrity 91%, and decreasing... I'm going to expand the shields again, we need to get some space between us and them.' It wasn't clear how the creatures were consuming psionics from the crew, but Jada could only assume that reducing their proximity would make it harder. Her earlier narrowed profile, made while they misunderstood the situation, might've done more harm than good. Now, she spent a few percentage points of shield integrity to return them to the stronger, larger, default profile. That would do until hull polarisation came through.

Orions had never been known for psionics; when tested, they were given negative ratings, seen as third-eye blind. While a few might exist, those known were frauds and con-artists, and fortune-tellers who traded in faith. They told themselves psionics were more trouble than they were worth. Right now, with Hrafn crying and the ship under siege by psionics-eating solanogen fish-creatures from subspace, Jada could agree. But all the same, they knew mood, feeling, emotion, and instinct. 'Okay, I don't think we can stop these things eating us. But maybe we can... change the flavour? Is there any way of making the psionic energy taste bad to them, or an emotion we can add to discourage them?'

[Rayek trLhoell]

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

Rayek would have liked to pace while waiting on the findings of the Science and Ops departments, but that would just highlight how concerned he was becoming at the situation.

He was glad when Tess stopped syncing Hrafn with the creatures.  He hoped the Trill hybrid would suffer less afterwards.

s'Metra's announcement about the Dord encounters with 'transient subspace disturbances' provided them with some new information but it wasn't necessarily good.  The fact that the phenomenon was transient could be bad if the fold were to collapse with them still stuck within.  Evacuating the ship might be the best option after all.

His thoughts on that option were interrupted by Jada's barked alert.  "Do it!" confirmed the First Officer answering the Orions' statement that she was going to expand the shields.

Rayek turned the Ops officer on duty "Ensign bring up to Red Alert and begin clearing all non-essential areas of personnel and divert the power from those areas including Life-Support to bolster the shields.  Have those non-essential crewmembers head to the shuttlebays in anticipation of an evacuation."

Rayek may be over-reacting to the threat of the shields failing but no one could ever accuse the Romulan of taking things too lightly.  He turned next to the Helm. "Cadet Moreno, seems you get your wish. Go prep a shuttle."

Rayek would have liked to order Tess to join her brother on the first shuttle out but doubted that would have gone over well given what just happened a couple days past.

Jada's suggestion of 'changing the flavor' was an interesting notion.   He looked Tess. "You were able to alter Lieutenant Falleg to better reach her father at the perfect frequency.  Theoretically, for every frequency there is an opposite frequency that will cancel it out.  Can you determine what that frequency is? That opposite frequency might 'taste bad' to it. Perhaps if we use the deflector dish to send out that signal it might discourage these swarming creatures."

[John Saxon]

[USS Healy - Bridge]

'Shield stress increasing!' Jada barked urgently as she saw the solanogen fish-creatures impacting on the shields, going at it like moths to a light. Alone, they were tiny, weak, and no threat at all, but in such vast numbers, they combined to a significant force, focused on certain areas of the ship, closest to the hull, furthest from the Bussard scoops. They would wear them down like ants on a bull stuck in a bog. And the shields were already overtaxed, emitters running above strength to hold the barrier at bay. And they were failing. 'Emitters down to 285% power, shield integrity 91%, and decreasing... I'm going to expand the shields again, we need to get some space between us and them.' It wasn't clear how the creatures were consuming psionics from the crew, but Jada could only assume that reducing their proximity would make it harder. Her earlier narrowed profile, made while they misunderstood the situation, might've done more harm than good. Now, she spent a few percentage points of shield integrity to return them to the stronger, larger, default profile. That would do until hull polarisation came through.

Orions had never been known for psionics; when tested, they were given negative ratings, seen as third-eye blind. While a few might exist, those known were frauds and con-artists, and fortune-tellers who traded in faith. They told themselves psionics were more trouble than they were worth. Right now, with Hrafn crying and the ship under siege by psionics-eating solanogen fish-creatures from subspace, Jada could agree. But all the same, they knew mood, feeling, emotion, and instinct. 'Okay, I don't think we can stop these things eating us. But maybe we can... change the flavour? Is there any way of making the psionic energy taste bad to them, or an emotion we can add to discourage them?'

It wasn't until Jada's barked report that Saxon realised his mind had been wandering. Almost as if it had been momentarily absent. Coming back to reality with a start, and feeling like he was moving in sap, John looked in embarrassed shock at the Tactical displays bleating a myriad of reports, warnings and alerts. Before he could respond, Jada had restored shields to their more pedestrian profile, at the expense of integrity. The elderly man couldn't fault that response, and had he been compos mentis at the time, he may have done exactly that.

As she postulated an idea to buy them some time - changing the flavour, or some-such - the Tactical Chief's mildly-shaking hands flew over his own console, readying the solution that the Captain had assigned him to locate. He needn't know the specific composition of the enemy - if an enemy had ground with which to enact their assault, leave no ground to enact that assault from. Subspace levelled the playing field. The Healy, Nom Pach and the Scoutship (did he hear correctly that Lt Falleg's father was aboard? Hostage? His mind struggled to keep up with developments) were contained vessels within the domain. These..beings lived nakedly in the environment.

"Captain!" he yelled, unsure whether his voice carried across to the centre seat. His vision swirled again, and he absentmindedly traced the outline of the inhibitor with a finger. "Hostile countermeasures ready! Details for you to approve and deploy!" he yelled over the various noises on the Bridge. The summary appeared on Solluk's command chair console, with all the attention-seeking lights the situation merited.

The first lines Solluk would read were: Caustic Viridium.

The rest of the briefing gave the Commanding Officer a brief synopsis of the tactical recommendation. In essence, contact with the material - already primed to be released to the exterior of the Healy where it poked its head into this damn snare - would dissolve subspace, and continue to do so for around 1 million kilometres, before both the realm's boundaries - and the caustic viridium - depleted themselves, freeing the Healy, and all ships within the sphere of...disruption, and driving whatever life relied on the environment they lived back to safer shores. It was akin to using a detergent to disrupt the surface tension of water. It also meant a warp-field would not be possible for some time until subspace eddies diluted the contaminent. The additional upside was that the Scoutship would lose their advantage and all hopes to flee the Healy - or the Nom Pach - would be in vain.

Of course, the juxtaposition of using a subspace-heavy particulate that was previously used as a innocuous means with which to track a ship now utilised as a tool of destruction was not lost on Saxon; but right now, these beings, and the effects they were having on the crew and energetic delivery, gave him very few options...and even fewer of those were of a more passive nature. And none sans this were anywhere near ready to go.

[Jada]

[Bridge, USS Healy]

Jada had waited for a response from Engineering about setting up hull polarisation, and got nothing, before she realised that internal communications were shot and probably no one had heard her anyway. Shrugging at that, she loaded an archaic Tactical program from the archives that strengthened and focused structural integrity field to the hull plating, magnetically polarising to lock them in place and repel external matter. Between that and her reverted shield configuration, their conventional defences were as good as they could be. Yet they just kept getting impacted, just kept getting worn down.

After that, she checked the Tactical display again, which was as effective in tracking swarms of space fish as it was massive spaceships, but the fine detail was lacking, just showing large clouds growing denser in certain areas near the ship. Regardless, they told some clear stories. 'The solanogen lifeforms are concentrating around our forward hull and the Romulan scout, less so the Kosst Holana. And they're practically avoiding the Nom Pach. Something about them they don't like the taste of, I guess. Maybe it's the personality?' Jada chuckled dryly, a joke to alleviate stress, but given the time she'd spent with the Klingons, it wasn't meant to be an insult. It tied in with her earlier idea about discouraging the feeding frenzy. 'Maybe if we were more like Klingons they'd leave us alone too?'

Meanwhile, at Science, s'Metra had finally got a chance to put her mind to the first problem, namely, why had everything stopped? It was rather simple, it seemed, just a matter of working out what, exactly, made things move in the first place and why it wasn't working here. Her theory was startling. Her solution was worrying. 'Sirs? I think I know why nothing can move,' she announced, 'And how we can start moving again.'

[Tess tLhoell]

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

While Tess waited in anticipation of Hrafn's report if she actually had been able to make contact with the entity and if the SCO was in less pain again than before, she listened to s'Metra's findings in the Dord database. That the Dord had not been paricularly interested in this phenomenon didn't surprise Tess. It was their slaves who were psionic and them who probably had been suffering, not the Dord masters. With that Tess could imagine that they didn't have any interest to investigate on that phenomenon but simply try to avoid it.

Her gaze wandered over the officers on the bridge, alert to notice any sign of discomfort or pain on them. It was then that she saw John Saxon coming across a little confused and Tess caught the subtle gesture of him lifting his hand to the inhibitor. She was just about to ask him about that when Rayek interrupted her thoughts.

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

[...]

Jada's suggestion of 'changing the flavor' was an interesting notion.   He looked Tess. "You were able to alter Lieutenant Falleg to better reach her father at the perfect frequency.  Theoretically, for every frequency there is an opposite frequency that will cancel it out.  Can you determine what that frequency is? That opposite frequency might 'taste bad' to it. Perhaps if we use the deflector dish to send out that signal it might discourage these swarming creatures."

Turning to Rayek, Tess replied. "My concern are the officers aboard with psionic abilities. They're wearing inhibitors now, but I truly cannot foresee what kind of effect such a psionic opposing frequency spreading across the whole ship will have. It is possible that not even each species but each person's psionic sensitivity is different and just like it could chase away the entitiy it could potentially harm our crew."

She paused. "We could try to relocate all psionic officers to the part of the ship that isn't stuck in the anomaly and hope that they won't be affected when they're not directly inside of it."

She chewed her lower lip, thinking. "Another option would be to disperse the neural inhibitor drug via the ventilation system to block the slightest psionic or telepathic energy the entity might find ... appetizing. With that we wouldn't need to be concerned for any unknown side effects." Tess glanced to Hrafn. "I will provide Lt. Falleg with a neural inhibitor. It is possible that the entity goes for her strong telepathic waves since she they're not blocked so far."

She looked to Hrafn, hoping to get her permission. Otherwise the entity would further strain their shields that were already buckling it seemed.
It was then that she picked up on Rayek granting her little brother permission to pilot one of the shuttles to try and tow them out. Her heart clenched for a moment. It was the first potentially dangerous situation they were in an she wasn't sure if he'd be better off in the shuttle or staying with them.

Cadet Benjin Moreno
[USS Healy - Bridge]

Cmdr Rayek tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge >>> Deck 3 - Shuttlebay Level B]

[...]

He turned next to the Helm. "Cadet Moreno, seems you get your wish. Go prep a shuttle."

[...]

As soon as Benjin got the 'go' from Rayek he rose from his seat. "Yes, Sir", he announced dutifully and rushed to the doors to leave the bridge.

He only needed to go down two decks to reach Shuttlebay B. Entering the shuttlebay he was led to one of the two Type XI shuttles, the 'Corwin'. Benjin had been memorizing all details of the shuttles aboard the Healy. This one could maintain max. warp 5 for 12 hours in emergencies. Well, this definitely was one.

Once he had climbed into the shuttles and checked all systems he told the Ensign who was waiting next to the shuttle with a gesutre of his hand that he was ready since comms didn't work on the bridge. The Ensign walked back to the console and typed a message to inform the bridge that the shuttle was ready for departure.

[Hrafn Falleg]

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

Speaking of telepaths... Rayek glanced over towards where Hrafn had been fitted with the device and it was turned on.

Her reaction seemed much more painful that previous.  Was that because the frequency was aligned?  Well, that certainly wasn't the boon that Rayek had thought it might be.  Hrafn's mind wouldn't be able to take much more.

"Dr. Moreno prepare an inhibitor unit.  I won't allow her to suffer much longer."

[USS Healy - Bridge]

"No I... I need to talk to Dad!" Hrafn begged. "And I think, something is getting through to the entities... I don't know if it's us or one of the other ships out there..." she began.

USS Healy - Bridge

Solluk looked to the young Flight Control cadet.  Piloting a shuttle on this operation would be good experience for him.  He smiled slightly at the young man in a gesture of support for what was about to be a critically important maneuver.  But the final decision would be up to the department head.

Meanwhile, s'Metra had made a discovery.  Solluk and Rayek's musings were proving to be more correct than they might have imagined.  Apparently, the subspace life-forms filling this space were operating like schools of fish.  "Well, now we are beginning to get somewhere.  Good work on the analysis."

Meanwhile, Hrafn was having the psi-device affixed to her temple.  Solluk glanced between Doctor Moreno and Lieutenant Falleg, and found himself wincing in sympathy as it became plain that the red-headed Chief Science Officer had been flooded with pain.

Jada was interfacing with Engineering, exploring the possibility of energizing and polarizing the hull.  A timely endeavor, as it seemed that the subspace life-forms in this place were suddenly converging on the Healy with renewed vigor.  The shields began to fluctuate as they were pushed to their limits.  Any minute now, they might fail entirely.

"I feel very much like we've come into the center of a feeding frenzy," he remarked.  Rayek chimed in with an excellent suggestion: The information relayed from the Numati or Dord might contain past encounters with this creature or environment.  Although this was utterly unknown for the Federation, those psionically gifted species might have better knowledge.

Rayek expressed concern, then, over Hrafn's agony.  Solluk was forced to agree.  "I concur.  If these creatures don't respond intelligibly in the next few seconds, we must cut it off."

He looked to Tess as s'Metra checked the databases.  Soon, hits would start to surface.  The Dord had sometimes lost ships under mysterious circumstances in this sector and neighboring sectors.  The cause of these disappearances was listed as 'transient subspace disturbances.'

"I think they're speaking, but not to us... it's like being on a party line, but I can't make it out because of Dad screaming too..." the CSO grimaced.  "I'm not sure if that counts as communication..." she was desperate for both relief and not to have the link with her Dad cut off.

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

Rayek would have liked to pace while waiting on the findings of the Science and Ops departments, but that would just highlight how concerned he was becoming at the situation.

He was glad when Tess stopped syncing Hrafn with the creatures.  He hoped the Trill hybrid would suffer less afterwards.

s'Metra's announcement about the Dord encounters with 'transient subspace disturbances' provided them with some new information but it wasn't necessarily good.  The fact that the phenomenon was transient could be bad if the fold were to collapse with them still stuck within.  Evacuating the ship might be the best option after all.

His thoughts on that option were interrupted by Jada's barked alert.  "Do it!" confirmed the First Officer answering the Orions' statement that she was going to expand the shields.

Rayek turned the Ops officer on duty "Ensign bring up to Red Alert and begin clearing all non-essential areas of personnel and divert the power from those areas including Life-Support to bolster the shields.  Have those non-essential crewmembers head to the shuttlebays in anticipation of an evacuation."

Rayek may be over-reacting to the threat of the shields failing but no one could ever accuse the Romulan of taking things too lightly.  He turned next to the Helm. "Cadet Moreno, seems you get your wish. Go prep a shuttle."

Rayek would have liked to order Tess to join her brother on the first shuttle out but doubted that would have gone over well given what just happened a couple days past.

Jada's suggestion of 'changing the flavor' was an interesting notion.   He looked Tess. "You were able to alter Lieutenant Falleg to better reach her father at the perfect frequency.  Theoretically, for every frequency there is an opposite frequency that will cancel it out.  Can you determine what that frequency is? That opposite frequency might 'taste bad' to it. Perhaps if we use the deflector dish to send out that signal it might discourage these swarming creatures."

"A 'taste bad' frequency isn't a bad idea, ...but also you know how one can feel... nauseous when you've eaten too much of a good thing.  I'm not saying let it feed,,,on us... but send out massive doses of the ...frequency it likes, let it gorge on it... once it's feeling sick it might leave us, and my Dad alone."

The Science Officer's words were becoming more difficult to get out and needing more effort.  Her eyes were starting to glaze over and it was an effort to manage to get them out.

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

While Tess waited in anticipation of Hrafn's report if she actually had been able to make contact with the entity and if the SCO was in less pain again than before, she listened to s'Metra's findings in the Dord database. That the Dord had not been paricularly interested in this phenomenon didn't surprise Tess. It was their slaves who were psionic and them who probably had been suffering, not the Dord masters. With that Tess could imagine that they didn't have any interest to investigate on that phenomenon but simply try to avoid it.

Her gaze wandered over the officers on the bridge, alert to notice any sign of discomfort or pain on them. It was then that she saw John Saxon coming across a little confused and Tess caught the subtle gesture of him lifting his hand to the inhibitor. She was just about to ask him about that when Rayek interrupted her thoughts.

Turning to Rayek, Tess replied. "My concern are the officers aboard with psionic abilities. They're wearing inhibitors now, but I truly cannot foresee what kind of effect such a psionic opposing frequency spreading across the whole ship will have. It is possible that not even each species but each person's psionic sensitivity is different and just like it could chase away the entitiy it could potentially harm our crew."

She paused. "We could try to relocate all psionic officers to the part of the ship that isn't stuck in the anomaly and hope that they won't be affected when they're not directly inside of it."

She chewed her lower lip, thinking. "Another option would be to disperse the neural inhibitor drug via the ventilation system to block the slightest psionic or telepathic energy the entity might find ... appetizing. With that we wouldn't need to be concerned for any unknown side effects." Tess glanced to Hrafn. "I will provide Lt. Falleg with a neural inhibitor. It is possible that the entity goes for her strong telepathic waves since she they're not blocked so far."

She looked to Hrafn, hoping to get her permission. Otherwise the entity would further strain their shields that were already buckling it seemed.
It was then that she picked up on Rayek granting her little brother permission to pilot one of the shuttles to try and tow them out. Her heart clenched for a moment. It was the first potentially dangerous situation they were in an she wasn't sure if he'd be better off in the shuttle or staying with them.

When one final scream came from her Dad then the link from him went quiet she started panicking.  "Dad... PAPA? Ertu þarna? Vertu hjá mér, þetta er Raffie litli þinn!???"¹  Reverting automatically to the language of her youth, she put a hand to her head and then nodded at Tess with tears streaming down her face.  "I think they've already killed my Dad, I'm not reading any waves from him anymore, there's no communication, he screamed and then... nothing.  Do it, get the inhibitor on me.  I won't let anyone else be killed by them.  I'm sorry Dad, I failed you..." Slurred words finished, she put her arms by her side and looked to Tess to put her out of her misery.

¹ TRANS: Are you there? Stay with me, it's your little Raffie!