S2 - M11 - The Gathering of Angels

[Sirol]

< Katra Station / OCC >

"We do have a Tholian Embassy here and I'm... well I'm not sure if 'friend' is the right word but on friendly terms with, Ambassador Eydis.  Ensign Zex is hir preferred contact but..." Hrafn whispered to Sirol.

Sirol hesitantly nodded at Hrafn, and looked forth and back between her and the monitor in front of her showing the Tholian task force on its way.
"œAmbassadors here seem to be more... Versatile than ambassadors where I am from."
She had a hard time imagining Ambassador Jarok and his aide fighting their way through Katra wielding melee weapons, although the imagination itself was admittedly a little amusing.

She turned to Sirol, speaking out of the corner of her mouth quietly.  "Yes, before you ask, I have some limited telepathic ability.  My father is half Minardan." she offered by way of explanation and also a look as if to say 'Now's not the time to elaborate, but later... sure!'

What even?
She raised an eyebrow in utter confusion at this remark.
"œ...Why would I ask for anything like this, Lieutenant?" She began, but instantly stopped again.
While Sirol possessed an outstanding sense for grasping what was going on within another person, the reasons for this had been unknown to her, and this Hrafn's remark - as of now - was more or less lost on Sirol, who may have understood the emotional connotation within a new language, yet certainly struggles with subtlety...

"œThe team seems to be heading towards the OCC now, Sir." Sirol quickly spoke towards Solluk, updating him on the Tholian task force, before slowly turning around to Hrafn again.

Hrafn got the message on her terminal and nodded her approval at Sirol, so far she was impressed with the young woman.

"Good thinking... gives the Tholians tactical advantage still if the Wanderers are unaware they are here!" the CSO winked.

Sirol gave Hrafn an acknowledging nod.
"œThank you Lieutenant. That was my intention."
After all, she had been obsessed with multiplayer holo games long enough to internalise that efficient communication and successful strategy went hand in hand and were key.
"œIf I can get clear readings on the Wanderers' locations, I might be able to nudge them towards the Tholians or vice versa..."

Abroad the station the crystalline Dane axe wielding tholian warriors were heading to the command center. Four warriors enter the command center past bewildered federation security personnel.

Tilting her head Sirol leaned a little back in her chair and did a quick hailing nod towards the Tholians before looking at Solluk again.
"œCaptain - The boarding party." Sirol spoke calmly, then activated her holographic PDA again.

Skaldyr would survey the room and those in it as if doing a body count. Speaking in tholian to the other warriors. Skaldyr would remain behind and nod to both commander Solluk and nodded to zex.

Sirol remained in her metaphorical element.
Looking at her wrist-mounted PDA slowly accumulating information and completing the translation matrix, Sirol studied her first bits of the Tholians' language, visibly making mental notes to herself for later reference.
Every few seconds she would look up, check the Conundrum's readings, check the countdown"¦ And in between, she found comfort in doing something she loved; something she was good at.

...While the stress around her was about to climax, she had finally calmed down, found peace, sitting in her chair with a tiny serene smirk, learning Tholian...

The others would turn around and head out from the command center.

Splitting into two pairs one going right and the other left down the hallway. The warriors moved slowly down the hallways. Pausing as if waiting for something. Occasionally the warriors would happen upon a security team. Looming around a corner and likely giving a few a fright.

As the rest of the boarding team began to split, Sirol turned around and hunched over her terminal again, following their readings and ready to update Solluk on any potential important development. "œThe squad is splitting up, Sir. Please stand by." She began, as suddenly her readings around the Conundrum went from bizarre to crazy to absolutely unbelievable.
She instantly jumped up from her chair, was about to send them onto the holo table for the entire OCC to see, as she suddenly felt"¦ A sensation she - despite all the languages she had learned in her life - simply lacked the sufficient words to describe.

A blue light exploded from the Conundrum.  The light engulfed the Discovery, and extended at faster-than-light speeds through the entire Trialus system.  It consumed Katra and the ships in orbit of Meridian.  It consumed Meridian itself.  As the blue glow pierced each object and solar body, the matter was thrown out of alignment with the normal universe.

Every piece of matter entered a universe of pure energy.  Every person became pure consciousness.  It was an experience unlike anything that anyone in the solar system had ever endured... except for the Meridians themselves.  They knew this place well.  It was the universe of consciousness that they had once periodically transited to.

The Thinkers had found a way to activate the anomaly again- but rather than merely shift Meridian itself, they had shifted the contents of the entire solar system.  Katra, Meridian, and the assembled forces of Starfleet ceased to exist in the normal universe entirely.

_______________________________________________________________________

For a single, brief little moment she felt peace and unity; inclusion and variety"¦
The usually calm and collected scientist felt like shouting out in joy but she couldn't.
It had been more real than any of her simulations she could have ever dreamed of creating.
More saving than any of her hundred little escapisms in the "˜before'.
She was whole...

This here"¦ It was real. It was everything"¦
Never before in her life had the phrase "˜Coming Home' felt more suitable than in this very moment.
While she subjectively felt as if perceiving everything and everyone, she had a hard time finding herself - at least her physical self.

She was floating, she was free, but not alone. One, but not alone at all.

With all the warmth she had in herself, she reached out for the others with her mind and soul.
She could sense their pain, their loss ...and their joy.

"˜Who are you? Are you me? A little bit.
Are we dead? Far from it.
I am here with you, bridging the gap. So am I.
I'm here with you now every step of the way.
...We are boldly going together.'

[Ian Galloway]

Trialus System - at the Discovery and Conundrum

The Discovery activated its tractor beam, pulling the Conundrum out of its close orbit of the Trialus sun.  It did this just as the Tetracellium crystal on board went critical.

A blue light exploded from the Conundrum.  The light engulfed the Discovery, and extended at faster-than-light speeds through the entire Trialus system.  It consumed Katra and the ships in orbit of Meridian.  It consumed Meridian itself.  As the blue glow pierced each object and solar body, the matter was thrown out of alignment with the normal universe.

Every piece of matter entered a universe of pure energy.  Every person became pure consciousness.  It was an experience unlike anything that anyone in the solar system had ever endured... except for the Meridians themselves.  They knew this place well.  It was the universe of consciousness that they had once periodically transited to.

The Thinkers had found a way to activate the anomaly again- but rather than merely shift Meridian itself, they had shifted the contents of the entire solar system.  Katra, Meridian, and the assembled forces of Starfleet ceased to exist in the normal universe entirely.

On Katra, Solluk felt his mind as though it was a floating bundle of thought.  Discrete, yet able to interact with neighboring thought-spaces.  He felt Hrafn, Sirol, Wessex, Zex, Lek, and the others present close-by.   He felt the thought-groups of other officers and crew on the station, like that of Catherine Goodspeed and Kal Jimrec.

The thought-zones of the intruding Wanderers were there, too.  The utterly alien thought-structures of the Tholians.  Even the friendly thought-bubbles of the station animals, be they Vulcan, Terran, or Cardassian former-furballs.

There was no color here.  And every color.  'Peering' through this new universe of the mind, he could feel the crews of the surrounding vessels.  He could feel lives and thought-persons all the way out to the sun and the edge of the system.  He could feel Benjin.  He could feel Beja.  The Astrocetus, too, had a consciousness that bobbled in this boundless domain.

Fascination subsided and was replaced by alarm.  If the solar system had been brought to this mysterious dimension, then the Thinkers had succeeded.  They had removed their Starfleet obstacle, and blunted Federation exploration into the Gamma Quadrant.  Who knew what mischief they would engage in, now?[/size]

[Bridge - USS Challenger --> Nothingness]

Ian saw the wave of blue light approach and ordered the Challenger to turn into the wave, not that it matter as the universe as he understood it ceased to be. Although he didn't know what had happened, he could sense the bridge crew around him, which was comforting, but that didn't lighten his mood in the slightest.

"Okay, who's arse do I need ta kick first?"

[Kirok]

Katra OCC

Zex felt a lot of pride when Solluk accepted her idea and executed it.  Hopefully it would help.  She hoped!

As the intruder alert when off, Zex stepped away from her duty station.  She when to the locker and collected as many hand phasers as she could carry.  Then she set about distributing them to the others on the OCC.

"I have been receiving messages from Eydis over the Tholian lattis.  Shi has been giving me a play by play as to their activities.  But have yet to reply to hir messages" she replied.

She considered replying to Eydis now.  But if the lattis had been tapped into, the last thing she wanted to do was reply.  So she didn't.

"It is possible that others may be listing in.  But on my honor, I am not a double agent.  Lying is not the Deltan way.  So please have my station checked and the lattis too if you are able" she replied.

-

When she became pure consciousness, it was quite an odd sensation to say the least.  But she had grown up with some degree of mental abilities.  So she kinda knew what to do.

"Everyone focus on your breathing.   Breath in, 1, 2, 3.  Now out, 1, 2, 3" she said aloud.

[Azsayak]

The wave washed over all the Tholian forces arrayed and the station itself  and the tholians would enter this new state. The lattice now served as web contacting all the Tholians together. A literally web of consciousness assessing the situation.  And over the lattice zex would be able to hear and feel the pull to join the hive mind like lattice.

What has transpired The thought was boasted by the sheer imposed will of the collective energy of the Tholians. Many smaller consciousness were all around the lattice web. The Tholian lattice would turn to the consciousness that it had known as zex the only non tholian to ever access the combined lattice.

[Don Damien Addams]

[Deck 1 - Main Bridge - USS Discovery]

There was a power flux and shudder in the ship as power was rerouted in an unorthodox method, but the ship remained at warp.  The deflector dish started emitting the quantum particles in front of the ship, creating the quantum field that would act as a spear; piercing through the quantum barrier.  As soon as it was larger enough to engulf the ship, it was dense enough to be visible as a blue hued plasma tunnel, and the ship lurched forward as it entered the stream.

[USS Discovery - Bridge]

Imagine a child getting the ultimate toy! This was those moments Don had loved to experience. Hell! This was the first awesome experience. It would be nice if time could stop so he could enjoy the moment forever!

Inertial dampeners struggled with compensating for the increased speed, and the crew found itself forced back for a few minutes, as the ship shuddered violently.  In main engineering the refit crew worked as they could to try and stabilize what was a smaller drive for a larger engine.  Ten minutes went by with the ship feeling like it was about to break apart, and the stress on the hull did exceed maximum tolerance, but it was the will of the prophets that Discovery held together.  That, and Lek's redesigned shields.

This was a bumpy ride. Crap! Sickbay! If he knew it would have been a rough ride he would warn them. The fellow pilot was bitting his lower lip thinking this was going to destroy them. His faith was thinning away.

Finally the shuddering faded slowly, and the hull integrity returned to normal use.  Outside the viewscreen was just a field of blue swirling like liquid around the ship in waves as the ship traveled through the tunnel.  It was honestly quite awe-inspiring if it wasn't so dangerous.

Oh. Now it was a nice view of a cool blue tunnel. Not just all blue. But different shades of blues and bright as white too. Swirling. This was awesome. He smiled. He looked at his wife. They are front seat to see it.

Then he had to go back checking systems are holding.

15 minutes into their travel the alpha core started giving warning as the slipstream drive strained to hold such a large vessel in comparison.  The Enginering teams did their best to hold it together, but it was clear they had to drop soon.  The Captain ordered to hold course... just a little longer... and the ship was starting to shudder again.

"Sir, she is going to tear up," Don said as he was racing to compensate the helm to do what one can. Transfering power, lowing the rating meters on the compulsion, which was most Enigneer work. He could attempt to do what he can.

[Around Tralis's star]

By a miracle, a distortion field formed near the sun with a blue hue, and Discovery shot out of the tunnel, dropping very quickly to normal space.  This was sharp enough for the crew to feel it, but aside from any major injuries, they would have to wait.  The Conundrum was in sight near them, while what was detected as an anomaly was forming nearby.

They made it. Don let out a long sigh.

"WOW!" Don said out loud.

"Target the ship's engines and disable them.  Engage tractor beam and hold them tight.  Helm, pull us away from the star.  Engineering, do what you can to fix the drives.  I want to know what they are doing, and how to stop or reverse it." he said, turning to his XO for that one.

"Aye aye Captain," Don said placing the route away from the sun but toward the ship they are here for. This was delicate situation they are in.

Every instinct was telling him to neutralize the ship and hurry back for the Healy... but he couldn't afford to make whatever was happening worse.  The scientist in him knew much, much better.

[Lieutenant JG Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

Nira felt the ship shuddering and she could see the blue tunnel on the viewscreen. She thought it had been especially bad when the missing Starship Burke flung through time and collided with Discovery, and when it entered normal space, things got sharp enough for Nira to be flung from her chair - not like when she was in the turbolift when the Burke collided - but fortunately, Nira was flung only partway and rolled the rest of the way across the Bridge.

Nira staggered up, stretched from the instant soreness, and returned to her station, staggering once or twice on her way back. Nira looked at the ship near the star and the anomaly forming...Nira instantly wondered if it was similar to the ones she had seen on the final days of her time on the Athena, like when they made First Contact with the T'Sari and the T'Kori or when she and the rest of Athena's crew was forced to experience the same half hour over and over and over again in a time loop...but Nira was sure they would've been resolved, nor would they have been conjured up by the battered ship she was seeing like this one. Nonetheless, she was sure it had to be stopped, and the Captain ordered just that.

"Aye, sir," said Nira, and targeted the engines. With the phasers, as with the lead Wanderer ship, she took out the engines. "It's ready for the tractor beam."

Ensign Danjar-Torra Addams
[USS Discovery - Deck One - Bridge]

At the Captain's orders Torra began the process of bringing the tractor beam online.  Then opened a channel for the Captain.  "Channel open, sir."

"USS Discovery to freighter ship Conundrum.  Your actions have been noted.  Stand down all weapons and power down your engines.  Repeat... Stand down all weapons and power down your engines."

She waited moment.   "There's no response, sir"

Torra glanced over and gave an appreciative dip of her head towards her friend for picking up Torra's slack with the transporters.

Torra dipped her head in agreement with Nira's words and then smiled beside her towards her husband as he shared his own perspective on their duty.

Slipstream was something of awe and beauty that Torra felt privileged to have experienced, though she was grateful that she was seated for the emergence or it could have ended with her on floor.   She made a note to forewarn all hands to brace for slipstream from now on.

The Captain called out orders and including a call for use of the tractor beam.  Tractor beams were her thing.  The beam was ready momentarily after the Captain's orders and with it, Torra reached out across the distance to latch onto the Conundrum, just seconds after Nira had crippled the freighter.

"Tractor beam engaged, sir.  We've got her tight." she announced. "Reeling her in."

'Oh dear.  What now...?!' Torra's consciousness thought. 'Don? Are you here?'

Then out of nowhere Don felt he was in world of bright colors of kind and he felt minds of thoughts around him. His body was gone. The ship was gone.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The man feared the worse! They seemed to be lost from their universe! The reality of matter was not there. He felt Torra but she physically can't be seen. Though she was there.

This was the cosmos he believed in.

"Mom? Torra?" he used his thoughts to reach out. He felt the Captain was near by and everyone but he even felt things he coud never imagine to know.

He felt lost with a mix of peace.

"NO! NO! NO!"

Everything in his life was taken from him! He was not done!!! He wanted more but no it was stolen! He wanted to hurt who ever did this to them...but....there was nothing to grab to strangle!!

This was not right! They all failed! He wanted to do more. He thought be around all lot longer to enjoy his wife. To find a way to have a child. To see more of the universe. Damn. He was not happy. Some of him felt good but he was against being defeated. There was much more to life! He was mad.

[Beja]

Katra Station - Oort Cloud

Beja stared transfixed with Benjin as the whale began to glow and shimmered and then blipped out of sight. She had known how the whale could travel but it was one thing to read the words on a screen and yet another thing to witness it first hand. She let out the breath she had been holding inside, "œIt looks like it worked!"

The large smile quickly disappeared at Benjin's next words, "Counselor! He is in near the evacuation convoy! There are two dozen of Wanderer fighters!"

"œBut I thought the whale was going to safety?" Beja peered down on the monitor and then quickly focused the sensors on the area and saw their friend help out in battle. A warrior whale! The whale's words now made more sense. The whale saw one of the ships leave the fold, and went to help save that ship from danger. The whale saved the lives of the "˜safety' people. Being kind had benefited them all.

Beja's smile came back, as she looked down at Benjin, "œHelping a friend was not a waste today." Though before any other words could be said, everything changed in an even brighter flash than the whale's traveling blip had done. Everything was gone and yet not gone.

The corporeal became incorporeal, bodies faded away and only emotional thoughts were left behind. Beja had no real way to describe the experience herself. Something she had read in the academy that people experienced, called out-of-body experiences, was the closest thought that had come to mind.

Beja could sense the presence of others around her. Benjin was there. And oddly she could even feel the presence of Mon who was back on Katra. How scared he must be! But she didn't feel fear, she felt a feeling of calm and peace that helped to keep her own panic and fear at bay.

Would they be left in this quagmire of non existence forever? How would they get back if they had no real body? Is this what cats felt like without having opposable thumbs?

[Don Damien Addams]

[Katra - then to unconscious world]

Kal was fighting with the unwanted guest back up her knees. "You wi--" then it went away.

The next thing Kal found himself in dream different color world where there was nothing around but color. One can't wrap that into science on how one observe that. It was like trying to say the universe actually has no ending or a beginning, but each individual was the center of the universe and space. Where they go the center of space was right in them. It was in them and not them. It was a philosophy by a woman in USA long time ago believed in that. {the player} But only heard about that once.

There was the other theory out of the body experience which was like a lucid dream. Both you see something. Lucid dream you sort of can control your actions in a dream. Out of the body experience you are above your body and can't move. Which was a horrifying feeling cause you just can't do anything about it.

Then there was the one time her was meditating which was out of the body experience. But this....this...this...nothing with light...then he felt personal from the Katra was near him like they are a whisper in the wind.

The warrior in him was unsure what was this. Then he felt that whale presence a very powerful one which he never seen but there was a feeling of it. Then then he had try to reach out to try to feel. There was many feelings from everything.

How does one wake up from this? Was he drugged? That evader found a way to drug him?

He had tried to say something but how does one say something...he try to put a ---hello? ---- out there. --- anyone?---

[Don Damien Addams]

[ooc I had to be creative and have fun]

[USS Discovery - Addam's quarters]

As the area had gone to a subconscious space Happy the bird found itself in nothing but different colors. The bird brain was amazed. No body. Nothing. But it was feeling as still there. So he was happy still. Finally there was no annoying itch under his wing. That was a big relief.

[USS Discovery - Medica bay]

The rodents under Torra's care. Donny 2.0 and Faith, Hope, Charity, Temperance, Joy and Courage all found themselves free!!! Free from what they called home. True. They were well take care of. They were fed. They had each other for company. They had plenty fun. Some times fight over food. They made each other good company.

Now each one was like woah. This was something different. Hunger went away. The big thirst was gone. That itching in the fur was gone. Then they felt others. Who was the others? Why was this happening? It must be okay. No hunger. No more itching. It was animal dream. There was no fear of waiting for something was going to pounce eat you or something swoop from the great blue sky to take them to the air. They don't know why they feel that. It could be an instinct. That was gone.

BUT....wait...there was this other danger...a danger they don't know of but deep inside their conscious they rather be back to their home. Yes. That would be better. This feeling was not good.

[Rayek trLhoell]

Lt Cmdr. tr'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Deck One - Bridge] (Rearguard position)

Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Bridge]

It was almost unbearable for Tess to see Rayek so upset, that he didn't even care that his emotions were on display for everyone to see. It spoke volumes of how concerned he was about Fvienn. It only added to her own fear for him and it unsettled her. Then, unexpectedly, Rayek said that the Wonderland was safe for now. She knew anything could still happen, but for now it took a lot of weight off her.

The ship shuddered violently as it took another hit, as if the Wanderer fighters tried to gain back her attention; several consoles beeped with angry warnings. "Damage report!"

She listened to Rayek. The damage was bad, but didn't leave them inoperable. "Shut off life support of all unused sections and reroute energy to the shields."

"Healy to the Fleet, we took a bad blow and are left with impulse engines only. We'll try to keep up our shields as long as possible by rerouting energy."

To the bridge crew she said, "Let's try to take out as many of the fighters as possible. Do we have an indication of how many more fighters we have to expect? Or is this all we're dealing with?" Tess didn't try to show it but if the mother ship had more of those fighters in store, it would become pretty hard to prevail here.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian winced at the report, but given the intensity of the fighting compared to the size of the Healy, that she'd taken heavy damage wasn't a surprise, she simply wasn't designed for heavy fleet combat.

"Understood Healy, if'n you need assistance let us know. The parasites are concentratin' on the station and make for fine target practice at the moment. You can drop back for repairs should you require."

Rayek acknowledged Tess' orders with a nod, then called on Ensign Oloze of Ops to follow through with actioning the tasks.  Oloze would have done so regardless, having heard Tess' herself but for the moment the Rayek needed to be doing something, even if that something was just parroting orders to their appropriate assignee.   He could feel his limbs on the verge of shaking as the near-loss of the Wonderland played havoc with his usual control.  By the Elements he must seem so weak! Fvadt!

Galloways' call came in as Tess was questioning about the remaining Wanderer attack ships. Rayek checked his battle map.
"Wanderer forces in our area are retreating through the Oort Cloud back to their supercarrier."

Normally he would pace at a moment like this to release some of his pent-up energy, but he dared not leave his seat and his access to the battle situation.

Nei'rhh - leaving the convoy>

NPC Commander Tomax

Like a green spectre, a bird of terror, the Nei'rhh rippled back into sensory vision behind the largest gathering of Wanderer fighters and opened up with vivid green streams, virescent bolts of venom, and viridescent balls of angry energy. Plasma, he scoffed to himself. If these Wanderers wish to play with plasma, then they will know plasma from those who truly make it an artform.

With his attention still on the battle by the convoy, Rayek gave a slight snort of anger when the Romulan ship appeared behind a Wanderer ship that the Klingons had almost finished off.   While tactically sound, and quite honestly something that Rayek's own natural tendencies would be towards - a sneak attack from the flank; this time however he viewed the attack as cowardly.  It was the act of a scavenger - only approaching once the prey was already wounded.   Yet Rayek couldn't deny the tactics effectiveness.  He just hated that it hadn't been used to assist the Wonderland.

The Evacuee Convoy - Just Outside the Trialus System

The Tempest was doing its best to pour firepower into the Wanderers, but its limited mobility meant that it could not cover as much ground as effectively as it wanted to.  It was all the Type 6 shuttles could do to keep the saucer moving, and that was only possible because they'd been modified with enhanced tractor beams to act as effective tugs.  Half of the shuttles had been deployed by the Tempest herself, while the other half were loaners from Katra.  Each was pushing itself to maximum capacity to perform a job that they were not really meant to do.

Meanwhile, the Wonderland was limping away from the fray, trying to look inconspicuous as it edged towards a convenient rogue asteroid.

Fortunately, this was the moment that the Romulans chose to enter the fray.  Decloaking and firing fierce barrages, they managed to obliterate two of the Wanderer ships immediately.  The Wanderer squadrons faltered while the Wonderland was able to interpose the asteroid between itself and danger.

With the formidable Romulans joining the Tholians and Klingons and the Galaxy Saucer, the calculus of battle began to change.  The attack ship crews began to contemplate retreat.  A signal from the mothership confirmed it.

Turning, they engaged maximum warp away from the battlefield.  Some of them had taxed their engines for too long, and the drive systems broke down.  Three Wanderer vessels were left stranded- immobile and helpless as their power cores suffered emergency ejections.

"Wanderer forces at the convoy are retreating!" Rayek announced, his words carrying a sense of relief and surprise.  They'd managed to fight them back... with help from the Ambassadorial ships.   Never again would Rayek grumble about the station being 'given away piece by piece' to other nations.  If the price for such allies was space on Deck 11, Rayek would gladly invite more to add their embassies as well.

All this time he'd kept a close eye on the Wonderland.  Though the ship hadn't taken damage... he was certain of that.. but ship had cut engines and was now just drifting.   Rayek grimaced.  He really should have checked the capabilities of the ship before allowing Fvienn to be put on that pile of scrap metal.

He noted also Benjin's shuttle even further away... where the astrocetus had originally been feeding.

With the Wanderer in retreat it should be safe to have Benjin go check on the Wonderland.

"tr'Lhoell to Lt Beja.  One of the freighters seems to have lost main power outside of the convoy.  Can you and Cadet Moreno check on them?  Sending coordinates now.  It's the Wonderland."

NPC Cathy Daniels

[Wonderland ] (Fleeing solo)

NPC Juraan Ren
[Wonderland]

Juraan still stared at the whale or whatever this creature was. "Where did it even come from? Can we communicate with it? I hope it doesn't declare us food as well."

Calls came in that some passengers started to feel unwell - headaches, nausea, fainting. "I'll take care of it", he said and stood up. "It's the bio-electric field, I couldn't adjust it to everyone. Should it remain up or do you want me to shut it off?"

Cathy had been thinking the space whale had been like some 'attack dog' of the local population and their ally, but Juraan's. comment had her looking at the viewscreen nervously, while hoping the same.

[Wonderland]
So shutting off everything was only an option if they wanted to kill all the evacuees and therefore not an option.
"We'd better keep the most important systems running." Finn rolled his eyes at Cathy, who had pointed out the obvious. "I was talking about the engine, communication...anything super obvious."

Again he stood up to pace back and forth a little wrapping his arms around himself as if that could protect him from a wrong decision. Tess was in the back of his mind because her and Rayeks son was on board but also everyone else on the Wonderland. That was a shitload of responsibility for someone who usually didn't fly around live cargo.

As Juraan said some people were getting sick, Finn nodded. "Go, take care of them...but keep the disguise up, unless it's seriously endangering someone. If you see a baby name Fvienn, make sure he's fine. He's my nephew." If it hadn't saved them so far, it still might. "Perhaps it's the reason the Whale wasn't interested in us."

As Juraan left Finn sat back down leaning his elbows on the console. "Fuck Cathy, how do we save these people?"
The convoy was under heavy fire by the Wanderer fighters.

On his screen he saw something, that could give them a bit of protection.
"Let's fly closer to that rock..."

Finn's eyeroll wasn't appreciated and the runaway recruit stuck out her tongue at his back when he turned to pace some while she powered down all non-essentials.  She even tried to have some of the outside lighting flicker as if damaged.   If they were gonna play derelict ship, may as well play it boldely.

When Finn sat down asking his question, Cathy looked over to him. He looked as miserable and stressed as she felt.   She wished there was some way she could help but she was just as lost as he.   "I don't know."

His suggestion to fly closer to 'the rock' was met with a nod. "To the rock, got it."

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

Solluk nodded to Sirol in acknowledgement of the notice she'd put out.  He'd have a talk with Eydis later about barging shock troops onto the station without asking first.  But right now, he didn't want an unintended conflict between the Tholians and station personnel.  He hoped he wasn't making a misstep.  He hoped he could count on the Tholians to remain friendly.

When Hrafn offered her telepathic ability to send a message, Solluk shook his head, "I'm not sure it would work at this range, Lieutenant... and I'm not sure I should be asking an endangered creature to make additional combat interceptions.  We will trust in Captain Tekin.  He'll get it done."

Trust your Wingman.  An old axiom in flight operations, and it held true even when scaled up to the fleet at large.

Trialus System - at the Discovery and Conundrum

The Discovery activated its tractor beam, pulling the Conundrum out of its close orbit of the Trialus sun.  It did this just as the Tetracellium crystal on board went critical.

A blue light exploded from the Conundrum.  The light engulfed the Discovery, and extended at faster-than-light speeds through the entire Trialus system.  It consumed Katra and the ships in orbit of Meridian.  It consumed Meridian itself.  As the blue glow pierced each object and solar body, the matter was thrown out of alignment with the normal universe.

Every piece of matter entered a universe of pure energy.  Every person became pure consciousness.  It was an experience unlike anything that anyone in the solar system had ever endured... except for the Meridians themselves.  They knew this place well.  It was the universe of consciousness that they had once periodically transited to.

The Thinkers had found a way to activate the anomaly again- but rather than merely shift Meridian itself, they had shifted the contents of the entire solar system.  Katra, Meridian, and the assembled forces of Starfleet ceased to exist in the normal universe entirely.

On Katra, Solluk felt his mind as though it was a floating bundle of thought.  Discrete, yet able to interact with neighboring thought-spaces.  He felt Hrafn, Sirol, Wessex, Zex, Lek, and the others present close-by.   He felt the thought-groups of other officers and crew on the station, like that of Catherine Goodspeed and Kal Jimrec.

The thought-zones of the intruding Wanderers were there, too.  The utterly alien thought-structures of the Tholians.  Even the friendly thought-bubbles of the station animals, be they Vulcan, Terran, or Cardassian former-furballs.

There was no color here.  And every color.  'Peering' through this new universe of the mind, he could feel the crews of the surrounding vessels.  He could feel lives and thought-persons all the way out to the sun and the edge of the system.  He could feel Benjin.  He could feel Beja.  The Astrocetus, too, had a consciousness that bobbled in this boundless domain.

Fascination subsided and was replaced by alarm.  If the solar system had been brought to this mysterious dimension, then the Thinkers had succeeded.  They had removed their Starfleet obstacle, and blunted Federation exploration into the Gamma Quadrant.  Who knew what mischief they would engage in, now?

Ensign Danjar-Torra Addams

'Oh dear.  What now...?!' Torra's consciousness thought. 'Don? Are you here?'

[Paul Wessex]

Paul Wessex floated through an ocean of pure thought, and all the recent fears and worries washed away like the tide on a shore. He looked down. Up. Around. He was completely alone and surrounded by company all at once. Bright thoughts drifted by like luminescent jellyfish, and understanding of everyone and everything felt like vast shoals of dancing mirrors. He had rarely felt so peaceful; it was oddly familiar, yet he wasn't sure if the feeling was from he, diving through the deepest waters known to the Federation, or from...without...

But it mattered not. He closed his eyes, and allowed the ebb and flow of this greatest of seas to take him to new worlds and new civilisations. Taken boldly where he had not gone before.

[Tekin Nevir]

[Deck 1 - Main Bridge - USS Discovery]

Everything seemed to be going well, at least initially, as the ship had its engines cut and the tractor beam latched on.  The ship was already close to critical, so they were cutting it short, too short.  The Discovery puled the ship away while he monitored the readings.

And then it went bad.  The ship suddenly went critical and was about to blow, at least that's what he was assuming.  Something inside was reaching critical mass.

"Shields to max!  Brace for impact!" he shouted, as the bridge and the ship was suddenly engulfed in blue light.  For a brief second he wondered if the QSD was activated, but that thought quickly passed he found himself as... nothing.

Almost nothing.  It was like he was in a bright light... and not so.  He couldn't see anything, but everything, but what he definitely couldn't see was his crew, his bridge, and his own self.  Literally.  As he drifted in oblivion, he remember something he read about.  A similar experience.  And that brought a slight fear to him.  This felt like he was walking with the Prophets.  Which meant one thing.

They failed.  He was dead.

Hello...? he called out, but not with his mouth.  There was no mouth.  It was his own consciousness asking.  Emissary?  Are you there?  Sisko?  Did we... did we fail?

There was no answer, at least not from the Prophets.  Instead he started to feel his crew around him.  The fear of Torra... the panic of Don... the calmness of T'Lara... the anger of Colonel Favala.  Wait... who?  It took him a moment to realize that he knew who she was now, she was the leader in their Brig.  She too now had her consciousness touching his.

He could feel the officers in Sickbay, the workers in Engineering. Whatever happened to them affected the entire ship.  It was dawning on him his situation, and he couldn't help but suddenly have his thoughts go to Hrafn.  It took an eternity later, but suddenly he could swear he could feel her.  With them.  Oh no...

Solluk... Reyak... Lek... he sensed them nearby.  And also far away.  Tess... Ian... it was becoming apparent that he was feeling everyone.  Not only did this explosion affect them, it spread.  And no matter how hard he tried, feelings were bubbling like gas rising in liquid, and he couldn't control it.  There was concern, failure and fear in his thoughts, and there was nothing that was hiding it.

What do I do?  Where are the Prophets.  I need their help...

[Nira Said]

Katra Station - Operational Control Center

Solluk nodded to Sirol in acknowledgement of the notice she'd put out.  He'd have a talk with Eydis later about barging shock troops onto the station without asking first.  But right now, he didn't want an unintended conflict between the Tholians and station personnel.  He hoped he wasn't making a misstep.  He hoped he could count on the Tholians to remain friendly.

When Hrafn offered her telepathic ability to send a message, Solluk shook his head, "I'm not sure it would work at this range, Lieutenant... and I'm not sure I should be asking an endangered creature to make additional combat interceptions.  We will trust in Captain Tekin.  He'll get it done."

Trust your Wingman.  An old axiom in flight operations, and it held true even when scaled up to the fleet at large.

Trialus System - at the Discovery and Conundrum

The Discovery activated its tractor beam, pulling the Conundrum out of its close orbit of the Trialus sun.  It did this just as the Tetracellium crystal on board went critical.

A blue light exploded from the Conundrum.  The light engulfed the Discovery, and extended at faster-than-light speeds through the entire Trialus system.  It consumed Katra and the ships in orbit of Meridian.  It consumed Meridian itself.  As the blue glow pierced each object and solar body, the matter was thrown out of alignment with the normal universe.

Every piece of matter entered a universe of pure energy.  Every person became pure consciousness.  It was an experience unlike anything that anyone in the solar system had ever endured... except for the Meridians themselves.  They knew this place well.  It was the universe of consciousness that they had once periodically transited to.

The Thinkers had found a way to activate the anomaly again- but rather than merely shift Meridian itself, they had shifted the contents of the entire solar system.  Katra, Meridian, and the assembled forces of Starfleet ceased to exist in the normal universe entirely.

On Katra, Solluk felt his mind as though it was a floating bundle of thought.  Discrete, yet able to interact with neighboring thought-spaces.  He felt Hrafn, Sirol, Wessex, Zex, Lek, and the others present close-by.   He felt the thought-groups of other officers and crew on the station, like that of Catherine Goodspeed and Kal Jimrec.

The thought-zones of the intruding Wanderers were there, too.  The utterly alien thought-structures of the Tholians.  Even the friendly thought-bubbles of the station animals, be they Vulcan, Terran, or Cardassian former-furballs.

There was no color here.  And every color.  'Peering' through this new universe of the mind, he could feel the crews of the surrounding vessels.  He could feel lives and thought-persons all the way out to the sun and the edge of the system.  He could feel Benjin.  He could feel Beja.  The Astrocetus, too, had a consciousness that bobbled in this boundless domain.

Fascination subsided and was replaced by alarm.  If the solar system had been brought to this mysterious dimension, then the Thinkers had succeeded.  They had removed their Starfleet obstacle, and blunted Federation exploration into the Gamma Quadrant.  Who knew what mischief they would engage in, now?

[Deck 1 - Main Bridge - USS Discovery]

Everything seemed to be going well, at least initially, as the ship had its engines cut and the tractor beam latched on.  The ship was already close to critical, so they were cutting it short, too short.  The Discovery puled the ship away while he monitored the readings.

And then it went bad.  The ship suddenly went critical and was about to blow, at least that's what he was assuming.  Something inside was reaching critical mass.

"Shields to max!  Brace for impact!" he shouted, as the bridge and the ship was suddenly engulfed in blue light.  For a brief second he wondered if the QSD was activated, but that thought quickly passed he found himself as... nothing.

Almost nothing.  It was like he was in a bright light... and not so.  He couldn't see anything, but everything, but what he definitely couldn't see was his crew, his bridge, and his own self.  Literally.  As he drifted in oblivion, he remember something he read about.  A similar experience.  And that brought a slight fear to him.  This felt like he was walking with the Prophets.  Which meant one thing.

They failed.  He was dead.

Hello...? he called out, but not with his mouth.  There was no mouth.  It was his own consciousness asking.  Emissary?  Are you there?  Sisko?  Did we... did we fail?

There was no answer, at least not from the Prophets.  Instead he started to feel his crew around him.  The fear of Torra... the panic of Don... the calmness of T'Lara... the anger of Colonel Favala.  Wait... who?  It took him a moment to realize that he knew who she was now, she was the leader in their Brig.  She too now had her consciousness touching his.

He could feel the officers in Sickbay, the workers in Engineering. Whatever happened to them affected the entire ship.  It was dawning on him his situation, and he couldn't help but suddenly have his thoughts go to Hrafn.  It took an eternity later, but suddenly he could swear he could feel her.  With them.  Oh no...

Solluk... Reyak... Lek... he sensed them nearby.  And also far away.  Tess... Ian... it was becoming apparent that he was feeling everyone.  Not only did this explosion affect them, it spread.  And no matter how hard he tried, feelings were bubbling like gas rising in liquid, and he couldn't control it.  There was concern, failure and fear in his thoughts, and there was nothing that was hiding it.

What do I do?  Where are the Prophets.  I need their help...

[Lieutenant JG Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Discovery NCC-78393-B]

Nira saw the tractor beam lock on and she gave a nod of appraisal to Torra. As the Discovery pulled the suspicious ship away...it happened. Suddenly, what looked like a blue explosion detonated from the ship, and the light engulfed Discovery and then...

[Nira Said | Consciousness | ? ]

Suddenly, Nira found herself in an out-of-body experience. Literally. Nothing seemed to exist anymore...except consciousness. She was sure she wasn't dead. She'd be feeling...something, more fitting for an afterlife where she belonged.

And it seemed she didn't just feel her consciousness, but others around her. She could feel Torra's fear, Don's panic, T'lara's calmness, Nevir's uncertainty, Favala's anger...wait, who was...ah, the prisoner she beamed aboard. And Nevir...ah, the Captain. It seemed a first-name basis was relevant, they seemed to be all one consciousness, clustered into one...or it seemed that with consciousness severed from everything else, they were a multitude of consciousnesses merged to one, or that light rendered an omniscience achieved from erasing everything except consciousness...

Nira suddenly felt the minds of everybody in the system...Solluk, Rayek, Lek, Ian, Kyle, Ruth, Ruthie, Hrafen...names she didn't know and yet somehow knew...and some names she recognized from a time past...she and all around them might have become all-knowing, but did it mean erasing their physical forms in the process? Were they incorporeal?

The more she felt like she was, the more curious she was. No, Nira wasn't definitely dead. Just consciousness...like a genie or djinn who saw everything outside her lamp or bottle, but confined to this particular existence before being let out...

[Tess tLhoell]

Cmdr. Tess t'Lhoell
[USS Healy - Bridge]

Tess acknowledged with relief when Rayek reported to her that the Wanderers were retreating. While she let out a trimphant sigh, there was a question nagging in the back of her mind: Just like that? Or had they accomplished whatever it was they had planned?

Thumbing the comm panel, Tess was about to contact Fleet Captain Galloway for his orders when the bright white light swallowed the Healy; swallowed her. It was her body's reflex to close her eyes, protect the visual organ from getting harmed.

By the time she wanted to open them again, she couldn't. There were no eyes anymore. And yet she could see everything. No, not see. Feel. Everything felt light around her, calm and quiet - but busy and overwhelming at the same time. Where was she? What happened? Was she dead? Had they all died?

... Rayek? He was here, with her. She could feel him. Maybe not see him, or speak to him. But she felt his presence. Just like everyone else's. Ensign Oloze ... her father ... It felt like a dream.

Am I dreaming, ciccino? I'm so glad you are here.

Papa, quello che Á¨ successo?

She felt like drifting away. But she wasn't drifting away, it was her consciousness that was pure and perfect, that it allowed her to 'see' beyond. It was an overwhelming experience to feel the thoughts of so many living beings. But not only their thoughts, to feel their existence. An existence that was so different from what she knew, but which was not less fascinating.

Her consciousness reached the other ships. Captains Galloway and Tekin, Torra whom she had met only a couple of hours ago for the first time, along with her husband Don. The Tholian ship, ambassador Eydis ... then Katra. Captain Solluk, Hrafn, Paul - all those aboard. The ambassador ships, the freighters. And finally ...

Fvienn. My darling, I have found you.

Tess felt distress from the infant. She wanted to touch her son, hold him. But she couldn't. She could only ... be. Exist.

[Netha-Sar Murselas]

[KATRA STATION | Docking Saucer Two]
Orange = NPC Ensign Jessica Stewart

The holiday spirit had been successfully sucked from Netha-Sar. He usually enjoyed the winter celebrations that the entire Federation seemed to participate in. He hadn't had holidays growing up at least not the traditional Orion ones. His father took him and his siblings on vacations when he needed a lookout. If the job went well they would spend an extra week or two wherever they were as a reward.

But it was nothing like the metaphorical buffet of holiday celebrations, traditions, and literal buffets that came around this time of year. And his birthday corresponded with November, which always made him feel just a little like all the winter holiday cheer was specifically for him. He had been traveling the Federation, first independently and now as an enlisted crewman in Starfleet for almost ten years now and still he was confused about some kind of spirit baby with a hay diaper and a donkey companion? He didn't quite get it, but it was fun. Or it usually was.

Up until a month ago he had been stationed on Inferna Prime, mostly doing routine patrols around the surrounding sectors. Especially in the nearby Maxia Zeta system. It wasn't the closest to his sister Yula who lived on Dekendi III, but close enough that Yula could visit him without too much trouble. Then about a month ago he had been transferred to Katra Station. It would be his first time in Federation Space spending the holidays without one of his siblings.

Then there had been the wave of unscheduled refits which vexed him. Sure, he understood the necessity, but what he didn't understand was why the fleet of ships who had arrived with supplies and workers needed to go out of their way to scratch, dent, and scrape every inch of the docking saucers and loading bays on their way in. He lost track of how many times he had screamed "Hey watch where you're parking that!" or "Where did you learn to fly?!" And he was definitely not happy about a bunch of cadets being squeezed into the enlisted crew quarters.

But now that the station had been on red alert for some time all his frustrations seemed so miniscule. The barrage against Katra Station had left many injured. Ensign Jessica Stewart was telling him to get into the remaining cobra (it was the one that had been abandoned by Cadet Moreno in favor of the shuttlecraft when he was assigned a new task). She had a broken leg, a fractured wrist, and all the other cobras had been destroyed. Which made Netha-Sar the only available pilot not involved in the evacuation.

Join the Meridian fighters. Don't let Katra fall. The instructions were simple enough even if the execution may not be.

"Murselas," Ensign Stewart said as he boarded the cobra. "It's been an honor."

"And it will continue to be one when I return, Sir," he countered.

She smiled and he left. Netha-Sar never did make it into the Orion Syndicate, but the rules that had been instilled in him from childhood in preparation for that were still relevant. When you go into danger you must assume that you will come back. Never plan for or entertain the idea of failure.

[A STATE OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS]

He flew off in order to join the Meridian fighters when suddenly he found them. Or had they found him? He wasn't sure when it happened. His goal had been to locate and join the Meridian fighters and that had been accomplished.

It just seemed that he hadn't managed to do so with his body or the ship.

He sensed the loss of the ship before he noticed the loss of his own corporeal form. He felt like he was laying on plush grass, gazing at the cosmos on a warm day. But he also felt like it was nothing like that. He couldn't turn his head to see if anyone else was seeing what he was seeing. He couldn't be sure he was even seeing anything. It just felt like this is what he would be viewing if he could only find his eyes.

He wasn't certain what was happening anymore and for a moment he wondered if he had faced the same fate as the other cobras. "No," he thought"¦ or did he say it? Without a mouth it was hard to tell. He wasn't dead. He had never died before and didn't know what it felt like, but he was certain that being dead couldn't possibly feel so alive.

[Solluk]

Somewhere... Everywhere...

In the vastness of everything, Solluk heard a voice.

No... he felt a voice.  It was like the Vulcan Mind Meld, without being as deep.  He could feel people, feel their willed communication.  But he could not delve deeply into the core of their being.  They were still somehow distinct, and not melded.  Even as they were utterly transparent.

The voice he felt told him to breathe, and despite the direness of the situation, he could not help but laugh.  His laughter extended to the edgeless, boundless, limitless universe.

Then, at the furthest point of a place that had no points, he felt something else.  An adjacent place.  A next-door neighbor.

Something... terrible lived in that place.

But Solluk knew it could never touch him, here.

And then it all faded away, as though swept away by the force of his laughter.  He found himself once again in his body.  In his station.  There was silence for a moment.

Nearly silence.

Breathing.

He could hear breathing.

Just breathe.

He did.

And then he laughed.

And though his laughter did not extend throughout the universe, he still felt like it had.

Outside, and in the station corridors, the fighting ceased.  The remaining Wanderers in the system surrendered, the rage and fight having been taken out of them.  They understood, finally and fully, that Starfleet would not harm them if they surrendered.  This target, this enemy... they weren't simple fools to be taken advantage of.  They were genuinely good people, honestly committed to peace.  They had created a paradise of good intentions that were built into actual good deeds and good lives.

It was hard to do violence once that was fully and deeply known.

The mothership warped away.

Near the Trialus sun, the Conundrum was a dead ship.  The electronics aboard were totally cooked.  The Squari had passed away before criticality was even reached.  Their consciousnesses had been transmitted to the distant Thinkers HQ.

Unfortunate.  Perhaps, had they lived through the thought-dimension, they would have carried some deeper understanding to the Thinkers.

In either event, it was over.  The Trialus system, and everyone still living in it, would survive.

Katra Station - Promenade - Weeks Later
Solluk walked the promenade as he spoke.  His sub-vocalizations were being picked up by his com-badge, transmitted to the PADD he carried, and eventually sent via network to the station's computer.

Captain's Log, Stardate 76012.10

As I walk the Promenade of Katra Station, it is hard to believe that a mere few weeks ago, the station was in chaos.  Thanks to the Discovery pulling the Conundrum out of position, we were all saved.  We glimpsed another existence, and traveled to a further frontier than I ever imagined possible.  But we were not stranded there.  As miraculous as that place was, I'm grateful for that.

We have unfinished business in this universe.

The ceremonies for the dead have been held.  It was deeply saddening to see the loss of life, as it always is.  But there was an odd sense of hope that there might be something more for those who had passed on.  I hesitate to call our time in the thought-dimension a religious experience, but it was profound, and it gave almost everyone- even most of our stringent atheists- a sense that perhaps dying is not the end of the sentient experience.  Perhaps, in some alternate universe, those lost to us may persist as living ideas, continuing to explore the unfolding frontiers of existence.

A fanciful idea.  But less fanciful than it used to be.

Thanks to Ops, Engineering, and the Diplomatic Corps, the station has been transformed into a festive wonderland.   The year-end and year-beginning celebrations of a dozen species are represented here.  You can walk from one zone to another, and enter an entirely different culture.

As I walk now, I see Klingons re-enacting a great victory from their past.

A few more steps now, and the Dord are singing an opera of some kind.  Let me move past that...

... And now, as I round the level, I see where the Numati have gathered, with Zex mediating.  They are here to publicly declare their regret to Captain Tekin, and all those who were harmed by their actions last year.  They have vowed to allow Federation observers onto their world to witness that all work on their Prometheus copy has ceased, and to hand over what little progress they made.

I might not have guessed their apology would be well received, before all of the recent events unfolded.  I also might have been cynical that this was an empty political gesture, or that they had merely given up on the fruits of their espionage due to Starfleet Intelligence's highly effective sabotage of that effort.

But now... now I have hope.

Now I can believe that this might be genuine, and the first step to true peace and understanding between the Numati and the Federation.

Outside the station walls, at the drydock, the current crop of refits and repairs are almost done.   Soon, new ships will arrive from the holding queue at New Bajor.  These who have stood with us in defense of this system will be departing before long.

Yet even as they go, we will all be united in a common, extraordinary experience.

We are many.

We are one.

End log.