Mission 9: Tears of Procopius

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[Planetside]

"Hear?" Gabriel asked, frowning.  "Hear what?"  Really, the only thing he could hear that was out of the usual was the constant, nigh-musical sound of the wind as it touched against the crystalline columns and spires.  "Is everything ok?  Maybe we should ask -- "

He noticed a small commotion to the far end of the runabout, watching as Archangel slumped against the shuttle.  In a heartbeat, Gabriel was to his feet and bounding over there.  Thankfully, Kintiss had arrived first, saving him the trouble of calling for the Selay.  "Arch!  What's wrong?"



Gabriel's brain struggled to process all the information that was coming in at once.  His concern for his wife threatened to override it all, but he knew that he had a responsibility if she went down - command of the away team would fall to him.  Which it seemed like was happening.  "Take care of her, Kintiss," he said, unnecessarily, of course...but it still felt the thing to say.  "Take me to where you saw him last, T'Lara."

[Planetside]

What was happening? Safefta wanted to answer Gabriel, by within seconds to her, he was gone and she 2as left with a dry mouth with words still failing to appear. The pain in her head continued and worsened into the sensation of a knife being drug around the inside of her skull.

Pardek was loathe to physically show her pain, but some things were too much to contain in silence. Her vision was swimking because of this damned headache... And that ringing in her ears!

The Romulan promptly dropped down against the stacked equipment, her fingers pressed over her ears with her nails digging into her head. "Fvadt u'hnaev..." The pained hybrid muttered angrily. If only she could make it stop!

Kintiss wrote:

"I'm not sssaying you are," Kintiss replied as he reviewed the readings again, "but sssomething on thisss planet isss, and Vulcanoidsss are normally highly sssensssitive to telepathy."

"That'ssss what I'm here for, sssir," he replied. This didn't make sense. If something wanted to communicate with them through thought, why wasn't it trying to contact anyone outside of the Vulcanoids?

[Planetside]

Although she had tried to offer Gabriel a reassuring smile, Archangel was sure that it had turned out to be more of a pained grimace, so she quickly wiped the expression from her face.

Hearing that a member of the away team had vanished gave her new strength to force herself to her feet, determination written in every line of her expression.

"Just give me something for the pain and go check on Safefta," she growled at Kintiss. "T'Lara too. They'll both be affected by whatever this damned thing is."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

Although she had tried to offer Gabriel a reassuring smile, Archangel was sure that it had turned out to be more of a pained grimace, so she quickly wiped the expression from her face.  

Hearing that a member of the away team had vanished gave her new strength to force herself to her feet, determination written in every line of her expression.  

"Just give me something for the pain and go check on Safefta," she growled at Kintiss.  "T'Lara too.  They'll both be affected by whatever this damned thing is."

[Planetside]

"Alright," Kintiss said as he loaded a hypospray and pressed it to the Captain's neck. "Thisss ssshould relieve the sssymptoms."

With one grouchy Vulcanoid taken care of, he moved over to Ensign Pardek, who seemed to be in the most distress out of the three. Could he blame her? She was part-Romulan and part-Vulcan. Two psychic-sensitive species in one package.

"Come on, Ensssign," he said in a half-hearted attempt at joviality, "on your feet." He also injected her with the symptom-relieving hypospray. It was a temporary measure, but the alternative was putting them under anaesthetic, and he didn't feel like carrying anyone anywhere, especially not in this cold.

Kintiss wrote:

"Alright," Kintiss said as he loaded a hypospray and pressed it to the Captain's neck. "Thisss ssshould relieve the sssymptoms."

With one grouchy Vulcanoid taken care of, he moved over to Ensign Pardek, who seemed to be in the most distress out of the three. Could he blame her? She was part-Romulan and part-Vulcan. Two psychic-sensitive species in one package.

[Planetside]

With the hypo having suppressed the symptoms of the telepathic pressure, Archangel was feeling a lot better. The headache was still there, but more as an annoying buzz in her temples rather than the sensation that someone was actively trying to crush her skull.

Brushing off her uniform, she then moved closer to Gabriel, pulling her tricorder from her belt. "Let Kintiss see to T'Lara. We can go and find Gavin."

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[Planetside]

"Hear?" Gabriel asked, frowning.  "Hear what?"  Really, the only thing he could hear that was out of the usual was the constant, nigh-musical sound of the wind as it touched against the crystalline columns and spires.  "Is everything ok?  Maybe we should ask -- "

He noticed a small commotion to the far end of the runabout, watching as Archangel slumped against the shuttle.  In a heartbeat, Gabriel was to his feet and bounding over there.  Thankfully, Kintiss had arrived first, saving him the trouble of calling for the Selay.  "Arch!  What's wrong?"



Gabriel's brain struggled to process all the information that was coming in at once.  His concern for his wife threatened to override it all, but he knew that he had a responsibility if she went down - command of the away team would fall to him.  Which it seemed like was happening.  "Take care of her, Kintiss," he said, unnecessarily, of course...but it still felt the thing to say.

[Planetside, Shuttle Craft]

T'Lara quickly realized that Archangel's symptoms were worse than she thought. Kintiss was talking to her, trying to determine exactly what was wrong, and Gabriel was there taking charge.

The throbbing in T'Lara's head continued, but now it was accompanied by a distant droning sound. Very faint, but still noticeable. She pushed it and the headache away. Pain and discomfort were emotions, and she didn't tolerate such things.

She was alerted by the sound of Gabriel's voice.

Quote :

"Take me to where you saw him last, T'Lara."

She was about to do what he said when she heard Archangel mention Safefta.

Quote :

Just give me something for the pain and go check on Safefta," she growled at Kintiss. "T'Lara too. They'll both be affected by whatever this damned thing is."

Evidently, the symptoms were only felt by Vulcanoids. T'Lara didn't think she needed to be checked on by a doctor, but if Archangel insisted she could hardly refuse.

After Archangel was given a hypo and Kintiss moved on to Safefta, T'Lara watched as Archangel walked over to her husband. She knew they were going to try to find Gavin, and she also wanted to help. The symptoms she was feeling were intense, but she felt strong enough to suppress them enough to search for her colleague.

She walked over to where Archangel and Gabriel were.

"I will help you find Mr. Van Gelder. The symptoms do not affect me very much. I can control them," she said unemotionally.

Kejal Buris wrote:

Buris almost wanted to cheer when he heard the cat woman's voice across the ship's comm.  Her long 'r's were making it hard to understand the message, but he figured that if he tried to get her off the comm, she'd get more insulted than she'd ever have to be.  He didn't look up at the Admiral as he touched the signal button again, taking a breath and speaking calmly.

=/\="Ensign M'Rai, we can hear you, but just barely!  Status report!  Did you land safely?  Is anyone injured?  What's going on down there?"=/\=

Buris was used to answering the important questions first - if they landed safely, they could probably take off safely.  If anyone was hurt, that'd change.  But first things first.

Julia was relieved to here a voice from the surface pipe through the ships communication system. Her readings were still erratic, at best, she wasn't even able to localize the signal. As she filtered through the frequencies she finally found some success. She looked up from her console and looked to Stark.

"Sir, I've had some luck cleaning up the sensor data. I can at least keep a sensor lock on our vessel and team."

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[USS Phoenix - Engineering]



Frowning, Aria wondered how she could make the big lady understand what she meant.  Aria liked Miss Lee because she was her daddy's friend, and was very nice, but sometimes big people didn't know what was going on.  

=^="It's not you.  Its the other voices.  The ones in my ears.  They won't be quiet."=^=

[Engineering]

Leela had continued to work while the child spoke. But one comment stopped her in her tracks. Is she hearing voices? Leela thought. The prospect made her nervous, to say the least. She moved across the engine room and opened the door to Gabe's office. Somehow, the comm system just didn't seem personal enough.

"Voices in you ears? Who do you hear? What are they saying, sweetheart?"

Leela Kaz wrote:

Leela had continued to work while the child spoke. But one comment stopped her in her tracks. Is she hearing voices? Leela thought. The prospect made her nervous, to say the least. She moved across the engine room and opened the door to Gabe's office. Somehow, the comm system just didn't seem personal enough.

"Voices in you ears? Who do you hear? What are they saying, sweetheart?"

[Engineering]

The sound of the door opening brought Aria out of her pod bed. She was happy to see Leela, since the people talking in her ears were starting to make her feel scared. It would be better if mommy and daddy were here, but Leela was someone she trusted, too.

"They're talking, Miss Lee," she said, wrapping her arms around the Trill's knees. She pointed beyond Leela, through the open door and at the warp core. "I can hear them talking in there. They sound really sad."

Julia Rellek wrote:

Julia was relieved to here a voice from the surface pipe through the ships communication system. Her readings were still erratic, at best, she wasn't even able to localize the signal. As she filtered through the frequencies she finally found some success. She looked up from her console and looked to Stark.

"Sir, I've had some luck cleaning up the sensor data. I can at least keep a sensor lock on our vessel and team."

[Bridge]

"Good work," Stark replied, laconic as ever.  Inwardly, though, he was beginning to get very concerned for the landing party.  It was the role of the commanding officer, however, to project a sense of calm at all times.  And this was far, far from the most stressful situation that he'd ever been in.  "Keep trying to pick up voice contact.  I want to ask --"

A lancing pain suddenly shot through Corman's temple, temporarily blurring his vision.  He quickly reached up, holding his temples.  "What in the hell?"

Waves of bluish energy scintillated through the bridge, swirling and coalescing into the form of an elderly, bearded man. His metallic-looking clothing reflected the flashes of color from the energy surge.


"I bid you welcome, travelers," the being said, his face open and friendly. "I am Almandric. Or, at least...I was."

Kejal Buris wrote:

=/\="Ensign M'Rai, we can hear you, but just barely!  Status report!  Did you land safely?  Is anyone injured?  What's going on down there?"=/\=

[Planetside - Shuttle]

It was something of a relief to catch the voice of the operations officer back on the Phoenix coming back to her over the communications channel. It was full of static and crackled badly, but it was a response.

=/\=We landed safely enough, but some of the away team are experrrriencing strrrrrange symptoms! One memberrrr is currrrrrrrently missing but we arrrrre conducting a thorrrrrough searrrrch!=/\=

[Planetside - Down in a Hole]

Unfortunately, the crystalline cavity sinkhole's walls were sheer and smooth, allowing Gavin's probing fingers no purchase.  Perhaps if he had a full set of climbing gear.  Then again, he'd chosen to take up swimming in school and not rock-climbing.  "Maybe...here..." he muttered, finding a small fissure.  It was thin, but he thought he could just possibly get a hand-hold on it, and...  "Aah!" Gavin called out, slumping back to the ground as he held his head.  A sharp pain thrummed in his temples as he leaned against the cavity wall.  

The next thing Gavin heard were voices.  At first, he assumed it was T'Lara coming back with help to get him the hell out of the hole.  He soon realized that the voices were far, far too many to be any number of the away team.  And they were soft.  Muted.  Almost...muffled, as if they were coming from a great distance.  Tens of them.  Hundreds.  Thousands?!

*Pain...you hurt...give it to us, give it, so much pain, so much for the feast, your dreams, give us your dreams, sing the song, the song of your screams, taste the screams...*

Gavin buried his head in his hands, distraught to find out that covering his ears didn't help mute the voices.  Off in the far corner of this little crystalline prison, the shadows began to coalesce, inching forward like a sliding oil slick.

Archangel wrote:

Brushing off her uniform, she then moved closer to Gabriel, pulling her tricorder from her belt. "Let Kintiss see to T'Lara. We can go and find Gavin."

T'Lara wrote:

"I will help you find Mr. Van Gelder. The symptoms do not affect me very much. I can control them," she said unemotionally.

[Planetside]

Gabriel looked to his wife, then to T'Lara, his lips twisting into an incredulous frown. Of course, he didn't believe them for a second. One didn't go from debilitating pain to 'I'm fine' in a few seconds. They were both putting on a brave face. But...was that not what any of them would do in the line of duty? He nodded quickly, motioning them to follow T'Lara back to where Van Gelder had last been seen.

Soon enough, Gabriel saw the source of their missing science officer's status. A fissure in the crystal ground had opened up, and Gabe could see where weight had cracked the delicate covering over the hole, just like stepping on thin ice. He dropped to his knees, peering into the hole. "I see him. He looks like he's hurt...oh, God - there's some kind of...thing...coming toward him."

"Arch, you hold me. T'Lara, find a way to brace yourself and hold the captain. I think I can reach down in there to give him a hand up."

Corman Stark wrote:

[Bridge]

"Good work," Stark replied, laconic as ever.  Inwardly, though, he was beginning to get very concerned for the landing party.  It was the role of the commanding officer, however, to project a sense of calm at all times.  And this was far, far from the most stressful situation that he'd ever been in.  "Keep trying to pick up voice contact.  I want to ask --"

A lancing pain suddenly shot through Corman's temple, temporarily blurring his vision.  He quickly reached up, holding his temples.  "What in the hell?"

Waves of bluish energy scintillated through the bridge, swirling and coalescing into the form of an elderly, bearded man.  His metallic-looking clothing reflected the flashes of color from the energy surge.

"I bid you welcome, travelers," the being said, his face open and friendly.  "I am Almandric.  Or, at least...I was."

[Bridge]

Julia listened to Stark's orders as a sudden wave of pain rushed through Julia's head. It seemed to subside as quickly as it appeared. She watched in awe as a man seemed to appear in a cloud of blue. "Intruder alert!" She ordered, instinctively.

She quickly flipped back to her console. "Sir, I'm not reading anything? There's no bio sign." The second officer grabbed a tricorder from her hip and made her way down the bridge. She scanned the area and got very few answers. "Captain, I think it's some type of holographic technology. But its something far beyond our technology."

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[Engineering]

The sound of the door opening brought Aria out of her pod bed.  She was happy to see Leela, since the people talking in her ears were starting to make her feel scared.  It would be better if mommy and daddy were here, but Leela was someone she trusted, too.  

"They're talking, Miss Lee," she said, wrapping her arms around the Trill's knees.  She pointed beyond Leela, through the open door and at the warp core.  "I can hear them talking in there.  They sound really sad."

Leela was surprised by the childs eagerness to cling to her knees. She was truly scared but the Trill wasn't sure what had the child so terrified. Leela unwrapped Aria's arms from her legs and knelt down to speak with. "They're sad?" Leela began. She thought for a moment as she formulated her words. "What are they saying? Can you understand them?"

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

Gabriel looked to his wife, then to T'Lara, his lips twisting into an incredulous frown.  Of course, he didn't believe them for a second.  One didn't go from debilitating pain to 'I'm fine' in a few seconds.  They were both putting on a brave face.  But...was that not what any of them would do in the line of duty?  He nodded quickly, motioning them to follow T'Lara back to where Van Gelder had last been seen.

Soon enough, Gabriel saw the source of their missing science officer's status.  A fissure in the crystal ground had opened up, and Gabe could see where weight had cracked the delicate covering over the hole, just like stepping on thin ice.  He dropped to his knees, peering into the hole.  "I see him.  He looks like he's hurt...oh, God - there's some kind of...thing...coming toward him."

"Arch, you hold me.  T'Lara, find a way to brace yourself and hold the captain.  I think I can reach down in there to give him a hand up."

[Planetside]

As they came closer to the fissure in the crystalline ground, the pressure in Archangel's temples started to build again and she gave a soft grunt, rubbing at them for a moment before shaking her head in the hope of dispelling the pain, but it didn't seem to want to budge.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed it to the back of her mind and focused on what Gabriel was saying as she crouched next to the hole. She wanted to go back to the shuttle to fetch a rope, but there wasn't time if there was something coming after their trapped officer.

"Ok," she replied reluctantly. Between herself and T'Lara, their Vulcanoid strength should be enough to pull the two men to the surface.

Julia Rellek wrote:

Julia listened to Stark's orders as a sudden wave of pain rushed through Julia's head. It seemed to subside as quickly as it appeared. She watched in awe as a man seemed to appear in a cloud of blue. "Intruder alert!" She ordered, instinctively.

She quickly flipped back to her console. "Sir, I'm not reading anything? There's no bio sign." The second officer grabbed a tricorder from her hip and made her way down the bridge. She scanned the area and got very few answers. "Captain, I think it's some type of holographic technology. But its something far beyond our technology."

[Bridge]

A handful of gold-shirted security officers filed into the bridge, weaponry at the ready. Stark motioned to them to stand down, turning back to the...person...on his bridge. He nodded to Rellek as her report confirmed what wasn't surprising. After all, the man had just appeared out of recycled air.

"Mister...Almandric," he slowly said, stepping down from the center area and moving toward the forward viewer, where the metallicly-dressed old man stood, looking for all the world like Santa Claus wrapped in a survival blanket. "I am Corman Stark, commanding officer of the United Starship Phoenix. What can we do for you, today?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was thinking about the training all command-track officers received on dealing with Q-like entities.

Corman Stark wrote:

"Mister...Almandric," he slowly said, stepping down from the center area and moving toward the forward viewer, where the metallicly-dressed old man stood, looking for all the world like Santa Claus wrapped in a survival blanket.  "I am Corman Stark, commanding officer of the United Starship Phoenix.  What can we do for you, today?"  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was thinking about the training all command-track officers received on dealing with Q-like entities.

[Bridge]

The image of Almandric smiled sadly, looking over the room that had quickly filled with more officers. "You bear weapons of war," the old man said, clasping his hands behind his back. He cocked his bearded head, smiling at Rellek. "However, you also have tools of science. Learning. Discovery. That is what you came for, was it not? To learn?" His smile was even sadder.

"I have scanned your ship's computers. Your intent is one of exploration, but no life has been on the planet below for thousands of your years." He turned to Stark. "When your people were fighting megafauna for dominance, mine were ascending beyond this plane of existence. What you see below you...our world...is but a record of what was."

The image of the old man winced, blinking suddenly out of reality with a fzzt sound. A second later, he came back, eyes pained. "The collective memory of the mighty Bakurhan Empire, stored within our crystal spires. There has been...decay...of late. Parasites, burrowing in and destroying that which can never be replaced. I am but a simple avatar of this memory, but I beg of you..." He turned to Julia, his face a grandfatherly mask. "Do not let us be gone with the wind that chimes the spires."

Quote :

The image of Almandric smiled sadly, looking over the room that had quickly filled with more officers. "You bear weapons of war," the old man said, clasping his hands behind his back. He cocked his bearded head, smiling at Rellek. "However, you also have tools of science. Learning. Discovery. That is what you came for, was it not? To learn?" His smile was even sadder.

"I have scanned your ship's computers. Your intent is one of exploration, but no life has been on the planet below for thousands of your years." He turned to Stark. "When your people were fighting megafauna for dominance, mine were ascending beyond this plane of existence. What you see below you...our world...is but a record of what was."

The image of the old man winced, blinking suddenly out of reality with a fzzt sound. A second later, he came back, eyes pained. "The collective memory of the mighty Bakurhan Empire, stored within our crystal spires. There has been...decay...of late. Parasites, burrowing in and destroying that which can never be replaced. I am but a simple avatar of this memory, but I beg of you..." He turned to Julia, his face a grandfatherly mask. "Do not let us be gone with the wind that chimes the spires."

Buris had turned and was on the edge of his seat, hand on his phaser. The Tactical Officer had set up the Intruder Alert, which set up the computer lockouts on their most basic levels.

This being stood before them, and it took the Bajoran some real energy to stop himself from standing up and bristling outwardly at this 'superior being' - but he listened and took a breath. They weren't trying to be rulers or be worshipped. They needed help and that was fine. He exhaled slowly, and marvelled at how comfortable he'd become on this duty shift that he was about to speak. But he kept his trap shut - if they needed to download data from the planet, that'd be Science's problem, not his.

For now, he'd bide his time and keep his own counsel.

[Planetside - Down in a Hole]

Holding his head, Gavin squeezed his eyes shut, trying as hard as he could to shut out the voices that spoke of nothing but death, decay, and the end of things. He thought he heard more voices above, but it could have just been the ones down here, speaking to him...

Something, perhaps a survival sense, made him open his eyes. The sight that greeted him was one that made his mouth open in a silent scream - slick, oily shadows, a living taint on everything that was right and good. A layer of smog over fresh, clean air. The shadows continued to swirl, forming the outline of a humanoid, its long fingers reaching out for him.

Gavin fumbled for his side...and found the holster empty. He did a quick glance around the cavity, spying his hand phaser where it had skittered across the floor...on the other side, a few feet away. It may as well been a kilometer.

NPC wrote:

Almandric

[Bridge]

The image of Almandric smiled sadly, looking over the room that had quickly filled with more officers.  "You bear weapons of war," the old man said, clasping his hands behind his back.  He cocked his bearded head, smiling at Rellek.  "However, you also have tools of science.  Learning.  Discovery.  That is what you came for, was it not?  To learn?"  His smile was even sadder.  

"I have scanned your ship's computers.  Your intent is one of exploration, but no life has been on the planet below for thousands of your years."  He turned to Stark.  "When your people were fighting megafauna for dominance, mine were ascending beyond this plane of existence.  What you see below you...our world...is but a record of what was."

The image of the old man winced, blinking suddenly out of reality with a fzzt sound.  A second later, he came back, eyes pained.  "The collective memory of the mighty Bakurhan Empire, stored within our crystal spires.  There has been...decay...of late.  Parasites, burrowing in and destroying that which can never be replaced.  I am but a simple avatar of this memory, but I beg of you..."  He turned to Julia, his face a grandfatherly mask.  "Do not let us be gone with the wind that chimes the spires."

As the image pleaded for help Julia looked to Stark, as if seeking his guidance. When the man turned to her it was obvious that he had chosen her. Perhaps it was because she was a woman or perhaps it was because she was the one that took a defensive position. She suddenly realized that her previous concern for the ships safely had been unwarranted.

Julia turned to tactical and operations. "Stand down intruder alert." She instructed. The young officer was hoping to extend the olive branch and show that they were not a group of warrior, but a group of explorers and scientist. She turned back to the image standing on the bridge. "You're right. We are a peaceful people, explorers. I, myself, am a scientist. We can try to help. What can we do to help?"

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

[Planetside - Down in a Hole]

Holding his head, Gavin squeezed his eyes shut, trying as hard as he could to shut out the voices that spoke of nothing but death, decay, and the end of things.  He thought he heard more voices above, but it could have just been the ones down here, speaking to him...

Something, perhaps a survival sense, made him open his eyes.  The sight that greeted him was one that made his mouth open in a silent scream - slick, oily shadows, a living taint on everything that was right and good.  A layer of smog over fresh, clean air.  The shadows continued to swirl, forming the outline of a humanoid, its long fingers reaching out for him.

Gavin fumbled for his side...and found the holster empty.  He did a quick glance around the cavity, spying his hand phaser where it had skittered across the floor...on the other side, a few feet away.  It may as well been a kilometer.

[Planetside - Next to the hole]

It was clear that there was something happening down there, and not something likely to be beneficial to the young officer. Gritting her teeth, unwilling to wait any longer to get him out of the hole he had fallen in to.

Kneeling next to the fissure, Archangel looked down into the hole with the hope of gauging just how far down he was. What she hadn't anticipated was the sudden resurfacing of her headache, dizzying and disorientating, the pain accompanied by what seemed like hundreds or thousands of people screaming inside her skull. Hunching over, she yowled, one hand going to her head. Unfortunately, as she moved, she found herself pitching forward, starting to tumble down into the hole.

Julia Rellek wrote:

As the image pleaded for help Julia looked to Stark, as if seeking his guidance. When the man turned to her it was obvious that he had chosen her. Perhaps it was because she was a woman or perhaps it was because she was the one that took a defensive position. She suddenly realized that her previous concern for the ships safely had been unwarranted.

Julia turned to tactical and operations. "Stand down intruder alert." She instructed. The young officer was hoping to extend the olive branch and show that they were not a group of warrior, but a group of explorers and scientist. She turned back to the image standing on the bridge. "You're right. We are a peaceful people, explorers. I, myself, am a scientist. We can try to help. What can we do to help?"

[Bridge]

"That...I do not know." Almandric blipped out of existence again, and when the image came back, it was severely degraded and faint. It grew strong once again, back to the point at which the old man almost looked like a real person standing on the Phoenix's bridge. "Perhaps there is nothing that can be done. Perhaps nobody will remember Bakurhan. Perhaps...nothing will stop the decay."

A pained look flashed across the old man's face, and suddenly...he was gone.

[Bridge]

And, just like that...it was gone. Whatever 'it' was. "Christ..." Stark muttered, pressing his thumb and index finger into the bridge of his nose. This was just the kind of thing that every captain was warned about - encounters with demigod-like beings. That, or their representatives, as seemed to be the case here. He still wondered if the Q weren't somehow involved. This ship had dealt with a Q-being before, and he could certainly remember the Christmas party from last year.

A stunned silence seemed to have settled on the bridge. Corman quickly clapped his hands once, as if to dispel it. "First thing's first, people. Contact the landing party again. Find out what in the blue hell is going on down there."

Leela Kaz wrote:

Leela was surprised by the childs eagerness to cling to her knees. She was truly scared but the Trill wasn't sure what had the child so terrified. Leela unwrapped Aria's arms from her legs and knelt down to speak with. "They're sad?" Leela began. She thought for a moment as she formulated her words. "What are they saying? Can you understand them?"

[USS Phoenix - Engineering]

"Nuh-uh," Aria said, her face still buried in Leela's knees. "They're using a lot of big people words. Daddy would know." She looked up again, her large blue eyes brimming with tears ready to be shed. "I want daddy. Will you find him for me?"

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

It was clear that there was something happening down there, and not something likely to be beneficial to the young officer. Gritting her teeth, unwilling to wait any longer to get him out of the hole he had fallen in to.

Kneeling next to the fissure, Archangel looked down into the hole with the hope of gauging just how far down he was. What she hadn't anticipated was the sudden resurfacing of her headache, dizzying and disorientating, the pain accompanied by what seemed like hundreds or thousands of people screaming inside her skull. Hunching over, she yowled, one hand going to her head. Unfortunately, as she moved, she found herself pitching forward, starting to tumble down into the hole.

[Planetside]

Gabriel's eyebrows shot up as he saw the predicament that Gavin was in. He had come to know the kid fairly well of late, since the girls had taken right to Van Gelder's boyfriend, Thelos. "Hold tight!" he said, unnecessarily, seeing as how the science officer probably couldn't go anywhere. "Looks like his phaser is -- hey!"

The only indication that something was wrong was Archangel's hunching over. And, then, in an instant, she was going tumbling toward the fissure opening. He grabbed on instinct, gripping a handful of her uniform tunic. It was hard for his boots to find purchase on the crystalline ground, but he managed. Barely. "T'Lara!" he yelled, grunting with the exertion of keeping his wife from hurtling into the hole. "Help me get her up!"

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[Planetside]

Gabriel looked to his wife, then to T'Lara, his lips twisting into an incredulous frown.  Of course, he didn't believe them for a second.  One didn't go from debilitating pain to 'I'm fine' in a few seconds.  They were both putting on a brave face.  But...was that not what any of them would do in the line of duty?  He nodded quickly, motioning them to follow T'Lara back to where Van Gelder had last been seen.

Soon enough, Gabriel saw the source of their missing science officer's status.  A fissure in the crystal ground had opened up, and Gabe could see where weight had cracked the delicate covering over the hole, just like stepping on thin ice.  He dropped to his knees, peering into the hole.  "I see him.  He looks like he's hurt...oh, God - there's some kind of...thing...coming toward him."

[Planetside]

T'Lara led Gabriel and Archangel to the crystal columns. As she walked, the pain was there but it was more of an irritation than direct pain. Now she began to hear voices. She couldn't make out any words, but the sound stayed in the back of her mind like an ear worm.

When they got there, she clearly saw the hole Gavin had fallen into. At first she thought that she shouldn't have gone back to the shuttle at all, but now that she saw the hole she realized it was logical to get help. The hole was quite deep. Moving closer to the fissure, she got down onto her hands and knees and witnessed what Gabriel had seen. They needed to move quickly.  

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"Arch, you hold me.  T'Lara, find a way to brace yourself and hold the captain.  I think I can reach down in there to give him a hand up."

"Yes, sir." T'Lara looked around for anything to hold onto. The closest thing to her was one of the columns. Taking a length of rope out of her pack, she tied a tight knot around the column and the other side around her waist.

"Captain," she said, holding out her hands to Archangel before putting them around her waist. She wished she had another length of rope, but this would have to do.  

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"Ok," she replied reluctantly. Between herself and T'Lara, their Vulcanoid strength should be enough to pull the two men to the surface.

T'Lara held on tightly, measuring the strength needed to support the weight of both Archangel and Gabriel and then using the rest of her strength to concentrate on keeping the voices and headaches at bay. She couldn't afford to make a miscalculation.

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Kneeling next to the fissure, Archangel looked down into the hole with the hope of gauging just how far down he was. What she hadn't anticipated was the sudden resurfacing of her headache, dizzying and disorientating, the pain accompanied by what seemed like hundreds or thousands of people screaming inside her skull. Hunching over, she yowled, one hand going to her head. Unfortunately, as she moved, she found herself pitching forward, starting to tumble down into the hole.

She sat waiting for something to happen, or for someone to require her assistance. Suddenly, Archangel started moving closer to the fissure. The motion caught T'Lara off guard and suddenly her careful control was broken and a wave of pain tore through her body. She let go of the tunic material she was holding and the next thing she knew Archangel was about to fall.

"Captain-" she stammered, but she didn't have the strength to go after her.

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The only indication that something was wrong was Archangel's hunching over. And, then, in an instant, she was going tumbling toward the fissure opening. He grabbed on instinct, gripping a handful of her uniform tunic. It was hard for his boots to find purchase on the crystalline ground, but he managed. Barely. "T'Lara!" he yelled, grunting with the exertion of keeping his wife from hurtling into the hole. "Help me get her up!"

T'Lara struggled for a few vital seconds, then her mind was cleared and she heard Gabriel's command. Taking a deep breath, she crawled forward and reached for Archangel, tugging the rope around her waist until it was taught. She pulled with all her strength, ignoring the pain the surged through her.