Dinner and a show

Posted on Sun Sep 8th, 2024 @ 2:15pm by Commander Rovak & Lieutenant Rune 'Row' Thul & Lieutenant JG Grace Douglas & Warrant Officer Bart Cage & Warrant Officer Seth & Petty Officer 1st Class Linda Chau

1,707 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: DownTime [1]
Location: USS Gascoyne, outer moons of Dreizhen V
Timeline: 1230 Hours - MD02

“Survey crew, this is DS13.” Came the voice of Rovak. “In seven minutes the Dreizhen star will pass between us for around two hours. Direct communications will be difficult, please relay any messages through the Bellerophon.” All three runabouts on the survey received the message at the same time.

“Gascoyne confirms, DS13.” Lieutenant Douglas responded, before closing the channel. “Well that’s three planets under our belt. A shame they’re all just dead rocks.” Douglas said. They’d installed a fifth chair in the front of the Danube runabout’s transporter so nobody had to sit in the back, it made her feel like a captain.

“I think that’s earned us a lunch. Anyone disagree?” Douglas asked the survey crew.

“Absolutely. I need coffee.” Chau responded, cracking her knuckles as she put the unremarkable sensor data she’d been reviewing on hold.

Seth and Cage moved suddenly towards the back before anyone else had even begun to stand, once they got into the hall they made a slightly unprofessional attempt to prevent the other from proceeding, a friendly competition between the two rugby teammates to see who could get to the replicator first. After a moment’s resistance Seth snuck around the human, and replicated himself a meal of rare steak, potatoes and roast vegetables. Cage accepted his loss quietly, replicating a shake that he poured over a bowl of corn flakes. Both men had begun to eat before a third person reached the replicator.

Chau replicated herself a bowl of soup, she sat next to the Reman Ops officer, borrowing the salt and pepper grinders Seth had replicated to flavour her soup after a first taste. She was always suspicious of new replicators, and this was why.

“Have you been a part of any great discoveries in your career so far, Lieutenant Thul?” Douglas asked the Betazoid Security Chief as they both moved into the rear of the runabout. She replicated herself a burrito.

Rune took his time to think back, the only one he could classify as great was that one. He pulled out an isolinear chip and inserted it into the replicator control panel. "Thul meal deal Whopper Cheese 1." He ordered of the replicator. Once it chirped a confirmation, he pulled out the chip. The large and small burgers, fries and large cupped milkshake appeared. He picked up the tray once he pocketed the chip and glanced over at Douglas with a smile.

"While I wouldn't say it was a great one, but it was a discovery of necessity." Rune said as he led her over to the table and sat down. "A radical Betazoid developed a telepathic kill technique. I was one of those who used it on the Dominion soldiers." He replied before he began to unwrap his large burger and put fries inside it.

"Oh, okay." Douglas laughed nervously. "That must be useful... killing with thoughts." She said in a way she hoped was comforting as she looked around to the others, hoping one of them might take over.

"I've heard of that, telepathic killing words. The Remans claim they're the ones that taught the Betazoids how to do it." Seth observed, having always been keenly interested in the technology and developments of his people. "My people have some nasty forms of telepathy. It's good thing they're on our side. For now, anyway."

"I hear that." Cage agreed, even though he wasn't really listening to the conversation as he scoffed down his shake-soaked cornflakes.

"It was useful for the war, I agree, but it was only some of us that used it. The members of the Seventh House were quietly told to not use it again, but since we are more inclined to take up arms to defend our world, the Fifth House saw it as a necessary evil as most of my people are very open and over-compassionate to everyone. Once our world was liberated, the technique's creator was immediately imprisoned for breaking our social edicts and sacred laws." Rune went on after a short stare at the Reman.

He threw a few fries into his mouth and chewed before swallowing, "it wasn't killing words, per se, more actually causing so much mental pressure that physically the brain cannot handle..." Rune left the rest unsaid as they were eating, so picked up the large burger and took several bites, then chewed while attempting to keep his mouth closed, he kept his face angled at his tray so not to let any of the burger contents fall onto his uniform.

After a few moments, he swallowed and had a gulp of his shake. Rune looked up at the rest of the team. "What about you?" Rune asked of Douglas as he glanced at her. "Discovered anything great in your career?" He added, bringing them back to the lighter side of living. He decided not to engage with the Reman's people's claim of teaching his people the Telepathic Kill.

"Me? No. I mean, I was on a couple of teams at the academy that had new mathematical proofs published, but that's all in quantum fractal geometry. Nothing useful. And I was on the advisory team in 2399 that got the maximum theoretical warp speed increase over the line." Douglas said like it was nothing at all.

"Closest thing I've got to a discovery is twenty years of perfect shift adherence." Chau said with a dry laugh. She finished her soup by lifting and drinking directly from the bowl, before returning to the replicator to get a cup of coffee.

"I think I'm a little stupid but what is a perfect shift adherence?" Rune asked of Chau, he finished his large burger and the rest of his fries while he waited for their reply.

"No lateness, no absence. In my seat at start of shift, clocking off at the end of it. All break times observed exactly." Chau explained with subtle pride.

"We all good?" Douglas asked after she noticed the clock hit 1250, looking around at the others, who had either finished or were about to complete their lunching. She took the last bite of the burrito and started stacking everyone's plates. There was a brief line for the head, but soon everyone was back at their duty stations.

The survey had only continued for another few minutes when those few with extrasensory perception would feel something that others would not.

Out of the darkness, something called to anyone with the telepathic awareness to hear it. Even those with minimal sensitivity would feel a disquieting tingle, the attuned could hear a small, unmistakable voice calling ‘help’.

Seth didn't have any hair, but if he did they'd all be standing on end. He did not look around, instead closing off his other senses to focus on what he'd heard. His Reman telepathy was not well developed. Douglas, Chau and Cage were none the wiser that anything was different, they were taking in the data and reading out anything relevant.

Working at one of the consoles, Rune monitored the immediate space around them. There didn't seem to be anything or anything so far, which was good, but an uncomfortable tingle in his head began to intensify to the point where he heard 'help' in his mind. Rune held his head and leaned forward. He groaned in pain. Suddenly it got worse and he called out, "Help!" Rune collapsed at the console.

"Lieutenant?" Douglas had already noticed both Seth and Thul's simultaneous reaction to something unknown to her. "Chau, get a medkit." Douglas ordered as she saw Thul collapse. Within a moment she had reached him and gently pulled him upright by the shoulders, tapping a command to put his console to sleep. "Lieutenant, can you hear me?" She asked him, Chau had the medkit ready, and was already taking readings with the medical tricorder. Douglas looked back to Seth, he still looked distracted, but certainly not unconscious.

It took several moments which felt like hours for Rune to come back to himself after recovering from the telepathic transmission, considering he had a half a point above T4 so it hit harder than it would other Betazoids. His eyes opened slowly as he groaned in pain as new stimulation came in all at once. He blinked several times. "Ugh, not so loud," he muttered.

"Are you alright?" Douglas asked in a quieter tone.

Before Thul had a chance to respond, Seth spoke up, swivelling around from his console to face the others. "Something telepathic just made contact. I didn't understand it if it was trying to communicate something." Seth looked a little disoriented, but not so worse for wear as Thul.

"I'm o..kay," Rune replied and nodded to Douglas. "I'm okay," he glanced over at Seth and frowned. "He is correct, someone or something," he looked back at the others. "It was definitely the word Help." He added, "it seems to not be active at the moment, but I'm not sure if I can handle that again." The Betazoid slowly got to his feet using the console to keep him steady though it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. "How long til the scans are complete?"

"We're done with this moon. Perhaps we should get you back to the station?" Douglas asked, not wanting to be the one to tell the Chief of Security he should sit this one out. Psychic phenomena were a complete unknown to her for all her vast scientific knowledge.

"The Hou Yi is moving into a higher orbit, ma'am." Cage said.

"I'll bet Lieutenant Atna and Ensign P'Lar felt that too. Maybe even the Romulan with Commander Flynn." Seth explained as he saw it on his display.

"Take us out of orbit." Douglas instructed, and Cage complied.

"I'm better now, Lieutenant," Rune smiled at Douglas. "Shouldn't we see who sent the call, it is Starfleet protocol as it is a distress call." He said, perhaps he should contact Commander Flynn and ask what they should do? He wanted to be involved, that's for sure.

"Glad to hear it." Douglas told Thul. In the moment before Lieutenat Douglas gave the order to open a channel, Petty Officer Chau let them all know that Lieutenant Atna was calling.

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