Enigma (Part 2 of 5)

Posted on 29 Jun 2014 @ 3:52pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Scarlet Blake & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Jacob Pendleton & Lieutenant Jared Nicholas & Commander Luke Wyatt & Cadet Sophomore Grade Alenis Taban & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Riley Cameron & Verity Thorne & Corynn'tha M.D., Ph.D.

2,297 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: Lyshan III - Uridium Mine, Section C13-D50
Timeline: MD 05 - 1025 hrs

Previously, on Enigma (Part 1)...

Riley looked confused at the Commander's outburst. He had heard nothing, just the echoing of the caverns and the movement of rubble and water deep within the caves.

"Ma'am? Heard what?"

"The voice of a woman, right there..." Scarlet motioned next to her head, breathing harder than usual, partly from her shock and confusion, and partly from the thinner air with her helmet off.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Luke look towards the area Scarlet had motioned to he didn't want to say what he saw simply because he saw nothing and didn't like the idea that maybe the stress of things was getting to her. "Maybe you just heard an Echo or thought you heard something" He suggested giving he a perfectly good explanation.

Jared had heard nothing and he had been listening rather intently. "I didn't hear anything, are you sure?" It was probably a bad thing to question a superior officer, but he couldn't help himself.

Scarlet's eyes hardened at the doubt and she took a sharper breath. "Yes, I'm damned sure, I heard my name," she reached for her tricorder, starting to scan the area next to her. "Concentrate scans...scan the immediate area, me, each other...that's exactly what the miners have been talking about."

Luke turned to Abbey who had started scanning, giving her a swift nudge she relinquished control of her instrument to him and turned to one of the others whilst she volunteered for a scan. Twisting back around he began scanning the area and then Scarlet just as she had instructed. "I'm not sure what were looking for commander" he said.

Jared wasn't really sure either, nor was he sure that whatever it was that had called the Commander's name, if it indeed it was anything beyond her imagination, that it would appear in their instruments. But he didn't say anything more,he didn't want to be snapped at again.

Allyndra moved close and did a scan. It was frustrating that she found nothing that she picked up. Finally she decided on a course of action.

"Can you talk back? See if you get a response? " Allyndra said.

Corryn'tha approached Scarlet and the others. "Commander Blake, you are acting, illogical. Calm down and breathe." The Vulcan scientist and medical doctor scanned Scarlet closely. "Your heart rate is exceeding safe parameters, and your neuro-transmitters are especially hyperactive. I would suggest you...." she paused as he heard a soft voice at what sounded like right next to her. "Perhaps, there is someone, or someones in the area after all."

Cameron had been intently studying his tricorder for the past minute or so. There was nothing that he would see that would be causing something along the lines of what his crewmates were hearing.

"I dinnae understand it. There's nothin' here that would be causing this - aye there's a few discrepancies in mineral density but nothing that would cause hallucinations - no toxins, nothing technological besides mining equipment!"

Jared shook his head, wondering why his colleagues were hearing voices that weren't there. Then he heard a voice calling him. A voice that brought back so many memories, not all of them pleasant.

Allyndra cocked her head one way and then other. At one point she even took her helmet off for a little bit. She heard nothing but as the helmet came off the veins in the rock shown in that spectrum she could see. It was like a vast thick veil had been lifted. She marveled at the spectacle and took a deep breath in. That made her gag and it reminded her that things were not friendly enough yet on this planet.

Replacing her helmet she took a look at the readings, especially paying attention to the neurotransmitters. "I see very little elevation of neurotransmitters that would indicate anything telepathic." She made a little face. "Anyone like to see if this occurs elsewhere?"

Luke looked around he wondered if he was the only one not hearing any voice's when Abbey knocked his arm "Dad. I can urm, Hear her" She said sheepishly. Luke knew who she was referring to. Her mum. Taking her arm he nodded to Allyndra "That might be a good idea"

Jacob walked up to where Abbey and Luke were standing trying hard to listen to the very silent mine area. He nodded to both of them. He had said nothing to this point because he was trying desperately to find something, anything to explain what was happening. His scientific mind reeled with possibilities but nothing was forthcoming in the way of answers. He looked around for a moment, but the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise. His eyes hardened and he immediately took a defensive martial arts stance as he moved slightly forward. He was ready to present himself as the biggest threat if necessary to protect the team... if necessary. "I know this may not sound very 'scientific' but I do not care, the 'vibe', 'aura', 'feeling' down here is very unsettling... something in my 'gut' is uneasy. We must proceed with heightened caution..." His voice was filled with concern.

Abbey bit her lip as she shook the whispering voice of her mum out of her mind filling down Jacobs arms she took his hand and squashed it trying not to advert any attention to herself she realised it knowing that it would be just enough to keep her sane "This place is just beyond creepy"

"It's fine," Verity said to Abbey, shaking his head gently as he touched her arm softly. "We're unsettling each other as a group. We just need to all take a breath, calm down and carry on."

Allyndra continued to scan both the area and the people. She watched the reactions and Jacob's reaction as well suddenly as he went defensive. Again she undid her helmet after taking several deep breaths as though getting ready to a major flight.

She popped it off and almost had to put her hands over her eyes, the veins in the rock dazzled her. She cocked her head this way and that but nothing, nothing but nothing even if she strained. She began to wonder if it was physiology.

Finally she shouted out loud using the last of the breath she was holding, "REVEAL YOURSELVES!" She then had to breath and remembered this time to put her helmet on but again took several deep breaths before taking it off.

She turned around and around. A form caught her attention and she stopped and stared. "Gerrin?" It was hard to make out but it sort of looked like his form. The figure beckoned and Allyndra took a step, then another. Again the helmet went on but then she took off chasing the form as it seemed to flit down the corridor. She did not realize she was running until she felt the hard pulse of her flights hearts.

Jacob was about to say something to Abbey and comfort her when Allyndra took of running. He yanked off his helmet and yelled, "ALLYNDRA, NO! STOP!!" He then shoved his helmet back on, let go of Abbey and took off after her.

Luke tilt his head back and gave a large sigh. Running the odds for the safety of Allyndra, a doctor and Pendleton, a scientist he turned to the others "wait here and don't go chasing voices" it was to the group but his eyes naturally fell on Abbey. putting one foot in front of the he set of and gave chase to the two obviously insane officers.

Corryn'tha watched them run off, but stood where she was. She starting studying her surroundings carefully, certain this could be explained logically.

Jared wanted to raise his mental shields trying to get the nagging voices out of his head. He knew they were real, he just didn't know the source, so as much as he dreaded the idea he reached out mentally trying to make contact with whoever or whatever it was.

Allyndra abruptly stopped as reason reasserted itself. The form that looked like a misty foggy form of her dead husband stopped as well. That was it, Gerrin was dead and that was all there was to it. And whatever this apparition it was not him in any form. She again took her helmet off and then flicked her hand outward while shouting, "Not there, not there, begone". Whether her belief or if it was real the thing had enough it disappeared. As it did so, the veins in the rock seemed to change colour slightly.

Scarlet motioned for the rest of the team to follow, leading them in a run to catch up with the others who had gone on ahead. She caught her breath as they were reunited, shaking her head firmly. "I do not care what is happening down here, but we are trained officers, and we do not go running off down dark mine tunnels by ourselves, we stand our ground, with our team. We do not separate unless given an instruction to do so..." she looked around the team, her gaze hard and voice sharp. "Unexplained phenomena is even more reason to stay together and not put ourselves at risk by running off alone. That's how people end up lost or dead. I expect every person here to stay with their team and honour their training, am I understood?"

"Understood," Jared said though his mind was literally elsewhere at the moment, still probing to see if he could detect something. He took a step backwards. There was something out there a presence? and entity?

"Shit," he muttered half under his breath.

Allyndra nodded. "You are quite correct."

Jacob gave Allyndra a look of "Thanks for getting me in trouble for trying to save you"; then looked back at Blake. "Understood Commander." He said in a flat tone of voice.

Luke nodded as he rejoined the groups formation, he knew that he had to chase after the two officers not because he was going insane but for their own protection. Who knew what else was down here or what was going on down in the mines. "Understood" He added.

Satisfied that her point had been sufficiently made, Scarlet nodded, glancing around and replacing her helmet. She took a deep breath, considering. Her plan had been to split them up in to teams, but the turn of events made her wonder if it was wise. On the other hand, what was the point of investigating if they were going to run away at the first sign of contact with what they were there to investigate?

Scarlet came to a compromise with herself. "Our job is to figure out what's going on here. We'll only be able to do that by going further. We'll split into two teams, so the groups will still be sizeable. Senior Chief Wyatt, you'll lead the second team," she nodded to him, wanting the security man with many years of experience in charge of the second team after what had happened. "You'll take Pendleton, T'Paaru, Miir, Thorne, Cameron and Corynn'tha. That leaves Warraqium, Christoph, Taban, Nicholas and Miss Wyatt with me. Senior Chief, you'll take that fork..." she motioned to a tunnel a little way ahead that shot off to the right. "My team will carry on down this way. I want us to keep contact. If anything interferes with our comms and we find ourselves unable to communicate with the other team, we will immediately return and rendezvous at this point, no delays," she unclipped the sheath of her tricorder from her belt and put it clearly on top of a large lump of rock that was in the middle of the main tunnel, to give some reference in case they lost a sense of distance. "Nobody is to separate from their team, not alone or as smaller groups."

Allyndra held her peace as people sorted themselves out. Her mind was busy on what had happened and she was convinced that this was not her dead husband but something that had picked the vision out. The second thing was that she had seen it, but she had never heard voices. That to her implied something else was operating her and perhaps linked to subtle differences in physiology.

Allyndra was convinced though that she had noticed a very subtle change in the colour of the veins of mineral that ran through the place just as the vision had vanished. For now though she kept the thoughts to herself but asked, "May I take my helmet off periodically?" Allyndra did not want to state her thoughts and covered it with, "the ultraviolet filtration built into the helmet visor makes me feel half blind."

Scarlet gave a nod to her, understanding that she could see some things that the rest of them couldn't. "Yes. Not for too long at any one time though, the air down here is thin."

Scarlet glanced around to double check she had all of her team before nodding, taking a breath to steel herself. "Let's go."

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CMDR Scarlet Blake
First Officer
USS Galileo

Corynn'tha M.D., Ph.D.
Xenobiologist
USS Galileo

Lt Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

PO1 Verity Thorne
Chaplain
USS Galileo
[PNPC Blake]

SCPO Luke Wyatt
Security Officer
USS Galileo

CA Abbey Wyatt
Scientist Mate
USS Galileo
[PNPC Wyatt]

LT Jacob Pendleton
Chief Research Officer
USS Galileo

LT Jared Nicholas
Linguist
USS Galileo

CDT(SO) Alenis Taban
Operations Officer
USS Galileo

WO Riley Cameron
Engineering Officer
USS Galileo
[PNPC Holliday]

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