round 12 Lt R'Ven - Opening Pandora's Box

[+ Salkath]

((Planet PR-652, Valley of the Core))
 
Jorey: Well we won't know what's inside Pandora's box until we don't open it?
 
::Pandora’s box was a term that Merrick had heard often enough during his science studies, as certain experiments and avenues of investigations were described with that phrase. In classical Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on Earth, created out earth and water. She was endowed by the mythical gods with beauty, musical ability, and speech and she was supposedly given a box or jar that upon being opened released death and many other evils into the world leaving only hope behind::
 
R'Ven: ::a small smile traced itself across his Rodulan features momentarily:: If memory serves, very little good came from opening that box. ::wiping his hands on his pants after he placed his scanner in his pack.:: And I am sure we could have found and easier to open this door.
 
Jorey: ::Smirking.:: It's not the most efficient method, but it's mostly silent and a little fun to get your hands dirty.
 
::As Merrick helped Jorey brush more of the dirt and debris separating them from the interior of this section of the ship he looked over at Jorey and for a it seemed as if the Commander were hearing something from the other side . . . and for a moment Merrick thought he could hear it too. It sounded strange. Like one voice and many, but also jumbled as if he were hearing a conversation and snatches of words. It was all too mumbled to make it out.::
 
R’Ven: oO Could it be more of the Nanoprobes? Oo
 
::Retrieving his TriPadd Merrick tried to scan the interior but so far he was not getting a clear reading, but something was obviously there. Then Commander Jorey signaled.::
 
Jorey: There is something strange on the other side. Get it opened and take cover behind the open door. I'll hide out on the other side of the doorway.
 
::Looking at the door and then back at Jorey Merrick nodded as he got to the left of the door. With his right hand he held his TriPadd and with the left he reached out to engage the opening mechanism of the door. Even as he heard the door begin to slide open Merrick could not help wondering if this can be likened to Pandora ’s Box, were they now releasing the evils . . . or the hope?
 
::As the door opened completely there was an unusual sound coming from inside and was getting closer, it sounded to Merrick like a discordant buzzing noise, although that did not properly describe it.::
 
Jorey: Any idea what that is?
 
R'Ven: ::glancing at his scanner and nodding:: Yes, it is  . . .
 
::Merrick’s words were taken as a metallic cloud seemed to boil out of the doorway. It looked like a swarm of some sort of miniscule insect. Only the insect was so small that the swarm looked like smoke as it billowed and turned and spun! And it was almost as if Merrick could hear the cloud . . or at least he thought he could.::
 
R’Ven: oO FREEDOM!! Oo :: It took some time to realize that what he was ‘hearing’ was not through his ears but inside his own head, and it echoed like a klaxon in his mind!::
 
R’Ven: oO What was that? If there is something to be felt perhaps I can reach out to them? Oo ::Very carefully Merrick reached out with his mind, tentatively trying to touch whatever sentience was there . . . if there was any. What Merrick was unaware of was that while some of the cloud rose skyward a tendril had reached out for him . . . ::
 
((Inside Merrick’s head))
 
::Merrick suddenly found himself standing in a vast open field. In each direction he turned there were only miles and miles of lush green grass and rolling hills stretching out as far as his eye could see. He could feel warmth shining down on him and looking upwards he saw a sky of the clearest crystal blue, the color was only broken by the sun beaming warmly down onto his dark skin. As Merrick looked around again figures start to appear of various races, some of them human, others Vulcan one even a Rodulan who is immediately familiar.::
 
‘Arlisa R'Ven’: ::smiling:: You have freed us!
 
R’Ven: Mother? ::Even as Merrick spoke, something was telling him that that was not his the Rodulan who had help to raise him.::
 
‘Arlisa R'Ven’: ::a sad frown:: We are not your mother.
 
::The voice sounded strange, it was his mother’s voice, and yet wrong in some way he could not define. ::
 
R’Ven: ::getting his barings:: You are the Borg then?
 
‘Kali Nicholotti’: We are not the Borg
 
::This voice came from his left side this time startling him and he jerked his to look at his old captain from the Apollo, a human woman of Japanese decent. She sounded almost angry, defiant!:: oO Why is she here? And where is mother? Oo ::As Merrick looked around his mother was gone, replaced by what seemed to be an endless sea of people.::
 
::Turning back to speak to Nicholotti she was gone too now and he began to spin in place as different people moved around him, and yet all of them seemed . . familiar?::
 
R’Ven: ::sounding a trifle panicked:: Then who are you?!
 
‘Isabel Pond’: ::from behind him:: It's injured
 
::As Merrick paused to look at Pond he felt a coolness at his lip. Reaching up with a finger and pulled it back: Blood.:: oO I am bleeding? How? What is happening here? Oo ::As he looked back up at Pond Merrick thought he saw compassion on her face before she disappeared into the crowd of people that surrounded him.::
 
R’Ven: You are in my head! ::The realization hit him like a sledgehammer! Everyone he saw in the crowd is someone that he had met somewhere in his life. Family, shipmates, people he had not seen since his academy days.:: You are all memories. That is how you are communicating through my memories!
 
‘Maxwell Traenor’: We will not be silenced!
 
R’Ven: Yes, but who would want to silence you. ::He thought he knew the answer to this one::
 
‘Luna Walker’: ::The half Romulan engineer Merrick knew from the Apollo:: The Borg wish to recover us to take away our voice
 
::Merrick’s head was starting to pound as he fell to his knees, his strength failing suddenly. Telepathy always caused him pain, and now here he was pushing it harder than he ever dared. And he was paying the price.::
 
R’Ven: We want only to help you! ::He thought he heard a desperate edge to his voice. Maybe he was more injured then he knew.::
 
‘Varaan’: Its communication apparatus is destabilizing
 
‘Graeme Cook’: We see it. It was not designed for this. It is damaged.
 
::Was that pity Merrick saw in [...] Cook’s eyes . . sadness::
 
‘Renos’: Fix it
 
R’Ven: oO What? Fix what? I have . . Oo
 
‘Vanik R’Ven’: You shall be free!
 
R’Ven: Father . . .
 
::In a burst of humor Merrick realized they saw his telepathy as a form of communication much like a subspace transmission.:: oO Can they fix it something they do not understand? Oo ::Of course the tall dark eyed Rodulan standing above him was not his father, but he still felt a sense of comfort and compassion nonetheless. The question was, was that from his own memories or was it coming from them . . the nanoprobes who were ‘Not the Borg’::
 
::Merrick’s world went black.::
 
((Back in the real world))
 
::Merrick found himself laying on his back once again, while above him the last of the billowing cloud of nanoprobes moved swiftly upward! He was alone again in his thoughts and for a long moment all Merrick could feel was a sense of profound loneliness and loss.::
 
Jorey: **unanswered tag**
 
::Strength was slowly returning to Merrick. Reaching up to his nose with his index finger, he pulled it back and found dried blood. He wiped it away::
 
R’Ven: I feel fine.
 
::Truth be told he did feel fine. He was tired and he felt like he needed to eat a very large meal, but he felt fine. Even his headache was gone. As he came to his feet Merrick glanced around, not quite sure how he felt when instead of a green field and blue sky he saw only a debris strewn area and a doorway leading into towards the Central Plexus.::
 
Jorey: **unanswered tag**
 
R’Ven: I . . . I do not know what happened. I felt a . . . sentience there, it seemed almost call to me and I reached for it and . . . ::Merrick’s words were cut off by the chirp of an opening comline and then Varaan’s voice.::
 
Varaan: ::tapping his combadge:: =^=Varaan to Jorey and R'Ven. Doctor Cook and I are on the ridge roughly 20 meters from the wreckage. Can you communicate?=^=
 
Jorey: =/\= I'm always ready for a little tittle-tattle, Commander. =/\= ::He turned to Merrick and whispered.:: You okay?
 
::As the call came in Merrick glanced at Jorey and then after a moment exhaled slowly and evenly as he realized that the voice was Varaan’s this time, not something else.::
 
R’Ven: ::nodding:: They must have completed their recovery of the Borg and are ready to join us? ::Merrick reached down to pick up his pack again and his TriPadd.:: I am fine, really.
 
Jorey: ::Brayden holstered his weapon.:: What do we have, Lieutenant? 
 
=/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\= =/\=  
LIEUTENANT MERRICK R'VEN
Science Officer  =/\=   Cybernetics Officer
 USS Darwin-A   =/\=   ID:  A239210MR0
“Clarity of thought and accuracy of conjecture.”
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