FltCapt. Sidney Riley Posted March 12, 2008 Posted March 12, 2008 (( Main Engineering - USS Independence-A )):: Lily watched as everyone went about their tasks. The alien'spresence seemed to have given everyone a bit of a second wind, andthere were no signs of unwarranted procedures or rash actions. Indeed,Lily felt a bit like a fifth wheel, and so she stepped over towardsHayden, who was still squatting and scanning the visitor. ::H. Reynolds: ::on Lily's approach:: It's amazing, Lily, really. Itsbiology is completely unique. I mean, there's nothing like it anywherein the databases. This data ::showing the tricorder's screen for amoment:: could keep Starfleet biologists happy for ten years, easy. :: Lily smiled down at him. She'd rarely seen him glow like this, andin the company of the alien, it was an almost-tangible aura thatsurrounded him. She was reminded in a moment why she loved him and,not for the first time, longed for a future where all of this wasfinished. She caught herself, though: All of what? This danger? Thismission? She sighed, but low, so Hayden didn't hear. The fear, theworry, the risks.... Some days, muddling through was all she could do. ::Ventu: At least our friend's a little more amenable now.H. Reynolds: It certainly is. :: Lily gave him an pat on the shoulder, then felt a little awkward -what was he, her pet? He grinned up at her, though, which she took as"no harm done." Her comm badge beeped a moment later, and she steppedaway to answer it. ::Somers: =/\= Tactical to Commander Ventu =/\=Ventu: =/\= Ventu. Go ahead, Ensign. =/\=Somers: =/\= What is the current status of the Alien? Ventu: =/\= No change. We're preparing to try and ... er, feed it, butit seems passive enough for now. ::curiously:: Why do you ask? =/\=Somers: =/\= I am asking as Commander Riley wants to know and becausewe are receiving a Communications of sorts from Admiral Anassasi backat the Colony=/\=Ventu: =/\= ::surprised:: From Wheeler? =/\=Somers: =/\= Yes, it seems that with our ship fully fixed, we may begetting home sooner than expected =/\= ::She replied::Ventu: =/\= That *is* good news. Keep me posted, Ensign, especially ifanything happens that might disrupt our visitor. =/\=Somers: =/\= Affirmative Commander, Tactical out =/\=:: She tapped the channel closed and turned back to Hayden and thealien, only to find Quinn waiting for her. ::Reynolds: We can go on your mark.:: In her fingers, Lily felt a thrill that was quite unrelated to anyof the specifics of the situation. There was no way to know forcertain what would happen when they plugged the alien with energy - itcould work out wonderfully, in which case she'd've made the rightdecision, but it could also go bad, ending with the destruction of theship. Everyone's lives could be in her tingling hands. She took a deepbreath. What else could be done? What else could she say? ::Ventu: Let's do it.:: Quinn, however, seemed to appreciate the magnitude of thesituation. She understood the minutiae, certainly, better than Lilydid, and could come up with more plausible scenarios of how thingscould misfire. ::Reynolds: Lily... If this goes wrong, ejecting the core will preventcatastrophic damage to the Independence. ::She paused, a faint frownon herbrow as she continued, her voice much quieter.:: I don't... I don't knowwhat effect that could have on the alien. It might be able to survive in avacuum, but...Ventu: Can't we just ... disconnect it? If things go wrong?:: Quinn shrugged awkwardly. ::Reynolds: I can't say what effect abruptly ending the procedure wouldhave onit.Ventu: Ah.:: More variables in their ever-growing equation. Still, they'd comethis far, and there were always variables. Always. ::Reynolds: I'm ready if you're ready.Ventu: I am.Reynolds: Alright then.:: Lily went back to Hayden, even though it meant the resurgence ofthe headaches. She tapped his back. ::Ventu: Quinn's ready to start. Let's back up.H. Reynolds: Just a moment.Ventu: ::annoyed:: Now, Hayden.:: He didn't acknowledge her verbally this time, but she could see thefrown on his face as he duck-walked back a few steps. She joined himas the plasma flow began. She wasn't sure what she was seeing in termsof its technicality, but she banked on Quinn and the others knowingwhat they were doing, and the alien's receptiveness to their gift. Shewasn't disappointed: Within a few seconds, the alien began to glowbrighter. Gravity seemed to have given up on it, too, as the alienlefts its fallen state and began to ascend. It glowed even brighter -healthier, if she was any judge of the theoretics - and then brighterstill. Lily remembered being on a star-survey mission and staring at ablue dwarf on the viewscreen. Even that couldn't compare to the lightshow she was seeing now, though - it was as though the entirety ofEarth's sky had been compressed into the bright being hovering a fewfeet away. As it continued to glow, though, she felt the wave of painbeginning to grow back, too. The alien sparkled brighter, and she hadto put a hand to her temple to reassure herself that there wasn't, infact, anything lodged in there. ::H. Reynolds: -ha- -s --?:: She could barely hear him, though he was right next to her. Thewhole of Engineering had been filled with a howling that she was sureno one else could hear. The alien grew brighter still, sparkling likea diamond on fire, and, though eyes that were already tearing again,she realized that the blue was expanding. Then, with a soundlessexplosion, the blue blew out from the alien and through the room,through the people, through the ship. ::Ventu: Stop. Stop. Stop!:: She couldn't stand. She heard nothing but the howling, couldn'tsee, couldn't think of anything but the pain. She felt her knees hitthe deck, and then....Then....It stopped. The pain was gone, and she was floating. Floating? Yes,she realized, as she felt her senses restored after their floods ofinformation and pain. She was in space, alone, looking down on threeships, all Federation, as well as several smaller ones. She could seethe armada, too, but it was to the Federation ships that she looked. Ablue pulse rammed its way out and through the Independence toencompass all the other vessels, turning the vacuum into an ocean oflight. In that moment, she was caught up in it, too, and she felt herbasics: Scalp-[...]ling happiness. A full-body wash of joy. And theheart-growing sense of love. She smelled the fields of her childhoodhome again, and felt the tang and sweetness of an nonexistentstrawberry in her mouth. More than anything, though, she watched. Shedidn't try and understand, didn't try to judge. She watched.And in that moment of watching, of opening, she heard a voice: ::oO Thank you, Federation. You have given my people a chancefor love, peace, and independence. May joy and peace always be withyou...a gift to you....Home. ..Oo:: The light grew brighter still, folding in around the vessels belowher and warping them, doubling and tripling into them. It grew toobright to look, and in the last moment, she closed her eyes.The moment they were closed, she felt something beneath her. Sheopened them again, and stared at the deckplate she was resting on. Shefelt ... fine? Yes, she did. She pushed herself up, and looked around.She was back in Main Engineering (but had she ever left?). Around her,nearly everyone else was on the floor. Some were stirring and someweren't. There was no sign of the alien. ::Ventu: Is everyone all right?RESPONSESVentu: Hayden?:: Luckily, he was getting up, too, though he looked about like shefelt. ::Ventu: Can you make sure everyone's all right?:: He nodded, and she tapped her badge. ::Ventu: =/\= Ventu to bridge. =/\=Riley: =/\=Riley here Ventu, go ahead.=/\=Ventu: =/\= What ... what happened? Where are we? =/\=Riley: =/\= It appears we have gone back through the wormholeand are near our original location. What is the status of the alien?=/\=Ventu: =/\= The alien's gone. =/\=Riley: =/\=Understood. What about the status of the crew?=/\=Ventu: =/\= We were a little harder hit down here. I think ... ::shetook a breath:: I think we're all all right. =/\=Riley: =/\=Keep me informed Commander. Riley out.=/\=Tags! and TBC!Lieutenant Commander Lily VentuCounselor / AFOUSS Independence-A
Guest Posted March 12, 2008 Posted March 12, 2008 Another great post. It's reading stuff like this that's kept me simming Very well written, great descriptions and moved the plot along brilliantly. Also managed to get some interesting snippets of background for Lily.
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