round 16 Rogers & Solok - Spirits, Minds and Body

[Guest]

IC:

::Quiet.::

::That didn't do it. Solok -- or what was left of Solok -- needed quiet to sort things out. But this was not a quiet place.::

Solok: oO Need quiet. Oo

Rogers:: oO Yes. Need quiet. Oo

::It wasn't telepathy, exactly, since there really was no "tele-" when you inhabited the same mind as the person with whom you were trying to communicate. But it wasn't just like thinking, either. It required more concentration, more effort. And, of course, there was someone else there.::

Solok: oO Captain Rogers -- Will. We need to find a quiet place. Oo

Rogers:: The presence of Solok’s ghost spread icy fingers of dread through his body. He knew that ghosts were real. Memories rose up out of his troubled mind to be shared by the shade attached to his body.::

(( Flash back - Isle Of Iona - Earth))

((Dreaming))

:: Rakis. Will remembered the dry air. The sandy gravel crunched under his feet. Was he dreaming? How could he be on Rakis? In the middle distance he could see two figures. As he watched they raised their weapons against each other. : No !

:: Even as Will called out the bright flash of phased energy leapt out between them. One figure was in darkness however as Will reached the scene he gazed down into the blooded face of Lt Synak. Her lifeless eyes opened gazing into his….. !

:: Will awoke gasping for breath. Adrenaline pumping through his body. oO Rakis ? Synak ? Was her unquiet spirit calling out to him?

(( Flash back - Mission during tour on USS Independence ))

:: Bypassing the door lock Will entered the Science labs. The place was a mess. Some sort of energy had blasted the area. Scanning the area he was relieved to find no traces of radiation. However he could detect no life signs either.

It was somewhat spooky patrolling the destroyed labs. He had to remind himself forcefully that all the Celtic stories of ghosts that he had heard as a boy were just that – stories. Finally deciding that there really was nothing here Will offered up a short prayer then placed a transporter marker on the two dead bodies he discovered. As he was about to leave he felt the hairs on his body stand straight up and a chill run through his body. Whirling around he raised his phaser rifle !

The empty lab stared back at him.::oO [...] it. I’m getting spooked over nothing. Oo

:: Feeling like an idiot he none the less he felt compelled to call out.:: Hello ? Is anyone there?:: Taking a shaky breath he turned and headed back to the control room. ::

Solok :: Pushing through all of the noise and confusion to form something like a coherent thought in Rogers' mind was exceedingly difficult for Solok. Rogers seemed shocked to "hear" him -- but that was unsurprising. The man probably had no idea what had happened to him. As far as he was concerned, Solok was elsewhere on the Promenade, being prepped for transport to sickbay. From one point of view, an ironically logical point of view, that's precisely where Solok was.::

Rogers:: Looking up Will locked eyes with Sakorra for an instant and suddenly he knew who was inhabiting his body. :: oO Solok ? Oo

Solok: oO Try to calm yourself, Will. Our situation will begin to clarify itself, but only if you can achieve a calmer state of mind. Oo

Rogers:: Forcing down his growing fear Will tried to focus on Solok’s voice.:: oO Clarify how Solok ? You are dead but I can hear your voice… and share your memories. Oo

Solok: oO A non-Vulcan was never meant to possess what you currently possess. The few Terrans who have experienced it have suffered confusion to the point of madness. Vulcans are, on the whole, somewhat less impassioned than Terran.The calmer -- the more Vulcan -- you can become, the easier this should be for you. For us. Oo

Rogers:: Breathing deeply Will tried to centre himself. If he could find some type of anchor , something stable to hold onto, maybe he could me sense of this. :: oO What is happening ? Oo

Solok: oO It is my katra. All that I am, all that I have learned and known, my very self. You are in possession of my katra, Will. Oo

Rogers:: Walking away from the crowd Will heard someone call out to him but kept walking. When he had reached a relatively quiet place he crouched down. The pain in his head was agonising.:: oO This will drive me mad ! Oo

Solok: oO Yes, that, or seeing me die on the Promenade out there is the thing that has finally done it -- driven William Rogers mad. A less satisfactory but not implausible explanation. Oo

::It was an odd thought for Solok to have, no doubt influenced by Rogers' fears in some way.::

Rogers:: Punching the deck brought back some clarity although it didn’t do much for his knuckles:: oO Ok so what do we do ? I can’t keep inflicting damage on myself to keep focused. Oo

Solok: oO A quiet place. You need to meditate. I can ... help you. Oo

Rogers: oO Meditation is not one of my strong points Solok. However I am willing to try. Oo :: Will took the short trip in an express turbo lift back to his hotel room and managed to close the doors before slumping to the ground.:: Oo Tell me what to do. Oo

TBC.

JP Solok and Rogers