Investigation Begins Part 2

Posted on Sat Oct 31, 2020 @ 10:13pm by Captain Larisna Koralova & Lieutenant Penny Mc Taggard

Mission: Mission 1 - Angstrom Operation
Location: Angstrom station
Timeline: Mission day 6

[ON] Part 2

Lt Malloy led the away team back downstairs considering their ingress seemed blocked by whatever creature or bacteria seemed to be clocking their ingress to the second floor. She had spotted a Jefferies tube junction that looked pretty well barricaded.

She and her team carefully unblocked it at least enough to get one of them through at a time the last person through would have to re-barricade the entrance to the Jeffries tube. That responsibility fell to Lt Deelan.

"Jedre I want you to make the barricade good enough to keep something out, but I want us to be able to get back out if we need too. Is that clearly understood? Amanda said.

Jedre nodded, "aye ma'am." Jedre took off with a few security officers to make a barricade so no one can get in , but only the Hornet crew can.

"The next floor up should be the medical facility. I will take point doctor you're behind me" Amanda stated.

With that Amanda started climbing fortunately the tube was large enough to accommodate someone in an environmental suit.

She found the entrance to the next deck blocked off too. but she carefully picked her way through unblocking the ingress point.

Those flying blister things must have gotten into everything, be careful people I don't know if they can get through our suits or not." Amanda said.

Steven helped with the barricade. Whoever had built it certainly made sure it was dense. He wondered how powerful these flying blisters were.

“ It depends on how this stinger is built. Judging by the size of the thing we bagged and tag. Plus their need to control victims. I’d say it could quite possibly go through our suits. Like a warm knife through butter” Steven answered Amanda.

"I certainly hope not, it not like the suits are well armored they were set up to protect against the environment, not barbed stingers.

The two officers managed to get through the barricade. Amanda was right, level two was the medical level, the hallway was strewn with broken glass throughput and there was a strange intermittent strobbing pulse, but she didn't see any of those flying blisters. The walls her plasteel and the windows all seemed to be transparent aluminum. Amanda could see movement possibly people in other areas of the medical bay.

"Okay I'm moving out get the others up here as soon as possible I'm going to recon this place a bit. Be prepared to back me up if this goes south". Amanda told Stephen.

Amanda crawled out of the barricade and made her way left towards what looked to be the medical bay research lab.

As she rounded a corner she came upon a woman writhing on the ground with one of those blister things on her back. although the blister looked like it was smoking or burning up. and every time the strobe flashed it got worse for the blister.

Amanda went over and peeled the gelatinous blister off of her and put it on the strobe light.

The next time the strobe flashed it was incinerated.

Lt. Malloy went over to the woman and turned her over she seemed like she was in a lot of pain but every time the pulse flashed it was a little less.

"I am Lt. Amanda Malloy from the Federation Starship Hornet can you speak"? Amanda asked.

The woman writhed still in pain, groaning.

"Help....help me....help..." She seethed in pain. She was more coherent than those previously encountered, but she was still clearly suffering badly.

Amada hit her communicator

=/\= Dr. Kade Medical emergency I need you up here as soon as possible.=/\= Lt Malloy stated.

Steven scanned the creatures remains.

~ Incredible this thing was able to move around. Basic cellular structure a few compounds. I have no idea what they are. Never seen this chemical make up. This thing should not b......~ He thought. But the sight of the women the thing had been attached to. Still being in terrible pain made him move over to Malloy.

“ If the creature is dead. Why is she still in pain? “ Steven asked

"Is it possible that it injected something into her system which causes her to be in this much pain? A toxin, or a parasite of some type?" E'Lor suggested.

The more he thought about it the more his blood felt cold.

“ You mean it injects a miniature version of itself. Into the victim then if something happens to the main Blister. It is still alive inside the person it stung. Like some grotesque off spring.” He said appalled. “ If we bathed her in light , do you think we could kill it?” He asked

Dr. Kade arrived and ran his medical tricorder over her.

"It seems her body is infested with with gelatinous filaments probably from the stingers of those creatures. They are dying though it seems they are highly susceptible to ultraviolet radiation. which would explain the strobe lights. Each time they flash the filament break up more and more." Dr Kade said.

He pulled out a hypo spray and gave her a pain killer and a tri-ox compound.

"That should get her on her feet with some help. Lets get her into the medical bay" Dr. Kade said.

Amanda helped her and so did Dr Kade and together they lifted her onto her feet.

"Can you speak, who are you"? Amanda asked

It took several minutes before the woman was able to speak.

"Yes...yes, I'm better. Thank you, whoever you are." She said, starting more at the floor and looking like she was about to vomit.

"My name is Amelia Adams. I'm the Senior Researcher, Stellar Dynamics." She finally looked up. Her voice was familiar, it was the same one from the garbled communications. "Starfleet? You finally got our message." She sounded surprised.

"I am Lieutenant Amanda Malloy of the Federation starship USS Hornet. Can you tell me what happened here?" Amanda said.

"I don't know where they came from or what they even are. All I know is that they were found about a week ago in one of the atmospheric vents." She shook her head, "Doctor V'Tol wanted us to study them. Commander Welgin, the Security team's leader, disagreed....I...."

Amelia shook her head again, wrapping her arms around her torso. Clearly between nearly succumbing like her colleagues and having to relive those memories, she was suffering quite badly in another way.

"V'Tol is a good man. He never meant for any of this. The Stellar Inversion Drive was his pride and joy, even if he could only show it in his own Vulcan way." Amelia pleaded, looking back up, "You have got to believe me, no one here wanted this. Welgin was right, we had to have been sabotaged by the Romulans. They think we did it, you know? The supernova that Ambassador Spock died stopping." Amelia was now borderline rambling in her traumatized state.

Steven went back to the air vent and poked at it. Then he walked back to the strobe light. Then once more to the vent. Edgeware walked back to the others.

“ If the strobe light hurts them. Maybe we could set it up near the air vent. So if it detects movement. It will go off and frighten them away.” He suggested.

"Maybe if a little uv light hurts them we can find a way here to concentrate it and defet them once and for all Steven." Amanda said.

Turning to Dr Adams.

"Where is V'Tol now? Amanda asked and what is an inversion drive?" Amanda asked.

Steven considered the idea and gave her a nod. Then he began to look for a computer terminal. The ‘ things ‘ liked shaded areas. If he could trace all the parts of the compound. Where the lighting had been either lowered or cut. It would be a fair bet that was the parasites movement area.

Once he found them. Then they could plan how to give the parasites. A nice bath in uv light.

“ You know if the mother creature is here. Killing her first might end this nightmare. Then again it may just annoy those flying blisters.”

"Main power...we need to restore main power. Ops." Amelia said, before looking at Amanda, "I don't know where he is, last I saw, though, he was...oh God, he was killing people with his lipra."

Adams broke down into sobs, "Those things turned him into a murderer. They turned everyone into lunatics. Lieutenant, you have to believe me, I worked with Doctor V'Tol for ten years, he is a good man. Dedicated to his work, but meant well to those working with and working for him. He only brought that thing with him because it was important to his family."

Just then, Malloy's commbadge chirped.

=A= Hornet to Away Team. =A= Commander Koralova's voice came through, =A= I don't mean to add any pressure, but I have to. Romulan warbirds, two Valdore types, just arrived and are threatening to board the station. Lieutenant Malloy, I need a status update, do you have any more information as of yet?"

=/\=Aye Captain apparently main power is down, there is some kind of parasitic infection going on down here that has infected most of the crew, it seem extremely vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. I have spoken to Dr. Adams who herself was infected apparently another scientists named V'Tol has been working on something called an Inversion Drive. I'm not sure exactly what that is. I was about to instruct Lieutenant E'Lor to attempt to bring the mains online. Find this V'Tol and see if we can secure the Inversion drive. Am I out of time, I await your instructions =/\= Maloy said.

=A= Doctor V'Tol is the lead researcher, Lieutenant. Head of the facility. As for the creatures, give us some time. We'll run the data through the computer, see if we can illuminate the issue. =A= Larisna said =A= As for time, right now, we're on a stand-off. Priorities remain the same; people, data, facility. In that order. Don't worry about the Romulans for now, if they try to put action to their threats, I'll buy you all the time you need to finish. Besides, the Jem'Hadar were twice as scary and the Savannah couldn't punch like the Hornet can. If you need anything, ask. =A=

=/\= Aye Captain well get moving then, Malloy out. =/\=

"Commander Malloy, I believe I might be able to get the mains on line if you can give me 5 minutes. By doing that we can accomplish what we need to do quickly and possibly eradicate these creatures in the process," E'Lor said. She was already thinking on ultraviolet strobes, power for the data banks, and lights to find people.

"Excellent, Yeserina make it happen! Mr Edgewear once power is restored see what you can do with the internal sensors." Amanda said.

Steven moved over towards E'Lor they were after all working on the same idea.

“I worked out that the areas where the lighting has been cut. Is probably where these things are nesting. They hate bright light after all. Maybe we should work together if that is okay? “ He asked

Be careful of the corridors and staircases, obviously the strobes weren't powerful enough to get to those areas.+ Amanda said.

Steven felt his face blush. He looked over computer terminal. For some reason he was not having much luck. Getting the thing to do want he needed it to do.

=/\= Lt. Deelan how are you progressing? If you can get up here as soon as possible. =/\= Amanda said.

"Dr Adams do you have access to the lab or is it blocked off as well?" Amanda asked.

"It's not a question of access, Lieutenant. It's a question of what's still there. The reactor is near Ops, and that's also where the tram line is that takes you to the day side. That's where the Inversion Drive's lab is at." Amelia said, "And based on what your commander said, might be a good time when we get to Ops to send the computer contents to your ship. But ultimately, Ops is where we need to be, and that's the third floor up."

"Third floor huh? Amanda turned "Yesrina where's my power?" Amanda asked.

"Of course they don't work, just keep the light on me so I can switch leads on this control console," she said getting on the floor, shimmying under the console. Pulling the primary plug from its socket and switching it with the secondary, the console lit up. Getting back to her feet, E'Lor started tapping in orders and programs. As soon as she was done, she keyed in the startup code and lights popped on and consoles began to function. "Steven, now you should be able to find out what you need" she said.

"Commander, we are up and running but we have to hurry. I don't know how long my repairs will hold" E'Lor said.

Once E’Lor told him he would be able to do his task. Edgeware nodded and started. He looked over the complex trying to find areas. Where the lighting was either off or dim. He had been half listening to the others. Which made what he discovered. Turn his face pale.

“ Lighting is down to 5% power on deck three. Meaning these flying blisters are most likely nesting there.” He reported.

"Hmm, Is there anyway to send an intense blast of UV light to the third floor? If not is there anyway to rig some sort of portable uv light amplifier to protect us as we move?" Amana asked.

Steven considered before making his reply.

“ With these power levels. It would be better for us to carry a portable strobe light. Then we can fry those flying blisters as we go. Once we get to deck three it will be easier.To set something up to get the rest.” Edgeware replied.

"How many can we get rigged up in five minutes." Amanda asked.

Steven made a few calculations and came up with an answer.

“ In the time we have probably two maybe three. I know that’s not ideal. But with the equipment and time limits we have. That is the best , but they will be quite effective. Plus once we get to our destination on deck three. Then we can rig something up. That should clean up these flying pasta pillows.” He reported

"Alright lets get to work, Dr Adams are you feeling better enough to travel?

Shakily, Amelia stood up. "Yes, Lieutenant. I'll try to help as best as I can."

Amanda helped her to her feet, once she got her bearings, Amanda had Dr Kade run a tricorder over her .

"The parasite is gone but she is dehydrated and malnourished." Dr Kade said.

"Can you give her anything for it, Doc? Amanda asked.

"Just a vitamin shot, She needs real food and water and about a week of recovery and rest." Dr Kade said, giving her the shot.

Amanda went over to Stephen and E'Lor to see if she could help many hands made light work after all.

E'Lor was already thinking ahead to deck three. Once there, she would see what kind of damage was done and how to get the required power they needed for a mass UV burst.

“ Working on it now ma’am.” He told her.

Steven began to work on the portable strobe lights. The great bird of the galaxy seemed to be favouring them. As Edgeware found some strobe light units. The type you would find being used for a disco party. They were perfect but the only problem was power. It had to be portable and long lasting. The actual creature did not take long to fry. But once it was inside someone. That could take a little longer.

He found some weapons the colonists had thrust aside. Obviously even the creatures would not want these things used. As they to could produce a harmful light. With a bit of a tweak. It could work or blow off appendages.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Amanda asked.

Steven nodded.

“ I need help getting these Strobe units ready. If we work together maybe we can get three working. I have all the basic parts ready. These weapons power packs should be ok. We made need to reduce the power slightly. Don’t want to blow anyone’s limbs off.”

Soon they had three units ready.

"Jedre, we are getting ready to move out are you ready?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah. But I saw movement down the way we came. Shadows. I'll cover." Jedre replied, pointing her phaser down the corridor.

Amelia looked a little better, but this was not what one would call her area of expertise. She was a solar dynamics researcher, meant to be studying stars, not caught in the nightmare here. She looked very uneasy at the situation they were in.

"I can't believe this. First these creatures and now the Romulans? This is insane." Amelia said.

"Like is like that sometimes. lets get to the travel cars." Amanda said.

Her team made her way tot eh travel cars which would take them to the day side of the planetoid.

E'lor is there enough power for this thing to get us where we need to go?" Amanda asked.

"Barely but we should make it, just don't over do it. As for power when we get there, let's see what the mains look like. I might be able to get one up and running," E'Lor said.

Steven handed out the three units. Then he walked over to the nearest travel car. They were far to open for his liking. It would so easy for a flying pasta pillow to land on them.

"Those with UV light go inside the car and saturate the inside of it, we don't want any surprises." Amanda ordered.

Through the viewports, it was clear to see the space above, where the Hornet hung in orbit flanked by two Romulan Valdore warbirds. The star continued to fluctuate, the viewports polarization keeping it from being blinding. Suddenly, both Romulan warbirds fired beams of emerald, disruptors that splashed against the shields of the Hornet. One of the Valdores shimmered out of view, the other let loose another disruptor barrage before making an attempt to get past. Orange beams lanced out from the Hornet and smashed against the warbird's shields, before a burst of blue-white quantum torpedoes smashed through and struck the back and wings. The Valdore stopped moving and began to list before a blue tractor beam engulfed it.

=A= Koralova to Away Team. We have a new complication. Seems our friends picked up a Vulcan life sign in the day side control room after I tried to tell them about the parasites and decided that was proof they needed this is a weapon test of some kind. We've disabled one of the warbirds but the other cloaked. We'll try to launch probes and set up a tachyon grid but we can't risk this any further. You need to shut down the device and recover the data logs. Once the device is down, get us the shield frequency and we'll beam everyone off. =A= Larisna said over the comms. =A= Be careful, the Romulans may try to send a landing party of their own and I'm not keen on you all being caught in a warzone. =A=

Steven had been helping with the strobe lights. They used them on their the travel cars something started to sizzle in one. Edgeware was glad they had been ordered. To check the cars first. Something had been hiding in the travel car. He would of been using. Walking back he saw the other team members hurrying along.

[Off]

Continued in part 3

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