Investigation Begins Part 3

Posted on Sun Nov 15, 2020 @ 1:52am by Captain Larisna Koralova & Lieutenant Penny Mc Taggard

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

The away team entered the car and headed for the dayside of the station, the travel tube was completely inside the rock of the station, however, the inside of the car got noticeably warmer the close they got to the day side. The car finally came to a halt. then lifted a level.

Amanda ran a tricorder scan for life signs, there was a Vulcan life sign in the control center

"Alright listen up, those with UV strobes two take point. The last one covers our six. Stay frosty and alert. if you see anything flying towards you zap it. The rest of you set your phasers to heavy stun. We need to find the Vulcan scientist V'Tol and secure the Inversion drive files if we can. We don't have much time. So let's get in and then get out of here." Amanda instructed.

"E'lor tries to get us more power," Amanda added.

"Steve try to download the files on the inversion drive once we get to the control center," Amanda added.

Steven nodded.

"Let's move out". Amanda said.

The away team got out of the car outside was less messy than the dark side but there was a faint odor of death in the air and the mains were definitely offline, emergency lighting only.

"Which way to the control center Dr Adams?" Amanda asked.

"Up ahead. There are smaller labs, we use them to study the data we get, around here, plus conference and break areas. But the control room is behind a large door." Amelia said, pointing up the steps from the station. There were bodies strewn around, even in the emergency lighting it was clear they'd been cut down with the precise blows of a bladed weapon.

Edgeware felt his stomach rumble and it was not with hunger. He had seen dead bodies before but they had been hit with phasers. At least the killer had been clean. Steven wondered if the flying Ravioli pain monsters. Felt anything when part of their ‘ Body ‘ was struck down like this.

Kranton readied his UV probe. "You heard the plan," he said in a deep booming voice. "Let's get the squints to the control room."

Amanda rounded the corner with the others she was close to both Steve and Kranton. The control room was a mess, there were headless bodies at most of the stations. it looked like it was done with some sort of bladed weapon maybe a Lirpa or a bat'leth or something like a Kitana. Other bodies had been crushed with a blunt instrument. Amanda didn't see any of those flying blister things but that didn't mean they were not there. The room was not very well lit.

"Looks like someone went nuts in here," Amanda said feeling a bit queasy

'E'Lor see what you can do about getting some power in here at least the lights. It's a morgue in here." She added. The smell was of death. Whoever did this though kept most of the equipment safe. Amanda didn't see any smashed consoles or anything like that

"On it and the damage is minimal," she said sliding under the main console. She started to rewire leads to main powerlines the power taps. Finally, she gave it a shot of juice and lights sprang to life. "We got juice!" E'Lor said quickly.

Mr. Edgewear I need you to find a data access point and download the specifications to the inversion drive. Mr. Darkmoon, protect him to the best of your ability." Amanda said.

"Aye, ma'am." the Simian officer replied.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Steven said.

"The rest of you let s look for Doctor V'Tol, be careful from what I've heard he is an enraged or even insane Vulcan under control of those blister things," Amanda said.

Edgeware began his task by looking at the equipment before him. One of the monitors had what looked, like an open port. That could be used as a download/ upload dock. It easily held a padd. Then he ran his hands over the keyboard. The screen came on but Steven did not recognize. The language now displayed on the screen.

“It’s heavily encrypted this may take a while.” He said.

"Just download the database, we can decrypt it later. We don't have a lot of time." Amanda said.

Steven nodded and downloaded the database onto a padd. It took a few valuable minutes but soon a beep signaled, it was done. Taking the padd out of the slot he nodded.

“Done ma’am!” He reported.

"Good work, anyone sees the Vulcan scientist?" Amanda asked.

She ran her tricorder setting it for Vulcan life signs.

The Vulcan scientist Came running out armed with a Vulcan Lirpa and was headed towards Lt Kranton who was the closest to him.. He was covered in those flying blister things..

"Kranton lookout" Amanda shouted.

Kranton jumped out of the way of the charging man.

"Use the UV Strobes", Amanda said firing her phaser into the mad Vulcan scientist now wildly approaching Kranton smashing everything in his path.

The blisters actually seemed to act as body armor as it seemed to absorb Amanda's phaser blast.

"DOCTOR! DOCTOR V'TOL! PLEASE! STOP THIS! I KNOW YOU'RE STILL IN THERE!" Amelia shouted, putting herself between the Away Team and Doctor V'Tol.

The Vulcan stopped, clutching his Lipra, and stared at them, his eyes frantically darting between them all.

"...thought you were lost...Starfleet...came at last..." V'Tol's voice was hoarse and strained. "Important work....important....must not be interrupted. Cleansed...must be cleansed...pain...madness...important...not interrupted."

"Doctor. Yes, it's me, Amelia. They're with Starfleet, they got the distress signal. Doctor, the Inversion Drive, it's destabilizing the star." Amelia said.

"NO!" V'Tol shouted, causing Amelia to flinch. He then grimaced, as if he did not mean to frighten his colleague, "No. No no no...I cannot stop now....very important...cleansed..."

Amelia looked to Amanda, "With so many on him, he must be going crazy trying to not lose control. Lieutenant, please! Don't let this end in further bloodshed. You cured me, he can be saved too. Please. Talk to him, try to make him see reason."

Steven could not believe what he was seeing. How could anyone survive covered in those blister things? It went against all known science. Edgeware wondered if once they were back on the Hornet. He could be allowed to take apart one of the blister creatures. Just to see how things worked.

Amanda watched as all three UV light holders blasted the man covered in blisters, they were literally melting off him. Amanda heard what sounded like squelchy squeals coming from them as they evaporated.

"Doctor V'Tol can you understand me? We need to get you out of here. Fight the pain we will release you.." Amanda said.

"Keep the light on him", Amanda told her team...

Jedre stayed with everyone while the Medical team did their job to keep Doctor V'Tol alive while taking care of him. She wanted to make sure are no other problems that arose around them.

E'was busy keeping the power running for the team to finish what they had started. The idea of those things flying and attaching themselves to the team members and herself didn't sit well with her at all.

Steven watched the flying blisters. Who seemed to be acting oddly. Multiple members of their group were being killed. But the creatures did not seem to be bothered.They either hung back in the shadows. Some flew just out of reach of the light. Making noises you would hear. From someone with severe flatulence.

“ Why aren’t they trying to stop us killing there friends?” Steven said aloud

V'Tol hit his knees, dropping his lipra and screaming along with the creatures that were falling off of him. As the last one detached, he panted and groaned in obvious pain for a moment, before hauling himself up to his feet, using the lipra now as a means to prop himself up.

"Pain...such pain..." He gasped, before looking around. "Lieutenant...controls in room..." V'Tol's voice was hoarse but more even. With his free hand, he pointed to the control room behind him. "Disabled...voice commands...early on. Disable...inversion drive. Please."

Amelia stepped over to grab V'Tol and help him stand. "Thank you, Lieutenant. We're getting out of here, Doctor. We'll get you and everyone help."

At this point, Larisna also came on over comms.

=A= Hornet to Away Team. I hate to say it but you are out of time. We've detected a Romulan shuttle heading for the base. We need to get you all out of there right now, or you're going to have a pack of heavily armed Romulan troops to contend with as well. =A= Larisna said.

Amanda went over to a control console. Checking a status display her eyes widened.

"Oh no! We've been boarded" she said. thinking quickly she said, quick find the engineering status console...

Looking around she spotted it.

She called up the shield status display the shield grid was operating at a frequency of 261.7 Gigahertz.

=/\= Malloy to Hornet the shield grid is operating at a frequency of 261.7 Gigahertz, request emergency beam out and don't forget those on the shuttle". =/\=

=A= Copy, Lieutenant. We have the signals now. Beaming you all now out. =A=

In a bright flash, the Away Team and the survivors of the Angstrom Research Facility were beamed back onto the Hornet. As the ship moved off, a burst of quantum torpedoes struck the day side control station, destroying the Stellar Inversion Drive. Leaving the crippled Valdore in space, the Hornet warped out of the system.