The Voyages of the Penelope and the Yydryl

Nenothtu looked up when the main power replaced the auxilliary. He looked around him, at the desolation, and without a shred of humor left in him, thumbed his comm button.

"Nenothtu to Slayer: I have a problem with my chair cushion on the bridge. We need to install another bridge around it. You should probably bring one of everything. Except my chair cushion. Nenothtu out."

The Penelope was righted out of her terminal spin by a sudden burst from her main engine drives, courtesy of Slayer and his engine crews.

Luder sighed and gave a lopsided grin toward Neno after his comment to Slayer.

"Good work gentlemen. Science, get me a full readout of our current position. I need to get an idea of where my actions brought us."

"Working on it now, sir." Varlas said from the science station.

Luder stood up and walked over to the bridge doors.

"In the meantime, Neno, you've got the con. I need to go check on our errant weapons control officer in sick bay." Luder left the bridge.

Varlas looked around with an astonished expression on his face.

"Chief Neno. We seem to be picking up another vessel on the edge of our scanning range. Unknown make. Course heading puts it out of somewhere near Rigel."

[edit on 23-4-2009 by mf_luder]

"3...."

“The Cell!” Theresa shouted

She grabbed Studious by the arm to pull him into the cell as well. Hoping somehow the cell would afford some protection.

"2...."

The Colonel's cane slipped and he toppled to the floor. Theresa who was grabbing his arm fell backwards.

"1...."

At the moment she began to fall backwards power was restored to the brig cells.

The computerized feminine voice said

“Security Decompression deactivated.”

Then continued.

“Warning deadly cell force fields activated.”

Theresa would have been fried had Studious not fallen.

He laughed and said

“Those who would give up some of their liberty in order to obtain a little temporary safety....deserve neither liberty nor safety.- Benjamin Franklin”

Theresa’s eyes were wide, amazed to be alive.

Just when they thought they were safe everything started to go black.

“Wai…wait….what’s going o…..”

They both began to black out. As the computerized feminine voice said.

“Warning"

They began to fade in and out of consciousness.

"gas activated.”

“Oh for pete’s.....”

Finally both blacked out.







Studious struggled to stand leaning heavily on his cane. He was alone in a diner. Breaking the silence a familiar voice spoke out with a cheery, elated voice.

“Studious!”

The Colonel turned and saw her. She wasn’t just a silhouette this time.
Studious dropped his cane and ran to embrace her.

He began mumbling on

“I’m sorry…I….I….L”

“Slow down.…Slow down”

“I guess I must be dead.”

“No” she said with a laugh

“Well then…how are you here.”

“I was there wasn't I? ”

“Yeah but that must have been an illusion because I was alive.”

He continued.

“Now your real because I’m dead.”

“But” she laughed “your not dead.”

“What do you mean I’m not dead I was gassed.”

“Your not dead.”

“How?”

“You’ll figure it out.......Darn it.....I'm sorry I have to go.”

“Why?”

“You’re waking up”

“Whoa..whoa this better not be one of those moments...and then I never see you again.”

“You’ll see me again I promise.”

“You promise.”

“Yes, I promise”

“Well, I’ve never been good at goodbyes….of course you know that.”

“But this isn’t goodbye........arrivederci Studious”

The Colonel awoke and Theresa awoke shortly thereafter.

The computerized feminine voice spoke again.

“Incapacitating gas deactivated."

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

The young ensign was on the operating table while the Doc and his assistant were examining him. The Chief stood there for a few minutes watching the scans from the observation room. The Chief could reroute the entire engineering dept, replace or repair the entire electrical, computer and propulsion systems on the Penelope but when it came to the human anatomy he was at a loss.

The Chief pushed the com

Well Doc?

Huh?
What? Oh Chief
The Doc spoke up without looking away from his patient. Well it appears he has sustained some very serious head injuries among other things...

Will Martinez be OK doc?

The Doc turned and looked at the Chief and just shrugged.

Well he's in bad shape!
The burns are easy to heal. The broken bones will be healed in a matter of hours but severe neurological trauma is hard to tell. I don't know. OH sure we can regenerate brain tissue but when it comes to the neocortex we are just not sure if the Synapse will function properly, you see Since neurons form a network of electrical activities, they somehow have to be interconnected. This connection is not a simple continuity of cytoplasm..

The Chief cut him off.
Hey Doc just call me when you know something OK?

The Doc had a tendency to sometimes babble on and on with his medical jargon that only he and his assistants understood.


I'll tell you what come by in the morning? We should know something by then hmmm? The Doc replied then returned to his patient without waiting for the Chiefs response.

Slayer waved at the Doc through the glass and said thanks then left the observation room.


It had been one hell of a day. He was headed to the bridge to see the damage Security Chief Nenothtu reported first hand.

"Everything except my chair cushion" The Chief muttered to himself.
He laughed, What is he some kind of a wise guy?

A young ensign who just happened to be in the corridor outside of sickbay overheard the Chief say that and gave him a puzzled look and a wide berth as they passed each other. The Chief didn't even notice. The Ships crew were busy with minor repairs. Clean up mostly, with the inertia dampeners going offline. The crew in certain areas of the ship must have been tossed about like rag dolls. The Chief thought to himself as he continued on his way to the nearest lift.

Penelope was a good ship and he knew her well. Half of her crewmen were recent graduates just out of the academy and green behind the ears. The Chief wondered if all the training they went through had stuck.. He hoped that in Engineering at least he had ran enough drills. Drills were one thing but combat is a completely different beast.

With all the excitement of late he had forgotten to mentioned the strange Alien Nano Technology they had discovered to the Captain. He made a mental note to bring it to the Captains attention the next chance he got. Engineering outside of some blown power relays and some mild smoke damage was in great shape.

He approached the lift. "Everything except my chair cushion"? The Chief muttered again to himself and just laughed and shook his head as the doors opened for the lift...


[edit on 23-4-2009 by SLAYER69]

Studious was awake.

However the nearly impenetrable door was still sealed tight and the lock was broken.


So with nothing else to do he drifted off to sleep.....

...and entered the Twilight Zone


...................Studious' vision became cloudy around the edges......................

“Security decompression in 10…. 9….”

“Quick into the prisoner refrigerator.” Studious yelled

“WHAT!!!!!! That won’t do anything are you CRAZY!!!!!” Theresa replied

“8….”

“Just do it!”

Studious grabbed her and together they entered the refrigerator. He closed the door.

Theresa said

“You’ve got to be kidding me!!”

“7….”

Studious tried to reach his right ear but kept bumping into food and Theresa in the cramped refrigerator. Finally he knocked his head against the wall and the radio activated.

“Captain I need your help here. Shut down all the decompression's in the detention area."

“6….”

Studious looked inside the small dark fridge.

“I guess the light really does go off when you close one of these”

“5….”

Theresa smacked him. (As best she could in the confined space.)

“4….”

Studious turned on a small light he kept with him and found to his horror that the fridge was lead lined. Since lead is conductive if the fridge is thick enough it can block radio waves.

Studious attempted to open the door but it had already locked.

However Studious kept calling out to the Captain out of shear desperation.

“3….”

“Captain any time now"

“2….”

“Captain we’re running out of time."

“1….”

“Oh bother”

The computerized feminine voice called out with the savagery of the Weakest Link host.

“Security decompression engaged……Goodbye.”

The force of the decompression unplugged the fridge and it began to wildly fly through the brig and then out into the vacuum of space tumbling end over end while spinning. Luckily the seal on the fridge was airtight. The last thing Studious saw before he was knocked unconscious was the company name Tardis.


....................Studious vision quickly became sharp and focused...................

Studious awoke with a jolt and then realized it had just been a dream. "Whew....now that was just plain weird......or *gulp* crazy."

[edit on 23-4-2009 by Studious]

“Who was that?” I asked as soon as whoever it was rounded a corner and was out of hearing.
“Ships Leisure Officer Cindymars” Carpet replied nonplussed.
“But, she’s not a Regalian? I mean, she’s beautiful.” With awe in my voice and obvious pleasure I reevaluated spending time outside my quarters and Ship’s Center.
“I’m not sure where she comes from but no, I would say she’s not a Regalian. I can find out if you’d like?” He said helpfully.
“No Carpet that’s alright, I’d like to ask her on my own. But for now I’ve got to get back into my room.” Looking around for a droid I was interrupted by a warm feeling spreading out from the center of my chest. Stilling my hand before it reached for the pendant I continued.
“ Isn’t there a way to get into my room without my headband? I asked trying to keep my voice from betraying my excitement. The pendant was growing warm, and I had no idea why, but I wanted to find out. Only in private.
“If you’d programmed your Verbalizer with a password that would work, or, you can request it of Ship.” Carpet said matter-of-factly.
“You mean if someone programmed their verbalizer with a password it would allow them to enter without their Ships badge or HB?” I asked, something tickling at the back of my mind.
“Yes, I suppose... Wait, are you wondering about Captain Cadbury?” Carpet asked, thinking ahead of me.
“Yeah, someone got into his quarters to take him. I was just wondering if it was someone he knew, or someone could just sneak in...”
“Well, it could be narrowed down to someone with the Captains password, or replication of his badge cause officers don’t wear HBs... It could be Ship overriding the door, or the Captain might even have opened it himself, I suppose.” He finished.
My pendant grew warmer still, almost hot where it touched my skin hidden under my uniform. I had to go to Ship’s Center and for a reason I couldn’t explain I had to go without saying anything to Carpet about the warming Green Man.
“Will you go with me to Ship’s Center? I’ll ask Ship to open the door.” The smile in my voice was genuine.
“Lead on Attendant to Ship Silo” Carpet chuckled gallantly.
Jumping up I turned and cut out for the Ships Center only to burst out laughing when Carpet said,
“Ship’s Center is the other way...”
“Thank you Carpet...”

[edit on 23-4-2009 by silo13]

Abruptly, Asher's eyes snapped open. His lungs burned and every muscle ached. He gasped and choked, frantically fighting the obstruction in his airway.

Finally, Asher stopped struggling and felt his lungs begin to expand and contract rhythmically. There was a tube inserted down his throat and it was breathing for him.

Cautiously, he tried to move his arms but found them very securely fastened to the table. His legs and neck were in similar positions. His eyes darted about, taking in the shiny sterile room he was in. It looked like a sick bay of some kind. People were moving around in his peripherals but he couldn't make them out.

Then, his memory came flooding back like a tsunami. Incredibly painful surgeries, hacking private accounts for Naval Intelligence, killing people by proxy, blowing up an entire Carrier class spacecraft, and finally, standing helplessly by as his body plotted murder.

He fought his gag reflex with as much strength as he could muster.

What had happened?

He was obviously in the sickbay aboard the Penelope, and none of his inserts seemed to be working, including his biometric irises which made everything look blurry and out of focus.

Somehow, they must have succeeded. The AI grouping was dead and gone, fried along with the rest of his inserts... except one. With disgust, Asher realized that the packaged plasma emitter was still linked to his brain and still fully functional. It felt like an mutated limb, fully under his control but very unwanted. It lay dormant beneath his skin, grafted to the bone like a tumor and awaiting his orders.

Asher put it in deep standby.

Exhausted, he lay there, sickened by the fact that he might have killed everyone on the bridge and resigned to his fate, whatever that might be.

Even if he was executed, he would die a happy man. A man... Not a machine. Seeker was gone and Asher was finally a free man once more.

Luder turned the final stretch of corridor into sickbay ward 3 and saw two heavily armed guards standing in the doorway.

"Sir, we cannot allow you to pass. The prisoner is awake and mobile inside this room."

Luder walked up to the door and said, "I need to speak with the prisoner one on one. Will that be possible?" The two guards eyed each other and nodded.

"Alright sir, you're cleared to go in, but we warned you." The younger of the two turned to the keypad on the wall and punched in a series of numbers. A hiss filled the corridor and the slate gray metal door kicked up into the ceiling. Luder nodded his thanks and headed inside.

Luder saw Seeker sitting on the edge of the lone bed in the room, staring wistfully off into the wall. The man seemed to be almost at peace with himself. Luder walked over in front of him and sat down on a chair.

"Seeker. You care to explain to me exactly what in the blazes happened up there? This time?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lieutenant Varlas looked at Security Chief Nenothtu and realized he was staring off into the distance, as if in a trance.

"Sir? We have an unidentified vessel approaching from about a hundred kilometers off our port bow. Shall we attempt to raise them?"

The mammoth door protecting Ship's Center cracked open just enough for me to slip inside. The moment I did my pendant stopped the warm pulsing that alerted me Ship required my presence and lay still against my skin.

‘Ship?” I asked quietly but still my voice echoed repeatedly across the vast empty area before me.
‘Hello Silo. Thank you for coming.’ Ship replied encompassing the silence.
I didn’t answer, I waited. It wasn’t so much I was in awe of Ship as the level of respect and deference it commanded was great.

‘We’re approaching a space vessel, the SS Penelope. We’ll be in contact with it soon.’ Ship said with no preamble.
I caught my breath, Ships words hit me like a physical thing.
Communicating with Ship was a whole experience, I heard the words inside and outside my head and a shadow of emotion Ship was experiencing flowed through the words into me. What Ship was feeling now was great excitement, and not a little trepidation.

‘Another Ship? But why? Or, what I mean is...’
Ship cut off my questions curtly.
‘Silo, what I will tell you is this. At the present time Captain Loam is,’ Ship hesitated, ‘Captain Loam is not...available.’
Though curiosity raged through me in waves I held my tongue still in my head and waited.
‘What I want to tell you is this. Stay close to Ship. I don’t want you leaving Yydryl for any reason. Hear me well little Silo. You’re to stay on Ship.’
‘Is there a problem then Ship?’ I barely breathed out, my eyes round, my antenna high in alert, the thrill of adventure frizzled through me humming from my head to my toes.
‘It’s a complicated moment in time Silo. And for now I want you to stay close. It’s as simple and as complex as that. Now is the time for you to put your recklessness away Silo, do you understand?’
Though the word stung I knew Ship meant no insult. What was intended, and of that Ship left me no doubt, was the request was most sincere and the unspoken ramifications of my disobedience would be unimaginable.
‘I’ll do my best, but I take a vow when I’ve no idea what it entitles.’
The words sounded sober and foreign to me but something within my core sense told me to answer so.
Ship sighed long and hard, an expressive sound I’d a feeling wasn’t used often by Ship.
‘Silo, I cannot command you, but I can ask you to heed me on this, based on our...our Understanding.’
The pendant I wore around my neck glowed warmly for a brief moment.
My eyes stung with tears, my throat closed over regret mingled with sorrow.
‘I’ll do my best Ship.’ I replied, sorry I couldn‘t give more to the promise Ship had asked.
‘Then that will have to do. Now, if you see or hear anything suspicious you’re to report to Security Officer Whisper.’
I felt more than I heard Ships asking me to trust and not to question.
Ship was directing me to report to the very Regalian who’d found me and took me unconscious to Ships Healer, the same one I had such fear of. Reluctantly I acquiesced without complaint.

‘Earth is quite beautiful is it not Silo” Ship asked decisively closing the previous conversation and opening a new topic, the many memory discs I'd been pouring over to learn of the big water covered planet we were bound for.
‘It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Even though I haven't seen much,’ I added with a wry self depreciating smile.
‘Oh believe me Silo, even if you’d seen the universe in whole, Earth will still be the most beautiful place you’ll ever step foot.’
Ship’s fondness for Earth warmed me but more so I grew and swelled with joy in the silent answer to the question I hadn’t asked.
I might be confined to Ship for now, but when the time came I'd be allowed to leave and go to Earth!
Turning to leave I touched the pendant at my neck.
“I want to say thank you Ship...and I don't know how.’ I had no words to express my gratitude for the Gift, but I felt Ship knew.
With that the door cracked open again and with a warm jolt of energy from the pendant I found myself once again outside in the hall.

[edit on 25-4-2009 by silo13]

reply to post by mf_luder


Asher started in surprise at Captain Luder and answered.

"Captain, it isn't Seeker anymore. Ensign Asher at your command Sir. I would salute if I wasn't strapped down."

"I'm so sorry about what happened on the bridge Sir. I think N.I. betrayed me in more ways than one. That wasn't me, in a sense it was them. It would seem that your security chief has set me free."

"It all started when..."

Asher's voice trailed off and realization filled his eyes.

"Sir! It's N.I! When we were at port at Lagrange 1, they attached a payload deployment device to the underside of the Penelope. It's an Apotheosis launcher Sir! It's loaded with three N-bombs! You have to get it off this ship!"

Nenothtu snapped out of the funk he'd fallen into, and retrained his mind on the business at hand.

"A what? where? Oh, alrighty. Put it onscreen. I wanna know who I'm talking to."

"Can't, sir. they're too far away yet to get a visual."

Neno's eyes narrowed. "Can't WHO? Ain't nobody told you not to 'sir' me, on account of how I work for a living and all?"

The lieuteneant looked uncomfortable for a second. "Well what am I SUPPOSED to call you then, si.. er, umm, I mean mr....uhh...."

Nenothtu rescued the man from the awkward moment that neno himself had created with his abrasive comment. Gruffly, he said "Well, I got a TITLE, 'Security Chief', so you can just refer to me as' chief'." Then he grinned at the lieutenant, in an attempt to break the tension, which never, ever worked for nenothtu. His grins tended to remind folks of a wolf baring it's teeth, a fact which seemed to be lost on neno. " I can't very well duck my title, now can I? Open up a channel to the other vessel, please."

"Comms open,... chief."

"Ahoy the unidentified vessel. This is Security Chief nenothtu, of the Earth Federation Starship USS Penelope. Please identify yourself."

Turning to the Navigation Station, neno asked "Exactly where ARE we, anyhow?"



[edit on 2009/4/25 by nenothtu]

Luder stared at the being now calling himself Asher.

"I can't let you out of here just yet. Even though you say your actions weren't your own, there are good men dead now and we are compelled to provide evidence that either exonerates or condemns you. However." Luder placed a com device into the lapel of Asher's uniform. "I would still like to be able to communicate if I need to."

Luder activated his personal com and contacted Slayer.

Slayer, this is the Captain. I have just been informed there is a cluster of N-Bombs attached to the underside of the Penelope. We need to get it removed as soon as humanly possible.

Luder turned back to Asher.

"I need to get back to the command center for this. To be honest with you, I never trusted NI either. We'll try to figure something out for you, just hang in there." Luder patted Asher on the shoulder and headed back to the command center.

After he exited the sickbay ward, Luder grabbed one of the guards and said in a gruff voice, "No one goes in this ward without my express permission, do you understand? No one on this ship." The guard looked startled, but nodded his agreement.

Luder started jogging the lengths of corridor back to the command center. As soon as he reached a lift, he threw himself inside and punched the button for the bridge.

[edit on 25-4-2009 by mf_luder]

Studious fell asleep again…

Then awoke later in a terrified night sweat. Panting heavily, trying to regain his breath.

Then she appeared to him again and said.

“I told you I’d be back”

“What’s happening to me?”

“Long term exposure to the gas has some nasty side effects. One of them is ever increasingly terrifying dreams.”

“But my first dream was you and my second dream was funny... explain that.”

“I’m not a dream and your second dream WAS scary you where flying through the air and got knocked unconscious.”

“Well then how do I get rid of the gas?”

“The ventilation system was damaged so the only ways are slow decompression or very fast decompression.”

“So I have two choices…..die of suffocation or go slowly mad. Right?”

“Well you know they could just open the door.”

“But it’s stuck.”

“They’ll find some way to open it.”

As she gestured toward the door the light reflected off something on her hand.

“You still have your ring on…….You know it is only till death do us part.” he said jokingly.

She laughed then said.

“Hey, what happened to yours?"

"I keep it here" Studious pats the ring in his left shirt pocket "next to my heart."

He continued

"If I wore it I'd be crazy....and invisible."

"What do you mean invisi.......oh you mean like that one ring"

"Yep."

Theresa moved a little.

"Could she see you if I woke her up?"

"I'm not sure."

"How can you be not sure, what are you a ghost?"

"What do you mean, I'm not yelling BOOOOOO!!!!"

"You just did."

"You know what I meant!" she said frustrated.

"Yes but, you've gotta she how crazy this seems. Especially with the only I can see you part."

"You'll be way more crazy if you don't get away from this gas."

"AHA!!! So you admit I'm crazy."

"You don't get it you need me to help you keep your sanity."

"Said my hallucination"

"Would you just listen to me....just hold on a little longer."

“Why? They won’t be able to open that door.”

“You have too little confidence in them. Just give it time.”

“By then I’ll be crazy……if I’m not crazy already.”

“Your not crazy, I’m real.”

“Then why does it look like you haven’t aged a day since I first met you.”

“Oh..uh…thanks…..but I did.” She said blushing.

“You did? I was under the impression you don’t age when your dea…..”

“I’m NOT dead”

“Why should I believe you? Why should I believe your real?”

“Oh come on I’m way more real than your dreams.”

“They seemed pretty real to me.”

“If you want to believe a giant monster on rollerskates chased you, go ahead. But that was just a dream, right?” She asked him.

“No.” Studious replied.

“What do you mean no”

“I’m saying it’s all a nightmare.”

“Then why are you talking to me?”

“Because you seem real. That’s the same reason I ran from that monster, he seemed real."

“So your saying I’m part of your nightmare.”

“I never said that, that would be mean to say your part of my worst nightmare. Your more like my delusion of hope in my worst nightmare.”

"Look a lot of these nightmares are going to present themselves to you. This 'delusion' is going to be the only one who can talk to you, tell you the truth and help you. Without that, you really are going to lose it."

"But..."

"No buts"

"But..... I don't want you to see me like that."

"You won't get "like that" if you let me help you."

"Alright, alright you win......you always win." You've always been strong willed.

He continued.

"But promise me you'll not think any less of me when I do lose it."

"You won't lose it. Whatever great monster comes along fight it, mock it, destroy it and most importantly don't fear whatever you see and it'll have no power over you."

"Well put."

“Now would you just call the Captain. Allow them to help you.”

“Alright but I doubt that’ll do any good.”

Studious reached up to his ear and radioed the Captain.

“Sir, The gas in here is making us delusional. I don’t know of anything on this ship that can get this door open, but if you’ve got something I suggest you use it.”

Studious began to lose consciousness again the gas was ready to pull him back into the Twilight Zone again.

[edit on 26-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 26-4-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 26-4-2009 by Studious]

reply to post by mf_luder


Asher radioed Captain Luder after he rushed out of the sickbay.

"Captain, the N-bombs are "Nova" class projection field generators. They function as the catalyst of a solar Nova. Launch one into a star and it forces the star to begin shedding its outer layers. Every living thing in the target solar system will die from the radiation."

"I have no idea why NI would think we needed such monstrosities, but I can assure you that they will have taken steps to protect the payload. Please inform Chief Engineer Slayer that a mis-step in their disarmament could trigger a launch."

"And Captain, leave me down here as long as you feel comfortable. I've caused enough damage to warrant a death sentence, so I'm quite content where I'm at."

Day after day of waiting began to wear on me.
Even my enthusiasm for learning all I could of Earth and it’s flora and fauna began to wane.
Having gone through hour upon hours of memory discs left me with a feeling of want I could hardly describe.
An itch under my skin I couldn’t scratch, a tap to my feet that wouldn't allow me to sit for long without kicking me up from sitting to pace my room or the hall outside the door.
I wanted so badly to go onto Earth I feared the big blue planet was at the center of my first obsession.
The want had turned into a need, and the need only grown greater with each passing day.
I had to run in the fields I’d seen on the discs, smell the lilacs and lemon tree blossoms, not just look at a holograph of a banyan tree wishing I could run my hands over it’s bark, but wanted to do so.
And all there was between me and the time I could set foot on earth was time.
At least so I hoped.

Ship had been busy and even if she hadn’t been I’d not have asked for information.
I wasn’t privileged to Ships inner thoughts and workings any more than any other low level crew member.
As for other crew members I had to admit I hadn’t gone out of my way to track any of them down to ask what was going on about Ship, I’d spent all my time alone in my bunk plugged into discs, or sitting half way in and out of my door talking to Carpet about Earth and all I’d absorbed.

But even Carpets seemingly endless patience was wearing thin.
The subject of Earth wasn’t one Carpet particularly enjoyed hearing about, but regardless every time I opened my mouth my tongue tripped right back to Earth this and Earth that, growing seasons in each zone, the climate one plant flourished in that another did not, from nitrate levels to compost and the best mix of manure, aged, not fresh.
‘How did Eden grow without you,’ Carpet asked blandly the evening before, I smiled and took it as a compliment.
Until later alone in my room when I’d researched this ‘Eden’ place.
I vowed on the spot I’d not talk to Carpet again about anything green, or growing, or Earth.
Which seriously narrowed our conversations into me asking questions about Ship and the Captain, which irritated Carpet and made him snippier than if I’d gone off about Earth again.

Had Carpet had ‘Heard anything new? Were we still going to meet up with another Ship? Were we still headed to Earth. Had Captain Loam made any other orders available to the crew. When did Carpet think he would know something else?’
He replied quite baldly I should go back to my quarters and eat a sock.
A bland apology later I returned to my room and had been puttering around the cabin ever since.

A Droid interrupted the monotony of my pout by bringing in a meal and as pleased as I was with the variety of foods there was to choose from I barely nibbled some grainy bread and sugary fruit before I pushed it away the tray and plugged myself back into a memory disc where a female voice droned on about Spanish Moss.
Ugh. Did I sound like that when I went on and on to Carpet?
Heaving a sigh I closed my eyes and watched the theater in my mind playing against the backside of my eyelids...
And the waiting went on...

Stepping through the palladium entry and past the main deck of the bridge just in time to catch a disappearing glimpse of the MS Witch with her arm draped around the waist of Interrex Captain Loam!

"No!"

Realizing that the Navigation Center was operating full warp ahead towards the 4th dimensional earth solar plane, and that the Yydryl would be arriving in less than 15 minutes, antar spoke through the Com's to all vital crew members to meet immediately on the bridge.

No time to do anything but move forward with this meeting between U-mans and the crew which she knew would just as soon eat them and to make U-man jerky of their flesh, yet if they were to work together a compromise would have to be reached and fast.

Remembering back to her childhood and the little vacation she took with her family to Earth was one memory that showed a slightly less compassionate side to her father's capabilities.

Not only was it an uncomfortable memory, but the thought of what her Father put the U-man through attempting to use the Plantus Inmatis to create a super human breed was unbearable from beginning to the U-mans end.

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Although his intentions were of the highest hope for aiding the U-mans into a higher state of intelligence, the final result was one of hopeless abandonment of the process related to the species capacity to successfully integrate the P.I.

In some some way this was going to be a chance to counter that experience with a more positive one even though she had come to understand the failure and what it could have meant to the U-mans had it gone in a different direction.

“Sweet Zeus!” Cindymars sits up as the energetic vehicle pops out of existence.

While traveling on the Yydryl in the next dimension as to not be seen, there was some kind of disturbance and she materialized in the current dimension/time/space. In that very moment ATS Silo saw her, not so weird, I am on the vessel. She laughs out loud to herself.

The problem is the disturbance. This is what I get for leaving my work to take this self indulgent jaunt and agreeing to assist Cadbury. Which was another thing, what had he wanted her do? CM had just been checking out the ship to see who was who and what was what. Holy Vespa, she might have to go and see her clan for this was an awesome coordinate. Things were brewing in the stew of the universe and her love for Spera might have to wait.

A light starts to flash on her console. “Yydryl play message” it was Antar saying that she needed to see Crew Members. Not sure if that meant her but she needed to speak to them.
She did not want to divulge too much to alter the natural course of events but she wanted to alert them to the circumstances with Qa, especially regarding the Shape Shifter that had absconded her from The Swamp.

She jumps up from her bed oasis and goes over to her fountain and splashes some water on her face.

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[edit on 5-5-2009 by cindymars]

Over and over again scenes of unimaginable horror flashed before him.

Of all the horrific scenes that passed in front of him, one scared him the most. A world filled with all the unthinkable evils he had seen in the other nightmares. The only difference was that in this world not one person did anything to stop it. All mindlessly moved about. Though it was Studious who was dreaming it seemed like the others were the real ones who were asleep. Studious raced to each one of them, even yelled from the rooftops the evils occurring. No one would listen, all were content with their twisted world. No one could be woken.

In the end it wasn’t the blood and gore that truly scared him. That fear would subside. It was the fact that that this uncaring world could become a reality. That fear persisted.

“All those horrors and not one did anything. Not one.”

“Studious you forget, you were in that world. You knew, you spoke against it.”

“But I failed, no one would listen. That world would never have changed.”

“You don’t know that, one word can change the world.”

Again he drifted back to the horrors of his worst nightmares. But those nightmares paled in comparison to the one he feared most. It was like the oft used story of a person who sees something but every time they call for someone else to see it, that something would just disappear. This nightmare was worse, every time he told them they actually saw that something was there but did nothing to stop it.

Studious awoke with terror as he had many, many times now and moved about nervously. He was becoming paranoid, chasing every shadow. Even though he knew it wasn’t real, that feeling was there….fear. It’s like seeing a horror film, the viewer knows it’s not real but yet you can feel the fear. You’ve always got one eye watching your back.

Suddenly fear and anger hit him. Theresa was probably going through the same things he was yet she had no aid, no guide. He began to wonder how he could have been so self absorbed as to not think of her. The fear of an uncaring world grew stronger.

“Help her!!!!”

“There’s no need, she’s in a coma.”

“How do you know?”

“I went to help her after I first arrived.”

“How did she fall into a coma?”

“Why do you think I know everything?”

“That’s not a no.”

“Yes it is”

“Nooo…it’s not”

“Well… Nooo…I don’t know.”

“So you do know”

“What, I just said I didn’t”

“Ah, but you said ‘no I don’t know.’ That’s a double negative so you do know.”

“Come on Studious are we really going to do this?” She sighed “I mean I don’t know. O.k.”

“Hmm strange….Well at least she’ll escape the worst of the gas…….”

Studious thought to himself “…and worst of this nightmare”


[edit on 6-5-2009 by Studious]

[edit on 6-5-2009 by Studious]

The command center was a wreck. The damage was extensive. It took the repair teams a fair bit of time and effort to get things back in order. But as always Slayers teams knew what they were doing and the bridge looked brand new by the time they had finished. It looked just like the day when Penelope first left space dock on her maiden voyage.

Meanwhile back at Engineering.

The Chief was going over all the repair logs of what had been done to the bridge and taking inventory of what replacement parts that needed to be ordered. He was trying to focus on the task but he couldn't really concentrate his mind was on the young Ensign still in sick bay with no encouraging news of his status thus far.

The comm crackled.
Slayer, this is the Captain. I have just been informed there is a cluster of N-Bombs attached to the underside of the Penelope. We need to get it removed as soon as humanly possible.

GREAT!
That's all we need, Slayer thought to himself.

He sat there for a few moments then thumbed the Comm...

Aye Captain I'm on it.

The chief sat aside the inventory manifest and gathered a team. He needed his best people on this. Callan was out, she was prone to vertigo and motion sickness if the need to go EVA was required. Horn of course would be on the team. He checked the active duty roster and noticed that Kim was on.

The Chief knew that Kim was like himself a constant tinkerer. Always playing around with stuff taking things apart and putting it back together. He reminded the Chief of himself at that age.

The Chief ran a scan of the area of the cluster bombs and the computer registered that in fact they were installed while on station and were hardwired into the ships defensive systems.

Well I'll be damned.
Said the Chief.

The Chief and the two Ensigns brought up what they knew about N-Bombs and went over what information they could find in the computers logs. N-Bombs were nothing to fool around with. They all knew the immense power of such devices.

The computer showed them the delivery system, the firing mechanism and brought up a demonstration video of the destructive power they were dealing with. Ensign Kim was the one who took the lead on this topic. He knew more about the wiring than anybody else on the ship. He brought up on the main screen the reactive core of the bombs and explained how they functioned.


The data was extensive. The more they learned the more they started to sweat. Ensign Kim went on to explain what he knew about the latest generation in firing mechanisms. They watched closely as the computer ran a demonstration of how it functioned.

The Chief spoke up...

I suggest that we run some scans on them before we do anything. I think we may be able to disable the device with a focused EMP. Horn and Kim looked at each other then at the Chief grinning. The Chief wanted to know what was up with the cheesy looks on their mugs.

OK whats the deal? He said, They looked at each other for a second then Kim spoke up. Chief, It just so happens that Horn and I have been working on a mobile EMP delivery system. We have a prototype down in the shop.

OH really?
The Chief straightened up and then looking down at the young Ensigns and said...

So you have enough spare time around here to play inventor like you're a regular old Tesla do you? Just where exactly are you getting these parts for your little "experiments"?

The two ensigns casual demeanor immediately changed and they snapped to attention. Not saying a word. Their Cheesy grins were gone. The Chief walked behind them grinning to himself, Almost laughing. Waiting a few seconds for a reply. Horn started to stutter

I...
That is to say
We... thought that..

Oh Forget it.
Lets see what ya got the Chief said, Slapping Horn on his shoulder smiling.
The two immediately knew the Chief was having fun with them and they relaxed although not quite as much as before. They never knew exactly when the Chief was joking or was dead serious.

The Chief liked it that way. It kept them on their toes he thought.

Kim walked over to the station and typed in a few commands and on the main screen brought up the schematics for their prototype design for the mobile EMP devise. The Chief sat at his station looking over the data as the two excitedly went over each function and certain problems that had crept up while in development.

They explained why they felt such a device was needed. Kim mentioned some of the issues they were having with the computer, locking down stations and not releasing doors. This device would override the computers control and then they could be manually opened if the need arose. Although the prototype was large the finished product would only be a quarter of it's present size.

The Chief sat there for a while looking over the design specs. The two ensigns felt like they were back at the academy waiting for one of their professors to give them a failing or passing score on an exam. The Chief finally broke the silence.

So how many of these do you have? Horn spoke up. Umm...Looking over at Kim and shrugging his shoulders said. We have two right now and enough parts to build two more.

Good said the Chief. What we will do is ring the clusters with these and release a controlled burst to disable them and then we can run scans and see exactly what we are dealing with out there. Get those other two completed and when they are contact me. Then suit up and show up in 5 mikes after that.
Dismissed.


It was about an hour later when they finally finished and reported in to move on to the next phase. The two of them suited up and grabbed their tool kits and hand scanners and made their way to the airlock. They approached the Airlock control panel and opened the comm informing the Chief that they were ready to move out. OK
Said the chief over the comm...
Proceed to the clusters let me know when you get there. I'll disable the power supply now from here.
Aye Chief came their reply.

The Chief started to input the commands to disable the power to the Cluster bomb units. The Screen flashed for a second at his station then went completely black then a voice from the computer made a request.

Security override voice print authorization required

What the hell is this? Slayer said out loud

The screen now came back on with the same words flashing.


Security override voice print authorization required


Security override voice print authorization required


Security override voice print authorization required


The Chief rolled his eyes and said.

This is Chief Engineer Slayer you over wired bucket of Mars Filth!

Checking............."This is Chief Engineer Slayer you over wired bucket of Mars Filth!"..............................................."This is Chief Engineer Slayer you over wired bucket of Mars Filth!".............................................................."This is Chief Engineer Slayer you over wired bucket of Mars Filth!"................................................._

Authorization excepted.

Have a great day
"Chief Engineer Slayer you over wired bucket of Mars Filth".

He almost punched the screen this was so retarded it was almost comical. The Chief began the shut down sequence when a sub command menu popped up on the screen. The Chief was about ready to explode as he started to read the data that was being presented. He sat there and read the entire message. He then thumbed the comm and opened a channel to Horn and Kim.

This is the Chief

Abort 1.

Repeat

Abort 1.

Horn and Kim looked at each other with curiosity. They had almost reached the cluster location when they heard the Chiefs orders come through the comm in their helmets.

Horn Replied.
Aye Chief


[edit on 6-5-2009 by SLAYER69]

... do not forget what we have disscusssed here Scurvy and share the knowledge with no one. When the time comes call on me and I will lend you my power.

You have my word Runesque, and thank you.

With that the minor god retreated from Scurvy's hallucinatory vision. Was that real? What had Runesque meant by when the time comes? While Scurvy was grateful for Rune's protection and blessing he had to wonder the motives behind such an offer. Gods rarely intervened in lower dimensional matters. On top of that Runesque was the patron of pirates and every pirate knows not to trust another space pirate, 7th dimensional or not. Reality slowly began setting in again and Scurvy began to wonder where he was. After linking with 3 different minds (Sarawati, Whisper, and now Runesque) in such a short period of time Scurvy's sense of normality was awfully out of whack.

Slowly coming to, Scurvy's eyes peel open slightly. His vision was consumed by a celestial blue light which Scurvy attributed to the whale tank. He layed there momentarily in contemplation but was suddenly startled into wakefulness by a soft touch on his face. His eyes shot open synchronically and he barely stopped himself from bashing in the skull of his aggressor before he realized it was Whisper touching his face. Before Whisper had the opportunity to retract from him Scurvy reached up with all of his tentacles and latched onto Whisper, with a small grin he pulls her down to him and kisses her passionately. He rolls them both over so they lay side by side. Whisper looks at him with fire burning behind her eyes. She smiles slyly but raises a tentacle to his mouth to prevent him from assailing her with another lip lock.

"Scurvy as much as I'd like to roll around here frollicking we have business to attend to. I didn't want to leave you here unaware of what was going on. Come, walk with me. We need to discuss what Sarawati revealed to us. Are you all right to stand?"

With an exaggerated sigh he releases her from his embrace, "You're right, let's go. I'm all right." He lifts himself, groaning at the stiffness in his limbs. "How long was I down?"

"Long enough to cause me to worry." She replied with a smile, though he detected concern in the tone. Scurvy takes her tentacle in his and they set off for the observation deck. Anyone passing by would have thought them mad if they'd overheard the conversations taking place. Murmurings of Dark Lords, pirate gods, Earth-originating whales that can communicate telepathically, the end of the universe, among flirtacious compliments of one another's astuteness. Scurvy could barely believe it all himself. At least he had Whisper to share it all with. Before they got halfway there Antar's voice came through his communications unit requesting all officers to report to the bridge. Both himself and Whisper looked at each other puzzled and then altered their course to the bridge.

[edit on 7/5/2009 by Scurvy]