Always Watching
Posted on Mon Jan 13th, 2020 @ 2:19am by Commodore Jane Saulitis
Edited on on Tue Jan 14th, 2020 @ 1:11am
Mission:
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Location: Brig
Timeline: MD 14 22:45
670 words - 1.3 OF Standard Post Measure
Jane stepped into the brig not at all sure what she would be facing. She'd gotten a call from Lhaes that they had caught a being which they were assuming was responsible for all the ailments and implants that had been discovered stuck in the crew's brains while they traveled to Claddin V. "Lhaes," Jane said quietly as she approached him. "Has the being said anything yet?"
"No ma'am," the Romulan replied, eyes never leaving the being on the other side of the forcefield. "It's just sat there, staring back at me. It hasn't moved since we captured it, though I think it's none too amused. I haven't tried to read it though...."
"Oh let's not do that. We have no idea what he's capable of yet. And considering what we know it can do, I don't think that's a good idea." She didn't want to leave her mother without a fiance and she also didn't want to lose a good security officer. She approached the forcefield and the alien snapped it's eyes to her.
"You have turned the tables." It said simply, the voice was a bit scratchy but the universal translator still worked.
"Oh? Jane replied. "How so?"
"Now it is I who am being studied."
"Studied yes, invaded no," Lhaes commented, "who are you, and where are you from."
"Studying is only the beginning." The alien turned his attention to Lhaes. "You do not know? Perhaps you should think on that for a while. It is you who invaded us."
Jane looked at her security officer and blinked trying to determine if he understood that at all.
"Did we? I have no knowledge of any invasion on our part. Enlighten us... Who did we invade?"
The alien made a clicking noise with his tongue, at least Jane assumed that's what it was. "Us. You broke into our universe and then set us free. Stupid mistake. Now there is no way to contain us. We are free and we are coming."
The sound of his voice was enough to make Jane shiver. She held back that particular impulse. "I assure you, we did not knowingly enter anyone's space nor set anyone free."
"Unknowing is not innocence." It replied as it stood up and moved toward the forcefield.
Instinctively, Lhaes' left hand moved to rest on the handle of his phaser, just in case. "Where is your universe," he asked pointedly, "if we know then we can help make things right."
"We come from a lonely planet orbiting a sun. A quiet universe until you punched through."
Somehow Jane knew where he was talking about. Of course their title for it would mean nothing to the alien, though Lhaes would understand. "Marga III. The planet phasing while we were in orbit. Think about it. We started having symptoms as soon as we left there."
"You think the phases are somehow connected and by beaming down we somehow tore some kind of subspace layer." Lhaes frowned. "I'm no scientist ma'am, I think Dom might have better ideas on this."
"That would be my guess." But Jane was fully aware that the alien was still watching them and listening to every word.
"You understand so little Captain. You set us free. Now we will be watching."
Jane turned her attention back to him just in time. She hadn't thought to ask if he'd had any devices on him but there must have been something up his sleeve because a hole in the ceiling opened and his body was sucked through before either of them had time to react.
"That was.... illuminating," Lhaes muttered as he scanned the inside of the cell before deactivating the forcefield. "He's gone... I'll have a team investigate how he did this so we can find a way to block their access to the ship."
Jane nodded. "You do that." Her mind was light years away, still haunted by those words and it probably always would be.
Captain Jane Saulitis
Commanding Officer
LtC lhaes Sommers
CTSO
