When the Moon Is Round (Part II)

Posted on Sun Nov 29th, 2020 @ 5:13am by Lieutenant Lily Marlow & Lieutenant Laural Hawke & Lieutenant Commander T'Par & Lieutenant Orin Sempton

Mission: End of Line
Location: Starbase Adna, somewhere in the depths.
Timeline: MD 3
2724 words - 5.4 OF Standard Post Measure

And the continuation of When the Moon is Round where the crew of the USS Majestic are facing things that should only stay in the horror films and books.

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"I do wonder about that. Sometimes holopeople can develop their own intellect, their own freedom of thought. "Thinking of the EMH that was on the Voyager. "In any case, like you said we do need a plan.. Lieutenant...?" looking at Hyacinth. "Uh what is your name?"

"Faust," She replied. "Here's the plan, run like hell and don't let them catch you while I try to figure a way out of this."

Lily looked at Faust, then towards the creepy things that were coming for them. "Okay then, I don't like that idea but you are right, we need to get out of here. Need to do a quick head count as to whom is here." Climbing up on a stool Lily scanned for those who looked normal, she spotted several. She hadn't had the chance to meet them, but now was as good as a time as any.

Getting back down, Lily stated to Hyacinth "Okay, I am going to try to round up those of the ship who are here. Um...I am uncomfortable with leaving you here, along with anyone else that is here. Comes from my last post on a military ship. However, I will see about getting Lilith and several others out of here." She looked over towards Orin. "He's good when it comes to battle. We definitely need quick strategy."

Looking at the others, "We do need to get out of here before the chance to escape is completely closed off. Clear a path, grab those of the ship that are here and get out."

Standing off by herself, Laural was confused as to what was happening. Was this a practical joke that got out of hand out some kind of sloppy revenge attempt. Spotting movement out of the corner of her eye, she turned quickly enough to spot Lily standing up on a stool that just as quickly stepping back down. Thinking this was a little odd, Laural started to make her way carefully over toward where she’d spotted her.

"I'm not sure we can outrun whatever these are," Lhaes commented, "what kind of weapons are we all carrying? Are they even effective against these creatures?"

"They seem to be approximate facsimiles from outdated horror novels and mythology." Orin said, as he took one of the matches, struck it, lit one of his fire bottles and lobbed it at another of the furry creatures that got too close, igniting it when the glass shattered and it's contents spilled out. He placed the remains of the lit match over another large glass and dropped it in, allowing the alcohol to burn. "It would seem, they have similar weaknesses as their literary counterparts." He reached into his satchel and removed a trowel, placing it on the bartop. He then reached behind him and into a special pocket sewn into his pants, removing a small wood-burned dowel. He pulled the wood apart and placed the short bladed puukko next to the trowel. "Sorry. If I had known something would happen, I'd have brought my Gladius." He said, cracking a wry smile.

"Got any garlic while we're at it? And didn't anyone bother to bring a phaser?" Sullivan muttered through gritted teeth. The freshly bandaged would still stung with the high proof alcohol that Lieutenants T'Par and Marlow had used as a disinfectant. Raising her good arm up to protect herself from the heat of the flames created by Orin's improvised incendiary device, Lilith retreated towards the bar and scrambled behind it in order to apply more pressure on her wound. From her new perspective, she noticed the glint of steel in her peripheral vision. "Hey, there's an antique scattergun back here," she motioned while throwing another bottle of booze in the general direction of the flames. "Someone with two good arms get over here and at least try it."

"I Will," Hyacinth said if no one else volunteered. "I mean I'm sure I'm not the best but . . . unless someone else thinks they can do it.?"

T'Par was still armed with a bottle of materials she'd gotten from Orin. She leaped behind the bar in a smooth motion and also located a blade. It was made for cutting meat, not living flesh, and it was not silver. Still, it would have to do. She also started quickly mixing a few molotov cocktails of her own. "We are mostly carrying improvised arms, sir," she answered Lhaes. She surveyed the scene. The lumbering zombies and the hulking, muscular werewolves surged forward only to be driven back by the ongoing barrage of fire and chemicals. Her expression didn't change. "I suggest I accompany Dr. Marlow if she is going to make sure we have all the crew members." She was already walking towards the doctor as she spoke, pausing to light and throw a bottle at a lunging werewolf. There was not too much time for talk but she addressed Lily. "Doctor, logically, leaving the group in these circumstances poses a greater risk to your safety than ours, especially if you have to pause to render medical aid. I can assist you."

"I have my Honour Blade and two kailune, if needed," Lhaes answered, looking around at those gathered. By the looks of things, he was the ranking officer even though none of them were in uniform. "Yes, accompany doctor Marlow. Lieutenant Faust and I will try to keep them at bay."

"Want some help?" Barr said volunteering his services. "Leyana will need to be kept safe, if she can go with the Doctor too, I can help you out."

Lily looked at those gathered near, and noticed Hawke was nearing where they were at. "There is another crewmember." she stated, "Hello Lieutanant Hawke." she stated, then pulled out her comm-badge. "I'm going to contact the ship and give them a heads up, and in the meantime, there is a choice that needs to be made. Stay here and try to fend off holo monsters or we all head for the ship to relative safety. And is there a way to shut off the holo emitters that are generating said people. I know it is rude to do such, but we've got a huge problem here."

T'Par's eyes were on Hawke as the other woman approached the group She lit and threw a bottle at a creeping werewolf before taking a step closer and drawing her blade. "Lieutenant," she quietly. She wanted to make sure the other woman made it safely to the group but, as she did so, she also addressed those gathered in the same tone she would use discussing cargo bay cleaning schedules or stellar cartography. "It is possible to physically destroy or mechanically disable holoemitters but, without weaponry that can penetrate the walls, we need to find a proper access point. If the doctor and I are going to be searching the station for additional crew members, I do not believe that represents the best path to safety for anyone, Mr. Barr. However, if we can exit, I see no reason for the main group to hold this position. My concern is that we won't be able to exit, that we'll leave this somewhat protected defensive position only to be sealed inside and in a more exposed position." She rushed forward to where a zombie was getting too close and buried a knife deep through the brain and then stepped back. "On the other hand, this position is likely not sustainable once we run out of Lieutenant Sempton's improvised incendiary devices. My recommendation, sir," she was speaking to Sommers now, "is that we make certain there is no one else in this club and then attempt to withdraw."

The Romulan security chief nodded, then seemed to consider something. "Disable holo emitters," he mused, "has anyone at all tried to just end the program?"

Hyacinth felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. "Computer end program." The scene in front of them dissolved but just as they were breathing a sigh of relief it sprang to life again. "Let's try those holo emitters now. I'm no engineer so if you need help just point me in the right direction."

"Just breaking the emitters should do it. Where are they?" Barr asked glancing around the room.

With adrenaline still coursing through her veins, Lieutenant Sullivan hurled another bottle of grain alcohol towards the encroaching horrors. Through the flames, an almost imperceptible stutter occurred as if the same frame of a video had been played twice. A graphical glitch sparked an idea in her mind. "That's it!" she muttered to herself before standing up and addressing the others. "Everyone, the entire station is full of holo-emitters, but we've seen that the sections that aren't occupied are shut down when not in use to conserve processing power. We've got to overload whatever demonic central processor this station uses and that should give us the chance we need to destroy the emitters. Start breaking stuff! The more physics and collision calculations this hunk of junk has to do, the more overwhelmed it'll be!"

While they were discussing ways on what to do, Lily tapped on her commbadge "Dr. Marlow to the USS Majestic, do you copy? We've got a problem here. Majestic?"

There was a strange static sound coming from the commbadge. She tried to make contact once more. "Majestic, this is Dr. Marlow." once again the same strange static coming from the commbadge.

"We've got another problem, I can't raise the ship. There is a strange static sound instead. Do you think we are being jammed? I think we are." Lily stated, looking at the others. "We do need to get out of here."

"I concur," Lhaes said quietly as he studied the holographic zombies that were still coming their way. "Who here has computer expertise? Is there a way we can hack in to the system and make it unsee us?"

"We'd have to modify sensor data the station is receiving. That's difficult to do on a ship, let alone a station controlled by some sort of rogue AI." Orin replied as he continued to give the others flammable projectiles. "We'd have a better shot confusing the sensors." He tossed his comm badge on the bar. "We'd have to start with these, which are painting us with a target."

"Holographic enemies are the worst. Reprogramming or shutting them down would be the best way forward. Hitting them head on will get people killed." Barr commented as he looked to Commander Sommers.

Giving a sigh, Laural thought over the situation. Their best chance for survival would be to somehow access the hologrids program and shut it down, but accessing it from within without voice commands is going to be difficult. Moveing to stand beside Lily, she held out her hand, "can i have a look at that? i might be able to do something with it" she said, reaching up to her head and pulling out a pin from under her hair.

"Shutting them down might alert whoever controls the programs," Lhaes pointed out, "subtly reprogramming them might give us a better chance of survival."

T'Par tossed another incendiary device at a werewolf as it leaped through the air, causing an eight hundred pound mass of flaming, thrashing monster to crash to the floor. "If it is the case that holographic programs have become independent, then they will likely know what we are attempting in either case. Moreover, there will be emitters throughout the station. To properly reprogram them, we need an access point. I still recommend that we withdraw from this room. There is no logical reason to have this discussion while actively fighting monsters."

"I still think we can overwhelm the emitters and force a reboot, but T'Par is right," Sullivan nodded towards her friend. "It's not the time for the discussion. Let's move together and get everybody out of here, find an access point, and get back to the ship. I'll keep trying the raise the ship and get us transported out of here. It's about all I can do with one good arm." The ship's pilot gestured to the improvised sling immobilizing her injured limb. As she navigated her way towards the exit, the doors leading out of the bar slid open to reveal a dark, moonlit scene in place of the corridor she expected. Their path forward was blocked by a three meter tall hedgerow that seemed impenetrable except for a conveniently placed break in the greenery directly in front of the door.

"An actual maze?" Lieutenant Sullivan's incredulous look echoed her surprise. "I guess you were right. It looks like the program may be affecting the entire station."

"That is assuming we are actually leaving this room to begin with," Lhaes pointed out as he moved to the injured pilot's side, while taking out his Honour Blade. It was better than nothing, as he felt his kailune -which he also always carried- might be ineffective. "Does anyone have a tricorder?" he asked, feeling somewhat chagrined for not having brought his own. This was, after all, a holiday, what would he have needed one for?

"I left it in my other uniform." Quipped Herbert. It probably wasn't the time for jokes but he felt it needed to be said.

"I think we all did, Sir." Orin answered, kicking the legs out from a zombie, before twisting it around and jamming the pointed titanium trowel into the base of it's skull, severing the spine at the foramen magnum. "What use would we have for them during shore leave?" He wiped the gore on the thing's shirt. "I don't remember seeing any terminals in the area either."

"I have mine." Lily replied pulling said item out. "Here, hopefully this will help out." handing it to Lhaes. " I usually bring a kit with me even if I am off duty. You never know when something might happen." she gave a bit of a start when Orin dealt with the zombie.

The Romulan nodded. "That is a good habit to have," he said as he accepted the tricorder, examined it, then handed it back. "You may need this more than I do," he said, "though I would like you to keep scanning for anomalies. Also, see if these... creatures... show up on your scans."

"We'll need it if we do find an access panel," T'Par said. "Otherwise, that, too, might just be another hologram. However, I do believe whoever is behind this means to toy with us more than to kill us."

Barr was both shocked and impressed that Marlow had her tricorder. At least they could hopefully get somewhere with it

Lily looked over towards Barr, "Hi there, I haven't got to meet you as of yet, until now. I'm Lieutenant Lily Marlow. Glad to meet another member of the USS Majestic. And this is certainly an unusual way to meet someone. "


Lily looked back to the others. "Let's get out of here then, everyone in agreement?" she paused for a moment and looked at Lhaes. "Um... since you are the highest rank officer, do you agree?"

The Romulan nodded, turning his head sharply as his keen hearing picked up approaching footsteps which were meant to have been inaudible. He turned and stepped forward, pushing Lily away and putting himself in between whatever was approaching, and the chief medical officer.

Lhaes's quick action saved Lily, for a vampire had targeted the CMO as his victim. Instead of grabbing Lily, the vampire instead found himself in contact with the Romulan security chief. Snarling in rage at the loss of his original victim, he changed tactics and grappled the security chief, biting down.

Lily hit the floor with an "Oof!" twisted around to see what had happened, her eyes widening. "No!" she gasped out seeing what was transpiring.

Though physically strong himself, Lhaes was no match for the immortal vampire. He felt the fangs sink down into his skin, felt life drain from him as he had no chance to fight it off. He managed to throw his blade to Lily. "Go," he whispered faintly, "get them out."