Strange Encounters

Posted on Sat Feb 17th, 2024 @ 1:13pm by Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T’ghann-Travis Dr & Captain Shran dh'Klar
Edited on on Sat Feb 17th, 2024 @ 7:38pm

Mission: Lost & Found
Location: Alien Facility

The darkness cleared and Shon found herself in what appeared to be a lab atop an examination table or perhaps a pod. A bright white light shone in her face making it difficult to see, and she was restrained by a field of some sort. She could hear voices speaking in a language that her universal translator was unable to translate and could hear scanning devices being used along with feeling hands gripping her body.

Shon felt again as though she was flying, unable to move she could see nothing but the lights. She tried to speak, tried to focus as slowly she could see faces, many of them, all species she knew but as the faces faded in and out it was difficult to recognize individual faces. Then she heard sounds that seemed to extend from the darkness which had taken the place of the bright lights.

Strange clicking sounds that were somehow soothing began to surround her as she felt a presence around her pressing, touching her body, her face, the touch of something cold like metal on her arm. Shon tried to struggle and lost her Vulcan composure. Immediately she found she could struggle and hit out into the blackness, her hand connecting with something that felt like an arm. She grabbed on tight sensing whoever, whatever it was beginning to panic. The clicking began again, louder this time. She realized her universal translator was useless the sounds were so alien.

She began to float once again losing her grip on whatever, whoever it was. She began to shout as the nebulous darkness surrounded her once again. She felt drowsy and knew she had been given something that had a calming effect on her. Shon's last conscious thought was for her Captain and the crew as she appeared in exactly the same place she had left, the floor in sickbay.

The aliens continued to talk to one another, the clicking speech seeming much more rushed, filled with emotion now. It was as if something had gone wrong, or perhaps they had encountered something truly foreign to them that they didn't know how to deal with. Shon remained conscious despite the pharmaceuticals they were putting into her system. That seemed to be the issue at present that had the aliens agitated, panicked. Something about her physiology was causing them problems.

Shon’s logical mind told her that whoever, whatever this was it had something to do with the deserted ship. She wished she could understand them and wondered why the translator was not working. Maybe there is something faulty or, maybe the language, the clicks, had no syntax? She closed her eyes letting a simple Vulcan mantra flood her being trying to make some kind of contact with their minds. She felt whatever drugs they had pumped into her system begin to dissipate and then…..then she could feel the panic inside them. They were scared, a feeling that, as a sentient being she could understand. Then she began to click her tongue touching her palate. Just maybe she could make herself understood.

The aliens continued to work on Shon as they "spoke" to one another. When she made a click herself, they all stopped and starred at her. They were confused regarding her. They didn't understand telepathy, didn't even realize it existed honestly. A Betazoid would likely terrify them. But it was her unique physiology that seemed to be at the root of the dilemma they faced at the moment. She wasn't the first Vulcan they had encountered, but she was only half Vulcan. Her other half, the Risian, that was foreign, and even more so, the fact that she was a hybrid. They had encountered other hybrids, but none like Shon, and standard methods were proving unsuccessful. They might even consider something rash if the situation didn't improve quickly, and one of them already was thinking rashly, considering increasing power to the stasis field and simply suspending animation without putting Shon under first. And of all the ironies, in his mind, he was justifying it in the name of science.

Shon's mind was beginning to drift, and it was becoming harder to concentrate. It was as though something was being forced out of her. Her mind took her to some of the times of her life and she began to sink into dreams. Suddenly she was pulled back with almost a sucking sensation. She began to try communicating again with the aliens, mimicking their clicks and trying to change them into words she could express. Hell, she didn't even know if they even knew she was a sentient being. Then the sounds stopped suddenly, and she was floating over her own body looking down. The aliens seemed to be panicking. Shon herself felt a peace like she had never known. Her mind travelled to Vulcan and her brother's funeral as she remembered the V'ar'N ritual for the dead where the katra was separated.

She studied the aliens dispassionately, short and squat with larger heads out of sync with the rest of their bodies. Their fingers were especially long as they touched her head with instruments. She had no idea what they were and for a moment her doctor's mind showed an interest in them. Their clicks began to make sense to her as she watched them communicate with each other. They released the stasis field.

"Do you understand our language?" one asked.

Shon stretched realizing the stasis field had been deactivated. She desperately wanted to get up, to stretch but decide her doing so might cause panic. Her knowledge of the syntax of the clicks was transferring itself to the universal translator. Whilst there were still many words and phrases she could not understand, she was now able to communicate. "Yes, I can understand you. We have a device called a universal translator that can make us understand. However, your language was unrecognizable to us. My name is Shoniara and I am a doctor, a healer."

"You are somewhat alien to us. You are partially made up of the genome of the green blooded creatures with the pointy audio receptors. But the other part of your genome, it is of a species we have not encountered before, and the totality of your genetic makeup does not allow us to carefully place you into stasis for examination."

Shon smiled despite herself. "I am half Vulcan with the genome for pointy ears but my other half is Risan. Our species can be made up of many genomes." she sat up slowly. "There is no need to put us in stasis to study us. I am sure you do not want to be cruel. We do not like to be confined, it frightens us." she gently sat up. "Who are you?" she asked.

"We are called the Hereshi. You speak strangely. You act as if you have an untethered consciousness. Are you not one?"

Shon nodded, "I have not yet learnt to take control of my consciousness because of my mixed heritage. My race the Vulcans are able to control their consciousness to varying degrees, I am not fully Vulcan though half of my consciousness is untethered."

"The queen hears all. Our minds are one. It is the natural order. It is how things are. Your species seems strange, having different genomes for different stations. Your culture must be quite complex, especially if you allow those in different stations to intermingle."

Shon stood, "the queen?" she parroted, thoughts of the Borg came unbidden. "Our cultures are improved, blended if you will. There are thousands of cultures." Shon knew she had to be careful, not to give too much information away. Our reason for being out in space is to seek new cultures, explore the galaxy, make new friends. We do not wish to hurt anyone, but we have the capability to defend ourselves if needed. The differences between us makes us stronger, we mate to procreate. How do you procreate?"

"Cultures?" questioned the alien. "Open exploration? Mating? Procreation via intermingling. No, this won't do." The alien was seeming quite cross.

Shon sighed; communication was becoming more difficult. "Surely it is within the boundaries of an advanced civilization to explore the differences without making decisions as to what is wrong and right. Now, I am tired of this, release me and the others you have, and we can go from there?" Shon rested back on the bed. "There will be others coming, our race does not take lightly the imprisonment of other] races, whatever the reason. I will rest now." Her mind, somewhat overwhelmed shut down the neuronal communication and she slept.

The aliens began to discuss. While Shon might've intended to put them at ease, her discussion had most certainly had the opposite effect.