Following the Evidence

Posted on Tue Feb 13th, 2024 @ 6:34pm by Lieutenant Commander Deanna Celes & Lieutenant Inara Senn & Ensign James Phoenix

Mission: Lost & Found
Location: USS Daystrom

It was relatively quiet on the bridge as Jon and Phoenix were searching the databases for any sort of clues and keeping tabs on Deanna and Inara. The engineering team had gotten main power back online and had reported that they would have the ship ready for warp flight again in a few hours. The weapons records showed that the ship hadn't been fired upon, nor had they powered up the weapons or even the shields recently.

Jon was reviewing data at the Ops station when he heard something behind him, from the primary science station. He assumed it was Phoenix but he looked up to check and saw a translucent being standing over the science station. It looked like a Vulcan wearing the traditional blue uniform. Jon was flabbergasted by what he saw. "Phoenix, are you seeing this?"

Phoenix looked up from the engineering station, where he had been looking over the engineering logs for the past few minutes. "I am sir" he raised an eyebrow as he looked at the being from across the bridge. He was as confused as Jon was. Phoenix carefully reached for his phaser and rested his hand on it in the event the being attacked. He didn't unholster it, due to the being resembling a Vulcan in a Science Uniform.

Jon decided to attempt to communicate with the entity. "I am Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson from the Federation Starship Washington. That is Ensign Phoenix. Who are you? Do you understand me?"

The Vulcan raised his eyebrow in usual Vulcan fashion. It began to speak, but nothing was audible.

Jon continued to attempt to communicate, "I can see you trying to speak, but you aren't saying anything audible."

Once more the Vulcan apparition attempted to speak, "...Solok, Science Officer and ...Daystrom. ...hear me?"

Jon glanced over at Phoenix and then back at the apparition. "Some of what you said was audible this time. Are you a ghost of some sort, or perhaps some sort of holographic projection?"

"...not deceased. We encountered strange magnesite readings and moved to investigate. ...disappeared first, then crew in living quart... sickbay and... last. I believe we... captured..." the Vulcan replied.

"Do you know what caused this to happen? Or what caused the magnesite readings?" Phoenix inquired to the Vulcan.

"Magnesite readings are naturally... field. ...those who cap... are called..." Solok replied.

"I didn't get all of that, but I've heard enough. We have an alien species hiding here someplace that is abducting people" Jon said sternly. He hit his comm badge, =^=Captain, we have encountered hostile activity over here. Shon has been captured and it appears that the hostiles seem to be someplace in this asteroid field. Suggest you raise shields at the minimum. =^=


*******


In sickbay, Deanna was cautiously scanning every millimeter of sickbay. She was paying close attention to the dust outline that looked like Shon's silhouette. She was angry at Shon for not waiting for her, angry with Inara for not following orders, and with herself for allowing things happen. She wasn't going to lose Shon. She was determined to find out what happened and retrieve her no matter what. She was detecting minute particle readings that were identical to the biogenic radiation field that had been detected before everything had gone sideways. The particles were mixed in with the dust silhouette, and Deanna was detecting what looked like a transporter trace.

Inara was busy scanning, but mostly she wanted to conceal her thoughts. Wondering if she was going to survive now. Slowing her mental voice to that of a quiet whisper. Now Shon had disappeared. Another person Inara was fond of... Gone... No matter, she didn't want to care anymore. She wanted people to distance themselves from her. 'As long as you do not get close, you can take anything. Feel less pain.' All she had to do was make people avoid her. What she only had... was her own pitiful life.'

Then there was that Prescence... curiosity... but not dangerous.

"Inara, come quickly. I require a second opinion. I am detecting a transporter trace for this dust silhouette of Shon. Confirm, and perhaps we can triangulate together" Deanna called out.

"Commander, this is incredible. A dust silhouette?" Inara noted. "Commander, in the practice of science, when we're trying to take a sample, we try to take what is known as a clean sample. That means no dust, no bacteria. Nothing from what I understand here, I'm afraid Shon was taken as a 'clean sample,' as this transporter... it's designed to have a very precise annular confinement beam."

Deanna ignored the snark and sarcasm. She'd deal with Inara later, though she wasn't above tossing out a barb or two herself. "My, you are right. It must have slipped past my addled scientist mind during all that other training I did at the Academy. Of course, for all that I may have lost, I still managed to detect the static charge that created this silhouette, which means the transporter technology being used is on par with a tesseract generator. I assume you know and understand that technology, correct lieutenant?" Deanna gave herself an internal high five while hiding any trace of a smirk or smile. "Now, if you please, let's synch our tricorders and see if we can detect anything else that might allow us to trace back the origin of the transporter beam, or perhaps the destination."

Inara gave no overt reaction but flipped open her tricorder and began to sync her tricorder. "You do know she might be dead by now, Commander?"

"She may have been transformed into a poodle. I'm not jumping to any conclusions with her. I thought you liked evidence?" Deanna replied somewhat sarcastically.