Psionic Monster Hunt, Part 1

Posted on Sat Jun 4, 2016 @ 2:25pm by Commander Caden Aldrex & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Liam Reynolds & Lieutenant Annora Tessaro & Captain Maritza Soran

1,604 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: Deck 884/Soran's office
Timeline: MD14 1100

::ON::

"Dell to Commander Aldrex, Commander Ryan." Leonora opened the channel to both. She didn't want to say this twice. "I've not found Commander Soran yet, but we found the same bio-electric field in her office that was found on the murder victims. We're also picking up some of the particles that made up those fields on Deck 884." There was a pause. "That’s access to the primary generators."

Aldrex was already on the move with two security personnel flanking him. He tapped his combadge. "Aldrex to Dell. Evacuate all personnel from both decks and erect a modulating frequency force field around Soran's office. All available security personnel converge to that location now!"

Back from the mysterious planet, Annora was met with the news of a series of mysterious murders across the station, including a security guard. Patrols had been stepped up, but so far no one had found anything of consequence. She was interviewing a merchant who swore he had information when the call came in for reinforcements. Thankful for the distraction, as the interview was going nowhere, she took her leave. Requesting a site-to-site transport, she was soon outside the force field protecting the office. The door was closed, and nothing could be heard inside. The panel was showing a small green light. The door wasn't even locked.

Cade looked at the small green light and drew a deep breath. He touched his communicator. "Aldrex to Lieutenant Reynolds. Where are you?"

"In my office, Commander," Liam answered. "Can I help you with anything?"

“Transporter Room 84,” Caleb Ryan said as he came up with a phalanx of security guards. He motioned for them to fan out around the door. “Beam Lieutenant Reynolds to our location right now.”

Caleb looked to the others. “We’re sure this thing can’t get through force fields?” he asked. “If this is the creature, did Science figure out a way to contain it? Or kill it?”

"The answers to all of the above are no," Cade said.

As the senior officers figured out what to do, one of the newly arrived security officers handed Annora a rifle. Without knowing just what they were up against, it was best to air on the side of caution when it came to firepower.

Liam had no warning. He had been sat down at his desk and suddenly he was in a transporter beam. With no support underneath him upon arrival, he promptly fell down. Several people who he recognized as security was standing around and feeling very anxious. Managing to get to his feet again, he found the Caleb's face. "Care to clue me in, Chief?"

"Sorry, Liam," Cade said. "We think our Promenade killer is in Soran's office. Is there any way you can confirm that with your empathic abilities?" He hoped Liam would be able to help them somehow. As he'd already told Caleb, he didn't know if force fields would hold it, or if their weapons would even put a scratch on it.

Liam nodded. He wasn't overtly happy about the idea of being anywhere near that woman and that "thing" again and felt somewhat like bait now, but this thing needed to be caught. With his senses returning, he pushed out his abilities and he could sense it, the darkness again, the anger. He hoped to the goddesses it wouldn't notice him.

"You got Amia on ready to keep me alive if it starts bouncing me back and forth like a ping pong ball again?" he quipped. "There is the same presence in that direction." He wondered where Soran was. Was she in there too? This being was masking any sense he could get of the Trill women. "I can't sense Commander Soran."

“We have a plan?” Caleb asked. If they couldn’t contain it and couldn’t kill it, what could they do? “If Soran is hostin’ it, maybe if we stun her enough it will leave her. Is there a way ya can make it visible? A…psionic resonance or somethin’ that will light it up, so we have somethin’ ta shoot at?” he asked Liam.

Caleb looked back at the other security. “Try and stay between it and the door. Ah’m hopin’ it can’t pass through the bulkheads, but Ah’d like it contained in the quarters an’ not out loose if possible. Once we’re inside, seal the door behind us,” he told the officer standing beside the panel. “Full force fields.” To the ones going in, he said, “Create a kill box, but don’t line up ta get hit by friendlies.”

Cade tapped his combadge. "Aldrex to senior science officer on duty. Stand by to be beamed to my location."

Liam was musing over Caleb’s question. "Not physically, I don't think. I'm not sure. Not by myself anyway. I'm only half Betazoid. My abilities are limited." He spotted a Vulcan on the security staff and waved him over. "Ensign, can you sense it too?" he asked. At the curt nod he carried on thinking. If they worked together, both telepathically sensing it and him following the emotions. No, they needed more than two people to triangulate it.

"We need more telepaths and people with psi abilities," he told the Texan. The Vulcan nodded in agreement.

“Okay,” Caleb mused. He tapped his comm and called a few more security officers, Betazoids and Vulcans, to their location.

With her superior on scene, Annora hung back a little and observed the situation. She had no experience in hunting psionic aliens. For the moment all she could do was guard the scene, rifle at the ready, in case someone tried something. When talk turned to stunning the likely unwilling host, Annora felt more in her element.

"Sirs, perhaps we could launch a stun grenade into the room prior to entering?"

"Would it even have an effect on a non-corporeal lifeform?" Cade wondered aloud.

"I don't think so," Liam said. "Unless you’re right and it’s linked to and fed enough off Commander Soran to get some proper form. Somehow."

The part-Betaziod didn't even understand the physics of that, but it had been known to happen. "I was thinking," he continued, "if we all link telepathically and project an image out you would all be able to see it. We try to fight it back," he pointed at his head, "get it in your trap box. Then you hit it with that radiation stuff."

"I'm also hoping with lots of us, there will be too many people keeping it busy that no one gets seriously hurt or thrown around. But it’s a theory," Liam said firmly. And likely a dangerous one for the telepathic people. They didn't know how powerful this thing was. But saying that, it was all he had.

“Stun grenade is a good idea, Lieutenant,” Caleb said to Annora. “At the very least, it could take Commander Soran out of the equation. We won’t need ta worry about her getting caught in the crossfire, or if it’s controlling her. Have someone requisition a couple from the armory,” he said.

Meanwhile, a science officer was the next to appear in a transporter beam a few steps away. He saw Cade and immediately presented himself. "Scofield, xenobiology, sir."

"Welcome, Ensign," Cade said. "We think we have our Promenade killer cornered in there. Whip out your tricorder and tell us something useful."

"Aye, sir," Scofield said, flipping open his tricorder. After making a few adjustments to the settings he looked at the faces around him and nodded. "I am reading heightened energy emissions in there."

That was all Cade needed to know. He tapped his combadge. "Aldrex to Ops. Sweep Commander Soran's office with baryon particles now."

"Aye, Commander.

For the next several seconds they heard the sharp, crackling electrical buzz of baryon particles bombarding the room on the other side of the door. Then it stopped.

Cade took a deep breath. If there was ever a time to go in this was it. He borrowed a holstered phaser from a security man who was already holding a rifle. "Okay, let's go."

Liam got behind some security people, knowing full well the chief would insist on them going in first. He was more concerned with seeking out and connecting together with the other telepaths’ minds. It had been awhile since he had had to use this skill. Luckily it was… what was the human phrase? Like riding a bicycle. It came back pretty quick. What he wasn't expecting was once that door opened and they all started trying to reach out with their senses to push the alien and force an image to take shape so it could be seen, there was no alien. Several confused thoughts passed between all the telepaths until one of the Vulcan's managed to make the correct call. It was an echo.

"Sir's there's nothing here," Liam finally said out loud once all of them linked together came to the same agreed conclusion. "It’s an imprint. An echo. This thing is more powerful and has more intelligence that we gave it credit for. Either it’s a trap or it’s a diversion."

"Dammit," Cade muttered, looking around the empty room. "Since we're not dead I'll assume diversion." That left one other option on the list. "We need to beam down to the primary generators. Right now."

Which was when the replicator exploded. spewing out shards of components and broken glass.

[TBC...]


Lt. Cmdr. Caden Aldrex
XO

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
Chief Diplomatic Officer

Commander Caleb Ryan
Chief Security/Tactical Officer

 

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