Topic: The Promise  (Read 22047 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
The Promise
« on: September 17, 2007, 04:42:19 pm »
"Captain's log, Stardate 6817:

The Outrider is in orbit around the water planet Lunien.  A recent probe of the system detected energy readings on this previously thought to be uninhabited world.  We've been ordered to investigate."
« Last Edit: September 26, 2007, 03:00:18 am by kadh2000 »
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline Scottish Andy

  • First Officer of the Good Ship Kusanagi
  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1086
  • Gender: Male
  • New and improved.
    • Starbase 23
Re: The Promise
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2007, 12:00:05 pm »
I'm assuming this is the start of another story to be told along the same lines and format as 'Derelict'. Always a good idea to have a few different stories on the go. Get tired of or feel uninspired with one, go to another.

Hope you're feeling better, Kadh. Remember, you don't have to be "the Inpenetrable" on here. ;)


Edit: Unless you happen to be like my pal and think that all our personal data and stuff that we load into facebook or myspace (or whatever your online habit is) is scanned, collected, collated and analysed by the CIA, or Muzzie terrorists (or whomever your personal boogeyman is).

Then you'll be a bit more circumspect.  ;D

Then again, if you believe the above, you also probably have all your money in your mattress.  :D
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

The Senior Service rocks! Rule, Britannia!

The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

2288

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Re: The Promise
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2007, 11:19:00 pm »
So sorry.  I should have read the post instead of logging out after making it.  There were a few thousand words in the original.  This one, fortunately, is written out, so I just need to locate and upload it again. 

How did you know about my mattress?
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Promise
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2007, 11:54:54 pm »
Edit: Unless you happen to be like my pal and think that all our personal data and stuff that we load into facebook or myspace (or whatever your online habit is) is scanned, collected, collated and analysed by the CIA, or Muzzie terrorists (or whomever your personal boogeyman is).

The more they read, the more they shall fear me!
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
The Promise: Prologue
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2007, 01:51:34 am »
[This piece is somewhat derivative of another source.  I'll post that source when I'm finished.  I've always wanted to write one of these....]

Taylor ‘Samurai’ Kensington finished his short log entry.  The science vessel was, in his mind, the perfect choice to investigate a first contact situation.  At least he hoped that was what they were facing.  The Outrider was on the edge of the Federation, coreward and away from Kzinti or Gorn space.  As far as he knew, anyone they met out here would be new.

His Deltan helmswoman looked up from her station now that he had finished speaking.  “Captain, we have achieved orbit and will be over the energy source in thirty seconds.  I will maintain position over it.”

“Very good,” he answered.  “Mr. Ryogo?”

The science officer smiled, exasperated.  For whatever reason, the captain seemed incapable of separating his first name from his last.  “Hydroelectric power source.  Given its location, self-sustaining.  More than sufficient for the operation of the apparent size of the facility.”  He returned his attention to his scanner as the Outrider reached ideal position.

“On screen,” the captain said and a small dot appeared in the blue ocean.  As the ops officer increased magnification, it grew into an island dominated by a large dome surrounded by several buildings.  Vegetation grew around the facility in an orderly fashion and sandy beaches trailed into the ocean.  An artificial harbor near one of the buildings was unoccupied by any vessel. There was a wide flat space marked in such a way that Kensington guessed it was a landing site for aerial vehicles.  The island was clearly artificial.  The angles were too regular, the shape too balanced. 

Kaburaki Ryogo glanced at a secondary console which confirmed his preliminary analysis.  “The island appears to be a support platform for an underwater facility.  It appears to be uninhabited, but life-form readings are inconclusive.  There is no sign of any technology that would indicate space-faring capability.  Clearly, however, all systems are currently receiving power from the generators below.”

Kensington stood up from his chair.  “Let’s go check it out.  Mr. Kaburaki, you’re with me.  Ops, have Dr. Young, Medea, and one of those Starfleet security people meet us in transporter room one.”

Three women were waiting for the pair from the bridge when they reached the transporter room.   Dr. Young’s name described her appearance.  She was short, willowy, and blonde.  How she could possibly be a doctor, let alone an archeologist, was beyond Kensington.  Medea Firien was even worse.  The girl was a student at the Federation Science Academy and her year of field research had placed her on the Outrider.  Given that there were no life signs on the planet, he felt it was safe to include her in the away team.  The final person was one he didn’t know.  She was tall, dark-haired, and had an aura of inapproachability that daunted even him.  She was also the only one of them in a formal uniform: the red shirt of Starfleet Security.

He thought briefly about approaching her, but was put off by her sudden glare.  Instead he ordered the party onto the transporter pad.  It wasn’t until the golden aura of the transporter beam surrounded them that Taylor Kensington realized he should have replaced her with someone more personable.

The group appeared in a grassy clearing between several of the buildings.  The dome was closest, but a gated fence barred their approach.  As Kensington looked around, he noted that Dr. Young was already scanning with her tricorder and the Starfleet crewman was already walking toward the gate.  “The only source of power is that way,” reported the archaeologist, pointing toward the dome.  The girl in uniform stopped at the gate, which opened silently before her.  At the same moment, a pair of doors slid apart in on the side of the dome facing them.

The Starfleet crewman started forward and Kensington had to hurry to put himself in the forefront of their small group.  “If there’s something hostile, I should go first,” she said.  Surprised that she had a reason, Kensington nodded and let her take the lead.  He noted that she did not draw her weapon as she entered the building.
She halted a step later.   “What is it?” Kensington asked. 

“I can’t read it,” she replied without looking back.

“Let me see,” said Dr. Young, stepping forward.  In front of the Starfleet crewman was a bowl on a pedestal.  Inside the bowl were several of what Kensington guessed to be earpieces of some sort.  Dr. Young scanned the pedestal and its sign with her tricorder.  “The language is similar to Suliban, a dead language.  It reads ‘Take one pair’.  They appear to have a computer chip in them and also a sound filter.”  She reached into the bowl and removed a pair of the earpieces.  The woman in the red shirt followed suit and the others quickly followed suit as well.  Dr. Young held one up to her ear and shrugged before leaving it in her hand.  Medea stuck one in each ear as soon as she touched them. 

“Are you alright?” the Starfleet crewman asked her.  The girl nodded happily, and Kensington sighed with relief.  At that moment, the outline of a large gate appeared before them and opened.  Beyond was a circular room that was without ornamentation.  The first thing Kensington noticed was that it was well lit.  The second thing he noticed was a woman who came into the room from a door on the opposite side of the dome. 

“Dr. Young?” he asked in surprise. 

“She’s a holographic projection,” the archaeologist answered.  “There’s a projector in the center of the ceiling.”

“Hello everybody!” the hologram said.  Kensington was surprised that he understood it.  At the sound of her voice though, the gate behind them closed.  The Starfleet crewman raced back to it but there was no sign of a way to open it from the inside.  Even then, to her credit, she did not draw her phaser.

Kensington said, “Relax everybody.  Let’s find out what’s going on before we panic.”  He looked again at the holographic woman.  He noticed that she was human, which hadn’t seemed surprising until he thought about it.  Her dress, white with electric blue trimming, was what he would call ‘flashy.’  It was surprisingly revealing.

“What, no reaction?” the hologram asked.  “I’ll try that again.  Hello everybody!”

“Hello!”Medea answered enthusiastically.  Kensington wasn’t surprised to see that it was her that returned the greeting.

“It seems we have a girl with some spunk!” the hologram replied.  “What’s your name?”

“Medea Firien,” the girl replied.  “M-E-D-E-A!  These are my fellow crewmen of the USS Outrider.”  She waved her hand, indicating the rest of the away team.

“So, Medea, how many times have you and your crewmen been to Utopia?” the hologram asked.

Kensington considered interrupting and saw that Dr. Young was thinking the same.  His science officer had an amused smile on his face and the security crewman, crewwoman perhaps was her rank officially, had an expression that could only be called annoyed.  Neither seemed likely to speak.  He raised his hand, signaling the archaeologist to hold off her questions.

“One, two, three, four, five…” Medea began counting aloud while she ticked off on her fingers.  It struck Kensington that there was a method to her interactions with the holographic person.  She was providing it with samples of their language and numbers.  He wasn’t sure it was necessary, given that it had begun speaking to them first.  “This is our first time.”

The holographic woman giggled.  “Aren’t you a funny girl?”

“I get that a lot,” Medea replied. “Do you want me to do something even funnier?  I just learned a joke the other day.”

The holographic woman paused for just an instant before speaking.  “Perhaps another time.  Right now I need to tell everyone some things.”

“Okay then,” Medea said and nodded.  “I’ll hold you to that later time, though.”

“Ah,” the hologram answered.  “Now, let me welcome you on behalf of the Utopia marine theme park.  I’d like to thank you very much for coming.  This talk is a brief explanation of the park as well as a way to suggest a few things to look for during your visit.

“First off, this room is a compression chamber.  We will have to remain here for twenty minutes… seventeen now.  So please bear with me.  Let me begin by explaining about this room.”

Ryoko already had out his own tricorder, which he had opened as soon as she had mentioned that it was a compression chamber.  “Confirmed, Talyor.  They’re increasing the pressure in this room.  At the rate they’re doing it, we’ll be at six atmospheres by the time we’re done.”

“Should we get the Outrider to transport us out?”

The scientist shook his head.  “We are here to investigate, aren’t we?”

Kensington nodded and turned his attention back to the hologram.  He noticed that the others had inserted their earplugs.  He quickly followed suit.
“…at a depth of between fifteen and fifty meters.  As you can see, the structure is divided into four layers.  The first, where you are standing, is our artificial island, cleverly called ‘Island Zero’.  Below are the main floor, and the second and third basements.”  A holographic structure, showing the island where they stood and three layers of the underwater facility had appeared next to the hostess.  “Are there any questions?”

“I have two,” Kensington said.  “First, what is your name, if you have one?”

The hologram actually flushed.  He thought that the program that was generating it was very sophisticated.  More so than current Federation artificial intelligence programs.   “I’m sorry.  I was so excited to have visitors that I forgot to introduce myself.  My name is Heaven.  I am the assistant chief engineer.  What is your second question?”

“You said we’re being accommodated for six atmospheres.  Why is that necessary?”

“At its maximum depth, Utopia receives six atmospheres of pressure from the outside.  Since the facility is built to a saturation diving specification, it is necessary to adjust visitors’ bodies to accommodate that pressure.  Now, if I may continue?”  Kensington nodded.

“Let me explain your earpieces.  They are voice alternators.  Since we’re using helium gas to adjust the pressure, you would have a difficult time understanding one another without them.  So please leave them in place for the duration of your visit.”  Kensington couldn’t resist and removed his earplugs.  He noticed the speech suddenly rose in pitch.  It reminded him of the way Donald Duck talked in cartoons.  He quickly replaced them in his ears.

“…and that concludes your introduction.  In approximately one minute the doors will open and you will enter into Utopia.  Just beyond the gate is an elevator, at the bottom of which you will find our paradise.  Enjoy Utopia to your heart’s content.”  With that the hologram vanished.

The group seemed to let out a collective sigh, as if they had all been under some spell.  “That was interesting,” Ryogo said.  Ahead of them, the door opened onto a brightly lit corridor.  Moving walkways on either side of the corridor would allow them to move about without much use of their legs.  Kensington noted there were still no windows.  For a utopia it looked very sanitary.  He tried to imagine it full of what he could only call tourists.

The Starfleet crewman was already walking down the center of the corridor.  She was right of course.  They had no other choice but to take the elevator down.  With a gesture, he signaled the others to follow and again hurried after her.  He was going to have to ask her name at some point.

The five of them entered the elevator.  It immediately began sinking.  “We should split up and explore the facility.  Ryogo, take Dr. Young and Medea and explore the first level.  Starfleet and I will take the second.  We’ll both do the bottom layer and then meet at the elevator there.  In the meantime I should contact the ship.”  He detached his communicator from his belt and flipped it open.  There was no telltale beep of it activating.

“You weren’t paying attention,” Dr. Young chided.  “External communications devices don’t work here.  It’s supposed to enhance the visitor’s experience to not be distracted.”

“They can block a communicator?” Ryogo said, clearly also surprised.  “That’s more advanced than I expected.”

“Clearly in some areas,” Kensington said, “there technology is more advanced than in others.  If we see that hologram again, or another, we’ll need to ask some questions.” He grimly added, “I’ve got more than two waiting to be asked now.”

“Definitely,” his science officer agreed.  “Until then, we’d best follow our plan.”

The door opened and the five of them exited onto the main floor.  The Starfleet crewman quickly walked to an elevator on one side of the corridor and pressed a button.  The other three headed off down the main route into the facility proper.   When the door opened, the woman stepped in without looking back.  Kensington hurried in after her.  “Who are you? Why are you here? Are you following me?” she asked him.  Her expression looked completely serious.

“Who am I?” he asked indignantly.  “Who are you?  I’m the Captain is who I am and I want to know your name!”

“Private Pamuya Kalashiavu, Starfleet marines,” she said.

“Oh,” Kensington said in surprise.  He decided he’d have to study Starfleet ranks a little more.   As he was mulling her rank, there was a boom and the elevator shook and came to a sudden stop.  The lights flickered.  “What was that?” he asked, alarmed.

“It couldn’t be…” Private Kalashiavu started.

“Couldn’t be what?” Kensington asked.  He ignored the slight quaver in his voice.  Suddenly an alarm began to ring.  “Do you know something?  How could you?”

“I don’t know anything,” she said softly.  “Do you?”

“How could I know anything?” Kensington asked, suddenly taken by the absurdity of the situation.  He couldn’t help but laugh and she looked at him sharply.  Then he couldn’t see her because the lights went out.  “Is there someone out there?”  He shouted, but there was no answer.  “I’m still here!  I’m stuck in here.”

“We.  We’re still here,” Private Kalashiavu said softly.

Claustrophobia, unexpectedly, was overwhelming him and he ignored her.  “Somebody get me out of here!”  Sound died away and there was no answer.  All he could hear was heavy, repetitive breathing.  His own heart was racing and his ears were ringing.  His lungs felt like they were expanding with pressure from the inside and he felt queasy and dizzy.

“The air pressure is dropping,” the private said, in a soft calm voice.  Her words brought him back to reality and he quickly popped his ear drums. 

Back in control and grateful for the darkness, Kensington tried to make a joke to ease the situation.  “Now, which way is the exit?”  She didn’t reply.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2007, 02:54:25 am by kadh2000 »
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Re: The Promise
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2007, 11:52:32 pm »
I got five more chapters of this that I'm going to post any way so y'all might as well comment.  Hecki, it might even make them better.
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline Czar Mohab

  • Faith manages.
  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 564
  • Gender: Male
  • Chewie - Go jiggle the handle!
Re: The Promise
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2007, 01:46:12 am »
Honestly, seeing you post just the teaser that you did kept me in enough suspence. Sad to hear it was accidental, but it was a nice teaser none the less.

Your work, as always, is great.

Czar "Must have more" Mohab
US Navy Veteran - Proud to Serve
Submariners Do It Underwater - Nukes Do It Back Aft - Pride Runs Deep
Have you thanked a Vet lately?

Subaru Owners Do It Horizontally Opposed!
Proud Owner - '08 WRX - '03 Baja - '98 Legacy

Offline Commander La'ra

  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 2435
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Promise
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2007, 11:26:57 am »
More.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Re: The Promise
« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2007, 10:05:45 pm »
[A short bit, but more coming this weekend.]

"Amy, we've got something on the long range sensors," said the man who had placed Ryogo at the science station. 

The blonde woman looked up from her position at Ops.  "Show it on the viewer."  It was a ship.  A few moments of queries to the database came up with 'unknown configuration,' which was the computer's way of saying it was probably a private merchant ship.   "How long until it gets here?" she asked him.

"Seventeen minutes."  She blinked.  Their scout sensors were as good as starfleet's.  There had to be some mistake.  "The ship is traveling at warp 9.35." 

She she gave the comm button a hard jab.  "Outrider to away team.  Please respond."  There was no response.  "Anything on sensors?"

"There's been no sign of them since they entered the central dome.  Wait, explosive decompression of the underater facility.  It's venting helium into the atmosphere."

"Any danger to the structural integrity of the facility?"  Her entire attention was focused on her own station now.  Despite her best efforts there seemed to be no way to communicate with the landing party or to beam them up.  "Anything else on our visitor?"

"His weapons are hot.  It's a warship of some type."  The man shrugged.  Although Amy couldn't see it, she could feel it in his tone.  "Sorry, I can't tell you more."

"Okay," she replied.  "Let's see if he'll talk to us."  She opened up a communication's channel to the oncoming ship.  There was a harsh squeal from the bridge speakers and a Klingon in battle dress appeared on the viewer.

"This planet is property of the Klingon Empire," he said before she could speak.  "If your ship remains in orbit when we arrive, we will destroy it."  He gestured sharply and the link was severed.

"We can't abandon Sam'rai to those dogs!" someone said.

"We don't have much choice," she answered resignedly.  "Let's hope there's a Starfleet ship somewhere reasonably close.  I'm taking us out of here."  She gave the order to the Deltan on her left to break orbit. There was no disagreement this time and the Outrider rose away from the planet.
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline Governor Ronjar

  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 830
  • Gender: Male
  • 'None Farther...'
Re: The Promise
« Reply #9 on: October 24, 2007, 08:41:14 pm »
Am liking much!

Not finished yet, but am working on it.

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Scottish Andy

  • First Officer of the Good Ship Kusanagi
  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1086
  • Gender: Male
  • New and improved.
    • Starbase 23
Re: The Promise
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2007, 07:26:13 pm »
Okay, that was interesting! Told in the usual Kadh style, this little piece already has enough meat on it to whet the appetite with a scent of mystery that leaves me salivating for more.

Well, maybe that was a little overly poetic, but I'm still eager to read the rest, regardless.

Possible covert ops mission under the guise of a civilian scientific investigation;
A marine on a science vessel who knows more than she's telling;
A skimpily-dressed female welcome hologram on an apparently deserted and untouched theme park planet in unclaimed space...
...that just happens to be claimed by the Klingons

Curiouser and curiouser.

One nitpick: if this is a non-Starfleet vessel, she should probably be the SS Outrider instead of USS.

Best line:
Quote
He was going to have to ask her name at some point.

Interested to see how the team fare without their ship, and how they'll react when they find there is no ship, and Klingons in their place.
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

The Senior Service rocks! Rule, Britannia!

The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

2288

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Re: The Promise
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2007, 12:24:07 am »
This is not on hold.  It's in editing.  SA: The ship name is correct.  (to be made clear much later in the story).  Good catch on the apparent inconsistency though.
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Chapter One: In Deep
« Reply #12 on: February 16, 2008, 11:23:08 pm »
Sound died away and he was in the embrace of unbelievably pure silence.  Not even a beam of light pierced the darkness.  “We’ve got to find them,” Kensington said quietly.  He reached for the wall, felt around until his fingers encountered a slightly raised panel.  He found the handle and jerked on it.  The panel opened with a loud pop.  A faint red glow came from within the panel.  He couldn’t read what it said, but there were three buttons.  He tried them one by one.  The first two got no reaction.  There was a faint click from the wall when he pushed the third.  He hoped it was a mechanism for releasing the doors.  He could see their outline in the dim light and began to try to push them apart.  The Starfleet girl joined him and they slowly forced the doors open.

The corridor outside was lit brightly and he blinked a few times before he could see.  A voice, female and mechanical, said a few words in a language he didn’t recognize.  He looked at the private and she shook her head slightly.  She looked a little tired and he asked, “Hey, are you alive?”

“Yes,” she said and crossed her arms in front of her.  He flipped open his communicator, but there was still no response from it.  He listened for a moment then, hoping to hear the others.  There was no sound, save for the muffled sound of water flowing somewhere.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, despondently, more to himself than her. 

The private sighed.  “I don’t… know,” she said slowly.

“Well then, let’s go see if we can find anyone else.”  They stepped out into the corridor and the doors of the elevator closed behind them, but there was no sign of it moving to another level.  Walking cautiously, they reached the point where a pair of heavy steel doors had sealed off the corridor ahead.  They retreated to the elevator room and consulted the floor plan there.    It revealed they were on the bottom level.  They picked the largest room and went to see what it was.

The largest space on that level seemed to be some sort of rest area.  Benches and flowers lined most of the walls.  Four female human statues lined the other.  Tall columns that fell short of the ceiling surrounded a steel grid work section in the middle of the floor.  Kensington guessed that at some point the water beneath had been visible, but the view had been sealed off due to whatever emergency had trapped them in the elevator.    A mess of bags, wrapping paper, a pair of shoes, and other items were scattered across the floor.  There was no one there.

Kensington could not help it and an empty laugh escaped him.  “I wonder if this area was under construction when this place was abandoned.  That’s probably why nobody’s here.  Yeah, I’ll bet that’s why.”   Private Kalashiavu gave him an odd look.

He shook his head.  “Let’s just try the next place.”  They found the next corridor blocked by a heavy closed door.  “Can’t we get this door open?”

“I don’t think so,” she said.  “I don’t see a switch.”  Turning back, they chose another corridor and walked along it.  Kensington had a brief sensation of being a rat trapped in a maze trying to find the cheese at the end of it.  He kept the feeling to himself, as his companion already thought he was a bit off.

Eventually they found an open doorway and entered the room.  There appeared to be some sort of food bar.  It was, of course, empty, and there was no sign of any food.  There was a mechanical hum of some machinery operating from behind the public area of the kiosk.  He peaked into the back and found it was a kitchen of some type.  “Hey mister,” he said, “I’ll take two of the sandwiches that are half price on weekdays.”  Then he sighed for his companion’s benefit.  “If only someone were here.”  Louder, he added.  “Looks like the operator ran off and left his stand.  Doesn’t he have any pride?  Oh well, there aren’t any other customers here.  Business isn’t exactly booming, is it?”

Pamuya just glared at him, so he said, “I’m hungry.  I wasted too much energy walking around.  Everyone else is off somewhere and I don’t know where.”   Jokingly he added, “Don’t you think that’s rude that they didn’t tell me where they were?”

She turned away from him.  “Not really.”  At least she responded to the joke, he thought.  “We just met today and I don’t particularly care about you.”

“Okay, okay,” he said backing off and giving her a confused look.  Her answer made no sense.   She has no sense of humor, he thought.  “Whatever you say.”   They returned to the corridor and looked for other rooms.  Everywhere they looked was the same.  “I wonder if everyone is hiding somewhere.  Maybe they’re trying to surprise us.”
 
“What, why do you think so?”  He kept forgetting she had no sense of humor. 

“Well, it’s just a feeling,” he said, having to keep the joke going to stay calm.  If he stopped talking, he was afraid the darkness of earlier would return.  She just turned away and kept walking.
 
Eventually the corridor ended in a wide silent room filled with ruins.  There was paper garbage strewn around here as well.  It felt like a place no one had ever been.  “Where is everybody?” he asked the room.  They had to have been trapped in the elevator long enough for the others to come looking for them.  “Hey, give me a break here,” he called out.  “Where did they go?  There’s a limit to how far you can take a joke.”

She shook her head at him and returned to the corridor.  “Why don’t they just come out?” he asked her back.  Then he just sank to the floor.  The air felt heavy and it was hard to breath.  Sweat began to bead on his face and trickle down his arms and legs.  “What do you think?” he gasped.  “What happened here?  Why haven’t we seen anyone?”

“I don’t know,” she said gently and sat beside him.  “There’s only one thing that’s sure.”  Her unruffled expression did not change.  “The situation is not normal.  If this keeps up, we could be in danger.  Agreed?”  She stared at him with calm eyes.

He didn’t answer immediately, but cocked his head to listen.  He thought he heard a low groan from somewhere.  It sounded like tearing metal, rumbling stones, and pounding waves.  He swallowed nervously and answered her with a nod.
 
She wasn’t looking at him.  Instead, she jumped up and dashed down the corridor without a word.  He quickly stood up and chased after her.   She stopped at a small side door and forced it open.  A metal staircase spiraled upward.   She ran and he followed as fast as he could.  His heart was pounding, but he ignored it and ran.  They reached the end of the staircase and there was a closed hatch.  He could tell they were near the surface.  He put his hand on the hatch but it wouldn’t budge.  “Damn, why won’t it open?”

A loud bang rocked the structure.   The hatch groaned and the knob bent unnaturally.   “This way!” she shouted and ran back down the stairs again.  They raced down the steps, leaping several at a time.   The impacts rattled his knees terribly, but he ignored the pain and kept going.  Panting and out of breath, he followed her out into one of the corridors.   “Heh, ugh, oi, hah, safe place, sense of measure,” he gasped and collapsed.  Her expression didn’t change.  He noticed that she didn’t seem to be out of breath at all after running that hard.  She went on and he had no choice but to get up and follow.

“Hey, don’t you want to stop and rest?” he asked.  They had reached a circular room with many windows.  He could see fish swimming in the sea outside.  “I want to rest.”

“Go ahead.  Do what you want.”

“Fine then,” he replied and sank back to the floor.  She walked slowly ahead.   He watched the colorful fish, swimming comfortably on the other side of the windows.  He noticed how quiet the room was.  It was just the two of them, him and her.  Then he remembered he still didn’t really know who she was.  Why did she tell him to do what he wanted if they had been trying to escape together the moment before?  She was a mystery to him.

“Who?” he heard her say and he looked up.

“Hey, was somebody there?” he asked.  Pushing against the wall, he stood up.  She wasn’t looking at him, but her eyes were focused down the corridor.  He followed her gaze.

A woman appeared right in front of them.  He recognized her as the hologram from earlier.  “…from here,” she was saying.  Apparently the marine had been talking to the hologram, but he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been able to see her until now.  “This area is not safe,” she said urgently.  “Please escape.”  She pointed down the corridor.  “Please, please, you must escape from here.  It is dangerous, it is dangerous.”  She looked surprisingly panicked for a hologram. 

“Hey,” he said, taking charge.  “What’s happened?  What’s dangerous?  Stay calm.  Explain what’s going on.”

“You need to escape,” she reiterated.  “We have had unexpected… trouble.  Level emulb.  Fierch crey.”  He didn’t understand some of her words.   She mumbled the strange phrase a second time. 

Then her voice took on extreme urgency.  “Please escape, please.  Please get out of here,” she shrieked.  Behind her the window shattered and water came rushing in.  Kensington screamed in terror as the flood crashed in.  It was as if the seawater and the fish were attacking him.

“What are you doing?” the marine shouted at him.  “Hurry!”  The force of the water and destruction was incredible.  It mowed down everything in its path.  It swirled and swallowed the debris on the floor, a small bag, a folded map, anything and everything it encountered.  He wondered how fast the water was moving.  Ridiculous thoughts flashed through his mind.  He wondered how fast he could run.  There was no guarantee the main flow wouldn’t catch him.  He screamed again and ran frantically.

Water was already flowing underfoot.  He slipped.  He knew if he fell, he would be sleeping with these fish.   “You are so much trouble,” private Kalashiavu shouted.   A powerful grip fastened onto his wrist and he was carried along in the air.    She had grabbed him and yanked him forward with incredible force.   She ran lithely, like a tiny gazelle.  Her speed was such that he felt as if he had just hopped into a hovercar.   He was afraid she would rip his arm off.    Her strength was unbelievable.

Ahead of them the holographic woman reappeared.  “Over here.  Hurry.  Hurry.”

“I know!” Kalashiavu shouted.

Eventually she outran the flood and they reached the elevator room.   Behind them doors sealed the corridor closed.  “Damn,” Kalashiavu cursed, and released him. 

“This is no good,” the hologram said.  “It’s not functioning.  Go back.”

“There’s no time!” Kalashiavu responded.  A small door popped open and they bounded into another narrow corridor. 

“Crap,” Kensington cursed.  “Which way do we take to get outta here?”  The other two ran and he followed after.  The corridor ended in a hatch.  “Dead end!” he shouted. 

Calmly Kalashiavu asked the hologram, “Can we go through here?”

“Yes.”

Kalashiavu opened the hatch and looked through. “I’m going!” 

“Hey, this isn’t a corridor,” Kensington said.  Metal screamed and gave way ahead of them.  The whole corridor twisted violently.  A torrent of water broke into it from somewhere ahead.    Kalashiavu kicked through some metal mesh and into a large air duct.  It was a pipe-like sloping tube.  She shot down the incline and he stumbled in after her.   A crazed froth of water roared behind him.   Then he was caught up in it.  Both of them were flushed along.  They spun in circles and he had no idea which way was up and which down.  Finally they were spit out in a corridor on a lower level.  The shutter on the duct clanked solidly shut behind them.  The flow of water stopped. 

“Aaah!” Kensington said with relief, glad to be alive and on solid ground.   The water receded and fish flopped around on the floor of the corridor. 

“This sector has been confirmed drained free of water,” the hologram said.  “However, thirty percent of the facility is already believed to be submerged or completely flooded.”

“Hey, wait just a second!” Kensington said.   “I thought we were going to escape up!  If we went down…  What are we supposed to do now?”

“There’s no point complaining about this,” Kalashiavu answered. 

“I’m sorry,” the hologram said softly, “but… It is my responsibility.” 

“That’s not important right now.  Relax,” Kensington said.  “Yeah, let’s all relax.  I’m glad to be safe, but more important right now is finding everyone else.”  He looked at the private searchingly.  “You ran like a machine.  What’s up with that?”  Neither of them tried to answer.  The fish on the floor were still jumping around.

“I’m really, really sorry,” the hologram said. 

“It doesn’t do any good just standing around here,” Kalashiavu said.  “Can you show us a safe way?”

“Certainly.  There is a relatively safe place nearby.  I will take you there.”  Relatively safe?  The thought went through Kensington’s mind.  That was, to him, the same as saying that everywhere was dangerous.  She started leading them down the corridor they had been washed down.  They passed a map and Kensington realized they were now on the second level. 

They went into what must have been an attraction at one time.  It reminded him of a carousel.    The seats on the ride, instead of horses, were in the shape of some giant fish.  “So, is anyone else still alive?” Kensington asked the hologram.

“I do not know,” she replied.  “I am currently investigating.”  A moment later, she said “Ah!”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Three other people are approaching.” 

A moment later, he was relieved to see Dr. Young, Medea, and Ryogo entered from the opposite direction.  Dr. Young sighed upon seeing them.  “For a while I wondered what was going to happen to us,” she said.  “I’m glad you survived.”

“I was worried that you hadn’t,” Kensington replied. 

She smiled.  “How are you three?”

He shrugged.  “About as good as we look, I suppose.”

She looked at their wet clothes.  The hologram was completely dry.  “Seems like you had a rough time of it, too.”

He laughed.  “Lucky guess.”  Relieved that they were alive, he returned her smile. 

He turned his attention to the other two with her.  Medea grinned back at him.  “We meet again,” she said.

“It’s been a while,” he said wryly.  “It doesn’t have to be right now, but could you tell me a joke later?  I’m really in the mood for one.”

She nodded brightly.  “Sure.  No problem.  I’ll think of one.”

Finally he looked at Ryogo.  The scientist wore a dark expression.  “Is something wrong?  You don’t look so hot.”

Dr. Young spoke for him.  “Oh.  He’s a bit…” she hesitated and changed the subject.  “By the way, Heaven, do you have any idea what our situation is?”  That’s right, Kensington remembered, the hologram did have a name.

“Well,” the hologram replied, “our communications system is down.  I’ve been investigating ways to restore our connection but it is going to take some time.”

“Do you have a central control room we can go to?” Dr. Young asked.  “If it’s not underwater, we can monitor things in detail from there, right?”

“That sounds good,” the hologram, Heaven, said.  “I wish I could be more useful.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Dr. Young said.

Heaven announced “We’re going down to the third level.  Please follow me.”  They followed her to a door hidden behind the attraction and into a small corridor.  Red emergency lights lit their path.  Kensington guessed there were a number of such passages.  He imagined at one time they had been used as shortcuts by the staff of the facility.

Dr. Young kept up a constant babble as they walked along.  She seemed to need to hear someone speaking as much as Kensington did.  He noticed the Starfleet marine watching them in silence.  They found a narrow ladder and followed it down and then entered the public areas again.  Heaven eventually stopped at a closed door shaped like a large hatch.  There was writing on it, but Kensington could not read it.  “It says Central Control Room,” she explained.  The door opened at her touch.

Inside the room was a large holographic model of the facility.  Several consoles lined the walls.  Each was equipped with many buttons and switches as well as several displays.  He was surprised that all of them appeared to be in working order.  There were only two chairs.  “Can you find anything out from the computers here?” Dr. Young asked.

“Let’s see,” Heaven answered.  “It looks like directly accessing it would be the fastest route.”  She faced one of the monitors and held up both her hands.  The contents of the screen changed instantly.  A number of windows opened and closed.  Kensington supposed she was searching for data.

“It must be nice to be able to operate computers without even touching them or speaking,” he muttered.   Something rattled behind him.  Medea was shaking something rapidly in both hands.  “What’s that?”

“Something to do,” she shot back.  She grabbed a second object from one of the stations and shook the two things like maracas.  She smiled at the noise they made.  He looked at Heaven but she did not seem concerned.  She was now holding her hands over a keyboard and the keys were moving rapidly as though she were typing something in on them.  He wished he could read the language.

“I’ve learned some things,” she finally said.  “Everyone please be calm.”  Kensington was sure that meant it was bad news.  No one ever talked like that when it was good news.  Heaven seemed a little pale.  He was again impressed by the holographic technology in her design.  “First, the first floor is flooded except for one segment of stairs.”

“Flooded?  The whole floor?” Dr. Young echoed in a low worried tone.

“Yes.  All of the safety partitions have dropped and it isn’t possible to get through any of its corridors. “

“In other words,” Kalashiavu said softly, “there’s no way out.”

"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline Scottish Andy

  • First Officer of the Good Ship Kusanagi
  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1086
  • Gender: Male
  • New and improved.
    • Starbase 23
Re: The Promise
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2008, 02:34:36 pm »
Ooooh... nice bit of danger there, but I am kind of curious as to why the holographic assistant chief engineer needs to be projected in front of a console to interface with it, instead of directly accessing it from the computer system that she runs from...

All the odd events are maddening, but I'm sure that was the purpose. The Marine that moves like a terminator, how some can can see & hear the hologram when it isn't speaking to all of them, why the hologram doesn't know anything about the damages until she looks it up as if she were a visitor...

I don't know if this was your intent or not, but I'm seeing the facility from 'Deep Blue Sea'

Looking forward to more.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2008, 10:31:58 pm by Scottish Andy »
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

The Senior Service rocks! Rule, Britannia!

The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

2288

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Re: The Promise
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2008, 08:06:43 pm »
Ooooh... nice bit of danger there, but I am kind of curious as to why the holographic assistant chief engineer needs to be projected in front of a console to interface with it, instead of directly accessing it from the computer system that she runs from...

1. She's programmed to act like that so it makes her appear more human.  She is actually directly accessing it.  I believe she mentioned that she was directly accessing it.  Plus there are other things too that will show in the future.

All the odd events are maddening, but I'm sure that was the purpose. The Marine that moves like a terminator, how some can can see & hear the hologram when it isn't speaking to all of them, why the hologram doesn't know anything about the damages until she looks it up as if she were a visitor...

2.  Marine no comment, revealed later.  Hearing hologram: that will be explained shortly.  Why she doesn't know the extent of damage, I can't remember if I explain it or not in story.   IF I don't, I'll post it.

I don't know if this was your intent or not, but I'm seeing the facility from 'Deep Blue Sea'
Looking forward to more.

Ooh, that would be a good image.  I hadn't thought of that.  It works thought.  Anyway, you need to remove the quote marks frmo the right end of your link for it to work properly.
Glad it is, maddening and entertaining.  BTW, if you haven't noticed Captain Taylor "Samurai" Kensington is an idiot.
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Re: The Promise
« Reply #15 on: February 23, 2008, 11:56:41 pm »
“Flooded?  The whole floor?” Dr. Young echoed in a low worried tone.

“Yes.  All of the safety partitions have dropped and it isn’t possible to get through any of its corridors. “

“In other words,” Kalashiavu said softly, “there’s no way out.”

...

CHAPTER 2: Situation Reports

“That is correct,” Heaven said matter-of-factly.  “And, as for the second and third levels, the watertight doors did not close in time and sector three is completely flooded.”  A portion of the display showing the facility darkened.  “All other sectors on these two floors are fine.  However, some rooms do have water in them from the flood we just experienced.  Currently the bilge pumps are functioning but it will take a lot of time for the water to completely drain.”

“Bilge pumps?” asked Medea.  She had put down her makeshift maracas.  “Does that mean there is power everywhere?”

“Let’s see,” Heaven said.  “Some parts of the electrical system, including the elevators, are not functioning.  The cause is unclear but it would seem that the circuit damage in each sector is playing a role.  That is another reason I was not able to survey the situation adequately before.  However the generator is functioning normally and supplying power.  So as long as the generator is operating, as well as the circuitry, the water will be cleared with time.

“Incidentally, the internal air pressure of the complex is one atmosphere.  The air is twenty-two percent oxygen, seventy-five percent nitrogen, three percent helium, and the temperature is twenty four degrees.”

“So what you’re saying,” Kalashiavu summarized, “is that we’re safe for a while, right?”

“I’m sorry,” Heaven apologized.  “That is correct.  Everyone, we will be forced to wait inside the complex for a while. ”

“For a while,” Kensington repeated.  “Until the ship notices what happens and sends a rescue team.  That should have been some time ago…”

“Yes, we are trapped until help comes,” Heaven said.  “I am continuously sending out a request for assistance; however, there is no guarantee it will reach anyone.  All communication lines to the surface, including the emergency ones, have been physically severed and are unusable. I have also been attempting to make contact using a seafloor cable network, using sonar.  I cannot estimate when the network will be back online.”

“So, we’re like little kids smack in the middle of the ocean,” Kensington said, “and no one can hear our SOS.”

The others looked at him with odd expressions.  “Yes,” Heaven agreed.  Those were the cold hard facts.  He could see good reason for everyone to become depressed.  He sighed. 

Dr. Young had reached the same conclusion.  “Alright.   We’ve got to stay in good spirits!”  Determined to dispel the gloomy atmosphere, she spoke so fast he found it almost scary.  “I’m an archaeologist aboard the Outrider.  My name is Maryann Young.  I will be your guide until the rescue team comes. Tada, tadum.”  She followed her announcement with a verbal fanfare.

“Hey, wait, wait.  What did you just say?” Kensington asked.

“I’m an archaeologist aboard the Outrider.  I will be your guide until the rescue team comes.  Well, I’m kind of new to this whole tour guide thing, but I will be leading the tour.”

“No, no.  The other part,” he said insistently.

“My name?” she asked.  “It’s Maryann Ginger Young.”

“What?”

“That’s why I prefer ‘Dr. Young.’  It’s a pain, isn’t it?”

“Hey, I have a question,” Medea said brightly.  Kensington rolled his eyes as another gloom destroyer appeared.

Assuming the role of tour guide, Dr. Young asked.  “What might that be?”

“Can I call you Maggie?”

Kensington was sure Dr. Young would lose her good mood, but instead she said, “Yes, of course.  And what is your name?”

“Medea Firien.” Boy was she full of energy, Kensington thought.  Leave it to these kids.

“And how old are you?”  Kensington wondered how long they would keep the game up.

“I’m a freshman at the Federation Science Academy,” the girl said, not really answering the question.

“Okay, nice to meet you Medea,” Dr. Young said.

“Thank you,” said Medea.  Kensington wondered if maybe there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room.  He was getting a headache.  The Starfleet marine seemed also not to appreciate the game.  She gave the upbeat companions a cool stare. 

Dr. Young noticed the look.  “And how about you over there?”

“Huh?” Kensington said.  “Why are you asking me?”

“Well you two joined the tour together.”

“Stupid,” Kensington said, losing patience.  “What are you talking about?”

She put a hand on her hip and stared at him angrily. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he said defiantly.

“Pamuya,” the marine said, interrupting and no doubt saving Dr. Young’s temper.  “Pamuya Kalashiavu.”  She spoke just loud enough for them to make out what she was saying.  It was very effective at drawing their attention to her.  “That’s my name.”

“Hi Pamuya,” Dr. Young said, instantly cheery again.  “It’s nice to meet you.”  Pamuya turned her back again but Dr. Young just shrugged and there was a smile on her lips.  Kensington wondered if the marine might be feeling embarrassed.  He decided there was something cute about her.  He wondered what language her name came from.  He thought back to her tugging him along in the aquarium and running like the wind.

He got up and walked over to her.  “Hey Pamuya.  Thanks for helping back there,” he said. 

“What are you talking about?”

“You saved me in the aquarium,” he reminded her.

“I didn’t mean to save you,” she replied, stunning him.  “You were in the way.”

“What?”  He couldn’t believe what he had heard.

“If you had tumbled there, you would have been in the way.  You were an obstacle,” she said, looking annoyed.  He decided she was both intense and scary.  He retracted his earlier thoughts about her being cute.   They stood eye-to-eye and glared at each other for a while. 

“Hey, hey, you two,” Dr. Young said, coming between them.  “Let’s get along now.”  Kensington turned and walked away.  Private Kalashiavu just looked down at her feet again.

“Heaven,” Dr. Young said, returning to tour guide mode, “It’s your turn to introduce yourself.”

“Oh, you mean me?” the hologram asked, looking up from a data screen.  She stepped back from the machine and glided back over to the group.  “Pardon me for the late introduction,” she said, playing along.  “My name is Heaven and I am a system engineer in the Utopia development division.  Actually, I am the assistant chief.”

Wow, Kensington thought.  A hologram as assistant chief.  He decided her odd manner of speaking was because of the translation to Federation Standard.  She almost seemed to refer to herself as if she were someone else.  He thought back over her previous statements.  It was as if she were the holographic representation of the main computer system.  Maybe she just talks like that because she’s an engineer, he decided.  It didn’t seem to matter so he held his tongue.

He turned to the group at large and raised his voice.  “And I am Taylor “Samurai” Kensington.  I’m forty years old and a starship captain.  Thanks.”

“Taylor, nice to meet you,” said the hologram. 

Medea giggled.  “Yeah, it sure is.”

“Yep,” Dr. Young agreed.  “Mucho gusto.”  The three of them laughed cheerfully.

“Dumb,” muttered Kalashiavu.  Despite her dark cloud, Kensington was glad at least to see the others moods loosen up. 

“Okay now everyone,” Dr. Young began.  “Now that we’ve just started having so much fun, it’s time to say good bye…”

“Maggie, wait a second,” Medea interrupted.  “We haven’t introduced everyone yet.”  She pointed to the corner of the room where Ryogo sat against the wall.

“Uh, do you mean me?” he asked.  Kensington had completely forgotten him.  And there was something odd about him that Dr. Young had been reluctant to mention.  The scientist had been quiet the whole time, sitting in the corner and trying to stay unnoticed.

Dr. Young looked at him and her face stiffened slightly.  “So, let’s ask,” Medea said, tilting her head toward him as she asked the question.  “What is your name?”

“I, my…” Ryogo looked down.  Kensington wondered what he was waiting for.  “I…  Who am I?”  Ryogo put his hand to his forehead and grimaced. 

The three of them who hadn’t been with him the whole time looked at him in surprise.  “What?” Kensington said loudly.

“I can’t remember,” Ryogo lamented.   “My… name.”

“Amnesia?” Kensington asked, looking at Dr. Young. 

“Retrograde amnesia,” Heaven said.  “It’s more common with new memories than old memories.  When a person can’t remember anything at all, it’s called complete amnesia, but in instances when some memories can be recalled, it is called partial amnesia.  Generally amnesia results from trauma to the head, epileptic seizures, mental diseases and disorders that manifest themselves as memory impairments. 

“When a person has trouble recollecting events prior to the impairment, it is called retrograde amnesia.  An instance when memory impairment is significant and continues after consciousness is restored is called anteretrograde amnesia.  Amnesia caused by inherent mental factors is referred to as organic amnesia, while that induced by psychological stress is typically known as psychogenic amnesia.

“Hysterical amnesia is the most typical example.  This is an affliction in which the victim often cannot recall knowledge relating to his or her personal history, such as one’s name, history, family or friends and is often a reaction to incidents too hard to endure, which incite an unconscious desire to escape , forget, or repress these experiences or events.  Symptoms do not manifest in any particular way physically, and a person’s brain functioning remains normal.  People found wandering in this state are often taken in or seek help from authorities.

“Young people under severe psychological stress, such as those facing domestic violence or academic problems, marriage or financial difficulties, are the most typical victims.  However, this illness can be used as a cover for criminal activities and it can be difficult to detect the difference.  This is especially seen in individuals with demonstrative personalities or pathological tendencies to lie. 

“Normally in a few days or months, or with the help of hypnosis or shock therapy, the memories should return.  Complete amnesia can be spurred by retrograde life amnesia.  Memories are usually restored gradually beginning with older ones and treatment methods include psychiatric care, and hypnosis both narcotic and naturally induced.”

Kensington stared at her with mouth agape.  Dr. Young, he noted, had recorded the entire speech on her tricorder.  “Amnesia?” he said, looking at Ryogo.

“That’s right,” Dr. Young confirmed.  “He can’t remember anything.”

The hologram went over to examine Ryogo.  “Did you suffer a concussion?  You might have bumped your head severely somewhere during the flood.”

“Yeah,” Kensington had to agree.  “You might have taken a tumble while trying to escape it.”  Kalashiavu, looking at Kensington, let loose a nasty snort when he said the word tumble.

“I don’t know,” Ryogo said.  “I don’t remember anything.”  Looking around at the panels, he asked “Where is this?”

“Utopia, a marine them park,” Heaven said.

“Utopia?” he repeated slowly. 

 Kensington glanced at Medea and tilted his head.  The girl was inching toward her ‘maracas’ again.  “Why don’t we go somewhere with more space, and more comfortable,” he suggested.  He remembered the room with the food kiosk in it and suggested that.   He was pleasantly surprised to find the drink dispenser functioning. 

“Hey Ryogo,” he said.  “Don’t you remember anything about before?  Not even something personal about yourself?”

“What do I know?  I know I’m thirsty,” Ryogo answered.

“Let’s make a toast and a prayer for everyone’s safety,” Dr. Young suggested.  Save Private Kalashiavu, they all tapped their cups together and said “cheers”.  They all needed something to ease the situation, so the timing of Ryogo’s comment was good.  The kid seemed determined to divert attention away from his situation, Kensington noticed.

“Hey, Heaven,” Kensington joked, “don’t you want a drink?” 

The hologram stood stiffly.  “Uh, no thanks.  I’m not thirsty.” 

“Well how about taking a load off?  You’ve been standing there the whole time.”  He couldn’t help himself.

“I’m fine, but thanks for your concern.”  He couldn’t decide whether she was playing along or was offended.  She seemed very polite and serious.  Prim and proper was a good way to describe her.  He looked to the others.  Dr. Young and Ryogo were chatting.  Sometimes he would laugh or shake his head weakly.  He could overhear enough of their conversation to tell they were talking about his memory. 

“It’s not that out of the ordinary,” she said, trying to console him.   “You’ll be fine.  Either it will fix itself or we can take care of it when we get back to the ship.”  Kensington noticed that whatever they were drinking was orange, and different from the water in his own cup. 

The marine was some distance from the others, working her way around the room and examining the walls.  For some reason he had an interest in everyone’s beverage, but could not guess what was in the cup she was carrying in her left hand.  He couldn’t imagine what she was thinking either.  Medea was trying partial cups of every beverage she could find in the kiosk.  It didn’t take her long to forget about the drinks though and begin dancing among the benches.  It was, he decided, a cute scene. 

“Okay, everyone,” he announced, deciding to restore order before things got out of control again.  “Let’s come on back.  It looks like we’ll have to spend some time here, so there are a few things I would like to go over.  First, let’s review what has happened.  Then, what we should do now.  Heaven, would you address the first of those topics.  Try to be briefer than you were in explaining amnesia.”

She held out her arms and the image of the facility appeared between them.  “I will explain.  At 1245 a blackout occurred.  Cause unknown.  The emergency alarms began ringing.  Again, cause unknown. 

“1254: The elevator shifted to emergency power and an evacuation order was given.  Somehow the emergency corridor to the outside was opened and remained open for several minutes. 

“1303:  The opening of the emergency corridor disrupted the air pressure balance inside the complex and the devices responsible for adjusting the air pressure encountered problems.  The complex automatically started pulling air in from outside.  As a result the mixture of gas designed to maintain six atmospheres of air pressure escaped.  Helium, which is lighter than oxygen or nitrogen, escaped first.  Air pressure in the complex dropped to one atmosphere.

“1439:  The major power source came back online.  The computer system responsible for overseeing Utopia rebooted and reset the air pressure adjustment mechanism.  The air ventilation ducts were closed.  However, because the facility was built to saturation diving specifications, it would not collapse as long as the internal air pressure was equal to or higher than the outside water pressure.

“1555:  Unable to withstand the external pressure, the glass of some windows cracked, causing flooding.  To minimize damage caused by the flooding, the emergency watertight doors automatically shut.  This brings us to our current situation.”
So much for being brief, Kensington thought.  At least now he had a better idea of what had happened.

“I would like to be able to gauge our current situation more accurately,” she continued, “however, some monitors and sensors are still not functioning normally.  As a result I cannot obtain accurate data and can only provide an outline of the situation.”

“Hey, sorry to ask the same question again,” Kensington interrupted.  “The first floor, the one above us, is flooded, yeah?”

“Correct.  I have requested confirmation from our complex management system and it has been confirmed.”

“So we really can’t get out of here,” he said, feeling depressed again.  He wished he hadn’t asked her to repeat that.  He had been trying not to admit it to himself, but realized they were in deep trouble.  He didn’t even amuse himself with the unintentional pun.

“Currently the top priority is in requesting assistance from your ship so I am doing my utmost to get the communication system back online.  I must request your patience.”

“Well, all we can do for now is wait for help,” Dr. Young said.  “Right?”

“You just keep trying to make everyone feel better, don’t you?” Kensington asked. 

She put her face right next to his and said “Oh, I’m sorry.  Would you prefer my dark, despondent, we’re doomed approach?”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” he said defensively.

She smiled at him and stood up.  “How about another drink?”  She went into the kiosk and came out with a huge bottle and held it up comically.

“I just can’t get over how cheerful you are given how totally screwed we are,” he complained again without thinking.  A fine picture he was making as captain.

“That’s not it at all,” she said sulkily.  “I’m like this precisely because of the situation!”

“Yeah, you’re right.”  He quickly apologized.  “Sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” she said cheerfully.  “Here you go.”  She poured him a drink from the bottle.  It was brown and fizzed.  He took a big gulp and slurped the dregs down.

“Hey, hey,” he said, even though most of his drink was just bubbles.  “This is better than Coke.”

“Isn’t it?” she agreed.  He thanked her for the beverage.  “Any time,” she kidded.  “And it’s on the house.”  She shouldered the massive bottle and took it back inside the shop.  She teetered like a penguin, which was funny because that didn’t really suit her.  He laughed without thinking. 

The marine was leaning against the wall and stared after Dr. Young as she disappeared into the shop.  Kensington again wondered what she was thinking beneath her gloomy exterior.   He walked over to her and casually tried to strike up a conversation.  “Even if we’re going to wait for help,” he said, “we can’t just sit on our butts doing nothing.  Right?”

“You act like you’re all serious but there’s nothing going on in that head of yours is there?” she asked.

“What?  That’s not true!  I’m thinking.  I’m always thinking.  Right now I was just thinking of a way to keep us from getting bored.”  He rattled off the first thing that came to mind. 

She let out a heavy sigh.  “Sure, whatever.”  The look she gave him was one of exasperation.  He didn’t want her to expect anything from him, but found her attitude very frustrating. 

“Arrghh!” he groaned loudly.  Somehow she always got to him.  Ignoring her, or at least trying to, he called to the others “Hey.  Alright everyone listen up.”

The others gathered around him.  “Taylor, what’s the matter?” Heaven asked. 

“We’re not going to accomplish anything just spending time like this, right?” he said.  “So I just thought why don’t we split up and finish looking around the complex.”

“Why?” Heaven asked.  “Don’t you think staying together in one place would be safer?”

“No,” he said firmly.  “I think we should check to see if staying in one place and doing nothing is really the safest thing to do.  You know, walk around, see what we can find and scope out any dangers.  If we find some, we can tell everyone to watch out for them or do something to get rid of them.  Plus, we could see if there is a safer place and then we could all gather there.” 

“But Taylor...” she said.

“It’s not like the rescue squad is about to burst in the door,” he overrode her objection.  “So if we’re going to have to be here half a day, or a day or so, then we should find out what kind of place this is and get to know it like our own ship.”

“In that case,” she replied, “I can provide you with an abundance of information.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” he said.  “Listen, Heaven, you have to look after the communication network, right?  You were just talking about how some sensors or monitors weren’t working right and you can’t get a full sense of the current situation.”

“Oh, I see,” Dr. Young nodded in agreement and clapped her hands together.  “While Heaven is sending out a distress signal, we should use our own two legs to see what kind of a situation we’re in.”  She turned to the hologram.  “How about it, Heaven?  That would be easier on you wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose it would,” the hologram answered reluctantly.  “But there are still the dangers.”

“Alright, I’ll go then,” Kalashiavu said and laughed.  Well, he thought she was laughing, but her lips curled nastily. 

“Hey, private, where are you going?” he asked her as she started toward one of the doors.

“We’re going to separate and check things out, right?” Her expression was blank again.  He liked that better.  She headed for the entrance to the emergency corridor. 

“Hey, you can’t just…” he called after her but she quickly disappeared.  “Come back here!  Hey idiot!”  She was out of sight and he could hear her boots clacking on the metal stairs as she climbed.

“Pamuya’s gone,” Medea said to him.  “Now what are we going to do?”

“I’m worried,” Heaven said, looking toward the empty doorway the marine had disappeared through.

“I think it’s alright,” Ryogo said suddenly.  They all turned to look at him.  “Like you say, it doesn’t do us any good to stay in here.  She just went to the second level.  I’ll bet she’s just going to look around there.  So why don’t the four of us look around this level?”

Dr. Young looked thoughtful but Medea instantly agreed.  With no other options, Kensington nodded.  “Sounds like a plan.”

Heaven still seemed worried.  She finally nodded just slightly.  “I guess there is nothing I can do to stop you.  Please, be careful everyone.” 

With Heaven returning to the control room, the four of them searched the complex.   They started with the normal corridors and then the emergency passages above and below them on the third level.  Splitting into pairs at the forks, they agreed to meet back at the forks when they had checked the corridor ahead.  They did that over and over.

Kensington wondered briefly if water was leaking in anywhere.  He quickly decided that the pressure would cause water to spurt loudly through any crack it could find.  He hoped they would find something that could improve their situation.  A vague part of his mind hoped they could find a door to the surface that Heaven was unaware of.  Having found nothing, they eventually returned to the kiosk and found Heaven already waiting.  Private Kalashiavu was nowhere to be seen.

“We can’t just let her run loose,” Kensington muttered.  “I wonder where she is.”

“Shall I check?” asked Heaven.  Following her, they returned to the central control room.  “I checked the life readings in the complex.  Even if Pamuya were moving around, she should still appear in the results of this scan.  That is, of course, if she is in the complex.”

Kensington couldn’t believe she would find an exit and abandon them.  The dark thought came to him that a scan wouldn’t find her if she weren’t still alive.  He did manage to keep the thought from coming out of his mouth.  A moment later his doubts were dispelled.  A fuzzy light showed up on the holographic display of the second level.  “That would be Pamuya,” Heaven announced. 

Kensington saw that there were a number of lights congregated on the third level.  He presumed that was them in the control room.  “Oh!” Ryogo exclaimed suddenly.  “Isn’t that strange?  Look.”  He pointed at a corner of one monitor.  A single character was displayed there.  “Watch it closely,” he said.  It kept cycling between three different characters.

“Oh my, you’re right,” Heaven agreed.  “I wonder what it could be.”  She fiddled with a control but the character continued fluctuating.  It changed every few seconds. 

“What does it mean?” Kensington asked, confused.

“It’s the number of life readings,” Ryogo said.  “It keeps switching between five, six, and seven.  The number of lights on the holographic display doesn’t change though.”

“Wait a minute.  You can read that?” Kensington said in surprise.

“I guess so,” Ryogo said apologetically.  “You can’t?”  The others looked at each other.  Apart from Heaven and Ryogo, none of them understood it.

“Could it mean there is someone else besides us in the facility?” Ryogo asked when they had calmed down.  “If it could really be seven…”

“That’s what it would mean,” Dr. Young agreed.
"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."

Offline Andromeda

  • Queen of Amber
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 319
  • Gender: Female
  • Absolute Destiny!
    • Andromeda's Invasion
Re: The Promise
« Reply #16 on: February 25, 2008, 12:50:27 am »
Someone has the gift of exposition!  I like the intensity.  It reads like it was written over a wide period of time with occasional recaps.  Reminds me of Amber that way.  I like the fact that we're only getting Kensington's point of view despite the distance of the narrator.  I also like that it's taking a while for him to settle down on what to call people in his mind.  Your marine is very tsundere, or am I reading too much into her and she's going to stay like that.  So far I like all of the cast except the two men.  Ryogo's hard to know and Kensington's an, as you say, idiot.  Medea needs to be developed more.

I can't wait to find out what's going on.
this sig was eaten by a grue

Offline Scottish Andy

  • First Officer of the Good Ship Kusanagi
  • Lt. Commander
  • *
  • Posts: 1086
  • Gender: Male
  • New and improved.
    • Starbase 23
Re: The Promise
« Reply #17 on: February 26, 2008, 12:50:20 pm »
Okay, the first half of that chapter stuck me as a comedy scene that I was out of phase with. It held no actual comedic value. It just irritated me as I couldn't understand why the people were instantly switching moods and acting oddly. If all is explained later as some kind of hypoxia effect or something, all is fine and well and ignore this.

Yes, Kensington is an idiot.

I still do not understand why a holographic entity who is the assisstant chief engineer of a facility has to walk (or redirect their emitters to project them) into the control room so she can access the computer readings instead of accessing them directly from the computer she is "living" in. I guess she's just less advanced than I'm supposing she is.

The disappearing private and odd lifesigns are are a good continuation of the mystery, but that entire chapter just didn't work for me.
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

The Senior Service rocks! Rule, Britannia!

The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

2288

Offline Hstaphath_XC

  • The Official Bard of XenoCorp
  • XenoCorp® Member
  • Lt.
  • *
  • Posts: 507
  • Gender: Male
  • Captain, XC Hydran Squadron
    • The XC Bard's Corner
Re: The Promise
« Reply #18 on: February 26, 2008, 02:22:51 pm »
I am keeping up with this surreal adventure with very perplexed interest.

I can't wait to find out what's going on.

Ditto!!!
Hilaritas sapientiae et bonae vitae proles.

Offline kadh2000

  • Admiral, of course
  • Lt. Junior Grade
  • *
  • Posts: 356
  • Gender: Male
    • Kadh's Empire
Re: The Promise
« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2008, 10:50:47 am »
Thanks for the comments.  Here are some explanations and thoughts.

Kalashiavu: you'll have to wait for me to explain her.  But she is intense and not a positive person.
Ryogo: supposed to be hard to know
Medea: no comment at all (Oh really, then why mention her?  No comment.)

Rommie: You were right that they weren't written one immediately following the other.

Andy: I was afraid the comedic elements were going to come accross badly.  Thank you for confirming that for me.  It was a risk and I wanted opinions on it before I kept going.  Kensington is an idiot as we've mentioned.  Too bad.  I can't change that since it's fundamental to his character and he's the main character.  The hologram isn't as advanced as initial appearances made her seem.  That's correct. 

Hsta: Damn, I didn't want surreal.  We have enough of that from Rommie in her last story.

Next part coming this weekend.  Needs some editing.


"The Andromedans," Kadh said, "will never stop coming.  Not until they are all destroyed or we are."