A Living Machine?

Posted on Tue Nov 5th, 2019 @ 3:22am by Commander Galatea & Lieutenant (J.G.) Rrawran & Captain Nathan Bishop & Commander Ash Randall & High Commissioner Jasmine Haynes & Lieutenant Commander Lily Snow PhD, MD & Petty Officer 2nd Class Corvus Hannah
Edited on on Thu Jan 2nd, 2020 @ 5:09pm

4,518 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Atlantis
Location: Preserver Juggernaut
Timeline: 2429-12-03, 20:30 hrs

The derelict was quiet and dark, so much so that the glow of the transporter beams seemed like they illuminated the entire ship in silver light. The interior wasn't like that of a normal ship and instead resembled a living organism more than a spaceship. The walls and vaulted ceilings looked like they were made of bone and not metal, with organic shapes in the passages. From the look of the ship it looked more like a biological construct, "grown" rather than built by the race that created it.

Lieutenant Rrawran looked around studying the ship. The universal translator struggled with the yips and growls of his race, but the mechanical speak of the unit made out one word.

"Charming..."

"I know of a group that would love to get there power hungry hands on this ship." Lily said lowly to herself as she pulled her tricorder out. "Which way to the bridge?"

Commander Randall removed a cylinder a little smaller than a soda can from her utility belt, popped the top, then tossed the contents into the air and a swarm of 40 or so pea sized orbs hovered in place for a second or two before they zipped off in all directions.

"Something tells me she didn't mean to make bone broth," Hannah muttered to himself, watching the readout of his scans across the clear lenses of the wraparound glasses he wore. He concentrated the scans on the ribs of the bulkheads to see what he could discover.

Jasmine looked at her scans from the tricorder. The scans, were going a little haywire. But she was working on getting through the interference. "If the scans are correct, the bridge should be down this corridor." Jasmine said, as she pointed to a corridors on her left side.

"We should get better returns in a minute." Randall stated while she looked around them at the disturbing, biologic-inspired, design and then looked to Commander Bishop. "So, we see if anyone is home and if they're asleep and then what?" She asked. "It's just a feeling, but I think this ship is here as a guard dog but I'm not so sure it is meant to protect the Atlanteans from us so much as it is to protect us, or everyone other than us, from the Atlanteans." She observed. "So far, we haven't done anything that will wake it up and it makes me wonder if a warp signature, in close proximity to the planet, would be the proverbial alarm bell. I have a theory that Earth attaining warp capability is what prompted the attempt to wipe out humanity prior to the development of warp technology." The Commander continued. "If true, that would mean the Atlanteans would have needed to be a long ways out from the planet before lighting up their warp drive and could also mean they've developed warp technology before and been thwarted. They may be depending upon us getting rid of this Preserver ship for them." She finished.

The canine descended Security Officer looked at the others, "So you think the Atlanteans want us to destroy this ship for them essentially?"

Ash looked to Lt. Rrawran and made a 'maybe' gesture with her left hand. "It's a theory..." The felinoid replied.

"An interesting theory Commander Randall and it makes sense. We found Commander Viol's prototype a good distance from here." Bishop confirmed. "And I'll be damned if I'm going to do anything to help them. Their on their own with the Preservers. Lets see what else we can discover that may confirm your theory."

"Maybe we can offer to purchase it, since they want it destroyed. Study it ourselves, see what we can learn." Jasmine pointed out, but still keeping her attention focused on the safety of the away team.

"If the Atlanteans don't want the ship," Lily started, "then that places the ship under intergalatic salvage laws. That means we can claim this ship under salvage rights, and that means that the ship rightfully belongs to the Federation." She stated without looking up from her tricorder and without her normal icy tone, but a pure British accent.

"If my theory pans out we have the find of life time but then, only if there's no Preserver in stasis on board. All bets are off, in that case, and we might have to run for it. I'm hoping the drone swarm will help us answer that question without us having to march onto the bridge. There's no telling what actions on our part, while on board, might wake it up." The Engineer observed and looked to Lt Commander Snow. "Any improvement in the tricorder range?" She asked and looked to Lt. Commander Haynes with the same question.

Hannah remained where he was, trying not to imagine the bass heavy, strings laden theme music that should accompany this ship. Or the conversation from the officers around him. He was busy compiling data returned from the sensors and trying to build a map of the ship. He'd learned, long ago, to never be in a place you didn't know. And most of their conversation was over his head anyway and didn't concern him. Not until one of them stubbed a toe or was disintegrated at least.

The scans continued to be negative for any additional life signs on the vessel. Only life signs showing, were that of the away team. "How much of the vessel, have the probes searched?" Jasmine asked, curious about their progression. She liked the idea of probes, searching each deck. It was faster, and safer than splitting up.

Lieutenant Rrawran looked at the group, carefully studying the scene as he walked along reading the data that was before him. He had been aboard the ship when they encountered the last Preserver vessel, but had not boarded it. He remembered though the scenes of the transformation of Lieutenant Sandra Wu-San into that horrific... whatever the Hell she was.

"We need to be careful," the Rorworr warned. "Who knows what dangers creep around this ship."

Commander Randall slung her phaser rifle on her left shoulder and brought out her own tricorder from the utility belt that was part of her tactical EVA suite. "Lieutenant, I hear you loud and clear about those dangers. I don't believe any of us want to be transformed into a goop monster today and I think the Admiral would be a little upset if one of us blew the ass end out of Starfleet One like Lt. Wu-San did the Enterprise." She mused, in a serious tone, while she captured the telemetry being transmitted by the sensor swarm. "The swarm has fully mapped the ship.: she announced. "No life signs but we do have five stasis pods and they are all closed. Scans, of course, are not penetrating the damned pods but, since things appear to be powered on and life support is active, we may want to assume that at least one of the pods is inhabited and we might have a Preserver padding around pretty soon." She reasoned. "Lovely."

Bishop digested the news Ash gave the away team. "If that is the case. We need to collect what information we can in the quickest way we can and get out of here. I don't relish the thought of being here if a Preserver wakes up."

Haynes continued to keep her weapon at the ready. But she was following lead of Bishop. She hoped that Randall could finish up soon. She did not want to be transformed into anything. She planned on living to be an old lady, not an old monster.

The Lieutenant stayed close to the Chief, but was growing more and more concerned that the Preservers would wake up and come for them. He peered closely as the translator struggled to keep up, "When we get to the Bridge what's the plan?"

"Good question." Commander Randall, observed and looked to Commander Bishop, "Most of the drones are doing in-depth scans of the bridge as, of all the structures of this ship, the bridge is the only one that is recognizable from an engineering standpoint and the stasis pods are on the bridge. A handful of drones are still poking around trying to identify what we would consider critical systems; weapons, shields, communications, life support and locations like main engineering, sick bay, etc." She observed, as they continued to move the direction of the bridge. "The only way we learn more than we already know, when we get to the bridge, is if we pop open the stasis pods to see if anyone is home and that pretty much cuts to the heart of the Lieutenant's question. What IS our plan for dealing with, one or more, Preservers that are asleep, or otherwise?" She asked.

Rrawran checked the readout on his display for his tactical suit, the data scrolling as he tried to check in with the probes that had been dispatched. "Whatever it is, if they get rowdy, we can handle it," the alien Security Officer said as he looked toward the group. "If I die can that be on my tombstone?" He asked it as he started toward the bridge down the disturbing, skeletal, alien corridor.

"You are not dying today Rrawran, not on my watch." Jasmine pointed out to the security officer, under her command. No one was dying if she could help it. Jasmine continued her scans. She was a little concerned the longer they stayed here, the more fate they were tempting.

"Nobody is dying." Bishop answered firmly. "Lets get to the bridge and see if we can get any answers." He started to walk away and looked back at the others. "By the way when we get to the bridge, we'll do as Commander Randall suggests and pop open one of the stasis pods and go from there."

Hannah nodded at Bishop's words, if only because if somebody did die he knew who would get the blame: the nominal medical personnel. He was about to say so when the Commander continued speaking. Which blew out any concern for blame on unhealed owies and, oh yeah, death. He started to speak up but looked around at the group he was with - full of heavy metal. He sighed as he tightened his pack straps and looked down, just to make sure he wasn't wearing a red shirt. "Crap, tactical is as bad," he muttered as he began trudging behind the all the gung ho, let's do exactly what's required to get people turned into gelatinous goo officers.

Rrawran nodded as they walked along, excited for what was to come. The vessel was certainly an interesting one. It looked more like it was born than built and that was the most frightening aspect. A slimey like substance was on the floor and the corridors really did resemble bone. He stopped, for a moment, and touched one of the 'ribs' amazed by the sensations it sent to him. This ship was more like a Haunted House in space than a starship.

As they entered the Bridge it was amazing how expansive the compound was. It was a domed room with a large platform rising into the center. Atop the platform was an expansive workstation that rose toward the ceiling, the light reflecting upon them all casting the eeriest shadows that he'd ever seen in his life. At equal points around the circular platform - almost like compass points - were large structures that had to be stasis pods. He hoped that they didn't find one of those things inside.

Approaching the platform a strange electricity danced atop the workstation and morphed into a large hologram. A starchart appeared in the chamber, twin lines merging to highlight the Atlantean world. The sounds of wind in the hallways added to the fright of the ship.

"Homey," he said as he peered through the room.

Randall glanced at Rrawran, "In deed." She responded and pointed to the star chart. "X marks the spot." She observed while a dozen of the tiny sensor drones immediately swarmed around the hologram while the remainder, now that the away team was on the bridge, zipped off to other parts of the ship to perform more intensive scans. "Interactive?" She asked herself..."Has kind of an Astrometrics meets Navigation look to it." She added while moving further in and, more importantly, directly for the pods. "May as well see if Dracula is in his coffin, first, before we do anything else." The engineer announced while she plucked what looked like a photon grenade, but a little longer, off her utility belt and loaded it into the launcher on her phaser rifle.

Hannah tried to keep his head down at the eagerness to awaken creatures that were...deadly. Instead, he focused on the questions regarding the ship and if it were, indeed, sentient. Or even alive. So far he couldn't say either way from the scans he had...while there were similarities to living organisms, the same readings if applied to their own ship, would render the same conclusions. Life support exchanged breathable oxygen while scrubbing build up of exhausted gases. Circulatory systems were in place. "Neurological" activity in the form of information sent from a central processing area (the bridge) to the rest of the vessel. Looking at it from a certain, whacked out, perspective, even Starfleet One was 'alive'. Applying that same, cynical logic here didn't prove anything other than it was a ship.

Bishop moved to one of the pods. "I'll do it Commander. You just cover me with your rifle, you too Commander Haynes. Don't want to be taken by surprise." He looked the pod over it was fairly straight forward with a control pad on the front panel. he bent forward to study it. "Ah, here we go." He said after several seconds. He looked back at the others, "Ready?"

"No," Hannah muttered. From everything they said this was a monumentally bad idea. And they knew it. Yet...here they were, ready to jump in with both feet and do this thing. He backed away, as far as he could go really, from what they identified as stasis pods. What a time to talk himself into losing his weapons certifications.

"Just, get out of arms reach as soon as it starts to open." Ash directed towards Bishop. "That would be about 4 meters for one of these guys." The felinoid added while she set her phaser rifle to maximum stun. "Maximum stun, if you would please, Commander Haynes." She requested. As potentially dangerous as the situation was Ash didn't want to start things off by killing a Preserver.

Rrawran readied his phaser and did as recommended by the Engineer. He remembered Ash from the Commander's first assignment back when they were the Enterprise and he had always admired the Commander, which many would find odd since she was a descendant of felines and he a canine. He couldn't help but raise his lips into his species form of a smile at the thought. An old Earth media had proclaimed 'Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!' If only they knew.

"The suspense is killing me," the mechanized translator gave voice to his snarls and growls.

Bishop shot a look at Rrawran commented but said nothing concentrating at the matter at hand. "Alright here we go." Bishop announced as he pushed some buttons and after what seemed forever but was only a few seconds the door pooped open with a hiss. He stepped forward and swung the door open wide so the others could see as well, Inside was a Preserver and it was quite dead.. It's skin looked like dried parchment. "It's dead. I wonder for how long?" He posed.

"Dead..." Commander Randall repeated. "...Okay...the ship has power and life support and I'm going to hazard a guess a vanishingly small chance that there was a failure with the stasis pod." She observed. "So, did he go in dead or did someone turn off his stasis field?" She asked, and looked to the other pods before directing her attention to commander Bishop again. "I'm not complaining but I almost wish this guy was alive." She quipped.

The Security Guard challenged it, "Well I'm glad that he isn't. One down, four to go. Any ideas how it died?"

"If the others are in this state, we will need to preform an autopsy." Lily said taking scans of the corpse.

Commander Randall nodded. "Commander Porter will go bananas." Ash quipped and glanced at Lt Commander Snow. "That is, unless you plan on doing the autopsy on location." She added.

"That could be fun," Rrawran said from nearby. "Good thing we have a Doctor and a Scientist here."

"I don't have the necessary equipment on hand." Lily said flatly and icy.

A strange series of tones, beeps, and whistles almost forming a song began to play throughout the Bridge of the Preserver vessel. The electrical/holographic energy danced back and forth between panels and amidst the hologram. A second later a familiar face appeared on the Bridge of the Preserver vessel amidst the away team.

Galatea stood next to the large, chair like workstation as it rotated on the platform. The hologram looked feature wise exactly as every other time they had ever encountered her on Starfleet One, but her appearance was slightly different. While she wore a Starfleet uniform on the ship, here she was in a long, flowing white tunic not too dissimilar from a Greek toga. She studied the faces, bringing herself to preparation.

"Get out, get out, you cannot be in here!" She warned with dread in her voice.

Jasmine took her tone, to be a little to hostile for her liking. Her train of thought, went into protecting her team. She was smart enough to realize, to wait before shooting, but that did not stop her from pulling her weapon into the defensive position. "Commander Bishop, what do you want to do?" Jasmine asked, as she had her weapon at the ready.

Ash studied the form of Galatea and wondered, to herself, if the attire was due to some Atlantean influence or if Galatea had been stripped back to her fundamental essence as the attire was reminiscent of how Ash first encountered the AI.

Bishop looked around at their surroundings. He didn't see any immediate threat. "Stand ready to move at a moment's notice Commander." He told Jasmine as he turned to face Galatea. "Galatea, explain your warning. Why can't we be here?"

Galatea moved like an Arbiter, hands firmly clenched behind her back as the flowing robe accentuated her features as she approached. The flowing white robe was drawn along the boney floor, pulling as the liquidy sinew.

"Make no mistake, you are playing this game as someone’s pawn," she said ominously as she stood before them. "Mythology has taught us of the world before ours, a world in which the Angels and Gods ruled the Earth with loving hands. They have come once more from the stars and they are no longer so loving.” She paused, "I have served with the purpose of maintaining life until death, ensuring your safety above my own. In that time I have been ignored, challenged, and abused. I am finally learning my lesson. Anyone can betray anyone, just as you have betrayed me. The Preservers have taught me that."

"Leave this place and this world," she commanded.

Bishop was undeterred by the AI's command. He moved closer to her. "A pawn of who Galatea? You or the Atlanteans? They want us to rid their world of this ship? As for you being challenged and ignored. I disagree. Just because someone, we don't agree with your advice and counsel doesn't mean you've been ignored or challenged. We have to see for ourselves." He paused then continued, "You say you are learning your lesson does that mean you plan on betraying us or have you already done so?" He asked bluntly.

"It is you, you who are the pawn, the pawn of a megalomaniac who is a serpent among the ruins. Your presence aboard this vessel is an affront, a challenge toward order. You are an agent of chaos and you are commanded to leave this ship now," their AI demanded of them.

Bishop shook his head. "A megalomaniac? Who do you speak of Galatea? Though he had a sneaky suspicion it was the Admiral the AI was referring to. We're here to get information and information is a tool of knowledge. We'll leave when we're finished here not before."

Hannah busied himself while the others spoke with the holographic representation of the artificial commander. He didn't know the senior staff well enough, his time on the ship being too short and his rank being too low to hobnob, but that this was odd and strange was immediately apparent to anyone. Which meant, with his inexperience and lack of knowledge, he wasn't any good with that situation.

But, there were other pods here. One, the one where the others were gathered, held a dead being. Did the others? That was what he decided was his job to figure out at the moment. Despite not knowing this species or anything regarding them. But, he had access to the ship's database to compare what scant information they had to what he discovered. With that in mind, he began scanning the remainder of the pods, working his way clockwise around the group confronting the AI. He'd work on the exposed body last.

Commander Randall wondered, no more, about whether Galatea was under the influence of the Atlanteans and now wondered how well she was integrated into the systems of the ship. She found it interesting that she waited until one of the stasis pods was opened before appearing. Was it that she was not able to appear prior to that point and would have appeared earlier if she had been able to? Lots of questions and they needed answers. Bishop was the focus of Galatea's attention and that was what he wanted but the things that she had stated begged to be explained. The XO had asked the most immediate of the questions about who the megalomaniac in residence was, as if she couldn't guess, but had immediately challenged the force of her demand they leave.

"Commander its your call, but giving our history with this race in the past an a similar ship like this, I think we should consider Galatea's request." Jasmine said, thinking more from a tactical perspective. Her primary mission, was the preservation of life, mainly the lives of the team.

At the pod, Hannah found himself agreeing with the security chief. They had too few answers to make this a viable op and that always led to the trouble that ended with "and he died honorably".

If looks could kill Galatea would have disintegrated Commander Bishop into a billion subatomic particles. She glared for a long moment, fire beneath her replica eyes. "Very well, but be advised that you will be monitored from this point forward by me. You are playing a very dangerous game, Commander, and one false step, one wrong word, and you will suffer for it."

As quickly as she came, Galatea vanished into the ether of the room. The power immediately cut to the room, the holographic map of the galaxy disappearing from view. The lights lowering back to levels barely perceptible.

"Galatea?" Ash called out, quietly. "I'd like to talk to you, please." She added, as she recalled her sensor drones. "I asked before if you were concerned and I am asking you again. Are you still concerned?" The engineer asked. "I need to know why you're concerned because..." Ash looked around her at the others. "..because, darkness is coming." She finished.

The entire chamber fell silent, so silent that even a pin dropping could be heard in the distance. The chamber was colder too, like a haunted house at the end of a deserted street. Lieutenant Rrawran broke the tension, "Come out, come out, wherever you are?"

Bishop made his way over to Ash, "Commander Randall, you witnessed not only how Galatea acted but how she was dressed. Could she be compromised by this ship? It's computers? In addition I think I can answer your question. Galatea is concerned the real question is for who."

"I know who and I know the why, or at least part of the why." Commander Randall replied, quietly. "I was hoping I could get her to talk to me by referencing our earlier conversation." She added and looked up at Bishop. "If the preservers on board are all dead, and I am assuming they are, then what has happened with Galatea would seem to be the actions of the ship itself. Her attire is not out of character for the generation of AI she is. Stripped of her allegiance to the Federation, I would expect her to be attired as she is. If the question is whether she's been compromised by the Atlantean's, I have my doubts. If the Atlantean's have access to the systems of this ship and were capable of stripping Galatea from Starfleet One then we are in deep, deep trouble, and more than just the fact that Galatea IS the primary control system for the our ship." She told Bishop. "We have to get her back or I need to get back to the ship and have a serious, heart to heart, with our chief engineer and our operations chief." She added.

"Are these ships actually alive or do these Preservers just really have a unhealthy fetish for Skeksis design aesthetics?" Hannah asked to no one in particular but all of them at once. Though, it was awfully nice of...whichever one of it was...to guess at the life signs that he could confirm because, well, medicine was his job. "Does anyone know?"

"Starfleet One to Away Team," they were interrupted by Admiral Teagarden.

Bishop glanced at Randall as the Admiral's hail came through. "Bishop here sir, go ahead."

"We need you to return to the ship. We have an emergency involving the computer network and we may not be able to bring you back over later. Standby for transport."

"Understood Admiral. Standby." To Randall, "It seems trouble has already arrived." To the others, " Prepare to return to the Enter..... I mean Starfleet One." he tapped his combadge. Bishop to Starfleet One. Bring us home."

Commander Randall held up the can shaped container for the sensor drones to stream into and then put the device back onto here utility belt. "The drones identified something interesting that may be important she announced." As the transporter lock occurred.

Rrawran wondered what possibly could be considered so interesting that it warranted the title onboard a living ship. The Rorworr holstered his weapon as the transporter initialized, "It's not going to be a creepy crawly that we're going to be hunting through ducts hopefully."

A second later the away team was on there way home.

 

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