ST:SoD321 Pt. I | "Raveled Reality"

Stardate 100805

A desperate attack by the Survivors leads to the Venator, Yorktown and the Ditean starship Drakos to be trapped together in an unusual situation...

---

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Keliaya@anncaris | Sin is once again in one of the new MACO armoured suits, with the invisibility helm attached atop, rendering herself invisible to everyone around her. She makes her way through the submerged -

Keliaya@anncaris - halls of the Progenitor ship, past Kratt completely oblivious to her presence. As she turns into the chamber that contained the consoles for the control device last time however, she finds...

Keliaya@anncaris ...nothing. All the consoles have been stripped

Sin@crystyl:"Well this is an unnecessary complication..." she whines, looking around for indications of what's been done

Keliaya@anncaris | Sin sees that the consoles are removed rather cleanly, with no way to access the control device from here. The control device is definitely still within the ship, their scans before arrival -

Keliaya@anncaris - have confirmed as much. She's just going to have to find a different access point

Sin@crystyl scans locally for indications of where the next best lead is

Keliaya@anncaris | Her scans cannot directly identify another access point, but she can pick up the wirings still present from the removed consoles. Tracing them should be able to lead her to somewhere else she can access the control device from

Sin@crystyl begins the trace

Keliaya@anncaris:<C> "Venator to Sin. It looks like you're moving away from the control room. Are all the parameters adjusted?"

Sin@crystyl responds while she works, "Not even. The consoles have gone, I'm tracking them down now though"

Keliaya@anncaris:<C> "Gone? Well, I suppose you did have a fight with the infiltrators in there last time. The Kratt might be essentially biological non-sentient AI, but they're still capable of intelligent -

Keliaya@anncaris:- decision making. They've probably moved the consoles somewhere more secure for safeguarding."

Keliaya@anncaris | Just as Kelly says this, Sin finds the trace leading her to a hallway with a number of criss-crossing red lasers

Sin@crystyl sighs, "You're not wrong there..."

Keliaya@anncaris:<C> "What've you found, Ensign?"

Sin@crystyl:"They've certainly beefed up security. Looks like laser sensors on the approach"

Keliaya@anncaris:<C> "We're giving it a scan. Stand by."

Keliaya@anncaris | A few seconds later, Kelly's voice comes over her comms again, "It's as I thought. They're accounting for phase cloaks, but fortunately, the density of the sensors is much lower inside the -

Keliaya@anncaris - chamber itself. Use the helm to phase through the wall of the ship. The new thruster system should be able to propel you across the water so you won't just sink to the bottom, and phase into -

Keliaya@anncaris:- the chamber from one of its walls. The hallways are no good."

Sin@crystyl:"Now I know why this was really my job to do..." she grumbles, "Alright, let's get this over with. Moving in" she activates the helmet and proceeds as instructed

Keliaya@anncaris | Sin phases through the wall and is able to boost across the water. The thrusters don't last long, but it is enough for her to move around the hall and into the chamber, which still has many -

Keliaya@anncaris - red sensor lines, but sparse enough that Sin can avoid them if she is careful. At the center of it all lies the command consoles in the same configuration as the other chamber, just moved here

Sin@crystyl looks around, getting her bearings for all of the triggers and traps then cracks her knuckles and gets to work

Sin@crystyl proves herself to be surprisingly nimble, even with the suit as she tiptoes around almost like a ballet at times

Keliaya@anncaris | With her skill, Sin expertly makes her way past the sensors and traps, making quite a show of it too. Too bad there isn't anyone around to see her, and even if there were, the invisibility -

Keliaya@anncaris - helm would be concealing her from them. She soon manages to reach the centre, where there are no sensors and she can return to normal phase to interact with the consoles and adjust the Kratt parameters

Sin@crystyl promptly phases back, "Finally! Time to finish this"

Keliaya@anncaris | Sin finds that she is able to not only adjust the parameters from here, but turn off the sensors as well to make the way out easier

Sin@crystyl breathes a sigh of relief and promptly does just that

Keliaya@anncaris | The lasers all flicker and turn off, giving Sin a clear way out

Sin@crystyl calls back to the Venator, "Alright, all done so I'm bailing now"

Keliaya@anncaris:<C> "Good work, Sin. We're unlocking the airlock for you."

—

Keliaya@anncaris | Sin steps through the airlock in her still glistening suit after emerging from the water. Farhalla awaits her on the other side

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla: "Welcome back, Ensign. You remembered to change Starfleet to friendly, right?"

Sin@crystyl joins her, "No, I set them to mortal enemy. Was I not supposed to?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla: "Well then you'll be the one explaining to the Commander why we have to spend the extra time wiring the helm back into the ship systems then," she chuckles. "Just wished to check, -

Keliaya@anncaris - since you were asked not to tamper with those parameters last time. It's still a security risk with the infiltrators, but it'll save us a lot more trouble when we go back and adjust the -

Keliaya@anncaris - parameters for the Diteans. Especially seeing the Kratt have increased their security since the last time we did this against their wishes."

Sin@crystyl nods, "I could definitely do without all that phasing then. Makes me all tingly, and not in a good way"

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla: "Next time it'll just be a casual stroll, promise," she taps her combadge. "Farhalla to bridge. We're good to go."

Keliaya@anncaris | The camera cuts to the surface of the vast ocean. A large shadow moves beneath the water, reminiscent of a whale. As it gets closer to the surface, we can make out the outline of the Venator

Keliaya@anncaris | Slowly, the Venator breaks from the ocean surface and rises into the sky, leaving behind a trail of water which falls back down to the ocean like rain

Keliaya@anncaris | As the Venator emerges from the atmosphere of the Kratt world, the Kratt ships in orbit completely ignore it, now set to regard Starfleet as friendlies. The Venator soon clears the planet, jumping to warp without interference

—

Keliaya@anncaris | Some days later, the Venator is back in the Ha'at system with the Yorktown. Having notified the Diteans that it is safe to approach, they wait near the planet of Ha'at

Keliaya@anncaris | It is Rianni's shift and she watches over things on the bridge

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Lieutenant. I have something on sensors."

Rianni@crystyl:"The Diteans?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix taps his console, "It would seem so. Their ship is emerging from an aperture now."

Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, let Kelly know please too. I'm sure she'll want to be here to greet them"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma taps her console to notify Kelly before announcing, "Looks like they're hailing us already."

Rianni@crystyl:"I assume the Yorktown is taking point?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma nods, "They're on it. Should we get in on the call too or wait until Kelly gets here?"

Rianni@crystyl:"It would be rude if we ignore them. Patch us in"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma: "Putting them onscreen now."

Keliaya@anncaris | Asteriarch Syrene appears on one half of the screen, with Captain Troi-Riker on the other

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra: "Welcome to Ha'at, Asteriarch Syrene."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "It is an honour to be here. Thank you for allowing us to pass into Kratt territory."

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra: "You have to thank the Venator crew, that was all their work."

Rianni@crystyl:"The best way to show gratitude is to respect the Kratt, that goes for all of us here now"

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene inclines her head, "I will be sure to keep that in mind."

Keliaya@anncaris | The turbolift door slides open behind Rianni on the bridge and Kelly and Eva steps out

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "I see you are back in your uniform now. Shall we meet on the planet as agreed, then?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"This is a Class Y planet. Do you need any time to make preparations to transport to the surface?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "We are well-prepared for such planets."

Keliaya@anncaris:"We'll give you the transport coordinates, then." She nods to Emma, who promptly sends them over

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "We shall see you there."

Keliaya@anncaris | The comm ends and Kelly looks over to her right

Keliaya@anncaris:"Rianni, keep looking after the bridge for me, will you?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Of course" she nods

Keliaya@anncaris:"Sin, you're with me."

Keliaya@anncaris | Before Sin leaves her console however..

Keliaya@anncaris ...she notices that energy is building up on the Ditean ship in a similar manner to when it unleashes one of its solar blasts

Rianni@crystyl | Sin pauses and checks her readings, "Um... so about that... our new friends over there are powering something up. Looks a lot like that solar energy attack of theirs"

Rianni@crystyl snaps back around to look to Kelly

Keliaya@anncaris:"Shields up. Go to red alert."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin quickly takes action

Keliaya@anncaris | A beam of light shoots out from the glowing Ditean ship, but not at either the Venator or the Yorktown. Instead, it hits somewhere on the planet

Rianni@crystyl looks to Indrix, "What was that?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Impact site is the coordinates we gave them, but...I'm reading no damage. It was a low energy beam, similar to a stun beam. Wait...I'm seeing three lifesigns directly at the site of impact now. All Ditean."

Rianni@crystyl:"That seems rather excessive for a transporter"

Keliaya@anncaris:"It's one way to bypass the interference of a Class Y. A little more brute force than what I'd have expected from the Diteans, but if it works..."

Rianni@crystyl:"I guess so... alright, stand down red alert"

Rianni@crystyl | Sin grumbles and restores normal status, "Best go suit up then before they do anything else weird"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "I think I remember this capability being mentioned in the reports from what we're calling the Battle of the Midway. Some of the ships reported Ditean boarding parties appearing directly -

Keliaya@anncaris - at the site of hull breaches caused by their channeled plasma. They didn't think it was connected to the impact, but the reports did remark that there weren't additional transport signals, and -

Keliaya@anncaris - it was odd that they chose to board only at hull breach sites even though the ships already lost shields and had no additional countermeasures against transports."

Keliaya@anncaris glances to Rianni, "Something for you to look into while we're on the surface then. Perfect time for it too, since we've got a friendly Ditean ship sitting in orbit for us to scan."

Rianni@crystyl smiles and nods, "We'll see what we can learn!"

Keliaya@anncaris smiles back, "Good luck and have fun." She heads to the lift, gesturing for Sin to follow

Rianni@crystyl | Sin, follows, "You know I only just got my hair straight from that damned suit right..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Yes, I know you have that ability Ketkolep taught you, and no, we're still playing it safe with the suits."

—

Keliaya@anncaris and Sin materialize on Ha'at in their EV suits again. This time, they are promptly followed by Kestra and her security chief from the Yorktown

Keliaya@anncaris:"The Diteans are probably ahead of us already. Let's catch up, shall we?"

Sin@crystyl:"That's probably for the best"

Keliaya@anncaris | The four of them continue through the facility and soon reach the main chamber. The Diteans are already within, speaking with the Silverblood Hades. None of the three Diteans appear to be -

Keliaya@anncaris - wearing EV suits, but they are all surrounded by a glowing energy field similar to how their ships glow, though the light is far less intense

Sin@crystyl sighs, "So much for getting to them before Hades found them..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Maybe we can get them to share that tech with us, so you don't have to complain about the suits anymore."

Sin@crystyl:"I don't actually need the suit as you so fondly pointed out before you made me wear it again"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Just in case you lose your concentration or something. We don't want to lose our best psionic."

Sin@crystyl:"Well how about we start with getting them to stop trying to kill everyone. Then maybe build up to letting us play with their fancy toys"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Not putting your own interests first? You're becoming more and more Starfleet every day, Sin."

Sin@crystyl:"I- what? No! That's just... no! Ew..."

Keliaya@anncaris chuckles and approaches the Diteans, "I see you're making the most of this opportunity to speak with one of your...what do you call it, teachers?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene turns from Silverblood Hades, "We are indeed. This is only a facsimile of the true being, but he is a good copy, with all the knowledge the original once possessed. That is more than we have of most of the others. Thank you for providing us with this opportunity."

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra: "A show of goodwill, to demonstrate that we're not here to make enemies."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "As your actions have shown, it would seem."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Speaking of which, I presume you've investigated the information we've presented you already?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "We have. We see no direct evidence that the Coalition was not involved. However, we have also found reasons to doubt that the Coalition /was/ involved. Your proposal that there is a third group at work pitting us against one another is plausible."

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra: "And if there's no direct, irrefutable evidence either way, then there's a good chance you're waging war against the wrong people."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene looks to Silverblood Hades, "We have presented you the information from both sides. What is your judgement, ghost of the Lord of the Dead?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Hades: "The evidence I have been given suggests there is a good chance that the Coalition is being set up by the party which was lying concealed above the station you call Sanctuary. I can -

Keliaya@anncaris - find no tampering with the recording of the dialogue following that brief confrontation, and their meddling aligns well with the rest of the picture."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "So you believe their claims, then?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Hades: "On the claim that this party was responsible for manipulating the Coalition and your people to war, yes. But I cannot verify whether their claims of this party's identity is true. -

Keliaya@anncaris - Given the similarities in ship design and uniform between Starfleet and this enemy, it is entirely possible that they are a rogue element of the Coalition. Regardless of their origins however, it does not seem like their actions represent that of the Coalition's today."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "Even without direct evidence then, between our own investigation and the judgement of the Master of the Underworld, I accept your claim."

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra: "Now we just have to stop this war between our peoples."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "I will speak to our leaders. It would be best if you accompanied us, so we may learn more of this true enemy."

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra: "We can follow you through your aperture. The Coalition will stop attacking as long as you do, so the sooner we can persuade your leaders, the better."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "Let us return to our ships then," she inclines her head to Hades. "Perhaps we may speak again once all this is resolved. And those dedicated to your teachings would certainly wish for such an opportunity as well."

Keliaya@anncaris | Hades: "Perhaps. Your people could use more guidance, but I do not know if I am the one suited to such a task. Unfortunately, we do not have an imprint of Dite from which to create a copy."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "Alas, but it is better to have the teachings of one of you live on than none."

Keliaya@anncaris | Hades: "You show greater wisdom than most of your kind. A benefit of following the ways of Thena, no doubt."

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "Thank you. Until next time, then."

—

Keliaya@anncaris steps back onto the bridge with Sin after returning from the dialogue with the Diteans

Rianni@crystyl glances over, "That was quick. I assume that's a good thing?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "That it is. Seems between the data we've provided and Silverblood Hades' judgment, Syrene believes we're all being played by the infiltrators. We still have to convince the rest of her people, but she's planning to take us to them now."

Rianni@crystyl:"So... things actually went to plan for once? Why does that feel unsettling..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"I've considered the possibility of a trap, but something tells me Hades would have recognized it and warned us if that's the case. Or Kestra, the Diteans are powerful empaths, but if anyone can -

Keliaya@anncaris:- see through them, it's her. If both their intuitions haven't told them something's wrong, I think it should be as safe as it can be to follow through with this."

Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, so we're heading straight out with them from here then?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "They're generating an aperture. We're going to link up with tractor beams and follow them through. This isn't like a Junayd wormhole or an Iconian gateway. It's closer to going through -

Keliaya@anncaris - the Carran subspace tunnels, but I'm confident Azevedo's up for it."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "That's why you hired me, Commander."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Yorktown's moving in towards the Ditean ship now."

Rianni@crystyl:"Sounds simple enough. Guess we should follow suit"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Form us up on the back of the chain."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo taps his console and the Venator moves in, coming to a stop behind the Yorktown

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Yorktown is latching on with a tractor beam."

Keliaya@anncaris | As all three ships are linked, the aperture opens up in front of the Ditean ship. As it travels inside, the Yorktown and Venator are pulled in as well

Keliaya@anncaris | As they move in, the Yorktown's maneuvering thrusters light up

Keliaya@anncaris:"Turn our thrusters on too. Let's not have the Yorktown do all the work."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "Aye Commander."

Keliaya@anncaris | Soon, they pass through the aperture and find themselves within a tunnel that most closely resembles a wormhole interior, though it's quite different. There are strange bubbles, some tiny, -

Keliaya@anncaris - others far larger than them which their tunnel seems to loop around, though occasionally the bubbles clip into the edge of the tunnel. The Ditean ship can be seen swerving left and right, -

Keliaya@anncaris - avoiding both the smaller bubbles and the edges of the larger ones. Yorktown follows suit, as does Azevedo with the Venator

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "You're right, this is pretty exciting..."

Keliaya@anncaris | As they dodge, Rianni notices that one of the pieces they swerve away from isn't a bubble, but seems to be a piece of debris from the hull of some ship or other artificial construct

Rianni@crystyl:"Huh. Guess that's what happens if you don't avoid them..."

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Just like the corridors, although not quite as filled with debris."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "That makes sense. The corridors are pre-existing subspace routes, pathways that many ships take and stick to, so the debris builds up over time. The Ditean ship is tunneling a new, -

Keliaya@anncaris - temporary pathway through subspace as they go. It's likely just as many ships have been lost, they're just scattered across subspace and not concentrated."

Rianni@crystyl:"Just casually tunnelling through subspace like it's nothing..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "Ditean technology is impressive. Maybe it's just so different from ours that it's hard to understand so many of their systems, but from what they can do, I think it's /both/ advanced and alien."

Rianni@crystyl:"No doubt. I just think about all the stuff Emma's told me about how delicate it all is. Hard to believe they are ok with the Diteans doing this all the time"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma: "I'm no expert, but I think it's a different layer of subspace from that."

Rianni@crystyl:"It would have to be. But aren't they all interconnected?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma: "They are, but I'm guessing they're avoiding the network. Like how we avoid flying into stars when we travel at warp. Okay, probably not exactly the same deal, but you get the analogy. There's still probably risks to this, though."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix nods, "I believe you're right, but the risks are more to the ships travelling using this method than the fabric of subspace itself."

Rianni@crystyl:"I really need to just give up on trying to understand this stuff" she chuckles

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix leans into his console, "Well that's strange."

Rianni@crystyl looks over

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "I think there's another tunnel nearby. And whatever's making it seems to be tunnelling towards us..."

Rianni@crystyl:"That seems rather unlikely to be a coincidence"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Indeed..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Can we get a read on what the ship is?"

Rianni@crystyl looks to Kelly, "This could be a trap"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "If it is, it's not by the Diteans. I can't manage precise scans of the ship, but its profile best matches Starfleet designs. But certainly not Akira-class, so it's not the Guan Yu."

Rianni@crystyl:"The infiltrators?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "The most likely conclusion."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Take us to red alert, Sin. Weapons ready as soon as the new arrival comes into range."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin quickly gets to work, "Can we even shoot in this tunnel?"

Rianni@crystyl:"We should warn the Diteans and the Yorktown"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva nods, "On it."

Keliaya@anncaris | A moment later, both Kestra and Syrene appear on the viewscreen once again

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "We have them on our sensors as well."

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra: "They don't seem to be out of phase. A limitation of using this subspace travel, maybe. That means they'll be vulnerable to our weapons, or as vulnerable as they'll ever be."

Sin@crystyl | Rianni: "This is very out of character for the infiltrators, if it is them"

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "Why do you say that? Do they usually act more subtly?"

Sin@crystyl | Rianni nods, "Just look at how they pitched this whole conflict between us. There's a reason we call them infiltrators; they manipulate from the shadows, and whilst there have been open conflicts-

Sin@crystyl:- they are almost exclusively because we have exposed their presence at any given location. To be charging head on against a formidable enemy force such as ours is to them right now, it's just odd"

Sin@crystyl:"They're probably just getting desperate"

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "They may be, but they're still not acting without a plan. If they merge in front or behind us, it will be difficult for all our ships to fire on them at once without hitting each -

Keliaya@anncaris - other. And we cannot fire until they merge as our weapons are unpredictable outside the walls of our own tunnel."

Sin@crystyl | Rianni: "Can we exit the tunnel ahead of our planned aperture?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Syrene: "We're going to have to run calculations for a safe exit point first, and they're approaching fast."

Keliaya@anncaris considers, "Yorktown, lower the power on that tractor beam but don't disengage it entirely. If they merge behind us, we can cover our aft using Venator's forward weapons that way."

Keliaya@anncaris | Kestra nods offscreen to one of her officers, "Do it."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Azevedo, turn us about."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo taps his console, "Luckily this tunnel's been made for bigger ships, so there's plenty of room for it..."

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "That's why we're turning and not the Yorktown."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "Still easier said than done, but...we're turned around!"

Sin@crystyl:"Watch them come in ahead of the convoy now..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "And that's exactly what they're doing..."

Sin@crystyl raises her hands, "Called it"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, we can't do much to safely help from back here anyways with two larger ships in our way. Covering our aft was the most useful we could be."

Sin@crystyl:"Looks like our hosts are charging up to welcome the interlopers"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva taps her console and switches the viewscreen to aft view

Keliaya@anncaris | Past the Yorktown and Ditean ship, the shape of a small infitrator ship can be seen emerging from an opening on the side of the tunnel ahead of them. It opens fire on the Ditean ship at the -

Keliaya@anncaris - same time the Ditean ship fires a massive blast of plasma which entirely engulfs the enemy escort. Before the light has time to fully fade away, several transphasic torpedoes launch from the -

Keliaya@anncaris - Yorktown, moving carefully around the Ditean ship. One of them accidentally ventures too close to the edge of the tunnel and disappears outside

Keliaya@anncaris | The rest however manages to circumvent the Ditean vessel and impact the infiltrator ship. Once again a bright flash fills the screen, but this time it doesn't fade. Instead, the viewscreen cuts to static

Keliaya@anncaris:"What just happened?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "I'm trying to determine that now."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "I've lost helm control."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "I have no current sensor data either. I'm trying to work through the last data we received, Commander, but it's a mess. Can hardly make heads or tails of it."

Sin@crystyl | Rianni rushes over to the conference room just to see a glimpse of whats going on through the window

Keliaya@anncaris | There's a white void outside the window

Sin@crystyl | Rianni, "Um... So there's a whole lot of nothing out there right now. I mean, literally"

Keliaya@anncaris and Eva both step over to see what she's talking about

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "I think we might have prematurely exited into subspace. It reminds me of that time when Emma and I were some of the few people awake on the ship when we got trapped in that subspace void. You remember, the first time we used the anti-Horde implants?"

Sin@crystyl | Rianni: "Fun times..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"But last time we didn't lose control of ship systems..."

Keliaya@anncaris steps back out onto the bridge

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "We no longer have access to main power either. We're running on backup power cells on the bridge."

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Emma, "I don't suppose we have contact with the rest of the ship?"

Sin@crystyl | Emma shakes her head, "Everything's down at the moment"

Keliaya@anncaris:"No, that'd be too easy," she looks to Indrix. "Any progress figuring out where we are?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "May take a while working off the sensor data we had before everything went dark, if it's possible at all."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Do your best and see if you can learn anything that could help us. Sin, Ralde, you're with me," she heads towards the turbolift. "Tierno, you have the bridge."

Sin@crystyl | Rianni, "We'll get some reporting lines setup in the meantime"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Perfect," she steps into the lift, looking around. "At least the turbolifts still appear to be active..."

Keliaya@anncaris checks the turbolift panel while Sin and Emma file in

Sin@crystyl joins her, "Rather convenient"

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "So where are we heading?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, I won't say no to something going right..." she selects a destination and steps back. "Main Engineering."

—

Keliaya@anncaris | As the turbolift doors slide open, it becomes obvious to all three that the hallway beyond is not on the Venator. It's still clearly Starfleet, but not anywhere they have seen on their ship

Sin@crystyl:"Um..."

Sin@crystyl | Emma sighs, "So it's going to be one of /those/ days is it"

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Sin, "Is this an illusion of some kind?"

Sin@crystyl shakes her head, "If it is, there's nothing I can sense of it"

Keliaya@anncaris takes a cautious step out into the hall, "I know this design. But that's not possible..."

Sin@crystyl follows, "Well it's clearly not the Venator, even I can tell that much"

Keliaya@anncaris:"It's the Yorktown. This is an Odyssey class design," she takes out her tricorder. "But I'm not picking up any sign of a transport. Tachyon or our own technology."

Sin@crystyl | Emma looks at the nearest access panel to see what's printed on it

Keliaya@anncaris | It does indeed identify them as being on the USS Yorktown

Sin@crystyl:"So is this one of those things where the ships are all distorted across subspace and mushed together, or have they actually physically melded into one?"

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "Definitely the Yorktown"

Keliaya@anncaris:"If we've physically melded into one like through a phase cloaking incident, it wouldn't be done so neatly. We'd have bulkheads fused across hallways and the like. There's no way we could just take -

Keliaya@anncaris:- lift and end up on the deck of the Yorktown. It's more like to be some space-time distortion."

Keliaya@anncaris glances back, "And that is our lift, from the Venator. Not one of the Yorktown's..."

Sin@crystyl:"Even for a weird distortion thing, this seems a little too clinical"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Not if we're just stuck like this permanently..."

Sin@crystyl | Emma meanwhile checks for lifesigns, see if there's anyone nearby to figure if it's Venator or Yorktown crew

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma spots a pair of enlisted, one human and one Bolian, both with gold shoulders. She can see that they are wearing the Yorktown patch on their shoulders

Sin@crystyl | Emma, "So it's not just the environments. Look there, those guys are from the Yorktown"

Keliaya@anncaris turns and steps over. The two enlisted doubletake at seeing Kelly's white shoulders, "You're not Captain Troi-Riker..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"No, I'm Commander Keliaya of the Venator."

Keliaya@anncaris | Bolian Enlisted: "Did you beam over to assist us, then?"

Sin@crystyl | Emma joins them, "No, something far weirder is going on"

Keliaya@anncaris:"We took a lift and just...ended up on your ship."

Keliaya@anncaris | Human Enlisted: "An...accidental transport?"

Sin@crystyl | Emma, "No, more like the two ships are all... interconnected randomly"

Sin@crystyl | Sin goes back to the turbolift and opens the door to see if it is still the Venators

Keliaya@anncaris | It does still appear to be the Venator's

Sin@crystyl waves them over, "See here. This turbolift is on the Venator, it's not one of yours right?"

Keliaya@anncaris | The two enlisted follow over

Keliaya@anncaris | Bolian Enlisted: "You're right...but how did that happen?"

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "That's the real question now"

Keliaya@anncaris:"What's the situation from your ship, or what you know of it, at least."

Keliaya@anncaris | Bolian Enlisted: "Not much. We were cut off from the rest of the ship, power and communications. We're running on backup power cells here and a lieutenant sent us to try and get into contact with the bridge."

Sin@crystyl:"Well you can at least reach /a/ bridge from here"

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "Whatever's caused this merge, it is likely why everywhere is out of power and comms - those are likely only working wherever the actual engineering sections are"

Keliaya@anncaris:"The problem is, we tried to get to Engineering and ended up here. So getting to Engineering on /either/ ship isn't going to be as simple as taking the lift."

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "This may likely involve a focused effort to remap the current layout. And it might not even be just us, the Ditean ship could be mixed in for all we know"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Assuming these distortions remain consistent. I suppose there's only one way to find out," she heads back into the lift

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "I assume we should stick together for now"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "That's probably for the best."

Sin@crystyl & Emma join Kelly back in the lift

Keliaya@anncaris | The two Enlisted follow as well

Keliaya@anncaris:"Bridge."

Keliaya@anncaris | The lift doors close and they begin to ascend

Keliaya@anncaris | When the doors open, they are still in the Yorktown, but it is clearly a different hall

Sin@crystyl:"Great. Because this wasn't complicated enough already"

Keliaya@anncaris | Human Enlisted: "I know this deck. This is where the main sickbay is. Dr. V'Leng might be helpful. We could use a Vulcan mind on something like this."

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "Sounds like a plan"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Lead on then, crewman."

—

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Back on the Venator bridge...

Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"Hold up on sending anyone to try and get in touch with the rest of the ship."

Rianni@crystyl looks over, "Something wrong?"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"Apparently, Kelly and the others are on the Yorktown..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Wait, what? I didn't even know we'd found the Yorktown, let alone got transports arranged"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"We didn't do either of these things. Their lift just...opened onto the Yorktown."

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Indrix: "That doesn't make any sense..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well at least hearing you say that makes me feel better about not having a clue what's going on"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Nqakula: "At least your telepathic connection still seems to work, so we can get updates from /somewhere/."

Rianni@crystyl:"So... what are we looking at here, I assume some subspace displacement or something?"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"They're definitely on the Yorktown. Kelly's come to that same theory."

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | The turbolift doors open, but there is no lift beyond it. Instead, two Diteans hover up the shaft in a beam of light. A force field forms beneath them as they arrive and they step out onto the bridge with a confused expression

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Rylliss: "Intruders on the bridge!" He moves to grab a phaser from under the tactical console

Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"Lieutenant, wait! I think they've been brought here by the same phenomenon and aren't boarding us."

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Rylliss stops reaching for a weapon and just turns to eye the Diteans warily

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Ditean 1: "How are we on your vessel?"

Rianni@crystyl stands and turns to them, one hand hovering near the weapons compartment, "Good call Eva, if we're mixed up with the Yorktown, it's likely their ship is caught in it too"

Rianni@crystyl looks to the visitors, "That's what we're trying to figure out. Whatever happened in that battle, we seem to be in a layer of subspace and all of our ships are... connected somehow"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Ditean 2: "There are many strange things in subspace, but I have never heard of such a capability. Not one which would leave either of our ships intact enough to still be having this conversation, at least."

Rianni@crystyl looks to Indrix, "I know some exploration cruisers have had their share of encounters with subspace layers. Anything on record that we can compare to?"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Indrix: "Nothing like this. Beings from subspace like the Solanae have been known to travel without the use of any technology we understand, but to connect different ships together like this -

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - without physically fusing them. This isn't a simple transfer of energy, it...breaks the laws of physics, Lieutenant."

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Ditean 2: "Subspace is my speciality, and while I admit that my people do not know everything there is to know of it, I think given our method of travel and what we have seen from the -

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - databases of your ships, it is safe to say that we understand it more. And I do not think it is the work of subspace."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Ok, what about if we expand the search to include incidents outside of subspace maybe?"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Indrix: "Let's see...phase cloaking, no, space-time anomalies, no, transporter accidents, certainly not...hm. Perhaps, yes. I have one potential match."

Rianni@crystyl moves to join him, waving the Diteans along, "Let's hear it"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Indrix: "An inversion field encountered by the USS Voyager on stardate 48945.8. It's not a perfect match, but there are similarities."

Rianni@crystyl:"An... inversion field?"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Indrix: "A rare anomaly type. It's still not certain what the one encountered by Voyager really was. Theories range from an unidentified form of life to an unusual form of communication utilized by a yet unknown civilization."

Rianni@crystyl:"That doesn't seem particularly helpful to us. Though, how did they get out of it? Maybe that would still be a direction to consider"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Indrix: "Apparently, they didn't. It just passed them by and beyond the temporary confusion and panic caused by the passage, left no lasting damage."

Rianni@crystyl:"Something tells me that simply waiting it out isn't really a viable option for us here"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Indrix: "The inversion field encountered by the Voyager had distinct signs. Electromagnetic fields detectable inside the ship which gradually enveloped the entire vessel. We should -

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - see if Keliaya's team can detect anything like that to confirm whether we are dealing with the same phenomenon."

Rianni@crystyl turns to Eva

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 nods, "Already updated her. I've located Captain Troi-Riker as well. Communication isn't as constant because we don't have a bond, but I can speak with her and communicate with the Yorktown bridge, at the very least."

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "We're lucky you were on duty today!"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"Actually, technically I wasn't. You're lucky I was with Kelly and decided to come up here with her when the Diteans showed up."

Rianni@crystyl:"Right, that too!" she chuckles, "So I guess we're somewhat limited until they can get us some feedback then"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Ditean 1: "It would probably be wise not to travel further with the extent of this spatial distortion. But on the subject of telepathic communications..."

Rianni@crystyl gives the Diteans a curious look

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Ditean 1: "Vessels commanded by Asteriarchs always have a follower of Hermas dedicated to the craft of telepathy. As a failsafe, should subspace communications fail. You should be able to contact him as well."

Rianni@crystyl:"It would be useful to coordinate our efforts with your ship too" she looks to Eva, "But this is all on you again"

Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"It'll be harder because I'm not familiar with him, but I'll search when I'm not communicating with Kelly or the Yorktown. See if I can get in contact with their bridge as well."

Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Azevedo: "Maybe Starfleet should start posting a telepath to every flagship or exploration cruiser, too. We probably have the numbers now with the psionic awakening."

Rianni@crystyl:"Probably one of many changes to be considered as the galaxy gets used to psionics on this scale"

—

Keliaya@anncaris | Meanwhile in Yorktown's main sickbay, the team plus the two enlisted are speaking with Dr. V'Leng

Keliaya@anncaris:"My bridge officers are speculating that it might be the work of an inversion field."

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "An inversion field? I am not familiar with that phenomenon. And how are you in contact with your bridge with no communications?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Telepathy, to keep it short. As for inversion fields, they're rare and barely understood, but at least one instance of it has been known to distort parts of a ship and rearrange its layout."

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "And if our vessels entered such a field in close proximity, the distortion could be rearranging and connecting all three of us."

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "Well it's a theory that might fit the few facts we have. Better than no theory at all"

Keliaya@anncaris:"We should be able to confirm the theory if we can detect the right electromagnetic readings. Which involves wandering through the ship."

Sin@crystyl raises a finger, "Through the ships"

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "With the distortion, it is unlikely that any who are seeking sickbay would actually be able to arrive here. And if by chance someone who requires medical attention does stumble upon -

Keliaya@anncaris - the right location, there are sufficient medical personnel present. It is therefore logical for me to accompany you, as it is far more likely that injured members of our crews would be wandering as well."

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "By now, people in most areas must be figuring out what's going on and should be setting up triage where needed"

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "I will assist you if I am able, and if we come upon one such triage site, I may be of more use there than concentrating the majority of our medical personnel in a location which could be difficult to find."

Sin@crystyl:"So since the distortion doesn't even seem consistent, I guess our plan is to literally just wander aimlessly then?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "For now, and see if we can pick up any electromagnetic signals."

Sin@crystyl:"That's a plan even I can get behind!"

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "It is the only logical choice of action. Some of the symptoms may align, but we must first confirm a diagnosis before we begin acting upon it, otherwise the result may be even more catastrophic."

—

Keliaya@anncaris | A short while later, the group wanders the halls with Kelly and V'Leng both scanning with their tricorders

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "No sign of any electromagnetic radiation yet."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Not seeing anything there, either."

Sin@crystyl | Emma continues more of a visual search, since they've got the scans in hand

Sin@crystyl of course, just wanders and makes inappropriate jokes where appropriate

Keliaya@anncaris | A door slides open as Emma approaches and she sees a different hallway beyond. It is clearly one of the Venator's halls, but it goes on for far longer than any hall she remembers from the Venator, seemingly stretching to almost infinity

Sin@crystyl | Emma pauses, "Uh... Kelly, I'm far from an expert on the Venator but I don't think the ship is as long as this hallway looks..."

Keliaya@anncaris steps over, "Yeah...space is definitely not the way it should be anymore."

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "Should we explore down there or leave it alone?"

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng meanwhile speaks from a nearby door, "It seems we have already reached a different deck of the Yorktown, despite not taking any turbolifts. Transporter Room 3 is not on the same deck as Main Sickbay."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Let's stay inside the Yorktown. I know it's just as warped as the Venator, but I don't like the look of that hall going on forever like that..."

Sin@crystyl:"If stuff like that hall is happening, then we can't even assume everything is as it should be within each boundary. Could find a turbolift suddenly popping out into the void or anything"

Sin@crystyl | Emma, "Well aren't you just a little ray of sunshine today"

Sin@crystyl:"Don't worry, I'll be fine at least!"

Sin@crystyl | Emma eyerolls

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "We should play it safe. Your environment field ability, do you think you could extend it around multiple people if you need to?"

Sin@crystyl:"Naturally! I mean... I've never actually done that, or tried. But I can do anything!"

Keliaya@anncaris continues on in the Yorktown hall, "Well if we do end up in the void, I'd appreciate it if you gave it a try."

Sin@crystyl | Emma adds, "I'd appreciate more than trying"

Sin@crystyl:"Ooh... yeah, then you'd owe me your life wouldn't you!" grins at Emma

Sin@crystyl | Emma ignores the grin. And the comment

Keliaya@anncaris | As they continue exploring and scanning, another door slides open to reveal a distinctly non-Starfleet hall

Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://i.imgur.com/nZvpuau.jpg 

Sin@crystyl:"Um..."

Sin@crystyl | Emma, "Either the Yorktown's had more work done than we thought, or that's the Ditean ship"

Keliaya@anncaris:"I'm pretty sure that's the Ditean ship. Some of them did end up on Venator's bridge, after all."

Sin@crystyl:"So, do we venture down there?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"We're only just in the early stages of making peace with them. Let's try to avoid intruding on their ship, in case they don't take kindly to it."

Sin@crystyl:"Because they'll no doubt show us the same courtesy"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well the ones that arrived on our bridge did so by accident through the lift, and probably can't find their way back."

Sin@crystyl:"True. But once they learn about the situation, who knows what the rest of them will do"

Keliaya@anncaris:"That's a good point. And we're probably going to run into more Diteans anyways. We may as well see what we can find, and if there's anything useful our sensors can pick up in here."

Sin@crystyl:"Alright then, let's take a look!"

Keliaya@anncaris steps into the Ditean hallway, which seems empty for now

Sin@crystyl follows, focusing at least a bit more seriously now

Keliaya@anncaris and V'Leng continue to scan as they go

Keliaya@anncaris:"Still no electromagnetic radiation of any kind."

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "I am picking up a lifesign, but it is faint."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Faint?"

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "As if they are wounded. Just ahead and around the corner."

Sin@crystyl tries to see if she can sense anything

Keliaya@anncaris | Sin does indeed sense someone who is clearly hurt

Sin@crystyl:"Definitely someone who's injured"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Come on then." She runs ahead in a semi-jog and V'Leng picks up her pace as well

Keliaya@anncaris | As they turn the corner, they indeed see a wounded Ditean lying on the ground in a pool of what looks like black ink. Several long tendrils lie on the ground around him

Keliaya@anncaris | Before they can approach the Ditean, they hear a yell behind them...

Sin@crystyl spins around

Keliaya@anncaris | Sin sees that the scream comes from the human enlisted. Two long tentacles have wrapped around him, extending from some kind of portal. The Bolian grabs on to him and tries to pull him free, -

Keliaya@anncaris - but the tendrils are too strong, yanking the man into the portal which promptly shuts before any of them can do anything

Sin@crystyl:"What the absolute hell..."

Sin@crystyl | Emma rushes over to check on the Bolian

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma sees more portals opening up behind Kelly and Sin...

Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/elderscrolls/images/7/70/WretchedAbyssDB.png 

Sin@crystyl | Emma pauses, "Look out!"

Sin@crystyl spins back around, "Oh no way, I've seen those filthy old holos and I am /not/ letting some tentacle monster do that to me!" she projects a barrier around the portals

Keliaya@anncaris | The barrier springs into place just in time to stop the tendrils. They flail and lash at the barrier but can't break through and quickly retreats back inside

Keliaya@anncaris | Meanwhile, Emma sees that the Bolian is fine but the human enlisted is nowhere to be found

Sin@crystyl | Emma retreats back to the group with the Bolian

Keliaya@anncaris:"Behind you!"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indeed, the portals open up again, this time behind Emma and the Bolian...

Sin@crystyl spins around once more, throwing up another barrier to block the portal

Keliaya@anncaris | The tendrils are once again stopped by the barrier, but as Sin does this, another portal springs up behind her again. This time though, a second portal forms beside it which looks distinctly -

Keliaya@anncaris - different, more like an Iconian gateway. As the tendrils reach out, a man in a Starfleet enlisted uniform leaps out. From a glance, it is easy to mistake this as the man that was just dragged -

Keliaya@anncaris - in, except now he is holding a Nausicaan Tegolar sword. He swings the blade down, adeptly slicing out the tentacle that has reached closest to Sin

Sin@crystyl watches, looking to the fallen tentacle, then back to him, "Uh... thanks?"

Keliaya@anncaris | A black inky substance spills from the rest of the tentacle as it retreats into the portal. The second turns to lash at the man, but he slices it off too. The portal quickly closes, as does the one blocked by Sin's barrier

Keliaya@anncaris | The Bolian rushes to the man, "Ben! You're...you're not Ben..."

Keliaya@anncaris | On closer examination, it is indeed not the man who was pulled into the portal. Instead, it is Crewman Boone from the Venator, or as Sin knows by his true identity, Temporal Agent Boone

Keliaya@anncaris:"Crewman Boone? Where'd you get that sword?"

Sin@crystyl glares daggers at him

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "Courtesy of your gift to the Asteriarch. After what she pulled off, last thing she can do is criticize us for stealing it back. Especially during a time like this."

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone looks to Sin, "Why so angry, Ensign? I just saved your life."

Sin@crystyl:"I haven't decided yet. But seeing you gives me enough pause to know I'm going to be getting annoyed sooner or later so may as well get in the zone now"

Keliaya@anncaris glances between Sin and Boone, "Is something going on between you two?"

Sin@crystyl:"Nothing right now, but only time can tell. Right Boone?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Let's get going before these portals open up again, then."

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "What of the wounded Ditean?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone looks down the hall, "We should be safe. After suffering so many losses, this particular creature is unlikely to return. There may be others, but nowhere is safe from them. It's no more or less dangerous lingering here."

Keliaya@anncaris narrows her eyes, "You seem to know an awful lot about what's going on here."

Sin@crystyl hrms

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "I'm not as familiar with this universe as I'd like to be. We should talk, Commander."

Keliaya@anncaris | V'Leng: "I'll tend to the Ditean."

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone looks to the very confused Bolian, "Go with the doctor. She might need a hand."

Keliaya@anncaris | The Bolian looks to Kelly, who gives a nod and he follows the Vulcan doctor off

Keliaya@anncaris turns her gaze back to Boone expectantly

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "I'm a temporal agent here to monitor the Survivor situation. Ensign Sin here can attest to my claim."

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Sin

Sin@crystyl | Emma shakes her head at Sin, "...'time will tell'? Subtle"

Keliaya@anncaris:"So that's what you meant..."

Sin@crystyl beams proudly, "Hey, subtle enough you didn't catch on until he said it! It's true though, and it's why I don't trust him as far as you could throw him"

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "You mean you could throw him, right?"

Sin@crystyl:"You kidding? I could throw him halfway across the quadrant. No way I trust him that much!"

Sin@crystyl | Emma sighs, "Of course..." and looks back to Boone, "So... temporal agent then? What did you mean before about what the Asteriarch pulled off?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone smiles, "I wouldn't underestimate the capabilities of one connected so closely to the mycelial network." He looks to Emma. "I was referring to her contracting that thief to steal from -

Keliaya@anncaris - the Coalition. This isn't her fault. It's not even really the Survivors' fault. Of course none of this would've happened if they didn't try to interfere with the peace negotiations, but this -

Keliaya@anncaris - was caused by an accident resulting from damage to their ship. Not unlike what trapped us in the Gamma Quadrant when we were on the Forge, but worse."

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "And what exactly is it that has happened?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "From the looks of things, a second degree breach of the transuniversal rift generator modified by energized tetryon particles."

Sin@crystyl:"Ok, I maybe understood, like... 3 of those words?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"So we're trapped in a layer of subspace now?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "I wish. I probably wouldn't have needed to break my cover if that was the case."

Sin@crystyl | Emma: "Transuniversal... rift generator? Are you saying we're in a completely different universe?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone nods, "And not just a different quantum reality with a slightly unfamiliar timeline. This is a realm of existence where the laws of physics don't even align with our own. We should count -

Keliaya@anncaris - ourselves lucky we ended up in one where our atoms can maintain cohesion and we don't just fall apart."

Sin@crystyl:"Yeah... falling apart would be bad"