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ST:UNI204 | "Electric Dreams"

Stardate 100475.4

The rapidly evolving Heart of Unity attracts yet more new Federation settlers, and with this latest batch of arrivals comes a deceptively familiar face.


Kayleigh learns the dangers of idle thought as her research into the possibility of late onset psionics gives the class more than they bargained for on a study mission.

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The Heart Cadets file into a classroom ready for another lecture on the Iconians with Prof. Lycas


Lycas is tapping away on a PADD behind his desk as everyone assembles. At the precise time the lecture is slated to begin, the elderly Vulcan stands and makes his way over to the head of the cadets' table, "Good morning, Cadets."


The class all respond in relative unison, "Good morning Professor"


Lycas: "Now, to all of you here, Iconian technology will have come to be quite a familiar aspect of your lives. We are currently residing within an installation of largely Iconian design, and elements of their technology can be found through the Annex."


Kayleigh nods idly, listening and sorting her notes


Lycas: "But that was not always the case. At one point in the not too distant past, Iconian technology was the pinnacle of xenotechnological studies. It was rare, largely unknown and considered highly dangerous. Even today, there are many aspects of Iconian technology we do not yet understand. We are fortunate to have the presence of Iconians and Iconian heralds to assist us, which is how the Coalition has been maintaining the Heart so well thus far."


Lycas' combadge chirps. Lycas: "Excuse me, Cadets," he steps away and taps his combadge, "Lycas here."


Becket, "Apologies for disrupting your class Professor Lycas, but the new transfer student is all processed through admin now and on her way to join your class"


Lycas nods, "No apologies needed, Commodore. It was logical to notify me, as an unexpected arrival would only cause further disruption."


Beckett: "And because you were busy preparing your field trip, you missed the update at the morning all hands. Good luck Professor"


Lycas: "Thank you."


Lycas turns back to the class, "Well, it seems you will have a new classmate joining us today."


Kayleigh looks up curiously


Despite her expectations, and those of the eagerly curious class all staring at the door. It doesn't open


Lycas: "She is on her way here, but it would not be logical to assume that she would step through the doors at the precise moment of my announcement. We have not planned an entrance together, as if we are performing a stage-play."


Kayleigh turns her attention back to the lecture


Lycas: "Back to the subject at hand. As I was saying, there are still many elements of Iconian technology which we do not understand. I believe I have reiterated this enough for it to be near-second nature to you by now, but always take caution when dealing with unfamiliar technology. This is especially important with Iconian technology for your class precisely because of your familiarity."


Kayleigh nods her understanding while taking notes


Lycas: "As a reminder of that, I have been notified of a malfunction- relatively minor, of course, with Iconian technology on the Sphere. We will be examining this for ourselves, to demonstrate just how little we understand of Iconian technology, despite its prevalence amidst our current residence."


Lycas: "The objective is to study and attempt to understand this malfunction, and then propose a solution. I will be dividing you into smaller groups for this task."


Lycas begins moving around the table, handing out a PADD to each cadet, "I have assigned you into groups already based on your specialties and personal strengths. If you wish to be in a different group however, you may do so if you find someone in another group who is willing to switch as well."


Kayleigh seems content at her grouping with Mariel & Kerafar


Lycas finishes passing out the PADDs and returns to the front of the table, "Curious. I would have expected that the new cadet will have arrived by now."


Kayleigh looks over, "Is it possible they get lost?"


Lycas: "That is a possibility. Due to the Annex being an Iconian facility, one who is more used to standard Federation designs could conceivably have difficulties in navigation. Would one of you like to see if you can locate your wayward classmate?"


Kayleigh nods, "Very well. I am somewhat superfluous to our group at this stage anyhow" she stands


Kayleigh heads out of the classroom...


...and bumps straight into an unfamiliar first year pacing nervously back and forth outside the classroom


Kayleigh perks a brow, "Um, are you... waiting for someone there?"


Leandra pauses, "Oh! Hello, yes! I, err... I think I'm supposed to come and join this class?"


Kayleigh, "Well if you do not know, I am not likely to"


Leandra doubletakes, "What?"


Kayleigh: "What?"


Leandra sighs, "Sorry, yes! Yes I am supposed to join this class. But... I wasn't sure if someone was supposed to come and meet me, and I didn't want to just walk in..."


Kayleigh considers the flustered girl, "So when nobody came... you determined the best course of action was to keep waiting for someone to come?"


Leandra grins and chirps, "Exactly yes!"


Kayleigh sighs, "About as logical as one might expect for a Human..."


Leandra tilts her head, "But... you came?"


Kayleigh: "What?"


Leandra:"What?"


Kayleigh gives another more defeated sigh, "Let's... just go back inside. I believe the Professor is waiting for you..."


Kayleigh leads the way back into the classroom, pointing the newcomer to Lycas


Leandra shuffles in sheepishly and a little red faced, approaching the professor and trying to pretend all the curious glances and whispers from the class are not a thing


Kayleigh meanwhile returns to her seat, responding to Mari's questioning gaze with a slight shake of her head, "You don't want to know..."


Lycas: "And you must be the new arrival we were waiting for. Welcome to the class, and to our Annex here. I am Professor Lycas, xenobiology specialist."


Leandra:"Thank you Professor, I will do my best to get caught up to your lessons"


Lycas: "Have you attended lessons at another annex already, or are you only joining us now?"


Leandra:"I did basic training on Mars, but came straight out here as soon as that was completed"


Lycas: "From the enlisted training facility?"


Leandra nods, "Yes Sir. Not the normal approach, I'm aware. I was accepted to the Academy last year but it was a personal preference to complete basic training there first before commencing my academy training"


Lycas: "Interesting. Does your family have a history of enlisted service, then?"


Leandra:"No Sir. But it was my decision to run this course because of my family"


Lycas: "Why don't you introduce yourself to your fellow cadets? I believe they were curious to meet you earlier."


Leandra nods and turns to the room, flustering at finally having to acknowledge all the curious staaaaaaares


Leandra clears her through, "Um... h- Hi. I'm a new transfer. I'm in Science. My name's Leandra-" she pauses and mutters, "-Tierno..."


Kayleigh perks a brow at recognizing the name. As do many others. Recognize, that is. Nobody else perks their brow like that


Mariel doubletakes and looks back, "Wait, did you say your name was...Tierno?"


Leandra nods sheepishly


Mariel:"Like.../the/ Lieutenant Tierno's Tierno?"


Leandra nods, "Yes, she is my older sister..."


Miklos stares at her in surprise, "You're Tierno's sister?"


Leandra:"Yes, and she is equally my sister"


Kerafar: "That's, uh...how all siblings work."


Leandra:"And I appreciate you remembering that. I am a Tierno, but I am Leandra, not Rianni. I am my own person and exist in my own right, not just as an existential shadow of Rianni" she gasps, "Sorry! I didn't mean..." and sighs, slumping, "It's taking some getting used to is all..."


Mariel:smiles, "Hey don't worry, we won't judge you based on your sister or anything. We're just surprised by the family connection, that's all!"


Leandra smiles, "Yeah... I keep getting that. But thanks"


Lycas meanwhile taps away on a PADD before handing it to Leandra, "You will need a team to join for this excursion. Since Cadets Tanglao, Kayleigh and Kerafar only have a three-person group, they are the most logical place to assign you."


Leandra takes the PADD with a nod, "Yes Sir" and turns, looking around the room as she has no idea who any of those names are, "Um..."


Mariel waves her over, "You're with us! I'm Cadet Tanglao, that's Kayleigh and Kerafar," she gestures to the others as she names them


Leandra heads around and joins them with a grateful smile, "Thanks! I'm Leandra. Though... you already know that now"


Mariel chuckles, "So, we're supposed to be looking at a malfunction with some Iconian tech. I don't suppose you've had much experience with that on Mars."


Leandra shakes her head, "I've never even seen any Iconian tech before I got here"


Kayleigh, "If extensive working knowledge were a prerequisite of the class, it would negate the very purpose of itself"


Leandra smiles, "Thanks! Um... Kayleigh, was it?"


Kayleigh nods, "That is correct"


Leandra:"Sorry, it's just... well I've never heard of a Vulcan name quite like that before"


Kayleigh, "It is a Human name"


Mariel chuckles, "I think I asked the same question when I first met her!"


Leandra giggles, "I guess I'm not the only one who has to deal with repeated introductory reactions"


Mariel:"i imagine your sister's name gets recognized a lot out here?"


Leandra:"More than I was ready for, that's for sure! I thought I got it a lot at Mars, but seriously... it's like impossible to find someone here who /doesn't/ hear my name and immediately see Rianni"


Mariel:"Well, she is best known for the work she did out here. Did you pick this annex so you'd be closer to her?"


Leandra smiles, "Guilty, yeah... Part of me hoped she might transfer home after they finally got back. But I knew she'd never settle for that life, so I joined Starfleet instead!"


Mariel chuckles, "That makes sense! A lot of the cadets out here chose this annex because of family in the area."


Leandra:"Oh yeah?"


Kayleigh nods: "I transferred from San Francisco last year because my mother and I moved out here to be with my father"


Leandra:"Oh nice! Of course, just my luck that I get here and she's already shipped out on some new mission. All happened so fast we barely even got a comm message from her before she was off again..."


Mariel:"Yeah, it was a very sudden mission. Their ship and crew had just gotten a quiet assignment in the Heart though. If only you got here a few months ago..."


Leandra:"Yeah, figures... But I had to finish basic once I'd started. Guess I'll just have to wait and surprise her when she's gets back now!"


Mariel:"She doesn't know you've come out here?"


Leandra shakes her head, "Nope! She ran off on this new mission before everything got finalized"


Mariel:"What about Professor Se'Lai? She was Lieutenant Tierno's former commanding officer, but she's a professor here now. I wonder if she's heard of your arrival now..."


Leandra:"Wait, Captain Keelah's a Professor now?"


Mariel nods, "She teaches in this annex and we have classes with her!"


Leandra:"Ooh, nice! I've only met her a couple of times, but she's always been really nice! As for whether she knows I'm here now... I don't know, maybe?"


Lycas: "Cadets. Now that you have your teams and assignments, you are dismissed for the time being. Look into the details I have provided and have theories and solutions to present once we depart for the Sphere surface. I expect several hypothesis and at least one proposal from each group."


Kayleigh starts packing up her things


Leandra looks around, "We're going to the sphere surface?"


Mariel nods as she starts packing up as well, "That's where the Iconian tech we're going to be investigating is! I assume you also haven't been to a dyson sphere surface before."


Leandra chuckles, shaking her head, "I've never really been away from the colony before"


Mariel:"Wait, you've been to Earth at least, right...?"


Leandra:"A few familiy vacations when I was little, if that counts"


Mariel stands, "Well, the Sphere surface can kind of be like various places on Earth. It's made to be like a planet surface and really feels that way! Except when you look up."


Leandra stands and smiles, "It's kind of exciting to see something so alien for the first time!"


Mariel smiles, "I think you'll enjoy this trip! But first there's someone I have a feeling you'd want to meet..."


Leandra:"I bet there's a whole load of new people I'll want to meet! But I'm curious who you have in mind..."


Kayleigh perks a brow, "As am I..."


Mariel grins at Kayleigh, "You'll see! That's if you'll be coming with us..."


Kerafar: "You ladies can show her around. I'll start looking into this Iconian stuff in the library. It's more my area of expertise, anyways!"


Kayleigh nods, "I will accompany you and sate this curiosity"


Mariel:"Come on, then! I don't want to spoil it now by asking the computers, but I think I have a pretty good idea where we might find this person..."


Kayleigh's brow furrows, obviously trying to work it out now based on an estimate of where they are heading


Mariel:"All I'll say is that it's a...logical choice," she smirks


Kayleigh hrms, taking it far more literally and just getting herself more confused trying to work out the actual logic based on the entire conversation thus far


—


Mariel leads Kayleigh and Leandra into the dining hall of the Annex, "And here's the dining hall, where we usually come to get food."


Leandra looks around, "Wow everything's so fancy! Must get pretty busy at times here, I bet it's hard to get a seat at some times!"


Mariel nods, "It can be! Unless you're Kay," she grins at Kay


Leandra gives her a curious look, "What, don't tell me you have your reservation here or something, because that's like... VIP level stuff. And we're just cadets..."


Kayleigh: "It is not as if it has a sign on it or anything..."


Leandra doubletakes, "Oh? Oh! Wow, you must be like a super cadet or something then!" she chirps


Kayleigh doesn't know how to respond to that. So she doesn't


Mariel laughs, "Well, she is a pretty good cadet! But also, she kind of has a reserved seat..."


Leandra:"How do you... kind of have a reservation...?" she asks, looking at Kay curiously


Kayleigh: "I just have my seat. That is all" she continues in the dining hall


Leandra skips a step to catch up, still not getting it but having lots of fun anyway


Mariel looks around the dining hall, "And there she is!" She makes her way towards a table, where another unmistakable half-Vulcan cadet sits...


Leandra follows, eyeing the new Vulcan curiously


Kayleigh pauses when she realizes, "I fail to see how this was the logical choice..." she mutters


Mariel smiles, "You'll see, Kay!" She waves, "Hey Pia! We've got a new student!"


T'Pia looks up with a smile, "Ooh, hello! It's nice to meet you! I'm Cadet T'Pia."


Leandra smiles, "Nice to meet you! I'm Cadet Tierno"


T'Pia: "Cadet...another Rianni?!"


Leandra sighs, "Not a Rianni, a Leandra. Rianni is my older sister"


T'Pia: "Oh, you're her sister! Sorry, when I hear Tierno, I assume it's another copy or alternate reality version of your sister, or something like that. She has...a lot of those."


Leandra:"There's even more of them now?"


T'Pia: "With the whole alternate reality stuff going on, yeah..."


Leandra:"Oh right yeah, I think I heard something about that but it kind of went over my head. So there's more Rianni's running around now?"


Mariel nods, "At least one in the Sphere right now. Should probably keep that in mind, in case you see your sister but with a bunch of cybernetic implants!"


Leandra 's eyes widen, "With... nevermind, I don't want to know! I thought it was bad enough just with that one who replaced her..."


T'Pia: "She's away on a mission too, but she might show up sometime..."


Leandra:"I thought it was bad enough with everyone here knowing her. But now there's multiples of her running around? Damn, what is it with that girl..."


T'Pia: "No one knows, but that's why I thought you were another version when you introduced yourself! I do see the family resemblence too, even though the multiples tend to look almost -


Mariel - identical. Unless you discount the cyber...you know."


Leandra:"I can imagine... well, yeah. Anyways! I guess this is just a fact of life I've got to get used to out here now" she chuckles


T'Pia: "Maybe introducing yourself with your full name, as Leandra Tierno, might help a bit. Your sister's not only famous, there's also like ten of her..."


Leandra:"That's a fair point. I was hoping at first that just being Cadet Tierno would be enough of a distinction, but it just doesn't cut it when your sister is like a celebrity or something!"


T'Pia: "She was pretty famous even as a cadet, so that doesn't help either, I imagine."


Leandra:"Another fair point. I just need to get used to all this!"


Mariel:"That's why I wanted you to meet Cadet T'Pia! She also has very famous family- her mother mostly around here, but her father's also an admiral."


Leandra:"Wow! That makes you like... Starfleet royalty or something then!" she giggles


T'Pia giggles as well, "That's...one way to describe it! I mean, Starfleet judges everyone equally, but when your family's famous...I mean, you probably noticed it yourself, too!"


Leandra:"Little bit..." she nods and chuckles


Mariel looks to Kayleigh, "See, they're got quite a bit in common. So it was logical to introduce them, right?"


Kayleigh, "It is quite a stretch of commonality, but I do see your point"


Mariel:"When she said she wanted to be her own person and not just be in the shadow of her sister, I thought T'Pia would be a good person for her to meet! Not that you exist in your parents' shadows or anything, Pia. Just that you have famous parents and might have things in common they can talk about."


T'Pia smiles, "Don't worry, I know what you mean!"


Leandra:"And I appreciate the thought! So T'Pia, who are your famous parents?"


T'Pia: "Well, my mum is Captain Se'Lai, and my dad is Admiral Bishop."


Leandra:"Wait... Captain Se'Lai is your mum? But I thought... nope, nevermind. Not going to confuse myself with more questions!"


—


Lycas: "Cadets. I presume you have all read up on the material I provided you and are familiar with the data we have so far?"


Everyone nods and generally mutters an affirmative


Lycas: "The biome we will be travelling to is semi-forested temperate terrain. There are large predator species within the more heavily forested parts of the biome, but they do not venture beyond their territories. They are confirmed to avoid the areas with functioning Iconian technology, so you will not have to be concerned of any potential danger. Be mindful not to venture too far from our beam-in point, however."


The transport operator looks up, "The ship is here now Professor and confirm ready to receive your group"


Lycas nods, "Let us proceed, Cadets."


Kayleigh raises her hand, "Excuse me Professor Lycas, but our group is still missing one"


Sure enough, Leandra hasn't arrived yet


Miklos eagerly leads his group onto the transporter pad and they dematerialize away


Mariel glances around at Kay and Kerafar, "Hey, any of you seen the last member of our group?"


Kayleigh shakes her head, "Given what happened yesterday, it would not surprise me if she is waiting outside again..." she heads out to check


Mariel turns and follows behind to see as well


Kayleigh gives a soft yelp and jumps as she passes through the opening door, shaking her hand


Mariel:"Wha- Kay, are you alright?"


Kayleigh nods, brushing her hand against her skirt, "Just a static shock. It happened in the turbolift earlier too, I suppose it is just one of those odd days for it. Maybe I slept funny and ruffled my hair too much or something..." she brushes it off, continuing to look around outside for Leandra


Mariel follows out, looking around as well


No sign of her so far


Mariel:"Well, she's not hanging outside the door this time. We should probably comm her."


Kerafar sighs and follows the pair to help look, "Is one normal day with you two too much to ask...?" he mutters


Mariel looks back, "A group member being a little late is hardly the strangest thing to happen..."


Kayleigh nods, discarding Kerafar's comment as she sees nothing untoward yet, "You want to give her a try or shall I?"


Kerafar hrms with disbelief, "Yeah, and pinky here with her shocks. It's a bad omen I tell you. Just you see!"


Mariel:"I'm sure she just slept in or something! I'll give it a try.


Mariel taps her combadge, "Tanglao to Cadet Tierno."


Leandra responds, puffing and panting, "I'm here! I'm here!" though it doesn't come through Mari's combadge


Leandra comes rushing around the corner, almost skidding to a halt and doubling over to catch her breath, "S- Sorry! I... went to the wrong... transporter room..."


Mariel:"So that's what happened. Don't worry, you're just in time!"


Kayleigh nods, "Let us proceed before we hold everyone up"


Leandra nods, still flustered and follows the others back into the transporter room where just Lycas remains from their group


Mariel:"Okay, we're ready to go!"


Lycas: "Excellent." He steps onto the transporter pad himself


Kayleigh & the others join them


Lycas nods to the transporter operator, "Energize."


Transport operator waits for a nod from Lycas and then taps his console, "Annex to Valley Forge, 5 to beam out"


Leandra looks up in shock, "Did he just say..."


The group dematerialize…


...and rematerialize on totally not the same set as the VF transporter where they can see ships crew escorting the other cadet groups out, and a beaming smile with Lennie who stands to greet them


Lennie: "Lycas ya old dog! I thought you'se were gonna abandon us for a minute there!"


Lycas: "My apologies. One of the cadets was slightly delayed in her arrival."


Leandra starts counting carpet threads...


Lennie spots this and snickers before looking to the others, "Welcome back ladies. An' by invite this time! Then to Kerafar, "I don't believe we'se met yet. I'm a'CMDR Lendaria, but y'all can jus' call me Lennie, e'eryone else does!"


Mariel chuckles, "Thanks for having us back on board again after last time, Commander Lennie. This is Cadet Kerafar, one of our classmates, and Cadet Tierno. She's a new student, and got a little lost, -


Mariel - hence the delay..."


Lennie doubletakes, "Cadet...? Oh Goddess, not another one..."


Leandra gives a deflated sigh


Mariel:"Oh right, Pia recommended introducing with the full name to avoid confusion, didn't she..." she looks over at Leandra. "Sorry! This is Cadet /Leandra/ Tierno. Lieutenant Tierno's younger sister. Not another clone or alternate reality version!"


Lennie steps over to Leandra, looking her over more closely, "So you're Rianni's baby sister? Grown up s'fast look!" she beams


Leandra smiles, "Thank you Commander... Lennie. Sorry, it took me by surprise being here. I heard the ship was around still, but didn't expect to be here"


Lennie smiles, glancing to Lycas, "Well, when I heard my ol' friend th'Professor 'ere was takin' a field trip, I couldn't resist!"


Lycas nods to Leandra, "The Valley Forge is currently serving as a science ship within the Heart."


Leandra: "Really? After all the excitement around this ship I half expected it to be heading to a life of posterity in the fleet museum" she chuckles


Lennie, "Hey she might be on old'un now, but she's not a relic yet!"


Lycas: "When the vessel is decommissioned, there is a high probability that she will end up on display. However, the Admiral deems that time has not yet come."


Leandra flusters, "Oh! I didn't mean... sorry!"


Lennie chucklesnorts, "Yep... she's definitely a Tierno"


Mariel chuckles, "So, do we wait around here to transport back down, or are we heading somewhere first while we make our way to the right section of the Heart?"


Lennie smiles, "It'll take a few hours to get there - we're not exactly rushin' 'ere - so ya classmates're hangin' around in th'lounge for th'most part. Some're tourin' th'ship too" she looks to Leandra, "Hey, ya wanna take a look around too? See where ya sister spent all 'er time?"


Leandra smiles at the thought and nods, but catches herself, "That would be-... oh, but I shouldn't indulge selfishly when I'm here to work with my team, right"


Kayleigh:"Touring the ship would arguably be more productive than playing chess in the lounge"


Kerafar concedes, "I have to admit, with all of the retrofitting that I've heard about here, it would be interesting to see..."


Mariel:"Sounds like a ship tour it is then! Now that I know what to expect, hopefully won't have any problems on this ship..."


Mariel smiles, "Also I like to think I've improved my control in the last few months, too!"


Leandra gives Mari a confused glance, lacking context


Lennie smiles, "Perfect!" and turns to Lycas, "Tha's e'eryone now, right Professor?"


Lycas nods, "It is indeed."


Lennie nods and taps her combadge, "Lennie t'bridge. We wrangled all th'cadets now Sweets, so we can get underway"


Mariel:<C - Ann> "Gettin' us to the biome now!"


Lennie continues, "Gonna do a lil' tour wit' some of th'cadets an' th'old Prof. Ya should join us if ya fancy it!"


Mariel:<C - Ann> "On my way! Don't think a lil cruise through the Heart's gonna need much supervision on the bridge, anyways!"


Lennie: "Great! We'll be in... um..." she looks to Lycas and whispers, "Where we goin' first?"


Lycas: "As this is a xenoscience and technology course, perhaps the labs would be an appropriate place to begin."


Lennie nods, "...in th'labs! We'll see ya there Sweets!"


Mariel:<C - Ann> "See ya there!"


Kayleigh perks a brow at the extreme informality here. Very unfamiliar


Lycas notices the perked brow, "Starfleet crews which have served together for a long time often form close bonds with one another. Not unlike other forms of family. Though they can still put on a professional appearance, these formalities are sometimes set aside in regular operations as it is not required to reinforce the chain of command."


Kayleigh:"I see. And you served in this environment as well Professor?"


Lycas: "I have served in ships with both environments over my many years within Starfleet."


Kayleigh nods, "I may seek your guidance for additional notes on this particular matter in the future, and how to survive it"


Lennie chuckles, whispering to the others, "Vulcans, am I right?" and turns, "Alright gang, right this way!" leading them out


Mariel grins and follows Lennie out


—


Lennie leads the group through to the labs, making small talk as they go, "So how's Academy life suitin' ya Professor?"


Lycas: "Teaching is a role I am quite familiar with. However, doing so in an annex such as this is quite new. I would say it is a rather ideal position, actually."


Lennie smiles, "Oh yeah?"


Lycas: "Here in the Heart, I am able to work both on firsthand xenotechnology research and experimentation, as well as teach at the Annex."


Lennie: "I can see tha' bein' pretty ideal for ya. Glad it's workin' out!"


Lennie leads them into the active labs, "Aight folks, while th'Forge's got lots a labs, this's typically th'most active one. This's where folks're studyin' Junior"


Mariel: "That's the bioship that follows you around, right?"


Lennie nods, "Tha's right!" she shows them on a monitoring station


Leandra gathers around, looking curiously, "You have a... pet bioship?"


Lennie chuckles, "Somethin' like tha'! Come on Professor, how haven't ya taught these kids 'bout Junior yet?" she asks, feigning being all hurt


Lycas: "Junior is not conventional xenotechnology. I suppose his workings could be described as biotechnology, but he is far more your area of expertise than mine. Especially as I was already stationed at the Sphere and not on board during the entire process of his birth and growth. It would be an excellent idea to call on you for a guest lecture on the subject someday, however."


Kayleigh: "Your... 'Junior' was the topic of some discussion after your return in some of our classes, but there has yet to be an in depth study"


Lennie nods, "Makes sense. We were drydocked for a spell too, so couldn't really accomodate. But now we'se actively supportin' research 'ere, we could probably do some teachin's here in th'labs on Junior!"


Leandra still studies the console, "I've never seen anything like it before..."


Lennie eyes Leandra, "I see ya in th'sciences too! What's ya field?"


Mariel looks over curiously too, "I was about to ask that myself! Since your sister is known for her tactical work, but I didn't want to compare you with her or anything..."


Leandra taps her fingers together awkwardly, "Oh, I... well, I don't really have one yet..."


Lennie smiles, "There's nothin' wrong with' tha'! Plenty o'time t'get ya teeth into things after all" she turns to Mari, "Wha' bout yaself?"


Kayleigh tries to follow Lennie's erratic conversation and clumsy sounding speech, muttering to herself curiously, "Teeth...?"


Mariel: "I'm specializing in biology right now. That's what you do, if I remember right..."


Lennie nods, "Tha's right! I do languages too, but tha's more of a personal thing" she looks to Kerafar, "How'bout you Cadet, engineerin' right?"


Kerafar nods, "That's right! I don't have a single specialization I'm going all in on either, though...I guess I'm most versed in warp and FTL propulsion systems and all that."


Lennie smiles, "Aah, well it's lucky ya got th'Cap'n joinin' th'Professor ranks then!"


The door slides open and Ann steps inside


Ann:"Heyo Lennie! Professor, Cadets."


Lennie turns, "Heya Sweets!"


Leandra & the all turn, but don't greet her as Sweets


Ann:"How's the tour goin'?"


Lennie, "We'se jus' gettin' started! Givin' me a chance t'get to know some o'these kids better, not like last time some of 'em appeared 'ere" she winks at the guilty pair


Mariel: "Sorry!"


Ann chuckles, "Yeah, I remember 'em bein' brought up to the bridge an' all..."


Leandra looks between the two, growing concerned for her future and what she's been let in for with this group now


Lennie: "Oh please, if anythin' it were impressive! Certainly entertainin'!


Ann:"Tha' it was!"


Kayleigh looks to Mari, "If I recall correctly, isn't that how you met Leandra's sister?"


Mariel: "Yeah, it was..."


Ann looks to Kayleigh, "Bein' brought up to the bridge o' a starship? Or here on our bridge, specifically?"


Kayleigh: "On this bridge specifically. She was the one who escorted Mariel to the bridge I believe"


Ann:"Tha' would mean ya sister's..." She looks Leandra over closely


Leandra: "Rianni, yes"


Ann:"I can see the resemblence! 'specially in tha' uniform. Knew her since we were both cadets. Well technically I knew the other her first, but met the real her back when she was a cadet, too."


Leandra perks up, "You were cadets together? But all of her class... oh so that must have been after, at that station right?"


Ann nods, "Yeah, I wasn't in tha' class. Think I did go on the Gainsborough once though, but tha' was before it went down."


Leandra shudders, "Now there's a name I don't miss hearing. Sorry! It's just every time I think of that ship... well, it's why I did the extra prep"


Ann:"Extra prep?"


Kayleigh also gives her a curious look


Leandra nods, "Yes, I would have started here sooner. But I first went through basic training at the enlisted school on Mars. It was on our doorstep, which helped, but after everything that happened to her-


Leandra:- I didn't dare even start at the academy without covering myself as best I could"


Kayleigh perks a brow at this, "But training at the academy is the whole concept of preparing us for service. It is illogical to first prepare yourself for the preparation by completing the same -


Leandra:- preparations elsewhere..."


Leandra smiles, "I know it may sound a little silly, but if you knew what we went through - even as bystanders to Rianni's experience - you might disagree. The academy prepares us to be officers over a -


Leandra:- long training period. But during that time, we go on a lot of field excursions - just like this one! - and anything can happen on those, even when it's not anticipated-"


Kerafar mutters, "/especially/ when it's not anticipated, and certain cadets are around..."


Leandra:"- But the enlisted school takes a much shorter time to specifically prepare people for active service, focusing on the more basic details of functional service. So I wanted to do that first and be -


Leandra:- better prepared for my time at the academy, especially a remote annex like this"


Ann nods at Leandra, "The point o' the Academy is to prepare ya for service, but extra knowledge an' experience never hurts, cause you can never be /too/ prepared. Take it from somebody who joined a -


Kayleigh considers, "...I see the logic behind your reasoning"


Kerafar doubletakes and looks to Leandra, "A Vulcan complement. Consider yourself honoured!"


Kayleigh gives him a completely emotionless but somehow still frustrated look that only Vulcans can pull off


Leandra just giggles


Ann:- lot later than the usual enlistment age."


Leandra refocuses on Ann, "You did a similar thing?"


Ann:"Not quite, I just had a lotta practical experience before joinin' Starfleet."


Kayleigh looks between the two, and the considers Lennie who is clearly far more worldly than the average officer, then the Professor who just has so many years of wisdom it's impossible to tell -


Leandra:- anything. And suddenly starts to question her own typical approach


Ann:"The Academy can't teach you everything, and ya never know what you might need, so every bit helps. Plenty o' Vulcans take the same approach too, I met a few who had full Science Academy educations an' even careers before joinin' Starfleet. So it must be logical," she grins


Kayleigh hrms, sinking deeper into her self questioning


Ann:"Anyways! Where to next?"


Lennie slaps her on the shoulder, "Don't get hung on up cadet, what you did yaself were no doubt th'most logical approach /for you'se/. Not e'eryone's th'same, so th'rules ain't always th'same!"


Kayleigh considers this ineloquent wisdom and seems uplifted by it. Or confused by the dialect, it's hard to say


Lennie: "Let's head down t'engineerin' since tha' were a point o'interest too. This way!" she leads the group out


—


Lennie keeps chattering away, clearly enjoying having new faces around, as they make their into engineering, "An'ere it is! I, uh... don't exactly know much about it all but I'm-a sure mah Chief's lurkin' round 'ere somewhere..."


Indeed, Thorkildsen peers down from the upper level of Engineering, "Commander! Bringing in some fresh recruits for me?"


Lennie laughs, "Afraid you'll have t'wait a while t'get ya hands on this lot! Jus' showin' our guests around, wanna come down an' talk shop wit' our engineerin' Cadet?"


Thorkildsen: "Sure!" He steps over to a lift, emerging as the lift doors slide open. "Afraid I can't just climb down like Kelly does. I've got a strong grip, but I still can't climb like a Denobulan," he chuckles.


Leandra thinks a moment, "That's... Keliaya right, she was the Chief Engineer before?"


Thorkildsen: "That's right. You've heard of her?"


Leandra nods, "My sister told me all about her friends here!"


Thorkildsen: "Your sister serves on the Forge? What's her name?"


Leandra:"She's not here now, but she was the tactical officer for a while. My sister is Rianni"


Thorkildsen: "Of course! You do look a little like her. She's still serving under Kelly now, actually."


Leandra smiles, "Yes, I heard she had shipped out with some of the other crew. Unfortunately I couldn't get here before they left but I'll see her as soon as they get back from this mission! But... please, don't let me get in the way of your engineering time" she smiles towards Kerafar


Thorkildsen looks to Kerafar, "So, you're the Engineering specialist, then?"


Kerafar nods, "Yes Sir"


Thorkildsen smiles, "Come on then, let me give you a tour of Main Engineering here," He leads Kerafar onwards into Engineering


Lennie looks to the others, "Sorry, but tech jus' ain't mah thing. Me an Ann 'ere'll jus' chill here while anyway you kids who want it take a look around"


Kayleigh, "I willn accompany them out of curiosity as well" she heads off


Mariel nods, "I'm not much of a technical person either." She looks to Leandra. "So, you said you haven't figured out what field of science to specialize in yet?"


Leandra nods, "That's right, yeah. I haven't really seen enough of what's out there to know if anything sticks out as a field of interest yet. And there are so many to choose from..."


Lennie chuckles, "Y'ain't wrong!"


Mariel:"Yeah, I had the same problem. There's just so many disciplines and all of them are very interesting! I ended up going with biology, because my family has a tradition of medical practice."


Lennie: "Anythin' ya been involved wit' back on Mars, or stuff ya seen an' done tha' got ya interest?"


Leandra:"Well my dad's a structural engineer - he's actually going to go out with the engineering corps as a civilian contractor when they start rebuilding the old warzones out here. Mom... was a botanist, and I did always like playing in the gardens when I was growing up. But I'm not sure I want to make a career out of it"


Lennie nods, "Right, of course. I am sorry about your mother"


Leandra smiles and shakes her head, "It was a long time ago now, but thank you"


Mariel:"Maybe you could go into xenobiology, focusing on the plant side of things? It's less like gardening and more about studying new alien plant life."


Leandra hrms, "That does seem a logical persuit..." she glances towards the tour group, "...sorry, I just imagined saying that to her if anyone!" she chuckles


Ann chuckles, "Ya left out what ya sister's best known for. Guessin' you didn't wanna go into tactical so everyone wouldn't compare ya to her?"


Leandra:"Well that is a part of it, granted. But honestly, I just don't want to be compared to her like that - it's hard enough as it is! Besides, she's got a head for all that stuff but not me. Ever since I was old enough to play, I've never won a game of chess against her!"


Mariel nods, "She must just naturally be talented with it or something. It doesn't sound like anyone else in your family does any related work..."


Leandra:"Maybe one of our grandparents did, I'm sure she gets it from somewhere!"


Ann: "Maybe! But I'm sure ya'll be able to make your own name for yaself in science!"


Leandra:"I don't plan on competing with her level of achievement, I would just be happy to establish me as 'me', and not 'her sister'" she chuckles


Mariel:"Well, choosing a different discipline is definitely a good way to set yourself apart, if you ask me! Why science and not engineering though? Never had much interest in your dad's work?"


Leandra:"I don't know really, science just seemed more natural a fit. All that technical stuff my Dad does feels like trying to work out a Strategama gambit against Rianni..."


Ann chuckles, "I know what ya mean! Tried to get into engineerin' at first too. I'm pretty handy with tech, but all the theoretical stuff, tha's somethin' else."


Leandra:"What made you choose tactical in the end?"


Ann smiles, "Actually I'm Command. Always been Command too, even before I took over as XO under Lennie. Realized I make a pretty good pilot, and flyin's pretty fun. Considered Security too, but while I'm good in a scrap, don't really consider myself the fightin' type."


Leandra:"Oh! Sorry, I just see red and always assume tactical because that's always what the other cadets are..."


Ann: "Yeah, most officers work their way into Command from somewhere else. Pilotin's one o' the only tracks where ya can /start/ in Command."


Leandra:"Huh. Well, I've never piloted anything before so I don't see myself pursuing that. Plus Command... I can't think of anything scarier!"


Lennie snorts, "I feel ya"


Mariel looks to Lennie, "But...you're in command of a ship?"


Lennie chuckles, "Boggles th'mind don't it? Thing is, I were always 'bout mah science. Eventually got to bein' comfortable leadin' tha' department which meant I were in th'Command structure 'ere too. Had t'do mah turn in tha' chair more tha' once, an' unlike ya sister-" she smiles at Leandra, "-I didn't welcome it, I jus' wanted t'do mah research! But..." she turns a smile to Ann, "...after we started t'mix things up followin' this latest excursion, Keelah asked me t'take th'Forge over. An' yeah, I argued it an' if Kelly hadn't been needed on tha' new mission, maybe she'd be 'ere now. But th'Forge's a complicated old girl now, an' a big part of her existence is lookin' after Junior. Since he falls squarely in mah primary field it did sorta make sense t'accept command as it's less a starship an' more a mobile lab now!"


Ann smiles, "An' ya doin' a great job!" She gives Leandra a pat on the head, "Don't worry too much about what department you're in. There's plenty o' chances in Starfleet to switch, as a cadet like I did, an' even after plenty o' folks move around, like Lennie an' Kelly movin' into Command!"


Leandra:"That's a good point, I hadn't thought about that thanks!"


—


Some time later, the Valley Forge arrive at the distant biome and the academy groups beam down to the surface, arriving outside a monitoring station


Mariel:looks to Leandra as they materialize, "Welcome to the Sphere surface!"


Leandra looks around in awe, "Wow..."


Mariel:"See, just like the natural surface of a planet, except it's all actually artificial. But if you don't think about it, it's easy to forget you're not just in the great outdoors of a planet!"


Leandra nods, "It is remarkable! We have to work so hard just to put the basics on the colony. And here it all seems so effortless..."


Kayleigh:"On the surface, perhaps. But when you get perspective on the scale of the sphere technology that maintains these areas you may find it a little more balanced"


Lycas: "Indeed. Even with the resources and technology the Iconians possessed, most dyson sphere installations were still completed in conjunction with other species. The Heart especially was a project involving the cooperation of many civilizations in something similar to the Coalition we have today. The project was spearheaded by the Iconians and Nuhar, two of the most advanced civilizations at the time, and had contributions by countless more."


Leandra: "Really? I knew about the Iconians and Nuhar but didn't realise they had a whole Coalition behind it back then too"


Lycas: "The Iconians and Nuhar were known for being at the forefront of the early Horde war due to their Heralds and Constructs being immune to Horde influence. Multiple other species at the time assisted them behind the front lines, in affairs such as the construction of the Heart."


An Iconian steps out of the monitoring station as the group talk, "Your teacher is quite correct. Welcome, I take it you are the group of students from the Starfleet school?"


Lycas nods, "That is correct. We are here to examine the reported malfunction, for educational purposes."


The Iconian nods, "I am T'Pem, the caretaker of this biome. I have drones available to carry out this work, but understand this educational excursion of yours takes precedence. Would you mind if I accompanied you during this exercise? This method seems quite inefficient to me, so I would welcome the opportunity to study you further and see it firsthand"


Lycas: "You may accompany us. Perhaps it will prove educational for you as well."


T'Pem bows her head, "That would be most welcome" she taps her wrist control and a small swarm of exocomp sized Nuhar drones appear from the monitoring station


Leandra looks around at all the strange activity in awe


T'Pem; "I believe the debrief that was provided indicated 4 locations where faults have been registered and that your group was to split between them. These drones have the required tooling capabilities and will accompany each of your subgroups"


Lycas: "I assume you will be choosing to observe one group in particular, then?"


T'Pem: "I lack your knowledge as to the capabilities of your younglings here and so am unable to determine which is the best to observe. I will accompany you either with your group of choice, or alternating between them if that is your approach"


Lycas: "I will be alternating between them. It is the most logical means of observing all their progress."


T'Pem bows her head again, "Very well then" she stands back, presumably her concept of staying out of the way while Lycas despatches the groups


Lycas turns back to the Cadets, "You have your assignments from the PADDs I gave you. Proceed to your designated location and begin your study. Contact me via comms if you have any questions, or when you have a solution ready so I may come and observe."


—


Kayleigh:heads out with her team to their designated area


Leandra takes it all in, "So there's really loads of wildlife out here, predators and everything?"


Mariel:nods, "That's right! There's all sorts of biomes on the surface, thousands of different environments from different planets, each with their own ecosystem."


Leandra, "It's like a whole galaxy in one place..."


Mariel:"That's kind of the idea! Well, not a whole galaxy. But the Heart was built as an ark for all the different worlds that was at risk for being consumed by the Horde at the time."


Kayleigh:"Indeed, that would be a far more accurate description for it"


Leandra nods, "I see. I think I get it"


Mariel:"And depending on the specific biome, there can be different kind of life inside. Some can be pretty dangerous, I've heard."


Kayleigh:"Not this one though, at least not the area we are in. That should not invite complacency however"


Leandra nods, taking it all in


Kayleigh:looks to Mari as they arrive, "I am uncertain how much use I will be in this exercise, but I will assist however I am able"


Mariel:smiles, "There's always a use for Vulcan logic, even if tech isn't your speciality!"


Kayleigh:"Of course, but still it seems logical for you and Kerafar to take the lead here"


Kerafar nods, looking around for the malfunctioning tech they are here for


They find the approximate area, and the small drone tagging alone leads them to the specific tech which seems to be an environmental control device


Mariel and Kerafar steps over to examine the device


Mariel:"You read up on everything Lycas provided, right?"


Kerafar nods, "Yeah. I think we'll need to do some field testing to see exactly where the fault is."


Mariel:nods, "Let's get started, then! Anything the others can do to help?"


Kayleigh:"If you are collating field data from the device, we could collect supporting data from the immediate area"


Kerafar: "Oh yeah. that's a good idea. This is an environmental control device, after all."


Kayleigh:& Leandra move off to gather their readings while the others assess the device


Mariel:starts working with Kerafar to see if they can find the issue and come up with a potential solution


It takes them a while, but between the pair they are able to identify the cause of the fault


Mariel:looks around to see where Kayleigh and Leandra went off to


They find the pair a short distance away, gathering samples


Mariel:steps up to them, "Hey, we've found the source of the malfunction. Anything interesting out here?"


Kayleigh:stands, "Nothing of consequence. Have you summoned the Professor?"


Mariel:"Not yet, I wanted to check in with you before we did."


Kayleigh:"A prudent measure"


Leandra: "I think we've got a wide enough sampling to cross check results for you now!"


Mariel:smiles, "Perfect! Let's see what you got and then we can call the Professor over."


Leandra heads over and passes her tricorder to Mari


Mariel:takes the tricorder, looking it over before making her way back to Kerafar


Kayleigh:& Leandra join them


Mariel:"Thanks! I hope your first trip isn't too intimidating or anything!"


Leandra smiles, "Not at all, it's kind of exciting really!"


Mariel:smiles, "Yeah, I felt the same during my first trip to the surface here."


Mariel:hands the tricorder back to Kerafar, "Here's the scans they got from the environment."


Kerafar takes the tricorder, "Thanks. Let me just compare it to what we have here..."


Everything seems consistent, but they'll have to take like readings again after repairing the tech to get a measure of improvement


Kerafar: "Everything seems in line with what we've got. Should I call the Professor over and get started on the repairs?"


Kayleigh:"I see no reason why not as long as you are confident in your remedy"


Kerafar nods and gets started while Mari taps her combadge, informing Lycas of their progress


A short time later, Lycas and the Iconian appear to observe the repair effort


Mariel:"Hey Professor! We're just getting started on the repair now. Kerafar's pretty confident it should work."


Kerafar: "No pressure..."


Leandra: "You've got this!"


Kerafar focuses, working on implementing his solution...


With support and guidance from the others, he completes his work with a nod of approval from the Iconian upon completion


Kerafar: "There! Phew! Nothing exploded."


Kayleigh:"A promising start I believe"


Lycas quirks his brow, "We would not have allowed you to utilize this repair effort as training if there was a significant risk of injury."


T'Pem scans the device and nods, "Everything seems to be in order now"


Leandra: "Should we conduct new scans of the area to verify the results too?"


Mariel:"I was just about to say! Let's check and make sure everything's working as intended.


Lycas' combadge chimes and he nods, "It seems one of the other teams is ready for their solution. I will leave you Cadets to check your work here."


Lycas steps off with the Iconian and Kerafar returns the tricorder to Mari


Mariel:in turn hands the tricorder back to Leandra, "Here, I think this is yours."


Leandra smiles, "Alright, let's go verify our results!"


Kayleigh:turns to follow, pausing as she notices an access panel on the device still open and pushes it shut


As she does, there is a bright flash and Kay goes tumbling backwards...


Mariel:jumps at the sudden flash before rushing over to Kay, "What was that?"


Leandra rushes back too, "I don't know? Is she alright? Oh God, is she..."


Kayleigh:appears lightlly burned and unconscious, but definitely alive


Mariel:"Kay? Are you awake? Can you hear me?


Kayleigh:is out cold, no response


—


After being contacted by the cadets, Lycas and T'Pem rushed back to the group, and they all beamed back to the VF with Kayleigh being beamed straight to sickbay


Mariel heads into sickbay with Leandra and Kerafar, with Lycas trailing not far behind them


Kerafar: "It wasn't something I did with the tech down there, was it...?"


Leandra: "I don't think so?"


Lycas: "I see no logical way for the environmental control system to have been connected to this incident, to my knowledge. If this was a result of your repairs, it was one you could not have foreseen, Cadet. One that even I would not have foreseen."


T'Pem nods, "Both your teacher and I confirmed that the control system was in order when we inspected your work, there was no fault"


Lennie comes storming in not long after them, "What th'hell Professor? I thought this were meant t'be a safe lil' trainin' mission for ya kids?"


Lycas: "That was the intention, Commander. We do not understand what occurred to cause the injury, but both the technology and the region was examined to be safe."


The EMH is tending to Kay's burns, "Well something did this to your cadet"


Lycas: "I was not with the team when it occurred. What did you see, cadets?"


Mariel:"All I remember was a flash..."


Mariel looks to Leandra


Leandra nods, "Yeah... we were just heading back out to collate fresh data to verify the repair was having the desired environmental effect, then the flash"


Kerafar: "I wasn't even looking in her direction...I think I noticed some light, probably the flash. And then next thing I knew she was on the ground!"


Lennie: "What about Cadet Kayleigh, where exactly was she when this happened?"


Leandra: "Oh, um... she was following me out I think, but she stopped for something... oh yeah! She closed the access panel on the device we were working on"


Mariel looks to T'Pem, "Should the device even be capable of discharging that much power? It's part of the environmental control system, but it's not the direct /source/ of the fields actually in place to regulate the environment, right? Those should be located deep underground."


T'Pem: "You are correct Cadet, they do not carry that much charge"


Lennie: "Can we disconnect that unit an' bring it on board? Maybe fruitless, but it could help us figure wha' happened"


T'Pem bows her head, "Of course Captain, I will return to the surface immediately and see to it"


Lennie: "Thanks, I'll send one of our teams wit' ya to help an' coordinate bringin' it back on board"


T'Pem seems a little put out, "As you see fit Captain" and heads off


Mariel looks to the EMH, "Will she be alright?"


The EMH keeps working while he responds, "Her physical wounds are superficial. However she appears to be in a self induced healing coma, so I can not make an accurate assessment on her internally until she stabilizes from this. Bloody Vulcans, always got to do things yourselves don't you..."


Mariel:"That explains why she's out. She didn't look like she got hurt /that/ badly..."


EMH: "She did receive second degree electrical burns to approximately 30% of her body. However this is nothing of consequence with her prompt arrival here, so there will be no lasting damage"


Kerafar: "Electrical burns? Iconian tech shouldn't even give off that kind of energy, right?"


Lennie: "Not inherently, but it could be the byproduct of a reaction or somethin'"


Mariel considers, "But all she did was touch it. We've all touched it...unless it's to do with Vulcan physiology?"


Leandra: "But if that was the case, wouldn't it have affected the Professor before?"


Mariel:"True. Could there be something special about half-Vulcan physiology, then?"


EMH: "Unless one of her parents was a tricorder, that seems unlikely"


Leandra, "I don't know her that well, but I'm guessing that is not the case..."


Mariel thinks, "I guess we'll just have to study the device some. Unless..."


Leandra: "Unless?"


Mariel:"When you got lost on your way to the transporter and we went to look for you..."


Leandra: "Yes? Wait, did I do something?"


Mariel:"No, no, it wasn't you. At least I don't think you had something to do with it. It was just when we were heading out of the transporter room to look for you. Something happened with Kay, she said it was a static shock."


Leandra: "A... static shock?"


Mariel:"That's what she said, and it was right before we beamed over to the Valley Forge. A static shock shouldn't give you electrical burns, but...maybe it's related?"


Lennie: "We shouldn't rule anythin' out. Imma go see how they're gettin' on wit' th'device. Professor, keep us updated" she heads out


Leandra: "Wait, are you talking about when happens when your laundry gets a bit ruffled sometimes and you pick it up and it feels like a little shock to the touch?" she looks at the blank faces around her, "What? We don't have the replicator budgets of Starfleet at the colony, so we can't just recycle everything through the replicators!"


Mariel nods, "Yes, but we all wear the same uniform. And static shocks shouldn't be that strong, anyways. It doesn't make much sense, but mentioning electrical energy just reminded me of that."


Leandra: "Two odd occurrences of electrical discharges around the same person on the same day... I think that Captain is right, and we at least shouldn't rule out any connection"


Lycas nods, "As I can see no logical explanation for the device to have caused this on its own, it is a factor we must take into consideration."


EMH: "Well for now, she is stable. The rest is up to her for now, so the best you can do is let her rest. If you do find anything else connected to this, please let me know immediately"


Mariel:"Let's go check on the device, see what we can learn."


Lycas: "I would suggest we all refrain from physical contact for the time being."


Leandra nods


—


The gang enters another one of the labs where the device is now suspended inside a containment field, a few VF blue shirts are working in the area


Mariel steps in, looking around for Lennie


She's not here right now


Lycas heads for the blue shirts, "Have you learned anything from the environmental control device?"


One of them turns, "Professor. No, nothing of consequence. All we have determined so far is that it does seem to be in proper working order. Well, it was before whatever happened... happened"


Lycas: "Has it been damaged by the incident?"


The officer turns to a console and taps, highlighting areas on the device through the containment field, "Mostly scorching and burned out circuitry which is centered around this panel"


Lycas: "Did the damage seem to have been caused by something electrical in nature?"


The officer gives him a puzzled look, "Electrical?" he glances back before reconsidering, "Actually... that could explain this scorching. See here around the casing, it is possible that something like this could be caused if the panel was struck by an electrical discharge"


Lycas steps over to take a look, "The /panel/ was struck by the electrical discharge? So the discharge did not come from the device itself."


The officer looks at him perplexed, "Well... no, Iconian technology is not capable of producing a charge like that. If this device overloaded on it's own somehow, if anything I would expect to see plasma discharges"


Lycas nods, "I am well-aware that Iconian technology does not produce electrical charges. However, the only other source in the area would have to be biological. Namely, the cadet herself or even less likely, nearby flora."


Leandra: "I don't recall seeing anything like that when we surveyed the area, but I can revisit our results if it might help"


Lycas: "It was not on all the data I had on the biome either, but some of the biomes have become cross-contaminated during the Iconians' long absence. It may be prudent to perform a check."


Mariel:"Assuming the electrical energy /did/ come from Kayleigh...since she was in contact with the device, even if she was the source of it, the energy would've harmed her as well, right? Since the body can conduct electricity with how much water is inside."


Kerafar: "And if something else produced it, it would travel through the device to Kay, too."


Mariel looks to the blueshirt, "Wait, you said the panel was struck. So it looks like the panel was where the energy hit first?"


The blueshirt nods, "I guess. But there's no real way to tell from this if it was struck after something else or not. And if you are talking about the cadete in sickbay, I understand that the energy did harm her, severe burns I believe it was, if I heard right"


Mariel nods, "So the electrical energy could have passed through Kayleigh into the device, from something in the environment..." she turns to Leandra. "Is there anything on your scans that suggests some plant in the area could be responsible?"


Leandra: "I've been through all of our data twice and there's nothing in there to suggest anything in the area could generate anything like this"


Lycas: "Then if we rule out the device and anything else in the environment as the source of the electricity, the only option remaining is Cadet Kayleigh herself."


Mariel:"Which lines up with the static shock I saw earlier, but that was just a little zap. How could she produce enough electricity to fry the machine /and/ hurt herself?"


Blueshirt: "Well... I don't know about creating any charge, but if something overloaded this device then the resulting expulsion of energy could account for physical injury"


Kerafar: "Yes, but my repairs didn't overload the device, right?"


Blueshirt, "I can't see anything to suggest your repairs were at fault, Cadet. So try not to worry"


Mariel:"So that still means Kayleigh would've had to overload the device somehow, just by touching it?"


Leandra: "It's the only theory that fits the facts at least. But Vulcans aren't like electric eels, right. They don't naturally generate electrical currents. Do they..?"


Lycas: "No, we most certainly do not."


Mariel:"Vulcans don't. But..."


Leandra: "Don't tell me her father really is a tricorder now..."


Mariel chuckles, "No, her father's definitely not a tricorder! There was a new apprentice that came to the Temple a few months ago, though. She had the ability to project electrical energy, and not just that, but use the energy to interact with technology..."


Leandra: "Wait... you're saying Kayleigh is one of these electro-psionics? Well that explains it all! Wow, if only we'd have remembered that sooner!" she chuckles


Mariel:"She never showed any signs of psionics in all the time I've known her. I mean, she is Vulcan, all Vulcans are psionic, but the increase in psionics that affected me never seemed to affect her, so we never considered she'd be capable of anything beyond what the average Vulcan is."


Lycas: "All individuals are affected by the psionic awakening. Even those of you who have not developed psionic ability have had your esper ratings increased. Though my psionic ability has not been enhanced significantly, I have still felt a minor increase in the overall strength of my psionic ability. I have had extensive experience training with Vulcan masters however; it is possible that one such as Cadet Kayleigh may not have been aware of the increase in their own psionic potential."


Leandra: "Really? I thought it was something that just kind of... happened to people"


Lycas nods, "It did, and it occurred to all members of all Children species, to an extent. The psionic potential was not distributed evenly, but all of us received something, including yourself. In the case of many individuals such as you or I, it was simply not enough to be of any substance."


Leandra nods, "I get it. But I thought when it happened, it happened straight away. Like how Humans who weren't psionic suddenly were"


Mariel:"Most of the time, yeah. But we also just learned from Pia's grandfather that it's possible for someone to discover they had some increase in ability after the fact. Especially Vulcans whose abilities normally...rely on...touch...maybe that could be it! You're sure you saw her /touch/ the panel?"


Leandra nods, "Yeah..."


Lycas: "Perhaps we should return to sickbay and examine the cadet further, now that we have a better idea of what to search for."


Blueshirt, "We'll keep working on the device and let you know if we find anything"


Lycas: "Please do. Though I suspect the answers are more likely to be with the Cadet."


—


The gang arrive back in sickbay to a bit of commotion. The EMH appears agitated while two of the nurses are trying to calm him down


Mariel looks over curiously, "Is...something wrong?"


One of the nurses glances back, "Oh! Don't mind him. He just... doesn't like things not going his way..."


Mariel:"What do you mean, not going his way?"


The EMH points an accusing finger at the unconscious Kayleigh, "It is all her fault! Honestly, how am I supposed to do my job if my patient fries my equipment every time I get close to her?!"


Indeed, there is a pile of smoldering tricorders and medical devices on a nearby bench...


Mariel:"So it /is/ her...well, so much for getting a neural scan, I guess."


Leandra: "Is she awake then? But... why would she do that?"


The EMH stops and sighs, "No, she is still very much unconscious. The best I can surmise is that it is a form of natural defense she is subconsciously projecting whilst in this healing trance. There are records of Vulcans entering this trance and still responding to external stimuli - lashing out at potential threats, that kind of thing"


Mariel:"But from what you can tell, she's still okay, right? Just healing until she wakes up?"


EMH: "As far as I can tell, /not/ that I can actually tell much of anything. Damned stubborn green-blooded hopgoblins..."


Leandra doubletakes at the slander


Lycas raises a brow


One of the nurses gives a nervous chuckle, "Sorry... he hasn't been quite himself since his matrix was patched to bring in more specific field experience from a certain infamous Starfleet physician of a past era. The hope was that more direct knowledge of frontier medicine and reacting to the unknown with limited tools available might help supplement his program. But... he seems to have inherited a little too much of that particularly personality..."


EMH: "Well don't blame me! I'm a doctor, not an engineer..."


Leandra mutters, thinking out loud more than anything, "No wonder she sees him as a threat..."


Mariel:"Is she frying /anything/ that comes near her, or just...metallic things?"


Nurse: "Computer, deactivate EMH"


The EMH opens his mouth to protest, but fades away first


Nurse, "That's better... ok, so far it's only been any device the doctor took near to her. But it's specifically metallic or even powered devices in that proximity, since that would also include the biobed"


Mariel:"What about the doctor himself? Or any of you?"


The nurse shakes his head, "No, nothing. Well, the doctor arguably everytime he tried to get close and scan her"


Leandra: "But wasn't he close earlier when he was treating her burns?"


Mariel:"That's what I was thinking, too."


The nurse thinks on this, "Well based on this current speculation about it being a defense mechanism... she wasn't threatened by the doctor then, he was healing her wounds"


Mariel nods, "So moving her is probably a bad idea."


Nurse: "I would not recommend it unless absolutely necessary"


Mariel:"I was just thinking, if this is psionic in nature, which it's looking like it is, since she's not half tricorder or eel...the Chlasi will probably be able to help her better."


Lycas: "Perhaps instead of bringing her to the Chlasi, we bring the Chlasi to her?"


Nurse: "We could travel to the temple at least, then maybe bring them on board to assist"


Mariel nods, "I think I know someone who can help!" She turns to Lycas. "Permission to head to the Temple, Professor?"


Lycas: "Permission granted. I will remain here to watch over Cadet Kayleigh."


Leandra: "A thought Professor, if I may"


Lycas: "Go ahead, Cadet."


Leandra, "Well, I don't mind taking the request to visit the temple to the Captain. And with this whole... defense mechanism thing going on, I think Cadet Tanglao might be the most likely one to be able to get close to Cadet Kayleigh, being a known and - presumably - trusted friend"


Lycas nods, "A good observation. I am certain the Temple will be willing to provide assistance in such an emergency and a request from an apprentice specifically would not be necessary."


The nurse chimes in, "I'll inform the Captain and I'm sure we'll be there in no time. If you want, I can ask that we are informed of arrival there so you can make the request still, given your familiarity with them"


Leandra: "Oh right, combadges... it doesn't need any of us to deliver a message..." she chuckles


Mariel chuckles, "Well, I was thinking the Esoteric who helped Pia's grandfather might be able to help, being a militant Esoteric and all. But maybe whoever is mentoring that new student who controls tech and has similar talents might be a good pick, too..."


Leandra: "I don't know, maybe? Well I'm sure when we get there they will send whoever is best suited!"


Mariel nods, "You're right, I'm sure the Temple will know who best to send! I guess we'll just have to sit and wait for now..."


Nurse: "We could... but, no, it's probably not a good idea..."


Mariel looks to the nurse, then to Leandra, then back to the nurse, "You think I might be able to get close enough for a scan or something?"


The nurse nods: "What your friend said got me thinking, and it could be possible. There's no evidence so far to suggest a risk to persons, but we are very much in the dark here so it is certainly no guarantee either"


Mariel:"I'll give it my best try! I'm in the middle of sickbay, so if she does shock me, I'm sure you'll be able to save me in time!"


Mariel moves over to retrieve a medical tricorder, "But I'd still prefer not to get shocked..."


The nurse smiles and gives a firm nod, "Spoken like true officer in training!" he moves to prepare his equipment, "Don't worry, I will be ready in case anything happens"


Mariel flips open the tricorder and slooooowly begins to approach Kayleigh's medical bed


Nothing happens... yet


Mariel takes a few steps closer, holding the tricorder out away from herself, in case it get shocked but not the rest of her body


So far so good..


Mariel makes her way right up beside the bed, holding her breath to see if anything happens


Still no zapping


Mariel:"Okay, here goes..."


Mariel taps the tricorder and starts conducting a neural scan


Everyone watches with baited breath, but soon Mari has competed the scan without incident


Mariel backs away from the bed before checking the scan results for any signs of psionic activity


The nurse joins her to assist, "Nicely done Cadet, it was very brave of you to face unknown danger like that for your friend!"


Mariel:"Thanks! She is my friend after all, and if we can confirm if this is psionic or something else, then we'll know for sure if we want to get the Chlasi. Or find some other way to help her."


The nurse smiles and nods, "Let's see then..." he studies the data on a console, "Hmm... well, there's definitely something going on in that head of hers. I'm no expert, but there is definitely heightened activity in there"


Mariel:"And normally a healing trance should be lower activity, right? To shut things down and give them room to heal."


Nurse: "I believe so yes" he looks to Lycas for confirmation


Lycas nods, "It is certainly unusual for a healing trance."


Leandra: "So... that means it is psionics then?"


Mariel:"I guess not necessarily, but it does support the theory..."


Nurse: "Well we should be at the temple before too long, so we'll soon find out. In the mean time, I think the best we can do is let her rest. We'll let you know if anything changes or when we reach the temple. You should probably get some rest in the mean time"


Leandra: "If it's alright, I'd like to stay. She was working with me at the time, so I can't help but feel kind of responsible"


Mariel:"I'll stick around too! Just in case there's something else I can do to help."


The nurse smiles, "Of course. I'll leave you girls to it for now then" he heads off while Leandra pulls up a stool


Mariel pulls up a stool and sits too, looking to Leandra, "So, do you know anyone back home who developed psionics?"


Leandra: "Some of friends from school did actually yeah! It was so weird, like the world changed overnight"


Mariel nods, "I know what you mean. My abilities was actually one of those that didn't become obvious immediately. And when it did, I thought I was just hallucinating or something. Even then, we still figured it out a lot earlier than Kayleigh. Assuming this is natural psionics, of course."


Leandra: "Can I ask... what exactly are your abilities?"


Mariel:"It's called retrocognition. Apparently it's very rare. You know what precognition is, right?"


Leandra: "That's like... seeing the future I think?"


Mariel nods, "Yeah! Retrocognition is basically the opposite. I can see things that have happened in the past, instead of in the future."


Leandra: "Huh... that doesn't sound so bad! Not like electrocuting people in your sleep least! So... when we came aboard you said something about having more control, like something happened during a previous visit or something? But how could seeing the past be so problematic?"


Mariel:"Well, it's better than electrocuting people in my sleep! Seeing the past isn't /usually/ problematic, except when I didn't know I was seeing the past and thinking I was going crazy. But in a place with lots of history and emotion connected to it like this ship, it can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Especially if you aren't prepared for it."


Leandra looks around, trying to imagine, "I suppose... yeah, there must be a lot of stuff that's gone on within these bulkheads... So like, you encountered that and got flooded with it or something? Does that mean you're constantly fighting it back even now too?"


Mariel:"Well, not quite constantly fighting it back. When I have my focus up, I can usually prevent myself from triggering visions I don't want to, now. So I just have to keep that up, which is easier than having the visions and coping with the emotions around them."


Leandra: "Wow I had no idea! That must be exhuasting..."


Mariel:"It was harder at first, but once you get more used to it, it's like any other new skill. Walking is hard and takes conscious effort when you're a little kid, but now you can do it pretty much without thinking, right?"


Leandra: "Well of course! Most of the time... ok, maybe I get a bit clumsy /sometimes/..."


Mariel chuckles, "And some places are naturally more dangerous or difficult to walk in. Like rocky or uneven land, or making your way through sand or snow. You have to put a little more conscious into that, you know?"


Leandra: "So coming to a place with a lot of strong emotional history to it... is like walking through sand!"


Mariel smiles, "Exactly the analogy I was trying to make!"


Leandra smiles, "Thanks for that! I think for the first time I actually have some grasp on what it must be like now, for any abilities like yours!" she glances to Kay, "Do you think she will have the same problems now?"


Mariel nods, "I think so. Just learning to control your psionics is learning to use a whole new function of your body, like a kid trying to walk for the first time. It takes some practice at first, but after a while, it'll be like second nature to you! That said, I'm still learning to master my abilities, I'm not an expert yet or anything."


Leandra: "I feel kind of bad for her for that... but she's Vulcan right, so... aren't they like super capable with stuff like this because of being all logical?"


Mariel:"I think her Vulcan mental discipline is definitely going to help, since controlling psionics is a very mentally demanding process. She might have an easier time than me because of that, but I guess it might depend on the specific ability, since some are harder to master than others, too."


Leandra nods, "Hopefully we can help her at the temple then! So... does weird stuff like this always happen to you guys? Only Kerafar seemed pretty convinced..."


Mariel chuckles, "We...do have a habit of running into interesting things, that's true. Most of the time we just try to help, and the interesting things happen because, well, things are interesting out on the frontier!"


Mariel looks over to Kay on the medical bed, "But sometimes it seems like these things do have a habit of finding us, even when we're not looking for it..."


Leandra smiles, "But hey, that's not really a bad thing is it? I mean, I know she's in this condition now and all, but we'll find a way to help, I'm sure of it!"


Mariel smiles back, "Knowing Kay, I think she will. And suddenly having psionics is always a surprise and struggle at first, but it might become a very useful tool once she's learned to control it. My abilities have helped me a few times now!"


Mariel grins, "And no, I don't use it to cheat on tests. This is a new Annex, there isn't much to look at anyways."


Leandra giggles, "So you've tried?"


Mariel laughs, "Not on purpose! But when I was first here and still learning to control my powers I did get visions of other cadets and classes. Nothing that gave me any real kind of advantage though!"


The nurse steps over, "Sorry to disturb you girls, but the bridge just called down. We're approaching the temple, and your presence is requested"


Mariel nods and stands, "Time to figure this out and help Kay, then!"


—


Mariel and Leandra make their way up to the VF bridge


Lennie glances over, "Perfect timing girls. We're in range of the temple and ready to open a channel. I understand you have a relationship with this place, so makes sense for you to speak with them"


Mariel nods, "Sure! Just...didn't think I'd be speaking on the bridge of a starship so soon..." she chuckles a little nervously


Leandra loiters awkwardly at the back of the bridge


Lennie smiles, "It's fine Cadet, it's not like your taking the chair or anything. Unless you would like to sit down of course..."


Mariel shakes her head, "No, no, I'll stand!"


Lennie chuckles and nods over to T'Quila: "Let's open a channel before we give the poor girl stage fright"


T'Quila smiles and taps, "Channel open"


A Chlasi Attendant appears on the viewscreen. Unlike when we usually see them, this attendant isn't standing in the shuttlebay waiting to greet arrivals, but seated in a shared office space with several other consoles visible around her at which other attendants are working


Mariel waves a little awkwardly, "Uh, hi! We've already informed you about the nature of the emergency, right? Wow, I sound like an EMH..."


Attendant: "We were made aware of your pending arrival, yes. But no details have been provided yet"


Mariel:"Well, my friend, Cadet Kayleigh, we think she might be manifesting some psionic abilities. But it's a bit of a complicated situation, she was in an accident involving what we /think/ were her abilities, and now she seems to be stuck in a Vulcan healing trance."


Attendant considers, "I see... it is probably for the best that you came here then. Shall we prepare for your arrival here?"


Mariel:"No, we don't think it's safe to move her. She keeps electrocuting things around her. I was able to get close for a scan once, but it might be risky moving her from the sickbay, let along getting a transport going with all that energy interfering, or putting her in a shuttle she might fry."


Attendant: "I see. Then allow me report this to the temple leaders, and see who is available to come to your vessel"


Mariel nods, "Her powers seem to be electrical-based. I remember a student that arrived a few months ago who had similar abilities. If her mentor is available, they might be in a good position to help. But that's just a suggestion, you have more information on temple personnel than I do!"


The attendant nods, "We will contact you again as soon as a representative is available to join you" and the comm ends


Ann: "Wait, a student with electrical based powers tha' arrived a few months ago...ya don't happen to be talkin' about Eshara, are ya?"


Mariel:"I think that was her name, yes! You know her?"


Ann nods, "Yeah we were the ship tha' brought her here from the Gamma Quadrant."


Lennie: "It could well be here, perhaps she will join us as well to lend her wisdom"


Mariel:"Hopefully she and her mentor are available!"


Lennie: "Would be nice t'see her again, f'sure!" she looks to Mari, "See now, tha' weren't so bad was it?"


Mariel smiles, "Yeah! A little daunting looking at such a big viewscreen, but it felt more natural once the conversation got going! Might be harder from the chair, though..."


Lennie chuckles, "No denyin' tha'!"


T'Quila: "The temple reports a representative is ready to transport over"


Lennie: "Perfect! Thanks Tee" she looks to the cadets, "Alright girls, shall we go welcome our guests?"


Mariel nods and moves towards the turbolift


Leandra joins them


—


Lennie and the cadets make their way to the transporter. Once there, the operator beams the Chlasi representative aboard


Eshara materializes beside the representative, a dark blue skinned Chlasi in Esoteric robes. Eshara steps off the pad quickly with a smile


Eshara: "Lennie! It's good to be back here for a little. No offense to the temple, the temple's great, but it's been a while since I've been here!"


Lennie smiles, "It is good to see you too Eshara, I hope temple life's been treatin' ya well?"


Eshara gestures back to the Chlasi, "This here is Corion. My usual mentor's been called to some special council, but Corion works with a lot of Vulcanoids so the temple though he could help. My training's been going well, so they asked me along to help in place of my mentor," she grins proudly


Lennie: "In truth, I was hopin' they'd send ya over. Figured ya expertise'd help" she looks to Corion, "Thanks for comin' too"


Corion bows, "Please elaborate on the situation here"


Lennie looks to Mari, "Cadet Tanglao 'ere is best t'explain, she's a lot closer t'things"


Mariel nods, "Cadet Kayleigh seems to be developing some kind of electrical ability. Which we think is a result of psionics, like Eshara here. When we were on a trip to the surface, she accidentally zapped an Iconian device and got hurt. Now she's gone into a Vulcan healing trance- you're familiar with those from working with Vulcans, right?"


Corion nods, "Whilst I have not dealt with one directly, I am aware of this state from my other students"


Mariel:"Now that she's in the trance, her powers seem to be activating based on some defensive instinct or something. So when the EMH tried to scan her, she kept frying the medical equipment."


Corion: "Fascinating... and it was just the equipment?"


Mariel:"It seems so. We didn't risk too many people getting close, but I was able to get in for a scan..."


Corion: "And your equipment did not get... 'fried'?"


Mariel shakes her head, "I went in because we thought she might recognize me as not a threat, even in her unconscious state. Most of the equipment was fried when the EMH tried it, and he didn't exactly have the best bedside manner, so."


Corion: "Maintaining subconscious awareness of one's surroundings in such a trance is conceivable. Your EMH is a being of light, yes?"


Mariel:"That's right, EMHs are photonic."


Corion nods: "I thought as much, that explains why just the equipment was affected. It is fortunate for your EMH that they are not biological, for I fear they would have been subjected to the same effect" turning to Eshara, "What do you make of this?"


Eshara considers, "Well, my electrical abilities are connected to how I interface with tech. Maybe she can detect the presence of something like circuitry or metal around her, and that's what she's targeting?"


Corion: "Perhaps, but remember that we are currently dealing with the subconcious. So active targeting may not be quite accurate"


Eshara: "The electricity is...drawn to metal? Like a lightning rod?"


Corion: "If we assume it is indeed electrical in nature, we can assume the same basic properties. Meaning metal may be attractive for it's conductivity. But so would living organisms. I suspect we are currently looking at something rather like a forcefield; a nondescript area surrounding the patient, in which anything is vulnerable if deemed a threat"


Mariel:"You think she has some kind of...electrical defense grid around her?"


Corion: "Nothing quite so literal, but in terms of the effect yes. This would be more consistent with the defensive posture of the subconcious mind during the healing trance, and why you were able to approach without any problem"


Mariel nods, "So only I and anyone she would subconsciously not see as a threat can approach her without getting zapped."


Corion: "To be precise, I would say that anyone she inherently trusts, rather than anyone she does not see as a threat. Is there anything else you can tell me about her condition? I understand it has just recently started to manifest?"


Mariel:"Yeah. I noticed something happen just before we transporter to the Valley Forge earlier, she walked through the door and had what she thought was a static shock. And we've been talking with Pia's family about how her grandfather only realized he had new abilities after everyone else. Kay seemed pretty interested in that and wanted to do some research at the Temple. I suppose she could've been exploring her potential in her own time, which maybe led to this."


Corion considers Mari: "This is a fellow classmate of yours I assume? Do you happen to know how old she is?"


Mariel:"T'Pia?"


Corion: "The one now developing psionic abilities - Kay, I think you said?"


Mariel:"Oh! I think she's around my age, definitely very young for a Vulcan."


Corion thinks and nods, "Then it is possible she has not yet completed her training, which may also explain her interest in studying this potential. In fact, it would be arguably quite logical -


Kayleigh:- for her to do so. As a young Vulcan, she would likely be subjecting herself to strict mental disciplining with view to exerting complete emotional control. Or... how do they say... 'walking the path of logic'? With exposure to the psionic awakening, she would likely be wary of belated development of abilities causing unforeseen complications in this process, and sought solace through knowledge and understanding. Of course, the reality is that in doing so she inadvertently opened her subconscious mind to the possibility of developing abilities and pretty much invited that occur"


Mariel:"That would explain why she's developing them now, of all times? What do you think we should do about it? Do we just wait for her to wake back up and then bring her to the Temple for training, or is there anything we can do to help her wake up now?"


Corion: "I would like to go and see her for myself, I would also like to view the scans you were able to take. This should afford me a better understanding of her present condition, though in terms of direct action; when it comes to Vulcan healing trances there is none to take besides ensuring a suitable environment"


Lennie nods, "Right this way then folks!" and heads off


—


As they make their way towards sickbay, Eshara gives Leandra a few curious glances


Eshara: "Have we met before?"


Leandra: "I don't think so? Have you ever been to Mars?"


Eshara: "Mars? Never even heard of it. Is it close by?"


Leandra giggles: "Not exactly. It is in the Sol System"


Eshara: "Definitely never been there. Why do you look kind of familiar? And it's not an all aliens look alike situation, I'm usually pretty good at telling you apart. There's definitely something about you..."


Lennie: "She should look familiar to ya. Remember th'girl who brazenly walked in an' talked down tha' shootout when we first met ya? Well this's her lil' sister!"


Eshara: "Oh! So that's why!"


Leandra: "Rianni did wha-..." she shakes her head, "Nevermind, I don't want to know!"


Eshara chuckles, "Well all I'll say is that your sister's a real brave one."


Leandra smiles: "That she is!"


Eshara: "These uniforms of yours, that's the recruit ones, if I remember right from my time on this ship."


Leandra nods,"Yes that's right. we're cadets at the Annex here"


Eshara: "Joining up to walk in your sister's footsteps?"


Leandra: "Well, hopefully to make a few of my own too!"


Eshara smiles, "Seeing how remarkable your sister was, I'm sure you will!"


Leandra: "I sure hope so. But it's not easy, living in her shadow".


Eshara: "Oh. Yeah, I bet. A lot of expectations with someone like her in the family."


Leandra nods


Eshara: "Just focus on doing the best you can, and I'm sure you'll get there. That's how I'm getting more control over my powers, at least."


Leandra: "You have powers like Kayleigh is developing, right?"


Eshara nods, "From what I've heard of her powers, sounds like there's a few similarities. Though electric shocks are actually a biological thing my people can do. It just got enhanced, by the psionic awakening and Dominion experiments."


Leandra: "Dominion experiments?"


Eshara: "It's a long story. But I can do a little more than just shock people now." She gives the doors a glance, then looks over to Lennie, silently asking for her permission


Lennie smiles and gives a little nod of approval


Eshara stretches her arm out towards the door, which slides open from its usual motion sensor. Then, her eyes begin to glow blue and the door shuts again, then half of it opens as if broken


Leandra: "Ooh now that's an ability that can open some doors!" she giggles


Lennie snorts out a laugh too


Eshara laughs and lowers her hand. The glow fades from her eyes and the door slides open fully now


Mariel steps through the doors as they open fully, "Here we are. The one on the bed with the same uniforms as us cadets is Kayleigh."


Corion steps over, visually assesing her, "And the scans you took, do you have that data?"


Mariel nods, gesturing over to the console where the nurse examined it, "Yeah, it should be on that console."


Mariel:"There was some increased brain activity, couldn't tell for sure if it was psionic though.”


Corion heads over and peruses the data


Mariel and Eshara follows over


Mariel:"Psionics was what made the most sense, since we figured activity should be lower in a healing trance, not higher."


Corion: "You are quite correct, a Vulcan healing trance is akin to the body shutting down all non-essential functions in order to prioritize healing. It can even be mistaken for death. So this neural activity is definitely not normal for her present condition" he indicates an area of the scan, "This is the part of the Vulcan brain which regulates their telepathic abilities. During mind melds, it serves as a conduit and a focusing point for their connection. However as you can see here, it is highly active in your friend, even though she is very much not in a mind meld right now"


Mariel leans in to take a look and nods, "So there's definitely something psionic going on there."


Corion nods: "Of that I have no doubt now. Her mind has likely been supressing the psionic instincts since the awakening due to her naturally supressing herself as part of her ongoing mental discipline training. As she started to explore this potential in her studies, it would have been like opening the floodgates on a dam; she got hit by her own awakening all at once, rather than slowly coming to terms with it. That is likely why she remains in the trance since her body is attempting to reconcile this sudden new state of being"


Mariel looks over to Kay, then back to Corion, "You think she'll snap out of the trance on her own?"


Corion: "Either that, or she will remain in it permanently. Though that is unlikely, I find it best to be mindful of the extreme possibilities"


Mariel:"Is there something we can do, if she doesn't wake up?"


Corion: "The best I can suggest is using her subconcious awareness to put her at ease. The less her mind is focused on protecting her, the more it can focus on itself. Though it may not be possible to move her to her quarters, making the area around her match them could help. Vulcans often use meditative incense, and other aromatics to design their personal space. I would recommend bringing anything of hers like this that you can and creating that familiar sense here for her"


Mariel nods and looks to Lennie, "Hopefully you won't mind if we redecorate your sickbay?"


Lennie smiles, "Not at all; do whatever ya see fit. We'll take ya back to th'annex to get what want, then we'll wait it out 'ere at the temple. Th'current mission'll wait"


Mariel:"Thanks Commander. I'm sure we can get special permission to get into her quarters for this right? So we don't have to break in again..."


Eshara smirks, "Breaking in's usually pretty easy with me around."


Lennie holds up a hand to Eshara, "I'm-a... pretty sure th'Professor'll be able t'organize somethin' for ya"


Mariel:"Yeah, that would be better," she chuckles a little. "So, back to the Annex then?"


Lennie nods, "I'll see to it" and heads out


As she reaches the door, Leandra speaks up, "Uh... Comman-... Captain? Captain! That might not be necessary..."


Lennie pauses, turning to see Leandra still at Kay's side, looking intently at her


Mariel looks over to Leandra as well


Lennie steps over, Corion too


Lennie smiles down at, "Hello sleepyhead. How're ya feelin'?"


Kayleigh blinks a few times, looking around, "That is a valid question... why am I in sickbay?"


Mariel:"You don't remember what happened?"


Leandra gasps as she watches Kayleigh get her bearings, watching as blueish-purple lightning seems to dance across Kay's eyes


Kayleigh slowly eases up on her elbows, looking around with the mystic eyes, "We were doing the survey and... why are you all looking at me like that...?"


Eshara smirks, "Yup, she's definitely got it."


Kayleigh perks a brow at the strangers out of context comment


Mariel:"Umm...so...how do we break the news to her?"


Corion: "Logically" he steps over, "Hello Cadet, my name is Corion, I am an esoteric from the Chlasi temple"


Kayleigh narrows her eyes on Corion, "Ok..."


Mariel watches curiously


Corion pulls out a PADD, powering it off to leave just the reflective surface of the blank screen, "You have awakened new abilities. See" he hands her the PADD


Kayleigh takes it, and gasps when she sees her reflection. Initially taken aback, but quickly leaning in to study the effect with her own eyes, "Fascinating..."












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