The Melting Point

Posted on May 26, 2014 @ 5:18pm by Thomas Varn
Edited on on Jun 05, 2014 @ 8:33am

Mission: USS Pendragon
Location: NESTIS VII
Tags: Keeper, Terran Empire, PENDRAGON, Thomas

(“The Melting Point”)
(Continued from "Scavenger Hunt")

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Location: NESTIS VII
Scene: Slums
Stardate: 21.40409.2357
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Staring at the door then back down to his tricorder Thomas tapped the interface before shaking his head again. Looking up to the group that was now around him, which had become a mixture of the away team and those in the slums near the shrine, Thomas furrowed his brows before moving away motioning to Kyle and Aerdan, “it’s useless at the moment, I can’t tell you what is a foot past that door. Something, presumably the “artifact” is causing tremendous amounts of interference.”

Kyle taking the tricorder and looking at it nodded before looking to Aerdan, “if we were able to figure out exactly what type of interference is being sent out by the device we could presumably cut through it. I believe I can configure the tricorder to send out a narrow beam scan; but, we’d have to be within two meters of the artifact itself.”

Karmaq having made his way to the trio interjected quickly, “that will be difficult, the keeper is, a unique individual.”

Laughing from a corner an elderly lady selling various bits and bobs smiled a toothless smile as she continued to cackle, “unique, now that is a word I have never heard to describe the creature that lives beneath, watching, guarding, worshiping the artifact. It is said that he was born disfigured but blessed by the artifact. It is he that can hear when it sings its song, foretelling the arrival of new ships and trade.”

“Interesting, a song, it stands to reason that a device that would be capable of moving ships as we have witnessed would emit some sort of harmonic; but, if it is as sophisticated as I would believe it to be this frequency would not be heard by normal means,” Thomas stated as Kyle nodded in agreement.

The trio continued to discuss the implications of the device and brainstorm alternatives to barging into a temple, or holy place in order to gain a better perspective of the artifact itself. It was during this time that Daris had taken it upon himself to almost interrogate the Cardassian child, almost as if he intended on proving the boy was lying and knew of his heritage.

“You mean to tell me you know nothing of Cardassia Prime, of Bajor, of the occupation,” Daris stated his eyes studying the body language of the youth.

The boy stopped his tinkering with a small trinket before mulling the words and names in his head, “nope.”

“This is not possible, how is it that you can’t know who you are,” Daris questioned now leaning on a nearby wall.

“You have to understand. All of us here, have either been born here, raised in these conditions and are ancestors of those that came before us. Any knowledge of who or what we are has been taken,” Tala stated all too eager to speak her peace.

Time seemed to pass slowly as the away team began to formulate and speculate possible outcomes and scenarios to improve the situation that they currently found themselves in. For each officer, this experience was something new and had to be processed on individual levels; but, as they looked to the faces of the current occupants of the slums area they were in the lack of shock and general interest was strangely curious. It was true that many of those that have lived and now live in the area have seen strangers come and go, either by way of death, kidnapping by the controlling government, or joining one of the many gangs that littered the outlying areas, so in their eyes this was nothing new.

The stillness in the room was growing more and more intense with each movement and curious desire to inspect the temple. It seemed that nothing would divert the attention of the away team away that was until she came into the room.

“Where are they,” a female voice bellowed from the far end of the market/slum area, “where are the spineless ones that dared to attack my scouting party?!”

Karmaq turned and growled before standing and moving towards the door. The woman stood there with her hands on her hips, her face was not visible in the door frame; but, the edge of her clothing was. There was a familiarity to the fabric as far as the away team could tell and it wasn’t made quite clear until Karmaq moved closer.

Drawing a weapon and aiming it at Karmaq the woman lifted her other hand wagging her index finger, “no no no, my loveable doggie you don’t get to get near me again.”

“I am no one’s pet, you cowardly…” Karmaq stated raising a blade hidden in his clothing before being struck from behind knocked out cold.

“Well, it seems that you can teach an old dog new tricks, I never taught him to play dead. Maybe next time I will see if he can master roll over or fetch even,” the female stated stepping into the light her clothing worn; but, overall in a well-kept condition.

By this time Izzy, Daris, Drake and a few others had already drawn their phasers preparing for a battle. Their concentration and focus was staggered only a moment when the woman’s features now fully illuminated came into view.

“Commander, that’s; but, it can’t be, “ Thomas stated turning his head slightly towards Aerdan who was a bit confused at the moment as well, “that’s a Starfleet Uniform.”

A large laugh was heard echoing from the other side of the room as the woman shook her head and allowed her lip to curl at the end in a wicked smirk, “Starfleet, I wouldn’t be caught dead in a Starfleet Uniform. This lovely number is from an organization that is more than Starfleet would ever be.”

Slowly she took the red scarf holding her black hair up and tied it around her waist before removing the jacket that was covering most of her upper tunic. There in gold stick blazing like the noon day sun was an image that no one, at least not in this group, thought they would ever see.

“You can’t be serious, how,” Kyle stated now standing still holding the tricorder in his hand, “how can you be here?”

With another smirk the woman sighed before putting on her “charm” that seemed as if she was doing her best to seduce the entire away team, “the Terran Empire goes where we please.”

As the standoff began and continued no one noticed a pair of eyes peering from the darkness of the temple doorway. The smallest amount of light that emitted from blow barely allowed the vision of a dark silhouette of a small creature with a large head and bulbous protrusions from either side that it used to hear.
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NRPG: Ok, so to complicate things a bit more, there is a mysterious keeper of the artifact that has been watching all along. There are mirror universe descendants here that have been taught and passed along the ideals of the Terran Empire; and, we still can’t talk to the PEN. Enjoy J