Pure Chaos

Posted on Nov 03, 2017 @ 3:55pm by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane

Mission: Fear Itself

"PURE CHAOS"

(Continued from "Circumstances of Fright ")

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Captain's log, supplemental - with two of the ship's junior officers dead, we are all living in fear of the next attack of the entity known as a phobophage. Admiral Stiles has requested an update of our situation.
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Location: USS Phoenix, holding station near Starbase 56
Stardate: [2.17]1103.1155
Scene: Captain's ready room - deck 1, saucer section


Michael Turlogh Kane and Ellie Kalani sat by side and waited for the connection to go through to Admiral Stiles' office. Under the table, Kane was squeezing her hand, cold and damp from her turblift ride up through the half-empty ship.

Two members of the Phoenix crew were dead, the first casualties sustained by the ship's complement since the Battle of Earth. Unlike those casualties, both Sofia Andersson and Arak Schad were known to Kane personally, and and while that didn't make it worse, it did make it different. There was no way a commanding officer could be on first name terms with the hundreds of men and women working underneath them, but he could get to know department heads. They were the vital middle-management of a starship, given the leeway to command dozens of enlisted crew and keep the vessel's operations running smoothly. Losing experienced department heads was like losing a limb - the body still worked, but less well. Both Medical and Science departments were now struggling to adjust to their losses.

Jake's revelation regarding the identity of the creature loose on the Phoenix was equally worrying. There were a number of working theories right now, but if they were all accurate, then it seemed that some sort of extra-dimensional entity - something called a phobophage - had crossed into this reality through a portal that had opened in Engineering. That portal had been triggered by a seemingly innocuous music box, but the phobophage itself was anything but innocuous. The thing seemed to feed on the extreme emotions generated by a sentient humanoid, especially the emotion of fear. Against an entity capable of engendering such a deadly reaction, how could the crew defend themselves?

Various theories were in the works. Medical was investigating the possibility of developing some kind of serum to suppress the natural fear reaction, and right now in Engineering, Tomas' Vukovic was being used as a bloodhound in an attempt to track the creature through his Borg implants. Desperate times.

The desktop computer screen winked, and Admiral Stiles' face filled up the screen. The bald black woman was sitting in her office - through the viewing port behind her, Kane could see the Phoenix hanging in space.

{{Captain Kane. Commander Kalani.}} Stiles' voice was concerned, but professional. {{I've received your reports regarding the appearance of this entity aboard your ship. I've checked with Doctor Stell and Commander Solorzano and they concur with your theory. Budo Pulmonar and Ezra Greer must have played the music box and opened a portal to the entity's dimension. It came through and killed them.}} She paused. {{Which may indicate that it will return back to its home plane at some point. Does that seem likely?}}

Kane shared a glance with Ellie. "We don't know, Admiral," he said honestly. "Commander Crichton, who encountered the entity before, suggested that it was capable of growing stronger the more it kills. If that's true, then it may not need to return to its home dimension at all. We just don't know."

{{I understand. What steps have you taken to counteract the alien?}}

"Since the phobophage feeds on fear, our chief medical officer is working on a serum to suppress or inhibit the humanoid adrenal system," said Kane. "Also, we're working on tracking the creature's movements through the ship - assuming it's still here, of course."

{{How is that possible?}}

Ellie leaned forward. "Contact with the phobophage's home dimension - well, the portal, at least - seems to elicit severe reactions in anyone with powers of the mind. We think that the creature on a level of consciousness beyond this one - as such, a Borg crew-member is attempting to induce an artificial state of heightened awareness in himself to track it."

"The Borg are one of the few species to have experimented with artificial higher states of consciousness," went on Kane. "Through their connection to the Network, through their cybernetic enhancements that can blend their own awareness with that of a computer - it's our best theory right now, Admiral."

Stiles was nodding. {{Direct your defensive actions as you see fit. In the meantime, I've contacted Starfleet Command and requested transcripts of all senior officers' logs from Gateway staton during the period of time you indicated. If there's anything in those logs, any clue that might help you protect yourselves, we'll find it.}}

"If there's anything else you can think of," said Kane. "Any help would be greatly appreciated."

Stiles was frowning. {{I might know someone who I could question. He's a bit of an eccentric, him and his damn droid - owns a shop here on the promenade that sells all sorts of bizarre curios.}}

"Anything you can do, Admiral," said Ellie.

"We'll hold station here for the time being," said Kane. "I don't know how much of a danger there is to the Starbase due to our proximity, but - "

{{Don't go anywhere,}} nodded Stiles. {{If we can give you any help, it's better to be close at hand.}} She drew back from the screen. {{Carry on, Captain Kane. Stiles out.}}

The screen winked to black, leaving Kane and Ellie alone in the sudden silence. He put his arm around her. "I have to go to sickbay to check Aerdan's progress."

"I'll go to Engineering," said Ellie. "Just hold me for another moment."

Kane knew what she meant. He eyed the shadows in the ready room, watching them watching him.

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Scene: Sickbay Research Lab, Deck 12, saucer section


A few minutes later, Kane found himself back in sickbay. It was much busier than when he had last visited Aerdan - it seemed that, in the interim, the Andorian chief medical officer had summoned what staff still remained aboard, and had put them to work. Kane recognised Doctor Suvek carefully working with several chemicals at one workstation, and about half-a-dozen other officers and enlisted were likewise busy - some poring medical texts, others intensely studying holographic representations of internal body systems. It looked like they were working to a purpose.

Kane found Aerdan in his office. Aerdan was reading something on his computer screen, antennae slowly curling up and down like they did when he was deep in thought. At the sight of Kane in his doorway, though, he stopped and beckoned him in. "Come in, Captain."

"Doctor." Kane stepped forward and threw a thumb in the direction of the lab. "Working on the serum, I take it?"

A glum look passed over Aerdan's face. "Sit down, Captain." When Kane did so, the Andorian swivelled the computer monitor around to face him. Displayed on it was a two-dimensional readout of one of the human body's internal systems, super-imposed over an outline of a shadow-person.

After a moment, Kane realised what he was looking at. "The Human endocrine system."

Aerdan inclined his head. "Quite so. There are endocrine glands all over the Human body. They produce and secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. Adrenal glands, one located above each kidney, primarily regulate the body's metabolism and immune systems." Aerdan touched a control, and the view zoomed in to highlight the small, fleshy nubs perched atop each kidney. "For such little blobs of tissue, they put out a surprising amount of varied hormones, but let us on focus those that prepare the body for the flight-or-fight mechanism."

"Go on," said Kane. "I'm following you."

"The brain's amydgala, which we do not consciously control, sends an electro-chemical signal to the adrenal glands. In turn, a quantity of hormones are released into the bloodstream, based on sensory factors such as sight and sound. Consider someone faced with an angry Capellan power cat. The amount of adrenaline released would be higher by comparison than, say, if a gang of children were nearby yelling insults. As we grow older and more experienced, many situations do not even warrant a reflex signal from the amygdala at all."

Kane was nodding. "Once these hormones are in the bloodstream, heart rate and blood pressure rises, and physiological changes in the muscles get ready to burn energy, right?"

"Right." Aerdan got to his feet and put his hands behind his back. "According to Commander Crichton, the phobophage's terrifying illusions are perceived as real by the brain. The adrenal glands flood the bloodstream with their hormones leading to an unsustainable spike in heart rate and blood pressure. Fatal cardiac arrest follows."

"We know that already," said Kane irritably. "What I'm interested in is whether or not there is a medical solution."

Aerdan stopped pacing and looked him dead in the eye. "There are two, but you won't like them."

Kane set his jaw. "Let's hear it."

"Both are drug-based treatments. The first is a simple hypospray of artificial beta blockers into the bloodsteam. These blockers temporarily change the structure of blood cells that adrenaline normally attaches to, leaving the released hormones with nowhere to go except to be excreted."

"That sounds fine."

"I'm afraid it's not, Captain. Even temporarily inhibiting the body's adrenal system comes with great risk, given its importance to the wider endocrine system. The longer someone is using medication to suppress the normal functions of their adrenal glands, various side effects will begin to manifest, beginning with sudden, sharp pains in the extremities, dangerously low blood pressure, severe vomiting and diahorrea, and eventual death." Aerdan's antennae were standing stright up now. "I must also emphasise that the medicated patient will still feel a certain amount of fear, as they will be completely and fully aware at all times. To completely suppress the adrenal system would be to cause such harm to the body that damage to the body's internal systems would begin almost immediately and may be irreversible."

"This is the twenty-fifth century, Doctor. Surely - "

"Captain, medicine cannot perform miracles."

Kane sighed. "I see. You're right, I don't like it." He held up his hands. "Well, what's the second option?"

Aerdan glanced out at his staff, all busily working. "Instead of targetting the body's adrenal system, we target the brain itself."

"Doctor?"

Aerdan tapped a blue finger to his temple. "We induce an altered state of consciousness through the use of a pharmacologically-active compound that induces a dissociative psychological state in the patient."

Kane shook his head. "Like... dope? You want to dope someone up on a hallucinogen?"

Aerdan spread his arms wide. "The dissociative state has many advantages to full rationality. Someone under the effect of, say, a psilocybic derivative, would see and feel everything through a state of detached curiosity. Fear would not be their immediate reaction on seeing the phobophage. However, I should point out that physical danger would also not be a concern to someone under the influence of a compound like this - danger, too, would be seen as a curiosity."

"I'm not going to authorise turning the crew into dope fiends, Doctor!" snapped Kane. He stood up. "Are there no other options?"

"Not in my professional medical opinion, Captain," said Aerdan evenly. "However, you will be glad to know that either option can be synthesised easily across all sentient species serving aboard the Phoenix should you decide on this course of action."

It was Kane's turn to rub his temples. He could feel a stress headache coming on. "I'll need to think about this, Doctor. Perhaps we could use one of your ideas in conjuction with an option that Engineering is pursuing. Be ready to initiate either option when I give the word."

Aerdan inclined his head as Kane walked away from him. "Yes, Captain."

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Scene: Main Engineering - deck 36, drive section


Ellie Kalani was surprised at just how many people had crowded into Engineering to watch this bizarre experiment unfold. There were no less than ten of the ship's complement crowded around a hastily-rigged dais into which the Bog helmsman, Tomas' Vukovic, was plugged. Standing around him were Commanders Crichton and Malin-Argo, Lieutenants Von, Yu, and Dalziel, and Ensign Chaucer. By the looks of it, Jake Crichton and Malin-Argo had only just arrived. She moved forward to join them.

Cantor Von was explaining what was going on to the chief engineer and first officer. "We don't have to worry about constructing any sort of firewall. Lieutenant Vukovic will be attaining this altered state through the use of his bio-mechanical components, not directly accessing the main computer. The ship's systems are perfectly safe. The phobophage is unlikely to be able to travel through ODN circuits."

"You are initiating this experiment without conclusively determining the potential consequences," rumbled Malin-Argo. "Furthermore, you are placing the ship's operational systems at risk. You do not know what the phobophage is capable of."

"We are taking every reasonable precaution, Commander," countered the Betazoid. "Ensign Chaucer will be monitoring the ship's systems. Lieutenant Yu is ready if the phobophage makes an appearance. Lieutenant Dalziel will monitor Lieutenant Vukovic's physiological state."

Jake folded his arms. Ellie couldn't be sure, but there seemed to be some friction between him and Malin-Argo. Jake didn't directly look at the mountainous chief engineer when he spoke. "We need to take some risks or we'll never make any progress. Tomas', do you understand what you're volunteering for?"

The Borg was adjusting the halo of external circuitry attached to his head. "Yes, Commander. It is a good plan. I will not attempt to approach the phobophage, only to observe it. If that is possible, of course."

Ellie watched with interest. Modern Borg were no longer the robotic zombies they were in the previous century. Since the destruction of the old Collective, the Borg had completely rebooted their society over a few decades. Now they lived in a growing Delta Quadrant federation, centred around a new homeworld and a society that was as technologically adaptive as it was egalitarian. Modern Borg were more likely to be born organic and then to choose to integrate cyberware into their bodies to varying degrees - some, of course, would choose to turn themselves into cyborgs, but there were many more who chose to eschew technology, being happy with a head-implanted datajack which allowed all Borg to be wirelessly connected to their internal information superhighway - the Network. If Tomas' Vukovic was wired up with headware, then this might work - he might well be capable of scanning the world around him with senses that were not rooted in his meat.

Malin-Argo looked down at Jake. "I am not averse to risks, Commander Crichton, but we should be aware of the exact potentialities in the event of this experiment not running according to plan. I would also like to point out that I am in command here in Engineering."

Jake glanced at Ellie. She watched him carefully. Jake seemed uncomfortable at being debated with like this, and Ellie felt for him. Malin-Argo was an intimidating physical presence, to be sure, but the Grazerite could also back it up with almost forty years of experience in Starfleet. Hell, Admiral Stiles had heard of Malin-Argo, and the bulky Grazerite was practically a legend among engineers in the fleet. With someone like that, it would be easy to just back off and let him do his thing.

Jake turned back to Malin-Argo. "Captain Kane has approved this plan."

The Grazerite didn't blink. "Approval of the goal of the plan is not the same as approval of its execution. If we cause damage to this ship's operational systems, there will be questions to answer."
Jake nodded. "I'll answer those questions if they are asked."

Ellie looked around. All of the other junior officers were watching the interaction with inscrutable faces. She wondered what each of them was thinking - Malin-Argo wasn't being insubordinate exactly, but he was disagreeing with Jake in public. No lines were being crossed, but it couldn't be helping Jake's confidence to have one of the ship's senior officers ask these kinds of questions.

"You'll take responsibility for any damage to personnel or systems, Commander Crichton?" grunted Malin-Argo, drawing himself up to his full height. He wasn't especially tall, being equal in height with Jake, but Grazerites were a heavily-built species. "Because I will not."

Jake waved his hand. "I've said I will." He looked at Tomas'. "Carry on, Mister Vukovic."

"Yes, Commander." The Borg nodded to Cantor Von. "I am ready, Lieutenant."

Cantor Von, Eve Dalziel, and Chaucer moved to workstations near Tomas'. They logged into the LCARS system and wirelessly connected to one another. Malin-Argo moved behind them, looking over their shoulders like an examining professor.

Seeing her chance, Ellie moved to Jake. "Good luck, Commander Crichton."

He shot a glance at her. "Thank you, Commander Kalani."

Ellie tried to think of something supportive to say, but could only fall back on her own field of expertise. "LCARS is an aging operational system. They're supposed to be rolling out HCARS by 'thirty-five. Standard issue on all starships by the end of the decade. Federation-wide navigation network upgrade, too. Be better than the Borg Network, they say."

"Oh." Jake was watching Tomas'. The Borg sat himself down and closed his eyes.

"LCARS still works perfectly, though," said Ellie. "Everything will be fine. You'll see."

"Physiological readings nominal," reported Eve.

"No abnormalities in your implants," said Von. "Are you ready, Chaucer?"

The Gorn looked around with his compound eyes. [[Yes,]] his vox grated.

Tomas' took a deep breath while Ellie, Jake, and Malin-Argo looked on. The circuit board he was wearing looked like Christmas lights, connected to one another by a single long string of ODN cable, which terminated in a wall outlet. All of the Borg's vital systems were being monitored, and the internal sensors were also invisibly playing over his body, burrowing painlessly inside him to 'see' what his cybernetic implants were doing. Tomas' Vukovic was not as heavily-enhanced as some Borg, but he was also more enhanced than many Borg. That presented its own problems - those Borg who chose to integrate more and more cyberware into their bodies began to lose their innate 'humanity', becoming colder and more impersonal in their dealings with 'normal' people. Tomas' Vukovic would bear watching.

Thirty seconds passed, and there was no sound save the background rumble of the pulsing violet warp core and the occasional beep from one of the control surfaces.

"Are you alright, Tomas'?" asked Jake.

It took several seconds for a response. When it came, it was like Tomas' was speaking from a deep sleep. His words were slow and a little slurred. "Yes, Commander."

"What do you see?" said Ellie.

Another pause. "I see... a dream. A... waking... dream. I am... aware of myself."

Ellie saw Cantor Von turn to Jake and give him an encouraging nod. Things were going well.

"I... am in the... ship. I am... surrounded... by the... darkness... but I can see... islands of light. The... bridge. Sickbay. Engineering. I can see... the phobophage."

Ellie froze. Tomas' had said it so calmly. He was looking at a thing from another plane of existence, something that fed on the fears of sentient life-forms. She shivered.

"It is... here. Among us. Now. It is... far away. It is... outside the universe." Tomas' features flickered - a shadow of a frown ran across his face, there and then gone.

"Do you know what he means?" Jake asked Von.

The Betazoid shook his head. "No, Commander. I can only monitor the energy readouts from Lieutenant Vukovic's implants. I can't interpret what he sees."

"It's a good bet that we're correct about the phobophage being extra-dimensional," spoke up Eve. "If it did cross into our reality through that portal we detected, then it may be existing across several states of being - maybe it exists physically, psychically, spiritually - all at the same time."

"How are we supposed to fight something like that?" said Ellie.

"You... don't," said Tomas'. "You... can't... kill it. It... kills you."

Everyone looked at one another in worry.

"I... see... the portal," said Tomas'. "The... phobophage... is connected to it... but is not... constrained by it."

Jasmine Yu opened her tricorder and scanned the area. "I'm not detecting anything. Even inputting the phase variance we detected earlier - there's nothing."

"Can you see beyond the portal?" asked Ellie. "Can you see where the phobophage comes from?"

Tomas' body suddenly spasmed. Jake and Ellie each grasped a shoulder. The Borg's face twisted up into a terrifying rictus of pain. "It's... pure... CHAOS!"

Jake turned to Von. "Break the connection, now!"

Eve turned from her console and planted a hypospray into Tomas' neck. The Borg instantly sagged, falling unconsciously within a second. Eve stepped back. "Neurozine."

Ellie and Jake laid Tom'as gently down on the deckplate while Eve contacted sickbay. Cantor Von removed the monitoring halo from his head.

"Tomas' doesn't have powers of the mind, but he was able to see through the portal," said Jake. "No red tower like you saw."

"Not surprising," said Von, gathering the cable in his arms. "The red tower is likely something that I subconsciously constructed in an attempt to make sense of whatever we both saw." He stood up and looked down at Tomas'. "He did a brave thing, Commander."

Jake nodded. He looked around and saw a bunch of questioning faces. They didn't seem to be any closer to figuring out what to do. The phobophage was still here, it was still linked to its home dimension, and there were still many questions, not least of which was how to get rid of the damn thing. It was like some sort of unknowable, elemental being, that he wasn't even sure was aware of them in any meaningful way. He shook his head to ten-year-old dispel memories of Gateway.

Was there really nothing they could do except wait until it came for them?

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NRPG: So, I'll leave it there. Despite what Jake is thinking, we're making progress.

- Medicating the crew/volunteers is possible. It's dangerous, though. It might prevent an immediate death, but does the phobophage even have a form to interact with? Can it even be seen beyond a distortion in the air and/or through a fugue state, like Tomas' and Cantor Von have found out?

- The phobophage seems to be tethered to the portal to its home dimension. We already know that it grows stronger with each kill, and we don't know how strong it can get. If it's not strong now, does that mean it's weak?

KEN: I didn't write what Tomas' saw. I figured you might want to go into specifics before he wakes up in sickbay. Have you ever had a dream where you became aware you were dreaming? You're aware of your own self inside the dream, but you move through the dream-world by feeling your way from scene to scene, and everything around you is pitch-dark and made of dense, cotton-ball air. I was kind of goin' for that ;)


Jerome McKee
the Soul of Captain Michael Turlogh Kane
Commanding Officer
USS PHOENIX


"He speaks an infinite deal of nothing!"
- Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Act 1, Scene 1.117
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