Unexpected Stowaways Part 1

Posted on Mon Jan 21st, 2019 @ 12:31am by Lieutenant Commander Thex sh'Zoarhi & Lieutenant Asa Dael & Ensign Tathaa
Edited on on Mon Jan 21st, 2019 @ 12:32am

Mission: Earthly Visitation
Location: Medbay cryo storage area 1
Timeline: 2396

The Hera's sickbay was quite apart from the usual hum of all the machines that made up the bay. Well apart from one as ensign Tathaa was finding out. One of the cryobays cryogenic storage pods was for some reason letting out a high pitched winning and combined with the water leaking out of it's bottom was creating a mess.

The anear had tried switching it off, but it was obeying commands. Luckily no one was in it or this could be quite a mess.

Closing the door to the bay the anear began to look for her boss. She had managed to tune out the thoughts of her new crew by now and could only see their physical reading. Asa Dael was easy to spot given her psychic nature and the anear was soon outside of her office.

Giving the door alarm a polite tap she was soon buzzed in. " Hello, doctor. We have a problem in the cryo bay. Chamber five is leaking, letting out a buzzing sound and is refusing to switch off. I've already sent a request for someone from engineering to come and fix it. " She said politely and professional.

Tricorder at the ready, Dael was approaching the cryopod cautiously, "This is not where our changeling is, is it?"

The usually bold doctor was cautious to avoid changeling shenanigans from their first day aboard repeating themselves, but was shamed to realize they did not remember where the being was stored. But for what other reason would they be called to engineering?

" No doctor cryo storage bay one is completely empty." the anear explained as she lead the way. As the door slid open the sound which had reached a new pitch level blared out into the main sickbay. Tathaa antenna was twitching and folding back onto her head at the vibration. The high pitch being extremely painful for her to listen to. " I know it shouldn't be making that sound." She said as calmly as she could.

“Right, well, we have definite life signs, so let’s clear the area then please? Also, a couple of security personnel just in case are not a bad idea,” the doctor replied, already walking towards the mysterious sound.

As the doctor approached, they held their head slightly. The pitch of the sound was painful to them, and the humidity in the area had risen over 50%. Turning to look at the nurse, Asa said, “This life form, whatever it may be, is capable of either altering our environmental controls or creating their own humid climate. Do you show the settings for this deck altered in any way?”

Stepping back into the main room the anear reached out with her psychic abilities. " No doctor the humidity on this deck is still at the standard temperature."

"I can confirm that." Thex said as she stepped into the medical bay holding a scanner in one hand. " Regular temperature out here. " Sounds like the ship had another stowaway on board. " The engineers said giving the anear a quick smile before offering a pair of-of shield gloves to the doctor. " Want me to open the pod so we can get a better look?" The engineer asked politely.

"Just as soon as security gets here, let's crack 'er open," the doctor replied, shifting nervously from foot to foot. The doctor was hoping to avoid the last disastrous stowaway the ship encountered, and also knew they may need the help wrangling whatever life form this may be in order to get medical care.

When security staff arrived in the cryobay, Dael motioned them to the storage pod and put on the gloves Thex had offered with a smile of thanks. Then, with a look of determination, the doctor instructed the security personnel to open the pod.

The two security personnel did so though they probably wished they hadn't. A rank smell filled the room as the casing came off the pod reviling what was in the pod. What looked like a large blue and purple blobby mess had apparently appeared inside the cryo pod and judging by the smell of burning plastic it had burned through the pod and into the inner mechanics. " Well, that shouldn't be there." Thex said looking at the unknown entity.

Taking a huge step back from the smell instinctively, Dael recovered themself and walked up to join the engineer at peering inside the container.

"Um, did we have Horta eggs in the pod above by any chance?" The doctor inquired, "If so, well, it hatched. "

" Not unless they've teleported. " Thex said as she looked at the gunk in the pod. " It looks like the results of a failed teleporter accident to me. "

" Computer are all personnel accounted for?" Tathaa asked the computer without having to ask.

=^= All personnel accounted for. =^= the computer replied after a short pause.

" So what is this?" Thex said as she pulled up her scanner to get a reading. " Getting multiple readings of plastic, metals, synthetic fiber and multiple DNA readings. Doctor shall we get the pod out of here and into one of the medical labs?" The andoiran said turning to look at the doctor.

"Definitely, yes." Asa responded, moving to type in instructions for medical personnel to be on stand by to assist.

Taking a look at the pod, the doctor knew they would not be able to lift this on their own, and dare not risk further transport if the life form was already damaged by a transporter incident. They went to a nearby replicator and obtained a small tin of a cream that smelled strongly of mint and eucalyptus- an old medical trick from mortuary workers on Earth.

"Here," they said, preferring the tin to the two Andorians and security team, "Put some of this under your nose, it will insulate you from the smell a bit."

" Thanks." Said Thex and Tathaa as both put some under their nose as did both of the security officers. " Shall i get a hover trolley?" Thex asked as the smell filled her nose.

"Yes please, that would be a help. I will likely need some help maneuvering our new friend onto the trolley also, if you would be so kind?" Dael replied hopefully.

It didn't take long before Thex was back with a hover trolley which she maneuvered into position. "Okay everyone take one of the handles and let's get it on the trolley." The andorian said as she moved into position.

The doctor joined in the effort and soon the unknown being was on the trolley. The group quickly maneuvered the life form to a nearby lab, earning states as they went and the crew in the corridors smelled the horrible stench.

Once the group was inside the lab, Asa began scanning the being, "I'm reading seven different DNA signatures, and more than one reading consistent with a summoned entity. Were there any unexpected energy readings during transports back from the worldship?"

" None that my team detected.You think it tried teleporting off the world ship and rematerialized inside the pod?" Thex asked.

"It's as good a theory as any right now," the doctor replied, brow furrowed in concentration as they continued to determine what mysterious life form lay in front of them.

"It's almost as if an aquatic creature was....fused...with shape changer? This is unlike anything I have seen, and I sincerely doubt it was intentional. I'm reading what is likely genetic material left behind from.....procreation.....as well....." Asa trailed off with a grimace.

" Is there anything we can do. If it's a shape changer may it be able to reform it's original form? " The anear inquired looking over at Thex and then to the chief medical officer?

Running their hands through their close cropped hair, Dael stood thoughtfully for a moment.

“Perhaps,” they began, pacing while they spoke.

“We need to separate each form of DNA from the rest. Once I have the DNA fully sequenced we can look into using adapted cloning technology to aid in the regrowth of tissues. However, depending on the life form, that may be unsafe and better left to a bio-recovery facility. For instance, if one of these beings is hostile, we hardly want them running around the ship….”

The doctor moved to place an advanced bio-sequencer over the pod to begin to provide more in depth readings. As they looked at the display, a frown began to furrow on the physicians brow.

“I’m getting elfin DNA, Silik, Xindi-aqueous, and Calamarian readings, along with something I…..don’t……quite……recognize……” Asa trailed off, getting closer to the readout screen, as it proximity would imbue understanding.

" Is it a hybrid? " Thex guessed as she looked at the screen.

“It’s entirely possible,” Asa theorized, moving around the being scanning as quickly as they could. “It could be the gods from those various beings had been called forth to the worldship and then when it began to disintegrate decided to project themselves on to the Hera. But the process would have been interrupted somehow, possibly by our own shields and exit from the energy waves, and it left us with…..this. How elfin DNA became entwined I’m not entirely sure, unless one of the peoples of that world tried to hitch a ride too.”

The smell in the lab was reaching a ponderous level, overpowering even the odor neutralizers the doctor had in place. They turned on an exhaust vent but did not have much hope it would ameliorate the odor.

The creature began to burble, with a bluish-greenish fluid coming out of what must have been orifices as it appeared to be attempting to move. The…blood?....of the creature was racing and a throb from what may have been a heart was increasing too.

“I think it’s getting agitated,” Asa said, moving to be near the patient. They began speaking in a low, slow tone of voice to the creature, “I don’t know how you got here, but please be at peace. We are only here to help. I’m Doctor Asa Dael, and was are going to figure this out together.”

An alert sounded on a piece of nearby equipment signaling the genetic sequencing had been completed. Asa spoke gently to the creature and reassured it they would be right back. Looking at the display, the doctor asked the two Andorian’s to look over their shoulder.

“Now, call me crazy, but this looks like what would happen if a transporter played genetic soup with signatures. Like a bargain basement transporter tried to beam these individuals onto the Hera and failed. Weren’t there examples of this during the early transporter tests? As if someone tried to build a transporter and failed?”

Thex nodded having remembered seeing similar results in the transporter training at the academy. " Yeah, the early days of the transporter were difficult. Most of the early human test subjects were badly injured or flat out killed. When they stared multiple people there would be cases of people remateralizing inside each other or in a primordial soup that once was there bodies. "

" Could you do anything to help them?" asked the annear.

" I could try to lock onto the DNA and try beaming each one of them out, but it will be hard. With no original signature, i could leave bits of them behind." Thex responded.

"This current life form is not sustainable," Asa said softly, "They will only live for another 36 hours or so before cellular degradation becomes fatal. I think we should try..."

" Okay. I'll use the section 31 transporter as it's more powerful. I'll get up and start getting it ready. " Thex said as she turned to leave.

" Good luck." Tathaa said as the andorian stepped out of the room.

"I stand ready to assist," Dael said solemnly, doing what they could to keep the new passenger on the Hera comfortable.