The Exploration

Posted on 01 Nov 2013 @ 1:06pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Scarlet Blake

2,258 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Episode 04 - Exodus
Location: Setisar VI - Surface, Alien Medical Chamber
Timeline: MD 06 - 1205 hrs

Previously, on First Contact (Part 4)...

Allyndra again spoke up. "If your records are complete and I am sure they are, I am the ship's physician. As such I would request to be present during any procedure in case something goes wrong." She smiled tightly but made polite nod of her head, "After all I have more 'experience' with these various species."

"No need," Scarlet replied, holding her eyes, hoping she'd understand without her having to explain in front of anyone. "We are...trusting each other," she said, but looked back to the aliens as she said it, nodding to them in acknowledgement. This wasn't just an exchange of information, it was a sign of trust, and someone had to stick their hand into the water first. She took a slight breath, carefully holding the mask of calm and neutrality on her features to hide her nerves at what might happen. "Doctor, I need you to remain with the team and assist Lieutenant Rhodes," she gave her a nod with the words. On a more personal level, she had no idea how she would be examined, and she felt anxious enough about that. She didn't want to be seen in a time of personal vulnerability by someone she worked with. If she had to do it, she wanted it at least to be private.

Escorted by the two slender creatures who stood guard on either side of the door, Scarlet entered the room and they followed her inside. The entrance shimmered and solidified, putting the away team's leader out of sight from everyone else.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Once Scarlet had entered the side room, the door solidified behind her and she was presented with a new and strange-looking medical chamber. It was rather barren and devoid of any noticeable instruments, and the lighting was the same familiar blue fluorescent glow which had been present during the away team's decontamination process. This room, however, was slightly larger and contained what appeared to be a rectangular pool in the floor. Upon closer inspection, it was not filled with water, but rather a strange transparent substance which could only be described as jelly-like in its consistency.

"Remove your clothing. Any non-biological components," instructed one of the aliens who had stepped into the room behind her and now awaited her compliance.

Scarlet looked around her, taking it all in as she let out a soft breath. It was - sterile and barren. Somewhere inside, it reminded her of the interrogation rooms when she had been held prisoner as a marine. She kept her features carefully still though, not wanting them to see her trepidation as she methodically removed her clothes.

She looked around, her lips parted as she took a breath, waiting for further instruction. "Will it just be like a scan?"

The other alien who had entered with Scarlet moved and retrieved her clothes, his black beady eyes looking over her bare figure. "A scan. Yes. Biological and psychological." That wasn't giving much detail, but it covered the basics of what was about to happen to the Starfleet woman.

"Lie down in the fluid. Your face. Towards the ceiling. It will not be painful. You will not be harmed." the alien said in his light and serene voice.

Scarlet suppressed a slight shiver at being watched so boldly while she was naked, but she reminded herself that this was scientific to them. She looked down into the fluid, letting out a soft breath, unsure just how keen she was to submerge herself in an unknown thing.

She moved forward all the same, her movements swift and practical to get it over with. She gave a slight gasp as she stepped in and moved to lie back in it, the coolness taking her breath for a moment, but she got used to it. It felt thicker than water now she was in it. It seemed to have more substance, more like a gel than fluid.

Once Scarlet had submerged herself within the fluid, one of the aliens moved towards the wall and a device resembling a console of some sort manifested itself with what appeared (to the naked eye) to be some sort of isomorphic or holographic technology. His delicate long and slender fingers pressed down on the surface of the machine, and suddenly the fluid Scarlet was laying in began to illuminate. Bright green and blue swirling colors at first, then the medium became very warm and spread a pleasant tingling sensation all over Scarlet's exposed skin.

"You must submerge your entire body. Your head. You must relax." came addition instructions from the aliens. "You must breathe once submerged. Do not be frightened. You will not be harmed."

"Won't I drown?" Scarlet asked, unable to keep the slight note of alarm from her voice as she wriggled her fingers in it, as if to test it with a frown. She didn't like being submerged in water anymore. Not since her experience as a prisoner.

"You will not be harmed. The organic substance will enter your lungs. It will simulate a breathable environment. Liquid oxygen." the alien reassured her as the gelatinous material pulsed and glowed waiting for Scarlet to enter it completely.

Scarlet swallowed hard, unsure for a moment. But she knew there was no backing out now. She closed her eyes, letting herself sink. It went totally against all her instincts as she opened her mouth and let the gel enter her mouth. And even then, her body refused to her her take it in on sheer primal instinct. Her hands slammed out to either side of her, pressing tight on the sides of the box she was in, trying to claw or get a grip as she fought hard to fight her panic.

It all came flooding back, being tied to a table, the hood over her head, the water poured over her mouth until she felt like she was choking and drowning. The experience of fighting the slippery gel she was submerged in brought back the same sensations as her body refused to let it in, and she ran out of hair.

Finally, the lack of air made her choke which forced the gel down into her lungs. Just when panic had well and truly set in, the tightness in her chest started to ease as air got back into her via the oozing liquid that was taking her over and she stopped struggling.

Watching with content as the Human began to breathe the gel and relax, the alien at the controls then activated the examination sequence. A visible electrical charge swept through the pool of fluids casting blue bolts of electricity into the air, and the gelatin suddenly came alive to begin its biological scan. With what could only be described as a conscious presence, it began to swirl itself around Scarlet's body and slowly seep into her. First her exposed orifices such as her ears, nose, and under her eyelids, then down in between her legs to the two most private openings. The fluid coated all of her insides and ran down her esophagus into her stomach, as well as her brain, bloodstream, and womb. It calmed and subdues the nerve endings throughout her body to ensure she felt no pain and began to infiltrate and gather as much information as possible about Blake's species.

There was no pain as promised, and yet the whole experience was deeply personal and physical all the same. It was like she was captured, taken over. Trapped in another being. There was an element of violation in just how intimate the exam was, in both body and soul, yet she knew that she had agreed to it. She had brought it on herself.

Her body felt fluid and limp though, as if half ready to sleep, keeping any pain or discomfort away, keeping the aliens' promise. But she could still feel it. Inside. Everywhere. As if a part of her, touching and probing everything, leaving nothing for herself. She kept as relaxed as she could throughout the experience, reminding herself that they meant no harm. And caused no pain.

Many minutes passed while the biological examination fluid collected various tissue samples from every part of Scarlet's body. The alien standing at the medical control-console received the massive input of data and with terrible efficiency, processed it all and added it to the grand database. While simple assimilation of species from the Borg could provide intimate knowledge and history of a species, this type of examination was much more thorough and yielded a far greater knowledge of the being with whom they were currently interacting.

Almost fifteen minutes passed before the biological component of the exam was completed. Finally, the last step, was purely psychological. Activating a set of commands on the console, the alien began the final sequence, and an electrical discharge suddenly began to pulse inside and around Scarlet's brain.

Scarlet's mouth opened in a soundless gasp, her fingers reaching back for the walls of the box, pressing hard against them in an effort to ground herself, her body arching as if in physical pain; even if it were actually psychological.

Emotions started slamming through her, one after the other, relentless, sparking through from nowhere, like a volt of electricity making a frog leg jerk. And then the memories started, connected to the emotion, forcing to the surface as they took them. All of them, moment after moment, day after day, the good and the bad, swimming through her head until she had no idea when or where she was anymore, everything from her past relived in reeling, lightening quick ferocity...whether she wanted to remember and relive it or not; painful and humiliating or not.

And then it suddenly stopped. The memories, the flashes, the electrical surges; all ceased at once and returned Blake to her original mental state...albeit with some emotional trauma from the regression.

Her fingers slid down the side of the tank with the relief, her eyes blinking open as she tried to refocus on the here and now. She'd never imagined anything could feel so intense and confused. She had a feeling it was going to take awhile to get her head straight again, and the past pushed firmly back in the past.

At the command of the alien who was at the controls, the liquid-gel substance began to recede from Scarlet's body, exiting her orifices in the same manner in which they had entered. The exploration was complete, and now the away team's leader was free to recover. The liquid oxygen began to slowly dissipate from her lungs, prompting her head to rise from the fluids to breathe normal air.

Despite her best effort, Scarlet half choked as she pulled herself quickly out of the tank, her instinct telling her to pull in as much as she could even as the gel was still leaving her. She caught her breath as she sat up on the side, shaking her head as she gripped the edge. She felt...nauseous. And disoriented. But not in pain or threatened. "Did it work?" she asked, looking to them with wide eyes, even as she coughed. She would hate for it to have been for nothing. And they'd had her at her most vulnerable, but she was still whole and in one piece, they had kept their word.

"Your analysis is complete. You must expel the entirety of the fluid from your lungs and digestive center. Or else. You will become ill," the alien replied calmly, watching Scarlet gasp and seeing that she still had some of the gel inside of her airways and stomach. "You must vomit."

"Pleasant," Scarlet bit her lip, watching, expecting them to turn away. But when the clearly not shy people made no move to give her privacy, she half crawled away and turned her back to them as she forced her fingers down her throat, to bring the rest of the stuff up. As she slowly got to her feet and tried to catch her balance, she was intensely pleased that she'd insisted no one come with her into the chamber; she would never have been able to look them in the eye again if they'd have seen her like this.

After Scarlet had finished expelling all of the foreign substances from her gut, the liquids in the pool strangely recessed into vents in the walls leaving her laying in the barren once-filled tub. The alien instructed her one final time before ending the process. "We have finished. You may tend to your clothing. Your exploration has been most fascinating. We thank you."

Scarlet watched them for a long moment. She could see how and why they had made good scientists. "I hope it will encourage you to keep in contact with us," she replied, honestly, hoping they wouldn't keep themselves closed away from the universe. She pulled her clothes on carefully, taking it slow, still shaken.

Neither of the two bald creatures replied to her words, for it was not their place to make grand decisions regarding their race's interactions with foreigners. Instead, they simply walked and stood next to Scarlet as the entrance from which she had entered shimmered and opened to show her the exit. It was time for her to return to her colleagues.

[OFF]

--

LT CMDR Scarlet Blake
Chief Counsellor/2XO
USS Galileo

Unnamed Aliens
Le'kt Medical Personnel
[PNPC - Lirha Saalm]

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