Crystal of Life

Posted on 24 Jan 2020 @ 2:56pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Lake ir-Llantrisant & Petra Varelli Ph.D. & LuAnn Lovegood PhD

4,824 words; about a 24 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Lagrange - Sickbay
Timeline: MD 03, 1827 hrs

Previously, on She Did What? (Part 5)...

"Good. Transfer four to Galileo and install them into torpedo casings," Rasmussen ordered. "Once this ship is repaired, I plan for the task group to enter the system and destroy the colony site on Latari A III. The other ships will provide cover if the Tholians decide to challenge us." The heavyset man took a breath then wiped a light coat of perspiration from the top of his forehead. "Kohl, I'm transferring you here as acting captain until Saalm returns. And you, commander," he looked to Warraquim, "are coming with me back to Lagrange. I need you to monitor the casualties we just evacuated and look for any signs of contamination."

Allyndra thought they were going about things all wrong but she had already made her case and arguing further was not going to help. She looked to Kohl and shrugged slightly and then to Lieutenant Commander Wyatt. She felt sorry for that latter, being put in the place he was and then basically treated like...what was the term, a mushroom, kept in the dark and fed excrement. She doubted there was any further contamination at this point but again arguing was not going to do much good so she just finally said, "Yes sir." It was not hostile but neutral and flat.

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Deck 8, Sickbay

Allyndra was used to a relatively small medical facility and certainly one that did not have its own conference room. She stood near the lectern off to one side at the front of the room from the back and next to the screen.

She had asked everyone that had been involved with patient zero and with knowledge of the away team two's effort on the planet. What she did not have and wished was what had happened to the away team one. Every little piece of the puzzle here could use any data.

She did feel bad that she had basically taken over Doctor Mugaba's territory, but he had been quite understanding and helpful trying to organize everything to try to understand the data and also handle the observation of the colonists. He had eventually indicated to her that he could not find anything out of the ordinary and had released them from reverse isolation.

Now before she put what her thoughts were up on the screen and what her figure part of the puzzle, she wanted input from everyone to make sure she had not missed something, or another point of view. It was critical as she had basically told the captain of this ship that she considered this a medical emergency on top of the higher priority Genesis directive. She was not about to see a lot of beings destroyed if it was possible to avoid it.

Petra walked in, holding a PADD with the data from the former colony. She got herself a drink and sat at a table where she could speak up if necessary.

LuAnn knew little of what was going on, but she'd helped Patient Zero, so she walked in and sat at the back.

Lagrange's chief medical officer, Lieutenant Commander Mugaba, was quick to follow on Lovegood's heels and entered the small conference room just behind her. He'd become quite familiar with the assigned Galileo personnel over the past two days and had found their different contributions useful in executing the quarantine order. However, most of his attention had been focused on what the Galileo medical staff referred to as 'patient zero' and the details of his - its - transformation.

When the doors opened again, Lake ir-Llantrisant was came to a halt, impassive at the aperture. His arms flailed slightly, as if they had expected his boots to keep on walking. The Romulan's dark eyes widened momentarily. He had been operating on auto-pilot in the corridor, retreating within himself to the point of ignoring even his senses. Stepping into Lagrange's Sickbay had aroused his awareness, since it wasn't the familiar surroundings of Galileo he was expecting. Quickly catching up, Lake quickstepped to join the others within the medical compartment.

Allyndra waited and then dimmed the lights via asking the computer, then the first thing she brought up was that strange symbol that had appeared on the monitors and briefly shut down the Galileo-A. At this point there was little use in keeping things classified as it was an integral part of what had and perhaps was still occurring on the colony - or perhaps colonies. They had not heard back from the first away team and she had to presume, given the Tholians near absolute panic, that they may have been destroyed.

Still it was something that she had been admonished to keep things close to the vest as possible. "This gentle beings, is a symbol that appeared on the Galileo-A and I think is the fundamental reason for everything that has happened and is happening. Let me give a brief summary though there are many parts still missing and some are just speculation at this point and hence why I asked you all here so that we can share ideas.

"This is a symbol indicating the use of a Genesis device. It was a device as I understand designed to create, from basic materials, an entire living ecosystem. Its use has been classified and deemed illegal for use by Starfleet and as such any and all such discussions outside this room are to be kept to ourselves unless asked by the captain or his executive officer."

She then switched to a picture of the remains of the Franconia and continued, "This is the remains of the Franconia which we found in orbit about Latari B. Sensors indicated that it had been destroyed by the Tholians. We did not detect any of those creatures in the area at the time. However we did locate one individual which we will call patient zero."

The screen shifted to show Elegy before he had broken out of sickbay covered in all sorts of crystals. "This was the only survivor and he was, from the carbon-based DNA samples indicated, to be one of the colonists. Somehow it appeared that his body and entire metabolism was shifting from a carbon to a silicon-based biology. At the time I could not even begin to speculate how that was even possible. However, I now believe it has something to do with the Genesis device which I will get to in a bit."

The screen shifted again to show a recording of what Ensign Mimi and that away team had encountered. "This is a creature our away team encountered at the colony site on Latari A III. It also is a silicone based creature, and while our team was there, Tholians showed up but instead to firing upon the team they instead attempted to fire on the creature without much effect."

She turned toward the room and stepped from behind the lectern. "The Tholians when they encountered Galileo-A and the Trial called the creature a 'proto-Tholian'. Our Lieutenant Plumeri was on the Trial which was pretty well destroyed in the encounter and indicated the Tholians seemed desperate to find out more information most likely on this Genesis device. As a final bit, the away team on Latari A indicated they found remains of the Reliant which historically was involved with the device.

"So here is where we stand and my speculation of the scenario. Somehow remains of the Reliant managed to land on Latari A III. With those remains, there was possibly a Genesis device. From my understanding, the effect degrades after a point due to the use of unstable proto-matter. Thus, I think there was a device on board which some of the colonists discovered and either deliberately or accidentally set off. This somehow created the silicone creature and probably contaminated some of the colonists. The explosion and the appearance of the creature was the reason the call for help went out and the Franconia arrived. That ship took on some of the injured but perhaps the contamination began to spread. The Tholians noticed the unusual properties of the explosion and came to investigate. Something about this creature which the universal kept translating as proto-Tholian seemed to agitate them highly. While the UT might be wrong, perhaps something about this creature might be related to the Tholians given the response. The Tholians also kept talking about 'contamination' as well, and thus is perhaps why they destroyed the Franconia and the Trial and nearly the Galileo-A. So far, the rest of the away team and others that have been on Latari A III have not shown any signs of contamination. Still, we must presume that we have a possible epidemic on our hands and also that the Tholians realize the same and are trying to contain it as well. Other ideas speculation, questions?" Allyndra asked.

A long moment of silence passed while Doctor Mugaba listened, observed, and calculated what the Akkadian officer was trying to convey. It was a complicated string of assumptions overshadowed by not only the presence of Genesis particles, but also the presence of the Tholians themselves. He'd done his best over the past day to bring himself up to speed with the current medical quarantine, but much of this briefing contained new news to him. Eventually, he straightened in his chair then coughed before speaking.

"Commander," he began, "I appreciate your help in sickbay and I don't doubt your qualifications..." he glanced briefly to the other two medical officers present, "but this sounds farfetched. What evidence do you have that a Genesis detonation took place on Latari A III? All the sensor data your team recovered points to a single impact crater from the Reliant's debris as the proto-matter source."

"I'm pretty sure if the first away team was here, they'd have all the answers, but I can only give you a few," Petra said. "I was on the second away team. I'm a forensic anthropologist and deal with finding facts from old bones and DNA. While we don't have a proto-Tholian here to show you, we do have images, recordings, and samples from the impact site. There is very clear evidence that some form of proto-matter similar to that used in a Genesis device -- most likely from the Reliant -- was used to aid terraforming efforts on the planet."

She looked around at the others. "We do know that the creature was on the planet, that it hated the Tholians -- and they it. There was a clear connection between the two as well. Look at the images and you'll see it. The planet was stable when it was surveyed, and until our last contact with the colony. That would also point to Genesis. As would the rapid volcanic activity and destruction of the colony.

"From what Matthew and Teegan reported, the Tholians wanted information from the Trial's computer. We also found part of an old Starfleet ship. Put the pieces together, and they add up to Genesis."

Allyndra listened and nodded. Perhaps there had been only the barest of a device or perhaps it had degraded or....well that was just speculation. She was certain that something had happened and created the creature and it was not the Tholians. She might be wrong but she saw an opportunity here to perhaps open a dialog or put better relations with the reclusive race.

Slowly pacing around the back of the room, Mugaba stopped then looked back to Warraquim and the others. "I do not disagree that Project Genesis is involved. And frankly, I'm happy that's not our problem to deal with here in sickbay," he replied. "But what I'm worried about is your 'patient zero' and the medical data you provided me. None of your speculation can scientifically explain how - at a biological level - a man's body can transform its bio-molecular structure to adapt both carbon and silicon-based features." He clasped his hands firmly behind his back then said with conviction, "A human being cannot simply transform into a crystalline creature."

Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Lake clapped his hands together softly. His head was tilted back, looking up at the dazzling information on the main LCARS display. Keeping his eyes on that prize, Lake said, "Maybe it's selfish of me --self-preservation, you know-- but I would say most of my curiosity is about transmission. I'm wondering about how the Genesis effect works and how we protect ourselves from it."

Blinking heavily, Lake pivoted his head to look at each of the doctors and scientists in the room. "When we're talking about genesis particles and protomatter," Lake asked, "Are they airborne particles or droplets? Or is it radiation?"

"From what I've gathered, it's a wave. So, more particle than radiation," Petra said. "You'd have to interact with the wave itself. If the planet contained the remnants of the proto-Tholian creatures and was hit with a Genesis wave, it is theoretically possible that both the protomatter and the proto-Tholian matter affected the colonists. Once the Genesis effect ran its course, there would be no residual side-effects. So, in theory, the colonists where hit by the proto-matter that reacted with the planet itself, tossing up all sorts of stuff that degraded and was washed down to the sub-layers. I've done some research since returning to the ship."

Allyndra was pleased that things seemed to be moving in the right direction. "So then this odd conversion that this Genesis effect does could have mixed some proto-Tholian into a colonist or colonists and started a chain reaction of the conversion. That is the only thing that makes sense, however, then it implies that something like a Tholian than was dormant in this planet." She paused while the thought sank in. "Perhaps then another reason the Tholians are here. It has long been speculated that the current region of space they claim is not native, perhaps...what if this is there system of origin? It would be like even if we had moved off Akkadia or Earthlings had left Terra, there might be remnant left of the species."

Petra nodded in agreement.

Doctor Mugaba could sense Warraquim's preoccupation with the Tholians and the new creature they'd discovered. There were still many questions to be answered but the focus of their talks had to remain on what they could control and analyze as medical officers - not to theoretically postulate as makeshift evolutionary biologists. He listened to the Romulan hybrid and the other Human while they debated the fundamental nature of Genesis particles.

"Perhaps it is both," he added after a short moment. "We know radiation can release many forms of particles...most of which are harmless. Even here as we are gathered, our bodies are absorbing not only particles of cosmic radiation but also particles from our own warp core. The levels are, of course, benign because of the ship's hull shielding, but nevertheless they exist. From what Captain Rasmussen has let me study of the Genesis experiment, it was created as a terraforming project specifically to turn barren worlds into habitable ones. A Genesis detonation was designed to disintegrate all surrounding matter into sub-atomic particles then reassemble them into configurations desirable for Human life. The atmosphere, the biome...all of it. Not within decades or years, but hours..."

"Yes," Petra said. "That's what I've read. And, once the planet is stable, it's safe for colonization. We don't have to worry about continued risk to humans. However, if they're on the planet when this Genesis is released, that's a different matter. Evidence indicates that, as Doctor Warraquim said, the Tholians originated in this system. I still maintain it was a combination of the Genesis wave mixed with bio-crystaline DNA that caused the planet and the colonists to evolve the way they did. It isn't likely to be a continuing problem, although the planet is not going to be habitable to anyone but the proto-Tholians. The question now is, do we let them live on the planet they helped create? They are a new lifeform--or a resurgent one. They appear to be sentient. I don't think there's a threat of them causing more humanoids to transform."

Allyndra nodded her head. "I agree, we can check anyone else and get them off the planet, do whatever we need to do to eradicate the Genesis leftover and..." she trailed off and shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps leave this proto-Tholian to the Tholians. That way we technically do not violate a new species thing if it is one, though I would argue that something created out of an illegal experiment may not share those as something that evolved, but I am no legal expert."

With a humph, Doctor Mugaba exhaled through his nose. It was a lot of information to take in all at once and he privately recognized the threat this new creature could pose. "What we need..." he started to suggest, "is more information. Another colonist or a deceased specimen from the Latari B III colony." Mugaba frowned and shook his head. "But that's the same colony you lost your Waverider team at."

Petra didn't like the idea of leaving the Proto-Tholian to the modern-day Tholians. Not when they tried to kill it; but that was an argument for later. "We don't know what happened to the other team. As far as we know, they're just stranded somewhere, waiting for us to pick them up."

Allyndra tapped the side of the lectern and then said, "We possibly might have a specimen for you to examine directly. Patient zero launched himself out the shuttle bay into space. There is a good chance that his body is still out there in orbit around Latari B. It will also be a good chance to examine the remains of the Franconia and also find out what is happening to the colony there and perhaps find the first away team. My proposal is we go to Latari B first, then get information and rescue, shift to Latari A rescue and then destroy any signs of Genesis. It still fits protocol." She fixed her gaze on the Langrange's chief doctor and said, "You have better influence on the captain's decision then."

"Unless our objective is to simply bomb-run the two planets," Lake chimed in, "Allyndra's plan is our only option." He looked to Doctor Mugaba, as well, and waved a hand vaguely at Allyndra at the lectern. "We still need more information; hell, even some incomprehensible data, at this point," Lake said, summing up what he'd heard thus far. "Too much of what we think we know is supposition. Any attempt to protect ourselves or others from the mysterious forces in this star system would be guesswork, at best, until we can see these mysteries for ourselves."

"Reacting out of fear of the unknown will only cause more trouble," LuAnn said, speaking up for the first time. "Our purpose is not to seek out new life and destroy it because it's big and scary. Dr. Warraquim is right. We need time to study the planets and the effect of this Proto-Tholian."

Mugaba finally stopped his nervous pacing and settled into a chair at the front of the room. "Time is the one thing we do not have. The captain was clear - destroying the source of the Genesis signature on Latari A III is the priority," he reminded. The CMO privately agreed with all of the Galileo medical officers, but knew what they were asking was impossible given the circumstance. "From all reports, there are still Tholian warships in the system...we will be lucky if we can even complete that objective."

"Then it is even more imperative, it would seem to me, to try to reach out to them. We cannot, in my opinion, try to clear up this Genesis effect if we are facing hostile alien warships that might also be on the same mission. What is the old Earth saying? Something about 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', but in this case cleaning up the Genesis effect is, from all indications, the enemy that we and the Tholians can work against. I do not believe your captain is unreasonable, but why go in with a chance of more casualties and loss of ships has a high chance of occurring when we might all have a mutual goal."

Allyndra hoped that Rasmussen would listen to that reason. While he was operating on priority orders, to do so blindly with a high probability of loss of life that might be avoided could be construed as medically unfit. She was not going to bring that up yet but it was the last 'hole' card as those games of chance called it she had.

Following the debate like a tennis match, Lake's head pivoted left and right to keep up with Mugaba and Allyndra. He planted his hands on his hips --and winced slightly-- as he absorbed their different perspectives, and mentally searched for points of agreement. "If we don't have the time and the resources, and the might, to conduct our investigation of the system," Lake said, exploring his curiosity out loud. "Perhaps we could attempt diplomacy with the Tholians at a safe distance?" --Admittedly, their debate had veered beyond the walls of Sickbay, but most of them were here as officers as much as physicians-- "Persuade the Tholians to assist in our mutually-agreeable goals. If they won't work with us, won't talk to us, perhaps then we can only proceed with a mission of destruction."

"Destroying the planet is not the answer," Petra interjected. "Killing a creature that was once native to the planet is not the answer. Teaming up with the Tholians is not the answer.

"You are so afraid of the bogey man that you're willing to commit genocide. You aren't looking at the real issue. We have a creature that once inhabited the planet. It is sentient and self-aware. Yes, what caused it to re-emerge was the proto-matter of a Genesis device, but the device was used and the creature is here. You can't hide what happened by destroying the evidence. Have you not studied Earth's history? It's full of illustrations of what happens when you team up with an enemy to save yourself from what you perceive to be a worse enemy? Instead, we should be looking at what do we do if we find other creatures. How can we learn from this, and how can we keep it from spreading? Not how do we get rid of it." Petra couldn't believe what this doctor was proposing. She was glad she was a civilian and could speak her mind.

Allyndra could not fault Petra's passion but there was so much more involved and with the standing orders from Starfleet it made it even worse. She finally rapped on the lectern to get attention. "It does not matter one wit what we wish to do if the Tholians are still about. Creature, no creature, Genesis device or not. Thus we need to ensure that we do not immediately get into a battle as soon as we drop out of warp. We can hopefully negotiate from there. Can we all agree on that point at least?"

Mugaba tilted his head at Warraquim. He couldn't quite discern what she was suggesting as a course of action. "I think we can all agree we wish we had more time to study this," he politically answered. "To uncover all the mysteries here. Nevertheless, I trust the captain that he is making the best decision he can given his orders."

Reminded of Captain Rasmussen's orders, Lake said, "Orbital bombardment of Latari A III." The words came out dispassionately; his intonation offered no support or detraction from the Captain's intent. It's probably how the Romulans would have handled this scenario, and with half as much hand-wringing as they all were doing. "I imagine it will take a half-awake tactical officer thirty seconds to target the colony. Maybe sixty, tops?" Lake said. "And then less than ten seconds to fire four torpedoes." --He shrugged, defeated-- "That won't leave us much time for seeking or talking."

"And then the Tholians attack us before we get out of the system," Petra added. "I saw what they did to the Trial. Do you really want to risk that? I agree with Dr. Warraquim. We need to see what's there before deciding on a course of action. " And Captain Rasmussen was a toad, but she wasn't going to say that out loud.

"Indeed," Allyndra replied. "Tholians do not get sleep, say thirty seconds to detect the ships incoming, while we are targeting the colony site they will be firing upon us and they chased the Trial and this ship even after we were fleeing. Going in with waiting hostiles and at least one somewhat-repaired ship is not something that, standing order or no, is medically sound." There she said it. She put it out there that if need be, as a senior medical officer, she would and could question Rasmussen's thinking. As she already put that out there she wondered about Kohl; would he agree as well? If she could get him over to her side they might have at least a little chance not to just kill a bunch of people and possibly have their own vessels blown out from under their feet as well.

Lagrange's CMO nervously adjusted his feet. He wasn't particularly fond of the opinion forming and thought they were venturing close to misconduct by even suggesting disobeying Rasmussen's orders. Mugaba stood and folded his hands at his waist. "I don't agree with what you are suggesting," he forcefully countered. "The captain probably has information about this which we do not - he is a Command officer. It's his job to make the decision, not ours."

Allyndra just made a nod of the head. It was not an agreement but an acknowledgement that they would not get further here. "I guess we shall never know for sure then what happened." She was already thinking of a different tact at this point.

"There's a lot of moving parts," Lake said, acknowledging the complexity of their many competing priorities. He winced slightly and he rubbed the back of his neck. Sardonically, he said, "I sure don't envy the Captain."

"May I remind you that the captain wasn't on the planet," Petra said. "He didn't see the way the Proto-Tholian and the Tholians reacted to each other. He didn't see the data. We have to accept that this situation is different and go from there."

It was a good counter-argument. The data the Galileo away team recovered and their detailed scans of the proto-Tholian no doubt changed the perception of evolutionary life throughout the sector. But was their initial speculation credible?

"And what happens if we are wrong?" Mugaba quietly asked after a moment of thought. "Do we watch the planet be consumed by this creature? Allow it to reproduce?" He shook his head. "We cannot succumb to intellectual arrogance without fully knowing what we are dealing with."

"What happens if we are right and you later learn that you are responsible for the genocide of a new species? One that might help us understand the Tholians? There is no need to rush into a blind decision," Petra said. "We have time to learn more and then decide."

Staring into the middle distance, Lake softly echoed Petra's words, "There is no need to rush into a blind decision. We have time to learn more and then decide." --He was sounding them out slowly; testing how the words felt in his mouth. Then, he shook his head-- "Echoes of the late, great Romulan Senate, after the earliest eruptions of Hobus..."

Petra turned to Lake. "I hope not. But I don't think the sun is affected, just the planet. Or two planets, depending on what we find with the first away team." But she hoped the planets wouldn't suffer the same fate as Hobus.

[OFF]

--

LCDR Mugaba
Chief Medical Officer
USS Lagrange
[NPC Saalm]

Lieutenant Lake ir-Llantrisant
Chief Counselor
USS Galileo-A

Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Second and Chief Medical Officer
USSGalileo-A

Petra Varelli
Forensic Anthropologist
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Sandoval]

LuAnn Lovegood
Counselor
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Sandoval]

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