Snipping and Exploration

Posted on Wed Apr 7th, 2021 @ 9:01am by Lieutenant Darru

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: Caelestis
Timeline: Day 163 1300 Hours
1703 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Maddison was apprehensive about being aboard the Caelestis. Then again being aboard a ship that has an AI that is probably watching your every move and listening to your every word should make anyone apprehensive, she thought as she patrolled down the corridor with Lieutenant Darru. She glanced at the Vulcan, wondering how she ended up with him. She was beginning to believe it was fate as they ended up together when the Vrav boarded, then running into one another nearly daily aboard the ship, and now she was assigned to escort him while he explored the alien vessel. "So what are your thoughts on this ship?"

"It is unsettling." He admitted. Darru did not like how it smelled nor the fact he felt like he was always being watched. It was a struggle to maintain his composure when he felt like something was under his skin. "I do not like the fact we have someone constantly observing us and could pop up at any moment." He added as they moved into a corridor and the lights reacted to there presence by turning on.

"I agree," she said as they rounded the corner into another corridor.

Darru paused he had not noticed it before but it was a good approach to saving energy. "This might be a good thing to consider for the Atlantis?" He mused thinking it would certainly be something to save energy and conserve equipment.

"Good idea, but it would place more work on engineering," she commented. "Are you looking for anything specific?"

Darru was looking for many things but that day he was looking for just looking for the science labs. "I am just looking for science labs or something similar. I am hoping they have equipment that we can replenish our stocks with. We have consolidated what we have after the Vrav attack and the compartment being decompressed." They were not dwindling very much at the moment but the man wanted to future proof the department the best he could. If anyone could hear his thoughts they would be surprised by how he was constantly thinking about the future despite how long-lived he was.

"That makes sense," she commented as the walked down the corridor for several feet before coming to a door to their left. As she stepped towards it, the door opened automatically. "That never gets old," she commented as she entered, her hand resting on the grip of her phase pistol. Inside were a variety of consoles and screens. Several strange-looking tools could be seen laying on several tables--possibly workbenches?. "I wonder what this room is used for," she questioned as she entered further.

Darru nodded the sensors opening the doors without having to press a release were perfect. The technology was there for planets but it required a lot more thought and testing for ships. "It would increase productivity." He surmised his own phase pistol at his side. He was sure that no one was there, no signs had been given nor any smells hinted to anyone hiding from them. The ship was huge but it was not entirely possible to hide. "It looks like a multi-purpose room." He picked up a tool and rolled it around between his thumb and forefinger taking it in. "This looks almost scientific." He was not sure but it almost looked like a measuring gauge.

"Any idea on what it does?" Maddison asked as she looked around the room as she moved. Most of the tools were unrecognizable to her but then again Science was always a weak subject for her. She picked up one in her hand and looked it over before her thumb accidentally pressed a panel on the tool, igniting a flame of searing blue plasma on the other end, startling her and causing her to drop the tool onto the table. "Oops."

The Vulcan quickly turned the device off and turned to look at the woman looking her over for signed of burns or something. "Are you okay?" He demanded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied sheepishly, while wondering if she detected actual concern in his voice. "Looks like I found a cutting torch of some kind. Not sure what it would be used for in a science lab, however."

"I am pleased to hear you are fine Warrant Officer. It is most likely a multi-purpose lab which was currently being used for Engineering when the network was engaged." He finally surmised thinking it the most logical option. He turned back to look at the tools with his scanner. "The tools have been used but it was a long time ago."

"So should we keep looking?" she asked. "Or did you want to explore this lab some more?"

"No this space seems to not hold anything we need," Darru commented and led the way back out of the room and back into the corridor. He pulled out a pen and marked the door. Lexi might be a young one but she was smart when it comes to things like that. The corridors seemed endless to him but he followed them along until they got to the next door and stepped inside. He paused taking in the room, it was like the previous room but this time held a machine on the benches. "Well, this looks a lot more interesting." He mused holding his scanner up to get a better idea of what it was.

"What is it?" she asked as she followed him in. Her eyes scanned over the room before locking onto the machine and approached it. She felt out of place and vulnerable on this ship and she hated the feeling.

Darru scanned it again and again before looking at Maddison. The room was brightly lit but the machine looked menacing compared to it.

“I do not know, Warrant Officer but I am sure I will work it out.” He admitted trying to make heads or tails of what he was seeing. “If you came into this room without someone what would you think?” He asked her the hypothetical question as if she was a scientist.

"That I'd be an idiot to be on the ship alone while an unknown AI is operational?" she smirked. "But I would think that it would probably be a fabrication room maybe?"

The man nodded. He had come to the same hypothesis that this was somewhere they could bring machinery to duplicate more of. “Well then we can be thankful you are not alone but that was my theory. So this machine is something that was being fabricated and worked on.” It was one of the first signs of activity other than EDEN they had seen.

"But why just leave this machine here? Where are the crew? We've yet to see any signs of struggle. Nothing on this ship makes sense," Maddison questioned as she looked at the machine closer.

Darru inclined his head slightly to look at the woman as she asked very precise and appropriate questions. “Are you venting or do you wish for me to attempt to answer them?” He wondered thinking back to the conversation he had, had with Lexi. She had told him that humans sometimes just need to get everything off their minds in one big burst and did not want advice. Whilst other times they did want advice and assistance. It was a strange concept to a Vulcan but he was slowly trying to understand the humans more and more as he would be spending the rest of his life with them.

"How about both?" she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she did so. "Sorry. I just hate it when things don't make sense," she apologized. "Though I do have my own theories about the crew but I won't discuss them here."

Darru nodded understanding that some things did not make sense sometimes but there were way and means to talk through it. “Why not?” He wondered looking around nothing had activated on them unlike everyone else.

"Because there is an AI on this ship. We have no way of knowing if she is listening to us," Maddison replied as she picked up a nearby tool, being more careful on what she touched on the device. I take it you have theories?"

Darru conceded that it was a good rationale but he wanted to hear her theories and thoughts on it all. It interested him, to say the least. “I find it intriguing all of this. It is not something the Vulcan science council has ever seen or heard of.”

"Really? And here I thought you Vulcans have seen and done it all," Maddison chuckled.

"You know we have no out here seen and done it all. We keep going around and around in circles on this Warrant Officer. You judge me for being Vulcan and I act Vulcan back. It does not seem to change. Do you humans not say Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results?" He wondered turning as he saw something out the corner of his eye past the door.

"Well, you assuredly have no sense of humor. I was joking," she explained, still chuckling.

The man ignored the woman as he ran to the door. "Grab your weapon." He said running out the door not explaining as he followed what he thought he saw.

"Atlantis to Leutenient Darru. Another away team has reported someone wearing black." Lexi's voice came through communicator on an emergencies channel as he opened it to report what he thought he had seen.

"I thought this ship was cleared save for that AI," Maddison said as she followed after Darru with her phase pistol drawn.

Darru wanted to argue that the ship was just too big to be checked over by 70 or so people but the fact he wanted to catch up meant he needed to concentrate. He stopped as they hit a dead end and nothing was there. “Seems we are not alone after all.” He said softly.

"Looking around and seeing nowhere for someone to go to in the dead end--no access tunnels or anything. "Wanna bet our figure was none other than our so called gracious host?"