Reuniting

Posted on Mon Jan 22nd, 2024 @ 4:04pm by Ensign Duncan McManus & Commander William Gerhard & Sergeant Eli McEntyre & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D. & Staff Sergeant Nathanial "Nate" Cusack

Mission: Contagion
Location: Luminari base
Timeline: 266 Late
Tags: i
2025 words - 4.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Duncan had so many questions as the group silently moved through the base, the atmosphere noticeably less tense than in previous moments. The Luminari at the front was silent as the guide led them in and out of corridors that were empty into ante chambers that he felt like should be filled with Luminari. It was almost hauntingly void of their expected occupants but the Engineer did not speak that though the whole vibe of the place was telling him they were missing something big.

Unable to contain the questions gnawing at him, Duncan decided to shatter the silence. "Very quiet, isn't it," he remarked, breaking the stillness that clung to the air as they all piled into a lift. It had been killing him that no one else was taking the chance to speak though he suspected that the group were all intent on scanners where he had just to use his eyes.

"The Luminari are always silent we do not create sound," The Luminari finally spoke up unveiling a piece of information that only fueled Duncan's curiosity further.

Avira wasn't used to a leading role in the field, that was not to say she had a particularly submissive personality. She was just usually there for aid and support. So the fact that this Luminari was leading them down the corridor suited her just fine. She had continued to take readings on the medical scanner but it wasn't giving her much. She would have to take a moment and sit down with the Luminari to properly calibrate it if they wanted to make any headway into addressing their medical concerns. "How many of you are stationed here on this outpost?" The Andorian doctor asked, having similar unspoken concerns as Duncan.

The Luminari glanced back at the blue member of the strange team. They were calming down and making the silence less thick but there was still a lot of mistrust.

“We are not stationed here. This is our… home. We have lived here for generations since we left our planet.” They explained. The revelation hinted at a unique aspect of the Luminari, prompting Duncan to consider the intricacies of their culture and practices. As the lift continued its ascent, Duncan pondered the significance of the fact that they had not answered the question more than to correct the doctor’s use of station.

“But how many live here?” Duncan ventured as the lift door opened and revealed Cusack, Darru and Gerhard waiting for them in what could only be described as a control room. It reminded Duncan of Earth Starfleet Command but he did not say anything else.

“I do not know if our usage of mathematics is the same as yours.” The Luminari answered looking around at the mid matches group. “What about you all? You are not the same?”

"Bullshit." Having caught the last remark on their approach, Cusack's rebuttal was under his breath but earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs nevertheless from the brunette keeping step with him. For a reputedly quiet race, the Luminari's voices had a way of traveling that was somewhat unnerving and, whilst everyone else seemed determined to find them fascinating, the marine couldn't ignore the niggling desire to antagonise them into dropping the act. Glancing sideways at Diaz, the medic glanced ahead to make sure his outburst hadn't earned any further disapproval and then pushed his luck. "What, they expect us to believe they can't count now?"

"The universe doesn't always exist by the laws according to Nate Cusack, you know." Calanthe tried to keep her voice low, which only made the frustration stand out more.

"But it does exist by laws."

"You do realise even humans invented their number systems, right?"

The challenge was met by sullen silence.

William turned as he heard the sound of a nearby doorway opening. He saw the rest of the group being escorted in by another Luminari, and he relaxed ever so slightly. He made his way over to the group and surveyed the group taking a head count. Seeing that they were all back together, he nodded slightly towards the Luminari. "I see you've also met our hosts," he said before stepping back to allow them to come into the room more fully. Once they had entered, William signaled for Sergeant McEntyre to join him. "Sergeant McEntyre, space your team out, but keep them closer to the group. Weapons down but ready just incase the Luminari turn hostile," he said in a low voice. He then stepped away as the MACO set about placing his team.

"Aye, Sir!" Eli nods as he motions for his team of MACOs. "Deploy perimeter pattern Baker-3, 3 meter spacing, Weapons Yellow" His team nods and deployed in the specified pattern while Eli took up a position near to Commander Gerhard.

"Our hosts seem...friendly...enough, sir." Eli commented when he got back to Gerhard. His rifle was back close to his chest.

Veelar watched the more armed men approach interested. They had nothing similar allowing the base to protect them but even it could not protect them from within.

"Dr. Avira, Can you step over here a minute," he asked as he signaled her to join Darru and himself. Once the three of them were together, William lowered his voice again, "We have a bit of a problem, doctor." He then looked to Darru for the Vulcan to fill her in.

Darru looked at Avira slightly relieved that the commander was allowing him to reveal what was going on. The Luminari seemed to be only telling them half the story which was not helpful when they needed all the information to assist. “The reason the base is empty, lieutenant, is because there is a sickness onboard that had killed most of them off.” Darru admitted glancing around to the group. He scanned them all in turn but no one’s readings looked out of the normal for what he would expect from humans and andorians.

Avira frowned and saw the scans come in that Darru was making. alien pathogens were terrible news for a crew like theirs. They were cut off from help and if worse came to worst there was nobody to replenish their crew. "We knew there was a medical emergency, one would've hoped that they'd be more careful if it concerned a widespread pathogen. Had we known we'd wear hazmat suits." She looked over at the other Luminari that had gathered in the command hub, "Also the fact that they're not up front about this is worrying." Her antennae curled and twitched, she was far from comfortable in this situation.

“But we need to get contact with ship to get access to better scanners.” Darru said louder as a Luminari started to walk in their direction.

"Almost as if asking for help came with the caveat of actually allowing a response team access to the tools to do it."

This time, Nate blatantly refused to meet black, blazing eyes.

“Give it a rest, Cusack.” Duncan muttered as he wandered by and looked at Calanthe.

“He is allowed an opinion.” The Luminari who had guided them to the administrative area commented on looking the MACO up and down before glowing pink and disappearing back the way they had come.

“Made a friend there, Cusack. I think we can assume pink means some type of attraction.” Duncan commented trying to not laugh as Axou came over to the group.

"What can I say," Nate retorted, locked in a failed attempt to stare down the alien. "Ladies love a little push-back."

McManus snorted but said nothing. He was not going there with the man when he was seemed so snarky that day.

“I have been asked to assist with your communication devices to contact your ship.” She explained holding up several strange devices. Veelar looked on saying nothing but watched the only group that had heard their cry for help.

Calanthe, who had held her tongue so far out of sheer stubborn refusal to give in to her frustration with a certain marine, stepped forward to remove herself from the hole he was slowly digging himself and greeted the new arrival. "That's good news, our people will be wondering."

Axou bowed her head and nodded trying to look smaller than her height afforded her. She glanced at the engineer and marine but did not say anything as she held out her hand for the communicator that Calanthe had. “I will need to modify your machines.”

"Of course," Calanthe agreed, ignoring the audible scoff from far back and attempting to cover for it by brightening her own smile. "Let me know if I can be of any assistance."

Axou nodded. She was not sure that she would need the assistance but the gesture was nice of a species that she did not know. They were a strange species not colourful but they seemed to be helpful.

Darru watched what he hoped was contact with the ship would be established but he had bigger needs like finding out as much information as possible about the sickness. Veelar looked at the officer that seemed in charge thoughtfully trying to work out what they had been discussing before he had interrupted.

“Can we see any of your sick?” Darru wondered making the Luminari almost splutter through colours. Why would they want to see that?

William noted the quick succession of colors that flashed over their host's...faces...at Darru's request. He looked over to Avira with a questioning look. "Hold on, should we be exposing ourselves further to whatever this is? Perhaps we can wait until we can contact the ship for instructions, or biohazard gear," William said before looking back to Darru.

"If it's an airborne pathogen that hasn't been filtered out by life support systems it might not help suiting up now." That wasn't to say Avira felt comfortable to walking into a medical bay filled with sick people with a severe enough illness that it decimated the inhabitants on the station.

Veelar finally nodded as the pressure was piled on. No one else could make the decision apart from him. “I will show anyone willing.”

“You need to tell the others sir what we’ve walked into sir.” Darru said in a low tone.

Avira nodded at that, "they were able to send out the emergency help request, we should be able to contact the ship, right? In the meantime I'll double back to the shuttle, with an escort, can get one of the hazmat suits from the medical supplies in there." She knew there were a couple they had added to the medical supplies during prep.

William nodded in response before he looked to Veelar. "How soon can we contact our ship," he asked.

Darru frowned. He meant the others with them and not the crew back on the ship but it seemed like everyone outside of the commander, doctor and himself would be finding out at the same time.

”As soon as Axou had completed what she needs to make us compatible.” Veelar responded returning to his more muted tones of colour. Technology was not his strongest area which was why he had engineers like Axou.

William nodded and stood next to Cal as she activated the communicator. "Gerhard to Atlantis, are you receiving us," William said into the communicator. There was slight static on the line before Cal input commands to boost the gain before he heard the captain's voice come through the static.

“Commander you are reaching us.” The voice of Leroux filled the air. Her voice though far aware was filled with relief after hours of not hearing anything from them.

"We had trouble getting a signal out of the station," William said in response before he glanced up to look around at all the Luminari in the room. "Captain, we have a bit of a situation over here," he said before he made eye contact with Avira across the way.

Well wasn’t that great? Thought Beth to herself already feeling like there was going to be very little sleep coming up.