Star Trek: Starbase 777 - underground-lake

Icicles and stalactites alike dangled dangerously above. The frozen lake was surrounded by rocks of many shapes and sizes, and the whole place had been tinged a mysterious & mystical blue. “Stars” climbed the walls in their multitudes…hm.

1

"Did you get a bite yet?" The Vulcan/Trill peered over a Caitian's shoulder, watching the hole in the ice.

"If I did, don't you think you'd know that?" He swatted him back. "Watch your own hole." H'isll's ears perked up, head tilting slightly towards the sounds of footsteps. Huh?..

It’s everybody’s favorite guy, following behind Sai! Maxson is having a normal one. Young folks in danger was not great for him, and just…in general. It dawns on him as they reach the lake that the last time he’d spoken to the cadet was during the parasitic infection. He really needed to check up on her when they weren’t in the midst of threats against life and normalcy, “USS Eventide, call out.” (edited)

"These stars are freakin' everywhere," Ekhesai noted, not daring to reach out and touch the walls. But oh boy. She wanted to so bad.

"Eventide." The Caitian's eyes narrowed, his gaze turning down and back to his hole. "That's a good one. Something new, finally?"

Jidol followed closely behind the pair, phaser in hand. Although he wasn't quite on edge as he was in the cave, he still didn't trust the people here. Why would they be on this icy planet for so long, why hadn't they called for help sooner and why was there no record of this planet? So many things weren't adding up, which made their stay on this icy hell even worse.

"I'm relatively certain Cadet, that those are not stars. They do not typically move this fast." That was of course only one of many reasons. Evoras took a glance back in the direction they had come from, before moving to scan the walls in an attempt to figure out what these 'stars' were.

He gave Sai a look when she mentioned the stars, looking at them himself. Oh, this did not leave a good taste in his mouth. However, if Commander Lhai’lvek was going to give it a look, he’d handle the two at the lake, “Your friend, K’uvon, sent us your way. We received a distress signal,” He approached the lake, “We have a ship in orbit to beam you off-world.”

The Romulan peeked over the shoulders of his colleagues to see the two... locals? colonists? And deeming them no immediate danger, he decided to pull out his own tricorder and mimic what Evoras was doing - scanning the "stars", that is. The more information in case there were any differences or variations between the different lights, the better.

Ah. Clever. Clever indeed. Not stars. Lights. Artificial lights, at that. Mechanical.

4

"Where is it getting all these models, anyway?" Verza mumbled to his companion.

"Okay." H'isll put down his crudely fashioned fishing rod. "It's cute. Really cute. A bunch of Starfleet officers come to rescue us, huh? How many times have you run that already? Give me a break. Go bother the kid. Leave us alone. We can't eat if you keep getting in our way, y'know."

2

Evoras double checked the results she got before turning her head and raising an eyebrow at Saren in question. She wasn't quite certain if this was more or less unsettling than if they had been organic. Somehow she doubted that these lights had been made by the people they had just found.

"Artificial lights, sir..." he uttered to Evoras as he got closer to her, showing her his own readings to compare. In the meantime, he kept his ears open on the conversation - the Caitian's admittedly weird comment making him frown his eyebrows and take a quick glance back at him. Run what? Leave them alone? Have other Starfleet officers been here before?..

Ekhesai had picked up a rock. Neat! "Sorry, we're just trying to help. We got your signal, so, we're here to rescue you!.. Yay?"

Just as Jidol thought that it couldn't get any weirder it did. He wasn't sure if he had understood them correctly and was waiting for a reaction from the others. If this really was some kind of machine that played tricks on them, couldn't they be just as easily the victim of it, whatever it was. But he wasn't a science officers, so he just wondered whether he could shoot it, should it turn against them.

"You can leave. I said you can leave. Leave, or I swear to God I'll tear all your little toys to BITS, DO YOU HEAR ME?" And H'isll's claws were bared now, his eyes wide and on the ceiling, as if seeing something just out of view. "Haven't you done enough!?"

He didn’t have much of a response to what the Caitian said about Starfleet, thoroughly confused. There are a few puzzle pieces that fall into place when he overhears Saren mention artificial lights. He raised his head to the ‘stars’ lingering above them, behind them, all around them…he took a step back when H’isll begins to yell and holstered his phaser. His hands were raised in front of him, gently, “I assure you…we’re here to help.” (edited)

"Indeed... As little direct evidence as there is for anything specific at this point, these are beyond the level of technology we have seen from the people we are meant to be rescuing?" Her voice was lowered and she looked pointedly at the fishing rods the two people they had found here were using.

"H'isll!" Verza had to grab H'isll just to keep him from pouncing on the group, his claws scrabbling along his arms, but he didn't care. Vulcanoid strength to the rescue. "Come on, drop it, can - can't you just— pretend? Just for a minute. Maybe - maybe we can get out of here."

The Caitian writhed, but eventually went limp enough to be released. "Fine. You do this every time. You let your guard down and then it ends up getting you almost killed. Don't start crying if it happens again."

Verza winced. "I'm.. I'm sorry. It's been a long time. A lot of people have come to 'help'. To 'save us.' His smile was weak. Pathetic. "It was never real."

He opened his mouth to reply, but was forced to keep quiet as the exchange between the two found occurred, his fight response creeping up his spine and raising the hairs on the back of his neck-- but he deflated together with H'isll. But not fully. Because what he heard-- "I am inclined to agree with you, chief," he responded to Evoras, voice a tad hoarse and quiet. "You know, it reminds me of lab lights above a creature's enclosure..."

"We can assure you that we are real." Jidol said while trying to sound as honest as possible. The last thing he wanted was to be attacked by strangers for the wrong reasons. "Just start by explaining what happened to you?" The two of them seemed very mistrusting, He didn't know if his simple approach would work but something had to. Something must have happened to them down here, maybe it was the reason for the woman's death.

"What happened." It was quiet, mocking, almost. "What hasn't happened in ..fuck, how long has it been?"

"One hundred and thirteen years, seven months, fourteen days." Verza averted his gaze. "It.. it likes reminding us of the time."

2

"I don't know anything 'bout it. Mechanically. Zoro is better at that part, but God knows where she's wandered off to now," he chuckled dryly, tending once more to his fishing rod and the hole in the ice. "AZRAEL, they called it. The angel of death. That bucket of bolts has a nasty fucking temper." He spat. "Hates our guts. Keeps us alive, splits us apart and puts us back together, over, and over, and. Well. I guess you're stuck here with us now, aren't you." .. "Great. More mouths to feed." (edited)

She gave Saren a nod. If there was ever a time for 'having a bad feeling' about something she thought this must be it, especially once she heard how long they claimed they had been here. Perhaps they were mistaken. "Is that name not from some sort of story from Earth? I remember being told something about a cat and small blue people living in a forest."

5

6

He breathed out a sigh, a tired puff of breath from a Starfleet officer who has seen some shit and just realized he has stepped into a new hefty pile of more. "No idea what you mean sir, but... it's the name of the angel of death in some of the Earth's religions. Which - someone having such a moniker and also sporting a bad temper, is no good news for us, I think." The bucket comment was curious. Was this thing a robot? An android? "Where can this entity be found, if it can be found at all?" he asked the two, closing his tricorder with a soft click.

"Everywhere?" He gestured vaguely. "Look around. Its circuits are in the walls. Spreading like a fucking disease, infecting every single centimeter of the planet. It made a barrier to keep us in. We can't even see the sky anymore."

"I'm sure it'll be around soon," he mumbled, sounding miserable at the idea.

…oh, shit. Stars. Circuitry. They’re surrounded. Maxson gave a rather worried look toward the science team. Well, as worried as he was going to allow himself to look, “Well…I’d prefer for all of us to be out of here before that happens,” He returned his gaze to Verza and H’issl, “The Eventide is still in orbit.”

1

Well... that was decidedly more ominous than a cat. She forced herself not to shudder at the combination of the cold and the thought of not being able to see the sky. Looking back at the lights briefly she quickly dismissed the idea of trying to take one. That was likely not a prudent idea if they were part of this entity. "Who are they that called it Azrael?"

Ekhesai took now to examine the little pebble she'd picked up, spotting intricate circuitry running through it like veins. Ew! She dropped it. "Maybe it named itself. To be edgy, or something.."

H'isll shrugged. "Izoro helped make it, not me."

2

This situation was getting weirder and more dangerous by the minute. Not only did apparently keep them alive for like 100 years but you couldn't just shoot unless you wanted to blow up the planet. And now one of the five was the maker of this thing. Izoro better have a good explanation for what was going on here and how it could be stopped. "Do you know where Izoro is right now? I think we need to talk to him."

"Like I said, I don't have a clue where she is. She might be back by now, though?.."

"I think we should regroup. I don't like it down here," Ekhesai muttered. "If that thing knows that we're here, it could block us in or something. And cut off their access to the lake."

"I think you're right, we're stringer together, I don't want to be stuck in frozen over hell for 100 years." With that said, Jidol pulled his phaser and swiftly but carefully made his way back to the others.

"No kidding." Up the ~~tube~~ cave!

The scientist followed, casting one last vary glance at the lights above their heads.

“We’ll be back for the two of you. We won’t leave without your whole group,” Maxson nodded toward Verza and H’issl. Up and out.

"Like hell we're leaving you alone with them!" Upsies!

HEY WOAH WAIT WAIT FOR HIM—

She followed them back to the rest of their team.