ISR -- Lotus
DATE: 05.02.2020
[Background:]
A ship called the Lotus was caught in a space anomaly caused by a thermal explosion. They are now far away from home and trying to make their way to familiar space.
The anomaly that pulled their ship also pulled Cervius, an Earther, out of his time and into another dimension where the Lotus is.
[RECAP:]
Conrad's recap
[TIMELINE:]
Back on the ship, which is still in orbit around the planet in the same system, there are no communications from the planet. A Matrix cruiser is orbiting the planet from above.
Juliane is in the medbay with Osius and Nyx. Cervius is called into the armory. Osius is more lucid now, but he is still enclosed by a shield (Aside: due to a previous assassination attempt of the captain).
Usi goes to visit Osius and questions him on his health. They are desirous to leave the Matrix system. Usi explains how his genetic code is changing. Osius asked if the shield will be removed. Usi explains that he might be moved elsewhere after he recovers but says he probably will be escorted because his previous actions. Osius confesses that he has seen the error of his ways, and Usi says that he might be able to regain the trust of the crew. Osius thanks Usi for speaking to him.
Cervius goes to the armory. He finds Belial with new armor and asks what is the cause of the upgrade. Belial says he is going to modify Cervius' armor. He says it will be done within the hour. Cervius scans for any strange signatures. Talo is working on Nyx, and he notices that her life signs are fluctuating. Julianne is aware of the situation with Nyx. Julianne needs a telepath.
Valmara is hailed. Valmara is requested to examine Nyx's mental state. Cervius sees Valmara collapse on the ground as she connects to Nyx's mind. Julianne calls Zeynerx to come down. Zeynerx comes into the medical bay.
He sees the Prakumm on the ground and asks what happened. Julianne asks Zeynerx to interact with Nyx ("that" is how she refers to Nyx). Zeynerx gingerly tries to enter Nyx's mind and reaches out. He is much more successful in reaching Nyx's mind. Zeynerx sees that her mind is degrading and that her mental structure is built deeper.
Valmara's mind is still connected to Nyx's, and her brain activity is directed toward Nyx. Nyx herself appears to be deeper into her own mental structure. Zeynerx tries to contact Nyx but nothing happens (i.e. there is no response from her). Zeynerx tries to interact with Nyx's mental structure and finds it is like a memory. He pokes at the memory and gets enveloped into it. Zeynerx finds himself in the memory, and he looks like a wisp of light, hovering around a living room. Valmara is physically there. The table in the center of the room is made of metal, and there are shelves with medical utensils.
Valmara goes to open the door, and she senses that she is not prepared for it. She pulls back from it and senses nothing on the other side. She opens the door again, and the door disappears. She finds a long hallway with mechanical arms and organic structures that are moving along the room. There are tons of them. Zeynerx goes in.
Belial and Septum are hailed by Julianne to go into the medical bay. They see Zeynerx standing still, and Valmara is like a puddle on the floor. Talos picks her up and puts her on a bed. Julianne tells them the situation. Zeynerx is asked to come back by Julianne. He does so because he senses that he can leave. Belial offers his assistance. (He also tells Cervius that his armor is complete. Cervius asks how long it will be to equip. Belial gives a temp pass code to Cervius so that he can use his interface to put on the armor.)
Julianne asks them all to tether to Zeynerx and enter Nyx's mind to find the cause of Nyx's problem. Belial asks how Nyx's ability is. Zeynerx brings Usi and Cervius with him. Belial is going with himself and Septum. They all link to Nyx who is starting to squirm while lying on the medical bed. They all either lay on the floor, braced themselves, etc. in case they end up like Valmara.
The telepaths (Zeynerx and Belial) enter Nyx's mind bringing with them their tethered companions. They are pulled into Nyx's mind and appear in the table room. Julianne sees their bodies all slump around her as their minds go into Nyx's.
They all view each other and the room. Zeynerx recognizes the people, but they look faded, almost washed out. Cervius sees them as well but faded. The structure is like dream with faded details. Usi sees everyone wearing lab coats, including Belial. The names are on the tags along with pieces of equipment. On the right of the lab coat there is an insignia of a DNA sequence formed into the shape of a lab coat. Valmara doesn't recognize things. It is all faded, unless she focuses on something. Then she can kinda see it, if she does.
Septum sees the lab coats as well (* the lab coats are seen by each individual when they look at themselves) and sees the structure of the building. At the end of the hallway, he sees three doors. Belial sees everything. He sees the lab coats (no armor on him), and he sees the faded doorways. He sees the same key symbol on the doorways. He tries to remember the logo. He tries to pick up a data pad and sees it as blank. He tries to sift through it, but there is nothing on it. He looks at the DNA, and it shrinks and expands.
Each check their pockets and find tools and key cards with their names and the designation of "Lead Scientist".
Valmara checks her card for a last name. She sees a blur over the last name (*she has disappointment). Each person who is tethered sees a glowing string attaching them to their tether.
Belial goes to the faded door and tries the key card and the door opens. Belial goes through it. There are a lot of shadows and mist in the room. Septum suggests that the room will not be useful. Zeynerx is asked to search the room since he is the most powerful. Zeynerx doesn't see much of a difference.
Belial goes to the door that is more solid than the rest. There are two large tubes in it. There is a skeletal structure in one. In the other, there is a wrapped material. Both are same height and same shape, feminine in structure. There is the same logo on the tubes' exteriors. On the table nearby, there are papers. They can only see parts of the papers or nothing all. There is the name of Niobyx Laboratories as a header on one. Valmara touches the tubes and senses a shell. Usi wants to examine the bodies in the tubes closer. Belial suggests that they are clones.
They decide to continue on. Belial perceives that he sees the lights flicker.ing There is a dark shape in the middle of the room, and the lights come back on. The tanks are now empty, and there is water everywhere.
Cervius tries to mentally give himself powers, and he is unsuccessful. He arms himself with a scalpel.
Usi tries to summon his Kopesh, and it forms in his hand. Septum has his 8ft sword. Valmara tries, but her power appears and dissipates like a mist into the environment. Belial gets his entire armor. Valmara tries to summon a spear and shield. They disppear in Nyx's mind. Back in the med bay, Julianne sees a sword and shield form and disappear. It startles her.
Zeynerx goes to the room at the very end. Cervius is dragged after him because of the tether. Belial checks the other rooms. There is nothing much in them. They are similar to the faded doorway from earlier.
The other door has no handles. Belial tells Septum to be prepared. Belial slams the door, but it resists him. Valmara tries to slide it open, but her hands slide over it. She tries to sense past it and senses nothing. Cervius doesn't see any leverage points on the door. Belial senses for anything inside. He senses an entity behind it.
Belial tries to contact it. The door opens. They see a man in some shape and he walks out wearing a lab coat. He is a Radrian with a tablet in his hands that he is looking through. He begins walking around, examining. He seems to be talking and ignores everyone around him.
He takes up something and says as if to someone they cannot see: "We are still working on it. We are in the very early stages of our project."
Belial senses another door. There is nothing behind it. He decides to go back to the end, toward the last door. He goes to the left. It slides open as they approach. Inside of the door, there are more test tubes. There are bodies in them but they are deformed. They are shapes of the original, but they are very deformed. There are six tubes. There is a holographic stamp that says "Defective" on it.
They head to the other door at the very end where Zeynerx has been waiting. The door slides open. The ceiling is insanely tall, stretching up beyond their reach. There are hundreds of rows of test tubes that fill the room. There are no stamps on these tubes. Septum sees the tubes have a frosted glass look and inside there are full bodies. They appeared to be a successful batch unlike the ones in the previous room. The rest see the room similarly. Belial sees the same but hears a voice echoing over the chamber. It is the same voice of the doctor whom they heard before.
There are two empty tubes. One is labeled: "095" and the other is "096." The tubes are empty of water. The total number of tubes in the room are uncountable (~ 10,000 tubes). Belial sees that they are Nyx's bodies.
They begin to question why only two are activated, why the bodies appear to be Nyx, what activated her killing spree earlier, and what the purpose of it was. "094", "093", "092" all shatter. Belial, Usi, and Septum see the scientist rush over to one of Nyx's "cloned" bodies. He looks damaged and looks shocked at what she is seeing. The Scientist grabs the body and drags it back to tube "095". She is put back into it and reconnected. The shadow in "096" kinda follows the same thing.
The scientist then runs back and yells, "They're not meant for this! Don't do this!" There is blood and wounds appear on him. He falls. Shadows enter the room, and one solidifies. He sees Usi and raises his weapon.
The Shadow ends up slamming Usi to the ground. Usi grabs the hand of the Shadow that holds the gun. He moves out of the way. Zeynerx gets damage to his mind. The more the Shadow was attacked, the more he has faded. (The scientist is still on the ground.) Cervius goes over the scientist and finds he is dead. He uses the body as a shield.
Valmara decides to build a cage around him which he breaks. She ends up throwing a bunch of spikes at him.
Septum decides to not fight. Zeynerx tries to bend their wills. The Shadow disappears.
On the data pad, the next log of the scientist says that his employers see them as tools.
Belial heals part of Nyx's mind because their conflict with the shadows appeared to have damaged it.
A shadow appears. Zeynerx projects "happy thoughts" toward it. The Shadow laughs
and disappears. It reappears, and a door forms. They approach and the door, and it opens partly. Valmara opens the door further. There are more desks in this room. The Shadow appears here. There is a broken Nyx in a corner, curled up in the fetal position.
Nyx wakes up a bit in her mind. She looks up, and her expression seems like she wants to connect. Belial heals her a bit. She sends him an image of the rehabilitation room. He understands. Belial picks up Nyx and carries her. He carries her toward the stairs.
Zeynerx takes nerve damage. He disappears from the mind of Nyx, and both of his tethered companions are back with him again in the med room. Zeynerx is weak. The other two wake up each with a raging headache.
Usi is writhing on the ground. Osius is writhing also. Cervius puts him into a chair for Talos to care for.
Back in Nyx's mind, there is a laugh again. The shadow solidifies. She is wearing the suit.
Belial rams through the shadow, and it slams against the wall and reforms in front of Belial. They get into the room. There is a tube that lowers into it. The liquid inside is still there. Belial puts Nyx into the tube, gently. Her body aligns with the shadow. The tube closes and shoots upward. Vision begins to fade and Shadow Nyx is seen.
Everyone wakes back up in the med bay.
Upon arrival in the med bay, Belial dumps his memories into Juliane's mind. She is a bit overwhelmed by overflow of knowledge. Nyx moves around a bit on the stretcher and raises her head. Talos checks her vitals which are leveling out.
There is a presence and pressure on Zeynerx's mind. It thanks him.
Juliane says that Nyx should not be left alone.
END OF TRANSCRIPT:
Notes:
Who is who:
Belial - Conrad
Julian - Cole
Usi - Torin
Nyx - Josiah D.
Cervius - Josiah R.
Valmara - Courtney
Zeynerx - Peter