Episode 12: Finding Common Ground amidst Chaos
“Captain’s Log Stardate 32120704.1230. We’re in orbit around a planet called Lamina, homeworld of the three passengers we took on during yesterday’s...eventful survey mission. After opening a dialogue. I’ve invited a delegation onboard so that we may establish diplomatic relations, and so that we may verify the three guests’ story.”
In orbit around Lamina, one of several interstellar vessels around the green M-class world, Captain Maxima, Commander Sela, and Chief Security officer Lt Cmdr Yamik were in dress uniform, standing in the shuttle bay awaiting the arrival of the delegation from Lamina. Yamik glanced around, raising an eyebrow. “Wasn’t JWO CyberSpark supposed to be here as well?” He asked.
“She’s on her way.” Proxima responded.
“Baker has repaired her emitter so she wanted Harmony to stop by Engineering first.” Sela explained.
Meanwhile, in Engineering, Harmony projected her body from her repaired Emitter, the device disappearing under her bow. Holding the Emitter was Chief Baker, who smiled. “There we go. How does that feel Harmony?” She asked.
“It feels good. Thanks again for repairing it Cmdr.” Harmony responded with a smile.
“All in a day’s work Harmony. Try not to damage it so fast this time.” Baker responded in a jesting manner.
Harmony couldn’t help but chuckle. “No promises Cmdr, now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m needed in the shuttle bay.” She said before she walked out of Engineering. Leaving Baker to chuckle as she moved onto her next task.
As Harmony walked through the corridors towards the shuttlebay, she called up her combadge HUD to perform her duties as communications officer, the post she was put in so that she wasn’t idling around waiting for her next department shadow assignment. The job involved sifting through all the mail that came through the relay network for crewmembers, whether they were personal letters from home, monthly subscription newsletters, or the like. “Alright, let’s see...Ensign Gehto has a letter from home...Lieutenant Piver has her monthly subscription to the Ships of the Line Magazine...But not seeing anything from The T’Palas.” She idly said to herself. One particular duty that had been placed great enthuses on was that Harmony was to put all mail coming from the T’Palas into an ever increasing case file alongside any Mind Melds Sela received from them before alerting Sela to her mail’s arrival. It was a task Harmony took on gladly. ‘I don’t even know them all that well and I absolutely hate them with a seething passion.’ She thought to herself. Little by little, Sela and Proxima had been telling her about some of the despicable antics Sela’s parents had engaged in throughout their lives, and Harmony would gladly admit that hearing such things made her want to use the Spore Bridge Generator to go back to the Federation, find Sela’s parents, and alpha strike them from orbit using the Equestria’s firepower. Something, as she found out, Proxima had thoughts about doing as well, since it turned out that Proxima had a program on the Holodeck in which she used the T’Palas as target practice whenever she needed to blow off some steam.
With all of that in mind, she found it strange that after the whole incident last week, and the prior incident in the Aurora Nebula, they had heard nothing from the T’Palas, especially after they made it sound like they were going to be a constant annoyance. “Hmm…either they’re planning something, or—“ Harmony was brought out of her thoughts as she passed an open door into a room and she heard singing coming from within. She paused and looked into it to see a few officers working, and singing. “Hm…strange.” She said as she continued on. As she continued her journey, she heard other officers singing while working as well, which only further confused Harmony, since this was the first time she was seeing the crew acting like this. “What the hell is up with everyone today?” She asked out loud.
“What was that Harmony?” Harmony heard a familiar voice, before she saw her friend Obelisk come up beside her.
“Oh, hey Obelisk.” Harmony greeted. “Do you know what's going on with the crew today? They’re singing while working.” She asked.
“Oh, that? They’re probably just getting their groove on for Karaoke night tonight.” Obelisk responded.
“Karaoke night?” Harmony asked, not familiar with the term.
“Yeah.” Obelisk responded. “It’s where people get together somewhere and sing their favorite songs.” He explained. “It’s a lot of fun.”
“Interesting.” Harmony responded. “Is there like a signup form that needs to be filled?” She asked.
“As far as I know, no sign up required. Just get up on stage, request a song, and sing. Although.” Obelisk added. “It’s generally good practice to take turns.” He said.
Harmony nodded, finding Karaoke night an interesting term. “And where might tonight’s event be?” She asked.
“Mess hall. 1900hrs.” Obelisk responded. “I think you’d like it.”
“I’ll try to be there.” Harmony responded.
(Start to about 1:24)
Space: The final frontier. This is the story of the USS Equestria. A ship fresh out of construction, with a crew fresh from the Academy. Together they will embark on a mission of discovery, and evolution. They will explore a strange new frontier, seek out new life and a new civilization, and boldly go farther than anyone has ever gone.
In the shuttlebay, a shuttle with a very avian design appeared from below and straightened out to make its final approach into the bay as Harmony entered. She galloped up next to Proxima and stood at attention. “I’m here, sorry for the delay, apparently tonight’s Karaoke night.” She said.
The three officers next to her glanced at her. “Pardon?” Sela asked.
“On the way I heard officers singing. Lt. Obelisk told me they were getting in the mood for Karaoke night tonight.” Harmony explained.
“Oh that’s right. I nearly forgot.” Yamik responded. “I am so looking forward to it.” He said. “Thinking of singing Harmony?” He asked.
“Not sure. For one I have no idea if I even CAN sing sir.” Harmony replied.
“We can continue this later. Everyone pipe down.” Proxima told them as the shuttle landed.
As she watched the alien shuttle land, Harmony felt a stint of nervousness running through her spine. While she had expected that they would make first contact with someone out here, she personally never expected that she would be a part of the welcoming party right off the bat. Then again, she never thought she’d be the one to make first contact at all, but yesterday still happened, for better or worse.
The shuttle landed, and the craft’s doors opened to reveal...A trio of anthropomorphic horse-like aliens. ‘What are the odds.’ Was the thought of both Proxima and Harmony, the latter having chosen to be a horse like being for her avatar. While Sela and Yamik just gave each other a glance. As her attention was turning back to the delegates, Sela heard familiar voices that she loathed with a passion.
“Hello there Sela, it is your parents.” Her father said.
“It is time for another test.” Her mother told her.
Sela outwardly kept her composure and made it seem like nothing was wrong, but her heart rate increased as she braced herself to see something extremely horrible. ‘It is not real, it is not real, it is not real.’ She continually told herself as the Delegates reached them.
Proxima, none the wiser that Sela had been caught in a Mind Meld, smiled as she stepped forward. “Welcome to the USS Equestria. I am Captain Proxima Maxima. We are honored to have you aboard today.” She greeted the Delegates.
The lead Delegate smiled and bowed to Proxima. “You in turn honor us Captain Maxima. It is exciting to meet inhabitants of our parent galaxy. I am Ambassador Sable. And these are my aides.” Ambassador Sable gestured to his two companions. “Yuris and Farmick.” He introduced himself and his aides, his aides bowing to them as they were introduced.
“A real pleasure to meet you. With me I have a few of my officers.” Proxima responded as she gestured to them. “Junior Warrant Officer in Training Harmony CyberSpark, my Chief of Security Lieutenant Commander Yamik Pado, and my First Officer, Commander Sela.” Proxima introduced.
Sela, meanwhile, was struggling now to maintain her posture. She continued to hear her parents.
“We can see the anger in you. To get rid of it, you must take it out on something, kill the Ambassador.” Her father ordered.
Much to Sela’s surprise, her right hand moved slowly to where her phaser should be, without her brain actually telling it to do so. She attempted to keep the hand still, but it was not listening. Not knowing what else to do, Sela grabbed the hand with her other hand to keep it still. ‘What the hell is going on?!’ She thought.
“You are doing as you are told. Good. Kill them, and your anger will be gone.” Her mother ordered.
Instead of doing that, Sela resisted what she realized was some form of brainwashing. “Ahem, Captain.” She spoke up.
Proxima had just turned to Sela, and saw what she was doing. “Is there something--” Proxima started before Sela simply showed her the Neural Monitor she was wearing, which was lighting up like crazy. It was then that Proxima realized what was going on. “I see.” Proxima responded before tapping her combadge and transporting Sela to the brig, as the commander had requested. “Cmdr Yamik, please attend to Commander Sela.” She ordered.
Yamik saw the whole thing and nodded before excusing himself and walking out of the shuttlebay. A quick nod from Proxima sent Harmony away as well. With that done, Proxima returned her attention to the Delegates. “Ahem, please excuse my officers’ rapid departure Ambassador.” She said.
“Is everything alright? Did we arrive at an inconvenient time?” Ambassador Sable asked, concern clear on his face.
“It is nothing that invites concern, Ambassador.” Proxima responded. “It is merely something inconsequential that happens periodically.” She explained. ‘I am going to outright kill the T’Palas at this rate.’ She thought to herself. She cleared her throat. “So, would you like a tour of our vessel?” She asked.
Meanwhile, in the corridors, while Yamik went to the brig, Harmony caught up with Yamik. “Sela’s parents have possibly the WORST timing ever.” She commented.
“You’re watching for a communique from them through our relay network I trust?” Yamik asked her.
“Of course.” Harmony responded as she tapped her combadge. “CyberSpark to Boimler, you’re needed in the brig.” She called the doc.
“The brig?” Phlox asked in response.
“Yes Doc, Commander Sela’s parents decided to continue with their antics.” Yamik responded.
There was silence, before they heard Boimler respond. “On my way.” He said.
As the connection cut, Yamik shook his head. “If this is going to be a regular occurance every time we make first contact, I think we may have to just confine Sela to the brig as a default.” He mused.
“That’s a little extreme don’t you think?” Harmony asked.
“You heard her Harmony.” Yamik responded. “The brig is the place where she can do the least amount of damage to this ship, and its occupants.” He explained. “And she was reaching for where her phaser would be, My guess is that the Delegates were supposed to be the targets. Those crooks were doing something to her. I know it.” He said.
Harmony listened to what Yamik was saying, and it made sense. “I just hope the Captain could explain our disappearance away.” She said.
In the brig, Sela was panting as she sat on the bench in the cell she had been transported to. And almost immediately, she felt her hand stop trying to move on its own, and she stopped hearing her parents’ voices. “What happened?” She asked herself. She looked at her right hand, trying to make sense of everything.
Not long after she stopped hearing her parents, she saw Boimler enter the brig area with Yamik and Harmony. Yamik immediately pointed his phaser pistol at her, set to stun, as a precaution. “Alright Commander Sela, what’s going on?” He asked.
“I began hearing my parents’ voices just before the delegates arrived.” Sela responded. “They were ordering me to kill the delegates to make my anger go away, and most curiously, my hand was acting of its own accord. Reaching for where my phaser would be had I been carrying one.” She explained.
“And did you have thoughts of killing the delegates of your own volition?” Boimler asked.
“Is that question necessary?” Yamik asked. “We know who the whacks are, and she’s not one of them.
“It’s just a standard psychological question.” Boimler said. “Just in case.”
“No, I do not have any thoughts of killing our guests.” Sela responded.
“Alright.” Boimler responded. “And what happened after you were beamed to the brig?” He asked.
“I stopped hearing my parents and I regained control of my hand.” Sela replied. “It is almost as if the transport interrupted the Mind Meld.” She theorized.
Boimler nodded as he reviewed the Neural feed from the monitor, enabling everyone to hear what Sela’s parents said to her, Boimler in particular noticed something strange. “Now this is both curious, and concerning.” He said.
“What is it doc?” Yamik asked.
“Sela’s brainwave activity is at its usual high when a mind meld occurs, but it is slightly more noisy than usual.” Boimler explained.
“Meaning?” Harmony asked.
“Brainwave activity is the sum of all activity going on in a brain, from sending electrical signals to limbs for movement to thoughts that one is having.” Boimler explained. “And there exists a tiny part of the brain dedicated to subconscious actions. Which is amplified when someone is being manipulated through the process of brainwashing, or other forms of mind control.” He said.
“Brainwashing?” Yamik and Harmony asked in unison.
“Indeed. Based on what I see here and what Commander Sela said, her parents targeted that specific area of the brain this time.” Boimler said.
Yamik and Harmony both shared looks with Sela, all of them were thinking the same thing. “I’m gonna get the captain.” Yamik said as he left.
Nearly as soon as he did, Harmony herself received a notification of mail coming through the relay network, this particular notification she set up to alert her of any mail from the T’Palas. “There’s mail coming from the T’Palas.” She reported as she pulled up her combadge hud and saw the letter, immediately making a copy of it for record keeping. “Permission to see what they sent Commander?” She asked Sela.
“Granted.” Sela responded, having a feeling of what was in the letter.
Harmony nodded and opened the letter, letting the three of them see the contents.
Elsewhere on the ship, Proxima was leading the Delegates towards the mess hall after having shown them the Holodecks, the science lab, and the medical bay. Ambassador Sable and his aides had wonder in their eyes with each location they visited. “This is truly an engineering marvel you command Captain.” Sable told her.
“Especially the Holodecks, can they really simulate anything imaginable?” Yuris asked.
“Correct.” Proxima responded. “It is a very useful and important tool for us.” She said.
“Astounding.” Farmick said. “Our own Environmental Simulators can only simulate basic environments.” He said.
Proxima was about to respond to that, before they heard someone call out to the captain. “Captain Maxima!” Called out Lt Cmdr Yamik.
Proxima heard him call out and looked behind them to see the chief of Security approach. “Cmdr Yamik?” She asked.
“Apologies for the interruption Captain, but something came up that needs your attention.” Yamik responded, leaning in close to whisper. “Sela might be more severely compromised than we realized.” He whispered into her ear.
Proxima raised an eyebrow at that, but she knew full well that Sela’s situation needed to be taken seriously and be addressed as soon as possible. She cleared her throat as she addressed Sable and his aides. “My sincerest apologies, but I must go tend to something urgent, I leave you in the very capable hands of Lt Cmdr Yamik.” She told them before insta transporting out.
After she left, Sable couldn’t help but ask. “Is there something going on?” He asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” Yamik responded, inwardly cursing Sela’s parents for making this first contact even more difficult. “Ahem, so, might I ask where the captain was taking you?” He asked.
“The Mess Hall, where she was going to treat us to a nice lunch native to your homeland.” Yuris responded.
“Right this way then.” Yamik responded as he led the Delegates forward.
In the brig, Proxima appeared out of thin air in the middle of the brig, where she saw Sela in a cell and Boimler and Harmony with their Combadge huds up. “Sela I swear to god the only thing keeping me from ordering a Space Bridge back to the Federation to alpha strike your parents from orbit is the fact we don’t know where they are.” She said.
“I do not believe anyone would blame you, Captain.” Sela responded. “My sincerest apologies for this.” She added.
“Apologize for your parents’ actions again and I’ll demote you. They are the ones that need to apologize, not you.” Proxima responded. It was clear that she was frustrated. “Alright so what’s the deal? Yamik said something about Sela being more compromised than we realized?” She asked.
“Long story short Captain.” Boimler responded as he played back the latest Mind Meld. “Sela’s parents targeted the subconscious this time and tried to use it to force Sela to murder the Delegation. In effect making her brainwashed.” He reported.
“You’re kidding.” Proxima replied in disbelief.
“We are not Captain.” Harmony responded. “And they sent a video message a few minutes ago.” She added as she played back that message. The faces of the T’Palas appeared on the HUD.
“Whatever it is you just did Sela, You will NOT do that again.” Her father said.
“We intend to rid you of your emotions, and you will comply.” Her mother said before they both vanished.
After the message, there was silence, Proxima struggling to formulate a response to the T’Palas Insanity.
Boimler was quicker to come up with something. “Any word from Ambassador Starscout in regards to a magical block?” He asked Proxima.
“I’m gonna contact her as soon as possible to ask.” Proxima responded. Recognizing the ever increasing urgency. “Based on this latest incident, that might be the only hope we have to protect the ship and its occupants from those psychopaths.” She said.
“And in a similar vein, I believe it would be best if I remained in the brig until the delegates are off the ship.” Sela replied. “We cannot risk them being caught in the crossfire. Even if it is apparent that an insta transport seems to cut the mind meld off.” She reasoned.
Proxima hated it, but she had to agree with Sela on that one. “Doctor.” She addressed Phlox. “I want you to run a complete checkup on Sela. Be as thorough as possible.” She ordered. “I don’t want any surprises going forward.”
“Aye sir.” Boimler responded.
Proxima nodded and turned to Harmony. “Both this message and the incident have been recorded and placed in the case file correct?” She asked.
“Affirmative Captain.” Harmony responded,
“Good.” Proxima replied. “Then head to the mess hall, the delegates should be there and you can inquire about our other three guests. We got things from here.” She said.
Harmony nodded. “Yes Captain.” Harmony replied as she left.
Finally, Proxima turned to Sela. “Don’t worry Commander, one way or another we will find out how to stop this.” She promised.
“That would be appreciated, captain.” Sela responded as Proxima left.
Boimler called up his medical tricorder. “So, other than this incident, how have you been feeling Commander?” He asked, going into full doctor mode.
Yamik led the Delegates through the ship to the Mess Hall, and Sable was asking Yamik some questions about the Federation. “How much of the parent galaxy does the Federation span?” Sable asked.
“We are in the process of welcoming our 400th member world after a period of decline.” Yamik responded. “Dark times for the Federation during that time but we managed to pull through and recover. As it stands, we span thousands of light years across all four quadrants of our galaxy.” Yamik explained. “The USS Equestria itself has representatives from 20 of those worlds serving aboard as crewmembers.” He said.
“That would be only five percent representation.” Farmick responded.
“Right.” Yamik responded. “But at best, the Equestria can only support a 44% representation since a full crew complement is 175 officers.” He explained. “For full representation you’d need to go to one of the bigger ships that we have.”
“Fascinating.” Yuris replied.
Yamik nodded, before all of them heard singing coming from the Mess Hall only a few meters away. This confused the Delegation. “What is that sound?” Sable asked.
“That...would be some of our crew spending their lunch breaks having an impromptu Karaoke session. Probably in preparation for tonight.” Yamik explained.
“Karaoke session?” Sable asked. “What is this Karaoke?”
“It’s where a group of people get together and take turns singing vocals to songs.” Yamik replied. “And tonight is the official shipwide Karaoke night. It is a regular thing in our society.” He explained.
“Interesting.” Yuris responded. “It is like our own musical parties.”
“I bet those are fun.” Yamik said.
“They are a ton of fun. Might we go see this impromptu Karaoke Session?” Sable asked.
“I do not see why not, right this way.” Yamik responded as he led them the rest of the way to the Mess Hall. They walked through the doors into the room and saw several officers singing and dancing, some in their seats, some on their feet.
Towards the end of the song, Harmony came through another door into the Mess Hall. She had stopped by her quarters to pick up the three aliens they met the previous day, the E’suom heard the music and singing and smiled. “Ooh. Are they having a musical party in the Mess Hall?” He asked.
“Musical Party?” Harmony asked, while the E’suom rode on Harmony’s back, the Eninac and the Enilef, none of the trio having names still as they very quickly discovered, walked beside Harmony.
“It’s an event on our world where people gather and sing songs, while their pets provide the music.” The Eninac responded.
“Ah. Interesting.” Harmony responded. “Well, around here, we call it an impromptu Karaoke Session...I think. Still learning about that myself.” She admitted, making a mental note to start vigorous research on things she might encounter with the crew.
The Enilef smiled. “Well, Your friends definitely have good voices--” She started before she paused when she saw Ambassador Sable. “Ambassador Sable?” She asked, confused.
Harmony blinked in response. “Do you know Sable?” Harmony asked as she saw Yamik with the delegation.
“Yeah.” The Eninac said. “He’s actually the reason we were in that spaceship to begin with.” He explained.
“Huh?” Harmony asked.
“We’ll let him explain.” The Enilef responded as the four approached Yamik and the Delegates as the other officers decided to do another song.
Yamik was the first to notice their approach. “Ah, JWO CyberSpark, nice of you to rejoin us.” He said. “And I see you brought our other guests from Lamina.” He added.
Sable’s attention was brought to Harmony’s companions, and his smile faltered. “Ah...I see you encountered one of the Animal Pioneer groups we sent to the stars.” He said.
“Animal Pioneer Groups?” Harmony asked.
“Yes.” Sable responded. “Might there be someplace we can have a seat?” He asked.
Yamik gestured towards an empty table, and the group all gathered around and sat at the table. “I think I am starting to see what prompted you to make first contact with us.” Sable commented.
“It...was one of the driving factors.” Yamik responded. “But we do genuinely wish to establish diplomatic relations with you.” He added.
“I understand.” Sable responded. “Might I ask when you encountered these three?” He asked.
“Yesterday, Junior Warrant Officer CyberSpark here actually was the first to encounter them, according to them, their starship crashed on a world in the Neighboring Star System.” Yamik explained.
“Crashed? That’s awful.” Yuris responded, surprised.
“Yeah.” The Enilef responded. “We were shot down by a hostile force on the planet. But thankfully we were rescued by this ship and crew.” She said, smiling at Yamik and Harmony.
“I knew we shoulda armed those things to protect them.” Farmick responded.
“So, care to explain how these three got into space to begin with?” Yamik asked flatly.
“It had to do with the ecological balancing on our world.” Sable responded. “Our Planetary Ecosystem was becoming overwhelmed with the amount of Enilefs, Eninacs, and E’suoms producing offspring, and we do not believe in killing to solve the problem, so, started sending them into space so that they may find a home amongst the stars.” Sable explained.
“Overwhelmed?” The E’suom asked, confused. “What does that mean?”
“I’ll explain later sweetie.” The Enilef responded.
Yamik meanwhile nodded to the three delegates. “That’s definitely one way to solve the problem.” He said. “And is it normal for them to be intelligent?” He asked.
“Yes, all our animals can talk.” Sable responded. “I take it that is new to you?” He asked.
“It is definitely something we have not encountered in our own galaxy.” Yamik responded. “But at the same time, that’s partly why we’re out here. To explore the unknown.” He said
“Were you looking to drop off these three?” Farmick asked. “I could arrange for their safe return back to--”
“We were actually hoping to remain onboard this ship, with her.” The Enilef cut Farmick off as the three huddled around Harmony.
“Yeah. We want to be her pets.” The E’suom said.
Harmony hesitated, remembering she was the one to suggest visiting Lamina after the three aliens asked to be her pets. “Well...” She still wasn’t sure what to say. The Moral and Ethical dilemma was solved since Ambassador Sable and his Aides were backing what the three said, but there was still the problem of her not knowing much about them, and thus wasn’t sure if she COULD take care of them like they needed to be. “I...Still have to think about it.” She said.
Yuris seemed to get what Harmony was saying because he smiled towards her. “If you’d like JWO CyberSpark.” He said. “I happen to be an expert on these three species. So I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.” He offered.
Harmony considered Yuris’s words, before nodding in agreement. “That would definitely be helpful, thank you.” She said as she started asking questions.
Meanwhile, in her ready room, Proxima paced back and forth while the communication system was ringing. She had put a call out to Ambassador Starscout, but the phone had been ringing for several minutes, meaning she was on hold. “Come on Sunny, We need to talk now.” She said under her breath.
At that moment, the phone stopped ringing and a pony appeared in Proxima’s ready room. “Hello, you’ve reached the office of Ambassador Starscout, Might we know the nature of this call?” The pony asked.
‘Oh great, an operator.’ Proxima cursed inwardly. “Yes, Hi, I need to Speak to Ambassador Starscout, It’s Priority One.” She stated. Knowing full well that Priority one would get her through to Sunny no matter what.
“I apologize, but Ambassador Starscout is indisposed at the moment and cannot take any calls today.” The pony responded.
“What?” Proxima asked, shocked that the pony didn’t immediately patch her through. “This is a Priority One call.” She stated.
“Unfortunately Ambassador Starscout cannot take any calls at this time due to personal reasons. I apologize.” The pony responded. “I can bring a message to her if you would like.”
At this point, Proxima relented, not having the patience to deal with this. “Tell her that Captain Proxima Maxima has to talk to her as soon as possible. Please express the urgency that we talk.” She told the Pony,
“I shall do that. Have a nice day captain.” The pony said before the connection was cut.
After taking a second to compose herself, Proxima decided to put out a different call. “Computer, Patch me through to Admiral Vance. Priority One.” She said.
The phone started ringing again, and after a minute, Admiral Vance appeared in her Ready Room. “Captain Maxima.” Vance acknowledged.
“Admiral Vance sir.” Proxima responded. “I was wondering if there were any updates on locating the T’Palas.” She stated.
“Regretfully, no such update exists.” Vance responded. “Let me guess, they decided to Mind Meld with Sela?” He asked, guessing why Proxima was making the inquiry.
“They have gone beyond that this time sir.” Proxima responded. “This time they tried to force her to assassinate a trio of Visiting Delegates through targeting the subconscious part of the brain.” She explained.
“Visiting Delegates?” Vance asked, surprised.
“I will make a full report on that later sir. But given the severity of the situation that Sela being brainwashed through Mind Melding reveals, I felt it necessary to contact you as soon as possible.” Proxima responded.
“I see.” Vance responded. “And where is Sela now?” He asked.
“In the brig. By her own request we have implemented the policy to transport Sela to the brig at the first sign of her acting strange, which we are to interpret as her parents up to their antics.” Proxima explained.
“A good policy now more than ever it would seem.” Vance responded. “I assume you’ll also be sending in the appropriate documentation to add to the growing case file against them?” He asked.
“I shall have JWO CyberSpark do that as soon as possible sir.” Proxima responded.
“See to it that she does. I shall contact you if an update occurs.” Vance responded. “And I’ll let you know if we have any ideas to block the Mind Meld.” He added.
“I am following a possible lead there sir, I am having a back and forth with Ambassador Starscout about a possible Magical solution.” Proxima said.
“Smart.” Vance responded. “Keep me updated on what comes of that lead.”
“Yes sir.” Proxima said, before bidding farewell to Vance as the connection cut, leaving Proxima alone in her Ready Room, trying not to descend into a rage fit. “I shoulda risked the prison time to off those psychopaths when I had the chance.” She commented before she composed herself and walked out of the Ready Room, intending to find the Delegation. “The sooner those Delegates go home, the better.”
In the brig, Sela sat on the bench while Boimler shut down his HUD. “Well Commander, Besides the Mind Melding Psychopaths currently haunting you, and your medical condition, You’re in top health condition.” He reported.
“There is nothing else that those two can exploit?” Sela asked.
“Not that I can tell.” Boimler responded. “But given what they did already, at this point anything can happen.” He said.
Sela let out a sigh. “All they had to do was forget I ever existed. But instead they did this.” She commented.
“I can only imagine what it musta been like for you growing up.” Boimler said.
“You do not know the half of it, Doctor.” Sela responded. “I am not kidding when I say that The Maximas are the only reason I have made it to this point in my life.” She said. “...Especially The Captain.”
“I remember you saying something about maybe having a crush on the Captain?” Boimler asked.
“I...Do not know what it is.” Sela said. “All my life my parents grilled into me that my emotions were bad and that I had to rid myself of them, but as you know, that is detrimental to my health.” She explained. “And because of that, I have always felt something for Proxima. Something I have never felt for anyone else.” She said. “I just do not know.”
Boimler inwardly grimaced. It was sad seeing a victim of such evil expressing how she had feelings she did not understand where anyone else most likely would understand. “Well, if you would like help. I am also qualified to serve as the ship’s counselor, so I can help you figure these feelings out.” He offered.
Sela was about to respond saying that would be great, but something stopped her, and changed her response to this. “I shall consider it Doctor.” She said.
“You said that the last time this topic came up.” Boimler responded. “I mean it Sela, It will be better for you in the long run to have these feelings sorted out. Trust me.” He said.
Sela did not immediately answer, instead she considered the words carefully. What Boimler was saying made sense, But she was also nervous. “...Let’s wait and see what the Captain can do for a magical block before we talk about this again Doc.” She ultimately decided.
Boimler seemed to understand what Sela implied, and nodded. “Alright.” He said. “See you later Commander.” He said before he left, leaving Sela alone with her thoughts.
Back In the Mess Hall, Harmony had gone with Yuris to the Ambassador’s shuttle so they could access Lamina’s database on the three animals, leaving Yamik with Sable and Farmick, and currently, Sable was enjoying singing and dancing with the Equestria crew and learning about Federation music.
Proxima herself entered the mess hall in the middle of a song, and she stopped when she saw what was going on. ‘Maybe tonight was NOT the best night for Karaoke.’ She thought. They had had similar events in the past, and her policy aboard the ship was that so long as work got done when assigned and that officers remained focused when the situation called for it, there was nothing wrong with the crew having a little fun. She might need to add a caveat to that now. In the meantime, she maneuvered through the Mess Hall to Yamik and Farmick. “Cmdr Yamik.” She called out.
Yamik noticed Proxima approaching. “Captain Maxima.” He acknowledged.
“Captain, nice of you to rejoin us.” Farmick greeted her.
“I take it that things are going smoothly Cmdr Yamik?” Proxima asked.
“Yes Captain.” Cmdr Yamik responded.
“And where’s JWO CyberSpark and Yuris?” Proxima asked, noticing that they were gone.
“They are currently in your shuttlebay accessing the Lamina database, Yuris has been forthcoming in answering Harmony’s questions about the Eninac, Enilef, and their son the E’suom.” Farmick explained.
Captain Maxima nodded in response, letting out a breath she was holding. Thankful that this first Contact was going smoothly now. ‘I hope subsequent first contacts aren’t as stressful.’ She thought as she watched Sable busting a move.
“Computer, create a list of menu options which are composed of the component materials listed.” Harmony told the Equestria’s computer.
“Acknowledged.” The computer responded.
“If it turns out that you do not have any nutritional supplements for the typical food that Eninacs, Enelifs, and E’suoms eat, I’ll have some food sent up to your ship as soon as possible.” Yuris offered. “Ahem, if you end up taking them as pets of course.” He added.
Harmony nodded in response. “That’s kind of you Yuris, you seem to care a lot that our three friends here are well cared for wherever they end up.” She observed. She and Yuris had spent the last several minutes talking about the Eninac, Enilef, and E’suom that seem to have imprinted on Harmony after returning to the Lamina shuttle.
Yuris just shrugged. “I just have the firm belief that every animal deserves a good home, no matter where it is. And if I can ensure their needs are met, I will do just that.” He said.
“Interesting. Do you have any pets?” Harmony asked.
“Quite a few, heh, my wife actually forbade me from taking any more strays in.” Yuris responded with a chuckle. “I admit I may have a problem.”
“That sounds to me like you’re just trying to give these animals a chance.” Harmony replied. “That’s admirable.”
“Thanks.” Yuris responded. “Speaking of, Now that you know more about these cute lil critters, think you can handle taking care of them?” He asked.
“Yeah! Please Harmony?” The E’suom asked. “We promise to be good.” The kid added, giving Harmony puppy dog eyes.
While Yuris couldn’t help but snicker, Harmony took a second to respond. She definitely felt more confident in taking care of them now, it was part of their society to be pets, and it sounded like food was not going to be a problem once they got some samples to study and attempt to replicate, and finally, Captain Maxima had given Harmony permission to take them as pets. It all came down to her final answer. After a second, she smiled. “Alright.” She said. “If you want to live with me aboard this ship, then I’d be happy to have you live with me.” She announced.
The three animals smiled widely and rushed Harmony, the E’suom crawled onto her back, the Eninac jumped up and licked her face excitedly, and the Enilef Nuzzled Harmony’s leg. “Thank you! This is going to be awesome!” The E’suom exclaimed excitedly.
Harmony giggled in response. “Just, bare with me for the first little bit, Never taken care of any pets before.” She told them.
“Good thing we seem to be easy to take care of, considering duological evolution to your Dogs, cats, and mice.” The Enilef responded. “So, what are our names?” She asked.
Harmony’s smile faltered. Dammit she had not thought of any names yet. “Well...” She replied, coming up with an idea. “What do YOU want your names to be?” She asked.
At that, the Eninac laughed. “You’re funny.” He said. “We don’t choose our names, our new owners do.” He explained.
“And Why wouldn’t it be that way? After all, we’re your pets.” The Enilef added.
Harmony could tell that the three were not going to budge. So instead of arguing, she just sighed, thinking of names. “Alright, Let’s see...The Enilef will be named Angela, the Eninac can be Porthos, and The E’suom could be Remy. How does that sound?” She asked.
The newly named trio smiled and nodded. “Sounds great!” Remy responded.
“Those are great names.” Yuris said.
Harmony chuckled. “First names I could think of honestly.” She said.
Remy smiled. “So, is it time for Karaoke night?” He asked, scurrying around like a cute little mouse would.
“We still have a few hours til Karaoke night.” Harmony responded.
“Are you going to sing?” Porthos asked.
“Not sure, I don’t even know if I have a singing voice.” Harmony said.
“Everyone has a singing voice.” Angela responded. “Just gotta find it.” She said.
Porthos and Remy took that as their cue to start playing music from their ears as Angela started to sing.
Everyone in the shuttlebay stopped what they were doing to listen to Angela sing, Harmony meanwhile was able to pick out what was needed to find her singing voice. “I see.” She said after the song concluded. “I just need to look within myself to find my voice.”
“Exactly.” Porthos responded.
Harmony nodded. “Ok...Ya know what? I’m gonna do it. I’ll get up there tonight.” She said.
“Captain’s log supplemental. After a rough start with a certain pair of the ABSOLUTE LOWEST FORMS OF SCUM TO EVER CURSE THE GALAXY WITH THEIR EXISTENCE deciding to use Sela for sinister purposes, I feel that the perfect way to end an otherwise successful first contact with the Laminans is a nice relaxing night of Karaoke in the Mess Hall. As it turns out, some things truly are universal. In other news, we’ve welcomed Angela, Porthos, and Remy onboard as Harmony’s new pets. I have no doubt that this will teach her responsibility, which will only work to make her a better officer in the future.”
Around Dinner time, a very large percentage of the crew was in the Mess Hall watching each other sing their favorite songs. At one Table, the Delegates, and Harmony, along with her three pets, applauded with the rest of the crowd as Proxima finished singing in the latest performance. Proxima bowed and got off the stage to join Harmony and the delegates. “Another splendid performance. You and your crew certainly have some talent.” Sable complimented.
“Yeah. We’re a pretty musical lot when we put our minds to it.” Proxima responded as Ensign Paris hopped onto the stage.
“And that was Captain Maxima everyone. Anyone who says her talent isn’t singing should get a good look at her cutie mark.” Paris said, which the crowd responded with applause After a second, Paris spoke again. “Alright, who’s gonna rock the house next eh?” He asked.
“How about JWO CyberSpark!” Called out Obelisk, to which Harmony blushed.
“Oh...I don’t know...” Harmony responded. She remembered saying she was gonna do it but now she was getting cold hooves.
“Aww come on Harmony. Give it a chance. Wow us with your beautiful voice.” Remy urged her. “We can go up with you to make the music.” He offered.
After some of the crowd urged her to do it. Harmony took a deep breath and found the courage inside to go for it. “Alright, if you say so.” She said. “Uhm, any song recommendations?” She asked.
Proxima thought for a moment, before she whispered a song into Harmony’s ear. Harmony in turn nodded and proceeded up on stage with her pets, to which the crowd applauded. “Ahem, Before I start, I would just like to apologize in advance if my singing is terrible.” She said before hyping herself up. “Remy, Angela, Porthos, hit it.” She said.
The three pets nodded and their ears started blasting music, and Harmony began to sing.
At the end of the song, the crowd cheered and applauded. Harmony wasn’t sure about her singing, but if it sounded like they enjoyed it, it must’ve been good. She glanced at her three pets, who were all smiling back. ‘Crazy how this all started with Angela finding us in a field...’ She thought as she thought highly of the future.
To Be Continued...
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Harmony you and me need to site down together and make some plans for the T’Palas.
awesome chapter i love it.
I thought the cat was called Porthos, due to The three Musketeers, and Puss, In Boots.
Remy, well, thats one unmissable rodent, good thing it wasnt Pucky.
Angela, the only one I could think of at the time was Kells ex wife from Kevin and Kell online webcomic.
Because Harmony is running an Avatar, she cant be background checking stress levels of the crew for background subterfuge so wont be picking up on the excessive spike of Captains anger that could be due to a badly balanced meal, to subtle outside interference stimulating certain neurological pathways to compromise their abilities to demonstrate why it was so bad to have such emotions?
nicely done!
good chapter