Episode 16: Chop the Head Off the Snake
“Chief Engineers Log Stardate 32120721.0930. It’s the Engineering Department’s turn to show off to JWO CyberSpark after she shadowed Science and Operations. And in addition, this is Her chance to learn more about how her body works, since at the moment, her health is just as much engineering as it is medical. In other news, that cloaked figure’s been found out and uh...Yeah, Have I mentioned how much I hate Sela’s parents with a seething passion?”
“What I don’t get is why Cmdr Sela would attack us.” Ensign Marin commented as he worked on a console’s underside, giving it a maintenance once over with Cmdr Baker.
Baker shook her head. The news that Sela was the cloaked figure spread like wildfire, and of course that raised questions. Particularly from Sela’s victims. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for this.” She said. “I mean, Vulcans pride themselves on logic. So, we can safely assume that Sela was not in her right state of mind.” She mused.
“I mean...Yeah, that’s a possibility sir, but for three nights in a row?” Marin asked. “That seems a bit far-fetched for a Vulcan these days.”
“We simply don’t have all the answers.” Baker responded. “Cmdr Yamik is already investigating it and I’m sure there will be a full briefing in due time.” She said.
“I hope so, I for one would very much like to know the why.” Marin commented.
Baker nodded, but was inwardly cursing out Sela’s parents. She understood why the senior staff was ordered to not talk about it to the crew, but all the same, she wanted very much to confirm with the engineering Ensign that Sela could still be trusted.
At that moment, the doors to engineering opened and in walked Harmony, along with her Eninac Porthos. “Cmdr Baker.” She called out to announce her presence.
Baker heard her name called and smiled as she turned. “JWO CyberSpark, welcome to--” She stopped when she saw Porthos approaching next to Harmony...wearing something that made Baker have to stifle a snicker. “Porthos? What are you wearing?” She asked. “And, for that matter, why are you here?” She added.
Porthos glanced back at himself to see the Starfleet gold uniform that he had the replicator make for him. “Oh, uh, sorry commander.” He said. “I uh, kinda...what’s the phrase, puppy dog eyed? Harmony into letting me tag along. I’ve been wanting to learn more about the inner workings of the Equestria and I figured now was the perfect time.” He explained.
“And he’s wearing a Starfleet gold uniform because he thought it would be adorable.” Harmony added, giving Porthos a pet on the head.
Porthos in a Starfleet uniform attracted quite a few eyes from engineering personnel, Baker eventually let out a snicker. “He DOES look adorable wearing that.” She admitted. “Ya know what? Sure. You can learn right alongside Harmony today, Porthos.” She said.
“Awesome! Thanks Commander.” Porthos responded excitedly, wagging his tail.
Baker chuckled as she gestured for the two of them to follow her. “You’re Shadowing Engineering at a pretty opportune time. We’re in the middle of a maintenance cycle. And that means the place is in pieces.” She said.
Harmony and Porthos looked around, and indeed engineering officers were pulling panels off and running diagnostics on inner workings. Porthos lifted an eyebrow. “Harmony can you feel when they do that?” He asked curiously.
“I...Don’t think so?” Harmony responded, unsure. “I mean I’m not in any pain when they take panels off so...”
“That might be because the panels we remove are supposed to come off.” Baker suggested. “Like pieces of armor.” She explained.
“That would make sense.” Harmony replied.
Baker nodded. “Now, let’s start off with something simple.” She said as she led them to an open panel. “One of the most basic and common maintenance tasks is running diagnostics. It’s the first step to finding and fixing any problem.” She said as pulled out a tool from her toolbelt. “The Diagnoser T4269 is one of the most advanced Diagnostic tools available to Starfleet. This thing can detect even the smallest crack in a warp coil.” She boasted.
“Ooh. Handy.” Harmony responded, impressed.
“That is definitely more advanced than what Lamina has, last I heard.” Porthos commented.
Baker smiled and set the tool to work. “During Maintenance cycles, the whole Engineering Section gets three comb overs with this thing. One thing you’ll always hear an engineering officer say, triple check everything. Because Engineering is what keeps the ship up and running.” She explained.
“Makes sense.” Harmony responded.
Porthos looked around, before he noticed white uniformed medical staff huddled around the Warp Core. “Uh, what’s the Medbay staff doing here?” He asked, confused.
Baker glanced behind her to see the doctors, and she smiled. “They’re running diagnostics on the Spark within the Warp Core.” She explained.
“It would seem that our warp core is also my Spark.” Harmony explained. “Kinda like your heart.”
“Ah. That makes sense then.” Porthos said.
“Yep. Ever since our ship was turned into a Titan, both Engineering and Medical have collaborated and coordinated to help keep us flying. There is still much about Harmony’s unique physiology that we have yet to understand.” Baker explained. “Teletran has been very helpful in that respect.” She said.
“Is Teletran here today?” Harmony asked.
“He’s in the lab, cracking away at that pod.” Baker responded.
“Is it STILL holding secrets?” Porthos asked, having been told of the pod.
“Yeah.” Baker responded. “It is. Damn whoever made that pod’s Operating system made it secure.” She commented.
Elsewhere in engineering, The Harmony core, which had been disconnected from its usual place, sat in a corner, out of the way of the maintenance Cycle. Captain Maxima approached it after being told where it was. She saw the Elements of Harmony in their spots, with the Unity Crystal right smack in the middle. “There you are.” She said to herself. She had come from confining Sela to her quarters and depriving her of any possible method by which her parents could cause serious trouble. Now she was in Engineering to try to enlist the stones of the Harmony Core’s help to energize her magic and make the enchantment on Sela’s necklace strong enough to block her parents.
“Captain Maxima.” An engineering officer acknowledged. “We weren’t aware that you were coming.”
Proxima glanced to the side to see the officer standing at attention. “At ease Lieutenant.” She said. “This isn’t an inspection. Just gotta borrow the Harmony Core’s gems for a bit.” She told them.
“Aye sir.” The officer responded before going back to work.
Proxima meanwhile extended her horn and lit it, hoping to be able to commune with the fabled spirits of the guardians of harmony that were preserved in the gems. “By Celestia I hope this works.” She said to herself as she touched the unity crystal with her horn.
She was instantly transported to an astral plane environment, surrounding her were 7 pillars, each topped with one Element of Harmony, or the Unity Crystal in one instance. Proxima opened her eyes and looked around. “Uh, Hello?” She asked.
“Greetings Captain Proxima Maxima.” Proxima heard a voice from behind say. She turned, and saw a projection of a pony she knew from the history books.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She identified the pony before her.
(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.
The Astral Projection of Twilight Sparkle smiled after Proxima identified her. “Indeed. I took this form when my bearer’s spirit passed into me. As did her friends in their respective elements.” She said. “To what do we owe the pleasure of you attempting to converse with us?” She asked.
“I need your help. I need to have my magic amplified for a power dependent spell. And right now, you and your fellow Elements of Harmony, as well as the unity crystals, are the only things available to me that might help me do that.” Proxima answered.
“You are referring to a shield around your first officer against her parents.” Twilight deduced. The resulting reaction from Proxima made her smile. “We are connected to the USS Equestria and Harmony. We know all that goes on. We are aware of Cmdr Sela T’Pala’s conflict with her parents.” She explained.
“Yeah...” Proxima replied, just deciding to go with it. “She has had to deal with them for a long time, and now they have escalated the conflict to include the whole crew, since they made her attack three fellow officers.” She explained. “If we do not nip it in the bud now, the next assault could be fatal.
“Indeed.” Twilight responded. “You will have our support in combating this evil, however, you must be aware of the risks. The Elements of Harmony and the Unity Crystals are immensely powerful objects. If the spell caster is not prepared for the intense boost that we will provide, the results could be fatal to the spell caster.” She warned.
Proxima took a deep breath. “If it means saving my ship and crew, and my best friend, from a pair of whackjobs back home, I’ll take any risk required.” She said, determination clear in her voice.
“In that case.” Twilight responded, beginning to glow. “We shall bond to you for the remaining duration of this voyage.” She announced, the other pillars started to glow as well.
Proxima raised an eyebrow. “Uh, the remaining duration of this voyage? You don’t need to bond to me for that long.” She remarked.
“You forget, we have been watching. And it is the logical move to bond ourselves with someone in order to ensure that the enemy cannot use us for sinister purposes.”
“Isn’t that what we already did when Sunny had me activate the core?” Proxima countered.
“Within the core, we cannot be used by outside villains. But if any were to remove us from the core, we fear they would harness our power.” Twilight explained. “The only way to ensure that does not happen is for us to bond to you.”
Proxima opened her mouth to object, before the logic behind it kicked in, then she just sighed and nodded. “Very well. If you believe that is best.” She said. She trusted the wisdom of the gems.
From the outside, the whole engineering team was treated to a light show as the Elements of Harmony and the Unity Crystals dislodged themselves from their indents in the Harmony Core and began to circle around Proxima. Harmony, Baker, and Porthos noticed what was going on, and Baker decided to speak up. “Uh, Captain?” She asked.
The magical gems all shot beams at Proxima, and closed in on her to form a suit of armor with the same indents as the Harmony Core had. The gems lodged themselves into the indents, and the light show ended. Dimming to reveal fully Proxima in gold armor, with the gems adorning it. There was silence, and a lot of eyeballs on Proxima. Proxima turned to see everyone staring at her. “I’ll explain soon but for now, I need these gems for a bit. I’ll bring them back right after.” She explained. “As you were.” She added as she left Engineering.
Everyone stood there, confused for a bit. Baker was the first to catch up to what happened. “Ahem, everyone back to work.” She ordered before turning to Harmony. “Ok chalk that up to on par with other strange shenanigans going on here.” She said.
“What in the allspark could the captain need the Elements of Harmony for?” Harmony asked.
“What in the allspark?” Porthos asked. “Isn’t that Cybertronian talk?” He asked.
“Yes.” Harmony responded. “Cliff and Blitz must be rubbing off on me on that front.” She deduced.
“Right...OK, let’s continue shall we?” Baker asked.
In the security office, Yamik was busy going through the security footage. “Hm...So far she was puppet controlled to attack Marin, Becker, and now Freedough. There might be a connection there...” He mused.
“Why would it matter?” Asked Norman, who had come by. “We know her parents are wackadoodles who are now definitely out to get the whole ship.” He commented.
“Yes Jack.” Yamik responded. “But, assuming that they are somehow able to get Sela passed our security measures in her quarters, if there is a pattern, they’ll likely follow it tonight. So if we can determine their next target, we can be there waiting for them.” He reasoned.
Norman considered Yamik’s explanation for a few seconds, before nodding in agreement. “Makes sense.” He said.
He and Yamik continued to look through the security feed. Trying to find a clue, before Norman noticed something. “Hang on, do you see that?” He asked.
“See what?” Yamik asked, confused.
“The other day, I think the security grid got Sela interacting with a quartet of ensigns...Including Marin, Becker, and Freedough.” Norman pointed out.
Yamik zoomed in on the paused frame, and indeed saw what Norman saw. “Interesting.” He mused as he played that section. They heard the ensigns ask Sela for permission to make a carving in the next asteroid during their next mining pitstop. “Huh. OK I never woulda thought to ask my superior that.” Yamik commented.
“Yes. But I’m thinking maybe that’s the connection.” Norman deduced. “To a Vulcan, their request is a waste of resources. And we know that her parents can see everything she does.” He explained.
Yamik’s eyes widened as he caught onto Norman’s thinking. “So you think they’re targeting the four Ensigns specifically, and using the request as an asinine justification.” He deduced.
“It’s a theory.” Norman responded. “So if we follow the pattern, the next target after the other three is Ensign Anakin Fredrick.” He said.
“You might be right Norman.” Yamik responded. “And if we follow the escalation, unless we are able to stop her, Sela will be forced to kill Fredrick.” He said.
“They can try.” Norman responded, him and Yamik fistbumping.
“Thanks for your help Norman, I wouldn’t have caught onto that for a while yet.” Yamik said.
“Any time pal.” Norman responded, glad to have helped.
Meanwhile, in her quarters, because Sela was effectively off duty until her parents could not be a problem anymore, Sela had decided that she might as well catch up on her reading. So she was reading a book written by a Vulcan Author, before she heard Her quarters’ intercom sound. “Cmdr, Angela and Remy are here to see you. Something about wanting to bring you comfort in animal companionship.” Said who she presumed was the security officer stationed outside her quarters.
Sela tensed up a bit. She really did not want to risk them being hurt...but despite that, she still nodded. “Enter!” She called out.
The door opened and Angela, with Remy riding on his mom’s back, entered. “Hello there Commander Sela.” Angela said.
“Hi Ms Sela.” Remy said, waving at her with a smile.
“Angela, Remy.” Sela acknowledged. “What brings you by?” She asked.
“We heard what happened.” Angela responded as she hopped up onto the couch. “We figured you could use some company.” She said.
“Apparently, where you’re from, animals can serve to comfort people who are stressed.” Remy explained. “So here we are.” He said.
“That is very kind of you two.” Sela responded. “Although I must caution you that I am currently a danger.” She admitted.
“We know. Harmony filled us in on what’s been going on between you and your parents when we asked if we could hang out with you.” Angela said.
“Mom told me to use my small size and my speed to get to the nearest exhaust duct if you start acting out.” Remy explained. “He’s with Harmony in Engineering, otherwise I would have been left back home with daddy.” He added
Hearing that, Sela relented. “Alright. So long as you know.” She said.
Remy took that as his cue to scurry on up onto Sela’s shoulder while Angela, with Sela’s OK, settled herself over Sela’s lap, giving her a reassuring smile. Remy saw the book that Sela had been reading and looked at it curiously. “Ms Sela?” He asked. “What’s that?”
Sela saw him pointing at the book, she could see the curiosity in his eyes. “It is a Vulcan Book about Mind Melds.” She explained.
“Mind Melds? Harmony mentioned them, but she never said what they were.” Remy commented.
“It is a practice of my people. Though a nearly lost art.” Sela explained. “It allows us to read the thoughts of anyone we choose to meld with.” She said.
“Read thoughts? Ooh.” Remy responded, clearly intrigued.
“Indeed.” Sela replied, before a thought occurred to her that maybe she should not be reading something that was currently causing her and the crew great stress. “Perhaps I should not be reading it right now, given the current situation.” She commented, putting the book on the coffee table.
“Why DO your parents hate you Ms Sela?” Remy asked.
Sela sighed. “They view me as a grave injustice to their family lineage. They wanted to mold me into something that...is incompatible with me living a long life.” She explained. “Based on their behavior recently, it would seem they are trying to do so again, in a more violent way.” She said.
“I thought all parents loved their kids and that they would never do anything like that?” Remy asked, confused.
“A vast majority of them do Remy.” Sela responded. “But not all parents are cut out to be parents. Most in that category do the sensible thing and put their children up for adoption so that they might find a good home with a family that can give them what they need, but there are those that do what my parents are doing and torment their children.” She explained.
Remy listened to what Sela was saying, but it only served to further confuse the young E’suom. “I don’t get it.” He concluded.
“I’ll explain when you’re older sweetie. For now, just know that daddy and I love you very much.” Angela responded, smiling at Remy.
“Ok Mommy.” Remy responded happily.
Sela observed the exchange between Angela and Remy, and her heartbeat just the tiniest bit faster as a warm feeling crept up in her. A desire to care for a child of her own one day. ‘And it should be possible to have a child with Proxi using her magic...’ Sela stopped when she had that thought. Why did she just have that thought? It had never come to her before. It was the most confounding thing...but also the most curious, as soon as she thought that, more images played in her mind of a similar topic. ‘What is going on with me?’ She thought.
“Hm...Now this is the most confounding thing to come to in your mind Sela.” Sela heard the unmistakable voice of her mother say.
Sela tensed up, she could feel the presence of a mind meld in her mind. “Angela, Remy.” She said.
“What is it Cmdr?” Angela asked.
“Run.” Sela said simply.
“Run?” Remy asked, confused again.
“My parents are at it again. Run!” Sela ordered. She had a feeling of what was coming.
At the mention of Sela’s parents, Angela understood. “Come on Remy, we gotta get out of here.” She said. Grabbing Remy by his scruff, tossing him onto her back, and rushing out of Sela’s quarters. “Cmdr Sela might be having another episode.” She told the guards as she ran past them.
The Security guards blinked, but reacted quickly. Having been given orders from Yamik and Proxima, they readied their weapons, just in case.
In their secret bunker back in Federation Space, Sela’s mother sat at a console watching a screen as her partner wore a VR headset. They both heard Sela respond to them after telling her company to run. “Have you not done enough damage for one week? What could you possibly be looking to achieve with this level of illogical insanity?” She asked.
“We have told you before Sela. We are helping you to become a true Vulcan, like you were always meant to be. And no fictional medical condition, or meddling quadruped, is going to get in the way.” Her father responded. “And today, your anger will finally be quashed.” He said.
“Whatever it is you two plan on doing, it will not work. We have disabled the replicators in my quarters, I do not have a combadge, and there are guards outside the door that have orders to stun me if I so much as try to step outside my quarters.” Sela warned them.
“Do not be so quick to underestimate us Sela.” Her mother responded simply.
Back on the Equestria, Sela could feel her subconscious under attack. She intentionally tensed up to try to resist what she now knew with certainty was coming. “No.” She said. “Not this time. I will resist.”
“You can try.” Her mother responded.
Meanwhile, in the Medbay, Marin, Becker, and Anakin Fredrick stood on either side of Freedough’s bed, Freedough herself was sat up in the Bio bed, and all four were turned to Yamik and Boimler, the former of which had called the four of them there for a quick word. “So, is this about the whole Cmdr Sela going crazy thing?” Becker asked.
“Indeed it is.” Yamik responded. “There is something that the four of you, as her victims, should know about her. Just so you know the reason behind her recent transgressions.” He explained. “And why she will likely come for you next Fredrick unless we put the brakes on her situation today.”
At that, Fredrick blinked in surprise. “Me?” He asked. “She’ll come after me next?”
“That’s the working theory.” Yamik responded. “But, You should know that it is not of her own free will. Nor has it been for any of you.” He said.
“You mean she was being mind controlled?” Freedough asked.
“Yes she is Ensign.” Yamik responded. “And what’s more. We know WHO is doing it.” He added.
“Wait, you know?” Becker asked. “For how long?”
“For a while. Long before she started her nightly attacks.” Boimler responded.
“What?” Marin asked, surprised just as his friends were. “If you knew, why did you not stop it then and there?” He asked.
“Because we, at this time, CANNOT stop it.” Yamik responded. “All we can do is contain Sela when it happens, and work on snapping her out of it.” He explained.
Freedough and her friends all glanced at each other, confusion and fear in their eyes. “Is there anything more we should know?” Freedough asked, her mind racing.
“Indeed.” Yamik responded as Boimler pulled up his HUD. “Before we tell you though, this must not get out until such time when Sela herself comes out. And she WILL come out. She told me herself that once our latest attempt to stop this insanity has been tried, she will come out to the whole crew about the truth of what has been happening. And why we implemented the auto beam to the brig policy for her.” He told them. Sela having come to a decision to come out to the crew once Proxima placed a mental shield around her mind.
Marin and his friends all looked at each other, after a few nods, Fredrick nodded towards their senior officers. “Alright, what’s been going on?” He asked.
Boimler and Yamik took a deep breath, before they began to tell the four ensigns everything. They told them about Sela’s psychotic parents, about their mind meld amplification device, and most importantly, they told them about the reason it was happening, including some examples of Sela’s experiences growing up with them. All info they had permission from Sela herself to share with them so that they knew that she was not in control of herself.
As they had expected, the reactions from the Ensigns were at first disbelief, but as they showed them more and more evidence. Their disbelief that it was possible turned to disbelief that someone could do something so horrible to their own child. For Freedough in particular, hearing Boimler and Yamik explain about Sela’s situation brought up memories of her own experiences with her own parents. Her eyes moistened as she recalled all the abuse she had gone through. ‘Holy hell, and I thought my parents were bad.’ She thought.
Finally, after a very long and gruesome story, Boimler shut down his HUD. “So yeah. That’s everything we know.” Boimler said. “Her parents are trying to essentially kill her since she cannot suppress her emotions to their standards without putting her life in serious danger. And based on these recent events, it would seem they are escalating the conflict to include the entire crew.” He said.
“Holy crabcakes.” Becker responded. “Her parents are legit insane.”
“You are not the first person at all to have that conclusion Becker.” Yamik responded. “But as insane as they are, we cannot underestimate them since they are smart enough to construct a device that by all accounts SHOULD be impossible.” He warned.
“If they really WERE smart, they would have just left Sela alone.” Fredrick commented. “Seriously, if they hate Sela so much, Why did they not just cut contact with her permanently? Or hell, given how long this has been going on, why did they not just put her up for adoption so they wouldn’t have had to deal with her anymore?” He asked.
“Both are very good questions Fredrick.” Boimler responded. “And sadly, I believe the answer lies in the undeniable fact that they are egotistical narcissists who cannot possibly fathom that they brought into this world an imperfect child and their personalities did not allow them to take any sensible route besides the one that made sense to them. And now, we are all suffering the consequences of that decision.”
“You mentioned an attempt to stop this?” Marin asked.
“Indeed.” Yamik replied. “Currently, the captain is preparing to set Sela up with a shield around her mind. With any amount of luck, that should stop the threat her parents pose back home...If only temporarily.”
“Temporarily?” Freedough asked, confused.
“The simple fact is, Ensign. This is very much a Hail Mary attempt. There are many unknowns, as I’m sure you all can understand when relying on magic versus science.” Boimler responded. “At this point, the best we can realistically hope for is that this holds off Sela’s parents until our people back home can find them and chop the head off the shake as it were.” He explained.
“What if it doesn’t work?” Marin asked.
“Then we may actually have to keep Sela in the brig permanently until her parents are found and stopped.” Yamik responded. “Something that we have been trying to put off for as long as we can given our current circumstances.”
“Because out here we need every able bodied officer we can get.” Becker deduced, being a tactical officer. “We can't just request a replacement whenever we want.”
“Exactly.” Yamik replied. “No matter her current situation. We need Sela.”
At that moment, Yamik’s combadge sounded. “Cmdr. We may have a situation. Angela and Remy just came out of Sela’s quarters and she said Sela might be having another episode.” The guard reported.
Everyone’s eyes widened. “In broad daylight?” Boimler asked.
“Sounds like it.” Yamik responded. “On my way. All security personnel, be on full alert.” He ordered, turning to Fredrick. “Get to the Shuttle Bay and lock yourself in a shuttle. That way, if the situation calls for it, you can get off the ship.”
“Aye sir.” Fredrick responded before leaving. Yamik followed after him and headed right for Sela’s quarters. He tapped his combadge to page the captain. “Yamik to Maxima. Sela’s parents may be at it again. How’s it going with that spell?” He asked.
In Proxima’s quarters, Sela’s Dream Crystal sat on top of a short pole, with Proxima, decked out in her Elemental Armor, preparing to fire the spell when Yamik called. “I’m about to cast the spell. Do what you can to keep her contained.” She ordered.
“Aye sir.” Yamik responded.
As the connection cut, Proxima took a deep breath and looked at the PADD with the spell one more time. “Alright Proxima. You can do this.” She told herself before she lit her horn.
Right away, she felt her magic boosted to unimaginable levels. The magical gems that had bonded to her in order to protect themselves from evildoers glowed as her horn shined brightly. Her eyes shined a bright white. It was incredible, Proxima felt like she could take on the whole universe. ‘Whoa! These things have a kick to them.’ She thought as she aimed at the dream crystal…and let it rip.
Back at Sela’s quarters, the guards were both aiming their phaser pistols at the door. It was decided that they would be in a better tactical position if they were facing the door. They heard what was clearly struggling coming from within. “Sounds like the commander’s in trouble.” One of them commented.
“What could be affecting her though? All they said was that she was being mind controlled when she donned the cloak.” His partner asked.
“Whatever it is, we need to make sure Sela doesn’t get out of here—“ the first officer was cut off when the doors to the quarters slid open…but to reveal no one standing there. The two officers glanced at each other after a second, confused. “…I don’t hear anything…” The officer commented. Indeed there was silence. As opposed to the struggling from a few moments ago.
“Should one of us go in?” His partner asked. “Maybe something happened.”
“Or, that might be just what she wants us to do…” One officer countered.
“And if she actually does need help?” The first officer asked. “She could be unconscious, dying right now.” He suggested.
His partner considered it for a moment, before coming up with a plan. “Alright, here’s what we’ll do. One of us will stay out here and block the door, while the other goes in and finds Sela. Both of us will have our weapons raised in case this is some sort of trick.” He proposed.
“Good idea. A single stun shot should take her out of action should we need to fire.” The first officer responded before proceeding forward into Sela’s quarters, weapon raised. As he disappeared into Sela’s bedroom to check there. Yamik arrived on the scene with his phaser pistol raised, having seen the open Quarters.
“Ensign, why’s Sela’s door open?” He asked.
“It opened by itself, and we weren’t hearing anything sir.” The ensign responded. “I stayed out here to cover the entrance while Trathru went in to see if Sela was alright.” He reported.
“I believe I gave explicit orders NOT to enter her quarters.” Yamik retorted. “Now that someone is in there with a weapon she has a chance to become armed. Then we’ll all be in trouble.”
“We reasoned that it was equally as likely that she needs medical attention sir.” The ensign responded.
Yamik had to agree with the ensign’s reasoning, but he still felt uneasy, so he tapped his combadge. “Ensign Trathru this is Yamik. Report.” He ordered.
No response. Nothing but silence. After a second, Yamik tried to page Trathru again, only to receive nothing again. “I don’t like this.” He concluded. “I’m going in. The moment you see Sela, stun her.” Yamik ordered before he slowly moved to enter Sela’s quarters.
The Ensign gulped as he held his phaser out, finger on the trigger. “Shame Harmony isn’t in the ship currently, she woulda been handy.” He commented.
Yamik meanwhile entered the new dark Quarters and began doing a sweep of the room. One thing he was finding was that Sela was NOT there, and that concerned him greatly. He approached the entrance to the bedroom, but stopped and decided to press against the wall next to the door. “Cmdr Sela? Ensign Trathru? Anyone in there?” He called out into the bedroom. Hearing no answer, and knowing full well the danger posed by a mind controlled Sela, Yamik decided to take a risk, and he turned, aimed his phaser, and began spraying the bedroom with stun fire. He figured that the worst case scenario was that he’d stun both Sela and Trathru. After a few seconds of shooting, he stopped his barrage. “Computer, Lights.” He ordered.
The lights came on and Yamik looked around to find Trathru lying on the ground, unmoving. “Trathru!” Yamik exclaimed as he immediately knelt down and checked for a pulse from Trathru, much to his relief, there was. “Phew, just unconscious.” He said. He then noticed that both Trathru’s combadge and his phaser were gone. His eyes widened as his mind came to a conclusion. Sela was armed, and on the loose. He tapped his own combadge. “Lt Cmdr Yamik to all hands. Cmdr Sela is on the loose!” He announced as he stood up. “Get a doctor to Sela’s quarters to tend to an Unconscious Ensign Trathru. All security personnel start combing the ship. You are cleared to use all necessary nonlethal force to contain Sela. Be advised that She is armed with a phaser pistol that has had its kill feature removed.” He said as he raced out of Sela’s quarters. “Fredrick! Are you locked in a shuttle yet?” He asked.
“Just got in.” Fredrick responded. What came through comms next was phaser fire impacting, Fredrick’s voice came through after that. “Sela just arrived!” He exclaimed.
“All security personnel report to the Shuttlebay on the double!” Yamik ordered in response.
Back in Proxima’s quarters. Proxima’s eyes fluttered open as she came to. “Uggghhhh...God my head hurts.” She groaned as she shook her head and sat up. Her mind raced as she tried to remember what happened. She looked around until she saw the dream crystal, and it came back to her. “Right. Dream Crystal, enchantment.” She stood back up, and lit her horn to cast a spell detection spell on the crystal, making sure the shield enchantment was on the crystal. She smiled when she saw that it was. “Perfect.” She said. Relieved that at long last, they had a real shot of shutting down Sela’s parents for the foreseeable future.
Her smile vanished when Yamik’s voice came through. “Captain Maxima! Sela has escaped containment and is in the shuttlebay! Attempting to contain and shut her down but we could use that crystal!” He exclaimed.
Proxima could only guess that Sela’s parents somehow managed to get her out as she lit her horn and grabbed the dream crystal from its pedestal. “On my way.” Proxima responded before she raced out of her quarters, first taking off her Elemental armor and tossing it onto her couch. ‘There’s only one threat onboard this ship currently and she’s in the shuttlebay.’ She quickly rationalized as she ran through her ship.
In the shuttlebay. There was indeed a firefight happening as Sela, under her parents’ control, exchanged fire with Yamik and any officer he could get his hands on. Both sides were barricaded using crates in the bay, and Yamik had the foresight to order the Energon refinery, storage, and refueling stations be shielded as to prevent an Energon ignition. He aimed around the corner of his crate again and fired stun shots at Sela, which barely missed as Sela took cover again. “Grrr. It’s one person against at least 30. How have none of us landed a shot on the commander yet?!” He asked rhetorically to himself in frustration, and also embarrassment that they, for all the time they spent at the phaser range, couldn’t score the one lousy hit that they needed. “I swear when I get my hands on those two back home…” He cursed. Thinking about how he’d repay the T’Palas for this when he noticed Captain Maxima Race into the shuttlebay, holding what he presumed was a fully activated and loaded Dream Crystal.
Maxima stopped dead in her tracks as she took a second to take in the chaos going on in the Shuttlebay before she spread her wings and flew over to Yamik’s position, being careful not to let Sela see her. “You have 30 at your side and Sela’s still fighting?” She asked.
“I’m chalking it up to her parents having good reflexes and experiencing absolutely zero delay over the insane distance.” Yamik responded. “Please tell me that crystal is fully energized?” He asked, gesturing to the Dream Crystal.
“It’s ready for action.” Proxima responded, glancing to where Sela was barricaded. “I just need to get it around her neck and that should cut her parents off.”
“She’ll see you coming in an instant. And something tells me her parents will take special interest in you.” Yamik pointed out.
“Good thing I got magic on my side.” She said as she grabbed the crystal in her hooves and lit her horn, teleporting over to where Sela was.
Meanwhile, Sela was attempting to regain control of herself, but it was proving to be a futile endeavor. “You HAVE TO STOP THIS!” Sela almost screamed. “This is highly illogical. Even for you two!”
“We shall not stop until that ensign, and your anger, are both dead.” She heard her father say simply. Sela was becoming increasingly frustrated. She could not fathom how her parents could still think they could succeed in this insane plan when the odds were stacked impossibly against them. Sela stopped fighting when she felt a presence nearby, a feeling that someone was close.
Her parents got the signal as well and so puppet controlled Sela to turn around...only to be ambushed by Proxima, who pushed the crystal against Sela’s chest and quickly wrapped the necklace chain around her neck. “Sorry you two. But this show ends here!” She proclaimed as the crystal glowed extremely brightly.
What happened next was Sela incurring an intense migraine, strong enough to make her involuntarily scream in pain as she dropped the phaser. She could feel Her parents’ control waning fast, and within seconds, Sela’s brain shut down completely and she fainted, losing all consciousness as her body fell into Proxima’s forelegs.
In the secret bunker, Mr T’Pala quickly took off the VR headset to avoid an electrical discharge. Mrs T’Pala meanwhile stared wide eyed as her viewscreen, which had been showing what Sela was seeing, went completely dark. Like it just lost power. “It appears we have lost the connection.” She said simply.
“But how?” Mr T’Pala responded in confusion. “There is no way to stop a mind meld involuntarily.” The two looked at each other quizzically. “How curious.” Mr. T’Pala concluded. “We must reestablish connection as soon as possible.”
“Yes my dear.” Mrs. T’Pala responded.
Back on the Equestria, all went quiet. Proxima had practically screamed out to cease firing. And Yamik and his comrades were now slowly moving out from cover, their phasers still raised though. “Captain?” He called out. “What happened?”
“Sela’s unconscious.” Proxima responded. “Call for medical.” She said as she held Sela, she was relieved that Sela was still breathing. Eventually, medical staff did come, and Sela was immediately rushed to the medbay.
“Chief Engineer’s log supplemental. It’s interesting how things can be going down the drain in one part of the ship, but another part of it is mostly unaffected by it. Harmony’s Shadowing of Engineering went well, we gave Engineering a once over. And now we’re ready to reconnect the Harmony core to the ship. Meanwhile all hell broke loose in the shuttlebay and it’s now shot up so Engineering will need to fix it. I genuinely despise Sela’s despicable excuses for parents.”
Proxima Lit her horn and took all the gems in her magic, prying them from their indents on her armor and levitating them back to their indents in the Harmony Core. Harmony and Baker stared at her in confusion. “So they managed to get her out of her quarters, all the way to the shuttlebay, and managed to evade over 30 sources of stun shots?” Baker asked.
“All because they wanted to kill an Ensign for...wanting to carve into an asteroid?” Porthos asked.
Proxima nodded as she positioned the gems in their appropriate indents. “That’s the working theory.” She said, Yamik having filled her in on all the relevant details and theories to this incident. “Apparently Ensigns Freedough, Marin, Becker, and Fredrick want to leave a mark on the next mining asteroid we come across as it were. As a morale boost kinda thing.” She explained.
“And to a Vulcan, especially a pair of whackjob Vulcans, such an idea would be seen as a waste of resources.” Baker deduced.
“Yeah.” Proxima agreed. “Which is precisely why I am authorizing the activity. Because I feel it won’t hurt given what they’ve been put through and it will be a middle finger to those whackjobs. And ANY opportunity to stick it to them is worth it.” She said.
“Won’t disagree with you there captain.” Harmony responded. “Speaking of, where’s Cmdr Sela now?”
“In the medbay. Phlox says that the dream crystal, now enchanted with a shield around Sela’s mind, definitely disrupted the mind meld. Though it remains to be seen if it will hold.”
“Considering you used the Elements of Harmony and the Unity Crystals to do it. Something tells me her parents won’t be a problem for a good long time.” Baker commented.
“We can only hope.” Proxima responded with a sigh. Using the Elements of Harmony and the Unity Crystals to help create a magical shield around Sela’s mind really was their last hope in ending Sela’s parents’ shenanigans. “I’m just glad we could stop it before we lost anyone.”
“Yeah. We’ve all been lucky, it would really sting to lose someone because of a threat that should, by any account, be impossible for us to be affected by.” Harmony said.
“As history has shown us time and time again, we should always expect the unexpected.” Proxima responded. “Now, with the Harmony Core back together, think you can take it from here?” She asked.
“Yeah. We should be ready to reconnect the Harmony Core now.” Baker responded.
“Good. Get to it. I best be off.” Proxima responded as she proceeded out of Engineering, leaving Baker, Harmony, and Porthos with the Core.
Meanwhile, Marin, Becker, and Fredrick were with Freedough in the Medbay, Fredrick was recounting to the three the chaos that ensued. “It was legit insanity.” He said. “It felt like I was in the middle of a warzone.”
“Wow.” Becker responded. “Thirty Vs One and it only ended when the Captain swooped in with a magic mcguffin.” He commented. “I suppose we should be grateful that actual, real life magic exists.”
“And that we have the only Magic User in Starfleet onboard.” Marin added.
“Here here on that one.” Fredrick replied. “Heh, I wonder what Sela’s parents are doing now.” He mused.
“If their psychographic profiles are as Boimler says, they’re probably plotting some way to get back at us. Heh. For all the good that’ll do them now.” Becker said.
While the boys chatted away and made fun of Sela’s parents, Freedough couldn’t help but glance over at the Biobed next to hers, where Sela was still unconscious, resting on the bed. After a second, she noticed that Sela was beginning to move. “Hey guys. I think the Cmdr’s waking up.” She said.
The boys glanced towards Sela’s bed and noticed her stirring. “I’ll go get Phlox.” Marin said as he went to go tell the doctor that Sela was waking up.
Sela’s eyes meanwhile fluttered open after she regained consciousness. She opened her eyes to see a familiar sight, the ceiling bulkheads of the Medbay. She attempted to sit up, but she very quickly found out that she couldn’t when she hit a forcefield. ‘Curious.’ She thought. She looked around and saw some officers crowded around the next bed. A quick study of their faces told her that they were Ensigns Becker, Freedough, and Fredrick, and it all came rushing back to her. She remembered trying to resist her parents, she remembered losing control, and she remembered the rampage she went on. She felt something resting on her chest and she moved her hand to feel that it was diamond shaped. She looked down and saw the dream crystal.
She didn’t have time to dwell on it before she heard Boimler call to her. “Cmdr Sela.” Boimler acknowledged as he approached.
Sela glanced at Boimler, and only one question came to mind. “Doctor? What happened?” She asked.
“What do you remember?” Phlox asked in response.
“I…remember resisting my parents’ control over me, I remember attacking that security ensign, and I remember the shootout in the shuttle bay…” Sela recounted. “After that, nothing.” She said. “What happened?” She asked again.
“Well, as far as I can tell.” Boimler responded. “It appears that the Hail Mary worked. And now that crystal protects you, and by extension us, from your parents’ machinations.” He announced before pulling up his combadge HUD.
Sela meanwhile heard what Boimler said, but she could not wrap her brain around it. “...Pardon?” She asked, hesitating to believe that what she heard was true.
Boimler just smiled. “I am detecting field of energy around your mind. Like it’s in its own little bubble. The source? The Dream Crystal around your neck. And based on my readings, nothing bad is ever getting through. I’d say you are, at long last, rid of your parents.” He said as he shut down his HUD after having completed a quick and thorough Neural Scan. After which he deactivated the Biobed Forcefield. “I am putting you on restricted duty the rest of the week to give you time to recover, but other than that, you are free to go. Captain Maxima told me to send you right to her quarters when I let you go. Might be a good idea for you to do so.” Boimler said.
Not knowing what else to do or say, Sela just nodded and sat up. “T-Thank you doctor.” She said, trying to control her breathing.
While Boimler nodded and left, Freedough could see exactly what Sela was trying to do, being all too familiar with such an act. “Feels good doesn’t it?” She asked with a smirk, sitting up herself and swinging her legs over to the side to sit up. “You don’t need to worry about your sorry excuses for parents anymore?”
Sela tensed up when she heard Freedough’s voice. And though she still was trying to process everything, she did have a straight enough mind to respond. “You four...I will never be able to adequately--” Sela tried to apologize before Freedough cut her off.
“With all due respect Commander? Save your breath. You have nothing to apologize for and we all know that.” Freedough said with a smile. “Take it from me. My own parents were complete assholes while I was growing up. I’ve learned that the best thing to do is to forget about them and move on with your life. Trust that sooner or later, karma will rear its ugly head toward them.” She said.
“That...Is one way to go about it.” Sela responded after a second. “Still, it does not make the guilt I have over what happened go away.” She said.
“Would it help to hear that we forgive you?” Fredrick asked. “Because we do.” He assured Sela.
Sela hesitated again, not sure how to feel about them forgiving her so easily. “You mean that?” She asked after a few moments.
“We do. Unlike some people it seems. We have a brain.” Marin said. “Makes no sense to blame you for something outside of your control.”
“So how about we just agree to put this behind us and go back to the well oiled machine we strive to be every day?” Becker asked.
Sela could see it in their expressions that they were being serious, and ultimately, she nodded. “That is agreeable. Thank you.” She said.
“Anytime Cmdr.” Freedough responded.
Sela nodded and excused herself. Wishing Freedough a speedy recovery before leaving the Medbay. She found Yamik standing out there, waiting to escort her to Proxima’s quarters. “Airing on the side of caution for a few days.” Yamik reasoned, to which Sela agreed.
As the two walked through the corridors, the reality of what having a shield around her mind meant began to truly sink in. With the shield, as evidenced by the abrupt stop to the Mind Meld, Sela no longer had to worry about her parents causing mayhem on the ship. With the shield, she was truly and absolutely out of reach of her parents, with the shield…she was free.
As Sela’s mind raced with thoughts of the future and the giant weight that she felt lifted off her shoulders, her composure began to gradually break down as all the stress and emotions that she had been feeling ever since her parents started their shenanigans began to melt away. Yamik meanwhile noticed what was happening and just gave Sela a pat on the back and a smile.
Soon, they arrived at Procima’s quarters and Yamik took his leave. Leaving Sela to ring the bell to let Procima know she was there. The door opened shortly after to reveal Proxima. And as they looked at each other, no words needed to be said. Sela stepped inside and let the door close behind her, and almost immediately after, the pair closed the gap and embraced each other in a hug. It was the final crack that made the floodgates break wide open and Sela let her tears fall. Tears of relief and joy as she allowed all the pent up feelings out.
Proxima, as the pair eventually fell down to their knees, Sela not having the strength to stand anymore, moved Sela’s head to her shoulder as she embraced her friend. She could only imagine the relief Sela was feeling over finally being out of reach of her parents. She herself was relieved that their last ditch effort actually worked. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened if it hadn’t worked.
She was brought out of her thoughts when Sela broke the silence. “Thank you.” Sela whispered simply. Her voice sounding much like a relieved little girl that had just woken up from a long lasting nightmare.
“Of course Seles.” Proxima responded, smiling to herself. “There was no way I was just gonna sit by and let them torment you any longer.” She said.
Sela could only nod in agreement as she wept on Proxi’s shoulder. Years of pain, anguish, and torment all washing away with every tear she let out. Each one freely falling without fear of repercussions by her parents, and being held by her friend who had stuck by her through all of it and stood up for her when she needed it most. For the first time in her life, Sela felt safe expressing her emotions, so she smiled. “I am so happy to have you in my life, Proxima Maxima.” She stated.
Proxima’s smile grew wider as she gently squeezed Sela in her forelegs. “Me and you.” She responded.
“Always have each other’s back we do.” Sela responded on instinct. Their friendship vow that they had made so long ago.
The next day, an all hands assembly in the Mess Hall was called, and there, Sela informed the crew of what had been happening to her. She explained about her parents, her condition, and the danger that, while significantly reduced, was not yet eliminated for good. Proxima had made it a particular point to issue a standing order stating that Sela was to be immediately transported to the brig should she be seen without her crystal necklace. An order she figured would be far easier to follow since instead of relying on subjective strangeness, it relied on pure eyesight and recognizing what the necklace looked like.
After the meeting, it had become just a general hang out. A few people came up to Sela and expressed their having her back all the way. Words that Sela appreciated to the fullest extent possible. At one point, she subconsciously brushed her hand against the phaser pistol she was cleared to carry again in case of a Terrorcon attack. ‘Finally, we can focus on the threat out here, and not the threat back home.’ She thought.
“Cmdr Sela?” Asked Harmony, who approached her.
Sela was brought out of her thoughts at Harmony’s voice. She glanced at the JWO. “Yes Harmony?” She asked.
“Captain Maxima just now released me from her order to not bother you. There are about a thousand messages your parents sent. All of them equate to “You have not seen the last of us.”.” Harmony reported.
Sela blinked. “A thousand messages?” She asked.
“Yes sir. It would seem your parents, among other things, are persistent.” Harmony responded. “Would you like to read any of them?” She asked.
“No. Just add them to the others in the file.” Sela responded. “...In fact, speaking of that. Computer? Erase all contacts labeled with the name T’Pala from my contacts list.” Sela ordered.
“Warning. This action is nonreversible. Proceed?” The Computer asked.
“Proceed.” Sela responded. Finally allowing herself to let go after, foolishly, clinging onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, her parents may have actually gotten their acts together. She saw now that they would never change their ways. So, she was going to follow Freedough’s advice and forget about them, and move on with her life. ‘At last.’ She thought to herself as the computer complied with her request.
To Be Continued...
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same to you
Read EEDoc smiths Lensmen stories an how Kimball Kinnnison got into a heavyly psychically fortified fortress by mind controlling a spider to flick the personal psychic shield switch off on one of the operators.
Messages of all kinds are a problem as all sorts of attacks can occur from them. All the way to increasing curiosity as to why all the messages and surely if you take all care you can analyse just one etc?
great chapter
it sounds like Sela parents are dealt with, or are they? some how i have a feeling they are not going to give up that easy and are just going to crank things up.
awesome chapter i love it.
it sure sounds like the three pets are going to fit in nicely.
11784029
You bet they will. Heheh.