far_beyond | A beating heart of stone

Entry tags:

A beating heart of stone | A new arrival

Who: Devin Parker
What: New arrival! He's not enjoying himself.
When: Start of the month, amid the giant vole infestation problems
Where: Promenade, Operations module, and wherever voles congregate
Warnings: None, will add as needed.

A. A New Arrival

What in the nine hells is this?

Devin was not entirely unaccustomed to being yanked around by gods, but this was… new. A moment ago, he had been standing in the private room of his club, and now he stood in the middle of the promenade. For a long stretch, Devin stood very still as he assessed his surroundings. No immediate danger he could see or hear or otherwise sense; it appeared much like a futuristic town square, of sorts. A hub of activity, or what should be a hub. There were some people, but hardly the number he'd expect for a place of this size.

His attire was completely different, if reasonably practical. The tablet in his hand was not like ones he knew, but it was comprehensible from a usage standpoint. If this whole thing was a trap, it was a highly unusual one.

Cautiously, Devin walked until he could find a place to sit, and opted to begin with the tablet. This, at least, provided an answer to his arrival, albeit in a much less ostentatious format. He had not yet met the entity named Q, but Devin resolved to treat him with the same amount of respect as he did any other god, which is to say: very little.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, and kept reading and watching people go by.

B. Operations

It quickly became obvious that what people there were on this bizarre station were occupied and overwhelmed by enormous alien rodents.

All things considered, this was not the worst introduction to a place Devin had ever had. He found his way to the Operations module, since that was apparently his assigned duty (he could think of worse occupations, too), and spent a long while carefully familiarizing himself with the computer interfaces and capabilities of the station. Giant voles very likely were not the biggest problem they'd face, and Devin would rather be prepared.

Suffice it to say he will remain engrossed, if extremely attentive to his surroundings while he studies.

C. Giant Rats

Phasers were vastly different from the firearms Devin was accustomed to, but his skills with guns still came into play. If it looked like he was channeling his confusion and agitation with this situation into learning how to expertly use the phasers and killing voles, at least it was a useful redirection. Feel free to join him.

Still, it was an inefficient methodology, so at one point he took the risk of fiddling with the settings on the phaser. "There's got to be a way to make these damned things wide-beamed," Devin grumbled, consulting the information on the computer screen next the the bench he'd temporarily claimed. Surely someone had tried this before.

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Cold, but no colder than her general view on humanity, though the more time she spent among the mortal race, the more...fondness she had despite her dislike of them. Predators rarely had a caring view of their prey, which led to the question of if this man was such a predator. He was at the very least an immensely cynical 'human', and at the most...she truly had little idea. The phasers seemed to be mostly painless, as much as she could tell through the lack of true intelligence the beasts presented. In truth, they were much like the Void, hungry and instinctive.

"Well, unfortunately, those two sections cannot be vented in the way you suggest, but if you are searching for efficiency, there's a strange rifle in security you might make use of instead of a phaser."

Though, picking the vermin off one by one was still slower than any of them liked.

Faint annoyance pinched Devin's brow as he continued to study the screen, though whether this was for her comments or what he was reading would be difficult to guess. Perhaps both. The entire situation was disagreeable, if not deeply dangerous. And that was assuming he was really here and not merely trapped in some horrific manipulation.

"Unless they can use a wide-beam distribution, they won't be much more helpful," Devin said, pulling up the specifications. The weapon in question did indeed resemble a rifle, and appeared to have multi-target functionality. He continued after a moment, scoffing, "You would think that with this level of advanced technology that someone would have built a better mousetrap by now."

Valdis continued her observations, allowing a moment of her own annoyance to slip through her guard. Was it too much to ask for someone with no heartbeat to offer something aside from sarcasm and snide comments?

A very human question, asking someone to have a heart, how weak to even consider that it is a useful thing to even possess.

The glowing gem in the hilt of the blade darkened as the voices offered their own commentary. How vocal the creature had become in the silence of space. She closed her eyes, a short, sharp breath to contain the dark curiosity, the penchant for chaos. Upsetting a potential ally against Q surely wasn't worth the risk.

"Perhaps they have and we just haven't figured it out yet."

She looked back at her padd, the vole life signs in the two sections had vanished, time to isolate a few more.

Easier, easier. We wonder...

Devin could not say what, exactly, prompted him to raise his eyes from the terminal. He did it, and he noted the light-shift in the gem, the sharp intake of breath, as though something caused her discomfort. Nothing obvious, in any case. Curious.

"Perhaps," he allowed, turning back to the screen. The Q entity could have easily removed any more helpful information, as well. It seemed to find entertainment in their struggles, which was not encouraging. "You've clearly been here longer than me; what search terms would you use?"

It could be an idle question from someone only newly acquainted with the computer systems. It could also be a gentle query into the way her mind worked.

"Not much longer."

These creatures didn't just show up at random, they likely just had a population boom due to the emptiness of the station itself. By that train of thought, this very event had likely happened before.

"I would find out what the personnel did the last time they had a population boom. It's unlikely this is the first time these vermin have invaded the station in such a manner."

Valdis missed her team back in LA, the varied bunch that Q had pulled together wasn't much of a cohesive unit, though the current crisis had seemed to draw them together ever so slightly.

"I would shudder to think they evolved here," he said by way of agreement. Somehow they'd gotten on the station, probably in one of those accidental introductions of invasive species that happened in the course of commerce.

Her answer was practical. That didn't tell him much, but it would be the beginning of a pattern. "A sound enough strategy." Devin still thought evacuating the people and then the air from any affected sections would be the most practical, but that wouldn't work everywhere. He queried the computer for mentions of the voles in station logs, focusing on any pertaining to security or engineering. He also requested files from the Sciences division; surely these things had weaknesses like any other species.

"Since I've been here approximately a day, if you have any insight into other potential security risks, do feel free to share," he drawled, sounding faintly bored despite feeling actual apprehension. They were flying utterly blind.

Not quite...fear, but a sense of uncertainty and worry wafted through the room. So the heartless man did feel things beneath that sarcastic, calculating exterior. Valdis hummed softly, uncertain of how to use this information, or if she even should. The two souled nature of this man, paired with his apparent life without a heartbeat made him an unknown quantity of the strangest kind.

She walked over to him, her eyes purposefully on his screen as she leaned toward it, reading what he came up with, breathing deeply to catch his scent more clearly. A soft tug in her chest and a low hiss in her mind told her the Void didn't much like being near him. Even more strange. Satisfied, she leaned back to stand up straight again.

"Hmm, what we know so far." Valdis retreated slightly to give herself more distance, hiding it through another low, thoughtful hum. "Some of it should have been given to you upon your arrival, but we are currently trying to make contact with the Tu Vishan, which appears to be a Federation vessel. This station is currently a Federation base. Before than it was held by a race known as the Cardassians, not quite Nazis, but they certainly weren't benevolent rulers of Bajor. Anything we've been able to glean from the station's computers has been pretty basic. Personal logs are password protected so we are mostly flying blind."

Very carefully, Devin did not outwardly react to her approach or her lean into his space. She didn't get problematically close, but close enough that it felt purposeful.

"I did arrive with this in hand," he said, indicating the padd beside him. "It largely only explained where and, to some extent, why we're here." The 'why' being Q messing with their lives. "I have been trying to catch up somewhat, but there is a great deal of information here." He hadn't yet had time to investigate the depth of the conflict that had occurred in this area of space.

Devin paused, scrolling through a report on the effectiveness of various gasses to sedate the voles. He continued, "Assuming they're as clever as this Federation, how likely do you think it is that the Cardassians will take advantage of this situation to attempt to reclaim the station?"

No reaction, not even emotionally to her closeness. She continued to ponder, though whose curiosity she was trying to satisfy was unclear.

"Oh, I have no doubt that if the Cardassians get here before the Federation we will have a fight on our hands. As far as records indicate, you could call the Federation the...good guys."

For whatever it was worth.

"I'd rather deal with the Cardassians than our currently presiding deity, at least they are mortal beings."

She caught of glimpse of his screen, seeing the report on the gases, "Back up a little, that one there might be possible."

For better or worse, Devin had had to get used to people in close proximity to him. Elders could not show weakness.

He snorted at the comment about the 'good guys'. "That's the story they may tell, at any rate." Good and bad were so often manipulated to fit a narrative. The Federation might simply be the lesser of several evils.

At the woman's request, Devin scrolled back up a little. "Anesthizine does look promising," he agreed. There were a few other options with similar effects, but they were probably overkill. "Assuming we can figure out how to pipe it into the environmental system and direct it where we want it." Hopefully someone with engineering expertise (and probably medical, to ensure they didn't use too much) could figure it out.

"What should I call you?" he inquired, purposely not asking what her name was. They were not necessarily the same thing.

Good vs evil seemed to always be subjective, after all the winners were the ones who wrote the history, never mind that other forces may have been at play. Valdis read the screen as he scrolled up, planning in her head how they might do it. Good thing Jaina learned so quickly, she might be their best bet since Peter had vanished, though the girl didn't seem too keen on being part of the team.

"I think we can make this one work, but people smarter than I when it comes to this station are going to need to be looped in."

She gave him a sideways glance, considering the question. Odd, and clever, perhaps he sought to glean something from the answer. He didn't ask her name, or her title.

"My friends back home call me Miranda," she replied. At least they saw themselves as friends, she saw them mostly as cover, just like her job and her team. Or so she continued to tell herself.

"But here...I suppose my real name wouldn't be amiss, and I'm not currently one for titles." She left those behind with her other missing memories, "You can call me Valdis."

Perhaps a cruel name, but it was hers, she couldn't remember being anyone else, despite her brother's insistence.

"And you are?"

He swiveled his chair to look at Valdis more directly, merely arching an eyebrow at her reply to his inquiry. That she supplied both names was intriguing. Certainly not a measure of trust, but it was revealing in other ways. People usually had an alias for a reason.

"Devin Parker." In his world, that name could be enough to send fear shivering through a room. Here, it only mattered for the powers it still supplied him, and those were hardly relevant even so.

"Given that we are short-handed, we may all have to learn more than we'd prefer," Devin said of the gas distribution. "I'm sure your intelligence will measure up to the task." He quirked a cold smile, and nodded to the sword at her hip. "And I sincerely doubt your current title of 'ensign' reflects your actual capabilities."

Finally, a response that wasn't sarcasm or cold logic, one that actually gave her something to go off of...surprise, or some measure of it. Perhaps he hadn't expected that sort of honesty, which could tell someone quite a bit about how he viewed the world. Perhaps he saw the world in the same was she did, cold, calculating, holding everything close and keeping everyone else at arms reach. Or perhaps he was just a sarcastic, selfish bastard caught up in whatever game Q was playing. Time would tell.

The prod at her intelligence could have been an insult, but humility was not her style in the slightest and life was boring without a challenge. "Certainly, but part of being a team is playing to your strengths and mine does not lie in the mechanical distribution of toxic gas throughout the station. I'm certainly willing to learn however."

Valdis felt the sword shine brighter when he nodded toward it. Unsurprising that he had noticed, the blade wasn't exactly inconspicuous, but leaving it behind while energy rodents ran about the place didn't seem wise.

"Ah, yes, I have some fighting skills, enough knowledge of the sword to keep myself alive if needed." More than that...much more. "This particular blade is called Revelations. It's...a family heirloom."

Of a sort.

Strictly speaking, those two mindsets were not mutually exclusive. He was cold and calculating, and he was equally selfish. One served the other.

"It's only toxic if one uses too much," Devin remarked mildly. He was aware that was a real possibility for the untrained, and he hadn't intended the comment as an insult. Valdis had sharpness wrapped around her, and he had no doubt that applied to more than the blade at her hip.

"Is it," he said of the 'heirloom', not quite a question. Devin suspected she was downplaying her skills, an interesting contrast to sharing both of her names, but confronting her on it now would gain him little. The name for the sword caught his attention, though.

Her familiarity with technology spoke to a similar level as he knew, probably, and while 'Revelations' might not reference the Bible, Devin was not one to rely on coincidence as an excuse. She was likely from some version of Earth, or supposed to be, if this was all an illusion. "It's very fine craftsmanship. May I ask how long ago it was forged?" See, he was capable of manners.

There were many reasons someone might carry two names, but few reasons for a common woman in her line of work or of her apparent age to be a master swordswoman, not to mention skilled in the ways of killing as she was. If she hadn't developed such a cursed moral code, she would have done well as a mob boss or assassin in current times.

The fact that Devin took such an interest in the sword was unsurprising and yet the sword had such a complicated history and was so deeply tied to things that people couldn't and truly shouldn't try to understand. She herself didn't know the sword, but it knew her. Even if it didn't have that history, no sword over a thousand years old shone as brightly as this one did.

"I don't know."

Not entirely a lie, but enough of one perhaps for him to pick up on. Too many fine and dangerous details were wrapped in that hilt, though...did secrecy really matter here?

"I'm fairly certain I can figure out how to synthesize this gas using the tools in medical, and of course the computer. I'll need Jaina to help figure out the dispersal method, unless you'd like to do more than just sit at a desk and go through files."

Perhaps an unnecessary prod, but with the lack of a heartbeat and the twin souls, Valdis didn't want his focus on the holy sword any longer than what they had already discussed.

Devin's posture and expression remained unchanged when Valdis shifted the topic of discussion back away from the sword. Perhaps she genuinely didn't know; perhaps she simply didn't wish to speak of it. He'd file it away for later.

"I cannot claim any great knowledge of fluid dynamics." Vi would have been on top of this problem in an instant, and Devin ignored the thought. "But I suppose if you're set on keeping me from becoming bored, I can attempt to assist. These systems seem to have ample capacity for running simulations," he said with a lazy gesture toward the console. "They can probably prevent us from accidentally knocking ourselves out."

A short pause, and Devin hummed. "Do we not have anyone with medical expertise yet?" This, at least, was genuine curiosity.

He seemed to accept that the conversation had shifted and followed the new direction. Though, just because he was willing to shift focus, didn't mean he was willing to let it go forever. Something for her to keep in mind.

"The Holosuites might be the fastest way for us to see if our plan will work." She replied when he mentioned simulations. She hadn't explored the features much, or really at all, it seemed like a possibly dangerous endeavor, pretending such things, but in this particular case it might be helpful.

"We do not have anyone trained in the medical field on the station right now, perhaps Q finds it amusing."

"Pity." Given the level of technology in this place, there was probably a lot that could be handled by a computer when it came to health. All the same, Devin made a mental note to swing by the infirmary when he had the time and familiarize himself with the tools. He might not have had any certifications, but he could manage a bit of field medicine.

"I was thinking of simply inputting the variables and letting the computer play with it," he replied to Valdis, shrugging slightly. "But I suppose using the holosuites will improve our knowledge of their operation, so it would be killing two birds with one stone."

Devin stood smoothly, noting the height difference between them. "Lead the way."

As he stood, Valdis noted the scent of death once again, it hung around him very much as it did her. What that meant without further prying couldn't be known and she had no desire to play any more cards, especially when it came to self-preservation.

"Let's hope it succeeds in killing a couple of these voles," she quipped, turning to lead the way out of Operations.

She was already noting perimeters in her head, the computer should be able to manage most of it with basic instructions. She pulled out her padd, searching for the specifics of the gas and began calculations.

"Knocking them out long enough to kill them will do, too." Though overdosing them with the sedative gas wouldn't be the worst plan. They would have to check the supply of anesthizine, or its components.

He trailed after her to where the holosuites were located, remaining quiet as she referred to the padd on the way. When they arrived, he scanned the wall panel display. Most of the computers did respond to verbal input, and if they wanted to test if this idea was realistic… Time to find out just how intelligent and detailed these things could be.

"Computer, recreate Deep Space Nine based on current conditions and population," he requested. "Open into engineering."

The wall chirped, and the doorway opened for them, waiting patiently. He stared inside at what appeared to be the engineering section, down to the finest details - including the voles. It was a marvel of technology, and it did absolutely nothing to reassure him this whole incident wasn't an elaborate manipulation. "Well, I'll be damned. That's quite a trick."

Why do things in two steps when you could do it in one? If this specific formula worked, then they could systematically flood parts of the station, wiping out the voles section by section. The gas was an interesting one, if it existed in her day and age, she had no doubt that it would have been mass produced for warfare. After all, no amount of political accord could ever truly wipe out such things.

She sensed the sharpness that accompanied the perfect recreation of the engineering section. Suspicion, of course, but also the added edge of someone always looking over their shoulder for the next threat. A similar feeling to those who had been on the ground in more modern warfare, but less like PTSD and more...refined, contained...more dangerous.

"Computer, simulate Anesthizine at thirty parts per million." If seventy could put the average adult humanoid to sleep, then the voles should either fall unconscious and die, or just...go to sleep, leaving the rest of them unaffected.

"Whenever you're ready."

Since both the use of a gas and venting all of the atmosphere would require sealing off sections, Devin assumed the anesthizine wouldn't be a silver bullet to get all of the voles. But it would give them an advantage, and presumably a kinder death than vacuum, which he didn't particularly care about but others probably would. And, he supposed, leaks of anesthizine would be less dangerous than losing oxygen.

Although he knew that the scene before him was a simulation, it would take longer for his brian to wrap itself around the concept. Too much instinct that had kept him alive to shove away easily. He stepped inside the archway, remaining cautious as he observed their surroundings. Almost unnervingly realistic.

He ran his fingers along the edge of a console, felt the texture and no give. "Hard light holograms. This must use an astronomical amount of power," Devin remarked, setting aside the vole problem briefly. That would play out as the computer calculated. He stepped closer to the fusion reactor, the unrecognizable engineering feat that scientists still only dreamed of in his world. "A miniature sun, captured and controlled for our use." He almost sounded disappointed. "One wonders if anyone but the engineers give it the respect that it's due, or if this is simply normal for the previous inhabitants."

She supposed it was impressive, in a manner of speaking. Perhaps a waste of power and technology, certainly energy, but...for people out here, in space, for months on end? Perhaps it was a worthy use of that energy.

Valdis placed her hand on another surface, noting the genuine feel of the console just like Devin. It would be far too easy to become lost in such hallucinations, they were so real. Technology such as this could be dangerous if it got out of hand.

"If you are around something enough, and bend it to your will for enough time, do you really respect it, or do you just assume it is on your side?"

Perhaps an odd question, but his wondering was just as odd, if not philosophical.

Devin noted a cynical slant to the question, glancing over at her curiously for a moment. "I think that depends greatly on the individual, and even more so on the culture. More likely most people believe things simply are the way they are, and don't expect them to change in any drastic way."

He wandered closer to the core, stepping around projected voles that were beginning to grow sluggish. "But sometimes, being around something for a very long time educates you in just how dangerous or complex it can be. Physics doesn't take sides, and acclimation doesn't preclude respect."

If people lived on small ships their whole lives, and not on stations as grand as this one or starships like the one holding nearby, Devin imagined there were certain things you simply did not skip just because you were used to it. You don't skip checking seals and supplies and fuel when a hard vacuum is mere inches away. It wasn't so different from how he lived his life, close to the edge at all times. "I suppose we won't know unless the previous residents return," he added, a bit wryly, and prodded one of the voles that had flopped over by his feet. "This seems to be working."

Valdis caught the very end of his glance, aware that her question was perhaps a bit off par. Yet, she looked at the core and couldn't help but feel like very few could truly respect the power being stored there. Those who worked with it daily perhaps, but those who just hovered around its existence...even if they understood the danger it could cause should it go awry, that didn't mean they truly respected it.

She shook her head, feigning deep distraction by her own thoughts, though she was greatly aware of the rest of Devin's comments, as well as the one about the Vole.

"Do you hear a heartbeat?" Did these holograms even have heartbeats, "I guess a better question is if it is alive or not. I can raise the potency if needed."

"I imagine the holographic systems are complex enough they could replicate a heartbeat, but I'm not sure it's on by default." He could easily imagine holography being used by surgeons in training, for example, but those programs would specify the medical parameters needed. Devin wasn't sure why she thought he could hear it from his position, but it made him slightly more wary of her.

"Computer, estimate the number of dead and sedated Cardassian voles in the engineering section," the vampire said after a moment to formulate the verbal request.

"Eighty-one percent dead, eighteen percent sedated. Sedated life signs indicate no chance of survival if current gas levels are maintained," the computer dutifully replied.

"And the remaining two percent?"

"Two percent departed the section before the sedative could take full effect."

He turned to Valdis, raising an eyebrow in inquiry. "Well, that's a decent success rate. Perhaps just a fractional increase in anesthizine levels would be sufficient if we really want to be sure."

The tension in the air, slight as it was, felt a touch colder. Again she was reminded of two predators who were in the same territory and carefully moving around each other, evaluating the threat and, if there was one, trying to decide what they would do next. Yet, here they were, killing giant voles instead. Which, of course, seemed to be far more successful than anticipated.

"Decent enough. If we can get the parameters correct in real life and manage to spread it systematically through the station." She replied, "Then, of course, we have to go collect all the corpses."

Sounded like a good task to delegate to someone else.

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A beating heart of stone | A new arrival

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