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"The Switch"
(Previous Post: (ANU) "For Our Next Trick" / (BAS) "Foreshadowing")
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Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 33114.0715
An aura of uncertainty hung in the air as Lieutenant Gemma, in her persona of the Varo Pilot Dalra, made her way to the back of the bridge and vanished inside the turbolift pod. Nicole and Selene locked gaze for a few seconds which felt like an eternity, neither woman saying anything but each thinking a universe of things to say. It was the Captain who broke the silence.
"Counsellor, in my ready room please," Selene said, the tone of her voice polite but leaving no doubts that this was not a request that could be ignored or dismissed by the joint Trill. With a nod of her head, Nicole acknowledged the order and quickly took the lead knowing that the Commanding Officer of the BASTET would not be far behind.
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Captain's Ready Room
Stardate: 33114.0716
The two women stepped in one after the other, both remaining silent until the door hissed closed behind them. Nicole expected to see the Captain walk past her and around her desk, but when she did not see this happen, the Trill Counsellor cautiously turned to face the woman standing in the middle of the room.
"Counsellor, first I need to apologize. I know how difficult it can be to come aboard a new ship and deal with a new crew, and that is without taking into account the unique elements of your personal situation. Things have not been easy for you, and some of my decisions have only made things worse," Selene said allowing for the first time her guard to drop so that she could be seen as something less than the cold and calculating Commanding Officer of the BASTET.
"I can only imagine how difficult all of this has been on you," Nicole said, jumping right away into Counsellor mode. To point out the errors or consequences of her actions would only serve to make this worse, and in all honesty, it was the last thing the Trill woman wanted to do. After all, Captain Iverson had opened up her ship and welcomed both Sofia and her as members of her staff. It was true that the transition had not been as smooth as could have been hoped, but the fact remained that the Chief Medical officer and Counsellor had been given a new home and family to be part of.
"Difficult is part of the job," Selene said, her emotional barriers threatening to come back up. "Experience has taught me that much, but it as also showed me the necessity of a Commanding Officer to have a proper working relationship with their Counsellor, something that I failed to establish the moment you came onboard. The rapid sequence of situations on the HATHOR and after that on the BASTET should have shown me that I needed to seek your input instead of using them as an excuse to ignore our need to talk."
"We are talking now," the Joint Trill said, even going as far as to add a faint smile to show that as a Counsellor she understood the situation without prejudice.
"Yes we are," Selene agreed, "and as always time is the issue. I know that you have concerns bordering on misgivings about Gemma and the only thing I can tell you to help is what I have been told and what we all have seen with our own eyes. Whatever personality, whatever appearance she may have, the core of who she is remains the same. Admiral Koniki suggested that I look at Gemma not as a single individual but rather as a team of specialists, all of them operating in their respective ways on the same objective. Although there may be times when one or more of her personalities will come across as not being entirely in agreement with orders given, the training she was subjected to ensures that she will act as ordered."
"I have read about extreme cases of Dissociative Identity Disorder, but never expected to see one up close, especially not one with a physical component," Nicole admitted.
"The visual cues help to make it easier in knowing who you are dealing with," the Captain said. "I will make sure that you have full access to whatever data I was given. Please keep in mind though that I suspect Admiral Koniki did not provide me with the complete file, so there are likely plenty of surprises still to be experienced when dealing with Gemma."
The two women looked at one another for a few seconds, silence filling the void between them.
"Thank you, Captain," the joined Trill said. "It should make for some interesting reading."
"I hope that this will help you understand our Intel Liaison Operative a little better, and I hope that this also will allow us to have a better working relationship," the Captain offered, allowing herself to appear more human than usual one last time. "Now, I need to check on Gemma's progress in modifying the shuttle. In the meantime, I would appreciate if you and Doctor Andersson could try and find a way to have our transporter system work through the distortion field present in this dimension."
"Without Misaki or Wimda, this may prove to be a difficult task," Nicole sighed.
"See, you are already warming up to her," Selene said referring to Gemma. "Well, at least to one of her personalities, but we all have to start somewhere."
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Shuttle Bay
Stardate: 33114.0745
Captain Iverson walked into the Shuttle Bay to find a short blonde-haired Terran woman working on the craft, he woman matching the description of Gabrielle Wolf, an expert in sabotage.
"Having problems?" Selene asked, half hoping that the woman would not reply in a thick German accent.
"Not in the sense you are likely meaning," the woman replied exactly the Captain feared. "I'm much better at making sure things don't work as they are designed to, so trying to make them perform according to specifications or even beyond said specifications is somewhat foreign to me, still I'm figuring it out and the shuttle will be ready soon.
Pleased with the report, Captain Iverson made her way into the shuttle, making a point to see how much explosives would fit in the small craft. Expecting to find the back of the shuttle empty, Selene was surprised to find the area filled to its fullest possible capacity.
A redhead woman with a Russian accent joined the Captain at the back of the shuttle. "Enhanced tri-cobalt devices," Anya Petrov reported. "I had to make a few modifications to increase the yield, but since the casings will not require any sort of propulsion or a navigational system, I have lots of room to play with. Each of these packs enough of a punch to rip a normal ship to shreds, so I hope that with twelve of these, the Lokustaar will be made to feel something they are not soon about to forget."
"A little of an overkill?" Selene said, actually grinning as she did so.
"There is no such thing when faced with an opponent the likes of the Lokustaar," Anya explained. "We either deal a fatal blow to them or they do it to us. Right now, we have the advantage in that they are waiting, studying us like rats in a maze. We will get only one shot and we have to make it count."
Captain Iverson was going to state her agreement in some way, but instead, she found herself dropping to her knees, the sudden and unexpected pain in her head proving to be far too much for her to do anything else.
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Sickbay
Stardate: 33114.0800
Selene finally managed to open her eyes, the pain had subsided enough to allow her to gather her wits and inquire as to where she was. The task was quickly accomplished as the ceiling equipment the Captain was looking at could only be found in one location on board her vessel.
"Doctor Andersson?"
"How are you feeling Captain?" the Chief Medical Officer asked. "Your brain scan has finally come back to normal. We were quite worried for a while. Do you know what happened?"
"I was speaking with Lieutenant Gemma when this sharp, agonizing pain just took over all of my senses. The sensation was so intense that I was unable to do anything but to experience that pain above anything else. Every synapse in my brain, every muscle in my body felt this pain. It was so powerful that I could even describe how it looked, smelled and tasted."
"When Gemma lost consciousness, both Nicole and I played with the theory that it was this dimension that somehow affected her and caused her to faint. We thought that maybe there was some sort of interference with her nanites, but unless you too have those little miniature robots in you, that theory has been pushed aside and replaced by a complete lack of understanding as to what is happening," Doctor Andersson explained. "Why are only specific members of the crew affected while everyone else is not showing any ill effects of being in this forsaken dimension?"
"I am not sure Doctor," the Captain said forcing herself into a sitting position. "All I can say is that whatever you did worked. I am no longer feeling the effects of that pain."
"That is part of the problem," Sofia said with deeply felt concerns. "I did nothing. The pain you experienced seems to have come and gone on its own. There are no traces of a possible trigger that I can find so I cannot tell you why or if it will happen again. What I do find very interesting is that your pain stopped the moment we picked up a trans-dimensional signal which seems to have originated from a probe sent by the HAWKING."
"What?" Selene gasped in delight as she jumped down onto her feet. "Why have you not said this before. That signal may be our only way back to our own dimension." Feeling a certain sense of dizziness, Selene reached back for the examination bed she had been on. Although the pain had vanished, its lingering effects on her body were still very much present.
"With all due respect Captain, I have not cleared you to return to duty. I would like to perform a few more tests to see if I an at the very least understand how this pain was experienced by all of your senses simultaneously," the Chief Medical Officer said, rushing to stand in front of the now standing woman to ensure that she would not go further.
"Doctor," Selene sternly challenged. "As much as I appreciate your concerns, our current situation does not permit us to waste time. As soon as Gemma completes the modifications on the shuttle, we will need to launch it. The subsequent explosion will, we hope, give us a window of opportunity to lock in on the received signal and travel to it without anyone following us. The Lokustaar have done everything they can to get to our dimension, and I certainly will not open a doorway for them to use. I would rather not have to do this, but if I must, this ship and its crew will be sacrificed to make sure these shadows remain here."
It was obvious that there would be no way for the Chief Medical Officer to challenge the Captain on this, but Sofia would make sure to have Nicole check in on Selene as soon as possible, given that they actually survive the events that would soon come to pass.
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Shuttle Bay
Stardate: 33114.0815
"Captain?" The Varo pilot said in shock, not having expected to see the Commanding Officer here after the BASTET had picked up a signal that would show them the way home. "The shuttle is ready, I was just waiting for your signal to launch."
"I wanted to speak to you about the specifics of this mission," Selene said, closing the gap between them. "The force of the explosion will make it exceptionally difficult for you to safely escape the blast and transporters may not be able to help bring you back."
"Anya made it clear that this is going to be an explosion like no other," Dalra noted. "She was rather pleased with herself with the modifications to the torpedoes and went as far as to suggest that the blast may even be felt in other dimensions."
Selene chuckled, a reaction that was quite out of character for the Commanding Officer. "I suspect that Wimda or even Misaki would argue that possibility but that is not why I am here."
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 33114.0825
Doctor Andersson and Counsellor Dima stood on the Command Deck, neither women had wanted to miss the action that was about to take place.
"Do you think this will work?" Nicole asked of her friend in a whispered, worried voice.
"I have no idea," Sofia reluctantly admitted. "I just hope it does because the alternative will not be a pleasant one for anyone on board the BASTET."
The joined Trill was about to press for more information when the doors to the turbolift opened causing both women to turn expecting to see the return of their Captain so that she could take charge of the operation. To the shared surprise of the Chief Medical Officer and Counsellor, it was the blonde-haired Varo Pilot who stepped onto the bridge.
"Where is the Captain?" Counselor Dima inquired, not sure she understood why the Intel Liaison Operative had returned to the bridge.
"Out there," Dalra replied, pointing to the small craft that had just appeared in the bottom corner of the view screen. "She is the one piloting the shuttle."
"WHAT!?" Nicole and Sofia exclaimed in shock. Why had their Captain decided on such a course of action?
---
Setting: Shuttle, Cockpit
Stardate: 33114.0830
Selene could not explain it, but since having experienced that pain, she felt a darkness in her that somehow allowed her to understand the Lokustaar a little more than she had before. The fear she felt was gradually consuming her, but instead of driving the woman to retreat it forced her to act in order to save her ship and crew. Using that insight, she could feel the presence of the hidden Lokustaar vessel, that was one of the reasons why Captain Iverson had taken over as the pilot of this craft.
The other reason was that the Commanding Officer believed that the odds of the BASTET making it home safe and sound were much better if the Varo was at the helm. Dalra had proven herself to be more than an expert pilot, and right now her skills would be put to better use on the BASTET instead of here in this shuttle.
Iverson glanced at her instruments, almost happy to see that the ship was not trying to stop her, not that they could have. The transporters were next to useless in this dimension and Lieutenant Gemma, as well as all of her other personalities, had been given the strict orders to get the BASTET back home. All that was left was to see if this plan would work, a plan that *had* to work.
---
Setting: USS BASTET, Bridge
Stardate: 33114.0825
"We have to bring the Captain back," Sofia bellowed, stopping short of trying to physically force Gemma when the Intel Operative glared back at her, her eyes for a split second being those of someone else, someone who seemed a great deal more dangerous than the Varo pilot.
"The Captain knows exactly what she is doing," Dalra defended as she continued to get the BASTET ready for what was to come. "There is a small window for us to use, and within that window, there is a possibility of our being able to get her back. Timing will need to be perfect, but I need you to be quiet and let me do what I was asked to do."
"How are you going to bring her back?" Sofia dismissed the request to remain quiet, her need for an answer being greater than her ability to comply with the given directives.
"The moment the Dimensional drive is activated, the ambient distortion patterns should diminish enough for us to get a lock on the Captain and beam her back. Wimda did all of the calculations and the theory is sound, but the timing is beyond tight. The BASTET will need to open a dimensional rift before the explosion starts so that we can retrieve the Captain and escape before the shockwave hits us. The way Anya described the potential force of the explosion, we want to be as far away from here as possible."
Nicole focussed on the woman and how she referred to her own other personas as if they were independent people, operating beyond her own physical form. This particular subject was not what she wanted to think about, but it was a better alternative than to worry about the outcome of the mission spearheaded by the Captain.
"Here's the signal," Dalra announced. "Opening a dimensional rift, transporter scanning for the Captain."
A collective hush held the bridge in its grasp as the officers waited for news of the fate of their Commanding Officer.
"Do you have her?" Sofia asked, the Chief Medical Officer unable to hold her silence.
"I can't get a lock," the Intel Operative said, her hands frantically dancing over the controls in a desperate attempt to fix the problem. "GOT HER! Energizing!"
Just as the Varo woman made the announcement, a bright flash of light filled the command deck causing the pilot to quickly send the BASTET into the opened dimensional rift.
---
Setting: USS HAWKING, Bridge
Stardate: 33114.0830
An hour ago, the signal was received from one of the probes which indicated that the BASTET had been located somewhere deep in the multitude of possible dimensions of the multiverse. The crew of the HAWKING had worked hard to try and help the lost vessel in finding its way home, and when a rift opened, everyone's hopes became impossible to hide.
"There she is!" Lieutenant Mitshiba joyously said as the vessel gradually appeared on the viewscreen, the Chief Science Officer knowing that this was what their Flight Control Officer had wanted to see and hear.
Cheers filled the command deck of the HAWKING followed with expressions of relief as the rift closed without any other vessel coming through.
"A communication channel has been opened," Samson reported, knowing that Commander Valentine would ask for this.
"Welcome back Captain, we were starting to worry that you would not find your way back."
An odd silence met the bridge personnel of the HAWKING causing the Commander to look at the Avatar in a quizzical manner, asking without words as to the status of their communication capabilities.
"The channel is open," Samson reported. "They should be replying.
"HAWKING to BASTET, Captain Iverson, please reply."
=/\= This is Doctor Andersson... I'm sorry Commander, but Captain Iverson is not with us. She likely didn't survive the explosion that allowed us to escape without being followed by the Lokustaar. =/\=
Another silence washed over the bridge of the HAWKING, this one born out of sorrow.
"I am sorry for your loss Commander," Samson offered, his condolences being the only thing he could give.
---
Setting: Somewhere Dark
Stardate: 33114.0830
Selene found herself face first on a black floor deprived of any features, surrounded by walls equally dark and smooth. The room, whatever it might have been, was filled with an eerie silence that felt almost tangible. As she pushed herself up onto her feet, the woman thought back to her last memory of in the shuttle and being enveloped by a transporter beam which she believed to have originated from the BASTET. Given her current surroundings though, Captain Iverson figured that either the transporter beam had come from somewhere else or the transport beam itself had somehow been intercepted. Either way, she was certainly not on board her vessel.
The absolute silence gradually gave way to a single set of high pitch screeches which were soon followed by several others. Although this was more than enough to allow the woman to figure out where she was, it was the appearance of several sets of eight softly glowing red eyes that confirmed her fears.
"Iverson to BASTET."
=/\= Your ship is gone, =/\= an icy cold disembodied voice said as if coming from the darkness itself.
"Who or what are you?" Selene suspected the answer but she still needed to know if she was right or if something else had happened to her.
=/\= We are darkness. =/\=
"Why am I here? What do you want with me? What happened to my ship, to my crew?"
=/\= Your ship and crew left you behind. You are here, alone. =/\=
"So they escaped," Selene said smiling understanding that the reply she was given was meant to frighten her. "You might have gotten me, but you failed in getting your hands on my ship. That, to me, is all that matters."
=/\= Your crew was resourceful, but that does not change anything. We will spread chaos throughout your dimension as we have done to countless others. It is never a question of whether this will happen or not. It is only a matter of when. =/\=
"I'm alright with that because today was not the day. Today, you lost."
=/\= You are here, and for today, that is victory enough for us. =/\=
As relieved as Selene was in the knowledge that the BASTET had escaped, she could not deny the growing feeling of dread that was taking over her senses. She began to understand that the pain she experienced earlier had been caused by the Lokustaar either as an attempt to distract her, or to achieve exactly what had come to pass. As they said, her being here in their custody had been victory enough for them on this day, and that thought was frightening enough. Even more so than the possibility of never seeing the stars of her home or the people she had grown to recognize as friends.
---
Jessica Solarik
Commanding Officer
USS BASTET
&
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS
"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)