Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 6: Perpetual Change
Scene 1: Whisky 4
6.1
Whisky 4
The elderly former premiere of the Vulcan Science Academy had not roused from her morning meditation as usual. Within 20 minutes, T'Eln's assistant director, T’Kusytt, alerted Dean Sakura Nakamura Holland and also the entire Astrophysics and Stellar Cartography department. It was not unusual for T'Eln to extend her meditation if she had a particular issue to consider. But she almost never did this without first alerting T’Kusytt of her plans. This extension was unplanned.
T’Kusytt's response to the situation, was, however, not. There were many situations that might cause a vulcan to extend meditation without notice. Given T'Eln's extraordinary discipline, the only likely causes ranged from problematic to potentially disastrous. Of the members of the department, Falok, the team leader for the astrophysics group, was the closest to T'Eln, in part because he was a distant relative and in part because of his own extraordinary discipline.
By pre-arrangement, T'Eln was removed from her quarters to the Astrophysics and Stellar Cartography center, located adjacent to the probe lab. Falok settled on the floor facing her. He did not enter a meditative state, nor did he attempt a mind-meld, but he placed his hand on hers to facilitate any attempt on her part to communicate with him. Even deep inside her meditative state, T'Eln would be aware of this plan and of Falok's presence.
In the bizarre, multi-level, multi-gravitic engineering section, the masked luchador and 1st officer for the U.S.S. Beagle, Commander Dutch Holland, did not like the readings one of his devices was producing. He reached out to the bridge: "Skip, Sakura, the D.T. generator is reading some very strange fluctuations in local spacetime. It's like there is a massive black hole, but it's not registering as producing any gravitic changes even though all the space-folding characteristics are there."
"This is Lieutenant Commander Senek, in command. The captain was headed toward engineering to..."
"He just walked in, Senek," Dutch Holland interrupted as Captain Skip Howard strolled into Engineering. He turned toward his friend. "Why did you leave the bridge, Skip?"
"Not my shift to be in command," Howard replied. "This is Senek's watch. I'm doing that walk-around thing granddad keeps going on about at the academy. By your expression, I gather the thingamajig is not making you happy?"
"Skip, Dutch," came Sakura Nakamura Holland's voice from the bridge. "Please be advised that Premiere T'Eln has not roused from her meditation. It's unplanned."
"You are aware that the D.T. generator has a bad case of the D.T.’s, correct?” Howard asked. "Please tell me that 2 plus 2 does not equal 5..."
"Your arithmetic is inept," Lt. Cmdr. Senek responded. "But your metaphor might, unfortunately, be apt. The relationship between your Doppler Tunneling readings and T'Eln's extended meditation could be more than casual."
"All stop," Howard ordered. "Bring all probes to station keeping and advise the task force to do the same."
In the Probe Control Lab, just forward of Astrophysics and Stellar Cartography, Major Janet Carter had just arrived due to concerns raised by Sergeant Tommy Richards.
"Sergeant, we have an all stop order," Major Carter remarked. "Why is Probe Whisky 4 not responding to all stop?"
"Unknown, Major," Richards replied. "I have initiated full reverse, but the probe continues to move forward."
Major Carter hit the comm switch: "Captain Howard, Bridge, we have a problem with Probe Whisky 4. The probe is not responding to all stop and is moving forward despite our attempt to put it into full reverse..."
"This is Captain Howard. Emergency cutoff all external communications, incoming and outgoing..."
"Emergency cutoff, aye," Richards replied. Then: "We are still receiving telemetry from Whisky 4 despite the emergency cutoff. All other channels are shut down, but the Whisky 4 channel remains open."
"Emergency destruct Whisky 4," Captain Howard ordered.
"Sending emergen..."
(Perpetual Change by Lent on Deviant Art)
6.1