Into the known unknown

Posted on Tue Sep 2nd, 2025 @ 10:29am by Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Zyrani & Lieutenant N'vok Holv & Lieutenant Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen [Taylor] & Gunnery Sergeant Luxa Gami [Naxea]

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Holodeck 3
Timeline: MD 6
2983 words - 6 OF Standard Post Measure

N'vok was fully suited up in a complete bodysuit, his usual glasses replaced with goggles, from his belt hung a variety of sensor units and other gear. He looked over his datapad and waited for the other members of the team to arrive.

A few scant moments later, Savar entered the holodeck. Like N'vok he was in a bodysuit. He carried a tricorder and an Electroencephalography monitor. He hoped to be able to record electrical signals of the Zynari. Seeing N'vok already there he gave a nod. "Are we ready to proceed?"

"Almost, we have one more team member to arrive," said N'vok, checking the datapad. "They are on their way."

"Excellent." Savar intoned mater of factly and grew silent again as he awaited the arrival of the other team member.

The form belonging to Gunnery Sergeant Luxa Gami entered the Holodeck. Like the officers, she too wore a body suit. She carried a Type 2 phaser holstered at her waist. Naxea had ordered her to help the Science geeks on communicating with the Zyrani. She wasn't at all happy with these beings. Because of them, her friend was nearly killed by Desek when he escaped. "So what's the plan, Sirs," She asked.

Savar turned as Sergeant Gami entered the holodeck. He saw the phaser at her waist but refrained from comment as he was sure Colonel Azhul had ordered Gami to come armed. "The plan as you say Sergeant is to attempt to communicate with the Zynari and hopefully record their electrical signals."

"How exactly are we supposed to get the Zynari's attention in this holodeck?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. She was aware of the fact that she would be needed to help communicate due to being a Betazoid but the Colonel had left out the details.

"I have set the holodeck to cycle through a set of signals that, in previous Zynari/Holodeck interactions, indicated that there was communication between the two," said N'vok as the holodeck's door closed and the grid was replaced by a pebble beach under a cloudy blue-green sky. "Basically, we knock on the door and see if anyone answers."

"And they better have some damn good answers," Luxa commented as she looked around at the new environment in the holodeck. She reached out with her mind. Nothing felt unusual at the moment. "What attracts these Zynari?"

"That is an excellent question. There seems to be no pattern to their arrival. Which leads to the theory that while we are dealing with the Zynari, we are also dealing with different groups or factions of the species." Savar replied with Vulcan coolness.

N'vok picked up a pebble and tossed it out into the sea. "It is a frustrating situation. We believe they are trying to communicate with us but until we bridge that gap, we cannot know what they are trying to communicate." N'vok picked up another pebble and examined it. "It is hoped that perhaps our Vulcan or Betazoid senses might help to build that bridge."

"We are searching for a common ground Sergeant. One both the Zynari and ourselves can relate to and built upon." Savar added.

As they spoke, a soft chime echoed through the room. It was soft, distant, and hard to determine where it came from.

"Spread out but keep in sight of each other," said N'vok, setting his datapad to locate and analyze sounds. "We need to find out where that is coming from."

Savar nodded at N'vok's instructions as he set about trying localize the spot the sound came from. He had the Electroencephalography monitor in his hand as he tried to pinpoint a locashift.

The sound seemed to have come in every direction. Had the Zynari messed with the holodeck's sound system? Luxa reached out again with her senses. There wasn't quite a presence but there was something more than N'vok and Savar. "Ok you immature bastards. Let's talk," she said to nobody in particular.

"Are you sensing anything Sergeant that may indicate our 'guests' are about." Savar asked as he continued to try and pick any electrical signals the Zynari may be broadcasting.

A soft giggle echoed through the air. Then a short distance away, a small orb of light appeared and began bouncing around.

Savar turned at the sound of the giggle while also noticing a small orb of light. "I believe the Zynari have arrived." He stated to N'vok and Gami. Seeing the orb, Savar decided on an illogical act. One he calculated the Zynari would react positively to. He spread his arms wide in greeting and waited.

Seeing Savar's ploy, N'vok decided to follow suit. He clipped his datapad to his belt and gave a nod of greeting to the orb, giving it his full attention.

"Are you gonna hug it? Twenty credits one of you gets vaporized," Gami joked as she watched the orb, her hand hovering close to the holstered phaser.

"Indeed not Sergeant. I am trying to show I am not a threat to them." Savar replied without looking at her, keeping his vision on the bouncing orb.

The orb bounced then split into three all different colours now as they bounced around the group. They kept a distance, not coming close. Then the giggles stopped and a musical note echoed and then orbs bounced down a path away from them.

"I suggest we follow at a distance to see what develops as well in case we need to react quickly and decisively." Savar replied to Gami and N'vok.

"Agreed," said N'vok. "Though it is probably wise for us to spread out a bit as well." He headed after the lights.

"I don't like this," Gami said as she followed, keeping her hand near her phaser.

"I know it is your natural inclination to be suspicious Sergeant but we must be willing to show a certain amount of trust if want to be able to communicate with the Zynari." Savar answered as he continued to follow the orbs.

"Trust is earned, Sir. And these Zynari have done nothing to earn my trust after injuring dangering Marines and crew with their pranks, including Colonel Azhul."

"A valid point Sergeant." Savar conceded. "However I offer this as a reply. The Zynari may not have unknown the severity of their pranks or the outcome of said pranks. We must start somewhere, so let us be the first to show we trust."

As they walked, glitter began to drop on Gami. It was green and gold.

"We do not know what they were trying to achieve," said N'vok, "by what we have interpreted as pranks. It may just be desperate attempts to bridge the communication gap. Such as that glitter."

Gami swiped at the glitter. "Knock it off, you shits," she cursed at the Zynari. She sent the same message out telepathically.

"Do try to control your outbursts Sergeant." Savar gently admonished her.

"Oh really?" She retorted. The Zynari were getting on her nerves and now she had to deal with the worst officer type of all--a Vulcan science officer. She grabbed a handful of glitter off of her uniform and chunked it towards him.

Savar arched an eyebrow at her. "Really Sergeant, your emotions, they will be your undoing." As Gami hurled a handful of glitter at him.

"Try and keep your thoughts and emotions disciplined, Sargeant, is not that part of marine training?" asked N'vok, continuing to move towards the lights. "The Zynari may understand or feed or reflect strong emotion, so keeping calm may make it easier to communicate with them."

"You want to talk about discipline, Sir?" she chuckled, leveling a gaze at him, the iris of her eyes darker than normal. "A betazoid with my ability, training, and experience loses control and you go mad and can die. I am quite disciplined. You have your outlets and I have mine." She turned her attention back to the lights as they continued to follow.

"Perhaps it would be better and more precise to say focus your thoughts and emotions Sergeant. I have no doubt you are disciplined in your training." Savar spoke hoping to deescalate any potential conflict before it got started.

The glitter changed to snow and covered the rest of them and the orbs bounced up to a tree and began to swirl around it. There in the tree was a set of grinning teeth.

"I believe we have entered Alice in Wonderland and that is the Zynari version of the Cheshire Cat." Savar remarked as they drew closer to the tree and set of grinning teeth,

N'vok caught some of the snowflakes on his gloves. "My Andorian friends would enjoy this weather." He looked into the woods. "I do not recall snow in Wonderland but let us meet our host."

As the glittering snow swirled around them, the green and gold flakes catching the artificial sunlight, the swirling orbs danced around the tree with increasing speed—until, quite suddenly, they stopped.

The air went still. The sound dimmed.

The glowing orbs drifted downward and merged, coalescing into a radiant spiral of multicolored light. From the shimmer emerged a vaguely humanoid silhouette—faceless, flickering like a mirage, limbs bending at odd angles yet never threatening.

Then, from everywhere and nowhere at once, a chorus of melodic tones echoed softly—bells in water, laughter beneath wind.

And then…

A voice.

Not spoken, but felt—projected into the minds of each participant, tuned to their own thoughts and memories.

“Tension. Doubt. Curiosity. Conflict.”
“You knock. We answer. You hunt. We dance.”
“You burn with questions. We shimmer with wonder.”

The air shimmered again, and each person saw—not with their eyes but in the mind’s eye—fragmented echoes of themselves. N'vok’s calm precision. Savar’s intellectual focus. Luxa’s fire, her scars and strength.

“You hurt. You fear. You search for lines we do not draw.”

A pause. A twinkle of silvery dust danced through the air.

“We did not see harm. We saw joy. We did not see danger. We saw delight. But now we see… consequence.”

Another hum, softer this time. Then the voice reshaped itself—smoother, more distinct. It resonated with intent.

“We are Zynari. Shapers of shimmer. Makers of mischief. Dancers of light.”
“You are… new. Complex. Structured. Fragile.”

The glowing form tilted its head.

“So we offer this: a still moment. A beginning.”

Suddenly, the snow vanished. The air warmed. The glitter turned to motes of light and drifted upward like fireflies.

“You speak with tools. We speak with feelings.”
“Teach us your structure, and we will teach you… shimmer.”

Savar took a step forward, his hands outstretched. "A beginning and an understanding. A first step on our shared road of discovery. We will learn from and about each other."

"We will do our best," said N'vok, also stepping forward. "We wish to communicate, to share our structure with you."

"However, you will stop messing with the ship," Gami said. "Communicate directly with us." 'Do you understand?' Gami sent the last message telepathically.

The teeth flashed again. "mess? no mess. We are happy!"

"We are glad you are happy," said N'vok. "What can we do to harmonize your happiness and our safety?"

Savar refrained from speaking as he was most interested in hearing the Zynari reply to N'vok's inquiry. He was quite positive the answer would be illuminating.

"Safe? You safe. No enemies here" came the response.

"We are not enemies, that is correct," said N'vok stepping forward, hands out, palms up, in a gesture of peace and friendship. "But you still lack understanding of how . . . fragile we are. We are not being of shimmer, but of physical and biological form. Forms which are fragile and breakable, your play and dance has accidentally caused harm to us."

"We realize these terms and concepts may foreign to you and we are willing to explain them to you as that is what will allow us to understand each other and build a stronger relationship." Savar spoke as he too took a step towards the shimmering ball.

"Fragile?" Another mouth appeared. "hmm"

"Do not" The first said.

"But they said the word.... fragile." The second mouth was more... devious. "How to prove that?"

"How about we see how fragile you are first? I don't take threats lightly," Gami stated as she placed her hand on her phaser as the iris of her eyes grew darker, focusing her thoughts on the mouths.

"Sergeant." Savar said firmly but in a level voice, "Do not allow your emotions to goad you into something rash. This is a learning experience for both species."

N'vok moved to place himself between Gami and the mouths. "I believe if you would look back to your recent interaction with us," he says, "you would see that have you have caused us harm. You have broken some of our people and caused them pain. You have made them unhappy." He gestures back to Gami. "You have hurt the Sergeant's friends and comrades, causing her pain and unhappiness."

The two mouths seemed to turn to each other and while they moved, no sound came out. Then the first turned back. "Interesting information." it said. "Your races.. have much in common with others that we have encountered." It admitted. "This is our realm. You are ... visiting"

Savar seized the moment, "Yes, we are visiting your realm as we are trying to reach our homes. It is a long way from here and we mean you no harm, Our goal is simple we wish to know more about you."

"We did not mean to intrude and apologize if we have caused any disruption," added N'vok.

The second's grin went sinister "Would you like to leave?"

Savar addressed the voices. "Indeed we would not wish to leave. Our appearance here indicates our willingness to learn more about you and hopefully you learn more about us."

"We wish to learn more about you, part of our remit is to meet new people and new civilizations," agreed N'vok. "Though at some point we will leave your space on our journey home."

"Journey home..." the second voice sounded interested.

"Stop" the first said. "Your desire to torment is not helping."

"They said they do not wish to leave now. Why Cant I continue?"

"It was not what was agreed,"

The second mouth twisted and the tone went sneering. "They are here. They basically ask to be... experimented on." Then it vanished.

The first mouth vanished after a second.

"That is not promising," said N'vok.

At his feet clattered a PADD. It read. "Follow this path out of our space. Fast." The PADD had a route on it.

N'vok picked up the item and tapped his communicator. "N'vok to command and flight control. Red priority. Uploading route out of Zynari space, we should follow it using maximum speed, immediately. Please authorize."

Savar spoke up. "I would advise caution Mr. Nvok, this could be another of the Zynari pranks." He pointed out.

"That is not a risk that seems like taking, Commander," says N'vok. "One faction of the Zynari has expressed a clear threat to us. And this through direct communication, which has not been their forte. Barring evidence to the contrary, I believe it has to be taken seriously."

"I do not disagree about the threat. Mr. N'vok, my word of caution is in direct response to the map we were given in that it could be a prank or even part of the threat itself and that is why I advise caution." Savar replied evenly.

"The map provides information we did not have and we need to act directly," replied N'vok. "But we will leave it to Command and flight control to make the final decision. It seems to me that there is little benefit to the hostile faction to provide us with false data, but you are correct, we should analyze it further. Speed remains of the essence, however, and leaving Zynari space must be our immediate goal."

"We need to leave the holodeck now," Gami stated with a guarded tone. Her phaser was unholstered at her side as she opened her mind to the surrounding room.

"Bridge to Lieutenant N'vok. Please repeat" the Commodore's voice came through.

"We have indications that the Zynari are fracturing into competing factions, at least one of whom is hostile to us," says N'vok. "We have been given a map out of Zynari space but its accuracy is unverifiable. Sending that through now." He does that very thing. "Whatever route we decide to use, we should exit with all possible speed. The threat that the Zynari pose to the ship and crew has moved from random mischief to actively hostile."

"Acknowledged." Came the reply. There was a pause then an announcement.

["All off duty personnel please return to your cabins. All Civilians please return to your cabins. All Duty Personnel, prepare for engagement of the slipstream drive."]

They all knew the slipstream drive could only run for a short period. So these precautions were normal.

"Computer, end program and place this holodeck into full maintenance mode," N'vok ordered as the basic holodeck grid reestablished itself. He looked to the others. "Thank you for your aid in this. It was not the resolution I would have preferred but it is a resolution. Now, we had best get to our posts."

"Nonetheless, a resolution was achieved and answers were gained that in itself is an accomplishment." Savar replied as the trio moved to exit the holodeck.

Gami holstered her phaser as she walked at a brisk pace pulling ahead of N'vok and Savar Fleeters were bad enough but to be paired with two of them on a first contact mission was pushing her patience. She wanted nothing more than to get back to Marine Country. 'Damn brain tanks,' she thought, annoyed at the two officers.