Do You Fear Death?
Posted on Wed Jul 10th, 2024 @ 8:10pm by Commander Jek'Lar Son of Koss & Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren
Edited on on Wed Jul 10th, 2024 @ 11:12pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Astrometrics - Pocket Universe Pioneer
Timeline: MD007 1300 hrs
The more discrepancies Alyssa found in the science computer, the more certain she was of her theories. The long-range sensors were offline. There were no relay buoys. Her personal data was missing from the main computer, the data from the nebula was sketchy. But she still wanted to do a second analysis from Astrometrics to back up what she found--or didn't find--on the bridge.
But even while she tried to focus, she was keenly aware of the few minds that were currently on the Pioneer--and the hundreds that were not. And then she slowly became aware of another presence, familiar and not.
The tall Klingon strode into Astrometrics with a grin on his face. When it came to Klingons you never knew if the grin was genuine happiness or because they were about to kill you. "I see you have been looking for something. Perhaps I can help."
She spun around. "Jek'Lar? What are you doing here?" True, she'd been thinking of him earlier, but he wasn't on the Pioneer and couldn't be here now. Whatever had possessed Rowena was on the ship. But a part of her wished it were really him.
"Transferred aboard. Seems like I did just in the nick of time. There is something going on aboard this vessel and I must correct it." The way he spoke, and his tone lead one to not be sure if he meant Malificus was the something wrong, or if the crew of the Pioneer was the something wrong.
"You must correct it?" He hadn't been on the Pioneer. Surely he would have contacted her as soon as he arrived. But even if he didn't, she would have sensed him before he walked into Astrometrics. There was also something odd about the look in his eyes. She reached out telepathically to see what she could pick up from him.
"Yes, those are my orders. To make sure that the Pioneer is restored to order. But I could not help but stop in to see you before setting to my mission." Jek'Lar took a few strides across the room and toward where Alyssa sat. His movements were deliberate but not threatening. "It has been some time since we have seen each other. Now, tell me all that has transpired." He seemed to want to keep her engaged. Whether that was for the love he had for her for other reasons that remained to be seen.
Since Empok Nor or since the Archimedes? Something about him didn't feel right. He was colder than she remembered and when she tried to touch his surface thoughts, she was blocked. Or was it pushed back? She wasn't sure. "I've been busy. We recently encountered a Romulan research facility." Her thoughts went back to her brief imprisonment. She didn't want to talk about it and she definitely didn't want to think about it.
"Let’s start with since the Archimedes. How is Mozart? I assumed he would be running around the corridors here and yet I do not see him." The being that created this version of Jek'Lar son of Koss had probed Alyssa's thoughts and gained some information. The time had come for this being to play with the toys.
"Mozart passed away two years ago." She told him that on Empok Nor, hadn't she? Yes, she was certain she had. Still, it brought up memories of Mozart imitating Jek'Lar when he went through his morning exercises or the pie fight in the lounge because Sparta was babysitting the Capuchin while watching "The Great Race."
It also brought up the more painful memories of Jek'Lar being called back to Qo'noS. The feeling of loss seemed to amplify and she had to turn away. She'd gotten over both losses. "I'm checking the long range sensors," she said, trying to keep her voice even.
"Long range sensors will most likely yield slim results. The ship is in the Acorn Nebula, an area where little can be seen by sensors. How did Mozart die? Would have been a pity if he drowned. That has to be the most dishonorable way to die." The Klingon smiled at the thought of the capuchin dying. He was very close to enjoying the emotions that this topic elicited from Alyssa.
She looked up and caught the smile. No. Even though he'd occasionally been annoyed by Mozart, she couldn't accept that he would be pleased he was gone. There was definitely something wrong with him. She had to think... There was something about the Marines. What had Jayna told her? Yes. Now she remembered. "He got sick. The doctors weren't able to help him."
What should she do? She didn't want to let whoever this was know she suspected it wasn't her Jek'Lar, but she couldn't let him upset her, either. "We're here to study the nebula, and that falls to science." She paused, considering what to ask him. "How was your trip home?"
The idea that it was a simple malady seemed to take the pleasure from the Klingon's face. "My trip home was uneventful. I have read through some of the ship's mission logs. The battle underwater must have been glorious. Although suffocation is no way to die. The pressure one feels on their chest and in their lungs. The desire to breathe, but knowing that one mustn't, the sheer battle that goes on in one’s body. Tell me how did it feel to face death?"
Alyssa's eyes widened. He wanted to know how it felt to face death? Why would he think that she had faced death? Amputation, yes, but no death. It was a clear discrepancy. What had he read--or thought he read--in the ship's logs? More important, how could she get this person to leave because the more he spoke, the more certain she became that it was not Jek'Lar. At least, not the Klingon she once knew. So, to see how far this entity would go, she asked. "Your marriage was uneventful?"
There was a pause before Jek'Lar spoke. Almost as if a computer had searched a database to get the answer. In truth Malificus had briefly probed Alyssa's mind to find an answer. "I believe a lack of marriage would be uneventful."
She concentrated on the conversation with his family, the announcement that Jek'Lar had been called home to fulfill a marriage contract, the lack of any word from the man she'd been in love with. "That's what I wanted to believe, but not what your family assured me. What was her name...Ba'Shi?" Part of her thoughts began to go over the periodic table of elements. The information about the family was true, as was her heartbreak.
Malificus once again reached out to Alyssa's mind for an answer. This time it was greeted by scientific facts rather than useful information. However, it did glean some useful facts. "Yes that was her name. However, I was not interested in marriage with her. In fact, I was disappointed in my family for doing that. You know that. Now, tell me how it feels to have your breath actually taken from you."
"No." She concentrated on happy memories. On her first real find as an archaeologist. Her love of teaching before she decided to join Starfleet. On first meeting Jek'Lar and falling in love with him. If he wanted her to be angry or afraid, she'd flood him with happy, positive, cheerful thoughts. She'd make him feel her love of life. She began to sing, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love."
The being that had the shape of Jek'Lar did not enjoy the singing or the happy memories. The pain that that caused was easily hidden at least for the moment. "There is love in the universe, yes that is true. However, there are powers in this universe that are far greater than any love you can conceive. Is it not said that death is the greatest adventure of them all." He got a tad more forceful with his speech, more persistent. She had to made to feel fear. "Now, tell me how it feels to be on the edge of that adventure. To know that the path you are on now is ending."
"No." This was far more difficult than fighting off the desire to cut off her foot, but Alyssa couldn't give in. If she did, she would lose too much. "I love Jek'Lar. The real Jek'Lar. You are not him." She recalled every positive, life-affirming moment she could remember, amplifying every positive detail. She focused on her memories of Jek'Lar. "You are not welcome here." She put up as many mental barriers as she could, hoping to add a layer of protection. Then she mentally went through the periodic table of elements. Wasn't there a song about that...yes. There was. She began to sing it. It wasn't exactly what Meg did in A Wrinkle In Time, but she hoped it would help.
The thoughts that Malificus was now assaulted with were becoming too much even for the being to bear. As much as it needed the fear to feed on, it could find those emotions in one of the other captives that it held. For a moment it did not want to allow Alyssa to win, and in that moment the pains struck hard. It manifested in Jek'Lar massaging his temples. "I have developed a headache. I will go to Sick Bay and get it taken care of. We can resume our conversation at a later date." He made his exit before the pain could become too much. As he left the pain began to subside and he began to feel the fear of another. A malignant smile crawled across the Klingon's lips as the next victim came into his mind.
When he was gone, she slumped into a chair. Her body trembling. It was over--for now. But she'd been wrong about one thing: Malificus was definitely here. They had to get back before he could feed off each one of them. Now she just had to verify her data.
A Joint Post By
Commander Jek'Lar Son of Koss
Chief Strategic Operations Officer, Empok Nor
Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
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