Sobs In The Darkness Part II

Posted on Fri Feb 28th, 2025 @ 4:59am by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Brianne Redstone & Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren & Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen & Lieutenant Ja'sol H'ros & Lieutenant Kolok & Lieutenant Narin Valen & Lieutenant Junior Grade Rachel Sinclair & Ensign Josie Boone & Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke & Lieutenant Vura & Lieutenant Junior Grade Jordan Spencer & Petty Officer 2nd Class Otes Ze & Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble & Captain Edmund Merrick & 1st Lieutenant Jeksyne Vale & Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr & Sergeant Audie Fitch
Edited on on Fri Feb 28th, 2025 @ 6:01am

4,318 words; about a 22 minute read

Mission: Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Main Mess Hall - Deck 2 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD004 1130 hrs

Last Time on Sobs In The Darkness Part I
Tyler walked out of his private mess with Neil. He took a look around and saw his crew before him. His extended family, they had seen life and death together. Now, it was time for them do it once again. He knew he had asked so much of them. This time he would not ask, he would simply tell them the plan and allow them to make their own decisions. "Everyone, I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. We have much to discuss. So, get yourself something and sit back and relax we may be here for the long haul."
And Now The Conclusion...

"Most of you are wondering what we are doing here and why I have summoned you. So, might as well get down to it. About a year ago while performing a standard survey of a planet we apparently encountered a race of beings known as The Silence. This race is extremely xenophobic, and as such we were sworn to secrecy about their existence and where they were located. In fact and I know this is hard to believe apparently once you are no longer looking at The Silence you forget they exist. The aftermath of this mission is that their homeworld has been deemed off limits by Starfleet, stating that it is for radiation purposes. Well The Silence has reached out to us and stated they are being killed they plea with us to help them save their civilization. I believe them and plan on taking this ship to save them. This is a direct violation of general orders. I will not order you to assist. However, I ask you to listen and then make your own decisions." Tyler took a deep sip of coffee and then smiled. "I am going to turn the floor over to those that have discovered all of this and they can explain better."

Vura listened to Tyler and began to now wonder if he had lost his mind despite what he promised her. A race that you forget once you see them? That sounded like utter nonsense. If it was true, then how would one know they exist and why would they suddenly reach out if they were xenophobic. Add to that, even if they did exist, by Tyler's own definition, nobody should be able to remember them upon contact, or was that just on visual sight?

For the moment, the Counselor reserved judgment. She wanted to hear what others had to say. After all, she had been counseling Narin and there was some odd things going on there. She would have to consider everything to determine the truth to as to what was said.

Alyssa stood first. "I'm one of a very few who have been experiencing nightmares lately. They varied a little from night to night, but they all involved a species that calls themselves The Silence. One of them told me that the Pioneer helped them once before and that they were being tortured and killed and needed us to save them. They said that the promise to not return was lifted and we were told to remember. They also said that Vaebn knew how to find them and we should ask him. The only problem is that the commander is now living on New Romulus. Narin, Rachel, and I searched the main computer and Astrometrics, but were unable to find the planet in question. In the meantime, the nightmares continued to the point that I could feel their fear and pain."

She looked around the room. "We've verified that these people exist and that the Pioneer helped them before. Their situation is dire. I have no doubt that if we do not help them now, they will all die, and I for one do not want that on my conscience. I am going with the commodore, and anyone else who wants to help. There is precedent for such an action. But you don't have to take my word on this. The others will tell you their part of this as well." Then she sat down.

Narin listened closely to Alyssa, nodding in agreement as she spoke. When she took her seat, his gaze shifted around the room, pausing briefly on the counselor before scanning the others who had gathered. “Like Commander Maren, I’ve experienced these dreams—these calls for help from them.”

“When these dreams first began, it was difficult to make sense of what was happening,” Narin said. “But as they continued, it became increasingly clear—they weren’t just dreams. They were how The Silence communicated. Their call for help was, and still is, impossible to ignore.”

After a moment more of quiet, Rachel stood up, “I too have received these visions, these calls for help. I’m afraid I can add little more information than what has already been said, their appearance is strange, yet still somewhat humanoid. I believe we must help these people, if for nothing else but the sanity of those receiving these calls. They are nothing short of nightmares” Rachel said, her eyes going blank for a moment before she shook her head to refocus her thoughts, “their planet appears to be Class-M so we shouldn’t need environmental protection at least”

Kolok nodded. "It is a Class-M, Commander. The information on the system appears to also indicate a number of deterrents but it doesn't say what exactly those might be."

"Me, too," Audie murmured, looking up, although she remained in her seat, "dreams...nothing specific, but persistent, elusive...I want them to stop."

Vura whispered to Rowena, "Does any of this feel familiar to you, or bring back bad memories?"

Rowena had listened to everyone. She remained quiet as she swallowed hard. She knew what it was like to be haunted by memories. After Malificus left her body, she still had lingering memories. She didn't know exactly what the others were experiencing with the nightmares the Silence were inflicting on them. And she knew all well what it means to ignore and suppress these nightmare with sedatives and other stimulants. She decided to see what more they were going to say.

Josie just paid attention and decided to chime in when she was needed.

"The nightmare I had must have been terrible, I woke up in a cold sweat, feeling so uneasy, and so very tired. Whatever that was, I worried about getting anymore sleep." Edmund taking a drink of the tea he had gotten earlier.

Tyler allowed everything that was said to sink in. He thought the crew would need some time to process. "I would be lying if I stated that I remember any of this. However, there are similar stories involving other races from the fleet throughout the years. I have also spoke our former Chief Science Officer Commander Vaebn tr'Hwersuil and he has confirmed everything. He also has had a dream of sorts. When this mission occurred he swore an oath as the only member of this crew that would remember, to keep the secret. He has now been released from this oath and has confirmed all of this. Now, I am going to tell you all that I plan on taking this ship to Wren IX and seeing for myself what is happening there. This will be in direct violation of a Starfleet General Order to stay away from the planet. Additionally we will be doing this without the Cardassian governments' knowledge. If any of you has misgivings about this speak now and your objection will be noted in the ship's log. I am not ordering anyone to do this, it is simply something I feel is right. Permission is granted to speak freely." He took a step back and looked at his crew. He wondered what if anything anyone would say.

Edmund pondered what Tyler had just revealed, he looked around at those in the area, all looking haggard with lack of sleep, he was feeling the effects as well. To go against the directive of Starfleet, but for the good of the ship as well as the beings which were in dire need.

"Commodore, I am willing to go with you. It is necessary, especially with the way things are." Edmund stifling a yawn with his hand.

"You know I'm on board for this," Alyssa said. "I'll talk to my department. If there are any who don't want to be involved, will they mark their disagreement and remain on the ship?" She wanted to ask if they could stay on Empok Nor, but that would cause other problems, including a security risk. However, she was pretty sure most would agree to helping rescue The Silence.

Hermia had been silent until now, taking in everything. She rose from her chair and said. "I may have taken and oath to Starfleet, but I believe my Hippocratic out ranks it. Suffice to say, I'm in."

Rachel nodded, “so long as it stops these visions, I go along with anything at this point” she said, taking a drink from her coffee, “right now, I’m sure a good portion of the crew are running on stimulants and willpower”

"I know I'm just an ensign, but I didn't get my pip from being a coward." Jo laughed. " I'm in, commodore."

Vura considered all the information that she had. Narin had reported these problems to her. Apparently other crew members had experienced them as well. She had not, nor had many others. Therefore, mass hallucination was not likely.

The Counselor was worried about Tyler. While he assured her that he was in his right mind, she could not rule out that he was not. It would be a natural reaction to try and defeat some sort of problem when he lost control of the other, regardless of the risk. Once again, though, she had to remind herself that others were experiencing the same sorts of issues.

There were a number of people who were readily volunteering for this mission that Tyler proposed. Such was the power of the Captain. Were crew members giving into a mob mentality just because he was the Captain, or because they truly believed in this cause. Rachel's statement was the clincher. She needed help. The pain was obvious. More concerning was that Edmund seemed out of sorts. Thus, Vura's decision was made.

Standing up to her full height and using her most regal voice possible, posing like an Egyptian goddess with one hand over her head, palm facing the ceiling, she made an announcement. "I should remind anyone that decides to sign up for this potential folly that if you voluntarily join this jaunt, should things go poorly, you could lose your lives or just your Starfleet career. I want you all to consider that very carefully before you decide." She paused dramatically and then continued. "My concern is always for you, the crew. I see people suffering. From my particular view, I cannot allow that to last. There is no cure here. It appears to be out there. And, since I've never been one to avoid an adventure, I will be joining you, Commodore."

While there was no decision for Audie, she was reassured when her commanding officer agreed to the mission. Had he not, she still would have agreed...encouraged...it if it meant that the dreams would stop and she could finally get some good sleep. She refused to live under sedation, but she couldn't live the way she was, so there really was no risk at this point. Besides, Audie thought, if someone was going to that much trouble seeking help, how could they not answer?

Otes had been summoned to the meeting, looking a little bedraggled from the night shift, hair all askew and big black bags under his eyes. Uniform was pristine though fresh out of the replicator and so was the Cafe Au Lait in his left hand in his favorite mug. He had walked in with everyone else and took his seat.

Rubbing his eyes a little as he drank his coffee, in relative peace. The night shift had been hectic and he had only finished most of his nightly reports at 7am that morning. As the meeting started the young nurse turned his attention to the captain as he spoke, listening intently to what was being said.

Otes had been dealing with the fallout from this very situation, the lack of sleep of the crew or at least some of the crew had depleted some of sickbays stores of things like sedatives, He couldn't replicate things fast enough but they persevered as the Pioneer crew did, strong and forthright are words used to describe the ladies and gentlemen stationed around this table, all of which Otes had served with in one capacity or another in his shifts at sick bay.

He would wait till people had spoken their peace before he asked to have a moment, Otes was not one to normally talk in big groups but being a member of this crew you learned to do so very quickly and learn he did he was getting better day by day, inch by inch and minute by minute.

Ja'sol spoke up and without looking up at those around him, He spoke in a steady voice. " I am sworn to uphold the laws and ideals of the Federation, and to protect our people and it's allies. We all know that we're out here to explore and make contact with with new civilizations in a peaceful exchange. " He then glanced around the table. "But there is nothing in our oath that says we can't assist a people begging for help while some outside force is attempting to do genocide to them. That and these damn dreams have been effecting me as well. I'm in Captain. "

Neil folded his arms as he watched Pioneer's crew. He could read the uncertainty in most of their faces and he glanced sideways at Tyler. Normally, Neil would hold off speaking until the end in a briefing like this. He'd already voiced his concerns in private so it wasn't his place to do so now. However, he did need to reassure the crew to their choices and that Command wasn't being overly reckless. Stepping forward slightly, Neil said, "Pioneer's going into harms way to help a species that saw fit to mess with our memories the last time. My only qualification for helping them in this, is that won't happen again. I'm done with having my personnel get their brains stirred." He glanced at Tyler again, meeting his CO's eyes then looked back at the assembly. "I'm in, but the Cure will be standing up. Ship's security will be on yellow alert for the duration once we hit the edge of their space and we'll be taking steps to make sure this isn't some kind of a trap." Then he smiled, "And if it is a trap. Well. We'll kick that can when we come to it."

"Or kick the door down on it." The imposing Lieutenant Jeksyne spoke up. "These...dreams...have been... haunting, erratic, downright terror. Personal experience lately has been... disturbing to say the least. If we can stop these nightmares, I want to be on the front to do so. You'll have my rifle, sirs." Jeksyne finally spoke from his place beside Captain Merrick.

Narin had said his piece and was ready to go, but he understood that the Commodore might need to convince everyone else. So, he remained seated, observing and listening as others voiced their thoughts. Most seemed in favor of going to investigate, but Narin couldn't shake his concern—they had no idea what awaited them.

"Maybe this is payback from another species that they wiped the memories of." Lachlan chose now to talk. "I wasn't on board when the Pioneer originally met this species but if I'd had my memory wiped I'd be pretty pissed off as well. Why should we get involved? Why should we believe the words of a species who don't want or like outside contact, and choose to violate a mind to ask for help? There are two sides to a story and I don't like theirs." he shrugged. It might have been slightly cold hearted but he wasn't as altruistic and eager to run to their aid as others seemed to be. "For all we know they are luring us back to finish the job themselves. A species that can wipe your mind can just as easily place random shit in there to mess with it."

"Those are valid concerns," Alyssa began. "I assure you that we not only shared the nightmares, but we felt their fear and pain. Inflicting pain on others has been done by rogue telepaths in the past, but the fear was so strong I could taste it. I do not believe that can be faked. Academically, it's possible, but I know of no such instance. And there was a ring of truth to what they said. In addition, as the commodore said, Commander tr'Hwersuil corroborated that they exist and, until now, only wished to be left alone." She paused, rubbing her arms as if she was cold. "The alternative is that if this is real, ignoring their plea for help will certainly lead to their extermination."

Brianne was pensive. She'd been on this ship literally less than an hour, and here there were breaking orders. " My apologies, everyone, but I think we have a solution to this. From what I see on the crew roster, we have a member of staff who is a yaphit, Chief Llywelyn, Dave, who was here during that time, and wouldn't have been affected by any memory tampering, as his physiology is completely different to ours- no brain. Perhaps talking to him will allay some fears."

Kolok was too new to understand the personal dynamics that were taking place. He could see a lot of different emotions on the faces and forms of those around him. He had no fear of what was to come but he also had no credibility with the group. He chose to say nothing. He would simply do his duty.

Ja'sol took a swig from his coffee mug and sat it on the table. "What if it's revenge? What if it's another species? Why should we help a xenophobic race that mind wipes others? There are too many what if's and not enough answers. But I have one more what if for you, What if it's the only way to get rid of these damn dreams? " He asked in a neutral tone. I would prefer to assist them and be proactive than reactive." He paused briefly. "What if this is the action that helps this species start to see that others can be trusted and it turn into a first contact situation? I would welcome that."

"All the 'what ifs' in the world can be asked and debated," Audie finally spoke up, "but in the end, we can't ignore a distress call...at least the Marines. It's what we do, go in and do what we have to, but that doesn't mean it's hap-hazard. We go in with the suspicion this might be a trap, and do our best to be prepared." She shrugged. "But we go in..."

Spencer leaned back in his chair, raising an eyebrow as he listened to the chaotic mix of fear, conviction, and exhaustion swirl through the room. "You know," he drawled quietly to himself, "only on this ship would 'brain melting, memory wiping, possibly vengeful aliens' be a regular Tuesday." He shook his head, lips curling into a wry smile.

"Direct violation of Starfleet orders, risking careers, and possibly sanity? Sounds like a hell of a field trip." He ran a hand through his hair, considering the absurdity of it all. "Still... if half the crew’s having nightmares, and the other half’s popping stimulants like candy—ignoring it isn’t exactly a medical treatment plan." He sighed. "Guess I'm in for the ride. Someone’s gotta keep these lunatics stitched together."

Finally when she had listened to everyone talking back and forth Rowena got up. She took a deep breath as she could feel the looks of everyone in the room was burning into her. "I am the chief Intelligence officer of this ship. I should be the one to keep a level headed mind, and tell you we need more intel. We don't have it. We are going in blind. All we have is the nightmares of half the crew. And now I am going to say something that will go against everything we learn in intel or starfleet as a whole. Having served on the USS Malificus, the paranormal unit, having been possessed by a being that none of you before now knew existed. I say, right now, there has never been so much intel for a mission to go off on. Is it dangerous? yes! is it uncertain? no doubt. Could this be a trap? Possibly. But with everything we know now there is no reason to ignore what is happening to the crew right now. And on the off chance we can help a species that is as obscure as Malificus' species, and maybe gain an ally." Rowena took one more glance around the room and swallowed hard, before speaking again, "I am in."

Spencer, who had been leaning back in his chair with the usual air of casual detachment, let out a low whistle. “Well, damn,” he said, straightening up slightly. “Here I was, thinking this was just going to be another ‘fly in, don’t die’ kind of day.”

His tone softened a little as he added, “Look, I’m no expert on possession or obscure species, but I do know one thing: flying blind is what we do half the time anyway. If the choice is between sitting on our hands or doing something that might actually help, I’m not really the ‘sit around and wait’ type.”

*I agree " Jo said. "I remember at the Academy. A lot of times we took initiative and found stuff to do ourselves."

Tyler smiled broadly, he was filled with both pride and trepidation about what was to come. This moment above most told him that he had the best crew this fleet had to offer. "Well, now that is settled. We will set a course for their world and try to save them all. In the meantime Dr O'Rourke I would like you to work on a way to allow the crew to get some rest from all these nightmares. I want to add thank you to you all. Thanks for having the faith to do this with me. Well, we have a job to do. Dismissed." He watched as the crew left and when he was alone in the mess hall he smiled and whispered. "Thanks for keeping us safe old friend. Lets do it all again." He knocked on the wall as a sign of bonding with his ship. Something he often did when alone then headed for the bridge.

A Joint Post By

Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer