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Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in SPT-ST Prolog: The Galactic Doughnut - All senior staff summoned

Posted by Commander Ryder Raauhl (Executive Officer) in SPT-ST Prolog: The Galactic Doughnut - All senior staff summoned

Coffee mug still in hand, Zachariah Strolled to the central console and gazed silently at the holographic display. In truth it was a sight to be marvelled at - a perfectly rounded, frosted doughnut. And yet somehow it had gained, or been baked with, the power to manipulate all matter around it? Into anything it desired? Or was the doughnut itself merely another manifestation, with the strings being pulled by more powerful and, as yet unseen, hands. The captain groaned.

“You ever encountered a Q?” his query directed to Raauhl and Synthi-er both. “I’ve only ever read of them but, this reminds me of the kind of meaningless chaos one of them might create. Unless,” his eyes fixed upon the doughnut once more, “I am missing something about the pastry’s true intentions?”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela paused, her gaze very far away. “Aye, Captain, I have.” She sipped at her coffee, pacing away and then back again. “The Q don’t use meaningless chaos. It appears so to us, but what they do has a purpose. They see themselves as almost deities, a wise elder, for lack of a better word, and humanity a child they are trying to teach, to fill our potential. If this was related to the Q there would be one here now, antagonizing us into solving the puzzle. And if the donut attacked (forgot the name of the ship) and was put their by Q we wouldn’t be here. Q likes the crew it selects to solve their own problems.”
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

“I agree, I dont think this is anything to do with the continuum however something more is at play here. He continued to sip his coffee, “And I hope to never have to deal with the Q but if we do there’s a special place next to Dave for them if they ever dare.” Raauhl had no intentions of playing a ‘Q’s’ game for cat and mouse.

• Cmdr Raauhl, XO

To Cobb’s left, a terminal screen displayed an image of the Leviathan’s shuttle bay. He had been paying it the occasional glance as the away team conducted pre-flight checks and then began to board. But now he turned fully to grant the scene his full attention.

“They’re away,” he commented to the others, as on the screen, the shuttle lifted with only a tiny wobble and then disappeared out of the huge bay door…

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Raauhl sucked in a deep breath and crossed his arms following the display careful with his eyes, “I hate this waiting part.” It was the one thing he hated as XO, being the one to order others towards the dangers and not take them himself but he trusted and had faith in his officers.

• Cmdr Raauhl, XO

Casela raised a brow out of understanding. Waiting was hard. Patience was one thing, but waiting for others to do something and twiddling your thumbs was a thorn in her side. Addressing both Cobb and Raauhl, “There are going to be a lot of people coming on board, if they survived. We’re going to need quarters for all of them, or somewhere for them to stay. And sickbay can only hold so many. We have beta sickbay but it’s not really safe for non anomalies. They will need a triage area. And readings indicate that transporters won’t work on the planet, auxiliary space craft need to be prepped for search and rescue.” There, plenty for Raauhl and Cobb to keep themselves busy. Casela looked back at the display on her chair, linked to Fenrir’s systems. “It appears the away team was getting ready to make their attempt.”
Lt Synthi-er, CNS

Raauhl had to agree with Casela, the sickbays could be about to become very busy “Get on the Voice Trumpet and instruct the medical personnel down in Laa-Laa land to prepare for a mass casualty situation, there’s no dipsy-ing about to be done so if we need to use the holodecks so be it, I’m sure the sun baby won’t mind the program being paused for some time until this nuu-nuu of a problem has been dealt with.” He paused and felt his stomach rumble, “Oh and can we see about getting some food brought up, I fancy one of those everlasting twinky-winkys…” No that didn’t sound right, “Po! Sorry, they’re called Twinkies, those beige sweet soft things that the 21st-century Humans used to love.” He had heard about Twinkies when watching an old Earth classic Zombieland though for some reason large multicoloured creatures with viewscreens for stomachs invaded his mind. Odd.

• Cmdr Raauhl, Mission Complete.

Were they too late? Had the anomaly already breached the CIC? With a deep breath, Cobb turned his head, fully prepared to find his First Officer replaced by a cupcake. With glazed cherry on top…

Voice Trumpet? At first Casela thought he was being funny, on purpose. Then the longer he talked, the more…disjointed and nonsense his words became. What in the world was wrong with him? She pulled a tricorder out of that bag she always kept stashed behind her chair and got up walking towards him scanning him as she paced around him. The tricorder didn’t show anything obvious wrong with him, physically. But because of that never shuts off, never gets quiet, growing every minute, connection between them she was positive he wasn’t mentally okay at the moment. Stuffed creatures with viewscreens for stomachs? Along with the slurred…or nonsense words interspersed with this orders and commentary. And he never rambled like that. “Captain it is my professional opinion that Cmdr Raauhl is suffering from mental fatigue. I’m removing him from the CIC before it impairs his judgement.” She took him by the arm, “Come on Cmdr. We’ll find you a Twinkie.” Once in the turblift she tapped her combadge. =^=Synthi-er to sickbay. Send someone to the XOs quarters as soon as possible.=^= She was pretty sure it was mental fatigue but a good once over by the doctor wouldn’t hurt either.
Lt Synthi-er, Challenge accepted

“Aye,” Cobb’s words were hesitant. Shaken. “Aye, I think that might be for the best, Counselor.”

A few moments later and, in what was becoming a recurring theme on the Leviathan, Zachariah Cobb found himself all alone in the cavernous space of the CIC…

• Captain Zachariah Cobb