Posted by Captain Zachariah Cobb (Commanding Officer) in Main-Sim – Command Information Centre (CIC)
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Posted by Lieutenant Casela Synthi-er (Counsellor / RTF) in Main-Sim – Command Information Centre (CIC)

Posted by Ensign Tellek Bog (Engineer) in Main-Sim – Command Information Centre (CIC)
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

The file began playing immediately at the moment Cobb entered his command codes.

I am Captain Endust of the USS Einstien a classified science vessel who answers to the RTF task force, if you find this log then it is most likely that I am no longer breathing. Our ship had been dispatched to take control of an artifact from a Ferengi trading merchant and when negotiations failed we stole the device but were caught in our escape. We thought we had contained the artifact. We noticed the artifact was emitting a sleep suppressive sound wave which was affecting the crew, our scientist disabled this particular component but when we interacted with the box it released whatever was being held inside. We later found out the box was a prison for a type currie Abbell entity which we nicknamed ‘Sandman’.

The Immediate science team that was working on the box was placed in a coma by means we could not tell and the remainder of the crew began seeing apparitions or shadows and it slowly drove them mad. I too have been affected and all attempts to contain the being have failed. We believe sandman is somehow manipulating a dreamscape environment our original science team had been forced into and only there could he be defeated but we had run out of time. I am going to try and face sandman by inducing myself into a deep sleep where I can manipulate the dream if this fails, you must destroy the ship. I hope this information falls into the rights hands and one last thing, don’t fall asleep, it’ll be your last. Gods speed.

The recording ceased and began to repeat.

• LCARS

Casela taps a finger against her chest, or the rune stones under her shirt, deep in thought. “He was going to face him in his sleep?” She ponders it, her mind racing. “Captain, I…well maybe. Betazoid sleep at a different alpha wave frequency than other species. There was a report, Deanna Troi, the ship’s counselor,” the irony is not lost on Casela, “she’s half Betazoid. She was able to enter a dream state in order to communicate with an alien life form. It worked for her because the alpha wave frequency was different, allowing her to have control rather than succumb.” Her fingers dance over her console looking for the log entry in the data base. Once she finds it ( https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Night_Terrors_(episode) ) she sends it to Cobb and Ryder’s consoles. “If Cpt Endust was attempting something similar.”
Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

As the message ended, the captain’s first act was to tap his commbadge and murmur into it, =^=Yeoman. I need coffee on the bridge. Lots of coffee. Say, enough to keep me awake for at least…a week?=^=

His second act was to consider Synthi-er’s suggestion regarding Betazoids, although the more he played it over in his mind the more his frown intensified. “Now Cas, I hope you’re not attempting to offer yourself up as a sacrifice here?” he asked her, quietly. “Because I’m in no mind to authorise anything so dangerous until we have more information on this thing.”

“No, Sir. I’m providing options,” she said quietly. “A sacrifice is useless unless you know it would be successful. Another option, if we can get through the shields is to send the AARM. But I’ll need to program it with specifics or allow him free reign since we’ve lost communication. We could also have him carry over signal enhancers to help boost the transporter confinement beam to get the team off. Then we could blow the ship to bits as Cpt Endust suggests. Of course loss of communication does not mean that something has happened to them. Could we send a shuttle to get closer and use it like a relay for communications? But it would be a sitting duck for those Ferengi.”

Then, glancing over at Bog once again, he called out, “Anything, Mr Bog? It is vital that we relay this new information to the away team. If they’ve somehow fallen under the influence of this thing then there’s no telling what they’re going to see over there. Or be driven to do.”

He felt tricked. Cheated. Had he known the Einstein had been an ARU vessel then he might have been tempted to leave them to their anomaly and keep the Leviathan clear. So, that was the way they liked to do things! With another glance at the Counselor, he added, “Is there anyone who will tell me the bloody truth in this organisation?!”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Casela didn’t have an answer, and THIS, this was why she’d done what she had. And no matter what sacrifice she paid in the end it was worth it to give Cobb some advantage. She had no idea what was on the isochip she gave him, but she hoped it had something useful for Cobb.

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS

“From the message, it seems the entity can only sustain the dreamscape for a handful of crew. I think our best option now would be to try and secure the prison the Captain spoke about and subdue the entity whilst trying to aid the away team. Perhaps we could use a meditation technique to infiltrate the dreamscape, has anyone ever heard of Lucid dreaming before?” Ryder asked looking around concern creasing in his frown.

• Commander Rauuhl, XO

“Aye,” Cobb nodded, “that’s a good plan Commander. If we can find the thing. Before it finds us.”

Casela nodded, “That is very similar to what Troi did according to the report. And from a psychological stand point, lucid dreaming is the only safe way to do what Cpt Endust was attempting. Otherwise you are at the whims of your subconscious and what ever influencing forces are around you. It would require close monitoring. And the situation isn’t quite the same. The crew of the Enterprise was unable to sleep, where with this Sandman, they can’t stay awake.”

A bark of grim laughter escaped Bog, “Well now, who ever spoofed us is rotating the shield frequencies to keep us out. Only option we got is to Shuttle over or pound a hole in the shields and take out the grid.” Seeing the probes were sighted off on and peeped he orders them launched, one tord the Einstien and one ore the incoming Faringi. “Probes away” as he sent telemetry to tactical and the transporter Chief.

Another evil thought crept in to his mind “ When our ‘friends’ get feisty, we can use their electromagnetic weapon to take down the Einstein’s shields.” He was confident he could modify the navigational dish to do the same, but it would over load the circuits and require either a toe back to dry dock or a long trip on impulse.

Bog

Casela looked at Bog. “I like how your mind works.” She looked at Cobb, she wouldn’t look at Ryder, “I could pilot the shuttle for Mr. Bog. I’m a fair pilot, but more importantly, if the Ferengi should happen to catch the shuttle, I have a few surprises I could leave them.” She’d need to get into the weapon locker in Ryder’s quarters.

Lt. Synthi-er, CNS/RTF/S31

The captain let out a chuckle. “I’m not sure where you did your tactical training, Mr Bog. But I like it. We need some way of keeping those Ferengi at bay, for their own safety as much as ours.”

Then turning back to Synthi-er, he nodded. “Aye, that might be our best option, Lieutenant. But I want you to take a couple more RTF officers with you. Just in case.”

• Captain Zachariah Cobb

Deft but stubby fingers flew over the console requesting a shuttle, Eva suits for the crew, and giving medical a heads up they would be stoping buy. Then as an after thought he requested the computer run two simulations, on for a standard photon torpedoes relayed out to the Ferangi ships and another for a quantum torpedo. Sending the results to the captain, with a grin. Then he requested aux control to monitor his station until his replacement reached the bridge.

“Counselor, if you have a moment?” Bog stepped to the engineering table and brought up the Einstein…

Bog