Posted by Lieutenant Thalos ch’Ravik (Chief Of Security) in Main Sim: Docking Platform, Vey’lan

Posted by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) in Main Sim: Docking Platform, Vey’lan
[Snip]

From her place in the procession that left the Merrimack, Elyss looked around wide eyed. It was beautiful but in a way she’d never experienced beauty before. Looking down to make sure her tricorder was recording, she saw it was collecting, analyzing, and recording environmental and scientific data, along with dozens of other variables.

Seeing they weren’t taking out the shuttle, the Canidin’s ears lowered slowly. Many members to the away team seemed exited to explore beyond the confines of their ship. With their CSO keeping a tricorder hanging similarly to a crossbody bag. Within his paw there was some odd looking tool which one could only assume happened to be a hyperspanner.

His gold uniform had scorch marks from messing with different kinds of wiring; getting the dirty work nobody else enjoyed done. At first, Rynak wasn’t too sure about heather or not his abilities would be required on the field. Perhaps making himself more useful by staying onboard. A white tipped muzzle shifter just slightly before stepping back. Perhaps words wouldn’t be necessarily mentioned as to the choice which the junior grade officer had mentally already made.

By remaining with the rest of the operations department, he would be able to supervise should an emergency arise for them to evacuate. Once the landing hatch opened, he remained with the rest of the crew dressed in red. Waving goodbye and wishing a few which he knew better good luck. In a way he seemed disappointed about the preparation which the shuttle craft had taken. Looking down the hallway from which they had come into the cargo bay.

With no seeming movement yet Rana began to look around. He was more concerned with the crew at hand than anything else. Idle people tended to become people. whose sharpness became dulled after a while. And he was no different. It was then he saw Lieutenant Rynak. had showed up. ” ” Ah Lieutenant! Rana called with a small grin. Fine to finally see you. Maybe your fine company is what someone has been waiting for so that we can get going. PerhOneaps you’ll be our lucky charm.”

The young lieutenant opened his mouth to speak before closing it. He appeared to be a fish out of the water gasping for a breath. With butterfly shaped ears now lowered, Rynak sighed. Commander Singh seemed genuinely excited for him to be joining the mission, but knowing he could be proven so much more useful by remaining onboard Merrimack. How could he deny such an invitation when someone had been already expecting him with arms wide open.

Heterochromia eyes seemed to dart from one side to the other, looking for the right words without causing much disappointment. “Sir I-“ but before the Canidin could utter another word; there was an officer that interrupted his statement.

The final authorization tone sounded through the docking vestibule.

With a smooth hiss of pressure equalization, the Merrimack’s outer hatch cycled open. Beyond lay the city of Vey’lan.

There was no rush of air, no gust of alien wind. The atmosphere matched Starfleet’s environmental predictions almost perfectly, carrying only the faintest coolness against exposed skin. It smelled… clean. Not sterile, but fresh, tinged with the subtle scent of rain that had never fallen and the faint mineral aroma of polished crystal.

As the away team crossed the threshold, their boots met a surface unlike any natural stone. The broad platform shimmered with muted iridescence, its translucent crystalline layers illuminated from somewhere deep beneath. Each footstep produced a barely audible harmonic note—not an echo, but a soft musical resonance that faded almost immediately into silence.

Ahead, the route revealed by the ship’s sensors now glowed gently.

A ribbon of pale blue-white light flowed through the crystal beneath the surface, tracing a winding path away from the docking platform and into the city proper. It neither flashed nor pulsed urgently. Instead, it seemed to breathe, brightening slightly whenever someone looked toward it, as though patiently inviting them to continue.

The city itself stretched upward in impossible elegance. Towering crystalline structures curved gracefully toward the sky, connected by sweeping arches and suspended walkways that appeared to defy gravity.

Streams of luminous energy drifted through transparent conduits embedded within the architecture, resembling slow-moving rivers of liquid light. Far above, delicate bridges crossed between towers so high they disappeared into a faint bluish haze. Yet despite the unmistakable signs of habitation…

There was no one to be seen …no pedestrians, vehicles, or voices. Only silence.

Not an empty silence, but one filled with the distant resonance of the city itself. A low harmonic hum seemed to emanate from every structure, individual tones weaving together into an ever-changing chord that hovered just at the edge of hearing.

Science tricorders immediately began reporting anomalies.

The buildings emitted low-level subspace fluctuations that remained perfectly synchronized across the visible skyline. Local gravity varied by only microscopic amounts from one structure to the next, while faint energy fields flowed through the streets beneath the crystalline pavement. None registered as hazardous, but none resembled any known Federation technology either.

Even more curious, the city seemed subtly aware of its visitors.

As members of the away team advanced, the illumination beneath the marked pathway brightened just ahead of them while dimming behind, as though Vey’lan itself acknowledged each step. Nearby crystalline surfaces caught and reflected the team’s movements in shimmering distortions that lingered for a heartbeat before fading away.

Still… nothing approached, challenged or barred their progress.

The glowing path simply continued deeper into the silent city, waiting for the away team to decide whether to follow where it led.

Rana looked out across the view and into the distance from where they stood inside of the Merrimack still. He Well he wasn’t dead. took a deep breath forward and then two or three more before looking around a bit. Well, he wasn’t dead yet that was always a plus in anyone’s tally book.

It was then he began to slowly move forward. He noted first the smell of the place. He inhaled deeply. It reminded him of a day visiting the falls at Niagara. Then he >>couldn’t help but to stare at the high spires and the engineering stunts which shouldn’t be possible going on up there.

He stared all around then, looking, listening. It was all a bit too much. Buildings singing and then the floors lighting up the way for you. The only thing he could say was,” Eh? They seem be a welcoming sort whoever they are. Magic carpets and buildings that sing.”

It might seems unusual to have the Captain and number one on the mission but it was from before the times when protocol determined that the Captain and XO were not to be on the Away Team together… and before they even called then Away Teams.

The moment his boots met the crystalline surface, Thalos instinctively slowed his pace.

His silver eyes swept across the surrounding architecture while his antennae sampled the faint harmonic vibrations resonating through the city. Beautiful though it was, beauty had never been a substitute for caution.

He allowed the science officers to focus on the unusual energy readings, choosing instead to study the environment from a tactical perspective.

No visible security presence.

No obvious defensive emplacements.

No civilians.

No movement.

That, more than anything, unsettled him.

Cities were not silent.

His gaze followed the softly illuminated pathway stretching deeper into Vey’lan. It almost seemed inviting, yet years in both the Imperial Guard and Starfleet had taught him that appearances alone were never sufficient grounds for trust.

Activating his tricorder, he performed a methodical security sweep, searching for concealed life signs, cloaked individuals, weapons signatures, or anything that might suggest the away team was being observed from hidden positions.

“Curious,” he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

“The absence of a visible security presence is… unusual.”

His antennae angled forward slightly as he continued scanning the towering crystalline structures.

“Whether that is intended to reassure us… or simply means they have no need for one… remains to be seen.”

Satisfied there was no immediate threat, Thalos fell back into formation with the rest of the away team. His hand remained close to his holstered phaser—not out of fear, but readiness.

Whatever this city was…

It was watching them just as carefully as they were observing it.

The deeper the away team ventured into Vey’lan, the more the city seemed to reveal itself.

The glowing pathway beneath their boots flowed ahead like a slow-moving river of pale blue-white light, brightening just beyond each step before fading behind them. The crystalline pavement no longer produced isolated notes beneath their feet. Instead, each footfall became part of a larger harmony echoing throughout the city, individual tones weaving seamlessly into a hauntingly beautiful chorus that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

The air remained cool and remarkably fresh. It carried the clean scent of rain on polished stone mixed with faint mineral notes from the crystal beneath their feet. As they continued onward, subtle floral fragrances drifted through the streets, delicate and unfamiliar, accompanied by the crisp aroma of ozone after a summer lightning storm. There was no hint of decay, pollution, smoke, or even dust. Everything felt impossibly pristine.

Captain Glen found himself surrounded by engineering marvels that defied conventional understanding. Towering crystalline spires curved gracefully overhead without visible supports, while translucent bridges stretched between structures high above the streets, disappearing into a bluish haze. Rivers of luminous energy coursed silently through transparent conduits embedded within the architecture, flowing with perfect precision yet without any visible generators or power distribution systems.

“These engineering marvel that surround us defy our conventional understanding,” Glen said.

Commander Rana Singh’s attention was drawn to the city’s atmosphere itself. Despite the immense scale of the surrounding structures, there was no oppressive feeling. The streets felt open and welcoming, the silence peaceful rather than unsettling. The harmonious resonance of the city seemed almost comforting, as though the buildings themselves acknowledged their presence.

Lieutenant Elyss Zavey’s tricorder became increasingly active. Every scan revealed perfectly synchronized subspace fluctuations linking the surrounding structures together. Minute gravitational variations shifted from building to building with astonishing precision, while energy moved naturally through the crystalline framework itself. Yet there were no identifiable computers, communication arrays, reactors, or transmission grids. It was as if the entire city functioned as one immense living system.

Chief Engineer M’Mera observed construction techniques unlike anything in Federation records. There were no seams where crystal met crystal, no maintenance hatches, no conduits, no structural reinforcement, and no signs that any of the buildings had ever been assembled piece by piece. Passive scans indicated the crystal itself served simultaneously as the city’s framework, energy distribution network, and power source.

M’Mera slowed her pace almost without realizing it, emerald eyes constantly shifting between the engineering tricorder in her paw and the impossible skyline surrounding her. The device continued feeding her data that refused to fit within any engineering principle she had ever studied. Every instinct told her the readings had to be wrong.

But they weren’t.

Her tawny ears swiveled independently, trying to isolate the haunting harmonics that seemed to emanate from every direction at once. Her nose twitched repeatedly, drawing in the clean, mineral-laden air. There was no scent of machinery, lubricants, overheated circuitry, or construction—none of the familiar smells that accompanied a city of this magnitude. It was as though the entire place had simply… grown.

Her tail lashed once behind her before settling into an uneasy twitch. The fur along her forearms and the back of her neck prickled despite the pleasant temperature, an instinctive warning she couldn’t suppress. She disliked not understanding how something worked. As an engineer, that uncertainty gnawed at her.

Taking a slow breath to steady herself, she looked toward Captain Glen and Commander Singh.

“Captain… Commanderr…” she began, her voice carrying an uncommon note of unease. “Thisss place iss making my furrr ssstand on end. Everrything about it feelss… wrrrong. Not dangerouss…” She paused, searching for the right word. “…jusst unnaturral.”

Captain Glen attempted an explaination of what they all felt. “If we were to visit a parallel universe… such as the mirror universe widely reported as being visited by Captain Kirk and several officers from the USS Enterprise 1701 in 2267… that would also feel unnatural too. Or else, think instead if this place was like an alternative universe where fundamental physical constants have different values, and so the Laws of Physics as we known them, are slightly off-kilter. Very small changes would alter star formation, or chemistry and biological life. That’s what I think we can feel here. We don’t belong here. We are an anomaly here, and the very Aether itself doesn’t like us being here when and where we shouldn’t exist. Just as long as it accepts our presence here and doesn’t kick back!”

She glanced back toward one of the towering crystal spires, disbelief evident in her expression.

“The engineering makess no ssensse. No joints… no ssupports… no powerr grrid… and yet everrything iss functioning perrfectly.” She flicked an ear in frustration. “I’ve neverr sseen anything like it. I can’t even begin to explain how any of thisss workss.”

“Don’t worry about it! We’ll take readings with our equipment and write our reports when we return,” Glen answered. “Scientists will spend years sifting through the data and write dissertations and attend symposiums about this place, and they can try to explain it. We don’t need to.”

Lieutenant Thalos ch’Ravik’s methodical security sweep continued to return unexpected results. There were no visible or concealed guards, no weapons emplacements, no patrols, no cloaked personnel, and no defensive systems waiting in ambush.

His tricorder did, however, identify something unusual. Every nearby structure emitted an incredibly faint omnidirectional energy field. Individually, the emissions were almost imperceptible, but together they formed a continuous lattice extending throughout the city.

Computer analysis determined the fields were passively tracking movement and general biological presence without penetrating clothing or equipment. They appeared to function less as surveillance devices and more as an environmental awareness network.

There was no indication the system was assessing threats, locking onto targets, or preparing defensive measures.

Instead, the city simply seemed to know where every living being within it was located.

Around the away team, crystalline walls shimmered softly as they passed. Reflections lingered for a heartbeat longer than they should before dissolving back into perfect transparency. Ahead, the illuminated pathway gently brightened once again, curving between two immense towers whose upper reaches disappeared into the luminous haze.

Still no inhabitants appeared, no voices echoed through the streets, nor did machinery hum.

Only the soft harmony of Vey’lan itself accompanied the away team as the city patiently invited them farther into its silent heart.

Thalos slowed his pace for a moment, studying the readouts scrolling across his tricorder. His silver eyes moved between the display and the crystalline structures surrounding the away team.

Interesting.

He keyed a few additional commands, verifying the results before speaking.

“Captain.”

His voice remained calm and measured.

“Yes, Lieutenant,” replied Captain Glen. “You have something to report?”

“My scans indicate the city possesses what appears to be a passive environmental awareness network.”

“An environmental awareness network?” asked Glen.

He gestured briefly toward the towering crystalline structures surrounding them.

“Each structure emits a faint omnidirectional energy field. Individually, they are almost imperceptible, but collectively they form a continuous lattice throughout the city.”

His antennae angled forward slightly as he continued to analyze the data.

“The network appears capable of tracking movement and biological presence, though there is no indication it is penetrating our equipment, identifying individuals, or assessing us as potential threats.”

He paused, allowing the information to settle.

“In essence… the city appears to know where we are.”

His gaze drifted down the glowing pathway before returning to the surrounding skyline.

“I have detected no tactical response associated with the network. No targeting systems, defensive emplacements, patrols, or concealed personnel. Whatever this system’s purpose, it appears observational rather than hostile.”

His hand rested lightly near his holstered phaser—not out of apprehension, but habit.

“Passive awareness,” Glen agreed. “As I mentioned to M’Mera, just as we feel out-of-place here, we must seem equally out-of-place to these surroundings. We already new that ‘space’ and ‘time’ have no context here. That everything here shares spacetime. So, I guess that everything must be connected together on some level that we really can’t conceive. Let’s continue to observe and record our findings.”

“Nevertheless, I recommend we continue to proceed as though our movements are being observed. Whether by an automated system… or by those who built this place.”

“Our security is your department,” Captain Glen said. “We’ll follow whatever you think is necessary.”

Satisfied that there was nothing further to add, Thalos fell silent once more and resumed scanning their surroundings, allowing the Captain and the science officers to draw their own conclusions.

Rana paid careful attention to what Thalos was saying. He himself had been feeling the woolies. Finally, after a moment of long thought he said to Thalos. ” So, they are passively scanning us. ” Rana looked around the area where they were at and said to Thalos , ” You know Mister Thalos , they have been serenading us, but I haven’t seen any roses as of yet. Until such time as we can determine if these scans or anything else other than friendly I, would say to treat everything as it might be dangerous. Let’s get our people in something like a skirmish line for starters instead of tourists. And yes, I understand that they are not your people. So, you do our right flank and I’ll do the left.

Thalos gave a single, affirmative nod.

“Aye, Commander.”

The order aligned with his own assessment of the situation. The city had shown no signs of hostility, but years in both the Imperial Guard and Starfleet had taught him there was a distinct difference between appearing peaceful and being harmless.

Turning slightly toward the rest of the away team, he spoke in a clear, measured voice.

“Everyone, tighten your spacing and maintain visual contact with the officer to either side of you. Let’s move in a staggered formation. Remain alert, but do not present an aggressive posture. Keep your sidearms holstered unless circumstances require otherwise.”

With the instructions given, Thalos moved toward the right flank of the formation, placing himself where he had a clear view of both the team and the avenue ahead.

His silver eyes continued their methodical sweep of the surrounding structures while his antennae subtly rotated, searching for even the slightest change in the city’s harmonic resonance.

“So far,” he said quietly to Commander Singh, “the city appears content merely to observe us.”

His gaze lingered on the shimmering crystalline towers.

“My concern is not what we can see…”

He paused for a moment.

”…but what may already be observing us.”

Satisfied that the formation was in place, Thalos resumed his silent vigil, allowing the away team to continue deeper into Vey’lan with Security watching over their advance from the right flank.

Elyss continuously read the results appearing on her tricorder screen and was just as confused as everyone else. “We can’t detect anything about this place—let me rephrase that. We can’t detect anything about who might have produced this place. The only information we are getting is on the structure, but those facts don’t make sense either.”

They all continued to walk as she spoke to the group. “What if Vey’lan is the entity? What if it was grown into the massive city we are seeing, and not built? Is that even possible?” She glanced again at the tricorder. “What if places like this grow themselves for another species to live in, in a kind of symbiotic relationship?”

“You’re suggesting that Vey’lan is the ‘city’ itself and all of this ‘structure’ that we see around us. Rather than beings who live ‘here’, it is a hive mind composed of the ‘here’ or the ‘place’ itself,” Glen tried to comprehend the idea. “That certainly fits with what we can observe. And as far as our safety and security go, I’m not feeling anything malignant here. There may be a feeling of not belonging here, but not one of being unwelcome. Is everyone else getting the same feeling?

• Captain Glen, CO

OOC: Sorry for my absence but I always knew I was going to be incredibly stretched this summer. Thanks for getting on with it in my absence. Excellent posts as usual.
Dave

OOC: Welcome back Dave :-)

IC: Thalos considered the Captain’s question for a moment before answering.

“My instincts tell me to remain cautious, sir.”

His silver eyes continued to move across the towering crystalline structures as he spoke, never allowing his vigilance to lapse.

“However…”

He paused, choosing his words carefully.

“I cannot honestly say I feel threatened.”

His antennae made a slow, thoughtful sweep of their surroundings.

“Everything I have observed points toward curiosity rather than hostility. The environmental awareness network continues to monitor our presence, yet it has made no attempt to impede our progress. We have encountered no security personnel, no defensive response, and no indication that we are being viewed as intruders.”

He glanced briefly at the glowing pathway stretching ahead.

“If this city is, in some way, a living entity as Lieutenant Zavey has suggested, then it has had ample opportunity to discourage our presence.”

A faint smile crossed his face.

“Instead, it continues to guide us forward.”

His expression settled back into its customary professionalism.

“That said, I do not intend to mistake hospitality for security. Until we understand more about Vey’lan and its inhabitants, I recommend we continue exactly as we are—alert, disciplined, and respectful.”

With that, Thalos resumed his watch on the right flank, his attention once again divided between the away team and the silent city that seemed content to observe them as much as they observed it.

Lieutenant Thalos ch’Ravik
Chief Of Sed to the security
USS Merrimackto the direction of their left flank to try and

Rana wasn’t sure what to do or say. It wasn’t a standard state of affairs as anyone who knew him well would attest to. All he could was to go out and gather their people >together. One thing that he did know was absolutely nothing. Which made no sense. This it occurred to him was what was bothering him. Vacuums were not known to be a >thing that was possible. He had been in many empty places, but none of them had been silent. As for anything modern if there was a machine of any sort it needed energy. >Energy would cause heat. Everything everywhere left a footprint. The only thing which seemed real were those cursed lights beneath their feet! All they had now erwere >vague ideas and readings of not much. After he had brought together his flank he turned to the captain and said. ” Don’t ask me sir. I’m empty on this my brain is itching.”

Rana Sigh Lt, Commander Number One