Posted by Gamemaster Nosferatu (Gamemaster) in Main Sim: Bridge
Snip

Ensign Daniel Corwin looked up from his Operations console as Lieutenant Gagnon spoke. He had been watching the harmonic telemetry scroll steadily across his display for the better part of the last several minutes. The numbers remained remarkably consistent, but consistency alone did little to reassure him.

He shared Stella’s concern.

The city’s harmonics weren’t simply ambient sounds. They permeated the atmosphere, the crystalline structures, and even the subspace fluctuations surrounding Vey’lan. It was unlike anything he’d encountered in his Starfleet training.

“Good thinking, Lieutenant,” he replied with a nod. “Even if they’re harmless, Medical should have the data.”

His fingers moved swiftly across the LCARS interface, compiling the latest acoustic analyses, frequency spectrums, and environmental telemetry into a compressed medical data packet. He added a comparison against known Federation occupational exposure standards before transmitting the file.

Tapping his combadge, he spoke clearly.

=^= “Bridge to Sickbay. Ensign Corwin. Transmitting current environmental harmonic telemetry from Vey’lan. Lieutenant Gagnon has requested Medical review the data for any potential physiological or neurological concerns resulting from prolonged exposure. Preliminary Operations analysis shows no immediate hazards, but we’d appreciate an independent medical assessment. Corwin out.” =^=

As the transmission completed, Corwin expanded another display, layering the harmonic frequencies over the ship’s internal sensor logs. His brow furrowed slightly.

“So far,” he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else, “the harmonics are remarkably stable… almost too stable.”

He continued monitoring the incoming data, determined to catch even the slightest deviation before it became a problem.

Ensign Daniel Corwin
Operations Officer
USS Merrimack

---

As soon as the landing party had abandoned ship, the young lieutenant began walking down the hallway leading towards a turbolift. Scorch marks still present on his uniform’s shirt from messing with the shuttlecraft just like a child. It was clear that dirty work was something Rynak enjoyed profusely, especially when it involved work around the engines’ relays.

Black boots thundered down the hallway until the end was reached. Turbolift doors swooshing open to let the presence of a black and white canid come into its interior. A white furred digit pressed against the button leading to Deck 01, the ship’s bridge. Where all the magic regarding Merrimack took place. One ear flicked nervously as his gaze lifted towards the ceiling. Pure sensation based merely on canine instinct that something about this dimension was somehow… off.

If only there was a wall panel nearby-, that anxious attention snapped back at a maintenance hatch. Surely engineering wouldn’t want their helm officer to be messing around with such sophisticated systems. Climbing deck by deck would surely take a few minutes. But he was hoping the doors would be snapping open any time soon. Once they opened, Rynak stumbled forward, leaning against a wall to recover balance.

He had slipped in as a result preying discussion was taking place between an operations officer and who appeared to be their communications chief. Perhaps the dialogue’s information could be proven useful to the crystalline sounds he had already heard from the outside of the hull. Something had him agitated, a creature without presence perhaps, lurking peril.

With shivering hands, he walked across the room to nervously taking a seat behind the helm. Clearly attempting to pull himself together. Large ears shifted like satellite dishes when harmonics were distributed across Merrimack’s hull, looking down on the console itself.

Lieutenant JG. Rynak ch’Sorel
Helm Officer
U.S.S. Merrimack - NCC-2346 (Mariner Class)

Corwin looked up from the Operations console as the turbolift doors parted.

Lieutenant Rynak ch’Sorel stepped onto the bridge, though strode was hardly the right word. The helmsman caught himself against the bulkhead for a moment before making his way toward the flight controls. The scorch marks on his uniform spoke volumes about where he’d been spending his time, but it was the Canidin’s body language that drew Corwin’s attention. The trembling hands, constantly swiveling ears and barely concealed unease.

Corwin’s eyes drifted to his sensor display, instinctively comparing the lieutenant’s arrival with the harmonic telemetry still flowing across his screens. Nothing obvious presented itself, but the timing was enough to warrant attention.

“Lieutenant,” he said in a calm, respectful tone, “good to have you back.”

His fingers danced across the console, briefly bringing up an internal sensor sweep focused on the bridge compartment.

“I’m not seeing anything anomalous aboard ship, but you look like you’ve had a rough few minutes. Everything all right?”

He paused, glancing between Rynak and the harmonic graph. “We’ve been tracking a persistent harmonic field emanating from Vey’lan. The frequencies remain stable, but they’re… unusual.” Corwin shared a knowing look with Stella. “Medical is already reviewing our telemetry as a precaution.”

He tapped another control, routing a simplified display to the helm.

“I’ve sent the latest navigational telemetry to your console. The away team is progressing normally through the city, and the guidance corridor remains stable.”

Offering a polite smile, he added, “If you happen to notice anything unusual from the helm—sensor drift, inertial fluctuations, or even something that simply doesn’t feel right—I would appreciate you letting Lieutenant Gagnon or me know. Given your species’ heightened senses, another perspective could prove invaluable.”

Without taking his eyes completely off the Operations display, Corwin resumed monitoring the away team’s biosigns, the harmonic field, and the ship’s internal environmental sensors, adding the bridge itself to the growing list of things deserving close observation.

Ensign Daniel Corwin
Operations Officer
USS Merrimack

GM Nosferatu
Your Darkest Nightmare

By the time in which the black and white furred Canidin reached the navigational console, he seemed to immediately sit down. No answer had been provided just yet, as both hand paws reached to his ears and started pulling them down. Harmonics to him were like a dog whistle, something which Rynak hadn’t experienced before while living in Andoria with his adoptive parents.

He lowered his head until his head met the screen, teeth gritted to an extent. Fur pricking on end. A small whine escaped before he could stop it, something instinctive and embarrassingly canine. His eyes squeezed shut as he fought against the overwhelming urge to flee from the bridge entirely.

“Make it stop…”

The words slipped out before he realized he had spoken.

Rynak lowered his head further, his paws still pressed against his ears.

“I can’t…” he whispered, his voice strained.

Another pulse moved through the hull.

His entire body flinched.

“I can’t make it quiet.”

His breathing became uneven again.

“I’m trying.”

A pause.

“I’m trying to filter it.”

His voice cracked slightly.

“But I can’t.”

Lieutenant JG. Rynak ch’Sorel
Helm Officer
U.S.S. Merrimack - NCC-2346 (Mariner Class)