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

He looked from the silent Shiarians to the towering crystal columns surrounding them.

“Captain.”

His voice was deliberately measured, softer than normal.

“We’ve entered what appears to be a gathering place.”

He studied the assembled inhabitants for another moment.

“Notice that although they are not speaking, each movement is accompanied by a subtle change in the chamber’s harmonic resonance.”

His antennae slowly rotated, listening as much as sensing.

“Combined with what my tricorder has been reporting since we entered the structure, I believe every sound generated within this chamber becomes part of the city’s harmonic network.”

“Relayed and amplified,” mused Captain Glen. “As I said before, a kind of hive - though maybe not a ‘hive mind’ exactly, but an organised community communicating inside a shared nest”.

Thalos paused thoughtfully.

“Whether intentional or not, it may be prudent for us to keep our voices low and unnecessary conversation to a minimum.”

“I agree,” Captain Glen replied. “Let’s just observe for now. But whether or not the structure of this place is a living being, or a crystalline entity, one thing is certain. The Shiarains do exist, and they are flesh and blood, just like us.”

Thalos’ attention shifted back to the Shiarians.

“If this resonance forms part of their means of communication… I would rather we observe first than inadvertently interrupt it.”

With that, Thalos resumed his silent vigil, allowing the scientists to study the phenomenon while Security maintained its watch over the away team and the quietly observing Shiarians.

Reeves stood vigil after his readings debating the next process

Lieutenant Grahams’ medical scans showed the away team remained physiologically normal. No environmental hazards were detected, though the subtle synchronization of low-level neural oscillations previously observed continued to increase slightly.

It was a relief to see the team were within normal parameters and there were no hazards that he could spot. It eased his concern that what had happened to the crew on board the ship would happen there, but he refused to let that concern fade entirely. He needed it to keep him sharp. A sheep or a beast with Barbers Pole could look fine one day and then be struck down the next. As much as he’d like to think that the worst of it was over, medically at least, the last thing he wanted was for the team to be afflicted again, in unfamiliar territory so far away from the U.S.S Merrimack.

There were still neural oscillations happening and although they were small, he didn’t know what was influencing it. Were their minds still adapting? Were they reacting? Or was it because they were getting closer to this ‘Silent One’?

Now they were surrounded by Shiarians he turned to scan one of them wondering if their brains were all synchronized together or if they were something else.

The away team remained at the threshold of the immense amphitheater-like chamber, the soft blue-white glow of the crystalline architecture bathing everything in an almost ethereal light.

No Shiarian turned to stare. No one approached. Instead, the inhabitants continued their quiet activities with an almost effortless grace, acknowledging the newcomers with little more than subtle inclinations of the head before returning their attention to one another—or perhaps to something else entirely.

Captain Glen’s observations, Lieutenant M’Mera’s engineering assessments, Lieutenant Zavey’s scientific theories, Commander Singh’s hypotheses, Dr. Grahams’ medical concerns, and Lieutenant Thalos’ security recommendations all seemed to converge upon a single conclusion.

Nothing here behaved according to Federation expectations.

Lieutenant M’Mera continued studying the harmonic lattice filling her engineering display. Her ears flicked thoughtfully as the data refreshed yet again.

Every structural member of the chamber served simultaneously as architecture, energy distribution, and something resembling an information network. There were still no conduits, no EPS taps, no junctions, and no maintenance access. Energy simply… existed everywhere at once.

As her tricorder automatically expanded its analysis of the massive geometric formations beneath the city, another discovery appeared. The intersections below were not static. Very slowly—almost imperceptibly—they were changing.

Entire crystalline pathways beneath the city shifted by fractions of a millimeter, altering their geometric relationships while never breaking harmonic synchronization. The city itself was continuously reconfiguring. Not randomly but deliberately.

M’Mera’s engineering computer could offer only a single comparison:

Adaptive structural optimization detected.

She had never encountered a building capable of quietly redesigning portions of its own internal framework while remaining fully operational.

Lieutenant Elyss Zavey’s renewed scientific scans produced equally remarkable results. The coherent sensor returns she had noticed earlier became stronger the longer the tricorder remained active.

Rather than simply reflecting Federation sensor pulses, portions of the surrounding crystal appeared to be modulating them. The returning scans contained faint harmonic alterations that had not existed in the original emissions.

Computer analysis suggested the crystal was interacting with the sensor beams themselves before returning them. Whether the process represented passive resonance or intentional manipulation could not be determined.

Commander Rana Singh’s tricorder registered another subtle anomaly. The gravitational field remained exactly one standard gravity. Perfectly, almost too perfectly.

Natural planetary gravity always exhibited microscopic fluctuations caused by subsurface density variations. Here there were none. Every reading throughout the chamber matched within tolerances so small that they exceeded Starfleet’s own artificial gravity systems.

His earlier thoughts regarding the immense gravitational forces surrounding Vey’lan seemed increasingly relevant. Whatever lay beneath the city was influencing far more than harmonics alone.

Dr. Grahams focused his tricorder upon one of the nearest Shiarians. The results immediately distinguished them from any humanoid species previously encountered.

Their physiology was unquestionably biological. Cardiovascular activity, respiration, cellular metabolism, and neural function all fell within the expected parameters of a living organism. Yet each nervous system displayed something he had never seen before.

Every Shiarian brain generated the same harmonic oscillations his instruments had been detecting aboard the Merrimack. More remarkably, they were synchronized—not identically, but individually, like musicians performing different parts of the same composition.

None of the patterns indicated coercion, neurological damage, or loss of individuality. If anything, their neural activity appeared unusually healthy. Stress indicators were remarkably low, while cortical integration exceeded normal humanoid averages.

His tricorder automatically highlighted the comparison:

Similarity detected between Shiarian neural harmonics and ambient environmental resonance: 99.997%.

The city’s harmonic field was not merely surrounding its inhabitants. Their nervous systems were participating in it.

Lieutenant Reeves completed another careful security sweep. The results remained unchanged. No concealed defensive systems, no weapons, and no hidden lifesigns. Yet his trained instincts continued noticing something impossible to quantify.

The Shiarians displayed complete situational awareness. Without appearing to look directly toward the Starfleet officers, individuals several terraces away subtly shifted to make room for others approaching from behind them. Groups moved in perfect coordination without exchanged words or visible signals. Nothing suggested military training but it did seem to resemble effortless understanding.

Lieutenant Thalos’ tactical sensors continued monitoring the chamber’s remarkable acoustics. As several Shiarians gently touched one of the towering crystalline columns, the chamber’s harmonics shifted once more.

This time the change was unmistakable. The sound propagated outward through the surrounding crystal, traveling across walls, pillars, and terraces before disappearing beneath the floor into the immense lattice below. Seconds later, a distant harmonic answered. It originated somewhere far beneath the city. Then another answered, then another.

The replies spread outward through the structure like echoes moving across an unimaginably vast instrument.

As the away team quietly observed, one of the elder Shiarians slowly rose from the upper terrace. The white crystalline filaments woven through their silver robes shimmered gently as they descended toward the central platform.

Every other Shiarian gradually became still—not from command, but from expectation. The chamber’s harmonics softened until even the faint background resonance seemed to quiet itself.

The elder reached the center of the crystalline platform and looked directly toward Captain Glen and his officers. For several long seconds, nothing happened.

Then every tricorder carried by the away team emitted a single soft tone. Without anyone touching them, each display changed simultaneously.

Across every screen appeared the same translation:

WELCOME

The word lingered only a heartbeat before slowly fading.

No transmission frequency had been detected. No subspace signal. No radio emission. No electromagnetic pulse. The translation had simply… appeared.

The elder Shiarian inclined their head in a gesture unmistakably recognizable as one of greeting.

Then they waited in complete silence, as though inviting the visitors to take the next step.

Reeves notices the Welcome sign. ” CAPTAIN, I believe the Shiarian’s are attempting contact sir!”

The sign hadn’t escaped the Captain’s attention either, but Glen was considering how they ought to reply. His thoughts always returned to the disastrous Bolay First Contact when these occasions presented themselves. Slight misunderstandings could have permanent consequences.

Thalos’ eyes moved from his tricorder to the elder Shiarian standing upon the crystalline platform.

The single word—

WELCOME.

—had appeared simultaneously on every Starfleet tricorder without any detectable means of transmission.

It was unlike anything he had encountered.

He heard Lieutenant Reeves’ observation and gave the younger security officer a small nod of approval before turning his attention back to Captain Glen.

“Agreed, sir.”

His voice remained calm and measured.

“Lieutenant Reeves is correct. Whatever method they are employing, this appears to be an intentional greeting rather than an attempt to interfere with our equipment.”

His silver eyes briefly swept the chamber once more.

Nothing had changed.

The assembled Shiarians remained where they were. There was no sign of alarm, no movement suggesting an encirclement, nor any indication that weapons or defensive systems had suddenly become active.

If anything, the chamber had become quieter.

“The tactical situation remains unchanged,” he continued. “No hostile movement has been detected, and the inhabitants continue to display what I would describe as… patient restraint.”

His antennae angled slightly toward the elder standing at the centre of the platform.

“They have presented us with what appears to be an invitation.”

A brief pause followed.

“I recommend we answer it.”

He looked briefly toward Lieutenant Reeves.

“Lieutenant, maintain our security watch. Continue passive scans only. I don’t wish to give the impression that we are preparing for a fight.”

Returning his attention to the Captain, Thalos gave a respectful nod.

“Security has no objection to proceeding, sir.”

With that, he resumed his watch over both the away team and the gathered Shiarians, allowing diplomacy to take the lead while Security remained quietly vigilant.

Lieutenant Thalos ch’Ravik
Chief Of Security
USS Merrimack

“Can we communicate back to them using the same Tricorder settings they have used to send that message to us?” Glen asked his officers. “I’m a pilot not a communications officer, but I was taught at the academy that the first thing you do is make sure your subspace radio is set up properly – that it is on the correct mode, channel and frequency, that you have the microphone gain set right, and that you have selected the optimum power settings.”

“The second question is what to reply,” Captain Glen said. he lowered his voice, “It’s long before your time, but the recent war between the Federation and the Bolay was the result of a single word mentioned in total innocence by a junior Bridge officer on the Merrimack during First Contact. This continues to make me very wary in these situations of saying the wrong thing. From what you say, every Shiarian could be listening to us at the same time. That’s a lot of individuals with the potential for one to be upset. Best to keep it simple and brief. It will be a good idea to tell them a little about ourselves and our origin, and ask them a little about their local area. However, we’ll stay clear of any questions of their own origins, the deeper questions we have of the crystalline entity for the moment, or of the Federation ships lost within the Expanse. No one is to say anything that might be considered to question their politics, morals, religion, dietary habits, or their reproductive processes either.”

Captain Glen waited while M’Mera or Elyss checked and made any necessary Tricorder adjustments. In the end, he just said something akin to what he would have always have said anyway =/\= I am John Glen and these are my ship’s crew. Our ship’s mission is to explore the excitement of strange new worlds, uncharted civilisations, and new lifeforms. =/\=

• Glen, CO

While Elyss checked her tricorder for any further messages from the Shiarians, the thing uppermost in her mind was why they couldn’t just speak to the aliens like they had on the Merrimack. What was the difference that kept conversation out of the equation? Out of curiosity, she brought up the readings from the ship’s computer from when the Shiarian’s had first attempted communication on the bridge of the ship, then compared those readings to the information her tricorder was picking up now. She studied the side by side readouts.

OOC: GM is there a difference?

Lieutenant Elyss Zavey
Chief Science Officer USS Merrimack