Okay gang, I think Joslyn did some darned fine work with our Scene Post. If you want anything changed, weigh in before the weekend, when I'll put this up in the Game Thread and cue up our next Scene (Imogen and Ebb, out of your trailers and knock it off with the green M&Ms, they're hell on the figure :)):<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Captain’s Log, Stardate 310.7<br/><br/>The <em>Vanguard</em> has arrived at Segea IV in response to a distress call sent from the Palmyra research station by Dr. Sonvek, a leading Vulcan archaeologist. On arrival, we discovered that all of the station’s 64-person crew have mysteriously vanished... except for Dr. Sonvek, who is in a state of extreme psychological distress. Despite the risks, we have beamed him aboard the <em>Vanguard</em> for treatment, and, hopefully, for answers.<br/><br/>Dr. Marah Tren had never seen her sickbay from within a hostile environment suit—her restricted field of vision made the place feel smaller, even a little alien. She was peering out at Captain Chandra, Yeoman Burke, and Nurse Woodward, all of whom were protected by identical outfits. Woodward was running a quick diagnostic on one of the bio-beds—even though doing so was not strictly necessary, she had guessed that Marah would want it done and gotten to it without being asked.<br/><br/>The Andorian was pleased with her head nurse—the woman was efficient, knowledgeable, and good with the patients. And while there had yet to be a true medical emergency so far on the voyage, Marah was confident that the Human’s exemplary record was well-earned. She was very remarkable... <em>Now’s not the time.</em> Marah’s physical attraction to the other woman was just an inconvenience, really. The last thing she wanted was to make her feelings known—her position of authority would make any advances seem inappropriate at best and coercive at worst.<br/><br/>Returning her focus to the business at hand, Marah quietly walked her captain aside to speak with her privately. Not that she had anything against Burke—given the possibility that the Vulcan might turn violent, his obvious physical strength was welcome. But regardless of the unusual circumstances, Dr. Sonvek was her patient and his right to privacy put any talk about him on a need-to-know basis.<br/><br/><strong>“Captain, you asked earlier for a preliminary assessment of Dr. Sonvek’s mental state. Unfortunately, there’s not much I can tell you based on what we saw on the bridge. He shows obvious signs of nervous exhaustion, which is associated with hallucinations and physical pain. That said, it seems clear that there’s something more than sleep deprivation causing his symptoms.”</strong><br/><br/>The door slid open, and Marah’s latest patient was practically pulled into the room by two members of the security team. They were followed by Chief Parata, the head of ship’s enlisted crew and especially of security. The Vulcan seemed disoriented, and spoke in a mix of his native language and English.  <br/><br/><strong>“Quunalsshia ko bosleana...  What are all these people doing here?”</strong> He looked around, and his motions were clearly aimed at a larger area than the sickbay. He focused on one of the medical sensor readouts on the wall and shouted. <strong>“Melak! The physicist! A juggler of baubles smaller than dust grains!”</strong><br/><br/>He strained in the grip of the security men, calling out to an invisible onlooker. <strong>“You there, do you not know me? I am Sonvek! I am the winner of the... the... No, listen! Do not turn away!”</strong> He struggled to turn. <strong>“Father! Mother! I am here! Is my presence not satisfactory to you? I too have been awarded... NO!  Come back!”</strong> He fought against his “captors” before crying out once more. <strong>“I <em>am</em> worthy to be at this presentation! I am Sonvek! Sonvek, winner of the Zee Magnees Prize! What do you mean, not a relevant one?”</strong> He collapsed on the floor, dispirited. An Andorian would have been sobbing, but only a single tear fell down his cheek, tracking through the dust on his skin.<br/><br/>Chief Parata grunted sadly, gesturing to his two security men to take the Vulcan by the arms again. <strong>“He's been getting worse and worse the whole way up here,”</strong> he said. <strong>“Poor bugger doesn't look ‘logical’ to me. Come on now, up you get...”</strong> He leaned in to help his men pick the scientist up and move him toward the bed Nurse Woodward indicated.<br/><br/>The Captain finally had the chance to speak after the interruption. <strong>“Good assessment,”</strong> she said, wryly deadpan.<br/><br/>Tren gave Chandra a sidelong glance before approaching Parata. <strong>“Thank you, Chief. Once he’s properly secured, you can wait outside.”</strong> The room was becoming too crowded, and that could only serve to agitate Sonvek further.<br/><br/>Despite this, the Vulcan had a brief moment of lucidity. <strong>“A starship? I am on a starship? A human female captain—Chandra?”</strong> But before anyone could answer, he began losing his grip on reality once more: <strong>“No, none of this is real. More visions...”</strong> Sonvek struggled against the security guards, shoving one aside briefly due to his Vulcan strength and desperation. <strong>“No, I shall <em>not</em> submit to your falsehoods! <em>None of this is real!”</em></strong> Finally, he was placed upon the bed and strapped down.<br/><br/>The Doctor considered her patient as he was restrained. Outwardly she was calm, but it was agony to watch him. For any intelligent being, the thought of being reduced to such a state was a nightmare—but the Vulcan obsession with mental discipline could only make losing one’s mind that much more terrifying. Of course, Marah would do everything in her power to see this man recover his sanity.<br/><br/>Once the bio-bed began taking readings, Marah considered each of the indicators on the panel over the bed. Every bit of data she accumulated brought her that much closer to a diagnosis. But for the moment, the readings merely indicated that the Vulcan suffered from the effects of nervous exhaustion and malnutrition that she'd already guessed at. <strong>“Nurse, draw the usual blood and tissue samples and begin testing in the lab for pathogens and any other abnormalities. I’ll join you soon.”</strong><br/><br/><strong>“Right away, Doctor.”</strong> Woodward was already moving as Parata and his men retired out to the corridor. Yeoman Burke stood guard near the door.<br/><br/>The Andorian now looked to her patient and addressed him in a soothing tone. <strong>“Dr. Sonvek, can you hear me? I’m Dr. Marah Tren of the U.S.S. <em>Vanguard.</em> You’re inside our sickbay, and we’re going to help you. Captain Chandra is here—you spoke to her before.”</strong> Marah motioned for the captain to come closer so that Sonvek could see her and hopefully recognize her from earlier.<br/><br/>Chandra approached, pulling down her suit’s head covering so that her face would be more clearly visible to him and offering a slight wave. Marah knew that the Captain would have been well within her rights to be asking the questions herself—the young CMO greatly appreciated the trust Chandra showed in letting her take the lead here.<br/><br/><strong>“You were one of a team of archaeologists studying Segea IV, Dr. Sonvek,”</strong> Marah continued. <strong>“You sent a distress call, it said you needed help evaluating unusual occurrences and a possible life-form. Can you remember why you sent that message?”</strong><br/><br/>He stared at her blankly at first, but then a hint of recognition appeared and his expression softened. <strong>“Emoira, you are here!”</strong><br/><br/><em>Emoira. Now there's a good solid Andorian name,</em> she thought. He was obviously still perceiving her in some fashion, but she would have to try something more to get through to him. She looked to her Head Nurse. <strong>“Miss Woodward, before you bring those samples to the lab I'll need you to prep a hypo with a low dose of corbamine.”</strong> Given how little information the Vulcans were willing to share about their physiology, there was admittedly some risk involved here—but there was also the possibility that Sonvek was suffering neurological damage that the antipsychotic drug could arrest. And she badly needed some patient history right about now.<br/><br/>The nurse nodded and soon exited to the adjacent room in sickbay. While she waited for the hypo, Marah decided to take the opportunity opened by her patient’s mistaken recognition: <strong>“Sonvek, please tell me what happened to Palmyra Station.”</strong><br/><br/>The sickbay door opened as Marah was speaking. <strong>“Be careful, Doctor,”</strong> said a smooth contralto voice from the doorway. <strong>“I could feel your patient’s anguish from halfway across the ship. I’m not sure he’ll wish to be reminded of unpleasant subjects.”</strong> Marah stayed focused on Sonvek as the Deltan CSO entered -- somehow managing with grace of her movements to make even the shapeless bag of a hazmat suit looky slinky -- and responded only by holding up a hand to Commander Yuuna to forestall any additional interruption. Tren was painfully aware that this could be difficult for her patient, but the information was potentially critical.<br/><br/>Yuuna nodded a general acknowledgment to the officers in the room and continued under her breath: <strong>“Reporting for duty, Captain. Sorry I'm late... I came as quickly as I could.”</strong><br/><br/><strong>“No problem, Commander,”</strong> Chandra answered just as quietly. <strong>“The doctor is just starting to work her voodoo on the patient for us.”</strong><br/><br/>As the two women had their near silent exchange, Dr. Sonvek answered Marah. <strong>“Emoira, it is not like Lisshaur. Lisshaur was clear, even from the beginning, though we did not understand everything then. Remember? But here... This place is... an enigma. A threat. Always the sense of something dark...”</strong> He reached up with two fingers and touched her hand softly. <strong>“But it is satisfactory to see you...”</strong><br/><br/>Tren had a minute before the hypo was prepared. Cyclng mentally through possibilities, she gave Sonvek a comforting pat on the arm with her gloved hand, walked over to the nearby table and activated the comm. <strong>“Tie in to library computer,”</strong> she ordered the system. <strong>“Access the most recent personnel manifest for Palmyra Station, Segea IV. How many Vulcans are listed?”</strong><br/><br/>The computer’s pleasant tenor responded. <strong>“One listing found. Sonvek of Vulcan.”</strong><br/><br/>Yuuna looked curiously from Sonvek to Marah and spoke quietly. <strong>“He mentioned Lisshaur... that’s the expedition that won him the Zee Magnees Prize. Computer,"</strong> she added a little louder: <strong>"Query personnel listings for the Lisshaur Expedition. Non-Human researchers only.”</strong><br/><br/>The computer worked briefly and responded. <strong>“Three listings found. Dr. Ul-Uul-Kssan-Hyanat of Coridan. Dr. Emoira Vlenek of Andor. Sonvek of Vulcan.”</strong><br/><br/>Marah took in the information solemnly before addressing the others. <strong>“It seems many of the things he’s saying do have real world significance,"</strong> she mused. <strong>"Maybe there is something important ‘to the base’s magnetic south.’ And given that our sole survivor is also the sole Vulcan, it makes me wonder if his unusual physiology or mental discipline played a role in his survival.”</strong><br/><br/>The doctor saw Woodward returning with the prepared hypo as Chandra said: <strong>“Delirium does not make people disappear, Doctor. There is something more at play here than just a psychological or physiological effect.”</strong><br/><br/>The Andorian nodded agreement as she returned to her patient’s bed. <strong>“Thank you,”</strong> she said to Woodward, taking the hypo and administering it. After giving the drug a short time to take effect, she said: <strong>“Dr. Sonvek, I’ve given you an antipyschotic to help with your hallucinations, but I don’t know how long the effect may last. I need you tell me what happened to your colleagues at Palmyra Station.”</strong><br/><br/>Sonvek replied, the drug relaxing him:L <strong>“Emoira, you'll find that nothing is as it seems here. That’s what they found. Not at first. But...”</strong>  His eyes slid shut and he continued softly. <strong>“Nothing is real.”</strong> He fell into a much needed sleep as Nurse Woodward exited sickbay, taking the samples to the lab.<br/><br/>Marah was disappointed that the medication did not have the full effect she had hoped for. She would have to wait for the lab results—or answers from surface—to have any hope of helping Dr. Sonvek. <br/><br/><strong>“‘The sense of something dark,’”</strong> Yuuna said, pensively echoing one of Sonvek's disjointed phrases. Then, sounding troubled, she continued: <strong>“Captain, request permission to take an away team to the surface. I... I <em>feel</em> there is something to Sonvek’s theory about a lifeform down there. I’d like to have the Doctor of course, Mister Cortez’ diplomatic experience if you can spare him... and Chief Adams to help restore full power at the station so I can access their data.”</strong><br/><br/>Captain Chandra, clearly surprised by the request, looked at Yuuna in disbelief. <strong>“An away mission, based on what Sonvek said in his emergency message? Commander, how do you know he wasn’t already delirious when he sent it?”</strong><br/><br/><strong>“It can be difficult to explain ESPer intuition, Ma’am.”</strong> Yuuna hesitated a moment. <strong>“Before I woke in my quarters a few minutes ago, I had... something other than a dream. You get to learn the difference. It was a vision of something dark, vast... something cold. Looking at me with... with a kind of <em>curiosity.</em>”</strong> She seemed troubled and reluctant, but pressed on. <strong>“I think perhaps that I understand Sonvek’s emergency message. This was no dream, Ma’am. It was psychic contact, and psychic ability is a product of <em>living</em> minds. I don't know about the station’s personnel, but something must be alive down there, and it’s active. It’s <em>reaching out.</em> Sonvek’s symptoms are unlikely to be a coincidence.”</strong><br/><br/>The Captain thought for a moment, then nodded. <strong>“I would have preferred to get more intelligence from Dr. Sonvek before trying anything as risky as beaming down. But until we confirm what happened to the rest of the expedition, we have to assume they’re alive, and probably in need of help... we don’t have the luxury of time. Those computer banks down at the station may have the information we need.<br/><br/>“But I’m not beaming a team into a potential quarantine situation. Let’s make ruling out a pathogen our priority. We’ll check our guest here, and the quarantine filters, to see if anything was brought aboard. Once I’m convinced the ship is safe, and that there’s little chance of there being an infectious agent at Palmyra... we can take the next step.”</strong><br/><br/><strong>“Everyone who beams down needs to be prepared for the worst,”</strong> Marah added regretfully. <strong>“I know Dr. Sonvek claims everyone else at the base was ‘taken,’ but all we know for certain is that we detected no life signs. We may find nothing down there but corpses—and something that killed more than sixty people.”</strong></div></div><br/>Enjoying the game immensely and thankful to have such a fine group of players as my<del>guinea pigs</del>pioneers, a thousand thanks to all of you!