Like A Parody Of You
Posted on Sat Mar 28th, 2020 @ 11:56pm by Captain Benjamin Ingram Dr & Lieutenant Commander Mara Ricci & Lieutenant Commander Meilin Jiang & Senior Chief Petty Officer Sharona Deluna
Mission:
S2:2: Best Laid Plans
Location: Canopus Station, Station Operations
Timeline: MD1: 12:30
It appeared on every wall screen, display pane, or public feed on Canopus Station. Regardless of security access, network permission, or in some cases the fact they were not powered on before it began, the message played. On a field white, adrift in a void of abstraction, stood the figure of a slender human man with short-cropped white hair. In fact, his skin was so pale in place, it was only the tailored red robes with their orange highlights that helped differentiate him from the background.
That and the blazing ember coals of his eyes, set above pale lips made it seemed to smile warmly. His voice was warm and soothing, a mixture of youthful energy and sage elders wisdom. His was the tone of the Avatar Of Salesmen.
"Greetings, citizens of the United Federation of Planet's presence within Messier 4. I come to you with glad tidings from the High Executor Her Self. I have arrived in your star system via the Whisper Gate, the Priors so thoughtfully left buried within the heart of this systems primary stellar body. I am the Myriad, Haztor, of the House of Foxes. I have been charged with repairing the poor relations between our two civilisations, following your...unexpected arrival in our space and the poor hospitality of the Myriad Abborax. I come to you with no ill will and many bountiful opportunities for all. I hope in the discourse to follow, as we get to know one another much better than rumour can attest to, that we will find many more things that unite us than divides us. I look forward to seeing you all in person soon, so we might begin our journey together."
"So much for our precautions in regards to fool proofing our computer systems against Myriad intrusion," Ingram spoke into the buzzing tipped-over-hive activity of Station Ops. On the main system display hologram, a simplified map of Carpathia's star system hung in the air, with a glowing orange chevron powering slowly towards the station. A half-hour had passed since the double neutrino pulse of the Whisper Gates activation had washed over the Station and mere minutes since the Myriad's broadcast.
"Thoughts and opinions," Ingram said, looking around the command dais at his team. "Commodore Grissom has elected to return to the USS Palatine for the duration of this engagement. So we are the welcome committee if we allow this Haztor fellow to dock."
Aimee Paulsen had been in her office doing some paperwork when the console behind her and the wall screen to her left suddenly changed and the man started to talk. She jumped off the chair at her desk and flopped hard onto the deck with a grunt, "The hell..." She muttered as she pulled herself up and looked over at the man on the screen. At least Aimee hadn't gotten more than a bump on the head and a scrape on her arm, after checking her injuries she made her way to operations.
Aimee stepped out of the turbolift in time to hear Ingram ask for thoughts and opinions, "What the hell was that?"
Sharona had seen everything from where she had been monitoring a steady stream of reports coming from all departments, all of which was demanding to know exactly what the prepubescent counselor was. "The Myriad," she said. "Well, one of them."
She turned to Ingrams. "I'd suggest restricted access to everything," she said.
"Agreed," Meilin said. She had recognized the Myriad profile from the initial Messier 4 docket and had sought out Ingram before the broadcast even finished. "Furthermore, I suggest deactivating the station's primary computer for an immediate diagnostic to find the exploited vulnerability and patch it. And then we ought to consider switching to analog processes wherever possible. The Rish may prove their usefulness in this regard."
"I am loath to agree with you Commander, Yeoman, but in this, you might well have a point. Communications?" He spoke to the air, and one of the controllers perked their head up, "Send via laser tight beam to all Shore Battery Stations: from this point forward they are to go into autistic mode. All communications from Canopus Station or other Starfleet Assets are to be disregarded without physical biometric verification from Command Personal on site. Send with my command code."
He looked to the others.
"Each of those batteries carries enough System Defence Torpedoes to level Carpathia and wipe out everything here. It's a major trump card for us, but a razor against our throats if a Myriad can get in to puppet them like they did the Traveller," he shook his head. "Damn shame. Commander Meilin begin work with Chief Ricci to take every automatic system we can onto manual control."
Meilin enjoyed working with her old friend. She gave Mara a terse smile and Ingram an even terser, "Yes, sir."
"I don't trust them," Mara said by way of response. She hadn't stopped sneering since the message first started. "I don't want any part of my station falling into his hands."
"Counsellor, from what we know of the Myriad they are supreme manipulators. I would be disposed to your aid in any discussions we might have with them," Ingram said. "Miss Deluna, I would be equally pleased with your aid in this matter from an administrative standpoint. I want the word put out that no parties on the station communicate with the Myriad without Starfleet liaisons present. As Commander Meilin pointed out, the Rish might aid us in braining our computers into stupidity, but they might well take this opportunity to strike a bargain with a literal devil. I'd like you and Dr Paulsen to speak to 'Chief Captain' Bossa, convince her of the benefits of seeing things our way. Might also be an idea to talk to Kisbeck and Kle of the Xilosian Exiles, in case this Haztor character offers them cut price revenge against the Concordance."
The rare praise from Ingram toward Meilin made her glow, but she rightly kept it in perspective. He was a self-serving man if there ever was one.
Aimee heard what the Captain had said about the Myriad and how he would need her help, "That shouldn't be a problem Captain, but I need to know more about them than they are supreme manipulators. What does the computer have on them if anything?"
"Technomorphs. Apocryphal information suggests at one point in their history they were organic, or 'Bound' as they call it. But somewhere along the way, they achieved a state of enlightenment that allowed them to transfer their consciousnesses digitally to hardware. They became the ghosts in their machines, the 'Unbound'. Now they seem lord of a good fraction of Messier 4, managing the affairs of their client races through gile, collusion, bribery and out and out hostile action. The business savvy of a Ferengi, the scheming mind of a Romulan, and yet again technology more advanced than our own," Ingram explained. "They were the first Messier 4 race we met. In that first meeting, they convinced the Chief Engineer of the USS Traveller to jump ship, stole the vessel's computer core, and stranded a colony ship on a wasteland of a planet. They also have a habit of forcing themselves on less advance races, taking the role of benevolent stellar shepherds."
Ingram cocked his head to one side in thought.
"Come to think of it, there is an expert of sorts on the station. Someone who spent years with the Myriad as one of their consorts. I believe yourself and Miss Deluna are familiar with them, Dr Paulsen? Bar'soon I think his name is?"
Sharona shivered in disgust at the name and then a wily look came over her Elven looking face. "What if I were to add...insurance...that they will not be doing anything?" she asked Ingrams.
"As the Bajorans would say... By the prophets." She threw her arms up in the air, "My office is still undergoing repairs from what that thing did in there and you want me to talk to him?" She rubbed her forehead, "Also lest we forget he came up through the drain while I was stark naked taking a shower. No... I think there may be a better alternative."
"Desperation is the mother of invention Dr Paulsen, you have..." Ingram looked to the system map. "Two hours and change to come up with a Plan B that is as well informed as Bar'soon. If you cannot, then I can make it an order if that will ease the weight off your conscience."
He turned to look at Sharona.
"My family owns a number of insurance companies, we value the practice: elaborate," Ingram said to Sharona.
"My species ability, Sir," Sharona said. "If it's possible to use it on a digital consciousness. With them being formerly organic, it should work...but it also had an unexpected effect on him." She gave a meaningful look at Aimee.
Aimee waved her hand in the air and started to turn around, "Somehow Captain I get the sense that if an omnipotent being with a ridiculously long name and series of titles came through the drain while you were thirteen, albeit I'm not truly thirteen, and were naked you'd feel a bit differently." She headed for the open seat at one of the vacant consoles and sit down, "But, if you feel that it is necessary for me to talk to Bar'soon the peeping tom then sure..."
She looked at Sharona, "Being that Sharona using her abilities on the Myriad person doesn't work, or they end up chasing her around the station professing their undying love and devotion to her mortal soul... Or, whatever it was that Bar'soon the ridiculously long name was on about." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she leaned back into the chair and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I wasn't talking about He of the Ridiculously Long Titles, Unhallowed Be His Name," the Yeoman said. "I was just saying that it could work the way it did on He of the Ridiculously Long Titles, Unhallowed Be His Name. I didn't tell him to come up through your shower drain. Although that had to be a sight to behold."
Aimee shot a death glare at Sharona, "He came through my drain to inform me of his undying love for you, which wouldn't have happened had you not Knacked him or whatever it's called," She said and relaxed so that the Captain could speak.
"Perhaps I might talk with this Bar'soon," Meilin suggested. "I have had success so far with the Rish and the Xilosians."
"Yes, please, whatever stops this bardic tale of woe," Ingram said, throwing a hand up. "But the two of you, Amiee and Sharona, will be there to offer an introduction. Aid Commander Meilin in extracting as much information from Bar'soon as possible on these Myriad. You might well consider that an order, but if an incentive is required I will do my best to assign this being of legend to liaise with the Romulan Free State colony. A goodwill tour of sorts."
Mara, who had opened her mouth to warn Meilin, quickly shut it when Ingram ordered two others to go with her. She didn’t want to get stuck in that party. She’s had enough of Bar’soon when kicking him out of the diplomatic offices. She had every desire to avoid him at any cost.
Aimee had her arms crossed, "Fine Captain I'll go with them to talk to him... But, I recommend that Commander Ricci come along too the way Bar'soon likes to break things we will need the Chief Engineer to make quick repairs." The Counselor suggested.
“Submit repair orders,” Mara supplied quickly. “I’ll be busy changing as many systems as possible to manual.”
"On that point, we agree. Chief Ricci has an already onerous task, adding another to her docket would be quite unthinkable," Ingram said. "Security Chief Theylan can accompany you. If this Bar'soon is as fearsome as you make him out to be, then there can be no better aid to you surely?"
