As Fast As the Speed of Light

Posted on Wed Nov 30th, 2011 @ 3:59pm by Commander Sakkath & Commander Oralia Zeferino

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Oz's Quarters

Meeting with Connor had proven to be illuminating, though there remained a great many questions and not all of them centered around Rhys. The crystal had managed to touch other lives, one in particular, and that was why Sakkath found himself once more enduring a lengthy turbolift trip back to the Senior Officers' Quarters.

Unable to request the location of Ignatius J. Reilly from the computer - the arachnid, after all, possessed no communicator to locate - Sakkath made the logical assumption that she would be found in Oralia's quarters. Coming to the door, he sounded the chime... unsure if the spider even possessed the means to answer. Perhaps the Chief of Security would prove to be at home, he thought, unaware of just why Li had departed so suddenly.

From inside the Chief's quarters came a whispery, alien thought, Oralia is not here. But.... The door slid open and Ignatius' front legs and head peered around the door jamb, her pedipalps waving, seemingly scooping the air in towards her fangs. You are not here to see my biped, are you? Come in, Li's Mate, she directed him with the wave of one long leg then scrambled down the wall and several feet into the apartment.

Turning slightly and moving sideways, she added, The Big Kahuna tells me it is polite to offer refreshments when one has a guest. If you would like a beverage, however, you will need to get it yourself. The replicator does not recognize my requests.

Sakkath entered into the apartment as though it were unremarkable that a sentient tarantula had just greeted him and invited entry, standing just far enough inside for the doors to hiss shut behind him. He did have to admit to a certain puzzlement about a 'Big Kahuna,' raising one brow in confusion, but there were more pressing issues. "Thank you, Ignatius, but I do not require sustenance at this time," he replied to her offer, draping his hands behind his back and turning his attention to her on the floor.

"You are quite correct, however, in that I am not here to speak with Lieutenant Commander Zeferino, but with you. I had hoped to discuss the issue of your acquired sentience and its relationship to a crystal that we believe to be harboring a malignant mental presence, should you be agreeable."

I am agreeable to discussing the crystal, Iggy crawled to and onto the couch arm and rotated to face Sakkath. Please, have a seat. She didn't ask out of hospitality but rather because then she could see the male more clearly. This malignant mental presence... you mean Rhys. I did not appreciate my encounter with him in Li's bed. Li and the double male talked about destroying the crystal in order to end Rhys' threat. Do you see another way to handle this situation?

The Vulcan nodded and moved to take a seat on the sofa, folding his hands in his lap as he continued to regard the arachnid beside him.

"Yes, it does appear to be Rhys Balasz," Sakkath agreed, judging from his own encounter and the findings Connor had been able to confirm. "As for alternatives, it is too early to say, though I would prefer not to pursue outright destruction," he admitted. There was simply no way to know how that would affect Iggy and her increased awareness, and he was unwilling to compromise that unless absolutely necessary.

"Could you recount your encounter for me?" he asked. "Li tells me you are the only one to be physically assaulted to date."

Could I? Yes, Iggy shuffled on the couch arm in a spider approximation of a shudder. Will I? I would rather have another hangover, she responded, a touch bitterly. The day of her hangover, she'd bathed in a pan of water and ended up soaking in nearly a third of the water Oralia had put in it for her. Her exoskeleton had even softened slightly. It was the second experience she'd had that she'd rather not re-experience. Although, at least with the hangover, it had been pleasant getting to that state. She pondered that a moment and decided that having a hangover would be better than having another nightmare.

After a long pause, the length of which Iggy couldn't have guessed at, she visibly heaved a sigh (which involved her abdomen swelling slightly then deflating again) and recounted the nightmare, ending with, ... I have a difficult time understanding all of what happened. It was unpleasant. And though I 'woke up' on Li's bed, I saw that an anchor strand was attached to the wall Rhys had thrown me against.

Content to wait through the pause and subsequent tale, Sakkath seemed pensive for a long moment as he considered that, leaning back in his chair. "Thank you for sharing that, despite the unpleasantness of the retelling," he began. "It may prove to be most helpful in moving forward. I had theorized that Rhys was merely manipulating our minds in such a way as to create the illusion of feeling - a touch, as Li and Norval have reported. But to physically move you suggests that he is capable of far more, and we must be cautious of his threats."

He regarded the spider carefully. "Rhys accused you of inhibiting him from reaching Li's mind, an account verified by Doctor McKinney. Are you aware of how you did that? Was it a conscious effort on your part?"

Yes... no..., Iggy's uncertainty on the matter was clear. Li is... was... has been my primary connection to your world. When the crystal first started its effect on me, she was the one I heard and the one who heard me. When she sleeps, I can feel her, sometimes see into her dreams. When Rhys threatened her in one, I was there, in the dream with them. Her body quivered, the hairs on her legs fluffed out. It was rather thrilling. I was larger than he was. I threatened him; barred his path deeper into Li's dream.

"And for that, you have my gratitude," Sakkath replied. "Perhaps this means he is unable to divide his attention... he must reside in one mind, and the presence of others presents too great a barrier. Like depleting a charge..." he mused aloud, borrowing Li's own battery metaphor. He seemed lost in thought for several seconds, before seeming to come back into the moment. "It warrants further consideration."

During Sakkath's moment of thought, Iggy waited patiently, taking the moment to groom her underbelly with her back legs. Yes. Just as the destruction of the crystal warrants much study and careful consideration, she agreed. If Rhys comes back... oh, when he returns, he will be after you. Perhaps we should find a way for me to be able to enter your dreams.

"Rest assured that my study of that particular mineral has only just begun. My people treasure peace above all else; violence in the form of its destruction would be the last of all possible resorts." Unless you are gripped by a rage you cannot control again, a voice sounded within, a rage Rhys above all others knows how to generate in you. Even so, Sakkath knew that Iggy's sentience must be preserved. A way to accomplish the end of Rhys' lingering presence without destroying another life had to exist, he simply needed to find it. No self-doubt could dissuade him.

"I am appreciative of the sentiment," he went on, "but it is likely not possible. My wife's mental gifts allow her to reach out to others. Mine require physical contact in all but the most specific of circumstances, and even then are difficult to make use of in an unconscious state."

When I touch Oralia, I can feel her emotions, read her thoughts, Iggy responded then fell silent, considering the possibilities. Finally, she spoke up again, I could perch on you while you sleep, thus maintaining contact with you. The spider was ignoring two things: one, that Sakkath and Li might not appreciate a third party in their bed; and two, that Sakkath might be a restless sleeper, thus putting her in danger of being rolled over upon and crushed. A smaller spider might survive such an event; Iggy's exoskeleton, however, would likely pop under the pressure.

"Intriguing. I had not been aware that your talents extended beyond speech projection and contact with other psionic minds. Perhaps you yourself are exhibiting the makings of a touch telepath." That, too, was something that could prove very interesting to study... once the imminent dangers were addressed. A meld now could prove more dangerous to Iggy than she knew. If Rhys' brain waves had possibly passed to him from Li through the meld, they could just as easily pass to her. Whatever that meant, Sakkath did not intend to spread the 'contagion' Rhys had gifted them.

"And again, your sentiment is appreciated," he deferred, "but I do not believe it to be necessary. If I find myself in need of a shield, Li shall be close at hand, though I hope to deal with our uninvited guest before he can make good on his threats."

I hope you do, too, Li's Mate; Li would not be the same without you, Iggy remarked. She turned the conversation in a different direction, Li and Oralia have told me that you were away, on a planet. How far away was this?

"Approximately five hundred and ten light years," the Vulcan recalled from the mission briefing. "Why do you ask?"

I wish to know how large the universe is. This distance, five hundred and ten... light years... how many times would I need to walk from the front door to the bedroom in order to go this distance?

The question would have staggered many, but one does not stagger a Vulcan, particularly not with a simple question of mathematics. "If memory serves, these quarters are fourteen-point-six-three meters in length. It would require three hundred forty-nine quadrillion, one hundred ninety-two trillion, four hundred and thirty six billion trips from end to end in order to equate the distance from here to Divitia Prime."

The spider went very still trying to digest that number. 349,192,436,000,000,000. She couldn't fathom it, not quite, it was just too big. Still pondering it, she turned and left the couch arm, walked to the bedroom then, a moment later, came flying back out of the bedroom, aimed straight for the door. She covered the distance in seconds. Going still again (this time to breathe), Iggy said, That is very very far away.

Sakkath nodded in agreement. "That it is, Ignatius. It is why we have constructed vessels that allow us to travel faster than light. Without them, we could not traverse this galaxy, and our galaxy is but one among many that comprise the universe. There is much that our Federation has not even begun to explore, as I am sure there is much on this space station that you have yet to discover."

I did not just travel faster than light, did I? Ignatius wandered back to the couch, this time taking a spot on the cushion next to Sakkath. Perhaps Oralia will show me these other areas. This station is large enough that I get lost easily, which upsets some of the residents and, eventually, the Big Kahuna.

"Regretfully, no," Sakkath answered. "However, now that I have returned, perhaps I can fashion you something to ease your passage through the 'base. Tell me, this 'Big Kahuna' that you speak of, who is it?" he inquired. "I am unfamiliar with the term."

The Admiral Wegener. Oralia used the term to refer to him, Iggy explained, leaving out that she'd since decided to use the term for him. The decision was predicated solely upon his provision of beer to her. If you could do something to help me use the turbolift, that would be wonderful. I have learned how to leave Li's and Oralia's quarters, but I cannot get back in.

Sakkath arched an upswept brow, wondering just how the Admiral might react to learning his Chief of Security and her pet spider had adopted a pet name for him. The possibilities seemed... wide-ranging, he decided.

"The portals should prove a simple matter," the Vulcan concluded, returning to the matter at hand. "Since you do not speak in a traditional sense, I shall need to conduct a series of scans in order to properly calibrate an interface for use with the turbolifts and main computer, but I believe the challenges can be overcome."

That would be most appreciated. Perhaps then I could aid Oralia and Li in keeping the vermin population down, Iggy pondered, not realizing that the vermin Oralia and Li had spoken of were the kind on two legs. If I can help in overcoming the challenges, please let me know.

"I shall," Sakkath said as he rose, looking down at Iggy as he folded his hands. "I have occupied enough of your time. Thank you for meeting with me."

Yes. And thank you for coming. She saw Sakkath to the door then retreated to a place where she felt warm and safe: her terrarium burrow.

__________________________
A joint post by:

Ignatius J. Reilly

&

Lieutenant Commander Sakkath
Chief of Operations