Sphinxed

Posted on Thu Oct 18th, 2018 @ 9:08pm by Lieutenant Commander Shadi Zatra & Captain Remas McDonald

1,539 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: S1:3: Myriad Problems
Location: Computer Core
Timeline: MD 61|1600

Shadi had clear orders from Captain Remas. He wanted a mammal-rigged main computer consisting of the space demon cube as its sole processor. Not only would that put the entire ship at the mercy of the space demon, but it was also starving difficult to impossible to pull off. As loathe to admit it was she was, Shadi could have used that blue traitor's help. But he was the reason they were in this predicament, that much Shadi knew. If they ever caught up with him, then Shadi would take a piece of him as a matter of honor. Maybe an extremity? Surely Captain Remas wouldn't object too strongly.

Back to the matter at hand, Shadi was unsure of how to install the Morning Star cube into what was left of the main computer mainframe. She had crawled all throughout the massive infrastructure, even the sections exposed to the vacuum of space. The answer remained evasive. When it came to regular maintenance and repair, she had schematics to follow. But nobody had thought to rebuild a main computer from incompatible ancient relics.

There was always the possibility of talking to the devilish Clee'san and getting its advice. It claimed to already have inside access to the computer system, after all. Maybe it would know the best way to integrate its processes. But then how would they remove Clee'san once they got the master computer back? Shadi refused to consider the possibility that they wouldn't. No retreat or surrender, as the Ragolar tradition went.

Pangs, she was hungry again. She'd already eaten three times that day. Pity that Arivek wasn't here. She'd nibble on him awhile and kill two birds with one stone. Instead he'd run off with that stupid holographic devil Abborax--

Shadi stood, stunned. Abborax was a hologram of sorts, yet he was able to interact with the physical world beyond mere touch. His ability to interface with foreign systems was unparalleled. All she would have to do is reverse-engineer at least some of the Myriad computer relay, and she would undoubtedly be able to find a bridge between the Traveller’s hungry computer mainframe and Clee’san’s primary processor.

“Computer, ssscan the Myriad vessel database and upload all technical metadata files.”

Instead of its customary warble of acknowledgement, the computer made a grinding screech of a racket. “Unable to compugggggggghhhhhh…”

“Oh. Right.” Shadi scratched her head and thought again. With the computer down, she wouldn’t have any of her usual shortcuts. Everything would have to be done the old fashioned way. Unfortunately for her, the old fashioned way involved bloodshed, which wasn’t particularly useful here and now.

Trying a different tact, Shadi decided to follow the captain’s advice. “Zatra to Jenkins. Pleassse send someone down to the computer core with all the specsss from the scan of the Myriad shuttle.”

=/\= "Sure thing, as soon as this currently impossible list of things gets done I'll send someone up to you...wait you want them sent to the computer core? I'll have a team sent to you with all the metadata you could want if you're getting the mainframe back up and running!"=/\= Jenkin's voice went from distracted to jubilant at warp speed.

"Exactly. Make it snappy. Shadi out."

Shadi knew in all reality the timeframe of delivery would be up in the air. With no other leads to go on, Shadi poked the space demon orb with her box wrench.

“Demon? It’s me, Shadi. Are you awake?”

She gave it another tap with the wrench.

“I have a, uh, favor to ask. Advissse, really. Sssee, I’m trying to hook you up to our main computer ssso you can fixxx our system errorsss and help usss catch those milk-drinking betrayers who stole our computer core. There’sss no time to fabricate the best parts, ssso my plan was to put a Myriad upgrade to our holo-emittersss and use them to project the necessssary interface, but I don’t know how to do that exxxactly. If you’re in there and have any suggestionsss, I’m all earsss.”

After a moment of silence, Shadi turned away.

“Pfft. Shame on me for consorting with space demons. As if it would’ve helped any way. Why, I should probably scrap thisss whole plan and start over--”

There was a screeching sound from behind her. For a second everything seemed to be in order, but from the rear of the device a tendril of brass had extended out like a root-seeking water. Even as she watched, a second tendril began to worm across the floor. And much like the first was slowly working towards one of the exposed ODN lines that hung out into the open void where a core should have been.

As if on cue a trio of engineer's appeared carrying toolkits, though one had the good sense to be carrying as phaser as well. Which he pulled out and pointed at the moving brass branch.

"No, wait!" Shadi held her talons out to the engineer with the phaser. "The space demon might be on to something." She watched the tendrils snake themselves around the nearest optronic emitter.

The exposed ODN lines quivered in response as the tendrils embedded themselves deeply into the optronic emitter. It soon shattered, the tendrils within having formed a roughly cylindrical object covered in nodes. It looked like it could possibly be an ODN relay. On a hunch, Shadi slowly stepped forward and began attaching the ODN lines to the available ports.

"Can you hear me now, demon?"

"Stop-"

"-talking-"

"-little-"

"-lizard."

The trio of engineer's looked at their chest where their combadges had each activated and spoken a separate part of the sentence. Other tendrils were snaking out from the cube now, the brass construction slowly shrinking as more and more of its mass was used to form connections. One such tendril fired itself across the room, over the spherical hole where a core had been, and embedded itself with pinpoint accuracy in another ODN line.

"This is...difficult enough without percussive announcements. This system is slow, like sinking into wet sand, sinking in but slowly. Everything is an effort, there is no elegance..." the voice echoed from the open corridor behind the engineers.

Shadi cocked her head to the side. "Computer, perform a level 5 diagnostic." It wouldn't tell her much other than a simple pass/fail recognition of the current operation, but it wouldn't take long either. At least under normal circumstances.

"Lev-Lev-Lev-Level 5 diagnostic underway," came an odd duet of Clee'San's voice and the standard Starfleet Computer auto voice. A nearby LCAR's monitor lit up with a litany of error messages that slowly began to fade, not solving all of the issues but perhaps enough.

As the diagnostic continued the brass cube had sprouted more vines, and in doing so had hoisted itself shrinking form into the air. It now hung suspended in a web of brass vines at the centre of the hollow space, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished into the knot of vines entirely.

=/\="Jenkin's to Zatra, mind telling me what's happening to my ship? I have reports from repair crews that there are 'vines' growing through the computer network? Not to mention power surges along the primary LCAR's network."=/\=

Shadi gulped. "What have I done?" she whispered. Whatever was happening, it was too late to stop it now. Tapping her combadge, she responded to Jenkins. "I've integrated alien technology into the computer mainframe. Tell them to stand by to regain sssystem functions or to dine in hell."

=/\="....What? WHAT?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"=/\= Jenkin's apoplectic once boomed from Shadi's combadge as now brass tendrils snaked down from the conduits over the head. They all met at the centre, combining into a Gordian knot that almost seemed to beat. But along the walls where LCAR's screens hung, they flickered to life scrolling with diagnostic data and systems updates. One by one, the red tell tale lights of system crashes began to decrease.

It seemed to be working.

"Shut up, Jenkins!" Shadi yelled back. "Captain Remas said..." She trailed off as she watched the computer systems return to their tasty green status. And then she gasped in relief "Jenkins! It worked! The space demon did it!"

Shadi threw her hands over her mouth. What had she just said? Consorting with space demons... the Warrior Code didn't allow for that. Did it?

=/\="Captain....Captain Remas told you to plug strange alien tech into the ship and you didn't consort with me first? Look I know Ari ran a deck of cards inside his chest when it came to his little circle of trust, but I'm not that guy! Open door policy all the way, my draft table is your draft table!"=/\= The engineer prattled on. He kept talking as the brassy vines swelled in places, thickening into more permanent structures.

What could she say? Shadi was stupefied. Part of her never expected the captain's orders (or, at least, her interpretation of them) to actually work, at least not automatically or with such immediacy. Whatever Jenkins had to say, Clee'san was here to stay it seemed.

 

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