ISR -- Lotus
DATE: 09.05.2020
Transcribed by Courtney Lambert
[Background:]
A ship called the Lotus was caught in a space anomaly caused by a thermal explosion. They are now far away from home and trying to make their way to familiar space. The anomaly that pulled their ship also pulled Cervius, an Earther, out of his time and into another dimension where the Lotus is.
[DECRYPTION OF TRANSMISSION START:]
There appears to be an entire chunk of time missing from between the previous log and this one. What took place then is unknown and can only be guessed at. We have not tried to make any deductions on what took place and are continuing the transmission.
Androgenes is still venting on the ship. Nyx is going back and forth between the holo deck
and the med bay. Valmara is in the med bay with the other Prakkums. Zeynerx is on the pilot seat, ready to flee if needed. He turns to talk to Julianne and remembers that she is still in the med bay. He asks if a mental incursion is still an option for Julianne and if it would be as risky as when they entered Nyx's mind. The AI doctor (Talos) says it is not as bad, at least should not be. He goes to med bay and calls Nyx and another to join him.
Everyone is in the med bay. Zeynerx asks Androgenes if he can help him. Overhearing this,
Valmara asks if she can go, but Zeynerx refuses. She says she will just babysit. Andro-
genes suggests that they just dispose the other Prakkums. Talos tells Androgenes to leave the med bay since he suggested killing two members there. At which, Androgenes becomes furious! He then turns to Zeynerx and says calmly that he is willing to join him.
Nyx is mad but willing to help. Zeynerx is cautious. Androgenes wants to assist as well. Usi wants to join them, but Nyx suggests that she stays.
Zeynerx says that he will take Nyx into the mind of Julianne. He locks himself into position so that his body stays put and jumps into the mind of Julianne. Androgenes and Valmara join as well.
Valmara asks if the other Prakkum want to join. They do. They find themselves near a snowy mountain. There is a wreckage of the Lotus there. Nyx and Zeynerx disappear. Valmara sees them appear and them disappear as of they are having difficulty.
Valmara senses that she is seeing the current thought of Julianne. The snow is indicative of her mental state. In the sky, there is a big rift. It is a big break in the sky.
Abu watches everyone enter Julianne's mind. She sees Usi remaining in the med bay.
They talk. She wants poison and a weapon. Usi decides to take her to the armory. She is
inquisitive about the poisons they have on the ship. She inquires about what is happening to Julianne. Usi explains. She also asks about Nyx. Usi says that Cervius, who has left, would be better to explain that since he witnessed it first hand.
In the armory, she finds her weapons that they had confiscated earlier locked in a case. She asks for it. Usi lets her take them. Cadaran asks her why she needs poison. He demands a response from her after she tries to avoid the question. She responds and asks him why wouldn't she want poison. They start exchanging heated words. Usi tries to calm them. Cadaran is mad. He
is starting to crack under the stress from his brother's situation.
Usi walks out. He asks about where poison is. Talos refuses to tell him until he gives in under the pressure. Abu is gleefully skipping toward a glowing arrow on the wall that leads to where the poison is located.
The Blood Swan hails the ship. He wants the bounty. He says that he will give him one last offer.
He says that the Matrix will modify Osias. He comments on his apathy to his brother's circumstance. Usi says that he has other people he needs to consider and can't consider their offer.
Zeynerx looks like a Zavleon. Nyx looks normal, with a few buttons left undone. Androgenes
looks split in two. In this state, they continue up the mountain side.
Zeynerx and Nyx start approaching the peak of the mountain top. Julianne is standing on it, arms behind her back, surveying the land. There is a cloud surrounding her. She turns her head as they approach.
To Nyx, she looks very damaged physically. There is dried blood along her hairline near one temple. She greets them. They turn visible. Nyx approaches and addresses her. Zeynerx goes toward the view, letting Nyx approach. Julianne has not made eye contact with any of them.
She talks to Nyx. She says she has caused a lot of trouble. Nyx reminds her that she has fixed a lot
as well. Nyx asks if she is giving up. Julianne replies that that is not her plan. She says that
she is reminiscing about what she has done and not done.
The other two approach. They greet her. Valmara tells her that she wishes to help her but
doesn't want her help to do more harm than good like it usually does. Julianne says she cannot help her and that she must wait. Androgenes gives her reverence which she says she doesn't want. She says that she does not want to become like her mother. Androgenes reels back at that.
Julianne explains her mother's actions: Zola who had been worshipped like a god and unwittingly
killed most her race.
They try to encourage her. Julianne says she will not wake up until the things out there
are fixed. Valmara asks what they should do. Julianne says that they should support Usi, and that the Matrix have something up because they do nothing without a reason. She mentions that there is danger.
Julianne asks them to leave so that she calm herself. Nyx asks if she can speak to her privately.
She approves. Nyx asks if she can give her an anchor into Julianne's mind. Julianne says she might be able to for a short time.
Valmara and Zeynerx depart. Nyx talks to her and vanishes. Androgenes talks to Julianne.
He says that his state is how he is now. His loyalties are still the same, and he will do his
best to help her situation. He tries to share mentally what happened to them when they fought the Viren mind, but she says that she does not want to know it that way. He related what happened verbally. She asks him to leave the ship should he become a threat to it. He says Cadaran will replace him, if he does need to. Julianne comments that the ship might not last as long as that. He takes his leave of her.
Talos comments on the state of Julianne. Zeynerx tells him Julianne's desire to be left alone until everything is sorted out.
Androgenes tells Valmara that her training should start immediately. He wants her to follow to the holo deck. Valmara tells the younger Prakkum to cheer up and that he will be okay. She follows him out.
Abu is in the biolab where a poison has been synthesized and can be applied to any physical
weapon as long as it is not an energy weapon. She leaves the room and finds Usi outside it. He gives her an update on the Blood Swan.
Valmara and Androgenes are testing their wills against each other. Gallimus talks to her as they practice. He offers her strength. She refuses. He says she will want it someday. He starts to leave as Androgenes pushes him out. He demands to know whom she was talking to. She responds. He tells her to not listen to him. He tells her that Gallimus is only a means to an end, and he tells her to focus on the meditations he gave her.
Nyx is cleaning Julianne and helping Talos. They talk about the trip and the situation. Talos
tells them that he was not meant to be the chief medical officer. He turns on Beethoven and orders her to clean up. As she does, she notices a blinking signal on one of the displays. It is a ping. Nyx examines it. There is a ship outline where the ping is coming from. The ship is a Matrix vessel. It is the same science vessel. Nyx brings it to the attention of Talos.
Talos turns off the music immediately. He asks where it is located. Nyx says it is in a system nearby. She suggests it is cloaked, and a heat pulse is being sent from it. Talos tells her that he sees what she is talking about.
Usi is notified of the ship. He is not in the Bridge, and Talos informs him that he should tell certain people to be ready to leave. Usi says that they will not approach the unknown ship. Talos says that it is the same signal that Osias gave out when they first found him. Nyx gets into defensive mode.
Usi talks to the man in charge of the engineering. He wants the warp drive fixed.
He says that sleep schedules are needed to be followed in order to hasten the process.
Usi calls the bridge crew to the bridge. He asks what they should do. Nyx suggests that
they should leave Osias there which Androgenes finds odd. The Matrix ship is damaged, and
Usi notes it. Usi tells them to inch closer to the ship and be ready to warp away if in
danger.
They start to move closer. Usi wants to scan for lifeforms the closer they get. The ship is
stationary. Usi asks Abu for her name, and she replies with Abu. He asks for her help. She says she is not part of the crew. He says that she is at this point. She says that she has killed more people than Osias has.
Zeynerx scans the ship. The reactor seems damaged. Osias reaches out to his brother. Zeynerx
looks for something to bend to his will. Valmara isn't able to sense anything from the ship.
Zeynerx finds a man reaching for a gun. There are bodies everywhere. There is a Protian approaching. He has tubes and metal parts in him and many has mutilations across his body. Osias grabs a sword and stabs the Protian, severing the connection with Zeynerx.
Zeynerx relays this information to Usi. Abu suggests that they help him now before it is too
late. They approach the ship with guns ready.
Zeynerx grabs Nyx and has her pilot the ship. They cannot beam to or from because of radiation
from the interior of the ship and its shields are up. Usi is advised to stay on-board because it would be a good excuse for them to fight. However, he insists on going.
Valmara leaves and goes to engineering since Zeynerx insists she not go. Nyx asks where she
is. Talos says that Valmara is taking a roundabout way to rejoin them. Nyx runs at her and tackles her in front of the other crew members. The shuttle takes off. Nyx tells her that her actions were a no from her, and that she does not want yet another fatality. Nyx tells her that she thinks it is a trap. She keeps Valmara pinned down until the shuttle takes off. She then gets off of Valmara and repeats the no. Valmara acknowledges, begrudgingly and understandably, and limps to engineering.
The shuttle arrives and the door says they don't know the ship. Usi hacks it. The doors
acknowledge them, and they open the door and enter.
The lights turn on. They ask Androgenes if he wants to capture any of the living Matrix left. He says no. Zeynerx starts to go toward where the remains of the man whose mind he bent should be. The rest follow and find a hideous sight. They are shocked. Zeynerx finds the man whom he saw. He is still alive, blade still in him. His hands are reaching for his gun but unable to reach it. Androgenes gives him peace by putting a shot through his head. The man dies.
In the center of the roon, Osias is standing. His eyes are blank and listless. Abu tries to sneak off. Zeynerx tries to call her back but mispronounces her name. Usi notices her start to leave also. Usi insists that she stays. Androgenes reminds Zeynerx to not be lethal. Zeynerx responds as if he doesn't know what he is referring to.
Suddenly, Osias attacks Usi with a knife. Usi's shield blocks Osias' blade. Defensively, Usi extends his Kopesh into Osias's side. Usi is heavily damaged in his side as well. Osias tenses in pain and confusion. There is a connection in his eyes, and recognition and life floods into his eyes as he realizes that he was attacking his own brother: he recognizes Usi. Osias looks at him and falls to the ground, dying.
Usi moves him himself, keeping his blade in Osias's side so that the blood does not flow out. Zeynerx sticks Osias with a medi-pen and tries to bend his will. The medi-pen does nothing to help his situation, and there is no will to be found. He has died.
A slow clapping sound can be heard in the hallway from the direction of the bridge. The voice belonging to the clapping says Bravo and that he did not expect that to happen. They look back. There is someone like Osias standing there. Usi recognizes that it is not his brother. It is the Osias that looks like the one who was on the ship. The man says that he is Azazel. He talks to Usi. Azazel boasts of his feats and the subterfuge he had played with them all the month that he was aboard their ship. He then tells Usi that he will visit his sister shortly.
Azazel pulls out a pistol and shoots himself in the head. The body falls to the floor with a thud.
Usi tells them that he needs to visit his sister immediately. Usi sees his real brother in his arms and the form of Osias that Azazel had inhabited lying on the floor, brains oozing out of his skull where the bullet had passed through.
His sister contacts him mentally and says that she is might be getting free soon. Usi warns her of
Azazel. She asks about Osias. Usi says the he is deceased. She is surprised by this and said that she sensed he had disappeared. She informs him that a close friend of hers will help her. Usi advises that she seek help from Ieye for training. Meanwhile, he will give Osias burial rites and try to get there as soon as he can.
Androgenes walks toward the shuttle.
Valmara senses toward the ship as she works in engineering. She can tell that they are returning. She leaves engineering and walks to the hanger bay. They see Usi walking out with Osais's lifeless body in his arms.
Zeynerx walks past. He joins Andro who meets with Cadaran. Nyx sees the body and from her reaction it seemed that she had figured something like that was going to happen. Valmara clenches her fist and forms her staff in her hand.
As they leave, a large Matrix ship warps into the system. The Lotus warps out. They
detect beaming signatures and warp out.
Usi places Nyx in temporary charge of the Lotus. They then prepare of Osias's burial. The
torpedo tube, cradling the body of Osias, is sent toward the depths of space and then shot. Usi goes to his room and looks within himself as he grieves the loss of his brother.
The rest go into the bar. Valmara is in the back of the room, thinking about all that happened.
Nyx is in the bar and tells Owen that she doesn't want to say she thought so, but she says it anyways. Owen agrees. She asks him to tell Usi that.
Julianne is awake and asks Nyx what happened. She tells her that Osias is actually dead and
that they had been played by Azazel the entire time who had been on the ship in a body like Osias'. Julianne goes back to sleep to get better.
Usi is deep in meditation. He inspects himself and seeks for something of Osias in him. He does not feel anything mentally. Physically, he feels a presence as if he is a part of him. He talks
to Talos about it.
[END OF DECRYPTION TRANSMISSION]
Written by Courtney Lambert
To see more of her work, check out her other blog posts and her own website!
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