A Most Illogical Gathering, Part 1

Posted on Sun May 11th, 2025 @ 2:02pm by Lieutenant JG Sylorik MD & Major Kett V'Laass & Lieutenant N'vok Holv & Lieutenant Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen [Taylor] & Lieutenant JG T'Kek [Naxea]

Mission: Season 6: Echoes of the Zynari
Location: Primary Sickbay, Deck 12, USS Elysium
Timeline: MD3 1210 Hours
2376 words - 4.8 OF Standard Post Measure

An injured crewmember groaned in pain.

Sylorik moved through the chaos of Sickbay with calm precision, the overhead lights flickering in irregular patterns. Across the room, two nurses struggled to stabilize a biobed's failing restraints as a disoriented crewman trashed weakly against them.

He paused for a moment to absorb the chaos that was unfolding. There had been no serious injuries--yet. Almost all of the dozen or so patients that had arrived in Sickbay were ambulatory.

He swiftly scanned each patient with his eyes--a broken wrist resulting from gravity fluctuations; a mild concussion and superficial bruising from a turbolift accident; dislocated fingers from a door mishap; a separated shoulder from another gravity fluctuation... on and on the same complaints. Except for the junior officer from Engineering on the nearest biobed who had been blasted in the face with coolant and was now suffering from severe frostbite to the face and neck.

Several other doctors were busy with their patients. Sylorik did not see Doctor Sthilg, though, he was possibly called away. Regardless, things were under control despite the bedlam.

Sylorik spied Ensign Iozhara. The Barzan nurse was kneeling next to a biobed with a smile as she attempted to calm a child who was laying on a bed.

A nurse brushed past Sylorik armed with a hypospray, bringing him out of his reverie.

Sylorik remembered what his task was and crossed to the biobed with the frostbitten man. He was writhing in pain, covering his face with both hands, unaware that simply touching it would bring about moderate to heavy pain.

To make matters worse, the biobed was also uncooperative. The sliding restraint system was suddenly not functioning and the two nurses were unable to keep the young engineer from further harming himself.

Sylorik quietly removed a hypospray from a nearby tray, installing a cartridge containing a loose green fluid. He adjusted the dosage with a few deft taps of his fingers before fixing his eyes on the patient--a human male of roughly twenty-five years.

Calm amid the chaos, he leaned in, speaking just loudly enough to be heard over the din.

"Remain still," he instructed, though he knew the man was beyond rational compliance.

He caught the engineer's flailing wrist with one hand, pressing the hypospray gently but firmly against the man's exposed neck. The device hissed, delivering the painkiller. Within seconds, the patient's thrashing weakened into trembling and then finally ceased altogether. He hands fell away from his ruined face.

Sylorik nodded once to the nurses, who immediately set about applying a portable dermal shield to limit further tissue damage.

He turned to dispose of the empty hypospray when, without warning, a strange shimmer of light enveloped him.

The instruments in his hand fell to the floor with a clatter.

When his vision cleared, he found himself standing alone in a dimly-lit holodeck. Only the radiant gold gridlines provided a light source. No program was running and the exit doors were not visible.

In front of him, four figures materialized almost simultaneously. Sylorik knew them all by appearance but not personally. They were the Elysium's Chief Science Officer, Lieutenant N'vok Holv, Lieutenant Commander Savar--Alicia's husband, Major Kett V'Laass from the 45th Tactical Wing, and the one individual known to Sylorik--Doctor T'Kek.

For several long seconds, no one spoke. They simply regarded each other in mutual, wordless assessment.

Brows lifted by a fractional degree.

Logically," Sylorik thought, this was not coincidental.

Almost immediately as the thought crossed his mind, the holodeck initiated a program. A darkened sky appeared above them; soft muddy ground below their feet. The rain began to fall heavily.

Another thought had crossed Sylorik's mind as the rain soaked through his uniform: It would appear that matters are destined to deteriorate further before they improve..

One moment Savar had been in the counseling complex of the Elysium just finishing a patient and preparing to talk to Alicia the next he was here in the holodeck with four other individuals, who upon further inspection revealed they were all Vulcan. He was about to ask a question when a program came to life and rain began falling, quickly drenching them all. "Computer, end program!" He shouted, No response. He tried again. "Computer end program." Same result. He looked st the others, "I would suggest we find shelter from this rain and decide on our next course of action.

"We had best all try in case it is keyed to one of our authorizations," said N'vok. "Computer, end program." No result. "Computer, change to program Holv1977." There was a brief flicker, the rain stopping for a fraction of a second and an impression of multicolored lights before the dismal setting reestablished itself. "Worth a try."

He looks at the rainwater, sniffs it, and then tastes it. "The rain seems to be just water. So unlikely to cause harm in and of itself."

TKek looked at the others, frowning. 'Great. This should be fun,' he thought before taking in the surroundings generated by the holodeck. "I am not waiting around to find out if this program will get any worse," he stated. Looks like their may be cover in the forest off our right."

Kett had been giving a brief to a fighter wing when the next thing he knew he had gone from a room of pilots in chairs looking at a holographic display to the dimly-lit holodeck with radiant gold gridlines. Kett, knew the other Vulcans that had appeared before him also. "This is most illogical."

Sylorik turned to the only officer he knew well--T'Kek. Quietly, he said, "This is not a random transporter malfunction, Doctor," he said as rainwater dripped from the tip of his nose.

The heavy tattoo of rain continued to soak the five officers although none showed any outward discomfort.

Listening to the others Savar spoke again. "We were brought here for a reason. We must now uncover what that reason is." He looked at Kett. "You are mistaken Major; there is logic do it. As with the reason, we must determine what that logic is."

N'vok tapped his combadge. "N'vok to Operations, please respond." He waited and tapped the badge again. "N'vok, emergency broadcast. Assistance required." He waited for a reply that was not forthcoming and studied the landscape. "It was unlikely to work but it had to be tried."

N'vok adjusted his collar. "Holodeck malfunctions are such a bother. Shall we head for the trees."

Sylorik held a soaked hand above his forehead to shelter the rain from his eyes. "We must assume for the moment that the holodeck safeties have been disabled."

A sudden rustle came from the treeline, drawing their attention. It was not a creature, but a figure--indistinct at first, as if part of the program hadn't fully rendered it. It shimmered slightly and then faded, leaving only footprints in the mud.

Sylorik exchanged a look with the others. He stared at the prints, each step seemingly precise and deliberate. "A projected image with weight," he observed, looking at N'vok. "Curious."

He turned to the others. "We may not be alone in this simulation."

"A most logical statement. It would appear our guest is able to be tracked." Savar observed.

"Weight indicates that it could be a danger," said N'vok, adjusting his glasses. "Do we have any weapons?"

"I do not possess a weapon." Savar replied. "I suggest we find some branches, rocks anything we can use to defend ourselves if needed,"

Sylorik nodded at Savar, both men's uniforms now soaking wet. "The treeline appears to run northwest to west. We are far more likely to find branches on the forest floor."

As a group, the cold and drenched Vulcans carefully crossed into the woods--hopeful for shelter and observing the ground for rocks.

"Unless I am mistaken," said N'vok, "these trees are Ovregarish or Tellar Pine as the Terran call them in their habit of comparing everything to items from their homeworld. Which means we should move carefully, the ground they grow on is swampy and riddled with sinkholes."

T'Kek remained quiet, as he observed their surroundings as they moved towards the treeline. He was feeling frustrated with being wet, cold, and the program was being unresponsive. "Any idea on where exactly this program is supposed to take place? I do not recognize it."

"The trees would indicate Tellar," said N'vok looking around, "but the quality of light is different from what I would expect there. Perhaps it is modelling one of the Tellarite colony worlds."

"Perhaps." Savar agreed. "However. our immediate concern is to find shelter from this rain as we search for weapons as well." He stated while he carefully picked his way across the ground. mindful of any sinkholes.

The ground grew spongier the deeper they pressed into the woods. Tree branches hung low, swollen with rain and vines and gnarled roots coiled along the forest floor like menacing veins. Sylorik could hear the soft slosh of their boots in the muck, muffled beneath the steady downpour. Then, through a break in the trees, he spotted it: half-covered in shadow and overgrowth--a small shack. It was maybe twenty meters ahead No chimney and no windows. But it was shelter and it was standing.

"I suggest we make haste," said Sylorik. His ears caught a low groaning, not from inside the shack but behind them. It was deep and utterly unnatural. The trees, rooted as they were, had begun to sway in a manner that defied any wind. Bark creaked like straining joints. Several trunks shifted and pivoted, as if tracking them.

One of the larger trees cracked like thunder, a tree limb dislodged and crashed to the ground with deliberate force, blocking their path back. Another seemed to bend and turn towards the Vulcans.

Sylorik looked from T'Kek to Kett. "I believe the program is adapting," he said calmly but hinting at unease.

Suddenly the trees began to reach toward them. Their only escape was in the direction of the shack.

"Intriguing," said N'vok. "I wonder what awaits in the cabin that the system is so directing us to." He begins to move towards the cabin. "But it is easy enough to find out."

"I would be more comfortable with some sort of weapon" advised Kett in an emotionless tone, the marine in him kicking in a bit.

N'vok gestured to the trees. "Take your pick, Ovregarish wood is strong and dense enough to use as a weapon."

He continued towards the cabin. "This seems more human than Tellarite in construction."

Sylorik looked from the sopping-wet Vulcans to the old shack. "I suggest we continue our observations of the structure from the interior," he said, a hint of urgency in his voice.

The trees were continuing to shift and move, creating a cacophony of sounds that was almost deafening.

They found the door to the shack and each officer stepped through one-by-one.

Kett made a point of picking up a large stick at N'vok's suggestions, he swung it around a little, to ascertain its balance before entering the house with his fellow Vulcans. Their was an almost unspoken level of re-assurance for Kett being in a group of his kin, like their was nothing they could not do,.

Savar walked behind the others, trying to logically come up with a reason for the holo-program they were trapped in and not finding an answer. He stopped and picked up a straight branch of about eighteen inches, It felt solid and balanced. It would be a suitable weapon if needed.

As the heavy wooden door creaked open, the howl of the storm feel suddenly silent. N'vok stepped through the threshold first and disappeared inside, followed by T'Kek, Kett, Sylorik and finally Savar.

Sylorik felt slightly disoriented--as if his feet hadn't immediately touched solid ground. Instead of the musty interior they expected, they were met with soft lighting, polished metal walls, and the low murmur of young voices. They were in a classroom.

Rows of adolescent Vulcan students sat in hexagonal desks facing a lectern where a grey-haired Vulcan instructor stood mid-lecture. No one acknowledged the newcomers who were dripping-wet and creating small puddles around themselves.

Sylorik raised an eyebrow. "This architecture is consistent with the Surak Institute design principles used in southern Shi'Kahr."

At the front of the room, the instructor's voice continued without pause. "--and this we reach the paradox of infinite recursion within the Kol-Ut-Shan dialectics. N'vok, would you care to elucidate the resolution?"

All eyes turned to a young boy seated only two rows from the rear of the classroom.

Sylorik looked at the adult N'vok. "It would appear, Lieutenant, that you are the subject of this scenario."

"Fascinating" said Kett out loud though more to himself. He put the stick he was carrying behind his back so as not to appear threatening to the children.

N'vok watched the holographic version of an earlier incarnation of himself, a point in time he remembered with surprising clarity, as he stood. "No, Docent, I would not. I do not understand it well enough to do so and any attempt to do so would be incomplete at best," stated the young N'vok with clarity. His acceptance of his own limitations, it was a point that he considered that had set him on his current path.

"I am so glad I that I never attended a Vulcan School," T'Kek remarked as he watched the scene unfold before him.

N'vok looked at T'kek. "All schools have their advantages and limitations. This school was and is renowned for its rigor and adherence to the highest logical standards. While stressful, it taught me much. I cannot imagine being the person I am without that early experience. See, here the Docent accepts my statement and simply encourages me to study harder." He gestured to an exchange between his younger self and the instructor.

N'vok spoke, echoing the instructor word for word, in perfect cadence."We must strive not to accept our limitations, but to overcome them. It is by diligence and focus that advance our minds and ourselves and become more than what we were."

With that the school room faded away, as if it had never been. Revealing . . .

* * *

To be continued...