[RPG] Star Trek: Vision of the Future

[Republican_Man]

"Hit the deck!" the 50-some-year-old Captain proclaimed, diving towards the back wall, hitting the ground with a painful *thud*. He was smart enough to keep his head up, however, so that nothing would cause him to get knocked out or have a concussion.
The Captain waited, however, for the smoke from the blast to subside, in which case he would check on the two other officers present. He hoped they were okay...

[Hitchhiker]

Taylor felt a piece of shrapnel pass dangerously close over his head as he too dived down to the ground. It passed over, however, and he emerged from the explosion a bit unscathed. He walked back to his tricorder.

"Question number three, methinks."

[Founder]

The same question popped up with a familiar threat. The question shouldn't be too difficult to answer this time...

[Republican_Man]

"This time, Mr. Marley," Revan began, "try this order, youngest to oldest. Earth, Romulus, Cardassia, Telarus."
He prayed to God that it would only work this time, so that he and his crew might return to the Eagle Star.

[Hitchhiker]

Taylor punched the answers in the order specified. He hoped that they were right, as he too wanted to get back to the ship soon. He sighed. "Done."

[Founder]

The computer shut off, not really answering if they got the question right. It didn't need to though. Confirmation was a loud clang and rumble in the center room. The main doors were now opened and the way was clear...

[Republican_Man]

Captain Revan turned to face the room's exit and started to tred through it. Upon re-entry into the central chamber he saw, to the left, doors which had once been closed. Doors which lead into another chamber. The chamber they were hoping to get to.
He turned to his team, smiling slightly. "Job well done, guys."
He then directed his attention to his Chief of Security, ordering Rox, "Lead the way, Chief." He motioned with his hand for the officer to take the lead, as they would be entering a new chamber which could yield further dangers.

[Lord Borg]

Rox looked at the captain and seemed to glare at him. Not anything he actually meant of course. "Hmmmp,...lead the way...aye..." Rox limped towards the opening with his phaser rifle at ready. He carfuly peered into the doorway to see if there were any traps, or any signs of deadly computers.

[Republican_Man]

Revan followed the hesitant security officer into the room upon determining that there was no perceived security threat.

There could be no threat--at least not now--as all that stood in this relatively small chamber, however, was something that appeared to be a very ancient console, consisting of only one button of a similar design to that of the doors.
This room was decorated, however, in a way that gave James the impression that it was some sort of chamber dedicated to worship of some sort, simply by the looks of the wall and two statues of aliens of the same design as the hologram previously encountered flanking the console.
He neared it, examining it closely. "This might be the answer to all our questions," the Captain remarked indiscriminately. "Be ready," he continued, looking direction at the security chief. "We don't know what this'll bring us, but the hologram told us that the information on this 'Star Gate' would be present here. I have a feeling this is how we're supposed to gather that info."
He neared the console closer, looking back and forth at the other two officers, and, upon arriving no more than a foot away from it, pushed the button.

The button was on a slight slant in his direction, with the console platform behind it consisting of a smooth, marble surface. And that smooth surface slid apart, opening to reveal a bright light...

[Hitchhiker]

Taylor scanned the light and what was beyond it. "Captain, the radiation in this area is extremely high. If we stay more than a few more minutes, we'll get severe radiation poisoning . . . I think it's safe to say that we're quite close to the centre of that anomaly which we detected."

He tried to shield his eyes from the light, but it seeped through anyway. As it dissipated, he looked beyond it. Taylor hoped that whatever it was, it would be good enough for them to have come so far.

[Republican_Man]

The light returned once again, but this time something arose.

It was a bluish-grey crystal. That was, as Taylor had stated, no doubt the source of the radiation.
However, the radiation it was emitting, as had been somewhat expected, was not harmful in any way. Revan had assumed the chamber had some sort of heavy shielding, but that wasn't the case. This lit-up crystal, factually-speaking, was consumed with radiation, and yet there were no harmful effects emitting from it.
"Mr. Marley?" Revan inquired. "I'm not feeling any harmful effects from the radiation like one would normally feel. What are you reading?"

[Hitchhiker]

Taylor shrugged. "I can't explain it," he said, but he turned it over in his mind. "Unless . . . captain, the readings I'm getting could be consistent with something that is out of phase." He nodded at the crystal. "I think that this entire room is out of phase with our space-time continuum. The radiation is present, but it's not affecting us directly. I don't know why it registers on my tricorder."

[Republican_Man]

Revan looked at his chief engineer, intrigued. "Out of phase with the space-time continuum?" he remarked. "Fascinating. How something could exist quite like..." He lost his train of thought and drifted to another notion.
"I want to try something," he stated. "Stand back." The Captain motioned for his two senior staff officers to move back a bit and, reaching his hands out, grabbed on to the crystal, attempting to take it and examine it.
However, he was unable to do so. Instead he saw very brief flashes of images, almost like a person having his life flown before his eyes. Although these images were unfamiliar to him.
They were quick yet vivid flashes of starships, unknown as well as familiar, along with the 'Architects' spoken of by the hologram (assuming that the hologram was, as he suspected, designed after these beings) and familiar species from milenia-old planets that were in the questions asked to them by the structure's computer complex.
And yet, again, these flashes were miliseconds long, dispite their vividity.
Suddenly, without notice, Captain Revan flew back, releasing his hold on the crystal and ramming against a nearby wall.
After he had flown back the crystal was itself released and descended back into the console, the marble top closing shut, the doors beginning to close ever-so-slowly...

[Hitchhiker]

Taylor ran over to the captain, bending down over his still form. He saw Revan's eyes open to observe the crystal's return to its console and the doors closing. "Captain? Sir? Are you all right? If so, then that was a darn fool thing to do!" He was a bit perturbed.

On the other hand, the radiation had disappeared. "We need to get out of here, sir. Before we become relics of an ancient civilisation too."

[Republican_Man]

Revan looked up at his CEO, blinking his eyes several times before truly comprehending the situation.
He shook his head and said, calmly, "Yes, yes"--his voice got more nervious--"yes! Let's go. Quickly, now," he said, rising carefully from the ground, pain shooting through his back.
He shook his body and head once, bent down to grab his phaser, which had fallen from his waste, and headed for the chamber's exit, taking one last look at the console.
What was it?
He shook his head again as the door got much farther into the closing process, moving swiftly out of the room and into the chamber with the holographic projector.

[Hitchhiker]

Taylor followed Revan quickly. "What just happened back there?" he asked. Revan seemed . . . different. Taylor couldn't quite place it, but the captain had definitely been affected by his last experience--he probably didn't even know how yet. Taylor concealed a frown and hoped that it wasn't a case of radiation poisoning. That would be inconvenient.

[Lord Borg]

Rox quickly followed the Captain and Marley. "Captain I hope you never try that again. I dare not want to have to explain the loss of your life on an away mission to the Brass...."

[Republican_Man]

Revan nodded at the two, dumbfounded and breathing more rapidly than normal.
"I...I don't quite know," he breathed in answer. "I had some sort of notion to reach out and touch that crystal. I don't know quite what made me do it, but I had this incredible urge to grab it..."
He paused, trying to think things through. "It was...it was as if my life was flashing before my eyes, only the images were not of my life. I can't place it at all, but they were very brief yet swift images of fleets of starships foreign to me, aliens that looked like that hologram, and ships of Romulan, Federation, Klingon, and Cardassian origin, and many other images...I can't make heads or tails of it, not a bit. I've never felt anything like it. It's almost as if..."
He couldn't even place that thought to complete the sentence. "I shall digress for the time being. Let us return to the settlement and speak to the leader. Then we'll return to the shuttle and, thereafter, the Eagle Star at last."
He smiled an odd smile. "Who knows? We just might be able to decipher those images I saw, though I doubt it. There were so many of them, and, although vivid, I don't think I'll be able to remember more than a single one of them, if that..."
He was yet again lost in a train of thought, somewhat shaken by the experience, and then ordered, "Let's return to the settlement," and began to lead the other two to the first room, before the room with the holographic projector, which he passed, which would lead them once again to the outside.

[Founder]

Thy'ror Shorn had been lying down for what seemed like an eternity. His wounds were cleaned and tended to, but not fully healed. The lieutenant commander rose from the padded "bed" and looked around. A security officer was sitting in the cockpit of the shuttle. He stood up and groaned in pain. Obviously any painkillers he was given, has long since worn off. He stumbled into the cockpit, much to the surprise of the officer. The officer ran over to him and grabbed him.

"Sir!" He said, "You should lay down!"

Shorn shook his head.

"Where is the captain?" He asked.

The officer thought about it for a moment and then responded.

"He took some other officers to explore a temple...or something." He said.

Shorn sighed and plopped onto a seat. He could only wait for their return...

[Republican_Man]

--Dantooine Settlement, Main Building--
Revan, Rox, and Marley arrived at the central building of the settlement, entering the side entrance that would lead them to the rotunda room with the tree.
Upon entry into the building Revan took a right turn towards the Council Rotunda and, once in range, entered the room to see the five members of the Settlement Administration Council.
Booker T. Johnson, Chief Administrator of the Dantooine Settlement, was the first to speak.
�Welcome back, Captain,� he said to Revan. �Have you found what you were looking for?� Johnson inquired, sure that they were unable to breach the ancient building.
Yet, to Booker�s surprise, Revan said, �Yes, actually. We have.�
�You have?� the human Administrator of the Negroid race stated, amazed.
�Yes,� James answered. �It is difficult to explain, but we managed to successfully enter a back room of the temple after fending off two ancient yet deadly-powerful machines. They were two hellish fights, but we managed to get back there. I doubt that your people will, however, have such luck, and suggest that you discontinue all future investigations. Believe me, there is nothing back there of keen interest. Only a crystal of ancient origin, the source of the radiation.�
�That�s all?� the Andorian member of the council stated, amazed.
�That, and an ancient holographic projector which was able to provide us with minimal information,� the Starfleet Captain responded. �My guess is that it was merely a temple for an ancient alien race that once lived on this world, and perhaps worshipped the crystal we found.�
The man purposely held back the information on precisely what effect the crystal had on him, and the discussion of a �Star Gate� by the hologram.
�We were lucky to even come out of there alive,� Revan remarked. �This is why the past expeditions resulted in no return. It�s a deathtrap waiting to happen.�
The Chief Administrator nodded, and the other human member of the council inquired of the Captain, �Will you be leaving now?�
�Yes, I�m afraid we have to return to our ship,� James answered.
�Will you speak to Starfleet Command about the Settlement on our behalf?� the Vulcan member asked, to which the Captain replied, �I shall. I do not believe Starfleet will have any problem with your presence here, and I will ensure that your settlement is allowed to continue to operate here on Dantooine.�
�And we thank you for that, Captain,� Booker T. stated. �We have set up a home here over the years, and I would surely not like to see it collapse.�
�Nor do I,� Revan remarked. He then looked at Rox and Taylor. They were eager to leave, he could tell.
�Well, we must be off,� Revan said.
�Good day to you, Captain,� the Chief Administrator stated, bowing slightly, to which Revan replied, giving a friendly nod, �And to you as well.�
The Captain then made an about-face and started for the circular room with the rather large, ancient tree in the center.

[Republican_Man]

--Dantooine Settlement, Main Building--
Revan continued on, entered the small hallway leading to that room, took a right, and entered the room with the large tree.
Upon entering the room he tapped his commbadge and said, "Revan to Reagan. We're on our way back to the runabout. Is Commander Shorn alright?"

[Founder]

Shorn heard the captain speak over the comm line. He reached over with a grunt and opened a channel.

"I'm alright captain," He said, "Yourselves?"

[Republican_Man]

--Dantooine Settlement, Main Building, Near the Exit and Docking Ring--
"A little banged up, Commander, but nothing too serious," James replied. "We're just about to the runabout. I'll tell you what happened when we head home. Revan out."
The three members of the away team exited the building into the single docking ring, into the bright sun of the Dantooine environment and witnessing the runabout up ahead.
To his left was the alcove where the two Sekral stood. Revan would have been intrigued to speak with them; however, returning to the Eagle Star, especially after the excess time they had spent on the planet, was his chief priority.
The team arrived at the runabout and he led Rox and Marley into the craft.

[Republican_Man]

--Dantooine Settlement, Reagan--
Upon entering the runabout Captain Revan immediately headed for the cockpit where he found Shorn and the other security officer.
Once he arrived the Captain looked over his Chief Helm/Operations Officer and said, "You still look pretty banged up, Mr. Shorn." He then gave a slight nod and continued, "Let's get back to the ship and we can have the good Doctor look you over."

[Founder]

-Shuttle-

Shorn looked up at the captain and chuckled at his "compliment".

"You don't look so good yourself sir." He joked.

Although, the man did look like he had been through a lot. Shorn took a seat at the helm and intiated pre-flight sequance. Meanwhile in space, the USS Eagle Star has entered the system. They sent a communique to the shuttle, but due to the strange energies of the planet, it didn't go through.