Episode 46 Welcome to the Alpha Quadrant pt. 3

*"Don't tell the Captain."*
—**EXEO**

## **Plot Synopsis**

### **Brief Overview**

Once the pirates are safely aboard, Sull interrogates Nitan and observes strange behavior indicating he may not be fully in command of his faculties. He is also clearly infected with the spores. Meanwhile, M'Qrell and Dr. Yen develop a treatment for the infection, and administer it to the young girl in their care. When she wakes up, she also speaks strangely. Yen and M'Qrell conclude that the spores are part of a larger, sapient form of life.

Theq and Singh build a probe to investigate the hole in the ground. When the probes enter the hole, they give a brief signal to USS Ross that there are humanoid life-signs present before they cut off. Everyone on the bridge is relieved that the crew is alive. Theq examines the other data from the probes and sees the strange lifeforms and gravitational disturbances.

Sull takes it upon themselves to disarm the remaining polaron torpedo, and does so successfully.

In the cave, Lakat, EXEO, and Dari go exploring. Gravity continues to behave strangely, and they encounter a strange goo which covers every surface of the cave. Eventually, they come across a massive domed room. On one wall is a standing circle of amber liquid; the same goo that is coating all the walls. After EXEO unsuccessfully attempts to enter the circle, Lakat goes in. Once inside she discovers that she is in fluidic space, and that a ship from species 8472 has noticed her.

### **Pre-Break**

The episode opens where "Welcome to the Alpha Quadrant pt. 2" left off. Nitan and his pirates have all been brought aboard USS *Ross*. CAPT Azeri Sull begins questioning him. After some verbal sparring, Sull convinces him to take a reduced sentence in exchange for cooperating. During the questioning, Nitan begins to act strangely. He contradicts himself, and he blurts out incongruent phrases asking Sull to "get the torpedo" and stating "you're hurting us". Sull notices that he has the blue glow around his irises that indicates infection with the spores.

Sull leaves him to get to the task of finding and retrieving their crew. MCPO Theq Lynadas and CPO Amandeep Singh get to work building a probe which could penetrate the hole on the planet's surface.

Meanwhile, in the hole, LTCDR Yeri Prahl, LTJG Jane Lakat, CDR EXEO, AMB Olyn Madzhin-Nil, ENS Aulyn Dari and the security forces round up the pirates and secure the area. Lakat discovers that the air in the cave is highly oxygenated, probably from all the plant life on the ceiling. Her tricorder begins to fail, and it sparks. The spark makes a small boom as Lakat tosses it away from her. EXEO calls out to the group to not use their phasers. The pirates hear it and start getting antsy, but Prahl and EXEO intimidate them into silence.

EXEO takes a moment to praise Olyn for saving Yomti's boy, and then she, Dari, and Lakat depart to explore the cave. Lakat detects a gravitational disturbance, which explains the forest on the ceiling. They look up, and can see a liquid goo moving about on the ceiling between the trees and fungi. EXEO examines the walls and sees that they are coating in the same goo. Dari is very uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, LTCDR M'Qrell and Dr. Steven Yen continue working on a cure for the spore infection. They develop a treatment and inject it into Michelle, the small girl who is the sickest. While waiting for results, they make some small talk about tea and about M'Qrell's nomination for the Carrington Award. ("The Refit pt. 1") After a short time, the young girl begins to improve, and she wakes up from her coma. She begins to speak in a strange manner (similar to Nitan), saying "the torpedoes are hurting us".

### **Post-Break**

Singh sends M'Qrell the recording of Sull's interrogation of Nitan. M'Qrell and Yen theorize that the spores must be part of a larger, sapient being. Yen points out that there is no way for Michelle to have heard about the torpedoes. The spores must be sharing information. He suggests that he and M'Qrell speak to Nitan. M'Qrell requests that USS *Ross* perform a medical scan of Nitan.

Meanwhile, Sull checks in on the progress of the probe, before walking off on their own. Without telling anyone where they're going, they head to the transporter room. There, Sull meets PO2 Rovass on duty, and orders a transport to the North torpedo site. Rovass says they will call a security team for Sull, but Sull tells him not to. Sull grabs "the kit", and transports to the surface. With great care, Sull successfully disarms the torpedo.

Meanwhile, Singh and Theq informs Rovass that the probe is complete, and requests they transport the probe. Rovass is very nervous, and mentions Sull being on the planet. Theq cuts Singh off, saying that the captain would tell them if they wanted them all to know. Theq moves to the bridge, where LT Zhyliss Vrenn is currently in command. Theq orders him to launch the probes. ENS Zaela Akarin reports from the science station. Both probes disappear from sensors and stop transmitting once they get into the hole, but they both send a brief signal first. They are able to confirm the presence of humanoid life-signs, and also the presence of the giant forest. YEO3 Azzmi Shanto breathes a sigh of relief.

Theq notices the similarities between the life of the underground forest and that found on Redeeus (planet). He also notes that the gravitational disturbances are similar to those present near a particle fountain. He calls Dr. Yugoss. Yugoss comes to the bridge and quickly declares that what they are seeing is impossible. He says that the data suggest that a particle fountain is forming under the surface of the planet. Vrenn calls Sull to update them on the condition of the away team. Sull orders a site to site transport straight to the bridge, warhead still in hand (the transporter removes the warhead).

Meanwhile, in the cave, the crew keeps moving. EXEO detects a light source ahead of them. At one point, Dari slips on some of the goo, but, instead of falling, she begins to float. The more they approach the light source, the more that gravity behaves strangely. They enter a massive domed room. The ceiling is hundreds of feet above them, and the room is a thousands of feet across. On the far wall is a standing circle of the goo, glowing bright orange.

EXEO approaches the pool of standing goo. The terrain around it is intentionally cut from the surrounding rock. She tosses a rock at the surface, and it sinks into it, disappearing. EXEO dips her hand in, but feels her photonic body disintegrate. Lakat ties a rock to a length of cable and tosses it in. After a moment, she pulls it back out. Both are fine, and slightly coated in goo. Lakat really wants to enter the pool. She convinces EXEO, who hooks the cable to her. Lakat sticks her hand into the pool. She feels only a slight tingling in her arm. She takes a deep breath and steps through the pool.

She begins free-floating in an infinite sea of the amber goo. There is an endless swirling void. She sees planet-sized green globules sparking with massive arcs of energy. She feels like a microorganism inside of the body of a huge creature. She looks behind herself and sees the cable and the standing pool. Then, she notices a shadow passing over her. She looks up and sees a large object. It is a cylinder, the size of a starship, and organic in nature. She recalls lessons from her time at the academy...

She is in fluidic space, and that is species 8472.

## **Cast**

* Eric Campbell - Game Master
* Revati Dhomse - Jane Lakat
* Gina DeVivo - EXEO
* Sam de Leve - Azeri Sull
* Aki - Olyn Madzhin-Nil (absent)
* Xander Jeanneret - Theq Lynadas
* Bonnie Gordon - M'Qrell

## **Non-Player Characters**

* Nitan
* Amandeep Singh
* Yeri Prahl
* Nitan's Pirates
* Aulyn Dari
* Yomti
* Steven Yen
* Michelle
* Rovass
* Zhyliss Vrenn
* Zaela Akarin
* Azzmi Shanto
* Yugoss

## **Locations**

* Zartonus System
	+ Zartonus IV

## **Notable Lines**

*"I suppose if I was gonna be in any spot, if this was gonna be my last spot, it's a pretty spot."*
—**Jane Lakat**

*"It's a certain type of poetry taking such a terrible weapon and turning it into something that helps somebody. I don't think there's been a bigger victory against the Borg."*
—**Steven Yen** to M'Qrell about her treatment for Sivek

*"Some of the best scientific breakthroughs have come from history's darkest times. So you find the darkness, and within the darkness you find the light, and then you have tea."*
—**M'Qrell**

*"I'm afraid you'll find I'm a captain, not a doctor."*
—**Azeri Sull**

*"I will attempt a different method of extricating our crew from the hole, do something that makes Prahl so mad that he has to come back and yell at me."*
—**Azeri Sull**

*"I'm confrontational as fuck."*
—**Aulyn Dari**

*"No matter how long I stare at this thing, Commander, please don't let me step through it. Cuz I just know I'm gonna be tempted to."*
—**Jane Lakat**

*"Don't tell the Captain."*
—**EXEO** to Jane Lakat about entering the portal

## **Notes and Trivia**

* The standing pool of amber goo is described as resembling a stargate