Episode 50 Life Underneath

*"I do have one really possibly inadvisable idea."*
—**Olyn Madzhin-nil**

## **Plot Synopsis**

### **Brief Overview**

The species 8472 ship menacing Lakat disappears. She leaves the pool to report back. Olyn joins Dari, EXEO, and Lakat outside the standing pool. They discuss next moves. Eventually, EXEO decides that Dari will rig the communicators so they can speak with the surface teams, and Olyn and Lakat will re-enter the pool.

When Olyn and Lakat enter the pool, instead of fluidic space, they experience Cardassia. They realize that the space around them is manifesting from their memories. A figure emerges and begins speaking to them. Simultaneously, Nitan begins speaking on USS Ross, and Michelle begins speaking to M'Qrell. The three individuals speak to the three groups of Starfleet officers with once voice. Eventually, the situation is revealed.

The planet is a sapient being which escaped from fluidic space in order to avoid extinction at the hands of species 8472. Currently, it is being harmed by the polaron radiation from the torpedoes. The crew concoct a plan to help the planet cope with the radiation and also rescue their crew members from inside of it.

Dari succeeds in rigging the communicators, and EXEO gets in touch with the surface. USS Ross decides to send a shuttle to get them. Impatient, EXEO decides to climb the 400-foot walls to get to the ceiling of the cave, where gravity shifts and she begins walking along the ceiling among the forest. She heads for the entrance to the hole.

Olyn uses their memory to show images of other planets to the being. Lakat's memories and emotions for Azzmi Shanto also come to the forefront. Olyn names the planet 色水 (romanji: Iromizu), which is Japanese for colored water.

Vrenn pilots a shuttle to pick everyone up from the hole. On the way he picks up M'Qrell and her patient. When they reach the bottom, they see that the pirates have overwhelmed Prahl's security team and are pointing disruptors at the Starfleet officers.

### **Pre-Break**

The episode resumes where "New Beginnings, New Endings pt. 2" left off. LTJG Jane Lakat is floating in fludic space on the other side of a standing pool of amber liquid inside of a giant cave below the surface of Zartonus IV. A species 8472 ship turns towards her, noticing her presence, but then it disappears. Lakat is unable to explain where it went; it did not look like a ship engaging a cloaking mechanism, or going to warp. Lakat takes out her tricorder and scans, but the data just reads like a cave, not fluidic space. It also shows that there is a life-sign approaching her position. She tugs at the tether.

In the cave, ENS Aulyn Dari and CDR EXEO hear someone approaching; it's AMB Olyn Madzhin-Nil. At that moment, Lakat emerges from the amber pool and informs them about seeing a ship of species 8472. EXEO and Olyn start planning on what to do, while Dari begins jury rigging their communicators to try and communicate with the surface teams. Olyn suggests that they attempt a telepathic communication whomever is other the other side of the portal (species 8472 is known to be telepathic). EXEO approves, but Olyn is unable to get any readings through the portal.

Lakat and Olyn argue about which of them should go back in the pool. Both think it's too unsafe for the other. EXEO declares that their will go; they will wait for Dari to finish rigging the communicators. Lakat decides to spend the time scanning some of the goo and the rocks. She concludes that the goo is several billion years old, and is alive. Olyn laments that the Federation outpost is now acting as colonizers of a planet full of sapient life. Olyn insist again that they enter the pool. EXEO relents, but asks them to spend some time continuing to attempt telepathic communication, first.

Meanwhile, CAPT Azeri Sull, MCPO Theq Lynadas, and CPO Amandeep Singh are working on a solution to communicate with the crew in the hole. They plan on coordinating efforts with Dari, whom they think is still with LTCDR M'Qrell. Sull has a moment of anxiety and loses control of their pheromones. Theq and Singh are flooded with feelings of anxious fear. They try to work through it, anyway. Theq attempts to call Dari, but gets no response. He calls M'Qrell, who informs him that Dari went with the hostage negotiation team. He fills her in on the situation with the hole.

Back in the cave, Olyn continues to get nothing. It seems as though the pool is blocking their efforts. EXEO gives in and Lakat and Olyn enter the pool together. Instead of fluidic space, they arrive on Cardassia during the Dominion bombardment of the planet. They are in the exact spot where the two of them first met. When they move around, it feels like they are immersed in a viscous fluid. Lakat looks around and sees something in the rubble. It's a piece of jewelry; a Bajoran earring. Lakat realizes they are in one of her memories. Olyn sees a young Cardassian man giving water to a young girl. He was a good friend, and a part of Olyn's team on Cardassia.

Lakat's tricorder announces that something is approaching them. Olyn reaches out empathically, and a human woman steps into view. She begins to speak. At the same time, M'Qrell hears Michelle speak, and on USS *Ross*, Nitan begins to speak. Unbeknownst to each group, all three individuals begin speaking at the same time, with the same words. They say, "You're hurting us."

### **Post-Break**

What follows is a confusing, multi-part conversation. Sull speaks to Nitan. Olyn and Lakat speak to the woman in their shared experience beyond the pool. M'Qrell and Dr. Steven Yen speak to their patient, Michelle. The three people speak with one voice, and so when they answer one of the crew's questions, the other crew members hear the answer as well, without knowing what was asked. Meanwhile, Theq, Singh, and a security team prepare to fly down to the planet in a shuttle.

Eventually, the crew members figure out what is going on, and gather the history of the situation. The planet is a single, massive sapient lifeform. They originated in fluidic space, and were being hunted to extinction by species 8472. In order to escape, they came to their current location in "normal" space. They quickly adapted to life in 3-dimensional space, and evolved an ability to control gravity. They formed the planet around themselves. M'Qrell asks if they want the Federation colonists to leave. They say that they do not, but they understand that they (the spores) are deadly to the colonists. They also explain that, currently, the ambient polaron radiation that their spores have absorbed from the polaron torpedoes is killing them.

M'Qrell offers to help heal the "wound", the large hole in the surface of the planet. They say that the would want the USS Ross crew members out of the wound first. Sull suggests showing them DNA from species that can survive polaron radiation, so that they may adapt.

In the hole, Dari finishes rigging the communicators and EXEO calls M'Qrell. Everyone explains their part of the situation. The whole crew begin to make a plan. They need to get everyone out of the "wound", close the "wound", and have the planet stop hurting the colonists.

Olyn offers to show the being where Olyn is from. They conjure up the image of a tropical beach on Delta. At the same time, an image of Azzmi appears next to Lakat and takes her hand. The beings are mesmerized; they have never seen another world. Olyn offers to show them as many worlds as they can remember, but first pokes their head out of the portal to talk to EXEO.

Sull departs the bridge with Vrenn and heads to the main shuttle bay. They meet up with the other team. The plan is to fly into the hole. Sull loses control of their pheromones again, and the whole crew is flooded with feelings of relief and happiness. They begin tearing up and expressing love and admiration for each other in a strange euphoria. Sull is exasperated and decides to go to 10 Forward so as not to distract the team. The shuttle takes off as the crew begin singing songs together.

In 10 Forward, even Solun is slightly influenced by Sull's pheromones. Sull sighs as they fill them in on everything that has happened.

Meanwhile, EXEO is getting antsy inside the domed room. She decides to climb the 400 feet required to get to the ceiling of the room, hoping that she will experience a gravity shift and be able to leave by walking on the ceiling.

On the shuttle, Theq directs the team to grab some samples of the spores in the upper atmosphere. They land on the planet and pick up M'Qrell. M'Qrell asks to bring Michelle along to help communicate with the planet, but Dr. Yen absolutely refuses. M'Qrell is stern, and he relents, under protest. Michelle notes that she no longer needs a mask to survive on the surface, she is unaffected by the spores. She notes that she can feel what the planet is feeling.

Meanwhile, beyond the amber pool, Olyn is starting to get a little disoriented from being inside the planet's "bloodstream". They feel the planet focus intently on Lakat's emotional experience being near Azzmi (or the idea of her). Lakat is basking in the reflection of her own love for Azzmi, since what she is seeing and speaking to is her own mind's interpretation of what Azzmi would say and do. Olyn announces that they aren't feeling well, and need to leave. The planet informs them that their friends are coming to get them. Before leaving, Olyn says that they have arrived at a name for the planet: 色水 (romanji: Iromizu) which is Japanese for colored water.

At that moment, near the top of the cave, EXEO feels her gravity shift, and she flies upward towards the ceiling, to the sound of Dari shouting "oh shit!" EXEO lands on a bed of mushrooms grown from the ceiling. She starts making her way back to the hole through the untouched primordial forest on the ceiling.

The team on the shuttle approaches the hole. The sensors pickup that the atmosphere around the hole is saturated with spores that have absorbed polaron radiation. Theq gets some samples of the contaminated spores. The shuttle hovers over the hole. Michelle explains that it will hurt the Iromizu when they fly in, but that they understand it is necessary. Vrenn perks up, having not been informed of any of the happenings with the planet. M'Qrell explains the situation, and that gravity will be extremely unstable in the hole. EXEO reports in on her experience in order to help guide Vrenn. M'Qrell, as the senior officer present, commands Vrenn to begin. He takes the shuttle into free-fall, and masterfully completes the descent, only to see...

Four pirates holding disruptors at a group of Starfleet officers.

## **Cast**

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

## **Non-Player Characters**

* Aulyn Dari
* Amandeep Singh
* Nitan
* Michelle
* Steven Yen
* Iromizu (色水)
* Solun
* Zhyliss Vrenn

## **Locations**

* Zartonus System
	+ Zartonus IV

## **Notable Lines**

*"I do have one really possibly inadvisable idea."*
*"Love it!"*
—**Olyn Madzhin-nil** and **EXEO**

*"Congratulations, everyone. We are now colonizers."*
—**Olyn Madzhin-nil**

*"Permission to speak freely, EXEO."*
*"We are in a cave."*
—**Olyn Madzhin-nil** and **EXEO**

*"Oh, M'Qrell. We got a big ol' whoopsie!"*
—**Theq Lynadas**

*"I think this is why we make an exceptional team, Commander. Your inability to have heart attacks."*
*"Normally that sentence would have scared me, but you know what? I'm open minded today."*
—**Jane Lakat** and **EXEO**

*"We're a bit big on labels in Starfleet"*
—**Olyn Madzhin-nil** to Iromizu

*"We're not big on labels in Starfleet"*
—**Azeri Sull** to Iromizu

*"I think I want to be captain someday."*
—**Jane Lakat**

*"There's an expression on Earth: throwing good money after bad. And I think I've just done it."*
—**Azeri Sull** to Solun

## **Notes and Trivia**

* This is the first in-person episode since 3/9/2020.