Halloween Pre-Event Story!

Quote by Voleron

As this drama unfolded, a drama of its own was unfolding on deck 32, from within Fleet Admiral @NicholasJohn16's dimly lit quarters, which were illuminated only by the occasional flicker of a pair of Ferengi earwax candles that he'd lit on his dining table for ambience.  Reaching across the table and past an impressive spread of culinary delights, including Szechuan Targ, sauteed Ratamba stew, and a generous cut of snail steak, Admiral Nick clutched @Gravity's hand, holding it in a tender and loving embrace. 

"I've waited for five years for the perfect moment to sneak you into my quarters" whispered Nick... "commanding officers can't be seen in the romantic company of... subordinates, you understand; you're ABSOLUTELY sure that your crazy and jealous boyfriend @Dax_aussie_boy didn't follow you here, right?", worried Nick, failing to notice the glow of the Omega alert that had filled his workstation screen.

And as @Gravity and @NicholasJohn16 are embracing each other in the dimly lit quarters of the Fleet Admiral's, @Dax_Aussie_Boy is plotting around the ship, creating false readings on the internal sensors, resequencing the replicators to materialize ghoulish and unpronounceable cultural delights in the mess hall and small but frightening booby traps with the corridors of the ships. His giggles in the most scary and obnoxious laugh that could be heard throughout the ship. 

"Daxie Poo has come to play!", says Dax as he skips down the corridors, avoiding tripping the traps he has set up. His face looks like a drown clown after a long night from partying too hard, hair coloured in pink and blue tips and strips and clothes looking tattered and ripped from crawling through the jefferies tubes for the last 24 hours. "Time to play with all the little people in their room's. "Time to find @medgirl1025 and play hop scotch together." Says Dax as he twirls his hair and popping his gum in his mouth.

Quote by Voleron

As this drama unfolded, a drama of its own was unfolding on deck 32, from within Fleet Admiral @NicholasJohn16's dimly lit quarters, which were illuminated only by the occasional flicker of a pair of Ferengi earwax candles that he'd lit on his dining table for ambience.  Reaching across the table and past an impressive spread of culinary delights, including Szechuan Targ, sauteed Ratamba stew, and a generous cut of snail steak, Admiral Nick clutched @Gravity's hand, holding it in a tender and loving embrace. 

"I've waited for five years for the perfect moment to sneak you into my quarters" whispered Nick... "commanding officers can't be seen in the romantic company of... subordinates, you understand; you're ABSOLUTELY sure that your crazy and jealous boyfriend @Dax_aussie_boy didn't follow you here, right?", worried Nick, failing to notice the glow of the Omega alert that had filled his workstation screen.

Meanwhile at the Academy where Ensign Marriott has finished learning steerfleet protocols and regulations, has been assigned to train in tactical and engineering because of interest's in both field's, coming a medical family background wanted to try something new and not wanting to become a science officer. "You are to be stationed in a Beta project in the Khitomer sector" Commander Xhul states. Curious as what Beta project Starfleet is starting.

Later that night in preparations for departure for the Khitomer system. A young ensign Marriott wondered what was going to happen. So he went to a holodeck for some much needed relaxation and to train for what was to come, maybe a scenario or two with combat training and engineering situations to get a better hand on what was to come. 

@mstfrancis finally started coming too, his sullen pale complexion becoming flush with color again, he lifted him self off the floor. He smelled the air, which was oddly sweet with tones of burnt roast and cheap perfume. A familiar scent of roses and Ferengi candles seemed to permeate through the sweetness. It smelled of desperation and failure. He knew whatever was around the corner was trouble a brewing. 

After a long moment catching his bearings, he realized the station was in duress, and if he was going to get out alive, he would need a bottle of Chateau Picard that he left stored in his locker, for some courage. He dusted himself off noticing the fog in front of him wafting through the corridor. He blinked and set off into the darkened hallway, feeling his way down the cold metal walls. 

Back in the Admiral's quarters, a nearby console flashed to life. Instead of the Omega symbol which had been present earlier -- a symbol which, inexplicably, everyone who had seen had chosen to completely ignore -- this time the screen displayed a small, fuzzy, yellow, and very tribble-like image.

"Pika pika," it blared. "Pika pika!"

Admiral Nick sighed and shook his head. "Gravity, did you give your password to @GXV3 again?"

It moved through the ship's nooks and crannies, the spaces between the floor plates, the air between circuits in the walls. It no longer cared for stealth, as its need for sustenance drove it to recklessness. A circuit snapped in its passing, sparks flew. Lights flickered and dimmed, and to this it smiled. The shadows, the darkness, was its friend, an ally that covered its swift approach. 

It could TASTE the food's warmth as the creature settled, unseen, into a small shadow, the shadow beneath a flat, thin, and rectangular object. One that hummed slightly, glowed slightly, and seemed of importance to its prey. It was one of a number of these objects scattered on the floor, and the creature settled into the shadow of one nearest its food. 

The prey suddenly curled up amidst a number of these objects, and the creature smiled to itself. It was about to reach out and claim its food, when to its surprise, the food reached out toward the very object it hid beneath...

Meanwhile back on Deck 32 Milmars reaction to Nicks questioning about giving away passwords struck a memory, he did infact give all access passwords to GXV3.
Milmar approached Nick Seductively, kissing him on the cheek and playfully pulling at the feathered collar of Nicks Silky pink night gown. "Ill sort it my little love trumpet" Milmar wispered.

Milmar contacted Gareth and asked him what he had done to the Stations computer.
A few conversations passed and it appears that Gareth was trying to bring to life a 21st century popular 2D "cartoon" called pokemon.
Something had hapened when a passing Nebula struck the station, and all the holo emitters on all decks of the station malfunctioned.. and are now projecting Evil pokemon looking for battles all over the station! .. with the safety's offline!

That idiot Replied Nick in hearing this news.. I better get onto this and clean up his mess before someone gets killed... no wait ... ill do it after our bath time.. maybe. "Cadet @Jacien" nick called out to the other room... have you finished running our bath?
But there was no reply... Nick walked slowly to the bathroom of his quarters, he peered around the door and saw..........

The creature reached out to the food running a liquid over its appendages. It savored the moment, the moment before the kill, the moment when the prey realized its life was being leeched out of it, delicious morsel by morsel, until there was nothing left but a husk, something left behind for others to find. That was good, as it heightened their fear, and made future kills all the more sweet. 

A tendril reached out from under the sink module where it had been hiding. It neared the food's lower appendage on the floor, every so slightly closer...and...

A sound. A presence...something else in the room. A competitor!

It whirled around, still silent on the floor, and gazed at a mass of energy. Vaguely shaped like the food, only different. No life, no warmth, just...energy. It studied its foe carefully, watching its every move. The energy mass gazed back at it, and smiled in a way which the creature was familiar. A challenging, hunting, gloating smile, when one sees an enemy it seeks to defeat. 

And then the energy mass spoke. "Gengar," it said.

The creature and the energy mass streaked towards each other, ready to kill...

“No, you pull it down not up. Come on, how do you not know how to use a manual door release?” Th’val muttered as they pulled aside the dead doors to the lab. “We need to get to operations, find who is on shift and get them to tell us what the hell is going on.” The corridor was pitch black, with an eerie cheerful sound emanating from the distance. “I’d say we should find some phasers, but you’d only shoot yourself in the foot.”

“I passed phaser training actually.” The quivering cadet sighed.

“I doubt that. You failed this test immensely, even if I overlook the fact you didn’t keep a single answer under two sentences.”

“It’s hard! I’m sorry, please don’t assign me to aid the other admirals again. Whenever I say anything they just saying ‘shut up, Wesley' and giggling.”

“Frankly, if I’d knew you’ve be such a drop out I’d never have agreed to be your godparent.”

“Wesley’s not even my name.”

“Shut up-“

Th’val was cut off mid-stride. The cadet looked back to see he was alone, the pitch black corridor stretched off behind him with an ominous shadow looming behind him, crunching.

“Come on, let’s find the others.”

 

Quote by Thval

“No, you pull it down not up. Come on, how do you not know how to use a manual door release?” Th’val muttered as they pulled aside the dead doors to the lab. “We need to get to operations, find who is on shift and get them to tell us what the hell is going on.” The corridor was pitch black, with an eerie cheerful sound emanating from the distance. “I’d say we should find some phasers, but you’d only shoot yourself in the foot.”

“I passed phaser training actually.” The quivering cadet sighed.

“I doubt that. You failed this test immensely, even if I overlook the fact you didn’t keep a single answer under two sentences.”

“It’s hard! I’m sorry, please don’t assign me to aid the other admirals again. Whenever I say anything they just saying ‘shut up, Wesley' and giggling.”

“Frankly, if I’d knew you’ve be such a drop out I’d never have agreed to be your godparent.”

“Wesley’s not even my name.”

“Shut up-“

Th’val was cut off mid-stride. The cadet looked back to see he was alone, the pitch black corridor stretched off behind him with an ominous shadow looming behind him, crunching.

“Come on, let’s find the others.”

 

Dax peered around the corner to see Th'val and the cadet whom he hasn't meet before walked down the corridor. Sweat was dripping down his face as his has been skipping around the Station for a while. Giggling at the sight of them, he saw them turn in the direction of his giggle.

"OOPS.... Better not let them see me before they see their surprise that i have in store for them." Saying to himself as he watching ever so quietly. Dax twirls his hair tighter and tighter with every passing moment. 

A sliver of light cut through the hall, Mstfrancis could see shadows cutting swathes of darkness through the light beaming through a door. He ducked behind a bulkhead and parsed his breathing. As he heard what sounded like the door being pried open. He reached for his side arm, which wasn’t there. 
Damn new regulations, he thought to himself. Remembering zanderhawk shooting a cadet in the face accidentally and new regulations were put in place. What was that guys name? And did he ever get a new ear?
He peered at the placard indicating he was on deck 12 corridor 47, junction 5, he reached up to feel the wall. The familiar plating  changed to an access panel. He was at a Jefferies tube junction, his chest eased as he realized he had a fast way out incase they were boarded. He sat waiting to punch in the access code as he heard, “Shut up Wesley,” from behind the door.
His face turned to relief as he realized it was a Starfleet Officer. He picked himself off and made his way to the room where he made out the shadow of a person standing in the corridor. 
“Hello there?”
The voices went silent, possibly shocked that there was another person in the hall. The silhouette turned to reveal a familiar face.  “Do either of you know what’s going on here?” He asked. 
Th’val dusted his uniform, peering through the haze building in the hallway.  “No, we were just about to make our way to Operations.”
“Good plan, see if you and Wesley can override environmental controls and bring main power online. I’m heading to Auxiliary to see if I can get us some lights and secondary batteries online.”
And as only for a second a yellow flash blurred through the hallway, leaving only a quick chirp as it left. 
“Did you see that?” Mstfrancis asked. 
“See what?” Th’val replied. 
Mstfrancis was at a loss, the image seemed familiar, yet alien. He drugged it off, “Never mind” 
Th’val nodded and Mstfrancis turned on his heels and returned down the corridor back into the darkness... 

As the creature closed in on the strange energy mass that was its opponent, it took a moment to glance at the food in the corner of the room. The food had barely started cowering in shock at the sight of it, and the creature smiled again in anticipation. The food was lumbering and SLOW, barely having moved from its original position at the sink. It knew it would have no trouble when the time came for a feast. 

The creature then turned its full attention to the mass of energy bounding towards it. The energy mass was not living, was not food, yet it also had a gleam in its eyes of the hunter, one who is used to eating what it wants. Perhaps it is a kindred spirit? No, there were no kindred spirits in the world of food and not-food. It was competition, and therefore must be eliminated.

The two clashed. Energy versus not-energy, light versus not-light. 

A solid blow from raking claws to the creature astonished it. It reeled back from the unfamiliar contact, gathering itself into a small ball of swirling, dark mist. 

How had it been touched? Was this purple energy, this "Gengar", stronger? Faster? More cunning? it thought. Nothing had ever touched it before like that.

Another solid swipe across the creature temporarily cut it in two, but it reassembled itself quickly, moving around to the side. It lashed tendrils onto the Gengar, and tried to drain its energy, but to no avail, as the tendrils were shrugged off, almost negligibly. And then another attack slashed the creature in two again, claws raking through its essence and scattering it for a moment. It reeled to the side again, reassembling itself. 

It studied its opponent for a moment...then realized that part of the essence of is opponent streamed upwards at an angle, towards a small panel on the wall. 

Was this the source of its power? it wondered to itself.

It moved to the wall and then ascended, tendrils of its essence trailing behind it like a smoky spiderweb. The Gengar flew after it, claws slashing at it, but the creature dodged as best it could, losing some of its essence in the process, before it finally made it to the panel. The panel itself hid a mass of energy inside, and the creature was able to insert its tendrils into the housing. A tendril contacted a photonic energy conduit and sparks flew from the panel. The Gengar flickered for a moment, looking astonished, then renewed its attack on the creature. 

Unfortunately for the Gengar, in touching that energy conduit, the creature learned something. Solidity. Mass. Energy. These were all the same thing. It touched the energy inside again, and again the lights flickered in the room and the Gengar faded slightly. Its claws slashed again at the creature, but now met with resistance and solidity. The creature lashed back at the Gengar, semi-solid tentacles of essence ripping into the holographic image, while simultaneously draining the panel dry of its remaining energy. 

The Gengar vanished. The lights in the bathroom went out.

The creature reveled in its newfound strength. The energy it had drained from the panel infused it with new power. It could feel the surface of the wall it clung to, it could feel the atmosphere of the ship, sense the vibration of far away machinery. It paused a moment, assessing its newfound powers and found them...not quite adequate. It wanted more...and that more stood in the corner of the room, only now realizing its peril. Mere seconds had passed between the time the food in the corner had turned towards the battle and the creature's inevitable victory over the hologram. 

The creature smiled to itself again, even twittering slightly in gleeful anticipation, as it gathered its newfound solid form, crouched, and LEAPED towards Jacien, just as the door to the bathroom opened...

Jacien never had a chance to react. The Raichu tore through the doorway, still dragging the entrails of Admiral Nick and Milmar in its wake. They hadn't stood a chance against the enormous evolved Pikachu.

Now it had its sights set on Jacian, and lunged toward him with fangs bared, hurtling toward the cadet with startling speed, considering its size. The yellow cartoonish horror was clearly just getting started with its killing rampage. It had not yet noticed the other occupant of the room...

Her Klingon temper starting to get the best of her, "Why is nothing working around here," Medgirl exclaimed angrily! Infuriated by the incessant humming from the panel. She banged her tight gripped fists on the computer panel. "Work damn you!" Hoping the false belief that smashing something would make it work again. Med realized it was futile and made her way toward the door. Pausing a moment she heard odd sounds coming from the other side. "Ugh, what now?"

The sounds of clawing could be heard on the other side. At first thinking @Lorenius' cat had gotten loose again, she swore to have a talk with him about that, but no cat leaves a dent in the door in the same manner happening right before her eyes. "This is definitely not a cat," she whispered. Quickly making her way to the bedroom she grabbed her duty belt wrapping it around her waist. The the leather strap tied securely in the buckle assuring her everything was in place. She reached to the wall with both hands pulling down her bat'leth. Looking back to the door she turned around just in time...

The creature prepared itself for its feast...but mid-leap, it collided with the Raichu. Both dropped to the bathroom floor, in an entangled mass of writing tentacles and tail. They struggled for a moment, but then the Raichu let out a squeal, and electricity arced out from its body, slamming Jacien against the sink, and hurling the creature towards the wall next to the door. 

The Raichu leaped after the creature, its sharp tail swinging around to deliver a cutting blow, each swipe accompanied by a burst of light in the dark bathroom. The creature backed up into the corner where the wall met the door frame, and braced itself for the oncoming blow. The tail whipped around...and ceased to exist. The creature had expected the slash to sever portions of its body, but now looked on wonderingly as the Raichu swiped its tail through the air back and forth, futilely attempting to hit the creature. Each time the tail came close, it ceased to exist, but when it left the area beside the door, the tail reappeared. The creature paused for a moment, and looked closer. It could see the photonic trail of energy entering the Raichu through the doorway from the next room. Where that trail could not shine into the room, the Raichu, apparently, could not exist.

It mewled with glee, as it moved up and along the broken door, all the while pursued by the Raichu's ineffective tail. The Raichu stopped swiping its tail to blast the creature with energy, but the energy dissipated as it passed the edge of the destroyed door panels. The creature stalked up the doorframe and onto the ceiling, its tentacles waiting for the right moment. When the Raichu swiped its tail again in a futile gesture of anger, the creature struck, sharp tentacles piercing the forcefield containing the photonic energy. It PULLED the energy from the Raichu's form, which broke apart into small sparkles that faded quickly in the darkness of the bathroom. The creature absorbed the energy, and swelled up to almost twice its size, becoming more solid by the moment. Wisps and tentacles writhed in the ecstasy of the moment, as it turned towards the food...

The bathroom was empty. There was no sign of Jacien. 

The food must have fled during the brief battle, it thought to itself. So sweet, so tender, my food, your terror shall season your life force, making it all the more enjoyable to consume. Come here, little prey. I crave your essence.

It moved out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

@Jacien ran through the corridor and toward the shuttlebay in horror, his limbs flailing like one of the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men that @Bren had purchased several weeks ago, in a failed attempt to attract the attention of passing freighter captains to bolster attendance at Stonewall's annual pride gala and gay guide bake sale.  

Jason forced his way through the inoperative doors and into the shuttlebay, doing his best to muscle the door panels together, once inside.  Panting, he bolted across the shuttlebay floor and pounded his fist on the exterior panel of the Epsilon flyer, relieved to find that at least the shuttle was still powered.  The shuttle door slid open, but as Jason climbed into his new found refuge, his stomach knotted upon beholding the speedo-clad @Zander_Hawk and @Voleron, already inside.  "This is NOT what it looks like", explained Zander... "we were..."  "Shhhhhhh!" commanded Voleron as a distant voice could be heard growing ever closer, merrily chanting "Daxie Poo has come to play!"

Quote by Voleron

@Jacien ran through the corridor and toward the shuttlebay in horror, his limbs flailing like one of the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men that @Bren had purchased several weeks ago, in a failed attempt to attract the attention of passing freighter captains to bolster attendance at Stonewall's annual pride gala and gay guide bake sale.  

Jason forced his way through the inoperative doors and into the shuttlebay, doing his best to muscle the door panels together, once inside.  Panting, he bolted across the shuttlebay floor and pounded his fist on the exterior panel of the Epsilon flyer, relieved to find that at least the shuttle was still powered.  The shuttle door slid open, but as Jason climbed into his new found refuge, he stomach knotted upon beholding the speedo-clad @Zander_Hawk and @Voleron, already inside.  "This is NOT what it looks like", explained Zander... "we were..."  "Shhhhhhh!" commanded Voleron as a distant voice could be heard growing ever closer, merrily chanting "Daxie Poo has come to play!"

As time passed in Dax's quarters on Deck 20, he was laying in a bath tub full of liquid to stimulate and strengthen his symbiont, he woke to the sound of an explosion. He became startled that he jumped out of the tub and grabbed his satin robe from the wall near the tub. he slowly walked towards the door leading out of his quarters, but grabs his "in case of emergency" kit that @medgirl1025 gave him after the last boat of issues that happened from last time, he pulled a type-2 phaser pistol and tricorder out and begins to scan ahead of his quarter to see what is going on.

Meanwhile, back in the Shuttlebay where @Voleron and @Zander_Hawk, were caught by @Jacien in a very compromising position, all three hid in the Shuttlecraft whilst the voice became louder and louder within the shuttle. "Daxie Poo wants to play? Will you come out and play?" says the voice. Jacien looks out the shuttlecraft window and a ugly figure plants itself on the window. All three scream with terror as the face of what looks like @Dax_Aussie_Boy but ghoulish starts licking the window with darken circles of black around it's eyes. The pink and blue haired creature smile and points at @Zander_Hawk. "Wanna play?" It begins to giggles with excitement.

Suddenly, @Jacien's expression changed, as though a light bulb had turned on in his head. Granted, it was a very small bulb, but it was on.

"Wait a second, guys...  If those weren't your entrails the Raichu dragged into the bathroom, then whose were they?"

As the creature emerged from the bathroom, it cautiously extended its senses into the room. No food, but there was another one of those strange energy masses laying on the floor. It resembled food, but appeared to be a smaller version of the food that fled earlier. It lay in a small pile of photonic masses - holographic entrails, it deduced - and appeared to have been killed by the photonic entity it had just battled. 

Do photonic entities eat each other? it wondered. Do they live off of each other's energy?

The creature settled down to absorb the energy masses below. First it absorbed what appeared to be a red dome-shaped object with a flat semicircle on one side. Then a blue covering accessory that appeared to accommodate the photonic body's appendages. Then several spherical shaped objects, which blinked and chirped as their energy was absorbed, before they disappeared in a small spray of diffuse glowing particles.

Finally, it encountered a hard, flat object that chirped and loudly proclaimed that it could list all "Pokemon", their strengths, and their weaknesses. Manipulating the controls, the creature encountered images of the two holographic creatures it had just fought, and deduced from subsequent images that this object contained all the details of these creatures - including specific strategies to defeat each one. It studied these entries, learning how to defeat its competition. Then it absorbed the object's energy too, and in doing so, grew to twice its previous size.

Now the size of the humanoids it hunted, it started to leave, to hunt all of the entities aboard the station, confident that it now possessed the strength to overcome all of them.

But, something had changed - it no longer desired the energy of just the humanoids on the ship. It desired energy itself. The photonic energy it had absorbed caused a fundamental shift in its priorities. Yes, it still desired the warmth and thrill of sapping biological entities of their life force, and it reveled in the idea of the amount of terror it would cause in the process, but it also desired more of this energy from the ship's systems, to grow in size and mass. With size and mass, it would be able to kill more biological food. And it thrilled at the thought.

Communicating this shift in priorities to its other self - still hiding in the shadows awaiting a chance to contact one of the humanoids - the creature started making its way to the largest power source on the station - the warp core. Its gleeful twitter - now taking on ominous, dissonant bass overtones - echoed in the hallway at the prospect of absorbing all of that energy...

(okay, so I maybe traded clarity for mysterious ambiguity in my last one. Lesson learnt-)
 
At the heart of the station, a spiky green dragon wrapped itself around the computer core, squeezing the delicate components as it breathed in its sleep. Occasionally a crunch would be heard as the remains of its dinner lingered between its teeth. A crewman awoke amid a pile of limbs, his engineers who had come with him to try and disconnect the core and stop this. The creature guarding it had clearly sated its appetite for now, but it was only a matter of time before scavengers came to pick through the remains.

The crewman rose to a crouch and edged his way to the door. If he could get help to get past this thing and shut down the core- A scuttling came from behind him, followed by a sharp sting on his ankle. He turned to see jellyfish like creature behind him. As the crewman fell to the floor, paralysed, a growing crowd of tentacruels gathered around him. He was conscious long enough to see the tentacles sliding under his skin from his fingernails, moving towards his organs.

Lieutenant Kierix had just finished a shift in sickbay before the power went down and the systems went manic, they were stumbling down the dark hallway with only the faulty red and blue alert lights to guide their way. Suddenly they spotted Commander @calx knocked out on the floor, Rushing over to check for injuries they had their back turned and focused on the medical tricorder scanning their commander for injuries.

Out of nowhere, the monster appeared, Grabbed the medic by the throat and lifted them a foot in the air and threw them into a wall, where they collapsed unconscious...