The Dimming of the Crystal Light

[LoAmi 0]

Lt. Cmdr. Arphazad Lo'Ami looked on as the crystal-lifeform hovered somewhere above the Faraway's reactor, near a major energy conduit. He wasn't going to let Fitz be in engineering facing the potentially dangerous entity alone, given that it was now the prime suspect in the deaths of the entire SS Faraway crew. Having chased these crystals from the planet Rolando to Nugdekan,

each time only scanning the residual energy signatures it left behind, Lo'Ami couldn't resist his first chance to study the actual crystal. He tried to keep on eye on what Fitz was doing.

 

Lo'Ami hadn't quite expected that his scan would be interrupted by a cargo container neatly enclosing the crystal. Lt. Fitz Brighton had been telekenetically moving the container. It seemed like it worked better that trying to insult the creature to grab its attention. But, with the crystal now isolated, it could be studied under more controlled conditions, far from the energy conduit that he scanned it interacting with in some unknown manner.

 

He tapped his combadge. "Lo'Ami to Arcadia. I'm transmitting an energy signature. Lock transporters on it and beam it directly to a level 3 containment field in the science lab."

 

Arcadia acknowledged the communication and beamed it over.

 

"Two to Beam directly to the science lab." There was an urgency to understanding how this lifeform killed. Dr. Porter's life depended on it.

 

Lo'Ami and Fitz shimmered onto Arcadia and began their analysis. This crystal operated more like a machine than any lifeform that they had ever seen, short of an android or a Borg.

 

Fitz thought about how the thing acted then looking at Lo'Ami said, "You don't suppose this thing knows what it is doing ? Do you? I mean there seems to be kind of logic to its reaction of the crew . It ran when in danger and didn't when not really threatened."

 

Lo'Ami indicated that he was not yet ready to answer the engineer's questions. He needed more information. First, he verified that its signature was indeed different from the signature of the crystal taken from the planet Rolando, and from some of the signatures detected on the Faraway. He then commenced internal scans. The creature was constructed as a 60-sided polygon, part

carbon-based, part silicon based, approximately 20 cm across. The internal structure was similar to what was predicted by the computer analysis of the fossils. Unlike the residual signature from the first crystal, there was neither a residual energy signature nor any actual presence of the rare stable heavy elements.

 

Lo'Ami continued pressing buttons on the tabletop scanner when he detected fluctuations in the forcefield.

 

Fitz watched as the entity started glowing brightly. "What the hell is it trying to do?" Fitz started to make adjustments to the forcefield to make sure the thing stayed put.

 

Lo'Ami hypothesized: "It's as if the creature is 'testing' the forcefield. Remodulate the forcefield to a new frequency."

 

Fitz remodulates the forcefield to 137.695 terahertz. "I hope this thing don't get much stronger. I'm not sure if the forcefield will hold up to much more abuse."

 

Lo'Ami monitored the forcefield against the crystal's energy focusing. "The crystal's energy output is changing. It's adapting to its surroundings! We have to get this to the captain. We may be dealing with a new form of intelligence."

 

"I got to raise the forcefield to a level four this thing is strong." Fitz looked at the entity. "The glowing its dimming. Now what?"

 

But, still, there was no clue as to how it infected the Faraway crew or Dr. Porter.

 

Just then, the crystal stopped testing the forcefield, and dropped to the bottom of the scanning apparatus. All energy output ceased. For all they could tell, it was dead.

 

Fitz looked over to Lo'Ami. "Well it looks like it just died? Do you suppose its intelligent enough to play possum? I mean for a minute it was trying the same thing I would do if I were captured."

 

Then, using his mind, Fitz raised a small probe that was inside the forcefield and gently prodded the entity hoping for some signs of life from it, some movement at all.

 

Lt. Fitz Brighton

Assistant Engineer

 

- and -

 

Lt. Cmdr. Arphazad Lo'Ami

Chief Science Officer

 

USS Arcadia NCC-1742-E