New Horizons Pt. 1

Posted on Sun Aug 30th, 2020 @ 9:01am by Biynah

1,055 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Mission 0: Everybody Has A Story
Location: USS Vindex - Gamma Quadrant
Timeline: 2385

Meters. Cubits. Yards. Humans had a variety measurements to classify the same spatial coordinates. This was diversity. Diversity promoted growth. Biynah desired beyond all else to grow. Father had promised to return and continue their discussion, but that would not be for hours. And there were so many diverse lifeforms out there. She had seen at least 7 of them.

Biynah sat on the floor in the middle of the living room where Father had left her. She had resumed her studies, but she had already consumed the vast volumes Father had prepared for her. Another entity to discuss what she had learned would be ideal, yet neither the ship's computer nor the replicator possessed the reasoning to do so. She had tried.

With the only provisions that Father had given to her now exhausted, Biynah felt compelled to open that door. The unknown did not frighten her; Father had mentioned fear, but that was another feeling for which she had no personal reference. Father had said the Vindex itself was safe, so surely there would be no harm in exploring while he was busy.

"Computer, please open the door," she said.

A sharp note punctuated her request. "Access denied."

"How does Father open the door?" Biynah's eyes sparkled with a quizzical gaze.

"Door access has been restricted by Lieutenant Commander Akiva ben-Avram," the computer replied in its monotone pitch. "Authorization is required to proceed."

Biynah grinned. "You should have said that the first time," she said. She raised herself up to her full stature and turned her face solemn and gave. "Open door," she said, her voice a perfect imitation of Akiva's. "Authorization: Ben-Avram-Omega-1-0."

"Authorization accepted. Door is unlocked."

The click of the locking mechanism followed soon after. Biynah stepped forward and pressed the button. She jumped back when the door swished open before her, revealing the empty corridor before her. A hesitant left foot stepped forward, testing the floor as if it were ice, then was followed by the right.

When no alarms or shouts rang out, Biynah twirled about, giggling as she danced a few steps down the corridor.

"Computer, where am I?" She looked to and fro, seeing neither anyone nor anything but blank walls.

"You are located outside the senior staff quarters on Deck 4."

"Where should I go now?" She traced her fingers along the wall, comparing its composition with the walls in Father's quarters.

"Specify query."

Biynah smiled. "Where do others congregate?"

"The D15 recreational facility is on Deck 10. The holodecks are--"

"Computer, locate the first officer." Biynah smirked with mischief.

"First Officer Lieutenant Commander Akiva ben-Avram is currently in Main Engineering."

"Computer, what is your name?"

"Query does not compute."

Biynah's mischievous grin spread wider. "I'm going to give you a name. Computer, I assign you the personal designation 'Yael.' Please confirm."

"All queries submitted to 'Yael' by Passenger Biynah will be processed."

"Thank you, Yael. Now how do I get to Main Engineering?"

"Proceed to the turbolift at the end of the corridor."

Biynah skipped a few steps before falling into a steady gait to the turbolift. She recognized the call button as similar to the door mechanism, and though it lit up when she pressed it, nothing happened. After a moment, she pressed it again, and then a third time.
Eventually, the doors parted and revealed the enclosed space. Curious that the turbolift required three pushes to open the door when every other door she had seen required only one. Perhaps she had operated in incorrectly--Father had been the one to operate the controls on the way back from her activation, and she had not see how he performed the function.

"Main Engineering," she said, realizing the turbolift was awaiting instructions. The doors closed, and her sensors indicated the lift was in motion. There appeared to be horizontal motion as well as vertical, which was very interesting to note.

When the lift stopped, the doors parted to reveal a bustle of engineers and technician rushing about their duties. Terminals, consoles, and screens were everywhere, and Biynah loved every inch of it. She stepped forward, her mouth poised in a look of wonder, her eyes sparkling as she committed every detail to her memory, her feet carried away as if on their own accord as she--

"Halt and be identified!"

Biynah whirled around and immediately assessed the gargantuan figure towering more than a foot over her head. A Klingon with an angry disposition, long hair, and an even longer Type-3 Phaser that still looked like a toy in his massive hand despite the extended rifle stock. She backed away, perpendicular to the turbolift.

"I said, 'halt and be identified!'"

"My name is Biynah," she said. "I'm exploring the ship while looking for my father."

"Engineering is no place for children," he said with his phaser at his side. "Return to wherever you came from."

"I'm not a child," Biynah retorted. "I am a bio-neural synthetic lifeform."

The Klingon processed Biynah's words, then leveled his phaser rifle at her and set it to pulse in one motion. "Kneel down on the ground and place your hands behind your head." When Biynah blinked at him, he raised his voice. "Get down on the ground now, or I will open fire!"

"No, please!" Biynah pleaded with her hands in front of her. She had never seen a phaser discharge, but she understood the concept of physical harm--and the Klingon's intent to harm her. "Call the first officer! He's my father! He's here in Engineering."

"Computer, locate the first officer," the Klingon barked.

"The first officer is on deck 4," came the computer's reply.

The Klingon growled low, his suspicions confirmed. Tapping his combadge, he said, "Ensign Doqqu to Chief Ambrose. I have apprehended an infiltrator in Main Engineering."

=/\="Who are we dealing with Ensign?"=/\=

"It... has the appearance of a child, but it said it is a machine. Requesting a security team to retrieve it."

"I'm not a child," Biynah said with a hint of defiance.

A sigh came over the commlink. =/\="Bag and tag."

"Very well." Doqqu snarled with delight. He removed a microdot tracker from a pouch on his belt and flung it at Biynah. As soon as it attached, transporter energies surrounded her and whisked her away.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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