Star Trek TNG: The Next Gamer
Episode 2.1: The Naked Now
Stardate: 41209
Earth Standard Date: March 17, 2364
Location: U.S.S Enterprise-D
"Tyson's Log stardate… whatever. It's been two weeks since inspecting the D'Kyr cruiser. Good news, I got my holodeck privileges reinstated. I want to say that I led the away team into the instant dungeon, but my advice was soundly ignored by the other officers. I'm not a red-shirt though, so it was a pretty fun run. The first zombie Vulcan that approached our group was stunned into unconsciousness by multiple phasers. I warned them that the stun setting would not be effective and they'd need restraints, but my advice went unheeded. You should've heard Riker yelp when that Vulcan rose back up mid-scan. He had his tricorder out, weapon holstered and had a hostile alien in his face. I knew what was coming and positioned myself to stop him from being mauled. Losing the first officer wouldn't help my case."
Tyson chuckled at the memory. "Since I'd run the dungeon several times, I picked up some tricks to ease its completion. I replicated some heavy-duty zip-ties after wasting so much time messing with wiring. The energy credit cost was non-existent thanks to my new quarters and they were quick to apply. Whatever future-plastic they were made of was strong enough to hold the Vulcans."
"Anyway. Watching Data lift a Vulcan by the arms was a hoot. The thing was just kicking like an unruly child unable to do anything. I demonstrated my stealth, melee, unarmed, and phaser proficiency, so Riker approved me for away missions. Since then, I've gone back into the instance dungeon a few times with Worf. We've been having competitions on who could defeat more Vulcans. I'm ahead when it comes to unarmed defeats, but can't match him with weapons or with phasers yet."
He took a deep breath and continued, "For away missions, I've been appointed the non-tactical personnel slot. LaForge and Crusher vouched for my basic proficiency levels in Engineering and Medicine. My time spent in those departments hadn't gone unnoticed. However, I can't shake the feeling that I'm the token redshirt. Grey is the new red I guess."
Tyson tapped his chin before he began speaking again, "Moving on to progress report on various things I've been working on. Biobed one-point-o is complete. I completed the integration of the dermal and osteo-regenerators. Doctor Crusher was impressed enough to request several units to be used in emergency situations requiring a triage center. The crafting quest netted me some nice returns, considering I salvaged the parts from Engineering daily quests. After a week I maxed out my Engineering skill while constructing the biobeds, taking 10 days to finish them all."
Engineering skill has increased! 26 - 30
+4,000 Experience (31,850/37,000)
+40,000 Energy Credits : 28,385 - 68,385
"That covers Engineering. My Medicine skills also saw some leaps. Two shifts in Sickbay trivialized the crew's typical injuries. Nightly Vulcan neuro-pressure sessions continued with T'Pol the night after my date with Deanna."
Tyson rubbed the light stubble on his face as he recalled the Vulcan woman's mood. "Those first two sessions were clinical and she acted pretty cold. Well, maybe cold isn't the right term. Before we'd parted I thought we were forming a connection. Seeing her after the date had her acting as you'd expect from a typical Vulcan; that being emotionless and ambivalent. After the second night, my skills improved to the point that applying neuro-pressure required no additional concentration or thought on my part. A few days of this and she thawed some, but intimacy felt a long way away. I'm hoping she's just holding out until I take her on that date she demanded."
Medicine skill has increased! 16 - 25
+5000 Experience (36,850/37,000)
+100 Energy Credits (68,385 - 69,385)
"Oh, I spent some time in Cetacean Ops. Probably more than I should have for efficiency's sake, but I managed to max out their language. And Athletics, and Computers, and freaking Physical Science too. Working in Cetacean Ops was crap for earning experience or credits, it was more than made up for in skills."
Cetacean Language Skill Increased! 4 - 5
Athletics skill has increased! 9 -10
Physical Science skill has increased! 3 - 15
+5,000 Experience (4,850/61,000)
Level Up! +1 Attribute Point.
+500 Energy Credits (69,385 - 69,885)
"I'm starting to build a reserver of food and drink within my Inventory. Every time I prepare a meal, I make triple the amount I need and store the rest. T'Pol joins me for meals at least once a day, and I haven't noticed any effects from the Binding Foods perk. Best guess; my reputation with her is too high, so it isn't having any effect."
Cooking skill has increased! 11 - 15
"As for the other woman in my life, well who I thought was the other woman in my life anyway. I haven't seen Troi much. The few times we've crossed paths, things have been cordial. I didn't sense anything wrong with my Empathy, but I'm a noob, and she grew up around other telepaths. If something was wrong who knows if I'd be able to pick up on it?" The gamer scratched his chin in thought before finishing. "I think that's about it. Computer end log."
Tyson stared at his PADD and considered where he wanted to head for work today. He'd already taken a long shower and gotten ready, taking advantage of the holographic amenities available in his quarters. Before he could decide on his daily tasks, he was interrupted by a communication from Riker.
"Recruit Tyson, report to transporter room four."
"Yes Commander, on my way."
Tyson thought he might be assigned a maintenance job. Riker had been dropping random tasks in his lap since he completed the waste reclamation system maintenance in his first week. Oddly enough, or not, the frequency of receiving shitty jobs had increased since his date with Counselor Troi.
Luckily for Tyson, this wasn't that. Data, Lieutenant Yar, and Commander Riker were waiting for him when he arrived at the transporter room. Riker addressed the group when the gamer joined them, "The Enterprise is responding to a communication we received from the SS Tsiolkovsky. We're to beam over to the ship to investigate. Sensors reveal no life signs, but something happened to the crew so keep your guard up. Data and I will head to the bridge. Lieutenant Yar, I want you to check the crew quarters. Recruit Tyson will evaluate the situation in Main Engineering. Any questions?"
No one spoke up, the officers all trained for the situation and to follow orders. This was Tyson's first chance to prove himself in an emergent situation and he would toe the line. First impressions are everything. The four stepped up onto the teleporter pad and were beamed to the Oberth-class starship, Tsiolkovsky.
Unique Quest Alert!
Unique Quests are one-shot quests that offer unique rewards unobtainable otherwise.
Clear the Episode: The Naked Now
Objective: Ensure the Enterprise-D survives to leave the system.
Failure:
Destruction of the Enterprise-D
Possible Death
Rewards:
+1 Level
Bonus Rewards:
Based on Performance
Transport completed and the gamer materialized in the older starship. Tyson immediately activated Your Hands Clean, covering himself in its aura. From what he recalled of this episode, whatever it was that affected the crew wasn't a virus or pathogen but spread like one. He wasn't certain if his perk would protect him from 'infection' but hoped it would based on its description.
Perk: Your Hands Clean
You can surround any part of your body with a sterile field that will eliminate bacteria, mold, mud, and any other such entity. You could also use this to coat yourself in a hazmat suit-like barrier to make you immune to airborne toxins and non-vacuum environmental hazards.
"Cover the ship as planned. Move out," Riker ordered.
The corridors of the Tsiolkovsky were identical to those of the Enterprise. Tyson thought this might've been just a cost-saving method during the filming of the show. Reusing sets was standard practice. However, it seemed the Federation considered modularity when constructing their ships. The Tsiolkovsky was an outdated vessel but must have been refit at some point. Its corridors mirrored the ones he normally walked on the Galaxy-class ship. The most obvious difference was the bits of furniture, clothing, and objects of all manner that were strewn about the hall.
The Enterprise officers pulled out their scanners, Tyson doing the same. His unit had the additional scanner of a medical tricorder attached. This increased its scanning potential significantly. Normal tricorders used by away teams didn't have this attachment standard. The extra attachment made the unit unwieldy and it wouldn't fit in the standard belt-pouch carrier. With his Inventory, this wasn't an issue for Tyson.
They split up, each moved toward their destination. Tyson wasn't familiar with the layout of Oberth-class starships, but a few moments of using the tricorder revealed the shortest distance to engineering. Visually navigating a three-dimensional starship using the two-dimensional interface of the tricorder would've been difficult if not for the simple directional navigation. The tricorder told him where to go, similar to how GPS navigated. Creating a better interface in the future would be something to consider. Maybe using a holoprojector to better render the ship's layout? Tyson hadn't yet seen any holoemitters small enough to fit within a tricorder unit.
After turning the corner, Tyson's enhanced Vulcan senses allowed him to hear Data speaking to Riker though they were out of sight. "Indications of what humans would call, A wild party."
Tyson snorted at the android's analysis. Navigating the detritus-filled hallways, the tricorder led him to Engineering. Tyson used the control panel to check the condition inside. The console indicated that environmental controls had been adjusted to negative one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest possible setting. He restored the default setting of 71.6 degrees which marveled him by taking only a minute to adjust. Back on his Earth, changing the temperature in his house worked at two degrees-per-hour.
Entering Engineering was like stepping into a different world. The entire section was covered in a layer of light frost, including the people spread around the area. His tricorder confirmed the Enterprise's findings, none remained alive. He moved around the controls utilizing his skills to the fullest before contacting the other away team members.
Tyson tapped his combadge. "Commander Riker, this is Recruit Tyson in Engineering. The ten crewmen here have been mummified."
"Mummified? How?"
"Environmental controls were lowered to the minimum temperature, sir. They froze to death. The cold preserved their bodies. Unfortunately, the process was neither quick enough nor low enough temperature to revive them using anti-cryogenic procedures."
"Understood, anything further?"
"I restored default environmental settings around the ship and engaged emergency forcefields where necessary. The bridge should be safe to enter, Lieutenant Commander Data can confirm. All systems seem functional, the environmental issues were not a malfunction, they were intentionally set at those levels. Also, sir, I don't know what protocol is in situations like this, but I can store the crew's remains in my Inventory if necessary. They'd be preserved in their current state until they can be properly handled."
"That's better than leaving them here, go ahead. When you're finished meet back at the bridge for beam out. Riker out."
Tyson stood ten feet from one of the bodies in Engineering. He hadn't tried storing anything at a distance besides his spaceship. Focusing on the body, he thought to store it. No success. He moved within five feet. Still no success. He hovered his hand just above the frozen skin of the engineer. Another failure.
Sighing, Tyson placed his hand on the body and stored it in his inventory.
Constitution Check (DC: 13)= 3 Major Failure!
Negative Status Effect Gained.
Negative Status Effect
Polywater Contagion: While in the grips of this contagion, victims frequently succumb to their base desires.
Stage 1: +3 Charisma skill checks, -2 Intelligence skill checks.
Well, that answered whether Your Hands Clean would keep Tyson safe from whatever it was that affected the Tsiolkovsky. He assumed that because the negative status was at stage one that it would progress, making things more difficult as it went on. Negatives to Intelligence skill checks were a big disadvantage because they governed so many of the skills he used regularly.
Tyson finished storing the remaining bodies in engineering. It didn't take him long to make his way around the ship storing the entire crew. He thought this would be a free loot session, but most of the equipment on the ship was outdated compared to what he had or could find on the Enterprise. So he left the junk lying around. It might be worthwhile to take to recycle for credits, but Tyson wanted to get back to the Enterprise as soon as possible.
He had sixty-eight bodies stored in his Inventory once he arrived at the bridge. There were eighty members of the crew initially, the remaining bodies were blown into space when the emergency hatches were open. Commander Data arranged the transfer of collected scientific data from the Tsiolkovsky to the Enterprise.
When Tyson laid eyes on Yar, he knew the contagion was going to spread on the Enterprise. The frozen residue from contacting a deceased member of the Tsiolkovsky crew was visible on her uniform. In the original episode, it was Geordi LaForge who had inspected the crew quarters and ended up the first infected. This time, since Tyson had inspected engineering, it was Yar.
It was a minor change from the episode but raised the question - Why did the engineer inspect the crew quarters and the tactical officer check engineering? Tyson didn't know. He was still trying to familiarize himself with all the protocols and regulations, but that seemed nonsensical.
The away team requested transport back to the Enterprise.
The level of carelessness of the Enterprise officers was astounding. Maybe, Tyson, had a different perspective having lived through a pandemic. He couldn't help but wonder why additional precautions weren't taken. The away team was beamed back into the teleporter room. He knew the Enterprise transporter was capable of site-to-site transport. They should've been brought straight to the isolation room in sickbay.
Side note: Tyson learned there were more rooms in Sickbay. During the shifts he spent there, he never checked what was behind the door. Sickbay was far larger than he knew, and more appropriately sized and proportional to the Enterprise than he realized. Beyond the initial room with ten biobeds seen in the show, there was a lab, an isolation ward, a morgue, a zero gravity room, and a larger area separated into rooms with dual biobeds providing greater privacy.
The group trekked through the corridors to Sickbay. They arrived to see Wesley Crusher demonstrating his science project tractor beam to his mother. None of the away team paid him any mind as they passed on their way to the isolation room. None except Tasha. As she passed the boy, she ran a hand along his shoulder. Touching his neck, and ear and tracing around the opposite arm, lingering only a moment.
Tyson found the move creepy, considering Wesley couldn't have been older than a sophomore in high school. Morso, since Yar was a stunner. Hello Nurse! continued to impress. She wore the typical Starfleet uniform jumpsuit, but hers was so tight it looked painted on. It did nothing to hide her curves. She still had short blonde hair, but it was in a style similar to a mohawk, with dual french braids along each side of her head. Her glacial blue eyes and softened facial features made her stunning. She didn't need Wesley. She could've pulled any of the men on the ship.
He took solace in the thought that maybe this was the universe trying to adjust to Tyson's presence. In the television episode, Geordi had spread the contagion to Wesley early on. Tasha just did the same.
Tyson joined Crusher as the doctor examined Data. The android's physiology was fascinating. He didn't have organs as you would see in an organic humanoid. While there were 'organs', they were mostly synthetic components that mimicked their organic counterparts' functions. Sensor suites are located in the eyes, a positronic brain in the head, a microreplication unit to repurpose consumed food into energy in place of the stomach, and a water-based coolant in place of blood. He was unfamiliar with the alloy that made up the android's skeleton and would need to spend time studying how exactly Data generated so much strength and seemingly controlled his mass. Watching Data move around the ship, he appeared to be a man of average weight. However, seeing him lift two full-sized Vulcans at the same time with ease would indicate he weighs significantly more since he didn't topple over. A mystery for another time.
"If you were any more perfect, Data, I'd have to write you up in a Starfleet medical textbook."
"I am already listed in several biomechanical texts, doctor."
"Yes, of course. You're next Lieutenant."
Data stood from the table and Yar took his place. Tyson stood opposite Doctor Crusher, both examining Tasha Yar. The doctor wasn't wearing any kind of personal protective equipment. Another mistake he marked against the Enterprise crew.
Medicine Check (DC: 40) = 41 Success!
Tyson was able to identify the unique markers created by the polywater contagion and marveled at it for the miracle it was. It acted like a virus in how it spread but was more akin to a molecule. The reason the teleporter biofilters didn't detect the polywater was that at the molecular level, it appeared exactly similar to water. The teleporters work at the atomic level, the biofilters do not.
"Normal all across, "stated Crusher. "Except, why are you perspiring Lieutenant?"
Yar replied, "It must be because of this uniform. It makes me so hot, I might just take it off right now."
She arched her back seductively and made eye contact with each of the male officers in turn, lingering just a moment longer on Data than the others.
"That doesn't sound like you Tasha," Riker chastised.
"Well maybe it's not, or maybe it is. See me when you're off duty if you want to find out."
Riker and the doctor looked at each other in silent communication. The stare wasn't lost on Tasha. She spoke up, "Hey. It's a joke... Unless you're interested."
"Of course," Beverly replied skeptically. "But I would like to run one or two more tests on you, Lieutenant."
Yar sighed and laid back down on the biobed. Beverly moved into her office for private communication with the captain. Tyson couldn't hear what she was saying but knew she was notifying him that Tasha was confined to Sickbay.
Riker and Data left for the bridge. Tyson did not join them. Another mark against the Enterprise crew; if one of them had symptoms of something, they all should have been quarantined along with anyone they came in contact with.
The gamer hadn't been invited to the bridge, outside the previously scheduled meetings and his impromptu arrival. The doctor hadn't confined him to sickbay, as he displayed no outward symptoms like Yar. Tyson wasn't sure if that was because of his hybrid-Vulcan physiology, or because it wasn't listed as an effect in his negative status.
Constitution Check (DC: 13) = 6 Failure
Negative Status Effect Gained.
Negative Status Effect
Polywater Contagion: While in the grips of this contagion, victims frequently succumb to their base desires.
Stage 2: +5 Charisma skill checks, -3 Intelligence skill checks, -3 Wisdom skill checks, -1 Attack rolls.
It had been an hour since his initial contact with the contagion and it had advanced to stage two. The effect it was having on Tyson's body became noticeable. The feeling of intoxication was prevalent, however, he still felt in control. Thinking back to the episode, some crewmen handled the contagion much better than others. Riker and Picard both kept their faculties better than the rest of the crew. Tyson didn't feel impaired, only relaxed.
Not under confinement, Tyson waved to Crusher and left. He didn't go far though, stopping at the computer interface at the end of the corridor. He placed his hand on the panel but did not engage with it. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on his empathy and telepathy abilities.
His telepathy was limited and didn't give him any impressions, his empathy was different. He got a sense of not only all the people within range but everyone on the ship. He struggled to focus and tune out all the emotions he was sensing. The general sense of unease around the ghost ship, Tsiolokovsky, was the most prevalent emotion and the easiest to distinguish and ignore. Once he managed that, he focused on only the strongest emotions, the ones nearest to him. Tasha was easy to pick out, the only one radiating boredom, desire, and mischief.
Tyson held Yar's empathic signature in his mind for a few minutes before he felt her moving. She left sickbay and headed down the corridor in the opposite direction of his location. Just afterward he felt a rising panic which could only be coming from Doctor Crusher. He felt her move into the corridor; his senses washed with her fear at the realization Tasha was gone.
Tyson knew she would be contacting the captain and the search for Lieutenant Yar would begin.
Tyson
Title: Recruit
Race: Human Hybrid
Level: 5 (4,850/61,000)
Energy Credits: 69,885
Hit Points: 110/110
Strength: 23
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 11
Luck: 4
Unspent Attribute Points: 1
Racial Traits:
Vulcan Senses
Half-Betazoid Sense
Vulcan Strength
Vulcan Metabolism
Status Effects:
Polywater Contagion: Stage 2
Skills:
Observe: Lvl 12
Meditation: Lvl 0 - Locked
Engineering: Lvl 30
Computers: Lvl 10
Physical Science: Lvl 15
Martial Arts: Lvl 9
Athletics: Lvl 10
Medicine: Lvl 25
Social: Lvl 27
Cooking: Lvl 15
Energy Weapons: Lvl 9
Melee Weapons: Lvl 9
Stealth: Lvl 8
Perform: Lvl 8
Language Skills:
Cetacean: Lvl 5
Klingon: Lvl 2
Vulcan: Lvl 5
Perks:
'Out of Nowhere'
'The Anti-Worf Effect'
'Universal Translator'
'Culinary Visualization'
'Your Hands Clean'
'Grand Theft Starship'
'Free Love'
'Power Eater'
'Apt Pupil'
'Master with your Hands'
'Binding Foods'
'Direct Control Disruption'
Drawbacks:
'Q and U'
AN: Reviews, follows, and favorites are appreciated.
Question for reviewers: Why don't people like party systems?
One thing that's come up multiple times in the reviews is that people don't like party systems. I get if you don't like the Gamer aspects of the story, or shipping/lemons, companion gems, but the party system? I've tried 80% of the Gamer fics over 40k words and never considered the party aspects anything more than a sidenote. Tyson doesn't even use the feature *shrug*. Enlighten me in the reviews!