Solving a few mysteries

Posted on 20 Aug 2026 @ 12:50pm by Lieutenant Commander Steven Remington & Lieutenant Ryan Collingway

1,376 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Doldrums
Location: CEO's office - Arawyn

////CEO's office////

Ryan was reviewing the preliminary plan for the probes. As he did so, the computer played at low volume the sounds one could sometimes hear underground-different kinds of machinery, insect life, none of it seemed to fit what he heard in his dream.

The door chimed. "Come in. Computer, pause." The newest recording froze on the sound of bats just a split second after Steve entered.

“Wow. What was that?” asked Steve, genuinely curious about sounds almost definitely created by animals, wings to be precise. “Bats maybe?”

"Um, yeah," Ryan said. Somehow, he doubted that Steve would believe he had a new bat intetest. "It probably sounds stupid, but I had a dream a little while ago....more like a nightmare. Anyway, I heard a sound...and I know what that sound *is*, but I just can't place it. It's like a song you know but can't remember the name of. It's just bugging me.”

“Not stupid. I’ve been having some strange dreams myself. No bats though. So, you are filling in the sounds you can remember in hopes that it will trigger the rest of the memory of the other sound?” asked Steve.

"Sort of," Ryan said. "I distinctly remember being underground somewhere. And what was ahead of me...well, it wasn't anything good. I've asked the computer to fill in any typical noise found in an underground location...but maybe the search is too broad, given how many worlds have underground settings in the Starfleet database. I could probably spend the next week listening to hundreds of different species of bats and still not be any closer. And I kind of doubt it is bats," he added.

“That’s a logical conclusion. But in the dream, were you alone?” asked Steve.

Ryan shifted a little. He trusted Steve, but didn't want to go into that particular detail. "No," he said simply.

“Well, what do people do underground? What could the place be used for? A natural cave might have bats sure, but what if there was some kind of compound under there, a bunker, or a mine or something that people would be there too. You would have electrical noises or vibrations sounds. Elevators, air handlers, mechanical equipment. Mining equipment, anything from jack-hammers to extraction equipment. Echoing voices. Have you checked those kinds of things sounds?”

Ryan thought about that for a moment. "Computer, playback sounds typically found in a mining environment. Underground."

For a moment they listened as the computer obliged. None of them seemed to fit.

*Then* he heard it. Metal scraping against rock. Not heavy equipment. Like a pickaxe. Something used when the contents of the mine were too volatile for machinery.

And just like that, he knew he had been there before. He just wasn't sure where exacrly *there* was. "Pause playback," Ryan said with only the slightest hint of panic in his voice. "Thanks. That brings me closer to...something I'm trying to figure out, I guess."

Steve could hear the change in Ryan’s voice, in his stance and movement was now a little stiffer, though Ryan had never seemed like a particularly relaxed individual. He chose to ignore it, rather than add to the anxiety with more questions. “Good.”

"Anyway, I'm sure you didn't come here for dream interpretation," Ryan said, and handed him a padd.

“Oh yeah. Dream interpretation is my second income,” he laughed. “What’s this?”

"Proposed modified probes for the sensor readings. We didn't have to do too much." After his training session with Comander Boren he had worked on delegating a bit more. The engineers assigned had done a good job. "At least we didn't have to figure out time anomalies in this case.”

“Thank the great bird of the universe,” replied Steve, reading over the contents of the padd. “This looks good to me. I trust your engineering, and I guess we share in the interpretation of this information too.” He reread the notes. “Can I have a copy of this? It would help me set up my program for cataloging incoming data.”

“Already sent it to you actually,” replied Ryan.

“Excellent. When will you be launching these? Have we got that on the timeline yet?” asked the scientist.

Ryan shrugged slightly. He was definitely more relaxed with the change of topic. "As soon as your deparment and operations gives the go-ahead, we can launch within a few hours."

“Astrometrics is working on it. I’ll be in touch as soon as they come through with something worth reporting.” Steve stretched his back and twisted his torso left and then right. “I need to workout. Really carrying a lot of stress for some reason.”

Ryan nodded, feeling sorry for his friend. "Understandable, given what we've gone through," he said. "Thanks. Sorry you're having weird dreams yourself."

“No problem. Like I do need that second income,’ he laughed. “And the dreams aren’t disturbing so much, but extremely vivid and hard to wake up from. It’s like I know I’m dreaming and I wanna wake up and I’m telling myself wake up now Steve, but I just have to drag myself awake. Guess I’m worried I won’t get back from dreamland.”

"Like you're stuck in another reality you can't come back from?" Ryan pointed out gently. "I'm guessing it'll still take us a little while to recover from 1984. Though Doctor Emerson could probably help you, if you want."

Steve sharing compelled him to do the same. "I'm just dealing with some...unresolved memories. Doctor Emerson advised dealing with them or else they might come out at inappropriate times. It happened in 1984 too. I guess she was right.”

“That’s what the sound is about?” asked Steve, to which Ryan nodded. “What happened in 1984? What part of that was related to memories, if I can ask? You don’t have to answer.”

"It's okay," Ryan said, and took a moment to gather his thoughts. "When that cop had grabbed me...I saw an image of an Orion, although I didn't know what that was at the time. He shot someone. Someone I knew. And I knew I was next. That was when the memory ended. I didn't mention it because...well, how could I mention that aliens existed without sounding completely crazy? I hardly believed it myself. Plus we had enough going on."

"Whatever happened there, happened in that mine. Of that much I am sure of. And at the same time, I literally have no knowledge of being in a mine, or who was shot. It's a puzzle I am still trying to work out. The Commander has offered to help me remember. I should take her up on that. At the same time the more I remember...the more I feel like I am not going to like what I find out. If that makes sense."

“Yeah it makes sense. But, whether you ever remember or not, you did get out alive,” Steve reminded him. “You’re a survivor and you’ve already survived the real deal, so you’re now one up on the memory. How’s Dr Emerson gonna help you remember? That would be scary. Walking in there knowing you’re gonna come out different because you’ll know yourself differently.”

Ryan nodded. Steve had hit the nail on the head, and inadvertantly solved another mystery-why he was so reluctantly to find out. It wasn't because he was scared of the truth. It was because, on some level, he knew the truth was going to change him in a way he didn't know. "It isn't the first time my reality has been warped from what I knew," he reminded him. "Commander Batenburg has offered to help, though I'll certainly keep Doctor Emerson close nearby."

That was certainly one difference he had from the start-a good support network. "Sorry, I didn't mean to drag you in on this. I do appreciate the extra perspective though. Thanks for helping me solve a few things."

"That's my job, don't cha know," chuckled Steve. "I'll let you know about the plan for the probes."

Lieutenant Ryan Collingway
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Arawyn
&
LtCmdr Steve Remington
Chief Science Officer
USS Arawyn

 

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