"Legacy"

[Cairo]

ACT 2, SCENE 4

The image cuts to black while the music in the background becomes tinny, distorted and distant, like it was heard through a long tunnel. It eventually fades out, its last echoes vanishing into the aether as a starfield fades in. While the field slowly pans across the screen a quiet, chaotic transmission can be heard. A mix of static, short bursts of digital noise and tones, and indistinct, mechanical voices, it gradually grows in prominence. It's accompanied by scanner pings every several seconds.

The transmission and pings peak as a shadowed, triangular shape blots out the stars momentarily, passing across the view diagonally, then grow quieter and more distant again. The size of the intruder is impossible to tell from the few bright green dots and lines appearing seemingly haphazardly within its outline.

As the sounds become almost inaudible again another form passes across the screen on an identical path, trailing the triangle. This one, however, does not blot out the stars; rather it causes them to shift and warp across the surface of what must be a cloaked vessel. It has a circular center shape with nacelles on each side, connected by forward-swept wings.

The camera re-acquires the triangular intruder, this time from a different angle. In the background the dark side of a planet is visible, suggesting the vessel is orbiting it as it continues to scan for something. The edges of the craft slowly brighten up as it exits the planet's shadow into the light of the local star. Combined with its gentle rotational movement its geometry now becomes clearer: an elongated triangle with an even thickness across its length, its three corners cut off to blunt them and its edges gently tapered so as to give one side a slightly smaller surface area. Its surface is a dark grey material and consists of layered, geometric shapes giving it a rough texture. There are no obvious viewports or signs of external propulsion or weaponry, and the green dots and lines are revealed to be minute gaps in the layered outer hull, revealing some inner structure lit green.

The scanner pings suddenly stop and the transmission ends after one final burst of chaotic noise. The sounds are replaced with a thrum growing in pitch and volume as the ship orients its nose away from the planet and finally shoots off, trailing a green glow as it enters warp. The camera continues looking after it long enough for the cloaked ship to catch up, similarly spooling up its warp drive before following after the intruder.

[Cairo]

ACT 2, SCENE 4 (CONT.)

Ominous string music plays in the background as the camera cuts to a stark, green-tinged bridge, favoring straight lines and sharp angles in its design. At the center of the image is a large viewing screen showing the rear of the triangular ship in warp. Someone outside of the frame speaks in an alien tongue, with captions translating what they have to say.

Centurion (female): "Commander, the ship has entered the Neutral Zone. It is heading for Federation space."

Commander (male): "Maintain cloak and course, helm."

Centurion: "Should we report the spy to the praetor?"

Commander: "Not yet. I want irrefutable evidence of the Federation's involvement."

The camera switches to a view looking back into the gloomy bridge, showing lit stations dotting the periphery. Set against the light fixtures behind them are two dark silhouettes. One of them steps forward into a cone of light, wearing a dull gold uniform with a shoulder-width, dark red slash running down the right side. A male Romulan, looking sternly past the camera. The soundtrack swells with another layer of instruments.

Commander: "For years they have prodded at the Neutral Zone with excuses of circumstance. If this is their ship, we will prove a blatant transgression of the treaty that will not be tolerated."

The second figure in a similar uniform steps forward as well, partially entering the cone of light behind the commander. Both have pointed ears and deep black hair cut short, with severe expressions on their faces.

Centurion: "As you say, commander."

There's a slow crossfade to a field of stars, the starkly lit faces of the officers the last thing to fade out. Suddenly the triangular ship exits warp right in front of the camera, doing a close fly-by from left to right as the camera pans to stay with it. An area of space covered in purple haze comes into view and the ship heads for it.

The sound of a second ship exiting warp can be heard off-screen just before the camera cuts to a wide tracking side shot of the triangle entering the clouds. Every now and then the ship is briefly obscured, only to re-emerge from the haze it's gliding through. After a few such occurrances the ship re-appears emitting a green glow from its nose.

The camera cuts back to the bridge of the Romulan ship, showing the female centurion peering down at a screen before her. The camera pulls back to bring the commander into frame as well.

Centurion: "The ship appears to be emitting tachyon pulses."

Commander: "Stay with them."

Centurion: "A subspace rift is forming ahead of the ship!"

Commander: "A new form of travel? Close the gap helm, do not lose them!"

The camera returns to the wide side view of the intruder just in time to show it vanish into an invisible event horizon, lighting its surroundings a bright white. When the Romulan ship makes contact with the event horizon shortly after, however, its cloak burns away in a wave of bright white light and the ship is thrown towards the camera by a powerful blast wave. As it tumbles out of control a ragged tear in space appears behind it and quickly grows into a wide-open, white chasm. The ship slows down before running into the camera, then starts falling back towards the spatial rift.

[Cairo]

ACT 2, SCENE 4 (CONT.)

The camera cuts again to the bridge, now filled with smoke lit by flashing red lights and showers of sparks. A general alarm tone repeats in the background. The deck is tilted to the back and the occupants are struggling to stand their ground.

Commander: "Damage report!"

Crewman: "Invisibility cloak inoperational. Power grid overload has set fires on multiple decks."

Commander: "Secure the self-destruct payload."

Centurion: "The rift is pulling us in, commander!"

Commander: "Redirect auxiliary power to the impulse engines!"

Crewman: "Yes commander!"

The camera moves around the bridge showing the crew doing all they can to regain control of their ship and prevent it from being pulled into the rift. Those who are not operating the ship are putting out fires. Everyone's faces, when visible, show determination despite the chaos surrounding them.

Centurion: "We are still slipping commander."

Commander: "Transfer power from the shield, life support and weapon systems, in that order, until we are holding steady."

Crewman: "Transferring!"

A few more tense moments follow, punctuated by dramatic orchestral beats. Finally the centurion sees their efforts having an effect and relays the information.

Centurion: "We are holding! The gravimetric distortion is getting stronger, however, requiring more and more power."

Crewman: "Commander, crew reports fires have been put out. Self-destruct payload is secure."

The commander acknowledges these news with a nod and a thoughtful look at the viewing screen, now showing the angry, bright tear surrounded by purple clouds.

Commander: "Very good. Can we outlast it, centurion?"

Centurion: "Unlikely."

Commander: "Then either we go through it... or destroy it."

Crewman: "Commander! Sensors indicate possible contact in the area."

Commander: "Romulan? Federation?"

Crewman: "Unknown. Sensors are flooded by interference. They must be close."

Centurion: "They may also be caught by the rift."

The commander squints as he considers his options.

Commander: "Centurion, hail them. Use a compromised cypher."

Centurion: "...commander?"

Commander: "You have your orders. And someone turn off this alarm! We must show no weakness."

The commander straightens his uniform and takes his place at the center of the bridge, facing the viewing screen. The centurion follows, taking her place behind and to his left as the camera switches to a view from behind them. A moment passes, the open hail tone repeating in the background. Just as it's starting to get awkward the viewing screen comes to life.

Tess: "This is acting captain Kevor Tess of the Federation starship Legacy. You are in Federation space. Identify yourself."

Tess' formal introduction and challenge is somewhat undermined by the upbeat song (▶️) playing in the background.

🎵 Come on ride the train, hey ride it
(woo woo) ...

[Cairo]

ACT 2, SCENE 5

The camera switches back to the bridge of the Legacy, showing T'Rel standing off to the side where she won't be visible to the Romulans. Their video feed is likewise limited mostly to the commander and centurion. Both sides clearly want to present as in-control an image as possible.

Korrius: "I am commander Korrius of the Romulan fleet. We– what is that music?"

Tess: "Never mind the music commander. Looks like you are in need of assistance?"

Tess nudges her head to indicate the last remains of smoke still drifting behind the Romulan officers. The commander's expression darkens at this perceived slight.

Korrius: "We have the situation under control... acting captain. We are investigating a treaty violation that your presence here seems to confirm."

🎵 Come on, ride the train ...

Tess is gently jostled in her chair as tremors run through Legacy. She does her best to project an air of authority despite the less than ideal situation.

Tess: "The only violation I'm aware of is you crossing over to Federation space, commander."

Korrius: "So you deny your involvement."

The commander gestures at someone on his bridge. At Tess' end scans of the triangular ship appear overlaid on top of the video feed. Conveniently nothing past the mystery ship entering the clouds is shared.

Korrius: "We observed this ship scanning a Romulan planet before returning to Federation space. It entered this area of interference to evade us, and here we find you... no doubt waiting to collect its findings."
 

🎵 ... Come on ride the train, it's the Choo Choo train
 

Tess tilts her head, her antennae reflecting the incredulity of her facial expression. She gestures at the science officer seated behind her to look into the data shared by the Romulans, then leans forward in the captain's chair.

Tess: "I don't know who it is you've been chasing, commander, but we are here to investigate this spatial rift. What can you tell us about it?"

The Romulan commander bristles as what he believes is compelling evidence is brushed aside by an acting captain. Simultaneously the gravimetric distortion shakes the Bird of Prey, undoubtedly reminding him of their part in the predicament both ships face.
 

🎵 Way deep down south, where we play this game ...
 

Korrius: "We do not answer to you, Andorian. You are evading the question of espionage and conveniently unable to provide the real captain of your ship. Your inability to treat this violation with the seriousness it deserves only serves to make the Federation look guilty. The Romulan Empire will consider all of the available evidence and act accordingly."

Before Tess has a chance to respond, the Romulan commander gestures for communications to be cut.

[Cairo]

ACT 2, SCENE 5 (CONT.)

M'Mol: "Captain, we have their— their vessel on sensors. They appearrr to be moving towards the rift."
 

🎵 So get your next of kin, your sister and your friend ...
 

The camera cuts to an external shot of the Bird of Prey from a low angle, showing the Legacy emerging nacelles-first through the purple clouds above as it's dragged towards the rift below the frame. The Romulan ship turns about, bringing its shields online. They flicker and warp sporadically where the gravimetric eddies interact with them.

The camera stays focused on the Romulan ship while shifting between it and the Legacy and tracking backwards. A brief moiré effect runs across the view as it transitions back to the Legacy's bridge, now showing the scene outside through its viewing screen. The Bird of Prey dives towards the center of the rift, its shields becoming more and more prominent the closer it gets. Eventually the two make contact and the ship blinks out of existence, causing the rift to violently grow larger.
 

🎵 I wanna take you home with me, to be alone with me ...
 

The Legacy shudders and groans in response, the camera switching to show the bridge crew holding on to whatever they can to not fall over.

Sh'Ara: "Captain, we're being pulled in faster than before."

Tess: "Understood. Red alert, shields up!"

The alarm signals blaring across the ship change to indicate an imminent threat to the ship and its crew. Tess presses a button on the arm of the captain's chair to quickly address the crew.

Tess (PA): "All hands, this is acting captain Tess. Prepare the ship for strong gravimetric shear and secure yourselves. Quarantine protocols are lifted until further notice."
 

🎵 Come on ride the train, hey ride it ...
 

Tess glances over to T'Rel who's already moving to take a seat. She presses another button on the chair arm.

Tess: "Bridge to engineering. Prepare to divert power from the warp drive, impulse engines and weapons to shields and the structural integrity field. We need to boost them to prevent the ship from buckling."

Chawas (comms): "Figured you'd be calling. We'll be ready when you are, captain!"

Tess: "Tactical, prepare a signal buoy containing all ship logs and sensor data since departure from spacedock to its time of launch. Exclude confidential data stored in aft science lab two."

Haught (white human male): "Aye captain."

Tess: "Set the buoy to transmit a distress signal and launch it far beyond the Bassen Rift when ready.

"Mister Sh'Ara, prepare to come about and approach the rift on my mark."

Sh'Ara: "Ready captain."

🎵 We got the sound to keep you getting down, down ...
 

Acting captain's log, stardate 6472.06. The Legacy is being drawn into the spatial anomaly we came to investigate in Bassen Rift. We don't know where it leads but we've uploaded all of our sensor readings into this buoy. Find us.

While Tess records her final log entry for the buoy the camera cuts to a high outside shot showing the Legacy's saucer section sinking into a sea of purple clouds. A beat after the voiceover ends a faint glow can be seen filtering through the clouds, before they are pierced by a bright light rocketing upwards. The camera snaps around as the buoy passes by to show it climb towards a hole in the haze, past which stars are visible.

Another snap cut back to the bridge, following the action...

Tess: "Mister Sh'Ara, mark!"

The Caitian at helm flies into high gear, steering the ship around. On the viewing screen clouds can be seen making way for the angry white rift. Tess waits for it to be right in the center, then presses a button on the chair's arm.

Tess: "Chawas, now!"

The screens on the bridge flicker as massive amounts of power are shunted around to protect the ship from the rapidly approaching anomaly. The white tear in space quickly overtakes the entire viewing screen, then washes out the image of the bridge as the music is compressed into a single flat tone that eventually fades out.

[Cairo]

ACT 3, SCENE 1

The image remains white for some time, while a quiet background humm creeps in. Eventually a thin amber line appears from the left side of the image like an airplane leaving a single contrail behind, moving on a gentle helical path. The older parts of the trail get gradually overtaken, suggesting the camera, too, is moving through this white nothingness.

One by one several such amber lines appear from the edges of the image. They all move generally towards an imaginary horizon up ahead and occasionally spawn branches, some of which spawn branches of their own. Sometimes a line stops, turns grey and withers away to the previous intersection.

One particular line comes into view from the bottom of the image, very close to the camera judging by its width. The line appears almost alive, its edges writhing like tiny flames. As the camera starts following the head of the line it, too, can be seen spawning branches that divert from it left and right. Whenever this happens a scene fades briefly into view on that side of the image.
 

Tess wearing a tan Starfleet field operations uniform with green highlights, being vaporized by a blue disruptor beam in a ruined city. The branch withers away.
 

Tess waking with a start in her quarters. Chawas sitting up beside her in the bed and placing a hand on her shoulder. The branch keeps going.
 

Tess walking along a starship corridor wearing a captain's uniform. The branch keeps going.
 

Tess standing at captain T'Rel's briefing over a map depicting a Romulan invasion. The branch keeps going.
 

Tess bringing a suitcase into her office in sickbay, followed by an explosion at her desk. The branch withers away.
 

The Legacy blowing up as it attempts to enter warp, Earth in the background. The branch withers away.
 

Tess examining commander Rhyne and other patients whose bodies are severely ravaged by disease. The branch keeps going.
 

Engineer Mahan shaking his head and ending a call with Tess. The branch keeps going.
 

A Romulan Bird of Prey firing a plasma torpedo at an unsuspecting Legacy, destroying it. The branch withers away.
 

The Legacy being dragged nacelles-first into the rift and buckling. The branch withers away.
 

When no more branches appear the camera starts catching up with the head of the line, slowly sinking into it until the amber color takes over the entire view.

[Cairo]

ACT 3, SCENE 1 (CONT.)

Tess: "...so, it activated on its own?"

Chawas: "Yes, I noticed the sickbay– eh, area, drawing a lot of power around the time the Legacy entered the rift."

The camera pulls back as the conversation continues, from an ultra-closeup of an amber light on the ancient artifact to showing a group of people standing around it. Three of them closer, several others further back. The artifact's lights are pulsating rhythmically, like waves running up its surface to the top where thick cables connect it to the ship. Warning lights for yellow alert are visible along the sickbay walls, though audible alarms have been muted.

Notably the music has stopped as well.
 

Reade: "We were busy hunkering down but to my– that is, as far as I know, no one was near it at the time."

Tess: "I'm curious, why was it installed in the sickbay?"

Chawas: "Best compromise, apparently. Considering you're the only one who can interact with it, there's your office around the– well, right there. Then there's the security– area nearby, the computer core, redundant power..."

Chawas gestures in various directions as she explains the artifact's placement, clearly intimate with the ship's layout as the chief engineer should be. A hint of concern at her trouble finding the words crosses her face.

Reade: "Is it...– that is, are we at risk?"

Chawas: "If the preliminary examination had indicated it posed a danger the– um, people in charge would have insisted it be studied somewhere else. Doesn't mean it won't still find a way to kill us, of course. Case in point, where exactly is the Legacy right now?"

Chawas' candor gets a concerned look out of Reade, but the nurse says nothing.
 

While Tess responds the camera cuts to a tracking outside shot of the Legacy over a backdrop of pure white, its impulse engines and nacelles powered down. As the camera flies in closer members of the crew can be seen standing behind windows, looking out.

Tess: "The current leading theory is a dimension the Federation has never encountered before. What's worse our sensors are either malfunctioning, or incapable of making sense of this space. Looking through a window the old-fashioned way it's all white out there and the ship's lit as if light was coming from all directions. The scientists have dubbed it 'whitespace'."

Returning to the sickbay the camera shows Chawas nodding deeply several times, looking appreciative of the term.

Chawas: "Points for keeping it straightforward."

She glances at the mix of medical and security staff in the background, then the artifact, then turns to Tess.

Chawas: "Clearly this– thing has something to do with whitespace. How do we control it?"

Tess: "I intend to find out. With the immediate crisis behind us, T'Rel back in command, and Rhyne studying the disease, this is now at the top of my list. I could use your help with it."

The Bolian woman flashes a wide smile.

Chawas: "Let's get the coffee going and dive in."

[Cairo]

ACT 3, SCENE 2

The camera does a slow crossfade to a stylishly furnished officers' lounge looking back between the Legacy's warp nacelles through four large windows. The spacious lounge is primarily grey, with red furniture and greenery giving it some welcome color. Outside is all white, and outlined against that endless whiteness is the silhouette of a man standing in front of one of the massive windows. He appears to be the only one present.

The camera moves through the room and circles the human, a lieutenant, revealing him to be the tactical officer Tess ordered to launch the buoy earlier. His hair is dark brown, medium length and curly, his eyes grey and his face clean-shaven. He's staring through the window in front of him, wide-eyed, unblinking, mumbling to himself.

Haught: "...have I finally found you? Is this your promised– realm? Forgive my– my... ailment. An illness troubles the crew, it–"

The man cocks his head as if hearing someone speak to him. He smiles and closes his eyes, listening, though no voice can be heard.

Haught: "A test. Of course. I will prove–"

T'Rel: "Lieutenant Haught..?"

The camera turns quickly to show the captain standing further back, having likely entered the lounge only moments before. She walks down the few shallow steps to join her tactical officer in the sunken seating area in front of the windows.

T'Rel: "As you were."

As the camera moves to the side to bring both into frame, a moment of silence follows. It doesn't come across as awkward; more like both of them being captivated by the view–though perhaps for different reasons.

Haught: "It's quite– quite something, isn't it?"

T'Rel: "Indeed. A first for the– all of us, I hear. I look forward to– learning what it is, exactly."

There's a faint twitch at the corner of the Vulcan officer's mouth as she has trouble with the words. Clearly it's something of a sore spot for her. Haught doesn't seem to notice as he remains fixated on the view outside. The camera cuts to a view of the large windows with the two officers' silhouettes against the pure white, standing a respectful distance apart.

Haught: "It defies logic."

T'Rel: "We simply do not understand its logic, yet."

Haught: "But what if it's– something... more?"

T'Rel's silhouetted head can be seen glancing Haught's way for a moment, before looking forward again.

T'Rel: "Please elaborate, lieutenant."

Haught: "...something we can't explain?"

There's a momentary pause in the conversation as the captain considers this.

T'Rel: "Then the next generation will pick up where we left."

[Cairo]

ACT 3, SCENE 2 (CONT.)

Another slow crossfade follows, suggesting more time passing. The image resolves back to the sickbay, with Tess standing next to the artifact looking at a holographic control panel it's projecting before her while Chawas operates a mobile terminal they've set up a few meters away. Two tall sensor poles are set wide on either side of the artifact, likely providing her with readouts of the device's state.

Tess: "Anything?"

Chawas: "Mmm... no, sorry."

Tess: "Let me reset and try a different approach."

The Andorian reaches up to operate the holopanel, cancelling out of a stack of views one by one. She stops to rub her hand when it suddenly cramps, doing her best to hide it from the chief. Chawas doesn't appear to notice as she steps away from the terminal to stretch her arms and neck in the background. The camera pulls focus from one to the other, showing the Bolian looking around to confirm they're alone before regarding Tess thoughtfully.

Chawas: "Do you think you and Rhyne will find a– a... treatment to this– eh... illness?"

The doctor leans out from behind the artifact to look at Chawas, seeing the concern on her face.

Tess: "We have to."

Chawas nods and the two fall silent for another moment while Tess works.
 

Chawas: "The Vulcans have that saying, 'Infinite diversity in infinite–'"

Hearing Chawas stall Tess lends a proverbial hand from behind the artifact, no doubt realizing this is one situation where coming up with a different word doesn't really achieve the intended effect. It does, however, highlight the point Chawas is getting at.

Tess: "...combinations."

Chawas: "Right. That. For all our diversity the Starfleet's not set up to– to function if everyone onboard a starship suddenly becomes– ... loses their ability to speak."

As the camera alternates between the two it shows Tess frowning in thought, though she doesn't look particularly surprised by Chawas' observation. The possibility must have crossed her mind, too.

Tess: "No, we're not."

Chawas: "If the captain needs the helm to come about and can't get the coordinates right..."

Tess: "Disaster, potentially."

Chawas: "Can't very well have the crew— ugh..."

Chawas groans as she can't get the word out. Tess looks over to see her air-typing wildly with her fingers.

Chawas: "...in the middle of combat maneuvers."

Tess lets out a small laugh at Chawas' animated miming. She catches herself too late, overcompensating with a serious / confused expression, which in turn gets a laugh out of Chawas. And then it's Tess' turn again. The two alternate between trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably. Eventually the nervous energy dissipates and they both calm down.

Chawas: "I'm serious, though."

Tess: "...I know.

"Try it now?"

Chawas steps up to the terminal and taps away. Her face lights up.

Chawas: "That did it!"

Tess walks around the artifact to join Chawas by the terminal. The camera cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of the screen they're looking at. Chawas pages through a couple of different visualizations, among them how the sensor poles are receiving data from the artifact, and how the device has connected itself to the ship's systems.

Chawas: "I'm positive this isn't how the– uh, workers back at spacedock wired the artifact up."

Tess: "You would know."

Chawas: "It's projecting a secondary– field through the ship's shield emitters without it showing up on our systems."

Tess: "How's that even possible? Any of it?"

Chawas: "I'll need more time to figure that out."

The Bolian browses through a couple of more views. She stops on one showing an outgoing transmission of some kind. A short burst of data, repeated every few seconds. The two glance at oneanother, concerned.

Chawas / Tess: "Beacon?"

[Cairo]

ACT 3, SCENE 3

The camera cuts to white, staying that way for a moment before the Legacy slides into view in a low three quarters shot. A slow orbit of the ship is accompanied by Tess's voiceover.

Chief medical officer's log, stardate 6472.76. The Legacy has now been stuck in whitespace for two days. The engineering team has completed their inspection of the ship and report it structurally sound. They've also remedied issues with our sensors, though we're still not detecting anything notable out there.

Several shots follow, showing the crew working on modifications to the ship and observing artifact readouts on various screens and portable tricorders. Although their actions are not accompanied by sound it's obvious a good portion of them aren't able to speak and are using other means to communicate.

Chawas has continued to lead efforts into understanding the artifact now that we're able to monitor its status externally. Her team's updated stations on the bridge and key locations around the ship to provide readouts on demand. The beacon I mentioned previously continues to transmit without fail, but so far there's been no response. Meanwhile a small team of engineers, scientists and medical staff have determined the artifact's current activity levels don't pose a risk to the ship and crew.

The camera cuts to the hangar bay where it approaches a workerbee. Several crew members from different disciplines are gathered in a ring around something in front of it. As the camera booms up to look over them a misshapen, discolored piece of scientific equipment held in one of the workerbee's claws becomes apparent. A crew member is scanning it with a tricorder, looking concerned.

Exposure to whitespace beyond the ovoid-shaped bubble generated by the artifact is to be avoided however. While our sensors now show the area within it to vaguely resemble interstellar space, anything crossing beyond becomes invisible and otherwise undetectable, and when brought back is malformed on a molecular level. The scientists theorize the laws of physics in whitespace are incompatible with our own.

The camera transitions to the officers' dining room where the senior officers are gathered for a briefing. Rhyne is standing at the front of the room, going over readouts presented on the screen next to him using some kind of device to produce captions on the display as he remains unable to speak. He looks serious as he switches to a view showing what looks like genomic data. The other officers appear taken back by whatever it is he's showing and telling them. Tess' voice, too, becomes ever so slightly more hesitant.

Commander Rhyne will provide a full report on his own findings, which I've independently confirmed. They'll show that the commander has in the past been subjected to gene therapies which he swears to have been unaware of. The therapies resulted in commander Rhyne's immune system mutating an otherwise benign virus contracted prior to his transfer to Legacy, leading to the disease the crew is dealing with. I'll file my medical assessment separately with the ship's JAG officer, but legal ramifications aside I believe we now have a place to start looking for a cure.

The camera does a few more cuts, showing different meeting rooms with small groups from a different discipline each gathered over gadgets or information on projects they're running. Some of them are communicating through sign language.

As for the disease, some eighty per cent of the crew are now showing the symptoms, of which over half have lost their ability to speak. In response department heads are piloting various ways to adapt, ranging from sign language to text-to-speech communicator attachments. The captain has called for a second meeting later today to present the senior officers with an emergency solution for situations where these methods would prove insufficient...