A mystical artefact

[Enoch]

*Enoch nods.*
"I figured as much. But what if captain Sanchez returns to get it back? He told me I could only borrow it for a few weeks, until I had determined what it was.

[Peter Svensson]

OFF: Also check Intel board, Lyonesse base, Deputy Director's Office.

*The face of a man appears on Enoch's viewscreen.*
"Mr. Enoch, what a surprise. It has been some time
since we spoke."

[Randall Sanchez]

"I guess you're right. I have no reason to distrust you now. Just promise me you'll let me know, as soon as you find out anything at all. Well, I better be heading to the admiral's office now. Thanks, Enoch, and we will talk again soon."
*Sanchez rushes out of the store.*

[Peter Svensson]

"Bah, children! We need to find that crystal!"
*He takes another tricorder, of an unusual but yet Starfleet design, and begins scanning the room as well. When he holds it toward the counter, the tricorder begins to beep.*
"Wherever the crystal stone is, it's still in this room, and somewhere near that counter."

[Randall Sanchez]

*Sanchez walks in, looking in all directions to make sure nobody is looking, and places the box in the counter of the store.*
"I hope you can help me with this, you're my best hope. I need to find out the origins of the artefact inside this box. But until it is known what it is, it needs to remain secret. It's not my own artefact, and I promised to return it as soon as possible."
*He opens the box, and reveals the magnificent crystal inside.*

[Enoch]

"Well, it's the best I can offer you. I doubt that anyone else in the quadrant can get you the information any faster, though. If you want to take it with you again now, be my guest, but I won't be able to run the necessary analysis to research the information I'm looking for. To be honest, captain, I'm hoping you could leave it in my care for a little while, it is rarely I get opportunities to study artefacts like this. Whatever it may be, I feel it is of great value somehow, and I will definitely treat it as such."
*He pats Sanchez on the shoulder.*
"Your artefact is safe with me. You go to the admiral before he gets angry, and you'll hear from me again in some days or weeks."

[Peter Svensson]

"On Vontak Nor, hmm? I see... I see... I believe that's where the Evolution was headed to last, as well."
*He looks up at the others, who are succeeding to get the two children to reveal themselves.*
"Ah, good. I think it's time to go to Vontak Nor. Let the children out of the store, we have no use for them. Computer, unlock entrance door."
Computer: "Entrance door unlocked."
*The door slides open and Svensson waves his hand in its direction, by manner of showing the children out.*
"Well? What are you waiting for? This is no playground! Go! Go!"
*Vorlok and Sarnae quickly hurry through the door, but as soon as they are behind the corner and well out of sight, they hide to see what happens next inside Enoch's store. Svensson, unaware like everyone else about the children still being nearby and watching them, he turns back to Enoch, Embries, Zayan, Avelsa and Emrodel.*
"Time to go, people. Svensson to Phoenix, beam everyone in this room up to the ship, together with the crystal stone."
*After a moment, everyone inside Enoch's quarters begin to dematerialize, as does the crystal stone. But at the last moment, Vorlok and Sarnae see what is happening, and rush back into the store without anyone noticing them, getting caught in the transporter beam as well, and they dematerialize too... After a few seconds, the store is left entirely empty...*

[Vorlok]

me quiet? your the one making the racket.

[Emrodel]

*Emrodel senses someone looking at the group in the shop.  She turns around and sees a newcomer entering the shop.  Emrodel whispers a warning to everyone, and she also sends the warning mentally without thinking about it.*

"Shhhh!  Some one is coming in!  We should not talk about the 'you know what'.  I advise that we act like traders who wish to sell or buy a good bargain."

[Vorlok]

*looks at the strange lady*

[Sarnae]

Sarnae wanders around the base curiously. She walks into the markets, after following some officers, and reaches what seems to be a store. She strolls in quietly and begins to look around.

"ooooh, swords" she says to herself as she reaches to grab one.. but it slips out of her hands and falls with a clatter on the floor. She quickly ducks down, hoping that no-one had heard the noise.

[Enoch]

"Well... I suppose I could ask the person who gave me this crystal for safekeeping, where he  got it from, but I believe he didn't own it either, someone else gave it to him. Who, I don't know."

[Embries]

*Embries grabs the blanket, stopping Enoch from putting it over the crystal. To Enoch's surprise, the old Erendir man turns out to be physically stronger then he appears.*
"Not so fast, Mr. Enoch. This may be private property, but station policy clearly dictates that dubious items may be investigated to see if there is any danger for its surroundings."
*He glares at Enoch with a penetrating gaze. Enoch stares at Embries, trying to say something and resist, but he doesn't seem to find any words, and obediently steps aside... almost as if Embries was able to push him away without touching him. Then, the old man stands before the crystal stone, and puts his hands on it.*
"None of you have any idea how old this artifact is. It is ancient, from a time so long ago that even I can barely remember it. But maybe the memory of the artifact can tell me more."
*Embries closes his eyes, and begins to concentrate deeply. For moments, the shop is quiet. Enoch, Emrodel and Vorlok watch Embries standing in front of the stone, and say no word as if they aren't able to. *
"I... I can't... the stone won't tell me..."
*Suddenly, a blinding flash appears before Embries' closed eyes.*
"What... where am I?"
*Embries finds himself standing between two large buildings. Smoke is rising in the sky from behind them, and there is fire everywhere. He feels that it is becoming harder to breath, as smoke fills the air. The ground trembles, and he falls on his hands and knees. He suddenly notices his hands... they are not old and wrinkled, but small and childlike. Loud sirens blaze from all directions, and the sky grows darker. He looks up and notices a wall before him. He grabs it, to lift himself up again, and faces a window. The glass mirrors his face, but it is not the old face with the long white beard, but the face of a child, of but a few years old. Fear overtakes him, and he begins to panic.*
"No... no... help me! Someone help me!"
*He turns around and looks at the sky. A dark cloud seems to spread out and descend from the sky. Lightnings hit the higher buildings, and simply crumble them into pieces. The ground shakes again, and many others are running past him. People like him, old and young, flee in every direction they can. Suddenly, a hand grabs his arm and drags him with it. When he looks to see who grabbed him, he sees a middle-aged Erendir male, his face vaguely familiar. The man looks at him with a stern face. When he speaks, his voice appears familiar.*
"There isn't any time, we must go now!"
"But I don't want to go! I don't want to leave home!"
"I said we must go now! Soon our home will be obliterated!"
*Embries starts running along with the older man, and notices a large entrance gate of a ship. The ship is already powering up its engines, ready to disembark. The man drags Embries along the crowd into the ship.*
"I don't want to go! I don't..."
*He is pushed deeper into the crowd, and can't see anything any more. Everyone is much taller than a small child like him, and he has no idea of what is going on. All he knows is that he is now aboard the ship. Suddenly, he feels the floor of the ship trembling, and the gate close down. The ship is departing and lifting up from the ground. Embries makes his way to a window, and sees how the ship slowly ascends above a large city. Below the ship, the ground seems to break into pieces, falling down into a dark depth, taking all buildings, roads, trees and unfortunate people with it. In front of him, he sees the dark cloud, sometimes appearing in familiar shapes, as it comes closer and seems to attach itself to the ground, breaking it apart in the process.*
"The Na'jigat..."
*Another flash blinds Erendir, and he opens his eyes again widely in shock, as he loses his balance and almost falls on the ground. Enoch manages to catch him only just in time.*

[Embries]

*Embries takes a deep breath.*
"Humans... Well, they are definitely talking about an object that appears to be of great importance to the woman. Apparently Enoch is borrowing it from her. If you ask me, they're talking about the crystal, and she's the one who owns it."
*Embries smiles at Svensson.*
"Yes, Erendir have superior hearing capacities as well."

[Embries]

*On the Promenade, Embries was returning from ops, after having recalibrated the sensors, and was now on his way back to the science department, when he suddenly noticed unusual lights coming from behind the corner. Other people, of all different kind of species, that were walking on the Promenade, seemed to notice it too, and stared at the direction of one of the shops as they walked by.*
"What is going on there?"
*Embries suddenly feels a strange sensation. A sensation of recognition and memory. He had seen something like it before, long ago, but the memory was vague. Immediately, he takes his tricorder out of his pocket and flips it open, scanning in the direction of the lights.*
"Z.D.Y photonic particles... it has been so long since I have detected any of those, that I forgot about their existence."
*Determined to find out more, he closes his tricorder and heads toward the source of the light, only to find himself standing at the entrance of the Camelot Medieval Store. Soon he sees the source that emits those colorful rays... a crystal stone standing on Enoch's counter.*
"Mr. Enoch, where did you find that crystal?"