A Second Look

Posted on Wed Mar 30th, 2016 @ 1:54pm by Lieutenant JG Rami Miral & Commander Rylie Cattmor & Lieutenant Commander Morai Keen & Lieutenant Commander T'kaarch & Lieutenant Rise Lahl M.D.

1,182 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: A Civil Act

ON

The shuttle landed in a large flat area between several buildings, a click away from the building with the elevator.

"I'm sorry I can't put her down any closer, Lieutenant," Toma, the shuttle's pilot said, "there's some sort of energy reading coming from just inside the settlement and it's playing havoc with the navigational controls; saying we're floating upside down and going sideways when we're obviously not."

"This is close enough," Miral said. "Thank you."

She helped the others offload the probe onto a hover cart and then pulled out her tricorder. "This way," she said, leading them around one of the buildings to the one with the elevator. All her readings seemed to indicate that the city was abandoned. Still, it gave her an eerie feeling that she was being watched by something. Probably just paranoia, she thought to herself.

"What is this place?" T'kaarch purred out loud. He had, of course, had the scans and information from Belle, but he was just amazed by what an abandoned city could do to your senses, your feelings.

"Not a clue," Miral replied honestly. "Creepy, isn't it?"

Checking her medical tricorder, Rise whistled, "Definitely creepy. And I think its definitely been ages since there was anything here. Apart from us. Even so, I noticed when we coming in through that field that my tricorder stopped reading some of you, so I wouldn't assume that we are alone."

An astute assumption. Miral wasn't so sure, either. Still, they had to get information if they were going to find the away team and so she continued towards the main building.

Once inside, she headed for where the away team had gone down in the elevator. "This should be the right place," she said. "While you deal with the probe, I want to check the top floor. I found some interesting readings coming from there."

Lancer came up and began to type on his tricorder. "Sorry I am late," Warrant Officer Lancer, the Communications Specialist said. "I was reviewing the shuttle's comm units to focus it on the probe's wavelength. Before this was brought down we added a signal booster to it." he said confidently. "With this much power we should be able to hear them from the core of the planet if need be."

The chirp of the communicator roused everyone's attention. "Toma to Lieutenant Miral; I've just lost all power to the shuttle's control systems. I'm not sure what's going on but every panel's deader than a tribble in a Klingon hospital. I've got no comms, no thrusters, no navigation; even the replicator panel is offline."

Miral looked at the others, surprised. "Could it have been a power overload?" she asked. "Was there anything before the power died?"

"Uh... that's a negative, Lieutenant." Toma reported almost fumbling his words and chastising himself for not doing the most basic of diagnostics before calling it in. Prying a panel from the wall, he saw the power cell was functioning, "I don't think we have a power problem though; the cell's still functioning, and the circuit breakers are still all in place. I'll keep looking and report in if I find anything."

Rise felt a soft little vibration in the pit of her stomach, which she took as amusement from her symbiont about the dead tribble analogy, and thought it was funny too. Checking her tricorder's power, she found it working - which was a good sign. "Lieutenant, since the comms and my tricorder are still going, it sounds rather targeted."

"That's worrrrying..." T'kaarch purred thoughtfully, "Should we use the prrrobe to scan the shuttle, orrr prrress on to the elevatorrr?"

"It is troubling," Miral replied. "Someone or something doesn't like the shuttle. I suggest we continue to the elevator and use the probe. Maybe if we find out what caused the away team to disappear we will also find out what is dampening the shuttle's power." It was ultimately up to the lieutenant, who was overseeing the probe.

Miral tapped her combadge. "Rami to the Ranger. We've arrived safely, but hte shuttle has lost power."

"I would suggest prrressing on, the answerrr is prrrobably rrrelated to the elevatorrr." T'kaarch chimed in, "But the decision is the commanderrr's"

Miral nodded to T'kaarch and tapped her combadge. "Rami to Commander Keen. Shuttle has lot power. Request permission to continue and see if we can find out what's going on."

=^= Ranger to Landing Party.=^= Keen's voice replied. =^= Proceed with caution, I do not want to lose a second team if I can help it.=^=

"Acknowledged. Rami out." Miral turned to T'kaarch. "Let's do this. You take care of the probe, I'll look for some sort of office. Somewhere between the two we should be able to learn something about this place. and why the shuttle's power failed." She pointed to a building just beyond the one beside them. "That's the building."

Lancer was one to help with the moving of the probe; he had done some adaptations to the communications array to all but double the strength of the transciever.

"If this baby cannot get through to the ship that Shuttle relay will not have been any help." Lancer informed. "I have this comm system boosted as high as we can hope for." He said confidently.

Miral nodded and headed for the building. Once inside, she looked to the others. "I'm heading upstairs. Let me know how the probe works."

Rise spoke up, "Lieutenant, is it a good idea for us to split up solo? Since we don't know what is going on. Especially from a medical point of view in case anyone gets injured."

"I believe Lt Lahl is correct; we have a missing Away Team it might be best to stay in a group just for the whole safety in Numbers?" Lancer said. "Once we send this thing down it is just a second or two for our results, you can wait that long can you not?"

"It is a more efficient use of our time for me to check out the room at the top of the stairs while Lieutenant T'kaarch and the others work with the probe. I'm an Intel officer. If you think it'll be safer, I'll take someone with me," Miral said, "But I don't think standing around waiting for your readings is the best use of our time. If the others are in danger, isn't it better to get as much information as we can quickly?"

"We have people vanishing off the grid, would you at least check in periodically so we do not lose anymore?" Lancer suggested. "And once we get this set I will come up for a buddy system while down here if you don't mind?"

"I agrrree," T'kaarch purred, "I suggest we take a securrrrity officerrr each."

"I agree," Mirela said. "I'll take a security officer with me and report in frequently."

(To be continued...)

Toma
Shuttle Pilot

Lieutenant JG Rami Miral
Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant T'kaarch
Chief Science Officer

Warrant Officer Lancer
Communications Officer

Lieutenant Rise Lahl
Chief Medical Officer

Commander Morai Keen
Chief Counselor

 

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