Trouble on Galen IV

Posted on 15 Jul 2020 @ 3:21am by Captain Maia Sterling & Lieutenant Lamia ‘Mia’ Kildare & Lieutenant Serina "Reaper" Donovan & Ensign Angelica Wright & Ensign Teela Tjaansz
Edited on on 26 Jul 2020 @ 7:23pm

1,938 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: S03 Ep 02 Trouble in the Sticks (Incidentals) Galen IV Phase 1
Location: Galen IV
Timeline: S3 Mission 3 MD5 1900
Tags: Sombra, 3CW4YMF696F

[ON]

Commander Sterling and the assembled away team boarded the shuttle it was stealth capable, and they had stored a lot of vermicular food stores as they were posing as traders working for the Orion Syndicate. Each away team member had been surgically altered to have a breathing gill attached to the back of their heads. They also took special equipment such as delta radiation grenades and generators. Their mission was to find the queen bluegill and eliminate her. Historically this would kill the other drones or ravagers because they would lose their telepathic link to the collective.

“All right people let’s do this by the numbers. Let’s get aboard the shuttle and start this bug hunt.” Maia said.

Serina sat down in the pilot’s seat and began her onboard checks quickly as the rest of the members got on board. She hoped it would go off without a hitch but with her luck…never happen.

Lamia made herself comfortable, even though this was a whole different situation she felt nervous about being off the ship after the events of the last mission. Her senses were going to be important this time, so she needed to keep a clear head, to that end she rested her head back and closed her eyes trying to relax and centre herself.

Wright just made herself comfortable and was mentally preparing for the mission. She had not been on a lot of away team missions and felt honoured to be on this one. She used the transportation time to get her mind in the spirit of the mission.

Doctor Aldana arrived with Sombra along-side. Amiri headed to the back to stow their gear.

Meanwhile, Sombra was quietly milling about. He was in full service-animal garb and on a loose heal. Upon stepping aboard, he instinctively scented the air, and immediately sensed something, he cocked his head and considered it for a moment. He’d noticed Alpha had headed to the back, but his instinct led him forward. He approached the one called Lamia and sat in front of her waiting to be acknowledged.

Lamia opened her eyes to see Aldana’s service canine sitting giving her a considered look, she smiled as she reached out a gentle hand. “Hello there, I guess you picked up on me huh?” She gently stroked the canine’s soft fur, she had to admit it helped her to relax.

Sombra leaned in giving a soft relaxing moaning sound. Closing his eyes and enjoyed the attention but knew to be patient for an invitation if he were to receive anything further. He perked his ears, keeping his attention on the female, his sensitive ears could detect her pulse ever-so-slightly especially given the proximity of her hand to his ear. He gave a casual sniff of the air trained to try to pick up any clues on her breath as well.

Meanwhile, Amiri’d finished stowing hir medical equipment in the back. Returning to the forward section, s/he scanned the room for hir partner and felt a prick of pride realizing he was working. Until now no one else had dared to utilize his skills – that s/he could recall at the moment. The doctor took a seat near-by ‘Mia’ but not so close as to interrupt. S/he wanted to be available to help or talk if she needed it.

Sombra leaned into the petting hummed.

Aldana spoke softly to hir friend. “He really likes it if you press the flat part of your knuckle on your middle finger and massage the inside of his ear.” S/he smiled. “Are you okay?”

Lamia nodded. “I’m feeling better now, thank you for asking Aldana.”

Lamia smiled as she stroked the canine, she was finding just this simple gesture relaxing.

“Commander Sterling, pre-flight checks complete, and board are green. Ready to fly when ready,” Serina said.

“Excellent thank you ‘Reaper!’ Let’s take her out in stealth-mode, no need for anyone to know we are coming,” Maia said.

“Computer systems set, Commander,” Ensign Tjaansz said. She’d spent time after getting the fake breathing gill attached downloading intelligence files she’d requested from Lieutenant Diedrich, who was currently back at the starbase, a former comrade of her sister’s from the USS Thesis under Commodore Liorae Saeihr. Ship movements of Orion ships, trade routes, current Orion slang, theoretical bluegill positioning based on possible ‘unusual behaviour’ of various Federation politicians and local planetary politicians. As an Aktevan, she often had multiple trains of thought running at the same time, which sometimes came off to humans as being random or scatterbrained. “I wonder if the queen had any sisters…”

“Who knows what they think? They tend to dominate other lifeforms to their purposes. To me, such a loss of free will is a personal violation on sentient beings and therefore evil.” Maia said.

“They’re almost a comparison to the Borg,” Lamia spoke up feeling more confident now. “Making others an unwilling part of their collective.”

“Sounds like old Earth political parties,” Teela absently said as she continued sorting through the computer data. “Stealth system looks green. We’re invisible even to gravitic sensors!”

“Good then set a course to our transporter beacon, we will beam down with our cargo once we get there,” Maia said.

Wright was just sitting in her seat wondering if this mission would help as they were supposed to. She did not get many chances to be on undercover away team missions. She was hoping she could keep her focus on the mission and make her team and the captain proud.

Aldana called Sombra to hir. S/he had devised a safety system which was easily adaptable to the seating of the runabout. S/he praised him for performing his duty and helping Lamia while s/he took a moment to secure him into the seat next to hir. He would be able to look up and look about, but he would be secure in the event of a crash. Kissing the crown of his head and giving him a hug before returning to hir own seat. Aldana sat idly and observed the group, ready for departure.

Sombra hummed quietly reassuring Alpha. He looked around excited, it wasn’t often he got to go for a ride quite like this. He panted happily and lazily; behind him, even though it was slightly pinned between him and the back of the seat, the tip of his tail poked out and bounced about excitedly.

Serina carefully took their shuttle out into space and followed the course that they were to take. “We have cleared the ship and are on our way”.

“Can you detect active or passive sensors scans, Lieutenant?” Maia asked.

“No active scans are present so far. Looks like we are safe for now, Commander Sterling,” Serina said, as she continued to guide the shuttle and keep watch for any sensor reading for active or passive scans.

Lamia’s mind had drifted to Chris, she couldn’t help but worry about him. She knew he was with others and that Colonel Somers would make sure he got back safely but she knew she’d be lost without him now.

“Okay all we will be posing as infected food merchants that’s why you have all been surgically altered with little breathing fin, it should get us past most of the checkpoints especially as the food we have is serpent worms and other vermicular food which has to be shipped in off-world. Once we reach the outermost probe we will beam down with our stores and try to find and eliminate the queen. Does anyone have any questions?” Maia asked.

Lamia shook her head, right now questions were the last thing on her mind. She just wanted to get to the surface and get on with the task at hand, the sooner it was over the sooner she could get back to Kildare.

“Would it be possible to somehow taint these ‘bugs’ food supply; perhaps specifically a meal fit for a queen?”

The food contains chemical trackers that are untraceable by tricorder until it is in the presence of Isoboromine. It will slowly break down and the bluegills themselves will become beacons to our sensors on a fractal frequency. Even if they knew it was coming which they don’t, I doubt they would be able to detect it. takes very specialized equipment we have on the Tomcat.

“Reaper, what is the ETA to our to our initial transporter drone?” Maia asked.

“Approximately 2 hours, Commander,” Serina said.

It took about 2 hours in the shuttle to get to the first transporter drone, so there was plenty of time for chatter, rest and planning.

It was another 20 minutes and they materialized on the planet’s surface with the food, soon they were making their way in a very un-Starfleet way to the main town…

The landing party materialized 2 kilometres outside of town and set up the anti-gravity units so they could take the vermicular food to the city, they were expected and may have had to go through multiple checkpoints which is why they were so far out. They were posing Orion Syndicate operatives and infected ones at that. Maia hoped that they would learn how to penetrate bluegill security.

they walked for a while and after twenty minutes all of them had a distinct feeling of being watched.

Then they saw a shuttle streaking overhead. Maia new it was the first away team. She wondered how they fared.

They kept going along the normal caravan route.

Lamia kept her eyes peeled and her senses alert for any signs of trouble. There was a definite sense of being watched which made a chill run down her spine, but she had to keep playing her part.

They had passed three security checkpoints before meeting Grek, who was the city commerce administrator who wanted to know what they were hauling. Maia showed him the manifest. While he scanned the document and checked the supplied, Maia noted her had a small gill protruding out of his neck.

Maia said that the delivery was for a Grek or Grax. There is more to come if you like the product. There is a good variety of vermicular foodstuffs, all of it living.

“I am Grek the administrator of commerce for the city. I want to sample your goods”

“Of course,” Maia responded, “pick a vat.”

He chose the sixth vat and Maia opened it. Fresh Klingon Gagh – serpent worms – Maia took a handful split it with him then joined him in the sampling.

Each vat had something different.

The Gagh was good and edible by Maia who liked Klingon food. Grek enjoyed it too. He signed for the caravan and Maia and her team brought it into the city.

“There is much more where that came from. Inform the Queen enough to feed a whole colony.” Maia said.

After that Maia and her team left the city and made the trek back to the extraction point. Once they were away from prying eyes Maia had Serena beam them all back to the shuttle. They returned to the Tomcat quite undetected.

[End]

Commander Maia Sterling
First Officer/Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Lamia 'Mia' Arderne
Chief Operations Officer

Lt. Jg Amiri Aldana 365 D.V.M./M.D
Assistant Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant JG Serina 'Reaper' Donovan
CAG/Raider 1/Helm Officer

Ensign Angelica Wright [P: Dodd]
Flight Control Officer

Ensign Teela Tjaansz [P: Taggert]
Engineer

CWO Sombra C.G.CA/U, PSA,C.ESA [P: Aldana]
Counsellors aide/Morale Officer

 

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