Planet Hell - Journey to the Planet - Part IV

Posted on Wed Sep 30th, 2026 @ 9:13pm by Captain Robert Burke & Commander Vincent 'Vin' Salvatore & Lieutenant Marques Hunt & Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhrisst & Lieutenant Nelar & Lieutenant Ryssa Dari & Lieutenant JG Maël "Gideon" Beauregard

1,945 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Fabulae Explorationis
Location: Beta Omicron System
Timeline: MD01/02

::ON::

[And now the continuation ...]

Listening to the interaction between the senior officers, Sa-Kuiri marvelled at how Starfleet contained such different multitudes, contrasting personalities that came together to make it the successful organisation it was. Friction between them seemed to create the right kind of spark for success. He vowed to keep that in mind if he ever rose through the ranks. He sent a tap across the com channels to acknowledge their cautions.

Vangra descended the ramp slowly, allowing both Doctor Nelar and Lieutenant Dari to pass her. She fell into step two paces behind them, bringing up the rear as was standard security procedure--Kyra would take point while she remained the last in line. As they merged with the others who had moved on ahead, she paused to find the Executive Officer standing still, waiting for her to pass.

"No one wanders off." Vincent said over the coms. "We all stay together. If you see something you want to investigate, say something. We'll all go together." He continued to walk behind the group, keeping an eye on them and their surrounds, feeling more like a chaperone than their XO or colleague. His argument with the Doctor still bothering him. Vin could never understand how a species could lock themselves away from their emotions all the time. How they could be so... so cold and superior. He understood that it was just their way, but how could anyone not see it as arrogant.

The Deltan security officer stood next to Commander Salvatore, waiting for him to move ahead of her with the rest of the group.

"Commander," Vangra said through her EV suit's comm. "Please go on ahead. I'll bring up the rear."

She hoped she wouldn't have to quote away team protocol to the XO. The last thing she needed was to end up in Salvatore's bad books.

"I would, but then I would have to get involved in the science-y stuff, which isn't really my thing. I wouldn't know half of what they are talking about and there is an even likely chance I'll be able to contribute." He looked over to Vangra and gave the Deltan a quick chuckle. "Besides, I already have one person raising their nose up at me, if I would ruin their fun by telling giving an order they don't agree with or asking too many question because I don't know what they are talking about, chances are I'll have more people not willing to take orders from me. Further proof I don't belong here."

Vangra allowed the others to move a few paces ahead before speaking, switching her comm to proximity so the rest of the team would not hear. It wasn't hesitation that delayed her--quite the opposite. Correcting a superior officer over procedure was never pleasant, and she would have preferred that the moment pass unnoticed. Duty, however, always had a way of placing itself squarely in front of comfort.

"Commander," she said evenly, mustering the courage. "I don't mean to raise my nose up at you--far from it, sir. But protocol must be followed."

She suddenly felt the neck piece to her EV suit becoming tighter, though she knew it was more imagination and a slight spike in anxiety than anything in reality.

"Starfleet Security Field Operations Manual, Section Eight, Paragraph Fourteen, sir." She had no need to consult a PADD. "When an away team includes two or more security personnel operating on foot, and no immediate hostile contact has been established, one security officer is to assume the rear position unless tactical conditions dictate otherwise. The purpose is to maintain observation of the team's full movement, prevent separation, and provide tactical oversight during withdrawal should the formation reverse unexpectedly."

Vangra knew it was an infrequently cited protocol. Most officers would only encounter it during field training but something about this planet made her nervous--perhaps not nervous. Edgy. Unlike her own superior officer, Lieutenant sh'Herhrisst, who seemed unbothered.

"I appreciate that it may seem a small matter, sir," she added quietly, "but regulations are regulations."

Vincent looked at Vangra firmly, his expression not shifting for a couple of moments, before a smile appeared on his face. "Alright, Ensign. I'll take point." He gave the Ensign a slight chuckle, walking away for a moment, before turning back to add. "Just remember, We're all trusting you to watch our backs. Don't let us down."

She watched him move past the others as Vincent made his way toward the front of the group. There was a conflict inside her. On the one hand, he was the ranking officer on the away team while on the other, adherence to regulation was required. She wondered if she had somehow made an enemy of the Executive Officer before letting the thought dissipate and focusing on the task at hand.

His breathing was loud and tinny in the helmet of his EV suit. Sa-Kuiri took deep, regular breaths, trying to conserve as much oxygen as possible in case of an extended trip from the safety of their shuttle. The Efrosian couldn't quite believe that as the distance between him and the machine increased he was thinking of it fondly after his nervousness of having it fly at warp. Still, as he advanced, the crunch of the topsoil beneath his boot a faint sensation transmitted up his legs, that was what he was feeling.

A nervous ball obstructed his chest, the effect of the swirling opaque atmosphere about him. Finding it hard to swallow, he concentrated on his tricorder, looking for life-signs. Bar some microbial life-forms that would be of more interest to Nelar and Darri, he could see nothing of major interest here. Why they had been sent to the back end of nowhere was beyond him. Sa-Kuiri and the team trudged along for a long interminable stretch of time.

Walking alongside Sa-Kuiri, Hunt looked over. "I can see through that helmet that something clearly is on your mind?"

"Just a mix of curiosity and caution," Hunt admitted. "This seems like a playground that the Klingons would enjoy. Could easily see this place being a weird journey quest for them."

'Hah, yeah. Our cousins have a strange conception of space and time and their place in it.' Sa-Kuiri glanced over at the human an arms length away. 'Efrosians do have a religion of course, but nothing so elaborate and ritualised.' He looked around them into the murk. 'What's on my mind is why are we here on some dead world half a galaxy away from home? What could we possibly want with this place?'

The sensor returns on his tricorder began to change, the composition of the atmosphere becoming relatively more benign. 'Hey, I think we're coming up on one of those caves?'

"Looks like it, but we'll need to get inside and have a look," Ryssa replied.

"The tropospheric air ahead appears to be significantly less caustic, though not yet within breathable parameters," Nelar announced as she adjusted the readings on her tricorder to obtain more accurate data. "If there is a cave as Ryssa opines, it may provide some stability to the atmosphere inside, but absent a physical barrier and confirmation of a stable environment, we should remain cautious as we proceed."

Vangra remained silent, listening to the senior officers discuss their next steps. She glanced off to her right, seeing only thick clouds of sulphuric gas moving swiftly along the barren landscape.

"Agreed," Ryssa said, adding her voice to that of Nelar. "Anything else at this point would be supposition. Fortunately, we have the ability to go in and find out if the caves do indeed have breathable air, and how far in we need to go to find it."

Nelar took a few steps closer to the front of the group so that she was standing closer to the first officer. "Commander Salvator, if we do find such caves capable of sustaining humanoid life, we should not rule out the possibility that they were placed here intentionally," she stated calmly with little affect. "The area would provide a tactical advantage to anyone who preferred to not be found. We are in a vulnerable position." Her message to the commanding officer carried no emotional baggage from their earlier conversation, she was simply stating fact.

Another valid point. Ryssa was well aware that they could assume nothing and rule nothing out at this point. They needed to gather more data. Lots more data.

"I hate to ask this, but there is that small part of me that can't help it." Vincent spoke up, his voice coming over the EV Suit com's. "You want to explain that theory, Doctor. I'm finding it hard to believe that, in this environment, people would intentionally be placed here and decided to make naturally looking caves and figuring out a way to breath in them. Isn't it also a possibility that the life we find in those caves aren't humanoid at all and just cave dwelling creatures who eventually became accustom to living in them? Many planets have creatures who live exclusively in caves and rarely leave. Often only leave to hunt for food or migration. If this system is as big as we believe it is, Doctor, they may not even need to leave the system at all and the cave itself became its own eco system." He look over to one of the officers and shrugged. "What?! When I was a kid I loved learning about animals. Earth also has some great Zoos. Much more detailed and maintained then back on my home planet."

"If the air in the underground network of caves is in fact approximately 20% oxygen and 78% nitrogen and that amount remains stable, and there is a natural ecosystem, then we may be examining some type of photosynthesis process or other way of Oxygen generation that has been previously unknown to us, Commander," Nelar replied through her helmet. "The only other options are that there is some underground light source that is perfectly parametered for photosynthesis - again, this is not something that Starfleet or Vulcan scientists have yet encountered. Most underground ecosystems still have access to breathable air from the surface in some manner."

Nelar turned to examine what she could of the terrain through the thick fog of noxious gasses. "While it is not impossible, based on our current knowledge of the planet's conditions, probability would indicate the more likely scenario is that there is technology beneath the surface that is making the environment habitable. I am no tactician," she admitted, "Simply stating that if a race wanted to conceal themselves, would a place where wanderers are not likely to traverse not provide suitable cover?"

'Like the Troglodytes,' Sa-Kuiri interjected helpfully, 'I'm sure I read something about that when I was at the Academy. People who lived in caves. Or was that Mole People?' He smiled to himself in the helmet, knowing full well people could hear him, but not see him. 'Humans have such a weird history.'

"Mole people?" came the voice of Vangra over the EV suits' comms, bewilderment dripping from the words.

[To Be Continued ...]

::OFF::

Commander Vincent 'Vin' Salvatore
Executive Officer/Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhisst
Chief Security Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Marques Hunt
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Ryssa Dari
Chief Science Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Nelar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Hecate

Ensign Vangra
Security Officer
USS Hecate
[NPC Lt JG Maël "Gideon" Beauregard]

Ensign Sa-Kuiri
Security Officer
USS Hecate
[NPC Captain Robert Burke]

 

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