Heading Into the City
Posted on Sat Jan 25th, 2025 @ 3:28pm by Commander Zhaan D'Sai & Captain Rylan Gray & Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Daegan Baas & Lieutenant Juliette Barnes & Lieutenant Patrick Ryan M.D. & Lieutenant Ayryn Trynn M.D. & Lieutenant Stormy Knight
Edited on on Sat Jan 25th, 2025 @ 9:39pm
2,236 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
A Silence of Friends
Location: Guran System, Guran III
Timeline: MD003 - 1045
They walked down a wide boulevard, with planted dividers, and large buildings flanking them on both sides. As they moved, they could see narrow side streets, crowded with buildings, some smaller, some larger. Everything was remarkably tidy for a place where no one had lived for hundreds of years. Even the plants were thriving and maintained within their borders. Their footfalls sounded loud against the stone, echoing in the quiet. Every now and then, a momentary flash of something could seen zipping along the side streets though what it was, was not clear to the eye.
Daegan what shocked that they had gotten as far as they had. At something flashed in his peripheral vision his head snapped in that direction. He had instinctively moved for his phaser but instead motioned for the group to pause. "Anyone see that? Did the tricorders pick anything up?"
"I got...something," Stormy said. "They're like little globes of some sort, but the tricorder can't identify anything about them." She also hadn't picked up any minds but those of her companions. So, they were likely artificial. Or so alien she couldn't read them.
Doc Ryan commented. "I agree with the Lieutenant. I see nothing of lifeforms on the tricorder here which matches the same readings as previously."
Julie nodded, brow wrinkling at her own tricorder. “They look like some sort of drone or something,” she added. “Surveillance maybe? I can’t tell if they’re collecting data or just recording what’s happening. Could be probes, I suppose.”
Tyler's eyes were glued to the screen of his tricorder he began to gather all of the data that he could about this... whatever it was. "It most likely is a security device of some sort. I believe judging by its energy output that if it is fired upon it would return in kind. I can track it to see where goes. Drones like these do eventually have to put into a base of sorts to recharge power and the like. Following it could also show us where the command hub for this place could be."
"Doesn't that depend on the power source?" Stormy asked. "They may be able to go for hours without needing to recharge. Too bad we can't trace where they came from to begin with." She turned a full circle, scanning. "Or can we?"
“Maybe,” replied Julie. “Sometimes, if the signal is strong enough, the tricorder can follow it back to the source. It involves turning up the sensitivity on the tricorder, which causes all the signals to increase, so you’ve got to know what to ignore. It’s worth a shot, I suppose.”
All were valid possibilities but until they did something they'd never know. However he doubted the XO, Captain, or whatever was running those things would appreciate them going in guns blazing. "Proceeding further in might increase the output or get us close enough to detect the source..." Making the decision, "...No firing unless fired upon. Let's move."
Even if they were fired upon, Stormy would rather duck and cover. But she hoped it wouldn't come to that. They had nearly a day to figure out what was going on and stop it, if possible. And, as far as she was concerned, the farther into the city they went, the better their chances of finding the right information. She fell in step beside Tyler and continued to look around as she scanned the area.
Doc followed everyone behind them. He was a doctor not a target to be fired upon.
The away team advanced down the boulevard past pristine buildings that seemed ready for occupation until at last, they came to a square, one of several in the city, this one noted on the maps as 'fountain square' and indeed, a stone fountain dominated the center of the square ringed by plants that had been regularly maintained. As they reached the center of the square, the tricorders began picking up an energy source three city blocks from where they stood.
Upon see the manicured area Daegan was immediately alert. This area should have been spotted when the city was first discovered. Where the initial scans faulty? What was someone or something trying to hide? He turned slowly trying to spot anything out of the ordinary, his hand hovering, ready to draw his phaser.
Julie frowned- a strange occurrence in and of itself- around at the square. It was in perfect order. It literally looked like everyone had just picked up and gone home at the same time. A beep from her tricorder brought her back to the present. “There’s an energy source not far from here,” she said, reading off the notification. “I’m not sure if it’s the one we’ve been looking for, but it’s a place to start, I expect.”
Daegan didn't like it. This was supposed to be a ruined city where all they had to worry about were thieves and things falling apart on them. Well they needed answers and where there was energy there something generating and or using that energy. "Which way?"
While they decided which way to go to get to the energy signature, Stormy took a closer look at the plants. Something had kept them alive. Or had something just put them here? It was a question she wanted to explore. She also wanted to know if the tricorder recognized the plants from other worlds. She justified it by telling herself that they needed the information on the flora as much as on the energy source. Besides, she was still in the square and in plain view of the others.
Tyler stood in the square and performed a three hundred and sixty degree scan. When it was complete he motioned that they should take a right turn at the square. "It seems that the power source is coming from this way. We should go check it out but be ready for anything. I don't like the way this place looks. It is too clean, too taken care of if that makes any sense."
As the away team turned right and head off down a side street, a large building came into view. Set apart from its surroundings, the building was lit and obviously active. As they got closer, they seemed to pass through a shield and all at once, their scanners lit up. The entrance, double doors flanked by statues and small plants, stood open and a ball could be seen rolling across the entrance.
Stormy stopped in front of the entrance and lowered her tricorder, although she continued to scan. She didn't want to appear hostile to the approaching ball. "Hello. We come in peace." She wasn't sure if the AI--or whatever it was--had the ability to translate languages, but it was worth a try. She also listened for the feel of sentient minds now that they'd passed through the barrier shielding the facility.
The steady thrum of machinery, powering up, working, and the balls, would stop, anchor themselves and extend upwards, sprouting various appendages as they monitored the machines.
Julie alternated between watching what was happening and examining her tricorder. Cautiously, she approached a nearby panel and examined it, looked back at her tricorder, and then at the machinery again. “It looks like they’re building another type of drone,” she told her shipmates. “Yes, look,” she added, indicating another panel that looked like a wing. “I think this one will be able to fly. Or swim, I suppose. But probably fly.”
"Did they make this after seeing us?" Stormy asked and went over to a monitor to have a good look at it. "I wonder if there's some sort of library here."
“Probably, but I don’t want to interfere in case they take it as a hostile action,” replied Julie. “I think it must have started after we got here,” she added in answer to the other question, “because we’d have noticed something if it started before.”
[Guran III - Camp Site]
While the small away team had headed into the city to investigate, Lieutenant Trynn had been on a mission of her own. Tasked with tracking down the scientists and bringing them together in the centre of the camp, she had been happy to help. Even if it was in just a small way.
As a psychologist she was naturally curious about whoever - or whatever - was behind the mysterious messages. Who wouldn’t be? Clearly there was more to these ruins than even the archaeologists had anticipated, which explained why some seemed nervous while others seemed more determined than ever to learn the secrets of an ancient civilisation.
“All accounted for, Commander,” Trynn announced as she arrived with the final two civilians. She let them wander off to join their colleagues as she crossed over to Commander D’Sai. “Any news from the team in the city?”
"Not a word," Zhaan said as she turned toward the counselor. "And I'm not liking it at all." She frowned toward the City Gates, debating whether to recall the team or go after them.
[Everywhere - Two Hours After Initial Contact]
Three things happened at once. Three things. The first of the flying drones, liberated from its frame, picked up one of the ball drones and took off through a skylight opening in the factory heading up and away from the planet's surface. That was the first thing. And then, in practically the same instant, Lieutenant Daegan Baas disappeared, whisked away in a blue green energy beam. Moments later, the interference cleared up and the away could hear the Thunderbird's bridge.
".... away team please acknowledge. Away team ..."
"Zhaan here," the ship's First Officer answered at once. "Ready to beam the science back to the ship?" She gathered the scientists together, shooting a grateful look at the counselor as she did so, and positioned them for transport.
"Standby Commander," the ship's operations officer answered at once. "Transporter reports ready when you are."
"Energize," Zhaan said and watched as they disappeared in the all too familiar transporter beam. "Now," she said quietly, "let's go figure out what happened to our away team, shall we?"
“Right behind you, Commander,” Ayryn assured her, feeling far more comfortable knowing the scientists were back aboard the ship.
[Meanwhile, Back at the Factory]
Julie watched as the flight drone flew off with the ball drone, having taken as many scans as possible. “Somehow, I didn’t expect them to carry the other drones,” she muttered. “I figured they’d be in addition to the others.” Then she noticed something else. “Wait, where’s Lieutenant Baas?”
Stormy turned around. "He didn't say anything about leaving." Although she'd been focused on what she could learn, she had been listening. Mostly. She looked around the room. "No, I didn't expect that, either. I thought it was something additional, too." She scanned for him to see if he'd just walked out. "The tricorder can't pick up his life signs. We should look where he was last--but be careful about touching anything."
Doc walked with them . "It's weird there are traces of his lifesign that were here but it's all gone now. The only thing on the tricorder that qualifies as life forms is us."
"That is odd and interesting at the same time." Stormy shook her head. "And concerning. It could simply be that he was taken inside somewhere." She sighed. "We should let the commander know."
A quick swipe of his tricorder showed Tyler all he needed to know. "Whatever, or whoever did this used a transporter. It is not the same as our transporters, but definitely a transporter. That said it is possible for the Lieutenant to be anywhere. I agree that we should alert the ship. Have them scan the planet for the Lieutenant's comm badge then we can transport to him."
[Elsewhere/Unknown Location]
Daegan found himself, as the beam released him, standing on a raised platform within an energy barrier. In front of him, elongated ball drones worked at a set of consoles. What they were doing wasn't immediately apparent but every few seconds, a beam would sweep across the enclosure and the consoles would light up.
Daegan had materialized on to an elevated platform of some kind. A tube shaped energy barrier surrounded him with just enough room to raise his hands but that was it. Seeing his phaser, tricorder, and commbadge had been removed, he watched silently as several mechanical drones floated about as the worked a console seeming to ignore him. From time to time a beam would sweep over him with no apparent harm to him. Thinking to himself as he watched, ~probably just a scan of some kind. Well we were checking things out, they can check us out.~
"Hello? Can you understand me?"
Captain Rylan Gray
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Commander Zhaan D'Sai
First Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Patrick Ryan, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Daegan Baas
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke
Chief Operations Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Stormy Knight
Chief Science Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Ayren Trynn
Counselor
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Juliet Barnes
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Thunderbird
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