Rescuing the Bajorans (Arrival)
Posted on Fri Jun 21st, 2024 @ 12:59am by Captain Rylan Gray & Lieutenant Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Stormy Knight & Lieutenant Ayren Kelan & Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox & Lieutenant JG Shizuru Chikura
1,743 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
The Quasinon Gambit
Location: Cardassian Mining Outpost, Quasinon III
Timeline: MD003 - 1100
Quasinon III thought Lieutenant Commander Harrison Knox aboard the shuttlecraft that Chikura had prepared for them as the away team aboard sat in their seats with the young helmswoman piloting them towards the Cardassian world, third planet in the system, a system Knox knew little to nothing about. Nothing about the planet's name jogged a memory, but then again the Union over its existence had expanded and contracted territories, named planets, renamed planets, and traded border lines back and forth with the Federation for decades.
Was this mining facility important? It was certainly plausible given the Cardassians weren't looking to leave it behind, but then again, Cardassians. They barely left so much as a breadcrumb on a plate when it came to Bajorans. Knox walked the interior of the shuttle heading up towards the cockpit. "Lieutenant," he called out to Chikura. "Find us a gentle place to set down nearest the mining facility if possible. I don't trust Cardassian calculations" Knox quipped, unnervingly anxious about walking into a literal ticking bomb.
"Aye sir," Shizuru replied as her fingers danced across the helm console of the shuttle. She began to conduct a scans of the surface to locate the safest landing location.
Settling in the shuttle rather than pacing, Knox met the gaze of Cayde Sechs. "You are the specialist of the region, know a thing or two about Cardassians I presume? Any insight on this Quasinon III mining facility of theirs?" Knox inquired.
Cayde, who had been looking out the nearest view port, turned back to look at the commander. He shrugged lightly as he considered the question. "As I said on the Bridge, given the ion storms in the upper atmosphere and its location, Quasinon III is an unlikely spot for a listening post or a staging area. Now, if there are labs down there, it might be a research facility but honestly, Commander, I think it more likely that it is just what they say it is. A mining facility. Cardassians, being xenophobic and unwilling to share at the best of times, it makes sense that the facility is set to auto-destruct. Could very well have been designed that way from the start." His gaze returned to the view port as he added, his voice dropping slightly, "personally, I'm much more interested in the Bajorans."
Knox understood that assessment of the Cardassians. They reminded him of the Romulans, leave nothing for others to find regardless of how insignificant it was. "What about the Bajorans interests you?" asked Knox. They were of little interest to Knox personally.
"That they refuse to leave," Cayde said. "A mining installation on an inhospitable world scheduled for demotion? I suspect the details, the 'why' if you will, would be interesting indeed."
Knox nodded in agreement. "Cardassians," said Knox crispy. He shrugged his shoulders. "It's bound to be interesting."
Having assigned himself, along with two of his staff to the detachment, Daegan added an offhand comment that he immediately countered. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Cardassians had been the ones to block the Bajorans in...but then again, if that were true, they probably would have tried to stop us from finding that out." Sitting back as the shuttle was buffeted by the planet's high altitude wind his mind began to consider various options and scenarios. Thinking to himself, ~Cardassians were definitely known to booby trap...Once we are on the ground I will be sure to warn everyone.~
Knox shifted his gaze to the Thunderbird's Counselor. "Lieutenant Kelan?" Knox was still getting a grasp on names. He had them down well, but it would take him more time to feel comfortably confident with them. "Any thoughts on our Gul Zelar?"
"I would have to interact with him, but from what I gather, I would recommend caution. We need to prepared that things are not what they seem," Ayren said.
Stormy was scanning the planet to get as much information as she could. Thanks to Tyler, all the data was also being relayed to the Thunderbird so they could see the information as well. If they couldn't stop the explosives, this might be her best chance to get foundational data.
Tyler continued to monitor the relay making sure that it stayed active and that the Thunderbird received it perfectly. However, Cayde's question about the Bajorans piqued his interest. The Lieutenant had the right of it why would someone not leave. He understood Bajoran resilience but this was kind of ridiculous.
In the cockpit of the shuttle, Knox approached the pilot's seat, placing a hand on the headrest of Chikura. "How's it looking down there, Lieutenant? Have you found us a nice green pasture to land" said Knox, very clearly a joke given where they were going. Nevertheless, he was anxious about setting down sooner rather than later.
The shuttle shook a little as it encountered some atmospheric turbulence. Shizuru didn't seem at all phased as she continued to handle the controls. "I would recommend you all stay in your seats..." she said simply. She continued to study her controls as the shuttle craft descended down towards the Outpost. "Approaching the landing co-ordinates now."
Gently the shuttle craft touched down on the ground with a gentle bump. Shizuru scowled as the ship landed. "That could have gone smoother..." she muttered to herself.
The science officer double-checked the data to be sure it reached the ship, then copied it to her PADD in case she needed to use it for comparison analyses. She had too many questions about the mining and the minerals to not verify what had been done herself--if she could. She also hoped to copy logs and files from the computers. She slipped the PADD into her cross pack and attached her tricorder to her belt. Did she remember to bring some sample packs? Yes. Nodding to herself, she waited for the order to leave the shuttle.
Knox raised his voice moderately to project it, broadcast it in a commanding tone but not one of agitation nor disciplinary. "Grab what you need people," he instructed. "We've landed at the coordinates provided. Remember, check any and all prejudices at the door. Once we set foot on this place, it's Cardassian. We aren't here to start a war nor escalate anything. We have our orders" Knox clarified.
They had a Bajoran problem to deal with on Cardassian property. That was the basic premise to the situation. Knowing the Bajorans though, this was likely not going to be a simple shooing them away like horse flies. Diplomacy mattered here.
There wasn't much to get ready, leastwise as far as Kai was concerned. He was armed, which was always prudent, though with security there, he hoped his own skills wouldn't be necessary. He had a tricorder, of course, but other than that, what he brought with him was what he knew about Cardassians. He was there, for the most part, to observe, to investigate, and to learn. The shuttle had landed inside the dome which meant that it would be safe to cross the short distance from the shuttle to the main entrance to the mining facility. As he rose to his feet, he looked out the nearest view port and shook his head. The idea of having to live in such a bleak and inhospitable place. He had been in bad spots during his career but to live here, for weeks, months, or even years?
Upon the Lieutenant Commander's order Tyler rose and holstered both a tricorder and phaser. He shouldered a standard issue Starfleet Engineering kit just in case it may be needed. Tyler took a step out of the shuttle and inhaled deeply through his nose. The air smelled like a desert, dry and arid. But he loved any air that was not the recirculated air of a ship.
Stormy followed the others off the shuttle and took a good look around, then pulled out her tricorder to take scans of the area to see how her tricorder's reading compared to those from the shuttle. she didn't expect to find anything wrong, but she also wanted to know if--and what--the Cardassians were hiding. She wasn't normally suspicious, but explosives with Bajorans refusing to leave the planet didn't sit well with her.
"Should I stay with the shuttle?" Shizuru asked. "I wouldn't want to leave it unattended... I don't trust Cardassians sir. Especially with potential to access our systems..."
"No," Knox said firmly. "From what I understand, the last of the Cardassians have left. We just have Bajorans to deal with. Just make sure everything is secure. You are more value with the rest of us than sitting in the shuttle."
Shizuru nodded. She tapped on the helm console. "All systems locked. No ones flying this out of here without a Starfleet access code," she explained to the group.
Content with the status of the shuttle, Lieutenant Commander Knox proceeded towards the exit of the shuttlecraft shepherding the others to follow in tow. He wasn't hesitant to put himself forward. "Let's go find our Bajoran friends" said Harrison Knox. This was ideally going to be easier without a Cardassian presence, but he was prepared for the Bajorans to drag their feet. What he was not prepared for was the surprises that Cardassians have left behind as the group entered the facility.
Cayde followed the Commander out of the shuttle and headed toward the facility entrance. Mining facilities were not known for their architectural splendor and this one was no except. Functional and protected, beneath the dome that kept the worst of the planetary atmosphere at bay, he turned for a moment to look past the shield at the bleak landscape and was thankful in that moment that the Cardassians had not turned the dome off. There looked to be only one entrance and so he headed for the door and hoped the others would follow.
With one hand, Daegan held his tricorder and with the other, his rifle. "I'm not detecting any problem with the initial entrance but that doesn't mean there won't be any problems further in."
Commander Harrison Knox
Executive 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 Kelan
Counselor
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant JG Shizuru Chikura
Helm Officer
USS Thunderbird
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