The Redsea Signal - Chapter IV

Posted on Mon Aug 30th, 2021 @ 3:57am by Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Sequella - East Ba'fan
851 words - 1.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Thick droplets of rain splattered against a sodden Starfleet uniform, drenched through and through and clinging against S'hibs slender frame as he followed behind the priestess who met him, staring at the ornate umbrella held above her right shoulder, it appeared as delicate as the rest of her but just as she commanded him earlier, it too was equally undaunted by the tremendous amounts of rain battering it's deep blue surface.

At least the rain is warm he thought, thankful for that as he cast his eyes elsewhere, soaking up his surroundings as his uniform was the rain... his mind overflowing just as the fabric had with the rain, running down his limbs and pouring into the puddles beneath his hooves.

Distant thunder rumbled overhead as they continued down the quiet street of central Ba'fan, flashes of lightning flickered on the horizon, briefly illuminating the outline of tall obelisk buildings that dotted the landscape of the capital, their glass and polished white exteriors blending in with the far older structures that made up the majority Ba'fan, but only just.

Ahead of them, several miles away lay the monstrously sized royal palace, a pale red stone pyramid some two hundred and eighty-six meters tall, its opulent visage carving up towards the murky clouds and commanding his eyes to gaze upon its slick surface.

at its four corners sat vastly smaller and less lavishly decorated black stone pyramids, their glittering tips barely visible over the city ahead, hidden from prominence but always there.

He glanced back down to the umbrella in front of him, wanting to open his mouth and speak, desperate to break the silence that had hung over the three as they trotted down the street, a silence that had lasted for the last twenty or so minutes since they left the starport.

Then she spoke, as if sensing the growing unease behind her. "Tell me, Commander, how much do you know of the red sea..." her words were full of curious amusement, with a tone that implied no matter what answer he gave her he would be wrong.

"I left Sequella when I was very young, so I only know that which my herd mothers told me when I was growing up, mostly stories really..." He said as he wiped the rain from his face for what must have been the hundredth time.

"And what stories would those be?" She replied, inclining her head to the side so as to catch a glimpse of the Commander, too busy fighting the rain from his eyes to notice her coy smile.

"That our ancestors lived in the heart of the red sea, and we hunted great beasts into extinction."

She smiled, turning her short and dainty snout back to the path ahead. "And do you believe any of that?"

"Of course not, it's folklore and nothing more."

"If only it was that simple, Commander." She said softly, her words barely audible as they walked past another house, its gutter overflowing with rain that haphazardly splashed onto the street below.

"What do you mean priestess?" He asked with careful scepticism, wondering if she simply believed a more religious view on the tales

"There are a great many things I'm not allowed to divulge with you, though for the sake of you being here and to ensure you can actually help us, you will become privy to certain truths..."

"but not yet," S'hib replied sarcastically, irritated with the way she danced around the topic with hooves made of feathers.

"No, not yet."

"Can you at least tell me why I'm here?" He replied, snorting out a long drawn out sigh that steamed out of either nostril.

There was a long pause as the Priestess mulled over his question, silently waiting until they had walked by another Sequellian.

"Sequella has been experiencing anomalous geological activity for the past several months, small tremors have been happening every seventy-two hours, and they've been progressively getting worse..." She whispered as she slowed her pace, coming to his side rather than commanding him to follow her.

"The next global tremor is due in several hours, this one we predict will be felt by more than just our monitoring equipment."

"How bad are they going to get?" S'hib questioned, concern marring his tone.

"We don't know, but what we do know is their strength is exponential... and in two weeks time they'll be strong enough to cause tsunamis, then within a month and we predict Rellulla's mantel will start to crack."

"Red sands..." S'hib muttered to himself, feeling an icy chill run up his spine before pulsating across the rest of his body.

"Red sands indeed, Commander... because If you and the others can't find a solution soon, we will have to evacuate Sequella." The priestess warned, the words sounding bitter in her throat.

He reeled at the sudden prospect of his world destroying itself while slowly turning his head, staring back up towards the Royal palace with his legs on autopilot, feeling another chill run up his spine, his mind ablaze with the nightmare scenario before him.