Vacation a la Shan - part 1

Posted on Tue Dec 21st, 2021 @ 3:35pm by

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Timeline: 4 months before she joined the crew
1315 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Shan had been very busy over the past 4 months. Upon their rescue she, had been assigned to make sure all the now departed Chief of Science's personal belongings were passed onto her beneficiaries. It had been an interesting exercise. The Lieutenant, had, had a number of charities listed and her home in Italy was being converted into a combined orphanage/school. Then, there had been delivering her personal items to selected people. This included a number of recordings to her former CO on the Arcadia. And the man had taken them soberly and asked about Chrys manner of death. And he had, organised for his ship to return to Earth for the funeral.

Shan, had attended the funeral and had been pleasantly surprised to see the Captain of the Acadia and his senior staff there.

Shan, had not stayed for the wake, choosing to leave before. She had requested time to go on a dig. And it had been granted by Chrys before her death.

So, she had boarded a transport. It was a sleek transport, and it had been ‘hired’ for the mission to the distant world of Kirrti. Several scientists and engineers were going. A 3 month dig would be a wonderful break from her current posting and she was, looking forward to it. It had been several years since the planet had been discovered, and it was, they all knew to be a dead world, but one that prior to the demise of its citizens had held, it was said, a rich culture. One, Shanyrria was definitely looking forward to exploring.

She had packed lightly and carried only what she needed. And as she took her berth on the transport, she noted that her room was a solo room. The Varlarian smiled at that, she liked having her own space.

She dropped her duffel on the bed and grinned. 3 months on a dig. Just what she wanted and needed. She could write a paper,maybe this time she would finish it?

Maybe, Hopefully. Sitting down, she settled in for the trip.

--

2 weeks later she stood breathing the air on Kirrti. M-class barely. With more desert rather than water, she noted. And it was, she could tell, a well put together dig.

She and several others were assigned tents and Shan quickly dropped her gear and headed out to the site. It was going to be hard dirty work but she was going to enjoy it.

And it was. She worked in shifts, sometimes the early morning shift, and sometimes the late afternoon shifts, as during the heat of the day, it was extremely hot and too hot for them to dig.

(timeline: 1.2 months into the 4 month period)

It was late one evening, on her 5th week on the dig, when she was cataloguing in the discovery tent when she heard the sound of a shuttle coming in to land. Pushing back from the table she glanced at the other in the tent with her. Doctor Tallis Varis, was a joined Trill woman of middle age and she was the lead archaeologist on the dig. And the Trill had a frown on her face.

“Not expecting a transport?” Shan asked curiously

“No.” came the short reply.

Shan nodded and pulled her phaser out of her bag and held it by her side as she stood and walked out of the tent.

Varis followed her and together they watched a clunky shuttle touchdown on the Dig’s shuttle padd area.

Around them, the rest of the team, which in total included 25 beings, came out of tents and the undercover area they used as their mess hall. Some were visibly armed. Others not so.

Over the years it had been necessary for people to make sure they were armed on such distant dig sites. Security was hard to maintain and without constant starfleet ships flowing through the area, security was in the hands of the diggers.

Tallis Varis stepped to the front of the group, the other leads moving to flank her.

Shan dropped to the back of the group. She found herself standing beside a very young looking woman, with long brown hair and brown eyes. The woman however stood with the confidence of a field soldier and was the dig’s main mechanic and one of the better archaeologists. Varis had told Shan that the woman they knew as Glade, had a PHD from the Vulcan Science Academy in Archaeology and they were lucky to have her. Glade was visibly armed and Shan knew that she also had a few knives secreted around her person. Shan looked at Glade and said “What do you think?” in a low voice, using Vulcan, which both women understood.

“Trouble” Came the soft reply. “Big trouble. That shuttle is Orion in make.”

Shan gritted her teeth.

“Don’t worry,” Came Glade’s calm tone as she moved into the middle of the group. “Varis asked me to take precautions.”

Shan frowned. Precautions? What precautions?

Her answer came moments later as 5 male Orions marched down the shuttles ramp and headed in their direction. As soon as the leader stepped off the PADD, he was thrown backwards when he hit a force field.

Shan grinned at that. Glade had definitely taken precautions.

Varis stepped forward and crossed her arms. She addressed the group, as they struggled to lift their leader back onto his feet. “You are not welcome here. And I would not get any ideas about trying to go around the forcefield. It encompases the entire dig. I suggest you leave”

The leader staggered on his feet and snarled. “No.” he replied as his team drew their weapons. “You will drop your forcefield and surrender to us.”

“Not likely” Glade muttered moving to stand behind Varis.

Varis merely smiled. “No.” She replied back. “You will leave.” She glanced at Glade. “You sent the message?”

“Yes Doctor.” Came Glade’s reply. “Nearest Starfleet vessel is the USS Hathaway and it is about 5 hours out. But they are going to up their speed.”

Varis nodded and turned back to the Orions. “There is nothing for you here. Leave.”

All 5 raised their phaser rifles and began to fire.

Dig members screamed and ducked but Glade and Varis stood firm. They neither flinched nor ducked. Shan had flinched and had been knocked to the ground as another digger, their holophotorapher, scrambled for safety.

The phaser rifles did not penetrate the force field. . Glad grinned almost evilly, a look out of place on her young face. “Keep it up. All you are doing is increasing the field’s strength. Morons.Must be a male thing.” she added in a mutter.

Shan pushed herself up onto her feet and studied the 5 Orions outside the barrier as they stopped firing. “How long?” she asked softly moving to stand behind Glade.

“Oh they just powered it for another 10 hours or so.” Glade said flippantly. “More than enough time really if the Hathaway is delayed”

There were curses and yells on the far side of the shield. But they didn't leave.

Varis gathered her people, and ordered a watch, sending people to their tents to sleep.

Glade took the first watch, and Shan, curious about the until now very silent woman, volunteered to join her. They stood in silence watching the five men test the field from all angles while others slept.

“So, you are pretty good at this sort of stuff?” Shan asked curiously.

“I have training in it.” Came the vague reply.

“How?” came Shan’s curious response. “Sorry but you barely look old enough to be out of school.”

Glade smiled at that “I am 157” she replied. “El-Aurian”

Shan paused and nodded. “Ah” She said and moved to watch as one brought out a shovel. “Uh.. how deep does the field go?”

“3 meters below.” replied Glade as she watched them. “Happy digging boys.”

TBC...