Ship Team - Interesting Happenings

Posted on Mon Mar 18th, 2024 @ 8:24am by Ensign Alessandra Sheffield & Avalon [ADMIN NPC] & Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea & Lieutenant Commander Rin & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Teevs Dosivi

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: K'ithai, M Class world, Owned by the Thaih'ae
Timeline: MD9 13h00
2742 words - 5.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Previously:

At the shuttle, Naxea sat in the chair as she monitored comms. She couldn't risk anymore active scanning unless she wanted to set off some sort of security measure that was surely in place. "How are you doing, Teevs?" she asked.

The Lonian in question couldn't sit still, doing a slow pace in the back part of the shuttle's navigation area. The initial scan showed some Thaih'ea around, which kept him anxious enough. If one thing changed, if a Thaih'ea got too curious or suspicious, this entire mission could go very wrong, very fast. "I could be better, to be honest," he answered, drumming his fingers against his crossed arms.

"Come and tell me about these ships," Miraj was pressed close to the starboard windscreen, looking out over the landing field, "Which ones are Th'aih and which ones are other peoples. Which ones are fast, which ones are slow. That sort of thing."

Naxea nodded at Miraj, glad she could help Teevs relax a bit by discussing topics. It was one she was also interested in hearing but she needed to stay alert. "It'll be alright," she told Teevs. "I'm going to stroll around the parameter. Be back in a few minutes. And Miraj, try not to turn him into a Pirate," she joked as she headed for the hatch.

"Who me?" Miraj gave the colonel her best innocent face. "I'm just going to learn about ships. No going on account here."

"Suurree," she replied grinning before turning to leave.

Teevs briefly watched Naxea leave before making himself sit in the open seat near Miraj. "Well, there's..."

=== Outside ===

Outside the ship, Alessandra was edging closer to the lowered ramp. She knew they would have locked the hatch but as it was landed the ramp stayed down. She was right beside the landing padd now. Laying flat against the dirt.

Stepping out onto the landing pad, Naxea breathes in the fresh air as she took a look around, eyeing the distant lights where she could hear voices, though she couldn't make out what they were saying but she would guess normal conversation as she began her patrol, as she kept to the shadows as much as possible.

The footsteps of someone coming down the ramp had Alessandra freeze. She watched in silence as a female figure walked down and began to walk around. Her bearing was way too straight for a common being. Aless watched her and then chose to move closer to the ship, sliding up onto the landing padd but keeping herself low to the ground. She knew it was dangerous but if this person spoke Federation Standard then she had a chance.

Naxea slowed her walk as she swore she caught movement in her peripheral vision. She turned to look in the direction of the movement, her hand hovering near the collapsible baton that she carried at her waist belt. As she looked in the direction, she couldn't see anything as the landing pad beacon lighting was making it hard for her to see. Had she imagined it? She picked up her pace as kept an eye on the area where she thought she had seen movement.

Aless saw the female turn but she didn't move towards her. Which meant she had not been fully spotted. So she shuffled up to one of the boxes by the edge of the landing padd and wracked her brain for something to say. Then she smiled. If they were Federation, maybe even starfleet, they would know of Shakespeare. She looked around. No one bar the female was near so she said softly. “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.” all the while praying the Female heard her and understood the Federation Standard.

The whisper caused her to immediately draw and extend her baton as she moved cautiously in the direction of the whisper. What had that been about once more into the breach? Was it a code? Yet the phrase sounded familiar yet she couldn't recall where she had heard it before. Was it a verse from the Charge of the Light Brigade? No, that wasn't right. She kept moving closer to where she heard the whisper as her mind raced. The verse was definitely terran...and old. Didn't the human writer Shakespeare write something about a breach in one of his plays? The only ones she knew fairly well were Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. She took a guess. "Reveal yourself and what is with the Shakespeare Quote?"

Alessandra pushed herself to her feet. She stepped into the light so the female could see her. What Azhul saw was a slender, almost too slender, human female with brown hair and eyes. She wore patched pants and oversized tunic under an even bagger coat. On her wrist she wore an electronic looking gauntlet and her feet were shod in soft leather boots. "You .. speak Federation Standard. Tell me are you Starfleet? Or civilian? If.. you are here did you escape the Thaih'ea?" Many questions babbled from the woman's lips.

Naxea studied the woman as she slowly stepped closer. From her appearance, the woman was apparently a slave. "What do you know about Starfleet? And I was never a prisoner of the Thaih'ea. Who are you?"

Alessandra straightened up. Her posture moving to old parade ground form. "Ensign Alessandra Sheffield. Medical Officer. USS Archeron." She touched her pockets and pulled out an old and faded Identi chip. It was Federation standard from over a century before. She held it out, her hand shaking.

Naxea took the chip and studied it. She has only seen such items in the Starfleet Museum. "What is that on your arm?" she gestured to the electronic gauntlet on Alessandra's arm.

Aless glanced down. "Communication translator, scanner. Its a bit clunky, we ... borrowed it from the Thaih'ea.. they use it with their most trusted slaves."

"Well then, Ensign Sheffield, come aboard. Quickly," she gestured to the shuttle ramp. "By the way, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Naxea Azhul, Starfleet Marines."

Aless's eyes filled but she blinked back tears. "Thank you" She said softly as she did as ordered. "Thank you Colonel."


Naxea took look around to make sure nobody was nearby before following Ensign Sheffield up the ramp. "Everyone, meet Ensign Alessandra Sheffield," she gestured to the woman as she collapsed and stowed her baton back onto her belt. "She's an escaped slave and a Starfleet Medical Officer."

Miraj looked the apparent human up and down. "How do you know?"

"Because I know body language, she asked about Starfleet, add the fact she is underweight. Don't worry, Miraj, I'll keep an eye on her. Do we have access to Starfleet records?" Naxea asked. "Ensign, please have a seat."

Alessandra took a seat looking nervously.

Miraj gave the newcomer another uncertain look. "Not here, Colonel. We couldn't figure out how to link the computers up in time. We just took a download of the astrogation data."

Naxea nodded thoughtfully as she pulled out her Tricorder from her belt holster. It wasn't a Medical Tricorder but it would still scan and detect any major issues. "This is a standard Tricorder. I'm just scanning you," she said, turning her attention back to Sheffield.

Aless looked at it. "How many generations of tricorder is that? What year is it?"

"This is the TR-590 Mark Fourteen Tricorder," Naxea explained as it scanned Sheffield. "It's from 2391. How long have you been a slave?"

Alessandra was doing the math. "2260 I was on the Archeron. They kept me in statis for decades at a time. I.. escaped about 12 Earth months ago...2391? Thats... " she trailed off. "Are we at war with the Romulans and Klingons still?"

"Oh, you mean the current year," Naxea said looking at the woman. "The manufacturing date of the tricorder is 2391. The current date is 2398, and no we are not at war with the Klingons or Romulans. Klingons are considered our allies and the Romulans and Federation are at peace, though an uneasy peace at times. This must be hard for you, I'm sorry.". The tricorder beeped as it finished it's scan noting malnourishment and several old injuries.

Alessandra gave a slow nod as she absorbed the dates. So many years.. she knew it had been a while but over 130 years.. "I.. it is what it is" she struggled with the words. She looked at the Colonel. "I.. am guessing you are not here to rescue those from our home. I... there are more from the Milky Way here. They go every few years for more slaves and such..."

Looking at the woman, it was hard to tell her the truth of their mission. "No, our mission is to find a way back to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded here due to a Slip Stream accident that severely damaged our ship, the Elysium. We're not here to rescue slaves., though we'll bring you along with us since you've already escaped. Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

Aless's headshake was instinctual. She got out a soft "No thank you." she slowly pushed herself to her feet. "If... we can... save others.. If I can get them out... can they come too?"

"Look, I know you want to save the others but we cannot take the Thaih'ae head on. We are outnumbered and outgunned with a ship that is still heavily damaged," Naxea explained in a soft but firm tone.

Aless took a breath. She knew the tone. She remembered it. "They are experimenting on children.... i can get you in to the medical area where you can rescue them, and into the slave pits... the ones down here anyway... without them seeing." She slid some small silver disks from the small pocket on the gauntlet. "As long as you don't mind being in tunnels"

Naxea was quiet for what seemed like an eternity to her. There had been no Intel reports on children being slaves, let alone experimented on. Her thoughts went to Sle'anna. She recalled her short time as a child in a Cardassian Labor Camp. This was something she needed to report to the ground team. "Azhul to Rin," she opened the link on her communicator.

//One moment// Rin replied. Then, several seconds later. //okey, go.//

//We've discovered an escaped slave. She says her name is Ensign Sheffield, a Starfleet medical officer. She states that there are children slaves on the surface being experimented on in the medical wing. She wants to rescue them and says she can get in undetected. I think it's something that should at least be investigated.// Naxea explained, keeping her eyes on Aless.

//Getting in undetected is not the same as getting out with children undetected. Once we're detected the rest of the mission may go to hell. Are you ordering me to redirect personnel?//

There was a silence as Naxea debated with herself. The ground team already had a mission and they would need everyone to pull it off. //No, continue on with the mission. I will check out this medical facility first before making any firm decisions. Keep me updated on your progress.//

//Understood.//

While the colonel was speaking to Rin, Miraj was still watching their new acquaintance. "How did you escape?"

Alessandra looked at the female sitting there. "I had help. There is a resistance who works with other races within this galaxy, to get their people back. There was... 3 groups on this world, now there is 2. They found one of the groups a few days ago so we scattered. I have been helping them as a medic, and as a scavenger where possible."

Miraj frowned, or tried to. Between her orbital arch structure and the make-up hiding her trident, she didn't have much movement available. That answer was remarkably light on details. "Yeah, but how did you escape?"

"Via these." She held out the small silver disks. "Tunnelling tech. They create tunnels and close them off behind you as needed."

Miraj started to ask another question, but Colonel Azhul had signed off and was turning to them.

Naxea looked at Teevs. "Teevs are you aware of the Thaih'ae experimenting on children?"

Teevs had been watching the unfamiliar person, as a precaution to protect those who could get him back to safety. They seemed to trust this new person enough, but that relief was lost in the heap of tension that rested in his shoulders. "The Thaih'ea would do such things," he confirmed, glancing toward Naxea. "Children tend to be more adaptive when things happen to them. I've heard of some of the things they have done, and they leave me sick."

"They want to create slaves that can endure different environments, live longer, hence the Vulcans." Alessandra said softly. "They once brought in a Romulan but they didn't survive... they were deemed too aggressive."

The information she was hearing only angered her. It was one thing to take adults as slaves but to take children was something else entirely. She looked at Aless. "Alright, Sheffield, we'll take a look at this facility. Miraj, you and Teevs stay with the shuttle. Keep the hatch closed until I return. If you don't hear back from me within the hour, alert Commander Rin and get out of here."

This didn't seem like the original plan. Teevs was well aware of what they were here to do, and running off to check out the facility seemed too dangerous. He was about to voice his concerns when someone else spoke up first.

"Ma'am, can I have a word?" There was an agitation in Miraj's voice.

"What is it?" Naxea replied, turning to look back at Miraj.

Miraj made a somewhat constipated gesture, "In private, please?" and headed as far from the newcomer as she could get.

Naxea followed Miraj away from everyone and when they were far enough away, she asked. "I take it you still have reservations about Ensign Sheffield?"

"It all stinks, ma'am. The odds are ludicrous. Someone just wanders up to a relatevely local ship, populated with people that look like a species native to this galaxy, to find they're really people from her own galaxy? How did she know? No-one was shouting. And her story doesn't add up. She just escaped? Then she wants to get you away to rescue others, who miraculously become children being tortured when you refuse the first time. It smells like week old fish, ma'am. I know I don't know anything about being a spy like Lieutenant Rin, or being a marine, but I do know about piracy, and this doesn't make sense."

Miraj's gaze flitted between the two women as she tried to keep her voice low. "Look, they go to another galaxy for slaves. That means they've either got technology as good as teleportation, at which point, they out class us technically so badly there's is no way we can succeed, or,"

"Or," Miraj continued, "Slaves are so valuable, that they make a decades long trip there and back worth it. Raiders and pirates need to make money. One might escape, yes. But there's not going to be three groups in one place trying to steal from you for very long at all. You don't hang around when there are people trying to steal your cargo. You either relocate, which the Thai'iah haven't done, or you give no quarter, and scupper and drown every last ship and every last swab that opposes you. Then you get back your exceedingly valuable cargo that you gave up decades of your life to acquire. You don't let them wander about right under your bowsprit."

"I am only scouting the building, Miraj. I am not going to endanger the mission," Naxea replied. "Besides, this will allow us to get a better idea of their technology."

Miraj was looking particularly distraught now. "Just.." her brain pointed out the ridiculous notion of telling marine to be careful. Naxea could break half the crew with her pinky, and the other half with a well placed raised eyebrow. "If she's what she says she is, I'll be...surprised."

"I'll be careful," Naxea replied, with a grin, placing a reassuring hand on Miraj's should before turning towards Alessandra.

"Let's go, Ensign Sheffield," Naxea replied gesturing to the hatch.

Aless nodded and stood and headed for the hatch, holding the small silver disks in her hand as she moved to the exit. They would get people out of here... free... This was good.

OFF