Shuttle Team - Reunification

Posted on Sat Apr 20th, 2024 @ 10:09am by Ensign Alessandra Sheffield & Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Lieutenant JG Jonathon DeLaney & Teevs Dosivi

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: Shuttle, Planetside
Timeline: MD9 12h00
1237 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Aless ignored Naxea and Jonathon as she secured the five pods and checked their vitals. "They are in perfect stasis" she said over her shoulder as the door closed, alerting the group in the cockpit that they were back.

As John watched Aless efficiently secure the pods and check their vitals, a nagging doubt crept into his mind. The surroundings felt all too real—the sleek design of the ship, the advanced technology at their fingertips—it was eerily reminiscent of Starfleet vessels, if not slightly more advanced.

With a furrowed brow, John couldn't help but voice his growing uncertainty. "Is all this... real?" he mused aloud, his voice barely above a whisper. He reached out to touch the smooth surface of a nearby console, half expecting it to dissolve beneath his fingertips like a mirage. But to his surprise, it felt solid and tangible, grounding him in a reality that he couldn't quite comprehend.

As the door closed behind them, signalling their return, John's senses were overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the ship. The hum of the engines, the soft glow of the control panels—it all felt too vivid to be a hallucination. Could it be possible that he was truly free, aboard a ship bound for salvation?

Lost in his thoughts, John followed Aless with a sense of cautious optimism, his skepticism slowly giving way to the possibility that this might indeed be real. But deep down, a lingering doubt remained, whispering in the recesses of his mind, reminding him to tread carefully in this uncertain new world.

Miraj clattered down the stairs in a rush, "Colonel Azhul? Is everyone okay? There was an explosion, air traffic's going nuts. Was that you? Or someone else? Are the away team okay?"

"Yeah, that was me. We have five stasis pods with children in them and we picked up a Starfleet Engineer named John Delaney," Naxea replied. "I know I said I was just going in for a look, but I couldn't stand by and allow children to be experimented on."

"So you stole their stuff, and blew up something so they have to come and sniff about whilst we have to sit here for at least another five hours instead of escaping immediately?" The words slipped out before Miraj cold moderate her tone appropriately for a senior officer. "Does nobody around here know how to pirate properly?"

"Calm down, Miraj," Naxea said taking a seat. "We made it look like the pods were destroyed and there is no evidence of us having been there. By time they figure out what really happened, we will be long gone."

John’s brow furrowed in concern as he addressed Naxea, Aless and the pink-haired woman. “Why aren’t we leaving immediately?” he questioned, his voice tinged with urgency. “They’ll be on us soon, and we’ll be sitting ducks if we stick around here. I agree with… her,” he gestured towards the pink-haired woman, “we need to get out of here before we’re discovered.”

Despite his lingering doubts and apprehensions, John knew that their best chance at survival lay in swift action. The longer they lingered, the greater the risk of detection and recapture. He looked to Naxea and the pink-haired woman, silently urging them to take heed of the impending threat and act decisively in their escape plan.

Alessandra however sat down beside the pods. She took a breath as the discussion was had. She knew, having seen the team leave, that there were others on the planet. "The Tunnel Tech is not trackable." she said softly.

*And we're not leaving until the other team returns from the station and arena. Try to relax and grab something to eat," Naxea informed Josh before opening a canteen and taking a long drink of water.

Grumbling, "Relax? All I've been doing is sitting around in my cell for the past few years, being poked, prodded, and tested on. Why don't you relax?" John's frustration seeped through his words as he spoke. He said nothing about the discontent amongst the crew; perhaps Starfleet's recruitment standards had dropped, which might actually work in his favour. After all, he wasn't exactly the off-the-shelf officer.

He retreated back, distancing himself from the conversation, and approached Aless. "So you're not with them?" he asked, realising he had assumed she was part of their crew.

Aless shook her head. "No. I escaped from the Thaih'ea over a year ago. There is a resistance movement on the planet but they are not very useful. I was out scavenging for food when I heard Federation Standard. I have a translator chip implanted in the back of my head but i dont need it to hear my birth tongue."

Naxea approached Miraj. "Let's keep an eye on the traffic and comms in the area." She turned to Alessandra. "Keep an eye on those pods."

Teevs stayed out of the way for the most part and watched the door as the group entered the shuttle. As the cultural expert, there wasn't much for him to do aside from providing information to keep the Elysium people alive. "Can I assist in monitoring communications?"

"Sure Teevs," Naxea said. "You know this ship best." She then made her way to a seat in the crew area to take take a seat and relax.

With a nod, Teevs followed Miraj to the front of the shuttle, taking a seat at one of the stations to start monitoring comms. The male newcomer looked a bit overwhelmed, so he decided to wait on introducing himself, let the man's own species talk to him.

Alessandra was tired but she pushed herself as she had for the past year to maintain vigilance. She stood up from where she had sagged to the ground and began checking the pods again. She brought up the information on the strange looking data device. "All hybrids" She said softly. Though she knew her voice carried. "Some races I know. Others I do not. Vulcan, Human.. Betazoid... that's the planet of telepaths who was petitioning for membership in the Federation,... their delegation was headed to Earth on the Hiawatha.. Big deal about them on the holonet..." she looked at Naxea. "Did they get in?"

Naxea nodded . "Yes they did. They were accepted into the Federation in 2273 and are a key member of the Federation."

Aless nodded. "Two more races I do not know. Bajoran, Car..cardassian."

Naxea chuckled. "I'm Bajoran. As for Cardassians, feel fortunate that you do not know them. Their species will stab you in the back and look for a reason to go to war in a heartbeat. Mix the deviousness of a Romulans and the blood lust of a Klingon, with a big dose of a superiority complex and you have the Cardassians.". She paused before letting out a sigh. "My half brother is half Bajoran, half Cardassian," she said softly.

Aless looked at her. "It sounds like both races must be a bit alike for such genetic meshing to be possible." She shrugged "Sorry, medical officer."

"That's where any similarities between our species ends," Naxea said.

Sensors in the cockpit suddenly light up. There was an explosion on the arena station.

The alarms from the cockpit caught Naxea's attention. "Miraj, what's going on?"

OFF

OOC:
Children: 2 – One Human Vulcan hybrid, and one Cardassian/Bajoran Hybrid
Infants: 3 – One Betazoid/Human, two human Vulcan hybrids