Training Exercise: Silent Structures

Posted on Thu Mar 5th, 2026 @ 1:01pm by Cadet Sophomore Grade Miran Lalor [Lalor] HRH & Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Reece [Reece] & Cadet Senior Grade Gérard Dirsye [Reece] & Cadet Sophomore Grade Gracelyn Shepard & Cadet Sophomore Grade Melan Aris & Cadet Sophomore Grade Marmaduke Marshal & Cadet Freshman Grade Selenoa Ravari & Civilian Nicholas Mathias & Lieutenant JG Calista Haelant & Cadet Senior Grade Triston Montgomery [Lalor] & Cadet Junior Grade Elaria Carlyle

Mission: Interlude
Location: Asphodel - Arrow Class
Timeline: While the Elysium is on transit to Teevs' home world
1928 words - 3.9 OF Standard Post Measure

The shuttle felt small.

Not cramped — it was designed well, efficient, purposeful — but small in the way a lifeboat felt small when drifting toward something vast and unknown. Calista stood just behind the cockpit threshold, one hand resting lightly against the bulkhead as the Arrow-class craft adjusted course. The low hum of its systems vibrated through the deck plating beneath her boots, steady and reassuring, a mechanical heartbeat cutting through the silence of open space.

Ahead, through the forward viewport, the station drifted into view. Dark. Too dark. It wasn’t the clean silhouette of a powered installation. No beacon lights. No navigation strobes. No warm gridwork of activity. Just a massive, irregular structure suspended against the starfield, its edges swallowed by shadow, its surface broken by jagged geometry and smooth, unnatural curves that didn’t match any standard design language she recognized.

It looked… abandoned. But not empty. The shuttle banked slightly, giving a clearer view along the station’s length. Panels were missing. Sections had collapsed inward. Entire structural ribs were exposed like bones. And yet, here and there, faint pulses of residual power crawled along the hull — slow, irregular, like nerves firing in a body that had forgotten how to move.

Calista watched it in silence. Places held echoes. Even across vacuum, even through hull plating, some structures radiated a sense of what they had once been — busy, alive, inhabited. This one felt… wrong. Not dead. Hollow. As if whatever had filled it had been removed too quickly, leaving only the imprint behind.

A soft tremor ran through the shuttle as thrusters corrected their position. The interior lights dimmed momentarily as systems compensated, casting the compartment in muted gold and shadow. Instrument panels flickered. A quiet diagnostic tone sounded and then faded. Routine. All of it routine. And yet her instincts prickled. Her gaze stayed fixed on the station.

The scale of it became clearer the closer they drew — too large for a listening post, too irregular for a freighter platform, too seamless in places to be improvised. Portions of its surface were smooth and unbroken, like poured metal. Others were layered with structures that looked added later, as if something had tried to adapt it.

Or study it. Calista’s fingers tightened slightly against the bulkhead. There. For a fraction of a second — so brief she almost dismissed it — she felt something brush the edge of her awareness. Not a mind. Not a thought. Just… presence. Faint. Fragmented. Like a signal struggling through interference. Gone before she could isolate it. She didn’t react outwardly. Didn’t speak. Didn’t break the calm, observational posture expected of her in a training scenario. But she shifted her stance, leaning forward just slightly, eyes narrowing as the shuttle closed the distance. The station loomed now, filling the viewport, its surface marked by impact scars and silent entry ports. One bay — partially collapsed — still showed faint power bleed around its perimeter. The only place on the entire structure that looked remotely functional.

The shuttle adjusted vector toward it. Metal groaned faintly over comm pickup — not from the craft, but from the station itself. A long, slow structural shift carried across vacuum through the sensors, translating into a low, almost organic sound inside the shuttle’s audio system. Like something exhaling after a long sleep. Calista’s breath slowed.

That flicker brushed her senses again. Weak. Alone. And then gone. She straightened, gaze fixed forward. “This is supposed to be a training exercise,” she murmured quietly, more to the space than to anyone in particular. Her eyes remained on the station. “…but this place isn’t empty.” She turned to the cadets behind her.

"Okay while Lieutenant Commander Reeves takes us in, I want you all to remember that this is an unexplored station. Unlike if we were in the Alpha Quadrant, the exercise would take place in one of the many abandoned space stations which have been cleared many times. We are in an Alien Galaxy, and an Alien space station is ahead of us. Which means, stay together, keep your heads up, and make sure you listen."

Nick was sitting at one of the consoles along the side of the cockpit as he said, "Like she said, this is a new part of space. Don't just try and rely upon your equipment, as they might not tell us everything. Rely upon your senses as well. Sight, hearing, smell, and the like. While we might be going in with space suits first, our sense can give us good insight into what we're seeing."

Cadet Maramaduke Marshal, known as Marms to his friends, checked the sensor readings. "I do not see any signs of active sensors or powered weapons. So, the approach should be safe."

Gérard sat at one of the science stations, going over the sensor readings they had been running of the station and the surrounding area. "Do we know anything about this station? Did Mister Teevs say anything about it?"

Calista shook her head. "No, He had no information on it, other than its been here for decades."

Miran double checked her medical kit. She had already checked it several times. She looked around at the others who were listening to the officers. "Well at least our suits will keep the majority of things out."

Calista looked at a PADD and said. "Teams will be -With Lt. Commander Nicholas Reece – Cadet Ravari, Cadet Melan and Cadet Lalor. With Mr Mathias – Cadet Carlyle, Cadet Tyrell and Cadet Sheppard. With Lieutenant JG Haelant, oh that’s me! Cadet Marshal, Cadet Montgomery and Cadet Dirsye.”

"Yes, Ma'am," said Marmaduke, running a final check on his equipment.

Aris, already suited up, had casually placed herself by the door of the shuttle. Or, at least, she thought she was looking casual. Like most of the crew, she hadn't been off Elysium in months. Elysium hadn't been slated for deep space exploration. She had applied to study here so that she'd have more opportunities to interact with different people as Elysium periodically pulled into ports.

But, of course, that wasn't what happened.

Not that there was going to be a lot of opportunities to meet new people on this very dead station, but at least it was something other than the walls of the Elysium. So, damnit if she wasn't going to be first one out the door, at least after LCDR Reece.

As everyone spoke behind him, Nicholas brought the runabout in. "Looks like we might have a usable landing bay up ahead. Stand by everyone. This might be a bit bumpy." He manipulated the flight controls without even looking at then, as if they were a part of him.

Outside, the view of the Arrow class runabout glided closer to the seemingly derelict station, then gracefully inwheeled to port, before backing into the open bay. There were several old hulls of smaller shuttles strewn about the bay. Finally, Nicholas found a spot clear enough to set them down. There was a gentle rumble through the runabout as it finally touched down and the engines powered down.

"Alright people," he said to the group. "Good news and not so good news. Good news is, we seem to have gravity aboard the station. Not so good, there no life support in this section, so we will have to go EVA until we reach a working section." He stood and looked at the cadets. "Keep an eye on your air supply. While these new suits have a longer sustainment, the CO2 scrubbers will still only have a few hours of life to them, less if you start to breath too rapidly. So, while we are out there, no one goes anywhere alone. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," answered Marmaduke, sealing and running through the standard checks for his EVA suit.

Calista checked the scans. "We will cross about 100meters before getting to an airlock. Once inside, we will, supposedly, have atmosphere."

Grace touched her suit, testing for any holes or weakness that might compromise her lifeline. Testing the latch on her helmet, she made sure her gear was ordered. Tapping her PADD, she looked up as Sele approached her. She whispered, "You'll be okay, Grace."

Grace nodded, seeing the half-Orion Vulcan hybrid approach stealthily from the side. She gulped as Sele touched her waist to ground her and replied softly, "Thanks. You got anything from the readings?"

Sele shook her head, shrugging, "Not much. Something's blocking my active scans. I'll find out more when we enter." She turned and walked towards her group.


Team 1 formed up -Lt. Commander Nicholas Reece – Cadet Ravari, Cadet Melan and Cadet Lalor. Moving first down the ramp. Their steps were cautious and their tricorders were held out scanning.

Nicholas, his specially-designed Infiltration suit activated, stepped quietly into the landing bay. Unlike the others, his face was completely obscured by the design of his helmet and face shield. If one could see inside his helmet, they would notice that, in his view, there were numerous holographic sensor readings being shown as he turned his head in any direction. He also had a small screen, to the left of his field of vision, that showed the position of the entire team, each person indicated by a small green dot. He had his phaser drawn as he continued moving forward. "Remember, phasers on stun only. Only Lieutenant Haelant and myself will have ors set to higher settings, if necessary. As you cadets haven't been through the firing ranges yet, you are not authorized to use any high settings. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Aris replied. She found it a bit odd that Reece was going in gun in hand. There were no life signs, and even if there was, was meeting it guns drawn the best way to start First Contact? But she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't about to get benched 5 minutes into things.

Team 2 - Mr Mathias – Cadet Carlyle, Cadet Tyrell and Cadet Sheppard, followed them, making sure they followed their steps just in case they hit something incorrect.

Last, Team 3 Lieutenant JG Haelant, and her cadets Cadet Marshal, Cadet Montgomery and Cadet Dirsye exit and seal up the shuttle behind them. Calista looked at the groups and grinned behind her helmet. "Okay everyone, lets go and remember where we parked!"

As they approach an airlock, their tricorders translate the letters on the wall. "Welcome to the Kheledar Research Array"

As Nicholas was the senior officer present, he went first. Scanning the door controls, he reported to the team, "the air seems to be stale, but there us a breathable atmosphere on the otherside of this airlock. Once we get inside, and our medical and science cadets can verify the air is safe, you may open your visors. Keep your helmets one, though, in case you need to quickly seal them in an emergency." He then activated the door controls and the massive airlock cycled open, the door irising open with a bit of a grinding squeak.

Stepping inside, Nicholas moved to the far end of the airlock, then waited for everyone to enter, before he started the pressurization cycle.

Mathias waved his team and said, "Follow me ladies and gents. I don't want to lose anyone on this away mission....especially a lively bunch like yourselves! We don't want to miss anything!"

TBC...