Distant memories

Posted on Thu May 23rd, 2019 @ 8:34am by Lieutenant Colonel Azhul Naxea

Mission: Episode 1: Hell is a four letter word
Location: Shuttlecraft Cairo
Timeline: Before the Elysium left DS9
909 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure

The bajoran woman donning a blue/black orbital skydiving suit and fully enclosed helmet stared at the curvature on Bajor from high orbit as it peered at her through the rear exit of a shuttle. Gravity and air were normal due to the forcefield in place. It was a place she once called home and now it seemed foreign to her--so much had changed since she was last on Bajor last.

"Captain Azhul, you're cleared to jump, ma'am," the ensign in the shuttle's pilot's seat stated.

Naxea turned to face the ensign and nodded. "Thank you, ensign. Drop the field on my mark," she replied before turning back to face the rear exit of the shuttle and Bajor that laid beyond it. The launch was a dangerous one that only experienced jumpers would even dare to attempt--it was a running start, dropping the forcefield at the last moment. The end result was being propelled towards the planet at much more significant speed than a normal jump.

Naxea sprinted hard towards the rear exit. "Mark!" The forcefield dropped a foot before she reached the end of the shuttle, timing her push off at the same time the vacuum of space sucked her out of the shuttle, she swept her arms down to her side and legs together as she sped towards Bajor. The HUD in her helmet displayed her speed, altitude from Bajor, and her trajectory. The suit's cooling system kicked in soon as the friction on entering Bajor's atmosphere began to heat her suit up. She tapped a control on the suit's belt, activating a forcefield to protect her from the heat of reentry. She was wishing she had donned a Starfleet Orbital Suit as it was able to handle more heat and had a stronger shield system as well as plates that aided in dissipating the heat. Sweat began to bead on her forehead as she continued to pass into Bajor's atmosphere, pushing the suit's systems to their limit as she kept her form streamlined and plummeting head first towards Bajor. A moment later, a warning went off on her Helmet's HUD indicating she was bypassing the suit's limits with the shield system in danger of failing. 'Come on. Only five kilometers to go,' she thought to herself as she felt her speed increase with every moment with her.

As she exited into the mid stratosphere, surrounded by thick clouds and passing 1770 kph in speed. The G-Forces of the dive were now taking hold and playing havoc on her suit and body as the suit automatically tightened to keep blood rushing to her head. A moment later, she passed throughs the clouds as they revealed a beautiful, sunset as the sun's rays cast rays of light from as it slid down behind the Kothas Mountains in Dahkur Providence. Her HUD now flashed a warning indicating she had reached terminal velocity as she grunted in short, sharp breaths in order to stay off the effects of the G forces.

She spread her arms and legs out to slow her decent as the G-forces died off. She blinked as she realized she was off course--the winds in the area had picked up unexpectedly. Below her were several houses, flanked by fields and what seemed to be pastures--farms, she concluded as she shifted her weight slightly to try to change her course. She was now below 5000 feet. 'Shit," she thought, knowing she was quickly running out of time. At 3000 feet, she slapped her chute release button located on her shoulder harness. As the chute deployed, her body was yanked upwards violently as it fought to slow her decent.

Naxea fought the winds that were coming out of the west at 26 knots. Despite her efforts, she found herself fast closing in on small wooden structure resembling a terran chicken coop. "Aw hell," she managed to say as her body slammed into the structure, shattering it into pieces, sending small chicken-like animals scattering, along with straw and wood.

"What in the name of the prophets is that racket?" an irritated voice belonging to an older man explained as she rushed to the scene.

Naxea moaned as she stared up at the darkening sky. "Ok, that's gonna leave a mark," she groaned, removing her helmet.

"You destroyed my coop! Who do you think you..." the older man's face went from anger to surprise as he recognized Naxea. "Naxea?"

"Oh, greetings, Mr. Jessel," Naxea said, embarrassed as she struggled to stand. Jessel had been the one to take care of her after her mother had been imprisoned by the Cardassians during the Occupation. "I thought I would drop in. I'm sorry for your coop."

Jessel shook his head and chuckled. "Next time, pick a lake or a pond to land in--it will be easier on you."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, before hugging the man who returned her embrace.

"So, what brings you by?" Jessel asked, taking a few steps back.

"I've been assigned to the USS Elysium as it's Marine Detachment Commander," Naxea explained. "And I had some time before I have to report in tomorrow. Couldn't come to Deep Space Nine without paying a visit to you. "I'll help you rebuild the coop."

The older man smiled. "Sure, but first, come inside. Mira would love to see you and she's cooking a big pot of Hasperat Stew."

"That sounds great," Naxea admitted. "It's been years since I've had Hasperat Stew."