Participants:
| Scene Title | S01E01 - Deliver Us - Conclusion |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | The away team arrives on the surface and encounters Nikolai. |
| Date | 29 May 2380 |
The surface of Vacca VI resembles that of the southwestern United States. Except with a copper hue to the sky. The terrain is rugged, with some foothills nearby, and mountains beyond that. The away team's shuttle sets down into the center of the main settlement. Around the area, houses built of logs, and anything else the Boraalans could find lay in blackened ruins. At the far end of the settlement in the monitoring station. Typically cloaked to appear as part of the landscape, it too is now a dull, singed metal marker to the destruction that happened.
Never how one wants to see a new planet for the first time, Callisandra is frowning as the shuttle's doors hiss opened. In light of the events of the past few hours, they are far less concerned with the Prime Directive than they were initially, and the shuttlecraft in the center of the throughfare seems an acceptable risk. When the doors are opened, she speaks to the team, holding a tricorder in hand, "Scan for any signs of humanoid life in the vicinity, or a trail to indicate where any sugh life forms might have gone."
Following the Executive Officer, the Security Chief exits cautiously, with one hand resting lightly on the hilt of a phaser. Its removed readily, once an initial check of the area showed no /immediate/ threats, and draws a tri-corder from his belt, opening it and tapping a few controls, "Aye, Aye." He glances at the display every once in a while, but seems more concerned with keeping a broad, sweeping eye on the shuttle's surroundings. "I think its needless to say I don't like the looks of this."
Any scans of the immediate vicinity would turn up nothing. Not even bodies. If there was indeed a battle, no one was left behind as evidence. Around the open areas, clothes and personal effects are littered about. A scan of the monitoring station would reveal it's completely toast. Unusable.
Clough remarks mildly, in the hushed voice that seems natural at a site of devastation even though there might be no one present who would object, "Considering we've known for several days of the ruination of the village, I wasn't expecting a welcoming party." She offers the security officer a reassuring smile. "Let's try not to assume a dire outcome for the villagers until we've more than this to base it on. They are a canny race. They survived one great disaster and have prospered since they arrived." She steps away from the shuttle and into clear visibility if any enemy should be watching, her brows drawing together as she approaches a small scattering of discarded clothing. "I hope they found what they sought," she says with distaste. She turns toward the science officer who accompanied them, nodding, "Ensign Jakovo, search the area for any subterranean features - caves, tunnels, anywhere that might provide a hiding place for villagers."
Jyden nods, "Disruptors have the unfortunate effect of nullifying such traits…" He glances to Clough, "Though… I hope this was just some fire that got out of control." He steps around some discarded things, and approaches one of the charred buildings, examining it, before looking around, and heading for any nearby higher ground to get a strategic view of the area. "If there was fighting here, it might be useful to determine how conventional it was."
The charred remains, and that's what they are, of the settlement leave little doubt that there was fighting here. The scorches look reminiscent of high energy phasers, but the signature from a tricorder scan would not find a match.
Clough strides ahead to the next cluster of personal items, responding to Jyden, "That's your department, Lieutenant. Please, feel free." She raises a hand to her combadge, tapping it once, "Galatea, if we upload information from our tricorder scans to you, can you look through the databanks and determine if the energy signatures are a match to any known race or organization?" She does not wander far from the group, keeping a fairly close eye on the ensign she assigned to scan the geography. Evidently, she is not in the habit of making 'redshirts' out of the low ranking officers.
Galatea's voice comes over Clough's combadge. "Of course, Commander."
After a few moments, Jyden finds a dusty little hill, and climbs the short incline, slipping slightly once as some dirt dislodges beneath his boot. Arriving at the top, he leans down and dusts his boot off, surveying the area… "Well… looks like someone came through here with high-energy phasers, or something like them. These people didn't have anywhere near that technology, from the reports I've read." He starts coming down the hill, "Damn strange. Did they have any enemies? Could the observation post have needed to defend themselves?"
"Establishing link to tricorders." Galatea's voice chimes. "Analyzing." There a momentary pause as she references the data. "I'm sorry, Commander. I find no match to any known weapon in the Federation database. Even beyond that to other material I have to reference." The lack of people, and the stillness of the air allow the sound of metallic clanging to be heard from the observation station.
Clough wrinkles her nose, listening to the report. "I appreciate it, Galatea. Keep looking if you would. Federation, non-Federation, supposition, whatever you can come up with." She turns once again to the sciences ensign, asking with an arched brow, "How goes the search, Ensign? I know there are caves some distance off from orbital scans, but is there anything nearby?"
Sliding to a stop at the bottom of the hill, Jyden pauses for a second, tilting his head to one side. He removes his tricorder from its holster again, scanning in the direction of the outpost. He turns his head, "Doctor Neschen, seeing as the Commander is occupied, I could use a hand investigating the outpost throughly, if you're not busy." He calls, towards the shuttle.
Elia has her tricorder out as well and she makes her way down to join Jyden, picking her way along, but clearly not afraid of getting her uniform dirty. "SOP, I'm assuming," she says quietly, pausing, tilting her head slightly to the side, eyes going distant. It seems as though she's focusing on something off in the distance, listening - or is it Listening?
The rattling in the station appears to move around the small area that it sits on. Possibly a small animal or something. Or at least that might be the thought until…*BANG* "Ow, dang it!" a voice, human at that, is heard from inside.
"The closest match I can find, Commander…" Galatea replies, "…is an unidentified alien race encountered by the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant. The encounter was so brief, there was no contact ever established. But it's not an exact match."
The ensign finishes his scans, looking up and toward the west. "Commander, there appears to be an opening consistent with cavelike formations approximately one kilometer west." He gestures with the hand not holding the tricorder. "But my tricorder won't read anything deeper than that. The caves appear to be blocking scans."
Callie receives this information with a nod. "Excellent, we won't be hiking far if we have to hike at all." She falls silent for a moment and her eyes narrow. Turning toward the station nearby, she responds to Galatea, "Thank you. Please notate the differences and similarities and send both to me. Callie out." She taps her badge again, but as Jyden has evidently decided she is intending another course of action, she simply watches him and follows a few feet distant. It isn't the mission commander's job to get smacked around by a frightened native after all. That's what the yellowshirts are for.
~ In your mind you sense, Clough, already mildly irritated at Jyden, flares with temper that she suppresses quickly. "I'd love to know how my request to scan for humanoid life missed /that/." ~
Clough's tricorder beeps as Galatea send the requested data to it.
Jyden cocks his head farther, putting his hand on his phaser, though not drawing it, "You there! Come out from your hiding place, slowly! We're Starfleet officers, we're here to help. We've brought a doctor to aid with any wounded." The security chief calls out loudly and firmly, using the fact that they happened to have the two most senior medical personnel from the ship on the planet at the moment.
And the blue shirts, apparently. Elia follows along behind Jyden, but makes for some cover. Her brows knit for a moment and she looks to her cohort, holding up one finger then tapping her temple.
At the order, the rattling stops for a moment. But the resumes, followed by some scuffing sounds as though someone was crawling through gravel. Appearing from a moderately-sized blast hole in the side of the station, Nikolai Roshenko appears. He's dirty, and clothing is torn, but he's none the worse for wear. "Finally!" he exclaims, standing up and dusting himself off. Relief flushes over his face, and thoughts. "I thought Starfleet would never show up. We were unable to activate the emergency beacon before the station was destroyed."
Clough takes a few steps closer, hands at her sides now. She studies the disheveled man, her head tilted and her dark eyes steady. "We?" she asks. Might as well fully conclude that the Prime Directive has been smashed to hell. "We set out not long after the station stopped transmitting, but I am sorry for the delay." She glances back over her shoulder toward the remains of the town. "You can fill us in on what has happened?"
Jyden's hand drifts from his phaser, and he crosses his arms of his chest, watching Roshenko for a few moments, very carefully, while the scientist speaks. He remains silent while the senior officer gets information.
Neschen glances over at Clough for a moment then back to Roshenko. There's a small, professional smile on her lips. She appears as non-threatening as they get, armed only with her medical tricorder. She's not brandishing it, yet.
"Forgive me….." Nikolai starts, squinting at Clough, "…Commander." he finishes, taking a few steps closer to the group. "I've been among the Boraalans so long, they have become my family. But none of them are aware of the stations left here to monitor us." As he glances around the settlement, a feeling of sadness settles over him. "We were attacked, without warning. Some alien species I've never seen before. They came down and started taking people without warning."
Clough's brows crease as she listens to the human. She nods slowly, her lips pressed together. Her voice is delicate when she speaks, more gentle than it was initially, "We've seen no bodies, Mr. Roshenko. Did they take all of the Boraalans and leave you behind?" Later, when we've settled at least this much, will you be able to describe your attackers and what occurred? I am curious why they chose such a remote location, and such a…primitive…race."
Jyden glances down at the ground for a moment, thinking, before adding to Cloughs inqury, "Prior to this attack, were there any unusual happenings in the area? Did you know of any strategic resources that might be used by a spacefaring race, possibly one far from home, that the Boraalans might have possessed here?"
Nikolai glances between the three officers, a bewildered expression on his face at Jyden's questions. "Nothing. It was completely out of the blue. Plus, we have nothing of value here. That's why Starfleet picked this planet to relocate them to. It matched their previous home, and nothing of value. Sure….there's some deposits of coal..but…who uses coal these days?" he asks, shaking his head. "Those who managed to escape, I led to caves that direction." His hand gestures towards the west. "After I discovered it masked sensors, I knew they would be safe there. We split into two groups. Myself leading some, and Vorlan, my student, with another group. I gave Vorlan the memory chips from the stations and instructions what to do should they be the first group rescued. It appears, that he did."
Clough nods slowly. "We were sent to the planet almost immediately upon arriving in orbit. I was aware that a group has been safely housed on the Redemption, but I have not heard the chips' analysis yet. I have no doubt they'll be very helpful." She looks west. "Are the people you led away safe? Are there injuries to see to?"
Raising one hand to rub his chin, Jyden goes back to being silent, pondering the situation. He glances up towards the sky for a second, before focusing on Nikolai.
Elia nods to Clough's question, remaining quiet for now. She does look off in the direction Nikolai gestured, head canting to the side a bit. Something isn't quite sitting well with her, for some reason. It shows on her face.
Nikolai's only concern right now is to make sure the aliens are gone. It's one of the prevalent thoughts on his mind, albeit in the back of his mind at presence. "That is a relief, Commander. Thank you for telling me." he adds, nodding. "They are safe. Two years ago, we had a group who wanted to expand out into the expanse of the planet. That settlement is just over five kilometers from here. Fortunately the aliens did not attack it. I gave the others instructions to head there, while I came back here to see what I could salvage." The whole reason the aliens probably didn't attack is that 'settlement' is only 10 people. Likely wouldn't have registered as anything major. This settlement was over 300 people.
Clough nods, "Then I would imagine the secondary settlement will be at a strain to meet the needs of half of this village. Whatever assistance we can provide, Mr. Roshenko, we will." She glances up to the sky, giving a slight shake of her head. "The aliens were present in orbit when we arrived, but they have departed. I do not know if any of the Boraalans were kept with them when they departed, but there are over one hundred on the ship presently." She gestures around, "I'd like to have a team down here to investigate the village and analyze the attack pattern and weapons signatures left. I would also like a full accounting from you and the Boraalans."
Jyden takes a steap back, glancing about the village once more. He'd have to volunteer to assist with the tactical analysis later on. For now, he says nothing.
"It will help us help you," Elia says quietly. "To do as thorough a job as we can." Her smile warms a bit. Apparently she's a people person. Ish.
"Whatever you need, Commander." Nikolai nods. Throughout the entire conversation he's never once smiled. Thoughts of this being his fault tap silently at the back of his mind. Trying to push themselves forward and make themselves known. Neschen is given a nod. "Whatever we can do to help, Commander. You'll find the Boraalans at the other settlement a little more receptive to your presence than I'm sure the ones on the ship were. While hiding, they kept asking questions. Ones I couldn't avoid answering." Of course, he's a civilian. Not bound by the Prime Directive either. It's more a suggestion to him.
Clough's lips twist, somewhere between a grimace and a smile. She nods. "Well then, we may not have quite so much to explain as we imagined." She turns back to the other two on the ground with her. Finally, something occurs to her and she does grimace. "You'll have to forgive me, Mr. Roshenko. I'm afraid I'm out of practice in leading away missions. It's been a few months. I am Commander Callisandra Clough, and with me are Lieutenant Rhiev Jyden and Lieutenant Commander Elia Neschen, the chief security and chief medical officers on the USS Redemption." Introductions finally done - ended with a sheepish smile - she looks at the doctor, "Elia, I suggest a general triage approach. There may not be injuries, but if a village of ten has been supporting a village of over one hundred for the past several days, we may find varying states of malnutrition and dehydration facing us."
"At least we can focus more on getting things done, and less on concealing our presence." Jyden says, a little mournfully (regulations and all). He turns to Clough, "If its all right with you Commander, I'd like to supervise the forensic and tactical assessment here on the ground. I'm intereasted in seeing what facts we can glean of the assailents methods and tactics."
Neschen nods to Clough, clearly agreeing. "Let's get this done," she says quietly, tucking the tricorder away, and showing professional eagerness. The sooner she gets to the patients, apparently, the better.
