Starship Reykjavík – Chasing Shadows
- Thread starter Gibraltar
- Start date
* * *
DeSilva had left the Operations station in the hands of her deputy and now sat next to Ensign Garrett at the upper bridge level’s Science console. Glal stood between them, thick arms folded across his barrel-like chest as he studied their displays.
“Here’s Awantear’s warp signature,” Garrett pointed out, jabbing an index finger at her monitor. “You can see the pattern degradation starting here, sir, which is indicative that she was traveling at high warp towards the Bryma system.”
“And here,” DeSilva broke in, “are four other warp signatures from four distinct craft, on roughly parallel courses to that of Awantear, leading from the trade corridor towards the same system. Based on the decay pattern of these warp trails, it appears that they likely arrived at the Bryma system at roughly the same time.”
Glal frowned, scratching absently at his thick, thatch-like beard. “And we’re certain this system wasn’t listed on Awantear’s itinerary?”
“Yes, sir. Their layover prior to this was at Suilkail VI, where they dropped supplies at a Min’raur agricultural station. Their next listed stop was supposed to have been the Federation colony on Salva II, then they were to return to Krythos Station. This little side trip has thrown them completely off schedule.”
He glanced between the two women. “Are we thinking piracy? Perhaps someone’s seized the freighter and is rendezvousing with others to clean them out?”
DeSilva and Garrett exchanged a look before the lieutenant answered. “It’s possible, Commander. However, the area is pretty thick with Cardassian military ships flexing their authority. Not exactly the kind of environment that’s conducive to piracy.”
Glal grunted in agreement, adding, “Especially with the Cardassians opening all those labor camps in their territory over the past few years. Pirates would fit right in with all the political prisoners they’ve rounded up recently.”
“What about smuggling?” Lieutenant Jarrod interjected from his post at the nearby standing Tactical station. “That wouldn’t be out of character for a Xepolite trade ship, would it?”
Glal turned to favor the younger man with an appreciative look. “Yes, I think that’s more likely. They’re probably going off course to pick up or drop off something illicit before their return to Krythos.”
“Trying to get something past the Cardassians, sir?” Garrett asked.
“Them, or the customs officers back at Krythos,” Glal elaborated. “If all your smuggling occurs between your scheduled stops and away from your home port, you don’t risk fines or penalties from the customs officials.”
DeSilva nodded in agreement. “The personnel in Krythos Station ops didn’t seem that worried about Awantear running late. Perhaps it’s a common occurrence?”
Glal gestured to the display. “What about these other four ships we’ve detected? Can you determine ID’s on any of them?”
“Give me just a moment, sir…” Garrett called up a pattern recognition subroutine and began filtering the data through it, her hands dancing across the console interface with admirable speed.
“There’s an eighty-four percent probability this ship here is Orion, and a seventy-one percent probability that this one is Alshain. The other two trails have overlapped to such a degree that the computer can’t separate and isolate the individual signatures.”
“Alshain?” Glal said in surprise. “We’re a long way from the Exarchate. I can’t remember the last time I ran across one of their ships this far coreward.”
DeSilva’s eyes narrowed at this oddity. “Didn’t the Tellarites have some dealings with the Exarchate back when they were a major player in the quadrant, sir?”
“A few,” he conceded, “none of them good. As my people were expanding their influence, the Alshain were already a waning power. There was some opportunistic piracy on their part, and given that the Alshain were involved, some… well, I don’t suppose you can call it cannibalism, strictly speaking…”
DeSilva gave a dour grunt, intuiting the ghastly implications of his anecdote. “Understood, sir.”
Glal cast a glance towards the hatch leading to the ready room. “I’d better go update the captain,” he said as he moved towards the door. “DeSilva, you have the conn.”
“Aye, sir,” DeSilva replied, “I have the conn.”
Garrett stared with unabashed shock at the Operations officer seated next to her, murmuring, “The Alshain ate Tellarites?”
Glal stepped through into the ready room and the instant the doors hissed closed, DeSilva whispered, just loudly enough for Garrett to hear, “They’re lupanoids, basically giant bipedal space wolves. They eat whatever they like, sentient or not. The Gorn aren’t the only hyper-predatory species in the quadrant, Ensign.”
Garrett just looked at her, dumbfounded. Despite being only a few months out of the academy, she had already seen her share of horrors, but it seemed the galaxy kept finding new and ever more disturbing ways to shock her.
DeSilva stood and patted the younger officer’s shoulder before heading for the captain’s chair. “Good work, Mister Garrett.”
* * *
“Approaching Bryma II orbital insertion point, Captain,” Naifeh announced from the Helm station.
“Acknowledged,” Trujillo replied. She had her swing-arm console interface pulled up into her lap and was scrolling through a number of sensor readouts. “Ops, any sign of those other four vessels whose trails we detected?”
“Negative, sir, just the Xepolite transport in geosynchronous orbit around the planet,” DeSilva answered.
Trujillo turned her chair to face the Science station on the bridge’s upper ring. “Ensign, any signs of impulse trails that might suggest where they went?”
Garrett shook her head, saying, “No, sir. Impulse trails decay much more quickly than warp transit traces, and there’s nothing detectable in system.”
“Yet nothing that suggests they departed, sir,” Jarrod offered from the Tactical station. “Which means if they’re still here, they’re hiding and doing a damned fine job of it.”
“But why?” Glal interjected from an auxiliary station on the upper level. “It’s not as if we have any jurisdiction out this far. Even if they are smuggling, it isn't any of our business.”
“Old habits, probably,” Trujillo theorized. “There’s enough smuggling and piracy out here that they see us in our shiny starship with our uniforms and move to keep their heads down. Awantear’s almost certainly carrying contraband cargo in addition to its passengers, and this is a remote enough system to make it a good low-visibility transfer point.”
“Entering orbit now, Captain,” Naifeh advised.
“Helm, set a matching orbital pattern that’ll bring us right alongside Awantear at twenty kilometers separation. Slow approach, bring us in at five-hundred kph.” Trujillo looked to Jarrod. “Weaps, launch a flight of five Class-I probes. Have them initiate a search pattern of Bryma II and its moons, then fan out to encompass the nearest planets in the system. I want to know where those other ships have holed up.”
“Aye, sir.”
Trujillo then shot a mischievous look at Glal. “Now, let’s see how cooperative the Xepolites want to be.”
He smiled back, his tusks quivering with amusement. “If they’re up to no good, they’ll want us gone as quickly as possible. We’d be bad for business, especially if they have buyers hiding nearby.”
“Ops, open a channel to Awantear.”
“Aye, sir. Channel open. You’ll be on with Ship’sMaster Yahvid.”
Trujillo stood, tugging her uniform tunic from the bottom to tease out any wrinkles. “Starship Reykjavík to trade vessel Awantear, please respond.”
Ship’sMaster Kimar Yahvid appeared on the screen. He was a vaguely reptilian looking humanoid with a greenish, armored-looking shell-mask formed over his facial features, exposing only eyes and mouth. Reddish hair flowed from behind the organic mask-like growth, hair which had been intricately stylized and woven into a dreadlock-style pattern, the individual braids bejeweled with precious stones.
The freighter captain’s posture suggested annoyance and more than a bit of suspicion.
“Federation vessel, we are in neutral territory, and our cargo certifications and licenses are in order. By what authority do you seek to stop us?”
Trujillo held up her hands with fingers spread and thumbs interlocked, a Xepolite gesture of peaceful intent that she remembered from a long-ago intra-species cultural course at the academy.
“Ship’sMaster, I am Captain Trujillo of the Federation starship Reykjavík. I apologize if our presence has alarmed you. We are not here to interfere with your business in any way. We’ve been looking for your ship for the better part of two days. Krythos Station reported you as being overdue and not responding to their hails, and we decided to initiate a search for you.”
Yahvid appeared skeptical. “You are searching for us simply out of the goodness of your spirits?”
Trujillo favored him with an ‘oh-come-on’ expression of incredulity. “Ship’sMaster, I’ve researched your credentials; you’ve been hauling people and cargo around the quadrant long enough to know that Starfleet regularly engages in such gestures of goodwill.”
Yahvid shrugged his shoulders, his species’ version of a nod. “That is so, indisputably. However, no search or rescue is needed here and now. On my authority, we are depositing the Bajoran migrants onboard to the surface where they wish to establish a colony.”
“Here?” Trujillo inquired, clearly dubious. “On a barely Class-M planet so close to Cardassian claimed territory? I would think they would wish to be well away from here before trying to set down roots. We’d heard you were transporting them to refugee centers in the Raois Cluster.”
The Xepolite captain tilted his head back in what almost seemed a gesture of defiance. “I raised the same point with them, but their leaders were insistent. There are remnants of an abandoned city on the surface, and the Bajora seem to believe that these ruins can furnish them with building materials for establishing a settlement here. Also, we and they share concerns about what might happen to them upon disembarking in the cluster. There has been a growing Orion presence in the region, and the chances of refugees without the means to defend themselves falling prey to slaver gangs is unfortunately high.”
Trujillo cocked her head in turn, conceding the point. “So be it. Do they require any relief supplies?”
“I am sure any assistance you might offer would be gratefully accepted, Captain,” Yahvid answered somberly. “They have very little, save their dignity. I will arrange to transport whatever supplies you can spare to my ship, and we will shuttle them down to the settlement along with their people once their advance party has completed their survey of the city’s remains.”
“I’ll send a party down to the surface. We’ll be able to make a far better assessment of their needs if we can meet with them in person.”
“That really isn’t necessary, Captain,” Yahvid replied, irritation creeping back into his voice.
“I insist,” Trujillo said with a saccharine smile.
“Very well,” Yavhid said, yielding reluctantly. “I will transmit coordinates.”
“Thank you, Ship’sMaster. You’ve been very helpful. Reykjavík, out.”
Trujillo reached back to her chair’s armrest and toggled the channel closed. She looked around the bridge at her senior officers. “Was that just me or did that feel… wrong?”
“They are definitely up to something, sir,” Glal answered.
“I agree,” Trujillo affirmed. “XO, form a landing party with extra security. Take rifles, but keep them hidden, I don’t want to spook the Bajora or give the Xepolites any reason to think we suspect them of anything.”
“Other than the fact that we’re here sticking our noses into their business and sending a team to the surface against their wishes, sir?” Glal offered glibly.
Trujillo managed not to roll her eyes, but only just. “Other than that, yes.”
* * *
Bryma II was listed in Starfleet star-charts as a marginally Class-M planet, a world that’s best life-bearing epochs were far behind it.
The air was breathable, though the oxygen content was low, and Dr. Bennett had prepared the away team with injections of Tri-Ox. Without it, their breathing would have become labored with even marginal physical exertion.
It was cold, approximately five degrees Celsius, and their collective breath rose as steam until blustery gusts of wind snatched it away. The group had rematerialized some hundreds of meters from what had been the outer perimeter of an ancient city.
They were clad in bulky away mission excursion jackets, with phaser pistols tucked into easily accessible front pockets to avoid alarming the Bajoran refugees. Jarrod and his two security specialists were also armed with compact phasers rifles secured on slings beneath their jackets, their collapsable buttstocks folded.
The crumbling ruins of a long-dead city spread out before them, the sagging monotanium skeletons of towers that had once reached more than a kilometer into the sky. Federation archeologists had scoured the site decades earlier as Starfleet assessed the planet’s suitability as a prospective colony location. The city’s age had been estimated to be somewhere in the vicinity of five-hundred thousand years, and it had been abandoned suddenly because of the planet’s abrupt climatic and atmospheric changes.
Those same changes had left the world nearly lifeless, with only a small percentage of the flora and fauna managing to adapt to the new, much less friendly environment. The only vegetation visible in this region were stunted trees with sickly yellow leaves and thorny, dusty looking pale green plants dotting the greyish clay-like soil.
Starfleet had ultimately decided that the planet was sufficiently hostile to life that it would have required decades of terraforming intervention to make it habitable to most Federation member species and the colonization plans were abandoned.
Glal, Dr. Bennett, Jarrod, Garrett and two of Jarrod’s security division turned slowly to assess their surroundings, squinting as wind-blown dust and grit pelted their unprotected faces.
Bennett spat to clear his mouth as he cupped a hand over his eyes to shield them. “This look like a good place for a refugee camp to you, Commander?” he called to Glal.
Glal waited to respond until he had fished a pair of goggles out of a pocket of his jacket and fitted them over his eyes. “Point taken, Doctor,” he graveled.
Three boxy, aging Xepolite shuttles were parked nearby, each guarded by a rifle-toting crewman. One of these men was asleep on the rear entry ramp of his shuttle, while the other two circled their charges slowly, eyeing the Starfleet contingent suspiciously.
The rest of the away team donned goggles of their own, then advanced through the occluding wall of blowing dust and sand which had suddenly kicked up from the desolate flatlands to their relative east.
They approached the shuttles, and one of the Xepolite guards stepped forward to meet them.
“Where are the Bajora?” Glal called over the intermittent roar of wind gusts.
The guard merely pointed toward the city, his eyes invisible behind mirrored goggles.
“How far?” Glal asked.
The guard gestured again towards the city but said nothing.
“You’ve been tremendously helpful,” Glal noted acidly, turning back to the others. “Onward,” he said loudly, setting off in the indicated direction with the rest of his team in tow.
* * *
They plod along through what had once been broad avenues between towering structures, the visibility rising and falling with each gust of dust-laden wind.
Garrett squinted at her tricorder’s display screen, barely visible through the increasingly dense dust storm.
The team had called the ship and requested filtration masks be beamed down to them, so they were no longer forced to contend with the choking dust and sand. Communications with the ship had been scratchy, and the transport had taken almost twice as long as normal for the items to fully materialize. The electromagnetic interference from the storm would likely get worse, Garrett informed them, as a storm front was quickly approaching that would make the current unpleasantness pale in comparison.
They continued on into the city, led by the faint life signs detected on Garrett’s tricorder.
“Lifeforms ahead,” Garrett advised after a few moments, her voice slightly distorted by the comms-pickup in her facemask.
Shadowy figures appeared out of the gloom as they approached, humanoids in environment suits that were only recognizable as Xepolites when the Starfleeters came within a few meters of them.
One among them, the leader, presumably, gave the Starfleet contingent a cursory inspection. “Welcome. I’m surprised to see representatives from the Federation here, but if the captain permitted you surface access you must have the latinum for it. The others are already here, and we’ll explain the ground rules in a few moments.”
The Xepolite turned and gestured towards a structure looming above them that had failed to register on Garrett’s tricorder. “You’re welcome to wait inside the hospitality pod. We have food and refreshments.”
Glal hesitated for a moment, then gestured for the others to follow him up the ramp into the landing pod’s interior.
The group passed through a static barrier at the top of the ramp which tingled mildly as it swept the particulates from their hair and clothing.
They emerged into luxuriant opulence, a large lounge-like waiting area with couches lining the bulkheads. The compartment was tastefully decorated with exotic tapestries, statuary, and impressive holographic art. A low table in the center was burdened with all manner of food and drink, exotic delicacies and liquors from across the quadrant.
Glal pulled down his mask, sniffing the air and finding the smell and oxygen content to his liking. He pulled off his goggles as well, turning a full circle to examine their surroundings as he stuffed his protective gear into his field jacket’s ample pockets.
A man sat opposite them; a glass of amber fluid held in one hand. He was clearly Romulan, dressed in military fatigues, the kind of sturdy garb a foot soldier might wear into battle on a planetary surface. He wore no rank insignia, but the two Romulan centurions armed with rifles flanking him suggested he was someone of importance.
The Romulan had a narrow, pinched face and intense eyes, and Glal’s decades of experience told him that whoever this man was, he was both capable and dangerous. Given that the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire had not had dealings for the better part of a decade, it was surprising to see Romulans in the flesh outside their own borders.
Nearby sat a large, green Orion male, clad in similarly durable clothing, whose fingers were decorated with ornate rings. He balanced a small plate of hors d’oeuvres on his lap, and Glal noted the menacing Lurian plasma rifle resting against the couch next to the man.
Glal reached for his hand-held communicator, only to see Jarrod flipping his own open to the trilling sound of the null-function alert. The security officer fiddled with the device’s settings, only to receive the same alarm. He shook his head at Glal and gestured to his emergency transponder, a small metallic box affixed to the left side of his field jacket at chest level.
Glal nodded, and Jarrod activated the transponder as casually as he could.
A towering Alshain suddenly appeared from an adjoining compartment, and Glal heard Garrett’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of the imposing creature. The large, bipedal canid wore only padded bands around its elbows and knees, having eschewed the typically ornate clothing worn by its species in nearly all social settings. Whatever this individual was about to engage in, it appeared ready to do so au natural.
Garrett stepped over to Glal, her attention now fixed on her tricorder display. “Commander, this craft is shielded against subspace communications, and even if it wasn’t, I doubt we could punch a signal through that atmospheric soup out there.”
Jarrod directed his two subordinates to take up position between the away team and the other occupants of the pod and then joined Glal and Garrett.
“Whatever’s going on here doesn’t seem to have anything to do with helping the Bajora establish a settlement, sir,” Jarrod assessed.
Glal pursed his lips beneath his thatch-like beard as his tusks twitched with anxious anticipation. “None of this makes any sense. If these beings are here to bid on contraband cargo, why do it right next to where you're settling impoverished refugees?"
Dr. Bennett had appeared content to merely observe the pod and its occupants up to this point, but now he turned to face Glal with an expression that could have frozen plasma. In an urgent whisper he demanded, “I need access to the Bajorans immediately, Commander. If they’ve been exposed to the elements out there without protective clothing and equipment for any length of time, they’re almost certainly in medical distress.”
Bennett made an all-encompassing gesture to include the other occupants of the hospitality pod. “This is either some form of sadistic entertainment at the expense of desperate refugees, or something even more terrible is going on here.”
Garrett looked up from her tricorder and glanced between the men. “I don’t understand, sir. Are these more of the freighter’s passengers?” She looked around, her expression puzzled.
“No, Ensign,” Glal responded in a low voice. “My guess is that these people were aboard the other four ships we suspect arrived in the system along with the Xepolites.”
“Greetings all!” a raised voice exclaimed, cutting short their conversation as everyone in the compartment turned in unison to see a striking female Orion dressed in a gorgeous kimono-like garment woven from what must have been Tholian silk.
Her long, curly black hair was threaded through with gold strands that complimented her shimmering shift and her dark green skin.
“Welcome to Bryma II. We greatly appreciate your patience and your tolerating the less-than-ideal environment for this occasion.”
She was stunningly beautiful and radiated a powerful charisma that was reinforced by the eroginizing pheromones that had such a mesmerizing effect on the male gender of so many humanoid species.
“However, this inclement weather also enhances the challenge of our contest, ensuring this evening’s hunt will be one for the ages!”
“Hunt?” Garrett whispered the question hoarsely, her eyes wild with dawning horror.
“The Bajorans,” Dr. Bennett confirmed in an equally low tone, his voice tight with derision. “These people have paid a fortune to hunt refugees.”
* * *
DeSilva had left the Operations station in the hands of her deputy and now sat next to Ensign Garrett at the upper bridge level’s Science console. Glal stood between them, thick arms folded across his barrel-like chest as he studied their displays.
“Here’s Awantear’s warp signature,” Garrett pointed out, jabbing an index finger at her monitor. “You can see the pattern degradation starting here, sir, which is indicative that she was traveling at high warp towards the Bryma system.”
“And here,” DeSilva broke in, “are four other warp signatures from four distinct craft, on roughly parallel courses to that of Awantear, leading from the trade corridor towards the same system. Based on the decay pattern of these warp trails, it appears that they likely arrived at the Bryma system at roughly the same time.”
Glal frowned, scratching absently at his thick, thatch-like beard. “And we’re certain this system wasn’t listed on Awantear’s itinerary?”
“Yes, sir. Their layover prior to this was at Suilkail VI, where they dropped supplies at a Min’raur agricultural station. Their next listed stop was supposed to have been the Federation colony on Salva II, then they were to return to Krythos Station. This little side trip has thrown them completely off schedule.”
He glanced between the two women. “Are we thinking piracy? Perhaps someone’s seized the freighter and is rendezvousing with others to clean them out?”
DeSilva and Garrett exchanged a look before the lieutenant answered. “It’s possible, Commander. However, the area is pretty thick with Cardassian military ships flexing their authority. Not exactly the kind of environment that’s conducive to piracy.”
Glal grunted in agreement, adding, “Especially with the Cardassians opening all those labor camps in their territory over the past few years. Pirates would fit right in with all the political prisoners they’ve rounded up recently.”
“What about smuggling?” Lieutenant Jarrod interjected from his post at the nearby standing Tactical station. “That wouldn’t be out of character for a Xepolite trade ship, would it?”
Glal turned to favor the younger man with an appreciative look. “Yes, I think that’s more likely. They’re probably going off course to pick up or drop off something illicit before their return to Krythos.”
“Trying to get something past the Cardassians, sir?” Garrett asked.
“Them, or the customs officers back at Krythos,” Glal elaborated. “If all your smuggling occurs between your scheduled stops and away from your home port, you don’t risk fines or penalties from the customs officials.”
DeSilva nodded in agreement. “The personnel in Krythos Station ops didn’t seem that worried about Awantear running late. Perhaps it’s a common occurrence?”
Glal gestured to the display. “What about these other four ships we’ve detected? Can you determine ID’s on any of them?”
“Give me just a moment, sir…” Garrett called up a pattern recognition subroutine and began filtering the data through it, her hands dancing across the console interface with admirable speed.
“There’s an eighty-four percent probability this ship here is Orion, and a seventy-one percent probability that this one is Alshain. The other two trails have overlapped to such a degree that the computer can’t separate and isolate the individual signatures.”
“Alshain?” Glal said in surprise. “We’re a long way from the Exarchate. I can’t remember the last time I ran across one of their ships this far coreward.”
DeSilva’s eyes narrowed at this oddity. “Didn’t the Tellarites have some dealings with the Exarchate back when they were a major player in the quadrant, sir?”
“A few,” he conceded, “none of them good. As my people were expanding their influence, the Alshain were already a waning power. There was some opportunistic piracy on their part, and given that the Alshain were involved, some… well, I don’t suppose you can call it cannibalism, strictly speaking…”
DeSilva gave a dour grunt, intuiting the ghastly implications of his anecdote. “Understood, sir.”
Glal cast a glance towards the hatch leading to the ready room. “I’d better go update the captain,” he said as he moved towards the door. “DeSilva, you have the conn.”
“Aye, sir,” DeSilva replied, “I have the conn.”
Garrett stared with unabashed shock at the Operations officer seated next to her, murmuring, “The Alshain ate Tellarites?”
Glal stepped through into the ready room and the instant the doors hissed closed, DeSilva whispered, just loudly enough for Garrett to hear, “They’re lupanoids, basically giant bipedal space wolves. They eat whatever they like, sentient or not. The Gorn aren’t the only hyper-predatory species in the quadrant, Ensign.”
Garrett just looked at her, dumbfounded. Despite being only a few months out of the academy, she had already seen her share of horrors, but it seemed the galaxy kept finding new and ever more disturbing ways to shock her.
DeSilva stood and patted the younger officer’s shoulder before heading for the captain’s chair. “Good work, Mister Garrett.”
* * *
“Approaching Bryma II orbital insertion point, Captain,” Naifeh announced from the Helm station.
“Acknowledged,” Trujillo replied. She had her swing-arm console interface pulled up into her lap and was scrolling through a number of sensor readouts. “Ops, any sign of those other four vessels whose trails we detected?”
“Negative, sir, just the Xepolite transport in geosynchronous orbit around the planet,” DeSilva answered.
Trujillo turned her chair to face the Science station on the bridge’s upper ring. “Ensign, any signs of impulse trails that might suggest where they went?”
Garrett shook her head, saying, “No, sir. Impulse trails decay much more quickly than warp transit traces, and there’s nothing detectable in system.”
“Yet nothing that suggests they departed, sir,” Jarrod offered from the Tactical station. “Which means if they’re still here, they’re hiding and doing a damned fine job of it.”
“But why?” Glal interjected from an auxiliary station on the upper level. “It’s not as if we have any jurisdiction out this far. Even if they are smuggling, it isn't any of our business.”
“Old habits, probably,” Trujillo theorized. “There’s enough smuggling and piracy out here that they see us in our shiny starship with our uniforms and move to keep their heads down. Awantear’s almost certainly carrying contraband cargo in addition to its passengers, and this is a remote enough system to make it a good low-visibility transfer point.”
“Entering orbit now, Captain,” Naifeh advised.
“Helm, set a matching orbital pattern that’ll bring us right alongside Awantear at twenty kilometers separation. Slow approach, bring us in at five-hundred kph.” Trujillo looked to Jarrod. “Weaps, launch a flight of five Class-I probes. Have them initiate a search pattern of Bryma II and its moons, then fan out to encompass the nearest planets in the system. I want to know where those other ships have holed up.”
“Aye, sir.”
Trujillo then shot a mischievous look at Glal. “Now, let’s see how cooperative the Xepolites want to be.”
He smiled back, his tusks quivering with amusement. “If they’re up to no good, they’ll want us gone as quickly as possible. We’d be bad for business, especially if they have buyers hiding nearby.”
“Ops, open a channel to Awantear.”
“Aye, sir. Channel open. You’ll be on with Ship’sMaster Yahvid.”
Trujillo stood, tugging her uniform tunic from the bottom to tease out any wrinkles. “Starship Reykjavík to trade vessel Awantear, please respond.”
Ship’sMaster Kimar Yahvid appeared on the screen. He was a vaguely reptilian looking humanoid with a greenish, armored-looking shell-mask formed over his facial features, exposing only eyes and mouth. Reddish hair flowed from behind the organic mask-like growth, hair which had been intricately stylized and woven into a dreadlock-style pattern, the individual braids bejeweled with precious stones.
The freighter captain’s posture suggested annoyance and more than a bit of suspicion.
“Federation vessel, we are in neutral territory, and our cargo certifications and licenses are in order. By what authority do you seek to stop us?”
Trujillo held up her hands with fingers spread and thumbs interlocked, a Xepolite gesture of peaceful intent that she remembered from a long-ago intra-species cultural course at the academy.
“Ship’sMaster, I am Captain Trujillo of the Federation starship Reykjavík. I apologize if our presence has alarmed you. We are not here to interfere with your business in any way. We’ve been looking for your ship for the better part of two days. Krythos Station reported you as being overdue and not responding to their hails, and we decided to initiate a search for you.”
Yahvid appeared skeptical. “You are searching for us simply out of the goodness of your spirits?”
Trujillo favored him with an ‘oh-come-on’ expression of incredulity. “Ship’sMaster, I’ve researched your credentials; you’ve been hauling people and cargo around the quadrant long enough to know that Starfleet regularly engages in such gestures of goodwill.”
Yahvid shrugged his shoulders, his species’ version of a nod. “That is so, indisputably. However, no search or rescue is needed here and now. On my authority, we are depositing the Bajoran migrants onboard to the surface where they wish to establish a colony.”
“Here?” Trujillo inquired, clearly dubious. “On a barely Class-M planet so close to Cardassian claimed territory? I would think they would wish to be well away from here before trying to set down roots. We’d heard you were transporting them to refugee centers in the Raois Cluster.”
The Xepolite captain tilted his head back in what almost seemed a gesture of defiance. “I raised the same point with them, but their leaders were insistent. There are remnants of an abandoned city on the surface, and the Bajora seem to believe that these ruins can furnish them with building materials for establishing a settlement here. Also, we and they share concerns about what might happen to them upon disembarking in the cluster. There has been a growing Orion presence in the region, and the chances of refugees without the means to defend themselves falling prey to slaver gangs is unfortunately high.”
Trujillo cocked her head in turn, conceding the point. “So be it. Do they require any relief supplies?”
“I am sure any assistance you might offer would be gratefully accepted, Captain,” Yahvid answered somberly. “They have very little, save their dignity. I will arrange to transport whatever supplies you can spare to my ship, and we will shuttle them down to the settlement along with their people once their advance party has completed their survey of the city’s remains.”
“I’ll send a party down to the surface. We’ll be able to make a far better assessment of their needs if we can meet with them in person.”
“That really isn’t necessary, Captain,” Yahvid replied, irritation creeping back into his voice.
“I insist,” Trujillo said with a saccharine smile.
“Very well,” Yavhid said, yielding reluctantly. “I will transmit coordinates.”
“Thank you, Ship’sMaster. You’ve been very helpful. Reykjavík, out.”
Trujillo reached back to her chair’s armrest and toggled the channel closed. She looked around the bridge at her senior officers. “Was that just me or did that feel… wrong?”
“They are definitely up to something, sir,” Glal answered.
“I agree,” Trujillo affirmed. “XO, form a landing party with extra security. Take rifles, but keep them hidden, I don’t want to spook the Bajora or give the Xepolites any reason to think we suspect them of anything.”
“Other than the fact that we’re here sticking our noses into their business and sending a team to the surface against their wishes, sir?” Glal offered glibly.
Trujillo managed not to roll her eyes, but only just. “Other than that, yes.”
* * *
Bryma II was listed in Starfleet star-charts as a marginally Class-M planet, a world that’s best life-bearing epochs were far behind it.
The air was breathable, though the oxygen content was low, and Dr. Bennett had prepared the away team with injections of Tri-Ox. Without it, their breathing would have become labored with even marginal physical exertion.
It was cold, approximately five degrees Celsius, and their collective breath rose as steam until blustery gusts of wind snatched it away. The group had rematerialized some hundreds of meters from what had been the outer perimeter of an ancient city.
They were clad in bulky away mission excursion jackets, with phaser pistols tucked into easily accessible front pockets to avoid alarming the Bajoran refugees. Jarrod and his two security specialists were also armed with compact phasers rifles secured on slings beneath their jackets, their collapsable buttstocks folded.
The crumbling ruins of a long-dead city spread out before them, the sagging monotanium skeletons of towers that had once reached more than a kilometer into the sky. Federation archeologists had scoured the site decades earlier as Starfleet assessed the planet’s suitability as a prospective colony location. The city’s age had been estimated to be somewhere in the vicinity of five-hundred thousand years, and it had been abandoned suddenly because of the planet’s abrupt climatic and atmospheric changes.
Those same changes had left the world nearly lifeless, with only a small percentage of the flora and fauna managing to adapt to the new, much less friendly environment. The only vegetation visible in this region were stunted trees with sickly yellow leaves and thorny, dusty looking pale green plants dotting the greyish clay-like soil.
Starfleet had ultimately decided that the planet was sufficiently hostile to life that it would have required decades of terraforming intervention to make it habitable to most Federation member species and the colonization plans were abandoned.
Glal, Dr. Bennett, Jarrod, Garrett and two of Jarrod’s security division turned slowly to assess their surroundings, squinting as wind-blown dust and grit pelted their unprotected faces.
Bennett spat to clear his mouth as he cupped a hand over his eyes to shield them. “This look like a good place for a refugee camp to you, Commander?” he called to Glal.
Glal waited to respond until he had fished a pair of goggles out of a pocket of his jacket and fitted them over his eyes. “Point taken, Doctor,” he graveled.
Three boxy, aging Xepolite shuttles were parked nearby, each guarded by a rifle-toting crewman. One of these men was asleep on the rear entry ramp of his shuttle, while the other two circled their charges slowly, eyeing the Starfleet contingent suspiciously.
The rest of the away team donned goggles of their own, then advanced through the occluding wall of blowing dust and sand which had suddenly kicked up from the desolate flatlands to their relative east.
They approached the shuttles, and one of the Xepolite guards stepped forward to meet them.
“Where are the Bajora?” Glal called over the intermittent roar of wind gusts.
The guard merely pointed toward the city, his eyes invisible behind mirrored goggles.
“How far?” Glal asked.
The guard gestured again towards the city but said nothing.
“You’ve been tremendously helpful,” Glal noted acidly, turning back to the others. “Onward,” he said loudly, setting off in the indicated direction with the rest of his team in tow.
* * *
They plod along through what had once been broad avenues between towering structures, the visibility rising and falling with each gust of dust-laden wind.
Garrett squinted at her tricorder’s display screen, barely visible through the increasingly dense dust storm.
The team had called the ship and requested filtration masks be beamed down to them, so they were no longer forced to contend with the choking dust and sand. Communications with the ship had been scratchy, and the transport had taken almost twice as long as normal for the items to fully materialize. The electromagnetic interference from the storm would likely get worse, Garrett informed them, as a storm front was quickly approaching that would make the current unpleasantness pale in comparison.
They continued on into the city, led by the faint life signs detected on Garrett’s tricorder.
“Lifeforms ahead,” Garrett advised after a few moments, her voice slightly distorted by the comms-pickup in her facemask.
Shadowy figures appeared out of the gloom as they approached, humanoids in environment suits that were only recognizable as Xepolites when the Starfleeters came within a few meters of them.
One among them, the leader, presumably, gave the Starfleet contingent a cursory inspection. “Welcome. I’m surprised to see representatives from the Federation here, but if the captain permitted you surface access you must have the latinum for it. The others are already here, and we’ll explain the ground rules in a few moments.”
The Xepolite turned and gestured towards a structure looming above them that had failed to register on Garrett’s tricorder. “You’re welcome to wait inside the hospitality pod. We have food and refreshments.”
Glal hesitated for a moment, then gestured for the others to follow him up the ramp into the landing pod’s interior.
The group passed through a static barrier at the top of the ramp which tingled mildly as it swept the particulates from their hair and clothing.
They emerged into luxuriant opulence, a large lounge-like waiting area with couches lining the bulkheads. The compartment was tastefully decorated with exotic tapestries, statuary, and impressive holographic art. A low table in the center was burdened with all manner of food and drink, exotic delicacies and liquors from across the quadrant.
Glal pulled down his mask, sniffing the air and finding the smell and oxygen content to his liking. He pulled off his goggles as well, turning a full circle to examine their surroundings as he stuffed his protective gear into his field jacket’s ample pockets.
A man sat opposite them; a glass of amber fluid held in one hand. He was clearly Romulan, dressed in military fatigues, the kind of sturdy garb a foot soldier might wear into battle on a planetary surface. He wore no rank insignia, but the two Romulan centurions armed with rifles flanking him suggested he was someone of importance.
The Romulan had a narrow, pinched face and intense eyes, and Glal’s decades of experience told him that whoever this man was, he was both capable and dangerous. Given that the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire had not had dealings for the better part of a decade, it was surprising to see Romulans in the flesh outside their own borders.
Nearby sat a large, green Orion male, clad in similarly durable clothing, whose fingers were decorated with ornate rings. He balanced a small plate of hors d’oeuvres on his lap, and Glal noted the menacing Lurian plasma rifle resting against the couch next to the man.
Glal reached for his hand-held communicator, only to see Jarrod flipping his own open to the trilling sound of the null-function alert. The security officer fiddled with the device’s settings, only to receive the same alarm. He shook his head at Glal and gestured to his emergency transponder, a small metallic box affixed to the left side of his field jacket at chest level.
Glal nodded, and Jarrod activated the transponder as casually as he could.
A towering Alshain suddenly appeared from an adjoining compartment, and Glal heard Garrett’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of the imposing creature. The large, bipedal canid wore only padded bands around its elbows and knees, having eschewed the typically ornate clothing worn by its species in nearly all social settings. Whatever this individual was about to engage in, it appeared ready to do so au natural.
Garrett stepped over to Glal, her attention now fixed on her tricorder display. “Commander, this craft is shielded against subspace communications, and even if it wasn’t, I doubt we could punch a signal through that atmospheric soup out there.”
Jarrod directed his two subordinates to take up position between the away team and the other occupants of the pod and then joined Glal and Garrett.
“Whatever’s going on here doesn’t seem to have anything to do with helping the Bajora establish a settlement, sir,” Jarrod assessed.
Glal pursed his lips beneath his thatch-like beard as his tusks twitched with anxious anticipation. “None of this makes any sense. If these beings are here to bid on contraband cargo, why do it right next to where you're settling impoverished refugees?"
Dr. Bennett had appeared content to merely observe the pod and its occupants up to this point, but now he turned to face Glal with an expression that could have frozen plasma. In an urgent whisper he demanded, “I need access to the Bajorans immediately, Commander. If they’ve been exposed to the elements out there without protective clothing and equipment for any length of time, they’re almost certainly in medical distress.”
Bennett made an all-encompassing gesture to include the other occupants of the hospitality pod. “This is either some form of sadistic entertainment at the expense of desperate refugees, or something even more terrible is going on here.”
Garrett looked up from her tricorder and glanced between the men. “I don’t understand, sir. Are these more of the freighter’s passengers?” She looked around, her expression puzzled.
“No, Ensign,” Glal responded in a low voice. “My guess is that these people were aboard the other four ships we suspect arrived in the system along with the Xepolites.”
“Greetings all!” a raised voice exclaimed, cutting short their conversation as everyone in the compartment turned in unison to see a striking female Orion dressed in a gorgeous kimono-like garment woven from what must have been Tholian silk.
Her long, curly black hair was threaded through with gold strands that complimented her shimmering shift and her dark green skin.
“Welcome to Bryma II. We greatly appreciate your patience and your tolerating the less-than-ideal environment for this occasion.”
She was stunningly beautiful and radiated a powerful charisma that was reinforced by the eroginizing pheromones that had such a mesmerizing effect on the male gender of so many humanoid species.
“However, this inclement weather also enhances the challenge of our contest, ensuring this evening’s hunt will be one for the ages!”
“Hunt?” Garrett whispered the question hoarsely, her eyes wild with dawning horror.
“The Bajorans,” Dr. Bennett confirmed in an equally low tone, his voice tight with derision. “These people have paid a fortune to hunt refugees.”
* * *
Ooohh - really filthy, vile, disgusting villainy... Going to be some delicious comeuppance in the offing. And I'm sure there will be quite a bit of offing...
Thanks!! rbs
Thanks!! rbs
