This Side of Paradise

Posted on Wed Oct 30th, 2024 @ 2:14am by Crewman Apprentice T'Pral & Lieutenant Commander Sotra & Lieutenant Commander Melanie D'BrooNi- Haistro & Lieutenant Zhi'rev

3,146 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Rebirth
Location: U.S.S. Saratoga / Planet
Timeline: 2401-05-03, 09:45

Entering into the Shuttlebay, Crewman T'Pral quickly studied her surroundings and the assortment of shuttlecraft that were parked inside the bay. Still a relatively new member of Starfleet, the young Vulcan was more than prepared for an assignment to transport the Saratoga's away team on this mission. A graduate of the tech services academy, T'Pral had no concerns that she was the right candidate for the job.

Entering the Matthew Perry through the rear hatch, the Vulcan Crewman quickly accessed the flight controls to bring the shuttle's systems online. A Type 14 shuttle, the craft was primarily used for long-distance travel, usually in a courier role or to transport cargo. It wasn't armed, but did include advanced defensive systems and even a transport inhibitor for extreme cases. While T'Pral did not anticipate the need for such a defense on this assignment, she could not ignore the potential that it would one day be needed.

Sitting at her console, she awaited the arrival of the away team.

Excited about their mission, Zhi boarded the shuttle. As promised, he carried nothing more than a single case except that it was packed to the brim with equipment he thought he might need. He was of the mind to better have it but not need it, rather than be without and then find himself desperate for it . Looking up from calibrating his tricorder, he smiled at their pilot. "Excited about the trip?" He asked as he eased himself into a seat.

Crewman T'Pral was about to answer that she did not experience excitement when she was interrupted by the arrival of other personnel. Instead of answering, the Vulcan enlistee focused on her workstation to prepare for the departure.

Sotra was the next to board, Doctor D'BrooNi at her side as the pair discussed something that had no meaning to the others.

"Indeed Doctor. Let us endeavour to ensure this shuttle journey has a more favourable outcome than our last!"

The Trill smiled. "At least we don't have to lug my daughter around this time round," she went up to the replicator, "What size uniform is everyone?"

Zhi arched an eyebrow at her. "Why do you need our uniform size?"

"And should I be made aware of the events of your last shuttle mission?" T'Pral inquired with a lifted eyebrow.

"For your radiation suit," Mel said simply. "I also need your weight to determine your dose of meds. If there had been more time I would have got you all down in sickbay and done it from there. And the last mission we encountered the Borg on frontier day. The XO's bravery and flying ability got us safely out of that situation," she told the apprentice.

Zhi cast her a genuine look of surprise. "I don't know my size or weight," he confessed, "my uniform is simply replicated based on parameters determined by the ship's computer. I don't believe I've seen a scale since my last thorough physical. Shouldn't both be in my medical records?"

"I took the liberty of downloading the data you would require Doctor" Sotra offered the PADD she had been carrying. "I anticipated that a number of the away team may not be cognizant of their required personal parameters".

She took the seat next to the pilot, grateful that someone would be piloting while the rest of the team could change. "As soon as the team are on board signal the bridge and begin launch procedures Chief!"

The shuttle pilot looked at the mission parameters on her display console, turning toward the rest of the away team, "The assignment manifest identifies that the Chief of Security will be traveling with us to the surface for this mission. I have already completed pre-flight system checks to ensure system preparation for our assignment." The young Vulcan crewmember informed as she navigated the menus of her computer panel. As she prepared she opted not to share with the rest of the crew her whereabouts during the Frontier Day debacle that impacted the rest of the Federation. They would most likely not look upon it favourably in her view. After all, she knew that she did not.

Mel took the offered PADD impressed at the XOs initiative and started working out dosages. She needed to Chief of securities too it seemed. She also started replicating environmental suits and passing those out.

Zhi started to hoist himself into the suit, finding it extremely claustrophobic. He shot the XO a look of annoyance as he fiddled with his helmet. "Why should I be aware of my body's parameters, when the computer does?"

"We have received clearance for departure from the Bridge," Crewman T'Pral identified from the flight controls. "The Captain has shared a message that our meeting with the Sector Commander has been moved up so he has urged departure as soon as possible."

"In that case, please take us out Chief" Sotra added, "It would appear our Chief of Security may be left behind!"

"That would be most unfortunate," Zhi commented, while still struggling with the helmet. "Some help please?" He was finally forced to request.

Mel walked towards the Vulcan and gently pulled down his helmet in the correct place, locking it for him. "There your good now," she told him.

Having received the order from her commander, Crewman T'Pral accessed the flight controls and began the departure sequence. The shuttle Matthew Perry rose gently off of the deck and hovered momentarily within the Shuttlebay as the large doors slid open. Engaging the engines, the young Vulcan brought the shuttle to maximum speed through the thrusters before engaging the impulse engines as they travelled toward the planet. Navigating toward the atmosphere of the planet, the Crewman adjusted their course and speed to better support their penetration of the outer layers of the planet. Altering their pitch and yaw, she watched closely to ensure that they didn't bounce off the planet's atmosphere.

"Terminal guidance locked in," she announced as she monitored their sensor feeds. A light alarm started beeping on her panel. She reached forward and shut it off, hoping no one asked too many questions of her on this little trip.

"I would suggest we expediate donning our environment suits. We will have landfall shortly" Sotra turned to face the others, leaving the Chief to continue their descent. Once she was in her suit she would take over allowing the pilot to also equip herself.

T'Pral adjusted the course, slightly, bringing the shuttle through the cloud layer at one quarter impulse speed. The young Vulcan reviewed the inertial dampener settings as they descended, resetting the system to keep everything in place. From what she had heard of their mission she expected devastation, instead she had difficulty keeping her emotional surprise in check when she saw a rather mundane and ordinary looking meadow.

Accessing the sensors, she checked her course, "We're on approach to the landing site the Captain designated."

Sotra had already pulled on the body suit and was fixing the chest plate when she caught sight of the view.
"Fascinating!" she looked quickly to the Doctor. "Perhaps a review of the sensors may be required. It appears as though the environmental suits may not be required!"

From the Helm, T'Pral noted another alarm on her panel. Typing quickly on the auxiliary panel, the informed the rest, "Sensors are picking up some hull ionization, but that was to be expected from what the reports suggested. It means that there's some turbulence ahead, so I'm bringing the inertial dampeners to maximum."

"How is that possible from the initial briefing for the mission?" Mel asked. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure Doctor!" Sotra added.

Glancing at the sensor data, the Crewman forwarded it to Zhi'rev.

The Vulcan science chief took a moment to study the data and nodded, though the gesture was easily missed from inside his suit. "Readings showed high-energy electromagnetic radiation," he told his companions, "I recommend we take precautions as we don't want to be electrocuted along the way."

"Indeed". Again Sotra added as coolly as previous.

Surveying the area, the pilot identified the landing site. Typing on her panel, she adjusted their course directly for a meadow near an ancient looking city. "I'm bringing us in for a landing."

Adjusting their course, the shuttle pitched slightly upward as the aft section lowered toward the surface of the planet. Leveling out, the shuttle started lowering to the surface. Even with the inertial dampeners and maximum, they felt a slight jolt as they came to a stop on the surface. Powering down the engines to move them to standby status, T'Pral looked over her shoulder. In an uncharacteristic manner, for a Vulcan at least, she said, "Thank you for flying Air Saratoga. Hope you enjoy your stay on the weird planet."

Zhi chuckled at the remark as he headed for the hatch. "Well, here we go then," he remarked, "unless someone else wants to go first?" He opened the hatch, steeling himself as he stepped outside. "Well, so far so good," he reported, even though he felt the controls on his suit fizzle a little. Glancing down at his tricorder he noticed that the display glitched. "This radiation is affecting our equipment, we may have to rely on old fashioned means to explore. Paper and pen, anyone?"

Mel chuckled as she followed the Vulcan out. It would certainly be hard for her to do her job the old fashioned way with them covered in suits. She would be able to observe very little. "Or we could play charades," she said good naturedly.

A single eyebrow shot up towards Sotra's hairline at the chatter from the other members of the away team. She herself remained silent as she forged forward "Lower the docking ramp if you would Chief".

At the controls, T'Pral added, "I'll remain here at the shuttle to ensure preparation for departure, should anything occur."

Walking down the ramp and looking around just using her eyes Mel pointed. "What's that ahead? Looks like a cave. Might be worth a look. Either it will shield from the radiation or it will be a source of it."

Zhi nodded in agreement, already starting towards the caves. "Perhaps we will find clues towards a civilisation, wherever they have gone now," he added, "we should mark our passage just in case, so we can find our way back." He shrugged. "Since our equipment can't be trusted we need to resort to archaic means of navigation. I wasn't joking when I suggested paper and pen...we need to draw a map, and then perhaps later scan and upload it."

---

From the shuttle, Crewman T'Pral watched as the rest of the Away Team walked toward the cave entrance. From her seat at the flight controls she could see the entire team through the window. She would have preferred to go with them, but knew that it was better if she was inside the shuttle. This was an alien world and they would need to be able to leave in a moments notice if they had to do so. She would prefer to be ready.

As she was about to send a status report to the Saratoga she heard a low rumbling sound coming from outside of the shuttle. A second later there was a rapid alert tone from the operations controls. Moving over to the chair next to hers, T'Pral pulled up the results on the display screen. The results were not what she expected to see. A storm cell had generated nearby incredibly rapidly, far faster than it ever should have. Typing on the display screen she ran a localized scan, assuming this had all been some error. She wished it was.

Looking up at the windows she looked to see if the away team was still in view, but they weren't. She assumed that they had entered the cave, but she had no way of knowing for sure. She sighed as she activated the communications system, using the priority channel so that their communicators had to accept the message. "Matthew Perry to Away Team. We have a dangerous storm cell that just developed. Get back to the shuttle or find shelter. It's a big one!"

---

Crewman T'Pral's message broke through, but the interference was high, "Matthew Perry to... dangerous... developed. Get... the shuttle... shelter... big one!"

Zhi frowned at the garbled message and looked over his shoulder just as they entered the caves. The skies were darkening, very fast and his tricorder was showing signs of increased electricity in the air. "We aren't safe here," he announced as he quickened his step. "We need to get deeper into the caves, quickly!" He raised his voice to be heard. "Run!" He added, grabbing the nearest person by the arm and pulling him or her along as he broke into a run.

The caves below the meadow were extensive, running on for what seemed to be forever. They were an intricate maze of passages, some rather airy while others were relatively small and cramped. The whole area was dark though, with only the faintest of light exposing the surroundings as they sought shelter. In time, the away team managed to navigate through the ringed tunnels to an underground pool of water. The small lake was clear, with only a small amount of dirt and sediment floating inside. If someone tried they could see straight to the bottom, and the small fish that swam inside. While the city was devoid of life, the lake itself was teeming with it.

Coming to a halt beside the underground lake, Zhi let go of whoever he'd grabbed hold in his run. He knelt down, shining his palm light across the smooth surface. His light reflected, casting calm glitters against the ceiling. As he adjusted the angle of his light, the Vulcan could see fish of various sizes. At least, he assumed they were fish because his tricorder was yet trying to determine what exactly they were. "Commander, doctor!" He called over his shoulder at the same time as he dipped his gloved hand into the cool water, splashing it against the face plate of his helmet as he forgot momentarily he was in a very claustrophobic EV suit. "Readings show a breathable atmosphere, he reported, while at the same time reaching to take his helmet off.

Mel watched him and quickly took her own readings reconfirming that it was breathable. He had dragged her along so quickly she was still catching her breath. She forgot how quick Vulcans could be.

When he didn't pass out or show any signs of the atmosphere in there being challenging, she removed her own helmet. "I would suggest Lieutenant," she took a deep breath before adding, "not going for the water again until we have had a chance to properly analysis that.

She knelt down and looked in the pool. "So much colourful life in here but nothing it seems out there," she commented scanning as much as she could.

Shrugging fully out of his suit now that the air was safe, Zhi crouched next to the doctor. "The water looks safe," he commented, "if it weren't, could there be so much life in there? Could it be so crystal clear? The air too is devoid if any pollution down there, but where does it come from as we're pretty deep inside the cave system."

"Aw... s T'Pral. The storm... les... We may... mpt departure in fiftee... e to work fast... watching... you. T'Pral ou..."

Zhi looked up at the garbled message. "You're breaking up... please repeat," he requested, "who's watching?"

The message was still garbled, "... pick yo... p. Be... thirteen min... go?"

Zhi looked towards the XO, waiting for the formal order to return to the shuttle. In the meantime, he continued to crouch at the edge of the lake, taking as many samples as he could. If only he could catch a few of the fish...for study purposes obviously.

Within a flash of light the away team was captured in a transporter beam, bringing them aboard the shuttle as it remained amidst the tempest of a storm. The Vulcan crewman turned and looked toward the away team after they arrived, somewhat relieved even though she would try not to show it.

"I did not anticipate that would work," she said matter-of-factly. "The interference was far higher than I initially believed, yet you are somehow here."

"We were safe in the caves," Zhi retorted, visibly annoyed at being yanked away from an interesting discovery. "What you did was highly dangerous, what if your attempt had failed?"

Commander Sotra took the seat next across from the pilot, "We can discuss the risks of the transport at a later time. Lay in a return course to the Saratoga at maximum impulse."

"Yes Commander," T'Pral answered as she turned back toward her controls and programmed the course.

"I would recommend that we strap in," Sotra continued, "as we will be rapidly ascending through the atmosphere back to the vessel."

Mel was feeling disorientated. One moment she had been concentrating on getting a water sample which had ended up a small fish swimming in and the next she was stood back on the shuttle trying very hard not to pour the specimen on the floor and kill the fish. She managed to upright it again and firmly put the lid on. She wasn't planning on bringing an alien fish but now she had one she would need to replicate a suitable environment for it. She would feel awful it it died.

"We erm have an extra traveller," she said following suit and strapping herself into a chair balancing the specimen jar on her knee.

Commander Sotra looked back at the Chief Medical Officer and the stowaway that was within the specimen jar. Considering her options carefully, she turned back toward the forward console. As she did, she evenly said, "Perhaps we shall neglect to place the specimen container on the official log."

An alarm beep came from the pilot's station, "We're being hailed by the Saratoga. Audio only."

"Open channel," Sotra confirmed as the speakers came online. "Saratoga, this is the shuttlecraft Matthew Perry. We read you, over."

"God it's good to hear your voice," Captain Zseeq's voice came over the speakers. "What is your status?"

Entering a series of commands in the Operations panel, "While we have discovered the ruins of a city on the surface of the planet we were unable to find evidence of sentient life on the surface of the world. We did find an aquatic species, not unlike Terran fish, in pools within a cave system."

"Sounds like an interesting adventure. You're cleared for docking when you make it back up here. It sounds like you all have an interesting story to tell."

"Indeed," Sotra answered plainly.

 

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