Signs of Skargaran

Posted on Sun Jul 5th, 2026 @ 5:13pm by Commander Saul Whitford & Lieutenant T'Vei

834 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Lines in the Vacuum
Location: USS Frontier

::ON::

Getting up from the center chair, Whitford leaned over T'Vei's console. He frowned as he saw the sensor returns. Letting out a breath he said, 'look, the Nausicaans are stationary for now - we just need to keep an eye on them. Concentrate on the wreckage - get us some data.'

He looked over to Ridley, 'get on it as quick as you can.' Moving back to the center chair, he put his hands against the plush leather and squeezed until it squeaked. 'I wasn't aware that there were ships out in this area. A rundown will help us work out what's going on here.'

Ridley looked down at the sensors. "Sir, this area is uncharted to Starfleet and many others, as far as I am aware. But that doesn't mean someone hasn't crossed into this region. No signs of life down there, but with whatever that is in the atmosphere, it's far from natural."

"Meaning whatever has happened is not native to the planet," T'Vei considered. "As we have detected no signs of life or other structures on the surface, the logical conclusion is that the Skargaran vessel would be responsible. Investigation would be required."

"Atmospheric readings are showing signs of change," Ridley reported. "I'm no meteorologist, but I estimate in a couple of hours it may be safe for an away team to land, with EV suits of course. I'd like to volunteer for the mission," the young xenoanthropologist said, their eyes wide.

Flashing a smile at the scientist's enthusiasm, Whitford rolled his neck, stepped around the chair then sat in it again. Leaning forward he said, 'slow your roll Ridley - one thing at a time. The atmosphere down there, what's it like, and the area around the crashed vessel - what can we see?

"Right, Commander. Look before you leap," Ridley said as they began a new scan. "The atmosphere is mostly Chloromethane but is 20% Nitrogen and 15% Oxygen. It's definitely not breathable and you do not want to light a match down there. Temperatures are dropping. Currently at 430 Centigrade. At current rate of change we should see temperatures in the Skagaran ship's area within an EV suit's range by 1330."

"The vessel appears to have impacted an elevated landform upon descent," T'Vei reported from her station. "The hull shows significant damage but the vessel remains largely intact. The terrain is uneven. The closest suitable location to land a shuttlepod is 400 meters from its current position."

Ridley's station beeped an alarm. They frowned, swiveled their chair, and peered into the scope. "The ship is producing more Chloromethane. It's....I'm not sure what's producing it, Commander. There are a number of natural and artificial ways in which it's created, but not in these amounts, not by a starship."

Raising an eyebrow, Whitford looked to Ridley. 'Are our EV suits suited to filter out the chloromethane?' He looked back to the main viewer and the sight of the crashed starship belching a plume of gas into an already hostile atmosphere. There was an itch to be scratched, he decided. Not that he would be the one doing the scratching.

"Aye, Commander. The real danger it's creating is the temperature," the young scientist explained. "If another warm front comes through a landing party will have to evacuate or find a suitable shelter. There's also the risk of fire. A landing shuttlepod will have to shut off its plasma vents on entry. I advise not bringing plasma cutters and being very careful with anything metal not to create a spark."

"The EM bands phase pistols use will not ignite the chloromethane but instead will create atmospheric byproducts," T'Vei said. "They will have no impact on the Skagaran vessel, the environment, or the landing party."

'Alright,' Whitford said. 'We'll put a team together - T'Vei, you'll be in charge. Take what crew you need. I'd recommend you take enough Armory officers to cover a decent team from Science and Engineering. I want to know what that ship was doing before ... well, before whatever happened to it happened.'

"Acknowledged." The Vulcan stood and was two steps towards the turbolift doors when she caught the pleading face of Ridley. T'Vei's eyes lifted to Whitford's for a moment and then back down to the xenoanthropologist. "Ensign Ridley, report to the shuttlebay."

They abandoned their station in an instant, a broad grin upon their face. "We'll bring home a souvenir for you, Commander."

'Just make sure it's one that doesn't cause an interstellar incident,' Whitford quipped as he took the center chair again. 'We'll relay the details to the Captain, and keep an eye on you guys from here.' Acknowledging the relief officers with a nod of the head, he dismissed T'Vei and Ridley with a gesture of his hand.

=====

Commander Saul Whitford
Executive and Chief Operations Officer
Sentinel Station

Lieutenant T'Vei
Chief Armory Officer
Sentinel Station

Ensign Ash Ridley
Science Officer/Xenoanthropologist
Sentinel Station
[PNPC Lt T'Vei]

 

RSS Feed