Moving Forward - Part 5
Posted on Wed Feb 18th, 2026 @ 9:40pm by Captain Daegan Baas & Lieutenant M'Tala "Hobbes" Clan Hrasi & Aseek Tarnala & Commander Jerome Hunt Jr. & Lieutenant Darius Korveth & Lieutenant Urushi Yaotome & Lieutenant Niami Troga & Lieutenant Ayumu Tanaka & Lieutenant JG Christian Rogers
Edited on on Sun Mar 1st, 2026 @ 8:31pm
1,793 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
What was Lost is Found
Location: Valhalla Lounge
Timeline: MD 6 - 1630
Kurul had watched as the official meeting broke and both groups of people began to get something to eat or drink as they talked amongst themselves. After finishing a small plate and a friendly chat with a member of the crew he refreshed his Kali-fal and pouring a second, he moved up to the officer that had requested some of his time. Rescuing him from Yuvana he hand edhim the drink. "Lieutenant Rogers wasn't it?
"Councilor Kurul," Rogers said, "Yes, I'm Lieutenant Rogers, Chief of Security. If you recall, I wanted to find some time - " he waved his hand to encompass the room - "after all this to discuss whatever information I can get on the Defiled."
"Well, we planned to return to the surface, my fellow councilors and I have much to discuss, information to gather for your Captain, and there will be many questions from our people to answer. However, I am at your disposal, 'no time like the present' I believe is the expression." Gesturing to one of the other tables away from the others.
Aseek was still looking out the window as the counselor approached. He didn't have to look back as he could see her reflection in the window. She had been helpful since his awakening. "I still see them. Every time I close my eyes their waiting for me...and your Captain is actually trying to find them."
"He has been instructed by Starfleet to find them and gain more information. Even though I do not think it is wise, I can't go against orders either." her tone was regretful She gently touched his shoulder, "They are not something one can forget. I won't be able to forget them and I wasn't down there to see them first hand." she looked towards where the others were sitting down to get something to eat.
"Do you wish something to eat or would you rather take a walk?" Niami's voice gentle and quiet.
He took a deep breath, nodding, grateful for her kindness. "I'm ok. Something to drink would be nice. Actually like to apologize to the Administrator..."
A brief touch to his shoulder, Niami nodded. "A drink does sound good," the counselor said, giving a bit of a smile. "Let's join them."
They made their way to the buffet, but Aseek stopped short and turned towards the table that the Administrator and the Lieutenant had taken. Picking up a glass, we walked over standing next to the table. "Can I have one of those?"
Kurul looked up and gestured to the empty seat. Of course, he recognized him, being the man who left the table during his story of the event of the past. As he sat, he poured the man some of the Kali-fal and watched in surprise as he slammed the whole thing.
As he watched the man cough, less than he would have thought, "You've seen them too...haven't you?"
Aseek looked from the man, then to the Lieutenant, and back. "Yes, closer than you or any of the people have."
The Chief Strategic Operations officer had been leaning against the wall, taking everything in. Absorbing what others were saying. He pushed off the wall and moved toward the group.
"My question," he said without much preamble, "is what are we going to do now with our issues? We should be planning something, not just sitting back and letting them happen to us."
Aseek looked up and over to the man who had spoken, "Did you manage to find them?"
"We've found traces of them," Darius replied, "I'm just trying to be proactive."
Commander Hunt sat back and observed, while clearing the food from his own plate. In all honesty, he had no clue that he was this hungry. The Defiled were still a top priority. A threat that needed to be eradicated before causing harm to anymore worlds.
Repeating assessment of his people's failure. "My people had projectile and explosive weapons; our energy weapons were nothing compared to yours and not anything a soldier could hold. We had nuclear devices, enough to sterilize the surface of our world, but our leaders had chosen not to use them at first. By the time the they decided they were needed it was already too late.
Kurul imagined what it must have been like to be on the battlefield as mutated hordes swept over position after position. Looking to the men around him, "Well as you recall from my earlier statement, the federation phasers your people had had little to no effect on their lower settings, those that tried to vaporize one of the creatures were dead by the time enough energy had been fired. If you intend to hunt these things down I hope your weapons are better than they used to be."
"They are," Rogers said, "but my findings are similar, that energy weapons aren't effective against these creatures. Fortunately we do have some other options at our disposal." He looked toward the Captain and XO, realizing that he hadn't received training reports from Taggart on the gauss/phaser combination weapons yet. That issue needed to be addressed. "I'd like to know more about what was effective, other than," here his scowl showed how distasteful he found the idea of nuclear weapons to be. Fortunately, technology in that area also made it so that the idea of destroying large scale areas/troops didn't also poison the entire planet for generations, negating the purpose to eradicating the enemy in the first place. "Though this may be a protracted conversation with a lot of questions on my part. Would you like to find another time when it won't ruin what the Captain hopes to be a pleasant gathering?"
Kurul looked to the others in the conversation, "I see no need for a that. Obviously antimatter worked, but wiped out everything else with it and there is the radioactive side effects to consider. The hand weapons we had at the time worked but couldn't vaporize a target before the rest of them were on top of you.
"Do your current hand weapons allow the vaporizing of a target in a single burst?"
From the edge of the conversation, plate in hand as Hobbes listened and snacked. "They can."
Turning in the direction of the voice before turning back to the others. "Well at least you have that."
Rogers didn't know the officer that spoke out of turn but his research after the facts was proving their traditional energy weapons were not very effective, if at all, against the defiled creatures. Hence his ongoing research to find ways to best eradicate the threat. "What methods, if any, did you find effective against them?" Rogers asked the councilor.
Meanwhile...
Baas looked over approvingly at the growing side bar discussion that Rogers' request had started. While the rest of the staff fielded questions from the other Councilors he made his way the Niama and gestured with his glass towards the group. "Seems like Aseek has managed to face his demons."
Niami had acquired a drink of her own, a plum colored drink which was effervecent she felt that she needed to keep her mind clear. A sip of it before she answered Baas.
"Yes in some fashion he is. Hopefully he can shed some light to them. I do worry though as to this investigation. We do need to be cautious." lifting her glass to her lips, Niami's eyes meeting his.
Picking up a bit of fruit from his plate, "Do you think it's too much too soon?"
"I am not certain as of yet, but there are emotions running high here." As her eyes scanned the room once more.
Urushi stood to one side. She was looking at the cup of coffee that she swirled in her hand. She didn't have much to add at the moment. Her mind was still working. Her eyes seemed glazed over as the coffee dropped colder and colder, her thoughts taking over. Anyone who spotted the young Trill could clearly see that she was well and truly 'zoned out'.
"Something on your mind, Lieutenant?" Ayumu asked as he may over to where Urushi had been lurking.
Urushi visible jumped as he spoke. "Oh, erm.. yeah, you could say that." She answered.
Yuvana stood at the viewport and looked down on her planet. In all her decades of life, she had never had the opportunity to see her planet from this vantage point. In a way it seemed to change a lot for her. This entire experience has changed a lot for her. It was also making her question many things - chief among them would be "who was she"? She lived her life as a proud hybrid of human and Romulan but...was that really what she was? Was she of either Federation or Romulan Empire? She leaned heavily on her cane as she continued to stare at her world with a wet sheen in her eyes. So many questions raging through her mind. She needed to know more. She needed to find clarity. She glanced across the room to find her "Mr. Security" speaking with her fellow councilor. She let her gaze roam again until it settled briefly on her other fellow councilor. A strong distaste filled her thoughts for a reason she couldn't yet understand. But she knew one thing, as she turned her attention back to the planet filling the view below her, the sudden appearance of this starship changed everything for her people.
Niami's attention was caught by someone's strong emotions, her dark eyes scanning around the room settling upon the Councilor near the opposite viewport. At first they were of passion being directed towards Rogers, then it changed to a strong dislike towards one of the other councilors. Who could it have been, Niami seeking to map the direction of her gaze, of Yuvana's gaze.
Murmuring softly to Baas, "I think we've got a situation that might be coming up." slightly nodding her head towards Yuvana.
Following the nod he saw who she was referring to; remembering her earlier statements. "Some, especially those accustomed to a certain life, have difficulty with change. We have to prove to her that we are as good as our word, and will only proceed according to their wishes."
Leaning over towards his Captain, the XO whispered so no one could hear him. "Do you think this will all work out?"
Captain Daegan Baas
CO
Commander Jerome Hunt
XO
Administrator Kurul
Settlement Leader
Aseek Tarnala
Last surviving Pricari
Lieutenant M'Tala "Hobbes"
CFCO
Lieutenant Darius Koveth
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
Lieutenant Urushi Yaotome
Chief Science Officer
Lieutenant Ayumu Tanaka
CMO
LTjg Christian Rogers
Chief Security Officer
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