Landing Party: Team Kane

Posted on Fri Apr 15th, 2022 @ 10:50pm by Commodore Jacob Kane & Lieutenant Commander Savin & Lieutenant Commander Michael Ki & Lieutenant Didrea Zade & Lieutenant Commander P’rel M.D & Lieutenant Xavier Leiko & Ensign George Paxton

Mission: Ares Ascending
Location: Rondac Orbital Base
Timeline: MD-02 - 1230hrs
1540 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

The 7-person landing party materialised in a darkened section of the old Cardassian-built facility. The air was cold, stale, and altogether somewhat creepy. In theory the place hadn't been touched since the Dominion War years before, but there was an immediate tension and sense that the station had been active recently. Whether there remained people there - or threats of any kind - remained to be seen.

"Let's take a look around. Don't stray too far," Kane noted.

Savin nodded, barely able to see the captain speak. "I would prefer that someone remains close," he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the commanding officer for the moment. "Jerant did not feel up to coming with us, and my PADD is impractical while on a mission." He turned his head towards Leiko. "How is your telepathy?" He asked, not unkindly. "Would you be able to warn me if necessary?"

"I am not your aide," Xavier replied bluntly, the reminder about his lack of telepathic senses weighing heavily on his mind. "If you can't manage you should return to the ship." He wondered why the Captain required the need for a counsellor on this mission, but that was Kane's call, he was here to do a job and he was going to do just that. He pulled out his tricorder and started taking scans, whilst keeping one hand on the handle of his phaser; something about this place felt... off.

"No, you are not my aide," Savin confirmed pleasantly, "nor did I ask you to be. I merely asked if you would be able to warn me if necessary. Nothing more."

Zade heard the conversation and approached the two, making sure she was within Savin's line of sight. To try and help visually, she turned on her flashlight to a less blinding setting and aimed the beam at her face, namely at her mouth. "I'm not telepathic, but if you're ok with touch I can tap your shoulder to alert you, counselor," she offered, adjusting the light so she wouldn't blind herself. The angle of the light cast long shadows onto the upper half of her face, the perfect angle for stories told around a campfire.

Savin took an involuntary step back as he was confronted with the eerie visual of the security chief aiming the flashlight at her own face. "That is acceptable," he answered after a short pause to recollect himself. "Thank you."

Taking her first step forward after materialising, P’rel was instantly taken back over 20 years; the feel of the floor, the calibration of the gravity, Cardassian columns and arches and pillars all perfectly ordered in the architecture albeit somewhat dimmer and dirtier than her last time on this world. Drawing her phaser, she flatly ignored the engagement protocols and thumbed the setting up to a very heavy stun; if she did have to shoot someone she wasn’t going to be messing about when she did so. The accuracy of Vulcan memories was useful, as she stepped over to Kane and activated her wrist beacon; pointing the beam of light down towards an open archway the long corridor beyond became faintly illuminated. “Captain”, she said, indicating the direction of travel. She stepped forwards, the phaser levelled right to her eyes and pointing directly ahead.

Kane nodded silently, his own weapon in hand. He motioned Lieutenant Zade forward; the security officer being the best person to have at the front of the group. It was clear life support was still minimally functioning, whether as a result of being left deliberately that way or just from systems having powered down over time. It wasn't yet apparent, and that itself was unnerving. There was nothing more concerning than the unknown.

"See about getting some power on to this section if you can," he suggested to Paxton and Leiko.

Speaking quietly into Kane’s ear, P’rel was aware that her thumb had found the firing stud of her phaser. “Cardassian design is extremely utilitarian, life support wouldn’t be left on without any remaining life to support….” She looked back to the other two officers who Kane was seemingly leaving behind. Not classified, but still not particularly well known commonly, P’rel returned her eyes to the Captain; “Remember Empok Nor?” She asked quietly.

Savin positioned himself somewhere in the middle of the group, so he could see where they were going, and those behind him were able to warn him if should that be needed. He wasn't exactly sure why he was here, and he knew Xavier did have a point... He was visibly uncomfortable in the semi-darkness, as he studied the readings on his medical tricorder. He was, however, grateful for the security chief's presence, and her offer to warn if necessary. "I am picking up lifesigns," he suddenly reported, "I cannot tell how many, but they are faint." He looked up. "Very faint sir."

Ki stood next to Captain and for a moment thought he may have just been there to patch up the inevitable wounded. However, when Savin reported the discovery of life signs. He cocked and eyebrow and took out his own tricorder, as he scanned he immediately saw what Savin did. The wheels in his head spun quickly connecting the dots between the lifesigns and what P'rel had said. "It is possible that they are faint because they are in stasis. It could also be living bio matter that is not sentient. To be honest it could be anything. I recommend we search them out but proceed with caution."

"We've very little to go on," Kane nodded. "Stay on your guard. Assume hostile intent from anything that's not one of our people." He glanced over his shoulder. "How is that power coming?"

"It's a work in progress," Xavier replied from his station next to Paxton. They had removed one of the hatches that led to the power conduit and Xavier was currently trying to angle himself inside. Cardassians didn't quite build things with comfort in mind, they were very pragmatic with their designs, so trying to restore power without lights was proving problematic. Xavier was lying flat on his back, tricorder in one hand and a hypospanner in another when he heard a voice. It wasn't out loud and it wasn't quite words, not that he could tell, but it was defiantly something, a feeling maybe? "Did you hear that?" He asked George, knowing the human's answer before he received it.

"Hear what, sir?" George replied, having not heard anything other than their crewmate's voices. He said a small prayer that everything would continue to go smoothly. The facility wasn't too small, but the darkness pervaded the space like liquid filling lungs. George felt as if they were drowning in the blackness as he tried to reconnect cables in his panel.

Phaser in hand, Zade had moved forward at Kane's silent request and positioned herself so she could still see the group. Without the aid of the occasional beam of light, the team members were more like three-dimensional shadows to her, with individual features blurred by the dim lighting. She already didn't like walking into something blind, both metaphorically and almost literally, so she was listening to the surrounding conversation while checking their surroundings to take in as much as she could, keeping her footfalls near-silent to help. The tension in the room felt heavy and still, as if waiting for the group to do something.

His eyes fixed on the readings coming from his tricorder, Savin slowly kept walking, and failed to notice the chief medical officer's hypothesis. He only seemed to glance up now and then to make sure he didn't walk into anything. He wasn't aware of the captain's words either, thus failed to acknowledge them.

Looking around to keep tabs on the team, Zade noticed that the silhouette she recognized as Savin was starting to stray from the group. Using her own wrist beacon, she aimed the light at his knees and gave it a little shake to try and get his attention. If he was looking at a tricorder, hopefully he'd see the wiggling light in his peripheral vision.

Savin did notice the odd light pattern and stopped to turn and look back. There wasn't much to see for him beyond shadows and lights, but he waited anyway. Anything said, was completely lost because he couldn't see anyone speak even at the slight distance they were now apart.

Michael punched in some commands into his tricorder and focused in on where these life signs came from. "Sir, it seems that the life is in the central core. They are not strong but they are steady and holding. Which means that they are either in stasis or they are not phased by anything. We should start to make our way there as quick as possible."

"Understood. Doctor Ki and Lieutenant P'rel, with me. We'll check these life signs. Lieutenant Zade, grab Lt Commander Savin and drag him back to the rest of the group while the others get power on," Kane said, now annoyed at even having brought the hapless counsellor with them on this particular leg of the mission. "Check in every thirty minutes. Stay safe."