LT Gila Sadar & PNPC PO3 Xandeus Filistrien - Compiling Experiences, Good and Bad
LT Gila Sadar
((Conference Room of the Vahr’sto - Wallace Colony, Kahines II))
(((OOC: I’m moving the scene ahead, as I’ve reached my 72 hr window. This means a lot of tags for you, Imril, so feel free to skip some if necessary.)))
B’Equ: Are you calling my work into question!?
The air in the conference room turned tense immediately with B’Equ’s explosive reaction to Gila’s innocent question regarding their level of background inquiry. Gila - who had never done well with conflict in any form or degree - immediately felt what fragile calm she had managed to craft for herself shatter.
Sadar: N-No, I-
The Klingon historical archaeologist, Trorin, son of Jact, stepped in.
Trorin: The Empire’s records show that this planetoid used to be on the outer edges of the First Empire. It was a penal facility aimed at the isolation and removal of politically sensitive prisoners.
Imril: Response
Gila utilized the brief pause from hostile attention to rebuild herself.
Sadar: Were you able to ascertain the approximate timeframe of its active service? The lifespan of the First Empire is too long to give an accurate description of the political situation at the time of the prison’s service.
Baum: Is that really important to this discussion?
Every wrinkle on Gila’s face shuddered in frustration as she looked at the Administrator. He was a farmer, a person used to manage people and resources in the daily running of a colony. Archaeological digs were not part of his job description, and Gila had to remind herself that dealing with him was not unlike dealing with a freshman student back at the University.
Calm and simple. Calm and simple.
Sadar: Step 3 of Archaeological Surveys: Gather background information. Similar to how Archaeologist B’Equ was able to theorize on the function of the towers based on their foundation’s placement in relation to the walls, so too must my team have basic knowledge of the prison and the political context of its time period if we’re to be able to make conjecture during our excavation.
Baum seemed ready to argue with her - and B’Equ most certainly was - but Chief Ebova called them all to quiet with a single raised hand.
Ebova: Trorin. ::brief pause:: Send the information you gathered to the Federation Team’s computers.
Trorin: Understood.
Imril: Response
It would be something of a miracle if any First Empire technology had survived the test of time and remained operable, but the Ensign had a point. If they were able to find any...
Sadar: I’d be surprised if any of the technology of the time survived to this day, but it seems worth a shot. ::to B’Equ:: Have you had time to conduct a subterranean echo survey? Or is the prison too eroded for that to be a valid option?
No one at the table was surprised when the environmental archaeologists didn’t answer the question, and so instead, Trorin stepped in.
Trorin: Not yet.
Ebova: Attempting it without a thorough analysis of the rock layers around the prison risks causing fractures that might damage the integrity of the ruins.
Gila looked to Ensign Imril with a focused expression.
Sadar: Ensign Imril, is that something we could do with the Griffin’s sensors?
Imril: Response
B’Equ: We can do it with our own equipment.
Sadar: I’m sure you can, but divide and conquer. We don’t have the equipment needed to uncover the parts of the prison still buried beneath sediment, but we do have the equipment necessary for an echo survey. ::looks to Ebova:: If our cooperativeness is called into question, you’re welcome to send one of your scientists with the Griffin.
The Klingons all seemed in various states of frustration - ranging from B’Equ’s straightforward hostility to Ebova’s calm annoyance to Trorin’s dismayed antipathy - but this was what they had to work with. And all things considered, the meeting could’ve gone a lot worse.
(((At the same time)))
((The Muddy Targ - Kahines II )
Filistrien: What is this?
Hazel looked at the part of Barto’s sketch that Xandeus was indicating, her ears twitching in casual interest.
Hazel: Ah, it’s a Scorpionmole Burrow. Nasty critters. They’re part of the reason why we had to go look for my niece. They tunnel into the ground, and if she wandered in there, we’d stand just about no chance of finding her.
Bergmen: If they dig tunnels of size four years old...
Hazel: More like five years old.
Big enough to dig tunnels that a five-year old Caitian child could wander into without consequence meant those were critters of a fairly considerable size.
Lyara: Response
Barto: ::points to Ollie:: Their stinger would take down your ensign in a matter of seconds. Neurotoxin. And their teeth secrete some kind of enzyme that will necrotize flesh if you don't get the bite treated in time.
Xandeus briefly wondered why Starfleet chose these kinds of planets to settle. Surely there had to be Class M planets without nightmare monsters inhabiting them?
Bergmen: Do we need to know more about these scorpionmoles?
Lyara: Response
Xandeus nodded.
Filistrien: My main concern is their proximity to the ruins themselves. It would behoove us to be on guard during the survey, in case the Scorpionmoles consider our conduct there as us encroaching on their territory.
Ensign Bergmen seemed to consider this, as he looked back over the scans once more.
Bergmen: Have you been inside the ruins? Can you tell us anything about them?
Barto: No, sorry. We were never inside of that fortress.
At that point, Mx. Fiell cleared their throat to gain everyone's attention.
Bergmen: Yes, Mx. Fiell?
It was as minor correction to a unintended diplomatic error, but it was all that was needed, as Ensign Bergmen’s indirect correction of himself did sufficiently to bridge the gap between the two that Mx. Fiell responded to his prompt with a slight smile.
oO What a relief. Oo
Fiell: After receiving information about the ruins, we sent a small security team to investigate what Hazel and Barto found. They examined only the perimeter and a small area near one of the entrances, so we cannot provide details about what lies inside or how deep these ruins went. Based on the visual documentation our team brought back, most of the ruins are above ground, but their layout suggests that some parts may still be buried.
When no questions were posed after Fiell’s explanation, they continued.
Fiell: That’s all we know. Once we confirmed that the ruins were of Klingon origin, we closed the access to the area and contacted both the Federation and the Klingon Empire authorities.
Filistrien: Sound choice, but it doesn’t bring us closer to understanding why the ruins weren’t discovered until now...
Lyara/Bergmen: Response
Barto: Well, I suppose that’s what you folks are here for, right?
Filistrien had to agree with that, but perhaps it was something of an occupational hazard, but he felt like he was missing a major piece of the puzzle... And he did not enjoy that feeling.
(((Timeskip: Later that night)))
((Guest Accommodations - Wallace Colony, Kahines II))
After the conference, Gila couldn’t get away from the Vahr’sto quick enough. She needed even just a small break, just enough time for her to recover from the degree of anti-social tendencies that the entire hull of a Klingon vessel seemed to radiate, but alas, no rest was to be found. It was a quick trip back to Wallace Colony by the Griffin from the landing site near the prison ruin, and Administrator Baum stuck around just long enough to guide her and Ensign Imril to the Guest Accommodations that he’d rendered available to them during their stay.
They weren’t luxurious by any means - as a matter of fact, it felt remarkably similar to Ensign quarters on a Starship. A shared living space in the center with three sleeping compartments attached to it. Perhaps it was that similarity that made the place feel familiar enough that Gila felt tension start to seep out of her.
Sadar: Ensign Imril, can you get the consoles in here synced up with the Griffin’s computers, please? I don’t want us to miss incoming communications by accident.
Imril: Response
As the Ensign got to that, Gila sat down on the closer couch, wrapping a hand absentmindedly around the nape of her neck. The slight vibrating of her nuchal folds beneath her hood prompted her to slow her breathing, feeling the thin membranes expand and deflate with each breath.
She knew meeting the Klingons would be a tense situation - they were Klingons - but she hadn’t expected B’Equ’s level of personal grudge. Ebova’s disinterest was about what she’d expected, and Gila couldn’t help but feel that B’Equ’s presence was going to complicate the dig more than necessary. Perhaps Gila should remain behind? Avoid the issue?
No, she realized. It wouldn’t make sense for her - the only scientist on the Starfleet delegation - to distance herself from the actual survey.
Lyara/Bergmen: Response
Gila looked up when the interview team entered the shared living quarters, standing up to greet them.
Sadar: Welcome. Did any issues occur on your end?
Filistrien: No Sir, the interview proceeded without complications. I will submit a full report, including Ensign Lyara’s transcripts, to the Griffin computer before the end of the day.
Sadar: Thank you, Petty Officer. ::to Lyara and Bergmen:: Give me the brief rundown then.
Bergmen/Lyara: Response
Gila nodded slowly as the two Ensigns explained their discoveries. It sounded like they hadn’t gotten any closer to anything resembling anti-Klingon sentiments in the colonists, but that may just as well be because such sentiments didn’t pose as big a threat as she’d feared.
Filistrien: What of the Klingon scientists?
That question elicited a slight paling of Gila’s lavender hue.
Imril: Response
Sadar: W-Well, it could’ve gone worse... oO Though, admittedly, not much. Oo Most of the scientists seem interested in doing the survey with as little conflict as possible, but one seems... Irregularly aggressive, even for a Klingon.
Lyara/Bergmen/Imril: Response
TAG/TBC
LT Gila Sadar
Medical Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1
&
PO3 Xandeus Filistrien
Signals Analyst
USS Artemis-A