Lieutenant Drex - Out in the wild

[Drex Drex]

((Briefing Lean-To, The USS Eagle Outpost))


Over  a week had passed since the destruction of the Eagle and all his personal effects aboard. Except for Alora’s African Violet, Drex had nothing irreplaceable in his quarters, nothing worth grieving over. He could remake some of the paintings, rebuy almost everything else, and the truly important items had long since been sent home during shore leave. He had always kept only replaceable things on board: ships got damaged, or worse. Still, he had never expected to end up here, in the middle of nowhere, with no access to a market, a shop, or even a decent replicator.
What he regretted most was the loss of his tongue scraper. Over a week without brushing his tongue... He had tried scraping it against his teeth, even resorting to a stick. Unsurprisingly, results were pathetic.
Worse than that, the quiet gnawed at him. Since he was a little kid, he was used to the constant chatter of his own conscience, the reassuring hum of internal dialogue guiding him, reminding him of priorities, fears, even jokes only he would understand. But since the previous mission, it had gone silent. No voice. Just him. The stillness made the world feel emptier, the dangers sharper, and the loneliness more pressing.
Yet, Drex did not allow himself the luxury of whining, not aloud at least. When the camp needed guards to watch over the survivors, he joined without complaint, rotating shifts through the scorching days and sleepless nights. The sharp eyes he normally reserved for anomalies now scanned the horizon for threats from the local fauna. He felt the sting of regret for those who had not survived the crash or the reptilian attacks that followed. Each loss weighed on him quietly, beneath the usual armor of sarcasm and jokes.
Now, after a week of vigilance, exhaustion, and keeping the fragile camp together, he found himself heading toward the meeting Captain Adea had called. Whatever news awaited him there, it was about to interrupt his carefully rationed routine.

Adea: Right, thank you all. It’s not been an easy time, but you’ve excelled yourselves at survival. But now we have to start thinking seriously about how to get home. To that end, Commander Adyr and I have come up with a cunning plan, or at least part of one.

This time, there was no need to hush the crowd. The officers gathered around the CO and XO were already focused, eyes fixed on the two senior officers, eager to hear what brilliant scheme might finally convince the blasted Q to return them to their proper time and place.
Judging by the unfamiliar stars surrounding the planet, it was painfully clear they weren’t just out of time, they weren’t even close to their start position, or perhaps even the Beta Quadrant or the Atrian Raches. Drex was not entirely sure where "here" actually was, and that uncertainty settled in his chest like a small, insistent stone. He silently hoped the two officers had packed some good humble words, maybe even a kneeling session or two, because, honestly, begging the darn Q might be the only way they were getting home.

Adea: First things first, we need to get off this planet, and find the rest of the Federation, if it even exists. To that end, Commander Adyr will lead a team to ::he flipped open a tricorder and projected the map they had:: this location. It looks like it might once upon a time have been a small ship depot of some kind, possibly Starfleet. However, it has fallen into the clutches of someone we know only as Taammir; they appear to be attached to something called “the Emerald Chain”. Adyr, your job will be to infiltrate this depot, and recover us a ship, or ships, that can get us off world en masse. Braya, you’ll be joining her as you’ve flown over the depot, and you’re a pilot. You might need to do some tinkering to get it started, so take Tanner with you as well.

Adyr / Braya / Tanner: Response

Drex listened, scanning the projected map, but a quiet, familiar skepticism coiled in his chest. Of course, nothing about this sounded simple, and certainly nothing resembled the easy, if humiliating, solution he had half-joked about in his head: begging the Q. Not a word about that. No desperate appeals, no groveling, no shiny tricorder waved in surrender. Just plans, infiltrations, and tinkering with some potentially hostile faction.

Adea: Commander Falt; we’ve discovered a huge chunk of the Proust Station managed to survive entering the atmosphere and is possibly a great mine of resources for us. Be careful, however, as Jashkaa, Oromis and the rest of the last team I sent there haven’t returned... ::he let out a sigh:: or replied to hails. You’ll be taking Favon and Frex, as well as Professor Numerdor - he will know what’s survived best.

Drex shifted slightly, his eyes flicking between the projection and the officers around him. He listened intently. A surviving chunk of Proust Station meant supplies, equipment, and possibly even data they could use. It was practical, smart, and just complicated enough to keep him occupied. He made a mental note to offer a hand if needed, although something inside him suggested the Captain had other ideas for him.

Frex: It looks like we've got a clear path to get there. It'd take us the better part of what makes up a day on this planet. So, since it's getting close to sunset, we'd better be off.

Falt: Agreed, Ensign. The lizards will be less active at night and we want to reach the wreckage tomorrow with plenty of daylight to search for the others. ::turning to Adea:: Since this is a search and rescue mission I'm going to ask Gunny Hesan to join us given her expertise.

Favon: Seems like a wise course of action.

Genkos nodded, leaving Tomas to assume he had no objection to their plan.

Adea: Commander Williams, we think we’ve detected a Federation distress signal due north of here. I want you to take ch’Clex, Lim and Drex and find who it is, then bring them home.

Lim: Sir.

Williams: Aye, Sir. We'll make sure we get them in time!

ch’Clex: ::antennae angled forward:: Understood, Commander.

Drex’s stomach tightened. The memory of almost killing Williams under the nebula influence still lingered like a shadow he could not shake. And Lim... well... she was half-Betazoid, sensitive, perceptive... she could probably sense more of his unease than he wanted to admit. He reminded himself of the promise he had  made: be polite, be professional, try to be  friendly, maybe even form a real connection. After all, with Alora gone, friends on board were a dwindling commodity. And after all, it was better than teaming up with Adea. He forced a small, neutral smile and stepped forward.

Drex: At your orders, Sir

Adea: Commander Kettick; there’s an independent market town to the southwest. I want you to head there with Buccheri and Letek; although we aren’t familiar with the technology of this time, we’re going to need to get so real quick. So go there, and see what you can barter us. Ops has already put together a hoversled of things we can possibly trade, so take that with you.

Favon glanced at Buccheri, both to wish the human luck and to wonder how he would fare. Certainly their expierence together thus far hadn't given her an especially high opinion of the man.

Kettick: Sir.

Buccheri: Aye aye, sir.

Letek: Aye.

Adea: I’ll be staying here with Doctor Thalor and the rest of our medical team - we still have plenty of wounded to be looking after, and that’s where I’m needed best. Go in good faith, and remember - don’t let on that we’re here from the past - if the Department of Temporal Investigations exists in this part of the galaxy, I don’t want to get on their bad side.

With a nod, Adea dismissed her superiors, letting them go their separate ways. Drex watched them leave for a moment, then took a few steps to join Williams, Lim, and ch'Clex. He had never worked closely with the Andorian before, but he had seen him around the ship and now in the survivors' camp. Competent, reliable, and unflappable even in the most difficult situations, ch'Clex was the kind of officer Drex would have no trouble working with.
Commander Williams took a few steps in the direction of what had been turned into a simple armory and beckoned Lim, Ch’Clex and Drex over to his location.

Lim: I should probably get a triage medical kit ready.

Williams: Aye, and we might have to bring two of those improvised stretchers, too. If we find people, we can carry at least two of them home if we have to.

Drex followed the trio in silence, quietly observing and taking mental notes of what they might need from a scientific perspective, beyond Alix’s ever-present glowing sticks, of course.

Williams: We should bring some torches, spears, and bows and arrows too. Just in case we run into more of those dinos. I want to be prepared. I have been working on some fire arrows as well.  I’ll bring them too.

Williams: Me and Ch’clex will provide cover, Lim, you are in charge of medical assistance. Drex...

The Denobulan lifted his gaze to the Human. That brief pause after his name carried all the subtle weight of impending trouble. He could not blame the man for his doubts, not after the last mission, when Drex himself had come dangerously close to crossing a line he still was not sure he had fully forgiven. Still, he forced a neutral expression, as if to say, I’m harmless.

Williams: ... see if you can get a better lock on that distress signal. Triangulate it, amplify it, anything. If we can send a short Morse acknowledgement, do so. Let them know we’re aware and on our way.

Lim: If there’s another hoversled maybe we could use it, just in case whoever it is can’t walk..

Williams: Good thinking, Lim. Check with the medical team what they can spare. Alright, take what you need to get ready. I want to get moving in 5 minutes.

ch’Clex: Yes Commander

Tholin moved alongside the commander to the large metal crate where Drex had learned some primitive weapons had been stored. Drex glanced at Lim for a moment, giving a faint nod of acknowledgement, leaving the doctor to her own preparations, before heading toward the scientific department of the camp.
It was a small tent, with barely room for two, where all the scientific devices recovered from away-party kits or the pods were stored. Drex pushed aside the flapping curtain and stepped in.
Damn, he missed her. Alora would have known exactly what to do, how to do it. Williams had given him five minutes to... to what? What were the priorities in his orders? And what exactly could he accomplish in such a short time? He closed his eyes briefly, letting the weight of uncertainty settle on him, then opened them again, forcing focus on the instruments and equipment before him.
Five minutes later, Drex emerged from the tent, carrying a  scientific kit, his tricorder and a small portable subspace signal amplifier. He had tried to rig the amplifier to boost any faint distress signals while the tricorder would let him triangulate the source and monitor the frequency. With a few adjustments, he could even send a short acknowledgment pulse to let whoever had sent it know help was on the way. Luckily, Eyna happened to be there at just the right time.
He joined Williams, Lim, and Tholin near the metal crate. Five minutes had barely been enough to calibrate everything, but it looked like it was functional. Drex tapped the amplifier once, watching the tricorder’s display flicker with signal readings. It was not perfect, but it would have to do. Improvisation had always been part of the job, and right now, it was the only thing standing between them and chaos.

ch’Clex: Got all you need there Lieutenant?

Lim / Williams: Response

Drex: For now. Should be enough to find them, and let them know we’re coming. And please don’t break it, I won’t be able to fix it.

ch’Clex: ::Looking at Commander Williams.::Commander we are armed and ready. Ready to move out.

Drex was not exactly armed. Well, he had his phaser, of course, but he was hoping he would not need to use it with the Andorian and Williams covering his back.

Drex: The signal will get clearer as we approach. At the moment, I can only give a rough direction. ::He raised his left hand, holding the tricorder:: Second dune to the right, and straight on till morning.

Williams / Lim / ch’Clex : Response

Without further delay, the small team began moving. Drex fell into step between Williams and ch’Clex, tricorder in hand, scanning the signal and the terrain ahead.
The camp quickly receded behind them. Drex kept his attention split between the tricorder’s readings and the subtle signs of movement in the terrain, every sense alert, every muscle ready. Step by step, they left the familiar safety of the camp behind, heading toward the unknown.

Drex: If the temperature keeps rising like this, we’ll have to be careful with exertion and water. How many bottles do we have in total?

Williams / Lim / ch’Clex : Response
He adjusted the straps of his pack, shifting some of the weight, and scanned the horizon for shade or any signs of moisture. Even with Williams and ch’Clex on watch, his mind kept running through contingencies. Survival was not just about finding the source of the signal, they had to make it back alive.
Drex: Commander, we might want to consider traveling at night if the weather turns against us.
Williams / Lim / ch’Clex : Response


TAGS / TBC

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Lieutenant Drex

Science Officer

USS Eagle

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