Planet Hell - Journey to the Planet - Part I

Posted on Mon Apr 27th, 2026 @ 9:58pm by Captain Robert Burke & Lieutenant Marques Hunt & Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhrisst & Lieutenant Nelar & Lieutenant Ryssa Dari & Lieutenant JG Maël "Gideon" Beauregard

1,590 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: EPISODE 1: SHAKEDOWN
Location: USS Hecate - Shuttlebay
Timeline: MD01

::ON::

Jeestyrs Sa-kulri approached the prototype long-range shuttle that was to take him and the senior officers he would be minding to the Demon-class planet identified as the target of their survey. The Efrosian had sat through the briefing with interest, but was no clearer on the reason that the Intelligence Division had for singling out the planet. Perhaps that would come clear with time.

The shuttlebay was a cacophony of noises. An Excelsior-class vessel carried a sizeable complement of shuttles, mostly short-range, but now with the prototypes long-range warp-capable shuttles as well. A little larger than the older Galileo-class of shuttle, they bore a strong similarity to their predecessor. Leave it to Starfleet to echo designs, Sa-kulri thought to himself. A shout from a shuttle mechanic distracted him as they cussed out their help.

Taking up position near the shuttle door, he waited for the others to arrive. He caught some personnel looking askance at him, but ignored them. His bone-white hair was died a neon pink at the tip, as were his mustachios, an affectation picked up at the Academy. It made him stand out, and was unusual amongst his people.

Hydraulic lifts whined and toolkits clattered. Somewhere aft, a plasma torch was spitting blinding white sparks against the open belly of a shuttlecraft. Everything smelled of metal and hot circuitry.

Through the noise, Ensign Vangra walked.

She moved gracefully and without hurry, though her stride seemed to cover ground very quickly. She was six feet of Deltan composure, long-limbed and very steady. The overhead lights skimmed along the smooth curve of her bald head and the cream-coloured satin of her skin. Her uniform was neat and her boots polished to a shine.

Her eyes were blue. Not soft blue. Deep blue.

A few crewmen noticed her and then noticed themselves noticing her. It happened sometimes with Deltans, even the disciplined ones who had sworn the oath she had. A pair of shuttle technicians fell silent and watched her cross the bay. One cleared his throat and returned to tightening a coupler that didn't require tightening a few seconds earlier.

Vangra had chosen not to acknowledge any of it.

She crossed the deck and knew precisely where she was meant to be. She was part of the security division and she looked it. Hands clasped behind her back and her spine as straight as a rifle barrel.

The prototype shuttle waited on landing pad three where a mechanic slid out from under its port nacelle on a creeper.

Standing near the shuttle door was the Efrosian. White hair. Pink tips. Pink mustache, even.

Vangra slowed by a half step and regarded him for a moment. She wasn't trying to be rude, she was simply observing this fellow officer.

"Ensign Vangra," she said, stopping beside him at the foot of the ramp.

Entering the shuttlebay, Lieutenant Marquis Hunt made a direct line to the shuttle. Quite eager to get to the surface and find out why the Klingons had left this world alone; he immediately spotted the two Ensigns. "How are you two doing this morning?"

'All well here, Sir,' Sa-kuiri nodded in Hunt's direction and directed a million-megawatt smile at the human. He tried his best to try not to stare at Vangra. He knew that Deltans had a certain effect on other humanoids, and he considered it so passe to be affected by it. The Efrosian cultural predilection to male promiscuity made it all the harder.

"I'm doing well, Lieutenant," Vangra responded, adjusting the strap to her small cylindrical shoulder pack. "I trust you're prepared for this excursion."

"Everything needed on this type of away mission," Marques spoke. "Some traveling snacks might have been nice though. Going to put that on the list for next trip."

Dr. Nelar walked briskly into the shuttlebay wearing the standard read uniforms, but she had packed her scrubs jumpsuit - a uniform she considered much more practical for her work - and was carrying two medical kits: a smaller one for the field, and a larger one more suited for work on the shuttle. She gave a curt nod to Lieutenant Hunt, but did not pause as she made her way to the back of the shuttle. Until she was needed, she would take in what information they could glean about the system they were about to explore.

Ryssa was next to arrive. She was eager to get down to the planet and have a good look around. She brought her cross-pack with her science tricorder, PADD, several sample bags, and a pocket knife. You never knew when you would need a good knife for cutting something or digging it out.

Lieutenant Kyra sh’Herhrisst entered the shuttlebay at a pace that suggested she had no interest in being late. The Andorian cut a sharp figure against the industrial chaos—antennae angled slightly forward, alert and engaged, their subtle movements betraying a constant stream of sensory input.

She took in everything in a single sweep. The prototype shuttle—larger frame, reinforced hull plating, experimental warp geometry. The mechanics—competent, if a bit too loud. The team—already assembling. Damn. Not as timely as I wanted to be.

Immediate observations: Vangra. Still as a statue. Controlled. Predictable. Good.
Sa-kulri. The hair. The mustache. The… color choices. Kyra’s antennae twitched once, betraying the faintest flicker of curiosity.
Hunt—already in command posture. Focused. Eager.

She stepped up alongside them, hands resting lightly at her sides rather than clasped—less formal, more ready. She was still new to this ship and hadn't made any easy associations yet so she kept her mouth shut. They really should understand what a good service I'm performing here...they'll learn soon enough, I guess.

She smiled cheerfully as she joined the others. "Hi."

Sitting the helm, Marques began initiating departure procedures. Looking over his shoulder, he spoke. "Hey Ryssa."

Vangra secured her shoulder pack into a small storage space beneath the seat before stepping into the aft area. She opened the security locker and took a long moment to verify the shuttle's complement of hand weapons contained within. Satisfied, she turned and returned to the main cabin.

The science officer secured her pack and sat where she could have a good view but not get in Marques' way.

As per the protocol, Sa-kuiri settled in the rearmost row of seats. The interior of the shuttle was somewhat more cramped than the standard Galileo-style shuttle, undoubtedly to make room for the miniaturised warp core that propelled the ship to sublight, and the systems connected to it that kept them all safe. He piped up, addressing Ryssa, 'Lieutenant Darri, is this prototype, uh, safe?'

"It is," Ryssa replied, smiling. "It had to pass Starfleet's standards before it could be put in a shuttle--even as a prototype."

'Alright,' Sa-kuiri replied dubiously, and gripped the armrests of his chair for reassurance. 'If you say so ...' He looked around and asked, 'how'd they get the core so small for warp travel anyway?'

Kyra had taken the forward jump seat just behind and to the side of the cockpit—close enough to monitor both the pilot’s board and the cabin, far enough not to crowd Marques at the helm.

At Sa-kuiri’s question—and Ryssa’s reassuring answer—one of her antennae gave the faintest twitch.

“‘Safe,’” Kyra echoed, without turning around. Then she leaned back just enough to glance over her shoulder at the rear of the cabin, blue eyes sharp, a corner of her mouth lifting in something that might have been humor.

“Ensign, this shuttle contains a miniaturized warp core that’s been approved for field deployment approximately five minutes ago, bolted into a frame that engineers are still arguing over out loud in the bay behind us.” She gestured vaguely toward the open hatch where a mechanic was still half inside a panel.

“That,” she added dryly, “is what Starfleet currently defines as ‘safe.’” Her eyes returned to the readout and she allowed a small, hearty chuckle to pass her lips. This day just kept getting better from her viewpoint.

Ryssa smiled. Kyra was correct. "To be more accurate, this is as safe as most starships and shuttles. There really is nowhere that's completely safe. We simply choose which dangers we accept." At least when they had a choice. Sometimes you just had to hope for the best.

With the team all aboard, doors closed and systems check in the clear. The group was ready to depart. "Hunt to bridge, permission to depart."

'This is Burke, permission granted,' came the reply across the comm channel. Sa-Kuiri settled back in his chair, going through an ancient Efrosian calming technique as the countdown to launch appeared on their forward viewer. 'Here goes nothing,' he muttered.

Once the bridge gave the clearance and the bay doors opened, the Lieutenant piloted the shuttle on course to their destination.

Vangra closed her eyes a moment to center herself as shuttle passed the Hecate's starboard nacelle. She hoped Sa-Kuiri would get them there in one piece.

[To be continued...]

::OFF::

---

Lieutenant Marques Hunt
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Ryssa Dari
Chief Science Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhrisst
Chief Security Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Nelar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Hecate

Ensign Vangra
(played by Maël "Gideon" Beauregard)
Security Officer
USS Hecate

Ensign Jeestyrs Sa-kulri
(played by Robert Burke)
Security Officer
USS Hecate

 

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