Planet Hell - Journey to the Planet - Part II

Posted on Sun Jun 28th, 2026 @ 7:38pm by Captain Robert Burke & Commander Vincent 'Vin' Salvatore & Lieutenant Marques Hunt & Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhrisst & Lieutenant Nelar & Lieutenant Ryssa Dari & Lieutenant JG Maël "Gideon" Beauregard

1,853 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Fabulae Explorationis
Location: Beta Omicron System
Timeline: MD01

::ON::

The warp field collapsed around the shuttlecraft as Hunt brought it down from warp speeds. Sa-kuiri relaxed as their journey in subspace came to an end, relaxing his hold on the armrests of his chair. He had been sure that it was imagination, but he had sensed a persistent vibration through his feet, and had convinced himself the craft was going to fly itself apart.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, he looked out the porthole at the system where they had ended up. His briefing had been minimal – Away Mission, Senior Officers, survey a planet with probable lethal flora. No word on the fauna.

The Beta Omicron system had been noted in his briefing. A fairly normal star systems as they went. Seven planets with their satellites orbiting, and an asteroid belt between the fourth and fifth planets of the system. It was Beta-Omicron III that was the interesting one, and the target of their survey. A trinary planetary body, the intense gravitic stresses had shattered the third in the orbital dance, causing it to separate.

The interior of the planet had been exposed to space as the shell of the mantle had cracked like an egg, ejecting fully a third of the planet to begin its own orbit around Beta-Omicron III-Alpha. Sa-kuiri didn’t have the scientific knowledge to understand how there was still an atmosphere around it, but he was excited to land on such an unusual planet.

Bringing the shuttle about to their destination, Hunt found himself amazed by the view. In all his years of being in space, he couldn't quite recall seeing anything like this. Had this been a completely natural phenomenon or did some group come here had something to do with this.

Ryssa was fascinated, taking in as much detail as she could. She checked to be sure the shuttle was scanning the system as she'd want to sift through the data later. For now, though. she could hardly wait to get down to the planet and have a good look around.

Vangra had felt it too. The faint tremor that shook the deck plating during warp--but she felt no fear.

When the shuttle had settled into impulse, she released her tight grip on the restraint almost immediately, allowing her hands to rest lightly against her thighs as the planet came into view. What she saw was visually stunning--a very unique planet. Broken, of course. But not shattered in any violent way she could imagine. There were three bodies circling a shared wound.

She didn't wish to step on the toes of her superior, Kyra, but she silently hoped their pilot would remain cautious on any descent vectors.

"Ryssa, I believe that I am seeing a good place to take us down if you could confirm that," Marques requested as he pointed to a spot on the monitor indicating a clearing on the surface.

She checked the sensors and the visuals. "I agree." She smiled. "I'm looking forward to having a good look around."

"Taking us down now," Hunt announced. Passing the shuttle through the atmosphere was a little bumpy but the rest of the ride was smooth for the most. The terrain on the planet was odd and not like most worlds. Finding the designated clearing, he landed the shuttle.

Stormy looked around while the shuttle powered down, then she gathered her pack.

"Are we able to obtain accurate readings on the atmospheric pressure and concentration?" Nelar asked. "There is also evidence that there may have been a catastrophic event nearby. We should scan thoroughly for radiation, not only here, but in the surrounding areas. If the region is prone to unstable atmospheric conditions, levels could change quickly," the physician warned.

'Atmosphere is definitely ... sub-optimal,' Sa-Kuiri called as he pulled down the sensor information. 'Strange though ... there seems to be a cave system nearby, sensors showed the atmosphere coming closs to M-class normal. Maybe there's something there?'

Savlatore said from the back of the shuttle. "Let's try and get to those caves. Environments like this, if there is something on this planet, chances are they'll either grow in there or use it to take shelter."

Pulling a face, Sa-kuiri looked out the porthole next to him. To his inexperienced eye the dense, swirling atmosphere seemed inhospitable to life. As the winds curled away the thick fog, he saw only a lifeless, barren planet. The dun surface of a mudball seemed to stretch for long miles around them, punctured only here and there by boulders and the stubby boles of lifeless trees.

Vangra resisted the urge to turn toward the porthole next to her head, but she was suddenly overcome by the amount of fog--or was it gas--that drifted beyond it. The more she examined the exterior environment, the more she noticed: the 'fog' curled low across the rocky ground in pale ribbons, parking now and then to reveal stretches of cracked mud and blackened stone.

She glanced over to the Vulcan doctor and felt herself silently agreeing.

"Lieutenant Hunt," she said, her feminine voice seemed to ring louder in the shuttle than intended. "Will we require the use of environmental suits?"

"That would seriously be my recommendation," Hunt answered.

"Well... now there is something you don't see everyday." Vincent said as he made his way from the back to the front of the shuttle. He spent a majority of this trip looking into information about where they were going and studying what he could to keep up with any of the people onboard who were clearly more experienced in this kind of thing than he was. After a while, he jumped between learning what he could and just keeping himself entertained. As he placed his hand on the ceiling of the shuttle, he raised a brow and looked down to Hunt. "Do you think we'll run into a path that's been paved with good intentions out there, Lieutenant Hunt?"

Looking back at the Commander, Marques couldn't help but to laugh. "Anything this close to Klingons can't entirely have good intentions."

Salvatore let out a slight sigh. "Oh, Lieutenant Hunt. You're still refusing to see the forest between the trees."

On seeing the fog, Stormy checked the atmospheric readings. "We can't go out there without them. Not out here, anyway."

"EVe suits it is then." Hunt moved from the pilot seat, making his way to the back to suit up.

Stormy readjusted her pack, choosing to take only what she would absolutely need. Then she got into her suit. When she was ready, she stepped outside to give room for others to get in their suits. That also gave her some time to scan.

Scrambling into his own suit, Sa-Kuiri waited for the others to do the same. Starfleet's latest design, they were much sleeker than those used a decade before, solid across the chest and with a visor that could be darkened against the glare of any alien sun. They could also be darkened to provide anonymity when assassinating someone, he recalled darkly, just as the crew of the Enterprise-A had found out a few years previously.

Looking back to confirm everyone had donned their own EVe suits, Sa-Kuiri hit the door release for the aft starboard side. The noise of the machine as it lowered the door was curiously deadened, felt more than heard through the exoskeleton the suit provided. Taking point, the Efrosian took the utmost pleasure in being the first of his people to step on to this barren, lifeless shell of a planet. As the curling mist lashed away from his feet, he could see the surface was blasted beyond any hospitability. Hefting his standard tricorder as his phaser rifle was snuggly settled in its holster.

He turned at the sound of more personnel exiting the craft. Casting one more wary eye over the shuttle, he was truthfully glad to be out of there. 'Shall I take point?' he asked sh'Herhisst and cocking his helmeted head in Dari's direction. 'To the caves?'

Hunt looked over to the first officer and then back to the Efrosian. "Be my guest."

Once suited up, Nelar carried her medical kit over one arm, and on her back she had a pack with equipment to build a backboard or stretcher if needed. She also had the equipment to build a small tent that was meant to provide a sterile environment for emergency field procedures, but with the toxic environment, it would be useless. Still, she carried it anyway.

"I assume this level of risk is necessary?" She asked the Commander privately when she found a moment. "It would be much more logical if we could scan the region for a less volatile location from inside the safety of the shuttle. I cannot imagine a more toxic environment."

Vincent looked over to Nelar, taking a second to look around, before stepped over to the side with here away from prying ears. "I agree with you, Lieutenant. Logic would dictate we find a much safer location and toss long range scans and probes to gather as much information as we can before going back to the ship. However, your logic would also tell you, that Starfleet seldom plays things safe. Risk is part of every mission we are sent on, whether big or small, so it's best for us to do what we are trained to do and watch out of each other while doing our job here which is primarily to explore something Starfleet has ever had a chance to explore." He placed his hand gently on Nelar's shoulder and added softly.

"Let's face it. If level or risk was a primary concern in our lives we would have never gone down the path we did that got us onto the Hecate. Starfleet wants a report which doesn't stop at information. They want personal accounts from officers who were on site. Logic, Doctor, would dictate that we take said risk in order to fulfill the requirements of out superiors. Does it not?"

"Are the Iotians familiar with the Human, Benjamin Franklin? I know the Ioatians, are fond of Earth... Literature. He should be best remembered for his philosophical writings and less so for his attempts at establishing a democratic government for all people."

She looked at him seriously. Her freckled face and soft blue eyes almost made people forget she was Vulcan but for her pointed ears and serious manner. "Take his words as a warning, Commander. So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."

[To Be Continued ...]

::OFF::

Commander Vincent 'Vin' Salvatore
Executive Officer/Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Kyra sh'Herhisst
Chief Security Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Marques Hunt
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Ryssa Dari
Chief Science Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Nelar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Hecate

Ensign Vangra
Security Officer
USS Hecate
[NPC Lt JG Maël "Gideon" Beauregard]


Ensign Sa-Kuiri
Security Officer
USS Hecate
[NPC Captain Robert Burke]

 

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