Episode 1: Ramora

[Dushall]

David Dushall cursed as he rapped his knuckles against the bulkhead as he worked in a tight space trying to free a broken conduit. He was already angry as the conduit was going to cost him a few hundred credits to replace. “Mother f*cker!” He exclaimed as he yanked one more time, this time freeing the burned out piece of equipment. Inserting his only spare he scanned the replacement and made sure it was working before he crawled out of the jeffries tube. Once back in the corridor he sat down and wiped the sweat off his forehead as he enjoyed the cooler corridor for a brief second. “Captain to the Bridge.” Came over the ship’s intercom system in the voice of his XO.

David got up and dusted off his overalls. Placing his rag over his shoulder he removed his gloves and went to the closest comm panel on a nearby bulkhead. Depressing the comm button he leaned in, “On my way Clarissa.” He started walking down the corridor towards the turbo lift that would take him up three decks to the bridge.

His ship was an old vessel and the only one of her kind left. She was a old federation resupply ship of the Mughi class with a full complement of supply pods. He found it in a junkyard ten years ago barely operational. Selling everything he had he purchased her for a steal and took her home to Thera IV. After much convincing he was able to gather a small crew out of his community and he began his own trading company. Those first years were a struggle. They had to learn how to contend with pirates, local politicians, and the Drommie overlords. On top of that they had to learn which space was the safest to travel and the risk to profit value of each individual run.

It was a long road that they traveled but now they were a fully staffed ship of over 40 family units. A reputable ship in the Alpha quadrant trading scene. The 318 m long ship with over 22 decks could hold a large quantity of cargo in its 20 external pods. One year the crew was suffering from a food shortage. A few of the crew were farmers back on their colony and they turned was used to be the atrium into a hydroponics bay and in a few months the food shortage was abated. Years later they now held emergency provisions but the hydroponics bay provided the main supply of their food.

As he pondered the history of his ship the turbolift doors opened and he entered the bridge. It wasn’t a spacious bridge compared to ships equivalent to its size but it did its job. It held many stations dedicated to all sorts of ships operations including cargo integrity. “Clarissa whats going on?” Looking at his XO as he came to the captain's chair. Clarissa was a distant cousin of his. So distant that he knew this only because her last name was Loki. On their colony only one Eric Dushall and one Clarissa Loki settled there a few years after the collapse of the Federation due to the Andromedan War. Eric and Clarissa were married and some of their children took Dushall as their last name and some took Loki as their last name. So technically everyone with the last names of Dushall and Loki were related somewhere down the line. It was very important on the colony to keep track of familial heritage to prevent inbreeding since they didn’t get many visitors.

“We are picking up a distress signal.” Clarissa stated as she handed him the PDA.
Taking the PDA he studied the information on the screen. “Designation: Type 8 Shuttle?” A quizzical look crossed his face as he glanced at his XO. “What’s an old Starfleet shuttle doing out here?”

“Can’t tell you that.” Clarissa said as she went to the sensor station. “But I can tell you that the signal was real weak. We barely detected it. If we didn’t pass so close to it we probably never would have.” She pointed to the signal strength of the beacon.

“Helm, pull us out of warp and turn us around. If someone is there hopefully we are on time.” The ship shuddered slightly as the old engine dropped out of warp and the stars passed on the view screen as the pilot reversed the ships orientation. In a few seconds the stars were flying by again as they entered warp.

It was only a few minutes later when they dropped out of warp. The impulse engines kicked in and they came up on the shuttle slowly. “Alright guys, what can you tell me?”

Alex Harper was the first to speak up, “It definitely is a Type 8 Shuttle. Drommie weapon burns. Minimal power. No life signs.”

“Go to yellow alert. Keep on the lookout. I don’t want any surprises while we our out in the open.” David pressed down his ships com button on his chair. “Carl Moran, Jake Harper, and Lila Star to the main hangar bay.” He let go of the ships comm thereby cutting it off. “Get a work bee over there and bring that shuttle in.” He started to make his way to the turbolift. “Clarissa your with me.”

They both entered the turbolift as he pressed the panel indicating the deck that the main hangar bay is on. “What are you thinking David?” Clarissa asked calmly.

“Derelict Starfleet shuttle, marks of combat with the Drommies. I don’t think we should even be looking at it. 99% of me is screaming to resume course.”

“But?” She asked in that tone he didn’t like. It was a tone that said. “I know there is something your not telling me.” And she was always right when it came to his thoughts. She could read him like a book.

“But that 1% of me is telling me that this is important somehow. Something bigger than anything else we’ve ever done. Bigger than getting this ship operational for our Colony.” The doors opened just as he finished. They stared at each other for just a second but the look that she gave him helped to calm the 99% that was screaming.

They exited the turbolift as another crew-member entered. The short walk to the Main hangar bay was in the aft of the saucer section. When they entered the hangar bay the worker be was closing in on the force field. Every individual he called already had their personal weapon drawn and ready just in case. The worker bee brought the shuttle through the force-field and laid it down on the deck Once they were secured the hangar bay doors were sealed to reduce the power drain by the force field.

Harper stepped forward after he slung his phaser rifle and pulled out a hand held scanner. “These burns are over 200 years old. That means this shuttle was in combat in the Drommie War.” Harper gazed at the markings on the ship. “The Starfleet must have used every vessel it had to the end.” He watched as Harper moved over to the rear hatch and scanned the control panel. “Alright everybody, I’m gonna give it some juice so that we can crack her open and see what is inside.”

Harper went and grabbed a heavy rectangular box and opened it up after he set it down on the ground. Pulling out a single cable with a cylindrical end he pressed it against a section of the hull and pushed a button so that it sealed in place. He then moved to the box and entered a series of buttons and a low hum started to emanate from it. “Alright Captain, go ahead”

David nodded and Moran went to the hatch and pressed on the panel. The hatch popped open and you could hear the air escaping then it slowly started to lower itself to the ground. The wave of stale air hit their nostrils and caused them to close their eyes. When their eyes opened and the ramp was low enough they all looked in shock. Inside the shuttle they saw the remains of several people including the bodies of children all perfectly preserved. Several of them wore what looked like Starfleet uniforms.

“Star, go get the dock and tell them to prep the cold storage.” He looked at the others, “Let's start laying them out for the doc.” As he walked up the ramp he noticed that Clarissa was right behind him. He grabbed the first body of a mother sitting next to a little girl. As they moved them out he was saddened more and was found wanting justice for these poor people. To die waiting for help is the saddest thing he could think of. The doc arrived as they finished unloading the last body.

“What do we have here?” Asked Doc Nguyen stopped at the sight of the 12 bodies laid out on the deck. She knelt next to the body of a woman and examined her closely. “These bodies don't look like they died more than a day ago.” She stated as Dushall looked at the same body.

“Well Doc,” David started, “The uniforms on those guys says this crew is from the mid 26th Century.”

The Doc patted her overalls and looked at David then back down. “Well I’ll see what I can find out but I’ll just get them on ice for now.” She waved 4 assistants carrying litters over and they started carrying the bodies out.

David stepped back into the shuttle. Harper was at the pilots seat accessing the ships records and database. Moran was going over the ships systems to get a full diagnostic and Star was inside inventorying the ships supplies. “Captain,” Star yelled, “This shuttle has a working replicator. I’ve only heard of these things in stories.” Excitement clearly in her voice. David acknowledged her statement and then stepped back out. “Clarissa, get a report to me on what they find out. I’m going to my quarters.”

“Sure thing boss man,” Clarissa lifted up her PDA and then glanced at David. “I’ll come see you as soon as we have a full report.”

David was glad she left it at that and just walked out of the hangar deck. He went to a Comm Terminal and pressed the button. “Bridge, this is the Captain. Resume our previous heading.”

With a little shudder he felt the ship enter warp. The walk to his quarters was a few decks up and center on the saucer section. It wasn’t a long walk compared to most but it was a little bit of a distance. Enough of a distance for him to start thinking about the shuttle and the bodies they just pulled out. What would the consequences be? There always were in situations like this.

Entering his quarters he cleaned up in the sonic shower and changed into a fresh pair of clothes. He sat behind his desk and started to go through his messages and reports. Most of them were nothing big. A lot of systems status reports, a few failure reports with cost of maintenance done, status of the current cargo being hauled. In his messages he saw a couple transmissions from home glad that he and the ship were on the way there. A few messages were responses from potential contacts looking for someone to transport their goods. He closed his computer not able to focus any longer and sat back.

His door chimed and he walked over to open it. Standing in the doorway was his XO Clarissa Loki. He motioned for her to enter and she walked through. She sat on the sofa and extended her PDA. David grabbed the PDA and then sat in the chair opposite the couch.

“The ships logs are very interesting. Apparently they were part of a small fleet that was heading to an unknown destination. I say unknown because they made no mention of it in their logs and all navigational data is corrupted and unreadable. So their fleet came under attack by the Drommies and they were able to escape before their ship exploded. One of the passengers was the Captain of the ship, Drona Ryshack. It makes for an interesting read that i’ll let you discover. We also found a corrupted video file, Harper is working on it.” She got up and went to the counter where a pitcher of Romulan Synth Ale and two glasses were. Pouring the ale into both glasses she walked back and handed one to David before she sat down.

“What did we find in the shuttle and its operational capability?” He asked as he took a sip. The ale coating his throat in warm deliciousness.

“Well, we gathered up some very valuable hand phasers that will be a nice additional to the ships armory. Communication devices we can hand out to senior crewmen, tricorders, PDA’s, Harper is about to rip that replicator out and install it in his quarters. Other various items were procured. The shuttle took a beating and Harper and Moran think they can get it up and ready with about 3 months of working on it part time.” She took another sip and looked down at her cup as the liquid swirled around. “Interesting thing is that the hull didn’t have any fractures and the doc is saying that the bodies looked like they died yesterday.”

“I understand, if the hull was intact and they weren’t venting atmosphere then how are the bodies not rotten after dying of hypothermia after loss of life support.” He pondered that thought as he tapped his glass. “We may never know the answer to that question, Clarissa.” Taking another sip he set the glass down.

Clarissa leaned forward and set one of the comm badges on the table between them and pushed it towards him. “Harper and I figured you should have one. Now we can get in touch with the senior crew at any time.”

Reluctantly, David picked up the comm badge that was in the shape of a three pointed star. He felt the cold metal of the device against his skin. Freshly removed from the  two hundred year old corpse it felt as if Death itself was resting in his palm. “I don’t know if I can wear this.” He said as he kept his gaze on the badge.

“David, you’ve seen dead bodies. We have scavenged and salvaged right next to them in the past. Why do you seem different this time?” Clarissa asked as she leaned towards him.

“I don’t know.” He looked up at her. “We grew up on stories of the men and women of the Federation and her allies fighting the Andromedan Invasion. The last hope of the Milky Way Galaxy.” He paused as he tried to think of what to say. “It feels like we are robbing a graveyard of war heroes. It just feels different.” He took the comm badge in his hand and slid it into his side pocket. Then he took another swig of the ale.

“Well I’m off to my quarters.” Clarissa said as she downed the last of her drink. “It’s been a long day and we are arriving back home tomorrow. Tomorrow will be even more busy.” She stood up and walked to the door. Turning to look at David still sitting in the chair she leaned against the open doorway. “Try not to let it bother you so much. Try and get some sleep.”

“Thanks Clarissa. Good Night” David nodded his glass towards her. She stepped out and the door slid shut behind her. He took a sip from his drink and scrolled through the ships logs. Every press of a button on the shuttle was recorded. From it’s activation to when it loss power. Realizing he wasn’t going to learn anything right now he laid the PDA down and walked to his bed. He undressed , slid under the blanket and laid there staring at the ceiling as he felt the hum of the ship fill his mind with white noise. His eyes closed and he slept.

[Dushall]

David entered the main shuttle bay and witnessed a busy scene of crewmen running around trying a complete various task to keep the current operations running smoothly. The job to be completed was getting all the cargo unloaded to the Colonial barges to be transported to the surface. Everyone knew that the faster the ship was unloaded the quicker everyone got to go to the surface. Since they have been away for over a year and a half, he had never seen them work so frantically.


Clarissa came up to him as he stood there inspecting his crew, “We should be unloaded within the hour, Captain.” She handed him a PDA that held the recent barges loaded and sent to the surface.


“Remind everyone that they shouldn’t be injuring themselves in the process. Not worth it to go home laid up in a cast and lose out on future earnings.” He handed the PDA back to his XO and watched as one of their Refurbished worker bees lifter a large crate with it’s magnetic clamps and carried it out the force field to the waiting cargo section of the next barge.


Their home was outside the normal trade lanes and because of that never really prospered. Eventually the colony grew so large that it started to suffer from food shortages and started lacking basic needs. Equipment started to fail and he knew that their home would be just a few years away from complete collapse. He took it upon himself to find a solution. Taking his family’s shuttle he went into the vast void of space and eventually came upon the USS Ramora. He knew that this ship was the key.


So he brought it back to his colony where he gather a skeleton crew of volunteers that so happened to be many of his friends and people he knew. Departing the colony he and his crew ventured into the unknown and tried their hands at becoming well known traders in their sector. After 2 years of being away they brought home a huge score of goods that brought new life to the Colony. With a renewed vigor the colony began to grow. The profit he made from trading after the crews wages went to repairing the ship and then went to hire more crewmen. It wasn’t all a piece of cake. There were hard years and he had lost several crewmen due to pirate attacks, shore leave convictions, and the worst were accidents on the ship.


To lose a person due to external influence was the nature of the beast traveling space. But to lose someone due to negligence and lack of safety on the ship was a hard lesson to be learned and one that he never forgot. “Make sure ya’ll strap everything down securely! I’m not paying anyone here to forget safety.” He yelled as he watched some crewmen not paying attention to the load.


=^=Harper to the Captain=^= David heard as he was about to walk over to the group of crewmen and show them how it was done. He spun around looking for were the noise came from and then reached into his pocket as he remembered. Pulling out the comm badge he pressed it down and spoke into it.


=^= Whats up Harper?=^= Looking at the badge.


=^= David, I’d like you to come to my workshop real quick.=^= The comm cut off and David pocketed the badge again.


David walked to the turbolift and took it down to the secondary hull. Close to engineering was a lab that they set up just for Harper. He was one of the most technically minded intelligent person he had ever met. Harper hadn’t met a piece of equipment he couldn’t get to work. If it wasn’t for his Chief Engineer he wouldn’t have gotten the Ramora back to pristine condition. This was the space that Harper was left to expand his knowledge of old technology. Many of his pieces of work found their way into the Ramora as an improvement or upgrade to a certain system.


“Harper?” David called out as he walked around a bench covered in projects and disassembled scavenged equipment.


“Over here!” He heard Harper call out. David walked down two more rows and turned the corner. There was Harper in a swivel chair looking at the computer when he spun around and smiled at David.


“I’ve found something interesting that you should see.” Haper started entering several commands into the computer. “I spent all night trying to retrieve the corrupted information from that shuttle. Turns out that I was able to retrieve the navigational database and the video.” Harper opened up a video file and started it.


My name is Captain Charron of the USS Downing. I’m here with several survivors. Our fleet was attacked by the Invaders while we were on our way to retrieve project Resolute from it’s safe site in the Crawler Horn Nebula. I’m sending this message on secure Starfleet channels only. If you retrieve this message we were unsuccessful. The only hope we have to defeat the Invaders is drifting in space unutilized while we take loss after loss. We are now adrift after our shuttle took damage during our escape. We wont last long and I cant risk the enemy capturing me and retrieving my knowledge about Project Resolute. Everyone is asleep right now. Life support is all we have and that will only last another day. I’m going to vent the atmosphere and end our lives. If there is anyone else out there you have to retrieve the Resolute. I do not make this judgement rashly. At least right now they will all pass away peacefully.


The video ended Harper leaned back with an open jaw. Obviously he hadn’t watched it before he showed it to David. He crossed his arms and turned to lean against the nearby bench.


Harper is the first one to speak up. “What do you think this ‘Resolute’ is?”


“I don't know and I don't know if I want to know.” Dushall responded.


“Crawler Horn Nebula, where is that? It sounds familiar.” Harper asked as he look up at David.


“It’s nearby, about 3 months at maximum warp heading 180 mark 270.” He rubbed his chin as he thought about the nebula. “If I remember it’s a small but thick nebula not even a sector wide.”


Harper whistled, “That’s not very friendly space. Many ships head there and never come back.” Then he stood up and looked the Captain in the eyes. “What are we gonna do?”


“I don’t know yet. For all we know whatever this ‘Resolute’ is it’s probably already been destroyed or maybe even retrieved by his fellow officers.” He took a few steps, “What I know for sure is that it’s a long journey to take for little more than a hundred year old video as proof.” He kept walking and turned at the end of the bench. “Thanks for getting that data back.”


While he was already in the secondary hull he thought he would visit some of the parts of the ship he rarely got to see in his day to day duties. Most of this section of the ship wasn’t accessible when he first purchased it. They had prioritizing essential decks and the turbolift to access them. Many of the decks on the secondary hull used to be repair shops and equipment storage they didn’t need right away. What he liked were the tight spartan corridors and the bareness of the secondary hull.


When he was done he made his way to the aft shuttle maintenance bay on the secondary hull. When he entered the bay doors were shut and in the bay was the shuttle that they had just brought back in. Several workers were already working on it and most of the burn marks were already removed. “How long till she can fly again?” He asked one of the crewmen.


One of the crewmen turned and saw the ships Captain looking at them, “Sooner then we thought. Impulse engines are operational already. We are swapping out the navigation controls. Warp is another problem though. We also discovered that the life support didn’t fail. It was deactivated.”


Those last words his him hard since he watched the Captains video. He knew why but the idea puzzled the engineers. “Good work. Keep Chief Harper updated.”


He exited the Maintenance bay and made his way back up to his quarters. The turbolift ride was a quick one and he quickly grabbed his bag. Shouldering across his body he went back to the turbolift and went up to the bridge. The doors opened and the many consoles that would normally have people monitoring them were left empty as there were only 3 people on the deck. These 3 were part of a rotation called the “Harbor” crew. A skeleton crew that locked down the ship when in ports of call and monitored the systems and performed maintenance best done when few people weren't around.


“Hows the ship, Lieutenant Patterson?” David said as he walked up to the Captains chair.


Patterson stood to attention and then went to ease. “She’s looking good sir. We have engineers already beginning their repairs on the decks already vacated by the rest of the crew. We might actually get those flickering lights on deck 4 repaired.”


“Deck 4, isn’t that where your quarters are located?” David asked as he went through the PDA’s in his bag.


A look of disdain came across his face. “Yes sir, Nothing worse then taking a shower with your water rations and then the lights kick off.”


David chuckled at the junior officers experience. When he first got the ship showers were a luxury you only got when you were at a starbase. He pulled out one of his PDA’s and entered some changes to the schedule. “Here is the official schedule for the repairs and other duties I want performed while I’m planetside. Let’s get those flickering lights taken care of for sure this time around. I moved them to today for you.”


“Thank you sir, I appreciate it.” The officer said as he took the PDA from the Captain.


“No problem. Also, you can go ahead and have my water rations for this week as well.” David said as he zipped up his backpack. He made his way to the turbo lift and turned around. “Try not to break her while I’m gone Lieutenant.”


“Yes Sir.” said the young Lieutenant.


He walked off the bridge and into the turbolift that would take him down to the main shuttle bay. As he walked into the main shuttle bay a second time he noticed that the deck was now wide open. Not subject to the cargo that previously stacked against the bulkheads and covered the deck. Everything was loaded up onto the barges and taken to the ground already. In the middle of the shuttle bay was a single shuttle ready to take him to the ground. As he entered the shuttle he found that it was already filled with his senior staff.


Clarissa Loki his XO, Carl Moran his Chief of Security, Jake Harper the Chief Engineer, and Lila Star the Chief of Operations, Doctor Maddock Nguyen, and piloting the shuttle was the best pilot in the Alpha Quadrant, Nathaniel Wood.


“To what do I own this honor?” He asked as he walked into the shuttle and sat down. The side hatch sealed shut and Wood started to maneuver the shuttle out of the hangar bay.


Loki was the first to speak, “Harper filled us in on what he found.”


“Oh that.” David said as he looked at the expressions on everyone's faces.


“What if this ‘Resolute’ thing can help us defend our people from pirates?” Moran spoke up as he looked at the Captain and then towards the others.


“Carl, you know that the Drommies outlawed technology up to a certain level. Replicators, sensors, weapons, anything they deem a threat to their authority they outlawed. What do you think they will do to our home if they find out we have this ‘Resolute’ weapon that was built to defeat them?” He looked around at his senior staff. “They will come here and wipe us out of the galactic plane.”


Moran recoiled at the harshness of the Captains words as did the other officers. Only Loki stood her ground, her eyes boring into his soul. A form of reprimand that only she could inflict upon him. His insides twisted with that look.


“Everyone in the galaxy lives in fear of the Drommies and their rule. They oppress everyone and whenever someone makes a technological advancement they wipe them and their family out. Sometimes even a whole planet or system. No one, nowhere is safe or has been safe in a hundred years.” She looked at her peers in the shuttle. “If we have a chance to knock them off their pedestal and free the people shouldn’t we?”


Loki was the next, “We have traveled the stars and been to many places. At every place you stood against what was wrong when you saw it happening. We have always striven to help people when we could. We can at least investigate it and see if we find anything.”


“Is everyone else of the same opinion?” David asked as he looked around the shuttle.


He watched as everyone looked among themselves before nodding their heads in agreement. “Okay then it’s settled. We will change our next destination to the Crawler Horn Nebula.” Leaning back against the bulkhead he let his head rest. “But we will have to take someone along for the ride.”

A look of dread crossed Loki’s face. “Oh hell no…” Her following words were drowned out by the sound of the atmosphere but David knew that they were a string of foul curse words by the look of anger on her face. When the turbulence subsided so did Clarissa’s temperament. The rest of the journey to the surface was of little consequence. The general happy mood of a crew returning home being suppressed by the weight of the decision they had just made.

[Dushall]

Davids speeder came to a halt at an edge of a thickly wooded forest. He dismounted the speeder and powered it down. He pulled a bag loaded with supplies and a phaser rifle. After checking his gear he locked up his speeder and headed into the woods.


Even though his ancestors settled here over 200 years ago their homeworld was still a dangerous place. Most of the predators would attack a human on sight and even some of the plants could eat a person whole if you got stuck in one. The most dangerous thing about the wild were the “Shun”. A group of people that were shunned out of the community for their fanatical beliefs, repeated criminal actions, or people who left on their own accord because they were just antisocial shut in’s.


Most of the people went feral out in the wilderness. Some even found others and formed little communities of their own. When their numbers grew they would even try to attack the main colony for supplies. If this world wasn’t already dangerous enough now you have to look out for people. Animals at least have a sense of predictability. They roam their territory and hunt their prey. If they deem you a threat then they might attack. Humans on the other hand would go out of their way to ruin your day and take what you have. He couldn’t let that happen on this journey.


The first few miles of the woods were the easiest. Most of the “Shunned” communities were deeper into the woods. Once he was over 5 miles into it he started noticing signs of foot travel. A few traps including several pitfalls would have caught him if he hadn’t spent his childhood learning how to stalk from his grandfather. He had to slow his pace down when he found those traps. It took him the rest of the day to travel 5 miles when he should have traveled over 15 at his previous pace.


Towards the end of the day he found a little hole in the ground that he could crawl into and sleep through the night. After setting up several early warning devices on his parameter he crawled into the miniature clay cave and fell asleep after he ate some homemade granola.


He slept peacefully through the night with the sounds of nature surrounding him. If he had to give up his ship than this would be his second choice to live happily. His timekeeper started to vibrate on his wrist and he woke up. Checking the time he knew that it would be dawn in the next 30 minutes. He gathered his gear together and dismantled his warning devices. When he was certain that he left the area as he found it he strapped his pack and left.


Once he traveled over a mile from his camp he was sure that the traps were done. He quickened his pace but not by much as he had to be weary of random people lurking about. Another 5 miles and he found a familiar path from his younger days. He made his way up the slope parallel to the worn out path, pausing every now and then to look for sentries. Eventually he made his way to what was a well guarded compound. With multiple guards posted at the entrance and several lookouts in concealed bunkers on it’s flank.


Turning away from the path David crept slowly through the forest making sure to stay along paths of concealment. It took him the better part of a few hours of the day to make his way around the encampment. After locating a opening in their makeshift wall he stored away his pack and supplies and held onto his rifle.


He made his way to the edge of the tree line. To his right was a drainage ditch a foot and a half deep. It  was formed by natural erosion from the hill above. It looked to him that it created a gap in the wall that he could fit through if he squeezed. He made his way to the ditch and looked around the area for any spotters. Low crawling he entered entered the ditch and started to inch his way to the wall. He discovered that the natural drainage ditch was also being used by the inhabitants of the walled camp and the closer he got to the wall the worse the smell and contents of the ditch got.


Eventually he made his way to the wall and realized that he underestimated the size of the hole. Setting his rifle aside he started to dig out a hole that he felt like he could squeeze through. It didn’t take him long to move enough wet material to squeeze himself through the hole. Now he found himself on the other side of the wall and in the camp. He knew that the command tent was in the middle but that wasn’t where he needed to go. His destination was a hut on the outer rim of the camp. So he had to creep through the camp just as carefully as he did through the forest.


Once he made it to the hut he checked to see if the door was locked and it wasn’t. He opened the door and entered the hut making sure to shut the door behind him. Looking around he found a few spots that he could hide but finally settled on what was clearly a washroom.


After waiting a few hours in the hut he heard the door open and heard the boots dropping on the wooden plank floor. Using his ears he tracked the movements to the main living room where he heard a drink being poured and then a second one.


“Would you like a drink David?” said the man pouring the drink.

David stepped out of the washroom with his rifle drawn. “Turn around Kaine!”

[Dushall]

Zachary Kaine turned around and David saw the face of his former best friend for the first time in 8 years. They had grew up together and were friends since they were small children. They grew up both loving the outdoors and the adventure and thrill of hunting and stalking. When they got older Zachary started to become radicalized by a few of the Shunned that he had met in the woods. He started to have aspirations of opposing the “Authority” and creating a true rebellion. Their friendship came to an abrupt halt when Zachary tried to steal the Ramora after it’s return from its first trading excursion. That incident got him exiled from the colony.


“Long time no see friend.” Zachary looked at David in the eyes and held up two glasses in his hands. “Why don’t you put that rifle down and have a drink with me.”


“How did you know I was here?” David asked actually curios while keeping the rifle on him.


“You smell like you just crawled through a pile of sh*t.” Zachary chuckled and then he sat on the chair and nodded towards a PDA on the table. On the screen was a image of David at the edge of the woods looking at the camp. “My guys spotted you hours ago. I knew you were coming before you knew how to get into my little camp.”


Knowing he could have been killed already he lowered his rifle and accepted the drink from his former friend. “Why didn’t you stop me and bring me in?”


“I was curious why you of all people would come here.” Zachary said as he took a sip of the grain alcohol.


“I know you have been quite a little busy out here recruiting your little army. I have a proposition for you.” David spun the drink in the glass in front of him.


“I’m listening.” Said Zachary.


“We are planning on heading to a dangerous section of space and will need a stronger then normal security team.” David tried to not mention anything specific as to lead him on.


“What’s dangerous about the route to Garak IV?” Zachary asked.


Shocked that Zachary could have known about his next destination he spoke up, “We are having a change of our itinerary. We have word that there might be some good salvage at a nearby nebula. We are gonna head there but most ships avoid that area of space. It’s known to have pirates. We are hoping to add some firepower to our ship to help repel possible boarders.”


“Interesting…” Zachary paused as he took another sip. “If I were to agree my men would need some form of payment. In addition to a profit from the salvage.”


“I’ll agree to pay them handsomly but you will not get a percentage of any salvage. Only compensated for time. Anyone who dies will see their money as well as an additional stipend provided to their spouses. Thats all I can do.” David stared stoically into Zachary’s eyes. “Also, every single man swears loyalty to me. I will not allow mutiny to occur on my ship.”


“Bah!” spat Zachary, “My days of a pirate and thief are long behind me.” He took another sip of the alcohol. “I agree to your terms. When do you need my men.”


“I’ll send you instructions. Be ready to go with 25 men in 5 days if at all possible. Bring what you need.” David said as he stood up and set the drink down on the table. Not one sip taken from it. He extended his hand towards Zachary.


Zachary stood up and looked David in the eyes. He grasped the hand that was offered and sealed the deal. “I think this is gonna be fun.”


David started walking outside the hut and he was greeted by the display of ten rifles pointed in his direction.

“At ease men.” Zachary said as he came out after David. “We are all friends here. Captain Dushall and I just sealed the deal on a job offer on his ship. We're going to space boys.” A long round of applause followed and he patted David on the back. “Your speeder is waiting for you in the courtyard by the gate.”

[Dushall]

A week later a majority of the senior staff were gathered at the colonial landing pad and ready to embark on a shuttle. David stood there chatting with Harper, Star, Wood and Loki. They were all going over the supplies that were requisitioned for their short excursion to the Crawler Horn Nebula. Everything seemed to be in order and Star did a good job of getting the list completed in a short amount of time.


Everyone grew quite when a group of land speeders pulled up and stopped at the bottom of the ramp. Disembarking from the front speeder a pair of combat boots hit the deck as a man clad in green digiflage and loaded to gills like he was going to combat strode out with a rifle slung across his chest. David could tell he was scanning the area around him for threats.


“David, is this absolutely necessary?” Asked Loki. Her voice seething with anger at the sight of Zachary Kaine.


“He’s the best and we need him and his men if we come across any pirates, or worse, the Authority.” Although it pained him to admit that his crew wasn’t up to par with the militaristic skill of the Kaine and his men. Although they could hold their own on most of their trips he was expecting much worse on this one.


As Kaine approached the ships officers his men disembarked from their speeders and started to unload their gear. Although their outfits were different between every single one of them there was a sense of uniformity. Each one looked rough around the edges from spending long hours in the sun training.


“Kaine, welcome. Your early.” David stated as he extended his hand showing respect in front of his crew and Kane’s men despite their history.


“Figured we would get a head start and get our gear situated on the ship first.” Kane said as he pointed to the furthest cargo hauler and his men pulling out crates of gear.


“Kane, this is my senior staff. You know most of them but we got Loki my XO, Harper my Chief Engineer, Star my Chief of Operations, Wood my Chief Flight Officer.” David introduced his crew the Kane who he knew had met all of them previously. Everyone just nodded their heads as they were introduced but no one spoke to the man. The history of his actions 8 years prior still fresh in their mind. A man who was a friend using his position as the ships XO to take the Ramora for himself.


They all turned and stepped into the shuttle together as Wood sat in the pilots chair. Sealing the rear hatch he increased the engine output and guided the shuttle to the correct flight path to begin their ascent to the Ramora. They flew in silence and no one wanted to speak to Kaine, even David.


Once the shuttle landed in the main shuttle bay the ramp lowered and all the senior officers disembarked. “Kaine, we set up space for your men in the starboard cargo bay. It’s already been fitted with racks and some sonic shower units. You and your Lieutenant are already issued guest quarters.”


He started to walk away and then turned around. “Senior Staff meeting in the conference room in 2 hours. See you there.”


David turned away and headed to the turbolift. Taking the lift up to the second deck he exited and turned to go to his quarters. When he entered his room he dropped his bag down on the bed. As much as he liked being at the colony, this ship was his home. He unpacked the bag and put his clothes in the drawers. He then headed towards the door when he stopped and turned around. Walking back into the bedroom he went to the night stand and withdrew a phase pistol and a brown leather drop holster.


He stepped onto the deck of the bridge with his drop holster and pistol attached to his leg. Instantly the deck crew noticed his presence.


“Captain on the Bridge.” Called out Patterson.


“At ease everyone.” David said to the crew. He walked over to his chair as Patterson got out. “Thought I told you I don’t like that formal crap.”


“Sorry sir, First Officer Loki issued a ship wide regulation that all proper protocols are to be followed from now on.” Patterson handed the Duty PDA to David.


“Oh did she?” David looked at the PDA and then back to the young officer. “Very well, resume your post.”


David handed the PDA back to the Watch Officer and headed off the bridge and into the Turbolift. He went down a few decks and found Clarissa’s quarters and pressed the call button.


“Enter.” He heard her voice call out.


The door slid open and he was greeted by Clarissa with nothing but a towel wrapped around her as she was bent over digging through her bag. “Dammit, now where is that shirt!”


“Clarissa, what are you doing?” He exclaimed at the site of her as he turned his back.


“I’m looking for my blue blouse.” She exclaimed as she yanked out more clothes. “It’s my lucky blouse. I wear it every time we disembark from the Colony.”


David kept his back turned as he heard her continuing to go through her bag. Then suddenly an outburst of victory occurred.


“Gotcha!” Clarissa exclaimed.


He heard her scamper off to her room and when her door shut he turned around and noticed all the clothes spread across the floor. Reaching over he grabbed her bag and started to pick up pieces of clothing and stuffing them back into the bag. He had learned a long time ago that Clarissa didn’t fit into any sort of stereotype that people may have for women.


When he finished Clarissa came out of the room with her blue blouse, a pair of khaki pants and dark brown leather boots. On her hip rested a phase pistol. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” She asked as she sat in a chair and crossed her legs looking at David.


David sat in the chair opposite her and rapped his fingers together. “Patterson told me that you sent out a ship wide message about regulation and proper protocol.”


Her cheerful demeanor grew serious. “Yes I did, it’s time that this crew started acting like a crew. We’ve been relaxed for far too long and discipline have grown lax.”


“This doesn’t have anything to do with Kaine being on board does it?” David asked.


“No.” Clarissa declared but her eye’s couldn’t maintain contact with Davids.


“Okay, I’ll allow it.” David said as he slapped his knees and stood up. “Also, I want all senior officers to remain armed at all times.”


“Aye aye, Sir.” Clarissa said as she stood up and offered a rigged but sarcastic salute. As soon as she did she couldn’t contain her laughter and broke her bearing.


“If you the example of discipline that this crew needs… We’re screwed.” David chuckled as he turned and left her quarters. The door swishing shut behind him. He made his way to the turbolift one more time taking it to deck 1 where the conference room was aft of the bridge.


When he got there most of his crew were already present and enjoying a conversation among themselves. They all stood when he came in. “At ease people.” He took his seat at the head of the table and when he did Clarissa came in and sat next to him. A minute later Kaine showed up in his militia uniform minus the gear. To David’s surprise he was without a weapon. At least one that was visible.


Kaine sat at the end of the table near Spears and opposite of Wood. David noticed that his senior staff avoided gazing in the direction of the former XO of the ship. “Okay everybody,” David said as he tried to break the uneasy silence. “I would like to welcome Kaine back to the Ramora. I want everyone to know that I wouldn’t let him on this ship if I hadn’t forgiven him for what he did. I believe it is time for us all to move on and work together so that we can have a safe trip and all return home to our loved ones.”


“We are heading to the Crawler Horn Nebula deep in wild space. We have no known contacts. Have no idea of the kind of people we will encounter, if any at all.” He looked upon the stoic faces of his staff. “What we know is that most ships that enter this region of space never return.”


“This is going to be the most dangerous undertaking we have ever been on. Even worse then flying into space on a patched together rust bucket.” David chuckled along with everyone else when they thought of the first trip they took on the Ramora. “That is why I have invited Kaine and a group of his men to supplement our ships security capability.”


“Captain,” It was Star that spoke up. “We have held our own before. We can still hold our own against whatever might be out there.”


David knew that Star was responsible for the ships security and day to day operations and she was mostly taking Kaine’s presence as a personal failure on her part. “Star, I know that our crew can handle themselves in most situations. We’ve repelled more than our fair share of boarding parties. However given our destination I believe that having additional security with us will help guarantee that all of us will return home.”


Kaine was the next to speak, “If Ms. Star is okay with this Captain, I would like to start doing some cross training with the crew of this ship to assess everyone's abilities and areas needed for improvement.”


The look on Star's face showed David that she was trying to contain an anger that was about to burst out. “I agree, Ms. Star, see to it that everyone on the ship is scheduled to train with Kaine and his men.” He looked around the table, “In addition, we will perform several boarding party drills a week as well. Kaine, please see to it.” Kaine nodded at the Captain.

“While we are traveling to the Nebula we will be seeking out contacts in the region. My hope is that we might also open up new trade partners and increase commerce at the colony. Everyone needs to stay sharp on this trip. The nebula is 3 months at Maximum warp and we cant accomplish that. We will be having stops along the way. We will be forced to deviate our course. Everyone will need to be at their best." With that he stood up and everyone else followed his lead.


He exited the conference room and entered the turbo lift. “Bridge.” he called out as Loki entered after him.


“I hope you know what your doing when it comes to Kaine.” She said while not even looking at him.


“I learned my lesson. Twice.” He left it at that and didn’t feel like going into the details of how Kaine knew he was infiltrating the camp and how he fell into his trap bait and hook.


The doors to the turbolift swished open and the Captain and the XO were on the bridge. The crew, following the order that was issued by First Officer Loki, came to attention as some one called out, “Captain on the deck.”


“At ease everyone.” Dushall said as he walked to his chair and sat down. Loki had moved to her station at the sensors just to his right. “Status report.” He ordered.


A male operations crewman spoke up, “All shuttles and worker bee’s are secured. All bay doors are shut and all cargo pods are secure, sir.”


The bridge engineers mate was the next. “Engines are primed and ready. All systems are green across the board, sir.”


“Loki, open a ships wide comm.” She nodded to him giving him the signal that it was ready. “All hands, this is the Captain speaking. Today we are traveling into an area of space that is known to be dangerous. We hope to find new promising trade routes that will increase our profit margins. But most of all we are heading to an location that may prove worth a ships weight in latinum for possible salvage. It will be a long journey but I have faith in this crew and in her capabilities. Together we can accomplish anything. Captain out.” Dushall looked at the helm console. “Helm, enter the coordinates you were given earlier and prepare for warp 7.”


“Coordinates entered and ready sir.” Said the young helmsman.




“Engage!” Ordered Dushall.

[Dushall]

===1 Week into their Journey to the Crawler Horn Nebula.===

Dushall was sitting in his command chair going over some numbers on their recent cargo intake. It had been just over a week since they left their home planet on a route to the Crawler Horn Nebula. They were about 3 days into dangerous and unknown space. The only thing that was known about the space in the direction of the Nebula was that the ships headed in that direction never came back. Rumors of pirate fleets and space monsters circled all the known star ports and habited planets he had been too. First hand accounts were hard to come by. All stories and tales of lost ships and space monsters were told by someone who heard about it from a friend of a friend of the sole survivor of the ship that disappeared.

They stopped at a couple of outpost they knew of along the way to gather recent news, data, and rumors of the space before them. In the past this space wasn't so "Unknown". During the time of the Federation this was a well mapped area and safe area and only recently since the fall of the Milky Way Galaxy in the Andromedan Invasion became "Unknown". The Drommies destroyed any technology they declared dangerous with that mass destruction came the Galactic Dark Age. They didn't just destroyed starships and starbases. They destroyed entire civilizations and planets. They wiped entire sections of planets. It was said that all the major member worlds of the Federation were glassed over with molten rock from the Andromedan barrages. The Galactic Dark Age wasn't just an age where technology was lost but also knowledge as entire datacore centers and repositories were destroyed to keep information from survivors. With that knowledge now loss was also the knowledge of inhabited planets and star systems outside of anyone immediate area.

In this era, knowledge and information was just as valuable as latinum. Technology was even more valuable but also dangerous. What the Drommies didn't destroy in their first wave was collected and destroyed by the Authority. The Authority was a governmental body and mostly policing force set up by the Drommies to ensure that the newly conquered Milky Way was following their laws. The two main laws being:

1) No technology deemed dangerous is to be kept by unauthorized personnel.
2) No knowledge of dangerous technology is to be kept by unauthorized personnel or contained in unauthorized databases.

At the space port David struck up a conversation with a Captain of a small freighter. He was a couple glasses into some off brand homebrewed Romulan Ale. He told David of a planet he was supposed to deliver some foodstuffs that was a day away at high warp. He had accepted the job the night before when he was drunk and being called out for being a coward. Swearing that he wasn't a coward but that he wasn't stupid either and knew that his ship couldn't handle the journey he wasn't sure what to do. Once the job was accepted he couldn't give it back and no one in the space port would take the job from him. David made a deal and took the job from him in exchange for his ships database and an additional fee. They came to an agreement and David had the goods transferred to his own ship before they disembarked.

The goods were secured and they were almost to their destination. A small colony world that has been suffering for quite a few decades. Supposedly several world wide disasters and sudden pole shifts had led to a severe climate change and the community was having trouble providing for themselves.

"Captain, we are about to reach the coordinates of Qanik II." said his Chief Helmsman.

"Very good Wood. Drop down to quarter impulse power on the edge of the system and get me a full sensor sweep." David gave out the order and the Helmsman repeated it in affirmation. Pressing a button on his command chair he spoke up. "Senior Staff to the bridge." and then he released the button.

Within a minute his senior staff were on the bridge and relieved the crewmen  at their stations. "Loki, what are you reading on your sensors?"

"No sensor buoys in the system so we are limited to line of sight only. We would have to circle the system to get a full sweep. Right now there are too many blind spots." Loki replied after going over the details of her screen.

"Don't have time for that." David replied. "Helm, take us in at full impulse power. Loki, keep an eye on the sensors and let me know of anything unusual."

The ship hummed as the impulse engines were brought up to full power. At this rate it would take them roughly a day to traverse the entire system to Qanik II but it would also give them ample time to scan the system on their approach.

David was asleep in the chair in his quarters when the call panel next to his door beeped loudly. He jerked upright and the Padd he was reading when he dozed off fell to the floor. Closing in on the panel he pressed the receive button. "This is the Captain, what is it?"

"Captain, we are approaching the planet. ETA 1 hour." Came the voice of the the OOD. (Officer of the Deck)

"Roger, on my way." David let go of the button and turned to the head. Splashing some water on his face he tapped himself dry and looked in the mirror. His facial hair was still short enough to look like he shaved. Hanging the towel up he smoothed out his duty jacket, made sure his sidearm was secured and then stepped out of his quarters and into the hallway. Turning left he entered the turbolift. "Bridge." he called out and the turbolift started to move the one deck up to the bridge. The doors swooshed open and he walked out onto the bridge.

First thing that he noticed was that his senior staff were already on the bridge and at their stations. "Anything in the vicinity?"

"Nothing, sir. Not picking up any man made objects orbiting the planet or in the system yet." Loki called out.

"What about comm traffic? Anything being sent on, off or too the planet?"

The Petty Officer at the Comms station turned in his chair with the headphone pressed to his ear. "Nothing sir. Just space static."

David tapped his finger on the armrest of his command chair as he thought it through. "Helm, change course to give us a wide sweeping berth on approach to the planet and it's moon. I want all immediate blind spots to be known." He turned to the comms station. "PO Gallen, open up a frequency on the comm channel that we were given."

"Aye aye, Captain." Gallen replied as he pressed several buttons and opened up a frequency.

"To the Colony on Qanik II, this is the Starship Ramora, a civilian freighter on assignment to deliver supplies to your colony. Please respond." He looked over at Gallen and the Petty Officer just shrugged.

"No response Captain."

"Keep sending that message as we approach."


=== In orbit around Qanik II===

No response came from the planets surface as David and his crew waited in orbit. "Anything on sensors XO?"

"I'm picking up the colony just south of the Equator on the largest continent. But no signs of life."

"Okay," David said as he got up from his chair. "Looks like we are heading down to the surface." He depressed his ships comm button on his chair. "Kaine, meet me in the main shuttlebay with a fire team. Doc, you too." He let go of the button knowing that Kaine got the order and looked at Loki, "You have the bridge XO. Wood and Star your with me."

[Dushall]

=== Away Team to Quanik II ===

Star and Wood were in the cockpit piloting the shuttle to the surface while David, Doctor Nguyen, Kaine, and his 4 men were seated in the back of the shuttle as it made it descent to the planets surface. The ride was rough due to atmospheric turbulence. "Wood, make sure Harper takes a look at the inertia dampeners when we get back." David said as he held onto a stabilizing brace above his head.

Wood chuckled from the front, "Roger that sir. We should be through it in a little..." He was cut off by the sound of a man throwing up in the rear of the shuttle.

David and Doctor Nguyen looked and it was one of Kaine's men, the youngest of the 4, bent over hurling chunks and stomach acid onto the deck. "It's alright," Kaine said, "It's the kids first time on a hard entry like this." The young man sat upright and looked up as he craned his head back obviously trying to gain control of his insides as if he was willing his motion sickness and queasy stomach to remain still.

It wasn't more then a minute when the turbulence died down and they were now flying smoothly through white clouds and purple/blue skies. A look of relief fell over the young man in the back.

"2 Minutes from the colony." Star called out from the Co-Pilots seat.

"Alright men," Kaine said as he unstrapped and stood up. "Double check your gear and be ready to disembark." His team of men all stood up and readied their firearms and double checked their packs, straps, and gear.

"Kaine, I and Star will exit first, then your team and the Doctor. Wood, I want you to stay back and keep an eye on our shuttle." David stood up and checked his phaser on his hip. Still fully charged and on stun. His communicator was also on his belt and he grabbed his bag with his left hand and slung it over his shoulder.

The shuttle slowed down as it descended onto a open field just north of the colony. With a gentle touch the shuttle eased onto the ground and the engines powered down to idle. A pop and a hiss sound came from the shuttle hatch in the rear of a vehicle as it opened and lowered to the grass covered ground. David and star stepped out of the shuttle and walked slowly down the ramp. His right hand ready to draw his phaser from it's thigh holster. The field looked like any other field. The vegetation was about halfway up his calves and covered the entire field. To the east and west the field was flanked by large trees and to the north were large rolling hills covered with those same tall trees.

Kaine and his men stepped out of the shuttle with the Doctor and his 4 man team spread out to cover all angles of approach. Kaine stepped up to David and Star as they looked back at the shuttle and saw Wood in the hatchway. "I'll take the shuttle up for a little close surface recon of the area. Let me know if you need me to rush back for anything."

"Good to go Wood!" David called out as Wood went back to the cockpit, the hatchway closed behind him.

"Well, anyone in the colony should know that we are here now." Commented Kaine as he looked back at David.

"We will see." David responded, "They still weren't answering our hails earlier."

"I doubt it, we didn't pick anything up on scanners other than the structures on our way in." Star said, jumping in on the conversation. "I don't have a good feeling about this Captain."

"I know," David answered as he put both arms through his pack and tightened the waist strap down. "Only one way to find out." He started walking to the south towards the colony in the distance. Kaine signaled his men and they were all moving out as a team.

=== SS Ramora, In orbit of Quanik II ===

Loki sat in the Captain's chair as she was going over the duty roster for the next day. As she scrolled through the roster she couldn't help but think about the mission they were currently on. Being in unknown space they couldn't really vet their source of information and the contract in its entirety.

On their previous routes they had gotten to know good trustworthy people that they could source out contracts and shipments but out here they had no friends, no contacts and everything was done blind and for the first time. Just like when they were first venturing out on the Ramora for the first time on the Tammeron Run for a profitable grain shipment. It was their first successful long distance run.

Thinking back to those old days she noticed the hair on the back of her neck started to raise up. Something wasn't right. Too many things weren't adding up since they arrived in the system. Even the most rudimentary colony they came across in the past had surface to orbital communications. It was almost a necessity. She moved over to the science station and started going over the sensor logs since they arrived.

=== Shuttle 5 in Quanik II Atmosphere ===

Wood was enjoying the time alone in the shuttle. It wasn't often that he was just by himself. The young Ensign was a newer addition to the crew of the Ramora. He had previously served on a inter-system ore hauler doing runs from the asteroid belt back to the colony for processing. He started operating the smaller Transfer shuttles and made his way up to the position of Freighter Pilot for his employer. He ended up being approached by Captain Dushall after a small incident occurred on his freighter.

Returning to the colony with a large shipment of ore they lost all directional thrusters on the ship due to a series of engineering malfunctions and they were on a direct course to the orbital transfer station over his colony. Although they had warned the space station of their failure Wood knew he had to do something. He sealed all the corridors to the external hatches and then over rode the security systems to allow himself to open the external doors. Using his natural skills he opened the doors in a series of orders to allow the internal atmosphere to push the freighter just enough to allow them to pass safely past the station and gave engineering the time they needed to fix the issues. He was drinking at a popular bar on the surface when the Captain offered him a position on the Ramora as the ships Chief Pilot.

And here he was. On his third excursion outside of his home system traveling the stars, Flying in alien atmospheres, following in the footsteps of myths and legends. He enjoyed atmospheric flight the most. You could really feel the atmosphere either fighting the changes in your flight path or helping you along. It was a thrill to him and one he really enjoyed.

=== Just outside the Colony of Quanik II ===

David, Starr, Kaine and his 4 man team were just a hundred meters away from the Colonial Compound. The closer they got the more they noticed the signs of combat and damage to the compound. David noticed that Kaine and his men were more alert and instead of their rifles being at a low ready they were now shouldered and alert. Ready to bring their firepower to bear on anything that might strike out. They crested a slight raise in the land around the colony and they all got on their stomachs as they approached. This little hill top gave them a clear view of the compound from the north. For all they could tell it was empty of life.

Holes were splattered into almost every building. Cloth canopies were torn and flapping in the wind. Equipment and containers were charred and laying about on the ground. Whoever used to live here haven't lived here for a long time. "All right, everyone stay alert." David said, "Lets go." He stood up and started down the slope to the colony with the others around him.

It didn't take long to travel the hundred meters to get to the compound. It was like a ghost town. He had seen several places like this in his travels. Formerly prosperous cities and planets all of a sudden are deserted, abandoned, or destroyed. That was the fate in the wild galaxy today. There was no one to keep the peace or ensure that the right supplies could get where they needed to go. If a settlement couldn't afford the price of the supplies they needed then they didn't last long. This looked like a long and hard fought battle took place here.

Kaine was the first one to speak up, "A battle definitely took place here. Some of this looks like an orbital assault." He said as he pointed to the large crater in the center of the town.

"Sir, I recommend we move back and head to the shuttle." Star said as she withdrew her phaser from it's holster.

David leaned down and picked up an object from the ground. He dusted it off and it was an doll of an Andorian female with long white hair and blue skin. Suddenly he felt a hard shock of electricity shoot through him and the doll and the ground around the doll went black as he fell and hit the hard packed dirt.

Kaine and Star opened fire on the dark windows and doorways of the buildings around them. Two of Kaine's men went down in the opening barrage and another quickly followed. Thinking he saw something move in the alley way he opened fire as he approached Davids collapsed body. He tried to reach him but felt something hit him in his back and the world went dark. Star and the last militia man pulled back as they couldn't reach the Captain and Kaine. They were able to grab one of the other militia men as they returned fire into the blackness of the building openings.

As Star and the other MIlitia man carried the knocked out soldier out of the compound Star couldn't help but to sling every insult she could think of towards the people that attacked them. She put her phaser away and pulled out her communicator, "Wood, we need immediate extract on our position right now!"

[Dushall]

=== SS Ramora in orbit of Quanik II ===

Loki's eyes were hurting as they strained over the sensor logs. She knew that something wasn't right and she was backtracking to find out why. She was about to give up as she was looking at the last log. The initial scans of the system when they first dropped out of warp at the edge. There it was. Right when they dropped out of warp a faint signature of a ship near the moon of Quanik II. And as quickly as it was there it was gone. Loki moved over to the side of her console and typed in a new configuration. There a faint impulse signature was detected and appeared to lead to a great crater on the surface of the larger moon.

"Someone was here!" Loki said as she stood up and backed away from the console. "Shields up, red alert!" She yelled as she went back to the command chair.

"Aye, aye Ma'am." Said the crewman manning the tactical station. The red klaxons started to blare on and off. The shield emitters hummed while they powered up. The display visible to Loki showed the ships shield emitters as they came online. In that instant two ships dropped out of warp just to the aft.

"Two ships just dropped out of warp 180° mark 034." Sensors called out.

"They are opening fire!" Tactical followed up.

Phaser beams closed the gap in space between the two ships and the Ramora. Just before they would have made contact with the ships hull and done major damage to the ship the shield emitter covering that section came online and the phaser beam impacted on that energy field. The ship rocked with the contact of the two ships weapons hitting the shields. "Shields at 80 percent." Called out the crewman at tactical.

"Helm, hard to port mark 5. Target the closest ship and return fire." Loki ordered. "Comms, alert the Surface team!"

The Comms crewman answered back, "We are being jammed Ma'am."

The ship pulled hard to port and up giving the phaser emitters on the hull a clear firing arc on the hostile ships. The three phaser banks opened up concentrating on a single point of the ship. The six beams from the 3 phaser banks impacted the shield and they held for a split second before the beams broke through and made contact with the ships hull. The intense heat of the phaser beams dealt severe damage to the hull taking away complete sections. The targeted ship and it's partner returned fire however the targeted ship couldn't maintain the fire as it pulled away trying to lessen the damage done by the Ramora. The Undamaged hostile ship navigated to get between it's partner and the Ramora. It's forward phaser banks opened fire on the dorsal section of the Ramora's hull.

"Shields down to 70 percent!" Called out the crewman at the tacticle station.

Loki looked at the viewscreen as it showed the enemy ship dip below the Ramora and past the firing arc of the Dorsal phaser banks and opened fire on the ventral hull where the only weapon was a single forward torpedo. "Damn it!" Loki cursed out as the ship rocked.

"Shields down to 60 percent!" Called out the crewman again.

"Get that ship back in our phaser window." Loki called out to the helmsman.

"She's too agile Ma'am." Responded the Helmsman. The ship rocked again.

"50 Percent!" The crewman at the tactical station sounded more urgent. Several control panels over loaded and blew, sending sparks flying across the bridge as electrical smoke filled the bridge.

"Helm, Get us out of here. Warp speed!"

"Aye Aye Ma'am!" The helms man plotted a course and engaged the warp engines. The enemy ship fired their phaser beams one more time at the Ramora but in the blink of an eye the Ramora was gone and out of site. The enemy ship turned to starboard returned to their wounded friend.

=== Shuttle 3 in Atmosphere of Quanik II ===

Wood was doing a close scan of the surface of Quanik II. It was one of the side missions of the Ramora to do when they came to a new planet, to gather as much information that they could. As information could be used as a form of currency. If they happened to come across a stellar body that was high in a certain type of mineral and then find a miner from a nearby system that was looking to expand they could trade that knowledge for equipment they needed or for better trade deals.

He was making his 2nd pass when his ships comm activated. The shuttle cabin filled with static. In the thick of the static he could hear a faint voice that faded in and out. To him it sounded like Star but he couldn't be sure. The only words he could make out was "Immediate" and "Now". Deactivating the deep ground scanners he kicked in the manual pilot controls and turned the shuttle around. "Wood to Star, on my way. Hold tight." Increasing his impulse speed he would be at the location of the colony in 4 minutes.

The time went by slow as Wood rushed over to the colony. With so little information he didn't know what to expect. Eventually the colony was on the horizon and a few more seconds he was circling the landing zone to the north of the colony. He circled for more than 2 minutes when he saw some figures come out of the woods. It looked like Star and two of the Militia Men, One being carried by both of them.

Wood came in for a vertical landing as close to them as he could get and started to drop the rear shuttle hatch. When he landed the hatch was completely open and the three members were just feet away. Wood came out to the hatch with his phaser pistol drawn and ready to fire on anyone or anything that would emerge from the tree line. "Where's the Captain and the others!" Wood called out over the sound of the shuttles engines.

"We were ambushed and they didn't make it." Star said as they entered the shuttle and laid the wounded man on the deck. "We need to get back to the Ramora!"

Wood closed the hatch as Star and the other Militiaman started to pull out a medical kit and check the wounded man. He jumped back into the pilots chair and started his climb through the atmosphere and back to the Ramora. It was just a few minutes into the climb when he noticed something unusual. "Uh, Lieutenant!" He called out to Star.

Star came up to the cockpit, "What is it Wood?"

"The Ramora isn't answering and it's not showing up on sensors." Wood pointed at the sensor screen.

Star looked at the screen and knew that the Ramora should have been there. They were well within sensor range and the Ramora was supposed to be in a known orbit around the planet. Even though these shuttles were old and pieced together with the ingenuity of Chief Harper the sensors were in functioning order and should not be failing them right now. Several things were going through her mind right now. The ambush on the ground could have been a two prong attack.

"Slow our ascent." Star ordered and she could feel the engines lower their power. She sat in the copilot station and started analyzing the sensor data. "I'm picking up some ship debris but it's not made of the composition as the Ramora. Looks like she was attacked and got away." At least that was some good news.

=== Dushall and Kaine, Somewhere on the surface of Quanik II ===

Dushall felt his body being moved. The pressure of the grips of several men holding onto his extremities and they maneuvered him around. If it wasn't for the pressure of their grips he would have thought that he was floating in water. His head hurt and he could feel a pulse pounding behind his eyes. He tried to open and found them not wanting to comply. It took a few more seconds for his eyes to open and he found nothing but black in front of him. He eye's were covered with a cloth and prevented him from seeing. He also found that his hand and feet were bounded as the unknown people carried him away.

His thoughts went to the rest of the ground team. Did they make it out? Were they safe on the Ramora? Knowing that he couldn't do anything about them right now he turned his thoughts to more immediate action. How tight were his bindings? Who attacked them? Pirates, Scavengers, or Someone else. They were still alive, so that ruled out scavengers. Pirates might have kept them alive to torture and find out about the Ramora and it's cargo.

Time was counted in the steps of the men around him. Dushall counted the steps and noticed that some were spaced out and somewhere close together. He could feel the change in the ground as his body tilted up and down as they crossed over rougher terrain. He would tell that they came out of a forest and into an open field because his skin and the surface of his clothes got hotter in the sunlight. They crossed a river and entered another forest. Eventually he lost count of the footsteps as he felt the sun drift away. He best guess that that they continued to walk a couple hours after the sun had set when he started to hear an echo around them. Canyon or cave? In that moment he wasn't sure but he soon found out when he detected a drip and the echo grew louder and then died off.

He was sat down and he heard something else heavy dropped down next to him. A hand touched his face and took off his blindfold. David looked out at several men towering over him most of them pointing their firearms at him. The man who took off his covering also untied his bindings on his hands and legs. When his hands were free David lifted his hands up to his head in a non threatening manner. He looked next to him and the man started to do the same to Kaine and two of the other militiamen  who where tied up just like he was. It was good to see that Kaine and the other men were still alive.

David looked around and found that they were in a cage. The walls were covered in a fabric but David could feel the cold hard rock underneath it. The fabric must have been used to dampen sound and they were definitely in a cave. On the walls were several light scones and behind the men that stood in front of him was a large wall of metal bars. They appeared to be in a cage. When all the men were unbounded the group of men backed out of the cage and secured the door with a large and thick lock.

"Kaine, how are you and your men?" David whispered when he thought their captures were far enough away.

"Headaches and bruises. Other than that we are fine." Kaine said as the other two members of his team nodded as they rubbed their wrist.

Kaine was about to talk when they heard footsteps coming towards them. A large burly man stood behind the bars to the prison cells. "Who is the leader of your group."

David stood up and looked the man in the eyes. "I am."

The gate opened up and the large man entered the cell. Kaine stood up like he was going to take the opportunity to knock the guy out but David waved him down. The man, who had stopped in his tracks when he noticed Kaines movement took one more step towards David and tied his hands. He then escorted David out of the cell, locked it, and then escorted David down the hall.

They went down many wandering cave paths until they came to a large wooden door lit by two lights scones on both sides. He didn't see anything other then the occasional guard every now and then leading up to the door. The man knocked three times and a panel about eye level opened up and a set of beady eyes looked at David and the burly man. "He says he is the leader."

"Is this the one you found the device on?" Asked the beady eyes.

"Yes." Replied the burly man.

The panel shut and a series of locks could be heard turning until finally the wooden door creaked open. The burly man untied David and motioned for him to enter. David complied and he entered the door.

It was a complete change from the cave paths he had just walked through going through this door. It was a full on room with an even floor of patterned brick and tile. Walls of Wood lined the corridor and light fixtures covered the ceiling that was also covered up to make it look like you were in a house. The beady eyed man turned out to be shorter than average with a very skinny frame. He was old and he showed it. Hisk skin was wrinkled and obviously thinned. His hair was white and cut short with an obviously recessed hairline. Despite all these signs of old age he still walked fairly well. A little hunched over but still quick and without the aid of a walking stick.

The old man led him down a series of corridors, each one had doors spaced out in odd intervals and were devoid of life. The rare basket here and there told him that people lived here and were probably told to stay inside as he was brought through. After an unknown time of walking down corridors and up and back down stairs David was brought to another doorway. This one was guarded by two armed men wearing matching blue uniforms. The two guards stood aside and the Old man opened the door and pushed it aside.

David and the old man entered a large chamber about three stories tall. Light came down from the ceiling high above emanating from large crystals imbedded into the stone. Below the crystal and chiseled into the rock surrounding the chamber was a balcony were dozens of people stood and looked down on him. In the center of the large chamber stood a table in the shape of a C with the opening facing him. Seated in the middle of the table and facing him was a woman who looked just like the man that had escorted him there. David walked up to the table. He could feel the eyes of everyone boring into him.

"Who are you?" Said the old woman in a low but room piercing voice.

"David Dushall, Captain of the S.S. Ramora, a stellar freighter." David replied as he held the stare of the old woman.

The old lady pulled something out of her pocket and caressed it in her hand as tear came to her eye and ran down her face. She held it up in her palm for everyone to see. "Why do you have this!" In her palm was the Comm badge that was in his inside jacket pocket.

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