Seek and you will find

Posted on Tue Sep 2nd, 2025 @ 4:51am by Captain Mira Rodale Lance & Commander Kevin Lance & Lieutenant Commander Awal Kronnelti & Lieutenant Betaras K'ner

1,372 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Hide and seek
Location: Planet surface
Timeline: Present

On:

{Roanoke}

Mira paced back and forth as she let her mind work out the problem at hand. Out of habit she went to tuck the curl behind her ear only to have her hand collide with her helmet. It was surprising how it easy it was to forget you couldn’t touch your face and now that she thought that. Her nose now had an itch. She rolled her eyes.

“Found something Captain!”

Walking over to the console Mira watched the screen. It looked like it was taken in this room time-stamped 4 days ago. People laughed, walked around in the room in their EV Suit getting ready to go out doors. Then the EV suits just crumbled to the floor. The people just vanished.

Mira blinked her eyes darting to the EV Suit on the ground she had stepped over.

“Half of you stay here and go over medical and science reports. Download everything you think is of importance. The other half, you're with me. We start looking for survivors. I don’t want to be here when that storm comes back. We keep all comms open and stay in touch. “

She started to walk out to the turbo lift. She had really planned on everyone staying in the same group but it felt like something was urging her to move faster. She bit her lip as they went down. The last floor was more of a drop then gentle landing. The doors swished open to a massive space and it was dark. “computer, lights on.” She ordered and was relieved when they turned on.

“Ok this isn’t what I expected.” Mira frowned it wasn’t a deck of the station it was a massive ancient settlement. Carvings and designs that she had never seen before. “I have a feeling none of this was reported."

K'ner shook her head. "Not if they expected to continue the project." She executed a quick scan, then back again slower for more data. "No life signs. The materials are quite old. Given our depth, either there was an older, indigenous population after all, that survived subterranean, or perhaps it's an outpost. We're pretty deep. If it was a shelf slip, there would be a lot more damage."

She looked over at Walker. "I don't see any roof support. Is the local strata firm enough for an open pocket this size?" K'ner wondered about a cave-in, but she didn't see much for loose debris so it had survived intact for quite a while...

Mira’s gloved hand lightly traced the carving. “I wonder what happened to them all?” She turned to look over her shoulder “I think the command staff might have covered this all up to be able to continue terraforming. “

Frowning As she looked around “as much as I would love to explore all of this. Clearly the missing colonists are not here. Finish the scans then we head up to find out whatever we can.” For some odd reason the language looked familiar. Still they needed to stay on track. Find out what happened and get off this planet.

K'ner worked a grid pattern, checking data and re-scanning certain areas. Eventually she came back to the start, shaking her head slightly.

"Nothing to indicate occupation, but it hasn't been eons either. Someone has been here, from the bio scans, plus some gear the project scientists must've been using to investigate their find. The air is more palatable than the outside air, we could survive down here for a time, the project crew brought down processing units that are still running, over there," she said, pointing to a corner.

Mira nodded. “Ok, emergency plan A, if we get stuck here. But if it’s safe, why didn’t the colony use it when the storm got so bad? One other thing, those markings look familiar some how. I think it reminds me of something in the Matrix. Only it was a desert world.”

She gave a slight frown. “Ok, let’s check out the upper decks. If we find nothing more, let’s get off this planet. I have this feeling…” Her hand went to her stomach having this gut feeling. That didn’t feel right, like someone or something was watching them. “But nothing is showing up on tricorders.”

Entering into the turbo lift again, it wasn’t as smooth as she would have liked. When the doors opened on the next level, it looked like a storage area..

“Make a quick loop, then we move on.” Mira told everyone just as Ensign Geneva Thorne voice came over the line. "Everything is being uploaded to the ship, Captain. They said the storm has changed direction. We have less tine than we thought. 12 hours.”

“All right, let’s move it. We are going to need every bit of those 12 hours to cover this place. BUT, if we need to, we cut and head back to the ship. Hopefully there will be another window to come back down or just pass this mess along to Star Fleet command.”

~ Bro, you don’t have a chance with her. I told you that ~

Mira frowned, turning her head thinking she would see the person who had spoke, but nothing was there.

“I Heard that one and there is a blur over there.” Awal told her.

“Oh, good I am not the only one seeing and hearing things.” Mira smirked. “But I have got to say this is …..unnerving.”

How can we hear them if nobody is around but us? Asked Awal

“I am not sure…. It’s almost like they are there, but out of phase with us. Time or dimension maybe.” Mira was tempted to touch the blurry area just a few feet away, but stopped looking down at her tricorder. She frowned at the readings, then she tapped her settings on her helmet to change the filter of light spectrums.

"Lance to Rodale," Kevin's voice came across Mira's helmet communicator, "I landed the Sabine at the base. She's tucked in snug in the base's vehicle bay. What are my orders?"

Mira bit her lip as Kevin’ voice came over the comm. “this place is…….” Freaky as hell no she couldn’t let the other crew hear that. “Missive. We are in the lower decks storage level of the base just above a very interesting subterranean city of unknown origin. And …. We might have ghosts?” Mira smirked trying to make light of the situation.

On the shuttle, Kevin raised his eyebrows at Mira's characterization. It was close to what he had experienced flying the Sabine. Ghosts in the machine. That or gremlins.

The turbo lift doors opened and the rest of her team joined them. “Join us here and then we need to come up with a plan.”

"Shuttle is secure and I am on my way," Kevin replied before adding, "I love you."

Mira smiled , “I love you to. Be safe in that crazy tram. It’s faster then it looks.” The blurry image disappeared completely as she finished talking.
They made there way up to the next level.

Crew quarters.

From the look she would guess lower ranked crew. Things were cramped even by their ship standards. “ Half of you go that way. The rest head the other way. Quickly check each room for survivors then we head up to the next deck.” Mira held her position by the turbo lift doors and waited for Kevin. She watched the dots on her PADD as her people moved from room to room.

~I AM telling you she is a ghost. I Know what I saw. Its an alien ghost. ~

Mira raised as eyebrow at the conversation. The doors opened and Mira was relieved to see Kevin. She pointed to the two blurry images. “ghost? I am thinking they are out of phase with us? Or maybe just ghosts.” She gave him a smile “ghost might be easier to deal with.” Her hand slipped into his.


OFF:

Lt Betaras K'ner
Hazard Team Combat Medic TL-B / CMO
USS Chuck Norris

&

Captain Mira Rodale
CO USS Chuck

&

Lieutenant Commander Awal Kronnelti
Chief of security and tac
USS Chuck Norris

&

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

 

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