Team Fleet Part I

Posted on Sat Jul 5th, 2025 @ 8:10pm by Lieutenant Junior Grade Michael Harris & Staff Sergeant Shayla Kunadt & Lieutenant Commander Brianne Redstone & Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren & Lieutenant Ja'sol H'ros & Lieutenant Kolok & Lieutenant Junior Grade Rachel Sinclair & Ensign Hoa Nhi Nguyen & 1st Lieutenant Edward O'Rourke & Staff Warrant Officer Rommie
Edited on on Sat Jul 5th, 2025 @ 8:45pm

3,678 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Marine Shuttle Hawkeye/Surface of Wren IX
Timeline: MD010 0745 hrs

The away team was clustered in Transporter Room 2, going over last minute preparations as the specialist manning the system busied themselves in doing point to point beam-outs of the Cure.

Suddenly, the tech frowned and looked up after nearly half a minute. “Lieutenant H’ros., all of a sudden, something is interfering with our ability to get a secure signal to the surface. It wasn’t there a minute ago, but whatever it is snapped up after the Cure went in. I’m afraid you’ll have to go in by shuttle. If you’ll report to the shuttle bay, Staff Sergeant Kunadt is warming up the Hawkeye.

Brianne walked over to the console. "Do you mind if I have a look ?" She asked, "Ah, there you go- Kaon interference, probably from the portal, keep an eye on it, use the A-band of the sensors, should give you a few seconds head start for when it drops to beam out."

Having launched routinely from the Pioneer’s shuttle bay, the Hawkeye banked toward the surface of Wren IX.

Before launch, the Silence provided Shayla with coordinates for a hatch that would allow the Hawkeye to land and its occupants to go below ground. She now had those coordinates in the helm of the Hawkeye. Shayla opened a channel to Tremble. "Command, this is Overwatch. En route to drop point. ETA T-Minus five minutes. Out." The channel closed.

She glanced over her right shoulder at the rear of the shuttle where the bulk of her passengers sat. Commander Maren sat in the jump seat next to her. "We are on course to the landing platform. From there you should be able to go below ground. Well, that is at least according to our reluctant friend on the Pioneer. It should be an easy entry. At least the flight down should pose no problems."

Alyssa nodded. "As long as these entities don't know we're coming." That was the one unknown in all this. The entities were feeding off the Silence, but were they reading their thoughts? Did they know help was coming? She--and her team--had to believe they weren't. They had to believe they could seal that portal. They'd done as much research as they could, prepared as well as they could, and now, they would have to hope--believe--it was enough.

Michael sat on the bench and took a deep breath in and let it out heavily. He was a scientist and had no business on this mission at least that was his opinion. But he was a temporal specialist and there was a transdimensional portal that needed tending to. So, he put his best foot forward as it were. In this moment all he could think about was if there ever was a moment for a drink this was one.

Edward sat in the rear of the shuttle, feeling a little out of place. He was a marine, shouldn't he be with his brothers and sisters of the Corps?

Whatever, he would do his job and he would do it well. In the hold were his tool kits, and four auto phaser turrets, as well as a few surprises for anyone or anything that messed with the Fleet Team.

Nhi was sitting eagerly and excited in her seat. Also trying to look serious and focused at the same time, but failing miserably. She looked around the room. She loved going on away missions. This was everything she wanted when she joined Starfleet. She smiled to everyone on the team.

Edward smiled back at Nhi.

Brianne relaxed in her seat, she hadn't been on an away mission in years, well before these people were born she thought. She'd brought her field jacket, the big warm maroon one, but didn't need it now, the shuttle was warm enough. Things were running through her mind about the portal, this was new and interesting, a rarity these days.

Ja'sol was decked out in full security assault gear, he had checked out all of his gear prior to leaving the station and knew everything was in working order. He pulled out his Eldorian Kalutch and began to laser hone the blade to razor sharpness as he waited for the shuttle to land.

As they approached the entry/delivery hatch, Alyssa felt her muscles tense. This would be the first place they could encounter trouble from the bugs on the planet. She glanced at Shayla. "Any signs of trouble yet?"

Kolok sat, eyes forward, his mind deep in preparing for the action to come. He was dressed in the same Klingon tactical garb he'd worn as an exchange officer years ago. The armor was very heavy but offer vastly improved protection. He grasped a phaser rifle with both hands, waiting.

Shayla preferred to use her eyes when she flew. However, with the unknown terrain and the unknown enemy it was best to trust the instruments for the moment. Alyssa's request caught her attention. "When we left the Pioneer the landing platform was all clear. However, that was before the Colonel and the rest of the Cure made landfall. With any luck whatever is down there is still unaware. However, let’s have a look." She tapped a number of commands in quick succession. Including some on the panel in front of Alyssa. The Argo Class Hawkeye had been adapted for Marine use, and this included a number of customizations that Shayla made.

Within moments her eyes widened and then returned to their normal state quickly. "Commander it seems that the bugs have come to the surface. I would recommend you swap places with Lieutenant H'ros. I can certainly use his skills on the weapons. Then you and the rest should strap in." Shayla activated the comm link to Tremble. "Command this is Overwatch. The LZ is hot, repeat the LZ is hot. Still attempting landing. Will advise further. Hawkeye out."

Alyssa nodded and quickly switched seats. The scientist in her wanted to get a good scan of those things as soon as she had the chance--and they weren't trying to kill her. For now, it was far more important to get down safely.

Shayla's instinct was to initiate evasive maneuvers. However, all the initial scans said that these things could not attack anything that was airborne. So, she knew that their approach would be unhindered. It was the actual touching down that would be a problem. "Lieutenant I am going in hot and fast. Weapons and shields are at your control. Ladies hold on to your garter belts it is going to be a bumpy ride. Attack pattern theta niner."

The Hawkeye dived for the landing platform, it dropped altitude suddenly. This of course was planned. The vessel appeared to be a hawk as it swooped onto its prey. The landing platform appeared as if it were the top of an ant hill. Insects spewed forth and covered the normally silver platform. It seethed with large insects and movement.

Ja'sol looked out the window and saw hundreds of the bugs in the LZ. " Mi'ra protect us." he said in a voice barely enough to be heard. His fingers danced over the console control. " Ready to clear the LZ!! Hold tight this might get a little bumpy. " Ja'sol fired two micro photon torpedoes set at Low-Medium yield, followed up by rapid fire pulse beam shots from the phaser to mop up the survivors. " The LZ is clear for now, but I'm not sure if they had friends nearby or not."

Shayla was not sure where the bugs came from, so she was not sure how much time they had to land. She brought the craft in fast just ejecting the landing struts seconds before the craft touched down. "Right. We are here. I will keep the lights on, the engines hot and the beer cold. But I suggest you get a move on. These bugs don't like visitors in the nest." She keyed in the command to open the rear doors. As the doors opened the smell of dank, stale air wafted into the craft.

As the shuttle craft touched down Ja'sol spoke. " Everyone set phaser to power level eight, we will only fire to defend ourselves, and only shoot if you have a clear target. The cave entrance is about a kilometer from here. If we are attacked, find cover and return fire. Let's move out!! "

Exiting the shuttle, Edward placed a few spider drones around LZ, in case the insectoids returned. He then picked up the rest of his equipment and moved out, taking up the rear, so he could watch the team's six.

Alyssa paused by Shayla. "I assume you're going to take off as soon as we leave? Just keep safe. Hopefully this won't take too long." Even though her words were encouraging, she knew the odds were not in their favor.

"Yes Commander. My orders are to dust off and go on station. The Colonel has be on overwatch. When you are ready to leave give the signal and I will be there. I'll see you on the other side Commander." Shayla spoke loud over the sound of the engines and sizzling insect creatures. Once the team and their equipment were off loaded the doors closed and the Hawkeye ascended and banked to the right disappearing over the tops of a mountain range.

The chief science officer checked that all the science gear was accounted for, then followed the others off the shuttle. She had no doubt she'd come out of this with a bad case of entomophobia.

Comm's crackled as Neil's voice came through.

Neil waited three beats and said, “Ja’sol. Alyssa. Rommie reported your contact. Get to the tunnels soonest. I have Lachlan converging to cover while we get Point and Command teams to link up with you.”

"Roger," Alyssa replied.

“Hawkeye. Shayla. Provide cover as long as you can. Then secure and jump into the drones to help out O’Rourke.”

"A woman's job is never done. Is it Colonel. I have everyone covered. Signing on to the drones as we speak." Shayla said with a small amount of sarcasm.

As soon as they were outside, Alyssa went over to Ja'sol and pointed with her science tricorder. "We need to go that way. It looks like the Marines have opened a path if we hurry."

Harris ran out from the shuttle a phaser at his hip. He had a case slung over his shoulder which contained some scanning equipment that he would need, should he get to this portal. "To quote that Scottish play. Lead on MacDuff." He gestured toward Ja'sol and Maren as he spoke.

Ja'sol nodded to Alyssa. " If the Marines have opened a path for us then it would be rude to keep them waiting. Besides the more firepower we have the better our odds of survival. " Ja'sol turned to the group and raised his voice. " Alright people the marines have opened a path for us and if we hurry we can catch up to them. Science team in the center and the security marine team on the outside with weapons at the ready, If you see anything call it out. That goes for everyone, we either do this mission and live or we all die together, let's move out!! " The team moved out but the surrounding areas fell eerily silent as if all nature was holding its breath and waiting to see what happens.

The team covered the one kilometer distance from the LZ to the cave entrance with no incident, they heard some skittering noises from the rocks and cliffs above but didn't see anything. As the team entered the tunnel system they noticed that the walls were smooth and the floor well-worn from years of use, as if everything here had been carved out by a species that has had the skill and experience of crafting marvels of engineering.

The path is semi lighted from whatever power source remained here. The team traveled another half of a kilometer through twisting and turning paths that led into a large open chamber to where they found the portal. As they stepped into the chamber, Bugs surged into the chamber from the other side of cavern. " BUGS!! " Cried out Ja'sol in warning. " Take cover and prepare for defensive action! "

Edward unpacked and set up one of the phaser emplacements, that immediately started firing on the insectoids. He then took cover.

Alyssa double-checked that she had everything safely stored with her so it wouldn't get damaged and moved to the center of the group. It was the safest position, but it also made them a bigger target, so she kept her weapon at the ready.

Quickly readying her rifle, Rachel started to pick off any bugs on the flanks she could spot in an attempt to make the bugs group up, making them easier targets for the phaser emplacements.

Ja'sol took cover behind a rock outcrop and picked off a half dozen that were coming across the cavern roof and then changed his target to those that were coming to close to the group in the front lines as the bugs advanced towards them. " Damn, this reminds me of one of those old earth video games that my academy roommate used to love playing." He said to no one in particular, as he resumed firing . " Pioneer, we have encountered a large group of bugs and are holding our own, will keep you advised, Ja'sol out."

"Did anyone bring lavender, peppermint, citrus, or cinnamon? I hear spiders and other insects tend to avoid those scents," Alyssa asked, wishing she'd considered it before they left the ship. Or did these giants have a weakness for certain auditory frequencies? Alas, she was not an entomologist.

Kolok stood near the front of the defensive position, observing the others as they opened fire on the enemy. He observed the bugs' movements, trying to discern some sort of pattern. He held his rifle comfortably. His bat'leth was on his back but within easy reach. He did not cower or attempt to hide, and he used his bulk to cover others in the group. Occasionally, he snapped a shot at a bug.

"I do not have any herbs," Kolok said, his voice carrying easily. "I suggest we advance and not remain in this position. We have to defend all fronts here. If we continue, we can better concentrate our fire."

Due to his stature Michael had a different viewpoint on the battlefield. He also had a calculating mind and as heard the senior officers issue orders and make decisions he found a trap door that led into whatever this place was. "Far be it from me to tell the rest of you what to do. But if someone can lay cover fire we can get this hatch open and get to doing what we came here to do." He shouted over the initial phaser fire.

Alyssa changed direction and followed the other scientist. "You heard the man," she said, hoping to get the attention of the rest of her team. "Remember our purpose and get over here." If she had to, she'd make it an order, but she hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

"I'll watch your six." Edward said.

Harris did not wait for an order or for anything else. However, he did wish he had some of his liquid courage right now. He drew his hand phaser and selected a setting which he hoped would melt the hinges and open the hatch. Sure enough within moments the hatch was open. "Voila! I am going in. Not sure what the rest of you are going to do." With that he hoped in and landed rather nimbly on a dirt floor.

Pausing at the hatch to make sure the others saw them, Alyssa took one look at the ground below, then dropped through the hatch. She had a phaser in one hand and her tricorder in the other. "That way," she said to Michael, indicating the direction with her phaser. "That's where the signal is coming from."

Two security officers followed Michael and Alyssa.

Abruptly, a CnC transmission scrolled across their HUD's: >>>"All Team, all CURE Elements. Be advised. This Species is the same as the Malificus entity. Be mindful of our previous experiences and watch each other's back. Tremble out."<<<

Alyssa paused for a moment as she took in Neil's announcement. Then she moved on with more determination to get to the portal.

Watching the message scroll, Rachel looked to Ja’sol, “so what does that mean exactly, sir?” She asked, uncertain what to do.

Ja'sol grumbled as he read the HUD message. " This just gets better and better doesn't it?" He turned towards Rachel to answer her question. " I'm hoping that they are just servants of whoever's in in charge down here and do not possess the ability to possess others or to pop us into a pocket dimension." He opened a comm to his team. " Alright, five meter spread between each phaser, wide beam setting with beams overlapping, every third step we fire in unison. We advance at a steady pace and carve a path right through them. Science, lock onto the portal’s energies source and direct us to it by the shortest route possible. Ready! and advance."

"We followed Michael down the hatch," Alyssa said once again. "It's the shortest route. Once you finish laying ground cover, join us."

Edward Left one Phaser Emplacement guard the entrance, before following the others down the hole.

"Alright, everyone down the hatch. That's an order. The hatch isn't that big and will limit the number of bugs that can follow us. " Called out Ja'sol. He waited until everyone else was down the hatch before throwing a grenade into a group that had gotten to close. It went off just as he was through the hatch.

As Michael looked around, he got the distinct feeling that they were being watched. As if by an unseen presence, it sent a shiver up his spine. The lights were dim if present at all. There was a skittering sound heard throughout. As if the ground and the air itself crawled.

Michael knew that the reason he had been selected for this mission was his extensive knowledge of temporal mechanics and chroniton flux. He had adapted a tricorder for his unique needs on this mission. In a quick flash he had it out and on active scan. He smiled and whispered "Damn I am good. I drink and I know things." Harris looked over his shoulder and saw Alyssa land. "It seems what we are looking for is right this way."

She heard Michael's comment as she landed. It was something he said a lot, and it was mostly true. "And sometimes, you just get lucky."

Ja'sol was the last one down and looked about. Everyone accounted for? If so let's saddle up. Science team in the center and guide us in. Security team, half in the front and half in the back Phasers aimed fore and aft, call out if we have any contact with the bugs." Ja'sol softened his tone. " I want to see each and every one of you come back to the ship in one piece. Yes the mission is important, but so is each and everyone of you as well. Let's do this and go home."

Brianne was lost in thought. Why was she here? Why did they need an engineer for this, portal, on an uninhabited planet? And the bugs, why didn't we just tune a quantum torpedo to the resonant frequency of this thing, detonate inside the event horizon, and turn them all to squishy exotic particles? Topping it off, this 'Malificus' thing, she knew Latin, Greek 'mal' anything was never a good thing, well, Mal Reynolds, but he was long gone. She was second guessing herself about taking this job, she could have waited two weeks, taken the leave on Risa, the Kendoni geothermal springs would have been nice this time of year, but oh no, get started straight away, bad mistake.

Kolok took up a position at the very front of the group, his eyes straining for every detail and his weapon at the ready.

As the hatch to the landing platform closed Shayla from her vantage point could see the platform swarm with bugs again. She whistled and banked the Hawkeye toward the extraction point. Her only thought was whether or not they would make it out of this let alone the Silence.
To Be Continued...

A Joint Post By

Lieutenant Junior Grade Michael Harris
Science Officer, USS Pioneer