The Darkness Surrounds

Posted on Wed Jul 15th, 2026 @ 8:44am by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren & Lieutenant Ja'sol H'ros & Lieutenant Kolok & Lieutenant Junior Grade Galen Trellis & Lieutenant Junior Grade Jack Hunter & Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke & Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble & Major Edmund Merrick & Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr & Brigadier General Seamus O'Rourke
Edited on on Wed Jul 15th, 2026 @ 8:47am

3,508 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - The Edge of Darkness
Location: Bridge - Deck 1 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD004 0800

Tyler sat in his seat on the Bridge. He had summoned all of his officers as the pomp and circumstance required it. Despite everything the ship seemed to run like a well-oiled machine. Tyler expected nothing less from this crew that had seen both life and death together. "Lieutenant Trellis. ETA Camp Nostromo?"

Lieutenant Trellis' fingers moved across the conn with the ease of someone who had made this approach before — not in this life, but close enough. Ryla had run cargo through the outer Typhon corridors more times than he could count, and the geometry of the sector settled into his hands like muscle memory that wasn't quite his.

"Dropping to impulse now, sir." He eased the Pioneer out of warp, the stars stretching briefly before snapping back to fixed points. "ETA to Camp Nostromo, fourteen minutes at current speed." He replied.

Neil felt restless. Usually, there weren't this many of the command staff on the bridge. He definitely had better things to be doing, but Tyler had decided on a show, and he hadn't seen the need to protest. He was keeping himself busy with telemetry that Rommie was feeding him on the ship's functioning and routine departmental check ins. His feed faded as the Pioneer dropped out of warp, and he said, "Lieutenant Ja'Sol, standard tactical scan of the system. Lieutenant Kolok, get them on comms, please."

Ja'Sol checked his sensors. " We currently have a small class nine comet, which is rather unremarkable and does not pose any threat to navigation. I also have a fading warp signature of a Federation Civilian Raven class research ship."

" The ship is small with a length of one hundred meters, a sixty-seven meter beam, and a height of 19 meters with a total of five decks, and can be crewed by a minimum of two and a max of seventy crew. It has standard civilian shields and four class two point defense phasers. Its flight path does not take it anywhere near any of the planets in this system. "

Kolok hadn't spent much time on the bridge since his reassignment to the Pioneer. But the task was familiar. He opened a channel to Camp Nostromo.

"Camp Nostromo this is the USS Pioneer. We are inbound to your position," he said. He waited a moment and then repeated himself. Sometimes the warp bubble residue affected the communications array, but again, there was no response.

"Captain, there is no response to our hails," Kolok rumbled.

As soon as they dropped out of warp, Alyssa began to scan the system. It had been done before the Marines set up their base, but she wanted to look for any changes and update the solar and planetary data. It had been a while since the last official scans, so she took the opportunity while she had it. Besides, she never knew when there would be another opportunity to do so.

Lachlan stood at the small auxiliary console behind the command chairs, out of the way but close enough to hear every order as it passed through the Bridge.

His attention stayed on the Marine readiness display, checking The Cure’s standby status, armoury locks, internal response posts, and the latest packet from Camp Nostromo against the live telemetry beginning to build on his screen. Everything read clean so far, but he kept working through it with the steady patience of a man who trusted “green” only after he had looked at it twice.

Tyler stood up in front of the command chair and turned to face Operations. "Lieutenant Kolok, hail them again. Command Priority channel. Inform them that we have the General aboard." Tyler exchanged a look with Seamus and Neil. As far as he knew, no response was a problem, but there could be something more. "Is there any reason that Nostromo would refuse a hail? Training exercise? Anything?" Tyler had a gut feeling that they had just stepped knee deep into the big muddy, as his father used to say.

"Not that I'm aware of," Seamus replied. "This is highly unusual. The camp contains signal boosters that will allow comms to get through any atmospheric interference. Something's not right."

Edmund quietly watched the Marine operations on his console. He thought it interesting to be on the bridge with the rest of the bridge crew. The last time he had been on the bridge, Tyler hadn't been himself. He certainly was himself now.

Glancing over to where the discussion was being held, Edmund's eyes narrowed when hearing the news. There didn't seem to be any answer from the camp?

"Aye, Commodore," Kolok said. He shifted the transmission to the command channel, entered the required access codes, and resent the hail. Still no response. He took the liberty of checking if the Camp's receiver was picking up their signal. To do that, he altered the transmitter to create a wave that would reflect back to the Pioneer. The wave came back, but no reply.

"Still nothing, sir. I have confirmed that they are receiving our communications," Kolok said.

Neil resisted the urge to stand. "Lieutenant Kolok, please verify with the nearest subspace array that something hasn't happened in the last five hours with our comms." Looking at Tyler, he said, "There should be something. They knew we were coming. It's possible they had a massive failure in their satellite string or the ground based systems, but not both. Recommend standard approach, full scans.

Lieutenant Trellis kept his eyes on his console, running a quick scan of his own. "Sensors show clear approach, Commodore. No ionospheric disturbance, no subspace interference, nothing in orbit that shouldn't be there." He glanced back toward the command chair. "Whatever's keeping them quiet, it isn't the environment."

"A Flag Officer-level visit means that some hapless Private should have been sitting at that comm for hours just waiting for us to arrive and receive our hail." The Helmsman pointed out. "Marines wouldn't dare leave that to chance." He said.

"I tend to agree Lieutenant. Geosynchronous orbit of the Camp Nostromo asteroid. Maintain that while we figure this out." Tyler ordered the helm. There was definitely something here, but he would not send anyone into an unknown danger.

"Commodore, should I scan the asteroid to see if anything in the atmosphere is interfering with communications?" Alyssa asked. There were a number of things that could do that. They were rare, but it was something to rule out, at least.

Tyler looked toward science. "Thank you, Commander. Report any findings." He signaled for Neil and Sheamus to follow him as he made his way to Merrick at the Marine console. "Gentlemen, please stop me if I am incorrect, but SFMC computers function the same as Starfleet shipboard computers. That said, if the General here puts in his command codes and we send them, the camp's computer should recognize his command and send the camp's status. Perhaps even allow us some control of the camp's systems."

Alyssa nodded and began to scan the planet to see if there were any minerals or other things in the air, water, or soil that would interfere with communications.

"Limited," Neil confirmed. "His command codes will give him general, pardon the pun, command authorization with the computer. Full control will probably take physical presence."

"Colonel Tremble is correct," Seamus said. "I can probably get a sitrep from the Camp's main computer."

With curiosity about where they were going, Edmund had pulled up the manifest and saw the usual setup, Recon division, Pathfinder division. His eyebrows rose, almost disappearing, into his hairline. There was one thing he wasn't expecting, and that was a platoon of Klingons. He gave a bit of smile, though, and nodded in approval.

As he looked through the manifest further, he noticed in Medical a Lieutenant Sara’draphia T’eseri. There also was a name which made him hesitate for a moment, the last name was a Matthew Trelinsky, Lance Corporal. Could he be related to the one he knew? Edmund mused over that. He'll have to investigate.

He glanced towards where the general was,

Tyler nodded. "A situation report may be what we need at the moment. There could be something happening down there that we have not seen, or heard yet. General if you would see Lieutenant Kolok at Ops. He will get the codes transmitted."

Kolok watched the general approach. He stood up a little straighter, it that was even possible. Kolok had met a Klingon General named M'barak who had been brutal to serve under. He hoped this one wasn't the same.

"Sir, I am standing by to transmit the codes," Kolok said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Seamus said and typed in his Command Codes. It consisted of six numerals followed by three letters, and a voice scan of him saying, "This is Brigadier General Seamus Francis O'Rourke."

With the verification complete, the Pioneer's computer connected to the target system, and a highly secure link was established. Kolok made a few data requests, and a stream of status indicators flowed across his console. "Sirs, the computer system is online. Weapons and shields are operational but not activated. Life support, comms... everything is in working order. There is no technical reason things are the way they are," Kolok said.

"Aye, Sir. Geosynchronous orbit, holding." Lieutenant Trellis' hands moved over the conn, easing the Pioneer into position above the asteroid. The orbital track settled, steady and silent.

As the Pioneer settled into its holding position, Trellis began to sweep for uncommon ionized particle trails and tetryon residue in the area. Anything that even appeared to be out of the ordinary would offer some sort of clue as to what happened. The silence from the surface was gnawing at him more with every passing second. Whatever had happened down there, it wasn't a glitch, and it wasn't an exercise.

"I find nothing that would interfere with communications," Alyssa reported. "Beginning a general scan of the asteroid."

Straightening, Neil said, "Commodore, I'll assemble an away team and go have a look. By your leave?"

Lachlan looked up from the auxiliary console as Neil spoke, his hand still resting near the Marine readiness display.

He had been watching the same clean reports turn less reassuring by the second. Camp Nostromo should have answered. A Marine facility expecting a General did not simply miss a hail, not unless something had gone badly wrong.

He stepped away from the console.

“With respect, Colonel, I’d like to go with you.”

It wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t framed as a request dressed up as bravado. Just fact.

“If there are Marines down there, we’ll know what to look for. If there are survivors, they may respond better to one of their own. And if this turns into a ground problem…” His eyes flicked briefly toward Tyler, then back to Neil. “Then I should be there.”

He left it at that. No speech. No push beyond what was needed.

The Cure were already on standby. He had made sure of that before the silence from Nostromo began to feel deliberate.

Edmund, once he heard about the lack of communication, was on his feet.

"I will be going as well." his voice brokered no argument. He needed to know.

Tyler ran his hand through his hair; there was a lot to think about here. "Assemble your team, Colonel. But, do not depart until I give the order." Tyler spoke to Tremble, then turned to Alyssa. "Commander Maren, upgrade your scans. Deep scans, sensor readings, the whole kit and caboodle. If someone is in the sonic shower down there, I want to know about it."

Alyssa was still having difficulty. She could scan, but getting clear readings was problematic. So, she ran the data through a spectrometer. And found traces of Chimerium. That would explain the difficulty. Chimerium crystals could block or reflect sensors and communications. It was helpful to the Marines on the asteroid. But not to her.

She narrowed the focus of the sensors, looking specifically for the Marines. She found the first one, then a dozen, then a hundred as the sensors began to pick them up. But there was something wrong.

"Commodore, I've identified 12,000 Marines on the asteroid. But sir...they're all dead."

"What?" Seamus said. "Any signs of an attack?" He asked, trying to keep professional.

Tyler's eyes widened in surprise. It was hard not to be surprised after news like that. Was it possible that all the personnel down there were dead? "Alyssa, make that scan again and confirm that the sensors are working properly. Ja'sol, tactical scan if you please. Get the General an answer."

Galen's hands went still on the conn.

Twelve thousand. The number didn't land right at first — too large, too clean, too wrong. Something cold settled low in his gut, an old weight that wasn't entirely his own. His first instinct was to jump up and volunteer to go down with LTC Tremble and The Cure so that he could be down there, boots on rock, rifle in hand, doing something instead of sitting up here reading numbers off a screen.

He found himself beginning to rise from his console, but he caught himself before he rose any further.

That wasn't his place anymore. Dorian was a Marine. But Galen flew ships, and his place was on the Bridge at the Helm.

Neil straightened, and his mind filled with questions.

They needed answers.

He waited fifteen beats, then said, "Commodore. Recommend we update our readiness posture to yellow alert." Looking around the bridge, he said, "Myself, Ja'sol, Alyssa..." he caught sight of the helmsman's squirming about and said, "Mr. Trellis." Tapping his com-badge, he said, "Commander O'Rourke to Transporter Room 1 for an away mission." While he was tempted to top load the mission with Marines, this wasn't likely going to be that kind of mission.

Alyssa nodded to Neil and sent a message for another scientist to come take her place. Then she continued scanning to get the commodore his verification.

"Ja'sol," he said, looking to the security chief. "Any recommendations to help secure the initial ground party and get investigations rolling? My initial thought was Audie or Azure, but unless we find more than a handful of survivors, which doesn't initially seem likely, then they can deploy in the follow-up teams."

Ja'sol shook his head in disbelief. " How does one wind up with twelve thousand dead marines and no signs of struggle? Did anyone scan for any type of toxins in the air or water? I do not sense any hostile emotions down there. Permission to take four of the sentry guns from the security armory to set up a defensive line in case it is something we can't detect until the last moment."

Giving the security chief a minute to think, Neil looked at Tyler and said, "Further recommend we have Ed suit up the Cure to set a perimeter and roving patrols around the primary camp."

"Perimeter only. At the moment, this is by the book. Ja'sol and Security should have point. This is an investigation." Tyler knew that Marines had emotions despite popular belief. He did not want their emotions to get the best of them.

Lachlan took Tyler’s ruling without visible argument. Security had point. Cure on perimeter. It made sense, even if every part of him wanted boots on the ground where the answers were.

He looked to Neil instead.

“Colonel,” he said, quiet enough not to cut across the Bridge but clear enough to be heard. “Where do you want me? Away team, perimeter coordination, or here keeping the Cure tied in?”

He left it there, hands settling behind his back, waiting for the call rather than assuming it.

"Saddle up with the Cure. Get ready to deploy down unless the Commodore has objections," Neil told the chief of the boat. Once we get past the investigation stage, we'll need to take care of our people down there."

Ja'sol stared at the view screen for several long moments. " Commodore Malbrooke, Permission to recalibrate security tricorders to highest possible settings and armed with phaser rifles as well. This ship has done every possible scan that it can so far and still nothing."

Ja'sol walked towards the viewscreen like it might have held answers. " No signs of a fire fight, no weapons damage, and no ships detected. I don't like this one bit. Marines don't just give up without a fight" He paused briefly.

Ja'sol turned to Tremble. " Colonel Tremble, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to the Marines in general and to all of the fine men and women in that command, This is truly a tragedy to the Marines, their families and the federation overall. Security will do whatever we can to find the answers and bring them closure. "

"Time for that later, Lieutenant," Neil replied, his mind tracing out what needed to be done. "Leave the sentry gear for any secondary teams. This is for fact finding and a scout out. Plus, the Major will have the Cure in suits ready to deploy immediately if we run into anything sticky."

When there was a brief lull in the conversation, Alyssa, who had been busy at her console checking and double checking the sensors, spoke up. "Sir, I ran a diagnostic and another scan. The ship's sensors are fine. I'm afraid it confirms that the Marines are dead." It was never the type of news she liked to deliver. Especially with so many Marines. She was eager to help find out what happened.

"Understood, Colonel, on my way." Hermia replied grabbing a medical field kit and her Marine issue sidearm, and heading for Transporter Room 1.

Tyler nodded at Ja'sol. "Prudent recommendations. We do not know what happened or what is down there. Take a full Security Team. I don't think I need to tell you all that we need answers and we need them now. Depart when ready." Tyler did not like waiting in the dark for answers. To make it worse he was not sure how long the General would wait before stepping in. This whole situation was damned strange.

At the final order from Tyler, Neil headed for the transporter and waited for the others to join him as he scrolled updates for the transporter room and load-outs for the away team. Activating the comms of his selected team, he said, "Alright. Let get going people. We need answers. Break. Hermia, sensors are showing the entire garrison is dead down there. No idea why. No signs of an enemy vessel or weapons fire from orbit. It's going to be that kind of mission."

Hermia felt the emotions of the others present. Fear, anger, puzzlement, and sorrow. She shared these emotions. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the task at hand.

"Understood, Colonel, we stay frosty and keep our heads on a swivel." She said.

Alyssa made a quick detour to grab her cross pack that contained everything she would need for the trip to the planet and joined the others in the transporter room.

Edmund didn't waste any time to follow after Neil, he had to know, he wanted to know, what had transpired on the asteroid to the marines.

Once his relief helmsman arrived, Lieutenant Trellis got up and made his way towards transporter room 1 with the rest of the away team.

Final tags if needed and signatures.

Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer