The operational team had arrived beforehand, as the managers arrived later on. So Nakil arrived pretty late himself, but the location itself was not the best, in his opinion, the base was located in a somewhat deeper crate, and it felt like he was given a starter kit with a thumbs up for good luck. Nakil had his arms crossed looking up and seeing the shuttle of the next batch of personnel arrive “Oh now I am part of the welcome committee….wonderful” He muttered to himself.

The craft had originated from a starship that came directly from Deep Space 9. When Ryozo was shipped off from Starbase 93, he was brought to Deep Space 9 where he spent what available time he had gambling at the Dabo table at Quarks. He had won quite a bit, and he has stashed the bag of winnings away in at the bottom of his duffle bag. Now the shuttle from the starship had landed on the landing pad or landing zone as it were. Luckily for the starship captain above, Ryozo was not the one piloting it. Not that he would, since he was not assigned to that ship.

With a large backpack over his right shoulder and the duffle bag straps in his left hand, he stepped off the shuttle and saw someone standing there. With one good look at the pips and their facial features, Ryozo soon remembered that this was the outpost’s commander. Ryozo made sure he read the reading material he was given on one of his trips. Since he did not see the chief flight control officer or head of flight operations, he figured that he might as well report all the way to the top.

Ryozo set his bags down and stood at attention before the commander. “General Pilot Ensign Ethan Ryozo, reporting in, sir!”

Looking a bit dry at the Ensign “Right, Starbase 93 troublemaker” Nakil was blunt and direct about it. “Welcome to Outpost Houtman Ensign, you will be given the freedom of riding everything that this base has to offer. You will be in a way the personal driver of our senior team. Are you able to do that without crashing it for some hot lady? Again…”

The heat grew in Ryozo’s cheeks along with his embarrassment when he heard those words coming from the outpost commander. Ryozo knew that this would happen, Maxwell did say that he spoke with this outpost commander. Although, Ryozo was pleased to hear that he had free reign at whatever vehicle the outpost had, but he also realized that he would be quite busy. Ryozo remembered the vehicle list, which no doubt will expand later on. Even though it had shuttle crafts and the Argo runabout with the Argo ATV that Ryozo is eager to hop into, the outpost also had three different kinds of Bees too. ‘Work before play,’ Ryozo thought to himself in his head. ‘The best way to get on someone’s good side is to work your ass off.’

Ryozo licked his lips that had dried from the embarrassing reminder of his incident back at Starbase 93. “Of course, sir! I told Captain Maxwell that it will never happen again, and I plan to honor that, sir!”

Nodding to that, he started to walk and gave a wave signal to follow him, “Right, that is the spirit. As you can see, we are still in the beginning phase of getting this base. So I don’t have a vehicle yard for you yet” Nakil walked towards the premade operational hub “This will be your home Ensign, it is not much, but hopefully we can get it up and running soon” He stood still and looked a bit troubled at the base.

“Maxwell said while you have your flaws and be easy to distract, you are the best in what you do” Nakil looked at him, “That means I depend on you a lot. Be it scout missions with the scientist, transport for the miners, or whatever the chiefs need of you to do. Are you up for that?”

Ryozo followed the commander when gestured, after he had grabbed his bags. He then stopped when the commander did, all the while he listened to what he had to say. Ryozo looked at the facility and raised his brows in surprise, shock and maybe disappointment. Means no holodecks yet, which means he cannot continue his conquest over the Pacific Ocean as the Japanese Ace. A little fun activity he had going. He didn’t blame the pilots or the soldiers who where just following orders, except for those who followed unjustly ones. It was mostly the leaders and politicians that he blamed. Or the emperor in this case. Nevertheless, if history turned out differently and they were the victors, history would have been written as the ‘Allies’ were the bad guys and such. Nah, he did this for fun and to fine tune his piloting skills.

Ryozo nodded his head. “It won’t be a problem, sir. Flying isn’t just a hobby or a job for me, it’s my way of life. I would love to fly one of those Peregrine fighters, over a starship any day. Even if someone offered me a command staff position in my future, I’d say no.”

“Yea…that is not going to happen Ensign, not for some time” Nakil looked at him “The station has no Peregrine and will not receive it, and then again you are a loose cannon or at least on that list. You require some time to prove to us and yourself that you are not going to repeat that hot dive again” Nakil continued his walk, “Then again, you never know what the future brings. Now you would say no, and then you’re suddenly on the bridge or outpost commanding your future” He looked again at the Ensign, “Do you even have experience with a planet outpost or colony?”

Ryozo chuckled. “I was referring to when they were in action, which was back in the Dominion War, sir. I don’t think Starfleet uses them anymore. At least, not until wartime.” Ryozo then nodded his head once more. “Maybe someday in the future, my ideas will change but right now, I just enjoy being a pilot.” Then Ryozo shook his head. “No, sir. I have not. Ever since I graduated from the academy, I have been stationed at Starbase 93, until now. But I have thousands of hours of actual flight time and thousands more in simulated piloting courses, including atmospheric. It will not be a problem, sir.”

“Oh you be surprised about the load of garbage Starfleet can give a colony” Nakil mutters to himself, “Well then do explain to me why a person with such records has the ability to crash a shuttle?” Nakil looked at him, “Because that woman must be top-notch”

Ryozo laughed at the last comment and shrugged his shoulders. “She was. As for the crashing part, well. It’s like Maxwell said. Some good pilots have a bit of a show-off attitude.” Ryozo sighed when he said that and nodded his head. “Which I admit, I have grown into that habit myself.” But he had already promised he would work on it and not mess up again. So it will be a struggle for him. Showing off was fun. And letting go of something fun is difficult.

He didn’t react to that explanation and just gave it a brief nod “Well welcome to Outpost Houtman. The final frontier and birthplace of a new Federation colony Ensign. Do you have questions?” Nakil asked. 

Ryozo looked about some. “Yeah. Where do we sleep?” He chuckled.

He points at the operation building “Lower levels to the right, number 014. For now that is your sleeping place until we get a housing hub constructed” Nakil lowers his hand. 

Ryozo looked at the building then back at the commander. “Copy that. Thank you, sir.”

Giving a nod at Ryozo as the young Ensign went to the building. Nakil blinks a bit, crossing his arms, looking back at the platform seeing a load of supplies just ditch there “I need to get this base sorted…maybe I need to use that kids strength” He turned around walking back to the landing area. 

The earthy smell of dirt, and decaying plant matter filled her nostrils.   The ground was wet, but not quite muddy and there were beads of water on the grass, and a chill in the air. Above her trees obscured the overcast sky above.

The young woman wore a gold Starfleet Uniform holding a phaser rifle sitting with her back to the trunk of a tree. Lieutenant Kat Donovan was average height for a woman. Her copper colored hair was pulled into a neat bun that showed off her soft chin and jade green eyes.  Traits typical, but not common of the Scottish Highlands.

Behind her five more Starfleet crewmembers sat concealed in the tall grass. They were all enlisted, and all with varying degrees of experience from the ten year veteran Chief Petty Officer Collins to the new recruit Crewman Torrith.

In an open field beyond were three disruptor canons firing into the distance.  Their heavy thumps of discharged energy made the hairs raise on the back of her neck.  Every time one of those canons fired Federation citizens were on the receiving end.  Whether it’s the landing skiffs or people already holding down the “beachhead”.  

For their part the Klingons were unaware of the Starfleet officers sitting mear yards observing them. They laughed gleefully knowing the damage they were inflicting on their enemy.   They called Starfleet weak and cowardly and some were already saluting to their victory and drinking tankards of bloodwine hidden within their trenches.  Something Kat thought was ironic.  They called the unprotected Starfleet cowardly while they hid in trenches.

Duck walking back to her subordinates she drew an “L” shape into the earth and spoke softly,  “Okay listen up.” She didn’t need to.  They already had their undivided attention on her.  “There are disruptor canons here, here, and here,” she said indicating their location with X’s.  “Each canon is crewed by two klingons.  There’s a command bunker here,” she said indicating that location with a circle.  Jones and G’thor I need you to provide suppressive fire from this position.  Chief Collins you attack this position from the woods over here.  Torrith and I will assault from the other end.  All we need to do is to tag those canons and the ship’s from orbit will take care of the rest.  We meet in the middle.  Don’t start your assault until Jones and G’thor start firing. We need ther Klingon’s attention drawn away from the canons.  We have to move fast once in the trenches.  There’s at least fifteen Klingons by my count.”

“So more than two to one?” the young Andorian Torrith replied.

“We have suprise, and they are spread out.  Hopefully their attention will be over here and they won’t notice the assault teams until it’s too late and we’re in the trenches.  Any questions?”

The others shook their heads. “All right, let’s go.”

The six split into three teams.  Using the woods and tall grass for concealment they moved into their respective positions.   Kat was close enough she could smell the Klingons now.  

There was a sudden burst of type 4 phaser fire as Jones and G’thor opened up.  The beam didn’t hit really anything because of their concealment , but it pounded the edge of the trench near where they had constructed their command bunker.

That was their signal and she and Torrith charged out of the grass and slid into the trench coming face to face with a very big and very surprised Klingon.   Without even thinking she fired her phaser and he fell to the mud.  Torrith dispatched the other crew member of the canon.  And they turned their attention down the line of the trench were four half-drunk Klingons were just starting to realize what was happening.   Kat and Torrith took them down.  

That whole series of events seemed like minutes, but the reality was that it took less than twenty seconds. “Tag the canon and let’s go!”

The moved down the trench clearing their way through the handful of side cuts making their way to the center.  As they neared the second canon she could hear heavy fighting and shouts.  Collins’ team was already there.  

Charging around the bend in the “L” she already had her phaser raised.   Drawing a sight picture on a Klingon with her back to her she shot the woman and she fell forward bat’leth making a wet thwack sound as it fell to the mud.  

And then it was over.  Kat collapsed to the mud panting.  Ten minutes of planning,  less than two minutes of shear terror, and one enemy combat position eliminated.  At least it would be when she contacted the Antietam.

“Computer end program,” a male voice announced.

Suddenly a muddy planet vanished leaving the clean grid of the holodeck in its place.  Kat scrambled to her feet.  He weapon had been part of the simulation and that was gone as was all the mud she had been covered in… yet she could still feel it’s chilling effects.  She looked forward to a cup of tea.

Lieutenant Commander Justin Davis stood near the arch as Kat lead the team up to the Commander.

“Congratulations you passed that test… finally,” Davis said.

“Yes sir,” Kat replied. The truth of the matter was she had tried four times to assault that position.  Each time she had failed.

Davis smile, “You are all dismissed.   Except for you Lieutenant.”

“Yes sir!” the crew said to the chief of security in unison.  They gave Kat a curious glance before exiting the holodeck.

David handed Kat a PADD, “When we’re you planning on telling me?”

“Sir?” Kat asked confused. “Oh….” she said after looking at the PADD and reading it.  “I didn’t want to make a big deal in case I didn’t get it.  I didn’t want you thinking I didn’t like it here or anything.”

“Nonsense,” Davis replied.   “I would be lying if I said I didn’t care if you went, the truth of the matter is Chief of Security is a big step and you are more than qualified to take that step.”

“Thank you sir. I didn’t know you felt that way… the being ready part.”

“I told Commander Ga that much as well,” Davis replied.

“You spoke to the CO on my behalf?”

“Not by choice.  He contacted me for a reference. It caught me completely flat-footed.  Thanks for that by the way.”

Kat blushed a bit in embarrassment, “Sorry about that… I uh…”

“You don’t know what to say?” Davis laughed, “You don’t have to say anything.  But, I will say, Congratulations Lieutenant.” 

“Thank you sir. I’ll try not to let you down.”

“See that you don’t,” the Antietam’s chief of security chuckled.  

The base was only made a week ago, yet it felt like it was getting active on various points. Incomplete systems and such were still an issue. But hopefully, it would be resolved quickly, and incoming personnel was the other issue at hand. Nakil had the manifest of the base in his hand while looking outside. “This location is no good….” He mutters to himself, thinking about the area having too many disadvantages. 

There was a sonic boom that rattled the glass in the frame, and a heavy civilian cargo shuttle broke through the clouds. The hull was painted a gaudy gloss red that gleamed under the planet’s sun.  Trimmed in chrome, the shuttle looked more like a car from the 1950s than a spacecraft in 2400.  

The craft circled the outpost before slowing to a complete stop twenty meters above the ground. With retrothrusters activated the craft decended towards the ground as landing struts extended from the underside of the shuttle.

The craft set down in a thick cloud of beige dust completely obscuring it for a moment. The roar of the engines powered down as the dust settled, and a ramp lowered from the back. A pair of crewmembers wearing grey overalls stepped off the shuttle and looked around.

A lone Starfleet officer followed them down the gangway. She wore a gold uniform with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder.   Her copper hair was in a perfect bin, uniform pressed, and combadge and rank pips gleamed under the sun from a recent polish.  Even her black boots had received attention and had been spit shined.  A process that literally required saliva to be applied.

It took some time, but Nakil made his way down to meet up with the new arrivals. He had already greeted some of them as his eyes fell upon Kat. “Welcome to Outpost Houtman, I am Commander Ga, the Commanding Officer of this base.”

“Lieutenant Katherine Donovan.  Security,” she replied snapping to attention. 

Looking at her, a bit curious, “You can be at ease, Lieutenant. Formality is not that strict here” Nakil points to the back “Come” Nakil turns around and starts walking back to the main operation center “Your first posting at an outpost, why the sudden interest, Lieutenant? You were doing quite well in space”

“Opportunity sir,” Kat replied falling in step with her CO, her hands clasped behind her back.  “Security is security and matters little to me if it’s on a ship or a planet.”

Nakil stopped and looked at the Lieutenant. “Yea, that doesn’t answer my question there Lieutenant, this is a starting colony, and we are at the beginning of getting this planet ready to have more people. Eventually, even civilians. You will be dealing with Ferengi, Breen, and more daily. It is different from a ship, as then you can simply fly away. Is that what you seek?”

It was a fair point, “Of course sir.  Well, you can add challenge to the list then. Still they are people sir.  I have no issues with Ferengi… but Breen sir?  They are traditionally antagonistic towards the Federation.”

“Never said it was on friendly terms Lieutenant” Nakil winks and continues his walk, “Starfleet is aware of the potential aggression lurks out there. We are not really in their target range at this time, but…” Nakil shrugs a bit, “If we grow and have more traffic, than they might start showing interest”

Kat thought for a moment,  “They are already watching us. I’d bet on it.  It’s what I’d do. You don’t just let an enemy set up shop in your backyard and ignore them.”

“Good, that means you know the profile of the Breen already” Nakil entered the Operation center “I do expect my Chief Security to be on top of her game and be aware of any kind of situation that may endanger our station” A sudden small tremor came as Nakil grabbed the side and shrugs “These are coming more often…”

Kat frowned,  “I’m no geologist but couldn’t a more stable location been chosen?”

“Tell that to Starfleet that chose this location” Nakil shrugs as the tremor stops again “Mmm it stopped, that’s good. Anyway, do you have any questions regarding your new position?” 

“It would be nice to know what resources I have available to me. Do I have a full security force or am I the sole sheriff in town.. so to speak.”

A valid question “A team of five, for now, your team grows with the pace of the colony growth. Eventually, you will get your security building to operate from.” Nakil entered the operation room where all panels were giving information, “But for now, you will be staying with the other senior officers in this building to do your work from” 

She nodded, “Other than Breen and possible Ferengi petty crooks, what is the tactical situation?”

Looking back at her, straight to business, he liked that “Well, the planet itself. For long time it was ignored due to its natural conditions, and you know Starfleet wants something nice and something with a beach to colonize. But when the USS Walker came back, they noticed the mines” Nakil leans on a console “Our tactical situation is the dilithium mines. Plus, other resources are pretty rich on this planet. The moment worth comes out, we will get attention, and we need to be prepared for that”

“Understood.   I noticed bluffs on the edge of the settlement.  I would like to establish a permanent observation post.  It commands the high ground,  and a skilled marksman could eliminate dozens of attackers as well as observe incoming and outgoing vessels.”

Nodding “Thinking out of the box, impressive feature you got there” He points at her for a second as Nakil thinks “We got a few matters to resolve before I can approve that, Lieutenant. But I will call up a meeting with the other senior staff before that happens. The best thing you got to do right now is settle in and get used to your new home” He leans a bit back “Just for the record, we don’t have civilians yet. The colonist is not here. We are the …how to call it. The pre-arrival team that gets things set up makes sure everything is checked off before the miners arrive”

She smiled.  Challenge indeed! “Like an Old-West boom town,” she observed. 

“Exactly” Nakil gave a nod of approval knowing the reference, “Until it becomes a decent city to a wonderful Risa colony of course. Do you have any other questions?”

“I have to be honest with you… if this place turns into a Risa I’m going to be looking for a transfer.  There’s something raw and visceral about this place. It feels alive like few places I have ever been to. I can feel that even with such a short time here. There’s just something fake about Risa and other similar colonies.  The weather tightly controlled, the people living like it’s perpetual holiday… it’s unnatural.” She paused to take a breath, “No questions right now sir, but I am certain that I will have some in the future.”

Nodding to her “Good, my office is always open…when it is constructed” Nakil looked around wondering where he actually has an office “But again welcome to Outpost Houtman Lieutenant”

She snapped to attention.  “Thank you sir.”  With that she make a sharp about face and strode out of the operations center to tend to settling into her quarters, not that that would take too long.  After that she thought she would walk the grounds and the surrounding area to get a feel for what she was getting into.  She also wanted to observe her team before introducing herself.  

The supplies were regularly coming, and almost all personnel had arrived at the base. Soon, the base would be ready for the first stage of actual colonization and building the required buildings for this colony to function and grow. However, over a lengthy period, the base had been hit by various tremors, raising some concerns. The problem was only going to get worse. 

Taking a sip out of his mock of black coffee, Nakil looked at the shape of the base slowly forming. The shuttle landed to unload more building materials, and the working bees were ready to start their duties. Nakil was slowly seeing progression in the whole situation and nodded to himself. “This will get on the road. It seems,” He muttered to himself as he heard a blip behind him”It is rude to just barge in, you know”

“What a sight to see there, Commander,” A voice came from behind Nakil “I always have the right to barge in Nakil. But don’t worry, I will make my announcement ahead of time when you got the base operational”

Nakil sighed and turned around, seeing the deputy director of colonial service standing in a hologram form “Hello Jack” He spoke, leaning against the window “The base operational standards are getting to the green area…”

“I hear a bit. What is wrong, Commander?” 

“Remember when I told you that I am not a fan of crater bases, for obvious reasons that I don’t like them”. He took a sip of his coffee as he could taste the bitterness of the flavor. “The base on such a level will have to endure various problems, such as wildlife and fauna that we simply don’t know yet” Nakil looked over his shoulder outside. “This location might be open and top-notch, but we are experiencing a different issue also. The tremors”

“That issue sounds shaky” Jack tried to joke a bit and shook his head, “Bad joke. What is the status of the tremors?” 

Taking a sip of his drink, Nakil looked dryly at Jack for his poor attempt at the joke, “The tremors start to get regular, and the engineering team has found out that it is related to handling heavy movement in the area. It seems that the area is not as stable as initial scans indicated” Nakil placed his cup on the table and crossed his arms, “We are looking into the potential use of dampers”

“Dampers, mmm I could send your way if that is all you need to resolve that problem….” The hologram started to get disrupted, “Nakil? Are you there?”

Small tremors started to be felt as Nakil looked at his side to the cup seeing it content slowly shake, and then the cup started to shake. “Oh frak” He rushed to the Operational Center as another shake hit the base throwing Nakil to the ground “Come on…” He crawled up to his feet and continues into the room.

Everyone was slightly panicking, “Stabilize the building! Get everyone inside!” He pressed the console as the building red alert went off as cracks started to form and the intensity raised. Nakil held onto the console keeping an eye on the internal structure status of the building as pupils widened, seeing an alert from the landing path. He looked outside, seeing the landing path cracking open as the shuttle lost balance and drops into the crack.

It took only a few minutes, but the base was damaged severely. People were wounded, and things were only to get worse if they stayed. 

The people were walking around to their destination to complete their jobs, their social obligations, or their wishes for the day. Starbases have this fascinating effect on people. Be it a Federation base or a Romulan base. Its culture is always printed into it. Nakil had traveled all over the galaxy to help where it was needed. Seeing different people, from the introvert to the extrovert. From the survivor to the helpless. It gave some peace of mind to know that Nakil was able to provide some help to those in need or to give a boost to a new life somewhere in the galaxy. 

“Commander Ga….COMMANDER GA” 

Nakil snapped out of his train of thought and looked at the Lieutenant. “Yes, sorry, totally got swept away by your beauty” 

She raised her hand. “I know your reputation Commander. The Commodore is waiting for you” She waved to the door.

“My reputation? I am just being bluntly honest” Nakil blinked but started to walk seeing the Lieutenant had ignored him and entered the office “Jack your secretary doesn’t….” He stopped talking, seeing another female standing there at the desk.

“Commander Ga, my secretary is the finest in the fleet and trained to resist charms from even a Deltan. So it is hopeless to even try” The Commodore smirked a bit and looked at Kaylynn “This is Commander Roberts, she will come forth in the topic at hand later on” 

Giving a brief nod to Kaylynn and looking at Jack, “So what can I do for you, sir?” He hated the formal thing with Jack as the two went back quite a bit, but with other people, he needed to stay professional “I do hope you got a job for me” 

“That I do Commander” He taps onto the console as a 3D image of a planet appears “Sheo III, lost from our radars for quite some time and now found back to have some good amount of Dilithium” Jack looked at them both “I am sending a professional team there that requires to be the starting point of colonization for this world in the name of the Federation. Plus, this team will also be the primary presence for Starfleet in delegate situations with the Breen and the Ferengi” 

“Ahh nice, a humid jungle-class planet that hosts so many bugs and insects” He looked at the image with a shrug. “I gladly advise you on how to approach this problem, sir. Plus, I presume this young lady will be its Commanding Officer. Good luck in advance” Nakil smiled awkwardly at her and looked back at Jack. 

“Right, what would you advise then Commander in this case?” Jack looking at Nakil.

Tapping his side he took a deep breath as Nakil nodded “The landing spot is not the most ideal spot, I still don’t understand why Starfleet insists on going so deep on such locations. Being high is better, especially with such a climate” He shrugs a bit “My advice would be to set up an operations center to coordinate everything from. Then place also a Brunel-Class construction yard to get the cargo, work, and construction bees ready” He sums it up with his fingers. “Seeing that this is a humid and jungle-like planet as indicated by the scans. I would advise the Captain of this base to also have power generators of Styles-Class at high ground. It prevents the dampness from conflicting with the electric materials. Lastly, use the Janus-Class mining station for the mining operations and use the advanced class on a later stadium when hitting good soil” Thinking for a second, “I believe Tiller-Class hydroponics farms with additional Type-7a silos will be required to create and store food for the personnel, whom can live in the Keeler-Class accommodations block” He looked at the Commodore “Hope that helps you to regard the startup sir”

Jack smiled and looked at Kaylynn “Commander Roberts, what is your opinion?” 

Kaylynn had been rather quiet listening to everything that had been going on. She thought for a moment “I do believe that the plan is probably the best one given the situation. I do think that higher is best and being near water is essential. I think something would be making sure to keep the planet as calm as we can with our presence.” She said knowing it was always a goal, but in this case it was imperative.

“Right that is basically what I said sir” Nakil gives a wink at the Commander and looked at Jack “The station does need a firm commander to do what is needed. This planet screams for trouble”

Humming a bit in agreement but Jack looked back at Nakil “Why would you say that Commander?”

“Simple because the stats give it away” Nakil points at the numbers from the side of the 3D model “The planet got instability on ground level, the jungle is unknown to us and yet it already shows as dangerous. Aside from that…the planet has extreme weather to the north” 

“Good” Jack nodded “Good that I choose the right Commanding Officer then for this assignment. Congratulations Commander Ga, you are the new assigned CO of this base. This is Commander Roberts your new First Officer in this operation” 

Looking clueless at what Jack just said to him “Sir…?” Nakil looked at the Commander and then back “I thought I would be here to give you advice? For her to command this base?” 

“No, she is an excellent candidate however to assist you in this troubling assignment. Because we are now showing interest in this, there is also another thing that you and Commander Roberts have to keep in mind. The Breen and Ferengi show now the same interest. I believe the Commander can help you in foreign affairs” Jack replied

Kaylynn hesitated for a minute as she really wasn’t sure about foreign affairs “I will do my best, though I haven’t done much work in the field it was in my Academy training as an additional training.” 

Looking at his side “You will do fine Commander, if you are unable to do it then Commander Ga can fill in the gaps” Jack looked at Nakil with a grin on his face.

“Yea that is right” He shrugs a bit “I will do what I can, I just didn’t expect to be sent to the frontline” Nakil admits as he instead was stationed at a station that was already built or something. Looking at Kaylynn “What is your experience with colonies, Commander?”

The question was valid “I had to help in the reorganization of a colony while I was stationed on my first ship. It’s a challenge at times, but we was able to bring a peaceful solution and make sure the colony had what they needed. It is where I got this limp I walk with.” She said as she walked around showing the limp.

Crossing his arms over each other, “So basically you have some basic experience when it comes to a colony and its operations?” Nakil looked at Jack “You are giving me a rookie? Nothing personal” He said back at Kaylynn “But the colony management is not an easy job by itself. Especially when we are on the frontier with greedy Ferengi and a cold-hearted Breen”

Jack smiled, “Don’t be like that Commander, she is the best, and you need the best” He shrugged and leans a bit back “It is that, or I send you back to that one colony” 

His eyes looked back at Jack “You would not..” He saw Jack serious eyes as Nakil shrugged in response and looked at Kaylynn “Looking forward to working with you Commander” He spoke with a bit of resistance in his voice “I better not find a cluster chaos there Ja….sir” Nakil nodded to the Commander and walked out of the office without a word being said for being dismissed.

“Commander…do me a favor, watch over him” Jack looked at Kaylynn.

The remark about Rookie dug deep, but Roberts knew better than to react instead she politely nodded to Jack “I will make sure he is safe even if he believes I am a rookie.” She smirked having to get in a remark to feel better.

The sparks were flying around in some damaged regions at the Operation Center. Medical personnel was attending to the wounded. People were doing what they could to get repairs done. Nakil had a minor head injury as he walked to the operating table, where he had to summon most people that could be helpful in the given situation. “Good day all, hope you all are doing well” He taps onto the table as the image of the outpost is visible. 

“The situation is that Outpost Houtman got hit by a 7.2 tremor that luckily didn’t damage the building that severely. However, we need to recover a shuttlecraft at least 5 to 7 meters in a large crack” He taps again as everything on the 3D map becomes red. “This location is deemed not worthy of colonization. We have to relocate, and I need ideas.” 

Kat approached Ga and stood before him at attention.  “The settlement is secured.   I have Jones, T’greth, Bol’ku, and Harrison providing muscle for the medical teams.  Douglas has some engineering background and I have him helping engineering.”

Roberts had been near the ops console when the tremor occurred slamming her into the console. She shook her head from the impact and felt blood trickling down her forehead. It wasn’t the first time this had happened and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last. She shook it off and went to stand by Ga “These tremors seem to be getting worse before long we won’t have an operations center.” She concluded.

Kat nodded to Roberts and turned her attention back to Ga, “Orders?”

Nodding to Kat “Well done on the securing part” Nakil complimented the young Lieutenant as he turned his attention to Roberts “Keen observation there. I was actually complaining to colonial service about their choice in picking the given area” He sighed “Commander Roberts get on one of the science shuttles and locate a suitable place. Bring Ensign Ryozo with you as your pilot”

Ryozo is just glad that he is part of the briefing, even though he’s not really a senior officer. But he thought that supposed being the only ‘assigned’ pilot right now, it made sense. Though he doesn’t doubt that some of these higher-ranking officers could fly just fine. Well, except maybe for the ones who might have a concussion. “Commander will be in good hands, sir!” Ryozo smiled at Nakil.

Roberts nodded and headed for the bay motioning for the Ensign to join here “Will do, Sir.”

Ryozo hurried on after the Commander and looked at Roberts. “Hey, you, uh…got something there, ma’am.” He pointed at the blood trickling down her forehead.

Kay wiped her head and saw the blood shrugging “No pain no gain.”

“Kat the area is stirred up, but that also means that creatures are scared and aggressive. Make sure that it will not impact our base in our sorrow state” Nakil had turned his attention to Kat. 

“Aye sir.  I’ll set up regular patrols around the parameter,” Kat replied.

“Good everyone is on point on this assignment. Now we still got some incoming personnel that needs some guidance. So I need some backing up from you as well Lieutenant” Still talking to Kat “Because we will be the only senior staff at the location while the commander and our pilot find a new suitable place.” Looking at everyone then “Questions?” 

“Tell me what you want me to do and I will try to make it happen,” Kat replied uncertainly as to what Nakil wanted her to do. She wasn’t a nursemaid to the newbies.

Looking back at Kat “Oh well do your security checks on them and leave the rest to me basically” Nakil thinks for a second. “But focus on setting a parameter for the dangerous animals asap” He was worried about the unknown out there. 

“On it sir.”

Nodding to them all “Alright let us get to work and minimize the damage where possible. Hopefully, my first officer can find a suitable place to get us going to. Dismissed” Nodding to the few officers as they left the office that was cracking a bit as he looked around “Hold on babe, we are getting you to a more suitable place” It was a brief but effective meeting that would bring this outpost back into rolling. 

Nakil walked to the new area for landing as the previous one got wrecked from the quake. He had heard the message that their new doctor was on her way downward. Nakil had only brief time to read her dossier, and what he saw, she was a hand full for sure “Why am I getting the weird ones” He shrugged and saw the shuttle land slowly at the new area. 

Vila approached the transport pad with a mix of trepidation and annoyance. Starfleet was always sending her to the most bullshit places, and she hated it. Of course, she knew that some of it was because she the way she was, but some of it was because, she was sure, medics were needed across the universe and she HAD told HQ to send her “wherever” so long as she didn’t have to work with Corwin again. “Dr. Lorut,” she said as a greeting, her face grim, and her body stiff and rigid. “Captain of the Ship, I presume?” She had seen his PiPs and connected the dots. At least this one looked serious and tidy.  

Giving away a soft smile and looking over his shoulder at the damaged base “Well I am the Captain of this establishment yes” Nakil looked back at her. “But while I love to take you on a grand tour of the base, I’m actually going to escort you to the hospice tent to put you to work. Follow me” He turned around and started to walk. “We got hit by a quake that surprised us. No deaths but we got wounded” 

Vila made a face. At least he wasn’t one of those people to bore her to death with niceties. She didn’t have time for that. “What kind of quake?” The type would help her determine what sort of injuries to expect-crushing injuries, falls, etc. “How many down?” She looked around at her new home. “Place seems a little…primeval, Captain.” 

“The typical one that makes the ground shake Doctor” He moved past some officers giving them a nod. “The quake was strong enough to crack away our first landing zone and shake up the operational center” An Ensign gave him a PADD, and he looked it over. “We got about 25 down. Those that were lightly wounded are sent back to their duties” Nakil nods and looked at the doctor “It might be cruel that I do that, but I need this base relocated, and I need all hands on deck. The location seems primeval because you arrived at a starting phase of the colony”

She gave him a LOOK. “I meant was it more like a type of quake to cause crushing injuries, or falls, or other injuries.” She said, a little snottily. “I understand. I am ready to take whoever I can. You understand that in this kind of a setting, some lives might be lost. I’ll do my best.” She was prepared to let some die if necessary to keep others alive. 

Giving her a nod “I would prefer that everyone comes out healthy Doctor” Continuing his walk to the tent “because Starfleet budget in providing personnel depends on the success rate of development of this colony after all.” He stops at the tent and looked at her “So the less death, the more likely we stay” 

She shrugged. “I’ll do my best.” She followed him inside, and instantly, she knew. This wasn’t going to be a cake walk, but she was ready. “Anyone else know triage, perhaps?” She asked the Commander. 

“Uhh I think it is a basic thing you learn at the academy. So most likely anyone you see here would know how to do it” Nakil replied with a shrug. “If you need anything from me to get this show on the road to tell me right now or contact me by combadge” 

She shook her head. “I’ve got this, thanks. Stand by.” She looked up then, and yelled. “All hands with triage training, over here on the double.” 

Seeing a few hands raised up, Nakil crossed his arms over each other and nodded “I believe you got it in hands here Doctor?” Nakil noticed another shuttle landing “I am needed elsewhere, but if you need me just give me a ring. This is something you can easy handle” With that said he left the tent to let her do her thing. 

She just nodded once, firmly. “I’ll take it from here.” After that, she started issuing orders. 

2nd Landing Zone

Pulling another box away and helping an Ensign up to his feet “Come on dust it off.” The Tellarite looked at the injury on the Ensign’s arm “Mmm flesh wound, nothing to be crying about. Go to the medical tent to let it be tended to. When done get back to your station” He looked over his shoulder seeing his Chief and smiled softly. “Lieutenant Junior Grade Nirech Crim, I am one of your senior security officers. So what did our dear Commander in Chief have to say?” He turned his attention to Kat.

Kat smiled politely at Crim before observing the departing Ensign.  “Not much Lieutenant.”  Despite being raised in the Highlands of Scotland she had done her best to even out her accent so as not to draw unnecessary attention to herself,  but in times of stress it had a way of slipping through. “Commander Ga worries that the wild beasties may be riled up.”

“Ahh the beasties” Nirech looked over his shoulder to the thickly grown forest. “Well we had some minor incidents minutes after the quake had happened with unknown creatures breaching our grounds. Gladly we had no injuries….they would be more paperwork for us” Turning back at Kat “Plus the fencing is broken in various locations so either we fix that, or we have one heck of a night” 

Kat sighed and glanced around, “Aye well… I suppose that’s up to us. We can’t ask the engineers. They are shorthanded enough as it is.”

Nirech growls a bit and nods. “Like the Operational Center has any priority right now, I mean it is still standing” He points at the damaged building that lets loose of another metal plate “Kinda is….well anyway what are your orders Chief?”

“Well…” Kat started, “Let’s take a look a those breeches so we can determine the extent and what we need to shore them up aye?  Let’s get an anti-grav skiff and inspect the parameter visually.”

Nodding to her and walking in the northern direction of the base. It didn’t take long to arrive at their destination as Nirech stopped and placed his hands at his side. “There it is” The basic fence setup that was used to hold back any wild animals temporarily had collapsed on various points of the base outer perimeter. “I can tell you, I ain’t no engineer, but this needs an engineer touch”

She stared at it for a minute.  She certainly lacked the skills to repair it properly.  “What about portable force-field generators?” She suggested. 

Thinking for a second “You might be onto something. It might be possible to set up small force field generators to keep them running” Nirech blinks a bit. “And attach a detection alert system to it, so we can pinpoint any wild animal trying to breach it” 

“Stun them if we can. We can relocate them with a transporter and hopefully that animal won’t be a nuisance in the future.”

“Well I know some folks will complain, but transport is down due to the impact of the quake” Nirech pointed out as he thought “But stunning down would be a thing we could do. Modify the generators to send a low-tune stun when the creatures hit the shield?”

Kat nodded, “That sounds reasonable, but if we just leave them they… well, I guess it doesn’t matter. In theory the parameter should hold and if they try to breech again they will just be stunned again.”

“If they are hitting the shields again, then we are dealing with some dumb creatures Chief. I personally do not tolerate stupidity. But if you desire them to be carried away, I can pick up some slackers to do that?” Nirech looked at her.

She smirked, “Na… They’ll learn eventually. Let’s get those generators, or it’s going to be a long night.”

Nirech smiled at the Chief seeing that she saw it his way. Stupid animals will have to learn it the hard way. He nodded “There should be some spare generators in the cargo hold. That is if the engineers didn’t snatch it already for their repairs” He rolled his eyes while starting to walk. 

She frowned realizing that the same idea could have occurred to the engineers in patching up holes in walls and roof.  “Aye well, hopefully the bloody bampots decide to actually do their wee jobs instead of being lazy suggs.”

They were not even at the storage area as a proximity alert went off. Nirech looked in the direction of the alert seeing a giant beast of at least 2 meters in height and 3 meters in length included with its tail. Trapped into the wires with his sharp teeth “Well we got the first visitor” The head was formed pointy and had 3 eyes on each side, not more giant than a small ball. 

Kat raised an eyebrow at this.   The capacity of threat was there, but was it a threat? She raised her phaser rifle and hesitated. “What if shooting the wee beastie just makes it mad?”

Seeing a part of the box fly by to the side by the amount of force of the tail. Nirech grabbed his phaser and looked at the setting “I think that it will only piss the creature more off…but you are the Chief so it’s your call” Nirech aimed his phaser and waited for the order. 

“I hate to kill it… the threat is clear.  Max setting.”  She adjusted her phaser and raised it sighting down it. As the beast closed in she still hesitated.  It was just doing what came naturally,  and they were invaders in its habitat. 

The beast rushed to their position “Max setting ready Chief”  Nirech breached himself aiming the phaser at the beast. The beast was on a wild rampage as it didn’t stop rushing towards Kat. 

Kat fired, the beam striking the hide and it barely seemed to slow it down.  She let out a series of Gaelic curses unfit for a pub on football night.

Nirech followed Kat with the firing as the beams reflected off the creature’s skin. Without a moment to lose, Nirech pushed Kat out of the way and gets hit by the creature. He flew backward through some containers and a rough growl was heard. The creature looked around, panicked, angry, and highly tense. 

Kat hit the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of her.  Ignoring the pain she took aim with both hands while still on her back and fired at the  smooth underside.  The beam burned a neat circle into the flesh and the beast screamed in pain.  Kat winced in sympathy.  

The creature growls and slide over the ground placing its claws into the ground to make a dramatic stop. Then turned its head to kat and showed its teeth and giving hisses. It was observing Kat body language and waited of her next move. 

Kat held her fire waiting for the beast’s next move. “Go away,” she whispered. 

More security arrived at the scene and gave off warning shots. The beast snaps its jaws at them but looked at Kat who was down on the ground then slowly moved away and jumped over the fence disappearing in the thick grown jungle. 

Security Officers rushed to the wounded as one kneeled at Kat side “You okay sir?”

“Aye. I’ll do,” she said still coming down from the adrenaline high. “Bloody hell was that thing?”

Nirech limps to Kat “A cruel introduction to the fauna of this lovely planet” The Tellarite smirks and rubs his leg. “We need more scientist to ID these creatures so that we can better react in a safe method on it” 

“That’s a wee bit of an understatement,” Kat replied.  “You better get to sick… the whatever it is that we are calling a medical facility around here.”

A painful laugh came from Nirech as he looked at his chief “I think you need to look in the mirror Chief, you are pretty much beaten up by that beast” Looking at the officers. “Well stop standing there, help her up on her feet, and get her to the emergency medical tent” He points behind him in the direction of the tent. Looking back at the chief “No worries, I am right behind you.”

“It’s nothing,” she protested. Sighing she saw that the others wouldn’t be satisfied until she went and got checked out. “Oh bloody hell! Let’s go.”

Shuttle Rosalind Franklin – Science Shuttle

The damage to the base was quite considerable and extensive. The sudden earthquake ravaged the area. The Andorian shrugs looking at it “Just here and already a wreckage….” Looking at his side he notices the Commander and Ensign approaching and salutes them “Petty Officer Iress Ch’kaoverh, I am part of the Operations team that will assist you in finding a suitable location. The Rosalind Franklin is ready for take off ma’am” 

Not meaning to jump ahead of the Commander but he was perplexed. “You went through the whole flight checks already? Well dang! Excuse me while I warm up my seat.” said Ethan would let the two chat while he got himself comfortable.

Roberts looked at the Petty Officer, “While I appreciate the enthusiasm please make sure an officer is present when finishing a flight check. This is for your safety, as well as ours.”

Letting the Commander and Ensign enter the shuttle, Iress shrugs and mutters to himself “Great it is going to be that kind of day” He enters the shuttle and closes the door. “Seal locked, we are ready to get going Sir” Iress walked to his chair and sits down powering up his console. 

Ethan skimmed through the checklist, all was good so he didn’t need to mention anything and proceeded to lift the shuttle off the deck. He then hailed the command center. “Rosalind Franklin to Command, we’re taking off to find us a better home! Wish us luck.”

With that stated the shuttle started to hover over the ground and pushed forward into the forest of the unknown territory. The forest was quite thick in growth and difficult to navigate through, but not impossible for a skilled pilot. Iress looked at the Commander “We got a few plausible locations to check out, option one is the waterside, but readings do give away that it has the activity of fauna nearby that might cause us problems. Another one is near a volcano. Operations state that the material of the ground is valuable for us to use….I disagree with an active volcano its not worth the risk. The last option is on top of a mountain…. a great point of view and can be used as a colonization starting point. But I can’t get clear readings from the area. What is your choice Commander?”

Roberts thought for a moment “Let’s check out the mountain I would have picked the volcano, but I believe the mountain is the best option for us to take. If we have time we might check out the volcano, but it’s not like we won’t have time.” She looked at the Petty Officer “You look like you know this shuttle inside and out. Where is the best landing spot on the mountain?”

“I honestly don’t know the inside and out of this shuttle Commander, I just manage to be there the first at the said shuttle per the request of Commander Ga.” Iress pointed out “The trip towards the mountains is a bit of a tricky one, wild life has been posted by long range scanners ma’am”

Ethan smirked as he spoke up to answer the Commander’s question in regard to the best landing spot. “This is a standard Type-11 Shuttlecraft with the science package installed. Meaning it can do science-y stuff. I assume the P.O. here knows how to run that equipment,” He then turned his head to look at Roberts. “Unless you got some science experience under your belt too.” He then went back to his flying and adjusted the altitude a bit higher to not disturb the wildlife that Iress pointed out. “Regardless, it’s simple standard science equipment that anyone in Starfleet can operate. I mean, a lot of us got the basic science courses, right?” He chuckled.

Ethan then licked his lips as he entered a command to the console to the side of him to perform a sensor sweep of the mountain range. “As for finding the best landing spot, it would have to be a sturdy cliff or a very flat surface on the mountaintop or at the bottom of the mountain. Depends on how we’re going to re-establish the base. Are we going to slap it on top of the mountain? Build it at the bottom? Or perhaps go into the mountain, be hidden, and have a bit of an underground shelter feel?” Ethan asked with a grin before the console to the side of him beeped that it finished the scan and he went ahead to send the data to Commander Roberts. “As I thought, those are the most suitable landing spots for this type of craft. Either at the top of the mountain, sturdy cliff on the side, or at the very bottom of the mountain.”

Kaylynn was unsure of the full plans of the outpost as this was still in the process of surveying, but cover never seemed like a bad thing so she made her decision “Put us down on the sturdy cliff. We will see what we can find from there. These reading seem to indicate a cavern into the mountain. I can’t see how far it goes because sensors are experiencing interference, but we will be able to ascertain this information upon investigation.”

Letting his hands slide over the console “The scans indicate indeed a cave, I could send out a probe to explore the cave system and see if it has anything that is valuable for us” Iress looked at the Commander. “Because scouting ahead in a cave with limited information is by far ill-advised”

Ethan adjusted the craft’s course, speed, and altitude to bring it toward the cliff. Then he had to smirk at Iress suggestion. “We could do that but remember, we’re Starfleet. We explore the unknown, and there will always be risks involved. We’ll never learn anything if we play it too safe. Not against the probe, but remember, if there are creatures that may be hostile in the cave, Starfleet has a history of encountering creatures that can slow down their heartbeat to the point that their life sign is non-existent and probe or sensors won’t pick them up.” Ethan then laughed as he looked at the Commander.

“Remember back at the Academy, the old history lessons. When they sent out those Constitutions on five-year missions? They were always beaming people down onto planets, even after a thorough sensor sweep, and still encountered all sorts of things. I even dug a little deeper and when red shirts were operations and security, should see the count on that. Absolutely crazy.” Probably was not helping in the slightest but Ethan knew the risks when he joined Starfleet, as he returned to his controls right on time to begin the landing process. “Houston, we have landed! The seatbelt signs are now turned off and everyone is free to move about in the cabin. Thank you for flying Ryozo Airlines!”

Rubbing his forehead and muttering to himself, Iress just shook his head “We have a security policy and procedures in place to make sure we are operating in a safe capacity. You are comparing us to …well the Stone Age of Starfleet” Iress looked at the reckless pilot “How did you ever get out of the academy is amazed to me” 

Ethan locked down the shuttle and rose up from his seat with a shrug of his shoulders. “Again you’re missing the point. There are always risks in Starfleet, we were told of those risks when we joined.” He said as he went to the science console to prep a probe. “And again, if there are creatures in the cave and are capable of hiding from our sensors, regardless of all the safety and procedures we do, we’ll never know until we walk right in.” And with a press of a button, the probe was away. “But we shall see what the probe tells us,” Ethan smirked as he looked at the Commander. “Permission to gear up, ma’am?”

Rolling his eyes Iress shook his head and grabbed the gear “I don’t think we have a choice right now…”  He mutters grabbing into the box. 

The sarcastic remark was not needed, but for the time Kay decided to let it slide and nodded “Yeah let’s get ready. I do not know what we might find in this cave so keep an eyes out. Run sensors to maximum, though they may not help us in the end.” Kay still was wanting to be on the top of the mountain, but here they were going into a dark cave just like the unknown of her life. She looked at Ethan and motioned for him to take point and for Iress to form up behind her. She hoped this path went to the top of the mountain and that they didn’t die in the process. 

As soon as she stepped into the cave she heard sounds that would have made a normal person run in the opposite direction, but she was Starfleet and this wasn’t going to stop her. She flicked on her light and saw a damp area as water seemed to trickle down into the caves walls. As they rounded a corner she caught shiny eyes and yelled “Ethan watch out!” She said as the creature gave a bloodcurdling roar and charged them. The stench alone was enough to knock out anyone. She fired at the creature and with the concentrated fire the animal was taken care of in short order. 

“Ok, Ethan be more careful and pay better attention I would rather not lose my pilot.” She looked at the Petty Officer “Iress are you seeing the same thing as me? If we follow this path it will lead us to the top of the mountain?”

Ethan was a little perplexed by what happened. Sure he preached that it could happen, but what were the odds really? A lot more than he realized, as he pushed himself off the cavern floor, dusted himself off, and grabbed his rifle. Now he was more on guard than earlier, prepared to defend himself and his crewmates in case another one appears. Ethan stepped over to the creature that the Commander had downed, pulled out his tricorder, and ran a scan but got nothing. “Heh. Impervious to our scans.” Ethan sighed. “I hate being right.” He stood up and tucked away his tricorder.

While the Commander and Petty Officer did their thing, Ethan kept a lookout for any more of the creatures, with the rifle’s torchlight on at maximum so he could get a good look inside the cavern in case any more were hiding.

Seeing the whole ordeal happen, Iress smirks at Ethan, but didn’t give a comment about it and pulled out his scanner “Readings are reflected by the minerals of the cave itself” Iress confirmed closing his tricoder and looked at the path “But if a Vulcan would be here, then they definitely would say that your observation is quite logical” Iress kept the surrounding in check, just in case. 

“A good point, but we have to keep moving.” Kay stated as she looked up from her tricorder.

Kay motioned for the team to keep moving forward. They had to make up lost time and she wasn’t going to make a bunch of stops. If the plan was to settle an outpost near here then scientist could discover the secret of the caves. She watched for more of the creatures, but through the rest of the cave she heard but didn’t see any. As the team continued she squinted as natural light began to hit her eyes and the smell of fresh air with a hint of moisture tickled her nose. As they broke into the sunlight she saw they had ended up on top of the mountain, which looked perfect for the outpost. It was unlike anything she had seen before it had a lake running to a waterfall over the edge of the mountain. She smiled “It’s perfect.”

The bright light blinded Iress for a second as he looked around while getting used to the lights “The area is large, flat to my surprise” He looked around “With that lake, we can get fresh water, the foundation of the mountain gives a solid against quakes. We can get something started here and the mineral in the caves are a good start for mining” He looked at the Commander “Which is the main goal of our mission here after all”

Ethan lowered his rifle when he was certain that they were clear and smiled. “Think I’ll learn to like it here. Prefer an underwater base, in all honesty. But surely that requires much more effort to build than inside of a mountain.” He smirked then cleared his throat. “Ma’am, I suggest that we request a team of scientists, and analysts, to figure out how to configure our sensors to work with these minerals here. And then a security team, to safeguard the construction. In case there are more of these things.”

“Not to spoil your dreams Ensign, but we need the Engineers and Operations get stat on the relocation. That base will not hold long” Iress pointed out. He walked forward checking the area a bit more “We can make it work for sure.”

“That’s ‘sir’, to you PO.” Ethan smirked, indicating he was just pulling their chain. “And the only way they can get a stat on this relocation, is if the location is secure. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing people. Either way, I’m sure our fearless leader and Commander here will figure it out.”

Kay just listened to the banter but made mental notes of what needed to be done before speaking up “This is where we plan to set the base and after seeing it I believe its a prime spot. Let’s get back to the base. I need to debrief the Commander.”

Rushing into the operational center, Nakil has been everywhere, but the arrival of the Rosalind Franklin was a wonderful sight to see. Nakil saw the team and already asked the engineers to join in also. “Great everyone is here. Lets skip the introduction point of this as time is limit for us. I got a Chief Security and some of her members in medical after being attacked by local beast” Looking at Kay “Commander, you got the floor. What you got for us”

Kay smiled at the group and clasped her hands behind her back “We have found a promising location to establish the outpost.” A map on the screen behind her showed a red dot indicating the spot. “It is located on the top of a mountain in a great location. We have a huge lake near us and a waterfall that can help in water distribution. The spot will also be good for observation as it towers above the majority of our area. The first thing we need is science teams to determine the safety of the area.” 

She looked over at Ga and nodded, indicating he could chime in now as the initial briefing had started

Taking a good look at the location and nodded “That is quite the find you got there, well done” Nakil was still staring at the data and it was indeed an ideal location. 

As a representative of the engineering department Prol had been invited to join in, but he certainly felt out of place with all this “brass” walking around.   He hung back and tried to be invisible. 

“The location has more to offer then it meets the eye sir” Iress stepped in “The cave system below it shows promising results in minerals that we can mine on a later stadium of the outpost settlement. Besides we have …as they would classically say, the high ground” Iress reference to the overall outlook of the area. 

Nodding to the Petty Officer “That is something I notice also in the data. Like I said, well done” Looking at the engineers in the room “What time schedule you guys need to get to the location and get things prep for transportation?” 

Prol glanced over at the Chief Engineer and spoke to Drasa, “Couple of days?  We mostly temporary as is. There will need some clearing of new site which would probably take the longest.”

Drasa had been staying quiet and eyeing the other male Cardassian warily. It took him a moment to realise that he was being looked at and addressed. He cleared his throat and adjusted his stance slightly, taking the moment to mentally catch up, “As he stated, no more than a few days. Less if I have my way. I’d rather know that the site is safe for the bearing weight. That will take a few days. More so than the transport and getting things ready.”

Nakil nodded “I will contact our Chief of Security after she has returned from the medical tent to scout ahead and secure the location. I would like to leave it in you three” He looked at Iress, Prol, and Drasa “In terms of coordination to the new location. Get me an operational center running asap” He then looked at his first officer. “Commander, please inform the staff about the transfer to the new location, engineers, and operations will have their hands full with this, so assign science to help out with them based on their background. When medical is done let them help out with operations” He taps his finger on the side of his arm. “Oh I need a stat on the wounded we got from that quake, and so it seems also wild animals we are getting attacks from” 

Roberts nodded adding notes to her PADD so the proper messages could be sent to department heads. She also made note to get the information regarding the wounded and the attacks from wild animals in the perimeter. “Aye, Sir. I will make sure to get the information to the proper department heads and will get you that information as soon as I determine the numbers.”

“Wild animals?” Prol blurted his eyes wide open.

Drasa nodded, “Understood sir.” He glanced over at Prol and stared at him for a long moment and then blinked twice. He was confused as to how he was not phased by this and Prol was. Perhaps he was younger than Saro anticipated. He looked at Nakil, “The operational centre will be our priority.”

“One of us should be at the new site supervising the clearing,” Prol added.  “Divide and conquer if you will.  That way we can just plop the operations center down and be up and running within a few hours.”

Nodding to the engineers “That sounds promising” Nakil spoke and looked at Iress “Give the Engineers to assistance they need and get things going from your point of view. Operations need to get their focus on off-planet arrivals and communications” 

“Understood, sir” Iress spoke taking notes on his PADD.

“Good dismissed and get to work all” Nakil nodded again as he walked out of the operation center to get his list of things to do done.  

Even though Outpost Houtman was dealing with the earlier quake, the personnel was coming. Cracking his neck as Nakil arrived back at the shuttle zone. “Sorry I am late, base a wreck and everywhere is something going on” He looked at the new arrivals and gave their stamp of approval to begin and then saw the Cardassian in front of him. “Ahh Lieutenant Drasa, welcome to Outpost Houtman”

Lieutenant Drasa stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He raised a brow ridge as he was addressed, “Thank you, Commander.” He took a moments pause to take in his surroundings before looking back at Nakil, “I admit, I cannot tell if my arrival was precisely on time or terribly inconvenient.”

“Make it as you see fit, Lieutenant” Nakil shrugged a bit, looking around. “The colonial service has made an educated mistake in thinking that the lower we are, the saver we are. The surrounding ground is very unstable, and my first officer is already en route to find a more suitable location for us to expand”. He looked back at the Lieutenant “You don’t have much experience with these kinds of projects, right?”

Saro’s lips twisted into an amused smirk, “I can’t say that I do, sir. But I have enough service under my belt that I am sure I will adapt and learn quickly.” Cardassia was a rather stable planet. An unstable one was a bit of a scary concept to Saro. He nodded slowly, a few ideas coming to mind already, but he would definitely need to experiment. “Regardless, I am confident already.”

Giving a nod to Saro, Nakil thought for a second “Well you learn as you go as they would say at Earth. The idea is the base is going to expand in phases. Get a stable area to build on, build a mining operation nearby and expand our colony” He counted with his fingers “So you will be quite busy with operations to get things…going” 

Saro nodded slowly as he listened, “Precisely.” He arched a brow ridge, inclining his head, “Stable foundation built first is logical. Everything else will fall in place after that.” He offered a faint smile, “Good, I prefer to be kept busy, extraordinarily so.” Being kept busy meant his mind is busy and that is exactly what he wanted.

Nodding to him, “So while I could have read your history and service record in great length, I do tend to ask my officers to tell them about themselves.” Nakil kept walking a bit around to keep an eye out for changes in the area or if he needed to help somewhere. “Who is Saro?” He bluntly asked, looking at the Cardassian. 

Saro faltered half a step at that question. Not only did he not like it, he wasn’t entirely sure how to answer it. He bluntly replied, “That’s a good question. I’m still figuring that out on a personal level.” His tone was a bit tense as if he didn’t want the Commander to pry too much into him personally. “But I have always been passionate about engineering. Adapting to the Federation wasn’t easy, but I am glad I did so at a younger age.”

Seeing how uneasy the Chief was about the question made Nakil wonder “Hmmm” He thought for a second “Well adapted to Federation technology on a wild untamed planet like this is an ongoing dilemma. I will give you a tip in advance….expect the unexpected, and you will do fine here. This planet is fairly unknown to anyone and we only been here a few days and already got hit by a quake” 

Saro nodded slowly as he listened, “I understand. Expect the unexpected. Story of my life more or less.” He gave a faint smile and nodded. He pretended his uneasiness from earlier never happened. He was unreasonably paranoid about people finding out that he used to be female, worried they may ship him back to Cardassia to bear the future generations of children.

Nakil looked at Saro and looked a bit worried “You okay there Lieutenant?”

Saro sighed softly. He shrugged a shoulder and offered a faint smile, “Unreasonably paranoid about my past chasing me. I’m sure it is all detailed on my medical files.” Cardassian’s were a very private people by nature, and some things he did not wish to discuss quite so openly.

He hums to that “Well trust me that paranoid will not be needed here. We are far at the edge of Federation space and from Cardassia, if that is your concern” Nakil smiled “We are here to write history because every colonization has its own mark in history” 

Saro dipped his head, “That is precisely why I picked this posting, sir. A fresh start, so to speak.”

Giving a nod “Good” giving a patch on his shoulder “Fresh starts is what colonization is basically all about and we got enough work here. Do you have any questions regarding this base? I bet you have a million questions” Nakil tried his best to be open and approachable. 

Saro stiffened at the unexpected touch. Right, other species were typically more friendly in such regards than Cardassians normally are. He inhaled deeply and shrugged a shoulder, shaking his head slightly, “None other than the usual and whether this place is run like the typical Federation standard or if there are changes due to the nature of the Outpost.”

Thinking for a second “We are run like a typical Federation base, but the nature of the base is leading” Nakil shrugs a bit crossing his arms. “For example, Starbase Bravo has the nature of focusing on fleet affairs and new cadets, while Eos Station….well let us say you don’t want to be found there” He remembers reading the reports on its status. “While we are focusing on what is asked of us, sure colonizing is our goal, but Starfleet doesn’t send us for no reason” He smiled “We need to get the mining operations going, this planet is rich on dilithium”

Saro inclined his head once in response, “That is quite satisfactory, thank you, sir. Other than that, I have no other questions.” He paused, clasping his hands behind his back, “Well, I suppose one more; When can I get started? I have a feeling I have a lot to do, and I am keen on getting to it.”

He gave a small smile “Well the moment you step foot on this ground you already started. We have a briefing soon about the relocation of the base, follow me” Nakil spoke and started to walk to the Operation Center. 

Saro nodded in satisfaction at that. The sooner he got started, the better. He turned to follow Nakil.

Rafter T Ranch

Outside Riley City, Terra Alpha

The sun had long ago dipped below the mountains bathing the ranch in darkness when Ethan stepped onto the porch. His cowboy hat and his shoulders were covered in snow, and his face was red from the cold. Shaking off the snow the best he could he peeled off his cowboy boots that were caked in mud and snow. He put them together he let them drop with a heavy thump next to the wall of the house.

Pushing the back door open to the empty kitchen he stepped in letting the warmth wash over him. He removed his hat and coat hanging them on the hooks next to the door before removing his gun belt and hanging it on the peg next to them.

The house was quiet. It was late after all. In his damp socks he padded down the hall to the living room. Seeing the fire was low he picked up another log and tossed it into the fireplace sending sparks upward into the chimney.

Ethan stood in front of the fire for a good long time soaking up the heat and letting it relax his muscles. Finally he turned and sat down at the computer to check messages. There was one waiting for him. Hoping it was Rodger Hayes with some hay for sale he eagerly opened it. It was not from Rodger Hayes.

Commander Talon,

I am Commodore Uzoma Ekwueme. Starfleet has recently constructed an outpost along the Federation border with the Breen and Ferengi in the Sheo System. The Outpost’s original commander is needed elsewhere. Considering your experience in dealing with non-standard situations you requested and required to take command of Outpost Houtman effective immediately.

Signed,

Commodore Uzoma Ekwueme

4th Fleet Expeditionary Group, Commanding

Ethan read the message three times taking in the letter’s contents. He had requested extended leave following the loss the the USS Zebulon Pike. He was considering just leaving Starfleet altogether. The way Starfleet Intelligence turned their backs on him and the crew and just let the 4th Fleet railroad them never sat right with him… Now he was going back into the regular fleet? He had spent years working Spec Ops. No bosses. No uniforms. Just results. That was a huge adjustment. He could just resign. That was still an option.

Trinity Talon had just finished her daily run through the greenhouses that had her hydroponic berry gardens. The six greenhouses were about three miles end to end and to keep herself fit after having their two children, she had taken to running from one end of the complex to the other and back, while carrying a pack on her back. Going on extended leave from Starfleet was something that she both was happy about and regretted, she never quite realized how much of her personality she had tied up in the Fleet. Much like her mother. Unlike her mother, she had managed to have a monogamous, long term relationship and it was mostly happy. Sometimes she ran the berry farm to cool off after an argument with the brick wall that was Ethan Talon. Sometimes she ran to be able to keep up with him. They were still a team and even if sometimes one or the other spent the night in a bunk house or on the couch, they usually made up the following morning. There were times she wondered if they fought so they could make up and have a few days of tenderness.

Kicking her snow covered boots into a corner she frowned and muttered as she unwrapped the scarf and hat from around her long brown hair, wincing as some of her hair got tangled in the buttons. “I should have stayed in Honolulu.” a frequent gripe this time of year. Normally she’d winter in Honolulu, spending most of her time there and beaming back to the ranch, but this year with her mother off on some other mission or project, the Honolulu house was being rented by some Deltan ambassador’s family that her mother was friends with.

Walking into the kitchen for a cup of coffee she saw the gun belt and the coat. “Ethan, how many times do I have to remind you that gun belts go in the case, not the hook? The leather’s going to get all warped and you’re going to complain it doesn’t fit right.” she walked into the living room and saw him looking more than a little lost in thought.

“Is it bad news from Rodger? That leaky barn of his right?” Trinity said as she glanced at the screen and saw the Starfleet insignia. “Oh… oh shit.” she pulled off her thin wire glasses and rubbed her nose. “You know Grandpa Nick can make this request go away. Of course Grandma Julie basically left us out in the cold.” She put her hand gently on his shoulder. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. Like I always have and always will. Kids are older, they can handle an outpost.” she closed her eyes. “I’ll also support you if you resign and tell him to frak off. Granted telling a Flag Officer to frak himself usually leads to a dishonorable discharge, but we’ll manage without the Starfleet credits.”

Leaning over and kissing his neck she whispered. “I’m still staying retired I don’t think we can pull off the whole married couple command team thing on an outpost like we could on a ship. BUT… I am still a decorated law enforcement officer. Could run civilian security while I’m taking care of the kids.” she mused and smirked. “Of course you could order me to take whatever role you want me to take.”

Ethan turned to her, “Civilian security on the outpost? Or do you mean going back to the Sherriff’s office in Riley City? I am not ready to resign my commission, but I also don’t want to be away from you and the kids.”

“If you’re moving to an outpost, then I’m going with you and so are the kids. I’m not goin’ back to the Sheriff’s office if you’re in space dear. We tried that once and that’s how we got pregnant the first time around.” she gave him a look. “If you’re gone more than a couple weeks, I start thinking with other parts of my anatomy. Course after this last pregnancy I am entirely done having kids.” Trinity chuckled and put her arms around him tightly. “Besides, Civilian Security can probably be more interesting than Starfleet Security, I think half the time I spent my time on a PADD reading. Besides, smugglers, thieves, shoplifters, ne’er do wells. Plus… I can use all those cool retro looking weapons that Starfleet wouldn’t let me use. ‘Non standard side arms are not regulation Lieutenant. No, you can’t hide them on your ankle.” she smirked and laughed. “Kids need to be out in space at least for a little bit anyway.”

“I am happy to hear you say that. And of course that put you outside of my chain of command.” He sat back thinking a mile a minute.  He leaned forward and brought up the outpost on his terminal… “Not much call for Civilian security just yet.  Looks like mostly tents and a few prefab buildings.”  He sat back and crossed his arms, “Let me get things up and running first.  The kids are way too young to be roughing it, and Civilians aren’t even allowed on the planet just yet.”

Trinity sighed, “I guess I just got ahead of myself.”

Ethan nodded, “Yes you did, but I love you anyway,  and when we get settled you better get your butt over there.”

“As much as I loved being your XO, being your wife and mother of your children, you didn’t have to listen to other officers talk about me like I was only there because of this.” she held up her ring finger. “Part of the reason why I helped you start this place. Although I will ask you for one thing, I need an office and I need a shuttle of my own. I’ll even repaint Pinky in the shuttle garage to something less… girly. Unless you don’t mind a pink and purple shuttle in your shuttlebay.”

“Your shuttle can be whatever color you want it to be,” Ethan said with a chuckle, “Just don’t blame me when some smuggler or pirate doesn’t take you seriously in your pink ship.”

“It’s an old Hazard Team shuttle! It’s been in more battles than I have, it just looks pretty, plus I want them to underestimate her.” Trinity laughed and sighed. “So it sounds like this is going to happen. Good thing we’ve been prepping and ensuring there’s someone that can take over for us to keep this place going. I mean that first pregnancy I was laid up for two months with that vertigo I had. Couldn’t even walk across a room. So I’ve made sure all my files are well organized, our vendors, our customers and our workers are all organized, and I have backs ups of backups for each of us.” she poked his arm. “I always knew this day would come anyway… sooner or later.”

“David knows what he’s doing, and I can have Grandpa check in on things for us,” Ethan stated. “And of course there’s Mrs. Ackers. That woman could get drunken Klingons to fall in.”

“She does. All the time.” Trinity replied and tapped her chin. “You know I just thought of something, this outpost… how much crew are you inheriting and how much are you going to have to assemble yourself? A lot of our usual go to’s are already assigned since the Pike.” she gestured with her hand. “And outpost duty is… not as much of a draw as Starship life.”

Ethan shrugged,  “I would imagine most of the crew. There’s probably going to be a few holes, but I’ll worry about that when I get there.”

Trinity nodded, “I’ll put out some feelers to the usual suspects.”

Ethan grunted, “You were always better at networking than I. Oh, by the way David can buy the hay, but don’t let Rodger charge more than 100 credits a ton. He tried that crap last winter when I sent Shorty.”

“Shorty isn’t very bright either,” Trinity said dryly.  The cowhand was a drunk, bathed too little, and always gawked at Trinity when she walked across the yard, and she didn’t care for him at all.

“And that’s why I’m sending David.  Besides he’s the ranch Ffreman. It’s time he acted like one.”

Trinity smirked,  “Okay, when are you leaving?”

Ethan checked the transports out of Capital City.  “There’s a cargo ship heading for Ferenginar day after tomorrow. I guess I’ll have to talk to Deamon Grok about passage.”

“Won’t be the cheapest trip, but likely far more comfortable than a Klingon garbage scow.”

Ethan laughed,  “That much is a certainty. Come on let’s go to bed.”

“I’m not tired,” Trinity replied. 

“I didn’t say go to sleep,” Ethan grinned.  “Besides,  who knows when we’ll get a chance again.”

Trinity ran a hand through his hair grinning before giving him a kiss, “I like your style cowboy.”

The senior crew was all assembled for one last meeting before the big move to the new site.   There was a buzz concerning the sudden departure of Commander Ga along with who would replace him.  There were a few betting pools going around with Commander Robert’s being the odds on favorite. 

Kat Donovan stood at the back of the room with her arms crossed.   There wasn’t a threat here, yet she eyed everyone and everything with suspicion.  

Just stood there off to the side, out of the way, slowly munching away on an apple while he tried to figure out why he was summoned. He was just a pilot, here to transport anyone who needed him or anything. Then it hit him, perhaps he was needed to get slammed with a list of a crap ton of cargo that needed to be moved to the new site. ‘Oh joy,’ he thought.

Unfazed by the speculation on who would take up the reigns, Daniel was in attendance purely for logistical reasons; the move would require coordination with every department and the Lieutenant was nothing if he wasn’t a stickler for detail. On that note, he’d been so focused on his list of duties that he expected to arrive halfway through the meeting, but surprisingly other faces were still to show.

Saro Drasa stood as rigid as a board, hands clasped behind his back in the most Cardassian of mannerisims. He arrived a bit too early, as he tends to do and has been silently waiting for others to arrive and the meeting tos tart the entire time.

Prol leaned in close to Drasa, “Everything is ready on my part sir.”

Drasa nearly jumped when Prol leaned in closer. He didn’t, however, and his eyes just widened a little, almost comically. He inclined his head slowly once, “Good. Engineering is all well and ready.”

Roberts waited for everyone to give their briefing before speaking up “Whatever is needed I am here to help.” She had been sure she would be asked to take over the outpost but before that happened she was informed somebody had already been chosen for the position. 

New Location…

Ensign Prol wiped the sweat from his brow as another section of the command center was delivered by shuttle. He popped the top from his drinking flask and let the tepid water run down his throat.   

“With luck we should have everything moved by the end of the day,” Prol announced to no one in particular.

Kat stood on the rise of a hill overlooking the new settlement a pair of field glasses in her hand.  Raising them to the south she pressed a button and zoomed in to show a shuttle approaching with the next section of the command center hanging below by a cable. Activating the comm, “Donovan to Ryozo, the landing zone is clear for your approach.”

“Copy that Donovan, coming down nice and gently,” Ethan replied as he began to descend the craft very slowly, not wanting to scratch the paint off anything while trying to get the section into place. He found it difficult to haul anything by cable but he used the tractor beams in short bursts to adjust the direction of the section he was carrying to make sure it was placed down correctly. “Ryozo to ground team, how does it look down there?”

Prol looked upwards at the hovering shuttle and back to the tricorder,  “1.5 meters to the right if you would Ryozo.”

Ethan adjusted a little more as requested then he set the section down into place. “Touchdown!” He exclaimed with a smile and waited for the word back, as well as the detachment of the cable.

Engineers scrambled as the disconnected the shuttle form the command center section. Now that the command center was moved now the work of hooking back up to power began. 

“Prol to Ryozo… That was some expeert flying.”

The rest of the day went without a hitch as one by one facilities fell into place. The electrified perimeter was nearing completion with that requiring little technical skill, but substantial elbow grease, which involved the entire security team, and many of the science team.  

Now, it was time to settle into the new location and build something out of this outpost. 

Kat was still sore from the encounter with the beast, but she was still able to do her job.  The first thing she did after getting released from the medical tent was to make a tour of the fence.   All was as it should be… that tank like beast was no where to be seen, and good riddance.

Her combadge chirped. Slapping it she responded, “Donovan here.”

Roberts replied “I need you down here immediately Donovan!”

“Aye ma’am.  On my way.”

It only took Kat a few minutes to cross the compound to the command center. It was in various stages of being dismantled for the move.  Entering she blinked a few times trying to get her eyes to adjust to the sudden transition of the bright outside to the comparatively darker interior.  Seeing Commander Roberts the security chief stood before her at attention,  “Reporting as ordered ma’am.”

Roberts looked up seeing the chief in front of her “We need your help in securing the site for the new outpost on top of the falls. There has been some animal attacks against the teams. I need someone to go assess the situation who can handle the danger of the situation.”

“Yes ma’am,” Kat said in a measured tone.  “And of Commander Ga?  Does that mean you are in charge now?”

Roberts looked at Kat and shook her head “I have not been told what exactly is happening, but I know for now I am the officer in charge.”

“I believe that leaves me as your second in command… should you want me to.  What will you have me do?”

Roberts nodded “For now we need to figure out what this security issue is and I need you to head the project please. I am still trying to get the plans in motion for the move of the main base to the area near the waterfall.

“Aye, I have some plans for a wee electrified fence.  I’ll get on it now.”

Roberts thought for a moment “Be careful with that and make sure you use the proper personnel if you need help. The last thing we need is an accident to add to our increasingly big plate.”

“Aye it takes no great skill to construct, just some strong backs and many hands. The alternative is allowing those wee beasties into our outpost and they are bloody hard to kill.”

Roberts nodded “I understand that just make sure you and the rest of the crew is safe.”

Kat nodded, and with that she exited the command center.  The unexpected departure of Commander Ga and who his replacement would be swirling in her head.  But, for now, nothing changes.  The was was still there.