Stardate: 74511.15

Time: 1340 hours

Location: Gamma Quadrant – A Tkon outpost

USS Heracles

Trever had returned to the bridge promptly after his Captain had dismissed the group from the Conference Room. He was already moving like a kid in a candy store; his fingers flew over the holographic display on his console as he plotted the course for the Heracles to take towards its destination that had been provided by the Chief Science Officer.

“Course laid in Captain,” he said as he waited for her orders on a speed.

Vausees nodded, “Warp Nine, Mister Nief,” she said as she slipped back in her seat.

Everyone looked up from what they had been doing as the viewscreen showed the stars that were in front of them stretch out as the Heracles engaged its Warp Engines and entered into warp. The excitement was palpable on the bridge as they finally had their next destination, they hoped.

—Several hours later—

In the darkness of space a flash would have been seen as the Heracles released the warp bubble from around itself as it entered into a new sector and system. It glided into the edge of the system as its impulse drive engaged. Its mat grey hull stood out in the dark inky blackness of space as it slowly slowed to a stop. Sensors emanate from along the nose as it scanned the system before it.

Vausees looked back at Jonton and Zozzak, an anticipation registered in her eyes and face as she waited for one of the two Chiefs to say something. She looked at Debrah, who had a giddy smile on her face, and smiled back at her. She was thankful that at least there was one person on the bridge that she could confine to about the orders that the crew had been given, and not have to hide it completely from her. 

Zozzak turned and nodded at Vausees. “We have a positive scan that the “M” class planet once held Tkon artifacts,” he stated.

Vausees looked over at Jonton who nodded in confirmation. “Good.”

Cody then spoke up. “Bring up the topographical imagery of the area.”

Jonton didn’t waste any time as he did what was requested. The viewscreen shifted from the system to the “M” class planet and then to the area that held the highest concentration of Tkon signature’s. A small outpost was shown on the viewscreen. 

“Definitely appears to be Tkon, if not mostly in ruins and destroyed,” he said as he looked at the viewscreen.

“Or Abandoned,” Debrah and Vausees said in sync. Which caused Vausees to look back at her for a moment before returning her attention back to the viewscreen.

Cody nodded his head to both women as he agreed with them.

“Zoom in on that larger structure just outside of the compound”

Jonton adjusted the viewscreen to the desired request.

“That might provide an obstacle if you want to send an away team,” he stated as the viewscreen showed what looked like a defensive platform.

Vausees looked at it for a moment, “Mister Jonton, are you detecting any energy signatures coming from the compound or the surrounding area?”

“No Ma’am, just the same old interference that we have detected before from Megara.”

She nodded, “Connect with the Angelikós Communications network, and contact Thý’ella,” she ordered.

Jonton tapped on the console and connected with the communication network, “Connected, Captain.”

The viewscreen split in two as Thý’ella appeared, “Thý’ella I believe that we may have found an outpost that belonged to the Tkon. If you would like, we can wait for you to arrive before we proceed,” she said as she looked at the woman.

Thý’ella shook her head no, “Feel free to proceed as you would like Vausees,” she said as she looked at the console before her at the incoming image of the Tkon outpost, “If you need us we will be waiting.”

Vausees nodded as the viewscreen changed back to the outpost. She looked at her bridge crew as she thought about her next move. 

“Cody, Debrah, gear up,” she said as she tapped the icon on the armrest for Engineering, “Chief Tanner, meet me in the main hangar,” she stated just before closing the connection. She then looked at Debrah. “Commander, contact Zyvia and have her meet us in the main hangar as well.”

She then looked at Trever, “Mister Nief the ship is yours.”

He looked back at her and nodded as he stood up and moved to the Command seat.

Debrah nodded as she relayed the message and then followed both Cody and Vausees to the main lift. The trio met up with Charles and Zyvia in the main hangar. Captain Roberts had just stepped out of the shuttle and nodded to Vausees.

“She’s all ready to go Captain,” Kelsie stated. She was glad that she wasn’t a part of this away team as she still remembered the last time that Vausees had volunteered her.

Vausees nodded at Kelsie. “Thank you Captain,” she said as the away team followed her into the shuttle. 

Charles took his seat in the pilot’s seat as Vausees took the co-pilot’s seat. She could have flown them down but she did not have the Chiefs natural skills for this. There was only one other person on the ship that she would have trusted to take them down, but she knew that Kelsie hadn’t quite forgiven her for the last time she had volunteered her.

As the shuttle lifted off and exited out of the hangar, Charles took the controls and set their course for the outpost. As they cleared the atmosphere he adjusted their course after Vausees informed him of the out defense platforms. He had glared at her and remarked that information could have been made useful earlier. She grinned and looked back out the cockpit at the pathway below them, mostly retaken by the vegetation and trees.

In the distance, and still outside of a presumed detection area, stood the monolith of the defensive platform. Looking at the topographic layout of the compound, Vausees indicated where a safe place to land was. Charles nodded and input the coordinates.

A slightly clear area came into view as the shuttle headed for the coordinates. Charles circled the area for a moment as he scanned around it. When he was satisfied with the scan he made for the clearing and landed the shuttle. After a soft jostling the shuttle was on the ground. He looked at Vausees with a grin and a shrug. She shook her head as she stood up and headed for the rear of the shuttle, Charles followed her.

Debrah and Zyvia looked at Charles with a glare in their eyes.

“Think you could have landed us any harder, Chief,” Debrah said. Zyvia nodded as she looked at him.

“I can take us off and do it again,” he said in a joking manner.

Debrah shook her head as she headed for the rear ramp as it lowered. Zyvia and Cody both exited out of the shuttle behind Debrah and Vausees. 

“Chief, stay with the shuttle,” she said as she looked back at Charles. “If we need you I’ll call back.” He nodded as he stood on the top of the ramp.

—A few minutes later—

Vausees knelt behind a tree as she looked over into the clearing just outside of the Outpost. Debrah was next to her peering through the scope on her rifle, it was set for thermal, and she was scanning the area ahead of them. She looked at Vausees.

“Nothing on thermal,” she said as she looked up into a tree where Zyvia had taken too.

Zyvia had scurried up one of the larger trees that encircled the perimeter of the outpost, and like Debrah, she too was scanning the compound in the clearing before them. Reaching up she tapped her ComBadge.

“Nothing moves, and that is freaking me out,” she said as her atenas twitched with irritation.

Vausees nodded, “Return to us Lieutenant,” she ordered as she looked at Cody who had moved into a shadowed area a little further ahead of them.

When Zyvia had returned to where Vausees and Debrah knelt she nodded, “Let’s go.”

The three women joined up with Cody who had not moved a muscle as he visually scanned the area between them and the remains of a guard tower.

“This has a military feel to it, Captain,” he said when he saw her kneel down next to him.

Nodding her head she looked ahead of them as she pulled out a tricorder. “I get that feeling too, Commander.” She looks down at the tricoder and then moves forward.

As the group approaches the tower, Vausees, who had been looking at the tricoder, shakes her head. 

“This tower was blown apart.” She indicates, motioning toward a missing half of the tower, that had been obscured from view until just then. The tricorder was showing faint energy patterns that Vausees had seen before when Thý’ella’s Battleship had fired.

This was starting to make sense. She made a mental note of the information and the group moved further into the outpost. Slowly and meticulously they moved as they headed for the center of the outpost. 

“This looks like a Command Center,” Zyvia stated as they moved toward the center.

Vausees looked towards where Zyvia had mentioned. She then looked at Debrah, “Commander, take the Lieutenant and check it out.”

Debrah nodded and her and Zyvia detached from the group and headed for the building that she had indicated. 

Cody and Vausees continued to the center of the outpost. A few moments later as they entered what appeared to be the outpost’s center, a chirp came from Vausees Combadge.

“Heracles to Captain Vausees.”

Vausees paused as she answered. Trever had been following their progress as they moved. It seemed that Jonton and Zozzak had been able to cut through most of the interference from before. He informed Vausees and Cody that they were close to a power source that had been undetected earlier. He informed them that Zozzak and Jonton would like a sample if not the power source itself. Vausees nodded as she acknowledged the information. “I’ll see what we can do, Lieutenant.,” she stated as both her and Cody moved toward where Trever had indicated the power source was.

As they entered the room where the source was, a sudden flash of light appeared and Zyvia appeared next to Cody. This caused both Vausees and Cody to aim their weapons on her. 

“Lieutenant, how did you?” Cody asked Zyvia, who had a perplexed look on her face.

“Commander, Captain? Is all that she said as she looked at them.

“Where is Commander Fergouson?” Vausees asked as she looked at Zyvia.

“Last I saw her,” she started to say as a second flash of light appeared and Debrah appeared next to Zyvia.

“What the fuck?” Debrah said as she looked at the others as they looked back at her.

Vausees pulled out her Tricorder and began to scan the area around both women. Very minut and residual particles appeared on the scan. ‘Interesting.’, she thought to herself as she sent the data to the Heracles.

Reaching up she tapped her ComBadge. “Heracles, this is Captain Vausees,” she said, “Trever I am transmitting some data to the Heracles. Have Lieutenant Zozzak and Jonton look it over,” she ordered. She then closed the communication as she looked at the away team. “Spread out and see if you can find this power source that Cody and I were informed of.”

Everyone nodded as they brought out their tricorders, and began looking for the power source. After a few minutes Vausees lowered her tricorder and looked around, she saw Zyvia and Cody comparing readings. Debrah appeared to be scanning a vine covered statue when, Vausees saw something behind her. She moved over toward it as she brought up her tricorder. Her tricorder began to chime as she neared it. ‘Gotcha.’, she thought to herself.

“Over here,” she announced as she put her tricorder away and reached up and took hold of a crumbling piece of the wall. Suddenly her body was surrounded by a ring of light and she disappeared.

Debrah’s eyes widened when she saw Vausees disappear. Reaching up she tapped her ComBadge, “Vausees!” she yells.

Vausees reappears back at the shuttle, just below the ramp as she hears her name coming from her ComBadge. Reaching up she taps her ComBadge, “I’m ok Commander.”

Debrah instantly relaxed when she heard Vausees voice.

“I appear to be back at the shuttle,” she said as she looked up at a very confused Charles, who had watched her suddenly appear at the bottom of the ramp.

“I think the outpost has internal defenses as well as external,” Cody states as he looks at a tricorder reading from Zyvia as she holds it out for him.

Vausees nods as she listens, “Return to the shuttle, we need to regroup and return to the Heracles so that we can find another solution to this transportation issue,” she stated as she nodded to Charles to prepare the shuttle for lift off.