Ghosts of the Past

Posted on Sun May 8th, 2022 @ 10:30pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Remal Kajun

Mission: *CD*
Location: Bajor
Timeline: Backpost

The next morning came far too quickly for their liking and with it the oppressive heat. They packed quickly and set off, eager to reach their target before the mid afternoon heat made travel unbearable. The quads made light work of the track, the large fat tyres finding purchase in the thick damp earth and propelling them forward.

Several hours later the nearest something that could resemble civilisation at a stretch, and even gave Patin reason to pause.

"This it?" She called, bringing the quad to a standstill but unable to resist the skid sideways to emphasise her point.

Remal stopped next to her. "That's it." He scanned through the village. It mostly consisted of wooden structures with open sides and thatch roofs. The buildings were created hundreds of years ago and designed to not only withstand the elements but to utilize them. They diverted rain into catch barrels and captured sunlight for energy. Though he was certain they had been outfitted with a generator of some sort since the end of the occupation. The village was a simple life, devoted to the land and the scientific research once conducted on the surrounding Forrest teaming with wildlife and fauna.

"Her house is through that thicket there." He pointed off to the right. There were eyes already upon the trio, a fact Ms. Obvious herself would bring up, surely. But he felt it too. Three strangers had now just entered into a tight knit community of less than one hundred people, of course they were curious. But was it more? Ignoring the onlookers, he moved the quad slowly off towards where Zio's house had been.

He reminded himself of why they were there. Zio Larr, a former operative in his resistance cell. The one legged warrior. She had retired here with her husband and children. And until recent events she had communicated with him on occasion. But then he got a report that her husband had gone missing. Followed by another claiming she, along with her children and their house had gone up in flames. The current theory was that her husband had been threatened to join the Fire worshipping cult and her death had been the outcome, one way or another. Mystery one, where was the husband now? Where was the man behind the woman?

Rhenora kept an open eye to their surroundings, trying to find the eyes that she could feel following them. In typical fashion it was the watchers watching the watched, and they were very good at it. It made her uneasy, but she tried to take the mental standpoint that these people were not used to visitors, particularly unannounced ones. Some old habits died hard.

They moved towards the thicket, the dense underbrush making the going slow and difficult.

Minutes later, Remal pulled the quad over and stopped, turning off the engine as he did so. Patin followed suit. In front of them stood the burnt out husk of what was once a home. charred embers lay dormant after a week's worth of rain and dampness from the jungle. More, the smell remained, as if it were trapped in the very grass beneath their feet and the leaves upon the trees. Moreover, it was quiet.

Patin was the first to break the silence, "It's creepy. I'll take my open fields of white to this closed in darkness these people lived in, any day. And does anyone else feel like there are a thousand eyes watching us?"

Remal silently agreed. It was just a feeling but not one to be taken lightly. He moved from the quad to the edge of the house's remains and knelt down. He recalled the last house they had approached had been a trap that literally blew up in their faces. "The report said there had been no bodies found. Maybe we can do better? Spread out, search for clues but, be careful." He cautioned.


TBC