The Search 3
Posted on Thu Feb 20th, 2025 @ 10:00am by Lieutenant Sarah Wilson & Senior Chief Petty Officer Ronson Mitchell & Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Thriss Kla'ren & Lieutenant JG Micheal Stevens & Ensign Varin Maxim Stu & 2nd Lieutenant Connor McQueen & Commodore S'thenosis Gorgox & Lieutenant Commander Rynn Upland & Lieutenant Thomas Haldeman & Lieutenant Alison Haldeman
Mission:
Ramant
Location: USS Sunfire
Timeline: Current
Dean was still crouched to remain less aggressive in appearance. "We need to know more so we can contact your people and help. We're having a hard time finding your ship. Also, would you like anything to eat, drink. We can have a doctor come in and look you over as well, tend to your injuries." Motioning for McQueen to notify the Bridge what they've gotten so far.
Connor shifted uncomfortably, his jaw clenched as he tried to hide his irritation. He didn’t care why the crew was taken, all he cared about was the where, as soon as he knew that answer the faster he could prep a team and get them back. This species called them animalistic, primitive, he was prepared to show how much of an animal he could be. His hand tightened around the K-bar as he prepared to relay the message to the Bridge, but he couldn’t help his words slipping out.
“Where are they? You are wasting time, or is that part of your plan? To be decoys so that we busy ourselves talking to you while your ship gets further and further away?”
He looked from the captives and back toward Commander House, McQueen's voice was measured but his tone made it clear that he'd rather be in his own chain of command. The last thing he wanted was to become part of StarFleet's bureaucracy in this delicate situation.
Dean turned his head to look at McQueen. "That's enough, Lieutenant. Frightening them more isn't going to help. You can go deliver the information to the Bridge in person." That wasn't a suggestion. Looking back to the alien, "I apologize about that. Though we do need to know where your ship is. What's your name?"
Connor stood for a moment, biting back his frustration as Dean’s command settled in. He shot a glare toward the alien, who seemed only more wary now. McQueen wasn’t interested in playing nice, especially not while every second felt like it was stretching the distance between the crew and their missing team. He wanted to say more, to push further. To demand answers instead of sitting around playing diplomat. But Commander House was right—this wasn’t helping.
With a curt nod, Connor turned on his heel, trying to force himself to calm his mind. Every fiber of his being screamed to take charge, but his place was to report to the Bridge now. Before he left, he shot a final glance back at the alien, voice low but intent. “We’ll find your ship, whether you cooperate or not. But the longer you withhold information, the worse things will get for your people.”
With that, he left the room, his boots echoing in the hallway as he made his way to the Bridge. The Commander could handle the politics. As for McQueen, he had one priority: get answers, no matter the cost. The clock was ticking.
"You cannot find our ship, you cannot get your people, the survival of our race depends on it" The alien blurted before withdrawing again, realizing he had said too much.
"What you don't realize is we can help and we will be finding your ship as well as our people one way or another. It's easier for everyone if you just tell me."
She studied the Starfleet officer in front of her for a solid minute. "You are so simple, to move from aggressive to diplomatic in the beat of a breath. I wonder how long it takes to go right back again." She scoffed, "We should have studied your race longer before using you as hosts for our offspring." Her words were forked which should have been expected considering the pain she was in.
tag Dean
Meanwhile on the bridge the crew were trying to ascertain the orbit of a planet that should be there but wasn't. There wad a general consensus that this may be the planet the aliens were from. If they could cloak their ships and themselves they may be able to cloak their whole planet.
"No... no... get down from there." She commanded with adamant fervor. "You there, with the curly hair, take that out of your mouth. You do no know where it has been." A clearly frustrated and slightly disheveled S'thenosis was doing her best to wrangle and maintain order of the some dozen or so children which she had been entrusted to oversee. After what felt like hours of crying, and screaming she held no ore authority over the mini-humanoids than she had at the start.
Even her attempt to settle them down by reading 'The art of the Barr and the Laws which govern lesser men.' seemed to calm them and it had always managed to cause her at least a light chuckle. Sure they had settled for the first paragraph, but three yawns in, and they were back up and roaming.
Her own brood was never this difficult, she reflected. Out of patience and out of ideas she reluctantly called up to the bridge. "Ugh, hem, Might I have an estimated time to which the parental units of this horde will be returning to deal with their malicious spawn?"
On the bridge, Ronson couldn't hide the grimace as the voice of the feared Commodore echoed through the speakers. "We're working on it Commodore" he replied with as much authority and evenness as he could muster. "Could I assign you some assistance in the meantime?" He offered, hoping that it would remedy the situation.
"If assistance is available, then why pray tell is it only being offered now?" She questioned before her tongue had reeled itself back in. "What I seek is a more permanent remedy to the current situation, if one is available. If not, I will endure. I simply will utilize a different tactic to subdue the heathens."
"I'll send them to you, and advise Captain Kaylen that you called her daughter a heathen when she returns" Ronson retorted with a smirk and assigned a few crewmen who lucked out and would have to help the Commodore mind the young ones.
“It doesn’t sound like the Commodore knows much about looking after children” Alison offered a wry smile glad her own children weren’t with the Commodore.
Tom nodded in agreement. "Have to agree with you there Alison. I would say dealing with children is not the Commodore's strong point but to be fair dealing with children is a learned experience, one that increase over time."
There was a rumble of laughter that rolled around the bridge before they drew closer to where the planet was supposed to be in the orbit of the sun.
"I heard that Mr. Mitchell. Perhaps closing the channel is in order before poking fun at ones abilities to conduct order? S'thenosis out." She concluded by tapping her badge and closing the channel.
"Scanning for anomalies" Ronson reported as the ship slowed.
Connor stepped onto the Bridge, the lack of officers and the focused energy of the crew reminding him of the ever-pressing urgency of the situation. He approached Commander Ramthorne, the tension from the interrogation still lingering in his posture.
"Commander," McQueen began, his voice even but with an undercurrent of frustration. "We didn’t get much out of the aliens. They’re not exactly cooperative—claimed their world is dying due to under-population. They took our crew to be subjects in “in vitro fertilization experiments” apparently not caring if our crew lives or dies in the process. I pressed for more, but they aren’t answering direct questions. They don’t trust us." He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing as he relived the interaction. "I can't tell if they're here as a decoy or left here as their people escaped the ship. Either way, time’s running out, and we’re wasting it. They know where their home is. We just have to make them talk."
McQueen exhaled sharply, he wasn't one for diplomacy, and it was obvious from his body language. "Commander House ordered me to report back with what we’ve gathered. He is using more… diplomatic strategies. From what I’ve seen, they’re playing a game. But the locations of their ship and home planet…. we need to crack it before it’s too late."
He straightened, locking eyes with the Commander. "I recommend we take a more direct approach. Maybe we need to escalate things a little. This is a rescue mission, not a negotiation." His jaw tightened, unwilling to let the frustration show too much. "Let me know if you need me for anything further.”
"Commander. Mr. McQueen. The problem is our 'guests' don't believe they are in danger. You have to remove that disbelief from their minds." Tom answered from tactical.
Jenna listened and weighed her options. McQueen was clearly frustrated and Tom Haldeman was advocating for the use of force which was counter to most Starfleet tactics. She could trust that Commander House was on top of things if left to his own devices or she could intervene and let Tom and Connor force the answers. It was a tough call that would paint the Federation as either the aggressor or the negotiator. In this moment they were all angry and she, above all others, understood how anger could quickly turn into revenge.
"Thank you for your report Mr. McQueen, we will trust in Mr. Houses' judgement at this time." She gestured at the viewscreen, "Right now we're approaching either the decoy location or the system with the cloaked planet. Ready or not, we need to be on our A-game if we have any chance of getting our people out." She addressed him directly, quieter.
"I understand your frustration, but I also need to know you will have a level head when the time comes." She was reading him, something Rhenora and Laria once said she had a talent for. "If they are truthfully dying, then this act is one of desperation, not malice. Either way, I want you to get a team ready." She finished with a nod to show that was an order.
"Desperate people make mistakes. They slip up or take too many risks. We can use that to our advantage" Sarah offered from the rear medical station.
"Commander, we are nearing the system in question." The helm officer announced, garnering the attention of the bridge crew.
Jenna snapped to the attention on the screen. "Take us out of warp, just shy of the gravitational anomaly. If' they're this advanced I hesitate to wonder if they have other defenses up their sleeves." She then turned and sat in the center seat, "Yellow alert! Shields up!" She declared.
The starfield was replaced with a static display of stars as the Sunfire came out of warp speed into the local solar system. On the screen, several planetary bodies rotated around a single golden star. "Tactical overlay, where is our invisible planetoid?" Jenna asked the crew.
"I have plotted it's orbit" Ronson replied as he sent the image to the viewscreen. "It could be anywhere along there though. I also recommend stepping up internal ships security in case they come back looking for their people"
Tom was working the tactical display to have it appear on the main viewscreen. "It is right here." He pointed to a blinking dot now appearing on the screen. Our people are there."
It was at that precise moment the lights on the bridge went dark, the ship lost power, and a single being shimmered into existence in the centre of the bridge.
"Knowledge of our planet is forbidden. Your memories will be wiped and your ships database purged. Standby for the procedure."
TBC
