Team Bajor

Posted on Sun Aug 31st, 2025 @ 9:47pm by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Remal Kajun

1,451 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: For Bajor!
Location: Cabin Bajor

Jenna insisted on flying them down in a shuttle. She sat up front while Remal and the others were in the back. It just felt safer after the events of their previous visit to Bajor. It also provided a low flyby look at the drought and devastation on the surface below.

Remal, having unfastened, leaned over and peered out the window at the Drakkar sea. He whistled low, "Looks like even the water levels have retreated several feet. Look there at the shoreline."

He pointed starboard at the beach areas along the lowlands and the waters clearly 50 yards out from their normal depths. Boats tethered to docks were sitting in dry soil, no longer even muddy, just dry. "Bet it stinks like sturgeon out there." He proclaimed.

"Most unusual for water levels to be so severely depleted. How much rainfall does this area usually get Captain?" Savar asked as he looked out the shuttle window to see if he could detect anything unusual.

"Annual? 800mm around a bouts. Zio said last year they got 150...and next to nothing since summer" Rhenora admitted sagely. "The aquifers are dry, the hydro plants aren't functioning, and the ocean is getting too salty for fish or the desal plants." Everything looked so dry. Even in winter, snow was thin on the ground yet the temperature was well below freezing. There was simply not much moisture to freeze.

“How could it get this bad?” Aurora looked at Rhenora as she stood up to take a look for herself. “This shouldn’t be happening at all.”

"What have the meteorologists said about this? Do they subscribe to the notion that this is an abnormal weather pattern but will run its course and normal rain and snow amounts will return." Savar questioned.

"They have said it's not unprecedented, there had been abnormally dry periods in Bajors past. Just not this widespread and both since we installed the weather satellites over 200 years ago. They were supposed to negate all the fluctuations.. well the outlying fluctuations in our weather patterns" Rhenora explained as the shuttle descended.

Savar took the information provided by Rhenora and thought on it. The weather satellites should have prevented this sort of planetwide occurrence from happening and the fact that it had and was continuing pointed to outside interference in the planet's weather patterns and that called for an inquiry and investigation of some sort to both find answers as well as a solution.

Jenna brought the shuttle in low over the village landing pad. They would have to walk up the path to the cabin. She spotted someone familiar standing near the pad. "Speaking of Zio... Looks like she came out to greet us." The retro-thrusters fired as the shuttle set down with a soft thud upon the platform. "You may return your seats and trays to their upright positions, de-embarkation is to the rear. Thank you for flying Ramthorne transports." She finished jokingly. It was enough to make Remal chuckle, and he touched her shoulder to show his approval.

Rhenora thanked Jenna for the smooth flight, understanding that she would be returning to DS9 with the rest of the crew. With Patina snuggled happily in her arms, the Captain strode down the ramp and onto the soil of her homeland. So much had changed since they were here last. Gone was the green forest and rolling blue waves crashing near their cottage. Everything seemed muted, shades of olive and brown. Dead and dying. It stole her words for a few moments as she comprehended the magnitude of the situation with her own eyes.

Aurora paused alongside Rhenora cradling baby N’vea, she’d brought N’vea along to keep up appearances of going on shoreleave, as she offered Rhen her support and understanding. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, we have to.”

Savar came down the ramp and stopped, taking in their surroundings, the muted colors. There was no vibrancy, no life. This was not natural.

Walking up behind Rhen, Remal looked out across the landscape. "I called ahead. The Cabin has been declared safe. I'm going to get a few items at the local and be up right behind you, okay?" He always liked to get fresh ingredients in the village before heading to the cabin. In his mind he wondered if he would even be able to find anything fresh.

"Somehow I think pickings may be slim." Rhenora admitted sagely. Thankfully they did have a small stash of emergency food in their kitchen. Long life foodstuffs, canned goods and other rations usually reserved for emergency situations. There would however be nothing fresh, nothing to round the harsh flavours with. Even the vegetable patch and garden would be dead.

He leaned in and gave her a familiar peck upon her ridges. Bajor was home, no matter how brittle. She had endured before and would again. "I'm still gonna try. Be safe." He then kissed Patina's forehead, hefted his ruck sack and moved off towards the village.

Savar came up alongside Rhenora and Aurora as Remal went in search of fresh food supplies. "Shall we head to your cabin captain and see just what is on hand? Then we can proceed accordingly."

Rhenora nodded and headed inside with Patina where Rosita was waiting. Rosita was a trusted friend from the village that Rhen and Remal has implicit trust in.

"Rhen!" Rosita exclaimed as the Captain entered, enveloping her in a hug.

"Sita, it's so good to see you. Thank you for coming on short notice" Rhenora replied, adjusting Patina on her hip.

Zio stopped behind Rhenora inside the cabin. It had been some time since she had been back and was instantly interested in holding the baby again. Rhenora was capable, but that baby looked like she wanted attention from more than Remal and Rhenora.

Rhenora followed her daughters eye-line and saw Zio, turning to envelope her old friend in a hug that encompassed the three of them. It was Zio who had alerted them to the honest truth of what was happening on Bajor.

"She missed you, we missed you" Rhen murmured as she detailed herself from the many limbs.

Hands out, fingers flexing, Zio asked, "May I?" in reference to holding young Patina. She was there when the babe was born and had held a certain Motherly affliction for her. "We can discuss the situation when everyone is here and settled."

Aurora smiled as she stood alongside Savar, N’vea intently examining her father with her tiny eyes, their daughter was their pride and joy just as Patina was to Rhenora.

Savar looked at N'vea as her small eyes studied him. He reached a hand out and gently stroked her cheek. "You and your mother are precious to me, my daughter I hope you always know and remember that."

“I’m sure she does Imzadi” Aurora smiled happily, even at her tender age she recognizes your love for her.”

Savar nodded and turned to look at Aurora. "I hope so. I also hope her mother knows how much I love her."

“Of course I do” Aurora gave him the biggest smile yet. “My love for you has no end.”

"So we've got some canned goods, long-life supplies and some dried pulses, flours and spices. We won't starve but it won't be fine dining" Rhenora reported a short time later from the kitchen, having passed Patina to Zio for cuddles and snuggles.

"Much game in the woods?" She asked her old friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Not much, even Pulukus are staying away" Zio shrugged. "My boys hunt small game, vermin almost, just to put in the pot."

Zio, Patina in hand, walked over to Aurora who was holding a baby girl as well. "Your daughter is beautiful, but if you don't mind my asking, didn't you have a boy last time you were here?" She clearly recalled a boy with little spikes on his head the last time she had seen Aurora and Savar after the battle, perhaps during the funeral.

Then as if fate were intervening, the door opened and Remal entered carrying with him the best of what the village had to offer. "Well," he bellowed. "It isn't much, but our neighbors are difficult to say no to." He entered the kitchen and began to show the remnants of the village offerings. "Should make for a fine stew though."

They were now all assembled and ready to sit in the company of one another, and begin plotting and planning the who's what's why's and how's. To begin to fix what was broken, they first had to understand how it had become this way in the first place.

TBC

 

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