By -=/\=- Captain Zanh
80509.16
After Darkness and Despair
-=Bridge, USS Serendipity=-
80509.16
After Darkness and Despair
-=Bridge, USS Serendipity=-
"Captain, we're coming up on the Stra System." Hok announced.
"Take us out of Warp, Ensign."
"Aye, Sir." Hok breathed a sigh of relief as he slowed the Sera's speed and they arrived within reach of their destination. The flight had been blissfully uneventful.
"Dane, give me a picture." Zanh requested, and Dane Cristiane brought the image of Stra II into view onscreen.
"Captain," Dane spun around in his chair, "We're being hailed. By a small ship that is claiming it has the Resident Overseer aboard. He's asking to speak with you."
Zanh and Salvek exchanged glances. "Well, looks like the news of our arrival proceeds us and they found a way to get him out of his penthouse, after all."
"Indeed." The Vulcan folded his hands thoughtfully.
"Put him through, Ensign."
The screen winked and a moment later a broad-shouldered man with yellow skin, bright green eyes and shaggy black hair addressed them. "Greetings. On behalf of the population of Stra II, I thank you for offering your assistance during our time of distress. I am Resident Overseer Lank."
"Captain Zanh Liis, USS Serendipity." Liis responded. "We're sorry to hear of your predicament. We're ready to send emergency supplies to your city now, Overseer. What I'm wondering is how we might best assist you in the hours ahead?"
"Captain, I would prefer to discuss that with you in person, if I might beam aboard your vessel?"
"One moment." Zanh signaled with her hand behind her back for Dane to terminate the transmission, as she observed a look of alarm cross the face of their new ship's Counselor, Vol Tryst. Zanh rose from her chair and approached him.
"Mr. Tryst?"
"Captain," Vol said, shaking his head gravely. "This man desires our help, but on his own terms. I sense a nervousness in him that I can only equate with dishonesty."
"He's barely said a word, and you already think he's going to lie to me?" Zanh, her mind harkening her back to days past of dealing with the empathic impressions of other Betazoids she'd known and worked with, frowned.
"Without a doubt."
"All right. You heard the Counselor, everyone," Zanh glanced around the bridge at her officers. "Be on guard. Dane, open the channel again."
"Open."
"We'd be delighted, Resident Overseer. We will beam you aboard directly. In the meantime, we will begin dispatching shuttle craft with supplies and personnel to help on the surface."
"Thank you, Captain Zanh. We are most grateful." Lank ended his transmission, and Zanh gestured for a huddle to be formed around her, made up of O'Sullivan, Reece, Blane, Dengar, Blakeslee, and Salvek.
"You have your teams in place, gentlemen?"
"Yes, Captain," O'Sullivan spoke up first. "Commander Salvek, myself, Doctor Breaux, and Ensigns Cristiane and Hok will head down to the only location in town which currently has any sort of up and running administration; the medical complex. Since they have some emergency power available there, the place will not only need to be protected but it will also provide us a good working vantage point from which to operate."
"Sensors indicate that the Strasa have already positioned a good chunk of their Planetary Guard troops in that area. Created a perimeter around that complex," Reece announced. "So they must also be afraid that if the public decides to try to storm the place to raid supplies, they'll be in big trouble."
"Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Salvek?" Zanh turned to the Vulcan to see if he concurred with O'Sullivan's plan to set up shop there.
"This is the most logical choice of a location for our command operations, Captain, despite the risk."
"Very well. What about the Engineering team, Danger?" Zanh glanced at Rada.
"Myself, Commanders Lair and Reece, and Lt. Grace will take a small security detail with us and head to the location where we believe the main power allocation center to be located," said Rada. "It seems to be an underground operation, literally, and if the Counselor is right and the Strasa do have something to hide down there, we may not get very far with our attempts to help them."
"Do what you can." Zanh shrugged. "I'll work on the Resident Overseer, see if I can determine what they may have to hide. Dispatch the other teams to the farthest corners of the city, instruct them to feed the people and provide as much drinking water as they can using the replicators on the shuttles. The main priority should be bringing the weather modification net under control so that we can use transporters to send down additional supplies directly."
"In that case, we should take Lt. Samson with us," Rada added. "He is especially knowledgeable about the workings of weather and modification nets."
"Take anyone you need." Her eyes shot a preemptive glare at Reece, who opened his mouth to protest, and then shut it again without a word, one finger raised into the air.
Zanh reached out and curled his finger back toward his palm. "Perhaps Ensign Palahna can assist Samson in that matter as well. Aside from getting the atmospheric interference resolved so that we can beam things and people down, if you can get the power going, go for it. If you can't, we just have to do what we can to get them through until the Dauntless can get here with more supplies in two days. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Mr. Blane, you'll remain with me here, in case we need to use the Alchemy at any point, because if we do I'll end up flying her down there myself." Zanh's voice betrayed that she was almost hoping that circumstances would demand it, so she could finally get a chance to really fly the prototype, beyond just the one short trip she'd piloted it from the construction yards to the flagship, a lifetime ago. . .
"Don't be in a hurry to get yourself into trouble I won't be around to get ya out of," Keiran O'Sullivan whispered into Zanh's ear softly. For some reason, the tone of his voice brought just the slightest hint of color to her face.
She cleared her throat.
"Vedek Jariel will be serving as my diplomatic advisor during the Overseer's visit. Mr. Blane, Mr. Tryst, let's go meet our guest in the transporter room. Blakeslee, see that the Sera remains in standard orbit and clear the shuttles for departure. Tell the teams they can even utilize the Polaris if they have to." Zanh ordered, referring to her shining, untested Aerowing.
The Bajoran strode toward the turbolift, with Blane and Tryst flanking her on either side. "Be careful, everyone. Zander, you have the bridge." Tapping her badge, Zanh summoned her professional diplomat. "Vedek Jariel to transporter room one."
In a flurry of activity, the teams assembled and prepared to depart. Unsure of the conditions on the planet below, but confident that they could do something to help, even if only in the short term.
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Captain Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Captain Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012