One Of Their Own stardate 2259.145

Capatain’s Log Stardate 2259.145

After investigating and taking sensor readings of the Stellar Nursery, we’ve detected trace amounts of Dilithium on long range sensors. Since Dilithium is in such high demand and so rare, we’ve decided to do a survey of the deposit to see how dense the Dilithium Field really is and if it would be of interest for the Federation.

Kirk sat in his chair as they approached the Voglia system. “Captain it appears to be coming from the ‘L’ class moon that is orbiting Voglia 2,” Scarlet said. “Set a course Kal,” Kirk said then looked at Scarlett.

“Have you forgotten yet, how to do a geological survey Lieutenant? Has being aboard a starship made you soft?” Kirk teased Scarlett with a grin.

Scarlett was quite excited about finding the trace amounts of Dilithium on the long range sensors. She was able to trace the Dilithium to a moon that was orbiting Voglia 2. She smiled over at Kirk  when he asked her teasingly if she still knew how to do a geological survey. 

"I think I might remember Captain," she replied back. 

Fiona glanced over at Kal just as he glanced over at her. The two of them had started a relationship and so far everything seemed to be going well. She was supposed to be meeting him that night in his quarters for dinner.

"Alright Scarlet, pick you're team. You can lead the mission," Kirk said.

The last few weeks had been wonderful. Fiona was wonderful in every sense of the word. Kal wasn't in a hurry to move past the dating stage. He wanted to get to know Fiona as much as possible. They had years to catch up on but he did desire her too. In the past, the sex was what caused the problems and so he was concerned that it might again. He didn't want them to drift apart but he didn't know how much longer they could stay at arm's length either.

Scarlett chose Spock, Nathan, Crewman Harris, and Crewman Mendoza for her team. Her brother Silas would be piloting the shuttle that would take them down to the planet's surface. Scarlett grabbed a bag for sample taking and they met her brother in the shuttle bay. She gave him a smile and everyone took their seats and got strapped in. Spock sat next to her and she smiled at him. "So, you'll be following me this time," she teased quietly.

Spock gave her a look. "You forget, I'm very used to your...demanding nature...especially at night," Spock said very quietly. Silas was excited to be able to actually do something. He looked back at everyone as they got situated. He knew Harris pretty well. "So Harris, when's the wife do?" He asked. Harris looked up and beamed. "Maria gave birth to a baby girl two days ago, she named her Tamara, after her grandmother," he said. "I have photos, I'll show you later," he said. "Hey, congratulations," Mendoza said and shook Harris's hand. Nathan was last and he moved around and checked everyone to make certain they were buckled in properly.

"Harris, are you rated for a hand phaser?" Nathan asked. "I am, will we really need them?" he asked as Nathan handed one to him. "You never know," Nathan said. He handed one to Spock as well. "Scarlett, rmind me to get you certified when we get back," Nathan said then moved and strapped himself in. "Shuttle Two, ready for take off," Silas said. "Shuttle Two, you are clear for take off," Elyse said and Silas took off and the shuttle went through the force field then angled around and down toward the planet.

Scarlett smiled and looked at Spock again. "You like it," she said quietly and then saw the faintest hint of a grin tug at the corner of his lips. A feeling of love bloomed between them. Scarlett looked over at Harris and smiled when he mentioned that his wife had just given birth. "Congratulations Harris. You'll definitely have to show us pictures later." 

As Silas took off, Scarlett got everyone up to date on what it was they were looking for. "Dilithium is quite rare so it will be beneficial to the Federation if we are able to locate it."

The bridge of the Romulan war bird was dark and their consoles glowed a pale green that gave their faces an eerie, green tint to them. "Sub Commander Dolbath, shouldn't we engage the Federation ship?" A Romulan said. "No, if we do, we will give up our position and element of surprise. Continue to monitor their communications," Nemal said. "It's imperitive that they do not discover the base..." he said and Nemal turned in his chair to look at him. "It's imperative you obey my orders if you wish to live," Nemal said darkly. The Romulan officer said nothing more.

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"Jor'dam there is a federation ship in orbit. Should I prepare the pulse cannons?" the Romulan said. "Have they detected us?" The other Romulan said. They were in a small control room and had the enterprise on their screens. "No sir," the first said. "Then retain our cloak. If they get to close, send a security team out to deal with them," the second said. "Yes sir," the first said.

Silas found a decently sized clearing and it wasn't far from the sensor hit site for the Dilithium deposit. The shuttle barely shook as he touched down. He immediately began to power down the engines. "Thanks for flying Silas Airlines, please depart the shuttle in an orderly fashion," Silas said as he too had a phaser. The group headed out of the shuttle and they had on, cod weather jackets. The area they landed was quite barren and rocky. The wind was somewhat strong and it brought a chill with it. The air was heavy to breathe but passable for them. Scarlett had her tricorder out as soon as she exited the shuttle. Spock did as well.

"There is an entrance to a chain of caverns just over there," Spock said.

Scarlett smiled at her brother as they exited the shuttle. She pulled out her tricorder immediately, as did Spock. The wind was strong as the barren landscape provided little to stop it. She nodded to Spock and the group headed towards the entrance to the chain of caverns. As they entered the cavern, Scarlett activated the flashlight on her wrist band. As they made their way further into the cavern, Scarlett suddenly spotted something on the wall that looked like ancient runes of some kind.

"Spock, come look at this," she said to him. "There must have been a civilization here at some point. Perhaps we should get Amara down here to see if she can decipher them."

Spock raised his tricorder and took a reading of the age of the stone where Scarlett indicated. "The stone is over 3000 years old," Spock said. "Commander, there's more runes over here," Nathan said as she shined his light up onto a large pillar carved into the rock face.

"This is your mission Scarlett," Spock said.

Amara and James were taking a 'break' in James' ready room. They were kissing heavily, although they both knew they couldn't take it any further than that. However, they both seemed happy to stick with the kissing. Suddenly, James' communicator went off. When he answered it it was Scarlett and she told him what they had found and suggested sending Amara down via Transporter.

Amara was immediately intrigued and before James could even speak she had taken the communicator from him. "I'll be there as quickly as I can Scarlett."

Kirk smiled at how excited Amara became. So much so that she spoke before he could respond. When she ‘tried’ to step away from him he seized her waist and cane up behind her. He put his hands over her breasts and placed himself against her backside. He was excited and h
She’d be able to feel that against her.

“You be careful,” was all he said. Then let her go.

Harris, Mendoza and Silas began to make a base camp up against the rock face. The shuttle was only a few yards away and between the rock and the shuttle, it wasn’t near as windy there. They began to build a shelter and a fire pit while Nathan placed proximity alarm posts and a beacon he stuck into the ground should they lose their way. The beacon would shine a cobalt colored light into the sky to guide them back to the shuttle should the need arise.

Just beside the shuttle Amara materialized. All three crewman’s jaws fell open when they saw her. She was in her Section 31 uniform. Not a one of them said anything though.

Inside the cavern Scarlett quickly discovered that finding the deposit was going to be more complicated than she thought. The caverns were vast and she’d have to use reflective markers that adhered to the rock that pointed to the cavern entrance. It was like a labyrinth in there and very dark. She noticed someone standing at the entrance and their eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. She recognized her shape.

“Oh, Amara, it’s you,” she said.

Even though there was no obvious danger down on the moon's surface, something in Amara's gut told her to go prepared. She decided to change into her Section 31 uniform. It was an all black suit comprising of skin tight pants that allowed Amara to move, jump, and kick without hindrance, and a black leather jacket. There were small, thin disc launchers on the inside of her jacket wrists that could fire small discs that were charged with electric energy. There was an extendable knife hidden in her right boot and a collapsible, mono-filament short sword tucked into her belt. Her hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck to keep it out of her face. She had no need for an extra jacket. The suit was designed to regulate her body temperature in almost any condition. In her suit she looked like beauty wrapped in danger.

She was beamed down to the planet's surface and she materialized right next to the shuttle. She was aware of the crewmen's looks, but she ignored them as she headed towards the caverns. One of the "enhancements" Section 31 had made to her was to her eyesight. She could see perfectly in the dark and her eyes almost seemed to glow, much like a cat's eyes. She moved over to where Scarlett stood and she looked at the runes.

"Wow, these are incredible."

Scarlett came up to her. "Spock thinks they could be over three thousand years old," she said. "There's more deeper inside along with a few pieces of what I think could be crockery," she said as she handed a few pieces to Amara. There were images and shapes carved into the pieces of vase in her hands. Obviously there was a people that once lived here. This could be a one of a kind find for Starfleet and Amara was their best chance to discover who these people were.

Spock came back from the cavern with a few more pieces of crockery and he handed them to Amara as well. "Scarlett, who will go and who will stay?" Spock asked.

Amara was fascinated by the crockery pieces that Scarlett and Spock had found. She wanted to lay them on the ground and look at them more closely. She also wanted to study the runes more as well. Scarlett looked at Spock. “You, Amara, Nathan, and I will remain here and Harris, Mendoza, and Silas will stay at base camp.”

Spock just nodded and Nathan stepped away to inform the others. "Amara, there is ambient lights in the shuttle that can be set up. It appears that you don't require much light but it might help to view the runes in normal light," Spock said. There were some pigments used that might be too subtle for Amara's enhanced vision to make out.

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"Commander, they've entered the caverns. I feel it is only a matter of time before they discover the false rock face," a Romulan soldier said. "Send a coded message to the ship, and ask them for assistance," The Romulan commander said. "Yes sir," the soldier said and stepped away. He was armed with some kind of energy rifle.

On the Romulan ship Nemal answered their call. "Remain inside the base. I'll send a squad down to slow them down," he said and looked at a rather large soldier. "Transport a squad down near their shuttle. Kill them all except the one I spoke to you about," he said. "True on true, Sub-Commander," the soldier said and hurried away.

Harris had a good fire going and he had used rocks and stone on the outer edge of the fire to contain the heat a bit better. Mendoza got out rations and had a kettle for hot water for tea. There were folding chairs and a good sized table. Harris and Mendoza sat under the shelter. Silas was inside of the shuttle. "See, she came out with a full head of hair, Harris said as she showed Mendoza his pictures. "Awww, she's adorable. Far too cute to have half of your DNA," Mendoza said with a teasing grin.

Amara agreed to the ambient lights. Although she could see in the dark, having the ambient light would help her to see the pigments used more clearly. Scarlett pulled out her communicator and contacted Silas. "Silas, Amara would like to use the ambient lights. Can you bring them to the caverns?"

"Absolutely sis, I'll bring them straight away," he said then moved to the back of the shuttle and opened the cargo closet and began to bring them out. As he did, 3 Armed Romulans materialized very near the camp sight. Harris heard the unmistakable sound behind him and Mendoza at first, thought it was more people from the ship. He had never seen a Romulan before but he knew they weren't human. He flung himself out of his seat as Harris and the Romulans exchanged fire. Harris hit the one in the lead twice on the stun setting. Enough to drop him but then the one behind him brandished a rifle and fired. He was hit by disruptor fire and he screamed as his flesh was burned away until he was nothing but ashes. His phaser hit the ground right next to Mendoza and he picked it up.

Silas heard the firing and he drew his pistol and put it on kill. He leaned out of the shuttle and fired at the 2 Romulans. They reacted to the incoming fire and backed up to take a more defensive position behind large, rock formations. Mendoza dived for the phaser pistol and he snatched it up as he landed onto the ground and made himself a smaller target to shoot at. Silas and Mendoza fired at the Romulans as the Romulans fired back at them.

Nathan had come back back to Amara to ask if they could have one of those lights too when he heard the sound of phaser fire. Mendoza paused to take aim but he remained in one spot for too long. As he hit one of the Romulans, he was hit and he screamed in agony as he died. Silas and the remaining Romulan continued to exchange fire as Amara and Nathan ran toward the cave entrance. Silas aimed at the rock above the Romulan and he struck it with phaser fire. Large chunks of rock fell down onto the Romulan and Silas ran over to him. The Romulan had blood on his face and forehead and his rifle was several feet away as he laid there. Silas thought he was unconscious but as he drew closer The Romulan's arm came out like a viper and seized his wrist with the phaser. With his other hand he drew out his knife and stabbed Silas with it in the chest. Silas fell back from the blow just as Amara came out into the open. The Romulan had Silas's phaser in his hand but before he could use it on Silas, Amara pulled hers out and hip fired it. The Romulan didn't vaporize but he took serious damage and fell onto his back.

Amara and Nathan both heard the sound of the phaser fire at the same time. Amara and Nathan rushed out of the cavern and when Amara heard Mendoza scream she ran even faster. She saw the Romulans and didn't hesitate to attack. She saw Silas was down and injured and one of the Romulans picked up his phaser to use it on him, but before he could, Amara drew out hers and she aimed and fired. She hit the Romulan and though he didn't vaporize, he fell back. She shot one of her electric discs at him just to ensure he stayed down. Amara started to try and contact Spock and Scarlett, but before she could another Romulan attacked her. She had been trained fighting against Romulans and so she knew their fighting style pretty well, but they were still strong. Amara, however, was a force to be reckoned with.

Three more Romulans materialized. And commenced firing as soon as they did. Nathan and Amara moved and crossed one another as they moved closer to the Romulans who backed up in a tactical manner. They found cover behind more rock formations but Nathan and Amara had moved quickly toward them. Both of them hit the rocks above them and the Romulans shots toward them went wide. With a third one unable to get a bead on them as they closed, they decided to remain close and enter into hand to hand with the Romulans.

Amara fought hard against the Romulans. She was fast and her reflexes were even faster. The Romulans were strong, but she was well trained and was more flexible. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Nathan fighting as well. Amara got a few good punches and kicks in. One kick to the stomach sent the Romulan she was fighting back a few steps.

She saw the Romulan that was further back take a bead on Nathan with his rifle. She shot several discs at him and hit him twice. He fell behind the rocks and she could no longer see him. That action however put her arm where the Romulan she was fighting was able to grab it and he threw her bodily into a large rock formation nearby.

Nathan wasn't quite as strong as the Romulan he fought but with his size, he was able to hit him and use Akido to knock him off balance. When he flipped him over his shoulder, he heard the Romulan's arm 'snap' and he cried out as he landed hard onto the ground. As he did dust kicked up from his hard fall and he did not get back up. The Romulan that threw Amara came up to her as she staggred to her feet and he grabbed her hair and banged her forehead into the rocks a few times until she fell onto her knees.

Nathan came up behind him but just as he grabbed hold of him, the Romulan stabbed him with a reverse thrust in the abdomen. Nathan grunted and tried to stay on his feet but the Romulan drew out his knife then stabbed him again. Nathan fell onto his stomach and no longer moved as his life blood began to pool onto the dusty ground around him.

The Romulan grabbed hold of Amara by the back of her collar and pulled out his communicator. "Two to transport," he said in Romulan and they were transported into the Romulan base.

Scarlett and Spock were at the back of the cavern and had no idea what was going on. However, when Nathan failed to reappear with one of the ambient lights they decided to go check to see what was going on. They found neither Amara or Nathan in the cavern and a bad feeling started to come over Scarlett. They moved towards the base camp and as they approached Scarlett gasped when she saw both Silas and Nathan laying on the ground. Both had been stabbed. She rushed over to Silas. He was alive, but just barely. As Spock checked Nathan he would find he was in the same state. Scarlett looked around for Amara, but she was nowhere to be seen. Scarlett tried to hold herself together, but seeing her twin brother dying before her eyes was almost more than she could take.

Spock pulled out his communicator. "Enterprise, I need an emergency transport for 4 directly to sickbay," he said. It took a moment for them to clear sickbay but then they were transported. McCoy was on duty and he had everyone get Silas and Nathan onto beds. Scarlett was covered in Silas's blood as Spock was in Nathan's. They had supplied pressure to their wounds but then the doctor and nurses asked them to step back. Even though Nathan was stabbed twice, he seemed to be doing better than Silas. Silas had lost alot more blood than Nathan had. Spock moved over to Scarlett who he could see was about to break down. It was her twin brother on the bed afterall.

As they worked Silas's monitors all flatlined. "Nurse, cortical stimulatorm" McCoy said urgently. They all moved fast and Scarlett would know what was going on, Her brother was dying before your eyes. "250 jules...now," McCoy said and Silas's back arched. There was no change. "300 jules," he said. "Ready doctor," the nurse said. "Now," McCoy said and Silas's back arched again. When he settled, there was a heartbeat on the readout screen above his bed.

"Ok, prep them for surgery," McCoy said. "yes doctor the nurse said. Spock managed to draw Scarlett out of sickbay.

Scarlett was trembling and as she looked down she saw her hands were covered in Silas' blood. She watched as suddenly her twin brother's monitors all flatlined and as McCoy rushed to try and get his heart going again, Spock took her into his arms and held her against him. Scarlett nearly sobbed against his chest as she heard them hit him again. However, a wave of relief came over her when she heard the machines going again. Spock murmured soothing words to her and then led her out of sickbay. At that moment Kirk appeared. He seemed shocked to see Scarlett and Spock covered in blood. Spock explained what they knew. That Harris and Mendoza were dead and Silas and Nathan seriously injured. When Kirk asked where Amara was Scarlett shook her head a little.

"We don't know. She was nowhere to be seen."