The Missing, Part 1 [✱16]

Posted on Wed Apr 29th, 2026 @ 2:02pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Ayol & Lieutenant Commander Intharia T'Zor & Lieutenant Commander Yy & Lieutenant Rune Thul & Lieutenant JG Nimah & Ensign Jara'kani & Master Chief Petty Officer Gaz & SubLieutenant Attania Viren & Uhlan Vekthar & Captain Hadrian 'Sunshine' Palamas & Cadet Senior Grade Bird Brennick
Edited on on Wed Apr 29th, 2026 @ 2:02pm

1,101 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: UnderMind [4]
Location: Shitau Colony Central Square
Timeline: 1500 - MD04

As instructed by Commander Creon, the search parties had returned to Shitau at 1500 hours, several hours after their searches - and the most interesting discoveries - had begun. All three shuttles arrived within moments of each other, but curiously, the Faraday had not arrived. As the crew exited their transports, the absence of the Faraday - and the expedition leader Commander Creon - was obvious and seemed to fill the space between them.

Nobody from the Order came to greet them, and the shades of windows seemed to close as the Starfleet team looked at them.

"I'm sorry we don't have time to talk shop, because we've all found things worth real attention. But for now we need to figure out the Faraday situation." T'Zor said.

Yy left the runabout Darling a moment later than the others. She had confirmed that the recovered Vulcans had all reached the colony's medical centre. Once the Order's medics had given begrudging confirmation, she emerged, curious as to how Commander T'Zor planned to proceed.

"Our rescues are back with their people?" T'Zor asked Yy, who nodded affirmatively. "All are in care." Yy told her. Intharia could feel the pride she felt at the lives they'd saved, it was no small thing, even if it had led to the discovery of fascinating and terrible creatures below.

"Shall I attempt to scan for them, Commander?" Rune gestured back to the runabout he'd just left. "We could get confirmation from DS13 as well?" He added clearly embarrassed he'd forgotten about the station.

"Make contact with Captain Palamas. He can get eyes on it faster than anyone except maybe the station, but I don't see it." Thari said, the lily-pad profile of the station was often visible as a tiny little blemish in the sky at this time of day if it was over. "Then check in with the station." T'Zor instructed.

"Aye," Rune tapped his combadge. "Thul to DS13, requesting starfighter squad to last known coordinates of the Faraday. Orders to find them or at least find some clues. Have you had any contact with the Faraday, up there?" He sounded a little concerned, he wondered when Faraday crew had last checked in.

Gaz scratched the back of his head as he watched. It was about time the flyboys did something useful.

"No sir, we haven't heard anything." Came the voice of the communications cadet Brennick through Thul's combadge. "We've over the night side of the planet sorry Lieutenant, we won't be in visual range for more than half an hour. I'll connect you to Captain Palamas."

"Palamas here. I hear you want us to check out the Faraday, El-Tee?" Captain Palamas' voice came through Thul's combadge now.

"Yes, Captain, they have disappeared." Rune turned to the others, "we can supply their discussed flight path," he nodded to T'Zor for confirmation that they could.

"Mr Ayol, please get it to them." T'Zor stuck her head into the nearby Darling to ask the Vorta, confident he could hear the conversation going on outside and was paying attention to it. Vorta were like Salarians in that way, she'd noticed. A trait that made them excellent spies.

The Vorta did as instructed, and moments later Palamas had the data. "We'll be there in twenty." Came Captain Palamas' voice through the combadge another moment later.

With the fighters dispatched for recon, T'Zor realised they were without an immediate task. "So, I know we were able to bring a few Vulcans back. Did we find much else of interest?" T'Zor asked, confident that the worm they discovered would surely be the most fascinating discovery.

"Yeah, we found what looked like a rabbit. Except it moved like a Tyberian bat and managed to kill a bunch of Jaffa. We put up warning buoys. They won't be trying to hunt it again." Gaz summarised. He was still a little queasy at the thought of the decapitated Jaffa and the rabbit that seemed nonplussed about the whole experience once they were dead.

"We encountered two distinct species creatures unanimously agreed to be best dubbed 'dragons.' Sandswimmer and Mawfeeder. We also encountered the remains of some sort of underground predator that opens as a spiked maw-pit in the desert. Its digestive system was designed to preserve victims for millennia of feeding. The preservative properties are extraordinary.' Ayol said on behalf of the Darling crew.

"Wow. All we found was enormous sand-burrowing worms, a completely dehydrated form of life that nearly made a meal out of us. Thanks to Mr Cage however, we survived it." T'Zor told the group, feeling trumped by each of the other team's discoveries. "I look very much forward to everyone's reports."

Vekthar stepped forward to gain the attention of the group. "I am not entirely sure on this but that large sand-burrowing worm may have some form of extrasensory projection. I could sense it on the edge of my awareness, I am not as psionic as some of my brethren. Once we were safe and away, that's when I noticed it." He stepped back to let the group processes his words.

Rune was first to watch the Reman and wonder if they could share the experience at some point but he didn't think it wise to ask just yet. He'd only just met the Uhlan. He recalled the other time of an extrasensory projection but so alien he couldn't process it. Was it the same source or different? Rune mused.

"Strange." Yy observed. "I noticed the same phenomenon in the east. I would suspect the creature you encountered was not the cause." Yy supposed before T'Zor got everyone's attention with her instructions.

"For now, let's get ourselves refreshed while we wait to hear from the Faraday. Once everyone's had a chance to use the facilities, I'd like only the crew required for two Arrow-class runabouts to remain. I'd like the rest to take back the Danube's already brought down, and those who'll be staying to return with the Arrows." T'Zor instructed as the ranking officer in Creon's absence.

About twenty minutes later the Arrow-class runabouts could be seen descending from high orbit, slowing as to not affect the local weather. As they were descending, Captain Palamas' voice returned over their comms.

"Palamas to away team. Approaching the Faraday. Wait, something's wrong. Away team, Faraday is down. I repeat, Faraday is down. I'm seeing a pillar of smoke and - I - kind of cloud - flying insects! - evasive - mayday, mayday!" Palamas' voice began to break up as though the signal was interrupted, until his frenzied shouting ended the transmission.

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