Ghost stories - Part 1

Posted on Tue May 27th, 2025 @ 5:54pm by Captain Daegan Baas & Lieutenant M'Tala "Hobbes" Clan Hrasi & Petty Officer 2nd Class Sizia Sh'velihr [Baas] & Aseek Tarnala & Commander Jerome Hunt Jr. & Lieutenant Liam O'Riley & Lieutenant Zane D'Sai & Lieutenant Jack Wells & Lieutenant Urushi Yaotome & Lieutenant Niami Troga & Julianna Raihan-Baas
Edited on on Tue May 27th, 2025 @ 5:59pm

1,957 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Sole Survivor
Location: Conference Rm
Timeline: MD 16 - 1015

[Conference Room]

Zane, who had been up all night, came into the conference room with a PADD tucked under one arm; he paused in the doorway, taking in the demeanor of those already assembled, and continued in. With Ramsey dead and the changeling gone, he'd been in temporary charge of the department. Course, even if he hadn't been, he would have been involved since software was his specialty. "Morning," he said politely, as he went to find a seat at the other end of the table.

Liam walked into the conference room giving everyone present so far a polite nod "Good morning" as he grabbed his usual seat. Once sitting he reached into his right thigh pocket retrieving his PaDD setting it on the table.

Lt. Wells entered the large conference room and took a seat in the middle section of the table, his blue eyes scanning around the room at the other Starfleet officers gathering for the meeting. None of the other faces looked familiar, though with such a huge organization, the odds were low that he would run into anyone he previously served with. Curt nods were given with eye contact, the perfunctory greeting for strangers in such situations.

Hobbes followed the Security Chief in an took the seat opposite the man they had recovered from the drifting space craft...if you could call it that. Nodding to the XO, "Morning sir."

"Good morning," Hunt replied back.

Aseek sat at the table as others arrived. While he looked to see who was arriving his attention was on the man on the other side of the partitions. He was talking with someone and at times it appeared that he was getting frustrated, but there was no sound so there was no way to know.

Sizia had spent just over an hour with Aseek and after showing him to his quarters she had spent the remaining time prior to the meeting explaining how to use the rooms features and answering questions. He had been very curious about other variety of races and had spent quite some time staring at her antenna. Stepping away from the replicator she made her way around the table and placed the glass of water in front of him.



[Ready Room]

Daegan let out a breath of both relief and trepidation, having received a mix of good news and what could be very dangerous for his crew. “Understood Admiral.” Closing the channel, he rose took a breath and nodded to Sizia who was waiting in the wings.

Together the pair cut move from the Ready Room, across the Observation Lounge and into the Conference Room.


[Conference Room]

Standing behind his chair, “Moring everyone. Before we get started, a few updates. There is still no sign of the changeling that replaced Lt. Ramsey while on SB 152. I want to thank both our Security and Medical department for the extra effort and time spent with the phaser sweeps and blood screening. At present we believe it managed to escape during either the offloading of Commander Maguire’s remains or the departure of Lt. Morloth following his resignation and return to the Klingon Empire. However we still need to remain vigilant in the event it is still onboard.

Arriving late the medical officer made his apologies for his tardiness and Dr. Cussen's absence. "Apologies Captain. Dr. Cussen is with a patient and couldn't make it."

Daegan nodded, "Very well. Have a seat." Continuing, “That said we still need to officially replace Lt. Ramsey." Gesturing to D'Sai, "Lieutenant JG D’Sai has been filling that role and is continuing to work with Engineering to ensure there was no sabotage. Mr. D’Sai, how is that work progressing?”

"Initial scans went well," Zane said as he consulted his PADD, "but since the changeling had access, we've been running a code comparison between a golden copy, from before the changeling came on board, and the current system. It's been running over night and all of the major systems are good. Unchecked systems are locked off, preventing them from introducing anything to the computer as a whole. Another eight hours, at the outside, and we'll have the entire system checked. So far, things are good but honestly, if I were going to insert some sort of sleeper code into a system, I'd go with a minor system which is why we're checking everything."

"Excellent. Looks like Operations is in good hands..." He grinned at the square jawed young officer. "That's why I'm promoting you to full Lieutenant and assigning you to the position of Chief Operations Officer. Congratulations, Lieutenant." Holding out a set of pips.

Zane smiled, weariness dispelled, as he held his hand out and accepted the pips, the promotion. "Thank you, Captain," he said. "I won't let you down."

O'Riley sat listening to the Lieutenant explain about his computer progress with ship's systems but questioned his abilities compared to his specialist's knowledge.

Nodding with a fading grin as he was going to have to spoil the mood. "I'm sure you won't"

Aseek sat silently as they discussed things he had no understanding of, but it was kind of reassuring that even those with such advanced technology still faced issues like everyone else. Looking back up at the Captain as he pulled out his chair and took a seat.

Gesturing to his guest, “For those of you have not yet met our guest, this is Mr. Aseek Tarnala. Mr. Tarnala is currently the only adult survivor of his race, known as the Pricari. His people faced an unprecedented and daunting dilemma and in a short amount of time they manage not only to gather thousands of embryos but retool a space craft intended for exploring their solar system into an interstellar craft in an attempt to save their race. Now while their original mission failed it was a good thing it did because it put them on a path that allow them to encounter us.”

Daegan continued. “Now Mr. Tarnala has explained the details to Lieutenant Yaotome, Commander Hunt and myself but to ensure everyone here understands the true gravity of what they faced I have asked his to tell all of you.”

Aseek paled at the fact that he would have to retell the story again so soon, not that he would ever forget the horrors witnessed before his team were safely in orbit.

Daegan looked to Aseek, “But before we get into that. I have some good news for you. Starfleet has agreed to find a suitable planet for you to oversee the incubation of and the re-establishment of your people.”

Aseek’s color returned and his eyes widened. “Thank you Captain!”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’re gonna face some serious challenges, but the Federation will help you as much as we can.”

“I understand. You explained your Prime Directive, but isn’t the damage done?”

“To an extent…yes. You and the future generations of Pricari will know we are out here, but it will be up to you and your people how they progress, to develop their culture and technology, and if they choose…to join the greater galactic community.”

“I see…”

Deagan interrupted to get things back on track. “But that is nothing we need to worry about right now. The immediate issue is “What you called the ‘Defiled’. If you would please tell the rest of my officers what you told us earlier.”

Aseek swallowed and took a breath before he began. “As the captain already mention we called the creatures the Defiled. There was a discovery of what was believed to be an asteroid impact site in our southern polar region. There was tremendous scientific excitement as the approximate date of the impact was during out last glacial period so the belief was that whatever had survived the impact would have been preserved in the ice of the time.

“We lost contact with the researcher as well as three rescue teams sent to check on them. Once word of the problem got out our government tried to reassure everyone that it was merely communications issues but with the various private corporations involved the secrecy didn’t last long. Once word leaked out it was a panic.

“Once infected, if the person isn’t ripped apart, the individual is in for a slow agonizing death as they gradually are taken over. In these cases, the persons is basically being consumed and mutated alive until they die. Once dead, the infection instantly take over. For those killed outright the process is extraordinarily rapid, as well as violent. These victims seem to go into a self-destructive overdrive. They spasm violently, and even though dead, the cries and howling are blood curdling. In either case the results are varied mutations, all with a single task, the killing and mutation of anything they can find.

“Bones are broken and put together in new configurations or reshaped into entirely new structures. Boney, blade or stinger like appendages form. Parts of the body or head can be splayed open, jaws are grotesquely distended, forming fanged jaw-like structures. All while now unused organs are repurposed or broken down to be reshaped into additional muscle mass, giving the Defiled increased physical strength.

“When children or animals are mutated, they often join with others to form other larger abominations….”. He trailed off wiping his face to dry his cheeks as he swallowed hard.

Urushi who had found this hard to listen to the first time around, was now reminded of it all over again. She was still struggling with the mental images in her head from earlier and now they were just being reinforced. Safe to say her hemophobia was now in full swing as she sat there, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as her skin leaked colour. She didn't want to bother anyone however, so distracted herself by staring intensely out of the view ports, focusing her thoughts on the stars to clear her mind of the gruesome images that plagued her mind.

Liam listened intently to this 'tale of horror' never imagining anything like this could even exist. The more he listened made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck and chills run down his spine. After a few minutes he had to force himself to shake off what was now going through his mind.

Sizia had covered her mouth with her hand as she stood to the side. Her hearth was racing and her mouth was dry making it hard to swallow.

At this moment, Jerome had wished that had left their visitor in his previous stasis. This virus was horrible and the last thing they needed was to risk bringing that on board. He really felt bad for his people, but he wondered if bringing them back would risk bringing back this virus as well.

A memory surged to the forefront. First weeks at the Academy, watching horror movies with his quad-mates and trying to understand how this could be entertaining when you had the whole ocean to explore. Popcorn and hot chocolate one week, pizza and beer the next. And always these horrific scenarios. What they were describing, these defiled, sounded remarkably like the plot of at least two of them. His reaction was the same as it was back then. How? What mechanisms allowed for the reanimation of dead flesh and more than that, using that flesh to create new creates out of composite parts. He had asked those same questions back then and that had led to research, to theoretical discussions, and searches for similar events in the actual world -- to Zane, that had been the interesting part. "What's known about how infection occurs?"


TBC...

 

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