Acid Rain!

Posted on Sun Nov 3rd, 2024 @ 9:00pm by Captain Dr. Nairut Noxi & Lieutenant JG Elysian "Elly" Clarke & Commander Damian Morgan & Lieutenant Commander Mira Napier & Lieutenant Commander Andrew "Drew" Chandler & Lieutenant Alex Dalton & Lieutenant JG Mike Barton

0 words; about a 1 minute read

Mission: To Boldly Go...
Location: Planetside
Timeline: MD-01

ON:

As the Away Team beamed down, Yve Dorrinell stood at the docking ring. The young but imposing woman was Nade's Deputy Diplomatic representative for the 12 Colonies. Specifically, she represented the fifth colony-Sancus Bay-the planet's main shipping/manufactering colony. She was dressed well in a simple, colonial dress-long, beige linen caftan, plain Mary-jane style shoes, and a long chain around her neck. Because she was unmarried, she wore her hair back and tucked under a scarf, called a Tichel, in the same color of coffee-stained beige as her dress. Her speech patterns were stilted as she greeted the Starfleet officers, via the UT in her hands.

"Hell-lo. I am Yve (Eve) Dorrinell. You may come with me." She simply turned and led the team into a dark tunnel, lit only by the eerie green glow of a series of wall lights placed throughout the tunnel. It was a short walk-20 feet-into a bustling city center.

Mira made sure that she was the last one in behind the others, She followed them very quietly. Observing everything, including the city that was coming into view.

“Stay sharp, Commander. We’re here to make friends, but we know virtually nothing about these people,” Damian noted as he followed the tall and thin woman. Damian was well over six feet tall, and Dorrinell towered over him.

Nestled in the middle of the away team Lueitenant Dalton remained quiet and observant. His assignment to the landing party had come as a surprise to him and he vowed to remain level headed and to curb his enthusiasm.

Baker, after beaming down, used his tricorder to make sure everyone was alright. He then saw the tall woman who greeted them. He lowered his hand that held the medical tricorder, but still managed to scan the woman.

Morgan was led into a chamber not unlike the Romulan Senate. There were large chairs set upon a platform in the front of the room, with less ornate desks and chairs surrounding the platform. The smaller desks were in a “U” configuration.

From the desks rose another tall being. This one appeared male. "Hello!" He said, in more cheerful Standard. "I hope your trip was uneventful." He raised a hand, and another woman appeared, this one smaller in stature than the other two. "Fetch our visitors some of the finest Nadean spring water, please, Ms. Darilan." The woman disappeared, seemingly without moving her feet. The man continued. "I am Diplomat Calwin Larris. We've been waiting for you. Please, let's step into the meeting room," he said. The man led the officers to a well-appointed meeting room. The woman called Ms Darilan appeared, as if floating again, with a crystal-like pitcher of water, which she placed on the middle of a table, along with some sparkling glasses. "This water is from my Colony, Arbus 2." He waited for them to sit.

“Mr. Larris. I am Damian Morgan, First Officer of USS Deliverance. Allow me to introduce the other members of our party. Commander Napier, our Security Chief, Dr. Baker, our Chief Medical Officer. and Lieutenant Dalton, our Operations Officer We are all from Earth. Finally, we have Joran Maz, Chief Science Officer, from Trill. We appreciate the warm welcome.”

Morgan poured some of the water and took a sip. “Very nice. Refreshing, thank you. As a representative of Starfleet and the Federation, we would like to initiate relations with your people. To share knowledge and resources in peaceful cooperation and space exploration. To become part of an alliance more than 150 planets strong.”

As Morgan spoke, three other people entered the room-one female and two males. They, like the rest, were tall and slender, pale as the moonlight. The woman wore a similar dress to Dorinell, but her platinum hair was left to hang loose, indicating her status as a married person. The two men were dressed similarly to Larris-in white robe-like tops with matching, loose bottoms. The men, too, had the same platinum hair but it was close-cropped to the head.

"Diplomat Celethe Harp," he said, indicating the woman. With a bow of her head, the alien acknowledged the Starfleet officers. None of them sat. "This is Diplomat Coup Melo, and Diplomat Carbrin Erixa. They represent the 9th, third, and first colonies, respectively." Larris turned to his compatriots, and with three guttural clicks, they sat, but as if they were floating.

"This is Commander Damon Morgan. They have answered our call," he said, in an almost ominous voice. Larris turned back to Morgan. "We appreciate your answer. We have no time to waste. Celethe?"

From a previously-unseen pocket, the woman unearthed a ball, similar to the orbs of Bajor. She touched it, and it lit up. "This is a simulation of Nade," she said, as the planet's surface appeared. "About five turns of the sun ago, we began to experience some changes. First, these people came," an image of the Karemma people appeared. "They seemed friendly, but we are weary."

She passed the ball to Coup. "Then the rains began to fall. My colony is nearly destroyed." He lowered his gaze in deference. He passed it on. "Finally, the crops are dying, and our people are restless. We have never faced an enemy like this. The Old Guard-the history of our people involve a long, drawn out civil war in which the Old Guard became an outlying force and we became a...what do you people call it? A democracy-they want a sacrifice to the Gods," he said.

Celethe interrupted. "We do not. We feel that there is an explanation that is of this world," she said. "We are evolved now. We have Warp, and have seen new worlds. We are a free people now." She said. "I have been to your planet, Mr. Morgan. Sol. A young planet, isn't it? I saw it in my youth. When you were still killing each other over land and politics," she remarked, a tinge of judgement in her blue eyes. "Some of us have heard of your Federation. We seek their protection, if possible, or at least some resources. The visit from these new....people...have been blamed for the rains and the death. The rain...it stings the skin when it falls from the heavens," she said. She held out her arm, and raised her sleeve to the elbow. "Which one of you is the healer?" She asked.

“Dr. Baker is here. One moment, ma’am. Our planet, Earth, is about 3,000 years old. Relatively young, respective to the universe as a whole. And Sol is the name of the star around which Earth orbits. I’ll certainly pass on your request to our Federation Council-and we work with your people for your immediate needs. Formalizing membership takes time, unfortunately. There’s a formal application and review process. That being said, we will do what we can.” Morgan continued after another swallow of the cold water.

"I am the doctor. I'll do my best to try and help you." He nodded towards the person.

“The Karemma are a known adversary of the Federation; they were part of the Dominion. I have to ask, what connection is there between the arrival of the Karemma and the change in climate, more specifically, the acid rain?”

The one called Coup spoke. "We are unsure," he said. "We don't know if there IS a link. The Old Guard, of course, is saying that they think it's connected; that these Karemma are the cause. Maybe they tampered with the atmosphere or something. Myself? I have noticed some changes for a bit. About 90 turns of the sun," he said. "We orbit our sun at a rate of 16 standard hours..." he said, realising that Earth had a different pattern. "My colony is responsible for the animals that we eat...their food has not been growing as plentiful, and they are acting strangely," he said.

The woman spoke. "Thank you! I apologise. "Earth" is...a strange word," she said. "I travelled there nearly four hundred years ago," she said. "Back then, you had not yet achieved such abilities to travel as we have had for millennia," she said. "And I understand about the wait. Isn't that how it goes?" She said, making almost a smirk. "Your people were mostly frightened, though mostly friendly," she said. "I apologise if I've offended you," she said. "Along with the animals, my colony raises food crops,'' she said. From the pocket she extracted what papered to be a wheat-like plant. "These stinging rains are killing the food. The people are getting restless. The SOS call was my best idea," she said.

From her perch in the corner, Elly Clarke, the ships' botanist and Science representative, spoke up. "Aye, ma'am, it's likely acid rain," she said. "Doc, does that look like acid rain wounds to you?" She said. She hopped out of her chair, brushing her blonde hair out of her face. "I would need to test it. Perhaps when we're done here, I can be permitted to do that?" she asked the aliens.

Baker pulled out his tricorder and scanned the area. "The wounds appear to have been caused by acid rain, but I'll need to run mores tests to confirm the cause."

"You will have full access to anything you need," Larris piped up. "Thank you," he said, bowing his head to the other three. "Where shall we begin?" He asked.

“Lt. Clarke, I understand this may not be your area of expertise, but work with Dr. Baker. Get some soil samples, along with samples of the dead vegetation. See if there are any common denominators, see if there’s any connection to the Karemma. I’m going to contact the ship and see if I can talk to a representative from Karemma,” ordered Morgan.

Elly nodded. "Yes, sir," she said. Actually, that WAS her area of expertise, but she wasn't so sure about the Doc. "Will do," she said.

Mira just listened and kept an eye out for anything suspicious

"Yes, commander." Responded Baker. He checked his medkit to make sure he had enough sample containers. Then he walked over to where the woman was standing, and ran his tricorder over to where the injured woman was standing. "This won't hurt."

Celethe nodded once. "Thank you," she said. She let the man do his work. When he was done, she rose, and the other Nadeans followed. "Mr Larris, take the scientist to the river. I will take the others upstairs." She advised. She turned to Morgan. "We can show you what we've already uncovered, as well as the video of the Karemma's visit. IT was very odd; they landed, asked to refuel, wandered around the Main city a bit, and then left. They seemed to be looking for something or someone, but never found it," she said, as she floated down the hallways and corridors with the Fleet people following behind. They entered a secondary office, this one small. "My personal office," she said. "This is my computer, and the video is there," she said. "I need to go meet with the people, but can be back in two turns of the hands," she said, pointing to a clock. "Anything you need, my assistant will give you or allow you access to. We have nothing to hide or be afraid of," she said. Then, she disappereard, as if having apparated.

“Thank you, Celethe. With your permission, I’d like to set up a link with Deliverance to upload and transmit the video feed. They have equipment and analytic capabilities that I don’t down here. If they’re hiding something, we’ll find it. Rest assured,” Morgan said confidently.

Celethe bowed her head once. She turned to another stone-faced woman at a desk outside the office. "Make that happen for them," she said, then disappeared.

Mira glanced to Dalton, as half of the team disappeared. She felt uncomfortable for some reason. She wasn't sure why, but she kept a watch out for anything that she could detect that was seemingly off.

The blond lieutenant returned her glance feeling uncertain at this moment how he could assist with the acid rain situation, unless of course the Nade had the ability to control their weather like Risa. "Commander Morgan," he asked. "How can Napier and I help?"

Mira waited as she listened to Morgan's reply.

“Until we get a feel for what’s going on, I want a security perimeter around this building. Twenty or so meters in all directions. Conscript Nadean security if you have to. I don’t want anyone in here that doesn’t belong. Understood?”

"Yes sir," Dalton nodded a touch puzzled why he'd been seconded to security duties but was happy to oblige.

Mira gave a nod, "Yes, Sir." She glanced to Dalton. "Team work?" She gave a smile.

----------------

Out at the river head, Elly was bent over the sand, collecting samples. She handed one off to the Doctor. "Dr. Baker," she said, handing the vial over. She took a second one of the water. "It smells oddly," she noted. "Ok, Mr...Larris, was it?" She said. "What I will do is go back to the ship, process these on a rush order, and see what I can find out. Dr Baker and I will return with the results and we can make a plan from there. If you need Dr. Baker further, I am ok to go back myself. I am armed, and the ship isn't far," she said. She remembered how to get there, and if she didn't, she could always call for a transport. She smiled. "By the way, my name is Dr. Elly Clarke, I am the staff Botanist," she said. "I study plants, and occasionally animals," she said. "I am interested in learning more about your food crops later if I can," she said, with a smile. She was already nerding out.

"Dr. Baker, with your permission," she said, recognizing that he outranked her a bit. "I will go back, and start running the assays," she said. She turned around to find the first woman.

Baker nodded at the woman.

"Come. I will take you back."

Elly was a little weirded out, honestly, by how these people moved and spoke, but she'd get over it. She nodded.

"Thanks!!" She followed the strange, tall, pale woman. "So, do you like it here?" She asked. The woman remained silent. Hooo-kay. Elly tried a different tact. "That Larris is kind of cute, isn't he?"

"He is spoken for," Yve said. "But yes. I suppose he is attractive," she said. "And yes, I do like t here," she said, as they stepped into the Tunnel. After a moment, Yve stopped Elly.

"We need your help. A group of us want to break off. The Old Guard, our former leaders, are starting to move into the outer colonies. People are,,,,missing." She said, simply. "Please tell your people. I don't think it was our visitors from last week. I think it's the Old Guard," she said, looking around wildly, like she'd be heard or followed. Yve returned to her stony demeanor, and finished the walk through the tunnel.

"Here you are, Ms. Clarke. Thank you," she said, turning away and disappearing. Elly shook her head, but pressed her Comms to request a beam, and then, went to find Drew. He might know what to do.

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Larris watched as Dorinnell led the botanist back to the Docking ring, and then turned to the Doctor. "Dr Baker, we have a few other people who have the acid rain burns. Can you treat them? Our healers haven't been successful. We've never experienced this before," he said. "The main hospital is close, we can walk it," he said, turning away.

"Happy to be of help. Lead the way." Baker responded.

——————————————————————————-

Meanwhile, Commander Morgan made the most of the privacy in the office space he was provided. He compiled all the audiovisual resources the community had available.

“Morgan to Deliverance. Contact with the Nadeans has been successful, though there’s been a development. The Karemma have paid these people a visit. Upon their departure, the planet has suffered from periods of acid rain, destroying their crops and causing bodily harm to the population.”

=/\=I can hear you, Commander.=/\= She paused a beat to hear the rest of Morgan's statement. She let out a small curse in Bajoran. =/\= Ras!! Alright. I will consult with Security. Do you need further resources?"=/\= She sighed.

“Yes, Captain. Medical supplies. Treatments for burns and skin irritations. The number of casualties is piling up and coming out of the woodwork. That should suffice for the time being.”

=/\=All right, I'll speak to Nurse Ferrar, and see what we can do. =/\= she said. She made a quick call down to medical, and was assured that the required materials could be messengered to the Away Team in the next few minutes.

“I’d also like the video footage analyzed to see if the Karemma were involved in the weather changes. Drs. Baker and Clarke are treating the injured and will work on a counter agent. Will report back later with any updates. Morgan out.”

=/\=Thank you, Commander. We're on standby here. =/\= She clicked off and looked around. "Ok, folks, continue your duties on Yellow Alert. Security, get me what we have on the Karemma," she said. She closed her eyes a moment. Just once, could she lead a team that WASN'T involved in some kind of fuckery?!

Mike gave a nod to the Captain as he researched up the Karemma, using not only the resources on the ship, but his access to things as well. He figured the Captain must know that he was apart of the Command Security team on earth, before requesting to join Deliverance. His reputation proceeded him and he preferred to keep it that way.

She opened a channel. =/\=Civillans may now exit their quarters but will be on restricted access to non-Civilian areas. =/\=

Just in case, after all. "Helm, are there any other ships in the area that aren't Fleet?" She asked.

Newman, sitting at the helm, scanned the area. "Nothing within scanning distance."

"Thank you," she said. At least that was good news; there would be no more Karemma or anyone else to cause more trouble.

"Commander Naiper, please prep a small team to beam down. Take Chandler and Harrison with you," she said. "Rendezvous with Commander Morgan and the others, see what you a find out about the Karemma's visit. Last time I checked, and it's been a decade or so, they did not have the ability to control the weather, but of course, they could have alliances with races that can." Were there any? She couldn't think of any, but then Xenotechnology wasn't her wheelhouse.

"I"ll do it." Mike said, "Since she's on the surface." He waited for the Captain's okay to go ahead with a team to send down there and him remain behind.

Noxi nodded. "Thank you. Do it," she said. "Quickly, please."

Devon was in his quarters when the call came in to report to the transporter room. He went to his desk and depressed the communications button. "Acknowledged." He closed the circuit, grabbed his go bag sitting by the door and headed out.

Mike had sent the security team to meet Devon at the Transporter.

Drew looked up from his bridge station. "I think my presence would be best used aboard ship to help with analysis."

Noxi considered for a moment. "You're probably right; with Morgan and Napier both away, I think you'd be third in line, anyway. Thank you," she said. She raised a hand for her Comms again.

=/\= Away Team Two. Please let me know when you're ready to beam. =/\= She clicked off, and returned to her task.

The security stood with Devon, waiting for his command to beam them down. though he was the Ambassador, it was his call. They were ready, when he was. Once there, they'd meet up with the Commander and their Chief.

Devon turned to the transporter operator. "Energize." A moment later the additional personnel arrived at the beam down coordinates.

OFF:
A Mission Post by:
Capt. Dr. Nairut Noxi
CO
USS Deliverance

Commander Damian Morgan
Executive Officer
USS Deliverance

Lieutenant Commander Andrew Chandler
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
USS Deliverance

Ambassador Devon Harrison
Diplomatic Head
United Federation of Planets (USS Deliverance, attached)

Lieutenant Byron Baker, MD
Chief Medical Officer
USS Deliverance

Lieutenant Alex Dalton
Chief Operations Office
USS Deliverance

LtJG Elysian "Elly" Clarke
NPC Botanist
USS Deliverance

LtCmdr Mira Napier
2XO / Chief Security Officer
USS Deliverance

LtJG Mike Barton
NPC Security
USS Deliverance

 

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