Perilous Planet Pt. 2

Posted on Wed Mar 25th, 2026 @ 10:56pm by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Lieutenant JG Kate Kono & Lieutenant JG James Phoenix & Ensign Janelle Barett

1,688 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Shuttle Incident
Location: Planet

Shran came back inside after checking out the damage outside. He approached Janelle, "Ensign, I want you to begin looking over all the systems for signs of sabotage. The nacelle failure and subsequent damage was not an accident or the result of us encountering an anomaly. I'm going to check with the others to see if they have discovered anything of note, assess our situation as it were."

Janelle gave a short nod, already pulling up what systems she could access. “Understood, Captain.”

Viviana looked at Kate with concern. She took out her tricorder and scanned her, using the tool to confirm her suspicions. "Lieutenant, you are suffering from the early stages of heat exhaustion. You are not built for the tropics it would seem. I'm going to have to relieve you of duty for the time being, for your own health and safety. If I don't, you'll push yourself into heat stroke."

Shran entered the back compartment. "I think we need to get the environmental controls reactivated in here. The heat and humidity are bad enough outside, don't want the runabout to turn into an oven."

"I agree captain. Lt Kono is already suffering from the heat, and your physiology isn't exactly conducive to doing well in this environment either" Viviana noted.

"I'm fine doctor. I've done my fair share of hostile environmental training. Treat Kate. I'll need her up and running again soon" Shran replied. He walked over to the replicator and activated it, getting a large glass of water which he began to sip. "The heat is bad, but it appears that the heat is the least of our concerns. Based on my scans of the nacelle, it appears that we are the victims of sabotage. I have Ensign Janelle looking into it further. Mr Phoenix, as you are capable at this time, assist Janelle as best you can with looking over the systems, see if you can track down and signs of the sabotage while working on getting systems back online. I'll focus on the environmental systems, get things livable in here again for now."

Janelle shifted slightly to make room for Phoenix, bringing up what remained of the internal diagnostics.

Before anyone could stop her, Kate lunged her hand for the exposed panel, her jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth. With trembling fingers, she scanned the lone isolinear chip, her nostrils flaring as she documented it with the tricorder's camera. She snatched a paper bag from her kit, sealed the chip inside, then secured it within a plastic evidence pouch, her movements precise despite her fury.

"Empty," Kate hissed through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing to slits. "We'll need bio signature scans. No signatures means no definitive proof, but—" She slammed her fist against the wall, then wiped cascading sweat from her flushed face as she struggled upright. "I'm *fine*, Doctor," she snapped when she reached toward her, a bitter smile twisting her lips. "My ancestors survived being nuked—twice. I can handle a little heat." Her voice dropped dangerously low. "That chip had no business in the core. Someone uploaded a virus. And when we get off this godforsaken rock, I'm going to find out exactly who." She staggered out of the sweltering ship onto the beach, squinting against the merciless sun as her hands curled into fists at her sides.

She yanked off her shoes and pants in one fluid motion, hurling the final shoe at the evidence container with such force that its toe embedded in the sand like a javelin. Seeking relief, she trudged toward the water in the Runabout's long shadow and collapsed into the foaming shallows. The cool azure waves lapped against her feverish skin, instantly soothing her frayed nerves as she sank deeper, letting the gentle current caress her bare legs. Though she knew the tropical sun would eventually demand the sunscreen tucked away in her bags, for now she surrendered to the water's embrace, clad only in her moisture-wicking sports bra and simple cotton underwear. A wry smile crossed her lips as she remembered teasing Na'Riss about being discovered nearly naked with AJ, and Na'Riss's devastating comeback: 'I seem to recall no less than five accounts on ships record where you were caught with nothing on at all.' The tension in her shoulders finally released as laughter bubbled up from her chest, the earlier fury washing away with the receding tide.

Kate tilted her face skyward, her whisper floating up toward the stars where that insufferable, pointy-eared genius was probably cataloguing nebulae with mathematical precision. "Chalk another one up for the history books, you walking calculator," she muttered, as if Na'Riss's Vulcan hearing could somehow defy physics and pick up her grudging admiration across the vacuum of space.

Kate wondered if she could at least rub it in that she overlooked enough sabotage to destroy a whole Runabout without some smart retort to the contrary.

Phoenix took a seat next to Janelle as ordered. He began sifting through any data he could still access. Then it hit him. He turned to Janelle and then the Captain. "This isn't the first time this runabout has had a major systems crash" James began.

Kate's ears perked up at Phoenix's muffled declaration through the open door, and she whipped around like a caffeinated meerkat. "NO SHIT!" she bellowed back, her voice carrying the particular resonance of someone who'd spent two hours pulling out maintenance access panels with a flashlight clenched between her teeth after Na'Riss's first spectacular misdiagnosis.

Kate treaded water, nearly naked save for her regulation underwear, rolling her eyes so hard they nearly joined the bubbles rising around her. "Oh, I'm sorry—was I supposed to be shocked by this revelation? Because I distinctly remember being front-row-center when this rust bucket first decided to imitate a supernova. And let's not forget last week's little fireworks display that damn near vaporized my eyebrows Vreenak-style. But please, continue with your brilliant deductions while I slowly transform into a prune down here."

Kate rubbed her eyebrows, water dripping from her elbows as she stood knee-deep in the gently lapping ocean. The tropical sun beat down on her shoulders, turning her skin pink above the black standard-issue sports bra and briefs that clung to her like a second skin. She squinted up at the open hatch of the runabout where Phoenix's silhouette was framed against the shadowy interior as he sat in the seat facing the door where they could get cooler air.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping," she called up, loud enough for Phoenix and anyone else inside to hear. Her voice carried across the water. "This damn thing has a history. But we need the Washington to figure out who's been tampering with it. I trusted without verifying, and now we're all paying for my mistake. That's on me, not you."

"It's alright. I was just referring to the security report I had to sign off on and give to Imik. I was about to ask you about that. Was there any suspicious behavior on, before, or after your flight? From any of the officers you were with?" Phoenix asked in a relatively calm voice, understanding Kate's frustration.

Kate's jaw tensed as she dropped into the seat across from Phoenix, her athletic frame clad only in underwear. Sweat glistened on her toned shoulders.

"Sorry about that outburst, sir," she said, her voice still tight. "Technically you outrank me, but this heat..." She trailed off, then leaned forward. "Look, my suspicions are confirmed. I need to brief you properly—Ben, AJ, and Na'Riss too. This has Section-31 fingerprints all over it." Her fists clenched, then slowly uncurled. "When the runabout's systems come back online, I'll share everything, but I want the mastermind, not just the lackey tampering with our ship. There's a bigger game here."

The tension gradually drained from her slender yet muscled shoulders as she rested her elbows on her bare thighs. Her expression softened, chin settling into her palms.

"Remind me why we do this?" she asked, voice suddenly weary. Her eyes drifted to the darkened bulkhead. "It's certainly not for the pay..." She chuckled to herself.

Viviana stealthily approached and quickly injected Kate with a hypospray. "Apologies lieutenant, but you are leaving me no choice. Just something to force you to rest a bit while I address your heat exhaustion."

Shran looked to the cabin with all his people and shook his head. "Everyone will follow the doctor's orders, or they will face my wrath. Now, everyone drink some water, stay in the shade as possible, and let's get things working around here. Avoid going outside if you can. It is as hot as Vulcan's Forge out there."

Janelle's fingers moved across the damaged interface, isolating what data hadn’t been wiped in the crash. “Core logs are fragmented,” she said. “But there’s overlap between the nacelle failure and the relay burnout. That’s not a cascade - it’s linked.” She paused, frowning slightly. “Reads more like a coordinated trip than a system fault.”

"That falls in line with what Kate was postulating" Shran replied a bit gruffly, his appearance one of a person deep in unpleasant thought. "She mentioned Section 31..." he started, his voice still laced with agitation. "She was aware of a potential operative aboard my ship and didn't inform me about it. That is going to need to be resolved."

He looked to Viviana, "How long until she wakes up?"

"Up to you sir. I could wake her now, but I'd prefer her to rest a few hours while I treat her" Viviana replied.

"A few hours is fine. We have things that need to be dealt with in the interim" Shran said flatly. "Phoenix, you can power up auxiliary power. That'll allow environmental systems to return to normal, and you'll have enough power in reserve to activate any other system you need. Propulsion is not a concern at this point, focus on sensors, shields, and weapons. Janelle, get communications back up. I know that is going to be difficult, but I trust you can handle it."


TBC

 

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