Thrilling Developments

Posted on Thu Oct 15th, 2026 @ 11:23am by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Kate Kono

1,364 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Creatures of the Night
Location: Planet Stoker - Vaseria

The sky was growing darker as the sun dipped below the horizon and released its last few rays of pure illumination into the hazy sky. As they walked through the narrow cobblestone streets of Vaseria, Shran took noted that the inhabitants of this quaint anachronism of a town were scurrying indoors, as if they knew something that he didn't. Perhaps it had to do with the talk of a curse that Sypha kept referring to, or perhaps it had something to do with what seemed like a hazy shade of winter that seemed to be falling over this town and planet as autumn gave way.

"Quickly captain. We must reach Lady Anna before sunset" Sypha said urgently as they all moved swiftly through the streets towards a large Gothic manor that was coming in sight at the edge of town.

"Are we going to this manor?" Deanna questioned.

"Yes, the Valerious estate. This is where Lady Anna lives."

Shran was suspicious. This manor was built like a castle. He couldn't figure why everything here in this town that they had encountered thus far was something out of ancient Earth. He wanted answers instead of more questions.

They reached the front doors and Sypha rang the chime, which was in fact an actual bell. The door opened and a tall man dressed in black stood there. "Sypha, I see you have brought StarFleet. Quite the interesting move. You should come in. Twilight is upon us and tonight will be a bad night. Tonight is a full moon."

"Yes, a horrible night for a curse. I have brought the captain here to speak with Lady Anna. And his colleague here in an interesting one. She can read minds" Sypha said, her voice tinged with excitement.

I'm Betazoid" Deanna stated flatly, hoping to defuse things before it went the wrong way.

"Who might you be sir?" Shran asked as he entered.

"Yes, well, manners. Gabriel Helsing" he said as he shook Shran's hand. "Anna is in her father's study as per usual. This way" he stated as he closed the door and led them up the stairs and down a corridor.


**********

The tavern was as quiet as the grave. Only the rhythmic hum of Sam's tricorder and the soft shuffling of footfalls of the locales exiting could be heard. Mina approached the away team with the shredded bloody uniform in her hands, a look of terror on her face.

No one seemed capable of speaking at the moment. The air in the tavern was now as thick as the tension and mystery of this place. It was Price who finally broke the ice the only way he seemed capable. He spoke in a cryptic manner, his voice menacing and monotone, "Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood, to terrorize this neighborhood. And whosoever shall be found without the soul for getting down must stand and face the hounds of Hell and rot inside a corpse's shell. The foulest stench is in the air, the funk for forty thousand years. And grizzly ghouls from every tomb are closing in to seal our doom. And though we fight to stay alive, we all begin to shiver, for no mere mortal can resist the evil of the thriller." Then he let out the most sinister laugh as everyone turned to look at him.

From the doorway a voice spoke in a low somewhat sarcastic tone, "It would appear that God has shit on my dinner once again. All this blood better not ruin my good tunic." The man walked in, looking a bit disheveled. Like the others of this strange town, his clothing looked like something out of the Middle Ages on Earth; a cream-colored, high-collared tunic. simple yet practical brown trousers tucked into his heavy fur-lined boots and cream-colored cloth wrapped around his shins, and a majestic black cloak with a white fur-lined collar with a red crest imprinted on the left side of his chest, obscured at the moment.

The man walked to the bar and looked to the barkeep, "Might I get a mug?"

The barkeep asked nervously, "Belmont, did you kill that bastard thing?"

Belmont offered a soft chuckle. "You know me. May have, but if not, I'll get on it right after this drink."

"Then this one is free" the barkeep said as he poured the ale into the stein and then placed it in front of the man called Belmont.

The man just smiled as the drink was placed before him and he said giddily, "I love you."

Sam watched the interaction with curiosity. She reviewed Kate's scan, finding her hormonal profile wildly out of whack. The neurotransmitters and psionic activity were also elevated. Whatever had happened to Kate, ot had affected her physically.

Belmont took a large drink from his ale and then looked back at Sam, Kate, and the others. "So, new people in town here, and StarFleet it seems. God does smile on us. So, who was in the bloody uniform, and what is wrong with the boy?" his gaze focusing on Sam and Kate.

Kate squelched across the floor to Belmont, her wet clothes clinging to her skin and dripping a trail of rainwater onto the worn boards. She didn't seem to notice the puddle forming around her shoes as she leaned against the bar beside him, her shoulders hunched against a chill only she could feel.

"Please," she said, her voice raw as she hugged her own arms tight. "If you know anything about our missing friend, anything at all." Her dark eyes, wide and unblinking, held his with a directness that felt like a physical offering. "We need real answers. Not some cryptic nonsense."

"Oh my God, you're a woman" Belmont said almost ironically. "As for your friend, you should consider her lost. Even if you do find her, it won't be her anymore. Telling you the truth, not sure a bunch of StarFleet brats will believe any of it. Maybe if you saw some of it, maybe then you might believe it. Of course, showing you would be hazardous to your health, and mine." He took another large swig from his drink, and as he did the first silvery beams if moonlight hit the windows and the sound of several wolf howls could be heard.

Belmont shook his head again. "God truly hates me, I'm convinced of it." He looked back at Kate, "Those phasers won't be of any use, not unless you put them to maximum, and even then they are just toys. You wouldn't be smart enough to carry silver blades at least, would you?"

Kate’s head moved slowly from side to side; her eyes fixed on his. The thought of another empty desk, another name stricken from the roster, was more than she could bear. Her voice was low but unyielding when she finally spoke. “I appreciate your honesty. But I am going after her. Tell me what I’ll need—what kind of weapons work where I'm going.”

Belmont sighed, then finished his drink. "You are in no condition to go out there. The sun has set and the moon has risen, and it is a terrible night for a curse. I'll go because it is what I do. The other option is to let you go and get killed and eaten in the forest so none of you have to be sad. Either way, it is something I have to hear about and then deal with."

He looked over at Sam, "You might want to check out this diminutive sprite, make sure she isn't a pint or two low thanks to an unexplained encounter."

"There's no blood loss that I can detect" Sam rechecked her readings before looking back at Kate. "You're not going out there, your neurotransmitters are all over the shop."

“My neurotransmitters are always out of whack when I go shopping!” Kate’s voice was loud, almost defiant, yet her eyes held a look of deference toward Sam. She lowered her voice to a near whisper, the words strained with resolve. “I can’t lose another.”


TBC

 

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