Digging Deeper

Posted on Thu Apr 13th, 2023 @ 9:08am by Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Commander Samantha Howard

Mission: Unknown Colony
Location: Hospital

Dr Samantha Howard followed the small contingent towards the colony's hospital, keeping the conversation away from any dangerous topics yet still quietly fishing for more information.

Once they arrived in the main foyer the building branched out into what she could only assume as wards, labs, theatres et cetera. There was a large portrait of a noble looking gentleman over the main corridor, his stern gaze looking down on all.

"Who's that?" She asked, taking in the dated clothing in the picture and trying to put a time period on it.

Phoebe looked at the portrait and smiled. "That is Dr. Stephen Strange, the father of medicine here. He was the only trained doctor we had here when our ancestors freed themselves. He cured many conditions, created our medical system, and trained nearly one hundred fifty doctors before he died. He is a personal hero." She looked at Sam with a smile and then continued walking down towards a large glass door.

"Stephen Strange, that name sounds oddly familiar. Did he always wear that cape?" Sam asked, curiosity fueling yet more questions. "Tell me, I'm not overly familiar with your history - who did your ancestors free themselves from?" She asked innocently.

"Yes, I believe he did tend to wear the cloak most of the time" Phoebe replied. When she was asked about the oppressors, she seemed to get a look of fright. Finally she spoke, her voice low. "They are called Kilrathi. They are a savage race with no care for any race but their own. Hundreds died to overthrow their rule here. They..." her voice trailed off, "they have returned over the years in attempts to enslave us again. They have killed a great many of us."

"Kilrathi, I've not heard of them" Sam replied, careful not to upset Phoebe any further. "Are they unique to this region of space or do they tend to come and go?" She tried to not pry too much but this information would prove vital.

"We don't know much about them. They come from a world call Kilrath, but we don't know where it is. They have ships that can travel faster than light by means of something called a star drive. We have only recently become strong enough to destroy their vessels before they are able to bombard us from orbit. We once had to other colonies on the planet. They were destroyed by the Kilrathi, and few survivors were able to be found and brought to our colony here. This constant fear of attack has directed our science, especially regarding defense and medicine." She wiped a few tears from her eyes and cheeks. "I'm sorry for getting emotional. We don't normally have the opportunity to discus these sort of things with others. Please, let me show you our facilities."

"Is that why there is debris in orbit" Sam asked gently before allowing the tour to resume and focussing on the history of their medicine and this odd fellow called Dr Strange.

As they were entering the ward Ayana approached with another person who appeared to be an aide of some sort. "Sam, mind if I join you? Jon transported up to the ship with Piper and Paige for a meeting with the captain."

"Sure, we were just getting started" Sam smiled, hoping to put Phoebe's mind at ease. It was disconcerting that they were now the only two Washington crew on the planet of people they'd just met, but she was hopeful the situation would remain peaceful.