Duraciss VI

Posted on Sat Apr 17th, 2010 @ 8:08pm by Provisional Lieutenant Commander Narayn Ballard

Mission: Character Background
Location: Federation Terraforming Settlement - Duraciss VI
Timeline: Stardate: 42130.85

The following is the official account of Petty Officer 2nd Class Axyin Valesquez of the events of Stardate: 42130.85 and can was used in the prosecution of Vinarian Syndicate pirate, Narayn Ballard.

[ON]

The harsh wind of the Duracian winter whipped around the huts as he trained his phaser rifle on the outer area of the settlement. There had been rumours that the Hocktars were on the rampage and all scouting parties had been called off until they were out of season. He'd never seen one before but he had seen them in the scientific databanks. Massive, scuttling creatures that wailed and moaned as they swept through the arid terrain, destroying the placid herds of Makatayns which inhabited the dust-plains, feeding on them as if they were already dead meat.

That's what terrified him the most. These weren't carrion that tore at the flesh of the dead, these beasts were hunters and worse than that, they were smart. He had heard them likened to giant scorpions by those scouting parties who had taken enough pulse grenades to knock one of the hideous monsters down. He knew that his phaser rifle would be useless against one if it heaved into view but he took solace in the fact that there were automated, mounted cannons which tracked around the outer perimeter of the colony.

He sighed and perched on the edge of the watchtower. Ten years in Starfleet security for this, a milk-run babysitting a Terraforming Settlement that absolutely no-one cared about. The chances of seeing another humanoid aside from the twenty people stationed there. The scientists were picky and irritable and had no interest in their assistance and kept themselves away from them at all times. The place had become more anarchic than he would have liked but the Lieutenant in charge of Security had no interest in disciplining the men under his command.

He checked his tricorder before setting it down on the edge, "Security control, this is Petty Officer Valesquez. Nothing to report. It's quiet as the grave out here."

The reply came meekly through the comm. It had been playing up almost since they'd got there. After two weeks they had resorted to shouting at each other across the compound. The engineer had managed to fix it, but not terribly well. "Acknowledged, Officer. Remain vigilant."

Remain vigilant, what's the point? He thought as a yellow spiral appeared at the bottom of the ladder. He leant on the edge of the tower and gazed through his night-vision at the featureless landscape beyond the compound's fence. His hand slipped on the metal of the railing, knocking his tricorder off the edge.

"Oh, for christ's sake." He exclaimed to himself as he began to descend the ladder. "Don't you stop doing nothing!" He called out into the night. He slid down the ladder and suddenly found himself having his head smashed off a wrung of the ladder.

He awoke with his head throbbing. There was no-one around but he could hear the distant calls of angry scientists and irate security men. His head was too fuzzy to properly make out what the voices were saying until a good few minutes later when the Lieutenant in charge of the security staff came pacing over to where he lay, with hypospray in hand.

"Officer Valesquez," he said as he injected the hypospray into the Petty Officer's neck, "are you all right?"

"Y-yes... what happened?"

"Someone took the blueprints, we've no idea who but they transported the parts of the Terraformer to their ship." The Lieutenant exhaled deeply. "They've fried our long-range communications. They've left us here to die."

[OFF]

Petty Officer 2nd Class Axyin Valesquez
Security Officer
Federation Terraforming Settlement - Duraciss VI