3, 2, 1, Gone
Posted on Sun Mar 22nd, 2026 @ 10:38pm by Chief Petty Officer Aaron Geiger & Lieutenant Imik S'Niohun
867 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Not All Orders Are Easy
Location: Blind on Planet
Timeline: Present
ON
Imik now wandered the blind looking at what soon would be gone, the belongings and equipment which could be reused had been removed now what remained was an empty shell. The chief was working diligently doing his thing, Imik tried to watch him to fully understand what he was doing but had given up, he seemed lost in his own little world. =/\="Imik to Geiger, how are you getting along with your work?"=/\=
Aaron double checked the data transfer progress to his Padd. Nearly there he nodded.
=/\= "Almost done here with the initial steps L.T. all personal logs are downloaded, the bulk of the data comprises of research data which is massive in scope." =/\=
The Chief began to ready the sequence, various physical layers that would then coincide with signal based control. Before then he needed to establish the data link with the Washington. It was a shame that this blind would need to be destroyed, there was clearly a significant amount of work put in before things went South. He wasn't a scientist, but he thought that this world was beautiful in his own way. The universe had endless vistas even in radiated locales such as this, Aaron needed to remember to make the time to take them in.
Upon hearing Aaron's response Imik nodded slowly as he spoke, =/\="Do you have a time scale for completion Chief? I must be honest and say I find this kind of duty difficult, pointless destruction for me serves no purpose."=/\=
=/\= "Approximately 10 more minutes for the data L.T.... I tend to agree with you, but I suppose the Prime Directive is there for a reason. Even if it seems like closing the barn door after the horses have already left here. Perhaps the interference can be curtailed. I'm just a wrench turner though ma'am." =/\= Aaron concluded, checking the download progress again.
Aaron finished the cataloguing of physical items and their ensuing cargo transport sequence up to the Washington. All of this would be considered evidence that the Security folks would need to document with their own systems later. He wondered if the researchers were still alive, would they be facing Court Martial if so?
A small smile crossed Imik's face, =/\="I somewhat doubt you will ever be listed as just a wrench turner Chief, the fact you were tasked with this demolition proves it. I feel the local population will avoid this place for sometime once we leave, pollution of the time line or development is an affect we possibly over react to."=/\= Moving to the entry of the blind she looked towards the direction of the village, despite the distance she could hear children playing.
The Chief stood back and made final annotations on his PaDD before sliding it into his belt pouch. What a shame. He thought to himself taking another long look around. These blinds were fascinating feats of Engineering. Designed and implemented for a singular purpose allowed for incredible niche innovation that was often times lost when designing an installation or ship for a variety of different situations.
=/\= "Alright L.T. Everything is good to go, we're ready for your authorization whenever you are."=/\=
Turning back to the corridor, Imik walk back to where the Chief stood. "I have two security authorization numbers, the first is the following:- OR0612494TS, the other is:- IR9310729SY. You may have to impute both numbers to ascertain which one will activate the sequence."
Aaron typed in each code and as each segment was accepted by the system he noticed a growing sense of melancholy. It was reminiscent of when he had to witness the scuttling of ships damaged beyond repair. A bittersweet feeling, rest for the machine but almost a grief for its purpose.
The codes were finalized with a triple beep of acknowledgement from the console.
SELF DESTRUCT AUTHORIZATION AUTHENTICATED - S'NIOHUN, IMIK - LIEUTENANT - USS WASHINGTON NCC-81533
DETONATION SEQUENCE: STANDBY - INITIATION BY GEIGER, AARON - CHIEF PETTY OFFICER - USS WASHINGTON NCC-81533
"Alright then." Aaron said rising to his feet. "Thank you L.T. I've set the detonation to go as soon as our beam out is complete."
=/\= "Geiger to Washington. Two to beam up." =/\=
=/\= "We have you Chief, on your order." =/\=
Aaron took one last look around, knowing they had done all they could.
=/\= "Energize" =/\=
As the last of their forms dissipated to the air and transported to orbit the self destruct sequence initiated, consuming the entire structure in white hot plumes designed to immolate all evidence of Starfleet presence on the world and to render any remaining data storage inert. Billowing clouds of evaporated plasteel and energy reaching hundreds of feet in the air. It would be noticed by the local population but they would determine their own conclusions. The Prime Directive was clear, no interference, no contamination.
When they materialized back on board the Washington, Aaron brought up the exterior feed and watched the destruction. It felt so sterile and detached from up here, easier to compartmentalize. Tucking his PaDD back to his belt, Aaron stepped off the transporter and back to his familiar stellar home of humming steel.
TBC
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