Considerations

Posted on Thu Aug 6th, 2026 @ 6:56pm by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Imik S'Niohun & Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Lieutenant Kate Kono

1,563 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Here There Be Dragons
Location: Conference Room

It had been 12 hours since they had charted a course to Draco IV in investigate the strange Vulcan report. Shran and others had had time to joke about it, but they needed to determine serious matters. Shran had called together several officers to get a collective view as they sat around the conference table.

"Deanna and Phlox will be our experts for the away teams. I want to hear from everyone regarding personnel that should be used and thoughts or concerns" Shran said as he addressed the room.

Kate was tapping away at her PaDD, her slight frame folded into the chair with one slender leg propped up on the conference table, the tablet balanced on her thigh. The short spikes of her hair caught the light as she frowned at the screen, her brow furrowing in a way that managed to be more adorable than severe, right up until it wasn't.

"What the hell kind of map did these Vulcans giv..." she mumbled, then flipped the PaDD around to face the room. "Are they serious?!"

The topographical survey map filling the screen looked like something a monk had illuminated by candlelight, all hand-drawn contour lines and ornate script labeling, the kind of map that would have sea serpents coiling in the oceans and warnings at the edges.

"Fantastic long-range sensor scans they can do, but their readouts look like they belong in some dusty castle library!"

Jon chuckled at Kate's comment. "Now, Now Kate. We all know Vulcans aren't given to flights of fantasy so, there is some semblance of truth to what they have written on the map. Our mission is to determine how much is actual truth."

He glanced at Shran, "How many teams are you considering putting on the ground for this survey mission sir?"

Sitting on her own, Imik read the Vulcan report and simply nodded. "From your responses to this information, am I to believe you find it erroneous?" She placed her PaDD down on the table, "My people have seen many things in our wanderings, Dragons as you call them included. Such creatures do exist in reality, as to them being on this planet is questionable. The environment and habitat is not suitable as there is no nesting grounds available, a distinct lack of high places."

Shran looked at Imik, his antennae coming to a point. "You believe that the human mythological creatures known as dragons exist. Is that your position Commander?"

Deanna interjected, "As fantastical as it may seem, Jon is correct, Vulcans are not known for flights of fancy. We have no idea what to expect of these creatures, be they dragons or anything else. As such, I would suggest that any away team have a significant security presence until we have at least established a baseline. I believe Phlox can handle the geological surveys, my team will have the likely more difficult job, assuming these creatures are anything like the creatures of myth."

"Phlox, how many teams will you need?" Shran asked, his voice still laced with skepticism.

"Well captain, to get a proper survey done of the various deposits of note, along with any other potential geological surprises, I'd like at least two teams. Between the various personnel in science and operations, we should have little trouble pulling together adequate teams. I would like for us to have use of the runabouts if that is possible. Their onboard computers will speed along data collection, and if we require firepower for any reason, they have more than enough."

Shran look to Jon, "Two science teams and Deanna's expeditionary force it would seem. Your choice which one you want to join."

"I'll think on it and let you know sir." Jon replied simply.

Imik now looked towards Shran, "Simply because a civilization has myths about creatures such as these, does not preclude the reality that they may exist. Humans call them Dragons, other species have other names for them. My own people call them `Oripeds', the reasoning being that some have flight while others have strength and some invisibility but all have fire as a defence. As hard as you may find that to believe Sinkahue, but all seek high places to nest and this planet is somewhat lacking in that way."

She now turned to the others, "Shuttles are a useful tool for exploration, but I would urge caution as I stated. Some of these creatures can fly, and they are extremely territorial in nature. If, and I state, if they are here. They will attack and defend any and all nesting sites, Oripeds or Dragons exist and should not be taken lightly."

Sam looked over the data, perusing the Vulcan's reports and everything else that had been supplied. "Dragons, some things never cease to amaze" she mumoured to herself. "You'd think after all these years we'd get used to it"

Kate's feet traced restless circles while the rest of her stayed anchored to the chair. The map the Vulcans had given them pulled at her attention like a tide. She found that it scrolled and zoomed, blooming open with new detail as she pressed in closer, the way a pilot's chart gives way to a TAC chart over a busy airspace, except that every line here was hand drawn, inked by some careful and unknown hand. She drifted to a far and featureless edge of it, where the coastline simply stopped, and added a small looping scribble: Beyond here, there be Dragons.

Shran looked at Imik, "I am not saying such creatures don't exist, only that they have never been seen, catalogued, at least not by anyone in the Federation or anyone else that we share such information with. I have no doubt that the Ojnas have seen many things. I have seen many things, creatures that place fear in the hearts of lesser men. Your knowledge could come in handy, assuming what you know is accurate for these creatures, and assuming these creatures do in fact exist. Right now, we are basing things off of a report with sensor data that is sketchy at best."

"There is no fossil record of such creatures on Earth, but that doesn't preclude their existence. We have already discovered ourselves of creatures of different types that existed on Earth but left no record. Consider we have encountered species like the Tuatha, and on their homeworld we even discovered creatures that were the mythological leprechauns of Irish lore. We shouldn't disregard anything" Deanna noted.

"I'm not discounting anything. Just viewing things with a healthy dose of skepticism at the moment" Shran noted. He looked over at Callie, "You have been unusually quiet counselor. Thoughts?"

Picking up her PaDD, Imik now requested an interface with the Ojnas data bank set up by N'Sachzny. A few swift actions and then she placed the PaDD in front of Shran, "You will see Sinkahue a section on Oripeds, they were found in the Kayinistan system on Kayinistan IV and II. The sister of my mother was on one of the away teams that first encountered the creatures." Imik now scrolled over several images then stopped at a page with a red border, "Here is where they reveal the territorial nature of the creature, they received the information through actual contact and the loss of six of their fellow crewmates." She went and sat back down in her seat, "I have no doubt those who have not interacted with the creatures would treat them with skepticism, we Ojnas have encountered and lost people to them. I have no wish for anyone from this vessel to suffer the same fate."

"Imik, I think it is clear that the Ojnas have encountered something similar, but we have no idea if these creatures that we will be investigating are anything like what your people encountered. They may be identical; they may have no commonalities at all. Species evolve differently based on environment. We'll follow the standard scientific process but use plenty of caution. You are welcome to be a member of one of the away teams if you wish" Deanna noted.

"No thank you, I have maintenance on the sensors and targeting systems to undertake." Imik replied.

“It all seems pretty interesting to me” Callie smiled. “I’ll admit I’ve only ever seen Dragons on old movies, let’s just hope if they do exist they don’t breath fire!”

Jon chuckled at Callie's statement. "Don't worry sweetie. I'll protect you from any big bad dragon."

"As Imik doesn't wish to be on one of the away teams, I believe this would be a good opportunity to let Phoenix run the security show for the away teams" Shran noted. He looked to Jon, "Talk with him, brief him and see which security personnel he wants to assign to the teams. I want at least two security officers for each team, and I want everyone on the away teams to be armed."

"I would like to request pilots with combat training for the runabouts the science teams will be using" Phlox requested in that usual jovial Denobulan manner.

"That seems like an easy request to fulfill" Deanna noted.

"Certainly sir, I'll talk with him as soon as we are finished here." Jon replied.

Shran nodded. "Very well. We arrive tomorrow. We will convene again if necessary, tomorrow. Let's get things prepared. Dismissed."

 

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