An Eerie Start

Posted on Wed Sep 30th, 2026 @ 10:05pm by Captain Shran dh'Klar

626 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Creatures of the Night
Location: USS Washington

The planet hung in space like a grim green orb. As the Washington approached the planet named Stoker, Shran wondered why this planet had been named after the Irish writer, though the eerie look and feel of it seemed to be a self-evident answer. The Washington was due to deliver supplies to the science station and do a routine check of this colony world.

Shran had read the report that Deanna had provided him about this out of the way planet. It had been settled by settlers from Earth in the early 23rd century, mostly by Irish farmers and settlers from Bavaria and Romania. It was an interesting mix of Europeans, and the colony seemed to thrive and grow quickly. But for reasons that were unknown, the colony did not get visitors often, nor did they ask for assistance from the Federation.

The science station was almost a colony settlement unto itself, located on the eastern side of a large mountain range. They were delivering equipment the station had requested; certainly not a typical job for the Washington but the milk run was allowing Shran the opportunity to let some of his officers deal with the Command test, a requirement for those that wished to advance. That would be a task for Jon to handle, and one he seemed eager to take on considering one of the officers taking the test was Callie.

"We are approaching the planet" L'Rissa purred, snapping Shran out of his thoughts. "Standard orbit. Hail the science station, inform them of our arrival."

"Contacting the station" Ibarra noted from Ops. "They wish for visual communication."

"On screen" Shran replied, wondering why they wanted to speak with him.

The screen came to life, a tall gangly man in the picture. "Captain, we are very happy to have you here so quickly. It is rare that StarFleet sends such an impressive vessel to deliver our requested equipment. Might we expect a visit from you and your officers to assist with the equipment?"

Shran felt something wrong with the openness of this man. Maybe that was his intel training, but he still felt it and needed to keep his cards close to the vest. "I was planning on sending down Cmdr Celes along with a few other officers. Do you feel the need for me to be present?"

"Oh no captain. I didn't mean to give you that impression. I was just curious. We don't get visitors often, and considering the climate, I figured an Andorian might enjoy it down here" the man replied.

Shran looked to the data sent to hm from Ops, seeing that the weather was fairly cold, at least from a human standard. From his perspective, the weather appeared downright balmy. "I appreciate the thought. I will consider it. Might the other towns be of interest?"

The man seemed to wither like a flower in the desert. "If you enjoy old fashioned living, then perhaps" he answered cryptically.

"There is a town on the other side of the mountains from your location. It seems to be a place of interest" Shran replied, hoping to garner a bit more information.

"You are referring to Vaseria. I would tell you to visit one of the other towns, perhaps Clontarf or New Shannon. Even Ingolstadt or Blackmoor might be more to your liking" the man replied.

"I'll take it under advisement. Please prepare for our arrival doctor" Shran replied. As the screen went blank the Andorian pondered. Something was odd here. Perhaps he might join the away team and investigate himself. He looked back to the viewscreen and saw the planet hanging there like an eerie green orb. Something about this planet called to him; a mystery that needed to be addressed and solved.

 

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