Cold as the Grave

Posted on Fri Oct 16th, 2026 @ 12:00pm by Lieutenant Aidan O'Connor & Chief Petty Officer Aaron Geiger

1,166 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Creatures of the Night
Location: Planet Stoker - Science Station

Aidan watched as the captain and others dematerialized, and then a few moments later, four security officers materialized. He walked over to them. The group was comprised of three ensigns who looked fresh out of the Academy, and a grizzled NCO who looked none too happy about being down on this assignment. Aidan approached and they all came to attention. "Right, you lot, captain has you down here to keep tabs on us while we do this install. The science team assigned to this post looks to be a bit dodgy, especially the head doctor. Avoid contact as much as possible, stay alert. Anything happens to you and this whole enterprise could become compromised. Keep within visual range of myself or the other engineers. Right, now deploy."

As the security teams deployed into two two-manned teams, Aidan made his way back to Kapowski and the Chief. "Chief, you and Kapowski start integrating these new sensors into the array. I'll handle the power grid upgrades and get the power transfers up to snuff."

"Aye sir." Aaron replied crisply as he turned to the new sensors, pulling the first free from its transportation housing with a smooth click. He loosed his hyperspanner from the tool belt with one hand and held the sensor into the receptacle. The sound of rain pattering off the roof above filling the silence as he worked alongside the Lieutenant. "These are interesting L.T." He said to Kapowski over his shoulder. "So typical ground side sensor nodes use a daisy chain power transfer. Unfortunately, that means when you lose one, you'll lose the rest of the row. These beauties however will still transfer power to the next in the series even if they're burnt out." Aaron continued, filling the air as he had a habit of doing. "Of course, if these outposts kept to a maintenance schedule that feature wouldn't be necessary, but what do I know?"

Kapowski shook her head in mild disbelief. "None of this worries you Chief?" she questioned. "No cold chills, no feelings of uneasiness, the wailing banshee winds, the natural eeriness of this place, none of it bothers you? Just business as usual." Kapowski's voice was trembling, fearful. She even looked more frightened than her voice sounded, if that was possible.

Aaron finished the sensor he was working on, wordlessly tightening the cover before slipping his tools back on his belt. For a long moment he looked at the younger woman, fighting down his initial reaction to lash out with I see real ghosts every night in my dreams Lieutenant. Or something equally callous. No, Kapowski didn't deserve that.

"My first away mission." Aaron said, reaching into the crate for the next sensor before continuing. "Was an EVA to repair a weather satellite that had been shredded by a meteor shower which had for some reason, not been picked up by sensors." He began to wire in the housing, causing the faint smell of electrical ozone to emanate around them. "You know how the Engineering department is. We're isolated and a culture to ourselves, so this rumor goes around that it was haunted by ghosts from the Earth Romulan war." Aaron paused for a moment, to reset the shrink tubing. "Anyway, there I am, zero g, and working by myself to strip out this broken solar array that had been old when Kirk was in diapers. When suddenly my suit's ECU cuts out and I screech." He laughed to himself. "My roommate Vytor had disabled it with the auxiliary control panel on the back of that suit, which was standard for that generation. In ten seconds, he turned it back on and the entire team laughed at the recording for the next week." Aaron stood back to pick up the crate to move to the next section. "Anyway ma'am, it's normal to get creeped out by places like this. I'm just a bit desensitized to it is all."

Kapowski continued her own work on the sensors and the panel. She had managed to restrain herself from laughing when the Chief had mentioned Kirk. "Desensitized..."she said softly, "I suppose you've just been around so long that you don't get rattled, the way the captain seems to be. I hope you didn't take offense to what I said. This place, something about it reminds me of stories I heard as a child. Suppose ghost stories don't bother you."

Aaron didn't respond for a long moment. Fear was different now, it wasn't that he didn't feel it but rather that he would welcome the end if it arrived. Aaron did not have a death wish but still he looked for something to continue to live for rather than in spite of. Plastering a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes he replied instead.

"I don't know if I'd compare myself to the Old Man." Aaron said chuckling. "Different steps to get to the same result I suppose. Anyway, we should be ready for the CHENG to flip on the power." He tapped his comm badge sharply.

=^= "Geiger to O'Connor. Standing by for you to throw the switch sir." =^=

=^=Understood Chief. Just about ready here. I got sidetracked with another power matter with a few of these scientists. You might be interested in taking a look at these devices they are working on. Based on an archaic design, but they sound interesting. =^=

As Aidan finished talked the sound of the "banshee winds" reached a new level, and suddenly Kapowski screamed in terror.

***********

Aidan worked on the power systems, Dr. Stantz and Dr. Spengler working with him. As he continued to work, he noticed something strange at a workstation in view. "Those look interesting, if a bit crude. What are they?"

"Just a project Spengler and I have been working on. The technology is old, but functional. We are trying to determine if we can modernize the technology without losing the current effectiveness" Stantz said excitedly.

"What does it do?" Aidan questioned.

"Fires high energy proton streams" Stantz replied.

"What sort of power source?" Aidan inquired.

"They have a portable cyclotron, carbon-14 power cells, and the power distributor ionizes hydrogen to keep the stream steady" Stantz noted.

"Interesting. You are right, antique technology. You could get the same power, more even, just by replacing the power systems with a neodymium power cell or two. I could get a few from the Washington if you wanted" Aidan replied.

Stantz looked to Spengler, who looked quite excited about the suggestion. "I would very much like that."

Aidan hit his comm badge and requested four. A few minutes later the power cells were beamed down to his location. He stopped his work and helped to carry them over to the table. "Go ahead and give these a run while I finish up on your system power upgrades."

Aidan walked back and continued the upgrades. A few minutes later, his comm badge beeped as the Chief contacted him.


TBC

 

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