No More Tears

Posted on Thu Jan 1st, 2026 @ 10:32pm by Commodore Wilkan Targaryen & Ensign Talyn Daughter of Moya & Petty Officer 1st Class Akaathaan Saarnosh & Commander Zhora zh'Roothi & Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari & Lieutenant Rio Kholin MD & Lieutenant Joshua Silas

3,652 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: 6. Distress
Location: Operations Complex, Deep Space 47
Timeline: 2439-08-12, 10:30

The corridors were as dark as space itself, without even a flicker of light inside of it as the Transporter Beams of the Enterprise's Away Team rematerialized in the center of the hallway. The air was stale, with the scent of smoke and ozone hanging heavy within. It was cold, far colder than it should be, but that only added to the malevolent chill of what they found.

Bodies. There were bodies of members of the Station's Security team lying upon the deck with brutal looking wounds upon their chests. While phasers and disruptors normally cauterized a wound this was different. Instead, the wounds were haggard and torn, almost as if the beam that struck them was designed to cause as much damage as possible without the possibility of allowing the victim to be saved. It was gruesome, brutal, and it made you wonder just who would be responsible for such a devastating weapon.

"Enterprise to Away Team," the voice of Petty Officer Akaathaan Saarnosh came over their comlink. "The Commodore wanted me to confirm a successful transport."

"Thank you Saarnosh," team leader Commander zh'Roothi replied while their flashlights burst into life barely illuminating the absolute darkness that pressed around them ominously. Instantly her eye was drawn to the downed officers, her gaze lingering on the ugly, bloody wounds.

This time the Commodore's voice interrupted, "Be careful, Exec. While we're not detecting any life signs aside from your own, that doesn't mean that you're out of the woods. With the station’s main power being offline key areas of the station will be locked down. Stay on your toes."

"We won't need telling twice," the Andorian woman assured. The sight that greeted them upon arrival sent a far stronger message to remain vigilant than the Commodore's warning. "There are bodies here," she reported. "Station security personnel, likely killed by a projectile weapon of sorts." The normally stern woman paused: "It's grisly, they didn't have a chance."

Klingon Ensign Talyn, Daughter of Moya, clutched the Phaser Rifle that she'd been assigned before beaming over. Seeing the bodies of her fellow Security Officers hadn't filled her with warm and fuzzy feelings about this mission. If anything all it did was filled her with a sense of dread that she had to fight to hide from the others. No one wanted to see a scared Security Officer, especially a scared Klingon Security Officer.

Lifting her Tricorder bracelet to eye level, the holographic interface flashed alive to show her the results of its automated security scan. Before they beamed in, she'd set the device to a timed scan looking for any risks. Glancing at the display she, thankfully, didn't see anything. That didn't mean things wouldn't change.

"Sensors aren't detecting any threats between here and Ops, Commander," the Klingon reported. "I can't interface with any of the computer systems though, probably indicating that the systems are down. Not that we'd have much luck anyway without power," she rambled a bit as the Enterprise passed by the window she stood before.

Phaser firmly held in his left hand, while his right held the tricorder, Aidan barely managed to sidestep a bloody corpse as he materialised. The smell of iron from human blood was thick in the air. But there were also chemicals from other alien blood, but to lesser severity. The sight nearly made his stomach turn and he swallowed a few times to keep his food where it belonged. "This is savage," he muttered as he walked up to the security officer. "There's no shame in fear," he whispered to her, "especially not if this is your first away mission of this calibre."

"Thank you, Commander, but I'm fine, really," Talyn lied as she answered, putting up as much bravado as she could. Glancing out the window, she noticed that the Wormhole and erupted open and the Defiant was passing through, hopefully to join them. "Looks like we already got company," she motioned toward the ship.

"I heard the Defiant was joining us," zh'Roothi joined them at the window. "Though, sooner than I expected. None the less," she looked over the party and noticed they all appeared shaken by the deceased and the manner of how they died. "You heard the Commodore, keep your eyes peeled and your wits sharp. Form up, let's move."

Being the Security Officer assigned to the away team, Ensign Talyn took up position at the back of the group, carefully watching the information on her Tricorder for potential threats. As she reviewed the details on her screen, a message came through from Lieutenant Rrawran with the Fusion Reactor team. Her heart sank with what she read.

"Commander, I've gotten a message from one of the other teams. They've encountered mines and wanted us to be warned." She looked at the Doctor, "There's been an injury."

"Mines?" Kholin replied with a puzzled look. "Can we get to the casualty or get them to us?" she asked. "Or are they okay coping with it with first aid? How bad is it?"

The Ensign shrugged, "We have limited information, Doctor, but it sounds like they're arranging the victim to be returned to Enterprise."

Kholin nodded in response. "Understood" she said.

"Mines?" zh'Roothi echoed with displeasure from the front of the advancing party sweeping the corridor ahead with light. "All the more reason to exercise caution. Who knows what else the invasion force left behind."

"More traps seems a reasonable assumption," Aidan answered, "I suggest we tread carefully, and don't enter any area unless our scanners have cleared it for entry."

The XO consulted the station schematics on the tricorder carefully. With main power offline and the thin atmosphere, it was easy to lose one's bearings, add in the new threat of mines each step felt like a mammoth effort. They couldn't take the most direct route to Ops via the turbolifts, instead would need to seek an alternative path. Given the layout of the circular room of the station's control centre, zh'Roothi was confident they'd discover mines or something similar to inflict harm to recovery teams on or around key areas including the obvious access point directly inside Ops on the lower level. The other option was to crawl through the narrow shafts leading to Commander Shibren's Office, and hopefully, avoid running into trouble.

"This way," she instructed moving to pry open the access port on the right. "This will lead us directly into Commander Shibren's Office, and with luck avoid coming into contract with any mines."

"Hope no-one is claustrophobic," the Trill Astrometrics chief muttered as he followed her in. "Just hope there's no sheer drops..." Contrary to small spaces, the Trill had an uncanny fear of heights.

The Klingon Ensign kept her position at the back of the group, rereviewing the schematics of the station. DS47 started life as the sister station to Deep Space Nine and was a run of the mill Nor Class starbase. It was the closest to DS9 when it was first activated by the Federation because Starfleet was told not to make it too threatening to the Dominion. If they followed the path of least resistance, they could move right up the access tunnels and end up in Commander Shibren's Office. There wasn't any evidence of the mines that the other teams were encountering so, at least, that was a feather in their own cap. Unless the other two teams failed because then getting control over Ops was rather pointless without the computers or power.

The comm channels chimed, then a message from the Computer Core away team, "Power Team, Operations Team, this is Computer Team. There are small mines hidden in subspace that come out when triggered by a presence. Lt. Barbax was injured by one and has been beamed back to the Enterprise. Solution by Engineering and Sciences: Please use scans of subspace anomalies with Science team tricorders, then map that information with the DS47 map and location information. That should give a baseline for energies as well as transport paths for moved assets/antagonists. Ensign Yumerieva out."

This communication answered the question that the CMO had asked a few moments earlier but it wasn't an answer that made her happy. "Snares, poppiing out of subspace. Whoever has designed all these traps has a sick mind." she complained rhetorically.

"Subspace mines, how delightful," zh'Roothi growled as the team inched through the access tunnels. She made the recommended modification to her tricoder, and thankfully it showed no detection of mines or other traps directly ahead. "The path ahead remains clear."

She glanced behind ensuring the rest of the party were still following close. The tunnels offered them little scope for movement as they crawled forward and like the rest of the station was abnormally cold. The metal surfaces were cold to the touch and any residue water condensation droplets had frozen. Of course to the XO this was a comfortable experience abet from occasionally drumming her antenna on the ceiling panels. "Everyone alright?" she asked.

"This feels like it's taking forever," the Klingon complained as they climbed up the Jeffries Tube.

"I prefer that to it all exploding on us. The lesser of two evils, I suppose" Rio commented, seeming to be saying "it could be worse" but underneath still feeling a very similar reaction to that of her Klingon comrade. Dragging her mandatory med-kit along with her, didn't help the effort that the climb was exacting.

Josh had been silent as the away team moved cautiously through the station as a junior officer he believed in being seen and not heard. However at the mention of the subspace mines he felt compelled to speak up, "If we know the location of the mines, we can feed the coordinates to the Enterprise's transporter and have them beam out and into space."

Aidan firmly kept his gaze ahead during the climb, occasionally glancing at his tricorder but under no circumstance chancing a look back over his shoulder. "I agree, and complaining won't get us there any faster," he breathed. While in excellent physical condition, their current predicament was starting to take its toll on the Trill. "Going on my reading however, we should find our exit within the next few paces."

Truer words had never been spoken. Within only a few moments more the Away Team reached the Operations Level of Deep Space 47 via the service conduits of the station. Upon arrival, however, they soon learned that they were no longer alone on the station. Inside the Operations Complex were three forms working within a circuit junction. The electric hum of their equipment echoed through the nearly deserted station as they worked, light from their diagnostic tools flashing intermittently in the dark. In the shadows one could be somewhat made out. Her skin had a distinctive, almost metallic golden hue to it and even at this distance they caught glimpses of her strikingly haunting, yellowy-green eyes. She had long, dark hair that was tied into a long ponytail that ran halfway down her back.

Ensign Talyn looked at the others, "Looks like we have some friends?"

"Perhaps," zh'Roothi murmured but drew her phaser all the same. "Identify yourselves!" she shouted toward the small party as they pressed closer.

"I am Lieutenant Ash," the gold skinned woman answered directly, "Chief Science Officer of the Starship Defiant." She paused a moment, her eyes glowing a sedate blue for a moment, "and you are Commander Zhora zh'Roothi, Executive Officer and former Operations Manager of the Starship Enterprise. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." She returned her attention to the computer console, typing on the older Cardassian display. "We have been able to restore this console through a portable power pack; however, access is limited due to the lack of main power and the main computer. We have deployed additional support teams to assist your personnel with restoring these systems."

"We weren't aware of any reinforcements from the Defiant," the Enterprise XO frowned slightly and secured her phaser then signalled for the rest of the party to stand down. "Be fortunate we didn't stun you. However, your aid is very much welcomed. Have you been able to identify who attacked the station yet?"

The Science Officer typed on the bear claw shaped controls of the computer terminal, "As the computer and primary power systems are offline, I have been unable to access that information. This workstation was assigned traffic control and has very limited information in its active memory that can be accessed; nonetheless, from what we have been able to ascertain, whatever did this was quick about it. The station personnel barely had time to respond. Once the computer and power are restored, we can most likely gain access to the requested information."

As a former science officer, Aidan joined Ash at the science station. "If you can use an extra pair of hands," he offered, "I can read Cardassian. I'll take one of the other stations and we can try to get internal sensors back online and see if they recorded anything before the power went offline." He offered a cool hand to the woman, deliberately omitting rank as he introduced himself. "I'm Aidan, Astrometrics chief on the Enterprise."

"It is agreeable to meet you, Aidan," the android answered in response to the Trill. "We have limited access to the system at this time. I am only able to access information that was directly attached to this console so far due to the limitations. I theorize that this will change, should the other teams be successful."

As the other two talked, Doctor Maarni Aiwi saw Doctor Kholin from the Enterprise. The Bajoran greeted, "Nice to see a familiar face that got dragged along too."

Rio smiled, recognising the teal trappings of a Medical colleague. "Tell me about it" she agreed, holding out her her hand in greeting. "Rio Kholin" she introduced herself hoping the other doctor who she didn't immediately recognise would respond with a name as well. It was a good opportunity to compare notes and make new friends even in such an odd situation for new introductions. ~might as well make hay while the sun shines~ she thought, remembering a very old Terran expression and then wondering to herself where such an odd expression might have been planted inside her head and also when. It was a fleeting 'horizon of the subconscious' passing shadow of a thought that was gone as quickly as it flashed by so she returned her mind instantly to the newcomer who had approached her.

The Bajoran doctor glanced at the hand of the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer, curious if she remembered her or not. Rather than cause discord, she reached out and accepted the hand, "Doctor Maarni Aiwi, Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Defiant. I apologize but we met, briefly, during your assignment to DS9 when I was injured on an away mission aboard the Starship Dauntless."

The Trill nodded thoughtfully. "What if we try to use this console as a hub, and connect others to it, would that increase the chances of getting more information?" He wasn't an engineer, but like anything else, he considered it to be a language he simply didn't quite master yet.

The android cocked her head to the left as she processed the proposal, "We could attempt such an interface; however, the chances..."

Lieutenant Ash was quickly interrupted as the lights within the Operations Center came back online, revealing the gothic Cardassian architecture that made up Deep Space 47. Computer panels gradually powered up, but the displays had little in the way of information that could be used. At first at least. A few moments later the Cardassian displays began to display error messages, followed by the command prompt, then the system restart command. It was impressive how they came together.

"Fascinating," Ash said in an almost Vulcan-like manner. "We did not do this. The cold restart of the fusion reactors so quickly was theoretically improbable. Truly fascinating."

"Commander Randall has a habit of working miracles," zh'Roothi muttered looking around the room as it began to hum into renewed life. "Ash, Aiden bring us back online and I want a full security sweep for any hostile reaming, along with any surprises they left behind."

Rio returned her full attention to the upcoming sweep. She hoped Dr Aiwi wouldn't be offended as she was distracted suddenly but she could see her new colleague also focusing at the same time so no problem arose from the cut-off of their interaction.

Science Officer Ash nodded, politely, in confirmation of the instruction. Standing at the Science Station, the android woman began typing on the bear claw shaped computer terminal to begin the appropriate scans. As she input the commands she noticed that a file had activated. Rather than announce the phantom file, she chose instead to investigate the contents. The speaker built into the Science Station activated on its own.

"To anyone within the sound of my voice: This is Shibren Ayi of Federation Starbase Deep Space 47. A hostile force has attacked us and overwhelmed our defenses. They're landing troops and are killing anyone that they encounter. We request emergency assistance. Please acknowledge!"

Doctor Maarni looked at Ash, "What was that, Lieutenant?"

Ash looked at the panel, "The last message transmitted by Station Commander Shibren Ayi, Doctor. It is repeating on active subspace bands."

"Are there any images available on what exactly attacked them?" Aidan asked curiously, "did sensors record anything before they went out?" He tried to recover any reading. "They were thorough...it doesn't seem like a random attack. Despite there being no readings, we should sweep the station anyway and search for possible survivors."

"There will be time for that, Commander," the Soong Type android answered, "however, at this time, we have other concerns. Scans indicate that the Defiant and Enterprise both just warped away at Warp 5." The Lieutenant typed on the half oval console, adjusting the readouts, "Sensors indicate that they are on course for the star Idran. ETA 59 minutes, 47 seconds."

The Klingon Security Officer shrugged, "Maybe they got a lead on whoever did this?"

"Unlikely. Sensors indicate that both vessels are on a direct course for the central star," she reported matter-of-factly.

"I wonder what perked their interest to leave like they did." Josh commented. "Speaking of survivors, have you noticed there aren't any bodies of those killed? Nothing."

Listening to what was going on around her, Doctor Maarni realised that Lieutenant Silas was right. They hadn't seen any bodies so far and she wondered what that meant. There were very few species that took their victims with them, the Borg being the most dreaded option. The young Bajoran commented, "You're right. We haven't seen any bodies yet. Maybe, just maybe, they're still alive and were taken instead of killed?" She hoped that wherever they were that they were safe.

"Unlikely," zh'Roothi quashed the idea gently. "We found bodies at our beam in site and the Commander's distress call said the invasion party had killed members of her crew." The Commander inclined her head to Doctor Maarni: "I hope though, I am incorrect."

"Not disagreeing with what you said Commander or what the distress message said. But if people were killed where are the bodies? I don't believe the attackers cleaned up after themselves." Josh persisted. "Maybe there are survivors and the attackers weren't as thorough as they believed."

Lieutenant Ash answered evenly, "Anything is certainly possible. I would not rule out the possibility of survivors, but the sensors are not yet back to full operation. Once they are at full capacity I will conduct a full sensor sweep of the entire station looking for life-signs, as well as any more of the mines that we were notified of in the burst transmission."

"How much longer till the sensors are restored?" zh'Roothi asked feeling annoyed that the stations was still operating blindly despite the progress already made.

Josh decided he would just be quiet as he didn't want to piss zh'Roothi off but something wasn't right. The systems were taking their sweet time to come back online...fully and while there may have been bodies, there wasn't the wide scale slaughter he expected.

"Sensors will come online shortly ma'am," the Trill Astrometrics chief answered calmly, "they are booting up as we speak."

The Andorian XO moved closer to Ash at the science station and confirmed her read outs from the fleeing star ships. The Commander had agreed with Talyn that the Commodore and his wife were both acting promptly to apprehend the culprits, however their apparent course - heading straight into the Idran star at warp - sat awkwardly deep in her gut. "Did they send any communications before they departed?" she asked softly already anticipating the answer.

"No, Commander, they did not," the Defiant's Science Officer answered. Processing the request, she expanded upon her answer, "We have no record of either Defiant or Enterprise attempting to hail the station. There are indications that transmissions were attempted to both vessels, but they did not respond. The Enterprise did receive the distress call that was transmitted by the Main Computer of the station."

The antenna on zh'Roothi crown swayed as she processed Ash's response. "A dampening field left behind by the hostile force? she quizzed. "Can we reach them or the other repair teams?"

"I don't know," Aidan replied without looking up. "Sweeping the station for survivors now..." There was a few seconds of silence before the Trill did look up. "I am not reading any survivors. I'm only picking up our own teams."

"Commander," the Defiant's Science Officer interrupted, "Readings suggest that our teams are returning to Operations. Perhaps we should await their arrival prior to further speculation?"

"Alright," The XO nodded with a defeated sigh. "Let's gather as much data and facts as we can in the meanwhile."

Lieutenant Ash nodded, "Aye Sir."

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