I've Been Everywhere, Part 2

Posted on Wed May 20th, 2026 @ 12:42am by Enterprise Officer NPC & Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari & Ensign Sayori Nakai & Ensign Mirakylin Yumerieva

4,525 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: 9. Oubliette
Location: Rogue Planet / Runabout Frost River
Timeline: 2439-10-09, 12:30

The heavy, nitrogen-methane atmosphere pressed against Stefaniya’s skin, a thick soup that tasted of copper and wet earth through the filters of her rebreather. Above, the sky was a bruised, muggy brown, choked by the Chamra Vortex's debris and the constant outgassing of geothermal vents. As she adjusted the gain on her medical tricorder, the holodisplay flickered with a chaotic overlay of biological signatures that made her professional instincts prickle.

"Watch your step," Stefaniya cautioned, her voice slightly muffled by the mask as she checked the terrain ahead. "The moss here is incredibly dense, but it's the mushrooms that are the real hazard. They're growing in layers, suffocating the rocky terrain and masking the cave entrances we saw on the approach." She paused, her light sweeping over a cluster of towering, pale stalks that looked like skeletal hands reaching for the sky. She knelt carefully, ensuring she didn't pluck at the flora. "I’m detecting carnivorous traits in some of the larger stalks. There’s a variety with internal structures that look like teeth? They respond to tactile stimuli, so keep your hands to yourselves because they could easily pierce our uniforms or skin."

"Keeping a distance would be advisable," Aidan concluded, his own voice muffled by his mask. "And watch your step, we don't want anyone to misstep and break anything in the process."

"Sensible precautions," Sayori agreed, carefully following as she continued to scan their surroundings.

On board the Frost River, Mira kept up her diligent listening as she worked through the diagnostics of the runabout for how it fared in its landing.

Turning her attention toward the heat signature shimmering in a nearby hollow, Sayori checked the atmospheric readings once more. "The air is breathable, but the spores are thick and smell like decay. If we find a cave near the water sources I’m seeing on the long-range sweep, we might find more shelter, but right now, these mushrooms are our only barriers."

As they crested the final ridge of crystalline rock, Stefaniya’s light caught a movement in the dark depression below. Her breath hitched slightly behind her mask as the medical scanners resolved a physiology that defied every standard Federation database. From twenty meters away, the figure was a lithe, slender silhouette wrapped in tattered thermal fabric. Even from this distance, the medical readout was staggering. His skin appeared to be a soft, matte charcoal-grey with a velvety texture - a perfect evolutionary response to absorb the planet's meager ambient heat. Faint, bioluminescent patterns of soft cerulean traced along his collarbone and temples, pulsing in a slow, rhythmic dance with a thready heartbeat. He looked fragile, standing perhaps five feet tall if he were to rise, but his current state left him curled into a small, non-threatening ball. Through her zoom-lens, Stefaniya could see his face: a kind, elegant structure with respiratory slits instead of a nose and oversized, lidless violet orbs that seemed to gaze into the dark with curiosity rather than terror. His long, tapering fingers clutched a small, golden-furred creature—a living heater that provided the external warmth his emaciated body could no longer produce. She watched the creature in his arms shift, its eyes catching her light. The alien didn't move. He simply waited.

"Look at this," she whispered, her voice a mix of professional intrigue and genuine empathy. "He’s... remarkable. Despite the conditions, his cellular regeneration is surprisingly active! He's visibly emaciated, but his body has entered a highly efficient state of metabolic 'simmering,'" Stefaniya noted, her hands already prepping a hypospray with a diluted nutrient supplement. "He's fragile, but he's a survivor."

Aidan leaned over to look at her readings, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. He covered her hand with his, stalling her preparation. "You can't give him anything, not without knowing if it's safe to do so. What might heal us, could kill him instead. Sayori, get us more readings of that creature in his arms and feed them back to the shuttle. I want a full analysis." As he issued his orders, he took a step forward and carefully knelt down. "We're here to help," he offered, reaching out, palm up, with his right hand. "I'm Aidan, can you tell me your name?"

The light was a sudden, freezing needle piercing the velvet weight of the long dark. Xurbam did not pull away; his strength had thinned into a metabolic "simmering" that barely kept his blood from turning to glass. He felt the golden-furred creature shift against his chest, its heart a vibrant drum against his own thready pulse. He tightened his long, tapering fingers around the animal in a protective grip of gratitude.

The muffled voices drifted past him like "smelly" spores. When the broad, strange hand reached out, Xurbam blinked his lidless violet orbs. The lines along his collarbone pulsed with a soft cerulean glow as his heart spiked.

"Xurbam..." he whispered, the name a dry rasp. He leaned toward the heat of the stranger’s palm. "The stars... did you bring the stars back?"

Sayori watched the interaction between Aidan and the alien that had introduced itself as Xurbam. She had never seen any kind of being like him, let alone his little companion. Discreetly, she focussed her tricorder's scan on the little animal, hoping that it would not be noticed.

Aidan made a few adjustments to his tricorder as he crouched before the aloent. "The stars are still here," he answered, "but if you mean return this planet to its sun, then no. I need you to keep talking, the more we do the sooner this device can improve our communication." The tricorder beeped softly as it continued to update the UT with Aidan doing his best to make sense of the alien's words and hope he was understood in the mean time. "How did you get here? How did you survive?"

Xurbam trembled, his charcoal-grey skin absorbing the scant warmth radiating from Aidan’s outstretched palm. The cerulean patterns on his temples flared briefly, casting a ghostly light onto the "smelly" moss beneath him. He looked up at the "skeletal" mushrooms and then back to the stranger, his violet eyes wide and wet with a sudden, desperate hope.

"Pirates..." Xurbam’s voice was a fragile rasp, the word catching in his respiratory slits like grit. "They came in the dark... took our helm. They dragged me from the warmth and dropped me here... into this mucl." He shivered, his metabolic "simmering" momentarily spiking with the memory of the betrayal. His long fingers tightened around the golden-furred creature, seeking the only comfort he had known for cycles. "My ship... did you see it?" he asked, leaning forward until his forehead almost brushed Aidan's hand. "And my crew? They were... they were still aboard when the air turned cold. Please... did you find them in the stars?"

Aidan continued to make adjustments on his tricorder, translation going smoother the more the alien spoke. He blinked furiously against his watering eyes, resisting the urge to use his sleeve to relieve the burning sensation. "Mira," he addressed the vulpine who had stayed with the shuttle, "scan for debris, is anything out there? Any debris we missed before?"

"Good to hear from you, Commander Datari. Let me get a scan started. Umm, can you tell me what kind of debris I am looking for?"

"Debris from an alien vessel," Aidan answered quickly, "evidence of pirates in the area, other life signs."

"Thank you, on it. I will let you know if I find anything. Ensign Yumerieva out."

Aidan continued to look at the alien, eyes never leaving him though he remained alert of his own companions. "We only found two life signs," he explained, "yours and your pet. We do intend to take you back with us to our vessel as you can't stay here. We can't leave you here." He glanced back at their resident medic, hoping she'd back that assessment, then at Sayori before returning his attention to Xurbam. He held out his hand towards him. "Can you stand or walk?"

Sayori leaned towards the medic. "From what I've got on the tricorder, the pet seems to be in a bad shape." She turned to the alien. "Please, we are here to help. My name is Sayori."

Xurbam's lidless violet eyes darted toward the new voice, though he remained anchored to the heat radiating from Aidan. "Not a pet," he whispered, a sharp whistle of air escaping his respiratory slits as he looked down at the golden-furred creature. "He is my... A'shura. My sun-bringer. If he is cold, then the universe has truly ended." The cerulean patterns on his temples pulsed a frantic, jagged rhythm. He tried to shift, but his limbs felt like heavy stone. "The Vesper... if you did not see her, then the pirates... they took the light with them." He reached out a trembling, four-fingered hand, his padded fingertips brushing Aidan’s sleeve with a touch as light as a falling leaf. "I can try... but the ground, it pulls so hard."

"Sayori is right, he's barely holding on," Stefaniya said, her voice calm but swift as she moved closer. She glanced at the golden creature, noting the dip in its thermal output, her tricorder chirping a soft, melodic warning. "The A'shura is his external regulator. If the animal fails, Xurbam’s metabolic simmering will flatline in minutes. They are biologically tethered by necessity now." She looked directly into Xurbam’s wide, violet eyes, offering a small, reassuring nod behind her rebreather. "Xurbam, listen to me. I am Stefaniya. I’m a doctor. We haven't found your ship yet, but the Enterprise has much stronger eyes than we do. We're going to get you into the warmth, but I need you to trust us." She turned her head slightly to catch Aidan's eye. "Aidan, he can't walk. His muscular atrophy is too advanced, and the 'muck' is already sapping his remaining heat. We need to transport them together, physical contact between him and the creature is medically non-negotiable for the transfer."

"That's assuming the transporter functions," Aidan pointed out, "I'll carry them back to our shuttle if you two make sure I don't misstep anywhere. I won't be able to see where I'm going."

"Commander Datari, Ensign Yumerieva, Enterprise is nearby. I updated them from what I know.. your suit to suit comm links are hard to pick up on Frost River. I have given them the suit direct channels though and they should be contacting you shortly. Oh, FYI, nothing on scans yet for Debris near Frost River, still in process for further out though."

"Thank you Mira. Ready the Frost River for departure. Either we're returning shortly with our guests, or we'll be transported directly to the Enterprise." The Trill looked towards his two companions, then towards the alien. "We're going to take you with us to our ship," he explained as he reached out further. I'm going to help you up and then I will carry you. Don't be alarmed."

Aidan handed his tricorder to Sayori in a silent request to keep scanning, then carefully started to circle his arm around the alien's waist to get him to his feet, very careful so the creature in his arms wasn't dislodged. "Easy does it," he encouraged softly, shivering as the alien's cold frame settled against him. "Enterprise, are you able to lock on to us?" If not, they had a dangerous trek back ahead of them.

"This is Petty Officer Meipea," the blue-skinned Benzite responded, her voice crisp and clipped, "Commander Datari, I have your signal, but the resolution is... suboptimal. The nitrogen-methane saturation is creating a refraction pattern that makes a bio-lock highly unstable. Attempting to compensate with a wide-beam pattern will likely scatter your pattern across three different cave systems." The sound of her entering a series of commands could be heard over the communicator, "I cannot pull you directly to the Enterprise. The atmospheric density is too high for a long-range lock. You need to get back to the Frost River."

"The warmth..." Xurbam rasped, his head lolling back against Aidan’s shoulder. His violet eyes rolled toward the bruised sky. "It is so heavy. Your sun-heat... it hurts, but it is beautiful." The cerulean patterns on his temples flared into a frantic, pulsing glow, an echo of the sudden metabolic shock of being moved.

"Meipea is right, we can't risk a transport in this soup, but we have three hundred meters of carnivorous mushrooms between us and the Frost River to worry about," Stefaniya urged, her voice tight with professional urgency. "His heart is struggling to keep up with the change in elevation. We need to be careful..."

Sayori looked around. "There was a clearing about half-way between here and the shuttle. If Mira can make a short hop to that clearing, it would shorten the walk significantly. And I believe the more difficult terrain was on the other side, too."

"Understood Enterprise," the Trill replied patiently, "Frost River acknowledge. Are you seeing the clearing Sayori mentioned? Can you make the jump?" He held the alien close, glancing towards Stefaniya. "We'll be careful but we have to get out of here. We will run out of oxygen eventually and we need to get him warm. As I said, I'll carry him but I need someone to watch where I'm going."

On the Frost River, Mira was listening intently to the comms as she also looked for the signs of debris, active energies, and other life signs. She perked up at Aidan's words across the comms. =/\= Commander Datari, Frost River, checking... yes, I see the clearing. It is big enough, ground stable enough to handle the Runabout plus 150%. I am starting the nav calcs to do the hop now. I will let you know when I arrive.=/\= Mira shifted the sensors to specifically that clearing, then changed seats from sciences/ecm-eccm to the Pilot's seat. She checked the hop versus the gravity, atmosphere, and planet rotation. She found a nice subtle arc from 20 feet above to 20 feet above landing zones with 150 foot clearance. She looked over at Chase and said, "Hang on, I am doing the hop... I am a little rough at takeoff and landing, though."

The Frost River thrusters engaged with flame active to raise the shuttle 20 feet into the air. As Mira had said, it was a little rough. the craft lightly wobbled onto each side landing struts before clearing the landing, then lifted to be 20 feet. Mira took a deep breath, let it out, then did the arc over to the new landing spot. That arc took 2.5 minutes, however, cleared the below fungus growths with room to spare, then settled above the next clearing by 20 feet.

"Step exactly where my light hits," Stefaniya commanded, her voice strained by the thick, copper-tasting air, her medical tricorder held high like a lantern. The blue-hued "toothy" mushrooms shimmered in the clearing, their stalks thick with the recent heat of the Frost River’s thrusters.

"The air... it tastes of fire," he rasped, his lidless violet eyes tracking the rhythmic swaying of the skeletal mushrooms. He buried his face into the A’shura, drawing in the creature’s scent of dried herbs and ozone. "It is so loud... the heartbeat of your ship. It calls to the Vesper."

"Don't focus on the ship yet, Xurbam," Stefaniya urged, her light sweeping over a patch of treacherous, slick moss. "Focus on your breathing. Keep it slow."

At 150 seconds from launch, the Frost River was hovering over the new clearing zone. Mira took a couple of breaths, then dropped the craft very slowly downward. 15 seconds later it touched one side down, then the other, juggling a few times between the two sides in a jerky pattern, and then settling down onto the struts fully. Mira shut down the thrusters, then turned to Chase, her face with a deep blush for her race, and stated, "Landing successful." She activated the comms, =/\= Commander Datari, Frost River, hop successful, occupants only slightly jostled around. Ready to receive when you are here. Area around us is warmer for you thanks to using flame thrust versus just compressed thrust. I hope that helps.=/\=

"Acknowledged Frost River," Aidan replied, then fully scooped up the alien and his creature up into his arms. "Alright, let's move out people. Let's get out of here."

"The heat from the landing has made the spores more volatile. They’re venting in a defensive reaction." Stefaniya glanced back at the bundle in Aidan's arms. Xurbam’s cerulean patterns were beginning to blur, the sharp pulses softening into a steady, faint glow—a sign that his system was struggling to process the sudden influx of external warmth.

On board the Frost River, as the away team were now right outside, Mira could easily overhear the suit comms. She let out a low high pitched noise of extreme embarrassment. A blush spread from her face, neck, and down under her uniform. Still, nothing she could do now except try to get the party onboard safely and hope she wasn't busted to cleaning toilets for the next two years.

Aidan was doing his best to shield the man but he was struggling himself. His vision was blurring due to his own mistake and walking was getting difficult with the extra burden in his arms. "We can regulate the temperature once we get inside," he suggested, "we should have thermal blankets somewhere."

She looked at Aidan, noting the way he braced against the weight. "Ten more meters, Aidan. The airlock is cycling. Mira, as soon as we’re in, I need a localized humidity spike to settle these spores off our suits."

=/\=Away Team, Ensign Yumerieva, setting up now. It will be ready when you enter.=/\=

As they reached the ramp, the metallic tang of the shuttle's interior began to override the rot of the planet. Xurbam gave one final, violent shiver as the artificial light of the airlock spilled over him.

"The stars..." he whispered, his grip on the golden creature finally loosening as his body realized it was no longer in the dark. "You really... brought them back."

"Artificial light," Aidan explained patiently as he carried their rescuee inside and gently lowered him to the deck so he they could get through a quick decon procedure, "Mira we're on board. As soon as we're clear of these spores and Stefaniya sends you confirmation, set course for the enterprise." He carefully shook out his arms, which were feeling a little strained. "My eyes feel like they're on fire," he told the resident medic.

At the Science station, Mira at first panicked. She had just did a poor hop, jouncing Chase, made a mistake in using thermal thrusters, and now Aidan wanted her to lift off and set course for the enterprise? Still, she hit the comms and kept her misgivings out of her voice by making sure she was quiet and deadpan, =/\= Commander Datari, Ensign Yumerieva, understood. Working on that order now.=/\= Mira transferred readouts from the airlock decon to the side panel by the helm. Shifting to the helm, she began working on tracking the Enterprise's IFF signature, and found it. She found the autopilot with its selective controls including lift off, hover, atmospheric outbound, and then home track and send request for the Enterprise to take control once aft of the main ship. She cascaded the control paths to concur one after another, and hoped that worked. She checked the airlock readout, then commed, =/\= Away Team, Ensign Yumerieva, decon 80%, 30 seconds to liftoff.=/\=

As soon as the decontamination protocol was completed, Sayori rushed towards the helm and placed a hand on Mira's shoulder. "Don't think I could have done a better job than you, don't worry about it. There's a reason piloting isn't our day job." She chuckled. "Never thought I'd be happy to be inside this tin can again."

Mira about jumped out of her uniform as the hand landed on her shoulder so swiftly after the airlock finished cycling. She turned to see Sayori, her deep blush still very evident, as Sayori's words flowed over her. She nodded as she replied, "uh, okay, thank you. Umm, helm is yours. Returning to Engineering panel." Mira quickly left the helm seat and returned to her designated position. She glanced over the readouts, then called out, "Ensign Nakai, All engines and control flight planes at your discretion."

The alien lay on the deck, his charcoal skin appearing almost translucent under the shuttle's interior lights. The A’shura was trembling, its golden fur standing on end as it worked overtime to regulate Xurbam’s spiking vitals.

Stefaniya immediately knelt beside Aidan, her hands moving with clinical precision even as she squinted against the sting in her own eyes. She quickly pulled a sterile ocular wash from her medkit, but her gaze flickered back to Xurbam. "His metabolic 'simmering' is breaking," Stefaniya noted, her tricorder emitting a rapid-fire series of pings. "The transition from the 'muck' to a pressurized environment is causing a rapid expansion of his respiratory tissues. Aidan, help me get him to the lab compartment. We need a controlled environment, not the deck plates. Mira, I need a localized humidity spike in the lab now, or his lungs are going to seize," Stefaniya called out, "and keep the lights at ten percent."

"Of course," Aidan conceded, gently gathering the alien up in his arms again. It was slow moving even if it was only a few steps. "Just hang in there, you'll be alright. We'll make sure of that, just rest easy "

Mira called out, "On it, Doctor Losenko... lights to 10% now... humidity rising from 30% to 63%, stabilize in 5 seconds. Let me know if you need more or less."

Xurbam’s violet eyes were wide, fixed on the array of sensors above him. "The heartbeat..." he wheezed, his long fingers scratching weakly at the sterile surface of the table. "The metal... it sings of the void."

As soon as everyone was on board, Sayori throttled up the thrusters. "I'm getting us back to Enterprise, quickly as possible. Should only take a few minutes. Mira, let them know we're coming and get us clearance to dock."

Mira answered Sayori, "On it, Sir." =/\= Enterprise, Frost River, we are coming in hot with a medical emergency. Frost River needs docking clearance and a Medical Team standing by.=/\=

Stefaniya leaned over Xurbam, her eyes bright with a mix of fierce protectiveness and bubbling optimism. "You're doing so well, Xurbam! Just breathe that nice, damp air," she chirped, her voice a soothing melody despite the clinical chaos. She fussed over his thermal blankets with obsessive neatness, ensuring every corner was tucked perfectly. She shot a stubborn, defiant look at the bio-monitor. "He's a fighter, I just know it. There’s so much life in those eyes!" Turning to the comms, her tone remained confident and friendly. "Mira, we’re stabilizing. Once we break the upper atmosphere and the interference clears, let’s skip the docking bay. We need a site-to-site transport directly to Sickbay. He deserves the best care immediately!"

Mira answered the comms, "Understood, Sir, getting that arranged now." =/\= Enterprise, Dr. Losenko is requesting site to site Transporters when Transporters get a clear lock on. =/\=

"Tell me how I can help," Aidan offered, staying close as the medic fussed over the patient, "and I think all of us should be transported into decon." He watched their guest closely. "Sickbay will need to meet the same conditions as this lab."

"An excellent point, Commander," Stefaniya replied, her voice filled with confident warmth as she adjusted Xurbam's blankets. "Rio will need to drop the ward's ambient pressure and prep a low-pressure metabolic cradle immediately. We can't risk his lungs seizing the moment he leaves this lab."

She reached up to tap her badge, her tone crisp and authoritative as she paged the flagship directly. "Stefaniya to Enterprise. We have broken the upper shroud, and the atmospheric noise is clearing. Prepare for an immediate site-to-site transport directly to the primary isolation ward. Secure a bio-lock on the survivor, the creature, and the immediate rescue team now!"

"Acknowledged, Doctor Losenko," Petty Officer Meipea’s crisp voice chimed over the comms from the Transporter Room, the rhythmic hum of the ship's systems vibrating behind her words. "I have a clean lock on your coordinates now that you are clear of the nitrogen shroud. Dematerializing the away team and patients... now."

Before the final syllable faded from the speaker, the familiar, high-pitched whine of the transporter system enveloped the lab compartment. A shimmering column of blue light cascaded over Stefaniya, Aidan, and the frail, charcoal-grey form of Xurbam. In a heartbeat, the warmth and humidity of the runabout dissolved, replacing the physical presence of the rescue team with empty air as their molecular patterns were swept upward through the vacuum toward the waiting cradle of Sickbay.

Mira checked the Runabout's Readings. She called out to Sayori, "Sir, Doctor Losenko, Commander Datari, the rescue, and his companion have successfully beamed aboard the Enterprise. We have clearance for the shuttle bay. The Frost River is all yours."

Sayori nodded as the runabout approached Enterprise. "Flightpath for automated docking has been received," she reported as she maneuvred the craft towards the standard approach vector. A moment later, she leaned back into the pilot's chair and let out a deep sigh of relief. "Handover to automated system is complete. Time to get packed up, people, we're pulling into the shuttlebay. Don't know about you guys, but I'll be glad if I don't see the inside of one of these for a few months now."

Mira let out a snort of humor as she answered, "Yah, nebula flying is not what it is cracked up to be, I think the saying goes." She stretched in her chair, took in a deep breath, then that breath escaped her quickly. With what was happening, she had not been paying attention to her own smells, but now, with the rescue safely on board the Enterprise and the runabout on auto docking, her deep inhale had caught her own scents again. She added in a low voice, "And take a long shower," as the deep blush going from face and neck to under her uniform returned.

"I wish we had a proper Japanese bath on the ship," Sayori replied, with a wistful smile. "Now that is relaxation. Just laying in the hot water, letting all the stress wash away. I do miss home sometimes."

With a soft 'thunk', the runabout settled into the shuttlebay, and a chime from the helm console confirmed that docking had completed. "Right then, let's get this thing shut down, get ourselves through decon, and then go home. Everyone agree?"

Mira began the shutdown sequence for the engines and power sources. She answered, "Yes, definitely." However, her inner thoughts were of 'Japanese Bath? Research? Holodeck program maybe?' She was definitely looking forward to getting to her room for a long shower before she went to debriefing.

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