Following the Signal
Posted on Sat Dec 6th, 2025 @ 1:15pm by Captain Thorrin & Commander Marisa Sandoval & Lieutenant C'Mila Juli & Major Hastios Eilfaren
Edited on on Sat Dec 6th, 2025 @ 1:23pm
2,565 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
In The Nick Of Time
Location: The Planet Kroat
Timeline: MD004 1900 hrs
M'lessa (Marisa) led her team and Nagla out of the room and back to where the Herodotus could transport them to the location of the distress signal. She did not trust the Premier or any of his people to get them to the right place, even though she couldn't point to any one thing they had done to warrant the mistrust. It was more the looks they gave each other and the way the Premier and his people watched the Starfleet officers. It was also her training as a scientist and counselor that made her pay more attention to subtle nuances.
She walked in step beside Hastios, relaxing slightly when they were outside.
Hastios matched her stride, eyes scanning the square as the doors closed behind them. The tension he’d felt in that chamber still hummed under his skin — not threat, exactly, but something manufactured. Too polished to be genuine.
“They’re watching everything,” he said quietly, tone low enough for her alone. “Every step, every word. Either they’re hiding something, or they’re scared we’ll find something they don’t understand.”
He paused briefly to glance toward the Kroat scientist trailing them. “Either way, we tread carefully. The Premier wanted a leash on us — and he’s just given it a name.”
His gaze flicked back to Marisa, steady but measured. “I’ll have security do a sensor sweep of the beam-in site before we move too far. No sense trusting coordinates they handed us without proof they’re safe.”
He exhaled through his nose — not frustration, exactly, but focus settling into place. “We’ll get our answers. Just… one step at a time.”
"Yes." Marisa glanced at Hastios, knowing she didn't have to say more for him to understand. He was right that they needed a sensor sweep. At some point she would try to scan Nagla. She would prefer to do an old-fashioned search, but that would be going too far--without a valid reason to do so. For now, she would pay close attention--and trust Hastios to keep them safe.
As they proceeded to the transport site Nagla seemed to be at ease and completely relaxed. She did have her independent orders which were to mislead the officers until they left. "The magnetic fields of our planet can cause issues with communication arrays. This could be the signal that you are detecting. We have had instances of phantom messages in the past. I would be happy to make those studies available to you." This was the ground work for the plan she had. The data would be in the system, and falsified of course.
"Thank you," Marisa replied. "We will keep that in mind. However, we intend to do our own investigation." She wasn't going to mention that there were people on the ship now doing their own survey of the planet and the signal. She trusted they would pick up any irregularities in the magnetic field. She also didn't point out that Jules was a scientist. The less the people here knew of the Starfleet crew, the better.
The first officer was quiet for a moment, then added, "But if you wish us to see your data, we would be happy to add it to our analysis." And have a good look to see how accurate it was.
Nagla nodded and keyed in commands into her PADD which sent the data to the Herodotus, and then disseminated to the Away Team. She pointed toward the mountains. "The signal is coming from within those mountains. There is a well documented series of caves within there. The caves do date back to a time before the Kroat civilization." She decided to give them some information that was accurate. It is most likely the only way that they would believe her later on.
Marisa (M'lessa) wished they had time to look through those caves to document the history of the Kroats, but that was not their mission here. And, if they were able to solve this particular puzzle, other science teams might yet have that opportunity. "Thank you. Do you have the exact location of the signal?"
"Sadly I do not. Our technology did not register the signal until the previous ship that arrived pointed it out to us. My hope was that you can track it. I can lead you through the caves as to prevent getting lost or trapped." Nagla knew that saying she had the signal and then leading the team on a wild goose chase would be the absolute worst thing she could do. They would see right through it. So, instead she decided that she would see to it that they took a wrong turn while in the caves.
"If you do not know where the signal originated, how can you lead us there?" Marisa asked. She would much rather just go there directly and not let the woman know where it was.
Hastios took in Nagla’s explanation without interrupting, though the faint crease between his brows deepened. The story was tidy—too tidy. When she finished, he looked from her to Marisa, then to C’Mila.
“Then we’ll proceed carefully,” he said, his tone even but carrying quiet authority. “If the terrain’s unstable and the signal’s embedded in the mountains, we’ll do this by the numbers. Commander, Lieutenant—before we enter the cave system, I’ll deploy two micro-probes. They’ll run a full topographic and thermal sweep, plus a passive EM scan for any transmission sources. That should give us a map before we step inside—or tell us if there’s something waiting that doesn’t belong there.”
He turned slightly toward C’Mila, a small nod of deference. “Lieutenant, I’ll forward the probe telemetry directly to you. You can integrate it with any of the data Nagla’s provided—compare patterns, isolate false signals if there are any. You’ll have the best eyes in the field.”
Then, looking to Nagla, his voice softened just a touch—polite, but unmistakably firm. “You’ll be with us, of course, but no one moves deeper into the tunnels until the scans are verified. Starfleet procedure. Safety first—for all of us.”
His gaze swept the group once more before settling back on Marisa. “Once we’ve confirmed the readings, we move in. Controlled, measured, no surprises.”
He didn’t add the rest aloud—but it was there, quiet and clear in his stance: and no one goes missing on my watch.
Nagla nodded in agreement with the man, and his plan. Truth was she was impressed. He was efficient and that did not go unnoticed in Nagla's eyes. She responded to Marisa. "Simply put I can inform you if the terrain is worth passing through or if there is a shorter route while you trace the signal. As I said these caves are well mapped."
C'Mila gave the second officer the most subtle of nods. She'd been watching her commanding officers carefully, saying nothing. They both had so many more years of experience than she did, and they seemed so calm, measured. It was taking everything she had to try and match their energy. Her own internal synapses were on high alert. She wanted at least a couple of more crew members and to beam into the mountains where the signal originated, but she kept telling herself that she was surrounded by wisdom - to trust the process.
Marisa inclined her head in placid acknowledgement of what Nagla said. "I thank you for the offer, but as the major said, we have procedures we must follow. I am sure you understand. I am confident that the information you gave us, in addition to the data from the micro-probes will be sufficient to get us to our destination safely and efficiently."
"Major," Marisa said, turning to Hastios. "Please proceed." It was a perfect solution and would, she hoped, keep them from insulting their guide. Or giving her any indication they didn't trust her.
"Lieutenant," Marisa then turned to C'Mila. "Let us know when you have both sets of data and are ready to proceed."
"I will, Commander," C'Mila agreed. The PADD she worked from felt heavy and clunky compared to the technology that she was used to working with.
Hastios gave a single, curt nod at Marisa’s order. “Aye, Commander.”
He moved a few paces ahead, pulling a compact probe from his belt and thumbing it active. The device hummed softly, a faint blue light pulsing along its casing as it synced to his tricorder. He crouched, placing it on the ground with the precision of habit.
“Probe one, launch and sweep—forward arc, half-kilometre radius.” The unit shot off with a soft burst of light, vanishing into the air ahead. A second followed seconds later, taking a mirrored course.
He stood, scanning the readouts as data began to populate across his display. “Telemetry’s clean so far. No power surges, no interference—just mineral scatter from the mountainside.” His tone was professional, though the faint furrow between his brows suggested he didn’t quite buy how ordinary it looked.
Hastios glanced over to Nagla, the corners of his mouth lifting just enough to pass for polite. “We’ll verify your map data against this feed as we move. If your shortcuts hold up, we’ll take them.”
Then to Marisa and C’Mila, his voice quiet but deliberate: “Let’s see what the probes find before we commit boots to the cave floor. If the readings change between here and there—we’ll know who’s bending the truth.”
He didn’t look at Nagla when he said it, but the implication hung in the air all the same.
Marisa inclined her head in a brief nod. "Indeed. I trust there will be no problems." That was said to keep Nagla from suspecting anything was amiss. But as she turned to look around her, she flashed a glance at her two companions to let them know she felt the opposite.
By the time Marisa was again facing Nagla, her expression was calm. "You have a beautiful world," she told the other scientist.
"It really is," C'Mila perked up, masking the disappointment in the readings she was getting, focusing instead on trying to make a connection with their escort. "Maybe you could tell me more about the climate here, in this region? The flora seems so diverse. What about the fauna? Do you have many animals and insects? Much migration across the different regions, or do species tend to stay more in localized geographic areas? She asked, hoping to trigger something that the scientist might be eager to talk about, and possibly forget to be suspicious of the trio for a moment.
Nagla had watched the proceedings. While she was slightly worried that she would not be able to lead this team off the track, she was also sure that at least at this point they would not find much. "Most animals on my world are regional. They tend to stay where the food sources, and water sources are. In the mountainous regions such as this one there are some larger predatory animals, in particular birds. But they do not come into the caves. Just something to watch out for when not in the caves. The plant life is standard forests, larger and taller trees in this region, as we rise in elevation the plants become scarce and almost non existent. On this world insects are only found in swamp areas."
Hastios listened to Nagla’s explanation without interrupting, eyes forward but attention keen. Her answers were smooth—too smooth. Well-rehearsed. Nothing in her tone rang false, but nothing rang true either. It was the kind of response crafted to give just enough information while saying very little at all.
He let C’Mila keep the conversation flowing; the lieutenant’s enthusiasm made a good counterbalance to the caution Marisa and he had to project. When Nagla finished, he gave a small nod—polite, professional.
“Useful to know,” he said evenly. “We’ll keep an eye out for anything with talons.”
A dry edge tugged at the corner of his mouth, the closest he came to humour in the moment. Then the expression faded back into business.
“But caves can hide their own dangers—unstable ground, gas pockets, blind corners. Predators aren’t the only things worth watching.”
He shifted his weight subtly, scanning the terrain again, then angled his tricorder toward the mountain range. The probe telemetry continued to stream quietly across the display.
“We’ll rely on your familiarity with the region,” he added, tone neutral, “and pair it with our readings. Between the two, nothing should catch us by surprise.”
Another layer to the message passed silently—not even deliberate misdirection.
He glanced briefly at Marisa and C’Mila, just a flick of his eyes. Confirmation received. Vigilance shared.
Hastios scanned the latest telemetry, the soft vibration in the tricorder shifting as the probes hit the edge of their programmed sweep radius. He watched the readout settle, then closed the device with a quiet snap.
“That’s the last pass,” he said, stepping forward. “Probes have completed the sweep—terrain, thermal signatures, EM traces. Data’s clean.”
He looked to C’Mila. “You’ll get the full packet in three… two…” A soft chime confirmed it. “…now.”
Then he turned toward the mountains, posture settling into the easy readiness of someone who’d walked into far worse places than a cave system.
“Right. We have what we need.” His gaze moved from Marisa to C’Mila, then to Nagla. “Let’s move.”
And without further hesitation, he set the pace toward the mouth of the mountains—alert, measured, and very, very watchful.
C'Mila got the data that Hastios sent over, though she eyed it with some suspicion wondering how sophisticated this societ was and if they'd be able to falsify what they were receiving somehow. She'd review it with extra scrutiny. Right now she could rely on her own senses as they walked, taking in all of the sights, sounds, even smells, trying to capture anything out of the ordinary as Hastios carved their way to the mountains.
Marisa looked from Hastios to C'Mila. "Shall we go in?"
"I'm ready," Juli replied giving the first officer a serious nod.
"After you." Marisa nodded to Hastios. She would prefer that their guide not be allowed to lead them astray.
Nagla fell into step with Hastios. She would have to come up with a plan on the fly as it were. These people have thought of everything, but she was confident that she would find an opening soon enough.
A Joint Post By
Captain Thorrin
Commanding Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Commander Marisa Sandoval
Executive Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Major Hastios Eilfaren
Chief Security & Tactical Officer
Second Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
Lieutenant C'amila Juli
Chief Science Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
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