Voices In The Dark - Part II
Posted on Mon Jan 19th, 2026 @ 6:21am by Captain Thorrin & Commander Marisa Sandoval & Lieutenant C'Mila Juli & Major Hastios Eilfaren
Edited on on Wed Jan 21st, 2026 @ 1:07pm
1,895 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
In The Nick Of Time
Location: Deep Within Kroat
Timeline: MD004 2130 hrs
Juli had picked up her clunky tricorder, the casing a few years behind the technology it hid inside it. They suspected a hologram, so she would start with that analysis. Initial readings were coming back the same combinations of rocks and minerals as the rest of the caves, but Nagla wouldn't have brought them this way if they had a secret that so could easily be uncovered, and if her narrow mishap with the crevice earlier had taught her anything it was to not fully trust the instruments. At least not at first glance anyway.
Juli struck Nagla a sideways glance and while she seemed to be distracted by the other two she switched her tricorder to begin looking for signs of temporal radiation. Her tricorder indicated the area showed trace signs of chronitons. She fought to keep a straight face as the excitement welled inside of her.
She pulled a PADD out of her kit and began to type in the readings as she adjusted her tricorder to search for energy readings. There had to be a power source coming from somewhere. She just needed to find it. Her heart was beating rapidly and seemed to pound inside her chest as she forced herself to walk slowly toward Marisa, pretending to still be focusing on the tricorder, acting like she hadn't found anything as she casually passed the PADD to the first officer with the note about chroniton dispersion in the area.
"I am picking up some unusual energy reading in the area, Commander" Juli said. "Is it possible there is a generator in the area?" She asked. Juli's mouth felt dry as she tried to sound nonchalant about her announcement, hoping that Nagla wouldn't grow suspicious about the note that she had just passed Commander Sandoval.
As content as she had been to allow the officers to make their scans it was now time for Nagla to step in. When Juli made the comment about a generator she stepped forward and next to Sandoval. "What are the signatures that you are reading. They may be residual from our own power generators that run elsewhere in this mountain range. If you show me I can clean up the signal for you." This was something that Nagla would do without subterfuge. She had arrived at the conclusion that none of them would leave this cavern alive.
"Thank you," Marisa said calmly after glancing at the PADD and handing it back to Juli. The chroniton particles were exactly what she expected to find and meant they were close.
She turned her attention to Nagla. "And thank you. I appreciate the offer, however, we do not need you to clean up the signal for us. Now that you brought it to our attention, we will scan for your generators and then remove them from our own scans, ensuring the accuracy of the data."
Marisa nodded to Juli to do another scan to block the Kroatian generators so they could confirm the data.
"Aye, Commander, no problem at all," Juli replied. She looked at Nagla and gave her a sheepish smile. "I've got your energy signatures already saved from my scans earlier. It will be simple to rule them out. In fact, I could even triangulate where they are coming from, and if there is anything anomalous we should be able to catch it."
The smile faded from Juli's face. Something didn't feel right, and she didn't dare look down at her tricorder just yet. Something shifted and she didn't feel safe. She turned to look at Hastios for guidance - to see if he felt it too.
Marisa stilled. She wasn't sure of the cause, but the tension around her increased. To create some distance and to hopefully find a way forward, she stepped up to the dead end to touch the stone and see if she could feel anything--or nothing. If this was the way, there had to be some sort of access point. It had the added benefit of drawing focus, which would give Juli time to do another scan.
Hastios stayed where he was, palm still resting against the stone as if he were simply thinking. He didn’t turn when he spoke — not to Marisa, not to Juli, and pointedly not to Nagla.
“Interesting,” he murmured. “Our sensors had trouble earlier. Down here, though…” He tapped the wall once more, softer this time. “The signal’s cleaner. Stronger. Whatever’s powering this didn’t come from guesswork.”
He withdrew his hand and took a half-step back, deliberately opening the space near the wall instead of closing it. Not retreating — just no longer blocking anyone’s approach.
His gaze slid to Nagla then, unhurried, assessing rather than accusing. “You’ve done a good job guiding us. Helpful timing. Helpful turns.” A pause. “Though I can’t help noticing we’ve taken a long way around to get here.”
He tilted his head slightly, as if considering a problem from a new angle. “Either the caves are more complicated than your maps suggest… or someone’s been careful about which paths we didn’t take.”
The words were mild. Reasonable. The sort of observation that could be brushed aside without confrontation. He made no move to stop her, no warning gesture to the others — just watched, listening not to the cave now, but to the shift in Nagla’s emotional register.
There it was.
A tightening. A flare of resolve, sharp and sudden, like a blade coming free of its sheath.
Hastios didn’t react outwardly. He only shifted his weight again, just enough to free his hands, just enough to be ready — while still leaving space between himself and the others. If Nagla chose to move, she would have room to do it.
And if she did…
He’d be a heartbeat late on purpose.
Not because he’d missed it — but because sometimes the truth only shows itself once the first blow lands.
Sandoval noticed the subtle shifting, the sense of anticipation building around her. She took in a slow breath. Let it out. She trusted her team. At the same time, she wanted to verify what the scans may or may not be telling them. And to do that, she had to reach out and feel the cave wall, to see if there was a hidden or camouflaged passage. Or just a solid wall and a dead end.
She focused again on the sound of water dripping, the presence of sound-deadening rock, the echo of a footfall. And the rough stone beneath her fingers. An almost-draft of air. And then, as her hands skimmed the wall, she noticed something and stopped. "Here."
"Commander?" Juli took a few steps back toward Marisa. "Do you have something?" She asked, her tricorder still ready, muscles still tense and agitated.
"I believe so," Marisa replied. "There is a draft that indicates an opening. Give me a minute to find it."
That was it, they had discovered the mirage. Something Nagla knew they would do, something she was against when it was discussed. She had to do something, had to act before the Orion could say anymore. Nagla knew that she most likely not survive this. Hastios was a trained military man, and she was but a scientist. However, she thought that if she could take out the two women he may think twice.
Nagla had her energy weapon set on wide beam since before she left on this expedition. In one swift and deft motion she drew the weapon and fired. She hit Sandoval square in the back of the right shoulder which stunned the woman instantly. However, Nagla's intention to stun Juli with the same shot failed. The beam did not strike Juli directly. The indirect blast did cause a burn to open up on Juli's left arm. Seeing how her shot failed Nagla fired blindly in Hastios' direction missing him entirely. But the shot allowed her to duck behind a stalagmite for cover.
Marisa heard Nagla draw her weapon and turned, her own phaser in her hand, but she was a beat too slow. She'd been too focused on finding the opening and let her guard slip just enough. "Has..." She hit the ground before she could finish calling for the El-Aurian.
Hastios heard the weapon before he saw it.
The sharp whine of an energy discharge cut through the cave and instinct took over. He turned just in time to see Marisa go down, her body hitting the stone hard. The sound landed like a blow to his chest.
“Marisa!”
He was moving before the echo faded. Another blast scorched the rock nearby as he closed the distance, phaser already in his hand. He dropped beside her, one knee hitting the ground, one hand bracing her shoulder as he pulled her clear of the open space.
She was breathing. Unconscious, but alive.
Good.
He dragged her back behind a thick stone outcrop, positioning her carefully against the rock before shifting his body to shield her. Another shot cracked against the cavern wall and he swore under his breath.
Then he saw Juli.
She was exposed — too exposed.
Hastios lunged, catching her by the upper arm and hauling her in without ceremony, pulling her hard into cover beside Marisa. He didn’t slow, didn’t soften the movement — just got her out of the line of fire and pressed her down behind the stone with one broad shoulder.
“Down,” he said quietly but firmly. “Stay with me.”
Juli nodded at Hastios and gulped back a sigh of relief. He'd pulled her to safety. He would know what to do, and even though they hadn't been a crew for very long she trusted him. She started to panic again when she saw that the First officer was unconscious.
"Is she..." Juli whispered her eyes wide with alarm.
"There are no burn or scorch marks." Hastios remarked. "I'd say she's only stunned."
After learning that Marisa was only stunned, Juli went to check out her own injuries. Her heart was still racing as she turned to look at the seared uniform on her left arm, the wound on her arm was thankfully just a few centimeters long, but it was bad enough to leave her skin discolored - milky white, turning to a ruddy brown. It didn't hurt much at all yet, she just felt a slight sting pulsing from the phaser burn.
A Joint Post By
Captain Thorrin
Commanding 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
Commander Marisa Sandoval
Executive Officer
USS Herodotus DTI-30656
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