On The Road
Posted on Sat Oct 31st, 2026 @ 3:06am by Captain Elijah Rutherford & Commander Craig Braxton & Lieutenant Commander T'Par & Lieutenant Commander Hadir Prenar & Lieutenant Rynna Csira
Edited on on Sat Oct 31st, 2026 @ 3:14am
1,646 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Orcrist Mission 2: The Long Watch
Location: Bridge/Ready room
Elijah watched as the Orcrist moved away from Orodanga, the metallic-infused atmosphere rippling along the hull, giving way to the darkness of space.
He glanced down towards the console, watching as the holographic image of Orodanga faded away.
Elijah's eyes went to the coordinates the Orcrist was heading towards. They had a destination, but precious little information about what might be waiting for them when they arrived. His fingers began to drum lightly against the armrest. Going into an investigation with so many unanswered questions wasn't something he particularly liked.
His eyes panned over the bridge, where those at their posts quietly went about their duties.
"Commander Braxton, we need a better idea of what we're heading into. Join me in my ready room."
Elijah rose from the command chair and turned towards Tara.
"Lieutenant Marsh, you have the conn."
Tapping his combadge, Elijah said, "Commander Prenar, report to my ready room."
Hadir watched the security feeds and for the first time since boarding the Orcrist was happy that nothing untarred went on. The call from the Captain ended his happiness in a hurry. If there was one thing Hadir did not like it was attending the meetings etc. He tapped his comm badge. "Of course Captain I am on my way."
His gaze then moved towards T'Par and Csira.
"Commander T'Par, Lieutenant Csira, join Braxton and me there as well."
Rynna waited for her replacement, then followed the captain.
Elijah led the way into his ready room.
As Lieutenant Marsh assumed command of the bridge, Elijah and the officers he had summoned gathered in the ready room. While the bridge watch continued outside, their attention turned towards CS-17 and what might be waiting for the Orcrist deeper in the Beta Quadrant.
A mahogany desk was one of the first things to catch the eye, along with a small sofa and several chairs where they could sit. Shelves held models of the ships Elijah had served upon over the years, with the wooden-hulled HMS Terpsichore standing amongst the more modern Starfleet vessels. A small Scottish carriage clock sat nearby, another reminder of home.
Elijah stepped inside, his eyes naturally drawn to his mahogany desk, then to the brass carriage clock which rested upon it. Moving close to the desk, his fingers trailed along the rounded edges, turning to watch as those he'd called stepped inside.
There were several chairs and a moderately sized sofa, which had no arms. A coffee table sat in front of it, made of the same wood as the desk. There were enough chairs for those there to have a seat.
T'Par followed the captain to the ready room. As the captain had not yet sat down himself, she remained standing. "Yes, captain?" she asked.
When all had arrived, Elijah spoke. "We have been tasked to investigate a buoy which had reportedly been silent for 112 years. It has come to life. The area where we are supposed to go is deeper into the Beta Quadrant."
"I know some of us have been to Qo'noS or through what was once the Romulan Empire, but has anyone here traveled much farther into the Beta Quadrant?"
"Not personally, but I am interested in what was the Romulan Empire," Rynna said. She'd read a fair amount about the history, but reading about a place was not the same as going there. or living there.
"Is there a reason you're asking. Has something come through the relay station? A message of some sort?" Ryn couldn't think of another reason Starfleet sent a starship to investigate. But she could easily be wrong in her assumption.
"I haven't, sir," T'Par admitted. She looked to Rynna. The other woman had mostly asked the questions she would have, so she waited to hear the answers.
Hadir cocked his head toward the Captain. He had indeed been to the area that Captain indicated. However, he was not at liberty to discuss those missions. "I have never been out that far sir." He replied cooly and in that manner that you did not know if he was telling the truth or not.
Craig looked up. " I have Sir. Before coming to the Orcrist, I was assigned to Starbase 123 on the eastern side and close to the Romulan and Klingon boarders and the Shakleton Expanse. Being short on officers at the Starbase, i was given Temporary command for the USS Forestal, An upgraded Miranda class ship. "
Craig continued. " About a month into the charting mission we found what appeared to be a cargo crate that could not be scanned for it's interior contents. There was nothing harmful coming from the container so it was brought aboard, There was some alien writings on the crate and when we tried to have it translated a security alert closed it down and we were recalled to Starbase 123 at best possible speed. There is some more Captain, We were never ordered not to speak of it. Do you wish me to continue?"
"Proceed" was all that Elijah said, as he looked at Craig.
Craig gave a nod " Very well Sir. Once back at Starbase, The crate was beamed off of the ship and Science was said to have it for a few hours and was unable to open it. It was then transferred again to an unmarked vessel, Which i assume was Starfleet Intelligence. We were not debriefed, all thirty members of the crew were disbanded and given transfer orders and the USS Forestal was towed somewhere for Special repairs. My orders sent me here."
Elijah gave a nod towards Craig, acknowledging what he'd shared about the incident in the Beta Quadrant.
"Thirty crew members reassigned, the Forestal taken away for special repairs, and no debriefing," Elijah said, his eyes remaining on Craig for another moment. "Interesting."
It brought up the memory of a report he'd read about that incident. It also raised a few questions, ones he would be quizzing Craig about later. For now, though, Craig had answered what Elijah had wanted to know. Craig had traveled farther into the Beta Quadrant and had some experience with that region.
Elijah turned back to Rynna and the question she had asked.
"Yes, there is, but that wasn't the only reason I asked." Elijah paused for a moment. "Where we're going will take us farther into the Beta Quadrant, away from the regions most of us are familiar with. I wanted to know if anyone here had firsthand experience that far out."
"As for a message, there was one, or at least part of one. When the buoy reactivated, there was what appears to be a request for help embedded within the transmission. We don't know who sent it, or even when it was recorded."
Elijah looked between Rynna and Hadir. "I'd like the two of you to see what more you can pull from it. If there's more to that message, I want to know what it says before we arrive."
The ops chief nodded. She had no problem working with the crusty Cardassian.
His gaze shifted towards T'Par.
"Commander, see what you can find out about the area surrounding CS-17, and why that buoy was placed there in the first place. We're going into an area we know very little about. I'd like to change that before we get there."
Hadir listened in so far as to get the basic information needed. This meeting could have been a communique without a doubt, or at the very least Tara should be here. He nodded in response to the Captain's order, as inane as data searching would be.
Elijah regarded Hadir for a moment, watching him sit in his usual quiet, mysterious way, a slightly amused twinkle in his eyes.
As far as Elijah was concerned, and from what he knew of the Cardassian's habits, Hadir preferred being the man behind the screen, operating from the shadows like the Great Oz. Given Elijah's own background in security, he could understand that. As his Chief of Intelligence and Security, it wasn't necessarily a bad way for Hadir to operate. Still, this was one time Elijah felt Hadir needed to be present.
"Yes, sir," T'Par said. "I'll see what I can learn." She glanced briefly at Hadir as well.
Elijah sat quietly pondering, his fingers resting against the edge of the desk.
"One hundred and twelve years," he said after a moment. "That's what keeps bothering me."
His eyes went towards the others.
"A buoy doesn't simply wake up after being silent that long. Something happened."
Elijah paused, thinking about the fragment of the message they had received.
"And somewhere in all of that is someone asking for help."
His gaze moved between Rynna and Hadir.
"See if you can find out whether that message is as old as the buoy's silence, or if it was recorded more recently."
Elijah's fingers began lightly tapping against the edge of the desk again.
"The more I look at this, the more I get the feeling we're missing something."
"Logically, we are obviously operating with limited information," T'Par said, "but all we can do at this juncture is speculate and seek to learn more."
Rynna nodded. "Verifying the message is one thing. Figuring out why the buoy is working is another. But we'll put together as many pieces as we can and see where it takes us."
Elijah's fingers stilled, resting upon the edge of the desk.
Giving a slow nod, Elijah remarked, "That's about all we can do for now. See what you can find. We'll reconvene before we reach CS-17."
He looked around at those gathered in his ready room.
"Dismissed."
Captain Elijah Rutherford
CO
USS Orcrist
Commander Craig Braxton
Executive Officer
USS Orcrist
Lieutenant Commander Hadir Prenar
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Orcrist
Lieutenant Rynna Csira
Chief Operations Officer
USS Orcrist
Lieutenant Commander T'Par
Chief Science Officer
USS Orcrist
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