Planetside - Part 2
Posted on Thu Jan 2nd, 2025 @ 8:18am by Lieutenant JG Alena Alessa & Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida & Lieutenant JG Abrasax & Lieutenant JG Mirez & Lieutenant JG Lyras
4,388 words; about a 22 minute read
Mission:
Episode 8: Palingenesis
Location: Planet 1: Lethe
ON:
The away team had ventured deep into Lethe’s wilderness, their footsteps echoing faintly in the eerie stillness around them. The landscape was barren and shadowed, with jagged rock formations stretching toward a bleak, cloudy sky. Faint wisps of fog clung to the ground, swirling at their ankles as they moved, giving the impression that the planet itself was alive, watching, waiting. A distant rumble of thunder occasionally broke the silence, but there was no sign of rain—only the dry, electric tension that permeated the air, heavy with a strange metallic tang.
Hidden in the depths of her cloaked ship, Euryale watched their progress on her monitors, her gaze unblinking, predatory. She could feel them nearing the trap she had so carefully crafted. The energy echoes she’d projected had done their work well, leading the team ever closer, step by step, into the perfect position. Her fingers tapped lightly against the console, activating a subtle telepathic pulse meant to stoke the growing unease she knew they felt, pushing their minds further into confusion and apprehension. The closer they drew, the stronger the hunger within her burned—an insatiable need to feed on their life essence, to absorb their very souls.
Her ship lay dormant, cloaked and silent, nestled in the shadows of a rocky outcrop just ahead of the team’s path. She remained patient, letting the darkness and fog cover her approach. Soon, they would cross the threshold into her range, and when they did, she would descend upon them, swiftly and silently. In her mind’s eye, she envisioned the moment: the shock in their eyes, the sudden panic as her true form emerged from the haze, and the thrill of finally feeding after centuries of hibernation.
Lyras halted, tilting his head to listen. "The sky is clear despite this fog, yet it sounds like a thunderstorm is approaching..." He glanced down at his tricorder, arching a single eyebrow. "No sign of any bad weather though..."
"This isn't good", Alena muttered. "We are entering a trap. And my headache is getting worse. As if we are closer to the cause of it". She wasn't going to lie. Her whole body was tense. As if to prepare for some kind of fight. The telepathy was spiraling, causing her to be close to unable to deal with whatever was nearby. She tried to use the techniques she had been taught back at the star base. They didn't work. That alone told her that there was something going on that wasn't right. It was going beyond the basic telepathy.
Euryale felt her moment approach, her predatory instincts sharpening as she observed the away team on her monitors. They had stopped now, hesitating at the threshold of her trap. Their confusion and unease radiated through the fog like a beacon, feeding her growing anticipation. She flexed her will, triggering the final phase of her plan. The telepathic pulses she sent became a crescendo, echoing cries of battle and anguish into Alena’s mind, amplified by the neuro-transmissive waveforms her ship emitted. The air seemed to ripple with an unseen force, as if the very planet were exhaling its malevolence.
From her concealed position within the jagged rocks, Euryale activated her ship’s dampening field, blanketing the area with interference to ensure no outside forces could interfere. The fog thickened unnaturally, curling upward in writhing tendrils that coiled around the away team like a living thing. She materialized out of thin air not far from the Away Team, her silhouette a towering figure emerging from the haze. Her glowing, serpentine locks shimmered like liquid fire, casting eerie, dancing light onto the rocks around her. Her golden eyes burned with hunger and purpose as her deep, resonant voice broke the silence.
“You’ve come so far,” she said, her tone a chilling mix of mockery and satisfaction. “But this is where your journey ends. You will not leave this place. Your lives… will sustain me.”
Lyras has stayed close to Alessa, offering support as needed. while he didn't sense things as intensely as Alena did, he took was suffering a headache and feeling almost overwhelmed. The sudden thick fog was disorienting and it sent a chill down his spine. Unconsciously, his left hand folded around the handle of the knife he carried, even though deep down he already knew it was a useless endeavour.
Startled by the sudden presence, he pulled Alena back behind him in a chivalrous move to try and shield her. ",Who are you?" He demanded as he lifted his tricorder with his right hand to try and scan the newcomer.
Euryale’s glowing eyes fixated on Lyras, her lips curling into a slow, predatory smile. The mist around her seemed to writhe and pulse in response to her movements, as though it were an extension of her will. She took a deliberate step closer, her towering form looming over the away team like a living shadow.
“Who am I?” she repeated, her voice rich and melodic, yet carrying an edge sharp enough to cut. “I am the end you seek but do not yet understand. I am Euryale, the last of my kind. A hunter, a queen… a goddess.” Her voice dropped lower, almost a purr, but laced with an unmistakable threat. “And you, little wanderers, are trespassers on sacred ground. Your minds, your souls… they call out to me. You cannot deny what is already mine.”
She tilted her head slightly, golden eyes narrowing as she regarded the trembling Benzite, the steadfast Vulcan hybrid, and the rest of the team. “You feel it, don’t you? The pull? The whisper in your thoughts. It’s futile to resist. But perhaps I will make this…mercifully swift.” The serpents atop Euryale’s head stirred, their scales glistening like liquid obsidian in the dim light. One slithered forward, its unblinking eyes locking onto the away team, fangs bared as it hissed - a sound that seemed to echo, sharp and venomous, through the suffocating fog.
Alena stared at the newcomer. Who was this person? What was it? She narrowed her eyes, looking over the newcomer. Why did it feel like she had seen something similar before? She searched her mind as fast as possible, before they all ended up as dinner for this creature. She had never heard about it. Maybe she had read about it in a book? If so, which book? Probably one of Mrs. Anderson's old books. The old woman had had a crazy collection of books. Most about things beyond Earth.
The Benzite Away Team member Mirez felt her heart hammering in her chest as the figure emerged from the fog, its otherworldly presence radiating menace. Her hands trembled slightly as she tightened her grip on her tricorder, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at its readings—not yet. She forced herself to breathe deeply, attempting to center herself as she’d been trained, but the weight of the moment threatened to unravel her composure.
“This… this can’t be real,” Mirez whispered, her voice low and strained, almost as if she were trying to convince herself. She took a cautious step back, her wide Benzite eyes darting between the creature and her teammates. “Whatever it is, it’s not just some… anomaly. We shouldn’t be here.” Her usually calm and analytical demeanor faltered, her words tinged with fear she struggled to suppress.
Despite the terror coiling in her chest, Mirez reached for her phaser, her movements slow and deliberate as though even the act of drawing it might provoke the creature further. “We need to stick together,” she managed, her voice firmer now but still shaky. “If we separate, we’re done.” Her eyes flicked to Abrasax briefly, seeking some sign of reassurance, before returning to the creature. Every instinct told her to run, but she stood her ground, trembling but resolute, waiting for what would come next.
Now all this had to be some technology they didn't understand, most events and effects that looked unexplainable were just that, not in their realm of understanding. Abrasax nearly missed Mirez's brief eye contact and smiled at her. He hoped he appeared reassuring before bringing up his tricorder to scan the newcomer and the theatrics they brought to bear. He, too, drew his phaser slowly as he examined the technobabble both he and the tricorder were receiving.
Clearly this was out of their league. He decided to follow Lyras' lead. "I am Lieutenant jg Abrasax of the Federation station Deep Space 21, we mean you no harm," he introduced himself. "Please identify yourself?"
Euryale’s piercing gaze shifted to Abrasax, her serpents coiling and hissing in response to his words. Her smile remained, but it darkened, tinged with disdain.
“Lieutenant Junior Grade Abrasax,” she drawled, her voice dripping with mockery. “How noble of you to announce yourself. The Federation… always so full of words, so eager to understand what it cannot comprehend.” Her serpents writhed more violently now, their movements agitated by the tricorder’s faint hum.
“I have already identified myself,” she said, her tone sharper, more menacing. “But it seems you are too blind to grasp the truth. You should have stayed far away from this place. Now, your names… your ranks… your lives… they are meaningless.”
The air around her seemed to pulse with an unseen force, the fog curling closer to the team, as though the planet itself conspired to trap them. “But by all means,” she sneered, gesturing with a clawed hand, “scan, analyze, catalog. None of it will save you.”
Lyras seemed fascinated by the serpentine movement of what could only be her hair. Or at least what should be hair in a Human. His blue eyes were fixed in her in a mix of interest and fear, his left hand still hidden behind his back, fingers folded around the knife handle. Unlike his teammates, he carried no phaser. "It is the nature of our team," he said slowly, feeling ill at ease in the near-obstructing fog. "We explore, we seek out new life, new scientific discoveries and new friendships."
The Vulcan hybrid's movement seemed sluggish as he indicated all team members with his tricorder. "We are all alien to each other, but we share a common goal." He wanted to move towards the woman, but he was afraid to do so. In the fog he could not see whether the floor was safe to cross, his readings seemed garbled now and they were useless. Still, something compelled him to move, to continue scanning the new arrival.
The serpents hissed softly, their movements hypnotic as they twisted and coiled, mirroring the predator’s slow, deliberate grace in Euryale’s stance. “Your noble curiosity is admirable, Vulcan,” she said, her voice silken yet laced with menace. “But your pursuit of understanding blinds you to the truth. Not all life wishes to be discovered, not all encounters end in friendship. Some—” she gestured with a clawed hand toward the fog, her smile turning cruel, “—are meant to remind you of the cost of trespass. You step into shadows where even your instruments fail, yet still, you think yourself safe. Foolish… but endearing.”
"What are you first and mostly Miss Euryale? A hunter, a queen? We didn't detect any one down here but you. A queen has a domain to run." Abrasax said, it was a little difficult to see the woman through the fog. He saw that if he could keep her talking they might be able to think of a plan. It did sound like she was going to attack soon.
"Why are you here on this planet alone?" He added a moment later with true interest.
Alena sighed as she continued searching for answers in her mind. The name... she was certain she had heard it before. Legends and history from somewhere? Or just an ancient creature that was only interested in killing them.
It was then she realized where she had encountered that name before. Greek mythology. Alena was relieved that she had found a small connection. Next question was why was a creature of myth here, of all places? Alena wished she had the answers, but for the time being, she had none.
Looking at Euryale, she asked out of pure curiosity. "How come you are here? From what I've read in the past, you are one of the 3 gorgons from Greek mythology. How did you end up here?".
Euryale’s laughter echoed through the fog, low and resonant, carrying a chilling edge. “A queen, a hunter… perhaps once, I was both,” she replied, her serpents weaving restlessly atop her head. “But now, I am something far beyond what your myths could comprehend. The tales you know are fragments, distorted whispers of what we once were. The universe is vast and even the immortal must adapt. I did not end up here—I chose this place, and it has served me well.”
Her gaze sharpened, the serpents hissing in unison as she stepped closer, her form barely visible through the swirling mist. “But enough of your questions,” she continued, her voice darkening as the fog thickened, enveloping the away team. “I tire of talk. You have come far, only to be consumed. It is time you fulfilled your purpose.”
Blinded by the thick fog, Lyras stopped moving, his hand shifting to draw his knife from its sheath. He could sense her, his telepathy enhanced by the lack of sight. He could hear the hiss of the serpents, but he couldn't tell where she was. "Our purpose is to explore, to learn," he said, willing his voice to sound even. It took every ounce of what little control he possessed by nature to do so. "To make new friends."
Abrasax instantly fired in the direction that Euryale had been, its not like the Gorgon had the power to alter phyics. Well, he hoped she couldn't. Sadly he couldn't see if the phaser beam had done anything. He kept firing, maybe it will act as a beacon for his team mates to find him. Though he called out as well, the more noise the better he mused.
"Anyone! Hello! Over here!" He tapped his combadge. =/\= Abrasax to anyone can you hear me? =/\= He called out, the science chief was positive that Euryale hadn't seen them use their communicators so perhaps she didn't know about them. It was a long shot considering that the Gorgon could be telepathic. He sighed as he watched the phaser beam, he had the idea to duck down and did so. The new angle had the beam aimed upwards, and he began to turn on the spot.
He wondered if the fog was Euryale's or perhaps real. The phaser heat would dissipate the fog, though only just around it.
"Here!" Lyras called out but didn't move from his spot. He could hear the phaser firing, but couldn't see the beams until one missed him by a fraction. He could hear the hiss of the hot beam in the damp air. "Are you trying to stun us?" He was fairly sure that wasn't the case, but this was just dangerous.
Alena had already knelt, so she wouldn't be in the line of fire. She was searching her mind for a solution. Something had to be of an advantage for the away team. What was Euryale's biggest advantage? It was telepathy. Sometimes, an enemy's biggest advantage, could become their downfall. But how?
She noticed that Euryale seemed unaware of her place on the ground. However, she saw the creature just fine. She let her presence become aware to the away team, and, sadly, to Euryale. "Here!", she shouted and drew a coin, which she had as a memory. She threw it up into the air, and aimed a flashlight at it. Her flashlight might be outdated technology, but today it would serve a purpose. With that, she started retreating from her spot behind a boulder. Time to get the hell out of there.
Euryale’s serpents writhed in unison, their glowing eyes illuminating the fog as she hissed in frustration. The phaser beams arced through the mist, dissipating pockets of her carefully crafted shroud, revealing glimpses of her towering silhouette. She moved with inhuman grace, avoiding the shots as they seared the ground near her.
Her focus shifted as Alena’s flashlight illuminated the spinning coin, the unexpected glint catching her eye. It was a distraction, and she realized it too late. Her serpents lashed out, projecting beams of light like tendrils, searching for the source. “You cannot hide from me,” she growled, her voice echoing unnaturally, filled with both anger and hunger.
Euryale extended her arm and commanded serpentine drones to converge on Alena’s position. “Your tricks will not save you,” she sneered, her telepathic presence pressing harder against the team’s minds. Yet the sudden disarray created by the phaser fire and Alena’s maneuver had scattered her focus, giving the Away Team precious moments to regroup or flee.
The light of the phaser beams clearly lit up Lyras to Abrasax and he'd later apologise for that as it did nearly sheer the other man's face off, the beam didn't quite light up anything else as he fired in several directions that he believed Euryale was positioned in. Abrasax could hear the shouts of his fellow officers, Lyras yelling about nearly being shot was helpful as the sound didn't move, then came another shout from Alena.
But amongst the fog came beams of white light unlike his phaser beams of yellow-orange. Abrasax wondered what it was but only for a moment as he homed in on it and suddenly the white light caught Euryale. It was fading fast, Abrasax aimed and fired in that direction, several shots at and around where the white light had found Euryale, not at the source of the white light which seemed to be spinning. He could hear Euryale's telepathic taunts that put pressure on him but the sight of her emboldened him to strike. "Alena!" Abrasax called out. "Lyras!" He added a moment later.
He glanced around to see where the source was and found a faint solid white light. He waited a few moments as he fired a few more shots at where he'd seen a glympse of Euryale before he slowly made he way over.
Euryale hissed in fury as Abrasax’s phaser shots streaked dangerously close to her. One beam grazed the edge of her serpentine form, causing a brief flicker of pain to flash across her face. The glow of her serpents intensified, each one writhing and snapping as if to strike back at the offending weapon. “You dare challenge me?” she snarled, her voice laced with venom. “Your efforts are futile, and your defiance will cost you dearly.”
She advanced swiftly, her serpents projecting beams of dazzling white light that disoriented the Away Team further. The fog thickened and seemed to move with her, a living shroud that concealed her precise location. Abrasax’s shots became increasingly wild, his phaser beams slicing through the haze but missing their mark. The air crackled with energy as Euryale’s tendrils of light lashed out, one striking a boulder near Alena and reducing it to a pile of molten fragments. Another beam narrowly missed Lyras.
Her serpents reared back for the final strike, the glowing tendrils weaving into an intricate web meant to ensnare the team. Euryale could feel their fear, their disorientation, and she relished the moment. “You are mine,” she declared, her voice echoing through the fog like a death knell. The serpents lashed out, converging on the Away Team with terrifying speed.
But just as her tendrils were about to connect, a sudden hum pierced the air. Columns of shimmering blue light engulfed Abrasax, Lyras, Alena, and Mirez, their forms flickering as they began to dematerialize. Euryale’s serpents struck through empty space, their beams dissipating harmlessly. Her glowing eyes widened in shock, and then fury consumed her as the Away Team vanished before her.
“Nooo!” she screamed, her voice a guttural roar that reverberated through the fog. Her serpents flared with blinding brilliance as she turned her gaze skyward, seething with rage. “You dare steal them from me?” she howled, her fists clenched as the realization hit—the USS Copernicus had pierced her dampening field. Her prey, so tantalizingly close, had been ripped from her grasp.
“You cannot hide from me!” she bellowed, the fog swirling violently around her. “I will find you, and you will pay!” Her serpents hissed in agreement, their bioluminescent glow casting eerie shadows as she stalked back toward her hidden vessel, vowing vengeance.
USS Copernicus, Bridge
As the Away Team rematerialized on the Copernicus bridge, Hiro Sommers-Yoshida rose swiftly from the captain’s chair. His sharp gaze swept over the team, assessing their condition. Relief flickered across his face, but his tone carried the usual blend of dry humor as he addressed them.
“Sorry it took us so long to pull you out of that mess,” Hiro began, stepping forward. “Turns out cutting through the dampening field down there wasn’t exactly in the user manual. It a bit longer than I’d like to figure out what was going on down there - and frankly, I’m not really sure I want to know what you stirred up.”
He gestured to the helm station, where alerts were already sounding. “That said, we’ve got bigger problems. Sensors picked up a ship leaving the surface a few minutes ago, and it’s on a direct intercept course for us. Time isn’t exactly on our side here.” Hiro’s voice sharpened, his usual levity fading into command clarity. “Helm, prepare for evasive maneuvers. Tactical, bring shields and weapons online. We’re getting out of here, now. Whatever that thing is, I don’t intend to let it follow us back to Starbase 21.”
He turned back to the Away Team, a faint smirk returning. “Hope you didn’t leave anything important down there. We’re not going back for it.”
"Just my nerves," a visibly frayed Lyras answered, "what was that down there..."
"Your timing is most welcome sir," Abrasax said and lowered his phaser, he frowned. "Though the Waverider Earhart is back on the planet, unless you were able to beam it up as well? Whoever that was could possibly hack it's computer. We should retrieve it as Euryale may use it to her advantage," Abrasax took a few calming breaths as he glanced at his team.
He turned back to Hiro. "Permission for us to have a brief rest, sir?" Abrasax asked though he did suddenly look to the side as an officer walked by into his field of view. It made him hyperaware of his surroundings considering they were deprived of their senses only moments before.
"I agree," Lyras replied, still trying to shake the overwhelming from his mind. "And I want all away team members to be examined in sickbay."
Hiro’s gaze flicked to Abrasax, then Lyras, his expression sharpening. “Understood. We don’t have the luxury of going back for the Earhart. If there’s any chance it’s compromised, we’ll trigger its self-destruct remotely.”
He turned back to the tactical station, voice firm. “Set the Earhart to auto-destruct. Ops, confirm the countdown. We’ll deal with the fallout later.”
Hiro’s focus returned briefly to the Away Team, his tone softening just a fraction. “Take your rest and get to sickbay. Whatever happened down there, we need you back at full strength. Soon.”
Alena was shaking badly. She had a few cuts here and there, but she had come out of this ordeal with mainly mental scars. "Thank goodness we are alive", she muttered as she staggered to sickbay. It took some effort to even walk normally. The adrenaline was still coursing through her body. And now that she was out of danger, she felt fatigued. She was near the door to sickbay when she fell, completely out of energy. Her world went black.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Mirez stepped out of the turbolift, her usually composed demeanor still rattled by the away mission. Her sharp Benzite eyes immediately caught sight of Alena ahead, unsteady on her feet. Before Mirez could call out, Alena collapsed just outside Sickbay’s doors. “Alena!” Mirez gasped, rushing forward, her boots echoing in the corridor. Kneeling beside her crewmate, she quickly checked for a pulse, relief flooding her at the faint but steady beat. Tapping her combadge with a trembling hand, she called urgently, “Mirez to Sickbay! Medical emergency outside your doors!”
"I am right here," Lyras answered, as we was indeed close by. "Computer, site to site transport to sickbay. Four individuals." He was too exhausted to walk the remaining distance, and took frazzled to be of any use. "Activate EMH," he ordered before sinking down into the nearest seat
Abrasax made his way to his quarters, he was going to get checked out after his rest of a couple of hours. Once he lay down and close his eyes it was almost immediately that his subconscious pounced on his consciousness in the dreamworld. It placed him back in that forest made of fog, its branches swaying with unnatural movement. Abrasax looked around already in a scared state of mind, he was suddenly confronted with Euryale's face and she screamed. The strange living hair snake like things screamed the same way but moved about as if they were about to be launched off her head.
That's when Abrasax woke up in a sweat and called out a something between a scream and a shout. He looked around in his bedroom in a panic but soon was simply breahing heavy. He brought his hand to his head and sighed, in a few moments he just lay there with his eyes open. He stared at the ceiling trying not to think.
Lieutenant Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida
Acting CO Starbase 21
Lieutenant j.g. Lyras
CMO Copernicus
pnpc Peter
Lieutenant j.g. Abrasax
XO Copernicus/CSO DS21
Lieutenant J.G. Alena Alessa
Chief Counselor
Chief Diplomat
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