" Out of the Shadows "
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Setting: USS HATHOR, Bridge
Stardate: 62231.1128
The young woman slowly stepped onto the darkened command deck of the ship and allowed for a lengthy sigh to escape from her dried lips. The lack of lighting and the power-down settings of the ship had been all the indication the redheaded CO had required to know that she had been the first and only to return onboard.
"Computer… status report," Rikar hesitantly ordered as she did her best to keep her fears in check that the computer system had somehow become inoperative over the many months that it had been left alone and unattended.
=/\= Primary power systems operating at 20%... Cloaking device operating at minimum output… Life support systems operating at minimum settings… Tactical systems are offline… Sensors are offline… Communications array is offline… Navigation and propulsion systems are at orbital station keeping,=/\= the computer replied, the scratchy mechanical tone indicated that the required maintenance had long been overdue.
As Rikar sat into her seat in the center of the bridge, the young woman let out a faint sigh of relief… at least the ship had been in better shape than she had feared. The only question that remained was how had the rest of her crew coped during the last 280 days of their mission?
"Captain's log… Stardate 62231.1129," the redhead CO began after she pressed one of the controls on the armchair. "Where do I begin?" she sighed almost on the verge of tears, the bottled emotions having threatened to emerge all at once. "The crew beamed down to the planet surface about 280 days ago according to the ship's internal clock… and that's when things started to go wrong… really wrong. I have not been able to make contact with anyone else and can only hope that their training and skills have enabled them to survive this far. At this point all I can do is try to bring some of the HATHOR's systems back online… namely the communications' array and hope that someone will try to contact the ship. I am not yet ready to attempt contacting the rest of the crew for fear of giving away their presence or worst to reveal the presence of the HATHOR to the local authorities. The cloaking device is active but barely working and I am not certain that it would be able to deflect any serious search for it," the CO stated before she paused and glanced around the shadow- filled vacant bridge. "I need some time to think," Rikar continued the pain of her ordeals suffered over the last 280 days clearly audible in her voice. "I'm going to take a shower."
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The lights had been kept off to save energy but the young woman had decided that she had earned the right to indulge in a well overdue sonic shower. Although set to its gentlest setting the CO still cringed every once in a while as the sonic waves came in contact with some of the more bruised parts of her now fully exposed form, her rip, torn and mud-covered uniform laying in the middle of the main room's floor.
Memories and emotions came rushing into the young woman's head, easily breaking down whatever had remained of her strength. Soon the crimson haired CO found herself on the floor of the sonic shower, the echoes of her cries filling the emptiness of the HATHOR. What had happened to her crew? What had happened to the other members of her crew? Had Rikar been the only one to survive the cruelty of the world below? If so what would she do next? What *could* she do next?
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"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the Darkness and the Light" 2008 post #001
Setting: USS HATHOR, CO's Quarters
Stardate: 62231.1145
Sabrina Jones
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
-Entilza Delenn, Babylon 5
