Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 8: South Side of the Sky
Scene 6: Wreckage
8.6
Wreckage
There was no power because of the vast power dampening field covering the entire mountain range, so the large rescue team from the Beagle Task Force had to use chemically powered glow torches to explore the interior of the second largest part of the wrecked space ship.
“Fairly primitive warp drive system, Captain,” reported 2nd. Lt. Emily Li. “My best estimate based on what we’ve found of the nacelles and the warp core is this ship was probably rated for warp 5 with a flank speed somewhat short of warp 6. But the EPS routing is really interesting…”
“War ship?” asked U.S. Marine Captain Osollaa sh’Zhiathis.
“I think so,” Li responded. “Heavy shielding around the warp core, lots of battery systems in-line to both the shield emitters and the particle beam weapons. More closely related to disruptors than phasers. From the spare parts, heavy duty disruptors. Probably fairly close in fire power to a Dominion Scarab-class patrol ship.”
“We were fortunate to bring along an engineer with a side-hustle in mountaineering,” observed Captain Skip Howard. “Well done, Lieutenant. Let’s rejoin the other group. It appears the ship broke largely in half. I think the part they went to investigate contains the bridge. Maybe we’ll find some evidence of the crew there.”
“There is evidence of crew here, sir,” reported Private First Class Sean Young. “It doesn’t look very hopeful. At least two crew members suffered extensive burns in the crash, enough to be fatal to any species I’m aware of. But their bodies have all been removed.”
As they stepped out of the broken engineering section, Howard, Li, Young, and sh’Zhiathis shut off their glow torches to conserve the chemical supply. The denobulan planetologist, Cetris Rye, and Sergeant Tammy Glick had been keeping watch outside. It was a rough 10-minute hike to rejoin the other group at the larger surviving part of the wreckage. PFC Elvin Washington and Ensign Tos th’Taabrit were standing watch outside.
Lt. Cmdr. Vranran zh’Kathar and 2nd Lt. Iov Pushkin were just emerging from this wreckage, followed by PFC Tim Cho.
“I’d say this ship was designed for battle, sir” zh’Kathar observed as Howard and his party walked up. “The layout of the bridge, weapons storage…” She brandished a rather nasty-looking particle-beam carbine of some sort. “Those…” she used the scavenged carbine to point at a large disruptor cannon hanging brokenly from its mount on the side of the ship. “There were 12 of those, and those were the smaller cannon. These people were armed to the teeth.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions about their culture,” Captain Howard advised. “They may simply have come from a rough neighborhood. Did you find any evidence of survivors?”
“Fairly good evidence of at least two casualties, lots of blood,” Pushkin reported. “But no bodies living or dead. Someone got into that bridge and carted them off.”
“How are you so certain of that, Lieutenant?” Captain sh’Zhiathis asked.
“We followed their trail into the bridge,” Pushkin replied. “Doorways were ripped open with something like a pry-bar to make room for something very large to get in there. Larger than this ship was designed to accommodate.” He pointed to the opening his group had emerged from. Metal plates appeared to have been peeled back like a banana peel. “Whoever these people were that retrieved these bodies, they were very large and able to exert a whole lot of torque.”
“Frost giants,” Howard opined. “There was some mention of them in the distress call. Or that’s how it got translated. I hope they’re friendlier than the frost giants from human mythology.”
“Frost giants?” exclaimed sh’Zhiathis and zh’Kathar in unison. Lt. Cmdr. zh’Kathar translated for Ensign Tos th’Taabrit.
“I certainly hope they’re not the frost giants from andorian mythology, either,” Captain sh’Zhiathis said.
“Well, if we’re going to do what we came to do and rescue these people, it looks like we’re going to find out,” Howard concluded. “The distress signal indicated a crew of 8. So if 2 died in the engine room and another 2 on the bridge, there could still be 4 survivors.”
8.6