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Kasta Riap

Officer's History Log

...sometime before the launch of the USS Comanche Creek. Security Clearance (SECLAR) level 7...

 

 

It felt like home. Granted, Kasta Riap grew up on an ice sheet with a 2 year winter. So overall this little ice rock in Klingon territory wasn't all that bad. His homeworld actually was just a mere 5 lightyears away, just across the boarder so even the stars lay in somewhat familiar shapes. When you could see the stars. At the moment a heavy snow was falling and the evening sky was shielded from sight. His partner was equally comfortable, being an Andorian. Their Vulcan superior officer however spent most of her time down inside the ice cave they called home. Thakara took no end in the delight of ribbing the Vulcan of her poor luck with such an assignment. Sotova took it with a normal Vulcan stoicism. Kasta understood even if they were better conditioned for this environment they both were mere Ensigns at the moment and the Vulcan had the experience to get them home alive. Thakara would eventually agree, dieing on your first Intel assignment never looked good when promotions came around.

 

Their assignment at the moment was observing and cataloging the prisoners being taken to the Klingon gulag situated underground. As each new batch of convicts would arrive they would look for missing Federation citizens, known allies and informants within the Empire, and anyone else of "interest". Kasta and Thakara would peer out of the snow hidden lavvu [type of low tent or tipi] and photograph the inmates from a distance and Sotova would pull details from each picture and search for familiar faces almost from memory. Their commanding officer had dubbed them the "Ah"-Team, some reference tyeing the ending of each of their names with a mythological Terran saga. Being the sole human in the group Kasta still missed the reference but did agree they made an effective team.

 

And the latest group of the damned were just coming into view through the thick snowfall.

 

"Small group today." Kasta whispered. "I count three inmates, 2 guards. Oh, look... "Stumpy" is back on guard duty."

 

Thakara frowned, "I sure was hoping that Targ bite would of taken him out."

 

Kasta snapped a few pictures then zoomed in on the faces of the inmates as they stood listening to the always long winded speech of the prison warden. He could make out one Klingon, what might have been a Hastian or Trigoth, and a humanoid of some type.

 

"Is that human....smiling?"

 

Thakara focused in."Yeah, he must be mad or hasn't a clue what's in store for him."

 

As they both looked on, the figure turned his gaze skyward letting the wind whip back the hood of his ragged cloak. "It's a Vulcan!" Thakara blurted out, distance and the howling wind saving them from being spotted.

 

"Are you sure about that? I've never seen a tattooed Vulcan before. Or a smiling one for that matter."

 

"What is he looking at?"

 

"The sky for the last time probably. Come on, they're taking them down. Let's see what Sotova has to say about this."

 

 

Little under an hour later the three were in the cave that was home. Kasta sat cross legged on a rock ledge covered in blankets that served as his bed, with his back against the wall. Sotova leaned over the table with the photo images spread out across it. Several cloaks were wrapped around herself and the heater set right at her feet. Thakara wasn't doing much sitting, standing every few minutes to pace the floor while impatiently waiting on the Vulcan.

 

Finally, "I believe he may be Romulan."

 

Thakara stopped instantly in his tracks.

 

"Besides the Kelvin Incident they've been out of sight for a hundred years." Kasta said. "What's one doing out here?"

 

"Are you sure he's a Romulan?" Thakara added.

 

"The emotion he openly showed would indicate he is not Vulcan. Also, the facial decorations match those of the other Romulan prisoners held here."

 

The two ensigns exchanged puzzled looks. The Andorian beating the Human to the next blunt question, "What?!"

 

"That data is SECLAR 6 but it may become mission sensitive in the near future. An inside source indicated a group of Romulans were being held here. The tattoos this one wears matches the description given of the others. The data reliability was set at Class E but it seems that may need to be reevaluated."

 

"Do you think he'll be a target for extraction?" Kasta's question brought a smile to the eager lips of his Andorian friend.

 

"I do not know. Commander Briant's original briefing on this matter made it clear there was additional data outside of my own security clearance. We will have to wait for our next communications window for further orders." She looked at Kasta then Thakara, "But make preparations in the event we are cleared for such a mission."

 

The two ensigns barely had time to exchange a smile before a low rumble shook ice and dust down from the cave ceiling. In a flash all three were moving towards the cave mouth as the ground rumbled again. Emerging into the now clear night a green streak could be seen in the heavens moving quickly towards the prison camps location. This one smashed through the planetary shielding and impacted hard against the localized shields of the prison camp. The rising cloud of steam and dust indicated those shields too had been broken by something of incredible power.

 

Looking skyward they saw nothing except what seemed to be a looming dark shape only making itself known as it blocked the stars behind. A red line shot across the sky towards the undefined shape and as the photon torpedo exploded a monstrous ship burst into view. Large slowly curving spikes extended forward on the craft. It turned with freighting speed for it's mass, opening up fire on it's tiny attacker. Large explosions indicated at least 4 craft were just destroyed.

 

Sotova opened her tricorder while Kasta and Thakara began scanning the skies with their binoculars. "I'm picking up what is probably transporter beams inside the prison. I can not make any scans of that ship."

 

"I see a group of 5 Klingon ships closing in." said Thakara.

 

"Ten more just warped in." Kasta added.

 

The battle above cast flashing shadows of red and green across the planets surface. One after another the Klingon ships exploded and ripped apart like flaming roses in bloom. More and more the heavens were raining down silver streaks as the wreckage burned in reentry towards the planet. Finally the horrific meteor shower was all that remained of what they counted as 47 Klingon ships, butchered within an hours time. The great dark shadow again only visible from the stars it hide until with a sudden flash it warped away and was gone.

 

They sent a direct message towards Federation space, coded to sound like a Klingon signal explaining what had happened. Their own low band signal requesting extraction went unanswered. It would be three weeks before the merchant ship that slipped them supplies was allowed back into the area and was able to deliver them home. Not until then did they know what had fully happened. Somehow though, Sotova knew. Vulcan was gone.

 

They were all awarded for their actions but as usual in Intel work the medals would never be seen. The commendations would never appear on most transcripts. Their footnote in history would be filed away.

 

The one tangible award was the open choice of their next assignments. Sotova retired from service though and joined what remained of her people. Thakara asked for the first assignment he could get and vanished back into the dark world of Starfleet Intel. Kasta took a week's leave to his homeworld to ponder what to do now.

 

After a few small assignments he took advantage of the situation. He now stood looking out a viewport, sipping champaign, and smiling as the lights of the USS Comanche Creek flashed on brilliantly, the stars beyond waiting for them.

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Nice to see Rura Penthe (?) get some screen time here in this story. Very nice Intelligence gathering log Lieutenant.

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