"TheAbandonPower Plant"

[Anari Erias 0]

Joint Log Entry

Planet Side Risa

Power Plant Alpha-5

By Kestra And Anari

SD 0505.14

 

 

 

Anari and Kestra made their way through the streets of Risa towards the nearest power plant station. As they moved away from the resort areas, they found themselves alone. Anari looked at Kestra. "Reminds me of ghost towns."

Kestra shook her head in disbelief. "Just a couple of days ago people were everywhere. Everything was perfect."

 

Anari looked around and nodded. "I'll take your word for it, I never visited here in my life time. How long have you been transported here?"

 

"I arrived here about a week ago. It’s my first time being here, but I was so anxious about being posted to the Arcadia that I didn’t really enjoy Risa." She stopped and leaned down to clear some debris blocking their path. Anari stooped down to help. "Ah, well, let me the first to say 'welcome aboard' as soon as we find a ship for ya." Anari tried to make light of everything in spite of what had transpired. Of course it wasn't working. "Bad joke."

 

Kestra didn’t know how to respond. "So how long have you been on board the Arcadia?” She moved to the left. “We need to head this way," she added, glancing at her open tricorder.

Anari followed. The power plant building was just ahead a few meters, its surface battered and dusty with age. She felt strange also, remembering suddenly and vividly her long leave of absence, her former mentor being ill and of Starfleet’s science section's messy investigations. "I've been aboard the ship for around 8 months; I took a leave of absence after that and returned a few months ago. Then she was destroyed ..."

 

Kestra couldn't imagine what Anari was feeling right now. The Arcadia had never been “her ship.”

 

The uncomfortable silence was broken when they arrived at the entrance of the building and walked inside. The building had been humming with activity when Kestra had seen it just two days ago. Now as they entered, she saw lights flickering on control panels in an attempt to get the attention of people who weren't around. Anari and Kestra made their way to the equipments locker. "Looks like people left in a hurry. I wouldn't be surprised."

 

Anari picked up a sealed power cell and examined it while Kestra scanned it with her tricorder. She nodded to Anari. "This one's still good. We're going to need more than that though. If we don't find what we need in the lockers, we may have to start stripping panels."

 

Anari had no choice but to agree. "I think we will probably have to reverse engineer this entire section." They set to work searching for more power cells, plasma relays, transmitters and frequency modulators. Kestra winced with every component she pulled out. Some other engineer had logged hours on the careful maintenance of these systems. And here she was, destroying their work. After awhile, she looked over at the supplies they had gathered and ran through the components in her mind.

 

"I think we've gotten pretty much what we can from this power station," she called out to Anari.

 

Anari bagged the components into a duffle bag that she had found in the supply closet and went back to the console where Kestra was working. "I think so. Now we wait for the guys to get transportation and we'll be on our way to a communications relay. I hope you're feeling better; its not a nice feeling to know that the ship you applied for just blew up and you have no idea what is going on .... " She sighs.

 

"The universe is not a safe place." Anari sat down and placed her head into he lap.

Kestra tried to lighten the mood. "They left this out at the Academy," she joked. Then she sighed and sat down next to Anari. "I've seen wounded people before. Practically everyone in my family is in the medical field; I've grown up around it. But everything here on Risa … nothing felt real. When it all started happening I felt like I was in one of the simulations at the Academy." She got quiet. "I didn't know it would be like this."

 

"In real life, every one is required to face all possibilities. In the academy it always had been simulations. This is real." Anari coughed. "This is really real."

She raised her head. "I hear movement; I think the guys are back." She stood up and held her hand to Kestra. "Welcome aboard, nice to meet you."

 

Kestra rose and returned the handshake. This was only her first day with the Arcadia. She couldn't even imagine what the rest of her assignment would be like.