“In the Heart of Darkness”
Stardate
75057.5; January 22, 2398
Episode 74
Written by Chris
Adamek
Chapter Twelve
CAPTAIN’S LOG,
STARDATE 75057.5: Two weeks have
passed since Erin Keller’s death. Though
there have been no further hostilities against the crew, everyone is on
edge. Life aboard the Starlight
has gone from simply unpleasant to nearly unbearable—and with no apparent
evidence left behind, the investigation into the attacks has gone virtually
nowhere.
Meanwhile, after weeks of travel, the
fleet is finally approaching the Navarre Cluster to restock dwindling food and
energy reserves. Thankfully, the Starlight remains in reasonably good
condition, and does not presently require much in the way of food or energy
reserves. Thus, I hope to spend most of
our time on Navarre in search of additions to our fragile alliance.
* * *
“We are
approaching Navarre.”
Upon hearing
those crisp words fall from Neelar Drayge’s mouth, Alan Christopher vacated the
warmth of his command chair and approached the Bolian at the helm. “It’s about time,” he softly stated. Two weeks at low warp was hardly
Christopher’s idea of a good time—especially with so many unpleasant issues
milling about the ship. Plagued with
hours of down time, Christopher quickly found those unpleasant issues lingering
like unwanted guests. “Drop out of
warp.”
Drayge’s deft
fingers immediately fell upon the helm controls, and moments later, the stars
on the viewscreen gracefully streaked into tiny points of shimmering
light. After a few seconds, the earthy
brown hues of the planet Navarre eclipsed the scintillating starfield. It was hardly the most exotic planet
Christopher had ever beheld—but he wasn’t the tour guide…
“Assume a
standard orbit,” Harrison ordered a scant second later. He, too, rose from his chair and slowly
crept to Christopher’s side. As they
exchanged glances, Christopher detected a glint of concern in Matthew’s eye,
but the thought was interrupted before he had a chance to vocalize his
concerns.
“The strong
get first dibs!” General Kron’s
voice suddenly thundered across the bridge, catching Christopher off
guard. His pulse quickened, and his
head snapped back to the viewscreen just in time to see the slovenly General flash
his rotted teeth. “Once we are
through collecting our resources, the rest of you may beam to the surface to
take what is left.” And just as
quickly as he appeared, Kron signed off, his lumpy reptilian face promptly
replaced by Navarre’s uninviting brown terrain.
“We have
received a transmission from Commander Bruton’s ship,” Bator announced amidst a
series of computer bleeps. “We have
been given clearance to join General Kron’s group on the surface.”
Harrison
produced a faint smile. “Is there anything
down there worthy of our attention?” he inquired. In tandem with Christopher, Harrison turned his attention to
Kendall Johnson at ops.
“I… I can’t
really tell,” Johnson replied, shaking his head indolently. “There are vast pockets of condensed lazon
beneath the surface. It’s interfering
with sensors.”
“Naturally,”
sighed Christopher. “Then I suppose
there’s only one way to know for certain…”
Five minutes
later, a gentle swirl of azure light deposited Alan Christopher and his away
team on the surface. From orbit,
Christopher was could tell that Navarre was no paradise—but it was not until he
stood upon the rugged terrain did he realize the span of the gloom…
Navarre was a
dead world. Brownish-black rock
sprawled endlessly across the craggy terrain, unrelenting in its desolate
scope. If the resources Kron promised
existed, Christopher could not fathom where they might be, for the planet
Navarre appeared completely and utterly devoid of value…