Home Coming

Posted on Wed Nov 4th, 2020 @ 6:45am by Captain Remas McDonald & Lieutenant Commander Shadi Zatra & Lieutenant Dinui Locke (loch) & Innocent Bystander

1,606 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: S2:1: Good Will Gunboat Tour
Location: The City Of Brass, Inner Ring, Beach
Timeline: MD27 14.00

Remas's boot's materialised just above the sand, and he felt the minuscule lurch in his stomach that always accompanied a transporter cycle. The air was clean, scented with a slight catch of salt and the myriad aromas of the jungle lining the beach.

To his sides, the rest of the command team materialised, as did Mazarian. The native Casstauilli took in a deep lungful of air, the hood of his serpentine head and neck flaring in what Remas assumed was something of a languid stretch.

"Glad to be home?" Remas asked.

"More so than you could possibly imagine," Mazarian said pleasantly, his long body writhing slightly against the sand.

Further conversation was curtailed as a whine filled the air. From above the tree canopy, a trio of waspish looking fliers soared, their wide wings fluttering fast enough that the machines were able to hover like dragonflies. Weapon's pods on either side of their fuselage and under their noses hummed to life as they spread out, surrounding the Starfleet vessel floating above the lake. A larger flier, this was supported by four sets of wings, turned sideway as it came over the tree's, and settled onto its landing gear with it's flank to the Starfleet crew.

Not a grain of sand or strand of hair was mussed by machines landing. After a moment the gossamer blade-like wings stilled for a second and then retracted back into the hull with an audible crack of air.

"Is this to be expected?" Remas asked, as the flank of the large flying machine began to unfold revealing a passenger compartment.

"Something like it," Mazarian said softly as a trio of Casstauilli slithered from the craft. Snake-like in body like mazarian, their lower two pairs of limbs aid in movement whilst the upper arms held what were unmistakenly weapons. Long almost musket like in appearance, though with the tapered tips and power sliders of energy weapons. Their brass coloured armour looked light and ineffectual, but then again the engineering that could build a small moon of moving parts was not science to be taken lightly.

"I am Mazarian, a noble of the 8th Ring of the City of Brass, and former envoy to the Myriad returned with agents free of their corrupting influence," Mazarian said, slithering forward as the trio of guards held their rifles not quite pointed away from the Fleeters. "These worthies are not of our Cluster of stars, but hail from the Galaxy they call home."

And still...nothing.

Sensing the gravitas of the moment, Shadi stepped forward and cleared her throat with a hiss. "I am Shadi Zatra, Daughter-spawn of the Ragolar Brood and champion of my generation's Ravaging, Cleric Third Class in the Warrior Code of the Blood Goddess, and consort to Mazarian for whom I have born offspring." Her lizard face spread wide in a proud grin. "You may now lavisssh me with due honors."

"And I am Viscountess Eacles, of the 2nd Ring, and a Captain in the Royal Gaurd," a new voice spoke up from the transport. A new Casstauilli slithered out from the flier, this one in a helm and armoured vest made of irradiance scales of verdant green. Where Mazarian's scales were red with golden stripes, Eacles' were blue and silver. She reached up with a slender hand and took the helmet from her head, tucking it under one arm.

And with the other, held up a smaller one hand version of the weapon the other soldiers were holding.

"And until proven otherwise, you are guests without standing of the City of Brass, and shall be detained until the true nature of your admission is attested," she said clearly. And then those dark eyes locked onto Shadi. "Are those honours suitable to you, third rate?"

The large eyes native to Saurians narrowed to slits on Shadi's face. "Eaclesss..." she hissed.

Images flooded Shadi's mind of lunging forward, slitting open the whorish captain's veins, snapping apart her spine with fierce jaws, bathing in the cascading flow of...

Shadi shook her head to clear away the bloodlust. A glance to Mazarian who pointedly avoided eye contact showed no help there. Looking back to Eacles, Shadi met her stare. "So long as any dishonor may be remedied in due course," she spat. "Don't think your armed guards will stop me from skull-fucking your face into that port warp nacelle--" She pointed a claw back at the Traveller. "--so mind your mannersss."

"Such vulgar venom from the fangs of one such as you, it's a small miracle you ever know what manners are," Eacles hissed. "But you'll stay there. Maser fire might not be a gracious weapon, but it'll do in a pinch if you step out of line."

"I think-"

"Perhaps-"

Both Mazarian and Remas spoke at once, before they looked at each other and Mazarian deferred to the Starfleet captain.

"Perhaps if we just took a step back from the breach," Remas said soothingly. "I am Captain Remas McDonald of the Federation starship Traveller. We are here as part of an ongoing mission of exploration within Messier 4."

"Part of the Long Jump Project?" Eacles asked, not taking her eyes from Shadi. "We're a small cluster of stars by your galactic standards. Even here, news has reached us of the new presence growing at the spiral side of the cluster."

Quietly he'd stood, internally processing all this new viable data. The Traveller's crew and their mode of individual transportation. The silica-based ground surface beneath his feet. Those chloropyll-driven lifeforms beyond the silica's visible delineation, life represented in multiple shades of light evoked by a dominant wavelength of roughly 495-570nm. He'd watched Mazarian react, listened to Remas' words and then been captivated by what seemed to be insectile life, but turned out to be vehicular in nature.

More Casstaulli emerged and Bystander seemed to lock up tighter within himself, his face marginally paler as it adopted a holding pattern expression somewhere between confused and terrified. Whatever he was occupied with, it clearly wasn't a fond memory and he continued to process internally while the two females verbally clashed.

"I am not without standing," Bystander said, finally, his voice gently certain. "I am not a guest. I am not part of a Jump Project. I remember..." What did he remember? He pushed hard, down into data-bound memories that were traumatic, fuzzy and incomplete. "Before," he clarified. "Before the Rings."

"You surround yourself with strange company," Eacles said, eyeing Bystander guardedly whilst keeping the maser pistol aimed at Shadi. "In a moment we will know if you are Myriad spies, or are truthful to your words."

"Maybe we should arrest you in case you're a traitor to... to... the Brass!" Shadi said, struggling for the proper nouns that would make her case. Looking to Mazarian, she added, "Are all your royal people this ssstupid?"

Jolani could not believe what she was hearing. Was Shadi really this stupid? Why was the Captain not intervening. She was not a diplomat and normally, she might not care but this was absurd. Anyone that threatened her ship was someone that she might have to do something about so she continue to fly free. But what could she do?

"We were promised a joyousss welcome!" Shadi went on, hands waving indignantly. "Celebration! Adoration! And now thisss!"

Remas walked up and placed a hand on Shadi's shoulder.

"Its to be expected. They've been under a clandestine siege for centuries, it would only behold them have an overabundance of caution. We're here to make friends," Remas stressed. He then looked up the beach to Eacles. "I assume you're performing some sort of scan to determine our credentials?"

"Correct," she said, glancing down to a holographic cuff around her wrist that flicked with data. "Apart from a strange programmable matter construct suffusing your vessel, you are as you appear to be. The genetic diversity of your crew alone marks you out as non-native fauna."

She lowered her maser pistol, and the other's did the same.

"If you'll follow me, we'll take you to meet the Arch Duchess. Mazarian, you'll accompany the guards to City Command to be debriefed," Eacles said before looking acidly at Shadi. "Unless the Pet needs coddling."

Dinui was at a loss for words, as things had progressed so quickly and narrowly missed becoming violent because of obvious tensions. She shook her head softly, "Our pets be on the ship. We didna want t' offer trouble when tryin' to be friendly wi' ye." she said lightly in tones that she hoped were calm she did not enjoy being threatened nor did she like the implications that was thrown out. This place was beautiful and under other conditions she would have relished exploring and making new discoveries. As it was she was planning to stay close to the team and only once she was certain they were not going to be tricked or fired upon would she broach the subject of exploring.

Jolani sidled up to Dinui and whispered, "They're talking about our Saurian's misbehavior."

Dinui nodded her head, "Aye still crew stick together." she whispered in reply, the crew only had each other among a few allies they had gathered. This far from home and likely finding more trouble then they ever imagined. Showing a bit of solidarity wouldn't hurt over much in her opinion.

"Agreed," Remas said with a look out of the corner of his eye at Jolani. He then looked at Eacles and raised his voice. "Then we follow you. This is the reason we have travelled so far."

 

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