Avan's Colony Pt.3
Posted on Tue Sep 23rd, 2025 @ 2:54am by Commander Rhupert Tyree & Commander Daynah Ral & Lieutenant Commander Richard Dalziel & Lieutenant Commander Zuub & Lieutenant Katya Davi & Lieutenant Aria Kanzaki & Lieutenant Amy Gordon
1,715 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
On the Trail
Location: Avan's Colony, Quatal Prime
Timeline: After Avan's Colony Pt. 2
Proctor Dreth led the visitors?… she wasn’t quite sure what to make of them. They seemed a clean cut lot for what she’d expect from a tramp freighter. But right now, that didn’t matter. She had dead and dying people and wasn’t exactly well herself. None of them were.
Her pace slowed by…whatever this was…steeled herself and touched the earring her mother had given her on her name day so long ago. She sent another mental prayer to the Prophets and then looked aside at the visitors.
As she stepped through another pair of open air locks and cleared her throat as they neared a work bay that appeared to be overloaded with projects, most of them in mid to mostly done completion. A tow headed blue eyed human, maybe in his early thirties wearing standard, if on the dirty side coveralls as he labored at a work station.
As the Proctor entered the work bay, she smiled fondly at the human and stepped over, laying a hand on his arm.
Startled, Bryan jerked then met Lenna’s eyes and his eyes widened as he saw there were others with her.
New…others. Bryan noted and then remembered. A freighter had said they were coming to help. He touched the spot just ahead of his Tragus, turning his comm off and the music he had streaming.
Glancing at the Adelaide’s crew she said, “This is Bryan Casteel, our Chief of maintenance, the Dreth introduced.
“Head of Maintenance,” Castle corrected easily, his tone kept light as he touched the spot ahead of the Tragus of his left ear to shut off the implanted comm, over which he’d been listening to music. “We don’t run in tribes and right now I’m pretty much ALL of the maintenance department.” This last was said with irony as he looked over the bay that had been his home for the past year and a half.
“Break down the situation for them, will you Bryan? Then we’ll see Nurse Weld.”
Licking his dry lips and running a sleeve at the sweat on his temple, Casteel said, “Yeah. Um. Sure. Well…The computer says things are fine. The best I can shake out of it is that the filters for the gas processors are past service life and are supposed to be replaced. Looking at that trouble, our sensors should be giving us a reading on whatever is making people sick. Something should be registering. It has to be the processors but…”
Dreth cut in, putting her hand back on Bryan’s shoulder and said, “Our backers found that this mine survived the attack by Jem'Hadar in late 2373. About eighteen months ago, we were able to get the power plant’s extracting Hydrogen from the atmosphere online. We reestablished the mine head and four months ago, were able to get the full processing rolling.”
As she spoke, the Proctor had pride in her voice, even as the coughing tried to take over. “The mine extracts Reslalt 853, which allows Hydrogen to process into Deuterium at a higher rate by creating an ionized metal quantum sieve that enriches the end product. There’s a good market for Deuterium in Cardassia and among others who use their technology.”
“Resalt takes some kid gloves to mess with, “Bryan picked back up. “The rock itself isn’t bad to handle, so we fixed the old fashioned rail line to push cars back and forth. The processors smelt the ore and crush it into a powder. Fairly simple and mostly automated, though we need to package and handle it by hand since the material is too dangerous to leave to automated systems. There were some early mishaps..”
“Only two,” the Proctor defended. “And those were from mistrusting old equipment. We just started shipping out. We’re using twenty-five year old Cardassian tech that had been modified by the Maquis. And we had no fatalities…until now.”
This last was said with a sigh. “We’ve lost four people to…whatever is affecting us.” Shaking off her grief, the Proctor said, “I don’t just don’t understand.”
Kat knew Richard and Zuub would be on top of that, so she asked the question most on her mind. "Have you heard from the miners or the team that went to help them?"
Aria pondered as she listened. Using old Cardassian equipment concerned her. The Cardassians were known to 'booby trap' their equipment to prevent it from being used by others. However, if they had been using it for this long, surely by now it would have activated. The only other problem that came to her mind was mechanic failure, unlike The Federation, Cardassian technology lacked the same durability especially if it was mass produced during The Dominion War.
Zuub's antennae leaned forward, waiting for an answer.
"No," the answer came from Casteel. "Last word from Deeb and his crew at the mine head was five days ago. Jidd and Salty derailed their car three days ago with the last contact from them thirty six hours ago. I've been working on a lug bug out of spare parts and it's almost kinda mostly done," the maintenance chief said, wiping tiredly at his face. "But Amalien...Proctor Dreth, excuse me. Doesn't know if sending more people with everything else going on is...advisable."
"People are sick," the Proctor said as firmly as she could muster. "Sending even more resources out with people who are struggling just doesn't seem advisable. I was hoping we would make headway somewhere.."
"And letting them die is unthinkable," Kat looked from Dreth to Casteel. "I'm a mechanic. Let me look at that lug bug. If I can cobble it together, I'll go after them myself." And if they didn't let her, she was tempted to find a way to go after them anyway.
Kat spoke what Zuub was thinking. Why in the world would anyone think that sentencing anyone to death was a viable solution?" She looked at the Proctor, her antennae falling towards the back of her head.
The Proctor took in the reactions from the newcomers and kept her calm. To her, they were buying in and that meant they would help. She opened her mouth to speak but the maintenance chief got there before her.
"That would be great," Casteel enthused. "The lug is over near the platform, just off of the processing plant. I can show you what I've done and maybe get fresh eyes on the life support system?" His voice lowered then and he colored, "I'm apparently not smart enough to figure out what might be making everyone sick."
Amalien shook her head at Casteel and said, "Not your fault, Bryan. I've told you that until I'm blue." Turning to the newcomers, she said, "Bryan can take whomever is willing to help us with the engineering problems while I take the others to meet Nurse Weld?"
Kat looked from the Proctor to Bryan, then indicated Richard. "We can have a look at the engineering problem, but I'm most interested in the lug. So, the sooner we can get started, the better."
Zuub waited. She wanted readings. If the life support system was not the issue, that meant it was something else that was likely more encompassing. But what and how? The sooner that the Proctor was gone and they could work, the better.
"I have a few ideas about how to repair the environmental systems, I'm ready to begin, when you are Mr. Casteel." (Richard) Alec said.
Amy spoke up "I'll go to medical as well, I would like to help out there. If you don't mind, Doctor?" looking towards Zuub. She was itching to go look through files and get information as to what was going on with those here.
Since their arrival Daynah thought that it was the time to listen and allow the crew to do what they did best. However, that had gotten them as far as it would. Now it was time for action. She looked at the team and decided that the tried and true method of dividing and conquering would be the best. She turned to Zuub first. "Doctor, take Agatha and see what you can learn about whatever is affecting these people. We can't rule out environmental. I will join you in a moment." She then turned toward the Security Chief. "Work with Casteel and see what can be done about their missing people. Kat you take Richard and address their engineering issues. We will reconvene here in two hours and compare notes. Any questions?"
Dreth kept quiet, recognizing the authority the Adelaide's XO was speaking with and knowing enough to let these outsiders get their impressions. Part of her though cringed slightly. That tone was one that was comfortable in its authority and equally was used to not having it questioned. These were freighter crew and passengers.
Right?
Kat had already decided she would go with Richard to find out what was wrong with the equipment, but she also knew that she needed to help repair the car to go help the miners. She had climbing skills that could be of use, as well has her knowledge of mechanics.
Agatha(Amy)gave a nod at what Daynah had said.
"I'm ready when you are Doctor and Proctor, time to get working." Agatha responded.
The Andorian headed to Amy and in her soft wispy voice replied, "It is. Let us see what we can see. I just need my medical tricorder...."
Amy gave a nod, and she figured that Zuub had her medical tricorder, either way, She was eager in getting to where they could find out what was making the people ill.
Tags
Agatha Smith
Information Gatherer/Orderly
SS Adelaide
Commander Daynah Ral
Executive Officer
Chief Science Officer
USS Valiant
Aboard the SS Adelaide
Lieutenant Commander Zuub
Chief Medical Officer
USS Valiant aboard the SS Adelaide
Katarina Diaz
AKA Katya Davi
Mechanic and Communications Specialist
SS Adelaide
Alec Trevelyan
AKA Richard Dalziel
Miracle Worker (Engineer)
SS Adelaide
Aria Kanzaki
AKA 'Holmes'
Chief of Security/Tactical
SS Adelaide
Amalien Dreth
Proctor
Mission NPC/rt
Avan's Colony
Bryan Casteel
Head of Maintenance
Mission NPC/rt
Avan's Colony
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