Capernum: Internal Combustion Pt.1

Posted on Tue Aug 26th, 2025 @ 2:11am by Captain Taavis {SF/Meji Intel} {Meji} & Lieutenant Commander Sheyla {MD} & Captain Sean Loewen {Meji} & Lieutenant Griffon Resch & Lieutenant JG Jynxza Dahl {Meji} {AKA: Toots} & Lieutenant JG Ken Kudo {Meji} & Lieutenant JG T'Pri

Mission: The Inner Flame
Location: USS Capernum
Timeline: Current

ON:

Commander Loewen sat in the center seat as he was going over duty reports. Captain Taavis was down on deck five seeing to a plasma manifold issue that a team of engineers was looking into. With Capernum nearing the star system of interest, BXN-553, she had left Sean in command to oversee the drop from warp. The Alpha crew was on the Bridge and monitoring their stations as per usual, with nothing but ship business to report every once in a while.

Lieutenant JG Jynxza Dahl spoke up from Helm/FC. "Approaching BXN-553, Number One."

Loewen lifted his eyes up to the viewport, his legs crossed at the thigh as the PADD rested on one for his reading. "Make the call, Toots. When we're within proper parameters for sublight, make it happen." Sean had used the nickname that the Captain had used for Jynxza earlier in the day. It made everyone on the Bridge, aside from T'Pri, grin to themselves. It was a fitting nickname considering the woman was an extrovert and seemed full of endless exuberance.

"Will do, Exec," Jynxza responded.

Sean looked over to the last station on the starboard side of the Bridge, the Comm station as well as an extra station for Loewen and others to use when a comm officer was not occupying it. A Security officer, trained in Tactical, of course. However, today, the station was being used by Commander Sheyla. "How are we doing, Sheyla? Any new data from, or about, BXN-553?"

The Andorian woman shifted a turn in her chair to be able to look over at the XO. "A few minor details. First, they have given the system and colony world an actual name. Bexan is the system and, Bexan III is the planet. Also, they have sent us an odd report."

That got Resch's attention, so he half turned to look over at Sheyla.

"Odd?" Loewen asked. "Odd how?"

"Apparently there are large, airborne reptiles that are a natural part of the wildlife. Large beasts, according to details, roughly the size of a runabout." Sheyla's antennae were moving about but not in an excited way. They detected vibrations and frequencies that most others could not, and even gave information regarding changes in air currents. Even subtle changes in air molecules that would mean something or someone was moving around nearby. Good to have in dark places, and also on snow covered plains like Andoria. Several predator species did co-exist with the Andorians and Aenar, and the antennae had grown as an evolutionary advantage.

"Are there any..." Loewen went to say but was cut off.

Dahl interrupted to make her announcement. "Securing from warp, Commander. We have reached the coordinates."

"Thank you, Miss Dahl." Loewen said, switching to command directives before returning to his line of inquiry about the beasts. "Bring us to all stop and remain at station keeping." Those orders given, Sean tapped his badge. "Loewen to Captain."

The voice of the Captain came through. "Taavis, here. Go ahead, Number One."

"Captain," said Loewen. "We've arrived just outside the system. Ship is at all stop and station keeping."

"Good to hear, Sean." Taavis said, her voice giving a hint of distraction. "Remain as we are. I'll be up in a few minutes after we run some checks."

"Aye, Captain. Loewen, out." The transmission ended so Sean's eyes went back to Sheyla, who had remained looking at him. "Now, back to my question. Are there any images of these beasts we can look at?"

Sheyla turned her head to tap at her console with her right hand, then motioned to the viewport where the viewscreen overlay came up. "There we are."

An image of very familiar animal came up, one from Earth myths. It was a still photo but there was no mistaking a beast that looked like a dragon, although much smaller than most Earth fantasy writing depicted. "Yeah, that's a dragon," Sean said, not able to keep the grin off his face at what he was seeing.

Resch, having spun to face the screen from his side of the Bridge, spoke up at that. "I don't think so, Commander. It is similar but if I had to guess I'd say it's more like a Wyvern." Getting to his feet, Griffon went over and stood next to the image, his left hand pointing out particulars. "The front legs are a part of its wings, with a mandible-style claw to aid in grasping. Two large, powerful back legs for grasping prey and shredding it with the talons. Scaled armor over most of the body and, as you can see, an inordinate amount of spines and spikes for defense. Plus," his final pointing was to the tail and the end of it. "Wyvern have a stinger. A volatile toxin they are immune too. The sting is used to subdue prey that puts up a better fight, or is too big to lift into the air."

Sheyla, not unfamiliar with Earth mythological creatures, gave a slight rolling of the eyes. "In other words, a different version of a dragon. Tell us, Mister Resch, where did all your knowledge come from." Every eye on the Bridge was now on the Security Chief, their eyes full of mirth and some officers even grinning.

Instead of being embarrassed, Griffon looked around with complete confidence. "I have a Dungeons & Dragons program for the holodeck. Space travel gets boring." He gave a casual shrug before he returned to his chair.

Out of nowhere the USS Capernum vibrated, the entire ship, and when it ended the red alert klaxon began to sound. Loewen reacted to it. "Weapons and defense, now!" He spun to look over at Science. "T'Pri, what hit us?"

"Nothing, Commander." T'Pri informed him in her logical, calm way. "The issue is internal. A plasma manifold on deck five has exploded and caused serious damage to several sections. It blew holes above and below, with Deck 4 and 6 being open to the epicenter..." She paused, holding the earpiece to her ear better, then her eyes shifted to Sean. "There are bodies scattered around the area, with Captain Taavis and Lieutenant Kudo being among them."

"Shit!" Loewen got to his feet. "Mister Resch, have Security aid with damage control and body recovery. Commander Sheyla, take the conn, I'm going down there." He sprinted into the port lift.

***

Taavis and Kudo stood together in the maintenance space hidden behind the standard corridor walls. To their left was the manifold that was having issues. There were two officer kneeling right in front of the manifold then, two meters away were Taavis and Kudo, in that order. Beyond the two kneeling officers, one in blue and one in gold, were two more officers to their left, the other side of the manifold. Kudo, with his trained engineering ear, could hear the manifold giving a low yield whine to give away that it needed some care. Everyone was working to re-route the plasma flow so they could shut down the manifold to work on it. With no lead up the manifolds whine went very loud very quickly and got even more persistent. Ken knew that sound all too well from his training sessions at the Academy. "Everybody out, now! Move!" Grabbing the Captain's right shoulder, a handful of uniform, Kudo pulled her with him and took two paces to reach the thinner wall-standing hatch leading to the outer corridor. He hit the release, the door opened, BOOM!

Both Taavis and Kudo were shot out of the hatch, with Taavis getting the full brunt of the explosion and shrapnel as they were tossed out. The wall with the door bowed and some of it blew apart, overtaking two crew who had been walking down the hall to go to lunch. The shrapnel and explosive force killed them both instantly. Ken and Taavis had both been knocked unconscious as they impacted the far wall, a brief brown-out of the brain.

Laying there on her back, stunned, Taavis's eyes tried to flutter open. Only the right eye seemed to agree to do what she wanted, there was no vision in her left eye, that side of her vision now inky black. Trying to roll left produced agonizing pain, and even calling on her Vulcan discipline failed to reduce it enough to function accordingly. The Force was telling her that her body was severely wounded and her skin was on fire along her entire left side. Instinct was telling her she was in dire shape. Since rolling left to get on her belly was not an option, Taavis rolled right, this time doing so, but again, there was extreme pain in the action. She got onto her belly, feeling her left arm and left leg flopping around useless, the arm giving a grinding internally which told her the entire arm and leg had been shattered, shredded, and slaked with plasma. Taavis hacked and coughed at the acrid smoke in the corridor even with the ventilators running full power, and as she coughed she had to spit up fluid from her throat. Looking at the fluid as she spat it out, Taavis saw it was her own green blood.

Her vision was fading in and out from blurry to clear, and there was no sound she could hear as her ears had been buffeted by the concussive force. Looking around as best she could, Taavis saw Judo lying on his back, his own left side up against the wall. He had plasma burns on his left shoulder, and from what she could tell, his uniform was plasma burned on his back. His head and neck seemed fine. He was not moving. "One last thing to do," Taavis said to herself, not able to hear it but could feel the vibration in her throat. Using her right arm, the forearm, she began to push with her right foot and get herself sliding forward towards Kudo. As she went, Taavis could see people running in to help even as her hearing began to come back. Two females stopped and covered their mouths and then looked away in horror. They had been looking at her even as she crawled to Ken. Taavis began to feel herself losing consciousness again, and her heart was going into AFIB as she knew her blood pressure was dropping to dangerous levels due to loss of blood. No matter. Getting to Kudo, her breathing now starting to come in rapid breaths as organs began to shut down at the loss of blood. Reaching out Taavis placed her fingertips on the side of Kudo's head, hoping he was still alive, and said one word. "Remember." Once that last thing had been accomplished, Taavis gave herself over to the darkness. Her head fell forward like a ten pound weight, her face impacting the floor as her body gave out.

***

Loewen shot out of the lift as he arrived at Deck 5, sprinting down the hallway. He could smell the smoke and chemicals from the plasma manifold but did not care. Rounding the bend he saw the bodies scattered about, the plasma fires still alight as crew were trying to put them out. A green smear ran along the floor and as his eyes followed it they came to rest on the back of Taavis, face down, one arm on Kudo's shoulder. Her left leg was a tattered mess of flesh and a part of it was missing from the knee down. Hence, the green blood where she had crawled to her officer. The left arm was rubbery, bending in places where it should not, her body covered in plasma burns over 60% of her body. Running in and getting to his knees, Loewen rolled Taavis over and pulled her up enough to lean her torso against his and lean back on his thighs. She flopped like a corpse, and she was dead weight. Shrapnel had tore through her left eye and lodged there, her face smeared with green blood. "Captain! Captain!" Loewen did not dare shake her, so he felt for her pulse. There was none. The other indicator was her right eye, still open, staring up at nothing. Sean squeezed his eyes shut, drawing on his own self control and the Force to not break out in tears. As of now, the crew needed him. He had to be strong for them, to assuage their fears and doubts that would surely come.

Easing Taavis onto her back, Loewen left her to lie in peace. Standing up and turning around he made his way back to the lift and entered. It was time to inform the crew.

OFF:

TBC...