Backlog - Occurs Roughly Eight Months Ago
Captain Zane Akina, a ranking Starfleet Intelligence Officer/Operative, is
investigating a series of unusual events on the Astate Colony. His
investigations revolve around the suspicious deaths of two Starfleet
Intelligence officers assigned to Astate, as well as an attempt on his own
life by unknown assailants who were after how much information he knew about
a specific, but unknown, subject. What information his assailants were
after and who sent them remains a mystery to the Captain and thus his search
continues for answers. His investigations have led him to a small
unpopulated island chain in the planet's southern hemisphere.
Astate Colony
Unpopulated Jungle Island Chain
"Into The Darkness"
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His tricorder in his hand beeped furiously as he pushed his way through the
dense jungle bushes of the deserted island. Captain Zane Akina stopped
looking at his readings. This was the spot. His recent analysis of a
Starfleet Intelligence outpost had provided him with valuable information.
Someone had been scanning this area again and again, but the results were
all negative. Someone with high grade intelligence authority had ordered an
orbiting satellite, in orbit to monitor Romulan activities on the far side
of the planet, into a different orbit in order to keep a closer watch on
Starfleet movements at key facilities and spaceports with a particular focus
on this island and this very spot.
Wiping his forehead, sweat dripped from his face in the high humidity of the
tropical jungle. The area he found himself in was surrounded by dense
jungle, brush, trees, vines, and the valley was enclosed on three sides by
tall rocky walls. At the bottom of the valley was a small river that was
spring fed which ran nearby providing a source of fresh water.
Scanning the area with his tricorder, Akina realized the rocky canyon walls
were composed of mineral deposits and other heavy metals which seemed to
bend, reflect, or distort normal sensor beams. He was having difficulty
getting readings of the surrounding area, though he could accurately gauge
his position on the island.
All of the data he had uncovered pointed to something here - here at this
spot yet there was nothing but vegetation. Setting his pack down, Akina
attempted additional scans to no avail - the interference from the local
rocks was blocking all attempts to survey the area in any detail. This fact
alone made him even more convinced there was something here. This seemed to
be an ideal place in which to hide something. Dense vegetation, natural
shielding from sensors, and a small island of little use or value to anyone
could be the perfect place to hide something, but what?
[ Four Hours Later ]
Exhausted from searching the area by foot and by hand, Akina collected water
in his canteen from the nearby stream. The sun was beginning to set over
the horizon. He had decided to pitch camp here for the night and renew his
search again in the morning. Heading back to his equipment he unpacked his
tent and prepared to stake its ends into the ground. After positioning the
tent, he located his mallet and attempted to drive the stake into the humid
wet ground when the mallet suddenly bounced back forcefully in his hand.
Had he struck a rock? Digging around in the soft, earthy, forest floor,
Akina felt no obstruction. Again he tried to drive the stake into the
ground. It hit something - hard.
Unpacking his lightweight camping shovel, Akina quickly begin digging after
removing several feet of top soil and earth his shovel struck something hard
and oddly - metallic.
[ 30 Minutes Later ]
Zane had excavated the area and found solid tritanium plating spreading out
in all directions. There appeared to be a structure submerged beneath the
surface. More excavation had revealed a single hatch he had been unable to
open which appeared to lead down into a hidden, subterranean structure.
Decay, time, and rust appeared to have taken its toll on the hatch which
appeared to have been sealed and buried for sometime.
A rusty hatch wasn't going to stop him - not now. Pulling his disruptor
pistol from his shoulder harness, Akina increased its power output to
maximum and took aim at the stubborn hatch. Squeezing the trigger a green
beam tore through the air and impacted the hatch's exterior coating.
Tritanium, expensive and strong, was resistant to weapons fire and was used
extensively in Starship hull constructions and military installations. What
it was doing here remained a mystery as his weapon slowly burned a hole into
the metal which glowed red as the beam's energy slowly ate through the outer
coating.
Within a minute the outer coating of metal had vaporized leaving the softer
interior metal exposed. Akina quickly cut his way through the hatch
revealing a dark shaft and ladder than led downwards into a dark and
foreboding unknown.
The sun was slowly sinking leaving only traces of pink and purple in the sky
as the light gave way to darkness. With adrenaline running through him and
a strong desire to explore this underground facility, Akina's earlier
sleepiness had vanished. Grabbing a flashlight and keeping a tight grip on
his weapon, Zane Akina mounted the metal rungs that lead downward into a
dark and potentially hazardous unknown.
[ To Be Continued ]
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Captain Zane Akina (NPC)
Starfleet Intelligence
(APB Tav)
