Cl.01.17 – Captain’s Log supplemental; A good and long night of rest has done a whole world of wealth to me. I woke up all refreshed and ready to bring this particular mission to an end, which is only 2 days away. The Callisto is currently on route to the Calmaren system, where the delegation will visit the recently discovered Chozo archaeological complex, something that will definitely catch their attention. Breakfast with Admiral Nyagi was not as … unwanted … as expected. The Admiral seems to be genuinely interested in our causes now. A mental note to myself: Remind Admiral West that he owes me one on getting Starfleet’s Chief of Staff on our side.
“Captain, we are approaching the Calmaren system.” the Helm officer reported after his console gave an audible warning, indicating that they were about to reach the outer rim of the solar system. Calyssa intertwined her fingers and crossed her legs. “Drop to impulse, continue on established vector on full impulse. As soon as we reach Calmaren III, enter a standard orbit.” In response to her commands, the helm officer nodded and swiveled back to his console to execute the orders. Ever so gently the ship slowed down to about 1/3 of light speed and as the sophisticated system of intertial dampeners did their work, nobody could feel the transition.
“Captain, Lieutenant C’riss has requested you to oversee the final testing of the ventral phaser array. With your approval it can be crossed from the list.” Commander Kobrrei entered the bridge via the rear access. Apparently he had been doing some of the paperwork which had been piling up for the last couple of days. Calyssa nodded. “Fair enough. In that case, I will leave the visit at the dig site to your capable hands, Commander.” She smiled, looking forward to the fact that this time she did not have to chaperone her guests, instead she would be able to do something that matters. Kobrrei nodded while taking a seat next to the Captain. Several minutes later, the Callisto approached the third planet of the system and the helm officer got cracking to get the Azura class starship into a standard orbit. While looking at the panoramic viewscreen, Calyssa noticed that another, much smaller, starship was in orbit of the planet. The U.S.S. Tornei, a Merian class starship, commanded by the Pacifican Captain Eyjali, had been in orbit of the planet for several weeks now. The Captain and her team of scientists had been ordered with mapping their latest discovery. Though no shard had been found at the site, the sheer implications of the archaeological find would give this field of study years of work.
“Hail the Tornei.” Calyssa said, getting out of her chair. Several taps and beeps later a junior tactical officer reported that they were responding. The holopad between the viewscreen and the command center of the bridge sprung to life and the ship’s first officer appeared, standing on the pad. A short but very broad Tellarite male, wearing the rank of a Lieutenant Commander appeared. “Captain Eyjali is down on the surface. I have already informed her of your arrival. She is expecting the delegation.” “Outstanding.” Calyssa said. “Thank you, Commander” and a swiftly as the Commander had appeared, he vanished and the platform deactivated itself. Commander Kobrrei got up from his chair and walked to the turbolift. “I’ll be on the surface then.” Calyssa nodded as he stepped inside the cubicle.
“Welcome on Calmaren III” The voice of the Pacifican Captain sounded distorted. Commander Kobrrei stepped forward, the delegation behind him following in his steps. The ichtyine Eyjali was extremely slender, even in her special issue uniform that was lined with an extra thick insulating layer that allowed her uniform to be filled with water, covering her skin in a thin layer of vital fluid. The Captain was also wearing a special issue head piece, resembling the one that was part of the new EVA suits, which was fitted to allow it be filled with the same water, supplying the gills in her neck with the much needed oxygen her system required. Her eyes were large but dark, while her skin was pale and perhaps even slight translucent. “If you would follow me now, I would like to give you a tour of the complex. The infinite diversity that could be found in the ranks of Starfleet was perplexing. This was the first time that Li met a member of the Pacifican species.
The digsite was in the middle of a not too large open field amidst a dense forest. Li had seen different forms of plant life but the trees here on Calmaren surely were a special sight to the eye. Most of them were about 40 meters high but they all had curly forms with extremely large leaves. The field’s area had been excavated to give rise to the exposed compled. “Though we have opened up nearly 35% of the complex area, we still have little information on the purpose of this complex. It could have been used as a shrine to defend and house a shard but so far that seems unlikely.” Captain Eyjali walked ahead while the rest followed her. They were approaching a large stone pillar that once marked the corner of the structure. “On what ground do you hypothesize that?” President Okeg asked, he seemed very intrigued by it all. “Shard-shrines mostly are significantly smaller than this particular complex. Based on the scans we have made so far, we estimate that the floor area of the highest level is no less than 180 squared meters. Additionally this complex is not as elegantly hidden as most shard-shrines we have discovered so far.” Okeg nodded, apparently the Captain’s explanation seemed to answer his question adequately.
Commander Kobrrei stepped forward from the crowd in an attempt to participate more actively in the rather lively discussion. “Could it be that this site was used as a wayshrine?” During his, so far, short service record as the first officer of the Callisto, he had taken the time to extensively read the Chozo dossier that had been accumulated so far. Additionally, Captain Aelyn had taken quite the time to train her new first officer in becoming an expert on the Chozo and everything they entailed. “That could very well be.” Eyjali nodded. Every now and then her aquatic suit’s cooling system kicked in to keep the temperature of the hydrofilm between her suit and her skin at the right temperature. “According to other studies, we know that the Chozo were highly spiritual. It could very well be that this particular temple was used by members of the Chozo species to pay respect to their lineage.”
Several hours later, Commander Kobrrei got himself a seat in the rear section of the personnel transport shuttle that had been equipped to transport VIP parties over shorter distances. Tired but satisfied, he looked back to a fruitful day in which he had learnt a lot. Reading about the Chozo from a PADD was one thing, but seeing their architectural highlights was definitely a higher level of learning. As the Callisto slowly got closer, he looked forward tho the first real mission on his new ship, with his new crew.