Aeron-2514

Aeron-2514 was a planet that the USS Allegiant visited in order to rescue survivors from the destroyed USS Harbinger in March of 2381, following the final battle and defeat of the USS Calamity. The Theurgy officers on the away mission were Natalie Stark, ThanIda zh'Wann, Dr. Maya and Aisha S'Iti.

Story Excerpt: Arrival

[ Aeron-2514 | Equator | Escape Pod 87 | 1310 hrs. ]

Ensign Abner paused to wipe the sweat from her blue eyes. It felt like Aeron-2514 was even hotter than the scans had made it out to be. At least that was how it felt. The hard baked clay of the dried riverbed that their escape pod had landed in only served to reflect the heat of the dual suns back up at her. She desperately wanted some water, but knew they had to conserve the meagre supplies of the pod as best they could. Who knew when they might be able to expect rescue... if it ever would come?

Gripping with both hands the crude wooden pole that Edgar had managed to craft, she set about once more trying to chip her way through the hard crust of earth. She did it so that she could erect the shaft as she had done two others so far. A loose pile of emergency blankets lay on the ground nearby, waiting for her to finish so that they could be stretched from the pod to the poles, creating some extra covering so that they would not have to crowd into the escape craft to escape the suns.

Nearby, Edgar had broken through, and was forcing his pole into the sandy soil that lay beneath. He had slipped his uniform free down to the waist, his dark skin glistening with sweat she saw. She longed to do the same, but at least until she had some shade to work with, her pale skin ruled that out. Degara had made that mistake yesterday, and now he could hardly walk. So bad were his burns.

The staccato rhythm of their work continued - the crust defying their strikes. Abner swore as the staff broke in two. She'd had it, or at least she needed a break. Angrily she threw the two halves aside and walked away. She stalked past the opening of the pod, taking a quick glance inside as she passed. Peter Hildebrandt was still laid out on a crude stretcher; Hebert slumped over in sleep beside him. Herbert had been up all night fighting to keep the other man alive, and his efforts had finally paid off. Abner knew it was a well-deserved rest, but she could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the man sleeping. Degara was finally asleep as well.

She made for the section of the riverbed’s banks that they had been using to climb out. A few roots jutted out at random intervals, which made fairly decent steps and handholds, even if the tree from which they stemmed had died when the river dried up. A few moments later, she had reached the top.

A rare breeze touched her face, making her blonde hair flare out in the binary sunlight. As far as she could see, there was naught but dried out grass and a few horribly stunted or dead trees. She did not know what had happened to the river, but clearly it had been the lifeblood of this area. Looking west, she could see the trio of crewmen that she had sent out exploring. They were making their way back. They looked to be in good shape, but sadly, empty-handed again.

She glanced to her right at the rough grave they had been forced to dig yesterday. There lay Anders and Durmalach. The escape pod only had six seats, and in panic, there had been ten of them when they had ejected from the Harbinger. It could be worse, she decided. At least the eight of us are still alive. For now. Sighing, she turned back to climb down to the crashed pod. That was when she saw it, catching the sunlight right in the middle of the sky.

"We've got company!" she called, and soon, the three men in the distance came running with their phasers out, and Edgar was kicking Degara and Hebert awake down in the pod. Ensign Abner narrowed her blue eyes at the approaching shuttle, making fists at her sides to find courage. She was wondering which of the two Captains were alive to mount a search for them... or if it was a Reaver that came their way to end their lives.

Escape Pod 87 Evacuees

• ENS Carla Abner Engineering
• CPO Jacques Hebert Medical
• PO1 Peter Hildebrant Security (injured)
• PO3 Edgar Rowland Science
• CWM Luther Ford Science
• CWM Degara Moon Operations
• CWM Morgan Meyers Operations
• CWM Russell Rodriquez Engineering
• CPO Anders Gayle Operations (Deceased)
• PO3 Durmalach CONN (Deceased)