S:5 E:15 - The Canopy Planet

[Ian Galloway]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Unknown Location, Andgarr Prime]

THWACK!

The Onlie's head jerked to the side when the burly Orion smacked him with a solid backhand. "œWake up boy. I can't punish you if you're asleep." He laughed.

Kyan opened his right eye and looked at the green skinned thug. He'd have opened the other one too, but unfortunately it was swollen almost shut. "œI was nae sleepin ye targs arse.." he croaked. It was of course a lie. He had been sleeping. Between fighting before, the Neural thingamajig, then being stunned by an Orion phaser and subsequently being smacked around, he was exhausted. After the ill fated escape attempt, Seles had her goons run a length of rope over the metal pipe on the ceiling and hang him up by his arms.

Apparently his punishment for nearly escaping was to be a punching bag.

THWACK!

Another backhand had him seeing stars, and left a familiar metallic taste in his mouth. "œYou got spirit kid. I like it." The Orion smirked. "œBut it's over. No one is going to find you. Your comrades aren't going to burst in the door and save you. So you may as well just do what Seles wants."

Kyan spat on the ground. "œSeles can bugger off a cliff." He added afterwards. "œWhen I get loose from this.."

The Orion interrupted him with a gut punch. Then he shook his head. "œYou're not getting loose."

Not that he was going to admit it to him, or anyone else, but Kyan knew he had the right of it. Mostly. He couldn't escape on his own, at least not now. But Galloway wasn't going to leave him here. They would be coming. He just had to hold out until then. Which hopefully be soon. he thought as the Orion reared back to hit him again.

THWACK!

[Angdarr[

As the goon worked Kyan over, Seles entered the cell and said.

"Stop! The subject has been primed for his mission. It is time to transfer him to his 'hide out'.

As the assassination of Jindak had been in the works for several months, everything was in place and just need authorization to move forward to phase two of the operation. Kyan was stunned again and quickly bundled up for transport. The Orions who'd originally captured him, met with a group of known criminals while heavily cloaked and masked so that the criminals never knew who they were dealing with.

After money exchanged hands, Kyan was taken to another hide out deep under the Angdarr canopy. There, using carefully scrambled communications they contacted the Challenger to offer ransom terms, the princely sum of 100 bricks of gold pressed latinum. Unknown to the criminals, the "scrambling" of the communications was flawed and it took Lieutenant Commander Catalan less than an hour to locate its source. He relayed this information to Captain Galloway immediately, who in turn, contacted Zhuk.

"Lieutenant Mrekrerhas, we have a location on Commander MacKenzie. Your team and a half dozen Angdarr Security Officers are about ta be beamed ta that location. You are goin' into a hostile environment, you are authorized ta do what is necessary ta rescue Kyan. Godspeed ta you lad."

Ian closed the channel and offered a quick word of supplication that Zhuk's team would succeed and then he settled in for the part he hated as captain...the wait.

[Nira Said]

[USS Challenger-Neva's Quarters]

Neva had just changed into a pair of denim overalls and a purple short sleeve shirt when the computer notified her she had 2 messages. Hopping over, she read Commander Said's message. Her Engineer's mind now whirling on what to carry and do. Four hours, hey? Hmmm...

She was about to get up when she remembered the second message. Toggling to it, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she read Lahr's reply. 'Ruth the Science Chief? Who was that?' She meant the Chief Engineer. She shook her head and sighed. 'I don't know how he thought that's who i meant. I don't care about his love life! I thought he was a friend.' she sighed sadly. 'Gotta set that straight.' She sagged a little, and wiped away a forming tear. She was about to reply, but reminded herself of the Commander's orders. Sometimes being Betazoid could be a curse...

Neva got up then and went to her chair to repack her backpack and make sure her kit was set right too. 'Should I get a phaser?' she wondered. 'I could say it's for gathering some of the interesting plant cuttings for Mother.' Grinning, she put her gear on and headed for the Armory.

[USS Challenger-Transporter Room]

Neva breezed into the Transporter Room, shuffling the straps of her kit and backpack on her shoulders and back. She had the phaser tucked into a cargo pants style pocket of her overalls, hidden and in easy reach. When she was on the transporter pad, she wriggled her toes in her soft-heeled green and white shoes. Looking around the transporter room, she finally looked at the crewman at the controls and nodded. She watched the room dissolve into shimmering fireflies.

[Andgarr Prime-Canopy-15 minute hike outside Andgarr City]

Neva hummed to herself as she crept over branches and pushed leaves away to collect what she thought her mother would be interested in. Of course, she checked her tricorder before touching anything new to make sure it wasn't poisonous or anything similarly concerning. She had been at this for almost an hour into her excursion when she stopped and checked her chronometer. 'Better get back to the City so I can be available if needed,' she thought. She quickly put everything away, careful to keep the sgian-dubh she'd been given by a Scottish friend in the ankle sheath in her sock. Hefting her stuff back on, she carefully trudged back to the City.

[Andgarr Prime-Andgarr City]

Neva walked casually through the market, one hand clasping her backpack and kit straps, the other tucked behind her bib. She smiled and nodded at various people, stopping now and then to get closer looks. She almost squealed when she found the Andgarrian equivalent of wool. She almost threw the latinum at the shopkeeper on some raw pieces, intending to spin it into knittable skeins during her off-time. She walked away practically shaking with excitement at her "find of the century."

Neva found herself getting hungry and went to find a place to take care of that need. She found what passed for a cafe and took a seat in a corner outside. Both her parents had drilled self-defense into her, making it clear that a woman alone could be an easy target. She set her bags carefully on the ground beside her, hugging her leg. After giving her order to the waitress, she surveyed her surroundings for anything out of what could be considered "ordinary" for a Starfleet Officer. She suddenly smiled brighter and waved an arm high to catch the eye of 2 of her colleagues from Engineering. They waved back and made heir way to her and soon they were deep in conversation and fed.

[2 hours later-Andgarr Great Hall]

Neva was curled on top of her backpack, her kit tucked under and against her chest on a bench. Outwardly, she seemed to be dozing, but she wasn't. She'd opened herself up mentally, letting the miasma of thought and emotion swirl through. She "watched" for any threats, as well as anyone wanting to disturb her. Her phaser was tucked behind the bib of her overalls, one arm obscuring it from view. She knew Commander Said and Aarwendil would be contacting her soon.

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil followed Commander Said and the rest of the team to the Great Hall. While they walked toward it, the Ensign had taken some time to look at the architecture of the place. It was indeed made inside the trees. It was far more impressive than what he had previously thought. However, now he needed to pay attention in Nira.

She and a local called Jindak were explaining the situation and the young Betazoid was paying close attention to it. Insects that were engineered to spread contaminants that could make Romulans and Vulcans sick was something diabolical. Not only because it was hurting people, but also how it was playing with the life of animals to turn them into some type of weapon.

After the instructions were given, Aarwendil picked one of the necklace sigils and looked around in his hand. Since technically he was on shore leave, the Ensign had abandoned his uniform for a long sleeved shirt, pants and boots, the perfect outfit for a field day in the middle of vegetation. He was also carrying a backpack with what he would need for camping.

Looking at the group, Aarwendil finally noticed that Neva wasn't here. Staying a bit behind, the young Betazoid grabbed his com. "œNeva? Where are you?"

[ Angdarr Prime - Great Hall - previously... ]

Jettis nodded to the Commander as she mentioned leaving the initial investigating to him. He would have to write out his thoughts more cohesively to pursue, as there was only four hours to accomplish everything before reconvening with the rest.
As Jettis was ready to leave, he heard Abas call out to him. Heard being the operative word here, as when his eyes flicked to the man, he hadn't seen his mouth move, not even  a bit. He stared at him blankly, contemplating how to respond, before simply muttering a "Thank you, Crewman."

[ Angdarr Prime - Great Hall - Present ]

Jettis was already waiting, as the others began to arrive, including the official that he had met earlier when beaming down with the Captain. Echoing the greeting to him, he listened as the man briefed them on the full situation. It was a lot of information to take in at once, but the ultimate goal was clear - discover the source of these new, dangerous variants, and if need be, infiltrate and stop it. Accepting the sigil gratefully, he added his own comment. "We will do all to resolve this matter quickly, thank you for your assistance."

With that as the group descended, Jettis would remain behind Anax Anju and Commander Said, pulling a tricorder from his hip as they traveled to begin observing the world around them.

[Commander Nira Said | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

"She's over there, Aarwendil," said Nira with a grin. She had her backpack, camping equipment, and she had noticed Neva brought a phaser as well. To which Nira nodded in approval; in a potentially hostile situation, it's good to be prepared. She had a phaser, too, as are her usual blades in her boots.

"Also, Jettis, Aarwendil, Jess, you'll need these, just in case of hostile actions," she added, distributing three more phasers, having dropped by the armory earlier. She did have a fourth, but seeing Neva had brought one, it left one extra, which she gave to Anju.

"My thanks...Nira," Anju said, stopping himself before mentioning rank. He then sent the coordinate to Challenger...

[Commander Nira Said | Old Realms Overlook and Descension Point | Andgarr Prime]

No sooner had the party transported than Nira took in a view that took her breath away.

Before them was a whole view of a mountain range of sloping peaks, like a series of Olympus Monses...except if it looked like it was covered in moss on the base and was surrounded by a virtual grove of oln'garr trees. Indeed, even the mountains were dwarfed by the oln'garr trees and the canopy that grew above it, like looking at a mound under a patchy umbrella; it wasn't totally enveloped, given the spaces, the beams of sunlight and the varied ships descending and ascending through the holes of the canopy.

"Even the mountains are smaller than the oln'garr trees!" said Nira in amazement.

"The Mon'Garr," said Anju. "Our ancestral home. And within, the realm of the Old Angdarr Empire. Back then, we regarded the Mon'Garr as a refuge, our caves, the jungle around, it was our home. All our world was regarded as this solitary island, back when we feared the dark unknown of the great oln'garr that grew around the range. Mon'An'Garr," he added, gesturing at the tallest of the mountains, "was our chiefest domain. We were more vertically inclined, back then."

Nira squinted. Was it her imagination, or could there potentially have been buildings where she assumed it was moss?

"The low levels of the mountain bases are virtual jungle," Anju added, noting her gaze. "That was how we first got to know the trees, but even then, we feared the Surface."

He pointed and Nira followed downward. A virtual moat of dark fog seemed to be at the bottom of the mountain range, except for pockets of lights below.

"Somebody calls home there below," said Nira.

"The Angdarr," Anju said. "Even as our ancestors left Mon'Garr, pockets of Angdarr remained, preserving the original bloodlines. The rest of us evolved into the different Andgarr that we are today. But still, it is always good to return here. Back from the outer seas of unknown to Mon'Garr, known in the original Angdarr Tongue as the Shell Realm."

"Shell?" asked Nira.

"Oh, yes, our ancestors believed this mountain range a massive shell of one who floats in this unknown sea of green."

Nira looked around at her party and shook her head in amazement. "Incredible," she said. "I've heard plenty of mythological stories, on and off Earth, about how worlds were imagined to be placed on the backs of turtles."

"I know," Anju said. "I have been to Earth a few times myself. I've noted those myths myself, and those are how I can relate. Even the shelled creatures known as turtles and tortoises I hold my great respect to."

Nira nodded. And now that she looked back at it, if she could look at a certain way, she could see how the mountain range looked so sloped it was like the shell of a turtle. Perhaps with a little imagination, she could picture the foliage slopes on the mountain as flippers of a turtle.

"Our destination, of course, lies below," Anju said. "And here we make use of the Descension Points," he added, gesturing to a huge turbolift, three times the circumference of a common starship turbolift, complete with felt seats and windows...completely made of wood. "We have a good view as we descend to the shadows."

And indeed they did, taking in the mountain range as foliage gradually closed in around them.

"How tall are those mountains, anyway?" asked Nira, still astounded by the height of the trees.

"Not as tall as the Himalayas on Earth," Anju said. "Nor the Tharis Montes of Mars...whatever there is left," he added. "I did take the time to be given a tour of Mars when I visited the Federation's central solar system. Anyway, the Mon'Garr range is more on parr with the Hawaiian Islands; why, if our ice caps melted, the Mon'Garr would become a series of mountainous islands..."

"Wait...Andgarr even has ice caps?"

"Yes, we have ice caps, and, yes, the Great Canopy extends over them. You can tell by the frost, and even with extreme cold, the oln'garr keeps growing."

Nira looked around at the oln'garr trees as the forest floor drew closer in amazement. "Damn resilient trees, aren't they? Don't they even die?"

"Of course they die," said Anju. "Each oln'garr life span takes precisely a million years, but they can die."

Eventually, the view was drowned out and soon gave way to lighted dwellings. It was no different from a typical forest, except the trees were bigger. As to the atmosphere, Nira felt that the dark moat she saw earlier had a deceptive look. It wasn't total dark, but it was more the kind of atmospheric darkness associated with storm clouds.

"It's not a total dark, but night falls fast," Anju explained.

"No concerns for rain?" said Nira.

"Of course it rains," guffawed Anju. "Bear in mind that Andgarr does have a high atmosphere, although it's partially helped by the Great Canopy. Rain takes a long time to fall, and...well, foliage when it rains behaves as usual.

"Now keep your phasers on hand but out of sight," Anju added. "It's usually wise to travel armed down here. Andgarr is a draw for people in need of places to hide, but more often than not, many are drawn to the Old Realms. Otherwise, we have all the time in the world down here, retracing the steps of our ancestors."

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Unknown Location, Andgarr Prime]

THWACK!

The Onlie's head jerked to the side when the burly Orion smacked him with a solid backhand. "œWake up boy. I can't punish you if you're asleep." He laughed.

Kyan opened his right eye and looked at the green skinned thug. He'd have opened the other one too, but unfortunately it was swollen almost shut. "œI was nae sleepin ye targs arse.." he croaked. It was of course a lie. He had been sleeping. Between fighting before, the Neural thingamajig, then being stunned by an Orion phaser and subsequently being smacked around, he was exhausted. After the ill fated escape attempt, Seles had her goons run a length of rope over the metal pipe on the ceiling and hang him up by his arms.

Apparently his punishment for nearly escaping was to be a punching bag.

THWACK!

Another backhand had him seeing stars, and left a familiar metallic taste in his mouth. "œYou got spirit kid. I like it." The Orion smirked. "œBut it's over. No one is going to find you. Your comrades aren't going to burst in the door and save you. So you may as well just do what Seles wants."

Kyan spat on the ground. "œSeles can bugger off a cliff." He added afterwards. "œWhen I get loose from this.."

The Orion interrupted him with a gut punch. Then he shook his head. "œYou're not getting loose."

Not that he was going to admit it to him, or anyone else, but Kyan knew he had the right of it. Mostly. He couldn't escape on his own, at least not now. But Galloway wasn't going to leave him here. They would be coming. He just had to hold out until then. Which hopefully be soon. he thought as the Orion reared back to hit him again.

THWACK!

[Angdarr[

As the goon worked Kyan over, Seles entered the cell and said.

"Stop! The subject has been primed for his mission. It is time to transfer him to his 'hide out'.

As the assassination of Jindak had been in the works for several months, everything was in place and just need authorization to move forward to phase two of the operation. Kyan was stunned again and quickly bundled up for transport. The Orions who'd originally captured him, met with a group of known criminals while heavily cloaked and masked so that the criminals never knew who they were dealing with.

After money exchanged hands, Kyan was taken to another hide out deep under the Angdarr canopy. There, using carefully scrambled communications they contacted the Challenger to offer ransom terms, the princely sum of 100 bricks of gold pressed latinum. Unknown to the criminals, the "scrambling" of the communications was flawed and it took Lieutenant Commander Catalan less than an hour to locate its source. He relayed this information to Captain Galloway immediately, who in turn, contacted Zhuk.

"Lieutenant Mrekrerhas, we have a location on Commander MacKenzie. Your team and a half dozen Angdarr Security Officers are about ta be beamed ta that location. You are goin' into a hostile environment, you are authorized ta do what is necessary ta rescue Kyan. Godspeed ta you lad."

Ian closed the channel and offered a quick word of supplication that Zhuk's team would succeed and then he settled in for the part he hated as captain...the wait.

[Lieutenant D'Lorra | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

D'Lorra heard the orders and grinned. "I follow your lead, Lieutenant," she told Zhuk. "I anticipate the glory of battle at our journeys' end."

[Meanwhile...]

Visa watched as Kyan was tortured and the mental triggers primed. Still, she was bothered. The boy had a resilient mind. Something was bound to go wrong. This, and coinciding with Domitian's coming made her all so uneasy. Especially since the ones she made the exchange with. It was a dangerous combination, given she knew those voices...

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Angdarr Prime - Beam down site ]

[Present Time]

As Abas stood ready to assist in whatever manner he was requested, he turned toward the Caitian Lieutenant as the voice of the man filtered toward him. He'd only gotten partially through his question when the security officer's comm traffic basically exploded with activity, as the search and rescue operation truly got underway. However, the Lieutenant seemed to be capable of handling himself with grace and accuracy as the carefully choreographed chaos unfolded.

For as quickly as the commotion had started, it was over. The Caitian started moving away quickly, and Abas had to double-pace himself to keep up. As they moved, he found he had the time to answer the earlier question.

"Of a sort, Lieutenant. Aenar are naturally telepathic, though we are blind. My senses however are enhanced and superior, a welcome trade-off. We also have a limited form of precognition."

He didn't elaborate much - but he got his point across. He didn't know the kidnapped officer, so he didn't know if he'd be able to accurately assist in any way with the search beyond looking for someone who didn't belong - but he'd do his best. Only a few moments later, and their meager band of two had expanded with a much larger - and armed - search party. A handful of security officers, a Klingon, and... an engineer from a very familiar species. It was always good to see someone from the ice moon, even so far away. Their motley crew assembled, he simply awaited orders, as the assembled cast milled around. Abas wandered around, before sauntering up to the Engineering petty officer.

"Chief," he said, by way of introduction. "Crewman Th'vyrrol. Welcome to the party", he said with the faintest trace of a wry grin on his face.

Hopefully, they'd be able to find their wayward man and be back to peace when they were done.

Lahr, like most of the crew, had heard about how the entire Andgarr civilization was built up in the canopy of giant trees.   As the Andorian looked around, he was a bit relieved that the height wasn't immediately noticeable; not that he was afraid of heights.

He and the security team didn't have to wait long for Zhuk, who Lahr assumed was the team leader.   With the Caitian arrived the ship's one and only Aenar.   Lahr had yet to meet the medical crewman, though Valis, despite her own overall disapproval of Lahr, had made a point to inform her fellow Andorian, that the Aenar was aboard.

Being born into the warrior caste, zh'Tianihr had a tad bit of a superiority complex and viewed any sort of weakness with distain.  Lahr guessed she thought he had the same distainful sentiments; but being born into the merchant caste and having traveled a lot in his youth, meeting a lot of varying species, Lahr took to people.  It took a lot to get on his 'bad side'.

So when the Aenar approached him, Lahr smiled and gave the man an up-nod; not that the medic could see but Lahr figured Crewman Th'vyrrol could 'feel' the openness of his greeting.

"Heya. Thanks!  Chief Petty ch'Verret, though most know me by my alias.  DJ Lahr.  So how long has the kid.. I mean, the Commander, been missing?"

When Zhuk briefed the team, Lahr listened close to figure out why he'd been requested along.

[Angdarr Prime - hours later..]
The search wasn't going well.  Attempts to scan for his specific Only bio-signature was impossible from overhead by the ship because of the thick canopy; and scanning by portable scanner was proving to be very time consuming.   The Andgarr security seemed determined that the only place he could be was in the Canopy.   Anywhere down on the forest floor they claimed was madness.  That just made it all the more ideal a hiding spot according to Lahr.

Fed up with the situation, knowing that as time moved on their chances of getting the Commander back were getting slimmer, Lahr asked to speak to Zhuk away from the others.

"Lieutenant, I realize we have to work alongside the Andgarr security, but they are wrong about not checking the ground.   Permission to start a spiraling search pattern down on the ground, sir?"

After money exchanged hands, Kyan was taken to another hide out deep under the Angdarr canopy. There, using carefully scrambled communications they contacted the Challenger to offer ransom terms, the princely sum of 100 bricks of gold pressed latinum. Unknown to the criminals, the "scrambling" of the communications was flawed and it took Lieutenant Commander Catalan less than an hour to locate its source. He relayed this information to Captain Galloway immediately, who in turn, contacted Zhuk.

"Lieutenant Mrekrerhas, we have a location on Commander MacKenzie. Your team and a half dozen Angdarr Security Officers are about ta be beamed ta that location. You are goin' into a hostile environment, you are authorized ta do what is necessary ta rescue Kyan. Godspeed ta you lad."

Ian closed the channel and offered a quick word of supplication that Zhuk's team would succeed and then he settled in for the part he hated as captain...the wait.

[Lieutenant D'Lorra | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

D'Lorra heard the orders and grinned. "I follow your lead, Lieutenant," she told Zhuk. "I anticipate the glory of battle at our journeys' end."

News of Catalan having located Commander Mackenzie was welcome.  Though Lahr wondered if he could have gotten it done faster.  Ah.. he missed the days of being Ops, but the switch to engineering had been needed for his mental health.   Just like the switch to Ops had been needed.

Though he was there as an engineer, Lahr had his Type 2 hand phaser at the ready.  Good thing too.

No sooner had the team beamed in than they were under fire.  Two Andgarr security dropped dead at Lahr's feet.  Being an engineer, Lahr had been beamed in at the center of the security cluster, along with the Aenar medic.  Roozh!

Lahr immediately dropped to a crouch, reaching out to Th'vyrrol to pull him down as well. He had an almost overwhelming urge to urinate but manage to redirect his fear to getting himself out of the line of fire.  With his phaser, he aimed towards where the disruptor shot had come from, and fired at anything that moved.  With his setting on stun, the Andorian wasn't worried about accidentally hitting the Commander.

Looking around as he fired, Lahr grimaced as he realized that the transporter technician had dropped them not outside the cabin where they could scan the interior and get a lay out and make a plan first.  Nope - the Ops person had just dropped them into the largest opening in the cabin - basically giving them no cover whatsoever.   Wanker!

He noted the shots that had taken down the Andgarr security had come from the kitchen area.  Lahr could see a masked face pop up from overtop a central food prep counter.   There seemed to be just the one hostile in that direction.  As opposed to the 2 or 3 in every other direction.

"Th'vyrrol, I'm going to clear you a path to the counter.  Duck in behind and stay out of sight until we have the situation somewhat clear."

With that said quietly to the Aenar, Lahr ran in a low crouch towards counter.  Aiming towards where he'd seen the masked face peek out from.  At the least sign of movement, Lahr fired, but missed.  Guess this was going to be done the hard way.  When he reached the counter, he let go for the phaser letting it slide across its smooth surface while he placed both palms down flat and vaulted himself over the counter to land behind it, basically on top of his opponent.   He rolled off and kicked out towards where he sensed the man's body was.

Reaching out a hand Lahr snatched his phaser as it slid off the counter and the fired it point blank at the burly figure.  Lahr let out a sigh at seeing the kidnapper collapse.   Only half dozen left to go.

"Th'vyrrol.  Clear.  I'll cover you."

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

[Commander Nira Said | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

"She's over there, Aarwendil," said Nira with a grin. She had her backpack, camping equipment, and she had noticed Neva brought a phaser as well. To which Nira nodded in approval; in a potentially hostile situation, it's good to be prepared. She had a phaser, too, as are her usual blades in her boots.

"Also, Jettis, Aarwendil, Jess, you'll need these, just in case of hostile actions," she added, distributing three more phasers, having dropped by the armory earlier. She did have a fourth, but seeing Neva had brought one, it left one extra, which she gave to Anju.

"My thanks...Nira," Anju said, stopping himself before mentioning rank. He then sent the coordinate to Challenger...

[Commander Nira Said | Old Realms Overlook and Descension Point | Andgarr Prime]

No sooner had the party transported than Nira took in a view that took her breath away.

Before them was a whole view of a mountain range of sloping peaks, like a series of Olympus Monses...except if it looked like it was covered in moss on the base and was surrounded by a virtual grove of oln'garr trees. Indeed, even the mountains were dwarfed by the oln'garr trees and the canopy that grew above it, like looking at a mound under a patchy umbrella; it wasn't totally enveloped, given the spaces, the beams of sunlight and the varied ships descending and ascending through the holes of the canopy.

"Even the mountains are smaller than the oln'garr trees!" said Nira in amazement.

"The Mon'Garr," said Anju. "Our ancestral home. And within, the realm of the Old Angdarr Empire. Back then, we regarded the Mon'Garr as a refuge, our caves, the jungle around, it was our home. All our world was regarded as this solitary island, back when we feared the dark unknown of the great oln'garr that grew around the range. Mon'An'Garr," he added, gesturing at the tallest of the mountains, "was our chiefest domain. We were more vertically inclined, back then."

Nira squinted. Was it her imagination, or could there potentially have been buildings where she assumed it was moss?

"The low levels of the mountain bases are virtual jungle," Anju added, noting her gaze. "That was how we first got to know the trees, but even then, we feared the Surface."

He pointed and Nira followed downward. A virtual moat of dark fog seemed to be at the bottom of the mountain range, except for pockets of lights below.

"Somebody calls home there below," said Nira.

"The Angdarr," Anju said. "Even as our ancestors left Mon'Garr, pockets of Angdarr remained, preserving the original bloodlines. The rest of us evolved into the different Andgarr that we are today. But still, it is always good to return here. Back from the outer seas of unknown to Mon'Garr, known in the original Angdarr Tongue as the Shell Realm."

"Shell?" asked Nira.

"Oh, yes, our ancestors believed this mountain range a massive shell of one who floats in this unknown sea of green."

Nira looked around at her party and shook her head in amazement. "Incredible," she said. "I've heard plenty of mythological stories, on and off Earth, about how worlds were imagined to be placed on the backs of turtles."

"I know," Anju said. "I have been to Earth a few times myself. I've noted those myths myself, and those are how I can relate. Even the shelled creatures known as turtles and tortoises I hold my great respect to."

Nira nodded. And now that she looked back at it, if she could look at a certain way, she could see how the mountain range looked so sloped it was like the shell of a turtle. Perhaps with a little imagination, she could picture the foliage slopes on the mountain as flippers of a turtle.

"Our destination, of course, lies below," Anju said. "And here we make use of the Descension Points," he added, gesturing to a huge turbolift, three times the circumference of a common starship turbolift, complete with felt seats and windows...completely made of wood. "We have a good view as we descend to the shadows."

And indeed they did, taking in the mountain range as foliage gradually closed in around them.

"How tall are those mountains, anyway?" asked Nira, still astounded by the height of the trees.

"Not as tall as the Himalayas on Earth," Anju said. "Nor the Tharis Montes of Mars...whatever there is left," he added. "I did take the time to be given a tour of Mars when I visited the Federation's central solar system. Anyway, the Mon'Garr range is more on parr with the Hawaiian Islands; why, if our ice caps melted, the Mon'Garr would become a series of mountainous islands..."

"Wait...Andgarr even has ice caps?"

"Yes, we have ice caps, and, yes, the Great Canopy extends over them. You can tell by the frost, and even with extreme cold, the oln'garr keeps growing."

Nira looked around at the oln'garr trees as the forest floor drew closer in amazement. "Damn resilient trees, aren't they? Don't they even die?"

"Of course they die," said Anju. "Each oln'garr life span takes precisely a million years, but they can die."

Eventually, the view was drowned out and soon gave way to lighted dwellings. It was no different from a typical forest, except the trees were bigger. As to the atmosphere, Nira felt that the dark moat she saw earlier had a deceptive look. It wasn't total dark, but it was more the kind of atmospheric darkness associated with storm clouds.

"It's not a total dark, but night falls fast," Anju explained.

"No concerns for rain?" said Nira.

"Of course it rains," guffawed Anju. "Bear in mind that Andgarr does have a high atmosphere, although it's partially helped by the Great Canopy. Rain takes a long time to fall, and...well, foliage when it rains behaves as usual.

"Now keep your phasers on hand but out of sight," Anju added. "It's usually wise to travel armed down here. Andgarr is a draw for people in need of places to hide, but more often than not, many are drawn to the Old Realms. Otherwise, we have all the time in the world down here, retracing the steps of our ancestors."

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil turned to look at where the Commander had pointed. He saw Neva in a corner with a backpack. The young man felt a bit stupid for his attempt to contact his fellow Ensign while she was so close to the group. With the butterflies flying around spreading some type of disease and the disappearance of Kyan made him concerned for the security of the girl.

"Thank you!" Aarwendil said, while accepting the phaser that Nira had given him. He would need to use it. This place was more dangerous than he had expected early. The Betazoid tucked the weapon on his pants, leaving the rim of his shirt to cover it. Now he was prepared to go.

[Old Realms Overlook and Descension Point | Andgarr Prime]

While they were transported down, Aarwendil stared in awe at the fact that the mountains of the planet were smaller than the oln'garr trees. It was the most impressive plant that he ever saw. It only made him more interested in studying them. Their vascular tissues must be enormous and have great levels of pressure.

The Ensign paid attention to Nira and Anju's conversation. It was interesting to know more about the history of the planet. He also couldn't avoid thinking that the ancient people of Andgarr feared the surface. Things probably were more dangerous now than it was in the past.

"Understood." he said to Anju. If the people that lived here weren't dangerous already, the local fauna without any doubt would be a threat.

[Neva Cordon]

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil followed Commander Said and the rest of the team to the Great Hall. While they walked toward it, the Ensign had taken some time to look at the architecture of the place. It was indeed made inside the trees. It was far more impressive than what he had previously thought. However, now he needed to pay attention in Nira.

She and a local called Jindak were explaining the situation and the young Betazoid was paying close attention to it. Insects that were engineered to spread contaminants that could make Romulans and Vulcans sick was something diabolical. Not only because it was hurting people, but also how it was playing with the life of animals to turn them into some type of weapon.

After the instructions were given, Aarwendil picked one of the necklace sigils and looked around in his hand. Since technically he was on shore leave, the Ensign had abandoned his uniform for a long sleeved shirt, pants and boots, the perfect outfit for a field day in the middle of vegetation. He was also carrying a backpack with what he would need for camping.

Looking at the group, Aarwendil finally noticed that Neva wasn't here. Staying a bit behind, the young Betazoid grabbed his com. "œNeva? Where are you?"

[Andgarr Prime-Arden Hall]

Neva shook her head side to side, trying to work the kinks out. Standing up from the seat on the far side of the room, she stretched her arms out to do the same. She started to bend to get her gear when her comm trilled and Aarwendil's voice called out to her. Reversing her motion, she hit her comm.

"Cordon to Cheizex. I'm here in the Hall where the briefing's been. Why?"
Neva grabbed her gear, craning her neck for a sign of him. "I need to get a sigil bracelet, are you near where they are?"

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Crewman Zala | Armory | Deck 9 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Stationed within Andgarr Prime]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck Twelve Corridor >>> Turbolift]
The Andorian engineer found himself suddenly reformed in the Armory.  It took a second to recall why. Oh yeah... His site-to-site transport request.  Doh!  His arrival had apparently startled a new security crewman.  Seeing the Ferengi woman reaching for her phaser, Lahr showed his empty hands - holding them up until she could recognize him as a fellow shipmate.

At her comment about his entrance, Lahr chuckled and raked a hand over his combed back white hair.  "Ha ha... yeah... sorry. Had some turbolift issues and didn't want to be late." he commented.

He nodded when she named him.  "Guilty as charged." he joked then held out a hand towards her after her introduction.   "Nice to meet you, Zara and uh...thanks for the welcome.  Though, I doubt most others will be as glad to see me along."   The last part was spoke under his breath but given the size of her ears she likely heard the comment.

He nodded somewhat grateful that she chose not to respond to it and instead updated him on their intended coordinates.   He looked over digital map and memorized the coordinates and what he thought would be key landmark features before handing the PADD back to her.  "Sounds good."

At her innocent question about signing out a weapon, Lahr hesitated.  Zhuk hadn't specified if he wanted Lahr to carry a weapon or not.  Of course, Lahr had ample training on a variety of weapons but it always seemed that when he had weapons available, he invariably ended up needing to use them.

The Andorian sighed.  "Yeah, it's probably best if I did, that way I can back you guys up during your search for the Commander rather than you wasting resources trying to protect your engineer."

Lahr sighed out a phaser and added it to his belt readjusting where things were positioned for ease of use.

Then it was time to go.

Lahr and the others assembled on the transporter pad and in the time it took to blink, the Andorian found himself transported to the beam down site.

Crewman Zala momentarily thought about Lahr's whispered comment. She raised an eyebrow, though soon resumed a more neutral expression as she decided perhaps it was not a good idea to let the Engineer know she had overheard that. Her ears were both a blessing and a curse, she found, capable of picking up sensitive information that benefited her and caused her to keep secrets to maintain a better relationship with her coworkers. She remembered asking one of her fellow students at the Academy once after overhearing a heated conversation through the walls between her and his boyfriend if they were okay. She told her to mind her own business in a rather rude manner she decided not to recall in detail.

In any case, she wondered why Lahr thought he would not be welcome to go along with the Security detail. She glanced over at them. There was a Klingon, D'Lorra, transferred over from the Tah'ju, if she recalled correctly, in an Officer exchange of sorts. Otherwise, she saw other officers she was learning to be familiar with. Nothing out of the ordinary, just members of the crew.

Her brown eyes returned to Lahr, and she silently wondered what had caused such a bad experience when it came to Security. Before she could deepen her thoughts on the subject, however, they were interrupted by Lahr asking for a weapon. She couldn't help but ultimately agree with his wisdom. Having another gun in what may be a dangerous situation could indeed help them win the upcoming battle.

"Yeah, I guess that does make sense. Uh... here..." She walked over towards the display on the wall, and took one of the Type-2 hand phasers, offering it to him, "I guess you do know how to use it, right?"

A twinge of fear permeated around her, as she worried about sounding rude to him. After all, he most likely did, right? Still, she wanted to make sure, in case she had to give a few pointers on the correct operation of the weapon.

Before she could do so, however, the pair was called over to the Transporter Room, and immediately, Zara legged it there. Taking her place in one of the pads, she proceeded to stand upright as she felt the pleasant hum and the strange, but fascinating sensation of beaming down to the planet...

[Minutes Prior - Angdarr Prime]

It seemed the blue-clad officer by him had quite the handle on things. While the disease was still a mystery, perhaps the Lieutenant would be able to isolate and identify it. Perhaps then, the medical section could assist the man with developing a cure. He looked over at the human... no, not human. There was something strange about the officer in front of him. Not quite human, much more aged and knowledgable. It was for sure something to identify later, but just as his presence was felt by the Lieutenant, he too felt something. A presence, more an awareness he felt of the person. Odd... perhaps...

Best of Luck, Lieutenant, he said, but not with his voice. If his suspicions were correct, the man would hear it plainly. A much more efficient and comfortable form of communication. In case his suspicions were wrong, he simply nodded his head, his antennae flexing back as he received his new orders.

[Present Time]

As Abas stood ready to assist in whatever manner he was requested, he turned toward the Caitian Lieutenant as the voice of the man filtered toward him. He'd only gotten partially through his question when the security officer's comm traffic basically exploded with activity, as the search and rescue operation truly got underway. However, the Lieutenant seemed to be capable of handling himself with grace and accuracy as the carefully choreographed chaos unfolded.

For as quickly as the commotion had started, it was over. The Caitian started moving away quickly, and Abas had to double-pace himself to keep up. As they moved, he found he had the time to answer the earlier question.

"Of a sort, Lieutenant. Aenar are naturally telepathic, though we are blind. My senses however are enhanced and superior, a welcome trade-off. We also have a limited form of precognition."

He didn't elaborate much - but he got his point across. He didn't know the kidnapped officer, so he didn't know if he'd be able to accurately assist in any way with the search beyond looking for someone who didn't belong - but he'd do his best. Only a few moments later, and their meager band of two had expanded with a much larger - and armed - search party. A handful of security officers, a Klingon, and... an engineer from a very familiar species. It was always good to see someone from the ice moon, even so far away. Their motley crew assembled, he simply awaited orders, as the assembled cast milled around. Abas wandered around, before sauntering up to the Engineering petty officer.

"Chief," he said, by way of introduction. "Crewman Th'vyrrol. Welcome to the party", he said with the faintest trace of a wry grin on his face.

Hopefully, they'd be able to find their wayward man and be back to peace when they were done.

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Angdarr Prime - Beam down site ]

Lahr, like most of the crew, had heard about how the entire Andgarr civilization was built up in the canopy of giant trees.   As the Andorian looked around, he was a bit relieved that the height wasn't immediately noticeable; not that he was afraid of heights.

He and the security team didn't have to wait long for Zhuk, who Lahr assumed was the team leader.   With the Caitian arrived the ship's one and only Aenar.   Lahr had yet to meet the medical crewman, though Valis, despite her own overall disapproval of Lahr, had made a point to inform her fellow Andorian, that the Aenar was aboard.

Being born into the warrior caste, zh'Tianihr had a tad bit of a superiority complex and viewed any sort of weakness with distain.  Lahr guessed she thought he had the same distainful sentiments; but being born into the merchant caste and having traveled a lot in his youth, meeting a lot of varying species, Lahr took to people.  It took a lot to get on his 'bad side'.

So when the Aenar approached him, Lahr smiled and gave the man an up-nod; not that the medic could see but Lahr figured Crewman Th'vyrrol could 'feel' the openness of his greeting.

"Heya. Thanks!  Chief Petty ch'Verret, though most know me by my alias.  DJ Lahr.  So how long has the kid.. I mean, the Commander, been missing?"

When Zhuk briefed the team, Lahr listened close to figure out why he'd been requested along.

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Arden Enclave | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

Even though he ran to get to his chosen destination, Zhuk remained with an ear trailed behind him, in the general direction where the Aenar was, to listen to his statement. He certainly felt those could prove as useful abilities, especially those of his senses and precognition. He wondered for a moment if he should ask if he could see into the future to try and determine more about the current task ahead. However, he decided against it, fearing to put too much strain on his Medical officer, deciding his abilities as a physician were much more valuable than whatever he could infer through what Zhuk almost considered a set of 'supernatural' capabilities.

"Duly noted, Crewman Th'vyrroll. I shalt keep such in mind."

It was not too long until they were able to meet with the rest of the party, a good crew of Klingon officers, Officer Zala, with a rifle, and of course, Lahr. A smile came into his muzzle as he saw him actually come. Allowing Abas to talk to him first, he proceeded to do so second, "Glad you may accompany us, Chief Petty Officer ch'Verret. Our team certainly shalt be more versatile with your presence. I thought about requesting thy presence so that you may bring assistance, where we come upon a locked door or a panel we require access to."

He then offered a nod towards the rest of the crew, "Gentlemen, ladies. I trust that you are all ready to embark upon this dangerous quest to recover Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie. He has been missing by several hours by this point, so I want you to remain alert and focused. I will not allow those scum to penetrate our defenses as they did with the Captain. We shalt move as a group, and I do not want anyone to separate from a distance of more than 40 feet from one another. Anything you gaze upon, as minor as it may be, I wish it to be immediately reported. Is that clear?"

He spoke, hoping to both inspire them, but also make his plan clear. His voice carried decisiveness and conviction, and though it seemed somewhat harsh-worded, he did want to coordinate as effectively as he could, "Very well... if no more questions remain, we shalt begin this operation."

[Lieutenant D'Lorra | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

D'Lorra heard the orders and grinned. "I follow your lead, Lieutenant," she told Zhuk. "I anticipate the glory of battle at our journeys' end."

[Angdarr[

As the goon worked Kyan over, Seles entered the cell and said.

"Stop! The subject has been primed for his mission. It is time to transfer him to his 'hide out'.

As the assassination of Jindak had been in the works for several months, everything was in place and just need authorization to move forward to phase two of the operation. Kyan was stunned again and quickly bundled up for transport. The Orions who'd originally captured him, met with a group of known criminals while heavily cloaked and masked so that the criminals never knew who they were dealing with.

After money exchanged hands, Kyan was taken to another hide out deep under the Angdarr canopy. There, using carefully scrambled communications they contacted the Challenger to offer ransom terms, the princely sum of 100 bricks of gold pressed latinum. Unknown to the criminals, the "scrambling" of the communications was flawed and it took Lieutenant Commander Catalan less than an hour to locate its source. He relayed this information to Captain Galloway immediately, who in turn, contacted Zhuk.

"Lieutenant Mrekrerhas, we have a location on Commander MacKenzie. Your team and a half dozen Angdarr Security Officers are about ta be beamed ta that location. You are goin' into a hostile environment, you are authorized ta do what is necessary ta rescue Kyan. Godspeed ta you lad."

Ian closed the channel and offered a quick word of supplication that Zhuk's team would succeed and then he settled in for the part he hated as captain...the wait.

[Angdarr Prime - hours later..]
The search wasn't going well.  Attempts to scan for his specific Only bio-signature was impossible from overhead by the ship because of the thick canopy; and scanning by portable scanner was proving to be very time consuming.   The Andgarr security seemed determined that the only place he could be was in the Canopy.   Anywhere down on the forest floor they claimed was madness.  That just made it all the more ideal a hiding spot according to Lahr.

Fed up with the situation, knowing that as time moved on their chances of getting the Commander back were getting slimmer, Lahr asked to speak to Zhuk away from the others.

"Lieutenant, I realize we have to work alongside the Andgarr security, but they are wrong about not checking the ground.   Permission to start a spiraling search pattern down on the ground, sir?"

News of Catalan having located Commander Mackenzie was welcome.  Though Lahr wondered if he could have gotten it done faster.  Ah.. he missed the days of being Ops, but the switch to engineering had been needed for his mental health.   Just like the switch to Ops had been needed.

Though he was there as an engineer, Lahr had his Type 2 hand phaser at the ready.  Good thing too.

No sooner had the team beamed in than they were under fire.  Two Andgarr security dropped dead at Lahr's feet.  Being an engineer, Lahr had been beamed in at the center of the security cluster, along with the Aenar medic.  Roozh!

Lahr immediately dropped to a crouch, reaching out to Th'vyrrol to pull him down as well. He had an almost overwhelming urge to urinate but manage to redirect his fear to getting himself out of the line of fire.  With his phaser, he aimed towards where the disruptor shot had come from, and fired at anything that moved.  With his setting on stun, the Andorian wasn't worried about accidentally hitting the Commander.

Looking around as he fired, Lahr grimaced as he realized that the transporter technician had dropped them not outside the cabin where they could scan the interior and get a lay out and make a plan first.  Nope - the Ops person had just dropped them into the largest opening in the cabin - basically giving them no cover whatsoever.   Wanker!

He noted the shots that had taken down the Andgarr security had come from the kitchen area.  Lahr could see a masked face pop up from overtop a central food prep counter.   There seemed to be just the one hostile in that direction.  As opposed to the 2 or 3 in every other direction.

"Th'vyrrol, I'm going to clear you a path to the counter.  Duck in behind and stay out of sight until we have the situation somewhat clear."

With that said quietly to the Aenar, Lahr ran in a low crouch towards counter.  Aiming towards where he'd seen the masked face peek out from.  At the least sign of movement, Lahr fired, but missed.  Guess this was going to be done the hard way.  When he reached the counter, he let go for the phaser letting it slide across its smooth surface while he placed both palms down flat and vaulted himself over the counter to land behind it, basically on top of his opponent.   He rolled off and kicked out towards where he sensed the man's body was.

Reaching out a hand Lahr snatched his phaser as it slid off the counter and the fired it point blank at the burly figure.  Lahr let out a sigh at seeing the kidnapper collapse.   Only half dozen left to go.

"Th'vyrrol.  Clear.  I'll cover you."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Forest Floor | Andgarr Prime]

The descent via a spacious, heavy-duty elevator which was partly made out of wood was uneventful for the most part. Zhuk was rather pleased with Lieutenant D'Lorra's disposition, and he made sure to ask about her own set of skills on the way down. He felt confident in his team, even though he was somewhat nervous. This was the first time he led a search party, and the weight of failure from before still was present on his shoulders. He could not allow a mistake to happen again. He took a deep breath once the elevator stopped, and took his weapon as the doors opened, onto the treacherous ground.

Even though assisted by the expertise of Subanax Amnid Paimarn, and her great knowledge of the area, which Zhuk learned to admire pretty soon, they made little progress in their quest to find Kyan. He turned towards Lahr as he approached him, and asked to try and run a spiral sweep. He was about to accept, finding the suggestion sound. That was until he received a call from none other than the Captain, informing him that the Lieutenant Commander's location had been obtained and that they were about to be transported towards it.

"Acknowledged, Captain. I shalt ready my team for the transportation."

Zhuk cleared his throat, as he quickly waved a hand over him in a circle to gather his team, "It seems as if the abductors of Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie made a heinous mistake, and now their coordinates have been obtained by Commander Catalan. In a few minutes, we shalt be transported there, alongside a set of Andgarr Security guards. We were given full permission to do what needs to be done to rescue Mackenzie. So I shalt authorize lethal force if necessary. Still, do mind your lines of fire, and do not act impulsively. I do not wish to report the loss of our officer's lives."

He glanced over at them, making sure that his new instructions were perfectly understood by them. And also, remembering their faces, in case not all returned to the Challenger. He hoped it would not come to that, however.

"Subanax Pairman, Crewman Th'vyrroll, I wish for you to remain at the center of our formation, or at the rear, if possible. I do not want stray fire to injure thee or worse. Crewman Zala, you possess the Type-2 phaser rifle. Acquire an advantageous position so that you may more properly utilize it. I shalt provide cover fire in the meanwhile. Also, I probably need not remind you, but find cover as soon as possible. It will be a hard-fought battle, but we shalt be victorious."

Zala proceeded to nod at the Caitian, gripping the rifle a little more tightly as she inspected it one last time, making sure it worked properly. Meanwhile, he proceeded to place the team in position and readied his phaser. Instead of stun, he made sure to change the setting. He was sure no one would miss a few miscreants if they did not wake up the next morning. Better for the Angdarr, even.

He took a deep breath as he felt his body be once more transported elsewhere. The odd feeling still lingered for a few moments, as he found himself standing in front of a large cabin, staring at a large opening in the center. He prepared to instruct his team to move out in order to assault the hideout, however, a barrage of rays kept him from being able to utter a word as they cut down a couple of the Angarr officers who had been brought along, and stood just behind him.

Zhuk was forced to duck to keep himself from being shot, shocked by how close he had been to perishing by the attack. Or at the very least, getting seriously injured. He got up, and squatting he moved towards the opening, his mind racing as he sought to reach the wall in order to find some cover. He was grateful for fate, chance, or simply just his height that had kept him from being chosen as a target, though he still cursed his luck for being in such a bad situation.

As he slowly slid up the wall against the entrance, Zala came running towards him, keeping her head low just as she had seen Zhuk do, just before leaning against the wall herself just behind him. She was hyperventilating, obviously panicked by the situation. Assessing the general surroundings, and seeing how his team was struggling to keep themselves from being overwhelmed by the crooks, he tried to rally them with a thunderous shout,

"Do not falter! Spread out and find cover!"

He turned towards the Ferengi about to cry behind him and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly, "Zala. I need you to focus, very well? I know this situation is scary, but I require you to calm down and provide me with some cover. If you assist me, then both we will be able to make it out of here."

"O-Okay..." She nodded, trying her best to take deep breaths and do as she was told.

"Alright. Just stay alert for now. I shalt attempt to eliminate some of the danger towards us..." He moved closer to the opening, and took a peek inside, just quick enough to avoid a couple of shots from some entrenched thugs within. For the second time today, he was thankful he had not lost an eye.

He did his best to recall their position, and lowered himself again, trying to avoid appearing in the same place for the second time. He waited for a couple of shots to fly past, before he once more leaned out of cover, unleashing a trio of shots that managed to nail one of them in the head, though the other two shots missed, landing against an upturned table.

He returned back to Zala, adopting his previous position, as he flashed three fingers towards her. That is how many remained in that room.

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

[Andgarr Prime-Arden Hall]

Neva shook her head side to side, trying to work the kinks out. Standing up from the seat on the far side of the room, she stretched her arms out to do the same. She started to bend to get her gear when her comm trilled and Aarwendil's voice called out to her. Reversing her motion, she hit her comm.

"Cordon to Cheizex. I'm here in the Hall where the briefing's been. Why?"
Neva grabbed her gear, craning her neck for a sign of him. "I need to get a sigil bracelet, are you near where they are?"

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Hearing Neva answer him made Aarwendil blush. Since Nira confirmed that she was in the Great Hall, he didn't expect that she would end replying his message. "Nothing! I didn't saw you around, so I became concerned." he said, feeling silly for talking through the comm while they were basically in the same room. "Yes, I'm close to the sigil bracelets. I'll pick one for you." the young Betazoid would grab another one of the sigils. Once they were decending to the surface, he would give it to his fellow Ensign.

[Abas Th'vyrrol]

[Andgarr Prime]

Abas hadn't yet met other Andorian on the crew who ch'Verret had been thinking of, Valis. While he was generally familiar with the medical situation and breakdown of the crew, he didn't know everyone. Trying to commit the entire crew to memory was, frankly, a futile effort. Anyone who tried to was sure to burn themselves out and become over-stressed, and a sure candidate for psychological evaluation. He listened as the man spoke, while also trying to keep an ear out for the situation around him. While Abas had not heard the Chief's alias before, he raised an eyebrow at the reference. DJ? As in, disc jockey? An odd nickname, but one to investigate when there was less pressing matters to attend to. He briefly summarized what he knew, passing on information as to the current security status as well as how long the 'kid' had been missing. He didn't have all of the answers, but he filled in as much as he could regarding the current situation.

He didn't have to wait long for someone much more qualified to fill in the rest of the details - and the crew began their search. He assisted where he could - working on isolating bio-patterns, comparing them to the ship's database, and serving to keep the search team as prepared as they could. One couldn't go into battle without food and sustenance, after all. His business was the health of the crew - and he would see to it as best as he could.

[Later]

Thankfully, their search appeared to be bearing fruit. The ship's crew had managed to locate the missing officer, and even better, they were ready to beam the team in to extract him. As the Captain's voice cut off from the tiny speakers, and the crew made their last-minute preparations, he knelt down. Why make a bigger target than he had to, when there were so many fine security officers who's whole job was dealing with the fire?

His two-year stint in the Andorian Guard had made him very familiar with a great many types of operation - some peaceful, unfortunately most not. While he would not use violence himself, Abas had a duty to any and all who were injured - regardless of what side they were on. He would do his duty - no matter the situation. That isn't to say he would just stand there and get shot at, however. He didn't have a death wish.

[LZ]

The whine of the transporter faded as quick as it had started, with the crew beaming in to... the perfect kill-box. Weapons fire erupted in the small space, beams of light and bolts of energy criss-crossing in the space as the smell of acrid burning began to quickly fill the air. Two security officers - thankfully none of the Challenger's crew - were cut down almost instantly from a sequence of disruptor blasts. Nonetheless, he had a job to do. Perhaps the officers could still be saved, though from how they had fallen, it seemed unlikely. Staying low, he reached out to one of the fallen officers and grabbed ahold of their collar, dragging the unfortunate soul into whatever semblance of cover he could find.

For all of the weapons fire around, he was remarkably calm. While the screams and commotion of combat filled the air, Abas kept his breathing level and almost zen-like. It was only moments later that Lahr pulled him down, only for a disruptor bolt to fly straight past where his head was a mere two seconds beforehand. "Thanks," he said, not turning away from his work, shaking his head before moving on to the next casualty. The first officer hit was already gone. There was nothing he could do for them. "Understood, Chief. Stay alive," he responded, before flinching as another blast hit very much too close to home.

As the Chief cleared a small alcove, enough for cover, Abas vaulted for the other fallen Andgarr, dragging them into cover before cracking open his tricorder and seeing if anything could be done. With the cover of the counter, which was enough to withstand the indirect fire coming its way for the moment, he continued his work, using his enhanced senses to try and paint a mental map of the area. The good news, however, was that he didn't have to stick his head out in order to see what was occurring. "Chief. Drop!" he said, as he sensed a weapon being turned toward their direction. Hopefully with his warning, the man could evade the incoming fire.

Abas busied himself with performing battlefield triage on anyone who he could see or reach - ducking out into the line of fire briefly if the need came to drag fallen or wounded to the shelter the Engineer had cleared. Hopefully the fight would be over soon - but until then, he had a duty to perform.

[Neva Cordon]

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Hearing Neva answer him made Aarwendil blush. Since Nira confirmed that she was in the Great Hall, he didn't expect that she would end replying his message. "Nothing! I didn't see you around, so I became concerned." he said, feeling silly for talking through the comm while they were basically in the same room. "Yes, I'm close to the sigil bracelets. I'll pick one for you." the young Betazoid would grab another one of the sigils. Once they were decending to the surface, he would give it to his fellow Ensign.

Neva suddenly felt herself blush. She realized she was short with him. Heading over toward where the sigil bracelets were to be in closer "range," she tried to speak telepathically. 'Aarwendil? Can you hear me? It looks like I was short with you. I'm ok. Can we go to the planet together? I was out past the city a little before i got here. I'd rather have someone with me.' She had added her nervousness at being alone during that time, even as she showed him her excitement at being in a new environment.
Neva smiled brighter when she found him among the crowd. 'Hello!' She told him telepathically.

[Ian Galloway]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Angdarr Prime - Beam down site ]

Lahr, like most of the crew, had heard about how the entire Andgarr civilization was built up in the canopy of giant trees.   As the Andorian looked around, he was a bit relieved that the height wasn't immediately noticeable; not that he was afraid of heights.

He and the security team didn't have to wait long for Zhuk, who Lahr assumed was the team leader.   With the Caitian arrived the ship's one and only Aenar.   Lahr had yet to meet the medical crewman, though Valis, despite her own overall disapproval of Lahr, had made a point to inform her fellow Andorian, that the Aenar was aboard.

Being born into the warrior caste, zh'Tianihr had a tad bit of a superiority complex and viewed any sort of weakness with distain.  Lahr guessed she thought he had the same distainful sentiments; but being born into the merchant caste and having traveled a lot in his youth, meeting a lot of varying species, Lahr took to people.  It took a lot to get on his 'bad side'.

So when the Aenar approached him, Lahr smiled and gave the man an up-nod; not that the medic could see but Lahr figured Crewman Th'vyrrol could 'feel' the openness of his greeting.

"Heya. Thanks!  Chief Petty ch'Verret, though most know me by my alias.  DJ Lahr.  So how long has the kid.. I mean, the Commander, been missing?"

When Zhuk briefed the team, Lahr listened close to figure out why he'd been requested along.

[Angdarr Prime - hours later..]
The search wasn't going well.  Attempts to scan for his specific Only bio-signature was impossible from overhead by the ship because of the thick canopy; and scanning by portable scanner was proving to be very time consuming.   The Andgarr security seemed determined that the only place he could be was in the Canopy.   Anywhere down on the forest floor they claimed was madness.  That just made it all the more ideal a hiding spot according to Lahr.

Fed up with the situation, knowing that as time moved on their chances of getting the Commander back were getting slimmer, Lahr asked to speak to Zhuk away from the others.

"Lieutenant, I realize we have to work alongside the Andgarr security, but they are wrong about not checking the ground.   Permission to start a spiraling search pattern down on the ground, sir?"

News of Catalan having located Commander Mackenzie was welcome.  Though Lahr wondered if he could have gotten it done faster.  Ah.. he missed the days of being Ops, but the switch to engineering had been needed for his mental health.   Just like the switch to Ops had been needed.

Though he was there as an engineer, Lahr had his Type 2 hand phaser at the ready.  Good thing too.

No sooner had the team beamed in than they were under fire.  Two Andgarr security dropped dead at Lahr's feet.  Being an engineer, Lahr had been beamed in at the center of the security cluster, along with the Aenar medic.  Roozh!

Lahr immediately dropped to a crouch, reaching out to Th'vyrrol to pull him down as well. He had an almost overwhelming urge to urinate but manage to redirect his fear to getting himself out of the line of fire.  With his phaser, he aimed towards where the disruptor shot had come from, and fired at anything that moved.  With his setting on stun, the Andorian wasn't worried about accidentally hitting the Commander.

Looking around as he fired, Lahr grimaced as he realized that the transporter technician had dropped them not outside the cabin where they could scan the interior and get a lay out and make a plan first.  Nope - the Ops person had just dropped them into the largest opening in the cabin - basically giving them no cover whatsoever.   Wanker!

He noted the shots that had taken down the Andgarr security had come from the kitchen area.  Lahr could see a masked face pop up from overtop a central food prep counter.   There seemed to be just the one hostile in that direction.  As opposed to the 2 or 3 in every other direction.

"Th'vyrrol, I'm going to clear you a path to the counter.  Duck in behind and stay out of sight until we have the situation somewhat clear."

With that said quietly to the Aenar, Lahr ran in a low crouch towards counter.  Aiming towards where he'd seen the masked face peek out from.  At the least sign of movement, Lahr fired, but missed.  Guess this was going to be done the hard way.  When he reached the counter, he let go for the phaser letting it slide across its smooth surface while he placed both palms down flat and vaulted himself over the counter to land behind it, basically on top of his opponent.   He rolled off and kicked out towards where he sensed the man's body was.

Reaching out a hand Lahr snatched his phaser as it slid off the counter and the fired it point blank at the burly figure.  Lahr let out a sigh at seeing the kidnapper collapse.   Only half dozen left to go.

"Th'vyrrol.  Clear.  I'll cover you."

[Crewman Zala | Armory | Deck 9 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Stationed within Andgarr Prime]

Crewman Zala momentarily thought about Lahr's whispered comment. She raised an eyebrow, though soon resumed a more neutral expression as she decided perhaps it was not a good idea to let the Engineer know she had overheard that. Her ears were both a blessing and a curse, she found, capable of picking up sensitive information that benefited her and caused her to keep secrets to maintain a better relationship with her coworkers. She remembered asking one of her fellow students at the Academy once after overhearing a heated conversation through the walls between her and his boyfriend if they were okay. She told her to mind her own business in a rather rude manner she decided not to recall in detail.

In any case, she wondered why Lahr thought he would not be welcome to go along with the Security detail. She glanced over at them. There was a Klingon, D'Lorra, transferred over from the Tah'ju, if she recalled correctly, in an Officer exchange of sorts. Otherwise, she saw other officers she was learning to be familiar with. Nothing out of the ordinary, just members of the crew.

Her brown eyes returned to Lahr, and she silently wondered what had caused such a bad experience when it came to Security. Before she could deepen her thoughts on the subject, however, they were interrupted by Lahr asking for a weapon. She couldn't help but ultimately agree with his wisdom. Having another gun in what may be a dangerous situation could indeed help them win the upcoming battle.

"Yeah, I guess that does make sense. Uh... here..." She walked over towards the display on the wall, and took one of the Type-2 hand phasers, offering it to him, "I guess you do know how to use it, right?"

A twinge of fear permeated around her, as she worried about sounding rude to him. After all, he most likely did, right? Still, she wanted to make sure, in case she had to give a few pointers on the correct operation of the weapon.

Before she could do so, however, the pair was called over to the Transporter Room, and immediately, Zara legged it there. Taking her place in one of the pads, she proceeded to stand upright as she felt the pleasant hum and the strange, but fascinating sensation of beaming down to the planet...

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Arden Enclave | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

Even though he ran to get to his chosen destination, Zhuk remained with an ear trailed behind him, in the general direction where the Aenar was, to listen to his statement. He certainly felt those could prove as useful abilities, especially those of his senses and precognition. He wondered for a moment if he should ask if he could see into the future to try and determine more about the current task ahead. However, he decided against it, fearing to put too much strain on his Medical officer, deciding his abilities as a physician were much more valuable than whatever he could infer through what Zhuk almost considered a set of 'supernatural' capabilities.

"Duly noted, Crewman Th'vyrroll. I shalt keep such in mind."

It was not too long until they were able to meet with the rest of the party, a good crew of Klingon officers, Officer Zala, with a rifle, and of course, Lahr. A smile came into his muzzle as he saw him actually come. Allowing Abas to talk to him first, he proceeded to do so second, "Glad you may accompany us, Chief Petty Officer ch'Verret. Our team certainly shalt be more versatile with your presence. I thought about requesting thy presence so that you may bring assistance, where we come upon a locked door or a panel we require access to."

He then offered a nod towards the rest of the crew, "Gentlemen, ladies. I trust that you are all ready to embark upon this dangerous quest to recover Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie. He has been missing by several hours by this point, so I want you to remain alert and focused. I will not allow those scum to penetrate our defenses as they did with the Captain. We shalt move as a group, and I do not want anyone to separate from a distance of more than 40 feet from one another. Anything you gaze upon, as minor as it may be, I wish it to be immediately reported. Is that clear?"

He spoke, hoping to both inspire them, but also make his plan clear. His voice carried decisiveness and conviction, and though it seemed somewhat harsh-worded, he did want to coordinate as effectively as he could, "Very well... if no more questions remain, we shalt begin this operation."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Forest Floor | Andgarr Prime]

The descent via a spacious, heavy-duty elevator which was partly made out of wood was uneventful for the most part. Zhuk was rather pleased with Lieutenant D'Lorra's disposition, and he made sure to ask about her own set of skills on the way down. He felt confident in his team, even though he was somewhat nervous. This was the first time he led a search party, and the weight of failure from before still was present on his shoulders. He could not allow a mistake to happen again. He took a deep breath once the elevator stopped, and took his weapon as the doors opened, onto the treacherous ground.

Even though assisted by the expertise of Subanax Amnid Paimarn, and her great knowledge of the area, which Zhuk learned to admire pretty soon, they made little progress in their quest to find Kyan. He turned towards Lahr as he approached him, and asked to try and run a spiral sweep. He was about to accept, finding the suggestion sound. That was until he received a call from none other than the Captain, informing him that the Lieutenant Commander's location had been obtained and that they were about to be transported towards it.

"Acknowledged, Captain. I shalt ready my team for the transportation."

Zhuk cleared his throat, as he quickly waved a hand over him in a circle to gather his team, "It seems as if the abductors of Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie made a heinous mistake, and now their coordinates have been obtained by Commander Catalan. In a few minutes, we shalt be transported there, alongside a set of Andgarr Security guards. We were given full permission to do what needs to be done to rescue Mackenzie. So I shalt authorize lethal force if necessary. Still, do mind your lines of fire, and do not act impulsively. I do not wish to report the loss of our officer's lives."

He glanced over at them, making sure that his new instructions were perfectly understood by them. And also, remembering their faces, in case not all returned to the Challenger. He hoped it would not come to that, however.

"Subanax Pairman, Crewman Th'vyrroll, I wish for you to remain at the center of our formation, or at the rear, if possible. I do not want stray fire to injure thee or worse. Crewman Zala, you possess the Type-2 phaser rifle. Acquire an advantageous position so that you may more properly utilize it. I shalt provide cover fire in the meanwhile. Also, I probably need not remind you, but find cover as soon as possible. It will be a hard-fought battle, but we shalt be victorious."

Zala proceeded to nod at the Caitian, gripping the rifle a little more tightly as she inspected it one last time, making sure it worked properly. Meanwhile, he proceeded to place the team in position and readied his phaser. Instead of stun, he made sure to change the setting. He was sure no one would miss a few miscreants if they did not wake up the next morning. Better for the Angdarr, even.

He took a deep breath as he felt his body be once more transported elsewhere. The odd feeling still lingered for a few moments, as he found himself standing in front of a large cabin, staring at a large opening in the center. He prepared to instruct his team to move out in order to assault the hideout, however, a barrage of rays kept him from being able to utter a word as they cut down a couple of the Angarr officers who had been brought along, and stood just behind him.

Zhuk was forced to duck to keep himself from being shot, shocked by how close he had been to perishing by the attack. Or at the very least, getting seriously injured. He got up, and squatting he moved towards the opening, his mind racing as he sought to reach the wall in order to find some cover. He was grateful for fate, chance, or simply just his height that had kept him from being chosen as a target, though he still cursed his luck for being in such a bad situation.

As he slowly slid up the wall against the entrance, Zala came running towards him, keeping her head low just as she had seen Zhuk do, just before leaning against the wall herself just behind him. She was hyperventilating, obviously panicked by the situation. Assessing the general surroundings, and seeing how his team was struggling to keep themselves from being overwhelmed by the crooks, he tried to rally them with a thunderous shout,

"Do not falter! Spread out and find cover!"

He turned towards the Ferengi about to cry behind him and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly, "Zala. I need you to focus, very well? I know this situation is scary, but I require you to calm down and provide me with some cover. If you assist me, then both we will be able to make it out of here."

"O-Okay..." She nodded, trying her best to take deep breaths and do as she was told.

"Alright. Just stay alert for now. I shalt attempt to eliminate some of the danger towards us..." He moved closer to the opening, and took a peek inside, just quick enough to avoid a couple of shots from some entrenched thugs within. For the second time today, he was thankful he had not lost an eye.

He did his best to recall their position, and lowered himself again, trying to avoid appearing in the same place for the second time. He waited for a couple of shots to fly past, before he once more leaned out of cover, unleashing a trio of shots that managed to nail one of them in the head, though the other two shots missed, landing against an upturned table.

He returned back to Zala, adopting his previous position, as he flashed three fingers towards her. That is how many remained in that room.

[Andgarr Prime]

Abas hadn't yet met other Andorian on the crew who ch'Verret had been thinking of, Valis. While he was generally familiar with the medical situation and breakdown of the crew, he didn't know everyone. Trying to commit the entire crew to memory was, frankly, a futile effort. Anyone who tried to was sure to burn themselves out and become over-stressed, and a sure candidate for psychological evaluation. He listened as the man spoke, while also trying to keep an ear out for the situation around him. While Abas had not heard the Chief's alias before, he raised an eyebrow at the reference. DJ? As in, disc jockey? An odd nickname, but one to investigate when there was less pressing matters to attend to. He briefly summarized what he knew, passing on information as to the current security status as well as how long the 'kid' had been missing. He didn't have all of the answers, but he filled in as much as he could regarding the current situation.

He didn't have to wait long for someone much more qualified to fill in the rest of the details - and the crew began their search. He assisted where he could - working on isolating bio-patterns, comparing them to the ship's database, and serving to keep the search team as prepared as they could. One couldn't go into battle without food and sustenance, after all. His business was the health of the crew - and he would see to it as best as he could.

[Later]

Thankfully, their search appeared to be bearing fruit. The ship's crew had managed to locate the missing officer, and even better, they were ready to beam the team in to extract him. As the Captain's voice cut off from the tiny speakers, and the crew made their last-minute preparations, he knelt down. Why make a bigger target than he had to, when there were so many fine security officers who's whole job was dealing with the fire?

His two-year stint in the Andorian Guard had made him very familiar with a great many types of operation - some peaceful, unfortunately most not. While he would not use violence himself, Abas had a duty to any and all who were injured - regardless of what side they were on. He would do his duty - no matter the situation. That isn't to say he would just stand there and get shot at, however. He didn't have a death wish.

[LZ]

The whine of the transporter faded as quick as it had started, with the crew beaming in to... the perfect kill-box. Weapons fire erupted in the small space, beams of light and bolts of energy criss-crossing in the space as the smell of acrid burning began to quickly fill the air. Two security officers - thankfully none of the Challenger's crew - were cut down almost instantly from a sequence of disruptor blasts. Nonetheless, he had a job to do. Perhaps the officers could still be saved, though from how they had fallen, it seemed unlikely. Staying low, he reached out to one of the fallen officers and grabbed ahold of their collar, dragging the unfortunate soul into whatever semblance of cover he could find.

For all of the weapons fire around, he was remarkably calm. While the screams and commotion of combat filled the air, Abas kept his breathing level and almost zen-like. It was only moments later that Lahr pulled him down, only for a disruptor bolt to fly straight past where his head was a mere two seconds beforehand. "Thanks," he said, not turning away from his work, shaking his head before moving on to the next casualty. The first officer hit was already gone. There was nothing he could do for them. "Understood, Chief. Stay alive," he responded, before flinching as another blast hit very much too close to home.

As the Chief cleared a small alcove, enough for cover, Abas vaulted for the other fallen Andgarr, dragging them into cover before cracking open his tricorder and seeing if anything could be done. With the cover of the counter, which was enough to withstand the indirect fire coming its way for the moment, he continued his work, using his enhanced senses to try and paint a mental map of the area. The good news, however, was that he didn't have to stick his head out in order to see what was occurring. "Chief. Drop!" he said, as he sensed a weapon being turned toward their direction. Hopefully with his warning, the man could evade the incoming fire.

Abas busied himself with performing battlefield triage on anyone who he could see or reach - ducking out into the line of fire briefly if the need came to drag fallen or wounded to the shelter the Engineer had cleared. Hopefully the fight would be over soon - but until then, he had a duty to perform.

[Hideout - Angdarr Prime]

The room was alive with light as phaser and disruptor bolts crisscrossed the confines of the hideout. One of the Klingons took a blast and crumpled with a fist sized hole in his chest. The paired Zakdorn, working with long practiced tactics as they attempted to flank Zhuk. Just as one of the goons got into firing position, Zara was able to cut the Zakdorn down before he could shoot. The death of his brother caused the second Zakdorn to burst from cover firing wildly in a blind rage. As he reached Zara and was ready to shoot, Zhuk got a clear line of sight and shot the brother.

The remaining human and two Nausicans realized they were out numbered and made an attempt to flee, but the Klingons made short work of them as they avenged their fallen comrade. The room fell silent and the rescuers finally had the chance to search the hideout.

Kyan was found stuffed in a sack, still fully bound and badly battered. When Abas got to him, he was alive, but unconscious from the beating he'd endured. However, they'd succeeded, they'd rescued the Onlie.

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

Neva suddenly felt herself blush. She realized she was short with him. Heading over toward where the sigil bracelets were to be in closer "range," she tried to speak telepathically. 'Aarwendil? Can you hear me? It looks like I was short with you. I'm ok. Can we go to the planet together? I was out past the city a little before i got here. I'd rather have someone with me.' She had added her nervousness at being alone during that time, even as she showed him her excitement at being in a new environment.
Neva smiled brighter when she found him among the crowd. 'Hello!' She told him telepathically.

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Suddenly, Aarwendil felt Neva contact him telepathically. It was a surprise, the young Betazoid didn't expect that she would want to talk with him this way. "˜Yes, I can.' he replied to her, now being able to see his fellow Ensign approaching. "˜Of course! I'd love to have your company.' He smiled at her once she was close to him. 'Hi! I thought that you got lost.'

[Nira Said]

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil turned to look at where the Commander had pointed. He saw Neva in a corner with a backpack. The young man felt a bit stupid for his attempt to contact his fellow Ensign while she was so close to the group. With the butterflies flying around spreading some type of disease and the disappearance of Kyan made him concerned for the security of the girl.

"Thank you!" Aarwendil said, while accepting the phaser that Nira had given him. He would need to use it. This place was more dangerous than he had expected early. The Betazoid tucked the weapon on his pants, leaving the rim of his shirt to cover it. Now he was prepared to go.

[Old Realms Overlook and Descension Point | Andgarr Prime]

While they were transported down, Aarwendil stared in awe at the fact that the mountains of the planet were smaller than the oln'garr trees. It was the most impressive plant that he ever saw. It only made him more interested in studying them. Their vascular tissues must be enormous and have great levels of pressure.

The Ensign paid attention to Nira and Anju's conversation. It was interesting to know more about the history of the planet. He also couldn't avoid thinking that the ancient people of Andgarr feared the surface. Things probably were more dangerous now than it was in the past.

"Understood." he said to Anju. If the people that lived here weren't dangerous already, the local fauna without any doubt would be a threat.

Neva suddenly felt herself blush. She realized she was short with him. Heading over toward where the sigil bracelets were to be in closer "range," she tried to speak telepathically. 'Aarwendil? Can you hear me? It looks like I was short with you. I'm ok. Can we go to the planet together? I was out past the city a little before i got here. I'd rather have someone with me.' She had added her nervousness at being alone during that time, even as she showed him her excitement at being in a new environment.
Neva smiled brighter when she found him among the crowd. 'Hello!' She told him telepathically.

[Enclave Arden | Great Hall | Andgarr Prime]

Suddenly, Aarwendil felt Neva contact him telepathically. It was a surprise, the young Betazoid didn't expect that she would want to talk with him this way. "˜Yes, I can.' he replied to her, now being able to see his fellow Ensign approaching. "˜Of course! I'd love to have your company.' He smiled at her once she was close to him. 'Hi! I thought that you got lost.'

[Commander Nira Said | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira heard Aarwendil and Neva briefly chatting...or rather, "heard" them. She stepped over, cleared her throat, and whispered to them, "You should bear in mind we're among non-telepaths. Still, it doesn't to have something in case of getting lost..."

Checking over to see if all had their sigils on them, they proceeded on the trail. They took their time, of course. They collected local insects and evidences of wildlife, like shed fur, teeth or excrements, as they proceeded. Even twigs from the oln'garr trees were collected...at least, they looked like twigs in the sense that chips of oln'garr bark shed off at times, but these chippings were perfect to get a close look at oln'garr trees in a sense. The tricorders were able to determine the makeup of an insect and what particular animal it came from, although Anju was of great help in determining what animal the piece of fur or tooth or such came from.

Even Nira had something to do amidst the party. She had once stated in her Officer Exchange that she could potentially use her skills of noticing small details for tracking, and it was a good chance to do so. Not just on the lookout for observers, she kept lookout for foot- or pawprints or clawmarks, and Anju, being more familiar to the planet than Nira was, was able to determine the kind of animal she found.

"It's amazing how you could do that," Anju complimented. "We never would've noticed. We only have our own animal instincts to pick up hostile animals."

"So does that mean Andgarr are empaths?" asked Nira.

"Quasi-empaths. Plenty of animal still exists in us, we've grown beyond it. Physically, we've been slow to evolve, but not our minds."

Among the insects collected were yanmarr butterflies. They weren't hard to catch, but it was easy to determine that they weren't genetically modified like the ones plaguing the canopy. They had a natural green look, easily mistaken for floating moss, as opposed to the genetically modified ones, which had a psychedelic look about them, almost like the color of a 2200s Romulan ship.

Still, it often got dark and murky, but plenty of places let in sunlight, owing to good timing from passing a patch of canopy that let in sunlight. It was a virtual jungle they were at. Nira did notice how warm and muggy it often got.

"I'm curious, Anju," Nira asked their guide at one point, "would your planet seem to have a small surface level?"

"At some points, yes," said Anju. "But not completely. It's easy to assume that, just as how it's easy to look at our world from orbit and assume it's bigger than it looks thanks to the Great Canopy. On one of my visits to Earth, I've shared some tidbits about our trees. You should've seen the looks on their faces when I mentioned how an oln'garr tree could penetrate Earth's atmosphere."

"That was you?" asked Nira.

"Correct!" Anju chuckled.

The trail of the modified yanmarr was detectable enough from the sensors. Soon the party made camp for the night at a riverside with a good beachhead.

"Wow! Never mind an ocean!" said Nira. "It's big as it comes!"

"This is the Tangarr River," Anju said. "Headwaters at the Mon'Garr. The longest river ever. Longer than Earth's Amazon, its main body and tributaries spread over a full quarter of the planet. Eventually it widens to the Tangarr Sea."

Nira could see a clear view of the Mon'Garr range; they were getting closer.

"I think we'll camp here for the night," said Nira.

A few moments later, night fell, and Nira was surprised how fast it fell, even with the jungle setting. And then they were in for an amazing sight. As night fell, natural luminescence came to life. Wildlife seemed to blossom and spread, even more than in the daylight.

"It never gets old," Anju said with a smile. "When Nature comes alive."

"Glowworms? Fireflies?" said Nira in amazement.

"Among other fauna," said Anju. "Some predators are certainly obvious, but others can easily camouflage themselves."

Then Nira noticed one of the trees exhuming butterflies. She was amazed that even the yanmarr could glow in the dark...and then she realized how much the colors were interchanging.

"I think we found some suspect butterflies," Nira said.

"Careful," said Anju warningly. "We don't know how any of you can react once they let loose their scale dust..."

But Nira could feel it already, even if she couldn't see it, taken by the wings as they were.

"It smells...wonderful," said Nira sweetly. "Doesn't seem bad..."

Anju scoffed. Some diseases usually weren't.

The dust was virtually spreading everywhere in camp. The reactions were different; only Anju felt unaffected. He kept shaking dust off his fur, of course, and he paid rapt attention as to what symptoms Nira would exhibit...

...while Nira laid down on the sand of the beach. A fire had been going despite the glow-in-the-darkness, and she was enjoying it. In fact, everything was feeling great; the sand on her skin felt so good, she took off her red tank top, her dancer's attire displayed, and she waved on the sand with a soothed sigh.

"Everything...it feels so wonderful," Nira said ecstatically. And they were on a beach...Betazoids were born to water, and water always called. She stood up and headed for the shore. "Moonlight swim anybody?" And she dove into the shore. At which Anju sauntered over, now acting as a lifeguard. The Tangarr River could be dangerous at night, after all, if one went too far from shore. Besides, he was beginning to see something was wrong with Nira...he couldn't place it yet, but something wrong was emerging...a reaction of some kind to the insects was worming its way up.

[Nira Said]

[Hideout - Angdarr Prime]

The room was alive with light as phaser and disruptor bolts crisscrossed the confines of the hideout. One of the Klingons took a blast and crumpled with a fist sized hole in his chest. The paired Zakdorn, working with long practiced tactics as they attempted to flank Zhuk. Just as one of the goons got into firing position, Zara was able to cut the Zakdorn down before he could shoot. The death of his brother caused the second Zakdorn to burst from cover firing wildly in a blind rage. As he reached Zara and was ready to shoot, Zhuk got a clear line of sight and shot the brother.

The remaining human and two Nausicans realized they were out numbered and made an attempt to flee, but the Klingons made short work of them as they avenged their fallen comrade. The room fell silent and the rescuers finally had the chance to search the hideout.

Kyan was found stuffed in a sack, still fully bound and badly battered. When Abas got to him, he was alive, but unconscious from the beating he'd endured. However, they'd succeeded, they'd rescued the Onlie.

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[Angdarr Prime - Beam down site ]

Lahr, like most of the crew, had heard about how the entire Andgarr civilization was built up in the canopy of giant trees.   As the Andorian looked around, he was a bit relieved that the height wasn't immediately noticeable; not that he was afraid of heights.

He and the security team didn't have to wait long for Zhuk, who Lahr assumed was the team leader.   With the Caitian arrived the ship's one and only Aenar.   Lahr had yet to meet the medical crewman, though Valis, despite her own overall disapproval of Lahr, had made a point to inform her fellow Andorian, that the Aenar was aboard.

Being born into the warrior caste, zh'Tianihr had a tad bit of a superiority complex and viewed any sort of weakness with distain.  Lahr guessed she thought he had the same distainful sentiments; but being born into the merchant caste and having traveled a lot in his youth, meeting a lot of varying species, Lahr took to people.  It took a lot to get on his 'bad side'.

So when the Aenar approached him, Lahr smiled and gave the man an up-nod; not that the medic could see but Lahr figured Crewman Th'vyrrol could 'feel' the openness of his greeting.

"Heya. Thanks!  Chief Petty ch'Verret, though most know me by my alias.  DJ Lahr.  So how long has the kid.. I mean, the Commander, been missing?"

When Zhuk briefed the team, Lahr listened close to figure out why he'd been requested along.

[Angdarr Prime - hours later..]
The search wasn't going well.  Attempts to scan for his specific Only bio-signature was impossible from overhead by the ship because of the thick canopy; and scanning by portable scanner was proving to be very time consuming.   The Andgarr security seemed determined that the only place he could be was in the Canopy.   Anywhere down on the forest floor they claimed was madness.  That just made it all the more ideal a hiding spot according to Lahr.

Fed up with the situation, knowing that as time moved on their chances of getting the Commander back were getting slimmer, Lahr asked to speak to Zhuk away from the others.

"Lieutenant, I realize we have to work alongside the Andgarr security, but they are wrong about not checking the ground.   Permission to start a spiraling search pattern down on the ground, sir?"

News of Catalan having located Commander Mackenzie was welcome.  Though Lahr wondered if he could have gotten it done faster.  Ah.. he missed the days of being Ops, but the switch to engineering had been needed for his mental health.   Just like the switch to Ops had been needed.

Though he was there as an engineer, Lahr had his Type 2 hand phaser at the ready.  Good thing too.

No sooner had the team beamed in than they were under fire.  Two Andgarr security dropped dead at Lahr's feet.  Being an engineer, Lahr had been beamed in at the center of the security cluster, along with the Aenar medic.  Roozh!

Lahr immediately dropped to a crouch, reaching out to Th'vyrrol to pull him down as well. He had an almost overwhelming urge to urinate but manage to redirect his fear to getting himself out of the line of fire.  With his phaser, he aimed towards where the disruptor shot had come from, and fired at anything that moved.  With his setting on stun, the Andorian wasn't worried about accidentally hitting the Commander.

Looking around as he fired, Lahr grimaced as he realized that the transporter technician had dropped them not outside the cabin where they could scan the interior and get a lay out and make a plan first.  Nope - the Ops person had just dropped them into the largest opening in the cabin - basically giving them no cover whatsoever.   Wanker!

He noted the shots that had taken down the Andgarr security had come from the kitchen area.  Lahr could see a masked face pop up from overtop a central food prep counter.   There seemed to be just the one hostile in that direction.  As opposed to the 2 or 3 in every other direction.

"Th'vyrrol, I'm going to clear you a path to the counter.  Duck in behind and stay out of sight until we have the situation somewhat clear."

With that said quietly to the Aenar, Lahr ran in a low crouch towards counter.  Aiming towards where he'd seen the masked face peek out from.  At the least sign of movement, Lahr fired, but missed.  Guess this was going to be done the hard way.  When he reached the counter, he let go for the phaser letting it slide across its smooth surface while he placed both palms down flat and vaulted himself over the counter to land behind it, basically on top of his opponent.   He rolled off and kicked out towards where he sensed the man's body was.

Reaching out a hand Lahr snatched his phaser as it slid off the counter and the fired it point blank at the burly figure.  Lahr let out a sigh at seeing the kidnapper collapse.   Only half dozen left to go.

"Th'vyrrol.  Clear.  I'll cover you."

[Crewman Zala | Armory | Deck 9 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Stationed within Andgarr Prime]

Crewman Zala momentarily thought about Lahr's whispered comment. She raised an eyebrow, though soon resumed a more neutral expression as she decided perhaps it was not a good idea to let the Engineer know she had overheard that. Her ears were both a blessing and a curse, she found, capable of picking up sensitive information that benefited her and caused her to keep secrets to maintain a better relationship with her coworkers. She remembered asking one of her fellow students at the Academy once after overhearing a heated conversation through the walls between her and his boyfriend if they were okay. She told her to mind her own business in a rather rude manner she decided not to recall in detail.

In any case, she wondered why Lahr thought he would not be welcome to go along with the Security detail. She glanced over at them. There was a Klingon, D'Lorra, transferred over from the Tah'ju, if she recalled correctly, in an Officer exchange of sorts. Otherwise, she saw other officers she was learning to be familiar with. Nothing out of the ordinary, just members of the crew.

Her brown eyes returned to Lahr, and she silently wondered what had caused such a bad experience when it came to Security. Before she could deepen her thoughts on the subject, however, they were interrupted by Lahr asking for a weapon. She couldn't help but ultimately agree with his wisdom. Having another gun in what may be a dangerous situation could indeed help them win the upcoming battle.

"Yeah, I guess that does make sense. Uh... here..." She walked over towards the display on the wall, and took one of the Type-2 hand phasers, offering it to him, "I guess you do know how to use it, right?"

A twinge of fear permeated around her, as she worried about sounding rude to him. After all, he most likely did, right? Still, she wanted to make sure, in case she had to give a few pointers on the correct operation of the weapon.

Before she could do so, however, the pair was called over to the Transporter Room, and immediately, Zara legged it there. Taking her place in one of the pads, she proceeded to stand upright as she felt the pleasant hum and the strange, but fascinating sensation of beaming down to the planet...

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Arden Enclave | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

Even though he ran to get to his chosen destination, Zhuk remained with an ear trailed behind him, in the general direction where the Aenar was, to listen to his statement. He certainly felt those could prove as useful abilities, especially those of his senses and precognition. He wondered for a moment if he should ask if he could see into the future to try and determine more about the current task ahead. However, he decided against it, fearing to put too much strain on his Medical officer, deciding his abilities as a physician were much more valuable than whatever he could infer through what Zhuk almost considered a set of 'supernatural' capabilities.

"Duly noted, Crewman Th'vyrroll. I shalt keep such in mind."

It was not too long until they were able to meet with the rest of the party, a good crew of Klingon officers, Officer Zala, with a rifle, and of course, Lahr. A smile came into his muzzle as he saw him actually come. Allowing Abas to talk to him first, he proceeded to do so second, "Glad you may accompany us, Chief Petty Officer ch'Verret. Our team certainly shalt be more versatile with your presence. I thought about requesting thy presence so that you may bring assistance, where we come upon a locked door or a panel we require access to."

He then offered a nod towards the rest of the crew, "Gentlemen, ladies. I trust that you are all ready to embark upon this dangerous quest to recover Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie. He has been missing by several hours by this point, so I want you to remain alert and focused. I will not allow those scum to penetrate our defenses as they did with the Captain. We shalt move as a group, and I do not want anyone to separate from a distance of more than 40 feet from one another. Anything you gaze upon, as minor as it may be, I wish it to be immediately reported. Is that clear?"

He spoke, hoping to both inspire them, but also make his plan clear. His voice carried decisiveness and conviction, and though it seemed somewhat harsh-worded, he did want to coordinate as effectively as he could, "Very well... if no more questions remain, we shalt begin this operation."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Forest Floor | Andgarr Prime]

The descent via a spacious, heavy-duty elevator which was partly made out of wood was uneventful for the most part. Zhuk was rather pleased with Lieutenant D'Lorra's disposition, and he made sure to ask about her own set of skills on the way down. He felt confident in his team, even though he was somewhat nervous. This was the first time he led a search party, and the weight of failure from before still was present on his shoulders. He could not allow a mistake to happen again. He took a deep breath once the elevator stopped, and took his weapon as the doors opened, onto the treacherous ground.

Even though assisted by the expertise of Subanax Amnid Paimarn, and her great knowledge of the area, which Zhuk learned to admire pretty soon, they made little progress in their quest to find Kyan. He turned towards Lahr as he approached him, and asked to try and run a spiral sweep. He was about to accept, finding the suggestion sound. That was until he received a call from none other than the Captain, informing him that the Lieutenant Commander's location had been obtained and that they were about to be transported towards it.

"Acknowledged, Captain. I shalt ready my team for the transportation."

Zhuk cleared his throat, as he quickly waved a hand over him in a circle to gather his team, "It seems as if the abductors of Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie made a heinous mistake, and now their coordinates have been obtained by Commander Catalan. In a few minutes, we shalt be transported there, alongside a set of Andgarr Security guards. We were given full permission to do what needs to be done to rescue Mackenzie. So I shalt authorize lethal force if necessary. Still, do mind your lines of fire, and do not act impulsively. I do not wish to report the loss of our officer's lives."

He glanced over at them, making sure that his new instructions were perfectly understood by them. And also, remembering their faces, in case not all returned to the Challenger. He hoped it would not come to that, however.

"Subanax Pairman, Crewman Th'vyrroll, I wish for you to remain at the center of our formation, or at the rear, if possible. I do not want stray fire to injure thee or worse. Crewman Zala, you possess the Type-2 phaser rifle. Acquire an advantageous position so that you may more properly utilize it. I shalt provide cover fire in the meanwhile. Also, I probably need not remind you, but find cover as soon as possible. It will be a hard-fought battle, but we shalt be victorious."

Zala proceeded to nod at the Caitian, gripping the rifle a little more tightly as she inspected it one last time, making sure it worked properly. Meanwhile, he proceeded to place the team in position and readied his phaser. Instead of stun, he made sure to change the setting. He was sure no one would miss a few miscreants if they did not wake up the next morning. Better for the Angdarr, even.

He took a deep breath as he felt his body be once more transported elsewhere. The odd feeling still lingered for a few moments, as he found himself standing in front of a large cabin, staring at a large opening in the center. He prepared to instruct his team to move out in order to assault the hideout, however, a barrage of rays kept him from being able to utter a word as they cut down a couple of the Angarr officers who had been brought along, and stood just behind him.

Zhuk was forced to duck to keep himself from being shot, shocked by how close he had been to perishing by the attack. Or at the very least, getting seriously injured. He got up, and squatting he moved towards the opening, his mind racing as he sought to reach the wall in order to find some cover. He was grateful for fate, chance, or simply just his height that had kept him from being chosen as a target, though he still cursed his luck for being in such a bad situation.

As he slowly slid up the wall against the entrance, Zala came running towards him, keeping her head low just as she had seen Zhuk do, just before leaning against the wall herself just behind him. She was hyperventilating, obviously panicked by the situation. Assessing the general surroundings, and seeing how his team was struggling to keep themselves from being overwhelmed by the crooks, he tried to rally them with a thunderous shout,

"Do not falter! Spread out and find cover!"

He turned towards the Ferengi about to cry behind him and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly, "Zala. I need you to focus, very well? I know this situation is scary, but I require you to calm down and provide me with some cover. If you assist me, then both we will be able to make it out of here."

"O-Okay..." She nodded, trying her best to take deep breaths and do as she was told.

"Alright. Just stay alert for now. I shalt attempt to eliminate some of the danger towards us..." He moved closer to the opening, and took a peek inside, just quick enough to avoid a couple of shots from some entrenched thugs within. For the second time today, he was thankful he had not lost an eye.

He did his best to recall their position, and lowered himself again, trying to avoid appearing in the same place for the second time. He waited for a couple of shots to fly past, before he once more leaned out of cover, unleashing a trio of shots that managed to nail one of them in the head, though the other two shots missed, landing against an upturned table.

He returned back to Zala, adopting his previous position, as he flashed three fingers towards her. That is how many remained in that room.

[Andgarr Prime]

Abas hadn't yet met other Andorian on the crew who ch'Verret had been thinking of, Valis. While he was generally familiar with the medical situation and breakdown of the crew, he didn't know everyone. Trying to commit the entire crew to memory was, frankly, a futile effort. Anyone who tried to was sure to burn themselves out and become over-stressed, and a sure candidate for psychological evaluation. He listened as the man spoke, while also trying to keep an ear out for the situation around him. While Abas had not heard the Chief's alias before, he raised an eyebrow at the reference. DJ? As in, disc jockey? An odd nickname, but one to investigate when there was less pressing matters to attend to. He briefly summarized what he knew, passing on information as to the current security status as well as how long the 'kid' had been missing. He didn't have all of the answers, but he filled in as much as he could regarding the current situation.

He didn't have to wait long for someone much more qualified to fill in the rest of the details - and the crew began their search. He assisted where he could - working on isolating bio-patterns, comparing them to the ship's database, and serving to keep the search team as prepared as they could. One couldn't go into battle without food and sustenance, after all. His business was the health of the crew - and he would see to it as best as he could.

[Later]

Thankfully, their search appeared to be bearing fruit. The ship's crew had managed to locate the missing officer, and even better, they were ready to beam the team in to extract him. As the Captain's voice cut off from the tiny speakers, and the crew made their last-minute preparations, he knelt down. Why make a bigger target than he had to, when there were so many fine security officers who's whole job was dealing with the fire?

His two-year stint in the Andorian Guard had made him very familiar with a great many types of operation - some peaceful, unfortunately most not. While he would not use violence himself, Abas had a duty to any and all who were injured - regardless of what side they were on. He would do his duty - no matter the situation. That isn't to say he would just stand there and get shot at, however. He didn't have a death wish.

[LZ]

The whine of the transporter faded as quick as it had started, with the crew beaming in to... the perfect kill-box. Weapons fire erupted in the small space, beams of light and bolts of energy criss-crossing in the space as the smell of acrid burning began to quickly fill the air. Two security officers - thankfully none of the Challenger's crew - were cut down almost instantly from a sequence of disruptor blasts. Nonetheless, he had a job to do. Perhaps the officers could still be saved, though from how they had fallen, it seemed unlikely. Staying low, he reached out to one of the fallen officers and grabbed ahold of their collar, dragging the unfortunate soul into whatever semblance of cover he could find.

For all of the weapons fire around, he was remarkably calm. While the screams and commotion of combat filled the air, Abas kept his breathing level and almost zen-like. It was only moments later that Lahr pulled him down, only for a disruptor bolt to fly straight past where his head was a mere two seconds beforehand. "Thanks," he said, not turning away from his work, shaking his head before moving on to the next casualty. The first officer hit was already gone. There was nothing he could do for them. "Understood, Chief. Stay alive," he responded, before flinching as another blast hit very much too close to home.

As the Chief cleared a small alcove, enough for cover, Abas vaulted for the other fallen Andgarr, dragging them into cover before cracking open his tricorder and seeing if anything could be done. With the cover of the counter, which was enough to withstand the indirect fire coming its way for the moment, he continued his work, using his enhanced senses to try and paint a mental map of the area. The good news, however, was that he didn't have to stick his head out in order to see what was occurring. "Chief. Drop!" he said, as he sensed a weapon being turned toward their direction. Hopefully with his warning, the man could evade the incoming fire.

Abas busied himself with performing battlefield triage on anyone who he could see or reach - ducking out into the line of fire briefly if the need came to drag fallen or wounded to the shelter the Engineer had cleared. Hopefully the fight would be over soon - but until then, he had a duty to perform.

[Lieutenant D'Lorra | Hideout | Andgarr Prime]

The fight was short and altogether brief, but D'Lorra enjoyed every moment of it. The downside was that Petty Officer Koloz was downed by a weapon. He fought well...may he die in honor, D'Lorra prayed.

It was certainly a motley crew they had confronted. Some Nausicaans, Zakdorn, even some local Andgarr. Disgraceful.

And there was the boy they fought to reach. D'Lorra was relieved. She looked back up at Zhuk and smiled. She had enjoyed the battle, fighting alongside the Caitian, a worthy warrior. She even liked the way he talked; her own grandfather, Ju'Dop, he had an admiration for Earth artistry, and he had taken up a fondess for Shakespeare like warriors in the past like General Chang had done. Zhuk sounded like somebody from the pages of the words of Shakespeare come to life, and she felt inspired the more.

"Battle well fought," D'Lorra said with a grin. "And I admire your manner of speech, Zhuk. Besides, you have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon."

Meanwhile, hidden eyes watched as the team collected their prize. Things were going according to plan, but he was surprised by the particular method, and the particular choice. He briefly peeked out in the cavity of an oln'garr tree.

Ah, but the Syndicates here in Romulan space did answer to him. Seles had a lot to explain, and if she didn't inform he, Domitian, then Visa would. He slunk back into the shadows before anybody could see him...

[Neva Cordon]

[Commander Nira Said | Forest Floor | Old Angdarr Realms | Andgarr Prime]

Nira heard Aarwendil and Neva briefly chatting...or rather, "heard" them. She stepped over, cleared her throat, and whispered to them, "You should bear in mind we're among non-telepaths. Still, it doesn't to have something in case of getting lost..."

Checking over to see if all had their sigils on them, they proceeded on the trail. They took their time, of course. They collected local insects and evidences of wildlife, like shed fur, teeth or excrements, as they proceeded. Even twigs from the oln'garr trees were collected...at least, they looked like twigs in the sense that chips of oln'garr bark shed off at times, but these chippings were perfect to get a close look at oln'garr trees in a sense. The tricorders were able to determine the makeup of an insect and what particular animal it came from, although Anju was of great help in determining what animal the piece of fur or tooth or such came from.

Even Nira had something to do amidst the party. She had once stated in her Officer Exchange that she could potentially use her skills of noticing small details for tracking, and it was a good chance to do so. Not just on the lookout for observers, she kept lookout for foot- or pawprints or clawmarks, and Anju, being more familiar to the planet than Nira was, was able to determine the kind of animal she found.

"It's amazing how you could do that," Anju complimented. "We never would've noticed. We only have our own animal instincts to pick up hostile animals."

"So does that mean Andgarr are empaths?" asked Nira.

"Quasi-empaths. Plenty of animal still exists in us, we've grown beyond it. Physically, we've been slow to evolve, but not our minds."

Among the insects collected were yanmarr butterflies. They weren't hard to catch, but it was easy to determine that they weren't genetically modified like the ones plaguing the canopy. They had a natural green look, easily mistaken for floating moss, as opposed to the genetically modified ones, which had a psychedelic look about them, almost like the color of a 2200s Romulan ship.

Still, it often got dark and murky, but plenty of places let in sunlight, owing to good timing from passing a patch of canopy that let in sunlight. It was a virtual jungle they were at. Nira did notice how warm and muggy it often got.

"I'm curious, Anju," Nira asked their guide at one point, "would your planet seem to have a small surface level?"

"At some points, yes," said Anju. "But not completely. It's easy to assume that, just as how it's easy to look at our world from orbit and assume it's bigger than it looks thanks to the Great Canopy. On one of my visits to Earth, I've shared some tidbits about our trees. You should've seen the looks on their faces when I mentioned how an oln'garr tree could penetrate Earth's atmosphere."

"That was you?" asked Nira.

"Correct!" Anju chuckled.

The trail of the modified yanmarr was detectable enough from the sensors. Soon the party made camp for the night at a riverside with a good beachhead.

"Wow! Never mind an ocean!" said Nira. "It's big as it comes!"

"This is the Tangarr River," Anju said. "Headwaters at the Mon'Garr. The longest river ever. Longer than Earth's Amazon, its main body and tributaries spread over a full quarter of the planet. Eventually it widens to the Tangarr Sea."

Nira could see a clear view of the Mon'Garr range; they were getting closer.

"I think we'll camp here for the night," said Nira.

A few moments later, night fell, and Nira was surprised how fast it fell, even with the jungle setting. And then they were in for an amazing sight. As night fell, natural luminescence came to life. Wildlife seemed to blossom and spread, even more than in the daylight.

"It never gets old," Anju said with a smile. "When Nature comes alive."

"Glowworms? Fireflies?" said Nira in amazement.

"Among other fauna," said Anju. "Some predators are certainly obvious, but others can easily camouflage themselves."

Then Nira noticed one of the trees exhuming butterflies. She was amazed that even the yanmarr could glow in the dark...and then she realized how much the colors were interchanging.

"I think we found some suspect butterflies," Nira said.

"Careful," said Anju warningly. "We don't know how any of you can react once they let loose their scale dust..."

But Nira could feel it already, even if she couldn't see it, taken by the wings as they were.

"It smells...wonderful," said Nira sweetly. "Doesn't seem bad..."

Anju scoffed. Some diseases usually weren't.

The dust was virtually spreading everywhere in camp. The reactions were different; only Anju felt unaffected. He kept shaking dust off his fur, of course, and he paid rapt attention as to what symptoms Nira would exhibit...

...while Nira laid down on the sand of the beach. A fire had been going despite the glow-in-the-darkness, and she was enjoying it. In fact, everything was feeling great; the sand on her skin felt so good, she took off her red tank top, her dancer's attire displayed, and she waved on the sand with a soothed sigh.

"Everything...it feels so wonderful," Nira said ecstatically. And they were on a beach...Betazoids were born to water, and water always called. She stood up and headed for the shore. "Moonlight swim anybody?" And she dove into the shore. At which Anju sauntered over, now acting as a lifeguard. The Tangarr River could be dangerous at night, after all, if one went too far from shore. Besides, he was beginning to see something was wrong with Nira...he couldn't place it yet, but something wrong was emerging...a reaction of some kind to the insects was worming its way up.

[Andgarr Prime=>Forest Floor of the Great Canopy]

The Commander's caution noted, Neva followed and found herself engrossed in the wonder of being under such a huge Tree. She had to force herself at times to collect and catalogue all the flora and insectoid species she needed to. This was not like what she'd collected for Mother, for sure.

Neva did, however, use some of her non-telepathic senses as she did her job. Running fingers over mossy rocks, weighing a piece of bark in her palm for a long moment, inhaling the musky, jungle scent as she walked. She almost wished for those weird butterflies to come to see what happened, but the logical side of her brain reminded her of her duty.

[Andgarr Prime-Forest Floor-Camp]

Sitting down just inside the tent she'd put up as night came, she scanned the area, trying to commit it to memory in every detail. Neva knew an opportunity like this wouldn't come again, to be sure. She smiled when someone handed her some food and thanked them. It seemed to be some sort of stew or thick soup. Taking a whiff, she realized it was Potato Soup. Licking her lips, she dug in, taking drinks now and then from her canteen.

After Neva had washed and given her bowl back to the crewman in charge of such things, she sauntered leisurely back to her tent. She observed the bioluminescent creatures making their way around their world, stopping now and then to watch more intensely.

As she neared her tent, Nira's call for a swim rang out and she swiveled to look. Even as she gawked with amazement at her commanding officer's antics, she spied the altered butterflies bursting into a moving umbrella above the camp. She watched as various people suddenly rid themselves of clinging garments and joined in on the nighttime swim. Some dove into their tents to close themselves in, while others fell to the ground to do curious and even blush-inducing things.

As a multi-colored butterfly alighted on Neva's somehow reaching arm, Neva's head slowly tipped sideways in wonder. She moved in slow motion to touch it with her other hand, and it crawled onto her fingers. She let it dance over her fingers and hand, totally enamored with its movements. She lifted it to look closer at it, eyes almost crossing in the effort. Still, it stayed as if to allow itself to preen. A slow wow sighed from her lips as she pushed it higher and it finally sailed off, dust in its wake.

Neva cupped her hands, seemingly fascinated at the sight. The insect had left its sandy offering all over her hands and she pulled them to her face and strongly inhaled. She felt herself drop to her knees in the sand, hands still covering her face. She let them drop, rubbing her palms forward and back in an effort to wipe them off. The dust fluttered to the ground, Neva's gaze distant as she stared ahead.

Suddenly, she felt slammed against a wall of emotions and thoughts. Neva grabbed her head and fell sideways into the sand. Rolling onto her back, she squeezed her eyes shut and moaned. "No! No! I don't want to hear it!" she cried. The last sentence became a mantra that degraded to a whisper then went silent as she rolled back and forth. Tears streamed down her face as the young Betazoid curled into herself. She lay that way until exhausted sleep washed over her.

[Ian Galloway]

[Bridge USS Challenger]

Ian was glad the majority of the crew was on shore leave and that the ship was docked. It allowed him to retreat to his ready room, leaving Catalan in charge on the bridge,  and pretend he wasn't worried about Kyan. It was never good for the Captain to appear unsettled, his primary role was to provide a 'non-anxious presence' as one of his Academy leadership instructors pounded into him. In the ready room, he could pace as he waited for a report from the surface.

"Captain, Commander Mackenzie has been rescued! He's sustained some injury, but is going to make a full recovery. "

"Thank you Commander, that is amazin' news. You keep the bridge, I'm ta be beamin' down ta see Commander Mackenzie."

Ian then quickly exited the ready room and headed for the turbolift.