"Silence"

Posted on Fri Mar 26th, 2021 @ 10:32am by Lieutenant Nikosh Targus

467 words; about a 2 minute read

Mission: Where do we go from here?
Location: Ready Room

__***"Silence"***__
Duty Log of Lt. Nikosh Targus
SD 202103.26

. The Tellarite Intelligence Officer, Lt. Nikosh mok Targus, stood in the Ready Room of the *USS Roddenberry-A*. He wasn't quite sure why he'd come there. He'd been at his station on the Bridge, trying in vain to hear any kind of signal that might tell them what happened to the scarred planet below them.

. But he'd heard nothing but silence. Not even crackling static. Only silence.

. Of course, the radiation caused some interference with certain frequencies, he knew that and had compensated for it, but with that eliminated there was nothing.

. Nothing left of this world but ... silence.

. Nikki had grown frustrated, and almost succumbed to his anger by flinging yet another earpiece across the Bridge. But, he remembered the reprimand he'd just received from the Chief of Security and restrained himself, trying to preserve a sense of professionalism on the Bridge.

. And then the Captain had cryptically suggested that he get some tea from her Ready Room. So, here he stood in the Ready Room.

. Nikosh smirked to himself as he stood there. He remembered the "tea" the Captain had given him when he'd brought the Counselor here after his outburst. No doubt she was telling him he could have a "nip" if he thought it might help him, but instead he just stood there. Silence.

. He muttered to himself, "How do ve get intelligence from silence, eh?" He wandered over to the large windows and stared down at the planet. The devastation was all too obvious down there. After a moment, he turned, glancing around the empty room. All he could hear was the soft droning of the air circulation system.

. "Silence," he mumbled again. "Ve learn by vatching ... seeing vhat is there in ze emptiness, yes?"

. He turned back to the planet again. The horrible scars of the planet glared back at him. He mused, "Looks like my cousin's face vith all ze pock marks." Poor Viktor had suffered from horrible acne in their youth. He'd developed the awful habit of picking at the blemishes and it had left him with terrible scars all over his face. Nikki smiled remembering Viktor. He hadn't thought about him in years, not since the accident in the mine collapse that had taken his life.

. Suddenly, an idea sprang into his mind. "Vait! Just like Viktor, the pock marks are concentrated around pores!" He let his eyes roam over the planet again. His subconscious had registered what his conscious mind hadn't. The damage did show patterns. Concentrations of cratering scattered in various sites on the continent below. "Silo sites!" he exclaimed. Quickly he turned and hurried back out of the Ready Room without his "tea". As he stormed onto the Bridge he called out, "Silos, Keptin! Look at ze silos!"

 

RSS Feed