Prefect De'Laan

Posted on Sun Jul 29th, 2012 @ 4:27pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Commander Acle Walex & Lieutenant JG Emily Hamson & Lieutenant Allison Cathcart & Lieutenant JG Nicholas Tenebroso

Mission: Heart of an Explorer
Location: Maltorra - Warp Craft Launch Centre
Timeline: MD40 2210hrs (ship time) 1110 (local time)

As the Starfleet officers sat in their bulky environment suits, they looked distinctly out of place amidst the VIP welcoming area of the Warp Craft Launch Centre - specifically designed to be the point of arrival for any alien races found by the program. The crew had been informed that it would take two hours for the Prefect to make their flight from the capital to their base, and they had been brought to the welcoming area to wait in relative comfort for their arrival. Mercifully, there were few Maltorrans visible to them; their journey through the base had attracted the awed gaze of pretty much everyone they had passed, some being less subtle in their stares than others, and it was nice to get away from that for a while.

Krace looked up at the bleep of a tricorder, just as his com unit bleeped at him. Activating the signal to the ship first, he spoke to Commander Gunning, who was in charge whilst he and Acle were on the planet. "Go ahead, Commander."

"Captain," Gunning's voice came through the comm unit with a slight crackle, "our orbital scans are showing some results on the virus. There's a distinct spread and a number of pandemic hotspots but the area you're in appears to be clean. I'll keep you informed though, sir. The virus is most definitely airborne."

"Captain, our location is coming up clean. I believe it's safe to remove our helmets." Emily stated before she removed her helmet.

As Krace unsealed and lifted the bulky apparatus from his head, he breathed a sigh of contentment. Having been sealed within the suit for more than two hours now, the recycled air was starting to smell a bit too clinical as the suit had to put more synthesised chemicals into use to convert the carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Allison's head-up display disappeared as she removed the helmet with a dull thud. The air hung heavy with the smell of an alien world but it was a much fresher air than anything she had been expecting.

She moved to the Captain's side and spoke quietly. "I'm quite sure you've noticed the regard with which we're being treated, Captain." She glanced over her shoulder, assuring herself that they were out of earshot of the rest of the group. "Some may see us as saviours or just be interested because we're aliens but some who aren't 'infected' might be hostile."

"It's always the case in first contact missions with a race that has just attained warp capability," the Captain responded, in equally hushed tones. "On many worlds there are mixed reactions to the discovery of extra-terrestrial life. Some respond in awe, others with stupification, and others still in hostility, usually simply against the new and the unknown." He patted the suited shoulder of the security officer reassuringly. "But that's why we have you here. Just keep your eyes peeled."

"They are a primitive race." Emily said aloud as she walked around. She enjoyed the fresh air as it entered her lungs.

"You can say that again." Allison agreed as she triple-checked the setting on her phaser.

Acle unbuckled his own helmet, tasting the new world along with the rest of the team. Like most of the others, he had been watching the Maltorrans as they reacted to their first contact with aliens. The former intelligence officer could not help himself as he began to analyze their reactions, and better yet, the team's reactions to being scrutinized.

Acle moved nearer to the security officer. "Relax Lieutenant," he said in a quiet tone, having notice the fidgety check of her phaser. "The odds are extremely low that they are going to rush us. They saw us materialize out of thin air, any military or combat-minded Maltorran out there is going to be thinking if we can do that, what else can we do if we so choose? Don't get me wrong, each first contact mission is unique, but, I feel confident saying that any hostile action, if any ever occurs, will not happen until they know more about us." Acle finished.

"Fair point," Allison nodded as she replaced the phaser on her belt.

"Try not to look at them as a primitive race," the Captain reminded them. "Afterall, they managed to attain warp flight in order to make contact with us. That puts them far enough past 'primitive' for us to be able to make contact." He smiled, allowing his diplomatic side through. "Besides, if we started to think of them that way, we might come across as condescending, and that's definitely not the way to start a first contact."

As he finished talking, he noticed out of the window that a relatively small craft came down to skid along the run-way. Though only alike to earth's ancient atmospheric flying machines enough to make use of the same aerodynamic principles, it looked to be quite a nimble craft, if not a particularly luxurious one; either this culture preferred practicality over needless luxury, or the Prefect had chosen this craft to minimise their travel time.

It took only a few minutes for the Prefect and their small entourage to make their way from the craft into the building, though the group around the planet's leader was too tight and too far away for anyone to get a decent first glimpse. After a few moments, the doors to the welcoming lounge opened, permitting the entourage access to the world's visitors.

"Captain Vorn?" The Prefect was a female of the species, relatively slim and dressed in the kind of business suit that wouldn't go amiss in Earth's political circles. She inclined her head slightly to her guests as she walked. "I apologise for not being here to greet you earlier; we had planned on being able to detect any approaching visitors with more lead time than your ship gave us. My name is Prefect De'Laan, leader of my people."

"Prefect," the captain said, imitating the bow of her head and glossing over the miss-use of his title with his first name as cross-cultural differences. "These are my officers; Commander Walex, Lieutenants Hamson and Cathcart, Ensign Tyo and Doctor Tenebroso."

The Prefect bowed her head in turn to each. "Captain, I apologise for being short, and I would prefer for our first meeting to be conducted much more gracefully, but with our situation I must ask; you said that you are willing to help us, if you can with the virus infecting our people?"

"Yes," Krace responded. "Arjin told us of the virus' symptoms and affects. Do you have any samples that your scientists have been studying? Any data on the virus and its spread that you can share with us?"

"Of course," the Prefect responded. "I shall take you to our main facility directly."