"Stiak." She extended her hand, index and middle fingers out. He touched her fingers with his own - but briefly, perfunctorily.
"What is the situation?" Stiak asked. His voice was hoarse. It was the dust, of course, they were all choking on the dust - and he was spending longer outside than any of them -
"Team three is accounted for. Three dead, two seriously injured. Stileg is demanding fresh action. I have repaired the communicator and arranged for a supply drop from the IDRA ship. This will take place at twenty-three hundred hours tonight. A drone canister has been launched from their ship on a descent trajectory - our people are ready to receive it."
"That is satisfactory. Are there further demands that we evacuate the site?"
"The Andorians and the planetary authorities advocate it most strongly. Stiak - most of our people are in agreement with them." She strove to keep her voice from shaking. "They question the logic of your decisions. I am finding it increasingly hard to overrule them."
"You must," said Stiak. "You must. We cannot leave now. I have made - a discovery. I believe it to be significant." He rummaged among his clothes, brought something out from the folds, and handed it to T'Nir.
It was metallic, heavy; a box with a curving top, and odd, fluid-looking script across one surface. T'Nir caught her breath. "A Hegemony data recorder?"
Stiak nodded. "And intact. There are others. I believe the Hegemony ship landed - roughly where we thought - and was dismantled to set up a base. They stored vital materials - including these records - underground. Then, at some point, a tectonic shift closed off the underground chambers -"
"And the current upheavals reopened them again?" T'Nir stared at the object in her hand. "This is a major discovery, indeed. You are correct, these objects must be preserved before another disaster conceals or destroys them. You are acting correctly." She felt a great sense of relief. "I shall direct the others to assist you in the recovery of the items and the recording of the site."
Stiak shook his head. "That will not be practical. The access into the chambers is too narrow, the working space too limited, for more than one person to work within it. I must accomplish this task single-handedly. You must prepare the others to work on the artifacts I retrieve. Start with that one." He indicated the box. "This will prove an excellent test of our hypotheses regarding Hegemony data storage protocols. If we can retrieve the information, a whole chapter of history will be open to us."
"The others will be convinced of the importance of this. I believe that they will now understand the logic of this situation."
"I am gratified. We must not forget the sacrifices that our teams have made, T'Nir." For the first time since the eruption, there seemed to be a light in his eyes. I am glad to see it, choice of my heart, she said silently to herself.
Then the subspace radio warbled shrilly for attention. T'Nir turned to it in an attitude of exasperation. She snapped on the audio channel. "This is T'Nir at Research Station Chara V One."
"Research station, this is the Starfleet shuttlecraft Walt Whitman." A new voice, one T'Nir didn't recognize: brisk and harsh, with distinctively Andorian tones. "I'm Vice Admiral Tylha Shohl, assisting with the relief effort. We are on a descent path to your location now. I have with me medical supplies and personnel... and, also, High Admiral Valikra of the Romulan Imperial navy, who is here to offer assistance."
"Assistance is welcome," said T'Nir, "but I must emphasize that we do not require transportation at this time. Our work is of paramount importance and must continue. Also, I would suggest that you do not risk your shuttlecraft in the current atmospheric conditions. The turbulence, and the mineral dust, create an unacceptable hazard to aerial operations. I strongly recommend that you abort your descent."
"Don't worry about us," the Andorian's voice replied. "Whitman is a very special shuttle, more than able to handle the dust storms. I'm coming in, to provide aid and assess the situation. I gather the High Admiral has the same sort of idea."
"Hold, please, Walt Whitman." T'Nir muted the channel. "I do not see how we can prevent them from landing."
"It is not necessary to prevent them from landing," said Stiak, "only to prevent them from interfering with the work." He was shrugging his protective wrappings back into place. "Deal with them. And inform the others. I am returning to work in the underground chambers."
"To recover more data recorders?"
"Yes. And perhaps - there may be something more. I have not yet explored fully. And I must." And, with that, he was gone.
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