<USS Avalon> log-The Seventh Circle

The Seventh Circle

PT1: Dodge Thomas



The desert that was Vargas Two hung placidly in the stark blackness of space, 
deceptively beautiful. At first glance, one would not suspect the icy hell that 
tore at the planet, etching it?s legacy permanently into the glacial surface. 
Luckier would be the man who found himself on the wrong side of an airlock 
naked, than he who ventured to Vargas Two in full thermal gear. For him, death 
came painfully slow, accompanied by bouts of hypothermia, hallucinations, 
frostbite and insanity. 

A sharp pain pulled Dodge back to the world of the conscious. He inhaled 
deeply, coughing halfway as he did so. At least one of his ribs was broken, 
possibly more. Tentatively, he reached over and clutched his right side. 
Gradually, sounds and images began to take shape around him. He realized he was 
lying prone on some hard and cold surface. His throat was painfully dry, but 
still he managed to speak.

?What? Where? What happened?? It was more of a whisper than anything else. 
Somebody, a woman, spoke.

?We crashed.? 

Leila, Dodge decided. Her voice was hauntingly soft, shuddering as if she had 
just been crying very hard. Her voice steadied.

?You hit your head?there was a lot of blood.?

?Head wounds always do bleed more than most.? Carson Fuller?s voice was 
bitingly clear in the dim light.

?Carson. What happened?? Dodge asked again.

?Like the lady said. We crashed.?

?You crashed us.? Crewman Hector Van Luden retorted angrily. ?You and your 
pathetic excuse for piloting skills. Welcome to the seventh fucking circle of 
hell! I?m sure Dante will be along here any minute to escort us home!?

?You are acting irrationally, Van Luden. Lieutenant Fuller landed this ship as 
best he could. The erratic magnetic fields surrounding this planet in 
combination with the hazardous asteroids inhabiting it?s atmosphere are the 
direct cause of our aborted landing.? Ensign Selan, the Vulcan, stated flatly. 
?It is also highly unlikely that an ancient earth author will arrive shortly to 
assist us.?

?Stranger things have happened.?

?Not in this reality.? 

Dodge looked around the cabin. Faces reflected in the dim light back at him. It 
was dark outside, lit only by dual orbiting moons. Ironically, the moons 
constantly eclipsed the sunlight, preventing the planet from ever turning day. 
He noticed that the forward compartment of the shuttle was sealed. 

?Status.?

?We began to experience micro-meteor impacts immediately upon atmospheric 
entry. They ate right through our shields. About halfway down, Lancelot took a 
melon sized rock right through the brain pan. This shuttle ain?t going anywhere 
without a serious overhaul. The forward cockpit?s hull was breached upon 
impact. The temperature in there dropped rapidly after that.?

?Casualties??

?Aside from Lancelot, no fatalities. Minor bumps and bruises, and your broken 
rib, but nothing serious.?

?Good. What?s the status of the environ-suits??

Carson checked. ?All but one of them is functioning. The face plate on this one 
is shattered. It?s Van Luden?s.?

Dodge turned to Van Luden. ?Looks like your staying right here, Hector. 

?Fine by me.? Van Luden slouched against the far wall and listened to the howl 
of the wind outside. ?You wouldn?t catch me dead out in that storm!?

?Chances are, if we did, you would be dead.? Leila Criswell informed him 
sarcastically.

Hector made a rude gesture and pulled the thermal parka he was wearing tightly 
around himself.

?That?s enough, you two. Carson, what was the last telemetric reading on the 
location of that research facility??

?Um?that?s the bad news?Last sighting showed it to be almost fifteen kilometers 
in that direction.? He pointed south.

?Fifteen? We won?t make it five without some kind of transportation.?

Van Luden had decided to tune them all out, instead focusing on warm 
thoughts?Hawaii?Tahiti?The Olympia Hot springs?He glanced out the window and 
shuddered at the blinding gale that was buffeting the tiny ship. A shadow 
passed by momentarily. Van Luden sucked in his breath sharply.

?Sir!?

?What is it?? Dodge replied, startled. His question was immediately answered by 
three deliberate knocks on the shuttle?s main hatch. THUD?..THUD?..THUD. 
Silence. Again, there were three slow, almost ponderous knocks on the hatch, 
muffled as if by snow or heavy clothing.

?Is anyone in there?? A human voice called from the outside.

?Yes.? The answer was quick and concise. ?Who are you??

?Commander Dallas, from the biological research station. Can we come in?? His 
voice sounded far off.

?Put on your suits everyone. Van Luden, cover up. In this cold, direct contact 
with the air will cause your skin to freeze right off.?

Van Luden nodded.

?Just a moment.? Dodge yelled to Commander Dallas.

Seconds later, he opened the hatch. Bitter cold ripped into the cabin. The 
people inside felt it even though they were protected by environmental suits. 
Three people stepped inside. The hatch closed.

?Temperature levels have returned to norms.? The voice of the computer informed 
them thickly. Her power levels were being severely drained just to keep up life 
support. Six people pulled off protective helmets at once.

?Commander Owen Dallas, at your service.?


?Lieutenant Dodge Thomas. These are my colleagues, Lieutenant Carson Fuller, 
security, Ensigns Leila Criswell and Vorda Selan, and this is crewman Hector 
Van Luden.?

?Lieutenants Clair Dumont and Timothy Rainier. What exactly are you doing here, 
Mister Thomas??

?We were investigating a transmission that we picked up on our warp bubble.?

?So you mean there?s a ship in orbit then??

?No, the Avalon is several hours away investigating a derelict vessel. Say, 
would you know anything about the USS Allegiance??

?Sorry, no. Our supply ship stops by every six months. But we?re not the only 
research facility on Vargas Two. Maybe they?ve heard something over at the 
Quantum facility.?

?We?ll never know unless we check it out.? Tim Rainier pointed out.

?I agree. We have two ice trackers outside. Plenty of room for you four if 
you?d like to tag along.?

?We?d be happy to, but it?ll just be three of us. His suit was damaged in the 
crash.?

Dallas shrugged. ?Fine with me.?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hector watched the lights of the two ice trackers vanish into the swirling 
blizzard. 

?Finally some peace and quiet.? He sat down. ?Computer, reroute all power from 
weapons and engines and feed that into life-support. Let?s see if we can?t get 
the temperature in her up to sub-tropic levels, okay??

?Affirmative.?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip in the ice trackers wasn?t exactly a Sunday drive in the park, but 
Dodge didn?t mind. He had roughed it through worse. The academy survival test, 
for example.

?I don?t understand,? Dallas sounded uncertain. ?She should be around here 
somewhere. Where?s the damn beacon??

?There it is.? Lieutenant Dumont answered. ?Port side, ten degrees.?

?Got it.?

The two vehicles rambled up to the main garage.

?Emergency power seems to be functioning. Look at that!? Dodge pointed at a 
gaping hole in the side of one of the pylons. ?That?s the science section.?

?Maybe one of their experiments got out of hand. Rainier, you copy??

From the other vehicle: ?Yea, we?re getting this.?

?Can you run a manual override on the doors??

Silence. 

?Got it.?

The doors opened, sliding on invisible rails.

?Bring ?em in, nice and slow.

After a few minutes of delicate handling, both ice trackers were parked safely 
inside the warmth of the Vargas Two Quantum Research Facility.

?Looks like the main power is out all over the station.? Dodge spoke as if he 
were narrating a story. ?Emergency lighting only. You know, Dallas, I bet we 
could get the primary power back online.?


?Do it.?

?Look at this.? Leila beckoned the group over.

Each of the Vargas research facilities was equipped with two ice trackers and 
four short-range snow-skis. All six vehicles belonging to the Quantum facility 
were in various states of disarray. 

?It looks like someone took a sledge hammer to their engines.? 

?It would appear that whoever or whatever caused the communication?s blackout 
did not want anyone to leave this station as well.?

?That?s making a big assumption, Selan.? Dodge said softly. 

?I am simply stating the logical, sir.?

Deep down, Dodge knew somehow that she was right.

?Let?s keep moving. There?s no knowing how many people might still be alive.? 
Dallas made a sweeping gesture. ?Until we know what happened here, we stay in 
one group. Nobody leaves alone for any reason, is that clear??

Silent nods were the only answer as the group started up the staircase towards 
the station entrance. The sterile white walls of the station reflected no signs 
of struggle, no burn marks or phaser scorches. No blood decorated the floors or 
ceiling. Everything seemed to be in place, an image that gave Dodge an 
intoxicating sense of security.

A sense of security which vanished all together as soon as they entered the 
control room.

Something large and vaguely human decorated the far corner of the room. Fingers 
that were too long to be natural stretched out, clutching at some unseen 
phantom. It?s face was distended horrifically in a look or pain or anger. There 
was a distinct odor, that of burnt and rotting flesh. Marks signifying recent 
fire ordained the walls and ceiling while a viscous black liquid resembling tar 
stained the floor.

?What is it?? Lieutenant Dumont asked after the initial shock had worn off.

?I don?t know, but it looks like they burnt the hell out of it.?

Dodge shuddered, chasing back painful memories surrounding his wife and child?s 
fiery demise. ?Not only that, but it looks like they melted it. I mean, I know 
how fire can burn a person, (again, he shuddered) but I?ve never seen anything 
like this.?

?Maybe they threw acid at it?? Leila suggested.

?Unlikely. Acid would produce much the same result that fire would.?

?Selan?s right.? 

?We should move to the communications center. Maybe we?ll find some answers in 
there.?

?Agreed.?

But the communications center was not much better. 

?My God! What did this?? Carson spoke in a whisper usually reserved for prayer.

Two men were in the room. One was pinned to the wall by a six foot length of 
piping embedded through his chest, the other lay in two halves, apparently torn 
apart and then tossed away. Various entrails and internal fluids were scattered 
between the two pieces.

Leila tried to scream, but nothing came out. Clair put one arm around her and 
escorted her from the scene, badly shaken herself. The color drained from 
Selan?s face and for the first time ever, Dodge saw a Vulcan vomit. Tim Rainier 
felt sick himself, but he did not vomit. 

Dodge?s lower lip trembled in shock and disgust. This was not a good thing.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Van Luden sipped gingerly at the cup of warm liquid, steam rising up and 
tickling his nose. It had been almost two hours since the away team had left 
and he was becoming somewhat bored. 

?Computer, play something warm and peppy?preferably Polynesian.?

Hector hated the cold, probably more than anything else.

Music with indiscernible lyrics began to play quietly in the background, but 
since main power in the shuttle was down to a minimum, it sounded hollow and 
haunting. Van Luden was reminded of a funeral dirge.

His reverie was broken by a hollow moan. At first, he thought it was just the 
wind. 

?Computer raise volume ten percent.?

The oddly disconcerting music grew louder. So did the moaning sound from 
outside, which had been accompanied by a loud hissing sound. 

Silence, save the wind.

Van Luden realized he had been holding his breath and he let it out suddenly. 
It took him several seconds to catch his breath. He was about to sit down again 
when the sound of something scratching along the hull of the shuttle stopped 
him. It was a painful sound, like fingernails on a chalkboard. The hissing 
sound began again, excited now. It sounded like someone suffering from asthma 
was dragging steak knives across the outer hull.


The scraping stopped.

Silence once again.

Something rammed against the shuttle, sending Van Luden stumbling into the far 
wall. Something knocked on the hatch three times?.THUD?.THUD?.THUD?. 

?Hello? Is anyone out there??

The scraping started again, joined by the intent moaning and hissing. 

Van Luden backed as far against the aft wall as he could. His breath came in 
shallow, staggered gulps. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks.

?Go away?please...go away?.?



The scraping sound came again, this time directly behind him. He turned and 
looked out the porthole, and found himself face to face with?..

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wind howled ruefully in the night on Vargas Two was momentarily broken by a 
single scream of absolute terror, stark and clear. It held it?s place for a few 
seconds, then faded back into the darkness from whence it came.



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