In My Enemy's House [Part 1]
Posted on Fri Nov 14th, 2025 @ 3:28am by Commander Chisato Nishikigi & Lieutenant Takina Inoue & Lieutenant Mizuki Nakahara & Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek & Lieutenant Nezuko & Lieutenant Teneca Quinn & Lieutenant JG Kurumi Hatanaka
Edited on on Fri Nov 14th, 2025 @ 3:29am
1,294 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
The Return
Location: USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)- Transporter Room 2, Deck 5
Timeline: February 27. 2397
Most of the secondary away team was already gathered in Transporter Room 2 by the time Chisato showed up. Per Chisato's instructions, the transporter operator had issued everyone a fully-charged Herald Staff for their personal protection.
Given that they had also displayed the capability to rapidly deplete energy from Federation technology, the only available weapon that seemed impervious to this drain- along with providing a consistent line of defense against the Heralds- was their own Antiproton weaponry. As such, Intel had been working with security around the clock to get the Tokyo and her crew trained in the usage of Antiproton beam weaponry, so that they would at the very least have something of a fighting chance against the Heralds in the event of an ambush.
"All set?" Chisato asked as the stepped up onto the transporter pad.
Kurumi nodded. She had her tricorder ready and the staff weapon, along with the standard Starfleet Type two phaser.
"Aye." Teneca said marveling at the anti-proton weapon she held.
Nezuko nodded, her own antiproton sidearm -- bulkier than a regular Type 2 phaser but still fitting in one hand -- at the ready. She took position.
Lieutenant Yuvek stepped onto the transporter pad, the unfamiliar weight of the Herald staff in his hands a stark reminder of how drastically warfare had changed in just three weeks. The antiproton weapon felt wrong - alien technology born from necessity rather than choice.
We're using their weapons now, he thought with bitter irony. That's where we are.
His ridged features remained impassive as he adjusted his grip on the staff, muscle memory from recent training sessions guiding his hands to the proper positions. The intelligence briefings had been clear: Herald energy drain technology made their phasers unreliable at best, useless at worst. So they adapted. They always adapted.
"Ready," he confirmed curtly, his pale features set in grim determination.
"Energising," the transporter operator said.
A few seconds later the team were stood in a strange looking corridor. The walls glowed orange like fire, swirls of strange purple energy seemed to flow inside them. The corridor they were in was arched like a gothic Earth cathedral and strange circular pedestals were positioned every few meters. Above each pedestal a strange floating ball rotated. It looked like a circular cage made of intricate patterns made of copper with a purple gaseous like cloud floating inside.
The ship was brightly lit, large doors slanted and curved could be seen leading off the corridor. They seemed to be built out of many pieces that slide and lock together. Some glowed red and others glowed green. The ships interior was so far alien and so far unknown that it even seemed un-natural and far too spacious and open for such a small vessel.
"Wow..." Chisato gasped as she took in their immediate surroundings. "So this is the inside of an Iconaian Raider..."
"This interior is... not what I was expecting..." Kurumi said.
Different from Dyson Sphere, Nezuko thought, but did not sign or type out.
"A pity that they're using all this for warfare, don't you think?" Mizuki lamented with a tinge of sadness for what could've been.
"Then again, we didn't win a war against the Dominion by building cathedrals," Takina was quick to point out.
Mizuki glanced over at the stone-faced brunette. "What's that gotta do with the price of tea in China?"
"As in the overall complexity of their warships might inhibit their ability to produce them en masse," Chisato correctly deduced. "Ever heard the saying, Mizuki-Chan? "The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain"."
"Impressive," Lieutenant Yuvek said flatly, his tone making clear he found it anything but. "They've built a warship that looks like a temple. Very intimidating. Completely impractical."
He eyed the unnecessarily spacious corridor with a critical helmsman's perspective. "Look at all this wasted space. These arches, these decorative pedestals - none of it serves a tactical purpose. A Cardassian warship uses every cubic meter for weapons systems, power conduits, or crew efficiency."
His face showed obvious disdain. "This is the architecture of a species that's had too much time and too few real threats. They can afford to make their corridors look like art galleries because no one's been able to challenge them in centuries." He gestured with his free hand at the glowing walls and floating orbs. "Arrogance built into the hull plating."
Nezuko tapped out a response on her PADD. "Trappings of culture and religion may in theory improve morale of crew. Surrounded by symbols of own supremacy."
"Alright, everyone, before we get ahead of ourselves, I just wanna lay out a couple of ground rules," Chisato announced. "First and foremost: we are to maintain line-of-sight with one another at all times; we are not splitting up, we are not breaking off from the group to explore anything without first consulting the group. We have to anticipate the possibility that we could be ambushed at any given time, and we can't afford to be separated if and when that happens.
"Second, I strongly advise that everyone keep their shields active and their staffs within easy reach; like I mentioned earlier, the Heralds can, and likely will show up and ambush us at any time, so this won't be so much a matter of if there's going to be a firefight, but rather when there'll be one. Ideally, we don't want to be caught with our pants down, so everyone has to be ready for when the hammer finally drops.
"Lastly- do not go touching any strange mechanisms, consoles, displays- anything without first consulting with the group to determine its function. No pointing fingers here, but we don't want to try opening a door and accidentally activating the self-destruct mechanism."
She looked around the group. "Any other questions?"
Yuvek gave a curt nod, his grip tightening on the Herald staff. "Understood. Stay together, don't touch anything."
He glanced at the ornate corridors stretching in both directions. "We should move quickly and avoid lingering in open areas." Yuvek added. "Even with the Heralds gone, we should assume automated defenses. A civilization this advanced doesn't leave their ships unprotected."
Nezuko had learned the lesson of not touching anything the hard way. She would only access systems she was instructed to.
Kurumi continued scanning. "There seems to be some sort of energy that I can't identify. However what's strange is that it runs directly into those pedestals with the floating balls." She explained.
"Well, that seems as good a place as any to start-!" Chisato remarked as she reached for her tricorder.
"Before we get distracted by decorative light fixtures," Yuvek interjected, his tone sharp and pragmatic, "we should prioritize finding their bridge and engineering sections. If those even exist on this ship."
He gestured down the corridor with his free hand, Herald staff still held ready. "We need tactical intelligence - propulsion systems, weapons control, navigation protocols. Understanding how these ships maneuver could give us an edge in the next engagement."
Chisato's lips curled into a pout. "Aw... and I wanted to see what the pedestals did..."
Takina rolled her eyes. "Commander, with all due respect, we are on a bit of a time crunch here," she indicated. "What's say we hold off on sightseeing for now and focus on gathering intel that'll actually be relevant to us?"
"Okay..." Chisato conceded with all the enthusiasm of Eeyore at a funeral.
To Be Continued...
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