Captain’s Log, Stardate 79904.10

The Canterbury Division has successfully cleared our transit through the transwarp conduit into the Shackleton Expanse and made our way to our assigned exploration and survey sector. The journey, while a long one, as been relatively uneventful, apart from a small glitch with one of the sensor suites which necessitated assistance from the Resolute’s chief engineer to ensure the repairs were completed on time…”

Zach leaned back in his chair, leaning his head back. He’d checked in on the repairs while they’d had Commander Bennett, the other Commander Bennett, aboard, partly because he actually was interested in how the repairs were going since they really needed those sensor suites online before they hit the Vaardorn system, and partly because he was interested. He hadn’t really been able to get a read on his Bennett, so he hadn’t been able to resist seeing how she acted around her brother… Who he hadn’t realised until then was actually a twin.

He’d come away impressed, slightly concerned, and vaguely panicked, all at the same time. The benefits of an engineering team who were both chief engineers was obvious. They were both highly trained and experienced, with many years under their belts working on starfleet ships. But he’d never heard a conversation of half sentences like that before.

They’d thrown ideas back and forth, finishing each others sentences as they proposed ideas and dismissed them at what seemed like the speed of light, working as they went. At least twice, one of them had held out a tool before it was asked for, and if he didn’t know that they weren’t telepathic, he would have been wholly convinced they were. The fact they were both combat veterans, with that level of communication, was frankly scary.

“However, the repairs were completed in time for our survey of the Vaardorn system and performed admirably. The survey itself was utterly uneventful and the science team are busy working through the data we gathered as we move onto the second system on our schedule: Ceryne.”

“Pause recording,” he said, frowning as he pulled a padd toward him. It contained a file that held everything they knew about the system. Which was not much. A main, primary planet in the goldilocks belt and a few further out. Smaller and barren.

“Bridge to the captain.”

“Go ahead.”

“You wanted to know when we were approaching the Ceryne system, sir. We’re about to drop out of warp on the outer edge.”

“Thank you, I’m on my way.”

He levered himself out of his chair and straightened his uniform as he headed for the door. A half step slowed him down enough so that he could check his reflection in the mirror, and he smoothed back his blond hair so it was perfect in an automatic movement.

A minute later he walked through the door onto the bridge. Kellan straightened up, standing as an ensign at one of the consoles by the door announced, “Captain on the bridge.”

“Thank you,” Zach threw a smile over his shoulder as he headed toward the command section. Three chairs took center stage there, and Kellan had moved to stand in front of the XO’s chair.

“We’re just coming into orbit of Ceryne now,” he said, nodding toward the main viewscreen.

“Excellent. And the Korinar and the Resolute?” He asked, turning to get this first look at the jungle planet.

“Hot on our heels, sir. Just dropped out of warp on the edge of the system and making their way to our position,” Cole Steele answered from the science station without looking up.

Zach didn’t expect him to. Steele was introverted to the extreme, and avoided eye contact most of the time. Best damn science officer he’d ever had though.

“Good stuff. Okay, Cole, what are we looking at here?” He asked, rubbing his hand together as he viewed the planet in front of them, drinking in what he could see almost greedily. Ceryne had been a little bit of a mystery. The information they’d been given was sparse, gathered from long distance scans that were older than Zach would have liked. Class-M, covered in jungle… and the planet on the screen in front of him matched that description. Lush green covered the surface of the planet, silver ribbons which had to be large rivers snaking through the vegetation like veins.

They rounded the horizon of the planet and he frowned. “Why does it look like someone took an axe to the place?”