Silly Little Wafer, Part II: Unexpected Discovery

Posted on Mon Jun 29th, 2026 @ 3:01pm by Ensign Garabed "Garo" Hakobyan & Captain Remy Johansen & Lieutenant Commander Xalanth & Lieutenant Commander Daynah Ral & Commander Maxun Spello

1,775 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Elegy For the Unseen
Location: Cargo Bay 1
Timeline: After "This Silly Little Wafer, Part I"

* * * Cargo Bay 1 * * *

Xalanth hummed a tune to himself as the turbolift arrived outside the Cargo Bay. Stepping out, he found a small crowd of the ship's children gathered around the entrance, with his second-born seemingly trying to keep them from entering. She looked at him when she heard the turbolift doors open, smiling slightly. Her voice began rapidly speeding through his head. " DadwewereplayinghideandseekwhenSamantha...."

Xalanth raised his hand as he gently walked around the children and into the cargo bay. The sight that filled his yellow eyes made him pause as a familiar smell reached his nose before his hand shot his combadge. =^= Captain, I need a security team along with the ship's forensics officer down in cargo bay five immediately. Have Garo come down as well, they're going to want to see this. =^=

[Right away, Commander.]

Stepping forward, the lizard approached the floor storage unit whose lid hung at an angle. Inside was a container made from a material that looked very similar as the device they had recently found. The dry humanoid hand hanging out of it was the centre of his attention. This was going to be interesting.

The security team reached the Cargo Bay minutes ahead of the Captain and the rest of the officers who had been meeting in the observation lounge. A small team from Sickbay followed behind them.

Xalanth had draped his jacket over the box to hide it from the kids, who thankfully, their parents had started to arrive and collect their kids. He was looking after the young girl who had found the box. Poor girl had fainted, but her condition was stable. Nodding to one of the medics he handed them the girl before walking over to his second-born, who was sitting on a nearby crate. Words passed between them only a father and daughter would know as he gave her a reassuring hug.

The Captain and other senior officers entered the Cargo Bay ahead of the junior officers. They noted two medics and one of the ship's physicians had arrived along with the security detail.

"Commander, what's going on?" Remy asked.

"A bunch of the kids were playing hide and seek. Jeesin over there's dad works in engineering, so she knew about the hold storage bay. Opened it up, and this popped out." He said, showing the mysterious box. The arm hanging out was clearly human, though from the colour, it had been in there for a long time.

"By the looks of it, a human female," he said, pulling out a set of gloves from his belt, donning them and lifting the lid. A mummified body was shoved inside its limbs, hanging at grotesque angles.

As the Chief of Security made his initial report, Maxun moved over to the marked off area, staying out of the way of the security team while they did their jobs, all the while keeping an ear open to whatever it was that Xalanth said.

Remy turned back to look at her first officer, then back to Xalanth. "Is it someone who has been logged as being on board?" Remy asked. "Do we have an identification? There hasn't been any missing persons. Why didn't the computer pick this up?"

"No, she's not been logged. I'm guessing the box is made from the same substance as the padd we found, so it could be hidden. I did check this cargo hold less than a week ago, and this wasn't here then." Xalanth replied, looking for the two engineers.

Daynah looked around the cargo bay and listened to the report. She turned toward the box and grabbed a tricorder off a nearby cart. After a quick scan she turned to the other officers. "That is confirmed. This is the same substance as the padd. I think for an id on the person we are going to have to open this up and get a better look. But, there is a danger there. We do not know if there is anything else in the container."

Garo, who had been hovering behind the senior officers with Rixi and Kash, noted the container's appearance. "Commander, I recommend we have that container under level-two stasis field as quickly as possible."

"I'd recommend that as well, but it has been partially left open for an unknown amount of time. If it had a self-destruct, surely it would have gone off by now," Xalanth added. "Captain and everyone else I suggest you exit the cargo bay for a second," he added.

When everyone was clear, the lizard slowly and carefully opened the left fully. The smell was even worse, and it hit him right in the senses. One of dried mummified flesh. Coughing slightly, he called out. "Clear," before returning to take a look.

"Uniform looks to be one of the 2366's era uniforms, science division. Hair appears to be black, though I think it's been dyed," he said out loud to one of his team who was already running things through a database of missing people.

Maxun looked in the barrel, but couldn't see a commbadge readily visible. To Xalanth he said, "Get a DNA sample to sickbay, see if they can identify her." He then looked over the other containers that were next to this one, opening a few to verify their contents. "Everything else seems to match the storage log, Captain," he reported as he turned his eyes to Remy.

Xalanth nooded as he helped the medical team remove the mummified body from the box and onto a stretcher. " We should have the DNA in less than an hour. Hopefully, we'll find a match for a missing officer. Maybe what they were working on is related to this mysterious substance."

From behind the group, Garo Hakobyan's voice was raised.

"Wait."

Garo elbowed his way through everyone and before someone could object, one hand was already raised in politeness. His eyes were not on the body but on the container.

"Just one second," he said softer now.

He crouched beside the open box, ignoring the stench of decay that seemed to sit heavy in the air. His fingers hovered over the rim but were careful not to touch.

Leaning in closer, he squinted at the inner surface of the container. "Do we know exactly when the child opened the container?"

"No more than fifteen to twenty minutes ago." Xalanth replied. "That's when they started their hide and seek game."

Garo opened his tricorder and scanned the container. After a moment, he closed it shut with a tiny snap.

"I believe a full-spectral analysis is in order, yes?" he said, looking at his superior, Daynah. "Container is clean. Too clean on initial scan."

Daynah looked at Garo. They had not spoken and she really did not know much about the man. What she did know was that he was a transporter specialist. She wondered why he was here, and what he was getting at. "Ensign. What do you have?" As far as she was concerned there was no reason for a full spectral scan of the container. However, Daynah prided herself on always hearing her people out.

"It is the residue," he said in a low voice, looking at Daynah. He pointed toward the open container and the interior seam where the sidewall met the floor.

"Body has been there long time, yes? Years, maybe. Long enough for tissue to desiccate." His gaze moved to the mummified body once again. "But this container disagrees."

"Disagrees how?" Rixi interjected.

"Interior surfaces are almost sterile. No organic accumulation in the corners and no decomposition residue trapped anywhere inside. This container was air-tight meaning skin oils would have had to go somewhere. Not even a trace of fungal growth. Absolutely nothing."

He looked back up to Daynah and shrugged. "It makes no sense, Lieutenant."

Rixi had remained near the rear of the gathering, close enough to hear the discussion but far enough way that the odour from the opened container only reached her in a faint unpleasant wave.

"If we're following standard procedure," she said, raising her voice just enough to carry, "the children should be interviewed while their memories are still fresh."

Her gaze shifted to Xalanth and a sympathetic expression crossed her face.

"Nothing formal or intimidating, Xalanth. We're going to need a clear timeline: who found the compartment, how it was opened, whether anyone touched the container or the remains, or anything else."

Garo stood slowly, his attention firmly on his tricorder's readings. Satisfied with the last scan, he snapped it shut and stepped out of the way as Astrea's medical personnel clustered around the container with an antigrav stretcher.

"All this for a DNA sample?" Garo queried, watching them work.

A short, stocky Tellarite clean-shaven with chestnut-coloured hair slicked back turned to him. The pips on his collar indicated he was an Ensign. "Protocol says a full autopsy is required."

The medical team appeared to have completed their initial setup for transfer of the corpse and were now looking toward Captain Johansen and her First Officer. Their gaze fell to Xalanth for a moment before returning to Remy.

"Sirs, if your scans are complete, we're prepared to take the remains to the morgue."

Maxun spoke up first. "Go ahead. Get us your report as to who this was, snd how she died as soon as possible."

---

Commander Maxun Spello
First Officer
USS Astrea


Lt. Commander Xalanth
Chief Security Officer
USS Astrea


Children: Travla (Xalanth's second born)

Petty Officer 2nd Class Zal Rixi
Engineering Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of JB Dorsainvil)


Ensign Garabed "Garo" Hakobyan
Transporter Specialist
USS Astrea
(NPC of JB Dorsainvil)


Ensign Kash th'Kaasniik
Operations Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of Remy Johansen)


Petty Officer 1st Class Enam Nemec
Tactical Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of Remy Johansen)


Lieutenant Commander Daynah Ral
Chief Operations Officer
USS Astrea

 

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