Coffee and Dust
Posted on Sun Nov 2, 2025 @ 5:24pm by Lieutenant Liam Blackwood & Civilian Nyla Thane
1,004 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Chicken Run
Location: DS5 - Guest Quarters
Nyla stepped out of the bedroom, a towel in hand as she worked the moisture from her hair. She wore fitted black trousers and a pale blue blouse, sleeves rolled to the elbows. She made a straight line for the replicator.
“Coffee.” She said. “Tall. Black. No sugar.”
As the cup began to materialize, Nyla’s thoughts drifted to the night before...to meeting Cassia, to finding her book again, to staying out later than she should have. And to the whiskey that she could almost taste still. A faint shiver passed through her.
When the replicator finished, Nyla tossed the towel onto the back of a chair, and grabbed the cup. The scent of the coffee met her before the heat did. She inhaled deeply, letting the aroma wake her. It was still too hot to drink.
Next, she picked up her PADD from the table and sank into the couch.
Nyla opened the message from Elyra. She read it. When she finished, she read it again, slower this time. She highlighted key lines, added shorthand notes in the margins. The shorthand was a personal system she'd refined over years of fieldwork.
As she worked, Nyla took sips of her coffee. Still hot, but cool enough to drink. Once or twice she misjudged, taking a bigger sip than intended. The heat burned her lips, and burned all the way down. She exhaled softly, a quiet hiss escaped through her teeth, and she went back to her notes.
The attachments stayed unopened. As much as she wanted to see them, Nyla followed her process. She opened a blank template on her PADD. The heading read Field Analysis Report. She filled in the preliminary fields. Attached Elyra's message as the source. Next she filled out sections such as Structural Description, Environmental Observations, Comparative Analysis.
Next, Nyla opened NOTES-001 – Field Log Extract. She read it once straight through, then again more slowly. On the third pass, she highlighted, added shorthand notes and updated the corresponding section of her Field Analysis Report.
Nyla opened VID-001 – Survey Clip (1:02) and expanded the window across her PADD. The video flickered once before settling into focus.
“Field Log, Perth’s Crossing site. Elyra Norwood recording. Day three since initial discovery. Weather holding steady. We’re roughly half a klick east of the village. I wanted to give a better visual of the structure for comparison.”
The recorded shifted slightly. Two figured stood several meters away. Nyla recognized Jalen Marek instantly. He stood with a tricorder in hand. He half-turned toward the camera before stepping out of the frame.
The second figured was a woman in a muted tan field vest. She was in the frame for only a second. She spoke briefly with someone out of the view before the camera moved past her. Nyla didn't know her.
Elyra continued.
“The archway’s sealed — looks like one solid piece, no visible joints. The markings run all along the upper curve. I’ve highlighted a few with a low-intensity beam for visibility.”
The camera drew closer. The etched patterns became visible, shallow and deliberate, their rhythm catching even through the grain of the recording.
“We’re still detecting minimal field interference,” Elyra said, brushing dust away with gloved fingers. “No surface energy readings, but the air feels—”
She paused. The sound cut briefly, replaced by a faint static pulse. For a moment, everything went still. The wind, her movement, even the background hum of equipment — gone.
Elyra glanced back toward whoever held the recorder, frowning. “You feel that?”
The view steadied again, but no one replied. Only silence, heavy and complete.
After a few seconds, the clip resumed its normal sound profile. Elyra exhaled softly, lowering her hand.
“That happens every time we get close. Duration’s brief — about four seconds. The villagers weren’t exaggerating.”
She stepped back, turning toward the camera. “That’s all for now. We’ll send the composition scan next.”
The image lingered for a heartbeat on the archway.
Nyla sat motionless for a moment, replaying the segment with the silence. Once. Then again, slower. Her pulse ticked faster, but her expression didn’t change.
She set the PADD down just long enough to reach for her coffee. It had gone cold. She took a sip anyway.
Her eyes drifted to the PADD resting on the table in front of her. The screen felt too small for what she was seeing. She needed a larger display.
Perhaps Lieutenant Blackwood could help with that.
“Computer, contact Lieutenant Blackwood.” Nyla instructed as she rose from the couch.
She walked toward the bedroom. She hadn’t asked yet, but she doubted he’d say no, so she began dressing while the connection routed.
“This is Lieutenant Blackwood.”
“Hello, Lieutenant.” Nyla said, fastening the clasp on her trousers.
There was a brief pause on the other end. “Dr. Thane…” Liam’s tone carried a flicker of surprise. “Hello. Is something the matter?”
Nyla shook her head, though he couldn’t see it. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m assisting a colleague and need a larger display to review a video she sent.”
“Of course.” Liam replied without hesitation. “You can use one of the analysis stations in Lab Two. I’ll clear the console for you.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Anytime, Doctor.” He said. “I’ll have the system ready when you arrive.”
Nyla ended the call and moved through the room with quiet efficiency. She pulled on her jacket, gathered her notes, and slipped the PADD into her bag. The half-empty cup of coffee still sat on the table. She gave it a brief glance, then left it where it was.
Without another pause, she stepped out of her quarters and started down the corridor toward Science Lab Two.
A post by
Lieutenant Liam Blackwood
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space Five
Dr. Nyla Thane
Deputy Director of Science, Exploration, and Archaeology
RSS Feed