It had been fifteen days since they left the Framheim Station. Fifteen days to formulate a plan, throw away the plan, re-write a plan and throw that one away as well. While Riov tended to his normal duties as Chief Operations on board the ship, he also was tasked to lead the team that would be sent down to the planet where the ruins will be. Thus, while he conducted his own routine maintenance of various systems, he had also been busy with what to do with his team and how.

What troubled him the most was the storms. While they were tasked to study the ruins and discover its secrets, the survey that discovered the planet had left a probe in orbit. One that Riov intends to link up to. He needed answers and he needed them quickly if he were to plan his mission accurately.

The turbolift came to a halt and the touch screen panel lit up to notify that it had arrived at deck fifteen. It was one of the most critical areas of the ship. The main level of the engineering section’s shuttlebay was on this deck, along with the upper level of Main Engineering. It also had two six-personnel transporter rooms and a secondary computer core bay that housed two computer cores. It was also the section where it had a docking port airlocks on port and starboard of the engineering hull.

While he could conduct his routine maintenance on the computer cores of this level, he had not come to deck fifteen for that. No. He can leave that maintenance to his staff. He can’t do all the work for them, could he? No. He was here for one of the two stellar cartography rooms. And because he had informed the lift of his destination, the lift deposited him in the mid section of deck fifteen, just behind the large bulkhead that separated the corridor he now stood, and the main level of shuttlebay two.

He literally had two options to make from where he stood. To his left was stellar cartography room one, and to his right was stellar cartography room two. For whatever reason, he chose the second one. It was not the fact that he liked to make right turns but he disliked the idea of having to make two lefts. Call it superstition, but it was what he preferred.

The second the door sensor detected his presence, was the second he stepped through the doorway once the door made itself scarce. Now, he expected to find a science officer or two, who may be using this or both stellar cartography rooms for the purpose of the fact that they were in a new region of the Beta Quadrant. What he did not expect was the Junior Lieutenant that he was going to choose for his away team. More so, the fact that she already had a holographic image of the K’Shar planet displayed in the main section of the room. Elidia Kraten.

“Lieutenant,” Riov announced himself as he approached the main console, where he stood by her side. “Mind if I ask what you are doing?”

Elidia had jumped for a split second when Riov announced himself. Clearly she had either been deep in thought or not expected anyone to greet her, as if she had chosen to research the planet alone without anyone’s knowledge. “Sir,” She exhaled with a pat of her chest. “You startled me.” She licked her lips to quickly answer his question. “A little birdie told me that we were headed for this planet and I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know more.”

“I see,” said Riov, as he brushed aside her admission of where he startled her. “I may have to have a word with this birdie.” He paused for a moment to see her reaction before he let a smirk form on his face. “I only jest. What exactly is it about this planet that intrigued you to learn about it?”

“Well,” Elidia smiled as she manipulated the holographic image to show the ancient ruin site. The site that Riov had planned to study himself, for a particular reason. “I knew there was a reason for us to be heading specifically for a planet. Survey team found something and I think this is the reason.” She gestured with her open hand.

Riov could not help but smile. “You’re investigation skills should be commended, Lieutenant. Although, be careful with information that is given to you by secondary source.” Riov began to explain. “As they may not have all the information, thus you could be following a lead that might end you into serious trouble.”

“Well-I,” Elidia stammered before she cleared her throat. “I apologize, Commander. I will do my best to not let my curiosity get the better of me.”

Riov let out a light chuckle as he began to manipulate the display. “You are perfectly fine, Kraten was it?”

“Elidia.” She said. “I prefer Elidia.” She noticed the new commands he entered. “What is it that you are looking for, sir?”

Riov made a single nod of his head to gesture that he heard and understood. “Like I said, Elidia. Your investigation skills should be commended.” He looked at her to give her a brief smile before he returned his gaze to the console. “We are heading for this planet for exactly that reason. In fact, when we arrive, my task is to assemble an away team to investigate these ruins. And ever since we left the station, I had spent many hours going over the crew manifest.” Riov entered the final command before he gave Elidia his full attention. “You are to be my first candidate on the away team.”

Elidia nearly squealed in joy and in the burst of her excitement, she threw her arms around Riov to embrace him. That is, in a split second of the moment, she realized what she had done and quickly regained her composure. “I am so, so sorry. I-well-I bet my file mentioned somewhere that I can be a bit-”

“Eccentric?” Riov noted while he grabbed the hem of his uniform jacket and tugged it down to fix the wrinkles.

“Yes, sir.” Elidia held her hands together behind her as she tried to contain her excitement that was obviously still bubbling inside her.

Riov let out a sigh and smiled. “It may have mentioned something but it is quite all right. I had a feeling you would enjoy this assignment.” Then Riov took a look at the holographic image of K’Shar, to which his entire demeanor changed. “Lieutenant. We are linked to the probe around the planet in real time, yes?”

“Yes, sir.” Elidia acknowledged as she took her eyes off him to look at what he saw. “Oh my.”

It was a storm, the most massive sandstorm that the probe had ever recorded. Currently it was on the other side of the planet from where the ruins are, but it was the fact that it encompassed a quarter of the world. More so, this was the night side of the planet and the storm was clearly visible due to the relentless lightning that cut across in various lengths of the storm from one end to another.

Riov pointed to another station. “Lieutenant, I need you to search the probe’s databanks from when it was established over the planet to this exact moment.”

“Got it!” Elidia quickly went to one of the consoles behind her. “What am I looking for? The storm?”

“Correct.” Riov joined her at the console. “We need to know how frequent these storms appear on this planet. The duration these storms last and the average speed of these storms, to see how quickly they cut across from one point to another. But most importantly, how long they stay in a specific area.”

“To put it simply, Captain.” Riov began to explain, as he and Elidia stood there in the ready room, across from Maxwell’s desk. “This planet suffers frequent sandstorms, but most often it has a massive, violent sandstorm that covers a large portion of the planet. It moves slow, which gives us an advantage but also a disadvantage.”

Maxwell grunted as he knew where this was going. “Once it reaches the ancient ruins, it will be there for a days.”

“Two months and sixteen days,” Riov answered. “To be precise, Captain. Once that storm hits the ruins, due to the sheer size of it and its speed, it will take two months and sixteen days to cross over the site completely.”

“Sir,” Elidia spoke up. “We could wait for the storm to pass, but by then, the ruins would be completely buried. And right now, the probe has shown that the winds on the planet have uncovered most of the ruins, including a large temple. The temple could have significant discoveries of this planet. Clearly there was a civilization, but we have no clue if they were able to make it to space travel and abandoned the world, or if they perished.”

Maxwell looked to Graves who was there with them, where they exchanged looks, then Maxwell returned his gaze back to Riov and Elidia. “How long until the storm reaches the site?”

“Five days,” Riov answered. “If we increase to warp nine, we will be there in four days.”

“One day?” Maxwell asked. “Just to solve the mystery of the planet?”

“One day, sir.” Elidia spoke enthusiastically. “One day to gather samples, data and all the scans we need. Then we can return to the ship, and study what we have until the storm clears.”

Maxwell did not hesitate any longer to tap the badge on his chest. “Maxwell to Tagg. Increase our speed to warp factor nine.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Let’s hope it’s worth it.” Said Maxwell as he stared directly at Riov. “Better start your preparations, Commander.”

“Yes, sir.” Said Riov before he left the ready room with Elidia in tow.

Time to throw away another plan, and formulate a new one.