Pangaea Regained (Part IV)

Posted on Fri Jul 25, 2025 @ 6:08am by Commodore T'mpest Michaels & Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca & Commander Cara Letsul & Lieutenant Liam Blackwood

1,536 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Time After Time
Location: Pangaea

[PREVIOUSLY]

Liam watched Cara for a moment, her reaction so raw and genuine it gave him pause. He glanced down at the path beneath them, then back up at the canopy of trees overhead. “There’s definitely something in the air here.” He said quietly.

[CONTINUED]

"You do?" Brianthe asked both Cara and Liam. "How does it feel different?"

"Well, each planet I've been to, it had its own harmonics to it. Aquil it was more subtropical, those who lived on the planet were like merfolk from Earth's legends. There was this planet I and others had visited where, there were sentient felines. They were known as Tree cats who spoke with mental images, their words were like mind songs." she paused there, "This has its own essence, its own energies. Its rather lovely."

Bri nodded. "It does seem to have its own harmonics, but those other places sound amazing. I'd like to visit them some day."

Cara gave a nod, "Perhaps you will be able to someday." she didn't say anything more as to that, just a memory coming to the surface once more, as she gazed over towards the plant life.

Bri raised an eyebrow, picking up...something, but she didn't want to pry. "Okay."

"In the woods we found ruins of three ancient villages," Alanna added. "They're built on top of each other. That's my secondary project down here. They used the trees themselves as homes. Fortunately, they're hidden and visitors are not allowed."

The mention of the ancient villages brought to Cara's mind of the places she'd been to. Abandoned, being found through the Ancient Waystation. This place was certainly pulling up her memories of times in the past. She would love to talk to the scientists here, about things she's seen and experienced. She has the data stored in her mind.

"About the trees, you were speaking of. Are we getting near them?" Cara wanted to have a look at them and maybe have a taste of the leaves.

"Sure." Bri led them into the woods and around the garden, following a path only she knew. Not long after, they came out in a grove of white trees with white leaves. Even though there was no breeze, the leaves seemed to be fluttering in a breeze.

Liam’s attention sharpened the moment Alanna mentioned the ruins. He glanced in the direction of the woods, his curiosity fully piqued.

"Three villages, layered on top of each other?" he echoed, stepping slightly closer. "That’s incredible. If the trees were used as living structures, that suggests a deep symbiosis with the environment....possibly even a cultural link to the Fey."

He looked at Alanna with a mix of fascination and professional interest. "I’d love a closer look when the time’s right."

"It's more that one village was built on the ruins of a former one, but it's still fascinating," Alanna said. "Some built dwellings among the roots, while others were in the branches themselves. They span roughly 500 years."

"500 years." Cara murmured softly, feeling her skin prickle up with goosebumps. Things were so alive here, she could feel it. finding a branch which held leaves of the beautiful trees, Cara reached up, touched one and whispered "Thank you for the leaf." giving respect to the tree before she gently pulled the leaf from the branch. She normally gave thanks to the plants she utilized. She took a nibble of the leaf, just wondering what flavor it would have, Something herbal in nature?

The white leaf had no flavor. And now that she was close to the tree, she could see that there were tiny white berries as well.

To Cara there was a flavor, an herbal taste, then came the berries. Would they be flavorless could they be cooked and added to something like tofu or another seed? Perhaps it was her imagination that provided the flavor something nutty with a touch of sweetness.

"We're looking into ways to use these trees for food. They're quite nutritious if you eat both the leaf and berry, if a little bland," Bri said.

"I detected some flavor but then again might have been my imagination. These could be added to smoothies made with fruit, soups." Cara deciding to try both the berry and the leaf at the same time. Like a little berry burrito.

"I want to see if there's a way to cross them with another type of tree. So far I've had no luck, but if I can, it'll augment the flavor," Bri said. "But for now, only those who come here know about this grove, so please don't tell others about it."

"I don't plan on telling anyone, and my lips are sealed. I would like to come back down here, but only if an appointment is made." Cara was rather firm on this.

"Thank you." Bri smiled. "That way, I can be sure to be here. I'll need to be on the station as I'm the chief botanist there."

"I look forward to seeing the Arboretum as well." Cara taking a deep breath, and looking around once more giving a smile. "Yes this place is magical. Very magical indeed." turning to take in the place as a whole once more.

"If you'd like, I'll go back to the station with you and show you around," Brianthe said. "I do need to check in with Paula."

"I would like that very much, thank you. That is something very dear to my heart a bit of green upon a station. And I should get back to see how things are on the station as well." she paused and bent down to touch the earth, then picked up a small amount of it to breath in the scent. "Rich, fertile. I love it." she rose up from her crouched position. "I am ready, whenever you are."

They walked back to Bag End and Alanna flew them back to the shuttle port. "Commodore, if you want to stay a little longer, I'd like to take you to the portal site."

T'mpest nodded. "Yes, I would."

Cara glanced over towards Alanna, sometime she will speak to her about time and its travels. For now, though, it was time to head back to the station and check on its status.

Alanna dropped the others off at the spaceport where they could get a shuttle back to the planet, then took T'mpest on a brief tour of the portal complex.

T'mpest had felt the energy of the planet the first time she came here, but the portal complex was something else. Even though the portals themselves were inactive, she could feel a sense of dormant power that was fascinating. "Do you feel that?" she asked Alanna.

Alanna paused and looked at her. "Feel what?"

"The closest that makes sense is a feeling of power. But it's muffled or dormant. Waiting."

"No. I've felt energy, but it's more like the energy of the planet and here, in the cave system, it's a little more concentrated. But not a power." She wondered if it was because T'mpest was the commander of the station now, but she had no way of verifying her theory.

"Can you show me the Cardassia portal?" Even though it wasn't working, T'mpest wanted to see it. Just on a hunch.

"Sure." Alanna checked the map and asked two Marines to accompany them as they carefully made their way through the known tunnels. On the way, Alanna explained that sometimes they'd walk down a tunnel and end up somewhere new. Or find the way blocked. So, even though the map showed the stable areas, they weren't always so stable.

Finally, they came to a portal with a short statue standing guard. "This is a sentry," Alanna said. "The portal is beyond that, but it's inactive right now."

T'mpest nodded and walked up to the sentry. "Hello. I am T'mpest Michaels, commander of Deep Space 5. Could you keep this portal closed? Even after the others start working?"

For several moments, there was nothing. Then the sentry bowed. "I will take that as a yes. Thank you. It will not be permanent, but for the protection of the planet and station, it must remain closed for now."

The sentry bowed again, then went back to its original position.

T'mpest inclined her head in thanks, then turned to Alanna. "That may prevent further problems once the portals are operational. We can return to the entrance and make a notation of this for future verification."

Alanna nodded. She hadn't thought about sealing the portal, but if it worked, it might prevent future problems. It was also verification that T'mpest had been acknowledged as the commander of the station and ruler of the planet. "Okay."

Once they were finished, Alanna took T'mpest back to Bag End for lunch and more talk about the portals as the commodore would be going to the Marine party later.

A post by

Commander Cara Letsul
Executive Officer
Deep Space 5

Commodore T'mpest Michaels
Commander
Deep Space 5

Lieutenant Commander Alanna Wells
Director, Pangaea Science and Exploration
Pangaea

Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca
Botanist
Deep Space 5 and Pangaea

Lieutenant Liam Blackwood
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space Five

 

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