Tales From Cygnus Station - 1 - Aurora Stellaris

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 1

USS Eclipse
Mudon System
The Cygnus Reach
Stardate 64857.1 (November 9, 2387)

Doctor Indira Kaur waved the slim tricorder across Melano Leuk-Om’s head, stared at the display, and frowned. She changed a few settings and scanned the Aurelian chief science officer again.

‘How long did you say you’d been having insomnia and headaches?’

Leuk-Om fluttered her wings in a shrug. ‘About two days, but it’s getting worse.’

‘I dare say,’ Kaur replied. ‘You’re an avian species, and that phenomenon out there is electromagnetic in nature. It’s messing with your cryptochromes and circadian rhythm.’

‘We haven’t determined that to be the case yet, Doctor.’

‘I just did,’ Kaur countered. ‘It’s an aurora, therefore it is an EM disturbance. You just haven’t figured out what is being disturbed.’

The Aurelian blinked at the doctor. An interesting observation. We will need to test it out.’

Kaur entered some data on a PADD and said, ‘you go right ahead. Until you figure it out, I can give you something for the pain and I will talk to the captain about shielding the ship somehow.’

‘Thank you, Doctor, but i’m not sure if that’s necessary or possible.’

Kaur shrugged. ‘We’ll see. In the meantime, I’ve programmed a periodic dosage of hydrocortisone into the replicator for you. You should probably get a good night’s sleep.’

‘Thank you, Doctor,’ she said, stood up, and exited sickbay.

Kaur sighed. ‘Computer, activate LMH,’ she said, referring to the long-term medical hologram, which had replaced the emergency medical hologram used in the late 70s.

Apillar of photons coalesced into the handsome avatar the crew had named Liam. ‘ Good evening, Doctor. How may I be of service?’

‘Graveyard shift, Liam. I’ll see you in the morning.’

‘Goodnight, Doctor,’ Liam replied and walked toward the CMO’s office.

Kaur exited sickbay and headed for the turbolift, intending to go to the arboretum on deck two for a little quiet time, but her plans changed when she saw the ship’s Betazoid security chief, Lieutenant Gwyna Alonas.

‘Hi, Indira, working late?’

Kaur smiled. ‘Finishing reports and a late patient. You eaten yet?’

Alonas shook her head. ‘Not yet. Wanna what today’s chef has prepared?’

Kaur snorted. ‘Whose turn is it?’

‘I have no idea, I just go with the flow.’

Kaur shrugged. ‘Why not. I can always prescribe something for gastrointestinal relief afterward if it’s warranted.

Alonas giggled in the way Kaur liked and nudged her shoulder as they walked into the mess hall. They looked around and saw an Andorian bustling around in the kitchen. Kaur groaned.

‘What’s up? You don’t like the captain’s cooking?’ Alonas asked.

Kaur scoffed. ‘For a species that lives on a frozen moon, they make some very spicy food. My stomach can’t handle it.’

‘That’s why you always get something from the replicator?’

Kaur nodded.

‘Well, let’s see what’s on offer tonight,’ Alonas said as they strolled over to the serving table. ‘What’s good, Captain?’

‘Fresh Andorian redbat. Picked them up at Cygnus last time we were there,’ Captain Valenithras sh’Zaranith answered. ‘Made it mild for you, Doctor. No spices, just light seasoning.’

Alonas winked at the captain. ‘Well, Indira? Are you going to try it?’

Kaur acted put out for a moment. ‘Since I’m being ganged up on, I’ll take a plate. Thank you.’

‘I’ll have some Borer broth please, with extra tuber root, I need the calories.’

‘Sure thing, be right up,’ sh’Zaranith replied.

Kaur and Alonas sat at an empty table and within moments their food was delivered, and the captain joined them with her own plate. Alonas looked at it curiously. ‘What is that, sir?’

Sh’Zaranith grinned widely, and not very captainly. ‘Why, Lieutenant, this is my favorite meal in the galaxy. Mashed tubers with Bolian spiced sausage.’

Kaur groaned as Alonas’ spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. ‘Gwyna, we humans call that bangers and mash, or sausage and mashed potatoes. Every world has a dish like it.’

Alonas pouted. ‘Betazed doesn’t. We don’t have tuber vegetables. Nothing grows below ground except roots. Something about the soil.’

sh’Zaranith nodded. ‘She’s right, Doctor. Scientists have been trying to figure it out for centuries, even using foreign vegetables from other worlds. The majority of their food comes from trees, bushes, and animals. Tubers are imported, and none of the homegrown roots are edible.’

‘The tree roots are below ground, so why don’t the vegetables grow?’

‘The very question,’ sh’Zaranith replied. ‘Eat up, we have another exciting day tomorrow.’

‘How much longer are we going to be here, Captain? The non-scientists in the crew are getting restless.’

‘Admiral Benteen wants to know what this phenomenon is. It wasn’t here when the system was surveyed in the late seventies, and Mudon VIII’s northern hemisphere is a planned colony site. At the rate this is expanding, it could reach the planet’s upper atmosphere in less than a decade, which could be catastrophic,’ sh’Zaranith told them.

‘Captain, when we’re done here, there’s a medical matter I need to discuss with you, and Commander Ghi’Rok will probably need to be involved, though the matter doesn’t relate to him.’

Sh’Zaranith nodded. ‘Of course, Doctor. Gwyna, do you want a bite?’

Alonas shook her head. ‘Not tonight. Maybe you can make me a plate tomorrow?’

‘I’ll leave instructions for the duty chef tomorrow.’

‘Thanks,’ Alonas said and dug into her food.

Kur enjoyed her redbat and pushed the plate away when she was done. The captain followed suit a moment later. She grabbed their plates and stacked them in the replicator.

‘You go ahead,’ Alonas said, spooning the broth into her mouth. ‘My quarters when you’re done?’

Kaur smiled. ‘Sure.’

‘Come on, Doctor, let’s talk,’ the captain said and strode through the doors.

Kaur hurried to join her. The corridors were relatively quiet at this time of the ship’s day, and it was unlikely anyone would overhear them, and she explained the chief science officer’s condition and her temporary solution as well as her hope for a permanent one.

Sh’Zaranith was pensive for a few minutes. ‘I’m a pretty good engineer myself, Doctor, but I don’t even know if such a thing is possible. Were you able to determine the precise range of frequencies causing the issue?’

‘The frequency range is between two kilohertz to five megahertz. Very low end of the spectrum, but its omnipresence is the problem.

Sh’Zaranith agreed and tapped her combadge. ‘Commander Ghi’Rok, please meet me in main engineering as soon as possible.’

‘On my way, Captain. Ghi’Rok out.’

A quick turbolift ride deposited them outside the Eclipse’s cramped engineering space and they met the Briar engineering chief lumbering toward them.

‘Is there a problem, Captain?’

‘Doctor, this is your thing.’

Kaur explained the situation again and Ghi’Rok frowned. ‘I see what you’re trying to get at, but I’m not sure it can be done. Let’s go inside and see what we can do.’

He went to one of the four engineering stations and activated the monitor. ‘Computer, search Starfleet mission logs for all vessels involving shield nutations blocking electromagnetic frequencies.’ He turned to the others. ‘I remember reading something a few years ago from an engineer doing something similar.’

‘Working,’ the computer replied.

‘What are you thinking, Commander?’ sh’Zaranith asked. ‘Is it possible to block that frequency range?’

‘Maybe, but we’d have to keep the shields up the entire time. It would prevent us from using the transporters and some scanning abilities, plus it’ll be a big drain on the power systems.’

‘Do you have an alternative?’ Kaur asked.

‘Six hundred seventy three results,’ the computer stated, interrupting their discussion, and listed them on the monitor.

‘Eliminate results prior to 2373.’

One hundred forty two results remaining.’

‘Narrow search to deep space missions,’ Ghi’Rok said.

Twelve results.’

‘There we are, got it!’ the chief engineer crowed. ‘USS Nebuchadnezzar, out on the frontier. They encountered some kind of electromagnetic radiation on the surface of a planet and outfitted a shuttle to withstand it. They were able to adjust the shields to keep out specific frequencies.’

‘So it can be done?’ Kaur asked.

‘We still have to keep the shields up,’ sh’Zaranith countered. ‘Not an ideal option. Is there some kind of cortical stimulator we can modify?’ she asked Ghi’Rok.

‘Perhaps,’ the Brikar answered. ‘We might be able to fashion a kind of Faraday helmet and modify it to exclude those frequencies.’

‘That’ll be interesting,’ sh’Zaranith mused. ‘Get started on it in the morning.’

‘Aye sir,’ Ghi’Rok said. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I need to do some research, make sure we have all of the materials we need, or what we might need to replicate.’

‘Of course. I need to get some sleep myself. We’re going to do some close scans tomorrow,’ the captain stood. ‘You coming, Doctor?’

Kaur stood as well. ‘Absolutely. I need to see a beautiful woman and kiss her goodnight.’

Ghi’Rok shook his head but smiled. ‘See you in the morning.’

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 2

USS Eclipse
Mudon System
Stardate 64858.5 (November 10, 2387)

‘What is that sound?’ Ensign Anura Norabi asked, covering her ears.

‘I’m shaving my legs,’ Ensign Vivi Matek answered from the head in their shared quarters.

‘With what, a saw?’ Norabi asked.

‘The two of them had joined the crew at their last stopover at Cygnus Station. Both were fresh from the Academy and though they’d had classes together, neither had really known the other that well. Berthing together thus far had been a learning experience for them both.

‘Basically,’ Matek answered.

Norabi knew the Cardassian had faced a number of challenges at the Academy because the Dominion War was still recent memory for many who’d lost loved ones in the conflict, and she had sympathy. The Dominion almost destroyed Cardassia Prime in retaliation for the rebellion and left their Union in shambles. It was only after Mars was attacked that the Federation and allied forces began to withdraw from Cardassia Prime.

Norabi knew more of her roommate’s history than her own. She didn’t know where she came from, what species she was, or anything.

Matek came out of the head wearing a towel around herself, and another around her ong black hair. ‘Sorry, I forgot how loud the grinder could be. I roomed with other Cardassians at the Academy for most of the time, and it doesn’t bother us.’

‘Grinder?’ Norabi asked.

‘How else do you think we do it?’ Matek asked with a smile. ‘We evolved from lizards, and we have scales. We have to use abrasive brushes on some parts and when we need to smooth out the scales we use a special grinder with various tools.’

‘Oh, I guess I never thought about it like that.’

Matek shrugged. ‘I’ll try and do it when I’m alone next time. I didn’t know your hearing was that sensitive.’

It was Norabi’s turn to shrug. ‘Neither did I. I know nothing about my species.’

‘What do you know?’

‘A Starfleet ship found us adrift, light years from any inhabited system. All of the adults were unconscious and couldn’t remember anything about how we got there. I was still larval at the time, so everything I know is what my mother told me. I grew up on a Federation colony and when I was old enough, I joined Starfleet. Maybe one day i’ll find out who we are.’

‘Sounds rough, not knowing. I almost envy that. Everyone knows who my people are and what they’ve done.’

‘Cardassians aren’t all the same. You can’t paint every member of a species with the same brush. Was your father a soldier or something else?’

Matek smiled. ‘He was an artist. A painter. He loved painting ships and space stations, nebulae and planets. He had a shop on Terok Nor and was killed protecting it when the Cardassians abandoned it. He wanted to stay and I think he was killed for being disloyal to Gul Dukat.’

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘I visited the station after the Federation took it over and I saw several of his paintings on bulkheads all over. I met Commander Sisko and told him about my father’s work. He offered to return them to me, but I just wanted him to be credited as the painter.’

‘Was he?’

Matek nodded. ‘He was.’

‘Do you paint?’

‘A little,’ Matek said coyly.

‘Can I see some of your work?’

‘Now? I need to get ready for my shift. So do you.’

‘Won’t take long. I’m going to have a shower and you can get a couple of pieces out.’

‘Sure,’ Matek muttered and walked into her room.

Norabi had a quick shower and by the time she had dried off and dressed, Matek was dressed and brought out a few pieces of her artwork.

‘Wow.’

‘You like them?’

One was a painting of the Eclipse with a nebula in the background and the other was something she didn’t recognize, but it was beautiful. ‘ I do.’

‘This one is a ship I designed myself when I was a child. It’s a blend of Cardassian and Bajoran design aesthetics. I think our two cultures were very similar hundreds, maybe thousands, of years ago. Before Cardassia became the way it was.’

‘Let’s build it,’ Norabi said. ‘We can make a model, or the real thing. Shuttlecraft size.’

Matek’s eyes lit up. ‘Really? Do you think the captain would let us?’

‘Let’s go and ask. We have time before our shift begins.’

* * *​

Captain sh’Zaranith stared at the design on the PADD, zooming in and out, rotating it this way and that, and studying the specifications before she looked up at the two junior officers.

‘What exactly is it you want to do, Miss Matek?’

‘I drew that when I was a child, Captain. As I learned about ships I refined it, and while I was at the Academy I made the effort to work on the blueprints for a full size starship and a shuttlecraft-size variant. We’d like your permission to build the shuttle-sized design.’

‘I must say, it’s not every day that I get such a request, and I am sufficiently intrigued by this design. Off-duty hours only, and you can use the ship's materials as long as it doesn’t leave us short, understood?’

‘Yes, Ma’am!’ they agreed in unison.

‘Can I stop by and see your progress?’

‘Any time, Captain,’ Matek answered.

‘Permission granted,’ the captain stated for the record. ‘You have actually inspired me to continue work on a project of my own that I’ve neglected for far too long.’

‘Really?’ Norabi asked.

‘Yes, but mine is going to be a secret. I’ll reveal it when the time is right.’

‘Aye, Captain,’ the helmswoman replied with a little disappointment in her tone.

Sh’Zaranith stood up and handed the PADD back to Matek. ‘Let’s go to work, ladies.’

The three of them strode onto the bridge from the conference room, since the Nova-class ship had no real ready room, and took their stations, relieving their gamma shift counterparts. The captain took her seat and her executive officer, Commander Dana Ransom, moved over one.

‘How does it look, Commander?’

‘Same as yesterday, Captain, though it has increased in size by approximately two hundred kilometers.’

‘No danger to us?’

‘Not at this distance. We’re maintaining ten thousand kilometers from the leading edge.’

‘Captain, I would like to point out that these energies are exotic in nature, and we can’t even identify some of them. We do not know how they might interact with normal matter,’ Commander Leuk-Om advised, wearing his modified Faraday helmet.

'Noted, Commander, but we’ve been sitting here for a week watching it grow and we’ve exhausted all the scans we can take at this distance. We have sent probes which have all returned unharmed, and I’m tired of watching.’

‘Aye, Captain.’

Sh’Zaranith turned to look at her tactical officer. ‘Intraship please, Lieutenant.’

‘Channel open, Captain.’

‘All hands, this is the captain speaking. We are about to approach the phenomenon ahead to take more detailed scans than we have thus far. We don’t know what will happen, so be vigilant. If you see anything unusual, say something. You never know what could be important. Sh’Zaranith out.’

‘Ensign Norabi, ten thousand kph,’ Ransom ordered. ‘Commander Leuk-Om, begin deep scans.’

‘All sensors have been retasked,’ Matek said from the operations console. ‘Long range scans show no vessels in the vicinity.’

‘Thank you, Ensign. Steady as she goes, Norabi.’

 

[admiralelm11]

It's pretty great so far. I'm enjoying. I do want to point out a few punctuation oopsits that I saw. I do like the characters. It's quite interesting.

I'm sorry about mentioning the oopsits.

 

[BrotherBenny]

It's pretty great so far. I'm enjoying. I do want to point out a few punctuation oopsits that I saw. I do like the characters. It's quite interesting.

I'm sorry about mentioning the oopsits.

Glad you're enjoying it. Feel free to message me with the oopsies and I'll fix them in the master document. They might be my quirky writing style or genuine errors. Who knows.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Interesting crew with an emphasis on non-human females. Some nice culture points and critter-design, particularly with the cardassian and her leg-grinder.

An interesting open. I'm not sure where in the ST mythos this takes place. The reference to the attack on Mars makes me think this is in the ST Picard trek-verse.

Thanks!! rbs

 

[BrotherBenny]

Interesting crew with an emphasis on non-human females. Some nice culture points and critter-design, particularly with the cardassian and her leg-grinder.

An interesting open. I'm not sure where in the ST mythos this takes place. The reference to the attack on Mars makes me think this is in the ST Picard trek-verse.

Thanks!! rbs

This is set in the Cygnus Reach (the great unexplored mass of the galaxy, which is not quite so unexplored now), a few months after Romulus's destruction... and is a direct sequel to the United Trek Task Force Vanguard/Refugee Crisis crossover event from a few years ago.

 

[admiralelm11]

I wondered what happened after the Vanguard-Crisis event. It seemed to go unfinished for some reason, which I attributed to RL stuff. Life happens. Just live it as best as you can in your own way.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 3


USS Pytheas
Delta Quadrant
Stardate 57420.1 (June 2, 2380)

‘General Anghul, you said your rebellion would be sending a fleet of vessels to assist us. We are trying to help you overthrow your leadership. I see only three vessels,’ Captain Mora glim Cheer said from the bridge of the modified Intrepid-class starship.

‘Captain Cheer, perhaps it has escaped your notice, but these three vessels are three kilometers long, dwarfing your cruiser substantially. Along with your carrier, they will create a moving kill zone. Our remaining vessels will join us on the other side when needed. We must hide our true numbers from The Darkness or this will all be for nothing,’ General Anghul responded in an exasperated tone.

Cheer sighed. ‘We await one more ship and we will be ready to depart.’

‘One more? What of the battle group you assured us would come?’ the Cha’lav Marsupial rebel leader asked.

‘The battle group has engaged the last of the Hegemony vessels in the Z'ha'dum system. The vessel we’re waiting for is the key to this operation.’

The general looked to his left and nodded. ‘Very well, Captain. We await your vessel’s arrival. End transmission.’

‘Captain, sir, Captain Q’Rel sends her apologies. She’ll be here tomorrow. They had some personnel issues to deal with.’

‘Thank you, Commander. Any word from Lieutenant Parker?’

‘No, sir. Last I heard she was about to infiltrate the capital ship she believed Andraprani zh’Malashan was on.’

‘Where was it?’

‘Z’ha’dum,’ Lieutenant Commander Sheena Gonzales answered.

‘Damn,’ Cheer muttered. ‘She’s on her own then. We can’t postpone this operation or risk the ship.’

‘I could take a shuttle with some security officers to give her some backup,’ Commander Astar suggested.

‘I need you here,’ Cheer replied. ‘The Cha’lav maggots will be fed to the Great Goddess’s porcine beast before the day is over. Parker came here to do a job and she knows the Andorian better than anyone else.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Astar responded, disappointed.

‘It’s almost over, Commander. The refugees have mostly agreed to settle in the Cygnus Reach, and Admiral Benteen will monitor everything from the recently-completed Cygnus Station. The intercept groups have all been recalled, and the allied task force is mopping up the last Cha’lav holdouts in the Z’ha’dum system.’

Astar added sotto voce, ‘Thanks to the intel provided by Lieutenant ch’Maras. Still not sure how he came by it.’

‘Does it matter?’ Cheer asked. ‘Command just cares about the results. We’ve lost a good number of ships in this war and we haven’t long come out of the Dominion War. Maybe this will be the end of it for a while and we can get back to exploring.’

Astar scoffed. ‘When have we ever been able to do that? In the last thirty years we’ve faced off against the Cardassians, Klingons, Talarians, Borg, Dominion, plus numerous other skirmishes. These are the worst, and so much more powerful than us.’

Cheer snorted. ‘They’re battling a war on too many fronts in dozens, if not hundreds–perhaps thousands–of galaxies. They don’t have the ships available to overwhelm us, which is their tried and tested method. They underestimated us, and their own people. Z’ha’dum will be their last stand in our galaxy, and we’re going to their galaxy to cut off the head of the snake.’

‘Captain, there’s a small craft coming in fast!’ Gonzales called out.

‘On screen,’ Cheer ordered and stood up just as a heavily modified Starfleet shuttle dropped out of high warp.

‘Parker, Astar muttered.

‘Open a channel.’

‘Channel open, Captain,’ Gonzales said.

‘Pytheas to Shuttlecraft Omega. Do you read?’

‘I read you, Pytheas,’ Lieutenant K’Tyra Parker responded and activated visual pickup. Her face was badly bruised and covered in dried blue blood. ‘It’s over. She’s dead, and so are they. Now, we finish this.’

‘Over, Lieutenant?’ Astar asked.

‘The Cha’lav Hegemony have been excised from this galaxy, Commander. Only two ships made it out, and they were badly damaged. They’re being towed to the nearest allied space station.

‘Come on back, Lieutenant,’ Cheer ordered. ‘I look forward to reading your report.’

‘Aye, Captain. Parker out.’

‘You think she contacted him?’ Astar asked quietly.

‘Admiral Dexx? Probably. He must be about dead by now though. Bolians don’t typically live that long.’

Not even ones from five hundred years in the future?’

‘Good point, Commander.’

 

[admiralelm11]

Interesting. I wondered if Pytheas was going to be in this. I had forgotten about Astar's demotion and the new Captain. I'm really liking this story, Benny. Keep up the great work.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

‘Z’ha’dum,’ Lieutenant Commander Sheena Gonzales answered.

Shades of Babylon 5?

Thanks!! rbs

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 4

Aurora Stellaris
Mudon System
Stardate 64858.6 (November 10, 2387)

‘Captain, I’d like to officially note my opposition to this plan,’ Lieutenant Commander Leuk-Om stated. ‘We have no idea what this energy even is, or where it came from, and we cannot tell what interaction the deflector beam will have on that energy.’

‘Objection noted, Commander,’ sh’Zaranith replied with an exasperated tone, having heard the same argument from her for hours. ‘Commander Ghi’Rok, is the beam ready?’

‘Aye, Captain, ready when you are,’ the chief engineer replied over the open comm.

‘Then by all means, fire!’

The reaction was immediate. As soon as the deflector beam hit the outer edge of the aurora, tendrils of multihued energy snaked out and snared the ship.

‘Shields down to ninety percent,’ Lieutenant Commander Talna Rae called out from the tactical station as the ship flopped about like a dying fish.

‘Back us off, Ensign,’ sh’Zaranith ordered.

‘Helm’s not responding, Captain,’ Norabi said, panic creeping in. ‘We’re being pulled toward it.’

‘Captain, I’m reading something else now,’ Leuk-Om interjected. ‘Trying to get a match from the computer.’

‘Ghi’Rok, suggestions?’

‘Warp jump,’ the Brikar answered. ‘Might be enough to break us free.’

‘Leuk-Om?’

The Aurelian squawked as the ship bucked again. ‘Maybe.’

‘Good enough. Helm, prepare to go to warp.’

‘Helm is still down, Captain,’ Norabi said, ‘but I have an idea.’ She jumped up and ran to the engineering console.

‘What the hell is going on up there? What are you doing to my engines?’

‘Stand by,’ sh’Zaranith answered before they all had to cover their eyes from a bright flash the viewscreen couldn’t compensate for.

Norabi returned to the helm as the ship stopped shaking. ‘Ensign?’ the captain asked.

‘I created a warp bubble and then popped it,’ Norabi answered. ‘It countered the energy from the aurora. I have helm control again.’

‘You were lucky!’ Ghi’Rok yelled over the comm. ‘We have dozens of burned out relays down here.’

‘Back us off, Ensign. Ghi’Rok, we’re alive because of her out of the box thinking. sh’Zaraith out.’ She turned to the science station. ‘Leuk-Om, did you get any new readings?’

‘Yes, Captain. The computer found a match, but it’s classified. I was also able to scan deeper than before, and I found something else. Neutrinos and verterons. Tell-tale signs of a stable and not-natural wormhole.’

‘Are we able to tell where it goes?’

‘Not at this time. I can’t even be sure where the aperture is. We could send in a probe, but I can't guarantee it won’t be destroyed.’

‘Take the ship in,’ Ransom suggested. ‘We’re still holding together after that jolt. We can weather it.’

‘Leuk-Om, send the classified data to the conference room,’ sh’Zaranith ordered. ‘I’ll make a decision on what to do next based on what I learn. Commander Ransom, you have the bridge.’

Sh’Zaranith entered the conference room, since she didn’t have a ready room or office of any kind on this cramped vessel, and sat down at the head of the table. ‘Computer, seal the room and access the classified data file, authorization sh’Zaranith-3-Omicron-7-Omega.’

‘Authorization confirmed. Room sealed. Unable to access classified data. Access restricted to Vanguard-Delta clearance and above.’

‘So much for everything being declassified. Computer, recognize sh’Zaranith, Valenithras, authorization Vanguard-Gamma-2.’

‘Access granted.’

Sh’Zaranith watched the data scroll across the screen and her jaw became slack at the sheer amount of information, the details kept from the majority of Starfleet and the general Federation and allied populace, and the audacity of the aliens. The Romulan precept of unlimited expansion and manifest was bold but these people took it to an extreme level she would have thought impossible. She skipped past the parts that were still redacted and required a higher security clearance, and scowled at what she could read. An hour had passed and she decided she had read enough to make a decision without going down a borer hole.

She shut down the screen, unsealed the room, and returned to the bridge. ‘Commander Leuk-Om, if the warp bubble was able to temporarily disrupt the aurora’s energies, would the detonation of a warp core destroy it?’

‘Possibly,’ the science officer answered. ‘Do we have to destroy it, Captain?’

‘Yes, Commander, we do. Trust me on this.’ She looked around the bridge. ‘None of you have high enough security clearance for what I have read, but you know some of the reasons and rumors about Starfleet’s push into the Cygnus Reach.’ She opened a channel from her chair. ‘Bridge to engineering.’

‘Engineering.’

‘Ghi’Rok, prepare to jettison the warp core.’

‘We don’t have a spare, Captain.’

sh’Zaranith growled deep in her throat. ‘Just do it, Commander! I’ll explain later.’

‘Aye, Captain,’ Ghi’Rok replied with a sigh. ‘Preparing to jettison the core.’

‘What’s going on, Val?’ Ransom asked, sotto voce.

‘I’m averting a war from happening again,’ she answered.

‘Oh, is that all?’

‘Captain, if we jettison the core, how will we get away from the explosion?’ Norabi asked.

‘We go to full impulse the moment we release it and fire a torpedo when we’re far enough away,’ Ransom answered. ‘Hopefully.’

‘Captain,’ Ghi’Rok said as he arrived on the bridge. ‘We’re ready to jettison the core. I want to add that I still think this is a bad idea.’

‘Commander Rae, prepare a torpedo,’ sh’Zaranith said and turned to the chief engineer. ‘It’s not my preferred choice either, Commander, but there is a greater good being served here. Prepare to jettison on my mark. Anura, I need you to get us as far away as possible.’

‘Ready, Captain,’ Norabi responded without turning round.

‘On your mark,’ Ghi’Rok added.

‘Torpedo ready,’ Rae stated.

‘Ensign, angle our ventral hull toward the aurora.’

‘Adjusting vector…in position.’

‘Jettison the core. Full impulse, now!’

The ventral core hatch opened and the warp core emerged, floating toward the aurora. The ship’s impulse engines glowed bright red as Norabi piloted the ship away as fast as she could, but everyone on the bridge saw something unexpected happen. Tendrils of energy corkscrewed toward the core and snagged it, pulling it toward itself. The core suddenly exploded, sending a shockwave in every direction, and the Eclipse was not far enough away to avoid it.

‘Hang on!’ Norabi yelled as she tried to turn the ship into the shockwave to ride it out.

Most of them were thrown from their stations and the power suddenly shut down. Norabi saw something large on the viewscreen before everything went dark and the ship stopped dead, throwing her into her console, and knocking her out.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Got an andorian captain who can make a decision... At some point we'll find out if it was a good one...

A lot of story in a very short entry. Big fan of that kind of writing.

Thanks!! rbs

 

[admiralelm11]

Andorians are very capable captains. I like this crew. It's unusual and unusual makes it all the more interesting.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 5


USS Eclipse
Mudon System
Stardate 64858.8 (November 10, 2387)

The bridge was no longer pitch black. Emergency power bathed the bridge in a red glow, and the crew was busy assessing the damage.

‘I want that viewscreen online, now!’ sh’Zaranith yelled. ‘Where are we on sensors?’

‘I’ll have the viewscreen up in a moment, Captain,’ Matek said from inside a bulkhead.

‘You’ll have sensors in five minutes,’ Ghi’Rok added. ‘Engines and shields after that.’

‘Norabi, you still with us?’ asked Ransom, kneeling by the helmswoman.

‘I’m still here, but I have a killer headache,’ Norabi answered as she sat up and groaned.

‘I have sensors, Captain,’ Rae said. ‘We’re adrift, and headed for Mudon VIII.’

‘Working on it,’ Norabi responded, hauling herself back into her seat. ‘I have thrusters, but impulse engines are still offline. Can’t stop us with thrusters. We’re moving too fast.’

The viewscreen suddenly flickered into life with an earsplitting whine and fuzzy lines before it cleared up. ‘There,’ Matek crowed triumphantly. ‘Fixed!’

‘Good job, Ensign,’ sh’Zaranith smiled, glad she didn’t have to wait for an engineer. ‘What have we got?’

Mudon VIII loomed large on the viewscreen as Leuk-Om answered. ‘We’re being pulled down. Unless we can change our trajectory, we’ll breach the atmosphere in a little over three hours.’

‘We’ll have impulse engines before then,’ Ghi’Rok told them.

‘Fix the engines later,’ sh’Zaranith said. ‘Damage report?’

‘Impulse engines, weapons, and shields are down,’ Matek advised. ‘We have hull breaches on decks three, four, five, and seven. Main power is offline without the warp core, and without the impulse engines, auxiliary power is out too. We’re on emergency power, but it won’t last more than a few hours. There are blown relays across half the ship. We’ll need a drydock to get everything fixed.’

‘No, we don’t,’ sh’Zaranith said. ‘We can do the work ourselves once we’re on the surface.’

‘Are you crazy?’ Ghi’Rok asked. ‘We can’t land the ship in this condition.’

‘It’s our best shot,’ Ransom added.

‘If we make it,’ Ghi’Rok muttered.

Sh’Zaranith scowled at him. ‘Vent whatever warp plasma might remain in the nacelles and standby to engage atmospheric thrusters.’

Rae tapped a sequence of keys on her console and the lighting changed from red to blue. Matek toggled the shipwide comm from her station and said, ‘All hands, all hands, blue alert. In a few minutes we will land the ship. All personnel report blue alert readiness.’

‘Nacelles have been vented and taken offline,’ Ghi’Rok added. ‘Atmospheric thrusters standing by.’

‘Additional power has been routed to structural integrity fields, and all outer bulkheads have been sealed,’ Matek stated. ‘Ship reports ready, Captain.’

Sh’Zaranith gave her a nod and stepped down to the helm station. ‘Ready, Ensign?’

‘Never done this before, but I'm ready,’ Norabi answered. ‘I aced the simulators.’

‘You’ll do fine,’ the captain responded and returned to her chair, activating the restraints.

Ensign Anura Norabi took a deep steadying breath and worked her controls. ‘Landing mechanisms are online and inertial dampers are at maximum.

Sh’Zaranith activated the intraship comm. ‘This is the captain. As you all know, we were forced to jettison the warp core to seal a subspace rift and the ship was heavily damaged. We are going to land the ship to make repairs. Once repairs are made we’ll use the shuttles to tow us back to Cygnus Station to get a new warp core installed. I expect you all to do your best. Sh’Zaranith out.’

The Nova-class starship dived into the atmosphere of Mudon VIII and Ransom leaned over. ‘We didn’t talk about the shuttles. Can they do it?’

‘If a Danube-class runabout can tow a Galor-class starship, then our three type-9 shuttles can handle the Eclipse,’ the captain answered.

‘Isn’t that apocryphal?’ Ransom asked as the ship shuddered.

‘Turbulence, Captain,’ Norabi anticipated the question. ‘We’re at 11,000kph, but the sandstorm is affecting our glide path.’

‘Use your best judgment, Ensign,’ sh’Zaranith responded and turned back to her XO. ‘I’ve seen the external pickups and sensor logs from Deep Space Nine. The Cardassians backed down after that.’

‘Try it now, Anura,’ Matek called out. ‘I’m using the last of our reserves to reinforce structural integrity and inertial dampers.’

The Eclipse emerged from the sandstorm and some surface features became visible. ‘Ensign?’

‘Had to pick a different landing site, Captain,’ Norabi answered the unspoken question. ‘We’ll be landing in the southern desert.’

‘How far?’

‘Thirty kilometers, Captain.’

‘Extend landing struts, prepare to release inertial dampers, and adjust them to match local gravity.’

‘Landing struts down and locked,’ Matek stated. ‘Environmental controls at standby.’

The Eclipse seemed to slow, hover, and then touch down. ‘They slid a few meters, but remained upright.’

‘Disengaging engines and securing thrusters,’ Norabi advised. ‘We’re down, Captain.’

‘Good flying, Ensign,’ sh’Zaranith said and turned to the operations console. ‘Ensign Matek, I want a full damage report as soon as you can get it.’

‘Aye, Captain. Collating now.’

‘Don’t we only have two shuttles?’ Ransom asked, sotto voce.

‘I got another one at Cygnus Station. It’s parked in the aft bay.’

‘What did you call this one?’

‘Hawk.’

‘You like your birds of prey.’

Sh’Zaranith grinned. ‘Yes, I do!’

‘Captain, I picked up something on external sensors before they went down again.’

‘What was it?’

‘A ship, I think,’ the Aurelian flapped her wings in a shrug.

‘Sensors need to be the top priority,’ Rae added.

‘Impulse engines first, or we’ll have no power,’ Ghi’Rok countered.

‘Settle down,’ sh’Zaranith ordered. ‘We’ll convene a briefing once we have the damage report. Until that time, you’re welcome to start working on the repairs yourself.’

Neither of them made a move.

‘Captain, I have the damage report,’ Matek announced. ‘I think it’ll be easier to see everything from the Master Systems Display.’

Everyone moved to the rear of the bridge and Matek tapped some keys to transfer data from her station. Most of the ship’s systems showed red or amber. ‘As you can see, the majority of the ship’s systems are damaged or destroyed. The impulse engines are barely functional but they’re needed to power everything since we don’t have a warp core, so that should be the number one priority.’

‘The sensors,’ Leuk-Om stated.

Matek made a notation on her PADD. ‘Most of the remaining items are power relays, gel packs, sensor nodes, lighting panels and so on. Once they are repaired, other systems will come back online. Commander Ghi’Rok, everyone who has engineering expertise will be tasked to assist with the repairs.’

‘That’s most of us on board,’ sh’Zaranith said. ‘Get with your departments and get moving. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to be.’

‘Captain, can we rig up some solar panels to increase our power?’ Ransom asked. ‘And perhaps collect some additional raw material for the replicators?’

‘The sand?’ sh’Zaranith asked. ‘It might not have what we need. If there was a dead forest here or something, we could get what we need, but we’ll test the sand and see.’

Ransom nodded. ‘We might know once we get the sensors back online.’

‘I can get some solar panels going,’ Ghi’Rok said.

As everyone went their separate ways to work on repairs, Ransom told Matek, ‘You did a good job back there.’

‘Thank you, Commander. This is all so new to me.’

‘You’ve taken to it like a natural. Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go your way.’

Over the next several hours, additional requests for assistance or notifications of completed repairs crossed her station at regular intervals, when she wasn’t busy working on repairs herself, and she kept track of everything. Alpha shift had come and gone and yet everyone was still hard at work.

‘How are things coming, Ensign?’ the captain asked.

‘We’re more than seventy percent done, Captain. Ahead of schedule. All of the hull breaches have been sealed or patched, impulse engines and sensors should be back online any moment. The rest is just the small stuff.’

‘Great, we can work on the shuttles and get out of here,’ sh’Zaranith said.

‘Not quite, Captain,’ Leuk-Om squawked.

‘Are you alright, Commander?’

‘I am, Captain. Just a little surprised. Before the sensors failed, I detected an energy source and a large source of duranium. Now that the sensors are back online, I was able to pinpoint its location.’

‘And?’

‘It is two-point-three kilometers away. We unknowingly landed quite close to it.’

‘A ship?’ Matek asked.

‘Let me show you,’ Leuk-Om answered.

The viewscreen flickered and resolved into a desertscape and zoomed in on the object in question.

‘What’s a Federation ship doing out here?’ Matek asked.

‘Probably the same reason we’re here,’ sh’Zaranith answered, ‘but they weren’t as lucky as we were. I would hazard a guess that they crash-landed.’

‘Crashed, Captain,’ Leuk-om countered. ‘I wouldn’t call that a landing of any kind.’

‘Bridge to Ransom.’

‘Go ahead, Captain.’

‘I need you to prep an away team.’

 

[admiralelm11]

Wow, this has gotten exciting. Hopefully, backup shows up.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

A crashed ship a few klicks away? Wouldn't happen to have a spare warp core, maybe?

Interesting choice to land the ship. Thanks!! rbs

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 6


USS Pytheas
The Delta Quadrant
Stardate 57425.8 (June 4, 2380)

The briefing room held six people and a holographic representation of the largest man-made object they had ever seen. Captain Cheer and Commander Astar from the Pytheas alongside Captain Nara Q’Rel and Commander Bartel from the recently arrived USS Xu Fu, an experimental starship with several untested technologies and one dangerous one. The other two were Cha’lav Marsupials, rebels against the Hegemony.

‘This is Cha’lav Alpha. It is an excavated moonlet fifteen kilometers in diameter. Home to the Cha’lav Hegemony and Forces of the Darkness that controls them,’ General Anghul told them.

‘How long has The Darkness been controlling them, and how?’

‘Our estimate is about fifty thousand years. We’re not sure how it started, but we believe it was with a single ship encountering a subspace rift. The rift opened from a subspace realm and the Darkness took over the crew. They in turn led other ships to the rift, and over time the moonlet was transported to the site and excavated. There’s a subspace transceiver in there that broadcasts the Darkness’s signal to over a thousand galaxies.

‘Their preferred method of putting down a rebellion is to send an Obliterator-class dreadnought and vaporize the planet. We have spent the last ten years destroying these vessels and the shipyards that build them. The result was twofold. It limited their ability to put down the rebellions and prevented them from building new ships to replace all of the ones the rebels destroyed.’

‘What’s the plan here?’ Q’Rel asked. ‘That thing is going to be surrounded by destroyers and the like.’

‘With that Shadowstrike carrier vessel of yours and the Cha’lav vessels here, we’ll open a Voidspace rift and travel to within a few million kilometers of Alpha, then set up a moving kill zone. When we’re close enough, you’ll engage the weapon and destroy Alpha and the Darkness’s ability to control the Cha’lav, freeing the Hegemony from mental slavery,’ Cheer answered. ‘With the new intelligence from Lieutenants Parker and ch’Maras, this is the best opportunity to make this happen. We want to make sure the other future doesn’t happen.’

‘What do you mean, “other future?”’ Q’Rel asked.

‘According to the Bolian guy from the future, the Cha’lav overwhelmed us by the 29th century and the Battle of Andor was the Federation Alliance’s final stand. A bunch of people traveled to different points in the past using the Cha’lav’s temporal transporters because ours had all been destroyed. In that future, Andor was destroyed and the Cha’lav took over. Here and now, we’re in a much better position.’

‘How?’ Commander Bartel asked. ‘What changed?’

‘General, I’ll leave that explanation to you,’ Cheer stated.

Anghul guffawed. ‘Your little Federation and our pathetic rebellion made good on their plan. Several rebels traveled back in time as well with new technology we put to good use. We built shipyards in secret and made vessels without the Darkness mind control tech. Over thousands of years we built a good sized fleet and laid waste to theirs, but they’re rebuilding now and creating ships faster than we can destroy them because we’re focused on building the rebellion.

‘We’re now able to communicate with each other without the Darkness knowing about it. When we’re ready, I’ll send a signal to every rebel ship across the universe telling them to begin their assault on every Hegemony Control Ship. This will be an unprecedented coordinated attack, and Alpha will not be as heavily defended as it would be otherwise.’

Q’Rel smiled. ‘Send the signal. We’ll beam back to our ship and be ready to go. I assume the Battle of Z’ha’dum is over?’

‘We won, hard fought. The Cha’lav are done in this galaxy and soon enough their threat will be over, too,’ Astar told her.

‘Return to your ships and prepare for departure,’ Cheer ordered. ‘We have a war to win.’

Cheer and Astar returned to the bridge and Gonzales asked, ‘Are we leaving?’

‘Are you a little too eager, perhaps?’ Astar asked.

‘The Shadowstrike is an AI-controlled supercarrier with hundreds of fighters which will be slaved to my console during the battle. I’m eager to try it out.’

‘How are we going to get back?’ Lieutenant Bradley Weston asked from the helm.

‘Quickly,’ Cheer answered. ‘The Voidspace is controlled by the Darkness, so we’ll have to open a rift back home just before the weapon is fired, or we’ll be trapped there forever’

‘So there’s no one to stay and help them?’ Astar asked.

‘For how long, Commander? Months, years, centuries? With no way to get back home?’

Astar nodded. ‘Good point, Captain.’

‘Sir, all ships report ready and all Voidspace generators are online and charged,’ Gonzales advised. ‘The Shadowstrike AI reports all systems green.’

 

[BrotherBenny]

A crashed ship a few klicks away? Wouldn't happen to have a spare warp core, maybe?

Interesting choice to land the ship. Thanks!! rbs

You think I'm going to make it that easy on them?

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Man - I thought I was capable of writing some trippy, mind warping stuff, but this is some serious gear-shifting. Looking forward to getting the larger context that will pull these story strands together...

Thanks!! rbs

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 7


Southern Desert
Mudon VIII
Stardate 64861.3 (November 11, 2387)

Ensign Anura Norabi squinted against the glare of the sun and looked around at the other members of the away team, led by Commander Ransom. Security Chief Gwyna Alonas and two security personnel, Petty Officers August Hartley and T’Pas, and Lieutenant Steven Makarov from Sciences. She sniffed the air and swept the vista, rotating her eyestalks a full three hundred and sixty degrees. Something felt off but she couldn’t pinpoint. Behind her, the Eclipse looked huge, and she was once again reminded of how small she was against the greater universe.

As they set off for the two kilometer trek toward the downed Intrepid-class starship, her unease deepened, and her sensory organs became heightened. ‘Commander, there’s someone or something watching us. I can smell them.’

‘Phasers!’ snapped Alonas and the two security officers brought their weapons to bear.

Norabi imagined the Betazoid security chief was pushing out her own senses as she took the lead from Ransom. The rest of them raised their own weapons and walked faster. The bioelectric field she sensed was getting closer, and fast.

‘It’s below us,’ Norabi yelled. ‘Spread out!’

Without question, the entire group scattered just as a huge worm emerged from the sand and lunged toward them, maw open wide. The security team fired wildly but nothing slowed it down. It seemed to hone in on her, and she ran as fast as she could, but it continued to gain. One eyestalk focused behind and one ahead, she knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun, when all of a sudden, four gossamer wings sprouted from her back, ripping holes in her uniform.

She was propelled upward to the surprise of her crewmates and she saw claws emerge from hidden sheaths in her hands and feet even as her scales hardened. The creature had given up on her and was now going after the others. Some primitive part of her brain took over then and she dived for the creature’s head, raking it with her newfound claws. It screeched and tried to attack her, but she flew beyond its reach and clawed it again and again. The creature howled and dived back beneath the sand, and Norabi landed nimbly on the ground. Her wings and claws retracted, and her scales returned to their slightly softer texture.

‘Are you alright, Ensign?’ Ransom asked as the group ran toward her.

She blinked her eyestalks rapidly, trying to process what had just occurred. ‘I don’t know. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.’

‘Do you want to go back to the ship and see Doctor Kaur?’

Norabi shook her head. ‘Not a chance, Commander. I want to know what ship that is and how it ended up here.’

Ransom nodded and gestured for everyone to move. ‘You heard the lady, let’s get going.’

They stayed alert, but the remainder of the trip was uneventful, and they reached the Intrepid-class ship in short order.

Ransom looked up and muttered, ‘These things are huge. What’s our best way in?’

‘It looks like deck ten is accessible, so there should be an airlock we can use,’ Makarov answered. ‘I served on one a few years ago, so I know the layout pretty well.’

It didn’t take long to reach the airlock and it was uncovered enough for them to use, but after several years in the desert it was probably fused shut. Alonas pulled an emergency hand actuator from her pack and attached it to the outer lock. With an agonized grunt, she pulled as hard as she could and the lock moved a few centimeters. The two security crewmen, Hartley and T’Pas, moved in and pushed with all their strength. They were able to open it wide enough to get inside, but were stopped by the sealed inner airlock. Alonas repeated her actions with the actuator and the inner airlock slid open all the way without a problem.

Makarov activated his tricorder and began scanning. He made some adjustments and frowned. ‘Hmm.’

‘Lieutenant?’ Ransom asked.

‘No life signs, but I'm picking up a single active power source.’

‘Are you still getting the interference?’ Alonas asked.

‘Now that we’re inside the ship, no. However, we are still unable to use the transporters.’

Ransom considered their options. We'll walk back, depending on what we find, though I don't want to go up against that sandworm again. This ship should have pattern enhancers in stores. Where would they be?’

‘Transporter rooms one and two, on deck four.’

‘Where’s the power source coming from?’

Deck six, starboard, holodeck 2,’ Makarov answered.

‘If it’s been running this whole time, there must be something pretty important being powered,’ Ransom said. ‘According to the captain, there are three Intrepid-class ships unaccounted for, the Hercules, the Pytheas, and the Agamemnon, all of which disappeared in ‘80 or ‘81. We’ll split into teams. Norabi, you and T’Pas go to deck four to get the pattern enhancers, the rest of us will go to deck six. Ensign, once you retrieve the enhancers, join us on deck six. Be ready for anything. We don’t know what other life forms there are on this planet, and we don’t know just how badly damaged this ship is.’

‘Commander, look,’ Norabi pointed to the inner airlock hatch from the corridor. ‘It’s the Pytheas. Does anyone know what happened to the ship?’

Ransom nodded. ‘I do, but it’s classified. All I can say is this ship has traveled a long way from its last known location. Let’s find out how and why.’

‘Nearest Jeffries tube access is along here,’ Makarov said, pointing toward the bow. ‘There’s another one twenty meters sternward.’

‘We’ll go this way,’ Ransom replied, heading toward the bow, and the others followed her.

T’Pas and Norabi headed to the other access point and T’Pas wordlessly used an actuator to slide the hatch apart. She climbed in first and Norabi followed, crawling until they reached a junction where they could stand and climb upward.

‘Stay below me, Ensign. Are you sensing any life forms?’

‘Other than the away team, only one. Very faint, maybe on the holodeck, maybe not.’

The Vulcan nodded and started climbing. The ship was eerily silent and Norabi suppressed a shudder. She had never liked cramped, enclosed spaces and now she knew why. Avian species typically did not like being enclosed. The two of them climbed quickly, rung after rung, and T’Pas used the actuator on any sealed bulkheads they came across.

When they emerged from the Jeffries tube on deck four, they found scorch marks marring the bulkheads, and heavy damage. T’Pas tapped her combadge and advised Commander Ransom.

‘We’re seeing the same on deck six,’ Ransom replied. ‘Whatever happened to this ship and its crew, it was bad.’

Norabi asked, ‘Was this one of the ships that disappeared in the Delta Quadrant, Commander? Part of Task Force Vanguard?’

‘That’s classified, Ensign,’ Ransom responded. ‘How do you know about that?’

Norabi snorted. ‘You can’t reassign dozens of ships for years and not have their crews talk when they come back. There are a lot of rumors about what happened out there, which was why Starfleet Command declassified some of it. FNS and the other news services had uncovered a lot on their own, so why keep anything back?’

‘You can’t believe everything you hear, Ensign,’ Ransom admonished gently as Norabi and T’Pas reached the transporter room.

Norabi frowned. ‘What about that report FNS aired about a ship that was sent to the Delta Quadrant with some kind of subspace weapon in violation of the Second Khitomer Accords?’

‘They did,’ Alonas answered, ‘and several engineers took the fall for it.’

‘But we never found the ship.’

‘Ensign, we’ll discuss this back on the Eclipse,’ Ransom said after a moment. ‘Right now, you need to get the pattern enhancers and get down here. We’re about to enter the holodeck.’

‘Yes ma’am,’ Norabi responded, wondering why they hadn’t gotten to the holodeck already. She was not happy about being shut down like she was a hatchling, but she fully intended to find out what had happened to this ship and the others that were lost thousands of light years from home. ‘We have the pattern enhancers, Commander. We’re headed your way now.’

‘Good, Ransom out.’

‘Ensign, your eagerness is admirable, but voicing rumors about classified missions is a good way to end your career in Starfleet before it has begun,’ T’Pas stated.

‘I know what I’ve heard is the truth. I want to know why Starfleet is covering it up!’

‘Research quietly, Ensign. Silencing one young junior officer would hardly pose a difficulty if there is a conspiracy.’

Norabi sighed. ‘Thanks.’

It didn’t take long for them to reach deck six and Norabi soon found out why the others had not entered the holodeck quickly. The deck was littered with debris except for a clear path one body wide. The damage was more severe here than it had been above. Exposed circuitry, dried gel from bioneural gel packs, collapsed beams, and more. Norabi and T’Pas reached the partially open holodeck and peered inside..

In the center of the room was a freestanding console, what looked like a torpedo casing of some kind, and a stasis chamber. T’Pas stayed outside with Hartley while Norabi entered with the pattern enhancers, setting them up in a triangular formation surrounding the objects.

‘What is this?’ Norabi asked as she looked at the stasis chamber.

‘It’s a Trill woman,’ Alonas answered. ‘Joined according to these readings. The power’s failing, and we don’t have much time. Another day and we wouldn’t have detected anything at all.’

‘What about this?’ she asked, pointing at the torpedo.

‘It’s an emergency log buoy,’ Ransom answered. ‘The kind the captain would set to launch if the ship is about to be destroyed. It contains the computer data for a predetermined period, final logs, plus crew, official, and personal logs.’

‘How long has it been operational?’ Alonas asked.

‘Enhancers set,’ Norabi interjected as the last one turned blue.

‘About seven years,’ Ransom answered. ‘The ship has been here since 2380. If the computer had any juice left, I’d be trying to find out how it got here.’

‘Won’t the buoy tell you?’

‘Its encrypted and classified, and I don’t have clearance,’ Ransom answered. ‘We need to get all this back to the ship as soon as possible.’

‘We’re ready here,’ Norabi stated, checking the status of the enhancers.

‘I’m attaching a cortical stimulator and giving her a dose of isoboramine. It’ll help before we get her to sickbay,’ Alonas added. ‘I’ll take this trip with her and you follow.’

Ransom nodded. ‘Away team to transporter room. Medical emergency. Energize!’

The enhancers glowed bright blue and Alonas, the log buoy, and stasis chamber all vanished in a haze of particles.

‘I have them,’ the transporter chief said over the comm.

‘Alright, everybody, time to get out of here,’ Ransom ordered and the rest of them moved to stand within the triangle. ‘Ransom to Eclipse, four to beam up.’