Through the looking glass

Posted on Thu Jun 17th, 2021 @ 5:53am by Captain Elijah Michaels

942 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Out of Time
Location: Bride, USS Ontario

The Gamma Shift was always the calmest of operations for a Starship out on the frontier. In normal ship hours this was the middle of the night and as such it was left to the Night shift staff to man the Bridge.

Captain Michaels had been fortunate in this regard because he was able to bring one or two of his old crew to join him. People he could trust to keep the Ontario out of trouble whilst he slept. But one of them in particular he knew very well.

Lieutenant Shir'ash Kadrin, an Andorian. He was the Watch Officer in charge this evening, and as he sat in the Captains chair he nursed his mug and looked around. "Well nice to see that they finally fixed the squeak in the chair." He chuckled.

"Well I guess it means that you can finally turn and not scrunch your face at the same time Sir?" The Officer manning Ops asked as she looked over at Science One. "Oh that reminds me, you still need to book your slot for the soccer tournament."

Lieutenant Kadrin sighed. "I thought that wasn't taking place anymore? Petty Officer Moores dislocated his shoulder and Frengasa is moulting feathers again."

"Oh no they were able to get Drevin from Damage Control and Hawkins from Astrophysics to sub so it is going to take place." The Ensign commented as she examined her instruments. Not that she needed to do so afterall nothing ever happened this late.

A small chuckle escaped from the Ensign manning Science. "Hawkins is a good choice, he used to compete on Alpha Centauri and Cestus III. Semi pro I believe." The Bajoran commented to them.

Kadrin took a sip of his mug as he began to do his walk of the stations, something he knew wasn't needed but he did it anyway. "Yes well I'm not holding my breath based on who the...." He was cut off short by the sound of a console beeping. "Report?"

"Sir I'm detecting a strange anomaly on sensors." The Science Officer said. "It's an audio message...."

Kadrin looked on with a cock of his eyebrow.

"USS.....Lute we have been att.....By...Omulan ships........Need urgent.....Assis...Ce." The message then repeated on a loop.

"USS? That's federation but we are the only Ship this far out as best as I know can you clean it up a little bit?" Kadrin asked as he went over to Ops to look there.

A few seconds later the message continued. "USS...Resolute...Attacked by....Romulan......Need...Gent..Assistance...." And then finally it repeated in a more direct and understandable tone.

"USS Resolute? I'm not familiar with her being in Service anymore she was an Excelsior but mothballed and Romulans? They are more marauders and scavengers now?" Kadrin looked on in confusion. "None of this makes any sense to me." As he finished that sentence the Ontario shook.

"Sir the spatial anomaly is opening and closing at a very rapid pace, i'm detecting multiple energy signatures which look like weapons discharge as well as a Quantum singularity drive similar to a Romulan cloak." The Officer commented as he scanned his console. "It's coming from that nebula."

Kadrin sat down. "Alright set a course towards it, but continue our scans." He said as he read the data himself. "Be ready to wake the Captain...."

-------

The Ontario for an Ambassador Class was still state of the art as of 2395 thanks to her refit and upgrades so she was as elegant as ever. But spacial phenomena didn't do her paintwork any good.

As they arrived at the source of the message it soon became clear that all was not as it seemed. As there were flashes of light coming from inside it. Not naturally occurring ones either.

"Anything guys?" He asked looking round.

"Well the message came this point Sir but it's hard to track with all that junk spewing out." The Science Officer though, continued to do what he could until he found something. "Erm Sir? You might want to take a look at this,,,,,"

The viewscreen clicked on which was met by a few audible gasps and then Kadrin stood up from the central chair. "No....That's impossible...." He said in total shock.

On the screen was the damaged and adrift Federation Starship that sent the distress call but she was not an Excelsior Class either. No she was Constitution Class.

"NCC 1787, USS Resolute......" The Operations Ensign said reading it back to all on the Bridge. "Constitution Class....."

"Wake the Captain....." Kadrin said.

------

Elijah yawned as he was partly in his uniform and partly not. As he stepped off the Lift onto the Bridge. "Alright report for me Lieutenant what's going on?" He asked walking down the steps.

"Well Captain sorry to wake you up at this hour but you needed to be here to see this yourself." Kadrin proceeded to pull up the viewscreen to shop Elijah the same image they saw minutes before. An adrift Starfleet Ship much older than even the Ontario. A relic by modern standards but state of the art in her own.

"My god." Elijah said in awe of this himself. He had been a bit of a Ship buff himself but his only interaction with a ship of this ilk was as a museum.

"That's not all Sir....." Kadrin then shifted focus to a small Starship, Romulan in design but of the same era as her counterpart. "Whatever happened has brought them here also brought a Romulan Warbird."

"Have all Senior Officers awake and on the Bridge now....." Elijah said as he took his seat.

 

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