The Voyages of the USS Aubrey

Game Master joerice

"Aye, Captain. I have the conn," T'neth says as she assumes the central command post. "And you have no need to worry about collisions on my watch, Mr. Koike." She interjects just before the turbolift doors close on the senior officers.

T'neth quickly scans the duty roster then turns to the science station. "Mr. Gorchnik, we'll need your analysis of any anomalies your sensors detect as we approach the nebula. Cross reference for deviations from the sensor records Starfleet relayed to us from the Intrepid."

Callahan follows the captain into the conference room. {b]"Captain, what's going on? Why the all the cloak and dagger stuff? My nurse says she never even saw how those treatments showed up in sickbay. They were just on the shelves when she came in one morning."[/b]

"I see. It seems someone outside our circle has little faith in our radiation sheilding... or knows something we don't."

Sitting at the head of the conference table, the captain motions for the security detail to wait outside.

"Information and ideas, Gentlemen. Something is amiss...."

"Shortly before we launched, I received orders from the Admiral's office to discreetly arm the security crew. I did so with the additional orders that the crew stand ready near their assigned weapons station.

"After Lieutenant Gorchnik's suspicious outburst, I checked the roster to find out more about him. He has top-level authorization as per the Admiral, by the way. Further reviewing the roster revealed that several members of my security team have had their background erased from the ship's records.

"The immediate concern, of course, is that these men are now all armed. With your permission, I'd like to run a query to see if any of the security team have left their weapons station."

"Hmmmm. On top of that, and the fact I was told only to answer or even listen to coded messages direct from on high, this nebula ...it's sending something. Something we're not supposed to listen to, but not told why. It's like giving a kid a wrapped package that keeps barking."

"Changing course for a destination other than the nebula might force this cabal's hand, and keep us from having to worry about the nebula's radiation or other dangers while we handle the on-ship part of this situation."

The creature on Mister Ojo's shoulder chatters quietly. Ojo darts his eyes at the creature, and then adds, "Of course, there is the distress signal to consider."

"Cabal? If you're used to the Federation giving you all the information, then I almost envy you, Ojo."

"If you say so, Captain. But I don't think that that's any excuse to not be in a position to retaliate in case someone other than the Federation is deliberately putting this crew in a virulent situation."

Meanwhile on the bridge, T'neth was facing a puzzle of her own. Her eyes darted from the velocity indicator and chronometer to the main view screen. The edge of the Ziegler Nebula was hours away, but the cloud of stellar gas filled the view screen. Now, T'neth thought as the seconds indicator flipped over. As she expected there was a slight dip in the Aubrey's indicated speed.

"Mr. Grochnik," she turns to the science officer. "You can be more precise in your search than looking for 'anomalies'. Something is making Aubrey decelerate. We are encountering pulses of unidentified energy at approximately one hundred twenty seven second intervals. The first pulse barely registered on our monitors, the last one caused a one percent drop in our velocity. At this rate, I estimate we'll barely make warp two when we reach the nebula's edge if the hull can take the strain."

"Since the phenomena's intensity increases as we progress, it is logical to assume the source of the pulses lies ahead inside the nebula. Whatever these pulses are, there has to be an energy source to generate them. If the phenomena is similar to our tractor beam, the energy source would be generating several gigawatts. Mr. Grochnik, scan the nebula for any energy fields in that range pulsing at one hundred twenty seven second intervals. I'll scan the next pulses to see what they are composed of."

"Mr. Sokal," T'neth addresses the navigator. "Operating on the supposition that these pulses are an artificial phenomena directed at us, the entity directing the pulses has to be able to observe the approach of a faster than light vessel. See if you can detect any scanning beams in the subspace frequencies."

Meanwhile on the bridge, T'neth was facing a puzzle of her own. Her eyes darted from the velocity indicator and chronometer to the main view screen. The edge of the Ziegler Nebula was hours away, but the cloud of stellar gas filled the view screen. Now, T'neth thought as the seconds indicator flipped over. As she expected there was a slight dip in the Aubrey's indicated speed.

"Mr. Grochnik," she turns to the science officer. "You can be more precise in your search than looking for 'anomalies'. Something is making Aubrey decelerate. We are encountering pulses of unidentified energy at approximately one hundred twenty seven second intervals. The first pulse barely registered on our monitors, the last one caused a one percent drop in our velocity. At this rate, I estimate we'll barely make warp two when we reach the nebula's edge if the hull can take the strain."

"Since the phenomena's intensity increases as we progress, it is logical to assume the source of the pulses lies ahead inside the nebula. Whatever these pulses are, there has to be an energy source to generate them. If the phenomena is similar to our tractor beam, the energy source would be generating several gigawatts. Mr. Grochnik, scan the nebula for any energy fields in that range pulsing at one hundred twenty seven second intervals. I'll scan the next pulses to see what they are composed of."

GORCHNIK

Without responding, Gorchnik appears to do the task with deliberate focus. His back remains turned to the rest of the bridge crew.

Mr. Sokal," T'neth addresses the navigator. "Operating on the supposition that these pulses are an artificial phenomena directed at us, the entity directing the pulses has to be able to observe the approach of a faster than light vessel. See if you can detect any scanning beams in the subspace frequencies."

SOKAL

"Aye aye. Logical supposition, ensign. Might I also suggest pulsing our warp speeds to correspond to the frequency? This could temper hull stress, as well as defray any warp signature scans that are trying to detect us... A risky manuever, but logical, perhaps."

"If you say so, Captain. But I don't think that that's any excuse to not be in a position to retaliate in case someone other than the Federation is deliberately putting this crew in a virulent situation."

Captain Von Sturm tapped his fingers on the table in a light roll. After a tense moment he sighed heavily.

"On the one hand, there is a distress beacon inside that nebula. And we are duty-bound to engage it. On the other hand, we are clearly not alone out here, and hidden some plans have been made under our noses.

Course of action.
Koike, get those transmissions decoded, double-fast.
Doctor Callahan, I want you with me. We may have to beam aboard any vessels in need of rescue, and I want a medical eye on what's happening.
Ojo, find a clean way to keep track of those crewmen you are suspicious of. You're correct, diverting our course may just smoke out any rats. We will move the Aubrey to the edge of the nebula, and use the Junebug for recon and rescue.

I'll prepare her- Doctor, grab your tricorder and meet me in the shuttle bay. Mister Ojo, take the bridge. Get us in position and secure your detail."

"Aye, Captain, rightaway." Koike immediately returns to his station on the bridge and begins decoding.

"Changing course for a destination other than the nebula might force this cabal's hand, and keep us from having to worry about the nebula's radiation or other dangers while we handle the on-ship part of this situation."

The creature on Mister Ojo's shoulder chatters quietly. Ojo darts his eyes at the creature, and then adds, "Of course, there is the distress signal to consider."

"Our first priority has to be the Intrepid. We need to rescue its crew and find out what happened to it. Everything else has to take a back seat to that." Dr. Callahan gets up from the conference table. "I'll be in sickbay researching those treatments, Captain, gentlemen. Call me as soon as you know anything about the Intrepid."

Once back in sickby, Callahan uses the medical computer to research the treatments.

As Heraclio casually adjusted the dials and levers at his station, doing what he did best and had done countless times, he started to go into a sort of fugue state. This he could almost do in his sleep. Sure, the more conspiratorial aspects of this mission were troubling at the very least, but here he was in his element. Patterns, phonemes, rhythms ...the music of unknown communication. An adjustment here, an allowance for interference here, and a message already starts to be heard.

Ah, there. A humanoid voice ...a human voice, rather. Female. It actually--

"It ...no way ..." he blurted out loud. It couldn't be. It made no sense. But there was no mistaking those dulcet tones. Adrianna Maria Gomez ...

And all at once he was back at the academy, a cocky-but-scared underclassman from a town no one new somewhere south of the United States. She sat in front of him in some math class ...he hated the work but the smell of her ...those huge, skeptical dark brown eyes, eyebrows made for arching ...

He had thought she'd be child's play. They were both of Latin descent, after all. He hit her up with some of his A game on day one and she'd have nothing of it.

Where was she now? Could she have been assigned to the Intrepid? She wasn't studying communications, she was strictly command material. But that was definitely her voice. No one else sounded quite like her.

Heraclio redoubled his efforts to clean the signal up and decode it.

"Aye aye. Logical supposition, ensign. Might I also suggest pulsing our warp speeds to correspond to the frequency? This could temper hull stress, as well as defray any warp signature scans that are trying to detect us... A risky manuever, but logical, perhaps."

T'neth cocks an eyebrow at Sokal's suggestion. "Risky, perhaps, but no less risky than flying into a nebula while being subjected to unknown forces without taking action." The Vulcan sits up even straighter than usual and presses a button on the command console. "Yellow Alert. All hands secure for evasive maneuvers."

T'neth presses another button and says, "Bridge to Captain. We are encountering an as yet unidentified force that is causing the Aubrey to decelerate. We will be pulsing our warp drive output in an effort to mitigate the force's impact. We are also attempting to identify the force's nature and origin."

With the crew warned and the captain alerted, T'neth starts adjusting the Aubrey's warp speed in anticipation of the next pulse.

SOKAL

"Navigation adapting to warp-to-impulse perimeter scans at your discretion. I will cycle my readings to the frequency you set. At your command, Ensign."

Sokal goes about his calculations quickly. He then speaks without looking at T'neth.

"[vulcan] Your command of the bridge is logical and efficient. If I may suggest however, do consider the 'human' factor.[/vulcan]"

With that, he slowly casts a glance back at Lt. Gorchnik, who seems to be on his own mission, out of sync with the rest of the bridge crew.

Sokal looks at hi fellow Vulcan and cocks an eyebrow.

T'neth converts Sokal's calculations to course corrections almost as soon as he passes them to the helm. She responds quietly to her counterpart at navigation, "[vulcan]I have trouble calculating for what you call the human factor. I assumed that a scientist would be eager to investigate an unknown phenomena. Do you have any recommendations, sir?[/vulcan]"

T'neth waits a few seconds for Sokal's reply then smiles slightly and says, "Actually, Lieutenant, I should ask an expert about that. Our adjustments seem to be working for now, the helm will not need any corrections for a few minutes." She walks to the bridge's beverage dispenser then goes to the science station with two cups.

"Pardon my intrusion, Lieutenant Grochnik," T'neth says softly. "If I may be allowed to ask a question of a personal nature, do you take your coffee black?" She offers him one of the cups.

Ojo, find a clean way to keep track of those crewmen you are suspicious of. You're correct, diverting our course may just smoke out any rats. We will move the Aubrey to the edge of the nebula, and use the Junebug for recon and rescue.

I'll prepare her- Doctor, grab your tricorder and meet me in the shuttle bay. Mister Ojo, take the bridge. Get us in position and secure your detail."

As everyone is filing out of the conference room, Lt. Ojo will speak into the room's intercom panel. "Chief Adler; secure channel."

Moments pass as Chief Leon Adler finds a private area amid the confusion of the ship's various weapons stations to attend to the call. The highest ranking security personnel after LTJG Ojo, the Andorian was pleased to see that the human was not among the personnel with suspicious backgrounds. He had only met the Chief a few days ago, but he had a good first impression of the man, mainly due to his confident, business-first attitude. Ojo theorized the man's taciturn demeanor was related to the fact that he came from a small lunar mining colony, where the luxuries were few.

"Adler here."

"Chief, I'm tagging a list of 22 onboard security personnel that appear to have objectives from outside of this ship's chain of command. I need your help in tracking any independent movement by this personnel, starting with reporting on any that have left the weapons stations. At no point will the remainder of security de-arm before this contingent does so. Pre-emptive action is not authorized; we're just gathering information, at this point."

Adler's surprise is a barely perceptible pause before he acknowledges his commands with a simple "Sir."

"I'll be on the bridge. Ojo out."

Ojo walks onto the bridge. Before he announces that he has command, he'll look curiously at Ensign T'neth and Lt. Grochnik, and decide to let their conversation play out, first.

Ah, there. A humanoid voice ...a human voice, rather. Female. It actually--

...

Heraclio redoubled his efforts to clean the signal up and decode it.

Slowly, the signal reveals itself as a code. The computer can piece together the string of numeric language, but it will take time.

As the transmission becomes clear, the distress signal first heard by the Intrepid comes into range.

And still... that voice, in the distance of the shortwave subspace channels.... trailing in and out... almost calling out for someone....

T'neth waits a few seconds for Sokal's reply then smiles slightly and says, "Actually, Lieutenant, I should ask an expert about that. Our adjustments seem to be working for now, the helm will not need any corrections for a few minutes." She walks to the bridge's beverage dispenser then goes to the science station with two cups.

"Pardon my intrusion, Lieutenant Grochnik," T'neth says softly. "If I may be allowed to ask a question of a personal nature, do you take your coffee black?" She offers him one of the cups.

GORCHNIK

Swinging around with a start, the grizzled lieutenant snaps, "If I want coffee, I'll get it myself... Ensign."

He moves a tricorder behind his back, and shuts off the small screens on his console.

Moving closer to T'neth, he growls quietly, "What do you think is in that cloud... a rescue? Thankful castaways? Medals and gratitude? I've been on this trail before and it ain't about coffee and donuts and conversation. I suggest you prepare for the worst."

"Understood, sir. The coffee was offered not merely as a beverage, but as a token of friendship." T'neth takes a deep breath before continuing. "Other than something capable of transmitting a Federation distress signal, I do not know what we'll find in the nebula. I am attempting to work with my fellow officers to get this ship safely to a point where we can discover what is happening. If your experience indicates specific actions we should be preparing for, please share them with us." She leaves the cup of coffee at Gorchnik's station and returns to the command console.

"Understood, sir. The coffee was offered not merely as a beverage, but as a token of friendship." T'neth takes a deep breath before continuing. "Other than something capable of transmitting a Federation distress signal, I do not know what we'll find in the nebula. I am attempting to work with my fellow officers to get this ship safely to a point where we can discover what is happening. If your experience indicates specific actions we should be preparing for, please share them with us." She leaves the cup of coffee at Gorchnik's station and returns to the command console.

GORCHNIK

"PREPARE?!?!"

Gorchnik is suddenly very animated, eyes ablaze, as he swats the coffee across the room, the hot liquid puddles in the floor and steam rises around the suddenly enraged lieutenant.

"There's no way to PREPARE! We're flying headlong into hot, fiery death! You want to make friends?!?! WE ARE ALL CORPSES. Nothing is on the other side of that nebula for us but black oblivion and pain! PAIN!!"

Gorchnik runs to the turbolift, and as the doors close in front of him, he barks, one more time...

"OBLIVION AND PAIN!!!"

In the shuttle bay, the Captain stands ready as the Junebug floats out of the docking station, onto the launch pad. It was an inelegant redesign, blocky and probably unsafe.

But Von Sturm saw nothing but potential.

He ran his hand down the side of the shuttle, studded and bolted with heavy plating. Calling to the shuttle deck crew, he shouted, "Havevthe bridge alert me when we are in range of the nebula. And call for Ensign Brimstead... Have him prep for blind piloting."

Callahan sat down in front of the med-comp. "Computer, medical database. Hyprazine," reading the label on the hypospray.
"Working...No entry found."
Interesting. Callahan picks up the next vial. "Computer, medical database. Tricaridine."
"Working...derivative of bicaridine. Effects unknown."
Very interesting, Callahan tries the other mysterious treatments Ensign Roen had discovered in sickbay. The computer had no useful information on any of them. Curiouser and curiouser, he thought.
As Dr. Callahan gathered his gear for the away team with the captain, the communicator beeped. "Callahan here," he responded.
"Doctor, you should stop nosing around and do your job."
Callahan whirled around to look at the monitor. It was blank, no picture. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"Just a friend, doctor. A word to the wise should be sufficient. You don't want to run afoul of Section 13, now, do you?" The communicator light went out. Callahan tucked his tricorder into his belt and headed for the shuttle bay. He'd have something to tell the captain, for sure.

After Lt. Gorchink departs, Ojo moves to stand beside the captain's chair, but he won't sit in it.

"I have the bridge as per Captain Von Sturm while he's away. Maintain precautionary maneuvers, and be aware that the Captain is leading an away team to the source of the distress signal."

Ojo opens up a communication channel to Chief Adler. "Chief. Send a team to locate and apprehend Lt. Gorchink. My orders. He abandoned his post during a Yellow Alert. He is acting physically hostile and mentally unstable. Be sure to confiscate his tricorder."

"Lieutenant Ojo has the conn," T'neth says as she returns to the helm. "Lieutenant, you may want to have someone look at the computer logs to discover what Mr. Grochnik was accessing at the science station. He made a point of clearing the monitors when I went to his station." T'neth then gives her full attention to keeping the Aubrey on course as it gets closer to the nebula.

"That's why I want his tricorder," Ojo says absently. He tries to review the suggested logs himself.

Ojo opens up a communication channel to Chief Adler. "Chief. Send a team to locate and apprehend Lt. Gorchink. My orders. He abandoned his post during a Yellow Alert. He is acting physically hostile and mentally unstable. Be sure to confiscate his tricorder."

Adler and his team jog swiftly through the low-ceiling corridors of the Aubrey, phasers at the ready.

Moving quickly, they have determined that Gorchnik was last seen heading towards Engineering. Reaching the command center for the impulse engines, the crew of redshirts hold back as Adler moves to open the door.

Inside, they see Gorchnik, blood dripping from his mouth, and a crazed look in his eyes.

"I'm not going back in that cloud! This isn't fair!"

He is manipulating a console with one hand, and holding a length of heavy chain in the other.

"You FOOLS! I'm saving everytone's life, and all you can do is 'follow orders'!"

He begins swinging the chain around his head.

"I'm not going back in THAT CLOUD!"

"Engines are not responding to the helm," T'neth announces. "It appears someone has engaged a manual lock down in Engineering. I will attempt emergency override." She quickly starts pressing the buttons that would normally allow the bridge to regain control of the Aubrey's engines.

SOKAL

"Lieutenant Ojo, it seems we are in a navigation 'dead zone'. As soon as we came withing range of the Nebula, my instrumentation is no longer responding to celestial coordinates. We are 'flying blind', so to speak, except that we are not flying, and we are not technically blind. Be that as it may, to move safely, we would need a compass and sextant. The nav-computer is showing no reading."

"Navigation is a moot point without power," T'neth adds. "We cannot regain engine control from the bridge. I recommend sending a team to Engineering to disable the manual lock down."

"You FOOLS! I'm saving everytone's life, and all you can do is 'follow orders'!"

He begins swinging the chain around his head.

"I'm not going back in THAT CLOUD!"

The transmission is cut off with a short burst of static.

"Adler! Chief Adler, are you there?!

"Security! Engineering! This is the bridge; is anyone still in contact?"

"I recommend sending a team to Engineering to disable the manual lock down."

"I agree. Either you or Mr. Sokal needs to stay here to pilot the Aubrey as best they can once the lock down is released. The other needs to come with me to gather the materials necessary to navigate. Which one of you is better equipped to stay here and fly 'blind' until we return?"

" Which one of you is better equipped to stay here and fly 'blind' until we return?"

SOKAL

Doctor- Cut to SHUTTLE INTERIOR with the Captain. You have taken off, with three redshirts and a science crewmen in tow.

"Captain, can I speak with you privately?" Callahan and Von Sturm move to the rear of the shuttle where the doctor tells Von Sturm about the voice on the communicator and Section 13's interest in their mission. "I brought samples of the treatments. If we get exposed, I suppose I'll have to try them. I don't like it, though, Captain. I'm a doctor, not a mad scientist!"

"If Lieutenant Gorchnik is responsible for this," T'neth says. "My presence may serve to distract him. Mr. Ojo, I think we should enter the Engine Room through different passages. If we both come out the turbolift, I doubt we'll fare better than your security team."

The ensign goes to a monitor and pulls up some schematics of the Aubrey. "On a standard Constitution class ship, there's a Jeffries tube from the rec-room to Engineering... Here." T'neth points at a maintenance corridor indicated on the plans. "Some of the reinforcing struts that were added to the Aubrey pass through the compartment that was a rec-room, but you should still be able to get to the Jeffries tube."

"I brought samples of the treatments. If we get exposed, I suppose I'll have to try them. I don't like it, though, Captain. I'm a doctor, not a mad scientist!"

"Agreed. This whole mission is starting to feel like a giant experiment, and we're the lab rats. I don't like it."

Suddenly, the shuttlecraft starts rocking violently. From the pilot's station, a red-shirted crewman shouts, "Captain, ultra-sigma radiation levels at 8.5 and rising! our hull plating is holding, but our shields are getting socked in the jaw. We can barely steer!"

The Captain turns, as bright violet light streams through the small view portal at the fore of the shuttle.

"Seems we have more pressing problems, Doctor."

Von Sturm moves carefully to the pilot, the craft bumping with dangerous turbulence. "Look at that," he says, "... there's an anomaly ahead. Scan that if you can. See if the Aubrey can widen sensors on it."

As the crewman plays with dials on the console, a sudden blast of deep purple energy jumps from the controls, knocking him backwards, across the shuttle floor. His head is bleeding from the impact, and he is unconscious.

The Captain turns back, quickly, and shouts, "Callahan! Good thing you're aboard! This is getting ugly..."

The strange anomaly on the nebula's clouds begins to take shape...

"No. They would absolutely be expecting that, Ensign. Besides, we need to detour by a weapons station, first. There should still be a contingent of security personnel stationed there who would serve our needs much better than splitting up.

"Furthermore, your route takes us down this long straightaway... here. Forces stationed at either end would easily detect us and would fire on us as we traveled the length of this corridor. Best to stick to the shorter corridors with more intersections for cover and alternate routes.

"Mr. Sokal. If anyone you do not know from any department comes on the bridge. Check their backgrounds. If their histories have been redacted, assume that they are untrustworthy."

As the crewman plays with dials on the console, a sudden blast of deep purple energy jumps from the controls, knocking him backwards, across the shuttle floor. His head is bleeding from the impact, and he is unconscious.

The Captain turns back, quickly, and shouts, "Callahan! Good thing you're aboard! This is getting ugly..."

He's dead, Jim. (I had to do it.)

Callahan scans the crewman with his tricorder, then quickly gets out a hypospray. Sssst. Turning to the captain, he says, "Ohara will be okay, he'll have a headache when he wakes up but shouldn't have any lasting complications. If the radiation levels get much worse, I'm going to have to try one of these untested treatments. I don't really want to do that."

The strange anomaly on the nebula's clouds begins to take shape...

Callahan catches a glimpse of the anomaly in the shuttle's viewscreen. "Good God, what is that?"

"Very well, sir," T'neth replies. "Let's get to the weapons station. But... What is this about redacted histories? Grochnik's actions are consistent with an over wrought, frightened man panicking, not some kind of conspirator."

It was not, in the end, her bosom, as he told Kuyper. Nor was it her posterior, as he told Cubbedge. It was not even her eyes, those caramel treats, as he told the other women. It was truly her voice.

Say what you will about his proclivity for sounds and language, there truly was something special about her voice. There was ...an irregularity, a slight scratch in certain phonemes, aharmonic but pleasing, this was true; but the true attraction was all in how she used it. Her voice could inflect a dozen feelings in a single phoneme, read a single word in a thousand different ways, and. You. Understood.

Which made her indifference all the more intriguing. She was not feigning, for though he had not heard what that would be it was not this. She truly did not give a damn. Not about his looks, not about his charm, not about his accent, and not about his wit. He was, simply, another human being; if species was even recognized at all.

She didn't give a damn and he couldn't have wanted her more for it.

On the bridge of the Aubrey, those years later, Heraclio heard that voice as he continued to decode. "To anyone out there ...anyone that could possibly decode or receive this ...please send help ...we were not prepared for what as to come ...we didn't know ...we didn't know ..."

It was her and for the first time in his life, he heard her need something. Need him.

"G&# D@~MIT! He yells across the bridge. Are we just going to SIT HERE? She--THEY ...NEED US!"

"Very well, sir," T'neth replies. "Let's get to the weapons station. But... What is this about redacted histories? Grochnik's actions are consistent with an over wrought, frightened man panicking, not some kind of conspirator."

"That's right, you were not in the conference room. There are 22 men in security... and probably additional personnel in other departments who--

"G!* D$$MIT! He yells across the bridge. Are we just going to SIT HERE? She--THEY ...NEED US!"

"I'll explain on the way. Let's go."

"Aye, aye, sir!" T'neth strides towards the turbolift, stopping briefly to pick up a tricorder from the science station.

CUT TO COMMERCIAL

BACK FROM COMMERCIAL

Kaspar Von Sturm wrote:

The strange anomaly on the nebula's clouds begins to take shape...

Callahan catches a glimpse of the anomaly in the shuttle's viewscreen. "Good God, what is that?"

The Captain turns back at the small viewer, and stares in disbelief...

"Mein Gott...that is a castle!"

Grabbing the pilot by the shoulder, he shouts, "Stop the shuttle... STOP THE SHUTTLE!!"

"I CAN'T SIR! We... we're being pulled! By some unknown force!"

The Captain jumps from his seat. "Callahan! Can you tell what hit that crewmen? What are we dealing with?!?"

The medical tricorder is pinging with spikes of Ultra-sigma raditaion, but it is not following normal patterns... The Doctor finds himself in a bind... he will have to think outside the box....

On the bridge of the Aubrey, those years later, Heraclio heard that voice as he continued to decode. "To anyone out there ...anyone that could possibly decode or receive this ...please send help ...we were not prepared for what as to come ...we didn't know ...we didn't know ..."

It was her and for the first time in his life, he heard her need something. Need him.

"G#* D&@MIT! He yells across the bridge. Are we just going to SIT HERE? She--THEY ...NEED US!"

More voices from the darkness... "Our sensors read Federation activity.... Please... please send help! Our distress beacon has been active for weeks... We are frightened, and hungry..."

the low chirping of the mysterious, other signal continues it's maddening taunt.

"Please... Federation vessel... whoever you are... I need you..."

T'neth wrote:

"Very well, sir," T'neth replies. "Let's get to the weapons station. But... What is this about redacted histories? Grochnik's actions are consistent with an over wrought, frightened man panicking, not some kind of conspirator."

"That's right, you were not in the conference room. There are 22 men in security... and probably additional personnel in other departments who--

Heraclio Koike wrote:

"G!* D$$MIT! He yells across the bridge. Are we just going to SIT HERE? She--THEY ...NEED US!"

"I'll explain on the way. Let's go."

As Ojo and T'Neth move througbh the ship, the corridor lights begin flickering. Personal are scattered here and there, with head wounds.

It is a grisly scene.

The weapons station, thankfully, has been untouched. Six security personel are running toward them, and one shouts "Leiutenant Ojo! We heard shouts, and tried to investigate, but didn't want to get far from the armory. What's happening!?!"

"We're not sure," Ojo begins as he takes phaser rifles for himself and T'neth, as well as flashlights and first aid kits. "Communications are down, and the ship is being pulled into the nebula. The helm has been disabled down in engineering, and we have a contingent of on-board personnel that should be considered the enemy.

"Adams, F'kreath," Ojo picks two ensigns at random. "Head to the next nearest weapons station. Once there, organize teams to cover every other weapons station on the ship. Instruct the first half that you encounter to rendezvous in Engineering. If I'm not there, head to the bridge. The second half that you encounter should head directly to the bridge. Report to Chief Navigator Sokal until I arrive.

"Everyone else! This is Ensign T'neth. We are going to escort her to Engineering and secure it so that she can override the damage done to give us control of the ship, once again. Move."

Ojo leads everyone along the route he and T'neth worked out earlier.

"Lieutenant, it would be more logical for me to use a hand phaser," T'neth says as she calmly takes tircorder readings. "I need one hand for scanning for potential enemies before we walk into them. Sir, if I may direct your direction to the injured personnel. I get weak life signs from some of them, immediate medical attention is indicated."

"Furthermore, notice the injuries. Everyone is suffering cranial trauma and there is no sign of other injury. The best sniper in Starfleet could not accomplish that feat and my scanners do not detect any sign of phaser discharge. Finally, I have to wonder why armed mutineers would have left the armory untouched. Even if they couldn't use the weapons themselves, logic dictates trying to destroy them so we could not use them. Respectfully, sir, I do not think your supposition that we are suppressing an armed gang is logical."

PLOPPLETON

the comm unit on the wall chirps.

"Leiutenant Ojo- I'm experiencing interference in the transporter units.... It's like something is trying to barge it's way onto the ship, by way of matter transference... I've never seen anything like it! It's looking like it's gone from an odd glitch to a security matter..."