"The Fog"

[Kansas_Jones 0]

March 15, 2006 (2397)

USS Agincourt NCC-81762

“The Fog”

 

These past three weeks had been filled with program programming, training, down time and regular duty shifts. These normal, day to day activities had been vigorously embraced by Lt. Kansas JoNs. No matter how well deserved, if one more person or being had officially objurgated her for past actions, she would have just up and spontaneously shedded right then and there from nerves and annoyance. But, eventually duty called again. The ship was deployed to check on a communications relay that had begun broadcasting gibberish. Unfortunately, this seemingly cut and dry assignment turned out to be anything but. While en route to the relay, some kind of distant spatial explosion was detected, followed shortly by widespread failure of ships sensors.

 

This was one problem of living in the modern age and serving on a starship. Once those sensors went down, there was no lifeline to the outside universe, and a ship was very much dead in the water so to speak. This modern age of ship travel was so unlike the ancient seafarers from the ancient histories of Earth; they had no sensors during those times. Just the ship, the water, the sailors, and whatever their eyes relayed to them. Those ancient ships, no matter how crude compared to today’s ships, were never truly blind to the world around them because they had no such modern conveniences as sensors.

 

Thankfully, the sensors were restored, and Sciences had gotten some readings from the surrounding area. The information was a bit of a kick in the gut though. It was inconceivable – two ships, one Klingon, one Romulan, had….collided with one another. There were some survivors, and they had been beamed on board to be cared for.

 

It was only an educated guess, but for now the Caitian was betting that these two ships had lost sensors as well, and then somehow rammed one another. But, it was a big universe. How the deuce did these two ships end up close enough to collide? And if either of those ships had been an ancient clipper ship…could that collision have been avoided? Probably. Someone on the deck would have spotted another ship. Nothing short of a huge fog bank would have concealed two clippers from one another. Then again, maybe the sensor outage was a modern version of the ancient fog bank.

 

Regardless, the Agincourt had new orders – investigate the disturbance, find out what these two allied ships had been doing out here, illegal or not, and then figure out how these two perfectly good ships had been scuttled. And preferably accomplish most of this before the Rihan and Klingon governments sent their own investigative teams. At times, their allies could be such a pain in the rear with sensitive matters such as this. The Klingons will probably rant about their honor being violated, and the Rihans will get all secretive and go into “pardon us while we subvert your authority” mode.

 

Then again, it may all work out. And the color of the sky in Kansas’ world is?

 

Lt. M’rrett Sh’aow “Kansas” JoN’s

Tactical Officer