Mission Briefing

[Cptn Elias Moore 0]

NX-05 Challenger

Mission Briefing -- October 16, 2155

 

Captain Moore paced in front of the command chair, visions of marble statues being ripped apart still fresh in his mind, even a week after the images he was shown by Rufus. He'd briefed the rest of the senior staff on Quantus, his apprentices, and their capabilities. He was still hoping that they wouldn't run into any of the five "transmuters," but their luck seldom left room for hopeful possibilities, and it was best to be prepared.

 

Ensign Kelly, the science officer on duty on the Bridge looked up from her station to report. "I think I've managed to determine the diameter of the... phenomenon."

 

Moore raised an eyebrow at her and walked over to the science station. "I thought we couldn't scan it at all."

 

"Attempts to scan it are still proving futile, yes." Kelly replied. "But we know it's there because it's blocking our navigational sensors; we can't scan anything behind it, including stars. But I've made my best attempt to figure out just how big the blind spot is. We're looking at roughly 0.4 light years of sensor interference."

 

"Pretty damn big. Cound it be a sensor dampening net or something?"

 

"Too soon to say." Kelly answered. "Maybe when we get closer. But I think it would be a stretch for even the more advanced cultures we've encountered to generate a dampening field of that size. I'd lean toward this being a natural phenomenon... a dark matter nebula perhaps, since we're not reading the sort of gravitational disturbances that would indicate a black hole. Whatever it is, it's fifteen minutes away at our current speed."

 

Elias blinked at her, then looked at Ensign Greaves, the on-duty comm officer. "Where is Lieutenant Grey?"

 

"I only just sent security to wake him and the rest of Alpha shift up, Captain." Greaves replied in that snooty fashion that had managed to keep him an Ensign for five years. "As I told you when you asked me to contact security, they should be here in a few minutes."

 

Elias, already troubled by this entire mission, felt annoyance begin to boil inside of him and it showed on the glowering look he gave the Ensign. Greaves had been transferred here at Admiral Gardner's suggestion. "He's been stuck at the junior level far too long. Let Mr. Moore straighten him out." Yeah, straighten him out... and enjoy the thorn in the side.

 

Greaves was about to make a comment about the look on Elias' face when his console beeped. He looked down and reported, "Incoming transmission, Captain."

 

"From whom?" Elias asked immediately.

 

Greaves looked up with raised eyebrow. "Achilles."

 

Elias darted behind the comm station and looked down at the console, nearly shoving Greaves aside in the process. The last words of the message, clearly typed in haste, were just scrolling across the screen as Elias began reading:

 

Challenger,

 

Crane and Maynard taking us into the nebula. Both been behaving strangely. Intelligence sham? Orion pirate, Kappa Persei? We've taken aboard a Tellarite. We're going toward the center.

 

As the message sunk in, Elias didn't know quite how to feel. The message implied that Achilles' crew was still alive and well. But it also implied that the ship's command officers were in league with Nagen. "Behaving strangely?" Elias found his hope already beginning to fade...