By Richard Woodcock
“Captain picking up some type of repeating distress call, can’t tell from where exactly its sounds like a repeating automated beacon. I think?” Rose reported.
Miles looked over to Teshla.
“What the hell is going on?” Miles asked out aloud.
“No idea but what do we do with a distress call?” Teshia answered with an honest face.
“We Help.” Miles answered walking his chair and tapping the intercom buttom.
“Captain to Engineering, Cmdr White, how long before we can move and see again?” Miles inquired.
“As much as I love to say I am a miracle worker, right now where stranded, mains offline and where on Auxiliary power. That comic wink for another description damaged the dilithium crystals it practically drained them. I am reconfiguring now but I need a wee bit of time to recalibrate and re-energise the crystal.” Came the Chief engineers respond. She really was that good she survived assimilation and was the cousin of their acting Helmsman Fox White.
Miles considered the situation.
“Do we have enough power for the hanger bay?” Miles asked sitting in his command chair.
“Just about, going to go joy riding with my cousin?” Penny asked with a chuckle.
“Just about, can you get the main hanger bay ready where take the Anastasia over to take a look” Miles ordered.
“Can do.” Penny answered closing off the channel.
Miles fingers keyed the sickbay button.
“Doctor Vodokon can you spare yourself or someone else to join a away mission?” Miles requested.
“Chief nurse Felica Eiser is already on her way to the main hanger bay Captain.” The chief medical officer answered.
“Thank you Doctor, miracle worker as always” Miles chuckled his response and closed the channel.
“Cmr Lira you better tag a long with a extra two person security team, where going on an little adventure.” Miles ordered turning to go to the turbolift.
“Number one the ship is Yours, Cmdr White time for you to do some of that legendary piloting of yours.” Miles commanded.
It had been an hour since the comic winking out had happened.
Miles sat quietly in his chair, still wondering where his shake down cruise had gone from a shake down to what the devil was going on. He sat on the Delta class shuttle the biggest one the new Fortitude could carry and briefly missed the old Lexington class Starship he had commanded that had a lot more room than the new Fortitude. However it was a conscious choice to change ships.
“Captain were approaching the co-ordinates of the distress beacon.” Fox reported from the pilot seat.
Miles stood up and paced the few feet to the pilot’s chair.
“What we got?” Miles requested.
“Looks like a twin binary star system, 12 planets where approaching the fourth one, looks to be a class M but…” Fox Trailed off.
“I sense an Oh dear?” Miles asked.
“Looks like there has been some kind of battle, picking up 42 ships. They look like wrecks and no survivors.” Fox answered.
“Show me the wrecks, put us in orbit of the fourth planet.” Miles ordered moving back to his chair and console to bring up the data.
“Aye Sir.” Fox answered.
The ships where not more than a little more shuttle size, they where green with a centre long almost needle body with 4 pylons and a nacelle on each.
“There a little retro, they remind me of Orion fighters.” Miles said out loud to no one in particular.
“They do but they ships usually use a rotating warp mounting. This is different, in fact they are static. Also there is nothing coming up for that ship in the databanks” Fox answered.
“Looks like they were centred around one smaller ship, it’s the one sending out the distress beacon. Fox reported.
“Let’s have a look.” Miles requested.
The ship at the centre of the wrecks was a more metallic ship, much smaller than the others, its was almost disc shaped with a tail and what looked like a dome over the centre of the disk.
[Fortitude to Anastasia, we have the mains back online and where be with you in about 5 minutes.] Teshia voice came over the comm.
Miles tapped a button on his console.
“See you in five minutes.” Miles responded.
“looks like there was on hell of the firefight. That was little ship took on all 42 of those fighters” Fox reported.
“What does that say about the pilot of that one vessel?” Miles answered.
“That’s the thing Sir, it was not those 42 ships that took it down, it has barely any damage and what I can pickup, it looks like the pilot just disappeared.” Fox confused answer came.
“What?” Miles retorted.
At that moment the Fortitude jumped in and the ships number one came on the comm.
[Fortitude to Anastasia, Captain you better get back here, where getting a Starfleet communication coming in, Code factor one!] the first office reported.
“Invasion status?” Fox answered surprised.
“Are the transporters up?” Miles asked
[Aye Sir] the first officer reported.
“Cmdr white, get the shuttle docked and get that disk shaped ship and one of those green fighters docked into the hanger bay for inspection.” Miles orderd.
He than tapped his comm badge.
“Fortitude beam me to the bridge.” He ordered.
Within a moment he felt the familiar transporter feeling take hold of him and he was back on the bridge of the USS Fortitude.
Miles moved to his chair and sat down.
“Transmission from Starfleet Command, Admiral Taryn Vossan” Rose from operations answered.
“On Screen, USS Fortitude standing by Admiral” Miles reported.
[Greetings Fortitude, I wish the reason was more pleasant, you where aware of the incident an hour ago?] Admiral Vossan asked.
“Yes Sir” Miles answered.
[What you may not be aware of is the scope of the incident and it was recorded at the outer edge of the great barrier and all centred in the sector you are in] Vossan reported.
Miles raised his eyebrow in surprise.
[What you may not be aware of is this has happened before on Star date; 3087.6 with the crew of the Starship Enterprise under the command of Captain James T Kirk.] Vossan stated.
Miles felt his eyes narrow.
[Where sending you a data packet now with all details. It is Eyes only but I am recording I am giving you and the crew of the Fortitude access. Review the data and investigate what is going on and take any steps needed to prevent an invasion if that is the case.] Vossan ordered.
“Understood, can you give me more ships as a reserve?” Miles asked.
[where pulling out all Starfleet assets a full sector around you. Sorry Captain your on you own.] Vossan stated.
“Understood, Fortitude out.” Miles reported tossing an old fashion hand salute.
Miles watch the viewscreen go black before speaking.
“Number one I want senior staff in the conference room in 5 minutes.
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NRPG:
So the plot is coming together.