Post by Dr. Dahlia Anne Delancey on Oct 7, 2020 2:24:12 GMT -5
Staring out of the transport starboard viewport, Karen’s thoughts were lost in the stars. The past few weeks seemed as a dream, as ephemeral as her own reflection in the glass. ‘Aluminum Oxynitride of course, but the accepted term most people used was glass because of how it was used.’ Karen thought off hand, because she was trained in engineering. She let her mind drift, it was going to be a long flight.
Her companion seemed to be absorbed in some report or article on his PADD. She lifted her coffee in both hands, enjoying the warmth of the hot beverage on her lips and warming her core as much as her hands. She was perpetually cold the last couple of weeks. This was a positive to flying via civilian transport, the coffee was real, and fresh.
“Commander, do you need more coffee?” The attendant offered from the isle.
Karen looked at her, embarrassed to be recognized while out of uniform, but she held the mug out with both hands to accept. She felt like Oliver Twist, at least she did not have to beg for this small luxury, though that will change soon she thought. She turned back to the window with the freshly filled mug and for a brief moment, started at the reflection that she was not entirely sure was her own.
Karen was on her way back to Earth, having been found in an escape pod. Formerly the first officer on a research ship called the Jenesco. The USS Jenesco was a small ship, and there were not very many Starfleet personnel stationed with her. 11 officers and 14 crewmen including the security contingent, and there were 38 civilian researchers on board. That was the past. Now, Karen was on her way back to Earth, in custody, to face an investigation. One she expected not to go in her favor.
She had come out of the escape pod fighting her rescuers. The Romulan remnant ship crew picked her up near a moon they were prospecting for resources. They said it took their medic sedating her to get her to settle, and she would not tell them what happened or where there might be others. She refused to speak to anyone about the incident until someone from Starfleet came to collect her, and even then, she insisted on speaking to an advocate.
The USS Caerollis had come, and was preparing to search for the Jenesco and survivors of whatever caused the first officer to evacuate the ship. The Captain Starfleet dispatched, did not want to wait for an advocate for Karen’s report. He requested to link up with a civilian transport already on her way back to Starfleet so they could be working on the search. They were docked with the private Earth-bound transport the SS Allegra when a Jenesco pod transponder was picked up on long range sensors. Under the circumstances, she was taken aboard the Allegra in custody. Karen wasn’t fighting anymore, she was happy to be going to Earth. A part of her was actually glad for the restraints, but she didn’t explain why.
It would be a seven day journey, with long hours in a bunk not sleeping much. At least in the seating compartment she could look out of the window. During the third day, her companion received a subspace communique. The Jenesco had been found adrift entering the Typhon expanse, the only active signal coming from it was a distress transponder of an escape pod which had mag clamped itself to the hull after launching. The Caerollis was on approach, and Karen was asked to explain what she knew.
Karen listened to the message and turned to the portal view. She looked at her reflection and did not see herself, for a moment, she saw it again, recoiled and suddenly screamed. She lifted her fists to pound at the reflection she saw, and found her wrists bound together still, and it brought her back to the present, and out of the nightmare she had survived.
She looked at her companion, who had been disturbed by her scream and was prepared to stun her with a charge from the binders she wore. She looked at him and saw someone who was compassionate, but stern. A fine example of Starfleet training there before her, and she felt ashamed. So horribly ashamed was she, that she could hold her tongue no longer despite knowing that speaking without her advocate would likely end with her imprisoned.
* * *
Karen asked for something, bartering her silence for a small favor. “I’ll tell you what happened, but what do I call you? And can I get a drink… a real one?”
Looking at her appraisingly and with respect she felt she did not deserve, he said “Ensign Ezekiel Wright, Starfleet Security.” He ordered her a drink via the interface in the arm of the very comfortable seat. When it arrived, he let her drink it slowly before he began recording her statement.
“Well Mister Wright, for the record my name is Lieutenant Commander Karen Attarina, first officer of the USS Jenesco, Centaur class out of the Antares shipyards in 2411. We were on a survey mission core-ward of the Romulus. We were using the old Deep Space 4 station as our base of operations, and surveying the systems which were affected by the subspace wave of the 2387 supernova. We were providing the researchers opportunities to collect their data on the radiation and retrieve probes needing refueling and maintenance.”
Karen went silent for almost two minutes, just looking into the empty drink held between her hands. The ensign reached to turn off the recording, but she stopped him. “I’m sure when they download the logs of the Jenesco, they will see that we found a warp shuttle adrift and brought it on board. It was registered to the USS Pemberton, a ship missing in the sector since 2311, lost in what was thought to be a skirmish with the Romulans more than hundred years before. Even though there were no life signs aboard, amazingly it had power and we thought it might hold clues to the fate of that crew.”
“I’m going to need another one of these” She handed him her glass then continued. “We brought it on board, life support was active, barely. We verified there were no life signs, it was cold inside though. I remember when we opened the hatch, the pressure inside caused a serious puff of cold, fetid air to roll over us. Crewman Daryl Rider actually took a step back. He is, or was, rather superstitious. He said he wouldn’t disturb it, that it was a tomb and there was an angry spirit within. I ordered the shuttle investigated despite our resident First Nations representative and his superstitious worries.” She got her drink, and sipped it for a minute before continuing.
“Other than a relic, we didn’t get much. The flight logs were fragmented. The condition of the craft gave the impression that the shuttle was landed for a long time, and only in space for a short time. The condition of the atmosphere within though, and the desiccated remains of two officers of the Pemberton we found… it seemed as if it had been their tomb for decades. Officers Nicholas Warren and Eugene Cole, recorded as found and services provided.” She stopped and looked at the Ensign. “I should have listened to crewman Rider.”
“The next morning engineering reported the crewman as absent from his shift without permission. I sent medical and security to check on him when he did not answer calls. He wasn’t in his cabin, though his badge was. A search was initiated, it went on for two shifts. While security was actively looking for the missing crewman, two researchers were similarly reported missing.” Pausing for another sip she shook her head. “The Captain declared a full security lock down, only security was allowed to move through the ship. They escorted essential staff to their posts, and brought staff back to their quarters after shift. Despite these precautions, by the end of the next day, five more members of the research staff had gone missing.”
“Crew was paired with researchers, everyone was paired up to ensure that no one moved about the ship or returned to quarters alone. The ship was searched top to bottom. That was when it was discovered that remains, if that is what you could call them, were found inside of the port nacelle. We could not even figure out how someone would get into the damned thing without setting off alarms, and … temperatures inside would kill someone in seconds, and leave only cellular residue to be found.” Karen finished the drink she was holding.
“Eight crew, nearly all researchers, dead. The Captain ordered us to make way to Deep Space Four immediately. That is when the warp reactor went off line. To the second. It was as if the ship had become self aware, and was moving to stop us. The Captain ordered me to go to Engineering to help out, since the chief engineer was working with his hands tied. Tied since they had to work in teams, and we were not staffed for that kind of thing. I attempted to report back once we discovered the problem, but by then, internal comms were no longer functioning. I returned to the bridge with the bad news, our antimatter pods had been ejected.”
“When I got back to the bridge, I found the ensign covering ops for me to be in quite a state. He said that he had been hearing voices, angry voices over the subspace transceiver but could not understand them. The universal translator did not lock on to syntax. I asked him to play it back, but all there was to my ears was static. I had him relieved of duty to take a break, obviously stressed, just out of the Academy, this was a lot for him. I went to report to the Captain, but he wasn’t in his Ready Room.”
“Internal sensors showed him moving, by himself through the decks toward his quarters. I ordered a security team to go escort him, but without internal comms I couldn’t get word back about his status. So we focused on internal comms. While we were doing so, internal sensors went off line, somehow linked with the comms. With the Captain out of communications, I had the computer use its internal networking to activate intercom panels in rooms where the crew was to be reached. It was not perfect, but it was a bypass till our combadges were functioning again.”
“I got through to the Captain, informed him about the antimatter pods and he approved my plan to have teams in work bees attempt to recover the pods to reinstall them. The process would take most of a day with an inexperienced crew to do safely, and we would be on auxiliary power until they succeeded. Captain Hennessey claimed to be suffering fatigue, and asked me to take over for a few hours so he could rest, then he would spell me. He had been on shift for more than 30 hours, and for a man in his 80s, I could see the need. He ordered his security team to take position outside of his room so he could sleep.”
“We were stretched thin, and becoming thinner with lack of sleep. 10 security crewmen, two on the Captain and the rest escorting essential personnel to where they had to be. We could not last that way. I ordered the security teams to gather the scientists in the mess/lounge area. Teams of two could spell each other for rest and with the bulk of them all in one space, they could still keep an eye to their safety. Something was on the ship, I had to face that. What I could not tell. I had internal sensors control routed to panels in the mess and asked some of the researchers to help me manually control the internal sensors, maybe track down anything that was amiss.”
“Engineering said it would take about 6 more hours to get the antimatter pods safely back into place, and fix damage done that caused ejection in the first place, so we could bring the main power back up. Meanwhile, I worked with one of my science officers trying to get the computer to give us back internal sensors and comms relays. It was not a mechanical error you see, the computer had locked us out of the system entirely. It was proving exceedingly difficult to override. Ensigns Morelli and Danielson asked permission to try to connect our personnel comms to one of the shuttles and operate off of that system for internal comms. I gave the go ahead, and looked at the time.” She paused to steady herself before continuing.
“The captain had been asleep for close to 10 hours by then, and I was feeling pretty punchy myself. I sent a call via the computer’s room intercom to wake him. I didn’t get a response. I asked the security team to override his door and check on him. He wasn’t in his quarters and they had not left his door in 10 hours. The computer reported that the Captain was not onboard the Jenesco. I had the researchers in the lounge verify this.”
“While I was on room intercoms with them, I heard the … screams. They were brief, but after they no longer answered, I got to the OPS station and confirmed my fears. The computer played back for me sensor logs of what happened, and I could not believe my eyes. External sensor were working perfectly. What they showed me was clearly the image of the Captain, without a proper protective suit, in one of our work bees. He approached the emergency hatch on the lounge level, and disengaged it. The pressure pushed the work-bee away from the ship rapidly, and we lost it on sensors. The bodies of a dozen men and women though, were now clearly on sensors floating outside of the ship. He had apparently overridden the security and emergency force fields. The Captain had exposed the entire section to space, killing 31 researchers, and 4 crewmen, in seconds.”
“I was in shock, so much so, that it took me a moment to realize what I was hearing just then. Personnel coms were chirping on the bridge as they joined the temporary network the Ensigns were working on.” Karen looked at the Ensign beside her, waggled her glass and pleaded with her eyes. He took the hint and ordered her another. “I could not believe what I had just seen. I’d been with Captain Hennessy for 6 years. This was the third batch of new crew we had with us getting their feet wet before taking more dangerous jobs. The only thing I could imagine was that he had lost his mind somehow, maybe was possessed by the spirits that Crewman Rider was worried about disturbing.” She accepted the new drink and drank almost half in one go.
“I manually brought internal sensors back, and with the badges again active, they were reporting in locations. The Captain’s badge appeared showing up just then in the port airlock. I locked it down using my security access override, and got the ship’s doctor on the line. I explained what had happened, and he confirmed for the computer authority to relieve the Captain, to lock out his access.”
“With three of 5 work-bees docked, I knew we would have main power soon. I called a security team to join me at the port airlock to take the Captain into custody. I wanted to lock him in the brig. I was a little taken aback when only one crewman showed up. He claimed the other had to go to medical. He was violating orders by not being in teams of two, which I planned to address after the Captain was in the brig. We approached the airlock, and looking through the viewport I could see the captain had been injured, blood spilled from his head and over his uniform. Perhaps having one of the largest compartments in the ship vent into you was enough to cause a head injury, or so I thought.”
“I turned on the intercom, I could not do this without confronting him. He didn’t plead, or rant like I expected, he only said, “behind you” with a calm dread that I had never heard in his voice. It was then I noticed the growing shadow on the door. I turned, and the security crewman was no longer there. The thing that was in his place, was twice his size, probably 10 feet tall but hunched over, with long spindle legs and arms, claws and rags. Its head was like a .. mop of hair over a skeletal face. Its eyes though, inhuman, and full of hate. I got a shot off with my phaser, but it struck me hard enough to throw me into the bulkhead and I lost consciousness.”
Karen drank the rest of the alcoholic beverage then continued with a sigh. “I had ‘come to’ only long enough to see myself override the outer door of the airlock, and felt as much as heard the rush of air as the captain was sent out into cold space. When I say I saw myself, I do not mean my own hands, but to see another body, face and all perform the actions. I could only believe that whatever it was, could shift forms. It hit me again, and when I awoke I was inside of an escape pod that was rather quickly filling with smoke. To explain, what I learned as I tried to save myself was that safeties were overridden, and the pod was launched while the outer door was still firmly locked in place. It overloaded launch and control mechanisms and thruster heat had caused a fire.”
“I spent the next several hours trying not to die inside that escape pod, and get back into the ship. When I finally figured out that I wouldn’t be able to, I tried to override the launch tube and get the release bolts to fire. I tricked the system into believing that power was gone to the launch tube, and was able to jettison myself. Firing the explosive bolts and letting me free. Unfortunately, my pod impacted the release hatch and severely damaged the reaction control thrusters for the starboard control plane. In other words, I could only turn right or spin. My intention was to attempt to dock with an airlock or in the shuttle bay. But I came under fire, taking two glancing shots with our phasers. Discretion being the better part of valor, I tried to put as much distance between myself and the ship as I could, and take stock of my options.”
“Once I got myself under control, the pod I mean, I tried to go back. But the ship was not there. Sensors on the pod were less than optimal. Navigation went out, but I tried to aim myself for the Starbase using star sighting, and I hoped for the best. I got picked up two weeks later by the Romulans, and you know the rest.”
Wright had received another message routed to his PADD that chirped when he touched the record pause button. When he had decrypted it he read it aloud. “There was only one occupant of the escape pod. The helmsman, and he was dead, there was carbon scoring to indicate that the pod was fired upon, though there were no other life forms or remains found on board, despite the fact that only two pods launched. There was damage to multiple systems, they were determined to be sabotaged.”
Karen went white. She stammered, but then with some force and emotional pain she said, “They should evacuate if they boarded, and scuttle her… the Jenesco, the thing that was on that ship… it will kill them all.”