The past few weeks had been quite a blur to the crew of the Neptune through the initiative of the Fourth Fleet under the command of Fleet Captain Mero Tomuya, the Neptune was now the flagship of the Neptune Advanced Exploration Division. The truth was this was an incredible opportunity, but Michael had trepidations about someone else being in command, though he was still the CO of the Neptune it just felt different. The doubt was natural, but what could come form this he did not know. He had never met Tomuya prior to their first meeting a week ago. She seems fair, but firm and not someone he wanted to cross. He arrived on the bridge with the noticeable whoosh of the doors opening. Tomuya was standing next to his seat looking out the viewscreen.

Mero turned to see her new Division XO and smiled “Shall we get this mission started, XO?

Michael smiled and nodded. Only a few hours prior he had been briefed of the mission with the rest of the senior crew of the Neptune. The truth was this was not like anything he had ever heard of before. Underspace was not something well known and the fact that now aperture’s were opening up seemed like it could cause huge issues for the Fourth Fleet. Not knowing what could come from these aperture’s was a huge worry. The Division had been tasked with traveling to an aperture that had been discovered close to the Divisions current location. The plan was made to leave the Hydra and Tianwen behind until the initial information of what was going on would be determined.

The truth was after the battle with Michelle it seemed like his life had lost a part that had been around for so long. Even though she was the enemy knowing her for so long still caused an unknown grief. He was hoping that this mission would be a way for him to recenter himself and find his love for exploration again. He snapped back to reality and looked at the Captain “Let’s do it.” 

He turned to the conn “Set a course for the preset destination and lets go.”

The tertiary nod of the officer was all that was needed as the Neptune entered warp for the location. The trip would still take a few hours and currently with the Fleet Captain on the bridge he decided to check in with the ships XO. “Captain, I will be in my ready room if you need me.” 

Mero nodded, while Michael was the CO of the ship she did enjoy sitting in the Captain’s chair and through a discussion with Michael she had gotten permission from him to do just that. Michael seems a competent Captain, but he also seemed like he had some hidden nightmares that he was fighting as well. The truth was that was not currently her worry, but the last battle of the crew seemed to bother him from the information in his logs. No officer was perfect and though she did not know what was happening she knew that she had to trust Michael knew his emotions and how to keep them in check.

Michael had set this meeting with his XO a few hours prior and she seemed like she wanted to talk too him. He arrived and sat down to hear the door chime, unlike most people he didn’t use the regular enter anymore he pressed a button and the door whished open where he motioned his XO to the seat in front of him.

Lexi had just arrived on the Neptune a few days prior to replace the XO who had been on the ships, as they had been called away. Lexi had known about the Neptune for awhile and was hoping she would get the opportunity to be stationed on the ship and now that the ship was part of a Division she had an amazing opportunity to serve with the prestigious Fleet Captain who had been given command of the division. Lexi had met her during her stint at Starfleet Command and was impressed by her professionalism, but also her friendly demeanor, though she had been told not to cross the Fleet Captain or she might be called to spar with her.

Lexi smiled at the Captain as she sat down “Reporting as ordered, Captain.”

“Thank you for the prompt arrival, Commander. You came highly recommended and we never had a chance to talk about what your goals are here on the ship. As my XO you will be held to a high standard, but I also want to help you towards whatever goals you may have in Starfleet.”

Lexi thought for a minute leaving the room silent apart from the hum of the Warp Core and main systems on the ship “I haven’t really thought about anything past being an XO, Sir. Truthfully to be where I am is incredibly humbling and not something I ever thought would happen and now that it has I feel like I have reached the top. As for your standards I will do whatever I can to help make this ship successful in whatever mission she is set to be apart of.”

Michael listened, but didn’t say much because in this case he just wanted to listen and find out more about his new XO. She seems confident, but also humble and not thinking she was better than anyone else. It seemed as if this ship even with its sometimes crazy drama would be a good fit for her and that alone made Michael feel more at ease about her transition onto the ship. “Well that is great to hear, Commander. Now that we are in route for this mission I would love to hear what you actually think after the briefing.”

Lexi shook her head “The truth is I do not know what to think this is not like anything we have ever experienced before and not knowing what could be waiting can sometimes cause some doubt as to the possibility of success. Don’t get me wrong I am not a pessimist, Captain, but I guess you could call me a realist. This mission has excitement behind it, but I do not want to give a full opinion on what it could be, especially not knowing what is to come.”

Michael nodded “You make some great points and I can say that you hit the nail on the head so to speak because some of the craziest missions I have ever had all came after becoming the CO of the Neptune. Though you never know what is going to happen it adds to the excitement of what we do. I also will say that my crew is one of the best at what they do and with the addition of the Hydra and the Tianwen the abilities of what we can do will far surpass that of what we was able to do in the past. With all that said is there any questions you have regarding the duties you could be asked to perform.”

Lexi thought for another moment and shook her head though she was nervous at what she might have to do she  knew that not only was this opportunity huge, but that the crew of this ship was highly competent and had been through more than she could imagine. She was a timid person at first, but Lexi could hold her own and her weapon proficiency scores helped to truly show that. “No, Sir I think that I am well aware that my duties not only could change, but that emergencies also could bring new aspects to that as well. I am willing to do whatever you need me to do and will make sure the crew operates at the efficiency you have come to expect from them. The morale of this ship seems to be high and I will make sure to keep that morale up as well.”

Michael could not help but to smile the truth was Lexi was all he could ask for in an XO. His last XO was great and while he was going to miss them they had to depart for reasons that he did not fully know and that was ok. He looked at Lexi and stood up “Thank you for your honesty, XO and for what you bring to the table. I am thrilled to have you as a part of the ship and look forward to how we can help bring your skills to the next level. You are dismissed please head to the bridge as we should be arriving at our destination within the next hour.” 

Lexi nodded and departed the room wondering what was about to come with a pit in her stomach she had a feeling something was coming and it would shake up the whole crew.

Mero had been watching the ships progress towards its destination it had seemed like such a slow trip, but the truth was she was anxious to see what was happening. She had not been on a ship for a mission in a few years and the truth was she had been wanting a chance to be back in the action again, though she would not be boots on the ground at least not from what she could see. The Neptune was competent and its crew seemed ready for whatever was about to come. She saw that they had almost reached the location and tapped her comm badge “Captain, we have almost arrived at our destination”

“I will be there in a moment.” he replied.

Michael made his way to the bridge and was there in short order just as Commander Peng also arrived. The Underspace was a new scientific discovery and because of it he wanted to make sure Peng was present on the bridge as well. As the two arrived the ship exited hyperspace and a scene like no other.

The ship arrived to see a nebula of bright blue colors from the gases that were present and in the center of that nebula was a brilliant aperture that was brighter than any nearby star, but that shock was there wasn’t just one instead they were all around the Neptune, while the nebula was in front of them the space around them had an incredible iridescent color in the sky it seemed like the area was on fire from the bright crimson colors. The swirls of light seemed to be from gases that had been produced from the nebula itself. The area seemed to be covered in the iridescent light, but behind the light it looked like swirls of gases that had made the light come to life. The whole area seemed volatile and while the view was breathtaking the overwhelming amount of Underspace openings were astonishing. From first glance there were at least 5 of them each one of them with a different color of brilliance, but at the center of them seemed to be an anchor point for all the rest. 

The smaller openings had nothing around them except unknown elements in the outside boundary making up what looked like the originating point of the openings. In the inside while the opening could not be seen from the light it seemed like the light of a star was coming through the opening. 

Mero looked around the bridge seeing the jaws of the crew dropped from the view. She was the first to speak up “In all my career I have never seen anything as brilliant as this. The colors, the view, the whole area is just an incredible scene.”

Michael nodded in agreement not sure what to say. He had seen some incredible views but the scene in front of him seemed to really show the wonder of exploration ‘This is why I joined Starfleet.’ he thought as he blinked thinking he was in a dream.

Amanda had been quiet as always just preparing for what could be around the corner when she looked up from her console the view left her speechless. The colors were incredible, but the view of the opening just made her realize that this was like no mission she had ever seen in the past. The truth was this was different in fact it was so different this seemed like new territory for ever the two most experienced officers on the ship. That alone showed this was like nothing they had ever witnessed before.

Xiao had seen some things especially as a Science officer, but the views from this were beyond what he had ever expected to see. The brilliance from the gases in the nebula to the colors of the opening showed this was not like a normal mission and it all seemed to originate from the changes that had come from the opening. Though he could not confirm that suspicion without many test he did know that if they were not careful this could be a dangerous place for a ship. 

Lexi though amazed by the view was more interested at what seemed to be at the main Underspace opening. It looked like multiple ships, but she could not be sure and if it was the case the need for extreme caution would be needed. It seemed as though the crew was still mesmerized by the view, but the wonder was only a part of the mission and it was not going to change the fact that the crew needed to find out what those ships were. She realized the initial shock and knew she shouldn’t think so hard against the awe and wonder, but her goal was to keep the promise she had made the Captain.

The Neptune sat in the nebula not moving its crew mesmerized by the scene that had unfolded in front of them. The truth was this was like nothing any of them had ever seen. As crew member passed windows they stopped to look at the scene even those in the Scarlet Fire Brewhouse stopped and looked out to see the view. Through the swirling nebula and gasses at the opening of Underspace sat ships disabled with no power and no knowledge of where they were. 

To Be Continued….

The ominous color of the aperture was apparent throughout the ship that looked stranded, but this was not the case. The trip through the unknown had caused for the occupants to be knocked out. The consoles on the ship flickered from the lower power state in which they were currently at. The lights were dim even though the ship seemed to have power for lighting. The occupants appeared to like the darkness, but who were they? 

One of the beings seemed to stir from the unexpected causes that brought them to be unconscious. As the light began to adjust back into their eyes they could feel the pain that was so apparent everyday. This man known as Zodot was confused by what happened and shook his head trying to make the throbbing go away. As he stood he saw the others of his group still knocked out, while trying to ascertain the damage he could only determine the ability for backup power after assessing the damage of the ship. Zodot was what the group would consider a Captain, but he hated that term. He headed to the nearest console to make a log. 

“Zodots Log. Time Unknown. Date Unknown. During our travel to ascertain information regarding the…subjects the ship was suddenly cast into the unknown. While on route an unknown phenomenon occurred, which we did not discover until it was too late. I am not proficient to figure out our current location, but from what I can see we aren’t anywhere that we recognize. I am unable to contact the other ships in our group. I can only guess they are ok. All communications have been disabled and it seems as if we are dead in the water. If we do not discover where we are it could be the end of us.”

The man closed the log and sighed, not sure on what he could do but wait. The pain in his body was excruciating yet somehow everyday it seemed he continued to grit and bear it. He stood up and went to look out of the nearby window. When he reached the window he was speechless at the scene before him. He didn’t know where he was but he had never in his time seen such an incredible view. The colors were more vibrant than any he had witnessed, but the thing that really got to him was the giant hole that was behind him. He had wondered what the weird color was in the ship. After seeing the darkness of the opening and its angry churning of debris he was aware that something was definitely not right.

After further observation he saw a ship in the distance just sitting there; it was bigger than any he had seen in a while, but he could not make out what exactly it was. The issue was if they asked for help the truth of who they were would be discovered, something they had tried so hard to hide over the past few years. If they were discovered it could cause the jeopardy of their independence in which they had worked to keep even though the rest of their race now saw them as outcast. The anger swelled up within Zodot, as he remembered what had been said ‘We can make it all go away.’ The truth was it didn’t matter about being saved, it was the fact that they wanted to fix something that had been an issue for decades. Zodok and his outcast decided to refuse the help of the Think Tank. They instead wanted to fix their problem without the help of others, as such they still followed the savage ways in which they had been raised making sure to harvest organs to keep themselves alive. They had been heading for a mission to harvest the needed organs when this event occurred. The truth was that if this continued the whole group would die from lack of help.

Zodot had led the group to not conform to the help of the Think Tank, while some would think this was crazy due to their constant pain and challenging life they would rather be this way than have the help of others. They were the true version of what Vidiians had been for decades and they would continue to stay that way. Zodot’s thoughts were interrupted by the stirring of someone in the corridor.

“Zodot?” came the soft voice outside.

Zodot walked that way and smiled through his pain. “Hena, I am relieved to see you are ok.” 

Hena smiled, but the pain she felt currently was excruciating. If she didn’t receive help soon it would more than likely be the end for her. She had been living this way for so long and at times she still questioned why she followed Zodot instead of letting the Think Tank cure her. If she had it would probably be different than how it is now, though she loved Zodot his zealot-like ways still confused her. She understood his pride and not wanting others to fix the problem, but if it was going to save their lives then why wouldn’t he have decided better than this. This life was torture and it was starting to get to her. She had almost left multiple times to go back to her home, but stayed because of Zodot.

“I am ok minus the normal issues. What happened? Where are we, Zodot?” she asked, still trying to wait for her head to stop throbbing. She walked through the door to see Zodot still at the window looking out and wondered what was going on. She walked up next to him and looked out seeing the ship that was stationed out beyond them. She had heard of these ships or ones similar to it. It seemed as if they had been in the Delta Quadrant in the past or even recently. She had been looking at anything she could find about the universe beyond what Zodot showed them.

She recognized this ship from the Alpha Quadrant, but how did they get here? There were many questions she had but she didn’t want to even let Zodot know. The truth was she was starting to believe it was time to leave Zodot. The pain that she had endured for so long had started to really take a toll on her, but how would she be able to get away from him? All she could do for now was to bide her time and see if the chance opened for her.

“I am not aware of where we are nor does it look like anyplace we have ever been before. I am not sure what we should do. That ship in the distance could render aid, but it could also cause issues for us given the way we have continued to live for so long. I think this might be something the group needs to decide.”

Hena shook her head, “I think we lost half of them because after some initial observation most of them seem gone. The truth is I think this journey was the end for many of them as it could be for us as well if we choose not to try and contact that ship. I don’t want to die, Zodot at least not in this manner.”

Zodot looked at her for a moment, “It looks as though comms have been disabled plus what about all the other ships? We have more than just us to think about Hena,”

Hena shook her head “We have one thing to think about and that is the life of all of us not just you and I. We need to do what’s best for the group even if that means revealing who we are.”

Zodot didn’t agree with the sentiment of Hena, though he knew where she was coming from it didn’t change his mind. If they contacted that ship it could mean the beginning of the end, but also this could be their tomb and that was an unsettling thought as well. As much as Zodot didn’t like the idea he didn’t want to die such a needless death especially when the fact that help was so close was apparent. More than anything he didn’t want to see Hena die.

“We will try to make contact” He said looking at Hena.

To Be Continued…

The darkness of the room seemed to pierce through even Tallie as she awoke from her sleep, but something felt different. The eerie feeling that something was going on caused her to spring up out of her bed. She looked outside seeing just what looked like blood. The red color was so offsetting she only looked out of the window for mere moments.

She turned and walked to the door as it slid open she was horrified by the sight of dead crew members. Her stomach rolled at the sight as she continued walking down the corridors of the ship, which was bathed in iridescent red just like the outside of the ship. She tapped her combadge yet no reply came. The eeriness of the ship was off put even more through the distinct sounds of screams nearby. She ran down the corridor towards the screams, but when she arrived there was no one there. The screams continued to worsen making her want to cover her ears from the otherworldly sound the screams made. 

Something wasn’t right and she knew it but she couldn’t understand it. If the ship had been attacked she would have been notified right? She headed for the Captain’s ready room hopefully finding the answer to the questions that plagued her mind. She continued to head towards her destination when the screams also became cries for help. She decided to go towards the cries of help after navigating the halls through the ghastly sights she arrived in the conference room seeing Captain Ryder lay ahead. She ran up to him and shook him trying to wake him from what seemed like a bad dream, but he was gone. A tear fell from her eye, but she prepared to investigate further when she noticed a PADD in his hand.

Tallie grabbed the PADD and looked at the contents. All that was displayed was a symbol one of which she had never seen. The symbol was hard to describe holding a sphere in sharp jagged edges held throughout and behind. The color scheme had a dark ruby color and a brown outcrop. The symbols in the brown were unknown to her, but whatever this was she felt it was the culprit behind what she was witnessing. 

The scene faded as Tallie sprang up again this time to see the normal room she would wake up in. She had been helping to tie up some administrative ends of the new Division for the Captain and had been told to go sleep. She was trembling as she laid up in bed the symbol from her apparent nightmare burned into her memory. She didn’t know what it meant, but it couldn’t be good. She brushed the sweat off her brow as she had been in the nightmare for a while it seemed. She stripped off her clothes and took a well needed sonic shower. After finishing up she got dressed, sticking her hair in her normal ponytail and straightening her new pips. She had just been promoted to Lieutenant Commander and was still trying to let it sink in. Her job was the yeoman to Captain Ryder, but she also helped wherever she was needed. She had been recommended to learn command and was set for a bridge duty.

Tallie made her way to the bridge and was shocked by the scene in front of her and paused almost in a frozen state. 

Michael had finally gotten over the initial shock and was preparing to get some answers of what was happening when his yeoman walked onto the bridge and froze. ‘Was this how we looked a few moments ago?’ He thought as he went and jostled Tallie slightly, “Quite a view isn’t it Commander?” he grinned at her.

The jostle worked and Tallie looked at Michael nodding “It is quite a view, Sir. What is it?” she asked, still trying to figure out what she was looking at. “That is what we’re trying to figure out as of this moment.” he replied looking over at Xiao. 

Xiao looked at Michael and shrugged slightly from the question, giving a mischievous grin as he turned and went to the science station behind him. He began to run initial scans and was puzzled at the results “Sir, whatever this is it has caused severe issues with the nebula ahead. All indications show the gas has been agitated so much that we cannot get closer without the possibility of severe damage to ourselves or the ships sitting just outside the aperture. The scans show this as a simple gravimetric distortion, but I think we know it is more than that. I need to look further into it to determine anymore than that, Sir” he concluded looking at the data more. 

Michael shook his head “Do so with haste, Commander. We need to determine what is going on and how we can work around it, especially with those ships being stranded as they are.” Michael knew his crew was capable but given the volatile state of the nebula he did not want to take anything to chance. He put a hand up “Also determine how we can safely traverse the nebula. I want results not excuses.” he stated firmly. A solitary nod came from Xiao as he departed for his science lab to determine the information the Captain wanted.

The bridge doors whooshed open to another familiar face of Kra’vaak who had been busy working on a backlog of reports from the events just a few months prior. “Captain, what have you gotten us into now.” he said in his normal joking tone not a normal sight as a Klingon, but one he had decided to embrace and one the crew seemed to enjoy when a lighthearted moment was needed. Michael smirked at him “Late as always, well it seems we have an anomaly. I am hoping your knowledge might help here. We need to determine who could be on those ships.”

Kra’vaak nodded since he had extensive knowledge of species throughout the known quadrants, which made him the go-to historian on the ship it seemed. “Magnify on the ships,” he ordered. The screen zoomed in on the ships and he began to study the vessels looking through the design of the craft and the distinct properties. As he started to remember where he saw the ship his face got puzzled and he stopped for a minute trying to remember where he had seen those aspects of a ship before. The truth was he couldn’t remember where he had seen them, but he knew he had seen it. It was rare for him not to remember, usually it came from a memory he wanted to repress, but he didn’t recall that here. “Captain, I am going to have to do some research, but I will come up with an answer.” 

Tallie sat at the terminal nearest the bridge exit looking through information trying to determine the symbol she had seen; she could not get it out of her head. She had been digging through databases from multiple encounters trying to use the information she had to determine what it was she saw. After twenty minutes she was starting to get frustrated and about to give up when she saw it. The symbol sent chills through her all because of the nightmare she had seen. It was worse than she had originally thought. She had thought the crew was just murdered, but now knowing who that symbol came from something much worse seemed to bother her. The whole situation made her uneasy. ‘Should I tell the Captain…or wait till we know more information.’ The question rang in her head as she looked at the symbol and saw the Captains face from the dream appear again. She swallowed her throat and made her decision. She stood up and looked at the Captain, “Sir, could we talk in private.” her voice slightly trembled from the experience which had bothered her more than she realized.

Michael looked at Tallie and could tell something was bothering her. He went over to her “Sure, let’s head to my ready room.” He said reassuringly as he led the way. He knew Tallie and the way she was acting was not normal, though he didn’t know what was going on he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

To be continued…

Michael led Tallie to the ready room and sat her down. “Can I get you something to drink?” he was trying to do anything to relax her that he could. She was visibly distressed and he had never seen her that way in the past year he had worked with her. 

Tallie smiled “No, Captain I am ok. I just had something happen that I need to talk to you about. I don’t know if it’s connected, but I need to get it off my chest.” 

Michael nodded and sat down activating the privacy setting for his ready room, as he did the windows were dimmed, the door was locked, and the system did not allow anyone to chime at the door. He had only used it once, but this seemed to call for it. “Alright Tallie, what’s going on? I have never seen you under such stress?”

Tallie started fidgeting with her hands as she tried to find the words “So before I came to the bridge I had taken your advice to sleep and well it didn’t go great I had a nightmare one where I don’t want to rehash the finer points of all I saw, but what I did see was the whole crew dead. When I found you…you were almost dead but you were clutching a PADD that had a symbol. I’d truly never seen it before, but now I researched it and I need to show you.” She grabbed the PADD she had and handed it to him. 

Michael took the PADD and saw the symbol immediately he froze. He knew that symbol, but what did it mean? “I can’t say what the dream means, but thank you for bringing this to my attention. We will definitely proceed with caution from now on.”

Tallie looked at him “So could this be a problem?”

Michael paused “This changes the approach to this mission. We need to stay on our feet, but for now, let’s keep this between us. I don’t want to incite panic in the crew. At least not if it’s just a weird coincidence.”

Tallie nodded “Understood, Sir. Thank you for always listening.”

Michael smiled “I will be here at any point you need me.”

Tallie nodded and stood up. It was time for her to actually get some reports “Can I be dismissed, Sir? I need to catch up on paperwork for the ship.” 

Michael nodded and watched Tallie walk out. ‘If what she showed me was the truth this could get complicated very fast.’

Michael tapped his fingers on his desk impatient for some update in regards to what was going on. His mind flashed to fifteen minutes earlier “What do you mean the computer can’t identify the vessel?” The reply was long and convoluted, but suffice it to say the nebula was making the sensors haywire. He was surprised the ship was still functioning with all the excuses the teams had thrown at him. He rubbed his temples as the thrum of the ship’s systems seemed to calm his anxiousness. After the conversation with Tallie, he couldn’t help but be cautious. 

A chime at the door interrupted his stewing as the door whooshed open he saw an unexpected face. His assistant chief engineer Blade. It was rare to even see Blade out of engineering; he practically lived there. When he did come out of hibernation it usually was severe. Michael stood up to greet the Lieutenant. “Blade, how can I help you? It’s rare to see you out and about. Is everything ok?” 

The Swedish man smirked “Of course, I figured maybe I should come check in given the scuttlebutt I’ve heard regarding where we are and what’s going on. Is there anything I can do to help?” the man asked in a slightly different manner than usual. It was like Blade knew that the issues that had befell the Neptune were important and they needed to be resolved if at all possible. 

Michael shook his head “It seems as though we are not going to be able to get any closer to the ships that we discovered upon our arrival. The nebula is volatile and could harm them or us. It’s not a chance I’m willing to take, especially not knowing the unknown variables.” 

Blade thought for a minute “There is the possibility of recalibrating the shields to the same atmosphere of the nebula, but I’d need more information on the nebula’s composition and I can’t guarantee that the shield’s integrity would hold for extended periods of time. This could be a long and drawn out process to make it there and back on multiple occasions.”

Michael had to admit that Blade was resourceful though most engineers wouldn’t dare to even try such a crazy maneuver, but his record spoke for itself. “Alright, let’s look into it, but if there is any indication of danger that we cannot mitigate we will not move further with this plan is that understood?”

Blade gave a solitary nod “Of course, Captain.”

Michael tapped his comm badge “Commander Kra’vaak, please report to my ready room immediately.” 

Kra’vaak acknowledged and headed for the ready room, though he was unsure as to the request he always complied. After Michael saved his brother’s life as well as his own he could never repay the man, but their friendship seemed to help both of them. He made it to the ready room and seeing Lieutenant Kristofsen was a surprise. “Blade, this is a surprise. Captain, I am reporting as ordered, though seeing Blade here I feel like you need my assistance.”

Michael nodded “I need you to prepare a probe to the specifications of the Lieutenant here. This is important so please follow his instructions.” 

Orders like this were not something to question if Michael gave instructions to follow others Kra’vaak knew that he needed to do exactly as the Captain requested. “As you order, Sir.”

Michael looked at both men “Dismissed, I expect an update in an hour.” Michael watched the two men leave then realized he needed to update the Fleet Captain on the current state of affairs. He wasn’t used to having to report to someone quite like this. He did admit the Fleet Captain was competent and her knowledge was unmatched; it showed why she had been promoted to this position. He tapped his comm badge “Ryder to Tomuya, can you come to my ready room when you have a moment.” 

Mero was in the new quarters that had been made specifically for her on the Neptune. It wasn’t the Ritz-Carlton, but it would do. She was looking through sector reports when she heard the call from Ryder. It was the first time he had called for her and she was wondering what it could be about. They had a rocky start when she came on the ship, but she had been trying to smooth that over. She acknowledged the message and headed for his ready room. 

Upon arrival she could tell something was on his mind “Is everything ok?” she said as she took a seat. 

Michael didn’t gesture, he stood up and started walking around the room “We are trying to ascertain the information on how to traverse the nebula and the team is launching a probe to get that information, but I think we could have much bigger problems.” 

Mero looked at him puzzled. “What do you mean?” she didn’t know how else to respond. He was obviously stressed about something that she had no idea or an indication of what it was. Only a few hours ago he was calm and looked like he was ready for anything. 

Michael stopped for a moment and handed her the PADD in his hand. As she took the PADD her face turned pale and she looked back at Michael “What…why…why is this being shown to me?”

Michael proceeded to explain the situation and what had happened an hour prior. Through the update, Mero stayed calm and collected trying to figure out just what it all meant. She wasn’t sure but this was an omen if ever she saw one. “I agree with the statement of being cautious, but let’s not spread panic on the ship. If this is an issue let’s make sure it’s true first.”

Michael nodded “I agree, but I just wanted to make sure that you were well aware of any action or information before it occurs. While I am not used to having someone over me I am trying to acclimate in the best way possible. We had a rough start and I want to make sure that this arrangement stays successful for as long as it can.”

Mero smiled; it was the one thing she had hoped for. Michael was one of the best officers she had worked with in such a small amount of time. His understanding of his job made him the person she chose to be her Division XO. It helped that he had been the CO of the Neptune. “It is new for both of us, but I think this is going to be a successful partnership.”

Michael nodded and was about to speak when a voice came over the comm badge “Captain, can you report to the bridge we are ready for you.” He acknowledged and looked at Mero who nodded and they proceeded to the bridge for an update. 

“Captain on the bridge” was the announcement as Mero and Michael entered the bridge. The bridge crew had shifted but Blade, Xiao, Kra’vaak, and Tallie were all present on the bridge. The main crew had been told to get some rest since they had been on duty for over 20 hrs. 

Michael looked over at Blade “Please tell me you have good news.” Blade nodded “I am happy to say that your trust in me has not been misplaced. I was able to change the shields’ harmonics and frequencies to traverse the nebula; however, we will only be able to stay in the nebula 40 minutes at a time if we don’t want severe damage to the ship. I also deduced that comms to the other ships would only be possible if we were about 75 meters from the ships. This poses another problem though because the apertures could cause the ship to be sucked into the unknown.” 

Xiao spoke up at this point “Sir, I was able to discover these apertures are being created from the Underspace. Usually, we do not see this happen it seems a rare occurrence and from reports, these are occurring around the Fourth Fleet. If we approach those apertures we need to be extremely careful. The anchor point seems to be the strongest, but if we close the points around it we could potentially close it.”

Michael listened closely with Mero also paying close attention; this whole situation was something they didn’t normally encounter, but the nebula added another issue as well. “This is interesting, have we figured out who these ships belong to?” 

Kra’vaak cleared his throat “I think I know, but I’m not sure that any of us want to hear the answer. In fact, this is probably the most unprecedented thing to ever happen. These ships come from the Delta Quadrant. My only explanation is that they traveled through Underspace. The truth is we need to now proceed with extreme caution.”

Michael looked at the bridge crew and his stomach churned as he had a feeling of who Kra’vaak was going to say who inhabited the ships. “OK, you’ve given us all the information except who it is. So I guess I’ll ask the question we have all been wondering. Who is it?”

Kra’vaak swallowed and spoke “The ships belong to beings of the Vidiian Sodality. While I cannot say if these are the vidiians cured of the phage I recommend we exercise extreme caution from this point on.” 

Tallie heard the words and almost got sick. ‘This is my nightmare coming to pass before my eyes.’ She looked at the crew who looked like they had heard the worst news possible. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but this was not the news any of them wanted to hear. 

To be continued…

The darkness on the ship was still present with barely any light coming into the ship. The halls filled with the faint smell of death. The ship was in itself a casket holding the last two survivors or so it seemed. The truth was no communication had been made with the other ships and from all indications there was no life. Scanners couldn’t detect lifesigns and from indications the truth was much worse. 

Zodot sat at the desk his fist clenched as the pain within coursed through his entire body. A pain he had been taught to endure for years. A pain that no matter he accepted. The truth was if something wasn’t done soon Hena would die and Zodot couldn’t allow that to happen. He loved her and would give even his own life for the safety of hers. He looked over where she was sleeping. The pain had been excruciating for her the past few hours and he wanted to give her relief. ‘This ship could have the answer.’ He smiled knowing how much pleasure he would get harvesting organs. In a way it was a pleasure for him. He was in his own right a monster. 

Hena lay on the sofa trying to rest but the pain was worse than before. If anything she would be dead in the next few hours. They had been sitting on the ship for two days and without the organs they had planned to take she knew she was going to die. In her own way though she was at peace about the ordeal. She had been wanting peace and no pain for so long yet Zodot had promised just that she always had a small feeling it was too good to be true. 

Zodot was the leader and they had followed him with no question thinking he would make a better life for them. Hena had fallen in love with them, but over the past months she had realized the monster he was. She had harvested solely to keep herself alive, but Zodot did it for pleasure and it was getting worse. He would kill a whole ship and not care that it wasn’t needed if it satiated his desire that was all he cared about. He said he loved her, but the truth was she didn’t know what to believe, but she knew she had to get away from him even if that meant dying. 

The darkness on the ship seemed even worse with the red tint reminding her that the end was coming even if she didn’t want it to come. 

Zodot looked at her and through the pain he smiled ‘We will get out of this. I’m not sure how but we will.’ 

The Neptune slowly made its way into the nebula with the calculations of Lieutenant Kristofsen the shield was seeming to hold, though Captain Ryder was not wanting to take chances. With the approval of Tomuya they crept towards the enemy they now knew. 

Lieutenant Amanda Kennedy had arrived on the bridge twenty minutes prior to the ship making the daring trip into the nebula. She had offered her expertise in maneuvering the ship and now sat at the console of the flight controller. As she watched the ship move towards the ships her stomach twisted into knots. The truth was she had heard of the Vidiians, but she never wanted to meet them. This was a rare encounter and one that she would rather have never happened. Her thoughts snapped back when she heard the voice of Ryder asking for a update. “Time to arrival is 4 minutes.” she stated as she watched the ship creep ever closer to the aperture and ships. 

Ryder didn’t like doing this, but there was no other way to learn the intentions of the other ship. The truth was he didn’t know how many vidiians were alive. “Can we detect life signs now?” he turned and asked Xiao.

Xiao looked at the console and could see a faint readout from the information. He nodded “According to scans only two life signs aboard any of the vessels.” The fact that only two lifesigns were shown put Xiao’s mind at ease because it wasn’t an army they would be encountering.

The Neptune arrived at the coordinates closer to the enemy and now within range to open comms. 

Ryder nodded and looked at Tomuya “It seems it’s time to make an introduction would you like the honors?” 

The Fleet Captain nodded “Well this is not the usual greeting, but I suppose we can see what happens.” She sighed and looked at the crew before ordering the opening of comms. She wasn’t sure the best approach. She took a deep breath “Unknown vessel, this is Fleet Captain Mero Tomuya of the Federation starship USS Neptune here to render aid in any possible manner.” 

She looked over at Ryder now it was out of their hands they had announced themselves and now they knew exactly who they were. This was either the smartest decision ever made or the worst either way they were going to know soon. 

Zodot heard the voice over the ships comms and smiled. It was now their chance, but how could he approach this diplomatically? He looked at Hena “Will you answer them? It won’t reveal me and will allow me to sneak on the ship if they render the aid for us to come aboard.” 

Hena nodded because she couldn’t do much else right now, but to bide her time for the right opportunity “Of course my dear.” she responded as she used her strength to stand. She made her way to the console and activated the comms “This is vidiian citizen Hena. I have no idea how I ended up here, but the truth is I’m not going to be here much longer. I bring no threat to you or your ship, but request at least a place to die in peace.”

Zodot looked at her and nodded. It was a convincing story, but even if they accepted they would wonder about the other lifesign. He would be cloaked at that point and would start his rampage after he saved Hena. 

Ryder heard the voice of the woman and looked at Tomuya again “Well this is not what was expected what should we do?” The truth was this was a dilemma letting a person known to kill others for their survival. The last thing they needed was mass murderers on their ship. 

And then he remembered Tallie’s dream and it started to make sense. What most of the crew didn’t know was that Tallie had saved Ryder through a dream during the encounter with the Romulans. The dream revealed the Romulans wanted to kill him and if Tallie had not told him he probably would have died. It was why he took the dream she had so seriously. Most would have told her to take some xanax and go to bed, but Ryder knew better. If her dream was any indication then the crew would be in danger, but could he deny someone peace?

The ethical dilemma was something a Captain hated but had to deal with in the job. He looked at Tomuya “Lets honor her wish, but add security and make sure sensors are on a constant scan. She didn’t mention the other one and we don’t know what to expect.”

The bridge crew nodded and prepared for the arrival of the vidiian. Whatever was going to happen seemed to be coming soon. While the crew had ethical dilemmas about the actions taken they didn’t have time to debate the finer points. Now they had to prepare for the unknown.

The biggest worry was could they trust the person called Hena. A vidiian with emotion could be just as much of a problem as a vidiian who just wanted to murder them. The ethics behind this mission were unlike any Ryder had witnesses in the past and he was still unsure as to what he was going to do when he encountered this vidiian. This was the issue that he had hoped as a Captain he would never have to make. Now that it had come the truth was he didn’t know if he could make the right decision.

Captain Ryder stood in the transporter room waiting for the arrival of the Vidiian named Hena. The ship had a feeling of tension because of the situation the ship had found itself in. The crew had been told to watch closely when the visitor arrived. The ship had already been put into a silent yellow alert as the trust of vidiians was low. Ryder’s stomach was in knots as he waited. He jumped when the doors opened, bringing the arrival of the Fleet Captain who smirked at the skittish nature of the Captain. “Are you ok?” she asked. Ryder shook his head “I’m not sure I guess we will see when I have a better idea of what is going to happen.”

Zodot and Hena stood in the office of the ship and prepared for the transport to the Federation ship. “We will set the system to bring us back in a set amount of time. I do not wish to stay on the ship any longer than we need to. As soon as we have concluded our business I want to come back to the ship.” Zodot ordered. While assistance could be useful he still did not want it or did he? Was all of this a ruse for the true nature of a plan that had been formulated? Hena nodded “Listen if we don’t make it through this I need you to know something.” she was stopped by Zodot “Let’s not even go there. We will come back, I know it.” he smiled at her and took a deep breath as the view around him changed.

Ryder watched as not one but two figures began to materialize in front of him. He looked at Lieutenant Kennedy, the ship’s Security Chief; she looked disapprovingly at the news that not one but two Vidiians were now on the ship. She didn’t want one of them on the ship now the ship had two of the most dangerous species from the Delta Quadrant. She sighed and silently notified her security officers to be on watch. Michael stepped forward in the most diplomatic way he could. “Welcome to the Neptune, I am Captain Ryder. Is there anything we can do to help you personally? We have medical personnel on standby, food replicators, and anything else we can offer to make this experience more comfortable.” He wasn’t sure if that would matter to the Vidiians, but he figured there was no reason to not be diplomatic; they had not shown hostile intent and currently both ships were in a predicament. 

Zodot was the first to speak up “We could use some medicine to abate the pain currently. We know you have dealt with our kind before and any help to the pain would be appreciated.” Hena stood there silent just listening before speaking up “I would like some food we haven’t eaten for a few days.” she was longing for food even through the pain she had been dealing with which seemed to be getting worse. She did not know how long she had to live, but she knew for now it didn’t matter. 

Ryder smiled “We will do the best we can.” he looked at the escorts in the room “Can you please take them to the doctor than to the mess hall to get some food. I will be along shortly.” The tertiary nod came from the escorts as they led the two guests out of the transporter room and Ryder turned to Tomuya and Kennedy “Well, that went better than expected, but I am still not quite sure if we can trust them. If the past has shown us anything they usually are hostile, but that was the Voyager’s encounter with them. Kennedy, have you learned anything from your research regarding them?” he asked, looking at his security chief.

Kennedy shook her head “The information we have regarding the Vidiians is slim and what we have seen they have never been…civil. This is not like an encounter we have seen in the past so I am not sure what we can do to expect what could happen. I guess we should use the old adage “expect the unexpected.” All I can say is we continue to exercise extreme caution.” Michael nodded and looked at Tomuya to see if she had any input “I cannot say anything other than what Kennedy said because this is such a unique situation. We did lock down the bridge though, correct?” Amanda nodded.

Dr al-Assad was working on his medical reports when the two guests arrived and his eyes widened; he had only ever heard of the Vidiians, but this was the first time ever seeing one. He had heard the reports that they were coming but he hadn’t believed it. He stood up and walked over to them “Welcome I am Dr. Tahir al-Assad. How can I be of assistance?” 

Zodot had to admit the ship was incredible, but that didn’t change their purpose. As they walked into sickbay the doctor’s greeting sent chills up his spine as he remembered doctors in the past “If you could help find something to suppress the pain that would be the biggest help.” he said looking at Hena who he knew was in major pain. al-Assad nodded “I will need to do a quick scan to see how I might be able to help.” he said as he guided them to the beds nearby so he could conduct the scans. He tried to make them as comfortable as possible knowing the pain they must be in. He initiated the scan and looked through the information amazed the Vidiians were even alive. He didn’t know half of the physiology he was looking at, but this was a situation where he was trying to help the unknown elements. He began to think through his medical training to see if he could help them in any way. He found a solution that could help for a time. “I think I have found something that will be able to help with the pain for some time and can send some extra with you if it will help.”

Hena was first to speak up “You could do that?” al-Assad nodded “That is what our job is to help others in need plus all it can do is help with the pain it will never be able to take everything away.” he stopped seeing the Captain enter sickbay and acknowledged him. “Have you been able to render any assistance, Doctor?” he asked. “I will be able to give them something to help with the pain, but as we know there is nothing I can do to change the eventual outcome.” Ryder nodded and looked at the Vidiians “Hopefully this is able to help some. My engineers have been looking at your ship and your ship sustained minor damage which was easily fixed. They beamed to your engineering and fixed it then promptly left.”

Zodot looked at Hena worried the engineer saw all the dead bodies on the ship, but it seemed like engineering had been empty at that time or they just didn’t want to mention the full report, which seemed to be the more accurate of the two outcomes. As the doctor administered the medicine the pain did seem to cease and Zodot felt the best he had in awhile. “Thank you very much,” he replied. Ryder smiled “Can we at least get the names so we know how to address you? I recall the woman saying her name is Hena, but what is your name?” Zodot looked at Ryder and replied with the singular word “Zodot.”

Ryder nodded “Well, Zodot and Hena would you like some food?” He wanted to make sure there was nothing to indicate hostility. Zodot looked at Hena who nodded “We could use something to eat.” Zodot was calculating in his head how much longer before the system pulled them back to their ship. The help had been great and the fact that the ship had been repaired helped them, but with no one else surviving they needed to get back to the Delta Quadrant. The truth was the whole point of being on the ship had bigger meaning and though they had acted innocent they had bigger motives. 

Ryder led them towards the mess hall to help to satiate their hunger. His stomach had stopped churning because everything seemed to be ok and all seemed like it was going smooth. He was about to enter the mess hall when he felt the hands of someone grab him and before he knew it he saw a new view, one that was not the Neptune. “What is the meaning of this?” he asked, struggling. “Stop struggling or you’re dead.” Zodot said his demeanor was different from only minutes ago. 

The truth was Zodot and Hena had planned this from the beginning while it seemed they were helpless and wanted help the true Vidiian nature had come to light. Now they needed to leave quickly especially after kidnapping the Captain of a Federation vessel. He looked at Hena “My love, let’s get out of here.” he said. She smiled “Only one way to go currently, you ready for the result.” he nodded. Ryder looked at them shaking his head “So your true colors were this all along?” he said in anger. Zodot hit him on the head knocking him unconscious. 

The security officers that had been behind the two Vidiians had not expected the events that occurred so quickly. They immediately opened comms “Lieutenant Davis to Chief Kennedy, the guests have left the ship and they kidnapped the Captain.” Amanda immediately sprinted to the bridge hearing the news seeing the XO on the bridge. She looked out the window to see the ship it still had not moved. Commander Lewis heard the call and called for an immediate red alert. The bridge was bathed in crimson red and the crew was prepared for a fight, as the crew watched the ship trying to determine what was going to happen the one phrase no one wanted to hear was uttered “The ship is powering up.” Lewis looked at the viewscreen seeing the ship head towards the aperture. She was about to call the Fleet Captain to the bridge when the bridge doors opened with Tomuya entering the room with a look of serious concern on her face. Not a word needed spoken as the ship disappeared into the aperture.

Lewis looked at the Fleet Captain with an indication of what to do as she was still shocked by the events that had just unfolded in front of him. Tomuya looked at the crew “This is an unprecedented and vicious attack of the Captain. We may not know what is inside of the aperture, but we will be following the Vidiians to save Captain Ryder. Prepare for impulse and head towards the aperture.” she ordered looking at Lewis who nodded “In the meantime Commander Lewis will be the ships acting CO. Let’s go save the Captain.” 

The Neptune slowly began to creep towards the opening with the crew not knowing what was about to happen, the view ahead terrifying and the Captain in the hands of unethical serial killers. The ship slipped into the aperture in full chase. The crew did not know where the aperture would lead or what was coming but the rescue of the Captain was paramount to anything else. In mere seconds the Neptune was gone from the Alpha Quadrant now trying to navigate the volatile corridors of Underspace to rescue their Captain.