Captains Personal Log:

“It’s been six days now since the apparent attack on a secret Romulan prison facility referred to as Ty Shyla, by the Klingon’s.  I use the word ‘apparent’ as the whole situation doesn’t sit right.  Call it a gut feeling or a growing suspicion of everything going on around me. No, I may be just paranoid, but if one Klingon house had designs on crushing another; would they really take this sort of trouble to attack a prison.  Why not just leave them to rot.”

“Pause log.” 

Lieutenant Jason Devron sat back in his chair.  He was missing something; he’d felt that was the case when he’d sent in his report.  Someone was playing games.  By attacking a facility that didn’t officially exist, no one could complain about the loss of it.  But what of the prisoners though; none of whose details they’d been able to retrieve from the computers at Ty Shyla.  Data entries, logs, even the recorded video images from the cameras had all been either deleted or heavily corrupted.  The decision to inform the Klingon High Command had been put on hold; there was enough tension in the air already.  He didn’t like the thought of keeping it a secret, but did understand the reasoning behind it. 

Jason was about to continue with his personal log, when there was a buzz at the door.  He straightened out his uniform jacket and made a quick check that his hair was in reasonable order, before granting whoever was outside his quarter’s access.  It was doctor Andrianakis; she seemed a little concerned about something, he recognised the look.

“Is something the matter doc?”  He asked, offering her the only other seat in the room.

“I could ask the same about you.” She replied. “You’ve been a bit quiet these past few days.  Ever since we left that prison.” 

Jason clasped his hands together in his lap. “Yeah I know and I’m sorry.  All that death just seemed so pointless.”  He looked at the back of those hands, those hands that had killed; those hands that had snuffed out the life of one individual in a pointless and brutal way.  Other scares were healing, a few were just sad and bitter memories, but this one ran deep and cut right into his heart.  Being forced into killing his own grandfather by the influence of the Borg had completely changed Devron’s view of life and death.  The Ensign who’d first boarded the USS Jaxartes may have been a bit to headstrong and sure of himself, a bit too ready to rush into the fight.  But then Salan the Vulcan commanding officer who’d selected him for the crew had understood that; had known how to temper the brash eagerness and mould him into a more measured individual, that took the time to study the situation and how to face it.  Eight months had shown him a lot; mainly about himself and his own abilities.

Andrianakis waited; she seemed to sense Devron was deep in thought.  She knew exactly when his mind returned to the present, and the slight flush of the cheeks with embarrassment for drifting off with his memories. “If I tell you what I have to say, you won’t think I’ve gone made will you?”

“Phoebe, I will never thing you’re mad.” He’d used her first name, something he never did if someone else was around whilst they were both on duty.

“We need to get to Harpers Rift.” There, she’d said it; plan and simple, after mulling over the best way to approach this conversation; since waking up this morning.  “Don’t ask me why.  It’s just a feeling and I can’t explain it to you.” 

Jason had heard of Harpers Rift; another one of those dangerous anomalies were sensors didn’t work and ships got themselves lost if they ventured too deep.  It wasn’t that far away in regards to galactic distances; four days travel at most.  Was this what that member of the ‘Q’ Continuum had been referring to when he’d said Andrianakis had an important role to play in the future?  Had that time finally arrived?  He grabbed both her hands in his. “I trust you.”

Those three words probably meant more to the young Greek woman at that moment than any other words so far spoken to her.  She felt the weight of worry lift from her shoulders, and did something neither of them would have expected; she kissed him, right on the lips.  Surprise and realisation entered both their minds simultaneously, followed by embarrassment and red faces.  They looked way, focusing on anything in the room but each other; though her hands were still in his.

“I.” It was the only word that came from Phoebe’s lips, nearly a minute later.

“It’s ok you don’t need to apologise.” Jason tried his best to sound comforting and reassuring.  “We’d better get this ship moving though.”  He smiled and jumped up out of his chair heading out the door and towards the Bridge.  Leaving her to think about what she’d just done.

            **********

There it was before them; the slowly swirling mass of pinks, purples, reds and blues, known as Harpers Rift.  It wasn’t the largest gas cloud by any stretch of the imagination, but it was no less strange and mysterious than any other.  Attempts to scan it revealed very little; other ships had done so in the past, with more success.  None though had ever penetrated into its heart.  Well may be one, but that had been 135 years ago, and much about it was confusing.  Any information was based solely on the crazed ramblings of one man, whose name this cloud bore.  Few had probably ever heard of Captain Alex Harper and the crew of the USS Kinshasa.  The Saladin class destroyer had gone missing in October of 2265; her captain was discovered near the rift in a damaged shuttle craft in August of the following year.  No trace of the Kinshasa or the rest of her 197 crew had ever been found.

Captain Harper claimed they’d travelled into the rift and discovered it was a gateway to another universe.  The ship; already damaged by its transit through the rift, was attacked and boarded.  He’d been confused and rather vague about the details of his capture or what had happened to any of the other crew.  Somehow he’d managed to escape and return in a shuttlecraft.  There were those that believed the whole story had been fabricated to cover up his incompetence.  Whatever the case, Harper never set foot on another star ship for the rest of his life.

Lieutenant Devron sat forward in his Captains seat watching the cloud on the main view screen.  He’d managed to convince the crew to follow his instructions and head this way, despite not being able to give them any real details.  They trusted him, but that trust would be tested if nothing happened.  He’d neglected to tell them this was solely based on a feeling by the doctor; he would take full responsibility for the whole situation.

Two hours past agonisingly slowly, with none sign of anything happening.  So when doctor Andrianakis stepped on to the bridge a few minutes later, Devron figured it would be now or never.

“I’m picking up an odd reading from within the cloud.”  Announced the Cardassian Tactical Officer, as he monitored his screen.  “Unknown object approaching at sub-light.  Hold it, make that three.”

“Any details on size, course, heading?” Devron enquired.

“They look to be small two person craft, though life signs aren’t registering due to interference.”  Tholakath continued.  “Baring 030 mark 045.”

“First vessel should reach the edge of the cloud in fifteen minutes at current course and speed.”  Add C’Rren from his science station.

“Lieutenant Stuart, bring us around to intercept.” The Captain requested. “Yellow Alert; shields up. Ensign Cho, can you raise any of those ships.”

“Negative sir; I’m getting no response on all hailing frequencies.”  The Communications Officer informed him.  Devron asked her to keep trying, as he knew she would.

More information was slowly coming to light, as the time passed and the distance between the USS Jaxartes and the three unknown vessels was reduced. 

“Sir the second and third vessels appear to be firing upon the lead one.” Tholakath reported a short while later. “The cloud is possibly interfering with their targeting systems.” 

“Go to Red Alert.” Commanded Devron. “Prepare to fire warning shots first, and disable the two hostile craft if they don’t take the hint.”

The three small ships exited the cloud one after the other; each was around twice the size of a Valkyrie, dart like in shape with three equidistant fins at the tail, with a photon torpedo sized pod glowing purple, and attached to the tip of each fin.  Those pods were most likely the vessels means of propulsion.  Once out of the cloud the aim of the other two craft improved dramatically.  A direct hit on the lead vessel caused its uppermost engine pod to spark with light, and then go completely black. 

Warning shots went unheeded, but when the forward phasers of the ‘Jax’ struck one of the two ships, they both turned and bolted for the relative safety of the cloud.

“Do we pursue?” Asked Stuart.

“No, number one; let them run.” Replied her Captain.  “Hopefully our friend here can shed light on what going on.”  He pointed at the now lone ship on the screen, which evidently feeling free of immediate danger was rapidly slowing down.  Its maroon coloured hull bore a couple of scorch makes from the energy weapons used by its attackers, but otherwise apart from the damaged engine, seemed in fairly good shape.

“I’m getting an incoming message from the unidentified ship Captain.” Cho informed him a moment later.

“On screen.”

The image took a moment to resolve itself on the main viewer; but when it did, the face that looked back at the bridge crew and doctor Andrianakis was definitely not one they would have expected to see. Certainly not here and now and in a situation like this.  No, this was a very unexpected development.

<< To be continued…. >>