The chestnut brown liquid sloshed in foamy waves, rolling back and forth against the dark metal sides of the small cup as it landed on the edge of David Mitchell’s console. The impact causing a high-pitched ring to chase two errant eruptions of coffee as they made a bid to defy physics and escape the steaming mug, only to find themselves caught by the cruel grasp of the gravity generators and were drawn back downwards, coming to rest on the dark surface of the Science Officer’s console. 

“Eyma, will you please be careful.” David hissed, blotting the console with the hem of his uniform. “I’m trying to concentrate.”

“I know.” She sighed, lifting her own mug to her lips. “That’s why I got you the coffee, I thought your tongue might be cold.”

Satisfied the surface was now free of intrusive liquid David returned his attention to scanning the data streams, barely acknowledging the young woman looking up at him from the lower level. “Why on earth would my tongue be cold?”

“Well, you do that thing with your tongue when you’re concentrating.” In the corner of his eye, he could see as she furrowed her brow and thrust a surprisingly large section of her pink tongue forward through her red lips, teasing the young man’s unconscious habit. “You look like a Minnicick Beast from Ashingort VII.” She leant forwards, her tongue hovering above the edge of the console where the coffee had been moments earlier as she began imitating the omnivorous beast. “’Ey ‘ook for ’ugs wi’ ‘eir ong’” 

He reached out and attempted to brush her away from his work console. “I have no idea what you’re going on about.”

“’Ugs!” she announced loudly around her curled tongue. 

“I got that. I’m saying that I don’t…” He looked up from his console, pausing the data stream with his hand, to find Eyma peeking out from behind the grey beading of the console like a child playing at animals. Her slim green fingers rolled over the metallic edge like claws, one eye peeking out from her long fringe, drawn across as a mock hiding place. “That’s hardly appropriate for the bridge Eyma, don’t you have things to be doing?”

Without breaking character she pointed to the conn position, a short piece of unassuming hemp rope laid across the top line of the console. He looked back at her with a shrug. “I…”

Ending, what she considered, a masterful performance for a moment she leant on the console edge. “I’ve tied the tiller off. We’re stationary at the edge of the Badlands David… there isn’t a lot for me to do.”

“So you thought you would come bother me?” David’s hand was already reaching to resume the data feed. “When I actually do have important things to do.”

“Exactly, plus Bib keeps doing laps of the bridge and its making me nervous.” She tilted her head over the far side of the bridge where the tall Andorian was hovering over the shoulder of a young ensign at the engineering console, the fresh-faced officer looking like a hare waiting to be swept up by a waiting bird of prey as the Commander silently observed him. “He just keeps doing loops, I don’t think he’s even sat in the chair yet.” 

“Maybe he likes his chair.”

“Or maybe he’s nervous.”

“This isn’t the first time he’s been in command.” David felt himself leaping to the man’s defence, an old habit that was hard to shake. They had been through more than one ringer together and David would fight anyone who had a bad word against the Andorian, or at the very least give them a stern talking to. 

“But it is the first time the Captain’s been across the quadrant.” Eyma’s eyebrows climbed her forehead as she made her argument. Captain Tanek had taken the opportunity to visit family on Denobula whilst Helios was assigned as test platform for the visiting group from Starfleet Corps of Engineers. Since the risks associated with the mission was low, Commander Bib had been given the temporary command whilst the elder man was taking some well-earned leave. 

“He’s responsible for everything and everyone on the ship, it’s a lot to have to take on. And he wants us to do a good job, he wants to make a good impression. He wants Tanek to be proud.”

Eyma’s eyebrows swung swiftly down as her eyes narrowed, the high record of Everest remained safe, for now. “That seems very insightful.” She leant further into the young man’s console, hoping pressure would finally elicit a confession from him. The inquisative woman had a keen eye for truth telling and an unfortunate sweet tooth for gossip, being well known throughout the crew to have rooted out the truth of more than one rumour. David imagined her dressed like the private investigators in the holonovels, magnifying glass in one hand, notebook in the other, a trilby atop her head. “That seems like insider knowledge.” David subdued a squirm, pressing it down through his knees and into the deck. Eyma had recently taken an interest into the histories of several crew members who transferred from Daedalus and she remained adamant that David and Bib had ‘crossed paths’ at some point. She was right of course, both Nestus and Daedalus were small ships and Theta Squad undertook dangerous missions, it was only natural that deeper relationships had formed over time. David clenched his jaw, he refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing the truth or that every now and again, when one too many drinks had been consumed in the ships bar The Solarium, it continued. 

Out of the corner of his eye David noticed a small yellow light began flashing on Eyma’s wide console, set at the front of the bridge, quietly attempting to summon her attention. “I think someone wants you.” David pointed across the room.

“You don’t get rid of me that easily.” She reached across his console to the multifunction panel at it’s end. “Commlink from Pheobe.” A few buttons and a series of beeps indicated the channel was open. “Go ahead, this is Eyma.”

“Have you given up yet?” came the disembodied voice of Heliades flight commander. “I’m getting bored out here.”

“I’d be finding you a lot quicker if I wasn’t being interrupted.” David cast a scowl at the Orion Lieutenant. 

“It’s not looking hopeful for this new system then is it?” Somewhere far out amongst the plasma storms of the Badlands, the Trill woman sat in the cockpit of her Valkyrie class shuttle, her systems depowered waiting to be spotted by the new sensor platform currently taking up space in the ships’ battle pod.

“With respect Commander we’re still in the data gathering stage. Once we have the predictive models built it’ll be much quicker to track objects by their kinetic disruptions.”  David had resumed scrolling the data, satisfied that his grilling from Eyma was at an end. 

“That doesn’t make this bit any less boring.”

“If it helps you’re creating very useful data.” David smiled, it was useful data but he could understand the senior officers frustration. Like Eyma the pilots of Heliades squadron yearned to fly, sitting still buffeted by plasma wakes wasn’t in their nature. 

“I shall have to be content with that then Lieutenant.” Pheobe’s distant voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, “Eyma, has he sat in the chair yet?

“That’s a big old negative sir.” the young lieutenant whispered back, leaning into the console. 

“Damn. I had today in the pool.” The senior officers had a friendly bet going about when Commander Bib would finally feel comfortable to sit in the Captain’s that loomed thronelike in the centre of the bridge. “Keep me updated. I’ll… well, I’ll be here. Pheobe Out.”

“Why don’t you just bring the sensor palettes online for a look?” the impatient child was beginning to take hold of Eyma, her fingers dancing a tap number across the top of the console absentmindedly. 

“That sort of defeats the point of the experiment Eyma.” David gently chastised.

“Just a little look and then we can change things up a bit, move locations around. You don’t even have to use our sensors, just a quick dip into Hercules sensors. They must be as bored as us.” The runabout remained on station above Helios dorsal plane, keeping over watch with her own sensors whilst the ships main arrays were taken offline to facilitate the experiment. 

“They’ve got lots to do, they’re keeping an eye out for other ships, for spatial anomalies…” David was cut off as the bridge rocked violently, shaking his unwanted coffee cup from the console and onto the pale blue carpet that lined the bridge. A series of red lights that ringed the room automatically began flashing, as a klaxon alert tone began to echo throughout the corridors of the ships. 

“Report!” Bib was already standing on the bridge’s central dais, his hands clutching the back of the chair he refused to sit in. 

“Unknown spatial anomaly forming ahead. Attempting to secure link with Hercules.” David began rapidly entering commands, dismissing the scrolling data as he attempted to draw on the runabouts digital eyes only to find a confusing mess of nonsensical data filling his screen. 

Eyma rushed back to the Conn, calling up system commands in preparation to retreat. “We are being drawn towards it, Commander. Attempting to compensate with reverse thrust.”

“Signal Pheobe, call her back, emergency landings authorised.” he called across his shoulder to Oyvo at operations who responded with a nod before the deck shook again, causing red and mustard shouldered officers to stumble to the floor as the lights flickered in rapid bursts. “Helm, full reserve. Any data from Hercules?” His head turned to look at David, a mote of panic dancing deep behind his pale icy eyes. 

David didn’t look up, his fingers continue to fly across the console as he isolated wave lengths and frequencies, attempting to pull any sense from the torrent of information pouring through the runabout’s sensors. “Theres too much information for the runabouts systems to interpret, it’s some sort of gravitational anomaly, massive quantum fluctuations, neutrino flares, an unstable wormhole?”

“Reverse impulse having no effect, we are continuing to be drawn forward into the accretion disk. It’s also drawing in substantial amounts of unstable plasma from the surrounding area.” Eyma interrupted from the conn. 

“Oyvo, route all available power to engines. Get us free, even if you have to burn them out to do so. Where’s Pheobe?” 

“On return vector now.” the Xindi Operations officer called from her station at the rear of the bridge, the sound of groaning deck plates and structural members slowly becoming audible alongside the resonant hum of impulse engines through the bulkheads, forcing her to begin to shout. “Eyma, you have everything I can give.”

“Going full astern. Hang on!”

The deck jerked suddenly as the thrum of Helios’ powerful impulse engines began to drag the vessel desperately away from the anomaly. Their hot red claws digging into the fabric of space, attempting to heave the bulky cruiser from the angry maw that hung beyond bow. Everyone on the bridge held their breath. “No luck, we continue to be drawn in.”

“David, any idea what we’re in for?” Bib announced, his calm tone of leadership as much for himself as for the crew, entering the anomaly seemed inevitable. All they could do was be prepared. 

“According to this…” David’s screen went blank. “Hercules has crossed the horizon. We’re blind.”

The deck shook again and everything fell into darkness.