A noticable tension floated through Ops as the crew executed Elena’s orders. Elena herself couldn’t believe she had ordered the station to lock down, but she stood firm. It was important. As the chaos of alarms and status reports filled the air, Elena tried to remain relaxed. 

It wasn’t easy given the situation, but command had prepped her for one very important lesson: the crew looked to her for balance. In the privacy of her office, she could panic, but not here!

“Commander Harris, what’s our status?” Elena asked, her eyes scanning the room.

“Shields are holding, Captain. We’ve initiated a lockdown protocol. No vessels will be docking or undocking without our clearance,” Harris reported.

“Good. We need a full analysis of that energy spike. What’s causing these portals?” Elena demanded. She knew full well they couldn’t possibly have answers yet, but waiting wasn’t one of her stronger traits.

Harris glanced at his console, his fingers dancing over the keys. “We’re working on it, Captain. The energy signatures are unlike anything I’ve seen. It’s possible we’re dealing with a new form of spatial phenomenon or technology. The computer is analyzing it now. Hopefully, something like this is in the Federation database.”

Elena’s mind filled with possibilities. “What about the other ships? Are they stable? If not, have teams on standby to offer assistance.”

“Most are holding up just fine, but a few are reporting damage from sudden portal appearances. The Edison is assisting with the most critical cases,” Harris replied. “I’ll notify Captain Bates in Operations.”

“Captain, incoming message from Starfleet Command,” the comm officer interrupted.

Elena straightened, taking a deep breath. “Patch it through to my terminal.”

Elena read what she could only describe as a canned answer scrolling across her screen. “They understand our situation and will provide support in time.” She rolled her eyes.

“Well, that’s not terribly helpful,” the Captain said, looking at Harris. “I’ve informed them of the multiple portal openings around Eos Station. Ships are disappearing and reappearing, and we’ve detected unprecedented energy signatures. Let’s hope their next reply is something of value.”

Elena’s expression clearly showed she wasn’t impressed. “Oh good, we have full discretion to handle the situation as we see fit. However, they need answers as soon as possible. This phenomenon is not isolated to our sector; reports are coming in from other areas of Federation space.”

Elena’s eyes widened. “Okay, team, you heard HQ. Prioritize gathering data and finding a solution.”

“We need to figure this out fast. Commander Harris, coordinate with the other ships. Share any relevant data we gather.”

“Aye, Captain,” Harris acknowledged.

“Captain, we’re getting a response from the Romulan vessel,” the comm officer announced.

“On screen,” Elena ordered.

The face of a Romulan Commander appeared, his expression unreadable. “I am Commander T’Var of the IRW Khazara. We have encountered similar disturbances. Cooperation would be… beneficial.”

Elena nodded. “Agreed, Commander T’Var. We could exchange data and resources. Together, we stand a better chance of solving…”

T’Var’s eyes narrowed, interupting the Captain. “Very well, Captain Mitchell. We will share our findings.”

“Thank you, Commander. Let’s get to work,” Elena replied, the screen going dark once more.

“First Klingons and now Romulans,” Elena sighed. “What next?” As soon as the words rolled out of her mouth, there seemed to be a collective silence as everyone was waiting for something to happen.

“Okay, okay, poor choice of words,” Elena joked. An alarm sounded suddenly, Harris looking at the Captain with that “I told you so” glance.

“Captain, we lost contact with the Tyson. She’s gone.”

Elena’s heart sank as Harris’s words echoed through Ops. The disappearance of the Tyson added another layer of confusion to an already chaotic situation.

“Gone? How can an entire ship just disappear, these portals make no sense?” Elena demanded, her voice rising despite her efforts to stay calm.

Harris shook his head. “We’re not sure, Captain. One moment she was there, the next… nothing. No debris, no energy signature. It’s a good sign, no debris means one of these portals deposited her elsewhere.”

Elena took a deep breath, trying to steady her thoughts. “Alright, keep monitoring. If there’s any chance she’s still out there, we need to find it. Meanwhile, let’s double-check our own systems for any anomalies.”

“Yes, Captain,” Harris replied, already relaying orders to his team.

The comm officer’s voice cut through the tension again. “Captain, we’re receiving fragmented distress signals from multiple ships. Some of them are reporting seeing… reflections of themselves.”

Elena frowned. “Reflections? What do you mean?”

“It’s like they’re seeing ghost versions of their own ships. They report overlapping and conflicting sensor data. It’s causing panic and confusion among the crews,” the comm officer explained.

Elena’s mind raced, trying to piece together the fragmented information. “Could this be a side effect of the portals? Some sort of spatial distortion?”

“It’s possible,” Harris replied, his brow furrowed in concentration. “But without more data, it’s hard to say for sure.”

“Keep digging,” Elena ordered. “We need to understand what we’re dealing with. And keep the comm lines open with the other ships. They need to know they’re not alone in this.”

As she spoke, the lights in Ops flickered, and the screens momentarily went dark. A murmur of unease rippled through the room.

“Oh what now?” Elena muttered, feeling the weight of uncertainty pressing down on her.

“Captain, we’re experiencing intermittent power fluctuations. It’s affecting multiple systems,” a technician reported.

“Great, just what we needed,” Elena said sarcastically. “prioritize critical systems. We need to maintain shields and life support at all costs.”

“Aye, Captain,” someone said, moving quickly to reroute power and stabilize the station’s core functions.

Elena rubbed her temples, feeling the onset of a headache. The situation was spiraling out of control, and every second brought new complications. Complications they didn’t need. She could sense the crew’s growing anxiety, their faces expressing an unspoken fear. 

As the crew worked frantically to unravel the mystery, Elena couldn’t shake the feeling that they were missing something crucial. The pieces didn’t fit, and every answer seemed to spawn more questions.

“Captain, we’re picking up another anomaly,” the comm officer announced. “It’s… inside the station.”

Elena’s blood ran cold. “Inside? How is that possible?”

“We don’t know, but sensors are detecting something in cargo bay 3. It’s similar to the readings we’ve seen outside but much smaller.”

Elena clenched her fists. “Alright, team. Gear up and prepare for a closer look. We need to understand what we’re dealing with before it tears this station apart.”

As the crew mobilized, Elena suddenly felt a sense of dread.  There were too many unknown factors.  However, like it or not, the unknown was coming to visit. “Seal of that section of the station, ”no unauthorized personal, I want someone monitoring cargo bay 3 at all times. If anything changes, I want to know about it.”

“Let’s go!”