Nitus found herself wandering through the capital city of Solara, the skyline reminded her of San Francisco. She then heard someone call out to her as she turned to see who it was her surroundings shifted and distorted as if in a haze. The sounds of war reverberated through the air, an ever-present, haunting melody. This couldn't be real she thought to herself.

Could it?

She felt someone pull on her arm, turning her head she saw T'Soni. The Vulcan first officer had blood flowing from her temple as she held on to her phaser rifle as the away team moved with them. “We need to get back to the ship,” she said to her. Screaming over the weapons fire that could be heard in the distance. Then an explosion went off throwing both Nitus and T'Soni.

Gasping for air, Nitus slowly rose to her feet. She made her way over to the dormant body of her first officer.

She turned her body over and tried to determine her state. Her eyes went wide as she was face to face with the cold and lifeless eyes of her first officer and friend.

Nitus jumped up from her bed. Her forehead was sweaty as she looked around the room frantically. Her mind spinning as she realized it was only a dream. At least she hoped it was.

She moved the covers off her and placed her feet on the floor of her quarters. ‘It was only a dream,’ she thought to herself as she tried to steady herself. Slowly she pushed herself off the bed, and a wave of dizziness washed over them. The room seemed to tilt and sway, her vision blurred at the edges. She clutched the edge of the bed as her breath came out in shallow and rapid bursts.

A chime came from the door. Nitus steadied herself as she slowly stood grabbing a robe as she walked to see who was at the door.

She pressed the button and was treated by her yeoman, Petty Officer Tiania Sheppard.

“Good Morning, Commander,” the young woman said smiling brightly as he held her PADD behind her. “Tia come in,” Nitus said as she stepped to the side to let the woman enter her quarters. 

The woman walked over to a sofa in the living room and sat down. As had been custom to the early morning briefs. “You have a meeting with Lieutenant Junior Grades Laura Jackson and Soli Mer at 07:00 in your ready room an…” she said as Nitus raised her hand interrupting her as she read from her PADD. “Who is the last one again?” she inquired.

“The astrometrics officer on board, ma'am. You asked to see them privately so that you could find a way to get us home,” Sheppard answered. Nitus nodded to her a sign for her to continue. She moved out of the living room and into her bathroom as she started to put her uniform on.

“You have a staff meeting immediately following at 07:30, and your shuttle for the planet's surface leaves at 08:00. Commanders Blix and Davidson particularly the latter of the two as been quite persistent on getting a private audience.”

“What for?”

“They wouldn't say. Something about it's above my pay grade. I responded by telling them they can't have a dedicated slot if I don't know what it is for,” Sheppard said a little more pointedly than she wanted it to be.

The doors to the bathroom opened again as she walked into the living room buttoning up her uniform as she walked over to her desk picking up the PADD that had been placed there last night after she had finished her captain's log.

“Let's go,” she said as she walked over to the door leading them out of her quates and into the corridor.

The team materialized in the heart of a lush rolling hill of the planet Solara. The view bore a striking similarity to the hills that surrounded San Francisco, though here they had been left as nature had created them. The air was filled with a scent that reminded them of wildflowers and eucalyptus.

“Fan out and scan for life forms,” T'Soni ordered. She looked around at the empty fields as she looked for any sign of where their missing crew could be. As she walked her eyes caught something in the dirt. She reached down to pick it up and there it was a combadge. “I've got something,” she said loudly attracting the attention of the others.

Hill slowly approached her as he looked to see what it was she was holding. Handing it to him, T'Soni looked around at the empty fields.

“They were taken,” Arva said as he brought over two more. T'Soni wasn't one to show emotion but when the situation called for it she knew when it was best to fall back.

“Let's g-” she started as a beeping sound came from Arva's tricorder. “I'm detecting an unusual energy reading from that direction,” he said as jutted the device out towards the mountains in the far distance.

T'Soni nodded. “Let's check it out and see if it leads us to Walker, Lee, or Harrison.”

As they grazed the top of the next hill a large valley was down below and with it a small outpast. But unlike the other structures in the area that looked ancient and were decaying this was new freshly built. It also bor no resimbilence to the articheture of the capital city.

“This isn't meant to be here,” Hill said.

T'Soni tapped her combadge, “T'Soni to Paramount," she said. “Four to beam up.” Within an instant, the transporter beam enveloped them. They went from the gentle breeze and the solid ground of the planet's surface to the familiar hum of the transporter room.

Immediately the four of them stepped off the transport pad and left the hallway as T'Soni led them to the nearest tubolift. “We need to speak with the Commander,” T'Soni said as they approached to lift, “Whatever that facility was down there. I don't think we were meant to find it.”