Captain Samantha Hyland stared blankly into the eyes of her First Officer.

If the look on Daniel Talland’s face was anything close to her own, then it was clear that they both were succumbing to rank incredulity.

Sam spoke aloud to Dr Langah over the open comm – channel.

“I’m sorry Doctor?” Samantha’s brows furrowed deeply in confusion, and she sought to clarify what she just though that she had misheard. “I thought you just said that body in the morgue belongs to Dr Galian Makon?” She half – laughed, reasoning that the whiskey had taken over the finer points of her better sense.

No reply came back over the comm.

The XO set down his glass, moving to perch on the edge of his seat.

“Dr Langah, please respond?” The Captain urged, an uneasy feeling beginning to take seed in the pit of her stomach.

Commander Talland rose to his feet and tapped his own commbadge to open a separate channel.

“Talland to Security.”

Lieutenant Savak’s voice responded efficiently.

“Savak here – go ahead Commander.”

“Lieutenant, do you still have that security detail stationed outside of Sickbay?” the Executive Officer demanded, as Sam rose and went to the sideboard in her quarters and drew out two hypospray – injectors, that would quickly negate the adverse effects of the alcohol that they had both imbibed.

“Affirmative Sir.”

“Lieutenant – we have lost contact with Dr Langah – mid report. We need to verify his whereabouts and condition. We also need to confirm that the patient, Dr Makon – is still secure.” Daniel’s voice was firm and authoritative.

He nodded to Sam, taking the offered injector and dosing himself instantly sober then made to depart her quarters.

The Captain was already making way to her bedroom to pull on her uniform.

“Understood, Wait one.” The Chief Security Officer acknowledged.

“I’ll head for Sickbay.” Daniel called to Sam.

From the bedroom, came the reply – “I’m heading for the Bridge – if Makon’s not there, we need to lock the ship down.”

As Commander Talland keyed the door and it slid back into its recessed alcove he replied grimly.

“Whoever that was in Sickbay, there’s only one place they’re likely to be heading!”

Sam pulled her uniform jacket on and hastily re-affixed her commbadge, as she did so – she looked out of her viewport and there was the shadowy superstructure of Hull – 3185, glowing a ghostly green hue, under the light of the grasping tractor – beam.

Stardate: 2401.12.25 / 21:02hrs

Location: Hull – 3185 (“USS Artemis”) / Refectory / Deck#2

“Well one thing’s for certain.” Deassomi Dai remarked dryly as she surveyed the results of the data that the tricorder was constantly streaming.

“They’re not Ghosts.”

As if to contradict this finding, one of the glowing blue figures rose from the table – seemed to pass straight through Crewman Hancock (making her scream – despite herself) and promptly disappeared into mid – air.

“You could have fooled me…..” Tani breathed nervously.

The Chief Science Officer rolled her night – black eyes and sighed irritably. It seemed that, in an age of science and reason, she was surrounded by the metaphorical equivalent of an angry mob of townsfolk waving torches & farming implements and looking for the nearest feline to drown.

“Tachyon Radiation.” Lieutenant Commander Dai reversed her Tricorder, so the Engineers could plainly see the readout on the screen.

“I’m sorry, what?” the slim Japanese Chief Engineer looked blankly from the device to the Betazoid officer.

“The entire hull is resonating with highly polarized ionization, most likely a by product from the Stutterwarp effect.” The Scientist explained to the angry mob.

“But surely that would have dissipated uniformly since her last jump was completed?” The Engineer reasoned methodically.

“But here and there are pockets of localized Tachyon Radiation, pooling in concentrations here and there – that is reacting somehow with the ion – streams. Put simply put – the net effect is that there are fractal pockets of time blossoming into being and then collapsing in a cascade.” Dai indicated.

“But the…..apparitions?” Tani couldn’t help but wonder aloud – they last of the ghostly figures had faded away, leaving the three living, breathing Starfleet personnel alone again in the worn – old refectory space.

“If my supposition is correct, they are not “apparitions” – rather they are “temporal – projections”, what we are seeing here are replays of events that likely took place sometime over 25 years ago – when the crew of Hull – 3185 were alive – before the disaster that overcame them.” Deassomi postulated, her keen mind forming a reasonable hypothesis.

“So we are seeing, what?” Tani tried to come to terms with the concept, “Re-Runs of the days of their lives?”

The scientist shrugged and packed her Tricorder away.

“Fragments. Pockets in time. That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.” She walked over to the spot where the ghostly quartet had seemed to be taking a meal together.

“The Tachyon readings began to degrade and dissipate in correlation to the cessation of the visual manifestation.”  She smiled wryly as she turned back to Tani.

“And let’s not forget, Lieutenant, I’m an empath and I sensed absolutely no neural activity or emotive sensations emanating from your “Ghosts” at all – living or dead. The answer to this mystery, as it invariably is to all of the Universe’s unanswered questions, is ultimately Science.”

Tani Isono looked skeptically at the CSO for a moment and then shrugged lightly.

“Well, that’s disappointing!”

Stardate: 2401.12.25 / 21:13hrs

Location: USS Valley Forge / Bridge / Deck#1

Captain Samantha Hyland strode onto the bridge of the USS Valley Forge with strident purpose and took her seat, calling out.

“Security – Report!”

Lieutenant Savak stood at her station at one of the rail – stations, her fine features reflecting the glow of the holodisplay before her.

“Security breached the Sickbay and discovered that Dr Langah has been assaulted. It appears that he was struck from behind with some force. He is alive, but unconscious. His team is working to stabilize him as we speak.” The hybrid Security Chief reported.

“And Dr Makon?” Sam demanded.

“Absconded.” Savak confirmed. “It is reasonable to assume that she is the perpetrator of the assault and is now at large somewhere aboard ship.”

“The Sickbay was guarded by your team.” Samantha countered. “How exactly did she ‘abscond’?”

Savak inclined her head and raised a perfectly formed eyebrow.

“It would appear that Dr Makon escaped the sickbay via a Jefferies Tube, thus circumventing the guards at the door.” The Vulcan/Romulan reasoned.

Sam gritted her teeth in consternation.

“And I supposed that the Jefferies Tubes weren’t secured?”

Savak shook her head dismissively.

“On the contrary Captain. The Jefferies Tubes were secured at the time – but Dr Makon possesses considerable technical acumen – to override that lockdown is evidently within her capability.”

“Evidently.” Sam glowered sourly and then called out.

“Computer! Locate Dr Gallian Makon!”

There was an imperceptible pause then the smooth tones of the Ship’s Computer reported,

“++Dr Gallian Makon is currently in the Ship’s Mortuary ++.”

“Goddamit!” Sam swore and called out to Yevgeny.

“OPS – take the ship to yellow alert. We have an intruder at large. Lock down all Shuttlebays and secure the transporters – including Cargo pads.”

“Aye Ma’am – lockdown already underway – confirming your order to all stations.” The efficient young Ukrainian OPS chief nodded as he relayed her orders.

Sam was comforted by the Ensign’s anticipatory initiative.

“Very Good Yev’.” She smiled, thankful for a small win & turned back to Savak.

“Lieutenant Savak, organize your teams to perform a sweep of the Valley Forge, deck by deck. Dr Makon will try to get back to her ship – make sure she doesn’t.” Samantha ordered.

Whatever, whoever the person claiming to be Dr Gallian Makon was, Sam was sure that the answers to all of her unanswered questions lay in the mysterious ship that the fugitive scientist had arrived on.

“Aye Captain.” Savak nodded and rose to depart the bridge.

Sam hadn’t noticed that her fist had become clenched so hard that her fingernails were dug deep into her palm – leaving angry white welts in her flesh. She forced herself to breath out and focus on managing the situation at hand.

“Bridge to Commander Talland…” She began, when she was interrupted by Yevgeny’s urgent Slavic tone.

“Captain! We are not receiving any response from Transporter Room 2!”

Sam swore to herself as she spun round in her seat and ordered

“Savak!”

The Security Chief was already in the Turbolift, drawing her phaser,  the doors swiftly closing.

Stardate: 2401.12.25 / 21:12hrs

Location: USS Valley Forge / Transporter Room 2 / Deck#2

The Turbolift doors hissed back and Chief Vorlan turned from the transporter controls, where he had been running a routine diagnostic.

The ‘evening’ shift was always a good time to tend to such tasks and with the USS Valley Forge in deep space with only one destination to serve, servicing the equipment seemed a natural and efficient use of his shift.

The Bolian frowned slightly when a disheveled figure entered the Transporter room. She seemed to be wearing sunglasses & pajamas and was carrying a tray of food.

The Security rating, posted with Vorlan, also turned and addressed the woman.

“Excuse me ma’am.” Crewman Lassen said. “This area is off limits. Are you lost?”

The woman with the iron – grey hair looked slightly confused and replied.

“Lost? Yes…yes I’m lost. I got a bit turned around, looking for my guest quarters?” She looked at the tray that she was holding and offered it to the Security Officer. “Could you just hold this for a moment? I think I….”

Reflexively Lassen reached for the tray that the woman seemed to let droop in her hands, the contents of the replicated meal threatening to spatter all over the transporter room floor.

With a sudden, violent explosion of action – the woman rammed the tray upwards into Lassen’s face and the hypospray that she had been hiding underneath it – slammed into his neck and unloaded it’s contents of sedative in a hissing moment.

Chief Vorlan was only beginning to register what was happening, when Dr Gallian Makon plucked the phaser from the collapsing guard’s belt and stunned the stunned Transporter Chief with everything the weapon had.

Which turned out to be quite a lot.

Stardate: 2401.12.25 / 21:14hrs

Location: USS Valley Forge / Bridge / Deck#1

“Captain!” Yevgeny shouted urgently again. “I’m reading weapons discharge in Transporter room 2! Sensors are reading an unauthorized transport in progress!!!”

“Savak?” Samantha demanded over the Comm, the situation unravelling rapidly beyond her control.

Lieutenant Savak’s voice came over the comm, unhurried as always.

“Forcing entry now Captain.” A pause, then. “Chief Voran has been stunned and Crewman Lassen appears to have been similarly incapacitated. She’s gone Captain.”

Stardate: 2401.12.25 / 21:14hrs

Location: Hull – 3185 (“USS Artemis”) / Transporter Room / Deck#1

With an insinuation of displaced air, a sudden swirl of brilliant blue light formed over the pad in the tiny, cramped transporter room of Hull – 3185, growing exponentially brighter from that nascent point as it filled the space in a swirl of dancing energies – a compelling aerial – ballet of swaying atoms and pirouetting motes of bluish light – until it receded and Dr Gallian Makon stepped off the pad and immediately went to secure the doors.

“Computer.” The woman called out. “Voice Ident –Makon.Gallian.Theta.Vadis.Two.Five.Nine.Seven.Alpha.One.”

The Ghost in the Machine spoke for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century and the AI greeted its maker.

“++Welcome back Dr Makon. It has been 8765.82 Days, 3 hours and 46 seconds since our last conversation++.” The AI responded. “++Would you like to play a game?++”

“Not now, maybe later.” Dr Makon replied tersely as she began to program the Transporter pad to, once again, become her desperate refuge. “This is the wrong place. I need to get back and warn them. This…this changes everything!”

The AI had nothing to add to this tirade, as nothing had been required of it to respond to.

Gallian Makon was keenly aware that her time in this place was running out, like sand streaming through a cracked hourglass.

Soon her pursuers (well, this current group of pursuers anyway – she felt like she had been running for her life – for her entire life) would catch up with her and she knew with awful certainty that she must flee this strange and terrible existence and somehow get back to her people.

They had to know what she had discovered. It might make all of the difference.

“Initiate Stutterwarp sequence – Tarro.Epsilon.Seven.Ageis.Nine”. Gallian ordered between gritted teeth. So much that could go wrong. So little time.

She was out of choices.

“++Complying++” intoned the Ghost in the Machine, and the “USS Artemis” came alive with purpose once more.

Stardate: 2401.12.25 / 21:17hrs

Location: USS Valley Forge / Bridge / Deck#1

Lieutenant Danaé Doucet couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

“Captain Hyland!” the svelte Quebecois officer alerted the CO.

“Talk to me TAC.” Sam turned her attention to the next disaster, as events cascaded steadfastly out of control.

“Captain, my sensors are reading a growing energy signature spike from the Warp core aboard the “USS Artemis”! Doucet’s voice called out with concern.

“That’s impossible!” Commander Talland interjected as he entered the bridge and took up station at one of the configurable duty – stations at the rail. He keyed a holo – display to life and began to drag data through the air, seeking to make order of the current state of chaos. “Those systems have been secured by our Engineering team!”

Danaé shook her long, honey blonde tresses and countered.

“Non, Commander! She’s powering up her Stutterwarp drive and attempting to go to Warp!”

“That’s insane!” Sam slammed her fist down hard on the arm of her command – chair. “Increase power to the tractor beam!”

Doucet shook her head and turned to her CO determinedly.

“The Tractor Beam is already at full power Captain!” The Tactical Officer explained with a note of concern coloring her French – inflected report. “If she goes to warp and we are still engaged, she’ll likely tear the emitters clean out of the hull!!”

“Dammit! Our people are still aboard!” Sam turned to Yevgeny.

“OPS! Emergency Beam – out! Get our people out of there!” Samantha spat.

Yevgeny Kirov shook his head in consternation – his young voice frantic.

“Impossible Captain! With the interference from their Warp core and the residual energies polluting her hull – I can’t get a clean lock on our Away Team!!”

“Keep trying!” Commander Talland interjected.

“Aye Commander.”

Samantha turned to her XO.

“We’re running out of options. Idea’s, Number One?”

Daniel was feverishly running calculations, tearing data from one glyph to inform another column of roiling figures on the holo – display.

“If they go to warp with us at this proximity, their Warp – field will pull the Valley Forge apart, Captain! Recommend we disengage and get some distance between us.”

Samantha Hyland nodded despite her misgivings; she turned back to Lieutenant Doucet.

“TAC – disengage the Tractor Beam and raise shields!”

“Aye Captain!”

Sam turned to Ellis Pennington at the helm.

“HELM! Get us out of here! Full Impulse. Make ready to go to come about and go to warp the moment the ‘Artemis’ does and lock in a course to pursue.

The boyish Risian nodded as his hands flowed across the helm controls. The view on the forward viewscreen canted noticeably, as Pennington deft brough the great Heavy Cruiser about.

“Aye Captain, Full Impulse – coming about.”

Second by agonizing second drew by, then Lt Doucet confirmed what the forward viewer couldn’t deny.

“She’s gone to warp Captain!”

“Mr. Pennington! Engage!”

The view of space seemed to elongate and slow at the same time as the Excelsior II’s powerful Warp Nacelles gained traction, gripping the hyperspace grid and propelling the ship and her crew to warp.

Samantha drummed her fingers nervously on her seat as the seconds seem to elongate, just like the starfield streaming by.

“TAC, report?”

“Merde, but she’s fast Captain!” Doucet shook her head as she attempted to track the experimental craft at warp.

“Ellis, give us everything we’ve got, I’m not about to lose our people!” Sam commanded urgently.

“We’re already at maximum warp Captain!” The young helmsman responded, as he tried to keep up with the fleeing Ghost – Ship as it tore through hyperspace, skipping from warp bubble to warp bubble as they were collapsing almost as soon as they were born.

Despite being fatally, fantastically unstable, the experimental Stutterwarp effect just could not be matched by the Valley Forge and Sam felt a stab of panic in her chest, as she watched her Away Team being borne away at warp.

Then, as if the situation could not grow any more dire, Lieutenant Dolan – the Assistant Chief Science Officer, manning the Science Station – whilst his department head was being taken hostage by the fleeing experimental vessel, called out.

“Captain! Sensors are reading a Subspace Anomaly forming around the hull of the target vessel!’ Dolan’s voice showed disbelief. “A massive buildup of self – ionizing protons/antiprotons and corresponding localized – concentrations of Tachyon Radiation!”

Sam gripped her seat until her knuckles ached.

“Hypothesis?”

Lieutenant Commander Dai’s protégé frowned at his readouts, a wan note of fascination overcoming his shock for a brief moment.

“Captain a localized subspace rift is forming around the hull of the ‘USS Artemis’, she’s being drawn into its event horizon!”

Sam looked over at Daniel, as the XO gripped the rail, echoes of their earlier conversation coming stridently back to haunt her.

“She’s entering the Rift Captain!” Dolan’s voice was near hysteria now, then. “She’s gone! The rift is collapsing!”

Commander Talland made towards the Captain’s chair, his face mask of concern.

“Sam…..” he began, but in his heart, he knew it was already too late.

“Time to total event horizon collapse 6 seconds and counting!” Dolan warned.

Samantha Hyland thought about when her former ship and crew had been forced to take shelter from the True Way in The Labyrinth. She thought of the discovery of the ill – fated USS Subic Bay; of its desperate Captain trying to stop the ravening mob that had once been his former crew from desperately trying to consume the flesh of his stricken daughter. Of the prospect of eternity lost in that interspatial wasteland between this space and another.

“Captain, there are four hundred and ninety-three souls aboard this ship, and you are responsible for the safety and welfare of every single one of them!’ Commander Talland came to stand beside her, a warning look on his bearded face.

Sam held his gaze. Her sure, blue Icelandic eyes meeting his own challenging brown glare and she spoke the words that he so dreaded she would.

“And there are Seven more aboard that ship, Commander. We’re Starfleet and we don’t leave people behind.” She said quietly and turned to Ellis as he closed his eyes in despair.

“Mr. Pennington….” Captain Hyland commanded with grim authority.

“Take us in!”

*Continue the adventure with the crew of the USS Valley Forge, when we rejoin the action in the coming Mission: “Through a Mirror, Crack’d Darkly.”…