The past few hours had been trying for the entire crew. Just a few short months ago, the crew had been reassigned to Task Force 47. The journey to Task Force 47 space had been a trying one and the crew had to make a detour to assist a Romulan colony who had suffered from a natural disaster. The crew had responded admirably and had only proven that they deserved to wear the emblem they so proudly bore on their chest representing Starfleet. 

The USS Sausalito had arrived in Task Force 47 space way behind schedule. The crew was both mentally and physically exhausted and the Commanding Officer, Harper, knew that they needed a few days of R&R. She had planned to speak with Starfleet Command about that very fact as soon as she had a moment and things had settled down. That moment never came.

Only a few hours after the Sausalito had reached Task Force 47 space, the darkness came. Captain Harper had never seen anything like it in her career. Of course, she had only been a Commanding Officer for around six months or so now but this phenomenon was the kind that you only heard about in stories. She had been on the verge of having her Communications Officer, Ensign Whitlock notify Starfleet of the ship’s arrival when all communications  went down.

The ship had lost all ability to communicate suddenly and the crew had been unable to contact anyone within Starfleet Command. The ship’s warp drive also failed and Captain Harper had immediately known that the two system’s failing simultaneously was more than a mere coincidence. She had immediately notified the crew of the situation and urged them to remain calm.

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“Ensign, I need you to find another way for us to communicate with Starfleet as soon as possible. I realize this is a difficult task but we need to find out what is going on as quickly as we can.” Captain Harper spoke to Ensign Whitlock softly while trying to calm her own racing nerves. 

“Yes, Captain. I will work as fast as I can and I’ll notify you as soon as I find a way.” Ensign Whitlock couldn’t hide the panic in her voice. She could hear the shakiness herself and she winced. This was her first true test and she was determined that she would not fail. She had no idea what she would do yet but she was confident that she would figure something out with enough thought.

“Commander, start running scans around us. Let me know if and when you see anything. I know we aren’t the only ship in this area. There has to be someone nearby and maybe they know more than we do.” Captain Harper relayed the order to her Chief Science Officer, Commander Piya.

“Yes, Captain.” Commander Piya responded. He was a man of few words so his short response came as no surprise to Captain Harper.

Harper returned to her Captain’s chair and worked to calm her racing heartbeat. She was anxious of what this situation meant and what she might have to do to protect her crew. She would do whatever she must but the pressure of being responsible for every person on board was weighing on her. She gripped the arm of her chair and took three deep breaths making sure to release each one slowly. This seemed to work momentarily so she seized the opportunity to continue relaying orders. 

She turned toward her XO, LtCo Sili who had been surprisingly quiet up until this point. “XO, report to Engineering with LTCo T’Penne and find out the status of the warp drive. We can work with impulse drive right now but we need to have warp drive restored as soon as possible. 

“Consider it done, Captain.” The Vulcan replied in the most nonchalant manner possible. At least that’s what Captain Harper thought. LtCo T’Penne always held compuse and it never had irritated Captain Harper more than it had at this moment. She understood why but her own inability to calm herself made her envious of T’Penne and her ability to be void of emotion. Her XO did not respond and only confirmed she had heard her Captain with a nod of her head. Harper was sure that she was nervous and possibly afraid as well. She’d have to speak with her later to assist if she could and ensure she was as steady as she could be for the rest of the crew.

Harper watched as the two left on the Turbolift to head towards Engineering. What now? She thought to herself. She worked with her bridge crew for the next couple of hours. She found herself bouncing from station to station attempting to assist her officers in any way she could. She was speaking with Ensign Whitlock about possible ways to communicate with Starfleet Command when Commander Piya interrupted their conversation.

“Captain, I’ve found something. Short-range sensors are showing a vessel nearby. Sending coordinates to the Helm now.” Commander Piya spoke loud enough for everyone to hear and he managed to quiet the entire room and garner everyone’s attention. 

“Helm, chart a course.” Harper ordered Ensing Hveir. She turned toward Commander Piya.

“Commander, can you tell me more about the vessel?” She inquired.

“It’s definitely a Starfleet vessel, Captain. I’m unable to confirm which ship and we will be unable to with communications down at this time.” Commander Piya relayed.

“Understood. Thank you, Commander.” Captain Harper replied. “Impulse drive, Helm. Get us there.”

“Yes, Captain.” Ensign Hveir responded. 

“We aren’t sure what we are heading into. Everyone, be ready. Be alert. Be prepared for anything.” She spoke aloud and not to one individual person.

“Understood, Captain.” Her bridge crew responded in almost perfect unison. 

Harper wasn’t a religious person but if she were, this is definitely a time she would pray. She would pray that the Starfleet vessel was unharmed and safe and the crew would be able to provide her with an update. She knew better though and hoped instead. She threw every ounce of her own will into hoping for a positive outcome. In a few hours, she would know what they were facing. She took a shaky breath and looked to the viewport. She watched and waited.