Captain’s Log, Stardate 04.11.2025.

Captain Kirok Skyrunner recording…

The USS Carlsbad has arrived in orbit of a previously unexplored Class M planet after a very rough ride to wherever we are currently. My ship is pretty banged up. After getting pulled into and having to forcibly remove ourselves from some kind of subspace tunnel, the ship received serious damage. The warp drive is offline currently. We are on auxiliary power only right now, which is only at 65% right now. The warp reactor is badly damaged. Impulse engines are sluggish right now. Shields and weapons are offline, due to over a dozen plasma conduits being blown. Life support is on auxiliary. My ship is on life support. 

Commander Aramis Lionel has taken an away team down to the surface to explore what appears to be a deserted alien city for supplies and equipment to help make repairs. It has been over six hours now since the away team has beamed down and they missed their check-in by two hours. I’m starting to get worried.

End Log.

Captain Skyrunner sat in the command chair on his still smoke-filled bridge. Damage control teams were busy replacing the blown conduits and can’t repair consoles at this moment. Kirok sat staring at the viewscreen. He turned to the current bridge science officer.

“Report Lieutenant?”

The Science Officer reported while not breaking eye contact with his consoles.

“Still can’t scan the planet surface sir. Some kind of localized jamming signal. I’m still working on trying to punch through it though.”

“Very well Lieutenant. Keep me informed.” Kirok stood and walked over to the Tactical station. “Lieutenant, report?”

The Beta shift Tactical Officer tapped his console, starting a full scan of the area.

“Scans show nothing but the ship wreckage nearby, but there is a lot of subspace interference. I’ve always been helping the science officer with surface scans and I’m still having the same trouble, some kind of localized jamming signal. I’ll keep working on it with the science officer.”

Kirok patted him on his shoulder. “Very well. Let me know the instant someone can scan the surface. This not knowing is irritating.”

“Yes sir,” both the science and tactical officers said in unison.

Kirok smiled slightly at that, then finished walking around the bridge, his fifth lap so far. He sat down in his command chair and tapped his comm badge.

“Bridge to Engineering, status report please?”

Catersha’s voice came from his comm badge. “Cat here sir. Main power is coming back online…now.” Just as she said that, ships lighting and systems came more alive. “We are making progress on the warp reactor, but still a ways off from bringing it back online. Impulse engines are back to 100%. Life support and auxiliary power are both back to full power as well. I estimate about six more hours for the reactor. If tests go well, it should be a few hours after that to power it up. I managed to get the phaser capacitor charged, just in case.”

“Nice job Cat. Let me know when the reactor is ready. Skyrunner out.”

Captain Skyrunner sat in his chair, staring at the viewscreen. The viewscreen shows a Class M type planet that looked to be teeming with plant and animal life. The planet’s horizon curved at the bottom of the viewscreen as the USS Carlsbad was flying in orbit of the planet. The planet was covered in a perfect combination of blue and green hues, with swirls of white and gray clouds. The clouds move across the planet’s surface like silky wisps carried by the various winds. Turquoise colored oceans shimmered to an indigo color as you look from the planet’s equator to the poles. Several large continents are raised up from the seafloor after eons of time. The shorelines, though rugged looking, look somewhat softened on the viewscreen, by the hazy atmosphere. Vast mountain ranges and lush valleys are scattered about, a product of the planet’s dynamic geological history.

Captain Skyrunner taps some commands in his command console, having the computer enhance the viewscreen. As the viewscreen refocused on the area it was magnifying, the star system’s sunlight sparkled on big lakes and wide rivers. A big wispy looking stormcloud races by the viewscreen, blinking from the internal lightning it generated. When the stormcloud sped by, it revealed large orange colored forests and purple grasslands. To the trained eye, it almost looked like the whole landscape, and the planet itself, was shimmering an aura, as if it was emitting some kind of energy field.

As Carlsbad’s orbit took the ship around the planet, the forest and plains he just saw gave way to a large city. A sprawling, crystalline cityscape unfolds, with angular towers, sweeping arches, and delicate filaments shimmering in a kaleidoscope of light. Buildings appear to have grown organically from the planet’s surface, their exteriors glinting like precious gems. Twisting, curved streets follow the natural contours of the landscape, giving the impression of careful cultivation rather than construction. The crystalline structures pulse with a soft, ethereal light, emitting a unique energy signature that harmonizes with the planet’s natural vibrations. Towering spires stretch high into the atmosphere, their peaks shrouded in a thin, crystalline mist, beckoning exploration of the city’s secrets.

“Kinda beautiful looking actually,” the Captain softly said to himself.

“Yes it is sir,” replied the ship’s navigator. Kirok glanced at him and caught the Ensign looking back. Before the Captain could say anything, he said, “I have excellent hearing sir, bio implant in my ears. I was born deaf. I can hear everyone’s heart beating.”

“That is astonishing Ensign. I bet it must feel overwhelming most of the time,” Kirok commented as he stood and walked to stand next to the Ensign.

“It can be sometimes, sir.”

Suddenly, the tactical sensors detected an alien energy signature back to where they had exited the subspace tunnel they came from. The tactical officer looked at the console, tapped a few keys, then looked at the Captain with a deadly look.

“Captain, sensors just detected a Vaadwaur Manasa-class Assault Escort ship just came out the same tunnel we did sir,” the Ensign reported.

Captain Skyrunner almost ran back to his command chair and dove into the seat.

“Red Alert! All hands to Battle stations! Tactical, have they detected us yet? Helm, stand by evasive maneuvers.”

Captain Skyrunner kept his eyes glued to the viewscreen as it showed the Vaadwaur ship had just emerged from the tunnel. His mind was already racing at warp speed, thinking of move and counter move, what strategy and tactics would work.

“They appear to not have seen us yet sir. Their shields and weapons are offline. It appears that the ship wreckage is providing a sensor screen for us currently,” the junior Tactical Officer reported.

“Sir, our current orbit will carry us around the horizon in five minutes,” the Navigator added.

“Maintain our current orbit. Once we are out of their sight, adjust orbit to keep us hidden the best you can,” Skyrunner ordered.

The junior Tactical Officer alerted,” picking up sensor scans from the Vaadwaur ship. The wreckage is camouflaging us, however, they are slowly moving under impulse power.”

Captain Skyrunner sat on the edge of his seat, praying that the Vaadwaur ship couldn’t see them. A timer was ticking in his head, how much time was left until they were past the horizon of the planet.

“Come on! Come on!” Kirok said to himself quietly, willing his ship to move faster.

The USS Carlsbad just managed to move past the horizon seconds before the Vaadwaur ship cleared the wreckage field and was able to clearly scan the area. The Junior Tactical Officer reported they were past the horizontal curve of the planet.

“Good. Lieutenant, program a class 8 probe to maintain a geo-polar orbit to monitor the Vaadwaur ship while hiding on the back side of the planet,” Captain Skyrunner ordered. “Science Officer, report of that jamming signal. Have you broken through yet?”

The Science Officer hesitated to reply right away. Captain Skyrunner repeated his question. “Sir, I just broke through the localized jamming field. It was not natural but artificial. The computer is analyzing the signal now.” The computer beeped, indicating it was finished analyzing. The Science Officer cursed in Klingon. “Captain, the jamming signal…the computer has identified it as Borg!”

“Damn it! Red Alert! All crew to Battle stations! Raise shields and charge weapons!” Kirok barked. “We just jumped out of the pan and into the fire, people.