Archanis IV – Orbit
Engineering Department

Charles looked over the console in front of him, and Zozzak, the ship’s Chief Science Officer, looked over the same data. All subspace relays and communication just outside of the sector suddenly appeared to fail all at once.

Charles at first thought it was the ship’s system malfunctioning, but after running several diagnostics and replacing some long overdue EPS packs, he couldn’t figure out the cause of the sudden loss of communication with the rest of the fleet. Let alone the Fourth Fleet. So on a whim, he called Zozzak to give him a hand with the issue and a fresh pair of eyes.

Charles turned to Zozzak, “Fine, anything?”
Shaking his head, the Lieutenant sighed. “This isn’t making any sense. It’s like the entire Federation Comm’s just vanished from existence.”
Charles couldn’t disagree with the assumption that the Lieutenant had just given. After all the data that they were both looking at suggested something to that degree.

Reaching up, Charles tapped his Combadge, “Bridge, Commander Fergouson.”

Bridge

Debrah sat in the central seat as her wife, the Commanding Officer of the USS Akira, was currently on Archanis IV. On the bridge with her was a skeleton crew, as not many stations needed to be manned while they were in orbit around the planet.

In her hand was a PADD with the current ongoings within the ship itself, but on a side tab was a personal issue, the missing combadge signal, linked to her wife’s combadge. Though the loss of the signal was a priority issue and was being investigated, there was nothing that she could do at this time and worrying, openly, about it was not going to solve the issue anytime soon.

As she sat there looking over the next day’s duty roster, her combadge chimed, and the voice from Charles echoed in the nearly empty bridge. Reaching up, she tapped her badge.
“Go ahead, Chief,” she replied.
“Would you please come down to Engineering. There is something of an issue that might help explain the missing Captain’s combadge signal.”
This intrigued Debrah, and she set aside the PADD. “On my way, Chief.”

As she stood up she looked at a Lieutenant who was sitting at a nearby console. “Lieutenant, the bridge is your’s. If you need me for any reason, I will be in Engineering.” With that, she headed for the main turbolift and headed to the Engineering deck.

Engineering

Zozzak reached up and rubbed his bulging eyes as the day’s issue of the lost combadge signal, and now the entire Federation Communication network being missing, had caused him to begin feeling fatigued. A sign left the Lieutenant’s lips as he closed his eyes. His neck cracked a couple of times as he rolled his shoulders.

“Charles. I’m going to head to the mess hall for some coffee. Would you like me to bring you back anything?” He asked as he stood up from the console and looked over at Charles.
Charles had his elbow propped up on the edge of the console that he was looking at, and his head rested on it as he continued to read the data that was being received by the probe that had been launched shortly after the loss of the captain’s badge signal. He looked over at Zozzak, “Hmm… oh no, thank you, and please take some downtime, if you need it. I’ll call you if you are needed. Thank you for your help.”

As Zozzak headed for the Turbolift, it hissed open, and Debrah stepped out, almost running the Bzzit Khaht Science officer over.
“Excuse me, Commander,” Zozzak said as he stepped aside for Debrah.

Debrah walked over to Charles and cleared her throat as the Chief had not noticed her standing there. Charles looked up and smiled. “Took you long enough,” he teased as he stood up and walked over to the main console for the department. He displayed the data from the probe that was near the border of the sector.
“I don’t know what this is or where it came from, but I do know that it is the cause of the loss of the captain’s signal.”
Debrah looked at the information on the display and squinted her eyes as she began to process the information. “No incoming or successful outbound communication signals.” She said to no one as she continued to look at the data as it was being displayed. “Have you tried to increase the signal bandwidth?”
Charles nodded his head, “Yeah, that was the first thing I did after I ran a diagnostic and replaced a couple of EPS packs.”

Archanis IV – Planet side
Sara’s place

As they both, Debrah and Charles, looked over the data, trying to figure out what was the cause of the interference. On the planet, Vax tapped her combadge once more. “Akira, Debrah, come in please,” she said aloud once more, but only received static in return.

It had been a few days since she had lost comms with her ship and was now stuck on the surface. Though she was not alone, not even close, she still wanted to know what was going on with her ship. And what was causing this sudden loss in communication.

Vausees looked over at Sara, who was sitting in a soft, plush chair with a book in her hand.
“Still nothing,” Vax said as she moved from the window to sit with Sara.
Sara looked up from her book to Vax. “I am sure everything is alright.”

Vax stood up and started to pace. She didn’t like being out of the loop of whatever was causing this disruption. Looking over at Sara, “Have you noticed anything disrupting the communications down here?”
Sara put down her book and thought for a moment before she stood up and walked over to a console. After a moment and a few taps on the console, she looked over at Vausees, “Nothing has been reported.”
Vax walked over and looked at the report. “Do you mind?” she asked as she nodded to the console.
“Not at all.”
Vausees began to bring up the internal systems of the planet’s communications network and look over the data that was being displayed. After a few minutes, she grinned and pointed out a minor issue. “Sara, if I am not mistaken. There should be a transport ship in this area,” she indicated on the display and then referenced a transport log.
Sara looked at the display and then turned and walked over to a panel and pressed a button, “This is Magistrate Brooke, to Qalith Norrh Transport, come in please.”
A few seconds later, a woman’s voice was heard, “This is Transport Tech. Go ahead, Magistrate.”
“A discrepancy has been brought to my attention about a transport ship that has not contacted us. Can you verify this for me?” Sara stated.
A moment later, the woman’s voice returned. “I have checked the logs and can verify that indeed a ship was supposed to have contacted us en route about an hour ago,” she said, “I will have it investigated at once.”
Sara looked at Vausees, “That won’t be necessary, I will handle it myself. That is all.” She then closed the communication with a tap on the panel.

Vax was already in motion when she heard the conversation between Sara and the tech. Her fingers were flying over the console, entering in commands and bringing up more data on the planet and sectors’ communications network. It was then that she noticed that her ship’s signal wasn’t being pinged and that an outside source was jamming the signal.
“Sara, something is jamming the subspace relays.”

Sara had moved over next to Vax and looked at the information that Vausees had found. Tapping on the display, she looked at the source code and couldn’t understand how it had happened. It appeared that someone or something had intentionally disrupted the network.
“Let’s go,” Sara said as she walked over to a locker and entered her personal access code. A soft beep and the lock disengaged. The locker hissed open as the doors slid away. Inside lay two phaser pistols and their holster. Picking up the items, she attached them to her waist and tossed Vax her’s. “Better safe than sorry.”

Archanis IV – Planet side
Planetary Communications Network Building

An hour later, both women stood outside the main communications building, just out of view. The sun had set a few minutes ago, and the compound that the building sat in was illuminated by security floodlights. As the two women stood in the shadows of a brushline, Sara peeked out and noticed that the security team that should have been guarding the main entrance was missing.
“Something is off,” she stated as she tucked back into the shadows next to Vausees. “there should be two guards and there isn’t.”
Vax looked at her for a moment and then pulled out her phaser, ensuring that it was set to stun. “What’s the plan?”
Sara stood in silence for a moment as she thought about the layout of the building. As she was thinking, two creatures stepped out of the main door. Vax tapped Sara and pointed. “I don’t know about you, but those two are not human, let alone Archanian.”
Sara took a look at where Vax had pointed and dropped down into a squat position. Her hand went to her pistol in its holster as her eyes narrowed. “I don’t recognize the species.”
“Neither do I,” Vausees replied as she lowered herself down next to Sara.

Looking around, Vax moved off, following the shadows, towards the eastern part of the building. Once there, and out of sight, she pulled her phaser and cut the fencing. Entering the compound, both she and Sara made their way to where the two creatures stood watch.

A phaser bolt left the shadows, followed closely by a second one, and both creatures dropped to the ground. Vax moved over to one of them and observed that they both had fin-like neck ridges. “Wait a second,” she said as she pulled out her tricorder to confirm her suspicions. “Vaadwaur? But how is that possible? They’re supposed to be in the Delta Quadrant.” She looked up at Sara.

This information terrified Sara as she looked around for more of them. She had heard the stories and rumors about the Vaadwaur, and none of them boded well for her people. “And I thought the Klingons were bad,” Sara said in a soft, almost hushed voice.

Entering the building, both women stuck to the walls and shadows as best as they could. Their foot-falls were silent as they stepped to where Sara had indicated should be the main room for the network. Coming upon a stairwell, they stopped and dropped to a knee.
“It doesn’t matter how careful we are, these metal grated steps are going to give off sound,” Vausees stated as she indicated the steps on the stairs.
Sara nodded, “Move fast and get up them quickly,” she suggested.
Vax nodded as she looked from the bottom step to the top landing. “Let’s go.”

The two women moved as quickly as they could up the grated steps, their boots clanking off the grating as they moved. The sound was heard by several Vaadwaur soldiers who looked their way and raised their weapons and opened fire.

As polaron rounds impacted the steel railing, both Sara and Vax yelled, but kept moving up the stairs. Round after round ricocheted and impacted around them. As they ran, Vax took a second and paused to return fire. Her phaser found its target, and a Vaadwaur soldier fell from their position, over the railing and impacted the ground below.

This enraged the other soldier, who increased their rate of fire, narrowly missing Sara’s head as both women dove into the confines of the room at the end of the landing. Leaning against the wall, their backs flat against the cool material. They took a second to catch their breath. Knowing soon enough that more Vaadwaur soldiers would be coming after them.

“We need to move quickly and get the network back online,” Vax stated as she straightened herself up and began to jog down the hallway. “Which door?”
Sara was right behind her, “End of the hallway,” she indicated.

At the door, the two women stopped as Sara entered her access code, and the door unlocked. Opening the door, the two looked at each other for a second before entering. The room was empty, except for a single body in a white lab coat. Sara checked the body and closed her eyes as Vax moved to the console and began to tap on the display, bringing up the network.

“This is going to take a minute,” she stated, and Sara nodded and moved to cover the door.
“I’ve got you,” she replied.

Vax’s fingers flew over the display, tapping on icons and scanning the codes that displayed. It took her a few minutes to find where the Vaadwaur soldiers had disrupted the network, and she began to undo their work. As she worked, a voice from down the hall spoke.

“I am sure that Lieutenant Dranik will be glad to know about you two,” a Vaadwaud soldier shouted, their position hidden from view.
Sara shook her head as she tried to peer around the corner of her concealed position, looking for the soldier, “I’m sure the Federation would love to know that the Vaadwaur are in the Beta Quadrant. Not to mention the Klingon Empire would love this tidbit of information as well!” she yelled down the hall at the soldier.

“Got it,” Vax yelled as the network was reestablished. Reaching up, she tapped her Combadge. “USS Akira, this is Commander Vax, come in.”

Archanis IV – Orbit
Bridge

Debrah had returned to the bridge to let Charles continue unwrapping the data and coding that the probe was transmitting back to the Akira. As she sat on the bridge, a sudden chirp from her Combadge and the only voice that she was currently missing sounded from the small device on her chest. Taken aback, thinking that it was her mind playing tricks on her, she sat there in silence. When the voice once more echoed against the bulkheads of the bridge, is when she reached up and tapped her badge.

“Babe?” Her voice held a tone of uncertainty about it.
“Debrah, it’s the Vaadwaur,” Vax shouted, as sounds of phaser and polaron fire echoed around her.

Debrah couldn’t quite understand what her wife had just said, “Repeat Vausees.” A moment later, Vax repeated that the Vaadwaur were on the surface of the planet.

Just then, as Debrah looked at the main viewscreen, a Manasa-class Assault Escort ship and two Pythus-class Fighters appeared out of thin air, on an intercept course.
“Vax, they’re up here too,” she said in a calm tone as her green eyes narrowed. “A Manasa Assault Escort and two Pythus fighters,” she relayed. “Babe, find somewhere for you and Sara to hide if you can. I need to get the ship out of here.” Debrah cut the connection and tapped on the arm console.

“This is Commander Fergouson. All hands to battle stations, this is not a drill. Red Alert.” She then tapped the console again. “Computer, set the ship to status red.” A soft beep sounded and the bridge’s lighting changed from the constant pale blue to a crimson red. Moving from the command chair she slide into the pilots seat. Looking down at the console she shook her head as her fingers flew over the console.