Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.20.2402

Captain Kirok Skyrunner recording…

The USS Carlsbad has been onroute to our destination for the last 48 hours without incident. My senior officers have used the last two days to heavily train their staff for almost any situation. I feel very confident that my crew will deal with any problems. Long range sensors have picked up a residual energy signature from a warp core explosion. We are currently on course and increase speed to maximum warp. We are ready to find our missing officers.

End Log Entry.

Captain Skyrunner sat in his ready room, reading over the intelligence reports, for the fifth time, that Starfleet gave him before they left Starbase 72. As he read it over again, he shook his head.

“What wrong babe,” First Officer Sophia Rodriguez said, sipping her coffee on the couch in the Captain’s Ready Room.

Kirok looked over to her.

“This is the fifth time I’ll looked over this Intelligence report, hoping to see if there is some information I missed. Nothing. It is about as bland as cardboard. We are virtually going in blind.”

Sophia sat still for a minute, looking like she was clearly thinking it over. Then she stood up and slowly walked around the Captain’s desk, sitting on it and looked down at him.

“I’ve read it myself four times and I fully agree. There is danger here, but we are not strangers to danger, are we?”

Kirok watched her walk from the couch to next to him, his eyes locked on hers and wore a warm, disarming smile.

“No, we certainly are not strangers to danger,” Kirok replied to his lovely wife. “We will push forward into the unknown with courage and determination. This crew has been tremendously courageous and I’m proud to lead them.”

Sophia leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

“I’m very proud of the Captain you have become. Very proud,” Sophia said softly.

Captain Skyrunner blushed a little bit and Sophia giggled. Kirok tapped his commbadge.

“Skyrunner to Bridge?”

“Bridge, Bradley here sir.”

“Tom, what is our estimated time for arrival?”

There is a brief pause as the sound of buttons being tapped was heard over the comm channel.

“Looks like we are still fourteen hours out sir, at our current speed of warp 9.”

“Thank you Commander. Skyrunner out.”

Kirok tapped his commbadge again and stood up, looking in his wife’s eyes.

“Care for some dinner,” he asked her.

“Of course. The ship’s lounge at 1900 hours.”

Kirok smiled at her.

“Yes ma’am.”

Sophia finished her coffee and left her cup in his desk and walked out of the ready room, feeling his eyes on her back.

***

Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Zorvath T’Koren, sat at his desk in his office in Sickbay filling out paperwork. Suddenly, there was a loud commotion in the main part of Sickbay. He stood up and walked to where the noise came from. Two security officers were helping to walk in two junior engineering officers, Lieutenant Junior Grade Ethan Smith and Lieutenant Junior Grade Alexandra Rodgers. Both Ethan and Alexandra looked like they were in a plasma explosion. Their uniforms were burned and torn. His medical training instantly snapped into place.

“What happened,” Dr. T’Koren barked as he grabbed a medical tricorder. “Computer, activate emergency holographic doctor.”

A holographic image of Doctor Bashir, the Chief Medical Officer from Deep Space Nine, appeared. The security officers, Lieutenant Eric Smith and Ensign Mark Henderson, walked in front of where the holographic doctor appeared.

“Please state the nature of the…”

“Plasma conduit ruptured on deck 13,” one of the security officers, Lieutenant Eric Smith said, laying Ethan on a biobed, then helped the other security officer, Ensign Mark Henderson, put Alexandra on another biobed.

The holographic doctor moves to the biobed that Ethan was on, opening the medical tricorder and starts scanning Ethan. Doctor T’Koren scanned Alexandria with his tricorder.

“Second degree plasma burns. Nurse, get the burn kit,” the holographic doctor ordered.

The head nurse, Lieutenant Evelyn Pierce, hurried to a storage unit and grabbed the burn kit and appropriate medical hypospray. She ran back to the biobed and gave a hypo of medicine and used the burn kit on the burned skin.

“Same thing here too Nurse. Second degree plasma burns as well,” Dr. T’Koren ordered.

“Yes Doctor,” replied Nurse Pierce.

First Officer Rodriguez walked into Sickbay and took stock of the chaos. She took a step to the side and silently watched as both Doctor T’Koren and the holographic doctor worked on both patients. Doctor T’Koren noticed Sophia by the entrance and nodded, then told the holographic doctor to take over. Doctor T’Koren walked over to Sophia.

“What happened Doctor,” Sophia demanded.

Doctor T’Koren looked at the patients and Sophia together.

“Both have second degree plasma burns from a ruptured plasma conduit, according to what the security officers said,” T’Koren replied.

Sophia spotted the two security officers and waved them over. They nodded and walked closer, stopping in front of the First Officer.

“Report,” Sophia said to the junior officers.

Lieutenant Smith answered, “a plasma conduit ruptured that they must have been working on sir. Ensign Henderson and myself were on patrol when we heard the explosion and ran to where it happened. We saw both engineers hurt and brought them here after reporting the explosion to the Bridge.”

Sophia looked both junior officers over, then looked at Ensign Henderson, who nodded in agreement.

“Nice job gentlemen. Dismissed,” Sophia told them.

Then walked to the biobed that Alexa was on, looking at the young engineer. She looked at Alexa for a few seconds, then walked to Ethan’s bed, silently giving them both her positive thoughts as both patients were unconscious. Sophia turned and stepped to Doctor T’Koren.

“Keep me advised Doctor,” Sophia said, then left Sickbay, heading back to the Bridge.

Doctor T’Koren nodded as the Executive Officer left his Sickbay, then he walked back to the biobed, scanning both patients.

“Is there anything else I can do to help,” the holographic doctor inquired.

Doctor T’Koren shook his head, then said, “computer…deactivate EMH.”

The holographic doctor phased out of existence, leaving just Doctor T’Koren to care for the patients.

***

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.21.2402

Captain Kirok Skyrunner recording…

The USS Carlsbad has dropped out of warp near the coordinates of the Federation warp core energy signature. Starfleet Intelligence thinks this is where our missing officer’s, Commander Aramis Lionel and Lieutenant Commander Catersha, were last known. We hope to be able to find them soon, so we can get on with our mission. The USS Carlsbad has assumed standard orbit around an alien jungle moon and has beamed down a full away team, heavily armed. The Carlsbad is standing by to assist.

The minor damage caused by the ruptured plasma conduit yesterday has been repaired and the ship is back to full operation again. I hopefully foresee no further problems, but I have this feeling that something else is coming…

End Log Entry.

The away team materialized next to the crashed runabout. The away team, which consisted of First Officer Sophia Rodriguez, Security Chief Tom Bradley, Engineer Lieutenant Emily Rodgers, Security Officer Ensign K’tharon, Nurse Naomi, and Science Crewman Sorvath, looked around the area. Sophia immediately spotted the wrecked runabout and issued orders.

“Tom, secure the perimeter. Sorvath, scan the area for life signs. Emily, see what you can salvage from the wreckage. Naomi, you’re with me,” Sophia ordered, then she tapped her commbadge. “Rodriguez to Carlsbad, transport complete. We found a wrecked runabout Captain. We are proceeding to look around.”

“Understood Number One. Proceed with caution. There is some kind of dampening field that is preventing us from scanning the planet. I have a full security team standing by in the transporter room. Carlsbad out.”

***

Tom Bradley nodded, and he and Ensign K’tharon moved off, finding a trail. They drew their phasers, scanning the jungle perimeter, circling the wreckage about fifty meters from the beam down spot. The air was thick with humidity, and the sounds of the jungle surrounded them.

“Sir, detecting unusual readings,” K’tharon whispered, her tricorder beeping softly.

Tom’s eyes narrowed, asking her, “life signs?”

K’tharon looked puzzled, replying, “unknown sir, the readings are… unusual.”

“Move with caution,” Tom ordered, his grip on his phaser tightening. Tom tapped his comm badge. “Bradley to Rodriguez, we are detecting some unusual readings.

Sophia’s voice came from his commbadge, “understood Commander. We are detecting the same thing. Come back immediately. Rodriguez out.”

They moved towards the wreckage, eyes scanning the jungle, senses on high alert.

***

Sorvath pulled his tricorder out and started scanning for life signs.

Lieutenant Emily Rodgers carefully stepped into the wrecked runabout, Sophia and Naomi following her. The women were moving their torch lights around, looking around, when Sophia’s torchlight landed on a small pool of blood.

“Naomi, look at this,” Sophia said to the away team medic.

Naomi stepped over and knelt next to the blood pool. She pulled out her medical tricorder and scanned the blood.

“Captain Rodriguez, this blood is Commander Lionel’s and Commander Catersha’s blood, but not enough to be serious,” Naomi reported.

“Captain, I found something on my tricorder,” Sorvath called out.

“On my way Sorvath,” Sophia said loudly.

Sophia stepped out of the wreckage and stood next to Sorvath.

“Report,” Sophia ordered.

“I’ve detected an unusual power signature,” Sorvath said, tapping the tricorder. “It is one point five kilometers away on a heading of one four four.”

Sophia tapped her commbadge.

“Rodriguez to Bradley, bring it in. We found an energy signature. We are moving out.”

“Understood Captain. Bradley out.”

A minute later, Bradley and K’tharon appeared from the dense jungle. When Sophia saw them, she gestured to them to take point and the away team moved out.