“Damage report!”

The bridge of the USS Perseverance reverberated with the effects of mad chaos. Sparks flickered off consoles and spitting flames crackled in the corner. The lights had blown out, and auxiliary spotlights offered limited aid to those who were pulling themselves off the deck. A crescendo of startled coughing and groaning filled the temporary silence as the slow rumble of emergency fans kicked on, clearing the hazy smoke but not the acrid smell that permeated the air. Captain Park crawled back into her chair, wincing at the pain screaming from all corners of her body. She’d been called to the bridge over a concerning report from science about something they were struggling to explain. The center chair was still in one piece as she tried to make sense of what had happened. She called out again, “Damage report!”

The ragged voice of her XO, Commander Rowan Hale, spoke up from somewhere at the rear of the bridge. “Main power is offline. Warp engines offline. Sickbay has reported in; Dr. Josephs is working on triage reports.”

She turned slowly in the chair; the pain increasing as the adrenaline faded. “You?”

Rowan had pulled himself up onto the tactical horseshoe and was blinking away the mix of sweat and blood saturating his brow. “I’m alive, Captain.” He righted himself and walked hesitantly through the bridge to check on the prone bodies. He knelt at the side of their science chief. “Wallaker’s alive, but unconscious.” He moved over to where their communications chief hunched over her station, tears in eyes as she had just shaken awake. “Cadet Williams?”

Cat groaned, her hands gripping a seeping wound at her side. “It hurts like hell, sir.” Her breathing was deep and eyes wide from the remnants of shock. The XO stalked over to a side cabinet and forced it open, sliding out a medical kit which he returned to the cadet’s side. “Let me see what I can do.”

Park leaned forward in the center chair. The aches of pain were less sharp, filling in with a throbbing dullness. She tapped her badge. “Park to sickbay. We need some help up here.”

The firm voice of Ada Josephs crackled back. “I’m nearly there, Captain.” Within moments, the door to the bridge shuddered open, and the chief medical officer bounded through, followed by two orderlies. She didn’t speak and moved first to Park, armed with a medical tricorder.

Park felt some relief as a hypospray was injected. “How bad is it with everyone else?” Another hypospray and her vision started clearing.

Ada’s face remained impassive as she worked on her captain and friend. Park was certain things were worse across the ship and her friend’s reply confirmed it. “Not great. Triage is busy in sickbay, and we’ve put anyone who can walk and carry a med kit to work. They’re going deck by deck. We haven’t lost anyone so far.” She held a dermal regenerator over Park’s forehead. “I’ve given you something for the pain, but your muscles are going to be sore until we get you down to sickbay. Contusions and strains. Nothing broken.”

Park sat up in the chair, feeling relief flood her body. “I’ll be down as soon as I can.” She pushed herself to stand, wobbly at first, and accepted a stabilizing hand. “Thank you, Ada.”

“Thank me when we’ve got a better picture of how badly we’re hurt. You find out what happened to us, and we’ll call it even.” Park offered her a quiet nod before the enterprising doctor shifted her attention to the remaining bridge crew.

Park steadied herself and walked to where Hale stood, pulling what information he could from the tactical console. She asked, “Status?”

He scoffed. “I’m not even sure where we are, Park.” The flickering screen displayed a confusing map of the sector. There was nothing familiar about it. Rowan shifted the display as he continued. “There are things out there that connect to our star maps, but there’s plenty out there that is puzzling the computer and the rest of us. I can’t raise Montana Station, and Mackenzie isn’t on our short-or long-range sensors…the ones that are working.”

Park grimaced at the pain across her body. She imagined Hale wasn’t in great shape, given the blood and dirt on his uniform. They needed a plan. “How long will auxiliary power hold?”

“Four hours. There’s been some damage to the aux and battery systems, I think. The computer is slow to give answers, so there’s probably more wrong beyond what I can see. I can’t raise engineering.”

She watched Ada and her team work with the bridge crew and was relieved to see them moving and sitting up, albeit slowly. “We’ll start there. Get to engineering. Grab anyone in gold along the way to take with you. I’ll handle what I can from here.” He stood at awkward attention and hobbled off to the turbolift. Park turned to the bridge, determined to make sense of what had happened.

Ada had Wallaker on a mobile stretcher. She directed the two orderlies before handing a bloodied PADD to her. “She’s going to need stabilizing in sickbay. Updates from my triage team. Fifty in serious condition with more coming. They’ve covered decks one through nine. I’m not an engineer, but based on what they’re seeing, we’re lucky to be alive.” She placed a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I’ll update from sickbay when I know more.”

Park turned back to the bruised bridge. The only other person was Cadet Catrin Williams at the communications station, wiping away the remnants of her tears. A heavy bandage wrapped her wound. “Cadet Williams?” She found her way to the other side of the bridge and sat down next to her. “You don’t need to stay here. Sickbay can take one more.”

Williams shook her head forcefully, her eyes fiercely meeting Park’s. “No, ma’am. I can handle the pain. Commander Hale did good work cleaning it up. I need to help you find answers. I’m not leaving you, Captain.” She tapped at the console, and her screen showed what she’d found so far. “You will not like what I’ve found. I don’t like it.”

Park leaned in, scowling as the limited data stream scrolled across the display. “No consistent navigational data can be located. Unable to connect to the rimward or the Federation space network.” She narrowed her eyes as the data continued. “Yet it’s located some familiar stars and locations.”

Catrin felt her heart rattling in her chest. It was impossible. It was unthinkable. But she had to say it. “I don’t think we moved locations in space, Captain. I think we shifted into something else. We’re going to need everything back up and running to get better answers. Wherever we are, it’s not ours.”

Park’s stomach twisted in knots, and her shoulders tensed. “Do we have power for the shields if needed?”

“Limited, ma’am.”

“Get whatever shields or defense fields operational. Whatever this is wherever this is…we’re going to need what we can get.”