“Captain. We are approaching the coordinates.”

Eager to get started with their mission, Treylana started restating orders that she had discussed with her staff in the briefing days ago “Yellow alert! Slow to one half impulse. McDougal, raise shields. Petrov, start scanning the region for anything that might indicate a territorial boundary and relay whatever you find to the helm so that Tucker can plot a course around it. We don’t want to inadvertently wander into places that we’re not wanted.”

The crew acknowledged her orders and the warning lights scattered around the bridge began to slowly pulse their golden hue to indicate the ship was now at yellow alert. Xenie Petrov was frantically working at her station to pull up any relevant sensor data she could. The so-called munitions range they were on the border of spanned an area much larger than she ever would have thought necessary. “Captain, sensors indicate that an area encompassing approximately point-seven light years makes up this region of space. I am picking up a warning buoy bearing thre-two-three mark two-six, distance eight hundred thousand kilometers.”

Petrov paused for a moment as all of the sensor data was still coming in. Sensors were beginning to pick up a slight graviton disturbance. Before she could make heads or tails of what she was reading, an object emerged from subspace. “Captain!” she exclaimed, but before she could finish her sentence it had impacted Atlantia’s port shields. The ship shook violently from the resulting explosion.

“Shields down to sixty-two percent” William reported after picking himself up off the floor.

“Captain. Sensors are picking up a residual shockwave.”

“From the weapon that hit us?”

“Negative. This one is not emanating outward from us, but rather coming toward us.”

“Tamura, reroute power to compensate.” Treylana ordered.

The shockwave impacted the ship. The reallocation of power to the ship’s shields helped but it had dissipated so much that this time the ship only gently rocked from it. Suddenly, all forward movement stopped and every monitor on the bridge turned black and was replaced with a singular symbol. One by one each station officer elaborated what they could and could not access. Phil chimed in as well as he furiously attempted to pull up information using his access codes “Captain, the computer says I don’t have sufficient clearance.”

“I can see that. It says here that level ten clearance is required. Captain’s eyes only.”

“Do you know what it means?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. I will be in my ready room trying to figure this out. I’ll provide answers when I can. You have the bridge.” She said as she rose from her command chair.

“Coffee black.” Treylana ordered from the replicator. Taking the hot mug to her seat, she loaded up her computer terminal. It too was showing the same symbol that was on the bridge. “Computer, what is this symbol?” she asked.

“That symbol represents the last letter in the Greek alphabet, Omega.”

“What is the nature of this symbol on the monitors?”

“That information is restricted. State clearance code.”

“Hess-seven-six-charlie-tango, clearance level ten.”

“Confirmed. The nature of the symbol indicates that the Omega phenomenon has been detected within five light years. Implement the Omega directive immediately. All other priorities have been rescinded including the Prime Directive. All data pertaining to Omega including log entries are to be encrypted until the end of the mission.”

“Pull up information pertaining to the Omega Directive. Seal the doors to my ready room, no entry without my authorization. Encrypt and restrict access to all sensor data to my access level and route it to my ready room. Finally, Disengage bridge security lockouts.”

“Commander, I have helm control back. Navigational sensors are still locked out” Kalela said as she turned to face the man. She had been feeling useless the moment the systems locked out.

“It’s a start at least.”

Phil was about activate the comm and see if the captain had an update regarding their situation. As he did, Treylana emerged from her ready room with a couple of PADDs in hand. “Lieutenant, there is an M class planet in orbit of a binary system four-point-two lightyears from here. Lay in a course at maximum warp for as long as you are able. Commander, I will want to speak with you in a half an hour. Until then I will be in Engineering and Sickbay.”

Before anyone could acknowledge her instructions, Treylana had already stepped into the turbolift and instructed it to take her to deck ten, main engineering.

Paul was sitting at a diagnostic station when Treylana arrived. She called out to her long-time friend and handed him one of the PADDs she had been carrying. “I need these shield modifications installed around the warp core as soon as possible.”

Paul looked down at the PADD to see what was in store for his team. It was a specification for multiphasic shielding so complex, he wasn’t quite sure he understood what purpose it served. “Sure thing Captain.” he said “I can have these modifications installed in approximately eighteen hours.”

“I need them installed by sixteen-hundred hours.”

“Captain, I’m not completely sure what these modifications do. I can’t rush the work.”

“Paul…we are going to reach our destination at twenty-hundred hours. I need these modifications in place before we get there. Use whatever personnel you need and work double shifts if you must to get the work done, but get it done. Make it your top priority. I want status updates reported directly to me every two hours.”

“Sir?” Harrison replied.

“Exactly as I ordered Paul. I’ll be in Sickbay next if you need me.”

Commander Brant turned around from examining a patient at the sound of the doors hissing open. “Captain. To what do I owe the pleasure? You’re not due for a physical for some time yet. Are you ill?”

“I need you to prepare twenty milligram doses of arithrazine for any away team member chosen to come with me when we reach our destination.”

“Captain, you do realize that arithrazine is used to severe theta radiation poisoning. I cannot authorize an away mission that would put the lives of the captain, her ship or her crew at risk.”

“In this case Allan, my orders supersede your medical authorization. You’ve known me for a long time Allan. You know I wouldn’t normally counter your medical authorization, but my orders come directly from Starfleet Command. I’m not sure I fully understand them yet but they are orders.”

“Very well, but you understand that I will have to note this in my official report.”

“As long as you encrypt any logs during this mission for level ten access, you do what you must. I will see you at twenty hundred hours.”

Treylana returned to the bridge in slightly less time than she said she would. The one person in her crew she was not looking forward to having a conversation with was seated in the command chair. She glanced in his direction and stated with an ominous tone “My ready room when you’re ready.”

This didn’t bring any comfort to the already puzzled man who was her First Officer, but after a quick second to gain his composure he stood up, adjusted his uniform and proceeded to follow Treylana into the ready room.

As soon as the door closed behind her pursuing colleague, she began to address him. “Commander…Phil. Over the next fourty-eight to seventy-two hours, I will be demanding a lot from this crew, with little to no explanation as to why. I want you to know that every decision has been meticulously planned out and there is a reason for it. There will be no room for debate or negotiation. Everyone will be on a need to know basis until this mission is complete. Is that clear?”

“Does this have anything to do with that Greek Omega symbol on the monitors earlier?”

“I cannot go into detail about that. What I can tell you is that I have a series of tasks that need to be completed and I would like for you to assign them while I continue with additional sensor analysis.”

“Very well. What do you need done?”

“First, I need a handful of torpedoes modified to a yield of at least eighty isotons. Ten should be sufficient. I would like for McDougal and Tucker to handle that.”

“Eighty isotons? Are we planning to destroy a starbase?”

“Need to know Commander. Second, have Tamura work with Ops to increase the structural integrity field.” She handed Phil the remaining PADD she had in her hand and continued. “Lastly, on that PADD is a schematic for a piece of technology. I want you and Petrov and any other personnel you require to have that equipment constructed as soon as possible. It is crucial to the success of this mission. Please get started right away. Dismissed.”

Treylana breathed a sigh of relief as her Phil left the room. It was going to be a trying couple of days. She just had to keep reminding herself that she was following Starfleet orders and not making things up as she went.