Stardate: 74448

Time: 1046 hours

Location: Gamma Quadrant

USS Heracles

The Heracles sat motionless on the outskirts of the system that Trever had a week earlier set a course for. 

“Jonton, what do our sensors and scans tell us about this system?” Vausees asked her Chief Operations Officer.

Jonton had been scanning the system for about half an hour since their arrival. He looked up at the Captain, “From what the Heracles is telling me there are twelve planets and three of them are class “M”,” he said as he looked back at the sensor logs, “What I find strange is that they system’s sun should not be able to support such an amount of planets as its gravitational yield is to small.”

“Not to mention, Captain,” Zozzak, the ships Chief Science Officer, spoke up from his console which showed the three “M” class planets, “the three planets are too far from the “Goldy Locks” area of this system, one of which happens to be near the edge of the system,” he stated as he turned and tapped on the holographic icon on the monitor, which sent the information from his console to the main viewscreen, changing it from the small red dwarf to the system’s planetary layout.

Vausees looked at the viewscreen and the displayed imagery of the system. Both of her officer’s were correct in their statements of the system, “How about advanced species?” She asked them. 

Both Jonton and Zozzak turned back to their consoles and began scanning the system for their Captain’s request. And in perfect sync they turned from their consoles and stated “yes”.

Zozzak looked at Jonton and nodded, giving him the floor to speak, seeing as they had both come to the same conclusion. Vausees hearing the two officer’s speaking in unison turned her head and looked at them both. When Zozzak gave the floor to Jonton she turned her attention to him.

“Go on Lieutenant,” she said to the man.

Jonton nodded and stated that all three of the planets were a part of the same two species, and that he was detecting interplanetary signals coming from all three, as if there was a trade system, or shipping lanes in place. Zozzak nodded in agreement to what the Lieutenant had said, which interested Vausees greatly.

“I don’t suppose that they have satellites?” she asked as she looked at the two men.

They both nodded their heads in excitement at her question. Once more they both say in unison that the systems communications system was highly advanced. Vausees pinched her nose at the sound of their synced voices, and couldn’t help but laugh at it. 

“Mister Jonton, would you..” However, before she could finish her request the Heracles klaxons sounded and the lights on the bridge dimmed and flashed red. “Red Alert!” She yelled out as she swung herself into the central chair and looked at the viewscreen as it switched from the system layout to a large ship heading their way, trailed and flanked by three smaller ships.

“Lieutenant Jonton, hail the lead ship,” she ordered.

Jonton was already in the process of hailing the lead ship when she gave the order, “Already on it, Captain,” he stated as he looked up from his console to the main viewscreen. 

The screen shifted from the ships to a battle scarred figure in a hooded leather jacket. Something about the figure suggested that they were not showing their true self.

“I am Captain Vausees Vax of the United Federation of Planets.” She said to the figure on her main viewscreen.

“Star…Fleet?” An angelic demonic voice responded.

This sound confused and sent a shiver down the entire bridge crew’s spines. Vausees shook it off and stood up. “Yes we are part of Starfleet,” she said as she took a step toward the viewscreen, “And you are?”

“Thý’ella of the Angelikós Zilotís,” she responded. The Universal translator displayed near the bottom of the viewscreen, a translation of the words that she had just spoken: `DeathStorm’ and ‘ArchAngel’.

Vausees saw the translation of the figure’s name and what she suspected was the figure’s people. She nodded to the figure, “Thý’ella, why do you have your weapons aimed and armed at us?” She asked the figure on her viewscreen.

It was then that the figure on the viewscreen lowered the hood on the leather jacket and the disguise that they had surrounding themselves. On the viewscreen a woman appeared with black semi-translucent wing’s. Vausees was intrigued by this woman and it shown on her face as she looked at the woman.

Thý’ella looked off to her left and then back to Vausees, “All weapons have been lowered, Captain.”

Vausees looked back at Jonton who looked up from his console. He nodded that the ships that they seen on the viewscreen a moment ago had disarmed their weapons and had lowered them. She looks back at Thý’ella. “Thank you, Thý’ella.”

With a nod Thý’ella thanked her as well. “What can the Angelikós Zilotís do for Star…Fleet,” she asked Vausees.

Vausees looked at Thý’ella for a moment, “I and one other would like to meet with you in person, if that is acceptable.”

Thý’ella looked at Vausees for a moment and nodded, “That is acceptable,” she said, “Would twenty minutes be fine with you, Captain?” She asked as she looked once more off screen at someone.

“That will do just fine, Thý’ella.”

The hail closed and the viewscreen changed from Thý’ella to the three ships, which had started to move closer. As they neared the Heracles the lead ship manuvered to the port side. Vausees looked at Cody, “The bridge is your’s,” she said as she looked at Debrah, “Follow me Commander.

Debrah nodded as she followed Vausees. They both left the bridge on the main lift and headed down one deck. Debrah looked at Vausees as they walked together. She knew exactly where they were going.

“Something on your mind, babe?” Debrah asked as they walked into the Senior Officer Lounge.

Vausees took a seat by one of the large bulkhead windows and looked out into the cold bleak darkness of space. Debrah sat across from her and slipped her hand into her’s. She could tell that something was on her mind, but she could also tell that she didn’t need to push the matter either. Vausees looked around the lounge and was again grateful that no one was within ear shot of them.

“Debbie,” she said as she looked at Debrah, “I need you to always be by my side, no matter where I go or what I do.”

This caught Debrah off guard for a moment, but she understood what Vausees was asking of her. “Vausees, babe, I will never leave yourself. You are after all the reason I came back to the fleet. I know that now,” she said softly as she gently caressed  the top of Vauesses hand with her thumb. “I’ll make you deal, babe,” she said as she slipped her free hand up and lifted Vausees chin up to see into her eyes, her gorgeous light blue eyes. “We make it out of this alive and I will move my things in with you.”

Vausees eyes brightened up and shimmered as tears threatened to break free from her eyes. “Are you sure?” She asked as she continued looked into Debrah’s eyes.

Debrah smiles as she brings Vausees hand up to her lips and gently kisses it. “I am sure, babe.”