The nightmare

Posted on Mon Feb 13th, 2023 @ 8:57am by Ensign Edg'rrr Anisu

1,679 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 115 - Planting for the Future
Location: Near a moon of Kaleb VII
Timeline: MD1, 1422 hrs
Tags: Edg'rrr, SS Terminus, Courage

"Mayday, mayday this is the SS Terminus please respond! Starbase 400 come in! We're out of control near a moon of Kaleb VII!" A voice spoke this faintly as Edg'rrr stirred on the floor. He wasn't sure where anything was. Darkness was mostly all he could see. An arm grabbed him forcing him to his feet.

"BOY! WAKE UP SON!" Yelled this gruff and angry voice as Edg'rrr was shaken to his senses. "COME ON SON WE AIN'T DEAD YET AND I NEED YA!" The voice was booming and Edg'rrr finally snapped out of it a bit in a panic as everything he saw were fires, wires, and a few people knocked out. "That's it son you got it!"

"W-what happened? I was, checking a few systems and..." said Edg'rrr with his ears twitching as the bulk of an Andorian looked him in the eye biting on a piece of metal, a spanner perhaps, like a cigar.

"Port nacelle blew clean off and the cap'n needs to release the pods into a safe orbit before we kiss the dead rock of a moon nearby. I need your sorry butt on the controls across the way and wait for my signal. Once I give it you press the button to jettison pods. We're hoping with our rotation we can send our passengers into a stable orbit. Already sent the shuttles to catch it if we can. Move it starfleet!" Said the gruff Andorian as Edg'rrr held his head making his way to a console across the way. Walking was an issue as he could feel something with the artificial gravity was off pulling him in a direction that wasn't down. He reached the console as more of his senses came to light. As more of the anxiety of the situation came forth.

"Stay calm. Stay calm. You got this." Edg'rrr mumbled closing his eyes for a moment clenching the console. He took a breath. He looked at the console gaining access to the pods the Ptolemy class ship carried under it. "How many people were in them?" He wondered forcing the thought out. His job now was to try to follow the orders of his current superiors to save them. He looked back at the chief engineer across the room who had a hand raised high in the air.

"Steady...steady...now!" Yelled the Andorian as he pressed a button and Edg'rrr did as well. The ship lurched but the screen confirmed the pods separated. Edg'rrr looked at the chief who walked over to a wall mounted console pressing a button. "Pods away Matheson. Still working on that impulse drive for ya." A moment of silence but Edg'rrr could make out another voice.

"They're safe. If you can't get it restored at least get me a pulse to break the decay." Said captain Matheson as another voice could be heard faintly beyond it.

"400 is sending the Kashin and Tempest to assist sir." Said what Edg'rrr presumed was the comm officer in charge.

"A pulse? Got it engineering out." Said the chief looking at Edg'rrr and waving him over. Promptly Edg'rrr did so doing what he could to keep his tail at his side. "I have an idea. It ain't pretty but it might stop the orbit decay for those ships to arrive. Warp's out, impulse drive is what it is I'll say that, but that warp core is still active. We're gonna flood those engines with a full burn at periodic intervals." Said the chief as Edg'rrr ran through the idea in his head.
"Sir if I may, wouldn't that burn out the outdated system? Trying to divert power from the nacelles to impulse could overload them. At best we'll lose them entirely." Said Edg'rrr as the chief laughed tapping him on the shoulder.
"Nothing like a little risk for one good reward eh?" Said the chief as at least one of his antennae drooped slightly. "Don't worry we're in the home stretch so no space distortion exploding the nacelle of my ship is gonna stop me nor the captain from making another successful run. Get down below to junctions 37J and 91R. Start routing what you can." Said the chief as Edg'rr nervously nodded and ran off. He pulled a panel off a wall in a nearby corridor crawling into a Jefferies tube before exiting onto a starfleet bridge?

Not just any starship bridge but one from the 23rd century it looked like. This wasn't right as everything felt like time slowed to a crawl as he walked to the captain sitting their chair. The man was gritting his teeth pointing towards his tactical officer which Edg'rrr followed. On the screen was a miasma of purple and pink colors swirling, no, being distorted around a star far away. The names of three other ships were on the screen but no clear names. Edg'rrr looked around the bridge some more not sure exactly what was transpiring. Until another man at the back with sleek purple hair and four eyebrows pointed back at the screen but smiled directly at Edg'rrr doing it. Edg'rrr felt puzzled but did so anyway however doing this he stood looking at a massive machine with several appendages coming off of it as the star behind it faded causing in collaboration with the distortion to appear like some massive eye. The bridge faded away as the machine drew closer to Edg'rrr now floating in space. Feeling some kind of dread, something far worse than he'd ever known come over him he almost screamed in terror as with a thump he awoke on the floor of his room.

"Rise and shine ensign Anisu! I'm so happy that you're finally awake!" Said a mechanized voice off somewhere in the room as Edg'rrr laid on the ground for a moment. Carpet was rough but waking up on it wasn't exactly how he imagined starting the day. "Did you rest well?" Edg'rrr finally clawed his way to sit up pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes to rub the sleep particles out before giving a wide mouthed yawn.

"No, no I didn't. My brain is still running over what happened and I can't explain it." Said Edg'rrr as an old modified DOT-7 robot floated up to him. The robot wasn't exactly standard but Edg'rrr was proud as it was one of the few inventions that not only worked but helped him mentally through hard times. "Eh, how's my favorite buddy today?" Smiled Edg'rrr as the robot chirped.

"Fantastic. I've still been analyzing this station we're on. You'll be happy to know the SS Terminus and her crew and have departed some time ago once repairs were finished as you slept. Given it has taken a couple of months they have sent their kind regards for assisting them with a few points given to your new superiors." Said the robot as Edg'rrr nodded. "The passengers were saved in part to your actions Edg'rrr, they will think positively on you doing so." Edg'rrr smiled nodding to himself.

"So did the transfer go through?" Asked Edg'rrr standing up and walking over to a closet for his uniform.

"Indeed and I believe this new commander will find your skills handy in particular with the new upgrades arriving. I saw in a manifest this station was cleared for a new ship or two for its fleet." Said the robot.

"That's sound awesome. Any ideas what they are yet Courage?" Said Edg'rrr now getting ready to shower as Courage brought up a holoscreen before him looking at various info on the station he'd gathered.

"One in particular appears to be a Constitution class, third iteration." Said Courage as Edg'rrr poked his head out from behind the bathroom door frame.

"Serious?" Asked Edg'rrr as his ears twitched at curiosity.

"I don't believe I'd say so if it weren't." Said Courage as Edg'rrr retreated back into the bathroom with thumps of him jumping a bit. "Umm, please do not jump if you are still wet. I don't think this CMO would like another visit like that." After a few minutes Edg'rrr walked out wearing his new uniform adjusting the pip and badge on it.

"Good?" Asked Edg'rrr nervously standing at attention as Courage moved closer to him adjusting to his height and carefully fiddled with the pip.

"Just that." Said Courage as Edg'rrr stood for a moment as his mind raced. "You'll be fine. They seem positive on this station and probably haven't met many who went through we you did on the Goddard and Providence yes?" Edg'rrr looked down grabbing his tail and fidgeted with it.

"Just, new place nerves is all. Been here for a few months but mostly just recovering." Edg'rrr let go of his tail and smiled. "You're right Courage. I'm a Starfleet officer that might've been slightly demoted to fit this new role but they're gonna need me. I just know it." Edg'rrr made his way to the door but as it opened he paused looking back at Courage. "One more thing. May you look into twenty third century missing ships for me? I might have something." Said Edg'rrr as just as he was about to leave he paused again and looked back. "Also, thank you." He said smiling before walking off down the corridor to new duties and maybe new friends. Courage gave a slight bow moving to another area of the room. While small Courage knew it was a good thing that they were on a station as Edg'rrr seemed happier about this post than the others. In a smaller room Courage moved past a work bench with some technical pads strewn about but on a wall was a board. Tapping it Courage began to bring up various ships from across history. Many with notes but a few had marks like "unknown" or "classified". Courage brought up a list of them around the 23rd century stopping on a few but highlighted one that had a few other notes attached to it. One of which was labeled "does not exist in system".

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