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Bear witness to the death of a world.

A small emerging industrial world sat unaware of the danger approaching it.

A black, undulating mass that blotted out the stars moved into its solar system. The planet's astronomers were fascinated by it when they first saw it from their observatories. No one had seen anything like this before and it became a great matter of discussion and wonder.

Fascination soon turned to horror as two of their most recently discovered planets disappeared from the heavens and the maelstrom soon became visible in the sky during the day time.

Their planet was soon hit with terrible earthquakes and disasters as it drew closer. The inhabitants were terrified beyond belief.

Nothing could be done. They didn't have any means of escaping their planet.

As the entity approached their planet and began to consume it, all they could do was wait for death. In a matter of minutes, the little blue world disappeared from the cosmos forever. The thing became visible, the cloak of blackness slipped from it and its fluidic form as it spread out to cover the world and descend upon it.

The maelstrom stayed for a moment and then moved on with purpose, as if sensing out its next meal before moving out of the now-dead star system.

==============================

Title: The Immunity Crisis Part I

Episode 16

2020, 2021 IDP

By: Vakash Darkbane

Edited: Saurex Conoway

=============================

Captains Log, Stardate: 34813.29

I received a priority message from Starfleet Command this morning. All of our current duties have been suspended and we've been ordered to stay at Starbase 186 until we receive a diplomatic envoy.

I'm not sure what the exact nature of this mission is, but I am curious. So, I suppose we will all find out once the envoy arrives. All I know is we are required to be in full dress at Airlock 6 at 1000 hours....

"Captain," Terri Lu said to his left. "Why are we here? Something about a dignitary? I barely had time to read the report."

"You know about as much as I do," Harry groused. "Captain Stiles told us to get here ASAP in full dress."

Terri-Lu huffed. "Whatever for? It doesn't make any sense."

"You'll find out when the rest of us do," Harry said, hearing voices approaching. "ATTENTION!" He said, suddenly making everyone straighten up suddenly and stop their milling about.

Captain Stiles was seen approaching the ramp with another figure whom Harry could make out was a very lavishly dressed Altairian male.

"Ah, Commander Martinez," Captain Stiles said as they approached, "this is Ambassador Kolnoz."

"Keptin, it is a pleasure to see you!" The older Altarian said, extending his hand.

Harry shook his hand. "A pleasure as well Ambassador. This is my First Officer, Terri Lu."

Terri touched two fingers to the side of her forehead and nodded curtly, seeing the Ambassador wasn't wearing gloves. It was an equal sign of friendship to Altarians, but Terri was well aware of what a touch from one of the opposite sex who was in an obvious elated or heightened state could do to a person.

"A pleasure," she said.

"Ah! A sharp one she is," Kolnoz said, bowing. "Forgive me, I almost forgot. Where are my manners?" He said quickly, slipping some gloves on from his vest.

"It's nothing, Ambassador," Terri Lu smiled.

"I've heard of your exploits on the frontier, Keptin," Kolnoz said. "I must admit, I am a great admirer of your deeds and have been following them for some time."

Harry was taken aback. He wasn't one to think of what they did as significant.

"Thank you, Ambassador," he said with a slight nod. "So, if I may ask...?"

"Of course," Kolnoz said. "I am on my way home and have made arrangements to get there via your ship! I am aware it's not as safe as the usual route, but it will take just as long and I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

"Ambassador, the Raptor is hardly in top condition. Repairs are still underway," Harry interjected.

"Nonsense! It just makes it all the more exciting!" Kolnoz was practically bouncing as he spoke. "I'm eager to have a tour of the vessel before we leave. Is that alright?."

Harry smiled, but it was clear he was less than pleased with this development. "Right this way, Ambassador."

As Harry headed down the ramp and into the ship with the Ambassador tagging along, Jakar, O'mara, Land, Dr. Okan, and Terri Lu looked on with Captain Stiles as the rest of the crew fell at ease and headed to attend to matters before the ship headed out.

"Captain..." Terri said, "he's serious, isn't he?"

"Yes," Stiles replied. "The Ambassador is very serious."

Jakar grumbled and muttered something about security checks under his breath, shaking his head as he headed in.

"What are we, a joyride service now?" Fara groused. "Unbelievable! I probably better give the engines a quick once over just to make sure they are in good shape."

"Yay...two weeks of flying in a straight line at cruise speed...great," Land groaned. "I'm going to get my pillow, because I am not going to have much to do."

"Don't count on it, flyboy! We'll have plenty to do in Engineering," Fara said teasingly.

"I have to agree," O'mara sighed, "but I can work on cataloging the rest of the samples we collected last week. I'll have the time." She perked up.

"Well," Terri said, mulling the whole situation and the ridiculousness of it with a wry smile. "I hope we don't disappoint him. Sounds like he's a bit of a fan."

* * *

The next morning.

The bridge had an unusual but quiet air as they prepared to leave. There had been at least half a day of preparation before they headed out, as some accommodations had to be made for the Ambassador and his entourage.

Terri appreciated the quiet. It was helping her focus on the manifest for the trip. The Ambassador had an entire entourage that needed quartering. There was his assistant, a personal chef, and probably a half a dozen others who traveled with him, not to mention his luggage. There was also a whole lot of fresh, non-replicated food and wine that were being stored in special storage units that nearly filled one of the cargo holds.

"Captain," Terri said mirthfully, "have you looked at all this stuff he's bringing with him?"

"Yes," Harry replied. "It's not that unusual. We had to reconfigure two units just to make room and move some people around just to accommodate him. His things can stay in the cargo hold." He looked over at Terri. "Strangely enough, he wasn't upset by this."

"Really?"

"Yeah. In fact, he said his entourage would just stay in the hold if we cleared it out and set up someplace for them to sleep and wash and have some privacy. "

"So what'd you do?"

"Talked to Requisitions and acquired some of those small housing units for colonies and had them reconfigured to fit in the hold. Then had them each beamed in side by side. Now, granted, they are nowhere near a fancy resort, but I made sure they were a little nicer than just a standard cot." Harry had a look of pride. "We may not be able to make accommodations like bigger ships, but I figured I'd at least try."

"I'd say it's a good try. I bet I know something you don't."

"What?"

"Well, there is a little known regulation about a rather large allocation of credits to prepare a ship for a diplomatic envoy. All ships have access to it. All it takes is a few forms and you can start requisitioning furnishings, blankets, pillows, all sorts of things to make VIP's feel comfortable on your ship."

"No, I never heard of it."

"Well, most of the time escort ships are not asked to do VIP transport," Terri said. "That's usually reserved for cruisers, frigates, or battleships."

"Ships that have space and resources...and don't use the credits."

Terri grinned. "Exactly, Captain."

"Do it," Harry smiled at her. "Good job, Number One."

"I've got the time and Ops is already set up. I'll take over the decorating as well."

"You seem to have a lot of knowledge about Altarians. That little gesture you did to the Ambassador was pretty smooth," Harry noted.

"I've known a few pretty well here and there," Terri Lu replied without looking up. "They're wonderful people, well-meaning, adventurous, very compassionate. That and they love being comfortable." She paused. "They don't have a sense of another when it comes to beings not like them, unless they are hostile towards them. That's why those little accidents happen when they touch people. They just don't think about it."

"Yeah, I know. I've been there and still remember the headache," Harry smirked.

"If you don't mind sir, I've got some suites to set up. I'm going to head down to the cargo bays and see what I have to work with," Terri said suddenly, seeming like she wanted to change the subject.

Harry just waved, noticing the tone, but didn't look up from his project as Terri left the bridge.

Fara passed her on the way in with a datapad, handing it to Harry.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

"Not good news," Fara said, crossing her arms and waiting for his reaction.

"Coil 6 and 7 are out of alignment on the starboard side by over a tenth of a meter?" Harry glanced up at her. "How long has it been like this?"

"We just found out about it," Fara replied. "The mounts must have broken fairly recently. Everything would have probably been fine if somebody had been more careful when they were messing with them last," Fara groused.

"Let me guess, the mounts themselves were defective," Harry sighed.

Fara nodded. "I've got them welded in place, but it's not a permanent fix"

"Aya! Great...so how bad does it hamper us?" Harry groaned. They had just gone through a lot of trouble to just replace a set of bad coils about a month ago, now this.

"Warp five if you want to keep things nice and smooth. However, if we do have to push a faster speed we'll run a risk of burning the coils out on the port side."

Re-aligning the coils was not an easy job, especially if they shifted. It usually took at least a week of downtime to do it properly.

"There is no way we can put off being a taxi, is there?" Fara asked.

"Negative," Harry replied.

Fara sighed. "Ok then. We'll have to make do like we always do. I'll make some calls to see if maybe we can get in a quick refit at Altaria while we are there. Their fleet yards could knock the job out within a day."

"Just be discreet. I don't want our 'curse' catching wind of it," Harry added.

Fara nodded and they both looked up as they heard the sound of servos and Rivas entered the bridge.

"Commander, what brings you here?" Harry asked.

Don Rivas limped slowly over to his station and sat heavily at the Ops station. "Out getting my exercise, thought I'd drop by and see how things are going."

"On par with any other day, except for us being a taxi service," Fara groused.

"I heard about that," Rivas said, looking his console over and barely recognizing the configuration. Terri had it set up entirely differently than his preferences. "A bit odd, but it doesn't sound all that bad to me. A nice quiet cruise, in friendly space...I'm envious. I'd love to join you, but Doc won't clear me for duty."

"How is your recovery going?" Harry asked.

"Lots of protein, exercise three times a day for at least an hour, or till the pain kills me. Rest the rest of the time. How's your injury?" Rivas asked.

Harry rotated his shoulder and winced slightly, feeling it tighten up again. "It's letting me know it's there, still working on it though. Have you gotten a little feeling back in your legs yet?"

"In spots. I can wiggle my toes without the little devices making me do it. I can feel pressure on certain spots of my legs," Rivas shrugged.

"That's good."

"You wouldn't believe how many laps I've swum around the base's pool."

"So, score any wicked scars?" Fara asked mirthfully.

"Oh yeah, wanna see it?"

"Sure," Fara said.

Harry inwardly groaned. His crew had taken up this unusual ritual of being proud of being maimed by their ship and surviving. Showing one's scars had become some sort of bonding ritual among them.

Rivas pulled his shirt up and showed the series of half-moon scars that were scattered across his abdomen. Fara blushed a little. He had been exercising. His chest was a bit more defined than it had been, but she quickly diverted her eyes to the scar.

"Damn!" She said.

"Yup, that big one is about what did me in," he said, tracing the large one that looked like it almost hit him dead center of his abdomen.

"You are lucky to be alive, period. Looks like you got shredded pretty bad," Harry said.

Rivas nodded and pulled his shirt back down. "So, I hear your new First Officer is all the rage."

"If you mean Terri is doing well filling your position in your absence, yes," Harry said levelly. "She is doing fine."

"Where is she by the way?" Rivas asked, looking around.

"Down in the cargo hold, decorating," Harry said.

"Decorating?" Both Fara and Rivas asked at the same time.

"Well damn! Now I'm really worried about getting my job back," Rivas chuckled.

"You don't have anything to worry about," Harry said. "Your position is safe. I am just glad she can fill it while you are recovering." Harry chuckled. "Besides, the Ambassador is rather impressed with her too. She's making sure all his accommodations are being seen to. I doubt you would envy her position right now anyway."

"Probably not," Rivas admitted. "Scraping and bowing to dignitaries is not something I enjoy doing. Still, I'd rather be out and about with you all then stuck on the station killing time."

"I think he misses us, Skipper," Fara chuckled.

"Maybe just a little, " Rivas grunted. "This is the first time I've been laid up this bad. It gets damn boring after a while."

"First time? I thought you said you served in the Cornerian defense force?" Fara asked.

"Yeah, on the flagship, but we never got in any close-quarters engagements," Rivas replied. "Deployed a lot of fighter squadrons, but never got in the heart of the action. Hell, joining this posting was the first time I even had seen combat up close and personal."

O' mara entered the bridge and glanced over at Rivas.

"Afternoon Commander," she greeted him, sitting down at her station activating it and going to work.

"Lieutenant," Rivas smiled and nodded his head.

No one knew about their relationship yet and they were planning on keeping it that way.

"Well...I better be on my way," Rivas said, slowly getting to his feet, declining any help from Fara. "You guys have fun. I'll just stay here and do my laps."

"Take care, Don," Fara said. "It's nice seeing you up and about."

"Thanks. Hopefully I won't be hobbling around like this for too much longer," he said, heading for the door slowly and leaving the bridge.

* * *

Later

The preparations had been made and the Raptor was ready to get underway.

O'mara and Rivas stood on the upper platform, watching the crew trickle down through the gangway into the ship.

"This is going to be a long two weeks. I'm going to miss you," O'mara sighed. "Promise me you'll keep up your therapy?"

"I will," Rivas said, leaning against the railing for support, "and I'll miss you too. Remember, you can always give me a call."

She nodded. "How about before you turn in?"

"Sounds good to me," Rivas smiled. "Have a safe trip and bring me back a souvenir."

O'mara nodded, throwing her arms around him. They kissed an awkward maneuver when it involved a beak and muzzle, but they'd managed to figure it out.

The five minutes to launch the buzzer sounded.

"You'd better get going kiddo," Rivas said, caressing her sides. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

O'mara nodded, still smiling. She started to head for the stairs down to the gangway.

"You'd better be walking a lot better when I get back or you will be in trouble mister!" She called over her shoulder.

"I'll do my damndest," Rivas called back. He turned and waited until she disappeared into the ship.

* * *

Ambassador Kolnoz stood on the bridge with one of his aides, a female Altairian officer, near the back station.

"Airlock Seal is closed," Terri reported. "All stations are reporting ready and we have clearance to disembark."

"Mr. Land, clear all moorings," Harry said.

"Aye, Skipper," Land replied, keying in the commands on his console.

Two loud thunks were heard as the Raptor separated from the clamps that held it in place. The reverse thrusters fired with a burst from the aft dorsals. This caused the backside of the ship to dip down as the bow slipped away from the magnetic clamps. At this pitch, he fired another burst to quickly spin the ship towards the main doors as they opened. It was a maneuver he had done many times and it was nearly seamless now.

"Ahead, full thrust," Harry ordered. "We are not in a hurry, Mr. Land."

"Aye aye, sir," Land said rather disappointedly, firing the thrusters

The Raptor crept along at what felt like an unbearable pace as the spacedock doors parted before them.

"Once we clear the doors and the station's gravity well, jump to warp four. If we have smooth sailing, we'll push it up to warp five," Harry instructed.

"Aye," Land groaned. It was going to be a long, slow trip.

"Why is it so slow? I heard this vessel can fly at warp eight for long trips?" Kolnoz asked.

"We have a problem with one of our nacelles that we weren't aware of when we were given this assignment, Ambassador. We are spaceworthy, but due to the fact you are expected back on Altaria, we don't have time to repair it, unless you want to wait?"

"No, no, I don't want to wait," Kolnoz said, shaking his head. "It is just a nice long cruise, yes?"

Harry nodded. "Two weeks. We'll get you there in plenty of time." He leaned back in his chair as he felt the ship accelerate.

* * *

Later That Day

"God's dammit! Son of a bitch!" Land yelped, leaping back as the ODN trunk started to smoke and a shower of sparks and flame belched from it, scorching his hand.

Land let loose a string of obscenities and threw his spanner into the mess. It bounced off and went clattering down the hall.

"All I'm trying to do is install one damn compensator! Rarrgh!" He snarled, walking up to the bulkhead and kicking it. "WHY?!"

He heard two people snickering at him. Knackt and Fara were giggling, although Fara was trying and failing to hide it as they watched.

"Having a bit of trouble Ensign?" Fara teased.

"Yeah, a bit! I thought this was supposed to be an easy job."

Fara shrugged, putting her hands in the pockets of her lab coat as she approached him.

"On any other starship, yes. On the Raptor, it's another story. Let me see that hand."

Land held up his hand and she looked it over.

"Mild plasma burn. Go grab the medkit Knackt."

"You got it, boss lady," Knackt said, walking over to a locker.

Land sighed. "Please tell me this wasn't some joke?"

"Well, despite us having a laugh at your expense, it wasn't. Let me see what happened." She said, patting the top of his hand that wasn't burned.

She poked her head in the trunk and looked around.

"Ah! See? Come here. Now, granted, this isn't something you'd encounter anywhere else, but just here. I didn't think the Raptor would start being this picky, but I guess I was wrong." She pointed out a copper green node positioned under the lip of the top part of the trunk.

"What the hell is that thing?" Land asked.

"Think of it like an antibody of sorts," Fara said, fishing a sonic screwdriver out of her coat and twisting it to make a few adjustments. She stuck the device to it and it made a buzzing sound. Soon the node dropped into her hand, the green lighting in it dimming.

"Sometimes, when something gets damaged, the Raptor will try to repair itself. When it does, it puts these little things around to keep us from tampering with the repair. The problem is, it's not the greatest at remembering to take them off again. We get bit by them once in a while."

"So, I didn't do anything wrong?" Land asked, seeing Knackt approach with the medical kit.

"Nah. We just need to replace the part. Shouldn't give you any trouble now," Fara said, taking her screwdriver and detaching the part. "Here, keep it," she said, tossing it to him. Land caught it in his good hand as Knackt used the dermal regenerator on his other hand.

"Good as new," Knackt said. "Sorry about that. Sometimes those things don't pop up for minor issues."

"You guys could have warned me," Land frowned.

"Can't predict when the ship will do it and it's never killed anybody," Fara shrugged. "I guess you can say you're now officially a part of the Engineering crew. She took a piece out of you."

"I guess I should feel honored," Land said, rubbing the soreness out of his nerves.

"Just make sure you get all the tools picked up. If Harry sees that spanner you threw laying around, he'll have a hissy fit." Fara smiled. "You shouldn't have any more problems. Any of the little other buggers pop up, use a sonic on them."

"Right," Land said. "Thanks."

"Go ahead and finish up then. We'll leave you be," Fara said. "Knackt, leave the kit...just in case."

"Sure," he said, setting it down. "Just put it back in the locker when you are finished."

Land nodded, watched them leave, gathered his tools, and removed the bad junction. He put the new one in and activated it. Everything seemed to be functioning properly. He did one final scan and logged the repair finished with his tricorder. He set about replacing the panel back on the wall and stepped back, admiring his work.

"What are you doing?"

Hearing Terri's voice startled him. He hadn't even heard her approach.

"Just finishing a repair, Commander." He said, smiling.

Terri sighed and blew up her hair. "No, I mean off the record. What are you doing suddenly getting your hands dirty with the ship? This isn't like you."

"I don't know what you mean," Land said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"You told me you didn't give a damn about anything but flying. Now, here you are jumping in and pulling duty shifts with engineering in your off time." Terri said. "What are you trying to pull here?"

"I'm good with my hands and I got a knack for doing this," Land shrugged. "What's it to you? It's not like I have anything to do in my free time anymore." He punctuated that last comment with a bitter smile.

Terri glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. The Captain wants his bridge crew in full dress in the mess at 18:00. Ambassador Kolnoz wants to meet and mingle with the crew in person. There will be dinner as well. As the ship's Navigator, you are expected to attend."

"Aye, sir. Anything else?" Land asked, snapping to attention.

Terri glared. She wasn't sure if he was mocking her or being serious. "No...that will be all Ensign. Don't be late."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," Land replied, still at attention. He was enjoying that it was annoying the shit out of her.

* * *

That Evening

Land scrambled around his quarters, trying to find all the pieces of his dress uniform. Fortunately, the only missing items were the belt and the boots. Terri had had him hang it up in the small closet months ago when they were still together, stating that he would thank her for it someday. After a struggle, he finally found the other two items shoved carelessly in a compartment in the head.

Worrisomely, he glanced at the wall chronometer and started polishing the boots. He still had time to prepare, but this process was going to eat into it.

Sighing, he set about his task. Things were so much easier when Terri was around. As soon as she was gone, he quickly fell back into his old ways. He needed help, but he couldn't ask her. He wanted to look his best, but he knew most of the others were probably busy.

Unless...

He hit his combadge. "Land to O'mara."

"Yes?" She answered.

He was polishing his boots furiously as he talked. "Hey, um, I could use some help getting ready. I know this is weird, but could you pop over and give me a bit of an assist? I'll owe you big time."

There was a pause as she thought it over. "Sure. I am struggling a bit myself. I need an extra set of talons to get into mine."

"Really? Great! Thank you so much!" Land said, continuing to polish.

"I'll be over shortly."

After a few minutes, O,mara arrived with her own dress gear in tow. She was molting and looked frazzled. Once invited in, she quickly set about laying out her stuff.

"Again, Michelle, thank you, you are a lifesaver .

"You are lucky I needed help too," O'mara groused as she finished laying her outfit out. "Is your stuff ready?"

"Yeah. The boots were the only part that wasn't," he said, pointing to his own still on its hanger placed on a hook.

O'mara seemed relieved and impressed. "Ok, well, I am going to try to get this damn thing on." She glanced at the wall clock. "After that I need to preen."

"Sure. I'll mind myself over here," he said, turning his back to her in his chair, finishing the polishing.

"It looks a lot n-n-nicer in here than when I was here last," O'mara noted, trying to make some small talk to covering up the rustle of her undressing.

"I try," Land replied.

"Well, it looks good! Keep it up." O'mara chuckled. "Looks better than Fara's."

"It's more Terri's urging than anything. I just got used to it I suppose." He sighed.

"You miss being together?"

"Yes...but my feelings have cooled over the last few months." Land said, finishing his polishing. "Are you ready?

"Yeah. Could you zip me up?" O'mara asked. She had managed to get the dress uniform on and waited for him to finish up the zipper in the back.

Jack carefully zipped it up, but there was a lot of resistance. However, with care, he got it done and clasped the collar hasp for her. "There you go. I hate these damn things!"

"At least it doesn't crush your breasts," she groused, shifting her uniform to try and get it to adjust. "I swear, whoever designed these things was a masochist!" She cursed as a few plumage feathers molted.

"I really do appreciate this," Land said, stepping back, letting her use the mirror to get to work on her feathers. "I couldn't think of anyone else who could help me."

"Yeah, well, after that virus that made us all nuts it's not like we haven't seen each other naked before." O'mara chuckled. "Ugh! I swear, I can't even breathe in this thing!"

"You picked the skirted variant. Why didn't you just go with a tunic and trousers?" Land wondered, checking the mirror and quickly grabbing a comb he could run through his hair.

"Because we were told to look our best and I look better in this version. Although...it's a bit uncomfortable," O'mara admitted, smoothing her plumage. "You'd better hurry up and get in yours. I'll get my preening done in the bedroom."

Land began the struggle to get into his uniform. The slacks fit fine, but the top was stiff and itchy. He was struggling with the boots when O'mara emerged from the bedroom.

"You know...if it means anything to you at all,Terri does talk about you a lot."

He tried to keep his composure, but cracked. "Really?!"

"To the point where it's almost annoying. It's unbearable to hear it everytime we go out, especially since she's quit drinking." O'mara sighed. "If you ask me, I think she regrets breaking it off."

"It would be nice if she'd just talk to me," Land sighed.

"It would. Are you ready?"

Jack stood up, growling at the hasps on his tunic. O'mara helped him get them shut.

"How do I look," he asked, grimacing at himself.

"Very handsome," she said, straightening his collar. "Now comes the fun part. You can't spill or drop anything on a white uniform."

"So, why are we doing this?" Land grumbled.

"We have fans," O'mara replied, preening just a bit more. "Our exploits are followed quite closely on Alteria, mainly due to our confrontations with the Urtheans."

"Not big fans of theirs?"

"Not particularly," O'mara said, sighing. "Look...about Terri...if you ask me, she's a fool for what she did. I think it's slowly dawning on her. You two were happy together. Now you're both just miserable."

"Thanks," Jack said, smiling slightly.

"Look, as far as owing me, don't worry about it," O'mara smirked.

"How's that?"

She made a few more adjustments to his uniform. "Let's just say if it wasn't for our...one time...I wouldn't have been more receptive to things later and leave it at that." She booped him on the nose. "I appreciate you being discreet about it. As long as you keep it that way, we are good."

"Thanks for everything, Michelle."

"Don't mention it. We'd better get going we don't want to be late."

* * *

The dinner had gone well. Now everyone was milling about the forward mess. The dinner had included the senior staff and Ambassador Kolnoz's entourage. Drinks were served. The small complement of the ship's stewards had their hands full. It was rare that they got to do that part of their duties, but they were making sure everyone was enjoying the party. Everyone was milling about and chatting.

Land stared out the windows, watching the stars streaking by, lost in his thoughts. The food had been good and he'd heard some interesting anecdotes of the ambassadors, but his mind was elsewhere.

He sighed audibly, even though it was drowned out by the din of the many conversations and merriment going on around him. He should be having fun, despite the lack of action this cruise was promising. It was nice to just take it easy for once on the ship. He liked the Raptor. It was his kind of ship and he had developed an understanding with it. It was almost like they were made for each other. It's flight controls were considered too squirrely for most who tried to fly her, but it was just perfect symbiosis when he was at the helm. He loved the feeling he got when he sat at the con and made the ship dance to his every whim. That brought a slight smile to his muzzle, brightening his scowl.

He turned from the windows and looked down at the party, spotting Terri in the throng. She was breathtaking in her formals. He took a drink and tried to look as if he wasn't staring. There was something different about her lately. Her bust had grown a bit and she seemed to be putting on a little weight, but not in a bad way. He always thought she was a bit too skinny. He hoped his efforts in Engineering were paying off. It had gotten her to at least take notice of him again. Although, he thought it would be nice if she could tone down the bitchiness.

"Penny for your thoughts, Ensign?" A female voice interjected itself into his stream of consciousness.

He turned toward the sound, then down to a short female Altairian in uniform who was part of the Ambassador's entourage. She was a little more fuller-figured than most of her species, with tan skin scattered with black flecks. Her speech was pretty good too. It lacked the usual clunky Altairian accent, although fragments still lingered on the end of her consonants.

"I don't think a penny is gonna cover it," he said politely, taking a drink.

She smiled with a slight laugh. "Well, I saw you over here trying to bore a hole through that bulkhead and thought you might like some company."

Land shrugged. "If you like misery."

She laughed again. "You're funny!"

"So...you are?" Land prompted, trying to sound friendly, even though he didn't want to be bothered.

"Nova Ivanova," she replied, making the gesture he had seen Terri do earlier to the Ambassador. "Counselor and Special Liaison to the Ambassador. I was introduced during dinner?"

Land felt a little embarrassed. He'd pretty much been on autopilot throughout the introductions and was more interested in getting to the food. "Sorry. With all the talking that was going on, all the introductions got blurred together." He returned the greeting gesture, although it was a little stiff.

That, or I've had way too much to drink, he thought to himself.

"It's ok. Kolnov can be a little long-winded. I know your name already, Ensign."

"Counselor, huh? Look, I'm just dealing with some things. No," he added with a smile, "before you ask, I don't need any help."

"I wasn't offering," she smirked.

Land cringed. "Sorry, didn't mean to--"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Don't worry. I get it a lot."

"So, what's it like being the pilot of the Confederations first Predator class starship?"

"Well, there's a lot less big dinners and more gritting your teeth and dodging between compressor beam blasts." He took another drink. "So...it's a lot of fun if you like that sort of thing."

"I read your file. You were a fighter pilot before joining the fleet," Nova said.

"Yes. I flew an interceptor back in the day." Land said. "I got into some pretty nasty engagements with raiders, but I always came out on top. Got bored with that and I joined the fleet and never looked back. I'd had enough of the Lylat's system's unending struggles."

"You must be pretty good if you are standing here now."

"One of the few...and the best," Land said, taking a drink. "I'd rather have a ship around me than one of those tin foil rockets they used to strap me into."

"I'd love to hear a few stories."

"Bah! There isn't much to tell."

"We have a few weeks. I think you can work a few in," Nova grinned.

"Sure. Why not."

"Why'd you join?"

"Wanted to try something different, get out and see the galaxy. See how well that worked?" He grinned. "That's life. What about you Nova? "

She giggled. "Well, nothing nearly as exciting. Met a lot of interesting alien races. My first assignment was a five-year exploratory mission to the rim. It was a lot of fun, but you'd be amazed how grating it is on experienced spacers when they deal with having a perfectly normal exploratory cruise. I had quite a few crewmen that developed serious anxiety just waiting for something to happen. So I can understand a little bit about how you feel doing something with an assignment like this."

Land nodded and took another drink.

"So, you used to be a Lieutenant. What happened?" Nova asked.

"Violated a direct order, caused some damage to a ship." Land shrugged. "I was younger and dumber and trying to adjust to serving in the fleet. I don't like to talk about it."

"Sorry. I was just curious. I didn't mean anything by it."

"It's in the past. I can't do a lot about it now," Land shrugged.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"I may not have a certification to helm a starship, but I'd love to sit at the controls...just once?" Nova grinned, looking up at Land in a terribly adorable way. "I've heard so much about this ship. It'd be great to fly it."

"Sorry," Land chuckled, "can't do that."

"Oh," Nova sighed, pouting.

Land sat his drink down. "You really want to do it, don't you? It's nothing that special."

"Well, maybe not to you, Ensign. But, it would mean a lot to me."

"Well...Harry over there would have my ass if I allowed it. But...I may be able to do the next closest thing." He smiled and offered his arm. "We have a training simulator in the holosuite. It's pretty damn accurate. Myself and the engineering team designed the program, so you can't get much closer to the real thing."

She slipped her arm in his. It was a little awkward due to the height difference, but she went with him. "Sure! I'd love to see it."

Terri trailed off as she watched Land leave with the Counselor that was part of the Ambassador's retinue.

"Yoo-hoo! Terri! Yo!" Fara said, snapping her fingers under her nose.

"What?" Terri said, annoyed, watching them disappear through the mess hall doors.

"I was explaining the situation with the engines and you checked out there," Fara growled.

"I did no such thing!" Terri said.

"Yeah, you did," O'mara said, looking over her shoulder at the door. "What happened? Did one of the stewards drop the hors d'oeuvres?"

"No...it's nothing. I just forgot to feed Taber before I left," Terri lied. The beast would have latched onto her leg, claws and all, if she forgot to feed him.

"That thing weighs as much as a data retrieval unit," Fara laughed. "I think it could stand losing a kilo or two."

"He's not fat!" Terri scowled. "He's a big boned cat."

"Speaking of putting on weight," Fara added as tactfully as she could, "what's with you lately?"

"I'm just over stressing with all I'm having to do lately," Terri said. "Not eating right," she added with a forced smile.

"I don't think bad eating makes your boobs bigger," O'mara noted teasingly.

Terri glared at her. "It's nothing!" Terri snapped at her friends, rather annoyed. "I need another juice. Excuse me."'

Fara and O'mara watched her go. "Yeah, there is something she's not telling us," Fara grinned, taking a drink of her champagne. "For one, she isn't the least bit toasted. Have you ever known Terri to not get a little tipsy at any party?"

"Well, she's the acting First Officer. Maybe she's showing a little restraint?" O'mara suggested.

"Ok sure," Fara replied, "but something is bothering her. She's not hiding that part."

"Oh, you and I both know what's bothering her and it just walked out that door with the Altairian, Counselor," O'mara chuckled.

* * *

Land and Nova exited the mess hall and it didn't take them long to reach the holosuite. Land tapped the access panel.

"Computer, run Raptor Training program 001, open space parameter."

"ACCESSING." The computer replied. "MATRIX INITIALIZED. YOU MAY ENTER WHEN READY."

"After you, miss," Land said, stepping forward just enough to open the door, letting her enter first.

"Thank you," she said.

As they stepped through the arch, it dissolved and they found themselves standing on a simulation of the Raptor's bridge. Nova walked around, her tail swaying side to side rapidly, showing her excitement and interest.

"It's so small," she said, walking around the captain's chair, observing the tight quarters of the bridge. "How many crew members are on deck usually?"

"Seven, and even that gets a little cramped," Land replied.

"I'd imagine," she said, sitting down at the Ops console, fascinated by the streamlined and condensed control layouts. "I hope you all get along."

"Usually," Land grinned, leaning against a bulkhead.

"Other bridges are a bit more spacious. I feel like I'm in some slightly larger shuttle. You probably feel everything that happens to the ship from here."

"More or less. Especially when we take off.."

"Oh! I have to try!" She giggled, her slitted eyes glinting excitedly. "Walk me through it!"

Land showed her where the basic controls of the vessel were and explained the nuances of the G-Diffuser pivot that gave the Raptor it's maneuverability advantages.

"May I try?" Nova asked.

"Sure. First you hit the thrusters and set them to a quarter output, or three quarters to full if you want to make it fun."

She hit the keys. "Ok...now what?"

"Ok, very carefully place your hand on this display, here," he instructed, placing his paw over her hand. "Fold your fingers in and gently move the tracer to 180 by 275 with one finger when you let go."

"Uh-huh," she nodded, watching the display, blushing a little and trying to follow his instructions to the letter. As she let her finger off the display the simulated ship jerked to starboard and the engines protested as the engineering console made noises. She was nearly thrown from the chair, but Land caught her by the shoulders.

Nova screamed, more out of shock at the sudden nearly blurring movement of the ship than anything.

Land laughed. "That's why we have a training simulator."

He walked over to the Engineering console and answered the alarms.

"That was so fast! I...I love it!" Nova gasped, a huge grin on her face.

"Want to try again?"

She nodded. He put his hand on the back of the chair and leaned on the console.

"Ok," he said, "try again, but this time is a little smoother? She gets cranky when you try to slam her around."

Nova nodded.

"Try again. Slide it like you're transferring a file on a terminal," Land said. He reached down without thinking and touched her hand again, guiding it along with the terminal, smoothly showing her what to do. His skin started to tingle the longer he touched her.

"Oh no..." Nova gasped, flushing a little. "I'm sorry! You should be more careful!"

Land stared at his hand as a strange feeling came over him.

"Yeah...sorry about that. I was just trying to show you how to do it. I didn't mean anything."

Nova's scales flushed a deep brown. "Well, maybe nothing will happen." She chuckled. "Alright,let me try it again."

Nova touched the interface again and this time the starfield spun on the screen as the ship changed its heading.

"Congratulations," Land said, feeling suddenly elated and very much drawn to Nova.

"So? What's next?"

"Usually about 25 more hours of training," he chuckled, tugging at the collar of his dress uniform to try and relieve the heat rising in his neck. "That was just lesson one, but we're going to jump to the fun stuff. Set a course and jump to warp seven. Don't worry, just set a heading. We won't crash into anything."

"Anything in particular I need to do?"

"No. Just set the bearing and heading. The simulator is basically an empty space for this part of the training. There's enough room to learn without worrying about crashing into a planet's atmosphere or hitting another ship."

Nova giggled. "That's a relief! Now, how do we get moving?"

"Follow my finger," Land said, hitting the buttons. "Set speed here. Good. Intermix chamber activate."

"Ok," Nova said.

"You are gonna love this part," Land said with a playful grin. "Put your hand on these three levers," he said, pointing to the sliding levers in the center of the console.

"Oohhh! How anachronistic! I love it," She said, grasping the lever.

"Give them a quick pull downward, then a steady slide up," Land said.

Nova did so. The ship's engines thrummed to life as the deck plates rattled, channeling the recoil of the ship as it began to roar like a fearsome beast. The stars on the screen flashed and streaked and then they were at warp speed.

"That was fun!" Nova purred. "It's weird, feeling all that power under you like that. It doesn't feel like that on the big ships."

"Want to do something a bit more fun?" Land asked, grinning wickedly.

"Yes please!"

"Computer! Create a passenger seat behind the con and provide straps."

The computer responded and the seat appeared behind the flight control chair.

"What are we doing?"

"What I do for fun. Have a seat here," he said, indicating the new passenger seat. "Don't forget to strap in."

Nova did so, quickly strapping herself in.

"Computer, engage delegate mode for all non-helm control systems, including all alerts and measured response times. Initiate Land program Iota three."

Suddenly, the alert sounded and Land gunned the engines. The ship dropped out of warp and in front of it was a field of large asteroids. Nova gripped the back of his chair and leaned forward.

"What are we doing?!"

"We are going through that," Land smirked at her pointing at the asteroid field on the viewer "Up for it?"

"Hit it!" Nova grinned.

"Hold on!" Land said, gunning the engines as the ship plunged into the asteroid field.

Automatically the ship activated the phasers to blast away a few errant rocks that were big enough to threaten shield integrity. He loved this simulation. It was a time trial through an asteroid field and it always got his blood pumping.

He dove the ship between two colliding behemoths, blasted one that got in the way, and spun deeper into the maelstrom of rocks. Nova screamed, more out of enjoyment than fear, as the Raptor bobbed, weaved, and spun through each trap that the computer tried to throw at them. Land was enjoying showing off his skills and not getting berated for them. Most of the time his crewmates toughed out the maneuvers. They didn't seem to understand the enjoyment of manual flight. He thought Nova would have had enough by now and thought she'd be begging to stop the simulation. Instead, she was egging him on, loving every moment of it.

The ship spun, dove, rolled, and blasted its way through the asteroid field for a good five minutes before they finally cleared it. Only an open starfield could be seen in the viewer now. Land brought the ship to all-stop.

He hit the harness release as he turned his chair to face Nova. "Well? What did you think?"

She let loose a playful growl as her harness released her. Suddenly, her arms were wrapped around him as she said softly into his ear. "You certainly know how to get a girl excited, Mr. Land."

He felt sparks blitz through his blood as she touched him. He was well aware he was in trouble after he touched her hand. He was just trying to be friendly and forgot the little side effect of touching an Altarian when there was any attraction involved with either party. He tried to play it cool, but unfortunately, the pheromones had already been absorbed into his system, causing him to forget any form of restraint.

"Well...now you can see why I couldn't do that with the real thing," he said, stammering a little bit.

Nova slid onto his lap, still making that low growling noise, almost like a cat purring.

"You know you are in trouble, right?" She said, looking into his eyes with a wide smile.

"Yeah...I wasn't thinking," he said, stroking her thigh gently, causing the purring noise to intensify. "Sorry?"

She let out a trembling sigh. "You can just go...if you don't want to." She said the words, but it was clear she was loving the affection.

"I...don't want to. Besides, I hear the side effects aren't worth it," Land said, nuzzling the side of her face and breathing in her scent.

Nova laughed. She pulled him close, kissing like it was the only thing that had ever brought her pleasure. A fading part of Land's mind couldn't believe he was going through with this. But the longer he was with Nova, the more he touched her, the more he tasted of her, the less he cared.

"Mmmm...where are your quarters?" She breathed, nipping at his ear.

"Not far from here," Land replied.

"Good. Are you as good with a woman as you are this ship?" She purred.

Land hopped up, scooping her into his arms. "I'll show you," he grinned.

* * *

So far, it had been a quiet night on the bridge. Terri sat in the captain's chair, scanning through all the department reports and various other daily task completions on the Raptor as it operated. She huffed and glanced back at her old station. It was in standby mode. One of the books she had stowed underneath it was tempting her, but with her current responsibilities, that wasn't an option.

She sulked as she finished reading the last reports and signed them.

The dinner had been all well and good, but she wanted some distance between herself and Land. He had been knocking back a fairly liberal amount of Altarian wine and she was hoping he didn't try to bother her. Perhaps to her disappointment, he didn't. Instead, he milled among the guests and then walked up the viewport where he stayed, glumly staring out at the stars.

He wasn't acting as she had expected. She'd thought for sure that by now he'd try to talk to her or do something stupid while buzzed to try to win her back. But there he was, keeping his distance.

On a small level, that was infuriating to her. Even when she returned his vid discs and other items that they had exchanged while dating, he just thanked her and that was that. He was changing, becoming more quiet. He would just focus on flying the ship instead of letting his attention meander around the bridge. All in all, it was making the situation a little bit awkward. He was keeping his candor and addressing her properly, as if she were any other Lieutenant Commander.

To compound matters, it had finally been confirmed she was pregnant. She had to tell him at some point. The physical changes were already noticeable, although she hadn't begun to show yet. Her friends were getting suspicious too.

He just had to leave with that little tart!

This thought made her pause. This was anger on a level she had never even felt before. It came boiling up from so deep within her that it made her bones shake.

"Get your own man! He's mine you little bitch," she hissed, not realizing she had done so out loud.

Ensign Rosa, who was currently at the con, spun in her chair. "Excuse me, Commander?" She said it politely, but it was clear she had a mind to walk up to Terri and slap her silly.

This snapped her out of her internal monologue.

"Sorry! That wasn't directed at you, Ensign," Terri apologized, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "It's this display terminal...it hasn't worked properly for a month now and it's getting on my nerves."

Rosa smiled, seemingly buying that explanation. "Well, when our best tech is in the big chair those things happen."

Terri nodded. Sadly, the Cabarran was right. Jenna Rydel was overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything since Terri stepped up to the executive officer position.

"I appreciate the compliment. I'll try to keep my rude comments to myself."

Rosa nodded and spun back around to return to her duty.

Terri took in a deep breath and exhaled. That was too close. She had no right to be jealous with him. She had broken off the relationship. They'd been pretty hot and heavy up to the point they'd stopped seeing each other. If he wanted to have a little fun, fine. It wasn't like he knew she was carrying his child and it was her fault for not telling him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sensor alarm. She turned to the science station that was being manned by a D'novulan--a humanoid that resembled some strange gecko, with all-black eyes and a strange stinger-like tail.

"What do you got on scanners Lieutenant?" She asked.

"It appears to be a massive ion storm, however; the readings don't match anything on our database." The D'novulan looked at his readings. "It's on a direct course for Altaria. It may be worth looking into."

"How so?"

"I am detecting a significant amount of mass within the storm. That makes no sense, Commander. Ion storms are hollow, since they tear stuff apart."

"Baxter, are there any ships in Sector 204?" Terri asked, looking over to the Tactical station.

The mink looked at her readings. "Aye. The Intrepid is near there."

"Hail them please," Terri said, walking up to the viewer.

"Aye, sir, hailing the Intrepid now."

After a few moments, the channel opened and she saw the Intrepid's captain in her chair. She was a blond haired Cabarran with red eyes. "This is Captain Kinsanch. How can we help you, Commander Lu?"

"Has your ship detected that massive ion disturbance in Sector 203?"

"We are aware of it. Looks like an ion storm, nothing too unusual for this sector."

"Our sensors have detected an unusual amount of mass in that storm," Terri said. "We would investigate, but we are on a mission to take Ambassador Kolnoz back to Altria."

"Hmm...we didn't look into it. Send us your findings, Commander," Kinsanch replied. "How is Commander Martinez, by the way?"

"He is well. He is off duty right now, probably sleeping," Terri replied.

"Well, hopefully with the Raptor in the area we can catch up. Do me a favor, Commander?"

"Sir?"

"Tell him he still owes Nora 500 credits, with interest. He'll know what that means."

Terri smiled. "I'll be sure to pass it along." She nodded at the D'novulan, who transmitted the sensor readings. "We are transmitting our readings now."

Kinsanch listened to someone off-screen as one of her officers reviewed the scans. "Very well Raptor. We will check it out and let you know what we find. Intrepid out."

It was probably nothing, Terri thought as she sat down in the captain's chair and logged the interaction. Although they couldn't go check it out with the Ambassador on board, she felt that they had covered it. If the Intrepid needed assistance, they weren't too far away.

* * *

Fara was getting ready to turn in for the night as she stepped off the lift of Deck 1. She remembered she had some things she wanted Land to take care of on his next duty shift. Yawning, she walked over to his quarters and hit the chime. She wasn't sure if he was even awake. However, he didn't respond so she hit it again a bit more impatiently.

"Yeah, who is it?" Land responded over the intercom.

"It's Fara. I have your assignments for tomorrow. There are a few things I wanted to go over with you."

She heard giggling in the background. "Can it wait till tomorrow Chief? I'm a little preoccupied at the moment.

"I suppose, but you'd better show up for the staff meeting at 0600 sharp," Fara said. "If not, Harry will hear of this."

"I'll be there, Chief," Land said, "bright and early."

"You'd better be," Fara smirked.

Land closed the channel and Fara headed for her quarters

* * *

The Intrepid approached the strange anomaly as it moved through space. It appeared as a formless black mass moving at a steady clip.

"Now that is not like any ion storm I have ever seen," Captain Kensanch said, approaching the screen. "Commander Keely, what do the sensors say?"

The Avian science officer looked up from his readings. "It's indeterminate. Our sensors detect a mass, but we can't see what's inside that morass. It's unlike anything we've ever seen before."

"Prepare some class seven probes," Kensach ordered. "We need to figure out what it is because it's heading directly for Altaria. Helm, bring us in close enough to launch the probes."

The Intrepid moved into range of the anomaly and fired a probe into the black mass.

"Anything Commander?" Kensach asked her Science Officer.

"The probe penetrated the outer layer, but we lost contact with it shortly after."

"Did it malfunction?"

"It ceased functioning," Keely replied. "All readings, all systems, just stopped."

"Perhaps a collision with something?"

"Unknown, Captain," Keely said, shrugging.

Kensach turned towards the impenetrable blackness in the main viewer, pondering the possibilities of this anomaly. Suddenly, an alarm sounded. Her mind snapped to it, recognizing the proximity alarm.

"Tactical report!"

"The mass is moving towards us rapidly," her Tactical Officer reported.

"Helm, warp speed, now!"

"I can't sir! We are caught in a huge gravimetric distortion...warp engines aren't responding!" The helmsman reported.

Every instinct in her being was screaming that they were in grave danger and she quickly opened a ship to ship to the Raptor.

* * *

Ensign Lara Pery yelped and tossed her earbud out of her ear.

"What in the world was that?" She said, rubbing the side of her head.

The Cornerian canine female was listening to an incoming transmission from the Intrepid when suddenly it was filled with screams and a deafening shriek of interference before it cut to silence.

Terri walked over and picked it up, handing it back to her. "Problem, Ensign?"

Perry took the bud back. "The Intrepid was trying to contact us when...I don't know. I heard screams, horrible interference...and then silence."

"Play it back please," Terri said.

"Yes, Commander," Perry said, entering the appropriate commands into the console.

"Starship Raptor, priority one message, we are under--" Kensach suddenly screamed in terror. The voices of her crew carried over into the message. Suddenly, there was a terrible squelch of interference and then nothing.

"Open a channel to the Intrepid," Terri ordered.

"I'm trying, sir, hailing on all frequencies...no response," Perry said. "Nothing...I'm not even picking up their subspace transponder signal."

"Red Alert! Captain to the bridge! Ensign Rosa, bring us around to intercept with the Intrepid, best speed possible."

"Aye, sir," Rosa replied, bringing the ship around and pushing their speed up to warp six.

Harry, Jakar, Fara, O'mara, and Land arrived on the bridge within a few minutes and took their stations. Land seemed like he had gotten dressed on the way over, because he was still buckling his belt and zipping up his tunic when he took the con from Rosa.

"What's the situation, Commander?" Harry said as he got into the captain's chair.

"We detected a strange anomaly on sensors and contacted the Intrepid to investigate. About five minutes ago we received a priority one transmission from them that was suddenly cut off."

"Let's hear it," Harry said.

Terri nodded and played it again from the Ops console.

Harry scowled as it finished. "Fara, I'm well aware of our engine situation, but we need to make an exception."

"Understood Captain, but you are aware of the consequences," Fara said quietly.

"I will note it in the ship's log Chief. Mr. Land, maximum warp."

"Aye, Skip, pedal to the medal," Land said, accelerating the ship to warp eight.

The Raptor shuddered and the engines whined in protest, but it achieved warp eight, even though the deck plates had an unnerving vibration in them. The rear doors to the bridge opened and Ambassador Kolnoz stepped into the bridge with Nova following behind him.

"Ambassador, we are in an alert situation. I suggest you return to your quarters," Harry said over his shoulder.

"And miss the legendary crew of the Raptor at their best?!" Ambassador Kolnoz gasped excitedly. "I think not Captain!"

"With all due respect Ambassador, you would be safer in your quarters," Harry said levely.

"Nonsense! I'll stay out of the way, Keptin, promise," Kolnoz said, heading to the auxiliary station opposite from communications.

"Very well," Harry grunted, making a quick note on the ship's log that the Ambassador was acting against his wishes.

"We will arrive at the Intrepid's last known coordinates in thirty seconds," Land reported.

"Excellent Ensign. If the coast is clear, take the engines to standby once we come out of warp. Lt. O'mara, what have you got?"

"The anomaly has moved off. I am picking up what looks like a starship, but I'm not detecting any energy readings from it. It appears to be dead, sir."

"Is it the Intrepid?" Harry asked.

"Can't say. There are no signals coming from it, sir," O'mara replied.

"Coming out of warp now, switching to impulse," Land said over the ship's rattling.

The Raptor dropped out of warp and closed the remaining distance to the vessel they had spotted on the scanner. Harry couldn't see the ship on the viewer. It was like everything had been dipped in black paint.

"Captain, there's something metallic in front of us, at a distance of 1000 kilometers and we are closing fast," O'mara reported, looking at the ship's sensor reports.

"Mr. Land, slow us down and bring us to a stop when we get within 200 meters of it. Jakar, activate the external spotlights."

Jakar grunted an acknowledgement. At first, the spotlights didn't hit anything, but soon they started glinting off of blue hull plating. As they drew closer, Jakar used them to highlight the ship's hull. They swept over the ship's registry and name on the saucer section.

The Intrepid hung in space, dead, dark, and drifting.

"Number one," Harry frowned, speaking quietly. "Form an away team. Get over there and find out what happened to that ship."

"Aye, sir," Terri said, logging out of her station. "Fara, O'mara and Jakar with me." She hit her combadge. "Dr. Okan, report to transporter room one."

"Understood." Okan replied over the speaker.

Harry gripped the end of his armrests out of anger. Captain Kensach had been a classmate in the Academy. He knew her well. She was like the big sister he never had. Seeing her ship like this only gave him a terrible sinking feeling.

"Number One," Harry whispered, grabbing her arm as she passed and pulling her close so only she could hear him. "Be careful. Kensach is one of the best. If something happened to her, it was bad."

"We'll be careful, sir," Terri said. It was rare to see Harry nervous and it made her break out in a cold sweat.

* * *

Terri and her away team materialized on the bridge of the Intrepid. The power was out, meaning there was no life support or gravity. Empty uniforms drifted through the room as everyone turned on their torches and panned them around. They activated their magnetic boots so they stuck to the deck. Terri noticed one of the turbolift doors had been forced open by something large. She shone her torch down into the darkness. The lift was gone.

"Jakar. Escort Fara to Engineering. We need to get the power back on."

Jakar nodded and scanned the turboshaft.

"Nothing in the shaft," he reported, "but the hull is breached through umbilical access for the turbolift system. We should be able to get down to engineering."

"Yippee," Fara said, less than thrilled. "Well, lead the way tall, dark and gruesome. I'm not going first."

Jakar grunted and used his suit's thrusters to head down the turboshaft.

"You know, I was hoping we wouldn't have to put up with this shit for once," Fara growled as she followed after him.

Dr. Okan was already scanning the uniforms that were drifting around the bridge, colorful ghosts hiding from the streaks of light from the away team.

"So Doctor, where is the crew?" Terri asked, walking over to the tactical station and finding it unresponsive. She glanced at O'mara, who was trying the library computer and finding it dead as well.

Okan frowned. "I don't know. These uniforms possess a high level of ionization. It's possible that...well...it's possible they were vaporized. However, I don't see any burn marks." He pointed to a red tunic that had four pips on its collar. "I believe this was Captain Kensach. I would imagine whatever broke through the hull is what took the crew."

Terri swallowed. "Yeah...but what was it?"

"I don't know. Actually, I can't detect anything organic on the ship other than ourselves." Dr. Okan frowned. "Not to sound grim, but without a body to examine, I have no way to deduce what happened to the Intrepid's crew."

"You are telling me 200 people are just gone? Not only that, but whatever did it, just left the ship?"

Okan closed his tricorder. "I'm sorry, Commander. I'm afraid I won't be much help."

Terri's communicator beeped and she pressed the button on her suit's arm. "Lu here."

"Have you found any survivors?" Harry asked.

"No, sir. I'm sorry, sir. There's nothing here. The ship is dead and there are just empty uniforms everywhere."

Harry took long enough to answer that Terri was starting to get nervous. "I want answers Number One, is that understood? We will be extending an umbilical line to power the Intrepid so you can access the ship's logs and find out exactly what happened."

"Understood sir," Terri said. She could feel the tension in Harry's voice. "We will do what we can."

Harry got out of the command chair and got behind Land, putting his hand on the back of the chair. "Mr. Land, last time we did this, you fractured a bulkhead and ruptured an airlock on the Neosho. Do you think you can not trash my ship this time?"

"Skip, prepare to be amazed," Land said cockily, cracking his fingers and maneuvering the Raptor around to where it could connect to the umbilical port on the front of the Intrepid.

"I had better be. I'm not in the mood for anything else," Harry growled.

Land got the ship into position and programmed the thruster routines to bring them in line with the Intrepid's current list. He glanced over his shoulder as he worked. Nova was watching intently. She waved, a small gesture, and smiled. The computer signaled the Raptor's drift was now synchronous with the Intrepid's. He extended the umbilical connectors and gently pushed the ship forward at less than a quarter thrust. The Raptor inched close to the Intrepid with its umbilical connector extended as the two ships drew closer.

"Now Skip, last time the other vessel could help. I can't guarantee the connection will be completely smooth," Land said, carefully watching his instruments.

"Understood, Ensign," Harry simply said.

"Alright," Land said, his eyes not leaving his instruments. He made small adjustments to line up with the painted markings on the Intrepid's that were used for such maneuvers. The two ships rapidly closed and, at the last minute, Land fired reverse thrust. The Raptor shook slightly as the two ships connected.

"Mr. O'bren, what is our status?" Harry asked over his shoulder to the Avian who was currently at Ops in Terri's place.

"We're docked. No damage to either vessel." O' bren checked his board. "All connections are good, we can start a power transfer if you'd like, sir."

"Start it up."

"Aye, sir."

Harry patted the back of Land's chair. "Commander Lu, you should have power now. I want a report as soon as you can pull up anything."

Terri and O'mara tried to access the station, but they were still unresponsive even with power now flowing throughout the entire ship. Terri went to the captain's console and tried accessing it. Only blackness stared back.

"O'mara? Are you having any luck?"

"No," O'mara responded. "It's like the consoles have been wiped."

"That's impossible," Terri said.

"Well, apparently it isn't," O'mara noted, going to another console and having the same results. "Whatever happened here, not only did it take the crew, but it also sucked every little bit of energy of any kind this ship had in it."

"I would like to check the rest of the ship," Doctor Okan said. "Maybe I can find something...anything."

"I can go with him," O'mara said.

"Sure. I'll have the Raptor send some more people over." Terri checked her readings. Only the lights were working. Anything that required computer control, like gravity and life support, was still down. "You'll have to take the long way."

"I can handle this," O'mara said confidently. "An empty, dead ship is nothing compared to some of the missions I have been on." O'mara checked her phaser real quick. "You ready to go Doctor."

"After you, Lieutenant," Doctor Okan said, following her to the turbolift shaft.

Within moments, they were both gone. Terri walked around the bridge, picked up a dead datapad and sat it on a console. The entire situation bothered her more than she thought it would. Subconsciously, she put her hand over her abdomen. What if this thing killed both of them? What if she never told Land?

She stopped herself. That thinking wouldn't help the situation. Looking for answers, she headed to the captain's Ready Room. The door was shut, so she had to use the manual release and force it open.

"Terri-Lu to Captain Martinez," she said, her voice wavering a bit.

Harry sat in his Ready Room with the lights dimmed, trying to bore a hole into the bulkhead with his grey eyes. His fingers were interlaced and his chin rested on his hands.

"What is it, Commander?" He said coldly.

"The computer systems are completely wiped. We might be able to get the systems back online and make the ship space worthy again if Fara can get the core back online."

Harry was silent for a while.

"So," he finally grunted, "not even the backup systems are operational?"

"Just the lights, sir."

Harry was frustrated and angry, but he knew he couldn't take it out on Terri. If anyone knew whether a computer was dead or not, it was Terri.

Terri waited for a response. When none came, she cast around for an idea. She needed to keep him talking.

"What was she like, sir?" Terri asked.

Terri waited as she looked around for anything that might be a clue, a diary, a hand written note, anything.

"We were quite the duo in the Academy," said Harry. "We used to ride mono bikes every weekend, got into all kinds of trouble."

"You two were close?" Terri asked.

"Yes, but it was platonic. We were more like siblings. She had my back. I had hers. I knew I could trust her." Harry said sadly. "She was the first offworlder I made friends with."

"She sounds like an amazing person, Harry."

"It's appreciated, but I am more concerned with finding out what killed my friend and her crew," Harry said. He was now pacing a hole into his floor.

"Harry...do you ever worry about something like this happening to us?" Terri asked.

"I do," Harry said, "but I can't dwell on it. Life is too short for such things. I've learned that if all you do is sit around fixating on the details about how you'll die, you'll miss a lot of living in the meantime. Death is a matter of when, not how, Commander. How we live our lives up to that moment is what matters. The sooner you come to terms with that, the easier it becomes." Harry leaned against the window, staring at the stars. His voice wavered slightly. "It doesn't make the pain of loss go away though."

"You make it sound easy, sir," Terri said with a slight smile. "How do you do it?"

"Read some good books, have a good laugh. Always be brave and kind and make amends when you fail." He cracked a very faint grin. "A good exercise routine and diet never hurts either."

Terri laughed at that last bit. "Thank you Harry. That helps."

She couldn't see him, but she could hear that tiny grin. "We'll have to bring this ship home. We have enough crew to spare for a skeleton crew. Who knows? She might come in handy."

"If she's space-worthy," Harry responded. "If Fara can get it going again, she's yours. You can assign whomever you want, but I would prefer to have my people back."

"Fara to Terri," Fara cut suddenly. "I can get the core started again, but we're going to need the computer back to keep Intrepid from going up in a fireball."

"Sounds like you have your work cut out for you Number One," Harry said softly. "I'll leave you to it."

* * *

Later

Jenna Rydel, Kai Remmick, and Land materialized in the Intrepid's computer room, where Terri was waiting for them. They had brought a load of equipment to reinstall the firmware and software for the vessel's systems.

"What did you bring him for?" Terri asked, pointing to Land, who was using the lack of gravity to let equipment float so he could open up his tool chest.

"We needed help getting the stuff to the transporter room," Jenna said, shrugging in her environmental suit.

"Plus, he's fast when it comes to swapping optical chips," Kai Remmick added.

"I'm just full of all kinds of surprises," Land said, quickly removing the access panel. He then grabbed a cloth sack from the tool kit, hit the manual eject for the chips and scooped them all up in one swipe of the bag. "Tah-dah!" He said with a bow before tossing the bag to Kai. "Come on Kai, we can't keep the commander waiting. Break out those chips and let's do this."

"He's really good. You should watch him in action," Jayna said.

She watched Kai break out the new isolinear chips and start handing them to Land, calling out the slots. In one swift motion, Land found the appropriate opening and slid it into place. At this pace, they'd be done in a quarter the usual time.

"You said you wanted it done quickly," Jenna noted.

"Yeah, I did. So you have the software?" Terri asked.

"Yep. One up-to-date general operating system for one Aurora class starship," Jenna said. "As soon as the boys get done I'll pop this bad boy in and we should have base starship functions up in 30 minutes."

"Good. Did Kurtzman come over?" Terri asked.

"He should be in Engineering with Fara. The others should be on the bridge."

"Good," Terri said. "I'll be on my way back up to the bridge. Stay in touch." She glanced over at Land. He had already seated about 45 of the 100 chips on the board. She was impressed. It was a simple job, but it was easy to screw up. Wearing an environmental suit only made it more challenging, but Land seemed focused on the task at hand, continuously calling for the next chip and getting the location from Kai.

Another few minutes passed and Land finished up the job. "Got them all," he said proudly, standing back and admiring his work.

"Mr. Miracle strikes again," Kai chuckled as Land locked the release lever back in place. The chips lit up and the computer core fired up with a command prompt.

"Alright boys, thanks for the help. Now I'll do the easy job," Jenna said, walking up to the central console and loading an optical disk into it before stepping back to watch and make sure the computer did its job.

"Is it working?" Land asked.

"Seems to be," Jenna said, waiting patiently.

A thrum could be felt in the room as more and more of the ship's core computer started to activate and more data trunk lights lit up throughout the room.

"MAIN COMPUTER ONLINE. INITIATING STARTUP PROCEDURES." The computer spoke up. "ALL STATIONS STAND BY." A countdown appeared on all the consoles, showing how long it would take before they came fully online.

"Well, that was easy." Land said. "Hey, you guys need me for anything else?"

"Why? You got a hot date back on the ship?" Kai asked.

"Maybe I do," Land smirked.

"I would probably check in with Fara before you take off," Jenna said. "Kai and I got this."

"Sure," Land said, pushing the floating tool kits to the floor so when the gravity kicked on they wouldn't come crashing to the ground. "What do you want me to do with the bag of chips here?"

"Just dump them in a recycler," Jenna said. "They are pretty much useless, being wiped."

"Got it," Land said, leaving the room and heading for Engineering. He did want to get back to Nova. It was nice to have someone in his bed waiting for him again. He headed for Engineering after dropping off the chips in a recycler. He found Fara in front of the core, checking the Dilithium crystals.

"Hey, Chief, you got anything for me?"

"Maybe...just stay out of the way until I think of something." Fara said, sliding the matrix back into the core. "Jenna get the computer up yet?"

"It's starting up right now," Land said.

"Good. We should be able to get this thing underway in a few moments." She tapped the com button on her suit's wrist control. "Kurtzman, how do the antimatter injectors look?"

"They look fine, Chief," Kurtzman replied. "The engineer of this ship kept all the maintenance up. We should have no problems with the core."

"Damn shame, a man after my own heart," Fara said. "Very well. We should have no problems getting this thing started back up. Here, I know what you can do," she said, tossing him a small tool kit. "Go check the main bus real quick. You just did that last week. Make sure nothing is fried there."

Land caught the toolbox as it drifted toward him. "No problem Chief."

"MAIN COMPUTER ONLINE. CORE STARTUP PROCEDURE MAY NOW BE INITIATED."

"Finally!" Fara called into the core. "Kurtzman! If it's all good down there, get up here and let's get this bird's heart beating again!"

* * *

"Captain, the repairs are underway. We should be operational in the next couple of hours," Terri said over the com in the Ready Room.

"That's good news," Harry replied.

"So, what are we going to do after that?"

"We are going to find out what did this and, if need be, destroy it," Harry said darkly.

"Captain, if you don't mind me saying so, we don't even know what 'it' is," Terri replied. "The Intrepid didn't even have a chance. What makes you think we'll fare better?"

"I will not let their deaths be in vain, Commander," Harry snapped. "We will find out what did this and we will do everything in our power to stop it. I owe Nora that. We owe them all that."

Harry glanced down at the sensor readings that O'mara had provided him, tracking the disturbance as it moved away from them. It was massive, big enough to engulf a planet, and it was on a direct course for Altairia. It was moving at low warp. They needed to get underway soon and study it, analyze it, and find a way to destroy it.

"Understood sir, but I am a bit worried about your objectivity in this matter," Terri said.

"My objectivity is perfectly sound, Number One," Harry grunted. "Your concerns are duly noted."

"If you say so, sir. Commander Lu out."

Terri found herself worrying as she landed on the bridge. Harry didn't sound like himself. She went back over to the captain's Ready Room and looked at the desk. Her eyes spotted something she hadn't noticed. One item had not come adrift when the gravity had cut out. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. It appeared to be a picture frame, but it was laying flat. She grabbed it and noticed that it had some pull to it, keeping it on the desk. It must have been magnetic. She pulled it up and saw a picture of what was a younger Harry and Nora. It looked like it was shot in a photo booth. They were both making stupid faces at the camera. Terri recognized it from an amusement park back on Termia.

Harry would want this, she thought, maybe it would help.

She was really worried about him. She understood they were obliged to investigate, but that meant putting themselves at risk. Could she live with herself if something happened to Land and she never told him? What if something happened to her and he never knew?

Now faced with this unknown danger, it looked like she had to decide on the matter way sooner than she wanted to.

* * *

Land checked the main bus. It looked in good shape, no carbonization, no signs of damage or anything. He figured he could just hang out here for a little bit until Fara checked on him. He was sure he probably had five minutes to goof off before she came looking. He closed up the main bus, looking around the room, thinking to himself.

Terri's hostility was getting annoying. He wanted to think about it, but thoughts of his tryst with Nova kept invading the forefront of his mind. He surmised that, given his current state of affairs, he didn't have much to be upset about. If Terri was going to keep up this nonsense he'd just move on. He did nothing wrong to her. Besides, Nova seemed interesting enough, although they didn't know each other well. He was sure it was the Altarian pheromones. He was lousy with judging in such situations to begin with. Additional chemicals didn't help much.

It could work, he realized. Nova seemed a lot less intense than Terri. They both were smart. Nova also seemed a bit more patient than Terri did, but....

"Hey! Are you finished?" Fara said as she stepped into the room.

Land jumped slightly. "Of course. The bus looks good, no damage. You should be able to fire the whole thing right up."

"Good. Did you check or did you just stare at it for five minutes?" Fara chided him, looking over the equipment.

Land handed her his tricorder. "What is it with everyone doubting me lately?"

"Nothing personal, but you were daydreaming when I came in here," Fara said, looking at the readings. "Ok...good, you did check. Sorry I doubted you. You sure you're feeling ok?"

"I'm a little preoccupied."

"With what?" Fara pressed.

Land sighed. If anyone would understand, she would. "Look, after the party, I sort of got with the Ambassador's aide. I can't stop thinking about her."

"What? You mean the short little brown female?" Fara asked. She gave him a patronizing look. "Did you touch her?"

"Yeah...I did without thinking. She got me bad," Land said.

"Not much you can do. The more you fight it the worse it gets. You may as well just ride it out," Fara said, shrugging.

"Yeah, but you and Commander Korova are still together? Right?"

"I am not going to go into details about my personal life," Fara scowled. "We have a thing, call it a professional mutual interest...with benefits."

"What the hell does that mean?" Land growled. "I mean...do you love him?"

"That's none of your business," Fara snapped, but she bit back her next retort. "I mean...I like him. He's nice, we talk a lot over subspace, so I guess there's something there. I don't know. I miss him when he's not around and it hurts when I think about it, so maybe I do, but I don't know." Fara shook her head. "Look, I understand a warp core a lot better than I do my own feelings. You are asking the wrong person here."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Come on, let's get this ship back up and running and you can get back to her before you get too stir crazy," Fara said with a grin.

* * *

After about two hours, life had surged back into the Intrepid. The ship had managed to become space worthy again. The hull breach was sealed with an emergency bulkhead and life support was restored. Terri had transferred a small skeleton crew to operate the vessel. Everyone else was going back to the Raptor. Land was getting on the transporter pad with Fara and her people when Terri showed up with a small parcel in her hands before they beamed out.

"Ensign, one moment please," Terri said.

Land looked to Fara for salvation. She shrugged, not knowing what Terri wanted. Land swallowed and stepped down off the pad.

"Go ahead and energize Mr. Kurtzman," Terri ordered.

The badger nodded and sent Fara, O'mara and the others back to the Raptor.

"Mr. Kurtzman, head down to Engineering. I'll see to it Mr. Land is sent back to the Raptor."

"Aye," the badger shrugged, logging off the console and leaving the room.

"Can I help you, Commander?" Land asked.

"Well Ensign, since you seem to be the go-to guy anymore, I have something I want you to give to the, Captain."

She held out the parcel and Land took it.

"That's it?" He asked.

"No. We also need to talk," Terri said, "off record."

"Oh, now you want to talk?" Land chuckled. "That's rich!"

"Look, just let me speak, alright? It's something import--"

"You know what? No," Land snapped, "I tried to talk to you and you shot me down, so you listen for once."

He saw fire behind her eyes, but she said nothing.

"You know, stupid me, I thought you were the one. You started following me around a year ago, telling me about your 'soul touch' or whatever mumbo jumbo you were spouting. Instead of doing what most guys in my position would have done, I decided to take it slow and get to know you before we started shagging. Even with you teasing me relentlessly, I was a perfect gentleman with you. And, you know what? We had a lot of fun. I thought that maybe we had something good going. When we finally made love? It was unbelievable, definitely 10 out of 10. We were still great friends on top of being lovers! Do you have any idea how rare that is? It...you...were perfect!" He sighed, glaring but still keeping his tone level. "And then, out of the blue, I'm not good enough for you. What made me happy meant absolutely nothing to you! Furthering my education, getting my rank back, suddenly that kind of stuff mattered more than I did! We had one bad fucking day, no...you know what? It wasn't even a bad day! It was just a moment. One. Fucking. Moment! And you dumped me!"

Terri opened her mouth to reply, but pulled up short. Her words weren't forming. She looked down at the deck and said nothing.

"So, you know what I think? Maybe it was hormones. Maybe it was the stress," he said, stepping back and shrugging. "She's an echidna, I thought, so maybe it's just a phase? They all act a little strange sometimes, right? So, I try to do what you want. I start pulling double shifts, learning all this great stuff about engineering, and find out I like doing it. Not only can I do it, I'm great at it." He took a breath, seeming to simmer down a little. "And what do I get from you in return? Nothing. Not a damn word."

"I...I...I'm sorry," Terri choked, looking back up at him. He could see the tears welling in her eyes, despite her fighting to hold them back.

"Yep. You are, aren't you Commander. You truly are." He walked up to the transporter deck as he heard her holding back a sob. "I need to get back to the Raptor. Are we done, sir?"

Terri nodded, her composure crumbling more the harder she tried to maintain it. She stepped around the transporter console and activated the transporter. Land was gone. As soon as he disappeared, Terri let loose a terrible wail, regret slamming into her as she beat her fists into the console, sobbing uncontrollably. She screamed, collapsing with her back against the transporter console, drawing her knees up to her chest as she cried.

* * *

Land left the transporter room and asked the computer where Harry was. He was hoping he could give Harry the little parcel and get back to bed. The computer stated Harry was in his Ready Room. He walked the short distance to the Ready Room and hit the chime. The door opened up. The room was dark and there was instrumental music playing.

"Oh shit," Land breathed, stepping in. This was never good when Harry did this.

"What do you want Jack?" Harry said, seated at his desk.

"Terri said you might want to have this," Land said, holding the package up.

"Put it on the desk," Harry said flatly.

"I'm sorry about Nora," Land said. "I know you guys were close." He sat across from Harry. "From all the stories you told me, I was hoping I'd get to meet her someday."

"I'd hoped so too, Jack," Harry sighed.

"If anyone can understand what you're going through, it's me," Land said. "You know that if you need to talk, or anything, I'm here for you bud."

Harry nodded. "She was like the sister I never had. I am finding it all a bit...difficult to process." Harry said. "I owe it to her to find out what happened."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Land said. "If you don't mind, can I go grab some shut-eye? I mean, you don't want your best pilot falling asleep at the con when you may be needing him."

Harry nodded. "Sure. I have you covered for now. Ensign Rosa is at your post right now."

"Well, if you need to get anywhere fast, you should probably remind her to take the parking brake off first," Land chuckled as he got up from the chair. "You should probably get some rest too."

"I'll try...thanks," Harry said as he left.

Land got back to his quarters, quickly stripped out of his uniform, grabbed a quick shower, then crawled into bed by the sleeping Nova, who cuddled up next to him.

"What happened?" She asked groggily.

"Just some bad stuff, don't want to get into it...I need sleep," Land said, pulling her closer.

"Mmm...ok," she said sleepily.

He tried to settle down, but something was bothering him. It was cathartic to tell Terri off, but it didn't feel right. If anything, it left a twinge of disappointment in his soul. He nuzzled Nova and breathed in her scent as she cuddled against him. That helped him forget about his worries.

* * *

Harry sat and looked at the parcel that Land had dropped off. Land was right, he needed some sleep.

Instead of getting sleep, he broke out the Altarian whiskey he kept in his desk, poured himself a glass, and started nursing it. It was a habit he'd picked up from Captain De'sol during their time together. She taught him it never hurt to have a little around when you had to deal with heavy matters. She also taught him never to have more than one glass in one sitting. It was very potent.

He opened a communications channel to Terri. "Commander Lu...is the Intrepid ready to get underway?"

"It is, sir," Terri said. She didn't sound as confident as she normally did. "Did you get my parcel?"

"I did. I haven't looked at it yet," Harry admitted, swirling the whisky in its glass. "I want us to pursue whatever it was that killed the Intrepid's crew. We need to figure out what it is."

"Understood. We'll be right along with you," Terri said.

"Good...good. Martinez out." He flipped the com channel to the bridge. "Ensign Rosa, set an intercept course with the disturbance and engage."

"Aye, sir. Course laid in," Rosa replied, "warp speed engaged."

Harry watched as the stars streaked by his viewport. He took a long drink and opened the small parcel. He saw the picture of him and Nora and a small note fell out. He grabbed it. It was in Terri's handwriting. It simply read:

Honor her memory the way she would have wanted you to.

Harry looked at the picture and smiled. He remembered that day. It was the day before they graduated from the Academy. They just had a full day of fun together, like overgrown kids with a day pass turned loose in a theme park. His smile broadened. He remembered her kindness, her friendship, and set the picture up on his desk.

He held his glass up. "Here's to you Nora. You...you were the best."

He took a long drink, finished the glass, and set it down with a heavy clink. He stashed the bottle back in his desk and put the glass in the recycler and headed for the bridge.

He entered the bridge and went right up to the science station. "Mrs. O'mara, do you have some readings for me on that disturbance?"

"Yes, it's moving at warp five now. I am not sure how it's doing that, but whatever it is, it's not an ion storm."

"That much is apparent. More importantly, how is it moving?" Harry asked.

"Insufficient data, sir," O'mara said, shaking her head. "I have no idea. I've pulled things from the archives, compared it to other strange encounters throughout the history of the Confederation. Nothing matches."

Harry glanced toward the helm. "Time to intercept?"

"At our current speed, two hours and fifteen minutes," Rosa replied.

Harry climbed into the captain's chair. "Ms. Perry, open a channel to the Intrepid."

"Aye, sir, channel open."

The screen changed from a starfield to Terri seated in the command chair of the Intrepid.

"Commander, we are at a disadvantage. The anomaly has a considerable lead on us. Do you think you can intercept?"

"We can. What are your orders?" Terri asked.

"Keep your distance and observe, warn away any other vessels that might be in its path. Keep in constant contact. We'll catch up with you soon."

"No problem Captain. Anything else?" Terri asked.

"Goodspeed and stay in touch. Raptor out," Harry replied.

"We will, sir. See you when you catch up," Terri said, closing the channel.

He watched on the screen as the Intrepid pulled up beside them and then gradually ahead.

"Ms. O'mara, I want you running continuous scans for anything having to do with whatever this anomaly is."

"I will let you know the instant I find anything," O'mara replied.

* * *

Several minutes later, the Intrepid caught up with the anomaly as it tumbled through space. They were still at warp speed. The fact that something like this could move without any visible engine was astonishing.

"Keep us at its rear, Pavel," Terri said as she paced around the bridge, looking at the black splotch on the screen.

"What the hell is it?" Ensign Munro grunted.

"That's what we are trying to figure out," Terri said, running her hand along with the console. "Baxter, what do you have on it?"

"It has mass, although I can't determine what kind. It's about ten thousand miles across; its form appears to be malleable," Baxter reported. "From the readings I have, it appears to be tumbling through space."

"Is there anything in its path currently?"

Baxter checked the registered flight paths of vessels in the area and couldn't find anything. "Nothing so far. I have been broadcasting the 'veer away' message."

"Good," Terri said, walking up to the screen and looking at it. "Make sure you are sending anything you find to the Raptor as well. I wonder what we're dealing with here."

"Whatever it is, it's probably ugly," Munro grinned.

"Let's keep our shields up, just in case, Mr. O' bren," Terri said to the Ops console.

"Aye. I have no problem with that, sir. I'm not even comfortable being this far from it," the Avian replied.

An alarm sounded.

"What's that alarm?" Terri demanded.

"It's the disturbance...it's suddenly changed course," Baxter reported. "It's heading for the Delta 3B system."

"That's a pre-warp civilization," Terri said, "under noninterference quarantine."

"Tell that to whatever the hell that is, sir," Baxter said. "It's heading right for it."

"Open a channel to the Raptor," Terri ordered. "Captain, the anomaly has changed course. It is heading for the Delta 3B system. It will be entering it within the next few minutes."

"Do what you can. We'll be there as soon as we can," Harry responded, looking over at Fara. "Fara, I'm going to need better than warp five."

"Captain, I didn't say anything before, but we are pushing what the Raptor can handle in its current condition. If you toast the coils, we are dead in the water."

"I understand that, but we've already lost two hundred people. That system contains over seven hundred fifty thousand," Harry responded. "Do what you can Commander, we'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Very well," Terri said, closing the channel. "Baxter? How are our weapons?"

"Locked and loaded, three hundred and fifty torpedoes, and full phasers."

Terri whistled. Her ship didn't even have that many. She found it funny that the ship meant for exploration and scientific endeavors had more torpedoes than a warship.

"Ok, red alert," Terri ordered. "Let's see if we can do something to this thing."

Suddenly, the black mass on the screen began to change. Something emerged from the darkness. It was massive and fluid, covered with legions of semi-transparent tentacles, miles across.

Terri got out of her chair to look at it. It was astonishing, almost beyond mere words. It looked like a strange undulating mass of plasma moving with purpose and intent. It was not a natural phenomenon. It was a mind blowingly enormous lifeform.

Terror suddenly raced through her mind as a cold chill traveled along her spine. It was a fear that she and her child were in terrible danger.

"Lt. Plex," she stammered, trying to maintain her composure, "what...what...are we looking at?"

"It is not liquid, gaseous, or solid...nor is it a nebula or an ion storm. I'm reading organic materials within it. Commander, I believe that, whatever that is...it's alive."

"Ms. Baxter, hail the Raptor," Terri said, trying to process the whole situation and stifle the fear she was feeling. "Inform them that we have made contact with the entity...and we are engaging."

To be Continued...