Surprise!

Posted on Mon Mar 26th, 2018 @ 9:27pm by Captain Michelle Bartlett & Lieutenant Commander Shaille Levine & Lieutenant Valeria Mordin & Ensign Leyara Hamuul & Lieutenant JG Sandra Garcia

Mission: https://wellington.pegasusfleet.site/index.php/sim/missions/id/4
Location: Bridge
Timeline: 10 Minutes After Arrival

Michelle sat at her station, also analyzing the probes from her station. She knew she could get a report but there was something about this thing that was intriguing her the deeper they got into it. What happened here? What unnatural anomaly could have possibly caused such a huge field of distortions around them?

"Captain, I'm getting some data from the first three probes." Garcia replied from Ops. "There's a similar field of a very peculiar shape nearby that our sensors are detecting as well. Narrow at the top and bottom and wide around the middle."

"Ms. Mordin? Theories?" Michelle asked.

"Narrow at the top and bottom, wide in the middle." Valeria smirked, then dismissed her initial answer, "Sounds like any planetary body or any spherical structure."

"There's also a few other distortions. I'd have to analyze the shape a little more but, they don't appear natural, either. I'm going to direct one of the probes to just scan a little deeper." Garcia replied.

"Proceed," Michelle said as she took her seat. "Let us know what you find."

"Aye, ma'am," Garcia replied, continuing to work away at her console. "Probe course a little closer to the distortion," she said before the console started beeping frantically. "Captain, I've got something."

"On screen." Michelle called out, noticing that the "field" seemed to be dissipating, and luring the probe closer. "What is that?" she added.

"I don't know, ma'am." Sandra replied. "It appears to be interfering with the other distortions as well."

Michelle turned to Rostra "It's not even NEAR the other distortions..." she said. "Keep an eye on the field, Ms. Garcia. Helm, bring us in just a bit closer. Stay within safe distance." she said.

"Aye, ma'am." Cally's eyes stayed on the screen, easing the touch inwards towards the 'target' as she thought of it, tensing. The feel of it was wrong, but was it? She shook her head slightly to clear it.

"I couldn't begin to tell you." Rostra admitted. "We're officially out of my expertise."

"Getting uncomfortably close to the edge of mine," Valeria added to the conversation. "I suggest cutting propulsion to the probe, test for gravity. Then let the probe get as close as possible and see the scans from up close. Worst case, we lose one probe."

"Do it." Michelle said. Out of Dalacari and Ts'usugi expertise? This almost seemed the appropriate time to call a Red Alert if that was the case.

"The distortion is continuing to stabilize, Captain. Cutting propulsion to the third probe. There is some kind of a gravity field around the edges, but it's hard to identify. There's also other readings but it's hard to make them out. It's almost like atmospheric readings but that's impossible."

"A cloaked planet?" Michelle asked. "Seems unlikely. There's charts going back 300 years that don't record one... And I see no traces of any kind of planetary explosion." she added.

"Captain, I'm picking up a total breakdown in the field and... That's impossible." she added. "I'm magnifying in on something, Captain. You need to have a look."

The viewer came on and suddenly the impossible was appearing quite possible. A planetary body was fading into existence. Quite literally from nowhere.

"Is it some kind of a holographic prank?" Michelle asked as it came more into view. "What about the other fields?"

"Breaking down as well, ma'am. They should be disintegrating within about the next 40 seconds by my estimate."

"Ms. Mordin, focus scans on the... whatever this thing actually is. Yellow alert." she called out.

It wasn't much of an alteration, but at the call of yellow alert, Calypso slewed the ship to 'slide' sideways and keeping the frontal aspect pointing towards the planet, the only 'threat' on her screen.

"Bringing the probes to bear." Valeria mentioned, turning to the somewhat avian science officer assisting at the console, "Keep the probes focused and tight. Record any data, no matter how impossible." she advised.

"I don't think it's a cloak. Not like how you'd do it on a ship." Rostra pointed out, "Starship stealth doesn't leave a distortion like that, and the amount of power you'd need to..."

"... conceal a planet is astronomical. Either it's an unintended side effect, or someone figured out how to become a Class One civilization." the Dalacari mused as she observed the main viewer.

"Or, whatever this is... is the result of something losing power."

Ensign Leyara Hamuul entered the bridge silently. she had been following the technical discussion and had been running some simulations and had developed a wild though plausable theory.

"Captain perhaps the question isnt a matter of where but when. it is quite possible that the gravity distortions we are witnessing have more to do with a temporal distortion rather than a spacial one," she flicked her tail slowly back and forth as she continued.
"my people have a certain fascination with time. and I have seen a similar effect before though on a much smaller scale. while I cannot guanrteed that it is the case the data is compelling enough to us to warrant considering that we are looking at a temporal event and the gravitic distortions are the side effect of that event," she said falling silent.

Michelle pondered the opinions of both for a moment. "That may be a theory worth considering." she added as the planet appeared to come more into phase. At that point, Garcia's panel beeped.

"Captain... There's more." Garcia said.

"Planets?" she asked.

"No, ma'am. Those other distortion fields are.... You won't believe this. We're now surrounded by what look like ships."

"On screen." she said as an almost ancient looking starbase suddenly appeared next to them.

"Open a channel to the starbase, Lieutenant." she said to Garcia.

"Aye, Captain." she replied.

"Ms. Levine... Keep an eye on these ships. What are their weapons capabilities?

Shaille's fingers danced across the console as she scanned the ships that had suddenly appeared around them, her initial sense of unease lessening as she realised their almost complete lack of firepower. "We don't have much to worry about. Their weapons are antiquated at best, old style lasers, but there is the odd thermonuclear signature here and there," She shook her head quickly. "I doubt they could take down a stray pigeon between them let alone pose any real threat to us."

Michelle looked over at Rostra... "What the hell kind of defence force is that?" she asked. "One starbase and 7 floating pieces of scrap metal."

"They appear to be coming into phase, Captain." Garcia announced. "They appear to be arming some kind of a strange wave at us and are sending it to our deflector dish. As best I can tell, they've armed lasers."

"Do we have any way to hail them?" Michelle asked.

"Not that I can see. I see nothing resembling a regular communication system." Garcia said as suddenly everything came a lot clearer. "I'm getting readings from the planet, ma'am. There's no activity yet but... It looks like a standard Class-M. Population, 6 billion."

Michelle turned to Rostra... "Take an away team down to the planet's surface. We'll continue to try and contact the station... So far they don't seem to have noticed us. Which is either an effect of the phase-in, or their sensors can't find a rock in front of them."

"Let's say it's an effect of the phase-in." Rostra suggested. "Either that, or no one's looked out a window yet." she said, now with a smile. "Shaille, Leyara, Sandra you're with me."

"Let's go meet the neighbors."

"I hope they don't mind us just showing up." Michelle replied. "I'll have to go inform Commodore Myers what we've got. Ms. Mordin, you have the bridge."

Valeria nodded, "Aye, the Bridge is mine." she confirmed. Liked the sound of that...

==END==

Captain Michelle Bartlett
Commanding Officer
USS Wellington

Lieutenant JG Sandra Garcia
Operations Officer
USS Wellington

Lieutenant Calypso Skyie
Chief Flight Officer
USS Wellington

Lieutenant Shaille Levine
Tactical Officer
USS Wellington

Commander Rostra Tang
Executive Officer
USS Wellington

Lieutenant Valeria Mordin
Chief Science Officer
USS Wellington