A Glimmer of Hope
Posted on Mon Aug 28th, 2023 @ 11:28pm by Lieutenant Callan Armidale & Lieutenant JG William Verhoeven & Petty Officer 3rd Class Brix Saad & Fleet Captain Maxwell Culver
Edited on on Mon Aug 28th, 2023 @ 11:48pm
480 words; about a 2 minute read
Mission:
First Contact
Location: USS Intrepid: Bridge
Timeline: MD1: 1315 hours
“Captain’s log, stardate 47634.44. USS Intrepid has been at high warp for four days since leaving Ihhuein ei'krih. As per our agreement, the Romulan Star Empire and the New Romulan Republic both came together to offer up their last star charts of the complete former Romulan Empire’s colonies, protectorates, sovereign nations and those under their former rule.
We are approaching a planet, Heliv, which the Romulans wrote off long ago. An unknown incident, thousands of years ago, put this planet on course from M class to H class - desert, with almost no water. Its people, with 22nd century technology, stood little chance of surviving this extinction level event.
Intrepid will slow our journey for a short survey mission. Nothing more than determining the status of the planet’s unchanging climate crisis and the sad, slow death knell of its peoples.”
Max sat in the command chair as the ship dropped out of warp. Like the Sol system, a small planetoid orbited as the farthest object in the system. Four small objects orbited, only two big enough to be called moons.
“Warp speed discontinued, entering the system at half impulse as ordered, captain,” came the repeat of Max’s order from Ensign William Verhoeven, their current helmsman.
Max nodded. “Very good, Will. Ops, scan all channels and don’t forget to include radio transmissions,” Max ordered, reminding the crew of the Helivan’s limitations.
“Aye, captain,” Callan responded. A moment later, his brow knit in confusion. “Captain, I’m reading two oddities. The first is a series of three warp signatures leaving the system. The other, more importantly, is a distress call by radio wave transmission. One of the warp signatures terminated at the source of the distress call. It’s on a repeating cycle, captain.”
“Set an intercept course. Best possible speed, Ensign Verhoeven,” Max ordered. Touching the holographic display at his armrest, he opened a channel. “Senior staff to the bridge. I repeat, senior staff to the bridge on the double.”
“How long to intercept?”
“At warp one, ten minutes,” Callan responded from Ops.
Max nodded and closed the holographic display beside him. “Hit it, Will.”
“Aye, Captain, hitting it!”
USS Intrepid seemed to have far more to do than a simple survey mission. Now they had a mystery. Three ships capable of warp heading from a planet without warp drive. A warp capable starship sending out a distress call via radio waves.
Could it be possible for people with 22nd century technology to develop warp drive? At best, they should be in theoretical mathematics and developing microdoses of antimatter. However, the humans had a saying that desperate times called for desperate measures and how much more desperate could a people be than the Helivans?
Max bit his lower lip. What had they stumbled into? They would soon find out.
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