Questions

Posted on Tue Apr 21st, 2026 @ 1:48pm by Lieutenant Imik S'Niohun & Commander Jonathan Grayson

1,750 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Shuttle Incident
Location: Bridge
Timeline: Present

ON

Imik entered the bridge and took station, looking around she noted the other bridge crew busy checking read outs and status reports. This was her duty station for the next few hours and so she too checked her read outs and status reports. One thing did catch her eye, a shuttle which had been out of contact for over the prescribed time. A quick check on the crew manifest showed the Sinkahue was on board, that meant the lack of contact was somewhat more unusual as Shran was meticulous about away team protocols. Spotting Jon in the centre seat she approached him, "Commander, while doing my checks I have come across a problem. A shuttlecraft with the Sinkahue onboard has failed to maintain contact with the Washington, as the Sinkahue is not known for failing to follow protocol I feel this should be investigated."

Jon swung the chair to face her. "We contacted the shuttle to inform them of our being late to rendezvous with them and there was nothing amiss. However you are correct, the captain is a stickler for following protocol. Contact the shuttle and see if everything is alright."

"I understand sir, do you have any plan if contact is not made?" imik always tried to stay one step ahead, and on this matter she had decided to ensure further movement as the Sinkahue was involved.

Jon nodded, "You are so like Sachzny." He said in obvious praise. "We're here to help arrives. If we don't make contact with the captain, we'll double back to his last location and commence a search."

Moving back to her console she started an automated call to the shuttle, the area concerned seemed empty apart from a few small P class planets which if the shuttle had gone down on could prove difficult for both survivors and the Washington to find them. Working diligently she swept the comms channels two or three times, she got no response and began to work out if at this distance she could target individual planets. That quickly proved a step to far, so Imik return to the automated call to the shuttle. Then she reported back to Jon, "I have an update for you Commander, as yet I have received no response to our hails. The area seems empty of vessels in transit or in orbit around any of the planets, do you have any other suggestions I might attempt?"

Jon's face clouded at the news. "Keep trying to raise the shuttle. Find out all you can about the planets in the area. I realize at this distance information will be sketchy but do the best you can. Once we're done here. We'll head for the shuttle's last location and begin a search."

I will resume scanning for the shuttle, as for the planets in that system I can report now that all I have picked up so far are P class planets. Which I am sure you know to be hostile to survival, but I will now resume my search for other classes if any." Imik now returned to her station and began a detailed search of the system, star charts showed there to be one or two M class planets within the system which she had failed to pick up. This was a plus point in her book, if the shuttle had gone down perhaps it had landed heavily on one of these. She again attempted to contact the shuttle using both manual and automated transmissions on different frequencies but got no response, but decided to report to Jon about the M class planets. "Commander, still no response to our hails. But further to my report of the planets within the system, it appears that there are one or two M class planets."

Jon listened in stony silence as Imik relayed the news. "Alright. I think we can presume the shuttle went down and we'll do a detailed search for it when we get through here. I want sensors on full. I want us to have has much information as we can get it may help in finding the shuttle and crew. See if you can pick up a plasma or ion trail. it may help point us in the right direction to where they landed or at least give us better odds in finding it."

"I will scan for those trails Commander, I will also scan for any residual warp trails. They may have tried to jump to warp to escape what ever happened, as the the system is of medium size my projected completion time will be six Earth hours to fully scan the whole system." As she waited for a response Imik spoke quietly to Jon, "I am sure that all shuttle occupants are alive and well, the Sinkahue is a survival expert and will keep the shuttle crew alert and busy."

Jon listened as Imik gave him her estimate to scan the system the captain's shuttle was last reported in. He knew she would conduct a pains taking search. He just hated waiting but it did no good to rush. For when you rushed, mistakes were made and they could not afford to make any mistakes or overlook anything. "Very good Imik." he answered and then added, "I'm sure you are right. The captain is a survival expert and the best person to keep the rest of the crew alive.

A quick bow and Imik returned to her station and began the scan, for the next six hours all her attention would be focused on the instruments and possible reaction to her probing. It would be a long and probably boring time for her, the sensors now began their sweeps of the closest planets looking for life or wreckage to lock onto. From there they would probe deeper into the system as each and every planet was checked and cleared, just what would be found was for now an unknown. Imik now turned to Jon, "Commander, status report. Our scans have so far found nothing, I will continue for the next five hours and report every hour."

Jon nodded, "That would be too easy to find something right of the bat and at this distance. I'm afraid this is going to be a long and tedious search but at least we've started the search process and hopefully we can narrow down the search parameters, so when we get closer we can send shuttles or away teams down to conduct more intensive searches." he shook his head, "It's a good theory at least."

Imik heard the despair in Jon's voice, she felt it also but she still had five hours to prove them both wrong. She now targeted one of the M class planets closest to them, after 15 minuets she shook her head. Failure etched on her face. she now moved on to the moons that orbited the planet but once again nothing registered. Moving on to a P class Imik had the same results, but something did register on sensors. A plasma trail faint but it was there, it seemed to head to another M class planet but Imik would have to realign the sensors of the Washington. Simply put the planet was partly hidden by the P class, this would make scanning it difficult and time consuming. "Commander, I have a plasma trail. But it will take a realignment of the sensors and possibly result in failure unless we can move the Washington closer to the system."

"Unfortunately until the Fleming arrives we're here, doing what we can and gathering what information we can. " Jon pointed out. "However do the best you can with scanning both the planet and plasma trail and once we're relieved you can get a more detailed scan and reposition the sensors as we get closer to the planet. Hopefully that's where the shuttle is." Jon turned his attention to the main viewscreen and Loras below them. "This has all the makings of a bioweapon." He commented.

Another quick bob of her head and Imik began to realign the sensors, ""Why do you believe Loras is the victim of a biological attack Commander? Could not this plague arrived on a passing vessel?" She started her new scans, but as she feared the P class planet interfered with the scans both blocking and deflecting them. She had to close the scanners down as all she was doing was wasting time and energy. Once relieved perhaps then she could resume, hopefully the plasma trail would still register. "I can not get a clear scan Commander, I will resume once we can move the Washington."

"The disease has spread too fast and into the entire ecosystem. People, plant and animal life are all infected. This disease isn't moving by contact as it would if it had come from a ship. It's in the very air every single living person, plant or animal is breathing. May even be in the water as well." Jon noted before he paused upon hearing Imik's statement on the sensors. "Alright Imik. you can resume scanning when we get closer."

As Jon spoke, Imik moved her scanners onto the planet below. She ran a brief scan of the atmosphere and of the particulates within it, the scan showed nothing untoward until she checked for foreign object debris. "Commander, a very quick sweep of the atmosphere is showing an unusual amount of Bio-mimetic gel and Duranium. Both of which do not occur naturally, I am prone to surmise that a probe of some sort carrying this biohazard may have entered the atmosphere and broke up spreading the plague. So your presumption of it being introduced artificially would be correct, but from where and when I am unable to confirm."

Jon nodded. "Thank you Imik. That is valuable information. Now we know this was a deliberate act of terrorism."

"If this theory is correct Commander, we may see other such incidents. I would almost think someone is attacking planets in an attempt to invade them at a later date once the population has succumbed to the pathogen." Imik now placed her scanners on a low intensity scan, its aim was to attempt to find a possible warp or plasma trail leaving the planet. Her hopes were not high, as she had no time scale to work to as to when the probe had arrived. But with events on the planet and the present situation, it was the most she could do for now.

OFF

 

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