It had taken the better part of two weeks for the Dresden to make the trip to the Julian Echo Station. As the ship got ever closer, the departments on board had been working diligently to prepare for… well… everything. Contingencies and speculation had flooded discussions both on and off the clock. What would they find? What had befallen the station so that communication had gone dark? Was the crew safe… or even alive? All of these questions and more had swirled through passageways, quarters, offices, and labs like the air through the life support systems.

As the ship dropped out of warp some ways away, the first view of the station came into view. From all visual assessments, the station looked as it should: a large transparent dome supported by a robust and multi-level foundation. No signs of damage, and it was in exactly the correct location. From the outside, it appeared perfectly fine…

As did the large black and gray vessel docked at one of the three ports. As the ship and station came into view, the Dresden’s comms indicated an incoming message.

GMT