Main Engineering had settled into the controlled tension that accompanied operations near the derelict. The Chernov itself remained stable, but the ancient vessel’s increasingly active systems were giving Engineering considerably more to monitor.

Across the engineering displays, power-management systems continuously compensated for subtle fluctuations affecting the ship. Each harmonic pulse from the derelict produced a brief disturbance through several systems before fading again. None had threatened the Chernov, but the pattern was becoming increasingly consistent.

An engineering technician looked up from one of the diagnostic stations as another pulse registered.

“Another fluctuation. EPS distribution compensated automatically, but we’re seeing the same effect across the transporter grid and navigational deflectors.”

The transporter system was receiving particular attention. Operations had identified brief stabilization windows aboard the derelict that appeared almost simultaneously with its harmonic pulses. Engineering telemetry confirmed the relationship: transporter targeting resolution improved sharply for several seconds after each pulse before the surrounding interference returned.

A second console sounded. “Commander, we’ve got something else.”

The technician transferred the readings to the main Engineering display. During the latest pulse, the Chernov’s sensors had registered a brief energy interaction along the outer hull—not damaging and barely measurable, but synchronized precisely with the derelict’s harmonic activity.

“It doesn’t look like an attack. More like the pulse is interacting with our systems somehow.”

Another harmonic pulse reached the Chernov. For three seconds, transporter targeting resolution toward the away team improved dramatically. Then the window closed.

Engineering now had two immediate problems to solve: determine how to extend or reproduce those transporter stabilization windows without transmitting anything toward the derelict, and establish exactly what its harmonic pulses were doing to the Chernov’s systems before the next one arrived.

GM Nosferatu
Your Darkest Nightmare