[snip]

Bit by bit the Merrimack continued inward of the nebula along the way some electrical discharges sparked along the hull in their wake, but nothing that did any damage, a few shudders here and there but nothing the sturdy ship couldn’t face or had faced much worse in the past years. Eventually they came up within a light minute of the last buoy. Along the way they passed each one and their scans again showed nothing amiss, though as they reached the last buoy their refined sensors did pick up the several day old fading wake of the Trudrograd’s impulse signature. They were also now picking up the weak distress call of what seemed to be on a civilian system patrol band frequency. Garbled as it was they couldn’t make anything else out of it. The wake of the Trudograd showed they had made a course correction about 200 meters ahead of the last buoy to avoid a plasma eddy and helium gas cloud before their scans faded too much to make out more details. They still had a secure mostly clear connection back the way they had come to DS- K-5.

Since Glen had previously asked for them to look out for anomalies, the plasma eddy and helium gas cloud would be spotted and flagged up. “Anything unusual about that plasma eddy and helium gas cloud combination up ahead,” Glen asked Science.

NE Cullens spoke, “..Nothing unusual that we’re picking up currently sir..” he said

During the ship moving, Max kept an eye on the polarized hull. He had not noticed anything affecting the ship with the polarization. This made him happy. He always hated damage to the ship. He saw they still had access to get out which was important too. He did not want the ship to get stuck. He waited and watched for anything which might harm the ship.

“All Stop!” Glen told the Helm.

Cross stepped onto the bridge, standing next to Glen she acknowledge her presence by a curt nod and ‘’Captain’‘. The CMO looked straight ahead ‘’Sir, any news about the lost ship ?’’

“We’ve just about reached its last position, as calculated from it’s subspace radio signals,” Glen replied. “If there is any ‘monster of the deep’ space out there, then we should be meeting with it quite soon!”

“Jaris Andor,” Glen asked the new recruit who had just come to the Bridge, “please take over from Dariusz Pokorski at Navigation. I need a course plotAn exact point in timeted to avoid these plasma eddies and gas clouds. The upgraded shields seem to be holding thanks to Max, but it would be better if we didn’t need to test them to their failure.” Since leaving station DS-K5, Glen had not yet had a chance to meet the 28-year-old Command officer.

• Glen, CO

Cross knew all too well the dangers the Merrimack faced before and it did not look like this was going to be any different. She stood standing near the Captain’s chair in a calm and self composed manner .

Glancing at the new recruit the CMO wondered if he had his medical yet, though the female doctor reasoned at this point in time he should stay on the bridge Experience had taught her how everything could change in the blink of an eye .

Cross CMO.

Just as the Merrimack fully came to a stop though and after Cullens initial report, he spoke again at the intoning of a few beeps from his station, “..Actually wait sir! Just picked up something strange, the plasma eddy and helium cloud, sensors are now reporting that they have both dropped in energy output from the eddy and in helium composition from the cloud by almost 40-60% respectively, at the current rate of drops both will phase out of being present in about a minute or two. No signs yet on what is causing it though..” he reported.

GM CockRoach