[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 plotted 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.

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 .

The way Doctor Cross stood just to the side of his chair like that reminded Captain Glen of the way Kord, his old XO, would stand, silently and inscrutable. It was an unusual thing though, for Doctor Cross to be so quiet, calm and composed.

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 .

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.

“If they are natural phenomena,” Glen reasoned, “what could cause them to drop in energy output?” One of the greatest challenges in the field of gaseous anomalies, according to experts, was that we still didn’t understand the basics. Practically everything that the Federation knew about them was as a result of the USS Excelsior’s three-year mission to catalog gaseous anomalies in the Beta Quadrant almost a decade ago.

“What do you think?” Glen asked the CSO. “I guess it could be an inconstant star; a Pulsar, spinning on its axis and radiating the nebula gases from its poles as it slowly rotates, but it could also be evidence of the presence of something more artificial and more concerning?”

‘’I have a hunch its the latter ‘’ Cross murmured her eyes never leaving the view screen.

“Aye Captain. Plotting course to avoid the eddies.” replied Lt. Andor, Navigator

OOC: I have opened a side sim for you about the medical with Hunter .
marthese

“I’m curious, Miriam,” Glen replied to Cross, “Why does your sixth senses think it needs to be something unnatural?”

‘’Not quiet a sixth sense Captain ‘’ Cross replied ‘’ Previous ships have come to gather valuable gases thus was given the name ‘Honey pot ‘,while Risans are also members of the Federation and work in this nebula.Its the lost Trudoguard frigate which make me wonder how they disappeared from the radar and no communication that we know off was send .The frigate did not go in uncharted territory, they were well aware off the present gases ..yet we have no idea or even the slightest hypothesis to lead us on as to what might have happened’’ the female doctor paused ‘’Sir without our shields in full operation our ship is exposed to what ever is out there ‘’.

After a few moments Cross turned to look at Glen ‘’Sir maybe we are not the only ones who knows about the nebula and the gases within it?’‘.

“I don’t disagree with you on that. In fact, it’s entirely possible,” Glen replied. “Although we are near to the edge of Known Space as far as our own exploration has gone, we could be inside regions of exploration for some race we haven’t met yet. And since physics doesn’t change, and sensors and other systems function poorly in many nebulae, they are often used by starships to their strategic advantage. So, such as race, which wanted to remain concealed while they learn more about us, might hide out in such a place. And a race could be mining the same gases and minerals just as the Federation has been.”

“But I have several problems with that theory. My first, is that the same problems with sensors that prevent detection, prevent observation. So, using it as a look out rather than as a hide out would be tricky. If they are also miners, then why have they only been discovered now, and not when we first began collecting materials. But my main problem is just that of Occam’s Razor, that a natural explanation is a far more simple one.”

• Glen, CO