Posted by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) in Main Sim - Bridge - Setting Out
[snip]

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 catalogue gaseous anomalies in the Beta Quadrant almost a decade ago.

”..Hard to say sir, it could be a microscopic sized tear into subspace is my only guess at the moment. Given the interference unless we were literally almost on such a tear I’m not sure we would pick it up if it was there..” the NE reasoned.

“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

“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 whatever 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.”

Cross shrugged ‘’Your hypothesis have valuation ,anything is possible the only thing we can do is move on with cation. Captain more often then not we are inclined to reason based on experience that we have gathered along the way ,who knows what lies beyond, its difficult to make an assessment based on any motive or intent ....if indeed the lost Trudoguard have actually came across something which we have no knowledge as of yet’‘.

The security’s words of *The Federation’s origin was to seek out new worlds and civilization * Cross understood that those words could only be put down in a fairy-tail book.

‘’Sir its my understanding that the ship cannot be protected with the shields ? I would suggest you put the ship in green alert as we move forward for the simple reason that the crew won’t to be caught off guard’‘.

“We do have some protection,” Glen corrected her, “Lieutenant Mullins saw to that by polarising the hull. It’s just not as effective as our full shielding would be. And we also have the… ahem! …alterations made by the engineers from the future …before we went against the Harvesters fleet ....but the nebulas’ gases will work in the same way against all shields. As for a Green Alert, I just don’t like all those sirens and flashing lights, and I think the whole ship is aware that we are in dangerous waters right now. But I’m not going to sit here forever. We’ve been motionless for quite some time now and nothing untoward has occurred, so I think we should start moving forward again, but at a very low impulse speed.”

“In your own time,” Glen told Lieutenant Andor. “Once you have that new plotted course laid in, ahead one quarter Impulse!”

With the command given the Merrimack began to slowly move around the eddies.

“Have you got Hunter and Kim to prepare Sickbay for casualties?” Glen asked Doctor Cross. “Maybe have the auxiliary nursing staff standing by too! I don’t wish to alarm the ship unnecessarily, which is another reason I’m not sounding any green, amber or red alerts, but I am concerned about what we are getting into here… I probably haven’t had such a bad feeling about anything since we did join that armada sent against the Harvesters.”

“Science,” Glen asked, “Anything further to report about the gas clouds and plasma eddies? Any pattern to the energy fluctuations seen… a signature, if you like? Does MABEL 2.0 recognise anything from her library? And ask her to try the hidden Supplementary Library Module! You will find it contains some information unavailable elsewhere. Authorisation - Glen-6-0-9-Delta-1-9. Just don’t ever ask where that info comes from.”

A check from their hidden library module revealed no matches to this particular or near particular event.

[snip]

Lt Mullins continued to keep track of the damage to the hull with the polarization but it seemed to be keeping up. He knew the ship was stopped and was curious of what was going on. He hit his communication pad on the desk and said, =/\= Lt Mullins to Bridge. How are things up there? I know we are stopped and the polarization seems to be holding up from what I can tell. =/\= He then went back to his monitoring and hoping was able to see anything dangerous to come up before something happened to the ship.

Glen touched the communicator built into his chair and replied to Mullins =/\= Glen here. I ordered us to stop. Yes, the shield polarisation has held up, but we have yet to make contact with any of the wild eddies and gaseous anomalies due to very careful piloting. We should be underway again once the course is laid in. Glen out. =/\=

As the Merrimack skirted around the eddies, the NE at science continued to report on them. “..Seems the loss of energy in them has stopped, they’re reading about 80% in overall loss. Still nothing concrete on what caused it though.” He said.

“That 20% loss could be the key to whatever has been going on here,” Glen said. “Keep trying to determine the reason behind the energy loss.”

After a few minutes ahead came the last comm buoy marker laid by the Trudograd, it was in perfect normal shape, and operation as they came within 100 meters of it. Ahead their scans showed larger concentrations of a small methane, and helium gas clouds. They also showed a few small tiny 1-2ft bits of drifting rocks, ice particles, and such all which their deflector dish and systems pushed aside when they got somewhat close. The slightly bigger particles of gas concentrations passed by the Merrimack like wisps in the night. They were still faintly picking up the garbled broken Risan distress call but it was so degraded no chance of ID’s or words could be made out. Based on everything given before they were roughly within 1500-1800 meters of where it should originate from. Which meant whatever happened to the Trudograd happened not long after it had dropped this beacon and was closing in on the final 500 or so meters of the signal.

“Can you clean up that communication signal any more?” Glen asked the Comms Officer.

Lt. Pokorski returned to the Bridge from his break. “Please relieve Commander Andor at Navigation,” Captain Glen asked the navigator. He needed his new XO to be free to think, now that the complicated course changes had been made.

• Glen, CO

Lance had been a little surprised when the CSO had passed him his dirty assignment, or rather updated assignment. Lance had started his duty shift with the assumption he’d be cataloguing some of the biological samples the ships labs were behind with. Lance was happy with that sort of work, he could get lost in it for days looking for something new or out of the ordinary. However, the day had other plans. He’d been happily at his station when the updated orders came through, relive the Ensign at science on the bridge, Lance had groaned audibly, restoring in a few looks in his direction. The part of serving on a Starship he’d dragged the most. The bridge. He was happy in a nice safe lab, not the bridge with a target literally on his head. Not too mention it was full of non science types, people who didn’t appreciate the oddities of scientists.

Lance stepped out on to the bridge, it seemed to be a hive of activity, clearly he was arriving in the middle of something, which was either good or really bad. He found the Ensign at the science station. “The boss wants you back down in the labs.” Lance said passing the NE the duty orders “I’ve been sent to swap out with you.”

The Ensign smiled “Thanks, I’ll leave you my notes you’ll probably need them. I’ve checked with MABEL about the gas clouds and eddie’s, info is in that window, but she found nothing significant, but we are seeing some energy fluctuations with a 20% loss around the eddies you’re going to want to keep watching that.” The Ensign gave up the station to Lance.

Lance wasn’t sure but he was sure the Ensign looked relieved to be heading off the bridge. “Lance looked over the NE’s notes. They were good, concise and showing so many unanswered questions.” Lance pulled his own preferred method of note talking from his jacket pocket, a very battered not pad a chewed pencil. He scribbled thoughts and questions. He wasn’t a fan of astral phenomenon, he tapped his pencil as he looked at what had already been noted, before sticking the pencil behind his ear and checking MABEL’s data base on non space phenomenon that behaviour in this was, animal, plant or other.

Lt. Malone