[snip]

Playing back the bridge audio log, the speaker nearby spat static before it came clear, the first void in mid-speech that could be heard was the ship’s CO, =/\=....wondering though is how a Risan system vessel got out here. Anyone got any ideas?=/\= He asked.

=/\= Hard to say, Captain. However, one possibility is a micro-wormhole. While not often encountered, it could be possible given current events within the Honey Pot so far.=/\= Came the ship’s Vulcan CSO.

=/\= Maybe, Lieutenant, but that would mean tha–=/\= A crackle of static of corrupt audio broke up what the XO was about to say, =/\= …which according to our relayed report to the colony is not present.=/\= He said.

=/\= Maybe its only one way? Like a funnel opening is out by the colony there, and spat it out into the Honey Pot there was those discharges the Gas Bag picked up of a matter/antimatter reaction before the distress call got picked up.=/\= Someone new said. audio match on the voice suggested it was the ship’s helm officer NE.

=/\= Helm, take us around that plasma eddy to port, I don’t like the looks of it.=/\= Came the XO.

=/\= Aye sir, adjusting heading to starboard by 037 mark 92.=/\= The NE said.

=/\= Captain, based on the signal strength we should be approaching its origin point about 100 or so meters ahead. =/\= a woman’s voice said, ID’d as the ships comm officer.

Finally the CSO replied to the earlier helm NE’s suggestion, =/\= Highly unlikely, though not impossible. Given we do not know what type of missing ship this could be, nor did this colony report any missing sublight system craft. It could be we are looking for a minor blackmarket trading vessel within the system that is unregistered. Perhaps they had the materials to rig such an explosion to–=/\= The Vulcan CSO said before being interrupted by a warning beep usually used by science to tactical of a possible danger/anomaly, =/\=..Captain I am..=/\= But he was suddenly cut off by a sudden discharge of some kind in the background. Shouts and sounds of tumbles were heard as well as warning alarms.

=/\=..REPORT!=/\= Came the captain’s voice, sounding as if injured/in pain.

A burst of static corrupted the log for a moment before it cleared again, =/\= …trical discharge!=/\= Someone said, the audio match could not be identified properly but the computer gave it a 64% chance of being the ship’s XO/Chief Engineer. =/\= Showing ruptures in EPS lines on =/\= another burst and static filled series of alarms cut him off, followed by more shouts, =/\=....trying to sustain pod integrity. Plasma lighting output is increasing, I’m also picking up a gravity well like.....like some kind of whirlpool. Its pulling us in, no response to engine control, nor from main eng…=/\= Another burst of audio cut off.

=/\= …bandon ship! Repeat all hands abandon ship!=/\= then came the Captain’s final orders.

The final audio log for the bridge cut out. But through this processing they lucked upon a bit more data! It seems the bridge’s external sensors normally used for short range communication and visuals had picked up a bit of imagery. Showing this showed a plasma/ion storm mixture to the port side of the Trudgrad, likely making a course correction to avoid it. Much like the Merrimack had done to their own brush to this only a few minutes ago. The difference though was the Merrimack had taken precautions to polorzaive the ship’s hull and Rodium armor plating. A chill would run down everyone’s mind recalling how mere moments ago one of those lighting bolts had struck the rear port nacelle and only lightly scarred the ship as a result of their preparations. Had they not done this the mixture of the energies hitting them would likely have back fed through their nacelle and pylon directly into their intermix chamber.........they had barely avoided the same fate as the Trudograd

When the audio log finished abruptly Glen was silent for a while as he considered its implications and connotations. After some time he spoke again. “Let’s not focus on what could have happened to us if Lt. Mullins hadn’t polarised the Hull plating. We still have a mission to complete…”

”…but there are still several possibilities we should consider here, since they all seem equally unlikely… There is the slightly stronger possibility that a unregistered Risan sub-light ship, no bigger than one of our shuttles, on an unlogged flight plan, was caught within a previously unknown spatial anomaly and transported 2-3 light years into this nebula. Then there is also Lance’s earlier suggestion that there is no ship at all, but simply deep faked messages and ghost signals, designed as some kind a honey pot trap to capture and destroy civilian mining vessels and Starfleet starships for some unknown but nefarious reasons. However, there is also another possibility, given that we know nothing about this whirlpool phenomenon, that the message and signals are coming from inside the whirlpool; because of some kind of natural reflection or refraction, and that the Risan ship in distress is somewhere else entirely…”

“For the present time, we will continue with the first scenario as it seems most likely. Hopefully we can reach this Risan ship and get close enough to it to use our tractor beam, without getting too close to the gravity whirlpool and its dangerous effects, by taking another route to navigate around the eddies. And hopefully we find nothing on the other side in the opposite direction.”

Cross stood silent yet paying attention to every word ,she had to admit there were instances were as a doctor she found some detailed facts and specifications difficult to understand though now had a more clear picture .

Give me a body to dissect any time the CMO thought to herself.

“It doesn’t make any sense that a sub-light Risian shuttlecraft would be transported via some kind of anomaly to a location where other Risian mining ships are not far away,” Xavier reasoned out loud. “It’s a big universe, it could just has easily been sent to the other side of the galaxy, why here? It would seem more likely it was transported here in the hold of a larger ship. If it was black market, they would use it for handing over or receiving goods but in that case, where is the bigger ship?”

Bending over a console, he looked over various readings. “Considering the technology level of the Trudograd and that we have already been struck by what destroyed it very quickly after arriving here, it would seem the shuttle wouldn’t stand a chance if we look at how long it has apparently been here, I don’t need to be Vulcan to work the logic of that out. Unless the shuttle does exist and has found a way, despite being severely outclassed, out-tech’d and outskilled by the Federation ships sent to rescue it, I would suggest Captain that whatever wormhole or gravity well is out there is indeed relaying a message from somewhere else. Even though would be weird as well, why a Risian sub-light shuttle message near a Risian mining op?”

“I’d agree with you,” Glen replied, “apart from the mining ships being from Risa. Sorry, if I gave you that impression, I was confused about that from the briefing too, but I’ve since been able to analyse the logs better… But yes, it probably is more likely that the small Risan ship isn’t really there, or else it shouldn’t have survived… the thing is, we can’t be certain unless we do check!”

“The Trudograd was apparently only around 100 meters away from the origin of the signal when it was destroyed. I think we need to find the rest of the Trudograd and see if we can salvage anything from the sensors, and see what happens when we get close to that origin point. We seemed to survive the ‘lightning strike’ pretty well already, but that report of a gravity well could be, trouble. If we find that point, we find the rest of the Trudograd and, probably, what remains of the shuttle if it exists.”

“Agreed, but I’d still like to try to reach it from a different direction,” Glen said. “And I’m not really sure that we could find anything more of the Trudograd that we could use. If we do find the Risan ship that’s good! If we don’t, and it’s only a relayed message from the other side of the wormhole, well we haven’t lost anything! We weren’t hit by any ‘lightning strike’ at all until we reached this point, and following the same course as the Trudograd just feels like repeating their mistake. As long as we keep a 200 metre distance away from the wormhole we should be clear. We can see if the signal origin correlates with the wormhole centre that way? There is the other tried and tested option of sending in some science probes, but my guess would be that those would get quickly destroyed, and they do take some time to prepare, but then I’d rather probes that the Merrimack!”

’’ Its a far shot to find anything with regards to the Trudograd ,haven’t we seen what has been left of that ship, it had been completely blown off ‘’ Cross then turned facing the others ‘’ The ship was blown from the inside that we know but how and what could have caused it ? I think its about time we look at this from a different perspective ‘’ Cross finished off.

“Captain, I agree with Doctor Cross. We’ve got to look at the situation from more angles Sir,” said Andor.

Glen wasn’t sure what Andor was asking for. Glen had already agreed with him that they should find the wormhole location, but to follow in the exact same course taken by the Trudograd seemed like suicide, so he was trying to look from a different perspective.

“I’m sorry, but what are you suggesting that we try to do differently?” Glen asked either of them. “Won’t circling the wormhole’s possible location provide a different perspective?”

• Glen, CO