Cmdr. Shayne: Double Red Alert

[Quinn Friedl]

((Deck 1, Conference Room, USS Arrow)) 

 

The conference room was large, especially for a ship of Arrow’s diminutive size, but the crew was still tightly compressed. Shayne had arrived early both as a matter of prudence and for fear that he might not have fit otherwise. He himself was not a small man, and the stress of their mission was exacerbating this. If anyone was supposed to be large, it was the person who left gifts, such as whoever had assigned the environmental controls to scatter a layer of snow onboard. 

 

But the mission demanded his full attention, as it had from the beginning of their escape from the Sheliak. He addressed his senior staff with little delay. 

 

Shayne: Good morning. Over the last few months, we have experienced indications that something- be it intelligent or otherwise- exists below the surface of Theta 122. As our mission priorities have been elsewhere, our investigations have needed to be delayed. Now, however, I do not believe we can sustain this patience. 

He pressed a button- he was getting quite good at the thematic timing bit- and the holographic picture above the table morphed into a chart, showing a pattern of readings along the EM and subspace bandwidths, pulsating in a slow, steady rhythm. 

 

Shayne: The source of these emissions is unknown, but they have begun to intensify recently. They’re powerful enough to disrupt most power sources nearby, but fortunately the colony and the landed ships are not within that range. 

 

He held his hands behind his back, somewhat uncomfortable with the next piece of information he was to share. 

 

Shayne: Rather… serendipitously, these signals have gained the attention of someone else. 

He swiped, and the image changed to what could be generously described as a vaguely humanoid puddle of tar, illuminated by a fractured light amidst a veil of absolute black. When it spoke, it’s voice was like stone on stone. 

 

Sheliak: =/\=Federation creatures: The planetoid designated Theta 122 falls within the jurisdiction of the Sheliak Corporate. Vital scientific investigation is to be undertaken within 72 standard hours. Remove the non-Sheliak infestation. Federation creatures… =/|=

 

Shayne killed the recording and turned to his staff gravely. 

 

Shayne: That was received by a long-range listening post two days ago, and was forwarded to us within the last hour. If their schedule is correct, they will arrive within the hour. 

 

Shayne leaned in. The lack of information was killing him, and requests for orders from the admiralty had been rebounded by requests for data from Shayne himself. The feedback loop, the lack of steady legal guidelines- it was too much to base a situation like this on stably. If there was any good news, it was that, according to the admiralty, negotiations with the Corporate had been proceeding apace, but the threat still loomed quite large, especially considering the perils Arrow would face within the next hour. 

 

Shayne: It’s obvious that they want us gone, and it is equally obvious that we could not evacuate everyone now, even if we had the means to. Thus, our goal will be to wrestle some kind of peace with the Sheliak, and if necessary, find their Achilles Heel. 

 

It was a hunch of his, a hunch that the Sheliak’s interest in this world- a planetoid that they had boisterously claimed but had not yet infiltrated- would yield the key to their eventual survival. 

 

Shayne: This will require-

 

Suddenly, the red alert klaxons began to echo. Shayne cleared his mind, actually hungry for some kind of action over worrying. As he reached for his commbadge, a flicker of light caught his eye out of the window. Something had just flashed on the surface of Theta 122- and it was beginning to spread out across the planet’s surface. 

 

Shayne: Mother of god. 

 

The front dissipated rapidly, long before it reached the part of the globe that Shayne knew was inhabited, but the resulting flame that slowly and tremulously rose into the sky spoke to an explosion that would have leveled a good-sized city. Only one thing could explain it. 

The Sheliak had arrived early. 

 

He turned and barked orders. 

 

Shayne: Waters, get us on the other side of the planetoid. Put us between Theta 122 and the Sheliak. Serinus, take the tactical station. Ander, get to the transporter room and start beaming anyone you can get a solid lock on aboard. Hold them in stasis if you have to, but I want this ship filled to the brim with as many people as we can rescue. 

 

Waters/Serinus/Ander: Response 

 

The officers moved off, and Shayne charged onto the bridge. 

 

Shayne: Alvarez! Get me a channel to that ship- warn them off. Then divert power to the transporters, as much as you can. We’ll need them. 

 

Alvarez: Response 

 

A singular moment of doubt crossed his mind, but it was quickly dismissed. To do anything less was to invite death, massive, uncountable death. He looked at his first officer and made a snap judgement. 

Shayne: Collins, R’Ariel, Wilde, DeBarres- draw weapons for an away team of four and get to the surface. Coordinate an evac effort as best you can. Any ship that can fly, does fly. 

There was just no time! No time for anything. Getting them back in space was dangerous, but no more dangerous than being bombed from orbit. If this didn’t stop soon, the ones in space would be the only survivors. 

 

Collins/R’Ariel/Wilde/DeBarres: Response 

 

Shayne: Caden! Get me an orbital scan- what can you tell me about the… ship? 

As he finished his order, Water’s deft piloting brought them around the world, and as Arrow’s little impulse engines burned, the scope of their danger was only magnified. 

 

The ship before them was large- massive, even. It was composed of dark blue and grey and black, and looked angry. It was doubtlessly of Sheliak origin, but as Shayne prepared to give orders to avoid the volley of weapons fire that was surely on its way, he noticed that the ship seemed… quiet. Stopped in space, a few million meters from the planet. Shayne could see no open weapons ports, but he’d leave that determination to his more equipped personnel. 

 

Caden/Serinus: Response 

 

Alvarez: Response 

 

Tag/TBC…

 

Commander Randal Shayne
Commanding Officer

USS Arrow
NCC 69829
G239202RS0