LtCmdr Connor Dewitt - We're blind

[Tim]

((Bridge Deck 1, USS Khitomer))

Connor straightened slightly as the doors parted and Commander Naxell stepped onto the bridge. Even now, standing on the bridge as a First Officer felt… borrowed. Like he was filling Nolen’s space, not fully settled into it yet. He forced the thought aside. This was his post now.

Naxell: Helm, report?

Connor looked at Lieutenant Korras, listening.

Korras:  All drive systems are operating at optimal efficiency. There are some energy fluctuations in the starboard nacelle earlier, but engineering resolved the issue.

Naxell: Excellent. Still on schedule. Smooth flight, I assume?

Connor realized the question angled toward him and forced himself to answer without hesitation. Maybe a little too quick.

C. Dewitt: Smooth and steady, Sir. No deviations from the course. All stations report readiness.

Naxell: And long-range scans?

Stros: Still nothing as of yet, Captain. The previous sensor readings have all but degraded at this point. Currently, we seem to be flying into relatively empty space.

Connor frowned faintly. Relatively empty never meant safe. It usually meant unknown, which was good for a standard Starfleet mission. But it was bad when the Lattice Alliance was involved.

Naxell: Hm. We'll try again when we drop out of warp.

Connor kept his hands clasped behind his back, eyes fixed on the viewscreen. He tried to search for the familiar hum of the warp core that made engineering feel like home. There needed to be an alternative here.

Naxell: And what do you make of these rumors, Counselor Dewitt? A cloud that can't be scanned, that no one who dares go in comes out? “Amazonian man-eaters?”

A. Dewitt: :looking at Commander Naxell: Rumours are based on one of two things; myths or truths. If they’re to be believed I’m surprised that there aren’t a whole flotilla of ships on their way to strip it of its’ mysteries. The idea of sirens luring people to their doom? Not so fantastical and a powerful weapon for those that could harness them. As for pirates there are several trade routes that pass close by but I doubt that they would be interested .It is much easier to attack merchant vessels.

Connor listened closely, picking up on the shift in her tone toward the end. Or did he just imagine it? She did not seem fully convinced by her own words.

Korras: We are at our destination, and I am dropping us out of warp. Also, sensors picked up a Lattice Alliance ship, unknown as of now what type.

Connor subtly braced as the ship dropped out of warp. He could hear the fine resonances of the inertial dampeners fading into one another. The viewscreen shifted, and for just a moment, Connor forgot to breathe.

A vast violet cloud filled the space ahead, streaked with flashed of gold. The scientist in him got excited. The first officer in him just admired its beauty for a second.

Stros: Confirmed. The vessel appears to be at the very edge of the cloud.

C. Dewitt : Does it move away from the nebula or is it being pulled in?

Connor paused, trying to discern its movement as he narrowed his eyes.

Naxell: Visual range?

Stros: The interference from the nebula is making it difficult to get a clear image, sir.

Naxell: Very well. Yellow alert. ::pointing at the viewscreen:: Can you give us a graphical representation, Mr. Stros?

Stros: This is the computer’s closest approximation of the sensor data and limited imagery.

Connor studied the approximation as it formed. Something about the ship immediately felt wrong. Despite being a Lattice Alliance ship, there was something else. It almost looked out of control… Abandoned…

Naxell: Any guesses as to what we're looking at?

**Korras:**I believe we did not notice them earlier because their power emissions are very minimal and intermittent. In short, damaged.

Connor exhaled slowly as he realized the tension that was building in his chest.

Stros: Sensors are not reading any other vessels in the area, Captain. That is not discounting the rumors we are here to investigate.

A.Dewitt: We need to get onboard that ship before we enter the nebula.

Naxell: Response

C. Dewitt: One thing at a time… ::checking his console:: Sensor readings are distorted, probably because of the nebula. Mr. Korras?

Korras: I am able to move us in closer, that should clear up the sensor resolution.

Stros: A careful approach may be warranted.

A.Dewitt: If we intend to board the ship we could take a shuttle over. Smaller, more manoeuvrable ?

Connor was not convinced a shuttle was the right call. Yes, it offered superior maneuverability, but it also meant reduced shielding, reduced firepower and fewer options if things went south. And right now, everything about the nebular suggested things could go wrong very quickly. From tactical standpoint, they were operating blind. No clear scans of the nebula, no reliable data. That alone made commiting to a shuttle feel like a gamble.

Still, the Alliance ship changed the equation. If it was truly abandoned or even just disabled, it could offer valuable insight. Data, logs, technology… Even partial systems access could give them a better understanding of what they were dealing. Connor shifted his gaze towards Naxell.

C. Dewitt: If that vessel is intact enough, Commander… it could give us a tactical advantage in the conflict. ::pause:: But a shuttle seems risky… The tactical situation is unclear.

Naxell: Response

Stros: It appears that we are alone on this side. ::Leaning in slightly closer to his console:: But inside the nebula…

A.Dewitt: Suggest we halt progress for the moment Captain. If this is a trap…

Connor nodded once, more firmly this time. He was not the only one shaped by a year of fights against the Alliance.

C. Dewitt: Lieutenant Korras, bring us to a stop about 20.000 kilometers of the ships port bow. Commander Stros keep your eyes on that nebula.

Naxell/Korras: Response

Connor’s focus was back to Commander Stros.

Stros: I am receiving scattered readings of vessels within the nebula, Captain. Nothing definitive. Just intermittent returns of structure. If the readings are correct, there could be at least a dozen if not more vessels. ::Looking towards the center of the bridge:: No power readings though.

Connor felt a chill settle in his chest. A dozen ships… No power. A graveyard.

A.Dewitt: It’s like a venus flytrap.

Korras/Naxell/Stros: Response

C.Dewitt: That’s not a reassuring comparison

Connor’s gaze stayed locked on the nebula as he heard the excitement in his wife’s voice.

A.Dewitt: The venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant native to Earth. It traps its’ prey before digesting them.

C.Dewitt: Then we may already be looking at the remains of whatever it has caught before.

Connor sat down in his seat and started to check the sensor data that came in from Stros’ console and the scientific sensors.

Korras/Naxell/Stros: Response

A.Dewitt: Those ships, if that’s what they are, could be the remains of previous ‘meals’.

Connor nodded slowly.

C. Dewitt: Or they’re part of the lure. Whatever did this with what we only can suppose is a Lattice Alliance Flotilla would be interesting to us. ::standing up again:: Commander Stros, give us a full scan of the Sheliak vessel outside the nebula. I want to know if there are life signs aboard and what has caused it to be adrift.

Stros: Response

C. Dewitt: Lieutenant Korras, if this is a fly trap, we need an exit strategy. Be prepared.

Korras/Naxell: Response

Connor gafve a small nod, more to himself than anyone else, then stepped slightly off-center. He moved out of the direct line between the command chairs and the viewscreen to start working on the science console. He raised his hand and tapped his communicator.

C. Dewitt: =/\= Bridge to El’Heem. Tell me we got eyes on what’s inside that nebula, Ras. =/\=

El’Heem/Naxell/Korras/Stros/A.Dewitt: Response

TAG/TBC

LtCmdr Connor Dewitt
First Officer
USS Khitomer
A239901CD3