Connecting the dots

Posted on Fri Jan 10th, 2025 @ 3:29pm by Lieutenant Commander S'hib

Mission: Season 6: Episode 5: A church beyond heaven
Location: The Maw
Timeline: MD:5 - During the away missions
1073 words - 2.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Staring up at the vast expanse inside the Maw, S'hib couldn't help but be impressed. Had the Elysium been any other class of vessel in service to Starfleet she could have swallowed it, but as he glanced from left to right, he wondered if even she was safe.

"She reminds me of my own peoples' mining ships, especially the floor-" S'hib remarked as he looked down, peering over the fog that had formed on the edges of his helmet visor, staring into the inky black through the grated floor of the maw's salvage bay.

He was oddly calm he thought, even as his mag boots, at times struggled to find solid purchase.

She looked flimsy, but it was clear that was far from the truth... her designers had one core concept in mind when she was built. Function over form, brutal and efficient. She was no pleasure liner, no pride of the fleet. She was a workhorse, a powerhouse and top of her class.

"It's funny. Everyone always mentions the floor... but they forget that once you leave that airlock, this is just like any other spacewalk, but in here-" He said, gesturing around the belly of his ship. "You still feel like you're inside... safe..." Captain Tho'mos said as the pair walked along the cargo bay, his brightly coloured Union EVA suit somehow blending in with the rest of the ship unlike S'hib, the Starfleet white glimmering like an overzealous light bulb.

"Safe from that..." S'hib remarked, still staring at the stars beneath his hooves.

A polite silence fell between the pair as they continued, striding slowly towards the jet-black derelict inside the Maw like a half-digested meal.

"So what was it you're investigating again?" Tho'mos asked as he turned stiffly towards S'hib before remembering he was much taller, prompting an awkward correction as he leaned somewhat to get an angle on his helmet.

"Well as I said, we believe we're missing crew, like you... but none of us can remember obviously, so it's proving to be a bit of a headache."

"Tell me about it."

"You mentioned to others that you don't know how you brought this... ship, what's left of it anyway. Aboard." S'hib said as he flipped open his tricorder and began taking readings.

"Well yeah, I mean, not even taking into consideration standard crew compliments or union regulations... I would have needed a pilot for one, and operators for each of these loading clamps. To do it safely? ten people? Minimum on the other hand, maybe three? but that's pushing it and it would have taken them hours."

"I see, I see..." S'hib nodded, moving his tricorder up somewhat, unsure on the information he was getting back.

"so let's say you had a full crew at some point, do you think they went missing before or after you arrived at the Wandering Child."

Tho'mos frowned, leaning to scratch his nose on the inside padding of his helmet. "See now that's a good question... but I'm thinking both... because I remember thinking to myself before we arrived that something felt off, I uh... I just remember the bridge being empty."

"When did you bring it aboard though?"

"Just before we set off for the church, reactor four was running out of Deuterium, so we came here to bargain for supplies."

S'hib remained quiet, but the scans gave him much to be concerned about.

"How advanced are your scanners, Captain, can they pick up temporal radiation?"

"What, no that's..." Tho'mos seemed to visibly stagger from the question. "Thats not a thing."

"It is, and this... ship, it's leaking Chronitons, but I can't figure out why..."

"Are you talking about time travel? I thought that was a myth. surely it breaks the laws of physics?"

"It breaks a lot more than that, but yes... it could explain the missing crew, they might be out of phase somehow... but I'm not entirely sold on it."

"What do you mean? I thought you said it was something to do with time travel."

"Well, I'm no temporal scientist but, the radiation coming from this vessel isn't even strong enough to affect its immediate surroundings let alone your ship and everything else..." S'hib's brow furled, he hated time travel. It made his head hurt.

"Thing is, this isn't the only temporal radiation I've found, it's all over the church in various stages of decay... even some on the Elysium, but the readings only last a few minutes... it just doesn't make any sense."

Tho'mos turned, looking at his grand prize. He glared at the accursed derelict, it had somehow caused him untold misery by virtue of simply existing, and now his ship was doing the same.

"I'd undock the Maw if I could, move her the radiation away from the church but those damned A'janie stopped answering my hails, I can't do anything until they release the docking clamps."

S'hib turned at this, almost losing his mag lock on the floor in the process. "What?"

"Yeah, I can't get hold of any of them... I swear they've just been avoiding me for the last two days."

"Ah, shit of course..."

"What?" Tho'mos asked, repeating himself when he didn't get an answer.

"The A'janie!" S'hib neighed.

"What about them?"

"They've been going missing too! but there must have been so many of them we didn't notice, it's why the place feels so empty now!"

Tho'mos nodded gently, trying to convince himself more than anything that he understood what was going on. "So... thats why they haven't been answering my hails, there isn't anyone in the control room?"

"There isn't any of them anywhere anymore... probably explains why they all look so lost." S'hib sighed, a heavy huff that clouded his visor for a moment. "Red sands... this means the Elysium can't undock either. not until we find this control room."

"Well, let's get you back to the airlock then, you ain't gonna find it over here!" Tho'mos sounded, already thumping heavily back the way they came.

S'hib snorted, things had rapidly spiralled out of control in the last few days and he now found himself with more questions than answers, he just hoped the other away teams had found something useful.

"S'hib to away teams," He said as he pressed on his wrist controls. "We have a situation on the Wandering Child that has become a priority, meet me onboard as soon as possible, S'hib out."