Gamma - The Next Part

Posted on Sat Oct 31st, 2026 @ 1:16am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Jenna Ramthorne & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Lieutenant JG Jacob Rosen & Lieutenant JG T'Lar & Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell

2,993 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: The Haunting of Deck 12
Location: Gamma Quadrant
Timeline: 10 Hours til J Cloud

Mess Hall

Bonnie had slept terribly. Every time she closed her eyes, she found herself back in the bathtub, staring up through the water at Dean's smiling face. Twice she had woken up gasping for air, and once she had nearly fallen out of bed trying to escape hands that weren't really there. By morning, she had managed perhaps three hours of actual sleep, and her mood reflected every miserable minute of it.

She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor with a severe lack of enthusiasm. “Right. New day. Everything's fine. Nobody's drowning anybody.” She rubbed her face, sighed, and reached for her underwear. Her left foot caught in the waistband. Bon hopped once, tried to recover her balance, and promptly pitched forward onto the carpet with a muffled thump. For several seconds she remained face down, one leg tangled in the garment, contemplating whether Starfleet regulations permitted an officer to go commando and declare war on their own clothing. “Fecking... stupid... knickers!”

Getting dressed deteriorated from there. Her shirt went on backward, she stubbed her toe against the bedframe, and the hairbrush slipped from her fingers and bounced beneath the desk. By the time she managed to assemble herself into something resembling a functioning adult, her patience had evaporated. She glanced at the uniform hanging in her wardrobe. Sarah had ordered two days off duty, followed by five days of light duties. Seven whole days of enforced uselessness, while the Sunfire approached a potentially dangerous nebula that practically begged for engineering attention.

“Wonderful. Absolutely bloody wonderful.” Her stomach growled. At least breakfast offered something productive to accomplish. The mess hall was already busy when Bonnie arrived, carrying a tray laden with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a large mug of coffee. She had considered ordering something healthier, then decided that surviving the morning deserved a small reward.

She spotted Dean sitting at one of the tables and her steps faltered. For an uncomfortable moment, the memory returned with astonishing clarity. His hands pressing against her shoulders, the distorted smile beyond the water, and the horrible sensation of being unable to breathe. Bonnie swallowed. She knew perfectly well that Dean had done nothing wrong. Whatever had happened in the bathtub belonged to her exhausted imagination, and avoiding him would only make the whole business more ridiculous.

She marched over, deposited her tray beside him with considerably more force than intended, and dropped into the adjacent chair. “Morning. Before you say anything, yes, I look terrible, yes, I've slept, technically, and no, apparently I'm not allowed to do anything useful for another two days.” She reached for her coffee, speaking so quickly that she barely paused to breathe. “Sarah says I'm malnourished, sleep-deprived, hormonally confused, and stressed beyond reasonable operating parameters. Which is lovely, really, because now I'm sitting around doing absolutely nothing while everyone else gets to work on a fascinating J-class nebula.”

She took a hurried sip, winced at the heat, and set the mug down. “And then there's the dreams. Horrible dreams. I had one yesterday in the bath, and it was so real I nearly drowned myself. And you were there, which is ridiculous because obviously you weren't there, but now every time I look at you, I remember the whole bloody thing, and I know that's unfair because you haven't actually done anything!”

Bonnie finally stopped, realizing she'd delivered the entire explanation without giving him even an opportunity to respond. Her cheeks colored as she looked at him over the rim of her mug. “Sorry. That was a lot for before breakfast, wasn't it?”

Dean wasn't particularly expecting anyone to take a seat with him, much less, it being BonnieKins. "Well hi there. I was unaware that we had a date, and, evidently, you are pregnant."

Bonnie's eyes bulged in horror, her fork stopping halfway to her mouth before the scrambled eggs tumbled back onto her tray. “No! No, no, no! I most certainly am NOT!” she exclaimed, pointing the offending fork at him. “You take that back, Mr. House!”

Her cheeks flushed as she realized just how loudly she'd responded. She lowered the fork, glanced around the mess hall, and leaned closer to him with an indignant whisper. “I had that checked yesterday, thank you very much. There is precisely ONE person occupying this body, and she's already having a difficult enough morning without you suggesting she's got a passenger!”

House just grinned and let that sit in for a moment. He was listening to her the entire time. A lot of that really kind of sucked, because it did. There were things, which obviously she'd been told to do, to fix it or help at least. "Yes, yes, yes, and yes, you are. And have been. I keep telling you that you are pushing yourself to hard. I can get away with it much easier than you can, but even I have my limits and you know that."

Dean shifted a little before not saying a word. Getting up and going to the replicator. Getting two Deanwiches. One with a side of old school McDonalds fries. Back when they were using beef tallow. Sitting his plate down and the one with the fries set down in front of Bonnie. Sitting down again. "Why...did you have that checked yesterday, and why is your tunic on backwards."

Bonnie leaned back in disbelief, immediately glancing down at her tunic. She tugged at the collar, checked the seams, and even twisted slightly to inspect her reflection in the nearby window. Once satisfied that everything was exactly where it belonged, she turned back to Dean with an indignant scowl.

“You're trying to gaslight me, Mr. House.” She pointed an accusing finger at him before her expression shifted into sudden suspicion. “And... hold up. How did you know I had that checked? I never said anything about possibly being pregnant, which I'm not, by the way. Sarah confirmed that. I went in for a physical, that's all. A perfectly ordinary, routine physical, and I just thought I'd have her check while I was there.”

She paused long enough to notice the Deanwich and fries sitting in front of her, her expression softening for approximately half a second. “Thank you,” she muttered, stealing a fry before her indignation returned. “Besides, if anyone's pregnant around here, it's probably Baldric.” Her hand flew to her mouth.

Bonnie froze, eyes widening as the words caught up with her brain. She glanced around the mess hall, suddenly aware of how easily an innocent observation could become a rumor. “Forget I said that,” she whispered urgently, lowering her hand just enough to speak. “Seriously, Dean. I don't know anything. I mean other than she was just... very sick yesterday.”

She stared at him for a moment, then reached for another fry. “Please tell me you didn't hear that.”


Bridge

The Sunfire continued at warp towards the Nebula, the blood red gas cluster now beginning to fill the forward view screen, its colour a little too close to the blood of iron-based lifeforms for Rhenora's liking. There had been a few odd occurrences over the last few hours. People seeing things, feeling things, nightmares and the like. She had yet to hear from Sickbay regarding the issue, having sent Aurora down there some time ago to discuss the matter.

In the distance she could see something solid against the red gases. The hulk of a ship maybe?

"Tactical - are you reading anything solid near that nebula?"


Sickbay

In Sickbay, Callie sat letting Sarah run her scans; once done, she would have a better report for Rhenora.

"I can't find anything wrong with you...or me for that matter." Sarah ran the scanner over herself before hopping onto one of the biobeds and running a full body scan. "We're perfectly healthy"

“I was figuring that. I feel fine, and I’ve had no further horrible visions.” Aurora added. “It’s almost like someone, or something, is making us see our greatest fears. Question is why? I haven’t sensed anything onboard ship, at least not yet.”

"Yet we have at least 3 people who have experienced these visions. And I nearly shot poor Jennifer. " Sarah replied sagely, looking over the readings from the scans and passing them to Aurora. "Other than elevated stress markers - which after a nightmare would be completely normal - there's nothing unusual"

“Okay, Sarah, thank you for that.” Aurora hopped down off the biobed she was sitting on. “I’ll head to the bridge and let Rhenora know.”

"If you feel anything hinky going on - let me know - you may be the only person who gets some warning on whatever it is that's going on," Sarah replied as she packed up her equipment.

“I will, that’s a promise.” Aurora nodded.


T'Lar and Jacob Rosen were entering sickbay as Aurora departed. Both greeted the superior officer with the appropriate courtesy before T'Lar presented herself to Sarah.

"Greetings Doctor... I'm afraid I've had a rather unusual occurence that has left me in want of an explanation." T'Lar began.



Bridge - 2 Hours to Cloud Boundary

Savar sat at his station thinking on Aurora's 'vision'. He wasn't a believer in the supernatural, but he also knew his wife was not given to bouts of delusion. Clearly Aurora had seen something; the question was what. Further examination was required.

Returning to the bridge a few minutes later, Aurora walked over to her seat. “Sarah hasn’t found anything unusual in her scans; it seems there’s been more visions besides mine, including one for Sarah herself.”

"Sarah herself?" Rhenora asked, concerned. The fact there were now multiple people experiencing visions was definitely a concern - but the lack of hard data made making any plan to counteract said visions hard to nail down.

Aurora nodded. “Something to do with the Borg.” She sat down. “Sarah thinks I may be one of the few who might get some sort of inkling as to what’s going on, thanks to my senses. So far I’m none the wiser, but that may change.”

"So we're back to square one," Rhenora mused as she turned her attention back to the viewscreen. The hulk of the ship drifting near the nebula was more defined as they drew closer - the long-range scans able to pick up and relay more detail.

"Dean, Jacob - have you got any more intel on that ship?" She asked.

"I haven't got squat so farm, Nora. Not a thing. They must be using a natural form of a scattering field. If we want to get anything we have to get closer. Long range sensors are only giving us just enough. I think...I can make out the lettering on the saucer section." Dean put the image on the main viewscreen and enhanced it. Zooming in. "It says... U.S.S..."

"It's a Starfleet ship? Out this far?" Rhenora's jaw dropped at the thought of A) the ship being real and b) it being one of their own. She was starting to doubt her own judgement after the recent crew hellucination.

"Run a comparative from the ship's shape and size against all known missing Starfleet vessels" Rhenora ordered, rising as though getting closer to the viewscreen would reveal the mystery ship's identity.

The turbolift doors opened, and Jenna stepped onto the bridge, followed closely by T'Lilbit. She paused briefly to take in the familiar surroundings, her gaze passing over the image of an unidentified vessel hanging near the nebula catching her attention, though she had arrived too late to hear the discussion surrounding its discovery.

It had been several hours since her unsettling experience in the turbolift, and thankfully, nothing remotely similar had happened since. She had spent much of that time trying to make sense of what she'd seen, particularly the horrifying image of Rhenora lying dead among the wreckage of the bridge. She managed to convince herself it was an isolated incident. Jenna approached the helm and relieved the officer on duty, exchanging a quiet acknowledgment before settling into her chair.

Behind her, T'Lilbit moved to the science station to assume her duties. Jenna quickly reviewed the current flight status, confirming their position and velocity before glancing back toward the mysterious ship displayed on the viewscreen. "Looks like I missed all the fun while I was away." Her hands moved across the helm, bringing up the latest navigational data.

"Everything ok Jenna?" Rhenora rose and addressed the helmswoman descreetly, detecting the slightest hint of something being hinky that only many years of friendship could provide. They moved closer to the hulk, drifting in space on the edge of the nebula, a cascade of blood red gasses behind it.

Jenna turned toward her friend and Captain, only to feel her stomach tighten as the memory of the turbolift returned with startling clarity. For a fleeting instant, Rhenora's familiar face was overlaid with the bloodied, lifeless image she'd seen hours earlier. The two images seemed to occupy the same space, slightly out of alignment, as though reality itself had slipped sideways.

Jenna blinked hard, forcing the image away before managing a reassuring smile. "Right as rain, Captain." She hated lying to her friend, especially one who knew her well enough to recognize when something was troubling her. But this was the bridge, and Rhenora already had enough on her plate without adding one officer's personal day-mares to the growing list of concerns. Jenna turned her attention back toward the helm, hoping the brief hesitation had escaped notice.

“No, it’s not alright is it?” Aurora stood up from her seat moving closer to Jenna. “It was you I sensed earlier wasn’t it? I just got the same feeling I did earlier, but on a lesser intensity. What did you see Commander?”

Jenna's fingers tightened against the edge of the helm console as the memory returned, the screams, the blood, the lifeless faces of those she'd known for years. Slowly, she turned to face Aurora, deliberately avoiding Rhenora's gaze. The color appeared to visibly drain from her face, her green eyes growing distant and vacant as though she were staring through the counselor at something far beyond the bridge.

"Death."

The single word escaped barely above a whisper, carrying a weight that Jenna herself seemed unable to comprehend.

“Just like my vision, except mine was Savar.” Aurora looked back at her beloved husband before looking back again. “You’re not alone Commander. There have been other visions.”

Jenna glanced toward Savar, then back to Aurora, a flicker of understanding crossing her troubled expression. Knowing she wasn't alone in what she'd experienced offered some comfort, though the realization that others were seeing similar horrors was equally unsettling.

"I saw the bridge," she admitted quietly, keeping her voice low enough to preserve their conversation. "Destroyed. Everyone was dead, including..." Her gaze drifted toward Rhenora before she caught herself. She swallowed hard and looked back at Aurora. "It felt so real. I could smell the smoke, hear the alarms, even feel the heat from the fires."

She paused, drawing a slow breath as she tried to reconcile the memory with the perfectly ordinary bridge surrounding her. "I don't know what's causing these visions, Counselor, but if we're all seeing the people we care about dying..." Her eyes shifted toward the blood-red nebula on the viewscreen. "I'd really like to know if we're being shown something that could happen."

Rhenora couldn't hear the conversation, allowing the two their privacy as the ship moved closer to the nebula. The hull was magnified on the viewscreen in an effort to find its registration details.
'USS....Ni.... NCC 145....'

Rhenora wracked her brain and came up with 1 possible solution.
"The Nile...long range exploration vessel, went missing about 5 years ago in the Gamma Quadrant. Assumed destroyed with all hands" she commented, putting the peices togethet in her mind. "Small crew of 200..." her words trailed off. The ship was intact, but appeared completely adrift.

“The Nile…can’t say I remember that one.” Aurora added. “Perhaps someone, or something is trying to warn us to get away?”

T’Lilbit raised an eyebrow at the Captain's recollection before turning her attention to the science console. A few keystrokes brought up the Starfleet vessel registry and the associated incident report. “Your recollection is substantially accurate, Captain. According to Starfleet records, the USS Nile was a long-range exploration vessel assigned to survey the Gamma Quadrant. Her last confirmed transmission was approximately five years ago, after which all contact was lost. Subsequent search operations failed to locate the vessel, and she was officially classified as missing, presumed destroyed, with a complement of approximately two hundred personnel.”

She paused, comparing the registry information against the sensor readings. “However, I should point out that the official report contains no physical evidence of the vessel's destruction. The classification was based upon the duration of her disappearance and the unsuccessful recovery efforts.”

T’Lilbit adjusted the resolution of the sensor array, focusing on the drifting vessel. “Preliminary scans indicate that the ship's primary structural framework remains intact, although I am detecting no evidence of active propulsion. I would recommend a detailed examination of the hull, residual energy signatures, and internal atmospheric conditions before attempting to establish contact or dispatch an away team.”

She glanced toward Aurora. “As for the possibility that something is attempting to warn us away, Commander, there is presently insufficient evidence to establish intent.” Her attention returned to the screen. “Although I concede that the unexpected reappearance of a vessel presumed destroyed for five years warrants a degree of scientific curiosity and a high effective level of caution.”

“Captain, if we’re sending an away team..” Aurora looked towards Rhenora. “I’d like to volunteer to go along.”


TBC

 

RSS Feed