Where did they go?
Posted on Fri Jan 24th, 2025 @ 10:20pm by Lieutenant Sarah Wilson & Senior Chief Petty Officer Ronson Mitchell & Commander Jenna Ramthorne & 2nd Lieutenant Connor McQueen & Commodore S'thenosis Gorgox & Lieutenant Thomas Haldeman & Lieutenant Alison Haldeman
Mission:
Ramant
Location: Sunfire
Timeline: Current
She had been here before. The center chair still seemed unfamiliar. It was a different Sunfire then, Defiant class. As she sat down into the seat, another officer took the helm, another unfamiliar feeling setting in. She waited on baited breath for word the engines were back online. She waited for departments to start reporting who was taken so maybe, just maybe they could understand why.
Connor watched as Jenna took the center chair. He took a few steps toward her as he lowered his voice so she was the only one to hear on the near empty bridge. “Perhaps a meeting with all the department heads, well.. those that will be representing the heads of their departments. Possibly brainstorming some ideas?” He watched her closely, hopefully she wouldn’t take his suggestion as undermining.
Her background as a hot-headed pilot had given her a reputation as one who didn't do things by the book and often led to an action first, caution later mentality. Still, she contemplated his request before responding, "In due time. The longer we wait to pursue, the more difficult it will be to find our people. Once we have some idea of why or who, then we will brainstorm ways to get them back." Then so she didn't appear crass, she smiled and added, "But thank you for the suggestion. All input is appreciated right now."
Ronson began compiling the reports as they came in, feeding them through to the Command chair as he read through them. "Sickbay reports 8 missing, no injuries. All Ops sub departments are reporting reading, all off duty crew are reporting for duty." He rattled off. "Weapons and shields, 50% and improving."
Tom came onto the bridge, he knew Allie was right behind him. He nodded to Ronson as well as the officer in the center seat. He went to the tactical station and announced, "Tactical is manned and ready."
Alison had made sure her son was safe before making her way to the bridge, she could only guess that because she’d been in their quarters protecting her baby son, that she’d avoided being taken with the others. Walking over to Ops she took her position. “Ops is ready Commander.”
She acknowledged each as they took their stations and tried to recall their personnel files. Tom had once been a Captain but due to circumstance his ship had crashed. It wasn't the crash that had gotten him the demotion but the ensuing acts which had him turning from Starfleet and joining his captures in some twisted game. He had done it for the love of his wife Alison and their children. Something Jenna admired about them. As one who had made her own mistakes and received her own retribution, she understood.
Now it was a simple matter of the Engineering team. They needed warp speed and they needed it now. "Any word yet on Engine power, or what they used to stop us in the first place?" She asked, mostly of Alison.
Alison gave Jenna a perplexed look. “Whatever they used to stop us bled off energy preventing us from forming a stable warp field. Before we can risk trying warp drive, we’re going to need to find out for certain what caused the power drain. I’m thinking it was something aboard their ships, but if it is the effect is still lingering. According to the readouts...the warp field is stabilising, but very slowly.”
"Dr Wilson is requesting the missing persons list, in case there are children left behind" Ronson reported, and forwarded the list that he had compiled to the CMO. He paused for a moment "Both Captain Kaylen and Remal are missing, as are the parents of other kids, we need to organize care for the children." He mused, wondering how Sarah was going to achieve such a tall order.
Alison was quick to check on the whereabouts of Aurora & Savar’s son, but was surprised. “Commander, according to the computer Sidak is missing as well. Why would they take him, and not any of the other children? Unless...” she paused for a moment. “Is it possible Sidak’s people came to retrieve him? It was something Aurora always worried about.”
Ronson looked up at the mention of the mysterious aliens. At this point it was an assumption but it may be the only solid lead they had. "Could we configure the sensors to see if the beings that were on board matched Sidaks genome?" He asked, not even sure if such a thing was possible.
“We’d need their version of DNA for a proper comparison really.” Alison paused. “A prisoner from their side would come in handy right now.”
Jenna looked to McQueen, "Have your people had any luck finding one of the intruders yet?" She asked.
***********
Suddenly the main viewer lit up and the visage of a face much too close to the viewer, small reptilian eyes and what appeared to be scales. Then the voice, unmistakable in it's verbal confidence, spoke. "Pardon the interruption but I'd like to report the disappearance of my dictation officer as well as the youngling authority figure, someone called Mrs. Nezbit, on deck 4. There are a number of unruly vagrant offspring dawdling about the corridor in apparent celebration of something called 'a snow day' ."
Jenna stood to address the Commodore, "Commodore Gorgox, this is Commander Ramthorne. You may not be aware but we are in the middle of a crisis. Many of our crew have been taken including the Captain and First Officer. We are doing our best to find them and return them to the ship, however, at this time, we are short-staffed. Do you have experience with children, Commodore?"
Flustered, "I have had my brood, thank you. I do not..."
But Jenna interrupted without pausing, "Good then if you would be so kind as to step in temporarily as an authority figure and tend to the children we will do our best to return your dictation officer back to you in due time. You can be the new Mrs. Nezbit."
"But I have..." S'thenosis attempted to correct.
"Oh and it seems Captain Kaylen and her husband have been taken as well. When you have a moment, their infant Patina is without a caregiver. Please look in on her as a personal favor from myself and the Captain." Jenna had long ago had to 'deal' with S'thenosis and while she didn't relish being on the wrong end of the Commodore's law books, it gave her some underlining pleasure to order the Commodore about, if only a bit.
There was silence for a moment as she contemplated the request, There was a clear puffing of scales on the screen before an elated, "As a service to Captain Kaylen I shall endeavor to round up the heathens and look in on the infant, Patina." And without another word the channel closed.
"Wow" Ronson breathed as the channel closed. He exhaled a sigh of relief that the children will be looked after and relayed that information to Dr Wilson, who was currently trying to locate any children left unattended.
Bob had taken over as the Engineering relay announced from the back of the bridge, "Engineering reports the warp drive should be online and ready."
"Finally some good news, did they say what caused the problem in the first place?" Jenna asked.
"A localized quantum singularity. Essentially a miniature black hole that was designed to dissipate after it had syphoned our energy reserves."
"They're smart, I'll give them that credit." She turned back to the helm. "Helm lay in a course for the first series of planets, warp 9. We'll search each and every one if we have to."
There were likely at least 15 planets give or take that could support life along their trajectory. It all teetered on how far this mysterious species had traveled for the abduction. Right now they were traveling into the unknown on a hope and desire to see their people rescued. What they needed now was tangible evidence and reasoning.
Cargo-Bay 3
"We must remain hidden, and quiet." She spoke in a hushed whisper. "At least until we can find a way to signal our people or get off the ship, they must not find us."
"How could they just leave us like that?" Her companion replied.
"We missed our window. Or... these people are smarter than we have been led to believe." She peeked from behind the container pods to make certain no one could hear. "If not for being hunted, I would love to monitor them in their natural habitat. Maybe we could witness how they reproduce in person."
"Granted that would be something to witness. I've seen their offspring so we know they are a selective bunch. But a better understanding of how they choose their genetic pairings would go a long way in helping our species to understand where we went wrong."
The cargo bay doors opened flooding the room with light. "Quiet, someone's coming."
In Sickbay Sarah was compiling a list of who was missing and who had children that needed finding and care. She dispatched teams of nurses out into the ships population to track down the children and take them to the ships childcare facility, which unfortunately was at this time unattended as the staff had been taken.
In the Captain's Quarters Patina was exercising her lungs by screaming at the top of her lungs. She was hungry, had a dirty nappy and wanted to be held by her parents.
It was a short time later when the doors parted to the Captain's Quarters and a tall woman with her hair layered into a cone atop her large head, entered the room. Her statuesque movement looked like she was gliding smoothly across the floor as she moved directly for the infant. She stopped right at the edge of the bassinet and looked down, and grimaced. "So you are the progeny of Captain Kaylen. Are you always this audible?"
Patina continued to cry, her hunger and diaper state speaking volumes. S'thenosis sniffed the air, "What is that foul odor? That cannot possibly be you." She reached down and picked Patina up, taking a deeper sniff. "My goodness, never have I ever." She looked about the room for the answers to just smack her in the face before consenting, "I suppose I will have to consult an expert."
Minutes later, baby still screaming, now painfully, S'thenosis entered sick bay and presented Patina to Sarah. "I request you to make it stop... this."
TBC
