The Fate of Discovery

Posted on Fri Sep 10th, 2021 @ 9:25am by Captain Freya Mannerheim

876 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Chapter V: The Calm Before The Storm
Location: I.S.S. Amelia
Timeline: 238703.02

Freya leaned back in her chair. The Ourainavassa's crew was handling the search for Perez and the stolen shuttle, and, as they were now part of that crew, they would also handle any disciplinary consequences. She sighed. Although this was an unnecessary distraction, it hadn't caused too much trouble. They simply were not ready to move against Hobus yet. Or even to attack the facility that seemingly held the refugees.

She was torn from her thoughts when Ellie Greaves burst into her ready room. "Greaves, is there a reason for this interruption?" she asked in an irritated tone. Ellie nodded. "Yes, captain. I think I've found something you have to see." She handed the Captain a PADD. "I've analysed our observations at the asteroid, and... see for yourself."

Freya took the PADD. It displayed a single image, of some debris of a destroyed ship around the asteroid field. The scorch marks on the metal made it clear that whatever vessel it had been was destroyed by weapons fire. The Captain shrugged. "Okay, so what am I supposed to look at? They destroyed a ship that came too close to their base. That's not surprising considering their defences."

Ellie nodded. "Of course. But zoom in on the biggest part of debris."

The Captain did as instructed. The piece of debris appeared to be half of a warp nacelle from a Starfleet ship. Then, she spotted what Ellie wanted her to look at - the ship's registry was still legible. "So they took out a Starfleet ship? Let's see. N...C...C... one.... three... oh...." Freya looked up. "Fuck."

"Yes, Captain. They got Discovery.."

Freya rose from her chair and tapped her tricom badge. "All stations, this is the Captain. Prepare for black alert."

---

"And you are certain of this, Captain Mannerheim?" The admiral looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Absolutely. We have verified the readings several times. Including sending a small craft back to the area to take a scan of the debris. The quantum signature confirms that it came from this universe. Quantum dating confirms it came from this time. We are looking at the remains of I.S.S Discovery."

The Admiral nodded slowly. "That adds a new aspect to the operation. We cannot be certain, but we must assume they were able to identify Discovery. Which would mean they know that we are trying to stop them."

Freya shrugged. "So what. Who's to say their agents didn't find us the moment we dropped into that time? We must continue the operation, Admiral. The Zhat Vash must be stopped."

"Why did you come here, Captain? You could have shared your findings through communication. There was no need for you to jump through time and dimensions." Another Admiral had joined the conversation now - a Terran woman with greying turquoise hair.

"Admiral Lynn, we had to come here to ensure our communication was not intercepted by our enemies. If they know we are involved, they may well be monitoring temporal comms channels."

Mila's Terran counterpart nodded. "An apt assessment of the situation. Have you been able to convince my counterpart to join your own crew?"

Mannerheim shook her head. "No. And I feel she is better placed on the Ourainavassa. She hasn't caught on to the fact that the analysis we initially provided to her came from you. And I believe it is better for it to stay that way. Rogers is having a hard enough time working with her own counterpart."

Admiral Lynn shook her head. "While she may feel at home on the Ourainavassa, we need her expertise on your vessel, Captain. The loss of Perez to the Ourainavassa is regrettable, but we cannot allow that to become a distraction. You know what your orders are."

"No. I will not have a member of my own crew eliminated."

The other Admiral leaned forward. "Perez is a threat. You know what happened when you boarded that hospital ship. What if that was to happen in another situation? What if the victims were to be your own crew members?"

Freya was getting angry. "Then we would defend ourselves. Admiral, you are asking me to do what I cannot."

"Your time with the Federation has made you weak, Captain. It is regrettable."

"There are also strategic implications to consider. With the loss of Discovery, we have become even weaker than we were. We cannot afford to provoke our allies. And besides," Freya added, turning to Admiral Lynn. "It appears young Mila Lynn has taken quite the liking to Perez."

Admiral Lynn punched the table. "Foolish girl. Very well, then. In that case, closely monitor the situation. At the earliest sign of a threat, eliminate Perez. That is an order."

The other Admiral, face still hidden in the shadows, sighed. "We cannot afford much more delay. All records show that the event will occur less than two months from the current time of your operation. You must succeed."

With that, the Admirals disappeared, revealing that they had only been holographic projections. With a sigh, Freya turned and left the room. There was a lot of work still to do.

 

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