Bone2pick
Minority of One
Like a siren's call the plasma storm, with its convulsing phosphorescent clouds, both terrified and seduced Regina. She couldn't help but imagine the tempest on her viewscreen as a cosmic organism - a behemoth of pure chaos. As she peered into its astral haze an eerie feeling trickled down her limbs that it was staring back at her.
This is no time for fantasies, Regina thought as she slid back into her captain's chair. After blinking her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose to refocus she glanced around the bridge. The crew were engaged with their respective stations - evidently the storm wasn't as mesmerizing to everyone.
A moment later Blikzel, the Breakthrough's female ferengi commander, swiveled towards Regina from her Ops console. "Captain, the ionic interference produced by the storm is obstructing our scanners," she reported in her husky alien voice.
Regina nodded; she had expected as much. "Then we'll need to get closer to detect any debris or warp core resonance. Mister Merlo, take us within a hundred meters."
The young flight controller acknowledged the order then swiftly keyed it into the Conn. Regina was busy scrolling through her chair's right-arm computer when Miss Melchior, the ship's science officer, stirred beside her.
"This storm system is famous for its sudden directional shifts," she warned.
"Understood lieutenant, but we're faster," Regina countered. "We'll fly out if it turns on us." Moving on to her next order of business she tapped the combadge over her left breast. It responded to her touch with its usual chirp.
"Janacek to Engineering: Mr. Speaks, what's the status of our communication channels?" The Captain caught herself raking her left hand through her kinky, brown hair while she waited for his answer—a habit from her childhood. She feared it made her appear girlish.
"They're less than terrific Captain," the Chief Engineer eventually replied. There was an inkling of annoyance in Lieutenant Speak's voice, which wasn't uncommon when he was on duty. Miss Melchior, seated just left of Regina, tried her best to nonchalantly cover her newly-formed grin with a hand.
"Elaborate Lieutenant," the Captain demanded.
"I managed to clean up a few the channels, but most of the frequencies are still heavily polluted with interefenerence."
Regina turned to the bridge's communications officer, a brawny, cerulean-skinned Bolian. "Bods, put out a hailing frequency on all available channels. Announce to anyone in the sector that we're attempting to re-establish contact with the Mnemosyne."
"Aye Sir.""Captain," the ferengi commander interjected. "It appears the storm has changed course. It's estimated to collide with us in under a minute."
"Are you sure you're not picking up a loose band Commander?" Miss Melchior questioned. The Captain glared at her science officer. Regina was one the youngest captain's in all of Starfleet, which tempted her senior staff to challenge her authority from time to time.
"Negative Lieutenant; the entire system is advancing," Commander Blikzel answered. Regina called for her flight controller.
"Mister Merlo, get us out of here."
"Aye Captain."
While the young ensign set a new course away from the incoming storm, Regina ordered a yellow alert. Alarms blared and amber lights flashed throughout the Nebulus-class starship. A second later the Captain's combadge chirped.
"Seung to Bridge: I'm on my way way up," announced the First Officer.
No one was ready for the ship to pitch when it did. Regina was nearly tossed out of her chair. Before she could recover blinding, prismatic light flooded into the bridge from its viewscreen. Cries erupted from every control station and the Captain strained to yell over them.
"Full revers-"
Reality ended. Matter, time, and consciousness were cancelled like an appliance with its electrical cord torn from its outlet. But fortunately for the over seven-hundred Starfleet crew aboard the USS Breakthrough, their state of oblivion was temporary.
The first conclusion Regina drew when her thoughts finally returned was that she wasn't dead. She was swallowed in darkness but the sound of her labored breath affirmed that she was alive. I'm still in my chair, she deduced. Its familiar shape cradling her in the center of her pitch-black bridge. Then she noticed the chorus of groans from the officers around her. Before she could call out to her crew the ship's lights flickered back to life. A quick look around revealed that everyone had made it.
"Report!" She clamored.
Lieutenant Commander Blikzel, who was slumped over her Ops station, straightened herself up and fumbled over her computer. The rest of the officers on the bridge did likewise at their own stations.
"There's no sign of the plasma storm, Captain," Blikzel snarled.
"How can that be?" Challenged Science Officer Melchior.
"Captain," Ensign Merlo called out. He sounded more unsure and fearful than Regina had ever heard. "If these sensor readings are correct, we're no longer inside the galaxy."
Regina squeezed her eyes shut and tried to process what she had just heard. Then she slowly turned to Miss Melchior in time to watch the color drain out of her face.
"If that's true," the Science Officer muttered, "we could be hundreds of thousands of light years apart from Federation space..."
Bile raced up the Captain's gullet which she was forced to swallow. Her legs felt too weak to stand but she forced herself to her feet anyway. She cleared her throat and summoned her remaining resolve.
"I want a status report on all systems and medical evaluations for everyone we can spare. And reboot the scanners for another reading Mister Merlo, because right now, I'm really hoping they're wrong."
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