Star Trek Online Character Archive : Sanek Story 8

The Delta Volanis Incident

RP Scenario played by Sanek and Allahweh as Jessica Richards, Solida

"So," began Sanek, "have you procured everything you require for Medical?"

Solida laughed quickly, a laugh devoid of mirth. "As much as I could find anyway," she replied. "I mean, how is it that Earthdock doesn't have some of the more important medical supplies in back stock? That just seems rather irresponsible."

Sanek's right eyebrow raised. "That is an illogical assessment," he suggested. "It is more logical to assume the demand required was unprecedented, and as such the ordered supply was insufficient."

Solida stopped walking for a moment and turned to face Sanek, forcing Sanek to halt as well. "Is that so?" she challenged, her chin lifted belligerently. Then, chuckling suddenly, she reached out and touched Sanek's arm. "I already 'assumed' the same conclusion, Captain," she said, mockingly. "I just wanted to blame someone. You know me."

"Yes, I do," Sanek replied. "I can delay our departure for you to procure the supplies that you feel you require," he continued.

Solida considered for a moment. "No," she finally responded. "I should have enough for what I might need for this short trip."

They both turned and continued down the corridor towards Medical and the Deck 5 turbolift. There were crew members moving by them in both directions, hurrying to complete last minute checks and ensure everything was ready to go before departure. All of the previous damage to the ship had been repaired; no sign of the recent fires and smoke damage remained. The air scrubbers had worked overtime to remove the stench of smoke, and had then been replaced just hours before.

"And what of our guest for this trip, Chief Richards?" Solida asked.

"Quarters have been prepared for her on Deck 3, room 304," Sanek answered. "I am headed to the main airlock to welcome her aboard; her arrival should be within five minutes."

Solida shook her head slightly, a grin on her face. "I still don't understand why she would actually want to come along on one of these boring deep space research missions," she said lightly, looking at Sanek out of the corner of her eye.

Sanek looked at her. "You are teasing me again."

Solida laughed. "Me? Why Sanek, what a thing to suggest!" She continued laughing as they entered Medical. Solida walked up to her front desk assistant and handed him the pack full of medical supplies. Sanek stopped behind her and watched for a moment.

"If you will excuse me, I will proceed to the main airlock," he stated a moment later.

Finishing with her assistant, Solida turned. "I believe I will accompany you," she said with a smile. "I've met Chief Richards, and she's a nice lady. I want to make sure she gets a warm reception." She chuckled as she looked at Sanek, joining him as they walked the remaining few steps to the turbolift.

"Warm reception?" Sanek queried as they entered the airlock. The doors hissed shut behind them as Sanek turned to the computer panel. "Deck 8, main airlock," he stated. There was a slight hum, and the feeling of motion as the lift began moving.

"Of course," Solida smiled. "You and Vaareler will give her a typical Vulcan welcome no doubt, but let's face it Captain," she said with a chuckle, "sometimes us women need a bit less formal of a greeting."

Turning to face Solida, Sanek's only response was to raise his eyebrow.

Moments later they reached the main airlock on Deck 8. Located in the bow of the ship, it had been slightly redesigned from the original Intrepid schematics and allowed for more ease of access. The Officer of the Deck stood at attention against the port bulkhead. Vaareler, punctual as usual, was already waiting; as she saw Sanek and Solida approaching she turned to face them and saluted.

"Captain; Commander," she acknowledged.

"Commander," Sanek responded, returning her salute. Solida simply smiled and waved, adding "Hi Vaareler."

Vaareler checked something on her PADD before looking back up to Sanek. "Sir, all systems are in perfect working order. The tetryon banks have been fully checked by station engineers and are up to performance standards. Furthermore, all departments report roll call complete and supplies stowed. We are ready for departure at your command."

"Very well," Sanek replied. "We will get underway as soon as Chief Richards arrives."

One evening on Sol a few days prior, Jessica had met with Fleet Captain Sanek of the Alpha Centauri Institute while enjoying a little bit of R&R in the Club 47 Lounge. Coming from an intelligence and diplomatic background, much of what the captain spoke of to her she had, at best, only read reports regarding or studied while in the Academy. They had spoken for a while about the theories of black holes, worm holes, and other anomalies that the Chief had trouble fully visualizing. In passing, the captain had mentioned a research expedition that the U.S.S. Alan Shepard would soon be embarking on in order to study some anomalies that had been found in the Delta Volanis Cluster. He said it had something to do with energy signatures being emitted in the form of X-Rays, which obviously was not normal. The Chief hadn't even been in the Institute for a month, and thus was still trying to get a good feel for what the organization did. Although her primary mission at present, as deemed by Star Fleet Command, was to gain insight into the true situation on the front lines and return regular reports to them, she had always wanted to be a part of a research and/or exploration mission - to do something she felt was more tangible and would help with the greater understanding of the universe. When she posed her interest to Mr. Sanek about possibly wishing to accompany his crew on this research expedition, he seemed to welcome the idea. Of course, Commander Solida T'yr teased her a little, saying that she did not understand why she would wish to go on such a boring trip, but the Chief knew that even if it was boring, it would be a good experience for her to have.

Jessica was in an interestingly-complicated position, however. Currently, in order to take part in her outreach mission, she was assigned to the U.S.S. Adama, a ship which regularly saw frontline action (though primarily for research and medical reasons). She had been working very closely with the vessel's senior-ranking enlisted member to make the ship run much more efficiently, and she wondered how things would progress if she were to be absent for a couple of days. Thankfully, however, when she spoke to the ship's captain, Dr. Davin Felth, he also seemed to welcome the idea, noting that she might learn quite a bit from the experience and from Sanek himself. The final matter at hand was for her to return to Sol and speak with Commander Winters in the Chief-of-Staff's office in order to get a temporary transfer assignment signed off on. Winters gladly allowed for it, as long as she kept her primary objectives in mind.

Today was finally the day of departure, and her transport vessel was nearing the Alan Shepard. She had found it a bit odd that the ship's First Officer, Commander Vaareler, had told her that in the interests of power-conservation she would have to enter through the main airlock on Deck 8. As she did not typically have to think about such matters in her day-to-day work, it had never crossed her mind. In either case, her transport vessel had just docked, so she picked up her small bag of goods and made her way into the main umbilical corridor, where the Fleet Captain, Ms. Solida, and a face she did not recognize stood waiting to greet her. Once she got into their proximity, she placed her bag down on the floor next to her, stood at attention, and saluted the senior-officers present.

"Commanders, Captain. Permission to come aboard, sir?" She asked, in a very formal tone.

Returning the ship's whistle after blowing the three toned alert, the Officer of the Deck stepped aside. Sanek and Vaareler both returned her salute, and Sanek responded.

"Granted. Welcome aboard the Alan Shepard, Chief Richards." He turned to indicate Vaareler. "May I introduce you to Commander Vaareler, my Executive Officer and Chief Science Officer," he continued.

Obviously a Vulcan, she was perhaps six inches shorter than Sanek; slimmer as well. She had black hair cut in a feminine style just above her collar in the back, over her ears, and short in the front with bangs. Her face was slighly more angular than Sanek's, with almond shaped eyes that made her upturned Vulcan eyebrows even more pronounced. Her skin tone was darker than both Sanek and Solida, and despite wearing no makeup she had no age or other blemishes that were noticeable. She did not appear to have ever smiled in her entire life.

Regarding Jessica disspationately, Vaareler nodded to her. "Chief Richards." Her voice had a low, rich quality to it... but still obviously feminine; and completely devoid of emotion. "Welcome aboard. Quarters have been made available to you on Deck 3, room 304. If you require assistance with baggage or equipment, please inform me."

The Chief could not help but notice an 'air of formality' about the Captain and his staff, but this was perhaps a good thing. She had served with many crews in the past who were very lax in their attention to military and maritime formalities, and although that seemed acceptable in a more intimate environment, there were many times when she'd rather have had a captain with a stern command about him. However, as both the ship's master and first officer were Vulcan, this was something she should have come to expect and therefore should not have been surprised about.

Jessica found herself still standing at attention, looking at the Vulcan commander who now stood before her. She considered the Commander's offer for assistance getting her gear to Room 304, but realized she really only had a small bag of personal effects with her. Considering the situation, she asked, very respectfully, "Ma'am, I wonder if it might be possible to get an escort to my quarters. I have not been aboard this vessel before, and would like a brief tour, if at all possible."

"Captain Sanek has already planned for the escort you requested, as well as a tour once we are underway," Vaareler answered without hesitation. Her PADD suddenly beeped for attention; she glanced at it for a brief moment before looking back up. "Please excuse me for a moment," she said, and stepped back and away down the corridor, busily tapping on the PADD. In the meantime the Officer of the Deck had begun closing the hatch and sealing the airlock preparatory to depature.

Sanek turned back to Jessica. "Commander Vaareler is correct," he stated. Turning again slightly, he indicated Solida. "I believe you have already met Commander Solida, the ship's Chief Medical Officer."

Almost before he could finish, Solida stepped forward and held out her hand. "Welcome to the ship, Jessica! I'm glad you made it; it will be nice to have another person on the ship for a change." She smiled broadly.

Jessica watched as Commander Vaareler made her way briskly down the corridor. Vaareler seemed a bit distant, perhaps unemotional, but she figured this was rather typical for Vulcans. Besides, a First Officer often was much busier than the captain, as it was the first officer that made sure all of the captain's orders were carried out efficiently and sufficiently. Still, she found it interesting that she could pick up on some of the emotions or feelings of the ship's captain, as repressed as they were, but she was unable to read Vaareler yet. Perhaps, given enough time, she would see more of the commander than a cold, calculating officer. In the meantime, Lt. Commander T'yra seemed as cheerful as ever, and Jessica couldn't help but laugh at her comment. She picked up her small satchel and asked, now somewhat more relaxed, "A new person on the ship? You really do act like this place is dead! I hope it isn't as bad as you make it out to be," she said with a smile. "Well, will you be showing me around the ship this afternoon, commander?"

Solida smiled. "I'll most certainly accompany you!" she replied... and turned to face Sanek. "With the Captain's permission, of course." Her smile changed to a smirk.

Sanek nodded once. "That will be agreeable," he answered. "For the present our immediate course of action is to accompany Chief Richards to her quarters; after which my presence is required on the bridge for our departure." Turning slightly, he indicated the corridor with his hand. "Shall we proceed?"

"Yes, I believe we shall," Solida quipped, and stepped to the side to politely allow Jessica to continue first. "So, did you pack any good books?" she said with a smile.

The Chief considered how to answer Solida's question, as she really did not pack that much with her. However, the one book she did have with her was something recommended to her by Admiral Brahman. "Well...I'm not sure that everyone would consider this a good book..." She said, while reaching for a moment into her satchel to remove it. "But, I brought a copy of At the Mountains of Madness. Would you believe that Admiral Brahman got me into this?" She paused, trying to read Solida's reaction to this, and then said, "Lovecraft wrote a large number of very fascinating works back in the early-20th century, and it deals with the unknown - perhaps the darker side of the unknown. I thought, given the nature of this trip, that it made for an appropriate book. Have you read it, commander?"

"Have I!" exclaimed Solida. "I love old Earth gothic horror! In fact, I happen to have a Lovecraft anthology of his works in my library here on the ship. I also have one of an author named Edgar Allen Poe - very dark and dreary," she laughed.

Before she could continue, however, Sanek gestured to the corridor. "May I suggest we accompany Chief Richards to her quarters?" he queried.

Solida looked at Sanek. "Yes; certainly, Captain" she replied. Turning back to Jessica she smiled. "Well, shall we?"

"Of course, Commander, Captain, I am ready whenever you are," she said, formally, picking up her satchel and following them as they made their way into the main corridors of the deck. She took mental notes as they slowly made their way along - she had always had trouble with directions, and perhaps that was why she never became a navigation officer! She was really still trying to readjust to ship life- the last four years at Star Fleet Command had changed her a bit, perhaps for the better in some ways, but also changed a few aspects of her. She had always been a front-line officer, loving to be where the action was, and although she had bowed to the wishes of the flag officers, she still had always wanted to return to her original duties.

As they continued on, making their way to the turbolift, she looked at Sanek and asked: "Captain Sanek - may I ask if there is anything you will need of me during this trip? I have served as a ship's boatswain for many years in the past, and perhaps have other skills you may wish to make use of during my time here. I simply offer just in case you believe you can make use of them."

As they made their way down the corridor towards the turbolift, Sanek allowed the two women to preceed him. The corridor in this section of the ship was largely austere at best - a mixture of drab gray and darker hues with lighting from recessed fixtures placed strategically at intervals along the route at the juncture of the wall and ceiling. The flooring was overlaid with a thin layer of rubberized carpeting, presumably for traction. As they progressed the corridor widened; there were several areas for storage with utility and storage rooms to each side. They reached the turbolift moments later, recessed into the wall at the juncture of another corridor perpendicular to the one they traversed. As they waited for the car to arrive, Sanek answered the Chief's question.

"Thank you for your offer, Chief Richards," he began, "but I do not believe we will require you to perform any duties while we are underway. Other than, of course, your responsibilities to Command to observe and report."

"Yes," Solida added with a smile, "just relax and watch how the crew performs during these deep space research trips."

The door hissed open finaly, and as they proceeded inside, Sanek continued. "Feel free to ask any questions and inquire about any processes, experimentation or other scientific proceedings once we arrive at the Delta Volanis Cluster." Turning slightly he faced the computer panel. "Deck 3, officer's quarters," he intoned.

The subtle feel of movement indicated they were on their way.

As they sat in the Turbolift, waiting to reach Deck 3, the Chief nodded at Captain Sanek, and then asked a question that had been on her mind for some time: "Mr. Sanek, when we first spoke back in the Lounge on Sol that evening, you mentioned that the purpose of this expedition was to investigate some anomalies in Delta Volanis. However, as you know, I am certainly not a scientist, and therefore I have no idea what to expect from our journey," she said, now pondering what to say next. "If I recall, you mentioned that it had to do with energy being transmitted in the form of X-Ray?" She realized she might not be remembering this correctly, but still continued: "I was wondering what more you could tell me about this, so that I may get a better idea of what to expect and perhaps some scientific background to include in my personal logs and my notes back to Star Fleet Command."

In all truth, the Chief really did not know what to expect - she had read up on some of these matters are required of her during her time at the Academy, but since her particular skillset was in Intelligence Gathering and Field Application, at the time she did not figure it was important to remember it all. Of course, that was perhaps a foolish notion of a young cadet, as once she was in the field she found all sorts of practical application for that knowledge. Deep down, she hoped, in a way, that this expedition with Sanek and his crew might rekindle her interests in these topics and perhaps give her more knowledge to use in the future.

"That is a somewhat generalized observation, but yes, you are correct," Sanek began. "I will assume you are unfamiliar with Astrophysics, Astrophysic causality and Cosmology." He paused for a moment, turning slightly to allow himself to look directly at Jessica. "X-ray energy is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of between ten to zero point zero one nanometers. This corresponds to electromagnetic frequencies between the ranges of thirty petahertz up to and including thirty exahertz in strength. This makes them, of course, shorter than ultraviolet rays and longer than gamma rays in the electronvolt spectrum." He paused for a moment, as the turbolift shifted into another tube.

"For the purposes of my explanation I will simplify the differences in Electomagnetics betwen what is termed 'heavy' X-rays and 'light' X-rays," Sanek continued. "Light X-rays are measured between zero point one two electronvolts to twelve kiloelectronvolts; these X-rays are typically absorbed by solid objects and dense atmospheres. Heavy X-rays are measured between twelve kiloelectronvolts and one hundred twenty kiloelectronvolts. Heavy X-ray energy will penetrate solid objects and can, at higher frequencies, penetrate shields."

Solida, standing slightly behind and to Sanek's right, was attempting to hide a sardonic grin... and failing miserably.

"With this background data, we can continue to the purpose of our exploration in the Delta Volanis Cluster," Sanek said. "Astrophyisical X-ray phenomenon occurs, primarily, from stars. Each type of star generates a different strength of X-ray wavelength; aside from gamma rays, plasma, hypercharged particles and other energies. Furthermore, the energy that a star holds within it can cause other forms of X-ray emissions when the star goes supernova; for example, the Hobus Supernova expelled a corona of X-ray energy between six point three seven and five point nine four nanometers at approximately thirteen point zero six exahertz that is, at this time, seven point three two light years across and expanding."

The turbolift came to a stop. The doors hissed open to reveal a much more comfortable and pleasing design in the corridor; subdued lighting with tan and brown highlights. The corridor curved away to the left and right, bending slowly behind the turbolift. Sanek stepped out of the lift, continuing as the two women exited as well. Solida was now openly smiling broadly, her left eyebrow raised as she threw a glance at Jessica.

"Black holes also emit X-ray emissions, but, of course, along different wavelengths than stars or supernovas. The energy we detected with long range scans on our last expedition to the Delta Volanis Cluster seemed to indicate an anomaly that measured between one point nine seven and two point three eight nanometers which is consistent with several plausible phenomenon; a low grade black hole, a small neutron star, or what has commonly been referred to as a 'white dwarf' star."

It was only a few steps along the right hand side of the corridor before they arrived at Deck 3 Officer's Quarters, room 304, on the outside curve of the corridor. Before Sanek could continue, Solida stepped to the door and tapped a sequence into the panel.

"Captain, allow the Chief to get her things stowed before you continue," she quipped, as the doors slid open to reveal a spacious room tastefully, but sparsely, decorated in similar colors and tones to the corridor. A large window was set into the bulkhead directly across from the door; through the window the interior of spacedock could be seen.

"Very well, Commander. I did not bring too many items, so I do not think it will take very long to put them away. I shall see the both of you shortly," she said, smiling, and hoisting her satchel with her. As she stepped into her quarters, she noted that it was very plain, perhaps even a bit drab. The color scheme certainly was not devised by any sort of interior decorator, but then again, she didn't expect too much in the way of decoration from Mr. Sanek. The room itself was very functional, and perhaps represented the typical guest quarters for Star Fleet officers and senior personnel.

She walked quietly over to the twin-bed on the left wall of the room and sat down for a minute, stretching. She then took her satchel and opened it up, examining its contents once more. She had not lied to Solida or Sanek - she really did not bring all that much with her. She had taken a couple of books (among them the one she discussed with Solida earlier), some toiletry items, a small bit of make-up, a couple personal effects, and a couple changes of clothes and uniforms. In all honesty, she had not expected this to be a long trip at all, and so she brought what she thought she might need for just a few days at most. It was funny to her, in a way, how much Solida made this seem like a boring and drab place to be. Certainly, the captain knew what he was doing and seemed to have a passion for his work (at least, as much of a passion as a Vulcan can have for work), and he expressed his knowledge in an interesting and intelligible manner. What more could she really ask for? His lecture about X-Rays had proven very informative to her, and even though she might not remember half of those details in an hour, she still was very pleased that he had taken the time to explain it all to her.

Once she had finished placing what few things she had with her where she desired, she prepared to step out back into the corridor. She was not sure if Solida and the captain would still be there, or if they had already proceeded to the Bridge, but she was going to have to find out...

As Jessica entered room 304, Solida stepped to the opposite side of the doorway from Sanek. Immediately after the door closed, she looked up at him with a smirk.

"Attempting to impress our guest?" she said quietly.

Sanek raised his right eyebrow questioningly. "I am unaware of any such attempt. I was merely explaining the purpose of our mission to the Delta Volanis Cluster. As she is not a scientist, an explanation of X-Ray phenomenon was necessary to facilitate a clear understanding of the nature of our research."

Solida chuckled lightly. "You know Sanek, if I didn't know you better," she began... and then shook her head as she stopped. Looking at him directly she was quiet for a moment before she continued. "Fortunately, I do know you. Better than you realize I do." She smiled archly.

"Indeed." Sanek's reply was bland. Solida laughed for a few moments in response. "So," she said, "are we going to wait for her here then?"

"Correct," Sanek replied. "As she is unfamiliar with the ship, it would be appropriate to provide her an escort to the bridge for our departure."

"Despite, of course, the fact that she could easily look up the ship's layout on her display in her room," Solida pointed out.

"Indeed she could," Sanek stated. "However, as a representative from Command, it is prudent that a certain amount of ceremony and protocol be in order."

Solida considered that for a moment. "I suppose that is a good idea," she replied.

Sanek turned slightly, and tapped his communicator. "Bridge, Sanek," he began. "Have all preparations been completed for our departure?"

Vaareler's reply was almost instantaneous. "All preparations completed, Captain. The airlock has been sealed, and the ship is fully pressured. We await your arrival to begin departure procedures."

"Very well," Sanek replied. "I shall arrive in approximately five minutes. Sanek out."

Solida and Sanek waited patiently by the far wall near the door. Solida looked around at the corridor. "I hope she doesn't get uncomfortable that we waited on her," she said quietly after a few moments, concerned a bit.

As Jessica stepped back out into the hallway outside of her room, she noticed immediately that Sanek and Solida had waited for her to set her things up. She actually felt kind of bad about this, mainly because she had taken her time getting things ready, and if she had known they were waiting, she simply would have dropped them off and returned. As the door closed behind her, she smiled at the two officers and said: "I am sorry if I kept you waiting? I did not know you were going to remain out here for me, as otherwise I simply would have dropped my things off and returned at once..."

She tried to gauge their response for a moment, but realized that it would be very hard to gauge Sanek's thoughts. "Well, Captain," she said, looking at him, "is it almost time for departure?"

Solida smiled at Jessica before responding. "It's ok," she said. "We didn't indicate that we would await you before you entered your room, so it's our fault for the misunderstanding."

Sanek waited for Solida to finish. "Indeed, we are ready to depart. Since, as you indicated, you have not been aboard a ship bound for deep space in some time, I would like to extend our invitation to observe our departure from the bridge." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You are free to observe and review any section of the ship you desire of course; I am simply observing protocol as it stands in regulations whereas visitors are concerned aboard Starfleet vessels."

Jessica smiled a bit at this invitation - not only had she not served on a vessel bound for deep-space in a while (at least, not until she took the assignment with the ACI on the Adama), but she was not a command officer. Her role as a Warrant Officer meant she was very specialized - though that isn't to say that regular officers don't have specializations. Rather, it was her task while on the ship to focus on her field of interest, and so she really never had to worry about matters of the bridge, the direct commanding of personnel and officers, or any related issues. In fact, there had only been one time where she had to step up and for a couple months take command of a ship due to the death of the Captain and a couple senior-ranking staff members. She did still hold an equivalent rank to that of Lieutenants and Lieutenant-Commanders, so if the need arose she was willing to step up. With all of that said, she hoped that her voyage here with Captain Sanek and his crew would prove to be pleasant and relatively stress-free.

"It would be a great honor to get to observe yourself and your bridge officers on this voyage, " she said, politely. "In the past, I have only very rarely had to serve in any sort of command position, and only once did I ever, briefly, have to take command of a vessel. Usually, I am found behind-the-scenes keeping everything in order and dealing with other matters. So, this will be a good learning experience, perhaps?" She thought for a moment, and then looked kindly at Solida, "I might also like to observe what you do on this vessel, if that would be alright?"

"Certainly it may," Sanek replied, as they began to walk the short distance to the turbolift.

"And I would enjoy showing you Medical," Solida said. "Unlike the bridge thought, I'm always hoping it stays relatively quiet and dull." She laughed. "Unfortunately, whenever I am busy there it's usually not necessarily a good thing."

They reached the turbolift as Solida finished. As the car was still there since they had last used it, the doors opened immediately. After all three officers were inside, Sanek turned to the panel.

"Bridge," he said simply.

"Ms. Solida - may I ask if you do get a lot of action in medical aboard this vessel?" The Chief asked. She had found it a curious matter. This was primarily a research vessel, and undoubtedly did not spend very much time on the front lines, so to speak. She figured that they would get the usual fare - minor injuries, illnesses, etc. - but she could not particularly see them having to deal with mass casualties. "I ask just because I know this is primarily a ship engaged in research, so I did not suspect that you would get a large influx of injuries here."

Solida considered Jessica's question for a moment. "Well," she began, "strange as it may seem, I do actually see a lot of activity in Medical." She shifted her weight and leaned against the wall of the turbolift car before she continued. "While I don't get the usual fare of situations a front line vessel down near the Neutral Zone may get, I am still kept fairly busy."

Sanek cleared his throat. "Indeed," he interjected. "Our recent mechanical problems during the rescue operation of Captain Stolliker are a prime example."

"Right," Solida replied. "The general consensus I've found when people have asked me that very question is the opinion that since we don't see a lot of battle situations we don't get into scenarios where people get injured. That's actually far from the truth." Her face settled into a more serious expression. "Space research is actually a fairly dangerous job. Our crew can routinely be exposed to anomalous gasses that have toxic qualities, or be exposed to cosmic radiation or gamma rays; exposure to newly discovered flora and their poisons..." she trailed off for a moment.

"Indeed," Sanek continued. "The study of space and spacial anomalies is quite a dangerous assignment. We are frequently exposed to phenomenon that are not catalogued and as such, unfortunately, possible crew exposure - and the resultant accidents as such - are a constant."

Solida nodded, and then laughed - albeit with little humor. "We may not be getting shot at, but we are in just as much danger... most of the time from unforseen situations."

As the turbolift neared the bridge, Jessica thought about a comment Sanek had just made, and decided to ask for clarification. "Captain, you said you had some recent mechanical difficulties during the rescue operation of Dell Stolliker. Might I inquire as to what exactly happened?"

"The Discovery Class is a newer design. As such, some of the more advanced weapon systems had not been fully field tested. When I took command of the vessel I had tetryon phaser banks and quantum torpedo launchers installed. The power drain on the warp core was larger than expected due to the power requirements of the tetryon banks. The solution was to rewire the particle acceleration circuits through the auxiliary power arrays. However, during the rescue of Captain Stolliker, we were tasked with holding the warp cocoon open with a Nadion Pulse beam." Sanek paused as the turbolift changed direction. "Holding the Nadion Pulse caused a power fluctuation; this in turn caused an eletrical feedback through the auxiliary power arrays. Due to the already existant tetryon bank reroute, it resulted in a electrical exchange at the auxiliary backup array that caused an explosion."

"It was pretty bad," Solida said quietly. "We had a lot of hurt people."

"Correct," Sanek continued. "The first explosion caused an electromagnetic pulse feedback that resulted in two other smaller explosions. Decks five, six, eight, and nine were heavily damaged." Sanek glanced up at the turbolift readout before continuing. "These design flaws have been corrected however, and we are no longer at risk."

The turbolift came to a stop then, and the doors hissed open to reveal the Alan Shepard's bridge. Sanek stepped out, and then to the side to allow Jessica to exit the car and enter the bridge proper.

"Welcome to the Bridge, Chief Richards," Sanek stated.

Bridge of the U.S.S. Alan Shepard.

As Jessica walked out into the main section of the ship's bridge, she had to admit to herself that it was almost an awe-inspiring event. There were several stations around the rather large room, and each was manned by a bridge officer who seemed very intent on whatever he or she was doing. Aside from Solida and Sanek, she did not know any of the members of the ship's bridge officer staff or any of the other personnel, so in many ways she felt a bit awkward - perhaps even out-of-place. This wasn't a bad thing, of course, it just meant that she would need a little bit of time to adjust to working on a ship once more.

Part of her had an innate curiosity towards the roles and experiences of a ship's bridge officers. Perhaps this was because she herself never had to serve in such a capacity, and was generally a behind-the-scenes staff officer on any vessel she served on. Bridge officers, on the other hand, were right where the action was, and in many events the choices they made could mean life or death for themselves and the ship's crew compliment. A rather heavy burden, she admitted.

After taking in the sights and sounds for a few moments she turned to Sanek and said, "Captain, it is an honor and a privilege to get to come aboard your ship and serve with you and your staff." She wondered here if perhaps Sanek might wish to introduce her to the staff, so she could get an idea of what they did and who they were. "I must admit that this is a bit awkward for me, as typically I do not serve on a ship's bridge and I have never met any of your staff members."

"That is to be expected as you have not been aboard before," Sanek replied.

At the sound of Jessica and Sanek's voices, a few of the bridge officers turned curiously, watching as they entered the bridge from the turbolift accessway.

Sanek led Jessica into the bridge with Solida following. "If I may," he began, "you have already met Commander Vaareler." He indicated her as she tapped quickly on her station to the left of the captain's chair. She looked up and nodded politely before continuing to pay attention to her station. Sanek then indicated another Vulcan, this one male, standing at the Science Station to the far left of the bridge. "This is Lieutenant Tufap, Science Adjutant specializing in Astrophysics and Cosmology."

Lieutenant Tufap turned and bowed slightly in respect. "Chief Richards," he said simply with a deep emotionless voice.

Sanek turned to the rear of the bridge to the Security station and indicated a tall, dark alien with large eyes and a dark bone crest on the top of his head. "Ensign Oefoosyoo, Chief Security Officer." Oefoosyoo turned quickly and inclined his head in respect. Sanek then turned to indicate a Bajoran female with short dark hair who sat at the Helm station. "Ensign Lyradis, the Alan Shepard's Helm Officer."

Lyradis turned and stood, saluting Jessica. "Chief Richards. A pleasure to meet you ma'am," she said in a quiet but firm voice.

Turning to one of the far right stations, Sanek indicated a tall Bajoran male with pale skin and a crewcut hairstyle. "Commander Celeel, Communications Officer."

Celeel, already watching Sanek and Jessica, inclined his head politely. "Chief Richards," he said in a deep voice. "A pleasure."

Drawing her attention to a station to the far right, Sanek indicated a tall, slim Andorian female. "Commander Thryiss, Tactical Operations and Combat Officer."

Thryiss turned and inclinded her head respectfully. "Chief," she said.

"And lastly," Sanek finished, indicating the far right station and the tall, extremely well built Andorian standing there, "Commander Giphyd, Chief Engineer. He normally is located in Engineering; currently he is finalizing our warp core alignments."

Giphyd stopped for a moment and saluted Jessica. "Chief Richards," he stated, "it will be a pleasure to cruise with you."

Jessica listened politely as Captain Sanek introduced each of his ship's bridge officers to her one at a time, returning salutes and polite smiles to each of them. It seemed to her that Sanek had a fine ship with an equally-fine crew compliment. She wasn't sure exactly what she had expected before coming aboard, but whatever that may have been, Sanek had certainly exceeded her expectations. As she looked around, she noted that there was a strict difference between a ship fitted primarily for combat purposes (e.g. front line vessels) and those, like this one, that were charged with carrying on the original mission of the United Federation of Planets and Star Fleet. A traditional vessel would have a staff that was far more combat-oriented - battle-ready fighters who would steer the ship through any difficult situation and bring it back in one piece. That isn't to say, of course, that a vessel like that would not have competent engineers and medics on board. The Alan Shepard, on the other hand, seemed to have a very talented and intelligent staff.

As Sanek introduced an Andorian - one Commander Thryiss - she could not help but smile. It seemed that the commander was in charge of Tactical Operations and Combat, something that was right up the Chief's alley. She made a mental note that she would like to speak with her at a later time.

When Mr. Sanek finished his round of introductions, she smiled, and thanked him. "You seem to have a fine crew on your vessel, captain. It will be a great honor for me to be here with you over these next few days." She noted the time and then asked, "When shall we be debarking, Captain?"

"Immediately," Sanek stated, and stepped to the captain's chair. He stood behind it, and turned to Vaareler. "Status?"

"All systems prepared for departure, Captain," she replied instantly. Solida stood near the back of the Bridge, leaning casually against the bulkhead, watching the bridge crew as they worked.

"Very well," Sanek replied. "Detach all moorings and power couplings."

"Aye Captain," Giphyd responded in his gravelly voice. He tapped a few keys, and then there were several soft thumps and bumps heard throughout the hull as the power and docking umbilicals were detached. After a moment, Gyphid looked up at Sanek. "All couplings detached sir. We are free of dock."

"Very well," Sanek responded. He turned to Celeel. "Commander, contact the Dock Commander; request permission to debark."

Celeel looked up. "Yes Captain," he responded, and fixing his receiver into his ear he turned to his console and tapped a few keys. "Earthdock Control, this is the Alan Shepard, registration NCC-551961, requesting disembarkation procedures for space door exit from berth three alpha," he called over communications. He waited for a moment, his hand held to his receiver, and then turned back to Sanek. "Sir, permission granted to debark berth three alpha."

"Very well," Sanek replied. He stepped around the captain's chair and seated himself. "Commander Vaareler, inform the crew."

"Sir," she replied. She tapped a few keys. "Crew of the Alan Shepard, we are go for disembarkation. Proceed to your assigned stations for transit to open space." A moment later a light flashed on her console and she turned to face Sanek. "All stations already manned captain. We are a go for transit."

"Very well." Sanek shifted in his seat. "Ensign Lyradis, take her out; standard debarkation procedures."

"Yes Captain," she replied, and began tapping keys on her console rapidly.

Sanek glanced back at Vaareler for a moment. "Viewscreen ahead, normal magnification."

"Sir," she replied, and a moment later the viewscreen changed to a forward view, showing the interior of the massive spacedock and a few other ships docked in berths in the near distance.

There was a very slight lurch. "Sir," began Lyradis, "starboard thrusters at one third, moving from berth now." The viewscreen showed the superstructure of berth three alpha slowly sliding to the right. After a few moments it had disappeared from the screen; several moments later Lyradis typed a few keys. "We are clear of the berth, Captain," she stated. In the viewscreen ahead, the space door taxiway could be clearly seen by it's advancing lights. With another slight lurch, the viewscreen showed the ship begin forward motion towards the taxiway.

"Aft thrusters ahead one half," Lyradis stated.

The ship slowly proceeded ahead, and under Ensign Lyradis' expert guidance aligned with the taxiway. Ahead of the ship gaped the huge space door, now fully open, showing the black curtain of space peirced only by the pinpricks of stars dotted across it's expanse. Several moments passed as the ship slowly advanced, the space door filling the viewscreen slowly until it's edges disappeared and only space filled the screen. Lyradis tapped a few more keys and kept watch over the console readout to her left, and a few moments later she turned her seat to face Sanek.

"We are free of spacedock Captain," she replied. "We are free to navigate."

"Very well, Ensign. One quarter impulse power; set our course for the Delta Volanis Cluster," Sanek replied. Lyradis turned and began tapping keys; the view of the stars in the viewscreen began to slide to the left as the ship began to turn.

"Sir," Celeel began, "Earthdock Command sends; they wish us luck on our mission."

Sanek turned to Celeel. "Transmit the Alan Shepard's thanks; we'll see them again in approximately six days."

"Aye sir," he replied, and turned back to his console.

"Captain, course laid in for Delta Volanis," Lyradis stated. "The ship is aligned for warp."

Sanek turned to Gyphid. "Status?"

"All energy systems green, Captain," he replied. "The ship is ready for warp speed."

"Very well," Sanek answered. He turned back to Lyradis. "Ensign, engage warp six point five to Delta Volanis."

"Aye sir," she responded. "Warp six point five." She tapped a few keys, then placed her fingers on the warp controls. "Engaging... now." She slid her fingers up the controls; ahead, the stars on the viewscreen suddenly began to smudge and turn blue... and then the sudden shift to the surreal smear of warp space.

Jessica was impressed by the show of formality in the debarkation process on the part of Fleet Captain Sanek and his crew. Perhaps it was part of his Vulcan nature, but it seemed to her that Sanek was not one to forlorn formality in favor of casual behavior. This, of course, in her esteem as a good thing - many officers she had a chance to serve with in the past were far too informal. While she understood the notion of a ship's crew almost being family for each other, she recognized the need to participate in formal procedures, adhere to the rules, and, in some cases, keep a distance from one's superiors. That wasn't to say that the Captain should be removed from the needs and feelings of his crew, but simply that there were many times when the crew needed to realize that he (or she) was the captain, and pay them the due respect.

She had to admit to herself here that she was unsure how long this voyage would originally take, but based on Sanek's comment during the debarkation procedure, it seemed that it would be just shy of a week, given no unfortunate or unforeseen events occur. She still had somewhat mixed feelings on all of this. Was this going to be a vacation for her - a chance to relax and learn something about the galaxy? Would it be a difficult and trying experience? Perhaps, she hoped, it would be the former.

As she did not generally serve on a ship's bridge, she stood there and watched the officers go about their duties, setting a course for Delta Volanis. She realized that when you did not spend a lot of time observing these matters, you often became disengaged with the entire process. It was easy to think this was a simple matter, but it was obvious that a lot of work and preparation went into all steps of such a voyage.

Ensign Lyradis turned to face Sanek after a few moments. "Captain, warp six point five achieved. We should reach Delta Volanis Cluster in approximately," she paused for a moment and glanced at her readout, "nineteen hours and twenty-seven minutes."

Solida tried to suppress a smile... and failing, chuckled quietly.

"Understood," Sanek stated. He stood, and walked over to Vaareler, who was running what appeared to be a diagnostic program on the science station overhead screen with Tufap. "Commander," he began, "what are the results of the scan diagnostics?"

Vaareler turned. "Diagnostics were completed prior to departure sir," she said. "The scan modules are calibrated and ready for use."

"Very good." Sanek turned and walked back to Jessica and Solida. "Chief Richards, we will be in transit for nineteen hours and twenty-six minutes. This would be the best time for a tour of the ship, and to answer any questions you may have."

It would be nearly twenty hours before they would reach their destination, and Sanek had recommended that it would be a good time for the group to go on a tour of the ship. She thought about this, but she also realized that the vessel's captain obviously would have his own duties to attend to. "I would very much like that, captain, but I cannot help but wonder if you have your own duties that you will need to attend to now that the vessel is underway?"

"My duties are largely negligible during our transit," Sanek began, "and, in any event, I can be reached immediately if my presence is required."

Solida stepped away from the wall and stretched. "Usually Sanek allows the crew to stand down during transit periods, as once we reach our destination the workload can be extensive."

"Correct," Sanek responded. He turned to Vaareler. "Commander," he began, "you have the conn."

Vaareler turned and began moving towards the captain's chair. "Yes, sir," she replied.

Sanek turned back to Jessica. "Shall we proceed?"

"I must apologize for my general lack of knowledge of most Bridge functions and operation protocols. However, your explanation makes perfect sense," she said, politely. "To be honest, I did not have any plans for what I would do in this time, other than explore the vessel myself. That said, I think it would probably be more productive to have someone knowledgeable show me around." Jessica smiled at Sanek and Solida, ready to take the tour.

Three Days Later

The tour of the ship had taken only approximately three hours, during which Jessica had been shown the shuttle bays, the cargo bay, and the forward observation deck and lounge. Solida and Sanek had taken her around each deck's main corridor, which had made the small vessel (at least, small in comparison with most other main force fleet vessels) feel much larger. Due to the reality that the vessel was designed for long range excursions and periods of extended distance from known space, most of the recreational areas on the ship were larger than standard, with more activities available. The last section of the tour included the Astrogation lab - a large room with a circular ceiling which was basically a massive display and viewscreen that could show star maps and navigation data in extreme detail. The end of the tour marked the highlight of the initial voyage however... the remainder of the trip to the Cluster had been mundane.

Once they entered the Cluster, the last three days had gone fairly routinely, at least as far as the crew of the Alan Shepard was concerned. The ship had entered the Delta Volanis Cluster at the precise time indicated by Ensign Lyradis, and they had proceeded to the first of two gaseous anomalies for further study and data collection. The first one was approached at approximately six hours and fifty-seven minutes after entering the Cluster. It had been assigned Anomaly DC-0350A-GA by one of Sanek's previous excursions when it had been originally encountered a little more than a year earlier. They ship remained at approximately one third of a light year distant as several deep scans of the anomaly were conducted over a period of twelve hours. The scans provided more information on the composition of the gases and gravitational energy within, and confirmed that Anomaly DC-0350-GA was, in fact, in the beginning stages of collapse into a protoplanetary accretion disk which would, at some point in the future, become a star system with the possibility of one or more planets.

The second gaseous anomaly was a mere one and a half hours away at warp six, was a bit more interesting. The viewscreen, once they approached to within one light year of the anomaly, showed an extremely dense brownish colored cloud, slightly longer than it was wide from their perspective. Scan data, coupled with information provided by several probes over a period of approximately ten hours confirmed that the cloud was in fact a very small molecular hydrogen stellar cloud, large enough to encompass three star systems in the beginning phases of formation. This anomaly was designated DC-0542-GC. The star systems buried in the cloud were barely visible points of light from outside the cloud, and were determined to be two proto-stars that may eventually become pulsars, and one that was forming into what scans indicated would become a main sequence star of Class B nature, with a possible approximate temperature of twenty-two thousand Kelvin when it completed formation.

Sanek had expressed the desire to remain and continue study of the pulsar possibilities, but time was pressing, and the primary mission in any case was the study and cataloging of Delta Volanis Cluster Anomaly DC-8538-AA - a section of space deep in the cluster which emitted an above normal emission of X-Ray particles.

There had been other interesting occurrences on the ship during the last three days as well that Jessica had the opportunity to observe. Two crew members came down with colds and had to be treated with simple medications administered by the Medical staff, with Doctor Solida T'yra's guidance. However, a more serious situation came two days into the voyage when an engineering crew member became afflicted with acute appendicitis. Jessica was able to observe the operation which was conducted by Solida with precision; the crew member was in excellent condition and would be able to resume his duties within a day.

The last interesting occurrence was the bombardment of the ship by gamma rays enroute to anomaly DC-0542-GC. They had been few in number - for which the crew was thankful in the extreme - however, their source had not been able to be located. Even Sanek had shown some concern over this event, explaining to Jessica that gamma ray exposure was extremely dangerous to carbon based life forms. Most scans and available information seemed to conclude that the rays had been deflected by the hull of the ship, however this was still a concern.

Now, approximately seventeen hours after the completed examination of Anomaly DC-0350A-GA, they were nearing the main focus of the voyage - Anomaly DC-8538-AA. All the bridge crew were on the bridge, as were Sanek and Jessica. Solida was in Medical monitoring the recovery of the crewman who had undergone the appendectomy; the rest of the crew was on stand down.

"Time to indicated first stage study locale," Sanek queried to Ensign Lyradis. Sanek had explained that, due to the unknown composition of the anomaly, study would begin approximately one light year from the furthest plausible danger zone... which equated to approximately two point three seven light years from the source.

"Thirteen minutes and nine seconds," came Lyradis' reply.

"Very well," Sanek replied.

The viewscreen showed the unreal smear of warp space, with tactical and science data occasionally scrolling to the left side. Sanek turned to Jessica. "Do you have any questions before we reach our location, Chief Richards?"

Only thirteen minutes until they reached the main focus of their voyage, Chief Richards thought to herself. While she had originally been unsure as to whether she would fully enjoy this trip or not, as they approached their destination she realized she was a bit saddened. After all, once their investigation of this final anomaly was completed, it would be time to set course back to Starbase One. The U.S.S. Alan Shepard was a remarkable ship for its size, and during her downtime she had spent many hours with the off-duty crew members enjoying its recreational facilities and social gathering locales. Yet, downtime was actually far less than what she had suspected for a non-combat vessel. She had witnessed several of the crew members falling ill with a cold and being treated by the ship's talented medical staff, and perhaps more interestingly, she had bore witness to an appendectomy performed on a member of the engineering staff that had come down with acute appendicitis. She found that she was learning a great deal from this experience, and what she was learning were things she had an interest in. The first two anomalies they had studied seemed to indicate the formation of star systems and, later, perhaps even planetary bodies. Many scientists would have killed for a chance to observe such a phenomena, and it seemed that Captain Sanek was greatly enjoying the chance to observe (at least, enjoying it as much as she could tell), but as time pressed on he was forced to cut the study somewhat short in the interest of approaching this third anomaly.

She realized, standing there on the bridge, that her mind had been drifting, and she quickly got back into focus. She turned to Captain Sanek and said: "The two anomalies we have studied so far seem to be indicative of the formation of stars and star systems - do you suspect that this third anomaly will be of nearly as great a scientific importance as those were?"

Sanek was quiet for a moment as he considered how best to answer the question. "Certainly Anomaly DC-8538-AA will be of scientific importance; whether it is of greater or lesser importance regarding the previous two anomalies is subjective," he began. "Stellar Evolutionists and Scientists would certainly consider the first, Anomaly DC-0350-GA, of primary importance. They would likely conclude that the second, Anomaly DC-0542-GC, was also of importance, but not quite as important as the first; this mostly due to the unobstructed view of the protoplanetary accretion disk that the second anomaly doesn't provide." He paused for a moment as he checked a readout on his chair console. He then stood from the chair and took a few steps to the left to further examine a screen on the science console.

"Anomaly DC-8538-AA, at least in so far as is concerned with immediate conclusions, would be of primary interest to Cosmologists. This would be, of course, until the reason for the above normal X-Ray emissions are determined," he concluded. Completed with what he had been doing, he stood, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to face Jessica.

"I should point out; once we reach our initial research scan destination, we will be two point three seven light years from the source." He stepped around the captain's chair so that he stood closer to Jessica. "I state this again to illustrate that we will be viewing the anomaly approximately two years and four months in the past. We will be unable to determine the anomaly's current status, and origin, until we are much closer."

Jessica thought about this for a moment; admittedly, it had always been an odd concept to her, despite the fact that she knew the meaning of a light-year. "I must admit, Captain, that the notion of light-years has always been a strange concept to me. It's not that I don't understand the idea of a light-year, but rather...I guess it's just odd to think we are essentially seeing something in the past - something that happened over two years ago!" She laughed for a bit, folding her arms in thought. "Is there a reason why we will start our investigation that far away from the source?"

Sanek glanced up at the viewscreen before he continued.

"Simply put," he began, "space is very vast. Forgive my elaboration, since you are familiar with a light year; but perhaps the actual distances will assist in explanation." He stepped around the chair and leaned forward against it slightly, his hands clasped behind his back.

"As you are aware, the light carrying the image from the anomaly can only travel from the anomaly at the speed of light," he began, "approximately two hundred ninety-nine thousand, seven hundred ninety-two point four eight five kilometers per second. Between you and I, this speed is almost instantaneous. However, in a vacuum environment as vast as space that speed is, relatively, rather slow. As a result, the light carrying the image from the anomaly at this instant will take approximately two years, two months and twenty-six days to travel the approximately twenty-one trillion, one hundred seventy-one billion, seven hundred three million, one hundred thirty-four thousand, nine hundred nine point six kilometers to our initial datum."

Sanek stooped to punch a few keys on his chair. The number he just quoted flashed onto the viewscreen; 21,171,703,134,909.6 KM. Along with it was a graphic that displayed a sphere with a line from the center to the edge. Below that displayed a notation of the speed of light; 299,792.485 KPS. He then stood straight again.

"Just for point of reference; that distance is more than twice the diameter of the entire Sol system, from the outer Kuiper belt, through the sun, to the opposite edge." He stooped and again tapped a few more keys; a graphic of the Sol system appeared on the right side of the viewscreen, displaying a line bisecting the sun to both outer Kuiper belt edges, terminating at one light year. He straightened, and then leaned against the chair.

"The primary reason for our initial distance is, of course, safety," he continued. "We are uncertain as to the nature of the anomaly; X-Ray is, of course, radiation and by definition, dangerous. We will conduct long range scans of the anomaly from the initial datum point to determine the anomaly's source, composition, and the strength of the X-Rays, which should provide us with enough information to proceed to a closer point of reference that is still safe to observe from."

"Ten minutes, Captain," Lyradis stated from her console.

Sanek turned to her. "Very well," he stated.

"Captain," Vaareler began in her emotionless voice, "all our remaining probes are ready for use. The sensor dish has been recalibrated from our last destination and is ready for long range scans."

"Very well, Commander," Sanek replied. "Inform the crew that standown is terminated in five minutes."

"Aye, Captain," she replied, tapping keys quickly as she carried out the order.

Turning back to Jessica, Sanek straightened. "As a point of fact; this is standard operation procedure of initial research of recently discovered and unknown anomalies."

Anyone observing Sanek's demonstration regarding light speed and relative distances would have noticed Jessica's wonderment and awe as he spoke. Although the captain was rather straight and to-the-point about it all, he made a fine lecturer and teacher. She giggled a bit to herself, thinking that he would have made an excellent teacher back at Star Fleet Academy. "It's amazing that we will be such a relatively large distance away from this anomaly, yet our probes will be able to reach them quickly and procure results in a relatively brief amount of time?" She wondered if perhaps this was a foolish question. "Oh, and Captain - what would you like for me to do during this operation - is there anything that I can be of assistance with?"

"A good question," Sanek replied. "The answer; negative."

Sanek walked around the chair and sat down, and for the next few moments tapped keys on his chair displays. The viewscreen changed once again; this time it displayed a two axis graph that displayed horizontally the warp speed, and vertically time segments tabulated by hours. The graph dropped incrementally down to warp nine.

"As the graph displays," Sanek began, "even our Class nine probes would take approximately twelve hours and fifty-two minutes to reach the anomaly at this distance at warp nine. Class nine probes are equipped with the fastest warp capability of all our available probes. Our initial data gathering will be conducted by subspace scans. While this method does not provide the detailed information we require for actual study of the anomaly, it does provide enough information for us to determine the closest safe distance from which to begin serious research." Sanek was then quiet for a few moments as he gazed at the viewscreen.

"Sir," Ensign Lyradis began, "we are five minutes from our destination."

"Very well," Sanek replied, and stood up, turning to Vaareler. "Inform all stations we are now on full ready status."

"Certainly Captain," Commander Vaareler replied, and tapped a few keys on her console. "Notification sent; all departments receive and acknowledge."

Sanek turned back to Jessica. "If you are so inclined," he stated, "you could assist Commander Vaareler at her station with gravitonic readings, as well as our eventual launch of probes once we have our safe distance calculated."

"I suppose that shows you how little I know about probes. I had no idea we were at that level of development with them, but I normally am not required to know much about such things," she said, still taking it all in. "However, if you believe that Ms. Vaareler could use my assistance, then I will gladly see if I can lend her a hand." As they would be reaching their destination in less than five minutes' time, she hastily made her way over to where the commander was, seeming to do a few last-minute preparations. Jessica watched her for a few moments, a curious look on her face, and then, finally, said: "Commander Vaareler? Captain Sanek said that you might be able to use my assistance when we reach our destination..." Her voice trailed off for a second, and she decided to rephrase what she had just said: "Actually, he didn't say you needed my assistance, but merely that I might be able to assist you. What would you like for me to do, commander?"

Vaareler turned and looked at Jessica for a moment. "Certainly, Chief Richards," she intoned. She stepped a couple steps to her left and placed her hand on a console screen. "If you would position yourself here." She stepped aside for a moment to allow Jessica to assume the station. As the Science Console was fairly large, she would have plenty of room to work.

"As the Captain suggested, you may assist me with reading gravimetric readings of the anomaly." She pointed to the display. "They will appear here once the data is presented; I have already programmed the console for the dissemination of gravitomic data to that display." She then pointed to a series of buttons alongside the display. "These are the probe controls." She indicated each control as she spoke. "This small window allows you to select the ordered probe. Once you have selected it, click here-" she pointed again "- to load the probe into the torpedo tube. This button-" she pointed to a round red button "- will then fire the probe once the Captain gives the order." She stepped back to the display she typically spent most of her time at. "Once the probe is launched, it will begin to transmit data immediately. The data will scroll down the left side of the display, and non-standard gravitomic notations and data will be highlighted and moved to the right side of the screen. You may then select the data by pressing on it for more detailed information; this will open a smaller, scrollable, sub-window. Lieutenant Tufap and myself will monitor other data on our respective consoles."

"Three minutes," Ensign Lyradis stated from her console.

Vaareler tapped a few keys quicky on her own display, and then turned again to Jessica. "If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to inquire," she stated.

Jessica would undoubtedly have questions once they got under way, but there were only three minutes left and she wanted to make the most of the time. The instructions seemed simple enough, but whether or not she would recall every step at the proper time was a different story. To be honest, she was not quite sure what to look for in the data that the probes would receive, but thankfully it sounded like the computer did most of the work for them by separating the standard from the non-standard data. Good, she thought to herself, I really didn't want to make a fool of myself through my lack of subject-matter knowledge. She turned to the commander and smiled, "Alright - I think I've got it now. I guess we'll find out when the time comes."

Vaareler nodded and, turning back to her console began tapping keys quickly, monitoring her display.

Sanek had watched the conversation, and now turned his seat back to face the viewscreen. He tapped a few keys, and some astronomical data and formulae displayed across the screen, wiping out the previous displays of light speeds, warp graphs, and Sol system diagrams. Mostly of an extreme mathematical nature, he none-the-less studied them for a few moments before he was interrupted by Lyradis.

"Sir," she began, "we are coming out of warp... now."

Sanek quickly tapped a couple of keys and the viewscreen changed to a forward view. It briefly displayed the smear of warp space before slowly morphing into a more familiar background. The pink and slightly purple colored dust that so characterized the Delta Volanis Cluster were very dense in this location, and as such space was brightly illuminated. Stars pin pricked the pink background in many places, some fairly bright and clear, while many others were dim - others barely perceptible at all. In the exact center of the viewscreen was an odd anomaly, uncharacteristic of the typical Delta Volanis background. It appeared to be something that almost resembled a star, but was darker than was typical... and had what appeared to be almost a barely perceptible horizontal halo of a slighly lighter pinkish hue. Due to the distance, the anomaly was extremely small and details were difficult to make out.

Sanek stood and walked a few steps towards the viewscreen, looking intently at the anomaly for a few moments. He turned to Vaareler.

"Magnify, maximum magnification," he ordered.

First view of the DC-8538-AA Anomaly.

With a few beeps, the viewscreen changed. The anomaly enlarged to fill up approximately a quarter of the viewscreen. There were many details that were now more obvious than previously viewed, and showed up more clearly against the background of the Cluster. The anomaly had what appeared to be an odd, gradually darkening gradient effect close to the middle, almost terminating to a deep reddish hue at what could be made out of the center. The effect was almost as if the object was drawing the light from space around it. Horizontally, a strange smear of matter apparently surrounded the anomaly; it was more apparent on each side of the center, and brightened at first, then darkened as whatever it was appeared to close on the center of the anomaly. The center itself was brighter than the surrounding area... it almost had the appearance of a star, but the illumination was strangely subdued, and seemed to twinkle in an odd fashion.

The bridge crew was completely silent as they observed the anomaly for the first time. Awe showed on several faces. After a few moments, Commander Celeel commented. "What the hell is that," he quietly murmured.

"I've never seen a star... twinkle like that in space," Commander Thryiss commented. "Not even in a nebula or dust cloud."

Vaareler suddenly tapped several keys quickly, the beeps as she set up commands loud in the suddenly still bridge. Sanek, hearing the beeps, turned to watch her, waiting patiently. After a few moments she looked up at him.

"Captain," she began, "the dust in this sector of the Cluster is static in nature, and not moving due to any cosmic interference. As such, Commander Thryiss' observation is prudent; the anomaly is not twinkling due to dust masking."

Sanek turned to look at the viewscreen again. "Fascinating," he replied. He continued to observe the anomaly for a few moments before he turned back to Vaareler.

"Scan," he stated. "Set the scan for standard astrophysical return, and include imaging in visual, thermal, X-ray, and gamma ray return."

"Certainly Captain," she replied, as her fingers began dancing across the console. "It will take two minutes and twenty-four seconds for the scan to complete."

"Very well," Sanek replied, and turned again to observe the viewscreen.

Sanek's crewmen and officers were not the only ones in awe at the sight now displayed on the ship's viewscreen. Jessica stood there, gazing at the anomaly, her attention taken away from the console in front of her. What was this thing? It had some characteristics of a star, yet it almost appeared to be a black hole. Of course, that was silly, as light was being emitted from the...thing's...center. After she had been silent for a moment, she turned to Vareleer and said: "Commander - what do you think this thing is? I thought it was some kind of odd star-like object, but now...I'm not sure. It's not a black hole either, is it?"

Vaareler turned from her console and looked at Jessica. "At this time I do not have enough information to make an assumption on the nature of the anomaly," she replied. "You are correct in suggesting it is not a black hole; it does not display the typical characteristics of such a phenomenon."

Sanek, having overheard the conversation, replied while still facing the viewscreen. "Black holes," he began, "by their very nature, do not emit any energy - as one would expect; save for minute amounts of what twentieth century Sol scientists referred to as 'Hawking Radiation'. The X-Ray emissions alone are enough evidence to disprove that hypothesis."

"However," Vaareler continued, "the anomaly does appear to display effects similar to a collapsing stellar mass; albeit, a rather small one."

Tufap turned from his console along the far left wall, clasping his hands behind his back. "Indeed it does," he began in his measured, deep voice. "However, a collapsing stellar mass, even of such small size, would normally collapse in a matter of minutes."

"That is correct," Sanek replied, still facing the viewscreen.

Commander Gyphid cleared his throat. "Could it be possible," he began, "that we are witnessing a white hole?"

Sanek was silent for a moment. "An interesting hypothesis," he replied, "but highly improbable. The human scientist Karl Schwarzschild postulated the theory, but his mathematics were flawed due to unknown cosmic mechanics during his lifetime. Since the white hole theorem, using quantum mathematics, is based on a negative square root, it violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics and, as such, theoretically cannot exist." He turned to face the bridge crew. "I say 'theoretically', because despite our scientific prowess, there is still much we do not understand about the universe, particle mechanics, and gravitational mechanics."

"So," Gyphid responded slowly, "you are saying that it's possible."

"Not precisely," Sanek answered. "I am saying that it is highly improbable. Despite our lack of knowledge of some particle and gravitational physics, the basic theorems are still subject to quantum mathematics; and the formulae suggests the probability is less than point two seven nine percent."

Vaareler looked up from her console. "In any event, Commander," she began, "the visible spectrum analysis alone rejects that possibility; since the established theory of white hole mechanics holds that a white hole ejects all matter, the object ahead of us would look quite different were that the case."

Quad display of scan data for DC-8538-AA Anomaly.

Before anyone could respond, Vaareler's console beeped. She glanced down, and then looked up at Sanek.

"Captain," she began, "the data has been compiled by the scan."

"Very well," Sanek replied. "On screen; effect a quad level display of all four requested spectrums."

"Yes sir," she replied, and tapped a few keys. The viewscreen suddenly changed to display all four spectrum analysis scans.

Sanek looked at the screen for a moment. "Intriguing," he said.

Jessica shook her head and smiled to herself - she was way outside the limits of her comfortable knowledge base. A white hole? She didn't recall ever reading or learning about such a phenomenon, but perhaps she had simply slept through that class. She had to admit that she didn't know enough to make any true assessment on what this thing was, but even with such small odds, that did not rule it out. "A white hole? Hmmmmmm...I must admit I have never heard of such a thing. I'd like to know more about it sometime." She then turned to Vareleer and said: "Even if there is such a small chance that is what this thing is, it does not entirely rule it out, correct?"

As the data appeared on screen, she looked at it, a sense of awe on her face. She waited a moment, and then asked: "Captain - what are we looking at? Have you determined what this thing is?"

Vaareler was tapping keys and examining her console readout as Jessica asked her question. She continued to read her console data as she replied. "You are correct, Chief Richards," she replied. "However, where the object a white hole, the visual spectrum appearance would be quite different."

Sanek watched for a moment before he interjected. "The established theory of white hole mechanics suggests that a white hole is, by definition, the opposite of a black hole. As such, it ejects all matter rather than collecting and retaining it." He turned back to the viewscreen for a moment. "Were the object a white hole, it would appear to be an extremely bright object - most likely with an accretion disk several AU's in distance were it a rotating mass." He turned back to face Vaareler and Jessica. "I must point out, however, that my explanation of the visual spectrum of a white hole is speculative; no one has encountered one before."

"However, the mechanics are sound," Tufap suggested. "According to quantum physics, and the thermodynamic formulae, any object ejecting all matter would display as a brilliantly illuminated object."

"That is the established theorem, yes," Sanek replied. He turned and walked up to stand near the viewscreen, scrutinizing the displayed data closely.

"In answer to your second question, Chief Richards," he began, "I do not have enough information to classify the nature of the anomaly." He stepped closer to the viewscreen, and began to point as he explained, first at the X-Ray spectrum segment.

"As you can see, the object is ejecting rather strong X-Ray emissions. It is interesting that, despite their strength, the X-Ray emissions are clearly defined. This is unusual, since most X-Ray emissions of this wavelength tend to disperse. In this case, it appears to remain more dense than I would expect, and appears to largely remain localized." He pointed next to the Thermal spectrum. "The thermal scan shows us that the object is emanating heat. If you look closely, you can see that the horizontal band appears to be some sort of accretion disk, and is obviously rotating; this is suggested due to the disk's heat itself, which increases in temperature near the center. That increase in temperature indicates that as the mass of the disk gets closer to the center, it increases in speed; this creates friction amongst the particles of the mass and increases heat." He paused for a moment. "What is fascinating, however, is that it is obvious the center of the object is also emitting heat. Very intense, but localized with minimal dispersal." He then pointed towards the Gamma Ray spectrum. "This particular scan shows that the anomaly is also emitting gamma rays. The spectrum analysis indicates they are intense, but disperse quickly." He turned back to the bridge crew and Jessica.

"This information provides us with an intriguing set of information. The accretion disk - if in fact that is what it is - suggests the presense of a singularity. Not necessarily a black hole, but none-the-less a stellar mass of massive gravitational force. However, the remaining information is in direct opposition to the black hole hypothesis; since the gravitational forces of a black hole absorb all matter, one would not emit X-Ray, Gamma Ray, or thermal emissions. Furthermore, it's size is not typical of established black hole mechanics."

"It would also appear completely differently visually," Tufap added. "Instead of what we see here, we would be seeing a large black orb that would bend the light around it due to gravitational lensing."

"That is correct," Sanek replied. He turned to Vaareler. "Do you have a minimum safe distance as yet?"

"According to the data supplied thus far, a minimum distance of safety would be approximately one billion kilometers from the alleged accretion disk," Vaareler replied.

"So approximately fifty-five minutes distance via the speed of light," Sanek replied, and turned to look at the viewscreen again.

(Edited to correct mean research distance)

Jessica listened politely to the explanation given by Sanek and his staff, and then shook her head and smiled. "I believe, Mr. Sanek, you lost me at accretion disk. If I am to understand it correctly, it is neither a black hole nor a white hole, but it is still some kind of stellar mass? Yet, if it is to be defined as a singularity, wouldn't that mean it would have such a dense mass as to have black hole-like properties?"

Sanek turned to look at Jessica once again.

"If I may, an accretion disk is - to quote the littoral definition - 'a belt of matter formed by diffuse cosmic material in orbital motion around a central body,'" he began. "In most cases, such disks form around young, newly formed stars or protostars; they can also form around neutron stars or white dwarf stars. However, that scenario is less frequent." He turned and indicated the quad split viewscreen. "They can, and often do, also form around black holes. This is due of course to the gravitational pull of the singularity. In areas of space that consist of large quantities of gas, dust, and other matter - such as the Delta Volanis Cluster - it is not surprising to find such disks in motion around strong gavitational bodies." He turned back to face Jessica.

"However," he continued, "as indicated, the presence of an accretion disk does not necessarily indicate the presence of a black hole. In this particular case, the disk does indicate the presence of some type of stellar mass - however, the data does not present enough information to make a quantified classification."

Vaareler looked up again from her console. "We cannot define it as a singularity, as were that the case, the mass would appear as, quite literaly, a hole in space with, in all probability, a much larger accretion disk. That scenario would cause the disk to be much brighter due to the increased gravitational pull which causes faster rotation."

Sanek nodded. "Our data now suggests the possibility of several different hypothesis; a protostar - albeit, one of a different composition than I have ever experienced, a slowly collapsing stellar mass - which, by definition, would be a rare event of a point seven nine percent possibility, or a white dwarf star that has collapsed to it's current state quite recently."

Sanek began to walk back to the captain's chair.

"In any event, it's time to continue our investigation; Ensign Lyradis, please plot a course to a minimum of fifty billion kilometers from the anamoly."

"Aye sir," she stated, and began pushing and tapping keys, accompanied by the beeps and other noises of the console. A moment later she looked back over her shoulder to Sanek, who was seating himself in his chair. "Course laid in, sir. At warp eight, that will place us in position in two point eight hours."

"Very well," Sanek replied. "Execute course, warp eight."

"Warp eight, aye," she responded, and turned to complete the order.

Jessica stood there thinking about what Sanek and Vareleer explained to her, and after they had finished, she asked: "Perhaps my understanding of these matters is still a bit unclear, but if there was a black hole causing the spinning of the acretion disk, wouldn't it proceed to eventually absorb the energy and light, in a given amount of time? Unless, perhaps, it is at a safe distance where it only causes it to be in orbit?" She scratched her head, truly lost on the topic. Yet, the ship now seemed to be setting a course to get closer to the anomaly; perhaps at a closer distance they would get some data that would be of greater use in explaining all of this.

"I am sorry, captain - I hope I do not bore you or make you think less of me with all my questions," she said, making her way nearby the captain's chair where Sanek now sat.

Sanek turned in his seat to face Jessica.

"You are correct; however, I believe you misunderstand the nature of gravitational force on cosmic objects whereas rotation is concerned," he began. He paused for a moment, considering how to best answer her question.

"Since we are discussing black holes, we will assume for the sake of argument that what we are seeing may in fact be such," he continued. "It is important to note the difference between a non-rotating singularity, and a rotating singularity. Non-rotating singularities are, in theory, black holes that have no rotating momentum. This would, according to the hypothesis, create a scenario which I believe your thoughts are referring to; a simple 'hole' in which everything nearby is drawn into by gravitational force. Am I correct in that assumption of your interpretation?"

Jessica simply nodded in reply, "Yes, I suppose that's what I was saying. I was actually wondering though that if this was such a phenomenon, wouldn't it proceed, given time, to pull in all this energy and light that we are seeing? Of course, I have no idea how long it would take to do such a thing." She continued to look out the viewscreen for a moment as they entered warp speed. "I suppose we will learn more as we get within a closer range though, right captain? In the meantime, if we have nearly three hours until that point, I was wondering if there was anything we needed to do in the meantime, otherwise, I might excuse myself for a little while."

"Of course, Chief Richards," Sanek replied. "The ship will be alerted when we are within ten minutes to our destination; please feel free to occupy yourself as you see fit during our transit." He stood from his chair, and looked to Vaareler.

"Commander, you have the bridge," he stated.

"Yes Captain," she replied, and immediately moved to take the seat.

Sanek stepped away as she approached. "I will be in the ship's lounge; before we arrive at our research point I have some research to conduct. Notify me if my presence is required."

"Understood, Captain," Vaareler stated crisply as she sat.

The lounge was a tempting place to visit to spend the next three or so hours, and Jessica took note of the fact that Sanek could be found there should she need him. In fact, she figured that she would probably come to the lounge after a while to speak with the captain perhaps on a more personal level, if that was at all possible. Yet, for the time being, she found the desire to return to her personal quarters, and that's exactly what she did. It did not take long for the lift to bring her to her floor, and she made her way down the corridor and entered her room. The room was a simple as it was when she first arrived; she really had not bothered to spruce it up at all. She sat down on the edge of the bed, sighing to herself. It was funny, in a sense, that even though the ship was full of lively people, she still felt somewhat alone there. She understood that Sanek, Vareleer, and Solida had all done their best to make her feel welcome, and she was very grateful for that, but something was still missing from her life. It wasn't, of course, that she intended to find this on her voyage with the Alan Shepard...Rather, her purpose here was to gain some insight into what researchers actually do - the kinds of things they have to experience - as she was now a member of an organization that strove for scientific excellence. But, as exciting and different as all of this was, it ultimately would not fill the void that she felt deep within herself.

She lay back on the bed, resting her head against the pillow. Three Hours, she thought, that's plenty of time to take a nap...She slowly allowed herself to drift off to sleep, fully intending only for a brief rest, after which time she would get herself together and perhaps join the captain in the ship's lounge.

As Jessica left the bridge, Sanek walked to Vaareler's console for a few moments, studying the data on the screen. He then turned and entered the turbolift. As the doors hissed closed behind him, he turned to the panel.

"Deck three," he stated crisply.

The turbolift began moving, and in a few short moments deposited him at the apex of the corridor for deck three. Most of the officers of the ship were quartered here. Sanek made his way aft to his cabin, and entered it quickly; he grabbed his portable console and PADD from his desk, and then left once again.

Several minutes later, Sanek entered the lounge. He walked to the replicator and ordered a glass of water; since the standard time was in the middle of a duty day, the lounge bar was unattended. He took the glass and walked to a table near the large panoramic window, which currently showed the surreal smear of warp space.

Logging into his console, he began attentively scanning mathematical and quantum mechanic data along with astrophysic properties of various gravitational phenomenon. He frequently picked up his PADD and made rather involved calculations, noting the results with a nod or raised eyebrow.

As he studied, so engrossed was he with his work that he completely lost track of time.

Jessica opened her eyes and stretched, and then took note of the time. Approximately an hour had passed since she had come to her quarters to lay down. She was still a bit sleepy, but she did not wish to sleep away the entire time they had off. She stood, and collected her thoughts. That's right!, she thought, Sanek said he would be in the lounge. That was on deck three, if she recalled. She made her way out of her room, and walked to the lounge.

The lounge was empty - it was the middle of standard duty hours, after all - but one lone figure sat at the table near the window, engrossed in his own work. It was Sanek, of course. She walked up to the bar and ordered a cup of chamomile tea, and then proceeded to the table. She waited for a moment, and then asked: "Captain, do you mind if I join you for a bit?"

Deep in an involved calculation, Sanek did not hear Jessica's entry into the Lounge, or hear her order tea from the replicator. His first indication of her presence was as she stood next to the table and asked if she could join him. He looked up at her for a moment, and setting down his PADD, indicated one of the seats.

"Certainly, Chief Richards," he replied. "I was merely calculating the probable mass of the anomaly based on it's size against several possible hypothesis. I trust the absence of one of the crew at the beverage station did not inconvenience you," he added, noticing the tea she held.

"Oh, no, it's quiet alright, captain," she said, to answer his question. She sipped a bit of her tea and then smiled at him. "Even in a relaxed setting such as this, it seems you cannot escape your work, can you?" She meant, of course, for this to be more of a joke, now having gotten to understand his nature a bit better. "What have you determined about this probable mass?"

Sanek raised his eyebrow at her first question.

"The Lounge provides the opportunity to perform calculations without the distraction of command," he answered. "As to the mass of the anomaly, that is dependant upon further information that as yet is undisclosed. Pending the anomaly's initial composition, the central mass may be between one point seven three eight and three point nine six stellar masses in size. If this hypothetical calculation is correct, the anomaly is quite small to be having such a profound effect on the surrounding environment." He gently pushed his PADD and console to the side as he finished.

"What can I do for you?"

Jessica listened as Sanek explained, or attempted to explain, the findings they had made. She nodded politely and sipped her tea, smiling. As he finished, she answered his question, "I am not sure, captain. It just occurred to me that we still had a decent amount of time until we needed to prepare for our next set of readings, and I just felt drawn to come here and speak with you for a little while. Of course...If I am keeping you from some work you need to look into, I can find another way to occupy my time?"

"Negative, Chief Richards," he answered. "I have completed the calculations I came here to conduct. Further computations would become academic without more detailed information."

He reached for his glass of water and took a measured drink, setting it down upon the napkin that was already almost soaked with perspiration from the glass. He then settled himself back in his seat, and carefully folded his hands in front of his chest, his elbows resting on the arms of the chair.

"May I inquire as to your observations thus far of our voyage; or our research?" he asked.

"Observations in general or specifically about what we have discovered thus far?" She asked while sipping her tea in Sanek's company. "I would first say that I've had an interesting and enlightening time accompanying yourself and the crew of the Alan Shepard on this journey. As I may have once told you, it has been a few years since I last served on a ship, so it has been a nice change of pace for me. Yet, what really has been unique here," she sipped her tea once more, "is that I've had the ability to see how you conduct your research first hand, and even be a small, even if unhelpful, part of it all. I think it really has shown me a good bit of how this institute works." She sighed to herself contentedly for a moment, and thought about the anomalies they had seen so far. "I cannot precisely say what I think of these anomalies, as I can't myself pretend to understand all the science behind them, yet this latest one has been very fascinating...Is it the birth of a star, and maybe a star system, or is it something else entirely? Just thinking about it, to me, is an interesting experience."

"The fascination of expanding our knowledge of the Universe has ever been at the core of my existence," Sanek said clearly. "It is the primary reason I dedicate myself to science." Unclasping his hands, he took a small sip of water, and when finished, folded his fingers in front of his chest once again. "I must, however, remind you that the Alan Shepard and it's mission is only a small part of the Institute and what it encompasses. I would encourage you to conduct similar observations with Doctor Felth and Captain Stolliker; for medical and physiological sciences, as well as engineering and technological development, respectively." He shifted his weight in the chair for a moment before he continued.

"The composition of this anomaly is, indeed, fascinating," he began. "It contains elements of several different theorems, but does not adhere singularly to any one. It is, I must admit, the first time I have experienced a cosmic anomaly of this nature before. Additionally, should you still wish to assist, our research includes the deployment of probes to collect data once we reach our research destination."

Jessica nodded, taking into consideration what Sanek had suggested to her. She took another sip of her tea, and then gently placed the cup down on the table. "I can see your point. The Alpha Centauri Institute seems to be a multi-faceted organization, with many different aspects to it. As I understand it, some of our members aren't even military personnel, but rather are civilian diplomats or researchers. I could certainly see some benefit in accompanying Captain Stolliker or Dr. Felth on one of their missions, though I suppose I'd have to be able to find the time to do so; it was hard enough to find the time for this outing of ours. I wonder - do you think they would wish for me to join them?"

She took to heart what he told her about his own desires and reasons for being a scientist. "May I ask you how long you have been interested in science, captain? I know it is a large part of the lives of many Vulcans, but I figured, perhaps, you had your own story relating to your reasons?"

"I would imagine the Doctor, and especially Captain Stolliker, would only be too willing to share their work with you," Sanek answered. "Both officers are gifted in their chosen fields of expertise."

He paused for a moment as he listened to her second question. A very private people, it was uncommon for Vulcans to share such personal information; indeed, on Vulcan itself, such a question was considered quite rude. However, having spent a good portion of his adult life among humans and other races, he had come to accept such shocking questions as a matter of course. His only reaction initially was to raise his right eyebrow.

"An interesting, if somewhat understandable, query," he began a moment later. "I would normally hesitate to provide such information. I have learned, however, that such rigidity is not always practical." He unclasped his hands and took a swallow of water before he began.

"My initial introduction to science was at a young age, due to the influence of my parents. My mother was a scientist for the Vulcan Science Academy, while my father was a Starfleet officer, specializing in Cosmology and Astrophysics. He was later assigned as an assistant Science Officer aboard the U.S.S. Stargazer. My interest in science had it's roots during this period." He paused, considering how to continue. "My desire to study and pursue a career in Cosmic sciences was cultivated by my mid-school years, during which time part of the curriculum was the study of the accomplishments of Ambassador Spock. A gifted scientist, his influence in my decision was unmistakable." He paused again only to take another swallow of water. "Since the study of deep space is easier served under the authority of Starfleet, it was the logical decision to join Starfleet to continue my foray into deep space research science."

Jessica listened with great interest to Sanek's explanation of his interest in the sciences, nodding and smiling at him the whole time. She hoped, however, that she didn't hit a nerve with him. Admittedly, she did not know all the ins-and-outs of Vulcan culture, but she realized, after she had asked the question, that it might have been on more of a personal level than he was comfortable answering. Yet, he did choose to answer it, and that must have meant something. "Spock was a fascinating man," she said, nodding. "If anyone would be exemplary to follow as an example, I suppose it might be him. However, I am interested that your father was a science officer. Does he still serve, or has he since retired?" She thought her question was a good one, considering the life-spans of Vulcans.

If the Chief's initial questions were shocking to Vulcan sentimentality, her question regarding Sanek's father was even more so. For a brief moment his mind calculated through years of serving with humans and other races, and the questions directed at him over the years by them. In many cases, especially at first, he simply ignored the question and continued as if it had not been asked. The simple fact that those asking had been ignorant of the rude nature of their queries was not lost on him; none-the-less, it was still rather shocking. Over the years he had learned however that in dealing with other races, especially humans, their inquisitive nature offtimes lent to revealing information of a more personal nature. This was mostly due to their, to the Vulcan mind, irrational need to identify with their colleagues - whether it be in work, recreation, or relationships.

With the Chief, he understood - or at least he assumed he did - her motives. Her inquisitiveness was largely benign; a simple desire to know more about him. Due to his respect of her person he elected to answer her query, even while considering the emotional response he knew was to come.

"My father is dead," he began emotionlessly. "He died from an acute contraction of Choriocytosis late in the year 2408."

"I...I'm so sorry, Mr. Sanek," she said, completely lost for words now. It seemed that perhaps she had gotten a bit out of line with her questioning, perhaps a bit too personal, and she hoped that he would not take it as a personal affront against him. "Perhaps I should not have asked such a personal question." She returned to sipping her tea now, which was almost gone, and her gaze shifted beyond her guest and out into the space beyond the window. She had only been hoping to get to know more about the captain with which she had the honor to serve with these past few days, and she hoped she truly had not offended him somehow.

"No sorrow is required," Sanek replied. "Death is simply the next stage of existence. In any event, his Katra was saved, so his knowledge was not lost." He regarded her for a moment as she looked out the window. She had no way of knowing of course; from his dealings with other humans he was certain her emotional state was now troubled due to his answer to her query; the look on her face appeared to confirm it.

"If I may," he began, "do not allow your ignorance of my father's death to influence you. You could not have known; as such, your query was innocent." He picked up his glass and took a couple swallows of water; once he set it down he once again folded his hands and rested his elbows on the arms of the chair.

"Please, continue," he finished, watching her carefully.

Sanek was right, of course - she had no way of knowing that his father had died two years ago. She attempted a weak smile at Sanek, and then sipped what was left of her tea, placing the glass gently down on the table in front of her. "If his knowledge lives on, then the memories of him do as well. Perhaps that is what is important, right? I suppose, in some fashion, he will always be there..." She returned her focus to the table once more. "In any case, it seems you have a family here within the Alpha Centauri Institute and within the crew of your ship. Many people seem to rely on your leadership skill, your own personal knowledge, and, for what it's worth, your friendship..." To the latter comment, she thought for a moment about the feelings that Solida seemed to share for him. She looked at her empty glass and then back up at Sanek. "I think I might get another cup of tea - would you like some more water, captain?"

Sanek watched her as she spoke. Her comment regarding memories of deceased individuals made him consider for a brief moment the disparity in customs and beliefs different races had. To humans in particular, the memory of a lost friend or family member always seemed to transcend that lost one's knowledge; where, to a Vulcan, the memory of the one lost to death was far less important, even in some ways immaterial, to the knowledge that individual had catalogued during their life.

What was more interesting was her comments related to his crew. That his crew would look to him for leadership was only logical; he was, after all, their captain. This also coincided with his knowledge... as a science officer and scientist, most all of his crew - save for, perhaps, Vaareler - were less experienced, and did not have the knowledge he had as a result of experience and dedication to his career. This, again, was only logical. However, the possibility that his crew may look to him for some sort of emotional requirement regarding the nature of family bonds or friendship had never occurred to him. Certainly in Solida's case this was true in a much different way, but as he analyzed this more closely, the more odd the idea became.

His exposure to other races over the years had always been eye opening; but he had found that with humans in particular it was always an enlightening experience - even if in many cases no logical reasoning came from said enlightenment. In this case, he suddenly found he had something new to consider. He filed it away for further examination during meditation at another time.

"Negative," he answered, "I do not require more water at this time."

Jessica quietly nodded at Sanek and then stood up, making her way to the area behind the bar where the replicator could be found. She entered a quick sequence and, in just a moment, her cup was refilled with warm chamomile tea. She took the refilled cup and returned to her seat at the table. She sipped the tea and, after a moment, observed, "It seems we will be arriving at our destination before too terribly long. Are you..." her voice cut off here. She was about to say excited, but she knew that was probably not an emotion he would feel in regards to something like this. "...Curious as to what we will find?"

"I am understandably curious," Sanek replied. "I will state that I have not encountered an anomaly of this nature before. At this time we have insufficient data to catalog the anomaly; while several phenomenon exist whereas the anomaly is concerned for several different hypothesis, until more data is collected I must remain objective until the final results."

Sanek regarded her for a few more moments. It took him a moment to ask the question; what he was about to ask was considered quite rude from a Vulcan perspective. His experience with humans had taught him as well that continued dialog was important to their feeling of maintaining a connection to others. Out of respect for her, he intended to continue a dialog, however rude it may appear.

"I must ask you to forgive me for such a direct question," he began, "but if I may; what made you decide to join Starfleet? Specifically, to specialize in your chosen field?"

The chief smiled at Sanek, sipping her second cup of tea, before she offered an answer to him. "Earlier in my life I was unsure of what I really wanted to do. Initially, when I finished my secondary education, there was a part of me that was drawn to engineering - perhaps a creative side that I wished to apply to something worth-while. In fact, when I started my collegiate education, I initially began work in the field of computer system engineering. However...I suppose it took practice in the field in all of our training projects to realize that I wanted to do something with even wider-reaching consequences." She sat the cup down and gazed out the window for a moment. "I had always had a love of history, and wanted to pursue that, though I did not know exactly how it would apply to something later in life," she shrugged, "I guess, however, that is the enigma we all face in a way, yes? We each have certain passions we hold dear, but we don't know how they will carry over into our professional lives." She then looked at Sanek once more. "It was only when I was offered a fellowship to continue my education on the graduate level did I come to realize that studying matters of intelligence and security protocols would let me apply my worldly knowledge into a worth-while field. With the direction Star Fleet was moving at the time - all the conflicts within the Federation - I felt that serving would be better than remaining an academic at a university my whole life...But, as to why I chose to become a Warrant Officer rather than a standard commissioned officer? I think because I felt that, behind the scenes, I would do better - you know, preparing people for the many diplomatic issues they would face?" She returned to sipping her tea. "Of course, look where that has gotten me now - I'm doing the very thing that I originally had set out to avoid!"

Sanek listened politely as she spoke. When she finished, he watched her for a moment.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few; or the one," Sanek replied a moment later. "It is possible that you are in your present field because you are best suited for a career within it, despite what your personal reservations may be. It is only logical that one would gravitate toward what one does best."

"You have no idea how many times I have heard that expression, Mr. Sanek," she said, sipping her tea. "Yet, I do suppose it is correct; in fact, I have no doubt that it is correct. It's just that, well, I never intended to focus purely on battle tactics and the like. Although my training at the academy included tactical training, it was more so as it related to intelligence gathering methodology that would require field-work. However..." she thought for a moment, "The needs of Star Fleet and this organization do outweigh my own personal desires and, I think, given suitable time I will come to enjoy my work here more than I presently do."

She smiled at Sanek, and then thought about another question she had been thinking of. "I know this may also be of a personal nature, to a degree, but...May I ask you how you, a man of science, got drawn into being the Recruitment Director of the ACI? It's just...Not something I would have initially imagined you doing."

"Despite the number of times one hears the quotation, it nevertheless remains a truth," Sanek said. "Those who refuse to heed their inner selves offtimes find themselves lost in a quandary of self absorption that benefits no one; least of all themselves." He paused for a moment as he considered her question.

"In answer to your query, I must again quote from Surak," Sanek replied. "'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one'. The position was in need of an officer to fill it; I was available to perform the function as required. As such, I elected to volunteer myself for the office in order to assure the needs of the Institute were met."

Jessica should not have been surprised by his answer, though a part of her had wished, secretly hoped in fact, that there would be a deeper answer to it. Perhaps, she hoped, there would have been some part of him that had wanted to fulfill that role for some reason - perhaps even a calling to the task. And, in fact, it was still possible that was the case, but his own ways of thinking prevented him from fully expressing that. She shrugged. "I suppose, again, you are right. I know that whatever you set yourself out to complete, you will do a great job of it. I know that this organization is lucky to have you here recruiting for them."

Sanek considered her response for a moment; the term 'luck' and 'lucky' was one he still had difficulty in attributing a context to. From a purely logical perspective, luck was simply an illogical description for many things which individuals frequently ascribed it to. An affectation perhaps? An inability to logically define a set of circumstances with a specific result?

In this particular case it was most certainly not applicable in any context with which he could define. He looked at her for a moment before he replied to her comment.

"'Luck', as you refer to it, is not applicable in this case," he began. "My decision to undertake the assignment was simply borne of a desire to be as useful as possible to the Institute, to the Federation, and to the greater good. Success in the assignment is easily measured in the officers we have recently recruited who have all been possessed of superb skills in their chosen fields."

He paused for a moment as he leaned back slightly. "As indicated earlier, individuals are drawn to the paths wherein their greatest skills lay - we simply provide the avenue by which they find their path to the Institute."

It was easy to forget that she was speaking to a man who operated purely on a logical standing; after all, she had used the term luck without even truly considering that there was no such thing. "I'm sorry," she said, "I suppose it's just a common human term. Perhaps the better thing to have said would have been that your presence in the Alpha Centauri Institute will be of great benefit to them, and, likewise, they should consider it a priveledge to serve with you."

"The privilege to serve is mine," Sanek replied. "None-the-less, my thanks." He considered her line of questioning, and decided to pursue one of his own.

"Again I my apologize for my direct query," he began, "however, the same question I could direct to you; what reason did you have to accept the Captain of the Guard position within the Institute? It would seem in some ways to directly contradict your desire to avoid specific areas of work."

"This is an interesting question - one I have asked myself several times since accepting the posting." She sipped her tea thoughtfully for a moment, and then continued. "I think it is partially because I was assigned to the Alpha Centauri Institute during a rather tenuous moment in its history. As I was entering, a rather large shift in leadership was taking place, as Rear Admiral Sorvenn was stepping down for personal reasons and the former Guard Captain, Colonel Caitir, tendered her own resignation from this organization. Such a large shift in power left a vacuum that needed to be filled."

She gazed out into the starry expanse for a moment. Why had she taken the posting itself? Surely she could have allowed another to step up? Maybe, she thought, she was simply a glutton for punishment. "The natural question you may wish to ask next would be why I chose to put my name forward for the vacancy, when surely there were other candidates?"

Her attention returned to the table at which they now sat. "I believe it is because, despite my actual inclinations, there is a stronger part of me that sees the need to help others and to further the desires of Star Fleet and those with which I serve. In some regards, I don't think I was the best possible candidate, having little experience commanding a ship or the like, but I knew that I could actually see the matter through - receive any needed training - if I put my mind to it. And, since no one else really stepped up within the initial application period, I feel that it was, perhaps, the best choice for all involved."

Sanek listened to her explanation. When she finished, he leaned forward slightly and put his weight on his forearms on the table.

"I will state a truth that you yourself have stated, while I also quote Ambassador Spock," he began. "'Nature abhors a vacuum.' Your assignment was, despite your reservations, the logical choice. As indicated earlier, one always gravitates towards that at which they excel. Your own description of your inclinations clearly substantiate that fact. The 'best possible candidate,' as to which you refer, is not always the obvious one."

"I believe you are correct, captain. And besides - I don't think I would trade the experiences that I've had with this organization for anything...I've met some fine officers and individuals, and have so far had a wonderful time, both personal and professional, so I can see no reason to regret my decision." She took a final sip of her tea and placed the cup on the saucer before her, then noted the time. "We've been talking for quite a while - I had nearly lost track of time. Perhaps we should make any final preparations that we need to before we reach our next destination?"

Glancing at the chronometer, Sanek realized how much time had passed. There was only approximately twenty minutes until they reached their destination.

"You are correct, Chief Richards," he said. He began to collect his PADD and notes. "I have matters that require my attention; I will meet you on the bridge in twenty minutes." He nodded to her slightly and stood.

"Of course, captain," she said, rising from her seat. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. It was very informative and enjoyable. I can think of nothing better to have spent that time doing." She nodded his way and then made her way out of the lounge and down the corridor to the turbolift. She passed a few of Sanek's crewmen on the way, nodding at each of them as they went about their tasks. When she entered the turbolift, she said "Bridge."

The lift made its way upward, lights quickly passing it on its ascent into the upper portions of the ship. It only took a moment or two for it to reach its destination. As the door parted, she noticed that several of the ship's bridge officers were already in their positions, performing various tasks at their consoles. Was it that they were early, or was it that they had not left their stations at all? Either way, she walked onto the bridge and nodded at those present, waiting for the captain to return to his chair.

Sanek left the lounge behind Jessica, and turned the opposite way. A couple minutes later had him entering his quarters where he set his PADD aside on his desk. He stood for a moment, looking out the porthole to the smear of warp space as his mind went over calculations and analyzed each in turn. This anomaly intrigued him, and he admitted that he was extremely curious as to it's makeup and composition. His calculations had revealed to him one specific plausibility - but he had decided to keep that information to himself until the data could support the hypothesis. After all, without the data any continued conjecture was academic.

He quickly stepped behind his desk and sat, logging onto the console. He spend the next two minutes finalizing some paperwork and the preliminary report files for the first two anomalies they had researched. When he had completed those tasks, he logged off the console, stood, and left his quarters. He walked the few steps forward to the main turbolift, which opened as he approached. He entered, and as the doors closed behind him he turned to the panel.

"Bridge," he stated crisply.

A moment later the doors opened to reveal the bridge. Commander Vaareler turned and noticed him. She stood as he approached, and stepping aside addressed the crew. "Captain on the bridge." She turned and stepped to her console.

Nodding to Chief Richards as he sat, Sanek noted everyone was present. "As you were," he stated. He turned to Ensign Lyradis. "Status," he queried.

"Eleven minutes to destination," she said quickly.

"Very well," Sanek replied. He turned in his seat and acknowledged Vaareler. "Inform all stations we will be going to Yellow Alert when we reach our research point."

"Yes sir," she replied, and quickly tapped out a series of commands on her console. A moment later she looked up at Sanek. "All departments receive and will comply."

Sanek nodded.

"Ten minutes," Ensign Lyradis reported.

"Yellow alert, Captain? What exactly are we expecting to happen at this relatively close distance to the anomaly?" There was obviously a bit of apprehension in her voice as she asked that question, as she truly did wonder what Sanek expected to encounter.

She turned and walked over to the console she had been manning previously, and smiled at Vaareler. "Same routine as last time, Ms. Vaareler?"

Vaareler turned to her. "Correct, Chief Richards," she replied tonelessly.

Sanek waited until Vaareler had finished. "The Yellow Alert is standard Starfleet protocol when approaching any scenario where uncertainties lay that may endanger the ship or it's crew. Once we have ascertained the level of danger, that alert will be re-evaluated."

The next ten minutes passed relatively slowly for everyone. Each crew member was busy with their own duties. Lyradis continued to provide status reports of the time to reach their destination, while Vaareler worked on the science package and provide status reports on that. After what felt like an interminable time period, Lyradis finaly reported what everyone had been waiting for.

"Captain, we are coming out of warp... now."

There was a slight change in the feel of the ship and an almost imperceptible lurch as the ship came out of warp and the artificial gravity compensated for the shift in kinetic energy. Sanek turned to Commander Thryiss. "All decks, Yellow Alert."

"Aye sir," she responded, and a few moments later, with a single siren whoop, the bridge dimmed with yellow illuminations across the ceiling. "All decks report Yellow Alert," Thryiss reported a moment later. Commander Vaareler then spoke up.

"Holding precisely one billion kilometers from anomaly center," she reported.

"Very well," Sanek replied. "Put the anomaly on screen; normal magnification."

"Yes sir," she answered, and tapped a few keys. A moment later the viewscreen displayed the same anomaly they had looked at earlier. It was obviously much closer as it nearly filled the viewscreen, it's upper and lower sections cut off by the top and bottom of the viewscreen itself. The accretion disk was much more distinct at this range; brightly illuminated near the inner edge. The anomaly itself was still that same almost black color, with distinct distortions around the outer edges similar to a water ripple effect. The center of the anomaly was much clearer as well; it looked like a constantly changing orb of dim light that changed it's luminosity and appearance regularly.

Sanek watched it for a moment before he turned to Vaareler. "Scan," he said. "Maximum resolution, on all spectrums."

"Yes sir," she replied. She tapped and typed on several panels for a few moments. "Scanning now," she said.

(Edited for mean research distance correction)

When the ship dropped out of warp, Jessica paid close attention to Vaareler's instructions and did exactly as she was told. She gazed in awe, however, at the large object that was now on the screen, and she still had many questions about it.

"Captain - have you decided exactly what we are looking at? This thing is...still rather amazing to me."

"Negative," Sanek replied. "However, we should be able to classify the object within the next several minutes."

A few moments later Vaareler looked up. "Sir," she said, "I have preliminary results now."

"Proceed," Sanek stated.

"Preliminary scans indicate data consistent with our previous collated information," she began. "The anomaly displays a strong gravitational field, which accounts for the gravitational lensing effect. The strength to mass ratio, however, is inconsistent with black hole mechanics. Additionally, there is, as projected prior, an abnormal amount of X-ray radiation being emitted from the object. I can, as yet, not discern any apparent event horizon - which one would expect given the immediate conclusions." She paused for a brief moment. "The gravitational field is strong enough that scans cannot determine the interior makeup of the object, nor the center."

Sanek turned to face Vaareler for a moment. "Very well," he said. He then turned to Jessica. "Chief Richards, if you would please launch a class eight probe; target the anomaly center."

"Of course, captain," Jessica replied, pressing the appropriate items on the console in front of her to complete the task at hand. "Probes deployed, Mr. Sanek."

"Thank you," Sanek replied, and stepped next to Vaareler to review a data screen.

Shortly after Jessica launched the probe, the primary display begin to fill with data. Most of it was numerical or mathematical data, but the one thing immediately recognizable was the timestamp for each entry. The probe sent back information data packets that had two timestamps by the time they were displayed; the first was the moment the data packet was sent by the probe, and the second was the moment the ship received the packet from the probe. The data cascaded down the display in what appeared to be a normal fashion... the mathematical information changing slightly on the gravimetric line as well as the thermal, x-ray, gamma ray, and other fields as the range counted down. Each data packet was sent in intervals of ten seconds.

Things progressed at what was assumed to be a normal pace until the range counted down to just under one hundred million kilometers. Just at that moment the gravimetric data began to get exponentially larger with each packet, while the x-ray and gamma ray data also climbed, but at a slower rate. The strange thing however, was that the packets seemed to be received more and more slowly. Further scrutiny showed that as the probe continued, the timestamp for the probe entries seemed to be behind the received timestamp - in other words, the probe data was being sent after the ship apparently received it.

This continued also at an exponential rate, until the packets were taking so long to be received that they were coming almost a minute and longer between each one... the gap growing quickly.

"What's going on, Captain?" Jessica asked, with a bit of surprise in her voice. "How can we be getting data before it was sent to us by the probes?"

Sanek's right eyebrow raised for a moment, and he stepped around Vaareler to observe the data displaying on Jessica's screen. He watched for a moment, then raised his eyebrow again.

"Fascinating," he stated. He stepped forward slightly, and reached for one of the displays to the side of Jessica. His fingers fairly flew across the keys as data flashed across the sub-display quickly - he seemed to absorb it all, lost in calculations and mathematics for several moments before he stepped back.

"Intriguing," he said. He spoke up, louder than normal. "Ladies and Gentlemen, my hypothesis was correct. What we are observing is, quite simply, a naturally occurring wormhole."

There were gasps of astonishment; several of the crews facial expressions clearly showed the amazement at Sanek's announcement.

"The resultant mathematical data provided by the probe is conclusive," he continued, "The gravity well is strong enough to displace time. The deeper the probe fell through the anomaly the further time was displaced by each resultant data packet. This of course in and of itself does not substantiate the hypothesis; however, the remaining data related to the anomaly radius, the accretion disk, and other information is conclusive."

"Well, if that's the case, shouldn't we be able to launch a probe through the wormhole and get more data from it?" Ensign Lyradis asked.

"Negative," Sanek replied. "A wormhole operates on cosmic mechanics similar to a black hole. Once the wormhole is entered, no data can be transmitted out until the opposite side is reached; which, of course means transmission back through the hole is also impossible. However," he continued, "this particular anomaly has properties which are intriguing; it is actually ejecting strong x-ray and gamma ray emissions, which is direct contravention of standard black hole mechanics. Oddly enough, the properties are more in tune with a white hole hypothesis - however, that possibility does not fit the current data."

The crew stared at the anomaly for a few moments as Sanek finished.

"Well, if it's a wormhole, we should be able to travel through it, and back, correct?" Commander Celeel asked.

"Again, negative," Sanek replied. "Unlike the Deep Space Nine wormhole, the properties here clearly indicate a wormhole with an unstable mass. As such, our exit could be anywhere - which could leave us stranded. Furthermore, the possibility exists that matter traveling through the center of the wormhole could cause it to collapse."

"Which would mean..." Celeel asked slowly.

"The collapse of the singularity at the center of the object," Vaareler replied. "In essence, the collapse into a black hole." Vaareler then turned to Sanek before anyone else could speak. "Sir, I would like to inform you as well that the area around us has quite a bit of cosmic matter; dust, rocks, and asteroids."

"Danger to the vessel?" Sanek queried.

"Minimal at best," Vaareler replied. "I am monitoring the trajectories of the larger objects and will inform you should I find any sort of collision to be evident."

"Very well," Sanek replied.

"This is amazing," Jessica stated, still a bit in surprise. "I've never seen a wormhole that occurred naturally...How does it form, and...Well, what is it?" There was a lot of the physics behind such an anomaly that she really did not understand. She looked inquisitively at Sanek before asking her last question, "Is there any way to calculate where it would take us, captain?"

Sanek turned to look at Jessica for a moment. "The mechanics of how wormholes form is still hypothetical science," he replied. "That is the primary reason why, when such anomalies are encountered, we endeavor to study them for as long as possible. As to what a wormhole is - essentially, a doorway that leads from one area of the universe into another area, in many cases at extreme distance; simplified, of course."

He stepped back slightly, and glanced at the viewscreen before he continued. "Unstable wormholes typically, if traversable at all, can deposit a traveler anywhere. Stable wormholes such as at Deep Space Nine have a specific, static, point in the universe where the opposite side exits."

He turned to Vaareler. "Continue scanning, standard research programs."

"Yes Captain," Vaareler replied.

"Then I must ask you, captain, how there can be a 'hole' in three-dimensional space? That is an issue that is hard to wrap my non-scientific mind around," she smiled.

"Wormhole mechanics are most easily explained utilizing quantum physics and mathematics," Sanek began. "The assumption that three dimensional space is 'as we see it' is simply that - an assumption. When one applies intense gravitational forces, as well as multi-dimentional mechanics as a result, to spacetime, it changes the nature of spacetime." He glanced back at the viewscreen before he continued. "I must apologize however; there is no simplified answer to your query without involving quantum physics and mathematics equations."

Before he could continue, there was a beep from Vaareler's console. She glanced at it, and then looked up at Sanek. "Sir," she said, "the data scan has completed it's first pass."

"Very well," Sanek replied. "Display the data on the forward viewscreen." He turned to face the screen as Vaareler complied. The screen suddenly shifted from a view of the apparent wormhole anomaly to a series of graphs and tables. He scrutinized the screen for a several moments. "Fascinating," he stated. "This anomaly appears to be, based on the data provided, the exit from a distant entry point. As you can see, it indicates a commonality with white whole mechanics; however, there is enough data to suggest the anomaly itself is mostly likely drawing it's energy and matter from the other side of the bridge."

"How so?" inquired Commander Thryiss.

"The anomaly itself is not consistent with standard gravitational mechanics for black holes for one," he replied. "Where that the case, even our current location would be dangerously close to the event horizon. The time displacement however does suggest the presence of a singularity of significant mass. For such a singularity to exist, it must be drawing matter to itself. We can therefore conclude that if the necessary matter required to sustain the singularity is not being drawn from this end of the bridge, then logically it must be drawn from the opposite end."

Tufap turned from his console for a moment as he commented. "Additionally, this would explain the X-Ray emission strength as well," he stated. "Were the singularity drawing matter from this end of the bridge, the X-Ray emissions could not escape the event horizon."

"Correct," Sanek stated. "Commander Vaareler, please continue all scans."

"Certainly Captain," she replied.

"I suppose that just goes to show how limited-minded we can often be," Jessica said with a shrug. "I guess I've always had trouble imagining how two points in three-dimensional space can meet and therefore overlap with each other. I have, of course, seen the 'sheet of paper demonstration,' but that really doesn't help, since the paper is, for all practical purposes, two-dimensional."

She looked at the information on the graph on the screen, seeing what she could make of it. "Perhaps this is a concept I will have to do some additional reading regarding, but maybe that was the whole purpose of this mission? To get to see something mysterious and hope to gain a better understanding of it?"

At Jessica's comment, Sanek turned and raised his right eyebrow. "I would not classify ignorance of a subject one is unfamiliar with as being of a limited mind," he stated. "To answer your query however; indeed, this anomaly is an ideal candidate for the true purpose of our scientific work. Further investigation and research will provide data that can assist in cataloging and further identifying future cosmic anomalies that are encountered by the Federation."

"Captain," Vaareler said then, "I have more data from the continued scans. I have isolated an interesting fact; the X-Ray emissions have dropped in strength by thirty-seven point nine eight percent since our initial imaging of the anomaly three hours and six minutes ago. Further analysis indicates those levels are continuing to drop at an exponential rate."

Sanek immediately turned to face Vaareler. "Display the data on the main viewscreen," he ordered. A moment later the graphs and tables changed somewhat to display a different set of information. Sanek perused the data for a moment.

"Sir, rate of decrease is accelerating," Vaareler informed Sanek.

He turned back to Vaareler. "Display gravimetric data as well as X-Ray emission data; half screen. Put the anomaly back on the viewer - left side, visible spectrum."

Vaareler tapped several keys for a moment before the request was completed. The graphs changed to two large graphs on the right side of the viewscreen... the one labeled X-Ray had a continuing curve that dropped to the bottom fairly quickly. The other one, labeled Gravimetric, showed the opposite effect - a steadily climbing line, increasing the further to the right.

What was interesting was the current view of the anomaly to the left. It almost appeared to be larger, and it was noticeably darker. The odd light in the center of the anomaly was now barely visible. The strange, almost ripple around the edges of the anomaly appeared to have become far more pronounced.

Jessica knew that Sanek was right, of course, but this just wasn't her area of expertise - not by a longshot. Yet, despite that fact, she found great amusement in studying these sorts of things - perhaps it was merely a quest for knowledge and understanding? If that was true, then perhaps she and Sanek were not all that different?

"Hmmmmmmm..." She began, obviously a little lost in thought. "What does that mean? Is there some kind of gravitational force that is increasing to the point where the emission of X-Rays are slowing down?" She wondered if perhaps this was a foolish question.

Sanek was about to answer Jessica when Vaareler interrupted.

"Sir," she began, "we are beginning to swing out of position. The gravitational pull is increasing enough to envelope the vessel."

Sanek began to turn to face Vaareler when a gasp from several members of the bridge crew stopped him. He turned back around to face the viewscreen once again.

As everyone watched, the anomaly began to darken more and more noticeably. At almost the same time, the center object, dimly lit at best up to this point, suddenly winked out and disappeared. Almost immediately the anomaly began to grow quickly, and became a pitch black orb. The ripple effect around it's edges became extremely pronounced - and at the same time the accretion disk around the anomaly began to glow brighter.

All this happened within seconds. The now huge black orb grew quickly until it filled the viewable space on the screen.

Sanek turned immediately to Ensign Lyradis. "Bring us about," he said loudly. "Put the anomaly on our stern; proceed to warp six as soon as possible."

Transfixed, Lyradis stared at the viewscreen with what appeared to be mounting horror... a similar look on several other faces on the bridge.

"Ensign!" Sanek snapped. "Execute now!"

"Aye... aye aye sir," she said shakily, and began tapping keys.

"Captain, our position is critical," Vaareler reported. "We are currently being pulled towards the anomaly by factor of one tenth a gravitational unit per one thousand meters; the increase is exponential."

"Give me a report of cosmic objects in our vicinity, now," Sanek stated quickly. While Vaareler tapped a few keys Sanek turned to Commander Gyphid. "Monitor our power levels. Maintain shields."

"Aye Captain," Gyphid stated.

"Sir," Vaareler said, with some intensity, "the gravitational pull has begun to pull more dust and debris into the anomaly. There are several large asteroids in our immediate vicinity-"

Sanek turned quickly to Lyradis, cutting Vaareler off. "Our position, Ensign?" he queried.

"The gravitational field is holding us - I have executed the maneuver on our yaw axis. A few more seconds." Her voice was still shaky.

"Captain!" Thryiss shouted. "Our momentum has carried us-"

There was a sudden, horrific lurch, followed by a distant thunder. Almost immediately several consoles, Commander Gyphid's and Commander Thryiss' in particular, exploded in a shower of sparks and debris; both of them threw themselves backward, their hands raised protectively. The lurch caused almost everyone on the bridge not seated to lose their footing. The lights flickered and then went out - immediately afterward emergency lighting engaged, shedding dim light across the bridge.

Sanek, on one knee near the center of the bridge, turned to view Gyphid and Thryiss for a moment before he turned back to Vaareler.

"Damage report," he stated crisply.

As the ship rocked and consoles nearby exploded, Jessica fell to the ground, having lost her footing. She was rather dazed, her head having slammed fairly hard into the floor. It took her a moment to regain her composure, and she made an effort to sit up, patting her forehead and finding blood in return on her fingertips. She would probably have to visit sickbay later on, but for now she seemed alright. She grabbed a nearby chair for support and managed to stand shakily back up.

"What was that, Sanek?!" Panic was in her voice, yet one could still detect a hint of curiosity. Yet, Richards didn't really give the captain much of a chance to answer, as she hurried her way over to two of the officers who had been blown back during the event. Their consoles were heavily damaged, it seemed, but Jessica was far more worried about them. She quickly made her way to Commander Gyphid, kneeling down beside him and looking him over. He seemed a bit dazed and confused, his forehead also covered in blood and some sparken-ash. She undid the top of her uniform coat, removing it (though still wearing a white undershirt), and proceeded to roll it up and place it under his head to make him a bit more comfortable.

"Commander...Are you alright?"

"Captain," Vaareler said as she recovered from falling, "collating the data now."

Commander Gyphid mumbled something to Jessica before he coughed once, his antennae twitching. "I'm alright," he gasped weakly, and put his hand to his head. Celeel had rushed to Thryiss... he looked her over quickly before he pulled off his own uniform overshirt and placed it under her head. "Commander Thryiss is unconscious," he shouted, "I think she has a broken arm."

Sanek had regained his feet and was walking quickly to his chair. "Noted, Commander," he stated.

Vaareler spoke up at that moment. "Captain, our port warp nacelle has been severely damaged, apparently by collision with a solid object. The damage caused a feedback into the warp core which brought the warp core offline. We are currently on auxiliary power."

Sanek looked at Vaareler quickly as he reached the captain's chair. "Time to restore power?" There was an urgency in his voice that unsettled much of the rest of the bridge crew.

"Engineering reports approximately two minutes," Vaareler reported. "Sir, our situation has-"

"I am aware of the gravity of our situation, Commander," Sanek cut her off. He turned to Lyradis. "Status?"

She glanced away from the viewscreen after a moment, which was completely filled by the anomaly... showing nothing more than a pitch black screen. "Sir, the apparent impact swung us around to the starboard ninety-two degrees. I have been able to retard our yaw, but without power I will be unable to regain our departure vector for another three minutes."

"We don't have three minutes," Sanek stated. Several of the bridge crew looked up at Sanek quickly, concern on their faces.

"Captain," Vaareler said, "our descent towards the anomaly continues to increase; I can now confirm the anomaly has in fact collapsed. My calculations indicate we have less than two minutes and thirty-seven seconds before the vessel is drawn beyond the event horizon."

While Vaareler spoke, the bridge crew began to notice a peculiar sensation. It felt as if the floor of the vessel had begun to tilt towards the rear of the ship... as if the gravity had begun to shift towards the rear of the ship. It was a slight sensation, but enough to be noticeable. Crew all over the bridge began to lean away from the sensation unconsciously, holding on to consoles or snapping their chair safety belts closed.

Sanek was clutching the back of his seat. He instantly grasped the critical nature of the situation. Before he had a chance to reach for the intercom button, the speakers crackled to life.

"Bridge, Engineering," an unfamiliar voice called out.

"Engineering, this is the captain; report," Sanek ordered.

"We almost have the mains back online; however, we're reading an increasingly immense draw of power from the artificial gravity system-"

"Disable the artificial gravity compensators," Sanek ordered shortly.

"But sir-"

"Do it now!" Sanek almost shouted. He looked quickly up at Vaareler. "Bring the shields offline."

"Aye sir," she replied, and tapped a few buttons.

Suddenly, almost as if a rug was yanked from beneath everyone on the ship, the gravity shifted almost instantly towards the rear of the vessel. Everyone who hadn't grabbed onto a console or seated immediately fell and tumbled towards the back of the bridge. Thryiss and Celeel both rolled and crashed hard into the rear bulkhead, Celeel groaning as he held his head. Tufap clung to wall, while Vaareler held on to the outer edge of her console with one hand, frantically tapping buttons with the other. Everything that was not fixed in position fairly flew of it's surface, hit the floor and bounced across the bridge to crash into the rear bulkhead.

Sanek had thrown his arms around his chair, and was attempting to maintain what footing he could. "Ensign Lyradis, report," he gasped.

"Sir," she said, leaned back into her seat, "forty-two seconds to departure vector."

Gyphid had informed Jessica that he was okay, but she had insisted that he remain lying down and take it easy for a few moments. "Just relax for a moment, Commander. Let's just take it easy and not push ourselves, okay?" There was a bit of concern in her eyes as she watched him. She was focused on Gyphid when suddenly there was a massive change in gravity on the ship, and she, within just a brief moment, found herself plummeting through the air towards the back end of the bridge. With a large "clunk" she hit the thick wall, which knocked the wind out of her. Yet, she wasn't the only person there - several others had suffered a similar fate. Now, pressed against the back of the wall, she was dazed rather hard (still reeling from the bump to the head), and slowly began to phase in and out of consciousness as she heard the captain giving orders to his staff...

The gravitational pull was getting stronger. Most of those still seated began to feel their own weight bear on them as they grew heavier with each passing moment... those still desperately clinging to consoles began to lose grip and slide across the floor to slam into the rear bulkhead.

Just as Sanek pulled himself higher there was another sudden lurch. A distant, hollow boom sounded through the hull... several more consoles popped and burst in a shower of sparks, the debris raining backwards.

Vaareler, her strength as a Vulcan the only think keeping her clinging to the console, quickly tapped a few keys. "Captain," she gasped with effort, "we've lost the dish array. It appears as if it was struck by an object... damage reports show critical hull ruptures forward of number twelve bulkhead on decks ten and eleven; they have been contained thus far."

Sanek nodded. The effort required to maintain his grip on his seat was fast becoming more and more difficult. "Ensign Lyradis!" he said loudly. "Status?"

"Sir," she gasped weakly, her body crushing in against itself in her chair, "ten seconds."

"On my mark," Sanek wheezed, "slowly accelerate to full impulse power."

"Sir," she said, the effort clear, "not... to... warp?"

"Negative," Sanek gasped, and almost slipped from the chair. "Not until... my... mark."

"Aye sir," she responded weakly. "Accelerating... now."

With the inertial dampening field still functioning despite the disengagement of the compensators, the increase in momentum was scarcely felt by the crew. However, as the ship's impulse engines began to accelerate, the increasing force generated against the gravitational pull caused the vessel to essentially get pulled in two directions. With a hideous grating noise and shrieks of metal, the vessel began to shudder violently, the noise quickly becoming overpowering.

"Captain," Lyradis attempted to shout, barely heard over the din, "impulse at one half, and accelerating."

"Sir," Vaareler shouted, "we are retarding our fall; we should gain zero momentum in five seconds, to begin forward momentum in six." She was barely hanging on to the console now... the shuddering of the ship making handholds difficult.

Sanek nodded, desperately clinging to the rear of his captain's chair.

"Impulse at three quarters," Lyradis gasped.

The shuddering din increased. Consoles began to crack... several burst in blasts of sparks and debris. Several sections of bulkhead began to shudder loose and fall backwards against the bulkhead, striking some of the bridge crew.

All across the vessel bulkheads began to pull apart from one another... on almost all decks hull breach klaxons sounded above the deafening shriek and shudder of tearing metal and falling debris. Automatic hull breach safeguards closed each one as they occurred. As the acceleration of the ship continued, the shuddering worsened. On the bridge, Sanek finally lost his grip because of it and fell backward against the rear bulkhead, striking hard and coming to rest near Jessica and Gyphid.

"Captain!" Vaareler shouted, "our forward momentum is increasing! We are leaving the gravitational influence-" with a sudden jerk she as well flew backward against the bulkhead, and, hitting hard, was knocked unconscious.

"Lyradis!" Sanek shouted hoarsely over the din, holding a battered left shoulder.

"Full impulse now, captain," she shouted weakly.

The events of the next few moments became nothing more than a distant dream to Jessica as she faded in and out of consciousness. She heard explosions, felt the rumbling of the ship, and noticed that it felt as if they were being pulled in several directions. Yet, despite all of this, she was unable to do anything to help Sanek and his crew, and she felt entirely powerless and weak. She hated feeling this way, but there seemed little she could do about it. Yet, she was awoken by a nearby thud as Sanek flew to the back of teh Bridge where she and Gyphid now rested.

She turned to him, trying to offer a weak smile, and said: "I'm...Sorry Sanek...I wish there were more that I...could do."

As the ship slowly but increasingly moved further from the singularity, the shuddering began to lessen somewhat. Additionally, the gravitational pull began to lessen, allowing more freedom of movement to the crew. Sanek acknowledged Jessica with a look... there was nothing she could do. Indeed, there was nothing anyone could do at this moment save Ensign Lyradis - their survival depended solely upon her.

Above the continued shuddering of the ship, Sanek shouted to Lyradis. "Ensign; Forward velocity?"

"Sir," she answered, somewhat more easily with the gravity less pronounced, "we are coming... upon... one half... impulse speed and... increasing."

"At full... impulse, engage warp... one," Sanek called.

"Aye captain," she shouted hoarsely as the panel to her immediate right exploded in a blast of sparks, causing her to flinch and throw her arm up protectively.

For the next few moments, the pull of the singularity lessened more and more. Crew members were able to move about... Celeel moved to assist Commander Thryiss once again, while Tufap half slid and half walked to Vaareler, where he began to administer what aid he could. The shuddering of the vessel slowly began to cease. Alarm klaxons still sounded, with the ship's computer constantly stating hull breach information.

Sanek crawled across the floor until he reached his chair... pulling himself up he stabbed at the intercom button. "Engineering, report!" he called over the still horrific noises of the vessel.

There was a brief pause, then a gasping voice replied. "Sir, Ensign Barnes reporting."

"Status of warp core; advise warp speed status within one minute," Sanek said loudly.

"Sir, the warp core has sustained minor damage, but is functional. There is-" A loud pop followed by shouts suddenly sounded in the intercom, which was followed by someone shouting orders close to the speaker. Then Ensign Barnes continued. "I'm sorry sir; there is the possibility that the starboard warp nacelle may fail if we go higher than warp four."

"Understood. Bridge out." Sanek turned to Lyradis. "Status?"

The gravity was almost normal now. Those bridge officers that could had quickly moved to whatever station they could that was undamaged.

"Ten seconds, Captain," she answered. A few moments later she stated "Captain, warp one... now."

There was an imperceptible change in the ship and it's gravity. Almost immediately the minor shuddering and shaking of the vessel stopped as the vessel smoothly accelerated away from the gravitational envelope that had very nearly pulled it to it's demise.

Sanek stood and looked around. The bridge was in shambles. Fully have the consoles were smashed or otherwise damaged. Debris littered the rear half of the bridge. Several ceiling bulkheads had pulled free of their riveting behind the facade and wires hung down in several places. The forward viewscreen itself was cracked and appeared inoperative. Still under emergency lighting, what was left of the bridge looked barely capable of operating the ship. He doubted the rest of the vessel was in much better shape.

Several of the bridge crew were assisting injured members of the bridge crew. Vaareler now appeared to be conscious, with Tufap applying one of the first aid applicants to an apparent injury to her jaw.

Turning around, he quickly knelt to Jessica. Favoring his injured left shoulder, he took off his overcoat and used it to assist her with staunching the flow of blood from her forehead.

"Chief Richards," he asked quietly in the almost surreal silence, "how is your injury?"

Solida's mind was filled with worry, knowing that Sanek was on the bridge when all of this happened. She had thankfully been in Sickbay at the time, and was able to get low to the ground and safely brace herself as the gravity shifted in the ship. Yet, she wondered what happened to the other crew members - were they so fortunate? As she rose from where she had lay down during the incident, she quickly went to the communications terminal and opened a frequency to the Bridge.

"Sanek?" Her voice was obviously filled with worry, and she made no attempt to mask this. "Sanek?!" Please reply! PLEASE!" She didn't know what she would do if something had happened to him...

"Oh...I...Thank you, Captain," she said, keeping still so as not to hurt herself even further. "I have been through worse, and I think I will be fine..." As she spoke, she heard a familiar voice coming across the comms, and she nodded at Sanek.

"I think you might want to answer that - she sounds pretty worried."

"Indeed; she is obviously emotionally distressed," Sanek stated. After ensuring Jessica was alright, he stood and walked to the captain's chair. On the way he looked over to Tufap.

"When you are finished with Commander Vaareler, please take her station," he instructed. "Began a damage assessment."

"Certainly, Captain," Tufap responded dispassionately as he finished up administering first aid to Vaareler.

As Sanek reached the chair, he pressed the intercom button. "Medical, this is the Captain. Status report please."

Solida was relieved to hear Sanek's voice over the comms, her stress and worry now changing a bit to anger. What's going on? Is everyone okay? She paused, wanting to calm down before she answered.

"Sanek? You are asking ME for a status report?! Just what is going on - what happened?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, several of the bridge crew attempted to carefully conceal their smiles at Solida's response. Her disregard of standard protocols when upset was rather well known, as was Sanek's stoic toleration of it.

"Correct, Doctor," Sanek responded, "I require an assessment as to your medical staff, and any injured crew members that may already be under your care." He looked around once again at the wreckage of the bridge. "As to what has occurred; the vessel has just escaped the gravitational field of a hitherto unknown, and unexpected, singularity. I will deliver a full report to the crew once I ascertain the full extent of the damage." He took his finger off the intercom button.

"Sir," Lieutenant Tufap stated from the rear science display, "I have a preliminary damage and casualty report."

"Proceed," Sanek ordered.

"Certainly sir," he began. "Structural integrity of the vessel is compromised over approximately forty-six point nine three percent of the hull. There are currently eleven hull breaches of varying severity across nine decks; of these, eight are minor cracks, three are small sized apertures, and one - on deck seven - is a large hole. All have been successfully contained. The port warp nacelle is severely damaged and inoperable. The sensor suite has been destroyed. Both appear to have been struck by cosmic objects once the gravitational field began pulling in nearby debris. The warp core has displayed a crack, but is holding steadily - engineering states they can contain the damage as long as we do not exceed warp four point six." He paused for a moment. "There is moderate to severe damage due to the shaking of the vessel across all interior decks. Fires erupted on decks six and twelve, but have been contained. Emergency lighting is all that is available across all decks for illumination. The forward turbolift is damaged and inoperable below deck six. The rear turbolift car appears to be damaged enough that movement is impossible. I will prepare a full list of interior damage for your perusal, sir." He cleared his throat before he continued. "Lastly, current casualty figures state seventy-seven light injuries, and twelve serious injuries that include broken bones and head trauma. No department reports missing or deceased personnel."

Gently probing his injured shoulder, Sanek listened impassively to the report. When Tufap was finished, Sanek nodded.

"Very well," he stated. "Keep me informed as more detailed information becomes available." He turned to Lyradis. "Ensign, increase to warp three point five. Smartly. Lay in a course for Earth Spacedock."

"Aye sir," Lyradis replied. The sound of her voice clearly showed she was exhausted.

Turning to the back of the bridge, Sanek eyed the injured. "Commander Celeel, Ensign Oefoosyoo; with the other two bridge crew, please escort Chief Richards, Commander Thryiss, Commander Gyphid, and Commander Vaareler to Medical for attention."

All four officers responded as they began to assist the injured personnel to their feet.

Sanek turned back to Lieutenant Tufap. "Communications status," he queried.

"Communications is impossible sir," Tufap responded. "With the destruction of the sensor suite, the vessel does not have the capability to transmit long range subspace signals."

"Understood," Sanek stated. His mind quickly analyzed the situation; at present speed it would be forty-two hours sixteen minutes before the Alan Shepard reached Sol. Provided, of course, the vessel held together that long.

"Lieutenant," Sanek began, "inform each department to organize damage control parties immediately; I want them concentrating on hull breaches and hull integrity damage as a priority."

"Aye sir," Tufap stated, and began to tap out the orders.

Solida sighed, though she did know that she needed to contain her feelings and emotions and tend to her duties. Crewmen and officers were being brought into sickbay in numbers now, so she knew she needed to attend to them. She looked around, getting a quick headcount before she responded. "We've already got eighteen crew and officers in here for treatment. So far nothing life-threatening. Some have deep cuts and abbrasions, and a few have broken bones, but I think they will be alright. Two of our medics were hurt in the incident, so we'll have to step up until we dock and can get some medical aid."

A gentle tear rolled down her cheek for a moment as she was happy that Sanek was alright. She tried not to let him or anyone else in earshot hear the emotion in her voice. "Please let us know how many more you intend to send down here so we can make preparations."

Still massaging his injured shoulder, Sanek again surveyed the damage as Jessica, Gyphid, Thryiss, and Vaareler were led into the turbolift enroute to Medical. He then stooped and pressed the intercom key.

"Understood, Doctor. Please be advised I have four injured bridge crew members enroute to Medical at this moment. Additionally, crew complement indicates seventy-seven injuries in total across the vessel; however, the majority are minor injuries. As Chief Medical Officer, may I inquire as to your personal status."

"I'm fine...At least, I think so. I braced myself when the gravity suddenly shifted, and I didn't move until we were stable again. I wish I could say the same for some of our other crew. I..." she hesitated, knowing what she was about to say would not make sense, and would probably not be appropriate at this time. "I just..." She wanted to say that she wanted to run up there and hug him, to see that he was okay. "I will be ready for any arrivals here, at least until we can dock and get additional aid."

Jessica continued to keep pressure on her forehead as the lift made its way down to the deck that medical was located on. She laughed a little to herself, knowing that Gelda would probably fuss at her for getting hurt on what was meant to be a routine science expedition, but these days, no one ever knew what to expect. But, in the end, she was grateful - she could have been hurt far worse than she was, or the ship could have been cracked in half or ended up beyond the event horizon. She shuddered at such a thought. Oddly, it wasn't her own death that scared her, but the idea of leaving the one she loved behind. She pictured Gelda in her mind now, focused in on her beautiful face, her chocolate colored eyes, and her wonderful smile with her black lips. Knowing she would get to see her again soon was what was keeping her strong through this all, and she knew, she felt it, that Gelda would be there waiting for her on Sol when the ship finally docked...

"Very well." He hung there for a moment, his eyebrow raised. Her seeming indecisiveness was out of character for her. "Be advised we will be in transit enroute to Sol for forty-two hours and thirteen minutes. Bridge out."

"Captain," Lieutenant Tufap reported, "damage control parties are beginning repairs. Primary focus is on the 7th deck breach."

"Very well," Sanek responded. "Inform all decks to remain on emergency lighting until otherwise noted. All non-essential drain on the warp core is to, as of this moment, be negated."

"Aye, sir," Tufap answered, and began tapping keys.

Turning, Sanek walked to Lyradis, stepping around debris and shattered glass as he did so. As he approached, she turned to see him... an apprehensive look on her face.

"Captain," she began quietly, but Sanek held up his hand.

"Ensign, you performed excellently," he stated. "Your initial hesitance was understandable in light of the situation, and in no way retarded your ability to perform your duties. Your expediency saved the vessel and the lives of the crew."

Speechless, Lyradis merely nodded for a moment, and then quietly responded. "Thank you, captain." The smile on her face was only marred by the horror they had all recently experienced.

"No thanks is necessary, Ensign," Sanek responded. "I must ask that you remain on duty for another thirty minutes; at which time I will relieve you so that you may get some rest." He nodded towards the remains of her console. "Status of our warp?"

She turned back to the console and tapped a couple of keys, reading the data on the readout before she responded.

"Holding well, Captain. All power levels are withing acceptable limits, taking into consideration the damage, and the draw from essential ship functions."

"Very well," Sanek replied. "Carry on, Ensign." Turning, Sanek walked towards the turbolift just as five man damage control crew entered the bridge to begin cleaning and repairing the bridge. As he reached his chair, he turned for a moment.

"Lieutenant Tufap, you have the conn," he said. "I will be in Medical should my presence be required."

"Aye sir," Tufap responded, and moved to the captain's char as Sanek continued to the turbolift.

A few moments later, he stepped out into the hall on Deck 5. There was debris scattered across the floor throughout it's length as it curved away. Cables hung from the ceiling in a few places. There were makeshift gurneys along the length of the outer wall, each with a crew member laying in it. Sanek moved to each and looked at each in turn... some of them, awake, acknowledge him as he did so. After a few moments later, still rubbing and holding his shoulder, which had begun to stiffen, he turned and entered Medical, noting in the mirror as he passed the office the dirt smears on his undershirt.

He stood for a moment observing the injured crew members around him scattered about, and reflected for a brief moment on the situation during the recovery of Captain Dell Stolliker, when the ship experienced feedback electrical signal that started several fires. Medical had looked almost the same in that situation. After a few moments more of thought, he stepped through the archway into the examination room proper.

Despite the strong feelings she could sense of pain and distress from the crew that were now under her care and which filled not only Sickbay itself but the adjacent hallways, there was one thing that stood out amidst the other voices. It was Sanek. She could sense his own feelings for her, and she noticed a slight bit of worry and concern. She turned around slowly to sneak a glance at him, and noticed that these feelings were certainly not evident in the way that he presented himself. In fact, he stood there, looking the part of the noble captain that curtailed his own fears and anxiety in the interests of keeping his crew's morale high.

"Does that feel better, chief?" She asked, adjusting a few settings on the nearby console. The injured petty officer nodded at her. "Very good, just take it easy for a little while, okay?"

She turned and slowly walked over towards Sanek, careful not to step on any of the broken equipment nearby. She approached him and said nothing, just looking into his eyes, hoping that he could sense her own feelings of worry on his behalf.

As he stood just inside the examination room arch, he watched the medical team work on the more critically injured. Their efficiency was evident in the manner they attended their charges. It was one of the primary reasons he had elected to offer the Chief Medical Officer position to Commander Solida several months ago. Her disregard for proper protocol in many cases and the direct manner in which she approached delicate topics aside, she was without a doubt the most professional medical doctor Sanek had ever worked with. She ran a tight Medical department, with no time for incompetence or lackluster performance, and when the circumstances demanded it, she and her crew were there attending to any injuries to the best of their talented abilities.

He watched them work... and then saw Solida working on a petty officer. He felt a now familiar twinge as he saw her. Watching as she pressed a few buttons on the medical console near the gurney, she spoke to him briefly; and then she stood and began threading her way through the debris littering the floor towards him.

He remained where he was, massaging his shoulder as she approached him. The look in her eyes spoke volumes, and while he had been subject to her feelings for years, there was a seriousness this time that Sanek had not seen before. Not for the first time in her presence he found himself sensing the suppressed twinge of emotion. However, there were other more critical things at stake at the moment.

"Doctor," he said simply, looking down at her closely. "I have injured my left shoulder. I submit myself for examination, as per proper protocol."

As one of the nearby nurses finished with a crewman who had a rather serious cut, a medical bed became available. She could sense that Sanek's shoulder was bothering him, though unless he had told her such, in a normal situation she might never have known it. He maintained his professional demeanor, though it was obvious that he did share some of the feelings she had now, at this moment. She quietly guided him over to the bed, asking him to gently sit on it.

"Don't lay down just yet," she said, in a quiet, soft-spoken manner. "Let's take a look at it first."

She had a couple of quick scans done on his shoulder, and after a few moments she smiled to herself, and then to Sanek, to offer some comfort and encouragement. "It looks like you've only strained a muscle. I'm sure it hurts rather badly at the moment, but in a few days, if you take it easy, you will be just fine." She prepared a quick injection for any pain or discomfort he might be feeling. "Here, this should help with the pain," she said, administering the dose. "If the pain worsens any, we can take care of it."

She now set down her equipment and took a moment to walk over and stand directly in front of him, reaching forward and gently massaging and rubbing his injured shoulder. "I'm glad you are okay..." she said, still in a quiet voice. "You had me so very worried."

Sanek was silent as Solida worked on his shoulder and administered the pain dosage to him. He simply watched her work, and glanced about the ward as other patients were attended to in the meantime. As she stood in front of him and spoke her feelings, he looked at her again.

"I must apologize for being a cause for your worry," he stated. He looked at her for a moment longer. Her worry was clearly evident, and it intrigued him. They had worked together for years prior to her assignment aboard his ship; in many circumstances before they had been in dire situations, but this was the first time something so drastic had occurred that could have destroyed the ship and killed the entire crew. He knew how she felt - she'd made it very clear on any number of occasions - however, the worry she now showed, and the seriousness of her bearing, was different this time. He carefully considered that for a moment before he filed it away to be meditated on at a later time.

He turned slightly, and looked again at the ward. "This scenario was unforseen; the collapse of the anomaly was not a variable in my calculations. Many of the crew have suffered as a result of that error."

"I...Find that somewhat hard to believe, Sanek," she said, her voice still rather quiet and reserved. It was obvious that she was still somewhat lost in thought - perhaps almost in a minor state of shock, though she obviously was working through it. "Usually you are on top of things, so very careful in considering all factors before you act. Is...Something on your mind? Something that may have distracted you?"

Sanek raised his eyebrow.

"Negative," he stated. "The data we had procured did not suggest an unstable singularity. It was not until the collated information was presented that I understood the nature of the anomaly itself. That this end of the wormhole was drawing the majority of it's matter from the opposite side was not possible to conclude in the short span of time required to gather the available data." He gently moved his shoulder, gingerly testing the work Solida had done.

"As such," he continued, "once the wormhole collapsed and the matter flow from the opposite side was extinguished, the singularity here, in this time/space, began to draw all matter to itself, and the inevitable event horizon formed." He reached up to touch his shoulder, his fingers inadvertently touching Solida's as he continued.

"This is conjecture of course," he stated. "Once I have had the opportunity to collate all the available data, I will be able to present my hypothesis with the available facts to support my conclusions."

He began to stand, slowly pushing himself off the gurney. "In any event, despite the injuries, it is agreeable that none of the crew were more seriously injured or worse."

As Sanek's hand touched her own for a moment, she closed her eyes so as to enjoy his proximity to her - his touch on her. It was a good feeling, especially after the events that had just transpired. Sanek truly seemed vexed by what had happened - he seemed to believe that he was responsible for it. Now that she understood the fullness of the situation, she could not help but to understand what he was going through. He was right, though - it had been nothing short of a miracle that no more of the crew was gravely injured.

"I see," she began, her eyes still closed. "I suppose this won't be the last we will hear of this. It never is."

As Sanek rose, she opened her eyes again and offered her own hand to him to assist him in standing. "Remember to take it easy for a bit, okay?" She asked, a general concern in her own voice. "Your crew needs you, captain, but..." she failed to finish the statement. Why was it so hard? But I need you more. That's what she wanted to say.

As he stood, he waited for a moment for Solida to complete her statement. When she did not, he raised his eyebrow for a moment. Her hesitation was also not like her, especially in moments of stress. Her typical reactions at times like those were rather blunt, direct, and at times rather brash. He assumed the shock of the situation was still heavy on her; which was, after all, only logical when one considered the entire vessel had been at risk.

"I will ensure that I moderate my mobility accordingly, as per your suggestion, Doctor," he responded. "My thanks for your assistance and care." He watched her for a moment longer before he turned slightly to view the ward.

"May inquire as to Chief Richard's status?" he queried.

Solida looked over to the bed on which the chief now lay resting. A couple of the medical staff were nearby, checking vitals and cleaning the wound on her head.

"She will be alright, I suspect, though she might suffer from some severe headaches for a few days. She just has a minor concussion, so it's nothing we should be too worried about. She will just have to take it easy for a little while after we get back, that's all."

As Sanek stood and prepared to return to his duties, to ensure that the ship would make it safely to their destination, Solida lightly grabbed his arm, then came next to him and whispered in his ear the remainder of the sentence she had left unspoken: "But I need you more." She then smiled quietly, turned around, and returned to her duties.

Sanek paused as Solida whispered the last; he turned to watch her walk further into the ward and begin to attend to another patient. After a moment's reflection of that comment, and other comments she had made during their association over the years, he turned and left the ward. Walking out into the corridor to the turbolift, he entered it as the doors hissed open - a bit more slow than was typical.

"Bridge," he stated.

As the doors hissed shut, he continued analyzing the Solida's comment. He also briefly considered his upcoming Starfleet medical review and his required appointment with Counselor Nyssia. He resolved then to discuss the matter with her; and then turned his thoughts back to matters at hand. A moment later the turbolift doors hissed open to reveal the shattered remains of the bridge of the U.S.S. Alan Shepard. Lieutenant Tufap happened to be looking his way as he stepped through the doors.

"Captain on the bridge," he said, and moved from the captain's chair to the science console.

"As you were," Sanek said quickly. It was time to get the ship together enough to ensure it's safe passage through space to spacedock.

Forty-nine hours later

The intervening time had proven the professionalism of the crew and their abilities at repair. Most of the hull breaches had been physically repaired, all save for the large tear in the hull on deck seven. The debris had been cleaned up throughout most of vessel, and exposed cabling had been moved up out of the way. The bridge itself was cleaned of glass and debris, however the smashed consoles and exposed inner bulkhead sections still indicated the severity of the damage. Most of the crew had recovered, with only a few still in Medical due to the nature of their injuries.

The journey to Sol had taken slighly longer than originally forseen as power levels continued to fluctuate. As such, Sanek had ordered emergency lighting to remain on all decks, and no un-essential ship system to be engaged without his direct order to ensure there was no power draw on the damaged warp core that could cause a collapse. Such a collapse would be catastrophic, especially in light of the fact that the energy required to contain the deck seven hull breach was directly tied to the warp core itself.

Sanek stood next to the captain's chair and glanced over at Celeel, his eyebrow raised. Celeel checked his console for a moment before he responded.

"Sir, I have confirmed the order," he said. "Control wants us to proceed to exterior repair dock twenty-three."

Sanek mused for a moment. "Very well," he stated, and turned to face Lyradis. "Ensign, maneuver into repair dock twenty-three as ordered by Control."

"Aye captain," she replied. She tapped a few keys. The crew was mostly silent as they waited. Most of the crew was still shaken by the proximity they had all come to their demise, and as such there was a subdued and solemn atmosphere throughout the vessel. A few moments later, Lyradis looked up from her console.

"We are docked with exterior repair dock twenty-three," she stated.

"Very well," Sanek replied. He turned to Celeel. "Inform Control we are docked, and require immediate power umbilical feeds."

"Certainly sir," Celeel replied and bent to the task.

Sanek turned headed to the turbolift. "Commander Vaareler, you have the conn. I am required to deliver my report to the admiralty."

"Yes sir," she replied, and standing, moved to sit in the captain's chair.

Sanek reached the turbolift, which was still inoperable below deck six, and entered the small car. He knew a board inquiry into the near destruction of the vessel was imminent, and the report he was about to deliver to the admiralty should cover the majority of the facts prior to the hearing. He was also fairly certain that his stay on Sol Spacedock would be a fairly lengthy one... at least until the hearing was completed. There was still a lot to do.

"Deck six," he stated crisply.