The U.S.S ENDEAVOUR
Posted on Mon Nov 13, 2023 @ 8:20pm by Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Commander Miguel Torres & Lieutenant Commander Zachary Addams & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant JG Aergad Halvor & Lieutenant JG Ardal King & Commander Cullen Walker
5,739 words; about a 29 minute read
Mission: A Lost Endeavour
Transporter Room
The Captain arrived in the Transporter Room ten minutes early. Dressed in protective assault gear, she knew instinctively that her Borg shielding would deflect some defensive phaser fire if they were unable to avoid detection when they beamed over. But that didn’t mean being shot wasn’t going to hurt! The additional protection provided by the specially designed combat gear would help. A little.
In order to prevent setting off David’s full defensive parameters she was not going to use the Endeavour’s prefix code to completely drop her shields. Instead, she was going to order Endeavour to utilize a rotating modulated shield pattern originally designed to try and counter Borg attacks, and then they would beam over through the shield as the pattern provided a momentary opening when the ships shields changed to accommodate the new command. Sensor scans of Endeavour's interior had identified an area two decks below the bridge where damage from whatever had happened onboard left the interior sensors offline.
David would not be aware that the Endeavour had been boarded. At least, not immediately in any rate.
They’d use the Jefferies tube system to move, there were no holographic emitters inside the service tunnels which would allow engineering teams to get to the Endeavour's engineering section and from there, take the entire holographic system offline quickly and hopefully without causing further damage to the program’s memory storage. At the same time, Kennit planned to get to the bridge and using Starfleet Order 104, Section B, Paragraph 1-A, which stated, ‘In the absence of a starship's assigned captain, another flag officer has the authority to assume command of the starship should they have deemed it necessary’.
With Endeavour's crew missing and the ship currently monitored by a damaged holographic sentry which had not worked as hoped from the first time it had been turned on, it was definitely necessary!
Armed with phaser rifle slung over her shoulder, and a standard issue phaser at her hip. Even though the ship was abandoned, it may prove necessary to take out a few holographic emitters the old fashioned way. Though she hoped to avoid causing any further damage to the ship altogether..
Walker came in the door wearing tactical gear. At least this was Starfleet Issue. Of course, instead of Walker it said Sceadugenga. It was a Norse word, direct translation was Walker in Shadows or Shadow Goer. It referred to everything from Assassins that used Questionable Tactics all the way to Fantastic Beasts like Grendel. He had his phase rifle and knives and a tomahawk on his thigh. He liked weapons.
Penny walked towards the transporter room door wearing her midnight blue, woven commando suit and was surprised but happy to see Zach coming from the other direction with two nurses behind him. "I didn't think you'd want to come," she said, brightly.
"And you'd be correct," he quipped, smiling at her in spite of his words. "But if anyone gets hurt over there, they'll need a doctor."
"Well, I'm sure they'll appreciate your sacrifice," she said, grinning.
Zach gave her a warm smile and gestured to the doors. "After you," he said, gallantly.
Penny walked in front of him and entered the transporter room, nodding at Cullen and the captain.
He followed her in and as he saw the other two occupants, his smile melted away and his nostrils flared, then his face became cold and emotionless. "Captain, Commander," he said, then turned to his medical team and nodded for them to clear the door area.
Penny tilted her head in curiosity, but kept quiet, turning instead to the Captain.
Nodding to the Doctor, Walker answered, "Doctor." He turned away. His thumb rubbed against the head of the tomahawk. It wasn't out of anger, but shame. He regulated his breathing.
A moment later, their security chief walked in with a half dozen guards behind him. He nodded to everyone else and then began having his team break out into groups and checking their equipment.
Walker tapped his Comm, "Walker to Torres. We are going to need an Engineering and Operations Detachment for the next part of the Away Mission."
:Engineering:
"Of course I do." he told the XO. Then off the coms "Alpha team with me to the transporter room."
Walker looked at the Chief, "Any of your guys cross trained in Operations and Engineering." After they secured the ship an Engineering and Operations Detachment would beam over.
Three of the security officers raised a hand, as did the security chief. "We'll be able to supplement whatever Commander Torres needs," he said.
The doors to the transporter room opened, and Lt. Cmdr. Logan entered quietly. The Captain stared at him a moment, for a moment he thought she was going to say something but she didn’t speak. She still did not quite trust him, and he knew it. Rhea was no fool, and Logan knew full well that she sensed instinctively that he was hiding something from her. He didn’t like that he was indeed hiding a great many things from her, but knew he had no choice. He also knew, deep down in an instinctive way that when she did find out the truth, even just partially. She was very likely going to kick his ass. Vigorously.
After a moment, the Captain said “All right. It’s time to get over there and secure the Endeavour. Before we beam over, I just want to remind everyone of the need to not cause additional damage to Endeavour’s systems. We don’t know the full extent of the damage she’s sustained, or the cause of the damage our sensors have detected. The only way we’re going to find out is contained in her computer systems so...let’s do our very best to not break anything else. That said, with David’s systems online and in defensive mode, it’s a good bet we’re going to get shot at by holographic defensive measures. The ship is fitted with holographic emitters to facilitate this system’s operation and testing. So aim for the emitters which will be spaced strategically along the corridors. If you take out the emitters, the holographic defense is weakened. We’re beaming into a corridor where our sensors indicate that the Endeavour’s internal power systems are offline due to unknown damage. That means David won’t get an alert that we’ve arrived aboard. From there, we will be entering the Jefferies Tubes and using the service tunnel to access the bridge, where we can shut down David and establish control of the ship. Any questions?”
Zach looked around but kept his own counsel and held his medkit tightly.
Penny tilted her head in thought, but nothing came to mind to ask.
The Captain waited a moment, then "No questions? All right then; let's do this. Take your places."
She moved to the transporter pad, waited as the rest of the away team arranged themselves appropriately and then with a nod to the transporter operator, Kennit said simply. "Energize."
The Victory's transporter room vanished in a sparkle of energy, and when the world returned around them, they stood in a dark corridor lit only by flickering light from the far end of the passageway. The air had a distinct, acrid smokey tinge. Dark scoring from weapons fire marked the bulkheads here and there, the dark marks visible against the otherwise light coloring of the bulkheads. "The access panel is just ahead of us," the Captain said, already walking with a quick sure step.
She knew this ship, inside and out.
Zach flipped open his tricorder. Electrical smoke. Life support systems aren't working to clear the air, he thought. Then again, if there wasn't anyone to keep safe, the ship wouldn't put much effort in maintaining the air quality.
Reaching the access panel, she bypassed the standard hatch controls and opened the hatch manually as the power was completely down in this part of the Endeavour's deck. Looking to the engineering team, she said, "Engineering is below and aft. Stay in the access tunnels until you reach Engineering itself. Remember, if the holographic system activates take out the emitters and do your best to avoid creating any further damage."
"Fortunately some of us get off on hazardous descents," Torres said as he opened the nearest hatch to take them to engineering.
Penny gripped the hatch bar and swung her legs in, then began dropping down the ladder, followed by the other engineers and security members.
"Everyone please be careful," Torres said looking at the Captain as he was the last engineer to enter their hatch and began to crawl until their next junction where they would have to start climbing down.
Looking at rest of the away team, she reached out and placed a hand on the ladder. 'Bridge is this way. Up we go."
The security chief quickly jumped and grabbed the handle above the hatchway and swung his legs in, jumping into the hatch and grabbing the ladder, beginning the climb. Another security man followed.
Zach took a brief look up the shaft, then, following suit, began climbing up.
Ducking into the access tunnel, Kennit stepped onto the ladders and began to climb quickly and quietly up toward the bridge. Reaching the hatch which would give them access to the bridge, she paused a moment. “I’m going first."
"Captain..." the security chief said, beginning his protest.
"My information should be present in David’s memory coding. It might prevent him from shooting me on sight. If he does decide to fire, the nanites in my blood will absorb some of it. I’m going to attempt to immediately get the ship's computer to transfer all command protocols to my authorization code. I would prefer to not cause more damage on the bridge by destroying the holographic emitters if possible, but I’m not going to count on it. Right now, our priority is to gain control of the ship and secure her. We’ll worry about the rest once that’s accomplished.”
The security chief huffed, but then swung to the side, keeping a foot on the rung and making room to pass, as did the others.
Opening the access hatch, she slipped through and stood, riding up from the access located beneath the engineering console on the bridge. She was issuing orders to David as she did so, “David! I am Captain Rhea Kennit, authorization Kennit 9-alpha-6-1. Stand down from alert and--” Her words cut off by the sound of a phaser firing and a highly annoyed grunt from the Captain as the phaser energy was absorbed by the Borg tech in her body.
"Plan 'A' appears to have failed, Zach stated, putting his tricorder in his holster and grabbing his phaser, aiming for an emitter. He fired, and it lit up, sparking before vaporizing. He then quickly stepped to the side, rolling behind a station chair.
“You miserable, malfunctioning pile of shit...” she snarled out, staggering slightly as her gaze swept the bridge looking for the emitters. Spotting one, she fired destroying the emitter and at the same time diving down behind the weapons console narrowly avoiding getting shot again.
Walker tried to get eyes on the phaser as he heard it power up, and he shot an emitter. "Would this thing have access to old psych profiles and DNA of Security Operatives?" He had an idea. It might give her time to get into the system.
She considered the question for a brief moment, then answered. “It’s possible. I honestly don’t know for certain what data they gave David access to. He was still being tested.”
Walker stepped forward. "My name is Cullen Walker. Run my DNA. There is a marker in my DNA. My father is the Descendant of a Eugenics Soldier who sided with Normal Humans during the War." He took a knife and cut his finger. The marker was hard to clone. "Run my DNA. Pull my psych profile. You know what is most precious to me in my psych profile." The Androids had found something similar to use against him before. His family and faith were extremely important to him. He would walk into a Warp Reactor for his ex-wife and children. "My daughter has red hair and blue eyes like my wife. My son was just born, but in all likelihood he will grow up to look like me."
The holographic program paused, its eyes flickered indicating an instability with its matrix then raised the phaser it held and fired toward Walker’s position. “Insufficient data available.” David said in an abnormal, flat tone of voice.
Walker ran through the hologram and started shooting phaser emitters. He was trying to distract the hologram a little longer.
Zach crouched down and tracked Walker and the phaser that was following him. He threw his medkit hard across the deck, causing it to land under Walker's right foot, forcing him to slip and fall back just as the phaser got a lock, the beam missing him. Zach calmly stood and aimed and took out another holo-emitter before running to another station to keep out of sight.
The security chief and his team spread out quickly and while it was distracted began taking out more emitters. The security chief then took aim and shot at the phaser itself, attempting to disarm it.
(Tag Walker?)
Ducking down behind the dubious protection provided by the weapons console, Kennit said “Computer! Locate Captain Jonas Yeager!”
The calm voice of Endeavour's computer responded, “Captain Jonas Yeager is not on board the Endeavour.”
“Locate Commander Omari Jahzara!” Kennit called out in response. Commander Jahzara had been Captain Yeager’s XO.
“Commander Omari Jahzara is not on board the Endeavour.”
Another phaser blast hit the console. Sparks showered over Kennit as she said, “Computer! Under Regulation 19 Section C, transfer command of USS Endeavour to Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit, authorization code Kennit-3-3-9-Ceti-Beta-7-7-6!”
The computer paused a moment, verifying the command and then responded. “Confirmed. Command of USS Endeavour transferred to Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit.”
Immediately, Kennit said, “Computer: deactivate the Holographic Command Program David and shut down all holographic systems, lock out all holographic system access pending my command, authorization Kennit-9-9-1!”
A soft chime sounded in acknowledgement of the command, and with a shimmer the holographic security present throughout the ship vanished. Quiet settled over the bridge and through the damaged starship. Slowly, Kennit stood up with a slight groan as she stretched. “I am too old for this...” she muttered as she flexed her back and shoulders, muscles tense and tight from the phaser hit she’d taken. Borg shielding and Borg nanites absorbed the worst of it, but it still made her feel like shit.
For the first time, she looked around. Echoes of memories pushed at the back of her mind, she glanced over to where Tomb once stood, radiating that vague Vulcan disapproval which he had been so very good at displaying. Engineering, where little Bri had flitted about, able to annoy even a stone statue with her innate hyperactive insane brilliance. In the center of the Bridge, the Captain’s chair with her own former seat next to it and across the bridge, the Ready Room. Site of countless epic arguments between Captain and XO.
“Bridge to Engineering.” She said aloud. “The ship is secured and all holographic systems have been disabled and locked down. Let’s get to work. I need a complete damage assessment. We’re going to get to work up here, access log files and find out what happened, and what they were doing.”
=/\=Acknowledged. =/\=
Walker grinned, "That was fun. I thought my days of stupid shit were over."
"I've no doubt you have many more ahead of you," Zach said, his delivery completely deadpan.
“Never underestimate the ability of the universe to throw a curve-ball at you,” the Captain said in response. Crossing the bridge to the operations console, she settled into the chair there and accessed the ship’s operational status. “Damn… it looks like they had a firefight onboard. The computer registered unauthorized transport, looks like.. 30 intruders. Heavily armed intruders to have caused this much damage through the ship. Systems damage is preventing identification .. assuming they knew who attacked them.”
"No bodies, no traces of anyone on board. We can hope they were taken prisoner and can be rescued," Zach said, sitting down and trying to access the internal sensors and life signs detector.
Entering a series of queries into the computer, Kennit frowned. “It’s not letting me access the Captain’s log files, or any information related to what their mission was. I can’t tell if it’s just locking me out or if the computer isn’t able to access the data due to system damage. My guess here, is that it’s locking me out deliberately. Damn...”
Thinking a moment, she muttered “What about navigational sensor logs.. that shouldn’t be…”. Her words fell off as she accessed the navigation system and entered a new set of data queries. Information came up on the screen, data scrolling past. Kennit jerked back in startled surprise. “Oh shit.. oh shit they didn’t.. they actually sent them back.. son of a bitch.. They actually went back...”
In engineering, team alpha was already getting to work. They had portable batteries attached to consoles, spare parts, and transporter enhancers in order to beam extra equipment over. Engineers were already pulling panels apart and running diagnostics. Within a few minutes power was slowly be restored to the ship. Miguel looked at the main reactor which looked as if everything was functioning properly. The crystal in the chamber, however, was cracked; it was even beyond saving with re-crystallization. "Torres to the Captain. It's going to be while before main power is restored, there's a bad crack in the dilithium. I'll replace it and get the core back up and running as soon as I can."
Hearing the message from engineering, Rhea answered. “Understood. If necessary pull spares from the Victory’s stores. The sooner we can get Endeavour mobile and start back toward Federation occupied space with her the better. I don’t like being so far out on our own and I definitely don’t like it with a damaged ship.”
"Don't worry about that boss, we brought more than enough extra supplies to get this ship up and running again." he promised her. "Plus it looks like it wasn't that they didn't have the equipment to fix her, just not the time." he added.
After her discussion with Torres, the Captain was quiet for a long moment. She sat there at the console, gazing at the navigational data on the screen. Endeavour had been on a classified mission for Section 31 when she disappeared, of that Rhea was 100% certain. The official record was a cover-up. This ship had not been on a routine exploration mission when she vanished. Routine exploration did not generally involve a deliberate adjustment of the ship’s warp field combined with a specifically timed detonation of a tri-cobalt device to jump the ship into another dimension. It was a dangerous, difficult process and in this case….
Damn stupid.
They’d jumped to a dimension Endeavour had visited once before, unintentionally. A dimension where the Borg were the dominant species in the galaxy, having spread out from the Delta Quadrant across the Beta Quadrant and into the Alpha Quadrant. The Borg technology from that doomed universe existed in her body now. And the only reason for this ship to have deliberately returned to that horrible place was to obtain technology..
The thought of it sent an ice cold chill through her.
Rising, she turned and walked with purpose toward the Captain’s Ready Room. The answers to the questions she now had most likely, if they were to be found anywhere on this ship, the answers would be there.
Zach watched them go but maintained his position on the bridge, attempting to scan the ship for organic material. If lifeforms as they knew it were not present, something else may be. His initial findings, however, were not helpful, and he continued his search.
Walker was scanning some of the blast patterns and the energy residue. He followed the Captain, "The scorch marks aren't right, Captain. I blow stuff up for fun. This isn't the reading I should be getting. Did this ship pull a skip and a jump to the mirror-verse?" He made the right assessment, just the wrong universe.
“Worse..” Kennit replied. “If we were only dealing with the Terran Empire that would be manageable but this.. they went back to where this happened to me..”. As she spoke, she raised her hand and for an instant extended the tubules from her hand. “Damn stupid.. and it was banned. Straight up forbidden .. hell..I can’t fathom how they even accessed the data to let them make the jump or for that matter how the hell they managed the jump! We ended up there on a fluke!”
It was about an hour later that all the ship's normal lighting activated. The engineering team replaced the cracked crystal, and all the shorted-out control circuits along with some gel packs that had been destroyed. "Torres to Captain, you have a fully operation ship. Weapons and defenses are charging up, but everything else should be up and running now."
“Good work Commander.” The captain answered. “Run diagnostics and make sure all systems are stable. With the amount of damage the ship sustained let’s make sure if there are any residual issues that we find them sooner rather than later. This ship is older, and was due to go into space dock for overhaul shortly before she disappeared. Just.. make sure she’s in optimal condition.”
Commander Torres acknowledged the Captain's orders and began coordinating the diagnostic checks with his engineering team. "It'll take us several hours to complete a level 5 diagnostic, but if we can do it faster we will." he promised.
Penny gripped her spanner in one hand and a tricorder in the other, bouncing on her toes to begin. She knew she could speed it up, she just wanted the go-ahead.
"Go on and start checking the auxiliary control room. Let's make sure we can use it in case the bridge goes out, and then get your butt to the bridge and work from there in case they need you." he told her.
Penny nearly squeaked with excitement. "Aye, Sir!" She said and ran for the turbolift jumping inside as the doors opened. "Bridge!" she said, grinning ear to ear.
Returning her attention to the Captain’s Log files, Kennit continued to read. She’d been able to decrypt and gain access to Captain Yeager’s reports. What she was reading did not make her happy. At all.
Endeavour had been tasked with returning to dimension 004 to obtain specific technological advancements which had been noted by the first crew to find themselves in this other universe. Specifically, Section 31’s research division wanted examples of the Borg armor which had once covered her body like a second skin, as the existing samples had been depleted and more were necessary to continue research int adapting the armor for possible use. Idiots.
Weapons technology used by the Terran and Klingon factions in dimension 004 were also noted as targets for acquisition, along with more detailed scans of starship technology, including a comment that should Endeavour’s crew have the opportunity to “acquire” one of the small Klingon ships noted as vAH’Sam class that all efforts should be made to successfully obtain control of, and return to the prime universe with the ship.
Extreme idiots.
The first thing she’d done was have the Endeavour’s hanger checked checked to see if one of the small, deadly cloak capable ships was nestled like a snake waiting to strike. If they’d tried to acquire one, that effort had not been successful as the only ships currently in the hanger were of Federation origin.
One of the last reports which Captain Yeager had filed however, had her feeling no small amount of concern. Closing the file, she tapped her comm badge and spoke. “Commander Walker. I need you and a security detail to meet me at the entrance to Cargo Bay 4 please.”
Walker hears the request. There was something in her voice. "On my way." Then to himself, "It would be spectacular to have Nicole right now." He pulled a few with RRT and SRT training.
The turbolift reached the bridge and Penny stepped out, ignoring the Captain and making a b-line for the engineering console, she pulled out her wand and set it to initiate a diagnostic, then ran to the Ops console and began working.
Since Walker had left the bridge and Zach has gone to inspect Sickbay, Zach had found time to concentrate while he ran scans on the ship's systems and was feeling a bit more himself, but the fear of being alone there was keeping him suppressed. At least it allowed him to focus on the task at hand. He'd scanned every inch of the ship, and other than themselves, there was nothing. He tilted his head in thought and took that conclusion to its logical end.
"Addams to the Captain," he said, tapping his combadge.
About to leave Endeavour’s bridge and head toward Cargo Bay 4, upon hearing the Doctor’s hail Rhea paused. “This is the Captain.” She answered. “Go ahead Doctor.”
"I believe the crew is alive," he said.
That got her attention for certain. “Alive? What evidence do you have to indicate that?” She asked.
"While we have found evidence of a firefight on board, we have found no bodies, and no traces of organic residue. Unless they were all beamed off the ship and demolecularized, a highly inefficient and pointless process given the weapons fire, there is a high probability they have been abducted, and therefore could be rescued."
Subconsciously flexing her left hand and fingers, she answered, “if so, they’re on the other side of that anomaly which brought the ship here. At the moment, we have absolutely no way to get to them. With the ship damaged, engaging the warp drive to conduct a dimensional transit would not be at all wise.”
Zach raised an eyebrow. "I would imagine not," he said. "I will continue to monitor and see if we can establish exactly when and how the crew left."
Getting herself moving once more as she listened to the Doctor, the Captain exited the Ready Room and then crossed the bridge. “Lt. Naroot, you have the Bridge. Keep a very close watch on the sensors. If you see anything at all, any indication of a power rise or unexplained energy signals I want to know it. And if you see anything out there which could be another ship, go immediately to red alert and get the shields up with as much power as this old ship can give.”
"Aye, Captain," Penny said. She immediately locked the Ops station and jumped down to the center chair, tying the operations console into the chair's arm console and monitoring engineering as well. "Nothing detected so far, but diagnostics are still in progress."
“Keep me posted.” The captain said. “Stay in contact with the Victory as well, have them also maintain a continual sensor sweep. Anything.and I mean anything unusual we need to know it.”
"Aye, Captain!" Penny said, tapping the console merrily.
Exiting the Bridge, she rode the ‘lift down to Cargo Bay 4 in silence. Walking down the corridor, spotting her XO already on site waiting for her she said “The doors are sealed, before we override the lock out can we get a scan of what’s inside?”
After a moment, the answer came “Negative Captain. The interior of the cargo bay is shielded from sensor scans. Whatever is in there, they didn’t want it to be obvious.”
“Only one way to find out..” the Captain said. “Weapons ready.. just in case.” She ordered as she walked to the cargo bay hatch and entered the command code to over-ride the lock out and open the access hatch.
A soft tone echoed as the lock disengaged, followed by a soft whoosh as the sealed door opened. Inside was, just a cargo bay. Neatly ordered and stacked storage containers, some crates secured with netting to keep the crates on the deck in the event of a power failure. Nothing out of the ordinary to all appearances. Rather than finding it reassuring, it just set the Captain’s nerves on full alert. “Ohhh.. we’re going to have fun are we…” she murmured as she stepped over the threshold and entered the cargo bay.
“Use caution, check the inventory data and let’s see what’s in here that someone went to the trouble of setting up a dampening field to block out sensor scans..” she ordered. “Be. Careful.”
Spreading out into the bay, the Captain approached a pallet which held two long cargo containers. Tapping the manifest display, one eyebrow rose at the indicated contents which said the containers both held bolts of a synthetic fiber. Entering the access override code, she opened the container and found it full of a slick feeling, silken material which felt like it was somehow electrified as she touched it. There was a shimmer of sensation at her fingertips, not unpleasant but at the same time providing a warning that whatever this stuff was.. it was by no means natural.
“Mmm.” She grunted softly. “Weird..”
She had no idea what this stuff might be. Silk it was not. That was about all she was sure of about it. That and that touching it, the longer she held it the more certain she was that this was something they needed to keep it secure until they could determine what it was.
Making notes regarding the content of this particular crate, she sealed it once more and moved to the next. This crate was small, Lt. Inch larger than a bread box. The instant the seal broke as she opened the crate every single fiber of her body, both Borg and individual surged with longing, intense desire so powerful it was a physical ache.
Nanite armor.
To the untrained eye, it looked like tiny fragments of dark metal. To her.. it was ice cold water after years of parched existence in the deep desert. Walking up behind her, Logan looked into the crate and frowned in puzzled confusion. “What the hell is that? It looks like scrap..”. As he spoke, he earned in and scooped up a handful of the tiny metal chips - so small it felt like powder as it slid down over his fingers back into then small crate.
A fierce sensation hit her. Oh she wanted to lash out, hit him.. the nanite armor was hers!
Her left hand curled into a tight fist as she answered in a deceptively soft voice, “Hardly. This may well be the most interesting annd potentially dangerous item on this ship, though not to anyone else. It is Borg, armor used to protect a Queen.”
As she spoke, her right hand reached out over the container, and beneath her outstretched fingers the nanites rolled and coalesced, rising up toward her hand as she waved her hand over the open container, the nanites moving like a liquid following her hand - just out of reach without actually touching her skin. “I don’t know how they obtained this.. or why, no being not assimilated and specifically augmented as I am can utilize it.”
Oh dear god how she wanted it.. ached to feel it surge over her skin and merge with her systems..
Closing the crate, Kennit reset the security code on the container to a passcode of her own choosing - ensuring that the contents would not be tampered with easily. She included a notification code which would alert her should the box be tampered with.
Further examination of the crates found more technology of unknown origin, undoubtedly originally destined for a research lab funded by Section 31 which did not "officially" exist.
Issuing orders to seal the cargo bay once again, the Captain ordered everyone to leave the bay. There were other ship's systems which needed to be assessed and operational function confirmed before they could get the Endeavour under way and start the return trip back to Federation controlled space and get the ship into spacedock.
The Captain herself began a slow walk through the Endeavour's passageways, noting the indications of combat unmistakable along the main corridors. Blast marks, burnt areas where fire had raged. Dark stains on the carpeting, some of it human. Some of it clearly not, dark pink, green stains indicating non-human casualties among the darker dried red of human blood.
More lost souls to haunt Endeavour's passageways, unknown ghosts added to those who still haunted her memories.
Shaking away the shadows which drifted through her thoughts, with a deep breath Captain Kennit headed towards the end of the corridor and the turbolift which would take her back up to the Bridge.
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[Elsewhere]
Seated in the dim light of the command deck, the vessel commander stared with dark, angry eyes at the small distant blip on the tactical display. The enemy vessel no longer alone, another of the Terran ships at its side.
The comm system chimed. Jabbing a finger at the control, his grating rough voice broke the silence. “nuqneH’”
“ qeylIS ben chenmoHwI''e' De' qo'no'taH 'e' lajQo' ghe''or, ghIq may' neH.”
Satisfaction rolled through his veins, that feeling which all warriors felt knowing the hunt was about to begin anew..
“ 'ej naDev tlheghmey law' ka?” He asked.
“ cha' HIvje'”
“ majQa' ”
The signal was sent, the hunt resumed.
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