Heidi
F.W.S. WarpStar
Mid FTL Flight
Milky Way Galaxy
She rested in her stateroom, situated conveniently close to the bridge, ready to spring into action should the need arise. With less than an hour remaining before the hyperdrive would be reset, she felt the pressure intensify. They had to get significantly closer to the hyperbuoy, which was just barely out of range. Sleep had eluded her for hours, her mind engrossed in the sensor data readouts provided by Charr and Jen. Each line of data sparked her intrigue; whoever these aliens were, her team had managed to detect them relatively easily—a major win right off the bat. Yet, this also meant the challenge of tracking them across the vastness of the galaxy loomed ahead.
Worry gnawed at her as she recalled various reports of hyperbuoys going offline and Alliance and Mordechai fleets self-destructing due to a remote code. To her knowledge, Legion ships were not involved in this chaos, and Hologram John had assured her he was not responsible for any of it. It seemed another player was altering the balance of power, and for now, neither Legion nor Federation assets had been the targets of the self-destruct codes, although they had faced direct attacks. Perhaps John was right; maybe something monumental was approaching. No species she knew of possessed cloaking technology on a large scale. Sure, the Mordechai could cloak a soldier, but an entire starship? That was a different story altogether. A headache was beginning to threaten her sense of calm, a persistent reminder of the tension swirling around them.
The 1MC blared suddenly, triggering not only her headache but surprisingly calming it as well, signaling that it was time to set aside the sensor readouts and head to the bridge. Three loud klaxon bells echoed throughout the ship, cutting through the silence. “General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands to battlestations. We are coming up on FTL exit point and about to jump to the center of the galaxy.” A new voice crackled over the 1MC—different from Char’s—indicating a Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) was trying to get his qualifications in. Was Char already on the bridge to call General Quarters, or had someone else taken the command seat? Regardless, whoever was in command had made the right call. She quickly poured herself a cup of coffee before heading to the bridge, only a few steps away, figuring she had more than enough time.
“Strep!” Heidi called out as soon as she entered the bridge, taking a sip of her steaming coffee. Her eyes landed on Junior Officer Jade Mace, who was seated in the command chair, undoubtedly logging hours for qualification. This must have been her first time in command instead of serving as the Officer of the Deck. Heidi conducted a quick scan of the bridge logs from the previous shift and felt a sense of pride; Mace had potential to go far.
“All systems normal, we are approaching the scheduled FTL exit point,” Mace reported, her voice steady despite the early hour.
“Good. You’ve been on watch for eight hours. As the first shift OOD, you volunteered for third shift command. Do you feel up for your regular first shift OOD?”
“Yes, ma’am! I may just need a stim, but I’ve got this!” Mace replied enthusiastically. Heidi appreciated the eagerness; it was refreshing to see someone who relished the thrill of the hunt, who found joy in being at the helm of command, right in the fray of action.
“Alright, relieve the OOD,” she instructed.
Mace swiftly relieved the temporary OOD and reclaimed her position. Heidi's gaze drifted to the countdown clock—a mere few minutes remained. She grabbed the 1MC. “Attention all hands, this is your captain speaking. In a few moments, we will be exiting FTL into a void region of space before jumping into the center of the galaxy, or at least part of it. The supermassive black hole takes up too much space to be considered a single point. We are jumping to a section designated by the Sumerians as the interdimensional gateway, which is guarded by a neutral gate protectorate species. This transition should go smoothly. We will maintain General Quarters until we are on the other side and back in FTL.”
Char strode onto the bridge just after her speech. “Nice to see you, princess,” Heidi quipped, her sarcasm light yet pointed.
“Sorry, had to finish that chow, then a few crew members needed a chat,” Char replied, her tone sincere. As Executive Officer, managing the crew was part of her responsibilities; if they needed reassurance or a conversation, it was her duty to provide it.
“Ma’am, we’re now T plus 5 seconds,” Mace reported. They were still in FTL, but the hyperdrives were finally primed and ready to go. Heidi wanted to ensure they were close enough to trigger the jump, as they were on the edge of the travel distance for this jump. After a brief moment of deliberation, she gave the nod when the clock read plus 2 minutes. “Helm, neutral thrust, take us out of FTL.”
“Neutral thrust, aye,” Lieutenant Orion confirmed, deftly working the controls to disengage the FTL drive. The world around them shifted back to the familiar black backdrop, now dotted with white stars and a nebula that filled about 20% of the forward viewport. The view was breathtaking.
“It’s too bad we can’t go exploring that right now; that would be one hell of a scientific mission!” Charr whispered to Heidi, her eyes wide with wonder. Heidi couldn’t help but smirk in agreement; her own desire to explore the nebula was strong, but they had a greater mission at hand.
“Con, C.I.C., no close contacts, no celestials—we are in a void,” Jen reported over the 18MC. Once again, they had nothing to worry about, no dangers lurked in the void of space. They were clear to make the jump.
“OOD, take us to the center,” Heidi ordered, her voice firm.
“Yes, ma’am!” Jax replied nervously, sharing the collective uncertainty that hung in the air. “Nav, communicate with the hyperbuoy, get a nav lock, and find out what’s on the other side.”
“Nav, aye,” Ensign Alton confirmed. After a few tense moments of Alton attempting to communicate with the hyperbuoy, he finally spoke up. “Ma’am, I have a navigation lock on the buoy, but I can’t get any other communication from it. It will not report the status of the other side.”
“That’s not normal. Nav, keep trying,” Heidi instructed, leaning toward Char. “Options?”
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“Well, two come to mind. We can risk it, take the jump, and have FTL primed to hop into warp in whatever vector we’re in if danger presents itself. But that comes with risks; something could potentially block our FTL drive. Or we could send Betsy to the other side to report, but the risk there is we may lose our one and only AI 401, and our sole hyperdrive-capable 401.”
“That’s a lot of risk on both possibilities. What do you suggest?”
“I’d put money on the WarpStar; at least we would have a much bigger fighting chance than Betsy. Dump the antimatter power into the shields; we would last a lot longer and have much more time to figure out a solution.”
“I agree with that,” Heidi replied, having thought it over as soon as Char suggested it. “OOD, take us to the center of the galaxy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jade replied. “Helm, immediate execute, jump.”
“Helm, aye, jumping to center point.” The nebula in their view twisted and skewed into nothingness as a multitude of objects took over when they punctured a hole in space and time. They transitioned from a void of nothingness to the bustling heart of the galaxy. Normally, procedure dictated waiting for the C.I.C. to report initial passive sensor readings, but the viewport told a story that required no elaboration. Debris floated everywhere—hulks of metal from ships and stations swirling, some roaring, others stationary, each a deadly reminder of what once was.
“Helm, evasive maneuvers; OOD, sound hard maneuvers!” Heidi barked, her instincts kicking into high gear.
“Con, C.I.C.,” the 18MC sounded as Jade pulled the klaxon twice.
“Attention all hands, brace for hard maneuvers,” Jade echoed, her voice steady.
“Multiple close contacts, no EM readings; we are in the middle of a debris field,” Jen finished her report.
“C.I.C., Con, aye. Go active,” Heidi commanded, her heart racing. “Nav, work with the C.I.C. Find that gate; I want to know if it’s still intact.”
“Nav, aye,” Ensign Alton responded, his fingers flying over the controls as the mains boomed to life, navigating the destroyer through the graveyard of what was once a structured base.
“Didn’t the Sumerians say that each galaxy had gatekeepers to prevent the center gates from being used for war? That they were the most powerful beings in each galaxy?” Char queried, glancing at Heidi.
“That is what I heard, but if that was true, then what the hell did this?” Heidi replied, her mind racing to piece together the puzzle.
“Ma’am, found the gate; it is intact and active. The destination is already set to Canus,” Alton reported, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.
“That’s not strange,” Char said, her brow furrowed in concern.
“Con, C.I.C. New target, bearing two-two-five, seventeen degrees positive. Classification: Almorian frigate—an old model, not one they’ve used recently. Its vector is heading toward that gate, ignoring us,” Jen added, her voice steady but tinged with amazement.
“This just keeps getting stranger,” Char muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Helm, immediate execute all ahead flank; take us through that gate!”
“Helm, aye,” the helmsman confirmed.
Heidi stared at Char, momentarily at a loss for words, feeling the weight of uncertainty press down on her.
“Skipper, we have to go through that gate. Something strange is going on. I’m beginning to think that holo-John is right. I don’t like it, and an ancient Almorian frigate just pops up? That thing poses us no threat,” Char insisted, her voice firm.
“I know; everything you just said is true. I was just about to give the same order. I don’t like this, Char, not one bit. We have to go through that gate and try to piece together just what in the bloody hell is going on!” Heidi replied, her resolve strengthening.
“Comms, send a message to FleetCom. Provide them with the sensor data we’ve obtained and a brief report,” Heidi instructed just moments before they entered the massive Stargate, transitioning them to another galaxy.
Heidi
F.W.S. WarpStar
Unknown System
Canus Galaxy
she stared out the viewport, her heart racing as the transition completed successfully. Yet, the sight that greeted her was anything but reassuring. A massive armada of ships loomed ominously nearby, their menacing forms casting a shadow over the scene, while a pile of debris floated aimlessly in the void—eerily reminiscent of the destruction they had just escaped. Were these the very aliens responsible for annihilating the gatekeepers on both sides? The chilling thought sent a shiver racing down Heidi's spine, tightening her grip on the control panel.
As she observed the unfolding chaos, her breath caught in her throat. The armada began to open fire on the lone Almorian frigate, its hull illuminated by the flashes of energy weapons. She felt a pang of helplessness as the frigate attempted to evade the onslaught, but the odds were stacked against it. Just as the impending doom seemed inevitable, a wormhole erupted into existence, swallowing the frigate in an instant, sparing it from destruction. The sight left Heidi with a mix of relief and dread, knowing that this skirmish was merely the beginning of a deeper conflict.
“Con, C.I.C. Multiple close contacts, multiple configurations, unknown designations. Power output suggests shields and weapons are raised; unknown targeting. Registering primitive weaponry.”
‘Primitive weaponry?’ Heidi thought, ‘Even if their firepower were no match, they still outnumbered us. It would be a battle of attrition; the WarpStar would still be overpowered.’
“Ma’am, I’m reading attempted communication from the fleet; audio only,” the comm station reported, breaking through her thoughts.
“Let’s hear it,” she commanded, her curiosity piqued.
Static and distortion echoed across the speakers, various methods of communication disrupting the signal. After a few minutes, the same message repeated itself, resonating through the bridge: "Karreth xhilari valnix, trennak asu valnik.”
Everyone on the bridge exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of confusion and apprehension. Xenolinguistics had never been part of their training; alien first contact had always seemed like a far-off dream, and the one time it had happened had resulted in a disastrous encounter with murderous aliens who spoke perfect English.
"Karreth xhilari valnix, trennak asu valnik,” reverberated again over the speakers.
“Comms, open the channel. Reply with this: This is Captain Heidi Donavan of the United Federation of Nations. We are here on a peaceful mission to retrieve…” She hesitated, weighing her words carefully. The truth was, she was an enemy to them, but she couldn’t say that. She had to improvise, “someone in distress from our galaxy. We mean you no harm.” She nodded toward the comm station, signaling for the message to be sent.
“Skipper,” Char said, her tone serious. “The Guardians on this side have been obliterated as well. I’m assuming that’s why this fleet is here. I don’t think they did it with the kind of firepower we’re seeing, but they’re scared, I’m guessing. Scared of whatever kicked the Guardians’ asses.”
“I tend to agree with that. But still, we can’t stay here; we can’t talk to them.” Just as Heidi was weighing her options, the fleet fired a shot that exploded above the WarpStar, rocking the ship but causing no damage. “That was a warning shot! Nav, plot an FTL course to Buuka, then send it to the helm. Helm, get us on a heading to escape this blockade; all ahead flank!”
A chorus of “Aye, ma’am!” resonated through the bridge.
As the WarpStar began to break free from the blockade, the ship shuddered from direct hits. “Direct hit, no damage. Shields are holding. Most of the shots are missing, ma’am. From what I can tell, they’re firing a mix of radiation-emission weaponry along with kinetic rounds. Nothing seems to be phasing our shields as of yet,” Ensign Volkov reported, his voice steady.
“Then let them beat their chests. Helm, immediate execute FTL once you’re on the vector to Buuka,” Heidi commanded, her focus unwavering.
“Aye, FTL to Buuka!” With that command, the world around them twisted once more into the colorful spectrum of light, propelling them forward into the unknown.