Heidi
Eugene Station
Epsilon Eridini
Milky Way Galaxy
Captain Heidi Donavan stood in the Situation Room of Eugene Station, a hub of activity and tension within the Epsilon Eridini sector of the Milky Way Galaxy. The atmosphere was thick with urgency as the last few stragglers finally trickled in, their expressions a mix of concern and determination. Only a few hours had passed since her husband made the request for all hands on deck, a move that had not sat well with Admiral Hayes. The Admiral's displeasure with a Captain calling for such a high-level meeting was palpable, but once he had seen the raw data, he could hardly argue against the necessity.
Despite the gravity of the situation, some officers chose to attend the meeting in person, while others remained glued to their posts, unable to leave their critical duties. President Hammond was already deep in thought, poring over a long list of priorities, diligently signing bills and finalizing his last orders as his term was set to conclude in just a few months.
Heidi found herself checking her com unit for what felt like the nine-hundredth time, a habit she had yet to shake even while off the ship. She had ordered the WarpStar to engage in long-range random patrols—a strategy she had devised herself, much to the admiration of her, at the time, executive officer, Charlene Carr. The ship's modus operandi was both clever and effective: it would select an area approximately half an astronomical unit away, fall silent for about twenty minutes, and if no unusual activity was detected, all systems would activate for an additional sixteen minutes. If the coast was clear, the navigation officer would either choose a random location or a predetermined spot to FTL jump, then return to silent running for another twenty minutes. This innovative approach allowed the WarpStar to scout with a level of stealth and adaptability that no other Federation starship could match, solidifying its reputation as one of the most valuable vessels in the fleet.
In light of the high-ranking event today, she had commanded the WarpStar to warp within instant tight beam range of Eugene Station just before she was set to initiate a new patrol route for a quick status update. The latest intelligence report had been unremarkable, consisting of several Terran drone ships on patrol, operated by the Federation’s finest. The report also mentioned seven Sumerian cruisers and two Sumerian frigates, along with a civilian freighter navigating across the system for reasons that remained unclear. It struck her as odd; the civilian ship must have entered the system before the lockdown, yet it was far enough from any critical assets to pose a significant threat. She flagged everything as non-priority, allowing the WarpStar to proceed to its next patrol route.
“Alright, everyone,” her husband began, gathering attention, "we know this Dyson Sphere is a pretty powerful piece of tech made by some unknown advanced civilization ages ago.” Her thoughts momentarily drifted as she recalled the warmth of her husband's accent, the way his dreamy eyes seemed to draw her in. There had been a time when they served together, completely unaware of the bond that would eventually form between them. As weapons officer, she had never exchanged a word with him. Their fateful encounter had occurred one night in the galley, both off duty and seeking comfort in shared solitude. From there, their friendship had blossomed into a secret love affair that grew increasingly complicated once she was promoted to Executive Officer. When she assumed the role of Commanding Officer, the stakes had risen exponentially. If their relationship came to light, both could face the loss of their commissions. Only Heidi and Admiral Briggs knew the truth of their situation—a truth that had required careful navigation.
To this day, she remained uncertain how her Commanding Officer had discovered their forbidden relationship, but she was thankful it was Briggs. After several sermons, fifteen Hail Marys, and a few dozen Our Fathers, he had devised a solution that benefitted everyone involved. Joseph received a promotion that perfectly suited his skills and talents, allowing him to serve the Federation while also enabling the couple to maintain contact without jeopardizing their careers. Heidi had agreed to keep the affair a secret in exchange for retaining her command position, a deal that had felt surreal at the time.
“We know there’s heaps more to this station that we haven’t figured out yet, and my incredible teams of scientists and engineers are flat out trying to unlock its secrets,” Joseph continued, a smile creeping onto her face as she thought of him—his tousled hair and that perfectly chiseled jawline. Her reverie was abruptly interrupted when her com link buzzed, signaling it was time for a status update. 'Shit, this is definitely not normal,’ she thought to herself, frustration bubbling within her. ‘Damnit, I would give anything to have a duplicate of myself handle this while I watch… oh those eyes… get it together, Heidi, time to play Captain!" With that, she stood and left the Situation Room, determination setting her jaw.
“WarpStar, WarpStar Actual, report.” She initiated a tight beam communication using Eugene Station's comm array.
“WarpStar Actual, WarpStar. Ma’am, we have seven Sumerian cruisers that just lost life support. The civilian vessel is now drifting in space, and the graviton and neutrino readings are going all sorts of crazy out here. Something strange is out there, and we can’t pinpoint it.”
'Odd, what could cause several ships to lose life support and a civilian ship to lose all power?' “Eugene!” she called, testing the capabilities of the new artificial intelligence.
“How can I be of service, Captain Donavan?” The male hologram flickered to life directly in front of her, a calm presence amidst the chaos.
“Do you have sensor readouts across the system?"
“I do, and there doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. All sensor readouts are nominal."
“Are your sensor readings faster-than-light capable?"
“Yes, they are. We have several sensor platforms…” Heidi interrupted the AI, her patience waning.
“I don’t need a science lesson right now, as much as I would love to know how it works. Right now, I need you to recheck your sensors and go active if you aren’t already."
“Checking…” The AI paused for a moment, processing the request. “All sensor systems are operational. All readings are within normal parameters."
‘What the bloody hell?’ she thought, realizing she was beginning to think like her husband.
“WarpStar, WarpStar Actual, hold position."
“WarpStar Actual, WarpStar, holding position. Aye."
Heidi walked a few sections down the corridor to another panel, where she brought up the readouts for the Terran drone ships to verify their positions. One destroyer was within three light hours of the civilian vessel, but the others were too far away to provide immediate assistance. "Shit," she muttered aloud, frustration creeping into her voice.
Peeking back into the Situation Room, she noticed the Joint Chiefs still engaged in heated debates about the new wormhole discovery. Admiral Briggs, having initially noticed her departure, was positioned near the door, awaiting her return. She nodded to him, signaling that they needed to converse outside the room.
“Captain, what’s going on?" he inquired, his brow furrowed with concern.
“Sir, the WarpStar has detected some unusual readings. Graviton and neutrino levels are inconsistent across several patrol zones. We have seven Sumerian cruisers that suddenly lost life support, and that civilian freighter has lost all power and is now adrift in space."
“What in God’s name is going on?"
“There’s more, sir. Eugene reports that all sensor readings from the station are normal, nothing out of the ordinary."
“I don’t like the sound of that."
“Neither do I, sir. If we are under attack and the station remains oblivious, what will happen if we take action that it perceives as aggressive, when in reality, we’re only defending ourselves?"
“That scares the daylights out of me.” Briggs took a step back, his unease evident.
“Sir, I suggest I return to the WarpStar to assess the civilian ship first, then the Sumerians, and try to figure out what is going on. I recommend instructing our pilots to pull back all drone ships for close-space defense.”
“I like your thinking, Captain. That’s our plan. Go.”
Heidi
WarpStar
Epsilon Eridini
Milky Way Galaxy
“Sitrep!” Her voice resonated powerfully throughout the bridge as she strode in, instantly commanding respect and attention from the crew who were diligently monitoring their stations.
“All systems ready, ma’am,” Junior Officer Jade Mace, the current Officer of the Deck, reported with a note of pride in her tone.
“Nav, get me an F.T.L. plot, three light seconds from the last known location of the civilian vessel. What’s the bearing?” she inquired, her eyes scanning the tactical displays.
“Last known bearing is two-two-one, fifteen degrees positive,” Ensign Lyric Alton replied, his fingers deftly manipulating the navigation controls.
“O.O.D., start the process,” she commanded, her focus unwavering.
“Yes, ma’am. Helm, set course bearing two-two-one, fifteen degrees positive, all ahead full,” J.O. Mace relayed the orders with practiced efficiency.
“Helm, aye. Helm answering all bells. Helm has plot from Nav,” Lieutenant Jax Orion affirmed from his station at the helm, his voice steady and confident.
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“Distance to target?” Heidi asked, pressing for specifics.
“Four AU, ma’am,” Ensign Alton answered, his brow furrowing slightly as he concentrated on the readouts.
“Well, Bob, what’s been our maximum test speed?” Heidi leaned closer to Commander Robert Jackson, her executive officer, seeking his insight.
Robert sighed, weighing his thoughts carefully. “Fifteen C, I think Charr got her up to that?”
“Think we can do twenty?” she challenged, her enthusiasm palpable.
“Well, at twenty C, that would give us just over a minute and a half to get there,” he calculated, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.
“That’s a short enough amount of time to test it. Sound the bells,” she decided, excitement threading through her voice.
“Yes, ma’am.” Robert agreed, his expression somber yet devoted. “Mace, sound general quarters, get us up to speed, then execute twenty C to three light seconds to target.”
“Aye, sir. Sounding general quarters, getting us to FTL speed, then executing a twenty C jump to three light seconds to target, aye.” Mace picked up the red microphone, pulling the lever three times in quick succession. “Claaaannnggg! Claaaannnggg! Clannnggggg. General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands to battle stations!” He returned the mic to its holster, his demeanor focused as he turned to his next duties. “Helm, report speed.”
“Helm reports 44,145 m.p.s,” Mace shared, casting a glance at the command island, aware that the current velocity was quite slow. However, at 15g max velocity, it would take considerable time to reach a comfortable speed. Heidi nodded in acknowledgment, understanding that jumping into FTL could happen at any speed. They would exit back into normal space at whatever velocity they were traveling when they entered; this situation was manageable, especially as they headed into the unknown. “Helm, immediate execute F.T.L. twenty C.”
“Helm aye, executing F.T.L. drive, twenty C.” The WarpStar vanished into the void, the stars around her warping into a kaleidoscope of colors. The ship navigated smoothly through the universe, breaking her previous record; twenty C felt well within the starship's capabilities. After a tense 98 seconds, the call to exit FTL came, and the dazzling rainbow of the void melded back into the starry realm of reality.
The bridge fell silent as they awaited the customary “clear” or “no clear” call from C.I.C., which came sooner than expected. “Con, C.I.C., two contacts. One is the civilian vessel; the other is bearing one-seven, negative seven-degree drift, traveling at two-point-three g at heading two-two-five, fifteen degrees positive. Her profile seems to match a Sumerian frigate.”
“C.I.C., Con, is that frigate running on her own power?” Heidi inquired, her tone sharp and alert.
“Yes, ma’am, there appear to be no issues with her,” Lt. Jg. Samantha Wildman reported, her voice steady as she monitored the data streams.
“I have the con,” Heidi declared, making her presence known in the command hierarchy.
“The Captain has the con!” the OOD echoed, ensuring the crew was aware of her command.
“Helm, all ahead two-thirds. Get us within 200 meters, then match velocity. I want to be relative to her,” she instructed, her eyes fixed on the displays.
“Helm, aye. All ahead two-thirds, then match speed,” came the response.
Heidi rose from her seat, moving closer to the helm station as the civilian freighter drew nearer. The vessel was spinning wildly on every axis, debris floating ominously around it, and the evidence of weapons fire was unmistakable. “What the hell happened here?” she muttered, a frown creasing her brow.
“C.I.C., Con,” Commander Jackson said, standing up, his expression serious. “Do we have an idea of when this happened? Any energy blast decay or isotope decay of any kind? Maybe we can peer backward in time?” If they could pinpoint when the incident occurred, they could calculate a location in space where light would be traveling toward them, allowing them to FTL jump just before that light arrived and observe the incident as if it were happening in real-time.
“Con, C.I.C. I’m unsure, sir. Passive readings are inconclusive. I have no idea what I’m reading here,” Wildman admitted, her brow furrowing in concentration.
“Go active,” Heidi ordered decisively. The C.I.C. acknowledged her command, flipping the switch. Every sensor suite onboard the destroyer sprang to life, sending out blast after blast of particles and waves of energy in every direction, hoping to detect something useful.
Heidi glanced at the tactical readout in the command island, watching every sensor ping rush out from the ship at rapid intervals. Pulse by pulse, she scanned the area with her eyes, intent on uncovering the unknown.
‘Well, this surely is odd,’ she thought to herself, scrutinizing the graviton and neutrino readings. The gravitons were registering something close by, something the size of a destroyer, yet optical, Ladar, LiDar, Radar, Radio, and thermal sensors registered nothing. Neutrinos confirmed the gravitons; the neutrino emissions indicated some sort of fusion reaction in the same location, but there was no star, no ship, no station—nothing natural or unnatural to explain the phenomenon. She stared intently until the readings shifted. That was her confirmation; she had no idea how that ship was cloaked or even who possessed cloaking technology, but it was clear there was a cloaked ship out there. She reached for her mic, but Wildman was quicker.
“Con, C.I.C., new contact, bearing one-three-five, fifteen degrees negative,” he announced.
Heidi raised her hand, halting any immediate action. “Don’t do anything yet; play possum.” Robert nodded in agreement. “Keep an eye on those readings, Rob. C.I.C., Con, designate target Sierra One. Do not lose track.”
“Con, C.I.C., aye,” came the acknowledgment.
“Officer of the Deck,” she called out.
“‘Ma’am!” Mace came to attention, ready for orders.
“Gather a boarding party. Get a hopper ready, full marine regiment, and a wing of escorts. Do not launch until I give the go,” she instructed, her voice firm.
“Aye, ma’am,” Mace replied, rushing off the bridge with purpose.
“What do you think they’re doing?” Robert asked, his gaze fixed on the display as Sierra One began to circle the two ships.
“I think they’re testing us, seeing if we can detect them,” Heidi replied, her mind racing with possibilities.
“We can’t just sit here with the civilian ship and do nothing; that would be suspicious,” he countered, concern etched on his face.
“You’re right,” she conceded. “FlightCom, Con,” Heidi selected the 4MC.
“Con, FlightCom, aye,” came the prompt response.
“Can you get one of your birds in the air remotely, as a drone? I don’t care if it’s a 401 or a hopper; I just don’t want to risk a pilot,” she requested, her mind racing.
“I’ve got an old 305 with a drone link to it I’ve been playing with. Other than that, it would take hours to rig something else up,” he replied.
“That’s perfect, Chief. Get it in the air. Have your pilot run a sweep on that civilian ship; act like we’re investigating it,” she instructed, her determination evident.
“Yes, ma’am,” he affirmed.
The modified F-305, an older generation bomber, left the flight deck of the WarpStar and quickly adjusted its pitch and yaw to align with the spinning civilian freighter. All three ships appeared relatively motionless to one another while, to an outside observer, they performed a chaotic dance of disarray. The small fighter turned its lights on, meticulously examining the outer hull of the civilian freighter, inch by inch.
“Are we reading any atmo signatures in there?” Heidi inquired, her brow furrowed in concentration.
“Does not appear so. There are tons of hull breaches,” Robert responded, his eyes scanning the readouts.
“Ops, get the registry on that freighter. I want to know who it was, what they were hauling, where they picked it up, and where they were going,” she commanded, her voice steady.
“Ops, aye,” came the reply.
The entire situation created a pit in Heidi’s stomach; they were in one of the most heavily defended systems in the entire galaxy, and she felt they were blindly guessing. Who, what, and why would someone come in stealthily, disable several Sumerian cruisers, and target a civilian cargo ship?
“‘Ma’am, that was the F.C.S. Eiseman. She came out of Titan seventeen days ago, loaded with iron. That was her entire cargo. Destined for Alpha Centauri,” came the report.
"Iron? One of the most abundant resources in the universe?” Heidi questioned, disbelief coloring her voice. “Why the bloody hell would they hijack a freighter full of iron? Rob, have that drone scan the cargo hold; I want to know how much iron is left in there."
“Uhhhh,” he hesitated for a brief moment as he checked the readouts. “Honestly, it appears none—not even trace elements. It’s as if there never was any iron in there to begin with.”
“This situation keeps getting stranger and stranger,” Heidi replied, frustration mingling with her confusion.
“Con, C.I.C., I’m reading a spike in neutrino emissions; they are powering up something.” Before anyone could react, three plasma bolts materialized from nowhere and obliterated the drone F-305 bomber.
“Alright, that’s our cue. Helm, new heading one-one-four, zero degrees, all ahead full. Weapons, load everything. Nav, I want a constant firing solution on Sierra One.” The ship's stations erupted into a chorus of repeating orders, each crew member responding, “Aye, ma’am.”
She watched the dot on the plot, following the WarpStar, still oblivious to the fact that they were being tracked.
“Neutrinos are building up again,” Robert reported, his voice tense.
“Prime shields to the rear; let’s take this blast,” Heidi instructed, her resolve unwavering.
Almost everyone on the bridge looked at their C.O. as if she were crazy, but no one dared utter a word. The shields powered up in the rear as three more plasma shots erupted from what seemed to be nothing, striking the WarpStar.
“Helm, new heading zero-one-five, ninety degrees negative, all ahead flank. Damage report,” she ordered, the ship veering sharply.
The ship angled to its new heading, taking a significant nosedive. Heidi observed the targeting dot follow suit; she was intentionally playing dumb.
“Shields are holding at seventy-two percent; no other damage,” Ensign Dmitri Volkov reported, his voice steady amid the tension.
“If we take a few volleys of that, it will do serious damage,” Robert said softly, concern etched in his features.
“Oh, yeah. Watch this. It’s time to test the new upgrades,” Heidi said with a smile, anticipation coursing through her.
“I agree, but first,” Robert replied, strapping himself in and grabbing the 1MC. “Attention all hands, brace for extreme maneuvers.”
“Disable the FTL drive, divert 75% of the anti-matter reactor power to the new capacitors, and send the rest to the new inertia dampeners,” she instructed, winking at Robert, enjoying the thrill of the moment.
“Distance to target?” she asked, adrenaline surging through her veins.
“Fifty-seven klicks, ma’am,” Ensign Alton replied, his fingers dancing over the controls.
“More neutrino buildup,” Robert reported, his focus intense.
“Helm, reduce speed, all ahead one-half.” She smiled at the opportunity for an easy target. The unknown ship fired another volley of three shots, and once again, all three shots struck the rear of the WarpStar. This time, no damage was done. The immense power being output from the anti-matter reactor rivaled that of a dreadnaught, rendering the tiny destroyer nearly invulnerable. When the power core was first installed, it had only worked in the form of a star drive; no capacitor could handle the power output for any other system. Engineers had recently managed to install several capacitors, significantly boosting the capabilities of nearly every system onboard.
“That’s our cue. Helm, all ahead flank; let’s test this out at 30g!” Heidi declared, her excitement palpable.
“Yes, ma’am!” Lieutenant Orion responded, slamming the throttle down while the selector was set for 30g. A loud ‘BOOM’ resonated through the ship, felt by all as the mains came to life. With a smile on his face, he thought, ‘Be jealous now, Charr! Just broke your record! Who’s the best now?’ as he watched the speed indicator soar past 20g. “Helm answering 30g, ma’am; not a single ounce of force on us. Those new dampers are holding!”
Heidi’s gaze remained locked on the indicator; the target was falling behind. Whoever they were, they lacked the capability to travel at 30g, granting them the advantage. She confirmed they still had a firing solution. “Helm, neutral thrust; flip us 180. Weapons, fire at will!”
The WarpStar disengaged the mains, and the thrusters rotated the nose 180 degrees. She was now traveling relatively backward, while the weapons officer locked onto what appeared to be nothing. In reality, they were heavy neutrino and graviton readings. The WarpStar's two main cannons unleashed a hail of 50mm ship-buster rail darts, each fired with only nanoseconds in between. Most of the darts struck home, and as the enemy ship’s cloak faltered with each hit, their shields deflected many, but several managed to penetrate. Hull impacts created secondary explosions throughout the tiny destroyer. Once the cloak finally failed, the WarpStar fired two ship-killer missiles that homed in on the source of the neutrinos and the engines, obliterating them in the blink of an eye.
“Helm, full brake burn; get us to positive velocity. Robert, send a hopper out there; recover some of that debris. I want to bring it to the eggheads at Eugene Station for analysis. Once we have that debris onboard, plot a course to those Sumerian cruisers; let’s lend aid. Send a report to Briggs; tell him the good news,” she ordered, satisfaction coursing through her.
“Oh boy, that conversation is going to be fun,” Robert remarked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
“I think the conversation with my husband over the fact that there are cloaked ships might be a tad crazier,” she replied, sharing a moment of levity amid the chaos.
“Yeah, I think you’re right on that one!” Robert chuckled, the camaraderie of the crew bolstering their spirits as they prepared for the next challenge ahead.