Zaria stepped onto the bridge, the quiet hiss of the sliding doors giving way to a controlled symphony of sound. The rhythmic hum of the ship’s systems blended with the hurried tap of fingers on consoles and the occasional clipped exchange of orders. Her boots struck the metallic floor, each step swallowed by the buzz of activity that thrummed through the room like a pulse.

She paused for a moment just inside the threshold, her gaze sweeping across the familiar scene. Officers bent over their stations, their faces illuminated by the glow of holographic displays and flashing indicators. The air seemed charged, not just with recycled oxygen but with a tension she couldn’t quite name. Conversations were hushed but urgent, and every movement carried a sense of purpose, as though the ship itself was holding its breath.

Her eyes found Captain Hale at the center console, his presence commanding without being overbearing. He stood tall, his uniform pristine despite the long hours that had etched faint lines of fatigue into his face. The holographic display before him shimmered, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across his sharp features. He turned toward her, his expression calm but edged with urgency, like a still lake concealing powerful currents beneath.

“Lieutenant Commander Jenkins,” he said, his voice steady and deliberate, cutting through the ambient noise like a scalpel. “We’ve just received data from an uncharted anomaly. Your analysis is required before we proceed.”

Zaria stepped closer, her attention immediately drawn to the holographic projection floating above the central console. It was an intricate weave of data—coordinates flickering in and out, gravimetric waves rippling across the model like invisible hands brushing against space-time. A faint glow surrounded the anomaly’s core, its energy patterns pulsing with a rhythm that felt almost alive.

She circled the projection, her boots now silent on the bridge’s polished floor. Each step brought a new angle, a new detail to consider. Her mind raced, categorizing and cross-referencing the streams of data. The anomaly was unlike anything she’d encountered before, and the sheer possibility of it sent a spark of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

“An anomaly?” she asked, her tone carefully measured, though her fingers betrayed her eagerness as they hovered over the console. She manipulated the projection, rearranging its patterns to tease out hidden insights. “What’s nearby? Any known systems?” Her voice carried the undercurrent of restrained excitement—curiosity tethered by professionalism.

Captain Hale’s jaw tightened, his calm mask barely concealing the weight of his thoughts. “There are several systems within proximity,” he said, his gaze flicking to the hologram. “But the gravimetric readings are... unusual. And there’s an energy field surrounding it—something we haven’t encountered before.”

Zaria’s eyes narrowed, her focus sharpening as she expanded the projection to include the surrounding coordinates. The anomaly’s energy field rippled across the map, bending space in subtle but undeniable ways. A faint hum reached her ears, or perhaps it was her imagination, but it felt as though the anomaly itself was pressing against the edges of the ship’s sensors, daring them to unravel its secrets.

“Natural?” she asked, though she doubted it. Her voice softened, almost to herself. “Or something else…” She leaned in closer, her brow furrowing as she keyed in additional commands, drawing the data into sharper focus. Answers hovered just out of reach, tantalizingly close.

The bridge quieted, as though the crew sensed the gravity of the moment. Even the hum of the ship’s systems seemed subdued, leaving only the glow of the anomaly to cast its pale light over Zaria’s face.

A ripple of unease coursed through the bridge, subtle but undeniable, like the air before a storm. Zaria felt the shift as keenly as if it had run through her own body, her pulse kicking up a notch. Discovery always carried a price, and the thrill of unraveling the unknown mingled with the faint whisper of anxiety at the back of her mind. She pushed it down, locking her focus on the task ahead. This was why she was here—why she had fought so hard for a place aboard this ship.

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“I’m on it, Captain,” she said, her voice steady and laced with determination. She stepped away from the holographic anomaly and approached the science console with purposeful strides. The Ensign manning the station glanced up, his face tightening slightly before he quickly vacated the seat. Ensign Martinez, Zaria noted—the junior officer was due to begin a rotation in Stellar Cartography soon. She’d read his file in preparation. If she had to dive into this mystery, she might as well start his training while she was at it.

“Stay close, Ensign,” she murmured, sliding into the chair and gesturing for him to pull up another. Her fingers danced over the interface, calling up streams of data. “Let me show you how to read some of these patterns. If you’re going to chart stars, you’ll need to know how to decode gravimetric anomalies like this.”

Martinez’s eyes lit up with eagerness as he locked his seat beside hers. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, leaning forward attentively.

Behind her, Captain Hale’s voice cut through the bridge’s controlled chaos, his tone a shade lighter now. “Good,” he said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “And for the record, Lieutenant Commander, Master Sergeant Reynolds assures me your navigation lights are still proving invaluable.”

Heat prickled at the back of Zaria’s neck, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of squirming. Instead, she turned and offered a crisp mock salute, her expression deadpan. “Understood, sir. No unplanned detours.”

Beside her, Martinez stifled a chuckle, his shoulders twitching with barely contained amusement. Zaria turned, fixing him with a sharp look. “Do you find that funny, Ensign?” she asked, arching a brow.

His posture snapped straight, a seriousness plastered onto his face so quickly it might have been comical under different circumstances. “No, ma’am,” he replied, his tone earnest.

“Good,” Zaria said, her focus returning to the console as her hands moved with practiced precision over the interface. Data streamed across the screen, and she pointed to a faint wave pattern that glimmered in the spectral analysis. “This,” she said, glancing at Martinez, “is the kind of reading you need to keep an eye on. An anomaly’s gravimetric waves can tell you its mass, density, even its behavior over time. See how it pulses irregularly here? That’s a potential energy disturbance. Log it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Martinez said, his hands moving to mirror hers as he pulled up the appropriate data fields.

The hum of the bridge softened around them as Zaria lost herself in the patterns, her mind whirring as she analyzed the anomaly. Whatever it was, it was unlike anything she had encountered before, and the scientist in her burned with the need to decode its secrets. Beside her, Martinez scribbled notes on his console, his earlier amusement replaced by the quiet intensity of someone eager to learn.

For now, the storm of tension receded slightly, and Zaria allowed herself the faintest flicker of satisfaction. This was her domain, where equations and anomalies spoke louder than words, and she could find a small semblance of order in the chaos of the unknown.

The faint thrum of the ship’s engines vibrated through the console beneath Zaria’s hands, a steady pulse grounding her as she sank into her seat. The holographic display flickered to life before her, casting pale light across her face. Her breath hitched. Suspended against the infinite black of space, the anomaly was unlike anything she’d ever seen. It was mesmerizing—a chaotic ballet of energy and shadow.

The void at the center was pitch black, an abyss that seemed to swallow even the faintest traces of light. Around it, ghostly tendrils of energy reached outward, curling and coiling like living things, their motions both elegant and unsettling. The edges shimmered with iridescent threads, undulating like the surface of a disturbed pool. The sight tugged at something deep inside her, a mix of awe and unease.

The usual hum of the bridge seemed to recede, muffled by the collective focus of the crew. Even the ambient sounds of the consoles around her felt quieter, like the anomaly itself demanded reverence. Zaria leaned in, her fingers moving deftly across the interface as she pulled up the latest data.

“This can’t be right,” she muttered, her voice barely audible over the soft clicks of the console. She swiped through the readings, her brow furrowing as her eyes darted across the numbers. Her heart drummed faster, a steady rhythm of anticipation. “Do you see these readings here and here?” she asked, glancing at Ensign Martinez and enlarging the display for him to see.

The Ensign leaned closer, his gaze flickering over the highlighted data. The faint glow of the hologram reflected in his wide eyes. “Yes,” he said, his tone cautious. “But… I don’t understand. These readings should be impossible.”