Sadie and Atega nervously sat in the science operations center on the USS Olympic.  The Oly and the Mack were flying towards the distress call, and the signal was growing stronger the closer they became.  They’d been ordered to work with the new Chief Science Officer from the Excelsior II class.  She’d been transported over to the Oly moments ago.

Fowler wondered aloud, “Do you think she’ll be anything like T’saath?”  Sadie had worked with a few Vulcans in her short career.

Presley handed her a PADD with the limited service jacket information from the ship’s roster, “She’s a lot older than she was…and with Vulcans, that means they’ve learned a lot in those years.”  She shrugged, “Vulcans, Romulans, Andorians…Klingons…everybody has their thing.  It’s all about language for me.  Linguistically understanding a people helps keep the walls from forming.”

Sadie rolled her eyes at her friend, “I’d call you a nerd, but I’m just as bad when it comes to science.”  She wondered, “Maybe that’s the answer – we all speak the same language with science.  Maybe there’s a chance I’ll get along with her.”

Atega frowned, “You think you’re going to have a problem getting along with her?”  Fowler shrugged, and the door to the science center opened.

T’Penga accepted the position as Chief Science Officer as not only was it logical, but it was the right thing to do. In a way, T’saath followed in her footsteps by returning to Vulcan. When she walked into the Science Operations Center of the USS Olympic, she found two other officers discussing the topics of the day. “Morning, I am Lieutenant T’Penga. You must be  Lieutenants Fowler and Atega.”

The two women stood and shook the Vulcan’s hands.  Fowler gestured to the chair at the holo-table, “We’ve been tasked with figuring this mystery out.”  She tapped nervously at the console, and the signal faded into view, “It’s a two-part signal – one is a request for asylum, and the other is a distress call.”  She explained that the Mackenzie’s sensors and systems could not determine further details.  “Captain Walton doesn’t enjoy surprises.”  She rotated the signal, “The Oly’s computer is having a hard time too…it’s an older signal type.”

T’Penga cocked an eyebrow as everything had been explained to her. “Old type signals call for old type receivers. Have you attempted to reconfigure the communications array to match the signals frequency and coding. That should clear up the signal. The other factor of course would be the context of the message.” 

The Mack’s Communications Chief frowned and leaned into the image, “You have a point, Lieutenant.  Syntax would play a part in this.”  A few taps of the console and the message cleared a little.  Presley read what had cleared up, “This is the…..calling for…UESPA….assistance is….ship….calling on….for….”  She shook her head, “That’s all for now.”

Fowler sat back in her chair, “What is UESPA?”

“That would be the United Earth Space Probe Agency. It is the precursor to Starfleet, that later became part of Starfleet. In fact, it is still in operation today. They oversee a lot of ship construction and are the civilian branch of Starfleet, if you will. However, ships in operation never identify as UESPA ships. So, if this person is calling a UESPA ship for assistance, then one can safely say they interacted with one. However, for that to have happened it would have to be one hundred and eight years or more ago. The last time a ship was known to have been identified as USEPA was in 2293. Perhaps as I said before, if we reconfigure the communications array to work as one did in 2293, we could have a clearer message.” T’Penga’s interest was piqued as the period of time they referred to was a point that she did not know much about save for what she read. T’Penga was in the Nexus in 2293, and she now wanted to know more about what she could have missed.

Atega tapped at the table’s console, “Adjusting signal sensors….”  She boosted the power as the Oly flew closer and closer to the signal. 

The signal clarified, “This is the Argovan shuttle Magna calling for the UESPA fleet.  Your assistance is desperately needed.  My ship’s systems are failing.  I am calling on you for help.  My father helped you at one time…I ask for the UESPA to respond to my asylum claim.”

Sadie’s mouth dropped open, “What the….”

Presley was already working on the table console, “I recognize that species name.”

T’Penga cocked an eyebrow despite her expansive knowledge of history this species escaped any recollection. “Lieutenant Atega please get all that you can on these people. I do not recall every hearing of them.”

The Communications Chief found it, “The Argovans described as a xenophobic society…and located on the extreme reaches of the Federation.  Not much detail is available.” She dug deeper, “The last time it’s recorded to have interacted with us was in 2290…over a hundred and ten years ago.”

Fowler tapped at the console., the image changing, “She included her physical details…we’ll have to get Captain Dread to decode this.”

Atega glanced at T’Penga, “She asked for asylum…but what kind?  The UESPA asylum process might be different than ours in 2401.”

“That is an excellent question. One that I do not believe any of us can answer. However, UESPA exists today and is a part of Starfleet as whole. So I would imagine that the process would be the same. All of that said we must take all of this information to the Captain immediately. It is for them to decide how we proceed.” T’Penga rose and motioned toward the door. This assignment just got a lot more fascinating.