Captain’s log, supplemental.

 

Lakota has passed the Ursa Astralis micronebula reported by Marlowe and has entered the Ziyafa sector. We are headed for the location of a rendezvous scheduled in the log of Lieutenant commander Voss. Sensors have detected a small vessel, believed to be the freighter K’rshrr. Science officer Voss believed that Qadd was willing to put his ship at risk in the search of more significant discoveries, all in the hopes of improving his own personal fortunes. I’ve done my research, and Qadd strikes me as a bit of a rogue. His last ship, the Solaria, was lost during the Lost Fleet crisis. It seems that he couldn’t escape rumours, even then. Rumours that he abandoned ship to save himself, sacrificing his crew to ensure his own safety. Starfleet could never prove it of course; how would you with only one eye witness? Marlowe was his consolation, forced to earn Starfleet’s trust again.

 

If Voss is right, and Qadd’s antics have somehow hurt the Marlowe crew, then someone at Starfleet Command has a lot to answer for.

 

For now, I reserve judgement. My larger concerns rest with my squadron. What started off as the squadron’s maiden voyage has turned into Lakota’s last stand. Buran has been dispatched to respond to possible Borg sightings along the Gorn border, while the sudden interception of a distress call from the Guardian has seen Osiris ripped from our mission.

 

We’ve been shorn of our defensive cover and our escort; we are travelling into a potentially volatile situation and we do so without our squadron for support. And while I am confident in the abilities of my crew, we are now alone…

 

…and that scares the shit out of me.

Boredom. No, frustration. Or was it exasperation? Perhaps it was all three? What was certain was that the longer Captain Nazir stared at the creature on the viewscreen, the more she was in danger of slipping into a comatose state. She’d been listening to Captain Xorax of the freighter K’rshrr drone on about the unsuccessful harvest they’d experienced on Revla II and the impact it had had on his haulage business ever since for approximately fifteen minutes. Normally, such a first contact type of situation would be her bread and butter; she’d have rolled out the carpet, brought him aboard and maybe even offered to help with his business needs if she could, but she was certain Starfleet would forgive her transgression today, given the nature of her mission.

“Mister Xorax…”

A booming voice next to her cut through her frustration and her distracted state, with Keziah turning her head to look at the XO. Even bald and largely expressionless, she was able to tell her new Number One was just as frustrated as she was – the padding squeezed completely out of shape on the arm of his chair was a dead giveaway without the loud tone of his words.

“No, no. Captain!” Xorax reminded Onsas with a cheery disposition and a wagging finger.

“Forgive us Captain,” Nazir pushed herself to her feet and tugged on the hem of her uniform jacket, taking a step forward to look a little more authoritative, and like she was actually paying attention. “We appreciate the struggles you have been through, but time really is of the essence for us. We have reason to believe you met or were scheduled to meet, a ship of ours. The USS Marlowe.” Finally, she’d managed to get her point across, the same point she’d tried making almost a quarter of an hour ago.

“I think I recall ssssseeing your ssssship,” Xorax mused, ruffling his long, scraggly hair. “Blue man, hair free.”

‘Now we’re getting somewhere,’ the Trill smiled. “Yes, that’s the ship’s commander, Captain Qadd,” Nazir nodded enthusiastically.

“Yesss. We were due to meet to dissscusss a posssible trade of resssourcesss, but it never arrived,” the Beta quadrant native explained, his lisp becoming more evident as he spoke. “Our sssensssorsss last ssshowed her at Norayisss.”

“What is Norayis?” the Captain asked, looking hopefully across at her science officer, and then her tactician.

“A trading outpossst. Nothing happensss in thisss sssector without the Adminissstrator on Norayisss knowing about it,” he smiled, leaning towards the screen, as if trying to get a better glimpse of the bridge… or was it her captain? “Now we trade, yesss?” he asked.

“We’ll be more than happy to trade with you Captain,” Nazir nodded, but she soon dulled his excitement, “once we have located the Marlowe, we’ll be happy to attend to your every need, but we must find our people. I hope you understand.”

Was she batting her eyelids? There was a definite twinkle in her eye and a cocked head, or so Commander D’orr thought. There was no way Nazir would use her feminine charm to try and placate the freighter man, was there?

Xorax laughed playfully and swatted at the screen with his left hand. “I’ll hold you to that, Captain,” he smiled and then disappeared from view.

As soon as the viewscreen went blank, the Captain dropped her hands to her knees and bent over, taking a moment to compose herself. When she eventually stood upright again, she took in a deep breath and slapped her arms to her sides.

“Have we found this trading outpost he mentioned?” she asked, looking down towards the CONN.

“Yes ma’am,” Burton announced from the flight operations station, turning in her chair to look at the Trill. “It’s a small facility in orbit of the 6th planet. Roughly five lightyears from here,” the pilot told.

“Set a course and take us there,” Nazir instructed, returning to her seat. “Still no sign of the Marlowe?” her attention turned to Teyahna at the science station.

Despite having access to the main sensor suite on the ship, and as many resources as possible diverted her way, the Orion had no choice but to shake her head. “We’ve been running around the clock scans for any sign of her but nothing yet.”

“Perhaps we are going about this in the wrong way,” Or’uil chimed in from tactical, drawing many eyes in his direction. “Marlowe was supposed to be out here making scientific discoveries. We should look for any possible locations she may have been studying. It is possible her signature has been masked by spatial phenomena.”

Nazir clicked her fingers and pointed in the direction of the tactician. “That,” she grinned, “that is why you’re in exactly the right place,” strategic thinking from the Ungeat who, just a few days earlier, had very nearly been moved back to his old department of operations. In one sentence he had vindicated the captain’s decision to keep him where he was, proving his worth yet again.

“Commander Teyahna,” Onsas looked across at the station, his voice used in a manner that was less about gaining the Orion’s attention and more about her doing as was suggested.

When she returned her attention to them a short while later, she was pleased with the results. “I think we’ve got a possible hit,” the Orion told, tapping her things and pulling up a sensor schematic of the sector on the main viewscreen. “There is a nebula on the far edge of the system. Nothing special, but she could be over there,” the scientist advised.

“If I may, Captain?” Onsas spoke, his voice much lower this time, almost respectful as he addressed his superior. A nod from the Trill allowed him to continue. “We can get to the nebula with a minor detour to the trading station on Norayis. I suggest we follow up on the lead from Xorax before proceeding there,” the Xelliat looked at the Captain hopefully. Relief swept across his leather-like skin once the Captain nodded along with his suggestion.

“Continue scans for the Marlowe and of this nebula. We’ll make contact with the trading outpost and see what they can tell us,” she instructed. She was about to make for her chair when she caught Teyahna rising to her feet. “Something wrong, Commander?”

“Can I see you for a minute, Captain?” the Orion asked, eying the passage to the conference lounge at the back of the bridge.

“Number One,” Keziah shot a look to her first, then strode past him and the command chairs, jerking her head in the direction of the conference lounge as a summons to the scientist.

Once the two officers were inside the sparkling observation room, the Captain gestured for her second officer to take a seat at the table while pulling out her own chair. “What can I do for you, Teyahna?” she asked once comfortably sat.

“Commander Voss ma’am,” Teyahna began, definitely piquing the Captain’s interest. “I studied with him at the Academy. He was late to Starfleet, but was already a talented scientist, well respected in his field of astrophysics.”

Nazir dutifully nodded along.

“I know him,” Teyahna sat forward, arms folded and upon the table top. “If he has concerns about Marlowe’s situation as the logs suggest, then we need to listen to him. Marlowe is his dream; to be out among the stars, exploring the cosmos. He doesn’t want fame or glory, he wants to experience science and its raw, magnificent power.”

Nazir listened for almost ten minutes as her second officer elaborated further on the background of Commander Voss. It was interesting to hear her speak so passionately about someone else, given the fact she was usually quite reserved when making friends. Her words were compelling.

“I’ll take this under advisement,” Keziah placed a gentle hand atop the Orion’s blue uniform sleeve. “And we’ll do our best to find him. One way or the other.”

Nodding swiftly several times, the green-skinned beauty rose to her feet and smiled at her superior. “Thank you Captain.”

Watching the woman leave, Nazir gently swayed from side to side in her chair, left arm perched on the armrest, hand rubbing her chin as she considered the woman’s words.

Testimony as to the character of one of Marlowe’s senior officers. It was more than she had regarding the character of the ship’s commanding officer…

…and that made her further question the Bolian’s command instincts, and the possibility that he had, perhaps, bitten off more than he could chew this time.

She just hoped that Lakota wouldn’t be too late to find out.