[Galaxy] 2161.09.11 - CHA DL - Spearling - "Into the Murk"

[Anna H.]

//  Starship Challenger, Bridge  \\  Chris had been relieved ... in more ways than one, Sasha thought.  But as she sat on the edge of the captain's chair and peered forward at the approaching nebula, she wished he was there.  Sattal was good but he was no Chris Stingley.  Ah well ... it'd be a good learning experience for the Lieutenant.   "Captain ... I've got a blip on sensors.  Dead ahead."  This was Cinda Zhang, who was still manning SCI. "Put it on screens, maximum magnification." "Aye," Cinda said, her fingers rapidly moving on her console.  The screen changed only fractionally -- what, before, had been an unrelieved black roiling cloud, now a lighter area was clearly marked out against the darkness.  As Cinda had said:  dead ahead.  Everyone looked at it. "Captain ... Meridian's slowing.  Warp 3 ... warp 1 ..." "Match her." "Full impulse," Hannah Grayson said from the Helm.  Alex had gone down to ready himself and his shuttlepod for the scouting mission. On the screen, the light began to coalesce, growing smaller and brighter.  "That's something approaching from within the nebula," Sasha said.  "Bushnell, ready phased cannons." "Forward cannons, safety off and ready to fire," Bushnell said from the TAC console. "What is it doing now?" Hannah said from the Helm.   "Blinking?" Cinda asked. "Meridian reporting in, ma'am ... says it's Morse code.  It's our contact."  Sattal sounded relieved and also somewhat ticked that /he/ hadn't spotted the code first.  "They say we're to follow the ship into the nebula." "Stay in formation with the Meridian, Hannah.  Sattal, inform the Whispering Death.  Bushnell, stand down phased cannons." "Aye, Captain," Hannah and Sattal said, followed closely by Bushnell's "phased cannons on standby". The three-ship formation followed the small Coalition ship into the Coalsack Dark Nebula.  Immediately static began to play across the main viewscreen.  "Cinda? What's our eyes and ears like in here?" Sasha asked the SCI officer. "Long-range sensors are useless, Captain.  Short-range are somewhat viable, but I don't know yet how far we can trust them until we can test them out.  Visibility is 20 meters, all directions.  Sattal?" Cinda said. "COMMs is scratchy but the quality will depend on distance and signal strength.  A tight-beam COMM squawk to a nearby vessel will be good in the audio range, but visuals will probably not be possible unless we're right on top of each other." Sasha tapped the arm of her chair with her fingertips.  She was frowning at the screen, wherein the red "taillight" of the small ship that was leading them was just barely visible.   "Getting a signal, ma'am," Sattal said, his hand to his earpiece. "Put it up," Sasha said.  Immediately a staticky signal boomed out over the Bridge.  Sattal reduced the volume and tried valiantly to clean it up. ++  "WELL ... THE REST OF THE HUMANS HAVE DECIDED TO JOIN US, EH? ABOUT FUCKING TIME!"  ++ "That Universal Translator just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it, Lieutenant."  Sasha grinned at Sattal.  "Give me a channel." Once Sattal signaled for Sasha to go ahead, she did.  "This is Captain Sasha Spearling of the Earth starship Challenger.  To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" ++  "THIS IS CAPTAIN HORZT OF THE TELLARITE SHIP FLAXLATROX CHA,"  (Sasha and the crew looked at each other like 'what did he just say?')  "GLAD YOU CHOSE TO JOIN US! WE'VE BEEN COOLING OUR HEELS OUT HERE FOR TWO FUTZ-DAMNED DAYS!!"  ++ "Once we get in formation, we're getting together to plan out the rest of the strategy.  Things will be moving fast now.  We'll need a complete list of your ships and their capabilities.  Will you be ready?" Sasha was all business. ++  Captain Horzt spluttered in indignation.  "WILL WE BE READY?! WE'VE /BEEN/ READY! JUST FUCKING SAY WHEN! AND SUPPLY FOOD!!" "He's cut the COMM, ma'am," Sattal said, rubbing his ear and wincing. "This ... is going to be a real fu--" Sasha started to say, but was interrupted by the Helmsman.   "Full stop, ma'am," Hannah said. Sasha stood up.  "Excellent.  Lieutenant Sattal, you will have the conn.  I want us on standby tactical alert at all times.  Contact all ship's captains and alert them that there will be a strategy meeting in two Earth Standard hours, in the Challenger shuttle hangar.  And get the scoutship crews ready for launch ... I want to meet them at their shuttlepods in twenty minutes." "Aye, Captain!" "Oh ... and tell Chef I've got a job for him."  Captain Sasha SpearlingCommanding OfficerFCL-04 Challenger <NPCs apb me!  ;>   
  		 	   		  
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