Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 11: Heart of the Sunrise
Scene 11: The Nexus
11.11
The Nexus
“Your communication systems are very sophisticated. It took some time for me to learn how to retrieve the library resources I had reserved while concealing the source of the request.”
Oddly, this time it wasn’t the brilliant, charismatic Ben Urri Urri who was holding forth in the U.S.S. Beagle’s large conference room. It was the demure, sweet natured, but evidently equally brilliant Sheeux Vosq Nala. Instead of Urri’s simple, loose clothing, which Shadow also preferred, Vosq had chosen to replicate an elegant purple gown, the same color as her fur.
Vosq had very carefully preened her fur instead of deliberately fluffing it out in the more masculine style of Ben Urri Urri. Shadow deliberately denormalized her fur to provide sort of natural camouflage. “When I was researching how to find Urri, I built a secret database of the library materials that he was accessing, including most of the works in his bibliography. I don’t know how closely those resources are being monitored. They’re beyond the control of the Anointed and their followers. But the secret police are everywhere. And they watch everything. I don’t want them to find me.”
“What you call the Jar Galaxy is referred to by the Anointed as the Great Wheel," Vosq continued. "According to their mythology, it connects many, many galaxies and is not the home galaxy of the Anointed. It is joined to both their home galaxy and ours. And, according to them, countless other galaxies as well.”
Commodore Yui Song was clearly disconcerted by this news. “A wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant of our own galaxy proved deadly enough to lead to the deaths of hundreds of millions, not counting well over a billion cardassian victims. Now there’s a connection to untold galaxies? How long has this thing been here?”
“According to our explorers, the other end of the Great Wheel was discovered a little more than 200 of your years ago,” Vosq replied. “We first encountered the Anointed a few years after that. Their colony on my world was their first in this galaxy. Now they have colonies on five of our worlds. Our other worlds have resisted them and they are apparently uninterested in worlds that do not have intelligent bipeds that they can exploit.”
“Your species inhabits 9 worlds in 7 star systems?” asked Dean Sakura Nakamura Holland.
“Counting our homeworld, which you apparently already visited,” Vosq confirmed. “But there are also large populations in our space stations and on a few moons. Where the Anointed have inhabited our worlds, they have left our space stations and moon bases alone. Apparently, if a world does not have an atmosphere, they are not interested…”
Lt. Commander Senek’s voice came into the conference room over the comm system and his image was displayed on one of the large screens around the room: “Please pardon the intrusion, but we have just received signal from our beacon. It is coming from a location in interstellar space 14.679 light years from our current location.”
Captain Skip Howard looked up from the table at the image of the stunningly beautiful vulcan displayed on one of the screens. Lt. Cmdr. Senek was seated primly on the U.S.S. Beagle’s command throne. “Please elaborate, Senek.”
Senek’s expression remained deadpan. As did his voice. Totally vulcan. “The signal that our beacon has been broadcasting into the Jar Galaxy for the past 19 days, 21 hours and 13 minutes has just been detected emanating from an otherwise unremarkable location in interstellar space located 14.679 light years from here.”
Major Janet Carter made eye contact with Captain Howard. Howard spoke first: “Janet, please identify and re-task our nearest probe.”
“Aye sir,” Carter replied. She was entering information into the panel in front of her even as she responded. “Re-tasking Echo 2.”
“That would be the exit from the Great Wheel,” said Vosq. “It is not easy to locate because there is nothing to see except when something is entering our galaxy from the Great Wheel. At least that is what our scientists theorized. They had never found it. But then, I don’t think they thought about setting up a beacon to transmit a high energy signal.”
Captain Howard turned his attention back to the vulcan whose image was coming in from the Beagle’s bridge. “Senek, assuming subspace works the same way in the Jar Galaxy as it works here, how far would the back door have to be from the front door for our signal to take just under 20 days to cross that distance?”
“68,841 light years,” Lt. Cmdr. Senek responded.
“That is a very long distance for Escort to travel to get back home,” Sakura observed.
“More than 200 years at warp 7,” said the Escort’s chief engineer, Lt. Ki Kresid. The tiny, grey roylan took a deep breath. “Assuming they could maintain warp 7…”
Commodore Yui turned her attention to another screen that displayed the bridge of the U.S.S. Mako. She addressed her first officer, Commander Jason Bates, who was relaxing in the center seat: “Jason, it appears we’ve been broadcasting into the in door, which is, apparently not the way out. There is another door, which Escort will need to identify and exit by. Please alter the signal our beacon is sending to give Escort as much of this information as possible.”
“Aye Commodore,” Bates replied.
At nearly the same moment, Lt. Cmdr. Senek, speaking from Beagle’s bridge, said, “We are now reading 5 holy lander destroyers approaching at warp 7 at long range. They will be here in 21.24 days.”
“What do you think they want?” Sakura asked. Her question was addressed to Sheeux Vosq Nala. But the demure former servant of the anointed was no longer there. In her place was the silent, observant, oddly disturbing Shadow, who had become the controlling and default personality of the small, female purple.
Before Shadow could attempt to answer, Lt. Cmdr. Senek broke into the conversation yet again: “We are now picking up a distress signal coming from the same location as our beacon signal.” The beautiful vulcan turned to address someone on his left. “Please confirm that.”
From offscreen, everyone in the conference room and on the call could hear the voice of the U.S. Marine Lieutenant Jim Whitesand: “Confirmed sir.”
Senek managed to look mildly surprised. “Please be advised, the signal indicates that it is coming from the U.S.S. Escort. From these readings, I am estimating a 97.98 percentage probability that this identification is correct.”
“Never rains, but it pours,” Captain Howard opined.
Commodore Yui Song stood up from the table. “Gregg, Pel, and Shadow with me. Lieutenant Commander zh’Kathar, Lieutenant Kresid, please join us as well.” She turned to the monitor that displayed the Mako’s bridge. “Jason, before I get there, I want the U.S.S. Bluebird and the U.S.S. Arizona docked in our shuttlebay. Lay in a course for Escort’s signal, warp 9.8. Once we’re all aboard, don’t wait for me to get to the bridge.” She paused at the door as Escort’s 2nd officer, Lt. Cmdr. Vranran zh’Kathar was exiting the room, along with Mako’s 2nd officer Lt. Cmdr Gregg Clark.
“Skip, I want you to load the U.S.S. Puppy and follow us at best speed. Leave a probe here to monitor our beacon and the Jar Galaxy.”
Yui Song was already following Lt. Ki Kresid, Pel, and Shadow out of the conference room as Skip Howard replied, “Aye Commodore.”
Howard turned toward the image of his 2nd officer on the bridge. “Senek…”
11.11