Carpathia IV: Episode 271 - Log Buoy
Cargo Bay, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
A cargo of materials for the sensor net delivered, and the Shadowdancer underway ready to pick up where it left off from the the time before they met the hotoh. Before that, very important work needed completing, namely re-organizing the cargo bay now that the sensor net materials were no longer there. For this task, a gaggle of enlisted crew, which Baal directed, darted this way and that, getting everything organized. The cargo bay was one of Baal's favorite places, as the vast room, bare floor, and ideal acoustics accentuated both the vibrations and hum of the engines.
Baal: Alright, let's get that crate of corned beef tins in the corner with the spam.
The crew scrambled to the corned beef crate while Baal checked the inventory list again, looking for something else that ought to be stored nearby. That was when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Sylvar standing next to him.
Sylvar: Just got off my shift and I wondered if you could use some help.
Baal: Not really, but thanks for asking. It's all just a matter of getting things from here to there. If you're really bored, you can watch.
Sylvar: I see. Bit weird around here with nothing happening, but I suppose that's a good thing.
Baal: What's gotta be done has gotta be done, so I volunteered for this. I'm going to have my nose buried in star charts when we get to the survey coordinates in a few days and I just want to spend some time doing something entirely different.
Sylvar: I get that. Maybe I should look for someone else interested in learning scythes. I need more people interested for when Teek and Mikado are busy with things.
Baal: That's a good idea. I'd join you right now if I weren't...
Baal paused, shifting his feet on the bare metal deck. Sylvar was about to ask what was wrong, but soon, he felt it too. The engine vibrations intensified in frequency. The hum in the cargo bay rose in pitch. Even the rest of the enlistees stopped and looked around, as though something were inside the cargo bay.
Baal: The engines are going hard now. Really hard. That can't be good news.
Sylvar: Q14 at least. The only other time I've heard this was in test runs.
A call from the bridge echoed throughout the cargo bay.
Aire: All senior staff to the bridge immediately.
Just a second after the announcement, Baal smacked his tablet against Sylvar's chest and was already halfway to the door by the time he realized what was happening.
Baal: Job's yours now!
Bridge, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
On the way up, the lift doors opened on Deck 4 and Amenaru rushed inside to join Baal. For the rest of the short journey, there was only time for a few words of conversation.
Baal: Any idea what's up?
Amenaru shook his head.
Amenaru: None.
The lift stopped and the doors swished open. Just as Baal stepped out, the other lift opened as well and out spilled another load of officers, both Medical and Engineering this time. Without even a nod to each other, everyone rushed either to their stations or beside the helm console for those who do not have bridge positions.
Aire: Right, that's everyone. I'll not mince words. I just spoke with Admiral Zhang and the admiralty just received a transmission from a log buoy from the NCCS Lunar Griffon.
The crew cast glances around to each other, each instantly understanding in the implications. A ship only launched a log buoy when they were in extreme distress as a last ditch effort to preserve something of their final moments. Log entries. Sensor and telemetry data. Letters to families. These were all standard fare in such a device.
Aire: And the Lunar Griffon is not responding to communications...
Earlier, The frontier near the sensor net, NCCS Lunar Griffon
Anyone joining the Exploration Force expecting nonstop exploration and excitement would soon be disappointed. There were many kind of missions and jobs for assignment, but most were necessary, but mundane, like patrolling the sensor net, scanning for vashtari vessels, monitoring the net for maintenance issues, and conducting stellar surveys. This was the mission of the NCCS Lunar Griffon, an old ship, small, and past her prime.
First Officer Shelby sat in her chair, legs crossed, poking at her armrest console when Captain Waters stepped onto the bridge from his ready room.
Tim: Good news. We've been approved for an overhaul. Our relief patrol will be here next week and we'll head to the shipyard then.
Shelby: About time. We're almost out of replacement touchpads for my armrest. I'm going to have to get this one replaced again.
Tim: It's not just an overhaul. First, there will be an evaluation of the hull. There is also the possibility that it will be decommissioned.
Shelby: Oh, maybe we'll get a Falchion-class? Even a Shadowdancer II class would be an upgrade.
Tim: There's only one Falchion-class nearing completion at the moment, the Frozen Flame. The Shadowdancer II ships are still 9 months away.
A beep came from Shelby's console and she poked at her armrest several times, each harder than the last.
Shelby: Darned thing... There we go!
Shelby grimaced at her console, eyes wide and ears aflutter.
Shelby: These readings are... impossible. There is a massive energy displacement not far from here. Our computer can't make any sense out of it. Hour away at max speed.
Tim: Send coordinates to helm and go as suggested. Relay all data to Polaris Deep.
Shelby: Sending coordinates.
One hour later
Shelby: I'd say we're arriving at the coordinates, but that seems a bit too obvious to mention at this point.
Indeed, for even the viewscreen wasn't necessary. All on the bridge could see the massive object, a bizarre glob that looked simultaneously like a star and a black hole as large as a moon.
Tim: Any progress on determining what this is?
Shelby: All I can say is that it's nothing we've ever seen before. These readings are all over the place. Gravity is off the charts in some places, and next to nothing in others. Sometimes as hot as a sun and sometimes as low as fifty kelvin. Not to mention the isotopes I didn't know existed.
Tim: Keep scanning, but don't get too...
Before Captain Waters could finish, the ship began to shudder violently.
Shelby: Gravity levels are spiking! I'm reading an object coming out!
Tim: Get us out of here!
Shelby: Gravity is too strong for our engines! We're getting pulled in! Impact in less than five minutes!
Tim: Can we get any more out of the engines?
Shelby: They're already running at 131 percent! We're losing structural integrity!
Tim's grip on his armrest tightened. There was only one thing left to do, an order that he never wanted to give.
Tim: Prepare a log buoy.
Shelby: It'll never escape the gravitational pull.
Tim: Can we put it into a torpedo launcher?
Shelby: Yes! The launcher could give it enough momentum to escape!
Tim: Make it happen.
After confirming the loss of communication with the Lunar Griffon, Aire gave his armrest console a melancholy tap and an image appeared on the viewer.
Aire: That is the last image taken from the log buoy. The only image, in fact. The prepared logs were intact, but nearly all the data it collected after leaving the ship was corrupted. Nevertheless, the data is clear. The Blood Agony has arrived and it is on a direct course for Berengaria.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Colourbrand
Falke2009
