HOME | DD

Description

"Approaching coordinates of the distress signal", Jiménez said, turning back from the helm console.

"I'm not familiar with this part of space", Metlesits said, scratching his chin, "Just where on this side of Heaven are we, Lieutenant?"

"Unclaimed space between the Federation-Kzinti-Gorn tri-border, Sir", the helmsman said, "The navigational computer has nothing on this system, just basic astronomical data."

"Skip, you gotta see this!", Nussbaum suddenly said, tearing his eyes away from the tactical screen, "There is something dead ahead, and it's not something I've ever seen!"

"On screen, best possible magnification", Metlesits stood up, stepping closer to the main viewscreen. Its image of the starfield shifted into the blurry outlines of a spacecraft... or was it a space station? It looked like a gyroscope with a massive sensor dish fitted on top of it.

"This isn't Kzinti, or Gorn", Nussbaum murmured.

"Nahh, it looks Starfleet to me", the Captain said what his first officer didn't want to say out loud, "But what's it doing here? From all we know, there shouldn't be a Starfleet station in this region of space."

"I'm picking up the distress signal again", Heimann said, tearing the Feinberg receiver out of his ear, "Unencoded generic emergency band, no other meaning beside SOS."

"Ensign Ainsworth, is anybody home?", Metlesits walked slowly to the science station. Ainsworth was already peering into her scope.

"Fifteen life signs. Eight Humans, two Vulcans, five Andorians", she said, "Several other dead bodies, I can't determine who or what they were."

"Hail them, Mr. Heimann", Metlesits said, but the communications officer merely shook his head in response.

"Already tried, Käpt'n, no response."

Metlesits turned back to the viewscreen, and then to Nussbaum.

"Well, Vasya, it seems we have to take a look ourselves."

It took only the minutes to organize a boarding party. Metlesits, Nussbaum, Ainsworth and two security guards met in the transporter room and beamed over. Once the transporter field re-assembled their molecules, they noticed immediately that something wasn't right.

The air smelled of sour milk, and something else, something almost metallic. The lights were blinking in the corridor they've beamed into, and the floor was covered in trash and broken pieces of equipment.

"Pirate raid?", Metlesits asked silently, drawing his phaser.

"No, I don't think so", Nussbaum shook his head, bending down to pick up something from the floor, "Recognize this?"

"Looks like a piece of an oscillating matrix", the Captain hummed, holding the crystalline piece of debris away from him, into one of the intact lights on the ceiling, "An undamaged one could sell pretty well on the black market."

"Captain, something's heading our way", Ainsworth said, tricorder in hand. She motioned with her head toward a corridor junction ahead of them. In the flickering light barely illuminating that darkened part of the corridor, all they could see was a humanoid form. Within a second, four phasers were trained on it.

"I'm Captain David Metlesits of the Earth starship Polaris", Metlesits said, his voice raised, but trying to sound non-threatening, "We've received your distress call. We're here to assist."

The figure lumbered toward them. In the flickering lights, they could see it was a Human. A young man, but his hair grey not with age, but with shock. His eyes were milky white. He didn't seem to notice the First Fleeters.

"So close", he whispered, "So close."

"Sir, please identify yourself", Nussbaum said, more firmly.

The man stepped forward another step. The First Fleeters could see that he was wearing dirty, unwashed blue overalls, standard Starfleet garb for non-starship personnel. He took one more step, his head turning slowly toward the visitors, as if he suddenly acknowledged their presence.

"Go away!", he said, with urgency in his voice, "They mustn't know you're here!"

"Who boarded your station?", Metlesits asked, "We picked up no hostile life signs."

"Life-signs?", the man began to laugh maniacally. He collapsed onto the floor. The First Fleeters jumped to him to help him. The man just sat there, his expression blank and unfocused again.

"So close", he whispered to himself, "So very close."

I wanted to do another retro station. I based this on an old Soviet illustration, and I based the radar dish on the real-world Pluton radar build in 1960's USSR.

All models by me

Description

"Approaching coordinates of the distress signal", Jiménez said, turning back from the helm console.

"I'm not familiar with this part of space", Metlesits said, scratching his chin, "Just where on this side of Heaven are we, Lieutenant?"

"Unclaimed space between the Federation-Kzinti-Gorn tri-border, Sir", the helmsman said, "The navigational computer has nothing on this system, just basic astronomical data."

"Skip, you gotta see this!", Nussbaum suddenly said, tearing his eyes away from the tactical screen, "There is something dead ahead, and it's not something I've ever seen!"

"On screen, best possible magnification", Metlesits stood up, stepping closer to the main viewscreen. Its image of the starfield shifted into the blurry outlines of a spacecraft... or was it a space station? It looked like a gyroscope with a massive sensor dish fitted on top of it.

"This isn't Kzinti, or Gorn", Nussbaum murmured.

"Nahh, it looks Starfleet to me", the Captain said what his first officer didn't want to say out loud, "But what's it doing here? From all we know, there shouldn't be a Starfleet station in this region of space."

"I'm picking up the distress signal again", Heimann said, tearing the Feinberg receiver out of his ear, "Unencoded generic emergency band, no other meaning beside SOS."

"Ensign Ainsworth, is anybody home?", Metlesits walked slowly to the science station. Ainsworth was already peering into her scope.

"Fifteen life signs. Eight Humans, two Vulcans, five Andorians", she said, "Several other dead bodies, I can't determine who or what they were."

"Hail them, Mr. Heimann", Metlesits said, but the communications officer merely shook his head in response.

"Already tried, Käpt'n, no response."

Metlesits turned back to the viewscreen, and then to Nussbaum.

"Well, Vasya, it seems we have to take a look ourselves."

It took only the minutes to organize a boarding party. Metlesits, Nussbaum, Ainsworth and two security guards met in the transporter room and beamed over. Once the transporter field re-assembled their molecules, they noticed immediately that something wasn't right.

The air smelled of sour milk, and something else, something almost metallic. The lights were blinking in the corridor they've beamed into, and the floor was covered in trash and broken pieces of equipment.

"Pirate raid?", Metlesits asked silently, drawing his phaser.

"No, I don't think so", Nussbaum shook his head, bending down to pick up something from the floor, "Recognize this?"

"Looks like a piece of an oscillating matrix", the Captain hummed, holding the crystalline piece of debris away from him, into one of the intact lights on the ceiling, "An undamaged one could sell pretty well on the black market."

"Captain, something's heading our way", Ainsworth said, tricorder in hand. She motioned with her head toward a corridor junction ahead of them. In the flickering light barely illuminating that darkened part of the corridor, all they could see was a humanoid form. Within a second, four phasers were trained on it.

"I'm Captain David Metlesits of the Earth starship Polaris", Metlesits said, his voice raised, but trying to sound non-threatening, "We've received your distress call. We're here to assist."

The figure lumbered toward them. In the flickering lights, they could see it was a Human. A young man, but his hair grey not with age, but with shock. His eyes were milky white. He didn't seem to notice the First Fleeters.

"So close", he whispered, "So close."

"Sir, please identify yourself", Nussbaum said, more firmly.

The man stepped forward another step. The First Fleeters could see that he was wearing dirty, unwashed blue overalls, standard Starfleet garb for non-starship personnel. He took one more step, his head turning slowly toward the visitors, as if he suddenly acknowledged their presence.

"Go away!", he said, with urgency in his voice, "They mustn't know you're here!"

"Who boarded your station?", Metlesits asked, "We picked up no hostile life signs."

"Life-signs?", the man began to laugh maniacally. He collapsed onto the floor. The First Fleeters jumped to him to help him. The man just sat there, his expression blank and unfocused again.

"So close", he whispered to himself, "So very close."

I wanted to do another retro station. I based this on an old Soviet illustration, and I based the radar dish on the real-world Pluton radar build in 1960's USSR.

All models by me