Far Side Banks of Jordan

Posted on Mon May 4th, 2026 @ 11:41am by Commodore Wilkan Targaryen & Commander Ash Randall & Commander Zhora zh'Roothi & Lieutenant Commander Sora Bernadotte & Lieutenant Urvasi Elandorn & Lieutenant Rio Kholin MD & Lieutenant Amber Laurell

4,665 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: 9. Oubliette
Location: Ready Room, U.S.S. Enterprise
Timeline: 2439-10-09, 12:15

The Ready Room of the Starship Enterprise was a sanctuary of quiet efficiency, illuminated by the soft glow of the recessed lighting. Commodore Wilkan Targaryen sat behind his desk, the rhythmic hum of the ship’s primary systems a comforting vibration beneath his boots. It was a grounding sensation, a reminder of the sheer power of the Century Class vessel beneath him, even as it was currently tested by the turbulent forces of the Chamra Vortex.

Before him, a series of transparent PADDs lay scattered, glowing with the latest intelligence reports from Starfleet Command. His eyes, sharp and weary from the weight of the current political climate, moved methodically across the text. Every report of shifting borders, Romulan posturing, or stalled diplomatic negotiations felt like a fraying thread in the tapestry of Federation security. And here he was, removed from it all. While the Enterprise was a beacon of stability and hope, she was currently swallowed by the Gamma Quadrant. He knew some at Command questioned the wisdom of committing a Century Class starship to the Gamma Quadrant while the Alpha Quadrant simmered, but Wilkan held his ground. It was worth it - to him, at least - to push the boundaries of the known. Yet, a cold intuition tugged at him. Something was coming. Something large enough to make even the Enterprise feel small.

He paused, adjusting his uniform with a practiced, subconscious movement. His fingers briefly brushed the crimson zipper that stood out against the dark fabric. It was a crisp, authoritative contrast that matched the precision he expected from his command.

Wilkan set the datapad down and turned his gaze toward the viewport. There were no stars. Outside, the swirling purples and deep indigos of the Mutara nebula pressed against the glass. The Chamra Vortex was a beautiful nightmare - a churning sea of ionized gas and erratic energy spikes. The static was a constant, low-level crackle against the ship's shields, a reminder that they were operating in a graveyard of signals. His thoughts drifted to the Frost River. He checked the chronometer, his mind picturing the small runabout struggling against the same violet tides that buffeted his ship. He had sent some of his finest officers into that "tin can." It was a calculated risk, but a heavy one. He hated the fragmentation of his crew; he felt the absence of his department heads like a missing limb.

To keep the Enterprise safe in this soup, he needed his best people in their chairs, not counting particles and breathing recycled air in a closet-sized cockpit. He worried about the strain. Fourteen days was a long time to be trapped in the dark, and even the most disciplined officers had a breaking point. He had tasked them with finding a miracle in this dust cloud, but he wondered if he was merely testing their endurance for a reward that might never materialize. Still, there was the phantom planet and lifesign that may (or may not) have been there.

The Commodore leaned back, folding his hands. He believed in transparency, and today’s briefing would require it. Between the logistical strain of the mapping mission and the grim dispatches from the Federation's edge, he had a lot to tell them. He watched the violet gases roll like a slow-motion storm, his mind already calculating the risks. He was ready for the doors to open; ready to lead them through the static and remind them why they were the ones chosen for this frontier.

The tranquillity was soon broken by the arrival of the first of his officers. Leading the way was his Exec: Zhora zh'Roothi.

The Andorian offered him a tight smile as she drew closer: "I'm not normally one to complain," she began. "However, I certainly won't miss the scenery when this assignment is over."

“I think I have to agree” Amber added as she joined in the conversation as she followed Zhora into the room.

"The vortex has a way of overstaying its welcome," Wilkan remarked and he offered a faint, dry smile, though his eyes remained fixed on the abyss beyond the glass for a moment longer before he turned to face them. He gestured toward the chairs arranged before his desk, the movement fluid and precise, "But its interference is exactly why we're here. It hides things."

He glanced at the chronometer, then back to Zhora and Amber. The absence of the runabout crews still gnawed at the back of his mind, a silent tally of the risks he was asking them to take.

"Sit," he invited, his fingers ghosting over the PADD containing the latest distorted reports. "If the sensor ghosts are to be believed, the scenery is about to become significantly more complicated than mere space dust, but we'll discuss that more when the others arrive."

"It has a purpose." Commander Randall stated, quietly, as she took her, customary, seat at the table. "Or, more accurately, I believe it serves a purpose...the vortex, that is." She mused, with a little smirk. "...at least, that's my impression of it." She summed up.

Urvasi entered the room as Ash was sitting down, so she heard the CEO's quip about the vortex. She yiffered a little as she added, "Well, if you change the hue, you can get some very pretty green and blues showing through a viewport." As she passed by Ash, she stopped a moment as she said, "Hmm, coffee... latte.. Bees Knees it is." However, as she did this, she discreetly took in two breaths of the diminutive CEO as she had been noticing that the CEO's words and actions seemed to be hers, but not hers. So, she wanted a smell to check for any biological markers possibly showing why. She went to her seat as the Replicator activated, and then a 20-ounce Mocha Latte with Honey and Cinnamon moved over to her via her telekinesis. As she was of a Telepathic race being among non-telepaths, the 'isolation' had worn on her less within the nebula as she was used to being 'isolated'. So, she tried to be the cheerful, attentive person on the room for the others. "Anybody else for a mocha with cinnamon and honey? That is a 'Bees Knees'."

The Exec shook her head at the offer.

"I’ll stick to water, Lieutenant," Wilkan replied, his voice grounding the room's energy. "Besides, the nebula provides enough 'buzz' for the ship’s systems; I prefer to keep my own sensors clear. The 'Bees Knees' might be appropriate for the rest of you, though," He watched the interaction with the detached intensity of a man who noticed everything but commented on little, seeing Urvasi’s subtle hesitation near Ash. He leaned forward, the movement causing the zipper of his uniform to catch the light and give off red sparkles momentarily.

He paused as the door chimed again, signaling the arrival of Doctor Kholin and Commander Bernadotte. The senior staff was nearly assembled, though the absence of his primary Science and Security officers, who were still out in the nebula, was a gap he felt acutely. Looking at the window, Wilkan interjected, "Nature rarely creates something this obstructive without a reason, Commander." His gaze momentarily drifted to the PADDs on his desk. "Whether it’s a shield or a shroud remains to be seen, but while we debate the aesthetics and the philosophy of the Vortex, sensors just reported a gravitational shadow that shouldn't exist."

“Now that sounds intriguing” Amber smiled as she looked towards Wilkan. “A gravitational shadow would mean perhaps a planet, or a moon, or something else?”

Ash looked up at Urvasi as she passed by and nodded to herself in silent affirmation that the switching places for the Talu event, while necessary had, none the less, been a bad idea. The Chief Engineering Officer mentally shrugged as there was nothing for it. "There should be nothing large enough, within the Vortex, to create a detectable gravitational shadow. It's very presence would disrupt the vortex..." Ash commented, thoughtfully and then chuckled, mirthlessly. "Brigadoon..." she mused, quietly.

Sora, clutching her usual large mug of coffee, shook her head. "Something is definitely afoot here. We have a mystery on our hands."

Wilkan’s gaze sharpened at the mention of the mythical vanishing village. He appreciated Randall’s engineering mind, even if her "Brigadoon" comparison hinted at the impossible.

"A planet, Amber," Wilkan confirmed, his voice dropping into his serious register, "one that shouldn't be there, drifting without a star. The Frost River is moving in to evaluate as we speak. They've detected a humanoid life sign on the surface." He leaned back, the red sparkles of his uniform's division color dimming as he moved out of the direct light. The room felt smaller now, the weight of the discovery settling over them. He thought of the officers in that runabout venturing onto a world that defied celestial mechanics.

"Ash is correct; a mass of that magnitude should have torn the vortex apart or been eroded by it centuries ago," he continued, looking around at the assembled faces of Kholin, Bernadotte, and the rest. "The fact that it remains hidden, and inhabited, is a mystery in itself." He tapped a command on his desk, bringing up the flickering, distorted telemetry from the Frost River, "We’re pivoting to support. I want the Enterprise at the edge of that shadow at best speed. Sora, clear the interference on the long-range bands. Rio, prepare Sickbay for a high-stress recovery. If someone has been living in that dark for years, they won't be coming out easily."

At the mention of the Enterprise and Wilkan's desired course for her, Urvasi immediately began thinking about the where and how to get the ship there. The nebula still affected speed, shields, and sensors, while also hiding debris usually found within such type of Nebula. For now, she tucked away the 'Ash? Maybe Ash? Not Really Ash?' within her senses as the scents, biomarkers, and vibrations she picked up from the CEO were very close... yet, any variance made for immediate family, not the individual. Still, what if an accident occurred to cause such, remote but viable? She would have to ask Ash later.

Sora looked at the data in silence for a moment. "A planet. Out here, in the middle of nowhere. We really do come across a new impossible thing every other day, it seems. And a humanoid life sign? Do we know anything more about it, or the conditions on that planet?"

Wilkan took a sip of his water and gently placed the cup next to the model of the Starship Proteus that sat on the corner of his desk. He turned and looked to his Operations Manager, "You know what I know, Commander. Enterprise is too far from the planet itself to be able to run any conclusive studies due to the interference, hence why I've ordered Frost River rerouted to begin the investigation for us. Most of the Senior Staff are still deployed to conduct their own surveys of the Vortex and I don't see the need to recall them, yet at least."

"However, I want us to get to the Frost River as soon as possible. With this vortex being populated with millions of asteroids and pockets of toh-maire gas, though, the question is how do we do so safely?"

"Modify the first layer of shielding into extended, reactive, shields combined with repulse beams we could manage the asteroids without much difficulty. Combined with the second layer of shields tuned to, basically, 'wick' the toh-maire gas around us, in a controlled manner, we should be fine." The Chief Engineer offered, quickly. "There are some better options but they would require hours of preparation and would be disruptive to the vortex itself." She added.

Urvasi listened, thought about the enhanced navigational shields, and thus asked, "What if we keep the first layer of shielding as proposed, but add a layer of tuned Navigational shields to perform the wicking? Navigational shields already have such refinements in place for traversing various terrain under warp and sub-light speeds... wouldn't that be faster as well as use them as their intended purpose as well as keeping the toh-maire gas more in line with where it had been before 'ran over' by the Enterprise?"

Standing near the edge of the viewport, the massive, lupine silhouette of Lieutenant Rrawran finally stirred. He had been a silent sentinel since before the briefing began, watching the violet gases of the vortex with an intensity only a predator could maintain. He stepped forward, his heavy tread echoing against the deck plating as he moved into the light. He came to a halt in a rigid, textbook-perfect stance, his silver-grey fur bristling slightly against the high collar of his tactical vest. Beneath the steady, synthesized baritone of his specialized Universal Translator, a low, guttural growl vibrated in his chest, a sound the machine could not fully mask.

"Shield wicking is an acceptable secondary measure," the flat, mechanized voice stated. "However, it does not eliminate the kinetic risk of asteroid impact at the speeds required." He turned his pale eyes toward Urvasi and then Ash, his head tilting at a sharp, calculated angle. A short, sharp yip punctuated the end of his next sentence, barely audible under the speaker, "We should not push through the static when we have the technical means to step over it. I recommend the immediate activation of the Coaxial Drive. By folding space, we bypass the physical density of the toh-maire gas and debris fields entirely."

Eye's closing momentarily, Urvasi could still feel the extraordinary flying it took to get their micro hop to Talu Orbit, then back, with all the associated sensor data, ship setup, power system shifting, and now a suggested another microhop, in a nebula, to a destination being guessed at with sub-optimal sensor readings, and trying not to squash themselves against a possible planet with hidden in and out asteroids... she replied, "Based on Talu.. possible, doable... however, I defer to our resident ship expert on if probable."

Ash looked up at Rrawran for a second or two while he spoke and then looked to Urvasi as she spoke and then looked to the Commodore. There was, absolutely, no hiding the fact she hated the idea. "A micro-jump would not be without, gravely, enhanced risk with the sensor readings we can get from here." The Chief Engineer stated, flatly, and sighed before she continued, obviously, not liking what she was about to say. "The risk can be mitigated, somewhat, using telemetry from the runabout. Given the interference we won't have live telemetry but, we can use the runabout to map where the 'big chucks' are floating about in proximity to the planet and avoid getting splatted by the planet or anything else large enough to do us in." She added, while she absently scratched her cheek in thought. "Once we're there, if we micro-jump out, we'll likely create a counter eddy in the vortex that will, eventually, destroy it...so, given an hour of survey scans by our eyes and ears out there we can do it, with relative safety." She finished, not going into the fact she's considered a micro-hop and had placed it into the 'better options that would take time and be destructive to the vortex' category.

Wilkan’s gaze lingered on Ash for a heartbeat longer than necessary. He watched the way she scratched her cheek, a gesture that was familiar, yet the cadence of her speech, the subtle tonal shifts, they all felt like a melody played in the wrong key. He had spent enough time in the center seat to know when an officer was holding back, and Randall was practically radiating a secondary layer of hidden calculation.

"Standard Warp is a blunt instrument in a minefield," Wilkan said, his voice grounding the room. "At those velocities, the toh-maire gas behaves like a solid wall. If we hit a pocket of ionized gas at Warp 1, the Enterprise is shredded before the computer even registers the impact, same with the micro particles of the nebula cloud itself. In this soup, Warp isn't just dangerous; it’s a death sentence. It’s actually more of a gamble than the fold."

He turned back to Rrawran, acknowledging the tactical logic. "The Coaxial jump is surgical, but we’re operating on burst telemetry. We’re jumping into a blind spot based on data that’s already seconds out of date by the time it reaches us. A calculated risk, but the only one that doesn't involve us painting the nebula with our own hull plating."

He stepped toward Ash, stopping just at the edge of her personal space. He didn't look at her like a Commanding Officer looking at a subordinate; he looked at her like a man trying to solve a puzzle. He had noticed the way Urvasi had lingered near her, and his own intuition was beginning to hum with the same discordance. He suspected the "Brigadoon" she’d mentioned wasn't the only ghost in the room.

"Ash," he said, his voice low, his eyes searching hers. "I suspect the Coaxial drive was one of the 'better' options you were keeping in reserve. If you're worried about the counter-eddy destroying the vortex when we jump out, I hear you. We’d be burning the map behind us, but, right now, I need the Enterprise where the Frost River is." He paused, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face as he studied her reactions, weighing the strange "not-quite-right" energy she was giving off. He didn't know the specifics of the 'cat in the bag,' but he knew a mask when he saw one. "Spin it up, Ash. Use the Frost River’s bursts as a lighthouse. If we’re going to tear a hole in this nebula, we do it now while we still have a crew to save. Think you two can handle it?"

"Yes sir. The drive is spinning up now." Ash replied, and, true to her word, the commodore could feel the telltale, ultra-low, frequency thrum of the Coaxial Drive beginning to spin up, without the engineer, apparently, doing anything. She risked a little glance sideways to Urvasi and then back to eye contact with the Commodore. "Couldn't hided forever, I guess." She stated, cryptically. "We'll get us there and back." She added, and looked to Urvasi. "The three of us." She added, with a wink.

Urvasi listened to Wilkan's reasoning and then his question. She began thinking of how to get anything from the soup that was the Nebula as she felt the Coaxial Drive begin its rumble to life. However, intruding into her miasma of 'how to get us there in one piece' swarm of thought was a stutter of 'hided', I, We'll with wink. This was Ash before, but not before that. She cleared those dark thoughts from her mind to return to the focus at hand.

The Commodore listened to the Chief Engineer's answer, her words playing back through his mind with a jarring dissonance. As an El-Aurian, Wilkan didn’t just hear information; he felt the "listener’s" undertow, the subtle vibrations of truth and omission that hummed beneath a conversation. Ash’s wink and her cryptic mention of "the three of us" sent a cold ripple through that intuition. There was a ghost in the machinery of this conversation, but with the Coaxial Drive already thrumming beneath his boots, now was not the time for a cross-examination.

A fleeting thought crossed Urvasi's mind, one about Rogue Planet with Gravity within a Nebula of smaller Gravity forces. What if she used her psi sense for not rifts in space but one of the pure causalities of her sense, Gravity? Even as she focused on this, she began feeling the dips in space of gravity, like water spiders upon the surface of a pond, and there, a very large dip... Her eyes opened as she responded to the Commodore, "I... " she paused, reshaped her words to be inclusive, then finished with, "We will get us there, Sir, tis very doable."

"Thank you both," he said, his voice smooth and authoritative, pointedly ignoring that Ash had added a third person to a two-person job. He gave her a long, measuring look, one that signaled he had heard exactly what she said and intended to hold her to it later. He turned his attention back to the holographic display of the vortex. "Since the drive is already responding to your... 'intentions,' Commander, I suggest we don't keep the nebula waiting. Lieutenant Rrawran, coordinate with Engineering. If we’re going to fold space in the middle of a power keg, I want our shields at maximum integrity the moment we reappear."

"Yes, sir." The Chief Engineer responded, glanced to Rrawran, and nodded in silent understanding of what was to come, on multiple levels.

Urvasi stood up, then stated, "I need to get to the Helm and the Navi Computational Display to determine coordination and sensor layering for creating a Microhop with the Coaxial Drive. Excuse me, please." Urvasi left the meeting and headed to the helm station and took over for the Ensign who had replaced her.

"Dismissed, Lieutenant," Targaryen approved.

Ignoring everything else on the bridge, Urvasi immediately routed gravitational readings to her Nav Display as she used immediate, short, and medium sensors to overlap those readings. She now brought that map into her mind as she closed her eyes and concentrated on what her psi senses were telling her about the gravity overlays. It was difficult to concentrate on just one aspect of a particular specialty psi sense, but she was doing it. Yet, she realized, once the Coaxial Drive was activated, her full sense would come on line and she could then really pinpoint when and where, but that activation was going to be like going from a cave looking at glowing fungus map to a boulder to broad daylight and tracking how close to that boulder outside to get. Still, this was the safest route for the mission, what was a little bed rest afterwards? Besides, she had been training for blooms with her senses on the Holodeck.. she might not even flinch.

Amber looked across at Wilkan. “Sir you mentioned a humanoid life form? Do we know much about it as yet? I should be able to sense more once we’re closer, if there’s more that haven’t been detected I should be able to pick up on them as well.”

The conversation change allowed Zhora to file the unusual behaviour from their Chief Engineer to one side for now.

Sora took a sip from her coffee. "Well, whatever that life form is will have to be very crafty, surviving on a rogue planet. Barely any natural light, and I doubt there'd be much food and water around, either. We need to be careful approaching it."

The Commodore turned his attention to Amber and Sora, acknowledging their concerns with a sharp nod.

"The life sign is faint and erratic, Counselor. The Frost River's last burst indicated a single humanoid, but as you suggest, the nebula’s shadow could be masking a larger population or automated defenses. As for their survival..." He paused, his eyes drifting back to the swirling violet abyss. "Sora is right to be cautious. If they have survived this long without a star, they are either remarkably resilient or part of an infrastructure we have yet to identify." He leaned forward, placing his hands flat on the desk, "We need to proceed with the assumption that the 'miracle' we've found may not be entirely benign."

Rio was nodding quietly in full agreement. She had been thinking about this quandary a lot whilst the Engineers and Physicists were going through the how to get there. What about the possibility of the other how? i.e. How could this have happened? It seemed at once both obvious and at that same time bewildering. One solitary humanoid lifeform was a very far-fetched phenomenon to imagine in such impractical situation and environment.

As a "Do No Harm" Oath-Bearer, the CMO was instantly and instinctively all full of the rush to the rescue mode. But if/when they would encounter the 'sole inhabitant' in all this spAcial hostility then surely they - whoever that solitary person was - weren't going to be sitting in a deckchair wondering "Crisis? What Crisis?"!

And then, what if they were perhaps some kind of outcast, marooned for the safety of others? Perhaps a quarantine effort? Or someone as dangerous as Kahn? ...also marooned to keep others safe but for a different and more personally accountable reason? The possibilities were endless and again, as just mentioned, what if the image was a mask for a whole handbasket of hidden dangers? Deceptively cloaked? Inevitably mis-read by the pure lack of clarity of the signals they were receiving?

~No~ she thought to herself. ~I'm overthinking too many unknowns~ As a result, she left this all inside her mind and just showed her agreement with the concept and comments already aired.

At the helm, Urvasi's tail movements slowed yet continued a shorter lazy track behind her. Her telekinetic hands were at the ready as 'body' hands would be too slow for what was needed. She activated the comm, her ears going from one fore/one aft to 45 degree down and back up, "Ready Room, Helm, Course correlated and timed, ready for Coaxial Microhop when advised."

Amber had nodded at Wilkan’s response, she would be ready when they reached their destination. What the ship’s sensors couldn’t read she would try to fill in, if she could.

Wilkan’s eyes returned to Ash, his expression a mask of calculated authority. The low-frequency thrum of the Coaxial Drive was already vibrating through the soles of his boots, a physical manifestation of the Chief Engineer’s "intentions." He felt the ripple of discordance in the room, the unspoken secrets, but he was a man who moved when the board was set, not before.

"Stand by on the jump, Helm," Wilkan commanded, his voice grounding the room before the transition could begin. He turned his attention back to the holographic display, watching the flickering telemetry from the Frost River before him. Looking around the room, "Let's go and find out what's hiding in the dark. Dismissed."

Ash stood to leave but did not, immediately, move. She didn't need to be 'plugged in' and instantaneously sifting diverging potential timelines to know she was about to be called to task.

Rio stood to leave and go to make specific but yet ambiguously random preparation for a 'casualty' with too many possible scenarios to count. It was all in a Doctor's day. No-one ever promised you a simple life when you worked in Medical situations.

Amber stood and followed Rio out, she was going to need to check in with Rio when they had more time, though she was sure if Rio had found anything more to do with her scans she’d have let her know by now.

Sora got up as well, ready to make her way out, but briefly stopped to face the Commodore. "It never stays quiet for long, does it," she joked, before turning to leave.

Lifting her curious, yet troubled gaze from the holographic image Zhora stood and proceeded to follow the others.

"Commander," Wilkan directed to Ash as the crowd walked toward the exit, "A moment."

Several minutes later, the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise, emerged from the captain's ready room and returned to her position at the main engineering station. "Coaxial is ready. The board is green. All systems go." The Tuansee stated, in a business-like, manner.

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