Chapter Text
+-+-+-+- Captains Log, Stardate -26142.69 -+-+-+-+
Lieutenant junior-grade Demora Sulu and Lieutenant junior-grade Wane Perry have successfully guided the USS Eridani into the Quphorit Nebula. Which is approximately 2.3 light years away from the Jotakya system, the closest solar system to our location.
We have been cruising on impulse for 2.48 hours as to not risk navigational errors. As well as avoiding potential damage to our hull.
The Quphorit Nebula is placed close enough to an asteroid field to attract heavy debris. Meaning a portion of the material that makes up the nebula has not been ground to dust yet.
Subspace signals are currently unavailable and our sensors are dulled by the electromagnetic field that keeps the nebula together.
Our mission here is to find a federation freighter vessel that is carrying many volatile chemicals. The kind we don’t want in the hands of our foes.
The freighter’s location went dead right as they entered the nebula and we assume the Eridani’s has as well.
The freighter has been in the nebula for five days and we can only hope it is still up and running.
The function of the Eridani has only dwindled slightly. Her systems are working well, if not for a few glitches. However, our Chief engineer, Commander Simon Masters, and his crew have been working to fix any and all problems that have arisen.
I would also like to note that i have been working with Commander Masters for 6 months and 28 days and would like to mention his performance aboard this vessel. He deserves recognition for his resilience and willingness to learn even as a senior officer.
As for the rest of the crew and I, we have been performing our duties on time and with quality.
I have been told on several occasions by both Dr. Malachi Cohen (our ship’s counselor) and Lieutenant Lila Velann (our ship’s communications officer as well as one of the few betazoids on board) that the crew is currently not responding well to stress. Despite no stressful situations happening aboard.
Dr. Cohen has reported to me that the tension in the crew is considerably high. He says it is due to the fact that we have had no issues on board.
I find that to be a very illogical dilemma. However, Dr. Cohen has explained that it is partially because the crew is aware that going into the nebula would cut off subspace communication as well as (possibly) our location.
Dr. Cohen also stated that the other part is a subconscious pattern recognition. More than a week of calm without any odd experience is not normal to the crew. They are bracing for another new, possibly traumatic, event.
The ship and its crew is bracing, it is affecting their function. They understand that quiet means that trouble is ahead. With no idea when it will hit.
Captain Saavik out.
+-+-+- End Transmission -+-+-+
She turned off the log system and leaned back in her chair. She looked to the ceiling of her quarters as though it would have the answer to her problems.
She doesn’t make longer logs like this very often. She preferred to keep them short, but Starfleet HQ liked a longer log once in a while. They desired her perspective of the crew and not just the situation of the day.
While Saavik was somewhat inept when dealing with emotions, she understood that to humans, emotions are a core aspect to their function.
Emotions cloud judgement. Humans require a balanced emotional state in order to perform at their best. So it makes sense that the Admirals she reports to would want to know details such as that.
She often had meetings with Dr. Cohen, telling her about the general mood and attitude of the crew. Keeping within the parameters of patient confidentiality.
These sessions often end with him saying a clever, obvious, or direct comment about how she should schedule a therapy appointment with him. So that she has the space to talk about herself and her worries. To which she declines every time.
Then he responds with his signature dry, witty, sarcastic humor. Saying something like: “I’ll pencil you in for never, then. Same time as last week?” Or “Right, because emotional suppression is such a well documented leadership strategy.”
They follow the same song and dance every time they have a meeting together, and every time he asks Saavik to go to therapy.
Saavik had begun to find his joking manner to be somewhat concerning. As though he was trying to be liked by her as well as trying to get her into his office for therapy.
She realized that this was not her concern. Emotions were not her forte. She had no right to ask, it was his job to ask the emotional questions, not her.
She stood up from her desk and made her way back to the bridge. Commander Kyral sat in the captain’s chair. Something he has expressed distaste for in the past.
He never liked assuming her position or sitting for long periods of time. His antennae perked up and swiveled back slightly in relief when he saw her. His face however didn’t change.
“Captain on the bridge,” Kyral said, he stood up and stepped down from her chair. Taking the more natural place beside her.
She nodded to him in greeting and took her position on the captain’s chair. She looked over to him and without needing to ask, he relayed the events of his time in the chair.
He explained that nothing new or exciting had happened. They were still making their way to the nebula’s center. Subspace communication was still down. The sensors were picking up less than before, but engineering was doing well to keep them running.
She dismissed Kyral when he finished his report. He made his way to the ready room to continue his work on the duty rosters.
“Captain,” The voice of Lieutenant Commander Bofane Teki said behind her at the Security station. “I am picking up some strange energy readings around crew quarters.”
”Take a security detail to check on the situation,” Saavik said. He nodded and started using the internal comms to call officers to the site.
The turbolift doors slid open, Dr. Cohen slipped out as Lt. Cmdr. Bofane Teki made his way in.
Dr. Cohen stepped down into ‘the captains pit’ as some officers called it and stood next to Saavik.
”Captain,” He greeted.
”Doctor,” She responded.
“There is something I think you want to know.” He said.
Saavik turned to him, listening. Dr. Cohen never came to the bridge, when he did, it was often serious. He didn’t trust the speakers to keep his message quiet, knowing that comms are easily overheard by the whole bridge.
So, for more reason than one, Saavik dreaded the times Dr. Cohen would visit.
Dr. Cohen’s voice dropped low, everyone was too engrossed in their work to notice him. ”Many of the crew have informed me of nightmares.”
Saavik looked at him skeptically.
He glanced in front of him for a moment before he returned his gaze back to her. “It’s not uncommon for officers to come to me with nightmares. But there is an extreme increase of people in my office wanting to calm down from their nightmares.
”And i mean handfuls of people in my office, even more reporting that their friends had nightmares as well. The beta crew has not had a full eight hours of sleep.
“This is not just a ‘showed up to work naked in my dream and now im traumatized but thankful it wasn’t real’ situation. These people are expirincing lucid dreaming, living through their worst nightmares, and so shaken they haven’t been able to fall asleep again.”
Saavik took a moment to think. “What do you think is causing this?” She asked, matching the low tone.
”The influx only started when we entered the nebula, but i think it could honestly be the anticipation of something bad happening.”
”What do you suppose we do?”
”Well first off I would put in a request for shore leave, On my way here I passed an engineer who I think was awake but I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Saavik nodded, “I will put in that request tomorrow.”
Dr. Cohen smiled slightly and with a short nod, exited the bridge.
Saavik’s comm whistled, “Captain,” Lt. Cmdr. Bofane Teki’s voice rang through the comms. “We have neutralized the threat on deck 8. It appears we have an infestation of flesh-eating spiders. Ensign Bah-Jel got injured, he is in sickbay now. We have teams finding the last of the spiders. I suggest yellow alert until further notice.”
”Alright, We are about to switch shifts. Update Commander Kyral as needed.” She said, before turning off the comm.
She pressed the yellow alert button as Commander Kyral exited the ready room, she gave him a nod and relieved her command to him in order to turn in for the night.
The lights on the bridge dimmed as the night cycle kicked in, stepping onto the turbolift with a few other officers in tow.
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+-+-+- Personal Log, Captain Saavik, Stardate -26142.38 -+-+-+
I have been settling down for my nightly routine in solitude. It doesn’t gove me comfort that the Beta shift has not received a full nights rest.
It would not be wise or logical for me to take command of the ship on a second, continuous shift. I wouldn’t ask that of any of my officers, therefore, I would not ask that of myself. Despite how tempted I am to do so. Joanna and David would likely yell at me if I even breathed the idea.
I have even considered the idea of switching the Gamma and Beta crew’s shifts. I concluded that would be unfair and illogical. That would throw the ship’s routine off as well as their tasks.
The Beta crew is the best prepared in comparison to the Alpha and Gamma crews. We have all been trained to work even if we are not at our peak performance. It is not an ideal situation but I have faith in my crew.
It has been approximately two hours and forty-five minutes since my shift ended. On my way back to my quarters I did notice the restless faces that were wandering the halls.
Most had mussed hair, either tired or alarmingly alert expressions. Their clothing rumpled and not to the pristine quality expected of a starfleet officer. The hall smelled strongly of coffee but not because someone spilled it.
I begun to consider Dr. Cohen’s request for shore leave more seriously. I have underestimated how shaken the crew has been lately.
Perhaps these events and anomalies we have gone through in these past few months are have a more profound negative impact to the human psyche than I anticipated. Something I should take into consideration more often
Saavik Out.
+-+-+- End Transmission -+-+-+
Vulcans don’t need much sleep in comparison to humans. She needed a few uninterrupted hours of meditation accompanied by around four hours of sleep in order to be stable.
Sometimes she required more meditation after a stressful day, but today wasn’t one of those days.
Saavik slipped into her pajamas, some soft starfleet pajama pants and a worn baseball t-shirt she got at the academy.
She was star pitcher on the cadet baseball team. Jim was proud, cheered for her at every game. Spock was also proud, but he didn’t show it as much, it was the Vulcan way. But she always liked to see the look in his eyes after every game no matter if they won or lost.
She rolled out her meditation mat and brought out her incense pot as well as a few unscented candles. She lit them as if it were second nature and knelt down on the mat.
She physically felt her body relax as she begun with her breathing exercises.
The red alert Klaxons burst through the speakers in her quarters. It had cut through the calm like a blade that might as well have wounded Saavik physically as well as spiritually.
She sprung from her place, blew out the candles and snuffed the incense then made her way to the door as the comms system crackled to life.
”Intruder on deck 14, all senior staff and available security personnel report,” The comm shut off. Saavik didn’t waste time by getting into uniform. She toed her boots on and grabbed her phaser before leaping into action.
A group of security surrounded a figure. As Saavik got closer, she noticed it was an old human woman with long grey hair with a sinister look on her face as she propped herself up from the floor.
More of the senior staff and security officers had surrounded the area.
Stocky walked around the circle. “Captain, it was like she appeared out of nowhere. I was alone, I heard no footsteps and suddenly she lunged from behind.”
“Where did she come from?” David asked, appearing at Saavik’s side.
“Don’t know,” Stocky said looking back at the woman.
“How did she get aboard? Did she get on during our last trip to a starbase?” David asked.
Joanna McCoy walked up behind them, joining the group too. “We haven’t been somewhere inhabited by humans for months, no one can hide in a starship for that long without being found.”
Most of the senior staff had arrived in tow, half of them in pajamas and the other half in uniform.
“We need to detain her, put her in a holding cell,” Saavik declared.
“Baba Yaga” A security ensign muttered before passing out. The woman on the floor seemed to grow bigger at the recognition, baring sharp teeth toward the ensign. Phase fire hit her before she could make her attack, stunning her.
Joanna dropped to the Ensign’s side as the Security officers carried the woman to the brig.
“They’re fine, just shock. Someone help me get them to sickbay,” Joanna said. Stocky and a few other officers carried them to the turbolift.
”Detain her now,” Saavik ordered. The security officers got to work.