I stood at the head of the long conference table, its polished surface reflecting the dim glow of the overhead lights. My gaze swept across the faces gathered there — my crew, my family in all but name. The air was taut with tension, every breath heavy with the weight of unanswered questions. The mystery of the vanished crew pressed down on us like a storm cloud, silent yet suffocating.
At the far end of the room, the department heads I had summoned shifted uneasily in their seats. Each had been called here not only for their expertise but for their insight, their ability to cut through uncertainty and offer a path forward. Their presence was both reassuring and sobering; if they couldn’t make sense of this, who could?
I straightened, my voice carrying across the room. “Alright everyone, let’s get started. We have a lot to discuss.” My eyes found Ai, my chief of security — and my wife. “Ai, what do we know about the station’s security status?”
Ai rose smoothly, her posture formal despite the personal bond we shared. In front of the crew, she was the consummate officer. “Captain, the station’s security systems are fully operational. There are no signs of forced entry or sabotage. The logs show that all security protocols were followed up until the moment the crew disappeared. It’s as if they just vanished into thin air.”
Her words hung in the air like a chill draft. I nodded slowly, absorbing the implications. “Lote’, what about the medical scans?”
Lote’ glanced down at her datapad, the glow illuminating her focused expression. “My teams have scanned the entire station for pathogens, foreign entities, and unusual energy signatures. There’s nothing out of the ordinary. The only life form we’ve found is Dr. Hewitt, who is still in cryo-stasis. We’ll need more time to bring her out safely.”
“Thank you, Lote’.” My attention shifted to the engineer seated nearby. “Sabrina Wildman, what can you tell us about the station’s engineering status?”
Sabrina leaned forward, her hands clasped on the table. “Captain, all diagnostics indicate that the station is operating at peak efficiency. All primary and backup systems are functioning normally, and there’s no indication of any mechanical failure. All power levels are stable across the board, and the environmental controls are functioning at optimal efficiency. There’s no reason to believe the station itself is at any risk of unforeseen malfunction.”
Her confidence was steady, but it did little to ease the gnawing unease in my gut. I turned next to Synthea, who had been with this operation from the beginning. “Synthea, any insights?”
She shook her head, frustration etched across her features. “No signs of struggle, Captain. No residual energy signatures or indications of what happened. The crew just vanished without warning, some seemingly in the middle of their daily activities. We did find some unusual specimens in some of the labs scattered throughout the station. They appear to be of extra-dimensional origin. Our security teams have recorded their temporal frequencies as regards each specimen and, while no two are alike, the scans indicate that the one thing they seem to have in common is that they all appear to be alternate versions of the same subject.”
The revelation sent a ripple of unease through the room. Alternate versions of the same subject, collected from different realities? The sheer difficulty of such a task was staggering. More troubling still was the question of intent — why would anyone want to do this?
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to remain composed. “Alright, let’s hear from the department representatives. Security, engineering, and science/medical, please share your observations and suggestions.”
The security team lead spoke first, his tone clipped but steady. “Captain, given the lack of evidence, I recommend we maintain a high alert status and continue our scans. We should also consider the possibility of an external force or entity that we haven’t detected yet.”
The engineering representative nodded in agreement. “I concur. We should run a full diagnostic on the station’s systems once more, just to be sure. Additionally, I want to investigate those specimens more thoroughly. They may hold the only clues as to what happened to the station’s crew.”
The science and medical representative leaned forward, her voice calm but urgent. “We should prioritize bringing Dr. Hewitt out of cryo-stasis. She might have crucial information about the station’s research and what led to the crew’s disappearance. In the meantime, we should continue our bio-scans and monitor for any changes.”
I drew in a deep breath, letting their words settle into a plan of action. “Good suggestions. Let’s move forward with implementing these actions. Ai, keep your teams on high alert in two-man teams. Sabrina, have your people run those diagnostics once more. Lote’, you’re to prioritize Dr. Hewitt’s revival and continue to scan for anything out of the ordinary. Synthea, I want you to coordinate the science team’s investigation of the specimens. Let’s get to the bottom of this.” |
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Original Characters
2025/12/21 12:04
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