“Some Silver Sea”
written by Cyndi Fryar, Stephanie Gabai and David Moody
Commander Rhea Kennit, Lieutenant Junior Grade Marisa Torme and Captain Lenti Utex

Lenti Utex of the USS Victory was standing just forward of his Captain’s chair. He was between and slightly aft of the CONN and OPS consoles of the vessel’s galaxy-class bridge module. He whistled lowly, eyeing the phenomenon taking up the vast majority of his viewscreen.

It was nothing short of huge. No, he thought, it was far beyond huge. It sprawled lazily across the empty space it inhabited without confine or restriction, a fervid inferno conflagrating seemingly ceaselessly through the discernible night. It appeared to have no beginning or end.

“Remarkable,” said the Vulcan sitting forward and to Utex’ relative left. (Utex stood at a port forward oblique, presenting the viewscreen with not only his gaze, but his right shoulder as well.). Utex’ gaze torn from the captivating phenomenon on the viewscreen, he told the back of the Vulcan’s head, “You can say that again.”

Sito Jaxa, the nearly-platinum headed Bajoran who was sitting next to S’Konn at the helm console peering over her left shoulder at the commanding officer. “Are you sure you still want to go through it, sir?”

Utex winced, grimaced, and responded, “I’m not so certain we have much of a choice,” he told the woman.

The flight control officer detected the captain’s rhetorical question and her monitors recovered her attention. Her delicate, slender fingers scrambled their way across her control panel like the intricate mating dance of some bizarre type of alien insect as she arranged for more power to be allotted to the propulsion system.

“Ready when you are, sir,” she told him succinctly.

The captain inhaled slowly, heavily, and wondered if, in fact, he was ready. The manifestation on the viewscreen had perplexed him ever since it had appeared on the viewscreen earlier in the day. The visual scanners of the USS Victory registered what appeared to be the most vast, intricate arrangement of metallic dust, reflecting, refracting and emitting light through its own silvery haze. The scanners and sensors, however, told a different story. The other instruments told the crew that nothing was there.

Seated in the First Officer’s chair, Rhea studied the data display set in the small console at her seat and shook her head to herself. When the phenomenon had first been detected, upon the troubling discovery that the sensors and other scanning equipment did not register the strange shimmering silver haze before them even though the visual feed clearly showed something there had prompted her to order a complete systems check of the Victory’s sensor equipment. The sensor system was comprised of three primary sensor systems which functioned together to give as complete a picture of the ship’s surroundings as was possible.

Every test they ran indicated that the Victory’s sensor systems were operating normally. She’d checked the electromagnetic flux sensor as well as the wide and narrow angle electromagnetic scanners herself, and found nothing wrong. Gravimetric distortion sensors should have detected the silvery haze, it was large enough and solid enough that it clearly had its own inherent mass and gravity holding it together and yet they weren’t picking up even a trace of any kind of gravitational force or distortion on the surrounding areas of subspace. Whatever it was, even though the apparently metallic particles within the cloud where giving off considerable light causing that amazing silver shimmer effect, there was no light source large enough or close enough to account for the clouds brightness, nor were the particles giving off any ambient heat or light themselves.

Whatever it was, it was directly in their course to Starbase 416 and too large to just go around. Even if the cloud had been smaller, they had a duty to investigate the cloud as it had never before been reported in this area and could pose a potential threat to other ships in the region. Commander Kennit knew all of this, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Some sixth sense in the back of her mind was tingling with warning. The strange cloud flat out gave her the creeps, though she could not explain why.

Hearing the exchange going on, she had one final idea. Rising from her seat, she walked the few steps to where the Captain stood and spoke. “Captain, I’ve ran full system diagnostics on our sensor systems three times. There’s nothing wrong with the thermal imaging array, or the active EM scanners. We haven’t tried sending a science probe into the cloud. We could send a Class I Sensor probe carries a full EM/Subspace and interstellar chemistry pallet aboard. We could send in a probe and try to get a direct reading on what those particles are made of.”

Utex considered. “Launch a probe, Mister TogHa,” he said, glancing at the dark-skinned officer.

The Klingon grit his teeth as he often did on force of habit, one eyes widening as he manipulated his console slightly aft of the ready room entryway. “Probe away,” he reported to the captain. “Receiving telemetry,” he growled lowly.

S’Konn began to speak up. “Nothing out of the ordinary sir,” he explained, watching the results of the probe’s sensors scans filter out across his console.

Utex stepped forward to peer over S’Konn’s shoulder. Unmoved, he skimmed the data as it scrolled by and found nothing unusual, which was, in itself, unusual. Peering to his left, he saw Kennit also watching the results over the Vulcan’s shoulders, and, catching her eye, gave her a firm, reassuring smile and an almost imperceptible steadying nod. He stood to his full height and moved closer to the viewscreen, watching the center quadrant, where the probe had entered the inexplicable cloud.

He could not be sure if the phenomenon had been there when the Victory had been light years away dealing with the USS Livingston crises, whether it had even been there further back, when the Victory was launched, or even when this sector of space had been mapped. Perhaps, he mused, it had sprung up since those times. Positively, their computer hadn’t made any record of it.

Utex planted both feet firmly and took a toe behind him the length of one of his feet, then spun in fluid Academy plebe about face. He glanced at Sito. “Let’s do it.”

The deck below him insinuated a subtle hum through his feet that he could just barely perceive as the Victory increased her vector quantity to the speed of light. The anomaly impended inescapably before them, an enormous, silver maw opened wide to gulp them away.

TogHa, the tall, dark skinned Klingon science officer reported, “Still no sign of it on sensors.”

S’Konn said, “Sensors are detecting something.” He turned to his left, toward the executive officer. “Some sort of pressure,” he said. “It is distinctly constraining our structural integrity field like any atmosphere would,” he finished.

“So we’re not simply seeing things,” Utex acquiesced. “I guess we can take some consolation in that fact,” he continued, watching Kennit.

“Maintain course and speed, sir,” Sito asked.

“Definitely,” Utex told her.

The closer the Victory drew to the cloud, the more uproarious the marvel appeared to manifest. The silvery white light within it began to contort and glimmer, giving birth to massive caverns and monumentally eruptive flares. It was searingly gorgeous and captivating in the way a perfect storm was stunning. And similar to a storm-tossed seascape, it was grotesque in its ability to instill fear at the same time.

“All available power to shields,” Kennit ordered.

“Aye sir,” said S’Konn.

All at once, the ship jolted hard to port. Caught by surprise, the Captain had to lurch forward and grab a hold of Lieutenant Sito’s console as Kennit took hold of S’Konn’s seated station for support. Utex looked into the eyes of his operations officer, a question clearly registering on his face.

“We are still eminently functional,” the Vulcan reported.

Security Chief Revos spoke up. “Shields holding fast, sir.”

Utex straightened and turned back to the viewscreen.

The Victory seemed to be entering a vast, blue artery, oscillating with dynamisms that mystified him as much as they did his scanning and sensory devices. Before he could say when, the peculiarity was not just in front of them, but encompassing them.

He felt another jolt, this one more intense than the first, but a glance at S’Konn and Sito told him that all was relatively well.

Behind the Betazoid man standing serenely at the Security console, the lift doors hushed open. He looked back and saw that the vessel’s Chief Engineer had joined the gathered Alpha Shift crew. “Talnar,” he intoned under his breath.

Chief Engineer Ray smiled briefly back at him then moved toward the center of the bridge, ambling down the starboard side ramp. Talnar Ray was a wiry man with a smooth face and thick, blocky sideburns, with a sarcastic sagacity to boot.

“From the feel of it,” Ray rushed, “I’m missing the party and I’d hate to miss the party since they’re my engines we’re taxing so much that the mistress does not like and I wish you guys could lay off of them a little bit I mean I upgraded them sure but that doesn’t mean that they’re indestructible you know.” He paused, “So have I missed anything,” he concluded.

Utex smiled in spite of himself, unable to help himself from glaring at Rhea so that she would not outright laugh at the man’s manner as it had appeared her face was ready to do as was Lenti’s.

“Not at all Mister Ray,” Kennit told him. “Show just started,” she said, casting a sarcastic glance at Utex and moving toward her command chair.

The floor suddenly felt like it dropped about eight inches or so as the ship took another shuddering jolt from whatever the strange field out there was. Rhea found herself pretty much falling back into her seat, and counted herself lucky that she’d almost been there anyway when the hit came otherwise she’d likely have ended up on her rump. Almost on the heels of that one, before the last shivers of the jolt faded another hit, this one even harder than the first few strikes had been.

“What is causing that?” Kennit said aloud, turning her attention to the sensor readings displayed on her screen. Her face darkened, “We’re still not picking up anything on the sensors out there, just the pressure against the structural integrity field and that’s remaining constant. There’s nothing to indicat…” she stopped speaking for a few moments as another short series of hard shuddering hits shook the ship. “Nothing to indicate what’s causing the jolts..” Kennit finished once the ship settled again.

Looking over the system indicators, S’Konn called out “Captain, our shields are down to 78%. There some minor injuries being reported as a result of the jolting, bruises and a few muscle sprains.”

The words had barely had time to fall on the Bridge crew’s ears when the lights began to flicker in the room. “What’s happening,” Utex asked his ops officer.

“I am afraid I am unable to provide you with an informed response,” the Vulcan responded, investigating his control panel for some clue. “Something’s interfering with our electroplasma flow.”

Ray sidled into the chair to Kennit’s right, to starboard, and began using the chair’s tiny access panel to read out statistics.

Without further warning, the deck lurching once more beneath them, this time making Utex feel as if his knees were being driven into his chest.

“Inertial dampeners fluctuating,” Ray called out, his chin hitting his the console that was nearly in his lap a moment later.

S’Konn’s console spewed forth a torrent of electric discharge as the Victory felt as if it were riding the crest of some enormous wave. S’Konn having veritably flown backward from his seat, Kennit moved to the Science Officer’s side. Utex took ops, sidling in beside Sito and giving her a curt nod before pulling the scorched console toward his body.

“Shields down forty-five percent,” Sito called.

Another console exploded, this time the aft engineering station. Ray peered around at it in a sudden moment of calm, and shook his head ruefully; glad he had chosen to take a center seat. The ship bucked like a bronco refusing to be broken.

“Helm is unresponsive,” Sito cried out.

Utex pressed the communications pad in the upper right corner of S’Konn’s console. “Sickbay, this is Captain Utex. We need someone up here ay ess ay pee. Lieutenant S’Konn has been –“ Before the Trill could complete the phrase, the executive officer gasped sharply and suddenly rushed at the viewscreen, pointing.

“What is that,” she cried. “Right there,” she said. “What IS that?”

All eyes turned toward the viewscreen as the ship sursurrated beneath them. A few saw the intricate scrollwork; some saw the strange metal encompassing the apparent structure. It was only Kennit and Torme, however, that saw the rend in space; the gaping square maw leading into nothing beyond the silver curtain. Time seemed to slow as the Bridge crew looked at the object in space. It seemed like some sort of passage. Like a squared off version of the Bajoran wormhole, with no verteron nodes, no strange energy corridor, just an entryway. First here, then, a moment later, there.

The Victory was approaching it at an oblique similar to Utex’s stance only moments ago, so both sides of the apparition could be seen. What was actually behind it was not what was visible through it. Nor did the center of it appear to have any actual thickness.

It was as if it wasn’t really there.

As if to end the awe filled moment, the Victory tottered roughly to port, throwing Kennit forward into the viewscreen. As such, the Bridge crew felt rather than saw something come at them; something huge and unbearable. Torme actually screamed at the blackness of the thought.

Marissa had experienced something terrifying in those brief moments. Almost as if some intelligence was at work.

As the viewscreen clearing, a platinum pinpoint of light seemed to wend it’s way through the clouds sharply toward the Victory. Utex saw its trajectory and called loudly, “Rhea get DOWN! Brace for impact.”

Marissa recovered in time from her seemingly telepathic experience to brace herself from the impact that rocked her in her seat.

The Victory was smacked sharply on her forward dorsal port quarter and spun relentlessly end over end, toppling backward and out of the cloud until Sito could regain helm control. The spinning sensation slowed and finally came to a halt.

S’Konn seized once and was still, as Utex gingerly raised himself from his command chair. “Get me status reports, damage reports,” he said. He looked to his helm officer, “Let’s not make a habit of this Lieutenant,” he said, “but if you don’t mind.”

Sito rose and moved to help Utex retrieve S’Konn from the floor as Lieutenant Ray slid into her seat, and TogHa took S’Konn’s position while Keda Tal entered the Bridge and slid into the Chief Science Officer’s spot.

“I’ll be right back,” Utex said, assisting Lieutenant Sito as the two supported Lieutenant S’Konn between them, escorting the Vulcan to Sickbay.

Pulling herself up from the deck, Kennit stifled a wince at pain as her arm, which she had smacked hard against the railing she had grasped for support as the Victory was knocking about. It didn't feel like anything was torn or broken, but it ached like no one's business!

Watching as the Captain assisted Lieutenant Sito in getting Lieutenant S'Konn to sickbay she took over the Bridge smoothly. "I need damage estimates. What about that cloud, are we still within its radius are did we get knocked clear?"