"Vaiul"
Written by David Moody and Cyndi Fryar
Captain Lenti Utex and Commander Rhea Kennit

Something nagged at the back of Utex’s consciousness, something that he remembered from what had to be mere moments before. It floated around him and he tried to grasp the thought. It was something that was wrong, something out of place. He stood, turning slowly clockwise, his eyes scanning the Bridge carefully, his face a contorted mask of concentration.

Commander Kennit looked pointedly up at the captain, wondering what it was that he had moved so quickly for. She searched for the crisis, watching his line of sight, then, discovering that nothing unusual appeared to be going on, continued to watch the man as his eyes scanned the Bridge.

Utex saw the starboard side of the bridge, the inset panels on the wall, the tactical officer. He nodded at each, filing away the precise locations of each in his mind. His head cocked to one side as he continued to search. Asked, he could not possibly have explained what it was that he was feeling. There was simply something nagging uncontrollably at him. Something that was wrong, something he could not put his finger on.

Still sweeping the bridge carefully, he turned his back on the main viewscreen and looked first under the security arch, then over it toward the officer at the security console. Without consciously recognizing the officer there, he continued his sweep around the bridge, his eyes falling on the aft turbolift, which was just then a bastion of activity. The doors closed, it sat static and somber, inactive, unused.

Utex could not help but smile when his eyes fell on Cadet Keda Tal, her focus plainly intent on discovering something about the cloud. She was so young, so determined. He was certain he could still see some of Ambassador Tal in her, the relentlessness, the woman’s devoir focus.

Finally, the object of his abject attention occurred to him, and he looked downward. Someone was sitting next to his command chair, but he could not remember for the life of him who it was. It occurred to him that his counselor was missing. “Counselor,” he said.

Rhea Kennit peered around the Captain and saw Lieutenant Torme watching the viewscreen intently, as if in a trance. “Counselor,” she said, trying to prompt the woman to respond.

Utex sat, still watching Counselor Torme. “Counselor Torme,” he said. “Are you alright?”

The woman sat unresponsive, staring at the viewscreen.

Still watching the Counselor Utex spoke to his Chief of Security " Commander, " he began. " any insight into what's going on with Counselor Torme? "

Revos saw what was happening with the Counselor and leaned heavily on his Security Console, beginning to stare at Counselor. The woman was still watching the viewscreen, so Revos delved further into her mind. He found there a tenuous thread; a deep black tether that seemed to dynamically wash forward from her into the silver cloud facing the USS Victory.

Apparetly, the woman had some sort of connection with something inside the cloud. He told the captain as much, then tapped his commbadge to summon medical.

Utex held his hand up to delay Revos’ action. “Let's see how this plays out,” he said, turning to Lieutenant Sito. He told the woman, “Take us in closer,” said Utex.

“Captain, are you certain? Whatever is causing this with a link with the Lieutenant may worsen if we move any closer to whatever the source is.”

“Or maybe it’ll get worse if we move back. Whatever has interfaced with her has apparently done so, and well -- for a reason, let’s assume,” he proposed, still watching the Counselor.

“Like communication,” Tal suggested.

Rhea studied the Counselor's face. "If the link is for communication then why isn't she responding to us? What if its using the link to her to try and get more information about us to use against us?"

As if in response, Torme turned toward the Commander, a gravely voice emitting from her throat. "Well I got your attention, didn't I?"

Utex stood and quickly moved away from the woman, producing a phaser seemingly from nowhere, leveling it at the Counselor. "Good job, Sito," I think perhaps the connection is strong enough."

The Victory, buffeted by the pressures around her hull, began to quiver ever so slightly. Utex thanked unknown gods that he had not been drinking tea from a china cup at that moment, and even more glad that he had not set said nonexistant tea on the arm of his command chair.

"Torme is with us, Captain .. . Utex," the counselor said. "She is safe and will remain so. We needed a medium with which to speak to you," the voice told the crew as Torme turned toward Commander Kennit.

"Who are you," Utex said calmly, lowering his phaser as Revos vaulted over the head of the Victory's executive officer.

"Krannik," Torme said, watching as Revos drew a phaser.

Looking at Revos, Kennit muttered "Give me a warning next time you want to do something like that.." Before turning her attention back to Torme/Krannik. "What do you want?

"Little late," Utex said lowly to Revos as he stepped aroung the security chief. Then, to Torme, he continued speaking, but to no avail. Torme's attention focused back on Commander Kennit. "It is to you we wish to speak."

Kennit watched Torme closely, cautiously she took a step closer. "I'm here. What is it that you want?"

Torme/Krannik continued to gaze at her, not answering. Rhea found herself studying the other woman's eyes closely. Her eyes held no _expression at all. Nothing. They were blank and empty, cold.

Kennit's jaw clenched once. "You said you wanted to speak with me. I'm listening..."

"Do you recall your meeting with a race you would have called the Vaiul?" Torme's face contorted at the last word. "We are their descendants," she explained. "You have something we need," Torme said, reaching out for the Commander.

The ship seemed to rumble beneath the crew, and the on the viewscreen grew clearer as the Victory was apparently drawn toward the cloud.

"Safe passage for you into our space requires our intervention," Krannik/Torme explained. Revos moved toward the Counselor, and was drawn up short by the Counselor's piercing gaze suddenly directed at him. "Stay," she commanded in the deep, rumbling tones.

Rhea's expression grew puzzled a moment as she considered. "The Vaiul?" she echoed. "That was some years ago, not long after I'd joined the crew of the Arle Burke."

She watched Torme/Krannik warily now, "What is it you think I have which you need? I don't have anything from that mission.."

Torme lazily gestured at the Commander's head. "In here," she/it explained. The vessel bucked and her spaceframe groaned as the Victory shot forward, entering the scintilalting cloud, which seemed to create a funnel before the vessel.

The Victory easily slid through, the viewscreen resolving into an image of the odd spatial phenomenon the crew had seen ealier.

Before anyone could react, time seemed to slow, and the Victory pulsed through the silvery tunnel, and deposited herself into open, empty space.

"Location," Utex said in as level a tone as he could muster.

Torme slumped forward, and the Commander moved to catch her before she could fall to the deck. An unwise move, it proved, for a moment later, both she and the counselor disappeared from the Bridge, leaving all concerned lacking for words.

Moments passed and TogHa reported, "No transporter signal, so trace, nothing. They're just . .. gone."