Star Trek: Animus: Plague Bound

Part 2

Commander Lenore Abernathy, the veteran mistress of the USS Kokoda had to resist the urge to query her helm officer, Ensign Bannon on their ETA to the Animus' reported location for the third time this past hour, she could clearly see the mission clock count down the closer they got to their destination. Instead, she sat in silence, hoping that the aura of confidence that she liked to project when on the bridge overshadowed the growing concern that she felt about what was happening at their destination as her bridge crew continued their duties in keeping the Kokoda operational as its twenty-year-old engines were taxed to maximum. While the Animus' executive officer had been disturbingly cagey when it came to explaining just what had happened to warrant their mayday call, though he had requested that the Kokoda make the best speed to render that assistance.

Lenore had been in Starfleet long enough to know that space was a dangerous domain, filled with wonders both miraculous and profane and that there were still places in the galaxy that a starship could simply disappear. While it was not something that Starfleet actively promoted in the Academy brochure, it was an inherent risk all of its members agreed to whenever they donned the blue uniform.

Pressing the intercom button on the armrest of her command chair, she keyed a channel to the shuttle bay. "Commander Krieger, what is your status?" she asked as she saw the mission timer tick down below the hour mark.

"We are good to go, ma'am, we're on track to depart as soon as we are within range," Krieger replied, behind him, the cacophony of an operational shuttle bay made an effort to drown out his words.

Lenore smiled, she knew that her first officer-cum-navigator was competent, so she felt a little foolish to ask him if his landing party was ready. However, she also had to say something to shift this feeling of unease.

"Excellent news, Commander, we are forty-five minutes out, so prep your team, good luck down there, bridge out. Ensign Bannon, prepare to take us out of warp on my mark, I want us to cut the line as close as we can," she ordered locking her command chair in place facing forward.

"Aye ma'am," Bannon replied as he placed a hand on the warp speed control yoke.

"Engineering, how are we doing down there?" Lenora asked, gazing out at the streaking starscape that past before the bridges frontal viewscreen.

"We are pushing redlines captain, thankfully you gave us a heads up this time, you have to remember Captain, this old girl is past her prime, she's not the sprinter she once was," reported the Kokoda's exasperated chief Engineer.

Lenore placed a loving hand on the scuffed armrest of her command chair. "I'll take that under advisement Mister Kelly, but I suspect there is still a lot of fight in her, especially with you and your team taking such loving care of her."

There was a brief pause before Engineer Kelly replied, "You always know the right thing to say, Captain, she'll get us there, but I'll need to take some of the safety interlocks offline when we drop out of warp to purge the buffers."

"Understood Engineering, hopefully, we can give you that time when we arrive. Helm, approach time."

Bannon looked over to the mission clock, his hand tensely holding the control yolk in the forward position. "Ten minutes, ma'am, we are crossing the terminus of the Tressis System."

Lenore took a breath and released it on a slow count of ten, looking straight at the viewscreen, she nodded. "Take us out of warp, shuttle bay, prepare to launch the landing party."

In an instant the wide viewscreen that took up the entirety of the front of the Kokoda's bridge in reverted to the dark void of real space. In front of the ship, slightly off to port, in orbit of a brown world was a starship, its twin nacelles sitting beneath its elongated saucer in a design reminiscent of the venerable Walker Class, but roughly one-third the size. Lenore immediately presumed that this starship was the Animus.