Captain Harper had spent the last hour or so searching through Ipya’s home with her XO and three security team members. They had not been able to locate much. They had confirmed that Ipya was most likely abducted. There were obvious signs of a struggle. Papers were scattered all over the floor. There was also a chair knocked over sideways with what looked to be scuff marks from boots along side it.

Harper and the team had not been able to find any evidence of any thing that would lead to a reason for Ipya to be abducted. Everything seemed to be on the straight and narrow. Although she hated to do it, Harper had ordered First Officer Sili to look through Ipya’s personal belongings. Sili noted that Ipya was a very organized person and had everything in a proper place. She was unable to find any “damning” evidence.

Captain Harper let out a groan of frustration. What now? she thought to herself. In moments like this, brainstorming always worked best for her to get through whatever slump she was facing. She walked away from the desk she had been looking through for the last few minutes. She started to pace back and forth.

What do we know? Okay…we know that she was indeed kidnapped but after an hour of searching we still have no idea why. Could it be possible there wasn’t a reason? Or could it be that someone from the colony is linked and covered their tracks? Now…where do we go from here? Harper thought to herself why slowly walking to her right and then about facing and heading back to her left. Except she apparently managed to speak out loud at some point and startled a little when someone else spoke.

“Captain, maybe we should focus on how she was taken instead of why for now,” First Officer, Sili stated.

Harper had not intended to speak aloud but was glad that she had. She needed some brainstorming help after all. “Great idea. The only way she could have been taken from here without leaving any other tracks or being spotted by someone in the colony was through the use of a transporter beam.”

“Exactly, Captain. That would also suggest that she was taken via ship. Delix said himself that the colony has not used their equipment in some time so it’s possible a ship could have entered and departed without being detected,” Sili provided.

“True. All right, I think we have done all that we can here. We have been spinning in circles for the past 20 minutes. Let’s head back to the ship and see what we can determine from there,” Harper stated.

“Aye, Captain.” Sili pulled out her communicator, “Sausalito this is First Officer Sili. 5 to beam up.”

After returning to the ship and arriving back to the bridge, Harper immediately ordered her Chief Science Officer, Commander Piya to start scanning for any signs of a warp signature within the area.

“Aye, Captain.” Piya quickly turned to his station to begin working. He had already performed a scan of the area when the Captain beamed down to meet with the leader of the colony. Maybe there was something he had missed? He decided to take a deeper look and began a whole new series of long range scans within the planet’s orbit. “Captain, I’ve started a series of long range scans within the planet’s orbit. Within a few minutes, if any ship other than the Sausalito has been here we will know about it.”

“Thank you, Commander.” Harper noticed that she had begun pacing again while watching Commander Piya. She decided it might be best for her to sit in her captain’s chair. She had a sick feeling of dread settling in her gut. She couldn’t quite explain why but something just didn’t feel right about this situation to her. She was concerned for Ipya even though she had never met her. Based on what she had heard about her, Ipya was a valuable asset to the colony which ultimately meant she was an asset to the Federation. I must find her and I must do it quickly she thought to herself before Commander Piya’s voice interrupted her train of thought.

“Captain, I’ve got it!” Commander Piya declared.

Captain Harper immediately jumped out of her chair and fast walked over to his station. She peered over his shoulder and saw what he was referring to.

“There. The scans show signs of a warp signature leaving orbit. Based on these readings, I would say the ship left around 13 hours ago,” Piya stated matter of factly.

“Great job, Commander.” Harper turned toward her helmsman, “Ensign, I know this a tad bit unorthodox but I need you to follow that warp signature. We need to locate this ship and do it quickly.”

“Yes, Captain. Plotting course based on scans now,” Ensign H’veir responded.

“Ensign Hazel, open a ship wide channel.” Harper order as she approached Ensign Hazel’s station.

“Channel open, Captain,” Ensign Hazel replied.

“Attention all crew members. We arrived here earlier this morning with order to repair minor damage to a research satellite. As you are all aware, we received a distress signal from the colony asking for assistance. After meeting with the local leader and investigating, we have discovered that a local resident and valuable member was kidnapped. We have since been able to determine that a ship left orbit approximately 13 hours ago. We must locate this ship as quickly as possible and determine precisely what has happened here and why it took place. I do not know what we will find. I do not know what dangers we will face. But I trust each and every single one of you to do your jobs and have each other’s back. This will be our first real test as a crew. Let us make Starfleet proud!” Harper passionately sought to encourage her crew and relieve any apprehension they may have felt.

“Ready, Captain. I have the warp signature dialed in and we are ready to depart,” Ensign H’veir reported.

“Very well. All crew to your stations,” Harper ordered. Although her motivational speech had been intended for her crew, she couldn’t help but notice that her own sense of confidence had risen. She meant what she said. She had full faith in her crew even though the majority were untested. This is what they train for. This is exactly the types of situations that the Academy had prepared them for. She knew that they would succeed. She just felt in her very core.

Hold tight, Ipya. We are coming Harper thought to herself before returning to her captain’s chair. “Ensign, get us out of here.”