“We’ve got a few options.”  Lieutenant Hazel Wallaker sat turned in her chair at the science station onboard the Perseverance.  “Probes are the least risky to us.  The next possibilities are more intensive scans from a distance, and given the collective sensor power between Nova and us, we’ve got that covered.  We’d need to watch the feedback loop and the reactions of the nebula in case history repeats itself.”

Walton asked from her center chair, turned to face the science chief, “The options from there have considerable risk, I take it?”

Hazel answered, her tone unusually serious, “Sending an unmanned shuttle in, sending a manned shuttle in, and then taking the ship in.  Considerable risk is understating it, sir.  I’m a daredevil on a good day, but my confidence is low in it turning out well.  I ran some scenarios.  It wasn’t pretty with what little we know.”

On the viewscreen from the Nova, Commander Park replied, “We agree.  There is something else.”  She was sitting in the center chair as she tapped at one of the PADD-sized consoles to her side, “We’re tracing an interesting signal that appears to be connected to the nebula.”  The data appeared on the Perseverance’s viewscreen.  “It’s faint…and encrypted.  We’re not sure if it’s incidental or intentional.  Our team is working on it.”

Walton felt a slight smile tug at her lips.  Park appeared confident on the screen and seemed comfortable in the secondary position of Nova’s science in addition to her primary duties as captain.  She said, “We’ll calibrate our probes and send you the settings.  We’ll launch when ready.”  The channel closed.

“Probes are launched,’ announced Lieutenant Wallaker, beaming with pride at the short work they had done adjusting the settings on the probes from both ships.  She turned to her console as the twin devices approached the mysterious nebula.  “Sensors returning expected data”, she reported as the distance closed.  The rest of the Perseverance bridge crew watched in anticipation as the probes vanished into the cloudy soup.  The science chief paused, “Readings are skewing…what the hell?”  She turned to the captain, “That’s not a nebula – at least according to the data the probes are transmitting…”

“It’s flinging them back!” Matthew Phillips at operations shouted as multiple alarms and klaxons suddenly blared from multiple stations on the bridge.

Walton stood quickly, “Red alert – shields!”  The obligatory klaxon rang as the lights faded from white to ruby.  They all watched as the two probes were abruptly ejected and headed for the two ships at an alarming speed.  “Brace for impact,” was Wren’s warning moments before their probe slammed into their shields.  The deck shuddered as the emitters embraced most of the force while the inertial dampeners struggled to handle the additional force pressed against the Pathfinder class ship.  A few sparks flew from power conduits.  Then it was over.  Walton asked, “Damage report?”

Commander Park picked herself up from the deck, groaning.  She realized the smaller Nova wasn’t built to take punches like that.  Neither was she, she grumbled to herself.  “Damage report?”

Ensign Alexandre De La Fontaine pulled himself back into his chair, accessing his console.  “Engineering reports some damage to the EPS systems.  Decks 7 and 8 report mild injuries and are on their way to sickbay.  Shields are down to 75%…the point of impact shows mild hull damage…engineering is on the way to inspect.”

The CO sat roughly in the center chair, annoyed.  “Keep me updated.  Now, what the hell was that all about?  Cadet Williams, hail the Perseverance.”  She stretched her neck, feeling the soreness rising.  It was her first day on the job, and she needed to visit sickbay.  Not the most audacious start to her command.

Walton was back on her screen, and concern filled her voice. “Commander Park, what is your status?”  The Nova CO replied with what she knew and accepted a PADD from De La Fontaine with updated details, which she relayed.  Relief filled Walton’s face, “Good.  We fared better.  I’ll have Wallaker send over the data we salvaged.  Whatever it is, it’s not a nebula.”

Park worked her shoulder, “Agreed.  Nebulas aren’t known for their throwing arm.  Whatever it is, it’s got good aim.  I’d recommend pulling the remains of the probs for examination.”  

“Agreed.  We’ll video link you in on ours.  See you in a few.”

With the channel closed, she turned to the bridge officers and said, “Mr. Prentice, you have the CONN. Work with Mr. De La Fontaine to get that into the cargo bay. I will grab some science officers and secure the bay as much as possible.”  She headed for the turbolift and waited until the door had closed before she let out a long sigh.  “Goddamn it,” she whispered to herself. She wasn’t sure what was up and what was down.  A nebula that throws up probes?  There were plenty of firsts for her first day, but this hadn’t been on the list of things she expected.

The doors flew open, and she tapped her badge, “Science teams to Cargo Bay 1.”  She swung around the corner and walked into the cargo bay, making a beeline for the console.  Muttering to herself about ‘first days’ and ‘Murphy’s law’ and ‘what a weird day,’ she established a stable forcefield across most of the bay.  She opened a line to the bridge, “Field established – transport the probe when ready.”  Her alpha shift science team entered, confusion on their faces.  She gestured to the space, “Wait for it…” and was answered by the shimmering brightness of the transporters, revealing the scorched remains of the probe they had launched.  “That is our project.”

The Perseverance’s probe was sitting in the middle of the cargo bay, smoke steaming off the crisp exterior.  Wallaker stood cautiously on the other side of the room in an environmental suit, eyeballing the returned device.  The channel in her suit was open as she stalked towards the probe, “Sensor readings are nominal.”

The channel was open on the other side of the thick, protective transparent windows arrayed around the cargo bay every ten feet.  Captain Wren Walton stood, tapping at the glass console where the readings were displayed.  “Temperature’s come down, so it’s safe to get closer.  Biometric readings are coming back negative, so there’s nothing alive there.”  Wren watched as her chief science officer approached cautiously, holding a tricorder.

In the cargo bay, Hazel got closer, continuing to take readings as she walked.  No alarms were ringing on the tricorder, so she stepped closer until she could have touched it.  She knelt, scanning the burned surface.  The readings baffled her, “I’m reading…weapons fire? Not very powerful, but there’s a weapon signature – tricorder is classifying it as possibly pre-warp.” She tapped the scanner’s screen, sending the results to the ship’s computer.

Walton’s voice came through a moment later: ” I’m running it through a spectrometer along with a bunch of other filters.  Yes?”   

Hazel could hear someone speaking quickly in the background. She turned to glance at the window and saw one of her junior science officers talking animately with Walton. Through the open channel, she asked, “What does Ensign Carter have?”  The CO seemed to stare at the science ensign for some time before turning to face Wallaker.

“Ensign Carter’s team got the last data from the probe before it got blasted out.” Wallaker watched her turn to Carter and ask, “Are you sure?  Positive identification?”  A furious nod from Carter.  Walton relayed the report, “The probe recorded a metallic interior, electronic signatures, and multiple communication signals being sent and received.  They’re still building a schematic based on the limited data stream, but they’re estimating it’s circular in nature…and older.  Some of the metals and materials it cataloged in its last moments from a generation ago…or more.”

Hazel stared at the probe, “So it’s not alive.  It’s not a nebula.  Someone…built this thing?” She stood, processing what Walton had said.  There weren’t many things that fit the bill.  Her mind skidded to a halt as she realized, “You said multiple communications signals sent and received?”  Across the room and through the glass, Walton nodded.

“What are you thinking, Lieutenant Wallaker?”

“Nothing good, captain.  Nothing good.  Transfer the probe to engineering – have them take it apart piece by piece.  I’m going to guess that Nova’s report was similar?”

“Exactly similar.”

“Then that means someone out here is playing with us…and we need to figure out who and where before they know we know. I recommend we remain on red alert, captain.”

“Agreed.  Report to the bridge once you’re back in uniform.  Good work.”

Hazel stalked towards the door into the suitroom.  What in the rimward was out here?

And why?