“So, how did your date night go? Did Alfie enjoy the romantic dinner in Paris?” Scott bit into his sandwich and leaned in, eager for his friend’s response. 

Scott and Jordan were seated at a table near the viewport, their trays in front of them, relishing a rare break. Outside, the view displayed the gas giant below, its swirling atmosphere casting an amber glow against the dark abyss of space.

Jordan smirked as he stabbed a piece of salad with his fork, twirling it idly before popping it into his mouth. “He did, thank you, and it went really well—dining with the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the background, candlelight, the whole experience. You were right; it was quite romantic. We even danced the night away.”

Scott grinned, setting his sandwich down. “Sounds like you really went all out. Do you think it helped him feel more at ease here? I know he’s been missing the Odyssey.”

Jordan nodded thoughtfully, setting down his fork before picking up his glass of water. “I think so. He’s still adjusting, but I feel like he might actually be starting to enjoy himself here. It’s just…” He sighed, staring at the contents of his clear beverage. “I have no idea how I’m supposed to top that night.”

Before Scott could respond, a familiar voice chimed in. 

“Then don’t top it. Do something different.”

They both turned as Athena slid into the seat next to Scott, a knowing smirk on her face. She placed her tray down and tapped idly at her PADD before setting it in front of Jordan. “Book the holodeck again, but change things up. My mother loves this old Klingon holonovel about Kahless and his wife Lukara—it’s all about romance and battle. Alfie might enjoy something like that.”

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know if a blood-soaked Klingon romance is exactly his vibe,” He turned to Athena, “And when did you become the romantic expert?”

Athena shot Scott a glare that was as sharp as Kahless’ bat’leth. “I know my stuff, thank you.”

“Oh, come on, Athena, just because you’ve been reading those old Klingon romance novels does not make you an expert on matters of the heart.” Scott fired back.

“A bit of soppy romance never hurt a soul,” Athena countered.

“You cannot describe Klingon romance novels as soppy, Athena,” Scott remarked. “More like rough and rumble, but I appreciate where your mind’s at. Back to Jordan’s love life. What about something classic? Perhaps Dixon Hill? The whole private eye theme could be fun. A bit of mystery, danger, and a touch of romance could provide a refreshing change of pace.”

Jordan opened his mouth to reply, but the doors to the mess hall swished open at that moment, and Alfie walked in. The conversation at the table instantly stopped as they all turned toward him. 

Alfie moved with the same easy confidence as always, but there was a lightness to his expression that Jordan hadn’t seen much of since they’d left the Odyssey.

Alfie grabbed a tray of food from the replicator and made his way over to them. “What are you three talking about?” He asked as he sat down next to his boyfriend. 

There was a beat of silence before Scott smoothly redirected the topic. “Gormaganders. We were just discussing the herd’s movements. We were still debating where they came from.”

Athena nodded as she answered with pasta sitting on the end of her fork. “Yeah, Captain Niro’s been having us track their trajectory. He thinks something weird’s going on with them. He was talking this morning about finding a way to trace where they’ve come from.”

Before Alfie could say anything more, Scott and Athena exchanged glances and stood up in unison.

“Anyway, we should get going,” Scott said casually. “Gotta finish our reports before the captain chases us down.”

“Yeah, don’t want to keep him waiting,” Athena added, smirking slightly as she and Scott left the table heading towards the exit.

Once they were alone, Alfie turned to Jordan and smiled at him. They just looked at each other for a moment before Alfie leaned in, pressing a quick but meaningful kiss to Jordan’s lips. “I loved last night,” he said quietly, his fingers lightly brushing Jordan’s cheek.

Jordan smiled as their foreheads almost touched. “Me too. I’ll have to find a way to plan something just as special.”

Alfie tilted his head slightly, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Oh? Another romantic night in the holodeck? You’re spoiling me, Cadet Duncan-Court.”

“Well, you deserve it, Cadet McAllister-Reyas,” Jordan replied with a soft chuckle as he ran his fingers through Alfie’s hair. “Though, if you have any ideas, I’m open to suggestions.”

Before Alfie could answer, Captain Niro’s voice came over the intercom. “All cadets, report to the bridge.”

Alfie sighed, pulling back. “Duty calls.”

They grabbed their trays and disposed of them before walking out of the mess hall hand in hand.

The Astra’s bridge hummed with focus as the crew monitored the holographic projection of the gormagander herd orbiting the gas giant. The whale-like creatures moved in graceful arcs, their luminescent patterns pulsating rhythmically. In the centre, a smaller figure wriggled energetically—contrasting with the sedate adults.

“Looks like Crawler is trying to make a break for it again,” Grant remarked, arms crossed as she watched the infant gormagander dart between the larger herd members. The young creature twisted and turned, almost playfully, as if testing the patience of its elders.

Florrick chuckled. “You think it’s just being rebellious, or is there a reason it keeps trying to escape? I thought he was an infant, maybe his teenager wanting his own freedom?”

“Who knows, Mister Florrick, but that’s what we’re here to find out,” Captain Niro said as he stepped toward the holographic interface. He observed the flickering paths of light that marked the gormaganders’ movements. “Any progress on analysing their trajectory?”

Jib adjusted the holographic controls, magnifying the details of the herd’s movements. “Based on their behaviour and the high concentration of alpha particles in orbit, I suspect this gas giant may serve as a crucial feeding ground for them. The particles could be a primary food source, much like plankton is for whales on Earth.”

Niro nodded thoughtfully. “That would explain why they’re gathered here but not how they got here. Let’s track their approach. Computer, project the herd’s flight path based on their entry vector.”

The holographic projector flickered and reshaped the visual display. The gormaganders’ previous trajectory appeared as glowing arcs of blue light, tracing their journey towards the gas giant. However, as they examined the projection, something unusual became apparent: large sections of the pathway simply vanished.

“Subspace distortions,” Florrick murmured, squinting at the anomalous gaps in the data. “They entered orbit without any issues, but prior to that, their trajectory seemingly appeared from nowhere. That doesn’t make sense.”

Grant frowned. “Could they have come through some kind of spatial rift? Maybe a wormhole?”

“Possibly,” Jib mused, “but I’d expect residual gravitational eddies if that were the case. This is different. It’s like something disrupted the natural subspace field but then erased the evidence.”

“A cloaked anomaly?” Niro speculated. “Or a natural phenomenon we haven’t encountered before?”

Florrick tapped at his holographic console, expanding the area of the analysis. “Captain, these distortions aren’t random. If you look here—” he gestured at the holographic map. “The gaps form a pattern. It’s almost like a corridor through space.”

Just as they were about to investigate further, a new signal flashed on the holographic display. Crawler broke away from the herd again, deliberately navigating the fragmented path they had been analysing.

“Captain, Crawler is heading back along its original trajectory!” Grant announced, her fingers flying over the console to refine the sensor readings. “They’re accelerating at impressive speeds. It’s almost like something has frightened it.”

Niro straightened as he started to issue out orders. “Take your stations.” He moved towards his chair and looked down at the helm. “Will, set an intercept course. Let’s keep our distance but stay close enough to track it.”

The youngest cadet nodded as he slowly increased the Astra’s impulse engines, and the ship angled toward Crawler’s heading. The young gormagander’s sleek form glided through space, oblivious to the starship shadowing it from afar.

“Captain, we’ve got a lock on its course,” Penelope reported. “But sir, look at this. The rest of the herd is following. And they’re moving fast.”

Niro turned his gaze to the holographic interface that Penelope created as red markers began appearing, each one representing an adult gormagander now in rapid pursuit of their stray youngling. The extraordinary creatures, usually so languid, were now surging through space with an urgency they had not exhibited before.

“They’re accelerating past known gormagander speeds,” Penelope murmured, eyes wide. “Are they trying to stop it or follow it?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, Penelope,” Niro replied, his voice steady despite the growing tension. “Helm, increase speed. We can’t lose them now.”

A sudden spike on the sensors sent a jolt of energy through the room. “Captain!” Grant called out, hands flying across her controls. “Crawler just vanished!”

Niro’s head snapped up. “What? Confirm that!”

Jib was already recalibrating the sensors, his thick fingers moving swiftly across the console. “Confirmed. One moment it was there; the next, it’s gone.” The Bolian cadet paused as he squinted his eyes, looking at the sensors. “And Captain, so is the rest of the herd.”

A heavy silence settled over the bridge as the crew stared at the empty space where the great cosmic creatures had been just moments ago. There was nothing besides the vast, endless void.

Niro exhaled slowly. “Where the hell did they go?” His eyes darted between the viewscreen and the various nearby consoles, allowing him to see some sensor readings from a distance. 

Penelope shook her head, scrolling through the data. “There’s nothing left behind. No warp signature, no ion trail, no gravimetric disturbance. It’s like they were never here.”

Jib tapped his console and then froze as he realised what he saw before him. “Captain, there’s a residual distortion field where Crawler disappeared. It’s faint, but it’s there.”

Niro’s mind raced. “As in some sort of displacement anomaly? Are you saying they phased out of normal space?”

“Possibly,” Jib admitted, his brow furrowed. “Or they were pulled into another layer of subspace. We need more data.”

Niro took a measured breath, his mind already racing through the possibilities. “We should prepare a probe so it could scan in more detail for any residual energy signatures, flux readings, anything that could explain how an entire herd of gormaganders just vanished before our eyes.”

Grant swallowed. “You think this is natural, sir?”

“I don’t know,” Niro admitted. “But whatever it is, it just changed everything we thought we knew about gormaganders or even in this area of space. And I intend to find out why. Let’s prep the A-V replicator online and begin configuring the specifications for the probe’s creation.”

“Sir,” Penelope quickly interrupted him. “The ship’s sensors are detecting a massive displacement wave heading towards us. It will overrun us in less than forty-seven seconds.” 

“Red alert, shields up,” Niro said, gripping his chair’s arms tightly before looking down at the helm. “Will, can we go to warp?” 

“I’m trying, sir!” the young cadet replied, his fingers dancing across the flight controls with urgency. “No luck, sir.”

“Go to full impulse!” Niro ordered next.

“Again, sir, we’re barely moving. This wave has us trapped!” replied the pilot. 

Tapping his combadge, Niro called down to engineering. “Ensign Jaceon, we need more power to the shields and engines, or we’re going to be crushed like a Klingon garbage scowl.” 

“Sorry, sir, I can’t transfer any more power. We’re at maximum now; whatever is heading our way is disrupting all of our systems! I can’t do anything about it; I’m sorry!”

The captain turned to look at the readings and knew they couldn’t escape from the incoming wave. It was heading straight towards them. 

“All hands, brace for impact!” Niro shouted at the top of his lungs.

The next thing he knew, the Astra was hit by the wave, and Niro felt himself being thrown across his new bridge.