Alex glanced out over the Fairfax’s stern through the observation lounge window, allowing himself a moment of quiet reflection as the coffee in his mug cooled. A warming aroma filled the room; the scent of fresh toast and bacon, with the earthy undertones of the coffee composing a symphony for the senses.

It was Thursday, and the first departmental briefing of the day with his senior staff. Something of a ritual he had developed was to invite them all to breakfast once a week. Thursdays were the ideal day for it, for this day was seldom as busy as the other days in the week. It was often a motivator for the mid-week lulls, and, despite the rest of humanity observing the endless ticking of the stardate clock, Alex felt it was important to keep in touch with the more tangible concepts of time.

“Where are we with the analysis of the artefact?” Wallace asked, directing his query towards Lieutenant Commander Sovek, who, unlike the rest of the senior staff, was abstaining from consuming food at this time. Before him sat a tumbler filled with room-temperature water and nothing more indulgent.

“Ensign Munroe began a multi-spectral analysis late last night. I anticipate that he will have the results by the conclusion of this meeting. I did, however, manage to catalogue the molecular composition of the Hej’ogt before I began my duties on the bridge. The results were unremarkable.” Sovek responded with accuracy and impartiality, though there was a slight change in tone at the conclusion of his sentence, probably indicating the most Vulcan parallel of disappointment.

“Is it possible that we’re chasing a red herring here? I mean, so far all indications point to this Hej’ogt being a simple statue and nothing more.” Said Conrad, mid-chew.

“That is a possibility, doctor; however, it would be Illogical to conclude any hypothesis before sufficient data has been collected to make a determination.” Said Sovek, almost rehearsed, as if he knew to expect someone to point out the apparent futility of his investigation.

“Illogical? Isn’t it Illogical to keep poking around with that thing over and over again, but still getting the same answers? You said it yourself over the last few days, Unremarkable, Inconclusive…. Sometimes a rock is just a rock, Freud said that!” Said Conrad.

“Your quotation of Sigmund Freud is as factually incorrect as your interpretation, Doctor,” Sovek replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“For one, I believe the correct quotation of the phrase is ‘Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar’. And secondly, the phrase is often misattributed, and there is no evidence that Dr Freud ever made such a statement.”

“Okay, but the message still stands, not everything needs to be over-analysed. In fact, you should know as a scientist that by repeatedly chasing answers, you might introduce personal bias into the result. Sometimes you have to accept what the evidence is trying to tell you!” Conrad pointed out.

“I appreciate your concern; however, Vulcans are not prone to introducing bias in the same way that humans can. I am certain there is more to this than meets the eye.” Sovek took a sip of his water, perhaps a little insulted that his colleague would suggest any sort of flaw with his scientific ability.

“I trust Commander Sovek’s judgement on this, and I share in his suspicions. The Azurak said that the Hej’ogt gave their captain visions of ghostly apparitions. And while I don’t entertain the possibility of the supernatural, I do think there is much more to the Hej’ogt than the Azurak may be aware…” Alex weighed in; he had been listening quietly to the conversation the whole time, letting his crew brainstorm the problem.

“The Nausicaans wouldn’t go out of their way to hunt down the Azurak over a simple statue. There’s plenty of other targets for them, with arguably greater cargo value.” Alex took his seat at the head of the table, setting his coffee down neatly on a coaster to preserve the walnut finish.

“Lieutenant Sato, what’s our ETA to Deep Space 2-7?” Alex asked, pondering the potential urgency.

“Still two days away at Warp 5, Sir, but we’re limited by the shearing forces being placed on the Azurak freighter. We could go faster, but with the damage she’s taken, we risk tearing her apart,” Juno replied. It wasn’t often she got asked to advise on these briefings beyond course corrections and flight operations; she felt she needed to make her input a little more valuable.

“She’s right, and we’re already pushing the engines to maintain Warp 5 and a stable tractor beam inside a warp field. I’m sorry, Captain, I can’t recommend we increase our speed any further!” T’Lira chimed in.

“Take us out of warp and disengage the tractor beam. Mister K’vagh, prepare a class five probe, programmed to proximity alert. I want to know if anyone comes looking to plunder the wreck!” Alex ordered.

“Aye sir, I can also outfit the probe with a countermeasure package that might help conceal the freighter’s location from most long-range sensor sweeps,” K’vagh suggested.

“Good Idea, once the probe is in position, I want to reverse course and start looking for the other Azurak freighter, Sovek. I want you to prioritise the Azurak sensor modifications. Link in with our guests if you need further assistance. Once Doctor Harper has discharged them, have them report to you.” Said Alex with a steady cadence.

After acknowledging their orders, Alex adjourned the meeting and began dismissing his officers, save for one. “Lieutenant Commander zh’Shaleth, remain!” he said sternly, catching his Chief Engineer by surprise.

T’Lira was confused, her antennae curled with suspicion, particularly at the tone of her CO’s voice. She was about to take her seat again when she was instructed to remain standing.

Alex waited for the room to empty and then tapped his commbadge, “Number One, send him in.”

The door to the waiting room opened again, and Wallace returned, escorting the retired Commander Trask into the room. Before Jorel could open his mouth to speak, Alex stepped in. “Mister Trask, were you still a Starfleet officer, I’d be asking you to stand to attention right now, but as a civilian, I have no such authority to do so. Notwithstanding, as a mark of respect for me and this ship, I’d ask that you too remain standing!” Alex barked, his tone clearly bearing a weight of frustration.

Jorel said nothing. He took a glance at T’Lira, hoping to convey an expression of regret to her; however, she remained eyes fixated towards the bulkhead and barely acknowledged his existence.

“Mister Trask, I’ll start with you. I find your pride in my ship inspiring, I really do. And your service record affords you a great deal of my respect… You are a prime example of a model officer and a role model for the younger generation to aspire to!” Alex approached him, as he would approach a junior officer deserving of a dressing-down.

“But, there is a chain of command on this ship, to which you do not currently belong. You do not go tinkering around without clearing things with Commander T’Lira first, no matter how good your intentions. Understood?”

“Yessir!” Jorel responded with every bit of sincerity and enthusiasm as a first-year cadet being drilled.

“I’m inclined to agree with Commander zh’Shaleth, this is not the wild west. With everything that’s happened to the federation in recent years, I’ve got every right to make you cool your heels in the brig until I can make you someone else’s problem when we return to port. And should we have to have this conversation again, that is exactly what I’ll do. Is that clear?”

Jorel nodded, understanding that he had grossly overstepped his welcome.

“Now, Lieutenant Commander zh’Shaleth.” Alex stepped to one side to address her directly.

“You were right to bring Mister Trask’s behaviour to my attention, but here’s what you did wrong! You let it happen in the first place!” Alex said, not quite raising his voice, but his tone clearly harboured some disappointment

“Sir?” T’Lira asked.

“You’ll get your chance to speak in a moment, Lieutenant Commander… For weeks now, you two have been butting heads over Fairfax’s recalibrations. I don’t know if it’s just a clash of personality or something more, but it ends here and now!…” Alex stepped back, joining Wallace, who stood by the door.
“You’re both brilliant engineers and fine officers. I need both of you right now, working together… So sit down, both of you… There’s coffee in the pot!… don’t leave this room until you can both act like senior officers!” Alex and his first officer both left the room; the message had been delivered. It was now up to them to take action.

Jorel and T’Lira both relaxed; Jorel ached, having not felt the need to stand to attention for several decades. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. T’Lira stood with her arms crossed, feeling resentment towards Jorel for putting her in this position.

Meanwhile, Jorel took the Captain up on his advice and reached for the coffee pot, “You want one?” he asked softly, tentatively trying to cast a line.

T’Lira couldn’t speak for a moment, she was conflicted between feeling angry at Jorel and ashamed of herself for letting the captain down. She knew he was right; she had been less than professional the past few weeks. It wasn’t becoming of her station.

“No thanks, I’ll take water,” she said.

Science Lab, 2 Moments later

Sovek walked with his head buried in his data PADD, instinctively dodging other crew members as he found his path towards the science lab without so much as a glance up ahead. He was so used to the ship and the crew’s routines now that it was second nature to him. As he arrived at the door, he paused and took a moment to release the lock on the door. With the situation as it was, the Hej’ogt was being kept secure with restricted access.

He entered the room, still focused on his PADD. He felt the presence of Ensign Munroe at the far end of the room and proceeded to one of the terminals near his desk. “Good Morning, Ensign. Have you completed the multispectral analysis?” he asked, already accessing the terminal to review the progress of the scans.

He began browsing the data while he waited for a report from the Ensign, becoming fixated on the display. The data was more important to him as it was devoid of any emotional contamination; it was pure and untainted information.

The display took a moment to load before returning an error message. Sovek re-inputted his query and went back to scanning over his PADD once again. It was a few moments before a second error message caught his attention. There was no data; no scan had been initiated.

Sovek then became aware that Munroe had not responded, “Ensign, did you hear me? Did you complete a multispectral analysis?” Sovek asked again. He could see movement in the reflection with his peripheral vision, and although he had not yet set eyes upon him, he could detect the presence of another in the room. Though now he focused on that perception again, there was something he missed: the presence of another.

His eyes focused on the console in front of him, trying to see the reflection on the smooth surface. There was blood, sprayed with high velocity in tiny droplets on the screen in front of him. His finger tips were stained red as he had smudged the sanguine coloured deposits when accessing the terminal.

Sovek turned to catch a glimpse of blue glow from the Hej’ogt, which vanished almost immediately. Beyond the table, face down on the floor, Ensign Munroe lay lifeless and still. His face looked towards Sovek, his eyes, ears and nose all haemorrhaging into a puddle on the floor.

Sovek smacked his Com-badge as he dropped his PADD to the floor, “Sovek to Sickbay, Medical Emergency Science lab two!”

TO BE CONTINUED