Disclaimer: Star Trek and all associated characters and situations are the property of CBS studios. Star Trek Online is the creation of Cryptic and Perfect World. Tomb Raider and the situations therein are the property of Square Enix. All are here used by myself for entertainment purposes only, without permission or intent to profit. Stardates were calculated with the help of the TNG Stardate Calculator available on TrekGuide .com and may be slightly out of sync with those used in the game's lore.

***Spoiler Alert***
This story contains plot elements and character and location details borrowed from the 2013 Tomb Raider game, and author's notes discuss the similarities at length. If you do not wish to view potential spoilers on this game, you should not read this story or the accompanying notes.

Call in the Night

USS Nautilus, Captain's Log, Stardate 81587.01:

Captain Sokar recording. Shipboard time is 02:38 hours. I have been awakened by officer-of-the-watch Lieutenant Toban, who has informed me of a Priority One message we received from Starfleet Command, directing us to depart from our patrol in the Risa Sector and reach Starbase 24 with all possible speed. I am not surprised by the order to move closer to the front lines. Though the Nautilus is too old to participate in the counter-offensive in the Arachnis Sector, it can still be useful for deterring raids deeper into Federation space by the Klingons and their allies. What puzzles me is why Starbase 24 was chosen as our particular destination, as the station is already well-defended. Perhaps the communication from Starfleet Command will clarify the nature of our diversion. I am taking it in my quarters.

Captain Sokar removed the sehlat cub that the crew had affectionately named "Snaggles" from the chair in front of his desk, placing the mewling animal on the floor before taking the chair himself. The screen of his terminal was already lit with the crest of Starfleet Command and the words "Incoming Priority One Message: Secure Channel." Sokar tried to smooth his uniform with one hand and activated the channel with the other. The crest disappeared and was replaced by Admiral Jorel Quinn's face. The Trill admiral looked significantly more haggard than when Sokar had last seen him, and his hair was starting to go gray in earnest now. Sokar did not need any medical training to attribute his appearance to stress, nor any psychological training to know that the war was the likely cause of that stress.

"Sorry to wake you, Captain," the Admiral said, by way of introduction.

"An urgent message can never be made to wait for a more conducive time," Sokar said. "You are not responsible for the timing of this event."

Quinn laughed half-heartedly. "Oh for the wisdom of a Vulcan," he said. "I confess I've always had a soft spot for your people, Sokar. No fuss, no complaint, no drama, and they always get the job done. We could use some more of that around here."

Sokar said nothing, folding his hands and sitting back, waiting for the Admiral to finish.

Quinn noticed and shook his head. "Right, sorry. I guess I could use another cup of coffee just about now," he remarked. "Anyway, you're probably wondering why your ship has been diverted to the Starbase 24 on such short notice."

"Indeed," said Sokar. "I assume it is a part of the war effort."

"Practically, yes," said Quinn. "Officially, it's my last act as head of Starfleet Science before they put me on fleet command for the entire Sirius Sector Block, which makes it a scientific expedition, a mission of exploration, if you will. Admiral Grall is still going to insist we perform those, as a basic part of what Starfleet is—and who knows, we might find something or someone out there to help us win the war with the Klingons."

"We are to explore uncharted space near Starbase 24, then?" Sokar asked.

Jorel shook his head. "No, the stop at Starbase 24 is only a layover, I'm afraid. You're to pick up a few personnel transfers from the USS Endurance to bring you back to full strength, and also a very important passenger. Are you familiar with a Doctor Mor?"

"I confess that I am not, Admiral," said Sokar.

"He's something of a celebrity, at least in certain circles," said Quinn. "He's a Ferengi archeologist who dramatizes his discoveries and broadcasts the holovids as entertainment. Most of the scientific community thinks he's sold his soul for fame, but he does occasionally make valid archeological finds. A few weeks ago, he made one involving unusual laracite traces in pottery from an early Iron-Age culture on Earth."

Sokar cocked an eyebrow. "I regret to say I am unfamiliar with laracite."

"I had to look it up myself, too," Quinn admitted. "Laracite is a rare crystalline compound that only forms in interstellar space. It sometimes falls as spacedust to planetoids and becomes a part of the local geography. It's inert, with no special properties, but archeologists sometimes use it to determine what region of space an artifact came from, as different regions produce slightly different isotopes. The isotope Dr. Mor discovered is called laracite-OFT. There is only one place where it's known to occur naturally: the region in and around Dragon's Head Nebula."

Sokar straightened in his chair. "The Dragon's Head Nebula is near the borders of Klingon, Romulan, and Federation space, not far from the Nimbus system. How could a mineral native to only that region of space find its way to ancient Earth?"

"That's what we want you to find out," said Quinn. "The Dragon's Head Nebula has been considered an impassible navigational hazard since it was first charted over two hundred years ago. Cargo ships and even warships avoid the area if they're smart, which is one reason we can get away with having such a small patrol in that part of space. But if pottery made there was brought to Earth some time in the ancient past, it might mean the nebula isn't as un-navigable as we thought, and if that's the case…"

"Then the nebula could serve as a blind spot, allowing Klingon forces to outflank our Arachnis counter-offensive," Sokar finished.

Quinn nodded. "We'd have to divert more ships to patrol the region, which would mean either pulling them off of patrols elsewhere that are already spread too thin, or else reducing the our forces in the Arachnis Sector itself."

There was a pause. After a moment, Sokar said, "I don't suppose there is any chance Doctor Mor's discovery was flawed or fabricated?"

Quinn shook his head. "It's been independently verified by scientists on Vulcan and Trill. The pottery is genuine, from the Earth nation of Japan approximately twenty-two hundred years ago, and the concentrations of laracite-OFT simply could not have been native to Earth. Dr. Mor has some theories on how it got there, and I want you to check them out...and determine whether or not the Dragon's Head Nebula is still secure."

"Understood, sir," said Sokar. "Is there anything else I should be made aware of?"

Jorel sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair. "There is," he said. "One of the personnel transfers that's waiting for you at the starbase is a Lieutenant Samantha Hayashi."

"I have heard of her," said Sokar. "An extremely talented pilot and the youngest daughter of the Belo-Hayashi family." The name seemed familiar for some other reason, but for the moment, Sokar couldn't place it.

"Then you've only heard half of the story," said Quinn. "Sam Hayashi is a born troublemaker with a disciplinary record as long as your arm. It's mostly pranks and harmless stuff, but she can try any commanding officer's patience. Captain Ramsey somehow managed to get her to straighten out, more or less, a couple years ago on the Endurance, but there's no telling what she'll do under a new captain."

Sokar considered for a moment. "I will manage her carefully, Admiral, but I believe a pilot of her caliber will be an excellent asset to this crew, particularly on a mission to the Dragon's Head Nebula. I will make preparations for her transfer."

Quinn nodded. "Good luck, and good hunting, Nautilus. Starfleet Command out."

The screen went dark and Sokar stared at it for a moment. Snaggles nudged his hand with a cold, wet nose, but he ignored it. He knew that lieutenant's name from somewhere else, he was sure. Samantha Hayashi…wasn't that someone Lieutenant Carlin Agran mentioned? The more he thought about it, the better he recalled the conversation, remembered that Carlin had specifically mentioned Hayashi as one of her closest friends and roommate during her Academy days. Lieutenant Agran is an excellent officer, he thought. If there are any disciplinary problems with Lieutenant Hayashi, she could help to stabilize the situation. Besides, the way she had talked, it seemed very probable that she would be pleased to see her friend "Sam" again, and would like to be informed of her immanent transfer.

That announcement could wait until morning, however, Sokar decided. For now, he petted the sehlet cub, picked it up, and returned it to its bed before returning himself to his own.

Author's Note: In the game, Starbase 24 is nowhere near the Klingon territories, but in the canon, it's established as the world closest to the Klingon colony of Khitomer. Sehlet cubs, seen in game, look something like miniature lions and so I've envisioned "Snaggles" as having a somewhat cat-like personality. Grall, in game, is a lieutenant who gives the player exploration missions. I decided it would be more appropriate for him to order ships around if he was an Admiral.

For full disclosure, this story is based heavily on elements from the Tomb Raider 2013 game. This chapter pays tribute to the Tomb Raider game with several shout-outs, including the Endurance (the name of the ship Lara travels on in the game), the Dragon's Head Nebula (Lara travels to the Dragon's Triangle in the game), and—corniest of all—the fictional isotope laracite-OFT (take out the "ite" and read it all together). The character of Dr. Mor is based on Doctor James Whitmore from the game, and Sam Hayashi's character—though developed in my previous story—owes much to the character of Sam Nishimura from Tomb Raider.

And before you ask, there will be no "Ensign Lara Croft" appearing in this story!