Somewhere in the galaxy in the Constellation Auriga, the Star Ship Enterprise NX-01 soars through deep space; mapping and cataloging the area as she goes. The familiar saucer section pivots onto its side as Enterprise enters orbit around a planet in a binary star system.
"Captain's Star Log, October 12th 2151. After a brief run-in with a Klingon 'Raptor-class' vessel, the crew and I welcome a peaceful planetary survey of Capella VI..."
On the bridge of the massive vessel Captain Jonathan Archer steps onto the deck, off of the turbo lift. Archer strolls around the bridge for a moment monitoring every bit of work by the crew, before he finally stops at SubCommander T'Pol's science station.
"How's it going?"
"We're about to launch a sensor buoy into orbit, its telemetry will give us fuller coverage of the planets surface."
"Doesn't seem very inhabitable?"
T'Pol shakes her head and switches to a different application on her screen, this one gives a readout of the planets specifications.
"Sensors indicate a Helium-Methane atmosphere, with trace amounts of Silica and Fluorine."
A confused look comes across Archers face.
"Remind me why we're here again?"
"Sensors also indicate a form of Silica Dioxide organism."
"...Siliceous life?"
T'Pol nods in agreement. Archer raises his eyebrows, then walks pass the station and heads for the door leading to his ready-room.
"Keep me posted!"
Suddenly, Ensign Sato turns towards the Captain on his way.
"Sir--"
Archer stops and turns around."
"--I'm picking up a faint linear polarization signal in a lower Starfleet C-band, its mostly white noise."
"What's it's frequency range?"
Hoshi turns back to her station as Archer steps down heading towards her.
"...Three point-eight, gigahertz."
Archer stops in his tracks... stunned into further confusion.
"We don't use that range of communications for ship-to-ship... that's short-range. Do you have it's transponder prefix?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well crosscheck it with the Starfleet database, try and find a match."
Hoshi works away trying to carryout her Captains orders. Archer glances up at T'Pol, who seems equally as confused... though you'd never know it by just looking at her.
"Got it!... it's registered to the... Star Ship Lexington... Fleet registry number, One--"
Archer cuts the young Ensign off.
"One-zero... nine-four."
The name sends chills down Archers spin... the Lexington has been lost for decades! It just can't be. Yet the more and more he thinks about it; they are exploring the area the Lexington was last dispatched to... and only twenty light-years away from Vega colony at that. Archer walks over to his command chair and activates the comm panel on its arm.
"Archer to Engineering."
Over the comm Commander Charles Tucker is heard as he responds.
"Go ahead bridge."
"Trip, I want to see you in my ready-room in five minutes."
"Somethin' wrong?"
"...Five minutes, Trip."
Archer switches off the comm. With out turning around he begins to head for his ready-room.
"T'Pol... I want to see you in here too."
In Captain Archers small ready-room, Commander Tucker stands leaning against the bulkhead. While SubCommander T'Pol sits across from Archer, who sits at his desk with several PADD's in front of him.
"The Lexington?"
"That's right Trip... I looked at the transmission myself, it matches."
The two officers clearly know what the Lexington was, but the reference is lost on T'Pol who finally speaks up after having reviewed several of the PADD's.
"What is the Lexington?"
Archer glances up at Trip, then takes a deep breath.
"The Lexington was a starship commissioned in 2118, under the United Earth Space Probe Agency. She was the fastest ship ever built, she literally straddled the Warp 2 Barrier."
Trip interrupts with the specifics.
"Warp one point nine-seven-five. Most advanced engineering development in Warp Technology until the Warp 5 Program itself."
Archer continues.
"The Lexington was a beast... ninety-five crew members in a one-hundred and seventy-eight meter long hull. She had four double-redundant impulse engines, plasma cannons, spatial torpedoes, in later refits she even field tested the first Phase Cannon."
T'Pol stares at Archer.
"What happened?"
"There was a cargo ship, a Y-Class... the ECS Kobayashi. She was crossing through a small corner of Vulcan space when a fuel leak led her a stray and into an Ion Storm. After a few weeks the Kobayashi was never seen or heard from again. Command conducted a search within a two light-year radius of her last know position... they found nothing and extended the search to four light-years... again nothing."
Archer leans back in his chair and puts his hands behind his head.
"The Lexington was sent out in search. She was the fastest ship and the closest at the time of the incident. The Lexington departed Vega Orbital at nineteen-hundred hours on January 6th, 2123... No one... and I mean 'No One' has ever seen the Lexington since."
T'Pol turns around to look at Trip, who just shrugs in agreement with the Captains dialogue. Trip points to the computer monitor on Archers desk.
"That's not even the best part."
"...The best part?"
T'Pol turns to Archer who takes yet another deep breath... dreading whats next. He leans forward onto his desk and pulls one of the PADD's close.
"Twelve years ago, a ship of unknown origin appeared out of nowhere in orbit of the Vega Colony, nothing on sensors... just poof there it was. Then it proceeded to make a delicate docking maneuver at the Vega Orbital space station. The ship sat in dock for nearly two hours before rescue teams got inside, hail after hail... no one answered. It took an engineering team hours to cut through the Duranium hatch with Laser Saws. When they got inside... what they found baffles people to this very day."
T'Pol raises an eyebrow.
"What did the rescue team find?"
"...Nothing. Nothing at all. No crew, no bodies, no signs of weapons fire or a struggle--"
"Perhaps they sought shelter on the surface of a planet?"
Archer looks up to Trip, neither can believe the fact that she's trying to rationalize a mysterious incident friends of their's had witnessed first hand. Then they remember she is a Vulcan.
"Even if there was a habitable planet in range of the Kobayashi... That's not the only remarkable footnote in the rescue teams report. Upon closer examination of the Crew Quarters, Galley, Bridge, Sickbay and Engineering, the team found that every bed was made... every uniform was in its locker... every tool in its place. Not a single plate in the galley was taken from its cabinet's... Not a damn thing out of place... like the crew was never even onboard."
"That seems unlikely."
Trip stands up straight and circles around to Captain Archers side.
"Wanna take a look at the report for yourself? How bout the video capture of the boarding party?"
T'Pol stands.
"What do you think happened?"
Archer let's out a sarcastic chuckle.
"If we knew it wouldn't still be a mystery--"
"And still technically classified by Starfleet."
"The fact that Hoshi picked up the transponder signal of the Lexington at least indicates that some of this did happen--"
Suddenly the comm panel on Captain Archers desk chirps. Archer leans forward and hits the activation button.
"Go-ahead."
Its Lieutenant Reed on the Bridge.
"Captain we've got something visually on sensors... in appears to be a ship."
"Stand-by Malcolm."
Archer stands and exits his ready-room, followed in-toe by Trip and T'Pol. All three walk onto the Bridge and take their stations; Archer walks over behind Travis, starring at the view screen intently. An object can be seen blurry and in the far distance. Archer turns to Hoshi.
"Can you grab and magnify that image?"
"I can try, Sir."
T'Pol swivels her chair around and uses her visual sensor monitor, to get a more detailed analysis.
"Captain, whatever that object is, its hull is composed of Duranium..."
"The same metal alloy humans have used for decades."
Suddenly the entire ship shakes violently!
"That was a particle weapon, Sir!"
Lieutenant Reed yells as he frantically checks for damage to the ship.
"Polarize the hull plating and bring the weapons online!"
"Picking up Suliban ships... fifteen."
"Just what we need."
In the dark void of space Enterprise sits with a dozen Suliban cell ships circling around them. From the lower ventral section of the ship the ports to the Phase Cannons open and down descends the energy weapons themselves. In an instant Enterprise turns, taking evasive action, rolling over to allow greater sight for the Phase Cannons.
The Suliban ships begin pummeling the Earth vessel with countless particle beam strikes.
The Phase Cannons light up impacting a single Suliban ship with Modulated energy.
In Engineering onboard Enterprise, Commander Tucker slides down the access ladder and jumps up onto the Engine platform. The ship continues to shake under the volley of Suliban attacks. On the left side of the Engine Room two of the starboard injectors catch fire; several Engineering staff rush to put them out.
"Tucker to the bridge, We're getting hammered down here!"
On the bridge Archer jumps from his chair and approaches the Tactical station, as Lieutenant Reed focuses on the incoming enemy vessels.
"Malcolm."
"Ten more cell ships just Warped into the system."
Archer scampers across to Ensign Sato.
"Try hailing them."
The ship shakes violently.
"They're not responding."
Suddenly outside the ship dozens of what appear to be charged bolts of energy fly from an unknown source at the now dozens of Suliban ships. The barrage of energy pulses impacts most of the Suliban ships, coupled with the Enterprise Phase Cannons, the Suliban ships begin to fall back.
On the Bridge the crew is in shock, waiting to see whether the attacks start up again. Lieutenant Reed pushes a few buttons, checking the area on long range sensors.
"The Suliban vessels have gone to Warp, Sir."
Captain Archer takes a deep breath.
"Any idea what that was about?"
Malcolm shakes his head. Archer turns to Ensign Sato.
"Contact the Vulcan High Command, inform that the Suliban have violated their space--"
Before Archer can finish Ensign Sato cuts him off.
"Sir... I'm receiving a hail."
"What's the source?"
Ensign Sato becomes quiet for a moment.
"... The Starship Lexington, Sir."
Archer turns to look at the Main View screen, which up until now he's ignored. There sitting no more then a thousand meters in front of them is the aged Starship Lexington. Archer and the rest of the crew are speechless; Archer manages to utter a single phrase.
"... Blue Ghost."
TO BE CONTINUED!!! IN CHAPTER 2!