This is a story I made out of an Star Trek rp im running. Its a good story and I want to share this. I hope you like it. Please review and comment :)


BEGIN PROLOGUE

Stardate: June 3rd, 2393.
Location: Utopia Colony, Mars.

It was a tense situation. The bridge was darkened with red alert blaring among the stations. All stations were high on alert. The bridge crew was concentrated on their stations. Ops, Conn, Tac among all the consoles on the bridge was covered. A single woman was sitting in the middle of the bridge on her command chair. Camryn Sheppard was gripping the armrest of her chair. She was nervous. Agitated with sweat trailing down her forehead. Her blonde hair was tied to the back of her hair into a bun.

Wiping her forehead free from sweat, Camryn closed her eyes and took a deep breath while inhaling. She held it in for a few seconds before exhaling muttering to herself, "Easy Ryn. It's just a simulation. They are testing you."

"Commander," the tac officer shouted looking at his console, "A Romulan ship is de cloaking off the port bow! They are powering their weapons!"

"On screen," Camryn responded looking at the view screen. It popped open showing the Romulan ship appearing in a shimmer. She checked the stats on her armchair noting that her ship wasn't being targeted. They were targeting a Klingon cargo transport they were escorting. She was commanding an Excelsior class in this simulation. She spoke again, "Hail the Romulan cruiser."

The officer shook his head and responded, "No response, sir. They are preparing to fire on the transport. Power levels at fifty percent."

Camryn let out another exhale and wiped her hand on her lap to get rid of the sweat. She spoke again, "Bring us about. Take us between them. Tac, keep your eyes on the cruiser. I want to be ready to defend us if necessary."

"Yes, Commander," the officers at conn and tac responded as the ship moved in between the two.

The power level decreased as the Romulan cruiser lowered their weapons for the time being. The console chirped for a minute as the officer announced, "We are being hailed."

"On screen," Ryn spoke again as the screen switched to the Romulan cruiser. He didn't seem happy to see her.

He spat with anger, "Do not interfere, USS Saint Pierre. My quarrel is with the IKS Targ."

Camryn responded with determination staring back at the Romulan commander, "Commander, my mission is to escort the IKS Targ to Qo'nos. I intend to complete my mission, so please back off. I will defend myself if necessary."

The Romulan commander spat back, "Your threats are unnecessary. We only need the cargo. It was stolen from one of our outposts and we need it back. We will destroy you if needed."

The tac officer spoke up, "Commander, the Romulan vessel is targeting us."

Ryn responded again with determination, "Commander, I am warning you. Please stand down. We can talk this out."

The Romulan responded automatically before shutting off communication, "Too late, Commander. We need the cargo."

Ryn's eyes was met with the Romulan ship and the space background. A snarl escaped from her mouth as she shouted, "Increase shields to max. Prepare phasers and torpedoes. Keep us in between the cargo vessel and the Romulan ship!"

The tac officer spoke, "Commander, the Romulan ship is preparing to fire."

The vessel opened fire as the green disrupters flew across space and impacted against the Excelsior's shields. The bridge shuddered as Ryn gripped the handles of her commander chair and shouted with anger, "Fire!"

The USS Saint Pierre released her own volley at the cruiser. The tac officer spoke up, "Several hits, Commander. No effect!"

Ryn cursed under her breath and was about to speak when her conn officer spoke up again, "Commander! Few more signatures. Three more Romulan vessels de cloaking!"

They were surrounded. Camryn had to think fast in order to save their skins so she shouted, "Lieutenant, contact the IKS Targ. Tell them to warp. We will cover them."

"Yes Commander," the lieutenant responded as he sent the message.

The Klingon cargo transport made a few steps forward with the Excelsior class moving to cover their escape. The Federation vessel continued to fire at all four ships. As the Targ was about to warp, one of the vessels fired on it. It started a chain reaction, destroying the cargo vessel.

Ryn let out a silent groan covering her face with her hand. The simulation ended as a man in red Starfleet uniform with the captain pips approached him. He spoke as Ryn stood at attention before him, "Sheppard."

"Captain Thomas," Camryn responded.

Malcolm Thomas offered his slight smile as he nodded waving his hand, "At ease, Sheppard. Before you sprain something."

Camryn let out a sigh as she went into ease responding, "Don't tell me sir. I failed."

The Captain shook his head and responded, "Don't say that, Commander. You know this was just a simulation. You were only tested to see how well you react under pressure. I will see you in the morning, Sheppard. Dismissed."

"Yes sir," Ryn nodded before walking from him out of the simulator. She let out a huge sigh as she continued along the corridor of Utopia Colony.

Utopia Colony on Mars was her home for the past several years as she accepted a posting on the colony. She was undergoing commanding officer training to prepare her for an Executive Officer position onboard a Starfleet vessel. She was excited and uneasy. No one told her yet of what ship they were aiming for, but she was hoping it would be the USS Titan. Or the USS Potemkin C.

After a few elevator rides and a few more corridors after cross the yard outside of the two buildings, Ryn rode the escalator back up to the third floor of an apartment building. She entered through the door. Taking the pin from her hair bun, she removed it allowing her long, curled blonde hair fall. She shook her head and ran her fingers through combing it out while letting out a sigh. She felt tightness on her shoulders and on her arms.

The IKS Targ simulation was similar to the Kobayashi Maru simulation she took a long time ago during the academy. That same situation offered her a no win scenario. It was to determine how she would react while under pressure. Several other officers were competing her for an important XO position onboard a vessel that no one knows about. It was enough to make her nervous. Even under pressure.

Approaching her bathroom, she removed her clothing and turned on the shower. Feeling the warm water, she immersed herself into the shower hub while letting out a groan closing her eyes. Taking the soap, she let the warm water dampen her hair while she cleaned herself getting rid of the tension on her body. The half El-Aurian needed this shower to prepare herself before going to bed and getting up again in the morning. She couldn't wait for the results. It was going to be a long night for her.


The following morning in a building somewhere within Utopia Colony, Captain Malcolm Thomas was looking over a few PADDs with the other flag officers. They were in the Starfleet Headquarters building within the colony. They were looking over the officer reports for an Executive officer for the USS Nexus. They were discussing them with the captain to give him a few options. One of them handed him the PADD asking him, "What about Commander T'Mir?"

"What about her," Thomas asked as he looked over her bio.

The Admiral spoke explaining, "She has all the defining qualities of a good first officer. Vulcan. She followed the Prime Directive. She listens to orders and executes them without the coldness of her race. Her personality defines her as a good, logical but solid officer who understands the crew. She doesn't question her orders."

Thomas let out a sigh and tossed the PADD on the table responding, "Well she sounds fine and all, but I don't need her on my command. What else?"

One of the other Admiral responded handing him another PADD, "Commander Tok Kura? He is a solid Bolian commander. He was in the starfighting during the Maquis skirmish and commanded one of the squadrons in the Dominion War. He wishes to transfer over to Starfleet navy for a different career if you accept his proposal. He is a career man who has seen everything but remained unchanged by the experience. He could be a good officer for the USS Nexus."

Thomas shook his head and tossed it with the batch with a definite response, "No."

They all looked at him and one of them spoke, "We went through all fifteen executive officer candidates and you said no to everything. If you can't decide, then we will have to assign you one. Think carefully."

The captain let out a sigh and turned his attention to another pile of PADDs they discarded. He went through it all and picked out one showing it to the Admiral, "What about her?"

The Admiral took it and shook his head responding, "Commander Camryn Sheppard? It's not happening."

Malcolm questioned their reasoning, "Why not? You just discarded the PADD without looking it over. She could be a good first officer…"

The admiral interjected with his solid response, "Captain Thomas. You and Starfleet have a different opinion about Sheppard. She is a good officer for engineering, but she will be great if she actually listens to orders and obey them to the letter. She has a reputation for playing hard and fast with the rules when it doesn't suit her. It's very unbecoming for an El Aurian especially when they have a reputation for being great listeners. Sheppard can't listen, so she is not a good role model for being a first officer."

Malcolm continued with his hand on the table and his body a bit forward, "Are you sure that's all? With due respect, Admiral, I think the fact that you are not giving her a chance is because you don't want an El Aurian with her reputation to be in command."

The Admiral spoke again with enforcement, "No. We just don't want a commander who has the tendency to change the rules to fit her style. She tends to find loopholes within the Prime Directive and we do not want her to do this as a first officer."

Malcolm nodded taking the PADD back and responded, "I understand. I am still taking her. With or without your approval. You gave me command of the USS Nexus, so therefore the final decision rests on me with the choice if my first officer."

The admiral let out a sigh and backed a bit with a question, "Why her? Why not fifteen other candidates."

Malcolm simply responded, "They are different."

"Different how," the admiral wondered and the captain responded, "They all have the experience necessary to be the first officer of the USS Nexus. Hell, they all applied for the hope of taking part of the new experience. After all, the ship is a Sovereign class MK III with a refined AI system made by the Romanov Corporation. They all took the chance. Twenty of them. Five of which we discarded because I do agree they are not commanding material but to be honest. These fifteen candidates? They could have taken any first officer positions anywhere in the fleet because they have better experience with regular starships but nothing like the USS Nexus. They are good, but they are the candidates that are most unsuited for becoming my new first officer."

"Now, Sheppard," Malcolm continued as he lifted the PADD to show it to the admirals, "Sheppard may not be a good commander material, but she has all the combined experience just like any operations officer. She'd been on the Enterprise, Deep Space 9, and the Defiant. Hell, she even went back to the Enterprise to continue her operations duty. She could have gone to any other ships for her continued experience, but she went back to the Enterprise. Do you know why? She wanted to continue learning how to command under several of the best officers of the Federation. Yes, her experience in command may be unrefined. It may be raw, but it is my intention to help her realize capability of being a good first officer. I intend to help her improve and I believe the USS Nexus is a better home for her. She deserves the spot as my first officer."

They were quiet as they listened to him. They noticed that Malcolm was determined and they didn't want to say no. The Admiral let out a sigh and responded, "Alright Captain. We won't argue with you anymore. She's yours. You may talk to her."

The captain smiled and took the PADD as he nodded while backing from the table, "Thank you Admirals."

The Admiral responded back, "Dismissed captain. And good luck."


Meanwhile, back at Camryn's apartment, Ryn was leaning against the bannister on her deck. Wind was running through her long blonde hair rustling it. She continued to smile to enjoy the simulated breeze of Utopia Colony. Mars still had that low oxygen content. She was enjoying the colony's simulated air and oxygen that was recycled and refined through the processors. The El Aurian took her time to enjoy her last moments in her apartment because it was soon time for her to move back to Earth. That is. When she is rejected for becoming a first officer.

Then, her device beeped as she looked down, took out her small device and read the message. It told her to meet at the Martian diner in 1100 hours. She checked her time. It was a quarter to 1100 hours. The message was from Captain Thomas. With a slight smile in her lips and a surprised look, Ryn quickly ran back inside to the bathroom to check to see how she looked. She tied her hair back and braided it into a ponytail. Taking a quick water break, she ran out of her apartment, locked it and walked quickly across the hallway toward her destination. She didn't want to be late.

After a few moments of walking hard, Ryn found herself in the dining area. It was left of the Mess hall but quieter. Looking around, she found Malcom. The captain waved her over and Ryn took a second to touch her hair to make sure it was braided and behind her neck. She walked over to him and responded with enthusiasm, "Captain."

"Sit," Malcolm waved his hand over to the chair and continued as Ryn took her seat, "Sheppard. How was your morning? Feeling rested?"

Camryn nodded responded, "Yes sir. I have a good morning. What did you want to talk about?"

Malcolm responded, "You being my first officer onboard the Nexus."

"Really," Ryn asked with a smile, and continued, "I wasn't sure if I was going to be picked. Honestly. I mean…"

The captain waved his hand once as he responded cutting her off gently, "You have one of the best experiences you can offer the Nexus but you still have some learning to do. I want to bring you in. To continue fostering your skills because I believe you have the potential. Like I said before in your simulations. It's not about failing. It's about how you feel under stress. What you do. I believe you have all the qualities I see in an officer, but you still have more to go."

The commander nodded regaining her composure and responded, "Yes sir. I'm willing to learn."

Malcolm nodded and they stood as he showed her the way, "Good. Why don't we head to the Nexus right now? I will call ahead and have someone transport your stuff to your quarters. It will be on deck nine."

"Everything," Ryn wondered and the captain smiled and nodded confirming it, "Everything, Commander. Let's be on our way."

"Yes, sir," Camryn responded bristling with confidence as they walked side by side out of the dining area toward the shuttle transports.


Lexia
Stardate: June 3rd, 2393
Location: Utopia Planitia Yards

In the Sol System orbiting Mars is the Utopia Planitia Yards. Among the mess of constructs and ships as well as other salvage was the Spacedock. Inside was the USS Nexus. It was a Sovereign MK III class Starfleet vessel capable of Warp 9.75. With was fully armed and powered with three nacelles attached on the back. one on top in the center between the other two on the bottom. The ship itself was straight and slanted in a long, extended way with the saucer on the top forward in a longer, more oval way.

She was protected inside the space dock for now with the latches connected to the hull and saucer section and the tubes attached to the deuterium tanks. Several shuttle pods were flying around inspecting the hull but so far the USS Nexus seems to be intact. One of the pods flew under the belly of the saucer, its light flashing on the shape of a shuttle. It was for a large shuttle attached to the bottom of the oval saucer. The shuttle, the Captain's Yacht, was called Serenity It was vacant for now.

Inside the ship was a bit more sophisticated. More advanced like with lightened corridors and maroon carpeting. The corridors were sharper. The decks were spaced. Even the intersecting halls were roomy. Some of the decks had a bridge across a hole in the middle of the decks that go down a bit. For 31 levels, each decks were different for each one. The inside of the ship was more convenient. More livable. The bridge was more spaced and bigger with more consoles. The command section was in the center of the bridge and a bit lower. Both the conn and the tac console was, as always, on the front of the bridge before the viewscreen.

Sections around the main bridge were several rooms like the captain's ready room and the observational lounge with the war room in the center. The war room was typically a spherical device in the center of the room for viewing and discussion. The windows were sparse and clear. For each crew quarters had a Spartan feel to it. Some had bunk beds for the enlisted personnel while others had better and bigger rooms for the officers. There were also quarters made specifically customized for the civilians onboard the ship.

On each and all the decks were turbolifts. Among the corridors were holo emitters designed for holograms. It was actually designed for one specific particular kind of brand. A new kind of engineering technology. The Artificial Intelligence. Among the fibres of the ship itself lived a living complex of the one called Lexia. She was spelled LEXIA but pronounced as you would call her Lexia. The personal dream of the one named Alexia Romanov, Alexia wanted to outfit future ships with AI technology. Only a civilian without a rank, but in Starfleet for one reason but to help the Federation to do great things with AI. She was the brainchild of LEXIA and made her alive.

LEXIA was everywhere on the ship. She observed each one crewmember as they walked. She wouldn't invade in their privacy unless they allowed her. There were 1423 souls onboard the vessel. LEXIA was everywhere and there is nowhere that she is not allowed in. She would appear in the viewscreen or bulletin boards if necessary for information. Her hologram body will appear whenever she wants to feel herself walking along the carpeting of each corridors and decks while interacting among the crew.

Every decks weren't inaccessible to her and no secrets were hiding from her. Only one secret she knows of is hidden in a very special deck for her that only the Captain is allowed to be in. Deck Thirteen. This deck was off limits to all the crew. Restricted. It was also where her android body will be created and replaced if whenever her body is destroyed or discarded. If that happens, the information from the back of the android body will be uploaded to the USS Nexus's AI system and it will be downloaded to a new Android body. She had a surplus of them and she never runs out of supplies.

LEXIA appeared suddenly on deck eight as she continued walking among the carpentry. She was a very beautiful woman at her right. She wore only a black Starfleet civilian uniform suited to an Artificial Intelligence. She wore her brown curled hair down to her shoulders. It was thick and wavy. Looking among the crew, she locked eyes at them and smiled gently. Her programming allowed her to experience a wide variety of emotions. It made the crew feel at ease with her around.

The holosuit doors opened suddenly as Lexia passed a Starfleet ensign working on it. One angry human shouting at a crewman. She smirked watching him rush away from the holosuit. The AI would have to watch that one. Security guys always causes damage to almost everything, so LEXIA would have to keep up with the repair. She tapped on the shoulder of the mechanic and offered him a reassuring smile giving him the confidence again to continue his repairs. A confident engineer was the key to a quick maintenance and repair in order for the ship to run smoothly.

Suddenly as someone called out for her name, the LEXIA hologram fitzed out and reappeared on deck sixteen where the Main Engineering was located. She smiled at the person who called out for computer so she spoke as she approached the Chief engineer, "Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge?"

He seemed a bit startled and the hologram offered her greeting as she responded, "I am LEXIA, the ship's Artificial Intelligence. You do not need to call me computer."

She spoke to him softly in a friendly manner, "Your quarters is on Deck Nine."

The Nexus's Artificial Intelligence watched the Chief of Engineering walk away to find his quarters after thanking her. LEXIA's internal alarm beeped. The captain and the new first officer had docked. Malcolm needed to see her. Offering a mysterious smile, the hologram vanished into the cybernetic fibres of the ship and moved across the ship into the forbidden deck of Deck thirteen…


Serenity,The Captain's Yacht
Location: Starbase Hangar Bay, Utopia Colony
Stardate: June 4th, 2393

That mid-afternoon on the colony when Camryn strode into the hangar bay with a knapsack over her shoulder, her brown eyes scanned the large shuttle in front of them. The small crew was loading stuff into it with some cargo as several additional personnel boarded her. As Malcolm walked forward to the shuttle controller officer, Ryn took her time to come close to the hull of the shuttle. She touched the single word written across her hull. It said Serenity.

Ryn looked up as the captain approached her offering her a hand toward the hatch, "You ready for an adventure of a lifetime, Commander?"

Ryn smiled at him and nodded as Mal gave her a bit of a wink, "Yes captain."

She entered first as the captain followed and closed the hatch, locking it. They headed toward the front passing some enlisted personnel who buckled themselves in for the ride. The cockpit neared them as Malcolm spoke pointing her to the pilot seat, "Commander, why don't you pilot the Serenity?"

"Really?" Camryn eagerly asked. As Malcolm nodded took his place on the copilot seat, Ryn removed her knapsack and placed it on the floor as she took her place on the seat. She spoke as her hands were busy on the console, "Going through preflight checks. Fuel check. Hatches battened down and locked. All crew and cargo inside. Ready to launch, control."

After the confirmation from the controller officer, the Serenity lifted off from the ground, hovered for a bit before making an engine sound forward out of the hangar bay doors. As Camryn concentrated on her flying up toward the atmosphere and space away from the colony, Malcom typed in a few commands. The door behind them locked as he announced, "We have privacy, Commander. You're doing well. I just want to share some information and discuss our next stage."

Ryn nodded as she kept her eyes on the viewscreen and her natural listening ear open to Malcolm, "Yes, sir."

Malcolm continued, "First, how much do you know of the USS Nexus?"

As the thrusters from the Serenity roar passed the small mountain still climbing up, Ryn responded trying to piece together what she remembered through her eidetic memory while keeping her attention on the viewscreen, "She is a Sovereign MK III class with an Artificial Intelligence onboard. You call it LEXIA. LEXIA is the blood and vessel of the Nexus keeping her alive and going. LEXIA is also a hologram. The Nexus has been crewed, so she is ready to go."

"Excellent," Mal responded and asked her again when he detected her changed tone, "Concern?"

Soon as the Serenity broke through the thin barrier between the atmosphere and space beyond, Ryn shrugged, "Nothing too serious. Aside from Data, I just don't trust sentient machines. No offense, sir."

Mal shrugged and responded, "None taken, Commander. This is another reason why I picked you. You are selective with your choosing. As is mines. You will get used to LEXIA, I am sure."

The Serenity made a turn veering away from some floating metal debris as Cam responded bluntly looking at him for a brief moment, "We'll see, captain. What else?"

Malcolm continued as he watched some buoy floating pass some more space debris, "As soon as we board, I would like to get us underway. I need discuss some detail with Lexia. Why don't you head straight to the bridge? All of your things will be beamed to your quarters on Deck Nine. Get a status report from all hands and monitor the situation while I finish some things. Once we get underway, we will start with her shakedown cruise by transporting a new commanding officer for Deep Space 9. He is Lieutenant Colonel Juri Skael, an old former Bajoran freedom fighter who transferred into Starfleet during the height of his career. Starfleet needed someone with the knowledge to run a Nor Class station, so he is perfect for DS9. He just finished his trails here as well so all we need to do is transport him to Bajor where he will take over."

A small energy arched across the debris as it was ejected from another ship. It hit one of the metal and sent it spinning toward the large shuttle. Cam quickly thrust the shuttle sideways to avoid the debris as she flew through the gap between the ship and a floating deactivated nacelle. Cam looked at him with a hardened look and a question before looking back at the viewscreen, "A former freedom fighter? Are we sure to trust Colonel Juri?"

Malcolm nodded, "Yes. Major Kira was the one who recommended him. Said she trusted him as well. We will also be transporting several compliments of Starfighter and Marine personnel as well as doing some training runs once we get there. While that happens, the USS Nexus will be exploring the space between Bajor and Cardassia as well as charting the space between them. It will be a good run for the civilians who signed up for the Nexus's first tour."

"How many?" The El Aurian asked as she saw the space dock come into view. The USS Nexus was waiting for them.

Malcolm took a few seconds to count the numbers and replied, "Approximately five hundred civilians and nine hundred personnel of both officers and enlisted in the mix. We have a big crew including Juri Skael's small staff for DS9."

Having no more questions so far, Camryn kept her silence as she concentrated on her flying toward the space dock. Her light in the front of the yacht flashed across the bow of the Sovereign class. Her expression turned to curiosity and excitement as she maneuvered the Serenity around to the bottom of the saucer. Malcolm spoke cautioning her, "Steady as she goes, Commander."

Ryn nodded and moved the vessel slowly up toward the vacant space where the large shuttle will fit. As the thrusters hissed into the bow of the ship and the latches hooked in the large shuttle, the ship was automatically locked in. Mal praised her, "Good flying, Sheppard. See you on the bridge."

Ryn smiled at him and responded as she got out of her chair while grabbing her knapsack, "Thank you Captain. I will get us ready to go."

Malcolm pushed the intercom and spoke, "LEXIA. I will see you now at Deck Thirteen."


As Camryn walked across the corridor of deck sixteen where the Captain's Yacht, the Serenity, was docked, she nodded at each crewmember she passed. They recognized her as someone in command so they treated her with respect. Soon, she noticed a wide variety of different aliens onboard on the way to the turbolift. Bolian, Bajoran, Betazoid, Deltan, Vulcan and Klingon among other races that she has yet to see. This was a multi race crew of different alien species. This amused the El Aurian, but she kept it to herself.

Soon as the lift doors opened and she entered, she spoke to the computer while removing a hair piece tucked inside her hair, "Bridge."

The lift responded as she started moving up. Taking the bobby pin, she placed it into her mouth and took her braided pony tail. She started twisted it around into a tight bun before she removed the pin and placed it through to keep her bun tight. She had to look her best. When the doors opened and she entered, one of the enlisted onboard spoke, "Commander on deck!"

Cam was standing on the deck before the lift. She looked around inspecting each bridge members standing on the deck. Letting out a nod and placing her arms behind her back, she responded, "At ease. To your stations. Deckhand, give me a report."

The Deltan male, the one who announced her, approached Ryn as she walked toward the center of the bridge. He handed her a PADD while introducing himself, "Tamil Bryus. Senior Chief Petty Officer, Commander. Here is the manifest. All stations report ready. All maintenance and repair crew reports done."

Camryn nodded and responded dismissing him, "Good, thank you chief petty officer. Apprise the Chief Engineer onboard that we will start our engines soon for our first warp test."

Bryus nodded, "Yes Commander."

Cam's eyes met her first officer chair as she touched it. It felt cool, crisp to her touch. Taking her seat, she eased herself back into the chair. Looking ahead to the viewscreen, she noted the spacedock that was latched onto the ship. She waited for the one named Captain Malcolm Thomas to begin their first journey.


Meanwhile, both Malcolm and Lexia was around the small sphere on deck thirteen in the conference room. It was a bit darkened. The captain asked, "Is everyone settled in?"

LEXIA nodded as she replied, "Yes sir. All the major department heads have settled in. There were some damages to one of our holodecks but was easily repaired."

Malcolm responded with a nod, "Good. Has the crew settled in already? All the civilians in place?"

LEXIA nodded, "Yes sir. We are ready to go."

Malcolm ended the meeting with a nod, "Activate the AI Nexus and monitor her movement. I will attend to the bridge."

LEXIA vanished to the Main Engineering while the captain headed to the turbolift. He rode it straight to the bridge and got on as soon as Bryus spoke again, "Captain on the deck!"

Cam looked to her side as Malcolm took his place on his command chair. He nodded at her and she focused her attention to the viewscreen. Flipping the comm, she responded, "All decks, this is your XO speaking. We are about to go underway. All duty officers report to your stations."

She flipped the com again and spoke to the conn, "Lieutenant, take us out. Slowly."

Lieutenant Karo Jils, who was a Bajoran helmswoman, responded as she concentrated in moving the USS Nexus slowly out of her space dock. Soon, the sovereign class moved forward on impulse navigating through the other ships and small stations orbiting. Soon as the Nexus was out of orbit, Malcom spoke, "Take us to Bajor. Warp seven. Engage."

The Nexus vanished into warp as light engulfed the big ship.


The lift doors opened as Malcolm entered the darkened corridor of deck thirteen. There was still light showing him the way, but it wasn't as bright as the rest of the decks. It could be powered down for energy saving, but it still instills the feeling of privacy as if no other crew or civilian are allowed in the deck. The captain continued along the corridor into a room to his right. Next to the table, LEXIA was waiting for him.

LEXIA looked up as her hologram body shimmered once before she responded to his presence, "Captain."

"Lexia," Malcolm spoke as he nodded at her once, "Is she ready?"

LEXIA nodded and tapped the control on the side of the panel on the wall as she spoke, "Yes captain."

The panel separated from the wall as it revealed a bed. It retracted from the wall as light illuminated the room slightly. On the bed was an android in the image of LEXIA. It was her body. LEXIA spoke as she inspected her android body, "The Romanov type cybernetic body is ready and unique. She will operate at most situations when you require her on your away missions."

Malcolm spoke as he touched the android head feeling the coldness emanating from the body, "Impressive. It will hold up during stress?"

LEXIA spoke, "Yes. We will need to make sure that she holds well in holodeck simulations. The longest was twenty four hours, but I have confidence that I will improve the duration outside of the Nexus before she needs to be recharged."

The captain backed a bit from the bed as he made an order once, "Activate her."

The hologram nodded and placed her finger under the android's neck. She switched the component and the android activated as it rose up from the bed eerily. The android LEXIA stared back at the captain with its vacant eyes. It cocked its head and realigned its head back up to cock it again. Malcolm spoke, "Lexia?"

It opened its mouth once to speak but was unable to make a few words or sounds. It closed it and continued to stare at him. Malcolm tried again, "Do you know who I am?"

The android opened its mouth again and uttered a single word, "Lexia?"

The android was silent after a few more attempts of talking and cocking its head. Malcolm let out a sigh and looked at the hologram. The holo LEXIA responded checking it over, "I apologize Captain. I must have crossed a few wires. It…"

The captain shook his head and waved her off as he responded, "No need. I have one certain Chief Engineer who could figure it out himself. He did work on an android known as Data. Can it walk?"

Holo LEXIA responded once, "Yes."

"Good," he replied before being interrupted and looked up to listen to the comm from Lieutenant Karo. It was a message stating that he should meet the Commander in the airlock. They had arrived at Outpost 98. It ended as Malcolm finished responding to the hologram, "Have the android sent over Commander La Forge and assist him with the warp core configurations."

"Yes Commander," the holo Lexia responded as she focused her attention onto the android. Malcolm walked away from her and exited the room toward the lift.


Starbase 98 was the last stop near Earth before the USS Nexus continues her way toward Bajor on her first shakedown cruise. It took nearly a day and a half to get to this station, but several more weeks to go toward the space around Bajor. The station itself is manned by crewmen and the CO, Commodore Gerald Joshlin. He is half Bolian and half human. The CO, Captain Malcolm Thomas, and his first officer Camryn Sheppard are both waiting on the airlock in deck three for the new passengers they are awaiting. The CO of the DS9 near Bajor along with several other officers and non comms for the Terok Nor-class station.

There are several round constructs around the station and several spires on the top. One of them has an airdock with an extended bridge gap from the station to the airlock of the USS Nexus

The speeding star lights around the sovereign-class slowed to a sudden stop as the USS Nexus exit warp ending her day journey from Mars. The Nexus slowed to an impulse as she slowly headed toward the large Starbase 98 station. On the bridge, the helm officer announced from her station, "We have arrived to Starbase 98. The commanding officer is hailing us."

Camryn remained seated on her CO chair as she responded with a direct tone looking at the viewscreen, "Slow us to impulse, lieutenant. Onscreen."

Lieutenant Karo Jils made a silent response as she nodded turning on the viewscreen. The face of an aged half Bolian with the commandore stripes appeared on the screen. He spoke, "We have been expecting you, USS Nexus. This is Commodore Gerald Joshlin.

Camryn responded, "Commodore, thank you for the welcome. This is Commander Camryn Sheppard. Permission to dock?"

Gerald nodded, "Granted, commander. I assume I will meet both you and the captain to the airlock?"

"Yes, sir," Cam responded as the view screen cut off. She turned to the lieutenant and finished, "Lieutenant, inform the Captain that we have arrived and meet at the airlock on deck three. You have the bridge."

"Yes, Ma'am," Karo responded and turned the comm, "Karo to Thomas. We have arrived to Starbase 98. The XO will meet you on deck three."

Soon as the comm was finished and the Nexus was guided to the top of the station where the airdock was located, Cam left the bridge and entered the lift as it continued toward deck three...

Camryn was standing by before the airlock. She was in her command dress uniform with her blonde hair tight and tied behind her head. Some cranial ridges were visible on her forehead, but not completely. She was El Aurian but she will always have a Klingon blood and soul as she could feel her strength within. Moments later her captain joined her side as she looked at him and smirked with a response, "You're late, captain."

Malcolm shrugged as he cleared his throat while adjusting his own command dress uniform, "Captain's prerogative…"

Cam smirked as she rolled her eyes and focused her attention to the door as she uttered under her breath, "Right..."

The door opened as several officers entered through. A Bajoran officer of an high rank was flanked by an Bolian as well as several other officers behind him. Malcolm spoke, "Greetings Colonel Juri. This is my first officer, Commander Sheppard. I am Captain Thomas. Welcome onboard the USS Nexus."

The Bajoran Lieutenant Colonel responded with a brief nod with his earring moving a bit from his ear, "Thank you Captain. It's good to be here."

He stepped aside as the Bolian commander spoke, "Commander Tok Kura. Starfighter Wing."

The Captain nodded and offered his hand toward the corridor, "Shall I give you the tour?"

The Bajoran colonel shook his head as he spoke, "I would rather go to my quarters first. Maybe a tour later?"

Camryn watched with her wary eyes at the people coming in from through the airlock. They were new and her Klingon side warned her to be on her toes in case if something happens. The Captain led them across the corridor and toward their quarters. They were to be docked for a few more minutes to load some more cargo from the starbase and then they will be gone. Soon.


It has been several days on the outpost that passed. Captain Thomas was in talks with several command personnel while they were transferring people or orders among each other across the station and the planet it was orbiting. Since then, the cargo bays of the Sovereign class, the USS Nexus, was filling up for either transportation or personal uses. Move civilian passengers came onboard as well for the journey. Many department leaders had finished with the upgrades or repairs they needed for their department, especially engineering and medical. The Nexus was a prototype. It required the needed substance for its voyage to be successful for her maximum years in her voyage in the galaxies.

It was time and all the personnel onboard were already in their positions. The Nexus pulled out and was about to proceed into the new horizon when the comm station received a hail. Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari turned the comm and the words were loud and clear.

"Mayday, mayday. This is the Colony ship Othalla."

As all on the bridge heard it, Ryn watched her commanding officer as Thomas quickly asked, "Where is this coming from?"

The officer on Ops responded, "It is coming from the badlands sir."

Thomas turned his head toward the viewscreen and asked, "Can we respond?"

"No sir. It's on a loop and repeats."

The captain turned to toward the comm station and responded, "Alright, Lieutenant, analyze the signal. Is it genuine? How old is this signal and what is the Othalla?"

The Haliian comm officer responded, "The signal is real but old. At least 200 years old. The ship…"

Lexia appeared on the bridge in an instant as if called forth. She responded with the information, "Is the colony ship. The Othalla. She went missing 200 years ago. Never reported for duty. She was classified missing in action. Since no bodies were recovered, it was assumed that they were lost in space."

Malcolm nodded at Lexia and turned to the viewscreen, "Well, then we shall be the one to respond to their 200 year old distress call no matter where they are. If there are survivors, it is our duty to render assistance. Commander, take us to the last known coordinates to where the signal is coming from."

"Yes sir," Ryn responded and turned to the conn station in the front of the bridge and continued, "Karo, take us to the signal. Maximum warp."

The captain finished as he walked off the bridge toward his ready room, "I will be in my ready room. You have the bridge Commander."

Rynn nodded as she took the reins while the USS Nexus left the station in warp.


Location: Captain's Cabin
Time: Stardate June 10th 2393

"Mayday, mayday. This is the Colony ship Othalla."

Malcolm was listening to the message over again several times. Both Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari and LEXIA were standing by waiting for his command. Looking at his comms officer, he questioned her, "This message is genuine? There are no mistakes?"

The Hailian nodded with her response, "No mistakes sir. I looked over it again from forward and backwards. It's two hundred years old."

"Uh, huh," the captain replied as he turned to LEXIA, "What kind of a ship is the Othalla? What are we looking at here?"

Lexia responded, "The Othalla was a colony ship that vanished two hundred years ago with all hands. There were searches among the sector where she was last heard of. It is near where the signal was located."

"Why now? Why doesn't the signal come on 200 years ago?"

The AI continued, "I do not know sir. I suspect that the signal was cut off when she vanished. When they were searching along the sector, they discovered some wreckage that was believed to be a part of the ship itself, but there were no other traces. No battle fights. Nothing. We will be almost to the last place in the sector where the signal is steady."

The captain nodded and responded, "Good. Make sure everyone is ready. I will be on the bridge. Dismissed."

They dispersed as LEXIA hologram vanished from the captain's quarters.

In the space between Starbase 98 and the badlands, light flashed once as the Sovereign class left warp. Upon exiting the warp field, the USS Nexus made a sharp 90 degree turn left toward the coordinates where the signal was coming from. There was nothing but stars across the section they were in. No planets nearby but a red super-giant was located several light years from their location.

Inside the ship on the bridge, the captain was seated in the middle of the bridge in his command chair. His XO was over in the science section of the bridge looking over Lieutenant Uhnari's work on the distress signal. They were getting close as the lieutenant was scanning the space in front of them. Cam's stance over the lieutenant's shoulder was straight with her hands behind her back as she was observing the communications officer's work.

She turned back to the viewscreen and spoke looking at the empty space before them, "We are getting close to where the signal is originating from."

Malcolm asked the question, "Is there anything out there? Debris?"

Camryn looked back at the comms officer as the lieutenant spoke up, "Nothing sir. There is nothing out there and the signal is still coming strong and steady."

"How far away are we?" Malcolm asked again.

"Only a couple klicks out, sir."

The ship continued her journey toward the signal. From a naked eye, something within the coordinates shifted a bit but no one could see it. Not for a moment. The captain spoke again to his XO, "Commander, prepare a probe and send her out…"

Before Cam had a chance to reply, a sudden jolt hit the ship as LEXIA's automated warning started up with klaxons blaring. The bridge and the entire ship went dark in an emergency red alert mode as Lexia's voice continued again ship wide. Both warning and helping people stay calm during the emergency. The captain shouted out as he gripped the chair, "Tac report!"

The tactical officer, Ensign Jaska Sun, responded in a hurried tone as his friend maintained her speed, "Sir we are being hit by some kind of energy. Something is opening up in front of us!"

Malcolm looked ahead in the viewscreen at some kind of energy forming and his eyes lit up as he recognized it, "A wormhole? All engines, reverse! Now!"

Lieutenant Jaro half shouted as she continued to hold her hands on the controls to try to pull back, but failing, "I am trying, sir. It's too late. They are pulling us in!"

As the energy formed, it became a rogue wormhole as it enveloped the entire ship and pulled them in. It then disappeared but the signal continued on intermittent. The USS Nexus was being rushed forward with renewed energy and fast but the ship was much too big for the small wormhole. The sides of the deep hole was brushing against the hull causing damage and wreaking havoc on her main systems. However, LEXIA did her best to hold her together.

There was shouting and confusing on the bridge as the captain was shouting orders. Anyone standing including the XO rushed to their seats and kept hold as some of the stations were exploding. There were constant injuries and confusing among the decks as the Nexus continued screaming in pain being pulled against their will through. One of the energy strike flashes lanced across the Nexus's third nacelle atop the rear of the ship and exploded it.

For the next ten minutes that seemed longer ended abruptly as the wormhole spat them out. The Nexus tumbled out with smoke coming out of the ship and fires in several decks. It was soon extinguished but LEXIA was deactivated mainly to keep the ship from falling apart. The missing nacelle that was destroyed was leaking deuterium across space as she continued gliding across like a derelict.

Inside the ship was quiet and dark with some consoles flashing and exploding. The captain who was still seated in his chair groaned in pain as he woke up. He responded with a hoarse throat, "Report…"

There was still silence as Lexia was still in the background trying to save as many as she can from the damage to avoid casualties. Malcolm groaned again looking around looking for signs of life as he spoke again, "Report!"

The silence was deafening as everyone on the bridge was knocked out. Even the XO was face down on the floor with some debris atop her. The captian groaned as he gripped the chair trying to work out a headache that was forming in his head. The bridge lighting was half dark making it hard for him to see anything as some sparks continued to blow occasionally.

"Commander Sheppard..." Malcolm let out a groan trying to wake her...

END PROLOGUE

(Chapter One will be coming soon, no worries. I just need to sort them together a bit first. Don't forget to review and comment :) )