(Starfleet command headquarters San Francisco)
Incident report
Imperial Navy court marshal
[Ship name]- [ISS Enterprise NCC 1701-E]
[Commander]- [Jean Luke Picard]
[Rank]- [Captain]
[House affiliation]- [Archer]
[Ship class]- [Sovereign class battleship]
[Location of incident]- [sector 387]
[Mission] – [resupply and crew transfer of listening post Ranger 387]
Captain Picard sighed as he filled in the report, the milk run that was supposed to be his last voyage as Captain of the Enterprise; he had given the service his best years and had lost almost all of his friends, now he only had his wife Beverly and his three sons and he would be a dammed Englishman before he sacrificed them for his carrier.
[Flash back]
He had put the finishing touches to his official notice of resignation, this was it he was done, he had done what no other captain in his position had done he was voluntarily leaving the big seat on the enterprise for his family, even though he had the voice of Kirk echoing in his head as he told the sad tale of him and his wife, Kirk had chosen the ship and service he would not.
He could just hear him now chiding him for leaving his post, and he was sure that the letter would put the cat amongst the pidgins back at command but this was his final decision, family first. He nodded resolute in his decision and put forth commander Data as his immediate successor, his android first officer was like a son to him and in his quest to become human had shown him the value of family.
"{Sir}" said a young voice from his intercom
"Yes ensign" he responded tapping the comm. badge at his chest
"{We've reached the outer comm. buoy sir}" Picard nodded just a few more days and it will be over
"Have you contacted the bace"? He asked a little irritated the ensign should know to contact the bace before calling him or getting within range of the buoy.
"{that's just it sir we can't reach ranger bace}"
"The ion storms within the ranger nebular often disrupt communications" he stated
"{Yes sir but...}"
"Yes ensign" he sighed irritated
"{I ordered a comm. probe launched with our message and we had no response}"
"From any of the buoy's" he asked
"{none sir, I ordered a probe launch to the base}"
"What did it show" he asked as he got to his feet, something was rotten in the state of Denmark and he didn't like the smell.
"{The station is there and there are no signs of life}"
"None?" he asked
"{No sir not a single life sign}" he reported "{but there was an ambient energy signature but it's too faint to properly identify against the background radiation}"
"I'm on my way" he said tapping his comm. badge, it was a short walk from his office to the bridge but it was a foreboding one.
The doors from the captain's office hissed open and he walked slightly limping in his advanced years to his seat on the bridge. Several reports from the probes were presented to him, he overlooked them carefully, he handed them to commander Data who had just arrived from the starboard turbo lift, and he came to the same conclusion as the captain, the only way to learn more would be to enter the nebular and reach Ranger base.
Cautiously the ship moved forward into the unknown and once again into the very jaws of danger.
