Chapter 1

Uhura shook the feeling a returned to her duties. She flipped several switches on the panel in front of her and looked up at the tiny screen in front of her. Monitoring sub-space channels could be tedious at times, but this was not one of those times. A faint red line jumped on the screen, repeating a pattern.

"Captain, I'm detecting what looks like a distress call."

Captain Kirk stood from his command chair and leaned against the railing between the raised and sunken parts of the bridge floor. "Can you pinpoint it's location?"

Uhura pressed several buttons and flipped another switch and then said, "Transferring to main view screen."

The star field on the main view screen vanished and was promptly replaced by a star chart plotting a corse to the distress call's location.

"I can't make out what the message is saying from this distance, there seems to be some type o f interference."

"Confirmed captain." Mr. Spooked looked up from his view screen as Uhura and Kirk looked at him. "The transmission seems to be emanating from within a dense class three nebula. Sensors detect massive amounts of temporal energy."

The captain moved to stand in front of his chair, looking at the view screen. "On screen Mr. Spock." The screen changed to display an image of a greenish-blue cloud of gas floating in space.

"It is mostly comprised of argon."

"Take us closer Mr. Sulu."

"Aye captain." Sulu adjusted the controls on the panel in front of him and the ship surged forward.

"Captain," Spock clasped his hands behind his back as he spoke, "the temporal energy contained in the nebula could pose a threat to the ship."

"Before we enter the nebula, adjust the main deflector dish to emit an inverse takion wave, that should protect us from any anomalies."

Spock nodded and turned to make the preparations.

"Captain," Sulu turned, "I've put us right at the edge."

"Excellent. Lieutenant Uhura, can you make out the message now?"

Uhura tapped several controls in front of her, each responding with a beep or whirr. "I'm still having trouble breaking through the interference."

Spock peered into his view screen again. "There seems to be some type of sub-space dampening field surrounding the nebula," he said, not bothering to look away from the screen.

He suddenly stood strait up. "If these reading are correct sir, the dampening field would seem to be artificially generated from somewhere within the nebula."

"Are you saying that someone is generating a sub-space jamming field as large as a class three nebula?"

"It would appear so, captain."

Kirk suddenly turned, "Mr. Sulu, take us into that nebula."

"Captain, I must protest..."

"Noted Mr. Spock, but if someone in that nebula is in trouble, we have an obligation to help them. Mr. Sulu..."

"Aye sir, ahead at three quarters impulse."

The ship moved forward, and, several seconds later, broke the sub-space barrier surrounding the nebula. There was a lurch and the ship came to a complete stop. "Sulu, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure sir, helm isn't responding."

"Engineering to bridge." Scotty's voice came over the comm. "What ever that was we just went through put the engine out of commission. The matter/antimatter injector is locked up."

"How long until you can repairs can be completed."

"Several hours at least. Looks like we're dead in the water for a while sir."

"Get started on those repairs, Scotty." The captain pressed a button on the comm panel and terminated the transmission. "How are you coming with that distress call Uhura?"

"I think I can give you audio sir," she placed her earpiece in her right ear and began working on the panel.

A deafening screech came over the speakers, which slowly toned down, turning into a garbled voice.

"Can you clear it up any, lieutenant?"

She flipped several more switches and the voice cleared up.

"This is the USS Enterprise calling any vessel. We have sustained heavy damage. Require immediate assistance. Our warp core is..." The transmission ended, abruptly.