Naruto: Infinity Divide
The Object
Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Amazingly, no footnotes this time. Enjoy!
Port = Left
Starboard = Right
[ ] Signifies a foreign language
…
Last time:
NCC-1602 U.S.S. Wolverine, Staff Room
Two days later, Captain Naruto M'Fau was having his lunch in the ship's staff room as he watched a holographic dance performance sent to him from his parents on Vulcan. Commander Kumo entered and saw a gorgeous young Vulcan woman dancing with what appeared to be metal fans and shimmering traditional Vulcan dancing clothes.
The young woman seemed to be like the wind as she weaved, spun and moved at incredible speeds to an equally fast rhythm that Mabui thought she'd heard somewhere before. The Commander found herself utterly mesmerized by the amazing performance and after the dance ended, she said, "That was an amazing dance routine Captain Naruto. I had no idea you were interested in classical arts. It was very moving… Who is she?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow in amusement and said, "That would be my younger sister Talok M'Fau. The Vulcan dance critics are touting her as a genius of traditional and modern dance. She is known as The V-Shan Dancer. I look forward to seeing her perform in person the next time I visit Vulcan."
Mabui smiled and said, "I can see why. I guess she inherited a different kind of genius than you Captain."
The blonde Vulcan replied, "I thank you on her behalf. While Talok is gifted in mathematics her true calling was always dancing. She gets that from Father's side though she inherited her looks from Mother. It evokes great satisfaction in me seeing her succeeding in her dream to dance professionally."
"Vulcan culture is much richer than I realized." said the Commander. "I had no idea your people could show such passion."
"You simply need to know where to look Commander Kumo." replied the blonde. "I presume by the tablet you are holding that you had something you needed my input on?"
Mabui laid her tablet on the table and said, "A decision needs to be made on who our new senior watch officer will be. You ran six Lieutenant Commanders through the hoops Captain. It's not like you to take so long to make a choice sir."
Naruto looked at her tablet and said, "Lieutenant Commander Whitaker is the most logical choice for the position, but it will but difficult for her to fit in. She will find that most of the officers on this ship are… eccentric as Shizuka likes to say."
Mabui laughed. "Eccentric is an epic understatement, Captain. I've never met so many strong-willed intellectuals in my entire life. I hope Commander Whitaker took some serious debate classes or she will be eaten alive…"
…
The next day Admiral Danzo Shimura approved the transfer of Commander Whitaker from the U.S.S. Kublai to the U.S.S. Wolverine. Amelia was genuinely thrilled to be assigned to the fast cruiser and it showed. She reported to the bridge after having her belongings stowed in her shiny new quarters and said with a crisp salute as she came off of the turbolift:
"Lieutenant Commander Amelia Whitaker reporting for duty sir!"
Naruto came over and said, "Welcome aboard Commander Whitaker. I hope you find your tour of duty on board the Wolverine to be a productive one…"
…
Chapter 57
Stardate 2279.036, Federation/Klingon Border
"Ship's Log, Stardate 2279.036; Captain Naruto M'Fau reporting. NCC-1602 U.S.S Wolverine was buffeted by an explosion from within the Federation/Klingon Neutral Zone. The ship was not damaged, but we are curious as to what caused the explosion. We calculated that it came from the uninhabited white dwarf system H(D)361 which was never properly explored due to its proximity with the Klingon Empire. Our observations show that the star exploded."
"We are observing this phenomenon from the very edge of Federation Space with our long-range sensors at maximum…"
Lieutenant Commander Amelia Whitaker was on the bridge supervising as Captain Naruto was in his ready room and Commander Kumo was off duty. Unfortunately, she was at a loss as the entire command and science staff were very busily discussing what could make a white dwarf star explode out of nowhere suddenly in abstract mathematics. 'I don't understand a word of this…' thought Whitaker depressed.
She looked over at Lieutenant Nadeshiko who was looking rather bemused at the whole situation. Going over to the Earth raised Vulcan she said, "Lieutenant Nadeshiko, can you tell me what they are talking about?"
Shizuka smirked and said, "I don't have a clue. When they are investigating something it's normal for them to use words that are twenty syllables long."
Whitaker sweat dropped, "Is there one of them I could ask?"
The Security Chief said, "Try asking Maya Ayasugi, she can speak both science and mere mortal."
Amelia nodded, came over to Maya and said, "Ensign Ayasugi?"
Maya quickly pivoted in her chair to face Amelia and asked, "Yes Commander?"
"I was wondering if you could tell me what they are talking about." said Amelia motioning over to Alison Fairbanks and Samui Schrodinger.
Ayasugi grinned. "My doctoral degrees are in life sciences but in layman's terms they are debating as to whether an outside force caused the star to explode or whether it was internal which is highly unlikely given the white dwarf was only 2.6 stellar masses. It's a rather fascinating discussion if you'd care to join in."
Whitaker listened to Alison Fairbanks talk mathematics for a while and said, "Doctor?" rather loudly.
Everyone on the bridge except Shizuka turned to her and answered, "Yes?"
Whitaker looked pale and said, "I meant Doctor Fairbanks."
After everyone turned back to their stations, Alison spoke up. "What can I do for you Commander?"
Amelia asked, "Is everyone on this ship a doctor?"
"Most of the staff hold multiple doctoral degrees Commander." said Alison. "I have three. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious." said Whitaker. "What have you found out?"
Doctor Fairbanks stated, "After consulting Lieutenant's Schrodinger and Rafi, I've concluded that a hyper massive object moving at near relativistic velocity collided with H(D)361 and they mutually annihilated one another. Now we need to figure out what that object was. The most likely candidate at this point seems to be a very small quantum singularity of approximately one stellar mass judging by the gravimetric waves near the point of the original explosion. See?"
Amelia wandered back over to Ayasugi with swirls in her eyes and asked, "Can you tell me what Doctor Fairbanks just said?"
Ayasugi replied, "Probably a tiny black hole about the mass of Earth's sun hit H(D)361 at high-speed causing them to explode and destroy one another."
The Lieutenant Commander said, "Oh, that makes sense to me then."
M'rella said, "I'm picking up a distress signal of Klingon origin from within the H(D)361 System. They are requesting immediate assistance."
Commander Whitaker said, "Red Alert! Captain to the bridge!"
Naruto shot onto the bridge from his ready room and said, "Report!"
"We've found a Klingon vessel in the Neutral Zone sir." reported Whitaker. "They are violating the Organian Treaty."
"Is the Wolverine in danger?" asked Naruto.
"No sir." replied Amelia.
Naruto sighed. "Cancel red alert; go to condition yellow. Where exactly is the Klingon vessel?"
…
Naruto was soon listening to the distress call through the universal translator. "This is Commander Molor the Imperial Klingon Vessel Investigator. The object we were pursuing has been destroyed due to colliding with a white dwarf star. The resulting explosion has damaged our ship and we require immediate assistance."
Naruto stroked his chin. "M'rella, do we have a visual?"
The amber eyed Caitian nodded but said, "There is a lot of interference, but I can get a visual."
"On screen please." said Naruto. The static filled image of a Klingon bridge appeared showing emergency lighting and a rather battered looking Klingon ranked Commander in the command chair of his ship. The blonde hybrid said. "Commander Molor, this is Captain Naruto M'Fau of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Wolverine. We are willing to assist the I.K.V. Investigator if you are willing to accept our support."
Molor looked torn at the prospects of receiving help from a Federation vessel but then a voice from off screen said, "Commander Molor, we can trust this one. Naruto is an honorable warrior."
"Kiba Warrigul…" whispered Naruto.
…
Bridge, I.K.V. Investigator
Molor said, "You know this one Kiba?"
Lieutenant Commander Kiba Warrigul said, "Yes, I fought him once hand to hand. He is trustworthy."
Molor turned back to the damaged screen and said, "We of the Investigator would be glad for your assistance Wolverine.
…
Bridge, U.S.S. Wolverine
Naruto said, "We are on our way Investigator. We will contact you shortly. Wolverine out." Naruto turned to his staff and said, "The Neutral Base Station K-6 is nearby. We will tow them there and hopefully the Klingon Empire will send a tug to tow them home."
Whitaker said, "Sir, with all due respect; the Klingon Empire is our enemy!"
The blonde hybrid replied, "We are assisting a vessel in need. All life is precious Commander, even those of potential enemies."
Commander Kumo had come onto the bridge and added, "The Captain is right. A little goodwill now might pay rich dividends later Whitaker. We are not at war."
Samui said, "I've plotted a course for the Investigator sir."
"What is our ETA at warp factor 4 Lieutenant Schrodinger?" asked the Captain.
"47 standard minutes Captain." answered the platinum blonde.
"Make it so then." ordered Naruto. "Lieutenant Rafi, ahead warp factor 4."
Amelia was pacing nervously and thought, 'What if this is an elaborate trap?' "What do we know about this ship the Investigator anyway?"
Naruto replied, "The Klingon D6E Investigator is a scientific exploration vessel loosely analogous to our Galactic Survey cruisers. Its weaponry is reduced, and its scientific capabilities are increased compared to a standard D6 hull."
"You knew that of the top of your head sir?" asked the Lieutenant Commander baffled.
"Of course, I do." answered the hybrid. "I design ships you know."
Whitaker's eyes widened. "I-I had no idea sir."
"I have a visual." said Samui.
"On screen." said Naruto.
"God damn!" said Rafi. "Investigator is a total wreck. No wonder they need assistance."
M'rella said, "They are hailing us, Captain."
Naruto nodded. "Put them through."
"This is Commander Molor. If you could tow us to a neutral port-" started Molor.
"It is our intention to tow your vessel to Base Station K-6 if that is acceptable Commander." said Naruto. "Hopefully the Empire will send a tug for you there. Do you require medical assistance?"
"Unfortunately, many of our officers and crew were injured or killed in the shockwave caused when the object hit the white dwarf." replied Molor.
"We too were investigating the object from long range." said Naruto. "We hypothesized it might have been a quantum singularity."
Molor replied, "That's what we thought at first, but it changed speed and direction like a ship would. We could not identify it before it was destroyed."
…
Base Station K-6
The person in charge of K-6 was an Orion named Chaza who did business with both sides of the Neutral Zone. Naruto didn't know much about him except he was greedy because his docking fees were extraordinarily high. The wounded from the Investigator were being treated by medical staff members from both ships. In trade the science staff were exchanging data on the object that destroyed H(D)361. The Klingon F5C Frigate Leader Firestar arrived two days later with Commodore Karag aboard along with a freighter converted for hospital duties.
Naruto was in touch with Starbase 17 Command regarding the object. Admiral Shimura was a bit disgruntled that they had assisted a Klingon vessel but the intelligence data they collected on the object from the Klingons was invaluable.
Naruto was personally thanked and received a Red Star of Merit for service to the Klingon Empire from Commodore Karag which was awarded to him for non-combat acts of valor as was Doctor Shelly Wilson for saving so many Klingons lives from the Investigator.
The greatest prize to Naruto was a D'k tahg warrior's knife he received from Kiba Warrigul in friendship. It was a rare thing to be presented with one from a Klingon Noble House…
…
Federation Space, U.S.S. Wolverine
"Ship's Log, Stardate 2279.043; Captain Naruto M'Fau reporting. We are now safely back in Federation space after our excursion into the Neutral Zone. The U.S.S Wolverine's encounter with the Klingon Imperial Navy was largely a positive one but the object which destroyed the white dwarf star H(D)361 is worrisome. Both the Federation and the Klingon Empire fear it might be some kind of weapon from an unknown point of origin though there is no proof one way or the other. We have agreed that a mutual exchange of information on the subject would be beneficial in the future. We will remain vigilant."
"We have been ordered to report to Battlestation 64 for resupply after using up many of our medical stores at base station K-6. I have been invited to dine with Commodore Phillip Kosnett aboard his Command Cruiser NCC-1710 U.S.S. Kongo which is currently docked at Battlestation 64. I only know him by reputation, but he is considered the next in the chain of Command after Admiral Shimura so I trust he has reasons for wanting to meet me…"
…
The journey to Battlstation 64 was without incident and Naruto reported aboard the U.S.S. Kongo as a visiting guest in his dress uniform for dinner. Kosnett was in his early forties with silver gray hair. He had a friendly but authoritative disposition that put the Vulcan hybrid more at ease than Admiral Shimura did. As it was, dinner was private for Commodore Kosnett and Naruto alone…
The Commodore said, "Your recent actions with the Klingons have caused some interesting ripples throughout the Klingon Front. I know old Shimura is less than thrilled but I for one found your actions commendable. Given we are gearing up for a possible clash with the Klingons I wondered what exactly your judge of the Klingon character is."
"The Klingons are a proud warrior race with a strong code of honor." said Naruto. "Though my personal interactions with them have been limited, it seems that showing unflinching strength before them is the best way to earn their respect."
Kosnett nodded. "I've been informed about the General War that your ship discovered in the future as have all Flag Officers. That's why it surprised me that you extended the hand of friendship from the Federation. You could have attacked them for violating the Organian Treaty and it would have been perfectly legal. Why didn't you?"
The young Captain gathered his thoughts and said, "We received a distress call from a fellow warship in need. It was a calculated risk but given the explosion of H(D)361 it was not unreasonable to see a scientific explorer vessel in the area. Given how badly we were buffeted by the explosion at range it is little wonder that they were badly damaged. Besides, it was an excellent way to gather intelligence on both the Klingon Empire and the unknown object that destroyed that white dwarf."
"So, you used the opportunity to gather data on the Klingons. What did you find out?" asked the Commodore.
"The Klingon Empire is stretched very thin on the Federation Front." said Naruto. "They are heavily committed to fighting the Hydrans and the Kzintis and are not prepared to fight us at this point. Commodore Karag's Frigate Firestar was sending out a great deal of coded information on tight beams that the Wolverine intercepted and turned over to Starfleet Intelligence."
Kosnett asked, "Were you able to glean any information from the transmissions?"
Naruto nodded. "From what we've decrypted so far, they are reeling from an attempted probe into Federation space centered around the large freighter S.S. Albatross that was operating between the Orion Colonies and the Klingon Empire. When it was inspected and impounded by Federation authorities it demolished ten years of planning and was a crushing defeat for Klingon Intelligence."
The Commodore's eyebrows were raised. "You have a cryptography department aboard the Wolverine?"
"No sir, we have the Think Tank." replied the blonde. "The business surrounding the Albatross and her cohorts is most fascinating."
Kosnett seemed astounded. "We are still looking for another ship in that spy ring. Did your crew decrypt anything on it?"
Naruto got out his communicator and said, "M'Fau to Wolverine, come in,"
M'rella's purring voice came over the communicator. "Wolverine here Captain. Go ahead."
"Patch me through to Ensign Simmons in engineering." said the blonde hybrid.
"Understood sir, stand by." replied M'rella.
A moment later Daniel Simmons' voice came through. "Simmons here Captain; what can I do for you?"
Naruto asked, "Did your group crack the Albatross cipher? I want to know if there are any other ships in the group that weren't intercepted."
"The S.S. Fulmar and the S.S. Seagull are still loose Captain. Do you want their coordinates? I assume Federation Intelligence has already got ships after them." said Simmons.
Kosnett's eyes were big as saucers. "Transmit them to the Kongo immediately!" he ordered.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and said, "Transmit the coordinates and all data pertaining to them to U.S.S Kongo Priority One Ensign Simmons."
"Consider it done sir." replied Daniel. "Anything else Captain Naruto?"
"Send the rest of the Albatross cipher to the Kongo for their future reference." said the blonde. "That is all. M'Fau out."
"Wolverine out sir." replied Simmons.
That was when Commodore Kosnett's Yeoman came in and said, "Priority One message from U.S.S. Wolverine sir. They've broken the cipher around the S.S. Albatross, but I don't know how."
Kosnett quickly looked at the tablet and said, "Captain Naruto, is it true that the U.S.S. Wolverine is the fastest ship in the fleet?" Naruto nodded. "How would you like to help me catch some spies?"
…
Battlstation 64
Both the Command Cruiser U.S.S. Kongo and the Fast Cruiser U.S.S. Wolverine were undocked and roaring off to separate destinations within 30 minutes of Commodore Kosnett's orders to capture the spy freighters S.S. Fulmar and S.S. Seagull.
The bridge of the Wolverine was a flurry of activity as they plotted a course at warp 10.5 to intercept the Fulmar before she could reach the Federation/Klingon Neutral Zone. Naruto was addressing his staff on the subject. "Our assumption that Starfleet Intelligence already broke the cipher surrounding the freighter Albatross was incorrect. Our orders from Commodore Kosnett are to capture the light freighter S.S. Fulmar undamaged with her data and crew intact."
Mabui asked, "How long before we intercept the Fulmar?"
Rafi replied, "We have 39 minutes to prepare."
Naruto ordered, "Lieutenant Nadeshiko, we will be capturing the spy freighter via boarding parties. Have your men take that crew alive. I want zero casualties, understood?"
Shizuka grinned. "I understand perfectly sir."
…
Federation Space, S.S. Fulmar
"Something is headed right at us impossibly fast sir! It's moving in excess of warp 10!" said the helmsman of the Fulmar.
The Captain of the Fulmar said, "What the hell is it?"
"I don't know but-" started the helmsman.
That was when the Wolverine dropped out of warp right on top of them and beamed 40 Marines over to capture the hapless Fulmar.
…
Bridge, U.S.S. Wolverine
Lieutenant Shores was on the bridge as Shizuka had led the boarding parties personally. He said, "Captain Naruto, our Marines have checked in. There are no casualties as ordered. The Fulmar operation is a success. She is ours."
"Excellent." said Naruto. "Let's get those prisoners in the brig and the Fulmar under tow to Starbase 17. Condition yellow. Commander Kumo, you have the bridge. I have a report to make."
…
"Stardate 2279.044, Personal Log of Lieutenant Commander Amelia Whitaker. It seems that Captain Naruto's altruistic actions towards the Klingons netted us a huge victory for the Starfleet Intelligence Division. I had previously believed the Captain was a naïve idealist where the Klingons were concerned but now I am beginning to believe he is both shrewd and cunning. He is puzzling to say the least."
"During my first two weeks aboard the U.S.S. Wolverine I have found both the crew and the ship itself are as baffling as the Captain is. I really want to contribute more but Commander Kumo advised me to simply 'go with the flow.' My superiors and subordinates both seem to be supportive of my work but at the same time they all seem to be three or four steps ahead of me. I have never been at a post like this one before in my entire life…"
…
Stardate 2279.045, Starbase 17
The U.S.S. Kongo docked smoothly at Berth 2 across from the U.S.S. Wolverine which had arrived the day before. Commodore Kosnett immediately reported to Admiral Shimura who he personally respected as an officer but did not like as a person.
Danzo welcomed Kosnett into his office. The Admiral was obviously in a good mood. "Hello Phil. It seems we've got a reason to celebrate. The freighter Fulmar has masses of intelligence information on Klingon spy operations in the area. If the Seagull has half as much data, we'll be another step ahead of the Klingon Empire. Starfleet Intelligence is already here and is crawling all over that freighter. How did you break the cipher before Starfleet Intelligence Division did?"
The Commodore replied, "I didn't. The crew on the U.S.S. Wolverine did. I plan to talk to Captain Naruto about that as soon as possible. When I asked him about having a cryptography department, he replied they had the Think Tank as if it was an everyday thing."
…
Admiral Shimura and Commodore Kosnett showed up aboard the U.S.S. Wolverine for a surprise inspection and found the ship was spotless. They were given a full tour of the ship by Captain M'Fau and Commander Kumo before sitting down together in the ship's staff room for a discussion.
"You are saying that your sciences and engineering staffs decrypted that Klingon cipher as an exercise?" asked Phill Kosnett with his eyebrows to the ceiling.
"That would be correct sir." replied Commander Kumo. "Our crew decided to have a little competition to see who could crack it first. Engineering won this time."
Danzo almost fell out of his chair. "You don't do that with Federation codes do you?"
Naruto had a flat look and replied. "That would be against regulations sir. Breaking a Klingon cipher is not."
"You do realize Starfleet Intelligence could use your people…" said the Admiral.
"Fleet Admiral Nogura decided to leave the Think Tank together Admiral Shimura." said Naruto. "We as a group prefer it that way as we all work well together."
"Apparently so." said the Commodore in an impressed tone.
The Commodore and the Admiral left the U.S.S. Wolverine after discussing the situation with the Klingon Empire in detail. As Naruto expected, they both asked his opinions and Naruto's answer was to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst…
…
Stardate 2279.059, Federation Space
NCC-1602 U.S.S. Wolverine was back on routine patrol duty two weeks later along the Klingon Border when they detected gravimetric waves like those the D6E Investigator detected before H(D)361 exploded. "It's moving at warp factor four and appears to weigh about one solar mass." reported Alison Fairbanks. "Judging by the records we have from the Investigator I believe we can positively identify it as object 2."
Naruto said, "What is object 2's current heading? Does it go near any star systems?"
Samui answered, "Its current heading leads into empty space. It clearly is on a path to avoid star systems."
Naruto rubbed his chin. "Calculate the original course of object 1 before the Investigator tried to intercept it."
"Course calculated Captain M'Fau." said Doctor Fairbanks.
Naruto turned to the redhead. "See if tracing object 1 and object 2's courses back lead to a common point of origin."
Alison replied. "The coordinates show the Sheffield 3 Star System in the edge of Federation space near Tholian Territory."
Commander Kumo asked, "Are any Federation vessels near the Sheffield 3 System?"
Rafi reported, "NCC-509 U.S.S. Etzel should be on patrol in that vicinity."
Naruto nodded. "Lieutenant M'rella, contact the destroyer Etzel. Hopefully they can investigate it. For the time being we will parallel the course and speed of object 2 and try to discover its true nature."
…
"Ship's Log, Stardate 2279.060; Captain Naruto M'Fau reporting. The Wolverine has been following object 2 for 28 hours and scanning it in detail. It appears to be an unmanned ship or probe that is powered by a micro black hole. It is sending out scanning signals on a very specific frequency that we are trying to decipher. Attempting to communicate with it could be dangerous at this point and we do not wish to cause it to change course towards another Star System."
"Our sciences team is putting their efforts towards deciphering the repeated signal to discover its meaning. We also are awaiting news from U.S.S. Etzel regarding the origin of the objects. The Sheffield 3 System has been thoroughly charted with no signs of life so whatever is sending out the objects must not be native to the system…"
Naruto finished his log entry and M'rella said, "Incoming transmission from U.S.S. Etzel Captain. Commander Gibson says they've found the source of the objects."
"On screen M'rella." said Naruto.
Commander Gibson was a young-looking man with brown hair and a mustache. He said, "Captain Naruto, we've found the source of the object you've been trailing. All I can describe it as is a massive city about 20 kilometers in diameter. It's orbiting the star Sheffield 3 at about the distance one would expect a class M world to orbit a red dwarf star like Sheffield. We've attempted to hail them but have never received a reply. I believe a survey ship would be better suited to the task at hand."
The screen suddenly was filled the sight of an enormous disk-shaped city with massive clusters of skyscrapers on its top and bottom. It had the appearance of dark steel, and it glittered in the dull red light of Sheffield 3.
Gibson came back on screen and said, "We can't detect any life forms at the range we are at. There are no signs of power either. The floating city is a total mystery. I've already reported it to Starbase 17 and Starfleet Command, but I thought I would let you know since you technically located it."
Naruto nodded, "Thank you for the courtesy, Commander Gibson. I will contact Starfleet Command as well. Wolverine out."
"Etzel out." replied Gibson.
…
Commander Kumo asked, "Are we headed to the Sheffield 3 System Captain? It seems that Gibson doesn't have the heart of an explorer."
"I'm forced to agree." said Rafi with fire in her eyes. It was painfully obvious that everyone wanted to go.
Naruto said, "Contact Starfleet Command. We can't abandon following this object just yet."
Alison said, "I suggest we send out a universal peace message to this object on its specific scanning frequency or we'll be following it forever."
Naruto deliberated for a moment and said, "Make it so Doctor Fairbanks."
Lieutenant Commander Whitaker was alarmed and looked at Mabui who was not surprised in the least.
Doctor Fairbanks said, "Transmitting now."
The object immediately dropped out of warp and the black hole powering it vanished from their sensors. Rafi brought the Wolverine around to scan the object up close and they found it was indeed some sort of probe. "Sensors show it's totally inert Captain." said Ensign Ayasugi. "There is no power at all."
"How big is it?" asked Mabui.
"It's 2 meters long and just shy of a meter wide." said Alison.
Naruto said, "Let's scan it thoroughly from up close. If it's safe, we'll bring it into the shuttle bay for examination."
…
"Ship's Log, Supplemental; Commander Mabui Kumo reporting. The Wolverine has safely brought the inert object aboard the main shuttle deck, and we have confirmed it is some kind of probe. From what our science team has deduced, it holds the records of the disk-shaped construct currently in orbit of Sheffield 3. The question is why…"
…
U.S.S. Wolverine, Ship's Staff Room
Captain Naruto M'Fau was addressing his excited staff. "Starfleet Command has agreed that we should go to Sheffield 3 and explore the floating city there."
"Yes!" whispered Samui as she and Rafi high fived.
Alison said, "We should redouble our efforts on that probe then. There is bound to be data upon it about the Steel City."
"Steel City?" asked Mabui.
Kloene spoke up. "That's what the probe's databank calls it. Steel City or Metal City. We don't have an exact translation yet."
"How many days will it take to get to the Sheffield 3 System?" asked Commander Whitaker.
"It will take nine days at warp factor 4." answered Rafi.
Doctor Fairbanks said, "Then that gives us nine days to study that probe."
Shelly Wilson grinned. "The Etzel passed up a golden opportunity."
"Commander Gibson was simply being cautious." said Commander Kumo with a smile.
"His loss is our gain." said Ino. "Maybe there are records of an ancient civilization there."
Amelia was a bit trepidatious of the whole idea but found herself caught up in the excitement of the crew.
Adjourning to the bridge Naruto took his command chair and said, "Lieutenant Schrodinger. Lay in a course for the Sheffield 3 System."
"Course laid in Captain." reported Samui.
Naruto nodded with a tiny smile. "Rafi, ahead warp factor 4."
The fast cruiser shot off in a rainbow flash of light…
…
Next chapter we head to the Sheffield 3 System and the orbiting Steel City. See you next time. Blue out 10/4/23