Time Flies...Crashes...Burns

Posted on Tue Mar 3, 2015 @ 8:30am by Lieutenant JG Leonora Dell

581 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Operations Department
Timeline: MD02 1600

::ON::
=^="Lower sector sensor array is clean and clear."=^= PO2 Va'tarra reported. =^="Returning now."=^=

Leonora Dell pulled her bun out and rubbed her temples to restore blood flow to the scalp. She'd been back at work a week, and things had been going fine until this. Two hours ago the sensor array had picked up three thousand new life signs in the environs of the station. Except where were they? They were registering in dead space. No ships there at all according to Strat Ops and traffic control.

The level 3 had comeback with no errors in the array software. Va'tarra's negative was the last report of the physical array inspections, and like all the rest hers was negative for problems. Dell hit her comm badge "Va'tarra, do me a favor. Look. With your eyes. Can you see anything out there?"

=^="No."=^=

Dell's shoulders slumped

=^="Er, wait."=^= The line went quiet.

"Va'tarra?" There was no reply. "Kell? You there?"

=^=Er, yes. Er. Lora? I thought I saw something. But its gone now."=^=

"What?" Leonora perked up. "What was it?"

=^="A ripple? Heat haze?"=^=

"Out here? We're 12 light minutes from the nearest star."

=^="I'm just saying."=^=

"Alright." Dell sucked her lip between her teeth and chewed it. "Okay Va'tarra, come on in. Its cold outside."

=^="Yes, Sir, Coming in."=^=

The line cut, and Dell stared at the diagnostics reports. She really wanted to run a level 1 across the board, but that would make the station blind for over six hours, more if it found anything and the investigative iterations kicked in.

The sensors peeped again. 4328 lifeforms, 223.5 million kilometers bearing 240.4 mark 83.6. The count was increasing too, one more every few seconds. And then it bleeped again. And they were gone. "That does it. Computer? Run level 1 diagnostic across all sensor arrays, starting with the arrays facing 240.4 mark 83.6 and moving away."

"Acknowledged. This diagnostic will take an estimated 8 hours and thirty two seconds."

"Ah well, time for coffee." She headed over to the replicator. "Grande hazelnut double shot mocha, whip and -"

"Diagnostics complete," the computer announced

What? How on earth was that possible. "Computer, confirm diagnostic time?"

"Total time elapsed, 8 hours 24 minutes, 49 seconds."

Dell groaned. Was the computer system of the fritz too now? More gremlins from when those yahoos Wallace and Darson trashed the computer core to save lives? Or maybe it was here? She'd start again from OPS, see if the same thing happened there. She stepped out of her office

The main operations department was in dim lighting, indicating the night cycle was in force. and she recognised the faces of the Gamma Shift. Lash for one, banished here for cheeking a senior officer. Again.

"Hey Boss Lady!" He gave her an enthusiastic wave. "We thought you'd clocked off hours ago."

Clocked off? "What time is it?" she asked him

"In the zone then Boss?" the half vulcan, half risian, crewman glanced at a panel. "Time according to the sexy voice is quarter to 1 am."

Gone midnight? It wasn't possible. How could she lose time like that? It had to be her. The shifts had changed. the station was in night cycle. "Er. Carry on, Mr Lash." Dell headed for the door, she needed to get to sickbay. Either she was going mad, or something strange had just happened. She hoped it was the latter.

::OFF::

Lt (JG) Leonora Dell
Acting Chief of Operations
DS5

PO2 Kell Va'tarra
Sensor technician
DS5

Crewman Lash
Holographics specialist
DS5

All NPCs by Yolanthe Ibalin

 

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