Lost? Or Missing?

Posted on Sun Sep 1st, 2024 @ 1:03am by Captain Temperance Harding & Commander Elias Maxwell

Mission: Mission 5: Lost, Stolen, or Missing?
Location: USS Endurance

ON

It was time for the Endurance to depart. Correction, it was long past time for the Endurance to depart. The first hour’s delay was a host of different reasons. Minor issues with supplies, a computer security glitch had locked a few new crew out of the system… and oh yeah, one crew member had not returned from shoreleave.

The second hour had been continued delay requests to an ever increasingly frustrated docking control tower. More than once Harding had considered just… leaving. Yet, Valentine had come through. What sort of Captain would she be if she left a member of her crew behind? Besides, the woman had shown the greatest loyalty, and dedication during the investigation. She had surely earned some latitude.

By the end of the third hour of waiting, Harding’s patience was gone. Her willingness to look past the blatant disregard for duty, and - frankly - disrespect of the crew was gone. Harding stood at the window of her ready room, staring at the interior wall of the Starbase’s docking area. The clock chimed the top of the hour. The start of the fourth.

Harding tapped her commbadge. “Commander Maxwell. Get in here.”

It was a count of ten before the doors to her ready room opened. “Captain.” Neither question, nor statement, it was simply an announcement of his presence.

Harding waited for the doors to close, not daring to turn around, lest her anger be vented at her new XO. “I want you to go over there, and make sure Security finds her. Drag-” the word was drawn out, clearly enunciated “-her ass back on this ship. Once she is aboard, confine her to Quarters until I am ready for a Captain’s Mast.”

Elias Maxwell, newly appointed Executive Officer aboard the Endurance had known Temperance Harding for some time, and even he had to blink at the cold, hard tone. He cleared his throat quickly, and acknowledged the order. “Aye, Captain.”

The doors opened again, and closed behind the man as Harding was left alone, staring out the window. “You had better be in Sickbay dying,” She muttered darkly, not really meaning it, but at the very least hoping for a valid reason.

==========

Four cups of tea had allowed the next hour to pass more tolerably than without them, and while Harding’s bladder was screaming, she was not going to be caught in the head when Max came back. At long last the chime to her Ready Room door sounded. “Come.” Harding uttered, her own voice sounding flatter, and emotionless even to herself.

The doors opened, and closed, and for a span of a few seconds nothing was said. “Is she secured?” Harding finally asked.

The sound of Max clearing his throat filled the room. “She’s not onboard.”

That one sentence had Harding turned around, her anger about to explode.

“We only found her commbadge.” Max set the device on the desk, along with a PADD. “We managed to pull the last transmission from its flash memory.”

Harding stared at the commbadge, immediately regretting every questioning thought she had had over the last four hours. “What was it?”

Max tapped the PADD.

“Nyx Valentine to Security! Ro-” there was a sound of a heavy impact, an ‘oof’, and the signal ended.

“Tell me she wasn’t about to say Romulan?” Harding’s blood had run ice cold at the prospect. Had a member of her crew been kidnapped? Had she spent the last four hours sat here, seething in anger?

“Unknown.” Max was never one to voice an opinion without data to back it up. “Here’s what we do know. Security never got the message. Whoever took her must have used a localised damping field to prevent the transmission. The log in the flash memory puts it at three hours before our scheduled departure.”

Seven hours. Seven bloody hours! Harding’s mind was now angry at a whole new target, herself. “What’s next?” She was too angry to shout. Too scared to be anything other than outwardly calm.

“Station sensors picked up a strange tachyon signature at roughly the same time as the call for help.”

Harding sat down in her chair, and placed both elbows on the desk, her hands pressed against her forehead. “A cloaked ship,” She said, plainly.

“Very likely, if we assume that word was meant to be Romulan.” Max agreed. “I’ve got the science and engineering departments working on the sensor data now.”

Harding sighed long and hard. “Why would the Romulans grab an Engineer? Was it to delay us? Or was she in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Max tilted his head at her, ever the instructor he once was. “Tempe. You keep asking me questions you know I can’t answer.”

Harding held up a hand, apologising for putting it all on him. “Just… thinking out loud somewhat. Okay. Let’s get out of this damned Starbase and start a perimeter patrol. Maybe we can pick something up at closer range. XO, take us out, immediately.”

Max smiled at Harding, and while he gave the same two word answer as before, “Aye, Captain.” This time, it carried something more.

The man left the room, leaving Harding alone. She reached a hand for the commbadge, but couldn’t quite bring herself to touch it. “We’re coming, Nyx.” She said to no-one. “We’re coming.”

OFF