I sat up taller and looked over to where my second officer sat reading the scans we had picked up earlier today. The same old readings we got every day. I stifled a sigh and went back to staring out the main view point window. The hours that we had to stare out at that storm was long and tiring. When I first got the assignment to go look at this new formation I was excited to explore something new.
I wanted to let the ship live up to its name instead of taking ambassadors and senators to other worlds. Worlds already explored. The storm was pretty with its bright vibrant colors of orange, red, and green with a small hint of blue.
But what was more fascinating was the fact that there was a single planet in the middle of the storm. The planet had no life signs on it yet it was teeming with plants and it had a big ocean at the center. The even weirder thing was it had a day and a night which was impossible with the fact that it did not have a sun the planet never orbited around anything nor did it spin on the axis.
The first few days teemed with new knowledge about that strange planet but then when the same readings came from the planet it was clear there was nothing left to explore. We could not go to the planet due to the storm. It kept fluctuating that one minute our shields would hold against it then the next it would go right through them. Now the view out the window was dull and boring.
It was like watching the same episode on every channel for over three months. I stifled another sigh and leaned back in my chair but was careful to keep my back straight.
I looked back over to my second officer when we were on duty. She was simple just that but off duty she was more than that she was the love of my life. Her white hair that was coming out of her bun slid down to cover her face. She pushed it behind her ear with her slender fingers. She was beautiful. This time I let the sigh escape as I rested my head on my hand.
"Anything interesting?" Stavoy looked up and shook her head.
"No it's the same thing every day now, when will the admiral send us home? We've been here for three months" I recognized the sound in her voice and the look in her eyes. For I had more than once seen it when I looked at myself in the mirror. "I miss her, we have never been away from her this long" her voice was soft and I noted a hint of quiver in it.
"Janae is strong just like her mother" I reached out and took her hand "she's almost fifteen years old she's growing up"
"I know that's why I want to spend as much time with her" Stavoy looked down and sighed "How much longer will we be here for? There is no new information to be had"
"Admiral Hova will tell us when it's time to go home. I don't think he can keep us here much longer" I hope I kept that last part to myself. I looked at the clock and decided to end the day earlier. Maybe we could at least get a letter sent to Janae. I stood up and looking at my chief of security I nodded at him to get his attention.
"You have the bridge my friend" I waited to see him node then I walked out holding Stavoy hand.
"And what exactly do you hope to gain by ending the shift an hour early?"
"I am hoping to write a letter to Janae and get Josh to give it to her on his leave that is coming up"
"Ah-" Her voice trailed off. I pressed the button on the elevator after we were in. I pressed level three the elevator scanned me and Stavoy and then started moving up. As the words Welcome Captain Kash and Second Officer Stavoy rolled across the screen. Advance technology and we get a computer that makes you read what it's telling you. The only time it speaks is when you go to a red alert.
"I wonder if the Admiral will give us a leave" I looked at her
"Probably not. I don't think he can afford to have his captain and first officer to both leave the ship for a while then go back and I don't think he will allow it if even one of us leaves" The elevator door opened and I stepped out.
"Still no harm in asking though"
"No we can still ask but Admiral Hova does not like beggars so if he says no then we can't beg him or go around him that will only make him mad" I opened the door to our room and let Stavoy go first.
"Janae would have been sitting on that couch waiting for us to get home and when we do she would have jumped up and gave us both a hug"
"Yes she would have" A smile came across my face as I remembered coming home many times either on the ship or back at our house in Florida she would always be waiting whether it was an hour or fifteen minutes she was always waiting for us to get home.
"Oh!" Stavoy turned and looked at me "Why could she not come with us?"
"You heard the Admiral no children aloud he said that this mission was top secret and kids tend not to keep secrets"
"I know I just-"
"We are not the only ones whose kids could not come aboard" I took a pen off the dresser and gave it to her. "You write to Janae first"
. . . .
I quickly folded the letter and put it in the envelope along with Stavoy's and running out of the room I ran towards the elevator as red lights flashed everywhere. The computer's voice could be heard saying the same thing over and over again like that storm out the window Red alert all crew to stations. I ran out of the elevator and onto the bridge.
"Report!" I yelled as I walked over to Josh, my chief of security.
"One of the storms lightning strikes reached outside of its usual distance and attacked the ship the shields could not hold it back repair crew already repairing the damaged twelve people sent to sickbay one dead" I shook my head I handed the letter to Josh and I knew he knew who to give it to without me telling him he gave me a node and put it in his pocket. I walked down to my chair and sat down.
"Let me know when that storm starts to lash out again I want to be able to move around it if we can" I turned towards the communication officer "And get Admiral Hova on the line!"
"Yes captain" I wasn't long before the storm lashed out again without warning. The ship barely dodged it in time.
"Captain" I looked over to my communications officer
"Ensign?"
"Someone is hailing us. It looks like it's coming from the planet- '' She barely got those words out when there came a loud static noise and there came a voice so distorted that you could barely make out what it was saying and it sounded like it had a hard time getting the words out.
"Hhave I gott your attention no-now captain?" I stood up from my chair as the image of the storm vanished and a blurred out image of a human looking shadow appeared on screen.
"Who are you and why are you attacking my ship!?"
"Captain I j-j-just told yooou I-i-i-i need t-to gett yourrr attention"
"Well you got my attention so what do you want!"
"For youuu to le-le-leave my wor-wor-world al-a-alone"
"That's your planet? As far as I am concerned there were no life signs other than planets"
"Yo-your shipp isssss from ESD is-is ittt not?"
"It is but what does that have to do with you attacking my ship?"
"E-E-E-ESD willlll rue-rue the dayyy theeeey messed wiiithhh my-my worlds"
"Your worlds your not making sense"
"You haaavee fiiiive daysssss to leave o-or-or-or el-el-else" The static faded and as did his blurred image. Though poorly pronounced and hard to understand, the threat it just made was something that I got very clear as if it was spoken by someone who spoke all the languages very well. I sat there for a minute than turning towards my communications officer
"Get me Admiral Hova on the line now!" I stood up and walked into my office located on the bridge. I sat down in my chair bringing up the computer screen from the desk I turned it on. Admiral Hova's face appeared.
"You wanted to speak with me"
"Yes about something that happened with the storm first it attacked my ship than someone who's image was blurred so much I don't know what species it was and its voice was so distorted that I could barely hear what it was saying said and I quote exact "The ESD will rue the day they messed with my worlds" Whats going on here Admiral?" The Admiral was silent for a while. I could see fear in his eyes but then it went away.
"Stay in orbit of that storm until further notice but keep a safe distance" I stared at him.
"Stay in orbit, it said I have five days to leave. If I don't leave soon I will be having a lot of lives not only on my hands but on your's!"
"That's an order, dismissed!" the Admiral signed off. I turned and walked out.
"Bring as a safe distance from that storm have long range scanner scanning that storm unless it attacks" I sat down "I want a report brought to me every hour"
"Yes sir, bringing her around mark six" I sat in my chair and waited for the five days to be over. Something was not right by the way the Admiral acted and why would he tell us to stay in orbit? Did he not care about the lives of the crew? Something was a miss but I had a feeling that if I tried to look at it it would be like looking into a deep dark cave and no light to help guide the way. The Admiral called again saying I could only allow two members of my crew to take a leave. It was hard because I did not want to choose favorites but in the end I ended up having Josh and a guy from the repair crew leave. Josh could go see his family and perhaps give Janae the letters we wrote her. The crew member from repair I sent home because his wife had their first baby a month ago. It would be good for him to meet his daughter.
The five days were gone too fast and it was noted by the sound of static and the same blurred image coming onto the screen again.
"Stilll heeear I-i-i seeeeee" I said nothing just glared at the blurred image
"Welllll ha-ha-have it youurrr waayy"
"Sir the storm is acting up its moving are way it-" The replacement for Josh barely got his last word out as the storm moved close to us in a matter of a seconds nothing has ever moved that fast before I looked over at Stavoy and grabbed her hand as the lighting strikes pentarted the hall everything became bright as if you were looking into the sun and than all went black the last thing I thought was at least Janae would get the letters we sent her even if they would be the last.