Star Trek: Atlas

2: Fight or Die

Captain's log, Stardate 57683.7

The USS Atlas has just arrived at the Gemini Nebula to investigate the disappearance of several of our science vessels. So far, we have had no contact from our missing ships, but we have found several other ships of an unknown configuration, and an... uninvited guest.

USS ATLAS

"Not your average bunch of ships, is it Captain?" Q asked.

Brahms immediately recognized Q. Everyone that went through the academy these days had to know about the omnipotent Q and their continuum.

"What do you want, Q?" Brahms asked as patiently as he could.

"Oh, nothing. Just want to see how the new 'Romulan' Starfleet captain can handle this situation. I'm just here to watch."

With that, Q strolled right behind the Captain's chair right next to Felix Savali as if he owned the bridge. Brahms wanted so badly to take this cocky omnipotent being and fling him across the bridge, but knew that would only get him some sort damnation from Q.

"Sir, I'm reading a massive power surge from the unknown ships! Their powering up some sort of poleron weapon systems!" Felix warned.

"Red alert! Shields up!" Brahms ordered.

"Shields are up!" Brex reported.

"Captain..." Felix said. "They're not targeting us! They're targeting that ship that just emerged from the nebula!"

"We're receiving a transmission." Kiska reported. "From the lead ship outside of the cloud."

Brahms was cautious. "Open a channel."

"Channel open."

"This is Captain Jared Brahms of the Federation starship..."

"We know who you are, Captain!" A being with red skin appeared on the viewscreen. He had long, orange hair with hints of silver, possibly from age. "I am Wraitan Zeriah! This is an internal Jarvanian matter, you will not interfere."

Brahms kept his patience. "We are looking for several of our science vessels that vanished near here..."

Once again, Brahms was cut off. "You will only find their wreckage. Consider your science vessels and their crews casualties of war."

Brahms tread cautiously. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, you primitive Romulan, is that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I've been hunting down a certain faction, and they were simply caught in the crossfire."

"Simply caught in the crossfire?!" Brahms was shocked as to how Wraitan just so casually brushed it off like nothing.

"As will you, if you don't leave immediately." The screen then went blank.

"Sir, I'm receiving a message from the ship that just emerged from the nebula. They say 'Start shooting if you want to live'." Kiska said.

Felix's console went off with alarms. "Captain, one of the smaller scale cruisers are moving to intercept. They have locked weapons on us!"

"Evasive maneuvers! Ensign, try to hail them again! Brex, power to weapons! Keal'dran, give me a status on their defenses." Brahms barked.

"Scanning... Sir, although they use polaron-type pulse weapons, their shielding is rather basic. From what I'm reading, a high-energy particle beam, like our phasers, should penetrate their shields."