Red Alert, Bridge Part I: There's Something Out Here

Posted on Thu May 28th, 2026 @ 1:21pm by Lieutenant Junior Grade T'lenn & Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acainus & Lieutenant Commander Xalanth & Lieutenant Jean-Baptiste Dorsainvil & Commander Maxun Spello & Lieutenant Commander Dante Ambrogio
Edited on on Thu May 28th, 2026 @ 1:31pm

1,920 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Peril at the Unification Accords
Location: USS Astrea: Main Bridge
Timeline: MD 11, 1330 Hours, [Concurrent with Marine Sweeps]

* * * Main Bridge * * *

Still sitting in the center seat, Maxun was reading the reports as they came in on the two armrest screens of the Captain's chair. Remy still hadn't made an appearance, and there was a bit of concern in his mind. However, he knew the Captain well enough that if she hadn't come to the bridge yet during a red alert, there had to be a good reason.

Putting the thought out of his head for now, he focused on the task at hand. "All stations, report."

T'lenn replied, "I'm attempting to trace an anomalous energy reading from approximately twenty-nine minutes ago, Commander. I could use the Sub-Commander's assistance."

"Acainus, give T'lenn a hand with the scans. Find the source of that signal!" Maxun stated from his place in the center seat.

Osirin's left eyebrow rose, though one had to be watching carefully to notice it. "Sensors weren't his forte, but he was at least decent with them, and he'd gotten accustomed to Federation techlogy. He began the scans. searching for clues and anything out of the ordinary.

"I have weapons armed and loaded, Commander," Xalanth said from the security station.

Jean-Baptiste sat the aft bridge station that had come to be known as 'Central Command', he seemed comfortable and very at ease managing the complex system that kept close contact with Starbase 773, Barisa Prime civilian control, Barisa Prime's Starfleet Security detachment, as well as Astrea's starfighter contingent.

He flipped from one channel to another, muttering as he went. An affirm here, a negative there. There was also the occasional stand by.

"Starfighter elements are maintaining formation at designated vectors," he said, hoping Spello and the rest of the bridge crew were listening. "No visual contact yet."

JB frowned slightly, listening intently to something through his earpiece.

"Repeat--no contact," he clarified. "Wide sweeps with no break in formation. Alert fighters are standing by."

His hands flew quickly over the console in front of him as he switched frequencies once again.

"Barisa Prime traffic control confirms civilian lanes are holding steady. Starbase 773 is reporting no additional outbound traffic--as ordered."


Maxun nodded from where he sat at command. He put aside his worries as to why Remy hadn't made it to the bridge yet. "Everyone, stay focused on your task. Disregard any stay thoughts. You know your jobs, you wouldn't be where you are now if we didn't believe you could do what was necessary." He hoped his little pep talk would ease some of the nervous energy that he was hearing in everyone's voice.

* * * Starfighters * * *

Outside in the circling starfighters, Jason's enhanced eyesight caught a prosecution in space particles off to his port side. He toggled his comm unit and spoke aloud. "Reaper to Astrea, I just caught sight of something unusual directly astern of you. Am altering my flight path to investigate." He then switched channels to the starfighter set. "Reaper to standby fighters launch and assume a protective patrol around the ship. Patrol group one, form up on me." He then released the call button clearing the channel as both he and his wingman alteredirection, while the other pair of starfighter that were already on patrol changed course to join him. As this was happening, the starfighters that were waiting to launch were quickly finalizing their launch checklists and deploying from the fighter bays, to take up station where Jason's group had been.

The launch bay was still hot from the last cycle of fighters to depart.

Taqqiq Allooloo--Ptarmigan--hit the deck at a fast walk which didn't break into a run. A run would have meant emergency. This was a notch below that. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, flight suit was half-zipped, and her expression appeared sour. She was only an hour out of flying the earlier CAP when the klaxons sounded and she was ordered back to the flight deck with half of her squadron. No rack time, no holodeck time, no time for chow.

"Third Squadron--let's move it!" her voice snapped across the bay before she even sighted her own bird. "We're the standby crew for now. Be ready to launch in sequence--you screw spacing, you end up on my shit list."

Behind her, one of the pilots laughed openly.

"Copy that, Lieutenant," came a familiar voice. It was Ensign Randy Rourke, callsign Spectre. He was ruddy-faced and red-haired and had a smile that others had remarked more than once looked similar to chimpanzee.

Taqqiq didn't even both looking behind her. Rourke was a smart-ass who spent too much time chumming around with marines, but he was a good pilot and one of her favourites. Any young pilot would be lucky to have him on their wing.

"Hey, Ptarmigan," another pilot called--callsign Foxglove--"you're just pissed you didn't get that post-patrol nap." She was a young woman of twenty-five with curly, auburn hair, and sharp dark eyes.

Taqqiq stopped at her cockpit ladder and looked over her shoulder to the three other pilots who were all just settling into their own.

"I'm not mad," she said indignantly. "I'm just annoyed because we have to wait on Reaper to make the call."

The slid into her cockpit like maple syrup and popped her helmet on. She continually surprised herself at how many times she'd suffered panic attacks as a child due to claustrophobia. And yet, here she was, piloting a starfighter and making it look easy.

"Spectre--port side, you're lead on this hop," she said into comms, stilling snapping her neck piece into place. "Foxglove, starboard wing. Tuilax, you're on my six. No hero runs and no freelancing. We're here to support Reaper and his group. He makes the call. Any questions?"

Her starfighter found itself moving as it was towed into place at the edge of the launch port. She quickly ran through her system checks while the others in the squadron sounded-off.

"Why does Tuilax always have your six, Ptarmigan?" came Rourke's teasing voice over the comm.

Suddenly, Tuilax--better known Ensign Porix--burst into laughter, his a deep-throated chuckle piping through Taqqiq's helmet.

"You know why..." came the reply from Foxglove. "He's always looking at her ass."

"Of course!" shouted Rourke gleefully.

"Ptarmigan just trusts Bolians more," Porix suggested.

With her pre-check complete, Taqqiq verified her weapons source one last time. Satisfied she was a go, she threw a hand-signal to Control, who were watching everything from above.

"Alright, let's stow it, people."

[Control to Third Squadron. Alert launch authorized. You are go.]

Ptarmigan was the first to launch, her engines whirring low and then rising to high-pitched shriek until the deck mechanism released and she her bird was streaking through the launch tube and into the black.

Foxglove's voice broken through comm one most time. "It's definitely that ass thing."

Taqqiq couldn't help but smile from inside her helmet. She loved her squadron. She just hoped they'd make it back in one piece.

"Ptarmigan to Reaper," she called-out. "We are three thousand clicks to your eight o'clock."

"Roger that, Ptarmigan," Jason replied as his group continued flying towards the disturbance he had glimpsed with his ocular implants. "Stay with the ship unless Ordered otherwise. We are almost to where I thought I saw a disturbance. Stand by." He switched back over to his the comm channel with Astrea's bridge. "Reaper to Astrea, do you read?"

* * * Main Bridge * * *

"Lieutenant Williams on comms, Sir," the young ensign standing alongside the Security Chief announced.

"Put him on audio," Maxun nodded as he waited to hear the young pilot speak. "Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Sir, my group is almost to the location that I noticed the stellar dust disturbance. Im scanning the area with both my starfight sensors and im switching through every vision spectrum that my implants possess. So far..."

Jason was cut off when a Romulan warbird decloaked and fired at the starfighters approaching it, Jason and his port wingman managed to evade the powerful disruptor blast, the other two, Ensign Debora Falx, callsign "Hydra", and Ensign Krag jub'Chu'coon, callsign "Fire Dancer" were not so lucky. Their raptors were completely destroyed by the disruptor blast. Afterwards, the warbird pinwheel away, reactivating its cloak.

"Holy shit!" Jason exclaimed. "Astrea! I've lost two pilots! The Romulans blasted them and disappeared!

"Lieutenant Williams, you and your remaining fight get back here now!" Maxun was on his feet as soon as the two raptors had been destroyed. "Tactical! Find me that ship now!"

The turbolift doors hissed open, and Dante stepped out; a grim but still very Italian smile gracing his lips. He ran a hand through his black hair as he surveyed the bridge and the activity. He approached Maxun in the seat, stopping a few paces away. "How can I be of assistance, Commander?"

Maxun looked over at the man and made a quick decision. "Work with the Sub-Lieutenant on the sensors. If that Romulan ship is still out there, I want it found."

Dante didn't waste the seconds it would have taken to give a verbal response, leaping into action and practically appearing next to the Sub-Lieutenant. He glanced over the console memorizing the info at that moment then turning to an empty console behind Osirin. In mere seconds he had the sensors pulled up and had a more expanded view in front of him. "Sub-Lieutenant; I am going to run constant analyses on the incoming data and will input calculations here for you to pull and apply. Please inform me of any anomalies you see that I can tag.

"Of course, Commander," T'lenn replied. She tried to remain focused on the task at hand, but when the starfighters went down, she couldn't help but worry about Jason out there, though her expression wouldn't show it - and the anomaly they were looking for was seemingly so innocuous that it was easy to miss.

As the Starfighters were ordered to retreat, the Warbird attempted to decloak and retreat as well, but the First Officer ordered the helm to pursue and long range phase cannons to attempt to disable their cloaking devices.

~tbc~

---

Commander Maxun Spello
First Officer
USS Astrea


Lieutenant JG T'lenn
Science Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of Remy Johansen)


Sub-Lieutenant Osirin Acainus
Mission Advisor
USS Astrea


Lt. Commander Xalanth
Chief Security Officer
USS Astrea


Lieutenant Jean-Baptiste Dorsainvil
Assistant Chief Security Officer
USS Astrea


Lt. Commander Dante Ambrogio
Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of Alexandra Blackstone)


&

Lieutenant JG Jason Williams III
Squadron Leader
USS Astrea
(NPC of Maxun Spello)


Lieutenant JG Taqqiq Allooloo
Leader, Fighter Squadron 3
USS Astrea
(NPC of JB Dorsainvil)

 

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