the open case file

Posted on Mon Sep 29th, 2025 @ 3:17am by Lieutenant Commander David Wallace

Mission: The Inner Flame
Location: System LP 656 - USS Cascade in system
Timeline: ====

On:

The Arrow shaped ship glided into the system the blue hue from it's engines' dimmed. USS Cascade slowed to impulse speed, on the bridge David sat in the center chair, the bridge was at yellow alert, "Helm do you have a lock on the signal?"

"Aye sir, it's stationary at mark zero three ten thousand as reported...." the helmsman paused "Sir the signal is Starfleet."

David flinched "Identity code..." he thought he already knew.

"USS Olympia..." the helmsman sounded confused "They went missing years ago."

"No they didn't." David said flatly, "Those beacons only have an eight day power cell they dropped the beacon to let us know they're still kicking, all stop!"

The howl of the impulse drive as the ship slowed, David looked at the display he tented his fingers the beacon was just a floating can in space, "Slide us in to transporter range beam it into the shuttle by for examination, continue the sweep of the system."

David stoop up "Juarez with me."

The two officers left the bridge the short turbolift ride felt an eternity to Juarez and David could feel it "What do you need say Ensign?"

"The Olympia went down, how the hell is it here?" the younger man said

"They didn't, after Admiral Layton's coup failed they faked their destruction and fled, for the last two plus decades they've been on the run since, along with another ship." David said "Consider that your briefing for now."

As the two men entered the shuttle bay an engineer was scanning the beacon, "They don't make'em like this!" he proclaimed

David looked at the engineer "You are confirming this is beacon from the Olympia a Galaxy Class starship?"

"Uh..Yes sir." the woman stumbled out.

"Say nothing until we get into the starbase." David said in his most official voice "Secure the beacon and get back to your post, we might have too do a jump to slipstream speeds."

Five minutes later on the bridge David was sitting again in the command chair looking at the readout, "Drop a sensor beacon and set course too the starbase, Slipstream speed...Punch it!"

"Get the Admiral on the horn in the ready room." David said as he stood.

===The ready room===

David spun his chair to face the computer the image of his father on the screen =^="Report?"=^=

"Sir it's them, we're processing the sensor logs but they did that to mess with us." David said

=^="Or too let us know they're still out there."=^= The Admiral said

"Both.." David said

=^="Brief the Commodore, looks like our old friends and our new ones need to have a sit down at the new treehouse."=^= The Admiral said.

"Can do...Back story too?" David asked.

=^="Start with it, get a full report on the Reman run in while your at it, I don't think it's a coincidence. Wallace out"=^=

David sat back in his chair, "Bridge ETA on Starbase?"

=="Three hours forty minutes."== A voice said

David stood up "Wake me in three, I'm going to grab a nap."

End