Episode 27. Safe Harbor
Context
- Coordinated Universal Time
- Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - 2:54 PM
- Location
-
- Space
- Lunar Orbit
- USS Mercator
- Bridge
- Timeline
- Unknown Timeline
- Previously
-
After three days of drifting and surviving aboard a ruined vessel, the crew of the Mercator finally reaches lunar orbit. But the situation worsens: systems fail one after another and the hull is coming apart. Just when all hope seems lost, NATO's starbase finally answers the distress signal and authorizes the Mercator's approach.
Characters
| Name | Affiliation / Branch | Title / Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Agnes V. Rodriguez | NATO / Special Fleet | Captain |
| Angie Chen | NATO / Special Fleet | Commander |
| Eric Corda | NATO / Special Fleet | Lieutenant Commander |
| Emilie Flores | NATO / Special Fleet | Ensign |
| Charlene Savea | NATO / Special Fleet | Lieutenant |
| Starbase Operator | NATO / Starbase | N/A |
Manifest
| USS Mercator | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | NATO |
| Location | Lunar Orbit |
| Captain | Agnes V. Rodriguez |
| First Officer | Angie Chen |
| Pilot | Eric Corda |
| Communications | Emilie Flores |
| Operations | Charlene Savea |
| Advanced Weapons | Eros Vitos |
| Infirmary | Victor S. Calpel |
| Counselor/Consultant | Manu (unofficial) |
| Custodian | Manu |
| Passengers |
|
TL;DR
The breathless Mercator is finally towed to the starbase by an escort of shuttles. The officers discover, awestruck, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, a technological jewel that is bound to raise questions.
Story
Contact with the starbase has given us a glimmer of hope.
But hope does not repair a dying vessel.
The Mercator's condition is getting worse by the minute. The worst-hit sections are starting to run low on oxygen. And that abstract idea, the one that every second counts... suddenly becomes very concrete. Terribly concrete.
NATO Starbase Communications
USS Mercator, we are sending you a shuttle escort for towing.
Please stabilize and shut down your engines.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Copy that, starbase.
Mr. Corda, you heard them.
Make this vessel stop spinning like a top.
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda Pilot
Stabilizing now, Captain.
Ens. Emilie Flores Communications
Captain...
The life-support systems are failing one after another. I am receiving reports from almost every sector.
The crews are calling for help.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Do not answer, Flores.
Their fate is no longer in our hands.
Cut all communications.
Ens. Emilie Flores Communications
But Captain...
They are dying!
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
Ensign Flores.
Obey the captain.
Ens. Emilie Flores Communications
But, Commander Chen...
...Yes, Commander.
Communications cut.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Savea, shut down all non-vital systems.
Including those on the bridge.
Lt. Charlene Savea Operations
All non-essential systems are offline, Captain.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Mr. Corda, retract the main screen and raise the panoramic window shutters so we can admire the view with our own eyes.
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda Pilot
Screen retracted.
Shutters raised, Captain.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Now... all we can do is wait.
All of you, rest.
You have earned it.
The bridge falls almost completely silent.
The familiar sounds of the consoles have vanished. Only the hull's dull groans remain, like the last sighs of a vessel at the end of its strength.
The heat gradually gives way to a biting cold.
Our survival now depends on one thing: how fast help arrives.
Through the panoramic bay, the starbase finally appears.
A gigantic orbital structure, massive, almost organic. A mushroom of metal suspended in the void, capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people.
Four shuttles emerge from the base and head toward us.
One after another, they deploy their grappling hooks and anchor themselves to the ends of the Mercator.
The towing begins.
Slow. Steady. Irreversible.
As we approach, the station's immense bays open before us. The Mercator glides inside, sliding into a colossal space.
A row of Nauvoo transport ships similar to ours is lined up with almost unreal precision.
And then... in the center of that perfectly ordered perspective, another vessel catches everyone's eye.
The USS Enterprise NCC-1701.
The future flagship of the NATO fleet, scheduled to enter service during the year 2024.
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Corda Pilot
Aaaah...
How I would love to fly that one.
Ens. Emilie Flores Communications
It really is magnificent, Eric.
I heard every bridge officer even gets their own cabin.
What do you think, Charlene?
Lt. Charlene Savea Operations
Constitution-class cruiser designed to explore Earth-like exoplanets.
Twelve years in the making.
Three-hundred-sixty-degree phaser arrays with ten times our firepower.
Warp speed: 3.5.
A true marvel of engineering.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
You seem to know this vessel well, Charlene.
Lt. Charlene Savea Operations
Yes... and no, Captain.
Certain aspects are regularly covered during our refresher training.
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
Say, Agnes...
Now that it's fully assembled... do you not find it strangely familiar?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I was wondering exactly the same thing, Angie.
Looking at it now... I feel like I've seen it before.
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
We've seen it before, Agnes.
It is the same ship as in the series Galaxy Patrol.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
You mean that old sixties series you binge-watch every night?
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
Yes... that one.
Down to a few details, it is exactly the same vessel.
Do you not find that strange?
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
It must be a simple coincidence, Angie.
Don't let your imagination run wild.
Cmdr. Angie Chen Number One
Ha ha!
Do not worry.
But I still think it deserves our attention.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
I can see where this is going.
Do not do anything stupid.
Lt. Charlene Savea Operations
Captain, the vessel is now docked at dock A.
The access ramps are being deployed.
Capt. Agnes V. Rodriguez
Thank you, Charlene.
If you still have a little juice left, power your console back on.
Unlock every access door. We need to make the rescue teams' work easier.