Unfinished - Part Three

Posted on Mon May 20th, 2024 @ 7:49am by Admiral Audra Milne & Captain Nycolas Temple

Mission: The Only Thing Left Was Hope
Location: Earth - Denmark

ON:

Morning had dawned upon Copenhagen once more and Nyx had just returned from dropping off Kat at school, while Emilie took William to the doctors for a check-up. As soon as he reached his office, he sat down at the console and sent a subspace message to Carnwennan Station.

After a few moments, he was greeted by a familiar face.

"Captain Temple," Admiral Audra Milne smiled, "What a surprise." She lied.

Nyx returned the smile but it was fleeting. "Admiral, it's been a while."

"Six months, Captain." Audra nodded, "How are the kids?"

Nyx paused and shook his head. "I'd rather get straight to business, Admiral. Where is she?"

Audra gave a short laugh and leaned back in her chair. "I saw you had made enquiries at Luna and Planitia. The Pandora is safe, Nyx."

"Section 31 doesn't have it then?" Nyx furrowed his brow. Last he heard the ship had somehow been 'misplaced' between the two space docks, both believing the other had possession of the Pandora. Of course, he naturally had assumed the disappearance was the work of the nefarious Section 31.

"Them? Ha. No." Audra grinned, "They have no interest in your ship now. Once we extradited the prisoner, we also removed all data relating to the incident from the ship's computer. A complete clean. We also fixed the hull breaches, structural damage, repainted the insignia, and put in some new plants."

Nyx gave a sigh, relieved they had managed to protect the Pandora by removing the data S31 would have kept coming after them for. Even if it felt like they were erasing part of her history - his history - in the process. But it had to be done, he reasoned, to stop the Pandora from being constantly under threat from 31's interest.

"The Expanse was a heck of a mission." Nyx nodded, "I'm not surprised she needed so much work. But she held it together through some incredibly dangerous situations. *We* held her together."

"That you did." Audra agreed, "And we found so much of your exploration data. The Salvaxe system, Indigo Sky, Hesiod. Fascinating discoveries, Captain. Remarkable stuff."

Nyx nodded again before giving a wide shrug. "Then... where is she, Admiral? Where's my ship?"

"That is a more complicated answer." Audra sighed, "And I don't honestly know."

"How do you lose a starship?" Nyx asked pointedly, leaning forward in his chair. He was prone to losing control of his pleasantries in the face of these questions - but there always seemed to be these damned questions when Starfleet decided to play games with them.

"It's not lost, it's under-going further analysis." Audra replied, "I am being one hundred percent honest with you, Captain. I was over-ridden by Command who wanted the Pandora to undergo further testing. For what? I don't know that either. She was taken out of regular dock to an unknown location. That is all I know. The Pandora was officially removed from my jurisdiction. Her whereabouts are a secret."

Nyx buried his face in his hands for a moment, before he looked up at the screen once more.

"Someone knows." He said, almost a whisper.

Audra looked puzzled, "Who?"

"I was visited by a concealed figure in Paris." Nyx explained, "They wanted me to return to the Pandora. Said I had unfinished business to complete. They must have known she was missing."

"Concealed?" Audra asked.

"In the shadows. Claimed he wasn't 31 either. Said the same thing you just did, that 31 isn't interested in me anymore." Nyx said, "But when I tried to grab hold of him, it was like he just disappeared. Snap and he was gone."

Without hesitating, Audra pressed some buttons on her screen, and the view became split with a sensor reading. "About two hours ago we had a momentary sensor detection from Luna's proximity scans. A ship that suddenly appeared but was then gone within a second. No warp signature, no trace. Just like it was never there."

"Advanced tech." Nyx said gravely.

"Yes, but we still received an ID from the ship." Audra said, hands on her console again. "Your personal shuttle from the Pandora, the S.S. Prime."

"My shuttle?" Nyx's eyes went wide. "How?"

"I don't know." Audra replied, "From what I can gather, it was stationed on the opposite side of the moon to the shipyards and I believe it had been piggy-backing on Luna for communications. Of course, since I don't know where the Pandora is, I can't just ask them if they're missing a shuttle."

"The Prime didn't have that travel ability." Nyx shook his head, "But then why bring it here, risk exposure, just to encourage me to return to the Pandora?"

"It's not just *you* there were after." Audra suggested, "I asked Luna to analyze their communications data and it appears as if the Prime was also watching Commander Nash, Lieutenant Smith, Lieutenant Jameson, Lieutenant Kaleri, and two of your former civilian passengers. They were reaching your senior crew and the civilians, for some reason."

Nyx felt a stirring in his stomach, at first a whisper of fear knowing that someone had been watching them but then a spark of joy. Those names. Those people. His friends and family. He had not heard much from them the past six months but hearing their names now gave him reason to smile.

"Just those?" Nyx asked after a moment.

"Of course not Brennan and Griffin." Audra remarked pointedly with a raised eyebrow to him. "Only you seem to know where they are."

"They're not involved anymore." Nyx said firmly, "They're living a peaceful life away from all this. And some of my other senior officers have already been reassigned elsewhere so I assume this mystery person isn't after them either."

"Appears not." Audra sighed, "So why does this interest you, Captain? Why make enquiries to the shipyards, why seek me out today? Are you interested in finding the Pandora?"

Nyx stood from his chair immediately at the question, as if giving some distance from the computer screen would make the question less direct. Less revealing. He leaned against the bookshelf behind him and hung his head.

"It became so dark." Nyx replied quietly, so softly Audra had to lean in from her chair. "I didn't see a way out of the mess caused by Pithos, by 31, by Starfleet Command."

"Time has passed now, Captain." Audra replied, pointedly using his title to remind him of who he was. "Your ship achieved so much in the Expanse. Imagine what she could do if put back in service? Not necessarily just for the Expanse - but for other areas that are crying out for your ship and your crew."

Nyx turned around, a soft glistening in his eyes. Was that a feeling of pride returning? Of hope?

"Whomever has the S.S. Prime has sought you and your crew out for a reason." Audra continued, "To find the Pandora. They know where she is and more importantly, they want you to find her, to continue your unfinished business."

"How?" Nyx asked meekly, the words falling out before he could stop himself.

"The same way you did everything in the past," Audra smiled, "With your crew."

Nyx returned to his chair and sat down in it heavily. "Where are they now?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Risa. Or heading to Risa." Audra answered immediately, she had prepped all the data for him, knowing this call would come. "They have a head start on you, Temple."

"I... have to consider my family." Nyx frowned, "I don't want to drag them into this."

"That's your call," Audra shrugged, "I can have a high-speed transport ready for you as soon as possible. Think it over, okay?"

"I will." Nyx nodded solemnly, "And thank you, Admiral."

After saying his goodbyes, the screen went blank and Nyx was left alone in his office once more. His head was swimming with so many thoughts. The Pandora. The mysterious person. The crew. His family. In just one day his life of relaxation and semi-retirement had been completely up-ended and he was once again thrown into a chase for answers. But there was something else brewing inside of him too. A feeling of purpose. A reason to act. The confidence that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to continue to do what he felt he was made to do - help make the galaxy a safer place.

He was sitting in the silence contemplating his answer when he heard the front door open. Emilie was home with William, and he felt relieved. She was the only one who could help him make sense of it all, and the decision he was about to make.

OFF

 

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