A ship

The Quickeness Nebula fills the main viewscreen. Even with the automatic filters on, its harsh light causes you to squint. However, you see a small black spot against the swirling blues and purples of the nebula. With Spock at his science console as usual, you quickly slide into the empty command chair.

“A ship?!” you ask.

“Unable to determine.” Spock answers after a moment. You turn to face your Vulcan First officer. You tilt your head slightly. Something is wrong. Spock never hesitates. Even when he is unsure, he lets you know what the problem is right away.

“Spock?” you prompt.

“Something is interfering with our sensors.” he responds, “However that is a definite possibility.” You can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. The way he is bent over the hooded viewer looks the same as always. His blue shirt is as smooth as ever. With an unknown and possibly hostile entity staring you in the face, you don’t have time to figure it out.

“Range to target?” you ask. Not getting a response, you focus on the center console. Ensign Chekov is staring at the small helmsman sitting next to him. If you didn’t know Pavel better, you would have sworn that his mind was solely on her perky breasts. You couldn’t bring yourself to be too hard on your navigator. After all, he is still a young officer and she is attractive. Still… You notice the Lieutenant’s eyes never leave the viewscreen as she slowly reaches over to his panel and press several buttons. Targeting information appears on the screen next to the black dot. The way the numbers jump around confirms Spock’s assessment that something is interfering with the sensors.

“Hail them.” You call out. You turn to see that the lieutenant is staring blankly at the screen. Her face is a bit flushed. “Uhuru?” Hearing her name, the shapely black woman shakes herself.

“Aye Sir!” she says as she turns back to her console, “Hailing frequencies open.” You pause a moment. Her rich voice seems a bit huskier than usual.

“This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise to the ship near the Quickeness Nebula.” You announce, “Do you require assistance? I say again. This is Captain James T Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Do you require assistance? Please respond.” You look at Uhuru who shakes her head.

“Keep trying on all frequencies and in all known languages.” you tell her. You turn back to the viewscreen. You have to squint and turn your head as the harsh glare from the nebula is punctuated by several blinding flashes.

“TACTICAL!” you call out. It takes Ensign Checkov almost a minute to respond, but at the touch of a button, the image on the viewscreen switches to a computer graphic representing the view from above the galactic plane. On the left side, a green dot represents the Enterprise. A yellow arrow points from the Enterprise to the right. The numbers directly above it indicate course and speed. On the right side is a red dot. Above it is the label “UNKNOWN”. A wavy gray line runs from the top of the screen to the bottom along the right side. It represents the edge of the nebula. You blink. You do a second take. The line has moved. You scowl. The fact that the line is shifting is unexpected, but not unheard of. However, the fact the thickness of the line is changing is disturbing. It means your sensors can’t get a good fix on the nebula’s boundary.

You **** yourself to sit patiently as the seconds tick by. Slowly the green dot moves from left to right. Every so often, the green dot jumps back to the left edge of the screen and gets bigger as the tactical display zooms in.

“Visual!” you order. Ensign Chekov presses a button. The nebula appears on the screen once more. You squint at the sight. “Decrease Brightness and contrast.” you add. When nothing happens, you look towards the navigator’s station. Ensign Chekov’s hands slide aimlessly over his panel. His eyes dart back and forth between the viewscreen and the Lieutenant sitting next to him. Lieutenant Imato sits unmoving. Her eyes stare blankly at the screen. You rise and slide the controls to the desired position. You look over and notice that the way the Lieutenant is sitting pulls the front of her tunic tight across her small breasts. You feel your manhood rise at the sight and quickly retreat.

You cross to Spock’s station and look at the screen. The nebula continues to swirl. The pulsar continues to blink its irregular pattern. However, it is the dark spot in the middle of the screen that draws your attention. It looks more like a fairy tale castle than a spaceship. Mother-of-pearl walls and spires are broken by what appear to be shuttered windows. All the shutters are thrown open. A single window shows a dim light beyond. It fades even as you stare at it.

“Spock?”

“Fascinating…” Spock says as he joins you. “It resembles a Terran fortification circa old calendar 1300 AD. However, such a structure cannot possibly be in this sector. It certainly can’t be here without some sort of planet.”

“Analysis?” you prompt, “Could it actually be a castle?”

“Impossible to determine,” Spock answers, “While it has been in sensor range for quite some time, I have been unable to get any readings on it.” You notice your Vulcan Science Officer press a couple fingers to his right temple. You also notice a slight tensing of his facial muscles.

“Radiation from the nebula interfering?” you wonder.

“Possible, but unlikely.” Spock responds, “Radiation levels are elevated, but well within acceptable tolerances. The ship is blocking the radiation from the Quickeness Nebula. I can not make out any details, but the ship is approximately half our size and proportioned for human sized occupants.” You ponder a moment before you make your next announcement.