[M] When the Abyss Looks Back [IC - Hannelorian & cwlee]

[cwlee]

The Sovereign
Outskirts of the Ophiuchus System, approximately 4.5 terameters* from Ophiuchus Prime

*Author's Note- 4.5 terameters is 4.5 billion kilometers which is also approximately the distance of Neptune from the Sun.

In the profound emptiness and absolute silence of the void, a solitary beam of light pierced through, expanding into a massive rupture as if the vacuum of space had yawned itself apart, warping all light around it. The vibrant streaks of colorful beams that once filled the command bridge's view condensed into singular points of light as the command ship manipulated space-time around herself, emerging from FTL travel. The Sovereign and her crew had arrived in the Ophiuchus System, though several days of journey still lay ahead.

Captain Amaj Sans had made a last minute decision to emerge from FTL travel and initiate the Fog-of-War Protocol a day early. As a man of caution, he knew that in the vast, perilous expanse of the void, even a single, simple mistake could spell disaster for everyone onboard. In the unforgiving nature of space, precaution was their closest ally, yet even then, despite even the most cared for and calculated measures, the void remained full of extraordinary surprises. Against the fabric of the Universe, that some deemed a god or God, these humans were closer in size to atoms than to a star, and as such, the captain knew his place.

"Captain, the Protocol has been initiated and is now in full effect," reported a navy officer that stood underneath the commanding stage, looking up to the superior officer.

"Very good," replied the captain. The captain stared out the front where only the blackness and scattered specks of white greeted him. His hands were behind his back as he observed and focused on a single dot of light in the great distance. "And all personnel have been accounted for, Lieutenant?"

The officer nodded to the captain. "Sir, yes, sir. Ensign Breakersfield has just reported in that Doctor Johanna Godwin is secure as well. How should we proceed, captain? Forgive my disobedience, captain, but many of the subordinates are anxious about this new situation, as if the Fog-of-War Protocol alone wasn't anxiety inducing enough, sir." The officer stuttered in between some words, encasing his nervousness.

There was a slight moment of silence as the captain seemed to come up with an answer. In truth, he himself was not fond of the mission he was given by his own superiors, but being that he seemed to silently boast the highest success rate of naval missions, who else could they have chosen? "Do you know what a fog of war is, lieutenant?" the captain finally answered with a question.

The officer hesitated, knowing the answer, but was thrown off by the suddenness of it. "Y-Yes, of course, sir. It's the uncertainty in the situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations, according to the Federation Navy Manual Fifteenth Edition, sir."

"Correct. And do you think this is a military operation?" the captained followed up with another question.

Another hesitation. "Uh, yes, sir. Of course."

"Do you think we're going to war, lieutenant?"

"N-No, sir. I don't think-"

"How do you know?" the captain interrupted.

"I don't, sir, but from the briefing, we're assigned to investigate a rogue research facility."

"Correct, and how do you speculate that this place will just welcome us with open arms? We don't, lieutenant. That is why this protocol exists. Even with our best technology, it takes us an entire week to reach the outer layers of the Federation territory. That's more than plenty of time for an enemy of the Federation to reach the facility long before we do. Call it luck or precise calculation that they didn't ambush us or that we didn't get struck by a stray EMP solar pulse when we emerged from FTL, but we must proceed with even more caution from hereon. Understand, lieutenant?" The officer silently nodded, followed by a quiet, 'sir.'

"Then Lieutenant, relay a message to Ensign Breakersfield immediately," commanded the captain, his voice steady and authoritative. "Inform him that he has been selected for the reconnaissance team. He and Doctor Godwin will lead a squad to scout the research facility ahead of our arrival. A gunship will be prepared and ready for departure in six hours time. I will personally brief them when they depart." The officer snapped to attention, acknowledging the order with a crisp salute before swiftly carrying it out.

---

Alexander was genuinely impressed by the organization and fluidity of the medical personnel as they readied themselves for the protocol. Despite his many years in the military, he often found it ironic that civilians tended to follow orders better than the soldiers; to Alexander, the marines were simply toddlers in grown men's suits. As Doctor Johanna directed her units, Alexander watched her with admiration, even a touch of jealousy, noting how effortlessly she garnered respect and authority.

Upon watching the situation unfold, Alexander's communication device began to hum and light up. With a press of a switch, a hologram projection of a fellow naval officer appeared. "Lieutenant, sir," Alexander greeted with a half salute.

"Battery," the holographic officer greeted Alexander by his nickname. "Just received new orders from the captain. You and Doctor Godwin have been assigned on a reconnaissance mission. He wants you and Doctor Godwin to report to the hangar bay as soon as possible. You'll be departing in less than six hours. He'll brief you when you head out. Good luck, Ensign. Lieutenant, out." Without further exchange of words, the conversation was abruptly cut as the hologram vanished into nothingness as a daunting silence replaced the air, Alexander's eyes slowly making their way back to the lady doctor unsure whether or not she heard the new news.

[Hannelorian]

The exit from FTL was always just a bit jarring for many of the civilian members of the crew, but Johanna had experienced it so many times it barely phased her anymore. Especially now when she was so entirely focused with the tasks at hand as they required her full attention. However the sound of Alexander's comm device caught her ear and she turned her head just a bit, though watching somehow felt like an intrusion into his private space. They were close now, and it seemed a smart decision not to put the entire vessel at risk of attack, but rather send a small recon force.

"Battery?" Johanna asked with her head cocked to the side. "An interesting nickname." Though Johanna supposed that perhaps now was not the most ideal time for such discussion, it did leave a question mark in her mind. Why on Earth would he be called such a thing? "And so we go... like lambs to the slaughter." Johanna sighed deeply as she wondered about what was truly waiting for them out there. The thought was... almost too much to bare, what had happened to her friend? Her colleague? To all of the other subjects he had experimented upon.

"Alpha team, suit up." Her Alpha team in this case was three people, intentionally designed to be a small squad of a nurse and fellow doctor, so that their numbers would not grow too high once the military added their own into the ranks, usually in greater numbers anyway. Johanna stepped up to Alexander and stood before him, briefly resting her hand upon his face before letting it slide down to his shoulder. "I... uh..." Johanna thought for a moment, her eyes gazing downward toward the floor.

"I need you to... be prepared for anything. The possibilities of what we are about to see are... not endless, but... none of the scenarios my team has run are... positive, shall we say. But no matter what... more than anything. I need your support. Not your judgment." Johanna offered a small smile as she disengaged and followed by her team began to move toward the designated hangar bay.

[cwlee]

For the first time since he and the Doctor met, his focus shifted from her to the escalating situation around them. Ever since he had become aware of her, her features had etched themselves into his thoughts, persistently occupying his normally calculatory mind. For over half his life, his obsessions had been with the Federation, the military, the academy... but meeting this Doctor less than a month ago had altered his perspective. Strangely, he couldn't quite grasp what this new perspective was, but he was keenly aware of its existence, and thus, the seed of change had been planted.

But now, his true reality returned, the Sovereign's battle alarm blaring into his ears, drowning out any thoughts except those of the mission. For the first time since he and the Doctor had met, she became just another doctor onboard the vessel, just another member of the medical staff. Because at the end of the day, Alexander was a loyal dog of the Federation. The mission always came first.

"I understand, doctor," the Ensign replied calmly. "I've run the tactical simulation myself, given what I know now, and calculated that we have higher odds of death than survival, marginally by only eleven percent, but I predict that is about the drastically change," he added, referring to the simulation running in his own mind. Alexander followed her out of her domain, but once they were in the hallway, the officer took the lead, guiding her through the corridor filled with marching, or stampeding, rather, soldiers and medical personnel alike.

Their walk to the hangar bay took a few minutes longer than usual, as every personnel on board was activated to follow protocol. On normal occasions, the ship felt empty and lifeless, but during battle station, the ship felt alive. Adrenaline rushed through Alexander's veins as he prepared for a potential battle for the first time in a while, though for all the wrong reasons. Unlike his usual missions of tactically advising troops from the safety of the command ship, his mission right now was to personally survey the research station.

The hangar bay was even more crowded, with pilots and mechanics bustling about alongside all the marching marines. The standard Federation twin-engine gunships were lined up side by side, with likely a dozen more on standby. Only one gunships had been readied, its engines already running. Four soldiers, geared head to toe in combat spacesuits, waited by the gunships, straightening up as the officer and the assigned medical units arrived.

"Special forces?" Alexander thought aloud, likely loud enough for the Doctor to catch wind of. Seemingly, the situation became worse or better.

"Officer on deck," alerted one of the four soldiers, their voice muffled and disguised by the helmet.

"At ease, soldiers," Alexander addressed them. "I didn't know we called in special forces for surveying missions. What is the captain up to?" It was rhetorical. The officer turned towards the doctors and nurses and introduced his side of the team. "Doctor Johanna, these are the Navy Specters, Federation's finest soldiers. With these four around, I presume our chances of survival will increase."

"Ah, Doctor Johanna. I've read your reports. Gotta say, should give me an autograph after this mission," said another of the four, their voice also muffled by the helmet. They all sounded the same. "And maybe a drink some time?" Like a bunch of boys in armor, three of them cackled before the fourth one brought them back upright again. "Apologies, doctor. But your work is admirable still."

[Hannelorian]

The hangar bay was not a foreign world to the doctor, rather one that was usually filled with excitement. It promised a new challenge, a new world, something wild and different to explore. Or the rush of those returning from the field where her and her team were desperately needed to attend to injury, or in sadder times to collect the dead for autopsy. Today was not a day where this place held her excitement, rather it was like a harbinger of death and filled her with a deep and abiding dread.

"Gentlemen." Johanna responded with a soft smile, the comment about the autograph or indeed even the notion of drinks did not phase her, she was not here to focus on those kinds of things. "At least you seem confident we shall return...alive." Johanna remarked rather plainly, though the confidence was indeed refreshing, at least someone of the assembled had a positive attitude. Her team had the same dour outlook as she, each of them reviewing the files and research that remained from the original work.

"While it is far from place... I'd recommend a lower power approach, we want to hide as long as we can." Johanna sighed and turned quickly to look at her team before giving a stern nod. Johanna followed another calling voice as she was directed to her gear which had arrived. Including the hazmat grade space suit which had been fitted for her some moons ago. It wouldn't take more than few minutes for her to change and be fully prepared. Returning to the gunship she stepped aboard and waited for the others.

"And lastly... do remember, they are all connected. There is no element of surprise, if one of them sees us, they all see us. If make an enemy of one, we make an enemy of all. There is no room for mistakes"