Executive Officer's Personal Log, Stardate: 2461471
Women... What's wrong with them? Who would've thought that being in love could be so hard? I remember my mom saying, "being in love is like being in trouble. You just know you are when something happens." Thanks Mom. Well, she was right, I know I am. The problem is, how does she feel? If the one you love doesn't understand she's the only one in your mind all the time, then where does that leave you? I don't know, and I don't know if mom knows either. Well, that's one that I'm just going to have to work on.
End Log.
Garek sat back in his chair and pushed the computer terminal screen down into the desk. The Ready Room on the station was something Garek didn't get to enjoy very often. When he did, however, he noticed that the chair fit him like a glove. He looked out in to space momentarily and then shook his head as if reorientating himself back to the real world. "Computer, locate Lieutenant Kim Tycho." Garek went searching for the pilot for nearly four hours after her "disappearence." He finally gave up, and headed to the Operations center to clear his mind. The time was now 0800 hours, and he had been on shift for what appeared to be ages. [Commander Loran to the bridge please,] the operations officer called.
"On my way," Garek replied. He slowly rose from his seat, rubbing his eyes. He then exited the ready room stepping out onto the control deck. The petty officer sitting at operations brought up some data on the main view screen.
"Sir, we had an unauthorized launch at approximately 0645 this morning."
"Why wasn't I notified sooner?" Garek asked.
"I apologize sir, I just discovered this now. The ship was able to hide its warp signature by piggy-backing on a freighter that left at the same time." The petty officer shifted in his seat uneasily, feeling he had failed and his career was on the line.
"Relax. Have you been able to identify the ship that left?"
"That's affirmative." He slid in his chair along the fixed rail on the floor to the right side control panel. The ship was designated as a YF-6100 shuttlecraft designate NCCF-6100-0005." He looked up at Garek who was standing behind his seat.
That's Kim, was all Garek could think. Garek stood quietly, mentally calculating if he would be able to locate a fighter with roughly hour and fifteen minute head start. "Raise Colonel Tarik and tell him that he is in command of the station."
"Understood sir..." the petty officer replied, confused. He slid back over to the main terminal and began to hail Colonel Tarik. Garek walked to the aft of the control center and stepped onto the turbolift.
The Lambda Flier accelerated quickly in the direction of the Banshee's detected ion trail. Garek powered up the transwarp core and brought long range sensors online. It was bad enough Kim was mad at him, it was worse that she decided to leave the station to go out by herself. The ion trail became superimposed on the Flier's viewscreen. Garek plotted a course to follow it and opened a transwarp conduit. The Flier disappeared into the swirling green and yellow cloud.
The Flier dropped out of the conduit to find a debri field infront of him. Shit... was the only thing that came to his mind. Kim's Banshee was nowhere to be seen, and the debri field only added to the worried feeling that was growing in the pit of his stomach. Garek pushed forwared the throttle control, bringing the Flier into the field. Setting the Flier on autopilot, he walked to the portside rear control panel and beamed onboard a piece of the wreckage. It was going to take much analysis to determine if it was or wasn't what he feared. The wreckage materialized in the rear compartment of the Flier. Garek stepped through the small doorway and down the small ramp into the rear of the craft. He went over to the control terminal in the forward/starboard corner of the room and opened a locker. He took a device out of the locker, and set up the tripod mounting. He then targeted and piece of debri and activated the device. A blue/purple cloud of light focused on a piece of the debri. Garek looked over to the display terminal. The display began compiling data on the debri, but it was standard information. It would take time before the device came up with the information that he really needed to know. A klaxon then went off in the Flier's cockpit. Garek rushed back into the front of the craft and sat down in the portside pilot's seat. The long range sensors detected an incoming vessel. Jem'Hadar configuration. It appeared to be a light cruiser, and would be arriving within the next half hour. Not great news... Garek thought. He powered up the Flier's impulse engines and moved the craft into a shallow orbit of a nearby planet. The atmosphere and magnetic belts would offer some protection from the scanners of the vessel, but it would not do a lot to help protect from the ship's weaponry. His only hope would be to solve this mystery before they arrived, or he'd have problems. Returning to the rear of the craft, Garek replicated a cup of coffee, and waited for the analysis on the debri to be completed.