The station recently became chaotic with a certain amount of control due to the sudden blackouts. Ships in the far reaches of unknown space were cut off from the communication grid, and not only that, but homes were not picking up phones either. Aside from this problem, ships reported that their warp engines were affected in specific areas; some could fly at decent speed, and others relied on their impulse engines, taking days to get out of the affected areas. 

“Unable to connect to Hecate Station, please try again later.” 

The computer voice again confirmed to Silina that Hecate was not reachable, and she slammed her hand against the panel. “For crying out loud, shit,” she mutters to herself, taking her posture back in check and calming down as Silina was noticing the attention she was getting. 

“Captain Ruslanovna, the Task Force Commanding Officer, is ready to receive you.” The secretary approaches with a soft smile. “Please follow me” 

A firm nod as Silina straightened her uniform and followed the Petty Officer into the office. Waiting to be allowed to seat “Captain Ruslanovna of USS Gemini from Hecate Squadron reporting in ma’am” 

Cressida Brennan wasn’t known for being the most emotional, or most pleasant person on the best of days, and lately, none of the days had been particularly good – not since they had found themselves isolated from the rest of the galaxy, unable to reach their own ships and receive updates on their crews. It was a disaster, and she had more than once wished Varro or Jenson back here to tell her what to do.

But that wasn’t going to happen, and Brennan wasn’t going to waste time crying about it. 

“Captain Ruslanovna.”, she nodded. “Thank you for meeting me.” 

Not that the Captain had any choice in the matter, but it sounded nice enough. 

Seeing the steady and somewhat calm Captain in front of her narrowed her eyes a bit. Silina had her fair share of people putting up a mask in times of high stress, and honestly, it was not her spot to lecture anyone. She chose to bite her tongue, even though her medical expertise was ready for it.

“I will make this quick. We have lost contact with the USS Horsehead.” A pause. “ I find myself… worried.”

She thought for a brief second trying to remember the name. Then she realized “The nebula” Silina mutters to herself only for her to refocus on the conversation “How long ago has the USS Horsehead been lost? Is there any information on where it was heading and their mission?”

“They were patrolling the Klingon border, and we’ve lost contact with them three days ago. There was no indication of hostilities, and nothing to explain their sudden radio-silence.”, Brennan shook her head. 

Operating near the Klingon Empire was enough to include hostility to the list. Sudden disappearance did make it a plausible conclusion. Silina’s mind was racing about it. She slowly nodded, “What can Gemini do for you, Captain?”

“I need the Gemini to find out what happened, and report back. My hope is that I will be sending you on an uneventful visit to our neighbours, but..”, Brennan’s voice trailed off. 

Taking a deep breath, Silina said, “Well, you have read my latest report on Dhaillak. Regarding the Klingons, you can’t rule out anything.” Silina scratched behind her ear. “I will investigate the last known location of the Horsehead. I hope they are experiencing technical difficulty with their communication equipment.”

“That is my hope too.” Brennan agreed. “But I am not counting on it.”

“Captain, if I might be so straightforward with you. I have been unable to contact Hecate Station since my arrival. Nor can my crew contact any family in either the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. Do you have any information on what is going on? Are we experiencing failure in our equipment?”

Brennan closed her eyes for just a split second longer than she had meant to. The mask slipped, revealing a woman who had tirelessly to find out what was going on, but was falling short of an answer. 

This would be a time where an XO would be nothing short of amazing to have, but chances were they, too, couldn’t get through to them. 

“No. The very little information we received indicates that this is happening all across the Alpha and Beta quadrant. It’s like… walls. I have no better way to describe it. It might be possible that the Horsehead is affected by this, but we don’t know for certain – and we can’t afford to sit idle until we find out.”

An answer that Silina was already guessing but hoping for more. She nodded to the Captain, not prying for more, seeing the condition her command was already in. “Understood, Captain” 

Brennan nodded. “You have your orders, Captain.”

With that said, Silina stood up and gave Brennan the respected nod. “I will report the results to you. If there are any updates about the Horsehead you will be informed immediately.” With that said, Silina excused herself and left the Captain behind in her office.