---
"Hydrogen, Helium, Plasma Oh My"
(Previous Post: "Orders")
---

Setting: USS ANUBIS, Deck 13, Stellar Cartography
Stardate: 63071.1615
 
One of the more impressive rooms onboard the USS ANUBIS, at least where the Chief Science Officer had been concerned, Stellar Cartography stretched five decks in all directions to allow anyone inside to gain a unique perspective of the universe around them. Just standing within the immense room had been enough to make the Shillian feel insignificant in relation to the marvels and sheer size of the universe displayed around her. With a few presses of the controls on the console located at the center of the spherical room, the Scientist had summoned before her an awe inspiring view of their destination: the GUMBARA Nebula.
 
With a few more swift movements of her fingers the Head Scientist of the USS ANUBIS called forth all of the available information on the Nebula which appeared on the large curved wall of the Stellar Cartography Lab. Although this had not been the first time the Scientist had researched this particular spatial location, the Shillian still found herself in absolute admiration at the colour, shape and size of the nebula. “It is not at all surprising that the GUMBARA Nebula is a favourite of research vessels,” the Shillian stated to no one in particular as she reviewed some of the data having been displayed. “Class 5, Dark Matter Nebula with a magnitude of 4 Astronomical Units, or to be more precise over 599 million Kilometres in size which, if overlapped onto the SOL System would cover the enter center of the system well beyond the orbit of EARTH, the homeworld of the FEDERATION.”
 
Although the sheer size of the GUMBARA Nebula had been enough for most Scientists to be impressed, it had been the unique phased radiation found within the clouds of Hydrogen, Helium and Plasma that truly set the nebula apart from all others. When in proximity of the Nebula, most ships would see the effectiveness of their sensors reduced by more than eighty percent, a detail that any science vessel did not mind for as it required them to venture deep into the colourfully enchanting elemental clouds to perform their intended research. Due to the special specifications of the sensors onboard the USS ANUBIS though, the Chief Science Officer figured that they would probably suffer a drop in scanning effectiveness of about ten to fifteen percent, a drop that would still give them a drastic advantage over any other ship in the area.
 Once the preliminary data on the Nebula had been gathered and analysed, the Chief Science Officer remained somewhat puzzled by the sense of urgency that had taken over the ship. As hard as the Shillian tried, she could not understand what had required such an immediate reaction from the USS ANUBIS an its crew. Granted they needed to intercept whatever this encroaching threat had been with all due haste, but surely they could have accomplished the same task with greater ease had they not been around a sensor weakening nebula.
 
“The USS LANCELOT,” the Intel Operative coldly announced as she stepped up to stand by the Shillian Scientist. With a single touch of her finger Enaii caused two new items to be added to the Stellar Cartography map; the flight path of the CAVALIER-Class research vessel shows as a blue line and the estimated path of the attacking force displayed as a red cone.
 
The Shillian observed in horror that the two new displayed paths intersected at the GUMBARA Nebula which caused the Chief Science Officer to quickly call upon all available information on the USS LANCELOT.
 
“The USS LANCELOT is a research vessel with a crew compliment of over three hundred,” the head Scientist of the USS ANUBIS pointed out before adding the one piece of data that had troubled her most. “A third of which are bran new Academy graduates! We need to inform them, to warn them of the danger they are in. If warned right away they would have more then enough time to leave the area and avoid running into whatever the attacking force is.”
 
The Intelligence Officer sighed as she brought into focus another sector of the Stellar Cartography map. The Shillian had been a remarkable Scientist but her inability to see the larger picture or to evaluate a situation through the perspectives of an Intel Operative had been a rather large setback as far as Enaii had been concerned.
 
Although the Intel Operative had not said a single word, the Shillian managed to understand that this other sector played an important part in the current unfolding of events. A quick scan of the selected area revealed a Federation outpost; Starbase 115, an orbital re-supply station which contained over one thousand officers and their families. If the USS LANCELOT was to be warned of the approaching danger and removed itself from its path, it had been a logical deduction to believe that the attacking force would turn its attention onto the outpost and thus increase the potential casualties by a factor of more than three.

Reluctantly the Chief Science oOficer abandoned her earlier idea to warn the USS LANCELOT, instead having shifted her focus on trying to find a way for the USS ANUBIS to reach the research vessel faster than currently expected.

---
Jessica Solarik {maya_992003@yahoo.com}
Lieutenant Commander Maya
Chief Science Officer
USS ANUBIS

"To see the world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
- William Blake (British, 1757-1827)