Lifting the Veil

Posted on 03 Aug 2026 @ 3:37pm by Commander Marius Rager & Commander Catherine Herrington, MD & Vice Admiral Veruka Kitan
Edited on on 03 Aug 2026 @ 4:49pm

1,098 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Quiet Between Pulses
Location: Starbase 33

Marius did not know a single thing about what he was walking into other than a new assignment awaited him, but he suspected that Catherine Harrington, a Doctor evidently were going to be seeing a lot of each other. "I take this is about my new assignment" he stated.

"Both of yours," Kitan replied. "Doctor Harrington will serve as your Ship's Chief Physician, and as your First Officer."

Commander Marius Ragel looked at Catherine. Clearly, this waa going to be a unique assignment. "I'm intrigued" responded Marius.

Vice Admiral Kitan nodded. "As you should be. Both of you" she stated gesturing to the Diligent class starship from the observation area. "The USS Balam."

Catherine looked out the large view port at the starship docked there. It was a slightly smaller vessel than she was used to seeing in the fleet, but not as compact as the Defiant class. The Admiral had definitely had her attention, a new class, at least a class she had never seen in her long service with Starfleet.

Veruka Kitan continued. "Commander Rager, your first command. Doctor Herrington, you will be Commander Rager's Executive Officer and the Ship's Chief Physician. This will be no star trek as Starfleet is well acquainted with, but expeditions through the heart of darkness, into the unknown, lifting the veil to face whatever exists beneath."

Commander Marius Rager was surprised, something of a rare sensation for him these days. "Doctor Herrington and I?"

Vice Admiral Kitan nodded. "And your crew. Scientists, engineers Starfleet and civilian. Some of the brightest minds and curious explorers that we have. Doctor Herrington, your familiarity with abnormal medical cases will undoubtedly come in clutch. You've shown an ambition to transition into command. This is an opportunity to take that leap."

The Admiral obviously knew that Doctor Herrington had turned down the chance to join the Command field. She had to say something “I appreciate the opportunity to serve with the Commander and will be happy to offer my knowledge and vast” she smiled at the Admiral “experience.”

Admiral Kitan did not smile so much as her eyes gave away an appreciative glance. "You will have a skeleton crew to begin. We're still in the proccess of recruiting. Some of your skeleton crew may end up staying with you in a more permanent capacity should your mission reports and after action crew assessments speak highly of any of them."

Marius was surprised that the Admiral seemed to be moving towards a mission already, and with a skeleton crew. "You're sending us out already, Admiral?"

Kitan nodded. "Not by choice, but by pure necessity. You two and the Balam seem the most equipped for this one," she prefaced, "The USS Turing, a Federation science vessel, has been studying an anomalous pulsar for several days."

Intrigued, Marius listened. "Science vessel doing science things. I'm not following..."

"You would be if you let me explain," Kitan quipped. "To the point it is. Reports from the Turing have been peculiar. They have reported strange readings and experiences. Then contact stopped. We haven't heard from the Turing in over 72 hours. Your mission is to find them and figure out what is going on out there, and if it requires some sort of medical quarantine."

Marius' curiosity was paired with concern. It was strange for a Federation starship to lose contact for this long. He looked to his First Officer. "Doctor?"

“Certainly a possibility, sirs” the Doctor replied and thought for a few seconds “we should take every precaution, medically” she added.

Marius nodded in agreement. "We will," he said looking at Dr. Herrington. "Doctor...Commander... Number One? Catherine?" He was not sure what to call her yet. "We should go check out our starship and get to know the crew we have. Then, set course for the coordinates the Admiral provides."

“Yes sir” the First Officer gave a nod and smile. “I am ready to meet the crew and get aquatinted with the Balam.” They would have a few small details to work through before their launch but it wouldn’t take to long.

Vice Admiral Kitan gave a nod at Doctor Harrington. "Commander Rager will catch up to you aboard the Balam. I would like to have a word with him in private" she explained. She dismissed Catherine and waited a few moments.

The Vice Admiral then stepped toward the viewport, clasping her hands behind her back as she regarded the Balam resting in its berth. It was a remarkable starship.

"The Turing is only the beginning," she said quietly. "Your assignment isn't simply to recover a missing starship, Commander Raer. It is to establish a new operational doctrine for Starfleet. Since the first breaths of Starfleet, we've encountered incidents that don't fit neatly into any department's jurisdiction. They get investigated, classified, filed away, and eventually forgotten because no one vessel is equipped to study them properly. They often fall into the lap of Division 12 or 14 to follow up on."

She turned to face them. "The Balam changes that."

With a tap of her PADD, a series of mission files materialized on the conference room display. Distorted sensor logs. Medical scans marked INCONCLUSIVE. Images of abandoned research stations, impossible energy signatures, and starships listed as lost under unexplained circumstances or decommissioned for undisclosed reasons. The USS Griffin stood out, NCC-1067.

"Division 12 will provide intelligence support. Division 14 will assist with theoretical analysis and containment protocols as necessary. But once you're underway, Commander, you have operational authority. I expect independent judgment. Some of what you'll encounter may challenge established scientific understanding. Others may test your crew psychologically as much as physically."

Marius studied the files in silence before meeting the admiral's gaze.

"You want us investigating Starfleet's unsolved mysteries."

Kitan gave a single approving nod. "I want you to investigate the mysteries Starfleet has never been able to explain."

The room fell quiet for a moment. For the first time since receiving his command, Marius looked at the Balam not as a newly commissioned starship, but as a vessel about to sail into places where maps, sensors, and certainty could no longer be trusted.

Marius pulled at his collar. "The Balam is going to be staring into the abyss, Admiral."

She nodded. "Yes, Commander. It will, and that abyss will stare back at you. I want you to bring me its eyes back so that Starfleet knows what is really out there. What lies beyond the asteroids, the planets, and the nebulae."

"Lifting the veil" replied Marius.

Kitan smirked "Time to kiss the bride, Commander. Go meet your crew."

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