USS Raven: Legacy

Prologue (Cutter)

Cryo-fluid still tastes like piss.

I've lost count of how many times I've been put under for long-term suspension and I always forget how much I hate waking up on the other side. The smell of the pod, the sour taste of the regurgitated fluid and the temporary memory loss. Still groggy I push myself off the deck and to my feet. I push against a wall for support as my vision starts to clear and sharpen; the lights are too bright. 

"Good morning sir." An overly polished voice says. I can barely make out a blue, humanoid figure, as they appear on the deck next to me. "It's pleasant to see you again. You are experiencing the effects of hibernation sickness, your sight, hearing and memories will fully return in time. Continue to breath normally."

"I know, Cleopatra." I respond. "This isn't my first time coming out of stasis." I pause as I gather my breath." How  long was I in that damn thing?"

"Twenty six years, one week and five days." The AI reports with a concerning lack of emotion. 

"Fuck a rescue should've found us by now. Has a rescue found us, Cleo?"

"No."

"What about warp drive have you managed to get the core back on line?"

"Sir, we used the warp core-," 

"-As a bomb to stop the flood leaving Arcadia; yes I remember now." It's all starting to come back to me. What we discovered on that forerunner world; that we couldn't stop it from spreading  and how we used the warp core as a makeshift bomb to bury it and everything else on that planet. "Twenty six years." I say to no one. My son will have grown up with out me, all my friends from the academy will have grown old and retired from service. And I've been left behind, stayed young, missing in action. Twenty six years, it's a longtime. "So no one's found us?"

"No." 

"Do you know where we are?" 

"No."

"Well then what do you know Cleopatra?" She imitates the intake of breath. "Don't answer that." I stop her before she can explain her vastness of knowledge. "If there's no rescue and you don't know where we are why did you wake me up?"

"It may be best if you see for yourself." I roll my eyes as I stumble towards the front bridge window. I wipe away a layer of condensation and stare out into the void of space. Sometimes the infinite black abyss gets to me, the same way it gets to a lot of people other times I find it comforting, reminding how small we really are in the grand scheme of the universe.

I look starboard. There's a purple cloud somewhere in the distance. My vision isn't sharp enough yet to make out the eyes and features but I bet it's beautiful. To me every cloud of crazy looking space dust is. In the distance is a single blue star, now I know we're in an uncharted system somewhere. Then something catches my eye. A shape, too symmetrical to be a natural occurrence; too large to be made by any species known to the federation, at least no live species; and so impossible it has to be true. A massive ring like object, roughly ten thousand kilometres in diameter.

"Captain! There are three vessels closing on us fast. Their shields are raised, weapons are hot and I can't raise them on coms."

"Cleo, have you woken the rest of the crew?"

"No sir."

"Wake them, officers first, then set condition one throughout the ship."

"Aye sir. What is that thing?"  

"I don't know but I'll be damned if we don't find out." I draw breath. "Is our com array fixed?"

"Yes sir." 

"Then change our distress signal and transmit this message: Mayday. Mayday. Mayday. This is captain James Cutter of the Federation star-ship USS Spirit of fire. Our warp-drive  is inoperable and we are under attack, I repeat we are under attack. Repeat message."

"Captain. The doctor. Should I wake her?"

"She's an expert in ancient civilisations Cleo, of course wake her first."