text: Silence. For a brief moment all was still. Darkness had enveloped the ship. The instruments of the bridge, all the lights and panels, had gone black. The only sound to be heard was the ragged breathing of its occupants. The alarms had shut off after the jump. The red emergency lighting kicked in. The crimson light washed over the machinery, giving everything a bloody cast. The panels began to flicker, their light adding to the rooms. A pale pink glow covered the walls. No faces were seen. "Is everyone okay?" Captain Benjamin Slater asked. Standing from his chair at the center of the bridge. A smattering of groans met his ears. He agreed with the sentiment; that jump had not been smooth. Still he had no time to be uncomfortable. "Sound off," he continued. "Dr. Rodgen?" "I'm fine," she called from behind her station. "Peter?" "Alive." "Alex?" "Present." "Rowan?" No answer, a moment passed. "Rowan Wright!" A whimper came from the floor next to the engineer's console. "Rowan!" Dr. Rodgen screamed. Scrambling to her feet, she lurched to the fallen man. She was joined by the others. Under the emergency lights of the bridge the convinced. Rowan was on the ground blinking. There was a gash on his head, the only sign he was bleeding was a faint wetness spreading across his face. The blood disappeared in the red glow. "I'm okay," he slurred. "Just give me a hand." He reached a shaky hand upward. Peter took and helped him slowly to his feet. He wobbled on rickety legs even with the helping hand of the Physics specialist. "Let me check the ship," he added. "If the engine..." "No," the Captain cut him off. "Peter take him to the med-bay. Have Dr. Amaterasu check him over, and check on her as well. If she is injured we will be in big trouble." "Got it," Peter put a shoulder under Rowan's arm and started off. Luckily the door opened as they left. The door and the panels indicated to Benjamin that they still had power. "Alex," he said after they had gone. "Are the ship's scanners still up?" The navigator returned to his station. After a few frantic button presses he looked up. "Yes, scanners are still active." "Check the comms then confirm our destination. I don't want to be lost in space. "Both internal and external communications are still active," Alex responded after another moment. "I will need longer for our location." "Let me know when you have it." Dr. Rodgen had worked her way over to Alex. She immediately set to work next to him. That left Captain Slater to check on the rest of the crew. Sitting back in his chair he contacted his lieutenant. Picking up the intercom he clicked it to life. "Ellis, how are the men?" he asked into the speaker. "Bruised," the static voice of his second in command came through a moment later. "Rodrigez asks if we can go again." A chuckle came to his lips unbidden. "One way ride I am afraid. Rowan is injured, send Hopkins up to help the Doctor if he is able." "Ten four." The comms went off. He then contacted med-bay. "Peter, is everything good?" Seconds ticked by. They seemed to stretch on. The sound of fingers working on their location was frustrating him. Just as he was about to get up and go back to check the intercom spoke. "Yes," Peter's voice came through. "Doc says he is fine, just needs rest." "Good, I'm sending Hopkins up to assist." "Got it. Know where we are yet?" "No, I'll let everyone know as soon as I do." "Okay, how is..." He set the handset down and ignored it; more questions were not what were needed at the moment. Focus, that is what he needed to do. What was their next step? They were alive. That was the important part. The damage to the ship couldn't be assessed in full until Rowan was back on his feet. Dr. Rodgen could look over the system and check if something was off, but Rowan was the engineer. It would take him to figure out just how screwed they were. "Dr. Rodgen," he called. He waited for her to turn. "I need you at your station. Check over the rest of the ship for us." Her expression wasn't entirely pleased, but she did as she was told. She left Alex and returned to her console. "Critical systems first please," he asked as politely as possible. She gave a nod and started working. He held back a shake of his head. It was difficult to tell what was going on in that woman's head. She always seemed eager to work; just not on whatever he suggested. A problem for another day, now he needed to keep everyone safe. His fingers twitched towards the com again. He itched to check on Rowan's status, but he wouldn't. News would come when it came. Trying to rush people would only lead to more mistakes, and more problems. It was best for him to do his job and leave everyone to manage theirs. Still, he couldn't stop himself from taping a finger on his knee in impatience. "Life support, both heating and oxygen regeneration, operational. Food storage and synthesization are both working. Alex already told you the comms are up," she finally answered. "I will go back to..." "No," he cut her off. "Check the thrusters and the engine next. Go over everything." She pursed her lips and gave him a mild glare. She did however go back to work. Although her button presses and movements seemed to be a little more forceful than necessary. He ignored it; his mind moving on to other things. So they were not going to suffocate, freeze, or die of dehydration or malnutrition. That was good news. Maybe, just maybe, they would get out of this unscathed save for Rowan's forehead. "Thrusters are up. The engine is unresponsive though," Dr. Rodgen said slowly, all traces of her annoyance gone. "And there is a problem with the power system. I know we are running on the back up, but I can't tell why." His heart sank. That was not good news. Doing his best to keep his face passive he tried to think positive. It could be worse. Back up power should last a good long while. They could travel short distances. They might be able to use the star, white dwarf or not, for some solar power. Hopefully there would be some decent planets or moons in this system to mine. If not they wouldn't be leaving. He pushed that thought from his head. Positive, he reminded himself. "I am going to go help Alex..." she started once again. "Got a location Captain," Alex called. Both immediately turned towards the Navigator. "We are not where I tried to take us," he admitted. "But we are not far off, a few light years away. We are in the orbit of an old star, a white dwarf actually. It has a few planets in orbit around it, only one of them is rocky. "That is good!" Dr. Rodgen smiled. "We should be able to mine materials if we need them." "That is good," Captain Slater agreed. "Can you maneuver us to that rocky planet? Also, see if it has a safe landing area." "Yes Sir!" Alex saluted before turning back to his console. "I'll steer," she offered, immediately taking control of the system from her station. They had a location. He returned to the comms. "Lieutenant. We have a location. We might be landing. Tell the men to prep in case they are needed. You return to the bridge." "Yes Sir," came the prompt reply. He then swapped to the med-bay. "Peter," he asked into the microphone. Another delay, shorter than the previous one, but still present. "Yes Captain, do we know where we are?" Peter's voice came crackling through the speaker. "We do. How is Rowan, is he on his feet yet?" "Doc says he should rest more, Hop isn't arguing." "Let him rest then," he sighed internally. It would be easier with Rowan, but they would make do. "Get back to the bridge, I'll get you up to speed here. Tell Hopkins and the Doctor to stay there and that we might be landing somewhere soon." "Landing?" "I'll tell you when you get here. Tell them, then get up here." "Will do." The com went dead, and with that he was back to looking out the window. The ship had turned. A small but bright light had come into view, the burnt out star he guessed. However the ship didn't turn anymore. He scanned the view for their planet. Looking closely, he found a void in the stars. Now that he had it's basic location, the vague round outline of the planet came into view. Lit just enough by the old sun that you could make out the fuzzy edge. The door to the bridge slid open. The Lieutenant stepped in, walking straight for the Captain's side. He stood still next to the chair, his eyes fixed out the window. "How are things Sir?" he asked quietly. "Not great," he responded just as softly. "Not too bad either. Remember that training mission around the moon?" "Yes Sir," his voice had gone tense. "A little better than that." "That's not what I would call good Sir." "No, but we survived." "Earth was only a few hours away." "Let's hope our new planet is just as helpful then," the Captain nodded his head out the viewport. As they approached the outline of the planet was taking shape. Instead of just a fuzzy line on the side facing the star, it had now become a distinct shape among the stars. The faint glow from the white dwarf casting just enough light to make out its silhouette. The surface appeared rocky, but any fine detail was lost at this distance. Through the anxiety that filled him, a sense of excitement grew. Exploration was the primary reason he had taken this job. All the hardships and responsibilities that came with it were made worthwhile to be the first of their kind to travel the universe; to be the first human to go, bold he would say, where no other had gone before. That was the drive, the passion, that pushed him forward. Even after finding no viable worlds for humanity to land on, nor any other forms of life, the thrill had not diminished. He wanted to seek out other worlds. The door behind him opened once more, pulling him out of his momentary lapse of focus. Peter stepped in and looked out the window. "Our destination I presume," it wasn't a question. His face was tight, the unease that was gripping the crew members was clear. "Yes," the Captain answered, keeping any sense of fear off of his face and out of his tone. "Good call. When Rowan gets back on his feet we can see what materials the planet has to offer." "Go to your station," the Lieutenant suggested. "We are not out of danger yet." "Don't be so harsh," Captain Slater whispered after Peter had done as bid. "They are not military; I also promised him a briefing." "They are asking useless questions and making obvious statements." "They are scared. Stop this behavior," he responded firmly. "Yes Sir." "The planet is odd," Alex called out over the room before any other words could be exchanged. "It is roughly the same size as earth, but it's almost twice as dense. We would not enjoy our time there." "That density suggests metallic elements though," Dr. Rodgen said. "We should be able to find something of use." "It would need to have almost no gasses in its surface to make it that dense," Peter added. "Could be hard to mine if it has no atmosphere. "It has an atmosphere," Alex responded. "and it's primarily oxygen, almost fifty percent in fact." "That's wonderful." She exclaimed. "We could breathe there." "Is there a possible landing zone," the Captain inquired through the back and forth. "I will have to do a more in-depth scan," Alex said. Excitement was overtaking their fear. They may just have found a way out. "Give me a moment." The Captain himself shared the sentiment. They were not out of the woods yet, but they had a clear path forward. They had trained for this. Not this precise situation, but to do emergency repairs on the ship should something damage it. They would just need Rowan. Once he was back on his feet everything would fall into place. Just as that thought was taking place the ship began to shake. All eyes went wide. Every face spun towards the panels in front of them. He tightened his hands down onto the arms of his chair, bracing for whatever was to come. The shaking grew stronger. It was then that he noticed, it wasn't just the hull that was vibrating. The chair under his hands was almost trembling. So was he. Every bit of his skin rippled, and not just his skin. He could feel the muscle underneath quiver from some unknown force. He could feel his bones convulse. Pain radiated through his chest as his organs began to shake inside his chest. It felt like his body wanted to come apart. No sooner had it started then it cut off. He let out a slow breath. Doing his best to calm his aching body. Moans of pain and soft cries filled the air. The Lieutenant had fallen onto his knees next to him. "What happened?" Captain Slater exclaimed, putting as much authority into his voice as he could muster at the moment. "I think I am going to be sick," Dr. Rodgen gagged. "Is the ship coming apart!" he bellowed. That snapped some heads, including that of his Lieutenant, up to face him. "No," she groaned after a moment, forcing herself to look over her console. "Everything is the same." "Alex," he turned to face the navigator. “What happened?” "Nothing I just scanned the..." Alex didn't get to finish. It happened again. Everyone slumped back over. His vision blurred; he could feel his eyes trying to bounce out of his skull. The floor of the ship heaved him to his knees. A scream erupted somewhere in the room. He was going to come apart. It cut off abruptly. The crying was louder now, someone was weeping. "Jesus," Peter panted from behind him. "It can't be." He turned as fast as his body would let him. "What?" "It's gravity waves," the Physicist wiped his eyes, pointing to his screen. "I was running tests after the first attack. It's gravity waves." "You said attack?" "It's coming from the planet," he pointed out the window. All eyes were glued to the faintly outlined sphere sitting innocuously out the viewport. "Why didn't you notice this when we jumped in," the Lieutenant asked, angry. "They weren't there," Dr. Rodgen snapped back. "That means what?" Before an answer came the waves struck again. The metal of the ship joined the crew in its screaming. Their bodies convulsed uncontrollably. "Stop the ship," the Captain wheezed from his knees. "I know it hurts, but do it now. If we get hit by another we are dead. Alex send the distress signal." Trembling hands moved to obey. The planet stopped getting bigger in the window. They waited, and waited. Seconds turned into minutes as they feared another attack. It didn't come. No more gravity waves struck them. All was silent. “Why did they stop?” Peter asked, gingerly turning back to his console. "It was a response to us," the Captain said slowly. "What? How could we cause...That!" the Doctor asked, incredulous. "That planet is inhabited..." he whispered. Once again every eye looked out the window. "It has to be. Send the care package Alex," Captain Slater commanded, absolutely positive in his assumption. "We just found life.