Beyond the Tides

Beyond the Tides

A Star Trek Short Story

USS Callisto

Edge of the Galactic Halo
Stardate 82927.3

Commander Elias Voss stood at the forward console of the bridge, staring into the abyss beyond the main viewscreen. The Milky Way stretched behind them in a grand arc of soft, swirling light. Before them—nothing. Not empty space, not a nebula, not even the faintest traces of interstellar dust. Just absolute, featureless black.

Science Officer T'Lenn spoke without turning from her sensor station. "Confirmed, Commander. We are approaching the outermost edges of the galactic subspace field."

Voss exhaled slowly. "That means the barrier should be nearby. Helm, bring us to one-quarter impulse. Let's take our time."

Lieutenant Kiran Dal, the Callisto’s pilot, nodded. "One-quarter impulse. Holding steady."

The ship glided forward. On the viewscreen, the blackness ahead seemed to shift, though there was nothing visible to indicate they had moved at all.

Two Weeks Earlier

"Warp just flickered," Dal reported, glancing at his console. "It was out for maybe two seconds. But it's back now."

Voss frowned but waved a hand dismissively. "Could be a minor fluctuation. Engineering, run a diagnostic just in case."

Lieutenant Anaya’s voice came over comms. "Already on it, Commander. Nothing critical so far. I’ll keep an eye on it."

The crew quickly dismissed the anomaly.

A Few Days Later

"Warp drive just dropped again," Dal announced. This time, the ship jolted slightly as impulse engines immediately kicked in to compensate.

Voss sat forward in his chair. "How long was it out?"

"Four seconds. Impulse caught us smoothly," T'Lenn replied. "Subspace readings are stable now."

Voss exchanged a glance with Anaya over the comm. "That’s twice now. Still nothing on diagnostics?"

"Negative. Everything looks normal."

Voss drummed his fingers on the armrest. "Alright. Log it. We continue."

A Few Days Later

The ship lurched violently.

"Warp’s out!" Dal shouted. "Impulse trying to catch us—no response!"

The Callisto drifted in eerie silence. The bridge crew scrambled for answers as the ship floated, weightless. Then, without warning, impulse engines roared to life, slamming them all back into their seats. Consoles flickered as the ship accelerated suddenly.

"Damn it!" Anaya’s voice came through, strained. "Impulse engaged without command input. Trying to stabilize!"

Voss pulled himself up. "Status report!"

T’Lenn’s voice remained calm but clipped. "We are back under control. Warp is still offline. Cause unknown."

Voss stood, looking across the shaken faces of the bridge crew. "Senior staff to the conference room. Now."

Conference Room Discussion

Seated around the table, the senior officers exchanged uncertain looks. Voss let the silence stretch before speaking. "We've had three incidents now. Each worse than the last. We’re close to the galactic barrier, closer than anyone’s ever been."

T’Lenn steepled her fingers. "The evidence suggests an external cause, but we have no data to confirm what."

Dal exhaled. "We need to decide. Do we turn back, or do we push forward?"

The room was silent, save for the hum of the ship.

USS Callisto
Edge of the Galactic Halo
Stardate 82947.3

Voss stood at the bridge once more, staring into the endless dark. The final decision had been made.

"Helm," he said softly. "One-quarter impulse. Let's take our time."