Whalers on the Moon

Posted on Thu Jan 1st, 2026 @ 5:51pm by Captain Zseeq & Ensign Seaira Chambers & Ensign Fa Blemni

702 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Life
Location: Bridge, U.S.S. Saratoga
Timeline: 2401-07-04, 09:30

Captain's Log, Stardate 78505.2:

Saratoga has located the gormagander and is on course to bring it aboard for transport to a sanctuary world.

Meanwhile, we have found our wayward group of officers, but I have many concerns regarding their status. Medical teams are currently seeing to them and I am awaiting a report. I only hope that my concerns are unjustified.

"So tell me again why we're so worried about a space whale?" Captain Zseeq asked from his chair in the center of the Saratoga's Bridge.

Napean Ensign Fa Blemni turned back from her console and looked up the stairs toward her Captain. To her credit, despite the number of times that the Captain had asked the question, she seemed relatively calm and even in her answer, "It's not technically a whale, Captain, it's a sentient cosmozoan that's protected under the Endangered Species Act because their numbers are dwindling because they spend their lives feeding off alpha particles in solar winds to the point that they ignore all other instincts, including reproduction. We have to transport it to a xenologic facility under the law."

Zseeq shook his head, "So we have to waste our time because it's too busy eating to get lucky?"

"I wouldn't say it so crassly, Captain, but essentially yes," the Science Officer answered the Captain's question. "I have already begun the process of converting Shuttlebay 3 to accommodate the creature for transport. Fortunately we can take it to Deep Space 12 and they'll handle the final transport because the nearest preserve is nearly four months away at maximum warp. I didn't think that you'd want to see it to its new home, Sir."

"Good thinking, Ensign, because I don't want to see it to its temporary home let alone one months away. Helm, how long will this take?" He changed the target of his questions.

Ensign Seaira Chambers checked her monitors, "I've preprogrammed the course for us, Sir. Once we have the gormagander aboard we will head there at Warp 9. Should take about a day and a half at most."

Zseeq pushed back into his seat, the synthetic leather chair squeaking a protest. Internally he debated taking the rest of the day off and putting Commander Hall in command, but he reminded himself that this would be over in just a day. He could wait a day. "Well lets bring the damn whale aboard so we can get moving."

"Aye Sir," Fa answered. She turned to Ensign Chambers, "Alter your heading to 347 mark 219 and engage at two thirds Impulse."

The young Ensign next to her nodded and adjusted the controls on the Helm, "Altering course."

A series of rapid beeps came from the nearby Tactical console. Zseeq turned toward the console, "Ensign?"

Ensign Ziq'ra Nasa's icy blue fingers raced across the control interface of the Tactical console, quickly running up the wall mounted display. The Bolian turned, "Captain, proximity sensors are detecting multiple contacts incoming."

"Multiple contacts? These aren't more damn whales are they?" The Deltan captain questioned.

"Gormaganders limit their activities to eating, not socializing," the Napean answered.

The Captain drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair, stopped, then started again with this new information. Sighing, "Yellow alert. Get me details on the approaching ships."

"Energizing defense fields," the Bolian announced.

The Napean Science Officer typed on her computer panel, quickly trying to find the source of the new contacts. The Ensign sighed, "Incoming vessels, Captain. Putting them on screen."

A popup window appeared in the center of the windscreen, showing three older vessels approaching. An overlay appeared providing details about the vessels, identifying them as Kzinti Freighters, but they appeared to be modified. The lead ship was equipped with a grappler on its bow, which were uncommon in the era of Tractor Beams. The Napean enters a series of commands on her control console, heartbroken by the results she saw. Sighing, "Captain, sensors are picking up gormagander DNA on the grappler."

"Gormagander DNA? Are we looking at a whaling ship?" Captain Zseeq asked as he walked down the stairs toward the forward consoles.

The Science Officer nodded, "Yep! A whole fleet of em!"

"Well this just got interesting," Captain Zseeq said with a smile.

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