Beacon Study
Posted on Thu Oct 30th, 2025 @ 2:45pm by Lieutenant JG Abrasax & Commander Peter Horn & Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida
1,778 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 9: Across Time
Location: Primary Science Lab
on
Not quite kept tidy, but everyone who worked in the main lab knew where everything was. Abrasax hadn't received any complaints, he left it as is.
Upon entry, he saw the Beacon hadn't arrived yet. He quickly got to work programming the containment field around the central specimen analysis console.
The door chimed and Abrasax jumped. "Enter," he said a moment later, after a deep breath.
A security team carried the Beacon inside and set it on the console top. Automatically, the console's field rose up along with the Beacon to be suspended.
"Thank you," Abrasax said as the other science officers filed in, one by one, as they wrapped up their other tasks. The security team left between science officer arrivals.
They all seemed to get to work after they greeted Abrasax, he smiled at each of them in turn. This wasn't their first time, and he knew better to question them; only when any of them seemed lost or struggle that he'd approach.
Initial scans thankfully didn't trigger anything from the Beacon, the amount of Chronitons on the exterior was concerning.
Peter hesitated as he approached, keeping Liam's warning firm in mind. "I do not believe I should be anywhere near it," he commented while keeping a, what he believed to be, a safe distance. "It was determined telepaths should not go near."
The doors parted with their usual soft hiss, and Hiro stepped inside, taking in the familiar, ordered chaos of the science lab. His gaze found Abrasax first, then the suspended Beacon, its containment field shimmering faintly. He came closer at an unhurried pace, voice steady but warm. “Lieutenant, I see you’ve wasted no time.” His eyes shifted briefly to Peter, noting the Vulcan’s cautious distance. “Document everything from this point forward. I want a clear record of the Beacon’s condition and any fluctuations, however minor.”
Ilyas has been in search for his father, having gone to OPS first before following his senses down here. The doos were open and something curious hung suspended in the room. The boy noticed the people gathered near it but didn't notice his father was actually keeping his distance.
He well remembered his father's stern words about keeping his nose out of business that didn't concern someone his age, but curiosity got the better of him when he saw something odd sparkle around the device. Without thinking, he skipped past the captain and reached out towards the device. "This is s-" he started to say.
Peter, sensing something familiar looked up just in time. "Ilyas no!" He called out, leaping forward just as the child touched it, and disappeared.
Abrasax smiled as he responded to Hiro's order. "Of course, sir," though anything else he was about to say was lost to his surprise of a child suddenly at their sides. Before he could stop the child, Ilyas apparently, reached out to the beacon and vanished. "Errrr," Abrasax stuttered as his hands closed around empty air. "What!" He exclaimed, then Hiro's order returned as his mind snapped out of a shocked state.
"Everyone, check the sensor logs!" Abrasax called out as he went to the containment field's console. He tapped at the many controls as he too examined the records that the sensor array always catalogued for everything known. He hoped that the unknown will be quantified by the known, as he instructed the computer to retrieve a copy of the logs prior to the science officers' arrival up to now.
Peter approached the beacon, but didn't touch it. "Where is my son," he demanded, "what happened...." His senses told him nothing. "He is not here, I do not sense him. Where is he!"
Hiro’s eyes went wide for the briefest instant, the shock of a child vanishing in an instant freezing him mid-step. Then, as quickly as it came, he recovered, voice sharp and controlled, cutting through the rising murmurs in the lab. “Everyone, remain calm, but we have move fast! Abrasax, prioritize locating the exact moment and coordinates of the disappearance, everything the sensors recorded. I want a full temporal and spatial scan of this room and that Beacon, and I want it cross-referenced against all station logs in the last ten minutes.”
He turned to Peter, placing a steady hand on the Vulcan’s shoulder. “Peter, we’ll find him. But right now, I need your focus.” To everyone else in the room he said, “I need all of you on the same page. Ilyas is still somewhere. He didn’t just vanish from existence. We just need to find him.”
Abrasax couldn't help but be annoyed. "Sir," he answered. What did you think I was doing? The hybrid thought as he studied the results as line by line filled the display. Without looking up, he said firmly to the room. "Unless you are capable of contributing to the analysis, I suggest you leave it to those who can, to it, and we will inform you of our findings." Abrasax continued tapping at the console controls.
A few of the science officers that specialised in other areas packed up their area and left. They knew that things took time and best to be out of the way.
He hit the console and turned to someone behind him. "Connect to the other docked ships and shuttle, pull their computer processing power into this."
"Aye Chief."
Abrasax in the meantime, figured it might be worth using a physical scanner on the beacon itself. He straightened and went to the equipment locker. After he opened it, immediately he found the cables and a bulky tricorder.
He pulled them out and closed the locker. He figured if he was taken as well, they still be in the same situation, so he began to attach the cables pads to the beacon itself. Abrasax kept his focus on his work and unless someone talked to him directly, he ignored everything else.
He plugged the cables into the bulky tricorder, switched it on and programmed it to do every scan from the list.
Suddenly he had nothing else he could physically do, Abrasax closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
An anxious XO looked on, not daring to set a single step closer to the pulsing device. "Any sign of my son?" He asked, clearly forcing himself to remain calm. "Any indication of what this thing is?"
Hiro stepped closer to Peter, lowering his voice just enough to make the exchange personal without breaking the room’s focus. “I know what you are feeling, and no father should have to endure it. But right now, the best thing we can do for Ilyas is give Abrasax and his team the time and space they need to work.” He straightened, looking back to the suspended Beacon, the shimmer of the field reflected in his eyes. “Science is not instant, but I have no doubt it will bring your son back to us. Stay with me. We will see this through.”
"I need to tell Harley.... Ilyas has been out of sorts since discovering that soon he will not be the youngest child in the family. I am certain you are aware Harley is pregnant. We discovered very recently she is actually very pregnant, she did not know she was until she visited the doctor with back pain. She is due in a matter of weeks."
Hiro’s expression tightened, sympathy flickering in his eyes. “I did not know. We will bring him back, Peter.”
Abrasax had an odd thought. Upon opening his eyes, he glanced over at Hiro. "Commander, I suggest a sensor sweep of both short and long range inside and outside the station. A spread of probes to go beyond that would be ideal." He said and glanced upwards. "Computer confirm Ilyas Horn is no longer on the station," he inquired.
Peter held his breath as the computer confirmed his youngest child was no longer aboard. "I also recommend temporal scans," he added, "it would not be the first time that this station has caused a temporal shift. We should scan for evidence of such an occurrence to rule it out."
“Proceed with the sweep. Inside, outside, and beyond the station.” Hiro said as he turned to Abrasax. “Launch a few probes, program them with an efficient search grid, and give this priority clearance. If there’s any trace of Ilyas, I want it found.”
"Aye," Abrasax replied as he tapped at the console in front of him. He made the request for probes to be dispatched with a search pathway to Ops and added that Hiro had authorized it. He returned to the previous conversation.
"Could you tell me more about that temporal shift Commander?" Abrasax inquired, "was it localized within the station or across it all?"
"It involved the entire station," Peter answered mutely, while looking up at Hiro. "How much were we thrown back again? A hundred thousand years? I do not quite remember but it was extremely far back. And it was very unnerving."
Hiro met Peter’s gaze, the memory clearly unsettling even for him. “I’m not exactly sure, but a hundred thousand years sounds about right.”
"Do you recall what the cause was?" Abrasax asked, the issue was even if he knew, this situation was completely different.
"T'Kon, if I recall directly, either that or Iconians." Peter shook his head, clearly irritated at lacking memory. "I was not myself at the time," he admitted, "but there must be logs from Commodore Haistro. Unless they were sealed following his death."
Flippin ancient species and their nefarious plans, Abrasax thought with a scrunched up expression. He glanced away as he massaged his chin. The computer chirped, and he glanced down at the console. What was displayed on the screen made him raise an eyebrow. "Well, this is interesting. The beacon is a subspace matrix, it does have what looks like transceivers and transmitters, though the computer is still attempting to analyse the technology itself." Abrasax reported as he tapped at the console controls as he read the waveforms and circuitry that has various links to subspace operation.
"Does it contain transporter technology?" Peter asked, hopeful that perhaps his son was simply transported elsewhere.
Abrasax caught on quickly. "While that is possible considering the transceivers and transmitters can be used to collect and send, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't. However, the analysis is only 45% complete, please sir hold on a little longer." He pleaded with a sympathic smile.
Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida
CO Deep Space 21
Commander Peter Horn
Station XO
Ilyas Horn
Civilian minor
Lieutenant jg Abrasax
Chief Science Officer
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