Stine walked out of chaos into controlled chaos. The C.I.C. was loud. Officers were shouting their reports over each other.

The Captain slumped in his chair, looking exhausted. He seemed barely conscious. Stine noticed that his console was lit up with Nav controls.

He jumped us out of there. Stine thought. How’d he manage that?

“Lock it down!” he belted, silencing the roar. The Captain barely moved his head in response. “Now, sit-reps around the room.” A pause. “Go.”

Lieutenant Bjorn had just taken his seat from the young Ensign whimpering on the deck. Her face was bleeding from where something had scratched her.

“All systems are nominal, sir.” Bjorn reported. “No damage.”

“Weapons are 100%.” Came another report from Stine’s left. “No rounds fired.”

“What about the crew?” Stine asked, turning to Lt. Commander Rebon. “Was everyone affected?”

“Reports in from every deck.” Rebon responded, “her voice still tremored. “Thirty-six crewmen MIA .â€?

Stine remembered The Pillar.

“No bodies?”