These have been intense days. We were returning in a shuttle to the USS-Andalucía, from a mission in an asteroid belt. We had gone in response to a distress signal, but we were unable to locate its origin. We began to think that it could be some kind of trick by some pirates or something similar. After long hours of searching without results, we resumed the course back to the ship from the depths of the asteroid field.

As we returned, we detected the distress signal again and this time we were able to locate its exact origin. We located it on the surface of a particularly large asteroid. As we approached, we could only make out scattered remains of some ship, but no signs of life.

With great care, we managed to land on the asteroid and carried out a ground survey in our spacesuits. We searched the area and found the beacon, but no survivors.

While we were analyzing the beacon, it emitted a powerful signal that disabled all the devices in our suits and our shuttle. I was stunned for a few seconds and the rest of the team members were unconscious.

With great difficulty, plunged into absolute darkness and without knowing how much oxygen I had left or the state of my suit, I managed to drag all the components into our shuttle.

Just as I managed to close the outer gate, I saw some beings appear. I then physically blocked the door with bars, thus preventing them from gaining access inside.

While these visitors pounded on the door incessantly for hours, I managed to activate the auxiliary power unit and reestablish life support inside the shuttle. I was then able to remove my helmet and those of my companions and I made a primitive assessment of their condition, without a tricorder or any other device. Miraculously, everyone was breathing, although they seemed to be in a kind of coma. I don’t know why I was not affected. It may be because of my habit, some companions define it as a mania, of wearing a hat under my space suit. It is a hat that my mother gave me when I joined to Starfleet and that among its manufacturing materials has very fine metal filaments, and I suppose they served to dissipate some of the force of the shock wave and not affect me as much.

After confirming that they were still alive, I tried to revive them, but to no avail. Then I remembered that it was once common to use some kind of strong, unpleasant odor to wake up unconscious people. I searched through the shuttle’s equipment and upon opening a panel, a strong odor made me pull back, unable to breathe. The food replicator had failed and the matter container from which it creates food had been damaged. I wasn’t sure if this would help, but since I had nothing else to try, I gave it a try.

Fortunately, it worked and the rest of the team reacted and woke up, between oaths and annoyed by the smell, which was already flooding the entire shuttle, I explained to them what had happened.

Outside, our visitors continued to try to gain access to the interior, trying to break the doors and windows, but without success. When they saw that the rest of the components were moving, they tried harder to gain access to the interior of the shuttle.

Laboriously, we all managed to restore the essential equipment to be able to fly and finally managed to start the shuttle’s engines.

We took off with several of the visitors still perched on various places outside the shuttle. However, when they saw that we were beginning to separate from the surface, they jumped towards the asteroid.

We moved away as fast as we could, but carefully, as the shields were barely strong. We detected that they were aiming at us with some kind of weapon, but among all the asteroids they were unable to fix the target.

As we finally emerged from the asteroid field and approached the USS Andalusia, we were able to communicate and felt their relief at seeing us.

Now safe, the engineering team is analyzing the beacon we picked up on the asteroid to see how it works. They are also repairing the shuttle, which will take a while since there is a lot of damage, as well as a nauseating smell that they cannot get rid of.

I have put the entire team under observation, including myself, and I am doing all kinds of tests, thanks to modern medicine, to make sure that there are no after-effects and that we are fully recovered.

Fleet missions are always a venture.