Faint distress beacon detected in the border region between the Beta Quadrant and the Delta Quadrant. USS Nautilus, assigned to explore the region, has ceased making regular contact. The Enterprise is assigned to investigate the fate of the Nautilus, tow the ship back to starbase if possible, rescue any survivors, and investigate the alien distress signal. Starship Nautilus, a Miranda Class vessel, has vanished from contact while investigating a signal of unknown origin. The Nautilus is presumed intact, but may have been captured, disable or destroyed by an unknown cause. Klingons, Romulans, and unknown alien species are all possible antagonists. It cannot be clearly translated. Partial message: L***X