Io venni in loco d'ogne luce muto,
che mugghia come fa mar per tempesta,
se da contrari venti è combattuto.
che mugghia come fa mar per tempesta,
se da contrari venti è combattuto.
I came into a place void of all light,
which bellows like the sea in tempest,
when it is combated by warring winds.
which bellows like the sea in tempest,
when it is combated by warring winds.
(Dante Alighieri - The Inferno)
[Shuttle Bellatora Fortis, ch`Dabhae]
As Sakarra checked her console to try and get a fix on whoever was up there - not shooting , at least not yet, but she was not inclined to give them a clear lock in either case - she noticed that whatever life signs the sensors were still able to pick up were beginning to blip out of existence. Horribly slow, but with chilling inevitability.
'No,' the young woman thought to herself 'Charon is still out there. They have to be. I would KNOW if they were gone.'
As the seconds ticked away, she realized there was no way they could retrieve their comrades without being blown to bits in the process. Even assuming they were still alive.
Logically, you could not fight what you did not know. Her face was a mask of stone and just as expressionless, although that simple fact alone might have given one familiar with Vulcans a vital clue.
Bellatora Fortis shot out into the darkness, and even before the last traces of the planet's blue and deceivingly mellow atmosphere cleared away from the windows, Sakarra's sharp eyes made out the looming shape of an old D'Deridex warbird hovering in orbit.
As the seconds ticked away, she realized there was no way they could retrieve their comrades without being blown to bits in the process. Even assuming they were still alive.
Logically, you could not fight what you did not know. Her face was a mask of stone and just as expressionless, although that simple fact alone might have given one familiar with Vulcans a vital clue.
Bellatora Fortis shot out into the darkness, and even before the last traces of the planet's blue and deceivingly mellow atmosphere cleared away from the windows, Sakarra's sharp eyes made out the looming shape of an old D'Deridex warbird hovering in orbit.
Debris. Weapons signatures. And ion trails. One, very distinctly, Federation.
It took her less than 0.7 seconds to interpret the readings their enhanced sensors were now happily feeding onto the screens, having free reign outside the atmosphere and being close enough to whatever took place here.
Although right now Sakarra would have liked nothing better than to come screaming at that smug, green bulk that slowly turned it's gigantic beak towards them, cold reason said that that could only end in more senseless death.
Cyrin's eyes got about as big as the Sacred Chalice of Rixx at the sight of the D'Deridex warbird, this could not be good. With the Charon out of site or possibly worse off than they were, "Lieutenant having sensors look for the other away team." He said as Sakarra kept on swerving to keep out of target range. He wasn't sure how they were going to be able to pull this off especially with limited power and they were already full as it was. "Sensors have located the away team," he sent the coordinates to the navigational control console. "Now the fun part is trying to get them onboard," he mumbled to himself. "At least they are still alive." He added as he continued to feed her the coordinates and attempted to determine how he was going to get a transporter lock on them. 'Just call me the miracle worker,' he thought to himself.
"Indeed, Ensign." the young Vulcan stated levelly. "Please have transporters and biofilters standing by. This might get, as humans say, tricky."
Whoever was on that warbird could not truly be interested in destroying them just yet, but rather seemed to be playing with them as the Le-Matya with helpless prey. For right now, although a part of Sakarra was infuriated by this, she was not going to object to anything that kept them alive.
Whoever was on that warbird could not truly be interested in destroying them just yet, but rather seemed to be playing with them as the Le-Matya with helpless prey. For right now, although a part of Sakarra was infuriated by this, she was not going to object to anything that kept them alive.
She could not help but appreciate the fine irony that it was a shuttle modified by a Rihanha that just might give them the edge they would need to deprive this predator of it's toy. And speaking of edge… she listened intently for the thrumming of the micro-singularity and then gave an uncharacteristic, yet rather satisfied huff.
"Commander, Doctor, I suggest you anticipate some consoles or power conduits overloading. While I shall attempt to keep the inconvenience to a minimum, I suggest you take positions which will prevent injuries from flying shards."
With this, she shoved the impulse engines into overdrive and made a run for the planet which to an outside observer might have seemed suicidal at best.
As expected, the starboard EPS conduit screamed in protest, but held. Just 4.7 more seconds…
"Commander, Doctor, I suggest you anticipate some consoles or power conduits overloading. While I shall attempt to keep the inconvenience to a minimum, I suggest you take positions which will prevent injuries from flying shards."
With this, she shoved the impulse engines into overdrive and made a run for the planet which to an outside observer might have seemed suicidal at best.
As expected, the starboard EPS conduit screamed in protest, but held. Just 4.7 more seconds…
The young Betazoid's face had taken on a rather unhealthy coloring, but his hands hovered over the console, the locks on the away team's thankfully stable life signs blinking in confirmation.
No time to alert them to what would be a rough beam-up, barely enough time to .. yes, the massive D'Deridex was following, and they would be able to establish another weapons lock in…
Sakarra would have to do what every Vulcan despised. She would have to gamble.
The Fortis bounced off the atmosphere in a precisely calculated angle and then went into a sharp turn that rapidly killed their forward momentum. Over the whine of the inertia dampeners and the sharp sound of an exploding science station, Sakarra dropped their shields.
"Now, Ensign."
No time to alert them to what would be a rough beam-up, barely enough time to .. yes, the massive D'Deridex was following, and they would be able to establish another weapons lock in…
Sakarra would have to do what every Vulcan despised. She would have to gamble.
The Fortis bounced off the atmosphere in a precisely calculated angle and then went into a sharp turn that rapidly killed their forward momentum. Over the whine of the inertia dampeners and the sharp sound of an exploding science station, Sakarra dropped their shields.
"Now, Ensign."
Dylan did just as the Lieutenant had suggested. He took a position to protect against any exploding consoles, acting as a shelter for the injured child still in his arms.
Cyrin winced with each exploding conduit, less power means more work. "Locked on." He said when no sooner he got the order, his fingers slid across the console as the away team was first sent through the biofilter then materialized in the back, when the transporter system exploded.
"Well, we didn't want those anyway," he said trying to make light of the situation. When the power started failing due to the over-exertion, "Lieutenant…we have a problem." He said as the primary power went down, "Switching to auxiliary power." He turned around to the people in the back, "Don't touch anything otherwise it might explode on you," he said as another conduit exploded.
They had actually pulled it off. Fascinating.
Unfortunately, while at least their shields were back up, just about everything else seemed down. Including weapons, warp drive and most of their sensors.
Not that they needed sensors to see the green colossus now hovering before them. With a move one could call brazen or quite possibly idiotic, Sakarra pushed their engines to full power and sent the poor, straining Fortis diving under the beast's belly. With inertia dampeners so far past their limits they were about to throw in the proverbial towel altogether, the bewildered away team in the hold went flying into bulkheads while any loose item on board briefly went airborne.
And still, it just might have worked. Exploiting one weakness of the D'Deridex sensors that she remembered, the young Vulcan had just confused those long enough to give them a one in thousand chance.
Unfortunately, while at least their shields were back up, just about everything else seemed down. Including weapons, warp drive and most of their sensors.
Not that they needed sensors to see the green colossus now hovering before them. With a move one could call brazen or quite possibly idiotic, Sakarra pushed their engines to full power and sent the poor, straining Fortis diving under the beast's belly. With inertia dampeners so far past their limits they were about to throw in the proverbial towel altogether, the bewildered away team in the hold went flying into bulkheads while any loose item on board briefly went airborne.
And still, it just might have worked. Exploiting one weakness of the D'Deridex sensors that she remembered, the young Vulcan had just confused those long enough to give them a one in thousand chance.
Unfortunately, they had gotten a mere 200 000 kilometers, when another EPS conduit went up in a shower of sparks and Sakarra could feel the howl of the failing impulse engines in her bones.
No 3.2 second later, she felt the characteristic jolt of a tractor beam locking on to their little wreck that had once been a very nice shuttle.
"Problem indeed, Ensign."
Well, logic dictated that tractor beam was better than photon torpedo.
"I realize the question may seem redundant, but is there a possibility we could attain warp for a duration of at least 4.5 seconds? After we have re-routed primary life support including artificial gravity to phasers for precisely 3 seconds."
No 3.2 second later, she felt the characteristic jolt of a tractor beam locking on to their little wreck that had once been a very nice shuttle.
"Problem indeed, Ensign."
Well, logic dictated that tractor beam was better than photon torpedo.
"I realize the question may seem redundant, but is there a possibility we could attain warp for a duration of at least 4.5 seconds? After we have re-routed primary life support including artificial gravity to phasers for precisely 3 seconds."
Cyrin's face whitened when the tractor beam latched on to them. "Redundant indeed Lieutenant." He said coining one of her phrases. He let sighed, "Lieutenant, I can try." He said even though by now, his tries were being perceived as 'Yes I can'. His hands slid across the console, "I suggest you all buckle in, we are going to be losing life support both primary and secondary as well as artificial gravity. So if you don't want to go flying. In three, two, one." With that there was a silence that filled the shuttle and equipment began floating around.
To conserve what precious oxygen was left he waited for the Lieutenant to active the systems. The fun part would be re-engaging them…if he could, then he noticed a power drain on all major systems, "Secondary power systems will fail in three seconds. I suggest you 'punch' it."
To conserve what precious oxygen was left he waited for the Lieutenant to active the systems. The fun part would be re-engaging them…if he could, then he noticed a power drain on all major systems, "Secondary power systems will fail in three seconds. I suggest you 'punch' it."
"Punch?" The Fortis's phasers lanced out and overloaded, sending yet another violent shudder through the poor shuttle. One unforeseen side effect of that overload was that not only the tractor beam was put out of commission rather suddenly, but in fact there now was a sizeable hole where the emitters had once been. The unfortunate side effect however was that they were now fresh out of weapons and drifting perilously close underneath a warbird whose crew might be somewhat annoyed with them right now.
Never mind that they were down to two working EPS junctions.
Never mind that they were down to two working EPS junctions.
[To be continued...]
Commander Dylan Marcus
Chief Security Officer
&
Lieutenant Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helm Officer
&
Ensign Cyrin Dicari
Chief Operations Officer
Chief Security Officer
&
Lieutenant Sakarra Tyrax
Chief Helm Officer
&
Ensign Cyrin Dicari
Chief Operations Officer
USS Charon
