LT Tamio K'Wara - Repurposing familiar tech for new problems

[LT Tamio K'Wara]

(( Cockpit of the USS Acheron - Ebers System, Balancar Sector, Alpha Quadrant ))

They were in a hardly ideal situation - stuck on one side of a space-time rift actively expanding angrily into the nearby matter, and with an unfamiliar vessel on the other side of it. No one knew where the Ebers Rift connected to, until now, no viable scans or contact had been made with the other side, but it was evidently not as far away as first anticipated, given the vaguely familiar-looking vessel on the other side.

K’Wara: All we’ve got is conjecture at this stage, but we have to try something. At least the phasers won’t be shooting at us anymore. ::looks at Storm:: Alex, what’re our options? Can we do anything on this side to knock them loose, or loosen the Rift’s grip on them?

Storm: I have an idea, but it depends on how much power we have at our disposal.  

That was the big impediment to their continued success, yes. The limited resources.

Cole: Sir, I think I’ve cleared up the signal. =/\= Unknown vessel, repeat that. =/\=

Tamio looked up, confused. How the vessel managed to get a signal through was a bloody miracle.

Unknown Vessel: =/\= ::static:: I repeat, This is ::static:: …der Hinkly. I have been stuck in the pull of this special anomaly for … I honestly don’t even know anymore. Any assistance you could offer would be greatly appreciated. =/\=

Storm/Vailani: Response

Tamio thought of their possible solutions, but if they had to be honest, they didn’t have many.

Cole: ::raises her hand:: I have an idea.

K’Wara: Let’s hear it.

Cole: If this Hinkly person has a torpedo or equivalent on their ship what if we each fire and detonate them at the same point. The explosion might be enough that the wake of it might knock them loose.

To say that Tamio stared would be an understatement. They were looking at a rift in space, an actual tear in the fabric of space-time, and Lieutenant Cole’s solution was to throw a big bomb at it... At this point, her ingenuity with the phaser was starting to seem like a crutch.

Storm:  Even if they don’t, we could put a torpedo into the rift’s throat and detonate early—let the shockwave kick their hull sideways out of the grip.

Vailani: Response

Cole: We could always consider it a plan B.

Storm:  Yes! ::Turning around to look at Cole, her eyes glowing iridescent:: But if we both had a torpedo, and we both did the same thing - detonating our torpedos before they reach the other shuttle, we could potentially knock each other free of our respective rifts!

It was spreading.

K’Wara: ::unusually stern voice:: We are not shooting explosive material at a space-time rift that is already expanding irregularly. ::to Natasha:: It’s a Plan E, as far as I’m concerned. ::thinks:: Although... Sending a load of something into the rift is not a bad idea. ::to Vailani:: LT Vailani, do we have anything - or have the capacity to replicate anything - that could be deployed inside the rift, to calm it? Or make our vessels more capable of escaping?

Vailani: Response

Storm:  And we happen to have two torpedoes!

One per stuck vessel... That could work. Emptying the torpedoes of their explosive load wouldn’t be difficult, and their ‘detonation trigger’ would instead act as a scatter mechanism.

K’Wara: There is the problem of him seeing us shoot what looks like a torpedo at him, and trying to intercept it with a torpedo of his own. We want to avoid that, or we’ll still end up blowing this rift open.

Vailani/Cole:  Response

Storm: Cole, can you see if they have a torpedo of their own?

Vailani/Cole: Response

K’Wara: Well, sounds like we have our plan ready to go. LT Vailani, get the solution inserted into the torpedoes. LT Storm, once the payload’s been replaced, get the scatter-pedoes locked and loaded. And Natasha? Try and get Mr. Hinkly to not shoot at the one coming to shock him loose.

The team worked fast and competently, which was what they needed. The rift was still pulling at them, angry at the pincer move executed by the two stuck shuttles. Tamio wondered if, perhaps, Hinkly’s approach to the rift was what had prompted its growth in the first place, in which case, getting him loose would help Luxasi’s problem with the phasers as well.

Storm:  I’ve got our torpedo programmed.  

Go-time.

Storm:  One wrong beat and we scatter ourselves among the stars instead.

K’Wara: Let’s not do that. Time to test whether Hinkly got your message, Natasha. ::to Alex:: LT Storm, once we confirm that the torpedo has reached Hinkly’s shuttle, I trust you’ll be ready to detonate ours.

They had never tried ‘bumper car’-ing shuttles away from a rift before, but there had to be a first time for anything. They had to admit, they were slightly depressed that they’d not be the one in the pilot’s seat for this, but Natasha had proven herself a quick thinker, even if her tactical repertoire extended to ‘big boom’ at the moment.

Vailani/Cole/Storm: Response

K’Wara: Launch the first torpedo.

They watched with bated breath as the torpedo - now loaded with a material that would hopefully solve this issue without making the rift bigger - went flying towards the rift. They hoped it would make the trek through the rift without getting detonated pre-emptively.

Vailani/Cole/Storm: Response

K’Wara: That’s our cue. Hit it!

Vailani/Cole/Storm: Response

TAG/TBC

LT Tamio K’Wara

Chief of Operations

USS Artemis-A
A240006GS1