Lt. JG Natasha Cole - Well, We’re Still Here
Natasha Schell
(( Cockpit of the USS Acheron - Ebers System, Balancar Sector, Alpha Quadrant ))
Of course their fate was tied to someone they didn’t know and had only one literal shot to save them. Natasha slowly exhaled, to say she was outside her comfort zone was a massive understatement.
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.
Cole: =/\= Hinkley, Confirm you received the data transmission.=/\=
Hinkley: =/\= ::static:: =/\=
Vailani: :: to Storm :: =/\= Torpedo ready for programming =/\=
Storm: I’ve got our torpedo programmed.
Natasha’s eyes meet Alex’s. She could swear she could feel their shared worry at what they were about to attempt.
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.
Natasha sat there keeping the shuttle from drifting towards the center of the rift, and then it hit her that their angle was all wrong. She made adjustments so the shuttle’s angle would aid Alex’s shot. Hopefully this Hinkly fellow caught this too
Storm: Aye. Immediately.
K’Wara: Launch the first torpedo.
Vailani: There she goes.
Storm: ::whispered:: May the four deities guide you.
K’Wara: That’s our cue. Hit it!
Storm: Done
They sat there watching with bated breath as the modified torpedo entered the rift with little fanfare as the casing came apart and a purple vapor began to envelope the rift's opening. If the circumstances were not as dire, she’d consider taking an image of the sight. This was the kind of thing Juno loved. At that moment she thought of her younger sibling. As that thought entered her mind, there was a bolt of light from Hinkly’s shuttle followed by an explosion within the purple cloud between them.
Vailani: Did it work?
Cole: :: Squinting out the viewport :: Maybe? I mean we’re still here so that’s something, right?
Storm:I’m reading the shuttle on the other side. It looks intact. Lieutenant Cole, are we still being pulled toward the rift?
Suddenly the rift lit up like a Christmas tree as it convulsed and contracted, sending waves of turbulence as the rift's structure fluctuated. Natasha closed her eyes and instinct took over as she adjusted the thrusters to ride the turbulence and not push against them. The resulting maneuvers, even with the inertial dampeners working, resulted in them being jostled around like bath toys for a moment.
Vailani: Anything from Hinkly?
Cole: :: surprised :: He’s still alive, shuttle appears to have stabilized and … he’s hailing us.
Storm: I can sense him. He’s worn but uninjured.
Vailani: Response
K'Wara: On screen, Nat.
Cole: Aye, Sir.
Natasha tapped at the comms and a young man appeared on screen. While clearly not in a Starfleet Uniform, at least not one she’s ever seen past or present. He appeared to be tallish, with neatly cropped dark hair and a sharp, self-assured jawline. He had a half smile on his face, that Natasha was sure he was the type to talk his way out of trouble, while trying to convince you it was your idea.
Hinkly: =/\= Let’s try that again, Commander Hinkly of the UEA. Thank you for your assistance. Who do I have to thank for my timely rescue?=/\=
Natasha turned to Lieutenant Storm with a confused look on her face, she’d never heard of any organization called UEA.
Cole: =/\= Lieutenant Junior Grade Cole, UEA Sir? =/\=
Lieutenant K’Wara had made a motion to mute the feed, so they could discuss the situation.
Storm: We’ve not seen that uniform before.
K'Wara: Careful. ::waves for the sound to be turned back on:: =/\= We’re pleased to have been of assistance, Cmdr. Hinkly. This could’ve gotten pretty bad. If you don’t mind, how did you get stuck in there? =/\=
Vailani: Response
Hinkly: =/\= All valid questions and concerns. UEA, United Earth Alliance. ::confused:: I’m surprised there’s anyone that doesn’t know who we are. As for how and why I was stuck in the rift. I was sent to investigate an anomalous signal that was being sent through an uncharted anomaly. Upon arriving I sent a probe through and some how something shot back at me, damaging my engines and I started to slowly drift towards the rift.
Storm: We’ve been caught on our side of the rift’s wake as well.
Vailani: Response
K’Wara: Yeah, I agree... =/\= The signal you registered was likely from our space station. It was quite a gamble, sending a signal through to us. =/\=
Hinkly: =/\= After realizing my options were limited I sent a distress signal to the Armstrong, but the interference from the rift, that proved to be fruitless, like screaming into the void itself. I took a gamble and tried sending a message through to whoever it was that shot me. Hoping for the best, ::laughing:: even tried throwing rocks.
Storm: =/\= Well that explains a few things. You were the one throwing the rocks? ::Alex blinked:: Remind me to never get into a game of darts with you. Your aim is dangerous. =/\=
Vailani: Response
Cole: oO and people thought I was reckless Oo
Hinkly: =/\= Darts? =/\=
Storm: =/\= Throwing game of skill.=/\=
Natasha was surprised this Hinkly guy hadn’t heard of Darts. He looked like the type to frequent bars. Maybe they called them something different.
K’Wara: LT Vailani, how’s the rift looking? Is it holding?
Vailani: Response
Storm: =/\= Will you be able to get back to your people? =/\=
Hinkley: =/\= I might end up limping the entire way there, but I’ll make it eventually. =/\=
K’Wara: =/\= In that case, fair winds, Cmdr. Hinkly. =/\=
Vailani: Response
Natasha offered a simple wave to Commander Hinkly before closing the signal. In the resulting silence, she sat for a moment with the thought that they appeared to make contact with someone from another universe. United Earth Alliance, was this their version of the Federation?
Storm: Unfortunately, we still have the conundrum of who sent the worm to the station.
Vailani: Response
Cole: And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of questions this whole experience has created.
K’Wara: If the upgraded sensors of the tactical upgrades intercepted Mr. Hinkly’s message mid-programming, that may explain a great deal.
Cole: Is that a possibility? Also he did say Earth right? That’s kinda … weird isn’t it?
Vailani: Response
Storm: Response
K’Wara: Nat, take us back around to Luxasi. Think the rift should be left alone for a little bit, give it time to settle down. ::to Vailani:: Lieutenant, patch us through to Researcher Zurah.
Cole: Setting course, Lieutenant.
Natasha eased the controls and spun the runabout around and headed towards a much less hostile Luxasi Station.
Vailani: Response
Storm: Response
Zurah: =/\= It’s good to hear your voice, Lieutenant. Our scans are showing the rift back within normal parameters. =/\=
K’Wara: =/\= And it should hopefully stay that way, Zurah. ::beat:: Don’t suppose you’ve got the kettle on? We’ve got a shuttle that could really use some R&R before our trek back to the Artemis. =/\=
Zurah: =/\= Of course. ::smile:: I do believe it’s time we meet face-to-face. Luxasi out. =/\=
K’Wara: Damn fine job, all of you. If Luxasi’s got a bar, I’m buying.
Cole: After this experience, I think we might need it.
Vailani/Storm: Responses
Cole: At this point, my brain feels like it’s on its third cup of coffee trying to process this alternate universe, the station’s defenses deciding to play ‘surprise laser tag,’ and a rift that couldn’t decide if it wanted to inhale us or implode. They're going to think I made half of this up when I file the report on this.
Vailani/Storm: Responses
Tags/End Scene for Lt. JG Natasha Cole
((( OOC: Thank you for running with me introducing Cmdr Hinkly and the UEA, there is a story out of game there, that if anyone is interested I’ll share. I had a blast with this side adventure.)))
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Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
Writer ID A240205NC4