Lt Alex Storm - The Reflection in the Rift

[Karen Morris]

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

 

Storm:  =/\=Your sensors may be better than ours, can you see a ship or a shuttle on the otherside of that rift?=/\=

 

Zurah:  =/\=That might take as a minute or two to calibrate and take a look for you.=/\=

 

Vailani: You should run a manual diagnostic of your critical systems and weapons. I think the worm is overriding your diagnostic protocols. If you give me manual access I can do a counter hack. Nothing fancy but it might stop what ever is happening. 

 

Zurah: =/\= I'll patch you through to our engineer. =//= 

 

K’Wara: Does it look doable, Lieutenant?

 

Vailani: Shouldn't be too hard. I've got access to the station's systems. 

 

Natasha had been pushing the Acheron through its paces, and was sure Ensign Grace was going to give her a piece of her mind, regardless of her recent promotion. She had essentially been swinging the runabout around the rift at a fifty degree angle against it’s event horizon.

 

Cole: ::smiling to herself:: This is kinda fun.

 

Storm: Does Dr. Morgan, or better yet Captain Mackenzie, know that you’re an adrenaline junkie?  

A cold spark rippled behind Storm’s eyes—something brushed her mind, uninvited, sharp enough to make her grip the chair as the shuttle was racked by another volley of debris, Alex’s hand stop mid-motion.  Once the shuttle was … stable was a relative word, she ran a spectral analysis on the craft caught on the far side of the rift.

 

Cole: oO I have no intention of dying today Oo

 

Storm:  Do we have enough power to shoot a series of tachyon bursts at the rift: It might disrupt its hold enough for us to break free.

 

K’Wara: No can do, we don’t have the excess power for that. It’s all we can do to keep power running to the engines and the shields right now. The gravitational interference from the Rift is too unpredictable.

 

Vailani: Power to the engines are draining. We need to move faster. 

 

Natasha was trying everything she could do except getting out and pushing to get them to move faster.

 

Vailani: I've managed to build a wall around the station's systems. The engineers are back in control or working towards it. But I noticed something hidden in the pattern. It was an SOS. I think something wants our help? 

 

Zurah: =/\= Acheron, our sensors managed to get a look into the rift. You should see this. =/\=

Alex glanced over the sensor data, wrinkling her brow.

Storm:  What?  Is that…

Her breath thinned into a single sharp inhale.  Both hands worked the console until it told the story she needed.  Then left hand and right hand volleyed back and forth between her sensor data on the Acheron and the data that the station had sent their way.  Once she was sure, her hands froze an inch from the console.  It looked like a shuttle very like the Acheron was trying desperately to escape the other side of the rift.

Storm: Is that …?

Her throat tightened as she looked up at the three other women quickly before glancing at the HUD.  

Storm: =/\= Zurah, can you get a close up image of the other side of the rift? =/\=

 

Vailani: Response

 

K’Wara: ::whistles:: Well, you don’t see that every day.

 

Cole: Not what I would expect.

 

The other vessel was similar in size to the Acheron, but with noticeable differences, most notably it was in far worse physical shape.

 

K’Wara: They must’ve approached the rift from the other side a while ago... ::thinks:: Cole, I don’t suppose we can get a hail through to them?

 

Alex’s eyes looked over at Cole before returning to her readings.

 

Cole: =/\= Attention unknown vessel. This is the Acheron, please respond. =/\=

 

K’Wara: LT Vailani, judging by these scans, how much longer do you think they can withstand the Rift’s influence?

 

Unknown Vessel: =/\= ::static:: =/\=

 

Vailani: Response

 

K’Wara: ::quietly, mostly to themself:: Who knows, they may be the reason the Rift is acting up. Kind of like the tension on a surface of the water when something tries to come up for air…

 

Alex’s pointer finger tapped three times against the smooth glass of her console.

 

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.  

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

 

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.=/\=

 

K’Wara/Storm/Vailani: Response

 

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

 

She waited for a sign she could make her suggestion. What was likely to be a surprise to no one is her plan involved an explosion.

 

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.

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.

K’Wara/Vailani: Response

 

Cole: We could always consider it a plan B. oO for Bang! Oo

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!

 

K’Wara/Vailani: Response

Storm:  And we happen to have two torpedoes!

K’Wara/Vailani/Cole:  Response

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

K’Wara/Vailani/Cole: Response

Alex’s fingers moved with precision of one so familiar with the systems that sight of the console wasn’t needed.  The console started beeping, slow at first and then with greater rapidity as if it were begging to be released from its prison and allowed to fly free.

Storm:  I’ve got our torpedo programmed.  

Her eyes met Natasha’s.

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

For an instant, Alex wondered who was saving whom—were they here to rescue the echo in the rift, or was it a warning meant to save them?

K’Wara/Vailani/Cole: Response

~*~

Tags / TBC!

~*~

Lt Alex Storm

Tactical Officer

USS Artemis

O240103SK2