Ensign Kai Sims - Shattered Stars

[Lucas Jones]

((Bridge, Deck 3, USS Ronin))

 

Sims watched the little blip as it raced away from the Ronin – an unauthorized shuttle launch. The Ronin was crippled in space, and the captain had ordered all hands to abandon ship before canceling the order moments earlier. Between the exchange of weapons fire between the Excalibur and Alliance vessels and the massive debris field that now cluttered the battlefield, Sims was fairly certain that shuttlecraft would be exploding any moment now.

 

Sims: Sir! I just detected a launch from the shuttle bay on deck eleven. It’s definitely the Sagan, but what in the world are they doing? That shuttlecraft will be blown to pieces if an Alliance vessel so much as looks at it the wrong way!

 

Carpenter: Now where the devil did THEY come from?!

 

oO Obviously out of our shuttle bay. Where else would they have come from? oO

 

Niac:  =/\= Ronin to Sagan, what the hell do you think you're doing?! =/\=

 

Beck: =/\= Oh, we thought we'd just take the Sagan out for a little spin, sir. Get some fresh air before the warp core breach. =/\=

 

Sims scowled at Beck’s words. He had never met the man but did not have him pegged as someone who would jump ship at the first chance he had. Obviously, he was wrong. He had dealt with people like these before on his home colony. – always the first people to claim they were following orders after bailing out and taking all the supplies with them, leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

 

oO In other words, they’re saving their own skins. Cowards. oO

  

O'Connor: =/\= Not to mention the view, it’s…well, it’s something =/\=

 

Niac:  =/\= That is not what I had in mind when I issued that order, Lieutenant!  Wait one. =/\=

 

The rest of the captain’s communication fell on deaf areas as the comm link between the Ronin and the Sagan was cut short. Considering the state of the rest of the ship, it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise.

 

Niac:  Kirsty, try to contact Scuttles and advise them to cover the Sagan as best they can.  Advise them we're making a final firing pass on the weapon ship.  Chief, Mr. Sims, put every gigawatt we've got left into those phaser banks.  

 

Tucker: You got it, skipper.

 

Sims:  Aye sir.

 

Carpenter: They aren't going to last long out there. ::she points severely to the now phaser-firing Gun-Ship:: Especially with that monster out there still. 

 

Sims glanced toward the viewscreen. The Titan’s phasers were now fully powered up and were firing dozens of energy beams that were lashing out at any targets within range. Several shuttlecraft were simply swatted aside amidst the explosion of photon torpedoes intercepted from the Excalibur.

 

Niac:  Try to raise the Excalibur...if we coordinate our fire we might be able to finish that damn thing off. 

 

Tucker: I’m working to get a signal to the Excalibur, but the build-up of S-waves is wrecking our comm systems.

 

Sims: I’ve diverted what little remaining power we have from our defensive systems and impulse drive to forward phaser arrays and torpedo launchers. Just make sure to blow them up before they have the chance to do the same to us.

 

Turning sideways in his chair, Sims watched as several beams of phaser fire lashed against the opposing vessels hull. The lightshow was rather beautiful, he thought. Flashes of orange phaser fired mixed in with the reds, oranges, and yellows as explosions erupted on the hostile vessel’s hull and melted away into the black of space. The only time Sims could really remember seeing such a vibrant array of colors was when he first arrived on Earth during his academy training – and even that was for only a brief time before being whisked away into the rather subdued interior of the academy.

Carpenter: Filling 'em fulla daylight, boss! 

 

Sims was fairly certain that Carpenter was having too much fun with the prospect of having something to blow things up with and vaguely wondered if she was mentally stable.

 

Niac: Excalibur's power readings have gotten very....weird.

 

oO Weird? Weird how? In a good way or a bad way? oO

 

Carpenter: Chief Alieth wants to try ANOTHER web? An "anti-Web"?!

 

Tucker:::eyebrows lifted in shock:: Is she out of her Vulcan mind? I don’t think we’ve got the juice to activate another beam, and even if we did, we’d blow the deflector.

 

Sims: Just the deflector sir? If the second beam is anything like the first, the deflector will probably be the only thing left of the ship.

 

Niac: If I'm reading this right Chief it looks like they're overloading their s-wave reactor.  If they fire now, at this range, we'll lose both ships and the station.  

 

oO And us along with it. oO

 

Carpenter: Then we use it all. We funnel everything, and I mean EVERYTHING into the deflector pulse to match the Khitomer's. Weapons, shields, life support, the core, we push it all out with the Kitty's chronoton and into their stupid slimy, crystalline faces. We already have the counterwave formula, if we just-

 

Sims grabbed onto his console as another phaser blast smashed against the Ronin’s hull and drowned out the rest of Carpenter’s statement.

 

Carpenter: Now or never, sir. If we don't push them back now...we won't at all.

 

Niac: Chief, Mr. Sims, transfer all remaining power into the deflector dish.  Including life support.  

 

Sims balked at the thought of transferring power from life support. He had seen people suffocate from lack of oxygen in the past. Heard some of the toughest people he’d known practically begging for help. He didn’t want to die. But by gods, he could think of a thousand ways he’d rather die than suffocating.

 

Sims: But..

 

Sims attempts to protest were brought to a sudden close as his commanding officer spoke up in response to the captain.

 

Tucker: You sure, sir? 

 

Niac:  I'm sure I'm sick of seeing that ship in my sky, Chief.  

 

Sims shifted his gaze over to Tucker as the captain addressed him directly. He never liked having his fate put in the hands of others, but in this case, he had no other choice.

 

Tucker: ::nodding at the captain:: Aye sir. Cutting all life support and diverting it to the deflector. I’ve also diverted the warp core into the deflector; the beam will blow out the deflector…if anyone cares….

 

Sims: Blow out the deflector and probably take out the warp core along with it…

 

The last arc of phaser fire from Ronin melted away into space with little more than a fizzle – the last few watts of energy redirected from the already strained weapons systems.

 

Niac:  Standby deflector pulse.  If we live through this one you've all got the day off tomorrow.  If we don't I'll expect you on duty bright and early.  

 

Carpenter: Response

 

Sims: I don’t plan on dying today… It wouldn’t look good on my service record if I died in my first week of service.

 

Tucker: Alright, I’ve got a massive power spike, and I need to get rid of it before we explode. Would you like me to release that energy skipper?

 

Niac:  One last miracle, Chief.

 

Sims knew they were going to need more than one miracle. Even if they survived the coming moments, they were going to need a miracle to keep the ship from suddenly falling apart afterwards.

 

A small crackle heralded the arrival of yet another miracle as the comms systems came back to life in time for another message from the Excalibur directed at their opposition.

 

Alieth: =/\= To all Lattice Alliance ships and forces; we are targeting your flagship with a unique countermeasure we have developed against your weapons technology. Not only that, but this ship, and soon all Federation ships in the area, will be immune to your technology thanks to information provided by an informant recovered from your facilities. We urge you to withdraw from Sector Alpha 113 as quickly as possible. =/\=

 

Tucker: One deflector beam coming right up!

 

Sims grabbed both sides of his console as the ship’s systems began to flutter and fail as all the ship’s power was diverted to the deflector dish as if it  were taking in a great big breath before exhaling all the energy in a single, faltering deflector beam.

 

The shockwave from the explosion engulfed Ronin completely, and the deafening sound of shrieking metal filled Sim’s ears as stress on the ship’s hull reached it’s maximum limits. What little of the ship that had stuck together during the last shockwave finally pulled apart, and Sims was thrown from his seat a bit roughly as his dead console blew apart and showered him with sparks and fragments of metal.

 

Moments seemed to pass, and the shaking finally came to an end. Sims started to pull himself off the floor slowly but quickly fell back into sitting on the floor as a massive headache started to tear its way through his head.  

 

Niac:  Let's not do that again....::He coughed painfully and was certain he'd picked up a few broken ribs::...everyone report...if you can't just stay still till we can get to you....

 

Tucker: We’re venting atmo on several decks, and life support is all but depleted because of that. On the bright side, communications are up and running, and Commander Carpenter, you’re free to contact Excalibur at your leisure.

 

With the intensity of the headache having slightly reduced in the last few moments, Sims pulled himself off the floor and was relieved to see he did not appear to have suffered any major injuries other than the headache and lightheadedness that were slowly reducing in intensity.

 

Sims: I..I’m all right sir.

 

Carpenter: Response

 

Niac:  Please send the Commodore my compliments, Lt. Cmdr. Carpenter.  I'd invite her over for dinner but...well...::he gestured around::...might take us a little while to find the good plates.  

 

Carpenter: Response

 

Happy to still be alive, Sims cracked a slight smile in response to the captain’s lighthearted joke and offered one of his own.

 

Sims: If you would like, I could head down to what’s left of the galley and start scraping what’s left of them off the floor. I’m sure Chief Tucker could find a way to put them back together again.

Niac: =/\= Commodore...on behalf of the Ronin...welcome to the Alpha Isles.  Most of our systems are down...can you confirm the field is clear?  =/\=

 

Tucker: =/\= Can the give us a helping hand? We’re going to have to start holding our breath very soon. =/\=

 

Chief Tucker’s words apparently served as the kick in the rear the main computer needed to inform them that they were all about to suffocate in a few minutes.

 

Computer: Warning life support offline, five minutes of oxygen left.

 

Sims: Great. I think I would have preferred being vaporized. Quicker and less painful I hear.

 

Sims phased out the majority of the remaining conversation between the captain  and Excalibur as Sims focused on surveying the damage to the bridge. All things considered, the Ronin had weathered the last shockwave fairly well considering it’s lack of shields and previous structural integrity.

Niac:  =/\= Understood, the Ronin is standing by.  And...thank you...all of you. =/\=

Tucker: Captain, I need to head to engineering to see this power swap. And if you don’t mind, I’ll take Ensign Sims with me.

Sims glanced up at the mention of his name. He was more than eager to leave the bridge and start work in other areas of the ship. In the weeks since his arrival, he had only been to main engineering on a few occasions and only for very short periods of time before being sent to conduct repairs on other decks.

Niac: By all means Chief.  Going to be tough to enjoy that day off tomorrow if we can't breathe.  Mr. Sims...I know you haven't been with us for long but after your performance today I'm certain you're right where you're supposed to be.  Well done son.  Very well done.  

Carpenter: Response

 

Sims: Thank you sir. I look forward to further opportunities to prove myself in the future.

Tucker: Let’s go, rookie, we’ve got a power transfer to oversee.

Sims gave a slightly amused smirk as he stepped into the turbolift and glanced at Chief Tucker.

Sims: Aye sir. I assume you will be wanting all the spare duct tape we have left over?

With the turbolift headed for main engineering, Sims took the opportunity the silence presented to think back over the last couple weeks. It had certainly been an exciting time. He had graduated the academy and received his first official posting. Sure, it may not have been exactly what he had been expecting out of Starfleet – more of a soldier than an explorer – but it was still a new opportunity, and who knows – maybe in the future he would be glad his first posting was to the Ronin rather than a cushy ship where the most difficult problem one has to solve is what to have for lunch.

[End Act 3 for Kai]

--------------- 

Ensign Kai Sims 

Engineering Officer 

USS Ronin 

R240109KS1