[sb118-Ronin] Ensign Kelor Zh'taan - Time is running out
Kelor Zh'Taan
((Deck 14, Main Engineering, Pool Table, USS Ronin))
Aboard the Ronin, both inside and out, the situation had taken an almost disastrous turn. The ship was trapped in the system because of the Sencha radiation and was on the verge of being pulled into the temporal black hole forming nearby, which was growing larger and moving closer to the vessel.
Zh'taan: It appears the black hole has moved closer faster than expected. ::He taps commands on the LCARS:: It’s less than 30,000 kilometers away now.
Dohna: Maybe we could rotate the ship?
Rachel let out a slight laugh after that comment. And it was true—the situation had taken an extreme turn. The crew had gone from a simple radiation issue to a deadly threat in a very short time.
Morgan: ::turning to Dohna:: I don’t think that’s going to help at all…
Zh'taan: No! ::He fell silent for several seconds, embarrassed…::
Kelor turned his gaze back to his LCARS, his blue skin having turned almost pale with shame.
Morgan: Not to alarm anyone, but I’ve got major feedback coming from the surface of that moon, which I think is also starting to muck with other systems. I’m going to have to shut things down and hunt down these issues or we could have a major problem on our hands.
Dohna: Response
Kelor took a few seconds to regain control of his emotions—and especially his panic.
Zh'taan: Sorry… ::He steadies himself:: I’ve analyzed the scans directed at the black hole. It’s approaching faster and faster. But it’s our only way out if we manage to stabilize the warp toward the black hole.
Morgan: ::looking at Zh’taan:: I get that, but at the moment I’m also wrangling with the power transfer to the surface. We just can’t bolt out and sever the link like that. It’s already developing a feedback loop that, if I don’t get a handle on it, we’re in a world of hurt.
Dohna: Response
Zh'taan: And we must continue emitting anti-chronitons, at least until warp engages. They’ll be drawn in, but the chronitons will be as well. Warp will have to activate at the exact moment the anyons clear the chronitons around the black hole. At that point, we’ll have a window to leave the system. To do that, we must synchronize warp with the black hole at the moment it draws in the chronitons and the anyons.
Dohna: Response
Zh'taan: ::He pauses for a few seconds:: Yes, it’s risky, but we’re caught between Sencha radiation and the black hole. That window is our only solution to leave the system.
None of the officers’ efforts seemed to improve the situation. And their only solution was beginning to look disastrous.
oO You’d better not be wrong, Kelor. Or your career is over… Oo
Morgan: The problem is, we can’t just leave the system; we still have three away teams on the surface, and we’re missing spacecraft—like half the Valkyries.
Zh'taan: ::Closes his eyes to push back his anger at himself:: Sorry, Lieutenant. I’d forgotten about that…
Kelor took a deep breath, which he thought was discreet—but it wasn’t. He began his usual rapid tapping on the LCARS, running calculations and analyses, keeping himself silent for several minutes.
Dohna: Response
Rachel opened a channel to Captain Kel.
Morgan: Morgan to Kel, we’ve encountered more than one problem. I’m shutting down the power transfer now; otherwise, the feedback will overload several Ronin systems.
Kel: =/= Response =/=
Rachel, like the situation, seemed desperate.
Zh'taan: The transfer shutdown is going to be violent for the ship—brace yourselves! ::Continues running scans::
Morgan: I know, sir. I don’t have any other choice. If I had other options, I would have brought those up first.
oO Think, think!! Oo
Kelor was nearly tearing his hair out over his calculations.
Dohna: Response
Kel: =/= Response =/=
Morgan: Aye, sir. Shutting it down.
Dohna: Response
Morgan: Hang on to something!!
Dohna: Response
Kel: =/= Response =/=
And the power transfer shutdown was indeed violent, combined with the black hole’s pull. Three LCARS consoles exploded, injuring their users, and EPS conduits hung from the ceiling. The state of the room mirrored the situation—chaotic. Kelor managed to stay in place by holding onto the table, a reflex from his final Academy exam.
Zh'taan: I’m notifying Sickbay about the injured. ::He taps his commbadge:: =/= Ensign Zh’taan to Dr. De la Croix. Are you all right on your end? We have three injured on Deck 14, Main Engineering. Over. =/=
De la Croix: Response
Morgan: I didn’t get it shut down in time. We didn’t take the full brunt of that, but we still got knocked around a bit. I’ll have to get back to you, Skipper. Several systems are cooked; I’ll know more in a few minutes. Morgan out…
Kel: =/= Response =/=
Dohna: Response
Although he hadn’t fallen during the shock, Kelor was slightly dazed.
Zh'taan: I’m running diagnostics.
Dohna/Morgan: Response
Zh'taan: The hull doesn’t appear to be damaged, but the shock pushed the ship a few kilometers closer to the black hole.
The black hole is now just under 30,000 kilometers away.
Morgan/Dohna: Response
The atmosphere had grown heavy since the impact. Time was ticking, and decisions had to be made—but which one? They needed to hold out long enough to recover the away teams before leaving—and above all, before being pulled into the black hole.
Zh'taan: With the power transfer offline, the ship should have more available power, right? We might be able to buy some time by trying to move away from the black hole using reverse engine thrust. Instead of turning around, what if we try backing away?
Morgan/Dohna: Response
[Tags/TBC]