Annihilation
Posted on Mon Aug 12th, 2024 @ 9:42am by Commander Rovak & Lieutenant Commander Alex Flynn & Lieutenant Atna & Lieutenant JG Grace Douglas & Senior Chief Petty Officer Azlav Aitrell & Navigator Korusca
Edited on on Mon Aug 12th, 2024 @ 12:48pm
810 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Startup Sequence [0]
Location: CIC, DS13
Timeline: Immediately after 'Steal the warm wind'
By the time the tactical crew had regained their balance long enough to fire phasers and sever the grasping limb that had emerged from the singularity, the station had already been pulled into the event horizon. The only remaining view of the Dreizhen system was a shrinking gravity-warped circular window behind them, all else was empty darkness. While wounded, whatever creature brought them here remained, ready to strike the station once more.
“Commander, we’ve entered a region of space our sensors can’t make sense of. Nothing present matches our understanding of the space within an event horizon.” Lieutenant Douglas explained from the science station.
“Shields are at 85% and dropping. There's no apparent source for the gravity but it's pressurising the space around us and continuing to intensify. I estimate ten minutes until total shield collapse.” Chief Aitrell announced.
“Mister Korusca, engage positioning thrusters, move us back towards the entrance.” Rovak ordered.
“Aye, Commander.” Came the gentle synthetic voice of the Medusan Navigator. As he began carrying out his orders, the station rocked again, and the limbs of whatever dread entity lived within began to wrap themselves around the station’s shield again.
“Mr Aitrell, get it off.” Rovak instructed, and Aitrell responded eagerly, targeting phasers at the dark limbs, severing them easily. Before Aitrell could report his success, more emerged from the darkness, rocking the station and weakening the shields.
“Shields at 65%,” Aitrell announced. “For every limb we sever, two more seem to grow back.”
“Can we identify if there is a central body the limbs connect to?” Rovak asked.
“I can’t say for sure, but if there is it’s somewhere in this region.” Lieutenant Douglas said, highlighting the area on the shared tactical display. As she spoke, Atna and Flynn reached the bridge, taking their respective positions on the long platform.
“Fire quantum torpedoes, full spread.” Rovak ordered. Aitrell responded enthusiastically once more, unleashing a volley of blue orbs that exploded in the distance, briefly illuminating the oil-black surface of the shapeless, garish thing that brought them here, a mass of limbs and undifferentiated mass, black as the void.
“I think we’ve hit it.” Aitrell announced, in time for the station to rock again as the limbs continued their pummelling.
“Hit it again. Full spread.” Rovak ordered, briefly weighing the ethical concerns of potentially killing whatever it was, but deciding that the safety of the crew was more essential than any ethical concerns about the aggressor.
Another volley converged on the centre of dark mass, and the flailing striking of limbs ceased. “Whatever it is, that put it down.” Lieutenant Douglas reported.
“Korusca, how long until reach the opening?”
“Ten minutes, sir. However I fear that while we can manoeuver within this exotic space, the station alone cannot extricate itself from the event horizon’s gravity.” The Medusan explained with an unusual amount of emotion. He feared that even his non-corporeal form might be at risk in this strange event.
“Atna, can you confirm?” Rovak asked.
“The space itself seems to be generating the gravity. It seems to be some sort of dirac sea that resembles a quantum singularity from outside. Korusca’s assertion is correct, even if the station can reach an exit, there will still be intense gravity to contend with on the outside, the kind the Faraday needed warp engines to escape.” Atna responded.
“We’ve got some more shuttles we can blow up. We had great success with that earlier.” Alex said, half-joking, half nervous that there wasn’t a better idea.
“That may be irrelevant, sirs. The gravitic pressure is intensifying, shields are at 30% and dropping, I expect they will be gone inside two minutes.”
“Suggestions?” Rovak asked, to an uncomfortable silence.
“Commander Flynn’s suggestion is not without merit, but we would need to first achieve a safe distance from the event horizon before any detonation could be used to propel us away. My calculations predict that as soon as we cross the event horizon, we will be pulled back into it. We will, at most, be buoyant in it. I do not estimate there is any escape possible.” Atna explained with little regard for the emotions of her colleagues.
“Then we need to do everything we can with what we can. Increase power to shields, even at risk of a burnout. Begin evacuation of –“ Alex began giving orders but a loud creaking from the outer hull interrupted her.
“Outer pressure has just tripled, shields have failed. Structural integrity fields down to 70% and dropping. we have less than 30 seconds.” Aitrell announced, and it suddenly became real that they were all about to die.
“This is the commander to all hands. Remain calm.” Rovak tapped his combadge, unsure what else he could do. He knew he had failed, but also that he had done all he could.
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