Re: Burning Ring of Fire - Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Flyer Onizuka
Kursican Badlands
Stardate 57350.3
Lieutenant Commander Xeris had bullied and cajoled every last joule of energy from his engineering team to get the modifications made to the Flyer and had pronounced it ready twelve hours after the captain gave the order to do it. Larson had nominated Ensign Margaret Benson to take the helm of the modified shuttle since she came from a world which had somehow managed to survive the continual subspace battering from the nearby Hekaras system and had grown up piloting shuttles on subspace eddies. She was the best woman for the job. Lieutenant Mahtani and Lieutenant Commander Gonzales rounded out the team since it had been their idea. As the shuttle launched, Xeris beamed aboard against the captain’s orders.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Gonzales asked, shooting her off-and-on lover a scolding glare.
‘If something goes wrong with the modifications you’re going to need someone who can fix it on the fly and there is no one better qualified for that than me,’ the chief engineer replied as he took the remaining seat in the cockpit, at the rear where he could observe all aspects of the shuttle’s status.
‘Fine, but don’t get in the way,’ Mahtani said from the starboard station as he entered a sequence of commands into the main computer.
Gonzales shushed his outburst with another of her glares and he turned away from her. ‘We’re approaching the densest part of the subspace topography.’
‘I can feel it,’ Benson replied as the Onizuka shuddered. ‘This is nothing compared to back home. I don’t know how the Cha’lav are able to navigate through this, I thought their hulls were weaker than ours.’
‘Maybe these ships have a new alloy,’ Mahtani suggested as they neared the closest wreck. ‘I’m detecting the standard alloys you would expect from their technology, but there is something else. I’m really going to need a sample of this.’
‘What have you got?’ Gonzales asked.
‘Some kind of liquid metal alloy that flows between two solid hull layers. I’ve only seen something like this once before.’
‘Please, don’t tell me you actually believe that story?’ Gonzales muttered.
‘It has been backed up through scientific analysis, Commander,’ Xeris replied. ‘Two hundred years ago, Commander Tucker—the chief engineer of the NX-class Enterprise—encountered a vessel with a similar hull alloy configuration, but it had come from the thirty-first century. Even Earth Starfleet Command disbelieved him until the Vulcans confirmed the analysis. No one has seen anything like this since. Perhaps we’re looking at another Temporal War brewing.’
‘That’s enough,’ Gonzales said. ‘Mahtani, beam a fragment of that stuff into the aft compartment behind a level ten forcefield. I don’t want any surprises.’
‘Aye sir, locking on to a fragment one point three metres squared.’
‘Energise,’ she ordered.
As soon as the fragment was aboard, both Mahtani and Xeris headed for the aft compartment leaving the two women in the cockpit.
‘How do you put up with him, sir?’
Gonzales sighed. ‘Is nothing a secret on that ship?’
‘It is quite obvious, sir.’
‘I see. I put with him by virtue of telling him to shut up when he gets too involved in a subject.’
‘Commander, you’d better see this,’ Mahtani said over the com.
‘I’m on my way,’ she replied and gasped when she reached the aft compartment. ‘Is that what I think it is?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Explain?’
‘What you’re looking at is a non-sentient liquid metal lifeform that resembles a Changeling.’
‘You’re saying it isn’t self-aware?’
‘It’s trying to escape, purely a defence mechanism.’
‘And the Cha’lav harnessed this lifeform?’
‘Domesticated it, like a horse,’ Xeris added.
‘Can it survive in space?’
‘It goes into a dormant state,’ Mahtani answered. ‘But it doesn’t help us figure anything out.’
‘Commander, there’s a subspace rift opening,’ Benson screeched.
‘Coming,’ Gonzales replied.
The three bridge officers quickly reached their seats in the cockpit and began running scans.
‘I can’t hold the ship on course,’ Benson said as the Flyer bucked wildly.
The red alert klaxons sounded their tone and the lighting changed to reflect the ship’s danger level. Visible ahead of them, a massive eruption started, spewing energy like a geyser from subspace. Whatever the Cha’lav had been doing, whatever they had been fighting, had weakened the space-subspace barrier to the point of nonexistence.
‘Get us out of here, Ensign,’ Gonzales ordered.
‘I’m trying, but the impulse engines are sluggish.’
‘Xeris?’
‘Working on it.’
‘Work faster.’
‘What the hell—?’
A plasma streamer, of the same type that existed at the edge of the Badlands, suddenly appeared and spiralled toward the Flyer. ‘It’s heading right for us.’
‘No, it’s heading for the liquid metal. Beam it off the ship,’ Xeris ordered.
‘Too late,’ Mahtani said as the plasma streamer hit them.
The Flyer careened out of control, spinning uncontrollably as the streamer faded and the rift closed. Benson, clutching her console like a lifeline, had been staring out of the front window and saw what looked like a giant snake rise out of subspace and then vanish again.
‘Everybody alright?’ Gonzales asked.
‘Fine,’ Xeris replied, ‘but Mahtani is out cold,’ the engineer added as he crouched by the scientist.
‘Benson, what’s our status?’
When the pilot didn’t answer, Gonzales stumbled to the forward console and grabbed on.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Gonzales was about to ask when she saw the playback from the external visual sensors. ‘Is that the Manxome?’
‘It would appear that way, Commander.’
‘How are we doing, Ensign?’
‘Not good, sir. The warp and impulse engines are offline, shields are down and we have no weapons. Life support is on emergency power and I’m not sure if the distress beacon is working.’
‘Don’t worry about that, if Astar doesn’t hear from us in the next ten minutes she’ll bring the ship in closer to pick us up. Can you use the manoeuvring thrusters to get us clear of the debris field?’
‘What debris field?’ Benson replied. ‘Whatever that subspace rift was, it totally obliterated the Cha’lav hulks.’
‘Xeris, do we still have the hull fragment on board?’
‘We do, why?’
‘It’s the only piece we have to work with. How’s Jamal?’
‘Slight concussion but he’ll be fine.’
‘Astar will be by to pick us up shortly, we’re in no condition to do anything but sit around.’
‘Care to help me with further analysis?’
‘Gladly.'
