On the bridge of Columbia NX-02, the situation had grown to catastrophic proportions. There was a lot of shouting going on.
“Everyone shut up!” yelled Captain Hernandez, “Everyone, one at a time.”
Lieutenant Jonas Sullivan spoke up, “Captain, the fact remains what we don’t know isn’t very much. While I am the Armory officer of this ship, we shouldn’t go in with guns blazing.”
“Sullivan I do outrank you,” said Commander Ryan West, “the fact is that the intelligence is too good to ignore. We’ve lost communications with Salem One, and with all the cargo ships we’re starting to encounter heading this way, it’s evident Stiles is preparing for a fight. I don’t want to give the Romulans one, but if we must, we must.”
Erika Hernandez having enough of their bickering finally spoke up, “Both of you make valid points. Ryan, you don’t need to pull rank, but you are right. Jonas you’re also right when we shouldn’t go in with guns blazing so keep your finger on the trigger. If there is a fight going on, we’ll need to be ready. How long until we reach Salem One?”
West looked at his display and back up, “Seventeen minutes Captain.”
“Times like this I wish we had faster warp drive,” said Hernandez, “do the best you can.”
Ensign Caitlin Williams panicked at the Communications station. She thought she could hear something, it was very faint. She kept running the transmission again and then finally much to her relief she had something. “We’re picking up a distress call, Captain,” she said, “audio only.”
“On speakers,” said Hernandez.
“This is Ensign Miranda Hill of Earth Outpost Salem One. I am on board a shuttlepod as instructed by Captain Adam Stiles in an attempt to extend the communications and sensor range of the station. I have lost contact with Salem One, and am seeing cargo ships that were once docked there leaving. If anyone can hear me please respond.”
“Put me through,” said Captain Hernandez.
“You’re on Captain,” replied Williams.
“Ensign Hill, this is Captain Hernandez of Columbia. What is your current position?”
“Half a light year from Salem One.”
“I’ve got a fix on her position Captain,” said West, “we’ll be going right by her in eight minutes.”
“Ensign Hill, we’ll be at your position in eight minutes, we’ll pick you up,” said Hernandez.
“I’ll be waiting Captain, please don’t close the channel yet,” said Hill.
“No problem there,” said Hernandez, “what was Stiles doing sending you out in an unarmed shuttle?”
“He wanted to extend the range of the station’s sensors and communications. He had heard the rumors but wanted facts. Mr. Hightower suggested a reverse feedback loop basically making the shuttlepod into a lightning rod of information.”
Hernandez raised an eyebrow before turning to her helm officer, “Ryan?”
“Sounds like something he would come up with,” spoke Commander West from the Helm station, “it may not have worked, but at least it sounded smart which Henry Hightower is known to do. He wouldn’t have done it if he seriously didn’t think he could make it work.”
“I seriously didn’t think it would work,” replied Ensign Hill through the comm channel, “but he remained optimistic about it, and I was trying to remain the same about it.”
Hernandez then said, “Tell me Ensign Hill, what happened after you left the station?”
“I got into position and tried to contact the station,” she said, “when I couldn’t get an answer I banked the shuttlepod around so that I could see it. It was then that I saw ships leaving all at the exact same time.”
Hernandez considered the thought for a moment, “Smart move then. Evacuate the non-essential personnel.”
“We’re in position Captain,” said West.
“Lock on the grappler and bring her in. I’ll see you in a few minutes Ensign,” said Hernandez.
On board Salem One, the situation had not changed. The Romulan ships were still in orbit, and not doing anything.
“I don’t get it,” said Stiles, “why haven’t they opened fire? It’s not in their nature to wait.”
“Captain,” said Crusher, “I’m getting something on sensors.”
“Henry,” said Stiles.
Hightower walked over to the Science station and looked into the viewer, “Their building up to detonation of an electromagnetic pulse.”
“Damn,” said Stiles, “we’re sitting ducks. Is there anything we can do to stop it?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” said Henry, “Crusher, any ideas?”
The Lieutenant shook his head, “It’s non-nuclear. I wouldn’t know how to stop it.”
Stiles glanced around the room before replying, “Open fire, let’s not wait for them to strike first.”
As soon as Stiles gave the order, it was too late. The Romulans detonated several missiles each one hitting a specific point on the station. All around them systems went offline.
“Get everyone a phase pistol,” said Stiles in case we are boarded.”
At that moment the Romulan ships opened fire all around the station. Crusher turned as the Tactical console blew up and he fell to the floor with blood all over him. Henry then entered the corridor outside as he saw Vladimir Rozhenko head for his freighter. “What are you doing man?” he yelled.
“Saving our asses,” yelled the freighter captain as he entered his ship the Annatevka and undocked from Salem One. He entered the commands into the helm as he banked the cargo ship at the heart of the largest Romulan ship.
From Station Operations Stiles could see the Annatevka out the window. “What the hell is he doing?” screamed Stiles. He gasped as he saw the Annatevka slam into the Romulan mothership. It exploded in a fireball. That was not the worst of it. The two ships colliding caused a shockwave heading right for the station. Adam Stiles covered his head as the window broke and shattered glass everywhere. He winced in pain as the the glass hit him and he fell to the deck as Station Operations began to decompress itself.
Henry Hightower was in shock. He watched as more people fell down in the corridor. He never did see the beam that fell from overhead and landed on him. Crushing the man beneath the weight.
The bridge of Columbia NX-02 hushed as everyone on board watched the station blowing up on the viewscreen. They were too late. Salem One broke itself apart as the freighter crashed into the main Romulan ship and sending a shockwave which broke Salem One apart piece by piece.”
“Scan for lifesigns,” whispered Hernandez.
Sullivan walked over to the Science station, “No lifesigns Captain, the shockwave dissipated upon impacting Salem One. No escape pods.”
“A blow to our operations in the entire sector,” said Williams.
“Ryan?” asked Hernandez.
West looked up at the viewscreen as the charred remains of Salem One hung in space. “It’s not worth sending a team over there, because there’s nothing left. No people, no station, nothing,” he said, “As much as I know all of us would like to go over to what’s left, we can’t.”
“Agreed,” said Hernandez, “I have to inform Starfleet Command. West you have the bridge.” Ryan rose from the helm station and took the command chair. He stared at the viewscreen looking at what was left of Salem One.
West glanced at the floor before saying, “Sullivan, let’s get into some form of a search pattern because we have to be 100% sure that there is no one left. Also, let’s remain at Tactical Alert for the time being in case they’re still out there. I want out best people up here on the bridge, and in the Command Center. Pull them from other departments if you have to. I know we’re all grieving right now, but Starfleet and Earth is expecting us to do our duty.”
“You got it,” said Sullivan as he set to work.
Williams was shocked as she looked up from he station, “Commander, I’m getting a distress call, it’s audio only.”
“Put it through,” said West.
”This is the Earth Cargo Freighter Lone Star . . . caught in explosion . . . life support failing . . . no . . . drive . . . impulse minimal . . . need assistance.”
Caitlin looked right at West, “Isn’t that . . .”
“It is, my sister’s ship, she married the captain. That’s her voice, where are they?”
“Not too far, about a quarter of a light year,” said Sullivan, “they were too close when the station blew.”
“Open a channel,” said West. He saw Williams nod to indicate that it was open, “Lone Star this is the Earth Starship Columbia please respond. We are dispatching a rescue team. . .”
“I’m sorry Commander,” said Caitlin, “it’s just not getting through. Almost as if it’s electrical.”
‘No time to think about that now’ thought West before saying, “Raise the captain immediately. Lay in an intercept course and engage at best possible speed. Sullivan put a team together, I’m leading it myself. How many lifesigns?”
“Seven, but Commander, I wouldn’t recommend you leading the landing party,” he replied.
“I’m the only one on this ship that has set foot on it, I know the layout,” said West.
“Commander you were a boomer?” asked Williams.
“No,” said Ryan, “my sister is the boomer. I had a chance to sign on, and turned it down for Starfleet. Her husband, Matt, has hated me ever since.”
At that moment Erika Hernandez exited the Ready Room, and took the command chair back. He looked up at her Exec, “Take them as you can find them,” she said, “it’s the only one we can pick up at the moment.”
“I understand,” said West as he entered the lift. Upon exiting he broke into a steady run down the corridor to the launch bay. There wasn’t enough time for theatrics. He climbed into the shuttlepod.
“Commander,” said Sullivan, “your suit . . .”
Ryan looked and saw that his EVA suit had been set aside for him on the floor of the shuttlepod. “Go ahead and take off, I’ll change on the way,” he said. Ryan quickly got into the suit as the shuttlepod approached the freighter.
“All the ports are damaged,” said Sullivan, “going around to the aft side. Plus it’ll let whoever is on their bridge know that we’re here” Sullivan maneuvered the shuttlepod and quickly docked it with the freighter. From the back, Doctor Royce Rogers who had been quiet the entire trip over finally spoke, “Just get them here, I can do triage, it’ll be easier.”
West exited the shuttlepod and activated his communicator, “Let’s all split up, I’m heading to the bridge, the rest of you take the aft half of the ship.” Ryan made a beeline down the corridor, he hadn’t set foot on this ship in 10 years but the layout quickly came back to him. “Help, help me,” he heard a woman’s voice, very faint, say to him as he approached the bridge.
“Mel?” yelled Ryan.
Melanie West Seaborne looked up from the comm station she was standing at. She could have sworn she heard her brother, Ryan’s voice. “Mel,” Ryan screamed again. She turned around and almost jumped.
“I should’ve known you’d come,” she said, she was not well. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time, “we’ll talk later, right now we have to get Matt out of here. The shockwave knocked him off his feet, he hasn’t woken up since.”
Ryan reached behind him to the tank he was carrying on his back, and pulled an auxiliary hose with a mask attached to it. “Take this,” he said, “you’ll need it.” He didn’t watch as she put the mask on as he bent over to pick up Matt Seaborne, Captain of the Lone Star. “Try to keep up,” he said as he started walking briskly down the corridor with Melanie in tow.
“Commander,” said Doctor Rogers in the communicator, “we’re almost full, we’ve only got room for you.”
“Royce,” said Ryan you better make more room because I’ve got my sister, the captain and myself.”
“There just isn’t,” said Royce, “not with all the wounded we’ve collected. We’re crammed to the gills as it is.” Ryan reached the shuttlepod and stuck his head in. He looked around. “Did we get everybody? All the lifesigns?”
“The ones that were still alive by the time we got here, yes,” said Sullivan. Ryan began to hand Matt to him to get him into the shuttlepod. Sullivan took the freighter captain and laid him on the floor in the shuttlepod.
Ryan began to think, he had a decision to make, try to chance getting into the shuttlepod, or to wait it out. “Just go Sullivan,” said Ryan, “send pod 2 after us.” Before anyone could protest Ryan had shut the airlock, “Sorry about the wait sis.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. An alert klaxon sounded as she nearly dragged Ryan to the closest terminal. “We’re not going to make it,” she said, “we’ve got three minutes before the warp core goes.”
“Damn,” said Ryan, “Sorry sis, it slipped.” He thought for a moment, there was one way out of this. “I swore I’d never use one of these things,” said Ryan opening his communicator.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“West to Columbia, is the transporter online?”
“Yes,” said Hernandez, “the other pod is about halfway out to you.”
“Turn it back, we’ve got less than two minutes before the core blows. Lock on to my signal and on the lifesign next to me, bad as I hate to use it, beam us out.”
“Acknowledged,” said Hernandez, as he input the commands into her chair. She watched the viewscreen as not a minute later the freighter Lone Star experienced a warp core breach. Hernandez hung her head, ‘Oh God we didn’t get them’ she kept thinking over and over. Finally she opened a channel in the ship. “Transporter do you have them? Transporter answer me, do you have them?”
“Yes you do Captain,” said West back through the comm, “don’t make me use that thing ever again.” He snapped his helmet off as Melanie removed her mask.
“That was certainly exciting,” she said, “and you make sure you don’t ever and I mean ever use that contraption again.”
