Seven Standard Deviations

Posted on Sun Dec 8th, 2024 @ 3:15am by Captain Mira Rodale & Commander Kevin Lance & Lieutenant Commander Awal Kronnelti & Lieutenant Tracey Walker Jr & Lieutenant Betaras K'ner

Mission: Red Matters
Location: Romulan Space
Timeline: Current

::on

[Bridge, Deck 1]

The morning had been restless and full of worry and fear. She didn't like second-guessing herself, but since that meeting, she had been.

"Captain, we are receiving a hail from the Jellyfish," Ensign Chin announced from the communications console.

"Onscreen," Mira ordered as she took the command chair.

"Captain Rodale," Ambassador Spock began without any introduction, "The Romulan star has exploded. Romulus and Remus have been destroyed, and the shock wave is threatening the entire sector. I must deploy the red matter weapon immediately."

Mira stood shocked at that news, horror showed on her face at the loss of so much life. Her worried eyes meet Kevin.
"How close are we?" Mira asked Kevin.

"Twenty-eight point four minutes away," he replied from the flight control console.

Mira opened the ship's comms from the panel on her command chair. "Engineering, can you give us any more power to the engines?"

Walker muttered a curse under his breath. He had known this was coming. Every engineer worth their salt intentionally underperformed the engines ever so slightly just for this occasion. Still, he had to make it seem like it was difficult. "We're maxed out, Captain, but let me see if I can perform a miracle." he shouted over the thrumming of the warp drive. After a few seconds, he rerouted power from an auxiliary backup and increased output by 10%. "There, I've done what I can."

Mira nodded even though he couldn't see her. Her eyes went to the screen. "we are still too far behind you, Ambassador, but we are coming."

Spock raised an eyebrow. " I will meet you there. " When the screen went blank before stars reappeared.

Mira fell back into her chair. She should be taking her crew in the opposite direction. "Calculations on how far we can go and still make it out of the blast zone? " She asked Kevin quietly.

"The improved engine output will cut our time to reach the Jellyfish in half," he replied, "I won't know how rapidly the supernovae is expanding until we drop out of warp."

Mira nodded. There were too many variables to calculate this accurately, but her brain needed the information.

Kronnelti interrupted to announce the detection of a large warp signature approaching the Romulan system.

Mira frowned. "Main screen and magnify." She told him.

As the image cleared up on the screen. The ship was huge. It would dwarf a Sovereign-class starship by several orders of magnitude. Mira narrowed her eyes. "What kind of ship is that?"

Chin turned in his seat. "Transmissions and ships signature would put it as Romulan captain. Captain the space a round it is...."

It is a Romulan mining vessel, Kronnelti announced.

"They are on an intercept course for the Jellyfish," Kevin declared, "It will take us another two minutes to get into range of the Romulan ship.

Mira cursed. "Hail them."

{ Sickbay }

K'ner waved Billingsly over and examined the PADD she carried. Nodding, "Make it so. We may need to triage but have the supplies ready down there in case we get the overflow. I'm headed to the barracks."

{Haz Team Barracks }

K'ner looked at the room. The team was ready, for rescue or defense, whatever way things went. A quick discussion ensued with scenarios and responses.

Finally satisfied they were ready to do what needed to be done with what they had, she dispatched everyone back to their alternate stations to be ready.

... it wasn't long before she pinged them all to form up...

{USS Chuck Norris, Bridge}

"Hailing frequencies open, Captain," Chin called out.

"Unidentified Romulan ship, this is Captain Mira Rodale of the Federation starship Chuck Norris," Mira demanded, "Identify yourselves and state your intentions."

The main viewscreen flickered to the image of a bald Romulan male with intricate tattoos on his forehead, cheekbones and stubbled chin. "I am Nero," he replied, his voice dripping with cold fury, "Last of the Romulan Empire." His assertation was hyperbole. There were undoubtedly other government officials on other worlds but none of them were close enough to intervene.

"You're misinformation they have been moved....."

"Do not presume to inform me of facts I already know." Nero told her.

Mira frowned what was going on here?

“The Federation could have saved Romulus, its people if not the planet, but they chose not to,” Nero accused, “I am here to take custody of Ambassador Spock as a war criminal. I suggest that you depart Romulan Space before I decide to arrest you as well.”

Kevin turned towards Mira. "Ninety seconds out," he said softly. Mira understood. She needed to stall for time.

"War criminal? We were on our way to save Romulus. The supernova went before the estimated time. Your people have been moved to locations of your Empire's choice. " Mira quickly stated before he could cut her off again. "At least talk to your government before."

"The Imperial Senate were killed along with the other seventeen billion Romulans and Remans," Nero replied with barely concealed fury, "The Praetor scurried away in shame and disgrace. There is no one else left to talk to."

"There are other Romulan worlds and colonies," Mira countered, "We are doing our best to ensure their survival by collapsing the supernovae."

"How considerate of you to prevent the obliteration of Federation worlds after allowing my home world and my family to be destroyed," Nero continued.

Mira's heart sunk. So this was personal.

"Thirty seconds," Kevin announced under his breath.

"The timing of a star's collapse is an inexact science," Mira continued. She needed to give Ambassador Spock time to deploy the red matter device, "but the loss of life is a horrendous tragedy. Allow us to neutralize the threat of further destruction and then we can discuss what can be done to make you whole." But her own words rang hollow. How would she be made whole after the deaths of Kevin and her children?

Her offer seemed to almost amuse Nero. "What would you suggest?" he asked cynically, "Are you offering to be my wife and bear me children?

Mira fought back the embarrassment that she was feeling. "Nothing of the sort," she countered, "but we can help you and your people build a new life."

Nero nodded. "I'll consider your offer," he replied, "Narada, out." The image of Nero disappeared as the communication was severed.

"Dropping out of warp," Kevin announced.

Mira had just about to relax when Nero targeted the Norris.

The beam from the ship's giant planet boring cannon lanced out towards the Chuck Norris.

Mira cursed. "Shields up, evasive maneuvers," she ordered.

They had time to raise shields, and Kevin had almost evaded the blast, but the wake of the blast sent them spinning out of control. Mira didn't yell. She knew Kevin would get them under control. Of course, the ship wasn't at 100%, so they might end up dead in the water, so to speak.

Kevin's hands danced across the flight control panel in his frantic attempt to stabilize the ship as the engineering officer called out damage to systems. The near miss had done plenty to her little ship but they were still in the fight.

"Orders, Captain?" Kevin called out.

"Position us in between them and the Jellyfish. We distracted them until Ambassador Spock can finish his mission. We can not have more citizens die because of this guy's insanity. We safe the rest or die trying." Mira bit her lip. "Awal, target any weakness you can fine. Kevin, try missing as many return shots as you can love." If Spock didn't destroy the supernova, they were all dead anyways.

The Narada continued to fire, shooting a massive missile barrage at the Chuck Norris. Most of the projectiles detonated against the ship’s shields but several penetrated and impacted the ship’s hull. Explosions rocked the bridge of the ship causing Mira to grip the arms of her command chair to remain in position.

Kevin coaxed as much speed out of the impulse engines as he could but he was having trouble avoiding the incoming attacks and getting around the Narada’s sizable bulk. Kronnelti redirected energy from the warp core to reinforce the shields and altered their harmonic frequencies to better protect the Norris against the beam and missile attacks. Fewer strikes hit the Norris’ hull but the damage was accumulating.

“Ambassador Spock is reporting deployment of the red matter weapon,” Chin shouted from the communications console, “He is ordering us to get clear.”

The bright illumination of the supernovae rapidly dimmed as the black hole created by the implosion of the red matter began to consume the explosion from within. Kevin fought to control the ship against the gravitational waves that buffeted her.

The Narada is engaging the Jellyfish, Kronnelti announced.

“Engage the Narada,” Mira ordered, “Attack Pattern Delta-Four.”

Kevin programmed the evasion maneuver into the flight console. The ship rolled to bring her weapons to bear as Kronnelti let loose with a fusillade of phaser and photon torpedo fire. Explosions blossomed across the hull of the mining vessel but the sheer size of the ship allowed it to absorb the damage without halting. It continued to bear down on the tiny Vulcan science vessel.

Mira stared in disbelief as the Narada edged closer to the expanding darkness of the black hole’s event horizon. Was Nero so blinded by hatred that he would risk his crew and ship?

But Mira was also not the type to give up the chase. Even though their chances would be slim, she was going to order the pursuit. It was right on the tip of her tongue.

Mira shook her head, remembering what she had been told the temporal officer. "Get us to a safe position, Kevin. We saved who we could." She stood on shaky legs, putting her hand on his shoulder. Just needing his strength for a few moments. "We can't follow, and there are people here needing help."

“Aye, Captain,” Kevin replied as he turned the Norris away from the rapidly disappearing Narada. He plotted a simple course to take their ship away from the black hole and engaged the warp drive. But nothing happened.

Confused, Kevin tried again to activate the warp drive. Mira hit the communicator on the arm of her command chair. “Engineering, where is our warp drive?”

Trace’s voice came back over the communicator. =/\= “The gravitational waves from the black hole are inferring with our ability to generate the warp field. We need to get further away.” =/\=

Kevin pushed the impulse engine to its full output but they continued to fall towards the event horizon. “The sub-light engine isn’t enough,” he reported, “We need more force.”

“Eject the primary antimatter containment unit,” Mira ordered.

=/\= “Captain did you say to eject the antimatter?” =/\=

“Correct, Engineering,” Mira replied coolly, “The energy released by an uncontrolled explosion of the antimatter should give us sufficient additional momentum to push us beyond the influence of the gravity waves.” Or destroy the ship in a blaze of cosmic proportions. At least they would be saved a slow, agonizing death of being ripped apart by the gravitational tidal forces as they slipped deeper into the black hole.

=/\= “Aye, Captain. Containment unit away.” =/\=

Mira turned to Awal standing at the tactical console. “Brother, our lives are in your hands,” she told him, “Fire a full complement of photon torpedoes at the containment unit before it passes the event horizon.”

Kronnelti acknowledged the order and watched tensely as the containment unit receded towards the black hole. He waited as longs as he felt that he could then launched.

The photon torpedoes shot out of the ship and arced around to home in on the containment unit. Kronnelti’s timing had been precise as the torpedoes streaked towards their prey and made contact, detonating the anti-matter in a blinding flash of light.

The Chuck Norris was violently buffeted by the expanding shock wave and Kevin did his best to keep the ship aligned with the explosion to best take advantage of the additional push against the deadly gravitational field.

Hanging on to Kevin's chair as the ship rocked, she briefly wondered if she had doomed them all.

The ship's superstructure groaned against the thrust of the impulse pushing against the inertia of the shockwave as Kevin turn the vessel inline with the blast. The violent vibrations settled to a gentle shudder. Kevin released a breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding.

Mira kissed Kevin's neck. "Well, now that we have broken the ship. Please see if engineering can at least get us to a Federation base station. Otherwise, We are going to need a distress call. Chin send a full report to both the federation and Ambassador Rirahk. " Mira took a relaxed breath and then turned back to Kevin. "We should depart this area as soon as possible. Other Romulans might think we did too little as well, and I don't want to be here for the fallout."

Aye, Captain," Kevin replied as he laid in a new course.

"Hail the Jellyfish," Mira asked Chin.

After a moment the communication officer responded, "Captain, the Jellyfish in not responding and I can't find her IFF beacon."

Kevin's brow furrowed as he completed his calculations. The Jellyfish might have turned off her beacon to avoid detection but as the Narada had already found her, that seemed unlikely

Mira walked back to the mission table behind her chair, activating the holo screen. To view the scans herself. "Chan, keep hailing on all frequencies," She told him while she concentrated on looking for Ambassador Spock.

Mira tracked the last known coordinates of his ship. Then, she closed her eyes with a curse. Blowing up the image, she sent it to the main screen. "they used a tractor beam and pulled him in." She hung her head "by all that was holy." The black hole was closed.

Awal stood there keeping an eye at his panel, if he hadn't fired those torpedos when he did well he just didn't know what to say especially what Ambassador Spock had done.

OFF:

Lt Betaras K'ner
Hazard Team Combat Medic TL-B / CMO
USS Chuck Norris

&

Lieutenant Tracey Walker
Chief Engineer
USS Chuck Norris

&

Captain Mira Rodale
CO USS Chuck Norris

&

Lieutenant Commander Awal Kronnelti
Chief of security & tac
USS Chuck Norris
&



Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer