Season 1 - Misison 11: Nowhere to Run

Quote :

"Ensign. Welcome to Engineering." The junior officer seemed to almost visibly relax upon entering the main bay. It was a feeling Gabriel could definitely appreciate. "If you have a suggestion, go right ahead. I'd hate to have made you walk all the way down here for nothing."

[Engineering]

The Bajoran looked at the Lieutenant Commander, who seemed to be about his age.  Then again, that's what could happen when you didn't go in under enlistment.  Of course, it's also what happened when you had a CO who wanted to promote you - and had clearance to do so from Command.  Sadly, the latter had been the real problem for Buris.  But he smiled and shrugged, seeming a lot less on-edge than he ever had on the Bridge.  "It can't be for nothing - it got me out of that chair for a while. But it's not just coming down with a suggestion, because I want to make sure you see what I was looking at, first."

He looked over to the shield console and tapped a few buttons.  Immediately, they'd see what he had from the Bridge - that even with the boosted power, the gravity well was actually bending the shields, even pulling the Structural Integrity Field away from the forward hull of the ship (and causing flutters along the rest of the vessel to compensate); the very reason he'd told the Captain it was a bad idea to get closer.  And because SIF was part of the 'vital systems' display along with life-support and main power, no one person would have seen this without running back and forth - and no one would have, because it wasn't at a point that the alarms were going off yet (of course, by the time the alarms went off, it'd be too late).

"Take a look at this.  The Captain wants us to get closer to the transwarp conduit, with this already happening from here.  I think we're actually going to need to modify shield geometry to do it, not just boost power to the generators and relays.  Personally speaking, I'd rather the hull not buckle because of a Starfleet Captain getting bit by the exploring bug.  I have an idea, but... honestly, I know Intrepid-class ships.  They're different when it comes to things like this, so it might not work.  What do you think?"

Zero Alpha wrote:

"My apologies," she said, looking into her water.  "My observations of you were perhaps not something that is acceptable in polite society.  I did not intend to intrude."

[Sickbay]

"That'ssss perfectly alright," Kintiss replied, not sure whether to be comforting or not. To be honest, he'd done (and still did) a few things that weren't acceptable in polite society. People in polite society probably didn't eat their food while it was still alive. It was just a matter of perspective.

Kintiss wrote:

"That'ssss perfectly alright," Kintiss replied, not sure whether to be comforting or not. To be honest, he'd done (and still did) a few things that weren't acceptable in polite society. People in polite society probably didn't eat their food while it was still alive. It was just a matter of perspective.

[Sickbay]

Zero let out a quiet breath before taking a sip of her water. Whether or not he had intended to be comforting, Kintiss had reassured her that she hadn't overstepped the mark. Another small step in the miles and miles she still had to go in terms of socialisation.

She stayed silent for a moment, trying to come up with some new subject for them to talk about. For all her intelligence, it was quite to momentous task for someone who didn't really understand the intricacies of small talk.

"Um... I have been cleared to return to full duty in one week," she said, offering him a slight smile.

Kejal Buris wrote:

"Take a look at this.  The Captain wants us to get closer to the transwarp conduit, with this already happening from here.  I think we're actually going to need to modify shield geometry to do it, not just boost power to the generators and relays.  Personally speaking, I'd rather the hull not buckle because of a Starfleet Captain getting bit by the exploring bug.  I have an idea, but... honestly, I know Intrepid-class ships.  They're different when it comes to things like this, so it might not work.  What do you think?"

[Engineering]

A Starfleet captain?  That particular captain just happened to be his wife being talked about like she was a child with her hand in the sweets, but Gabriel kept his features schooled.  He was experienced enough to never discount the opinion of a knowledgeable officer.

"Intrepids are impressive machines," Gabriel agreed.  "And you're right, they're a passel different.  And a bit more advanced, though we have been fully refitted."  He began to fully study the main display, nodding.  "If the captain wants to send us in, we'll need to do everything we can to make sure it all doesn't fly apart."  Gabriel turned to Kejal, tilting his head slightly.  "You said you had an idea?"

[IRW Genorex]

The warbird held back away from the Phoenix by at least a thousand kilometers. The commander was not particularly enthused with getting near whatever his Federation counterparts were exploring. It was the only thing he disdained more than the current task which was to deliver a rather troublesome former subcommander. With a simple snap of his fingers his bridge crew set about deactivating the ship's cloaking device and opened a channel.

"This is Commander Thel of the Genorex. We have a... She's..."

His words descended into a long sigh as he waved towards someone outside the view of the main screen's camera. A few moments later Jiseth sheepishly stepped out next to his command seat. Her eyes were toward the deck plates as the commander's eyes looked longingly for Vorta Vor. The light at the end of the tunnel that would end his misery and humiliation.

"...Just get her off my ship."

Jiseth wrote:

[IRW Genorex]

The warbird held back away from the Phoenix by at least a thousand kilometers. The commander was not particularly enthused with getting near whatever his Federation counterparts were exploring. It was the only thing he disdained more than the current task which was to deliver a rather troublesome former subcommander. With a simple snap of his fingers his bridge crew set about deactivating the ship's cloaking device and opened a channel.

"This is Commander Thel of the Genorex. We have a... She's..."

His words descended into a long sigh as he waved towards someone outside the view of the main screen's camera. A few moments later Jiseth sheepishly stepped out next to his command seat. Her eyes were toward the deck plates as the commander's eyes looked longingly for Vorta Vor. The light at the end of the tunnel that would end his misery and humiliation.

"...Just get her off my ship."

[USS Phoenix - Bridge]

The arrival of the warbird, although coming as a slight surprise to Archangel, was actually an expected event. She had been in communication with the Star Empire for a while, looking for her missing officer. Finally, her efforts and humiliation in front of Alidar as she asked him for favours had paid off. Jiseth had been found, and apparently the hell she had been raising for them made them all too happy to send her friend back.

"Commander Thel, I am Captain T'Koris of the USS Phoenix. Transmitting the coordinates of our transporter room to you now. We'll be glad to relieve you of your burden."

Once the comm line was closed, Archangel opened another down to Kristen Young in the transporter room. "Prepare for an incoming transport. Send her up to the bridge as soon as she arrives."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[USS Phoenix - Bridge]

"Commander Thel, I am Captain T'Koris of the USS Phoenix.  Transmitting the coordinates of our transporter room to you now.  We'll be glad to relieve you of your burden."

Once the comm line was closed, Archangel opened another down to Kristen Young in the transporter room.  "Prepare for an incoming transport.  Send her up to the bridge as soon as she arrives."

[IRW Genorex]

Jiseth's head popped up as the transmission ended. Burden. That word stung quite sourly. It did not escape the notice of Thel who waved to his guards. There was a slight smirk on his face as the took her by the arms and escorted her off the bridge. Once they had entered to turbo lift, he let out a low chuckle and allowed himself to smile. There was finally peace on his ship. With a gruff clearing of his voice he ordered his ship back to Imperial space.

[USS Phoenix - Transporter Room]

The Romulan's world around her became green and shifted to a pale blue as the transporter beam shimmered around her and soon faded. After she was certain she was firmly on board a Federation ship, Jiseth's eyes drifted down to the case of belongings that stood next to her leg. Clothing mostly, which were wrapped tightly around several bottles of kali-fal and other domestic goods.

From there, her eyes wandered to the crewman behind the console. She had trouble recognizing the individual and kept her expression neutral. It was strange looking at someone who lacked forehead ridges and a greenish tinge to the skin. The lightning was near blinding compared to the installations of her homeland.

"...I was expecting an escort to the brig."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[USS Phoenix - Bridge]

The arrival of the warbird, although coming as a slight surprise to Archangel, was actually an expected event.  She had been in communication with the Star Empire for a while, looking for her missing officer.  Finally, her efforts and humiliation in front of Alidar as she asked him for favours had paid off.  Jiseth had been found, and apparently the hell she had been raising for them made them all too happy to send her friend back.

"Commander Thel, I am Captain T'Koris of the USS Phoenix.  Transmitting the coordinates of our transporter room to you now.  We'll be glad to relieve you of your burden."

Once the comm line was closed, Archangel opened another down to Kristen Young in the transporter room.  "Prepare for an incoming transport.  Send her up to the bridge as soon as she arrives."

"Acknowledged Captain." Kristen tapped several controls on her panel and watched as the Romulan materialized on the transporter pad in front of her.

"No this isn't the brig. Welcome to the Phoenix. Captain T'Koris has requested your immediate presence on the bridge."

Zero Alpha wrote:

"Um... I have been cleared to return to full duty in one week," she said, offering him a slight smile.

"That's good," Kintiss offered another serpentine smile. He could certainly use the extra set of hands around sickbay, especially on this ship, where a crewman couldn't turn a corner without getting their arm inexplicably stuck in a bulkhead or have their brains eaten by aliens. That, and he was happy to see Zero getting back into her stride. Perhaps it was the circumstances of her Romulan encounter and the aftermath, but he felt like he knew a different Zero to the one others seemed to know, and that made him feel good. It was always great to make new friends...even if he didn't know anything about her aside from her name and species (and even then, he wasn't sure if she was properly human).

Kintiss wrote:

"That's good," Kintiss offered another serpentine smile. He could certainly use the extra set of hands around sickbay, especially on this ship, where a crewman couldn't turn a corner without getting their arm inexplicably stuck in a bulkhead or have their brains eaten by aliens. That, and he was happy to see Zero getting back into her stride. Perhaps it was the circumstances of her Romulan encounter and the aftermath, but he felt like he knew a different Zero to the one others seemed to know, and that made him feel good. It was always great to make new friends...even if he didn't know anything about her aside from her name and species (and even then, he wasn't sure if she was properly human).

[Sickbay]

It was nice to know that at least one of her co-workers was actually going to be happy to have her back on full duty. Most of the time, they seemed glad to get rid of her when she eventually left. Of course, now that she had Callion to look after, it was almost a relief to her as well to get off duty.

"I suppose we can hope that this mission will be one in which there is little for us to do," she said quietly. "I have heard that the intention is to observe the conduit."

Kristen Young wrote:

"No this isn't the brig. Welcome to the Phoenix. Captain T'Koris has requested your immediate presence on the bridge."

[Transporter Room]

Giving a slight nod, Jiseth picked at the handle of the case and extended it to its maximum length which stopped just short of her hip. Hefting it into the air and stepping down the stairs of the transporter pad, she set it back down on its wheels.

"Thank you, Ensign."

She said nothing else and did not give the young officer a second glance. Socialization could come later, but there was also her reputation about. It was not the best to have for a Starfleet officer. Some would have her back in a prison cell yet here she was. Exiting into the corridor, she made a quick stop to her quarters and waved to a confused Ghost, leaving her bag just to the side of the entrance.


[Bridge]

Jiseth stepped off the turbolift and quietly onto the bridge. Her eyes went to the view screen, M'Rai at the helm. There was a tinge of pride in the Catian, but it was quickly drowned by the wave of... Well, she did not have a word for it. That surreal focus that comes from training. Alertness and programmed responses. The things she beat into herself and even harder into her pilots so they would not make the mistakes she did. With a silent though deep inhale, she stood near the Archangel's chair.

"...You asked for my presence, Captain?"

Jiseth wrote:

Jiseth stepped off the turbolift and quietly onto the bridge. Her eyes went to the view screen, M'Rai at the helm. There was a tinge of pride in the Catian, but it was quickly drowned by the wave of... Well, she did not have a word for it. That surreal focus that comes from training. Alertness and programmed responses. The things she beat into herself and even harder into her pilots so they would not make the mistakes she did. With a silent though deep inhale, she stood near the Archangel's chair.

"...You asked for my presence, Captain?"

[Bridge]

The warbird had since turned around and left, cloaking itself in the process apparently not all that happy about hanging around just off the event horizon of a transwarp conduit. Archangel suppressed the urge to snort quietly. The Romulans were always a little skittish around her.

What she didn't suppress was the slight smile that crossed her face as she heard Jiseth's voice. They hadn't parted in the best of circumstances last time, but the other Romulan was still someone she considered to be a close friend of hers.

"Welcome back to the Phoenix, Jiseth," she said, warmth creeping into her voice despite trying to maintain some form of professional distance. "If you're ready to go back on duty, we could use our most experienced pilot at the helm for this one."

Zero Alpha wrote:

"I suppose we can hope that this mission will be one in which there is little for us to do," she said quietly.  "I have heard that the intention is to observe the conduit."

[Sickbay]

"We can only hope," Kintiss said as he finished his Raktajino, possibly sounding a little too enthusiastic about Zero's suggestion. "I could use the rest." On the other hand, this was the Phoenix. If the crew weren't having their spleens ripped out by angry Vidiians, they probably weren't doing their job. He'd welcome some time off, if he could get it, but who else was going to stitch the crew back together?

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

The warbird had since turned around and left, cloaking itself in the process apparently not all that happy about hanging around just off the event horizon of a transwarp conduit.  Archangel suppressed the urge to snort quietly.  The Romulans were always a little skittish around her.

What she didn't suppress was the slight smile that crossed her face as she heard Jiseth's voice.  They hadn't parted in the best of circumstances last time, but the other Romulan was still someone she considered to be a close friend of hers.  

"Welcome back to the Phoenix, Jiseth," she said, warmth creeping into her voice despite trying to maintain some form of professional distance.  "If you're ready to go back on duty, we could use our most experienced pilot at the helm for this one."

[Bridge]

Goddamn Romulans, Conor thought, frowning slightly as Lieutenant Jiseth approached the captain.  Of course he had no problem with the species as a whole, but this cloak-and-sneak crap? It got real old, real fast. He could see that, although one of the pips was hollow, she still carried a lieutenant's rank.  The full details of Jiseth's attempted mutiny were not fully public, but the media circus surrounding her subsequent court-martial was now somewhat legendary.  

It had been no secret at all that his father had gone all-out in attempting to nail the Romulan to the proverbial cross.  In the myriad interviews following the trial, when he'd spoken to the press at all, Admiral Stark's replies had been curt and to the point.  Conor had a feeling that, had he not been in uniform, his father would have brought several four-letter words back in-style.

So now...here she was, standing on his bridge.  He wondered what enormous clusterflub of political strings had been pulled to keep her stationed here.  Conor had to admit that she was attractive, but he also reminded himself of the Denebian pit-viper, and how they hypnotized what they ate.

Julia watched intensely as Jiseth returned to the bridge. She had been present during the mission where Jiseth last served. Her presence enlisted an immediate trepidation. But she wanted to give the officer the benefit of the doubt. Also, the Captain was correct. We needed her at the helm while we sat at the edge of this powerful aperture. Ensign M'Rai was certainly a capable pilot, but Lieutenant Jiseth was among the best Starfleet could offer.

"Ensign M'Rai, we will need your skills at the navigation station." Ensign M'Rai had done an excellent job holding down the helm. Julia feared that she would feel replaced or under valued.

Quote :

"Intrepids are impressive machines," Gabriel agreed. "And you're right, they're a passel different. And a bit more advanced, though we have been fully refitted." He began to fully study the main display, nodding. "If the captain wants to send us in, we'll need to do everything we can to make sure it all doesn't fly apart." Gabriel turned to Kejal, tilting his head slightly. "You said you had an idea?"

[Engineering]

Buris recognized the man's look, but passed it off to loyalty to the Captain. He neither knew nor cared that two of the officers onship were married. He might find out later, but time enough would come for that.

That was when he saw another fluctuation - like a small black hole moving with mass around it. He'd only worked with one singularity drive in his life - a temperamental Romulan thing that had seen more use as a bomb than an engine. He tapped it and brought it up larger, but seemed to remain as calm as one could when an enemy vessel showed itself in an already difficult situation. "We may have bigger fish to fry..."

And then the shields went down and a transport happened. Something was strange about that, but then again, if there was another insurrection, at least he'd be here in Main Engineering to stop it. He was ready to go over to the Transporter Room where the arrival had come from... but instead he decided to leave it alone and let Ensign Young handle it. He shook his head, and went back to the screen. "But until something happens, here's the idea. Because we have old relays, we have to actually switch them to multiphasic mode. If we go to multiphase and use alternating relays to create 'shells' at different phase levels, it might allow us to shed a shell as it gets pulled too far out of proper shape, and reboot the relay set in time before we have a problem."

He looked at the Commander. "The problem, sir, is that even with the bioneural packs, when the Bellerophon encountered a black hole, we did this, and we started a static 500 millicochrane variant warp field with the nacelles to negate as much of the gravity as we could... and the computer could still barely keep up, and we might have been destroyed but for sheer luck, before we got shot out the other side of the accretion field. I think we'd need some way to preprocess the info from each of the relay sets, and it'd have to be faster than tricorder linking."

He looked at the two Engineers - the solution he'd put forward might work if they could work out the bugs, but he had two thoughts on this - first, that this old spaceframe couldn't make it if they tried; and second a nagging feeling that his creativity had been dulled by working with state-of-the-art technology, and having so much control over it.

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

"Welcome back to the Phoenix, Jiseth," she said, warmth creeping into her voice despite trying to maintain some form of professional distance.  "If you're ready to go back on duty, we could use our most experienced pilot at the helm for this one."

[Bridge]

"Yes, sir."

She quickly shifted her eyes toward M'Rai and the helm. A moment to observe the Ensign in action before stepping over to relieve her, gently. Jiseth's eyes were focused on the console and she stood a fair distance from her former, perhaps current, subordinate. The longevity of her tenure aboard was unknown at the present. One last hurrah before piloting a desk or back to a comfortable early retirement.

Borg. The Romulans had trace encounters with them. Her escort Commander Thel had bore witness to the destruction they were capable of so it was obvious why he was chosen. They had spent considerable time gathering data before finally decloaking and sending her off. The initial scans confirmed the myths: Borg technology involved immense structures built up from components too small for the eye to see. It made them feel all the more like a force of nature rather, no less terrifying than a tidal wave.

Taking a look at the control thrusts, she could see the ship was reacting rather than predicting. Jiseth's brow ruffled as she hovered over the map display showing their position and random objects floating about. There were known trajectories suddenly being shifted ever so slightly and following paths that made no sense. The one thing in common was that they all seemed to change at roughly the same time. For a moment the pilot in her quieted down and the novice astronomer popped up.

"Sir... We're encountering the gravitational waves from objects on the far side of the aperture. I recommend we pull back into a halo orbit."

Kintiss wrote:

"We can only hope," Kintiss said as he finished his Raktajino, possibly sounding a little too enthusiastic about Zero's suggestion. "I could use the rest." On the other hand, this was the Phoenix. If the crew weren't having their spleens ripped out by angry Vidiians, they probably weren't doing their job. He'd welcome some time off, if he could get it, but who else was going to stitch the crew back together?

[Sickbay]

A faint pink blush crept over Zero's cheeks as she remembered that the reason Kintiss needed rest was probably due to having to oversee her ongoing care. Thankfully, she was coming to the end of that tunnel. It would all be over soon and she could spend all of her free time with Callion.

"I am certain that the entire crew could use rest," she replied. "I believe that we are due for shore leave in the near future."

Jiseth wrote:

"Sir... We're encountering the gravitational waves from objects on the far side of the aperture. I recommend we pull back into a halo orbit."

[Bridge]

There was something right about having Jiseth back at the helm. Persephone was a good pilot, but the Romulan was better and at that moment, they needed better. As it was, Archangel allowed a faint smile to cross her lips, enjoying the fact that her friend was back from the Star Empire.

The smile was quickly replaced by a serious expression as Jiseth recommended that they pull back from the aperture. She got to her feet, moving over to the helm station and placing her hand on the back of Jiseth's chair, nodding to her.

"Pull us out, Jiseth."

The words had barely had the time to leave her mouth when the conduit opened, the gravitational field increasing exponentially, sweeping over the ship and starting to draw it in toward the aperture. The ship shook violently under the strain, alarms starting to blare across the consoles all over the ship.

Leela rolled her eyes as she listened to the bridge officer who had come down to save the day. The Trill had a good laugh in her own mind at the expense of this over eager officer. She couldnt understand why this individual was choosing to prattle on about bioneural technology. They were not on an Intrepid class vessel. She shrugged it off, Poor Gabe, he's going to have his work cut out for him. Damn bridge officers! She thought.

She looked down and continued to review the readings. "Sir, not to interrupt this stunning insight into comparative engineering, but we are being pulled into the conduit." Leela looked at the pair, waiting for the bridge officer to get out of their way so they could work. "Shield stresses are increasing exponentially. I'm re-routine power now. But they won't hold for long."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

"Pull us out, Jiseth."

The words had barely had the time to leave her mouth when the conduit opened, the gravitational field increasing exponentially, sweeping over the ship and starting to draw it in toward the aperture.  The ship shook violently under the strain, alarms starting to blare across the consoles all over the ship.

[Bridge]

For a moment, a chapter title from her training flashed in her head. It read "Don't Steer the Ship into a Giant Vortex, Jiseth!" The lecture had mostly to do with navigation around black holes, but the physics were about the same outside the event horizon. Distance requires speed and fighting directly against the force pulling the ship will get it ripped apart. And humiliation for being the only graduate dumb enough not listen to the advice of the text book's author.

Following her training, she engaged forward thrust instead of reverse. The Phoenix banked perpendicularly away from the structure, but the plotted course at max speed was curving further and further from and orbit and toward the event horizon as the gravity increased and dragged them further. Then slightly shaking her head she killed the engines. Engineering would need all the power they could muster and where they were going it was likely the controls would not work until they entered normal space again.

"Brace yourself, Captain..."

Jiseth tried to speak above the klaxons, but it was unlikely anyone heard her. With one final burst from the RCS, she gripped the edge of the console as the event horizon seemed to be devouring the ship from what the view screen displayed. There was a momentary calm and a bright flash as they crossed over. Inside the conduit were white water rapids through Areinnye. The ship shook violently. The space-time around them was knotted yet flowing while the light from both ends became mixed together in a collage of stars and galaxies slowly churning around them.

Leela Kaz wrote:

Leela rolled her eyes as she listened to the bridge officer who had come down to save the day. The Trill had a good laugh in her own mind at the expense of this over eager officer. She couldnt understand why this individual was choosing to prattle on about bioneural technology. They were not on an Intrepid class vessel. She shrugged it off, Poor Gabe, he's going to have his work cut out for him. Damn bridge officers! She thought.

She looked down and continued to review the readings. "Sir, not to interrupt this stunning insight into comparative engineering, but we are being pulled into the conduit." Leela looked at the pair, waiting for the bridge officer to get out of their way so they could work. "Shield stresses are increasing exponentially. I'm re-routine power now. But they won't hold for long."

[Engineering]

Gabe made a noise that was somewhere between a groan and a growl as, once again, engineering went form 'zero' to 'full-blown panic' in milliseconds.  He'd barely had time to confirm via the bridge that, yes, there was a ship de-cloaking, and no, it didn't constitute an emergency.  

Then, of course, the real emergency hit.

"Looks like things just got a bit more academic," Gabriel shouted, dodging around the trouble table to the main display.  "Shunt power from the backups, everything but the most vital of systems.  This is an aperture, so...ideally...once we're through, we should be in one piece. Mr. Kejal," he added, speaking as the called up commands, "if you're needed on the bridge, go ahead. If not, make yourself busy."

Quote :

"Looks like things just got a bit more academic," Gabriel shouted, dodging around the trouble table to the main display. "Shunt power from the backups, everything but the most vital of systems. This is an aperture, so...ideally...once we're through, we should be in one piece. Mr. Kejal," he added, speaking as the called up commands, "if you're needed on the bridge, go ahead. If not, make yourself busy."

[Engineering]

Buris immediately grabbed the edge of the console as the ship started to rock, a maneuver that everyone there would recognize having done once or twice, whenever something strange happened and Engineering was the last to know. He shouted over the sudden roar, "Commander, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather be down here where I might be able to be useful!"

And staying away from that Bridge is the only thing I can do to keep my sanity, he thought to himself, as he glanced at Leela - the tone was a lot less condescending than it had been a minute ago, but lives were on the line. "I'll monitor relay and life-support function while you hit the backup circuits. If you need a hand, shout." With that, he moved around small room to a panel he could access with Ops coding, and started shutting down turbolifts, making sure no one was going anywhere when it might be unsafe.

Frankly, that was the way that Ops and Engineering should work together, but he felt more at home here in a crisis than he ever would on the Bridge. If Captain T'Koris wanted to yell on him for not being at his station, he could tell her that she hadn't called him back to the bridge. And Arthur had said, 'if he was needed' - any competent Ops officer could do the Bridge job. Hell, a less competent person was better off most of the time. Where they needed good people was down here.

He glanced up at the main shield board and cursed in Bajoran as he started typing, trying to pull the shields back in line. The gravity well and the transwarp slipstream weren't interacting well with them, but then again, the ship hadn't been under a warp field either. "Commander, shield geometry is going unstable, attempting to compensate without blowing the damn relays! I hope this is a quick ride, or it'll be a real short trip whether we like it or not!"

Jiseth wrote:

"Brace yourself, Captain..."

Jiseth tried to speak above the klaxons, but it was unlikely anyone heard her. With one final burst from the RCS, she gripped the edge of the console as the event horizon seemed to be devouring the ship from what the view screen displayed. There was a momentary calm and a bright flash as they crossed over. Inside the conduit were white water rapids through Areinnye. The ship shook violently. The space-time around them was knotted yet flowing while the light from both ends became mixed together in a collage of stars and galaxies slowly churning around them.

[Bridge]

Had she not been holding on to the back of Jiseth's chair, Archangel would have been thrown to the deck under the violent shaking of the ship. As it was, that was nearly the case as the tremors went on, forcing her to keep a vise-like grip on it. The conduit didn't seem to be opening up any time soon. If something wasn't done, the ship was likely to shake itself apart.

"Jiseth, bring us down to impulse power," she ordered. With any luck, that would reduce the stresses on the hull as well as allow them to channel warp power to the shields and structural integrity. She hit her comm badge, opening a channel. "Bridge to Engineering, report! How is the ship holding up? And if Kejal's down there, tell him he needs to get his arse back up to the bridge now."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

"Jiseth, bring us down to impulse power," she ordered.  With any luck, that would reduce the stresses on the hull as well as allow them to channel warp power to the shields and structural integrity.  She hit her comm badge, opening a channel.  "Bridge to Engineering, report!  How is the ship holding up?  And if Kejal's down there, tell him he needs to get his arse back up to the bridge now."

[Bridge]

"Impulse drives have spun to zero, not that they'll be of any use. We're passing through the bulk-the dimensions beyond our normal space. All we can do is enjoy the sights... and pray."

Right now Jiseth was not entirely sure there was an exit. Stuck in a forbidden realm accessible only through derelict Borg technologies. The Bajoran wormhole would be a welcome reprieve even if the other end lead to less than friendly stars.

Bracing her feet against the bottom of the console, Jiseth gripped the sides of her chair. It took a moment to realize that she was instinctively looking for an eject handle even though there was none to be had. Her training was kicking in and it belied the obvious fact: she was afraid.