The Continuing Story of Deep Space 2: Page 45
Junior lieutenant Marianne was ready for the first test. She had modified the warp nacells to create another type of field. Before she could test her new time scanning device, which she silently called the Marianne device, she had to create a time space distortion. If she had to wait here until something happened by accident she would probably be here until she was old and grey, and then something still might not happen. She made the last check. She noticed she wasn't nervous at all. Now. Nothing seemed to happen at first. Then, there it was. A little bright light had appeared dead ahead. Sensors collected data. Marianne had created a temporal anomaly, very small, but visible. The time scanning device read something, but it was not clear to Marianne what it was that she was reading. She started to compare results with the sensors of the runabout, but that didn't help much. Boosting power could be dangerous to the hull integrety of the runabout. The little ship was not exactly made for this kind of research. But she didn't want to give up so soon. She increased power by thirty percent. The small light was growing. It now read fifteen meters in diameter. The center was black. Marianne concentrated on the black center and compared the results of the two completely different scanning devices. Even the runabout's sensors gave a detailled image of the anomaly. Now Marianne was getting nervous. She breathed deeply. More power. The anomaly grew. More power. Now the black center was about fifteen meters wide.
"Danger ! Hull integrety at eighty percent.", the runabout's computer did it's job.
"What did you expect.", Marianne answered, shaking her head. When she was back on DS2, she could have more equipment to do more research. It was working.
"Warning ! Giloppen battle cruisers approaching bearing 213 mark 4."
"Computer shields up ! Arm the phaser bank !", Marianne wouldn't give up easily.
"Shields failed. Warp field is unstable. Danger ! Hull integrety at sixty percent."
Before Marianne realised that she had to shut down her experiment, the first Giloppen ship fired. The projectiles bounced of on the new warp field, but the shock drove the runabout forward. A second wave of a Giloppen attack had the same result. In her surprise of not getting hurt, Marianne hadn't noticed the runabout was drifting into the anomaly. A moment later the runabout was gone. The anomaly dissapeared.
The communication with 4465-A was restored. In a brief moment Caroline explained what was happening on DS2. Lieutenant colonel Jan understood. The communication had ended. It was better not to let the Giloppen know about the fellow officers on 4465-A. They could
be in great danger too if the Giloppen found out that there were more of them.
"Shields down to 18 percent.", reported Chris at tactical, imediately followed by Thomas, who reported a hull breach on decks four, five and six.
Chief engineer Louis called ops. He had a way to get out safely. The targetting scanners of the subspace transporters were fully operational again. Apparently Chris shooting had been very effective. The more Giloppen ships he destroyed, the more systems came on line again. Communications, transporters. Louis had locked on to the subspace transporters on 4465-A.
They now just had to beam over. The captain sent the two cadets below to get them in safety first. As he took over damage control himself, he realised how bad the situation was. Chris was not planning on leaving until the last moment, even if the captain ordered him to go. Chris looked at the turbolift. The station was continually moving like an old wooden sailing ship on sea during a heavy storm.
"Captain, this is Louis. Both of you are the only ones left. It's time to go!"
"You go Louis, I will do as much damage as I can."
"Captain, someone has to operate the subspace transporter. I got it on line and working, but it can't work on it's own.", Louis sounded a bit sad.
"Alright then. I'll be there in a minute. Mean while, if you think there will be enough power available, beam over some of those ration packs, and supplies. Who knows what we might need over there."
"Acknowledged; I'll also send over the Doctor's portable emitor."
Captain Arthur programmed a tactical subroutine. The weapons were still firing when Chris and Arthur left DS2 ops. Down in the turbolift, out and entering engineering. There was chief
engineer Louis, checking the transporter displays. He had constructed a two man transporter pad close to the entrance of the engineering section as soon as he had converted the transporters to subspace transporters. It seemed that the computer wanted to have the last word.
"Warning ! Shields have failed. Station is boarded."
"Get on it.", ordered captain Arthur, while he took his type two phaser. "You too mister Chris."
"But sir, you can't get off the station ...", protested Louis.
"Are you questioning my orders Louis ?", asked the captain as he walked up to the subspace transporter console.
Louis could only be silent and stepp up on the transporter pad. If he ever would be in command, he hoped he would never have to do this. Tears starting in his eyes, he watched the captain push the buttons. The dim blue light ... and everything was black.
The captain turned around, ready to receive the boarding parties. Then he noticed junior lieutenant Chris at his side.
"I thought I gave you an order lieutenant."
"I won't leave without you, sir.", said the Starfleet seal. "Sir, I don't know anything about this system. I will hold the enemy off, until you have reporgrammed it."