The captain's complexion turned albino.
"Captain, are you okay?" asked the first officer. The Captain sat in his chair, his torso and arms shaking as if he were suddenly overwhelmed by chills.
The first officer leaned toward him.
"I don't know what to do." the captain mumbled, covering the upper half of his face with one hand.
The first officer gasped as his screen flashed. He looked over his left shoulder. "Captain, I'm getting a systems report from the main computer: someone's trying to access the bridge command pathways going to the warp engines—deck eight, section ten."
Aaen's screen flashed. "Captain, we are now less than five minutes from our destination!" he turned to face the first officer. "I recommend slowing to sublight speeds for solar system entry." he faced forward.
"If we can't slow down . . ." the first officer muttered. "We've got to stop the intruder from tampering with those command access pathways."
"Just . . .do whatever to handle it." the captain said, rubbing his temples hard with his middle fingers.
"Yes, sir." he turned toward security. "Security, how many personnel do we have available?"
"Only ten, sir. They're all on duty patrolling the lower decks. We don't have any more to send to where the intruder is. Sir, we can get to the intruder more quickly and arrest it."
The first officer nodded, and then looked forward, "Does anyone want to volunteer to be a part of the security team?"
Aaen turned toward the command platform. "I volunteer, sir."
The first officer looked at the chief of security, then pointed to Aaen. "Give him a phaser." the chief of security nodded, retrieving his phaser rifle.
Aaen stood up and then immediately started for the security stations. The first officer looked at Aaen as he walked in front of the command platform. "Take the intruder to the brig once you arrest it." Aaen looked at the first officer and nodded.
The chief of security retrieved a second and smaller hand phaser from a small compartment to the left of his computer station. The phaser featured a slightly curved, rounded black grip and a flat silver stock. He carefully handed the weapon grip-first to Aaen. A type-two hand phaser. Perfect. Aaen thought, activating its dual blue glowing power cells by sliding the action over the power cells' compartment. The beam weapon made a short, raspy hissing sound as two rows of LED lights behind the power cell compartment instantly came to life for several seconds—the top row was a bright red, indicating a higher energy output setting, the bottom row was green, showing a standard or slightly higher setting. Aaen observed the green row lit only to one-quarter of maximum; the red row dimmed. Stun, the default standard setting; he admired, enough to knock an intruder on its back. The deputy retrieved her weapon and also retrieved one set of hand restraints from a second similar compartment near her station.
"Ready?" the first officer asked.
"Yes, sir." Aaen replied.
The first officer nodded their dismissal.
Aaen held his phaser precisely upright, whereas the two security guards tucked their particle rifles into the crook of their elbows as the chief of security took point. Aaen followed him, followed by the deputy down the staircase, across deck two, up the textured stairs, left, and then through a set of double-doors to enter the turbo lift. The twin doors closed behind them. Aaen stood in the back, the chief of security and deputy took positions at the front facing the sides of the doorway, angling their particle rifles forward towards the deck plating.
"Deck eight." the deputy said.
The viewports flashed for ten seconds as the carriage sped through the maze of inner workings. The carriage gradually stopped. The doors swooshed open. The chief of security and deputy quickly stormed out, taking swift, precise aim high and low at the corners of the straight corridor ahead before focusing on the end of the corridor.
The corridor ended after fifty feet, ending at a two-way curved adjacent corridor lined with silver bulkhead plating and dark orange doors lined with purple labels.
The deputy gestured for the group to proceed left at the end of the corridor.
The next corridor extended for nearly a hundred feet, Aaen knew. There were no other crew members in sight, nor within earshot. Not surprising, they were running on a skeleton crew, considering the nature of their mission. The trio passed several similar adjacent corridors. Security sharply panned each corridor as a precaution as they marched. After eighty feet, the intercom activated, "first officer to chief of security, we have less than two minutes until we reach that solar system. You have to stop the intruder quickly, or we're going to lose helm control of the ship!"
The high-pitched whine of laser-based gear echoed through the corridor. Security trained their rifles directly ahead as the group turned the corner.
After marching ten feet, the trio stopped. Security trained their weapons on a short stubby alien with large round, pronounced ears and a baseball sand skin complexion dressed in a green jumpsuit. The panel's bulkhead cover was sitting loosely on the floor of the corridor behind the alien. A hand-sized device was attached to the back of the alien's jumpsuit on the back of the alien's hip. Aaen guessed it was a weapon. The alien was crouched next to a glowing panel, waving glowing mechanical instruments in front of the panel.
"FREEZE!" yelled the chief of security.
The alien snapped, displaying a look of surprise as it rolled to its right, reaching for the device on the back of its jumpsuit. The chief of security fired half-way. A bright, golf ball-sized bolt screamed out of the barrel. A square-foot area of the floor behind where the alien had rolled singed on impact. The alien took aim at the trio. Both Aaen and the deputy security officer snapped. Dang! No shot because of the bulkhead cover! Aaen thought, moving behind and to the right of the chief of security as Aaen reattempted to train his phaser on the alien, to no avail.
The deputy security officer crouched and then trained her rifle on the alien—fired. A clean hit to the upper-left shoulder. The alien cringed as it dropped its weapon and crumpled on its left side.
Security kept their weapons trained on the alien as they marched towards it side-by-side. The chief of security stood to the side as the deputy took the alien by its upper arms and then rolled it on its front. She coupled the alien's hands behind it's back and then applied the wrist restraints. The deputy gripped the alien under its right arm and then slowly lifted it to its feet. The alien was dazed but was aware enough to stand.
Aaen briefly examined the alien's shoulder where the bolt had struck. There was a black hole in the fabric, and the surrounding area was singed. He nodded, "Good shot."
The chief of security turned to examine the panel. "It doesn't look like the Fereni was able to do any permanent damage." he looked at the deputy. "I'll replace the panel cover. deputy, take the Fereni to sickbay, get it checked out, and then take it to the brig. I'll meet you both back on the bridge."
Aaen and the deputy nodded.
The intercom beeped. "first officer to chief of security."
"Go ahead."
"Whatever you did worked, Adam reports restoration of helm control. We need all three of you back on the bridge, immediately."
"Understood."
The chief of security replaced the bulkhead cover, and then he and Aaen returned to the bridge the same way the trio came. The lights were yellow. The bridge was abuzz with personnel rushing printed reports to their necessary and immediate recipients. Aaen returned to his station. The chief of security looked at the captain. "Sir, the intruder has been arrested and taken to sickbay. I have asked the deputy to take the intruder to the brig afterward." the captain remained silent. The first officer nodded acknowledgment, and implying permission to return to his station.
The captain sat stagnate.
The first officer nodded. "Alert condition three!"
The bridge lights turned blue.
Aaen looked at his flashing screen. "Now approaching destination solar system." a cluster of delta-shaped icons filled the left side of the screen. A straight white line extended from the cluster toward a curved brown dotted line. He looked closer at the screen. The line was an asteroid belt. He turned to the command platform. "Standby for entry into the solar system! Captain, I suggest slowing to sublight speeds and using manual navigation for safe passage through the asteroid belt."
The Captain looked at the first officer. "Can you do this, please?"
The first officer looked at the captain with lowered eyebrows. "You weren't trained for command, were you?" the captain subtly turned his head a few times, a bead of sweat dripped from his brow onto his arm. "Alright, I'll handle it—Helm!"
"Yes, sir!" Adam replied, making eye contact with the first officer.
"Slow to one-half impulse. Take us into the asteroid belt."
You forgot to tell him to standby maneuvering thrusters! Aaen thought.
"Aye!"
The bridge turned red, accompanied by an alarm warning.
"Aaen, what's going on?" the first officer asked.
Aaen leaned to his right, "Do a quick scan on the size of the asteroids, and their distance from each other."
The cadet was quick with the controls. Aaen examined the scan results, turning his head.
"The asteroid belt is pretty tight, sir! Adam's going to be busy in a few seconds!"
"Phasers!" yelled the first officer.
Aaen snapped. "Sir! I wouldn't recommend that! The asteroids are too big and too close together. It would take combined phaser-torpedo fire to thin the asteroids out. The remaining pieces might create a larger and more dangerous obstacle too big for the convoy's shielding to protect them!"
"Agreed!" said tactical.
"The asteroid field is very dense. If we destroy the larger rocks, we're creating more obstacles that we'll have to navigate around. Our present course is the safest flight path. If we navigate carefully, I think the convoy will be able to make it. I recommend slowing to one-quarter impulse for easier maneuvering." Aaen said.
"Alright, slow to one-quarter impulse. Standby maneuvering thrusters!"
The tactical display projected a diagram of the seeming asteroid obstacle course, the ship's current projected path of travel, and the recommended 'safe route.'
"Sir, the convoy's keeping up with us! They should be fine as long as we don't take too many tight turns!"
"Acknowledged! Shields up!" he faced the left side of the bridge, "Navigation! Come left, one-four-mark-six!"
"Aye! Thrusters are firing!"
"The convoy's matching our course and speed!" Aaen said.
Anti-gravity compensated for the ship's thrusters having rolled the hulk thirty degrees on the x-axis. The main viewscreen showed a dense field of jagged rock drifting up and right.
Aaen's screen flashed. "Another cluster!" said Aaen. "Five seconds 'til collision!"
A thundering alarm echoed through the bridge.
"Hard right! Z-minus-fifty meters!" said the first officer.
"Aye, sir!"
Aaen looked at the main viewscreen, watching as the asteroids drifted to the top of the screen then apparently over the ship.
"Large asteroid drifting into our flight path directly ahead! HOLD ON!" Aaen said. We're gonna hit! He thought, leaning forward and holding on to his desk station.
"All hands, brace for impact!" yelled the first officer.
A sizzling electric sound filled the bridge. The main viewscreen displayed a bright shining shimmer mixed with chain lightning as a large cratered mass filled the screen.
The deck plating vibrated, the station desks rumbled, and the overhead lights flickered erratically for several seconds. Aaen clenched his jaws and displayed a determined look.
"Direct impact on forward shields!" yelled tactical. "Detecting shield impact, starboard side! Reading a thirty percent drain on the starboard shield!"
"Aaen?" asked the first officer.
Aaen turned his head. "That rock was about a hundred thousand metric tons! If the shields hadn't been up the bridge and most of the saucer section wouldn't have a ceiling right now! The rock's impact on our dorsal shield has shifted its trajectory away from the convoy!"
"Confirmed!" said tactical.
Aaen looked at the screen to his right, then compared the information on his screen to what he saw. "Another asteroid cluster! Detecting three asteroids! Collision in ten seconds!" Aaen turned to the first officer. "Sir! Some large asteroids have drifted into the convoy's path directly ahead at fifteen hundred meters. The path ahead has become too dense for safe passage. Our current position, course, and speed make the obstacle unavoidable. We're surrounded by asteroids. The forward shields will not withstand another direct impact at their present strength! I recommend strategic proximity detonation of a full spread photon torpedoes to disburse the asteroids directly ahead. The shock wave will disburse the immediate obstacle, the residual force from the asteroids should knock the remaining obstacles out of our flight path!"
"'Should'?"
"Our odds of survival are now less than five-to-one, as-is, sir. The asteroids directly ahead are each three-hundred-thousand metric tons. A full spread of photon torpedoes at half of maximum yield should remove the obstacle for the convoy, safely. The shields will hold against the shock wave."
The first officer displayed a look of surprise at Aaen's demonstration of prowess. Aaen's intuition told him that he and the first officer were thinking the same thing about the Voyager's assigned command structure . . .
"tactical, you heard 'im!"
"Aye, sir!" he sounded eager to finally use one of his tools, and he was quick and precise with the controls. "Torpedoes set for strategic proximity detonation from targets!" the tactical screen displayed the detonation point and the convoy's relative position. The image on the main viewscreen was quickly and gradually becoming larger.
"Five seconds 'til impact!" Aaen announced. The screen showed a large, dense cluster of mixed blunt and jagged rock seemingly bearing down on them.
The first officer looked at the main viewscreen. "FIRE!"
"Photon torpedoes away!" a second, brief alarm filled the bridge. The bridge watched as a trio of bright red glowing darts soared into the cluster.
"Collision in four!. .three!. ." Aaen said. A blinding, red-orange light filled the screen. A brilliant, chaotic shock wave quickly spread in every direction.
"Emergency power to forward shields!" said the first officer.
The bridge rattled as the main viewscreen filled with intense static and then beamed a blinding white light as the bridge vigorously shook. The crew shielded their eyes and turned their heads away from the main viewscreen while they struggled to hold on to their desk stations and read their station screens.
"Shockwave impact on forward shields!—Forward shields are holding!"
Aaen looked at his screen, "We're almost through the shockwave! It's dissipating!"
The main viewscreen started to clear. The bridge gradually calmed.
"It worked!" yelled the cadet to Aaen's right. Aaen looked to his right to find the cadet grinning. "The asteroids are disbursing! Detecting clear space ahead!"
"Confirmed!" Aaen said.
The asteroids disappeared from the screen seconds later.
Aaen took a deep breath, and then looked to the first officer. "Sir, we have entered solar system golf-tango-one-seven-four-zero!"
*****
Steve Hale of Portland, OR told Jordan Foutin,
"You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."
Make sure to check out StormTeam's official website, Like and Follow the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page, @StormteamS, and @JordanFoutin for the latest!
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