USS PATRIOT: Bridge ("Hail Mary")

From: Naomi Lara (naomi.lara_at_gmail.com)
Date: Thu Jul 12 2007 - 23:16:15 PDT


"Hail Mary"
Con't from: Rahul's "Rational Thought is for Wusses"


Location: USS PATRIOT
Stardate: 2422 [2.7] 1307.2154
Scene: Bridge


Tellah was forced to wait impatiently for the all clear to come through.  It
would take time to remove everyone from the rogue planet.  Space on a star
ship was a precious commodity, and some of them were so heavily loaded, one
person could make the difference.



While she waited for people to organise themselves she instead began to
co-opt and co-ordinate matters with the surrounding ships.  Every single
ship was taking direction from her, priming their warp systems and tweaking
emission fields.



Cal essentially needed every erg of energy available if this was going to
work.  Trying to force feed a planet down a quasar was going to be wickedly
dangerous.  And who knew…it could even fail.



"Did you miss us?"  Kel grinned as he strode onto the Bridge.  He looked
pretty happy to be rejoining is crew-mates and beelined straight to his
console, exchanging smirks with some of the crew that acknowledged his
presence.  Helice stepped onto the Bridge and followed at a much more sedate
pace.



"Always, Mr. McKlellan."  Kenta remarked dryly and the SOO's grin vanished
and he suddenly tried to look very busy at his console.  "Command says you
have the green light in exactly ten minutes, Lieutenant."



"We'll be ready."  Tellah muttered as she juggled the stream of
communication and information.  "McKlellan, I need you to find me a focal
point, and then transmit those co-ordinates to the fleet.  Look for the
point where the temporal and spatial disruption is greatest, because that
will be the weakest spot."



"Whoa, what are we doing?"



"We don't have time for questions, just do it."  Tellah snapped back.  She
couldn't spare the mental capacity to answer such an inane question when
there was so much more to do.  Eight captains were sending her specs on
their tachy systems asking if their output was suitable.  Another captain
was demanding that he micro-manage the whole operation and another three
were begging for more time.  Even Cal was feeling the strain of the
bombardment.  She was entitled to be a little snippy.



"Status of the tachyon emitters?"  She called out.  Normally it was her job
to oversee such things, but not this time.  There were too many other
completing problems.



"The modifications have been completed, they're ready."  T'ial stepped up
and filled the vacuum.



"Warp engines?"  Tellah nodded, one thing down.



"Ready to energise on your command."



Tellah took a breath and glanced up at the screen.  It was time.  Anyone
left on the planet would die, but they couldn't spare any more time.  The
entire system was at critical mass.  If it wasn't reversed now, it would be
destroyed.  "Launch in three," her fingers tapped at a console button,
arming the transmission that would signal every ship warp core and tachy
emitters to fire. "Two…one."  She pressed the command.





=/\=

 Time: Twenty hair-raising minutes later

=/\=



"Good work Lieutenant."  Kenta said as he rocked back on his heels.  Instead
of the alien planet that filled the viewscreen, it was again back the way it
should be.  A starfield that was uninterrupted in all of its glory.  He
could barely believe it, but the gutsy plan worked.



"Thank you." Tellah said as she privately allowed herself to take a breath.
 Once the Federation scientists had time to unravel all of the math and
theory in the last couple of hours, maybe they would realise just how close
it got.



"Maverick, lets see if we can start the movement of people back to
Earth?  Let's
get those out of the buffers first and transport them directly to transport
hubs.  From there they can make their way back easily enough.  T'ial and
Tam, please help keep the refugees informed of what is happening and if they
have any questions, answer them as best you can.  Work with the marines.  We
don't want anymore violence if we can help it."  Kenta ordered and the two
young woman nodded and walked off the Bridge, following Maverick.



"Cal, you have the Bridge."  Helice stood from her chair and glanced at the
two senior officers remaining on the Bridge.  The Patriot was in good hands.
 "ExO."  She said to Ben and gestured that they should walk into her Ready
Room.  Kenta nodded is ascent and followed.



Kel whistled softly under his teeth.  "I can't believe you pulled that off."



Tellah simply smiled.  She couldn't believe it either, but she wasn't going
to tell him that.  Silence descended on the Bridge and they were the only
two there.



Cal got to her feet and turned to face him.  "You don't trust me?"  She
demanded.



"It's not a matter of trust." Kel snorted, feeling defensive at her sudden
disapproving turn.  "That was a Hail Mary and you know it."  He remarked,
folding his arms across his chest.



Cal smiled.  "A calculated risk."



"That's going to go down well."



"If it didn't, there would be no one left to complain."  The Ops officer
turned back to her work.



~~~~~~~~~~~~

NRPG: As for what happens at the end of scene 1…I'm going to leave that to
your imagination and, if you wish, to you writing.  :)


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