Episode Four

Star Trek Lapon

Episode 004

“…That Others May Live”

“Warning atmospheric seal compromised Oxygen pressure at 70 millibars and falling,” the computer warned Hunt as he floated in space.  He awoke with a start and quickly realized that he was floating in an EV suit.  He heard muffled voices coming through his helmets built in communicator, “Captain Hunt, are you there?  This is the Space Guard cutter Hatteras where are you?”  He drifted back into unconsciousness.

Hunt awoke a few minutes later to another oxygen alarm and in the void in front of him he saw a bright red space suit.  He panicked; as the red suit neared he tried top push away.  He fought it as it tried to insert something into a port on his suit, and then it spoke, “Captain Hunt, relax I am a Space Guard Rescuer, you are going to be fine.”

12 Hours Earlier

 

 Captain’s Log; Star Date 56970.1, As we neared the last leg of our patrol route, we stumbled upon the Cerberus, the stolen Intrepid class starship we found, err, supporting Section 31 operations.  She was making best speed for the Romulan Neutral Zone.  I have ordered a course change to pursue.

As the red alert klaxons howled, the personnel down in engineering readied the ship for battle.

“Commander, you’d better get over here,” An ensign shouted to A’Cillia, “I am getting an unusual energy reading from Jefferies Tube Eight Baker, should I go and check it out?”

“I’ll go,” She replied, as she walked toward the hatch.  It was several decks before she reached the Jefferies Tube, and when she got there, the hatch was fused shut.  Cursing she climbed back down and retrieved a laser torch, so that she could open the hatch.

Ten minutes passed before she could cut through the tritanium hatch, and crawl through to find the source of the problem.  When she found it, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Captain,” She cried on her Commbadge, “This is A’Cillia in a Jefferies tube, I believe I have found a bomb, I will attempt to disarm it.”

Hunt was about to acknowledge her when he heard a shrill scream over the intercom, and then silence.  He ran towards the turbolift, but Dergos stopped him.

“I know she was your mate sir, but we can’t risk losing you,” Dergos Protested.

“Alright, set course for Earth; maximum warp”

 “Shouldn’t we pursue the Cerberus, sir?” Dergos asked.

“I have a feeling that they have something to do with that bomb, if we have to abandon out here, they will surly kill any survivors,” The bridge crew nodded in agreement, “Chavin, see if you can’t scan the bomb, and find out how long we have.”

Chavin scanned the device, and looked back grimly, “11 hours or so sir, with this type of detonator it is difficult to be sure, although, what I can tell you is that this will not be a messy explosion, it is calibrated precisely to completely vaporize the Lapon and not damage anything else, you could place an Betazoid Orchid fifty meters off the port bow and it won’t even wilt.”

                        *                                  *                                  *

Crew around the ship were preparing for the inevitable.  Hunt had long since given up writing his final log entry as he could not concentrate.  Everyone aboard knew that they had little time left.  Hunt personally lifted the ship wide ban on smoking, in an attempt to boost moral, but little seemed to help. 

Using his El Aurian listening skills, Hunt could hear the anxiety level on the ship sky rocket as they reached the last few minutes of the count down.  Hunt leaned over and asked Chavin for a status report.

“My readings are firming up now, I can be certain that we have only a matter of minutes remaining, and we have entered sector 001 sir.”

“Alright, abandon ship!” Hunt ordered, “You heard me, GET OUT!”  Everyone except Hunt and Madden filed out to the escape pods.

“Sir, you should go too, most of the pods are already gone,” Madden said to Hunt who was examining the ship’s dedication plaque.

“You know, this is the first time I looked at this thing in a long time,” Hunt said, nostalgically remembering the past few years since the ship was commissioned.  Madden walked up behind him and gave him a Vulcan nerve pinch.  He began dragging hunt towards the Jefferies Tube so that they could board an escape pod, then he glanced at the running count down on Chavin’s console.  Changing his mind, he instead dragged Hunt into the Deck one airlock and put him in an EV suit.

                        *                                  *                                  *

“Warning atmospheric seal compromised Oxygen pressure at 70 millibars and falling,” the computer warned Hunt as he floated in space.  He awoke with a start and quickly realized that he was floating in an EV suit.  He heard muffled voices coming through his helmets built in communicator, “Captain Hunt, are you there?  This is the Space Guard cutter Hatteras where are you?”  He drifted back into unconsciousness.

Hunt awoke a few minutes later to another oxygen alarm and in the void in front of him he saw a bright red space suit.  He panicked; as the red suit neared he tried top push away.  He fought it as it tried to insert something into a port on his suit, and then it spoke, “Captain Hunt, relax I am a Space Guard Rescuer, you are going to be fine.”

“My suit is leaking,” Hunt said.

“That’s alright I have given you some air,” The Guardsmen replied, “Hatteras this is Rescue One, two to beam up.”

Hunt found himself lying on a transporter pad in a Sickbay of the USSGC Hatteras and felt his ears pop as the higher pressure atmosphere of the sick bay leaked in through the holes in his EV suit.  He sat up and removed his helmet as a nurse rushed over to treat him.

“Where is Commander Madden?” Hunt asked.

“Who?” The nurse didn’t know the name.

“Commander Madden, my XO,” Hunt clarified.

“We haven’t brought aboard anyone by that name or description sir.”

To Be Continued…