Beyond the barrier, Pt 1

Posted on Wed Feb 19th, 2025 @ 12:31pm by Commodore Finchley Kerr & Commander Shr'Nesh Karadis & Lieutenant Commander Kevin Kilbane & Lieutenant Jock McCrudden & Commander Alec Hunter & Lieutenant Commander Isabelle Savette & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T'ghann-Dex. Doctor & Lieutenant Drevas

2,276 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Voices of the past
Location: USS Blackeagle, Bridge/Sickbay.
Timeline: Current.

"Well done team!" Finchley said ecstatically, delighted that an ion trail of low density matter/anti matter had been tracked.

"Helm, set course zero three five, mark seventeen, full impulse" Finchley carried on, looking at Owens.

"Aye Sir, course set in" Owens replied.

"Steady as she goes, let's not rush this" Finchley said. He tapped his COMM badge, "Kerr to McCrudden, can you set our scanning to the exact settings a Marshall Class destroyer had?"

"A Marshall Class destroyer's settings?" McCrudden's incredulous reply came back.

"Yes, can you do it?" Finchley asked.

"Well, aye, of course, I'll need to look it up though Commodore, the Marshall Class was a few hundred years ago...but why?" McCrudden asked.

"I can't go into it right now, I just need you to do it and tell me when you're ready" Finchley answered.

"Ok, ok, keep what little hair you have on" McCrudden yipped back. A few minutes later he was back on COMM's, "That's the scanners reset Sir, but you'll not get as accurate a reading as the modern setting we usually use."

"That's fine, I just need everything to be as the USS Ranger would have done things way back when, thank you McCrudden, Kerr out" Finchley replied.

He turned back to Alec and Shon, "Right, start scanning that new heading now, tell me everything you find along it beginning now."

Alec glanced at Shon and then back to Kerr. "Aye sir. Beginning scans now. All clear, nothing to report as of yet." As he kept his eyes on the scans, not turning away, afraid he might miss something.

Finchley didn't know if it was gut instinct, or some kind of sixth sense, but there was just something about this mission that had him on edge. Not because of what had happened earlier with Kilbane, though that was bad enough, but an ominous...dark...feeling, almost like someone or something from the past was reaching out and telling him not to follow the Ranger's path. He tried dismissing the thought and feeling by looking at Shon to see if she would find anything in the readings that were on her screen.

Shon was fixated on her screen her fingers inputting and retrieving data. "There are some strange gravimetric eddies to starboard about one hundred and twenty meters, they seem stable which is unusual in it's self." she frowned, "It appears to be acting like a slipstream according to the particles swept into it. They enter and...disappear i am unable to tell where. What do you think Commander?"

Alec lifted his head to look at what Shon was describing to him. "Hmmm." He muttered as he continued to look and tap the instrument console. " They are part of a rudimentary slipstream, not near as complex as today's slipstream but the basic properties are there." He turned to look at the captain. "I believe we have our first clue captain."

"That's good" Finchley replied, "Mr Owen's, follow the eddies, half impulse power."

"Aye Sir, half impulse power" Owen's replied, setting course.

The 'Eagle began to slowly move through space, gently being carried on the eddies. Onboard, Finchley watched the view screen as the ship moved back and forth. "Right begin the next scan."

As soon as the ships scan began, there was suddenly a bright flash and all hell broke loose as the ship was thrown side to side.

"Commodore, we're picking up speed" Owen's yelled, "Warp one...warp two...warp three....warp four...warp five!"

"Can you cut the power to the engines?" Finchley yelled.

"No Sir, the power couplings are..." but he didn't get to finish his sentence as the ship came to a sudden stop, throwing everyone forward.

Alec answered, "It isn't our speed sir. we're caught in a slipstream that has increased ou......" The rest of his sentence was caught short by the Eagle's sudden deceleration and stop.

The Eagle's rapid acceleration was enough to deal with, but the rapid stop proved worse as anyone not seated or holding onto something was thrown forward. Alec was thrown forward and crashed into a console with a resounding thud and lay still.

Shon picked herself off the floor and moved to Alec. she always had a medical tricorder with her. He's still breathing!" she said. "Cervical series okay, no broken neck but a definite head injury with brain swelling, I need to get him to sickbay now."

"Emergency transport him there now!" Finchley instructed Shon from his place on the floor where he'd been dumped. Getting to his feet, he immediately began walking round the bridge crew, checking on them, helping them back to their feet or onto chairs. Those he deemed as walking wounded he ordered to Sickbay to get checked over.

"Commander Savette, continue checks on the remaining bridge crew, make sure they're all fit to carry on their duties as best they can."

“Aye Sir” Isabelle nodded as she gave Alec a concerned look before getting up and moving around the bridge. She’d been tossed from her seat herself, but fortunately no harm was done. Checking on the crew she was glad to see most injuries were only minor bumps and scrapes.

Looking at Drevas he said, "#Lieutenant Drevas, get a ship wide status report, once you have it let me know."

"Aye, sir." Drevas tapped his comm badge. "Bridge to all departments. Send preliminary reports of your status when you can." He had to wince as he steadied himself against the console; he hadn't hit his head, but his entire world spun. Somewhat.

Tapping his COMM badge he said, "Kerr to Commanders Karadis and Kilbane, if you're both still fit for duty, report to the bridge immediately."

There was a few seconds pause, then Karadis voice came back through in reply, "It's Karadis, Commodore...Kilbane's d..." then the COMM's cut out.

Finchley's heart was in his mouth, and he bashed his COMM badge several times, "Karadis...KARADIS...repeat your last message!"

"Comm's are down Commodore" the Ensign at Communications reported.

Finchley swallowed hard, he looked around the bridge slowly, all eye's were on him. He couldn't afford feelings right that very moment, so gathering himself he said. "Right COMM's are down, I need runners to carry orders to other parts of the ship till they're back. Owen's, till we're able to get moving again, see to that."

Owen's rose from his seat at once and replied, "Yes Sir."

He looked at Drevas again, "Lieutenant Drevas, we can forget about getting a ship wide status report through COMM's, you'll need to do it personally. Begin with Engineering, once you have a report from them, get it to a runner to bring it straight to me. Once that's done, move onto other sections of the ship and when you're finished with each one, again, give the report to a runner and get it right here to me, GO!"

[Sickbay]

All hell had broken loose in sickbay, Shon worked on Alec who’s head injury was serious but no longer life threatening and and he was already returning to consciousness. Her designated helpers were treating others who had begun to drift in to sickbay with various broken limbs and head injuries. So far it looked as though there had been no fatalities. With COMM’s not working she had sent a small team to each department to assess and treat injuries.

Alec slowly came awake and as he did he realized his head hurt... a lot. The next thing he realized was he wasn't on the bridge, he was, slowly shifting his eyes showed he was in Sickbay. "Shon?" He whispered not knowing if she heard him or not.

"Alec!" Shon breathed a sigh of relief. "You're in sickbay, the slipstream took us and then we had a rapid deceleration. you were thrown and have a nasty head injury. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." Alec replied. "My head is pounding and I, I can't seem to concentrate. I feel fuzzy headed." he admitted.

Shon smiled, “you will do Alec, you have some brain swelling, I can give you something for nausea and you are still having medication that will exacerbate the ‘fuzzy head’ you are feeling. I am afraid you are unable to return to the bridge for another few hours, in fact I would prefer for twenty four. So far however there are no fatalities, I am afraid you ducked when you should have rolled my friend.

Alec listened to Shon has she talked. It was hard to pay attention with the way his head hurt but he managed. "Stay here for twenty four hours?" He repeated and then with the way he was feeling simply said "Okay." Without an argument. He was able to reply to her comment about him ducking with, "The wry wit of Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T'ghann-Dex."

Shon smiled yet again. “Okay, twelve hours Alec” she said “you got to me with that comment. She injected him with analgesic and Scranton for any nausea he might have. “If you feel like sleeping for a while please do. I will keep an eye on you.

"Alright. You're the doctor." Alec replied softly. he hoped he felt better in twelve hours as he felt terrible now. "I think I will go back to sleep. If any visitors come for me, please wake me Shon and thanks for looking after me."

"Sleep well" she said as she raised the sound screen around his bed. Her paDD would alert her if anything changed. She continued on with the injured. She grabbed a passing nurse, "Open up the annex and begin moving the walking wounded there." she said as she moved over to an ensign from engineering with a broken hip.

Bridge

On the bridge Isabelle returned to Finchley’s side. “Bridge crew are fine Commodore, minor injuries only I’m glad to say.”

A banging sound emanated from the jeffries tube cover in the corner of the bridge, followed by a short slew of curse words in Bajoran - and then the cover popped open, from which a blond-haired Bajoran petty officer emerged, dusting off her uniform. "Commodore, petty officer Fae reporting. Engineering is a shitshow, more or less. The lieutenant got to us in time, though we still have... two injured." She mopped at her forehead with a grunt.

"Glad to see you Petty Officer" Finchley replied, though he was now extremely concerned that Engineering was as she put it 'a shitshow'.

"First things first, I hope the Lieutenant has managed to get the injured crew to Sickbay so they can be treated" he carried on, "Can you give me a report on what's happened in Engineering?"

"Well, sir, half the consoles don't even work anymore. Everybody is struggling to get them back up and running, but it's an uphill battle to say the least. Two injured, like I said, one of my friends smashed her face into a console. Blood everywhere. Lieutenant Drevas helped take her and the chief to sickbay. Warp core's stable, though it's making a sort of angry hum." The Bajoran puffed. "I suppose this is the part where I give you a rough estimate of repairs, sir. One week, at least. Assuming the Prophets grant us a miracle."


Tag Fae

At that moment Karadis exited the turbolift and made her way to Finchley, "What the hell happened?" she demanded.

"Before I say anything else, what's happened to Kilbane, you're message got cut off?" he asked.

"We have to focus on what's happening here and now Commodore, what's happened with Kilbane can wait, we've got to focus!" Karadis countered.

Finchley was about to argue, but seeing the look on Karadis' face made him stop. "We encountered some gravimetric eddies, apparently part of a rudimentary slipstream, when we began scanning them using the setting from how the USS Ranger had been set up, we began to accelerate, but after a short period we came to a sudden stop. That's where we're currently at right now, picking up the pieces it would seem. Commander Hunter was injured and taken to Sickbay, Commander T'ghann-Dex is now back in Sickbay checking him over and other crew members who were injured. Look, I know this isn't what you want, but you're the highest ranking officer currently now on the bridge with any bridge experience."

"Don't you dare!" Karadis began.

"Sorry, but needs must...Lieutenant Commander Karadis, you're hereby drafted into the regular crew of the USS Blackeagle and as such, are temporarily promoted to Executive Officer...congratulations."

"I don't want it" Karadis remonstrated.

"And I don't want the ship to be in pieces or any of the crew to be injured, yet here we are" Finchley replied, "Suck it up and take one for the team."

"I will pay you back Bird, count on it" Karadis replied.

"I have no doubt you will, but right now I need you to buck up and take the responsibility I just gave you" Finchley replied, "starting with getting me more information on the current whereabouts of the ship. Use the 'Eagles scanning levels, not the older ones."

Karadis had a heavy look on her face, but moved away to begin reconfiguring the ships scanners. Within a few minutes she had the answer to Kerr's question. She didn't want to believe what she read onscreen, but after two checks of the system, she had to admit they were true. She looked round at Finchley and said, "Scan results show that we're...ehhhmmm..."

"Well?" Finchley demanded of her.

"We're twenty thousand light years from our last charted position in the Sierra system" Karadis answered.

TBC

 

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