Volatile Situation

Posted on Sun Jan 5th, 2025 @ 2:31pm by Captain Nycolas Temple

Mission: The Only Thing Left Was Hope
Location: Khonsu Sector
Timeline: After "Valley of the Red Sun"

ON:

Chief Research Officer Lieutenant Francis Hara heard the chronometer beeping loudly in his blue-tinged dreams as he was slowly awakened from his sleep. Opening his eyes for a moment, he quickly closed them tightly again. Next to his bed was a large round port window and beyond that, the bright blue hue of the Khonsu Asteroid Belt. It shone glaringly into his quarters like a midday sun.

"Computer, close window." Hara insisted as he rubbed his face.

The computer beeped before giving an unhelpful, "Window cover is already closed."

From the corridor, Lieutenant Junior Grade Alannah Morissette came jogging past the open door with her usual enthusiasm, "Come on, sleepy! Time for exercise period!"

Hara reluctantly pulled back the sheets and raised himself up out of his bed with a long, noisy groan.

It was day 362 on the Khonsu Science Station - a small research facility dedicated to tracking and cataloguing the Khonsu Asteroid Belt. The Belt was a scientifically interesting phenomenon where a large string of asteroids orbited through a hydrogen stream that had been ignited by ionic energy at some point, creating this bright blue river of floating rocks through space. The Khonsu Belt seemingly employed a gravitational connection that kept the stream floating through space together, and Federation scientists were keen to find out what was really at the heart of the river.

The Science Station was a smaller scale Regula Type 1 base, consisting of 15 decks in a narrow cylindrical tower, topped by an observation deck with large windows at the peak of the station. Circling the tower was a specially added sensor ring, connected back to the main station through four corridors. The ring was one deck in height and allowed further sensor pods as well as housing generators for a shield sphere around the Khonsu. The sphere allowed the station to be protected within their own bubble, sailing gently adjacently to the river.

The station was designed for deep session research with only a small crew. Currently there were three officers onboard the Khonsu, deployed for a year at a time each. In three days' time, a new crew would board and take over the research, allowing the current officers some much needed rest. It was lonely on the station with just the three officers - routine soon became monotonous. Every day they would wake up to the glaring blue asteroid belt outside, complete their mandatory exercise period, eat their rationed replicated meals, study their personal logs, then spend hours upon hours analyzing the asteroids one at a time.

For Lieutenant Hara, he was looking forward to the crew hand over, as it meant he could spend some time away from the Khonsu Belt. He had initially joined the mission out of scientific curiosity for the phenomenon but after one year out here, living next to this neon river, spending day after day studying illuminated blue rocks - he was ready to leave and never come back. As always, he began his exercise period by jogging through the corridor that connected to the sensor ring. Then, he began what would be the first of many laps around the ring for the next 30 minutes.

As Hara started to hit his stride, he came across Lieutenant j.g. Morissette, who had slowed down from her earlier speed. She had come to a complete stop, idly staring out the bay window of the sensor ring.

"Who's sleepy now?" Hara jabbed playfully as he approached from behind.

Morisette seemed distracted; eyes focused on the asteroids outside. "Huh?" She murmured.

Hara slowed down and began to jog in place next to her, a look of concern on his face, "What is it?" He asked.

"Oh... nothing." Morissette frowned, "It's just - I swear these asteroids have moved since my last lap around. They're... maybe, closer?"

Hara looked outside the window with curiosity, but ultimately, he settled on disbelief. It wasn't uncommon to start seeing things after a year staring at the belt. "The asteroids move in tandem with each other, Alannah. They've kept the same formation for years."

"I know," She replied defensively, "But they look closer to us then they were five minutes ago."

"You need this holiday more than I do." Hara remarked, as he continued jogging ahead.

Not long after, Hara and Morissette entered the small mess hall to find their third officer - Ensign Lucas Goodrem - was busy preparing their morning meals in the replicator. Just like every other day. Morissette retrieved hers first and sat down, the trio sitting around a small circular table made big enough just for three people only. They had to take turns getting their meals and sitting as the kitchen space was so tight.

"Morning!" Goodrem sing-songed as they approached.

"Let me guess, watery eggs and dry-as-hell bacon." Hara complained, giving a half-yawn. He moved about the narrow kitchen until he came to the replicator, his meal already waiting on a tray. He looked down at the approximate for real food with a glum stare.

"You get the choice of ketchup or... uh, nothing else." Ensign Goodrem sheepishly replied, the younger officer giving a forced smile. "I haven't quite figured out the kinks for the barbeque sauce yet."

"You should let me tinker." Morissette smirked as she sopped up her runny egg yolks with a slice of bread. "I'll get that barbeque sauce flowing like it t'was Federation Day."

Goodrem shook his head, "Oh no, last time you started tinkering, we had to start beaming our waste into space." He frowned, "The smell of human waste being teleported? It haunts me."

Morissette nodded solemnly, unwilling and unable to argue with that.

"Enough talk of waste, please, at breakfast." Lieutenant Hara interjected as he squeezed himself into his seat. He had begrudgingly covered his food with ketchup and salt, to try to give it some taste. "See that the next crew bring a portable replicator along with them. They can figure out the problem themselves."

"Aye, sir," Goodrem nodded diligently.

Morissette rolled her eyes between mouthfuls, "Someone grumpy again today? Woke up on the wrong side of the asteroid belt?"

"Three more days, mates, and I can finally get some proper sleep." Hara replied, rubbing his eyes again. "Not even the hull can lessen the brightness of the asteroid river and it's driving me crazy. Everything is neon blue tinged. I dream in blue now."

"You need to spend time with the optical cleansers." Morissette said knowingly, "Gives your retinas a break from the blue and lets you see like normal again."

"Or do what I do." Young Goodrem beamed as he flicked a pair of old-fashioned sunglasses over his eyes. "Be stylish."

Morissette and Hara were both in a race to make the first derogatory comment when suddenly, a Red Alert Klaxon sounded through the station.

"Proximity Alert!" The computer called out. "Impact in four minutes!"

The crew shared a look of alarm as they quickly stood up from the table. Despite the urgency, they had to take turns shuffling around the small space and exiting the small room.

Racing up to the Bridge on the Operations Deck, Lieutenant Hara was first to his post, with Morisette and Goodrem not far behind. Hara read the screen with a disheartened panic. From behind them, the asteroid belt was being pulled out of alignment, like a river being redirected down through a new pathway in the ground. The asteroids were shifting outwards, as if moving on their own. Unfortunately, that new pathway led directly through the space station.

If the redirected movement continued, the asteroid belt would surround and surely crush Khonsu station in its path.

"I told you!" Morissette called out, "They've moved closer!"

"Computer, raise shields!" Hara called out. The sensor ring illuminated as the shield sphere formed around the Khonsu.

"What is doing this?" Goodrem cried, "Has the belt lost its gravitational stability?"

Lieutenant Hara looked at the projection on his console. "It doesn't make sense." He whispered, "Something is pulling the belt out of orbit."

"Diverting all power to shields." Goodrem shouted as he furiously tapped his screen. "We won't be able to take too many direct hits before we're damaged."

"Proximity Alert!" The computer called out. "Impact in three minutes!"

Hara swallowed hard as he saw the simulation on the screen. Collision with the station and structural failure were all but guaranteed. The only option was to move the station out of harm's way. But, Hara knew that by doing so, they would lose their position with the belt and their research would likely be ruined. Years of study was washing away with this new tide.

"Move us." Hara said directly to Morissette. "As fast as we can."

"Engaging maneuvering engine." Morissette called back and she turned to her console, fingers dancing nimbly across the buttons.

At the rear base of the station, a single thruster engine began firing, moving them upwards and undulating slightly to the port side - away from the belt. However, not long into the journey, the station began to falter and then stopped moving altogether.

"Why have we stopped?" Hara called out as the station shuddered to a halt. "Keep going!"

"Engines at maximum, sir, but we're not moving." Morissette growled, concern washing over her face. "Attempting to recalibrate engines..."

"The same gravitational force has gotten us too," Goodrem reported as he analyzed the data coming in, "Whatever it is, it's approaching from the rear and it's... getting stronger?!"

"What is doing this?" Morissette cried.

"I'm starting a wide-spectrum sensor scan," Hara said as he worked his console. "I'm picking up... something. It's like, I don't know, a gravity well, but it's moving through space?"

Outside of the station, a tear in the very fabric of space became visible - like a white-hot comet ripping through the universe. The force was pulling the asteroids out of the belt, as it continued to approach the Khonsu station on the port side. Three large asteroids had been drawn out of the belt and were now being dragged through gravitational force in the wake of the anomaly. Smaller pieces of rock were being sucked directly into the gravity well, seemingly crushed into dust as they reached the opening of the tear and dissipated into nothing.

The Khonsu could no longer move out of the way of this rampant sinkhole of gravity tearing across space; they could only brace for what was to come.

"What is that?" Morissette gasped as she saw the white hole moving towards them.

"Sensors indicate a ship of some kind inside the anomaly." Goodrem said, looking up to the Lieutenant. "It's man-made."

"Proximity Alert!" The computer called out. "Impact in two minutes!"

Hara's eyes widened. He felt the panic rising. He couldn't think about who or what would make such a destructive force. He still had to get them out of danger first. "Can we fire upon the anomaly?"

"The torpedoes might just get sucked into the void." Morissette shrugged, "But we can try a timed detonation?"

"Do it!" Hara called out.

From the middle of the station, the torpedo bay door opened and launched a photon missile towards the incoming asteroids. The crew waited with baited breaths as the torpedo zoomed across space. As it got closer to the anomaly, it too was pulled in towards the white hole.

"Detonate it." Hara ordered.

Morissette hit a button and the photon torpedo exploded. The ensuing detonation managed to impact the asteroid closest to the white hole, causing it to break off and crumble into smaller pieces. Those pieces were quickly consumed into the gravity well. The crew felt relieved for a moment.

"Still two asteroids and the anomaly approaching." Goodrem reported. They started to feel the station groaning and creaking, the engines were at maximum trying to hold them in place against the strong forces trying to pull them in.

"Proximity Alert!" The computer called out. "Impact in sixty seconds!"

"Suggestions?" Lieutenant Hara asked desperately.

"The computer calculates we have a higher rate of survival if we stay in the station." Morissette said, "The escape pods are too light, they'll just get sucked in, too."

"We could go into the asteroid belt." Goodrem suggested, "Use the belt as a shield?"

"We'll get crushed to death!" Morissette protested angrily.

"Better than being churned up to death in whatever the hell that thing is!" Goodrem hissed back.

"GUYS!" Hara shouted, breaking up the tension. "Look!"

As quickly as it had appeared, the white orb seemingly started to disappear. It was like normal space was folding back over it, closing around the anomaly like a healing wound, until it completely vanished. Just like that, it was gone. The station's engines began to move again, pushing the Khonsu further away from the belt.

"It's a miracle!" Goodrem beamed, clapping his hands together.

"Not yet, kid." Morissette warned as she looked at her screen. "Two of the larger asteroids that were pulled out of orbit are still on a collision course. We're moving out of the way but they're just too big!"

"Proximity Alert!" The computer called out. "Impact in thirty seconds!"

"Fire another torpedo." Hara ordered emphatically.

"On it." Goodrem nodded, "Firing away."

Another torpedo launched out of the station and without the interference from the anomaly, this time directly hit the second asteroid, causing it to shatter into pieces. Then, debris from the explosion hit the final asteroid, causing chunks of it to break off too. Once the dust had dissipated, the trio waited to see what remained.

From within the dust cloud, a large chunk of the final asteroid emerged, still hurtling towards them.

"It's still coming." Hara cried.

"Are we going to make it?" Goodrem asked quietly, his voice pleading.

"I'M TRYING!" Morissette shouted as she continued trying to push the exhausted maneuvering engines to their maximum.

"Proximity Alert!" The computer called out. "Impact in ten seconds!"

"Brace!" Hara ordered as he gripped onto his console with all of his might.

The remaining asteroid slammed into the bottom half of the station's sphere shield, the rock shattering upon impact. The Khonsu's shields absorbed the brute force of the initial impact, likely sparing the station from instant destruction - but the shields were quickly overwhelmed by the collision and shut down, just as the debris from the destroyed asteroid started pelting the station. The hull was punctured by the shower of rocks cascading over it, the computer trying to compensate with containment fields as the Khonsu was riddled with holes.

The Khonsu was sent spinning by the impact, creating their own whirlpool of debris to swarm around them. A jagged rock piece hurtled upwards and struck through the sensor ring, ripping right through it and causing that section of the ring to split in two. Those pieces swirled around the station as it spun uncontrolled, before colliding with the other half of the sensor ring. The support corridors holding the ring to the main tower finally gave way, and soon the entire ring dislodged from the station, scattering it into pieces.

The station's engines managed to power up again, and slowly stopped the Khonsu from spinning, and it eased back into a neutral position before they too gave out. The crew had been violently thrown about the bridge, as consoles exploded, and sparks showered from damaged conduits. The station shook and groaned as the structural integrity began to falter, large cracks forming across the floors and bulkheads as the facility started to tear apart.

"Status?" Lieutenant Hara groaned as he regained his footing. His arm was throbbing with pain, the bone likely broken. He could taste the blood in his mouth.

His head bloodied after he had fallen down, Goodrem blinked through the searing headache and tried to read his faltering station. "Hull breaches on 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Containment fields holding but structural integrity at 49% and falling. Shields offline. Engines offline. Power core holding at 33%. Life support systems offline everywhere but the Bridge."

Standing upright, Hara saw there was a jagged metal pipe pierced through the center of his console. Had he been standing there at the time; he surely would have been impaled by it. Trying to shake off that thought, he rubbed his temples. "Send a distress call to Starfleet. Let's try to repair what we can to buy us time. Where is..." He began looking around, "Alannah?" He called out as he saw Morissette not in sight.

Searching with his eyes across damaged Bridge, the lights flickering as sparks continued to explode all around them, Hara finally found Morissette. She had been thrown from her station across to the other side of the Bridge and had landed into a console. A large piece of glass was protruding from her midsection. She was slumped over, eyes closed.

"Is she...?" Goodrem started speaking but couldn't finish the words.

Hara coughed as he reached for a tricorder. It was damaged from the impact, flickering on and off, but after a moment he got it to work. He stumbled across the debris, holding out the tricorder with his good arm as he scanned the officer.

A faint heartbeat was present.

"No, but she needs urgent medical." Hara reported. He kneeled down and looked at the glass shard. Removing it would only cause her to bleed out, he thought. "Maybe if we can get life support back to deck two..."

"We have to abandon the station." Goodrem said softly, eyes cast down. For a junior officer, it was a big call to make but the readings were clear. "We won't have the resources to repair it, sir. Morissette stands a better chance in an escape pod."

Hara looked to him with wide eyes, the will to fight to save the Khonsu fired up inside him. But just as quickly, the flame extinguished. The bridge lights flickered again, as Hara felt the fire die out and reality set in.

"You're right." He said hoarsely, nodding his head solemnly, "I give the command... Abandon station."

Goodrem was relieved, he turned back to his console to enter the final record of the Khonsu Science Station. It would read; 'Abandoned by all crew after sustaining critical damaged from a cataclysmic anomaly.'

"I'll update the distress call and plot a course for the escape pods." Goodrem started. As he began to tap on his console, there came a faint alert from what remained of the ship's systems. The Ensign looked over to Lieutenant Hara with renewed panic. "I think, it's a ship?" Goodrem reported, immediately feeling a sense of fear. It had been a ship that had apparently caused this disaster in the first place. Was it possible that they were coming back?

Lieutenant Hara wearily leaned against a station, holding his broken arm close to his chest, feeling weak and overwhelmed. The station would be destroyed should the anomaly return; having narrowly escaped death the first time, a second occurrence would undoubtedly finish them off. He looked to Goodrem and started to say, "Open all hailing - "

The officers were surprised when they began to be surrounded by orange transport lights around them. Goodrem's eyes filled with confusion as they beamed away from the Khonsu. "Sir?" He called out meekly to Hara.

But Hara could do nothing as he too was beamed away...

****

Lieutenant Hara awoke quietly sometime later. He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he felt like he had gotten the longest, deepest rest of the past 362 days. This time when he woke up, there was no alarm ringing or neon bright blue of the Khonsu belt shining in his eyes. For that brief moment after waking, as he stared into the darkness around him, he felt calm and relaxed.

That changed when his mind reminded him of what had happened.

Sitting bolt upright, he became aware of being in the cabin of a Starfleet vessel. It was dimly lit, with no port windows, and only the light from one active console down the end of the cabin was giving any illumination into the area. He braced himself to feel pain in his broken arm, but surprisingly there was nothing. He had been healed. Lying on soft benches on either side of him was Goodrem and Morissette, both fast asleep. He could see that Morissette's wounds had also been tended to, the monitor above her head showed her signs were strong and steady now. They had all been cleaned from the smoke and debris that had covered them, each dressed in Starfleet issue pajamas.

Looking around the cabin, he became aware of the feeling that they were at warp. Rising to his feet, Hara moved to where he assumed the cockpit would be. He wanted to speak to their rescuers and thank them for saving their lives.

"Hello?" He called out. "Who's there?"

The cockpit doors opened and standing there was a tall figure in a black suit with a black helmet. He was only lit from the back, casting a shadow over his front side in the already dim space.

"Who are you?" Lieutenant Hara asked, taking an instinctive step backwards. He was trying to see something - anything - he recognized.

The man responded in a distorted, hidden voice, "Do not be afraid, I mean no harm."

"You saved us," The Lieutenant shrugged, "I should thank you. But I can't see who you are in that outfit."

"I am a friend, that is all you need to know." The man replied.

"How did you find us so quickly?" Hara asked curiously. Despite the man's assurances of friendship, he still felt uneasy by the mysterious figure in his black suit. "The nearest vessel was several hours away, and we weren't scheduled to receive a visit for another three days."

"I have been tracking the anomaly that impacted your station." The man answered, "What can you tell me?"

"All our readings are on the station." Lieutenant Hara sighed, squinting as he tried to remember the details, "But it appeared out of nowhere, started pulling asteroids out of their orbit, and disappeared as quickly as it came."

"Five minutes." The man nodded slightly in his big helmet. "That's how long it appears for."

"There was something else." Hara frowned, "We detected... I don't know, a ship? Maybe?" He sighed, his mind confounded with recent events, "It happened so fast."

"A ship, inside the anomaly?" The mystery man repeated, "Do you know what kind? Did you get a signature?"

"Again, the station might have something, but I don't know." Hara rubbed his temples. Anytime he thought about the anomaly, he was inundated with flashbacks to the collision, the chaos that ensued, the pain he had suffered. "Wait, where are we going?"

"I'm going to drop you off somewhere to be rescued." The man said.

The Lieutenant baulked at this, "Drop us off? No! Take us to the nearest Starfleet ship."

"Unfortunately, I cannot do that. I must remain hidden." The man replied, "Do not be afraid. No harm will come to you. Starfleet will rescue you shortly, and a lot sooner if you had been in escape pods."

Hara groaned, "But they need to know what's out there. Whatever that was, it was strong enough to pull three asteroids out of their gravitational orbit and prevent us from moving. If it's a new kind of weapon, Starfleet must be on alert as soon as possible."

"I don't believe it is a weapon." The man said calmly, not matching the panic in the Lieutenant's voice, "But it is concerning that it has grown strong enough to cause this much damage. You will advise Starfleet of what has occurred, but do not cause unnecessary distress. The anomaly is being investigated."

"By who?" Hara asked pointedly, "Who are you?!"

The man in the black suit tilted his helmeted head slightly, and answered, "I am... a Protector."

****

Lieutenant Hara had returned to his bunk to sleep once more, and the vessel continued on its journey. Nyx had already sent a disguised distress signal to Starfleet and a ship would meet with the Khonsu survivors at the rescue point. All he had to do was drop them off and disappear again.

Nyx was troubled by the damaged caused to the station and he hoped that he would be able to retrieve its sensor data before it was either scuttled into the asteroid belt or succumbed to its damage. He already knew that the anomaly had grown strong enough to pose a threat now. It was becoming a race to find out what was behind it before lives were lost.

He may have been able to save the Khonsu trio, but he might not be so lucky next time.

OFF