01-04-2026, 07:09 AM
== Bridge ==
Ameen stood behind the tactical rail next to Powl, his arms crossed, eyes locked on the main viewscreen. The operation was a chaotic ballet played out in slow motion against the backdrop of the tumbling, gray ruin.
He noted the Aura holding a precarious but rock-steady formation off the alien vessel's flank. Midshipman Brennan was earning his wings today, keeping the heavy shuttle stable despite the unpredictable drift of the debris field.
Good, Ameen thought, his gaze tracking the micro-adjustments of the shuttle's thrusters. He handles that Type-14 like a fighter. But simulations don't account for the unpredictable physics of a disintegration...
Through the open comms channel, Ameen tracked the team's progress. He had heard Midshipman Cortez's hope for a transporter solution dashed by the reality of the lead-lined hull, and Doctor O'Fee's grim prognosis—eighteen minutes for the critical pods—added a rhythmic pressure to every second that ticked by.
Eighteen minutes to save an entire species from extinction, he mused, his jaw tightening. No pressure, Doc..
Then, on the screen, he saw the flare of A'kilees' phaser tool, followed immediately by a violent plume of white vapor venting into space. On the tactical display, the Broken Arrow's structural integrity graph dipped sharply into the red.
Too fast. The hull can't take the thermal stress...
"She's buckling," Ameen said, his voice cutting through the bridge tension. "They're compromising the hull integrity to make the cut."
He didn't wait for a request.
"Powl, engage main tractor beam. Target the Broken Arrow's keel, ventral section. I want us to act as a splint. Hold that ship together, Lieutenant. Give her everything we've got!"
The Zephyr shuddered slightly as the high-output emitters fired. A golden beam lashed out from the Destroyer, wrapping around the alien ship's frame, arresting its tumble and dampening the vibrations caused by the cutting team.
Ameen tapped his comm badge.
"Bridge to Away Team. We read a structural tremor. We have locked the main tractor beam to stabilize the hull, but the stress on that frame is immense. You have your window, Commander. And Brennan, keep that shuttle tight. Get those pods out now."
== Tags ==
Ameen stood behind the tactical rail next to Powl, his arms crossed, eyes locked on the main viewscreen. The operation was a chaotic ballet played out in slow motion against the backdrop of the tumbling, gray ruin.
He noted the Aura holding a precarious but rock-steady formation off the alien vessel's flank. Midshipman Brennan was earning his wings today, keeping the heavy shuttle stable despite the unpredictable drift of the debris field.
Good, Ameen thought, his gaze tracking the micro-adjustments of the shuttle's thrusters. He handles that Type-14 like a fighter. But simulations don't account for the unpredictable physics of a disintegration...
Through the open comms channel, Ameen tracked the team's progress. He had heard Midshipman Cortez's hope for a transporter solution dashed by the reality of the lead-lined hull, and Doctor O'Fee's grim prognosis—eighteen minutes for the critical pods—added a rhythmic pressure to every second that ticked by.
Eighteen minutes to save an entire species from extinction, he mused, his jaw tightening. No pressure, Doc..
Then, on the screen, he saw the flare of A'kilees' phaser tool, followed immediately by a violent plume of white vapor venting into space. On the tactical display, the Broken Arrow's structural integrity graph dipped sharply into the red.
Too fast. The hull can't take the thermal stress...
"She's buckling," Ameen said, his voice cutting through the bridge tension. "They're compromising the hull integrity to make the cut."
He didn't wait for a request.
"Powl, engage main tractor beam. Target the Broken Arrow's keel, ventral section. I want us to act as a splint. Hold that ship together, Lieutenant. Give her everything we've got!"
The Zephyr shuddered slightly as the high-output emitters fired. A golden beam lashed out from the Destroyer, wrapping around the alien ship's frame, arresting its tumble and dampening the vibrations caused by the cutting team.
Ameen tapped his comm badge.
"Bridge to Away Team. We read a structural tremor. We have locked the main tractor beam to stabilize the hull, but the stress on that frame is immense. You have your window, Commander. And Brennan, keep that shuttle tight. Get those pods out now."
== Tags ==