Zheng He

Posted on Tue Mar 9th, 2021 @ 2:45am by Captain Tobias Bach & Commander Vox & Commodore Vaala zh'Vari & Lieutenant Commander Jaha Odan

Mission: The Relics of Isonzo
Location: Starship Zheng He: Main Bridge
Summary: The story of the Zheng He diverges from the Ulysses from here on out.
Timeline: Mission Day 2 at 1145

"Red alert! Shields to maximum! Mr. Patel, disengage the tractor beam and block all comm channels from that thing!" Commodore Valla zh'Vari snapped, "All hands go to Battlestations. Non-essential personnel, make your way to interior emergency shelters."

"Hull stress on the port nacelle is pushing past 125%. We'll have structural failure in three minutes. But we're still being pulled in! I'd recommend phasers, target that emitter!" The voice was that of Commander Vox, his normally calm tone a heightened one.

"Commodore, we have plasma conduit ruptures on decks three through five in the port nacelle pylons! The airs going to get poisonous down there!"

"Controls are not responding!" Operations reported with a twist around toward the Andorian woman, "Whatever they're hitting the computer core with is advancing past our firewalls. It seems to be searching our kernel-code." The ship quaked hard again, a harsh thrust forward, throwing so many seated people nearly headlong into their consoles. As they spoke the main screen began to cycle through star maps and the red alert icon glitched.

Commander Vox braced at a standing console to zh'Vari's right, "Our outer hull temperature is pushing past 1000 K, Commodore. I'm reading radiation levels climbing across the ship's ventral sections. I concur. We should fire on the emitter."

zh'Vari, after bracing on her Helmsman's back, snapped back to Vox, "Take Tactical, Commander. Mr. Odan. Get those people out of the port nacelle, now! Coordinate with Medical!" She nodded at Jaha and then Vox. The Denobulan moved with a quick gesture, beckoning over a relief officer. He tagged jaha with a shoulder clap,

"Be safe! We'll buy you time!" Vox announced to Jaha.

Jaha Odan stood ready, his hands were lifted and positioned over his console, the display lit with an array of various warnings. “Aye,” was the only word which escaped his lips, both to recognize the urgency of the order and to indicate compliance to his superior. He yielded his console as he sprung to the turbolift doors. The series of horizontal ridges which ran down the back of his neck and along his spine began to tingle, his hearts raced, as he became hyper-focused.

Jaha stood square-shouldered, his face void of emotion, as the swoosh of the turbolift doors closed and his sight of the bridge lost. The survival of the crew trapped in the port nacelle was his mission - it was all that mattered. As if like a reflect his communicator flicked open below his chin, “Lieutenant Noth, have Gamma Team 3 meet me in the port nacelle pylons, I’m on my way…”

"Structural stress on the nacelle is still rising," reported an Engineer, "We are venting drive plasma, Commodore. If we don't cut engines, we're going to get torn apart."

"And if we cut engines, we'll be shredded by that star!" zh'Vari hollered back, her voice cracking. "Vox, target that tractor emitter Prepare to fire on my mark."

"Heavy casualties reported on decks three and four, Commodore. Medical is attempting to respond, but they have active plasma fires and inner bulkhead damage. Fire suppression systems are erratic at best," reported Vox's Ops relief.

"Commodore I am detecting a massive surge of plasma energy from the photosphere, toward that thing," Science deported, "Soliton particle activity is- is off the charts, Ma'am!!"

"Phasers are targeted," Vox reported over the increasing roar and clatter, "Ready to fire."

zh'Vari's antennae rose straight then partially curled back, her eyes narrowing, "Destroy that thing." Her voice was smoky determination.

Warbling amber energy fluctuated against the Zheng He's long, tapered nacelle, and already it warped down and out like a dislocated shoulder to the utilitarian craft. Debris scattered, particulates of hull sparking of broken energy conduits, and the foggy outgassing of atmosphere. Lost in space's vacuum was the tearing, the creaking strain of metal bulkhead tearing as the red glare of full impulse blazed from the Engle-class' sublight drives.

Its lower hull was aglow in reds as a bubble of translucent shielding tried to ward off the surrounding warm white of the star's corona. The ship twisted and writhed as the sun-silhouetted ring that held them began to course with a liquid-like ripple of blues and whites. The Zheng He twisted and from its ventral side, lances of blue-white energy connected the two solid structures for brief moments. First, the phasers were bolts and then, a sustained and raking beam as it came to bear down on the tractor emitter. The amber net fluctuated but held.

And then with a last gasp, the ship lurched and shuddered, like bread torn hastily. With splinters and aglow pieces, the nacelle ripped free of the Zheng He. Lights along the entirety of the ship's port side flickered- and most stayed deadly dark.

"Engineering, seal off those conduits!" The roar over zh'Vari's voice almost bled her out. The lights of the Bridge were cast in bloody red as all other light failed save for flickering consoles. "Helm, set a course away from that thing! All hands to emergency escape pods!" She added as her Helmsman's panel exploded in their face. The sizzle of burned cloth and flesh turned her gaze away.

"Transferring Helm to this station!" A bloody-nosed woman said from her station. "The port impulse drive is not responding!"

"Switch to thrusters! Damage report!" Vox called out.

"Heavy damage to exterior and interior bulkheads, decks three through seven, sections 7 through 20! We're losing atmosphere!"

"Commodore!" Someone shrieked with wide eyes. Vaala zh'Vari turned to the screen as a wave of blue and white energy erupted from the Ring and careened toward the wounded Zheng He.

"I'm detecting a massive subspace distortion bearing 180 mark 009!" Science called out.

zh'Vari pushed the comm panel closest to her, "All hands! Brace for impact! Repeat all hands brace for--"