When Stars go Boom

Posted on Thu Jan 11th, 2024 @ 2:06pm by Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Thriss Kla'ren & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Ensign Kitiuas Thenis & Senior Chief Petty Officer Ronson Mitchell

Mission: Halloween
Location: proximity to boom star
Timeline: Current

*BRIDGE*

Ronson however was acutely aware that the creatures had warned them this could be dangerous. He ran to the bridge and used the utility station to help where he could.

Kit was rapidly supplying engineering information to help modulate the shields to the best efficiency. "Recommend we go to red alert and activate ablative armor, Sir."

Savar sat in the center seat. "Sound red alert and activate the armor Ensign. Turn us into the wave to negate most of the force and we can hopefully ride through it." He replied.

The wave moved swiftly through space, expanding in all directions without losing much of its ferocity. "Impact in 1 minute" Ronson shouted as the ship began to shudder.

Aurora had been planning to leave the bridge, but given the circumstances, and with the red alert sounded she'd remained in her seat at Savar's side.

Remaining seated, still dabbing the fluid spilled on her tunic, but focused on the viewer, Bonnie was worried about what was about to hit the ship.

One of the spectres appeared, which one no-one knew but it was almost drawn to the energy radiating from the star as though an addict to it.

"Yes! Closer!" It said loudly to no one in particular.

Ronson looked at it quizzically. "We may not have a choice of that plasma wave knocks out our engines and leaves us dead in the water" he grumbled. Why was he always on the cusp of being someone's lunch lately?

"Agreed Mr. Mitchell, which is why we are going to try and ride through the wave." Savar answered the CPO. "Try and remain positive."

Aurora had heard the comment too. "It sounds like our friends are enjoying the energy being given off Commander."

"I wouldn't recommend that we stay here to observe it. We can leave them in a shuttle or drop a probe and pick it up later. We do kind of have a mission to complete." Dean mentioned, "And I don't like how excited they are with the energy being given off."

"All valid points, Aurora, Commander House. We do have a mission to complete and yes our guests are readily agreeable to the energy being unleashed." Savar replied.

The shockwave hit the Sunfire with the ferocity of a tsunami, the Akira class ship struggling to maintain her position as she were tossed about like a small boat in a storm.

"Hang on!" Ronson shouted the instant before it hit. The lights flickered, somewhere at the back of the bridge an EPS conduit exploded, showering the bridge crew in sparks.

Bonnie let out a squeal and attempted to cover her face as the console next to her erupted, showering Kit and her with sparks. When she regained her common sense she turned back to see Kit bleeding and a wafting, enticing, smell emanating from the newly formed gash in the girls' forehead. Not a doctor, but a caring friend, she moved over and held Kit's head, right hand behind, left hand over the gash.

The ship was tossed and battered like a rag doll. The sheer force of the plasma wave taking its toll on the ship. As the smell of burnt ozone filled the air and various console sputtered and spit with flares or electrical outages. When the wave finally rolled past them, the Sunfire settled down. Lights came back not at full intensity but close. "Damage report." Savar called out.

" Damage reports coming in from all decks" Ronson began collating the data as the crew sent it through. " Sickbay reporting many injuries, no casualties yet thought"

Aurora had hung on tight as the ship had been tossed around, she didn't want to end up getting injured. When the shaking had stopped, she looked around the bridge. "Is everyone alright?

Kit had braced as best she could but when her panel decided to blow an EPS conduit, she threw herself back and then lost her grip, she banged her head hard on the console, and everything turned black, green blood rolling down the left side of her head.

"Medical team to the bridge" Ronson paged sickbay who undoubtedly were rather busy but would have teams standing by to assist in specific key areas.

"Hull damage deck 3, forcefields are holding, no casualties" Ronson shouted over the din, relaying more information as it came in. He hoped that the Captain was all right, no-one had heard from her in the last few hours.

Aurora moved from her seat grabbing out an emergency medkit she quickly headed over to Kit. Grabbing out what she needed she did her best to stem the blood flow from the wound on Kit's head. "Probable concussion here Commander! The sooner we get Ensign Thenis to Sickbay the better."

Savar listened as Ronson reported the various damage reports from around the ship. "Begin immediate repairs." He looked at Aurora as she knelt beside Kit. "Understood Aurora. Do the best you are able to do to stabilize the Ensign. Medical teams are on the way." He tapped his combadge, "Savar to Captain Kayen. Captain are you alright?"

In the captain's quarters Rhenora had hit the ground with a thud, landing half on her small bedside table. She clung on as the ship bounced around until the wave had passed.
" Kaylen here, report!"

Savar replied evenly and crisply. "We have encountered a plasma wave Captain. Medical reports many causalities but no deaths. Deck three has hull damage but forcefields are in place and holding."

Once again engineering was in shambles. Commander Kla'ren's engineers were once again running around frantically trying to prevent a catastrophe from happening. After being shoved to the ground from the ship being tossed by the plasma wave, Thriss picked himself up before helping up another engineer off of the ground. He tapped on the main console to bring up a full systems diagnosis. "Kla'ren to bridge" he practically yelled out over the commotions.

Ronson was trying to manage internal coms. "Commander, I have Engineering, putting him through" he pressed the button that patched Kla'ren onto the main bridge com system.

"One moment Captain I have Commander Kla'ren reporting in. "This is Savar, Commander, what is your situation? The Captain can hear you as well."

"Our warp engines are down again. We have high damage to our EPS grid down here as well as our impulse engines. We can fix it but it's going to take some time sirs. Our casualties down here were light and anyone that was injured is on their way to sickbay now" the CHENG reported.

Savar took the news stoically. "Estimated time of repair for the grid as well as the warp and impulse engines Chief?" He paused for a moment. "Chief, if you require additional personnel to affect repairs pull from those departments that can spare it."

"Will do Commander" Thriss began before continuing. "The maximum time to the repairs being completed is four hours, but I can do it in two sir."

"It appears you're earning that extra pip all over again Commander Kla'ren" Rhenora replied sagely. "Savar, do we know if that star poses any further threat? I've got one of our entities in here going crazy with the energy overload." she commented as she quickly changed into her uniform, jamming her feet into her boots and heading out the door. "Tell me we have a functioning turbolift system...."

Savar replied crisply. "At this time the star poses no further threat to us Captain as no further plasma waves have been detected. You will be relieved to know we do have a functioning turbo lift. So, you can forgo the Jeffries tubes." A small smile appearing on his face.

As the turbolift doors opened admitting a medical team onto the bridge, Bonnie relinquished her hold on Kit and stood up absentmindedly wiping Kit's green blood upon the chest of her tunic. There was an immediate chemical response in her brain as a familiar smell found its way into her sinus cavity.

A euphotic, wave of thoughts and memories passed into her mind forcing her eyes to close as she reeled from the sensation. When she opened her eyes, the medical team had already left the bridge and she was now standing face to face with one of the entities with no idea of how it had arrived there. The entity was glowing a strange shade of green with lilac flared edges. "What, uh, what just happened?"

"You will take us closer to the sun, it nourishes us like no other" the entity replied before regarding Bonnie with a curious look "You prevented the death of the other. Why?"

"She is my friend." Bonnie replied honestly, simply.

"We felt something else, attraction, love... no something different from love." The glowing mass queried.

"Yes well, I can assure you I do not 'love' Kit." Bonnie said while simultaneously doubting her own words. There was still blood on her tunic and a lingering smell leaving her head in a foggy state. "Kit is Orion and um, well, um, her chemical composition sometimes causes strange infatuation like feelings in others." As she spoke, her words grew quieter and quieter as though she were ashamed of how she felt.

"You speak of a familiar emotion. We believe the term lust, is what you are referring to." At this Bonnie flushed and turned away. "Even now your mood changes, your pulse rises and the energy you are emitting is almost as palpable as that star." It said as it rotated towards the view screen. "We lust for that sort of energy." It finished with a heightened flare of color.

"You can lust all you like, we're still trying to sort a solution for you" Ronson retorted, trying to take the spotlight off the uncomfortable Bonnie.

The Captain arrived on the bridge a short time later, taking in the carnage that the wave had reeked upon them. "Any change in our status"

Savar turned to greet her. "No change Captain. Repairs are ongoing as we speak. He nodded at one of the creatures. "As you can see the creatures are quite anxious for us to move closer."

"I think they are feeding off the expelled energy from the star, sad that this can't be a permanent solution for them" the Captain replied as she headed over to the command chair. She shifted a little as the aches from the rude awakening made themselves known. "Hold position until we finish repairs, then we can continue to Kronos."
The words had no sooner left her mouth when a new wave erupted from the star.

Aurora had just re-settled into her chair when she looked towards the viewscreen. "Not again" She looked around those left on the bridge. "Everyone hang on!"

Ronson took over Kit's vacated station as the Orion was treated. "Sirs, incoming plasma wave and it looks like a tachyon eddy is forming behind it." He announced with urgency in his voice.

"Shields!" Savar didn't shout but there was a certain urgency in his voice. "Brace for impact. Grab something to hold on to." He added unnecessarily.

The Captain grabbed the arms of her command chair and prepared herself as best she could. The first wave had caused all kinds of damage, who knew what the next one would do?

"All hands, brace for impact!" The Captain thumbed the shipwide comm channel and hoped that it was still working.
Just as she finished speaking the ship was tossed end over end and everything went black.

TBC