by Rada Dengar
90627.00
Immediately After Part One
-=Main Bridge; USS Serendipity=-
90627.00
Immediately After Part One
-=Main Bridge; USS Serendipity=-
Though for Rada time seemed to stand still, life marched cruelly on for the rest of the galaxy right now. The Alchemy, the Sera and the Zenith had all joined together and flew in formation with every phaser firing on the same point on the Domox ship.
The fast moving little ship was turning rapid circles around them, firing each pass it made. Yet the Alchemy was almost as quick and the respective tactical officers on the other ships were becoming capable of anticipating the Domox’ standard moves.
The enemy vessel tried to flip around, tried a hundred ways to dodge their fire, but as all beams converged where they were aiming the Domox’ environmental controls erupted into flame.
Then as the temperature on the ship dropped down to that of the surrounding space the Domox onboard could no longer move and the ship was suddenly drifting, not under their control.
“I think we’ve incapacitated them…” Briggs reported with a smile, a touch of disbelief and a small yet clear hint of pride in his voice.
Looks of relief spread in a wave across the bridge though the few most senior officers knew not to be relax too much yet.
“Good work everyone,” Liis said with a nod of approval, speaking not just to her own but to the other two crews. “But I don’t want to take any…”
Before she even had a chance to finish the Sera was once again rocked by enemy fire.
“What happened?” Liis demanded from anyone who had the answers. “Did they repair their controls?”
“No, they’re still down,” Briggs said, shaking his head with just a hint of disbelief as a dozen Domox ships decloaked around them. “Captain, I think we’ve got a problem.”
-=Sickbay=-
Slowly the doctor walked until he was standing beside the hollowed chief engineer, whose eyes and thoughts were only for the woman before him.
“I’m truly sorry, Chief.” He gently whispered. “She’s been fighting it so hard, but there’s just not enough fight left in her.”
Once again the Sera shook with a volley of enemy fire. Part of the ship caught alight as power was cutting out across the decks and though that Rada felt the vibrations echo through his body and knew his entire world was collapsing around him. Looking at her here, it simply didn’t matter.
His eyes took on a mile long stare as they began to flood with tears. At this moment he didn’t care if the ship would be destroyed, there were two people who’d not be walking off of it anyway.
Slowly he began to close his eyes, just wanting to see her once more as she was, before a niggling thought emerged from the back of his mind.
He couldn’t believe it; it couldn’t be real. Yet as his heart began to beat faster he knew he had to know.
He turned rapidly to Doctor Hartcort desperately demanded. “What did you just say?”
-=Main Bridge; USS Zenith=-
Another barrage of energy rocked the Zenith’s huge frame, which was currently proving more of an easy target than a strength.
“Shields down to forty percent.” Tubman reported from tactical, adding with evident frustration. “They’re keeping their environmental controls on the other side from us now.”
“Aye, the first ship was just supposed ta test our strategy.” Keiran mused with horror as he read the Sera’s condition from the armrest of the command chair and realised that they weren’t going to be able to stay between them and the alien ships much longer.
Rumbling with a gentle fury as he rose violently to his feet with a desperation Vol had rarely seen in him before, Keiran roared. “They wanted us ta tip our hand an’ that’s just what we did!”
-=Sickbay; USS Serendipity=-
“I said she’s fighting it.” Lance replied with confusion about why Rada would care so much about this.
The tears that had once filled Rada’s eyes were evaporated by determination as something dead inside him surged back to life. Blood rushed back to his every limb as existence regained purpose with possibility.
His mind was suddenly putting everything together as his every neuron returned to full power. His senses so dulled suddenly enflamed as every sight and sound around him became clear, every sound that was except for the voice that had brought him here.
That voice in his head when he’d truly heard it clearly had been terrified, nothing like a woman calmly accepting death. Wren was fighting for her life just as he always knew she would. She’d been calling out to him; that much was true.
Yet she was barely awake, barely able to form coherent thoughts, she could never have spoken those words he’d heard and could never have given up on life like she did.
Before he knew what he was doing, he was running out the door. The ship was violently convulsing with enemy fire but he didn’t care as all the pieces fell together. All the talk about giving up had to have come from somewhere else.
An obvious answer would have been their vicious hidden enemies trying to stop him but no, that’d be far too easy.
It was him, his own subconscious mind and how it tried to grasp her cries for help. Like a child, building an image of the world on a few uttered thoughts he could gather. He’d not slept in so long that the lines between reality and illusion had begun to blur into nonexistence.
That world where he’d seen her had been his own creation, from a memory of better times. He’d wanted so much to have her permission to fail at something he didn’t think he could do but that couldn’t explain everything he’d thought she’d said. His mind was trying to tell him something and now he realised exactly what that had been.
-=Main Bridge=-
With a devastating blow the Sera was hit again as the Domox ships started to form a swarm for the final attack.
“We’re losing life support in decks eight and nine!” Reece yelled, moving to a different console as his own began having a fit.
“Evacuate those areas and reroute everything you can to structural integrity!” Liis insisted as they were rocked again.
“Shields are completely down!” Briggs advised as his hands moved rapidly trying everything he knew to get them up again.
“Concentrate your fire on their weapons,” Liis replied, knowing that they’d not survive another good hit.
“I can’t, sir.” Briggs protested as he rapidly tried to change settings. “Phasers are completely non-responsive.”
“My console has been locked out too,” Reece complained, as he tried every button like a child trying to get their toy to work again.
“How?” Liis demanded.
“They’ve been locked out from Main Engineering,” reported Blane. “Under the authorisation of the Chief Engineer.”
“Rada.” Liis said in disbelief, wondering if it could really be possible.
“I may be able to override,” Reece advised as he thought he found a way in.
“No,” Liis adamantly objected, shaking her head as she quietly considered. “This may be the only chance we’ve got.”
-=Secondary Deflector Control;
Main Engineering=-
Main Engineering=-
Rada’s hands rapidly worked to override every safety protocol that there was a very good reason for having in place. He’d finally figured it out, that one last piece of data he’d needed to bring it all together. Eventually we all must die; at infinity even Varion particles must break down to nothing.
With the violently discordant hum of pulsing energy the deflector dish started to charge and in the bleak darkness of the battle raging outside the ship a blue mist began to form at a circumference twice the Sera’s size.
Light suddenly started swirling rapidly though out the mist like the formation of a miniature galaxy. They were like tiny stars blinking and turning around the heart of the mist at ever growing speed.
Soon where once there was inordinate chaos there was discipline as the lights turned in to the centre. They were compressing, forcing the down to a single brilliant beam.
He could do it, he realised that now, but he realised many more things that he’d missed. All this time he was the one who’d not been fighting. He’d been mapping out the design of one of the most powerful theoretical technologies ever conceived to design a shield.
He laughed with the delight of a madman as he considered that now he was the one who could build a Varion based weapon. They’d all probably think he was crazy, but this area was disserted now and so they could think all they wanted but they couldn’t stop him.
All he needed was to press this one little button and his horribly destructive dream would be a redeeming reality. Yet as he raised his hand to the button, his wrist suddenly refused to move.
“No, please not now,” he begged the Fates. His breathing became heavy as he tried desperately to override the curse of the peaceful man.
The ship shook around him with the last hit it could take and he fought every instinct he’d ever had. This was right, it had to be, but his hand refused to move.
He took the wrist in one hand as he wrestled violently to strangle it into submission. Collapsing to his knees he pitifully began to beg.
“Help me…”
This was agony and fury as his mind tried desperately to lose every limitation that he’d faced in his life. It felt like he was being ripped apart from within as he was assaulted by so many memories of a life lived without power. So much pain, so much hatred without meaning. Then in the distance he heard her sweet voice.
In an instant love conquered every weakness as he screamed and his fist smashed down, almost disintegrating the button.
Then, like a flaming arrow the Varion particles pierced at impossible speed into the distance.
Yet as they moved they passed every Domox ship, leaving each unharmed.
“Dengar to bridge,” he said, as he slapped his hand on his combadge and began to run again.
[Uh…Danger? You missed.] Liis replied in disbelief, unsure of just what she should say.
“No, I didn’t.” Rada assured with what was almost pleasure as the particles flew towards their target, the very heart of the portal.
-=Other side of the Portal=-
As Rada’s weapon penetrated the alien’s side of the universe it penetrated into their very Sun. Rapidly it began to turn, gaining momentum as their Sun’s shape started to change.
The massive star began to oscillate, growing and shrinking as the gravity throughout the entire solar system began to change. Like it was just a toy for Rada to play with as he pleased.
A screeching alarm cut into Nicholas Lassiter’s ears as he felt the walls around him begin to violently move and the whole alien facility started to shake.
-=Main Bridge; USS Serendipity=-
“The portal’s starting to destabilise.” Reece reported, adding with disbelief. “Enemy ships are turning back!”
“I’m guessing they don’t want to be stuck here with us.” TC observed, which Reece make an exaggerated gesture indicating he found that equally unbelievable.
“Wait.” Liis objected through the still open comm channel, as she was struck by a horrifying realisation. “If we lose that portal then the Zenith’s crew will be trapped on the other side. Dengar, is there anyway to stop it?”
“Yes, there is.” He replied with manic enthusiasm as he charged off the turbolift doors and onto the bridge.
He was an utter mess with uniform in a shambles, bloodshot eyes, and wobbling legs that could barely support his frame. But just one look at his face told Liis he was sure he knew exactly what he was doing.
“I need to contact the enemy. Can you set that up?”
Liis didn’t need to question why as she hit her badge again.
“Serendipity to Zenith.”
[Zenith here. Are y’alright?] Keiran asked with gratitude as he thought he may never hear his wife’s voice again.
“We’re fine. Is Vol on the bridge?”
[I’m here, Captain.]
“I need you to communicate with the Domox right now.” She demanded.
[I can make them hear me.] Vol advised, [I can’t promise they’ll listen.]
“I have a feeling they’ll listen to this.” Rada replied with determination and insane delight as he stepped quickly down to watch the action on the large view screen. “Tell them, they will stop whatever is they’re doing to Wren, break off their attack on our ships and return every single member of the Zenith’s crew. If they ask why then tell them I’m the only one who knows how to prevent the very imminent destruction of everything they hold dear.”
-=Main Bridge; USS Zenith=-
Vol couldn’t help but feel like he’d missed a large part of their communication but that didn’t stop him from trying. He opened his mind and began to stretch out towards them, repeating Rada’s message verbatim.
It was exhausting, reaching out for them and could have taken an hours to track them down. Yet instantly his eyes flicked open as from the feeling of the darkness he came to one inescapable conclusion..
“They’ve severed communication.”
-=Other side of the Portal=-
As the last ship passed through the portal their Sun was already breaking out of control. Immeasurable pressure bubbled just beneath the surface as it shrank and grew; like the chest of a dying man as he took his desperately fought for, final breaths.
Then with one last gasp the Sun expanded rapidly in a violent explosion of white consuming in its path. Mighty ships and countless lives were dissolved as this light expanded into infinity.
-=Main Bridge; USS Serendipity=-
Suddenly Rada’s manic expression dissolved to one of dead seriousness.
“No, no, no,” he begged as he knocked the Ensign away from the console nearest him and desperately tried to undo what he'd just done.
Yet as the portal winked out of existence, a single tiny and blinding beam of white light extended through to leave no doubt what had just happened and that there was no going back.
He was supposed to have been able to save their Sun, this was never what he’d meant to occur. He couldn’t even break into tears as he muttered in disbelief about what he’d just done.
“I…I killed them all. I…”
Violently he began to shake and though his combadge repeatedly chirped with the doctor trying to tell him that Wren had mysteriously stabilised he couldn’t hear a thing.
He just stood there shaking in a catatonic state, staring at the screen before him at the most evil of things; at the reflection of himself.
Lt. Commander Rada Dengar
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=-
NRPG: This has to be one of the best mission finales in the entire history of Star Trek RPG. Thank you, Rada.
Please feel free to direct all fan mail for Mr. Denger to this address- it will be forwarded to him.
...and there are a lot of ends to tie up, so stay tuned for that.
At this time I'd like to especially thank Dengar, Tryst, and Salvek publicly for their development of the timeline behind the scenes that was crucial to the success of this plot arc and also for all of the perfect little details they worked in to make it truly live.
Each of you contributed so much that made this incredible- Vol, Nick Lassiter and Rada all, each in turn stole, and made the show.
This is what team writing is all about, and what a team we've got. ~ZL
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=-
NRPG: This has to be one of the best mission finales in the entire history of Star Trek RPG. Thank you, Rada.
Please feel free to direct all fan mail for Mr. Denger to this address- it will be forwarded to him.
...and there are a lot of ends to tie up, so stay tuned for that.
At this time I'd like to especially thank Dengar, Tryst, and Salvek publicly for their development of the timeline behind the scenes that was crucial to the success of this plot arc and also for all of the perfect little details they worked in to make it truly live.
Each of you contributed so much that made this incredible- Vol, Nick Lassiter and Rada all, each in turn stole, and made the show.
This is what team writing is all about, and what a team we've got. ~ZL