731: Collision Course

by Dabin Reece
90104.0100
Concurrent with From Above

-=Bridge: USS Serendipity=-



Dabin drummed his fingers on the Command chair armrest, taking care not to accidentally launch any probes.

“I know buddy, settle down.” He whispered to himself, rubbing his stomach to soothe his anxious Reece symbiont. “I want them to come home too.”

“YOU!”

Reece jumped like a cartoon cat at the booming voice, and had he had a six-meter vertical would surely be hanging from the ceiling by his fingernails at the moment.

“Captain Ledbetter! Welcome to the bridge! Can I offer you a glass of pretension?”

“Listen to me and listen good, young man.” Ledbetter began, wagging his finger.

“Reece has got, like, seven lifetimes on you, dude.”

“Then listen to me and listen good elderly man. Just listen!”

“Dabin is younger than you.” Reece continued.

You owe me a new time ship!” Ledbetter growled through pursed lips.

“Fresh out. Maybe you should try Value City or Betazed Depot. I can pull up directions on the computer if you like.”

“Let’s get one thing clear. When Gem finds out about this you will be there, as will Zanh Liis, and you will each explain to her that the loss of that ship was not my fault. I will not go down as the first Captain in Starfleet history to lose a Command before even departing for a mission.”

“Sorry, I already recorded it in the ship’s log.” Dabin said. “If you’ll excuse me, former Captain, I have an Away Team in peril and I’m going to need to beam them back. You did secure the Polaris? Correct? Because we’ve beamed the prisoners over there and I’d hate to think what would happen if something useful to them was left on line.”

“Of course I did, with my own Command codes. Stop trying to change the subject! What gives you the right to use my ship to protect yours? You could have moved this ship out of their weapons range.”

“The people on this ship, most of whom are severely allergic to death, give me the right. I happen to be one of them.” Dabin answered, as he sat back down in the chair. “Besides Starfleet procedure makes it perfectly clear that it is entirely acceptable to sacrifice an abandoned ship to protect one that is staffed. Admiral Lassiter will back me up on that one.”

“Not just any ship, my Jump ship. We’re not talking about some runabout two monkeys and targ could put together in a day. This was an exquisite piece of engineering far beyond the limited comprehension that exists amongst the inhabitants of this time.”

Dabin laughed, “Yeah sure, Lead-pipe. Tell that to Lair Kellyn. I promise I’ll visit you in the hospital.”

“Commander Reece.” Talbot cleared his throat, in an awkward attempt to interrupt the argument between Reece and Ledbetter.

“What is it Talbot? Is Liisy ready to come home?”

“No, sir. The Polaris has activated its impulse engines. They are on a collision course!”

Dabin turned his head ever so slowly towards Ledbetter.

“Don’t look at me! I secured the ship. The Romulans must have hacked into the system. It’s not my fault.”

“After you input the Command codes, you did manually shut down the impulse reactors to prevent the Romulans from bypassing the main computer to activate the drive, right?”

“No one asked me to do that.”

“We told you to secure the ship!” Reece slapped his forehead.

“Permission to move us away!” Hok interjected from the helm, as he watched the Polaris close in.

“Granted! Raise shields!”

Hok spun the Sera away, matching the full impulse speed of the Polaris.

“Can you like, move us in a circle around the Romulan ship?” Dabin asked.

“Simple enough.” Hok said. Adjusting course, he turned moved the Sera in a pseudo orbit around the Romulan ship. It did not take long for the Romulans to get wise to this course of action. “Commander Reece, they’ve turned around and are orbiting in the opposite direction. They will collide with us in twenty seconds.”

“Turn us around then! This is so stupid.”

Ashton Ledbetter took a seat in Salvek’s chair, next to Dabin Reece.

“They won’t quit you know. They will keep trying to ram you until you shoot them.” Ledbetter offered. “You should shoot them now so you can lower the shields.”

“I’d rather not blow up the Captain’s yacht if I can avoid it. I’m already in the bag for one ship called Polaris.” Reece watched on the viewscreen as the Romulans continually changed course to try and hit the Sera, and Hok matched their every move to avoid them.

“We could try the tractor beam, sir?” Talbot offered from tactical.

“I’m game! How about you Lead-balloon?”

“Its Ledbetter!” Ashton snapped angrily.

Talbot took Reece’s comment as a yes and snagged the tiny ship with the tractor beam.

“We have them. They are still running on full impulse.”

“Cool! Lower our shields! Any word from the Captain?

“Nothing yet, but we have another problem. The Polaris is starting to buckle. If they don’t shut their engines off, the ship will be torn apart, unless we release them.” Talbot reported.

“Really, Romulans? Really?” Reece sighed.

“I told you, you would have to shoot them.” Ledbetter said. “No one ever listens to me. I do outrank you, you know?”

Dabin shot Ledbetter a glance, then returned his attention to the viewscreen. “Let them go, I guess!” He said, throwing his hands up in the air.

Talbot shut down the tractor beam, and the Romulans immediately resumed their collision course.

“Son of a mother!” Reece spat, as Hok resumed the game of mouse and cat.

[Grace to bridge.]

“Oh boy. Go ahead Bru.”

[What’s going on up there? Why all these course changes? Mommy and baby are feeling a little queasy.]

“Hold tight, pop an anti-emetic. I’ll try to route some more power to the inertial dampers.” Dabin responded.

[Okayyyy. Grace out.]

“I suppose we can try to disable their engines. Again!” Reece said, glaring at Ledbetter.

“I told you, I did exactly as you asked!” Ledbetter was growing tired of the accusation and his head bobbed with anger as he shot back at Reece. Talbot locked on the phasers, and informed Reece when he was ready to fire.

Dabin put his hands over his face, and peeked out from between two fingers.

“Fire?”

Talbot hit the Polaris square in the engine, and the small ship slowed to a stop.

“I didn’t blow it up! Go me!” Reece said with excitement, clapping his hands together.

Then it blew up.

“No! Bleep on toast! What happened!”

“Checking the sensor logs.” Talbot said.

“Oh, you’re in deep now.” Ledbetter said with a grin. “Congratulations, you’ve given Zanh Liis and I a common enemy. I’m going to enjoy eating your pips atop my morning bowl of All Bran.”

“Eww, dude. Too much.”

“It was not us.” Talbot said. “The Romulans tried to access the warp drive, and caused a containment breach. The explosion was not caused by our attack.”

“Ha! See, as always, it was the Romulans. Now, lower our shields, and try to contact the Captain.”

Ashton nestled back into Salvek’s chair, and steepled his fingers in the typical Vulcan manner.

“Fine, but you still owe me a time ship.”

*************************
Dabin Reece
Chief Science Officer
Currently in Command
USS Serendipity NCC 2012


NRPG: And this is happens when I casually remark over dinner that it’d be cool if the Romulans commandeered the Polaris and tried to ram the Sera with it.

I love my life.

~ZL