An Explosive Decision
Posted on Thu Aug 29th, 2024 @ 12:38am by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren & Lieutenant Ja'sol H'ros & Lieutenant Commander Elen Diari & Lieutenant Junior Grade Thex sh'Zoarhi & Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke & Lieutenant Vura & Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Thu Aug 29th, 2024 @ 12:43am
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Various - USS Pioneer - Bubble Dimension
Timeline: MD008 0900 hrs
Thirty minutes after everyone left Astrometrics, Alyssa knew two things. One, while they were not tethered to the entity, exactly, it was feeding off their negative emotions. Just like it had in the underwater facility and perhaps on the Pioneer itself. She'd also completed the scans and calculations necessary to verify what was needed to get back. Now she just had to convince the others.
As it was time to report in, she tapped her combadge. "Maren to senior staff. I know what we need to do. Meet me on the bridge."
Vura tapped her own commbadge in return, her voice cooing despite their peculiar circumstances. =^= I'll bring everyone with me from Engineering. The more, the merrier! =^=
"Perfect. Thank you." Now that was done, Alyssa looked around the lab to make sure everything was as she found it. Not that it would matter. One way or another, they would shortly be out of this predicament. She went to the door and looked back over the room. With a nod, she headed for the bridge. It was time to go home.
Bridge
Alyssa went back to the science station and ran another scan of the space outside the ship to measure tachyon and chroniton particles. She didn't need to, but it gave her a focus for her nervous energy while she waited for the others.
Deck 7, Port (upper) RCS Thruster control access point
Neil crawled out onto the main decking and climbed to his feet, dusting himself off lightly as he glanced around the companion way again. It was still empty and felt unnaturally so.
Which it was, he reminded himself.
Bending down again, he secured the access panel, locking it again out of habit then collected his booty. He'd been selective in securing the backup power core. It was about the size of a basketball. Had a handle and held enough energy to start just about any sized reaction needed to blow the ship up.
As far as he could tell.
If Rowena's games had everything here an illusion, then he might be getting false readings from the power core. But, it was someplace to start. His com chirped and he began back towards the bridge, keeping an eye open for surprises.
Vura strutted onto the bridge with her entourage from Engineering. "So, we've solved everything? And going back home, right?" She beamed at the group. As a counselor, the most she could hope for was keeping morale up and watching to make certain that nobody felt hopeless or cracked.
"Solved everything? No." Alyssa couldn't truly say she'd solved everything. That was too broad a statement. "But I do know how to get us back to our own dimension and our own Pioneer."
" So how do it?" Thex enquired.
Alyssa looked at each one of them before responding. "We blow up the ship." She could go into the physics behind the answer, but she trusted that each of them knew enough science to understand why.
"Excuse me?" Vura asked genuinely surprised at the response. "We blow the ship up? Won't that be counterproductive?"
"I know my compulsory physics classes were a while ago." Hermia said. "But, won't destroying the ship, destroy those on it? Namely us?" She asked
"Not necessarily." That was not the best of beginnings, but Alyssa wasn't going to sugar-coat things. "The only sure way to get back to our Pioneer is to destroy this pocket dimension, and the only sure way to do that is to engage the self-destruct on this Pioneer." She ran a hand through her hair. "I've run the numbers a dozen times. It's the only way that has any chance of success. Yes, there is a chance of failure. Everything does. However, I also encountered my own version of the entity that sent us here and if we don't get out of here soon, we may never get home. I can show you the data if you prefer, but I have checked it thoroughly." Or as thoroughly as she could in a half hour. But she didn't think more time would alter her conclusion. "Scratch that. I should explain some of it. Sorry. Jek'Lar left me a little shaken."
Alyssa pulled up a visual of her data. "This represents the pocket Pioneer in the pocket dimension." A small bubble appeared around a tiny Pioneer. "Cosmic Inflation states that pocket universes are created when a pocket of space drops out of inflating, but they can also be created artificially. Ours was created by a non-corporeal entity. Mass keeps it intact. The only way to get out is to collapse the bubble. That can either be done by putting pressure on the outside and collapsing it, or by a sudden explosion of energy from within. Thus, the self-destruct. In theory, as this pocket of spacetime was created artificially to imprison us, bursting out of it will return us to our own reality." The tiny Pioneer blew apart, bursting the bubble and then disappearing. "That's a simple explanation, but the science behind it is sound. The alternative is to stay here and let the entity feed on us one by one until we all go mad or die. Remember what the Marines found in that underwater research facility. I personally believe this is our only chance and we need to take it soon."
inflationary zone
internal inflation
homogeneous pocket that dropped out of expansion
spacetime
tesseract/singularity in a container
Neil caught most of Alyssa's explanation from the hallway and entered, remarking. "Regardless of the theory, I happen to believe Alyssa's right. We can wait around and hope someone free's us from whatever this is. Or our captor to take an active interest in us, other than just denying Pioneer and the crew her senior staff. I think we do some denying ourselves. And that brings us around to the boom. I don't trust the ships computer to respond to those voice commands any more than the base levels we have now. So." Neil tapped the basketball sized power core he'd liberated. "We're going to connect this to the anti-matter containment in Engineering and I'll trip it manually. That should just about do it."
It was an excellent idea. Alyssa nodded in agreement. She hadn’t considered that the entity might try to stop the ship from completing the self-destruct sequence.
Glancing around the room Neil said, "That being said, if there are differing opinions, voice them now. We can't debate this forever though."
"I'm in, but may I suggest we have someone with psionic powers back you up, sir." Hermia said. "In case the entity tries to trick you."
Alyssa shook her head. "I think we need to stick together. As far as I know, he's--it's--been trying to get to us in ones and twos. It'll be easier to fight off the entity if we're in one group. You know, one for all and all for one."
"Well, if this does not work out and our matter is returned to the stars, it certainly will be a sensation that I hope that my soul will always remember." Vura let her tongue slide over her lips. "I can certainly say that it is an experience that I have never known anyone else to have."
" What the hell i never wanted to live forever anyway," Thex added.
Alyssa grinned at Thex and Vura, then turned to Neil. "Well, major, shall we go out with a bang?"
Nodding, Neil looked over his officers and said, "Right. Let's assemble in Engineering and get this done. Keep your eyes open."
"Good evening Ladies and Neil, to tonight's performance of La Kaboom starring our very own antimatter." Elen theatrically announced in engineering once everyone arrived, she danced a little at the core. "During the show, I'd like everyone to keep their molecules inside the ship as we vapourise, and hopefully recohere back into our own universe. If anyone wants something to dull the pain of exploding, there's some drinks in the case there. Although any après-vie hangovers are your own fault" as she downed a shot of something shockingly blue.
"Now, Neil, I hear you have the balls... sorry ball of explody." She sniggered. "Doctor, time for some surgery," pointing down to an opened panel "we need to do a lid-dectomy. Take that blue cover off without it touching the brass sides, as it'll stick and be near impossible to move."
Vura first burst out laughing at Elen's declaration. The laughter was unrestrained (After all, what self-respecting Deltan would restrain a sensation, except to experience that restraint?), but somehow melodic, as she chortled gleefully. She hoped that she would have much more time with Elen. There was just something about the woman that she enjoyed. After all, she seemed to be able to take the worst of situations and just put a smile bandage on it.
The moment that Elen started to pass the anti-matter, the Counselor held her breath with anticipation. Her body, however, was practically tittering, wondering what sensation she would get to experience.
Hermia produced a laser scalpel, that she'd pilfered from this Sickbay and got to work. I didn't take long for her to remove the lid from its housing. "There we go." She said. "And the patient's nose didn't light up once."
Alyssa stayed a little back from the others. She appreciated the humor as it lightened an otherwise tense situation. However, if anyone who didn't belong with their group walked in, she was going to tackle it. The entity was not going to disrupt their going away party.
Ja'sol stepped into Engineering, having a mixture of relief and also irritated look on his face. Having caught the last part that was said, "There's a way to get out of this? An explosion?. If that is how we get out of here, I am all for it" He was ready to go after Commander McGowan and put her into the brig.
Neil let his officers work, eyeing the Chief Engineer. "Remind me to send you and audible file, Elen, from an ancient Earth band called ACDC. Even back then they were singing about my balls," Neil commented. "With the housing open all we need is a lead to connect for the power transfer overload into one of the maintenance ports."
"One of these?" El pulled out a cable from where she was standing "Sorry it’s not in black. Ok, priming matter stream" Pulling on a handle "So we just plug this into the socket there under the lip, and the other end into the red socket there on the ball, and those who are about to rock n' roll, we salute you I know ACDC, Neil. Had a roommate at Spacedock who had Thunderstruck for an alarm call."
Alyssa kept one eye on what Neil and Elen were doing and another on the entries. They were so close to going home and she didn't want anything to mess this up.
"My favorite track is 'Dirty Deeds'." Hermia said. "But 'TNT' might be more fitting." She added. Her mind was awash with a mixture of fear and anticipation.
Neil busied himself, double checking the jumper lead he was using to hard wire the explosives into the system. The thought of music was helping him avoid thinking of his own mortality and he idly began humming Blood on the Risers as he worked. There wasn't all that much to it if you knew how, had the access and the time.
Within ten minutes he had the IED wired into the Pioneer's systems, set to cause the chain reaction and he sung quietly, There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the 'chute
Intestines were a-dangling from his paratrooper’s suit
He was a mess, they picked him up and poured him from his boots
And he ain't gonna jump no more
Glory glory what a hell of a way to die,
Glory glory what a hell of a way to die,
Glory glory what a hell of a way to die,
And he ain't going to jump no more.."
Trailing off, Neil looked up and around. "Well troops, it's as easy as that. We're good to go." He held up a dead-man switch he'd rigged and turned from where he'd been kneeling to sit on the deck. Standing, he looking up at the assembled personnel and thoughts of Jayna ran though his mind. He let himself indulge for a few beats then pushed the thoughts away. He looked around meeting all of his officers’ eyes and said, "It's been an honor. I'll see you all on the other side. Or we won’t."
Alyssa nodded. It was fascinating what--or who--you thought of when facing death. Meeting Jek'Lar in the form of the entity was not an experience she ever wanted to repeat. She knew it would be going through her mind when--or if--she saw him again. She closed her eyes and focused on relaxing. One way or another, this would be over soon.
As the IED exploded Hermia's thoughts were only of Helena. What would happen to her, if I don't return? Would she go back to live with her grandmother on Empok Nor?
Ja'sol looked about the room. "Well, we've got a chance to get back to our ship, but in case it doesn't work it's been good knowing you all. " He paused for a moment and sighed. " Let's not delay this and get on with it. " He said with a serious tone. "See you all on the other side."
Vura squealed with anticipation. Any moment now, she would experience a once in a lifetime sensation.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Vura
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Hermia O'Rourke
Chief Medical Officer, USS Pioneer
Major Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Commanding Officer, The Cure
Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Ja'sol H'ros
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Thex sh'Zoarhi
Assistant Chief Operations Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Elen Diari
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Pioneer
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