Lt Commander Samantha Palmer Mission Specialist USS Chimera NCC 96899 - Marine Captain Nicolas Harker Acting Helmsman USS Chimera NCC 96899 = Bridge Nicolas’ eyes were focused on the larger view screen in front of him as he piloted the old Intrepid class ship through the treacherous Marsh. Most people disliked the Marsh; it inspired fear in many and distrust in others. Nicolas was no fool. He knew the dangerous the Marsh held, but it fascinated him. The mysteriousness of it all drew him in like a siren song. It almost felt good to be back in the Marsh, or at least comfortably familiar. The numerous nebulas and clouds had a warmth and richness about them that wasn’t found anywhere else in the galaxy. This part of the Marsh was new to him, however, and he had to keep alert to the new dangers it concealed. He was already on a double-shift, but his senses were still sharp. The doors of the turbolift opened with a soft hiss and Samantha stepped onto the Bridge. She glanced over at Nicolas at the helm while moving to the centre of the Bridge and reporting to the General. “You wished to see me, General?” she queried him; shortly after leaving Sickbay Samantha had been called to the Bridge by the CO. “Commander, please take the science station,” Bretam said. “Sensors have picked up a hotbed of temporal activity ahead and I’d like you to monitor the sensors. I would have liked to go around it, but Mr Harker informs me that would deviate too far from our flight path.” “Aye, sir,” Samantha replied. As Samantha made her way to the science station, Nicolas resisted the urge to look over at her. They had not spoken since she discovered he was a Black Ops agent. He had not meant for her to find out, but his secrets had a way of revealing themselves to her; it had always been that way. When he had left her that evening, he witnessed the hurt in her eyes. The way she had brushed his hand away had made him feel rather strange... almost disappointed. He found it hard to believe she still had an effect on him after ten years. A lot had happened in those years, but somehow Samantha still seemed to be the same girl he used to know. Samantha took a seat at the science station. The station was on the left side of the Bridge, parallel to the helm station. Turning her attention to the readouts on the screens in front of her, she accessed the sensor details and displayed the current flight path of the Chimera. Several large temporal disturbances were located around the ship, with a very narrow passage between them. If the anomalies remained stable for the moment, they should have no problem passing through; the shields would protect them. But if the anomalies were somehow disturbed, they would be in for a rough ride. “There is a narrow passage ahead,” Samantha informed the General. “That leads through several large temporal disturbances. It’s our only way through this area. The prototype shields are at maximum output, and they will block any temporal interference.” “I suggest maximum impulse through the passage, General,” Nicolas added, turning around in his chair and facing the two Command officers. Samantha nodded her agreement. “The slower we go, the likelier are the chances that we’ll disturb the anomalies.” Guzman whispered something to Bretam, before the Bajoran CO replied. “Very well, Mr Harker. Take us through. “ “All hands to yellow alert,” Guzman ordered, and yellow lights began to flash throughout the Bridge as the ship’s defensive systems came online. “Proceeding to maximum impulse,” Nicolas said. His fingers flew over the helm console as the Chimera sped forward to the dangerous passage between the giant anomalies. Flashes of light could be seen inside the red clouds as the ship drew nearer. Taking a deep breath, Nicolas steeled himself and took the ship inside the narrow passage. The view on the main screen was spectacular as the clouds around them were illuminated by flashes of light. Slight turbulence shook the ship, but she kept steady. “Shields are holding,” Samantha responded. “Deflector output is at maximum. Temporal fluctuations are –“ Before she could finish her sentence, Samantha’s console began to flicker. A nearby anomaly had emitted a powerful temporal burst and it was heading their way at an alarming rate. “General, I’m reading an incoming shockwave!” she reported. “Impact in 20 seconds.” For a split second Samantha wondered if the shields could withstand a wave of that magnitude, but when she glanced at Nicolas she found him looking at her, and his eyes filled her with a strange reassurance. “All hands, brace for impact! Helm, evasive manoeuvres!” It was as if Samantha could feel the inertial dampeners strain as Nicolas instantly brought the Chimera’s nose up. She grabbed hold of her console and tried not look at the spinning starscape on the viewscreen. When the shockwave hit the ship, she kept her eyes on her console and was amazed by what she saw. The magnitude of the temporal wave’s fluctuation was so strong that is was threatening to phase them out of the continuum... but somehow the shields managed to hold. Suddenly the whole ship lurched as the centre of gravity shifted. The lights flickered dangerously and several airducts spurted jets of steam from the ceiling. Nicolas’ brow was furrowed in concentration as he tried to keep the ship steady through the wave. It seemed almost as if he tried to do so through sheer will. His fingers gripped the thruster controls, tilting the ship’s nose up so that she rode the wave like a boat on a turbulent ocean. The ship felt as if it was going to be torn apart when suddenly the shaking ceased and everything was dead calm. The viewscreen was filled with red clouds that yielded no glimpse of the Marsh beyond it. “Report!” Bretam barked from the centre of the Bridge. “Temporal shields at 44% and rising, deflector output at 67%,” Foster responded. “I’m reading some buckling on the starboard nacelle pylon. Damage reports coming in from decks 7, 8 and 9, along with main power outages on those decks.” “General,” Samantha’s voice spoke cautiously as she looked at her console. “I’m reading a large gravity well dead ahead, it seems to be interfering with our sensors.” “Warning, warning. Proximity alert,” the computer’s monotonous drone interrupted the mild chaos, accompanied by the loud proximity alarm. “What is that damn proximity alarm for?” the General demanded, but he got his response from the view screen. “Shit,” Nicolas muttered under his breath as the silhouette of a vessel suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He steered the ship hard to port and it ducked under the smaller ship just in time to avoid a collision. Everyone’s attention had been focused on that silhouette, though. It was the silhouette of a Nova class science vessel, and as the Chimera had ducked beneath her, the ship’s registry could briefly be seen. It was Commander Guzman who spoke everyone’s thoughts: “I think we found the USS Gott, sir.” = -- Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.9.0/50 - Release Date: 2005/07/16