RPG Project Starship

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][I]Lovely, first the doors and now the engines? How can this be happening?[/I] Kendra thought as she hurried through the corridors of the Argo Navis. She had already looked at the engines as well as the specifications while they had been traveling. The very idea that they would even encounter readings like she had seen was to be frank, absurd. [I]It has to be something with the readout or the data input from the engines. [/I] Because if it really was the engines, they'd be in far more trouble than dealing with gravitational anomalies and an abandoned space station.

Moments later, with a swipe of her IDT tag the doors to the engine room opened to admit Kendra. [I]Well at least the door seem to be working[/I], she thought as she immediately went straight to the diagnostic terminal. Kendra took a seat as the LCD display lit up and the system began to cycle through the load up screens. Then once it was up she began requesting information on the status of the engines.

One by one each system came back as operating normally, the unexplained readings A.J. had gotten on the bridge did not match with what she was getting at the source. But when she also checked the data feed to the bridge, it too showed as operating normally. [I]What in the world? [/I] Confused Kendra got up to go and get some independent scanning equipment she had brought with her, to make sure that the fault was not with the equipment on the Argo Navis. She hadn't gotten around to moving it from her quarters to the engine room since it wasn't really necessary.

But when she got up and tried to leave, it was with great surprise that she literally ran into the doors when they failed to open. Annoyed to no end, Kendra reached up with her left hand and pressed the manual override for the doors to open, but just as Brianna had mentioned, the words [I]insufficient power [/I]flashed across the screen of the tiny little terminal in the wall next to the doors.

"[B]You've got to be kidding me![/B]" She said, exasperated when a second and third attempt got the same results. But when a fourth time yielded no results other than the error message she threw her hands up in disgust and went back to the terminal to contact the bridge.

"[B]Great, just great![/B]" Kendra muttered to herself as she attempted to contact the bridge. But even the com link in the engine room was down as the terminal for checking the engines shut down and the words insufficient power came up in red letters across the screen.

Frustrated Kendra tried repeatedly to get out of the engine room as well as attempting to get the terminal to turn back on, if something really was wrong, they were in serious trouble! She had to warn Marcus before him and the others ended up stranded on the space station! Fifteen minutes later, she sat back down.

"[B]Now what?[/B]" She said to herself. "[B]Obviously it seems that there is some sort of power drain, but where is it coming from?[/B]" Kendra shook her head as she got back up, she knew where it had to be coming from, the space station of course.

"[B]Alright.[/B]" She said as she paced back and forth a tiny bit. "[B]If I can't get out then I need to check what I can without getting the equipment.[/B]" Decided she turned and went over to open the access panel that would let her get inside the maintenance tunnels for the main engines.

It was over to the right of the terminal and along the bottom edge of the thick clear material that separated her from the main view of the engines themselves. Well what she could see of them from inside the room that is. Most if not all of the actual engines themselves were out of sight. She could only see the foremost part that was up against the diagnostic area.

The rest was accessible though the maintenance tunnels. It was pointless to provide more open space for getting to the actual engines when the type of repairs that needed such space also required the larger equipment at most space stations. Only the battle ships of the military wasted such space since being able to do all repairs was essential. But on the Argo Navis, they didn't have the crew for such repairs anyway. So the extra space would have been wasted when they would be using local space stations when needed for upkeep as well as the unlikely event that repairs were needed.

Still, as she set the grate aside and fetched a small tool kit from the locker along the right wall, Kendra was surprised that she was even going into the maintenance tunnel at all. Class B-7 hyper drive systems were so reliable that actually needing to do repairs was unheard of. So long as you did regular upkeep they virtually ran without any issues.

Kendra took a moment to check the doors as well as the terminal once again and then, upon getting no response from either one, with a sigh, she got down on her hands and knees and entered the tunnel. She'd have to check each section, one by one to see if the apparent power drain was coming from a malfunction instead of the space station. But as she crawled into the tunnel, she doubted that she'd find anything wrong. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Shy]

[size=1][indent]Lt. Vayne moved closer into the darkness eventually disappearing entirely from Nakeisha’s sight. The only sound that could be heard was her steady heartbeat, and heavy breathing; both grew loud and louder as Morrison’s absence continued. She readied her weapon, her hands shaking nervously as she pointed it towards the hallway. Her helmet began to fog up.

[I]If I make it out of this alive,[/I] she thought to herself, [I]Kendra‘s going to learn how annoying I really can be.[/I]

“[b]Morrison?![/b]” she nervously shouted into the darkness. No reply.

Suddenly Nakeisha heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She quickly turned, and noticed a shadowy figure quickly dashing away from her. Nakeisha screamed, and attempted to fire her weapon before realizing that she lad left the safety on.

“[b]Dr. Rhodes!?[/b]” a familiar voice called out from the darkness, “[b]Are you alright?[/b]”

Lt. Vayne ran out of the dark hallway to Nakeisha’s aid.

“[b]What happened? Are you alright?[/b]”

Still trembling, she lowered the weapon and looked at Morrison, terrified.

“[b]I.. I saw something coming at me from the other direction,[/b]” she said frantically, “[b]I think it was alive![/b]”

Lt. Vayne let out a grin, and raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

“[b]…Alive? Are you sure?[/b]”

“[b]Yes, yes! I saw it, whatever it was![/b]”

He placed her hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort the young woman.

“[b]I'm sure it's nothing, doctor. Besides, how can you even see anything from behind that fogged up helmet?[/b]”

Nakeisha glared. She was not amused.[/size][/indent]

[Rachmaninoff]

The longer they were on the space station the more uneasy Michael felt. And now that they were almost to the end of their side of the area where all the shops were located, he noticed that he too was feeling a little cold inside. He was considering taking his backpack off and fetching the field jacket when Colonel DeSouza motioned for both of them to take a seat in the chairs next to the lift where they were suppose to meet the rest of the group. Michael had thought it was an exit, and it was, just not the type he had expected.

As the Captain took a seat, still looking cold to him even with the field jacket, Michael decided to study the controls for the lift instead. In addition to the ancient writings on the actual panel, there was another set just to the side of a more modern script. With a start he realized that he recognized it.

"[B]Colonel![/B]" Michael said excitedly. "[B]Take a look at this![/B]" He indicated the plate that had been attached to the wall next to the main controls for the lift.

"[B]What exactly am I looking at Dr. Travis.[/B]"

"[B]These instructions for operating the lift, they may be an older dialect but they are definitely in the Creid language. It can't be more than a generation or two old. It would indicate that someone has been here within the last hundred years.[/B]" Michael shrugged a bit as if in apology for not being more precise.

"[B]Though since it's that recent, it doesn't rule out the possibility of someone having been here in just the last year. It's close enough to the current dialect that just about anyone among the Creid's people would be able to read it and understand it.[/B]"

Michael grinned a bit, excited at finally having found something he could help with. "[B]In other words sir, with it being that close to the current dialect, there would be no need for someone to change it to the more current format of their language, it would be rather silly since it's such a close match.[/B]"

"[B]I see, what about the original control panel? Is it of Creid's origin as well?[/B]" Colonel DeSouza asked, even though his attention was towards where the other group would be coming from.

"[B]I can't be positive, but it certainly looks like it, though it's likely quite old. Also... based on the readout. With the station being on standby, it's indicating that there isn't enough power for the lift to operate. Unless there are some stairs nearby, we'll have to use the emergency ladder in the lift to climb up to the Command Center.[/B]" Michael finished and then when the Colonel motioned for him to take a seat he stepped over and did so, smiling at Teresa who simply nodded.

When Teresa didn't say anything and simply kept watch in the direction of where the rest would come from, Michael couldn't help but worry about her. Compared to earlier when they had been exploring the clothing store, she looked even more cold than she had then. [I]I wonder if she really is sick?[/I]

"[B]Are you alright? You don't look so good.[/B]" Michael asked her. But Teresa just smiled brightly at him.

"[B]There's no need to worry Dr. Travis. I'm fine! Honest! I'm just a little cold, that's all.[/B]"

Michael accepted her statement of feeling alright with trepidation, but still, it bothered him that she didn't seem okay. Even her skin looked a bit white, [I]maybe I should mention it to the Colonel, if she really is sick, then it would be better if she's back on the ship getting some rest.[/I]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Major Cameron James was not happy, training or not, the empty space station was giving him the creeps. Especially since he had broken off from Dr. Nakeisha Rhodes and Lt. Morrison Vayne to check out the large theater located between a couple of the shops. It looked to him as if someone had filled up the entrance to the theater with a type of insulation often found lining the outer walls of any space station. It was a move that quite frankly puzzled him.

He shifted a bit as he repositioned the Thunderbolt rifle as he opened the door to go inside and take a look. The moment he opened the door, the god awful smell of rotting stores hit him in full force making him gag a bit and then cough as it felt as if something was getting into his throat.

"[B]Ugh. Damn if that isn't nasty,[/B]" he said to himself as he held up the small compact flashlight to flood the area with it's light.

It was no bigger than a common playing card and only an inch think, but the powerful beam cut through the darkness caused by the insulation that had been used to cover the windows of the theater. A moment later he found the panel for switching the lights on and did so. Cameron turned off the flashlight and slipped it back into it's designated pocket on the outside of his small backpack.

The unearthly silence of the place as he headed for the doors leading into where the actual screen and stage would be was unnerving, and the further he went, the more he noticed that all of the outer edges of the building had been coated on the inside with the insulation.

"[B]What in the world were they thinking?[/B]" He wondered aloud. "[B]Why would they apply the insulation on the inside of a theater?[/B]"

Cameron shook his head as he moved to open the door leading to the actual theater room, once again he shifted his rifle so that he could open the doors, but this time as he did so the sight that met his eyes caused him to choke in horror and take a step backwards.

"[B]Oh my God.[/B]" He exclaimed, even as he covered his mouth in a futile attempt to quell the stench.

Only his training and sense of duty kept him from throwing up on the spot. The room was full of what had to have been the occupants of the space station. All of them huddled together in what appeared to be a futile attempt to stay warm. Their bodies though in a state of decay, were covered with layers and layers of clothing. Something that made no sense whatsoever. Even if the space station was operating on standby, it would not have gotten cold enough to cause hypothermia.

Cameron pulled out a communicator and contacted the Colonel immediately. "[B]Sir, I've found the inhabitants of the space station.[/B]" He said. "[B]I'm afraid that they're all dead sir.[/B]"

"[B]What was the cause of death Major?[/B]" DeSouza inquired.

"[B]I'm scanning right now sir so I can check with Dr. Sanderson, but by the looks of it, they died from hypothermia.[/B]"

Cameron opened up a dual channel and contacted Dr. Sanderson. "[B]Doctor, I need you to check a scan for me. I'm sending it to you now. It says that the inhabitants of the space station died from hypothermia but I find that hard to believe.[/B]" Cameron explained even as he sent the data to Sanderson.

A moment later she responded, "[B]No, the scan is correct, but that's not the real problem. There's just no way that a space station would drop enough in temperature for someone to die of hypothermia. Instead it would drop enough that they would freeze to death. And there is no indication of that kind of damage to the body you scanned.

Also, there's another problem. That scan indicates that whoever it is, they haven't been dead more than a few months. It's recent.[/B]"

"[B]I see, thank you doctor.[/B]" Cameron ended the transmission. "[B]Well Colonel?[/B]" He asked since he had forwarded the information to DeSouza.

"[B]Finish checking your area and join us at the lift.[/B]"

"[B]Understood sir.[/B]" Cameron turned his communicator off.

Quickly he left the theater, eager to leave the ugly sight of the dead people behind. If what the doctor had said was true, then how in the world had they managed to die from hypothermia of all things? Cameron couldn't help but shiver just a tiny bit as he hastily left the theater and went to join up with Vayne and Rhodes. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

Catherine was puzzled by the information that Major James had sent her. It was virtually unheard of for someone to die of hypothermia on a space station. Most back up systems were too well designed for that to have happened, if they failed, it usually resulted in people being frozen, but the scan did not indicate that there was any cellular damage from freezing. The whole thing made no sense whatsoever. In all her time as a doctor, she had never seen a report of someone dying from hypothermia in space, at least not in the manner that the scans indicated.

She pulled up the records of previous cases just to be sure, it didn't take long for the computer to search the files and to come back with the answer that there was no match or even cases that were similar.[I] So what could have caused this? [/I]Catherine wondered, even as she reviewed the information once again. But then all thoughts of figuring that out ceased when she glanced up at the readout for Schovick, the one from the health monitor she had placed on her.

"[B]Hell![/B]" She swore even as she contacted Colonel DeSouza immediately, opening up channel and flagging it as an emergency.

"[B]What seems to be the problem Doctor.[/B]" Colonel DeSouza inquired as he answered the communication.

"[B]You've got a problem Colonel, Captain Schovick's health monitor indicates that her core body temperature has dropped several degrees. Please scan everyone immediately.[/B]"

Catherine pulled out the small hand held scanner and checked herself while she waited. She winced when she heard DeSouza curse under his breath. [I]Just as I thought, everyone is affected. [/I] Or so it seemed, she would have to check the others on the Argo Navis to be certain.

"[B]What's going on Doctor? Everyone's internal temperature is down according to the scanners.[/B]" He sent her the information. "[B]Do you know what's causing it?[/B]"

"[B]No, I don't. I need to check the rest of the crew over here, but even I am affected as well, though not as much as you are.[/B]" Catherine shivered slightly at thought.

"[B]Each of you should have stimulants in the medical kits in your backpacks. Take some immediately, double the normal dosage, If it doesn't help then my recommendation is for your team to return immediately and put some distance between us and the space station.[/B]"

"[B]Understood Doctor. We're about to head up for the Command Center, if it's not working by then, we'll transport back and depart immediately. DeSouza out.[/B]"

Catherine opened up the closest storage for the medical supplies and got out the supplies to give herself a shot of the stimulants she had just recommended that the team at the space station use. A short while later, she felt better and the readings indicated that her body temperature had risen back to normal. It was a bit alarming to realize that she hadn't even noticed that her body temperature was off.

[I]I'd better go and check on the others[/I], she thought as she grabbed a full medical kit to take with her, more than enough to take care of those on board several times and then some. She looked briefly at the readout for Captain Schovick to see that she must have given herself the shot since her readings had improved. Then she turned and left the sick bay to head for the bridge. Once she took care of the others, she'd start trying to see if she could figure out what was going on.

[SunfallE]

[FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Everyone had finally gathered at the entrance to the lift that would take them to the Command Center for the space station, their faces grim over the recent discoveries. First that of the people who had died mysteriously from hypothermia, a mystery that with their own internal body temperatures dropping, was all to real and dangerous. And the second, the knowledge that even if they left the space station and tried to leave, without being able to enter hyper space they could potentially run out of supplies before they could get to an inhabited planet.

"[B]All right people,[/B]" Colonel DeSouza said. "[B]The lift is not working and according to Dr. Travis the readout is indicating that there is insufficient power. With the discovery by Dr. Sanderson that our bodies are being adversely affected we don't have a lot of time.

I intend for us to use the emergency ladder in the lift to get to the Command Center to see what we can find out. Once there we will either attempt to fix the problem or transport back to the Argo Navis and move to a safer distance.[/B]"

He looked to each of them before giving the three officers the go ahead to open the lift doors, something that with the manual override only took a matter of seconds. Then when the doors were open he along with Schovick took the lead with the civilians in the middle followed up by James and then Vayne.

"[B]You've got to be kidding me![/B]" Nakeisha objected as she started up the metal ladder in the lift shaft when it was her turn. "[B]This is absurd! Having to climb up as if we were in the stone age. Some pilot you have if he can't even manage to obtain a lock on the Command Center so we can simply transport there directly.[/B]"

"[B]If that were possible Dr. Rhodes, we would have done so from the very beginning.[/B]" DeSouza reminded her.

"[B]Well if Miss Erickson hadn't been so keen on making sure I came with you, I could have been back on the Argo Navis working on improving the transport system. My talents are wasted here Colonel.[/B]" Nakeisha pointed out.

DeSouza just rolled his eyes a bit and continued climbing without answering her. The team was about two thirds of the way up to the Command Center when suddenly a sound from deep below could be heard.

"[B]Oh this is just great. It's the lift car and It's coming up after all.[/B]" Nakeisha growled.

"[B]All right everyone, move to the inside of the ladder![/B]" Schovick called out, even as she herself moved so she was between the metal ladder and the wall it was attached to. It was a safety feature should anyone be caught in the lift when the car was operating, giving them enough space to easily be out of harm's way.

Everyone watched as the car came up slowly and then passed them on it's way up. Then as if to taunt them it halted just before the doors leading to the Command Center, enough to block their path completely.

"[B]Well that's a problem,[/B]" DeSouza muttered under his breath. "[B]All right head back down to the first set of doors. We'll force our way in there and then look for another path to the Command Center.[/B]"

"[B]I thought you said you could read the language Dr. Travis.[/B]" Nakeisha muttered to him. "[B]Obviously you were wrong about the lift not having enough power to move![/B]"

"[B]I'm sorry.[/B]" Michael replied. "[B]That is what it said. So I don't know why it's moving now when it wouldn't before.[/B]"

"[B]Move it along people![/B]" Schovick called down. "[B]You can save the talk for when we get out of the lift shaft![/B]"

With a mummer of agreement the group moved out from being between the ladder and the wall, easily switching around to the front to start climbing back down to the closest set of doors. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT="Tahoma"]As the group traveled down the shaft, the military personnel more quickly than the others. Several floors down from their first intended destination, Nakeisha recognized a door failsafe box, suggesting that it would be the easiest door to try and open from the inside. Vayne and James lead the climb down, parting ways against the wall along the small side sections for Nakeisha to reach the box.

[b]"You're sure you know what you are doing now, right Doctor Rhodes?"[/b] Marcus asked, glancing downward passed Teresa. Nakeisha fixed her eyes on the box and the wiring on the outside of it and put her finger up to her mouth moments after, showing signs of concern.

[b]"Um...well of course!"[/b] she answered, not hiding her discovery very well.

[b]"Doctor Rhodes, that didn't sound very convincing, care to give it another try?"[/b] Marcus insisted, not amused by her tone of voice. Dr. Travis struggled a bit with holding his balance, Teresa tried to get a good hold onto him to help him regain himself. Nakeisha looked around her surroundings as if to confirm something before giving her second answer.

[b]"Ok, what we have here is a Green Box."[/b] Nakeisha stated, as she started fiddling with the box infront of her. Pretty much everyone else just stared at her as if awaiting a further explanation. Though one didn't follow.

[b]"You care to elaborate on that please?"[/b] Dr. Travis asked in a bit of an annoyed tone.

[b]"A Green Box, a circuit tripod if you will. It's really simple stuff, it's common for a lot of large scale set ups such as elevator shafts and other transport technology to utilize a three-circuit box system where they are split up within the structure. The main circuitry is located in what is commonly a green box, therefore we call it the Green Box. Did everyone get that or do I have to repeat myself?"[/b] Nakeisha explained, already having the box's cover pryed open.

Colonel DeSouza took little interest in the explanation and kept his focus on the elevator above. [b]"No need for an explanation Doctor, but I think we'd all appreciate it if you could get this door open sooner rather than later."[/b]

[b]"Alright, alright....um...ok, Lt. Vayne and Major James, if you would kindly search the opposite areas for a red and silver metallic box, open them up and then listen for my instructions. Several circuits need to be re-crossed to override the controls and allow us to manually open the door."[/b] Doctor Rhodes instructed. Colonel DeSouza reiterated the request in the interest of time, James and Vayne agreeing and slowly working their way around the edge of the shaft to look for the boxes.

Vayne found the red box not too far from his position, and James the silver, the three boxes forming the points of a triangle. Teresa helped Dr. Travis down further and to the side where he stood where Major James was. Teresa wiggled her way over to the right where Lt. Vayne was. Colonel DeSouza waited somewhat patiently above Dr. Rhodes.

[b]"Ok, for the silver box...exchange the yellow and orange wires on both ends. For the red box, exchange the black and red wires. Don't screw it up!"[/b] Nakeisha ordered crisply. Vayne and James were reluctant in listening to her, but knew that if they didn't do it they would be stuck in that shaft. Though it wasn't long before a series of noises from above interuppted everyone's train of thought.

[b]"Damn...the elevator...it's moving this way."[/b] Marcus alerted everyone. The elevator appeared to struggle in its place before falling several inches from it's position and freezing in place again.

[b]"We're moving as fast as we can!"[/b] Lt. Vayne shouted as he exchanged the wires Nakeisha instructed. Dr. Rhodes had already finished the wire exchange on her side and closed the green box. Several seconds later the other two boxes were done with, as the elevator made one last snapping sound and began tilting to one side as if hanging by only one tractor beam.

[b]"Done!"[/b] Major James yelled out, as Teresa moved her way over toward the door and began trying to pry it open. Dr. Travis wiped the sweat from his brow and forces himself over to help her. With their strength combined they managed to pull the doors open, while Nakeisha just stood back and watched. The door was open far enough for a single person to squeeze through at a time.

Teresa helped Dr. Rhodes crawl through first as the elevator lost the last of it's power and began plummeting downward.

[b]"Crap! Come on guys, let's move a little faster!"[/b] Marcus yelled out as Teresa helped Dr. Travis through. Colonel DeSouza jumped down and held onto the side of the shaft. Teresa went to help the Colonel through the door but Marcus grabbed hold of the back of Teresa's jacket and lifted her through the door.

[b]"Let's go, let's go!"[/b] Marcus waved James and Vayne over to him. Major James hurried over and made a successful leap onto the edge next to Marcus, grabbing on to his arm to hold steady. Marcus helped him through the door as the elevator dropped closer. Lt. Vayne Morrison attempted the same leap but slipped as his foot hit the narrow siding of the shaft.

[b]"Shit!"[/b] he yelled, trying to grab onto the Colonel's arm but fell too far down. He grabbed onto a loose cable hanging off the side of the shaft. Colonel DeSouza looked up for a brief moment and then moved himself over toward the cable.

[b]"Colonel! You have to come through, you don't have any time!"[/b] Teresa yelled as she tried to reach through the door for him.

[b]"Lieutenant! Lieutenant, grab my hand! Let's go!"[/b] Marcus yelled as he extended his arm down. Vayne tried to reach it but it was too far up. Marcus reached further, determined to at least make contact with Vayne's hand. The elevator would reach their level in a matter of seconds as a sweat drop began to run down Marcus's head as he forced his strength to extend into his reach.

[b]"Dammit...forgive me sir!"[/b] Major James yelled out as he reached through the door, grabbed hold of Marcus and pulled him through the door with Teresa's help. Marcus tried one last time to reach, though it was all the more futile due to being pulled. Marcus fell back at the last second as the elevator plummet down passed their level, overcoming Vayne as he hung from the cable.

[b]"NO! Goddammit!"[/b] Marcus yelled as he ran to the door and looked downward, only seeing blood splattered against the wall and the elevator falling until it hit the bottom.

[b]"Oh god..."[/b] Nakeisha muttered as she covered her mouth to try and force the urge to vomit back. Dr. Travis looked away as the other officers mourned silently. Teresa placed her hand on Marcus's shoulder and stood by his side for as long as he took gazing down into the shaft.

The radio on Teresa began to flicker and Dr. Henderson's voice came across the line.

[b]"Come in, what happened over there? Lt. Vayne's vital signs have ceased showing! Colonel DeSouza...Colonel answer, is everything alright!?"[/b]

Marcus didn't answer, but only stood up and continued walking.

[b]"Let's go. We won't accomplish anything standing around."[/b] he said, not stopping to look behind him.[/FONT]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]Brianna was on the bridge when she realized that the lock obtained by Bishop on the crew over at the space station indicated that the one for Vayne had been lost. She was about to go and head for the transport room herself when there was no answer, but then Dr. Travis finally answered her attempts to contact the team.

"[B]I'm sorry Dr. Henderson, but Lt. Vayne is dead.[/B]" He told her in a quiet voice.

[I]Dead? [/I]Shocked, Brianna sat back down hard.[I] How can he be dead? [/I]"[B]Gods... What happened?[/B]"

"[B]We were trying to get to the Commander Center via the lift shaft, but it's not working properly.[/B]" Dr. Travis started to choke on the memory, unable to explain clearly what happened. "[B]He wasn't able to get out of the way in time.[/B]"

"[B]What?[/B]" Brianna shook her head, he wasn't making any sense, [I]get out of the way in time? Out of the way of what?[/I]

"[B]Never mind Dr. Travis, you can explain later, what are you going to do now? Get me the Colonel so I can talk to him.[/B]"

"[B]Uh, that's not possible, he's already leaving the area so I assume we are going to look for another way to get to the Command Center. We don't have a lot of time before we'll need to take a stimulant again.[/B]" Dr. Travis explained. "[B]I'll contact you when we've learned more.[/B]"

"[B]Wait![/B]" Brianna called out but Bishop shook his head indicating that Dr. Travis had cut the communication. "[B]What in the world did he mean by stimulants?[/B]"

"[B]I would imagine that he's referring to the fact that something is causing our bodies core temperature to drop.[/B]" Dr. Sanderson said from behind the two, causing both of them to jump slightly. They had been so focused on what Dr. Travis was saying that they hadn't heard the doctor enter the bridge.

"[B]It seems that you two are also affected,[/B]" Catherine said as she took a moment to scan both of them. Then she prepared a shot to give to Brianna and Bishop. "[B]I've advised the Colonel that if they can't figure out what's going on, we'll need to retrieve the team and leave the area as best we can.[/B]" She looked away once she was done with giving them a shot.

"[B]I hope they can get back to where Lt. Vayne is so we can return his body to his family.[/B]" She looked back at the two. "[B]By the way, where is Miss Erickson? Even if we aren't as adversely affected as the team at the space station, it would be best if I give her a stimulant as well. Even if I don't know the cause, treating something like this before someone's body temperature drops too much is more effective.[/B]"

"[B]Well, she went to check out some odd readings I was getting from the engines."[/B] Bishop spoke up. "[B]So she's probably in the engine room.[/B]"

"[B]I'll go and tend to her as well then.[/B]" Dr. Sanderson reached into her medical kit and pulled out the stuff necessary for them to treat themselves again. "[B]This is enough for each of you to treat yourselves again. If you start feeling cold inside, administer the shot immediately, understood?[/B]"

"[B]Yes Doctor.[/B]" Brianna nodded. And then she took the CCB from Dr. Sanderson when she offered it, though why she was giving her one made no sense. Puzzled she looked up at her.

"[B]I haven't had time to go over everything, but you might want to review the report of what happened to the people at the space station. Once I've treated Miss Erickson I'll keep working on trying to find out just what caused them to die of hypothermia."[/B]

Brianna thought to ask her more questions and then changed her mind when the doctor turned and left the bridge. Questions of that nature could wait until after she took care of Miss Erickson first. As well as finding out just what had happened that resulted in the death of Lt. Vayne. [I]We should have turned around and left, taking our chances instead of sticking around to find out what's going on.[/I] But even as she thought that, Brianna knew it wasn't the answer.

Even if they had tried to leave, it was no guarantee that they would have gotten free of what ever was causing the gravitational anomalies or their bodies temperature to drop. In fact it wouldn't surprise her if the strange malfunctions were also being caused by the same thing. [I]We need to figure this out soon![/I] She thought.[I] Before it's too late![/I] [/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

Catherine hoped that the Colonel figured out what was going on and soon. If she couldn't find the cause and stop whatever was causing their bodies core temperature to drop, then they would end up like those who had been on the space station. She would have to check, but Catherine was sure that the people on the space station probably had even more supplies for reversing the condition than they did. The fact that they had failed to find a cause and end it did not bode well for their group. [I]I should have told him that we need to leave immediately,[/I] she thought as she approached the doors leading to the engine room.

As Catherine entered the room to look for Kendra she made up her mind. As soon as she treated her, she would contact the Colonel and advise him that they should leave at once. But Kendra was no where to be seen, Catherine was about to contact the bridge when she realized that one of the maintenance panels was leaning up against the wall. She thought about it for a moment and then made up her mind, sighing a bit as she did so.

"[B]I'd better go and find her.[/B]" She said to herself. "[B]I just hope she's not too far in.[/B]" Catherine pulled out the necessary stuff for the shot, placing it in a small pouch in her shirt before she set the medical kit to the side. It was pointless to drag the entire thing with her when she doubted she would need more than the scanner and the stimulant.

Then she got down on her hands and knees and entered the crawlspace. Catherine paused briefly to take note of the schematic indicating the different crawlspaces on the wall just inside the entrance. It was much bigger than she had realized. She sighed again as she looked at the overall map.

"[B]This is going to take a while,[/B]" She commented as she started crawling through the tunnel. Then thirty minutes later she began to get alarmed. So far, if her memory served correctly she had gone to each of the major junctions and her calls to Kendra had gone unanswered.
[I]
Where is she? Did she leave and forget to put the panel back on? [/I]Catherine continued to check each area, slowly making sure she looked into each section. She was about to consider heading back when she finally saw what seemed to be someone lying down at the end of one of the junctions.

"[B]Miss Erickson![/B]" She called out, but there was no reply. As quickly as she could she crawled to where Kendra was lying down, moving until she was sitting right next to her. She was still breathing but a quick scan was alarming.

"[B]Damn![/B]" Catherine swore as she quickly administered a shot to Kendra. How had she been so affected where the others were not? [I]If I hadn't found her sooner... she would have died! I need to contact the Colonel.[/I] But when she tried to use her communicator to contact the bridge, nothing happened.

Catherine fiddled with it for a bit and finally gave up. Getting Kendra taken care of came first. [I]I can contact the Colonel once I get her out of here,[/I] she thought. She turned her attention to Kendra who was starting to come too, waiting patiently for her confused and dazed look to finally become more aware as the stimulants raised her body temperature.

"[B]What?[/B]" Kendra stammered, still confused.

"[B]Take it easy Miss Erickson. Something is causing everyone's internal body temperature to drop.[/B]" She gently pushed Kendra back down when she struggled to sit up.

"[B]Give the stimulant a moment to work, for some reason you were affected more than everyone else was.[/B]" Catherine explained.

"[B]Marcus?[/B]" Kendra asked, still struggling to understand just what was going on.

"[B]The Colonel? He's fine, as are the others.[/B]" Catherine looked away sadly, "[B]Except for Lt. Vayne, he was killed in some type of accident it seems. Now as soon as you've recovered enough, we need to get out of here.[/B]" She looked back at Kendra who was finally recovered enough to sit up.

"[B]I still need to track down what was causing the strange readings in the engines.[/B]" Kendra objected.

"[B]No,[/B]" Catherine stated. "[B]Like I said, whatever is affecting everyone is hitting you even more severely. If I hadn't come when I did, you would have died from hypothermia.[/B]"

"[B]But...[/B]"

"[B]No buts Miss Erickson. You're coming with me to sickbay where I can keep a close eye on you.[/B]" Catherine scanned her again as well as herself. [I]This is not good, even with the stimulants, something is still causing our temperature to drop.[/I] Indicating that whatever was causing it was still around.

"[B]All right, lets go.[/B]" She said when Kendra had recovered enough. "[B]The stimulant I gave you will work for now, but there's some better medicine in the sickbay that you need.[/B]" She gave her a look that essentially told Kendra that there would be no discussion over staying or not.

"[B]Yes doctor.[/B]" Kendra finally said, even as she started heading back towards the engine room, with Catherine closely behind her.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Kendra didn't remember what had happened, not really. She had been checking the engines trying to figure out what was causing the unusual readings and the unexpected power drain that wouldn't let her leave or contact the bridge. The last thing she remembered was feeling slightly dizzy and then waking up to find Dr. Sanderson hovering over her while she felt so horrible cold that at first she couldn't even speak.

And even now as she headed towards the the sick bay along with Dr. Sanderson she still felt horrible cold deep inside. If not for what the doctor had given her she would have been shaking from it.[I] What in the world is going on here? [/I]She wondered as they finally left the engine room as this time the doors opened like they should and the display for the readout of the engines was working properly as it should.

But before they could even reach sick bay the entire ship lurched and for the briefest of moments the gravity controls cut out, resulting in both Kendra and the Doctor being tossed into the side of the ship and then to fall heavily to the floor when the gravity was restored.

"[B]What the hell is going on here![/B]" Kendra snapped in frustration as she got up off of the floor. She started to head for the bridge only to halt when Dr. Sanderson caught her sleeve.

"[B]Let go Doctor, I don't have time to head to sick bay.[/B]" But Dr. Sanderson did not let go.

"[B]You won't do anyone any good if you're dead.[/B]" She said frankly. "[B]You need something more potent than a simple stimulant. It won't take more than a few minutes for me to give it to you, but to do that we have to go to sick bay where the medicine is located.[/B]"

Kendra sighed. "[B]Fine, lets just hurry and get this over with, I need to get to the bridge and find out what happened.[/B]"

Dr. Sanderson smiled a bit. "[B]Fair enough, now lets go.[/B]" She didn't let go of Kendra's sleeve though as if she was making sure Kendra didn't head for the bridge just the same. True to her word, once they were inside it took her very little time to retrieve the medicine and administer it.

"[B]I'll be along in a bit to check on you, if you go somewhere else on the ship be sure to check in with me first.[/B]" She gave Kendra a look that told her she had better do as she told her.

Kendra mumbled something along the lines of agreeing and then dashed out of the sick bay and took off for the bridge at a run. But when she got inside what she saw caused a chill to run down her spine. Warning lights were flashing and across the main screen was a warning that a collision between the Argo Navis and the unknown space station was imminent.

"[B]What the hell is going on here?[/B]" She demanded as she quickly took her seat next to Bishop and started taking a look at the readouts.

"[B]I have no idea[/B]." He replied shortly. "[B]All I know is there was some sort of glitch in the systems and now I've lost control of the helm. If I can't get it fixed and soon, in approximately four hours we're going to collide with that piece of junk over there.[/B]" Bishop went back to going over everything in an attempt to figure out what the problem was.

"[B]Lovely.[/B]" Kendra groaned and then she turned to Brianna Henderson who had been oddly silent since she came to the bridge. But other than to give her a grim look she said nothing. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Everyone was subdued as they found another route to the Command Center of the wayward space station and even finally obtaining their goal did little to lift the heavy feeling weighing in the air. It was insidious, tiring and whispered of failure and a promise of death. No one was immune and even the normally outspoken Nakeisha was oddly quiet, lending to the aura of despair.

Colonel DeSouza didn?t waste a single moment as he immediately moved to access the main computer system, with Dr. Travis close by to translate when needed. Teresa along with Cameron was checking around the area while Nakeisha was attempting to access the computer system as well.

A moment later the screen came to life and each person looked up to see that it was focused on the Argo Navis. A red tint overshadowed the screen and in the lower right hand corner a message was displayed, it too glowing in red lettering. There was no doubt that it meant trouble, using red for alerts seemed to be pretty standard among all the races, no matter where they went.

?[B]Well that?s a problem.[/B]? DeSouza commented more to himself than anyone else. And he didn?t need to say anything for the message, unlike the instructions on the lift were in basic standard. The Argo Navis was adrift and on a collision course. And though he tried many times, DeSouza was unable to hail them.

?[B]That?s not the only problem.[/B]? Nakeisha interjected. ?[B]According to the readout here the center of the anomaly is in the main power supply. We can?t do anything here, we?ll need to go directly to the source.[/B]?

DeSouza walked over and took a look for himself at what she had pulled up, but when he tried to access the logs detailing what was going on the words insufficient power flashed across the screen. A moment later all of them, along with the main viewer flickered and died. DeSouza tried several times to get it to turn back on with no success.

?[B]All right everyone, you saw the condition of the Argo Navis. We have to get to the main power supply and shut down whatever is causing the problem.[/B]? He looked at each one of them in turn. ?[B]We don?t have a lot of time and though it?s risky, the schematics indicate that the lift is the quickest route. At the rate the car fell, it?s likely that it?s too damaged to move again, but I can?t guarantee that it won?t.[/B]?

?[B]Understood sir.[/B]? Teresa nodded and made a beeline for the lift doors, wasting no time as Cameron moved to join her in operating the manual override. A short while later the doors were open to reveal the shaft which was partly in darkness.

Teresa looked back at the others, and then with a deep breath to steady herself she moved to get onto the ladder and descend as quickly as possible. Moments later as she traveled she could hear the others doing the same. Hopefully this time they would get to their destination without any mishaps.

A tremor ran through her body, causing her to nearly slip and fall. Teresa shivered as she realized that the stimulant was wearing off, far quicker than it should have. She motioned for the others to pause briefly while she grabbed another dose from her pocket and quickly took it.

?[B]Something the matter Captain?[/B]? DeSouza called down from up above her.

?[B]The stimulant seems to be wearing off sir, I just took another dose.[/B]? She explained.

?[B]Good idea, we don?t want to be delayed, everyone take a moment to do the same.[/B]? He ordered even as he shifted to obtain a better grip on the ladder and fished out a dose for himself.

Then when all of them had done so, they continued on their way, their arms and legs tired by the time they finally got to the doors on the level where the power supply was. This time, they were able to exit the lift shaft without any mishaps. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Shy]

[size=1][indent]The group approached the doors from a narrow chamber when suddenly the lights began to flicker wildly. In an instant they had shut off entirely, leaving Dr. Rhodes and the others in the dark.

“[b]What just happened?[/b]” Colonel DeSouza asked, “[b]Dr. Rhodes, check your instruments to see what is the cause of this.[/b]”

Nakeisha stared at her handheld diagnostics system, whose screen had also gone dark, “[b]This phenomenon isn’t limit to the space station’s power, sir. It‘s my instruments as well.[/b]”

The others checked their own electronic tools only to confirm her findings.

“[b]This is strange,[/b]” Teresa commented, “[b]Could an EMP blast have done this?[/b]”

Dr. Rhodes shrugged, “[b]If that were the case we all would have died when the space station lost power to it’s artificial atmosphere. Except for me, of course, since I’m the only one who had the foresight to bring a vacuum suit...[/b]”

“[b]So it can’t be a complete power loss.[/b]”

“[b]Probably not. It looks like whoever, or whatever did this is targeting very specific equipment to keep us from breaching the power supply. If they wanted us harmed they could have done so already.[/b]”

“[b]I’ve lost communications with the Agro Navis,[/b]” DeSouza said angrily, “[b]Are they in any danger if they’ve lost power as well?[/b]”

“[b]Even in a full loss of power the Agro Navis has enough failsafes to prevent any immediate harm to the crew.[/b]”

“[b]We can’t be left in the dark like this,[/b]” he replied, “[b]Perhaps we should move forward anyway.[/b]”

“[b]That’s impossible,[/b]” Teresa said, “[b]The doors and walls surrounding a starship’s power center are often thick enough to be used as an airlock, and to protect any harmful radiation. They are opened and closed by enormous hydraulic lifts, we could never get those open by ourselves.[/b]”

“[b]Well what do you suggest?[/b]” Colo DeSouza asked, “[b]It’s likely that whatever is preventing us from entering can only be accessed from within those doors.[/b]”

Nakeisha rolled her eyes, “[b]My scientific opinion is to sit and wait, Colonel. We could look elsewhere in the space station for an open entrance, but it would be impossible find anything in total darkness.[/b]”

“[b]We can’t just sit and wait, the rest of the crew might be dying as we speak.[/b]”

“[b]Don’t confuse my logic with a lack of compassion, Colonel. But we only have so many options without power.[/b]”

Suddenly the lights began to flicker again, and soon full power was restored to the ship. Dr. Rhodes instruments begin to reboot, and Colonel DeSourza was able to regain communication with the Agro Navis. The two exchanged an awkward glance, and the young woman marched proudly towards the entrance to the power supply.

“[b]Oh, delightful![/b]” Dr. Rhodes exclaimed cheerfully, “[b]Now that there’s nothing left to argue about, Colonel, let’s go inside and be heroes now, shall we?[/b]”[/size][/indent]

[Rachmaninoff]

Michael was seriously having doubts as to whether or not they would even make it out of the abandoned space station alive. In all this time, they were no closer to figuring out the mystery behind what was going on or even what had killed the crew and was now affecting them and even their equipment. Still, as they approached the doors to the main power supply, nothing could have prepared him for what was inside the room. At first glance it was no different than any power core for a space station. With the sturdy clear material in huge panels going from the floor to the ceiling with computer terminal?s located all around it.

But as all of them came to a halt and just stared at what was behind the panel, it was clear that normal didn?t even begin to describe the situation at all. Instead of the usual power core, it appeared as if space itself was rent as a jagged circular disk, radiating in many colors was in the spot where the core should have been. The outer edges were jagged and flared brightly at random intervals, causing them to have to shield their eyes when it did so.

?[B]What the hell is that?[/B]? Colonel DeSouza asked no one in particular.

?[B]Amazing![/B]? Nakeisha exclaimed as she pulled out her own equipment and attempted to get a reading of whatever was coexisting with the power core of the space station.

Michael was not listening, his attention drawn to the body of a researcher over to the left in a corner. Next to him was of all things, an old fashioned journal or rather notebook. Something he had not seen outside of a museum. Curious he walked over and then bent down to pick the book up. It was written in an older style of the Creid language, but it was easily readable.

?[B]What do you have there?[/B]?

Michael looked up to see that the Colonel had come over to see what he was up to. Michael stood up and then opened the book, showing it to DeSouza.

?[B]It seems to be a recording of what happened here, I?ve yet to read very far, but it seems that upon realizing that whatever that is affected power driven equipment, he started recording their observations in this instead.[/B]?

?[B]Let me know what you find out.[/B]? DeSouza ordered before turning back to check on what the others were doing.

Teresa and Cameron were checking around the room for any others while Nakeisha was still preoccupied with what her equipment was telling her, muttering to herself and tuning everyone out while she did so. Stopping briefly from time to time to consult something that she had on the CBC that she had with her as well.

Michael went back to reading what was in the journal, noting how whatever the phenomenon was, it had been small when it first appeared and then just gradually increased in size until it was nearly taking over the entire power core of the space station. Each attempt to get rid of whatever it was had been carefully documented, along with the repercussions each action had caused.

In the end, as the final notes indicated, it had been beyond their power to stop it for when they realized what would be required, it was too late to actually be able to do it. Michael looked up from what he was reading just in time to see Nakeisha reaching forward to touch the clear panel separating them from the power core.

?[B]Don?t touch it![/B]? He yelled at her, causing her to freeze in place. ?[B]If you do that, you?ll die![/B]?

?[B]What do you mean Dr. Travis?[/B]? Colonel DeSouza asked.

?[B]It?s in the notes here sir. Whatever that is, it drains the power of anything near it, including that of organic life forms. One of the researchers here died when he got close enough to actually touch the panel.[/B]?

Startled the rest of them looked at Dr. Travis and then hastily backed away from the power core.

?[B]So this thing is responsible for our troubles.[/B]? DeSouza commented more to himself than anything else. ?[B]Did they figure out how to get rid of it?[/B]?

?[B]Yes, but by then it was too late. If their notes are correct, it will require an energy overload to dislodge it and close the rift. The scientist who took these notes believed that it was a dimensional rift though he didn?t know what caused it.[/B]? Michael explained.

?[B]So all we need to do is destroy the station?[/B]?

?[B]The more powerful the explosion the better.[/B]? Michael confirmed.

?[B]Colonel! You can?t possibly do that![/B]? Nakeisha started to object. ?[B]The energy coming from this thing is similar to the gate?[/B]? But DeSouza cut her off.

?[B]I don?t care what it?s similar to Dr. Rhodes. Getting all of us out of here is more important.[/B]?

He opened up a COM link to the Argo Navis and began to talk to Kendra.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]"[B]You've got to be kidding me![/B]" Kendra exclaimed loudly, startling everyone else who was on the bridge of the Argo Navis since per instructions Kendra had changed the COM channel to a headset as Colonel DeSouza talked to her. She was too caught up in what the Colonel was saying to realize that everyone had edged a bit closer to where she was sitting.

"[B]Fine, I understand sir. Even though we've lost control of the Argo Navis, at the moment, we are close enough that Bishop can get a lock on your location. I'll send Dr. Henderson to manually operate the transporter and get everyone back.[/B]"

Kendra took the headset off and turned to get up ignoring the others in favor of speaking directly to Dr. Henderson.

"[B]I don't have time to explain this, but I need you to go and retrieve everyone but the Colonel, I'll join you there in just a moment alright?[/B]" For just a moment Brianna looked like she was going to object and then with a nod she simply turned and left the bridge.

"[B]Maintain the lock on the team at all costs![/B]" Kendra ordered before she too was out the door and heading for Marcus's quarters, not even sticking around long enough to hear Bishop's reply.

[I]Why didn't that fool tell me? [/I]She wondered as she entered the code Marcus had given her so she could get into his quarters and retrieve the special case that would be locked up. Though even as she retrieved it she knew he could not, if there was one thing she had hated about the military, it was all the secrets. It was why she had left and entered research instead of continuing as a pilot.

With a grunt she hefted the heavy case, barely managing to carry it out the door and down the corridor. Fortunately she didn't have to go far and from the loud voices she could hear already it was clear that Dr. Rhodes had returned to the Argo Navis.

"[B]I'm telling you Dr. Henderson! The Colonel won't listen to me! He's making a grave mistake! Please! You have to stop him![/B]" Nakeisha declared heatedly.

"[B]Dr. Rhodes, we don't have time for this.[/B]" Brianna sounded irritated and upon coming around the corner, Kendra's eyes caught Brianna's as she sighed, causing Nakeisha to turn and see what she was looking at.

[I]Oh hell![/I] Kendra thought as Nakeisha came towards her. "[B]Miss Erickson, I tried to warn that fool that he is making a grave mistake but he won't listen, you see...[/B]" She tried to explain but Kendra rudely cut her off.

"[B]Do you want to die Dr. Rhodes?[/B]" She snapped at her not giving Nakeisha a chance to explain herself. "[B]We do not have time for this, the Argo Navis is going to crash into the space station in only a few hours unless we do something to stop it. If blowing that damn thing up is what it takes then I'd rather risk the ship being hurt by the explosion than dying from hypothermia![/B]" She glared at her a bit.

"[B]Now get out of my way![/B]" Kendra declared as she moved past her, nodding to both Teresa and Cameron as well as Michael who were simply standing to the side, waiting on her to tell them what to do next.

She set the case on the transport pad and then stepped back before operating the transporter, sending the case to Marcus. All of them waited patiently until ten minutes later, DeSouza returned to the ship as well, pausing only long enough to nod at Kendra before he headed to the bridge with the others following along closely.

Once they were at the bridge he turned to face them. "[B]You'd best take a seat and strap yourselves in, this could get ugly.[/B]" He waited for them to do as ordered, indicating that Kendra take a different seat as he took the one next to Bishop and worked with the controls, linking up to something.

"[B]I want it on record that I strenuously object to your actions Colonel.[/B]" Nakeisha finally said. "[B]I refuse to be held accountable for what might happen since you have refused to listen to a word I've said.[/B]"

"[B]Your objection is noted Dr. Rhodes.[/B]" DeSouza said without bothering to turn around. "[B]On the count of three... One... Two... Three![/B]"

Everyone tensed, bracing themselves for the explosion, but instead a brilliant flash filled the bridge causing everyone to cry out in surprise as they shielded their eyes. It took a moment for Kendra's eyes to recover well enough for her to be able to see again. But when she did...

"[B]Marcus![/B]" With a jerk she tore the seat safety restraints free and flew to the pilot and co-pilot seats where both Bishop and Marcus had been sitting. Confused she looked out to see that the space station was gone as well. A soft hum caught her attention as all of the systems on the Argo Navis came fully back online.

"[B]I was afraid of this.[/B]" Nakeisha said grimly, causing Kendra to whirl and approach her quickly.

"[B]What are you talking about?[/B]" Angry, she grabbed the front of her suit that she was still wearing. "[B]Answer me! What is going on here? What happened to Marcus and Bishop?[/B]"

"[B]Miss Erickson![/B]" Brianna voice sang out sharply. "[B]You're not helping things, let Dr. Rhodes go and calm down.[/B]"

Frustrated, Kendra jerked her hands free, stepping back and then she turned around to slam her fists angrily into the console before she finally sat down, still agitated. Nakeisha watched her until she sat down before turning back to Brianna.

"[B]I tried to explain to the Colonel that the energy readings coming from the rift in the space station was similar to the readings obtained from the gate when it is operational.[/B]" Nakeisha turned on her CBC and showed it to Brianna.

"[B]I can't be certain of course, but based on what little I've observed, it looks like the gate is tapping into dimensional rifts, resulting in people being either sent to another time or in the case of the space station, brought to our time from the past.[/B]" She shot Dr. Travis an irritated look.

"[B]Dr. Travis told the Colonel what was in the notes he found left by one of the researchers on the space station. Without giving me a chance to explain what I had observed, the Colonel decided to go ahead and collapse the rift.[/B]"

Michal stood up and interrupted her. "[B]It worked didn't it? Don't imply that my translation was inaccurate, the explosion did close the rift![/B]"

"[B]As well as dragging both the Colonel and our pilot into it since they were tied to the rift because of the link to the device the Colonel used.[/B]" Nakeisha shot at him. "[B]I was trying to warn that fool that it was possible that anyone too close or connected by some form of communications link could be affected.[/B]"

Brianna shook her head. "[B]Wait, how would you know that?[/B]"

"[B]It would take to long to explain, or rather it's imperative that we get to the gate as soon as possible.[/B]"

"[B]I'll be the judge of whether or not it would take you too long to explain Dr. Rhodes.[/B]" Brianna corrected her.

"[B]You don't understand Dr. Henderson, it really would take too long.[/B]" She held her hand up for silence and then continued when the others hushed. "[B]To put it simply, if I'm right, we have a very short window in which we can operate the gate and retrieve the Colonel and the pilot. If you go to the Creid Capitol first, it will be too late and they will both be lost forever.[/B]"

"[B]Are you sure about that?[/B]" Brianna finally asked her.

"[B]No, but consider this, the only way that space station could have appeared, if I'm correct that is,[/B]" She paused briefly and then continued in a more serious tone. "[B]Is if the Creid government has been lying about shutting things down until our arrival.[/B]"

"[B]They've been using the gate.[/B]" Kendra said flatly.

"[B]Unless I'm wrong, and to be frank Miss Erickson, I am rarely wrong.[/B]" She turned back to Dr. Henderson. "[B]I can explain everything I've learned by studying the data, [I]after [/I]the ship is on it's way.[/B]"

Kendra started to say something but Brianna called for silence. "[B]We don't have time to argue,[/B]" She turned to Kendra, "[B]Set a course for Telvaris.[/B]"

"[B]But...[/B]" Kendra started to object.

"[B]Are you kidding? She nearly got us killed the last time she plotted a course![/B]" Nakeisha objected.

"[B]I most certainly did not![/B]" Kendra exclaimed heatedly. "[B]I'm more than...[/B]"

"[B]Enough![/B]" Brianna barked. "[B]Both of you, give it a rest already![/B]"

"[B]Yes ma'am.[/B]" Kendra said as she turned around and started charting a course for Telvaris. [I]This is going to cause a lot of trouble, bypassing the government and going directly to the site.[/I] She thought as she started prepping the course. [I]Though if we're able to retrieve Marcus and Bishop, it will be worth it. Provided Dr. Rhodes even knows what she was talking about. [/I] A moment later, the course set, the Argo Navis made the jump to hyperspace. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

"[B]Alright Dr. Rhodes,[/B]" Brianna spoke up once the Argo Navis had made the jump to hyperspace. "[B]We're on our way to Telvaris, so start explaining.[/B]" She crossed her arms and leaned back until she was half sitting on the console behind her. All eyes other than Kendra who was focusing on the controls of the ship turned to Nakeisha who looked at each of them in turn before starting.

"[B]I don't know about the rest of you, but while we were enroute for the Creid Capitol I was reviewing the data they gave us in regards to the gate, including the scans and technical data from when the gate is operating. Data that I am now positive indicates that though the gate for the most part taps into dimensional rifts that are stable, ends up also connecting with ones that are not stable.[/B]"

"[B]Why didn't you say something sooner?[/B]" Brianna questioned her. "[B]If you knew the gate was taping into dimensional rifts you should have said something.[/B]"

"[B]But I didn't know, at least not until I was able to scan the rift directly. It was then that I realized that some of the signature traces were identical to the data in regards to the gate.[/B]" She pulled something up on her CBC and showed it to Brianna.

"[B]The structure of the gate alters the readings, making it look like it's something else altogether, so only a small part of the readings match.[/B]"

Catherine spoke up, "[B]You think it brought people from the past to the present?[/B]"

Nakeisha nodded, "[B]It would explain why they were using an older form of the Creid's language and yet had only died a few months ago.[/B]"

"[B]That would explain the odd readings I got as well.[/B]" Catherine stated, explaining further when Brianna looked at her. "[B]The scans Major James sent to me were distorted in one area, the carbon dating indicating just how long they had been dead. The medical symptoms indicate less than a few months, but the other is distorted and I was not able to determine an exact date.[/B]"

"[B]That's all fine and dandy, but it doesn't explain why you think we'll be able to retrieve Marcus and Bishop.[/B]" Kendra said without turning around.

"[B]It's not that easy to explain to one who has no background in quantum mechanics. It has to do with the cycles or rather strength of the energy in the rift. It indicates, if my hypothesis is correct, that operating the gate at a set frequency could possibly tap into that rift.[/B]"

Michael shook his head, confused. "[B]Wait, I thought the rift was closed.[/B]"

"[B]Technically yes and technically no. There are lingering traces of it that will stick around for a few days. Once those fade it will be closed for good.[/B]" Nakeisha explained.

"[B]Which is why you insisted that we head there first.[/B]" Catherine stated as she stood up. "[B]Dr. Henderson, I'm going to go and study the readings on the inhabitants of the space station. As well as prepare for treating both DeSouza and Bishop should we manage to retrieve them.[/B]" She waited only long enough for Brianna to nod and then left the bridge to head for the infirmary.

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR="goldenrod"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Teresa felt as if someone had doused her in ice cold water, making her feel stupid as she just sat there, watching the others as they attempted to determine just what had gone wrong. But then a nasty thought occurred to her, snapping her out of her daze and propelled her out of her seat as she moved to talk to Dr. Henderson once the Doctor had left.

"[B]Ma'am, you do realize what this will mean when we get to Telvaris, right?[/B]"

"[B]Of course Captain. I've dealt with the military before. It's likely that once they realize that we have broken with protocol, we will be either arrested or barred from the site altogether.[/B]"

Teresa folded her arms across her chest. "[B]You're not following me ma'am. What I mean to ask is since you approved skipping our required stop at the Creid's capitol, do you also approve the use of whatever force is necessary in order to retrieve the Colonel and Bishop?[/B]"

"[B]I'm well aware that it might require force on our part.[/B]" Brianna shook her head. "[B]To be frank, I'm expecting us to be stopped by their military before we even get to Telvaris.[/B]"

"[B]I find that unlikely,[/B]" Cameron spoke up. "[B]If they are hiding what they are up to from the CIF then the chances of encountering any battleships is slim.[/B]"

"[B]Why do you say that?[/B]"

"[B]Because it's not deep within Creid's territory so keeping an active military presence in the area would only draw attention to that sector of space.[/B]" Teresa explained as Cameron nodded in agreement.

"[B]No one has any reason to go into that part of space so it's likely that we'll only encounter the standard border defenses. Though I suspect that once they realize we are there, action will be taken immediately. We'll have a very short window to even attempt retrieving the two.[/B]" She turned to face Nakeisha who, was studying some data and yet paying attention at the same time.

"[B]You'd better get as ready as possible Dr. Rhodes, you'll only have one shot at retrieving the others. I can't guarantee that you'll get more than that.[/B]" Teresa finished.

"[B]One shot? I'll need time to study the gate before I even attempt to do anything![/B]" Nakeisha objected.

"[B]Nevertheless, it would be in your best interest to be ready to act immediately Dr. Rhodes.[/B]" Brianna ordered holding up her hand for silence when it was obvious that Nakeisha was going to say more. "[B]I don't like it either, but it's pointless to bypass procedure if we do nothing[/B]." She straightened up.

"[B]I suggest that everyone start getting ready based on the assumption that we will be dealing with either the Creid Military or some form of security for whoever is operating the gate. If it comes down to it, I'll talk to them directly in an attempt to stall them while the three of you transport to the surface.[/B]" She turned to face Teresa and Cameron.

"[B]Just be sure to use non-lethal force, the last thing we need to do is start a full blown incident between the CIF and the Creid government.[/B]"

"[B]Understood ma'am.[/B]" Teresa turned and grabbed Cameron's tunic as she left the bridge dragging him along. "[B]We'd better go and get prepped if we're going to pull this off.[/B]" She was saying as the doors closed behind them.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="1"]They were committed at this point and Brianna did not like it one bit. It had seemed logical at the time, but now? After literally disabling the border defenses and sneaking into Telvaris?s orbit and taking out the defenses so Miss Erickson could literally take the ship down to land it next to the gate, she found herself nervous over what she had done. Such a move could end her career and even worse, there was no guarantee that they would be able to retrieve the Colonel or their pilot Bishop. Oddly, she was comforted by the knowledge that her father would have approved, but then he had little love for the military. Provided they didn?t lock her up, he would always give her a place to stay if she needed it.

?[B]Looks like you were correct,[/B]? Brianna commented to Teresa and Cameron who were both fully outfitted in military gear and armed. ?[B]There wasn?t any military here at all, if not for having the coordinates of the planet and taking out the defenses, normal scans would have indicated there was nothing here.[/B]?

?[B]Dr. Henderson![/B]? Kendra spoke up. ?[B]Long range scanners have picked up two Creid battleships heading this way at maximum warp![/B]? She tensed up as she brought the ship down, ignoring the startled looks of those who were there near the gate.

?[B]Seems that we weren't careful enough in dealing with the border defenses. Anyway, what?s their estimated time of arrival?[/B]? Brianna asked her.

Kendra looked back at Dr. Henderson once the ship had landed. ?[B]They?ll be here in just under two hours.[/B]? She turned to face Nakiesha. ?[B]I hope you?re ready since you?re only going to have one shot at this.[/B]?

?[B]I?m well aware of that Miss. Erickson,[/B]? Nakiesha snapped a bit before sighing as she clutched her cases with the tools and equipment she was going to bring with her. ?[B]I can?t guarantee that I?ll be able to retrieve them.[/B]?

Brianna walked over and placed her hand on Nakeisha?s left shoulder, ?[B]All I ask is that you try Dr. Rhodes, that will be more than enough.[/B]? She squeezed gently and then let go, turning to face Teresa and Cameron who were waiting for her orders.

?[B]Go and secure the area, remember to use non-lethal force unless you have no other choice.[/B]?

Teresa saluted her, even though Brianna was not a member of the military. ?[B]Yes ma?am![/B]? She turned and with Cameron in tow, left the bridge to open up the side hatch and head out.

Brianna turned back to the main viewer and watched as both Teresa and Cameron headed out and started giving orders to the handful of researchers who were there, still surprised that there was no security. Sure the defenses would have kept people away, but still, it seemed foolish to her. At least until Kendra spoke up.

?[B]You?d think that having no security here would be foolish right?[/B]? Kendra said, speaking more to herself than to Brianna, Nakiesha or Catherine. ?[B]But you see, it?s the best way to hide a secret like this. It has it?s risks, but considering how quickly the military is responding, it?s ridiculously easy to simply pick up a handful of researchers and evacuate the area, maintaining the illusion that no one is here at all.[/B]?

?[B]What are you saying Miss Erickson?[/B]? Catherine said as she did some last minute checking of her medical gear.

?[B]Nothing really, just commenting on how sometimes no security or military presence is more effective for maintaining a secret.[/B]?

At that moment the com came to life, ?[B]Everything is ready Dr. Henderson,[/B]? It was Teresa. ?[B]We?ve confined all of the researchers here in the main building for the moment, I suggest that you hurry up and get Dr. Rhodes over here. One of the researchers sent out a distress signal, you can bet that the incoming ships will push their engines to get here even quicker. I?d plan on only having an hour to make the attempt, just to be on the safe side.[/B]?

?[B]Understood Captain. Hold your position, we?ll be right there.[/B]? Brianna turned the com off. ?[B]Well, you heard her, lets go.[/B]? She turned and headed for the side hatch of the Argo Navis. [I]I hope this works, [/I]she thought as she approached the open door and then climbed out of the ship to jump down and head towards the gate with the others following closely behind her.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Kendra was ready to scream with frustration. They had been at the gate for an hour and Dr. Rhodes was still indicating that she was not ready. If she didn't hurry up and make an attempt to recover the others and soon, it would be too late. Kendra was keeping track of the incoming Creid battleships and the data indicated that they would be dropping out of hyperspace in thirty minutes at Telvaris.

Dr. Henderson had already made the decision to destroy the gate once they were done and to that effect Captain Teresa Schovick and Major Cameron James had already moved the small science team to the Argo Navis, securing them in one of the conference rooms. They had then, using the other explosives that Kendra had access to on account of the code Marcus had given her, set up the entire site for destruction. But at this rate, they wouldn't have time to get clear to even set the charges off!

It had been Brianna's decision to destroy the gate since she was willing to stake her career that Nakeisha was correct in that the gate was tapping into dimensional rifts. And in her opinion, no one else needed to die on account of the Creid governments greed. It was part of why her father disliked the military so much, the constant hovering over any dig to see if something that could be used as a weapon was found.

"[B]Dr. Rhodes![/B]" Kendra snarled with frustration. "[B]Dammit! You've got to give it a try and now! We don't have time for you to keep checking things![/B]"

"[B]But...[/B]" Nakeisha started to protest.

"[B]Please Dr. Rhodes.[/B]" Michael spoke up. "[B]It would take hours for me to do another comparison to make sure what little we've translated is correct and you said it yourself, we don't have time for that. Do you really want to end it without even trying?[/B]"

"[B]But if I'm wrong! They'll die![/B]"

"[B]If you don't try, they'll still die.[/B]" Catherine pointed out. "[B]At least this way you'll know you did what you could.[/B]"

"[B]Fine.[/B]" Nakeisha said, tossing the ships equipment aside in frustration, she started to protest to talk about being rushed and shut up as she walked over to the stone pedestal next to the huge rectangular gate.

Most of the controls were still a mystery, but their were notations by the researchers indicating what each sequence that had been tested would do.[I] Damn fools, pressing buttons to see what happens instead of trying to understand the gate's true purpose.[/I] Nakeisha hated incompetence and the whole set up reeked of it.

A moment later, with Michael helping her they were ready, she took a deep breath and activated the gate. A brilliant flash filled the area, forcing everyone to cover their eyes until a moment later the gate had closed, the structure glowing eerily with a bluish light before it too finally faded.

The moment Kendra could see again she was rushing to see if it had worked, she looked everywhere and then gave a startled gasp when she got close enough to see Catherine already bent over Marcus who was lying prone, looking like he had been dragged to hell and back again.

"[B]Doctor!"[/B] She cried out and she practically flew to his side.

"[B]You can relax Miss Erickson,[/B]" She said, "[B]It looks worse than it actually is.[/B]" She motioned to Teresa and Cameron. "[B]Help me get him to the Argo Navis so we can get out of here.[/B]"

No one needed a second reminder as they hastily beat a retreat into the ship. Kendra however was stopped by Brianna when she moved to follow the doctor to the infirmary.

"[B]You need to get us airborne, we don't have time.[/B]" She reminded her.

"[B]Right.[/B]" Kendra turned and headed for the bridge at a dead run, Teresa right behind her and then followed by the others other than Cameron who was still helping Catherine.

Kendra didn't waste a second as she practically flew into the navigation seat, her hands flying over the controls as she brought the Argo Navis to full power, they had all of ten minutes before the battleships would arrive, barely enough time to get clear and set the charges off.

A moment later with a deafening roar as the ships engines kicked up dust and debris in the camp the ship took off, heading for space and then leveling off a few minutes later upon reaching it. As Teresa, at Brianna's instructions set off the charge, Kendra ignored the readout on the surface of the planet in favor of powering down all of their defenses other than the navigation shields.

"[B]What are you doing?[/B]" Brianna asked her once she had checked the readout and seen that the gate had been destroyed.

"[B]Standard military protocol, instead of waiting for them to order us to power down all defensive and offensive systems, I'm doing it now.[/B]" Kendra shrugged as the two ships dropped out of hyperspace and began to approach their location.

"[B]We lack the ability to escape or to even fight so it's better to take as low key of a stance as possible.[/B]" She looked down as a beeping sound indicated they had an incoming transmission. "[B]I believe that is for you.[/B]"

"[B]I believe you are correct.[/B]" Brianna said as she moved to answer it, pausing when Kendra spoke again.

"[B]Thank you, all of you. No matter what happens, I want you to know I appreciate your efforts in recovering the Colonel.[/B]" She smiled sadly as Brianna merely nodded and moved to open the channel.

To Be Continued...[spoiler]maybe[/spoiler][/FONT][/COLOR]