EPISODE 1:
"Drag Net"
STARDATE 2212.15
The starship Essex was ordered to Rigel VII to escort a group of scientists to
Starbase 2, where a commercial liner would take them to Earth. Rigel lies within an
unstable area of space near the newly formed Organian Peace Treaty Zone (re: "Errand
of Mercy" Stardate 2208.01), which separates the Federation and the Klingon
Empire, and space claimed by several bands of Orion pirates who have been accosting
shipping lanes for some time. Starfleet Command wish for these scientists to appear at a
private seminar on Earth, and ordered the Essex to escort them into deeper Federation
territory for safe transport.
The
scientists consisted of four humanoid males and two humanoid females. The leader of the
group is Dr. Elam Grenig, from the University of Draxis, an expert on fourth dimensional
physics. Dr. Grenig and his team have been testing a theory about Hilbert space, the
dimensional area in which tachyons are known to originate, and a possible way to siphon
raw energy from the flow of tachyons between the dimensional barriers. Dr. Grenig achieved
some success by creating several devices that use the natural dimensional harmonics of an
object, neutronium isotopes being the test objects because of their intense density, to
open a conduit which allows tachyons to pass through, releasing energy as they pass. When
the doctor published his theory, he was met with great criticism amongst his colleagues in
the science field. However, scientists at the Daystrom Institute relayed the theory to
Starfleet Command, who showed great interest, for obvious reasons: the possibility of an
unlimited power supply.
While Captain Curp
and his staff entertained the visitors by touring the engineering deck, a distress call
came in over the emergency channel. The message was in code and quite possibly automated.
It simply read:
SOS
mayday
help
The call came from a nearby binary star system, a red giant with a companion white dwarf
orbited by several gaseous planets ranging in size surrounded by a thick belt of
asteroids. The radiation signature of the suns prevented any accurate sensor scans,
however, the source of the distress call was narrowed to the far side of the asteroid
field. Curp returned to the bridge along with the command staff.
Slowing to impulse
power, the Essex began scanning the asteroid field to locate the source of the message.
Meanwhile, Engineer McGillicutty received a message from the engine room that a warp field
anomaly that began during the tour had gotten worse. It was then that the ship suddenly
rocked, as if struck by a massive object.. The ship's interior darkened, including the
viewscreen and system boards.
With no one
seriously hurt, the crew set off to assess and recover from whatever damage had been
incurred. Chief Engineer McGillicutty , First Officer Baxter, and Dr. Heronomous set off
to the engine room to help restore power. Lt. Flonaise began working on stabilizing the
ship to keep it from drifting. Science Officer Barlok left to main sensor control room to
hopefully restore the sensors. Security Chief Leone organized a plan to repel a possible
boarding action, restored order to damaged parts of the ship, and posted guards over the
passengers. Ens. Oneda continued to working on the comm. systems.
As the crew
traveled about the ship, damaged sections of the hull blocked some corridors leading to
the secondary hull. The main corridor leading to the engine room was completely sealed off
by debris, leaving McGillicutty, Baxter, and Dr. Heronomous to find an alternate path to
main engineering. They managed to make their way around, only to find the deck above had
collapsed in front of the door leading to the engine room. The three, along with passing
crewmen, quickly began manually moving the deck fragments in hopes of reaching potentially
trapped comrades underneath.
Once the debris was
cleared, McGillicutty scanned behind the engine room door to determine whether it
was safe to open the door. Tricorder scans were mostly inconclusive, revealing atmospheric
pressure inside, but, some kind of interference preventing an accurate scan. After some
debate, McGillicutty donned an environmental suit and sent the crewmen to their duties,
while the other two sealed themselves within a nearby turbolift. When McGillicutty
opened the door, a thick, pearl green cloud of coolant used within the warp core rushed
out in the corridor. With his environmental suit protecting him, McGillicutty worked his
way in, discovering three of his engineering staff unconscious on the floor. Reaching for
the emergency respirators, McGillicutty donned them on the helpless crewmen and returned
to the turbolift, where the doctor and the first officer were waiting. Back in the engine
room, McGillicutty managed to evacuate the gas and began working on restoring engine
power and assessing damage.
Meanwhile, back on
the bridge, Lt. Flonaise managed to stabilize the ship and get the viewscreen operational.
The screen showed a sea of asteroids, drifting endlessly. The occasional resonance of the
ship's hull from small impacts the constant reminder that the ship needs its precious
power restored. Ens. Oneda had limited success in returning power to the main
communications systems, however, the limited gain wasn't near enough to contact any
passing ship, let alone Starbase 2.
Captain Curp took
it upon himself to lead a small flight of shuttlecrafts to assess the exterior damage of
the ship. To his dismay, he discovered not only impact damage from various asteroids, but,
an odd shaped buckling of the secondary hull near main engine room. The captain returned
to the helpless Essex.
The damage to the
ship was more extensive than they had expected. Chief Engineer McGillicutty managed only
to restore impulse power and reported that the warp coils have been damaged beyond his
ability to repair without spacedock facilities. Ens. Oneda was able to restore subspace
communication, however, the subspace transmitter was too damaged to effectively send a
distress signal out of the asteroid belt. Also, the distress signal that had brought them
there had stopped. Science Officer Barlok discovered that a portion of the sensor array
had overloaded and fused, limiting sensor gain. The ship was still able to maneuver,
albeit sluggishly, at sublight. Captain Curp decided that the first order of business
should be to exit the asteroid belt to avoid being struck by any more asteroids and to
distance themselves from the system and call for help.
It was then that
the ship shuttered again. A quick scan revealed that the Essex was caught in a tractor
beam projected by a Klingon D-7 cruiser. The image of a gruff and scarred klingon appeared
on the viewscreen and proclaimed:
"I am Kythe, commander of the Imperial Klingon Vessel Nightblade, and you, Federation Starship, are my prize."
With that, the
Nightblade began to drag the Essex through the asteroid belt. A brief staff assessment
concluded that the Essex couldn't effectively break the tractor field and retreat deeper
into Federation space. Flight projection showed that the Nightblade was headed for the
Klingon border, which was a short 12 hours away.
The crew quickly
began to assess other options. Meanwhile, Barlok, McGillicutty, and Leone went back to the
scientists to see if they could shed any light on their current situation, because the
possibility that the group may have been partly responsible. After a brief interview,
fears of a conspiracy were put to rest and a new escape plan was formed. Dr. Grenig
considered the possibility of adapting his Hilbert device to the Essex's engines,
hopefully providing the power to break the tractor field and fend off the Klingons long
enough to escape.
Once suggested,
work began immediately installing the device. Grenig warned Engineer McGillicutty of his
reservations as to the amount of power that his small device could provide and also how
long it could maintain that power level. Regardless, work continued. The question as to
whether the installation would be completed before the ship was dragged out the Neutral
Zone loomed over the Captain and crew.
Hours passed as the
work continued. The estimated time of completion roughly coincided with the crossing into
Klingon space. Last minute calculations showed that the Essex would have roughly 70% of
its normal power levels once the Hilbert device came online. With some deliberation, Curp
decided to transfer power to the weapons and mount an attack to fend off the Klingon
cruiser enough to escape into Federation territory. A risky maneuver, because there were
no guarantees that the device could withstand the rigors of a prolonged engagement and
that there were no other Klingon ships in the vicinity to come to the assistance of the
Nightblade.
The twelfth hour of
the journey was fast approaching. To prevent early detection, power to the weapon systems
would be held back until the last possible second. The success or failure of the
pre-emptive strike rested on the frail shoulders of the helmsman, Nostrilla Flonaise.
Once across, Curp
gave the order to fire. Lt. Flonaise's first volley was a set of photon torpedoes aimed
for Klingon cruiser's aft section. On a wild stroke of luck, the torpedoes struck the
bridge, sending the ship careening to port. Raising shields and moving full astern, Curp
ordered a phaser strike on the Klingon ship, now listing out of control. The port phasers
struck the cruiser amidships in a brilliant, fiery display. With the Klingon ship
crippled, Curp ordered the Essex into Federation territory.
Limping at impulse,
the Essex continued to monitor the area for signs of Klingon pursuit. After two hours, the
Hilbert device had to be shut down to prevent overload. The Essex continued, no longer
able to prevent another capture attempt by the Klingons, should they return.
Hours pass, when a
faint message is received by the Essex. The USS Stewart, a Derf class repair tender, under
the command of Cmdr. Downing was in the area as part of an organized search effort for the
Essex. Pulling alongside, the Stewart began transporting supplies and materials for
immediate repair. Unable to repair the Essex's warp core, the Stewart escorted the Essex
on its slow journey back to Starbase 2. During its two week flight, the Essex learns of
the artificial satellite discovered in the asteroid field that sent a subspace harmonic
wave that overloaded the Essex's warp coil. Reports indicate that it was obviously of
Klingon origin, and placed there to entrap passing vessels.
Several weeks pass,
and the Essex slipped into orbit around Starbase 2 where repair facilities await her.
Battered, tired and weary, both ship and crew and earned a few weeks rest.