Ad Astra :: Star Trek Fanfiction Archive ^{Beam me up, Scotty.}

"Gun it!" Ijeoma shouted.

"We're going as fast as we can!" Holloway shouted back, he and Sha'Rel frantically tapping away at helm controls, reaching over each other and working in perfect tandem. Somehow.

"Well, go faster!" Ijeoma ordered. "Or we're never going to outrun this thing!"

"We're already at warp nine, Captain!" Sha'Rel said. "If we go any faster, we could rip the ship apart!"

Jory spoke up. "Captain, according to my calculations, we'll need to make warp ten if we want any hope of outrunning the shockwave when this thing blows!"

At that moment, Nors commed the bridge from her station in Engineering. "What's happening up there?"'

"Nors, can you do anything to make this tin can go any faster?" Ijeoma asked, ignoring the question.

The sound of Nors sucking their teeth came through on the comms. "Well, yes, but—"

"Do it," Ijeoma said. "Warp ten."

"But—"

"Now," Ijeoma insisted. "It's life or death, Nors."

"Aye, Captain," Nors said, and the comm went quiet.

A moment later, Holloway spoke. "Captain, we're picking up speed. Warp nine point two... nine point three... nine point four..."

As the count up continued, the star they were fleeing from exploded in a brilliant, blinding light.

"She's gone supernova!" Jory shouted from the science station. "Shockwave incoming!"

"Nine point five!"

"Shit!" Ijeoma cursed. "We're only halfway there!"

Soran shouted from the tactical station, tracking the shockwave's path. "Contact in five... four... three... two..."

Suddenly, the ship was rocked by a blast from behind, pushing them forward even faster than they were already going. Those who were seated were blasted into the backs of their chairs, and those who were unlucky enough to be standing, such as Soran, were tossed to the back of the bridge like rag dolls. The speed indicator increased rapidly, but the inertia was affecting Sha'Rel and Holloway too much for them to call out the changes.

Then, the ship slowed all the way down to warp eight and falling. The shockwave had passed, and the warp engines had overheated, initiating an automatic shutdown to prevent them from exploding. As they slowed, everyone on the bridge was silent, catching their breath and calming their fast beating hearts.

"Whoa," Sha'Rel said, stunned.

Jory looked over to the helm and frowned. "Why's there a lizard on the chair?"

Everyone looked at the chair beside Sha'Rel. There was a big lizard sitting on it that wasn't there before. And Holloway was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh Stars, Holloway!" Sha'Rel exclaimed in alarm at her lizard-ified friend.

"Oh no," Ijeoma said. "The shockwave propelled us too fast."

"What do you mean, Captain?" Sha'Rel asked.

"It means," Jory said, "that he's evolved."