Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 13: Close to the Edge Part II - Total Mass Retain
Scene 14: Total Mass Retain
As we cross from side to side, we hear the total mass retain…
13.14
Total Mass Retain
“I said NOW, Bill!”
Captain Rhonda Carter was bright pink and shaking with rage. Master Chief Bill Waller was the most reliable member of her crew. Tough, smart, honest, and loyal to a fault. He was the only one who had what it took to stand up to the telepathic pressure of the giant space crustacean who had invaded the minds of each of her crew.
Waller had to wait until Carter, Abra Kahen and Zizira Gross had time to break free from the telepathic domination and try to free the rest of the crew. And he had waited just a few seconds after Carter had given him the order. When it got to five seconds, Carter had to assume he was trapped.
Which made opening fire on this alien all the more paramount.
With a few quick commands, she transferred firing command to the arms of her chair. Buttons on the left arm typically assigned to communications became a rough targeting control system. Fire control was on the right.
Waller was slowly shaking his head, apparently trying to free himself. Carter could help with that…
Master Chief Waller suddenly realized fire control had been removed from his panel. Instantly horrified, he turned in his chair:
“No Rhonda, don’t!! She has…”
Even as he was speaking her name, he knew it was too late. The thunder of the phaser pulse cannon erupting into fire filled the ship. The reflection of the weapons fire from the viewscreen lit up the bridge. And the alien’s death scream could be heard in all their minds, causing everyone throughout the U.S.S. Escort to howl in pain. Several crew members crumpled to their knees or collapsed to the floor.
Rhonda Carter was bright pink and it was clear to anyone that knew her well that her blood pressure was spiking. She quickly reprogrammed the controls on the arm of her command chair, then selected a switch: “Shipwide, this is Captain Carter. Report in by the numbers, casualty report.”
Reports came in section by section, indicating that 6 crew members, including Eva Mendez, had lost consciousness. As the reports were coming in, Carter got out of her chair, stepped forward and looked around the bridge, then: “Bill, where’s John?”
Master Chief Waller turned to look at her, shaking his head slowly.
“Computer, locate Ensign John Sevork.”
The familiar female voice that had been the ship’s voice for nearly every Star Fleet vessel for well over 100 years responded: “Ensign Sevork is not currently aboard the U.S.S. Escort. His communicator pin is not detectable.”
“Captain,” said Waller. He directed her attention to the main viewer. He played back the last few seconds of the space stag/tiger shrimp’s life. A purple mohawk could be seen moving rhythmically near the back of the alien crustacean.
“Is he… Was he… Can you enhance and rotate the view based on sensor readings?” Carter asked.
“Do you really want me to?” Waller asked.
“We have to know,” Carter responded.
Waller dutifully changed the view.
“Oh… I really didn’t want to know,” Carter said. “Preserve but take that off screen. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to unsee that…”
Waller changed the view back to the current view of the land thorn with its top shredded.
Carter was shaking her head. “Do you think he knew what he was… Um… I mean, I thought I was okay with interspecies mating…”
“He was so young,” Waller observed. “At that age he could have gotten an erection thinking about trees. Or baseball.”
“That was why you disobeyed my order? You knew he was, um…”
“I didn’t know what he was doing,” Waller replied. “I just knew she had him. At least he died with a smile…”
“That’s just so wrong on so many different levels…” Carter started. Then: “Bill? I can actually hear you!”
“I know,” Waller responded. “She also healed Eva’s jaw before we killed her.”
“Before I killed her... Woah!!” Carter lost her footing as the Escort suddenly lurched, the view screen registering the ship tilting down at the bow, showing lower parts of the broken land thorn.
“Bill??” Carter almost leapt back into her command chair.
“Escort is not responding to the helm!” said Waller. “And the lepreshroom is moving. Registering a 60 degree downward angle at the bow and the lepreshroom is rotating to match… Make that 90 degrees. The bottom tip of the creature is headed directly for the bridge! 30 seconds to contact.”
“Evasive?”
“Helm controls are dead, Captain!”
Carter hit a switch on the arm of her command chair:
“All hands, brace for impact!”
Close to the Edge Part II - Total Mass Retain