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June 13th, 2009
andorian_blues
 | 06:35 pm - Nightmares and Solitude
The USS Falconer glided through space, approaching a small nebula-like cloud of glowing magenta gasses.
Captain Anders stood and approached the viewscreen to get a better look. “Slow us down, Ensign.”
“Yes, sir,” the ensign at the helm replied, and the Nova-class Falconer slowed nearly to a stop.
The Andorian at the captain’s side stepped up to meet him. “It does physically resemble a nebula, despite its small size,” he admitted. “But the energy readings are like nothing we’ve ever encountered before.”
The captain nodded. “Perhaps we should have Lieutenant Commander Aldin join us?”
The Andorian shared a brief smile with the other Andorian on the bridge, who was sitting at the communications station. “I think she would like a closer look, yes,” the commander agreed.
At the comm. station, Lieutenant Ivos turns back to his controls. “Bridge to Commander Aldin,” he said. “Captain Anders requests your presence.”
Ivos let himself share a quick grin to the first officer before turning back to his duties, and Commander Kor returned it. The smile would be all they would allow themselves right now: they both knew that they had to maintain their most professional demeanor at all times, even during such a casual exploration. Starfleet allowed married Andorian quads to serve together, provided they did not allow their personal feelings to interfere with their duties. A quick smile was all they could afford. Kor and Ivos both knew, however, just how much Aldin would enjoy examining something new like this.
Unfortunately, she would never get the chance.
Without any warning, the cloud sent out a crackling bolt of energy, like a lightning strike, which arced through space to strike the Falconer directly. On the bridge, several stations exploded, and the gravity compensators went haywire as everyone still standing was thrown to the ground. The lights went out, to be replaced with the bloody glow of red emergency lights, punctuated by the flash of electricity from shattered stations.
“Status report!” the captain demanded, getting to his feet. When no reply came, both the captain and his first officer turned to the comm. station.
Ivos lay sprawled across the console, burns marring his face, shrapnel deep in his skull, and one antennae missing.
Kor screamed his name and ran for his thaan lifepartner. But it was too late. M'grai Ivos was dead.
“Commander Kor!” the captain ordered. “I need you here now! That’s an order!”
Kor spun, anger flashing in his eyes, but then it was gone. “Yes… sir,” he said, pulling himself together, at least for the moment.
“Engineering to bridge!” The sharp voice of Lieutenant Darros came through the comms. “We’re loosing containment! What was that?!”
“Unknown,” the captain replied. “Helm, move us away immediately.”
But another lightning strike came from the cloud, striking the vessel again.
“Captain, we can’t take much more of this,” Darros’s voice insisted. “Antimatter containment is at 37% and dropping!”
“Can you reverse the loss?” Captain Anders asked.
“Not if we get another hit like that,” the engineer replied. “As it stands… maybe.”
“See what you can do, Lieutenant. If you can’t… get to a shuttlecraft.”
“Sir?”
“You heard me. Bridge out.”
Kor looked up at his captain. “Sir? Are you suggesting that we abandon…”
“Suggesting? No. Ordering.” He turned away from his first officer and touched the badge on his chest. “This is the captain speaking. All hands: abandon ship. This is not a drill. Abandon ship.”
“Captain?” Another voice came through the comms. “This is Doctor P’Trell. I have Commander Alden here… she’s sustained cranial injuries and cannot move. I may not be able to move her to a shuttlecraft without some help.”
Kor’s eyes widened. Alden injured… Ivos dead… at least P’Tell was still okay. P’Tell could make sure that their second child, which Alden carried, would be safe.
“I’m on my way to help,” Kor insisted, turning to go. He’d help evacuate his remaining spouses, or he’d die trying.
But then another bolt hit the ship, and Kor was thrown to the ground, hitting his head solidly against a computer bank as he fell. He didn’t get back up.
“Dammit!” Captain Anders swore. “Doctor, I’ll make sure you get some help… try to get out of there now!”
“Not without my shen,” her voice replied, and it was clear through the effort in her voice that P’Tell was attempting to carry the pregnant Alden.
_____________________________
Kor’s eyes opened, and he sat up from his bunk on the shuttlecraft, nursing his sore head. He got to his feet and ran to the front of the craft, where Ensign Mirr was piloting. From outside, the damage to the Falconer looked bad: entire sections were smoking and blackened, and occasional lights flickered across the hull.
He touched his badge, calling the ship’s doctor. “Nya?” This wasn’t a time for formalities – he wasn’t contacting the ship’s doctor, he was contacting a spouse.
“Iyran?” he heard his zhen lifepartner’s voice reply. “Are you safe?”
“I’m off,” he replied. “Where are you?”
“I’m almost to a shuttlecraft,” she replied. “I’ll have Eres off in a moment. Is Kiran with you?”
“No, I was on the bridge… Where’s Kiran?”
At that moment, the shuttlecraft passed a window of the Falconer, and Iyran Kor caught a perfect glimpse. Hands pressed against the window, face peering out, looking directly at him.
Kiran. His son. Still trapped aboard a doomed vessel.
And another lightning strike hit the Falconer, and the vessel exploded as the antimatter containment field within ruptured and exploded…
_________________________
Iyran Kor’s eyes snapped open. Another nightmare.
“Lights, low,” he ordered, and he slipped out the side of his bed. He looked back, almost half-expecting to see his mates lying there again. But no… this bed was only large enough for one.
He stepped to the sink and rinsed his face. That wasn’t how the event had happened, of course… not exactly. He hadn’t regained consciousness until after the Falconer was gone. Until his whole family was gone.
He was an Andorian without a family.
That wasn’t strictly true, of course. He was still part of the Kor clan. But he lost his mates. He lost his son. He even lost his unborn child. To an Andorian, this was almost like death.
But Iyran Kor refused to lie down and die. He would survive the loss of his spouses… they deserved as much.
He checked the chrono. No, he certainly wasn’t going to bother trying to get some more sleep. He dressed, then stepped out of his temporary quarters. His shuttle would be taking him to his new vessel within four hours, along with a few others who were still arriving. He might as well look around this station one last time before he goes.
After all, if Mirin Ivos has his way, this would be the last Federation space station he’d ever set foot on.
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