Attempting to Divert the Planetoid

Posted on Thu May 13th, 2021 @ 4:50am by Captain Cynthia Jackson & Ensign Kael MacTavish & Petty Officer, 1st Class Lee Adama

1,285 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Mission 4 - A Rose By Any Other Name
Location: Legacy Bridge

Cindy beamed off the Legacy with Luke and Kevin. Eli was now in charge. The daunting task of trying to figure out how to deal with the planetoid was now in front of them.

With Captain Jackson off the ship, Walker assumed the command seat in the centre of Legacy's bridge. He looked at the viewscreen at the massive planetoid. Even with his experience as an engineer he wasn't sure Legacy would be powerful enough to divert it away from the planet.

"Alright people, let's get out thinking caps on. How can we divert this planetoid?" He asked looking at the remaining officers.

Adama looked at the commander and spoke up. "Sir. If we had encountered the planetoid sooner, we might have found a way to alter it's course, but it's too big and it's in the gravity well of the planet. The only way to change it's course, is that the landing party finds it's control room, sir."

"We need a fall back plan. Doing nothing isn't an option, crewman, unfortunately." Walker replied.

"Commander," Haas spoke up from the science station. "I do have a suggestion but it's not a good one. I can't see anything on the sensors that would aid us, but I do have a suggestion. An antimatter explosion in the planetoids path might be enough to shift it's path and avoid the colony, there are several variables but I believe it could work."

"I'm guessing you're suggesting ejecting the warp core in the planetoids path and detonating it?" Eli asked.

"Of course, sir, unless you want to destroy the ship?" Haas replied with a smirk.

"I think I might lose my job if I lose the ship. That's not a bad idea, unless Lieutenant Windsor has an idea?" Walker said turning the the tactical officer.

Adama spoke up. "Exploding the core this close to the planet's atmosphere might divert the planetoid, or destroy it and the planet in the process....and us probably along with it."
Walker replied, "I do not think that is an option."

"Our only hope for both the planet and the planetoid's survival, and us along with them, is that the captain finds a way to alter their course." replied Adama.

Walker nodded, "I agree but we need a plan B just in case. So, let's have some more ideas, people."

Adama studied his console. "If it wasn't on such a straight trajectory, we could have used the shields to maybe bounce it off the atmosphere."

The conversation ended with warning beeps from Legacy. Fifty more missiles were heading directly at the Legacy.

Adama looked at his console after he heard the warning beeps. "We have 50 incoming missiles inbound!"

Walker replied, "Shields up, fire phasers!"

Crewman Jefferies was at tactical. "Shields up....targeting the missiles, sir." The computer controlled the firing of the missiles.

This time, however, some of the missiles got through and struck the shields, shaking the ship. Legacy's controls lit up again as more missiles flowed out of the planetoid.

"Shields down to 75%! Minor damage on decks 7, 8 and 9. And we got more missiles inbound!" reported Adama.

Walker cried out, "Evasive action and see if you can hail the Captain!"

Adama plotted an evasive course, readying to move out of orbit if necessary. And when he had a chance, he tapped a button, "Legacy to Captain, please respond."

The evasive course was not enough. Legacy was struck by several missiles again. From the ceiling, something fell and struck Walker directly on the head, knocking from the Captain's chair bleeding profusely. No answer came to Adama's hails.

Kael ripped the left sleeve of his uniform and presses it against the wound on Walker's head to keep pressure on it. "We don't have time to argue about choices now, if the Captain fails and we do nothing, those people are dead no matter what. Prep the core for ejection, we wait as long as we can for the Captain but it's a damned if we do and damned if we don't choice here. I'll make the call and take the blame."

Oddly, the planetoid stopped firing missiles at the end of MacTavish's speech.

Adama looked around the bridge, hearing how quiet it became. Before the silence, he was going to question the ensign's decision of ejecting the core...if they did and the planetoid struck the planet, the ship would be destroyed cause they couldn't warp away.

Kael opens his communicator with his right hand, "I need a medical team to the bridge, Walker is injured and needs attention now." The Ensign spoke his left hand still pressed against the bleed wound of the XO. "Keep trying to raise the Captain, they will need to know our status."

"I've been trying, sir, still no response from the captain." Adama responded. "I volunteer to transport over to the planetoid and search for the captain."

Kael looks at Lee, he knew almost nothing about her. Hell, he knew almost nothing about anyone since he had only been here a short time. "If you feel you are the best person for this assignment go and don't stop running until you find her."

Lee left the bridge and took the turbolift down to the transporter level, ran to the transporter room, grabbed a phaser and a communicator from the armory, and stepped on the platform. "Transport me to the captain's last known coordinates."

Meanwhile, a replacement Helm officer took Adama's place and sat at the helm.

Adama found that he was unable to transport, because the planetoid itself was shielded.

Lee cursed when transport wasn't completed, so he ran out of the transporter room and headed to the hanger deck. If he couldn't get there by transport, he'd would try a shuttlecraft.

He got to the hanger deck, informed the person in charge that he was taking a shuttle, by orders of the acting captain. Before the person could say anything, he ran to a shuttle, entered and skipped the pre-launch check list.

There was a cry of, "Hey! You need to go through your pre-launch before leaving!" over the comm.

He tapped the comm button. "No time...I have to go rescue the captain. Open the bay doors," he started the engines, "or I'll have to blast them." He shut the comm.

There was a momentary hesitation but after some time, the bay doors opened.

Adama piloted the shuttlecraft out of the hanger bay, and headed straight towards the planetoid.
He set the communicator to send repeat hails to the captain.

The hails received no responses. For all intents and purposes, the planetoid seemed dead from the outside, other than the missiles that had been fired.

Adama piloted the shuttle closer to the planetoid. He was alert for any possible missiles that might be launched at him, but he was hoping that since the shuttle was smaller then the Legacy, it might go unnoticed.

Nothing shot towards Adama and getting to the planetoid proved to be no trouble at all.

Adama, happy that no one shot at him, piloted the shuttle over the surface of the planetoid, looking for any indication of a hanger bay, or landing area....or at least a structure.

Unfortunately, he could find nothing that would not make this planetoid seem like anything other than it was made to appear like: a big rock in space.

Frustrated that he couldn't find any trace of an entrance on the planetoid, he put the shuttle into a lower orbit, hoping to find something. There had to be something there!

The planetoid seemed entirely dead rock, according to the shuttle's sensors. With nothing left to do, Adama had to relent and head back to Legacy for other ideas.

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