“Personal Log, 2nd Lieutenant Laju Eghimea. I have been ordered to make a resupply run to the science station on Naso VII. The mission was required after their regular pilot fell ill and was unable to make the twenty-hour round trip journey to the Saracen’s rendezvous point. Due to other mission requirements, the Saracen was unable to change their course to deliver the supplies directly. A pilot was required to take the supplies to the station and rendezvous back with the Saracen on her return trip through the system. While Lieutenant Colman acted as if this mission was a great privilege when he assigned it to me, I suspect that his intentions were to simply remove me from the roster. Personally speaking, I would have volunteered for the mission regardless. The time alone has been refreshing. Which makes the final hour so hard.”

“The normal, Star Fleet approved, route takes us on a four hour, um, scenic route around a vast asteroid field. Within the StarGuard, such wasteful navigation would be frowned upon. According to the Federation Computer, navigating this field is considered too dangerous to attempt. With all this in consideration, I have elected to attempt the navigation of this field with the sole intention of showing that it is possible. That and I really do want to see what these Federation Armadillo’s can really do when pushed beyond their limits.”

The asteroid loomed in the window like a menacing monster, as the voice of the computer chimed into being, “collision alert!”

Without even blinking, Eghimea’s fingers flew over the controls of the Unreliable. The asteroid drifted slowly over head as Eghimea continued her barrel roll. Her eyes shifted down towards the two displays. One was a sensor readout of gravity fields around the shuttle, the other was a flight data readout. The sensor readout showed the Unreliable locked in the gravity field of the nearby asteroid.

“Switch all flight controls to manual operations,” she said taking over even the most basic of operations of the shuttle’s flight controls. It wasn’t the normal way of piloting for a Star Fleet Officer, but it was how she was taught how to fly since her teenage years. For her, it was piloting at its purest of forms. She could almost feel the Unreliable through the console as her fingers made minor course corrections to the shuttles powered plunge towards the Asteroid.

The shuttle’s path brought it dangerously close to the asteroid as it passed through a large crack in the massive stellar body. Within seconds the asteroid vanished above the shuttle’s main view window as the shuttle rocketed free from the gravity field. The gravity forces on Eghimea were more than enough to press her deep into her seat at the nine-meter-long shuttle sped through the asteroid field.

Eghimea’s fingers continued to work the controls as she scanned the sensor readouts of the maze of gravity fields. Her mind raced to make the right selection. Choose wrong and there wouldn’t be enough of a field to continue the shuttle’s current acceleration, or worse, it could throw the shuttle off course completely. Make the right selection and the shuttle will continue its path through the vast maze. Her eyes caught sight of a large beast of an asteroid just outside her path. She would need to make a modification to her course, but it would work. She brought the nose of the shuttle towards her next slingshot target.

The computer chimed again, “Warning, approaching structural stress limits!”

“Reduce Life Support by two thirds and transfer power to the Inertial Dampeners,” Eghimea said calmly as she continued to scan the sensor readouts and the space ahead of her. Her mind raced as she made her mental calculations on her course. The Armadillo shuttle was once more caught in a gravity field as its speed continued to increase.

“Just like when we were teens, right Breeje,” Eghimea said softly. Grief gripped her heart as tears started to well up in her eyes.

“Find the pattern, I know you can.” Breeje said looking at her.

Eghimea could see him as if he was standing right there next to her. His StarGuard uniform was stained with blood and had burn marks on it. She was lost in the moment as tears slipped from her eyes. She wanted so desperately to question him, to ask him what he was talking about. Grief and guilt gripped her throat as if trying to strangle her. She couldn’t breathe or think. Her mind only snapped back to reality by the shuttle’s computer.

“Warning, exceeding recommended safe operating speeds,” the computer warned.

She glanced down at the flight control readouts. The speed was indeed exceeding factory specified .23c. Its current speed was clocking in at a dangerous .26c.

She shifted her eyes back to the large asteroid slowly overshadowing the Unreliable. She could hear the voices of her nightmares growing from the depths of that dark place she dares not look. Her heart rate was already causing her wrist-mounted computer to beep its warning. She could feel herself on the very edge of panic, and that caused her to press forward harder.

“Transfer all power from life support and shielding to the sub-light drive, and Inertial Dampeners at a three to one ratio,” Eghimea ordered.

“Warning, such action will lower life support below acceptable levels,” the computer countered.

Zipping her uniform up as she prepared for the slow decrease in temperatures, “acknowledged, carry out the transfer.”

The computer only chirped its acceptance of the order.

“Klingon Vor’cha battlecruiser…..” the voice drifted in to unrecognizable echoes. She could hear the screams of the dying and she could feel the heat around her. The sounds, sensations and voices were just out of her mental reach. Unlike normally, she didn’t hold back the tears. Instead, she let them flow down her face as she turned the nose of the shuttle deeper into its dive towards the asteroid.

“Warning, exceeding maximum structural tolerances,” the computer warned once more.

There was a groan of frustration from Eghimea, “Computer, where is there remaining power?”

The computer chimed, “there is a six-hour emergency reserve that is available should main power fail.”

“Transfer all emergency power to the Inertial Dampeners,” Eghimea instructed as the asteroid grew rapidly in the viewport. She then snapped, “and silence all further warnings.” She turned her full attention to the controls of the shuttle. She fought to reach out into her mind and take hold of the voices, but they just seemed to drift deeper into incomprehensible echoes.

She glanced down at the shuttle’s speed as it slowly ticked upward towards .30c. “Now we are talking,” she said with satisfaction in her voice.

Her fingers continued to work over the controls as the shuttle started to make groaning sounds. The large asteroid started to drift below the view port as the shuttle’s speed continued to tick upward. Within moments the shuttle passed just over the surface of the asteroid as Eghimea turned the shuttle sideways to allow it to pass between two large rock outcroppings.

The Unreliable rocketed from the asteroid field into the depths of space. She removed power from the engines and allowed the craft to continue its current course with just the inertia from the repeated slingshots. With a few taps of her fingers, power was restored to life support and shielding. Eghimea smiled as she saw the empty space of where the Saracen was supposed to be.

She glanced down at the shuttle’s clock as she spoke, “two hours ahead of schedule.” Her voice dropped to a much softer whimper as she coiled her arms around her torso, “I miss you so much, Breeje.”

2nd Lieutenant Laju Eghimea