Carpathia IV: Episode 234 - Gravity Well
Space, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
Amenaru sat stiff in the captain's chair, back straight and feet flat on the floor with his hands gripping the armrests hard enough to leave scratches from his fingernails. The crew around him worked diligently making final preparations for the mission. Outside the bridge windows loomed a gravity well, a name given by the Carpathians to what they also termed a failed black hole. It was considerably smaller and less powerful than a fully-fledged black hole, but still with dangers.
Phobos: Preliminary scans complete, Captain. I'm sending our projected course to the helm now.
Teek: Confirmed, Captain. Receiving course from the science station.
Amenaru: Understood. Kau, contact the Sunchaser.
Kau: Contacting the Sunchaser, Captain.
Kit's image appeared on the viewer and just the sight of his face made Amenaru relax, if only a little bit.
Amenaru: Is everything ready on your end, Kit?
Kit: Ready, Captain. We will hold position here and relay your readings in real time to the nearest base. I will contact you if the scientists there request any specific data.
Amenaru: Excellent. Kau will keep an open channel so that you can tell us in real time. Amenaru out.
Though the screen went dark, Kau still had Kit on audio at his console. Amenaru took a deep breath, for now the dangerous part begins.
Amenaru: Alright, everyone, I want you to stay alert. This is an important mission since we've already lost one ship from careening into a gravity well like this. We need better ways to detect them. We're going to skim the opening of the gravity well several times to send readings back to Polaris Deep. Sena, let me know the moment anything odd happens so that we can get out quickly.
Sena: Yes, Captain!
Amenaru: Good. Everyone knows their parts, so let's get started. Teek, take us in slow. One quarter thrusters.
Teek: One quarter thrusters, yes Captain.
Amenaru gripped his armrests again as the ship advanced toward the ominous opening of the gravity well. A small shudder rippled through the ship as they made their first pass over the opening.
Teek: Small gravity fluctuations. Compensating.
Amenaru: Very good, Teek. Keep a close watch on that.
Elsewhere on the bridge, work on the scans proceeded.
Phobos: Receiving readings. Relaying to the Sunchaser.
Sena: We're getting anomolous gravity readings on the lower decks. Recommend increasing distance from the opening by 200 meters for future passes.
Phobos: That will reduce the scan quality. We'll have to make more passes if we do that.
More passes was precisely what Amenaru didn't want, for the more time they spent there, the more opportunities for something catastrophically unexpected to happen.
Amenaru: Sena, how would 100 meters do?
Sena: That should be enough, but there would be no margin for error.
Amenaru: 100 more meters on further passes, Teek. Sena, keep a close eye on any further distortions.
Eight more passes transpired with no incident, but Amenaru could not relax. There were still at least ten more to go, if not more, and anything could happen.
Amenaru: Is everyone ready for the next pass?
Phobos: Data sent and purged. Sending next course to helm. Ready, Captain.
Amenaru: Teek, begin the next pass.
Just like the previous nine passes, this one began with the slow advance of the Shadowdancer and Amenaru's anxiety shooting in every direction through his body.
Halfway through the ninth pass, everything went wrong.
Nalma: Gravity intensity is spiking! Double... no, triple...
Amenaru: Teek, full induction now! Get us out of here!
The ship lurched forward for a moment, but stopped just a second later, like it had been driven into a wall.
Teek: I need more power!
Amenaru tapped his armrest comm.
Amenaru: Engineering, all power to induction engines!
Minnie: I'll give you what I can, Captain.
Teek: Induction increasing to 110%... 120%... We're still being pulled in.
Nobody needed confirmation of that, for they could see the blackness of the gravity well walls surrounding them as they were pulled deeper inside.
Amenaru: Any chance at quantum?
Sena: We can't make a quantum field anywhere near this thing, much less in it.
Amenaru: Engineering, I need more!
Minnie: I'm barely able to run enough coolant through the engines to keep them from exploding. This is all I got.
With little to do at this point but wait and hope, Amenaru checked the readings on his armrest. Soon, the backwards slide began to slow.
Nalma: Gravity intensity decreasing rapidly.
Amenaru noticed too, and soon, they were not moving backwards. Better, forward momentum began, but it was slow. One problem, though, was that the induction engines were getting too hot.
Amenaru: Teek, reduce induction until you find something sufficient for station-keeping. We need to cool the engines down if we are to escape without exploding.
Teek: I will start with 90% and go from there.
Nalma: Captain, I have the Sunchaser on my scope now. It appears that they were drawn just inside the gravity well opening. The intensity is less up there but because they're a runabout, their engines are weaker, so they cannot escape. They're probably running their engines to hold position just like we are.
Teek: We're able to hold position at 83% induction.
Sena: Structural integrity is failing. In less than ten minutes, we're going to start imploding.
Amenaru: We have to act fast in case another gravity spike happens. Options.
Nalma: We could slow down when we approach the Sunchaser and push her.
Sena: The intensity of the gravity would likely destroy the Sunchaser and it could cripple us too, depending where the debris went.
Baal: Tractor beam when we get close?
Phobos: Too much interference to even activate it.
Shep: Can we slip around the Sunchaser and grab it with the grappler as we pass?
Teren: Tight squeeze, especially with all the turbulence. I'd estimate we'd only have a total of 80 meters of clearance between the runabout and the wall of the gravity well. If we get into that, it's all over.
Amenaru: As first officer, what is your opinion?
Teren: No good options, honestly and we can't contact the Sunchaser with all the interference. If we use the strategy of going around the Sunchaser, we have to hope they don't accidentally get in the way.
Amenaru: Right, we'll go with that. Minnie, can we get back to 120% on induction?
Minnie: The engines have cooled enough for another go.
Amenaru: Right, Teek, plot a course and take us out.
Teek nodded and took a deep breath before answering.
Teek: Yes, Captain. Plotting course.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
