The Discovery rocked with explosion after explosion. There were hull breaches all over, most of the crew was dead and most sections were exposed to space or had lost life support. The Discovery was currently being pursued by three Proktolan battle cruisers. Federation forces were on their way, but the Discovery was still 3 minutes from the Federation border and 5 minutes from the reinforcements.
"Captain! We're going to be dead if we don't do something soon!" yelled the helmsman.
Maxwell sat there deep in thought.
"John, I may ave an idea... but boy is it a risky one!"
"What is it Paul?" asked Maxwell eager for any input from his first officer.
"We drop out of warp, and dump ze core. We zen detonate ze core, taking out or at least cripling zose ships."
"Paul, we'd be taken out in the explosion too.. our shields are practically non-existant!"
"No no no, see we would ave been gone at zat point. We re-route all remaining power from life support, replicators and every other system and transfer it all into ze impulse engines. We let ze impulse engines charge until zey are at maximum, then accelerate instantly to full impulse, while detonating ze core and clear ze blast zone in time."
Maxwell looked at Paul and smiled. "Ensign Phillips, drop to sublight speeds, Engineering, jettison the warp core on my command"
The Discovery fell out of warp with the Proktolan ships in close pursuit. "Engineering, NOW!"
The Core was ejected. Deveraux headed over to the engineering console on the bridge and started charging the engines. The Proktolans now on top of the Discovery began firing everything they had.
"Captain, shields have failed!" announced the helmsman.
The Discovery then rocked again with a huge explosion.
"What ze hell was zat?!" asked Paul.
"That was our port nacelle sir... It's been blown off!"
"Just a few more seconds and I'll ave enough power, keep evading."
"I'm trying!"
"Captain, I is ready to initiate the plan. Captain?"
Paul looked over to the Captains chair to see Maxwell lying in the command chair with a fallen bulkhead across his chest. Paul slammed his fist against the console.
"Mr. Phillips! Initiate impulse engines now!"
The Discovery lurched forward slamming Paul and Phillips back on the floor. Paul managed to pull himself up to read the status monitors and pressed the button to detonate the core. The sensor read out indicated two of the ships destroyed and the other adrift and on fire. The ship lurched forward again as the impulse burst ran out and Paul hit his head against the console.
SB901... Present Day...
Paul opened his eyes and looked around. He sat up and saw Cherrin working on a console with Pauls vital stats displayed.
"Doc?"
Cherrin startled a bit, spun round on his chair and looked at Paul who had been unconscious now for 6 days, reliving a chain of events from 5 years ago.
"How are you feeling Paul?"
"A bit disorientated... How long ave I been unconscious?"
"About six days. Everyone was getting really worried."
"Am I going to be ok doc?"
Cherrin picked up a tricorder and started scanning Paul.
"It would seem that your ok now. Your body seems to have calmed down a lot now. I don't see that you should have any more, at least not while you are wearing that neural inhibitor."
"So what does zis mean? I ave to wear zis thing for ow long?"
"Until Lieutenant Nugent decides that you are fit to return to duty."
"Fine!"
Counselling Office later in the day...
"Paul" Nugent started. "Why don' you tell me about what happened on the Discovery"
"Look, it iz not a period of my life I like to relieve. It would bring up too many memories and I would most likely end up in a comma again. Besides I already know what is what is wrong."
"You do? How so?"
"Believe me mon amis, when ze Discovery got back from Proktolan space, I went through enough counselling to last any officer a life time."
"Go on"
"Well, after ze discovery, I was a wreck. I was so emotionally fragile from ze things I ad seen, I was taken off duty for a year. It was all basically down to me loosing so many officers under my command. When I lost zose officers and civilians down on ze planet... and heard all ze cries of battle again... It just... it just, it brought back all zose old feelings again. I should ave come to see you sooner. Maybe I could ave avoided all of zis. But I thought I could andle it after all zat therapy I went through."
"Paul, Counsellors aren't here to be affraid of. Our purpose is to help people like you. It's nothing to be ashamed of to come and see a counsellor. What you have been through is no ordinary ordeal even for the most battle hardy of people. To be honest, I think even a marine would have a fair share of difficulty handling events like that. I've read the logs of the Discovery and can honestly say that is one of the worst ordeals a Federation crew has ever faced."
"Well, I'll get over it"
"Look Paul, I've seen this type of thing before, deep down, your really in pain and have been for a long time. But you put up this frint... this arrogant annoying side of you that doesn't let any body get close. If you let this down, then maybe, just maybe, i can get through and help the pain go away."
"Counsellor, it's really ard for me to talk about zis. I mean, no one could possibly understand what it was like out zear. The continual fear of death, the constant death and loss of friends. Breaking the news to people zat someone zey loved as been killed. Ave you ever ad to tell someone, zat zeir ten year old soon ad been sucked out into space from a hull breach? Counsellor, some sings are just not meant to be talked about."
"Ok, Paul. I will accept that you dont want to talk about your experiences, but remember that it's my job to talk about things like this. I'll be here if you ever want to talk about this. But promise me this. If ever your in a battle situation again, you will come and talk to me so that nothing like this happens again. Keeping things bottled up inside you can have disasterous concequences as you have just found out..."
"Ok counsellor, you ave my word zat I will come and see you if anysing like zis appens again."