Lee Carter took a step backwards toward the wall of the Sentinel's bridge, trying to stay out of the way. Captain Reynolds' people seemed very capable, and the last thing they needed was a stranger interfering in their duties. Too many cooks, etc.... Captain Reynolds and Commodore Wallace were standing side-by-side in the center of the bridge barking orders to Lieutenants Hunter, Fokker and Hayes -- the conn, ops and security officers, respectively, trying to get a bearing on the situation.
Listening to the bridge personnel report to their commanders, Carter gathered that the computer virus that had struck the Arizona had very quickly taken over almost every ship-board system including the transporters. Every last crewperson aboard the Arizona had been beamed over to the Sentinel. Presumably, a skeleton crew from the traitor Kelly's Raider had then beamed to the Arizona and taken control.
God only knows what they're planning, thought Carter darkly. Too bad Max got beamed over here too. She'd have knocked some heads over there.... A sudden thought struck her. "Captain Reynolds?" Reynolds turned away from his conversation with Wallace, so Carter continued: "Excuse the interruption, sir. I don't suppose the two YF-6000's in the Arizona's hangar were beamed here as well...?"
Reynolds looked back to Hayes, who, after quickly checking her security board, shook her head. Reynolds answered, "No, I'm afraid not, Commander."
"I see. Thank you, sir." Disappointed but not really surprised, Lee stepped back again to the wall.
Wallace turned to the conn officer. "Lieutenant Fokker, what was the Arizona's departure heading?"
"One-four-seven mark one-five," reported Fokker.
"Hmm," mumbled Wallace, rubbing his chin worriedly.
"What is it?" asked Reynolds.
"Kelly's heading surprises me," said Wallace, frowning. "I don't understand it. He's not on a heading for the Supply Base. I figured the first thing he'd do was blow up the station."
"Now that you mention it," said Reynolds, "that is out of character for a terrorist like Kelly."
Carter spoke up from her perch in the wings. "Unless he's planning something else, sirs...."
Carter's ominous prediction hung in the air as time seemed to stop. It seemed no one dared speak or even breath lest the spell be broken and time restart and the prediction come true. Finally, Commodore Wallace asked the next logical question: "Where is Kelly headed?"
Fokker answered. "The Arizona is headed straight for the heart of the Briar Patch."
Carter saw an immediate reaction on the faces of the Sentinel's crew and caught Lieutenant Hunter's eyes as they widened in alarm. She was instantly aware that that bit of information had more meaning than she or the Arizona crew were aware of. She stepped forward from the wall and spoke up. "What is it, Lieutenant?"
Hunter looked stricken. All eyes on the bridge were on Carter and Hunter. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sounds came out. Whatever he knew, it was too terrible for him to articulate. His captain came to the rescue.
He explained for the benefit of all the Arizona crew on the bridge. "During the last three months while we've been tracking Kelly, we've come across numerous small nebulae, or rather, the remains of nebulae. Somehow, the volatile gasses they contained had been ignited and they'd burned out of control, destroying themselves and everything nearby.
"The largest burnt nebula we encountered was only half a lightyear across. Since each corresponded with a location Kelly was known to be at, we assumed he had something to do with its destruction, but until now we had no idea what he was after. Apparently, those smaller nebulae were just tests."
"Tests for what?" asked Carter, but she suspected she already knew the answer. "So you're saying he's planning on igniting the Briar Patch?" The enormity of Kelly's plans slowly dawned on her. In growing horror, she said, "The Ba'ku planet is inside the Briar Patch! Even the Supply Base will be destroyed!"
The conversation had now strayed into Lieutenant Hunter's area of expertise, motivating him to regain his voice. The young Ops officer looked at Carter and dropped the last bomb: "Commander, you don't understand. If that bastard Kelly manages to ignite the Briar Patch, much more than the Ba'ku planet or your space station will be lost."
Carter looked at him, still not understanding.
Hunter tried to explain: "90% of all charted space lies within the Orion Arm of the Galaxy. The Briar Patch nebula is a section of the long streamer of nebulosity that runs along the inner edge of the Orion Arm. If Kelly ignites the Briar Patch, the effect will spread along the entire Orion Arm of the Galaxy all the way in to the Core and out to the Rim!"
Realization slowly came to Carter. "If the Orion Arm ignites..."
"Yeah," said Hunter ominously. "If the Orion Arm ignites, the entire Federation will burn. And then the entire Galaxy!