A Close Call !

"Sir, we're being hailed, it's Admiral Ross," Ensign Toran said.

"On screen Ensign," Devore ordered. *What is Admiral Ross doing contacting me now?*

Shortly thereafter, the Admiral's weathered face appeared on the screen, "Looks like your crew saw through our little charade Captain. Congratulations!"

"Sir?" Devore stared at the screen with a confused expression, "Congratulation for what sir?"

"For performing well in flying colors in fact."

"This was a test?"

"Yes," Ross replied. "However, it didn't go as well as we had planned, someone on the Thalonian ship was a bit careless and tipped our hand by changing the shield's modulation. I imagine that whoever it was, was hoping that anyone wouldn't notice. Still, your crew did well."

"Thank you, Admiral."

"Continue with the observation of the star, Captain. Ross out," Ross's picture faded from the screen.

"Good work people," Devore said as he eyed his crew. "You've done well." A genuine tone of admiration was in Devore's voice however he was angered at the fact that he was tested. He had never known Starfleet to conduct such tests of new Captains. Why was he any different ?

"When did Starfleet start doing unannounced tests on it's COs, Captain?" Toran asked extremely disgusted, certainly didn't used to happen!*

"I didn't think they did nor have I ever seen it done," Devore replied flatly. "I'll be in my ready room if anyone needs me. Harris, you have the Bridge."

"Aye sir," Harris replied as Devore made his way to the ready room.

In his ready room, Devore sat at his desk and picked up the nearest PADD. He was nevertheless annoyed at the fact that such a menial test was conducted for some unknown reason on him. *I bet they really don't trust me just yet? If that is the case then why place the command of one of the most sophisticated starships in the hands of........ well me?* He thought thumbing roughly the controls of his PADD. Finally he threw the PADD across the desk and sat back in his chair. "This is stupid," Devore said. "Lieutenant Harris!"

[Yes, Captain?]

"Open me a secured to Admiral Ross, STAT." Devore said.

[Yes sir.] *I am going to get to the bottom of this.*

On the secured channel there in the ready room, Admiral Ross appeared just as weathered as he did about 20 minutes ago [Commander Devore? What can I do for you?]

"Sir, may I speak freely?" Devore began standing up and adjusting his uniform.

[Of course Commander.]

"Admiral what was all that about? My crew and I haven't even been out of space dock but for just over a week, and you are all ready trying to see if we are going to fail?"

[Commander! If I didn't have any faith in you or your crew, you would still be playing first officer to Captain J'Ker on the *Lakota* destined to be there for a very long time, Ensign Toran would be riddling sticks on some rocker in the country, Harris would probably be in a penal colony serving life, and who know where Shaka would be! No, Commander I am not trying to see if you are going to fail.]

"Then what are you doing?"

[Take a seat, Commander. Ever since the Dominion War, we have been negotiating a truce with Romulus. Up to now everything has been going fine, but just recently we have been receiving reports of major disturbances in the Romulan High Council....]

"Okay. I don't see how this is relevant to testing the Leviathan."

[Commander! If you sit back and shut up. I will explain it to you.]

*Woah! Never expected that coming from him!* Devore thought.

[Outposts along the neutral zone has been picking up encoded messages that some unknown anomaly has been appearing and disappearing by in the Tares System. We have sent in the *Blake* to investigate, but as of yet nothing.]

"So you might need a second team?"

[Exactly]

"What about our mission to the Beta Quadrant?"

[You will get there! But the Alpha Quadrant and peace within is vital for the security of the Federation.]

"Sir, why didn't you say something to me about this earlier?"

[Commander, it was a readiness drill! I wanted to see your reaction times and quite honestly to my surprise, your skeleton crew has the best reaction times in the fleet.]

"Sir. They are a good crew. I hate to see them discouraged at the number of the crew."

[Commander there is something that you should know.] Ross started to punch some alphanumeric combinations into his con panel. [I want you to take some time and read over the design spec of the Leviathan. You will be surprised what you may find. And by the way, as a first officer, I haven't yet found anyone. Do you have any in mind?]

"As a matter of fact I do, Admiral, " Devore said smiling. " I would like to see........"

[Captain you are needed on the Bridge.]

[Well Mark. Better get going. Send me a subspace message and we'll see what I can do. Ross out!]

On the Bridge, Harris was holding tight to the arm rests. "What is the problem," Devore asked as he came out of the ready room.

"Captain, the star.. It has gone Super Nova," Harris said. "There is a level 10 ion wake heading our way." The star in Betais system had gone super nova is for a scientist a great opportunity. It allowed for them to study the formation of things like black holes, stellar storms, and even ion wakes, however each of which caused mass destruction to planets, worlds, and super strong starships. The Leviathan with its improved weapons and armour may not stand too much of a chance against a phenomena as this. The best thing to do is to get out of its way, but with it originating in one place, the storm fans out in all direction. Out running it is the only option left.

"Sir, we are at 100 million kilometres from the Nova but decreasing in distance," Jakur said from Ops"The gravimetric pull from the collapse star is pulling us in."

"Shields up! Red Alert" Devore yelled. "Lieutenant Torh. Did you get enough information on the star before it went supernova ?"

"Yes sir." Lieutenant Torh the chief science officer said. "The information I got was tremendous. I am very pleased. I feel that the Starfleet academia will be as well." "Ummm, Good Lieutenant, but if we don't get out of here we will become a statistic to the Starfleet academia," Devore said. "Helm get us out of here, Warp 21."

Ensign Goory punched a few co-ordinates and had the Leviathan ready to go just waiting on the Captain orders, "co-ordinates laid in, sir 180 mark 210"

"Very well Ensign take us into the stream." Ensign Goory tried to engage the slip stream drive, but nothing happened. "Ensign any time now."

"Sir, the SS drive will not engage."

"Ensign Shaka, what is the problem. The one time I need it, it doesn't work!" Devore yelled over the rumbling of the ship. The leading edge of the disturbance is beginning to over take the Leviathan.

"I am not sure. Just a second sir. According to the system specs everything is in order." Shaka said ardently looking over the schematics to the drive.

"Ensign Hansen!"

[Yes sir.] Hansen said from engineering.

"Jonathan. I need all available power to the auxiliary warp drive," Devore said.

[Okay sir. Rerouting power now.]

"Let me know when it is ready!'

[Understood]

"Captain, 2 minutes till the wake hits us!" Toran yells.

"Helm, follow the co-ordinates laid in maximum impulse," Harris ordered.

"Aye sir."

"Shaka.. any time now!"

"Sir!" Shaka snapped. "I am looking! According to the schematics everything is working fine."

"Ensign," Devore responded as coolly as possible considering the level of disrespect he had just received. "Everything is not working fine because we are not travelling at any warp."

"Impact in 1 minute!" Toran yelled.

*I am glad that the Admiral missed this. We can't even seem to get out of the way of an Ion storm* Devore thought.

Shaka looked at her con panel. It was a mess. She had been working on it trying to make it more efficient for the conversion for the slip stream station, but right now she would take functionality over efficiency any day.

"Impact in 20 seconds!"

She saw that everything was correct, injectors on line, warp core connected with the promethium conductor, plasma coolant functioning, then why wasn't it working. Then it hit her. Shaka forgot to reinitialize the command protocols for the station and engineering. "Computer. Initialize the command segment of the slip stream algorithms from engineering to this station." <Working>

"Impact in 10!"

<Initializing!>

"9!"

<Initializing!>

"8!"

<Initialing complete>

"7!"

Shaka calibrated the flow rate and made sure they were at the optimum levels.

"6!"

"All hands, brace for impact," Devore yelled

"5!"

Shaka set the injectors in motion and slipped the ship into the stream. The Leviathan seemed to stop as the saucer section began to stretch into space. The ion wake barely touched the end of the warp nacelles as the they retracted connecting itself to the rest of the ship. Everybody on the Bridge, let out a breath of relief, and looked over at Shaka. "What?" She yelled shrugging her shoulders.