Not Yet

Chief Shale awoke on the floor in front of the Helm station. The Bridge was a mess with a few fires and sparks coming from electrical control panels. His shoulder was now throbbing and his head was spinning, as he put his right hand on his forehead, he felt a cut still bleeding. Shale slowly stood up and walked around to his station taking a few minutes to gather his thoughts.

"Computer ! Damage report." The computer didn't respond. He realised that the ship's computer was down for now and of no use.

Ensign Gordon sat up and looked around. She took in to the dismal sight.

"Don't try, sir. The computer isn't responding." Shale said noticing she was trying to speak. "We need to get to engineering and try and get a better picture there."

Ensign Gordon was sporting a bruise and a broken nose but carried on grabbing a med kit. She went over to the Chief.

"I'll be fine. Let's get to Engineering." Shale said standing up.

*Okay if you want to.* Gordon said to herself.

The two found their way to Engineering. The scene there was a little better, than the Bridge. A few collapsed bulkheads and one exploded console which had killed one of the engineers. The other engineer was laying on his back knocked out, He had been burned and there was a piece of metal in his stomach.

"Sir, tend to your crew. I'll see what is wrong with the ship ?" Shale said staggering to the central engineering control station. The station had a computerised blueprint that was functioning as was the rest of the station. He sat down and started up the secondary power source to find out the full extent of the damage. After about fifteen minutes, Ensign Gordon came over to where the Chief was.

"How bad is it ?"

"Well secondary power is online, sensors are off-line, targeting and weapons systems off-line, life support is not too good. The navigation is the worst." Shale said not sugar coating anything.

"What else are we going to do ? I'll take your suggestions."

Shale thought and got an idea. "Okay sir here is how I see the situation. The Bariens aren't going for us because we aren't a large enough of a power signature. So I'll get to work on the life support and you get to working on the navigation syst......"

Suddenly his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out. Gordon quickly stripped his uniform down over his shoulder and looked at his shoulder. It and his right hand were covered in blood. She grabbed the MEd kit and scanned the chief.

He had about five pieces of metal in his shoulder, so she gave him a hypospray and bandaged him up. She then grabbed a tool chest and Padd before making her way to the maintenance junction to get the life support and sensors online. Shale awoke and realised that she had left him in Engineering. He got up and walked over looking diligently for the engineers kit. He wanted to get to work on the navigation gyros.

"Chief ! What are you doing ?"

Shale then turned around and said."We must hurry. We could be a target anytime now, so we have to work quickly to get us going."

"Not you though. You need to rest."

"I am fine, Janet."

"You sure."

"Yes sir."

"By the way.. call me ma'am... it sounds better, after all I am a woman."

*I know.*

"Yes ma'am."

"Fine. Now I've got sensors and life support on line. Navigation will be online in just a moment."

Shale knew deep down that they were beat and he didn't want to admit, but he prolonged an answer.

"Well truth is we are a target and we are dead if we stay here, but there's a class three nebula about 12,000 Kilometres from our last known position. We can hide in there and make the necessary repairs, all we need is the shields and life-support fully operational."

".. or we can go back to the Leviathan." Janet remarked.

"Maybe so, but we are in the middle of a war and there's no way to communicate."

"Well we need to find a way."

"Yes ma'am."