The Final Battle : Kamikaze Mission

Bridge

The USS Leviathan-A had limped across space to the relative safety of the Gorta Extius system. It had taken them two days to cross the distance been Theta Gibron and Gorta Extius systems. Normally they would have done it in a couple of hours, but with the amount of damage that the ship had sustained, the ship was in a fragile state.

The crew had a plan to close the vortex that had been created by their mirror counterparts using the Leviathan's auxiliary warp core. If they didn't then the vortex was going to continue to expand and eventually destroy everything. Plus the longer the vortex was open between the two universes was open, the more chance there was that vessels from the other side would pass through.

"Captain, the 'Par Maru' and the Hellcat are both reporting that they are ready to leave." Junora Loris announced.

"Tell them they are clear to leave." Aki replied.

The Hellcat was going along to ensure that the 'Maru' reached its destination safely. The ever-present threat from having a link between two universes was great and the Hellcat was going along just in case.

The two ships left the Akira class vessels vast shuttlebay and headed back to the Theta Gibron system.

USS Hellcat

Commander Rashad sat on the command deck of the Hellcat watching the stars go by. Ensign MacTaggert was sat at the helm console, with Junora Loris and Ensign Vasquez either side of him manning the Ops and Tactical consoles. The last member of the crew was Lieutenant Commander Barker sat at the science station.

Alongside them was the transport vessel, the 'Par Maru', crewed by the mirror advisors, i-T'Kul t'Rashad and Eran Dukal. The 'Maru' was no longer the wreck the crew had found abandoned on an asteroid. The hull had been extensively patched up, the shields had been uprated and the engines and weapons systems overhauled.

['Maru' to Hellcat] The voice of t'Rashad announced. [We'll be reaching the Theta Gibron in two hours.]

"Confirmed." Commander Rashad replied.

Two hours later, the two vessels dropped out of warp and arrived close to the black hole and the vortex.

"Sensors show that the vortex is very unstable." Lieutenant Commander Barker announced for the Science console. "I'm not sure how long the link between the two universes will last."

"Ensign Vasquez, launch a class five probe." Rashad ordered. "Send it through the vortex."

A probe flew out of the Hellcat's torpedo launcher and headed towards the vortex.

"We're picking up data." Chu announced as the probe continued to send back data.

After five minutes, Chu looked up from the console and announced. "The probe has reached the other side. Sensors show that the probe is now in the alternate universe. All the sensors suggest that the universe on the other side of the vortex is t'Rashad's own. I also have data on when to detonate the warp core."

"Hellcat to 'Maru'." Rashad announced. "We have succeeded in sending a probe through the vortex. It looks like it still leads home, Mister Barker is sending you the data you'll need to drop the warp core."

"Dakul." Chu added. "You'll need to drop the core three minutes after you enter the vortex. Once you have dropped the core, get out of there as fast as you can."

[What about detonating the core ?] The voice of the Cardassian asked. [Won't we need to send a signal ?]

"I'll do that via the probe." Chu announced. "You'll have about thirty seconds before the core is detonated, the probe is powerful enough to send a signal, you just put all your reserve power into your aft shields and engines."

[Understood.] Dukal announced. [We are heading for the vortex now, we will enter in three minutes.]

The next five minutes seemed to drag, as the 'Maru' headed and then entered the vortex. The Hellcat's sensors tracked the ship until they were lost in the noise form the vortex. They all now depended on the probe in the other universe. It had been pre-programmed to detonate the core twenty-nine seconds after the 'Maru' dropped it from their cargo bay. The probe was then to self-destruct.

"Five…Four…Three…Two….One." Chu counted down. "The core should have been detonated. I'd suggest we get out of here."

"Helm, set a course away from this system." Rashad ordered. "Maximum warp."

The Hellcat sped away from the systems, with the crew watching the sensors and the viewscreen.

It took a couple of minutes before they were certain that they were at a safe distance.

"Helm, drop us out of warp." Rashad ordered. The Hellcat stopped once more three light-years away from the black hole. "Mister Barker….."

"Sensors are showing a massive sub-space event in the Theta Gibron system." Chu announced. "We're picking up so much subspace interference that I can't be sure if it's worked, but something had happened."

"Will it be safe to return ?" Rashad asked.

"So long as we don't drop our shields and keep well away from the centre of the system, we should be OK." Chu announced.

"Helm, set a course." Rashad announced.

The Hellcat returned the system and looked at the devastation that had been caused. What had once been a system with a black hole at its centre, not all that was left was radiation and stellar debris.

"The black hole appears to have implodes." Chu announced. "It's gone, releasing its matter and energy back into the system. In a couple of thousand years, the system will reform and possibly create a new system of planets with a sun at the centre. There's no sign of the vortex and no sign of any other vessels in the area. We have just destroyed a black hole and closed the vortex."

"Excellent." Rashad remarked. "Helm set a course back to the Leviathan. Enter the stream."