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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"><IRW Pretak></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Commander Chulak turned abruptly as the door to his Bridge opened and Senator Taris entered, "Senator, you honor us with your presence."</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"What is you status?" Taris chirped.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"I was not aware that you had left the colony…" Chulak said turning back to his display, "We have disabled the Earth ship and have accepted their surrender. The Pretak will take possession of the Yorktown…"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"For what purpose? There is barely a scrap of tritanium undamaged, there is a massive whole in the saucer and a nacelle missing…"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"The ship, like a human, is remarkably redundant," Chulak continued, "our scans show the warp manifold is intact, as well as the port and starboard plasma accelerators, and the impulse manifold…"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Twenty seconds Commander…" a sub-lieutenant called out from the tactical station.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"… and the ship's Commander and First Officer will be arrested and tried for crimes against the Empire.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"…and of the crew?" Taris asked as the Yorktown grew larger on the main viewer.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Our previous subjects have given us detail knowledge of their species… we needn't expend the resources…"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">Yorktown, on the main viewer, lurched forward. Chulak glared at the weapons officer, "Sub-lieutenant…!"</font></font></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"They have power their engines… they may be trying to escape…?" the young officer said cautiously.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Prevent them," Chulak ordered gripping the edge of his console tightly.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"I thought they had surrendered!?" Taris asked curtly.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Perhaps the word has a disparate meaning to humans," Chulak snapped, "we have them out-classed, this is just a minor delay."</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"They're accelerating…" Taris mocked.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Chulak's eyes narrowed, he wished he could have the Senator removed, but even here she was too powerful, "Are there any mines close?"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Not close enough Commander."</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Fire the warhead." Chulak ordered tapping his access code.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Commander, so close to the planet?"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Fire the warhead!" Chulak snapped.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Sir," the sub-lieutenant replied and activated the special weapons controls, "I've targeted their primary impulse manifold… the 1.8 giga-ton yield will kill the crew… we should evacuate the Colony…"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"The Colony will survive, we can fight radiation sickness, and nothing heals like victory."</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Ten seconds to impact… Commander the Earth ship… they're powering their warp drive."</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"With one nacelle," Chulak stood and approached the science station, "what are they thinking?"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"What about the warhead, Commander?" Taris asked.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">Chulak turned toward the Senator as the flash filled the screen.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">Yorktown pushed past the light barrier at the moment the warhead detonated. The explosion was caught in the unstable warp field and seemed to writhe against the bounds of normal space.</font></font></font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">The Earth ship pulled away from the boiling energies, stretching forward until the very fabric of space could no longer hold out. </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">The tear was small at first, but as the Yorktown continued to struggle it grew, spreading out along the warp field engulfing the ship.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"What have they done?" Chulak mumbled as the subspace tear swallowed Yorktown. </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"Sir… the minefield!"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">The first of the mines near the tear burst, followed by a string of others spreading out like a starburst.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">The Pretak shuddered as the subspace tear pulled on the ship's warpfield, "Sub-lieutenant, back us away…"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">"I can not, we're being pulled in… the whole fleet…" the officer responded, "we are…"</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">The Pretak disappeared into the tear.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">On the surface of Galorndon Core a new star, glorious and terrible filled the night sky above the research colony. The residents rose quickly from their beds to witness the world's end.</font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">…and behold, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became as black as sack cloth, and the moon became as blood. And the seas boiled and the skies fell.</font></p>
<span lang="EN"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></font></font></span>
<p><span lang="EN"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman"></font></font></font></span> </p>
<p><span lang="EN"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman">TCG<br><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman, Times, Serif"><i>"Lying is a skill like any other. And if you want to maintain a level of excellence, you have to practice constantly." - <b>Elim Garak</b></i></font></font></font></font></span></p>
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<br></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>RM<br><br>"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."<br>-Calvin & Hobbes<br>