[2007: JAN-FEB] Spheres of influence

[Ryan Horn]

Lt. Matthew Ray struggled to consciousness.

The dim light of cabin pierced his weary eyes as he slowly sat up. Far too few lights greeted him from the runabout's console, a sign that the situation had gotten worse as he slept.

He got up, half-heartedly tapping several consoles, unsurprised at their lack of response. He picked up the PADD from the floor before sitting back down on the makeshift bed.

"Stardate...unknown. This is Lieutenant Matthew Ray, formerly of the USS Trantor. The Trantor was destroyed in the same event that trapped me here. A Romulan Warbird decloaked off the Starboard, firing as she did. We managed to defeat her, but the cowards released the safeties on their core. The singularity ripped through the ship, I managed to get to the runabout...but the damage was too severe. I've managed to coerce the ship into an orbit around this planet. Unfortunately, my readings indicate the energies surrounding the planet are...hazardous. And with each pass around the planet, things get worse. My health is failing, and I feel drained, constantly tired. I've diverted all the power I can, with any luck I'll have enough to break orbit. Too tired to continue, will need all of my energy if this succeeds. "

The young man lay back down on his bunk, as the tiny craft continued its circular path around the planet.

Lt. Ray struggled to consciousness.

The dim light of cabin pierced his weary eyes as he slowly sat up. Far too few lights greeted him from the runabout's console, a sign that the situation had gotten worse as he slept.

He got up, half-heartedly tapping several consoles, unsurprised at the lack of response. He picked up the PADD from the floor before sitting back down on the makeshift bed.

"Stardate...unknown. This is Lieutenant...Ray, formerly of the Federation ship Trantor. The Trantor was destroyed in the same event that trapped me here. We ran across a Romulan Warbird decloaked near this planet. The captain ordered us to fire on the vessel. Despite our advantage, she fought well, but We managed to defeat her. They begged for surrender, but the captain fired again. Unfortunately that released the safeties on their core. The singularity ripped through the ship, I managed to get to the runabout...but the damage was too severe. I've managed to coerce the ship into an orbit around this planet. Unfortunately, my readings indicate the energies surrounding the planet are...hazardous. And with each pass around the planet, things get worse. My health is failing, and I feel drained, constantly tired. I've diverted all the power I can, with any luck I'll have enough to break orbit. Too tired to continue, will need all of my energy if this succeeds. "

The young man lay back down on his bunk, as the tiny craft continued its circular path around the planet.

The young man struggled to consciousness.

"Stardate...unknown. This is Matthew, formerly a passenger of the Federation ship Trantor. The Trantor was destroyed in the same event that trapped me here. The captain of the Trantor had sent a message requesting aid. As the Romulans lowered their shields to assist the Trantor fired on them. The Romulans begged for surrender, but the captain fired again. Unfortunately that released the safeties on the Romulan ship's core. The singularity ripped through the ship, I managed to get to the runabout...but the damage was too severe. I've managed to coerce the ship into an orbit around this planet. Unfortunately, my readings indicate the energies surrounding the planet are...hazardous. And with each pass around the planet, things get worse. My health is failing, and I feel drained, constantly tired. I've diverted all the power I can, with any luck I'll have enough to break orbit. Too tired to continue, will need all of my energy if this succeeds."

The young man lay back down on his bunk, as the tiny craft continued its circular path around the planet.

The man struggled to consciousness.

The dim light of cabin pierced his weary eyes as he slowly sat up. Far too few lights greeted him from the runabout's console, a sign that the situation had gotten worse as he slept.

He got up, half-heartedly tapping several consoles, unsurprised at the lack of response. He picked up the PADD from the floor before sitting back down on the makeshift bed.

"To whoever finds this PADD. This is...is...the occupant of the ship. My name is not important, what is important is the news getting out. I was a passenger on Romulan ship 'T'Shen'. The Captain of that ship was giving me a tour of the bridge when a message was received. A Federation ship, the Trantor, was broadcasting a ship's emergency message. The T'Shen moved to assist, when the Trantor opened fire without warning. Despite the cowardly attack, the T'Shen was victorious. Not willing to accept defeat, the Trantor detonated their warp core, destroying the safeties on the T'Shen. I managed to get to this runabout...but the damage was too severe. I've managed to coerce the ship into an orbit around this planet. Unfortunately, my readings indicate the energies surrounding the planet are...hazardous. And with each pass around the planet, things get worse. My health is failing, and I feel drained, constantly tired. I've diverted all the power I can, with any luck I'll have enough to break orbit. I must get through this, tell everyone the truth of what happened!"

The young man lay back down on his bunk, as the tiny craft continued its circular path around the planet.

The two Romulans looked in on the young man sleeping in front of them. Around them, the lines of the holodeck shutting down replaced the dimly lit cabin. The shorter of the two leaned down to pick up the PADD left behind as the man slept on.

"Well?"

"Progress continues as expected. The longest time was required to convince him of a Romulan victory, from here we can convince him of any situation."

"How long until he'll work for us?"

The shorter Romulan paused, considering. "It's hard to be certain, I believe perhaps ten more cycles?"

"Excellent, proceed. I want our young Lieutenant in place by the end of the month. His personal changes should fit nicely with the commissioning of a new ship within the Federation. 'A little revolution is good... every now and then.'" An evil smile crossed his features. I believe that Lieutenant Ray will make an excellent addition to such an...independent...ship."