"All personnel are off the planet?", John looked at Dawn aboard the USS Quasar Quest.
"Evacuation confirmed, sir.", Dawn announced from the First Officer's Chair.
"Contact General Teero and inform him to light the engines.", Abby announced from the Engineer's Console.
"Locate Commander Summer Vasa and announce the start up of the engines.", John announced.
"Confirm start up with Commodore Tan.", Dawn looked at Abby.
"We have launch. The orbital decay of the Phoenix Colony has been confirmed. Gravity will soon engulf the planet and begin to pull it towards the wormhole.", Abby looked at the Engineering Console.
Summer began to pace on the Operations Deck of Lt. Governor's Station.
John looked at Dawn, "Inform Commodore Branson to announce to the Betazoid Alliance that the closing of the wormhole will commence within the hour."
Dawn took a deep breath before making the call. She knew that the Betazoids would be very unhappy with the decision.
John looked at Commander T'Zohl, "Inform Commander S'Ari that the Retarnee Fighters will likely follow the planet through the wormhole. They will be cut off from retreat. This will be the final fire fight of the Retarnee war."
John thought about the kamikaze attacks in Ephyra City. He thought about the surface and the need to protect the inhabitants from the potential of such attacks again.
"Abby, can you confirm contact with Commodore Tan?", John stood up and walked back towards engineering.
"My friend, do you have anything to say?", John looked at the viewer as Commodore Tan frantically worked the consoles to adjust the trajectory of the former Omega Planet.
"Please give my love to Summer Vasa. She is the one human who has been able to understand me. Please offer my thanks to Admiral William Hunt of the Phoenix Fleet, to Admiral Tim Veltkamp of the Omega Fleet and to Admiral Vincent Viceroy of the King's Fleet. Should this be my last transmision, I would like these great gentlemen to know that it has been an honor to serve with them.", Commodore Tan starred into the viewer.
"One last thing, John, I have seen you serve the King's Fleet for nearly 2 decades and believe you to be one of the good ones. Always continue to think for yourself. Being part of a collective is not what it is cracked up to be.", Tan thought about his own history in the Hierarchy Clans.
There was a collective hush as the Planet disappeared into the wormhole. The mighty force of Gravity shrunk the planet to about 1/3 of its original size. This was the belief and the theory behind the Acrylos Teero - Tegora Vasa equations. The smaller ejected planet would then be able to be captured by the gravity of Ephyra and orbit the planet become the Phoenix Moon.
Summer started to cry as she leaned on the console at Lt. Governor's Station. Tania walked over and put her hand on the shoulder of the Betazoid. The pair stood in silence.
There were literally people in the streets of Ephyra City. Nicole stood with Magenta Coren looking up at the sky. It was about to become on of the great celestrial displays ever observed by anyone in the history of Star Fleet and for that matter in the history of all living creatures.
Illyan and Loiza watched from Governor's Station near Izar. This was the end of a powerful trade route for the Betazoid Alliance into the Beta Quadrant. Illyan thought about what it would mean to have to travel to the Azure Nebula on the edge of Romulan Space to enter the Beta Quadrant. This was a horrible trade in his mind. He did not know the half of it.
Nicole clasped her fingers in the hand of Magenta Coren and watched as the planet exited the wormhole in a stunning flash. Within moments the repulsion wave from the expulsion closed the wormhole FOREVER. Nicole looked at Magenta and then watched in horror as Magenta slowly turned transparent and then disappeared. She had been brought back to life by the wormhole and the life force no longer existed. No one told Nicole about this. She started screaming. Seeing the horror in her mother, Brenna started screaming. Nicole fell to her knees in absolute horror. She was crying and screaming. She had lost Magenta AGAIN. It was over AGAIN.
The horrible site was broadcast live on the BBC and Summer herself watched the horror. She thought of Commodore Tan and started screaming. She was worried about the mighty Hierarchy Clanner losing his life to the repulsion as well. Everyone screamed watching the skies.
In truth, it was up to the forces of the universe now. The planetoid would either be grabbed by Ephyra and begin to spin around the planet or it would miss and continue through the universe becoming nothing more than a dangerously large asteroid. Dr. Tegora Vasa looked at Acrylos, "This is the final test. Either your theories are correct or you have doomed everyone to the loss of the most valuable resource base in the universe."
Acrylos was pissed off that she would say it so matter-of-factly. Tegora was still bitter that Acrylos had chosen Henrietta Hatherton over her. Acrylos looked at Tiger, "It will work. It has to."
The whole surface of Ephyra shook as the mighty gravitational pull was transferred to the planet. Lt. Governor's Station shook so violently by the increase in orbital power that many things were badly damaged. Summer suddenly had something to focus on. She had to save her station. She was focused on damage control.
She started shouting orders and activated fire response equipment. Summer ordered the scrambling of all fighters from the Hive. Commander S'Ari had her Stingers in the air almost immediately. Summer started screaming for Nancy Branson to maintain the stabilizers. Nancy worked feverishly to keep the station together.
Summer contacted the surface, "We can confirm that the Phoenix Moon is within the orbit. It will be at least a couple of revolutions at this speed before we can confirm permanent orbit."
"We can confirm your findings.", Professor Huggartin announced from the Academy.
Illyan announced from Izar, near Betazoid, "The Betazoid Alliance confirms the orbit.'
Summer looked at Tania as she announced on all channels, "All vessels and all fighters, prepare to engage the chasing fighters of the Retarnee. The last battle of the Retarnee war is about to begin."
"Stingers ho!", Commander S'Ari announced as the Fighter Squadron, the rarely used Fighter Squadron was suddenly given center stage.
Summer began a rotating cycle trying to contact Commodore Tan on every channel. She wanted confirmation.
Acrylos looked at Governor Enranet and Vedek Baa'Hal as the Cardassian and Centaur joined the crew on Lt. Governor's. Enranet took a deep breath, "Orbit?"
"Temporarily confirmed.", Acrylos looked at Vash.
Vash held up his fingers and slowly crossed them in a very human gesture. Vash looked at Bianca, "Any prayers would be most helpful."
"This is not a great day for the Bajoran Faith. One of the conduits to the prophets is forever closed by our hand. Each and every time we distance ourselves from our faith, we distance ourselves from greatness.", Bianca preached.
Vash looked at the dense blackness where once stood the great blue hue of the edge of a wormhole and wondered if Bianca was not in at least part correct. Had they destroyed a great church? Had they burned the Vatican to achieve the natural resources? Vash replayed the video of Nicole Branson laying on the ground sobbing at the death, the third death of Magenta Coren Branson for this same resource. Was it worth it? It had to be. It had to work.
The silence on the Operations Deck of Lt. Governor's was deafening. The beautiful orange sun that was Beta Ursae began to set in the Ephyra sky. The orbiting Hive, Lt. Governor's Station appeared as large lights in the sky. Ephyra's moon slowly began to appear and the citizens of Ephyra were given the opportunity to watch the Phoenix Moon pass behind the Moon of Ephyra twice in the night creating a very fast lunar eclipse. There were students at Star Fleet East who have had a greater astrometric education in the last 24 hours than many who have served on a Star Fleet vessel for literally decades.
Summer never left her post. She sat at the Communications console all night. She was slumped over the console in the morning when she heard a voice, a very special voice. She started to cry with the words.
"Lt. Governor's Station, this is the Phoenix Moon. All engines confirmed shutdown and lunar atmosphere beginning to form. Hoping to step out onto the surface within the hour. Atmospheric conditions will require a space suit for humans but continues to develop. Informing Geological Survey Offices at Star Fleet East as we speak. Preparing to confirm Omega Enriched Dilithium.", Commodore Tan announced on all channels.
Acrylos Teero screamed, "Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Acrylos looked at Tegora and then picked her up spinning her around, "I told you it would work!"
He was as much trying to convince himself as much as Tiger Vasa. Acrylos turned to Hattie, "The engines were genius. I love you."
He picked her up and gave her a big kiss. Hattie started to cry, "We did it."
Summer screamed, "You did it."
Summer could not help but think about two people, Marcus Dinn who spent a year in a Retarnee prison to give them the information necessary to know that the Retarnee were preparing to retake the Omega Planet and Nicole Branson who had lost so much in recent history. She had lost the role of Governor to Vash Enranet to prevent further Cardassian invasions and now she had lost Magenta for a third time to ensure that the Alpha Quadrant had Dilithium.
Tamara beamed from Star Fleet East to the surface in a full EVP suit. She walked into the Omega Processing Plant in Omega Prime. The planet had seen a lot of decay over the past year and the plant itself had been no exception. The plant had also been heavily bombed by the Retarnee and had once been eradiated by Star Fleet to keep everyone out. It looked horrible but the student lead her team into the processing core. This would be the final check. Was it all worth it?
Tamara took some crystals out of the outfeed conveyor. She held up a geological tricorder. The tricorder started to move. Tamara had been a student of the Academy every since locating her father. She always wanted to make him proud. She got to make the announcement every student in the academy dreamed of.
"This is Chief Petty Officer Tamara Warren-Tanus of Star Fleet East. It is my honor to...", Tamara paused. She could not believe how special an opportunity this was.
"confirm the existence of Omega Enriched Dilithium.", she finished her thought.
The entire student body erupted with joy. Star Fleet East, the Ephyra Institute of Star Fleet Technology, will forever be considered a school of choice now. Who would not want to be part of something special? Who would not want to be part of a place that had made such a discovery? The astrometrics and Stellar Cartography Lessons taught at Star Fleet East in the last 24 hours would rival any of the great lectures ever given at the Academy in Paris itself.
John and Dawn stood on the bridge of the Quasar Quest. John looked at Commander Keystone, "Mission Accomplished."
"Mission Accomplished.", Dawn smiled sticking out her hand.
John shook her hand and then looked around the bridge, "Great job, crew! great job."
Posted by:
Nicole Branson
Chancellor - Star Fleet East
Ephyra Colony
King's Fleet
Based upon a Concept developed by
Brig. General Acrylos Teero
Chief Engineer
Ephyra Colony
King's Fleet
Written in consultation with
Commodore Tania Branson
Fleet Command
Ephyra Colony
King's Fleet
