Deck one had become a hive for engineers. The injured crew members had either been healed on deck or taken to the already overflowing sickbay. T'Soni sat in the center chair as she oversaw the movement of the crew. Although turbolifts were working they were limited in the quantity at which they could transport a group of people comfortably.

Despite all of the noise being made on the bridge a private space on the port side of the deck specially reserved for the ship's commander. A private and highly irregular conversation was being had.

“Who is in charge then, Lieutenant,” Nitus said a little louder than she intended. She was in shock. The Human lieutenant had just told her one of her closest friends and most trusted confidants was in the ICU. It was news that would be hard for anyone to swallow.

“Deputy Chief Engineer Kevil ch'Kavor, ma'am,” he said calmly,

Upon the name of the Andorain officer, she began to relax. She had grown to appreciate the skills and expertise of the deputy chief. He had proven to her time and time again that he was a very capable officer and leader.

“Was there anything else?” she asked him. As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it immediately.

Kevil sighed as he dropped his head. "We are detecting a large debris field fast approaching us. We will be within the outer field in six hours give or take," he said to her as they shared a worried look. A chime came from the door. Nitus quickly told them to enter as she looked to see who it was.

“Commander,” Kevil said as she entered the room.

“What is it, Lieutenant?” Nitus asked him.

“I have an update on all systems. Life support is nearly repaired, deflector shields need another hour same with internal force fields, and engines need another three,” he said handing her a PADD of all of the systems that still need repairs and are already repaired.

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” she said taking the PADD as she glanced at it before setting it down on the desk. Nitus stood up and walked over to the window looking at the orange hue of the Underspace corridor. “I want you both to have this ship eighty-five percent repaired in the next five hours. Use any resource you need to get it done," she said as she stared out of the window. She turned her head to them as she spoke, “Can you do that?” she asked them.

They looked at each other as they had a conversation with their eyes before they turned back and nodded at her. She smiled softly before she turned her attention back to what was happening outside of the ship. “Good, you're dismissed.”

5 Hours Later

Captain's Log Supplemental. The engineering department has made fantastic work in the past five hours. They have gone above and beyond what I asked of them. We are nearly ninety-seven percent repaired. This is a testament to the amazing crew of the USS Paramount. However two systems are not welling to complile. They have been fully repaired but for some reason internal force fields and deflector shields are not working properly. Lieutenants ch'Kavor and Hilton are on their way to express how they maybe able to bring those systems online fully.

“We need to reboot the ship,” ch'Kavor said smiling brightly. He had hoped to not sound like a madman as he told them his plan. The senior staff with the additions of ch'Kavor and Hilton sat in the conference room. A holographic image sat in the middle of the desk showing they had just over an hour to get deflector shields back online.

“You can't be serious,” D'Antonio said looking at him with disbelief. The flight control officer looked frantically at his colleagues at the other sitting at the table.

Nitus sat as she looked at and looked to T'Soni asking her with words if this was their only choice.

“Lieutenant ch'Kavor, proceed with caution we need to be fully online twenty minutes before we reach the debris field,” she said cutting in between the exchange between ch'Kavor and D'Antionio. “Yes, ma'am. We're ready and fully operational,” he said looking between the two most senior officers on the ship.

He and Hilton both nodded to the table as they left the room to begin work.

As soon as they left D'Antonio sighed loudly. “Commander you can not be serious,” he said to her in disbelief.

“I'm inclined to disagree,” Zolath said, “All evidence points to the computer core needing to be rebooted. I wholeheartedly agree.” The tactical and security chief said as he looked at the others. He was usually the more safe one of the senior staff. He always choosed the option with the least danger.

“This was never up for discussion,” Blix interrupted as he looked at Zolath and D'Antionio, “the decision has already been made. So whatever reservations you have… bury them,” he said as he looked at D'Antionio. Blix speaks rarely speaks during staff meetings but when he does he usually speaks from a place of wisdom. He is a strong voice for keeping the crew safe but knows when he needs to step out of what is comfortable.

“With that, you all are dismissed,” Nitus said as they all began to stand from the table. “Aside from you Mr. D'Antionio,” she said as the young officer sat back in his seat. T'Soni looked to Nitus asking her without words if she should leave. Nitus shook her head no.

ch'Kavor walked towards the pool table. “Lieutenant, we're almost ready,” Hilton called from the warp core as he walked towards the Andorain. “Good,” he said. ch'Kavor walked up to the pool table as he worked to prepare the ship for what was to come.

“Thomas, I want to go to the bridge and take over the engineering station,” he said as he continued to work at the pool table. “If you don't wa…” 

“I DO!” Hilton said fast as he stepped closer to ch'Kavor. The Andorain looked at him surprised by his actions. Hilton became nervous and stepped back realizing that he had said that a little too loud. “Okay,” ch'Kavor said as he walked over to one of the consoles along the wall. “You can go,” he said dismissing him.

As Hilton left the doors out of engineering ch'Kavor tapped his combadge. A chime greeted him after, “ch'Kavor to bridge," he said. ch'Kavor rarely becomes nervous. He was more nervous than he had ever been before. 

“What is it, Lieutenant?” Nitus asked her voice echoing through the deck.

“We're all ready down here. On your order, ma'am,” he responded. In that moment he realized the true gravitas of what they were about to embark on. If his plan failed he would be the reason everyone on the ship died. If it worked he would be the reason they all made it through.

 “Execute,” she said to him. He pressed the button on the console in an instant all the lights shut off.

‘One, two, three,’ he counted in his head as he pressed the button again, and… nothing happened.

“What the fu…” he said to himself. He tried to press it again and… nothing. “Can someone check the axial control capacitor,” he said to them as he moved around the pool table trying to get the system working.

As he began to work on how to get the systems working, the ship shook. Then he remembered there would be a small amount of debris just before the main debris field which told him he had five minutes to get deflectors and internal force fields online or everyone on the ship would be dead.

“What is going on Mr. Hilton,” Nitus said as she stood from the center chair. The half-Romulan commander looked at the Human officer at the engineering station as he tapped frantically at the console trying to find a solution to their problem.

“I'm not sure, ma'am. Systems should have been online by now,” he responded as he continued to work fast to find the solution to his problem. Hilton could feel the pressure with everyone on the bridge staring at him waiting for an update. 

“Umm, Commander,” D'Antonio said from the helm's station as he looked out of the main viewport.

Outside of the ship just beyond the bow was a sprawling field of debris. A chaotic graveyard of shattered hulls and twisted metal. Without deflector shields, every piece of debris posed a lethal threat to the already crippled starship.

“How far are we from interception?” Nitus asked aloud.

Jackson sat at the science station she tried to scan the debris field but soon remembered she couldn't. She stood up and tried to gauge it with her eye. “About three minutes, ma'am,” Zolath said as he looked out of the viewport than at Nitus.

“Lieutenant Hilton you have that time to get systems… all systems back online.” Nitus said as she walked over to her ready room.

Main engineering was a scene of barely controlled chaos. The smell of burning circuitry and the sharp tang of ozone filled the air. Sparks flew from an overloaded conduit, and consoles flickered erratically. The warp core pulsed with a sickly glow and the steady hum was replaced by an alarming series of warning chimes. Dim emergency lighting cast eeire shadows over the chaotic scene. An acrid scent of overheated circuits filled the room and the deckplates vibrated with the starin on the ship's systems.

ch'Kavor worked as fast as he could to get systems back online. He was overwhelmed with all of the noise and the chaos. As he worked he thought of all of the death he had caused. Systems weren't coming back online and life was being lost every second that passed.

The console he was woking at suddenly overloaded and exploded. The force blowing him back several feet causing him land on his face.

“Lieutenant have you done to my ship,” a women said through the haze. She slowly approached ch'Kavor and looked at him laying on the ground. The woman reached down to help him to his feet. As he stood to his feat he realized who it was that had helped him. “Commander!” he said exited as he pulled her in for a tight hug.

As he hugged her he realized how unprofessional he was being and pulled back taking a step away from her. “I've missed you too, Kevil,” Davidson said to him. The chief engineer place her hand on his shoulder as she smiled at him. “Shall we get the ship back together then?” she asked him.

ch'Kavor nodded at her.

They stepped over to the pool table and got to work. Their fingers moved so fast it was like a thunderstorm as they tapped on the console. To others it looked chaotic like they weren't doing anything but tapping at console with no purpose, but to them they were making art.

As they tapped at the console they quickly figured out what the issue was and rectafied it. “I've got it,” Davidson said. The lights brighter as the hum from the warp core came back and stelled in. ch'Kavor and Davidson looked at each other.

“Good job, Kevil,” she said as she turned to leaving engerring entering the hallway once again. “Where are you going?" ch'Kavor asked as he raced after her down the hall.

“To my quarters,” she said looking at him a little surprised that he asked the question. “This isn't exactly a duty uniform is it,” she said looking down at the medical gown she was waring. It was in that moment that ch'Kavor realized that he had hugged her while she was waring this barely covering gown.

“Right,” he said to her, “I'll see you once yo…" he was intrupped bu the klaxon blaring in the corridor. “I'll be back soon,” Davidson said as she ran to the nearest turbolift.

As ch'Kavor entered main engineering a voice came form the intercome, “All hands brace for impact.”

Nitus made a brisk walk to the command area. “Report,” said her voice carrying the authoritan sound the crew had grown accustomed to.

“We are approaching the end of the corridor, ma'am,” Jackson said from the science station.

“How long do we have?” Nitus asked she knew it wouldn't be a lot by looking out of the viewport, but she needed to ask. “Commander we have one minute," Jackson responded.

With an instant Nitus tapped her combadge, “All hands brace for impact.”

The Paramount vibrated as it neared the exit of the Underspace corridor. The lights dimmed briefly as power was rerouted to the deflector shield, a necessary precaution for the upcoming turbulence. A shimmering tunnel of light enveloped the ship, its edges rippling with energy.

As the Paramount approached the corridor's end. The tunnel's walls began to distort and fray like the fabric of space itself was being unstitched.

“Corridor exit in three… two… one…”

With a final lurch, the Paramount burst free from the Underspace corridor, te surrounding space snapping back to normal with a muted thud. Stars reappeared in the viewpoer, twinkling serenely as the ship's systems stabilized.

“Underspace corridor exit successful,” reported D'Antonio. “We are now back in normal space.”

The whole deck erupted in a loud thunderous clapping. Nitus exhaled slowly relived at the fact. “All stations, report status,” she said looking out of the viewport. ‘I wonder what’s next,' she thought to herself.