Saffiya stared at the two Ensigns in front of her who had just reported that the Cupertino was on a collision course with a debris field. It had been one of the concerns her tactical Officer had voiced when first taking over from Lieutenant Keller, and it made an already unideal situation a hundred times worse. 

The temperature on the bridge seemed to drop a few degrees as a cold chill ran down her spine. She remembered that their navigational capacities were severely reduced, and the shields weakened from their initial travel through the subspace aperture. 

“How much time until collision?”, she asked with a somewhat unusual amount of authority and determination in her voice, and headed to the centre chair. 

“At the current speed, three minutes, thirty-seven seconds.”, explained Leski. 

Saffiya’s thoughts raced as she considered the limited time, and there seemed to be some unknown force wrapping around her chest and constricting her lung’s ability to expand. But the rising panic was something the young Captain had to set aside for now, and concentrate on what was happening right in front of her. Which was an approach that had Saffiya put her feelings into the mental feelings-box, and lock that mental box in a mental closet – to be dealt with at a later stage. 

Or never. That depended on whether they collided with the debris or not. 

“Red alert. Let’s buy us some time.”, she nodded. She needed to find a way to slow the ship down, and she remembered something from her earlier discussions with the science team about the unknown particles they had encountered. 

“We need to modulate the shields to create increased friction with the unknown particles around us. This should create enough drag to slow us down and buy us a little more time.”

Both Ensigns exchanged glances, but didn’t question their Captain’s decision. 

Karrax’s fingers flew over his console. “ I’ll adjust the shields’ modulation parameters to counter the particle frequency. It might take a few moments to see the effect.”

“Good.”, she turned to her pilot. “Your name, Ensign?”

“… Leski.. Fransix Leski…”, said Leski, who would have been surprised at the question if he wasn’t occupied with the imminent threat. 

“Ensign Leski, prepare to make any necessary course adjustments once we start slowing down,” Saffiya continued. “We need to be ready to maneuver through the debris field as soon as we regain control.”

“Understood, Captain,” Leski replied, his hands poised over the helm controls.

Saffiya took a deep breath, and opened a shipwide channel. She wouldn’t leave her crew in the dark again. “All hands, brace for possible turbulence. We’re attempting to slow the ship using an untested method. Stay focused and be prepared for anything.”

The bridge crew acknowledged her command, their expressions tense but resolute. Saffiya watched as Karrax worked his magic at the science station, inputting the necessary adjustments to the shield parameters. 

“Shields are modulating to the specified frequency, Captain,”Karrax reported. “We should start to feel the effects now.”

Seconds ticked by, and the ship’s hull began to vibrate ever so subtly. The view screen showed the debris field looming closer, but the rate of their approach seemed to be slowing.

“It’s working,” Leski said. ”We’re decelerating.”

“Maintain the modulation and keep an eye on the shield integrity,” she instructed. “How long until collision?” 

“Eight minutes.” 

Saffy nodded. “With the current navigational controls available, will you be able to make the precise maneuvers needed to avoid any of the debris?”

“I … “

“Yes or no, Ensign Leski. You know your abilities better than anyone else, and I am relying on your judgement here.”

“Yes.”, said Leski in a high-pitched voice that didn’t instil confidence, but Saffiya decided to trust him. Her hands gripped the arms of her chair as they neared the edge of the debris field.

“Prepare for evasive maneuvers,” she ordered. “Karrax, monitor the shields closely and adjust as needed to maintain the drag effect.”

“Ready, Captain,” Leski confirmed.

“Shields holding steady,” Karrax reported, his eyes fixed on the sensor readouts.

Saffiya nodded “Let’s navigate through this carefully. ”

Her heart pounded in her chest, but she felt a surge of pride in her crew’s quick thinking and cooperation. Time itself seemed to slow down considerably, and then all of the sudden speed up again, and there wasn’t a single word being said as the crew waited. 

Saffyia fixed her eyes on the view screen, where larger parts of debris became more and more visible, and unbeknownst to her, she thought the same as the two Ensigns had. This had been a ship. From the size of it, a passenger liner, with thousands of people on board. And despite knowing that it was pointless, her voice broke the silence. Deep down, she still held that little hope of being able to make a difference. 

“Scan for lifesigns as we pass the debris…”