The Raven class vessel rocked as it was struck several times along its length moments before a pair of Romulan shuttlecraft streaked past on the main view screen as they headed away from the Federation ship.

“Lay in a pursuit course maximum impulse.”

“Aye captain” The young Bolian Helmsman answered, his blue skinned fingers dancing swiftly across the controls.

Jason Devron turned his head slightly to his right, “Statue?”

The blonde headed human male seated to the rear of the bridge replied without looking away from his instruments. “Shields at 82%.  No structural damage or injuries to report, sir”

What up until less than five minutes ago and seeming like a perfectly simple and straight forward mission and turned into something a little different.  Jason and a small crew had been tasked with checking on a Federation Monitoring Satellite which had stopped broadcasting its signal only the day before.  The job of the engineers onboard would be either to fix the satellite or failing that replace it with a new and functioning one they had brought with them.

However the Rumulan’s appeared to have other ideas.  Two of their well-armed Shuttlecraft had de-cloaked   off the Raven’s’ port side, opened fire with disruptors and photon torpedoes as they made their first attack run.   Devron had been quick enough to order the shields raised, but had limited success in returning fire.

Before the two shuttles can around for another pass they split up and approached from different angles, so as to prevent the Federation vessel concentrating its fire in one location.  Now the three vessels where racing towards the outer rings of a nearby gas giant.  The rings ranged from dust particles to tumbling masses of rock no larger than a Rhode Island Class Scout.  However the rocks were fairly well spaced out limiting the danger of any collision between them and the ships.

Devron waited finger ready to open fire, as the distance closed agonizingly slowly.  “Come on” he muttered under his breath, “Just a little more”

Out of nowhere came an almost blinding flash and the Raven class ship spun like it had been smashed into by some huge fist.  The ships collision alarm sounded, as the main lights on the bridge failed along with various pieces of equipment.

“Damage report?” He yelled, as next to him the Bolian next to him battle to regain control of the spinning ship.

“Shields down.  Hull breach’s Section 7 decks 3 and 4.  Venting plasma from the starboard nacelle…..”  Was the reply he received back.

“Can’t regain control of the ship” The Bolian cut in, “Helm is not responding to any command, and I’ve tried rerouting and bypassing everything!”

Jason could see the universe flashed pasted on the view screen which now had a crack running from the top left corner to a point just short of the center. Every so often the image of a large rock they were now cartwheeling towards would race past from left to right.  Each time at a different angle up always closer.

“Impact in 2 minutes 37 seconds.”

Jason switched the com system to broadcast a message through the whole of the ship. “All hands abandon ship, repeat abandon ship.”

No sooner had the final word left his lips than everything seemed to stop.  The crew around him became motionless and the stars froze on the view screen.  First the crew disappeared, then the consoles and work-stations, followed by the hull of the ship only to be replaced by the grid of a holo-deck.  Only the seat Devron was sitting in remained as a door and computer archway appeared roughly where the view screen had been moments before.

He stood, as a Vulcan training officer entered through the door,  Only now did the seat, the last part of the totally life like and tangible computer generated creation fade into nothing.

Lieutenant-Commander Salan, looked at Devron with both a hint of puzzlement and wonder in only the way a Vulcan could look at any human who’d just totally screwed up!

“Remarkable” The Vulcans eyebrows raised and his head tilted ever so slightly to the right as he brought both his hands together in front of him.  “Debriefing in 20 minutes Mr Devron, gather your thoughts.”  With that he spun round and walked out whispering ‘remarkable’ to himself once more.