Dawa’s hands flew across the console, and she didn’t look up as she spoke. “That signal is from one of the cadet ships. It descended too far and now it doesn’t have any functioning sensors due to atmospheric interference. They’re scrambling their more experienced pilots on the base, but trying to find that ship will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t look good, but we have to try to help if we can.”

Cam swiftly concurred and, with seamless efficiency, steered the bomber toward the vessel’s most recent coordinates. His maneuvers were so sharp that were it not for the protection of the Apsara-class vessel’s inertia dampeners and shielding, Cam and Dawa’s insides would have been plastered against the rear of the cockpit like some surreal piece of abstract art.

”Commander, do we possess information on the ship’s final known position, velocity, and projected course? Perhaps we can estimate the approximate area of its eventual destination?” Cam pondered aloud, his voice carrying his thoughts as he wrestled to stabilize the bomber’s turbulent flight.

“We sure do. Inputting it into navigation right now,” she said, unphased by the jolting and jostling of their vessel in the thick atmosphere.

”Obviously, the scanners aboard this craft aren’t equipped for such a task,” Cam pondered inwardly, recognizing their design limitations.

“You’re right there,” Dawa said forlornly. “They should be using an amplified distress beacon for atmospheric drills, but even those don’t travel very far in the thick of a J-class atmosphere.”

Cam wracked his brain, searching every nook and cranny of his thoughts while actively avoiding a fate similar to that of the unfortunate cadets. The thick atmosphere showed no mercy this day. Then, in a moment of recollection, Cam’s memory unearthed a passage from his recent readings during his final year at the Academy.

”Tachyons!” Cam exclaimed abruptly, akin to a triumphant ‘Eureka!’

“Gravitons!” Dawa shouted, finally looking up from her console to glance at Cam. “Why are we shouting the names of elementary particles?”

”Tachyons, Commander! What if we had Stinsfor emit a sequence of controlled tachyon pulses towards the nearest orbiting satellite, using it as a reflector? Once the pulses scatter across the surface, we can then triangulate the findings alongside our scanners, creating an analogy to sonar technology!” Cam’s words flowed out with remarkable speed, a reflection of his relief that years of enduring his brother’s scientific rambles had ultimately proven beneficial.

“Wha– uh. Hmm. ‘What if’ indeed…” Dawa’s brow furrowed in concentration as she pulled up the sensor interface on her console, trying to work out whether Cam’s idea was plausible. “I think it’s worth a shot!”

“Computer!” said Dawa. “Relay the following message to Stinsfor base: this is Lieutenant Commander Vlček in Apsara-class fighter B728 dash Ypsilon dash 4 requesting operational assistance in search and rescue…”

As the starfighter raced to the other side of the planet, a message came back from the base. “Looks like Operation: Solari’s Solution is a go,” she said, the hint of a smile in her voice despite the dire circumstances.

Soon, they were approaching the search radius for the missing ship. “Stinsfor base,” said Dawa, “Fire first pulse!”

“Confirmed, B728,” came the response. “Firing now.”

The holographic map in front of Dawa shimmered briefly, but no outlines appeared on the screen. “Recalibrating sensors… Stinsfor! Second pulse!”

The map shimmered again, and this time the outline of a half dozen fighters flying in a search formation appeared on the screen. “Well, that’s something. Cam, do you think you can bring us down another 100 kilometers? Or do you want to hand over the controls? No ego, be honest. I don’t want them searching for two lost ships.”

“I reckon I can manage around 120 meters, give or take. But it’s gonna be a real challenge,” Cam stated confidently.

With a gentle push on the lever displayed on the control panel, Cam directed the bomber’s nose downward. As the vessel sliced through the thickening atmosphere, vibrations surged, prompting Cam to stabilize the craft at around 50 meters below. 

As beads of sweat formed on his forehead, Cam employed his left hand to extend the deflectors to their maximum range. Simultaneously, he maneuvered the small ship downward at a slight angle. Despite the unrelenting turbulence, it remained manageable as they continued their descent, now finding themselves positioned 100 meters lower than their previous altitude.

”Guess I might have been a tad too gung-ho about the 120 meters. If you wanna go any lower, you’ll need to take the reins,” Cam admitted to Dawa.

’What were those Cadets thinking? No way they could handle these depths,’ Cam pondered privately, acknowledging that while he wasn’t the most seasoned pilot in the fleet, yet certainly ranked above many of his peers.

Abruptly, Cam’s internal musings were interrupted by the communication system coming to life, “B728, we’re standing by for the next pulse.”

“Continue holding, Stinsfor,” said Dawa.

She turned to Cam and considered him a moment before giving him a slight nod. A smile slowly spread across her face and she reached out to give his shoulder a squeeze. 

“Great job, Ensign. You’re one hell of a pilot.”

She turned back to her console and entered her command codes. A bright red light flashed and an alarm blared in one brief tone as the consoles in front of Cam and Dawa began flickering and rearranging themselves. “I’ll take us the rest of the way, and once we finish our descent, you watch those sensors. Then, if we get very, very lucky, I’ll need you to operate the transporters… But in the meantime, hang on!”

The bomber rolled and pitched abruptly downward, propelled by the gas giant’s supersonic winds as it cut through the cloud layers. After sixty seconds with just the occasional jolt and jostle, Dawa leveled them out again and a green light flashed on their console. 

“We’re in position, Stinsfor! Fire!”

Cam stared at the holographic image, and the map now sparkled like a Christmas tree. It displayed Mellstoxx VI’s unforgiving atmosphere, with half a dozen fighters soaring in formation and a tiny speck hidden below the deeper cloud layers.

”Commander, I think we’ve located them! Head for bearing two-two-five-mark-three,” Cam urged, suppressing his relief.

Dawa skillfully maneuvered the craft, making it feel like a leisurely summer day as they raced toward the coordinates. Cam dared not blink, his eyes locked on the scanners. As they approached the designated position, the feedback image sharpened, only to abruptly vanish.

“Stinsfor, I think we got them! Blast us!” 

The map once again illuminated, and Cam recognized the unmistakable outline of a craft he knew all too well, a sleek sparrow-class fighter.

”Commander, it’s definitely them! I’m looking at a sparrow two kilometers down and still falling,” Cam informed his co-pilot, who wasted no time in asking the crucial question.

”Lifesigns?”

Cam squinted at the scanners, desperately seeking the vital information.

”I’m detecting two life signs, though one is quite faint. I… I can’t get a lock, we need to get closer.”

Dawa clenched her jaw as she considered her next move.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m going to take us in below them so that you have time to beam them aboard before they descend too far. The atmospheric pressure is getting really intense at this depth; it’s gonna do a number on our antigrav thrusters, so get ready for some turbulence. Here we go…”

Suddenly they dropped like a rock, and Dawa felt her stomach rise into her throat. The fact that she’d done it intentionally didn’t seem to matter to her adrenaline levels.

The antigrav thrusters shuddered, and just as they stabilized they dropped again. And again.

Finally, after the fourth drop, the thrusters began to hum loudly as Dawa fought to maintain their position.

“Try it now!”

“Lock acquired! Energizing!”

From behind him, the unmistakable hum of a transporter coalescing filled the air. Cam swiftly pivoted, finding two Cadets materializing before him. One was unconscious, while the other appeared disoriented. Cam instinctively reached for his tricorder, commencing a scan on the fallen Cadet, a Bajoran female. All the while, he maintained a reassuring gaze on the frightened human male Cadet.

“Stay calm; you’re in good hands. We’re here to help,” Cam reassured, attempting to offer comfort, but his words fell on deaf ears. He made another attempt, introducing himself, “I’m Ensign Solari. Can you tell me your name?”

The Cadet’s lips parted, and he began to stammer, “M-my… My n-name is…” However, before he could finish, Cam’s tricorder erupted in a sudden, insistent series of beeps.

Cam swiftly called out to Dawa, his voice laden with the same sense of urgency, “Commander, we need a medic ASAP!”

“Don’t worry, we’re heading straight back to Stinsfor,” Dawa called over her shoulder. “…hopefully.”

She swiftly adjusted the craft’s position, angling it so that the gas giant’s powerful currents would act as a tailwind. “Diverting power from weapons systems to the antigrav thrusters. Hold tight!”

Dawa gave Cam a moment to adjust himself and the cadets, then hit a button on her console that gave them a powerful burst of energy up through the dense air and clouds.

As soon as she was sure the craft was going to hold during its ascent, she called the base. “Stinsfor! We’ve recovered both cadets. Returning to base. Need a medical team to meet us.”

“Confirmed, B728. Medical team is prepped and waiting. We’ll see you soon.”