Cadets: The Empress of Batoria

#15 ESCAPE

Chaos spread throughout the base as the Vitronium reactor continued to overload. There was no doubt going to be a massive explosion, large enough to obliterate the entire planet and everything within the system.

Luckily, the Nexus system was in a deserted part of space, so it was safe for the super laser to blow up. However, it was not safe for us unless we got back to the Enterprise and escaped to lightspeed.

Everyone was evacuating the base and took no notice of me and Asha as we ran by. They were out to save themselves.

Max and Tom were able to get back to the Enterprise with the Rodins. All there was left to do now was wait for Asha and me to return to the ship. Despite my previous orders, Jennifer had no intention of leaving me behind.

Meanwhile, Nym was hard at work trying to get the hyperdrive back online as we were going to need lightspeed to get clear. Unfortunately, repairs turned out to be more difficult than he anticipated.

Nym tried everything to get the hyperdrive back online, from rewiring to jumpstarts. So far nothing seemed to work, but he was not giving up. He was determined to get the hyperdrive back online even if he had to suffer multiple electrocutions to do it.

Asha and I eventually made it back to the Enterprise, and Tom wasted no time taking us out of orbit at full impulse. He was hoping to put some distance between us and the Vitronium. Unless we jumped to lightspeed now, we were going to go up along with the Vitronium super laser.

During all the fuss, Stevie, after being in deep thought, left the bridge unnoticed and made her way to engineering. She was going to try and repair the hyperdrive herself.

She made it engineering, and quickly put on a radiation suit. She was about to enter the reactor chamber when Nym blocked her path.

The radiation inside the reactor was so great that not even a suit would hold up. Nym could not risk anyone going in and refused to let Stevie to pass.

In her struggle to pass, Stevie accidently knocked Nym out when she pushed him away. She regretfully apologised before entering the reactor chamber. By the time Nym regained consciousness, she had sealed herself inside, and attended to repairing the hyperdrive.

By the time Asha and I made it to the bridge, we managed to make some good distance. However, we were still not far enough to be clear of the upcoming explosion. We needed to go to lightspeed.

Unaware of what was happening in engineering, Stevie was still inside the reactor chamber trying to fix the hyperdrive. Everyone pleaded for her to get out, but she ignored them. All they could do was watch.

Stevie was starting to feel delusional by the radiation. She found it hard to stand straight. Then with all her strength, she unsealed the hatch to the main reactor, releasing the built-up antimatter radiation.

This helped release the radiation into the damaged hyperdrive, and then re-routing power back into the crystal chamber. Her radiation suit was holding up against the lethal levels of radiation, but it was deteriorating.

At last Stevie got the hyperdrive back online. When we were informed, Tom immediately engaged the hyperdrive before I could give the order.

We jumped to lightspeed just as the Vitronium super laser blew up, and with it the entire Nexus system.

Safely clear, everyone could breathe a side of relief while Asha grieved over the loss of her friend.

I contacted engineering to congratulate Nym, but in return I was told to hurry to the engine room. At first, I did not understand, but when I noticed Stevie was nowhere to be seen my worries took over. I ordered Jennifer to assume command and hurried to engineering.

I arrived just in time to see Ali and the medics carrying Stevie out of the reactor chamber and sealing her inside a quarantine tank. I was advised to stay clear and Nym explained what happened.

"She went into the reactor chamber to fix the mains herself. Luckily, she didn't get too much radiation exposure." "But she's going to be alright?" I asked worriedly "We won't know until we get her to sickbay." said Ali.

Once they were ready, they carried Stevie inside the tank to sickbay. She was still slightly conscious. Enough to see how worried I looked. I wanted to hold her, but all I could do was place my hand on the glass, tearfully begging for her to be okay. Very weak, she reached out to me and smiled before passing out.