The Cry of a Starship
Kirk watched helplessly as he saw the shuttlecraft that was being piloted by the U.S.S Constellation's commodore; disappear into the maul of the Doomsday Machine. He felt his own heart sink, as his hand that held the communicator slump down to the console.
"He's gone." Is all that Mister Spock had to report. No one on board the Enterprise or Constellation had to be told. The accompanying silence was all that was needed. Kirk looked around him, at the wreck that was the Constellation's auxiliary control room. He wasn't quite sure if it was his imagination, but Kirk heard a low moan move through the damaged ship. The moan sounded heartfelt, sad, remorseful, and angry. Like the Constellation itself was mourning the loss of its commodore - its final crewman, its heart and soul.
Kirk had only been onboard the Constellation for no more than a day - but like the Enterprise - he could sense that this ship also had its own character and personality, despite it being identical to every other Constitution class starship of its design. So perhaps, in a way, the Constellation also felt something for the loss of its captain and crew.
Kirk rubbed the smooth surface of the console, almost trying to communicate with the ship, like Spock did with his mind-melds. He pondered for a moment that maybe he was losing it, but he knew that he wasn't.
"Constellation come in please. Captain Kirk come in please." Spock said over the communicator. Kirk almost reluctantly opened his communicator.
"Kirk here..."
"Sir, may I offer my condolences on the death of your friend. It is most... Regrettable." Spock said in the most sincere expression Kirk had ever heard.
"It's regrettable, but he died for nothing."
"Mister Spock, sensors indicate a minute drop in the machine's power emanations." Sulu reported as he looked into his own sensor device. Spock stepped down from the command chair and looked at the readings himself. "You think the shuttle craft explosion may have done some damage?"
"What about that Spock, is it possible?" Kirk asked through the communicator, as a plan - a crazy plan, began to form inside his mind.
"A drop in power is definite but negligible." Spock began before continuing with his report, but Kirk's plan didn't require putting the Enterprise in any further danger, if it worked, that is. Lieutenant Palmer chimed in reporting that the transporter was operational. "Transporter is operational, Captain. Shall we beam you aboard?"
Kirk again, thought he could hear the Constellation moan once more, but this time; not in sorrow, but something else. He didn't need to think hard on what he sensed it wanted.
"Negative." He said with authority. "Mister Scott and I will stay here, but beam the control party aboard."
"Captain, there is little to be gained by staying aboard the Constellation."
"Except possibly the destruction of that thing out there. Carry out your orders Mister Spock."
"Acknowledged." Spock confirmed as he switched relays at the command chair. "Transporter room, prepare to beam the damage control party aboard." The crewman in the transporter room acknowledged the order.
Kirk leaned forward, staring at the Constellation's consoles. "Spock, listen to me: Maybe Matt Decker didn't die for nothing, he had the right idea, but not enough power to do it. Am I correct in assuming that a fusion explosion of 97 megatons will result, if a Starship's impulse engine is overloaded?"
"No sir, 97.835 megatons."
"97.835, will it be powerful enough to destroy that thing out there?"
"Negative Captain. Its hull is pure neutronium. There is no known way of blasting through it."
"Not through it, Spock. From inside it! Will it be enough?"
"Insufficient data. I shall try to take further sensor readings."
"Do the best you can, and make it fast." Kirk said with excitement in his voice as he then shut his communicator and turned on the Constellation's in-ship comm system. "Kirk to Scott."
"Here, sir. The damage control party just beamed back to the Enterprise."
"Good. Scotty, can you set the ship's impulse engines to overload?"
"Aye, the shape the thing's in its hard to keep it from blowing."
"I want you to rig a 30 second delay detonation device, and rig it so it can be blown from up here."
"Aye sir."
"Set it and get up here as fast as you can."
"Right away!"
"Captain." Spock said. Kirk flipped opened his communicator to listen. "The object's neutronium hull makes sensor readings of the inner mechanism impossible."
"Spock, you don't know?"
"Correct." The Vulcan paused for a moment before he continued. "Captain, you're getting dangerously close to the planet killer."
Kirk smirked slightly.
"I intend to get a lot closer: I'm going to ram this right down that thing's throat!" There was a moment of silence, as Kirk's words sunk into the Vulcan.
"Jim, you'll be killed; just like Decker."
"No, no, I don't intend to die, Mister Spock. We've rigged a delay detonation device, you'll have 30 seconds to beam me aboard the Enterprise before the Constellation's impulse engines blow."
"Your chances of survival are not promising. We don't even know if the explosion will be powerful enough."
"A calculated risk, Mister Spock."
"There's another factor, Captain; the transporter is not working at 100% efficiency. 30 seconds is very slim timing."
"A chance I'll have to take, Kirk out." He said finally as he shut his communicator. He flipped at some switches as he whispered so quietly he could barely be heard, but enough that he felt that the damaged vessel could hear him, if it did have its own personality. "I promise that you'll avenge your crew."