[A/N: So, things have been pretty crazy the past few weeks/months/whatever since I last posted a chapter of this story, but I have one to post now, and I'll get around to posting a short Chapter 8 in the next few days. I'm still trying to figure out the action sequence I want to do, but I think I can get it done. I'm also working on finishing my most recent Destiny story, and I have a story about Locus and Felix from Red vs. Blue in the works as well. Enjoy!-Doinstuff]

7

Corvin awoke to the unfamiliar chirping of the communicator provided to him by Captain Garrett. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and picked up the device. Tapping it, he held it up to speak.

"Yes?" he said, still half-groggy. He knew this had to be important, so he shook his head several times in an effort to wake himself further. Captain Garrett's voice returned from the badge.

"Sorry to wake you, Lieutenant. But we're about a half-hour away from the Starbase. I figured I'd give you some time to get ready before you come to the bridge."

Corvin nodded to himself. While he wasn't sure how much assistance he could offer to his rescuers, he had insisted on being present when they arrived. His R4 unit whistled and beeped, standing in the doorway of what looked to be equivalent to a refresher.

"Right. I'll be on my way shortly."

"There's no rush. You have time to grab a sonic shower and get yourself something to wake you up. We've provided you with several replicator rations in your quarters. Just tell the computer what you'd like. It will take care of the rest."

"Thank you, Captain. Corvin out." He felt along the wall for the light switch, and once he found it, the chamber filled with light, forcibly driving the last wisps of sleepiness from him. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he set the combadge back on the table by the bed and tried to find a way to dim the lights, but to no avail. Nearby, his droid had reached up with a manipulator arm and tagged the switch that activated the refresher's lighting. He tried to guide Corvin toward the door with auditory cues, but his efforts only rewarded Corvin with a stubbed toe.

Sitting back down onto the bed, Corvin massaged the sore toe, his eyes now adjusted to the brightness. He shot a helpless look over to his R4 unit, who offered an inquisitive whistle.

"No, I'm gonna pass. I can't even figure out their light switches. I don't even want to know what a stang 'sonic shower' is." He moved from the bed to the table in the main living area, and sat at one of the chairs.

"Computer?" He yelled out to no one.

"Working." The panel on the wall responded.

"Um… Where can I find the replicator in this place?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Replicator station in guest quarters located here." The computer responded, the female voice shifting from the wall panel to a terminal above a large recess in the opposite wall. He stood up, and made his way over to the station.

"Well," he chuckled, "what do you recommend?"

"Unable to comply. Please specify a selection."

He frowned again. Earlier in the mess hall, Miles and Tanya had made selections for him, but he had been under the assumption that there was a galley with a cook on board the vessel. He didn't remember what the dishes were called, but from the rich flavors involved, he guessed that they would not make a suitable breakfast anyway.

"Do you have any caf?" He asked the wall panel.

"Invalid request. Please select an item from replicator database."

He exhaled, suppressing the urge to curse again. "Show me the beverages database, I guess." The panel began displaying a list of items he could not read. Thankfully, this problem had been addressed by Captain Garrett during his visit to Sick Bay, and the written translations were being sent to his datapad. He scrolled through the options, ignoring the rumbling in his belly until he saw something familiar.

"Coffee! That's what I was asking for! Give me a cup of coffee, please." He said, wondering if the computer recognized his manners.

"Please specify temperature and preparation." The computer responded.

"Who the hell drinks cold coffee?! Hot coffee, nothing in it! Please, computer!" He breathed a sigh of relief as the machine hummed in response, followed by a sharp inhalation as the cup of coffee appeared out of thin air.

Well, at least now I know why they call it a 'replicator,' he thought as he picked up the cup. As with the sonic shower, he decided to forego any further interaction with the unfamiliar tech, and sat back down at the table. R4 brought his boots and combadge to him, and he sipped on his drink while waiting for a follow-up call from the Captain.

/

"Mr. Chase, take us in slow. One-half impulse." Garrett eased back into his chair, watching the main viewer as the debris field in front of them slowly got bigger. There wasn't much left of the station, and even less remained of any friendly ships that had been in the area. A chill ran down the Captain's spine as he heard the turbolift doors open behind him. Corvin stepped onto the bridge, his hair a mess, and his clothes wrinkled. Garrett gave him a reassuring smile, despite his uneasiness. He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest as he looked over the younger man, slightly amused at how disheveled he appeared.

"Rough morning?" he asked.

"You could say that." Corvin poured himself onto the bench that sat next to the Captain's chair.

"Well, unfortunately I can't tell you anything that will make it better." Garrett gestured to the viewer. Corvin beheld the debris field.

"Captain, I've got something. A distress beacon, it appears to be from one of the shuttlecraft assigned to the Starbase. I am also detecting several small power signatures, but they are much fainter. We have a visual confirmation. Attempting to hail the shuttle." Varik keyed in the commands, but only silence greeted the crew.

"What's the problem?" Garrett asked.

"The debris field is causing too much interference to get a comm signal through."

Garrett pondered for a moment about venturing into the field, but quickly decided against it. While Orion was smaller than most Federation vessels, it would still be too large to safely navigate the debris.

"How many on board? Can we beam them out?"

"There are over a dozen life signs, but the same interference to our comms also prevents a solid transporter lock." Varik responded.

Miles turned away from the helm control. "Over a dozen?!" In a Type-II shuttle? That's insane!"

"Indeed, Mr. Chase. Sensors are gathering little else, other than the fact that the shuttle's engines are offline."

Garrett stood and paced for a moment. The only way to get the shuttle to safety was to go in and guide them out, but that was impossible to do with the ship itself. The only option he could think of was to send in another shuttle after them.

"Varik, do you have any visual on the shuttle?" Corvin asked, perking up. He wanted to help, and he was sure Captain Garrett had a similar thought process to his own.

"Affirmative." Varik changed the viewer display to that of the shuttle. It was drifting, but undamaged.

"Captain Garrett, do you have similar shuttles onboard?"

"Yes, why?" Garrett turned, a suspicious look in his eye.

"That thing looks like a clunker. No way they have much in maneuverability. Look at that field, anyone piloting one of those will be space dust in no time."

Garrett conceded the point, and opened his hands. "Well then, Mr. Corvin, what do you suggest we do?"

"Send me out in my X-wing. I can navigate this, clear a path for the shuttle to get out."

Varik nodded behind them, with a raised, inquisitive eyebrow. "It could work, Captain. Mr. Corvin's craft appears to have suitable weaponry to clear the debris. And its smaller profile lends itself to such a task."

Garrett remained silent for a moment. While Orion's phasers could also clear an effective path through the debris, they ran a high risk of friendly fire. Seeing no other alternative, he gave Corvin a nod of approval. But as the eager pilot rose from his seat to leave the bridge, Captain Garrett stopped him with a grab of his arm.

"What kind of power does your fighter run on?"

"Well, I'm no tech, but the engines take a high-energy fuel, I can tell you that much." Corvin replied.

"I'm concerned about how long we can keep you out there with no backup. Even more so now that I know you have a limited fuel source. But, if you think you can pull it off, I'll allow you to proceed."

Corvin pondered his situation for a moment. His squadron had been traveling in hyperspace prior to his arrival in Federation space, and his time at sublight had been limited. His best estimate gave him about a half hour or so of flight time before his ship would run empty and become useless. While the hyperdrive only sipped fuel, his quartet of 4L4 fusial thrust engines guzzled it. But in a situation where he only had to worry about maneuvering through debris as opposed to laser fire, he was confident he could get the job done.

"Let's do this, Captain." He said. Captain Garrett gave him another nod after the slightest of hesitations. Corvin produced his own personal comm from the pocket of his flight suit. "R4, we're up. Meet me back at the ship." A series of beeps answered him from the other end of the line.

"We've got to go make some new friends."