25

Hail Mary

"Red Alert!" orders Kirk.

Marina taps her console and the bridge deepens to a shadow red.

Jonathan keys his insignia. "Kirk to Gates, the energizer is destabilizing, eject it now!"

"Understood," replies Gates.

"Helm, standby full impulse power."

At the Helm, Lt. Dailia taps her console. "Aye, sir. Standing by, full impulse power."

A hail from Shuttle Bay 2 follows.

"Fibonacci to Enterprise, requesting permission to launch," says Picard.

Jonathan hesitates.

"Fibonacci to Enterprise, requesting permission to launch, over," repeats Picard.

"Captain," interrupts Saren. "I remind you that the Enterprise must move away from the explosion to in order to create a viable diversion. The blast will erase our ships impulse signature and prevent the Breen from tracking the Enterprise."

Jonathan nods in silent agreement to Marina.

"Fibonacci, you are cleared to launch," answers Riker.

"Aye sir, launching now."

=/\=

In Shuttle Bay 1, Chief Engineer Gates rapidly taps the main control console.

"Shuttle Bay 1 to Bridge," says Gates, while still entering commands into his console. "I am opening bay doors now!"

"Alert. Shuttle Bay 1 force field engaged," prompts the automated computer voice. "Alert. Shuttle Bay 1 doors opening."

Sirens strobe and alarms blare and as the bay doors begin to part. Gates looks over his shoulder as he hears the entrance doors to Shuttle Bay 1 open. Yeomen Wiley enters.

"Blimey!" barks Gates. "What the blazes are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help," answers Wiley.

"This is no place for keeners," scolds Gates "If you want to help, leave."

"But I am in a hazmat suit," Wiley rebuts the young man.

Gates gives Wiley the side eye, then returns his attention to what he is doing.

"Shuttle Bay 1 to bridge," says Gates as a soft echo permeates throughout the shuttle bay as the doors find their open resting place. Beyond the doors, stars twinkle in the abyss of space. "Shuttle Bay 1's doors are now open."

Gates glides past Wiley to the energizer and takes control of the anti-grav bed. He taps the control panel but nothing happens. He looks over the setup to ensure it is correctly connected and taps the console again. Nothing happens.

"Hand me the scanner," requests Gates.

Wiley retrieves the scanning device and hands it over. Gates begins to scan the anti-grav bed to ascertain the problem. His face drops as he realizes what the scanner is telling him.

"Captain, the thruster packs are inoperable," reports Gates. "Standby I am attempting repairs."

"Understood," replies Kirk.

"Well don't just stand their Yeomen, hand me that degausser," as Gates swings under the anti-grav bed.

Yeomen Wiley quickly retrieves the tool and hands it to the engineer's waiting hand.

"Ok…" mutters Gates, as he tries to reverse the polarization of the thruster packs.

"Chief?" Kirk says over comm channel.

"Al–most – there."

Gates swings out from under the anti-grav bed and taps the console with anticipation.

"Damn."

"Chief?" mutters Kirk over the communicator.

Gates tries again and adjusts the settings on the thruster packs and quickly taps the console again.

"Damnit!" Gates slaps the consoles face.

"Report!" barks Kirk.

Gates swings back under the anti-grab bed.

"The thruster packs have deteriorated due to radiation damage," states Gates. "Standby."

"Wiley," gestures Gates, "Go over to the open end of the energizer."

"We are going to have to push it out."

"Sir?!"

"Quickly! Push!"

Wiley and Gates push the anti-grav bed towards the open shuttle bay door.

"Chief?" yells an impatient voice over the comm channel.

"We are pushing the energizer out the bay."

"Pushing?"

Spark flies out of the dampeners on the chief's side of anti-grav bed and it faulters and his end falls to the ground.

"Ahhh!" screams out Gates, as the anti-grav bed catches him and pins him to the ground.

Wiley slaps his combadge. "Wiley Med Bay 1 to Shuttle Bay 1, medical emergency!"

"There's no time, yeomen. Replace the dampeners," says the chief, agonizing in pain as he points over to a table of parts. "Over there!"

Wiley rushes over to the table laden with dampeners and retrieves the last two and rushes back.

"What I do?"

In shock, Gates struggles to answer. "Adjust frequency…."

"Right, uhhh…" says Wiley, "Adjust the frequency of the dampener to minimize the resonance effects of the energizer."

"Yes."

"How do I figure out the frequency?"

"Think!" screams out Gates in pain.

"Uh…" mutters the young yeomen, "Right transfer the frequency from the working dampeners to the replacement ones."

Wiley looks over the failed dampeners.

"Oh no, three have failed, sir."

Gates passes out.

"Sir, Sir?"

"Bridge to Shuttle Bay 1," yells Kirk "Report!"

Wiley replies: "Captain, sir, the chief is unconscious, but I think I can fix the problem,"

"Who is this?" barks Kirk.

"Yeomen Pete Wiley," with pride. "Standby, sir."

Wiley frantically reprograms the two dampeners and replaces them with the damaged ones. He taps the control console and engages the dampeners. The anti-grav bed weight shits ever so slightly but not enough to bring it off the ground.

"I'm going to have to lift it off you, sir," says Wiley.

Wiley magnetizes his boots and plants then on the metallic shuttle bay's platform and exerts every ounce his of strength and to lift the energizer of his fallen comrade. At first, it doesn't move. But he is undeterred and tries for a second time. This time he feels it shifting.

"Ahhh!" screams Gates, regaining conscience.

"Sorry chief," exclaims Wiley. "But it's off you."

On the bridge, Jonathan stands frozen, mystified hearing the voice of the young man on the other side.

"Captain, radiation levels are spiking," prompts Saren. "An uncontrolled reaction is imminent."

"Yeomen, get it off the ship," yells Kirk. "Now!"

Wiley hears the panic in his captain's voice and takes a deep breath to stir himself. With that he pushes with all might. His face distorts from the strain and his helmet fogs up from his deep breathing but the anti-grav bed begins to move and gain momentum. The edge of anti-bed gauges the platform but doesn't not relent and pushes it the failing energizer passes through the force field and into the darkness of space.

"Shuttle Bay 1 to Bridge, Captain, the energizer has cleared the Enterprise," reports Wiley.

"Impulse power, now!"

Dailia doesn't even verbal acknowledge the order as she engages the impulse engines at full power.

"Attention, all hands, all decks, BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

A brilliant light blinds out both ships as the energizer explodes. A subtle rumble of the hull reverberates throughout the Enterprise followed by small fragments of debris bouncing off her shields.

"Captain," alerts Saren. "Long range scanners are detecting a vessel approaching."

Disclaimer: The Heart of Virtue and its philosophy are drawn directly from Star Trek: Starfleet Academy which is the copyright of Paramount Pictures and Interplay Entertainment.

A/N – Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, arguably, is one of the greatest Star Trek video game ever developed for the Star Trek Universe. In my view, Starfleet Academy's greatest contribution was to give the Star Trek universe an insight into the philosophy of the Klingon people. So influential is this philosophy, it had to be acknowledged in this chapter.

From a boarder perspective, The Heart of Virtue, infers that Humans and Klingons have more in common than either species would care to admit to. More intimately, it recognizes the warrior heart in all of us.