It's In the Small Things

Midnight

Two small meteorites collided in the field of debris Enterprise was circumventing. The explosion altered the course of a large asteroid which in turn smashed into a still larger asteroid, a remanent of a dwarf planet encasing a gaseous core. It released. The gas particles rushed outwards in a circle fueling from consumed debris. The pressure and temperature of these particles climbed higher and higher until the atmospheres of orbs trapped in this newly created gaseous cloud glowed.

And the phenomena continued racing outward.

12:30 am

Enterprise's sensors detected the peril.

12:30:10 am

The computer activated shields and stopped the engines holding the ship at station. Alert klaxons sounded.

12:36 am

Number One arrived on the bridge.

12:38 am

The boatswain's whistle announced Captain Pike's arrival. "What the hell just happened?"

"We've been sucked into the asteroid field," the helmsman on night watch replied.

Spock added, "Computers are malfunctioning, sensors are offline. Enterprise is blind and deaf to our surroundings. Life support, environment, communications, and helm have been switched to manual control."

Pike slowly turned in a circle taking in the concerned looks of the junior officers who manned the overnight shifts. "Number One maintain red alert and set condition One-Alpha throughout the ship. Tell Phil to discharge any able patient. Ensign Mitchel, do we still have internal comms?"

"Yes sir."

"Establish a ship-wide channel." Without missing a beat Pike smoothly addressed the crew, "Despite best laid plans we're getting a courtesy ride through the asteroid field. Further information including our exit plans will be shared soon. Remember Hanns-Grayson? There we ran the ship manually for a week. Lean on your training. And keep in mind turtles prevail in this type of race – observant, mindful, and steady." He paused, timing the next statement perfectly, "I know you're all disappointed that wasn't a horse metaphor," then signaled for the channel to be terminated. Chuckles spread around the bridge, slowly at first then with speed, like a spectator's wave at an athletic event.

"Alright," Pike addressed the bridge crew. "How do we get out of here?"

1:05 am

"Conditions preceding the gas cloud triggered one of Chief Louvier's automatic safeguards. Otherwise Enterprise would have been ripped apart," Spock reported to senior officers gathered in the ready room.

"Why did we end up off course and in the asteroid field?" Boyce said.

Lucero answered this question. "The pressure bands ahead of the cloud acted on the ship like a tsunami pulling the tide out to sea before the main waves flow in. With so little warning there was no way to prevent it."

"How long until the outer bands of the gas cloud reach us?" Pike queried.

"We were fortunate," Spock said. "The cloud formed in the upper and opposite side of the asteroid field and must traverse its breadth and length before reaching us. However, our precise position is unknown. The estimation, using conservative benchmarks, is in eight hours Enterprise will cross the cloud's outer edge. Two hours later the temperature and pressure of the gas particles will immolate us. We have no means of surviving exposure."

"Alright, start the clock," Pike said.

"Cloud of doom rushing towards us aside, conditions in here are worse than we predicted when deciding to go around the asteroid field rather than through it," Louvier said. "Automated systems, computers, and sensors can't be restored until we're clear of it."

Pike turned to his second in command. "Did we get any readings of the surrounding area before losing sensors?"

"Yes and no," Una replied. "The point we entered is relatively bare of debris. Local conditions, like currents rippling water, will soon push us into areas our sensors never penetrated."

"So a ship killing asteroid may be lurking in our path?" Boyce said. He sighed. "Brilliant."

"Yes, as well as radioactive meteorites, comet fragments, and other unknown objects," Spock helpfully added.

The doctor frowned. "It was a rhetorical question."

"Back to the problem in front of us," Pike gently nudged.

"Rene," Isak asked the chief engineer. "Should we evacuate the outer decks? As a precaution? The ship's interior offers more protection."

"Yes. Good idea." Louvier pulled up Enterprise's schematic. He highlighted sections. "Ten decks in from every outer hull."

"With your permission Chris, I'll have security get that underway."

"Proceed."

Isak added, "And I recommend we transfer control to the auxiliary bridge since it's in the ship's interior core."

Louver said, "I concur. I'll send Scotty to oversee the transfer and Hemmer to startup the aux bridge."

"Chapel's setting up aid stations in case access to either Sickbay is blocked," Boyce reported.

Pike nodded. "How do we mimic a navcomputer? Without it we have little hope of escape."

Multiple, simultaneous conversations began. Lucero pushed the voices aside, and as was her habit when concentrating hummed. She stared at a simulated image of the asteroid field. Random observations flowed through her mind. The field looked indigo in color and was murky from benign gases. Objects it captured bobbed and floated like flotsam in an ocean. And Enterprise glided through space like a submarine … "Sir," Lucero said.

"Go ahead," Pike replied. All heads turned in her direction.

"What about make-shift sonar?" Lucero proposed.

3:00 am

Pike entered the main science lab. "How goes things?"

"We have successfully generated and received sounds waves," Spock reported.

"And we've run the simulation with the musicians among the crew. Even combined into teams none achieved greater than eighty-five percent accuracy. That's not enough for this to work," Lucero reported, frowning and brow creased.

"Other ideas haven't panned out; your plan is still our best option." Pike scanned the list of those evaluated. "There's another musician on board." He turned to his yeoman. "Mia, find Lieutenant Matthews and bring her here. Pronto."

3:10 am

Aalin tuned out Spock's recitation of electromagnetic waves, theoretical postulates of geomagnetic waves oscillating under specific conditions, deflector dishes as senders, very large old-fashioned rabbit ears as receivers. The science was well beyond her training and mattered little to the core issue. When she looked up Spock's eyebrow was raised, and Lucero, Pike, Boyce, and Louvier stared at her expectantly. Having missed the ending of the Vulcan's lecture, or any question they may have asked of her, she offered a synopsis to fill the void, "You've rigged a system for returning frequencies from nearby objects. The pitch interpreted from those frequencies can indicate distance of and location for the objects the ship must avoid when flying through the asteroid belt. And all computers are nonfunctional."

"Correct," Spock replied.

"And near perfect accuracy is vital," Lucero reminded.

Aalin shook her head. "Impossible for a Human. Maybe a Kasseelian, a Celestian, or even a Klingon; but not a Human."

"That may prove true," Pike said, "and if so, we will find another way."

She pointed out, "The tinnitus is no longer constant, but I still experience ringing intermittently. That affects my hearing and therefore my accuracy."

"I can counteract that with medication … though it may aggravate the condition in the short term and lengthen healing time," Boyce answered.

Aalin slipped into one of the chairs at the table. "Please play a random sample of the frequencies." She nodded when the example concluded. "Please play the frequencies from lowest to highest." As each tone sounded, she labeled it. "C4, continues to the next semitone C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A … Okay, that's enough. The sequence continues in a chromatic scale?"

Both Lucero and Spock replied, "Yes."

Pike chuckled, "Don't ask me. I skipped music class for flying lessons."

"Play highest to lowest," Aalin requested. She closed her eyes. The sequence reached the spot where F should be the next note. "Stop, something isn't quite right. Play the expected frequency after I vocalize it." She sang C4, C#, D, D#, E, F. "Did you hear the difference between the last note I sang and the last frequency you played?"

The others answered with negative head shakes and "Nos."

Aalin explained, "The step from E to F, it's a half step, the smallest interval in most music notations. Also known as a semi-tone. But E and the next frequency you played; their interval is different. It sounds smaller. Which may then render the interval between F and F# larger than usual." She tilted her head. "If so, this breaks theories about the constancy of sound throughout the known galaxy."

"Run the simulation," Pike ordered.

Spock, Lucero, Pike, Boyce, and Louver watched as the test proceeded. Aalin identified another interval set between notes where standard convention did not hold true. Lucero whispered with growing hope, "There's a pattern. Those differences cluster in the same subsets where others usually misidentified the frequency."

The simulation ended. Neither of the scientists spoke.

"Well?" Pike prompted.

"Ninety-five percent accurate," Spock reported.

"Enough for a decent shot at surviving," Lucero chimed in.

Pike made his decision. "Our window for escaping the gas cloud is closing and we don't know how far into the asteroid field we've been pulled. Unless there's a reasonable objection we're going with this plan."

No one disagreed. Pike glanced to Aalin who was staring at a point away from the others, her hands clasped tightly together and resting on the table. "Give us the room please," he requested and took the chair beside her. After the others departed he said, "You can do this."

"Chris, this is a very, very long shot. And one run-through doesn't prove precision."

"In school we're you tested on note recognition?"

"Yes, each semester," she answered.

"And how did you score?"

Her grip tightened turning knuckles white. "I was good at it, one of the best in my class. But a classroom isn't the same … as this … lives didn't depend on my grade."

Pike gently separated her hands taking one in his. "You have a talent finely honed through years and years of disciplined work. Just like the scientists on this ship, just like the engineers, just like the medics. Today we need your unique set of skills." He smiled. "You can do this. I believe in you."

His hand tightened slightly around hers, a light squeeze of physical reassurance, before releasing it and exiting the lab. In the hallway Pike told Lucero and Spock. "Give her a few moments then work out what is needed. Report to the auxiliary bridge in 20 minutes."

4:00 am

The auxiliary bridge was small with little space separating different stations. Una currently manned the helm. Aalin took the seat to the right. She looked back at Pike who stood in a confident relaxed posture. He nodded to her. After securing wireless headphones over her ears Aalin closed her eyes and said, "Ready."

"Let's go," Pike ordered.

Una executed a careful one hundred and eighty degree turn and Enterprise began its slow, painstaking journey to safety.

Fifteen minutes later the ship gently quaked. "Just a small chunk of rock bouncing off the shields. That's what they are there for. Not even a navcomputer can avoid everything," Pike reassured Aalin.

Spock added his own encouragement. "Concentrate on the lower frequencies with the loudest volume. Those are the closest and largest objects. The ones the ship must avoid at all costs."

Aalin nodded, squared her shoulders, and kept listening, calling out identified frequencies in musical notation that another team translated into coordinates. Hours came and went. Here and there she mistook volume or location or pitch and an asteroid collided with the hull. When the latest strike gyrated the ship hard throwing those standing to the floor she winced. "Sorry."

"Don't worry. We're all fine," Isak reassured.

Several officers rotated through the helm sharing the intense effort required for manually steering the ship. As time passed Aalin hunched smaller and smaller in her seat and cupped hands over the headphones, pressing them closer to her ears. By this point her shoulders trembled from sustained focused effort and stress.

"Lieutenant Jackson, hold station," Pike ordered the officer at the helm. "Ten-minute break." It had taken every ounce of discipline Chris possessed not to hover. Now he moved to Aalin's side. Leaning down he whispered, "OK?"

"Yeah." She removed the headphones.

"Not much longer," Pike encouraged before requesting, "Mia, a bottle of water please." He handed it to Aalin, "Sip this."

The cold liquid soothed her dry aching throat.

11:41 am

"We're free," Una announced.

"Put 250,000 kilometers between us and the asteroid field. Best speed," Pike ordered. "How long until systems come online?"

"Engineering reports reboots are commencing now. Warp engines require a cold restart," the ops officer said.

"Very well," Pike acknowledged. "Number One, as soon as warp is available, I want three parsecs between us and that asteroid field at all times. Then stand down red alert to yellow. Ops, damage assessment in twenty minutes. After that I want hourly updates. And rescind the evacuation where possible."

"Louvier?" Pike said to the air.

"Here sir."

"Run a level five diagnostic on everything. Pull in any resources you need."

"Isak, give Sickbay a hand."

"Already on it, security teams dispatched." the chief replied.

Pike stepped close to Una and said in a soft voice, "Everyone who manned the helm these past hours is to be rotated off-duty as soon as possible." When she started a protest he added, "That order includes you." His voice returned to normal volume. "Isak, you have the conn."

"Open a ship-wide channel." When the comms officer gestured Pike addressed the crew, "We're free of the asteroid field. Your duty officers will wind down the red alert department by department as warranted. Well done all."

He then turned to Aalin and held out his hand. "Come with me."

ooooo

"That was my stop," Aalin murmured as the turbolift continued. "We missed it. I wasn't paying attention."

"You're coming to my quarters," Chris said.

She offered no resistance.

Once there he led her to the bedroom. She sat on the edge of a chair while he rummaged through drawers then laid towels and clothes on the bed. "I think these will work. I'll be in the other room."

Freshly showered, hair still wet, Aalin emerged dressed in Chris' crew shirt and running pants, its tightly cinched waist fell low on her hips and the bottoms of its legs were rolled up. The neckline of the shirt bared a shoulder, its sleeves fell to the tips of her fingers. She curled up on the sofa.

Chris ended a status report call and joined her, plate and mug in hand. "You're going to eat. You're going to drink this tea. Then I'm going to tuck you into bed and you're going to sleep." Aalin's amused smile relaxed him.

"You're a bit bossy," she pointed out.

"Comes with the stripes."

"Do I get a treat if I eat everything on my plate?" she asked.

"Yes, I think you've earned a cupcake. Drink the tea first. It will help you sleep."

The food, tea, comfort, and care soon worked their magic. Aalin yawned.

"That's my cue," Chris said, standing and reaching out a hand. She accepted and he led her into the bedroom. After pulling the covers down and plumping the pillows, he patted the mattress.

"I thought you were kidding about the tucking in part," she remarked. The amused smile returned.

"Nope," he replied nonchalantly.

"It's the middle of the day, I won't sleep," she protested.

"Consider it an order," Chris replied.

"I don't think you have that kind of authority. Sleep happens or it doesn't."

"You can get into bed and lie down, or I can pick you up and put you there," he said.

Aalin looked up at Chris gaging his intent. Deciding Chris wasn't teasing, that he was serious and would follow through on his ultimatum, she crawled into the bed and rested against the pillows. He sat on the edge to her left.

She soon drifted into sleep.

Chris remained in his spot, watching as her breathing slowed and her chest gently rose and fell. He'd almost lost her twice in nearly as many days. But it wasn't the extreme of near death that nudged him forward.

His reached for her then pulled back. No, not appropriate, he decided.

But desire and need proved too great. He cupped her cheek. Still sleeping, Aalin leaned into his touch and smiled. A tiny, subtle, heartfelt gesture. One from instinct rather than thought.

One that, for this moment, banished doubt and stroked clarity. Wiping his eyes, Chris laid beside her and gathered her into his arms.