FROM: CIV Lady Grace/ running as / USS Lady Grace
TO: All ships

MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
MAYDAY MAYDAY
Life-support failure communications failure on board
damage to essential systems and ship structure stop we require
immediate medical assistance immediate repair assistance
stop casualties aboard stop
MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
MAYDAY MAYDAY

Transmission received from the CIV Lady Grace, Alpha
Quadrant, Sector 18, Stardate 1643.9

"Sir, mayday transmission." Uhura said.

"On screen." Kirk snapped.

"Text only." Uhura said, and that was bad. No ship
would be reduced to text only transmissions unless
there was something badly wrong, very badly wrong,
aboard.

The words came up on the screen and Kirk absorbed
their sense without being aware he was reading. Life-
support failure communications failure ... damage to
essential systems ... immediate medical assistance ...
casualties ...

"Location of the Grace?"

"Bearing 19 Epsilon 34 out of Starbase 18. Ion trails
show she was moving along her designated evac course
before drifting across towards Starbase 34. Course
corrections, only semi-effective, have put her where
she is."

"Change course to intercept." Kirk ordered.

"Aye, sir." Sulu answered, and there was a little
shudder, and barely perceptible shift in the inertial
field as the Enterprise twisted in her course at full
speed. "Intercept in thirty seven minutes, sir."

"All hands, this is the captain. We have received a
mayday signal from a vessel involved in the evacuation
of Starbase 18. We will intercept this ship in
approximately thirty five minutes. Emergency teams,
stand by. All other crew, general quarters. Kirk
out."

"Captain," Uhura said, "Admiral Ullenski has confirmed
our intercept. Command has relayed manifest
information for the Lady Grace. Upwards of four
hundred civilian evacuees were boarded to her at
Starbase 18. Crew list is fourteen Starfleet officers
and the Grace's chief engineer."

"Noted."

"Sir. Commander of record of the Lady Grace listed as
Lieutenant Corrina Larssen. The rest of our people
are aboard as well, sir."

"Noted." Kirk said quietly. "Kirk out." He looked at
Spock. "What the hell is going on over there, Spock?
Fourteen junior officers, four hundred civilians, and
a catastrophic systems failure?"

"I do not know, Captain." Spock paused. "I note,
however, that when the Lady Grace left her designated
lane, she moved across into the area of space between
Starbase 18 and the sectors where the - incidents - we
have been discussing occurred, and then out."

"How far away are we from that area of space now?"

"Fourteen point nine light years."

"Mr Sulu." Kirk said. "As soon as we are in range,
get a tractor beam on the Lady Grace and lay in course
- bearing -"

"I recommend seven Gamma forty eight." Spock said.

"Seven Gamma forty eight." Kirk said. "As fast as is
safe, Mr Sulu."

"Aye sir." Sulu said.

"Any idea what we'll find there, Spock?"

"Nothing pleasant." Spock said. "That, Captain, is a
far from tentative hypothesis."

Larssen's eyes were closing and she fought to keep them
open. "What time is it?"

"Plus twelve hours." Madison said. His voice was a mere
rasp now, just as Larssen's was worn to a whisper by the strain
of breathing the stale air. Madison put the oxygen mask in
her hand and she held it to her face, opened the valve for a
second and breathed deeply, then handed it back.

Twelve hours past the deadline. Hours and hours past the
time she had hoped they'd be intercepted; not much air
left, either in the sections of the ship where life-support was
still working or in the single air bottle they were sharing
between them. Perhaps two hours. More, of course, if
only one of them was using the mask.

"I'm going to check on the others." Larssen croaked. "Stay
here with the engines."

Her head spun when she stood and when Madison reached
out a hand to support her she took it. Instead of helping her get
her balance, he jerked her savagely back down to the floor.
"You can't get through the fucking section seals to the
others any more than you could ten hours ago." he said,
and pressed the mask back against her face hard enough to
bruise. "Breathe."

Larssen did. "We'll be picked up soon." she said. "They
might already have an answer on the bridge. We can't
know down here."

"We'll be picked up," Madison said. "I don't know about
'soon'. Reckon they have their hands full out there."

"Worst case scenario we'll have to wait for the Lydgate."
Larssen said. "She'll be in range in three hours."

"How do you know?"

"It was in the shipping schedule. She would have
crossed back into Sector 18 about an hour before the
alert. Making best time, she'll be here in three
hours."

"That's not the worst case scenario, lady." Madison
said. "It's the best. The Lydgate is a rock-hauler
and she's never made best time in her life."

Larssen shivered, and wrapped the survival blanket
more tightly around her shoulders. "Four then. By
plus sixteen. Life support on A and B decks will
hold out that long."

Madison took another precious breath from the mask.
"The bridge's emergency gear will last them that long
too, if they don't panic."

"They won't panic." Larssen said. Their own air
bottle would not last them four hours. It wouldn't
last them three. Her mind was already fuzzy from
oxygen starvation and she wanted, more than anything,
lie down and sleep.

But sleep was death.

"Here." Madison said, holding the mask to her face
again. She breathed in and her head cleared slightly.

"When they pick us up," Larssen said, "I'll buy you
that drink I owe you." She could hardly hear her own
voice, but there was no other sound in main
engineering except the faint thrum of the impulse
engines as they laboured to produce even the tiny
turn of speed that was all the Lady Grace was capable
of.

"Better make it big enough to swim in." Madison said.

She laughed softly, and turned to look at him. Over
the mask his eyes were level and amused. Larssen had
not pegged him as a man able to joke in a desperate
predicament such as theirs currently was, but he
seemed oddly calm. He gave her the mask, and she
could see that he was smiling faintly.

"You don't seem worried." she said, testing.

"I'm waiting for you to get us out of this, aren't
I?" he said.

"I don't think I can." Larssen said. "I'm sorry."

"Then we'll just have to die, won't we." Madison
said.

"Not both of us." Larssen said. "That non-com rank I
gave you doesn't mean anything. You're still a
civilian. You didn't have to be here."

"I thought you volunteered as well."

"I'm Starfleet, it's different. It's what you know
when you sign on." Her voice was almost gone, but
she resisted the temptation to take another breath
from the mask, gave it back to Madison instead. "I'm
going into the office." she said.

He stayed her with a hand on her arm. "Don't do
that." he said. "I know they fill you full of shit
about noble self-sacrifice at Starfleet Academy, but
don't do that."

"What time is it, Madison?"

"Plus twelve and a half hours." he said.

"Time for a decision." Larssen said huskily. "Isn't
it?"

He met her eyes and then looked away. "All right." he
said. "I admit it, I don't want to die. But don't go
in there on your own. You don't need to do that."

"I'd rather." Larssen said shortly, but when she made
as if to stand her legs wouldn't hold her. Madison
held out the oxygen mask and she reached for it
automatically before they both laughed. Larssen
withdrew her hand.

"They'll be here soon." she said, pulling the blanket
back over her shoulders. "Tell them I owed you a
drink."