again as they all regarded their fate.
Commander Greene broke the silence. “Any ideas?”
King stared ahead. He face became hard, serious. “Nothing, Commander. That’s the point. There isn’t anything we can do.”
12.
“What’s going to happen once we cross the event horizon, Ensign?” King asked Ensign Boi as they neared closer and closer to the black hole.
“We should experience no real change in time. However to witnesses away from the black hole it would appear we are taking forever to reach travel across it, when in fact it might already be over and done with. Time has a tendency to slow down, sir,” Boi explained. “But not for us.”
“Will we be destroyed before we reach the centre of that thing?” Lisa Chang asked him.
“Maybe,” was all that Boi could say.
“There’s no way of surviving a black hole, is there?” King asked Boi.
He shook his head but didn’t voice the obvious. That they were going to die. They’d be crushed by the extreme gravity, pulverised to nothing.
“So what do we do?” Greene asked.
King shrugged. “Sit and wait.”
“Do we tell the crew?”
“No,” King said with a shake of her head. “No, we leave it. Why panic them? It’s going to happen. Why should we make their final moments one of suffering?”
Greene admitted that she was right.
“Crossing the point of no return,” Chang reported, her voice shaky.
“Banks, shut down the engines. Shut down all manoeuvring systems. Everything apart from the hull plating and the forward repulsor array.”
The repulsors were located beneath the nose of the ship. They nudged particle matter and debris out of the Defiant’s way when travelling at substantial speeds, as they were now.
“What’re you thinking?” Greene asked her.
“I don’t know. Something. Anything that might give us a chance of some kind. I’m thinking pump every ounce of power to the hull and the repulsors, see if it helps us survive a few seconds longer.”
“I’ll take those extra seconds sir,” Banks said as he shut down every non-essential function across the ship. The lighting dimmed to next to nothing around them.
“I thought you would Lieutenant,” King said.
Up ahead there was a huge flash of light. They all looked up in time to see a small planetoid tumbling over the rim at the black hole’s centre. It seemed to happen in slow motion, though King was aware it was happening quickly. The atmosphere and surface matter was stripped away first as the planetoid fell. Then it broke apart like a ball of dry dirt, down into the nothingness. There was an explosion from the crushing of its core, but it lasted a mere second before the energy of that, too, was swallowed by the singularity.
“My god,” Greene said.
“Not even he can help us now,” King quipped.
* * *
The Defiant slid sideways as the black hole pulled it in, as if it were reeling in a catch on a line. They could make out the centre of the black hole in detail now. The ship seemed to rattle around them with the forces pulling on it.
“Hold together baby,” King said, looking around.
“Hull is holding,” Chang said. “For now.”
“If I could get up from this chair, I’d get a wee stiff drink but I can’t move,” Lieutenant Banks said.
“I could use one too,” King admitted. “How long do you think, Ensign Rayne?”
Rayne did a quick calculation in her head. “About fifteen minutes until we arrive at the centre.”
His voice trembled with fear.
King swallowed. “Everyone, I’d like to say a few words, if I may.”
The bridge crew listened.
“It’s been a mad few days. A lot has happened. The death of Captain Singh, now this … but you know, even now we stand together. And that’s the important thing. We’ve pulled through. It may not mean much to you all now, but I am so proud of you all. I’m grateful for having the opportunity to serve alongside you.”
She looked from one crewman to the next.
“And I’ll
Commander Greene broke the silence. “Any ideas?”
King stared ahead. He face became hard, serious. “Nothing, Commander. That’s the point. There isn’t anything we can do.”
12.
“What’s going to happen once we cross the event horizon, Ensign?” King asked Ensign Boi as they neared closer and closer to the black hole.
“We should experience no real change in time. However to witnesses away from the black hole it would appear we are taking forever to reach travel across it, when in fact it might already be over and done with. Time has a tendency to slow down, sir,” Boi explained. “But not for us.”
“Will we be destroyed before we reach the centre of that thing?” Lisa Chang asked him.
“Maybe,” was all that Boi could say.
“There’s no way of surviving a black hole, is there?” King asked Boi.
He shook his head but didn’t voice the obvious. That they were going to die. They’d be crushed by the extreme gravity, pulverised to nothing.
“So what do we do?” Greene asked.
King shrugged. “Sit and wait.”
“Do we tell the crew?”
“No,” King said with a shake of her head. “No, we leave it. Why panic them? It’s going to happen. Why should we make their final moments one of suffering?”
Greene admitted that she was right.
“Crossing the point of no return,” Chang reported, her voice shaky.
“Banks, shut down the engines. Shut down all manoeuvring systems. Everything apart from the hull plating and the forward repulsor array.”
The repulsors were located beneath the nose of the ship. They nudged particle matter and debris out of the Defiant’s way when travelling at substantial speeds, as they were now.
“What’re you thinking?” Greene asked her.
“I don’t know. Something. Anything that might give us a chance of some kind. I’m thinking pump every ounce of power to the hull and the repulsors, see if it helps us survive a few seconds longer.”
“I’ll take those extra seconds sir,” Banks said as he shut down every non-essential function across the ship. The lighting dimmed to next to nothing around them.
“I thought you would Lieutenant,” King said.
Up ahead there was a huge flash of light. They all looked up in time to see a small planetoid tumbling over the rim at the black hole’s centre. It seemed to happen in slow motion, though King was aware it was happening quickly. The atmosphere and surface matter was stripped away first as the planetoid fell. Then it broke apart like a ball of dry dirt, down into the nothingness. There was an explosion from the crushing of its core, but it lasted a mere second before the energy of that, too, was swallowed by the singularity.
“My god,” Greene said.
“Not even he can help us now,” King quipped.
* * *
The Defiant slid sideways as the black hole pulled it in, as if it were reeling in a catch on a line. They could make out the centre of the black hole in detail now. The ship seemed to rattle around them with the forces pulling on it.
“Hold together baby,” King said, looking around.
“Hull is holding,” Chang said. “For now.”
“If I could get up from this chair, I’d get a wee stiff drink but I can’t move,” Lieutenant Banks said.
“I could use one too,” King admitted. “How long do you think, Ensign Rayne?”
Rayne did a quick calculation in her head. “About fifteen minutes until we arrive at the centre.”
His voice trembled with fear.
King swallowed. “Everyone, I’d like to say a few words, if I may.”
The bridge crew listened.
“It’s been a mad few days. A lot has happened. The death of Captain Singh, now this … but you know, even now we stand together. And that’s the important thing. We’ve pulled through. It may not mean much to you all now, but I am so proud of you all. I’m grateful for having the opportunity to serve alongside you.”
She looked from one crewman to the next.
“And I’ll
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