Survival of the Fittest. Pt II

Black Star wrote:The Escape
Pt. II



Instead of returning to the bridge, Kirsta had wandered about helping out wherever she was needed, eventually wandering into engineering where she spent time studying and learning what she could about the operations of engineering. She noted that things “out there” were quiet but whatever the situation was, she knew that neither men would back down from the eventual confrontation she knew was destined to happen. Both men are stubborn and pig headed, both arrogant with an overtone of ego, but she couldn't decide which man had more of an abundance of said attitude. During the journey here from Ceti Alpha V, she had spent most of her time in quiet solitude studying all information available on the computer, especially what information could be garnered about Star Fleet officers. She acknowledged the fact that despite Kirk's attitude, he was a man who knew how to handle a ship. He has experience, knowledge and know how when it comes to ship operations. Khan did not and for this very reason, she felt that things would end badly. Without years of ship experience and no personal knowledge of ship combat, she knew, despite Khan's abilities, the chances of victory were slim. This was something, if she made it out of this alive, she would not err upon.

Having spent some time discussing warp tech, amongst other engineering topics with a male Augment named Ariss, she headed up to engineering operations and sat before the console. She picks up one of the many cartridges and sliding it within the slot, she begins to copy all the pertinent information of technical readouts, design specifications and general knowledge of warp, impulse and thruster technology. She could have transferred all this info to the shuttle but knew there could be a possibility of being discovered. At least this way, she could waylay anyone curious of her actions. After finishing in engineering, she heads off to med bay where she does the same thing and once done there, she makes her way to Astro Navigations, downloading all pertinent information from there as well. She knows there is much more she could find or need, but she had the basics and decided it was time to head back to the bridge.

Kirsta steps onto the bridge just in time to hear the voice of James T. Kirk taunting Khan. She would remember it always as the point at which Khan began to loose his arrogance, the beginning of his fall to destruction. “I laugh at your superior intellect,” were the words which Kirk had taunted Khan with and she knew those were words which would aggravate and cause Khan to respond, of which he did without hesitation. Despite urgings and warnings, all of which Khan ignored, he issued the order to track down the Enterprise. He would not be satisfied until Kirk and everyone aboard the Enterprise were dead by his hands. Through all of this, Kirsta had remained silent, watching and listening. She knew it would soon be time to take her life into her own hands and change the course of her destiny. As she watched in stoic silence, the Enterprise broke from the planet heading for the Mutara Nebula, the Reliant in quick pursuit. Khan was informed they would overtake the Enterprise but not before they entered the Nebula. Khan expected the pursuit to continue.

As the Enterprise slips within the Nebula, Khan is informed by Joachim of the the effects the Nebula would have upon both ships and that neither ship would have an advantage, Khan did not heed the warning and into the Nebula slipped the Reliant. For some time, the starship dance ensued until each found each other long enough to launch a few weak attacks. As the Reliant rocked under the Enterprise's attack, Kirsta knew it was time to leave. She was questioned by another female augment named Leah which she promptly put off as, “her abilities would be better suited in engineering” and with that statement, Kirsta vanishes into the turbo lift. She hated lying to Leah because Leah was one of the few Augments who were not so arrogant as to socialize with someone, someone Kirsta had come to call a friend. But she could not take her along as she knew Leah would follow Khan to whatever ends awaited them. Moments later, Kirsta exits the turbo lift moving quickly to the shuttle bay. She turns as she passes through the door and slams her fist into the entry panel, shattering it, leaving it to spit occasional sparks thus preventing anyone from entering too quickly. She proceeds towards the shuttle, enters it and quickly moves to the seat and preps it for launch. Once prepped, she activates the link to the console in the Shuttle Bay control room. Now there was nothing to do but wait. Wait for the opportunity to make good her escape and a chance at a real life. She had never really understood why she was different from the other Augments. The scientists had not been forth coming with that information and during her time on Ceti Alpha V, she had done everything required of her to pass as one of them. There had been a few close calls, a few situations which had made her vulnerable, but she had managed to always thwart, discourage and dissuade her way out of those situations. Khan had always been suspicious of her, she knew that but had managed to avoid turning his suspicion into fact.

She knew who she was but she refused to acknowledge it any farther than by virtue of her birth. She was not like them, at least not to the extent the others were and if she had anything to do with how things would turn out, it would be by her hand alone. At that moment, she had decided, that if she was to ever have a child, the child would know who he or she was, but she would do everything to make sure that her child did not become a victim of genetic heritage.

Her thoughts are disrupted as the Reliant is hit with a successful salvo of phasor fire. The hits are solid but not what she was waiting for. But she knew that she would have to stay focused if she were to get out of this alive. A short time later, the Reliant is rocked again, hard, as weapons fire impacts near the aft of the ship. Kirta hears the distant sound of explosions erupting within the ship and decides that this is as good as it would get. Her finger stabs the button, the shuttle bay doors ripple for a moment, then blow outwards. Without the shield being erected, explosive decompression violently sucks everything out, the shuttle along with it. For a few moments, everything is a blur as the shuttle is launched outwards violently, narrowly missing the side on the way out. The shuttle tumbles slowly end over end as it drifts away from the Reliant. From her vantage point, she observes the return fire from the Reliant as it burns away at the belly of the Enterprise, the two ships now moving off to begin their hunt for a better advantage on each other. The Enterprise passes over her like a looming giant, passing by her, a trail of Nebula gases wafting lazily of her tail end. She waits as the shadow vanishes then activates the shuttle's power. She knew that both ships would be intent upon their search for each other and the jamming effects of the Nebula would pretty much leave her unnoticed. She moves at full impulse leaving the dogs of war to hunt each other to their inevitable conclusion. The shuttle bursts forth from the Nebula some time later, patches of gases ribboning off her shuttle as it races away. She smiled as she activated her view screen, watching the Mutara Nebula shrink as she sped away from it, phasor fire from within lighting the nebula up in a small area.

She continues until she is a few hundred thousand kilometers away, slowing the shuttle to a stop. She knows how it will turn out but curiosity causes her watch to see just how things would play out. While she waits, she runs through the star charts, deciding upon her point of destination and eventually decides upon one of the areas the Orion Pirates were known to operate within and plots a course readying the shuttle for warp. She switches the view screen back to the Nebula and notes, after a few moments that only the normal, flashing lights of the Nebula were active. Unknown to her, the Reliant had been crippled. Kirk and Khan were exchanging words, Kirk asking for Khan's surrender, Khan refusing and even in his death throes, Khan still challenged Kirk. Still believed he could defeat Kirk and with the words, “From Hell's heart, I stab at thee!” and with his final breath, Khan activates Genesis causing it to build its energy to an overload.

From her vantage point, Kirsta watches and waits. She watches as a brilliant light flashes within the Nebula, the gases suddenly being sucked inwards to a central point which is then followed by another brilliant flash which clears the gasses just enough for her to spot the flash of a ship going into warp. She watches with brief fascination as a giant bubble of force erupts from the center of what was once the Nebula, rushing headlong towards her. She knew it was time to leave! Pressing the button which slams her shuttle into warp, Kirsta knows everything that once was, is now gone. She was free! Free to make her own life. Free to do, to explore and to experience a vast universe which now beckoned to her.

Her new life awaited her! A new life that would be full of adventure, peril, danger and challenges, but it was her life and she would boldly face all that now lay before her.