Work Text:
Stellar cartography has figured out where they are, but that really isn't going to help them much.
"We have located a pulsar that we believe to be PSR J0540−6919. If we have correctly identified the pulsar and carried out triangulation correctly, we are approximately two hundred thousand light years from Parnassus Beta," Lt. Spencer says, looking shaken.
"That seems like much further away than we possibly could be," Chris replies, hoping against hope that his science officers are wrong about this. Two hundred thousand light years is maybe two hundred and fifty years at warp seven if his mental calculations aren't too off. "Are we really that far from home?"
"We have checked the figures multiple times. That is the only pulsar within a reasonable distance that has the right radiation and spectral analysis."
Spock has clearly double checked and triple checked, and he doesn't look pleased to say the next bit. "I concur with the calculations."
Chris runs his hand over his face. Spock’s words kill his hope that this is all a mistake. Without a repeat of whatever it was the Pelia and Scotty had done to get them here they weren’t going to make it home in any of their lifetimes.
"Alright. We need to make repairs before we try going back to warp again, and the Gorn could be out there somewhere, so let’s keep sensor arrays up and alert. And Spock, I know stellar cartography has probably already leaked the news, but anything you can do to slow the spread would be appreciated. Let’s not add panic on top of everything.”
Spock nods, and Chris sighs and leaves to go talk to his Chief Engineer.
***
Engineering looks like a bomb has hit it.
It doesn’t matter, as long as it all comes back together enough to get his ship back to their part of the universe, Chris tells himself. They probably didn’t really need that plasma conduit anyway.
Chris stops short of entering Engineering, because Ensign Uhura and a very nervous looking Yeoman have cornered Lt. Scott, who is looking as though he would like the deck to swallow him up.
They all three stop talking the instant they see Chris. He has the sudden suspicion that the subject matter of this conversation is one that he absolutely does not want to hear.
"Sir," Lt. Scott says. "Commander Pelia is in Sickbay along with Lt. Commander McNamara. They left me in charge until the Commander gets back. The engines are stable for now."
Chris knows that is code for 'some of the repairs were completely jury rugged and are liable to come apart in a couple hours if we don't do the actual repair', but that they'll probably survive long enough to do said repairs.'
"Not to be negative Mr. Scott, but where are the rest of my engineers?" Chris asks, looking around. There are crewmen and specialist running around fixing things as best they can, but most of Engineering’s officers are nowhere in sight.
"Lt. Commander McNamara traded out with Lt. Commander Ridenour because she'd hit thirty-six hours awake and Commander Pelia wanted someone in reserve who'd gotten some sleep for whatever the next crisis is. Jurasek is up in Sickbay with Ekubo and Banks because they were all injured when the warp diffuser blew, and Gwalchmai is in an axial Jeffries Tube trying to see if we can't repatch the plasma conduits back together. The Commander called in just before you got here, and she'll be back in fifteen minutes." Scotty reels off the report a little wide eyed, like he might just be in a bit of shock from the events of the last few days.
"Any thoughts on replicating whatever you and Pelia did to get us here?" Chris asks.
"Not anything we can do with the ship in its current state, sir. Once we get the engines working smoothly again, we'll have more options."
Chris pats him on the shoulder. "You're doing good work, Mr. Scott. I'm going to head up and find Pelia in Sickbay."
"Aye, sir."
"And Ensign Uhura?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Try not to give Mr. Scott too hard a time, okay?" Chris says with a small smile.
"Aye, sir," Uhura replies with a shark of a smile before turning back to Scott, with a PADD in hand.
***
Sickbay is not as much of a disaster as Engineering, but it's close.
The biobeds are filled with the people that La'an and Joseph had freed from the Gorn prison ship. Others are his crew members who were injured in their desperate flight from the Gorn, and then there is Marie.
Her communications ensign, Doug Cassidy, is sitting beside her bed. He's in a sling, and his face looks like it's been used as a punching bag, but there he is, guarding his captain. Chris feels for the man at that moment. He'd like to go sit next to Marie too, but he needs to get a hold on the situation.
Pelia and McNamara have dragged what looks like a shuttle's worth of machinery into Sickbay, and Pelia has pulled up the flooring to crawl under the deck for some reason. Joseph is curled on his side on the biobed next to the hole, trying to keep a handle on the situation from his sickbed.
Chris must look confused, because McNamara starts to explain before he can even ask. "The biobeds were about to go into cascade failure and take out all of Sickbay," she says. "We could cut through the floor, or we could try and repair them one by one, and Dr. M'benga and Commander Pelia agreed that it was necessary to take out the floor to save the biobeds."
"Liz!" Pelia calls, and McNamara scurries towards the hole as Chris follows after her.
"Captain," Joseph manages, though he doesn't lift his head off the biobed. He looks better than when he’d crashed into the shuttle bay in a stolen ship with thirty injured prisoners.
"I see Sickbay is getting a makeover," Chris says.
"Have to keep up with the fashion trends, Captain," Joseph says dryly. "At least they were able to stabilize it before the whole bay went. We would have lost a lot of people."
Chris nods, as McNamara helps Pelia hoist herself out of the hole in the floor, glad that something has gone right today.
"Captain," Pelia, says off handedly, and starts issuing orders to McNamara, who replaces her in the hole in Sickbay with a roll of cable and wire splicers.
It takes another minute for Pelia to turn to Chris and Joseph. "Well, probably nothing will explode now."
"I wasn't aware exploding was an option," Joseph replies.
Pelia shakes her head at him like he's a naive child. "Joseph, explosions are always an option."