Tania sits at her desk in her quarters, staring at her phone, displayed on the small screen is "Connection Lost". 'Well shit' she thought, she was reporting to her editor about the incident of the Space Force kicking reporters of the ship with force. However half way through her account the ship jumped. She sighed as her door chimed it's cheerful tone, she glares at the door, again it chimed, steeling herself she walks up to the door and hits the open button like it owed her money.
The door slides open revealing Sargent Hayes who meets her glare with disciplined indifference, "Tania Alvarez." Not backing down she looks the Marine in his eyes, "Yes" she says curtly. Hayes looks down at her eyes, her attempt at intimidation merely a breeze, "The Captain wishes to speak with you."
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In his ready room Nolan sits at his desk looking at his screen. Displayed on it was a list of names, beside them were a picture with "K.I.A., Wounded, or M.I.A." underneath. The wounded far exceeds those K.I.A. or M.I.A. Nolan was solemn looking the names and images as he scrolls through the list as his door chimes, "Come In." The door slide open and Tania entered defiantly and marched up to Nolan's desk with a glare, "You wished to see me Captain?"
Nolan didn't look up, "Yes. I want to explain to you why I only left you aboard when the rest of the press was sent back." Tania crossed her arms as he rose his gaze to her eyes, "Please. sit." Nolan told her unperturbed holding his firm gaze, she eased into an awkward pose then sat adjacent to him. His eyes never left her's as if calmly staring her down. "Good." he said flatly. He eased back into his chair and turns the screen to face her.
"Fifty-two." Nolan said after the silence, startling Tania, "Excuse me?" Nolan took a deep breath and continued, "Fifty-two men and women. Either killed or wounded. Six of them missing." Tania looked confused. "I want you to see them. There are many more killed on the lunar station and refinery." "I'm sympathetic, but that doesn't explain the misuse of force on unarmed civilians!" Still confused Tania answered. "No. And it was never my intention to forcibly remove them from my ship. However I have very little time in which we can predict the movement of Marduk's forces with any success." Nolan retorted calmly and she relaxed her defiant gaze.
"Now to the point. I understand the importance of the press in a moment so pivotal. And because of that I left you as well the military press aboard to document this mission." Nolan continued, "Why me? There were dozens of reporters with far more experience." Tania asked still a bit confused. "October fourteenth, twenty-one oh-five." She was stunned.
Nolan continued, "You were an embedded reporter with the 101st marine division. At fourteen thirty hours your squad was ambushed by Martian rebels, and at fourteen thirty-one your escort was hit with shrapnel. Bleeding and without concern of your own life you not only dragged a marine to safety, saving his life but also killed two rebels defending your position." Tania sighed, "Not my proudest moment."
"No. It was your defining moment. You also gave an honest, and balanced report. From your hospital bed if I recall correctly." Nolan said seriously, "What dose that..." Tania started before Nolan interrupted, "It has everything to do with it. I need these events to be reported with integrity. The fate of this crew and the United States depends on it being reported home fairly and honestly. Plus you have showed quick thinking in a combat situation."
Tania reflected on the Captain's words, "I..." she sighed again, "Thank you Captain. I won't..." Discovery shutters around them with a muffled thud and subtle electric whine reverberating on the hull and deck around them. Nolan and Tania looks around confused and with a electric snap Discovery lurched to the port side, throwing them toward the wall before an inexplicitly violent surge of gravity pinned them to the floor before the grav-plating stabilized, the general alarm sounded and the room was bathed in deep red light. The hull creaking and groaning like the ship was thrown into a violent storm.
With a groan Nolan stands back up and looks out the window. The normally ghostly streaks of light generated by a computer, are instead, swirling about like being in a blender. In the distorted warp-space Discovery was twisting and tumbling fighting it's own erratic warp fields, shimmering and flashing as the coils uncontrollably compress and decompress space around it's self. Twisting space and gravity in knots.
Nolan stumbles onto the bridge, Tania behind him who immediately straps into a fold out seat along the back bulkhead. The bridge was in chaos as the officers try to stabilize the ship before she rips apart from her own drives. The hull continues to shutter and groan as Nolan tries to get control of the situation, "What the hell happened!" he bellowed and nearly every eye snaps toward their captain, Bennet was struggling with the ship's controls trying to get the ship under control.
Halsy spoke first, "Inertial dampener failure, we are trying to initialize the backups, but they're not responding. We also loss control of the warp fields." ALI materialized on the holo-pedestal, "Power surge in engineering! Hull integrity at sixty-five percent! Attempting to stabilize by shutting down the tertiary and secondary field coils!" she said with a subtle anxiety, another emotional mimicry designed into the AI, but it was oddly comforting. "Reroute power to the..." Nolan started. Discovery lurched again, but this time heading in one direction. Nolan is slammed against the aft bulkhead along with Halsy and any officer not strapped into a seat. Knocking both out cold.
Discovery streaked in warp-space, compressing space in front of her so densely that a black mass was forming and around the ship space twisted and elongated. Bennet struggles against the inertial force caused by Discovery's uncontrolled acceleration. His fingers inched slowly toward the emergency shut-down switch. The hull shutters and groans. The speed on the display in front of Bennet reads
The hyper drive shuts down with a deafening whine. Sparks burst from power transformers, and a panel blows. Space warps and with a flash Discovery exits warp-space. Tumbling slowly at high speed. All lights and engines were dark, the ship drifts with a solar system appearing as a large dot in the background, gasses venting from dozens of cracks along the hull.