I decided to make a couple of changes to this setting and set it in the Enterprise era.
Here's what I've changed:
It is the year 2155, and the intrepid crew of the VC-13 Poseidon - a Neptune-class upgrade - is busy exploring gaseous anomalies near a binary star system just this side of the system Enterprise visited in "Minefield" when a Romulan Val Hatham warship decloaks and orders the Starfleet crew to surrender. Much to the chagrin of both crews, the gaseous anomaly that the Poseidon was studying turns out to be a powerful gravtiational sinkhole, and both vessels are sucked in!
Even more to the dismay of the Romulans, their vessel suffers a number of critical system failures as it is pulled into the gravitic anomaly, and, once the worst is over, they find themselves on a severely damaged ship hemorrhaging warp plasma. Most of the Romulans died as the result of explosions and other unpleasantness, and they are now no longer in the threatening position.
The commander of the Poseidon is relieved to find that his ship fared far better; only a few minor systems were scrambled and are easily fixed. Detecting the Romulans' distress, the Starfleet commander orders the survivors brought aboard before their ship explodes.
Managing to rescue approximately a dozen Romulans and Remans (and a surprising amount of technology) before their ship succumbs to its injuries, the Poseidon is tossed and battered when their adversary's warp system ruptures and explodes. Taking stock, no critical injuries were sustained by Starfleet personnel and their ship appears in good working order.
The Chief Medical Officer and his staff quickly responds to the injured Romulan crew, sedating many and treating their wounds. The security detail aboard the Poseidon is small... perhaps too small to counter an organized Romulan threat. Of course, the Romulans did leave their hand weapons behind...
Nevertheless, the commanding officer meets with the highest ranking Romulan - Lieutenant Ventak - and attempts to discuss their situation. The gravitational sinkhole has trapped them in a finite pocket of space - a flattened sphere measuring approximately twelve light years wide by eight light years tall at its highest point - containing a trio of star systems and approximately 15 planets.
The sinkhole itself - visible to sensors (as well as to the naked eye) - proves impossible to reverse-navigate thanks to the gravity shear; simulations indicate that any attempt to leave via that route would result in the messy destruction of the Poseidon and the loss of crew and passengers.
On top of everything else, sensors indicate that at least one planet in the nearest system is Class-M and is inhabited, though little other data is available at present...
Clearly aware of their new situation, the Romulans and their Reman comrades agree to work with their former adversaries in an attempt to escape their spatial prison.
I am sending the crew of the Poseidon on this research mission this weekend. Wish me luck!
mactavish out.
Last edited by mactavish; 03-14-2008 at 08:18 AM.
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