(This post replaces the previous post by the same title. That post is no longer
a valid part of sim continuity. Events will take a slightly different course
than originally planned.)

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Sam Jacobi
Ship's Cook
USS Terra Nova
"Setting the Stage"


[Shuttle Craft, Kilimanjaro]
[July 8, 2378 - 16:21 hours]

It was a rough ride aboard the Kilimanjaro. Exiting the powerless Terra Nova in
the dark was like feeling one's way out of a narrow cavern. But, the pilot was
able to make the clearance, and the small type 10 shuttle escaped unscathed into
the silence of space.

And none to soon either.

Within seconds, one last salvo from the Belstaisi vessel sent the little Terra
Nova into a tailspin, her inertial dampeners offline. She tumbled backwards,
drifting helplessly in the vacuum of space. Her hull compromised in numerous
places, her power systems completely offline, and her crew -- those that had
survived the boarding parties -- in escape pods. Yet, despite the odds, she
lived up to her namesake. She was a tough little ship -- a Defiant -- and she
refused to die.

How the Captain, second officer, and Lt. Manning fared, however, was another
story. Their fates were yet to be determined, as they had remained onboard, and
were the only element holding the wounded starfleet vessel together.

Just outside the Terra Nova, another story was playing itself out -- the fate of
the Warhead. As it streaked it's way towards the aggressing Belstaisi vessel --
it's lone pilot struggling to inflict one last wound upon the invaders -- a
shadow fell upon the scene....

Another ship had entered the stage.

From Sam Jacobi's perspective on the Kilimanjaro, his jaw nearly dropped to the
deck as the massive shadow of an Excelsior class starship arrived to take on the
aggressors. The unmistakable glow of Federation firepower slashed outward toward
the Belstaisi ship, ripping it apart like an over-ripe tomato. As the savior
vessel slipped past the small shuttle, it tractored the Terra Nova's warhead
with it unharmed.

The resulting shockwave from the explosion radiated back upon the defenders. It
impacted the Kilimanjaro first, throwing her into a temporary spiral, and then
made contact with the Terra Nova, furthering her tailspin. After a few moments,
the wave dispersed. The Belstaisi vessel was nothing but debris, the Terra Nova
left drifting silently nearby, and the USS Furious coming around to rescue the
Terra Nova's crew. The stage had been set.

What had seemed like the end only moments before, had suddenly become a new
begining.


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