The Unknown Kind - Chapter 12 Preview - Orbital Decay
Fandom: Star Trek/Alien Title: The Unknown Kind Rating: Explicit (NC-17) Length: 18 chapters, Part I complete!!!! Link: The Unknown Kind Chapters 1 - 11 Chappie Preview!
Elevator after elevator after elevator it’s just insane. How did they accomplish anything on this station, it’s nothing but transit! Once again, Jim wonders just who designed this fucking place. He’s never seen so much verticality in fucking space in his life.
The subtle pressure of deceleration overtakes Jim, who straightens and opens his eyes. The lift comes to a halt, and opens its doors. Jim stares at the dark and quiet corridor before them. It’s Spock who steps forward and triggers the loud activation of the side-mounted lights, but it’s still Jim who jumps. Every time.
The station creaks and groans around them, metal and struts grinding, and Jim can feel the deck vibrating through his boots. The distress eases after a moment, and silence and stillness return. Dust settles on the floor from where it was shaken loose from the walls and ceiling.
Jim swallows, wincing at the dull ache that remains in his throat.
“Those vibrations were external in nature and stress-based,” Spock says quietly, his hand sliding off from where he’d placed it against the bulkhead. Jim does not like the sound of that. “Given that it was a lateral stabilizer that exploded and detached from the station during our EVA, and taking into account the overall structural integrity of the station, I calculate a 77.85% probability that the station’s orbit is decaying.” Another wave of vibrations and groaning passes through. “Rapidly.”
“How rapidly?” Jim presses him.
“Captain, I do not possess the relevant data in order to calculate the ultimate deadline of planetfall.”
“Spock,” Jim says patiently. “How long?”
Another series of vibrations roll through. Spock places his hand back on the bulkhead and closes his eyes in concentration. Jim waits silently, and after a minute or so, Spock opens his eyes and turns away from the bulkhead, removing his hand. “If the rate of orbital decay holds steady, a possible 4.5 further hours remain before descent into KG-348 will tear the station apart.”
