Story:Starship Challenger/Shakedown Cruise/Act Four

ACT FOUR

FADE IN

EXT-PLANET SURFACE

EXT-SPACE

The Shuttlepod one and two head to the surface.

INT-Shuttlepod Canopy

MARTIN Set us down next to the research center.

Carlson inputs commands into the console of the pod.

EXT-PLANET SURFACE

The Shuttlepods fly over the building and then lands as the rescue team piles out and are shocked by what they're seeing.

MARTIN (to T'Shar) Alright T'Shar give me something good on your report?

T'Shar looks at her scanner.

T'SHAR I'm picking up damage to the facility, (beat) and survivors Commander.

MARTIN (Smiles) Alright you all know our mission we're to find survivors and take them back to the ship for further treatment let's move out and good luck.

The rescue team heads into the research facility.

INT-RESEARCH FACILITY (Battle damaged)

The rescue team spreads out to search for survivors, as Martin sees something and it's the hand of the head researcher and he's picking up debris from where he's at.

MARTIN Don't struggle stay still.

Martin lifts up a support beam and throws it aside and several pieces of debris and grabs the hand of the head researcher.

MARTIN I'm Commander John Martin of the Starfleet vessel Challenger.

Doctor Carlson shows up and starts running his medical tricorder over Doctor Aronov.

ARONOV I'm Doctor Aronov I'm the head researcher or I was the head researcher of Epsilon II Outpost.

MARTIN What happened Doctor who attacked you.

Aronov wipes the sweat from his face.

ARONOV I'm not sure how to explain it, (beat) we were working on something when we were attacked by an unknown ship.

CARLSON (CMO) Commander I need to get him to sickbay for further treatment.

Martin nods and Doctor Carlson helps Doctor Aronov up, Martin's Communicator beeps he unzips his pocket and takes out the communicator and opens it.

MARTIN Martin here go ahead.

RUBIN (OC) Commander we've found 14 survivors and we've figured out who attacked the outpost it was the Romulan.

Both Martin and Carlson are shocked by the discovery.

MARTIN (Worried, into Communicator) Get those survivors up to the ship, and have the Captain inform Starfleet Command.

RUBIN (OC) Aye, Sir.

Martin closes his communicator.

CUT TO: EXT-SPACE

The Challenger is in orbit of Epsilon II.

TAYLOR (VO) ''Captain's Starlog March 15th, 2156. We remained in orbit around Epsilon II after hearing that the Romulans are responsible for the attack on the science outpost, I've informed Starfleet Command and they've dispatched fourteen ships to our position we can only hope they show up.''

INT-BRIDGE (Situation Room)

Taylor, Martin, Williams, T'Shar, Carlson (Helm Officer), Carlson (Chief Medical Officer), and Rubin are around the table.

TAYLOR Did they say what type of ship attacked the science outpost?

Rubin inputs commands into one of the consoles and the ship appears on the screen.

RUBIN It's a Shrike-Class warship, she was in orbit for an hour.

Then all of the sudden the ship jolts hard as sparks erupts from the ceiling and MSD.

EXT-SPACE

A explosion erupts from the port side of the ship as a Romulan Shrike-Class warbird flies over the ship as it fires another energy bolt at the Challenger.

(Fade out, End of Act Four)