The Edge of Freedom #67"
By: Samantha Carter, Security Officer, [RNPC]

Stardate: 58204.15 1930

Back in the runabout's aft compartment, Sam was removing a bowl of couscous and a cup of broth from the replicator and trying very hard not let Charles's limp body unnerve her. She was tiered going back and forth attending to Charles, by giving him regular doses of medication. She was worried sick to her stomach, but forced her self to eat something, she would soon need all her piloting skills once they entered the badlands.

According to her calculations it would take another 4 to 5 days before they reached home, she had to hold on till then. Sam's arm throbbed with pain, where Rok had managed to stab her, she had changed the bandage regularly but despite it, the wound was red and definitely infected.

Sam heaved a sigh, rubbed her eyes, now burning from exhaustion, trying to keep some of her food down.

Suddenly in the corner of her eye a red light was flashing, sensors indicating a level 4 plasma storm was approaching.

"Computer time to impact?" 12 minutes 47 seconds the response came. Sam knew that she could not outrun this storm she need to find shelter behind a moon or an asteroid belt, to ride out the storm.

"Computer scan for a Class 3 moon or an asteroid big enough for the Euphrates". ETA to get there"?

"Asteroid belt detected, ETA 11 minutes 53 seconds, the computer responded.

"Shields up, Lay in a course at maximum warp, engage". Sam ordered. Sam frantically kept an eye on her view screen. A glittering cloud that filled the shuttle from bulkhead to bulkhead. There were swirls of plasma emanating from the cloud as if they were trying to catch the shuttle.

Sam coursed through the asteroids and managed to hide behind a big piece of rock. The shuttle shaked violently but the dampeners managed to keep it steady. Sam raised an arm to shield her eyes from the pyrotechnics still running amuck outside and as she looked out the viewscreen she saw a string of bright yellow explosions, large, small, blinding.

Then as suddenly as it had appeared the cloud had passed her. Sam sighed, hopefully the remainder of the journey would be without incidents.

"Computer resume previous heading", Sam ordered. With a small turn the Euphrates resumed its previous course. Only a few more days then they would be home.