The jump to Gruna Garu was flawless.  The crew had performed well and the
resupply at Hargut was equally uneventful.  With full stocks, the KNEIS-ENAU
was well equiped for her latest tasking.  Wanting to get on with the mission
as quickly as possible, Captain Peiper cut shore leave by a few hours and put
out to space in route to Rhianna.  
    There were some significant problems with the systems aboard the ship when
enroute to Hargut.  The chief engineer and his teams had put in double
overtime dumping all programing and cold booting the entire system as
contamination was severe.  With all systems green-waved, Captain Pieper
ordered the ship out of port.  A few hours into acceleration for jump, the
problems started to reoccur.

     "Captain on the bridge!"
     "Carry-on.  Astrogation, time to jump please."
     "Sir, we will reach jump coordinates in four minutes and thirty
seconds... mark!"
     Captain Pieper settles into his command chair and swings back to face the
main view screen.  Looking overhead, he reads all of his visual displays and
frowns at the red line next to laser battery number three.  He continues to
scowl as he notes the temperature readings on decks one through four.  All are
twelve degrees below standard settings.  A thought briefly flashes through his
mind that this will indeed be a long three standard months.
     Picking up his bridge communication headset, Pieper dons them and
establishes a link with the rest of the bridge crew.
     "Engineering, report status." (tic)
     "Sir, all three engines are on line and powered for jump sequence.
Braking thrusters are set and timed.  Emergency thrusters are also confirmed
set and timed.  Fuel consumption is at 1/3 at present and well within
established parameters for each engine.  Standing by.  All systems green
waved."  (tic)
     "All hands, this is the Captain.  'Condition Blue'.  I say again,
'Condition Blue.' Prepare for jump in three minutes.  This is the Captain,
out."  (tic)
     Operations, sound 'General Quarters.'  Weaps, power up laser batteries
one and two.  Confirm." (tic)
     [eeeeent-ACK, eeeeent-ACK, eeeeent-ACK....]
    The weightless sensation of freefall overtakes all aboard as the KNIES-
ENAU drifts just under void velocity.
     "Weapons, confirmed." (tic)
    The bridge was all professional deliberate action.  They were the familiar
movements of a well orchestrated crew, performing functions that they had been
drilling now for months.  Pieper leaned back in his command chair and locked
the lap restraint into place.  He moved his hand key pad into place as well.
Finally, he reached over the left arm rest and lifted into position the small
black jump box that was the key to man's travel amongst the stars.  The yellow
stand-by lights blinked silently at him as he lifted the protective cover.
The toggle switch glowed a cold blue reminding him for a moment of the cold
feeling in the pit of his stomach.  A feeling he had before every jump and one
he just could not shake - not even after so many years in the fleet.  
     "Operations, have all stations checked in?  Are we ready for jump?" (tic)
     A young ensign turns toward the dias and replies, "Confirmed.  The KNEIS-
ENAU is prepared for jump, sir." (tic)
     "Sir, Astrogation.  We will be at jump coordinates in
five...four...three...
....two...one...mark!" (tic)
     The cold blue toggle easily slides forward and turns green and then...

     The KNEIS-ENAU fires her aft maneuver thrusters at full, lurching forward
in a brilliant flare of chemical exhaust.  A bright green corona begins to
burn along the leading edges of the old destroyer.  It continues to flare out,
stronger, rapidly traversing the length of the ship and distorting its image
within the burst.  It consumes the vessel in all of a second leaving only the
blackness of space as witness to the old ship's passing.
     In a distant system a pinpoint of green light forms.  Almost instantly it
expands outward in a rush, exploding into the shape of an old UPF destroyer.
The flash disappears almost as soon as it formed and space once again enfolds
the KNEIS-ENAU.

     The old ship is shuddering.  The easy thrum of the engines is too high.
     "...eent, eent, eent, eent.....Screens online" (tic)  ....Power! I need
power now..."
     Something is wrong.
     
     Captain Piper came out of that void induced fugue into chaos.  Bathed in
red light, his bridge crew was also coming out of that strange state and
bursting into action.  
     "Forward viewscreen on!" (tic), snapped Pieper.
     A hazily lit screen appeared.  Rhianna was not visible as it should be...
     "What the..."
     "Captain, Weapons!" (tic) "The forward masking screens have deployed..."
     "What?!" (tic) Looking up at his defense VDU, Captain Pieper reads that
half his masking screen tanks are empty.
     "Both forward tanks are reading 50% capacity." (tic)

        *********************************************************

You have exited the void.  The KNEIS-ENAU is listing, nose down from the force
of the partial masking screen deployment.  No damage appears to be done to the
ship so far.  (You don't have enough water to deploy a full masking screen.)
The ship is  moving at just under void velocity.  The braking thrusters having
fired, there is no gravity.