I remember when I first set a selfdestruct sequence. We had been overrun by the worst kind of pirates that roamed the Alpha Quadrant.
     Pirates? You fought against pirates Grandma?
     Yes. A strong and aggressive race called the Nausicaans. It happened nearly two hundred years ago...
     Captain! I'm picking up a distress beacon two point three light years from our current position. The Azure nebula.
     Federation ship?
     Unknown. We have a frequency match but it's unstable.
     Alright helmsman! Our Klingon delegates will have to wait before reaching homeworld. Set a new course, warp factor five!
     Heading,133 mark 8! Warp five engaged!
     I'll warn Starfleet Command. Commander T'Svania, She's all yours.
     That's you grandma! You're the Commander! said the boy with pride.
     Yes Maïren, I was. My very first command as executive officer.
     What happened with the No Scans pirates?
     Nausicaans, smiled the elderly lady. They were hiding, deep inside the nebula, where our sensors could not detect them.
     How many ships?
     Six. They were smaller than the USS Excelsior but well armed and definitely looking for trouble...
     Captain to the bridge. We are approaching the designated coordinates.
     Take us out of warp, he ordered as he set foot on the bridge. Raise shields.
     Shields raised Sir.
     Report.
     Distress signal coming from inside the nebula.
     Source?
     Unable to identify. Sensors are having difficulty due to electrical interference.
     Engineering? Will that nebula damage my ship?
     Minimal risk Captain.
     Alright. Take us in slowly, half impulse power.
     The viewscreen was on but all we could see was this thick gas cloud into which we had boldly ventured. It flickered from light to darkness as lightning bolts struck all around us, unpredictable, threatening. Fortunately, the shields were holding.
     And then BAM! The pirates caught you and pierced holes in your ship and...
     Maïren! Would you like to finish the story?
     Erm... No, no... Sorry, Grandma. Please continue.
     Energy build up! Captain! Five... No... Six ships powering up their engines! Configuration: Nausicaan!
     Red alert! All hands to battle stations! Helm, take evasive actions.
     Aye Sir!
     Ships are in pursuit, coming in fast and trying to flank us!
     Stay ahead of them Lieutenant. And get us out of this cloud!
     I'll do my best.
     I expect nothing less.
     Incoming photon torpedos.
     Attention all hands brace for impact!
     The first wave of photon torpedos banged against our shields while we were still flying in the nebula. This had catastrophic results. Within the cloud was sirillium. This highly volatile element amplified our damages when the torpedoes detonated. The crew were thrown in every direction. That had been their plan all along; to strike fast and hard, take down our shields, injure the crew and take control of the ship.
     We've exited the nebula. Nausicaans still on our tail.
     Return fire! Give them everything we've got!
     Photon torpedos away. Firing phasers.
     Ops report!
     Shields down to eighteen percent. Casualties reported on decks three to ten, life support failure on deck eleven, engineering's working on it. Structural integrity's holding... For now.
     Reroute all unnecessary power to the shields.
     AAAAARRGGHH! Today is a good day to die!
     The Klingon Ambassador had found his way to the bridge, blood leaking on his forehead. I knew better than to offer him medical treatment. He probably would have shoved me right out of the airlock. I remember his face when he learned we were fighting Nausicaans. If looks could kill, he would have destroyed an entire galaxy! The combat went from bad to worse. We were losing the battle.
     Shields are down! Four ships remaining. One's a sitting duck. Others still operational.
     Target those three ships, I'm not ab...
     Captain! Intruder alert on decks four, five, eight and engineering!
     Send security.
     They keep on coming Sir! At this rate, they will soon overpower us on all decks!
     If we go down, they go with us! Computer: arm selfdestruct sequence authorization Sulu Alpha India Mike Eleven.
     By the time I gave my authorization code, Nausicaans had invaded the bridge, to the Ambassador's delight. I was certain we were going to die. But a very strange man beamed over in a bright flash of light. With a snap of his fingers, he made all the Nausicaans disappear. We did not know who he was. We called him "the Question mark", later shortening it to "the Q".