Trouble at our Doorstep

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Welcome aboard the Seraph, Legate Evek, I do hope that we can make you comfortable," Matt said with a smirk that would even make his mother proud. While the Seraph was not responsible for the victory against Evek and his fleet of ships, Matt was still proud that they would be able to do something useful.

"I do not plan on being here very long Captain," Evek replied with evident disgust and anger," I do not plan on being taken captive by a young upstart captain like you. My men and I will not offer any resistance while we're on board your vessel."

"Thank you for your cooperation Legate," Matt said as he motioned for the security officers to activate the shield emitters. In ordinary circumstances there would be an entire squad of officers and marines to make sure nothing happened. Unfortunately there had been a problem on board the Fang, and the marines were delayed. "Lieutenant if there is any problem, notify me immediately."

"Understood captain," the Lieutenant replied noticeably nervous which caused the Cardassians to laugh.

"What your name Lieutenant?" Matt asked in a whisper.

"Hunter Stevenson, sir. I'm sorry sir, but I wasn't prepared for this on my first day of duty," Hunter replied," I was a glorified nerd at the Academy. I am a scientist."

"Hunter do not second guess yourself, I'm a scientist just like you and even though I'm afraid, I know my training will get me through," Matt said knowing that this experience will help Hunter Stevenson grow as an officer.

"Thank you sir," Hunter replied as he faced the Cardassian's and said nothing.

=^=Captain Reynolds to the bridge=^=

=^=Reynolds here, what is the problem?=^=

=^=We are receiving a mayday from the Destiny. She has been boarded and we have lost all contact with her. Admiral Satari sent out the distress call ten minutes ago=^=

"This is Admiral Satari of the Destiny. We are about to be boarded by Cardassians. We do not know who they are, but they set a trap. We are in need of assistance. I repeat we are in need of assistance. To all Federation vessels, please respond"

"Damn it!" Matt said as he turned to face Evek once again," this was your plan all along. There is peace between our two people. We are not your enemies and you take our people hostages!"

"You are warmongers!" Evek proclaimed," we must do what is right for Cardassia. Captain my ship will provide you with some coordinates. If you do not meet my ships there within two hours, that Admiral Satari of yours will be executed."

"If any member of the Destiny is harmed I swear to you that you will regret the day you entered Federation space," Matt said as he walked out and headed to the bridge. He needed to speak with Admiral Drew immediately.

"Sir what are we going to do?" the tactical officer asked. Even though the probability of knowing someone on the Destiny was slim, the camaraderie that was shared by all of those who served in Starfleet was strong.

"We'll figure it out," Matt said as he contacted the Fang. The face of Section Admiral Drew appeared, flanked by Rear Admiral Keztrek and Reckus," Admiral I need your permission to go after the Destiny. According to Legate Evek, he is in control of this operation. If we do not do as he says, they will execute a member of the Destiny crew starting with Admiral Satari."

(Paul, Kez, Sonak)

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Captain we have received approval from the Fang, they are transporting the Marine contingent as we speak," an Ensign reported," we will be ready to depart as soon as they arrive."

"Understood, contact the Fang and tell them that we require the expertise of Lieutenant Stewart," Matt said fully aware that they would need a chief engineer if a problem arose.

(Stewart)

"The Marines have all transported to the ship," the Ensign reported.

"Alright, helm take us out the moment Lieutenant Stewart arrives," Matt said as he made his way to the lift and to the marines awaiting his instructions. Saving a Federation ship from Cardassians had not been on his list of things to do, but it was rare when a captain got to pick their mission.

"Isaiah, are your men ready for a close combat situation?" Matt asked hoping that his long time friend would resp

"Captain the marines have all been transported onond in the affirmative without lying.

(Isaiah)

"I want your men ready within the hour, I expect an ambush when we arrive and I'm sure two Starfleet vessels are better than one," Matt said knowing that there was no way he would allow the Seraph to fall into enemy hands. The Seraph was already equipped with half of the classified technology the Fang had. If it came to it, he would sacrifice the Seraph and all aboard her to keep such powerful technology out of Cardassian hands.

(Isaiah)

"Captain, Lieutenant Stewart and some of his engineering team have transported over," the Ensign reported which prompted Matt to order the Seraph to the coordinates that had been provided by Evek.

"Isaiah, this will not be an easy mission for you or your men, but whatever you need, just let me know and I will try to make it happen," Matt said as he excused himself and readied the rest of his small crew.

(Tag All)

OOC: We will be reaching the destination in a few post. Whatever you want to add please do.

[Deleted]

Sonak had had enough. After spending a day in sickbay and listening to the endless bickering between Paul Drew and Keztrek, the Vulcan admiral had had enough. She had lost her ship (even though it was still spaceworthy) and she had very narrowly survived her escape from the Cardassians. She didn't know how much more she could take on such short a notice.

"I am leaving," she finally announced to both admirals, "I am taking the next transport to Earth, where I will be meeting with my family. I am quite certain I have enough leave out-standing to last me a lifetime. I am taking a break from Starfleet and I will be spending time with my family on Earth. I do not desire to be contacted by anyone, when I am ready to return, I will contact you." She paused. Perhaps no contact wasn't exactly desirable either. "If anyone wishes to visit, they must call ahead so that I can make proper arrangements," she amended. She glanced up. "Goodbye admiral," she said simply, before walking out. Hugging was not the Vulcan way, and no matter what, she was still Vulcan.

---

Leaving was always hard; she had to say goodbye to her friends and that were a great many. But since many were out on the front, dealing with the Cardassians, she simply sent each and everyone a simple note of farewell. She packed up what little belongings she had and made arrangements to leave.

She would have her transport go past Assailant, where her family was residing, and from there they would take the next best available transport back to Earth. She would disappear into the crowds, not accepting any invitations for a while. Yet, of course she knew herself better than anyone, so she would accept a part-time teaching position at Starfleet Academy, giving lectures only if and when specifically invited to do so.

Her children would learn what it was like to live on a planet and make more permanent friends. They would enjoy sunlight, real sunlight as she had done as a child, and they would get to know their grandparents. Yes, she would do all that, and she would start to enjoy living again.

[Kesha Andier]

The trip to Starbase 47 hadn't been completely free of incident, but it had gone swift enough. The transport vessel had neatly deposited the young marine right in the middle of OPS, after of course acquiring permission to do so. Dufflebag at her feet, the Trill/Andorian stood ramrod straight and offered a smart and crisp salute. "Second Lieutenant Kesha Andier reporting in for duty, sir," she stated. Her pale blue eyes seemed to take everyone in, her alertness palpable.

Reaching inside the duffle, she produced a single PADD and offered it to the commanding officer. "My transfer orders sir, as well as my certificate of mental and physical health. My medical records should already have been transferred, sir."

Tag: Drew

---

USS Seraph, main bridge

---

Two consecutive transports within a short passage of time was a little much for the hybrid marine and for a moment she had to grab onto the railing to regain her balance. She recovered quickly and stepped down to the command center. "Captain Reynolds? Admiral Drew sent me along to assist sir. I am chief medical officer Kesha Andier, I've just transferred to Starbase Forty-Seven. I have tactical experience if required sir." She smiled pleasantly while keeping her eyes fixed on the commanding officer of the Seraph. "Most of that training I've received from my father, General Thelev zh'Zhensev, before I even joined Starfleet, sir. He's a well-known tactician, you might've heard of him."

Curiously, the young marine never mentioned her Trill mother, a woman she hardly knew anything about as she'd only seen her every couple of years. Her mother was a complete stranger to her despite her parents' happy marriage. "Is there anything specific you'd like me to do sir?"

Tag: Reynolds
OFF: I am presuming that for the moment, Kesha will join the Seraph

[Deleted]

The Fang remained where it was while the Seraph went to assist the Destiny. With the Vesuvius in such bad condition, Admiral Drew hadn't wanted to leave her alone, especially with a downed Cardassian ship still attached to her.

The Fang had sent over their Marines and what they could spare of their Engineering and Medical personnel. Dan had had to resist the urge to go down to Engineering to take over from Stewart. The Admiral was still off the Bridge debriefing Admiral Keztrek - that is, if you could call a discussion made through clenched teeth that occasionally devolved into a shouting match a debriefing.

No, Engineering wasn't his place anymore. The Fang was a Prometheus, after all. Thanks to its three modules there was sufficient personnel to fill the gaps. Second, he was a Science Officer now. Most of all, he was First Officer.

So he remained at his post on the Bridge, perched above and behind the Captain's chair in the wider chair he had borrowed from his Science station. Not needing two hands to monitor the current situation, he rolled up his sleeve and deactivated his holographic prosthetic, leaving his left arm to end in a stump below the elbow. The release of the mental burden of controlling it was always a relief to him, like the loosening of a vice.

"Ops, run continuous sensor scans. I don't want to be surprised by anything out there."

"Aye sir."

"Tactical, keep an eye on the Seraph and the Destiny and give me pertinent updates."

"Yes, Commander."

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Captain Reynolds? Admiral Drew sent me along to assist sir. I am chief medical officer Kesha Andier, I've just transferred to Starbase Forty-Seven. I have tactical experience if required sir." She smiled pleasantly while keeping her eyes fixed on the commanding officer of the Seraph. "Most of that training I've received from my father, General Thelev zh'Zhensev, before I even joined Starfleet, sir. He's a well-known tactician, you might've heard of him."

"I've actually read his work, Lieutenant," Matt said as he stopped to properly acknowledge the marine. In the last twenty minutes he had met a dozen new people and he was starting to have a difficult time keeping track of them. Yet with all of the new faces on board there was only thirty five people on board the Seraph. "We might actually be using some of his lesser known tactics in a few hours."

"Is there anything specific you'd like me to do sir?"

"I would like you to prepare a triage area," Matt said," I'm expecting critical injuries from both ships, but keep in mind that sickbay is not fully operational."

(Kesha)

"When we arrive at our destination, it is imperative that you are ready for heavy fire as we retake the Destiny," Matt said fully aware how dangerous it was to apply medical help under enemy fire," as you find wounded, we'll transport them back where our triage nurses will help them until you can come back."

(Kesha)

Matt was acutely aware that was not the ideal situation for a newly minted marine officer. As a doctor Kesha would most likely want to save every one, but in battle hard and sometimes cruel decisions needed to be made.

"I have to be honest with you Lieutenant, I truly hope that you do not have to do much today," Matt said giving himself some hope and trying to convey confidence in his new chief medical officer, "If there is anything that you require let me know asap."

(Kesha)

"Captain we are have just received a communique from Starbase Forty-Seven, Headquarters has dispatched a for ship fleet led by the Intrepid," the tactical officer reported," they will arrive in seven hours."

"Six hours to late," Matt said acknowledging the ensign. The Seraph would be arriving within the hour and everyone was nervous.

"Isaiah how are your men doing?" Matt asked through the comm," we'll be arriving within the hour."

"My men are ready Captain," Lieutenant Johnson replied," just tell us when."

[Kesha Andier]

"I would like you to prepare a triage area," Matt said," I'm expecting critical injuries from both ships, but keep in mind that sickbay is not fully operational."

"I'll make do with what we got sir," the half-Andorian replied, her speech supported by fluid hand signals as she was used to doing. "Anything else sir?"

"When we arrive at our destination, it is imperative that you are ready for heavy fire as we retake the Destiny," Matt said fully aware how dangerous it was to apply medical help under enemy fire," as you find wounded, we'll transport them back where our triage nurses will help them until you can come back."

"I'm a marine, captain," Kesha responded smartly, keeping her eyes on the man before him, making sure that he was facing her at all times. "Please be advised that I'm unable to hear any vocal summons, however I have a vibrating pager with me as well as a visual communicator. I have an implant but prefer not to use it unless absolutely necessary."

Matt was acutely aware that was not the ideal situation for a newly minted marine officer. As a doctor Kesha would most likely want to save every one, but in battle hard and sometimes cruel decisions needed to be made.

"I have to be honest with you Lieutenant, I truly hope that you do not have to do much today," Matt said giving himself some hope and trying to convey confidence in his new chief medical officer, "If there is anything that you require let me know asap."

"I need everyone who requires my attention to look at me when they speak to me. As I am deaf, I rely very heavily on visual signals. If there's anyone available tho is capable of sign language to communicate with me when someone's out of my visual range, that's most appreciated sir." In other words, she really would like a crewman capable of FSL to assist her in a crisis, so that she wouldn't have to overload her senses with the implant.

"Also sir...I have difficulty distinguishing colours, so I'm not implenting a colour coding for the triage. Instead I will use different sorts of cards for the tagging, I mean...different shapes sir, if that's permissible."

[Matthew Reynolds]

"Whatever works best for you and your staff Lieutenant," Matt said surprised that the officer in front of her was deaf. He knew that in the future it might cause problems but they would deal with those problems as they came. Feeling that his doctor had all the information she would need to perform her duties, Matt took a minute to take everything in.

The marines were preparing themselves for a close firefight and his limited and shorthanded crew were preparing the Seraph for the fight of her life. Crewman that would never work on the bridge were running critical systems on a highly classified vessel. Knowing this and fully understanding that the enemy was powerful, Matthew Reynolds believed that for some reason fate had chosen them to take this crazy mission on.

"Captain, all unnecessary systems have been put offline. All power has been transferred to shields and weapons," the tactical officer reported," I have also taken the liberty of depressurizing decks 10 through 19."

"Good thinking Sam," Matt said to the tactical officer with a smile.

"Captain, main engineering reports that they are ready for anything, they also report that our transporters are at max efficiency," the operations officer reported," also we are approaching our deadline, but we will arrive with a few minutes to spare."

"Alright, Lydia, I'm sure Admiral Satari will be happy to hear that," Matt said surprised he was able to joke about the situation they were currently in. Realizing that his joke did not go well with the bridge crew, Matt turned his attention back to the task on hand. "Lieutenant Johnson, once your men are ready, I want y'all to report to transporter room 1 and 2."

"Understood, my men will be ready," Lieutenant Johnson reported. With all of his department's ready, Matt took the captain's chair and awaited his most difficult mission ever.

(Tag All)

[Deleted]

Captain’s Log Stardate 96.1206

Whilst responding to a distress call from the USS Vesuvius, I seem to have found myself in something of a predicament. As if Cardassian’s invading the sector was not bad enough, my former First Officer, KezTrek has mysteriously showed up on a ship that appears to be a Starfleet/Klingon hybrid, claiming to be working on a mission so secret that Starfleet Intelligence has told no one. Not only that, but KezTrek has told me my eldest daughter is with her, I have not seen her since that incident so many years ago, nor in fact have I seen Kez. Now they are both back, but so are the Cardassian’s, and I cannot help but feel that somehow, someway the events are connected. Of course, I’d have more luck trying to stop a supernova than get anything out of Kez...

“You still owe me an explanation,” Drew said as he and Kez entered the ready room, leaving the bridge in the capable hands of Dan, “it is an awful coincidence that you show up just as the Cardies decide to start making trouble again.”

“You know me,” Kez answered, “I like to make an entrance.”

“Indeed,” Drew said slowly, sitting himself down in the large leather chair, “that you certainly do.”

Kez followed suit and sat herself down in the chair opposite the desk, for a brief moment Drew was reminded of the many times they had sat in this room, “debating” the best course of action. But things had been much simpler then, he had been only Captain Drew, responsible just for the safety of the few hundred crewmembers of the Fang, and Kez had been his trusted First Officer. More importantly, she had been under his command. Now he had entire sectors to worry about, and Kez was very much her own woman.

“How about we talk about your daughter?” KezTrek suggested, breaking the silence, “you really should see her.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Drew said, “I want to know what is going on, and for once, you really are going to tell me.”

“Well...” Kez began, but was interrupted by the loud cry of alarms as red lights flashed wildly in the ready room, closely followed by the voice of Dan Trek over the intercom declaring a red alert.

“Admiral, more Cardassian ships are entering the sector, they are heading straight for the Destiny and Seraph.”

<tag all>

[Deleted]

"Sir, I'm detecting three Galor-class warships on long-range sensors entering the sector. They're heading for the Destiny; ETA two hours," the Tactical officer reported

"How far away are we at Warp 8?" Dan asked.

"About the same distance, sir," the Helmsman reported.

"Red alert," Dan said, as the lights changed and the red alert klaxon began sounding. "Helm, set a course to intercept." Dan hit the comm circuit. =/\= Admiral, more Cardassian ships are entering the sector, they are heading straight for the Destiny and Seraph. =/\=

"Report, Commander," Admiral Drew said as he reappeared on the Bridge with Admiral KezTrek behind him.

"Three Galor-class warships are headed for the Destiny, Admiral. The Seraph will be there within an hour. A fleet has been dispatched from Starbase 47, but they won't arrive for seven hours. I've ordered us to intercept."

"Suggestions?" Drew asked.

"I recommend taking the ship to Multi-Vector Assault Mode, sir. That's the only way we'll be able to make the difference in this fight."

[Matthew Reynolds]

"What the hell are those ships doing?" Matt asked furiously frustrated as the Seraph's sensors picked up more Cardassian ships. His gut told him that this was not part of Evek's plan and would complicate the rescue plan of the Destiny.

"Captain what should we do?" Sam asked clearly nervous about the newest predicament.

"We'll continue with our rescue plan, I'm sure that Evek's son is not going to be happy that more Cardassian's have entered the fray," Matt said hoping that in the end this would be good for them. Feeling like he could not take the chance, Matt quickly left the bridge and headed to the make-shift brig on Deck 3.

"Legate, why are there three Galor-class ships heading towards us?" Matt asked calmly.

"Damn you Federation!" Evek cursed," your presence so near to the border made them curious."

"This is your fault, Evek. No one told you to declare war upon the Federation," Matt replied feeling that the status quo had begun to tilt in his favor," once they find your fleet, they will not hesitate to attack. If you order your men to release the Destiny and her crew we will go along our way and make no move against you."

"We will not come out of this empty handed Captain, we will fight to the last man," Evek replied.

"Do not be a fool Legate, we do not want a blood bath, but we will get our crew and ship back at all cost," Matt said not waiting for Evek's response.

With Evek's initial plans now ruined, Matt realized that his men would now become desperate to get their leader back and still claim a grand prize. The rescue plan would need to be quick and forceful, which would ensure the lowest number of casualties.

=^=Reynolds to bridge, increase our speed so that we arrive in within fifteen minutes, make all departments aware of this change=^= Matt ordered as he took a breath and waited for the upcoming battle.

(Tag All)

[Matthew Reynolds]

Gul Teven, Legate Evek's Second in Command

"Gul, we are receiving reports that a squadron from the Seventh Order has been dispatched to our location. They will be here an hour after the Federation ship is due to arrive."

"I thought we had taken precautions against such events," Teven replied angry that his father's plans were crumbling around him, " all of our plans will not go to waste! We will salvage what we can and get back my father from those treacherous Federation dogs."

"Sir, a Federation vessel has entered the system. All of our stations report ready."

"Good, we will act as if nothing has gone wrong, if our enemy sees any weakness they will go for the kill immediately," Teven said as he motioned for his men to hail the Federation captain.

"Federation vessel, I demand that you release Legate Evek and his crew. You will surrender your vessel or your people will be quickly and unceremoniously executed," Teven said as Matthew Reynold's face appeared on the view screen.

"Legate Evek will stay where he is until I deem it fit," the smug Federation Captain replied," I am Matthew Reynolds and you have committed an act of war against the Federation. If you do not stand down, hand over our crew and ship you will face the entire military capabilities of the Section 47 Fleet."

"We both know your fleet is spread thin Captain, as you must have already seen our reinforcement are already on their way," Teven said so convincingly that a few of his men believed the lie.

"I highly doubt that, but even if that is the case our reinforcement are not far away and I know that this ship can hold her own until they arrive," the captain replied with an arrogance that should only be attributed to a Cardassian.

"Captain you have ten minutes until are first deadline, if we do not hear an answer that we approve of, you'll be responsible for the death of the Destiny's crew," Teven said before he cut the transmission.

"We'll find out soon enough."

[Deleted]

Engineering – USS Seraph

“Tyson, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” the Chief Petty Officer demanded as he suddenly loomed over the crouching engineer.

“Chief?” said Craig Tyson, wincing as he looked up, the light silhouetting the Chief making his headache worse.

The Chief yanked the component from his hand. “This is a D6, not a J5. You were about to fry damn near half the power grid! What’s with you today?”

Craig grabbed his head. “Sorry, Chief. It’s this splitting headache….can barely concentrate.”

“That’s it…get yourself down to Sickbay and get yourself checked out.”

As he walked over to Sickbay, he wished he could decrease the lighting by…oh, twenty or thirty percent. For a moment, he considered pulling some strings to do just that; a buddy owed him a favor. He hesitated on that – safety regulations would get some officer or another having it fixed back moments later.

Half staggering into Sickbay, a Doctor conveniently walked past him. “Hey Doc...can you take a look at my headache?” he asked after she had passed. But she continued right on going as if he weren’t there.

He knew he wasn’t an officer or anything, but shouldn’t she at least have had someone look at him? Following after her, he called out again, but no response again.

Finally looking around, he spotted a guy that the Doc at least seemed to be paying attention to. “Hey buddy, could you tell the Doc I’ve got this splitting headache? Maybe she’ll listen to you. Oh, and I think I’m hallucinating. Her uniform looks green”

The Crewman looked rather startled and slightly nervous as Craig started talking. “Yeah sure…okay, I’ll get her. Though you’re not hallucinating…”

Waving his hand in front of her, he started moving his arms and hands in front of her after he got her attention.

< Tag Kesha >

[Kesha Andier]

Kesha, injured crewman, overthere. Aidan signed once he got his companion's attention. The young Trill was surely smirking at her as he 'spoke'. He thinks he's hallucinating because you're in green.

Kesha positively smiled back at him. Hallucinate, does he? she commented using one hand to sign, while with the other still hold her tricorder. The young marine doctor turned to face the crewman. "I assure you, you're not hallucinating young man. I'm a marine, therefor I don't get to wear that lovely colour my companion here wears." She indicated the crewman's teal attire, all the while smiling brightly. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"

He said he had a headache Aidan signed, thereby saving the crewman the trouble of having to repeat himself. A splitting headache, he said, actually.

"I see. Well then crewman, hop on over on that bed overthere and I'll be with you in a moment. Aidan, go with him and make sure he doesn't hurt himself? I thought he was drunk, as he came in."

Crewman Aidan Datari smiled. Certainly. "Come with me crewman." It was clear by now the young Trill wasn't much of a speaker and seemed to only vocally speak when required, keeping to hand signals most of the time. It was almost, as though he were the deaf party, not the doctor.

While the Trill situated the patient on one of the beds and made sure he was comfortable, Kesha finished up with the patient she'd been treating before, then pulled the tray with equipment along to the newcomer. "How long have you been having this headache?" she asked pointedly, while extracting the wand from the tricorder, and wave it in an intricate pattern across his skull. "Have you ever suffered these before? For any period of time?"

[Crewman]

"Well, I'll tell you now, you won't be working again today. I'll give you a mild sedative for the pain and then I want you to return to your quarters, turn off all lights and spend at least an hour in the dark. If you can sleep, so much the better."

[Crewman]

Aidan easily kept up with the crewman's talking, occasionally inserting a comment of his own that would likely be lost on the engineer in question. You're not expecting me to drag him to his quarters do you Kesha? the young PA querried curiously, almost with a hint of fear. I'm your assistant, engineers can come pick him up, I'm not taking him. You need me here.

No need Aidan Kesha cast the boy a reassuring smile, patting his shoulder. He can walk himself. She glanced up at her patient. "You're good to go crewman, if needed you can call someone on your team to take you home. I'm afraid my assistant here is needed where he is, at my side."

Aidan, please contact the chief...tell him I sent his crewman home.

Promptly, the Trill tapped his combadge. "Chief, this is Crewman Aidan Datari. Doctor Andier wishes you to know that she's sent your crewman to his quarters to rest sir."

[Dan]

[Matthew Reynolds]

Fully aware that the execution of Admiral Satari or any member of the Destiny would prompt a swift and tactical response from the Seraph, Matt doubted that Tevan would act on his threat. Even though it was highly unlikely, Matt was not going to take that risk.

"Captain we have located the crew, they are being held on a supply ship. The ship is being protected by two modified Bok'Nor-type freighters," the tactical officer reported.

"Alright, we are going to have to create enough of a distraction to allow our marines to secure the Destiny crew and escape," Matt said as he notified Lieutenant Johnson that he would need to get his men ready. "Lieutenant Andier, please report to the transporter room. We have found our target, please be ready in five minutes."

(Kesha)

"Sir what about the Destiny?" the tactical officer asked," if we got her under our control again, it would better the odds."

"It would, but with the limited amount of crew, we have to prioritize. Plus they will not destroy a trophy like a Federation vessel," Matt replied, "ensign how many shuttles do we have?"

"We have three shuttles, but they won't be any match for those Galor-class ships," the ensign replied.

"I know and I'm sure that our friends out there know that as well," Matt said as an idea began to grow in his mind," we need them to believe that Evek and his men have escaped from our custody. Once they bring in the shuttles in closer we detonate them."

"Sir, how are we going to hide the weapon signatures and for that matter how are we going to fake Cardassian lifesigns on the shuttles?" the ensign asked.

"It's easy enough, plus we only have to fool them for a few seconds," Matt said as he began to work on masking the Cardassian life signs," we must also stage a little explosion to further our little trick."

"We'll get it on right away sir," the ensign said.

"Reynolds to Stewart"

"Lieutenant Stewart has become ill Captain" a crewman replied.

"Alright, let me speak to the person in charge. It is urgent," Matt said hoping that the engineer would have the sufficient talent to get this done correctly.

(Dan)

[Deleted]

Sickbay – USS Seraph

"How long have you been having this headache?" she asked pointedly, while extracting the wand from the tricorder, and wave it in an intricate pattern across his skull. "Have you ever suffered these before? For any period of time?"

“No ma’am, just today. It started when I came on duty.” As he talked, he noticed

"Well, I'll tell you now, you won't be working again today. I'll give you a mild sedative for the pain and then I want you to return to your quarters, turn off all lights and spend at least an hour in the dark. If you can sleep, so much the better."

“Yes ma’am. I’d been thinking about asking a buddy of mine to ask the lights in the ship down, but didn’t think I’d get away with it.” As he talked, he noticed that the Doctor was looking at the aide, more than him, and that the aide was again waving his hands around. Was the Doctor deaf?

"You're good to go crewman, if needed you can call someone on your team to take you home. I'm afraid my assistant here is needed where he is, at my side."

“I think I can manage on my own, ma’am.”

As he left, he could hear the call between the aide and his Chief Petty Officer. He heard his Chief reply =/\= Fine with me. I don’t think I want the kid back today anyway. =/\=

Lovely, now the Chief doesn’t like me, Craig thought as he left Sickbay.

Later – Engineering

“Lieutenant McShane?” the Engineer’s Mate said, approaching the Assistant Chief Engineer. “Captain’s on the comm for you. Says it’s urgent.

“Of course it is,” McShane said as he crouched under a console. “Figures the Captain would need something when I’m pulled in from off-duty for Lieutenant Stewart.”

Getting up from the floor, knowing the Captain’s request would likely require quick action, he tapped his commbadge. =/\= Lieutenant McShane here, Captain. What can I do for you, sir? =/\=

< Matt >

[Matthew Reynolds]

=/\= Lieutenant McShane here, Captain. What can I do for you, sir?=/\=

=^=Lieutenant I need you to cause a major system failure aboard the ship, which would cause a big enough explosion that would fool our Cardassian friends out there=^= Matt said surprised that there was another Lieutenant in engineering. Next time he found himself in this type of situation he would make sure to take a closer look at his crew compliment. =^=We are going to create a fake prison break and it all depends on you and your team=^=

(McShane)

=^=You have less than ten minutes to make this happen Lieutenant=^= Matt instructed thinking that he would be sure to get McShane promoted if he got this to work.

(McShane)

Now that his plan had been set into motion, Matt once again to work on the faked Cardassian life signs. Since this trick had been used before it was imperative that Matt got everything right or Teven would see right through there little plan.

[Deleted]

Engineering - USS Seraph

=^=Lieutenant I need you to cause a major system failure aboard the ship, which would cause a big enough explosion that would fool our Cardassian friends out there. We are going to create a fake prison break and it all depends on you and your team=^=

How best to achieve the desired effect while minimizing the actual damage caused… =/\= Not a problem, Captain. Making stuff blow up on a starship is easy; it’s keeping it from doing so that’s the trick. What we can do is cause an overload in the power grid near where the central cooling vents on the haul. It’ll get a little warm in here until we can repair it, but it should produce a sufficient fireworks display. =/\= McShane replied as the Engineer’s Mate looked at him like both he and the Captain had gone at least mildly insane. Damaging the system that kept them all from boiling to death qualified as a major systems failure, right?

=^=You have less than ten minutes to make this happen Lieutenant=^=

=/\= Not a problem, Captain. That should give us enough time to allow us to ensure that we don’t blow up the rest of the ship along with it. =/\=

“Overloading the cooling vents to cause an explosion to legitimize a Cardassian prison break….” Said the Engineer’s Mate, looking at McShane with a mixture of doubt and amazement. “Well I guess if we have to cause an explosion, that’s the best way to do it.”

“Yeah, because I don’t think the ‘I was following orders’ defense will keep Lieutenant Stewart from getting mad at me if I don’t choose the least damaging method possible,” McShane said.

The central cooling vents were on the underside of the ship near the nacelles and were responsible for dissipating the excess heat created by the warp core. After the heat was used by the environmental controls to warm the ship, it was afterwards siphoned to the cooling vents. With large power conduits running very close to the hull of that ship for venting purposes, overloading them would create a very visible explosion without creating much actual damage.

“Now, we’ve only got ten minutes to pull them off. Get the Petty Officer down at the cooling vents on the comm. We’ll need to disable some safety interlocks in order to get this to work,” he said to the Engineer’s Mate. He turned to junior officer. “Ensign, get Security on the line and tell them we’ll need them to evacuate the area around the cooling vents just in case.”

Several minutes later

“There we go,” McShane said, putting the finishing touches on a macro that would, at the touch of a button, make all the various adjustments needed to cause the explosion, doing so much faster than a person could do, as suggested by the Engineer’s Mate. Looking at the chronometer, he said, “Just in time; Captain should be giving the order any moment now. Pull up the aft view from the dorsal sensor array. I want to watch.”

“Figured you would…pyro,” the Engineer’s Mate said as he pulled up the camera.

McShane shrugged. “All engineers are pyros to some degree.”

“No argument there.”

When the order came from Captain Reynolds, McShane’s finger posed over the activating button jabbed forward in an instant, setting off a moderate-sized explosion issuing out of the hull that surely would have been very impressive sounding if there was any sound in space.

“Well…not quite as big as I’d wanted, but hopefully big enough for the Captain’s needs,” McShane commented to the Engineer’s Mate as he thought he saw a couple shuttles flying out in the background of the camera view.

[Kesha Andier]

"Let's pray it's to take care of wounded because Lieutenant Johnson transferred away even before I arrived," Kesha muttered darkly, unaware that the commlink was still open, "and I'm not qualified to lead assault teams. I'm a doctor, for crying out loud."

I think he heard that. Aidan signed, then teached to tap her combadge. Do you want me to remain behind, or come with you? I won't be in your way, you know that... It was true enough, the young Trill never once had stepped in her way. The two had known eachother so long, that they moved around one another with practiced ease, as if they were completely in synch with eachother.

"So what if he heard that." Kesha proceeded to pack her medical kit then went out to the transporter room, Aidan following close behind her. Both were armed with a phaser, though the doctor of course also carried her kit. "Doctor Andier reporting as ordered," she stated smartly as she stepped into the transporter room. "And I once again point out I'm not qualified to lead any marine teams."

[Matthew Reynolds]

"The shuttle is away," tactical reported as Matt began to manipulate the readings. Hopefully his plan would work and the Cardassian would be caught off guard.

"Engineering, do it now!" Matt ordered which was followed by an explosion that shook the entire ship. At first the captain believed that the explosion had been to big, but everything was going as planned.

"Captain they are making their move," tactical reported, which prompted everyone on the bridge to perform their assigned duties. When the Cardassian ships were in range, the Seraph fired a fully volley of torpedoes destroying three of the freighters and crippling a warship.

"Get us into range," Matt ordered to the helmsman.

"They are firing from the asteroid!" ops reported before Matt was thrown off his feat. He could already feel a stream of blood on his face, but he would need to ignore it for now.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"They have weapon platforms on the asteroids, our sensors were not able to pick them up until they fired upon us," tactical reported. It wasn't what the they had planed for, but at that very moment the marines were making their rescue attempt and Matthew Reynolds was doing everything in his power to keep them safe. The planned explosion on board the Seraph had provided them with enough of a surprise and hopefully lady luck was on their side.

"Comm!" Matt said before he realized that the young man was now dead. "Tactical we need to take out their artillery platforms located at these coordinates," Matt said from the comm, "If these weapons are not destroyed the Destiny would not stand a chance of escape."

"Captain another ship just showed up on our sensors!" tactical reported.

"Friendlies?" Matt asked, but before tactical could answer the ship opened fire on the Cardassian ships.

"Captain Reynolds, we cannot let you have all the fun now can we," Admiral Keztrek said before disappearing from the screen.

"Alright, lets get the Destiny back," Matt said as he positioned the Seraph close enough to begin transporting over. "How are our marines doing?

"They are experiencing fierce resistance, we have three wounded and one fatality confirmed," ops reported.

"Alright keep me informed, Sam I'm placing you in command of the Seraph, I"m going to the Destiny with an away team," Matt said quickly and made his way off of the bridge.

Twenty Minutes Later

"Computer reinitialize the engines," Matt ordered as he inputed his command codes and removed the dead Cardassian from the comm. "Reynolds to Seraph and Tigershark, The Destiny is back under our control, but we will be lucky to get Warp 2."

"Seraph to Reynolds, we have recovered most of the Destiny crew, we have yet to locate the Admiral," Sam reported.

"Tell our marines to keep searching," Matt ordered.

"Captain, my sensors tell me that the Cardassian have initiated a self destruct, you need to get the Destiny as far away as possible," Admiral Keztrek ordered.

"Will do Captain, but what about our people?" Matt asked already knowing the response.

"We will honor our dead Captain," the Admiral replied.

"Sam, get our people out of their now!" Matt ordered before he he noticed that five Cardassian warships had just entered the system.

=^=Federation vessels you are to leave this area of space immediately. This is an internal matter within the Cardassian Union. Leave immediately=^=

"Sam do you have them?" Matt asked as he began to move the Destiny out of the system. Luckily for them, the Evek's men were ignoring the weakened ship.

"Not the Admiral sir, we don't have enough time," Sam reported before the link was interrupted and a powerful shock wave overtook the ships.

"Captain, decks 12-17 are gone, but we are one piece," the ensign he had brought with him reported.

"Good, signal the Tigershark and Seraph, we are getting out of here," Matt said noticing that the other side of his head was now bleeding as well.