Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jul 3, 2016 20:53:04 GMT
The Excalibur arrowed through space at high warp .... Daniel, sat in the center seat was leaning forward, chin in hand, as he watched the SN1-Kappa close the distance between them, their intention obvious ! ~~~~~"We are at warp eight Sir, and the Kappa is still closing ... Estimated time until detonation of the antimatter mines: Three minutes ....." the Helm reported as a bruised Psonoir entered the bridge, the view-screen showing an Aft view of the pursuing but doomed, hijacked Triaud vessel. "They don't know where they're going, they only have us to orientate themselves b." Karka murmured, peering into the blue of the science station scope. Dan was about to ask if Engineering could give them more speed when the Comms Officer informed him that she was picking something up. "Explain." Dan instructed quickly. but the Comms Officer couldn't, she said it was as if someone was sat on a Communicator, or it was at the bottom of a fish tank, the signal was very weak and dropping off quickly. Dan ordered it patched through the Bridge comm system: =^= .. .. erless you will be exicu .. .. .. =^=
=^= urt me if you choo .. .. .. et nowhe .. .. =^= "That's Ensign Larn !" someone said, Schirra asked for confirmation and received it almost instantly. =^= .. .. ope of releasing the Presid .. .. .. ou must have known it wou .. .. .. =^=
=^= I'm tiring of thi .. .. .. Maybe som .. .. .. ooner than yo .. .. hink .. .. .. all abou havi .. .. finger on the butto .. .. =^= "Time to detonation !" Dan asked, suddenly realising what the Ensign was doing. "Seventy seconds." T'Seng informed him, already making inputs to her panel. =^= Whol .. . rld will go boom ! =^=
=^= You fail to reali .. .. uation you are in young ma .. .. We will get the informa .. .. .. =^= "Come on !" Dan said under his breath, "Keep him talking Ensign, keep him talking !" "Ten seconds ....." T'Seng relayed. "Three ....."
"Two ....."
"One ....." Nothing .... The expected explosions failed to happen. Dan dropped into the center seat almost defeated, but then the first mine detonated, then the second, and third ... They had lost the comm link with Ensign Larn as the first mine detonated. The 'Kappa' began to drop from warp, tumbling end over end, her nacelles ripped from their pylons as the ship disintegrated before their eyes. Helm had already dropped the Excalibur from warp and they witnessed the last throes of the Star Ship SN1-Kappa as the last of the four mines completed the task it was solely designed to carry out. The Kappa's warp core exploded ! "SHIELDS !" Daniel shouted as the Excalibur was battered by the shock-wave produced as a result of a matter / antimatter explosion so close it would be a miracle if they survived ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Jul 8, 2016 18:19:03 GMT
He cast out thoughts of how his following actions may reveal more of his true identity - for he knew Schirra amongst others had already noticed oddities to Karka, in how he'd managed to prevent the deaths of billions of cryogenically frozen beings and return them to their home hundreds of thousands of lightyears distant for instance. Karka began programming a set of commands that would generate a multiphasic shield (circa late 25th century) around the Excalibur. The duotronics of this age were just up to the challenge of being rewired to the extent that such a modification would be allowed, and the shield was erected.
In the instant in which the shockwave began to overtake them, a fizzling golden shell enveloped the Excalibur, fading out now and unseen like the SN-1 Kappa itself, only the Kappa was obliterated while the new temporary shield was invisible.
It never would've protected them totally from the nearby explosion; being in this close proximity to the annihilation of that much matter and antimatter no ship could ever be entirely safe... Karka braced himself against the rail behind the science station, looking round suggesting others do the same if they hadn't already.
The ship lurched. Inertial dampeners were nothing in this environment; artificial gravity actually momentarily gave up, power being shunted either on purpose or by accident (virtue of the explosion) into the shields or whichever system the power overloads happened to burn out in their sudden every which way coursing through the Constitution chassis.
Karka found himself flipped nearly 360 degrees, and found the bridge had done much the same. We're still alive, for now, he thought as the ship screamed with the stresses subjected suddenly to its hull - he managed a look at the viewscreen: they were shooting across space, stars or illusions thereof firing by, spiralling, streaming along the edges of the navigational deflector's shield (needed for the reason they'd been propelled up to near warp speed...), those that were illusory stellar fragments normally generated by a warp bubble breaking apart as they passed off the edge of the screen.
A second and then a tertiary blast wave tickled over the Excalibur in its new position approximately fifty million kilometres from the site of the explosion. The vessel shuddered, Karka - blood from a cut in his forehead streaming down his face, coating him making him look almost demonic such was the pallor in the rest of his features; that was at least what he'd think if he'd been able to see himself - staggered back to his console and began brokenly reading off damage reports coming in from over the ship. Sickbay, where Commodore Ryat had been placed after her ordeal on the Triaud ships in the presence of among others the abominable Admiral Connolly, was now being inundated with casualties: the injured, the fatalities... of which initial reports said there were less than 10, the figure possibly to rise.
"Initial reports 8 or 9... now 13 dead, many more injured," he reported.
"Warp drive is still online, Commander," Unwin called across from port side, "All primary systems are for the most part functioning, though it's going to take an awful lot of work getting the EPS grid straightened out - several overloads in subsidiary systems, lucky nothing major. I don't understand it, we should be a blazing hulk of a vessel with that explosion... I did detect," Unwin looked carefully over his controls, "An anomaly, a power surge in the shields that was nothing to do with the rerout from auxiliary I performed. Something, quite odd... I don't understand it."
Karka kept quiet at the science station, peering into the blue scope, seeing he thought in its cerulean depths hazy figures now coagulating, now dissipating, vanishing like garden mists back into the near homogeneous azure, in their moments of solidity smiling through the anti-miasma; one of those mocking expressions he recognised: Lirwa's?
* * *
The tactical officer pushed his report forward on the table, "Confirmed, sir," he said, "No survivors. Not even base molecules. The amount of debris which would seem to have been humanoid-biological corresponds with the number of people aboard the Kappa at the time."
"No more escape pods were used then," Karka murmured, having learnt from Schirra who learnt from Kurio that Baratz Talavi had escaped the ship by means of escape pod. Where he'd been heading though only Kurio and presumably some or all of his fellow augments knew; that was the only thing unfortunate about their demise... Talavi's whereabouts would remain, for the foreseeable future, unknown. Perhaps it was best to keep it that way, until such time and at the earliest indication that the augment leader was gathering forces about him again.
Schirra nodded, almost as if he'd read Karka's thoughts, and they continued to brood around the conference table. There was a lengthy period of silence, all of them thinking about the insane danger they'd had to expose themselves to in order to prevent a likely attack on the Federation by Singhian augments. Eventually Karka asked, "Should Admiral Connolly be given a military funeral, sir?"
<Tag Dan>
He checked with the CMO who was present at the meeting what the condition of Ryat was. Apparently she was only a little shaken and would soon return to duty.
<Tag Alyana>
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jul 9, 2016 0:00:42 GMT
On the Bridge, and somewhat remarkably still in the center seat, Daniel listened to the reports:
"Initial reports eight, nine ... Now thirteen dead, many more injured."
"Warp drive is still online, Commander." Unwin called across from port side, "All primary systems are for the most part functioning, though it's going to take an awful lot of work getting the EPS grid straightened out - Several overloads in subsidiary systems, lucky nothing major ....."
"Move the ship to a safe distance and hold position." Dan said, Senior Staff with me." he said, getting out of the seat and walking off the Bridge into the Captain's Ready Room, the others following ... Once seated they began to discuss the last few moments in more detail, until there didn't seem to be much more to say. Karka broke the silence:
"Should Admiral Connolly be given a Military Funeral, Sir ?"
"Seriously ?" Dan asked, somewhat surprised at the query, then had an instant re-think, "Hold on a minute ....." he said, looking out at the stars beyond the plexi-glass window. Had it been his decision, he would have categorically said 'no' to the question. But there were other factors to consider here he thought, for instance, should his Family discover just what the Admiral was really up to, it would taint the whole Family to an extent where it would be unlikely they could recover. He wished there wasn't still that fraction of doubt regarding his complicity in the whole mess, but even one percent doubt, was doubt .... The man was a traitor, not only to himself, but to his crew, Star Fleet Command, and to the very organisation he had sworn an oath to defend and uphold, The United Federation of Planets ! ... So ...
"Lieutenant Unwin, once we're done here would you have your staff convert a photon torpedo casing, throw in say one hundred kilograms of scrap then throw it in one of the Cargo Bays." he knew he was being flippant and extremely disrespectful of the dead man, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get the fact that Connolly was working for an enemy of the Federation, and would have continued to aid them to their goal if allowed, "Any word on the Commodore Doctor ?" he asked the Chief Medical Officer, mainly to change the subject.
"She's resting, I have her under a mild sedation, but she seems more settled since her 'doppelganger' perished. I'd like to keep her for twenty four hours observation, then she can leave Sick-bay. To be honest, there's nothing preventing her returning to duty once she's up and about, but personally, I would rather not return her to active duty status until I have carried out more tests."
"Make your mind up Doctor ...." Daniel said, ".... She's either going to be fit or not, you can't have it both ways. If you want to hold her for tests then do so."
"I don't recall instructing you on how to carry out your duties, Commander. I would be grateful if you would extend me the same courtesy." she said, getting up, "If there is nothing more you need from me, Commander, I have patients to see to." Dan knew when he'd been slapped down, and nodded for her to leave.
"Remind me not to need her ministrations any time soon everyone." he said as a means of relaxing the obvious tension, "OK, where are we on communications, do we have sub-space capability back ?"
"An hour, maybe two." Unwin informed him, an expression on his face that said he had something more but was unsure how to begin. Dan asked him to continue, "Sir, with all due respect, I'm a little unsure as to my, position at this time ?" he said, a look of embarrassment spreading quickly.
"In what way Lieutenant ?" Dan asked, genuinely confused.
"Well, Sir ... I've been working as Acting Chief of Engineering pending appointment of someone permanant, but with Commander Psonoir back aboa ......"
"Let me stop you there Mister Unwin." Dan said, revealed it wasn't something more disturbing, "You were appointed Acting CEO when Commander Psonoir was transferred the the Charon, and you remain in that position until instructed otherwise,or you wish to step down. I'm sure Commander Psonoir agrees with my decision, and will make himself available should you require his advice or assistance. I'm not going to snatch the job off you Mister Unwin, besides, technically, Commander Psonoir here is 'still' Chief Engineer of the USS Charon, and 'not' a part of the Excalibur crew." he finished, a wry grin forming. Thankfully, he could see Karka nodding in agreement.
"Right, let's get on these repairs, I want to be able to make decisions on what we do with the remaining Augment vessels, albeit they seem anything but space-worthy at this point in time. I intend to completely destroy the orbital facility over Anderson's Planet once repairs are completed. Thank you gentlemen."
He watched as everyone but Karka and Chief T'Seng filed out of the room, then he looked from one to the other, waiting to see what they had to say ..........
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jul 9, 2016 23:01:20 GMT
OOC :: Posting as Master Chief Koni T'Seng :: IC ::"....... I intend to completely destroy the orbital facility over Anderson's Planet once repairs are completed. Thank you gentlemen.
"So, who wants to start ?" he asked the two sat opposite. Karka and Koni looked at each other then T'Seng then by some unspoken agreement, the Chief elected to speak first:
"Sir, with all due respect, and despite my feelings for the mans Family, I believe giving Admiral Connolly a full Military funeral will be somewhat, hypocritical of our beliefs within Star Fleet. The man is, after all, a traitor, this alas is undeniable given the actions we have witnessed thus far ... While I am not advocating the man being pilloried throughout the Federation, I do not believe his previous record outweighs his actions over the last weeks, months, possibly years, we would have no way of knowing the length or depth of his involvement without extensive investigation, which is not within our our purview ..... As to our 'situation' regarding the remaining Augments and their vessels, we should attempt to eradicate them completely with all due haste. Should they be allowed to escape, it is obvious that they will regroup, rebuild, and at some point return. We may not be as 'fortunate' on that occasion, they will be better prepared."
"So you are for being rid once and for all, regardless of consequences ?" Daniel asked, eyeing the Chief, who's resolution he admired, "Would taking them in to face charges not be preferable ?"
"Consequences Commander ? .... I'm not sure what you could be referring to."
"Charges of culpib ....."
"Pardon me Sir, but we would be 'saving' the quadrant from a menace that, if allowed to rise unchecked, could come back stronger, faster, more resilient, and a damn-sight more willing to kill for killings sake ! ... Sir." Daniel glanced at Karka, who had sat passively watching the exchange, then back at the Chief as she continued, "You should remove them, before they extend the compliment to us."
"I'm not sure if I have the author ....." Dan began, but again the Chief interrupted him:
"You are in Command." she said simply, leaning back, obviously finished with her 'opinion' of matters .......... < tag : Karka >
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Jul 10, 2016 0:30:45 GMT
Karka touched his clammy hands together, still suffering from the EPS grid's backwash through the tips of his fingers in the moment of his manipulation of the console to generate the multiphasic shield. He looked from Dan to T'Seng, realising that it was expected of him to add something at this juncture. He'd barely been listening, the exchange having seemed distant but not through choice or through reflection but due to a cold feeling that seemed to grip him by the temples.
He focussed on the blurry image of Schirra and spoke, maintaining professionalism as best as he was able despite the sickly aura that was with him and in his skin, "I do not disagree, I would have spoken if I did," he lied, then changed tack to what he knew to be true at least for the present, "We know Talavi is out there somewhere. Unfortunately we know not where... but robbing him of the augments he may wish to recruit will avert another potential strike on the Federation and minimise the threat from him to virtually nothing."
"But should we kill the augments or capture them, Mr Psonoir? Your opinion is sought in this matter considering..."
He lost focus again, the words falling into an indistinct background whose colour seemed to be grey, the voice or voices showing up as a brighter shade until it felt to him as if they were shouting colours, the peak of one such wave breaking through his field of vision now as if it were splintering a pane of glass, everything in an instant returning to normal. The clamminess and cold remained however.
"With the death of Connolly, Sulin and the destruction of the Massachusetts, we have been distanced from our chain of command. If it is decided here that the augments should die, then die they must," he said simply. "The people of Triaud, while being blocked from entry to the Federation due to their recent behaviour, will be consoled by our actions here in that they will be free from the augment threat, and we will be free from any danger of the two combining forces again."
"Elections are underway on Triaud II to replace Horace McNulty," T'Seng put in, "Communications detected a planet-wide broadcast announcing the candidates and condemning the actions of McNulty and his administration."
Psonoir and Schirra nodded, Karka adding almost offhand that debris consistent with the USS Charon had been detected strung out in a long line in low orbit of the gas giant Andersen's Planet. The others were rightly caught off guard, "What?"
"The fragments do not make up the entire mass of the Charon," he explained, "However it seems both nacelles and a substantial portion of the engineering section were at some point shorn loose of the rest of the vessel. I haven't yet completed scans for biological material, but it seems so far that those sections of the ship had been entirely vacated by the time of the destruction. Why didn't I mention this before," he anticipated a possible question, "I..." The fuzziness descended over him again and he frowned deeply, "I... don't know." He stared at the table, eyes wide but glassed over. "If that will be all, Commander?" he enquired distantly.
Returning to the bridge they set about tracking down the last manned augment/Triaud ships... Very few of them were active and well crewed, most still stranded amongst the wreckage at the five-spoked shipyard where they'd been refitting their now permanently crippled invasion fleet. Far below it the remnants of half the USS Charon circled, and the Excalibur arrived, dropping out of warp a hundred kilometres above the station.
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Alyana Ryat
Commodore
Registered: Sept 5, 2007 16:34:56 GMT
Posts: 347
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Post by Alyana Ryat on Jul 10, 2016 15:54:20 GMT
OOC: So here I am, appologising again. I think you guys have been amazing on this mission and I think we have reached a conclusion so will wrap ALy's thread up here. Karka (don't worry about post length - it just makes my sporadic posting look worse ) Aly was relieved to be transported out of the room where she and the Admiral had been held prisoner. However that relief was short lived. She got a glimpse of the Excal's transporter room - at least she assumed it was the Excal's it was certainly Federation pattern. At least, she thought she saw the transporter room for a second and then she was somewhere else. Really this had to be a record for kiddnappings in one day. Was it even the same day? Things were getting somewhat hazy. Lack of sleep and the effects of the drugs she had taken were starting to catch up on her. She could taste something odd in the air and then everything got even more hazy. She was aware that she was being used as a hostage and her life and throat were dramatically threatened however she couldn't muster the emotion to get beyond sullen. This so wasn't her day... There was more chaos and confusion and another transport, this one genuinely ended on a Federation ship which was shortly confirmed to be the Excalibur. She was taken to sickbay, she managed to give the medic a run down on what had happened and was unsurprised that they wanted to keep her in for observation. She was just grateful that they didn't want to knock her out. She suspected it would be a while before she could sleep easy without a fear of waking up somewhere else. It was hours later, she still had not slept but she had managed a shower and change of clothes, when Aly walked on to the bridge of her ship. She looked around and let out a long breath. She knew Dan had done most of the hard work but he had left this for her. "Ensign Collins, plot course for Starbase 16, wrap factor 7." She paused a beat. "Ensign T'Sen, Engage." She settled back in to her chair. "Time to have a break." She breathed
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Daniel Schirra
Captain
Registered: Apr 8, 2013 21:02:47 GMT
Posts: 468
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Post by Daniel Schirra on Jul 10, 2016 18:22:14 GMT
Returning to the bridge they set about tracking down the last manned Augment / Triaud ships ... Very few of them were active and well crewed, most still stranded amongst the wreckage at the five-spoked shipyard where they'd been refitting their now permanently crippled invasion fleet. Far below it, the remnants of half the USS Charon circled, and the Excalibur arrived, dropping out of warp a hundred kilometres above the station ...
"Scan the wreckage of the Charon, and scan the Orbital Platform, it's possible that some got off before it was destroyed." Daniel ordered. Hours later, they realised that their efforts were in feign. No-one from the USS Charon had survived ... most, he imagined, would have perished in the massive decompression's that had constituted the the Star Ship being ripped apart. Nor was there any evidence that any had managed to transport to the orbital facility. No, he had to concede that all were gone. He was about to order the ship approach the facility to deliver the final blow, when the turbo-lift door opened, he heard Koni T'seng say 'Commodore' and turned in his seat, jumping up as Amanda stepped towards him then she looked around the Bridge:
"Ensign Collins ... Plot course for Star-base sixteen, wrap factor seven." She paused a beat, "Ensign T'Seng, Engage ...... Time to have a break." She breathed.
"Commodore." Daniel said, eyeing Karka and Koni, who were both seemingly as shocked as he was, not only at her sudden appearance, something that could she could not have accomplished unless Doctor Townes had certified her fit for duty, but the fact that she had effectively called a halt to the current mission without a word.
"Commander. I am up to speed regarding our situation. The Charon and her crew are gone, the Augments are, for want of a better description, 'Beaten' so I feel it is time to depart." she held Daniel's eye contact until he spoke:
"With all due respect ...." he began, but realised he was close to openly disagreeing with his Commanding Officer. He fell silent as the Excalibur made a lazy turn to Port, climbing away from Triaud II ... They could see the remains of the Charon through the 'window' as they broke orbit. Daniel was trying his hardest to remain silent, after all, the Excalibur was under her Command, not his, and as Commanding Officer had every right to order them from the area, effectively bringing an end to their involvement in Triaud II and the Augments situation ..........
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Karka Psonoir
Commander
Registered: Apr 9, 2013 19:55:13 GMT
Posts: 422
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Post by Karka Psonoir on Jul 12, 2016 19:06:48 GMT
Psonoir returned to his quarters and lay flat on his bed, the liquid of the cold sweat he'd broken out in seeping into the covers. The feeling eventually subsided, the electrostatic energy that'd had strange side effects in his quasi-human physiology finally allowing his cells to return to normal. Strangely it seemed to have the reverse effect - however temporary it was - on his mental processes, and he soon found himself reflecting on an event on the Hybrudean homeworld, long before he'd envisaged himself ever becoming what he was today in the distant past.
His sweating had created a humanoid-shaped patch of dampness as he saw when he rose to get the door after it'd chimed. It was one of the assistant CMOs. "Doctor, what can I do for you?"
"I received notice from the XO after the staff meeting I understand you've recently held," she said, "He and Master Chief Petty Officer T'Seng thought you seemed unwell, that you seemed to be having trouble concentrating?"
"Yes. But that's passed now."
She coughed quietly, "Still, the CMO has made it a requirement that you report to sickbay for a check up." Karka followed without protest, on the way up through the decks losing her and diverting to the brig - promising he'd stop by later; there shouldn't be any problem, he thought - with the intention of seeing a particular somebody who'd recently been bereaved of a father.
The spit crackled against the forcefield, falling gradually, heavier blob falling over lighter as it surrendered to the artificial gravity generator in a spiralling helix across the surface of the forcefield. Karka stood unblinking a few centimetres from the falling spittle, it eventually passing and clearing the view of the young Vazon who'd returned from his blur to his arrogant sitting posture on the bench of his cell.
"I said your father died knowing you were alive. Doesn't that comfort you?"
John Vazon sat with his arms folded, not looking Karka in the eye, facing pointedly away from him and not bothering to clear the strands of lank dark hair from his face. Eventually he said, "My father was a coward." Karka said nothing, not wanting to give away that he may have thought somewhat the same of Vazon Jr. Evidently annoyed by his silence although trying to hide it, Vazon continued, "He hid himself behind those murderers. The augments!" he said in exasperation seeing Karka's enquiring look, "He wanted to lead them but he was never worthy. He was a strutting clown. And what's more he hid behind me... Had me take up with Baratz instead of himself... Why? Because he was afraid, of what Talavi and his friends would do to him if he failed."
And eventually he felt he had to take the lead because his son wouldn't cooperate, Karka realised. "So the Green name meant nothing?" he asked.
"Once it did apparently, until Axar Kurio found out that our family no longer cared, or tried to hide our past. I for one couldn't have cared less. For most of my life I was unaware of it, that was until father approached me with this stupid offer... Look where it's got me," he gestured round the brig cell, "He, my father, was the only one of the family who gave a damn about our 'illustrious' past. I suppose for you that's a good thing, to keep your family's values and remember its history, previous generations and so forth."
Well, Karka's 'family' was somewhat unique in that regard. He hadn't seen Pirya, his 'mother' but really only a specialised cell donor in quite a while, and as for a father, well... the term itself was a misnomer in Hybrudean society. "Always remember your family, John, and remember how there are people in the galaxy who were never, or perhaps never will be," he smiled mysteriously, "Lucky enough to have one."
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