Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Jul 24, 2019 20:49:37 GMT
~ Mission 33 ♦ Year 3 : Paying Dues ~
SD: 2405.03.0624 ~ Synopsis ~
ooo000ooo The USS Raven-C had left space dock and is en-route to rendezvous with the Maracanda in the aCen Star System to assist in the investigation of the newly discovered wormhole Four days into their journey, they are approached by two heavily armed vessels. Going to red alert, the Raven begins taking up a defensive posture but is fired upon the attack disabling all their systems instantaneously Despite their condition, the vessels, each dwarfing the Raven, appear to be holding off their attack
As repairs progress, the Commander of the attacking vessels comes aboard the Raven and demands their immediate surrender. Torek in turn demands an explanation for their actions. Their captor, a member of a race known as the Shon’ni, informs Torek that they are to be held on charges of genocide Helpless to act, Carl demands an explanation, the Commander cedes to his request
He explains that the Shon'ni had developed a substance, known as Triprotux17, which if refined, and used in warp-capable drive systems, could massively increase efficiency far surpassing the current speeds reached .... But if used unscrupulously, could destroy worlds
Approximately twenty years previously, another vessel, much like the Raven, designated the Vasco de Gama Had befriended the Shon’ni after finding themselves inexplicably stranded in this region of the Galaxy Their hosts agreed to make the required changes to the Earth vessel to allow their return home, but the Commander of the Starship, Captain Hector Smetlev had other goals Steeling tonnes of the unrefined Triprotux17 he fled
Pursued, the Humans transported an amount of the substance into the atmosphere of one of the nearby Worlds. With nothing to be done, the Shon’ni watched as billions of their citizens perished A fleet of vessels began hunting the Earth vessel, but after seeing two more worlds decimated, they had to admit their defeat before any further losses were incurred
Returning home to mourn their dead, they vowed, that should the time come when they met once again, no mercy would be spared
Despite Torek's pleas of innocence, claiming to have no knowledge of the events, the Raven crew were informed that they would be taken for formal trial He and the crew were told that the outcome was already decided Every Man, Woman, and Child aboard the Raven would forfeit their lives for the crimes committed against the Shon’ni
What happened to the other vessel. But more importantly : Could the innocents aboard the Raven escape their fate ?
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Jul 24, 2019 21:25:39 GMT
USS Raven-C En-route to aCen System SD: 2405.03.0624 :: Four days into their journey, Carl was quietly satisfied that everything aboard the Raven was running smoothly ... Of course, he reprimanded himself silently as normally once he had thought everything was fine, something invariably went wrong. risking a sly glance at the viewscreen the stars streaming elegantly past as they traversed space at warp six, he allowed himself a sigh of relief ... Relief which was short-lived ! "Sir, long range sensors are picking up two vessels ...." Lysia T'Seng informed him, Andae looked at Carl as their Tactical Officer continued, ".... They are heading directly for us at high warp ... They are, massive !" "Open hailing freque ...." Carl began as the ship was shaken by an energy weapon, "RED ALERT !" "Helm, bring us around, let's put some dist ...." Blakus was saying as the two vessels fired once again before dropping from warp. The Raven was in darkness, emergency lighting fighting to activate, Carl dragged himself off the deck, eyes flicking around the Bridge. "WHAT DO WE HAVE ?" Torek was asking as the ship lurched to Port, the inertial dampers clearly off-line. "Minimal life support only. Everything else is off-line. Emergency crews will be working as we speak Sir." Wedlerson confirmed. "Who the hell are they !" Calli asked no-one. With the Raven listing approximately thirty degrees to Port, Carl was thankful that the artificial gravity was partially functioning, at least on some decks. He 'climbed around the Bridge to the Engineering Station, tapping the console with no effect as it remained dark. He could hear his Exec' trying unsuccessfully to contact several Departments. As he moved to Tactical, Lysia was also trying to get her console activated, she glanced up at the inactive viewscreen, wondering what their attackers were doing beyond their hull .... After two hours, the Raven was beginning to regain some of the damaged systems, Life support had been reinforced, communications were still off-line, as was the viewscreen, but Andae had been into Carl's ready room to get a visual on their situation: "Two ships, bloody massive ones, I'd guess they are at least two thousand meters in length, four, maybe five hundred beam." "What the hell did they hit us with ?" Torek asked, a question no-one could answer, "Where are we on weapons ?" "I'm afraid your weapons systems have been made dormant." Everyone on the Bridge spun to see three men stood before the viewscreen, the one who spoke appeared to be content to wait on the Raven crew as the other two levelled weapons, moving them in slow arcs so as to ensure anyone moving would suffer the consequences. The two armed men took several steps forward, motioning with their weapons for the Bridge Staff to move to one side where they could be more easily watched. The leader stepped forward and spoke to Torek directly: "My name is Daqur ... You are the Commanding Officer of this vessel ?" he asked, Carl nodded and began to demand an explanation, the butt of a weapon slamming into his gut silenced him instantly, but the speaker waved the other away before helping Torek to his feet, "You wish an explanation, only natural I suppose, but that said, do you deserve one, hmmm ...." "Your attack was unprovoked, I demand to know why !" Carl said, eyeing the guard who had felled him seconds earlier. "You 'demand' do you. Well, let me see, how about twenty seven BILLION of my people ?" "I have no knowledg ....." "SILENCE !" the guard shouted, hitting Torek in his temple, Lysia, who had been inching her way closer, leapt at the guard, dropping him unconscious to the deck before the second guard spun and aimed his weapon at her midriff, thankfully the man apparently in charge held up his hand, halting her certain execution. "Twenty years ago, approximately ...." he began as he settled himself into the center seat, "Another vessel, similar to this, crewed by your race ......" He told the story, everyone on the Bridge stunned into shocked silence .... oooooooooooooooooooo "...... Despite all our efforts, pursuing the renegades further would have only resulted in more loss of life ......" throughout the mans almost casual explanation of events leading up to their current circumstances, Carl had been thinking hard, trying to find a way of convincing Daqur that neither he nor anyone from the Federation were responsible, but the mention of the ships name shocked him into a startling realisation. "Wait !" he said, making to move but halting as the guard Lysia had felled got up directly in front of him. He looked at Dequr who nodded, "Commander Blakus, access our data, search for a vessel, designation USS Vasco de Gama ...." Andae moved to one of the vacant stations and did as requested. Once the data was on screen he moved aside to both read and allow their captor to see the information: "USS Vasco de Gama. Galaxy Class. Missing presumed destroyed. Further information restricted to Alpha Level Ten access only." "Computer .. Access secure file connected with current information .. Torek-Alpha-Two-Two-Epsilon .. .. Display." Carl ordered, waiting as the screen changed to show the requested information. Calli had been standing close to the station and looked at Carl with shock. She turned to look again as if having misread the first time, but no, "... Read it out Commander. Just the relevant details please." Torek ordered her. Vessel Designation: USS Vasco de Gama Registration: NCC 74392 Commanding Officer: Captain Hektor Smetlev Executive Officer: Commander Viktor Kosenko
Vessel recalled following numerous irregularities ..... Captain Smetlev was relieved of Command following the destruction of Science Research Station Collins Alpha in the Horus Sector. Following what was believed to be a mutiny, the majority of the crew and personnel were marooned on Veltanna Three .... The remaining Officers, presumed loyal to Smetlev disappeared.
"There's more Admiral." Calli said, but Carl held up a hand. "You can examine the data if you wish, but I think it proves that we had nothing to do with the actions taken by the de Gama or her crew." Torek said to Daqur. The man sat in the center seat as if mulling over the information, then he turned to look at Carl again. "Alas, this means nothing. Regardless of you assertions ... You are Human, you came here, possibly to acquire more of our Triprotux17, this cannot be allowed to happen ... Now, despite our pleasantries, I must take you to our home world, where, after your trial, you will loose your lives." he stood up as if the conversation was concluded, walking forward his guards followed suit, "How long before you feel you can get underway ?" "You expect me to simply follow you back to our deaths ?" Carl asked. Daqur seemed to think this funny. "No, I was merely curious as to when you would think you had a chance of surviving your fate." the three vanished silently from the Raven's Bridge, seconds later Carl felt the ship move. "Tractor." Lysia commented needlessly ..........
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Jul 27, 2019 22:31:23 GMT
"Try contacting them." Carl ordered, but it was clear the Shon-ni Commander wasn't inclined to converse further, "Command Staff in the Conference Room. Lieutenant Fields, you have the Conn." Conference Room USS Raven-C :: "OK, we need to find a way to put some distance between us and our, hosts, Lysia, put up everything we have on the de Gama." Carl ordered as everyone took their seats. He was acutely aware that practically everyone in the room had heard the 'rumors' about Smetlev and the Vasco de Gama, and had the situation they found themselves in not occurred, then that was all there was going to be, but now he had no option. As his Officers read, then reread the information displayed on the screens at either end of the Conference Room, Carl sat in silence. ".... He actually did this ?" Doctor Roach asked in disbelief. Carl could only nod. ".... They never located the de Gama from what I heard." Colonel Burwell commented. ".... So he openly attacked the Collins Station then fled into this region of space ?" Wedlerson asked, shaking his head, "But we already know that it would take us, even utilising maximum transwarp, almost twenty years to get anywhere close to the Sol System, even a Galaxy Class Starship would have taken at least double that time to get here under their own steam, but these people seem to think they were double-crossed by the de Gama nearly twenty years ago." "Well, it's clear that something, somehow, threw the ship into this region." Calli speculated, "Maybe they were victim of something similar to what sent us here." "How they got her isn't our priority at this point." Torek said, getting everyone's attention, "If Daqur is right, and I have no reason to doubt him given our current situation, then once we get to their Home World, we'll be taken off the Raven and executed. I have a feeling these people are not big on appeals." "He said that Smetlev stole this element and fled, presumably towards home ?" Calli asked suddenly, the others sat in silence waiting for her to continue, "What I'm getting at is, if they are telling the truth, then the de Gama should have reached home, or at least one of the outer observation platforms ....." "Not to hundreds of Star Systems, friendly or otherwise, to the Federation .... If that was so, then why has there been no record or report of their sudden reappearance ?" Burwell asked. Carl glanced at Andae, who seemed deep in thought. "I can't answer that I'm afraid." Carl replied honestly, "Where are we with the tractor ?" "Lieutenant Tinsley and my Staff are working on a way to disrupt the beam, we still have to restore primary systems throughout the ship, including warp drive. I'll be joining them following this meeting, but if it's powered with this 'element' of their's we may have our work cut out." the Chief Engineer answered. "OK, getting the core on-line and other outstanding repairs are the priorities, then a means to break the tractor. Commander Milyanov, you're dismissed, get down there, keep an open Comm to this meeting just in case either of us has something ...." Carl ordered, watching as the Chief Engineer got up and headed for the door, ".... Even if we manage to find a way through their tractor, then where do we go ? ... I have the feeling that despite their size, these vessels can easily out-run us." "Given we are in deep space ... 'Out-running' is a misnomer." Marionette commented, choosing not to elaborate on her comment. "We could try to board." Burwell suggested, after a glance at the Gynoid. "Phasers ?" Commander T'Seng asked, getting up to change the information on one of the screens, she put up a tactical display then frowned, "No. Looking at that, we're being towed by the lead ship while the other is holding station twenty thousand kilometers astern of us. With no warp drive, even if we broke away they could hit us before we began to turn. Even with it I'd be skeptical ...." No-one could argue with her. "Which leaves us back where we came in." Harry said, shaking his head. "Commander, can you speculate on time of arrival at where we're going ?" Carl asked the Helm Officer. "Speculate Admiral ? ... No ..." the Gynoid said, appearing shocked at the suggestion, "But, given the closest Star System on our current heading, and the velocity we are currently traveling at ...... I believe we will reach our likely destination, in twenty five point seven one hours from now Admiral ..... You do I assume realise that they 'could' increase velocity, or indeed change course ?" Marionette finished with a uncannily Human-like shrug. "In that case we need a means to get away from our 'hosts' in eight hours, no more." Torek commented, "I'm not too eager to be rushed to my impending death." "I still think exploring the possibility of boarding the ship is a viable option Admiral." Colonel Burwell commented. "Transporting at warp isn't the ideal way of getting from 'A' to 'B' ...." Calli said, "But then, when have we been known to do things the easy way ?" "Let's see if getting over there is possible." Carl ordered, "OK, dismissed." He watched as everyone filed out of the Conference Room then turned his chair to face the panoramic window ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 8, 2019 13:04:13 GMT
Milyanov had heard about Smetlev through his old friend Kosenko, the Vasco de Gama's last known first officer. Smetlev, as far as he could remember, had been the recipient of multiple decorations during the Dominion War, having risen to the position of Acting CO of the de Gama following, what'd been in the view of some, the suspicious death of the ship's former Captain.
In the final year of the war, the ship had engaged in numerous actions with great success, its CO and crew as a whole being praised for their thoroughness and ardour but looked at askance from other quarters as several high ranking officers alleged against Smetlev excessive ruthlessness and needless loss of life on both sides of the conflict. That'd been the extent of Milyanov's knowledge. A few years had then gone by, the Collins Research Station had been destroyed, and following a subsequent mutiny the de Gama had disappeared.
"Ok, Nate," he nodded as Tinsley the effective deputy CEO climbed a ladder to the upper level of engineering - from there he'd be able to directly interface with the MI control matrix, one of the critical components that stood in their way of regaining warp power.
Antimatter containment had been reestablished; it'd nearly been lost during the initial attack, the consequences of which would've been catastrophic and would've inadvertently fulfilled the Shon'ni's wishes - although not in the way they'd have liked, Milyanov had no doubt. No, they would probably be paraded about the streets of the Shon'ni's cities (prior to or after their executions) so the public could derive full satisfaction from the state's vengeance. But then the Russian didn't want to make assumptions about this people, and so he wiped his mind of any idea of barbarity in them... If the Shon'ni were to be believed, Smetlev had shown enough...
He tapped the small pool table, =/\=Bridge, engineering. Four hours until warp power is restored, Admiral, at our best estimate. Life support is fully back online, shields are at 45% capacity; long range sensors, no, weapons, no... though Lysia may try firing dud torpedoes to frighten them... The draw on back-up power is reducing all the time, primary systems will be wholly reestablished within 14.5 hours.=/\=
<Tag Bridge>
OOC: I have assumed that the Sovereign class has saucer separation capability. It was never seen onscreen but apparently the function is there.
Blakus turned over again in his efforts to get to sleep. If he could but separate his consciousness from his very bodily matter, that would send him into a sub-REM sleep from which he'd hopefully only reawaken half a day later, but - ... Ah, wait! something screamed within him, "Saucer separation..." he trembled as he sat up in bed.
He scrabbled round for his commbadge, =/\=Blakus to bridge, what might you say to separating the ship?=/\= There was silence, a pause as the bridge likely evaluated his suggestion. =/\=The tractor beam is locked onto the saucer, correct? If we seek to separate the ship at the time of our regaining warp capability - and hope Captain Smetlev didn't try the same trick twenty years ago with his Galaxy class - we could in the subsequent confusion of the Shon'ni warp out of here in the stardrive... Perhaps we wouldn't get very far...=/\= he faltered; it was a workable plan, perhaps, but it encountered problems as the logic progressed. Still, many such ideas were corrected as they unfolded in action, the teething issues that stood out in the short term and were worked over endlessly clearing themselves up in the course of time.
=/\=Report to the bridge, Andae. Perhaps you have an idea there.=/\=
He responded in the affirmative and stood to prepare himself for the shift. Back in the XO's seat, he took a prominent part in the ensuing debate over the plan. A major issue could be the phenomenon of the entire Raven crew complement moving itself off the saucer and into the stardrive section; the Shon'ni would observe this via sensors, how would they explain if asked? Another potential problem lay in the possibility that the second Shon'ni craft could lock its own tractor onto the stardrive as soon as the separation was under way - in this case, the Raven would be reliant on the bewilderment and delayed reaction time of their captors.
"Boarding operation," Burwell said tersely, arms folded at the back of the bridge.
Blakus and a couple others (the rest probably still aligned to the SMO's way of thinking) looked around, "Not convinced, Colonel?"
"Well, to be fair to you, Commander," he nodded deferentially to the XO, "Perhaps we could try a combination of the strategies. Seek to board, say, the second Shon'ni craft... We may even be able to prevent them from activating their own tractor, if we beam into the area around the emitter." He looked at the Admiral, "I could take an engineering team and guard them while they attempt to disable the tractor?" he said.
"Then, with the second vessel's tractor beam inoperative, the separated stardrive could warp out unfettered, with the first vessel's tractor still gripping an empty saucer," Andae said as he took a sip of tea and glanced at the saucer in his left hand.
"The Shon'ni will transport legions aboard - they'll have legions over there to contend with anyway, if we board them," Wedlerson said, "Yes, they'll transport legions aboard as soon as they see we've emptied our crew into the stardrive."
"Now that we almost have primary systems back online... Whatever happens, a boarding operation - perhaps to both vessels - to disable the tractor beams is to me the most viable option," Burwell was intractable.
<Tag Torek>
Over twenty years ago, Veltanna III
On the barren landscape of the marginal M-class (almost L-class) planet, Mrs Kosenko and the rest of the abandoned mutinous crew of the Vasco de Gama gazed up at the heavens as the vessel shot away in a flash of light, warping from high orbit out of the system and into the depths of space. She looked about, wishing Milyanov was here, perhaps he would've been able to talk some sense into her husband, Viktor Kosenko the first officer, and through him convince Smetlev that the course he was following led only to madness. But she feared Smetlev knew this already, she feared his corrupt mind had already embraced it.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 11, 2019 23:10:29 GMT
Second Command Meeting Conference Room Four hours into travel :: "Has anyone actually seen a Sovereign Class separation ?" the Doctor asked, "Didn't think so ..." "While we have the capability, it's not something that is generally utilised. We're hardly a Prometheus Class" Carl said, "In fact, technically, it's only there to allow replacement after devastating damage to either Section .... That said, it's not something I'm dismissing out of hand obviously, same with boarding. One thing is certain, we can't sit here while they lead us to slaughter." "Has it occurred to anyone as to what happens to the Saucer Section even if we could evacuate it and separate .... ?" the Doctor asked, ".... Even allowing for the Marine contingent along with the majority of the Security personnel going over to one or more of those ships, it would still leave over seven 'hundred' people in the Drive Section. There's always the issue that they could simply destroy the Saucer Section on a whim, and last I checked we don't have a surplus at the Starbase, so we could be effectively seeing the demise of the Raven if we go that route." "It's a fair statement." Carl agreed. "We can't account for how the ship would react to separation at warp ..." Milyanov stated reluctantly, "... The stresses alone could rip the docking clams out of the hull, if the Saucer Section rotates under the tractor stresses, it could roll right over the top of the Drive Section." "We could use reverse thrust to drop us away from the Saucer." Blakus commented. "What about making them 'believe' we have begun a large-scale assault ?" T'Seng commented, getting everyone's attention, "So .... We could try to mask the life-signs in the Saucer, even begin the separation protocols, while simultaneously transporting numerous groups over to those ships, in the confus ....." "Hold on Commander, have I missed something here ?" Burwell interrupted, "Just how do we make them think they are under attack again ?" "OK, right, well ..... We have bio-gel packs, thousands in fact, so, we could ....." she stopped for a moment, trying to get the idea straight in her head, then continued at a pace, "We have blood and 'DNA' samples from everyone aboard. If we can replicate gel sacks large enough, then inject the bio-markers into the sacks before transporting them to their ships, they would initially read as life-signs on their sensors, maybe ?" "Unless of course you transport your eighty kilogram sack of goo right next to one of them of course." Colonel Burwell said, his sarcasm clear. "OK, let's keep the sarcasm to a minimum Colonel, we're here to discuss options." Carl said. "So let's go with boarding." the Senior Marine replied. "You really are keen on to get your Marines over there and in the thick of it, aren't you." Harry Wedlerson commented. "Beats drilling, or endless advanced thumb-twiggling." Burwell replied. "They still do the thumb thing then ?" Calli asked, raising her hands in mock submission as Burwell glared at her. "I still don't think it'll work." Roach commented, "As soon as one of their people see a sack of goo where they were expecting a heavily armed Starfleet Officer, the game will be up." "We have four transporters, six if you include the Cargo Bays ...." the Tactical Officer persisted, ".... Six on each pad, transport thirty six at a time into unoccupied areas of their ship. Ideally, it would be better if the sacks degraded or burst a minute or so after re-materialisation, they would be running around looking for people that simply aren't there." T'Seng shrugged. "In the mean time we transport over to the one holding us and try to break free." Wedlerson added. "I can have the Marine contingent ready to go in fifteen Admiral." Burwell said. "I know we need to be acutely aware that the Shon'ni will transport hundreds over here if we do likewise, thus my reluctance to leave the Raven to all intents and purposes undefended." Torek said, leaning forward, "I'd be inclined to investigate Lysia's idea, any delaying tactics could give us the time we need to get a small boarding party into one of their vital systems area's .... I'm still struggling with the idea of separating the ship, but feel free to persuade my otherwise gentlemen .... Doctor, could we produce the gel sacks and have them fall to pieces on command ?" "I'll need to do some checking." Helen Roach said, no-one missed the glance she gave Lysia. "Andae. If we go the separation route, any thoughts on how we get the Saucer back ?" Carl asked. The meeting continued ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 18, 2019 13:25:50 GMT
It'd been agreed finally that a team of marines would be transported to two locations on the first Shon'ni vessel, Burwell's own into the area round the tractor beam emitter which currently held the Raven's saucer, and the second team into an unmanned and isolated section of the vessel's warp drive system. Both teams would be accompanied by groups of engineers who'd carry out the sabotage covered by the marines.
If all went to plan, the tractor beam would be disabled and the Shon'ni lead craft would plunge out of warp; the second ship... its crew would hopefully be bewildered enough not to pursue their errant Raven immediately, for that was the second part of the plan, entailing the idea of Dr Roach and Commander T'Seng.
=/\=Roach to bridge. The gel packs have been synthesised, Admiral,=/\= the report came from cargo bay 1's transporter section, =/\=The tactical officer assures me they will degrade within 15 minutes of their first appearance.=/\= Andae and Carl looked over their shoulders at Lysia who nodded in confirmation. =/\=Let's hope the Shon'ni don't find the packs before then.=/\=
=/\=They'll be beamed into isolated areas, Doctor,=/\= Blakus replied, =/\=Perhaps that will frighten them even more, they may think we plan to take their ships guerrilla style or at least by some manner of stealth.=/\=
=/\=Right,=/\= Roach closed the channel, Andae thinking he'd detected slight sarcasm in her voice. Indeed the gel packs were to be beamed onto both ships, so as to maximise possible confusion.
* * *
The operation proceeded smoothly at first; the Raven, masking the lifesigns in the saucer section, made to prepare for separation of the vessel; the Shon'ni may be training their guns now, preparing to disable or perhaps attempt to destroy either section, but as they would see such a separation wouldn't take place. Now the marines were transported aboard the lead vessel, simultaneously with the 36-at-a-time gel packs; they trusted the Shon'ni would believe they were undergoing mass assault.
Ten minutes later, Burwell reported that he and his team were pinned down in the tractor beam emitter section; seven marines, two engineers dead. The emitter couldn't be disabled, the engineer who'd found he'd had the necessary expertise to disable this particular piece of advanced technology having been the first to be shot down by Shon'ni security forces.
The warp drive marine and engineer team were more successful; the lead Shon'ni craft was forced out of warp, its drive systems fused, and the Raven of course with it. The second vessel shot on by for half a parsec while its own crew chased shadows in the form of humanoid-size bio-neural gel packs; eventually realising the nature of their quarry, how their enemies melted before their eyes, they throttled down and came about, accelerating now at transwarp 9 back towards their compatriots' vessel and the Raven. They communicated,
=/\=Federation vessel, your ploy has failed. Prepare to be boarded... You will surrender your vessel immediately. Note this will not hasten your execution, but it may worsen the means.=/\=
Without responding, Carl glanced across, "Andae." Blakus nodded and stood, rushing to the port-side engineering station and virtually shoving Tinsley out of the way; he'd prepared for this: the Shon'ni had been able to transport their leader aboard previously due to their more advanced tech, slicing through the Raven's shield grid; now Milyanov and Blakus had prepared a modified shield that would prevent the Shon'ni from achieving the same again; any inbound matter stream would impact off the shield, not killing the Shon'ni in transit but merely returning them to their own vessel's pad.
He pressed the final combination of keys, "Shields activated, Admiral."
"What about the Colonel, sirs?" T'Seng warned, her voice full of tension. Blakus nodded to himself; they were trapped over there on the first vessel, now in a twofold manner: by the Shon'ni security themselves, and by the Raven's new shield.
Torek shook his head, "We have to trust Burwell and his XO can hold off the Shon'ni for now. If they are overcome, the Shon'ni may be merciful... they want us all killed simultaneously remember?"
Burwell would still be pinned in the emitter section, Andae thought, and the marine Captain commanding the other team - now she'd disabled the warp drive - would hopefully be exploring what possibilities lay open to her.
Inevitably, the second Shon'ni craft transmitted to them their frustration at not being able to transport their people aboard. They threatened the Raven with destruction, but the command team of the Sovereign class knew better: the Shon'ni wouldn't dare destroy the ship before reaching their homeworld, where all their people may observe the Raven crew's demise. In the meantime, there was little the Raven crew could do but wait, either for Burwell or his LT to deliver them, or for unexpected fortune to come to them once they reached the Shon'ni's core worlds.
Half an hour later - with no news from the marines on the first ship, though the Raven crew were still detecting almost all their lifesigns - the Raven and its Shon'ni escort crossed the boundary into the captors' inner territory: eleven worlds spread over eight star systems, the planet most towards galactic west serving as the capital; with wounded pride the Shon'ni announced their triumphant arrival, broadcasting to all eight systems. At this point, Burwell's LT found a way to make contact with the Raven...
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 21, 2019 14:31:59 GMT
Shon'ni capital system, outer edge
The space station measuring 8 Shon'ni miles from dorsal tip to ventral base rotated about its host star at a distance of approximately 20 AU. In system was located the Shon'ni capital world - not the species' original home planet, but its new 'imperial' capital (going by the new state ideology) as of two and a half Shon'ni cycles ago.
Indeed, the spectre of empire had approached for the Shon'ni: the recent subjugation of the Marekshi had transformed what'd been the sector's 'arrogant brats' into a burgeoning imperial power, but there were those within the military and civil high command who didn't wish for any further expansion - they should maintain what they have, as the state edifice was difficult to manage enough as it was without adding further territories, further tributary powers. There were others still who wished for no more war for the rest of Shon'ni civilisation, and might even prefer a shrinking of its borders back to its original home systems - to these people belonged Major Yiqur, a senior figure aboard the 8 mile space station.
He watched via the visual scanners the approach of the captured Federation starship (sleeker, more advanced looking, he noticed, than the ship he'd seen in images, that other ship which had brought them such ruin 20 Starfleet years ago) and its two Shon'ni escorts.
It was an odd sight, bittersweet. The screen heralded the imminence of their vengeance, but it also displayed something lamentable and, in Yiqur's view, comical. To see Daqur's flagship towing the USS Raven, but itself (drive system ruined and currently trying to subdue a boarding party) being towed in its turn by the second Shon'ni vessel (whose engines had been undamaged during the Raven's attempted breakaway)... he laughed involuntarily and drew a glance from a nearby Shon'ni colonel.
As the three ships passed by, the crew of the station experienced mixed emotions: bitter remembrance, anger, a sense of closure, and for some, regret, remorse (not only for what they were to do with the Raven's crew once the ship reached the capital world, but for their production of the triprotux substance in the first place)...
These last two emotions were felt by Yiqur. Certainly, if he had a chance when the moment came, he would defy Daqur and the high command and try to set the Raven crew free. Some of the stranded Vasco de Gama rebels (who'd turned against Smetlev after the first use of the triprotux) would help him, he was sure of that, those that were on the capital world. Former first officer Kosenko may help him, but considering his age perhaps he would leave that to his son Nikolai, the 22 year old man who'd had an extraordinary life, never having known his own species or the faraway Federation, whose first memory Yiqur knew had been seeing - through the barred windows of his father's hideout on the capital world - one of the partially ruined metropolises of the Shon'ni which had been caught on the periphery of a triprotux deployment.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 24, 2019 22:50:08 GMT
Carl had, as always, listened to his Senior Staff and had made his decisions accordingly ... Thus the gel packs had been synthesised and the boarding parties readied .....
At first he was almost suspicious at the ease at which they had been able to gain access to the Shon'ni vessels. Perhaps they were so convinced the Federation vessel would simply be led to their slaughter, that the thought of any escape attempt simply wouldn't have occurred to them. Either way, their ships were indeed boarded with progress being made swiftly as the first Shon'ni vessel dropped from warp. Alas, that was when it all began to go wrong ..... =^= Federation Vessel .. Your ploy has failed .. Prepare to be boarded .. .. You will surrender your vessel immediately .. Note this will not hasten your execution but it may worsen the means =^=Carl's eyes closed for a second as the full implications of their situation began to dawn on everyone. They could at least prevent the Shon'ni from beaming in to gloat in person. Threats were aimed at the Federation Officers but to no avail, if nothing else, they at least had the comfort that they would all be on the surface to face their summery executions, so the threats were as empty as the surrounding space. Once the comm fell silent, all they could do was hope Burwell and his Marines were at least avoiding capture ... Sat in the center seat, all Carl could do was watch the underside of the massive vessel towing them to their possible fate. =^= First Lieutenant Lu Yang to .. .. Raven .. .. Raven .. .. =^= Carl spun his chair around to look at the Comms Officer who was working frantically. =^= Raven here .. Lieutenant .. Report .. .. .. =^= Torek urged. =^= .. .. .. .. .. =^= "Get them back Lieutenant." he ordered as the Comm delivered nothing but static. "Trying Sir." =^= Lu Yang to Raven .. I have no idea if you are receiving .. Four of my men managed to escape capture .. .. We are ho .. .. .. ing to be able to disrupt their tra .. .. =^= Again Carl almost glared at his Comms Officer. "Sorry Sir, the link failed." the woman said almost apologetically, "I'll keep trying to reestablish." "Only four of them, what about Colonel Burwell, he wasn't mentioned ?" Calli asked, trying not to think the worst. "At least we know some are still alive, albeit possibly holed up somewhere." Wedlerson said from the Ops Station, "Any chance we could get them back here ?" "Alas, no ..." Lysia T'Seng answered, glancing at Carl, "... Even if the Shon'ni were simple enough not to have taken precautions against our trying the same stunt again, our own shield modification would play havoc with any transport." "So they're stuck over there for the duration." Wedlerson acknowledged. "Our velocity appears to be decreasing." Marionette informed everyone, and sure enough they could see at least three moons off to their Port side as they moved further into the system. It wouldn't be long before they entered orbit, presumably around their Primary Planet. Carl had, for a fraction of a second, contemplated the thought of using the 'self destruct' once orbit was established. the resulting blast would undoubtedly take out the two vessels escorting them, and likely a large portion of the planet below. It was a thought he had dismissed as quickly as it had entered his head ..... The comm chirped to life again: =^= Federation Vessel .. We shall shorty enter orbit .. .. Any further attempts to escape will be met with unfortunate consequences .. You will be contacted in due course regarding your .. Fate =^= the Comm fell silent once again and Carl almost jumped out of the center seat before striding towards the viewscreen in frustration. "Who the 'HELL' do they think they are !" he spat. "They appear to believe they are the ones holding us prisoner Admiral." the Gynoid replied neutrally. "Well we need to do something about that then, don't we !" Torek replied, marching to his seat before dropping into it defiantly, "I want some idea's gentlemen, and I would like them before they begin building the pyres." ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 26, 2019 20:56:31 GMT
Shon'ni capital system, outer edge
Yiqur glanced about, making sure he wasn't being watched, and entered his access code into the panel before him; this would give him direct connection to the short-range comm relays (private channel, secured to Brigadier General clearance level - something he'd acquired clandestinely). He shot a comm beam towards the Raven vessel, hopefully they would receive it and it would not be intercepted.
"Yiqur...?" He froze and turned; Daqur's second in command stood behind him (Daqur himself on the beleaguered and partially crippled flagship escorting the Raven). "What are you doing?"
"Colonel Balqi wished me to observe the Raven crew's repairs' progress - it seems they've mended their communications systems, I was just checking to confirm it..."
"I see," the Shon'ni said dismissively, waving an arm and striding away before glancing back, "We wouldn't want you to be getting yourself into any covert, illegal activity now, wouldn't we...?" The man raised an eyebrow, smiled strangely and striding off; in that instant Yiqur realised Daqur's second in command was part of the peace faction, part of that group who wished for no further engagement with expansionist policies and for a reprieve for the Raven crew who'd been caught up in this mess, part of the same group as his own. He would make contact with the second in command and his cell (which he'd surely possess) later.
USS Raven
"... and I would like them before they begin building the pyres..."
No sooner had Torek finished speaking did a new message arrive at the comms console. "Ah, you've reestablished contact, Lieutenant?" Andae asked, both he and Carl turning in an instant.
"No, sir, Lieutenant Lu is still out of reach..." confusion was knitted across the officer's brow, "No, this is coming from that installation we passed some 10 million km back. It appears to be being broadcast on a secure channel." Torek nodded and the audio-only comm was heard by the bridge,
"Federation starship Raven, this is Major Yiqur of the Shon'ni military. I and others of like persuasion wish to free you from our government's clutches. High Command will beam you to the surface of the capital in relays where you'll be arrayed in a public square, separated from one another by about 10 of your metres. You'll all stand in the square, arranged in roughly 30 rows of 30 personnel. We are making preparations to transport you from the surface as soon as you materialise. You will end up here, on a part of our outer system installation that is not known to the High Command. Alternatively, we could attempt to take you while the matter transportation from your ship to the surface is in progress. Please advise, are either of these options palatable to you, and how else might you suggest we attempt your rescue?"
There was a palpable silence on the Raven's bridge.
"If you doubt my sincerity, consider what little other choice you have. Below lies death; here, in the outer system, at least lies a chance for your crew's survival."
Blakus turned to Torek, "He has a point there at least, and I see no reason why they'd want to play around with us in such a way before our demise... They've been to-the-point so far?"
<Tag Carl>
Suddenly the comm station burst to life again; on a separate channel, Lu Yang was hailing them; the comms officer's arms were a blur as she hurriedly pressed a sequence of buttons to pause their potential Shon'ni ally's comm and bring in the marine lieutenant,
"Raven... Raven!" they could hear phaser and other particle weapon beam fire. "Sirs, I've lost two more - just me, Gorck and Walker now - but we've reached tractor emitter control. Burwell and his team seem to have escaped; we've not located any marine or engineer bodies... and internal scans don't show any degrading Starfleet species biomatter... They're here somewhere, sir."
As she spoke the bridge crew witnessed - on the viewscreen - the tractor beam of the partially crippled Shon'ni vessel begin to flicker; it reestablished itself firmly once, then fizzled out to nothing - the Raven was free, and began to soar... yet the other undamaged Shon'ni craft still lay before them.
They had two avenues of escape: the emitter had failed, and Major Yiqur was offering them a way off the surface before the executions. Regardless, if things turned out for the worse and both or either of the plans failed, then at least their end wouldn't be made any worse: the Shon'ni had known they'd been boarded, would obviously had known they had an ongoing battle to save their tractor emitter and would've accounted for that when sending their messages of warning to the Raven.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 27, 2019 0:37:52 GMT
=^= .. .. .. You will all stand in the square arranged in roughly 30 rows of 30 personnel .. We are making preparations to transport you from the surface as soon as you materialise .. You will end up here on a part of our outer system installation that is not known to the High Command .. .. Alternatively we could attempt to take you while the matter transportation from your ship to the surface is in progress .. Please advise .. Are either of these options palatable to you and how else might you suggest we attempt your rescue .. .. If you doubt my sincerity .. Consider what little other choice you have .. Below lies death .. While here in the outer system at least lies a chance for your crew's continued survival =^= "He has a point there at least, and I see no reason why they'd want to play around with us in such a way before our demise ... They have been to-the-point so far ?" "We need to find an option that allows us to retain possession of the Raven ....." Carl said by way of an answer, "...... We have people on their vessel, if we go with Yiqur, we loose the ship 'and' our personnel." he knew he was being unreasonable asking these people to fashion a miracle, but he was doing just that. "We could attempt to break away, come back for the others when we at least have something approaching an advantage ?" Jor Svensson suggested. "I have to say ..." Harry added, "... I have the horrible feeling that if we accept Yiqur's offer, we'll not see the ship again." Carl could see others around the Bridge nodding in agreement. As if to emphasise Carl's point regarding their Officers on the Shon-ni vessel, the Comm chirped to life as if on cue: =^= Sirs .. I have lost two more - Just me Gorck and Walker now .. But we've reached tractor emitter control .. Burwell and his team seem to have escaped .. We have not located any Marine or Engineer bodies .. .. Internal scans don't show any degrading Starfleet species bio-matter .. .. They 'are' here somewhere Sir =^= Carl could only raise his arms in frustration. "Sir, with all due respect, we may need to abandon the Raven, at least for the time being if we want any chance of getting away from these people." Lysia commented. "It's unlikely they will destroy it out of hand ..." the Science Officer added. "So the consensus is what: We allow Yiqur to assist in our escape to whatever hideaway he seems to be proposing ...." Carl said, after standing to face his Bridge Staff, ".... At this point, we are clearly limited in options, but something has been niggling at the back of my mind: 'Why now ?' .... Why is Yiqur being so accommodating, is it a genuine need to help us, and if so, has he simply been going through the proverbial motions waiting for some lost sheep to present themselves, his ready-made ship of proverbial lost souls so to speak ? .... Or is he planning on using us as pawns in some takeover bid ?" "There's no way of knowing that without asking him." Calli commented. "Then why don't we do just that ?" Svensson asked. "We can't .... If we do he could simply cut us free. We have no way of exposing his actions, in fact, any attempt would be seen as us trying to save ourselves at the expense of one of their most trusted Officers." Carl explained. He turned to the Councillor, "Have you managed to find out anything regarding their laws, due process, rights of appeal ?" "We've been trawling through whatever databases we could, but I haven't been able to access anything remotely relevant to our situation Admiral. The only thing we could find is in the public records, thus open to anyone wishing to access. It is something entitled the 'Right of Requisition' ... It appears to be a request for tribunal between two opposing elements in an argument involving anything from land, to food, to family members, to stay of execution for someone deemed guilty of a federal crime, but we cannot even begin to understa ...." "So we could technically appeal our executions, any thoughts ?" Torek asked ... "Again Sir, there is no way of knowing the outcome of said appeal, or even if their governing body would entertain such." the Councillor replied. "Andae, use my Ready Room. Contact this Yiqur, try to see where we would stand, and if they would miss a few of us ...." Torek ordered, Blakus got up and left the Bridge. < Tag : Andae >"What are you thinking ?" Calli asked. "If they will leave us aboard during the appeal process, all well and good, if not then everyone will be taken to the surface. In the mean time a small group will go with Yiqur ... Once the ship is empty we'll return, finish bringing everything on-line and then go from there. We'll have weapons, shields, and engines." "Carl, your family is aboard ..." Calli said quietly, "... They could be taken to the surface, Elise, Bethan, Vanessa !" "Last time I checked there were nine other families aboard Calli ...... How can I favour my own in all this ?" she nodded, knowing he was right. she was about to apologise when the Comms Officer interrupted: "Sir, I'm receiving a Comm, sub-space and fragmented." she said with a puzzled expression. "From Yiqur ?" Carl asked, but the Woman said it was coming from several light years distant, "Play it Lieutenant." he ordered. =^= .. .. arfleet vess .. .. ould allow Yiqur to assi .. .. .. part of .. .. ratist faction planni .. .. .. .. =^= the Comm fell silent save for static. "Who the heel was that from ?" Wedlerson asked. "Impossible to ascertain Commander." the Comms Officer answered. "Get them back !" Carl ordered, but despite efforts they couldn't reestablish contact. The Comm activated once more but it was Yiqur: =^= I cannot delay much longer Starship Raven .. .. What is your answer ? =^= ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Aug 28, 2019 19:08:56 GMT
A nearby Shon'ni star system...
Viktor and Nikolai Kosenko sat in their rundown, makeshift lounge. Having fled the capital world of the Shon'ni four years ago, as it'd appeared to them their capture was nearing, they'd been forced to make a home in this trying place. The subspace comm equipment - ripped out of the de Gama's circuitry all those years ago, now heavily customised and refurbished with Shon'ni tech so as to also make it a long range sensor system - sat on the teak bench in the corner; it'd failed once more.
Commander Viktor Kosenko (effectively retired) sighed, his 22 year old son Nikolai nodding understandingly. The equipment had just allowed them to intercept the comms between Yiqur and the newcomers: the Kosenkos very much didn't want the newly arrived starship (that'd been escorted into the next system along) to make alliance with Yiqur, as although the Shon'ni was of noble purpose his plans would only lead to more bloodshed, Captain Smetlev had been responsible for enough already.
"Our attempts must continue," Nikolai said simply, turning to reactivate the comm/sensor array. Viktor shook his head brusquely and stood, taking his hip flask from his side and swigging and feeling a temptation to knock his chair over; he turned away and was about to leave the room to see what his Shon'ni wife (a sympathiser to the stranded de Gama personnel's cause) was cooking up when he paused in the doorway and groaned,
"Yes, do try again. If you make firm contact, inform the Sovereign class's commanding officer that - if he can escape - he should head for our coordinates." Nikolai would know what those were. "Tell him we're not far distant, that we may be able to help him."
<Tag Raven>
"Aren't you thinking instead, father, that he may be able to help us, help us leave this place?" Nikolai looked up, imploringly but knowingly.
Commander Kosenko was silent, he left the room.
"Andae, use my Ready Room. Contact this Yiqur, try to see where we would stand, and if they would miss a few of us ...." Torek ordered, Blakus got up and left the Bridge.
He entered and swung the console round so that he could use it while sat in the guest's chair. The secure commline was reestablished only slowly, the Federation seal being replaced eventually by a strange group of graphics some of which seemed to pass into the UV range. After minutes, a Shon'ni's face appeared, having turned to face the screen and seeming somewhat alarmed and/or disconcerted. His features were smaller than Daqur's, his lips tighter but more determined, less arrogant.
"Yiqur, I presume?" Andae risked.
"Yes, I'm in a secure place now... You took a great risk contacting me at that moment... -"
"Yes, yes. I'm Commander Andae Blakus, the Raven's first officer. Major, we hear that there is a process known as the Right of Requisition; we would like to know -"
Already Yiqur was shaking his head, "All such legal procedures have been abrogated in the case of the starship Raven, and were in the case of any other Federation vessel that the Shon'ni ever encountered in the years following the Vasco de Gama's attacks on us. Your appeal would not be heard... But," he screwed up his small features and seemed to think, "Our bureaucracy is slow and extensive; any such appeal - inevitably denied - would at least have to pass through several offices of our judiciary; you would have 4 of your hours at most, during which you'd be permitted to remain on your starship; enough leeway to allow you to formulate any plans you may already be considering..."
"Well, yes, on that..." Blakus leant back and looked to the ready room door.
Minutes went by and Andae - having closed the comm with Yiqur who'd told him he had Daqur's second-in-command on board with his own plans (of which he divulged little, except that they involved either an eventual shrinking of the Shon'ni empire's borders or keeping them as they were) - was informed of the general outline of the plan.
=^= I cannot delay much longer Starship Raven .. .. What is your answer ? =^= Yiqur communicated to the bridge. They acknowledged that they accepted his offer for help.
"Our appeal will be denied outright," Andae told his fellow senior staff, "But their bureaucracy will be slow in its response all the same. With the appeal rejected, Yiqur tells me that in about three and three quarter hours we'll be beamed to the surface in five relays. Let's say five of us," he suggested in line with the Admiral's plan, "One from each relay, are taken by Yiqur out of the matter streams and transported to his location at the outer system installation."
Those few short hours later, their Right of Requisition appeal was met with a contemptuous reply by Daqur himself from his crippled ship (on which Burwell and Lu persisted in their efforts). The Raven crew had been busy in the meantime, and Blakus had tried to convince Milyanov to take his place on the team of five to Yiqur: Andae would rather face potential execution on the surface in the place of his erstwhile Assistant CEO, but the Russian wouldn't be persuaded.
The transportations proceeded and from each group of 200 personnel one was snatched away by Yiqur - plucked out of the matter stream from millions of kilometres distant - and found him or herself in a dark, secluded place, deep within the 8 Shon'ni mile space installation. Two colleagues of Yiqur entered through a previously unseen door, greeting each of the five Starfleeters in turn as they materialised. Finally, Yiqur and Daqur's rebellious second-in-command entered themselves.
Yiqur extended a hand towards the leader of the Raven group, "Your beam-ins were not detected," he was hurried, smiling solicitously, "The rest of your crew on the surface won't have long before the executions, perhaps one of your hours once the official pronouncements have been made across the square by the High Command. We should get to work immediately," he turned and gestured towards the door.
<Tag Torek>
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Aug 30, 2019 22:33:53 GMT
"Sir, I'm receiving a Comm, sub-space and fragmented." she said with a puzzled expression. "From Yiqur ?" Carl asked, but the Woman said it was coming from several light years distant, "Play it Lieutenant." he ordered. =^= .. .. arfleet vess .. .. ould allow Yiqur to assi .. .. .. part of .. .. ratist faction planni .. .. .. .. =^= the Comm fell silent save for static. "Who the heel was that from ?" Wedlerson asked. "Impossible to ascertain Commander." the Comms Officer answered. "Get them back !" Carl ordered, but despite efforts they couldn't reestablish contact. The Comm activated once more but it was Yiqur: =^= I cannot delay much longer Starship Raven .. .. What is your answer ? =^= "Any luck with that Comm Lieutenant ?" Carl asked quickly. "I've managed to establish a link but there's no way of knowing if they can here us Sir." the woman replied. "Calli, over there, find out who's trying to contact us, quickly." Valenti moved over to Communications, standing behind the Comms Officer as she worked frantically to maintain the tenuous link between the ship and the unknowns ..... Carl heard he saying 'repeat that' as they were accepting the offer of help from Yiqur, they didn't have much time and before anything could be confirmed the transports had begun. Hundreds at a time were taken from the ship into a massive hall with rooms off all sides, while at some as yet unknown location, the five that had been 'plucked' from the matter streams stood in semi-darkness, waiting. He looked around to see who had been taken: Andae Blakus Calli Valente Lysia T'Seng Nate Tinsley & Himself .... "So just us then ?" Nate commented needlessly. Yiqur and Baliq, the man they understood to be Daqur's Exec' entered the room, two others, clearly guards, close behind. He extended a hand towards the leader of the Raven group. "Your beam-ins were not detected," he was hurried, smiling solicitously, "The rest of your crew on the surface won't have long before the executions, perhaps one of your hours once the official pronouncements have been made across the square by the High Command. We should get to work immediately," The small group followed him out of the room to what looked like a part representation of a Bridge, a Galaxy Class Starship Bridge to be precise, or at least, the three Command seats from the Galaxy Class .... Andae looked at Carl raising his eyebrows, Calli, Lysia, and Nate were equally puzzled as Yiqur took the center seat. He looked around the mock-up, clearly pleased with himself. "What's all this ?" Carl asked. "You do not approve ? .... I was rather pleased with the effort taken to produce this." "Yes, nice." Carl said, his patience exhausted, "I want to know what you are going to do to get my crew and ship back. We accepted your offer and all we get is a fake Bridge you clearly enjoy playing in." "Now now, Admiral ...." Yiqur said darkly, ".... I would expect a little more in the way of gratitude from you given the efforts I have gone to." "Saving us will make zero difference if the rest of the crew perish." Calli said. "Indeed, indeed." the Shon'ni said, flicking a switch which activated the mock viewscreen, the Raven Officers fell silent as they looked at the image. There, before them was the Raven, "Our discontent is growing, but we simply do not have the numbers yet, or the firepower to risk a coup, thus the need to, diversify ... When we came upon your vessel it occurred to me that your arrival could be very fortuitous, for us because it adds weight to our cause, and for you if all goes to plan, you and your crew survive the day." "You got us here to help fight your secret little war !" Valente voiced what everyone was thinking. Yiqur could only smile ... Carl realised that they needed to coax the man into returning them to the Raven, he needn't have worried. "You must return to your ship." Yiqur said, almost as if reading Carl's mind, "We have arranged for a select few to be taken from the surface and returned also, but make no mistake Admiral, Should the Council realise what is happening, they will eliminate all those on the surface in moments." Carl could finally take no more, he closed the three meters to Yiqur well before either of the two guards or Baliq could react, he spun the Shon'ni his arm around the mans throat and began to apply pressure. The guards, now faced with the prospect of their superior ending up dead, tried to free him, but the other Starfleet Officers jumped into the fray ... Moments later the guards were unconscious, bound and gagged, Baliq was being restrained by Calli, Nate and Lysia, while Andae moved to Carl. "I want answers Yiqur, and I want them now." Carl said, easing the pressure on the mans throat. "You FOOLS !" the Shon'ni spat through gritted teeth ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Sept 5, 2019 14:40:13 GMT
A nearby Shon'ni star system...
"Repea..." Nikolai waited, tapping at the edge of the teak desk. "Repeat that," the return message came in full this time.
"My name is Nikolai Kosenko, son of the former first officer of the USS Vasco de Gama. We have detected your ship and recognise you as being from the Federation. My father and several others of the crew abandoned Captain Smetlev after he decimated the population of a Shon'ni world during a more peaceful phase of its development 20 years ago. We are located approximately 7 lightyears away from you, on the second planet of a system controlled by the Shon'ni Empire. We strongly recommend you head for our location..." he paused (please, you must come, he wanted to add), "We may be able to cooperate with one another and together break free from Shon'ni space."
"I am Commander Valente of the Federation starship Raven. Do you know where Captain Smetlev and the de Gama are, Mr Kosenko?" the reply came at last.
"Our most recent information has them heading back to Federation space, for once using the triprotux in the way it was designed to be used. They were last detected by deep-field sensor arrays and outposts 12 years ago at which point they were lost against the microwave background radiation. Smetlev had sworn that once he returned he would eliminate any in Starfleet who'd challenge him over what he's done here." Nikolai waited, his father and Shon'ni mother entering in interest as they discerned he'd established contact. "USS Raven, do you copy?" he commed; there was no response. The Kosenkos assumed their own comm equipment had malfunctioned again, but the problem lay 7 lightyears away, there was no longer anyone present to receive the message.
"You FOOLS !" the Shon'ni spat through gritted teeth, "Who else will there be to protect you should you dispose of me?" His eyes were red with fury, "Do you know what lengths I've gone to to secure your temporary safety, how I've risked my career, my life and that of my family?"
"These are not answers, Yiqur," Torek growled, his grip loosening not for a moment.
"If you must have them... Our movement has been gathering pace in the last seven years, what was first an underground movement began to infiltrate the military, I myself was one of the first servicemen to fall into the ranks of the rebels," by which he meant the peace faction, Blakus realised, still too caught up in the moment - he'd subdued one of the guards and earnt himself a broken finger.
"From a filtering through at the base of the military, the peace movement has now reached the upper echelons... We want only to undermine and overturn the expansionist High Command. Your assistance wouldn't involve an ignoble sacrifice, you would be helping depose a vengeful group of officers - led by Daqur - who want to destroy the lives of all who wear the colours of Smetlev and his criminal crew wherever they may find them, and it would save you from certain death."
"It's too late," Baliq wheezed.
Yiqur spun on him, the grip of Torek's arm now released a fraction, "What?" Baliq repeated his words and gestured in whatever way he could to the mock turbolifts... They scudded aside and in stepped Shon'ni security personnel - Yiqur's measures hadn't been so secure, but perhaps if they'd all been working together, Blakus considered falteringly. The guards moved rapidly for the Raven officers. Yiqur glanced once at Torek and Blakus and in silent understanding, despite the recent mortal peril he'd been in, moved to the upper deck and the apparently functioning tactical/security console.
As the Raven officers were grabbed by Shon'ni personnel, Yiqur whispered, "I can send perhaps one of you, this mock-up's power cells don't have capacity for anything more..." as he spoke these last words and pressed the transport button, a Shon'ni particle weapon beam sliced into his chest and out the other side, singing in a small arc the matte-grey surface of the aft of the bridge behind.
As he saw the other four officers along with the Shon'ni guards who'd reached them transported away, Blakus felt himself dematerialise. In the matter stream, he throttled the guard who'd reached him; he killed rarely and it always caused him a moment of moral destitution but this time it passed rapidly. He closed his eyes, where to, where had that byzantine Yiqur sent him? He opened them again, cast about - all was darkness. "Computer..." he said tentatively, and was welcomed by the reassuring beep of an activating computer core relay, "Where am I?"
~ Section 7, Deck 21, USS Raven-C. ~
"How many others are aboard?" he started striding down the corridor, emergency lighting activating as he made his way down the curving passage.
~ Five biosignatures detected, designated species: Shon'ni. Three biosignatures detected on the bridge. One biosignature detected in engineering. One biosignature detected in crew quarters, deck 10, brainwave patterns indicate REM state. ~
That's one level above engineering, he thought, already considering how he might remove first the Shon'ni in the engine room and then whoever it may be in crew quarters. He located a weapons locker, entered engineering cautiously and found the first Shon'ni with his back turned to him at the pool table, "Excuse me," Andae intoned, the Shon'ni began to turn and the XO applied the phaser with heavy stun.
Tinsley, surface of Shon'ni capital world
"Admiral..." Nate asked, timidity entering his voice as he realised where they were. Four of the five Raven officers who'd been with Yiqur were standing in one of the many rooms that lay off the edges of the open-air hall in which was contained nearly a thousand Starfleet personnel and associated civilians, all awaiting execution. The wide doors were open, they could observe well enough most of what was taking place in the hall, officers and enlisteds stood in despair, casting about at their fellow crew and debating with themselves how they may escape.
Guards stood around and behind the four of them, Daqur's new second-in-command glaring at them vengefully. They were apparently to see the rest of the Raven crew perish before they met their own ends. Tinsley hoped Yiqur's movement hadn't been defeated in the blink of an eye. Regardless, the only chance they had in the immediate circumstances was to subdue the guards about them without the Shon'ni in the rest of the hall becoming aware of it... Tinsley shrugged - they seemed to be well enough concealed, but their move would rely on subduing Daqur's new first officer as quickly as possible before he could get word to his CO - and turned on the nearest guard, striking him in the midriff and bowling him over before elbowing him in the back with fists clenched together and sending him sprawling.
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Carl Torek
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 11, 2019 0:06:13 GMT
It all happened too quickly .... One minute they were talking, the next ....
"I can send perhaps one of you, this mock-up's power cells don't have capacity for anything more ..." Yiqur whispered, but as he spoke these last words and pressed the transport button, a Shon'ni particle weapon beam sliced into his chest and out the other side, singing in a small arc the matte-grey surface of the aft of the bridge behind.
Guards grabbed hold of everyone before they could react, the Shon'ni stunning most into compliance, Carl was looking around to see if the Yiqur had indeed managed to get anyone away,it was then he realised that Andae was missing. He silently thanked the now deceased Shon'ni, hoping, perhaps beyond hope that his Exec' had materialised on the Raven herself ... It took a few minutes for him to regain his full senses when he heard his Engineer, Nate Tinsley speaking:
"Admiral ...?"
"Lieutenant." Carl said, looking around as he climbed back to his feet, "Check everyone's alright please."
"We're OK Admiral." Calli and Lysia confirmed.
"Be ready, we're leaving." Carl said quietly as he returned the glare of the man who had become Daqur's new Second in Command. He was hoping the man would find the need to solidify his position and approach him, thankfully he did just that ... So confident was he that he didn't order the guards to protect him, they watched as he entered the room confidently, heading right for Torek. His tunnel vision ensured he didn't see Calli leaning against the wall just inside the room, and with a quick nod from Lysia that she couldn't be seen, she stepped behind the man and slammed a fist into the side of his neck, the man was dropping to the floor unconscious as Carl and Nate grabbed him.
Both looked at the doorway, but it seemed the guards were less interested in the man than the shouting that was going on down the hallway ... Dragging the unconscious Shon'ni into a corner out of line of sight of the guards, Carl nodded to Lysia who moved into the open doorway. No-one could believe the incompetence of the guards, they had watched their Commander step into a room holding four Federation Officers, then practically turned their backs on him !
Lysia turned and raised her arms in a shrug. Nate got onto one knee and groaned ... Finally, one of the guards showed interest, he raised his weapon and approached the doorway. Nate groaned again, this time all three entered the room, weapons trained on the group as one knelt beside the unconscious Officer. It was now or never - Carl spun, landing a roundhouse kick into the kidneys of one of the guards, Nate put an arm around one of the others, covering his mouth while lifting him off his feet, Calli knocked him out cold as Lysia jumped on the man kneeling.
The altercation took mere seconds and they had four unconscious Shon'ni and four weapons for their efforts ..... Carl went to the door to see if anything had been noticed, but the corridor was clear for several meters, the guards concentrating on the larger group of Raven Officers.
"Not wanting to be a naysayer here Admiral ...." the Raven Tactical Security officer said as she bound one of the guards using the sleeve of his shirt, ".... But did that not seem a little 'too' easy for comfort ?" everyone else gave her comment some thought, yes, it had been easy, not least snatching Daqur's Exec' so easily. Was it possible the man was on their side, no, there was no chance of that.
"You know the old adage, about 'Never looking a gift horse' ?" Nate commented.
"She's right, this was way too easy." Carl speculated aloud, now second-guessing their actions, "Are they letting us get into the open so they can execute us on the spot, I doubt it given he was so insistent that we would have to watch everyone else die before we did, so why the pretence of guarding us ?"
Calli was looking at her weapon, frowning she looked at Nate's, then Carl's, she asked them to move out of earshot of the subdued guards:
"If I'm reading this right, this thing has no power." she whispered, pointing at a bar of lights, her's were all dark, while the others' all showed five red illuminated segments.
"Who would be stupid enough to carry a weapon with a spent charge ?" Nate asked quietly, but Carl was already realising something even as Calli confirmed his suspicions:
"I took this of Daqur's Exec' ......" she said.
"What does this mean ?" Lysia asked, "Did someone purposely give him a dud, and if so, why ?" They looked at the three bound guards, all three were looking at them with what could have been pure hate in their eyes. Could one or more of these be working with the rebel faction, it did seen a little lax of the Shon'ni to post so few guards. Torek looked at the guards, two had now given up on their glaring and were likely contemplating their fate once their impenitence was discovered, one though, was looking directly at Carl ... He had to make a decision, if this man was on their side, or at least charged with helping them to some extent, then they couldn't risk leaving him behind, but then, if this was all a ploy for some sadistic reason, then they were going to be signing their's and a thousand other death warrants, including those of Elise, Vanessa, and Bethan's !
"Untie him." Carl ordered, watching as Nate released the man then pulled him to his feet, "Keep a gag on him for the time being."
At the door he looked left and right ... To the right was the main hall where the majority of the Raven crew were stood awaiting their fate. Thankfully, he couldn't see his Family, or it would have made things much harder. He would find them in due course, he hoped, but now they had a job to do. To the left he could see a passageway leading away from the hall. They would go that way ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Sept 12, 2019 19:18:07 GMT
Shon'ni capital world
"What is your name?" the Admiral and the mission advisor led the questioning while Tinsley nervously kept guard with Lysia in the junction they'd reached.
The guard's gag was pulled aside and he inhaled sharply, panting before being able to say clearly, "Lieutenant Hasqyr, third overseer of Jirta Division, our elite infantry corps," he explained and proceeded to tell them the story of how he'd seen to it that Daqur's new XO was nullified and effectively eliminated by having a commotion created down the hall (something to distract the guards), paving the way for the Raven officers' escape - the dud weapon however was a surprise to him. "They didn't suspect me for all the time I was working with the Jirta, undermining their operations in every theatre and trying to turn the tide of war."
The man was a traitor, Tinsley realised, at least by the Shon'ni's understanding of what a traitor would be. He was actively helping enemies of his Empire in order to shrink its borders, to fight against the expansionist policy.
"The High Command doesn't trust the new executive officer to Daqur, he may have been willing to help us, perhaps he disabled his own weapon. However, both of us were correct in not taking the chance. If you wish to escape and free your crew, follow me. You see, the way you're taking me leads deeper into this complex; there are security clearance barriers which I cannot breach and which are heavily guarded by remote weaponry hidden in the walls and floor. Please," he could see they were hesitant, "I knew Yiqur personally, he was a friend, not just a fellow conspirator with whom I shared a resistance cell."
Hasqyr led them to the levels above the main hall which surrounded the central atrium opening the chamber to the planet's atmosphere, informing them of the presence of a series of transporter rooms - and controls for transportation of those in the main hall - beyond a key checkpoint. Apparently an inspection was taking place in this area, during which the five of them may be able to slip through unnoticed and unattacked by the remote weapons. They heard voices,
"Yes, Commandant, I don't think you'll find any problems with this, er, this... precinct," a vaguely incompetent area official informed a superior, a sheaf of real paper tucked under his arm as the two of them ducked their way through the checkpoint. Following these Shon'ni were none other than the local mayor and a notable who'd just been presented with the keys to the city.
Hasqyr turned to the Raven officers and had them bide their time, the moment would come when they'd be able to slip by.
<Tag Torek>
Cmdr Blakus, USS Raven
Andae knelt over the fallen Shon'ni in engineering, taking from him his weapon and tucking it in his own equipment belt; he stood up and surveyed the pool table including its read-out of the warp core status. The Shon'ni (perhaps this one individual) seemed to have returned the core to full operational status - this species was perhaps as advanced as the Raven crew had surmised, Blakus thought.
He scanned other consoles and confirmed what he suspected: the ship was in low orbit, the undamaged Shon'ni craft in close attendance but with its tractor beam now released - he understood the emitter had been activated when that of the lead ship (Daqur's) had failed. Daqur's own vessel had made planetfall for extensive repair-work; it wasn't lost on Andae that Burwell, Lu Yang and several other marines and engineers were still aboard that craft, perhaps still attempting further sabotage or possibly already having disembarked (and thus somewhere in the planet-bound shipyard).
<Tag Burwell / Lu Yang>?
Shields were offline, in theory he'd only to get to a cargo bay, a transporter room or the bridge tactical console to locate and begin beaming Raven crew back aboard. Accessing environmental systems, he had the computer flood the bridge, ready room and conference room, as well as the turbolifts leading off the bridge, with anaesthezine gas; the Shon'ni would find a way to circumvent it, perhaps eventually, but hopefully this would incapacitate the three individuals on the bridge in the short term.
Then making his way to the upper level, he accessed a Jefferies' Tube and crawled along to the nearest ladder; he released the catch manually, the hatch hissing open, and stowing his phaser climbed the rungs a level up onto deck 10. He found the nearest exit and knew he was only ten to fifteen metres from the quarters holding the sleeping Shon'ni.
Checking with the computer to ensure the person was still inside, he was all the while surprised his presence hadn't set off the intruder alert (either claxons should be blaring for the Shon'ni or for himself, but perhaps all security protocols had been disabled). He entered and crept up to the bed, began to press the trigger to stun the Shon'ni when the officer's legs kicked out and caught him in the face; Blakus fell, blinking and trying to shake off a faint feeling. Daqur sprang up! "I have you..."
Andae turned about on the floor and found the fallen phaser, he took aim as best he could and Daqur was struck on the forearm; he yelped and was spun about after which the XO fired again and caught the Shon'ni in the small of the back, sending him crashing into the transparent aluminium portal. The Shon'ni screamed into his wrist comm, "Daqur to High Command, have Jirta Division units transported to the Raven vessel immediately!"
Blakus fired once more but Daqur had turned once again, and with a one-two combination, knocked the phaser out of his hand and dealt him a fierce punch in the left temple.
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Carl Torek
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Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 13, 2019 23:17:45 GMT
It took them fifteen minutes to reach the levels above the main hall, Carl was continually wondering how they had not been detected, or at worst been discovered by some random Officer of official moving through the complex .... Finally, they were in a position where they could rest without being discovered. He had listened to the Lieutenant helping them, but still couldn't help eye the man with suspicion, Hasqyr suddenly stopped speaking: "Yes, Commandant, I don't think you'll find any problems with this, er, this ... precinct ..."The man speaking was clearly fearing those present, as evident by his stuttering replies. It seems the officials were either not concerned or had little interest in his report as they continued walking until out of earshot .... "As you may be aware, there are officials from the Capital visiting, a, inspection of sorts if you will." Hasqyr explained, "We will need to remain here until the inspection moves to another area." "Just how long do you think we can sit here undetected ?" Torek asked, but the Lieutenant couldn't answer, "Then we go when that group are out of sight. We can't risk being caught before we can get the crew back aboard the Raven." he moved forward, peering cautiously over the low stone wall down into the square, the group who had been talking moments earlier were approximately thirty meters away now and still moving. He looked around, hesitating as to which direction to take, but Hasqyr moved closer, pointing to two doors further around the raised walkway they were occupying. "You said the transporter rooms were close .... How close ?" Tinsley asked. "There, and there ...." the man replied, pointing to several doors further around the walkway. It was clear that given the height of the wall, that traversing the distance was going to complicated to say the least. Even crawling on all-fours it was likely someone on the opposite side of the inner complex would see them. "We have to risk it." Calli insisted. "Agreed. We'll go one at a time, at the first sign anyone is approaching you drop to the deck and hug the floor until signalled .... Calli, you first, Lysia, then Nate, our good friend here will be next, I'll come across last." he looked at the Lieutenant, who was kneeling in silence, Carl couldn't tell anything from his expression, which was worrying him greatly. He tapped Calli on the shoulder and she began the traverse trying to stay as low as possible. One by one they began moving towards the doors indicated, Carl prodded the Shon'ni Lieutenant who was hesitating, finally he too began to make his way to the transporter rooms ...... Once inside they stood, keeping out of line of sight of the doorway should anyone glance in. Carl asked Hasqyr about transporter numbers, clearly disappointed at the answer. "We can't transport them all at once, I though you understood that !" the Shon'ni hissed. "Bloody brilliant." Nate commented, glancing at the doorway, "Hey, by the way, out of curiosity, how come you people don't use doors !" "The complex is open to all who have official business here. Anyone here has been cleared at the highest levels, privacy is not required." the man said almost apologetically. "Let's hope that 'trust' doesn't extend to the ablutions." he said with a wry grin. Carl had been looking at the transporter controls, unlike Federation vessels, that used individual pads on the platform, these used a single pad, so what they could transport was only limited by the diameter of the pad itself. The one he was looking at was approximately twenty five meters across, so they could effectively transport hundreds as the Shon'ni had. But he needed specific personnel, at least in the first group. "Singling out individuals for group transport is, very difficult .... Identifying then would be almost impossible." Hasqyr admitted after Carl had asked about the plausibility. "What are you thinking ?" Calli asked, ignoring the Shon'ni. "Well, if we could pick and choose ...." he began, but the Lieutenant interrupted. "The scanning for individuals would be detected. It requires secondary authorisations." Hasqyr said, more defiantly as his confidence returned, "What you are contemplating will see us all dead !" "What about small groups ?" Tinsley asked, explaining as the man gave him a blank stare, "Groups ... It's likely that Security Personnel remained together, same goes for the Marines, they are unlikely to mingle. Engineering Staff, Science, Medical, Civilians, Command Staff even ?" he prompted. "... AGAIN ... I tell you, this will lead to our capture !" the man said, the fear in his eyes clear for all to see. "Hold on Sir, if I may ... We don't actually need to identify individuals, say for example Security Personnel are all in one group, we only need to find 'that' particular group of people, right ?" Lysia suggested, turning to Hasqyr before anyone could interrupt, "You have surveillance I assume ?" "We do." "Then is there a way to observe the Raven crew and single out a specific group of people for transport ?" "Possibly ..... Yes !" the man said. "Well ?" Lysia asked as the man remained rooted to the spot. Finally Hasqyr moved to the console next to the main transporter controls. After a couple of seconds the image changed and they could see the whole of the Raven compliment. "Who first ?" Nate asked. "We can't snatch massive groups away, it will be noticed ...." Carl began, thinking quickly. The priority was the ship, without that they were fated to failure. With Andae back aboard he would need help. Security, Marines, Engineering Personnel, Bridge Staff. despite the complexity of the Sovereign class, it still needed people to operate, he turned to Hasqyr, "Can you take several small groups without attracting attention ?" "As long as no-one is looking in the direction of the transports, yes, but they will need to be small." "OK !" Torek replied, managing not to slap his thigh in celebration, "Nate, Lysia, find Security Personnel or Marines, thirty at most. Nate, Engineers, no more than six. Andae might be happy for the company by now." After several minutes,Lysia turned to Carl: "We're ready Admiral." Carl nodded and the transports began .......... Colonel Lew Burwell Aboard Shon'ni Vessel ::
The ship had landed heavily, too heavily for his liking, but at least it wasn't holding court over the Raven, some lesser Commander presumably taking on the task until their Commander could return ..... They were concealed in one of the ships cargo holds, the one place apparently that no-one had chosen to search a second time. But the ship was still in danger, as was the crew, so, while their task of hindering the lead ship was somewhat successful, they still needed to get back where they could do the most damage before the crew met their fates ...
"OK, we can't remain here indefinitely, so ... Options ?" Burwell whispered.
"Sir, this hulk is grounded, at least for the moment. We should get to the Raven, or to the ship shadowing her." First Lieutenant Lu Yang suggested.
"Six of us Colonel, so, the Raven of the other ship in orbit ?" one of the others asked.
"How much damage can we do to the ship in orbit ?" one of the others asked.
"If we can disable their weapons it will at least give the Raven a chance to escape." another suggested.
"The Raven isn't going to leave with the crew on the surface." Yang said, "The Shon'ni have more than enough ships to hunt the Raven back to the Sol System if they so choose, regardless, we have to get her away."
"This ship has several forms of weaponry, right ?"
"You would think so Sergeant, why ?" Burwell asked.
"Well, can't we modify one of their torpedoes and transport it in their Engineering Section ? .... We would simultaneously beam back to the Raven to hopefully assist."
"Pull up schematics, let's find their weapons stores. If we can get one here to modify we'll do so. Sergeant, we'll need hand-held weapons, just in case." Burwell ordered.
"On it !" the woman said, heading off from the group ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Post by Andae Blakus on Sept 27, 2019 22:54:02 GMT
Tinsley moved rapidly to the massive transporter pad as the selected group of 36 materialised. Now it was only a matter of the four of them joining the larger group on the pad and heading onwards to the Raven, but Hasqyr wished to travel as well; Tinsley looked at Torek who tentatively agreed. Nate worked the console to have the group of 41 transported to the Sovereign class in several relays, and as the personnel began to dissolve, the engineer ran to the pad to join engineers Milyanov, Taylor and a number of marines - these last were headed for engineering.
Meanwhile, T'Seng, a marine second lieutenant and four security personnel materialised on deck 9; corridor lighting was activated and spread down the passage each way as the group split into two teams of three making for adjacent sections and the nearest turbolifts. They'd already detected the same lifesigns that Andae had earlier learnt of when querying the computer, "It seems most are unconscious, all except one perhaps."
"Where is the one?" T'Seng asked.
"Crew quarters, one deck down," one of the security guards discerned and he, T'Seng and another guard began running for the nearby lift. They descended the short way down to deck 10 and made for the biosignature that was fortunately only a few metres from the exit point of the lift; however, all was not well, the guard's tricorder kept up its alarm tone.
"Who else is present?" the CTSO asked sharply.
"Given what we think we know has taken place over the last few hours... Commander Blakus having been sent back to the Raven, I'd say it was him. He seems unconscious - we should hurry..."
T'Seng did not need telling again, she released the door with her security override and stormed into the junior officer's quarters with the guards at her heels. They found Daqur lounging at a console in the far corner, the red glow of the graphics from the active comm playing off his features in the gloom, his back partially turned; in the foreground was Blakus lying sprawled on the floor, groaning and almost unconscious with a wound in his left temple.
"Commander Daqur," T'Seng hailed, the man turned in a panic and began to stand, reaching for a particle weapon that lay on the bed; one of T'Seng's guards shot him down before he was out of his seat. She stowed her own phaser and thanked the guard, now kneeling beside the XO, "And Commander Blakus!"
An alert came over the intercom, she nodded to a guard who opened the channel and acknowledged, a voice filtered through, =/\=Commander T'Seng, this is Ensign Bortschick, I'm with the Admiral's team; we've reached the bridge and have found a number of Shon'ni incapacitated courtesy of anaesthezine gas. It seems the XO's been fighting a one-man guerrilla war up here. However short.=/\=
=/\=And he nearly paid for it,=/\= she replied, =/\=Tell the Admiral we have Daqur here, T'Seng out.=/\= "You did well, Commander," she said to Andae and nodded to the guards who began attempting to wake him, they propped him up with an arm round each of their necks and one struck him across the chin with the back of his hand. Blakus grunted and slumped to the deck.
In engineering, Tinsley and Milyanov set about securing the room and having the present unconscious Shon'ni site-to-site transported to the brig. It seemed this was one of five Shon'ni aboard, all of whom were now effectively eliminated; did the 41 Raven crewmembers, as well as Hasqyr and Blakus have control of the ship however? The warp core and coils and the power distribution network were operating smoothly and at peak efficiency once more, the repairs having been completed by the Shon'ni, but the crew were about to find that - while the command codes and overrides of the Admiral and the senior staff remained in place - they had only limited computer functionality...
Milyanov's mouth hung open and he was immobile as he read the data, he tapped his console to comm the bridge, =/\=Bridge, this is Milyanov, good to be back aboard, everything seems to be in its right place, except... the computer core!=/\= he choked. Torek asked him to clarify. =/\=It's been replaced, sir. Records show it was transported to the surface shortly after the Shon'ni came on board, where exactly it is now is impossible to tell.=/\=
=/\=And we also have that Shon'ni vessel out there to contend with. Ok, thank you, Commander.=/\=
=/\=If we wish to transport the rest of the crew aboard, we should do so shortly, it surely won't take long for the Shon'ni to begin to learn what has happened.=/\= But how would they achieve that? Milyanov wondered, as soon as the Raven began taking several dozen crew at a time, the rest of the ship's personnel still stranded there would surely be eliminated. Perhaps creating a distraction using the Raven would turn the Shon'ni's minds away from their planet-bound prisoners.
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Carl Torek
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"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
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Post by Carl Torek on Sept 28, 2019 16:03:27 GMT
Colonel Burwell and Team Aboard Shon'ni Vessel On Surface * ::
It had taken time, but they were finally ready ..... They had managed to get one of the Shon'ni torpedoes and modify it's targeting computer, now, rather than being armed as it exited the launch tube, it would detect the transport in progress, remaining dormant during the process, but once it fully materialised it would begin a thirty second countdown, then self-destruct. They had to hope that the ship in orbit hadn't activated secondary shielding around the Engineering Section. At this stage Burwell could only go off the fact that the Shon'ni were confident enough to feel safe despite the proximity of the Sovereign Class Starship.
"These things only seem to have one setting." Lu Yang said as she turned the bulky weapon over in her hand.
"We only need one." Sergeant Major Hicks said with a grin.
"OK, Lieutenant, have you located the ideal location to beam the weapon into ?" Burwell asked.
"Yes Sir, their Engineering is akin to ours, on several levels .... The Upper level is unoccupied as far as I can tell."
"What about us ?" the Colonel asked.
"We'll transport to Deck Nine, Lower Shuttle-bay Maintenance." Staff Sergeant Franz informed the group.
"OK, no time like the present ... I suppose someone said." Burwell commented as he stepped onto the transporter pad, eyeing the extremely dangerous device centimeters away. When everyone was ready, Burwell raised his weapon then nodded. lu Yang activated the transporter and stepped up beside the others. Seconds later they materialised on the Raven ..... USS Raven-C ::Materialising, Torek immediately checked that the Marine and Security contingents had secured their designated beam-in locations throughout the ship. any Shon'ni found were to be detained unharmed ! Carl immediately took several Personnel along with two Marines up to the Bridge, on arrival he instructed one of the Marines to contact the Chief Tactical Security Officer: =^= Commander T'Seng .. Ensign Bortschick .. I am with the Admiral's team .. We have reached the Bridge and have found a number of Shon'ni incapacitated courtesy of anaesthezine gas .. It seems the Exec' has been fighting a one-man guerrilla war up here .. However short that was .. .. =^= =^= .. .. And he nearly paid for it .. .. Tell the Admiral we have Daqur here .. T'Seng out =^= They began to run through a series of checks, both on the Bridge and down in Engineering, Carl was beginning to believe they had got away with their daring escape, but it still left them with over a thousand Personnel and civilians on the surface awaiting summery execution. He was still considering options when Engineering informed him that while the ship was ready to go, they were going nowhere without the Primary Computer Core ! ... He was informed that there was a device, presumably something to run the ships' systems, but without the Core they were helpless. The Comm chirped to life unexpectedly: =^= Colonel Burwell to any Starfleet Officer .. .. .. =^= Carl grinned and tapped his Comm badge. =^= Colonel .. Admiral Torek .. Good to hear your voice .. We had begun to think you were taking a vacation over there =^= =^= Just a short break Admiral .. I need to inform you that we have transported a device into they orbiting vessels' Engineering Section .. It should be causing substantial damage anytime now =^= =^= Understood Colonel .. You have personnel sweeping the ship for intruders .. I suggest you make contact then ensure all Shon'ni are confined in the Brig .. Torek out =^= he continued to speak to the Chief Engineer: =^= You heard that I assume Mister Milyanov ? .. .. Bring the Secondary core on-line We'll have to ma .. .. .. =^= he ordered quickly. =^= We could Sir .. But we have no way of knowing how the Shon'ni technology would react =^= Milyanov replied. =^= .. .. And we won't .. Until we try will we .. .. Try to disconnect their tech' from the ships systems .. Blow the bloody thing up if need be .. Do it quickly Commander .. Torek out =^= Carl put his head in his hands as he watched the Shon'ni vessel seemingly hanging over them like some disgruntled parent. The turbo-lift doors opened and several Starfleet Officers, including a groggy but conscious Blakus stepped onto the Bridge, he motioned to his Exec'. "We have a problem Andae." Carl began. "I know, we were listening ....." Blakus interrupted, "Regarding a diversion, we could take one of the shuttles ... If we keep the Raven between us and the Shon'ni vessel we should be able to cause some damage on the surface ....." as he spoke there was a massive expulsion of material and plasma from the stern section of the orbiting Shon'ni vessel ! "They are trying to lock weapons on us Sir !" Lysia informed Torek. Without hesitation Carl jumped from the center seat and dropped into the one at Helm, the ship lurched suddenly, bow pitching forwards until the planet below almost filled the viewscreen. Rolling almost thirty degrees to to Port, the Raven began a increasingly steep spiral dive ... He told everyone to get to transporter controls and begin snatching his people from the surface. "Transfer all spare power to the shields. Lysia, lock phasers on anything clear of our people and start firing, I don't care how much damage you do just make sure the Shon'ni have bigger things on their plate than coming after us !" "What about the ship above us ?" Calli asked, forced to grip the armrests of her seat as the inertial dampers struggled with the sudden and unconventional course change. "Let's hope Burwell's surprise has caused enough damage to keep them off our back." Carl answered, silently hoping he was right ..... On the viewscreen everyone could see the planet below growing larger and larger, it was a matter of moments before the enormous Starship would not be able to recover from her headlong dive towards the surface. Carl concentrated on the tiny area of land below them, trying to keep the ship stable as it slammed through the outer atmosphere. He knew the specifications of the sovereign Class inside and out, and knew Engineers tended to build in redundancies, or tended to be a little cautious with said specifications to ensure the safety of the ship in question, so he hoped this was one of those times they had aired on the side of caution regarding the hull, not to mention the ships engines. The computer began a seeming barrage of warnings as the Raven continued on her path to complete destruction. Carl ordered the computer silent as he continued his dive ... "HOW MANY DO WE HAVE ?" he shouted over the deafening noise as the ship shook and protested at her treatment. "WE NEED THREE MORE MINUTES !" "YOU HAVE NINETY SECONDS." he told Blakus, who began to double his efforts to grab all their people off the surface before the ship flew right through them on it's way to oblivion. "SIR, the Shon'ni vessel is behind us and closing." Nate Tinsley said from one of the Bridge Stations. "Why are they not firing ?" Calli asked above the cacophony as despite the shields, the heavy atmosphere battered and bruised the ship. "They are in free-fall ! ... Their drive systems are off-line, they are trying to get to us before we get everyone off the surface." Tinsley said, eyes widening, "THEY ARE TRYING TO RAM US !""Do we have Aft torpedoes ?" Carl asked Lysia at Tactical. "Yes, but targeting systems are off-line." "Doesn't matter, Release a full spread, zero thrust, arm them then just throw them out the back door !" Torek ordered, hoping there was time to retrieve everyone before either they hit the ground, or the Shon'ni did, either in one piece or in the millions of fragments it would end up in if it slammed into one of the torpedoes. "ANDAE ... HOW LONG ?" Carl yelled. "FIFTEEN SECONDS !" his Executive Officer shouted. Carl looked at the readings on his panel, realising in horror that they didn't have fifteen seconds ! ..........
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
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"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
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Post by Carl Torek on Oct 7, 2019 17:04:11 GMT
..... Every iota of available power had been transferred to the lower and forward shields as the Raven continued her dive towards the surface ... The ship had come in at a steep angle, but for the last thirty seconds Torek had been utilising thrusters to augment the engines to begin leveling out ... With everyone desperately trying to get their crew off the surface Carl and Andae were the only thing preventing the Sovereign Class Starship from burying herself into the townships on the outskirts of the Shon'ni Capital. Doing everything possible, the Bridge crew could already see buildings disintegrating as the ships' shields destroyed them in fractions of seconds ... Carl couldn't think about how many innocent people were being affected by his actions, his priority was the crew, the ship, and their hopeful escape from Shon'ni clutches ! "SHE'S COMING UP !" Lysia shouted. "DO OWE HAVE EVERYONE ?" Calli yelled back. The massive Raven shook as it was hit by an enormous shock-wave caused by the Shon'ni vessel slamming into the ground almost a kilometer behind them. For a second carl was convinced that the ship would buckle and nose-dive into the ground killing everyone aboard, but somehow the thrusters managed to keep the ship in the air, albeit groaning in protest at the treatment it was having to endure. "WE HAVE EVERYONE !" Blakus shouted from the rear of the Bridge, it was all Torek needed ! Increasing velocity from half to three quarters impulse, knowing he dare not risk full impulse so close to the ground, he bit his lip and watched the scene play-out on the viewscreen. Slowly, ever so slowly, the Raven began a shallow climb. She had taken a battering during her forced passage through the Shishonori atmosphere, he just hoped that once they reached the relative safety of space they could complete their escape, but his confidence was too short-lived as the Raven bucked to Port almost diving into the ground before returning to her climb. "They hit us with something." T'Seng confirmed, hands shifting over her panel like a concert pianist. "Phasers ?" Tinsley asked. "No, some sort of ballistic projectile I'd say ...." Lysia answered as the ship bucked yet again, ".... Looks like some type of ground-based protection. We can't take another hit on the shields Admiral !" =^= USS Raven .. You have no means of escape .. Climb into orbit and disengage all but your life support systems =^= =^= Sorry .. But we are not going to sit around to be executed for something we have no guilt over =^= Carl replied as Lysia told him to turn hard to Starboard, he did so a fraction of a second before two more surface projectiles shot past the ship. the Tactical Officer informed them that she could detect the launches but they needed to put some distance between the ground and the ship before they got lucky. Carl didn't need telling twice as he increased their speed to three quarters impulse. For a nano-second he contemplated bringing the warp drive on-line but thought better of the rash thought. "Fourteen hundred meters and climbing steadily. Sir I suggest we reduce speed to allow for the damaged shields, if they fail ...." Tinsley confirmed. Torek knew it was too slow, while height helped, it also made them prone to being targeted by more of the ground stations simultaneously, but he complied with the Engineers' recommendation ... Again the ship lurched forward as it was hit astern, for a second they pitched downwards but this time Carl was ready and adjusted quickly, but the last hit had done some damage. They were climbing slower now as their velocity was impaired. "Aft shields are down." T'Seng informed the Bridge. Carl began a slow turn, inwardly grinning as the skyscraper buildings of the Capital into view, he tapped the comm link he had seconds ago disengaged: =^= Shon'ni vessels .. .. .. You will withdraw and guarantee us free passage out of your System .. Failure to comply immediately will force me into an action against your capital City =^= =^= You can fire on the Capital Raven .. It will do you no good .. We will destroy you regardless of the loss of life =^= He put the Raven into a shallow descent, her trajectory set to impact the highest concentration of high-rise buildings in the Capital. It only took seconds for the Shon'ni to realise what he was possibly planning. =^= Shon'ni vessels .. you may want to speak to your Rulers .. I cannot imagine they would want a matter/anti-matter explosion at ground zero .. I would do so quickly though .. .. .. =^= He left the Comm open awaiting their answer .... The Capital, while still over a thousand kilometers ahead, was beginning to loom large on the viewscreen. He was calling their bluff and despite the silence on the Bridge he felt his Officers knew so too, it was down to the Shon'ni now, if they were willing to loose possibly hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of their civilians to get revenge on the Human Race, then they would allow the Raven to slam into the Capital, if not, then he hoped they would at least allow them passage from the System ... There was no saying the Shon'ni couldn't simply get them into space then destroy them, so be would need further guarantees, but how ! ... Leaving the Comm to the Shon'ni active, he spoke to Engineering: =^= Admiral Torek to Commander Milyanov =^= =^= Milyanov .. .. =^= the exhausted Engineer replied. Carl took a breath then continued. =^= Commander .. .. Switch Matter Antimatter containment fields to manual and standby =^= the comm was silent for a long moment then Milyanov replied. =^= Matter Antimatter containment fields to manual and standby .. Done Sir =^= Carl watched the Capital, now less then seven hundred kilometers ahead. He sat in silence hoping the Shon'ni wouldn't call his bluff. Actually, given the damage they had sustained, it was touch and go as to if they could even make orbit, let alone escape, but he couldn't dwell on that as the Comm chirped to life: =^= USS Raven .. The High Congress had approved your request to enter orbit and begin discussions regarding a truce between our races =^= "What is he talking about ?" Blakus asked. It was clear from the mans voice that the Shon'ni had taken his threat seriously, maybe the talk of discussion was some form of face-saving exercise, especially if the population had access to communications. Either way, Carl had no intentions of sitting down with the Shon'ni. =^= You will remove all vessels from this side of the planet prior to our climb .. 'ANY' sensor readings indicating a vessel approaching will result in our immediate return to the surface =^= =^= Our readings show your vessel had sustained significant damage during your passage through our atmosphere .. You will be allowed to enter orbit and begin repairs while talks commence =^= "Sir, everything in orbit above us is moving away. I'm tracking numerous vessels leaving orbit completely while others are dropping behind toward the eastern continent." Calli confirmed. "OK, Andae, have Milyanov restore the safeguards and lets see if we can actually get into orbit." Fifteen minutes later the Raven entered a geosynchronous equatorial orbit almost thirty six thousand kilometers above the Capital City. At full impulse the Raven could be on the ground in less than ninety seconds, much faster than anything could approach and attack ,He wondered how long the pretence would last .... The Comm chirped to life: =^= USS Raven .. My name is Noiql .. I am Primary Magistrate of the Ruling Congress .. .. We would like to arrange a meeting between out representatives at your convenience =^= "He's worried." Calli whispered, Andae nodded agreement with her assessment. =^= Magistrate Noiql .. We require time to stabilise our vessel .. .. We will contact you regarding a meeting in due course =^= Carl replied. =^= USS Raven .. Your request that all orbiting vessels be moved is causing some difficulty on the surface .. Several vessels need to retu .. .. .. =^= =^= No .. The first ship we see on our sensors will result in our immediate return to the surface =^= =^= Understood .. .. We shall await your .. Communication .. Noiql of the High congress bids you well =^= the comm snapped off. "Someone is telling him what to say." Calli began." "I agree Admiral." Lysia said, "They are clearly playing for time, There's no way they are going to allow our escape and the loss of life on the surface go unpunished." "Commander Tinsley ... Systems ... Where do we stand ?" Torek asked. "They're right, our trip into the atmosphere, while under control would have caused a fair bit of damage to the hull, has given us the proverbial kick in the teeth, we have warp capability but given our condition we'd rip the ship apart before we produced a viable warp bubble. We'll need time to get us space-worthy." "How much time ?" Blakus asked, already checking the readings at the station he sat at. "Here ? .... Days at best, hard to say." the Engineer answered. Carl looked at the viewscreen, the planet below stationary from their point of view. He had his crew and his family back, but he couldn't help wondering when the Shon'ni would demand their return. It hadn't passed him by that several of the Shon'ni vessels had left orbit and were now beyond their sensor range. Waiting for them, he had no way of knowing ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
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Post by Andae Blakus on Oct 10, 2019 0:10:12 GMT
USS Raven - twenty minutes ago while still in the atmosphere, up to the present
Having regained consciousness as the Raven had entered the atmosphere of his species' capital world, Daqur had found himself in the alien ship's brig, in the same cell as his specialist engineer who'd been incapacitated by Commander Blakus shortly after arriving back on board; in the next cell along, he soon found out, were located the other three Shon'ni who'd been on the bridge.
This unclean organisation, this Federation, would soon feel the military might of the Shon'ni High Command, he thought, gritting his teeth and murmuring to his colleague instructions, the colleague nodded and fell down clutching his abdomen. The brig officer - who'd just arrived back as the Raven completed beaming its people off the surface and out of the Shon'ni's clutches - was unmoved, eventually however he took a few steps towards the cell, but only raised a corner of his mouth in a smirk at the Shon'ni commander and his engineer.
The ship was buffeted by plasma missile fire and the cell's forcefield flickered and failed; Daqur and his engineer leapt out, striking the brig officer and rendering him unconscious. Daqur nodded at his colleague who deactivated the other forcefield; the five Shon'ni were free...
Wandering the corridors and gradually realising the ship was ascending to orbit, they located a comms panel at an empty junction; while two Shon'ni stood guard, Daqur's engineer worked his way round the panel's interface and accessed the short range comms system. The Ruling Congress's transceiver frequency was entered and Daqur requested to be put through to Noiql, receiving assurances from his engineer that the comm was encrypted and the fact of its being sent was masked.
He was put through, "Noiql, I have little time, you must listen to me. We already know you've contacted the Raven regarding truce talks. I am sending you the following instructions: continue with the talks as a pretence, try to have attend your forthcoming meeting the three most senior alien officers. High Command emergency procedures dictate that in these circumstances all vessels in the four adjoining systems should head to this location: in under eight hours, over a hundred of our warships will be in high orbit of the capital, the Raven cannot escape."
Noiql bristled, seeming genuinely affronted, "I have never taken orders from the military, let alone from you Daqur!"
"You will do this, or the High Command will find someone else to head the Ruling Congress, is that clear? I would hate to see something happen to your wife, Noiql, I have always enjoyed her conversation." Unhappy but now trembling with fear, Noiql assented and requested permission to close the channel, stating he would contact the Raven again immediately. "No, keep an open channel; I will feed instructions to you as your communication progresses." Daqur remained to listen in to Noiql's discussion with Torek, on a separate channel informing Noiql what he should say in response to the Admiral. With the comm completed he continued to the magistrate, "Keep stalling to give our ships time to arrive, then take along to the meeting the seniormost members of the Ruling Congress; I'll explain later." Noiql nodded and closed the channel; once clear of the Raven, Daqur would see to it that both the Congress notables and the Raven senior staff were eliminated during their conference, after which he could carry out his military coup in safety.
The engineer Shon'ni had located a weapons locker. Daqur took a phaser and handed three more to the others, he glared at each of them in turn, "Either we escape, or we take as many alien officers as we can along with us to the afterworld, is that clear?"
"Absolutely, Commander," they echoed one another. He nodded and gestured for the largest Shon'ni to take the lead as they made their way towards transporter room 2.
* * *
Hasqyr stepped onto the bridge of the Raven and cast a look around, he was taken aback by just how advanced this starship was, he'd heard only rumours of the remarkable level of tech employed by the Vasco de Gama those 20 years ago, yet he believed this to be even more advanced. Of course, it was nothing compared to the type and amount of firepower the Shon'ni's military had at its disposal, but then offensive capability, weapons and shields, weren't always of the greatest importance.
"Internal sensors now fully reestablished, Admiral," Wedlerson reported.
Hasqyr seemed to go unnoticed at first as he moved from the turbolift and into the centre of the bridge. Noiql contacted the Raven again, "We request a meeting at a neutral location, Admiral Torek, an unmanned orbital station that can immediately be provided with a space for us to hold talks. We ask for your presence, that of Commander Blakus and Commander Valente, in addition to any others you may wish to bring with you, in 7 hours 30 minutes, by your reckoning."
Eventually, with the comm still in progress, Commander Blakus registered Hasqyr's presence, seeming on guard at first before relaxing as Tinsley informed him Hasqyr had assisted in their escape from the surface and had been conspiring with Shon'ni enemies for many months. Blakus nodded minutely at the Shon'ni, "What can you tell us about Shon'ni negotiating tactics? Is this normal behaviour for them?"
The comm with Noiql was ending as Hasqyr replied, "Usually the Shon'ni are averse to making truces, but these are hardly usual circumstances. They will be in a position of confidence, and will likely stall for time -"
"We already worked that out."
Hasqyr nodded, "I see. They will stall to allow time for the fleet to arrive. Expect dozens of vessels, all of similar displacement to the two ships you have disabled or destroyed. Noiql will be being briefed by the High Command, our military wing, although I'm surprised the military still retain the initiative; with Daqur captured, I'd have expected the civilian administration to reassert itself, Noiql is more likely to make an attempt for peace."
"He has given us 7 hours 30 minutes until a meeting," Blakus stated.
"That may be the length of time the High Command believes it will take to gather sufficient forces to destroy or subdue this vessel." Then either we force talks now if Noiql is at all malleable, or attempt to escape, Andae thought, wondering meanwhile how Milyanov was faring with integrating the secondary computer core over and above the Shon'ni's substitute device.
Wedlerson spoke, "Admiral, there is a problem. Internal sensors aren't detecting any lifesigns in the brig, except for one unconscious officer, Ensign Riordan." Blakus bolted upright in his chair. "I'm not detecting the Shon'ni prisoners anywhere on the ship."
"Are they masking their lifesigns?" Carl asked.
Could they have already escaped? Blakus thought. Torek gave orders and Blakus carried them into execution, "Deploy all security personnel, sweep the ship and find them now," he instructed T'Seng.
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Oct 14, 2019 16:34:11 GMT
"Admiral, there is a problem. Internal sensors aren't detecting any life-signs in the brig, except for one unconscious officer, Ensign Riordan." Wedlerson informed the Bridge, Blakus bolted upright in his chair. "I'm not detecting the Shon'ni prisoners anywhere on the ship." "Are they masking their life-signs ?" Carl asked. Could they have already escaped the ship ? Blakus wondered. "Commander T'Seng, deploy all security personnel, sweep the ship and find them now." Andae instructed .... Carl was sat in the center seat, chin resting in the palm of one hand as he watched the planet below thoughtfully: The Raven had caused considerable damage during her very brief sojourn into the planets atmosphere, and he didn't want to contemplate the number of lives lost in their attempt to retrieve the ships' personnel. For a moment he had actually considered contacting the Ruling Congress to offer aid, but dismissed the thought. his main concern was why had the Shon'ni allowed them to carry out their venture with seemingly zero repercussions thus far ? ... Was it possible that given they still had the Raven's primary computer core, they were confident the ship couldn't escape their grasp, no, he was fairly certain that that couldn't be the reason. So the unspoken question remained, turning over and over in his head 'Why' ? ... "Sir, I have a preliminary report on the ships' status ...." Harry interrupted his thoughts. Torek nodded for him to continue, ""The shields took a battering, Port shields suffered most and will need extensive repair, Fore shields were hit badly, as was the Port fore quarter of the saucer section. We've lost approximately fifteen percent of the hull plating on the saucer and Port nacelle. Nothing that would prevent us going to warp but I'd be tentative at best regarding high warp. I've asked Commander Milyanov to assign teams to the more critical area's. As long as we don't shed any more of the hull we should be OK. We're currently using the ships' secondary computer core, but we need the primary returned." "Personnel, you can confirm we got everyone back ?" Calli asked. "Indeed .... It was a little touch and go there for a few seconds. Had the Shon'ni decided to attack rather than go on some insane suicide mission, we may well have been part of the rubble down there." Wedlerson said with a visible shiver. "OK, let's make sure all hands are working to prep the ship, If any area is suspect, shore the bulkheads, evacuate those area's and raise bulkhead force-fields. I don't want any surprises if we have to cut our visit short." Torek instructed. "Already done so Admiral." Harry confirmed. "We need to find those Shon'ni. There's no telling what damage they could do, especially if they manage to contact their Command." Calli commented. She glanced over to Carl, who was again studying the planet beneath them, "Penny for them ?" she asked. Carl turned to her and forced a smile. "I just don't get it ...." he began, voicing his previous thoughts, ".... Granted, we got the jump on them diving into the atmosphere, but surely they have 'some' ground armaments. They allowed that idiot to come after us, he likely did more damage than we did when he ploughed into the ground, and again they allowed us to snatch every single member of the Raven unchallenged, given their technology they could have easily relocated a good portion of our crew before we managed to get locks on them. It's almost as if someone down there hesitated. It just doesn't make any sense !" "Is it possible they were more concerned about their own people ?" Wedlerson speculated. "It's possible .... We leveled at least four of their taller buildings. Maybe they were busy getting everyone out before they collapsed ?" Calli replied. "It still doesn't explain why they seemingly sat around and allowed our repatriation." Carl said, shaking his head. "Lets hope the Shon'ni shed some light on their actions, or lack thereof, during the upcoming negotiations." Andae Blakus said, unconvinced. "Is it possible that someone high up on the Ruling Congress is affiliated with the Rebel Jirta ?" Calli mused. It was something that frankly hadn't crossed Carl's mind, but now it had been brought into the open it was something they couldn't dismiss out of hand, but the possibility that one of the most important people on the planet was in some way connected the the rebel faction trying to overrun the Congress, was almost too bizarre to think about. "Sir, we should consider options ...." Wedlerson began, knowing he could voice his opinion openly on the Raven, "... If we remain here and continue repairs, it's likely the Shon'ni will have enough vessels in the System to prevent any escape. We'd be back at square one and I doubt they would fall for the same subterfuge a second time." "Go on Commander." Carl urged. "Well, if we go before the meeting, we may have a slim chance of evading what vessels the Shon'ni currently have." "Thank you Harry." Torek said, nodding in agreement with his Operations Chief, "So, at this point, we have our crew aboard ..... Something else we may need to consider, is the Vasco de Gama. Or more realistically, her crew." "We haven't had any further contact since before we played Russian roulette with the surface." Valente said with a wry grin. "Comms, try contacting them, we have a rough idea of their location, concentrate your efforts there." "Aye Sir." the Communications Officer replied, turning to her console to begin working on her task. "The primary core Admiral ?" Harry asked. "We need it back, and quick. But I have the feeling the Shon'ni, despite their apparent leniency, will be a little reluctant to give up possession. They are possibly monitoring their own version of the core currently sat in Main Engineering, so tampering might well bring a swift retort by our 'friends' down there." Carl said, motioning toward the planet on the viewscreen. "We're looking at hours to reinstate our core." Blakus commented. "Exactly." Torek replied, turning to look at the impassive Hasqyr, "What are the chances you have enough influence with someone on the surface to assist in our return of our computer core ?" "Me ..... !" the Shon'ni said, eyes flicking from Torek to others of the Bridge then finally back to the man in the center seat, "I am but a Third Class Overseer, I do not have the authority, let alone adequate security clearance required, to compel anyone to undertake such actions that would undoubtedly see them, and no doubt myself if captured, killed in the Main Square as traitors in short order !" "Well then, maybe you should try to think of someone who does have the relevant authority, shouldn't you." Carl asked darkly ..........
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Oct 22, 2019 17:56:01 GMT
The Raven sat in orbit ... Ahead and astern of them, two Shon'ni vessels were holding station. Neither were the massive war vessels they had encountered, one of which had stupidly chased the Raven into the atmosphere, slamming into the surface following their failed attempt to ram the Sovereign Class vessel, the other disabled earlier was on the surface, presumably undergoing rapid repairs. The two ships flanking them were nonetheless formidable, both apparently having comparable weaponry to the Raven herself ... Time was running out ... "Well ?" Torek asked, his patience wearing thin. the Shon'ni watched the viewscreen in silence, wracking his brain to come up with someone on the surface who could help. Then it came to him: "There could be one, but I would have to speak to him." Hasqyr said hesitantly. "Commander Wedlerson, please show our 'guest' to a station where he can contact the surface ... Oh Harry, if he tries anything suspicious, feel free to incapacitate him." "Aye Sir." the Operations Chief said, rising to escort the Shon'ni to the currently unoccupied Engineering One station. He configured the Console then raised his eyebrows at Hasqyr. The man looked from Wedlerson to the console then inputted a communication frequency, seconds later someone spoke, asking him what he was doing making contact on this channel. Hasqyr coaxed the man to be calm, assuring him the Comm could not be discovered. =^= You cannot ask this of me ! =^= the man on the surface said incredulously after Hasqyr explained. =^= I can .. And I have Raqud .. You are aware of the situation with the Federation vessel .. Your facility is holding a vital piece of equipment the Federation require .. You are going to assist in it's retrieval =^= =^= I cannot Hasqyr .. If my complicity in this is discovered I will be executed .. Please .. I beg of you =^= During the conversation, Harry began seeing an anomalous register. Frowning he motioned to the Comms Officer to begin checking. She waved him over a few seconds later. "I'm detecting a second signal." she whispered as Wedlerson kept his eyes on the still speaking Shon'ni, "It looks as if someone has managed to piggy-back on the Comm."
"He's sending a second Comm ?"
"No, that's just it, the Comm is incoming, it sounds for all the world like radiation static, it's garbled and almost indistinguishable from background noise."
"Can you isolate it ?" Harry asked, tapping the back of Torek's chair to get his attention without alerting Hasqyr. Carl got up casually and approached Comms.
"Trying now sir." Harry moved back over to the Shon'ni in time to hear the man on the surface closing the communication abruptly. "What happened, is he going to help ?" "I fear he has no option but to do so." Hasqyr said, clearly regretting his actions. "Will he reveal you have been in contact ?" "No, you see .... It is complicated, but in our society, within the higher echelons, marriage is very carefully regulated. Only the most prominent males are allowed to request the hand someone they wish to be with. At the time of the marriage, the father of the bride assumes all responsibility for the grooms estate, somewhat archaic and one-sided I know, but that has been our way for centuries ..." "So ?" Wedlerson asked as Valente and Blakus joined the conversation. "So ...." Hasqyr said hesitantly, "The man have spoken with, Raqud, married my sister a year ago ? .... Should he decide to, shall we say, decline to assist me, I have informed him that I will apprise my father of his reluctance, the marriage will be dissolved, despite his position, he will loose station, and be exiled from the Capital. But not only him, his families' wealth will revert to my fathers' house, his parents will likewise be exiled for their Son's dishonour .... So you see, if he says no, then his life, and that of his family is effectively over. My sister will of course be 'upset' no doubt, but needs must as you Humans quaintly say." he finished, clearly fighting back his emotions over what he was forcing the man to do. "He'll get over it." Calli said, somewhat heartlessly as she glanced at the viewscreen, and the vessel a mere thousand meters ahead of them. "You realise of course that at this point in time he could be speaking with the Ruling Congress informing them of my complicity in the ongoing situation." Hasqyr said with a resigned shrug, his head bowed. Torek waved them over: "We'e figured out the second comm signal." he said, motioning for the Comms Officer to continue the explanation. "It's coming from outside the Shishonri Primary System, possibly another System occupied by the Shon'ni, but it's definitely not them ...." she said, still trying to get the communication readable, ".... I'd say it was coming from whoever contacted us earlier. it was piggy-backed thus the degradation. There's no way to pull audio up but I do now have an approximate location. It's coming from the system closest to us. I'd bet it's from the de Gama." "Is there any way we can contact them without alerting the Shon'ni ?" Torek asked. "Well, both us and the ships close-by are emitting background noise while in orbit, I could possibly transmit something that wouldn't be detected, there's no saying whoever is out there would know what they were getting though." she said. It was Carl's turn to look at the ship ahead of them. He couldn't help wonder why they were simply holding station. maybe they were confident the Raven couldn't attempt to depart without their primary computer core, and alas they would be right in that respect, but then, given the Raven's situation, surely they should be concerned they could be attacked as a last ditch effort to inflict as much damage on the Shon'ni as possible before meeting their own end. "Andae, put something together. If it is the de Gama then we need a stable Comm as soon as." "Contact your, relative ... I want a means to get to the surface, retrieve our core, and get back up here without their knowing." "He may have already revealed my duplic ....." "If he had turned you in, that ship out there would be turning us into so much background radiation drifting around your planet by now .... Get on with it !" he sat down as Hasqyr opened a Comm once more ..........
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Andae Blakus
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Commander 1C
Registered: Oct 17, 2007 22:48:27 GMT
Posts: 1,447
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Post by Andae Blakus on Oct 28, 2019 14:07:43 GMT
Blakus acknowledged Torek and moved to the upper level and the comms console, while Hasqyr continued attempts to once more contact the surface and his would-be relative Raqud.
The prospective brother-in-law spoke over the comm, "Very well, Hasqyr. You have what you wanted. Your core device is being escorted to a place to which you will have access. Understand, however, that a number of soldiers will be present to guard it." Before Hasqyr could protest, Raqud interrupted, "It's the best I could do. If I'd tried to have it unattended, it would have incurred the suspicion of the military and I would have been incarcerated."
<Tag computer core recovery team?>
Andae pointed over the comm officer's shoulder at the EM and subspace transmitter band readouts, thinking on Sovereign class geometry, "See, if we could turn the ship through the y-axis to this orientation, the background radiation emitted by the ship will be such that any comm we send will have the best chance of being entirely obscured." That way, he thought, the comm to the nearby system would have to pass through the Raven's longitudinal axis which was permeated by a radiation cloud of greater volume than were other volumes about the ship.
"That's good, sir, I believe I may also be able to send an audio message of some... 3.5 minutes duration. Enough to again ask who they are, what they want from us..."
"And so on," Andae nodded, turning to look at the grey-green orb of the Shon'ni capital world on the viewscreen.
Meanwhile in engineering, Milyanov had accessed the secondary core's databanks, surveying the back-up data that'd been loaded there as an emergency procedure as soon as the secondary core's safeguards had registered the impending disconnection of the primary. All data of the last 48 hours had been dumped into the secondary, with the same high detail and protocols for access. Included in the files was the first communique received from the apparently stranded Vasco de Gama mutineers - those who'd refused to go along with Captain Smetlev's final genocidal plans.
He listened to that message again: so Kosenko had had a son, likely with the deceased wife. They needed help. That son needed help as well as whoever else had had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting with the former de Gama first officer, and former friend of Milyanov, Viktor Kosenko. He couldn't trust his shipmates, as much as it pained him: once finally free from orbit, the Raven wouldn't bring succour, only vengeance or an approximation of justice on the de Gama's crew. The CEO's hands trembled as he finished his core tinkering and rose to exit engineering. There was only one thing he needed to do.
The shuttlebay doors retracted; Milyanov boarded the shuttle Pamisus, taking to the controls. The landing signals officer had been dismissed, the Russian would handle the departure procedures from here. Scarlet lights began pulsing throughout the bay, air was evacuated as the forcefield in place of the door was also deactivated.
In the LSO's office above the bay, three of the Shon'ni prisoners appeared. Daqur looked down into the bay and jerked a head to his subordinate engineer, "If we allow that shuttle to escape it could attempt to triangulate fire with this Raven vessel, or perhaps attempt some subterfuge - stop the shuttle, now!"
The Shon'ni engineer nodded and worked the panel; in silence the bay doors began to slide shut again, and soon there was no more space for the Pamisus to fit through. Cursing in his native tongue, Milyanov in the Pamisus activated the phasers and blasted a hole in the doors; he powered the forward thrusters and shot out of the shuttlebay. Daqur swore and struck his subordinate, marching from the LSO's office back towards the Shon'ni escapees' hideout.
The Pamisus jumped to warp 7 in direction of the next system; it was difficult for the Raven to pursue without her primary core, and it appeared the two Shon'ni vessels were letting the Pamisus go, though one warship had repositioned itself a few thousand kilometres. Five minutes later - undoubtedly once the Raven had realised what was going on - the shuttle's comms console was flashing red, an incoming communique. Fine, Milyanov thought, he tapped the control.
"What are you doing, Milyanov?!" It was Blakus. "You're going to defect?"
He coughed, "Defect would be a strong word. I'm going to help them, Andae; they're stranded there on that planet, they need my help."
"Our help. But they're criminals, Milyanov..." There was a pause; he guessed Blakus was struggling to believe what was happening. The XO burst in again suddenly, "You realise this is an offence punishable by court martial?"
Milyanov didn't respond to that, Andae knew full well he was aware of the ramifications. "Look, sir, there is no evidence the Vasco de Gama is anywhere near that system. What did we hear? The Shon'ni chased the de Gama out of their space for hundreds of parsecs after what Smetlev did to their worlds with the triprotux. It's not feasible the de Gama would be situated in the next system to the Shon'ni capital world, Andae. But it is feasible, and it is confirmed, that there are members of her crew in that system. XO Viktor Kosenko, for one."
Another pause, "You two have history, don't you?" Blakus asked.
"I knew Kosenko for over twenty years, Andae. He was an old friend, and so was his wife, and she's dead. Kosenko and whoever else may be there..." He sighed, "Smetlev and the de Gama have left them there to rot, I'm sure of that."
Wedlerson's voice came now, and Milyanov understood the comm was being heard all over the bridge, "I don't understand," Harry said, "We can do all this together, Milyanov. True, we are trapped here in orbit of this damn capital world, but soon we'll have the -"
"There's no guarantee you'll escape. Listen, after all these years, I finally have a chance to meet with Kosenko again, to right the wrongs he did to me - ... to us," he quickly clarified. "If you want to chase me, get the computer core, but this is something I have to do alone." He cut the shuttle's comm channel, and increased velocity to warp 8, far exceeding recommended speeds for such craft.
<Tag Raven>
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Nov 4, 2019 0:18:15 GMT
After practically threatening to ruin his more senior relative, Raqud finally ceded: =^= Very well Hasqyr .. You have what you wanted .. Your core device is being escorted to a place to which you will have access .. Understand however that a number of soldiers will be present to guard it =^= Before Hasqyr could protest, Raqud interrupted: =^= It is the best I could do .. If I had tried to have it unattended it would have incurred the suspicion of the military and I myself would have been incarcerated =^= the comm snapped off before Hasqyr could reply. "We have a go." Lysia said, just managing not to punch the empty air before her. "Just out of curiosity here ...." Harry began, ".... But just how do you intend to get to the surface, and back ?" he looked at Hasqyr as if awaiting an answer. "You could use the maintenance transports ....." the Shon'ni suggested weakly. He realised everyone on the Bridge was waiting for him to continue, "There are numerous orbital platforms, you will have picked them up on your sensors had they been fully operational. They are there to be accessed by any vessel requiring minor repair or refit so as not to over-task the ground facilities. Transports to and from these platforms are not monitored, normally. Of course, getting to one of the platforms is your concern." "Lysia, scan for the closest of these platforms." Blakus ordered. "There is one approximately seven hundred meters astern of us. It's small." she said, eyeing the Shon'ni suspiciously. "It can hold six personnel." the man said defensively. "If we try to transport they are likely to blow the thing out of orbit before we have materialised." Carl mused, "Could we make physical contact with the platform ?" "Alas, no ... They are programmed to re-orientate to avoid just such an action unless overrode, something even I cannot do." "Then we walk." Commander T'Seng suggested, almost grinning at the looks on the faces of those around the Bridge, "If we keep the Raven between the closest Shon'ni vessel and the platform, a small team could go over in EVA suits. From there I'm assuming we could simply transport to the location of the core, beam back, then physically bring it into the shuttle-bay." "Andae ?" Carl looked at his Exec' "I can't see any other option at this point." Blakus replied with a shrug, "I'd suggest a small team: Lieutenant Commander T'Seng, Lieutenant Tinsley, Lieutenant Svensonn, and First Lieutenant Lu Yang." "Not you ?" Calli asked, surprised. "I think they can handle the retrieval, I would like to remain here to try to establish contact with the group we heard from earlier." "Agreed." Carl said, ordering the away team to get ready to depart the Raven ..... The four stood in EVA suits, the Cargo-Bay door had risen and the only thing separating them from the cold unforgiving space beyond was the force-field. With the 'Bay decompressed, the force-field was deactivated, de Luca strode forward until she was no longer in contact with the USS Raven, Tinsley, Svensonn and Marine Lieutenant Lu Yang followed suit. Their destination, a speck against the blackness of space. They dared not use the suits maneuvering thrusters for fear of being picked up on one of the Shon'ni vessels' sensors, so seemingly motionless, they traversed the gap ... For a full sixteen minutes the four traversed the gap, until Lysia tapped the for'ard thruster for half a second to slow her approach. grasping at the hand holds she slammed into the platform harder than expected. She pulled herself up and out of the way of the next one to arrive, Lieutenant Tinsley. Svensonn and Lu Yang arrived and the four used the data supplied by Hasqyr to access the hatch ..... "These are the co-ordinates Hasqyr gave us. We should beam into the offices where Raqud will meet us." de Luca informed the group. They stepped up onto the pad and Lysia activated the device knowing full well that if they had been betrayed they would likely beam into a room full of armed Shon'ni, or worse still, appear a hundred meters above the complex ! "Where have you been. I am already past my designated end of shift ?!" the man asked as they materialised. "The walk took longer than expected." Lysia replied, making sure everyone was present, "OK, where is the core ?" she asked, Raqud suddenly stiffened, de Luca pushed her phaser under the mans chin and repeated the question. "It is along the corridor in the main Science laboratory ... But, there are guards !" the man said, almost vomiting. "How many ?" the Marine asked, pulling two stun grenades from his pockets. "You cannot activate those in the lab, they will be detected and reinforcem ...." "Great, so ... How many in there ?" Lysia asked, motioning for Lu Yang to return the grenades to his pocket. "Four, maybe six. I do not know. This is all TOO MUCH !" he said, his voice raising with every syllable. Svensonn put a hand over the mans mouth and shook his head, "Go in there and ask two f the guards to come out here." "What, why, why woul ...." Raqud said, his hysteria rising by the second. Svensonn dragged him into the corridor then up to the double doors. Releasing his grip he nudged the Shon'ni Overseer to the door and through, dropping back quickly so as not to be seen. The other three watched in silence, then two of the guards emerged. de Luca and Lu Yang hit them hard, dropping both before they could raise any alarm. Pulling them away from the door they were about to discuss options when Raqud backed through the doors, the remaining two guards moving a large crate between them, seconds later they joined their unconscious colleagues. Taking their weapons they pulled the crate back into the Lab and opened it. Thankfully it contained the equipment they sought ... Moving to the transporter pad they hauled the crate up. "Anytime you're ready." Tinsley commented as the Shon'ni simply stood watching the Humans. Raqud seemed to realise he needed to activate the transporter and moved to the control panel, he suddenly frowned, glancing at the Starfleet Officers then quickly back to the panel. "Problem ?" de Luca asked, suddenly concerned. "No .... No ...." they felt the caress of the transporter beam and vanished from the room, but not before Lysia had seen the expression on Raqud's face ! ... Materialising, they quickly donned their EVA suits and mover the crate to the hatch. Decompressing the lock Lu Yang activated the outer door. his eyes widened as he realised their predicament ... The Raven, previously no more than six hundred meters away, was closer to two kilometers away now, and that gap was increasing by the second. He turned to the others to give them the bad news. "He knew !" Lysia said resignedly. "So do we go back to the surface ?" Lu Yang asked. "No." she replied, thinking hard, "Hold on, the Raven is still between us and the Shon'ni vessel right, so it looks like the platform might be moving ?" the others shrugged, an action completely lost in their rigid EVA suits. "..... And meanwhile, the ship is still getting further away." the Marine Officer commented needlessly. but Lysia was moving, she went to the crate and attached a line, connecting the other end to the belt of her suit. She told everyone to link up in parallel, then she activated the anti-grav' sled the crate was resting on. Eyeing the rectangular opening, she put both hands on the crate then began to push. Slowly at first, but with each step the crate moved faster towards the open air-lock. Had the others not realised what she was doing they would have stopped her in her tracks as their tethers reached full length, but Svensonn also began to run, as did Tinsley and Lu Yang ... The crate shot out of the lock, the Raven Officers, tethered behind, were dragged one by one into space. It didn't take long for them to realise, they were not heading for the Raven ..........
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Carl Torek
Command Staff ..
Site Executive Officer Ranks Officer
Fleet Admiral
"UTRINQUE PARATUS"
Registered: Jun 17, 2006 22:34:35 GMT
Posts: 6,160
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Post by Carl Torek on Nov 4, 2019 15:33:45 GMT
Away Team - EVA :: Lysia eyed the crate, it was in the region of eighty cubic meters, not an issue, but weightless posed significant problems for anyone trying to manoeuvre it in space. She had realised quickly that their current trajectory would cause them to pass by the Raven, by how much, she needed to know. Tapping the link on the sleeve of her EVA suit she spoke quietly: "Computer. distance to USS Raven ?"
"One thousand seven hundred forty one meters. "What is our current rate of approach ?"
"Zero point four two meters per second." "So approximately seventy five minutes to rendezvous then ?" Lysia asked rhetorically, but the computer replied nonetheless:
"On current trajectory you will not rendezvous with the USS Raven .. Immediate course change required." "You don't say." de Luca replied.Taking hold of the chord she began slowly pulling herself towards the crate, as the chord tightened each of those tethered to her began to move too. with strict radio silence imposed, all the others could do was allow themselves to be dragged forward until all four were in physical contact with the crate. Lysia put her plexiglass visor against Tinsley's, explaining their predicament, asking him to relay her concerns to the others while she pulled herself up to look over the crate at the slowly closing gap between them and the ship. She estimated another full orbit will see them level with the ship but some three hundred meters off her Starboard quarter ... The other issue was the Shon'ni vessel ahead of the Raven ... Once they passed their vessel they would be visible to the Shon'ni, whom she doubted would be over-eager to assist in their return. They had an hour to come up with something ...... USS Raven-C :: "Your sure ?" Calli asked the Duty Tactical Officer. "Yes, they will pass us by in eighteen minutes at two hundred ninety eight meters." the man replied. she tapped the Comm link on the armrest of the center seat: =^= Admiral Torek to the Bridge =^= she closed the Comm before he could answer and returned to the Tactical station ..... Andae, who had been working to reestablish the Comm link from outside the System heard her call and approached, seconds later Carl entered the Bridge from his Ready Room: "They are still going to miss us I take it ?" he asked, receiving nods of confirmation from his Officers, "Lieutenant, what's the closest air-lock to them ?" "Erm, forward starboard side on the Saucer Section, but it would be a tight fit even if we could get them close." Commander Wedlerson answered. "But we 'could' get the crate inside ?" he prompted. "The crate, then the away team, not both simultaneously." Harry confirmed, "But unless they change their approach there's no way to ......" the Operations Chief was talking to himself as Torek began to run from the Bridge. In the turbo-lift he instructed Wedlerson to replicate one thousand meters of point five millimeter diameter Dyneema fiber chord and meet him in that air-lock ! ... When Harry, Calli, and Andae arrived, Carl was already there. He was stood in the corridor, holding what Wedlerson thought was a tangle of struts and cables. Calli knew immediately what it was. Both the inner and outer air-lock doors had been opened, a force field holding in the atmosphere. They could see the crate now less than five hundred meters away and on a trajectory which would not only see them pass the Raven, but escape from her shadow. At that time, the crate and the four people tethered to it would light up like proverbial Christmas trees ! "Harry, can you modify the force field so something can pass from inside the ship to outside while loosing minimal atmospheric integrate ?" "I could, but why ?" he asked as Torek took the fiber cable and knelt. Calli tapped the Comm link beside the air-lock: =^= Commander Valente to Bridge .. .. How long before they pass out of our shadow ? =^= =^= Bridge .. Six minutes =^= She turned to Carl. Torek stood, raising the contraption he held. Flexing the cable to ensure it wouldn't tangle he stepped into the air-lock a mere meter from the force field and waited. "Well, that's novel." Harry said as Carl placed the nock of the arrow in the nocking loop and slowly drew back the loop until the bow was at it's full tension ... "Harry, throw the cable on my mark OK." "Aye Sir." Wedlerson replied, only now realising that one end had been secured to the deck of the Raven, while the other was hanging from Carl's arm. Carl, a former tournament archer, could, on a good day, could loose an arrow that would travel over three hundred meters and still hit it's target, a gold disk ten point two centimeters in diameter. Given this arrow was moving in a vacuum it should by rights keep going until it came into contact with something, or succumbed to gravitational forces and fell into the atmosphere. Eyeing the crate through the bow sight he waited, his breathing quickly adapting to his competition days, when ready, he told Harry to throw the loop of cable, half a second later he released the arrow, the sound of the bow reacting to the release of tension was almost inaudible as the arrow lanced through the force field, the bulk of the thrown ultra-light fiber cable trailing easily behind ..... Away Team - EVA :: Due to the crates very slow rotation, the four lost sight of the Raven for long moments. !st lieutenant lu Yang had pointed out that unless they use the suit thrusters to adjust their trajectory they would pass the ship. Lysia didn't need telling a third or forth time, she was well aware of their predicament. Hands resting on the crate the Raven came into view once again, she felt herself being turned and a helmet touch hers: "It looks like one of the air-locks is open .... There ?" Svensonn said, pointing toward the enormous ship. She was looking at the Saucer Section, and the clearly open air-lock the Science Officer had pointed out, when she 'felt' rather than 'heard' a thud. The crate, a second ago continuing it's rotation, suddenly jerked under their fingers. All of the away team grasped hold tighter, despite the fact they were still tethered to the crate itself. Lysia grinned as they very slowly began to change their heading until they were heading directly at the white light of the open air lock. It took twenty minutes to bring the crate within a few meters of the hull, two suited personnel exited the 'lock and approached the away team, one used a second tether to make a physical connection between the ship and her adrift Officers, while the other released them from the burden ... using time-old hand signals, the crate was brought aboard the Raven, the four Officers hanging a meter from the closed hatch ... Moments later, and with less than an hours worth of breathable air available to them, the hatch slid silently out of sight and they entered the air lock ..........
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