The Way
Posted on Mon Apr 22nd, 2024 @ 9:38pm by Captain Marc Kidd & Lieutenant Jonathan Corwin & Lieutenant Christopher Blake & Lieutenant Claire Fisher & Lieutenant Vincent 'Ghost' Zandrell & Lieutenant Andromeda Nash & Lt JG Adalyn O'Rourke Ph.D. & Lt JG Ansel Lund & Lieutenant Commander Viessa Kenobi
Edited on on Mon Apr 22nd, 2024 @ 9:54pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
The Sins of History
Location: Main Bridge - Deck 3 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD007 1030 hrs
Marc sat in the center chair. This was the one thing he truly hated about command, the waiting. He had crew members down their risking it all to find Vamcet and here he was just staring at a screen. It made him antsy. "Any word from them yet?" Marc asked his XO.
Viessa could feel Marc's restlessness. It was always the same with Captains as their crew got to have all the fun, or face all of the danger. Sickbay had been quiet, as was always the way sometimes, a lull often happened when everyone was so focussed on mission. She felt uneasy for some reason, like something was shifting. The El Aurian sense was never the most forthcoming. Most knew of their connection to time but it isn't that simple, it is their connection to the universe that gives them many gifts. "It's too quiet..." Viessa almost huffed.
Abe agreed with the Doctor, "Nothing, Captain, to quote our Doctor, it's too quiet." Like the rest of the group, Abe just sat there waiting for something. Abe never considered himself a man of action, but the longer this took, the more he wished something would happen; anything at this point was better than the unknown.
Marc nodded. "Yes this would be the worst of things just waiting. Ops maintain a transporter lock on our people. I want to be ready if we have to get them out in a hurry. You know Commander one has to assume that no news is good news. Frost is good at what she does so we are going to have to let her do her job." He said this more to reassure himself than anyone else.
Chris didn't have to look down at his console, his fingers moved across the panel naturally. He was still new to the Artemis, but he'd been doing this on ships of similar sized ships. It was second nature to him. Especially simple maneuvers like maintaining orbit. He adjusted himself in his seat and continued to maintain the status quo.
Vincent stood at the tactical console and remained at the ready. He double checked the usual stuff. Shield bubble strength. Phaser array power and torpedo compliment. All the necessary stuff in case they are thrown into a firefight. He was nervous at first, but the moment he got in front of that console it was like second nature to him, but he felt good again. His only concern was if Cassie James, his daughters, was safe and should things kick off into a battle if he would be able to keep up with everyone else.
Did Ansel have the certifications and qualifications to man the bridge science station aboard the USS Artemis? Simply, yes. Though being at the bridge station was unfamiliar territory for Lieutenant Lund. He was a 'lab rat' at least that was what the science officers aboard his previous assignment had referred to him as.
He tried his best to keep his head in the game as it were. He had spent some hours at the bridge station before joining the Artemis, but it was nowhere nearly enough to breathe easily. Quiet or not.
Abe's gaze drifted to the readout beside his chair, its bland data offering little solace. It was moments like these that made him desire his lab, where, at least there, he knew what to expect. His internal musings were abruptly halted by a sudden alert. "Captain," he stated, tapping the display to confirm. "Sir, we have a Cardassian vessel on approach."
"Cardassians?" Marc began with a question. "Lieutenant Zandrell hail them." When the channel was open Marc spoke again. "Commander Cardassian vessel I am Captain Marc Kidd of the Federation starship Artemis. Please state your business on Freecloud."
"Hailing them." Vincent replied as he tapped on the console and attempted to start a channel. "I'm getting nothing in return, Captain. They don't seem to be chatty, which is surprising for Cardassians."
"Sheilds up, red alert." Marc began. "Mr Blake stand by for evasive. Lieutenant Zandrell tactical analysis." Marc leaned over to Abe. "What the hell would the Cardassians want with Freecloud?"
Viessa took this moment to make her way down to sickbay. She hoped as just a precaution but you could never tell how things would go. Captain Kidd was a seasoned officer and wouldn't have been made captain if not able. Time would tell however how diplomatic he could be. As she turned to face the lift doors, "Deck 9." and the lift closed its doors.
Chris gritted his teeth and set some of the stand evasive maneuvers into the console, just a single push away from being activated. He hadn't had to chance to coordinate with tactical yet, so he would have to save the really fancy flying for desperate times, he didn't want to throw off their aim after all. "Standing by sir."
Abe thought for a moment, "there is no telling Captain, Freecloud is too unpredictable in nature. We need everything we have into shields, if they attack we will get no support from the locals: only scavengers ready for the spoils."
Vincent tapped at the tactical console frantically as he monitored the shield's power and weapons compliment in the event they got into a firefight. "So far I am reading their shields are full and weapons hot, Sir. She pacts a pretty big punch, but they're known to take time when it comes to maneuvering. Keldon's a built tough. However, with some fancy flying, along with some well placed shots, we can slow her down to a crawl. Maybe even cripple her."
"Hail them ag..." Marc's order was interrupted as the ship shook from the weapons impact. Marc fell to the deck, and aside from his ego he was unharmed. "Lieutenant Blake evasive."
As the ship rumbled from the incoming fire, quick alerts flashed on his screen, letting him know of the condition of certain systems. It was slightly overwhelming, but his instincts and training soon kicked in, as his hands jumped from button to button. "Shields are holding stead. Getting some scattered reports of internal damage, but nothing manageable. Forwarding them to Engineering for their repair teams."
"Mr Zandrell at your discretion show them what we can do." Marc said as he climbed back into his chair. Before he could say anything else a message from the Away Team could be heard above the din of initial combat. It was Cassandra Frost. She seemed to be asking for assistance but her message was not only garbled but it was cut off. "Abe get to the transporter pad and see what is going on. We will cut shields to beam you down if we have to."
"On my way," Abe stood up and headed to the nearest lift. The Captain had more experience, by far, so he was happy to assist his ship in whatever way he could. He stepped into the lift, calling out the designation.
Blake punched in the commands. The Artemis was a lot more maneuverable than a standard Cardassian design. His good eye twitched as he realized he was going to be hampered slightly because of having to maintain transporter distance. The Artemis swooped down low before rising up and to the port of the Cardassian vessel, giving ample time for the Artemis to rake the Cardassians with a volley of phasers and torpedos.
Vincent picked up on the maneuver and followed up with phaser fire, aiming for key systems on the ship, before unleashing a spread of torpedo fire. "Their shields are weakened, but still holding fire. A few more shots like that should do it." He said firmly as he prepared another salvo. "If you set me up, Helm. I'll knock them down."
"Lock em up!" Marc gave the order, it was his way of allowing his crew to handle the situation. As soon as the order was given the Cardassians returned fire with a salvo of their own. The ship rocked from the impact of phaser fire and torpedo impacts. "Lieutenant Nash..." he called to his new Engineer. "...Damage report!"
"Knocked one of the secondary shield generators offline," Nash said, looking up momentarily from her study of the display. "Nothing serious. Dispatching a repair team."
The prep time had paid off. The simulator, the manuals, and the actual console. Blake was completely focused and intent on the readouts. Combat was like a dance between a snake and a mongoose. Looking for openings to strike while keeping the enemy from striking back. A lot came down to the ships and the armaments, but it also came down to the crew working with the vessel instead of against it.
Blake was working with the ship, he'd noticed a few times that the Artemis pulled a little to the port, right now he used that pull to swing around and drift around the Cardassian vessel, opening it's flank to a straffing attack.
Vincent kept his hands stead and eyes focused on the ship's Helm began their maneuvers against the Cardassian ship. As soon as his console registered a lock on a key system he would fire upon it. The more targets the Helm's officer was able to open up, the more Vincent had to work with.
Marc could hear the report from Frost over the din of battle. It seemed the team down on the planet was having just as much a hard time as they were. Marc ordered that the shields be dropped for ten seconds and then opened a channel to the transporter room. "Abe energize!"
The Executive Officer nodded to the Chief, "You heard the man." Abe instinctively tapped his weapon, making sure he hadn't forgotten it.
As the Artemis rocked under another barrage from the Cardassians Marc was informed that they were now hailing the Artemis. "On screen..." The image of a Cardassian in civilian clothes sitting in the command chair of the ship appeared. "Greetings Captain. I am Markuul of the Cardassian vessel Chalko. You will remove your crew from Freecloud and turn Vamcet over to me. If you don't I will be forced to destroy your vessel."
The smoke cleared on the Bridge and Marc could see the Cardassian a little better. He was surprised to see a civilian. But that curiosity would have to wait. "I am Captain Kidd of the Federation Starship Artemis. I see that you do not represent the Cardassian government. So, care to tell me who you are with before I agree to anything."
The Cardassian smiled and laughed. "The way I see it you do not have any options but to agree to my terms. However, I will indulge you. I represent the true Cardassian government, and we will give Vamcet proper justice. Now I will give you three minutes to get your people off of Freecloud before I fire again." The communications channel went dead and Marc was left in silence for a moment. "Well clearly we cannot turn Vamcet over, that is if they found him. So, we have three minutes for options."
"We could dip into the atmosphere." Blake suggested. "Low enough that if they follow they'll trigger the automated holo-ads. We can use the confusion to either pick up the crew and evade, or use it to get a couple of clear shots on them." The ads would get into their ship as well, but he was confident enough in his skills he could fly the ship blind if he had to.
"Do it." Was all Marc said as he braced himself for what is to come.
The Artemis took a quick turn from facing the cardassian ship and began a sweeping arc toward the planet, followed closely by the Cardassians. A few disruptor blasts shook the Artemis, but the course remained true.
^COME TO FREE CLOUD FOR THE NIGHT LIFE! STAY FOR THE FREEDOM!^ The first holo ad was a scantily clad Andorian woman dancing right in front of the view screen.
Blake wasn't phased, he was focused on the controls.
^WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT YOU ABOUT YOUR EXTENDED WARRANTY.^ A holographic Frengi head with abnormally large lobes floated right before the Captain.
The disrupter blasts from the Cardassian ship stopped. And Blake grinned.
^PLEASE HELP, I'M A STRANDED TERRAN ASTRONAUT AND I NEED CREDITS TO GET BACK HOME.^ The image of a human wearing an ancient full body space suit appeared right over the helm controls. Blake shifted focus and casually ignored the pleading astronaut.
^HELP ME... CAPTAIN KIDD... YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE...^
^WHITENS YOUR FANGS WITHIN TEN CYCLES^
^WE'RE READY TO BELIEVE YOU...^
Within seconds the bridge was filled with obnoxious holo ads getting into everyone's face. Blake could see that the Cardassian ship was no longer matching their manouvers exactly. The ship was sluggish to respond and leaving itself open. "Get ready to fire."
^TOSSED SALAD AND SCRAMBLED EGGS...^
Blake punched in the commands and the Artemis pulled up sharply, coming up and around in a sharp vertical turn until the ships were facing each other on an inverted course. Before the Cardassians could respond, the Artemis led loose with a full barrage, raking the top of the enemy and quickly breaking through the shields with direct hit after direct hit.
The final volley from the Artemis struck the engine room and set off a spectacular explosion as the warp core within the Cardassian ship ignited and errupted from within.
^CONSIDER US FOR ALL YOUR DETAILING NEEDS...^
Blake finally waved away the astronaut and sighed. "Permission to get us out of range Captain."
Marc was not sure if he should laugh or worry for the ship and crew. "By all means Lieutenant take us back to the black. I have seen enough advertisments for my lifetime. Oh, and Lieutenant... Really nicely done."
Adalyn waited patiently as Claire read the psychological profile of Gul Vamcet O'Rourke had prepared, keeping one eye on the JAG officer and the other on the video and audio feed from the bridge she could access anytime from her office. From what the counselor could tell, everyone was starting to get a bit antsy waiting for the report from the away team. She didn't blame them, but was glad she could keep herself busy at times like this by collaborating with Claire. O'Rourke was under no illusion a psychological profile could predict behavior in any circumstance or could serve as a replacement for solid decision-making based on evidence of the moment, but she liked to be as prepared as possible and believed a profile could keep all of them from flailing in the dark.
Claire sighed as she read over the psychological profile of Vamcet again. O'Rourke was spot on in her assessments. She could feel Adalyn's eyes drifting to her periodically as she reviewed the profile. Ten years in profiling and behavior analyst gave Fisher a strong stomach and objective eye, but the victim and eye witness accounts were proving to difficult for even her to swallow. "Shallow affect, impulsivity, grandiosity, morbid curiosity, control, sadism likely born from a constant need for stimulation and an inferiority complex, lack of goals..." She commented dryly in her assessment before looking up at the counselor. "Do we know anything about his upbringing? Many Cardassians who grew up on Cardassia Prime before the occupation had a hard life, many orphaned. I don't want to be caught off guard with a defense of reactive abuse and trauma." She commented, glancing through her PaDD on Bajoran law.
"Not much," Adalyn replied, "but I'll keep digging. From what I've gathered so far, his upbringing wasn't unusual for a Cardassian at that time. As for reactive abuse and trauma, I hear you, but couldn't you make the case even so that plenty of traumatized people don't do what he did?"
Claire looked up at Adalyn from her PaDD. “More than enough, but you never know how creative or desperate a defense can get,” Claire commented to the counselor before glancing out the window. A brief flash had caught her eye. “What was that?” She asked as she peered through the darkness.
Adalyn was focused on the conversation, but caught a glimpse of the flash in her peripheral vision. It was perhaps not the best attitude for a counselor to have, but she offered, "I don't know, but I'm not sure it's good."
Jonathan sat at his desk reading over what seemed to be the endless amounts of tomes on Bjoran law. He laid his PaDD on the desk and rubbed his temples as he felt a headache come on. He got up from the desk and walked towards the replicator. " Half liter of Raktajino strong and hot, with a tuna salad sandwich on white bread. " The machine hummed and buzzed and produced the requested items.
He sat at his desk and started to enjoy the short meal break. " How long have I been at this? " He asked no one in particular.
The computer answered. You have been in your office for the past five hours.
" Thanks. " Jonathan grumbled. " Not that I was really asking. " he said quietly under his breath. He shook his head and stared out of the window. " Damn I wish something would happen to break this tension and boredom. " Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a flash of light in the distance and looked towards to see if he could figure out what it is.
A Joint Post By
Captain Marc Kidd
Commanding Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Junior Grade Ansel Lund
Forensic Entomologist, USS Artmis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Commander Viessa Kenobi
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Christopher Blake
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Andromeda Nash
Chief Engineering Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Claire Fisher
JAG Offier, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Johnathan Corwin
Defense Counsel, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Vincent Zandrell
XO ESU/Tactical Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Junior Grade Adalyn O'Rourke
Chief Counselor/Profiler, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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