The Breen Take The Stand
Posted on Tue Nov 22nd, 2022 @ 2:50am by Captain Marc Kidd & Commander Abernathy Rice PhD & Lieutenant Commander Faith Benson & Ensign Cihl Theidi & Ensign Nala Rider & Cassandra Frost & Ensign Sicrol Gaam
Edited on on Tue Nov 22nd, 2022 @ 4:08am
3,101 words; about a 16 minute read
Mission:
The Hunt Begins
Location: Bridge - Deck 3 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD002 1500hrs
Marc had the fleet deployment screens from the Paramount routed to his chair. He could see that they were about to take the equivalent of a broadside from the Breen. "Right ladies and gentlemen here we go. Brace for impact. Benson prepare to return fire attack pattern theta two. Open a channel to the Romulans and have them hold cloak until my order." Kidd knew that this would separate the men from the boys as it were.
"Attack pattern theta two, aye." Faith's fingers flying across the console. The subsystems she'd set up to hit were ready. "Set.”
Standing at the security station, Cassie was watching how the on-duty security officer worked the console. Although she hadn’t been out of Starfleet all that long, this Luna class was the most advanced ship she’d ever been on, so she wasn’t as familiar with the new layout of the controls.
From his console Abe monitored the ship, clearly the Captain had a good handle on the battle. So, he took it upon myself to ensure the Artemis pressed forward.
Nala tightened her grip on the new console, wondering just how crazy things were going to get. "You're here because the Captain believes in you. Show both him and yourself that he was right," Nala nodded to herself, and ended up making a screeching sound with her nails as the ship was hit and she was jerked around in her seat. "Ok...NOT fun! When this is all over, remind me to trim my nails," Nala asked out loud, not even sure anyone had heard her over the klaxon's blare.
Marc's head swirled to the newcomer as she emerged from the turbolift. Before he spoke the ship rocked with another barrage of fire. "Welcome to the bridge Commander. Poseidon Station is under attack from Breen forces and so are we. Care to assist Lieutenant Benson?"
Kelly stared. "Are you serious? We are under attack?!" She moved quickly to the Lieutenant's console. "What do you need me to do?" She wished she was in her office, safe. She wasn't especially skilled at tactical things; what she *did* know, she'd picked up from carefully listening. Obviously, the Captain wasn't kidding, but she had meant it more or less rhetorically. "Benson?"
"Yes, we're under attack." Keeping her eyes on her display. "Keep an eye on each of our shield arcs. Also, on the enemy ship shield arcs. Let me know which of their facings drop the lowest, Commander." Faith pointed to the displays.
The Artemis rocked from yet another barrage of fire. "Ensign Gaam evasive pattern delta nine."
"Yes sir." Sicrol replied as his hands scanned across the conn. "Pattern delta nine in play." As the ship moved Sicrol noticed a few torpedoes fly past the ship at pace.
"Shields holding at 86%," Faith chimed out.
Rice looked down at the console in front of him; his job was to support the Captain, determine what the ship needed, and give the orders. "Divert all available power to the shields," the XO ordered, "damage control teams stand by," he added. He'd rather be too prepared than behind.
Right. Kelly had no idea what any of this meant! She was a JAG, not a yellow shirt! She just nodded, though. "OK. I can do that." I think. She settled into an empty console and kept her brown eyes trained on the horizon. HOPEFULLY, the Breen would give up soon and she could go back to her briefs and files.
"Everything is good here," she called out. She felt useless-this wasn't really her forte but on the other hand, she couldn't very well hide out in her office, so she better learn it quick. "Um...number 4, left hand side. Looks lower and dropping." Her voice was stronger now that she had kind of figured out what she was looking at.
Faith was going to do that but, Kelly was there, and she'd already told her a little bit what to look at and on. "Okay, okay, right. That'd be port. Left is port, right is starboard, front is fore or forward, and back is aft." Pointing, "Bottom is ventral and top is dorsal." The numbers in percent for each should be pretty clear to what that meant. Seems that Kelly got that part. Tapping the one that had dropped a little, to show as well. "Now it's reinforced that arc."
Moving to stand beside Kelly, Cassie looked over her shoulder at the controls, "would you like some assistance? I am familiar with the Tactical Station"
Kelly looked up at Cassie. Against her nature, she just nodded. "Thank you." She kept her brown eyes trained forward; she was getting the hang of it. She had learned command skills and even tactics in the Academy, but she wasn't a red shirt, per se. She didn't have aspirations of commanding her own ship one day. She just wanted to be a JAG, then retire, and live with a dog in peace. "Lt. Frost," she said...frostily, "don't forget to report your findings." She wasn't trying to be terrible, she just had walls up and focusing on work made it worse.
"Keep it together, Nala, it's going to be ok...eventually," Nala gulped, wiping her hands on her pants then returning them to her console.
"Brace for impact..." Marc called out and the ship rocked with another volley. "Return fire and ask the Romulans to target the same as us. Perhaps we can get one of these sons of bitches blown out of space." A moment later on the viewscreen four bright red dots, photon torpedoes, followed by four green dots, the same torpedoes from the Romulan warbird, made their way toward an attacking Breen vessel. They all hit their marks and sure enough that Breen ship exploded. "Up yours!" Mark said excitedly.
“Fore shields are holding at 56% after that last attack. All other sectors show 100%” Cassie reported as she started the sequence to reload the expended torpedoes, “If possible, I recommend getting around behind the next Breen ship. They don’t have as many weapon ports on their aft section”
Faith simply gave a glance to Marc at the exclamation but said nothing. She also didn't say anything either about Cassie manually doing the reload sequence. Considering that they did that on their own, unless the payload was changed. "Thank you, Miss Frost, however. The weapons cover a 360-degree arc. What we really need to focus on are the forward ports. They've not used it yet, but they have at least one energy dissipator beam weapon. It's what was used during the Dominion War against us that utterly crippled our fleets. It takes a massive drain on their weapon subsystems generators, which are located between the nacelles on the ventral side." Pointing it out on the console display. "So a nadion pulse at the right frequency in that location, should knock it out. Then, if the Captain would like to pop up behind after firing to ensure that location is taken out, by all means. " She motioned a hand out, "Keep feeding those ideas. I'm not opposed to it. We're just going to need to hit those spots also on the bigger ships. If all of our subsystems are fried we're sitting ducks."
Brace for impact was an understatement. Still, she held tightly to the console, and was only jostled a bit as the ship took a hit. Well, there was her job written out-the exact moment of impact was declaration of battle, and that meant that the Federation and their Allies were now under the UCMJ. Finally, something she was good at. "Calm down, Captain," she said, automatically. She was used to it, by now, calming down the men around her. To Frost, she spoke, her voice stronger and steady. "Further orders, sir?" She waited for his input, but had moved over to Rider's console. "Damage doesn't look good," she said, to no one in particular.
Nala jerked slightly as someone came up on her 'blind side' and spoke. "Yesh! Give some warning next time," Nala growled as her fear leaked into her voice.
Listening to those around her, something seemed to click in the back of Cassie’s mind, “energy dissipator? Didn’t they come up with a defence for that?” She said to herself before leaving the tactical station to Kelly and moving to the aft of the bridge to her official station to dive into the ships database.
"Engineering to Bridge," the voice of Ensign Cihl Theidi came through the bridge overhead speakers with some crackles and static. "We've taken some significant impacts down here! Damage control teams have been deployed, but we can't take too many more of those severe hits," the Ventaxian warned regarding the Breen weapons.
"Ensign Gaam evasive at your discretion. Acknowledged Ensign Theidi we will try our best. Right now, I need you to make sure we have propulsion, weapons and shields take power from wherever you need. We have to keep fighting. Bridge out." Marc stared at the battle that played out on the viewscreen. The tides turned and they were inching toward victory. They had to stay the course.
Sicrol nodded and even though he had been moving the ship in the most unnatural positions the Captain still wanted more. He began to try and calculate probable positional paths for the Artemis to go down, ones that would it harder for the enemy to hit them. Still the ship rumbled and rocked as Sicrol grabbed onto the side of the console for balance.
Doing her best to keep in her seat, Cassie was trying to access the information on the Breen energy weapons, but every time she tried all she received in return was ‘Access Denied’. Giving a resigning sigh, Cassie closed the search and returned to the tactical station.
As the ship maneuvered through space Marc saw on the viewscreen the opening he had been looking for. The ship that had been battering the Artemis rolled off to the right and he could see a small exhaust port that he hoped would be unprotected. "Benson do you see the exhaust port that I see? I want that targeted and concentrate fire I believe we have them now."
"This one's gonna be close!" Nala braced herself, waiting for the inevitable kaboom.
"I see it, Captain." Faith had already been looking for one of those spots, which were part of the ideas she had mentioned earlier. It wasn't the subsystems, it was better. She couldn't believe they hadn't taken care of that or set up physical armor shielding that can close over it. Oh well. That was their loss. Sending a signal to helm to slow down on purpose. It would give them longer time with a full broadside on that location. "Always love a good broadside."
As the Titan-Class USS Artemis came about. The glow of the blue polaron beams streaking past it's frame, as well as the splash against the shields hit. Giving the illusion of damage to the armor, given just how lose shields hugged the hull now. More so with disruptor splashes that did leave light scarring on the hull. From the outside it looked spectacular. From the inside not so much. Sparks flying here and there from the impacts.
She pushed forward past the dying hulk of the previous ship that was just destroyed. Twisting in an arc showing her underbelly for just a moment. Being as close as the Artemis was now to the Breen heavy cruiser the glows were even more vibrant against the hull as they kept missing. A quick snap up and over, to level back again, the colors changed.
The all familiar redish-orange hue'd glow rang out. First in the form of bursts. Little globe like objects, before the bright red sprung to life. Followed by a vibrant blue and white. Explosions cascading all over a specific area of the Breens shields. Ripping through the hull, pieces of armor plating and hull material pushing outward from the skeleton of the ship. Opening a massive gap for a yet again familiar color of orange streaks coming together at the intended focal point. Continuously over and over again from every port arc the Artemis had in a true broadside attack, like sea fairing vessels of old.
"WOOHOO!" Nala whooped, pumping her fist in the air, then having to grab the console again as her over eagerness nearly knocked her from her chair.
The plan worked and the Breen ship was destroyed. However, the destruction did come at a price. As the Breen vessel exploded the close proximity of the explosion caused the Artemis to rock with force. Consoles all over the ship erupted in sparks and flame. A number of crew were tossed around at their stations and as they ran about the ship to execute orders. One of those consoles that erupted was that at the Counselor's station off the left had side of the Captain as he stood there. Marc turned as he heard the initial crackle of the console but he could not move in time. The console exploded and sent the now unconscious Marc sprawling to the floor at the feet of the XO. Blood oozed from his mouth and ears.
"Commander Miller get the Captain to sickbay," Abe stated, "report, damage control teams to ask affected areas." Abe has reservations about Command. He wasn't sure he was ready for this but like it or not here he was. "Helm continue to monitor I don't want to be caught off guard."
"Someone tell me something," he looked around the bridge. This was why he wanted Tom about, they were not a battleship.
You could almost see the finger indents on Sicrol's helm console. That was how hard he was pressing the screen and trying to keep the Artemis out of harm's way. He heard the XO behind him yell about the Captain and Sicrol allowed himself a small glance back at the scene behind him. As he turned, he felt a small pinch and as he touched the side of neck below his ear, he felt a little blood. He pulled his hand back and simply rubbed the liquid on his uniform.
"Our impulse engines are overheating Commander, and I've lost some of our ventral thrusters. I'll try and keep us going but if we take much more we risk becoming dead in the water." Sicrol reported as the ship shook once more.
Nala was frozen. "[Why did the Captain think I was of any use here? I haven't even been of any use...wait] We can hit them with a phased ionic pulse!" Nala turned to the XO, excited she might finally be able to help.
"Engineering to Bridge," the exasperated voice of the Ventaxian Chief Engineering interrupted, "We're burning deuterium in the Impulse Fusion Reactors. If we don't vent the reactors within the next ten minutes we will have a cascade overload that could take out half of the saucer section."
"Shit!," she'd forgotten about the explosion backlash done to their own ship. Even if the attack had worked pretty much perfectly. Faith gave a glance to Nala a moment, "Right. Trigger any of the other ships to cloak if their plasma coils are defective. Giving us a huge opportunity to strike them also as they cloak. Excellent idea, Ensign!"
Nala grinned, then almost got thrown from her chair as the ship shook again. "We'd better do it fast, Commander; I'm not too keen on being a living pinata," Nala grunted as she readjusted in her seat.
"Do it," Abe didn't want to waste any time, "they had to react and react fast. Make it happen," Abe almost yelled out over the bridge as he leaned forward in his chair. "Time this just right," he didn't take his eyes off the viewer. For now, he couldn't worry about the engines, he had to get this situation under control, then he ship. "Once the pulse triggers their cloak fire at will, hit them with everything we have."
"Send a message to our allies, let them know what we are doing," He shrugged, "perhaps a little extra fire power might help."
"Aye, Sir. On my mark. Three, two, one...MARK!" Nala typed in the proper commands, and the ship responded like a well-trained sky dancer.
Kelly did as ask, grabbing the Captain by his arm. She was stronger than she looked, and so, even though he was bigger than she, she was able to support his body weight. "Captain. Let's go." Her tone suggested he not argue with her, and she led him towards sick bay, tapping her Comms badge to let them know he was incoming.
A small groan escaped Marc's lips. He began to babble about the ship, and the attack. About keeping his ship safe and never leaving the bridge. All of it fell on deaf ears of course as he and Miller entered the turbolift.
"Sickbay, this is Lt. Cmdr. Miller. Bringing in the Captain." She sighed. Normally, she was very formal, but there wasn't much time. "Jesus, Kidd. You need a diet." He was heavy.
Once Mark was called, Faith targeted every single ship that was beginning to cloak. Spreading out the weapons into percentages, depending on how many it was. The lower the number of ships cloaking, the harder they would be hit with more weapons. "Hitting all affected ships!"
A Joint Post By
Ensign Sicrol Gaam
Pilot, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Captain Marc Kidd
Commanding Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Ensign Cihl Theidi
Chief Engineer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Faith Benson
Chief Security and Tactical Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigation Unit
Cassandra Frost
Criminal Apprehension Officer/CO ESU, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Commander Abernathy Rice PhD
Executive Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Commander Kelly Miller
JAG Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Ensign Nala Rider
Facial Reconstruction Specialist, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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