Getting Underway

Posted on Thu Sep 12th, 2024 @ 5:24pm by Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis & Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed & Lieutenant Tor Ezzo & Lieutenant Ceilidh Parsala & Warrant Officer Arlan Harlan & Lieutenant JG T'Kuvo

3,537 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: Mission 1: A Long Hard Road Ahead
Location: Various
Timeline: 25 August, 2396 - 1100 Hours

[ON]

While the seat was not unfamiliar - she had spent a considerable number of beta or gamma shifts sitting in it - this time was nevertheless different. She was in command without Llwyedd and Rees either being asleep, incapacitated, or dead. They were not even aboard.

Rhiana did not go so far as to grin stupidly at being in command of the Firebird, mostly because that would have been utterly embarrassing and also because it was only temporary. And because she could not remember ever having grinned stupidly and she had no intention of beginning now and undermining her authority by showing that kind of emotion.

Instead, she sat up just a tad straighter and placed her forearms lightly on the armrests. "Status report, Commander Leed."

"Shields are at 92%. Systems are operational with small stress points at non-crucial points. The crew is functioning similarly." Jörgen sat upright, legs crossed in an alert yet relaxed position he had perfected over the years. If he noticed t'Aegis's adjustments he gave no indication. She was in the captain's chair and had his full support. Truthfully, he could not think of a person he trusted who had sat in that chair on any vessel without some discomfort. Including and especially himself.

"The crew and ship are ready for your orders, Commander. A single alien vessel signaling with a light wave frequency of 627 THz is also heading to our rendezvous point. They should arrive shortly before us."

Rhiana nodded. She preferred of course a ship with all systems and crew operational at 100%, but there simply had not been time for repairs. Here was to hoping that the Aliens' invitation to meet was not a trap.

"Lieutenant Tor, set course for the rendezvous point. Warp 5. Petty Officer Lak, inform the Aliens about our ETA. Lieutenant T'Kuvo and Chief Harlan, I want full operational readiness of weapons and shields, including the cloaking device. Lieutenants Baxter and Parsala, you will monitor light wave frequencies for any other communications of the Aliens that are not intended for us. Work on translating them."

Ezzo smiled and looked over his shoulder at the female voice behind him. "Aye, sir." Tapping away at the conn Ezzo brought course up for the rendezvous point and plotted a path. "Warp 5 in 3, 2, 1..." The ship blinked into warp and the main view screen flashed as the ship entered warp. Ezzo started up at the screen as the familiar lights streaking passed told him everything had gone to plan. "We should be arriving in 6 hours," Ezzo looked back at the captain's chair.

Harlan grumped slightly into his badge as he responded from the main engineering deck. "Roger. The cloaking device is still a bear, but we will be fine assuming you don't want to use it for extended periods. We aren't the right type of ship for its power needs."

T'Kuvo nodded. "Commander t'Aegis, all weapons are online at maximum capabilities. Auto Modulating shields, Metaphasic shielding, and Regenerative shields are at peak efficiency. All eleven phaser arrays are at the ready and photon torpedoes are locked and loaded," T'Kuvo said and looked up from his tactical console. "The offensive and defensive capabilities of this ship are ready at your command, sir."

"Thank you," Rhiana replied with a nod, her eyes on the viewscreen and the stars streaking past them for a moment. Then she looked at her acting executive officer. "Commander Leed, you have spoken to some of the members of the Coalition. How likely is it that this is a trap? I am considering arriving before the appointed time. How do you think they would respond to that?"

"Thank you for those questions. We know too little about the species, their behaviors, and their intricate connections to each other for me to answer that confidently. Rather, I will answer two different questions. There are some species that want to negotiate for peace with us and they have enough sway to convince their coalition to try. At least one species seems inclined to continue the fight and likely has a plan to ambush. If we appear weak then they may see us as prey. Too strong, they will attack for fear this is their only chance." Jörgen pondered a moment, one finger tapping on the console like a metronome counting off seconds. "I think showing up early will signal mistrust. They chose the location, and the time, and could have forces in place already. We stand to gain too little. I recommend that we show up on time, let them scan our ship, and hope that a trap is sprung quickly."

Lieutenant Parsala sat at her station reviewing the light transmissions from the alien ship. Something seemed a tad off and she began a full spectrum analysis of the light transmissions, from Gamma rays to Radio waves. There it was. A small burst of Gamma radiation, Ultraviolet radiation, and Infrared radiation. This was going to be a hard nut to crack as the humans were wont to say. “Lieutenant Baxter can you confirm something for me?” asked Ceilidh. “There appear to be microbursts of Gamma radiation, Ultraviolet radiation, and Infrared radiation mixed within the Lightwave communications from the Alien vessel. Too regular to be random, more in line with burst transmissions.”

Phoebe, unused to being on the bridge, much less to being asked anything, started at the translation expert's question.

"What? I mean, yes, of course, I can look at the data," she said in a rush. Once she was lost in the work she felt the anxiety fade away. "This is really interesting. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it before. And I don't really understand everything but, I do see the Gamma radiation you are talking about."

Parsala smiled "I am going to need your help. We need to isolate each of the communications; light transmission, Gamma radiation, Ultraviolet radiation, and Infrared. I need you to do that for me as I begin running each of them through the translation algorithms. That will take up the entire communication station's usage."

Phoebe nodded. "I'm ready to assist you," Phoebe said and began arranging her console so that it would be a little more efficient for what Lieutenant Parsala had in mind.

Rhiana listened to Leed while Baxter and Parsala were working in the background. He made good points, as he usually did. "We will proceed as planned then," she agreed.

---

Time passed. One hour. Two. Three.
This was one of the worst situations to be in aboard a starship: they were heading into a potentially - likely - dangerous situation, but the voyage there was absolutely uneventful. This could lead to two scenarios: boredom and inattentiveness or continuous high stress and tension ending in fatigue and frayed nerves; both could be fatal to the crew if something unexpected happened at the wrong time.

So far, so good.

"Lieutenants Baxter and Parsala," Rhiana began, interrupting a longer stretch of relative silence, "Have you made any significant progress?"

Phoebe had spent three hours wrestling with the processes that Lieutenant Parsala had asked for. She knew they were close. "I believe so, sir," she said to Commander t'Aegis. "Lieutenant Parsala has a better overall understanding." Phoebe looked at Lieutenant Parsala and hoped that their efforts had paid off.

Lieutenant Parsala nodded. "It has indeed, Captain. With Lieutenant Baxter's help, I've been able to isolate the light patterns and the various radiation emissions mixed into the background clutter. From what I can tell, there are two different ships at play. One, which I believe to be the negotiation vessel is waiting for us at the pre-approved site. The other is creeping towards us, almost undetected. They will be here within one hour, while we are still far out of range of the negotiating ship."

Rhiana nodded. The seriousness of the situation - a not quite fully functional ship with a skeleton crew in the middle of hostile space with no reinforcements in sight - preoccupied her enough to prevent her from smiling fully, but the corners of her mouth twitched in anticipation. She was strangely looking forward to measuring themselves against the enemy out here. "Keep monitoring both enemy ships, Lieutenant Parsala. Maintain course and speed, Lieutenant Tor. They must not know that we know about them. Chief Harlan, how long can the Firebird remain safely cloaked?"

Harlan muttered some calculations as he poured over the work in front of him. "Five, maybe ten minutes tops if we are at our lowest engine output. It really is astonishing how much energy this thing chews up at a time. I can maybe squeeze a little more if we reroute some weapon power away. How's that sound?"

This was not the time to get into any long, unnecessary discussions so Rhiana refrained from starting one, but Harlan's response, while certainly true, was not satisfactory and something to remember for later. "Barely adequate, but I understand the restrictions," Rhiana replied. "Suggestions, Commander Leed?" She had her own ideas, of course, but there were certainly other options.

"Lieutenant Parsala, can you identify which faction the two ships belong to? It may help identify if the closing ship is hostile, friendly, or indifferent to the negotiation." Jörgen maintained a demeanor of calmness and confidence that was a blend of dangerous experiences and many hours of practice. "Would it be possible to alter our energy readings for their scans? Say, to make it appear that the ship had less than full shield and weapon capability?"

"Yes, sir, I believe so. Before we left DS18 I was able to extract the differences between each of the Coalition ships. None of them use the same foundation for their power supplies, which further illustrates how their alliance is cobbled together. The ship that is attempting to approach covertly is certainly a Lorcan vessel. All reports from DS18 are uniform in their judgment that the Lorcan race is the most hostile to Starfleet. As to your second question, our technology is approximately two generations or more ahead of Lorcan technology. I can alter our energy output in any way you would like, sir," Parsala said.

"Captain, I suggest we mask our ship to appear weaker and sweep the sector for other Lorcan ships. In case of a Lorcan attack, prepare a surgical strike to quickly disable their ship. Make it clear we could have destroyed them. At that point, we could capture the crew, tow them behind us, or leave them to make repairs." Jörgen's eyes drifted to the viewscreen.

"Then again, if we damage their communication array we could send a distress signal as though it was the Lorcan vessel. To observers, it would appear they had been heavily damaged or destroyed. An overreaction on our part. Negotiations would begin poorly, of course, until they discovered their error and had to backtrack their position. The psychological reversal would give us a strong bargaining position. Those are my suggestions, sir."

Rhiana was silent for a moment while she considered the given suggestions. Both had merit, but it was almost impossible to predict how these species would react in any of the scenarios since they still knew so little about them. "Lieutenant Parsala, alter our energy output to a level that we mostly match the Lorcan's vessel. If they had not planned on attacking us before, that should be enough incentive to do so. Lieutenant T'Kuvo, you will man the tactical console. After their first attack, you will take out their communications array. Any further action on our side will depend on the Lorcans' reaction to that, but they will not be allowed to retreat." She turned to look at her executive officer. "My goal, Commander Leed, is to give you all the advantage you need for successful negotiations."

"Thank you. I have no doubt you will do just that," said Jörgen, turning to face Rhiana. "You have many skills ready for use in this command, and I have confidence in all of them, Commander." Turning back he focused on his PADD and the notes and intel, every note another cog in the machinery of negotiating. Another bead of sweat. Another drop of adrenaline.

Lieutenant Parsala took in the Commander's orders and within a handful of minutes, she had lowered the ship's power output. "Commander I have done as you have ordered. Main power is at one-third. It will take twelve seconds to bring it up to maximum when needed," he said.

T'Kuno nodded and moved from the Ops station to man the tactical console. He adjusted a number of the input sections to suit his preferences. He checked that all systems were as they should be and then nodded at Commander t'Aegis. "All is ready, sir. Confirming communications array as primary target."

***

"Commander t'Aegis, I think that the Lorcan ship is now on the ideal attack vector and has increased its speed. ETA is four minutes at current speed and heading," Lieutenant Tor said, keeping his voice calm with some effort. He was ready to see if all his recent training was going to pay off.

The last fifty minutes had gone by rather slowly. There was nothing to do except for monitoring the approaching vessel, any communications channels, and the ship's operational and tactical readiness... had Rhiana been at her usual station, time would have passed by quicker, but the captain's chair, while having some monitoring options, did not allow for the same level of business. So Tor's announcement, that the wait was almost over, came as a relief.

"Continue on our course, Lieutenant, and open hailing frequencies," Rhiana ordered. She had debated about the latter, but it was Starfleet protocol.

"Hailing frequencies open, sir," Tor replied.

"Unidentified vessel, this is the United Federation starship USS Firebird," Rhiana said, aiming to be as formal and informational as possible at the same time. "We are en route to a diplomatic encounter with an envoy from the Coalition."

"Starfleeeeet. We are not diplomats. We are the claw that rends, the teeth that shred. We come now to destroy you, as your people destroyed our planet. Our eyes are upon you, fixed to the death," a voice responded, and then the line cut out.

"Communications lost," Lieutenant Parsala said. "And they are blocking our frequency. I don't think they want to be friends, Commander."

"Sir, the enemy vessel has increased velocity and I am reading multiple energy surges," Lieutenant T'Kuvo said.

Rhiana nodded. She had not expected a different reaction. She was just following protocol and trying not to mess things up for Leed. "They will fire as soon as they are in range. Lieutenant Parsala, I want full power on all systems at that precise moment. Lieutenant T'Kuvo, let them fire first, then take out their communications system and target their weapon systems after that. Be precise. Engage the tractor beam should they try to flee."

Lieutenant Parsala nodded. "Aye, sir," she said and quickly created a macro command that would allow her to time things perfectly. She tapped into the sensors, and zeroed in on the particular pieces of data that would allow for the fastest response time. She became hyper-focused on the task and time felt like it had slowed to a crawl.

"Understood, Commander," T'Kuvo said. "I will allow the enemy to fire first. Weapons systems are priority one targets."

The main viewscreen blossomed to life and Lieutenant Tor grinned. "I thought we should have a view of the approach, Commander."

As if on cue, a ship sprang into view. It looked long and lean with a protruding front section. The nacelles were slung almost horizontally, with one on either side. Two balls of glowing light appeared on either side as the craft swept forward.

"They are firing... now," Lieutenant T'kuvo said just as the lights took a round shape and rushed towards the Firebird.

Lieutenant Parsala, still in hyper-awareness, activated the macro command she had created moments before. Power surged from the ship's warp core, reinforcing the main shields. And then there was a massive concussion as the enemy weapons impacted. The Firebird wasn't a large ship and even though the damage was minimal thanks to Commander' t'Aegis' preparatory commands, the force of the strike rocked the ship.

Leed hardly glanced at the viewscreen. He pondered the message from the other vessel, rolling over the meanings in his head. No planet was harmed, let alone destroyed, and yet their claim likely had truth in their eyes. "We should attempt to establish communication again, though I strongly doubt they will acknowledge us."

Rhiana had been about to give the order to return fire, but Leed's comment interrupted her. After a brief moment to consider his words, she nodded. "Very well, Commander, though I doubt that it will do any good. Lieutenant T'kuvo, do not open fire just yet. Lieutenant Parsala, hail them again. All channels, frequencies, and light waves. Tell them once more that we are here to negotiate peace with the Coalition. We mean them no harm, but should they fire upon us again, we will respond in kind."

T'Kuvo raised an eyebrow but did not initiate the firing sequence. Internally he thought that it was illogical to expect an enemy that had voiced such strenuous negativity to change their behavior. "Aye, sir," he said and waited.

Lieutenant Parsala worked the communications panel, struggling slightly with the Coalition's light wave communication but succeeded in transmitting what the Commander had asked. "Message communicated, sir. I'm not receiving any response."

Lieutenant Tor shook his head. "Commander they are looping around for another attack run. It appears they only have forward-firing weapons. Do you want me to evade?"

The lack of response was entirely expected. In fact, the lack of response actually told him something about the aliens. No response itself communicates emotions, intentions, or decisions. It may even show up in their current attack response--assuming he had time to analyze it. He looked at Rhiana for the commander's answer.

"Understood, Lieutenant Parsala," Rhiana replied while looking at the viewscreen that showed the change in the enemy's attack vector. "Evasive manoeuvres, Lieutenant Tor. Take out their weapons systems once they have fired upon us, Lieutenant T'kuvo. " She looked at Leed. "I will not rescind that order again. They had enough warning."

Ezzo grinned at the command. This was what he'd been waiting for. He watched the Lorcan vessel flip on its axis and come streaking back at the ship. But this time, instead of simply absorbing the attacks, Ezzo pivoted the Firebird ninety degrees up and accelerated to full impulse. The increased thrust easily took the ship out of range of the enemy weapons. Once they were far enough away, he spun the ship to face the enemy and began a zig-zagging attack run, moving from left to right and also varying their position randomly. The Lorcan's launched another volley but they missed badly this time.

"Now, Lieutenant T'Kuvo," Ezzo said in a strained voice.

"Acknowledged," T'Kuvo replied in a soft voice. His long fingers moved like raindrops on the surface of a lake, touching briefly and then moving on. The Firebird's phaser arrays erupted in golden fire, lashing out faster than the eye could follow. But Lieutenant T'Kuvo had no trouble reading and adjusting the fire from the ship as they streaked by the Lorcan vessel. By the time they completed their attack run, the enemy vessel was drifting in space.

"Attack completed, sir," T'Kuvo said. "All enemy weapons offline. Enemy shielding offline. Main power is offline. They are completely incapacitated, Commander."

"Good," Rhiana replied with just a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "Lieutenant Parsala, hail them to inform them that we will of course not leave them here helpless, but that we will use our tractor beam to tow them. We will of course also help them with repairs once we are back on Deep Space 18. But for now, we are late for a meeting."

The Romulan leaned back in her chair, a little smile on her face while she waited for Parsala to relay the message. It had been an unfair fight, but she felt no remorse over it. The Lorcans had received what they had asked for.

[OFF]

Lieutenant Commander Rhiana t'Aegis
Second Officer / Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Commander Jörgen Leed
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Tor Ezzo
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Phoebe Baxter
Chief Science Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant JG T'Kuvo (NPC)
Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Lieutenant Ceilidh Parsala
Translation Specialist
USS Firebird NCC-88298

Warrant Officer Arlan Harlan
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird NCC-88298

 

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