***Sim Log Narrative, SD 201909.20***
Bridge:
The Penumbra had returned to the gas giant system where last we knew there were at least 100 Kyrathian craft, including two Stations, six Colony Ships, one Installation in the gas giant's atmosphere, and a newly discovered Collection Station on one of its moons.
Lt. Col. Travis Patterson was prepping a team on the shuttlecraft "Federation Express" (lovingly referred to as the "FedEx" by the crew) to attempt a covert operations mission at a Collection Station on one of the giant's tiny moons, and they planned to launch the full Delta Flight, all 8 Flyers, as a fighter squadron to engage the Kyrathians when their allies, the Aslans, arrived with the expected 6 Battlecruisers.
The Penumbra dropped out of warp, using the advanced MIRAGE system to remain undetected by the Kyrathians and assessed the situation.
On the Bridge were Capt. Zak Taylor in the Command Chair; Lt. Cmdr. Relok in the Executive Officer's seat; Lt. Cmdr. Jason Carter at the Helm; LtJG. Tabeshk Tibris at the Operations Console; and Ens. Denovan Hawke at the Tactical Station. (Technically, Ens. Hawke was absent but his character was "ghosted" for this sim at his last location.)
Carter announced, "Dropping to impulse power . now." A second later he pointed out, "And as expected, there's a lot of activity."
Relok reported, "Captain, sensors show the Kyrathians completed one of the Colony Ships while we were away. There are 2 fully functional ships in the ring system and 3 others. No sign of the one we hit with the Bug Bomb though."
MAX, the Artificial Intelligence now living in the Penumbra's main computer core, said, "Point Defense systems are on standby until MIRAGE is disabled, or proximity to Kyrathian signatures reaches 500m."
The Captain said, "Tabby, we'll keep the MIRAGE until the Aslans show, then turn it off." He paused a moment then added, "And the Bug Zapper needs to be on standby ... don't know when we'll need it."
Tabeshk asked, "Maybe some test runs of Bug Zapper? I mean it was tested as Flyswatter, not as Bug Zapper. Flyswatter and Bug Zapper, although similar, aren't the same thing, far from it actually."
Relok said, "Tabby, that's an excellent idea, because I'm sure those Colony Ships will be launching their pods as soon as the Aslans arrive."
Tabeshk grunted, "Yeah I have limited time for each trial. But it's either test with limited time or use something untested it could blow the ship apart as far as I'm concerned."
Carter then announced, "Incoming message from the Aslan Battlecruiser Hissing Beetle. They are approaching the system, ETA 1 minute 30 seconds."
Zak tapped his commbadge and called Patterson, "Colonel, the Hissing Beetle is the first Aslan ship to arrive, ETA under 1 minute. Standby, it's about to get hot."
Patterson's voice responded, "Acknowledged, we're standing by."
Carter pressed a button on his console to send the launch code for Delta Flight then announced, "Captain, all Delta Flyers deployed to Vanguard positions ... and our allies have arrived."
Just as he said this, the first Aslan Battlecruiser, the Hissing Beetle, dropped out of warp near the gas giant's system and immediately launched a salvo of torpedoes at the Station!
Zak sat up in his chair and called, "Tabby, hold that test, it's about to get real!"
Tabeshk was watching the main viewscreen as the Aslan ship shot at the Kyrathian Station. He stifled a curse, "Well, sh --! Uhh . oof!"
Zak barked out orders, "Tabby, drop the MIRAGE, we're in this fight. Carter, tell Patterson he's clear for launch at his discretion."
Tabby snapped back, "Understood. Dropping in 3 . 2 . 1 ., MIRAGE dropped, sir."
MAX said, "All Point Defense systems online. Auxiliary power from Recon systems to weapons."
Carter sent Patterson his launch code and then said, "In we go!" He hit full impulse speed just as 3 more Aslan Battlecruisers dropped out of warp and space suddenly filled with torpedoes and phaser fire from every direction!
The Kyrathian Station responded to the Aslan assault by launching 20 of their Energy Siphoning Pods. Each of the two fully-functional Kyrathian Colony Ships launched 10 more of the Pods, making a total of 40 of the dangerous Pods hurtling through space seeking a ship to latch onto and drain its power. Into that mess launched the FedEx on their secret mission.
Relok swore, "Great Sehlat! Captain, there are more than 3 dozen pods in the ring system now! They're everywhere!" Tabeshk chuckled at the Vulcan and his emotional response.
Carter grunted, "Inertial dampeners to half. Gonna need to slide a bit more."
The Captain lowered the arm restraints on his seat and said, "Prep for a bumpy ride, folks! Hawke, engage targets at your discretion. Guard our Flyers and keep the Battlecruisers from being swarmed."
The other Aslan Battlecruisers arrived shortly thereafter and a massive firefight ensued. The Kyrathian Station was firing phase cannons, torpedoes, and launching Pod after Pod. The two active Colony Ships had also launched more Pods and several small Kyrathian fighter craft. The Penumbra had launched its 8 Delta Flyers and had MAX operating Point Defense phasers. Hawke was firing phasers and launching torpedoes as he could. And six massive Aslan Battlecruisers were firing huge blasts of phased energy and massive torpedoes from multiple banks and cannons lining their hulls in staggered decks on both sides of each of the six ships.
Tabeshk muttered, "Well that's a sticky situation. I hope I don't have to use Bug Zapper, it's untested!"
Carter was flying by joystick now having abandoned the touch-screen LCARS system in favor of the stick that allowed him to "feel" the ship as it flew. He barely managed to skirt past a couple of the Kyrathian Energy-Siphoning Pods only to see the Point Defense system take them out. Carter grunted, "MAX, might want to expand that coverage zone ...."
MAX answered, "It is difficult to accommodate for the extreme maneuvering."
Zak asked, "Tabby, what's the range on the Bug Zapper? MAX is good, but he's not going to be able to track all these pods ...," he trailed off.
Tabeshk answered, "One hundred meters, sir."
Zak frowned as he said, "That's pretty tight, but ... MAX if anything gets past the 200 meter mark, we're gonna have to depend on the Zapper. Keep the rest as far as you can. And Carter, dodge them best you can!"
Carter grunted, "Ever play pinball, Captain? Try being the ball and NOT hitting anything!" He grunted as he snatched the stick left then up and then down-right again as the ship hopped over one Pod and then slipped under another.
Zak smiled at Carter's remark and said, "Yeah, and do it without giving your Captain whiplash!" He paused then said, "Tabby . energize the Zapper."
Tabeshk spun his chair around, "Captain, I really, REALLY, hope to not have to use Bug Zapper. Like I said, it's untested. It could very well leave us completely limp and completely vulnerable."
It was Relok who answered, "Lieutenant, it needs to work, and work as designed. No more time for testing."
Tabeshk snapped back, "I never had the damn chance to test it in the first place Relok! That's my point, dammit!"
Just then, two of the Pods managed to get through MAX's Point Defense grid and Carter's fancy flying and made contact with the shields. Almost immediately the power throughout the ship dropped noticeably, the lights dimming for a second before secondary power generators pushed them back up. MAX said, "I cannot get an accurate angle on the pods in contact ... they are in a blind spot."
Another disembodied voice, this one of the main Computer, distinct from MAX. It said, "Warning. Structural Integrity down to 92%. Shields offline. Estimated time to reboot .," it didn't get to finish.
Tabeshk whirled back around to his console, saying, "OH NO YOU DON'T! NOT MY DAMN SHIP! Bug Zapper away! Sir, if anything goes wrong, it was a honor working with you. But, I have no choice but to use it, untested as it is." He hit the switch and seemed to shrink into himself, muttering, "Eeeep, did it work? I wanna look but at the same time I don't!
The high-energy plasma field they'd deemed "Bug Zapper" kicked in, sending its surge of energy through the two pods on the shields. The Penumbra's lighting dimmed significantly for three quick breaths, and then ... there was a flash and the Pods were fried! But the sudden surge of power caused a feedback and the Operations console erupted in a shower of sparks!
Tabeshk cursed, "Oh, fwak! Shheeeeet!" He patted at himself to extinguish any potential fires. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Fine! A-hole of a ship! Relok, mind if I boot you out of your chair?"
The ship's power quickly came back on, but not to full strength. The system hovered around 80% power. MAX said, "Rerouting power from Slipstream to Shields." He paused to see the result and then reported, "Power stable at 82%. Routing Operations control to the Master Systems Display. Lieutenant Tibris, are you ok?"
Tabeshk rose from the chair in front of his burned-out console, "I'm okay, MAX, but . this is gonna be weird." He made his way to the rear of the Bridge to the MSD on the wall there. As he did he said, "Uh, MAX, could you turn off my old console? I'd rather not have a fire, I'm already burned enough. Owie!"
MAX answered, "The Operations console is offline. Fire Control systems are unnecessary."
Tabeshk sighed, "Thanks . I'll have to fix that later."
MAX responded, "Oh, you are an incredibly gifted intellectual ... for a Klingon."
Tabeshk accessed the MSD with a smirk, "Well, I am only a half-breed, MAX! But, thanks for the observation, not like it was obvious. But I'm mostly joking, MAX, I really appreciate the complement. Now, is my new temporary Ops station ready?"
MAX replied, "Yes. I have transferred Operations Control to the Master Systems Display at the rear of the Bridge."
Tabeshk sighed, "Seems like Bug Zapper worked maybe too well." He turned to look back over his shoulder at his old station and sighed again.
The Captain heard his wistful sighs, and being a former Operations Manager himself he could sympathize. He said, "Tabby, Bug Zapper worked perfectly ... except for a little power feedback at the operations console ... we'll need to work on that."
"Yeah", Tabeshk sighed again, "but, Captain . look at my poor station!"
Federation Express ("FedEx", Covert Ops Team) & Delta Flight:
The newly promoted Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Lea Kalawai'a was in the Engineering Lab, putting the finishing touches on a portable shield generator she had developed in secrecy in case she needed to protect innocent children from the merciless orders of a military commander focused more on "the mission" with "acceptable collateral damage" than on the rights of the innocent.
As she finished she tapped her commbadge, "Hey, Patterson, how close are we to taking off?"
Lt. Col. Patterson was in the runabout affectionately known as the "FedEx", checking over his gear and that of the Marine Pathfinders going on this covert operation with him. He answered Lea's call, "ETA... probably 5 minutes, no more. I'd make your way here quickly if you can."
She replied, "Got it," and grabbed the generator and other equipment and headed for the shuttle bay.
Master Gunnery Sergeant Derek Hines was with Patterson on the FedEx, checking his WAR rifle and ensuring it had maximum power. With him was Gunnery Sergeant Khalgon, a Klingon who might have preferred a Bat'leth but knew "pride does not warrant foolishness" so had foregone the bladed weapon for a WAR rifle himself. Also with them was Staff Sergeant Davies, an experienced veteran in his own right.
The "Warp Accelerated Railgun" rifle was modeled after a ship-mounted weapon that had fired a "rail" of dense metal that had been accelerated to warp speeds. The concept had been originally developed by Lt. Cmdr. Slith Cloudchaser, the Gorn Security Officer, when he served on the ISS Reciprocity, but had been adapted and heavily modified by Starfleet Intelligence over the years.
Now, the rifles that bore the name no longer actually accelerated a rail to warp speed (the energy requirements of that are enormous), but they do fire dense pellets at near light speed and packed a hell of a punch. They had become the preferred weapon of Starfleet Marines, especially the Pathfinders of Force Reconn.
Also in the FedEx was was LtJG T'Lin, the Vulcan Science Officer, who was checking all the scanners to make sure they were in pristine condition. Dr. Shadow Wind K'Trevala was doing a similar process with his medical supplies. (Technically, Dr. K'Trevala was absent but his character was "ghosted" for this sim as his last assignment.)
Within the designated time limit, Lea hurried into the shuttle bay, her engineering toolkit in hand. She greeted Patterson as she arrived, "Hey, I'm ready, I think."
Patterson nodded at her then addressed the team, "Hines, Khalgon, Davies, you three on me. T'Lin ... you have the secondary team with you: Shadow, and Kalawai'a. Try to stay back from combat."
T'Lin nodded, "Understood, Colonel."
Lea also nodded, "Right. What are our specific objectives?"
But Patterson didn't get to answer since at that moment his commbadge chirped. It was a call from the Captain, "Colonel, the Hissing Beetle is the first Aslan ship to arrive, ETA under 1 minute. Standby, it's about to get hot."
Patterson responded, "Acknowledged, we're standing by."
Khalgon gave a firm tap to the large box on the bottom of his weapon. "Heavy firepower if needed. R-O-E?" The last three letters were Marine code-speak for "Rules of Engagement".
Patterson turned to Khalgon, "If it moves towards us? Aim for the head ...," he trailed off.
While they couldn't see it, about that time the Hissing Beetle, dropped out of warp near the gas giant's system and immediately launched a salvo of torpedoes at the Kyrathian Station. Seconds later, Patterson received the signal from Carter on the Bridge that he was cleared for launch, and more Aslan Battlecruisers joined the fight.
Patterson glanced at the PADD attached to the forearm of his combat armor. He said, "Pilot, green light! Pathfinders, VISORS on." He lowered the visor on his own helmet, the holographic skull grinning from the face.
Hines lowered his visor, adorned with a silly-looking Smiley Face. Khalgon shook his head and lowered his visor, just the ordinary standard-issue blank faceplate. Davies' was the same. The Starfleet personnel put on the helmets of their EVA suits and grabbed phasers. They were ready.
T'Lin said, "Strap in, everyone. Shadow, we have backup Merasha, yes?" Shadow nodded silently, patting his medkit.
Outside the forcefield that stretched across the hangar bay door, space had erupted into a firefight. The Kyrathian Station and Colony Ships had launched Energy-Siphoning Pods and fighter craft and there were torpedoes and phasers slashing back and forth. The remaining Aslan Battlecruisers joined the fray as the FedEx streaked out, making a beeline for the Collector Relay.
Over their secure communication system came the voice of one of the Delta Flyer pilots, "Penumbra, FedEx, Delta 6, 7, & 8 in escort of the package. Delta 1 thru 5 providing support to the lead Aslan cruiser."
Patterson said, "Steady as possible on the Helm." He turned, "T'Lin, we're gonna need an access point."
T'Lin nodded, "On it." She began scanning the Collection Station tring to find just that.
Lea commented, "We're going to need as much info on that station as possible. A layout would help."
Patterson added, "T'Lin, don't fret about finding a door, just find a point we can access. We can coordinate the Penumbra to blow a hole through it if we need to. Get us a blueprint best you can."
T'Lin answered, "I am attempting to do that, however we are not as close as we should be for me to get an accurate reading."
Lea replied, "Then get closer!"
With a straight face T'Lin answered, "I am not the pilot."
The pilot responded, "Bringing us around for another pass ... it's risky getting too close."
The voice of one of the Delta Flyer pilots came through again, "What's taking you guys so long to make an entryway? What do you need?"
Then T'Lin said, "I have found a possible access point. Go around the left side of the building." She pointed over the pilot's shoulder.
Lea leaned over to see, "And what's there? I don't want to walk right out into the brig!"
The pilot said, "Eleven o'clock, between the two . uh . antennae things, right?"
T'Lin answered, "Yes, there should be access to some sort of storage area there."
Lea's eyes flicked across the forward view at all the fighting going on around them. "We need to hurry! The sooner we're done, the sooner we can get the hell out of here!"
The shuttle quickly descended as the pilot said, "Skids down . 10 feet . 5 feet . 3 . 2 . 1 . Green light!"
Patterson moved to the rear hatch. He glanced around to make sure everyone was visored and helmeted and then hit the button to open the hatch. He asked, "T'Lin, where's that door of yours?"
Patterson and the Marines filed out, fanning out slightly for defensive cover, making their way over to the accessway. They were followed by T'Lin, Shadow, and Lea. T'Lin said, "Shadow, Lea, you are with me, scan every node and console we can find."
Lea nodded at T'Lin's instructions but asked, "What are these nodes for? What do they do?"
T'Lin explained, "Once you find a node, you will see a plug-in, take your scanner wire and plug in. There will most likely be a cloud of spores, do not gasp, or scream."
As they approached the hatchway Patterson said, "Davies, you got the Purifier?" This was a code-word for the Roundup grenade they'd prepared to kill the Plant's deadly Spores.
Davies nodded, "Got it." He slung his rifle over his shoulder and pulled out a canister.
Beyond the hatch, a Kyrathian Soldier on patrol happened by the door. He seemed to notice the shuttle parked outside. Hines gestured with his rifle but didn't fire, remembering Patterson's Rules of Engagement - it hadn't moved towards them.
But T'Lin had seen the Kyrathian and said, "Hines, we have a total of five seconds before the entire swarm knows we are here. Take him down."
Lea glared at T'Lin, "I suppose that's the 'Vulcan Hello' I've heard about." She turned to Hines, "I trust you to do what's right."
Hines shook his head, "Rules of Engagement were to engage anything that makes a move towards us. And he hasn't moved. Besides, I don't think we can shoot through a door."
T'Lin stepped up to a Plant Node near the door and plugged the wire from her tricorder into it. She had done the same thing to a previous Kyrathian Station, and with her eidetic memory she could exactly reproduce the process she'd used then.
Patterson took careful aim at the door and started overcharging his rifle. He planned that as soon as the door opened he'd pull the trigger, aiming at the Soldier's huge compound eyes.
Obedient to T'Lin's instructions, the door opened, this time without an accompanying spray of deadly Spores. Patterson immediately opened fire with his overcharged rifle. Seeing that his commanding officer had opened fire, Khalgon followed suit, putting several WAR rounds into the Soldier's chest. Davies tossed his Purifier grenade into the hallway, filling it with the Roundup herbicide.
The Kyrathian Soldier had received multiple high-energy WAR pellets to the chest and head. It fell in a heap to the floor, motionless.
In Attendance:
Capt. Z. Taylor, Lt. (JG) Lea Kalawai'a, Lt. (JG) Tabeshk Tibris, Lt. (JG) T'Lin, LtCmdr. J. Carter, LtCmdr. Relok, LtCol. T. Patterson, MGySgt Hines
NPCs:
MAX (Reconnaissance AI, played by Hines), GySgt Khalgon (played by Hines), SSgt_Davies (played by Patterson), FedEx_Pilot (played by Patterson), Delta-6_Pilot (played by Carter)