Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3577Post Kersare
Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:01 pm

ON: <<USS Malinche, Alpha Section, Day 15, 0800>>

With repairs as complete as possible under the circumstances, Isabel knew it was time to discuss strategy. They couldn't simply wait for the Mirror Universe vessels to re-appear and mount another attack. The information Setak had been able to provide would likely be useful, or at least that was what Isabel hoped. Now she was just awaiting the arrival of Jason and Aaron.

Aaron emerged from the turbolift onto the Malinche's main bridge, which also served as the bridge of the Alpha section. Things seemed to be as subdued as they were on Gamma section when he'd left. Everyone was waiting to find out what would happen next. Admittedly, he shared their curiosity and he hoped that his meeting with the captain might help to answer at least a few of his questions.

Jason emerged from the turbolift opposite Aaron. The Beta section was fully repaired, at least everything but the latching sub systems. Those Peters was still working on, although he had surmised that it might be another day before they could put the three sections back together again. He was just happy that they were repaired enough to go into battle should they have to again. Jason crossed the bridge and entered the ready room.

Looking up from a PADD, Isabel nodded to the two men and gestured towards the two empty chairs, "Good morning Lieutenant, Commander. How are repairs and morale in your sections?" She'd just been looking over the latest repair updates, but it was still good to hear it from them first hand. Particularly about morale, considering their situation.

“Repairs aboard the Gamma section did not take us very long,” Aaron replied, “A few of our engineering team members beamed over to Beta section to assist Commander Peters with the repairs there. As for morale…I’m no counselor, ma’am, but I will say it is a mixed bag.” Aaron considered himself a pretty good judge of how his team was doing, whether that was the security/tactical department or the entirety of Gamma section. At the same time, he wished he could describe the morale of the crew a bit better than a “mixed bag”. It seemed like such a trivial way to sum up the thoughts and feelings he’d witnessed amongst those on the Gamma section, not to mention the thoughts and feelings that he felt himself.

"Beta section is almost completely repaired, aside from the latching processors," Jason said. "Mr. Peters says another 24 hours until they can get them working again. As far as morale goes I think it's safe to say that some are handling it better then others. Having something to do has helped though, it's kept people's minds off it."

Isabel had known that the MVAM latching system repairs would take longer. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if they wouldn't be fully repaired until the Malinche got to a Starbase. However, only a certain percentage had to be working to allow docking. Nodding, she replied to the two, "Probably the best we can expect for now. We need to figure out our next move. From what Mr. Setak has told me, there was an additional vessel not involved in the attack, so we're still looking at three vessels out there... Thoughts?"

"Was he able to tell us what class of vessel we're dealing with," Aaron asked, already aware of the one bird-of-prey and the one Vor'cha that they had encountered during the previous engagement. Knowing the class of vessel they could expect to encounter in their next engagement would help them to better prepare.

"It's another Vor'cha class," Isabel replied. Though she hadn't been particularly thrilled with the news, she knew it was better to know so they could prepare for it. The ship classes they were dealing with could influence their strategy, after all.

"Two Vor'chas and a bird-of-prey," Aaron surmised, mostly to himself. They had taken quite a beating during the first round with only one Vor'cha and two bird-of-preys, but they had also effected quite a bit of damage in return. It was possible that they might see some sort of advantage in a second round, but that possibility was diminishing the longer they waited to engage the enemy. Aaron wasn't usually one to advocate rushing into any tactical situation though.

Jason nodded as Isabel spoke. At least they weren't dealing with a Negh'var, that would have made the situation more complicated. They needed to figure out a strategy and fast. The longer that they sat around and waited the better chance they had of being the ones that were attacked again. "If its the Vor'cha's then we might have a small advantage," Jason said. "During that last battle we managed to find a weak link in the Vor'cha's armor. Seems that if you can punch through it there is a vital EPS relay that runs to the port nacelle."

Isabel glanced over at her Executive Officer, "That could be useful... At least if it's true of more than just the Vor'cha we encountered previously. It could be a flaw in the Mirror Universe Vor'cha's design I suppose. Regardless, I don't think we can just sit here and wait for them to come back and find us." Her eyes moved from one officer to the other, waiting to see if they had any ideas.

"Normally, I'd recommend caution, captain," Aaron said, "but considering our current situation and what little we do know about our enemy, I believe that the longer we wait, the more time we are giving them to continue their own repairs and prepare for another attack. I've had the Gamma section scouting for any signs of cloaked vessels since we completed our own repairs, but we haven't come up with anything so far. They're still out there, we just can't find them."

Jason thought for a moment before speaking again. “Maybe we could bring them back to us.”

"How?" Isabel asked, turning towards Jason.

“Onboard the Everheart, we used a similar tactic once. We were tracking Kinzti Pirates who were preying on a trade route. We had one of our destroyers take her engines offline and create false power signatures by pulsing the EPS grid. When the pirates showed up to attack the destroyer we came out of a nearby asteroid field and were able to catch them by surprise,” Jason said, looking at both officers, “We could do the same thing with the other two sections, have them cloak and then lay in wait for our friends to show up. We could transmit a wide band distress call, vent some plasma, pulse our EPS grid and make it look like we were unable to effect repairs.”

Aaron considered the commander's plan for a moment. The basic idea was a sound strategy that had been used to great effect many times. Given what they did know about their opponent, they had every reason to believe that it would work in this instance as well. Yet there was the matter of... "Cloaking," he said, "In order to cloak the other two sections, they would have to be flying in tight formation to remain within the field of the cloaking device. It can be done, but it would limit the vector we could approach from to just one."

“That might be all that we need,” Jason said. “If we can concentrate our fire on one of the Vor’chas and take it out of the fight we should be able to handle the other one and the Bird of Prey just fine.”

Considering the suggestion, Isabel paused, trying to take into account various scenarios while also trying to think like their attackers. "Do you think they'd buy it though? It's been awhile since the attack, won't it look suspicious that only now we have one section transmitting a distress call?"

"It might...but I get the feeling that these people definitely feel as if they have the advantage in this situation," Aaron said slowly, "From what we've seen, they felt confident enough to issue us a direct threat before launching an assault on us. I'm still not entirely sure what they're hiding out here, but they clearly don't want us or anyone else to know about it."

Jason thought that over for a moment...although he really was out of ideas. Aside from boarding one of the vessels they weren't really left with many options. The Malinche might be able to pull through in the end but he wasn't sure that was going to be the case. Then again, they did seem rather arrogant and confident...something that they might be able to use to their advantage. "What if that distress call included us mentioning something about an unknown pathogen...that virus of theirs. I think it's safe to assume that they lost a lot of research when that Bird of Prey went up, they might be eager to get it and Setak back."

The more Aaron thought about the commander's idea, however, the less likely it seemed to be that they would get the results they desired. Given that the enemy had already underestimated them once, it didn't seem reasonable to assume that they would do so again. It was important in any engagement to never underestimate one's enemy. He was starting to realize that even a broadcast such as the commander was suggesting might not be the best way to approach the situation.

"They know we're here and they know we've been conducting repairs for some time," Aaron said after a moment, "I'm afraid I have to agree with the captain. It doesn't seem very likely that they will be convinced by a distress call that is being transmitted this long after the engagement. If anything, it may make them suspicious of our intentions and all the more cautious."

"Captain, you and I discussed possibly bringing all three sections close enough together that they would all be encompassed by the cloaking field," Aaron explained, "It would limit our maneuverability while we were under cloak, but it would give us the element of surprise and just might even out the playing field a little bit."

Isabel nodded, "The limited maneuverability is my biggest concern at this point. From what we know or can guess, I think having surprise on our side will make a difference. Or at least more of a difference than other options." She looked from Aaron to Jason, waiting to see what they had to say. Her mind was mostly made up at this point, but she wasn't one to turn down suggestions or advice casually.

"We'd have to find them first," Jason said. "And that's assuming that they don't know we can cloak. They may have had time to study us as well and they may know that we have that ability."

"The Science department may have some ideas on that, actually...finding them, that is. Even if they do know we can cloak, we still have the advantage. They have no way to know when we're coming or from what direction. Once we get close enough, we may even be able to find some cover so we can de-cloak and come at them from three sides for an attack," Isabel replied.

Jason nodded; that plan sounded like as good idea as any. As long as they could track where the enemy ships were they stood a chance. He just hoped that it would provide the extra surprise that they needed. "Then I suggest we get moving," Jason said. "I don't much like the idea of sitting around when we could be bringing the fight to them."

"Agreed," Isabel replied. "I'd like to get underway in the next two hours if possible. Pass along the plan to your sections and let me know when you're ready." Giving each man a nod, Isabel stood and followed them out the door. She had preparations as well.

OFF: Tag crew - feel free to write about any preparations. I'll be starting our next attack JP. Steele - you may want to write something about finding a way to help us locate the cloaked MU ships.

JP brought to you by:

Lieutenant JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Commander Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and
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Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3587Post Peters
Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:09 pm

ON: <USS Malinche, Beta Section, Jeffries Tube 15, Day 15, 0325>

"The processor chip's connected to the receptacle, the receptacle's connected to the system buss, the system buss is connected to the memory chips, the memory chips contain the programming..." Peters sang softly to himself as he tried to solder a connection on the processor unit he was assembling. He'd been in this particular Jeffries Tube for at least the past three hours, and this particular unit had been giving him fits the entire time.

With a sigh, Peters touched the nano-molecular soldering iron to the last contact point. A spark shot off the tip of the iron and landed on his knee. Swearing, Peters managed to slap the spark into nothingness before it could damage his uniform pants. With another sigh, Peters picked up his tricorder and scanned the half-completed processor assembly and checked it for any damage.

"You have got to be kidding me... that's the third bad shunt..." Pressing his temples with his fingers, Peters fought off a yawn. That last cup of coffee was wearing off and he knew he'd need to be able to sleep soon, so he couldn't have another now.

"Computer," Peters said, with a sudden inspiration for a way to stay awake long enough to finish rebuilding this processor. The computer bleeped an acknowledgment. Having long experience with Starfleet computer systems, Peters knew that sound indicated that the Computer was ready for an inquiry. "Play some music."

"Specify."

"Terran... Selections from 1950 to 2010," Peters replied, wondering whether the Computer would accept that as sufficient instruction or ask for further clarification.

"Specify genre," came the computer's response. Peters smiled.

"Mix of all popular genres on the North American continent, primarily American and Canadian artists," Peters answered.

"Specify tempo," the computer said, relentlessly seeking to further narrow the selection.

"Fast," Peters said, "Anything suitable for a party or promotional event." He half expected to get another inquiry, but after a slight pause music started playing on the two speakers nearest to him. At first Peters didn't think the Computer had followed his directions quite properly, but by the time the first chorus started playing, he was convinced that the song had a fast enough tempo to keep him awake while he worked.

"I don't wanna be lonely no more/I don't wanna have to pay for this/I don't want to know the lover at my door/Is just another heartache on my list..."


Already humming along to the song, Peters picked up the soldering iron again and looked at the recalcitrant assembly in front of him. First things first... he needed to replace that shunt... this time with one that wasn't going to try and light him on fire...
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USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3588Post Masterson
Sat Nov 20, 2010 12:11 am

ON: [[Beta Section Lounge, USS Malinche, Mission Day 15, 0720]]

The familiar shimmering effect of the replicator faded away as Mike (NPC) reached out to lift his breakfast from the slot. He turned back toward the main area of the lounge and began to slowly navigate his way through chairs and tables in search of someplace to sit. Eventually, he managed to find an open table that was tucked away in the corner near one of the large viewports that ran along one wall of the room. It was small, but with Aaron still in command of the Gamma section, Mike wasn't really expecting anyone to join him.

Setting his tray down on the table before sliding into the open chair, Mike unrolled the bundled silverware and spread the napkin out across his legs. He then proceeded to start into the eggs and hashbrowns that were still steaming on his plate.

Meanwhile Maggie had just gotten off duty and went to get her breakfast. She walked through the dining room with her tray and tried to find a seat. Maggie saw a gentleman sitting by himself. She walked over to him and said "Is this seat taken?"

Looking up from where he sat at the table, Mike was initially surprised to see the woman standing nearby, but after realizing that she was speaking to him, motioned to the chair opposite himself with a smile. "Only if you're planning to sit there," he said, "Then it's yours."

She took the seat across from Mike. Maggie was eating while wondering what to say. She enjoyed the eggs and sausage a lot. She enjoyed talking with Mike. "How is your breakfast?" Maggie asked.

"I suppose it's the same as it usually is," Mike replied, not sure what else he could really say about his meal. He didn't always order the eggs and hashbrowns, but they weren't exactly a rarity for him at breakfast. The replicator seemed to have done alright with the order for this morning and Mike was satisfied with that.

"Well, glad you enjoyed your breakfast." she replied. Maggie was finished with her breakfast and stood up from her seat. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Maggie had to work in the afternoon, but she was curious about his plans.

"You know, I'm not really sure," Mike replied, polishing off the last of his hashbrowns, "I suppose I'll be doing whatever it is they assign me to. It'll probably mean that I'll end up as an extra hand in sickbay or engineering. What about you?"

"I will be working in the lounge tonight. Have a good day." Maggie said as she got up from the table. Maggie wondered how busy her day was going to be when she started work.

Mike watched the young woman as she headed off across the lounge. He had thought there weren't really that many dedicated lounge staff aboard a vessel such as the Malinche, given that the Prometheus-class was a dedicated long-range tactical vessel. His conversation with Maggie had certainly proved otherwise. Perhaps he had been mistaken. What was it that Aaron's grandfather always? You learn something new everyday.

OFF

A JP by:

Maggie Nolan
Waitress
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Ensign Mike Kepler (PNPC)
Security Officer
USS Malinche

Played by:
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Lt. JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer & 2XO
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Steele
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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3594Post Steele
Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:35 am

On:
Day 14/ 16:00 hrs
USS Malinche Alpha Section/ Science Lab


Having done all he could in regards to the radiation signatures for the time being, Aaron turned his attention to the so called “mirror universe.” There were actually more than one alternative realities but this one was the most frequently “visited” and had some of the closest parallels to the reality Aaron was currently occupying. The how’s and why’s of alternate realities was something beyond his scope of knowledge, personally he found it mind boggling to think of all the possibilities, but he was reviewing what info was to be had on the mirror universe in hopes of gaining some useful insight.

The leading theory on the Terran Empire was formed ten years after Earth’s World War Two. Things really got interesting at First Contact where, instead of welcoming the Vulcans, Zephram Cochrane shot them and ransacked the ship. The Empire continued with business as usual until 2155, when the USS-Defiant arrived from the year 2268 in the primary universe. Archer and his crew discovered the Defiant and quickly realized its potential. This power play would end in Hoshi Sato gaining control of the Defiant and subsequently the Terran Empire.

The first real crossover would occur in 2267 when Captain Kirk and a few of his senior staff switched places with their counterparts. Kirk convinced the Mirror Spock to institute a series of reforms which ended up weakening the Empire and causing its fall in 2295 to the Klingon Cardassian Alliance. This shift in power caused an interesting shift in the dynamics of the universe. Where once the humans had been evil and dominating now that they found themselves oppressed they fought to get out from under the same kind of rule. .

Aaron could understand why some people in the primary universe sympathized with the Terran Rebellion, but as a social scientist he couldn’t help but wonder if the overthrow of the Alliance would eventually lead to the creation of a new Terran Empire. When all of his research was complete, he wasn’t much closer to an answer than when he started but one aspect did stick out in his mind. Both the Empire and the Alliance were fragile entities where the balance of power could quickly shift. Perhaps the Malinche could somehow use that lust for power as leverage in their next encounter.

Off:
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Lt. Aaron Steele
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USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3597Post Barrett
Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:19 pm

<<USS Malinche>>
<Lounge Beta Section, 0125, Day 15>

Adam (PNPC) was sitting in the mostly empty lounge staring out into space. He hadn’t been able to sleep very well lately, even when he was snuggled up to Jason. That thought brought him to a very sad realization…which met that something was very wrong. Adam never had a problem sleeping when he was in the same bed as Jason. After realizing that his tossing and turning might wake up their already exhausted first officer he decided to go take a walk.

The Beta section had a very small lounge that was unoccupied when Adam walked in. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear the doors open and Trace walk in. Although to his credit Trace was very stealth like. Adam nearly jumped out of his skin when Trace appeared next to him.

“You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” Adam sighed. “And what are you doing up?”

Trace shrugged. He had received word that they had found a cure for Ryan (NPC) a short time ago and had beamed back over to the Beta section instead of going to see him. He still felt guilty about Ryan getting sick in the first place and wasn’t sure how he was going to face him. Technically Barrett had been in command of the mission but for some reason Trace didn’t really feel any less guilty about that aspect.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Trace shrugged. “I was thinking about Ryan.”

“I hear he is going to make a full recovery,” Adam said, turning to Trace. “Looks like Setak came through.”

“It shouldn’t have happened,” Trace snapped.

Adam quirked an eyebrow at that comment, it sounded like Trace was going through the same thing that Jason had the first time that someone had gotten injured on an away team that he was in charge of. It had taken Jason some time before he realized that was one of the perils of being in command.

“It’s not your fault Trace,” Adam said. “Everyone that joined Starfleet knows the risks that are involved and I doubt that anyone could have predicted what was going to happen when you guys went over there.”

Trace was about to object, even though he knew that Adam was right. He couldn’t have predicted what was going to happen…no one could have. But that still didn’t make him feel any better.

“I know that,” Trace said. “Doesn’t mean that I have to like it.”

“No one said you did,” Adam shrugged. “The perils of being in command, did you talk to Aaron or Jason about this? Nora could probably give you a few tips as well.”

“It’s not like I was the one in charge of the mission,” Trace sighed.

“No, but you were in charge of the security personnel on that mission. Plus he was your friend, your colleague, some sort of guilt is normal in a situation like this.”

“I just didn’t want to bother them,” Trace shrugged.

“Sometimes it’s ok to bother them with things like this,” Adam said. “They’ve been in the same situation before, at least Aaron and Jason have.”

“So noted,” Trace said, looking back out at the stars. “What brings you up here anyways? Shouldn’t you be cuddled up in bed with that hunk of husband of yours?”

Adam stifled a laugh. “He’s not my husband yet and you are planning on stealing him away from me?”

“Not at all,” Trace said, holding his hands up. “I just thought that you two would spend as much time together as you could.”

Adam nodded. “We try too but to be honest Jason snores like a warp core about to breach…if I don’t fall asleep before him then I generally don’t fall asleep at all. Plus, the whole wedding thing has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve never planned on before…hopefully this is my only one.”

“My first host said the same thing,” Trace smiled. “Although you are handling much better then Kayla did…she threatened to strangle the grooms mother at least ten times before they finally took their vows.”

Adam smiled, although part of him was saddened by the fact that he would never get to actually get to know Jason’s parents. They had both died long before he had come into Adam’s life. And Adam’s parent’s, well he knew that they wouldn’t be showing up. Josh, on the other hand was practically counting down the days until he got to see Adam and Jason and meet his adopted nephew.

Adam checked his watch, realizing how late it was. He knew that they could have a big day ahead of them tomorrow and should probably get some shut eye. Luckily, Tavi didn’t mind that he slept on his floor occasionally, as it was far enough away from Jason that he wouldn’t really hear anything.

“I should be going,” Adam said, standing. “But think about what I said Trace…if you’re having problems then you might want to talk to someone about it. Being in command or having people under you isn’t always easy.”

Trace nodded. “Thanks for the chat; I never asked if you figured out where you guys were going to have the wedding.”

“Holodeck,” Adam smiled. “And if I have my way somewhere on a beach. I’ll see you around Trace.”

OFF:

A JP by:

Ensign Trace Vosh
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche

And

Lt. JG Adam Townsen
Medical Officer
USS Malinche

Played By:
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Lieutenant Commander Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Vosh
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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3602Post Vosh
Mon Nov 29, 2010 1:05 am

<<USS Malinche>>
<Alpha Section Sickbay, 0200, Day 15>

Trace walked into the sickbay, half expecting to see their new Vulcan friend jump out of the shadows with a phaser. He had to take a deep breath to steady himself...he had posted the guards outside the quarters that they had given Setak, himself. He had every faith in the Malinche's security staff, after all he had spent the last few weeks training them rather hard. Looking around the small sickbay, he located Ryan (NPC) half sitting up in a biobed, reading through a PADD while he listed to headphones.

"Come to pay him a visit?"

Trace cursed himself for letting the LMH sneak up on him like that. Although he supposed that being a hologram, it was a fairly easy feat for him. He turned around to see the LMH standing there, smirking...well if holograms could smirk. He was pretty sure it was a smirk that was settling across the holographic doctor's face.

"How is he doc?" Trace asked.

"He will make a full recovery, in no small part to that Vulcan scientist that we brought aboard earlier. The medical staff has agreed that he needs to remain here for another day, we want to make sure that he is ready to return to duty."

Trace nodded, he could understand keeping Ryan under observation, even more since he did spend some time in hibernation. Looking back at Ryan, he could see that he hadn't noticed him entering sickbay. Trace slowly began to make his way back toward the door when he was stopped by the LMH.

"He really is lonely, no one has been here to see him in hours, if you are already up then I suggest you pay him a visit."

Trace sighed heavily, knowing that the doctor was probably right. After all, the poor guy had been cooped up in sickbay and had been in stasis. Trace headed over to Ryan's biobed, smiling as he caught Ryan's eye. Ryan smiled back, pulling the ear phones out and sitting them aside.

"Glad to see that you are making a full recovery," Trace smiled, pulling up a stool. "Hows the food around here?"

"Lousy," Ryan smiled back. "But the doc doesn't want me eating anything too exotic."

Trace nodded. "From what he tells me, you're going to make a full recovery."

"Yeah," Ryan said, shifting a little on the bed. "The sooner that I get out of here the better though...I don't really like hospitals. When I was a Marine I had to spend a week in one after a shuttle crash. I had the worse experience ever."

"You were a Marine?" Trace asked. He kicked himself for not knowing that about someone on his staff. Although given all the people that he did have to keep track of, someone was bound to slip through the cracks. Trace had to remind himself that Ryan was older then he looked, in fact if memory served, Ryan had just celebrated his 31st birthday.

Although by looking at him you would never know that. Ryan was in just as good a shape as Trace and was just as active. It was something that Ryan prided himself on, looking several years younger then he actually was.

"Yup," Ryan nodded. "A typical Jarhead...I was actually one for 5 years before I got out."

"Why did you leave?" Trace asked.

"Oh no," Ryan smiled. "You aren't getting that out of me. The situation was complicated, let's just say that. After I left the Marines I worked on a private freighter for a while before I joined up with Starfleet. What about you sir, were you always in Starfleet?"

"All my life, as where a lot of my hosts."

Ryan nodded and then yawned. Suddenly, Trace remembered how tired he was as well.

"I should get going, I am sure the doc wants you to get some rest," Trace said, standing up. "But its good to see you back among the land of the living."

"Thank you sir."

"Stop calling me sir," Trace sighed. "Its Trace when we are off duty. Now get some rest, I expect to see you later this week in training so I can kick your butt again."

"Very funny sir...I mean Trace."

Trace smiled at Ryan and then headed out the door.

OFF:
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Ensign Trace Vosh
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Davis
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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3606Post Davis
Tue Nov 30, 2010 3:41 pm

<USS Malinche, Gamma Section, Operations Office, Day 15, 0600>

Davis had concluded his log when he checked the time and realized that he didn't go on for another hour. With this apparent to him, he sat in his chair and went over the repair details. He took a sip of his coffee and headed out to the Operations Department. Still sluggish, he went over to the control panels to make sure every thing was operational and no further repairs needed. One of the officers assigned to Gamma Section saw the half-awake "acting Chief" and approached him.

"Sir, if I may ask, are you awake enough to work?"

Davis replied with a smile, "Yes, Mr. Summers (NPC), I'll be just fine. Was there something you need?"

Summers shook his head and said, "No, sir. I saw you come out of the office and you looked like you were about to fall asleep where you stood. I was just concerned."

Joseph Summers, one of the Operations officers, looked worried as he answered the ensign's question. Davis saw the worried look and spoke with reassurance.

"I'm not going to tear into you, Mr. Summers. I appreciate your concern for my well-being. It's been a while since I was in charge of a department. Thank you. Carry on. I'll be on duty in about thirty minutes."

"Thank you, sir," replied the young man. He gave a quick salute and returned to his duties as Davis did one final overlook of all the operations before starting his shift.

OFF:

Joseph Summers (NPC)
Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by: Ens Davis

and
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Lieutenant JG James Walker Davis
Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Steele
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Posts: 125
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:37 pm
Location: CA/NE
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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3610Post Steele
Tue Nov 30, 2010 10:52 pm

On:
Day 15/ 09:00 hrs
Alpha Section
USS Malinche


Petty Officer Ryan Washington (NPC) had been assigned by Lt. Steele to work with Petty Officer Roberta Adams (NPC) from engineering on upgrading the sensors of the Alpha Section in hopes it would increase their chances of finding the ships that had attacked the Malinche earlier. If their attempts were successful the other two section would implement similar modifications to their sensors.

"We should start by tweaking the chemical identity sensors in order to tie them in with the gamma ray scanner."

The process had already been worked out, so it was more a matter of getting the job done than figuring out what needed to be done. Pulling off the cover to the central control module for the sensors, the two got to work.

"Hand me the coil spanner please."

Ryan reached for the hyperspanner before realizing his mistake and handing Roberta the correct tool. When they were done with that part of the job, they moved on to the next part of the job which dealt with the trans-linear sensor.

"This part is easy. It just involves telling the computer to have the trans-linear sensor look solely for the radiation that the hostile ships are emitting. This are of space is filled with other types of radiation that is similar to what we're looking for, so I have to tell it to ignore those. I can handle this part, so if you want to work on the gravimentric sensor we can complete this faster."

Roberta had no objections, so Ryan handed her the PADD and they went their separate ways.

Once all the modifications were complete, they contacted Lt. Steele.
=/\= ...Sensors are as good as they're going to get for detecting the radiation. We had to sacrifice range for quality but considering the circumstances...=/\=

Aaron cut off the Petty Officer.
=/\= Understood, thank you for your work. Steele out. =/\=

Off:
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Lt. Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

McCarty
Junior Staff
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:58 pm

Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3614Post McCarty
Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:25 pm

ON:
<<USS Malinche, McCarty's Quarters, Day 14>>

Jake looked back at Taryn puzzled. Never in the time he had served with her had he seen Taryn so torn. She looked as though something had been troubling her.

"Well Ma'am, let's make it easier and get straight to the point then." Jake replied.

Taryn glared at Jake disgusted by his brash attitude. She was about to give him an opportunity she felt he didn't deserve and all he could do was give a smart remark. "Very well. I have decided you shall pilot the Beta Section Bridge for our impending encounter. I would suggest you get lots of rest and when time permits brush up on your knowledge of MVAM, Heaven knows you'll need it."

Jake scoffed. "What's wrong with Ensign Sychorski? Give the kid some credit he kept the ship in one piece."

Taryn stood up. "There is nothing wrong with Ensign Sychorski! I am doing this because YOU are the Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer and you have yet to act like one. I want you to start learning the flight mechanics of this ship and gaining some combat experience as well. Otherwise I would suggest...." She stopped herself before she could finish her sentence.

Jake stood up and moved towards her so he was within inches of her, he stared into his eyes filled with anger over what he knew Taryn was thinking. "Or else what Ma'am? You will have me removed from duty? Why? Because the counselor and the doctor wanted me to take it slow? Do you honestly think I enjoy sitting on the sidelines? I didn't chose my condition I just accepted it for what it was and moved forward. However Lieutenant I WILL fly Beta Section just to show you that I am not some pushover subordinate you can mold into your own image.

Taryn turned and paced back from Jake. She was once again filled with rage over his lack of respect for her authority. However he had accepted her proposal which was a win in her books. Medication could deal with the oncoming headache later. She turned back to Jake. "You still think you are some kind of invincible superstar don't you? That just because you took on two borg spheres no species in the world can defeat you. Well Jake let me tell you something. In this job, the mighty can only fall once, and they take the entire crew with them. No retries, no chance for correction. Just that moment of realization just before your destruction that you and only you are solely responsible for the death of hundreds of lives. Is that something you want Lieutenant?"

Jake turned his back to Taryn and began to rub his chin. She was right but he wouldn't admit it. What happened on Destiny was not only his skill with flight control, there was luck and the added skill of those around him. He was no god....but he had been acting like one for so long. "No Ma'am." he replied. He was done with Taryn now. "If you would please ma'am, I believe I need some rest."

Taryn snickered. "That will have to wait Lieutenant, we must go speak with the Commander immediately."

Jake straightened his uniform. "Very well." he said raising his hand motioning Taryn towards the door.

OFF:

Lieutenant Taryn England(PNPC)
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
Played By: Lieutenant(JG) McCarty

and
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Lieutenant JG Jake McCarty
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

Vosh
Junior Staff
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 8:55 pm

Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3615Post Vosh
Tue Dec 07, 2010 1:40 am

<<USS Malinche>>
<Alpha Section Mess, 0800, Day 15>

Trace poked at his eggs; wondering why it was that he ordered that much food. Of course, it probably had something to do with the fact that he was starving when he first came into the mess but now, actually looking at the food he realized that he wasn't all that hungry. He was guessing that nerves were a big part of that; seeing as how they hadn't managed to track down the enemy ships yet.

"Is this seat taken?"

Trace looked up to see Joey (NPC) standing there, his tray full of food. The operations officer certainly knew how to pack it away; although it certainly didn't show on his athletic and toned frame. Trace gestured to the empty seat.

"Not hungry?" Joey asked, nodding toward the untouched food.

"Apparently not," Trace sighed. "I thought I was though."

"Generally speaking you eat like a Targ in heat," Joey said, taking a bite of his sausage. "Are you feeling ok? Maybe you should stop by and see the new doc."

"Nah," Trace said, waving his hand in a dismissive motion.

The truth was he wasn't entirely sure that he trusted the new doctor yet. Although Setak may have saved Ryan's life it was going to take some time before Trace trusted him...assuming he ever did learn to trust him. After all the man had created a bio weapon that could have killed everyone on the Malinche.

"You don't like him do you?" Joey asked, taking another bite. Joey could see why and he was surprised that the captain had even let him on-board, although given the circumstances he could see how that was there only real option in saving Ryan's life. Hopefully, his services wouldn't be needed in the near future. Joey knew that a confrontation with the remaining enemy ships could come at any moment.

"Do I have to like him? His little experiment nearly got Ryan killed and could have killed everyone on the Malinche."

"It could have but it didn't," Joey pointed out. "And you have to give him some credit."

"He only did it because Jason threatened to smash his head in if he didn't," Trace snapped.

"Hey, whatever works man," Joey smiled, taking a drink of his orange juice. "Are you going to eat the rest of your eggs?"

Trace shook his head and pushed the tray toward Joey.

"Besides, it sounds like Ryan will be back at work in a day or two," Joey said. "I just hope that we can find these guys before they spring up out of nowhere."

"Yeah," Trace nodded. "Although that's not going to be easy."

"If I wanted easy I would have stayed on Earth," Joey smiled. "I like challenges, why do you think that I joined Starfleet."

Trace only rolled his eyes and shook his head at that comment.

OFF:

A JP by:

Joey Summers
Operations Officer
USS Malinche (Played by: Jason Barrett)

Annndd....
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Ensign Trace Vosh
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

User avatar
Kersare
Forum Goddess
Posts: 773
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:14 pm
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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3618Post Kersare
Sun Dec 12, 2010 4:26 pm

ON: <<USS Malinche, Alpha Bridge, Day 15, 1030>>

Once Jason and Aaron had left a couple hours ago, Isabel had started preparations. It felt a lot better working towards a goal rather than simply sitting around and waiting. That said, what they were trying was still a gamble. Hopefully they had made the right decision. Allowing her eyes to move around those on the Alpha bridge, Isabel finally took her seat, glancing over at Nora briefly. "Are we ready?"

Trace took a deep breath as he looked over the tactical systems for the Alpha section. He felt ten times better knowing that Ryan (NPC) was going to pull through and make a full recovery. With that out of the way Trace could focus on what really mattered; finding those that destroyed an entire planet and making sure that they face justice.

"Tactical systems are standing by," Trace reported, turning to look at Isabel. "I've also got the location of the weak armor area from Commander Barrett, if we come up against those Vor'chas again I'll be sure to aim for it."

Roen had been leaning on the helm console beside the ensign who had been controlling to see if she could gain or offer some insights on the hunt. Once the crew resumed a more active checklist she stood back with hands behind her back. She walked over to the captain's position calmly. "If it's all the same to you, I will be observing for a while longer."

Nodding to Trace, Isabel then looked over at Anara. "That's fine, Chief. We should be underway soon. Have a seat," Isabel said, indicating the chair usually used by Nora. For now, with Jason in a different section, Nora had taken his seat. Just a few more checks for Alpha section and confirmation from the other two sections and they could be underway.

Anara's Padd beeped a message confirming that all of the auxiliary craft and work bees had been parked and secured in the bay. She smiled and placed the unit back on it's holster.

Aaron had been down in the science labs looking over what information was available on the mirror universe looking for any shred of information that might possibly give the Malinche an edge should they once again find themselves in a fight with the ships that had crossed over. What information that was available wasn't real encouraging. The ships appeared to be similar to their counterparts in the "standard" universe but were biased towards combat.

With the change in alert status, Aaron knew that the time had come to confront the Alliance vessels on footing more to the liking of the Malinche's crew. Leaving the labs for the bridge, Aaron took up position at the science console. The plasma storms created a decent hiding spot for the enemy, but if the Malinche crew played their cards right the storms would prove more of a hindrance. At the Captain's inquiry, Aaron spoke up. "Science standing by Captain. I don't expect the plasma storms to give us too much trouble."

"Good," Isabel replied. "Lieutenant, is there an area where all three of us could go where we would theoretically be hidden from the Mirror Universe vessels so we'll have a chance to cloak? And, is there a way to scan for those signatures you found...or something... to help alert us as to where they are?"

Cloaking a starship seemed like more of a question for the engineering department than science but as the question was fielded to him, Aaron would answer it. But first he answered the other question as he already had an answer. "As far as I can tell the ships are unable to completely mask their radiation signatures. I've worked with engineering to tweak our sensors to better pick up the radiation coming from the ships as opposed to background radiation. The only problem is it only works at close range."

As Aaron talked, Trace's eyes were glued to his displays. So far they had yet to find any trace of the mirror universe ships. Trace looked over the long range sensor data, hoping to find something that they could use to cover them cloaking. He tapped a section of his display, bringing it into focus. It was a fairly small nebula, although that gave him an idea.

"Captain, Lt. Steele, I think that I may have something here," Trace said. "I've found a small nebula at coordinates 023 mark 178. If we entered it and then detonated a low yield torpedo it may look like the nebula interference. If these sensor readings are correct nothing in the nebula looks like it would interfere with our cloaking device."

Aaron looked over the data in question. "Agreed, the detonation should be enough to appear as normal interference. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but I feel it is worth the risk."

Nodding slowly, Isabel replied, "Alright, go ahead and get it ready. We'll inform the other sections once they've confirmed that they're ready to be under way." Perhaps it was a bit of overkill, but considering their earlier run in with the Mirror Universe vessels, she would rather play it safe and take as many precautions as possible.

Trace's eyes scanned over the weapons readiness screens. The phaser banks were all full charged and the torpedo tubes loaded and ready to go. If the MU ships were thinking that they were going to be able to take the Malinche down without a fight then they had another thing coming.

"All weapons are ready, shields are at 100%," Trace said, turning around to face captain Kersare. "If they want a fight we are ready for them."

Anara looked at Trace and then to the captain. In silence, she prayed a simple prayer to the prophets for success on behalf of the crew. When she was a fighter pilot it was a common practice before departing to a fight. Since coming on board, however the practice had fallen away.

When she walked over to tactical's station, she squinted at the display to see if there were any anomalies on the readout yet, hoping there would be a flash of vision or something of the sort.

((Beta Section))

Jason took a good look around his bridge, everyone was in place and they were getting ready to go on the hunt, as it were, for the mirror universe ships. Josh (NPC) was once again back at the helm. Joey (NPC) was back at his post at ops and Pirlan (NPC) was at tactical for Ryan, who was still recovering.

"Status report?" Jason asked.

"All systems are operating within normal parameters," Joey said. "I've got the targeting sensors set to scan for weakest shield points and fire on those. Shields are at 100%."

"Pirlan weapons status?"

"Torpedo bays loaded and phasers are fully charged. I have input the coordinates of weak area of the hull of the Vor'cha into the targeting computer, if we get a chance to make a run at that section I'll make sure I hit it sir."

"Good to know," Jason said. "Joey, let Alpha and Gamma sections know that we are ready to proceed when they are."

Jake stepped through the turbolift with Taryn trailing closely behind. He stopped just outside the door and turned to her. "Must you follow me everywhere? I haven't hallucinated in almost a month you know!."

Taryn scoffed. "Considering you blacked out in the middle of an away mission I would deem that cause for concern and supervision."

Jake's eyes narrowed. "I told you there was something in the air, I'm fine."

The two made their way to the flight control console. Jake placed his hands on Josh's (NPC) shoulder. "Mr.Sychorski, you are relieved."

Josh turned to Taryn looking for her approval. She hesistantly nodded back to him. "Mr. Sychorski please give Lieutenant McCarty a status report."

Josh rose from his chair still shocked from Lieutenant England's decision to place Jake at the Alpha Bridge helm this close to the attack. "2 Days ago the Malinche was attacked by 3 unidentified vessel we now know are part of the Mirror Universe. During the attack the Alpha section took quite a bit of damage but most of the repairs have been completed, you will have to be careful as this section may still be a little "brittle". We are preparing to engage the enemy now.

Jake smiled. "Thank you Josh that will be all." Josh stopped just as he was within whispering distance of Taryn. "Could I speak with you in the conference room Ma'am?" he whispered.

Taryn looked at him puzzled and nodded. "Mr.McCarty I trust you can handle the helm for the short while I am gone without causing some sort of catastrophy?"

Jake sighed. "Yes ma'am I am sure the rest of the staff here is quite capable of babysitting me for a moment."

Taryn and Josh walked out towards the conference room. Jake sat down at the helm and began looking at the controls. He snickered for a moment. It was a good thing Taryn put him through those flight simulators, otherwise he may have actually had difficulties dealing with MVAM. However he would never admit any of this to Taryn.

[[Gamma Bridge]]

Aaron finished his slow lap of the room and made his way toward the center chair. Everything seemed to be as ready as possible for what they were about to attempt and he knew that breathing down people's necks was not going to help the situation any. As he lowered himself into the center chair, his gaze came to rest on the plasma storms visible on the main viewscreen. Their enemy was waiting out there somewhere and, hopefully, they would not be expecting what the Malinche was about to do.

"Status report," Aaron said, looking over toward the engineering station.

Warrant Officer D'Vhal checked his readouts quickly before responding. While he'd been keeping a fairly good eye on things already, the Klingon engineer knew that on a starship system statuses could change quickly. It would not be honorable to die because he'd given his commander incorrect information about the status of his vessel. "All systems functional and ready, sir."

Nodding once to confirm that he had heard, Aaron tapped a control on the console to his right. "Gamma section reports ready, captain," he said over the open commlink between the three sections.

<<Alpha Section>>

Isabel's finger moved to the console on her left as she pulled up displays of both the Beta and Gamma section bridges, "Thank you, Lieutenant. Now that everyone's prepared, we need to get cloaked so we can start looking for those ships. Ensign Vosh has identified a nebula at 023 mark 178. All sections are to proceed to that nebula. Once there, we'll move into formation and fire a low yield torpedo; it should be enough to distract anyone paying attention while we cloak. From there, Flight Control will need to keep a tight formation while we search for the Mirror Universe ships. Let's get moving."

Trace turned back to his station, eyes darting over the scans. They were coming up with nothing quickly...although Lilana always said that in a battle patience paid off more than blind aggression. He could only hope that it proved true in this instance as well.

((Beta Section))

Jason stood up from the command chair and moved to stand behind Jake at the helm. So far things seemed to be going ok, he just hoped that they could keep things that way. He didn't relish the idea of jumping back into battle with the Klingon ships, even if they might have the numbers advantage this time around.

"Take us to course 023 mark 178," Jason ordered. "Nice and steady Mr. Carty"

Jake tapped the console only momentarily taking his eyes off the main viewscreen. He knew he would have to be vigilant ready to expect a surprise from the Klingons at any point. He and his fellow officers would be required to keep the formation tight. Numbers were about the only advantage. "Course 023 mark 178 sir."

[[Gamma Section]]

"You heard the captain," Aaron said, "Come to course 023 mark 178."

"Course 023 mark 178, aye sir," Oscar (NPC) replied as his hands moved across his console in one, fluid motion. He carefully eased the ship into a bank toward the nebula at the coordinates identified by the Alpha Section. Keeping an eye on his readouts, he watched as they drew closer and closer to the cover of the nebula.

The Gamma section slipped into the envelope of stellar gasses and out of visual sight. Though he could not see them yet, Aaron knew that they were just minutes away from their rendezvous with the other two sections.

<<Alpha Section>>

The Malinche's Alpha section slowly moved into the nebula, followed by the Beta and Gamma sections. They stayed near the edge, not wanting to venture too far in, just enough for Trace to fire the torpedo while they cloaked. Isabel sat up straighter in her chair, gripping the arm rests as she leaned forward. Turning towards Trace, she said, "Alright Ensign, prepare to fire the low yield torpedo once everyone is in formation and the cloak is ready."

"I've got the torpedo reconfigured," Trace reported, turning his chair slightly to face the captain. "I'm ready to go when you are sir."

Isabel then addressed the other sections, "Lieutenant Masterson, prepare to engage the cloak once we've fired the torpedo. We'll need to do it quickly. Once we're cloaked, Flight Control will need to ensure we move together fluidly so each section remains cloaked. We won't be able to move quite as fast due to that, but it will also give us time for more thorough scans in order to find the Mirror Universe vessels... Science officers on the bridge should be scanning for any particle or radiation signature that might indicate the vessels and Security/Tactical officers should be scanning for the vessels themselves."

"Roger that Captain. Time to see if the sensor upgrades actually work." Aaron was fairly certain the upgrades would function as planned but there was always that chance it would not work, or the sensor relays would burn out.

((Beta Section))

"Are we sure that this is going to work?" Pirlan asked, looking up from his tactical station.

"Both Mr. Vosh and Mr. Steele think that it will, I am inclined to defer to their opinions in the matter," Jason said, straightening his shirt and sitting down in the command chair. "Hopefully we can find them before they find us. Joey (NPC), status report?"

"Everything is looking good so far," Joey stated, his eyes darting over his display. "I don't have anything on the long range sensors yet...then again if they are cloaked they might not show up at all."

"So noted," Jason said, taking a deep breath. "Mr. McCarty confirm our positions with the other sections."

Jake sent out a message to the other two sections. Moments later his console chimed confirming the 3 sections of the Malinche were in formation. "Sir position’s confirmed we are in formation."

"Good to know, signal both sections that we are ready to go when they are."

Even though Jake was smiling he was hiding a deep nervousness from within. He hadn’t gone hunting in quite some time, this was a hell of a time to start.

[[Gamma Section]]

Two familiar silhouettes emerged from the fog of nebular gasses on the main viewscreen and began moving into formation. Oscar glanced up once before returning his attention to the more accurate readouts on his console. In conditions like these, he wasn't about to leave things to visual judgment...he needed to be one hundred percent certain.

"Nice and easy, Mister Tenor," Aaron said as he kept his eyes on the viewscreen where the other sections were already moving into formation, "bring us into position with the other sections."

"Aye sir," Oscar replied, making a minor adjustment to their heading so as to bring them in underneath the other two sections. He eased back on the thruster control as they drew closer to their position, allowing their inertia to do most of the work for him. The Gamma section rose slowly into position beneath the other two until Oscar brought them to a complete stop within meters of the Beta section's hull. "All reports reading full stop, sir," he announced, "We are in position."

"Status of the cloaking device, Mister Davis," Aaron inquired, turning his chair slightly so that he could face the operations officer seated at one of the auxiliary stations.

Davis did a final check on his work as he just finished allocating a few of the Gamma Section's resources to the flight control systems and the cloaking system. Seeing that he did a decent job, he tapped his badge, "Davis to Masterson. Sir, allocation of resources to the cloaking and flight control systems have been completed and both are functioning properly. Is there anything else that needs to be done, sir?"

Turning his attention back to the forward viewscreen, Aaron replied, "We wait."

<<Alpha section>>

With all three sections in formation and Gamma section ready to cloak the entire ship, Isabel could feel her adrenaline running higher than usual. Their plan certainly should work, but would it? Time to find out... "Ensign Vosh, fire the torpedo."

Trace took a deep breath before pressing the fire button and sending the torpedo on its way. He had scanned the nebula several times and knew that they weren't in any danger of blowing themselves up. Still, there was that awful few seconds before the weapon detonated that Trace thought he might have made a mistake that would cost his ship dearly. Looking back at his display though, he was happy to see that wasn't the case at all.

The torpedo detonated right where it was supposed too, sending a cascade of colors flowing out from the center of the detonation. It was almost a thing of beauty. Aside from a slight rumble that worked its way through the ship, nothing happened. Trace breathed a sigh of relief; at least he hadn't gotten them blown up yet.

"Torpedo has detonated," Trace said, pressing a few icons on his console. "I'm reading a huge increase in EM readings that should last for another 2 minutes, should give us plenty of time to cloak."

Isabel nodded, "Once Gamma section activates the cloak, we should be alright. Then we can go looking for those Mirror Universe vessels and perhaps get some answers..." Her eyes moved around the bridge, watching the expressions on the faces of her bridge crew before finally resting on the main view screen.

Aaron didn't notice the Captain's scan of the bridge as he was busy working at his console. They had yet to tap into what was left of the sensors on the colony, which would theoretically further enhance sensors. However there was good news in regards to the sensor modifications. "Captain, all three sections report the sensor mods are working as planned. If they're out there, we'll find them."

Anara hoped it would be so easy, but knew the slightest mistake could mean her MU brother would realize he was the hunted and not the hunter. Perhaps it was paranoia but it was somewhat founded as well.

[[Gamma Section]]

The photon torpedo arced across the open space of the nebula and detonated directly ahead of where the three sections of the Malinche were holding position. Nebular gasses ignited and spread out in every direction, transforming the foggy nebula into a brilliant display of color not too much unlike a sunset. It was difficult for Aaron not to just take a moment to watch and admire the ironic beauty.

Remembering that their window of opportunity was rapidly closing, Aaron forced himself to focus on the task at hand. "Engage the cloak," he ordered. A moment later, the lights on the bridge dimmed as power was transferred to the cloaking device that would shroud all three sections from view.

"Cloak engaged," D'Vhal reported as soon as he'd entered the command. After a few seconds the cloak's activation sequence was complete and the ship was now hidden from the enemy. "Cloaking field is stable and holding, sir."

((Beta Section))

Jason hated to admit that he held his breath as Trace fired off the torpedo. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Trill's calculations but he always got a little nervous firing torpedoes into nebulae. Luckily they didn't explode. He took a deep breath and looked around the bridge to see that everyone else was already focused on their jobs.

Jake’s eyes remained affixed on the viewscreen, anxiously awaiting any signs of the enemy. Jake peered down at the console noting his hands were shaking. He stared at the console concentrating on his hands, :Steady as she goes: he said to himself.

Taryn approached the helm and noted McCarty's hands. Worry began to set in, had she moved too aggressively? Was McCarty not ready? No...if not now than never. He would have to get composure. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's now or never Mr.McCarty, make this one count."

Jake's hands stopped shaking. A tear escaped his eyes. "I always make it count ma'am." he replied. His focus returned to the main viewer.

OFF: JP brought to you by:

Ensign Trace Vosh
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Roen Anara (PNPC)
Shuttlebay Manager
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by: Ens N'rass

and

Ensign James Davis
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant JG Jake McCarty
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Taryn England (PNPC)
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC 38997-A
played by: Lt JG McCarty

and

Lieutenant JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Warrant Officer 2nd Class D'Vhal (NPC)
Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by: Lt Cmdr Peters

and

Lieutenant Commander Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Various Beta Section NPCs by: Lt Cmdr Barrett

and

Various Gamma Section NPCs by: Lt JG Masterson

and
Image
Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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Kersare
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Posts: 773
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:14 pm
Location: Ohio
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Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3644Post Kersare
Wed Dec 29, 2010 6:55 pm

ON: <<USS Malinche, Alpha Section, Day 15, 1100>>

So far their plan had worked. Now it was time to hunt down the three, well...hopefully just three...enemy vessels. If they had somehow managed to get additional reinforcements, Isabel wasn't sure how effective their plan would be. Still, better than sitting around and waiting. She leaned back slightly in her chair; now all they could do was wait until Science or Security/Tactical detected the other vessels. Hopefully it would be sooner rather than later, but statistically it would likely take longer. At least it would unless they were able to find some kind of trail of that radiation.

Now that they were cloaked, they could go about searching for the other vessels. Of course if they were cloaked as well they could fly right past them and never see them; unless of course they found a way to track that odd radiation signature that they were emitting. Trace's eyes were locked on his display, attempting to locate any sign of the mirror universe vessels. It was time for the hunter to become the hunted.

Not knowing how many ships were out there also complicated matters; Trace had every confidence in the officers of the Malinche but not even they were invincible. If they could trust what Setak said, which Trace was having doubts about, there was no way of knowing if they had brought other ships from the MU along for additional back up after the damage the Malinche had inflicted before. Smiling slightly, Trace went back to attempting to locate his prey.

As expected there was a considerable amount of background radiation. More than they had expected, which was hampering sensors but not fully rendering them inoperable. However, if they had a hard time locating the opposing ships, it should mean the Malinche was just as hard to find. When a possible sighting was located, the information was flagged and sent to all science personnel for further analysis.

"All this radiation is playing havoc with our sensors Captain, but not enough that we're flying blind. More like with one eye closed. If there's an upside they should be similarly hampered, which means whoever finds who first should have the upper hand." Aaron didn't want to end on a negative note. "I have every member of the science department analyzing sensor scans of the nebula in an attempt to find the enemy before they find us."

A notification on his console gave him the positive note he was hoping for. "Captain, we've been able to tap into the remaining colony sensors. It doesn't give us much of a boost, only 82 kilometers beyond our current abilities but it should give us the edge we need."

<IKV Rakatel, Bridge>

Sir, I just detected an EM surge bearing 110 mark 10. Distance uncertain. What are your orders, Sir?" The helmsman asked.

"In this nebula, that was likely a simple sunburst." Roen turned to his science officer. "Analyze the readings and see what you can find. Helm maintain position."

((Beta Section))

Jason didn’t like where this was going; at least the sitting around part. He had somehow thought that they might have found the MU ships by now, though they had turned up nothing. He stood up and began a slow walk around the bridge, wondering, like he imagined a lot of the crew were, when they were going to happen upon their enemy.

“Anything yet?” Jason asked, looking at Joey.

Joey shook his head, glancing at his displays again. “Nothing so far, I’m working a new angle at the moment.”

Jason quirked an eyebrow and headed over to the operations station where Joey was tapping rapidly away at this station. He had no idea what the operations officer was doing but he seemed pretty excited about it. “And what new angle is that?” Jason asked.

Joey pointed to the screen causing Jason to smile. Somehow Joey had charted the nebula an was monitoring the flow pattern, everything that passed through it altered it slightly and since Joey knew were the Malinche was located it was easy for him to identify anything else that was passing through it.

“Good idea Joey,” Jason smiled. “Hopefully it works though and they aren’t using the same trick to track us.”

“Wouldn’t they already have attacked by now?” Pirlan (NPC) asked.

“Makes sense, from what we know about their tactics that’s a sound statement, I think that Joey might be on to something here. Let’s just hope that their ops officer isn’t as good,” Jason smiled.

Joey’s station started beeping frantically, causing Joey to smile wider. He tapped in a few commands and then zoomed in on the area, information scrolling by the side. He didn’t know if they found the other ships but it was worth a shot.

“Joey, open a channel to both sections.”

“Channel open,” Joey nodded.

“Captain, Mr. Masterson, we think we located the ships. Bearing 015 mark 023, Joey was using a nebula mapping scan to track the particles…don’t ask for all the specifics because we don’t have time to explain it but I think it’s as good a place as any to start looking.”

[[Gamma Bridge]]

"Acknowledged," Aaron replied when he heard the commander's report over the open comm channel, "Helm, maintain formation and come to course 015 mark 023." The idea to map the nebula and track particle displacement was an ingenious one. It was similar to looking for water displacement of naval vessels as they had in the twentieth century.

"Aye sir," Oscar replied, coordinating with the flight controllers of the other sections to adjust their heading toward the indicated course.

<<Alpha Section>>

Trace watched as the Malinche's sensors as they slowly made their way toward the area that Joey had indicated. How he had come up with that little to track the ships, he had no idea but would have to talk to him about incorporating it into some of their tactical training scenarios. He looked back at his display, looking over the scans that they had managed to get during the first battle.

"Captain, I've got targeting sensors set up to aim at that weak spot that Jason and his bridge officers found during the first battle," Trace reported.

Nodding, Isabel replied, "Thank you, Ensign. We won't start firing just yet, we need to get closer first, and then we'll break formation." She glanced over at the officer at Flight Control who gave her a brief nod to confirm understanding.

((Beta Section))

"Any change Joey?" Jason asked, looking toward the operations officer.

Joey shook his head. Apparently where were still just sitting there, that was good for the Malinche, if they could get close enough without them seeing them then they would be able to keep the element of surprise. He would have to put in a good word for Joey with the captain, without his little trick, it could have taken hours to find the enemy ships or even longer.

"Keep us steady," Jason said, looking at McCarty.

The young helm officer nodded; flying that close to the other sections made Jason more than a little nervous. He didn't want to be the one that bounced his section off the Alpha section or scratched the paint...though given the last battle they had been in, it would hardly be noticeable.

Jake snickered thinking of how Peters must feel about the formation. God forbid the ship get scratched, although he knew it would be Taryn having to listen to Peters rant. She needed one however Jake would rather see it take place under different circumstances. The Klingons were his top priority now. They would come fast with an undying aggression. Jake would have to show a more aggressive patience waiting for the overaggressive warriors to make errors. They would only be small errors and he would have to be vigilant once they occurred. If he could catch them, it would give him a great advantage.

"Cloak is holding," Pirlan reported. "This might actually work sir."

"Of course it will," Joey smiled, his hands moving across his display. "I've been able to get a clearer signal now that we are getting closer. I'd say those are our ships alright, transmitting the latest sensor data to the other sections."

<Alpha Section>

Isabel watched as the Malinche's sections drew closer to the three Mirror Universe vessels, seemingly still unaware of the Prometheus class ship. Addressing those on the bridges of each section, she said, "Alright everyone, thirty seconds and we'll turn off the cloak and engage the enemy vessels. If possible try to disable them rather than outright destroying them, at least at first. Operations, you'll be trying to hack into their systems to get whatever information you can about what those ships were doing here and the weapon they used; if you need assistance from Engineering, let them know. We need to find out why exactly they were here and what kind of weapon they used."

With a much narrower search grid, Aaron trained the sensors in that area, making sure the stellar cartography lab received the data. The Malinche had spent enough time in the nebula, science was able to quickly rule out much of the background radiation and focus on what was emanating from the Klingon vessels. Sure enough a message soon came up from the lab.

"Captain, we're picking up the same radiation we've detected before. If they try to run, we should have little trouble tracking them."

"We should be careful when we get this close, Captain." Anara warned, walking back over to the senior officer. The bird of prey is an old ship but it has good detection arrays. If we transmit anything too strongly they will get a bearing on us."

“Works with ways though,” Trace pointed out. “If they try to transmit a distress signal or anything we’re going to be able to see that too. I’m still not reading any power to their weapons systems though.”

He hoped that they would be able to get a clear target lock, although if worse comes to worse the Klingon ships were big targets. Hitting them wouldn’t be too hard, even with all the maneuvering that he had a feeling that they were going to be doing. That was one of the advantages of the MVAM; each section was still pretty maneuverable.

[[Gamma Section]]

D'Vhal growled quietly as he felt his battle instincts jumping to the fore. He was an engineer by choice, but there were some instincts and imperatives in Klingon nature that even artisans and philosophers couldn't deny. The knowledge that at least some of these enemies were a twisted and warped form of his own people only made the instinctive urge to prove dominance over them in battle stronger. He would have to be careful to maintain control of his emotions during this fight. Fortunately, he had plenty of practice in self-restraint, having lived and worked among humans and races like them for years while training for and serving in Starfleet.

Davis started going over Lieutenant Steele's sensor readings and the feeling he had in his gut was confirmed along with the readings. "Sir, Lieutenant Steele's sensor readings have been confirmed. They're close." Davis looked harder at the readings report and said to himself, "I just hope not too close."

“Masterson to Alpha section, our readings confirm,” Aaron said over the open channel between all three sections, “They’re out there, probably trying to figure out where we went. It won’t take them long to realize that we haven’t actually left the area. I’m not one to recommend rushing into a combat situation, but if we’re going to take advantage of this, we’re going to have to do it soon.”

The truth was that Aaron never liked going into any situation without thinking it through first. Even if that thought process only took a few seconds, it could mean the difference between accomplishing one’s goal and failure…or worse. This situation was no different. They had gone over the possible strategies several times and had chosen on this one. Now that they had located their attackers, they had to decide what to do about them before they were discovered.

((Beta Section))

"He's right," Pirlan added. "We need to use the art of surprise while we still have it."

Jason nodded; he had spent enough time in combat to know that the element or surprise was not something that you wanted to spoil, even more so if you were facing enemies that might have you over a barrel in a fair fight. And he had a feeling that these mirror universe ships might have a few more tricks up their sleeves.

"They still haven't moved, although I am sensing an increase in sensor readings, looks like they are thoroughly searching the area," Joey reported.

"Can they see us through the cloak?" Jason asked.

"Negative, I don't believe that they can," Joey responded. "Even if they could they wouldn't be able to make out the separate sections."

"Then let’s get this show on the road."

<Alpha Section>

Sitting a bit straighter in her command chair, Isabel replied, "Agreed, Mr. Masterson. On my mark, disengage cloak and attack the enemy vessels; remember, we're not trying to destroy them outright, just disable them. Operations and Engineering need to hack into their systems and pull out whatever information they can first. Once we have it, still try to avoid destroying the vessels unless absolutely necessary..." She paused, allowing her orders to sink in for a moment before continuing, "Disengage cloak!"

OFF: To be continued…

JP brought to you by:

Warrant Officer Second Class D’Vhal
Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
Played by: Lt Cmdr Peters

and

Ensign Trace Vosh
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Ensign James Davis
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
(also played Gamma section NPCs not already listed)

and

Lieutenant JG Jake McCarty
Assistant Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant Aaron Steele
Chief Science Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Roen Anara (PNPC)
Shuttlebay Manager
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
Played by: Ens N’rass

and

Glinn Roen Amer (PNPC)
Commanding Officer
IKV Rakatel (Mirror)
Played by: Ens N’rass

and

Lieutenant Commander Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
(also played Beta section NPCs not already listed)

and
Image
Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

User avatar
Kersare
Forum Goddess
Posts: 773
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:14 pm
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3645Post Kersare
Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:12 pm

ON: <<USS Malinche, Alpha Section, Day 15, 1130>>

Roen braced for the pending activity by holding on the rail next to the station she was at, watching the display intently. It was a gutsy plan but it only had one pass to make it work.

The instant that the cloak dropped, Trace's weapons went hot. They powered up quickly and his hands flew across the targeting displays, targeting the ships weapons and shields. He knew that they had to take them alive for now, although they might have other ideas. Saying a silent prayer to the gods of the universe, Trace's fingers hovered over the fire button, waiting for the order to be given.

((Beta Section))

Jason took a deep breath as the cloaking field around the sections of the Malinche dropped away and the ships appeared out of nowhere. Looking to his left he could see that Pirlan's fingers flying over his station as McCarty angled them for a better position. "Pick your targets careful Pirlan, remember to aim for the sections that we identified earlier."

"Aye, sir."

[[Gamma Section]]

"Helm, come to course zero-two-seven mark three-two-four," Aaron ordered as the three sections of the Malinche shimmered back into existence, "Scan for the nearest enemy target and lock weapons. Prepare to fire on my command."

Oscar's hands immediately began to dance across the surface of his console as he began to execute the orders given to him. The Gamma section of the Malinche broke formation, angled downward and away from the other two sections. It wouldn't be long now before Oscar was going to have his hands full with evasive maneuvers.

At the tactical station to one side of the bridge, Warrant Officer Bak (NPC) kept his focus on the readouts scrolling across his own console. He immediately brought the phasers and torpedo launchers to ready status before scanning the area for any signs of possible targets.

As the young ensign finished reallocating power from some of the lighting around Gamma Section to the weapons systems, a strange feeling came over him. It made James nervous as hell. He began to wonder if he and the crew would make it out of this mission alive. The nervousness made his hands tremble and James had to stop what he was doing before he accidently messed up his reallocation work. After taking a deep breath and reassuring his faith in the crew, he did a final check on his work.

"Sir, I have reallocated some of the power from the lighting in areas not occupied at the moment to all weapons. Some extra fire power might help us. Ready to engage when you are."

<IKV Rakatel>

"Glinn! The terran vessel is on top of us!" The tactical officer shouted in alarm. The commanding officer clenched his fists and squinted.

"Well played, Captain. But the surprise is on you." The Bajoran looked to his tactical officer. "What is the report on the reinforcements?"

"They entered the nebula 20 minutes ago. It is anyone's guess where they are now but they will see any attack activity and home in on it."

"Good. Full silent running until they engage. Thruster manuvering to the nearest EM burst. They are likely bluffing unless they shoot us."

<Alpha Section>

Isabel watched on the main viewer as the three sections broke formation and pursued the Mirror Universe vessels. For the first time, they actually had the element of surprise on their side. "Attack pattern Alpha Alpha Omega Two! Ensign Vosh, when we're in range of the starboard vessel, fire at will. Remember, we're only firing to disable them - especially their weapons and shields - for now. We need to get that information."

"Firing now," Trace stated.

Space between the Alpha section and the starboard vessel lit up as Trace let loose with a full phaser barrage. The blasts of energy sailed through space, causing the ships shields to light up like a sun going nova. The ship returned fire causing the Alpha section to rock from numerous hits. Trace's fingers stabbed down on the firing controls again, this time unloading a salvo of torpedoes as the Alpha section passed over the top of the Klingon ship. The torpedoes exploded with an impressive flash of flame and fire, followed by several phaser blasts.

"Targets shields are down to 87%," Trace report, as the ship shook again. "I think I made them angry captain." The response from the Klingon ship intensified as they Alpha section wheeled away. Trace stabbed down at the fire controls again, bathing the shields of the Klingon ship in angry red/orange energy. They Klingon ship responded by firing off a round of torpedoes, all of which went wide sand sailed off into space.

((Beta Section))

Jason had to smile, watching the Alpha section sail over the Klingon ship and setting the shields flaring up with several well placed hits. Hopefully, this battle wouldn't last long. "Mr. McCarty, attack pattern Delta 4, bring us right across the Vor'cha's bow," Jason ordered, taking his seat. "Pirlan, full weapons volley remember to fire to disable not to destroy."

Jake initiated the attack ensuring the smallest profile of the sleek section was visible to the Klingons.

"Aye sir," Pirlan added. "Although I doubt that they are going to be that nice."

"Joey, see if you can't access their database. We need to know what they were doing here, full power to forward shields."

"I'll do my best."

The Beta section tilted up on her port nacelle, spun around and came right at the Vor'cha. There was no what that they could have missed the Federation ship coming right at them. Pirlan waited until Jake made the sharp turn and then opened fire with everything that they had, sending a storm of phaser fire slamming into the ships shields.

The return fire was intense, rocking the sleek form of the Beta section with hit after hit. But the Beta section was faster, rotating away as she continued her assault. Several torpedoes went wide as she came up on port nacelle and raced by the side of the vessel, racking it with phaser fire.

<IKV Rakatel>

"How did they detect us through the cloaks?" Glinn Roen shouted in disbelief. He looked around the bustling, smoking bridge before responding. "Engage the lead section and focus on it. The other ships can take their own. Keep close and intense. We went too easy on them last time."

"Understood. Shields at 60 percent and holding. Firing a full volley plus disruptors." The helmsman responded.

[[Gamma Section]]

"Stay with them," Aaron ordered the helmsman as another wave of disruptor fire impacted the shields, causing the entire section to shudder, "Tactical, see if we can't return the favor."

Oscar's stayed focused on his own console, trusting his instruments rather than the visual display of the forward viewscreen. He pushed the Gamma section into a sharp bank in order to give the tactical officer the best advantage while keeping them from getting a full broadside in the process. Whoever these people were, they were going to make him work to stay on top of them.

Three orange orbs streaked away from the Gamma section's forward launchers, racing toward their target. Each one impacted the Vor'cha's aft shielding in a series of successive explosions. It was a start, but Aaron knew they were going to have to do a lot more than that to disable the vessel they were engaging.

James could see on the screen that the weapons were having some effect. A small smile crept across the young man's face. He knew he did good in giving all of the weapons some extra needed power. He looked over to Masterson and could tell by the look on his face that it was going to take more than fire power to bring down the Vor'cha. He rerouted more power from the lighting and divided amongst the shields and engines. He crossed his fingers and prayed.

D'Vhal glowered at the main viewer as he held onto his console and kept an eye on the power consumption readings. In theory, the ship could generate enough power for all systems, but in practice, it was a lot harder to maintain all systems with the ship separated. A brief fluctuation in the power flow to the lateral thrusters caught the Klingon engineer's attention. He quickly pulled up a diagnostic and re-routed power through the secondary conduits to correct the issue. It was minor issues like these that could kill a ship in combat if not attended to swiftly.

With that in mind, D'Vhal shifted his attention to the diagnostic readings for the weapons systems, shields, and engines. All of them read fine at the moment, but the longer this confrontation lasted, the more likely there would be issues, especially with the weapons systems, which were designed with an emphasis towards fast response and high output and were thus prone to overheating and breakdown in a prolonged battle. Fortunately, D'Vhal thought to himself, Starfleet's designers were smart enough to make most of the components of starship defensive systems easily-replaceable in modules, which meant if one of the phaser banks, for example, burned out, the issue could be quickly corrected by a three man team of engineers. The only likely issue that couldn't be corrected during a battle would be damage to one of the torpedo launch tubes or the externally-mounted phaser emitters.

[[Alpha Section]]

"Captain, the Rakatel is locking on us exclusively." The ensign helmsman said to Anara, who had been sitting in the secondary helm seat. Some advice would be helpful." Anara smiled, eager to get back in the pilot seat again.

"Evasive delta split to inverted split s." The Bajoran replied, ready to take the controls for her stated plan. The ensign nodded and motioned to her controls, so Anara took over."Will do." She smirked.

<IKV Rakatel>

"Open a channel to the other ships." Roen Amer stated. "I don't think I need to say, but assume the reinforcements are not coming. Focus on your ships regardless of the distractions."

<IKV Ranet>

Brunal(NPC) frowned as the Bajoran’s voice came over the comm system. Amer was trying to give orders? If they weren’t in a combat situation, the Cardassian would have put him in his place in a heartbeat. However, now was not the time. Instead, Brunal said, “Ranet to Rakatel and Fik’oth. Each of us will take one of the Prometheus’ sections to concentrate fire on. I want no mistakes this time, none left alive. Destroy them.” Looking over at the pilot and at his Tactical officer, Brunal nodded.

At the Gul's orders, Ellik (NPC) selected the nearest section of the Terran vessel, locking both disruptors and torpedoes on his target. He would not allow himself to fail this time. A hail of disruptor fire issued forth from the Vor'cha's banks to impact the Terran's shields, causing them to glow as the green energy dissipated. The first volley was followed immediately by a string of torpedoes that streaked across the open space toward their target.

"Direct hits to their engines, Sir. It appears they are venting plasma." The Cardassian helmsman stated.

Nodding, Brunal replied, “Good, continue with the attack.” Soon they would be rid of the Federation vessel.

<IKV Rakatel>

Roen repositioned in his seat as he watched the screen intently. The Alpha section was evading fairly effectively, almost reading his strategy before he could order it, thanks to the sister who he was unaware of at the helm. Nevertheless, they continued to take the occasional hit from disruptors and torpedoes.

<Alpha Section>

"Captain, I suggest we brace for a sudden move!" Anara shouted with an intent tone. "I can't shake this Bird of Prey, but I have one more move up my sleeve."

Isabel turned to Anara, “Go ahead Chief. We need to buy some time so we can get those files…” Her eyes glanced around the bridge as she gripped the arms of the command chair, preparing herself for the impact.

"Here goes." The Bajoran said as she threw the engines into full reverse, sending everyone bracing against the rails or consoles in front of them. Once the rest of the bridge crew shook their heads and got back to the displays, they looked and found that they were now tailing the enemy in position for several good shots.

Trace didn't waste any time, he unloaded everything that they had at the Bird of Prey that they were now behind. A barrage of phaser blasts and then a volley of torpedoes and the aft shields exploded. The Klingon ship broke hard to part, sending Trace's next few shots off into space. He swore at himself and re-established a targeting lock, peppering the ship with a half dozen well placed phaser hits.

"Their aft shields are gone," Trace reported. "I'm getting fluctuating readings from the rest of their shield grid, looks like it’s finally it might be starting to fail."

OFF: To be continued...

JP brought to you by:

Warrant Officer Second Class D’Vhal
Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
Played by: Lt Cmdr Peters

and

Ensign Trace Vosh
Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Ensign James Davis
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lieutenant JG Aaron Masterson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
(also played Gamma section NPCs not already listed)

and

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Roen Anara (PNPC)
Shuttlebay Manager
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
Played by: Ens N’rass

and

Glinn Roen Amer (PNPC)
Commanding Officer
IKV Rakatel (Mirror)
Played by: Ens N’rass

and

Lieutenant Commander Jason Barrett
Executive Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
(also played Beta section NPCs not already listed)

and
Image
Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

User avatar
Kersare
Forum Goddess
Posts: 773
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 7:14 pm
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3646Post Kersare
Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:18 pm

OFF: This is a backpost

ON:
<<USS Malinche, Alpha Section Lounge, Day 15, 0530>>

It was early, too early some would say, but Kiaran (NPC) didn't mind. She was a rare sort who really enjoyed her work and was actually invigorated by it. The El-Aurian realized that not everyone was a morning person, but eventually her presence coaxed others to be in a friendlier, more relaxed mood.

As she walked into the Lounge, Kiaran wasn't surprised to find that she was the first to arrive for the morning shift. There were always at least one or two staff members in the lounge at all times, but meal times were a bit different. The lounge was absent of all but two patrons who were seated off in a corner. Wasting no time, she moved behind the bar counter and tapped at the console sitting at an angle, bringing up the pertinent information for the day.

Maggie walked into the lounge and waved at Kiaran. "What needs done for the day?" Maggie walked into the kitchen and waited for what to do next.

Kiaran glanced up and smiled as Maggie walked in, "Good morning, Maggie. I was just starting to look into that. Let me see here..." Her eyes moved back towards the screen she'd been looking at, seeing what had been taken care of already by the night shift and what was left to do. As the El-Aurian pondered, she looked back over at the waitress, "How are you today?”

"Good Morning, Kiaran. I am good." Maggie looked around to see if the tables had the necessities for breakfast. Maggie started hearing pans being put on the stove and soon after, smelled food. She went into the back to see what she could do to help.

As Maggie headed for the kitchen, Kiaran continued going through her list. It seemed the dining area was ready, so mostly it would be the food that needed to be prepared and place settings. The El-Aurian entered the kitchen, first glancing over at the cooks, making food preparations for the morning's meal. Technically most would likely just use the replicators, but some still preferred a freshly cooked meal. Turning her attention to Maggie, she said, "Could you make sure all the place settings are ready, and then gather up the plates, bowls, and glasses that we'll need?"

Maggie walked out to the dining room and checked the tables' settings. The tables looked ready to go. Maggie got all the bowls, plates, and glasses and put them out in the dining room. Maggie hadn't eaten breakfast and with the smell of food her stomach growled. She busied herself with finishing setting up.

A few minutes later, Kiaran headed back out to the dining room, letting her eyes take in the scene. She smiled at Maggie, "Everything looks great. I think we're ready for the breakfast crowd. If you want something to eat or need to do anything to prepare yourself for our patrons, go ahead Maggie."

Maggie got a plate of food and ate before the patrons showed up. She wasn't sure how busy they would be, so she was glad she had eaten.

Lena (NPC) entered the Lounge in a manner not unlike a tornado, rushing through the doors with an apologetic smile already on her lips. She was not, nor had she ever been, a very punctual person. Of course, she wasn’t especially late this morning, all things considered, but she still hated being the last one there in the mornings. “Morning, Kiaran. Morning, Maggie,” the waitress said once she’d slowed to a stop beside them. “Sorry I’m a little late. I slept through my alarm again.”

"Hi Lena." She said. "Everything is done for breakfast so we just need to wait for the people to come in," Maggie said as she walked into the kitchen.

Smiling at Lena Kiaran said, "Perhaps it's time to try a different alarm, hmm? It seems the one you've been using hasn't done much good." Usually it didn't cause much of a problem, if any, but still it would be nice to have the extra help when they were getting ready. "Have you eaten yet?"

Lena smiled guiltily. “You wouldn’t believe the number of alarms I’ve been through,” she sighed. “But I know you’re right. It’s high time I tried another one.” She turned to look over the lounge, a little impressed that everything was already set and ready. Maggie was certainly fast. That, or she was running even later than she thought. “I’m not really hungry yet,” she said to Kiaran, shrugging her shoulders slightly. “I could really, really use some coffee, though. You want me to grab you a cup while I’m at it?”

"That would be lovely, please do," Kiaran replied with a smile. "I’m afraid we'll have to drink it quickly though, the breakfast crowd will no doubt be here shortly." A couple patrons were starting to trickle in even at that moment, but the large crowds wouldn't show up for another hour or so.

“Two cups of joe, on the double.” Giving Kiaran a mock salute, Lena hurried into the kitchen. After she bid a brief but friendly good morning to the rest of the staff, she acquired the drinks and returned to the Lounge. “Cheers,” she smiled, handing one of the mugs to Kiaran. She wasted no time in taking a large sip of her own drink, humming happily as the brew hit her tongue. It was hotter than she cared for, but thankfully not scalding, and she willed the caffeine to work its magic. "What on earth would we do without coffee?"

Chuckling, Kiaran took the mug, letting it warm her hands for a few moments as she replied, "I imagine we would have to find another source of hot caffeinated beverage." She winked at Lena as she brought the steaming mug up to her lips. Seeing how hot the coffee was, Kiaran gently blew on it before taking a sip. "Just right," she smiled.

“Well, I guess I should get going,” Lena sighed, setting her nearly empty mug beneath the bar. “I’ll be back to finish that,” she vowed, gesturing to the mug before she strode away to take the orders of some of the early morning patrons.

OFF:

JP brought to you by:

Maggie Nolan
Waitress
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

and

Lena Olson (NPC)
Waitress
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by: Lt Zeral

and

Kiaran Tyvial (NPC)
Lounge Manager
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
played by:
Image
Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

N'rass
Senior Staff
Posts: 158
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:47 pm
Location: USA

Re: Mission 17 - Inferno's Light

Post: # 3650Post N'rass
Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:35 pm

ON: <<USS Malinche, Alpha Section, Day 16, 0900 following the battle>>

Anara stepped out turbolift to the hallway leading to the brig. The Mirror universe equivalent of her brother Amer had been sitting in a cell for a little while now. His ship destroyed and crew removed by an outside force, they left him to face the wrath of Starfleet alone.

The captain was already in the room with some security personnel. The bajoran officer straightened her uniform in a habitual way trying to muster her nerve to face what had been her lifelong role model. Only this time he was not so admirable. In this incarnation, this incident, he orchestrated a pair of attacks on the ship she was a crewmember of and both were unprovoked.

“Captain.” Anara said with a straight respect but blunt tone.

“Chief.” The captain replied, tilting a hand toward the prisoner.

She walked to the cell with her hands behind her back, silently clenching. With a sneer she started. “To believe I spent my life trying to live up to your service record. I finally get the chance to see the great Roen Amer and he is little more than a mercinary hired by Cardassians.”

He stood up suddenly in reply. “I do not know who you are but apparently you think you know me rather well. Who are you? Better to be a Cardassian ally than a Terran.”

“Strong words from someone in a losing position, Amer. I am your sister Roen Anara. That is Chief Roen to you.”

“I stand corrected, but I do not have a sister and never have.”

“I was born after you were captured in the Occupation. Amer, son of Penrle of Kendra province. Yes, I know you. What I need to know is what you are doing attacking us. Furthermore why are you even alive?”

The captain tapped Anara’s shoulder and whispered. “He is of the mirror universe, Chief. He is a different person.”

Anara shook her head. “I do not believe that, Captain.” Turning back to her brother, she asked him a very specific question. “In the attack on Lerok Nor, were you the lead, wingman, or engineer?”

He smirked. “That’s easy. I was the lead.” He paused. “Wait a minute. How did you know about that raid? I only wrote that in my logs in code.”

She crossed her arms and nodded to the Captain. “See. He knows too much to have been a different person. So, that being the case, Amer, what have you been doing working for Cardies?”

“When we were in the Lerok Nor raid, my fighter was disabled and tractored into the base, leading to my internment. After a few months of their torture and interrogation, they gave me the choice to stay in it or go to a “new experiment”. Seemed like a lose lose situation, so I took the new lose. They had developed a technology to bridge to the Mirror Universe. Once over there, I broke free from their tracking devices and joined the prevalent power to start a new life. It was not ideal but it was a life. There has not been a day I that I wished to go back, but I did not want to go back to that internment facility.

Without a means to return or word of change, I just decided to keep on going. Until a few weeks ago when the Alliance assigned my ship on the mission to come back here. If I had realized that your ship was of this stance and the Cardies had been defeated, I may have defected my ship to asylum in the first place.”

“Lot’s of talk from an underdog. I still have a problem with you inflicting this much damage and loss of life on a non-aggressive vessel. My brother would not do that, much less from cloak.”

“You have a lot to learn about life outside regulations, my dear girl.” He said while rolling his eyes. “If you know so much about me, why did you not read the page about rules of engagement? Rule 1?”

“Win by what means it takes.”

“Rule 2”

“See rule one.”

“Yes, you read my logs then.” He laughed. Is my sister that naïve? I would have expected you of all people to understand that aspect of ship command. Let me guess…Engineer?”

“No. Fighter pilot.”

“You really did try to follow my steps. “Were you piloting one of these ships?”

“In fact I was.” She said in a still unimpressed tone. “I am not sure why the Prophets gave me the information that you were here. All it has given me is disappointment.”

“The Prophets told you? There is a statement I haven’t heard in decades. A figment of the religious politicians, nothing more. “I would be suspect of anything of these visions or voices.”

“That is the difference between you and me, Amer. I trust my religion’s leaders for guidance. They are the reason we detected you in the first place. That is proof enough for me.” She then turned to the captain. “I have seen all I care to see of this pataq. Do what you will, Ma’am.” Anara said with disdain as she walked out of the room.

What they did not get to see was the tears slowly coming down her cheeks as she walked down the hallway. Once the turbolift doors closed, she stood in silence before pounding the wall repeatedly in frustration.
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Lieutenant JG L'Randil N'rass
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

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