Admiral Fortin watched as the power flickered off from the comm panel. The bridge was dark save for the light of two Glowrods. The air had grown stale as their portable oxygen generator strained to recycle the air on the bridge. The temperature was also beginning to drop. His officers huddled together with their eyes fixed on the glowsticks. No one spoke hoping to save as much air as possible. Each clutched a phaser in their hand waiting for the Borg to resume their efforts at entry.
Fortin settled into the captains chair and looked around at his officers. Each were ready to fight and die. Each of them had shown their trust in him. Each had done miracles in the last few hours, holding off the borg and jury rigging the com system. They were all ready to face their final battle and go out fighting against the borg in one last act of defiance and they were left waiting. Assimilation had not come, Death had not claimed them, No last minute heroics were to be performed. Instead they watched as system after system lost power around them and when the last system went out there was only silence.
People remained on edge for the first hour. Eventually their attentions began to wane as time went on. The waiting was excruciating. As the hours passed Admiral Fortin was overcome with anger. 'Where did they go?' He wanted to take action. He wanted to strike down the people who had assaulted his ship and his crew. He wanted to rage against his aggressors but they seem to have left. Fortin pondered on that for a minute. Normally it would be a good thing for the Borg to just leave. They were still alive, They should be able to get out of this. Surely there is a way out of this.
His thoughts were interrupted as the Cobbled together Oxygen generator sputter for a minute. It's power supply was beginning to wane. Fortin stared at the generator for several minutes very aware of the ticking clock it represented. 'We can win this. We just need to hold on.'
His new found resolve crashed almost as quickly as it had formed. What would he wait for? He just warned off any assistance that might have come for him. Was he waiting for the Borg then? Did he really want that for himself or his crew? What might even be worse is If no one came. The USS Ticonderoga, Flagship of the 7th fleet and his home these last few years, would be end up being his tomb. With a sigh he rested his head on the headrest of his seat, stared at the blank view screen, and waited for whatever end would come...
Captain Gerron busied himself in his ready room pouring over all the information he could find about the Borg. Over the years Starfleet had amassed a great wealth of information and none of it was pretty. Upon her arrival the Iapetus joined a painfully small task force that included only the Phalanx and the Mackinaw. Over the course of the last hour only the USS North Carolina had arrived.
The intercom in his office activated and Commander Tozla reported, "Sir, Admiral P'rett has contacted us and says he will be beaming over in a few minutes. He is in a bit of a hurry and want's to see Lt. Beneb and wants us to make preparations to offload all non essential personnel"
Captain Gerron furrowed his brow and acknowledged her report, "Understood. Have Beneb meet me in Transporter room one and go ahead and make the preparations." Gerron then hurried to the Transporter room.
The chief manning the console reported that the Phalanx was signaling for three to transport. Gerron nodded and the chief initiated transport as Beneb found his way into the room. Amiral P'rett materialized on the pad along with a Human with close cropped brown hair and a tall powerfully build Caitian with golden fur. P'rett nodded to Captain Gerron as he stepped off the platform and wasted no time as he motioned to Beneb. "You must be Beneb, This is Commander Sulouff." He indicated the human on the platform, "Escort him to Engineering and start making the modifications he has prepared."
Lt Beneb looks taken aback and glanced toward Gerron and then at Commander Sulouff "All right...Follow me Commander." The two depart.
Admiral P'rett continues "Captain time is critical here. I've reviewed your proposal and I like it with some modifications. I need you to immediately get down to a skeleton crew. Transfer your nonessential crew members to the Phalanx."
Captain Gerron nodded and tapped his combadge. "Commander Tozla begin evacuating people to the Phalanx." He then motioned to the door and lead Admiral P'rett and the Caitian out. "The Conference room is just across the hall."
The three filtered in and the caitian immediately began downloading information from his PADD into the computer. P'rett began the briefing. "The 7th fleet was spread out when the distress call was received. The Valkarie should be arriving soon with a small task force and more will fliter in slowly. In the meantime the Ticonderoga is suffering from air loss and an assault from the Borg. We need to move now."
P'rett brought up a map of Gamma Orionis and zoomed the view to display an area of space near the Noro system. "This is the last known position of the Ticonderoga. the USS "Eternal" Salvation has been providing constant sensor data on the Area and while we have not found the Ticonderoga we do believe we found the moon its crew is stranded on."
P'rett points at a small moon. "As soon as we are done here your first mission is to rendezvous and evacuate the crew. It is our hope that they will have telemetry date on the escape pods that will allow you to triangulate the Ticonderogas last known position."
P'rett motions to the Caitian who had been waiting patiently to the side. "This is Commander M'ril. I am assigning him to you for the duration of this mission. He will be your liaison to an Anti-borg Stroke force I am assigning to your ship. Once you find the Ticonderoga They will board and attempt to extract the admiral and any remaining officers. If the ship is salvageable you are to escort it to safety. If it is not they will scuttle the ship."
"The scans we have received of the area have shown this entire sector to be unusually active. The system is a dead zone. Subspace communications are nearly impossible and risks interception by the borg. This prevents us from contacting the crew of the Ticonderoga and will prevent you from contacting the fleet. With any luck you will be able to get in and out without incident. However My engineer has developed a plan B. We are rigging up a special transmitter that is capable of sending a tightly focused and brief transmission. It will be a powerful signal that should break through any interference and nearly impossible to intercept. The catch is you must point it where you want the transmission to go with pinpoint accuracy."
"While you are busy the 7th fleet will continue to muster here" P'rett points at a sector of space several light years from the Nora system. "We will set up a receiver at these exact coordinates." P'rett again points at a series of coordinates at the bottom of the map. "Should you run into any problems send the transmission and we will make a beeline to you."
"Any questions?" Gerron shook his head no, "Good, I expect you to be underway in 15 minutes." Gerron then Escorted the Admiral back to the Transporter pad as the last of the assault squad beamed aboard.
The USS "Eternal" Salvation has provided last minute telemetry on Borg vessel movements before the Iapetus entered the dead zone. Once inside we immediately went into low power mode cutting off all nonessential systems and bringing the life support systems to minimum. We are taking a circuitous route through the dead zone relying on the sensor data we received to steer clear of any Borg vessels. The two vessels we have come close to were tense affairs not aided by the stuffy conditions the life support is providing.
After a long and grueling couple of hours we have arrived at our first destination. I have nestled the ship inside a shattered planetoid that had been caught in the moons gravitational field. We began to scan the surface of the moon for survivors and by good fortune have come across the survivors almost immediately. I will be leading a rescue party.
-------------------------------------------
The surface of this part of the moon was harsh and largely barren. A few alien plants struggled to find sustenance and only survived where rock protected them from the wind. The wind itself blew particles of rock and sand which, over time, had eroded several rock formation into bizarre works of art. The remains of the shattered planetoid the Iapetus had taken refuge in loomed above them behind a green sky.
Nearby several Escape pods had been quickly formed into a makeshift settlement. Captain Gerron lead his away team towards the shelter and was intercepted by several Security officers. Upon seeing his uniform the men called out, "Identify yourself."
Gerron raised his hands slightly to show them he was not armed. "I am Captain Gerron Vek of the USS Iapetus. I have been ordered to retrieve the survivors of the Ticonderoga. I need to speak with whoever is in command so we can get started with the recovery."
The two glanced at each other and relief shown on their faces. "Good to see you sir. Follow us and we can take you to Commander S'trahn. He's the ranking officer."
Gerron nodded and followed the men into the settlement. Most of the Ticonderogas crew was active. Some were working on modifying equipment and the shelters to help better survive the elements. Others were tending to crewmen who were injured from the Borg attack and unable to work.
Gerron was led into a central shelter where a tall and powerfully built Reman was found pouring over several data PADDs. The Security officers introduced Gerron and then
waited outside. "It's good to see you Captain. I am Commander S'trahn. I trust you made your way all the way out here for our benefit?"
Gerron nodded, "I'll want to evacuate your people as soon as we can."
S'trahn waved a PADD in Gerrons direction. "Good, I wasn't looking forward to trying to make this our permanent home." He tossed the PADD onto his desk. "Nothing grows here and the neighbors in this part of space aren't too friendly."
"How soon can you be ready?"
"There isn't anything here we would really need to take with us. Most of us can leave right now. The wounded will need a little prep time though. I think we can get them
ready in about a half an hour."
"Good." Gerron activated his combadge and informed the ship to begin evacuation procedures before turning back to S'trahn, "We are running with a skeleton crew. We will need to fill out the crew with those of your crew who are still able for the next part of our mission."
The Reman paused for a few seconds, "Most of my crew has been busy and needs rest but they are able enough. Exactly what is this second phase of your mission?"
"We are going after the Ticonderoga. Our orders are to recover any survivors we can."
The Reman leaned back in his seat and stroked his chin, "I see. What are you hoping to find? The Borg tend not to leave anything in their wake unless they are in a hurry and even then they leave only wreckage."
"Command believes that Admiral Fortin and his crew may still be alive. We intercepted a communique from his ship about 16 hours ago that indicated that he and his officers had barricaded themselves off from the Borg."
The Reman nodded, "Yes, we received the same call. As I recall the admiral specifically said to stay away from the ship." S'trahn held up his hand to forestall the response Gerron was about to give. "I understand, You have your orders. I will be happy to help in whatever capacity you see fit."
Gerron smiled and said, "Thank you. It would help if I had a better picture of what happened. What do you remember?"
S'trahn sighed and shook his head, "We went on a fools errand. Several ships had gone missing without a trace near here and we were investigating their disappearance. We ssumed the borg had got them but the Admiral wasn't wanting to leave anyone behind until he was sure they couldn't be recovered."
"Yesterday..." S'trahn paused and shook his head at the realization that only a day had passed. "Yesterday we had come across a faint distress call from one of the vessels. We went to investigate and followed the signal into the Ragnar Nebula. Everything was a blur of activity from there."
S'trahn paused and Gerron asked, "You don't remember anything about the attack?"
"I wasn't on the bridge when it first happened. The ship was rocked by several blasts almost immediately after we entered the nebula. The call went out to go into MVA mode and we all ran to our stations. When I got to the bridge we were diving deeper into the nebula. The borg were everywhere and we quickly lost contact with the alpha and charlie sections of the ship. The Beta section had suffered heavy damage and had lost warp capability. So, with the Borg closing in, Admiral Fortin ordered us to abandon ship."
"I was told to take charge of the survivors and to lie low on this moon here. It was the only thing we could find on such short notice that was within range of the pods. The admiral and the rest of the bridge crew stayed behind to buy us time to escape. The last I saw the ship was hit with several torpedoes and went dark. I assumed everyone dead at that point but shortly after we landed here we received that general broadcast from the Admiral warning that the ship had been lost and that we had abandoned ship. Shortly after that broadcast all comm traffic in the area was jammed."
"I see." Gerron looked out at the survivors, "So only a third of the crew made it then?"
"No, the Beta Section was more durable than the other two. The admiral made it a policy to man the other sections with a minimal complement. Most of the crew was on the Beta section when we abandoned ship. As for everyone else...We've not heard form anyone in the other sections and we don't really expect to."
Both men fell silent for a few seconds. Outside the sound of the transporter could be heard. Eventually Gerron broke the silence, "We should make our way to the ship. I'll need the data records from the Escape pods."
S'trahn looked around at the PADDs in front of him for a moment and nodded to Gerron, "You shall have them."
Borg ships have been showing up with more regularity and we have had to take a more circuitous route to the Ragnar nebula. As a result it has taken us nearly four hours to arrive at the outskirts. Masking our energy signature has become relatively easy now. The addition of the Ticonderoga crew has also smoothed operations quite a bit. Doctor Drahd has his hands full in sickbay but the wounded crewmen are stable.
I have been reviewing the data recovered from the Ticonderoga crew. We are trying to triangulate the Ticonderogas last known position using the ships entry point into the nebula and the escape pods exit point as references. The nebula itself is fairly harmless but it is filled with Asteroids that are rich in Roninite. This mineral renders long range sensors unreliable. We will be forced to feel our way through the nebula once inside and will make the ship difficult to find. It will be a slow and tedious process and we are running out of time.
------------------------------------------
"Sir, take a look at this." Lieutenant Ziro pointed at the screen in front of her. Captain Gerron approached the station along with Commander S'trahn. They stood behind
her and peered at the data as she continued, "I've been trying to track the movements of all the Borg ships we've been encountering and of the twenty we have seen eighteen of them are either coming from or leaving this point." She pressed a button and the screens image began to draw white broken lines showing the paths of all the ships they had encountered. Almost all of them converged on the Ragnar nebula."
"Do you have any idea what's in there?" Gerron asked,
"No sir but There is more. Here is the telemetry of the escape pods. A blue broken line was drown exiting the nebula nearly eight AUs from the converging borg points. "And this is the Ticonderogas original telemetry." This time a Red broken line was drawn entering the nebula and it intersected all of the Borg lines.
S'trahn and Gerron looked at one another. Gerron raised his eyebrows and said, "I guess that sheds some light on what happened to the Ticonderoga. Was there any Sensor data recovered from the Ticonderoga about what's in there?"
S'trahn shook his head, "No, All we have are the logs. None of the crew reported anything other than alot of Borg when we entered the cloud. we were set upon immediately."
Gerron mulled over the information and looked up at the chronometer. "Let's go take a quick look. Helm, Lay in an change course to bring us into the Nebula close to the Ticonderogas entry point. Give us half an AU's distance. I don't want you to bring us on top of whatever is in there." Ensign Tebinog nodded and made the course correction. Gerron turned back to Zire, "Will our energy mask be hampered in this nebula?"
She shook her head, "No sir. If anything it should improve it."
Gerron nodded and returned to his chair. The crew waited in silence for five minutes as the ship closed the distance. The crew tensed as the Ship moved across the boundary
into the Nebula but no borg was waiting for them. Upon entering the nebula all the lights on the bridge dimmed a little and long range sensors went out. The Nebula itself was dense with asteroids and Gerron ordered the ship to 1/4 impulse.
"Sir," Ziro began, "I am reading a large area of the nebula that seems to be devoid of these asteroids. It would be close to where all of this traffic has been leading. I am also picking up a Federation emergency locator beacon from the Ticonderoga. The signal is weak due to the interference from the Roninium but I can us it to pinpoints the ships location."
"Is it inside the asteroid free zone?"
"No sir. The signal is deeper inside the nebula."
Commander S'trahn cocked his head a little, "Why would the admiral activate the emergency locator beacon after telling us to stay away?"
Gerron offered, "Perhaps he had a change of heart. Maybe his situation has changed since he sent that last broadcast. With the communications blackout in this area he wouldn't be able to send another conventional message." Gerron looked over the Sensor data Ziro had provided. "Let's go take a look at this...void... first since it is on the way. Helm, work with Ziro and try to nestle us in some of these asteroids close to that area."
A few minutes later the ship nestled itself into a small group of asteroids and the crew looked into the void. In the center of the void was a massive complex. Obviously of Borg design. Several cubes and dozens of Spheres could be seen docked with the complex. near the Center of the complex the crew found 2 more cubes that appeared to be unfinished. One was a simple wire frame while the other had that same frame design half filled.
Gerron shook his head, "Is this a shipyard?"
Lieutanant Jiral consulted his instruments and gave a little shrug. "It is at least the Borg equivalent of one."
Gerron looked over to S'trahn, "And the Ticonderoga walked strait into it. That is a small Armada of ships just sitting here." He paused for a second as another Borg cube
entered the nebula and headed for the station. "Mr Tebinog, Let's get moving. Take us to the Ticonderoga and keep close to the asteroids."
For the next half an hour the Iapetus picked its way through the Asteroid field before coming across the source of the locator beacon. On teh Screen the Beta section of the
Ticonderoga lie was powerless and adrift. Large hole could be seen in its hull and one of the warp nacelles was completely missing. Parts of the ship looked as though it had been assimilated but the borg components were also dark. Only about a third of the ship had been showed signs of assimilation.
"Are there any life signs?" Gerron asked.
Ziro looked over her instruments and shook her head, "I can't tell. The Borg are notoriously hard to detect and the battle bridge has some sort of field blocking the
sensors."
Commander S'trahn nodded and said, "That is an emergency scattering field that was fitted to the Ticonderoga during her last refit. It's designed to keep people from beaming strait onto the bridge during battle. That would be where the Admiral is if he is still alive. It is curious that the Borg hadn't bypassed it by now."
Jiral pointed at the borg sections of the ship that appeared to be without power. "Maybe he disabled the Borg somehow. It could be why he is trying to get help now."
Gerron activated his intercom, "Gerron to Commander M'ril, Have your away team ready for transport in five minutes." Gerron waited for acknowledgment and turned to Jiral, "See that they are provided with some portable life support units and some scuttling charges." Jiral nodded and headed for the turbolift.
Several minutes later the away team was beamed down close to the battle bridge. The bridge crew was quiet as Commander M'ril reported on their progress. "Our entry zone is secure, Everything is pitch black in here. Even the emergency lights are out. our tricorders are picking up some power nearby and we are moving to investigate. There are signs of assimilation and we are passing several alcoves. There are Borg in the alcoves but they appear to be without power as well. We are moving in on the power source now. It appears to be a computer terminal. We are accessing it now. Sir, This appears to be where the Locator Beacon is coming from. It doesn't appear to be connected to the Bridge. According to this all power to the bridge has been deliberately cut. the scattering field appears to be drawing power from this station as well. We are attempting to disable it."
The Iapetus rocked to one side as though it had been stuck. Lieutenant Ziro raised her voice in barely controlled panic, "Sir, The Ticonderoga just emitted some sort of pulse. We are visible. Everything in this area is visible."
"Jiral also spoke up, "We have lost the locator beacon and are receiving some sort of Borg Beacon in its place. It appears to be some sort of coordinates. I'm reading power building up on the Ticonderoga."
Commander M'ril also reported, "Sir there is activity down here. Power appears to be coming back online and." Phaser fire could be heard over the intercom, "The Borg are becoming active."
Ziro then reported, "I have two new sensor contacts, Very close." The ship shook as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "We are being held with a tractor beam."
"On screen/" Gerron commanded and the screen shifted to show two slightly smaller sections of the Ticonderoga. Borg devices covered both of their hulls and one did indeed hold the ship in a green Tractor beam..
"Shields are being drained" Jiral Reported.
Commander Tolza sprung to her feet and made her way to the tactical station. After pressing in a short series of commands she fired a photon torpedo. The Torpedo struck a nearby asteroid and hurled it between the the Iapetus and the assimilated Ticonderoga. The Iapetus shook again as the Tractor beam released it and grabbed hold of the asteroid instead. Tolza whirled around and looked to the Helm. "Go. Go. make us go!."
The Pakled at the Helm lept into action and the Iapetus immediately sped off.
Gerron turned to Ziro, "Will that transmitter the Admiral fitted us with be able to transmit inside this nebula?"
Ziro nodded, "Yes sir. It was designed to cut through the Borg jamming in this area. It would make short work of the interference in here."
"Then send a message. Tell them we have found the Ticonderoga but we have alerted the Borg. We need reinforcements. Also make them aware of the Shipyard and give our best guess as to the number of ships." Gerron tapped a button on his chair and opened a comm to Commander M'Ril. "We are being forced to withdraw. Continue your mission and try to find the Admiral. If You don't hear from us in an hour you probably wont be hearing from us."
The Iapetus darted ahead narrowly missing Asteroids as it weaved around. The Two assimilated pieces of the Ticonderoga were in hot pursuit. Every opening the Iapetus gave them they fired and hit their mark. As the Iapetus darted forward more vessel joined the chase. Several Borg Spheres kept pace hemming them in and preventing escape.
Gerron moved to the Tactical station and had to catch himself on the console as the ship was again struck by the Ticonderoga. "My old captain once taught me a trick he used back in the resistance. Let's see if it works on a large scale. Mr Tebinog move us closer to that large grouping of asteroids." The Pakled obeyed and the Iapetus hurtled towards the asteroids taking several hits while it was exposed. "As soon as I fire cut all power and bring us to a dead stop." The crew nodded and as they crossed into the asteroids. Gerron activated his specially modulated phasers and struck the asteroids. The blast interacted with the Roninium and caused a chain reaction that filled the entire area with charged particles that blinded all sensors.
The bridge lay dark as the crew immediately powered down the ship. Several minutes passed while the crew waited. "The effect should clear in about ten minutes. Did you get the message away?"
"Yes sir. Assuming they started heading this way as soon as they got it they should be here in twenty minutes."
Gerron nodded and waited. After waiting twelve minutes Lieutenant Ziro reported that the sensors were starting to come back online. Shortly afterwards the Iapetus started rocking gently. Lieutenant Ziro reported that the Borg we firing charged particles into the Asteroid formation. Each hit acted like a spotlight in the area struck. After a few more minutes thee charges started to get close to the ship.
Gerron mulled over the problem and headed to the Conn. "Mr. Tebinog, Do exactly as I say..."
The Iapetus Sprung from its hiding place and darted past a Borg Sphere making a beeline for the edge of the Nebula. All the Borg ships immediately reorientated themselves and lept into pursuit. The Iapetus weaved through Asteroids where only the Ticonderoga could easily follow. For several minutes Gerron lead the Borg on a chase through the asteroids until finally he Emerged from the nebula only to be met by Several Borg cubes.
The Iapetus reversed course and tried to head back into the nebula but the pursuing ships had caught up an hemmed them in. Again the Iapetus turned around and headed directly towards one of the cubes. It was instantly caught in a tractor beam.
The borg sent a transmission forcing all communication devices in the area open and transmittered their dreadful cadence. "WE ARE THE BORG. LOWER YOU SHIELDS AND SURRENDER YOUR SHIP. RESISTANCE IS..." the Borg paused as the Iapetus disappeared and was replaced by a small probe that simply self destructed.
The Borg began to scan the area in earnest but was interrupted by several Quantum torpedos. The 7th fleet had arrived. As the battle began the Iapetus powered up and dove back into the nebula.
<<OK. There are two areas of action here. You can either be part of the fleet or part of the Away team. I tried to leave the away team as open as I can. Commander M'Ril is my liaison and not necessarily in command. You can take part in both scenes if you wish using your bridge officers. Assume you were part of the Anti-borg squad Admiral P'rett sent with the Iapetus and were on board the whole time. Feel free to act as you will. Admiral Fortin will be found as described in the first part of this post. The Fleet can deal with the Shipyard or not. Around 21 hours has passed from when the message was sent and now. >>
<<near the end of phase 1 i slammed my ship into a unimatrix ship cutting off the retreat from Kinkade station, in turn the ship was destroyed( the U.S.S. Essex) buying the time required for an escape, however in doing so i was taken by the borg. gonna chat with some people see if we can't find me or rescue me or something>>
"Sir critical damage to the 1st Borg cube." Lt. Karrith advised as I watched the explosions on the view screen from the barrage of quantums, some of which launched from the North Carolina.
"Shift fire to the 2nd cube, Attack Pattern Omega. Fire everything we got, and launch the Cardinals. Have them focus on our target." I quickly ordered Karrith.
At that time the ship began to rumble softly beneath my feet as all of her heavy cannons began to rumble off pulse after pulse. The sound of the quantums could be heard zooming over the top of the bridge heading for the next Borg cube. The North Carolina was earning the name as the big guns of the fleet, and at that moment she began showing exactly how much she could dish out.
I saw on the view screen as the Cardinals, an adopted squad name for the compliment of fighters aboard the ship, darted toward the targeted cube.
"Keep all emergency power to shields. I want all auxiliary power maintained to our structural integrity. Rotate all hazard emitters systems." I heard from my right, as Commander Eliza Martinez ordered to the bridge crew. As my first officer, she quickly knew what orders I would be giving next.
I knew this was going to be a battle for the books. In just the few seconds into the battle I knew in my heart that we would get out of this alive. The backbone of this crew had been through enough hard Borg engagements to know how to take their ships down swiftly. But in my mind as always, I feared the worst. After all, regardless of the crews strength and the sheer firepower of the ship, this was the Borg. I'd accepted a long time ago that any fight with the Borg could be the last.
"Sir, their shield facing has collapsed!" Lt. Nicole Jackson said in a tone of urgency. It didn't take long for the Borg to regain some of their shield strength once a facing was done. She knew we only had a second of two to finish the cube off and end it's threat giving us more of a chance to survive.
"Fire all photon banks, forward and port on our target, starboard to the Phalanx's target!" I commanded Karrith.
In a split second the view screen was filled with the image of photon torpedo's heading for the cube. The North Carolina was capable of launching up to 90 photons at once to multiple targets. At that second I could hear the hum of the quantums going over the bridge with them, as Karrith sent what was ready in those tubes. A barrage of red with a couple of tiny blue specks converged on the cube in the view screen and erupted in a fiery explosion.
"Sir, target has been disabled" Lt. Karrith voiced. Even through his deep Klingon voice I could pick up on the relief in his voice.
In a matter of roughly 30 seconds we had managed to take out 2 cubes. Things were starting to really look up.
"Order Cardinals 1-3 to escort the Phalanx, 4-6 to fire on best target." Eliza ordered to Lt. Jackson.
"Shift all cannon and turret fire to nearest target. Get those photon tubes reloaded Lt." I said to Karrith as I got up to check the status of the ship. So far our shields had absorbed all that had been thrown at us.
45 seconds into the fight, I expected no less from Tristan, my chief engineer. I knew she would keep this ship in the fight no matter what it took. Lucky for her she didn't have a view screen to see how many ships the Fleet was up against, otherwise she might kill me before the Borg.
All I could do now was sit and wonder how the progress was going to get the Fleet Admiral out of this mess and how long this fight would have last to keep the Borg off the team rescuing him and his crew. As good as this ship and her crew is, everything has it's limit. I just hoped our luck would continue to hold.
"Target the Sphere that's trying to blindside the North Carolina." Captain Mavendorf ordered calmly, "Bring us around for a full broadside and target the following coordinates." She entered a string of numbers into the tactical console she had moved to stand beside.
"Aye Sir." her First Officer, Three of Seven replied.
The Leyte Gulf fired a spread of Quantum Torpedoes and then swung hard to starboard before unleashing a full broadside into the Sphere that had been moving up on the North Carolina's flank. The torpedoes with their slower flight time impacted just after the phaser fire tore into the enemy vessel, rocking it and sending huge plumes of debris into space. It immediately slowed as power to it's drives was cut.
The Leyte Gulf circled the damaged ship pouring a constant barrage of fire into it. After one orbit the Sphere exploded as it's warp core breached.
"Port shield failing Sir!" Three announced as the shock wave from the destroyed sphere shook the Soveriegn class like a chld's toy.
"Divert power from the other shields Number One." Mavendorf ordered. She scanned the tactical overlay, her mind working out which Borg ships were the biggest threat to the North Carolina as it punched a hole in the main line of Borg ships. She made a decision and entered another set of coordinates "Target these coordinates on this cube please Number One."
Aye sir." Three replied. The Leyte Gulf swung gracefully to port, taking her weak but rapidly recovering port shield out of the line of fire as her phasers opened fire on the designated cube. The Borg ship responded by locking a tractor on the Gulf and firing a spread of torpedoes.
"Polarize the hull! Full emergency impulse, evasive pattern twelve!" Mavendorf ordered. The Gulf slipped free of the tractor and lept forward, dodging all but one of the torpedoes. The one that hit knocked the starboard shields down and slammed into the hull just aft of the starboard nacelle strut.
"Report!"
"Hull breech on decks twelve through fourteen sir. Emergency force fields have containment for now...no critical system damage but there were light casualties." Three reported.
"Very good. Continue the attack." Mavendorf ordered.
The Gulf was wounded but not seriously so. Mavendorf nodded to herself, her ship could take far more punishment than this, and she sure as hell planned on dishing out far more than she received today. The North Carolina was carving a hole...the Leyte Gulf would see to it that nothing stopped her.
"Prepare a full spread of quantums, prepare to fire all antiproton banks in every direction you can think of, we're going to get the attention of every borg ship there is" Fleet Captain Ryo Himura commanded to his very capable crew aboard the U.S.S. "Eternal" Salvation. Being one of the largest cruisers in the fleet meant that he could get away with that ridiculously crazy plan.
"Aye Sir," Thryiss his first officer replied and punched a few commands into the tactical station. "Quantums and antiproton banks ready at your command, Captain."
She was just in time as they entered the system:
"Fire! Extend shields around as many 7th ships as you can and keep the borg off of them!"
With that command the "Eternal" Salvation hurled a spread of quantums, not only at the borg cube that was attacking the North Carolina, but at every ship in the vacinity. Their antipronton beams very accurately missing every 7th ship in the system and firing in 2 second intervals to gain the attention of the Borg.
"Full power to the weapon systems! Keep rotating shield frequencies and "adapt" to the borg, show them a taste of their own irritating medicine," Himura commanded as the "Eternal" Salvation was recently outfitted with even more advanced Borg systems. Enemy tech sure, but until the Borg were defeated he didn't care what he used.
"Sir, the Leyte Gulf and North Carolina have taken out the Borg ships closest to the rescue team's location, the Gulf has minor damage but no word on the Carolina," reported his chief science officer Sioza Coril (who also doubled as the communications officer).
"Right, I want to cut off the rest of the Borg force that's in combat with the 7th right now so that they can't get any closer to the rescue team's location. Let's use our signature "move" eh?" Himura said with a little sarcasm in his voice since he was known to do this quite alot.
With that the "Eternal" Salvation put all weapon power into their engines for the moment and flew between the Borg and the rescue team's location, spreading warp plasma as thick as they could while laying down a spread of quantum mines behind the plasma.
"That should do it, all power back to weapons, let's head back and get their attention off of the 7th ships." Fleet Captain Himura commanded then added: "Oh, and don't forget to tell the 7th where our trap is, we don't want them running into the plasma OR our mines."
"Aye sir," Sioza Coril responded as the "Eternal" Salvation raced back with their antiproton banks firing in spread, quantums just behind.
“Sir, shouldn’t we be supporting the North Carolina?” Lt Theanoo asked. The senior staff of the USS Walking Dead was having an ad hoc meeting at the rear master display on the bridge.
“Captain Huckabee is a big boy, he can handle himself. The Borg shipyard is our primary
concern. Since Captain Gerron stirred up the hornet’s nest by finding the Ticonderoga, this thing has kicked into high gear. If we don’t neutralize this threat now, none of us will leave this nebula without nanite implants. As it stands, we’re the only ship that can still sneak in close to take a shot.” Captain Hammond replied.
During the USS Walking Dead’s recent repair and overhaul, the ship’s cloaking system had been upgraded using captured borg tech. This had effectively made the ship invisible to borg sensors. She was currently sitting just within 10 km off the starboard side of the shipyard.
“Lt Sivok, what do you have for me?” the Captain asked his Vulcan science officer.
“Captain, scans indicate the only way to shutdown the shipyard is to take down this structure here.” He pointed to a circular structure at the center junction of the facility. “All nanite production originates from this section. There is a 92.77 percent chance that disabling this junction will disable the facility. However, the junction is protected by shield emitters here, here, and here. Which are in turn protected by these shield emitters on the outer docking structures. I estimate we have a 15.001 percent chance of successfully disabling these emitters long enough to damage the nanite junction.” Lt Sivok reported.
“Lt Theanoo, what’s your tactical analysis?” Captain Hammond said, turning to address his Executive Officer.
“Sir, it’s possible…but to get the power needed will likely fry our weapon control systems. We should contact the fleet for assistance.” Was the reply.
“Lt, your opinion is noted. We’re already risking enough by not assisting the fleets’ main push. The fact of the matter is we’re on our own. “ the Captain said, he turned to address the ensign manning the tactical station.
“Tactical, prepare to execute attack pattern Alpha I. As soon as we decloak, divert power from all systems to weapons. Lead with the antiprotons with the quantums close behind. We’re going to try and overwhelm their emitters before they have a chance to adapt.”
The Ensign punched commands into the tactical and weapons consoles. Lt Theanoo took over the station and double checked the power levels and calculations. “We’re ready Sir!” she said.
“Execute!”
------------------------------------------------
Next to the shipyard, space seemed to ripple and distort. After a couple of seconds the modified Defiant escort materialized into view. Weapons ports glowed red as all available power was diverted into the ships antiproton beams, cannons, and turrets. A super charged red beam lashed out from the dual beam array, accompanied by red cannon and turret fire. The signature green borg shields flared to life to contain the antiproton onslaught. After a few seconds, the borg shield emitters sparked and exploded. The green shields dissolved and disappeared just as the glowing blue quantum torpedoes streaked through the opening, striking the nanite junction. Explosions tore open the junction and radiated out through the shipyard facility.
--------
On the bridge of the Walking Dead, sparking consoles and smoke filled the dimly lit bridge.
“Status Report!” Captain Hammond bellowed.
“Sir, no casualties reported. Weapons and shields are offline. We’re attempting to reroute those systems through engineering. Sensors and life support are functional, but engines are down to 15 percent efficiency.” Lt Theanoo reported.
“Lt Sivok, what’s the status of the shipyard?” the Captain asked.
“The explosions appear to have caused a feedback loop in the shipyards power matrix. The facility will go critical in the next 2 minutes and counting.” Came the reply.
Captain Hammond tapped the com button on his arm rest. “Engineering, get us the hell out of here!” he said. The only reply was an exasperated “Aye, sir!” from his chief engineer.
“Helm, plot a course out of the nebula best possible speed! …Engage! XO, let Admiral p’Rett and the fleet know they’re about to see some spectacular fireworks and brace for impact.” The Captain said.
"Commander, compile incoming action reports into a visual display. Sync them with fleet battle telemetry."
Shackelford stood over a horizontal C3 console on the Valley Forge's darkened battle bridge. He watched intently as it came to life, displaying the local Ragnar nebula. Areas of the environment were darkened in color to indicate heavy sensor interference. One by one, various blue and green symbols representing Fleet 7 or Borg vessels began to pop onto the viewscreen.
His First Officer drew her finger across a massed line of ships. The Iapetus. The North Carolina. The Leyte Gulf. The Salvation.
"The outcome of this contest is by no means certain, Captain," she said firmly. The number of Borg symbols in opposition to the 7th's picket line wasn't getting any smaller, despite a few confirmed kills. "So far they have been able to hold them in check, but we can't be sure what the Borg are holding back within the nebula."
Shackelford's eyes made a beeline for the Walking Dead. He was extended well beyond any measure of safety, in the center of a Borg shipyard nestled deep within the Nebula itself.
Not far off was the symbol that interested him the most - the shattered remains of the Tico's Beta section. It was the key to this whole operation. Any sacrifices the Fleet endured would be made good if they could get to the Admiral and get him out of there.
Fleet Captain Shackelford's eyes met his First Officer's. She sighed. "I've already plotted the most expiditious route to the Ticonderoga. By going over the top of the nebula, we can avoid any nasty surprises and maintain a high level of speed. I believe the human phrase is 'Damn the Torpedoes,' sir."
Shackelford smiled, the light from the console below casting a devilish aspect to his grin. "Full speed ahead, then, Commander. Maintain communications silence. I want to be in and out before anyone even knew we were there."
Captain Mavendorf raised the eyebrow not covered by a Borg implant as she examined the tactical overlay "it would seem that the Walking Dead has made a bit of a mess of that shipyard Number One..." She paused to plot a course change with her finger "The shock wave should disrupt the Borg along this axis..hail the North Carolina and let Captain Huckabee know that we will have a seventeen second window of opportunity to deal some serious damage when that shock wave hits them."
"Aye sir." Three replied. She moved to the com console and hailed the North Carolina as Mavendorf conned the Gulf into a position that would allow a fast charge into the about to be disrupted Borg formation.
"Captain Huckabee has acknowledged Captain." Three reported
"Very good Number One." Mavendorf replied as she looked up at the main view screen "Our first target will be the Tactical Cube on the left..I want everything locked on to the following coordinates...all available power to phasers...let's do this right the first time eh?" She said as she entered a string of coordinates into the tactical display.
Three didn't reply..she was watching as the shock wave came at them "All hands brace for impact!"
<<about 50 meters outside Admiral Fortin's battle bridge, and current location>>
standing in an alcove..... in a line of alcoves....... nothing happened... no thoughts... no movement... just... the hum of the collective ringing thru my mind...
the Hallway was dark, lit only by a ev suit light which was just above a shattered helmet. The expression of the man's face inside was... well it was as if he felt his death happen from the inside out, the greenish tint of the nanite infected officer was barely visible in the light, but 'Skye of Borg' standing in the alcove next to him was clear as day...
Last edited by Runaz on 08/01/12 23:27; edited 1 time in total
Arriving at the edge of the nebula, Bor'annus, as typical an Andorian if there ever was one, stood up as the tactical situation updated on the forward viewscreen.
"Admiral, the situation is firming up. We have reports on the North Carolina, Leyte Gulf, Walking Dead, Salvation, and Iapetus in these locations and on these trajectories." This was from Commander Phall'nes, his Aenar First Officer. Blue Starfleet symbols appeared on the display as they were mentioned. A sixth symbol, flashing a golden blue and on a very different trajectory from the others came into being with the designation "Valley Forge" "Fleet Captain Shackelford appears to be making an attempt to get close to the Ticonderoga."
"What's left of her, you mean," p'Rett tended towards bluntness, unless a more tactful tone was absolutely required. "Tight-beam a signal to Shackelford, tell them we'll follow them in and meet them on board the Tico."
A gruff, yet definitely feminine voice came from behind and to the right. "Nebula interference should work in our favor for at least part of the way, Admiral." B'lpor, his Chief Science Officer, one of a relative handful of Klingons still serving in Starfleet since the start of the Federation-Klingon War, shared his blunt and direct tendencies. "It's a good day to die, regardless." She allowed herself a toothy grin as he glanced back over his shoulder at her.
"For them, B'lpor, for them. I have way too much work waiting on my desk to be allowed to die today." Turning back towards the viewscreen, he sat back in his command chair. "Full speed ahead, folks. We have an Admiral that's counting on us."
The Galor class warship, U.S.S Mackinaw glides past the much larger vessels of the 7th Fleet as spiral phaser arrays fire every direction. While very few shots hit any Borg ship, most of the beams are targeted upon the constant stream of Plasma Torpedoes intent on taking down more of the 7th.
The bridge is filled with smoke as a Cardassian warning can be heard over the roar of battle. Greenhaven coughs as the smoke hits his lungs. "Damnit Kagaan, where is my uplink?!"
Commander Kagaans voice can be heard over the comm as he toils away deep in the bowls of the ship. "I'm working on it sir, i need more time"
"You dont have any more time, get it up now!" Greenhaven's frustration begins to show in his tone.
"Sir, another torpedo got through to the Eternal Salvation. Our beams just arnt accurate enough to get them all" Lt. Dage reports from Tactical.
Greenhaven looks at Commander Baars manning Operations. "Extend our shields, beam over an engineering team. The Salvation seems to have made a few friends, she is going to need our help"
At Greenhavens right side sits Commander Umozi, First Officer. "Sir, CIC is useless without that uplink. We can not get the data to the fleet without it"
"I know exec, i know" Greenhaven replies as he turns back to Umozi.
"Chief to the bridge, Uplink is online, i repeat ONLINE"
Greenhaven stands up with a look of satisfaction on his face "Great job chief, now lets keep it up"
"Of course sir!"
Greenhaven taps a key on his command console "Greenhaven to CIC. Up-link is ready. You are clear to proceed"
A voice from the comm replies "Rodger that, CIC is go!"
At that instant, a High bandwidth communication network is established between every 7th Fleet ship and the Mackinaw. Every Teraquad of data streaming from the Mackinaws enhanced sensors flows into the command net of each ship.
The new Combat Information Center, recently installed aboard the Mackinaw has used the new sensors to track every ship, every torpedo, every asset of the battle. Target designations are created on the fly, Vectors and threat assessments are assigned and complied with data streaming back from each ship in the fleet.
Target priorities are sent back, effectively increase the efficiency of the entire fleet by over 30%. Beams that would miss the stupendously fast torpedoes or small probes of the Borg now have data from multiple points of view. Torpedoes vanish from space in droves as the Mackinaw achieves what she was built to do.
The equally large DCC (Damage Control Center) uses these same sensors and up-links to query reports from each ship, assign triage levels, and route repair teams both on ship, and from ship to ship. Repair beams leap from ship to ship, almost at will, as every ship attempts to keep the rest of the fleet alive.
Greenhaven winches as a frigate 18 klicks to the port explodes in a show of plasma as her antimatter containment fails. Due to the flow of information in the new CIC Net, every bit of data up to her retirement is recorded for later use.
Lt Dage looks over at his Captain "Sir, the new net' is working, but the fleet is still taking too much damage. We need to stop the Borg"
"Just keep at it. Once each ship accounts for the net, we should see increased defense capabilities for the entire fleet.
Coming to a dead stop within a few hundred meters of what was once a streamlined starship known as the Ticonderoga, the Phalanx lurked amongst the gases of the nebula. A handful of figures gathered on Transporter Pad 5.
On the forward central pad stood Bor'annus, in his MACO combat gear. He was flanked by "Two," formerly of the Borg Collective, and who would answer to no other name. She was allowed to get away with it because she was on of his best engineers. On his other side was Thysi Bitoer, a Bajoran that was as passionate about science and medicine as he was about dealing swift, deadly justice to his enemies.
"Ready when you are, Chief," he said to the Tellarite female at the controls.
She smiled. "Don't bring back any strays, sir."
With the usual trans-sonic "hum" and a shimmer, they were instantaneously transported to the eerily lit and canted deck of the Ticonderoga. All three activated their hover beacons and got weapons at the ready.
"Shield to Guns, we're in," he tight-burst to Shackelford, informing him of his team's arrival.
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