COMPILE_TERMINAL_VIEW
USS Paladin
Into the Gates of Hell 2019-12-01
[July 1-15, 2005] ------------------------------------------------- Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 1 Stardate: 2407.01.04 ------------------------------------------------- (USS Paladin - Bridge - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 1630) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 16:35) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 20:35) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:35) (USS Paladin - Marine staging - MCO Conner Tirrel - 20:35) (USS Paladin - Bridge - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2036) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 20:37) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 20:37) (USS Paladin - Bridge - OPS Ensign Elizabeth Knightley - 2040) (USS Paladin - Bridge - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2041) (USS Paladin - Bridge - CONN Lt. Max - 2041) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 2041) (USS Red Claw - Cockpit - Major Menelian - 20:42) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:42) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 20:43) (USS Paladin, Engineering, ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn, 20.44) (USS Paladin - Trojan assault vessel - MCO Conner Tirrel - 20:45) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:45) (USS Paladin - Bridge - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 20:45) (USS Paladin - Trojan assualt vessel - MCO ConnerTirrel - 20:47) (USS Paladin - Sickbay - Ensign Dana Keating - 20:48) (USS Paladin - Bridge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2050) (USS Paladin - Sickbay - Ensign Knightley - 2050) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 20:51) (Keltoi one - Bridge - MCO Tirrel - 20:51) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:51) (USS Paladin - Bridge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2055) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee and ACONN Ensign (jg) Christian Soval Brownlee - 21:28) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:10) ------------------------------------------------- Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 2 Stardate: 2407.1.5 ------------------------------------------------- (USS Paladin, Ready Room, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 13:20) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 13:22) ------------------------------------------------- Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 6 Stardate: 2407.1.9 ------------------------------------------------- (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 10:00) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - ACONN Ensign (jg) Christian Soval Brownlee - 10:00) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 10:20) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 10:21) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - MCO Tirrel - 10:25) ------------------------------------------------- ==================================================== ==================================================== ==================================================== Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 1 Stardate: 2407.01.04 ------------------------------------------------- Calvin continued to discuss the probe with the CSO and TAC/SEC officer when the Captain brought up an entire different idea. "This is all very good," Eva said, as Lt. Brownlee finished speaking. "However, I have a better idea. Lets send a star ship to survey the system. A cloaked star ship." She pointed at the main viewer and the USS Praetor. "A star ships sensors are going to be far better than a probe. Ensign Knightley, hail the Praetor. I want to speak to Captain Ryenalds." As the Captain turned to look at the view screen so did Calvin. The Captain spoke briefly with Captain Reyenalds abour the recon mission. After wards Calvin turned to his seat and sat down. It only took a few minutes before the Captain spoke again. "They're heading into a trap," She said suddenly, "Call it a hunch, but I know they are heading into a trap." Calvin was surprised at first, but believed the Captain. "CONN change course. Lay in a course for that system,"Eva said, clenching her hand in to a fist. "Order the USS Kronos, USS Mournblade, IKS DuQ`etlh, and the IKS Ha'quj to form up around us. The rest of the fleet is to maintain course and speed. Bring us to just OUTSIDE of long range sensor range and come to a complete stop. If I'm wrong, I don't want to alert the enemy of our presence. But, if I am right, we will be close at hand to bail the Praetor out. Alert the Dragon Slayers that we are altering course, and order the Fighting Whatever's to be ready for immediate launch. Lt. T'Vhor, bring the ship to full combat readiness. Number One, why don't you see if you can give Mr. Brownlee a hand with that probe. We might need it sooner than we thought. "Aye sir." As the Paladin went into Red Alert mode, Calvin briskly walked over to the Science Station to help Lt. Brownlee with the probe. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 16:35) After the captain finished speaking, Cmdr. Capps started to head towards Joran. He was relieved to get some help on modifying the probe, even if it was only Plan B. "Commander, I thank you in advance for your help," Joran said. (reply Capps) "All that I need you to do right now is to do what I tell you to do." (reply Capps) "Alright, we need to first go down to the laboratory on Deck 7. All the schematics and some models of the cloaking device are there." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 20:35) The Paladin hung motionless in space, maintaining it's position in relation to the nearby system. Eva had spread the other star ships out around the system while remaining well outside of effective sensor range. This way if the Praetor showed up suddenly and in need of assistance there would be at least one star ship close at hand to render back up. The Dragon Slayers had taken up position behind the Paladin where they would effectively be invisible to any on coming enemy vessels. The Fighting Whatever's where standing by to launch within seconds of the order being given. Even the Marines were on standby, just in case. Now all they could do was wait. Eva sat in the command chair, staring at the main viewer and the distant star system. At this range, she could only make out the distant star in the distance, no planetary bodies or anything else was visible. Even the systems star seemed like just a slightly larger speck of light in the black back drop of space. The bridge was mostly silent, as Brownlee and Capps worked at the science station with last minuet alterations to the modified probe. At last Brownlee announced that the probe was ready. "Launch probe," Eva ordered, "Set it to circle the system at maximum range and slowly move in. Look for any sign of the Praetor or her fate." (Reply Brownlee) The minuets ticked by slowly, as the probe made it's programmed circuit of the system searching. At first nothing out of the ordinary had been detected, slowly the probe circled inwards, drawing closer to the system and, Eva hoped, the Praetor unharmed. Eva hated waiting, she was a person of action, but experience had taught her the usefulness of patience, so she waited. Sipping a cup of tea, and looking over reports, while keeping an eye on the tactical display on the small terminal on the arm of her chair as the minuets ticked by. She listened to the on going reports from her Science Officer and Tactical Officer as the search continued. "Contact!" Brownlee said, suddenly, "Bearing 037 mark 125!" ~Almost right at us.~ Eva thought as she put her drink down and slid forward in the command chair, eyes on the main viewer. "Identify," She said, looking briefly at Lt. T'Vhor. "It's the Praetor, and they brought company," T'Vhor said, "Reading 4 enemy star ship. No five!. Two Akira class. One Prometheus class, and two Keltoi class. The Praetor has taken heavy damage. They are losing power and won't be able to maintain their lead much longer." "CONN, set an intercept course and engage warp 7!" Eva ordered, standing, "Launch fighters and have them target the lead ships. Open fire as soon as we are in range. Order the other vessels to converge on that location." The Paladin leaped forward to engage a small fleet of enemy vessels single handedly. (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:35) Suddenly, the bridge of the Paladin was alive with action. All hands busied themselves at their respective stations as the ship brought her bow to bear upon the incoming hostiles. Lt T`Vhor quickly sent the required commands to the other ships. The Dragon slayers moved into a parallel formation alongside the Paladin & began targetting the lead vessels the moment they had come into range. By this time of course, Lt T`Vhor had acquired & targetted the prometheus class vessel & had fired a spread of four photon torpedoes. "Torpedoes away sir", said T`Vhor just as one of the Akira`s began ripping into the Paladins forward shields with a direct hit from her phaser array. The seconds went by as each of the ships veared away on random tactical vectors in their efforts to target & avoid the oncoming ordinance. Then the Paladins photons struck the Prometheus class amidships to deal her a hefty blow. "A direct hit sir", said T`Vhor, "their shields are at seventy percent, they have a hull breech on deck nine", he added. (Reply any, IYW) "Our shields are now at eighty two percent & holding, boosting power to the forward shields", said T`Vhor as the Fighting whatever`s began deploying from the Paladin to join in the fight. In just one minute, the blackness of space had become full of enemy action. The Keltoi`s had moved to engage the Dragon slayers & one of their fighters had taken a bad hit. The Klingons of course were in their element & had plunged headfirst into the centre of the developing melee with all the agression a Klingon warrior could muster. The Praetor was already heavily damaged & in need of a tactical withdrawal. Lt T`Vhor`s console was showing systems failing all over her. "Sir, the Praetor is requesting permission to withdraw from the battle to repair & regroup", said T`Vhor. (Reply Straton) "Aye sir", said T`Vhor as the battle continued to unfold around them. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Marine staging - MCO Conner Tirrel - 20:35) The moment the Paladin had come under fire, the Marine commanding officer had sent the backup teams to their posts in readiness. One of the Trojan assault vehicles had already been prepped for launch & three MBT`s had been readied for possible action beforehand in the hanger bay. Conner had by that time already called for launch clearance from the ops officer & once that clearance had been given, he knew full well their deployment was inevitable. The fully kitted pilot of the Trojan just smiled like a child in his element as he looked out through the forward screen at his CO & raised his thumb skywards in responce, just as Conner jumped aboard the already moving vessel in an almost choreographed move. Then it was off & into the battle, it`s side door closing rapidly behind him. The moment they had cleared the spacedoors, Conner lurched up to the flight deck to check the telemetrics coming in from the combined sensors of the Paladin & the other starfleet vessels. Imediately they got them, they knew where they were heading as the flight computer & the TADS system locked onto the nearest of the Akira`s as it flew around the battle group like a shark looking for prey. Before engaging, Conner quickly opened up a closed comm to the MBT`s waiting in the Paladin`s hanger deck. =/\=Drew, active telemetry is coming in now, I`m streaming it to the Mart`s flight computer, if we get the go for boarding you`ll be the first to know about it=/\= said Conner. =/\=Aye sir, we`re hot n ready=/\=, said the young marine within the MBT as he settled down with the twenty or so other marines in anticipated readiness. A quick flight in a marine boarding torpedo was enough to make anyones adrenalin pump & today was no different. Better than any roller coaster ride for sure & each one of the Marines knew it. The Trojan then sped off towards the Akira with her top mounted phazer cannon opening up onto the hull of the ship in it`s path. Imediately this had happened, two of the smaller fighters of the Dragon slayers formed alongside the Trojan to combine their firepower. Minutes later, the Akira had been disabled & was left floating in space, a victim of the well coordinated joint attack. In the Trojan, Conners hair was standing up on the back of his neck as one of the Keltoi`s was quickly designated by the TADS system onboard. It was already under fire by another of the starfleet vessels so the MCO switched the lock off & redesignated to the other Keltoi just as it began targetting the Paladin. The comms channels were suddenly alive with chatter as the Dragon Slayers & the fighting whatevers liased with one another & the Paladin in their relentless drive onwards to overwhelm the attackers. Conner gritted his teeth as he watched the red glow of phaser fire as it ripped through the airless vacuum of space all around them like some demented pyrotechnic display. He knew within that once the shields were down on the bigger vessels, the Paladin`s CO might give the go ahead for boarding, then the Martini`s would be flying... (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Bridge - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2036) From he science station Calvin looked at the view screen. Once Lt. T'Vhor had announced that there were 5 enemy ships was when the reality of another battle set onto the first officer. "Red alert," Calvin nearly yelled. As Lt. Cmdr Capps walked back to his chair that was now calling for him he thought about the probe. ~If we had not sent the probe, then the Paladin could have been destroyed.~ Calvin only thought about it for a split second, He realized that the probe had warned the Paladin there were enemy ships way before the ships sensors would have been able to. The First Officer was now seated inside of the chair that fit his body as if it was designed for Calvin specifically. Calvin heard the Captains orders, but was unable to feel the ship movement when it went into warp 7 when the Conn officer complied. Much like the Captain, the First Officer was paying attention to multiple situations on the small panels that swiveled to the first officers abdomen. Calvin sent more important information straight to the Captain as he took care of most of the situations. that popped on the screen. The battle was going faster than Lt. Cmdr Capps had realized, but Calvin was happy to know that they were being successful at stopping the enemy vessels. Everyone was doing what they did best, but so were the crews of the enemy vessels. So far, the enemy vessels had been able to almost destroy the Praetor, bring down the Paladins shields to less than 60 percent, and destroy multiple ship in the Whatevers and Dragon Slayers. As Calvin worked his console and gave out multiple commands with the Captain to a vary of officers, the Paladin shook violently. The most violent attack the ship has taken since the battle had started. Then Lt. Cmdr Capps was tested! (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 20:37) The Paladin hung motionless in space, poised for action masked in the magnetic field of Bledonossia VII. The other ships in the fleet were either cloaked, out of sensor range, or masked in the magnetic fields of other planets. Joran felt himself getting anxious. The captain then turned towards him. "Launch probe," she said. "Set it to circle the system at maximum range and slowly move in. Look for any sign of the Praetor or her fate." "Aye, sir." He presse a button on his console and the probe's signal appeared on the screen, moving quckly along the system's perimeter. "Engaging cloaking device." He pressed another button, and the probe's signal disappeared from the screen, but the telemetry kept pouring in. "Now, we wait," he said. (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 20:37) "Sir, the Praetor is requesting permission to withdraw from the battle to repair & regroup", said T`Vhor. "Acknowledged," Eva said, not taking her eyes of the main viewer and the tactical display. "They are to make best possible speed and head for the rest of the fleet. We will rendezvous with them when we are done here." "Aye sir", said T`Vhor Eva watched as the battle unfolded phaser fire and quantum torpedo's where exchanged mixed with the green of Klingon disruptor fire. The DuQ`etlh, and the Ha'quj where locked in a deadly fire fight with the remaining Akira and the Prometheus class, while the second Akira drifted dead in space. The remaining two Keltoi's where concentrating their fire on the Paladin, effectively keeping her engaged and preventing her from going to the Klingon's ships aid. The two battleships where pounding the Paladins shields "CONN course 137 mark 27 full impulse," Eva ordered in an attempt to bring the Paladin in position to lend some fire support to the DuQ'etlh, and Ha'quj. "Order Shark Bait prepped for launch." Eva had hoped to keep the Paladin's third and final fighter squadron in reserve and not use them in this engagement but the way things where unfolding she might very soon be forced to bring the full fire power of the Paladin and her support craft to bear. Then the two Keltoi did something unexpected. "Sir, the Keltoi ships engines are going critical with a large increase of power....No, something is not right. They intentionally made their engines go critical," Ensign Knightley at OPS said suddenly. Eva eyes flew from the main view screen to her tactical display just as both Keltoi shot precisely at the same time and at the same spot. The Paladin shook violently and Eva had to hold on to the arms of her chair to keep from getting thrown to the floor. The Operations console exploded, sending Ensign Knightley flying to the ground badly wounded. "Medical emergency on the bridge..HURRY!" Commander Capps yelled into his comm-badge summoning a medical team to the bridge before taking over at the now badly damaged OPS console. Eva listened to her TAC\SC, CSO, and FO as they all conjectured about the nature of the new enemy weapon. Eva's eyes narrowed as she made a decision. "Concentrate all fire on the starboard Keltoi," She said coldly, "Bring their shields down and send in the marines. I want that ship captured. Then we will learn the truth of that weapon. CONN course 235 mark 25 three quarters impulse." She pressed a button on the arm of her chair. "Engineering, I need full power to the forward shields and forward phaser canons." (Reply Engineering) The Paladin swung around bearing right down on the pair of Keltoi's and opened up with a full barrage of phaser fire and quantum torpedo's forcing the two enemy vessels to split up briefly. Once the two had separated the target Keltoi was immediately engaged by the Slayers, Whatever's and the Paladin's own powerful phaser's. Within seconds the ship was drifting powerless in space "Captain, the Marines are needing to know if they should board the Keltoi?" Commander Capps asked. "Absolutely," Eva said, "CONN hard about, keep us between the remaining enemy vessels and that Keltoi. Need to cover the marines while they work their magic." Just then there was a pair of multi-color explosions as two new ships dropped out of warp, the Mournblade and the Kronos had arrived at last. The two Keltoi's immediately split up, the Mournblade diving in to give the now badly damaged Klingon ships some much needed support while the Kronos engaged the remaining enemy Keltoi. Eva smiled an evil smile, the battle had just gone from a toss up to a sure thing. The enemy was now outgunned and out maneuvered. Realizing they could now longer win, the enemy vessels broke and made to flee. "Target their engines!" Eva ordered suddenly, "If they make it to warp prepare to pursue. We can't let them escape to report our presence." (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Bridge - OPS Ensign Elizabeth Knightley - 2040) Ensign Knightley worked her board as fast as possible. She was happy that Calvin had spent extra time with her on making adjustments on the console so she could have more efficient control over her work. She also appreciated Lt. T'Vhor for running practice drills. It really gave her a chance to feel rushed when she was fulfilling her duty. Elizabeth was reading a very high power surge in the two Keltoi class ships. "Sir, the Keltoi ships engines are going critical with a large increase of power....No, something is not right. They intentionality made their engines go critical." Right before the engines on the Keltoi ships blew, they quickly went back down to normal power. However, slightly before that happened both ships had released a phaser shot that was stronger than any normal phase attack. The beam from both ships hit the Paladin shields at the exact same spot. Elizabeth's console sparked and then blew. She was thrown back and out of her chair. She was unable to move. She laid unconscious on the floor only meters from the Captains feet. Ensign Knightley was in grave danger! (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Bridge - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2041) Calvin watched the love of his life fly through the air and hit the floor hard. He stood up quickly and ran over to her. She was bleeding on top of her head. Lt. Cmdr Capps tapped his communicator. "Medical emergency on the bridge..HURRY!" (reply Alessio) Calvin now had a choice. Stay with his girlfriend or get back in the battle with the rest of the crew. There was really no thought that went through the First Officers mind. He immediately stood up and turned away from Elizabeth. He rushed over to his old post at the Ops station. He took a seat at the barely operational console. "Sir, its true. The Keltoi ships has managed to fire some type of weapon simultaneously at us. Our shields went from 56 percent to 30 percent in one shot. The good news....it takes approx. 30 minutes or less for the weapon to charge." (reply Captain, all) "Suggest getting rid of that weapon first sir," Calvin stated the obvious, but he was caught up in the moment. Calvin was now worried about this weapon. He hoped the rest of the fleet would have show soon. "Lt. Brownlee, Lt. T'Vhor figure out everything you can about that weapon." Calvin tried to run the board, but it was in minimum use! (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Bridge - CONN Lt. Max - 2041) Lt. Max flew the ship to his best expertise. He was having to use his entire brain along with the computer to stay one step ahead of the enemy vessels. If not having to use evasive maneuvers was hard enough, the Chief Tactical officer was making it even harder. The great mind of Lt. T'Vhor continually sent target position that Lt. Max had to pilot the ship for the best shot. So far Lt. Max thought the two of them were doing a magnificent job at hitting their targets and staying away from enemy fire. Until.. The big blue beam from the Keltoi ships. "What the HELL!" Max accidentally let out on the bridge, but before he could even think about what he did a loud explosion took place next to his console. He quickly glimpsed over to see Ensign Knightley lying on the ground. Lt. Max though kept piloting the ship away from the enemy fire and to its targets. It was all he could do at the moment! (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 2041) Lt T`Vhor complied ASAP on the FO`s orders, then he turned to him with his responce. "I`m not sure that it`s a special weapon sir", said T`Vhor, "they are firing at fifty percent reduction in quick, pinpoint bursts", he added. "Compare it to a needle as opposed to a battering ram, the battering ram thumps it`s target, the needle goes right through it", said T`Vhor in an attempt to give an analogy. T`Vhor`s console however had indeed monitored a build up of unusual power coming from the Keltoi`s cores. "I may be wrong sir", said T`Vhor, "They HAVE changed their phaser tactics to those mentioned, I cannot however explain the power build up`s in their cores", he added, his brow furrowing slightly as he spoke. (Reply Capps, Any) Lt T`Vhor then turned to Lt Brownlee at the science console in order to ascertain if he had any ideas on this. "Lt Brownlee", said T`Vhor, "Do you have anything you can add to this?" (Reply Brownlee) "The readings are most unusual, I cannot deny", said T`Vhor as he reconfigured the sensors to check the findings. Imediately he did this, the Paladin shook violently again knocking some of the bridge crew from their feet as she was struck again from two of the Keltoi`s photon toorpedo`s. "Direct hit amidships sir, we have a hull breach on deck 12, no casualties, forcefields are in place & holding", said T`Vhor. (Reply Any, IYW) "Targetting the Keltoi sir, firing quantum torpedoes", said T`Vhor as the Paladin let fly with another volley of ordinance. The quantums streaked across the divide beetween them & hit home with deadly accuracy, dropping the target vessels shields to thirty percent in responce. She then withdrew to regroup with the remaining vessels. Lt T`Vhor was now recieving comms from the Slayers & the whatever`s in regards their progress, he relayed this to the CO & then returned to targetting any of the ships in range of them. (posted by Alan) (USS Red Claw - Cockpit - Major Menelian - 20:42) "All forces engage, Tally Ho, Tally Ho!" Menelian growled into his mic before switching frequencies to his unit only. "Dragonslayers, on Keltoi 1, relieve some pressure on the Praetor." All the fighters split up into their wing-pairs and immediately started juking, mostly to avoid phaser-fire from the incoming ships. Menelian squeezed his left-hand into a fist, and then gripped his throttle. The lead Keltoi ship suddenly stopped firing, causing the Romulan to frown slightly. "What are they..." he didn't have a chance to finish his answer, the phaser-grids all around the Keltoi class ship suddenly brust into action in a completely different configuration. Menelian found himself twisting the craft to avoid multiple seeking beams of phaser-fire. [The Keltoi is engaging snap-shot with beam strength set to 50%, Major] Imogene intoned calmly. Menelian ground his jaw; the ship had been engaged as a small-craft killer. Even at 50%, the phasers of a battleship were plenty strong to strip a Sphinx of shields with enough power to destroy the craft. Someone in Strategic Ops had been getting smart. =^=Dragon Seven hit!=^= Menelian cursed, "Dragon Leader to Dragons, Take that b*tch down!" he bellowed, as he depressed his torpedo trigger and launched all but two of his quantum torpedoes. (posted by Trout) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:42) Things were certainly hotting up outside now. With the Akira knocked out & drifting aimlessly, the rest of the attacking vessels were concentrating more & more effort on attempting to take out the bigger guns. The Keltoi had now engaged the Paladin & she had taken three good hits to her starboard aspect, taking her shields down to fifty six percent in the process. Lt T`Vhor was quick to respond as his console indicated the loss. "Boosting power to the starboard shields sir", he said, "the shield generators are at optimal & holding", he added as his hands flew deftly across the panel before him. "The Keltoi now appears to have switched tactics & is concentrating predominately upon the fighters, Major Menelian & MCO Tirrel have engaged her along with the rest of the Slayers", said T`Vhor. (Reply Any, None) Lt T`Vhor then returned to scanning the other ships in an attempt to deduce wether this was an isolated tactical switch or they were all following similar tactics or not. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 20:43) Ever since the Keltoi fired the special weapon that had punched right through the shields, Joran had been taking readings of the weapon, and he was perplexed. "I`m not sure that it`s a special weapon sir." T'Vhor said, "they are firing at fifty percent reduction in quick, pinpoint bursts. Compare it to a needle as opposed to a battering ram, the battering ram thumps it`s target, the needle goes right through it." T'Vhor then looked at his console, and then continued. "I may be wrong sir", he said, "They HAVE changed their phaser tactics to those mentioned, I cannot however explain the power build up`s in their cores." (Reply Capps, Any) T`Vhor then turned to Joran at the science console. "Lt Brownlee", he said, "Do you have anything you can add to this?" "I'm monitoring the special weapons and the Keltoi's power surge. My only guess is that they are using a Kamikaze tactic used in Earth's Second World War by the nation-state of Japan. They are going to blow themselves up, hoping to take some of us with them, but it's only a guess. It's impossible to tell. But it looks like the power surge is intentional," Joran said, "T'Vhor is right about the weapon. It is just a change of tactics. They are targeting weak, short bursts at the weak oints in our shield grid. If they are not using the Kamikaze tactic, then most likely they are trying to take down our shields with the least amount of power." (reply Straton, T'Vhor, any) "The readings are most unusual, I cannot deny", said T`Vhor as he reconfigured the sensors to check the findings. Imediately he did this, the Paladin shook violently again knocking some of the bridge crew, including Joran, from their feet as she was struck again from two of the Keltoi`s photon torpedo`s. "Direct hit amidships sir, we have a hull breach on deck 12, no casualties, forcefields are in place & holding." Joran picked himself up, sat back in his chair, and braced himself. Sarcastically, he said, "This is when the fun begins. Brace yourselves, lads. It's gonna be a bumpy ride." (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Engineering, ACEO Ensign Alura Rathyn, 20.44) Ensign Rathyn heard the call for repair crews and she made a bee-line for her CEO who was giving instructions to a group of crewmen near the warp core. She waited until he had finished before speaking. "Chief, shall I put together a repair team?" she asked. (Reply Matrix) "Right away sir. May I lead the team or do you want to join the fun this time?" (posted by David) (USS Paladin - Trojan assault vessel - MCO Conner Tirrel - 20:45) With the combined strikes upon the Keltoi, her shields were now down to thirty percent & micro fractures had begun to appear in sections of her hull plating. Telemetry was showing the Paladin to be suffering also & Major Menelian`s drive to disable the Keltoi at all costs was now finally reaping rewards. The Trojan had already taken some weapons damage that had taken the port & starboard phaser arrays temporarilly offline, her top mounted cannon however having it`s own dedicated fusion generator remained active, as were the fore & aft phaser cannons. In a quick move, she had veered off of an intercept to avoid another strike by the Keltoi`s pinpoint phasers, the pilot however had been quick to respond as he performed a classic sit n kick maneouver as the craft came out of it`s evasive responce. With the engines shut down, he had spun the Trojan to face the Keltoi directly below her engineering hull, then he had let fly with the top phaser cannon to rip through her failing shields & open up the underbelly of the vessel in one decisive act. Imediately, the craft slowed to a dead stop as all power failed, her lights flickering all over her exterior in responce. The hit had severed the primary feeds to the impulse engines & had rendered them all but dead in the water as the other fighters swarmed all over the now incapacitated ship. The Paladin quickly retreated away from the arena briefly to begin re-targetting another of the incoming vessels as the Trojan hit it`s afterburners & shot off at a forty five degree angle of the now crippled Keltoi. Conner tapped the pilot upon the shoulder apreciatedly. "Good work", he said, "very good work", he added as he then made his way through the interconnecting passageway to the troop compartment behind. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:45) Lt T`Vhor was in the middle of targetting the Keltoi when it struck again, this time causing another hull breach on deck seventeen. A few seconds passed before the reports actually came flying in concerning casualties, twelve crewmembers had been injured in the strike, five mortally. "Sir, we have a hull breach, casualties on deck seventeen, alerting medical now", said T`Vhor as he tried desperately to maintain a lock on the Keltoi, returning as much fire as he was able. The vessel was opening up on the fighters of the flying whatevers & the slayers at the same time as it had targetted the Paladin, one shot narrowly missing the MCO`s Trojan in the process. The Trojan however quickly brought it`s rain of terror to an abrupt halt as it scored a direct hit in her engineering hull. Lt T`Vhor quickly noted the damage on his panel & began relaying it to the CO. The Keltoi`s shields have failed sir, her engines are offline & she has suffered damage on multiple decks", said T`Vhor. (Reply CO, Any) "Aye sir", said T`Vhor as he returned to his duties at the tactical station. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Bridge - FO Lt. Cmdr Capps - 20:45) Calvin stayed seated at the ops console as the battle continued. he had informed the Captain of the hit they took, but the tactical officer and science officer was able to give more specific information that the First Officer was unable to pull from his now damaged console. As Lt. Cmdr worked on his board to at least bring some functions on it back, the Paladin was still being hit drastically by the enemy vessels. During this time Elizabeth was being carried of the bridge by an antigrav stretcher. It took all of Calvin's strength not to look over of the still body of her. Somehow, the First Officer had been able to bring back some systems, but the damage to the ship was already racking up to be a great amount. Something needed to change toward the Paladin's luck. However at this point it looked slim. Lt. Cmdr Capps had confidence in the crew and knew that they would get through this with or with out the rest of the fleet. After getting a 100 percent sensor reading on the board, Calvin was able to deliver a fraction of good news. "Sir, Keltoi one has been disable by the Fighting Whatevers, Dragon Slayers, and the Marines.." A very small smile came over his face, but it went back to it's determined origin feature just as fast. There were still more work to be done. "Captain, the Marines are needing to know if they should board the Keltoi?" (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Trojan assualt vessel - MCO Conner Tirrel - 20:47) Having been given the go ahead for boarding, Conner imediately initiated launch protocols on two of the three MBT`s waiting in the Paladin`s hanger bay. The moment the flight computers had accepted the launch codes, the Marines within felt the heavy lurch of the Mart`s thrusters engaging as they headed of on a pre-programmed course out through the space doors & into the void of space. The Keltoi, now irreperably damaged by the previous onslaught now hung motionless in space as the fighters of the whatever`s & the slayers regrouped to engage the remaining ships. One wing headed off to assist the mourneblade in her defence of the Klingon ships & the other began shadowing the Paladin in a close support role. At this point, the MCO was again up at the flightdeck of the Trojan surveying what was happening, the pilot, under Conners order had locked on to the Incapacitated Keltoi & was already moving in to a boarding position. Once there, he swung the Trojan over through one hundred & eighty degrees & latched down hard onto the hull before engaging maglocks & then the plasma cutters to open up a hole into her interior. The self sealing mechanisms imediately came online as the hull was breached, then the twelve marines in the Trojans Troop compartment piled through the conduit & directly into one of the lower deck coridoors to begin a carefully coordinated move up through the decks. Elsewhere, the MBT`s had found their targets also & were now discharging the forty or so marines between the two of them into the ship also. Inside, the stunned crew surrendered almost imediately as the Keltoi was stormed in methodical fashion by the menacingly clad marines in their BDU`s, each squad moving on in well rehearsed tactics to move up through the ship & so finally take the bridge. Within five minutes of their boarding, the Keltoi had been secured & the situation signalled forthwith to the Paladin. =/\=Tirrel to Paladin, all resistance on Keltoi one has has been neutralised, repeat, the Ketoi has been secured=/\=, said the MCO. (Reply any command on Paladin) The Ketoi`s crew were then sectioned off & contained under marine POW protocols until further notice. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Sickbay - Ensign Dana Keating - 20:48) The moment the Paladin had sustained damage to deck seventeen, the casualties had begun appearing in sickbay. The first two biobeds were imediately occupied by two of the most critical patients & these were duly attended to by the medical teams assigned to them. The explosive decompression on deck seventeen when the Keltoi had breached it had thrown any crewmembers within hard against the walls for the few seconds it took for the forcefields to initialise & contain the breach. Those casualties had ranged from broken bones to burns & on to the more life threatening injury`s such as blows to the head or spine. One such casualty was Ensign Elizabeth Knightly who had just arrived in a comatose state from the bridge after receiving a nasty blow to the back of her head after being thrown from her chair. Dana tended to her the moment she had been layed upon the biobed & it`s sensor readouts appeared on it`s overhead console. From the information being displayed, it was clear that Ensign Knightly was in a bad way, she had suffered some major brain trauma & she now needed imediate medical attention in order to save her life. Without hesitation, Dana quickly attached a cortico-stimulator to Elizabeth`s forehead in an attempt to stabilise her already failing lifesigns, but regardless of this, she was constantly lapsing into sporadic coma over & over again. One second she was awake & looking up at the medic, the next she had become unconscious & it was becoming clear now that unless Dana got the bleed in her brain under control, Ensign Knightly would suffer complete neural depletion & she would be dead within five minutes! Working as fast as she was able, Dana attempted to repair the damaged areas of the Ensign`s brain with a neural stimulator, the bleed though was not being stemmed fast enough for the cortico-stimulator to maintain her biosigns. She was also losing a lot of electrolytes due to her injury so a plasma infuser was employed so as not to complicate things any further than they already were. Dana Worked on Ensign Knightly for almost an hour attempting to bring things under control, it was definately touch & go all the way what with her having to go from one critical patient to another, but eventually, she managed to stabilise her vitals enough to be able to reapply the cortico-stimulator & bring her back to some form of consciousness again. ELizabeth`s eyes flickered open, the pain evidently hurting her eyes as the light struck her retina`s as she slowly came round. She said only one word as she did so. "Calvin?" Dana smiled as she placed her hand upon Ensign Knightly`s shoulder. "Calvin is fine Ensign Knightly, he`s on the bridge trying to get us out of this mess, you just rest now", said Dana. Elizabeth then closed her eyes once again as she fell into an exhausted sleep. After that, all that was needed was some rest & recouperation. Ensign Knightly had got through the worst of it. She was going to be ok. Dana breathed a sigh of relief & then she wiped her brow before checking on the other crewmembers that had had the misfortune enough to need her services. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Bridge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2050) The bridge was dark. The back uplights were flickering on and off. Certain panels were offline. Everything seemed like this would be their last battle. But, none of the Paladin's officers gave up. Crewpersons steadied the redundant back-up lights so they stayed on. The Captain continued to give her expert orders to all crewperson, espcially to Lt. T'Vhor. He aimed, locked, and fired with precise hits and and accuracy. Lt. Max flew the ship harder, faster, and smarter than ever. Calvin coordianated information to numerous panels, kept the ship running at the best possible out put. The teamwork of the crew was sure to prevail. The Captain gave a few more orders to Max and T'Vhor to get rid of the Keltoi class ships as fast as possible. As all crewmembers worked their magic, they were able to split the Keltoi class ships apart. At the same moment; help from the rest of the fleet came to help. The Mournblade and the Kronos. The remaining enemy ships tried to flee, but the Captain would not allow it. She sent able ships after them. Only seconds later. "All enemy ships have been disable sir." After the torpedos stopped launching, orders stopped, and Lt. Max stopped his erratic, evasive manuevering, the bridge crew fell silent. Approx. 20 seconds later went by with total silence. Calvin tried to slow is breathing and his heart rate. After a few moments: "Damage Report, all decks. Initializing repair cres Alpha and Beta." (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Sickbay - Ensign Knightley - 2050) Ensign Knightely was forced by the explosion to fly from her chair to the ground after elevating a few meters in the air. The entire time that it took the accident to take place was only a second, but to her it was 10 minutes. Once Elizabeth had hit the ground, she blacked out and no longer had the ability to hold conscious. That accident was cause for the medical team to immediately take her to Sickbay. While Elizabeth's body lyed on the bio bed her mind went into a deep dream state. Elizabeth was sitting inside of some old style hotel room. She was standing next to a table with one chair on the far side of it. It looked old to her. She slowly walked toward the chair, but on her way she looked around the room. Elizabeth turned her hand to her right and saw a door that was shut. She easily pressed her hand on the table to guide her while she looked around the room. As she kept turning her head she saw one un-made bed, and following that was a window. The curtains on the window were a dark, dirty brown. They were closed so Elizabeth was unable to see outside. By the time she saw the door that lead outside she had reached the end of the table where the old chair sat still. She slowly lowered her body on to the chair. She did not want to make any sudden moves. She did not no why, but she was frightened. She did not know where she was, why she was here, or who else was in the room. She was seated in the chair, and she placed her elbows on her knees. She took the palm of her hands and placed them over her eyes. She began to cry. She had no knowledge of why she crying but she was. It seemed to Elizabeth that her crying was more than just a cry out of fear. Something had happened. She lifted her head up to see something that she was sure was not there seconds ago. A black book now laid still on the table in front of where Elizabeth and the old chair was sitting. She extend one of her arms and slid the book closer to the edge of the table. She scooted the chair closer to the edge of the table. The wet tears kept falling from her face. She place both hands on the book and opened it up to the first page. It was a picture album. Not a computerized one, but an actual book with pictures in it. Elizabeth's mind raced back to her mothers picture album. The one that Elizabeth would look at every once in a while. Up until the point she ran way at 15. The first picture was the picture of the USS Paladin. On the second page was a picture of her self, and to the right of that was a picture of Calvin. A smile had grown on Elizabeth's face. She turned the next page and in big bold but yet elegant cursive writing read 'Calvin and Elizabeth Capps wedding.' Another huge smile came over her face. She continued to turn the pages as happy pictures of the couple kept showing up on the album. But on the last page of the book was why Elizabeth was crying so hard. One lonely picture laid on the album with the protective film over it. A casket, at a burial site, with a tomb stone that had her soul mate and suppose to be partner for life name written on it. Calvin had died some how. Then Elizabeth woke up. She had only one concern. "Calvin?" "Calvin is fine Ensign Knightly, he`s on the bridge trying to get us out of this mess, you just rest now", said Dana. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 20:51) "All enemy ships have been disable sir," Commander Capps said, signaling the end to the combat. Eva took a deep breath and sat back down in the command chair. "Damage report," She said, taking a look at the tactical display on her chair arm console. "Damage Report, all decks. Initializing repair crews Alpha and Beta," Capps replied, still working the OPS console. As Eva waited for the final damage reports, she looked over the sensor readings of the remaining enemy ships. The boarded Keltoi was still floating powerless and they were still waiting a report from the marines that had boarded the ship to capture it. The second Keltoi was a cloud of debris as was one of the Akira's. The other Akira and the Prometheus class were both drifting powerless. Plasma vented from the Akira's port nacelle and hull breeches where visible in several location including the bridge, which was now completely exposed to space. The Prometheus was in even worse shape, she had a nacelle completely missing and the other was badly damaged. Bits of the ships still drifted aimless around the lifeless hulk that had been a star ship filled with Star Fleet personnel. ~How many more have I killed today? How much more blood is on my hands?~ Eva thought darkly as she watched the drifting ships surrounded by the dead bodies of their crew. =/\=Tirrel to Paladin, all resistance on Keltoi one has been neutralized, repeat, the Keltoi has been secured=/\= Eva shook the dark thoughts from her mind at the sound of the MCO's voice. ~I can feel guilty latter. Now I still have work to do.~ "Open a channel," Eva ordered, looking at Capps. When Calvin nodded that the channel was opened Eva continued, "Acknowledged Lt., stand by to receive engineering, medical, and security teams. All command level prisoners will be beamed aboard the Paladin and confined in the brig. The rest of the Keltoi's crew will remain on board under guard." (Reply Tirrel) She turned to Lt. T'Vhor. "Have Ensign Dunn and a security team escort the Keltoi command staff to the bring. Each in individual cells away and out of sight of each other." (Reply T'Vhor) "Commander Capps, dispatch repair, and medical teams to the Keltoi. We will tend their wounded. I want the ship rigged for towing as soon as possible. We will tow it back to the rest of the fleet and examine it further there." (Reply Capps) "Order the Kronos and the Mournblade to finish scouting out that system and see if the Klingon's require any assistance." (Reply Capps) (posted by Wes) (Keltoi one - Bridge - MCO Tirrel - 20:51) =/\=Acknowledged Lt.=/\=, said the Paladin`s CO as the MCO reported in on the Keltoi`s status. =/\=Stand by to receive engineering, medical, and security teams. All command level prisoners will be beamed aboard the Paladin and confined in the brig. The rest of the Keltoi's crew will remain on board under guard.=/\=, she added. =/\=Understood=/\=, said Conner as he pointed to two of the marines standing nearby to motion them into action. One of the men was duly sent off to round up the Keltoi`s command crew, the other sectioned off the rest & confined them to the Keltoi`s own brig under guard as ordered. Once this had been done, Conner stood down the remaining reserve MBT in the Paladins hanger deck, the boarding hatches upon her automatically disengaging to allow disembarkment the moment the abort code had been issued from the MCO`s location. Conner wiped the back of his hand across his forehead as he spoke to the marines on the bridge. "Well done lads, job well done", he said as he walked from the bridge to the captains ready room in order to retrieve to CO`s log. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Bridge - TAC/SC T`Vhor - 20:51) With the battle now virtually over, Lt T`Vhor took a deep breath as he looked around the bridge. They had not escaped without damage, various panels & consoles were almost completely burnt out & engineering staff were arriving to repair anything no longer functioning. The CO turned to T`Vhor having finished with listening to the report from the MCO concerning the Ketoi`s status. "Have Ensign Dunn and a security team escort the Keltoi command staff to the brig. Each in individual cells away and out of sight of each other.", she said. "Aye sir", said T`Vhor as he then hailed Ensign Dunn to arrange a team to meet the incoming prisoners. (posted by Alan) (USS Paladin - Bridge - Lt. Cmdr Capps - 2055) "Commander Capps, dispatch repair, and medical teams to the Keltoi. We will tend their wounded. I want the ship rigged for towing as soon as possible. We will tow it back to the rest of the fleet and examine it further there." "Aye sir," Calvin responded to the orders of the Captain. "Order the Kronos and the Mournblade to finish scouting out that system and see if the Klingon's require any assistance." One more "Aye" went into the air from the First Officers mouth. He worked his board to contact the Kronos, Mournblade, and all available repair teams, medical to the Keltoi. (posted by Calvin) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee and ACONN Ensign (jg) Christian Soval Brownlee - 21:28) Joran kept on watching the screen as the probe passed Bledonossia III. If it wasn't for his coffee, Joran would have fallen asleep already. Then, 6 blips appeared on the screen "Contact!" Joran screamed. "Bearing 037 mark 125! Just this side of Bledonossia III!" "Identify," the captain said to T'Vhor. "It's the Praetor, and they brought company. Reading 4 enemy star ship. No five!. Two Akira class. One Prometheus class, and two Keltoi class. The Praetor has taken heavy damage. They are losing power and won't be able to maintain their lead much longer." ~Sounds grim,~ Joran thought. "CONN, set an intercept course and engage warp 7!" Eva ordered, standing, "Launch fighters and have them target the lead ships. Open fire as soon as we are in range. Order the other vessels to converge on that location." "Aye, sir," Christian said. He shot his older brother a worried look. He didn't know what would happen (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 22:10) It had taken the engineering crews from the Paladin nearly an hour to get the captured Keltoi rigged for towing, but now they reported that the ship was ready. "Engage tractor beam and set course for the rest of the fleet, warp 6," Eva ordered. "Stand down from Red Alert ." Eva watched as the stars on the view screen seemed to move as the Paladin swung about changing course then they streamed into multi-colored streaks as she jumped to warp (posted by Wes) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 2 Stardate: 2407.1.5 ----------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Paladin, Ready Room, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 13:20) Eva sat at her desk looking over various reports and tactical analyses of a list of possible target for the Paladin Battle Group. She had been meeting all day with several of the Captain's, both Star Fleet and Klingon, discussing tactics and strategy. Eva was no novice in the ways of war. She had already fought a bloody war against the Dominion in her home universe. A war that all said was hopeless, and couldn't be won. They had won that war, but at a terrible cost. Now she had to fight another seemingly hopeless war, but Eva was just as committed to winning this war as she had been the last time around. ~Only this time, we are fighting are own. Will the Federation ever recover. Will Star Fleet.~ Eva closed down her desk top terminal suddenly and leaned back in her chair, picking up her cup of tea as she did so. Holding the cup in both hands she stared at the ceiling for several seconds to clear her head. ~Being Commodore of a battle group requires a hell of a lot of logistical work, as I knew it would. However, I can't neglect my obligations to the Paladin and her crew, I am still their Captain.~ Coming to a decision, Eva leaned forward suddenly and tapped a button on her desk top opening a comm-channel. "Commander Capps, would you and Lt. Brownlee please join me in my Ready Room please," She said, leaning back again in her chair. (Reply Capps) Since both officers where currently on duty, it only took a few seconds for the buzzer to ring announcing their arrival. "Enter," She said, taking a sip of her tea. "Gentlemen, have a seat." She motioned toward the two empty seats in front of her desk. (Reply Capps, Brownlee) "I'll get right to the point," Eva said, between sips of her tea, "Logistical and other concerns of the Battle Group are limiting the amount of time I have to concentrate on issues here on the Paladin. Therefore, Lt. Brownlee I would like you to assume the role as Third Officer as well as Chief Science Officer, if you have no objections? (Reply Brownlee) (NRPG: Assuming an affirmative here. : ) ) "Your duties, besides those as CSO, would include assisting Commander Capps and Lt. T'Vhor in the day-to-day running of the Paladin. Assisting with crew evaluations, maintaining ship and crew efficiency, and taking charge of the occasional shift on the Bridge. Questions, or comments?" (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 13:22) Joran had relieved Ensign Billington at the Science station about 20 minutes ago when his communicator chirpped. =/\=Commander Capps, would you and Lt. Brownlee please join me in my Ready Room please,=/\= She said, leaning back again in her chair. (Reply Capps) "Acknowledged." Joran said, tapping his communicator. He then headed over to the door and pressed the chime. "Enter," the captain's voice said from within. Joran stepped in along witrh the first officer. "Gentlemen, have a seat." She motioned toward the two empty seats in front of her desk. "Thank you," Joran said, taking the one on the left. "I'll get right to the point," the captain said, while drinking her tea, "Logistical and other concerns of the Battle Group are limiting the amount of time I have to concentrate on issues here on the Paladin. Therefore, Lt. Brownlee I would like you to assume the role as Third Officer as well as Chief Science Officer, if you have no objections?" Joran's heart jumped about ten kilometers into the sky. He couldn't believe that he was getting a command position so soon! He quickly regained his composure, a bit anyway. "No, sir, no objections." "Your duties, besides those as CSO, would include assisting Commander Capps and Lt. T'Vhor in the day-to-day running of the Paladin. Assisting with crew evaluations, maintaining ship and crew efficiency, and taking charge of the occasional shift on the Bridge. Questions, or comments?" "No, sir," he said, not being able to keep his excitement in much longer. (reply Straton) With that, Cmdr. Capps, and the new third officer stood and returned to their posts. (posted by Spencer) ---------------------------------------------------------- Mission: Into the Gates of Hell Day: 6 Stardate: 2407.1.9 --------------------------------------------------------- (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 10:00) Eva sat in the center seat staring at the main view screen and the stars as they slipped past. With orders to wage a 'guerilla' war on Sector's 112 and 113, Eva had ordered the Battle Group broken down into strike teams consisting of 5 ships each. Small fast moving groups would make it harder for the enemy to locate them or to determine their exact strength. Each strike team had been given a list of targets. Various shipping routes, supply depots, and similar facilities. They would not be hitting any of the 'hard' military targets as that would require a large number of ships and a great deal of preparation. Their orders were to wreak as much chaos on the enemy as possible. Either as a softening up for a full scale invasion or just to distract the enemy from the real target. Either way, Eva knew how to wage a hit and run war. She had done it for several years against the Dominion before the Federation had turned things around. Strike Force 1 consisted of The Paladin, the Starquest, the Republic, the Praetor, and the Ulysses. Both the Starquest and the Republic where currently in flanking potions while the Praetor was running point under cloak and the Ulysses was bringing up the rear. Sharkbait was currently deployed in a defensive position around the Paladin as they traveled well enough outside of Federation space to avoid detection by any perimeter detection stations. They're intended target was still several hours away. "Captain," Ensign Knightley said suddenly, "The Republic is reporting an unknown contact bearing 297, mark 107." "That's away from the Federation boarded," Eva said, "That region is mostly unexplored. CONN set and intercept course. Ensign Knightley, inform the rest of the strike force that we are altering course to investigate." (Reply Knightley, CONN) The minuets ticked away as the Paladin altered course turning away from the Federation boarder and moving deeper into unexplored space. (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - ACONN Ensign (jg) Christian Soval Brownlee - 10:00) Christian was busy holding their course steady and usually didn't hear much bridge conversation, but what Ensign Knightly said caught his attention. "Captain," she said suddenly, "The Republic is reporting an unknown contact bearing 297, mark 107." "That's away from the Federation border," Eva said, "That region is mostly unexplored. CONN set an intercept course. Ensign Knightley, inform the rest of the strike force that we are altering course to investigate." "Aye, sir. Altering course." Christian said, altering course into the great unknown expanse that the object was in, wary of what might be out there. (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin, Bridge, CO, Captain Eva Straton, 10:20) "I have the contact on long range sensors," Lt. T'Vhor said, "Configuration does not match any known ship design. Federation or other wise." Eva frowned. ~Key word in that sentence; 'known'.~ "Transfer data to science," Eva said, turning toward Lt. Brownlee. "What do you make of it Lt?" "Very low energy readings, Captain. They are interfering with our sensors, I am unable to get any life signs reading. The vessel is roughly the same size as the Paladin and is traveling at 1/8th impulse. Though it seems to be completely with out power," Lt. Brownlee reported, "Coming in visual range now." "On screen," Eva said, turning once more toward the main viewer, "Magnify." In the center of the view screen, growing larger as the magnification level increased, was a mammoth sized ship of some type. It's hull was a dark smoky gray and it looked like no ship Eva had ever even heard of before. Like a twisted model of a molecule, with parts that should be straight but twisted seemingly in random directions. No bridge or other discernable ship system could be made out by looking at it. The whole thing tumbled slowly through space heading toward the Federation boarder. Eva frowned. "Odd," She said, leaning back in her seat. "Talk to me Mr. Brownlee." "Captain these reading don't make sense," Brownlee said, "I'm not reading any power source yet the entire ship is surrounded by a low intensity energy field that is making scanning the interior impossible at this distance. I'm still not detecting any life signs or any other indication that there is anything alive on board." "Hail them," Eva said, looking at Knightley, "All channels." "No response Sir," Knightley said, a few seconds latter. Eva stared at the screen and the alien ship as it tumbled aimlessly through the void of space. The whole ship was dark, there were no visible running lights, no visible ports. Not even windows as far as she could tell. "Commander Capps, prepare an away team," Eva said at last. "Captain,"Lt Brownlee said, looking up from his science station. "That low intensity energy field will redirect any transporter beam sent through it. Transporting over is not an option at this point in time." "Fine," Eva said, "Have two shuttles prepped for launch. Commander, assemble your teams, with the exception of Lt. T'Vhor. We are still at war and I might need him here if enemy forces happen by. Take as many security and marine forces as you deem necessary. Report in as soon as you have something to report." (posted by Wes) (USS Paladin - Deck 1, Bridge - CSO/3O Lieutenant (jg) Joran Matthew Brownlee - 10:21) 20 minutes had passed since the Paladin had altered course to intercept the unknown ship inching towards Federation space. "I have the contact on long range sensors," Lt. T'Vhor said, "Configuration does not match any known ship design. Federation or other-wise." "Transfer data to science," the captain said, turning toward Joran. "What do you make of it Lt?" "Very low energy readings, Captain. They are interfering with our sensors, I am unable to get any life sign readings. The vessel is roughly the same size as the Paladin and is traveling at 1/8th impulse. Though it seems to be completely with out power," he said, "Coming in visual range now." "On screen," Eva said, turning once more toward the main viewer, "Magnify." The viewscreen displayed what seemed to be an alien ship turned to space junk. It was huge and principally spherical. It seemed to Joran that it looked a bit like a model of a butane molecule. He had never seen it before, but looking at it for a long period made it seem like he had seen it and known it before. "Odd," the captain said, leaning back in her seat. "Talk to me Mr. Brownlee." "Captain these reading don't make sense," Joran said, "I'm not reading any power source yet the entire ship is surrounded by a low intensity energy field that is making scanning the interior impossible at this distance. I'm still not detecting any life signs or any other indication that there is anything alive on board." "Hail them," Eva said, looking at Knightley, "All channels." "No response Sir," Knightley said, a few seconds latter. The entire bridge crew stared at the ship for a second, before the captain started speaking again. "Commander Capps, prepare an away team," she said at last. "Captain,"Joran said, looking up from his science station. "That low intensity energy field will redirect any transporter beam sent through it. Transporting over is not an option at this point in time." "Fine," Cptn. Straton replied, "Have two shuttles prepped for launch. Commander, assemble your teams, with the exception of Lt. T'Vhor. We are still at war and I might need him here if enemy forces happen by. Take as many security and marine forces as you deem necessary. Report in as soon as you have something to report." (reply Capps) As T'Vhor was unable to join the away team, Joran was the next in line. As the first officer approached, words were hardly necessary to learn that Joran was going with him. "I'll meet you in the shuttlebay in 30 minutes." Joran said. (posted by Spencer) (USS Paladin - MCO`s Office - MCO Tirrel - 10:25) "Sir, new information come down from the CO", said the young marine as he stood in the doorway to the MCO`s office. Conner`s brow furrowed as he reached for the PADD in the marines hand. ~Just what we need, another bloody variable~ thought conner. Conner looked down at the PADD & read of the CO`s latest commands & recommedations. Without looking up & deep in thought, he waved his hand to the marine. "Dismissed", he said in clipped tonal speech. "Sir", snapped the marine as he saluted the MCO & walked off towards further duties. Conner then absorbed the new developments sent down from the CO. THe alien vessel seemed to pose no imediate threat, they were at war, why were they reconning an apparently derilect hulk? The thought`s were typical fare for a marine, being primed & ready for extreme action at the drop of a hat was quite normal for Conner, flying by the seat of your pants, blowing some miscreants head off at short range & taking a bite of a nutrition bar at the same time seemed as normal to him as painting was to an artist. Nonetheless, the CO had deemed this contact worthy of investigation & who was he to argue with it. Conner stood up & layed the PADD down upon the table. He accessed his terminal for a thorough breakdown of just what they had on this in the Paladins databanks. Then he sent a secure message to marine HQ to apraise them of the situation as per regulations. He had a funny feeling in his gut today, a feeling he got a lot. Somehow things just not going to be run of the mill today. The MCO took a deep breath & then walked out of the office in preperation for whatever would be required of him & his men. (posted by Alan) ---------------------------------------------------- Compiled by Calvin Capps