NRPG: We're off to outer space We're coming home to Earth To save the Federation Our Starblazers!!! I thought these posts deserved their own little compile. :) Cheer Russ! Day 12 (NPC Starship: USS Argo - CO's Ready Room - Captain George Durand - 0900) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 1413) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 1445) (USS Argo - Bridge - Captain George Durand - 1600) (USS Argo - Bridge - Captain George Durand - 1830) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 1915) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 2030) (Starbase Valhalla - Subsection 17 - USS Argo Away Team - Captain George Durand - 2038) (Starbase Valhalla - Subsection 14 - Temporary Command Center - USS Argo Away Team - CO Captain George Durand) RPG: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mission: The Fires of Heaven, Day 12 Stardate: 2407.07.09 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (NPC Starship: USS Argo - CO's Ready Room - Captain George Durand - 0900) ~I hate technology! But life would as we know it would be impossible without it. Or would it?~ The tall, dark complexioned Captain sat slumped forward in his chair, staring at the desk reader in front of him. ~I'd better get this done *now*. There may not be a *later* to catch up on this....~ He tabbed a button on the desk in front of him and straightened up, no trace of fatigue or any emotion save confidence in his voice. His *command* voice. "Captain's personal log, Stardate 2407.07.09. Captain George G. Durand recording. In a bit over an hour from now, we will arrive at the initial point, or IP for the upcoming battle. It will, no doubt, be decisive. I only pray the decision will be the one we have striven and bled and hoped for through this long and drawn out affair. Doenitz must be brought to justice, no matter the price. He has betrayed all the Federation, and Starfleet itself stand for." He paused a moment, rubbing his palm over his chin, considering. ~What was that saying? 'The Evil that Men do?' Perhaps Doenitz is just a manifestation of all our darksides?~ "Perhaps Doenitz," he continued aloud, "Perhaps Doenitz is just a reminder of what we must all guard against? Absolute power... absolute evil... is there a difference? As a starship captain... my power is absolute, at least within the confines of this vessel and the space around her that she commands so powerfully. We possess the weapons to destroy planets. Do we truely have the wisdom and restraint to use them? Or better still, to *not* use them? These questions, I think, will need be answered by someone far wiser than I. Perhaps the benefit of history... hindsight, that is... will make the matter more clear. To whomever hears my words in future days, I only hope you judge my actions within the context of my time. Will I seem an evil, unfeeling martinet sending my crew to nearly certain death, under the guise of 'following orders'? You of the future are the only ones who can say. I only ask that you remember this: Those of us here... now... we have done, and will do, these things out of the purest love and belief in the ideals of the Federation, and our duty to our fellow men. End recording." Durand exhaled a long, slow breath and then tapped his comm badge. "Durand to O'Neill." =^=Go ahead Captain.=^= "Report to my ready room please." =^=Acknowledged, sir.=^= In mere moments the ready room doors opened and the Argo's first officer stepped in. "You wanted to see me sir?" Durand motioned his second in command to take a seat, which he did, smiling. When he saw the look on his captain's face, his smile quickly disappeared. "Frank, we have been friends for what... fifteen years now?" "Give or take, I'd say so sir." "I need you on the battle bridge during this fight, Frank. I know its not your usual action station but this is not your usual battle either." Durand studied his younger but hardly less experienced FO before continuing. If the commander had a reaction, his face did not betray it. "Frank, you'll take your station on the battle bridge. While I don't anticipate the need for saucer separation for either tactical or emergency purpose, I want you down there. Its much better protected, as you know..." O'Neill interrupted him quietly. "Captain, if you think I am going to hide in a better protected section of the ship while you expose yourself to danger on the main bridge... well sir I cannot... will not accept that." "I'm not asking you to accept it, just follow orders, Commander. That is an order, in case you didn't recognize it as such." "Then you can just go ahead and relieve me of duty Captain, I'm not hiding!" Durand frowned and continued in a reasonable tone. "Commander, I can relieve you, but that leaves Trask as acting FO. I *need* him at tactical, he is the very best in the fleet, you know that. We'll need everyone at their level best to come out of this alive." Durand lowered his voice to something barely above a whisper. "You know just how bad this is going to be, you have seen all the tactical intel. Its going to be a bloodbath, best case. I need Trask where he is, just as I need you to do your duty, Frank" O'Neill visibly deflated, his mind bowing to the logic of the Captain's statement. "Right sir... I'll do this your way. I imagine its the right way." "It's the only way Frank... and you know it." "Aye aye sir. Good luck skipper." He extended his hand, and the Captain shook it firmly. "To us all, Commander." Moments later, Durand emerged from his ready room and surveyed the bridge before him. He could detect a palpable air of confidence. Nervous energy no doubt abounded, but his bridge crew responded as the veterans they were. Calm. Professional. He could think of no ship or crew he would rather serve on at this moment. He walked over to his chair, opting to stand aside it for the moment. He tabbed the intercom button and spoke in the clear voice his crew had come to know so very well. "Attention all hands, this is the Captain. As you know, in a few minutes we will arrive at the IP, and I am certain the shooting will start shortly thereafter. Our mission remains unchanged: We are to escort the Boudicca in her attack, following the mission profile. We will succeed. The Boudicca will reach and achieve her objectives. We are the Officers and Crew of the USS Argo... we will make sure history does not forget her name! Good luck and good hunting to us all. Durand, out." He tabbed the button again, and looked around the bridge making eye contact with each of his officers in turn. "Captain, we are approaching the rendezvous point, dropping out of warp," reported Ensign Lacasse at Conn. "Very well Ensign. Execute fleet course, full impulse power." He turned to his tactical officer. "Mister Trask, coded signal to Task Force command: 'At rendezvous point. Godspeed, good luck, and good hunting.' And Mister Trask... Battlestations." (Reply Boudicca ) (Posted by exceptionally long winded Russ) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 1413) Lucas Trask stood quietly behind the tactical console, his full height of nearly 2.5 meters accentuated by the dim red battle illumination. Multihued flashes of light played across his face from the console in front of him, in combination with his van dyke style beard it lent him an almost satanic look. Nothing save concentration showed on his face however, as he divided his attention between the main tactical imagery on the forward viewscreen and the much more detailed displays and controls at his fingertips. His quiet vigilance was matched by each of the other bridge crew, as they waited for events to develop. Still escorting the Boudicca, the Galaxy Class Argo was dead off the Flagship's port beam, following the Fleet course at full impulse power. The bridge was dead silent, save the background thrumming of the engines and instruments. That quiet did not last long. His sensors lit up with sudden bursts of activity. Trask's basso profundo rumble followed immediately. "Captain, enemy vessels decloaking. They are targeting vessels in the Champlain group, unable to be more specific at this range sir." "Very well Commander. Science officer, what can you give us?" asked Durand as he kept his eyes forward on the tactical display. "Working on it sir," responded Lt. Pare from the Science station just aft of Trask. Trask spoke up again. "Sir, enemy ships are launching torpedoes, definately targetting the Champlain group. Champlain group is returning fire." "Sir," began Pare from the science station, "sensors indicate quantum torpedoes, they appear to be an upgraded version. Possibly the Mark IV's we were briefed on." "Very well Lieutenant Pare, keep on it, anything you can give me, I want the data immediately. Commander Trask, your assessment?" Trask had that answer formulated before the question was spoken, and he suspected the Captain already knew the answer. "They appear to be using this group of small cloak equipped vessels in a 'torpedo boat' function. Either they aim to provide harassment and distraction for a more powerful strike group, or perhaps their function is to cause havoc in our formation, then attempt to pick off stragglers." "Like pack hunters... wolves or the like." "Precisely sir." Durand rubbed his chin thoughtfully, mulling the possibilities. "In either event, we maintain position... for now. Maintain maximum sensor sweeps, and keep our shield coverage balanced. Watch for their next surprise... I'm certain they have many more." (Reply Any) (Posted by Russ Gross) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 1445) Durand and his Bridge crew were impatiently waiting for the next move. It was the 'surprise' that Durand had expected. Not that he knew the specifics, but it was not hard to guess that Doenitz' forces were not going to just let the 52nd walk up to the MDP and politely knock on the airlock. OPS piped up first with the news. "Captain, signal from the Champlain on Fleet Red Tactical: 'B Group, this is the Champlain. Enemy approaching, port side. We are moving to intercept.' That's all sir, except the tactical data uplinks of course." "Very well Lieutenant. Signal Boudicca: 'Breaking Fleet course, moving to intercept enemy formation approaching your port beam.' The Argo had been out of the action up until now, neither hunter, nor hunted. Even the fighters that had harassed the Boudicca were out of effective range due to the dispersal order earlier. Durand had chafed at that, but he was *not* running the show. Just the Argo. Even the withering fire from the platforms had been mostly directed at the center of the formation, so Argo had been spared that also. No longer. "Helm, new course... 276 mark 14, one half impulse." Turning to his tactical officer, Durand spoke again. "Commander Trask... your hour has come." Trask looked up from his console and almost grinned at his Captain. "Sir there is an unidentified Sovereign class on the near flank, slightly aft of the lead ships. They may be attempting to form a battle line Captain." Durand glanced forward at the tactical display for a moment. "Commander, target that Norway class just port of the Sovereign. We are going to close range and get its attention. Make that Sovereign change his heading to cover the Norway. Give the Norway a few shots from the dorsal phasers, enough to make them pay attention. Conn, close the range on this heading. As soon as Trask gives the signal, I want a 180 degree roll to port, that will unmask the rest of the phasers and the forward torpedo tubes. As soon as our weapons come to bear, be ready to let that Sovereign have it." Durand walked to the upper bridge level, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with his tactical officer. Trask bent down and spoke into his Captain's ear. "Bal&&& sir, very Bal&&&. That Sovereign will be a tough nut to crack skipper." The Captain looked him in the eye and spoke in an equally quiet voice. "I know that. For God's sake, take out those quantum torpedoes first. You know what they can do to our shields Lucas. We may only get one good volley off, so make it count alright?" "Aye sir... you know I will." Durand almost laughed, stopping at a wry grin instead. He walked back down to stand just behind the Conn station, placing his hand lightly on the shoulder of the Ensign in the seat. "George, this is going to require some fancy flying. On my mark, right after the roll, I want you to pitch up 180 degrees, that will put us on the same course as the Sovereign, at just over point blank range ahead of them. As soon as he can, Trask is going to fire all our after bearing weapons... especially the torpedoes. When he launches, you go to full impulse and evasive action. Can do?" "Aye Aye sir. In case you were wondering, that is called a 'Split S' sir." Durand squeezed his shoulder a bit and chuckled. "I know *Ensign* Lacasse... and if we pulled up then rolled out, that would be an 'Immelmann turn'. But I want the tightest, fastest split s ever performed by a Galaxy Class starship, got it?" Lacasse blushed a bit, then gave a very definite "Aye sir" "Alright folks... let's get this right the first time. Conn, start your run... tactical, stand by. Engineering, we are going to need everything you have and then some." Trask studied his displays intently. He had an active and deliberately obvious weapons lock on the Norway class. "In range sir. Opening fire in 8 seconds." Trask was as good as his word. In precisely 8 seconds, deadly phaser shots lanced away from the dorsal emitters, striking the Norway full on her forward-starboard shields. "Direct hit sir, they are returning fire... our shields are holding." The Argo shook slightly from the return fire. "Sir, the Sovereign is changing course to intercept us, they are locking weapons." Durand tapped his conn officer none too gently on the shoulder. "NOW Conn! Mr. Trask, weapons free!" The Argo rolled gracefully to port, much more quickly than her designers ever imagined. Crew struggled to keep their feet; Trask gripped his console hard but his eyes never left it. Quantum torpedoes spurted forth from the Sovereign's launchers, missing widely due to the unexpected attack maneuver. Phaser hits rocked the Argo, but not all struck. Still the lights dimmed, and damage reports streamed in from various decks. Durand ignored them, watching the tactical display. Just as the ship finished her roll, Trask sang out, "Opening fire, all weapons as they bear!" The humming of photon launchers and the higher pitched but no less sweet sound of phaser banks firing filled the bridge. True to his word, Trask opened fire with everything the Argo had. The full spread of photon torpedoes blossomed almost instantly against the forward shields of the Sovereign. They flared and failed with the follow on phaser hits. The last several bursts of phaser fire struck the unprotected hull precisely where they were aimed. Before the last phaser shots, Ensign Lacasse at Conn pulled the Argo up... *hard*, increasing impulse power to full as he did so. Structural Integrity Fields and Inertial Dampers shrieked with the overload, but somehow the engineers kept them on line. Trask again. His deep voice deceptively calm. "Firing aft torpedoes, continuous fire on all bearing phaser banks." Long before the enemy ship could cope, the second full spread of torpedoes struck home, virtually annihilating the forward torpedo launchers and wiping out their crews. The unexpected happened next. The viewscreen flared brilliantly, unbearably bright and the Sovereign was naught but fragments of matter and energy. Science spoke up in a hushed and awed voice. "Captain, we were reading armed torpedoes in their launchers. It seems Commander Trask hit them when they were arming for another volley. As you could see sir, it was the next thing to a core breach...." Durand's elation was very short lived. This had just clearly driven home the awful cost of the battle. A battle that should never have been. "Well done everyone. Damage reports, all stations," he managed to keep the cloak of professionalism in place that long at least. The Argo shook violently, even the battle lights dimming notably. "Sir, we are taking fire from at least two enemy ships." Back to work, no matter how unpleasant. "Evasive maneuvers, Alpha Pattern! Prepare to return fire! Get those shields back up to maximum, now!" (Reply Any) (Posted by Russ Gross) (USS Argo - Bridge - Captain George Durand - 1600) The Argo had fallen far behind the Boudicca while dealing with the Doenitz forces attacking the Boudicca group. Working in concert with ships of the Boudicca and Champlain escort groups, the Argo had succeeded in blunting the flanking attack. Time to catch up with the Boudicca; sensor data indicated she was taking a heavy pounding. ~Some escort you provide George... the flagship is getting hammered!~ "Helm, plot an intercept course for the Boudicca, full impulse. Get us back into this thing right now!" "Aye sir!" came the call from the bemused CONN officer, Ensign Lacasse. ~Sometimes he calls me conn, but he often lapses into that anachronistic 'helm' or 'helmsman' thing. What century is this guy from anyway??~ "Engineering, status report!" =^=OPS has the details captain. Moderate damage to the saucer section, minor to moderate damage in the stardrive section. Warp power reserve is back to sixty percent, building slowly.=^= "Our combat capability is unimpaired sir," --this from Trask at the tactical station-- "My compliments to the damage control teams. All phaser capacitors fully charged or charging, fore and aft torpedo bays show ready. We expended forty one percent of our consumable ordnance. One hundred sixty two torpedos available. Shields stable at seventy six percent. We can boost that in short order with reserve warp power as needed" Lacasse at CONN was next. "We have several damaged reaction control thrusters port, just aft of our centerline. It will impair our maneuvering slightly, but I am able to partially compensate sir." "Very well. OPS?" "Damage control teams are tired but ready sir. Casualties fairly light. Twelve confirmed dead, thirty injured... six critical. Overall Captain we are pretty good shape considering. She's ready to fight sir." "Well done, all of you. ETA to Boudicca?" "Seven minutes, thirty seconds." "Right people, look sharp. Do the best you can to ramp things up in the next six minutes. We'll need everything we have then." With that, he settled back into his command chair. His people knew their jobs, best to let them get things done. (Reply Any, None) (Posted by Russ Gross) (USS Argo - Bridge - Captain George Durand - 1830) True to his duty, Durand had pushed the Argo and her crew to their very limits, and beyond. He knew the worst was yet to come, but put that thought aside, and focused on the here and now. Trask broke his contemplation with a report. "Captain, Intrepid class starship approaching, bearing 246 mark 8. She is locking weapons!" Durand half turned in his chair. "Identity?" The tactical officer's fingers flew over the controls, but it was science who answered instead. "The Montcalm sir, Captain Allore' in command. Another Intrepid behind her sir... the Abercrombie. Commander unknown." Durand frowned. ~I almost liked it better when I didn't know who was in charge. We could pretend we were killing ships and not men. I have had quite enough murder for today, thank you very much...~ His thoughts drifted back to the Sovereign they had unintentionally but necessarily destroyed earlier in the fight. ~All those lives... this is NOT what Starfleet is about. This is beyond a nightmare... it has got to end!~ Durand knew Francois Allore'. He had been a student of Durand's during one of his tours at the Academy. ~I used to intimidate him then... I wonder....~ "Open a channel!" "Channel open sir." "This is Captain George Durand of the USS Argo. Stand down your weapons and break off the attack. Comply immediately or be disabled." "No response Captain!" Durand made a grumbling noise in his throat, something like a bear waking from hibernation. "I repeat... Montcalm and Abercrombie... stand down. Break off your attack or be disabled!" Durand turned again, looking over his shoulder at his tactical officer. Trask moved his head in a slow and deliberate left to right shake. ~Damn. I hoped they might listen. I hate this!!~ "Mr. Trask, target the Montcalm. Concentrate your fire on her weapons and shield generators. Minimize casualties if possible." Trask raised a curious eyebrow. He understood his captain, but wondered if now was indeed the time for quarter. Orders are orders. "Weapons locked on Montcalm sir. In range... 11 seconds." "Five seconds sir. Ready to fire." "Sir, the Montcalm is veering off!" Durand's eyes confirmed what Trask's report indicated. The leading ship, Montcalm, was indeed veering off. It seemed she was breaking off. The tactical display however showed her shields still up, weapons still armed. Just then, her sister ship, the Abercrombie, opened fire on the Argo. "Evasive action!" he ordered unnecessarily, for conn was already doing his best to move the huge ship. The damage to thrusters became apparent... clearly some of the torpedo volley would hit home. "Brace for impact!" Two. Three. Four photon torpedoes struck the Argo's forward shields, followed by a sustained phaser burst. The lights dimmed, accompanied by damage reports. "Forward shields at twenty percent Captain!" "Return fire!" "Damage to forward torpedo tubes sir, only four launchers are operable." "Do your best. Get that ship out of action NOW." Trask was clearly in his element. With a detached professionalism, his hands flew over the controls. No malice... no nerves... just action. Most efficient action indeed. The four operational torpedo tubes spat thier weapons, followed by a full barrage of phaser energy crossing the space between ships in milliseconds. Only two torpedoes hit; but nearly all the phasers were direct hits. Just as the Argo had seconds earlier, the Abercrombie seemed to stagger as the weapons struck home. "Captain! The Montcalm is firing on the Abercrombie! Showing several hits to engineering... she has lost maneuvering power, her weapons are offline." "Captain, the Montcalm is hailing us." "On screen." The tactical display wavered a moment, to be replaced by the youthful and handsome face of Captain Allore'. He wore a very serious look indeed... very much unlike the jovial practical joking Frenchman that Durand remembered as a student. He smiled thinly when he saw Durand. "My compliments, mon Capitan. Very nice shooting." "Not bad yourself Francois. Welcome to the side of the Angels, if a bit late." Allore's image on the screen shrugged, then spoke softly. "No credit to you my friend. It was that broadcast from your flagship, Boudicca, that did the trick, non? I had several young crew weeping on the bridge in truth. This Stakes... I must meet him, he is most clever. Had Doenitz kept him under control, we might be shooting at each other now, rather than having this most pleasant chat. A very clever ploy... though something tells me it was an appeal to reason, non?" Durand thought a long moment before replying. "Oui. I too must meet this Commander Stakes. It was, I think... more than an appeal. More a return to sanity. Or an attempt to wrest sanity from madness. I am not the philosopher that some are Francois... I am a simple man doing his duty. You are with us I presume?" The image on the screen blinked then replied. "Durand, I do not turn weapons upon my 'allies' lightly. Does that answer your question?" "It does indeed. Cover our flank. The Boudicca is being hit heavily. A man as clever as Stakes has to be saved. Lets finish this Francois." "Agreed. Bon chance, mon ami! Montcalm, out." The image faded and for the first time in hours Durand broke into a smile. ~We may carry the day yet~ "Helm, resume intercept course for Boudicca, best possible speed." (Reply Any, None) (Posted by Russ) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 1915) With the sudden and welcome arrival of reinforcing ships, coupled with the stand down of some of the Doenitz forces, the Argo and her new found ally the Montcalm were able to make up for some of the lost time in catching up to the Boudicca near Valhalla. "Status report!" barked Durand as they approached. "Shields at seventy two percent. We have six photon launchers available forward, the other four are damaged and under repair. Phasers online, except the Battle Section forward array; power couplings are overloaded, estimating at least an hour to repair, sir." Engineering was next. "Moderate to heavy damage to the stardrive section sir... hull breaches forward of frame 40. Emergency forcefields in place and holding. Starboard impulse engine damage, port RCS thrusters are 60 percent offline, all systems under repair, eta from minutes to hours, system by system Captain." OPS report was a bit more encouraging. "Still light casualties sir... much of the damage was in civilian sections of the ship which are currently vacant. I estimate we are seventy percent combat effective." "Very well. All stations continue your efforts, we still need the best you have." An odd noise came from the tactical station behind him. It was unusual enough to draw the Captain's attention. He turned in his chair when he recognized the sound. It was Trask... muttering. In their years together, Durand had never heard his tactical officer do such a thing. He had to know what might cause it. "Mister Trask, you have a comment?" Silence again dragging on for long seconds. When he spoke it was in an awed tone. "Captain. The Boudicca has changed course... the Marine vessels she is leading have changed course to match hers." Durand was afraid he knew the answer, but he had to ask anyway. "The new course---" "Is a collision course with Valhalla Captain." "On screen, maximum magnification!" The viewscreen wavered a moment, adjusting its brightness several times to compensate for the weapons fire and assorted deadly pyrotechnics criss crossing space. When it settled, the Boudicca was clearly in the center, heading for the upper section of the mammoth starbase. "What the Devil is Stakes doing?" he asked almost to himself. "Does he intend to ram?" The question hung silently unanswered for many seconds when Ensign LaCasse at helm found his voice. "No sir... I mean I don't think so. Nav sensors are reading a change in the Boudicca's Delta - V... I mean to say she is decelerating sir. Its like they are trying to... dock?" Lt. Pare at the science station cut off the younger officer. "Captain... a theory. It is possible that they may be trying to breach the stations shields, by using their own deflectors to disrupt the harmonics. But they have nothing on the order of the power required--" "Perhaps they do, Lieutenant," interrupted Lt. Commander Trask. "Perhaps they do. Tactical sensors indicate a definite drop in the stations shield integrity. In addition, I am reading much stronger shield energy from the Boudicca than her specifications indicate. They must have made some undocumented modifications to their deflector system... and I daresay nearly all their generated power must be going into her shields." Durand was very quiet a moment, taking it all in. He formulated his course of action. There were no viable options. Not for a Starfleet officer.. in command of a Starfleet vessel... with a Starfleet crew. "Captain... their gambit *is* working... though I estimate that the Boudicca will not survive the effort." Durand shot a piercing look at Trask. "Like Hell they won't!" He punched the intercomm switch on his command chair savagely. "Attention all hands, this is the Captain. The USS Boudicca is at this very moment sacrificing herself on the altar of freedom. She is risking... no, inviting her own destruction to bring down Valhalla's shields and allow the Marine Force to board and take the station. I told you when this thing started that we would succeed. We will. The Boudicca and her brave company *must* be saved. I submit to you that what we are witnessing now is what Starfleet is all about. This is the very reason for our existence. If any of you sought answers... as to whether we were doing the right thing or not... the answer you seek is on the main viewscreen. That ship will not falter, she will not fail. Nor shall we. We stand together, in the best traditions of Starfleet. Let us make those who have come before us, as well as those yet to come, proud of our stand today. All stations, stand by for further orders. Durand, out." "Sir, the stations weapons are pounding the Boudicca, her shields are dropping fast!" "Helm, get us in closer... give them something else to shoot at. Trask, as soon as we are in range, hit Valhalla's weapons arrays... specifically the ones targeting Boudicca with everything you have left that will shoot." "Aye sir! In range.... forty one seconds." Long seconds ticked by. "Signal Montcalm to stand off and attempt to intercept or delay any incoming enemy ships, tell them we will be drawing Valhalla's fire." "Sir, Boudicca's shields are dropping, they are losing structural integrity." "Alright. Trask, see what you can disable with the first volley, we may need our energy for something else." "Aye sir... I will make it count." Durand blinked. During a day of the impossible, the more than impossible happened. He watched the image of the Boudicca on the main viewer suddenly rotate 180 degrees and fire a spread of torpedoes from her aft launchers. The blue white flare was blinding, even with the built in visual limiters on the screen. "Sir! Valhalla's shields are down in that section! Boudicca has lost shields as well! The marines are launching dropships... and we are detecting heavy transporter energy in the breach... they did it Captain, they did it!!" Durand pumped his fist twice and barked at his bridge crew. "Status of the Boudicca?" "She's coming apart at the seams sir... Heaven knows what's holding her together. Captain! Another friendly vessel incoming! Identified as the USS Spectre!" Durand studied the tactical display quickly. Spectre was interposing herself on the primary threat axis, covering the Boudicca from the majority of the stations defensive fire. At that moment, sensors reported the Boudicca launching escape pods... she finally began to accept the inevitable, rather than continuing to make the impossible possible. Durand watched the Spectre dance and weave across the screen, maneuvering quickly to keep the stations attention from the escape pods. "You magnificent b******s," he muttered almost to himself. Then, louder for the bridge crew's benefit, "Starfleet is still with us my friends... with friends like these..." Durand exhaled and grinned for only the second time that day. "God protects Fools... Little Children... and ships named Enterprise. Maybe they should have added Boudicca to that old saying?" "In range sir... firing all operative weapons!" Deadly energy lanced out from the Argo toward Valhalla. The shots could hardly miss, given the size of her target. A few of Valhalla's weapons were destroyed, some knocked out, some more suppressed. Trask had bought them precious seconds to do what they must know attempt. "Helm, get us to within... 100 meters of the Boudicca. Trask, stand by to extend our shield envelope to cover that ship, they are a sitting duck there. Engineering, stand by to give us maximum, I repeat, maximum available emergency power. OPS, deflector power gets unconditional priority. We have to take fire for them! Signal the Spectre, we are moving to extend our shield envelope to cover the Boudicca, give them a "Superbly well done' with my compliments. Signal Montcalm to move in and assist the Spectre as much as possible!" (Reply Any, None) (Posted by Russ) (USS Argo - Bridge - CO Captain George Durand - 2030) It was working. Thanks mainly to the Spectre, Montcalm, and various other 52nd Fleet vessels, the abandoned Boudicca was holding together. Cradled safely within the extended shield coverage of the Argo, the distance had been closed to a mere 50 meters, in order to maximize available deflector strength. She was being held in place with a tractor beam, the Argo's RCS thrusters providing station keeping. "Status?" "Shields still holding Captain. Our power reserves are below twenty percent. The drain on all systems to feed the deflectors is enormous but stable. The volume of incoming fire has greatly diminished, the other ships are helping immensely." Durand rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had discussed the possible courses of action with his senior officers, and they concurred that they could maintain their present plan provided Doenitz' forces threw them no more curveballs. They had discussed the possibility of towing the Boudicca, but opted against it for several reasons. Chief among them were respect for the Boudicca's surviving crew; they were actually a rescue priority, but the Argo had been unable to assist them more directly before now. An opportunity presented itself, and Durand grasped it firmly. "Commander O'Neill to the Bridge!" Seconds passed, and Durand's first officer emerged from the dedicated battle bridge turbolift, where he had been stationed for the long afternoon and evening. "Commander O'Neill, reporting as ordered sir!" ~One question answered. Frank is still irked I sent him to the battle bridge. He knows my reasons... he's a pro, he will get over it... eventually.~ Durand considered his first officer for a moment, then shot him a grin. "Commander, you have the bridge. Mister Trask, you're with me. OPS, how many shuttlecraft do we have available?" "Six sir, all at ready five status. We have four more available at plus fifteen." "Very well. Have two medical teams, a damage control party, and three security teams meet us in the main shuttlebay. It's past time we got into Valhalla and did some real work. Let's go Commander, its time to earn our pay." He approached his first officer closely and whispered to him. "Frank, sorry about the banishment, but this is exactly what I was saving you for. Trask and I will be back when we can... until then, Argo is yours. Do whatever you need to do, but keep us covered... and keep an eye on the Boudicca. I'll keep you advised. Good luck." With that, he shook O'Neill's hand firmly, and headed for the shuttlebay, his tactical officer in tow. (Starbase Valhalla - Subsection 17 - USS Argo Away Team - Captain George Durand - 2038) They were making progress. Not an assault force, but rather hopefully a relief force. If they had reliable internal scanning capability, they could have just beamed the Boudicca survivors out. No such luck. They did however, have a pretty clear path of destruction to follow... no doubt the initial boarding action had been vicious. He knew some fleet marines, and Durand had no desire to anger them... or even stand in their way. Judging by the trail of carnage, Doenitz forces had not a similar reservation. They were picking up some comm chatter now, despite the jamming and damage to various communication nodes. Definately headed in the right direction. As they crossed into subsection 16, they could hear weapons fire and muted explosions ahead. Durand held up his hand for the team to halt, and shot a glance to his right at Trask. He made a series of brief and silent hand signals; Trask nodded in understanding. Durand would lead a security team left, Trask take another right, with the third team in reserve to cover the damage control and medical teams. It was the classic 'Two up, One back' infantry assault pattern. It would work here, it was hoped, since the enemy were obviously in contact with 52nd fleet personnel, perhaps even Boudicca crew. Time to find out. The two teams split and each took separate but parallel corridors forward. Smoke, dust, noise, and darkness greeted them. The distinct whine of phaser weapons, punctuated by the occasional boom from photon and plasma grenades told them they were nearly there. Stopping behind some shattered and smoking equipment, Durand signalled one of his team to recon forward. With a nod, Lt. Fallon crept forward along the curved wall. He was out of sight for two minutes, then three. Just as Durand was about to move forward to check on him, Fallon crept into view once again. He crabbed over to the Captain. "Sir, it's Doenitz security for sure." He paused to wipe the perspiration from his face then went on. "They seem to be assaulting a defensive position set up about 100 meters ahead. They are taking pot shots at each other, but that's all at the moment. They are regular security too... not marines sir. No more than one reinforced squad, maybe two. Makes our job easier." "Nice report Erik. Get your breath while we set this up. Trask, do you copy?" =^=Go ahead Captain.=^= "Doenitz security ahead. One, no more than two squads. They are assaulting a defensive position, but not with any enthusiasm. On thirty, we will fire a few photon grenades short of their position to get their attention. At thirty five, come in from the right flank firing... we'll give you ten seconds then do the same. With a little luck the good guys up ahead will be able to tell the sheep from the goats, and we will have Doenitz' troops in a three way crossfire. If they have any sense, they should throw in the towel. Ready?" =^=Standing by sir.=^= "Right. Thirty seconds from my mark.... now." Durand motioned his team forward, and they advanced as quickly and carefully as they could. When they had the enemy in sight, they prepped several photon grenades and waited. At the appointed second, Durand and two of his team primed and tossed a photon grenade each. The three missles flew noiselessly forward, then clattered quietly to the deck ahead. One of the enemy turned at the sound only to be tossed backwards. Three loud concussions in rapid succession had them scattering for cover, and thier attention on the perceived threat. Just then, Trask's team moved in on the opposite flank, and opened up suppression fire with thier phaser rifles. On cue, Durand's team did the same, neatly pinning the enemy in a crossfire of gleaming energy beams. The besieged defenders saw thier opportunity and opened fire as well. Converging like the spokes of some hellish wheel, the phaser beams must have been a terrifying sight to Doenitz' men. This continued for some half a minute or so, then a shout from the target area. "Hold your fire!! We surrender!! Hold your fire!!" Durand raised his voice to a shout. "This is Captain Durand, USS Argo! Drop your weapons and break cover! Hands where we can see them!" Two minutes later, Durand and Trask's teams had linked up with the defending force; they were, in fact, Boudicca crew. Durand signalled his support force to move up, and the Boudicca personnel escorted the Argo team to the temporary command center. (Starbase Valhalla - Subsection 14 - Temporary Command Center - USS Argo Away Team - CO Captain George Durand) Durand surveyed the organized chaos professionally. Wounded were being treated, the perimeter guarded... Impressive. Damned Impressive. With help from some of the Boudicca crew, he quickly located Commander Stakes. Durand could not imagine what torment the Boudicca and her crew had endured. His respect for them redoubled as he saw their remaining command staff. He caught Stakes' eye, took several steps forward flanked by Trask, and extended his hand. "Commander Stakes I presume? George Durand, USS Argo. Sorry we are late... we were... delayed. We stand ready to assist you. We have two medical teams, a damage control party, and three full security teams at your disposal. We had the Devil's own time to locate you, sensors in here are all but useless. I have 6 shuttlecraft ready for evac, with four more warming up. Better than that, our damage control party has two sets of pattern enhancers. We can set those up and beam any of your critical patients directly to the ship. The hospital ship McCoy is in the area as well. Oh... and your ship is where you left her. We've got her tractored and at station keeping. How might we assist you, Commander?" (Reply Any) (Posted by Russ) -USS Boudicca, NCC 49901 Star Trek: Freedom - http://www.startrekfreedom.com