Compile#21 July 19-24 (USS Rosenante & USS Boudicca Joint) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission: Once More into the Breach Day 4 Stardate: 2414.01.18 Compile Summary (USS Rosenante – Bridge – CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid – Day 4- 1308) (USS Rosenante – Bridge – FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 1310) (USS Rosenante – Bridge – CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid – Day 4- 1312) (USS Rosenante - Holodeck 1 - Bridge Simulation - FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 1324) (USS Boudicca - Main Sickbay - aFO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - 1400) (USS Boudicca - Sickbay - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 14.05) (USS Boudicca - Brig - aFO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 4 - 14.08) (USS Boudicca - Brig - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 14.15) (Dovek II, Rescue Team, SO, Ensigns Mike Rosenbauer & Eva St-Jean , Day 4 -1544) (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACMO Basil Candle- Day 4 - 1549) (Dovek II, Mine Team - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma - 1556) (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 4 - 1558) (Dovek II, Rescue Team, Lieutenant jg Sanok, Day 4, 1559) (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 4 - 1601) (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACMO Basil Candle - Day 4 - 1604) (Dovek II, Mine Team - ATAC/SC Ensign (jg) Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 1610) (Dovek II, Crash Team, SO, Taylor Dolan, Day 4 -1611) (Dovek II, Mine Team, SO, Paulo Serrano, Day 4 -1612) (Dovek II, Mine Team, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma -1613) (Dovek II, Mine Team - ATAC/SC Ensign (jg) Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 1614) (Dovek II, Mine Team - Lieutenant Tom Jackson 2O / COPS Day 4 - 1615) (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 4 - 1618) (Dovek II, Mine Team - Lieutenant Steven Matrix, Day 4 - 1619) (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer - Ensign Andrew Maddox - 1620) (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer Joseph Willowbrook - Day 4 - 1622) (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACMO Basil Candle - Day 4 - 1623) (Dovek II, Rescue Team, Lieutenant jg Sanok, Day 4, 1624) (Dovek II - Mine Team - Ensign Isra Caliel, 1625) (Dovek II, Mine Team - ATAC/SC Ensign (jg) Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 1626) (Dovek II, Mine Team - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma- 1627) (Dovek II – Survivors – ATT LCDR Lorimar – 1628) (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer - Ensign Andrew Maddox - 1629) (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer Ensign Maria Holly - Day 4 - 1630) (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer Joseph Willowbrook - Day 4 - 1631) (Dovek II - Crash team - Science Officer Nickolas Romanoff - 1647) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante – Bridge – CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid – Day 4- 1308) Ahmed managed to suppress the frown that he felt mentally from forming on his face. He had hoped that the Boudicca with her heavier armor and battle-tested systems had fared better than his own ship had, but it didn't seem to be the case. in fact, in some respects it almost seemed as if the Boudicca had taken a little more damage than his own ship. Ahmed gave a quick run-down of his his tactics, if you could call running and hiding a tactic. "We will back your play Captain, whatever we need to do. Our sensors weren’t very effective during the second attack run. Were you able to get any indication if the teams made their objectives or no? And have you any orders for us Captain?" Salid smiled despite their circumstances. "It looks like they made landfall. Which means they'll get the job done. I have supreme confidence in our people to get the job done. They all understand what's on the line here. They'll get the job done, captain. We just need to make certain that we're here and able to pick them up and keep them from harm when they leave that planet. That, at the moment is our mission. Conduct repairs, be prepared t keep that cube occupied if needed and be ready to race to pick up our successful away teams when the time comes." He added with a sense of confidence that he mentally did not feel. "There's really no other orders I can issue you at this time Captain." (reply Durand iyw) "As for the situation, let me give you a sit-rep on the Rosenante." Ahmed picked up the PADD that a yeoman had just handed him a few moments prior. "Our Hull Integrity is 63%, most of the damaged areas are sealed by forcefield. we have a few that are open to space." he sated barely fighting back a shiver at the thought of the hull breach on the bridge just a few short minutes ago. " we have damage to our forward phaser array, but can get maybe 33% out of them. We're venting drive plasma from the starboard nacelle, and have several non-functional maneuvering thrusters. Like you we've suffered some torpedo tubes down, looks like two aft and three forward. Primary Shield generators are fused on the ventral quadrant, but the secondaries are operational if only at 17%. Engineering teams are working on it. We've lost some of the Command and Control Systems, but I expect they'll be restored shortly." He took a deep breath, "We've suffered 36 dead, 18 injured, 3 personnel remain unaccounted for." "Captain, we're approaching the atmospheric boundary." Dralar reported. Ahmed nodded. "Follow us in Captain, but don't stay too close, eh? Rosenante out." (Reply Durand) As the view screen shifted Ahmed took a moment to mumble a very quiet prayer for the souls of the departed on both ships. He could only hope that he wouldn't have to add to the list of casualties from the planet as well. Ahead of him, the circle of the gas Giant in the Dovek system grew until it filled the entirety of the main viewer. A brief shimmy was all that was felt as the Rosenante pushed her way into the atmosphere of the brown and tan giant. Above him, the force field shimmered and made complaining sounds as the boiling gases from the planet's atmosphere pressed against the field with an impure desire to destroy what lay beyond the protective barrier on the bridge of the Rosenante. Ahmed rose from his command chair and gave a quick once over of the bridge. Emergency medical crew were treating and evacuating the wounded as quickly as possible. "Mister Sullivan, Transfer all secondary bridge controls to holodeck one. I can't afford to lose the entire bridge staff if we have a sudden power failure and the field collapses. " He ordered (reply Sullivan) "I'll remain on the Bridge a bit longer. I have some things I need to secure in my ready room. I'll join you shortly. mister dralar will transfer once you have everything prepared in the holodeck." Dralar bobbed his head in acknowledgment. (Reply Sullivan) "Mister Dralar, take us to a depth of 180-kilometers into the planet's atmosphere. Try to keep a working idea of the Boudicca's location." "Understood Captain." The Rosenante shook as the mighty starship slid into the atmosphere of the planet. They external winds pressing against the Rosenante's tactical shields being transferred into an intermittent series of shocks. Ahmed realized that it would only be a few minutes longer before the Borg Tactical Cube arrived at the planet and began to bombard the atmosphere with the intention of destroying or flushing out the two Federation starships. Ahmed could only hope that he hadn't played a bad hand at the table when he had decided to send in the two way teams. He had faith in their ability to cary out their mission, what he didn't know was whether any of them would survive it, or if the plan would have the desired affect at all. (reply Durand, Sullivan) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante – Bridge – FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 1310) T'Larah was in wonder as the Rose literally dived into the atmosphere of the gas giant. The plan, if she were to go by human standards was, she believed the term was 'crazy'. However the numbers the sensors were sending in would verify that it was not only possible but feasible for an extended duration. As fascinating as it was T'Larah forced herself to keep her eyes on her instruments ensuring the shields had enough power to keep them in their hiding place for an extended duration. The paper thin shields that were holding out the alien and caustic atmosphere. At first began a light buzz, and then adjusted to the new pressures being exerted on them. Their fragile atmosphere held and the containment fields showed no signs of collapsing. Medical teams were just finishing up taking the final critical patients and the remaining 'walking wounded' were escorted off the bridge to sickbay. The Captain stood surveying the situation. Apparently he didn't like the state of the bridge. "Mister Sullivan, Transfer all secondary bridge controls to holodeck one. I can't afford to lose the entire bridge staff if we have a sudden power failure and the field collapses. " He ordered. T'Larah began the transfer of the command codes, and just happened to glance up and see that the Captain's feet were planted, he intended to stay. The thought had crossed T'Larah's mind that Captain Salid may want to stay on his bridge, for the remainder of the conflict. She had heard of Captains stubbornly staying on the bridge at the near demise of their vessel. "A captain goes down with the ship" she believed the Ancient Terran adage was. "Sir, you are coming too?" she inquired, ready to insist a little more firmly, in the event of a refusal. "I'll remain on the Bridge a bit longer. I have some things I need to secure in my ready room. I'll join you shortly. Mister Dralar will transfer once you have everything prepared in the holodeck." "I will notify you when it is prepared. I also would like to secure some things from my quarters. I also have a few ideas that we may be able to surprise the Borg with if they force a confrontation." she replied. (Reply Captain Salid, if desired, room for more.) Once the Captain acknowledged her, she transferred bridge functions to the holodeck indicated. "Computer transfer the following bridge functions to Holodeck 1; all science stations, all engineering stations, the security, tactical and operations stations. Transfer axillary control of weapons and shields to the Captain's command console until I arrive at the holodeck." she said. [Command authorization required to transfer bridge functions.] chimed the computer in it's usual monotone female voice. "Voice authorization; Sullivan-two-two-epsilon-delta-eight." she responded. [Voice authorization confirmed, command codes transferred.] T'Larah watched as all the bridge consoles in her eye-sight save two went completely dark. She released the catch under the tactical station and grabbed the type II phaser that was always kept there. She then exited the bridge by the turbo lift. She intended to pick up a few things from her quarters before she made her appearance on the holodeck. (Reply Captain Salid, any on bridge) (Posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante – Bridge – CO Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid – Day 4- 1312) "I will notify you when it is prepared. I also would like to secure some things from my quarters. I also have a few ideas that we may be able to surprise the Borg with if they force a confrontation." T'Larah replied. "Granted commander." Ahmed replied, still thinking about the situation as a whole, knowing that his reluctance to leave his bridge was both foolhardy and illogical. Sullivan went about transferring the command systems to the holodeck, a task which didn't take her very long. The entire time that she was busy, Ahmed never moved a muscle. instead he watched the brown and tan gases swirling on the main view screen almost hypnotized by the chaos that lived in those alien swirls and whorls. The level of illumination on the bridge decreased significantly as bridge stations powered down leaving just his own and Dralar's station fully operational. He heard the doors to the turbolift close as his first officer left the bridge. "We haven't lost yet, captain." Dralar said quietly. "I know it appears that we have, but we have not." Ahmed looked at the Skorr officer, who has swiveled in his station chair to regard him. "I didn't realize that Skorr were empathic, Mister dralar." Ahmed replied sarcastically. "We are not Captain, but I can tell when a commanding officer feels that the situation is beyond their ability to resolve satisfactorily. I've been there myself. I once considered all hope lost during an engagement." Ahmed blinked and looked the avian officer squarely in the eyes. "And tell me Ambassador. What happened? What changed?" The Skorr, bobbed his head for a moment in remembrance and perhaps a slight chuckle before replying. "I was in a situation much like this. I had just ordered the bridge of my flagship abandoned. I felt that the battle was lost. But my weapon's officer reminded me of something very important." "And what was that?" Ahmed asked. "That all hope is never lost as long as there is a single officer or crewman still breathing, captain. Even when the situation demands that we surrender, the nobility of our species and yours demands that we continue to strive against nearly insurmountable odds. Every member of this task force believes that the Borg must be stopped. They would rather die than surrender. They would never betray their duties and they will fight until they can not fight any longer. And that Captain means that there is still hope that we can overcome this threat and return home to a safe and secure world." Ahmed thought about it for a moment and as he did so, he came to realize that the Skorr Ambassador, and starfleet officer was right. As long as any of them remained they had hope. It may be a flimsy hope or a hard won hope, but it was hope none the less, and sometimes all it took was a spark to set off a powder keg. Most of the time hope was that spark. "Thank you Dralar." the captain said. "You are well wise beyond your years." The Skorr just clucked in good humor. "Captain, please don't tell anyone. It will ruin my stoic reputation." Ahmed couldn't help but smile. Even with the likelihood of complete and total defeat the Skorr officer seated before him had the ability to remain light-hearted. "I won't tell a soul, Dralar. I promise. Your secret is safe with me." he replied. The Helmsman bobbed his head in appreciation. "Report to the Holodeck, Mister Dralar. I'll be down in a few moments." "Aye captain." Dralar rose from his position and shut down the station to conserve power. He then left the bridge leaving the captain alone on his bridge for a few moments. "Don't worry girl. We'll pull through this. We always do, don't we?" he said as he touched the unpowered Conn station display. The ship shook slightly as they hit a small patch of turbulence. In a way it was almost as if the ship had answered him. "We'll talk some more later. I have some work to do now." (reply none) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Rosenante - Holodeck 1 - Bridge Simulation - FO - Commander T'Larah Sullivan - 1324) The dual doors of the holodeck parted with a hiss, revealing a pristine simulation of the Rosenante bridge. If T'Larah hadn't known for a fact that she wasn't, she would have thought she was mistaken on where she exactly was. She stepped through and the doors shut, completing the illusion as the doors that weren't supposed to be on the bridge disappeared. She ran her finger against the nearest surface as if looking for dust during an inspection, knowing quite well that she wouldn't find any. She made sure that her belt was properly secured before she took a seat in the center chair. The belt she had very few opportunities to wear. It could carry two of her collapsible batons, two phasers one type II and one type I. As she sat down she took inventory of the ships' systems. The crew was working valiantly against nearly insurmountable odds. Their situation was improving, the repair teams had managed to get just about every system improved just a little with the exception of the warp nacelles, which were still inoperable. "Sullivan to Captain Salid." she said tapping her combadge. (Reply Salid) "I have assumed command of the holo-bridge. If you would be so kind to relinquish the tactical controls we will be ready to receive you as soon as you wish to join us." she reported. (Reply Salid, any on either bridge station.) (posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Main Sickbay - aFO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - 1400) Josh stalked down the corridor towards Sickbay all but spitting blood. She had more than enough to do running the Battle Bridge without having to be called away to organise a prisoner transfer. And what drove her totally crazy was not only who the prisoner was but what he was charged with. This wasn't the first time that Trei had disobeyed orders and the last time it had happened she had been tasked with keeping an eye on him by the Captain. The last time he had been responsible for the deaths of two crew members. This time from what she had been told by Captain Durand it was way, way worse. This time the idiot had decided, against orders, that he should contact the Borg. She strode through the door and almost smiled as most of the staff scuttled away from her. Josh didn't blame them, she was furious and it showed in her face, her demeanor and her utterly relentless march towards Trei. Stopping at his bio bed she caught his eye. "Lt Trei the Captain has requested me to order you to report to the brig ." Gesturing to the security officers guarding him she continued. "These officers will help me escort you there. You will follow me right now. There will be no discussion regarding this until we reach the brig. Do you understand?" (Reply Trei) aFO Cmdr Josh Caskie USS Boudicca --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Sickbay - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 14.05) Detron sat on the bio bed as Caskie entered Sickbay. Detron could see the anger in her expressions toward him and those around him. She relayed the order from Durand that Detron was to be transferred to the Brig under escort. Detron understood this move and complied without much resistance. Detron proceeded to walk to the Brig under escort. ~Let the musical detention continue.~ (Reply Caskie) (Posted by Edward) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Brig - aFO - Cmdr Josh Caskie - Day 4 - 14.08) Lt Trei put up no resistance and she and his security detail had marched him smartly to the Brig. Thankfully the corridors were quiet since Josh didn't think that she and two security officers could have kept him safe if someone had decided to hold a grudge. Finally as he was put into the security cell Josh heaved a sigh of relief and following him in sat down on the end of the bunk. Looking up at him she shook her head. "Lt Trei. You have been placed in the brig for two reasons. Firstly you have been charged with disobeying a direct order in that you proceeded to contact the Borg after you were given specific orders not to do so. This constitutes failing to obey a direct order and once Captains Durand and Salid actually have time to deal with you, you will no doubt face a court martial for your actions. The secondary reason that you have been placed here is for your own safety. To be honest Lieutenant I am not sure that I can think of one person on either of our ships, myself included, who would not personally make it their business to escort you out of the nearest airlock, if they weren't already too busy fighting for their lives." (reply Trei) "You Lieutenant, are to my mind are a foul up. A total and utter rogue who constantly assumes that you are always right and everyone else is wrong. To my mind there is no place for your type of person in this fleet especially since this is not the first time you have acted against orders." (reply Trei) "I spoke up for you the last time and requested leniency. Believe me I won't be doing it this time. This time you don't deserve it." (Reply Trei) Josh sighed and stood up. "Now if you will excuse me I have a battle bridge to run." Smiling at the security escort she gave them orders to revoke all his computer access, his security codes and confirmed it with her own command codes. Finally heading back to the battle bridge she tried somewhat unsuccessfully to put the whole sorry business behind her. (Reply Trei) (Posted by Marilyn) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (USS Boudicca - Brig - TAC/SC Lieutenant(SG) Detron Trei - 14.15) Detron went in the Brig cell without resistance followed by Caskie. Caskie proceeded to berate Detron on his actions and inform him of the court martial at a later time. She left the cell and told the comuter to transfer all Detron's codes to her. Detron at that point lost computer privileges. Detron expected the action. Detron then closed his eyes and prepared for the Borg battle to come. ~Come and get me Volus. Lets rock and roll.~ (Reply Caskie, Volus) (Posted by Edward --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Rescue Team, SO, Ensigns Mike Rosenbauer & Eva St-Jean , Day 4 -1544) Things were going from bad to really bad almost as fast as trying to negotiate a business contract with a Ferengi. The Borg Drones were everywhere and despite the added firepower from Ichijo and the others that were now able to add their firepower to the mix, things weren't as one-sided in their favor as Mike wouldn't have liked. Eva, who was off to his right, pumped a couple of high energy pulses directly into the chest of the closest Borg Drone, only to have them absorbed by a shimmering green personal force field. The Ex-ranger, rapidly dropped her aim, and began to modulate the output of her weapon. "They've adapted!" She called out, and MIke watched as his own bursts were largely useless against a Borg Drone almost close enough to smell. There was some discussion off to one side of their position between Eian and Basil and Rosenbauer didn't really have the time to listen in as one of the Borg Drones closed into melee distance. The Drone swung his massive cybernetic arm at Mike's skull, which the ranger blocked with the heavily reinforced frame of the Angel Mark II. The super-strength composites held up under the onslaught even as Mike's knees nearly buckled from the raw power that the blow translated into his body. The Ranger blocked a second blow with the weapon, and bore the brunt of the force until he was on his knees. A third would see him undone. Fortunately there never was a third blow. Eva sprung from her position, dropping her weapon so that it slid around behind her on it's sling. in her left hand was a simple air hypo. She pressed the device against the drone's neck with an audible hiss, then dodged away before he could bring his heavily armored arm around to strike her. The Borg turned, moving in a distinctly artificial manner and took two steps towards her. Mike could hear her mumbling, "Come on...Come on..." As he rose back to his feet he reached down to raise his hand phaser when suddenly, the Drone simply froze in mid step. HIs biological components unable to respond due to the exceptionally high dose of Paralytics that Eva had just introduced into it's body. Though partially cybernetic, the vast majority of any given Borg's body was biological. The paralytic was a means to immobilize the drone. Mike watched then as Eva pulled her combat knife and sunk the blade through the Borg Tactical Drone's left eye piece. A shower of sparks and fluids leaked out of the injury and the Drone collapsed dead. "Rosenbauer!" Eian called, "Direct a photon grenade or some equivalent to 42.3 mark 56.4! Fifty second delayed detonation!" Mike nodded and quickly accessed his taccorder on the Angel Mark II. Once he had the location, he called out. "I'm on it! Eva Grenade me, fifty count.." With all the practice of a professional sport's team Eva pulled the photon grenade from her equipment harness and spun the timer dial before tossing it to him under handed. Mike caught it and taking a deep breath, he lobbed the grenade in a perfect arc directly into the target area. "Grenade Away!" He called. Eian apparently had a plan as he yelled as loud as he could, "Fall back, fall back! Rosenbauer, Candle, move west twenty-degrees! Then launch another explosive to 42.3 mark 56.1! Thirty second detonation." Again Mike replied with his typical "On it!" as he displaced his position and moved as ordered. He was glad that there weren't any Borg in that area, because that would have made the second deployment of the grenade difficult. "Eva, thirty count!" he called, and once again the other member of his team set the grenade and launched it towards him with all the fine tuning of a well honed team. Mike caught the grenade with ease and redirected it almost atop the target zone. He had always been a pretty fair hand at throwing. It was apparent that the explosives were designed to flank the Borg, and as a result cause them a distinct disadvantage. The only thing that bother him was that with that much time on the fuses, the Borg could simply walk away. In fact they were already beginning to do just that when Eian shouted, "Cover Me!" The fool engineer was charging the Borg, placing himself amongst their group and in the process, exposing himself to the potentially deadly explosive power of both Photon grenades. Mike's phaser fired twice, dropping one of the Borg Drones, but they adapted too quickly to make a third shot worthwhile. Of course, at this point it hardly mattered. Mentally Mike was counting down the last bit of remaining time before the explosives were set to go off. It was going to be close and the ex-ranger didn't think that Eian would actually make it through the danger zone in time. The two grenades detonated with an explosive whine, the likes of which was more readily suited to the sounds of a massive energy discharge than a true chemical explosion. It wasn't until the energy wave interacted with the solid matter around it that the deep basso sound of a true explosion rippled across the immediate area. The flash was bright enough to make Mike shield them, but he had expected it. What he hadn't expected was the sudden flash of heat that washed over him an instant later. The explosion had ripped open a hidden lava flow that was running just a few dozen meters below the surface of the ground. The Borg and the stone section of ground that they had been standing upon had found themselves instantly engulfed by the rapid flow of red hot magma moving along the now exposed tube at breakneck speeds. The Borg never had a chance. MIke urgently pulled his eyes away from the grisly scene and looked around frantically for O'Neill. With the suddenness of the collapse it was possible that the engineer had become a victim of his own success, which in Mike's opinion would have been one hell of a waste for Starfleet. Mike's concerns were banished when he heard Eian call out. "Fall Back, fall back!" from the other side of the lava-filled crevasse. But Mike realized that there were still other Borg to deal with. These Drones had not been a part of the party combing through the wreckage of the runabout. Those drones were still terribly close and most likely getting closer. (reply Rescue Team) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACMO Basil Candle- Day 4 - 1549) "We'd drop enough of them to get out of here. Good thinking, Basil." "Pull out your tricorder and find me an exact location," he ordered, and covered Basil while he fired. Basil nodded and got to work. Theses were not the best of conditions, a running firefight but Basil knew what he was looking for, concentrations of radiation under them. He ducked down low checking the readings as best he can. Shots all passed him but he needed to focus away from that and just look at the screen in his hand. He found it, he ran up to Eian and showed him. “There‘s one very close by” "Rosenbauer!" Eian called immediately upon getting the result, "Direct a photon grenade or some equivalent to 42.3 mark 56.4! Fifty second delayed detonation!" Basil didn’t wait around for Rosenbauer’s response, Basil knew that being in the way of soldiers doing what they do best is generally a very bad idea. Eian was shouting something as Basil ran, head low the he hear Eian shout something else "Rosenbauer, Candle, move west twenty degrees! Then launch another explosive to 42.3 mark 56.1! Thirty second detonation." ~What? Which way is West and 20 degrees? From where? I’m a doctor not a protractor~ Basil just picked a direction and ran. The explosion occurred behind him, he tried to resist but couldn’t stop from looking back. Borg dropped down but what Basil expected was a hole wasn’t. Lava burst all around the Borg, he could see metal and the remnants of human faces melting, merging into the flow. The radiation must be saturating the lava below them he though but it was just an abstract thought from his main one that he had killed humans. Despite what they were now they once were human or humanoid at least. Thinking of the Borg he suddenly realised that they had probably knew of them but if they didn’t know of their location they do now Basil shouted out, “Which way we heading? Are we heading back to our shuttle?” (reply any) (posted by Warren Simkins) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma - 1556) Jessica stopped what she was doing, took a deep breath and looked up at the Lieutenant. "Sir, I'll continue or I'll die there is no other choice I have..." She paused to look over the group. "We all are doing our part, and my part is to kill has many of these damn drones has humanly possible, and maybe just maybe get out of this alive." She smiled, an odd time to do so. "Don't count me out just yet." Ben returned the smile, even out of place it seemed appropriate somehow. "That's good to hear." He said. "Your doing your part well, those were some nice moves back there on the bridge." "Why, Sir?" She asked. Ben was a little puzzled by the question but he shouldn't have been, part of being a SEC officer was reading peoples actions. "You seem a little different." He replied. "The radiation is becoming more difficult to deal with, with your smaller size I assume it's hitting you a little harder then the rest of us." Ben addressed the group then and they reported on the state of their equipment. (reply any, none required) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 4 - 1558) Compared to moments ago, it was silent. There was the distant whine of phaser fire, the continued gurgling of the boiling lava, and the heavy breathing of all members of the rescue team. But other than that, Eian couldn't believe the silence. Smoke filled the air, the lava leaving behind smoldering pieces of cybernetic equipment and rocks. The dirt clogged Eian's lungs and made him want to cough. In the heat of the moment, one never thinks about the risks inherent in the actions they are about to take. One never stops to contemplate how close they are to death, or bothers with the trivial discomforts that come along with life-or-death situations. One may even be bleeding out, and though the pain is great and time is short before unconsciousness drapes over them, they still manage to carry out the task at hand. Adrenaline did wonders for the human ability to escape from tight situations. And the stunt Eian had just pulled proved that. It was the epitome of impulsiveness, an idea born in his brain in the heat of the moment, thought out in a second or two in between hundreds of other pressing thoughts. It was something he saw before his eyes in his own invisible tactical map, and he knew exactly how fast to run, how close to get to the Borg, how close the grenades would have to be in order for him to make it on time and not be killed...he *remembered* mapping all of this out, but in any other circumstance, such analysis would take an hour to correctly complete. And yet in that moment, Eian had the entire thing processed in seconds and ready to execute. Perhaps it was ADHD, or tactical training, or luck, or a blessing, but he managed to pull it off and walk away with nothing more but a few scratches and bruises. It took a few moments for it to dawn on him that he was so close to doom, but once the thought occurred to him, he spent only seconds on it. Then he moved on to the next order of business. People were looking to him for some instruction. Basil shouted out, “Which way we heading? Are we heading back to our shuttle?” Eian was in charge, and he easily slipped into the role. "We'll keep an eye out for other drones until Sanok catches up," he told everybody. After all, Sanok's added firepower would be invaluable to the next segment of their mission. But waiting around for longer than a short while would endanger not only their lives, but the lives of the survivors. "If there's no sign of him within a minute or two, we'll head toward the survivors' location in the southeast. We're already less than a kilometer away and my guess is that the Borg have already arrived at their location. They'll have injured crew they're attempting to protect, and there's no guarantee that any of them are in fighting condition. So we'll have to do most of the fighting. But we'll wait a minute here--take that minute to get yourself a drink, patch up any wounds you might have. Don't use the dermal regenerators--the survivors will probably need their power more than we do. Don't let your guard down--we can't afford another ambush. That lava pool will protect us from an outright flank, but this area is filled with smoke. It's gonna be hard to see an approaching threat." He surveyed his team. "You all did well. I'm impressed--let's hold it together for those survivors and get them home where they belong." He didn't specify the location of 'home'--he left that for his team to interpret. He personally was thinking of wherever they would all head on shore leave after this mission. Most would probably go wherever they felt 'home' was. "If anyone's got any suggestions, concerns, etc, speak up please." This onset of optimism was not unrelated to his command position, his very recent brush with fate, his continued adrenaline rush...all of these things worked to put him in a much better mood than he was previously in. It was in spots like this that he felt closest to God, and felt that his mind was clearest. He could think in such a way that he could not normally. He nearly bounced on his heels--but stopped himself, of course. It wouldn't look very appropriate for the temporary leader of the away team to be jumping up and down in the middle of a crucial mission, and it would give his people the wrong idea. To release some energy and help himself feel like he was doing something, he began a basic patrol around the area where they rested. "Stay hydrated, people--it's important in a climate like this," he ordered as he walked. (reply any) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Rescue Team, Lieutenant jg Sanok, Day 4, 1559) The last half hour or so had been an experience Sanok would remember the rest of his life, a span he hoped would last at least another 175 years. After O'Neill had left to help the rest of the team, Sanok had faced the enemy moving his way. Nine tactical drones were coming, and it wouldn't take long for them to arrive. While waiting, Sanok wondered about something. The radiation was playing havoc with their equipment. Could it possibly be affecting the Borg's as well? It was logical that it was. Perhaps the radiation was hindering the Borg ability to adapt their shields to weapons fire. If that was the case, any extra shots he would get could mean the difference in surviving to the next firefight, or ending his existence now. While aiming his phaser rifle at the lead drone, Sanok remembered something from an Earth history class he took. There was a general or some other rank, that told his troops to not fire at the enemy until they saw the whites of their eyes. In his case, it would be the reds of their eyes. A joke. Sanok fired and a drone fell. Quickly adjusting his aim, he dropped a second. The others returned fire, but his defilade position on the reverse slope of the hill on which he was laying, gave him excellent cover. Firing from lower ground, it was almost impossible for the Borg to hit him. He dropped a third before the remaining six adapted. Dropping his rifle, Sanok grabbed one of the two hand phasers he had with him. The Borg were now ascending his hill, fanning out to surround him. He dropped one before they adapted to his phaser. Grabbing the second, one more went down before the weapon was ineffective. Four left. Better odds than he expected. Using the phaser rifle as a club, and readying his combat knife, Sanok rose up and struck. The five beings engaged each other in vicious fighting, though the melee was fought without fear, without hatred, without emotion of any kind. The 'bionic zombies' as the Borg were once called by someone, Sanok couldn't remember who, versus the Vulcan that had achieved Kohlinar. As he was struck, pummeled, grabbed, and pushed, Sanok found it odd how everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Oh, he understood the affects of adrenaline, but it was odd, nonetheless. He also noticed that he could hear the sounds of battle between the rest of his team and the Borg that had been pursuing them. A very loud explosion, and the vibrations moving through the ground, caused him to wonder what had happened. Was anyone from the squad still alive? Sanok lost his balance and tumbled down the hill, one of the Borg bouncing down with him. Lying dazed at the bottom for a moment, he rolled to the side when he saw a cybernetic arm rushing towards his head. Grabbing a nearby rock, he reduced the population of the Collective by one more. Picking up his knife and phaser rifle, Sanok began limping in the direction the rest of the team had gone, the whirring sounds of Borg cybernetic prostheses following him. (reply none) (posted by Bob) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 4 - 1601) The smoke had mostly cleared, at least to the point where he could see the horizon. And Sanok was nowhere in sight. Eian's heart grew heavy. ~God, please protect him...my fear is that he didn't make it, or that we're about to leave an injured man behind...~ It wasn't going to help morale, either. "Okay, everyone, listen up," he announced. "It's been too long. We need to keep moving if we want to reach the survivors. We'll move to the southeast now. Rosenbauer and I will be up front, St-Jean will cover our six. Keep your eyes and ears open--if you see Borg, shout out. Try to conserve your phaser fire. Even with the modulating frequencies, it's likely they'll adapt quickly now that they know how we've masked the signatures. We need to reach the survivors--their lives depend on us. Let's move out!" With that, they began the hopefully short trek toward whatever survivors they might find. --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACMO Basil Candle - Day 4 - 1604) "We'll keep an eye out for other drones until Sanok catches up," replied Eian. "You all did well. I'm impressed--let's hold it together for those survivors and get them home where they belong." ~Well all I did was run heck if that’s what it takes~ "If anyone's got any suggestions, concerns, etc, speak up please." Basil didn’t want to scream out, GET ME OFF THIS DAMN PLANET! Instead he just shook his head and though about those survivors. He looked around and saw Dr Ichijo. He went over to her, “Doctor” , he said, “been considering the conditions of the survivors. I’ve recently had experience of dealing with people trapped with high levels of radiation but I need your experience” (Reply Ichijo) “My knowledge of anti-proton radiation is a bit sketchy, what do you know of it?” (Reply Ichijo) (Posted by Warren Simkins) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team - ATAC/SC Ensign (jg) Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 1610) The Borg pressed on and Jessica and the other fought back in brilliant manner's each bringing a variety of attacks to the table. Has they made their way down the chasm toward the city center the Tkon sphere rising above the ancient city skyline. Jessica was thankful for the narrow expanse that was the chasm floor, It kept the Borg from bringing one of their biggest advantages to bear upon the mine team, their larger numbers. That coupled with the anti-proton radiation probably kept them from teleporting reinforcements down on the mines team head. But the groups luck could only hold so long, and when a assault group of Borg attacked the group from a side inlet she almost thought she lost their luck all together. Immediately the area was filled with disruptor fire. Jessica, like the rest of her team went into action yet again. The mine was under fire and Jessica could of swore that it took a hit. She leap over the mine TR-116 in hand, her legs pulled under her body has the sounds of titanium rounds escaping the weapons muzzle filled the air. Three rounds were released in rapid succession, and three of the Borg went down from shots that removed pieces of skulls and splattered brain matter across the chasms walls and floor. Jessica landed placing herself between the advancing Borg and the mine. Then Jessica's luck ran out, has the Borg opened with a volley of disruptor fire. Jessica knew she had little choice if she moved to save herself, She would put the mine and the mission at risk. Has three disruptor blasts struck her body. Her armor absorbed the blast, that hit her upper chest, the the poly crystalline weave shifting the blast around her body. The blast fused the weave, weakening the armor. She brought her weapon to fire when the second blast stuck her TR-116 rendering the weapon useless in her hand. Time slowed has the final blast of streaking green energy made its deadly approach and struck home. Jessica knew it would strike her she steeled for the impact. The round stuck just below her waist on her left side, blowing away her armor, tearing away muscle, bone, and sinew. Jessica opened her mouth in an attempt to scream but her voice was robbed from the intense pain being inflicted on her. It was sheer tensity and reflex that she pulled the photon mine slammed the arming mechanism on her right leg. She smiled has she heard the explosive charged its core, and she tossed it among the advancing Borg. The would to Jessica then began to blur, this new wound was far greater than the last, and she fell to her knees. The explosive bounced and came to a stop. The few seconds, that it should of taken for the explosive to detonate seemed to stretch into eternity and far longer something was wrong the primer charge never blew, and soon the primary explosive would fail. Jessica in an act of desperation pulled her phaser and fired at the grenade. The phaser lit the area in bright red-orange light but missed her target. Jessica closed her eyes, and her would went black. ~Don't worry Jessica~ The voice came to her. ~You have fought well, today we are truly sisters. I will not let you fail this way.~ Jessica felt a pressance around her, felt has someone lifted her arm, and hand that held her phaser. Her hand graced the tigger pad and again the weapon fired. This time however the beam found its target and surrounded by the attacking Borg the explosive detonated and in a fire blue light consumed the mine teams attackers. It was over almost has soon as it began, but this time Jessica did not recover herself. Her phaser fell from her hand has she curled into a ball her hands applying to her newest wound. She whimpered something to herself barley able to be heard. A personal mantra something to focus on other than the shock that was gripping her body. "I'm not dead, I'm not dead, I'm not dead..." (reply mine team, iyw) (posted by Matthew Locke) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Crash Team, SO, Taylor Dolan, Day 4 -1611) "sonuva...sonuva...sonuva..." screamed three times as he fired another blast from his phaser rifle into the chest of the Borg tactical drone only to have the burst of energy do no damage whatsoever. A brilliant green shimmering shield flashed for a moment as the energy was dissipated without effect. In desperation, Taylor tossed the weapon up into the air, grabbed the barrel and swung the weapon like an old-style baseball bat. The stock of the weapon struck the Borg on the left side of his cybernetically enhanced face. The drone's head jerked sideways from the impact, but the mechanical monstrosity remained firmly affixed in the upright position. It stubbornly refused to acknowledge the impact at all. He scrambled backwards until his back was against an outcropping of stone. once again he stepped forward, swinging the weapon in a broad arc, throwing every ounce of his body into the blow, marrying it to his momentum. Like before the weapon made contact with the Drone's skull. Unlike the last time, the drone jerked sideways as the creature's cybernetic components collapsed under the punishment. The weapon snapped just behind the pistol grip, shards flying out in a broad scatter pattern around the drone. Taylor wanted to cheer, but he couldn't, not quite yet. The Drone was still standing despite the sickening ichors dripping from the side of its face. "Borg tae yer right!" Dolan heard and spun quickly in that direction. A group of three drones was almost upon him. He had nowhere to go. One of the Drones reached out an arm , long assimilation tubules extending hungrily towards his flesh. Dolan recoiled as a burst of phaser fire brought a massive chunk of stone down on his assailant. The security officer threw the broken phaser rifle at the last remaining Borg drone from the flanking group, even as he scurried away and towards some of the other members of his team. He'd have to say his thank yous later if he survived. He picked up speed as he moved, and that's when he spotted Holly pinned, back against an outcropping of stone. Taylor knew what he had to do. it was his responsibility to protect these people as much as possible. Even if that meant getting closer than he'd prefer. He tightened his shoulder and mentally prepared himself for the football tackle. He struck the Drone in the side even as it was reaching forward to infect Maria with the Borg Nanoprobes. The scientist was ripped from the Borg's grip as Dolan hit home. There was a sickening crack as Taylor's left collar bone snapped under the sudden impact. The Drone and Taylor fell together in a tumble of human being and cybernetic limbs, tumbling across the ground bleeding off momentum from the impact. "Run, Maria!" Taylor screamed as the drone easily stood despite Dolan's attempt to keep it pinned to the ground. The security officer cried out in pain as he tried to raise himself to his feet. The pain that shot through his arm and back was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. With his good hand, he grabbed his phaser pistol and quickly set it for overload. He spun as rapidly as his injury and tolerance for pain would allow him and then jabbed the whining weapon into the armor plating on the Drone's Back, wedging it, almost perfectly between its shoulder blades. He threw himself down into the acidic soil just as the device detonated, vaporizing the drone and leaving a small smoking crater where he once stood. Breathing heavily, Taylor started to pull himself to his feet, when he was suddenly jerked upright and his feet were pulled from the ground. A Borg tactical drone had him by the throat and was preparing to assimilate him. All Dolan could do was pray someone could help him and gasp for breath as he watched the tubules moving closer and closer to his throat as if in slow motion. (reply Crash team) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team, SO, Paulo Serrano, Day 4 -1612) The fighting was worse than anything that Paulo had ever experienced and he'd seen his share of combat. His weapons were dead and even the spare TR-116 was on the verge of giving out on him. He like, Signos had seen the sudden surge of attack from the Borg and he'd reacted as best he could to the new threat. he, like her had put down as much fire into the condensed Borg ranks as he could, at least until his weapon's magazine of titanium rounds was empty. Then he was reduced to his combat knife, a thought that he didn't really relish. When Signos went down, he almost cried out. The diminutive woman had fought harder than ten men three times her size and Paulo wasn't about to leave her body laying on some god forsaken dust-ridden ball of dirt in some backwater section of the quadrant. he sprinted the distance to her and without giving it any farther thought he unceremoniously draped her over the mine casing. He turned then and with the primal scream of a man possessed, charged the Borg with his combat knife. "Go, Hurry!" he screamed. (reply mine team) Daniel Greene --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team, CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma -1613) The team pressed on, tired and thirsty. True the chasm had given them a brief break from the winds and even the radiation but the heat was still there. Ben wasn't sure how much longer the group could hold out. The equipment was being affected by the radiation and their inoculations wouldn't protect them for much longer, then there was the Borg. They were running out of phasers that were able to inflict damage, there were a couple TR-116 but they were running low on ammo as well. Soon they would be fighting hand to hand. They were nearing their goal, they could see it now in the distance. And in the distance they also saw more drones. The chasm appeared to be widening a little, or was it. Off to one side it had appeared to open up but on closer examination there was a side alley, not good. Before Ben could say anything in warning drones appeared in the alley and advanced towards them, intent on the mine. They had their target and paid little attention to anything else. Signos wasted little time, Serrano didn't either. Ben could only spare them a quick glance because he had his own problems to deal with at the moment. He drew his phaser and dropped the closest drone to him, then drew his tanto and reverted to it. He ran up behind one drone and slashed through the bundle of cables and tubes at the base of its neck and deep into its shoulder, it dropped and he moved on. The next drone turned to face him bringing his weapon to bear, before it fired Ben ducked under its arm and drove the blade up in under the drones chin and into its brain pan. He twisted the blade and pulled it back out when he was hit from behind, his armor took the blunt of the strike but he felt it just the same. He rolled over and jumped back up and fired his phaser at the drone who hit him, it fell to the ground sparking and convulsing. He then saw Signos on the ground, she was in bad shape. Serrano draped her over the mine and then he was screaming and charging a drone with his combat knife. "Go, Hurry!" he screamed. Ben turned to Tom and Steve, with the added weight it would be harder to move. "Ensigns Caliel and Narvak, help the Lieutenants move the mine, well hold them off." Ben yelled over Serrano's screams. Things were getting bad, Signos was injured pretty bad. Looked like her armor had been hit by a torpedo, it was charred and then there was her leg. If they didn't get back to the ship soon she would likely die from the injury, there was little either of the team could do for her now. They had their hands full dealing with the Borg and moving the mine, not a good time for triage. Ben ran at the chasm wall and jumped up against it then quickly pushed off into a spinning kick that caught a drone in the head, his momentum and weight forced the drone to the side and it toppled to the ground. Ben managed to land on his feet and quickly brought the heal of his boot down on the drones throat. He heard the spine snap and gave the drone a kick in the side of the head for good measure. ~Regenerate that you sonuva~ Adrenaline surging he turned on the next closest drone, it rose its arm to fire. Ben jumped clear as the blast hit the wall behind him, he tucked into as roll as another blast struck the ground where he had landed. He made it to his feet beside the drone as it turned to fire again, Ben felt the heat from the blast as he jumped into the drone knocking it on its back. He drew the blade across its throat as he had done before, he almost wished he had brought a Katana with him instead of the tanto. When he rose the fight was over, at least for now. He moved to the mine. "Did it take any hits?" He asked Tom. (reply Jackson) "Ensign Signos" He said as he stood beside her. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he pulled a couple bandages from his kit. (reply Signos) "This is gonna hurt." He said and then added. "A lot." He proceeded to wrap the leg as best he could to slow the loss of blood, the disruptor had caused a lot of damage. Had the hit been more direct she would have lost her leg entirely. (reply any) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team - ATAC/SC Ensign (jg) Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 1614) "Ensign Signos" Soma said as he stood beside her. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he pulled a couple bandages from his kit. Jessica responded with a nod of her head more focused on keeping pressure on the wound. "This is gonna hurt." He said and then added. "A lot." "Just plug it and get it over with." She said though gritted teeth. Soma proceeded pull Jessica from the mine and lay her on the ground to better wrap her leg and midsection where the blast had hit. Jessica knew she couldn't take to much more punishment. Soma knew his medical training but he was no medic, his treatment was crude but effective. Jessica's mouth opened to scream but she could not find her voice the pain was so intense. Several times, she felt her conscious begin slip away, but she forced herself to stay awake to bear the pain. Then the pain died away to more of a dull drumming than that of the searing pain she had just felt. She could stand with help, and she made her way back to her feet nursing her hurt side. "Thank you," She nodded has she was once again under her own weight. The bandage would hold but not long, she tested the leg and learned she could still walk. True she might not be has graceful has before but she could move on her own accord. "Well I guess that's enough of the flipping and jumping for the time being," She joked. Every one was more than a little worried about her. She hoped a little humor would ease there mind. Jessica tore the rest of the top of her uniform from her armor. It was little more than rags at that point anyway, and something she could use to reinforce her wounds when the time came. She pressed on with everyone else. (reply none, but always welcome) (posted by Matthew Locke.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team - Lieutenant Tom Jackson 2O / COPS Day 4 - 1615) The team was exhausted as well as spent from lugging the mine all over this hellish place. Tom Jackson and Steve Matrix were worried about the structural integrity of the device. They huddled near the device as Matrix worked on it. "Well Steve what's our chances of getting this fracking thing there detonating it?" A worried Jackson asked his friend. (Reply: matrix) The two knew what was at stake - the whole shebang! "Is it possible to detonate it without power cells?" Tom asked. (Reply: Matrix) (Posted by: Bill W.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACEO Lt JG Eian O'Neill - Day 4 - 1618) It was hot and miserable, and the constant fear of seeing drones was in the back of their minds. But for some reason, it seemed like hardly any time had passed before they spotted the small group of Starfleet officers, banged up and seemingly resting but unaware of a group of Borg approaching from the South. 'Survivors' truly described this group well, he thought, seeing the condition most of them were in and seeing that they were attempting to protect themselves by building something... Eian held up his fist and halted the group. They took cover, and he gave the military hand sign for 'look ahead,' and then pointed to Rosenbauer and himself for one direction, and then assigned directions for the other members of the team. They were going to flank, hopefully taking the Borg by surprise. To his knowledge, they weren't spotted yet. But they would have to move fast. Eian counted down on his fingers as the sweat poured down his forehead and the back of his neck. 3...2...1...He gave the sign for 'MOVE IN!' and they ran. (reply any) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team - Lieutenant Steven Matrix, Day 4 - 1619) Matrix collapsed against the wall, his momentum only broken by the ground. He took a moment to catch his breath and unveiled the mine and looked over its energy reading. ~Damn it.~ "Damn!" said Matrix. "Well Steve what's our chances of getting this fracking thing there detonating it?" A worried Jackson asked his friend. "We're down to 67%...I doubt this thing will make a dent in the side of a salvage barge." exclaimed Matrix. "Is it possible to detonate it without power cells?" Tom asked. "It needs a catalyst to detonate the warhead...energy, mechanical or chemical. I didn't expect this radiation to sap the power out otherwise I would have brought a induction cartridge." replied Matrix. (Reply Jackson) "We might be able to improvise with a phaser on overload, but we'd need to time it with the mines detonator." said Matrix. (Reply Jackson, any) (Posted by Steve) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer - Ensign Andrew Maddox - 1620) "What do we do now?" Willowbrook asked. He seemed as tired as Maddox was. As the adrenaline wore off a bit in Maddox and he fully 'came-to', he was able to respond in full sentences. "Well, I think once we mop up these Borg, we should probably get moving. I'm sure the collective is fully aware of what is going on, and are dispatching more drones to deal with us." he said. Finally Maddox realized what state his uniform top was in. He removed the combadge, and took the outer shirt off, revealing his sweaty but free of blood blue undershirt. He placed the soiled shirt on the ground, he wasn't interested in wearing it that dirty, and there was no way to clean it. "We need to find a way to shelter from the radiation levels out here." Maddox stated. He and everyone else knew that the hyronalin would eventually run out, then it wouldn't be long before they would start showing signs of radiation poisoning. (Reply Willowbrook any) "You are right but perhaps a phaser and a tricorder could make a rudimentary force field. We invert the phaser emitter and use the tricorder to regulate it. Where would we get enough raw power?" he asked. (Reply Willowbrook) "Yeah, I forgot we were lugging those things around. We could probably find a suitable cave, with enough heavy minerals and metals it should be able to hold the majority of the radiation out, put the force field at the mouth of the cave, and that should curb the radiation usage down quite a bit." he said. "This could work." (reply Willowbrook) "Well if you get to work on some simulations, and start some modifications, I'll talk to the Lieutenants and see if they are willing to go ahead with this. Though I don't see why they woulnd't." (Reply Willowbrook) Maddox nodded in acknoledgement and headed off to speak to those in charge. (reply Willowbrook, any awayteam Lt or higher, any) (Posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer Joseph Willowbrook - Day 4 - 1622) As he caught his breath, he hardly noticed Maddox taking off his bloody tunic. He glanced around nervously, half expecting Borg to jump out at any moment. But he couldn't see any right now. "We need to find a way to shelter from the radiation levels out here." Maddox stated. "We should try to use some of this equipment to create shielding," he suggested. "You are right but perhaps a phaser and a tricorder could make a rudimentary force field. We invert the phaser emitter and use the tricorder to regulate it. Where would we get enough raw power?" he asked. "We could hike back to where we left the energy cells over there--it would only take a few minutes and they would provide the power we need," Joseph said, the possibility of an engineering task now overpowering his exhaustion and driving him to become more engaged. "Yeah, I forgot we were lugging those things around. We could probably find a suitable cave, with enough heavy minerals and metals it should be able to hold the majority of the radiation out, put the force field at the mouth of the cave, and that should curb the radiation usage down quite a bit." he said. "This could work." "It could," he agreed. He didn't add the part he was thinking. ~If the Borg don't figure it out and break through the shield. Then we're all a nice tasty snack for them.~ "Well if you get to work on some simulations, and start some modifications, I'll talk to the Lieutenants and see if they are willing to go ahead with this. Though I don't see why they woulnd't." "Let's get started," Willowbrook agreed, and got up with newfound energy. He walked the few meters to where they had left the energy cells and dragged them over, and then pulled out an engineering kit and got to work. (reply any, none required) (Posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Rescue Team - ACMO Basil Candle - Day 4 - 1623) Sanok didn’t appear. Basil regretted not giving the man his bracelet - he would have been able to tell whether he was alive or dead, his medical condition and if needed minor medication. Trouble was he wasn’t supposed to have his bracelet with him, his captain had banned him. Well not strictly true he had banned him from using it as a weapon. The bag the bracelet was in had been kept to Basil’s side, closer still during the flight from the Borg. "Okay, everyone, listen up," Eian announced. "It's been too long. We need to keep moving if we want to reach the survivors. We'll move to the southeast now. Rosenbauer and I will be up front, St-Jean will cover our six. Keep your eyes and ears open--if you see Borg, shout out. Try to conserve your phaser fire. Even with the modulating frequencies, it's likely they'll adapt quickly now that they know how we've masked the signatures. We need to reach the survivors--their lives depend on us. Let's move out!" Eian led the way, Basil picked up the bag slung it over his shoulder and followed. The temperature of the planet had increased making Basil hate it even more. Despite the fact he knew it was the radiation he still blamed the planets. Space is cold and ships are computer-controlled. It made him sticky in places in places he didn’t know he could stick. He thought about a cushy job as a freighter pilot, sailing the space ways delivering cargo and drinking the proceeds. The more he thought about it as soon as he got off this planet he would hand in his notice or quit. If the captain didn’t accept that then he would punch the captain, sure fire way of losing his position. Maybe Trei would get kicked out too, Basil could offer him a job as security on his freighter, he was sure Trei would like that. He thought all this as he was following Eian, shifting the weight of his bag from each shoulder. Eian had gone forward to scout ahead and suddenly raised his fist. Everyone stopped and found some cover. Basil sat behind a large rock, briefly peeked over the rim and saw Eian make a strange hand signal. Basil had no idea what it was, probably military but all Basil thought was 2 to 1 odds on favourite. Eian seemed to be indicating Basil go to a particular location, Basil turned to see where Eian wanted him to go. When he turned back he saw that the others had already stood and started running. Basil stood up and ran towards the location wondering what, by the stars, he was doing. Basil kept on running, the place he was heading too was down a slope and round an outcropping. He used the slope to speed up and as he pelted round the outcropping he was making a rapid pace. Which promptly stopped with a metallic thump. Basil staggered back slightly and promptly fell onto his behind, he looked up into the stern pale face of a borg. (reply any of survivors or rescue team) (posted by Warren Simkins) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Rescue Team, Lieutenant jg Sanok, Day 4, 1624) Keep moving. Don't give up. Ignore the pain. Nothing else matters. Three Borg tactical drones were pursuing Sanok. Though Borg were typically slow of foot, and rough, uneven terrain would make them more so, Sanok's injured leg had evened the odds. It also seemed to him that the drones had managed to adapt to moving in the rough ground. He was moving in a generally southeasterly direction, stopping occasionally to make sure he was far enough ahead of the Borg. The short periods of rest also helped. Thus far, he had managed to elude them, but they were relentless and had locked in on his trail. Since they had already adapted to his phasers, all that was left was to keep moving and reach the rest of his team, hoping to find safety in numbers. Sanok's tricorder was barely functioning. He had picked up multiple signals and was moving towards them, but there was no way to know at this point who they were. For all he knew, he was walking into a worse situation than he was facing already. Keep moving. Don't give up. Ignore the pain. Coming up over a small rise, Sanok finally got a visual on who his scans had detected. In the distance, he could see a small group in Starfleet uniforms, but he couldn't tell for certain how many or exactly who they were. A group of Borg were stealthily approaching from the south and it was obvious the survivors had not seen them. Much closer than they were, Sanok could make out the five others from his rescue team. Sanok knew they had spotted the Borg, as O'Neill ordered them to charge. Checking behind him to make sure his pursuers weren't upon him, Sanok changed course and began circling to the south. (reply none) (posted by Bob B.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Mine Team - Ensign Isra Caliel, 1625) ~Oh man, this Radiation is killing both us and the mine.. At this rate, we won't have anything left to blow up the sphere with~ Isra thought as the helped move the mine. They were essentially carrying it by anti-gravity stretcher, but its immense weight and power meant it still took a lot of effort to move. She had kept hold of the Tricorder that had broken, and her phaser hadn't been touched yet. She wasn't the best shot, and a wasted shot with a phaser against Borg would do more damage than normal. Ideas swam through her head at a hell of a pace. "Hold on. I've got an idea." she said, having thought of the first part, but still working on the rest. "We need to shield the mine from the atmosphere.... Maybe I can rig a tricorder to regulate a wide-spread phaser blast to act as a shield. If it works, the power levels of the phaser should stay high enough to keep it going for a few hours, and the spare power cells could get the mine back up to full strength." she said, thinking out loud by this point. (reply any) ~This has to work... I've seen it done before...~ "The tricorder would be able to fluctuate the blast in such a way that it would act like a makeshift shield against radiation, but let us move around freely." she continued, clarifying the parts in her head. ~Maybe I could even use it to block the Borg from being able to scan us?~ "Please, someone take over moving the mine, I need to do this before it gets out of my head." she said, leaving it for someone else to take over (reply any) "Thanks... Now, this part of the phaser.." she began, trailing off to a mumble as she fiddled with the components, pulling the grip from the phaser and tossing it to the ground. The broken tricorder still had enough functionality to magnetise itself to the phaser, and the left over power in the cell re-energised the tricorder. "Come on.. Please let this work..." she said, pushing a few buttons. As she did, the two parts fell away from each other. "Dammit." she cursed, wiping sweat away from her forehead. The heat and radiation from the planet was messing with everyones mind, perhaps she was imagining this idea working? Maybe she was just going crazy... "Anyone good with engineering problems?" she asked the group as a whole, hoping someone could mess with the hardware enough to fix the two together. The theory was sound enough, but that might just be radiation sickness talking. (reply any) "I need to combine these, and get them to interact. Might have a better chance with a fully working tricorder, if there is a spare, but I'm open to suggestions..." she replied. (reply any) Written by Andy Jones --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team - ATAC/SC Ensign (jg) Jessica Signos - Day 4 - 1626) They were close, so close to their target area. This was the final push the Jessica and the rest of the knew it. The Borg encounters would only get worse if they continued down the chasm, that had turned into a gauntlet. It was only a matter of time that someone would be wounded mortally or worse. Then Isra spoke up, the ensign had said little since they breached the chasm, but now she spoke again hopefully with another thought on how to spare life time and effort. "Hold on. I've got an idea." Isra spoke, " "We need to shield the mine from the atmosphere.... Maybe I can rig a tricorder to regulate a wide-spread phaser blast to act as a shield. If it works, the power levels of the phaser should stay high enough to keep it going for a few hours, and the spare power cells could get the mine back up to full strength." Jessica had to admit the ideal had it's merit, if the scientist and engineer could get it to work. These was not Jessica's area of expertise but she was glad for the reprieve, a few moments to catch her breath and scan the area ahead. Isra continued to work and talk, thinking out loud. Jessica picked up Serrano's spare TR-116 and hooked it to her tactical circlet. She cannibalized a spare power cell from her tricorder and activated it's Exographic Targeting System. She scanned ahead in the eye behind the monocle she passed though rock and steam, and saw far ahead. Jessica almost missed it the first time. The side passage was so small, more of a cave than anything else. She followed it in the monocle following the path it allowed for. She noticed the walls were polished smooth from the passage of water or whatever else flowed down this chasm. There was an opening ahead, her targeting system breached the opening. There was a small ledge and beyond that the Tkon sphere and below them the city center and a host of Borg drones. She recorded the scan to a data chip and returned the power cell to her tricorder the scan killed most of the power but there was still enough left to show what needed to be seen. "Lieutenant Soma, I have something here that could be of interest." She moved to his location slowly her hurt leg making it difficult to traverse some of the more uneven landscape. Jessica handed over the tricorder and the datachip. "I found an cave, what was probably a water access into the city center. "It's gonna be a tight fit, but if we can make it, it would save time, energy and the mine... Since the cave should further act has a natural barrier to the radiation. There is ledge on the other side that overlooks the sphere. We can place the mine there and detonate it." She smiled at herself, she hoped this coupled with what Isra was planning would be the deciding factors to making the mine go boom. (reply Soma) She watched Soma leave to pass what she found to the rest of the group and make decisions on what was gonna be their next move. The passage was not without it's risk. If the Borg found out where the access entrance was they would be stuck, with no escape. Jessica felt that in this mission that having no escape was the lest of their problems. "And if the Borg interfere," She spoke to herself, but loudly enough that others could hear. "I will show them Hell, And it will be white, snow white." She rubbed her bad arm, just below the blast wound. "Eian I am sorry." She knew Eian would be upset with her putting herslef in harm's way such has she did. Reckless is what he would call her. But Jessica also knew that he would, or was doing the same. It was part of the similarity between them that Jessica had come to love. (reply Soma, whoever wants) (posted by Matthew Locke) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II, Mine Team - CTAC/SEC Lt. jg Ben Soma- 1627) The team moved on, they were tired and Signos was injured. He wondered how long she would last without medical attention. Soon they would be at their destination, if the radiation or the Borg didn't kill them first. Whether he lived or died on this rock meant little to him, all that mattered was completing the mission. They had to hold out long enough to set the mine and destroy the sphere, they had to stop the Borg here and now. When they had accomplished the mission it was up to God, or the Prophets or what ever higher power there was to decide if they would survive or perish. He hoped Sanok and his team were ok, that they hadn't encountered the same resistance. He hoped that Marah was out there somewhere alive and well, he wanted to find her but she would understand if he didn't get the chance. She knew what his career in Starfleet meant to him, his only regret was not telling her what she meant to him. Ben looked his team over quickly, they all looked exhausted. The atmosphere and the radiation were taking their toll on all of them, right now they looked more life weary nomads then Starfleet officers. Their uniforms were coated in dust, faces dirty, but they were determined. He was proud to be leading them, they were soldiers, he didn't have to issue orders during fights because everyone knew what he or she were here for and what they had to do. He could have been many things if he had wanted to be, freighter captain, civilian engineer, private security, but he couldn't think of anything he'd rather be doing. Out here he was making a difference, he was helping someone, he was working for the greater good. He had a purpose, for that he was grateful. Ensign Caliel spoke of an idea and requested that someone relieve her so he moved to take her place. She had an idea for shielding the mine against the radiation. The idea sounded good, it had promise if it worked. "See to it Ensign." He said. "We have little to lose at this point." She continued murmuring to herself and then request someone help her with the engineering aspects of her plan. She had good help Steve and Tom could work out the details and between the three of them they could get it up and running. "Lieutenant Soma, I have something here that could be of interest." Signos stated as she slowly came over to stand beside him. "I found an cave, what was probably a water access into the city center. "It's gonna be a tight fit, but if we can make it, it would save time, energy and the mine... Since the cave should further act has a natural barrier to the radiation. There is ledge on the other side that overlooks the sphere. We can place the mine there and detonate it." Ben liked the idea of saving the mines power and getting a break from the radiation and surface conditions, the cave would likely be much cooler allowing them to regain some of their strength. It had drawbacks as well, if the Borg found them they would have nowhere to go, it would be worse then the chasm had been. It was his call. He turned to the others. "We've found a cave leading into the city." He explained. "It's going to be tight but should offer a break from the radiation. The advantages are it'll save us some time and save of the mines power. The down side is if we encounter the Borg we'll be trapped." Ben let information sink onto his team for a moment. "I think the benefits out weight the risks, the Borg are intent on recovering the sphere. It's unlikely they know of the cave, they wouldn't have wasted much time surveying the surface once they located the sphere. We'll head in that way, there's a ledge over looking the sphere where we can set the mine." He took a couple steps in caves direction taking the lead. "Lets get moving before the Borg find us again." They began moving again and came to the entrance in a few minutes. Once inside Ben felt a big difference in temperature, it was cooler as he had suspected. He was able to breath easier and began feeling better. The interior was darker and just larger enough to move in without having to hunch, he estimated the walls to be about five feet apart and floor to ceiling at almost six. Unfortunately there wasn't enough room to stop for the others so he had to keep moving ahead. There was no evidence that the Borg had been in the cave, there weren't any footsteps in the dusty floor. (reply any) (posted by Milo Young) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II – Survivors – ATT LCDR Lorimar – 1628) After they had somehow managed (through courage, teamwork, and more than a bit of luck) to survive the first engagement on the surface, the remaining members of the recon team had regrouped and gathered to quickly take stock of the situation. As Bob Lorimar was catching his breath with the others, he listened to the discussion between Maddox and Willowbrook. It sparked some ideas of his own, and he was very pleased to see that even – or perhaps especially – in the face of such a dire situation, the team were acting as the professional officers that they were. He couldn’t help but smile thinly to himself. He turned to Maddox as the science officer approached. Lorimar looked up at Maddox quickly, then continued to check his weapons as he approached. “Ah heard most o’ yer discussion lad,” he began without looking up. “Would ye mind hittin’ the important points again? Ah dinnae wish tae miss something critical.” (Reply Maddox) Bob listened carefully to what Maddox proposed. He finished his equipment check at virtually the same time as the science officer finished up. He stood and dusted himself off as he replied. “Excellent ideas ah’d say Mister Maddox. Ah hae a couple reservations though… and they are tactical, rather than technical.” He paused briefly as he looked around the perimeter. The Borg would send more drones… they couldn’t delay long, no matter the reason. “We’d have tae scout the cave verra carefully, as ah’d nae wish tae box ourselves in. We’d be fish in a barrel for the buggers if there were only one entrance and exit tae the cave, but ah suspect ye already considered that?” (Reply Maddox, Room for more iyw) “Ah. Well the other thing is this. As much as ah ken that the radiation is a danger, ah’d rate it somewhere below bein’ assimilated. As ye’ve no doubt surmised, ah’m sure that these bloody beasties are all aware of what, where, and who we are, through that cursed collective intelligence thing. No doubt they’ll be beatin’ feet here wie reinforcements… so ah’d hate tae get pinned down in this terrain again. Ah believe we’re better off stayin’ on the move as much as we can. Ah’d like us tae recheck weapons and equipment, and see tae our wounded as best we can… but we also need tae make preparations tae move out as soon as we can. If anyone has any suggestions tae the contrary, let’s hear them now, alright?” (Reply Maddox, Any, All, Room for more if desired) (Posted by Russ) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer - Ensign Andrew Maddox - 1629) “Ah heard most o’ yer discussion lad,” he began without looking up. “Would ye mind hittin’ the important points again? Ah dinnae wish tae miss something critical.” the senior man said as he checked his weaponry. "The idea essentially is to create a force field to lessen the radiation on our crew. A phaser could provide the out-put device. The phaser set on wide-beam wouldn't be spread thin enough to create a force field, so invert the emitter, instead of a nice tight phaser beam you have a very wide dispersal pattern. Use the tricorder to finely regulate the output that you loose from an inversely aligned emitter, an addition of a neutrino output from the tricorder will create a more coherent field and make it more resilient to background radiation. With the runabout's power cell ensuring enough output for continued high power usage, we should be able to hole up for two or three days on one energy cell." he explained. “Excellent ideas ah’d say Mister Maddox. Ah hae a couple reservations though… and they are tactical, rather than technical.” the Scot paused like many did during the campfire side ghost stories the older kids would tell at summer camp. Andrew didn't know if that was the reason for the pause or if he was actually keeping a look out for more trouble. What ever the reason for the pause, it had an effect on Maddox like the former excuse he had thought up. “We’d have tae scout the cave verra carefully, as ah’d nae wish tae box ourselves in. We’d be fish in a barrel for the buggers if there were only one entrance and exit tae the cave, but ah suspect ye already considered that?” the engineer warned. "No I hadn't." he said quietly. ~ No one ever accused me of being a tactician.~ “Ah. Well the other thing is this. As much as ah ken that the radiation is a danger, ah’d rate it somewhere below bein’ assimilated. As ye’ve no doubt surmised, ah’m sure that these bloody beasties are all aware of what, where, and who we are, through that cursed collective intelligence thing. No doubt they’ll be beatin’ feet here wie reinforcements… so ah’d hate tae get pinned down in this terrain again. Ah believe we’re better off stayin’ on the move as much as we can. Ah’d like us tae recheck weapons and equipment, and see tae our wounded as best we can… but we also need tae make preparations tae move out as soon as we can. If anyone has any suggestions tae the contrary, let’s hear them now, alright?” the engineer explained. ~ I guess that's why he's a Lieutenant Commander and I'm just an Ensign. I don't think of things like that. ~ "Aiyeeeeee" screamed the female voice from a small distance away. That got the whole group's attention. Maddox grabbed his type II from his belt. Now he was glad that the security people had recovered it for him. (Reply Lt Cmdr Lorimar, Ensign Willowbrook, Survivors) He trotted over in the direction of the scream to see a tactical drone hunched over the writhing form of Ensign Holly. It's assimilation tubules retracted from it's newly found catch, it raised it's disruptor in preparation to fire. Two security officers, the very same that had lessened the force against Maddox took shots at the drone, but it had already adapted. Maddox took a shot as well, but the same green sheet of energy was able to intercept his shot as well. "Concentrate your fire, maybe we can overload it's field integrity." someone said. (Reply Survivors) Maddox raised his weapon again as beam after beam joined to converge on the drone. The whine of collective phaser fire was nearly deafening just before the field finally gave way. The Borg collapsed in a shower of sparks and hit the ground like a lifeless hump. Maddox approached Holly. He saw the Borg nanoprobes wriggling and writing just below the skin's surface. They were systematically assimilating all her bodily organs. It looked to Maddox that she was already at Stage 3 of the process. ~ Only two to go. Soon she won't have any control of her own body at all. After that the Borg will have complete control.~ He turned to Lieutenant Commander Lorimar, "Sir, what do we do?" (Reply Lorimar) "She's reached Stage 3." he said. (reply Lt Cmdr Lorimar, Ensign Willowbrook, Ensign Holly, Survivors) (Posted by Todd) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer Ensign Maria Holly - Day 4 - 1630) The team was currently resting after the skirmish with the Borg drones. Maria's adrenaline rush was wearing off. She was shaking badly. Willowbrook and Maddox were discussing a possible shielding scheme. She walked over and sat down near them. "Hi Guys" she said with a tired voice. (Reply: Willowbrook or Maddox iyw) "Any ideas on protecting us from radiation effects?" She asked. (Reply: Willowbrook or Maddox iyw) She nodded as they rehashed their thoughts. Maria could only think of finding a cave to rest in. As they began to implement their ideas, Maria moved away a bit and sat against a small hill and closed her eyes. Unknown to her or the others, a lone drone was sneaking up on Maria's position. It was being directed by Volus from space. This was a specialized tactical drone. Not as independent as Volus was but it had been given some tactical initiative. NRPG: I am thinking of a cross between a Cylon and Borg with enhancements. RPG: Maria was dozing off as the drone grabbed her and injected Borg nano probes and the assimilation process was begun. "Aiyeeeeee" she screamed. She tried to thrash her way to freedom but the drone's grip was like iron. NRPG: The fair maiden needs help RPG: Mari's mind began to scream silently as countless collective voices filled her mind. Her personality was slowly being merged with the collective. (Reply: any survivors) (Posted by: Bill) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Survivors - Science Officer Joseph Willowbrook - Day 4 - 1631) Joseph was listening to Maddox and Lorimar talk, and trying to formulate a solution to some of their road blocks. He couldn't think while talking out loud, so he let Maddox do the talking. But the conversation was cut short by a screeching cry from Maria Holly. By the time they ran over, Joseph's heart was threatening to pound out of his chest and he felt nauseous at the sight of her. Just moments ago, they had been talking. She had come over and sat next to him. Now she was being invaded by nanoprobes, the painful procedure taking her breath away and making her writhe on the ground. Joseph's eyes were drawn to the dead Borg next to her, and all he could think of was who that drone used to be. Was he a painter, an author, a police officer? Was he on some distant planet, picking up his children and hugging his wife, when the Borg suddenly invaded? And now his life had been reduced to a pile of mechanical parts on the ground of a dead planet. He shuddered. It was a fate he didn't want to contemplate. It was a fate that Maria would meet, if they didn't kill her first. His eyes rose to meet Lorimar's. Would the man order Maria's death? After all, 'Maria' was already dead...why allow an enemy species to deface her corpse this way, and carry on its life long after the individual was dead? He didn't get a chance to complete those thoughts, because he saw in the distance to the south a group of Starfleet officers--a rescue team!--engaged in battle with a group of Borg that would have been at their location in moments. ~Great timing,~ he thought, and he decided he couldn't stay there any longer. He wasn't severely injured, his shoulder hurt just a little bit, and although he was tired, the adrenaline was flowing freely once more. He was in prime condition to fight. He didn't think he had it in him to run into battle, but that was exactly what he did. Before getting any orders to do so, he jogged over to meet the rescue team and offer what assistance he could in stopping those cybernetic bastards from taking any more of his team. (reply any) (posted by Morgan G) --------------------------------------------------------------------- (Dovek II - Crash team - Science Officer Nickolas Romanoff - 1647) The fighting with the Borg had well been over, The other crew members were forced to place Romanoff's carrier down behind a rock and join in the battle. At that instant, for fear that he may really be killed, he no longer could keep his eyes closed. He now took in the scenary around him and took in what was left from the skirmish with the Borg. Eyes wide open Romanoff began to pull himself together and with the help of the ROck he was laying behind he made his way up to his feet. "It would seem I have somwhat recovered." (reply any) (posted by Darryl) --------------------------------------------------------------------- End Compile ---------------------------------------------------------------------