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CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

CHAPTER 07: SUPPLEMENTAL [ DAY 03 | 1725 HRS. ] PRAXIS CRUCIBLE

STARDATE 57654.94
APRIL 18, 2381
1725 HRS.


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[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All
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Standing next to the Captain's chair, Thea had her hands folded behind her back, and while she might have appeared perfectly at ease, it would then be a misleading impression she gave the bridge crew. For through the viewscreen, she saw the effects of the soliton wave. How it carried her forth at such high warp speed, and yet her warp engines were completely disengaged. Moreover, she was propelled straight towards the Klingon homeworld, and the means of which she might stop herself was untested. Unprecedented in successful attempt, actually, according to the Federation database. They would simply have to rely on the Savi's data on the requirements.

"Planetary impact imminent," she announced, and even though her emotion chip was active, she managed to keep her tone rather flat. To prevent a catastrophe, and ruling out the margin of error that might come from any organic or random elements in the most crucial of nano-seconds, the preparations had been automated to engage with a chronometer. So, when it was time, she raised her chin and made the announcement. "My deflectors are powering up to disperse the soliton wave. Scattering field projected in three... two... one..."

A brilliant light filled the screen completely, and made the bridge so bright Thea had to squint her projection's eyes against it. When the scattering field made the soliton wave dissipate, it caused tremors throughout her hull which her inertial dampeners coudn't quite compensate for. Thea reached out and grabbed the back of the Captain's chair with one hand, and out of her memory banks surfaced the mentioning by the Savi delegation aboard, that since she did not have any Kkrek alloy hull coating, the transition would not be as smooth as it would be for Savi research vessels when propelled by soliton waves by their larger ships. In their words, the difference would be nominal, however, and since the Savi delegation did remain aboard, the concerns about that had been glossed over. As it were, klaxons sounded, and Thea pursed her lips.

"Structural integrity field fluctuations detected through all my sections," she said, the light of the viewscreen receding as they rode out the soliton wave and returned to normal space-time. "Nacelle hull plating compromised. Shields at 70%. No casualties. Navigational sensors place us out of orbit of Qo'noS."

And as the light from the scattering field faded away completely, the orbital view of the Klingon homeworld appeared on the viewscreen.

No more had they caught their breath before, soon enough, a hail came in from Qo'noS.

ON QO'NOS | THE GREAT HALL

[ K'Tal, son of Machi, of House K'Tal | The Great Domes of Qo'noS | The First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: All
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Having lost contact with Chancellor Martok after he left the 'Freedom Sentinel', his latest message being that they were inbound on the small Federation shuttle with the Klingon transponder, K'Tal, son of Machi, was not just concerned. He was genuinely worried, because the shuttle had been shot down over the capital more than an hour ago, but none of the other Councilors knew that. Or they play oblivious....

Either way, K'Tal had yet to make contact with Martok, nor the Starfleet officers he supposedly travelled with. Even worse, the message one of his spies had sent about Praxis remained a concern, despite his attempts to address it...

So, when the Theurgy - somehow - closed the distance to Qo'noS at a preposterous rate of speed, K'Tal saw his moment. He had acted his part as the fat glob fly on the wall, made a comment about his bladder, and left the Great Hall and the rest of the squabbling Councilors behind so that he might contact the Federation starship again. Once in his office, he dialed in the subspace frequency, applied his heaviest encryption protocol once more so that any opposition residing in the capital or orbiting the planet wouldn't have a chance to eavesdrop on the transmission. Eventually, the view of the Theurgy's bridge appeared on his screen, and he spoke quickly, looking between the faces he saw.

"This is K'Tal. Your shuttle, the 'Sabine', was shot down over the capital more than an hour ago, and I have been unable to make contact." Dire news, but there was more, so he barely paused. "I am still investigating who gave the order to fire on the Chancellor, but my suspicion is on House Mo'Kai. Either way, Martok gave me detailed instructions about the use of anyon emitters, since I hear there is an Infested among us in the Great Hall. I have also learned that you managed to smear Gorka's name using his own ship's communication system, and as a result, the previously loyal Houses are in doubt about whom to side with. They have withdrawn armed support from Gorka for the time being - waiting on the outcome in the Great Hall instead. House Mo'Kai now stand alone in terms of directly allied Houses as far as I am aware, but Gorka's challenge against Martok is still in effect, and he is about to reach Qo'noS within minutes. If Martok didn't make it, I do not know who might challenge Gorka's claim on the Chancellery today. Perhaps this Infested might? Either way, none of them seem aware that happened to Martok, the fate of the Sabine unknown."

A lengthy explanation, but in the moment, the Theurgy was his greatest outside asset, and the renegade Federation crew had more freedom than he to act on the intel he had since he was stuck in the Great Hall. Which, incidentally, led to the Praxis report.

"There is something else... My spies have detected increased activity close to the core of our moon... or what's left of it. Shuttles, coming and going. Power surges. Old underground facilities coming alive during the past hour. Some kind of manufacturing process as far as my spies could tell. I already sent a team to investigate, but I have lost contact after they arrived. Hear me..." he said, sighing, his brows furrowed below his ridged head. "ghuy', I am fat and I am old, but my gut is telling me that the current development and the activity on Praxis must be connected, and from orbit, I worry that these... Infested that you and Martok speak of, might be planning something. A last resort, for when Gorka fails to usurp Martok's power, perhaps. Having seen what happened to Paris... I can only think would be something devastating."

He paused there, but he had to leave. He glanced towards his sensor display. It was time. "Gorka arrives on the Ta'rom. My House still stands openly with Martok, so I have dispatched my available three Captains to aid you in case of battle. I must return to the Great Hall, since Gorka is bound to appear soon. Try, where I have failed, to locate the Chancellor... if he is till alive, and if you can, investigate what is happening on Praxis... K'Tal out."

The hour had come, in which the Empire might fall to this new enemy, lest they prevented it. K'Tal closed his fists at his sides as he returned to the other Councilors, knowing his spies stood ready in the shadows, prepared to fire up the anyon emitters at his command.

ON THE IKC TA'ROM

[ Captain Gorka, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai | Bridge | IKC Ta'rom | En-Route to Qo'noS ] Attn: All
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As the Ta'rom dropped out of warp in orbit of Qo'noS, Gorka did not feel like he owned the day.

"The Theurgy is here!" announced his weapons officer, and Gorka's eyes darkened, but that was not all. "Three Vor'cha belonging to House K'Tal approaches, setting up a defensive stance."

Gorka glared at the figure of the renegade Federation ship, ignoring the Klingon ships that had appeared."Whatever technology that ship is using... we'll tear it from their fingers," he growled, and despite the anger and frustration he felt, he knew he had better options than to resume the very same battle he left behind. The Theurgy had infiltrated his ship, shamed him in the eyes of all Houses that had stood loyal with the House of Mo'Kai. Though in doing so, they had left him an advantage, which he wouldn't hesitate to use.

"Send the Theurgy this message," he said and rose from his chair, about to head to the transporter room, "that if they somehow interfere down on Qo'noS, or if they or House K'Tal attack us, we will send them a recording... in which the death of their officer will be slow and painful. Attach a recording from our captive's cell."

"Aye, Captain," said his gaunt First Officer Aakan, compiling the words. The captive had not given them his name, but that hardly mattered, since the Theurgy crew would recognise his bloodied face.

"You have the command, Aakan." Gorka paused by the exit of the bridge. "Order our companions to stand by for anything. Make sure to use the unaffected sub-light comm system."

"Understood. Make our House proud again, Gorka, son of Margon," said his old friend, whom had been rather quiet since their comm system had been usurped by the Theurgy boarding team. Gorka couldn't help but think there was a double message in Aakan's words, but in ire, he chose not to call him out on it.

As he exited the bridge, about to beam down to Qo'noS, the Ta'rom and it's own loyal Vor'cha-class companions faced the Theurgy and the three House K'Tal ships, with the destroyed moon Praxis in the backdrop of the stand off.


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OOC: If you have a character eligible for bridge duty, post away! My suggestion is that the first round of posts in this thread should have the characters sound ideas for how to proceed given the situation presented here. Besides Swift illustrating his condition in the Klingon cell to begin with, all bridge-centred posts should be made here. Activity started from orders given in this thread should be carried out in other Supplemental threads to keep this bridge thread less cluttered :)

There is little opening for off-duty R&R Supplemental Threads moving beyond the depicted time in this thread (1725 hrs.). Supplemental threads should be centred around the resolution of this Episode, while off-duty stuff ought to be dealt with prior to 1725 hrs. The naming convention for Supplemental Threads belonging to Chapter 07 is CH07: S [D03|XXXX] Insert Title.

In wait for the Newsletter and more details, here are the very generalised and upcoming Story Objectives! Click: [Show/Hide]

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #1 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Fisher | Holding Cell | Deck 10 | IKS Ta’Rom ] @Brutus

‘Upon capture, no one will claim you or any responsibility for you. You will be forgotten. Disavowed. You’ll wind up as nothing more than an empty space in a data log somewhere, and an unattributed delta upon a wall which few will ever see.’

A crimson laced grin running from ear-to-ear, Fisher remembered well the haunting words of his first ever covert handler, Richton Hurley, a man whom he’d since come to distrust and despise, but whose brutal teachings and harsh guidance he’d never forget. For while Joseph Anderson had taught Fisher how to operate as a spy with morality in mind, it was Hurley who had instilled in him the skillset necessary to be successful. Even now, as his vision blurred and his world seemed to spin round him as a result of another haymaker landing squarely at the periphery of his temple, he couldn’t help but remember, with surprising detail, the manner in which his ‘mentor’ had so smugly smiled when delivering those words. They had come at the absolute last minute, just prior to Fisher’s first real clandestine operation, and he had been amused by them then, just as he was now. After all, in the pantheon of history concerning spy craft, such declarations had become hilariously commonplace, to the point of absurdity. Anyone who entered into Starfleet Intelligence services, or rather anyone who had ever spent time in an undercover operation knew that to do so, was to risk capture and disavowing. The political ramifications of being caught and being directly tied back to the government you represented would have been hugely detrimental.

So it was, that if captured, you lost all allegiances. You were sovereign unto yourself, and yourself alone.

“P’tahk!” bellowed one of Fisher’s private retinue as they kicked him while he lay on his side, the horned tip of an armored boot finding the spy’s stomach, causing him to curl up tightly as any wind contained within him evacuated in a curdling cough with surprise alacrity. Gasping for air, he ingested some of the sputum and blood that had been smacked free by fists upon his earlier capture, which only exacerbated his fit of coughing. “Answer the question!” another Klingon barked, stepping up to stand over the beleaguered spy, a gauntleted hand waving back the other. The scene, as captured on internal sensors for whatever records the Klingons might keep, was being relayed back to Theurgy upon Gorka’s command, though the audio had been deliberately silenced, as thus far, they had yet to elicit the kind response from Fisher that they’d hoped for. As throughout the punishing gauntlet, the veteran spy had managed to maintain his penchant for snark and sarcasm, much to the annoyance of his captors, and much to his physical detriment as it only served to intensify their brutality.

It was likely, that the Klingons were banking on the idea, that even in silence, the sight of their comrade seemingly fighting for air, his body writhing on the floor in pain as he was beaten, would prove to be a distressing enough one to force Theurgy’s hand into cooperating with aforementioned demands.

Fisher had no knowledge of when or if his ‘interrogation’ would be relayed to Theurgy, he could only make assumptions about it while internally hoping that Natalie, who had so abruptly been thrown into the Captain’s chair by the cruelty of fate, was of the sort of stock to make the tough decision, and likewise disavow Fisher, at least for a time anyway. The Klingons, and Gorka would probably threaten to kill him if no deals were made, but it would have been exceedingly foolish of Gorka to make such an order in haste, rather than at least attempt to steal whatever secrets he could from a captured spy. There was a balance of time when it came to this kind of matter, and it would be up to Stark and the rest of his Theurgy peers to find that balance before Gorka did. Sure, Fisher was valuable to Gorka, but only so long as it appeared that he could get something of merit and use from him. Eventually the colossal prick would grow so frustrated by any lack of progress that he would have to make good on any threats of an execution.

For his part, Fisher knew that he had a show to put on, even if it meant garnering even worse treatment from his captors as a result. He would need to tread the line of annoyance rather carefully, while at the same time stringing the Klingons along as best as possible. Again, a balance to be found.

There was also another dangerous set of words which loomed in the back of his conscious thought: ‘No one can hold out forever. Eventually, everyone breaks.’

Spitting out a globule of blood onto the decking beneath him, the spy peered up at the Klingon asking the questions and mustered up another shit-eating grin that he knew would be met with violent rebuke, but that would absolutely be seen by any of his comrades should they see any of this. “I told you, my name is Hogan. Colonel Robert Hogan. I’m a pilot with the US Army Air Force.”

“Rrragh!” growled the bigger of the two Klingons as he reared back to strike Fisher once more, Theurgy’s feed cutting out just prior.


OOC: Tagged writers who's character was mentioned.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #2 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Brutus @Swift @BZ
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The smell of ash and cinder was still falling off Samantha’s shoulders like a veil of black smoke, fluttering gently in her wake, as the soft contours of her body created turbulences in the air as she passed. A crimson cut across the upper left quadrant of her hairline, spilling streaks of blood down the side of her defined skull, counterweighted by a gently purple bruise on her right cheek, all but the single most obvious heralds of the latest battle Theurgy had to fight through. But now the Klingons were gone, leaving behind only the scarcest few of their honorably fallen, littering the hallways alongside broken bulkheads and torn cables, the floors covered in dark rubble and ashen mist. The whole ship was in distress, but through it bloomed the golden flower of courage and duty, pushing them forward just like the alien technology facilitating their jumps across vast swathes of Klingon territory.

Arriving on the bridge mere 90 minutes after the attack on the diplomatic council, the fighting and her subsequent escape – or rescue – alongside Lieutenant Dantius, the weight of the events was still resting heavily on the blonde’s dainty frame. As it did on everyone around her, broad shoulders and hulking figures no indication as to the mental capacity of moving past such tragedy. Preliminary damage reports and death counts had been devastating, but almost inconsequential to the determination and ambition towards the ship’s mission. At least on her part. For it was in moments of great desperation and despair that the goal became even clearer. The clarity of torment unveiling true purpose.

Passing through the parting doors into the busy command center of the ship, swaying a step or two at the gentle deceleration of the vessel, as it came out of the soliton wave above Quo’nos, aided by the succulent atter of exertion and emotional repression, the officer’s Vulcan side had aided her well in facilitating a semblance of calm and logic, while her human-self retreated into a dark pillow of numbing fog. It was a duality she could not fully appreciate consciously outside of situations such as these, where the sheer overbearing assertion of one over the other created an impression of defrayal, to the point of retconning an entire aspect of her personality in favor of the larger goal. Where years of unrelenting duty and commitment, towards the values of the Federation and Starfleet, seemed to be the sole motivator pushing the machinery, that was her body and mind, forward.

Making a lateral move along the consoles and sensor readouts of the inner perimeter of Theurgy’s bridge, the commander perused the situation for a moment. Familiarizing herself with the situation at hand without bothering anyone else for input. The fact that not much had improved but their physical position in space was an understatement. Yet it was not too much later, that the tides would change, though not decidedly for the better. A transmission from the planet was relayed to the main view screen, on Stark’s behest, who was still in command of the ship. Moving slowly to the side of the raven-haired woman, Samantha shifted her weight onto one leg, standing more comfortably, as hands slid behind her back to hug one another. It was K’Tal, the head of imperial intelligence. Shooting Natauna a brief side-glance, she wondered if the liaison had ever contacted the politician, as she had suggested for her to do. But as the conversation went on, and blue orbs transfixed once more on the elderly Klingons visage, a realization emerged that one way or another, their combined efforts seemed to have won an ally to their cause.

Listening to his words, the thinly vailed orders on how to proceed, the diplomat found herself once more rather in the grey thick of it between either option, rather than the black and white that was offered. Much like the intelligence department, her purview too was more in the shadows between truth and lie, fact and fiction, rather than one of the two specifically. And in that moment she had already hatched a plan on how to proceed further, compartmentalizing the news of the potential loss of the Sabine, the Captain and the chancellor, into mere facts that dictated a different course of action. A realization eased by the circumstance of having devised a backup plan from the beginning. From the moment news had reached her about Martok’s potential grandson, through the acts of retrieving and securing him, the persuasions on the chancellor himself to keep the kid here with them, to the very moment they found themselves in now. Where the fate of the mission might as well have hinged on the continued bloodline of the House of Martok.

And even though the ploy was chiseled into the sturdiest of stone, there soon loomed the threat of torrential flood, that could grind down whatever conviction that had been facilitated, in a heartbeat. As such Samantha’s cardiac rhythm accelerated into a heavy staccato, as the screen flared up once more, relaying a message from the Ta’rom, for Theurgy not to interfere in any way, accompanied by visual reassurances. A winding body, that resembled more an animal in the muck, than a human being. A beaten-up face, bloody and deformed, that barely held tribute to the sparkling smile that had dazzled her the first night she’d met him properly. A view that cut so deep it split her conscience in two entirely. The fragile human sentiment retreating deeper into the comforting shadow of a controlling, logical facet that stepped up to the plate like any good hero would. To take charge when everyone around faltered. And it was in that moment of torment that what had been marked on barren stone became a manifesto carved into her soul. The endgame could not be negotiated. It was as firm as the grip of one hand as it squeezed the other, competing like two snakes vying for the same pit in which to nest.

So as the screen fell dark once more, morphing into a manifestation of the stars, the broken moon, and the planet beyond, whatever semblance of sympathy, empathy or general human emotion that stood in the way of achieving the goal of their mission, vanished into the dark abyss with one heavy swallow. Replacing the void with a deep breath subsequently, the blonde angled her pate to betroth Stark at her side with a stern glance.

“Commander, as you are aware that Starfleet does not negotiate with hostage takers, send me to the surface so I can pick up where Captain Ives left of. The news of Martok’s potential demise will deteriorate our standing by the second, it cannot wait. I might be able to salvage the situation with the information of his heir apparent, or at the very least bide time until the fate of the Sabine and its crew can be determined. We must claim chancellorship immediately, before Gorka can sway the council. Every other measure is inconsequential if I don’t succeed in buying us the time necessary.” she told the officer in charge factually. A stoic measure to her voice that was seldom heard so clearly.

“In securing the allegiance of the council, in stands to reason Gorka will desist from his power-play, and release any issues of grievance he could have with the future ruler of the empire and its allies.” she paused for a moment. "But I could use someone familiar with the anyon devices that have been deployed by K'Tal's men."

‚Issues of grievance‘ meaning: Andrew.

Yet it was so much easier to abstract him into a bargaining chip, rather than facing the reality of having to weigh a man’s live – which had started to mean so much to her – against the prosperity of the quadrant. A decision she could only make on facts, not the call of the heart.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #3 –
[ Lt. T'Less | Secondary Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy | Breen ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife
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Blinking her eyes to clear the spots in them, T’Less was relieved to see that the main viewscreen had returned to normal operation and was displaying the Klingon homeworld in all its silent grandeur. Thea’s report about the catalogue of damage to her was concerning and the Vulcan turned back to her station to check for any minor issues that might become relevant if they went into battle. The shields were already beginning to recharge and a cursory system’s check showed nothing out of the ordinary. Confident that Thea would have reported anything of concern, T’Less turned back around as the image of K’Tal replaced Qo’noS on the viewscreen to listen to what soon become a dire communique.

“The mission to infiltrate the planet via the Sabine was a sound tactical choice,” T’Less noted mentally as she processed what the rotund Klingon was saying. “The Reman craft’s cloak would have afforded greater safety but it is unable to match the Sabine for speed. Sera vers Aldnoah is also a highly capable pilot and as Gorka. Nor his allies, has not flouted any form of confirm about the craft’s demise it is safe to believe that it, and its passengers are still alive on the surface, though their condition and situation would be extremely hazardous as House Mo’Kai would go to great lengths to prevent Martok from reaching the Great Hall.”

“Praxis’ explosion shattered the moon, creating a significant debris field around the portion of the satellite that remained intact. Clear sensor readings will be difficult without getting closer to the moon, but navigation will make that difficult to achieve. Best chance for success would be dispatching the Allegiant or a flight of warp fighters. But we will need both to aid in our defence against whatever forces House Mo’kai can marshal against us,” T’Less considered, turning around to begin a scan of Praxis despite her belief in its inadequacy. 

As she watched the scan, she also noticed, even as K’tal announced it, that Gorka and his forces had arrived. The Negh’Var class Ta’rom accompanied by a trio of Vor’chas. The balance of forces was relatively even at this stage but there was no telling what kind of help that Gorka had waiting for him. What other defences from Qo’noS that he had managed to corrupt to his cause. On a second screen, T’Less began to examine attack patterns, specifically those that would give the Theurgy a firing solution onto the rear hanger of the Ta’rom which was now compromised thanks to the Apache’s hasty departure earlier that day. If they could penetrate the shields there, then the interior of the of the Negh’var was exposed and ripe for raking.

A chime sounded on her console, revealing the results of her scans of Praxis. As she had suspected, the results were obscured by the environmental conditions but there was enough data to indicate power fluctuations as well as multiple contacts that could easily be powered down fighters or shuttles. 

Bundling the sensor results along with her initial attack strategies, she forwarded them to Commander Cross’ terminal.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #4 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: all
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The last twenty-five minutes had been some of the most nerve wracking of Natalie's life. She'd been forced to pretend that everything was all right, just fine, and that they were going to come through all of this, as the ship rocketed toward Qo'nos at speeds that aught to be impossible. Something that would have been stunning to Natalie, save that she had traveled both via borg Transwarp conduit and their very own Quantum Slipstream Drive within the past 6 weeks. And yet there was the very real possibility that, in moments, they would become a stream of matter a light year longer or more, if they failed to execute the breaking maneuvers.

Not that this potentially impending doom was the only thing on Nat's mind as she sat in the center seat, Thea slightly behind her, on her side. Sweeping a bit of still damp hair away, the Martian scowled, turning over the last briefing in her mind.  The Allegiant had been returned to them, and although it had been short, had been... Impactful. Many from that team now stood at various stations across the bridge, despite all they had been through, and having so little time to readjust since coming aboard. There had been but a brief moment to steal a hug after, much needed, from Vanya, but there had been no real time to cover any of what she'd wanted. Natalie had seen to each member of the team, but nothing more, needing to rush back to the bridge. The loss of Jennifer Dewitt had been painful. Nat had been hoping to take her council on everything that had happened, and pick her brain. Dewitt had been trained for command, had held her own independent command for some time before joining the Theurgy

But Dewitt had made the right call in Breen Space, and though it deprived Natalie of her advise now, the other woman's actions probably saved many lives. That was more important.

Pulled from her thoughts by the ships AI, Natalie grimaced slightly, and gripped her armrest tightly. Thea had control of this. The precision made it mandatory. All she needed to do was not curtly and try to keep her last meal down. Which had been...too long ago, she realized, just as they lurched back into real space.

"We've had worse," Natalie noted curtly. She didn't even bother to order repair teams to see to the damage, she could hear others calling out already across the bridge. "Get our shields reinforced, bring us in line with the planet. Full sensor sweep, tactical view if you please."

Before that order could be followed through, however, a Hail came from the planet.

"That was fast," the short officer noted, pursing her lips. "On screen."

The old Klingon that appeared on screen got straight to the point. With the exception of a few rather smarmy individuals, Natalie appreciated this about Klingons. No beating around the bush. The man did not bear tidings of good news, and Nat had to tamp down on the swelling worry that bubbled in her gut. Someone had fired on the Sabine. They could all be dead. The entire effort could have fallen apart, and a part of Natalie dearly wanted to wallow in despair, even as the news continued to be bleak.

"We'll see to it," Natalie declared, pleased that bile had not risen in her throat, and that no hint of how she truly felt in that moment made it into her voice. Perhaps her white knuckle grip on the armrest might be a clue to anyone paying close attention, but beyond that, Natalie seemed unphased. Again, there would be time for that later. For now, heading the words of the ally on the scene, Natalie chose to act. "Move us into position with the escort K'Tal has so generously allowed us. I imagine we're going to need it if Gorka wants to press the issue, again."

However before she could do much more than this, the situation changed, again. Gorka's men had caught Andrew Fisher. And had no compunction about holding is safety against action from the Theurgy. "Slimy bastard," she whispered, almost too soft to be heard. She liked Andrew Fisher. The man had been surprisingly fun to interact with and had done a good job of ingratiating himself to many of the officers whom had served longer aboard the ship than he had, when he boarded at Aldea. And from the reports she'd been reading, he'd done good work for the Intelligence department, that had been in shambles.

And now he'd gotten himself captured, and was going to force Nat's hand in making a wretchedly unwanted call.. It was a toss up as to which was the slimy bastard just then - Gorka or Fisher.

What surprised her was Samantha Rutherford, breaking the silence that fell after her own curse. Turning slowly, the brunette Maritain stood, facing the blonde diplomat, head tilted slightly to one side, appraising the other Lt. Commander. Her statement was rather cold, even if it mirrored Natalie's less than pleased thoughts. "We don't leave our own behind, either. But you are right. Talk to our Science department, take the best they can offer with you."

Natalie raised a hand to cut off any protest. "Mr. Fisher knew what he was getting into when he started this. We'll do what we can to get him back, and I want to hear options about that, people, but first and foremost, we have to find out where the Sabine went down, and if either the Chancellor, or Captain Ives, are still alive." Though she was terrified of the implications there, the Chancellor had to be the number one priority. She started to turn where she stood, catching each officer's eye as she did.

"We need to scan that moon. If K'Tal thinks our enemy has a backup plan on the scale of Paris, or what they tried to do on Andor and the Breen homeworld? I want options to stop it, Gorka be damned. So all of you. Tell me how we get Lt. Commander Rutherford and her team to the Great Hall without tipping off Gorka until she is there? How do we get a second team down to search for the Sabine survivors? And yes, how do we extract Lt. Commander Fisher? Lt. Commander Cross," Nat turned to face the former hybrid, meeting his gaze as well, their earlier chat fresh in her mind.

"Contact our escort. Have them hold close for the moment and coordinate with them. Those ships are locals. They know Qo'nos better than we do. See if someone there has as cleaver or cunning thought about how to get our people planet side, fast. If we have to be brazen about it, make no mistake, I will park this ship right between Qo'nos and Praxis, split the vecotrs and dare Gorka to protest. And I'll broadcast the whole damn thing planet wide. But if there's a cleaner way I want to hear it. Surprise has helped us time and again and I want to keep at that."

But if they didn't come up with something fast, Natalie was going to have to follow through on the resolve she shared with Sam Rutherford - no matter what the cost to Andrew Fisher, and her own self-conscious.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #5 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01| USS Theurgy ] Attn: All
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Cam hadn’t left her station since they’d jumped to slipstream. Hell, she felt as if she’d hardly moved a muscle, as if she’d hardly blinked. She would have forgotten to breathe, if one were able to forget such a thing, if it relied on anything besides innate instinct and drive. Not long past, Cam would have sworn that she wasn’t a soldier, yet there she stood. She stood among the wreckage, proud, and fighting for survival. Not just her own survival, and not just that of her ship and crew. She was fighting for a cause. She was a soldier, and she knew it, standing beneath that smoking pillar, sticky hardened blood visible on her head and through her hair. Any fear that she felt about whatever else might come across the holotable before her? Was drowned out by the thunderous beating of her heart in her ears. By apprehension and the adrenaline that came with it.

The moment they dropped into Klingon space, the Yeoman snapped out of the trance and reached into the empty space that rested above the table, small glowing particles finding her fingertips at once. They splayed out, so that her fingers had plenty of space between one another. Her palms faced the slick, and (aside from the pockmarks of ash) shiny glass holotable. She pulled her arms up towards the ceiling and the table came back to life, as it had been during the battle. A quick scan of the local space and the hologram populated itself with some of the objects in the surrounding space.

She kept her hands in the soup of luminescent particles in front of her but the moment a Klingon appeared before her on the viewscreen, he had her full and total attention. The overwhelming slew of information washed over the Ensign, and though each piece of it felt like a punch to the gut, one strike after the next. She hardly reacted. Not until he was done at least. Once he’d finished speaking, her jaw tightened, and she angrily swept aside some of the particles in front of her. “Bastard.” She muttered, starting to piece together all of the information that they’d collected on her screen.

The subsequent news about Fisher had struck a nerve with the Yeoman. Her eyes had widened the moment she’d heard. Despite only really having had the one meaningful interaction with the man, she liked him. Being shot at with somebody created a certain comraderie Cam had found that was hard to break. In her experience with him as well, he had seemed almost infallible when it came to conflict, so to think of him in a situation as the one that he now found himself in was troubling.

Before Cam could get a word out, and it was clear that she had planned on it, by the fact she had her mouth wide open, Natalie was cutting them off. She turned to her console and started punching in a variety of keys, causing a flashing purple light off to the side of her main control panel as she reviewed the data. For once however, she did not have an immediate thought. She stared at the holographic readout of Qo’nos, and the space between the planet and them.

She shook her head and braced both hands against the table as she stared, deep in thought. “Can we get a Klingon ship from K’Tal? It might be inconsequential enough for him to ignore it while we stall him, at least for long enough for them to get away.” Not her best idea, but she pitched it anyhow.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #6 –
[Ens Jaya Thorne | Bright Lights | Retinal Burn | Flying Into Danger | Why is there Always Danger?]





Jaya sat at the helm, her fingers playing lightly on the plethora of buttons and information on the flight console in front of her.  The blue glow of her console was nothing compared to the vivid white-bright light which had only just faded.  It was hard, to feel optimistic right now.  It wasn't that she didn't have anything to live for, she did, but Jaya was feeling pensive.  It seemed they were always in trouble, it seemed there was never down time, there were no days off.  There were no times when she felt like a normal person.  Some might argue that it was what she had signed up for when she left her rough past behind her and embarked on hard work and proving herself in a different way.  However, she felt that the Theurgy never rested.  It was the kind of ship that just attracted trouble like a magnet soaring through outer space. 

There were the parasites, a problem that had been around for what seemed like eternity and still hung around.  There were the Klingon, which was a problem right this moment, there was the Federation they could never go back to, and so many other issues.  She was tired of issues.  She was tired of always having to be brave and figure out what to do next, how to get their asses out of the fire once more, and always having to find little incremental moments of time to remind herself that she was human.

Everyone around her was listening to the Klingon who was speaking to them, he was no longer on Gorka's side but she didn't think he was all team Martok either.  Why did the Klingon have to be so back-stabby?  But even then, wasn't everyone?  It was exhausting the sheer amount of people that turned out to be traitors, assholes, or parasitic infected anal cavities.  It seemed that any news was bad news and that also was something that caused her to become mentally exhausted as she was right now.

Rutherford was ready to sell Fisher to the highest bidder.  Stark said 'no dice' and Jaya had to agree.  Though it wasn't her decision to make and she didn't even know Fisher, she didn't believe that anyone deserved to be deserted unless they were traitors or something.  But, that still would have to be proven and there was always a little wiggle room for doubt.  Jaya just wanted to go to a beach somewhere, or a house somewhere, and not think about anything Trek related.  The explosion in the lounge, the fallout of the rescue mission, she was just.. ready for a break.

Stark ordered them moved into the escort where T'Kal was, and Jaya gave a quick nod.  “On it, moving to escort.” she said, a testament to how exhausted she was without her usual smart humor or sarcasm.  But, she still sat up in her seat a little bit, as she had been lounging back more comfortably, and began to engage the engines a bit so that they could slide into the proper line with T'Kal and his escort.  Jaya was careful to get them in a nice sweet spot and already plotting areas where, should they need to, they could get out of there as quickly as was safely possible.  But, she hoped it wasn't going to be needed but she still liked to have contingency plans.

“We're in place.” she reported to the bridge crew.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #7 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @BZ @Stegro88 @BipSpoon @stardust @Swift
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Cross had kept a firm hold of his workstation as the Theurgy transitioned back to normal space, the abrupt halt in the ship’s momentum causing him to swallow hard and give his head a shake as his body fought to regain its equilibrium. Cross blinked, then glanced around the bridge and saw that many of the other officers present were experiencing the same aftereffects, but that they had nonetheless survived the Savi’s catapulting action and had arrived in one piece. Or rather, in more or less one piece, judging by the calling out of damage reports from various areas of the ship. They weren’t all dead, and the ship wasn’t tearing itself apart from the stresses of being flung such a large distance in sucha  short amount of time, so Cross decided they could chalk this one up as a win and turned his attention to his station, glancing over damage reports that might impact the Tactical department and then, after a few minutes, looking over the scan results which T’Less pushed him.

Cross had glanced up from looking over the readouts T’Less had pushed to his console as the hail from Qo’nos was put through on the viewscreen. The former hybrid just managed to bite back the curse which threatened to escape him at the news the Klingon passed along, especially that the Sabine having been shot down on the Klingon home planet. The next piece of news was equally bad, with an audioless video feed of Lieutenant Commander Fisher being held captive and beaten by Klingon guards. The Vulcan’s jaw tightened as he watched the silent Fisher take a kick to the side, the Tactical officer wondering how long Fisher would be able to hold out under such treatment.

His attention was torn away from the viewscreen as Commander Stark called his name, his pale eyes seeking her out and meeting her gaze. His face remained neutral as she spoke to him, ordering him to contact their escort, with no hint nor mention to their previous conversation. The Vulcan gave a quick nod of acknowledgement with an uttered ”Yes, Commander”, though he hesitated short of turning back to his station. ”Commander,” Cross said, seeming to add a slightly deferential tone to his words. ”If I may, Lieutenant T’Less has just pushed me the results of an attempted scan of Praxis.” Cross paused as if waiting to see what Stark would say, then continued. ”The scans are being heavily disrupted by surface conditions on Praxis, though they did manage to pick up power fluctuations, as well as several possible contacts of unknown origin, best guess would point to either fighters or shuttlecraft.”

After relaying the information to Commander Stark, Cross turned his attention back to his workstation and hailed the Klingon vessels which were escorting them to relay Stark’s request, albeit omitting the comment about parking the Theurgy between Praxis and Qo’nos and deploying the various vectors. Cross was hardly the most diplomatic of persons aboard the Theurgy, but even he knew that such talk was not meant for their allies’ ears, or in this case eyes since he sent the request for ideas as an encrypted text only message.

After a moment a thought occurred to Cross, and he turned to address T’Less in a low voice. ”Lieutenant, let me know when our escorts reply to our questions.” Cross murmured, ”You have Tactical for a moment.” With those words, Cross stepped away from his station and moved to stand beside Natalie Stark. ”Commander, would it be possible for us to utilize the Allegiant to drop an infiltration team on the planet’s surface? If it worked on the attempted rescue of Commander Dewitt, then it could work here too.” Cross paused for a moment. ”Another option could be to have one of our escort ships send down a shuttle to pick up a supply of bloodwine to celebrate the battle that has just passed. If they could take our team with them and discretely deposit the team near the Sabine’s last known coordinates, it could be done while drawing minimal suspicion. I doubt any Klingon would question their motived for wanting to drink after a good fight.”

OOC: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted!

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #8 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BZ @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @Fife @BipSpoon @Swift @Stegro88 @stardust
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When Frank had arrived to the bridge, he hadn't felt as if he'd belonged. But this was Fisher, and Fisher was one of the people Frank respected. Even if he wasn't, Frank and the remainder of the Allegiant team had been forced to leave a friend behind, and with Jen, Frank's last connection to the Cortez; there would be no repeats of such things. Besides, that bastard owed him for the drone still. In turn, regardless of how he felt, when he strode off the turbolift, chest puffed, chin held high, PADD tucked firmly under his left arm for a crisp recognition of the watch officer, he looked every bit the part of Assistant Engineering Chief in Charge of Vector One. The only person who would have looked more in place was Blue herself. The more he presented he was right at home at the engineering station, the more he believed it.

Jaya had been a gem, once he'd settled in and set his views on the terminals the way he liked them, he'd noticed little animations popups sent from her. A popcorn, a rocketship, a cute cat, and he'd replied with many a thing of his own. Eventually he had put this aside, and waited for the soliton ride, pleasantly eased into his setting; he'd make it up to Jaya. Once she'd gotten him settled, he'd noticed some other faces he recognized, old and new.

He focused on his terminal as the Theurgy dropped to normal space, and relatively normal speed. He'd known this was going to be hard on the girl when he heard the plan, and as feared almost instantly after their transition, his panel began showing angry yellow, orange, and red flashing lights, instead of 'J & F' in an arrow heart.

He began tapping on the most critical alerts first, automatic dispatches would be sent to the appropriate damage control teams to begin triage of any systems damage resulting of the nacelle damage. As a matter of course he would announce firmly and matter of fact, "Showing power fluctuations on decks 2, 9, 22, and 27, likely resulting from the structural integrity field variations. Shunting some tertiary field power to compensate."

He cleared his throat, "Showing shear stress buildup on both nacelle groups and ventral body shaft. Eight degree gamma deflection, fourteen." Frank was a few seconds behind Thea as he said, "Hull plating stress-state critica...scratch that compromised." He would double tap that on his screen to issue a priority alert, "Damage control teams are en-route now." He'd have a report in a handful of minutes, but for the moment he offered, "Isolation fields are online, showing contained pressure." He theorized while he waited, since Thea had said there were no casualties reported, "Those sections are mostly service lines and conduits if I recall correctly."

As the damage control teams began to report he said, "Teams report no fires or plasma leaks, and only minor power disruptions.  Area should be back to full status in a few hours. Analysis estimates nominal effect on propulsion."

At Commander Stark's orders to get their shields reinforced, Frank offered, "Diverting secondary power to shield capacitor banks."

In the midst of all that, Frank had forgotten his self doubt for the moment, something that went noticed after a few breaths of reflection, and he smirked to himself, sliding his hand in his pocket to thumb his whittling project while he took note of wisdom he liked to give to others, just under his breath, "in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul."

He took that same moment to admire Q'onos on the viewer. For all the hatred on the surface of that world that had passed for many centuries, a planet from orbit was always a sight to behold for a space tramp, no matter how old.
 

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #9 –
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @stardust @BipSpoon @Nolan @Fife @uytrereee @BZ  
[Show/Hide]

Options were what Natalie Stark needed right then; information, and options. There was too much to tackle at once, but that was what her job was. This was no different from sorting out priority repairs and what systems really needed power when, or so she insisted to herself. Even if the decisions here had a bit more direct consequences for the lives of others under her command than did her decisions as Operations Chief. It was an empty comfort, in any event. 

Find Martok. Find Ives. Find out what their enemy was up to. Maybe rescue Andrew Fisher. No sweat.

Who was she kidding? If she was doing this right, everyone else. She stood there, one arm tossed across her waist, holding the elbow of the other, while that hand cupped her chin. Eyes focused, darting about the bridge, listening to her officers. Project calm and focus, seemed to be working for now. Distantly she cataloged the acknowledgement that they were in position, giving a nod back toward the helm, without pulling her eyes away from the other officers arrayed behind or beside her command chair. 

Getting a ship from their allies had some merit, but how to do it without drawing too much notice. That was the trick. Well, they might be able to use the debris cloud of Praxis to aid them, as their opponent seemed to be doing. "Sounds like Klingon Glob Fly's mucking about in there. I'm tempted to scramble our fighters to deal with them," she let out a sigh, "But that would be too overt, I'm sure. Still, good work Lieutenant. Keep an eye on what's left of their moon, and the moment anyone gets a cleaner picture, let me know. Henshaw, have whoever is fresh and ready in our fighter group on standby for launch. Better to have them ready, on the off chance someone has to go play bloodhound in what's left of Praxis."

Was it perfect? No. Was it a start? Yes. She'd take it for now.

Cross seemed satisfied with T'less' performance as he left her in charge of tactical and came over to stand with her. Looking from Thea on one side of her, to Cross on the other, she tilted her head, curious as to what the man had to say. It seemed that he was approaching things with more care than he had before. An unfair thought - and she knew it. Still, water under the bridge, she was more than willing to take his advice. A logical extrapolation off of Henshaw's hurried suggestion of using a ship from one of KTal's escorts to do the sneaking of their extraction team to the planet - if they could not do so with the Allegiant.

Pursing her lips, she nodded slowly, seeing the plan forming alongside the Tactical Chief's explanation. Turning from him, to Lt. Frank Arnold, who had been manning the engineering station and tracking all the various damage reports bubbling up, and pointed toward him. "Lt. Arnold, in your professional opinion, how long would it take to get the Allegiant ready to go? We've only had her back in her berth for what, half an hour?"

Based on his input, she made the call. "Very well. Thank you, Lt. Arnold. Commander Cross, I want an away team ready to go with the Allegiant in 15 minutes. Less if you can manage. Same insertion profile as with the rescue attempt from before. Ask for volunteers, and anyone who has in person experience on Qo'nos would be a plus. Commander Rutherford," she turned to Samantha next. "Get your people ready. And folks, if anyone has ideas about getting Mr. Fisher out, I want to hear them too. I expect the Intelligence department has something or another in their playbook for this kind of situation." She left that hanging, for anyone to pick up, eyes darting from the security station to the small build out of consoles where the intelligence department often housed their bridge officers - when the whole team wasn't strung out across the near sector of space, or down in their own control center.

"And Miss Henshaw, that was a good recommendation. Follow up with our friends, and have them be ready to send down a shuttle with some of our folks alongside, just in case we need it. We'll hold that in our reserve for now, but I want them ready to launch if we do have to go...fetch some bloodwine." Here, her eyes darted to Cross, and the first hint of mirth she'd shown since the came into the system seemed to spark in her gaze.


OOC: A little post to move things along abit. Folks, if you are interested in having your character on the Allegiant for the insertion mission, speak up in the Advent of War OOC thread.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #10 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Brutus @Fife @BZ @Swift
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Naturally, part of reality was that unspoken truth that permeated existence like the molecules of air within every alveole, artery and cell. It was the kind of circumstance that seldom needed direct appraisal or acknowledgment. A mere ethereal figment that didn’t require translation or modulation, but could instead be understood by every living thing. Like love and affection. Two related concepts that were almost universal among all sentient beings and would be interpreted similarly between all of them. Or just as much, hatred and scorn, were analogical ideas that some species more predominantly understood. But again, their bare essence was universal. These wide-reaching notions were the basis for diplomatic endeavors, to build on a mutual understanding, the trust and cooperation needed to prevent far more definitive avenues from being explored.

And in a similar fashion Samantha regarded the notion of care for other living individuals and their wellbeing. A sentiment that needed no reassurances, in her eyes, as it needed no qualification. Of course, she would make sure that he was not left behind, that was undebatable. The reality which needed coming to terms with, however, was the possibility that tough decisions needed to be made … and it was never too early to acquaint oneself with that potential outcome and its ramifications. Because more times than not, it came around much sooner than expected.

Acknowledgment of such realities came quick, though, and the diplomat was left with the affirmation over why Stark was placed in that center chair in the first place. A brief, yet definitive nod, afforded the deputy with reassurances over her resolve in the matter. Turning to leave the bridge with the clearances of her plans given, the blonde barely turned on her heel before springing back to attention at the mention of plans for rescuing commander Fisher. While her understanding had been that it was part of her overall ploy, she understood quickly that such insight was not as universal a concept as some other things she had contemplated moments before.

“Commander …” she intervened coyly. Certainly not affirmative enough to keep anyone from voicing their ideas. So she hovered, for a moment, index finger’s tip dabbing at her plush upper lip, while waiting for the redundant ideas to come in.

Commander Cross came up with potential ideas first, as it was well within his wheelhouse to fabricate tactical maneuvers. Though as the first words trickled from the Vulcan’s thin lips the diplomat couldn’t help but tilt her head slightly but suddenly, in a skeptical notion very well understood by those sharing her 1/4th heritage. Sending a Starfleet craft to the surface without clearance was basically an act of war. Especially in these trying times where they had to tread on eggshells around the last undecided Klingons who didn’t yet see them as the honorless traitors Gorka made them out to be. And with all due respect – what little her carefully cocked brow and body language could disguise – the next proposal wasn’t much more helpful in the realm of feasibility. But as he went on to specify the team was intended for the Sabine Samantha found herself oddly uncaring. Not that she wasn’t convinced of the benefits that would arise from Martok and Ives being found alive, but her priorities in that moment just weren’t on that particular wishful thought. So, she did not intervene, but instead eased her slender physique in a more relaxed stance.

Looking up as Stark commanded her attention once more the blonde’s blue eyes transfixed to her superior quickly. A wave of pride washing over her as she realized that what was being demanded had already been set in motion. Well, in her mind at least.

“I have the intelligence department covered.” she acknowledged with a knowing smirk to Natalie. “And I’ll try to keep the expendable nature of Commander Fisher as the very last bargaining chip.”

Turning to leave with another nod, this time for certain, the diplomat couldn’t help but let her expertise get the better of her once more, before moving fully into the back of the bridge towards the turbolift.

“Just make sure you try to get some sort of clearance for those flights.” she spewed into the air, with no particular recipient in mind, before vanishing behind the corner.

In her experience it would be quite difficult to get any Theurgy craft into the atmosphere, especially with Gorka already having made planetfall. But maybe just as with her planned diplomatic decoy, K’Tal could help with other clearances too. They had a few friends too, after all, not only enemies.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #11 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BZ @Brutus @stardust @Auctor Lucan @Fife @BipSpoon
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Frank kept his eye on the status boards, each of the generated tasks, both automatic and from his intervention turning from red, to light blue, and to the other status colors that indicated the damage control teams were slowly reaching their destinations, and beginning their own unique form of triage.

He was content to just leave it at that, until Stark spoke to him directly. At her thanks he merely offered an, "Aye sir." But at her question, he took a few moments longer. Not more than the quick breath of a well reasoned mind drawing to a conclusion before he said, "She took no real damage in the mission, apart from some fancy flying, and some taxing power demands." He shook his head, "I'm comfortable releasing her for flight right now Commander."

Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was just the nature of who they were getting, either way he crossed his arms, "And with your permission, I'd accompany the vessel on this mission, should the Allegiant require any engineering expertise. Just in case we run across any tight spots." Frank was thinking about the unpleasant kinds of tight spots. He studied Jaya for a moment, just to see if she took notice of his volunteering, for better or for worse.

While he waited, he studied Commander Rutherford, and thought on the time they'd made promises of getting together for a drink. Only a mere moment ago, and now, they were once again far flung and grasping for another impossible straw. He dropped his token into his pocket, and put the thought out of his mind for now.

He waited for the answer, and then he was gone. He would give a curt nod, and sign over his station to the junior engineering staffer aboard, until relief was available, and head for the Allegiant.

((Just a brief post to establish continuity))

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #12 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @stardust @Swift @BZ @Stegro88 @BipSpoon @uytrereee
[Show/Hide]
Cross nodded his acknowledgement with an uttered ”Aye, ma’am.” as Stark ordered him to assemble an away team. The Commander added that she wanted the team ready to launch aboard the Allegiant in 15 minutes, and that he was to consider experience on the Klingon homeworld to be an asset. Cross glanced at Thea as he strode towards the Tactical station, scooping up his PADD. ”Thea, would you please send a list of away team authorized personnel to my PADD, and flag any who have previous experience on Qo’nos.”

Cross glanced down at the PADD as the data began to appear on his screen, his eyes scanning over the names as they were populated in the list. He glanced back over at Stark as she heard he order Henshaw to follow up with their Klingon escorts in case they had to “fetch some bloodwine”, the Commander’s comment prompting a soft chuckle and the ghost of a grin from the usually grim Vulcan.

He glanced up when he heard Lieutenant Commander Rutherford’s final remark as the Diplomatic Officer made for the turbolift, the former hybrid’s pale gaze following her until the turbolift doors hissed shut behind her, hiding her from view. Cross then turned to glance at Stark, giving the ship’s current Commanding Officer a quizzical look before shrugging and turning his attention back to his PADD, muttering to himself that he seemed to recall that they had just been in a full-scale battle against Klingon forces, and what was one more action which might land them in hot water. It was only after he muttered the remark that he realized T’Less would likely hear the comment, and thus the Vulcan decided to cease his mutterings and get on with his task.

Cross glanced up again after sending off the request for volunteers for the away mission, his gaze focusing on Lieutenant Arnold this time around. The Engineer had asked to be part of the Allegiant’s crew for the duration of the mission, the man stating he wanted to be there in case they ran into any “tight spots”. Cross nodded to himself as Arnold made the request. Even though he didn’t know Arnold well, he respected the officer’s wish to be part of the mission. The fact that Blue Tiran didn’t grumble about the man nearly as much as she grumbled about the rest of her department also told Cross that Lieutenant Arnold was likely a highly competent engineer, and would thus be an asset to the impending mission.

Having received several replies from the list of people he’d contacted, Cross looked up, his eyes seeking out Commander Stark. ”Commander, the away team is preparing for the mission, and will be assembled in the Docking Bay Lounge to be briefed in 12 minutes.”

Cross glanced over at T’Less next, his pale eyes regarding his fellow Vulcan. ”Will you be wanting to volunteer for another mission aboard the Allegiant as well, Lieutenant?”

OOC: Apologies for the delay in posting!

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #13 –
[ Lt. T'Less | Secondary Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy | Breen ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife @Brutus @stardust @Swift @BZ @BipSpoon @uytrereee
[Show/Hide]

At Commander Cross’ direction, T’Less shifted to the main tactical station to monitor the situation as her immediate superior moved away to converse with Commander Stark. Her eyes perused the displays, rechecking what her own screens had told her moments ago as she waited for the responses from their escorts regarding idea about how to get a team down to the Sabine’s crash site. Internally, she was hoping for something a little more subtle than a ‘bloodwine recovery’ operation, even if it was one of the most Klingon things she had heard in her life.

“It would probably work too,” T’Less mused as she looked around the bridge. The idea had induced humour in the majority of those present with even T’Less herself having to supress the urge to smile. “This is not the time for an emotional outburst,” she mentally chided herself as Cross glanced at her, his muted blue eyes fixing on her. T’Less wasn’t sure what she was expecting him to say at that moment, another sign that her control was slipping, but when he questioned if she would like to volunteer for another mission aboard the Allegiant, despite only having just returned, her roiling nerves settled somewhat.

“Sir, I believe it would be prudent for one of us to be aboard the Allegiant at this time. The situation, while stagnant at the present, could shift rapidly. There is also the unknown development within Praxis. A senior Tactical officer will offer us the best flexibility if objectives change. I will go, sir, unless you would prefer to go yourself,” she declared, expressing her interest but leaving it to Commander Cross to decide as the Chief Tactical Officer. She knew what she would do in his situation, but she was no longer the CTO.

“I would also suggest that whoever is assigned to the Conn of the Allegiant, that they have experience in flying a shuttle in a combat situation. As a precaution.”

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #14 –
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @All @Brutus @Fife [Show/Hide]

Lauren was traveling out of main sickbay with the call came in for a CONN officer. She was a little startled as her combadge chirped before heading to the nearest terminal to check the reason for it. Despite all that'd happened she was surprised to be contacted so quickly. Her walk was hastened by the days' turn of events as to not waste time. Her hand was a bit clammy to the touch from heightened anxiety as she made her final approach.

Tapping a few controls, the redheaded woman took note that she was being summoned for an immediate duty position. For what she couldn't discern. Decidedly she figured it best to report to he bridge in the meantime to discern whether it was for bridge duty or an away team mission for her particular skillset. After all, aside from the capture at the hands of the Breen during the Dominion War, she was quick and able to maneuver a small craft rather well. That and having been temporarily a CONN officer about the previous Enterprise, she was confident they needed someone of her caliber to assist.

The woman stepped back from the controls, tapped the wall terminal back to the darkened panel, turned her heal and approached the nearest turbolift to the bridge.

She thought on the way as she entered the lift about how when she arrived, her mental state was nervous, then they were attacked, she had PTSD of the Breen P.O.W. camps as the Klingons boarded, Tessa was near death and now, all was for the most part fine again. Well, besides the ongoing skirmish with Gorka's fleet. One thing that stood out to the young woman was how much action this ship seemed to get.

"Bridge" she stated to the computer after the doorframe closed before her and began to move with a very efficient hum and ride. She thankfully had the forethought after getting her hand repaired from the battle and changing into a clean uniform before the unexpected call to duty arrived. She fulled down on the jacket and straightened it the best she could, with careful breaths to appear she was not a newbie, which technically she wasn't at this point.

The doors swooshed open and she was met with a variety of faces diligently working as the current command crew took note of her arrival. She wasn't all that familiar with them but knew if she was summoned there was a particularily good reason for it. A Commander in the center chair glanced in her direction appraising the Ensign appearing on the bridge and a bald Vulcan Commander looked up at her from his PADD as well.

"Ensign Lauren Pierce, reporting Commanders. What can I do for you sir?" Now she had to simply wait and see where the universe took her from here.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #15 –
[Ens. Jaya Thorne | Another Away Mission | Focus First | Why Isn't There More Downtime? | Always Another Battle]
@uytrereee @Auctor Lucan @Fife et al




The little floating symbols and pictures were fun.  Arnold sent a little bunny that was wearing a top hat and held a monocle in one of it's furry little eyes, blinking at her with it's almost comically over-sized eye thanks to the magnification of such a lens.  Then there was another one where there was a small fox with blue streaks all over its tail carrying a massive wrench in it's mouth.  All of them were adorable, and she had to admit they were enjoyable.  She supposed it paid to have your boyfriend... friend? Something, on the Bridge with you from time to time, though she knew when it got down to business time they were going to have to concentrate and get the job done.  As proven when images stopped coming and the voice of Arnold behind her began to give out readings.

It seemed the Allegiant was going out again, another mission, another day in the grind.  It was a shame that Jaya felt so heavy with the stress and pressure and the sheer amount of work that it took to be a Starfleet Officer these days.  She supposed she was in a slump, she didn't mean to be and certainly hadn't intended for it to be something that would change how she viewed the world around her.  However, right now she felt very disenchanted.  She supposed what she needed was time, time for herself, time away, time to be a normal human being and not on the brink of death for the first time in a while.  But, that would only be once they had finished their mission, ended the battles, gotten to somewhere safe, and the way everything was going she was pretty sure it would be a while yet before any semblance of safety was to be had.

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!

If Jaya could have turned her head 360 degrees to give Arnold the surprise look that she was shooting over her shoulder.  She wasn't shocked he volunteered, really, but she supposed she hadn't really expected it.  Though she should, that was most definitely Arnold, and now she would have to worry about him.  She knew that he was brave, smart, but he was an engineer and therefore he was also prone to jumping into dangerous situations for no reason.

Pot and kettle, Jaya...

Rolling her eyes at herself she turned back to the front where she could actually pay attention to what was going on with her console to make sure she wasn't missing anything.  Jaya thought about volunteering, especially once they mentioned that they needed someone that was experienced with combat missions.  She could fly this thing through anything without a single thought, but... she didn't need to think about it for long because the doors to the Bridge opened again and one of the CONN officers stepped through looking as though she was ready to jump into the line of fire just for shits and giggles. 

Volunteering herself died on the lips of Jaya as she figured it would do good for someone else to take the lime light.  Though her lovely eyes shifted over to Arnold to give him a look that told him to be careful, be safe, and if he didn't want the Jennifer Dewitt Official Welcome Home Program when he came back he knew to keep his ass on the smart side of things.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #16 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife @Stegro88 @uytrereee @BZ @BipSpoon @stardust @Pierce 
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Keeping a running tally in her head was going to grow difficult at this point, and Nat idly wondered if Command track students got some sort of extra training on that kind of thing - she refused to call it 'crap,' even in her own mind - at the academy. One would think it would be useful for cadets of any flavor and discipline, but she didn't recall a general course on 'not forgetting all the things at once' years back. It was almost enough to make her pout. Almost.

Watching Samantha depart, Nat nodded in agreement with her assessment about getting flight clearance. Once more funneling that function off to a junior officer, Natalie off handed remarked, "Ens. Henshaw, add that to your to-do list if you please." Lt. Commander Rutherford disappeared from the bridge, and her request was punted off to someone else to deal with. Delegation was a skill that Nat had managed some practice and familiarity with, ever since she became the Ops Chief months back. She just had to keep exercising it now that she was in command of the Theurgy, for however long it took to find Ives.

If they were alive.

Dismissing that dreadful notion - one she had previously been forced to face when the ship had first encountered the Savi some 40 days back, give or take a week - Nat refocused her efforts on things she could deal with and act upon, and not nebulous feelings of dread not yet substantiated one way or another. Reading the ships time, displayed on the arm rest of the captains chair she stood next to, Natalie did the quick math and noted the departure time of the Allegiant. It seemed to her that the crew was coming together swiftly with a few volunteers and a case of the right person at the right time in the right place. She glanced at three of the red collared officers on the bridge, darting from Pierce (were they related to the other Pierce, in intel?), T'Less, and Cross. They would do well enough. She felt a moment of genuine temptation to lead the effort herself. To take direct command of the smaller vessel, one she was quite familiar with in its own right, to guide the little ship on its important mission.

But no. She had a much larger ship, and far more lives to take care of than the compliment of officers that would make up the Allegiant's crew when they launched in a quarter-hour. Far too many lives. Her place, for now, was here on the Bridge.

"Lt. Commander Cross. Much as I'd rather keep you here, I'm afraid you're going to get a chance to show off your skills at independent command for a bit. I want you heading the Allegiant mission. Lt. T'Less, you'll go along as tactical. Chief sh'Zhan will have to hold down the fort in your stead, Lt. Commander." Having worked with the Andorian briefly before, Nat was sure the Chief Warrant Officer was up to the task for the moment.

"Frank, thank you for volunteering," Natalie continued, her use of the other mans given name in lieu of his rank a nod to her appreciation at his willingness to step right back into the fray after what had to have been a long and taxing mission. "Grab whatever you need and report to the Allegiant. As for you, Ens. Pierce, follow Lt. Commander Cross," she gestured to the other man whom was already heading for the lifts by that point. "He'll follow you out."

Offering a tight smile to the departing officers, Natalie added simply, "Good luck and God speed. We'll adjust our approach vector to give you a bit of cover for your departure." That was as much a note to Jaya Thorne to do exactly that, as it was a heads up to Cross and his team, the rest of whom he'd already summoned and would be meeting them down at the Allegiant's docking berth.  Turning to take her seat, Natalie caught sight of MCPO Klex Soden, and WO Fraz Hirrentz joining CWO sh'Zahn at tactical. The trio of non-com's would preform admirably, she told herself, and settled back into the command chair.

"Let's make it happen folks. I want a read out of all Klingon ship movements in the immediate vicinity. I want us in the best position to cover our people's departure."

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #17 –
APPROACH VECTOR: PRAXIS

>> Click For Full Resolution

[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann | Bridge > Transporter Room | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ]
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Though the mission was hastily scrambled, Ida realised that no more than twenty minutes had passed since the Theurgy had first arrived at Qo'noS. Of course, they had all been prepared for anything given the Yellow Alert that Acting Captain Stark had issued prior to the arrival at the Klingon home world - the soliton wave dropping them into orbit. Since then, Ida had been tasked to lead the infiltration team on the moon, and after picking a team and in wait for the arrival, she was standing on the bridge of the Allegiant. Lieutenant Lauren Pierce had set the cloaked scout ship on an approach vector to Praxis, and Ida observed with her scratched and dented exosuit on, her helmet at her hip.

"By Lor'Vela," she said quietly when she looked out of the viewscreen - seeing the extent of the destruction of Praxis. It reminded her of the Coreless Moon, and what had befallen her there, putting her somewhat ill at ease. She looked towards Cross, a fellow abductee from the Versant, and realised it was time. "I will ready the infiltration team in the airlock. Have it opened when we're at the drop point, and I will keep comms open - the vid-feeds from our helmets available here on the brid-."

She trailed off, antennae rising as she saw Valkyries whisking past the moon, and they must have come from the Theurgy. Evidently, the Lone Wolves had got a mission of their own, something she wasn't aware of. Were the infested planning something more, besides what was underway on Praxis? Ida looked towards Isel Nix, her having been posted in at the Comms station on the small bridge due to medical issues, and Ida couldn't help wondering what the Vulpinian was thinking, seeing her old squadmates launching on a mission and her not being able to join them. Ida wished the Lone Wolves luck, whatever assignment had been given them. Perhaps Cross knew more, and Ida raised an eyebrow in the CTO's direction, the question unspoken. He was Senior Staff, after all.

Nonetheless, Ida didn't linger, just stopping by T'Less' side before leaving the bridge. "Hopefully, Lieutenant Arnold can keep this ship's power fluctuations in check and the cloak active despite the damages the Breen caused during our last mission. Will you check how he's doing down there?" she asked quietly, troubled by the risks the state of he Allegiant might pose. Still, she gave her bygone lover a lopsided smile. "And keep your eyes open? We don't want any surprises down there... I have in mind to paint you again if we make it through this."

If there were any surprises, Ida was reassured by the fact that they had the Chief Medical Officer aboard the Allegiant too, and she inclined her head to the Betazoid on her way out. She headed straight towards the aft of the Manta-class ship, and when she entered the relatively spacious airlock, she met the eyes of her infiltration team. "Crewmen Vansen and Tucker, prepare to move out. We won't beam down since the energy readings that may cause could alert whomever is on site. The Allegiant goes in dark, and our exosuits will dampen our life signs. Understood?"

"Aye, Deputy," said Vansen, and the two checked the energy levels in their Type III phaser rifles, also having pulse phase pistols at their hips. They were already donning their helmets by the time Ida turned to the two non-combat members of the infiltration, though she had no doubt at least one of them could hold their own if things turned sour.

"Petty Officer Leblanc, I read you are already familiar with the Savi infiltration suits. Glad you to have you with us, and let's hope we won't leave anyone behind this time," she said to the pinkskin from Engineering with a small smile, referencing the fate of Commander Andrew Fisher. "Don't worry, though, I hear there is a mission underway in which they might bring him back. Have faith."

Then, Ida turned to the largest presence in the airlock, and someone whom had more than passing familiarity with Praxis. The Gorn seemed rather intimidating in his black Savi suit and the modded helmet he wore, looking like a second skin and leaving very little to the imagination. Ida picked up her Accipiter rifle and couldn't help but asking the obvious. "How many original Savi suits did it take to piece that together, Chief? It seems rather snug either way, but I hope you can still move in it? We do need you as a guide, after all."

There was little time for further exchange, since the word came from the bridge that they had reached the drop point - as close as they could come to the readings that K'Tal had sent to the Theurgy. Ida put her helmet on, reassured by the fact that the life signs of all the infiltration team would be dampened from any sensors given the suits they wore, and stepped towards the aft - the sliding doors parting for her and showing the jagged surface of Praxis beyond. The eerie light of ochre and greens coated the path towards a darkened structure, and Ida steeled herself. Courage is fear...

"Move out!" she said, leading the way, and she didn't look back towards the Allegiant, knowing that there was naught to be seen there - the ship cloaked and gone from view. It didn't take long before she asked for input from the technical experts she'd brought along. "So, Sithick. Do you recognise this area, and Leblanc, do you have any theories on what the Infested might be planning here?"

MEANWHILE | USS THEURGY BRIDGE

[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]
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Standing next to Stark on her Main Bridge, Thea could not see the Allegiant after it had cloaked and began its approach to Praxis - her sensor array unable to trace the scout ship on its mission. At least they had Ensign Henshaw at Mission Ops whom could stay updated on the development on the moon, telling them what the away team might find there.

That was not the only mission that Henshaw would have to track, however, since the Lone Wolves had been scrambled to address the potential approach of a cloaked Romulan ship, which according to intel from an officer aboard it was carrying a thalaron weapon. Was it a second contingency plan of the Infested, besides whatever was planned on Praxis? Considering the development, Thea deduced with her processors drawing from her memory banks, that perhaps Gorka was merely a means to an end, and that even though Nicander claimed Gorka wasn't one of the Infested, the Councillor that was....could step in and claim the Chancellery in the last moment?

Besides the Allegiant, a couple of other shuttles had been launched as well, heading down to Qo'noS with different assignments. The Tesla's crew was to try and ascertain the fate of Captain Ives and Chancellor Martok, being en-route to the Sabine's crash site. Then there was the attempt to reach the Great Hall, in case Martok was lost, and from what Thea had ascertain, an attempt to free Commander Fisher was underway as well, though she didn't have enough data to know for certain how that might come about. She wasn't even sure if Ensign Henshaw had been made aware...

Thea was about to raise these questions when her sensors picked up a Federation warp signature from one of the inbound ships - standing out among all the sensory input of Klingon vessels.

"Captain," she said, turning to Stark, "Iroquois-class ship inbound. Dropping out of warp in a couple of minutes. I'm detecting fluctuations, likely from damages. It... is hailing us already."

Her words had come just as the comms chirp penetrated the tense silence of the bridge, and once Stark gave the word, a man appeared on the viewscreen, wearing a Starfleet uniform.

"This is Captain Jackson of the USS Oneida, but you would likely know this ship and crew as the 'Freedom Sentinel'," he said, a smile at his lips given the dramatic reveal - the codename being that of the ship that Director Anderson had recruited for the mission to fight the Infested. "Pardon the late arrival, but we had to fight some birds of prey from House Mo'Kai before we got here. The Chancellor and your Captain departed from our shuttle bay almost two hours ago, and we hope they made it through. We made sure the Sabine wasn't followed, at least. How can we help?"

It seemed so surreal to Thea, that they had another ally on their mission, though this wasn't the time for pleasantries. Excited as she felt, her emotion chip animating her face, she turned to Stark - the idea pouring out even as she formalised it. "Since we are locked in this standoff with House Mo'Kai," she said, and looked towards the growing number of Klingon ships on the viewscreen whom either supported Gorka or Martok, both sides having their weapons systems armed and primed for all-out war over Qo'noS at any moment, "perhaps the Lone Wolves needs the Oneida the most?"

Jackson reacted to what was said, though he seemed unsure as to what Thea was and what her role might be. "Wolves? You are talking about you Tactical CONN squadron, right? We have Lieutenant Logan Hale here, and if you need more warp fighters, we have picked up several pilots from a damaged training centre... but they will need new fighters. They lost theirs since we couldn't house them in our bay."

Smiling, Thea made a quick inventory. "We have warp fighters to spare, if they are ready to beam into my fighter assault bay."

Captain Jackson seemed puzzled by her saying 'my' fighter bay, but Thea just turned to Stark to see what she thought.

OOC: All right! Hope this makes sense for everyone involved. This Group Thread development is split into three different locations, one being the infiltration of a Klingon facility on Praxis, the second being aboard the Allegiant, and the third being on the bridge of the Theurgy. Given development here, I am hoping that the Tactical CONN officers on the Oneida can show up in Hidden Raptor, another thread that is underway, which follows the development with the inbound Romulan ship. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will sort out any confusion and come with suggestions on development.

@Hope, you are of course welcome to post with Sabrina Lail here since she is at the helm of the Oneida. @Nero , @P.C. Haring , @Lathaniel & @Eden, I will post an opening for your Oneida characters to appear in the Theurgy's fighter bay in Hidden Raptor, as seen out of Chief Liam Herrold's eyes, and I will notify you when its up. They will get crash courses in flying Mk III:s and Valravns as per preference and RIO availability.  @Brutus , in an upcoming post here, I was wondering if you could have Stark ask if the Oneida have any medical personnel available, since sickbay was struck hard during the Battle of the Houses. This would open for @Tae 's and @Luciain 's characters to come aboard as well? :)

Here is the crew on the Allegiant (Click "show/hide"): [Show/Hide]
As for the officers present on the bridge of the Theurgy, we are keeping it pretty loose and available for those interested, but so far we have established that Natalie Stark , Thea, Jaya Thorne and Ensign Henshaw are present on the bridge. I believe the NPC Yvette Conway is at the Ops station, that Tactical is filled with NPCs as well, but we have vacancies at the Science, Engineering and Intel/Comms stations. Here is an image of the Main Bridge for sake of reference.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #18 –
Lt Sabrina Lail | Main Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Oneida ] Attn: All @Auctor Lucan
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After the viewscreen had switched back to a forward view, Sabrina’s brown eyes moved to look at Captain Jackson who was standing close to the CONN. Slightly tilting her head, she looked puzzled. “What did that woman mean by ‘my’?” she asked the Captain. “She seemed quite possessive,” Lail said inquisitively. Captain Jackson didn’t have an answer for her and simply patted her right shoulder. “We’ll soon find out Sabrina.”

Sabrina returned to monitoring the displays at the CONN, her long chestnut brown hair falling back into place as Jackson walked to his command chair and sat back down. Lail was closely monitoring for any discrepancies in the warp field. Nearly sixty minutes earlier, engineering had been able to increase the warp plasma flow rate through the injectors of the three remaining warp engines to 110% of nominal output allowing Sabrina to increase the Oneida’s speed to warp eight.

Although warp eight was well within the design specifications of an Iroquois-class starship, those design specifications had assumed four working engines and most certainly did not account for the battle damage incurred just slightly over an hour earlier. Sabrina didn’t like how hot the engines were running or that the warp field could collapse due to the excess strain put on the three other engines creating asymmetry in the field which made for a turbulent ride.

“Captain, navigational sensors are detecting a lot of ships ahead,” Sabrina warned.

“Slow to impulse, take us in,” ordered Captain Jackson.

Sabrina tapped a series of buttons on one of the CONN station’s LCARS display. The Oneida’s working turquoise engines begun to power down, the illumination dimming as the plasma passing through the nacelles slowed until the engines which provide the ship’s superluminal speeds were idle. “I have the Theurgy on sensors. Plotting a rendezvous course,” stated Lail. “Engaging impulse engines,” Sabrina continued.

Once the primary impulse engines fired, Lail took advantage of the Iroquois-class ship’s maneuverability to weave the Oneida between the Klingon standoff that had been ensuing since the Oneida had arrived. Sabrina now had the Oneida positioned parallel to the Theurgy.

“All stop,” Captain Jackson requested.

“Impulse engines answering all stop. We have rendezvoused with the Theurgy,” Sabrina stated.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #19 –
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] Attn: @Fife @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle @uytrereee @Auctor Lucan [Show/Hide]

Lauren sat in the swivel chair of the Allegiant. It was cozier than she imagined but definitely more roomy than a shuttle, Valkyrie or runabout. There were certainly many of the memorable stations that a typical starship had, well maybe in the 23rd century but nowadays, it was heavily staffed. Hands moved seamlessly and without much thought as she controlled the small scout vessel. It felt good to be back navigating a ship again. The thrill of feeling the hum of the vessels engines beneath her and the vibrations helped her to feel at home. Almost at one with the ship. As if the ship were an extension of her being.

A smile touched her lips as she enjoyed the feeling of being in the action again. Being cloaked only added to the thrill of things. She'd never had the opportunity to helm a cloaked vessel before this. During the Dominion War she'd only known of the Defiant having one. But that was beside the point. Her hands tapped various controls and blinking lights as they approached Praxis. From what she could recall it had a rather unfortunate accident at the tail end of the 23rd century. But yet, here it was still functioning for some secretive reasons no doubt. She didn't like to admit it but she was sort of glad she wasn't on Infiltration duty. She'd had enough personal action for one day and honestly didn't want to be at the hands of the Klingons again if there was a hostage situation.

Ensign Pierce slowed the vessel to a stop once she had confirmation they'd reach the designated coordinates. "Sir, we've reached the drop point." She sat back relaxed for the moment ready for further instructions should they come. Hopefully their mission was going to go off without a hitch. The galaxy certainly owed them that much for the way the rest of the day played out already.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #20 –
[CPO Sithick | Atmospheric Space Above Praxis] Attn: All @Auctor Lucan @Griffinsummoner

plraQ SiS or Praxis... not a place Sithick had ever wished to see again. Since it exploded in 2293 the Klingon moon had become a haven for those willing to risk exposure to whatever caused the initial disaster. Not all Klingons are honorable and those were the ones that called Praxis home. What they lacked in honor they made up with courage. Courage was what one needed to step foot on a ticking bomb. The energy production that caused the disaster may have ceased but the potential to repeat it still remained below the surface. This Sithick knew first hand.

He didn't have time to respond to Lt. ThanIda's question before they jumped out of the Allegiant. But it had been an exemplary jury-rigging task dismantling multiple Savi Infiltration Suits and stitching them back together to form one large enough to fit Gorn physiology. That task was simple compared to modifying a helmet to conform to fit his enlongated cranium. A Savi helmet would fit if only the neck opening was relocated to the back. That is what the techs had done.

The sudden decompression of the airlock snapped Sithick from his thoughts of the suit's construction. The infiltration team propelled through the void of space toward Praxis. Despite not being able to answer the lieutenant's first question he did get an opportunity for the ones she just posed.

Scanning the approaching moon landscape through his helmet visor filled with various readouts on its HUD. Noticing their vector his eyes widened. "Theresss!" The sensors in his infiltration suit tracked his eye movement and highlighted the area Sithick indicated. A red crosshair targeted a charred power base inside one of the moon's many cracked canyons. "That'sss thessse Durasss femalesss basesss." It was supposed to have been destroyed sometime before the Dominion War, yet all the sensor readouts on his infiltration suit indicated that someone had reactivated it. "Itsss supposesss toosss beesss abandonedsss andsss destroyedsss."

If that was where they were heading then Sithick knew that they could enter via an outer guard complex. From there they could access the main security computer on level three and take control of the whole base.
CPO Sithick [Show/Hide]
CWO1 Larrant [Show/Hide]
BG Natauna
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Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #21 –
[ Lt. T'Less | Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @uytrereee @Fife @Pierce @Sqweloookle
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While she may have felt it unwise that both Commander Cross and herself were aboard the Allegiant, leaving the Theurgy weaker from her point of view, she could also acknowledge the advantage of having both of them present. At any rate, now was not the time to make something of it as the viewscreen filled with the scarred remnants of the moon known as Praxis. Taking a moment to gaze at their destination, T’Less redirected her attention back to her screens, trying to pierce the interference that surrounded the moon. Movement at her side drew her attention and she looked up to see Ida standing there, helmet in hand.

"Hopefully, Lieutenant Arnold can keep this ship's power fluctuations in check and the cloak active despite the damages the Breen caused during our last mission. Will you check how he's doing down there?" Ida asked quietly, T’Less believing that she was concerned about something but trying not to show it as she was presented with a small smile after a moment. "And keep your eyes open? We don't want any surprises down there... I have in mind to paint you again if we make it through this."

“I will,” T’Less answered, equally quietly to both of her former lover’s questions. “And I would like that,” the Vulcan declared, surprising herself a little with how honest and right those words felt. The first painting was hung in her quarters on the wall next to her bed; the only wall not visible from the door. The painting was private and no one else would see it if she had her way.

Ida was gone then and T’Less forced herself to not look back to see the Andorian walking away. Instead, she pulled up the feed from the Deputy Chief's helmet and set it to the side of one of her displays before opening a channel.

“T’Less to Arnold, could you please report on the Allegiant’s status? Have you managed to stabilise the power fluctuations yet and, if not, will the cloak be affected?”

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #22 –
[ Lt. Frank Arnold | Warp Core Room | Lower Deck | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Fife @Pierce @Sqweloookle @jreeves1701 @Hope

Frank found himself in the belly of the Allegiant once again, a mere morsel of time having passed since he was here last time. That was the last time he’d felt at ease, when he’d been sitting in a fort, with Jaya, watching Gremlins. He’d nary had time to share that time with her, and as a result the intimacy and closeness they had shared, hadn’t allowed time for it all to set in enough for him to really feel guilt. He hadn’t even had time to send a real goodbye to Jaya, he had left her a little message on her PADD though, ‘Be Safe out there, I’ll be thinking of you, I’ll miss you. Now enough of the sappy crap, you better have a movie picked out for when I get back or else.’ accompanied by a small animated message of a cartoon woman’s butt being smacked.

But it was guilt that had landed him back in the belly of the beast. Frank always felt a sense of duty and obligation to all those that he met, at least those he thought highly of. However, to give up the chance to be back on the Theurgy with some sense of mild normalcy, or at least creature comforts, hadn’t just come from a sense of a Starfleet calling. The reality was, he was still dealing with the events of the Andor mission. He buried himself in toil while he worked through these things in his own strange way. That had always been his way, brooding self doubt, a curse shared by many great engineers, and a few hacks. In perspective it made sense, after all, it hadn’t been that long since he’d left his oldest friend in Starfleet behind, but still it was a pall that hung over him.

What was strange however, was that for the first time since he’d shared kisses and kettle corn with Jaya, he felt at ease. Here in the bowels of the machine, clad in his trusty jumpsuit stained with sealant and paste, with a toolbelt upon his waist, PADD in hand, and a clear mission in his heart, he felt grounded.

The warp core room of the Allegiant looked as though a hand grenade had detonated in a tool shed. With only 15 minutes to make ready, and the red-line nature of their mission, Frank had grabbed one of...well almost everything. Not content to wait for a replicator, he’d grabbed his tool belt, old fashioned vintage tool box, and an auxiliary crate, in which he had packed tools to handle everything from a plasma fire, to total field loss. He had all the instruments for a one man band, and by God he intended to play a symphony upon request.

As they approached Praxis, he simply waited, for what may have come. He slid his hands over the consoles in front of him, power, warp fields, propulsion, weapons, structural integrity, and of course the cloak were all on his mind. He had a hundred things that he had to think about, anything could go wrong at any time, and if it meant the ship was disabled, he’d have to fix it or they were done...and likely Andrew as well. Frank had been training for this his entire life, and it showed in his face as he stood in front of his power management console, foot atop a British racing green 2090 vintage toolbox, leg cocked like Captain Morgan, with both hands inside the open access of the secondary plasma conduits for the Warp Core.

He ran his hands along the lines, and offered gently as he finished up final tweaks on the injectors and deflectors, “There there, just a wee tune up.” He’d set the on the fly power adjustments he’d made in orbit of Andor back to standard configuration, but he’d made sure to save them as a pre-set in case they got in front of a sticky wicket.

He left the panel open for now, waiting until he thought he was happy and done, and then would tap his comm, “Engineering to T’Less, I think we’re as buttoned up as we’re going to get. We’ve got a small buffer, about six percent, for random fluctuations, but to build it I’ve robbed some power from some of the climate controls, lighting, etcetera. It might get a bit nippy on the bridge, so I hope everyone packed sweaters...and if you’re looking to the replicators for a hot chocolate, yeah those are off too...for now.” He paused with a chuckle, and then offered, “Just tell Ensign Pierce no barrel rolls.” He smirked to himself, and in classic fashion added, “Unless it’s going to look really cool.”

He looked up to his status display, and was surprised to find they were as close to the objective as they were, he having become lost in his work. He gave a shrug, and picked up his thermos, pouring himself a lukewarm cup of coffee, two sugars and no cream. 

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #23 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross & Ensign Isel Nix | Bridge | USS Allegiant NX-80978 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @uytrereee @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle @Pierce @Griffinsummoner @jreeves1701

Cross sat in the center chair on the small bridge of the USS Allegiant, feeling somewhat out of place being in the chair rather than manning the Tactical station. That station was instead in T’Less’ capable hands, his fellow Vulcan seated to his right. She had been exchanging some quiet words with Deputy zh’Wann, prior to the Andorian’s departure; words he had made a conscious effort not to overhear, though with his keen hearing and the close confines of the Allegiant’s bridge that had meant an active effort of ignoring the sound of the softly spoken exchange. Cross had instead focussed his attention on the readouts on the arm display of his chair.

He had been surprised when Commander Stark had placed him in command of the Allegiant’s mission to Praxis, the former hybrid having expected Stark to want to keep an eye on him in the aftermath of their post-battle meeting. He supposed she may have wanted to put some distance between themselves, or perhaps had simply made the decision on the fly. It made little difference now as the Allegiant approached Praxis, what was done was done.

Cross’ eyes glanced towards the CONN station as Ensign Pierce announced that they had reached the drop point, then down to the arm of his chair as his metallic hand punched a button, opening a comm line to Lieutenant zh’Wann and her team in the airlock. ”Deputy zh’Wann, we’ve reached the drop point. Move your team out.” Cross paused for the briefest moment, then added, ”Good luck.”

Closing the comm line, Cross turned his attention to the white haired woman at the Comms station to his left, still feeling somewhat surprised by the tail which hung down from the right side of her chair. ”Ensign Nix, monitor the feed from away team. I want to know the moment they run into any trouble.”

”You got it, sir!” Came the Vulpinian’s reply, her tone seeming a mixture of acknowledgement and sarcasm, as if to say ”Yeah, I know what my fucking job is”. Cross leaned back in his chair and turned his attention to the viewscreen, ignoring the Vulpinian’s tone for the time being. He had read he personnel file briefly when she had been assigned to the Allegiant mission, having been previously unfamiliar with the woman or her species. Lieutenant Commander Ravon had made some interesting notes in the former Tac CONN pilot’s file making, mention of attitude issues and problems with authority. Cross could do nothing about that for the moment, and instead hoped it wouldn’t become a problem on this mission. ”Away Team is on the ground!” Came Nix’s voice again, slightly more matter-of-fact this time.

”Thank you, Ensign. Cross acknowledge, ”And keep an eye on the chatter from the Lone Wolves. Whatever they’re out here for, I want to know the moment it might endanger the away team. Ensign Pierce,” Cross turned his gaze to the CONN officer, ”take us up and keep us in low orbit. Keep us in a position where we can extract the away team quickly if things go sideways. Ops, be ready to transport the away team if they run into trouble.”

Cross could hear T’Less speak to Lieutenant Arnold in Engineering, and heard the Engineer’s reply regarding the climate controls and other systems he had had to divert power from. Cross hoped the man’s warning that the bridge might “get a bit nippy” wouldn’t be overly problematic. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the voice of Ensign Nix from off to his left. ”Lucky for me I’ve got a built-in sweater!” The comment drew a quizzical gaze from Cross who, upon glancing at the Comms station, found in the seat not the white haired woman who had inhabited it just moments before but rather a large, furry creature resembling a bipedal wolf in Starfleet uniform.

Shaking his head in mild exasperation, Cross turned his attention back to the matter at hand. ”Cross to Doctor Kobol , what’s your status?” Cross asked once he had keyed the comms open once again, addressing the only person aboard whom he’d known prior to joining the Theurgy. ”I know the Allegiant’s Med Bay isn’t as well equipped as you’re used to, but make whatever preparation you can. We don’t know what the away team might run into down there.”

Cross leaned back in his chair, silently hoping that Arnold would be able to keep the cloak in working order and that they wouldn’t require T’Less’ expertise on this mission. He stopped himself from letting out the sigh that had built up in his chest, instead focusing on the chair’s display as they waited to see how the mission would progress on the ground.

Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible

Reply #24 –
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All
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The information poured into the console, flying past her eyes almost faster than she could process it. Most of it was information that was tossed aside, to be compiled later when it was more important. Bits and pieces however, Cam were seized by Cams dainty hand as they came across the holographic projection in front of her, and set aside, ‘flagged’ in a sense as she triaged the rest for importance. The ops console had been divided into a few sections in front of her, as well as the usual main overview of their surrounding area. The other sections, she had filed pieces of information devoted to each of the other ongoing operations aboard, and further information continued to be filed as it came across her eyes.

“Aye.” She acknowledged, giving Stark a quick nod. Each of her orders were executed in a planned order. Starting with rallying the wolves. “Wolves, this is ops. Standby and ready to scramble.” She intended her comm to reach the hangars and the recreation areas for the pilots, as well as each of their commbadges. It was one of the most critical and most personally challenging aspects of her role, sending the wolves out. Each time she sent them, she didn’t know who would come back. Even though they weren’t her orders necessarily, she still had a hand in it, she felt.

Her next priority was flight clearance. She found the nearest KDF patrol and gave a quick glance towards Thea, thoughts clearly pooling in her mind for a moment before she took action. “KDF orbital patrol this is Federation Starship U.S.S. Theurgy, requesting shuttle clearance.” She kept it vague for them at first, trying to see if they’d give her what she wanted without her having to divulge more information than she ought to, or wanted to. It was some time before she heard a response, but she did eventually get one, granting flight clearance. She didn’t imagine the invitation would remain valid if they started to stir the pot too much though, given the irritated tone of voice the officer had given her for even bothering him.

The back side of the projection flashed blue as a Federation signature appeared on sensors. Her gaze shot from the incoming information, to Thea as she spoke. Freedom Sentinel. She couldn’t help but crack a small, but still obvious smile. The first shred of good news in a while, and it came wearing Federation colors.

Captain Jackson's puzzled look at Thea’s phrasing got another look of amusement out of Cam, but of course she didn’t say anything. She turned her attention to the ops console and went over the current statuses of the ongoing operations.

“The Allegiant’s team has deployed at the coordinates K’tal gave us. I-” She was about to say something when her earpiece picked something up and her eyes widened a bit. “Wolves are approaching the Romulan ship. Not sure about the exact ETA.” She pursed her lips and tapped a button on her console before speaking in a different sort of voice, one meant for clear, concise communication over the comm.

“Wolves, ETA?” She waited for a response, and relayed the information as soon as she had it.

“No contact with the Sabine still.” She brought up the last known location on a small map on her console and took a deep breath. “Buggy’s made landfall though.” She braced herself against the console and looked through some of the data. “And it looks like the Shuttle made it to the great hall. Nothing else to report.” She kept her updates together, short, and quick. They weren’t intended only for Stark, but for the other senior staff as well.
 
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