Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]
Reply #41 –
[ ["CAPT" Armstrong Williams | 1200 hrs. | "Conference Lounge" | Deck 1 | "USS Jamestown" ]
@Auctor Lucan @Doc M. @FollowTomorrow@Masorin @Gadget @lisavw @Veridian @Fife @Absinthe @Brutus
It was not easy to have to lie to other Starfleet officers, but the CO had to warn them of what threats these people had yet to face. And Starfleet had pretty much lied about Theurgy from the get-go, so this was only fair. Resolve didn't have the luxury when her survivors were rescued without the need for so much deception. Still, he felt honor bound to warn the Cayuga crew, and by the grace of God, it could've been the Resolve out here in the blind, unwittingly stumbling into alien abductors or their threatening warships.
Jimmy--err, Amstrong, held his composure well, and applied his inherited ability to tell a good story once a flowchart was in place. He acted as if putting the pieces together and his brow furrowed in apprehension before he motioned to elaborate further on what the Jamestown had been doing before it supposedly went after the Task Force and why it was off-course before rescuing the Cayuga. "Lou-tenant. I think it's time we warn our guests as to what... else we encountered out here."
"What I'm about to tell you is Top-Secret, originally it would've been for Admiral Sankolov, but it may have something to do with the Borg presence." he began with an expression that bore the face of genuinte personal loss and a failed responsibility to protect those he cared for; even a Betazoid would sense his loss.
"The James was on its way to rendezvous with the task force," he used acceptable jargon for a tenured Nebula-class vessel (He wasn't wasting any time dropping out of his role with total formality) and continued without pause, "When we detected an unusual energy reading from a long-range sensor sweep in the Azure Nebula caused by what was believed to be an unidentified ship or construct. On my orders we went in to investigate. Active scans revealed it wasn't a moon or a space station," Armstrong's gaze hardened; he sighed and, emphasized certain key words, he took a deep breath and continued what information he could play. It was either this or casting doubt on Starfleet Command. He only hoped this would be taken into consideration by his guests later on. Otherwise, he had an exit strategy, even if he hoped to avoid using that.
"After a few hours' search yesterday, we got our answer: We encountered an alien vessel of unknown origin. We hailed them but, the craft opened fire and abducted some of our officers when our shields were hit by graviton beams. Specifically, they beamed out all of our hybrid personnel or anyone of mixed species or otherwise unusual heritage. And that's not the half of it." Armstrong went on with an indignant but neutral tone, loading up specific data-files to demonstrate on the lounge's display screen. For emphasis, he displayed the Jamestown on a size comparison chart alongside the most up-to-date scans and estimated figures of the Versant.
![](https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/2/28/The-Versant-Size-Comparison.png)
*((Swap Theurgy in the scale for the Jamestown))
"Our noncoms have been calling it ,'the Axe', the name stuck until First Contact is formally made." He paused to allow the revelation sink in, as if allowing any prior hospitality as the first real delight one could have after the week of triple-fatigue and limited rest could last. The alien vessel's magnitude and dimensions spoke for themselves when the display revealed profile images of the craft, no euphemism or light humor could soften the blow. "As you can see, we're facing an Executioner, and if the Borg are out here too, they've probably got something to fear... if the collective is capable of that. The Axe is not, I repeat, not of Borg origin. The Collective may have sent a cube because they perceive 'codename Axe' a threat, or a species of interest, their technology to say the least. "
Armstrong spoke with the authority of someone who had fought the Borg firsthand and had been briefed, when in fact, this particular officer had only fought them in simulation and holodeck training, but he bluffed with what knowledge he did know. Thoughtfully, he held his chin and with his other hand, he zoomed out the 'Axe's' size to that of the USS Jamestown. Read-outs indicated notable weapon hardpoints in red indicators and blue brackets for suspected weapons arrays. Graviton beam lances and tricobalt torpedoes came up in the ensuing tactical analyses which still indicated that there were potentially even more weapons.
"A ship of this size is meant for one thing: Invasion. I know my crew is prepared to do what we have to do, and we will conduct in accordance with Starfleet rules of engagement." Armstrong sighed then rose in his seat, now scowling at the Axe's readouts as he narrowed his eyes. "That ship took my people," he glowered, "Before Starfleet can blast that Axe back to Hades, I'm going to get them back... if I can". He swore, Especially Heather. The utterance of the term Hades almost cost him his accent.
"If any Borg or Starfleet renegades get between us and that vessel's destruction, I assure you, we will conduct ourselves within those rules of engagement as well. I feel that if there's any way we can even the odds for Starfleet by tracking or sabotaging the hostile ship, we can get the attention of the Borg and pit them against each other. At the very least we can learn more about this craft, or paint it for Archeron and the task force." The plan was broad and ambitious but admittedly had to yield trust from Ziegler and her crew. Of course, in the end it was her call, given the on-queue state of play. And the implication for Ziegler to agree with Counselor Williams, someone who hadn't seemingly fully-hated Theurgy. He resisted the urge to mention Theurgy, but implied that ship if spotted would make a fine ship to destroy in the chaos of the battle, though he questioned if Ziegler would inquire about that vessel's fate. He'd let Ziegler's reaction weigh out his suggestions. This was all a test after all, though in reality, Jimmy would hope that Nat Stark would weigh in on his earpiece as he focused on Anya Ziegler directly, assuming a neutral hawkish posture.