Star Trek: Theurgy

Star Trek: Theurgy | Season 2 => Episode 01: Advent of War => Topic started by: Auctor Lucan on September 07, 2020, 10:19:36 AM

Title: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on September 07, 2020, 10:19:36 AM

CHAPTER 05: VEILED VALIANCE


STARDATE: 58292.69
APRIL 17, 2381
2000 HRS.

(https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/5/56/QSD.png)

Mission Log, stardate 58292.69, acting mission commander Lieutenant Frank Arnold.

An overall strange development, what seemed to be a straightforward, if not dangerous mission, has become a dual pronged jab at desperation. Following the news of the sabotage of the Theurgy by an unknown bomber, it was decided that the away mission need split, to tackle the two threats facing the Federation. For now, we must put away any thoughts of grief, and handle the task at hand, or the Theurgy's sacrifice will have been for nought. While the Allegiant remains in Breen Space, my small team of mission specialists, as well as a contingent of Lone Wolves, and our modified Tovarek Drone, will hitch a ride with the Savi Erudite to Andor, where we will have twenty five hours to locate and diffuse a thalaron bomb, or raise the alarm and start the evacuation of Laikan.


- Lieutenant Frank Arnold, the Erudite

[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Aerodrome | The Erudite ]
[Show/Hide]
Frank stood on the deck of the Erudite's aerodrome, arms crossed, one hand idly stroking his beard as the Savi vessel slipped to quantum slipstream without so much as a shudder. On any other day, Frank would have been thrilled, likely he would have been taken by a ramble about the speed, the mode of operation, and the materials required for such a venture. But now, he felt exhausted, by the emotional toll of the day, and the enormity of the task ahead of him, which they had yet to truly begin. Through his mind swam a hundred possibilities of how they could succeed in their task, and tenfold possibilities of failure.

The Savi had provided them with the space at least to set up, he'd likely be able to assemble a fairly permanent console here in this space, and there was a lab they could borrow if they absolutely needed it. While the Savi were not interested in directly being involved in this conflict, they drove a pretty bad ass taxi.

Waving away dark imaginings born of fatigue, he turned to the smattering of crew poised upon the deck of the aerodrome, accompanied by a crowd of hastily transferred equipment, some ready-fold bunks, Valkyrie Fighters, and his modified Tovarek Drone. He drew small solace from the accompaniment of his new toy, at least they'd have a faithful ally to watch over them, a guardian angel as Fisher had suggested when commissioning the peace. He said a silent thanks to the man for suggesting it come with them on this mission, perhaps he possessed some clairvoyance, apt for his role aboard the Theurgy.

With him also, were the assigned personnel from the Allegiant, pilots, science officers, intelligence operatives, a doctor, and a gunnery officer. All were qualified, all were keen, and yet that didn't absolve the pit in his stomach, he'd not worked with any of them before. He'd loosely gathered them once the equipment transfer was completed, so they could discuss the coming mission.

Eventually he cleared his throat, and offered plainly, “For those of you that don't know me, I'm Frank, Lieutenant Frank Arnold. I serve as the Theurgy's Assistant Chief Engineer in charge of Vector Zero-One.” He nodded gently, “Beyond the intimate details of my life, I'm a no nonsense guy, and this is a no nonsense mission. We won't have the luxury of standing on protocol, we just don't have the time for it. So let's kick about some ideas of how we're going to find this bomb. We can reasonably assume it's Romulan in design, based on what our parasitic pals did in Paris.” So much loss and death in the last 5 days, Frank didn't even think it had been that long. “We also know that detecting the radiation is likely a no-go. After Paris, you have to imagine every government in the Federation is on the hunt for thalaron particles with a fine tooth comb.”

He took a pause, and a breath, and offered, “That means we're going to have to think outside of the box, the best Federation Andorian minds are, I'm sure, searching already. We have to look for what they aren't. Which is perfect, because out of the box is where this crew eats lunch.” He grinned gently, “Now I stand by my theory that we should be able to detect the shielding material of the bomb. I've also been thinking, that the climate of Andor might actually do us a favor. With the thalaron particles unable to escape the shielding, and the very same particles not obeying an inverse square law, that energy has to go somewhere. It could potentially be heat. We might be looking for a hot parcel of rare alloy.” He nodded, “It's a lead. But I'll leave the specifics to you Lieutenant Vanya.” She was the science expert, and therefore the sensor expert, after all.

After another pause, he said “Lastly, I think it's imperative that we should not alert the Andorians until we are sure that evacuation is the only remaining option. I'm sure I don't have to say to anyone here, the Andorian government is as likely to react to a bombing attempt with equal ferocity to a successful bombing. We'll end up with the war we're desperately trying to avoid.” He rolled his shoulders, they ached him today, “Which is why we'll employ the modified Tovarek drone for a site to site insertion, I'll stay behind, provide as much sensor support, and transporter aid as I can.”

Once he was done, he turned to the group, and offered, “Now's the time for ideas, let's hear them. I want to have a solid plan together, before we get there.”

The Deputy who was to lead the away team after the insertion was standing not far from Arnold, dressed in her exosuit but with her helmet off. She was frowning and looking towards the deck, but she had something additional to offer in wake of the last meeting in the Allegiant.

"Well, as for the target, it seems Laikan has been picked above other cities according to our mole in Starfleet Headquarters, even if it's not the largest city on the moon. I think, however, that I understand the reasoning behind choice."

Raising her eyes and antennae for a moment, ThanIda zh'Wann explained. "There are two capitals on our moon. Laibok is the capital city of the moon itself, while Laikan is the capital city of the whole Andorian Empire. It's because peace was once made between the Andorian clans in that city, on the site that would become the Plaza of Freedom. The Parliament buildings are centered around it. Lor'Tan, however, is the largest city on the moon, and  serve as the center for cultural, economic and political life. In addition, Andoria's largest commercial bodies and industrial organizations are also stationed in Lor'Tan. So, it would seem Laikan was picked because it is a city of significance for the entire Empire, and not specifically to cause the most structural and collateral damage. It would be an attack on my people's collective heart. It's the most efficient means in which to stir our ire. The city is located on the Zhevra continent, at which is considered the more temperate latitudes of Andor by other species. Should be around zero degrees Celsius this time of year."

It seemed awkward for the Andorian to speak of her people as 'hers', and it was likely because she was in exile, having abandoned her clan to serve in Starfleet. She wasn't finished, however.

"If the Reman was right, we should also ask the Savi to scan for cloaked Romulan ships in orbit of the moon, along with the rare alloys that might contain the thalaron particles to see which ship has the bomb, if there's more than one." Whether or not the Voice would agree to that remained to be seen, and time was short. "If the Romulans mean to deploy the bomb just prior to detonation, then we might have to try and board such a ship before that happens, and neutralize the bomb aboard it. Alternatively, the transporter systems aboard. Moreover, while it would be ideal if such a Romulan ship remained cloaked and hidden to the people on the planet, to prevent antagonizing them, we might have to destroy the cloaking device instead, so that the moon's orbital defences can deal with the ship."

Junior Lieutenant Rawley spoke up next in comment on that, running a hand over her shaved head. "If there is a ship - or more than one - and the Andorians can't deal with them, or are too bloody late to the party, then us Lone Wolves might have to do it instead. You guys will have to get off the ship with the bomb before then, though."

The Deputy nodded grimly, and then glanced towards the rest gathered in the makeshift camp on the dimly lit deck - the lights from their equipment and the exosuits standing out in the expanse of the aerodrome.


OOC: This was a joint post by @uytrereee and me! Thank you for the help on this starter!!  (L)

Indeed, this thread is the starter for Chapter 05. Supplemental threads on the Allegiant/Erudite set before this scene above belong to Chapter 03 or 04, depending on which time you pick, with the title convention CH0X: S [D0Y|ZZZZ] Insert Title. If set before 1245 on Day 02, it belongs to Chapter 03. As for Chapter 04, supplemental threads may be started set during the 7 hours I spanned in Chapter 04: Horns of Dilemma for both the away teams, which led up to the scene above. No Supplemental threads may be started set in Chapter 05 after this scene on the Erudite just yet.

Here is the Andoria team, and you have 7 days to post @Number6 and @Stegro88 ! :)

ANDORIA | ERUDITE AERODROME
- Chief of Mission (COM) & Drone Control: Lt. Frank Arnold @uytrereee
- Medical Officer: Doctor George Hernandez (NPC)
- Fighter Escort 01: Lt. JG Evelyn "Ghost" Rawley @Auctor Lucan
- Fighter Escort 02: Ens. Isel Nix (NPC)
- Fighter Escort 03: Ens. Nathaniel Isley (NPC)

ANDORIA | AWAY TEAM (VIA TOVAREK DRONE BUFFER AND TRANSPORTER)
- Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM): Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann @Auctor Lucan
- Science Officer: Lt. Vanya @Number6
- Intelligence Operative: Lt. JG Donna "Chance" Petterson @Stegro88
- Redshirt Gunnery Officer: Sogh (Lt.) Valkra (NPC, due KIA)
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on September 10, 2020, 01:06:27 AM
[ Lieutenant Vanya | Aerodrome | The Erudite ]

She found that she liked Lt. Arnold as a CO, she reminded her of Laskey.  One of the flaws of Starfleet officers was the sense of entitlement that some of them had, even the good ones.  While she respected, even admired the chain of command, the way that some officers would stick to it was downright annoying.  Laskey was more of a pragmatist, and so was Arnold.  Sometimes you had to put your pomposity to one side, roll up your sleeves and wade in.  Vanya wasn’t sure if she had mixed metaphors, they were often tricky to master at the best of times.   As he deferred to her she simply nodded.   She had looked around the Eruidte when she could and their tech while highly advanced didnt seem particularly complex to her.  


“Rigging up the systems  to find what you’re looking for shouldn’t be hard.”She said.  “If our hosts don’t mind us playing with their toys.” She added. 

The nerves in Vanya’s system seemed to ramp themselves up  As odd as it was to “return” to Federation space, the mention of Romulan ships made Vanya’s concern increase.  While she could “Think” in Romulan, most, if not all of her intel, was out of date.  The project that created her wasn’t exactly well thought of, even within the ranks of the Tal’Shiar.  To be in a position where her Federation citizenship was no longer a guarantee of protection from being captured or destroyed by her former masters.   

On the other hand, she was prepared to protect herself and her crew from whatever challenges she faced.  If that meant tangling with her former people, so be it. 




 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on September 13, 2020, 01:12:12 PM
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Number6 
[Show/Hide]

“Well, this should be fun,” Donna thought to herself as she sat on the bunk and listened to Frank Arnold deliver what amounted to a briefing to the assembled Theurgy crew members. It was a motley collection to be sure, but Donna had completed crazier missions during the Dominion War with less well-equipped teams. They’d be fine. The worst that would happen was they get captured by the Federation and then turned into an infested like Doctor Nicander so that their enemy could learn everything that they know. “No, better to die by my own hand,” Donna resolved grimly. It wasn’t the first time that she had made that resolution and she doubted it would be the last either.

“Locating the local intelligence operatives shouldn’t be too hard,” Donna noted calmly as she dredged up operational procedures she hadn’t used in years. “Finding the ones loyal to Anderson will be the tricky part. Blending into the Andorian populace; that’s going to be the hard part. I’m a little too tan for the part.”

“I still think Lorad’s idea is the right one,” Donna opined, using the Reman’s name instead of just referring to his species like the Deputy had. “The Romulans, even those not infested, aren’t stupid. They’d have to know that everyone is going to be searching for the bomb or ways to conceal it. There best bet will be to hide it behind a cloak until right before detonation,” Donna stated matter-of-factly. 

“The only question is if the cloaked ship will be in orbit for any length of time before deployment of the weapon.”
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on September 16, 2020, 06:04:41 AM
(https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/2/2e/SAVI_BRIDGE_VEILED_VALIANCE.png)

[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Aerodrome | The Erudite ]

Frank looked around his small group then, and gave a nod. They'd each fielded some ideas, and were slowly coming to a consensus. Either the bomb would be ground based, or would be shipboard and cloaked, likely the latter over the former. They would need to find it, and then the away team would needs be cut and transported inside, to deal with the explosive. Well, if that turned out anyway, there was always a chance one of their assumptions was wrong, and this wasn't the lab, if they were wrong, they might never see the Allegiant or the Theurgy again.

He cleared his throat, and then gave a gentle smile, waiting for a natural pause before taking back over the conversation, he offered lightly, “I'm starting to gather that we're going to need a few things that we don't have with us. My toy is going to need a slight modification I think. But I can handle that...mostly, I'll need parts. If the bomb is shipboard, we'll need a way in. I'm thinking slice and dice.” He stroked his chin, “But I think we're also going to need access to the Savi's sensors, see if they can help us find what we're looking for. I have no doubt, Lieutenant Vanya, that you can handle running them if we're given the keys.” He tapped the side of his head thinking, as he took out a PADD, trying to read some of his assembled notes on the Savi, diligently collected over their seven hour stint preparing for this mission, well what parts of that he hadn't spent with Jaya.

“It also looks like the Savi might have some infiltration technology that might be most helpful on top of our exosuits.” He hmm'd and ha'd and then looked to the group and offered, “I understand that some of you likely had real nasty experiences with the Savi, but we're going to need their help if we're going to pull this off. I need you guys to draw on those experiences, and think of anything our hosts can offer us, that might aid us in our mission.”

He gave a nod, “We're going to need to speak with The Voice.” He involuntarily swallowed, and grunted out then after, “This'll be a first for me.” He chuckled, and then turned, offering, “I'll...go speak with our hosts, and then, we can speak with the Voice as a group.” He nodded then once more, and unless there were any more parting comments, started his stride towards one end of the campsite, laid out in the wide open space of the Erudite.

Eventually he came across one of their hosts, not too far away from their gathering, and offered a polite, “Uh, Greetings. I am Frank Arnold...I am the commander in charge of this mission. I'd like to petition with your leader, The Voice.”

Now all there was to do was wait.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | The Voice's Audience Chamber | The Erudite ]
2030 HRS

Fortunately the wait wasn't too long, no more than a half an hour, before he and the rest of his party were ushered into what could only be described as a throne room. Perhaps chamber was more apt, either way it was a grand room, with a rhomboid, or triangular window at the far end. That was where the illustrious leader stood, on his elevated platform, waiting to receive them. He was flanked by one or two of the other Savi, as was the causeway leading towards him.

Frank cleared his throat while he approached, clasping his PADD in his massive mitts, occasionally turning it end over end, and squeezing it. It was a nervous fixation for him, and eventually he stopped in his stride, perhaps fifteen paces away. He looked around to his group, and took one deep breath while he looked at the screen of his PADD once more.

He looked the alien overlord in the eye directly, and raised a hand in greeting, calling on every last ounce of First Contact training he'd slept through in the Academy, “I am Frank Arnold, Lieutenant Frank Arnold, Assistant Chief Engineer of the Federation Starship Theurgy, and Commander of this away mission to Andoria. I imagine maybe you were already told that. Thank you for receiving us for this chat, and for the ride.” Slowly he looked around the room, and offered idly, but certainly loud enough to be heard, “I'll give you lot this, you can build a ship.” He offered a low whistle, “I mean, this is some design let me tell you.” He chuckled, and then waved a hand, “My apologies, I am prone to a good ramble, and while I'm sure it would be a thrilling study to listen to me wax and wane on the materials in play in this room, that's not why I've asked to speak with you.”

He motioned to his team, and said, “I'm not a flowery guy, I'll cut through the bull. My team and I, we've come up with a reasonable estimate of some things we're going to probably need to have a chance at success. Now I understand that your people can't do much to help us, not that you're not able, but you've got your own directives. I understand that, we all do as Starfleet Officers.” He paused and took a breath, “But not offering us any help, is as good as interfering on behalf of your enemies, at least in my book. So I hope you'll at least hear me out before saying no.” He smiled his most charming smile, and continued.

“Really at most we'll need access to your sensors, whatever you can provide us, so we can locate our bomb, or, well we think it'll be a bomb similar to the Paris bomb, or our best guess at its composition. Beyond that I'm going to need some parts to help me assemble a graviton cutting beam, or any other configuration beam really, on my Tovarek Drone. We suspect the bomb may be shipboard, and I'll need a can opener so to speak. Uh a can opener is a sharp rotary blade that opens a food con....it doesn't matter. I've gotten used to working with your boys under Blue, Commander Tiran, so if you wanted to loan me a couple to help me get that put together, I'd appreciate that.”

Frank held up two fingers, and then lifted a third, “And if you had some infiltration suits, or personal cloaks, that wouldn't hurt our cause either.” He took a deep breath, “I know you can't fly in there blasting like the fastest gun in the south, I get it. But, if you left these things close to our camp, in an open box, and we borrowed them, that would only be bending the rules, not breaking them.” He looked about his people, motioning to them, and offered, “My people will move Earth itself to get this job done, but as Archimedes said, 'give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum to place it on'.” He'd let them  fill in the gaps.

He offered a punctual nod, and lastly said, “If we provided you with a short list, could you furnish us with any of these things I've requested, possibly a few more from my team?” He looked to them, and waved them on to offer anything they wanted to ask for, or to say.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on September 20, 2020, 09:51:38 AM
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: @Number6 @uytrereee @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]


“And this is why engineers are rarely placed in command of ships without additional retraining,” Donna noted casually from her bunk. “Too focused on their ‘toys’ and technology and not understanding enough about the people that use them. Understanding the who and the why is much more important than understanding the what.” Continuing to listen, the pilot tried not to scoff at how the man was behaving. Cutting into a Romulan ship like it would be easy and unnoticeable, the Savi just casually giving Lieutenant Vanya unfettered access to their systems and more advanced infiltration technology. “Lieutenant Arnold really has a high opinion of his persuasive abilities if he thinks he can pull that all off. This should be good.”




“Why not ask for the kitchen sink while you’re at it, Lieutenant Arnold? You’ve asked for everything else. And while I can’t say that having those things would certainly make things easier, the mission could be completed without them. That hardest parts will be finding and gaining access to the bomb itself,” Donna thought as she, along with everyone else, stood and waited for what The Voice, Echtand, would say in reply to the rambler that was the senior Starfleet officer present. "Better yet, just disarm the bomb for us. That would work too."

They had been brought to this, cathedral of a room aboard the Erudite and now stood before Echtand, who was himself seated aboard a throne-like chair on an elevated platform looking, for all intents and purposes, like a king. And they had come begging his aide like so many vagabonds.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t expect anything beyond him telling us where the bomb is,” Donna thought to herself as she stared out the windows behind the Savi leader. Wisely, despite the Lieutenant’s opening, the pilot kept her mouth shut.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on September 22, 2020, 10:10:21 PM
[ Lieutenant Vanya | The Voice's Audience Chamber | The Erudite ]
2030 HRS @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan

Vanya didn’t want to do this, it was both emotionally and mentally taxing.  However, she decided that it was worth a try. 

Although it was hard to ignore, very often Vanya didn’t like drawing aspect to her artificial nature to outsiders, although she wasn’t as advanced as other types of android she knew that it was a risk introducing her artificial nature to other people.  She had encountered unflattering nicknames like “tin girl” and “robot”. 

But she had a few tricks up her sleeve.  She was capable of redacting parts of her own memory.  When she intercepted key data, she would then be able to delete the memory, to protect it in the event she was captured  It wasn’t a perfect arrangement – she wouldn’t completely forget the experience, she would however be unable to recall it.  It would be like an event half remembered or a song melody without a name, lyrics or author. 

“I will be the one who will require access to your sensors.” She said nervously  “I have some of the energy signatures that you are looking for.  If you allow me access to your technology, or even apply it to our equipment, I will be able to… block the memory of the incident from my mind.  I couldn’t remember even if there was a disruptor to my head.” 

It wasn’t an easy thing to admit to, but Vanya needed to show that she could be trusted. 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on September 30, 2020, 01:40:14 AM
[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Bridge & Audience Chamber | The Erudite ] Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]
With her arms crossed, Ida shuffled her feet and along with the rest of them when Lieutenant Arnold plead for the Voice to aid them in their mission, with everything ranging from sensor access to technology and mission gear. It was an altogether awkward experience, for the manner in which he did so was a far cry from an official, steadfast approach, and even farther from making a clear demand of aid. Indeed, Arnold behaved like a typical pinkskin that rarely dealt with situations like the one they faced, and while endearing in his jovial and light-hearted approach, Ida held little hope that Echtand qi Versant - this 'Voice of the Savi' - would acquiesce their requests.

On that podium, in which Ida knew to be the actual bridge of the Precept-class ship, the leader of the rebel Savi seemed to listen instead of dismissing them out of hand. This to his credit, and while the frowns that came to his pale features seemed menacing, Ida ventured a guess that the Antecedent was merely trying to decipher the slang and Earthen terminology that the engineer was using.

Those big, black eyes stared at them - shifting between each face - while they spoke of their needs. Arnold and Vanya laid out their requests for the mission, while Donna Peterson was silent, just like Ida, and so were the other Lone Wolves. Thankfully, the Klingon Sogh had the wits to keep her mouth shut as well, before the Voice stepped forward and gave his answer.

"You ask to make use of technology," he said in his contralto voice, with his large hands at his sides, "for direct aid, even though we have clearly stated the limitation in which we will assist the Theurgy. It is true that this Infested you keep - cin Nicander - has provided information we can make use of, and we have indirectly offered technology that may aid in your own front of this shared battle. Yet it is stated in the Code... that we shall not directly involve ourselves with the affairs of any of the specimen in the Galaxy."

"It is stated," intoned all present Savi, emphasising the word of the Voice.

This, triggered Ida, for she knew how very direct the Savi could be.

"You claim you are 'reformed'," she heard herself say, her voice sharper than she intended, "and yet you cling to every damnable word of this 'Code', new or old."

Before she knew it, she had stepped forth, her blue knuckles white at her side, and her antennae angling forward. "These 'laws', that allowed you to imprison, torture, defile and murder countless intelligent beings, all whom were helpless and at your mercy, and now - when you know better - you still have the gall to say we ask for too much?"

The silence that followed could be cut by a blade, during which the Voice challenged her stare with his arms folded in front of his tall frame. Feeling the adrenaline coursing through her, Ida knew not what to make of those facial features. She knew not whether the rebel Savi would lash out or not. Only those black eyes, staring back at her and the officers behind her. She should stop there. She should be silent, but ever since she beamed off the Versant, she had kept what she wanted to say locked up inside.

"Your own mate reduced us to rutting animals in a pen," she snarled through her teeth, "and you dare refuse us when we seek compensation? Are you a spineless hypocrite, or are you better than the Scions you bred and now fight? By Lor'Vela, then show it!"

The image of the other Andorians came to her, two of whom were gone. One killed after going mad, the other not able to serve on the Theurgy any more - leaving for home. Taking our child with her. Echtand said naught, however, merely watching her without moving an inch. If anything, it incised Ida even more, but she bridled herself somewhat - trying to be constructive.

"Your mate may not have solved my people's declining birth rates, nor did she ever intend to do so, but now you can save them still, by helping us now. By giving us just enough to fight our own battle, against our common foe, you will help save millions of my people. Does this mean nothing to you?"

Did she fear the rebuttal? The chance of angering the Savi? Oh, Ida felt that fear, for certain, how she might have dragged the away team into it by speaking up... but she lived by Thea's words. Courage is fear...

Echtand qi Versant made his verdict, and the words of the Voice filled the bridge of the Erudite.

"So be it," he said quietly, and if Ida didn't know any better, was there even a hint of regret in his tone? "The extent of this aid we will lend at Andoria will be considered indirect, and therefore not a violation. You will have what you've asked for."

Surely the Savi didn't have that much of a soul between his two hears?

[ Lieutenant JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Rawley,_callsign_%22Ghost%22) | The Aerodrome | The Erudite ] @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]
After being transported back to the Aerodrome, with the promise of getting exactly what they asked for, Rawley sauntered over to Frank and gave him a grin. She had been sweating bullets back there, having heard the rumours of what the Savi had done to the crew before the battle at the apertures, and she wasn't sure if the Deputy had done something bold, or been as reckless as she used to be. Either way, they were in business.

"Time is short, and me eyes don't see any Savi here yet. You need help attaching that cutter on your drone?" she asked the engineer in her British accent, and nodded to the Lone Wolves behind her, "Isley, Nix and I can help you out in the meantime."

Further away in the small encampment, the Deputy could be seen talking with the Klingon woman. The android was not far away either, Vanya's PADD granted access to the Erudite's sensors. She had been given an infiltration suit with the kind of dampening field that they had already installed in the Mk II Security and Tac CONN exosuits before they left Aldea. They were minutes away from arriving over Andoria, and then it would be a matter of seeing what they might pick up on the sensors.

Rawley could but hope she'd get a piece of the action, and not having to be holed up on the Erudite the entire time.


OOC: All right everyone! In the next couple of posts we write, I think we can cover ( @Number6 ) the scans being made after the Erudite arrives above Andoria, finding a couple of cloaked Romulan ships, and the alloy being detected as well on sensors ( @uytrereee ) the drone being modified and ready for deployment, with some Savi tech people coming along to help, and ( @Stegro88 ) the boarding team gearing up and being loaded into the drone's transporter buffer. Sounds good? Doesn't matter @uytrereee or @Number6 posts first.

I know it's a bit of a sprint to cover that much ground between the four of us, but when I post next, I can use Ida and Rawley to set up the boarding of a Romulan ship of your choosing! @uytrereee will have to write the actual flying and cutting, though. Let’s get the mayhem started!
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on October 04, 2020, 07:21:42 PM
[ Lieutenant Vanya | Bridge & Audience Chamber | The Erudite ] Attn: @uytrereee e @Auctor Lucan  @Stegro88

Vanya felt strange as she looked at the familiar alien world from the bridge of the Alien starship.  Since her arrival in Federation space, she had come to accept their core worlds as “home” not that she had set foot on the icy tundra much, but it was nevertheless a symbol, as were all of the founding members, a symbol that four races would not conform to the Romulan narrative and make war upon their neighbours, that they would align, and help each other 

And now, those very core worlds that had shone brightly at the heart of the Federtion, were now under th control pf fprces that revelled in the same kind of mistrust and suspicion on a scale even the 22nd Century Romulans could only dream about. 

She quickly moved her head towards the controls and once again found herself marvelling at them.  There were intuitive, in a way that reminded Vanya of her own internal neural network.  She wondered if the Savi had mastered Multironic processing, she wanted to ask more, but she knew that she would be honour bound to keep the information secret.  She had long planned to find a way to preserve her life, and the Savi perhaps had the secret. 

Her speculations were quickly interrupted.    “I’ve found something.” She said grimly.  She brought up a graphic on the monitor.  “I’m reading amounts of the alloys that are consistent with a T-bomb and…” 

She zoomed away from the surface view of the world.  The view cycled to a em scan which showed three clounds of a familiar signature.  To punctuate the point, Vanya overlaid the image with the wireframe of Romulan starships. 

“They’re here alright.  "
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on October 05, 2020, 04:15:51 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Bridge & Audience Chamber | The Erudite ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Number6
[Show/Hide]

Frank had always been taught, you don't get what you don't ask for. So, he'd asked for the world. It seemed they weren't going to get it, but points for trying. That was, until Lieutenant Thanlda spoke up. His instinct was to quash her then and there, to try and silence her with some sort of protocol, some sort of order, but then it occurred to him, that they just had nothing left to lose. Either the Savi were going to help, or not, and they certainly weren't going to withdraw the use of the Erudite now. 'Put it all on black' Frank thought.

These thoughts weren't very well hidden as he intoned his eyes towards Thanlda, and donned a slight grin, letting her throw what she had at the voice. He crossed his arms then, and turned back to the voice, she was done, now they'd see what she'd done, if anything...


[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Aerodrome | The Erudite ]

Frank really hadn't had a lot of time to process the sheer boon they had almost accidentally stumbled into. It really hadn't dawned on him that they'd succeeded in getting the material support required for their mission, until he was back in the bay, with the Savi equivalent of a grav-sled chocked full of parts, and three Savi to help him. He'd given them names, Kepler, Copernicus, and Gallileo. The fathers of astronomy just seemed wildly appropriate on this adventure they were on to save the Federation.

Frank and 'the Fathers' as he'd termed his team, had spent a lot of time gathered around the Tovarek. He'd had to do some funky work, to fit the graviton cutting beam, without disturbing the other systems. There'd been numerous debates about removing the forward phaser, but he'd been steadfast in his resolve, it had to stay. He explained to his Fathers "We have no idea if the drone will have to defend itself on this little foray, and I for one would like to have it back when we're finished here." Eventually they'd settled on a nose-mounting configuration. It was a bit awkward, but it worked well enough. More weight, of course, but that was the name of the game these days.

He grumbled, standing off to the side as they took a brief coffee break, well, he took a brief coffee break, supervising the 'Fathers' had become an exercise in delegating. The Savi were a restless bunch, and while he took breaks to think and drink, they continued buttoning up his drone, putting panels in place. They'd meet the deadline, thanks to their tireless work ethic. By the time he was done with his coffee, the graviton beam was good to go. Now his girl had a beak, and a tail.

Since they were done, he'd wandered himself towards Vanya, and the rest of the team, who were hard at work finding their needle in a haystack, and once he was close to them, he announced, "Well she's looking like a platypus more and more these days, with a new beak, and tail, but, she'll cut her way through anything this side of the Shackleton. She...the drone is ready" He grinned gently, and then quieted to listen to them work. After all he was supposed to make the decisions, he should probably have the information to do so.

He listened to Vanya, as she made her discovery, and would stand over her right shoulder, leaning in uncomfortably close, "Three ships? Seems a bit much doesn't it?" He stroked his chin, and then offered, "Well, that doesn't change much really besides emphasizing the need for a smooth entry, and quality fighter cover." He grunted, and then offered while he punched into his PADD, "Vanya, try and pare down the signals using known thalaron shielding alloys, I've loaded some likely candidates, let's find out which of the trio has our bomb." He crossed his arms, and turned to the rest of the group then, offering, "Well, this jaunt wasn't for naught, let's get ready to go hunting. Start final prep, pilots to your crafts, everyone else take your stations." He nodded, it was mostly a posterity gesture, everyone was already doing what they were supposed to, they were Starfleet they stood on protocol. "I'll use the drone to get you in, from there you are in the loving hands of our illustrious away lead." He motioned towards ThanIda.

He nodded lowly and took a deep centering breath, before he put on his business voice, and clicked his comm to local, "Let's go around real quick. All stations ready? Mission Control, and Drone Support is ready. Fighters, ready?"
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on October 07, 2020, 03:10:46 AM
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Aerodrome | Erudite ]
[Show/Hide]


“This plan is getting worse all the time,” Donna thought to herself as she checked the last of the phaser rifles that the away team would be using before setting it back down on the bench. She had watched as Lieutenant Arnold and the Savi had modified the drone to incorporate the cutting beam at the prow apparently without removing or disabling any of its other systems. Which didn’t sound right at all. Something had to give. Just slapping on an additional alien system without any detriment. “What could go wrong?”

Trying not to dwell on the tech behind their mission, least of all the drone’s ability to actually store 4 life signs in what had to be a limited capacity buffer, Donna reached for her helmet and put it on before looking across as the Klingon Valkra. There were whispers about her attitude during her time down on the Breen home world and the pilot was hoping that they wouldn’t be in for a repeat performance this time around.

“Lieutenant, we’re good to go over here,” Donna announced, picking up a rifle. The plan seemed simple enough. Be stored in the drone’s transporter buffer and taken to a Romulan ship without it noticing. Cut a hole in its hull and be transported aboard. Avoid detection and find the bomb and then get out.

“What could go wrong?”
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on October 16, 2020, 02:55:09 PM
[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | The Aerodrome | The Erudite ] Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]
The orders given, Ida had long finished her conversation with the Klingon in their midst, so she stepped towards the modded Tovarek-drone. "Boarding team, helmets on, and fall in line," she said, yet Vanya would have no need of a helmet even if they would somehow end up outside the hull of the designated Romulan ship - one that was holding the sensor readings they had been looking for. The mission data had been sent to their forearm PADDs, and Ida summoned the image of the three ships while she walked to the spot in front of the drone - the footsteps of the others heard behind her.

"To me, and if I remember the ships of the Romulan Star Navy correctly, these look like one Veles-class frigate and two Meret-class incursion cruisers." Ida came to a stop, with the three Savi engineers stepping towards Arnold. Ida didn't even acknowledge them, instead zooming in on the cloaked outlines with her fingertips. "Those could be D'viret-class variants, however, which are specifically outfitted for intelligence operations by the Tal Shiar."

Rawley was heading towards the Valkyrie warp fighters sitting farther away on the deck of the Aerodrome, but she filled in the blanks for Ida, since as a fighter pilot, she had some more knowledge of enemy ships. "Oi! The Veles-class ship in the middle? Where those thalaron-shielding alloys are detected? It should have a bloody cloak projector that can encompass a whole fleet. It's likely cloaking the two smaller ships as well with a lesser drain on power reserves." The shaved human shook her head while looking at her own forearm PADD. "Blimey, that line-up is an ideal platform for long-term and covert border crossings... Hey! Lone Wolves! We might be outgunned if we have to launch, but make the pre-flight checks and stand by for the Lieutenant's order!"

Ida glanced towards Vanya, whom had donned the newly acquired and form-fitting infiltration suit that Ida remembered from the Versant. While not as armoured, the Romulan android would be just as invisible to internal sensors on the Veles-class frigate as the rest of the boarding team, whom were using the new Starfleet-design exosuits. "I trust you'll be able to get some doors open and lead the way once we're inside," she said, hoping the android had some familiarity with Romulan deck layouts, and checked the settings on her Accipiter rifle. Her next words were for the boarding team as a whole. "First priority is the bomb, but we may have to destroy that cloak projector, for even if my people should preferably not know there are Romulan ships here... the planetary defences might be our last chance to stop this."

While she donned her helmet, the pressure seal hissing around her neck, she could see the three Savi engineers step up to Frank Arnold and George Hernandez, them being the only ones remaining on the dim-lit deck. The tallest one directed himself to the engineer. "Diagnostics complete. The graviton beam emitter can only be used without any propulsion or phaser technology being activated, otherwise, the pattern buffers will be compromised along with this device's power source," the tall figure explained as if to a child, "so to put it in simple terms, the drone must be completely still whilst the graviton beam is used. There should be enough power available for twenty seconds of sustained usage. No more."

Ida could just hope Arnold would be able to get the drone to the cloaked Veles-class frigate, and that he had the sense to not test the limits of the thing's power supply. She glanced one more time towards the three female humanoids standing around her, took a deep breath, and gave the signal. "Boarding team ready."

Before the drone had powered up and activated the trasporter protocol that would make her team vanish from the deck, Ida couldn't help but feel the familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach - one she had before any mission. The enormity of what they would be doing wasn't lost on her. By Lor'Vela, she was above the moon of Andor again for the first time since before she joined the Academy. She was about to try and save the capital of the Adorian Empire, and by extension, preventing that her hot-blooded people would end all attempts to find peace with the Romulans before a new war began. She blinked, and made herself shed all thoughts - clearing her mind from anything but the task ahead.

"Energise."


OOC: Awesome posting! I think the next posting order should have 1) @uytrereee posting the entire flight of the drone to the Romulan ship, using the Savi sensors to guide it there despite the raised cloak, the entire cutting operation, and getting the drone to deploy the away team inside the ship. It would be ideal if the warp fighters aren't deployed since Andorian forces might try to identify them if they suddenly appear above the moon. 2) @Number6 , perhaps you could cover how and if Vanya leads the way towards the sensor readings with the bomb? 3) @Stegro88 , would you mind letting the shit hit the fan somehow? lol You all have 7 days to make these three posts, so we can pick up the pace a little! :)
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on October 18, 2020, 07:30:03 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | The Aerodrome | The Erudite ] Attn: @Number6 @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan 
[Show/Hide]

Frank hadn't noticed he was gripping his PADD as hard as he was. Were it a notebook or something soft, by now it'd be a twisted cylinder in between his white knuckles. Instead, the PADD showed status displays of the Tovarek Drone, the one Frank had now dubbed Jackalope, due to the mish mash of parts that now made up the awkward looking, but fast performing drone. He'd painted the namesake on the side in the last hour or so, to much confusion of the Fathers. He had a knot in his chest the size of his own meaty fist, so there was no room for butterflies in his stomach. "We'll hold the fighters in reserve for now."

Once Frank had listened to the roundabout readiness checks, looking down to one of the Fathers, the Savi he'd named Copernicus, and offered a gentle nod, a light, "Twenty seconds of power, stationary drone. Thank you, and thank you for your assistance today." He took one long deep breath of cool air, letting it out after a moment, and offered idly, "I don't need to remind anyone what's riding on this. We have to succeed, so there's no need to discuss failure." He nodded, offering something he'd read a long while ago, "The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are; but it is the one most consistent with our character and courage as Starfleet. The very best of luck away team." With that, and Ida's call to energize, he activated the transporter systems aboard the drone, and in a moment or two more, the away team would have dematerialized. Held in the transporter buffer, they were  well and truly in his hands now.

With that, the knots evaporated, there was no time to think about them any more as Frank stepped to his station, having set his PADD down, and brought the Tovarek drone to the gentle hum of life, taking a mere moment to look in admiration as the Jackalope slowly rose to taxi to the barrier that separated it from space. In another few moments, the drone passed into the vacuum of space, and Frank offered, "Successful launch, feedback readings are optimal. Engines nominal, power systems nominal, phaser reserves nominal, graviton reserve reads green at hard limit of fifteen seconds of cutting time, one-five." After all, he didn't want to push it right to the edge, they might need that last 5 seconds for something.

He slid his fingers along the touch interface, orienting the nose of the drone to lay along the vector being fed into the station by the Savi sensor link, targeting the Veles-class vessel. On the screen was the most recent intelligence they could get on the layout of the vessel, and Frank identified a sizable hold that was not too far from the suspected site of the cloak projector mentioned by Ida. He couldn't risk too small of a hold, in case their information wasn't 100% accurate, and he ended up beaming one of them into a bulkhead. He cleared his throat then, and tapped his combadge to set it to open, to allow him constant communication with Ida's away team, once they were back in the material realm, "Beam-in site identified, beginning approach vector. Thrust at eighteen percent for seven seconds, accelerating to approach speed." He would start the thrust, and as the maneuver executed, he'd count down the last three seconds, "Three, two, one, mark. On course, engine low-idle, sixty five seconds to transport."

The next sixty five seconds, were some of the longest of Frank's life as he watched the live display from the drone as it sped under inertial power towards the vessel, invisible to his naked eye of course, however highlighted with a projection from the Savi sensors, that showed a dim yellow silhouette. As the time ticked on, he realized he'd been holding his breath, and slowly let it out, just waiting for the passage of time now, choosing a passive approach as the most stealthy one he could likely achieve without a cloak. He hoped that his material configuration had been the right choice, and his drone was truly as stealthy as he believed it to be. He waited to see if the drone would be summarily blown out of the air.

Whether they were seen or not, as the time expired Frank offered, "Reversing thrust, coming to dead stop for beam insertion. Fire, two one, mark." And then the craft was stopped, a mere two hundred meters from the craft, spitting distance. This was the fun part now, he had to cut a very narrow aperture window in the hull of the vessel, to beam the team through. Big enough for the transporter pattern beam, small enough that it would be unnoticed for at least some time. "Phaser systems are idle, engine power shutdown." He looked to the Savi Copernicus, offering him an approving nod and a wink, and then offered, "Graviton beam pulse, eight hundred milliseconds, predicted aperture size is eight hundred and forty microns." A truly diminutive hole for any other purpose except transporting through the hull safely. It would allow him to 'see' the other side so to speak, and finish his role. With bated breath, he pressed the initialization key, and in another blink of an eye, it was done.

"I'm reading the other side of the hull, energizing transporter." He slid the four sliders upward that represented his away team, and their return to the materium, within the belly of the beast. Once he showed them back on the screen, as beings and not beams, he offered into the open channel, "Welcome back away team, you should be inside the Romulan vessel now."

With that, the drone had done its bit, "Backing the Jackalope off to a holding position, five kilometers." And once he'd done that, his final word was, "Overwatch standby."
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on October 19, 2020, 10:40:55 PM
[Lt. Vanya Beam in Coordinates | Unnamed Romulan Vessel| @uytrereee @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan

Vanya had not set foot on a Romulan planet or starship in thirty years, so while she had some familiarity with her people’s ways, there was probably  a thousand spies out there who were capable of doing what Vanya was asked to do to a better degree.  In some senses it would be like asking a Cardassian that defected during the occupation of Bajor to advise on Dominion strategies.  Unfortunately, at that specific second, Vanya was the only person who was available, so she had to prove her mettle to the best of her abilities. 

Nevertheless, the ship was certainly familiar to her when she beamed aboard.  The architecture bought home memories of her past.  The only thing missing were the wall mounted disruptors that would destroy Vanya and her "siblings" if they appeared to go out of line.   Memories of sitting and watching from her bracket while a parade of officials turned up their nose and tried to get Vanya shut down. 

No wonder I’m so crazy.  She thought to herself    From the moment I came online, people have been trying to shut me down and doing nothing to hide it. 

Checking that the rest of her team had materialised without incident Vanya reached up and started the scan, looking for the source of the bomb.  There was a positive lock.  It was the scary thing about the universe in which they lived. 

Though the Infected were pulling the strings here, they were doing so with nothing that was new to them.  Thaleron was a Romulan invention, and had cost many lives, including the only other android she had known that wasn’t an automaton, or dead.  The huge fleets that The Infested now controlled were not built, or even modified by them, but were designed and maintained by the free races of the quadrant.  From a certain point of view, the Infested were just a sickness that brought out the potential that was already there. 

Her wrist mounted scanner picked up the signal, it was mercifully within reach, with a minimum of fuss.  Vanya sent the coordinates to the other scanners that she knew would be picked up by the others.  She signalled them to follow her. 

It should be easy, she thought to herself.  Should being the key part of the equation. 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on October 29, 2020, 04:02:49 AM
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Romulan Vessel | Andoria ]
[Show/Hide]


“Well, this is a first,” Was Donna’s first thought when she rematerialized inside the Romulan ship. Hefting her phaser rifle and glancing around, she found them alone in the passageway. Scanning the corridor ahead of her, Donna heard the beep from her suit’s build in PADD and saw that Vanya had located what she believed to be the bomb. “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all,” she considered. And then she heard the crack.

When a spacecraft hull is manufactured, it is scanned and checked for hull fractures or deformations that could compromise its integrity. Any issues are dealt with before the ship leaves drydock to prevent them from becoming an issue in the future. In a Federation drydock, checks are completed to make sure that the hull plating is not unduly stressed and while hold up to the rigours of space travel. The Romulans did much the same thing when building the ship the infiltration team was now inside of. What they had never accounted for, because it wasn’t even thought of, was the increased strain on the hull when an eight-hundred-and-forty-micron hole was cut right through a crack in a support strut for that section of plating. A crack that had been missed. A crack that had split from either side of the hole that was now present in its midst, transforming the previously diminutive bore into a chasm almost three centimetres across. And that was too much stress for the hull to withstand.

“MOVE!” Donna screamed into her comms, spreading her arms and herding everyone before her. She had just managed to get them through what she hoped was an aperture when the hull deformed entirely and exploded outward, tearing several pieces from the hull as the entire section of the hull was exposed to hard vacuum. The exfiltration of air was buffeting, threatening to drag the team into space before the ship’s emergency forcefields engaged and prevented their escape.

Gasping for breath despite her suit’s seal, Donna looked at the forcefield mere inches from her feet, her mind aware of several things all at once. The Romulans would investigate the hull breach. They would now be on high alert, wondering what had caused it. They would check and recheck everything now. And, if she was the infested, would start the countdown immediately.

“Oh Shit!” she intoned, summing up their situation.



What no one could see from their position, laying as they were perpendicular to the breach, was the direction and velocity of several pieces of debris. She sailed through space, caring not for the drone in their path before, after or even during their collision with it. And they continued, uncaring, along their now altered trajectory. Leaving chaos in their wake.

Their impact with the drone, while not piecing the shields, had strained them immensely, reducing their strength to less than 20 percent of what they were. But it was the shock damage that was worse. In striking the drone, they had damaged the long-ranged sensors, the graviton cutting beam power relays and the transport buffer. The drone could now not transport more than half of the infiltration team during their escape.


OOC:[Show/Hide]
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on November 09, 2020, 02:55:27 PM
[ Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ] Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]
Along with the other three women of different species, Deputy zh'Wann had materialised on the Veles-class frigate, and even as she turned the visor of her helmet and the sights of her Accipiter in an arc to secure the bay, she heard Lieutenant Arnold's voice from the Erudite. [Welcome back away team, you should be inside the Romulan vessel now,] he had said, and Ida had taken a moment to make sure they were alone before she replied on behalf of the team.

"Confirmed," she said, her own breath filling her nose inside the helmet as she spoke, "moving out."

Vanya had found which door from the bay they ought to pick, and even as they began to move, Donna had caught on to how the hull was compromised, and she didn't have to usher them for many moments until they were running out of there. They got far enough, the forcefield saving them just as the bay was depressurised. Ida had found a hold on the bulkhead with her free hand, and as she turned her visor from the forcefield, she could see the scratches from her gloved fingers across it. Her heart was thundering in her chest, but she was still on her feet, just like Valkra, the Klingon whom had found a hold on a doorway not far ahead of them. Donna's verbal reaction brought Ida out of her damage assessment, having found Vanya safe and sound on the right side of the forcefield as well, and they couldn't afford to waste any more time lingering where they were.

"zh'Wann to Arnold, the hull was compromised by the graviton beam, but we got to safety. I repeat, we're still active. Stand by," she said, inclining her head to Donna before she set off in the direction that Vanya had indicated. With her Accipiter rifle supported by the strap over her shoulder, she raised her left wrist to check on the PADD, singling out the marker Vanya had sent. She set off at a high pace with a gesture for the team to follow. She wasn't running, but she set a stride long enough enough to let them cover some ground and also to allow for aiming, as she'd raised her rifle and kept her eyes on the scope mounted on top of the weapon. "Set weapons to stun. Valkra, cover our six. Accipiter, weapon mode Zero-Four."

[Confirmed,] said the digital voice of her exosuit, linked as it was to the Accipiter. During the extensive testing of the weapon from the Calamity, her fellow officers had found that the weapon could be fired 'dry', without a projectile launched. In these instances, the subspace jacket would be formed and fired as normal, though without the 7mm tritanium carbide bullet, and only in single-shot. The concussive energy, however, could be used to break up debris or shove objects or threats out of the way. As a substitute for stun, it was more than adequate - used successfully as it had on the Black Opal, Starbase 84 and against the Borg.

The winding corridor was filled with the blaring sound of a Romulan klaxon, and while the digital map on Ida's wrist told them the way, she made sure to take the first available intersection to let them stay clear of any repair crews sent to the bay they left behind. While there was no way to confirm the fact, they ought to be invisible to internal sensors, so there was no intruder alert sounded. The unspoken reality that had no doubt dawned on all four of them, however, was that given the hull breach, there might be suspicions raised, and they had to reach the thalaron bomb before the Romulans decided to accelerate their plans.

"Sensor spike thirty meters ahead. Six life signs in our path. Neutralising the two closest ones now," she said to the team, having seen the markers on her display already, and two of them were just beyond the next intersection. She did not slow her pace, for they had no time for any delays, and as she rounded the corner, she pivoted with her step and slammed her elbow across the startled face of a Romulan officer. The second one opened his mouth to say something, but Ida rammed the butt of her rifle into his mouth. The sound of teeth clattering faintly against the deck could be heard when he fell down.

[We've got company!] called Valkra from the rear, her voice heard inside Ida's helmet, and as she turned her blue eyes towards the path from whence they came, the Klingon raised her phaser rifle and opened fire against four Romulans who had spotted them. Orange and green energy beams began to light the bulkheads. [wa' DoSneHyIbuS! I'll cover you!]

By Lor'Vela, they've detected weapon's fire by now. Time to move, thought Ida, and gestured for Donna and Vanya to follow her. "Move it!" she called, and set off towards the pulsing sensor beacon, and she opened fire against the Romulans that appeared ahead of them. The Accipiter had some recoil against her shoulder, but the loud concussion blasts sent their opposition off their feet, tumbling over themselves like leaves in the wind.


OOC: (wa' DoSneHyIbuS. = Focus on one target)

Awesome posting! So much for picking up the pace though, with work and family stealing my time for a bit, lol. My bad!

I think the next posting order could be 1) @uytrereee 2) @Number6 3) @Stegro88? Could we take it so far as to actually reaching the thalaron bomb's transporter room before I post again? Also, could Valkra succumb in some heroic way, worn down by Romulan disruptor fire? Or is it better to save her death for some other feat? Your call. You all have 7 days! :)
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on November 15, 2020, 04:59:21 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | The Aerodrome | The Erudite ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Swift @Stegro88 @Number6
[Show/Hide]

Explosive decompression. It was the spacefaring equivalent of a fire in the galley. It was the reason he had a job aboard the Theurgy, because when the air didn't stay where it was supposed to, and moved from inside to outside very fast, things got broken. On his first days on the Theurgy, he'd performed a scan of the hull, the same day they'd learned about the bomb in Paris. That scan was designed to pick up cracks, just like the one that the Graviton beam had lanced through on the Romulan ship. The luck of it, or the un-luck, was so improbable, and yet, that was the luck of the Theurgy as of late.

When Lieutenant zh'Wann came through over the comm, 'zh'Wann to Arnold, the hull was compromised by the graviton bea...' the comm was momentarily broken, and Frank's gauges began to go haywire. The debris had scrambled the signal for a second, but they called his attention to the proximity alarm, just a little bit too late. If the drone had stayed in automatic mode, it would have made the maneuver on its own, the debris being allowed to coast by, instead he was still in Local control. So instead of a puckering near miss, several pieces of debris clipped the Jackalope, to a firm, "Fuck, looks like we hit a fracture, or a pocket, or a delami...it doesn't matter. There's no way they didn't notice that." from Frank, as he started rapidly moving sliders on the drone. The transferred inertia of the pieces had sent the drone arse over tit for a few moments, until he regained control. The drone was laggy, that was not a good sign. 

His focus was broken as comm regained, 'I repeat, we're still active. Stand by,' He keyed up the mic with a tone of stress on his voice, "I copy you away leader. That breach, it's caused some flotsam to hit the Jackalope...the drone." He cleared his throat, "Running some diagnostics now but...it looks like at least a panel or two have been buckled." The lights started coming up yellow and red and he slammed his fist down on the console, drawing the attention of at least one of the Savi, "...Yeah she's gone and done it. Those pieces could have ripped her in half, we got off easy, but I've got no more cutting lance, sensors are...dampened, I think I can shunt some power to fix that. I'm going to see if I can...let me get back to you about sensors. For now, I'm patching the short range sensors through to your displays, they'll do you some good unless they raise shields. I'm already detecting some possible friends coming your way."

He shook his head slowly, making that switch, so long as the ship didn't raise shields, they should be able to see any Romulans coming.  Keeping the away team on the line, he said, "Looks like right now transport is compromised, Thirty percent, maybe fifty. For the moment you are without an exit strategy zh'Wann. I'm going to work on my end to try and fix that. For now focus on the bomb, proceed with your mission, I'll see if I can get this fixed, to get you out. Keep in mind you may need an alternate exit. Arnold out." He grit his teeth, feeling like a small fish in a very big pond right now.

He keyed off his communicator, and started to pull up the diagnostic screen, it was not good news. He had twenty two percent shield power, EPS conduits 1, 3 and, 7 were shot, transport buffer 3 was a no show, and he had at least one damaged relay path. His baby now had perhaps 45% power capacity. There was nothing he could do about that without hands on maintenance, but luckily he was a damage control expert. He would have to work within the confines of the problem. He murmured, "Fundamentals Frank, re-assign, re-route, re-task. Work the problem. We'll need at least sixty two percent power to the buffer, to get them. It...think." Who he was talking to, was a great question.

The graviton beam was seemingly dead in the water, that was the first thing he diverted power from, and the belly phaser, and the torpedo tube, they'd do him no good right now. That bought him another 8% of passive power, but after that it got more difficult. He took out his PADD putting it in writing mode, and started scribbling out notes, as he simultaneously pulled up his own relay protocols, very freshly written, for the drone, trying to see where he could divert some lifeblood from, to fix this problem. With so many features on the drone, power was spread thin, with very low margins when all the systems were running, at 6% of total power left free at operative running.

This was where Frank made his money, and today, he was going to make a lot of it, or the away team was going to struggle, at worst, die. His first task was to boost the power to the remaining three cells of the transport buffer, if he did that, he might be able to get a lock on the team, and get them back whole. He started scribbling out the path re-assignments on his PADD, drawing the relay loops to better visualize, making notes next to a bolded 62%. This would take time, even for him, so for now the team had to just hold on, there was no way he was letting his and Fisher's project, be scuppered on its first mission.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on November 16, 2020, 12:03:46 AM
[ Lieutenant Vanya | Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ] @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @uytrereee

Its all fun and games until the energy beams start flying, the android mused, like a sound and pyrontechnics display heralding failure death.  Vanya preferred the easy missions, where a bit of clever intelligence could subdue the most deadly foe.  They could be sent to the Brig and Vanya would get her congratulations

Unfortunately, these moments were few and far between.  Instead, as time wore on, there were more and more battles to endure.  Vanya was able to avoid the green lances of death.  She knew that if just one of them touched her, and she wasn’t totally disrupted, she would potentially be in Romulan hands again. 

She pushed the thoughts aside.  Her brain was designed to generate possible outcomes,  but it wasn’t good for her emotional matrix.  She clutched onto her tricorder, in one hand and held her phaser in the other. 

She put her mind to use thinking about ways to escape the devastation.  None of the options were good.  They were, capture the ship, steal an auxillary craft, or go for an escape pod.  Escape pods seemed like the most likely option.

“We could try an escape pod.” Vanya said aloud.  “Not likely to have much in the way of evasive technology, but it should be fairly easy to launch.  If we can find a shuttle or scoutship, we might be able to cloak, or even beam to safety, but there might be remote overrides on the mother ship.” 

She ducked to avoid a blast of green energy that disintergrated part of a hatch behind her.  The Romulan that fired it was already sunned and on the way to the ground. 

“First things first I guess.” Vanya said.    She looked over her shoulder and saw tthat Valka was taking aim at the roof to bring down one of the support beams above them.  Between them and their four Romulan pursuers.  If that phaser was set on a setting to cut, and if the beam was the standard structural support beam Vanya was on Romulus then there was a deadly chance that..     

“NO!” Vanya warned.  But it was too late.  The blast from the Valkra’s phaser sent the beam falling.  But within seconds there was a flash as an emergency structural reinforcement forcefield kicked in, cutting the Klingon clean in half from head to crotch.  One half was completely vaporised by the forcefield.  The other fell to a knee and tumbled over.  On the other side of the beam,  one of their persuers was killed, and the other suffered the lost of their right leg and part of their disruptor arm.    One of them was already going to overwrite the forcefield and come after them. 

“We need to move.”  Vanya said lknowing that there was more thread ahead of them.  “We’re almost there.” 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on November 18, 2020, 03:38:43 AM
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Romulan Vessel | Andoria ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Number6 @uytrereee
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“I’ve had missions fall apart quickly before but this has to be one of the quickest,” Donna thought to herself as she brought her rifle to her shoulder, ready to shoot first if any Romulans arrived to investigate the breach. It was more a question of when, not if, they would investigate. They couldn’t afford not to given their location. Soon enough though, the deputy had them moving away from their insertion point at a steady pace, their weapons set to stun.

Thanks to the Klingon though, their first contact with Romulans negated any point in stealth as she opened fire with her rifle on a group of four Romulans who had approached from their rear. A gesture and a shouted order from the Andorian sent her moving forward again. Dropping her rifle to hang on its sling behind her, Donna drew her phaser pistol, feeling more comfortable with it while on the move.

During one of their pauses, Vanya, the android, suggested the use of an escape pod to allow their exfiltration from the ship. And it would have been a good idea if they hadn’t been discovered. Now, the captain would have locked down the pods to prevent their escape. Same with the transporters. And they’d stay that way until right before the bomb would detonate; assuming she was right about the countdown already starting.

Further thought was forestalled by a shout from Vanya and Donna turned in time to see the Klingon officer bisected by a forcefield. She hadn’t seen what had activated it, focused on enemies to the front as she was, but it didn’t matter. There was less than half of the Klingon remaining now; she was beyond their help.

“Moving!” Donna called out over coms, stepping out and sending a burst of phaser fire into a Romulan. The remaining Romulans in their path fell in quick succession as the three infiltrators focused on their destination. With no one else in their path, they made it to the bomb. “Fuck, I hate it when I’m right,” Donna exclaimed as she saw the timer already counting down. “We have a little over 6 minutes until it goes off,” Donna said, her mind at work.

“Ok, quick and dirty idea,” Donna announced. “The bomb is on a hoversled. Deputy, you in front to clear a path to the hull. Vanya, you are the strongest, you move it while I cover our rear. The drone comes and picks you both up with the bomb. While it’s in the buffer, the countdown will be suspended. And we call Ghost or one of the other wolves to give me a ride home. I’m the pilot after all,” Donna proposed, wondering if her idea was even possible, despite its simplicity. “Lieutenant Arnold will need to divert as much power to the drone’s shields as he can. The Romulans will be alerted now and will probably try to take a shot at the drone if it thinks we are escaping on it somehow.”
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on November 27, 2020, 02:23:00 PM
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ] Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
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They'd lost Sogh Valkra, and while Ida was experienced enough to not let it get to her yet, the Klingon had been KIA under her command, and it was not a light burden to bear. She'd bared her teeth and cursed in her native language under her breath, but kept her focus. When they ultimately reached the thalaron bomb and saw how little time they had left, she frowned as she considered the options. Donna was making a sound suggestion, and she let that inform her decision, which would just have to be a slight modification given the prospects of their survival.

"Lieutenant Arnold says the drone has been compromised, so I do not think any of us ought to be in that buffer - the risk is too high. Not just because of the status of the drone itself, but because that drone will at worst become target practise for all three of these cloaked Romulan ships, and at best towed back because it holds the bomb," she said through her teeth as she helped Vanya get the Romulan sled moving towards the door. "If the bomb can be brought unto the Erudite, that's all fine, but if the drone is destroyed, then the bomb will be gone along with that transporter buffer. What we need, however... is the Lone Wolves getting us out of here."

Ida's looked down both ends of the corridor, trying to hear footsteps over the klaxons, before she contacted the team on the Erudite. "This is zh'Wann, scramble the Valkyries immediately, and stand by to extract the bomb with the drone once we reach the hull. Keep an eye on sensors and track us, you hear me?"

Two Romulans appeared, running for them with rifles raised, but Ida already had her finger on the trigger of the Accipiter, and the concussion of the blast she sent down corridor had them rolling in the opposite direction. She gestured for Vanya and Donna to follow her before she continued her message, leaving Donna to stun the Romulans in their wake. "While two of our suits may have thrusters of their own, and Vanya can take the toll of space, all three of us will likely need a lift from the Wolves' tractor beams if we are to make it back alive and not get shot the moment we leave the hull. I repeat, we need a distraction... cover fire for the drone... and a team extraction right now."

Ida could but hope Andor's defence systems would start targeting the Valkyries before they were back on the Erudite...

"Our priority is the thalaron bomb, not to show my people there are Romulan ships in orbit," she said to the two women behind her, organic and artificial, as she set a quick pace down where the deck layout on her wrist said the shortest path to the hull was, "so forget about the cloak projector. Without a bomb, their mission has failed anyway, and Andor won't stir in reaction to Romulan presence in this system..."

She knew her own people all too well, and she'd been split about forcing the Romulans to decloak, but in the end, she believed it was the better option. She felt like a traitor for keeping Andor in the dark, but then again, she was also an exile.

[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Rawley,_callsign_%22Ghost%22) | The Aerodrome | The Erudite ] Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88 @Augusteo
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"You heard her, Wolves!" called Rawley over comms to Isel Nix and Nathaniel Isley, after getting the proper go-ahead from Lieutenant Arnold. Ghost put her helmet on, already seated in her cockpit, while she began power up the vessel. Basic diagnostics on all systems were running. "This is Fighter Escort One, come in Savi people!"

After some delay, the contralto voice of some Antecedent was heard inside her helmet. [We hear you.]

"Three fighters due to launch, and we'll be coming back hot with precious cargo." She was having her Valkyrie taxi into position to launch, spearheading the wedge of the three warp fighters. Donna's Valkyrie remained immobile on the deck in their wake, and Rawley was dead set on bringing back her old wing mate and the rest of that boarding team. Realising that Arnold was likely having a bloody hard time with the drone all of a sudden, Ghost took an initiative while she already had the Savi on the line. "Hey, could you tell that bloody Voice guy that we'd be chuffed if he could stand ready to just bail us the fuck out of here once we get back aboard? That would be amazeballs, thanks."

There was a sound akin to irritation heard, but at least she got a go-ahead. [Launch permission granted. Erudite out.]

"You will be hearing from me shortly, Ghost out." She tapped the side of her helmet to make sure the different visual settings in her helmet were fully operational - including the TVD. She'd already lit up the HUDs and plugged in her suit to the fighter comm system. In a hurry, Rawley quickly eyed through the read-outs and hit the switch for the Aldean sensor scrambler so that the whole sector wouldn't pinpoint her prototype bird suddenly appearing in the system. Her launch thrusters were at a minimal setting to begin with, but she slowly throttled up once the bay doors had opened for her.

"Escort Zero-One to Zero-Two and Zero-Four... go go go!" Having said this, she throttled up in full - the inertial dampeners compensating for most of the extreme g-forces in the cockpit interior. Once her Valkyrie cleared the launching strip, she raised her landing gears and switched to 0.4 impulse. "Icarus! Tap into the Savi sensors to see the Romulan ships out there and provide a distraction! I don't care what you do, as long as you keep them busy. Foxfire! Protect that drone so that it can get back to the the bloody frigate and pick up the bomb! Use your counter measures or whatever you can do, as long as the drone gets to where it's needed! Okay? I'll help Icarus with the distraction until we tow back the away team. Move out!"

Ghost yanked her joystick sideways, and made the whole craft lurch as she pushed the impulse throttle forward as well. It pushed Evelyn firmly into the seat, while Andor's surface began to move beneath. Come on, come on....


OOC: All right! So seven days to post again, and my suggestion is that @Augusteo posts next with Isel Nix, protecting the drone (welcome to the madness btw! lol), and @uytrereee covers how well that goes. @Number6 and @Stegro88 , can you guys progress the fire-fight whilst they get to the hull? Have as much fun as you can in this race to try and accomplish the mission!

If no airlock is available, I suppose Ida has a can opener she can use in my next post, but that might be a tad bumpy of a solution. ;)

Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on December 03, 2020, 09:13:36 PM
[Lt, Vanya|Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ] Attn @Auctor Lucan  @Stegro88 @uytrereee

The android felt some anxiety about using a damaged transporter, without assessing the damage herself, going onto a damaged drone with a deadly form of radiation wasn’t particularly Vanya’s idea of fun.  Ida seemed to disagree. 

“Let’s just get thing off the ship.”  Vanya said. 

As they travelled through the network, Vanya’s hearing could pick up communications coming from the communicators on the chest plates of the Romulans. “I am detecting concern over the commlines.  They are ordering a last stand at the transporter room this could be an advantage…” The door opened and a pair of security guards presented themselves.  It appeared as if they were in the middle of a conversation – perhaps the younger wanted to go and investigate what was going on, while the elder was encouraging them to hold back.  Vanya fired her phaser stunning one of them.  The other managed to draw his pistol.  Vanya set the anti grav down.  She dragged them to the other side of the junction which led to the transporter room.  She picked carefully laid them in the corridor in such a way to suggest that they had fought on the way to the transporter room. 

“There, that might buy us some time," she said as she jogged back down the corridor.  She looked to her left. 

“Come on.” Vanya said.  “The airlock is just through there.  I suggest we hold position until help arrives.” 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Augusteo on December 04, 2020, 05:33:18 PM
[ Ens. Isel Nix | The Aerodrome | The Erudite ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @uytrereee @Number6
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She was in the Aerodrome following the latest arrangements of the mission. It wasn't difficult to understand that Isel was full of concern for the plan. The possibility to be outgunned didn't worry too much the vulpinian who just tighten her jaw more "I survived the Borg, nothing can be worse," Isel thought.
 
"The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are; but it is the one most consistent with our character and courage as Starfleet. The very best of luck away team." Lt. Arnold said, and at this moment her expression changed gazing one moment the away team "nothing can be worse… FOR ME. Good luck… You'll need it," Isel completed her thought with a sigh of worry.
 
"Make the pre-flight checks and stand by for the Lieutenant's order!" Rawley ordered. "Immediately," Isel answered with her wrinkled eyebrows that show how she was determined even if her profound concern. She settled in her Valkyrie cockpit, starting the standard pre fly system diagnostics. She hoped to don't have to intervene.
 
[A few minutes later]

Her hopes faded when she heard about the drone damages. Immediately donned the helmet and put her hands on the controls, ready to go at any command. "Fuck! Come on, come on…," She kept repeating mentally until Rawley opened the channel with the Savi to to ask for take-off permission.
 
Isel in a hurry checked the fighter systems and her helmet visual settings. She turned on the Aldean sensor scrambler to do not become a lighthouse in the night for local defence systems. "Let's go save their marvellous asses," She thought with a slight grin.
 
"Escort Zero-One to Zero-Two and Zero-Four... go go go!" She heard Ghost's voice clear in her helmet. Isel throttled up in full, leaving the Euridite.
 
[Fighter Escort 02 | Andor's Orbit ]
 
"Foxfire! Protect that drone so that it can get back to the bloody frigate and pick up the bomb! Use your counter measures or whatever you can do, as long as the drone gets to where it's needed! Okay? I'll help Icarus with the distraction until we tow back the away team. Move out!" Ghost said while Isel raised the landing gears engaging the impulse engines at 0.75 "Got it, Ghost! Good luck to both!" she replied, turning the fighter in the direction of the drone.
 
"Straight into the Romulan's throat," she thought while Andor's surfaced turned until she was in the direction to go straight to the drone. Isel switch to maximum impulse speed analysing the situation she was getting into. "As long as they think their plan is still working, they shouldn't fire. They don't want to be tracked down by Andorian defences" she thought nodding slightly. She gazed the ECCM emitter controls changing the signature setting in order to reproduce the drone emissions "In that way, the countermeasures will protect the drone by torpedoes" she thought.
 
The drone was even closer and with it possible dangers. Isel opened a channel with the away teams "Foxfire here! I'm approaching the drone to protect it from the pointy-eared worms! Tell me when some of you will be aboard or... whatever you will do," she said with determined voice, ready to deal with everything.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on December 04, 2020, 06:38:17 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | The Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Augusteo @Stegro88 @Number6
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Sixty two percent, that was what Frank needed to get to, and with full focus, he might be able to get there. Sadly reality rarely conforms to the expectations of those involved in reality's execution. Simply put, the Tovarek wasn't designed to fulfill both a space combat encounter, and support a ground operation. Strictly speaking it wasn't designed to fulfill a space combat encounter at all, the drone relied heavily on its defensive abilities for this sort of thing, and this would be her first minting.

Frank listened to the voice comms between each of the ground team's suits, and sadly this meant he was painfully aware as the life signs of one of the away team, winked out. He didn't need to hear it happen, both the drone, and the status monitor let him know what had happened. Now there were three members of his away team stranded aboard the Romulan Veles.  But it also meant he was somewhat abreast of the plan, the parts of it he had overheard.

The wolves were out to hunt though, and that provided both opportunities, and dangers. If the Andorians intervened before their mission was able to be completed, and discovered the Romulans, this whole operation, and the sacrifices the team had already made, were in vain. Piggybacking on the comms now that they were starting to light up with fighter pilots, and Zh'Wann, Frank keyed his comm, and offered, "Lieutenant Arnold to all operational team members. The status of the drone is as stands, fifty four percent total power. With more time, I could bring the buffer fully online, and fortify it, but we don't have that time. I will commit the Jackrabbit to bomb recovery, and signals confusion. Away team, proceed on your current course to find another ride, I'll be diverting any excess power from the buffer not required to house the thalaron device, to the Jackrabbit's shields."

He nodded slowly, and allowing a moment to digest he continued over comm, "The drone has considerable ability to minimize its own signature, while projecting other signatures, and I'll be making it look like just another Valkyrie, blend in with the pack until it can house the bomb in the buffer. Now that won't stop an enterprising gunner from targeting it anyway, but it will allow me to put it into a very effective evasive pattern, until the bomb can be located."

That was just what he did as the Wolf Pack began to stream into space, hot launched. He would punch one of the evasive keys, speaking into his comm, "Activating evasive pattern Ali-Liston, sorry that's Rho-Four." He added the last bit with a chuckle, and followed, "Activating intelligence sensor package codename Sheep in Wolf's Clothes. Don't be alarmed, you'll see two more Valkyries on your sensor readings." In a few moments the drone would begin to fly an evasive pattern designed at minimizing any moment it exposed its broadest faces to the enemy, instead the drone flew in a manner that kept the narrow profiled edge facing the frigate as much as it could. At the same time, Frank made several diversions, moving some blood away from the buffer, now that it would only need to carry 1 bomb, instead of 3 people. This enabled a 14% boost in shield power, and he keyed his comm the last time, for now and held it, "Drone shields holding at thirty six percent."

The Romulan sensors winked to life, the Drone able to sense it was being searched for, "Oh yes, they're looking for me now Wolves" even if the Romulans did not know what they were searching for, Arnold let his comm go quiet now. Soon enough they'd see it, the faux sensor reading of a space fighter, and soon enough lancets of disruptor fire or torpedoes would reach out into the inky space between the Erudite and the Veles. Lancets seeking to swat the horsefly that had bit the stallion.

He'd done his best to try and sound calm on the comm, although like as not there was a small waver evident in his voice. While he was no stranger to high pressure situations at this point in his career, the ball of stress that lingered in the chest, never quite went away. Combat, this, was not his forte. There was nothing for him to do at this moment, except watch, wait, and trust in Ravenholm's programming, his Engineering, the considerable skills of the away team, and the Lone Wolves. So he did what he did best, he made light of the situation, even if the only person he was trying to fool, was him.

Frank made sure his comm was off, and then he did his best impersonation of Angelo Dundee, "Get out there and dance kid, come on, dance, move your feet!" And so while the drone danced the intricate dance programmed into its frame, Frank danced the one trained into his. Up onto his tippy toes, he danced backward, and forward, as if he were boxing with the status display itself, throwing light jabs that landed short of the actual screen, ducking, dropping, and bouncing all the while watching the status monitor, the sensor overview of the battlefield, and the nose camera of the drone most of all.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on December 11, 2020, 02:45:14 PM
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Romulan Vessel | Andoria ]
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As the Andorian deputy quickly issued orders to those that needed to know them, Donna kept her head on a swivel, checking the various entrances to the room they were in in case any more Romulans showed up and tried to disrupt their escape. Truthfully, Donna knew that her initial idea was about as farfetched as could probably have been managed at the time, but it was enough to generate better ideas so in her opinion, it had served its purpose admirably. Soon enough, the Andorian and the android were making headway and Donna began to follow them, backing out of the room to cover their withdrawal.

The sound of the Accipiter firing told the pilot that their way ahead was far from secure but when a second shot wasn’t heard, Donna knew that, for the moment at least, they could continue forward. Continue to back after her two crewmates, Donna stepped over a pair of downed Romulans. A few steps further on and she fired at first one, and then the other, stunning them so that they were no longer a problem. At least, that was the plan.

Where she had expected to see a stun blast impact the bodies, instead she saw a phaser pulse hit them at a higher, deadlier setting. Surprised, Donna looked down to check the setting on her weapon and found that it had been set to a lethal level. And she never remembered doing that. It was a scary prospect, was she losing herself now, in the middle of combat, and not even realising it? Had Amelya been right after all?

Shaking off the fear, Donna focused on the task at hand as the three of them moved through the ship. Their concealed life signs made it harder for them to be tracked and it forced the Romulans to search for them the old-fashioned way. More phaser fire, from Vanya this time, drew her attention and she was just in time to turn and watch her drag a pair of Romulans off down a passageway. She was gone a few moments but soon returned with the cheerful thought of having bought them some time.

Following offered directions, the three ladies worked their way onwards unfettered and soon found themselves standing outside the airlock that would grant them their escape. Setting up in basic cover positions to cover all the approaches, all they could do now was wait for the drone to arrive and take the bomb off their hands. After that, it was time for a flight of their own.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on December 22, 2020, 11:49:22 AM
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ] Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
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With her heart pounding in her ears, like a hammer to the inside of her helmet, Ida led the way towards the closest airlock on the Romulan ship. By Lor'Vela, just a little further...

Teeth bared, Ida had been listening to the update of Lieutenant Arnold, so she failed to notice any lapse of Donna Petterson's when it came to fire control. Vanya had misled some of the Romulan officers that hunted for them, the sounds of their running feet a faint echo. At one point, force fields were raised to try and intecept them, but since they were invisible to internal sensors, it seemed the Romulans had to rely on visual surveillance in order to keep tabs on them. Realising this, Ida had been using her Accipiter to target any surveillance units she could spot down their path, a single shot each getting the job done and keeping the Romulans from being able to stop them. One forcefield nearly caught them, but they managed to pass it just in time to continue down their path. Adrenaline lacing her cobalt blood, Ida could but acknowledge the updates from the Erudite and their mission leader with a tight-lipped "Acknowledged" now and then.

It was when they reached the airlock, and her two remaining companions covered the corridors leading to their intersection, that Ida realised they were idle targets in wait for the drone's arrival. She briskly strode up to the airlock controls and tried to access the control panel and get the massive door to open up. She was denied, of course, so she wasted little time on it - instead searching for a manual release of some sort. She found the lever below the control panel, broke the covering glass with the butt of her rifle, and then reached inside. Yanking it down, the loud hiss of the airlock's doors parting seemed far too loud, but at least the bomb could be pushed inside the airlock, so she grabbed the hover sled and got it where it needed to be. Only the outer airlock hatch remained between the bomb and the space above Andor.

That's when the Romulan forces caught up to them, appearing in two of the corridors leading to the airlock. A few beams of disruptor fire came their way, before one of the Romulans began to shout - the risk of hitting the bomb far too great. Ida wasted no time in returning fire, having lifted her Accipiter to her shoulder and blasting the corridors with concussion energy.

"Ida to Arnold! Thalaron bomb in place to be jettisoned!" she shouted over the din of the firefight that ensued, wherein the Romulans being restrictive with their firing being the only factor that saved their lives, outnumbered as they were. "Vanya, Petterson, we'll jettison ourselves as well. We can't stay here if the bomb is gone. Get into the airlock!"

Stepping backwards as she fired, Ida glanced towards any manual lever on the inside of the airlock, and once she found it, she dodged and yanked it down, which made the blast door to the corridor close. Yet when she ran to the other side to try and open the hatch leading into cold space outside, she found that the release had been overwritten. She tried it twice, only to get a chirp denying their escape. "Shelat," she said, knowing they were trapped, and when she looked outside the transparent viewport in the airlock, she could see the drone in the far distance, with a Valkyrie accompanying it. No doubt the sensor profile of the drone was showing something else, but with her bare eye, she saw it there.

And she also saw how the Romulans had caught on to their plan. It was made evident in flaring green light, as the frigate opened fire against the drone's approach. Rapid phaser beams sliced towards the approaching crafts, which would likely register down on the planet as well. zztann...

"I'll blast this thing open, get ready!" she called, changing the setting and raising her weapon, making sure she grabbed a tight hold on it. "Three, two, one..."

And then... he squeezed the trigger.

[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Rawley,_callsign_%22Ghost%22) | Cloak Envelope of Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ] Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88 @Augusteo
[Show/Hide]
With the frigate providing a cloak envelope for all three Romulan ships, the Lone Wolves entered it soon enough. Being an approaching trajectory, the moment the Romulans decided to do something about them was unmistakable. Rawley's eyes widened as the frigate's weapon systems powered up.

"Evasive manoeuvres!" she called to her fellow Wolves, but Foxfire was on top of things, ready to protect the drone as it approached the Romulan ship. As for herself and Isley, they were on their own and spread apart, so the first volley depleted their shields by quite a lot before they could deploy counter measures and react to the development. Not a great start, smoke filling her cockpit, but Rawley wasn't deterred. She kept her eyes on sensors and the indicated airlock, setting a path close to the hull of the Romulan ship since it had yet to activate its shields. It likely had something to do with the cloak, which was still raised and likely kept the Andorians far below them guessing as to what was going on. Conflicting sensor readings and scrambled signatures. No doubt they were launching ships to investigate by that point. Rawley had no time to consider that, flying close to the frigate to avoid getting blasted to bits in no time.

"Come on, where are they?" she wondered, eyes darting between her screens and ignoring the computer's wailing damage report.

And then, the designated airlock was shredded apart from the inside, and she saw three humanoid figures tumbling into space, the lights of some kind of sled flashing as it spun, and beyond it...  something that no doubt had to be the bomb.

"I have visual on the away team! Isley, where are you?" she demanded, seeing Icarus' Valkyrie avoiding disruptor fire on the far side of the Romulan ship, but she got no answer. Is he talking to the Romulans? Fuck it, they are exposed and I have to get them...

Yanking her flight stick sideways, she preformed a barrel roll and sped towards the jettisoned away team, she throttled up just as she activated her tractor beam, and swooped down to catch them all with the light before they spread too far apart. It seemed the Romulans were more concentrated on the approach of the drone, perhaps having made a visual contact with it and not seeing the false readings Arnold was projecting. No way of knowing, but they were shooting at it and Nix with a vengeance.

"Ghost to the Erudite, get that bloody bomb before they get a fucking transporter lock on it and beam it back aboard!" she said through clenched teeth as she collected the away team and set a zig-zag pattern back towards the hidden Savi dreadnought. By that time, the other two Romulan ships were opening fire as well, still all within the cloak envelope projected by the largest of the ships. Rawley was caught twice by disruptor fire, and the computer never ceased complaining. "Bollocks, shut the fuck up! Isley, where are you? Retreat, retreat!"


OOC: All right! Goes without saying that it's time to bail out of there asap! lol! Please leave Isley's fate open-ended in your posts, since we may have an interested Applicant that could take over writing him, but if not, this might be a good time to off him. Leave that to me since I have yet to get a final word on that. Have fun!
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on December 23, 2020, 09:48:25 AM
[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson | Romulan Vessel | Andoria ]
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Donna spared a moment to glance away from the passage she was guarding to watch Lieutenant zh’Wann push the hover sled carrying the thalaron bomb inside the airlock, readying it for pickup by the approaching drone. Now, all the three of them could do was wait for one of two outcomes. Either the drone would arrive, and they could all leave, or the Romulans would find them and their waiting would turn into a firefight until their extraction. 

“Assuming, of course, that we actually get extracted,” Donna mused to herself, turning back to look down her passage. She was just in time too as a pair of Romulans came into view, their disruptors up and ready. Donna managed to snap a hurried shot off even as she ducked back into cover to avoid any incoming fire. Counting to herself, Donna lent out and snapped another shot off, this time managing to hit her target in the side even as someone began shouting. Her Romulan wasn’t up to scratch but the effect of the words was clear as the barrage of disruptor fire died down. The Andorian behind her wasted no time in returning fire, her accipitor filling the corridors with concussive energy.

"Vanya, Petterson, we'll jettison ourselves as well. We can't stay here if the bomb is gone. Get into the airlock!" Came the shouted command from the security officer and Donna didn’t need to be told twice as she dived across the gap between her and the airlock. She wasn’t quick enough though, with a disruptor beam catching her on her left boot.

“Shit,” Donna commented once the doors were shut again. A glance at her forearm PADD informed her that while her suit integrity was intact, she had lost the magnetic functions in her left boot. “Good thing I’m not planning on sticking around,” she thought, before a curse from the Andorian brought her up short; they were trapped in the airlock. What came next, was a predictable outcome in Donna’s opinion. The deputy was going to blow the airlock open. 

Bracing herself as best she could, Donna activated her one functional magboot and waited as the Andorian counted down. When she fired, the airlock around them practically disintegrated from the power of the blast. Donna was flung about as the atmosphere escaped from around them before the deck beneath her gave way and sent her tumbling forward. Unprepared for the sudden movement, Donna could do nothing to prevent her impact with a piece of wreckage. The pilot was struck on the helmet, the head within being whipped around from the force of the impact. 

Donna, her eyes unable to focus, thought she could see a warp fighter approaching her before the void of unconsciousness claimed her.


OOC: Donna is now unconscious. Her condition upon return to the Erudite to be determine.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on December 24, 2020, 05:33:36 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | The Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attention: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Number6 @Augusteo

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'Ida to Arnold! Thalaron bomb in place to be jettisoned!' That was what snapped Frank out of his idle trance, breaking the cycle as his hands flew back to the touch display, figuring out where the drone actually was, and where his target was. His fingers flitted over the display, re-orienting the craft as he identified the airlock, conveniently triangulated by the comms signal.

"Arnold to away team, Jackrabbit's coming!" He would wait patiently for the airlock to open, for the bomb to materialize, flanked by a space fighter. He grunted into the comm, "Any time now..." And, nothing. And so he waited. And then all of a sudden the skies opened.

The exterior door of the airlock quickly turned the color of pre-molten metal, before the center section melted, and was quickly sucked outward by the pressure differential in globules of bright orange and yellow. They were of course followed almost immediately by the rest of the door, wrenched open by physics, assisted by the hole in the center of the door.

What came next was very chaotic. Like a starting gun, the frigate opened fire towards the drone clearly having figured out the plan. While the jackrabbit got a lock on the bomb, it had to stay on a standard approach path, and as such, it took a hail of disruptor fire. The shields failed moments before the bomb was taken into the buffer. The thalaron bomb winked out of existence with a mere sparkle, simply part of a buffer now.

On the about face towards the Erudite the sickly green beam of a disruptor lanced straight across the left wing, and another across the belly. With a spectacular plume of warp plasma, the drone shuddered. "Arnold to all craft, the drone's coming in hot!" Zig zags were off the table, not enough power, now it was all about one big burst of speed.

That said, fingers slid all sliders to power the engines. Shields gone, no need for weapons, it was all about speed. A bated breath later, the drone took off like a rocket, a proverbial streak of lightning streaming across the sky. Like a comet trailed by its warp fire, it screamed towards the Erudite at insane speeds. A passenger would have succumbed to the g-force by now. Fortunately, thalaron bombs and tritanium panels cared little for such weakness.

In the meantime, Frank was all white knuckles, waiting for confirmation of the away team, "Arnold to all fighters, away team status?" He asked, crushing the edge of his control panel beneath his mitts.

He'd have to wait for an answer, as the Jackrabbit burst through the opening to space, landing on the deck with a hard crash, and a skitter, landing gear nowhere to be seen. And once again Frank didn't have time to think or to worry. Savi were about in a minute, likely drawn by the intense warp plasma fires emitting from the buckled panels of the drone, She'd fly again one day, maybe. He wasted no time in grabbing an extinguisher in each hand, clipping the straps about his wrist as he went to combat the warp fires. If the buffer failed now, it would be a catastrophe in of itself. "Why do you do this to me?"

He took to shouting orders, very much in his element here, "Bring some backup power cables! Once the fire is controlled we need to get her hooked up to main power before we can power down the warp drive, if that buffer fails we're in for it!" He actually didn't know what happened to a thalaron device that lost pattern integrity, but he couldn't imagine it was good. He aimed his extinguishers around the docked tail, and fired white Starfleet fire suppressive dust.

He grunted after one more moment, as the Savi materialized a field around the drone, shields, and then a moment later the fires just died, starved of oxygen in the local atmosphere of the forcefield. He looked to the eggheads next to him, "Good idea. Now let's get her hooked up to power yeah?"

With an able support crew of little white headed men, he was now able to return at haste to his panel.

With the deck in utter chaos, smoke billowing towards the lofty ceiling of the aerodrome as the Savi released the field, and began affixing the lifegiving power umbilical, Frank clicked his combadge "Arnold to...everyone, we got it, get your asses back here!"
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on January 04, 2021, 11:51:04 PM
Lt. Vanya| Romulan Vessel | Andoria ] @uytrereee @Stegro88  @Auctor Lucan

Being the only person on the team without an exo suit make Vanya anxious.  Although she could survive in the Vacuum of space for longer than a human, there would be damage to her epidermal layer that would transmit the sensation that Vanya would interpret as pain, not to mention the risk posed to her by prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation and spacial particles.  So while she could survive, the it would not be far from a picnic, not would it be too much longer.  She prepared herself as she darted into a corner of the airlock, barely noticing Donna being attacked behind her.  The door hissed shut, and the android closed her eyes.

She started to count, she lowered herself into position wrapping her arms around her bent knees.  as she watched Ida’s hand reach her way to the open control.  Vanya held her breath, the battery systems in her body coming online.  They would only last a few hours, but it would be hopefully enough.  It felt odd for her to be so still, it had only happened a few times.  Before she could ruminate any further, she was blown out of the airlock. 

Her audio receptors blew out immediately from the pressure.  As her curled up body tumbled into space Vanya mused that she would need to rely on her lip reading capabilities until she was able to get a day or so in sickbay, to say nothing of the fact that she would resemble the something that most humanoids would find increasingly goulish the longer she did spend out there. 

She registered a figure that wasn’t performing a regular ascribed pattern.  She realised that someone was unconscious.  Unable to communicate as her lungs weren;t operating, Vanya moved her body to surf in the airless void.  Satisfied that she had reached a vector to approach she unfolded her body and propelled herself towards her unconscious compatriot, her eyes were already beginning to freeze over so detail was becoming difficult.  As she grabbed their arm, Vanya wasn’t sure but she was starting to make out the outline of a figher. 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on January 19, 2021, 02:30:35 AM
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Tractor Beam, Outside Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ]
Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
[Show/Hide]
The moment she had squeezed the trigger of her Accipiter rifle, the airlock had been compromised, and they were all immediately sucked into the cold embrace of nothing outside the Romulan ship.

Hardly a smooth transition, since they were all jettisoned at the same time as thalaron bomb and a grav sled, along with the debris of what was left of the airlock door. The contrast of the dead silence that seized them, compared to the jarring exit and what Ida saw through her visor, was so acute she almost lost the grip on her weapon. The sled had struck her over her shoulder, making her cry out inside the tight confines of her helmet. With wide eyes, as she tumbled through the battle, she saw the Valkyries fighting for survival and to protect the approaching drone. The Romulans didn't delay a moment more than they had to before they opened fire against that drone, having understood that the thing had deployed the boarders and was likely capable of extracting the bomb too. Ida was spinning in space when the green disruptor fire lit everything around her, and exploding counter measures from the Valkyries made her cover her eyes.

In that moment, Ida had rather remained on the frigate and faced the impossible odds, only firmly on her feet.

Only her shallow breathing kept her from screaming as she tried to fire up her exosuit's thrusters, but she was spinning too fast. There was too much going on, and she had lost all orientation. She believed she glimpsed Vanya holding on to Petterson, the latter seemingly unconscious. One Valkyrie interposed itself between the drone and the Romulan ships, even using its shields to protect it. Another one swooped in towards them, and she could hear comm chatter inside her helmet amidst the chaos. Frank's voice, and Evelyn Rawley's. [Ghost to the Erudite, get that bloody bomb before they get a fucking transporter lock on it and beam it back aboard!]

Ida couldn't see the bomb any more, and just like Vanya and Petterson, she was caught in the light of a tractor beam - yanked sideways and speeding away. Only then could she make out the third Valkyrie, far off by the Romulan ships. [Bollocks, shut the fuck up! Isley, where are you? Retreat, retreat!] said Ghost, and Arnold was insisting they returned to the Erudite as well. In that moment, looking at that distant Valkyrie, Ida realised what Nathaniel Isley was doing. Even before he spoke over the team's comm channel.

[I'll keep them busy, else you won't make it!] said Isley, dancing between the barrages sent his way, barely keeping ahead of the onslaught. [Just get out of here, and tell the Captain... I'm no-]

Five disruptor banks had triangulated him, and the Valkyrie vanished as the quantite core detonated.

"Shelat..." Ida cursed, as memories of their brief times together, before and after Skye Carver's death, flashed before her eyes. Her duties had come between them, and whatever there was to salvage was now gone.

And so was the distraction that Isley had provided, making both the remaining Valkyries the prime targets along with the drone.

[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Rawley,_callsign_%22Ghost%22) | Cloak Envelope of Romulan Star Navy Veles-class Frigate | Andor's Orbit ]
Attn: @uytrereee @Number6 @Stegro88
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"Maverick!"

It was his old callsign, but one Rawley had known him best as, for far longer than he'd adopted the name 'Icarus'. She remembered how she'd convinced her to stand down when she'd put a phaser in Ravon's face, calling him out for what he'd done to her. She remembered how both those Wolves had been mind-melded by Doctor Maya to kill and hurt people, all orchestrated by Nicander.

Fuck! Focus! she told herself, since she was nearly out of shields, interposing herself as she was between the Romulan ships and the escaping drone. She was all out of counter measures at that point, and so was Foxfire - having taken an even harder beating than Rawley had. Arnold had asked for a status update, but what the hell was she supposed to say? She had neither breath or time to spare, and the loss of Isley might not even have registered with the Engineer. "We're on our way, dammit!"

With all three Romulan ships focusing their fire on Rawley and Isel Nix, the two remaining Lone Wolves were all that remained between the drone and the enemies trying to keep it from getting away. "Computer, reroute everything we can spare to the aft shields!" she called, focusing on the flying alone. The change in percentages were nominal, however, making her swear - tasting sweat on her lips. "Foxfire, incoming!"

No more had the words left her mouth before her wingmate was hit- making the Valkyrie spin and drop in speed. "Fuck! Nix, you okay? Give me your status! Can you make it?"

[Lost alt--- Contr---- Life Su---] was all that could be heard, the comm array bust, but the trajectory was still good enough, with sensors saying the invisible Erudite was still ahead of them. Rawley took another hit, shaking her in her seat, and her canopy had cracked open. The seat restraints held her in place, and the exosuit let her breathe. Arnold was telling them to get their asses back aboard, but Rawley was screaming as she had a vice-like grip on her flight stick, fighting to keep herself from missing the cloaked dreadnought. She had no way to see if Foxfire was still alive. She didn't even know if her tractor beam was still engaged and carrying the boarding team.

The light of Andor's moon winked out, and another jolt had Rawley cry out, believing she was hit and done for...

...but it was the atmospheric pressure of the Erudite's bay.

She yanked her throttle backwards, made a quick judgement call and disenagaged the tractor beam before she smashed the away team against the deck of the dimly lit bay. It would make for a rough landing on their part, but Rawley hoped their exosuits would keep them safe. The noise of Foxfire's Valkyrie crashing inside the bay was a raw metallic sound that overrode Rawley's stuttering engines, heard clearly through her broken canopy. She hoped Frank Arnold and Doctor Hernandez weren't anywhere close in the vast bay area, because he had no means to make a controlled landing. She simply zeroed her altitude control as soon as she managed to throttle down to a stop, and crashed straight into the deck plating.

Panting hard, she scrambled to get out of her Valkyrie, about to make a beeline towards Nix's downed fighter. "Isley's gone, so tell the Savi to get the fuck out of here!" she called after she'd torn off her helmet and thrown it away, and leaped down unto the deck. She could see the boarding team's distant figures on the deck behind her Valkyrie, but Doctor Hernandez was already running towards them with his medkit. Rawley had no idea what was going on with the drone, but she was not going to loose two squadmates that day.


OOC: If someone can contact the Savi, I'll post with the Voice next. The 7 day deadline begins now, an boy this was fun.  (laugh)
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Fife on January 21, 2021, 04:31:27 PM
[ Ensign Isel “Foxfire” Nix (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Isel_Nix) | Fighter Escort 02 | Andor’s Orbit ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @uytrereee @Number6
[Show/Hide]

”Fuck fuck fuck! C’mon! C’mon!!” Isel snarled the words through gritted teeth as she tried to coax more speed from her Valkyrie. Isley had just been blown to pieces, his last words lost to the void of death before they even left his mouth. Now she and Rawley were under fire as they made a mad dash back to the Erudite, Rawley dragging the away team along in her tractor beam.

”Computer, reroute power form cockpit life support, weapons and all auxiliary systems to aft shields and propulsion and get this fucking tin can moving!” Isel barked out the order, sparing a glance out of the Valkyrie’s canopy to check on Rawley and the away team, the latter being horribly exposed in their current situation.

[Foxfire, incoming!]

Isel didn’t even have time to release the stream of curses which was welling up inside her before she felt the impact, alarms blaring all around her in the Valkyrie’s cockpit. The canopy was breached, Isel’s limbs being pulled away form the controls as the air around her was sucked into the void, though she couldn’t see where the breach was as the fighter spun out of control. One of her restraints must have failed, because the brief vacuum, as well as the continued motion, caused the left shoulder of her suit to lift away from her jump seat, making it yet more difficult for the Vulpinian to try and manage the controls. A display on her left overloaded, a bust of sparks and flames erupting for the briefest moment before being snuffed out by the vacuum.

[Fuck! Nix, you okay? Give me your status! Can you make it?]

Isel yelled a half-assed status report, though judging by the state of her comms display she doubted much of it got through to Ghost. Not that Isel had time to worry about status reports, Ghost, or the away team as she frantically tried to regain function of the out of control fighter. Alarms continued to blare inside her helmet, adding confusion to the already muddled Vulpinian’s thoughts as she fought to focus through the loss of inertial dampeners. Her head swam from the spinning of the Valkyrie, the speed of the motion threatening to plunge her into unconsciousness, and Isel wished those fucking alarms would just shut the fuck up for even a moment so she could think.

”Computer, emergency eject!”

[Unab-zz to compl-zzz, syst--- comp--zied.]

Isel cursed again, desperately trying to focus her vision through the ever-increasing dizziness. ”Computer, activate ETS!” The Vulpinian was glad to have set the transport location to the Erudite before they launched. Unfortunately, this time the computer didn’t even manage a garbled reply, instead simply making a static-filled screeching noise inside her helmet.

Then, before Isel could attempt any other form of recovery or escape, the Erudite’s bay materialized into existence around her and Isel knew she was well and truly fucked. She felt the impact of her fighter on the bay floor, the sudden present of friction jarring her right shoulder painfully, even through the flight suit, and causing her flight helmet to slam into the canopy. Her Valkyrie had been moving at too high a speed for the impact to slow her enough to prevent what was coming next. Disoriented as Isel was, she knew the wall was coming. The screeching of metal filled her ears as the fighter ground it’s way along the bay floor, fire sprung up from the console to her left now that the fighter had entered a sustained atmosphere.

”SHIT!”

Isel felt a violent jolt as the Valkyrie’s wing buckled and caught underneath the wildly skidding fuselage, the wing acting as a wedge that caused the fighter to roll. If she hadn’t been utterly terrified, Isel might have made a joke about dogs doing tricks. Then everything stopped, the impact as her fighter slammed into the bulkhead making a horrific noise for the brief moment that Isel remained conscious.

Then everything went black.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on January 26, 2021, 03:55:01 AM
[ Lt. George Hernandez (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Medical_NPCs  [color=aqua) | Aerodrome | Erudite | Andorian Space ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife @uytrereee @Number6
[Show/Hide]


Much like when he had been stationed aboard the Black Opal, George Hernandez found himself unable to do anything as he sat and watched the mission unfold before him. He was not a pilot, nor a security officer and felt that he would have been nothing more than a burden for the away team aboard the Romulan vessel. Which, consequently, left him nothing to do but spectate as the mission hit one unforeseen issue after another. 

They had lost two so far. First the Klingon Valkra and then Isley as he tried to divert attention away from the drone and away team. Now, he was on the edge of his seat as she watched the screen. Everyone was returning now, with the Romulans revealing their presence as they fire on the Theurgy crew as they made their escape. Picking up his kit from beside him, the doctor made ready to assist those that would need it. 

The crunching sound of metal heralded his crewmates arrival, and he was jogging away from where Lieutenant Arnold had set himself up towards the away team as they lay sprawled on the deck. He could do little for the Android Vanya, that being more Arnold’s department than his own but he was certain that the two other women on the away team would need his help after the impact they had just suffered.

“Deputy, can you hear me?” he asked, reaching the Andorian first. He knelt down beside her and pulled out his tricorder before beginning his work.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on January 27, 2021, 11:33:57 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Fife @Auctor Lucan @Number6 @Augusteo 
[Show/Hide]

The momentary triumph of the return of the Jackrabbit, laden with the payload that spelled the success of their mission, winked out right about the time that other flights began to hit the deck. Not with a quiet whimper, but with a crash and a bang. Fire and smoke came shortly after the Valkyries carried the away team, less a member, onto the Aerodrome of the Erudite.

With spindly egg heads clambering about the Jackrabbit now, attaching an umbilical charging cable, more out of fear of a thalaron bomb destabilizing in a pattern buffer inside their mighty ship, than out of any altruism; Frank took off towards the Valkyries. They, and their pilots, were just as valuable, if not moreso than the Jackrabbit. Certainly the Theurgy's longetivity relied on the space fighters.

Frank only counted two fighters, and his already knotted stomach contorted further, twisted too tight like a circus acrobat. He'd not been back to his display yet, and the comm chatter had been washed out by the pounding well of adrenaline in his ears. With him he carried his wrist extinguisher at least, his toolbelt jangling like santa's sleigh as he carried towards the downed crew members.  His fear was confirmed as he heard the matter of fact assessment from one of the two pilots called out, Ghost, he believed. 'Isley's gone, so tell the Savi to get the fuck out of here!'

He slapped the combadge upon his chest far harder than he needed to. He'd not been aboard Theurgy that long, he certainly didn't know Isley or Valkra personally, and even during the course of this mission they'd only had cursory contact outside of briefing. But they were part of his team, not the team, his team. He was ultimately responsible for returning his away team whole, and two members of the Crew would not be returning today. Whether or not their demise was avoidable, through a better plan, better luck, better performance on his own part really couldn't ever be known, but it would be something Frank would ruminate on from now until the end of time. He spoke into the channel they'd established with the Savi, "Our mission is complete, a quick exit is in order before we cause any more commotion, the Andorians are unlikely to have missed the disruptor fire."

Those dark imaginings however had to be shaken out of his head as he drew upon the chaos surrounding the spacecraft. He looked between the Valkyries, glowing with incipient fires, and his first instinct was to rush to extinguish such things, but the sight of Vanya there, her dermal layers having suffered considerable damage with exposure to the vacuum of space, stopped him mid stride. The doctor, Hernandez, he could help the others, but Frank was the only technician aboard.

He slid to his knees, and produced his tricorder starting to scan, but Frank also did something very human in that moment, in his massive mitt, he took Vanya's left hand, giving it a squeeze. He doubted if she could hear him, it had been a hell of a ride, but he spoke anyway, more for him than for her. "Lieutenant, Lieutenant Vanya! " The vacuum of space was unkind to moisture, to volatile organics, to trapped gases, between temperature and pressure, basically everything a person was made of was torn and tortured after an exposure. Vanya's machine nature, did not change the severity of being spaced.

He began to scan her, speaking out loud, "It appears your dermal layers have suffered some damage, as well as your ocular equipment, sensory processing, and...auditory equipment, so I am talking to myself." He'd start with her eyes, trying to gently open one of her lids if it were closed, doing his best with regenerative pulses from his ultrasonic prep device to clear her eyes of the harsh frost and incipient oxidation that would cloud her view. Once he'd gotten those somewhat clear, he'd try and position himself to be over her, but his face clearly in view of her. Throughout all this, he still wore a thin smile, and he'd say slowly, and clearly, "Lieutenant, I know you are currently deaf, but can you understand me? Squeeze my hand if you can." He'd wait a few moments after replacing his hand into hers, "I'm going to do my best to get you fixed up, at least on your feet. I don't know all of what's been affected yet, and I'm not going to go under the hood on the deck."

With time, more Savi begrudgingly aided in extinguishing the small fires that plagued the hulls of the Valkyries, with only their self interests at heart, but for the moment Frank had forgotten the machines, for now he needed to deal with the manpower. He'd call out, "Doctor, how's everybody doing?!"
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on February 07, 2021, 09:08:29 PM
[ Lieutenant Vanya| Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Fife @Auctor Lucan @uytrereee @Augusteo

One of Vanya’s flaws, such as they were was that her mind used to run away with itself.    She would become lost and “day dream”.   She had long learned to control this habit, however, as she floated alone in the starry void, sightless and soundless, a myriad of possibilities played ou9t in her sensor depriviation.  

She imagined waking up in a Starfleet lab, her identiy verified from the Cayuga, and her transfer to the Theurgy unearthed, then every single secret ripped from her brain, or worse, being repurposed to find a way back to the crew and promptly betray them all, including Nat.   A pang of regret filled Vanya’s heart.  

Perhaps she would simply float there for hundreds, possibly thousands of years, discovered  by whatever beings had survived the conflict that was carving up the galaxy today    Before she could lose herself n either reality, she became aware of something different.   She was feeling pressure again, So she wasn’t going to wake up in some far future, put she could be on the Romulan, or Federation decks.   Again, neither side filled her with hope.  

Recognising that she was within a vacuum, she brought her emergency sensors online.   Unfortunately they too, were severely damaged.   Her auditory sensors were already blown out, but her optical systems were pnly functioning at 14.7 percent.   If it wasn’t for the ice over her eyes she’d be able to recognise nearby faces, but not much else.  

As the icy veil  started to clear from her eyes – far quicker than normal melting, which meant someone wanted her to see.   So she wasn’t being thrown into a disposal unit or a locker until they could go home and rebuild her.    In fact, she registered that her eyes were being repaired by ultrasonic pulses.   By the time her vision returned, her capacity was at 33 percent, and she registered that she was safely aboard the Erudite, and looking down at her was Frank Arnold.   The human was a welcome sight for what remained of Vanya’s optical processing unit.  

The servo’s in her arm were shot, but she managed the faintest of squeezes in her hand.    She had several links that needed to be patched up, and she’d need a few days for her skin to grow back, or possibly a sold 4 hours  with a dermal regenerator.  Perhaps this mission might soon be behind them…




Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on February 19, 2021, 10:53:32 PM
[ Echtand qi Versant | Bridge Module | The Erudite
[Show/Hide]
Seated in the command chair on the bridge, Echtand qi Versant was observing the development on the large viewscreen; how the Theurgy crew fared in their efforts to prevent further incitement of war. This, meanwhile it was too late for the Flotilla, in which the Antecendents fought the Scions and those still following the falsified Code. Seated there, the Voice could only give the Romulan ships and the initial reactions from Andor a cursory glance, since his thoughts were mainly upon his own many battlefronts, which were seen on yet other screens in front of him, where rebel commanders in all four Quadrants reported on the development.

When one of his bridge officers patched through the words of one of the specimens in the Edudite's main research vessel bay, it served as a momentary distraction. The voice was male, and loud noises from the bay area filtered through the static. [Our mission is complete, a quick exit is in order before we cause any more commotion, the Andorians are unlikely to have missed the disruptor fire.]

Reaching for the data tablet on his wrist, Echtand summoned a feed showing the bay, and frowned when he saw the crashed warp fighters and the running people. "This is the Voice. Acknowledged," was all that he said to the one named Arnold, and then glanced towards the helm station, giving a nod. It didn't take long until a pre-determined course was set, and the reactors were powered up - the massive Precept-class ship going to warp.

As an afterthought, he turned to the lead officer representing the bio labs and the subset medical branch. "Offer them medical attention," he said quietly, and when some of the present Antes stirred, he added, "The Old Code states that when a rare accord is made outside the Flotilla, and it doesn't threaten the integrity of the Archive, we must offer emergency relief."

"It is stated," came he answer from the bridge, and they did the Voice's bidding.

[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Rawley,_callsign_%22Ghost%22) | Main Vessel Bay | Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]
Running, leaping across the debris and flames left in the wake of Nix's Valkyrie, Rawley's bloodied lips were drawn back in a steady stream of silent curses.

Breathing hard through her clenched teeth, having crashed her Valkyrie as well, she was stumbling, falling, but getting up once more so that she might reach her wingmate. She saw dark-clad Savi moving there as well, carrying devices she would assume to be the equivalent of fire extinguishers. She saw, through the smoke and fires, that the warp fighter was lying upside down, which made her curse louder whilst closing the distance.

Once she got to the side of the Valkyrie, it was impossible to get inside the cockpit. She could just see the outline of Foxfire's white exosuit - splattered with blood. "Fuck! Don't this bloody bay have any tractor beams?" she demanded from the Antecedents behind her, but didn't wait for a reply. She seized the splintered edge of the canopy and tried, using the artificial muscle servos of her exosuit, to turn the warp fighter over a bit. It barely budged, a few inches of access gained at the most. She screamed through her bloodied teeth and tried again, but to no avail.

Finally, the Savi caught on, and the Valkyrie was bathed in blue light. The fuselage groaned while it slowly levitated from the damaged deck plating, and Rawley quickly reached into the cockpit to try and free Nix from her seat. The electronic release was busted, so she reached further to get to the manual safety release, which finally allowed the Lone Wolf to drop down. Rawley was there, catching her, and pulled her free from the Valkyrie.

"Medic!" she barked in anger, but Hernandez was on the other side of the vast bay area. Luckily, one of he Savi answered her.

"Be calm," she said with her alien tone, and the tall, female Antecedent actually reached out to put a three-fingered hand on her exosuit's shoulder. "We will treat you both. Transporter sequence initiated."

"Fine, but oh, just you dare do something more than tha-"

And both the Lone Wolves vanished from the Aerodrome.

[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Main Vessel Bay | Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]

"Deputy, can you hear me?"

Discombobulated, Ida heard the voice through her cracked visor, but her suit no longer carried the sound through her helmet's ear-pieces. As if underwater, she picked up other sounds as well. Running feet. Shouting. Other voices, not too far away. By Lor'Vela, everything hurt, but she was alive. Groaning into her silenced helmet, she spoke in answer, but it was likely unheard since the helmet had short circ'd. "Aye..."

The light from the medical tricorder was distorted through the cracks in front of her eyes, which made her flinch and wave away the attention she was receiving. She reached for her neck and released the pressure seal of her helmet. Slowly, she sat up and pulled it off, feeling her white hair snag when it tumbled free, the bun undone. She stretched her antennae, and turned her scowl towards the Doctor. "I'm fine."

"I'm reading multiple contusions an-"

"I said I am fine, pinkskin." She nodded towards Donna instead, who laid lifeless on the deck of the Aerodrome. "Check on Lieutenant Petterson."

Hernandez moved away, thankfully, and Ida remained sitting, looking around herself. She saw the drone being seen to, carrying the thalaron bomb in its pattern buffer, and two of the Valkyries. It was hard to digest what she'd seen from within the grip of the tractor beam - how Isley's Valkyrie had been destroyed. "Shelat..." she murmured, shaking her head, for looking at the state of the two remaining warp fighters, she knew that Isley wasn't the only Lone Wolf they might have lost.

"Doctor, how's everybody doing?!" It was Frank Arnold.

"I believe Lieutenant Petterson needs medical attention," came the answer, "I can't get the suit off her and her bio readings are masked by it."

"Theurgy crew," said a male Savi that had joined them, black eyes blinking against the firelight, "two of your officers are already in our medical care, being seen to. We can treat this specimen as well."

Ida turned her glare towards the speaker, wondering if Savi doctors was a good idea given her own experiences, but she took a deep breath, and decided to forego her bias. She glanced towards Vanya as well, seeing how the android's Romulan meat sleeve needed treatment too. "Our gratitude.... Doctor, I think you should accompany them. They need a known face when they wake up."

Hernandez nodded, so when the word was given, the Savi typed something into his wrist tablet, and the Doctor, Vanya and Petterson vanished from the deck. Gingerly, Ida got on her feet, and as the streaming stars of warp travel could be seen outside the still-open bay doors, she walked over to Lieutenant Arnold. Frowning, more from the outcome than the pain, she brushed her white har back from her eyes. "Mission accomplished," she said quietly, thinking of those killed in action, "but at great cost."

A cost yet to be determined, the results of the Savi medical teams yet to be heard. Ida looked towards the drone. "Still, we got the bomb, and the... 'fireworks' ought to have drawn enough attention from planetary defences to intimidate the Romulans. Hopefully, they will have the sense to retreat from Andorian space before they are caught red-handed."

Deep down, she had wanted to side with her own species, destroyed that cloak emitter on the ship, to protect Andor. As an exile, however, loyal to her oaths to Starfleet and the protection of her crew, she hadn't. "My people may suspect Romulan presence because of what happened on Earth... but without confirmed sighting? I doubt they will act on it."

Looking out of the bay doors whilst they slowly closed, her addendum was unspoken.

By Lor'Vela, at least I hope so.


OOC: All right! @uytretree! Could you move the hands of time forward roughly 10 hours in your next post (Day 03, 0900 hrs.), during which the Theurgy crew has been getting medical attention and could recover? My suggestion is that Arnold has summoned all the crew that can stand on their feet to come down to the bay at that point? Go ahead and set the scene in the bay area, becase at that point, the Erudite will begin it's QSD jump back to Breen space and the Allegiant. Since they have been cut off from the Allegiant, they don't know what awaits them there. Speech opportunity? Either way you want to play it, I will chime in with my characters in answer, and if the rest is on their feet, they can reply as well. I’ll arrange for the QSD jump! :)

As soon as Zark's fate is set in Horns of a Dilemma, we can feature the Erudite being back to Breen to pick up the survivors on the Allegiant. After that, the next jump takes them back to Klingon space. Check the Advent of War Calendar (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Advent_of_War_Calendar) for more detail!

This post opens up for Supplemental threads in Chapter 05 on the Erudite, and the naming convention for these threads, set between 2200 hrs. on Day 2 (the end of the mission) to 0900 hrs. on Day 03 is CH05: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title. I will be writing a starter for Nix's and Rawley's medical treatment, but if more writers want in on that, just let me know!
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on February 26, 2021, 05:18:23 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Aerodrome | Aerodrome ] Attn:
[Show/Hide]

A flicker of life, that was all he got, a flicker. But a flicker of a flame, was a flame nonetheless. Vanya below him looked more machine than the woman she most often resembled at this point in time. While likely off-putting for most, it actually put Frank at ease. Machinery he understood, maybe not all of it, but he understood enough of the commonalities between systems to fumble through most days. People, people were a mystery, but machines, machines had instruction manuals, technical data sheets. If Frank could find the technical data sheet that described the proper birthday gift on a two year anniversary...well he'd probably have been married and never been on the Theurgy.

While Frank worked on Vanya, slowly the bay began to become more populated. Unbeknownst to Frank, by now the head dick in charge had extended to them the grace of medical aid. This materialized in the form of a number of spindly Savi, come to save the day. Eventually he was ushered away from Vanya by particularly insistent Savi, despite his protestations.

As he stepped away from her, and looked around the bay, all the details that had been lost in the adrenaline and the urgency, came rushing back into his field of view. The blinders were off, and Frank was overwhelmed to say the least. With hand to forehead, pinching the corner of his eyes, he said loud enough for anyone conscious to hear, anyone still on the deck at least "Anyone who can, get some rest, our journey doesn't end here." Frank made his way to his console, collected his PADD, and went to tuck himself away a while, to think, maybe to get an hour of kip, or maybe just to take a moment to freak out, he'd never tell.

 
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Aerodrome | Aerodrome  - Approximately 10 hours later...]

By now, he'd written up his report of the away mission, emphasizing the valiant sacrifices of his team, both those who had come back, and those who hadn't. Once he'd done his log, he'd tried to sleep, but his PADD kept calling. Eventually he found himself slowly thumbing through the service records of each of the members of his away team. He'd done this before he left the Allegiant too, after his game of operation, after Jaya had dozed off. Through this exercise he was looking for something, hope? The right words to say? Maybe just a silver lining? Whether or not he'd found what he needed, was left to be seen.

At the tenth hour, Frank stood front and center in the Aerodrome. Through all his musings, he hadn't figured out what to say, only that he knew that he had to say something, at least he thought he did. He'd never pretended to be good at this, and his head continued to spin around why the Captain had picked him to lead this mission when he was obviously less qualified than he should have been. Wracked with self doubt, Frank stood in front of the assembled shambling remains of his away team. It felt smaller, because it was smaller, but in that moment he tried not to focus on that. The Jackrabbit kept catching his eye as people gathered, scarred, and beaten, but not broken. She'd fly again, and so would this little crew.

He stood silent for what was an awkward length of time in front of his little team, hands clasped in front of him. The knot in his stomach wouldn't go away, but this wasn't going to do itself either. His uniform hung half open at the front, looking as tired as he felt. He took a single deep breath, and enjoyed the cool that came over him as he exhaled just as deeply. One more breath, and he spoke, in a low and deep tone, loud enough to be heard in the intimate setting, but no louder.

"I've been wracking my brain trying to find something profound to say. All I've found is that I'm just not that profound it seems." He rolled his shoulders, and continued, "The last fourteen hours have been some of the most difficult of my career, and no doubt yours as well. Some of the people that came on this adventure with us, are no longer with us. Some are still fighting for their lives. We're halfway across who-knows-where from our friends and crewmates, and we're looking pretty ragged I'll admit it." He chuckled gently, and offered, "But we've done everything asked of us and more today. It's a small consolation in the face of lost friends, but it's one we must focus on now."

He took a deep breath, "I wish I could say that we got to rest now, back home for tea and medals, but I can't. I wish I could say that one day a grateful galaxy will know what was done here, how this was a tipping point so valiantly pushed back, but I can't. Not today at least." He paused, "What I can say is, I'm proud of what we did here, and I hope you are too. Carry your grief, but forget not your pride, it will light you through these dark times. Keep the names of who we've lost right on the cusp of your lips." He stroked his chin, and then he just looked at them.

"Now any rational person would want to quit right about now. Deep in every one of us there's a little voice that nags at our lowest points, fills us with the fear of failure and the anticipation of defeat. I've heard it in these last ten hours, and I know you have too. He whispers sedition, that it would be easier, better, safer, cleaner, for you to just quit, to lay down and die, that we've done enough, given enough." He chuckled, in a place that seemed so out of place, "And he's right, each of you have given more than your fair share already, but all I have to say to that is, tough. Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." Maybe he just had to hear himself say it, just once.

"From here, we've got a few races ahead of us. We've no idea if the Allegiant has been successful in her mission, nor the Theurgy. We don't know if either or both are still even in service. What I do know is, if they've half the gumption of you, we're in proper good shape." He chuckled, and then took a deep breath, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." He nodded, "The man who said that stood on a cusp as perilous of our own. Beset by foe on all sides, alone, outmanned, outgunned, and seemingly without a prayer."

He gave a nod, "And they prevailed, so shall we." He looked about the group and offered, "Anyone had enough? I can ask the Savi to pull over at Risa." He waited a moment as if for them to speak, but expected no reply, "That's what I thought, let's go to work."
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on February 28, 2021, 10:17:45 PM
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Main Vessel Bay | Aerodrome | Erudite ]
Attn: @uytrereee @Stegro88 @BZ @Number6 @Fife @RyeTanker @DaValle 
[Show/Hide]
What the engineer spoke of was profound in content but made digestible with its of-the-cuff delivery, and it was the kind of speech that Deputy zh'Wann appreciated the most. The non-pretentious kind. Honest, and true.

"Well said, Lieutenant," said Ida with the ghost of a smile on her lips, and she glanced towards the others. She was about to say something more, but a holographic figure appeared in their midst.

It was the Voice.

[ Echtand qi Versant | Bridge Module | The Erudite
[Show/Hide]
Standing in front of the command chair on the Erudite's bridge, looking at the maelstrom of intel that showed up on different parts of the viewscreen, Echtand qi Versant was keeping himself appraised of the development in the Savi Flotilla's rebellion against the Scions. He noticed the success of the guerrilla warfare that his fleet's Initiator fighter pilots were conducting against the larger vessels that were still loyal to the Scion High Council, and also the insurrections of Antecendents on others. New rebels, that had come to learn about the False Code and how they had been manipulated their whole lives to serve the Scions in their despotic ambitions. Standing here, Echtand saw messages from the Commanding Officers of yet other ships, whom reported fleet movements in all four Quadrants - outlining the moving frontlines of the civil war. The Voice watched it all, his black eyes moving between each new update, in wait for the word that it was time to set a new course.

"How much longer?" he asked quietly, and the closest bridge officer raised his wrist tablet to give him the answer - the numbers showing up in front of him on the viewscreen as well. Two minutes and thirty-six seconds...

Echtand took a deep breath, and raising his own wrist tablet, he sought out Lieutenant Arnold's location and projected his appearance as a hologram in the Main Research Vessel bay, in which the majority of the present Theurgy crew had gathered as far as a cursory glance around the holographic spectres in front of himself suggested. He pursed his thin lips to speak. "This is the Voice. Quantum slipstream jump imminent. We will be in Breen space in one hour. You will be notified when - and if - we make contact with the vessel you denominate 'Alllegiant'."

After almost terminating the transmission, Echtand realised that he had espied something consequential for the Starfleet officers, which they might have interest in. So, as if an afterthought, he continued.

"Andorian transmissions in the sector indicate that in order to keep the peace among civilians, the defences of Andor have publicly stated that a military exercise was conducted in the area in which you undertook your mission." Echtand rolled his shoulders and added his personal reflections based on his experience with the Federation as a whole, which was more extensive than most Antecendents in his rebel fleet. "No doubt unofficial investigations continue, but given the lack of further strife, and with no Romulan ships on the Erudite's long range sensors, no more consequences have come of your mission. It would seem the Romulan ships retreated from Andorian space, either heading for the RNZ or some other target. My condolences on your losses, but at least those who made it back aboard the Erudite will live. My gratitude for cooperating with our medical scientists and giving them the benefit of the doubt... given past experiences you may have had with us. As for the thalaron buffer pattern you retrieved, we have neutralised it safely, and your... drone will soon be fully operational. Echtand, out."

Not having time for further discussion with the specimens, seeing how more intel from his rebel fleet was coming in, he terminated the transmission and returned his attention to the viewscreen - silently issuing new deployment orders with his wrist tablet all across the Galaxy. When the timer he'd asked for reached zero, he gave the order.

"Lay in a course for the Beta Epsilon-Venturi System, planet Breen. Power up the ZPE reactors and initiate quantum slipstream jump. Execute."

And the cloaked Savi dreadnought's gravitic displacement engines came alive, turning it towards its new destination. Once the qunatum slipsteam initiators were engaged, the Erudite left Federation space behind.


MEANWHILE | HALL OF HEROES | BREEN CONFEDERACY


When Jennifer Dewitt had come to, she'd been in a dark room, chained to the floor by the wrists, and with figures surrounding her in the darkness. Suited figures, spouting screeching questions distorted by the helmets they wore. Breen military officers, rank unknown, and the universal translator the only means in which she'd been able to answer them - defying the skull-splitting headache he had after the blow she'd took aboard the patrol ship.

Soon enough, her voice had become hoarse, and she had no way to telling if the Breen were listening or even caring what she was telling them. At the top of her lungs, for over an hour, she'd given them the truth, only making sure to omit the most damnable facts that could turn them against the Federation as a whole just because a Starfleet ship had been present. Well, two, counting the Allegiant, but she had no way of knowing if her small crew had managed to stay cloaked and stayed safe. She was in no position to ask either, knowing that protecting them openly when they had managed to get away wasn't something that helped her case.

Eventually, having recieved punches and kicks from her interrogators, and professed the truth for what felt like the hundredth time, one of the Breen stepped up to her, hooked a new chain to the ones wound tightly around her wrists, and promptly dragged her out of the dark room. She stumbled along, and when the door opened, she was momentarily blinded by the glaring light outside the interrogation room. She found herself being led down a winding corridor, which ended in tall double doors. They swung open for her and the security detail of armed Breen soldiers that led her on... and Jennifer found herself in an immense chamber with a pyramid ceiling.

It was the Hall of Heroes, no doubt, and lining the chamber were representatives from the entire Breen Confederacy, Thots representing whatever districts of systems they belonged to, she reckoned, and at the focal point of the room... a Breen with an overly ornate refrigeration suit. The leader of the Confederacy? The Domo? She could but assume so. She was dragged in front of him. Her? Either way, she wasn't alone, because standing there was another individual in a Starfleet uniform. Someone Dewitt recognised from a personnel file on the Allegiant. Captain Bellum, of the Eirene...

Since she didn't know if he was one of the Infested, she had no idea what to expect.

"I don't know this officer," Bellum said, turning back towards the Domo and gesturing towards her. "She does not belong to my crew, but there were more than her in that basement of the Embassy which were no officers of mine. The survivors reported sighting an injured Andorian, and two other male officers in exosuits. They also saw a dead Trill down there. So, my crew were not responsible for what you found in the Embassy, but I cannot speak for the involvement of this person."

Rather than professing her innocence, Jennifer thought of the Trill mentioned.

Zaryn Arn... she realised, eyes momentarily widened. She could but hope the rest of the away team were safe. She kept calm, and once she reached Captain Bellum's side, she tried to stand tall, defying the pain in her face and in her body, bruised and battered as she was. She had difficulty seeing with one eye, but nonetheless stared at the Domo -  seated high above them.

"<Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Dewitt>," screeched the leader of the Breen Confederacy - the electric sounds of that ornate helmet translated in real time. "<Is what you have professed the truth?>"

"Aye," she said, swallowing, but she stood her ground, not looking at Captain Bellum next to her. Had they really listened, despite the abuse she'd suffered? She cleared her throat, talking more loudly. "It is. There is only one way of knowing, and I have told you what you need to do in order to verify what I've said. On my oath as a Starfleet officer, I swear it is the truth."

Her words were met with silence, and she could feel the eyes of Captain Bellum on her, and he no doubt wondered what she was talking about. He said nothing, however, given present company. It was not his place, standing as they were below the Thots of the entire Confederacy. Eventually, however, the Domo raised a hand.

All around the large chamber, the doors opened, and some kind of technological devices were rolled in. Moreover, the vents along the ceiling began to hiss as well. Knowing what was happening, Jennifer turned towards Captain Bellum and backed away from him, waiting for it...

But Bellum, he merely seemed perplexed, unknowing what was happening in the chamber. There was no sign of him reacting otherwise.

Yet close to the Domo... one of the Thots screeched - the helmet distorting the vocal pain. Like a ripple effect, the Breen took their distance as the Thot began to flail and thrash. He tore off his helmet, and Jennifer could see a face there. A bronze face... twisted in torment. Chartreuse eyes wide and teeth bared, it clutched its torso in pain. Jennifer might have known what was happening, but it was nonetheless the first time she'd witnessed the effect it would have on them.

In short order, the Infested toppled over, his insides phase-fused with his parasite.

Both dead.

Shocked, Jennifer remembered what Doctor Nicander said in his witness account, that he'd been seeing through a visor in his vision. Of course it hadn't been Bellum or the Ambassador. It had been one of the Breen he'd visited when using his farsight.

"<You may go,>" said the Domo after some time spent looking on the prone Thot, turning to Captain Bellum. "<Return to your ship and set a course back from whence you came. The Eirene will be escorted to the border of Breen space, and the Confederacy today sever all diplomatic ties with the Federation. Our border is hereby closed, and any approach by Starfleet vessels is hereby considered an act of aggression... and Breen will answer in kind.>"

As if slapped in the face, unsure what had actually just transpired, Captain Bellum looked at the Domo, then at Dewitt... "What is the meaning of this? I have lost crew, and I have no answers. We..." Then, trailing off, the Captain resigned himself to the fact he had nothing to barter with. Eventually, he tapped his combadge. "Bellum to Eirene. One to beam up."

Jennifer had mixed feelings about what had happened, thinking of missed opportunities and risks, before the Domo addressed her again.

"<Since they brought the explosive, there might be others on that starship, and given what almost happened here today.... the Confederacy will not risk further Starfleet presence while we purge our ranks from this new threat - scorching our halls with these anyon particles.>"

Dewitt raised her chin, and as much as she felt like collapsing on the floor in the knowledge that she had made her interrogators listen... she stood tall. She took another breath and wet her broken lips. "Does that include me?" she asked, clenching her jaw.

The Domo had in answer ready, and did not wait long before he gave it.


1 HOUR LATER | 1000 HRS. | OUTSKIRTS OF THE SYSTEM | USS ALLEGIANT


In hiding, the cloaked Manta-class scoutship bid its time while the injured recovered, waiting for a sign of life from their lost Captain or the potential return of the Erudite - neither of which were guaranteed.

Without options, cut off from communications and with no allies for hundreds of light years, the remaining officers in the away team had no recourse but to wait, in hope for a sign of what would be the ideal option for them. It could be, if they made no contact, that the only option was to begin the long, long voyage out of Breen space. With weeks and months of travel ahead, they could merely hope to access a Federation relay network in order to get their subspace communications reaching a friendly ear.

It had been almost three hours in limbo since the orbital strike next to the Embassy, and the extraction of the remaining away team. Too short of a time to make a definitive call on what to do next, and too long to not feel the vast extent of doubts creeping in.

Alone, in silence...

...until a chirp was heard on the bridge.

[USS Allegiant, this is the Voice,] said the Savi rebel leader on the screen, standing there in his black body suit and even blacker eyes. [The Erudite has returned to Breen space. We are currently orbiting the planet. I believe your mission in Andorian space must be deemed successful, and the majority of the away team survived. Do you require extraction?]

In twelve hours, the Erudite would be ready to return to the Theurgy with a final quantum slipstream jump. Before then, the fate of Captain Dewitt remained unknown, just like the potential retaliation of the Breen Confederacy.

Decisions needed to be made, and soon enough, the crew of the Allegiant were able to trade words with Frank Arnold's half of the away team.


OOC: Since @uytrereee just posted, the 7 day deadline begin for all other writers, which can both cover reactions to Arnold's speech (if your character was recovered enough and present on the Erudite for that), the 1 hour QSD flight to Breen, and the arrival. The remaining crew of the Allegiant have the above segment to react to, and just like it was stated, decisions needs to be made for the 12 hours ahead. When that time is up, the Erudite is ready to return to the Theurgy in Klingon space.

Tentatively (In-Character decisions pending), this post opens up for Supplemental Threads belonging to Chapter 05, and the naming convention of those threads is CH05: S [DXX|YYYY] Insert Title.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Fife on March 05, 2021, 05:55:08 PM
[ Ensign Isel “Foxfire” Nix (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Isel_Nix) | Aerodrome | The Erudite ] Attn:
[Show/Hide]

Isel was far from 100%.

She felt like shit, was still sore despite the painkillers, and was still wracked with dizzy spells, though the Savi medical staff assured her that those would be controlled once the medications built up to a proper therapeutic level in her system. Even so, Isel managed to limp and wobble her way to the Erudite’s aerodrome, where their mission commander had asked everyone who was able to assemble. Isel probably shouldn’t have attended, but quite frankly she wanted to get out of the medical wing even for a few minutes.

And so it was that she found herself standing on the edge of the small group who had gathered around Lieutenant Arnold and the gold shirted officer made his speech. Isel swayed slightly as she tried to focus on what was being said, unsteady on her feet and finding it hard to concentrate on Arnold’s words. She glanced around at the group of surviving officers, their number a few less than when they had set out on the mission.

Arnold wrapped up his little speech and Lieutenant zh’Wann give him a “well said”, though Isel hadn’t been able to focus enough to agree or disagree with the Andorian. Isel had been about to turn and wobble her way back to the medical wing when a new figure appeared among them, the Voice of the Savi. The sudden appearance of the hologram caused Isel to stagger back a pace or two, surprise and unsteadiness making for an unfortunate mix. She blinked and tried to focus her mismatched eyes on the Savi, and was mildly successful in the endeavour. The Voice informed them that a Quantum slipstream jump was imminent, and that they would be arriving in Breen space in approximately an hour.

”Oh joy…” Isel murmured to herself, wondering if she’d have any negative effects following the slipstream jump. She almost fell ass-over-teakettle earlier just trying to get off the biobed, and while she’d noticed a slight improvement in the hours since, she wasn’t sure what sort of reaction she’d have to the jump. She could end up on her ass on the deck. Or she could end up yakking all over one of the Savi orderlies. In her rather dazed state, she giggled softly at the notion.

The Voice was still talking, and Isel had missed about half of what he’d said, only tuning her attention in once she realized he had kept going. Something about the Andorians and Romulans and whatnot. Apparently their drone would be fully operational soon as well. Isel doubted the same could be said for her fighter, if it was in half as rough shape as she was.

The speeches done, Isel turned and began to head back to the medical wing to get some more sleep, trying to keep her progress in as straight a line as possible. She had exited the aerodrome and paused in the corridor, placing her hand against the wall to compensate for another wave of dizziness when they Erudite’s Quantum slipstream drive engaged.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on March 09, 2021, 03:36:54 AM
[ T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Breen Space ]
[Show/Hide]


She had tried to meditate several times after Ensign Thorne had announced their arrival to where she felt comfortable with them waiting. With the Reman cloak restored, they were undetectable so long as they avoided the planet’s atmosphere. They had been tracked by the disturbances left in their wake and T’Less was not about to let that happen again. The real question was what were they going to do now?

The recent events hard further eroded her emotional control, leaving the Vulcan clutching at her mind to maintain herself. She had clawed some of it back when Zark’s surgery had gone well and Lorad had regained consciousness without any serious issues but that still left several issues to be resolved. Chief among them was what they were going to do about Commander Dewitt and her being held by the Breen. The Commander’s orders had been very clear; do not attempt a rescue. The only way for T’Less to get around those orders were to speak with someone that ranked higher than the Terran female and receive new orders. Unfortunately, despite her earlier, emotionally driven words, she could contact the Theurgy until the Erudite returned.

That raised another issue, who had seniority of command? Dewitt had passed command of the Allegiant to T’Less but Lieutenant Arnold was in command of the away mission to Andoria. The Vulcan had an earlier commissioning date for the rank of Lieutenant than any of them aboard but her sojourn away from Starfleet after the war complicated matters if based on time-in-rank service. And all her thoughts about rescuing her commanding officer, against orders, and logic, were based on the premise that Commander Dewitt was still alive.

CHIRP! Glancing down at her console, T’Less identified the incoming hail as from the Erudite and immediately responded.

[USS Allegiant, this is the Voice,] said the Savi rebel leader on the screen, standing there in his black body suit and even blacker eyes. [The Erudite has returned to Breen space. We are currently orbiting the planet. I believe your mission in Andorian space must be deemed successful, and the majority of the away team survived. Do you require extraction?]

“We do, please transmit coordinates for a rendezvous,” T’Less requested politely. “There is much we need to discuss.” The Erudite’s sensors, being far superior to the Allegiant’s, would hopefully be able to tell them Dewitt’s status and location. After that, they would all need to meet and decide amongst themselves or attempt to contact the Theurgy for further instructions. They had a minimum of 12 hours until the Savi’s ship’s drive was recharged. 

They had time.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on March 12, 2021, 04:11:38 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Aerodrome | Erudite ] Attn: @Stegro88 @BZ @Augusteo @Auctor Lucan @Fife @Number6
[Show/Hide]

The trip to Breen space had been, for an observer, almost instantaneous. Their ragged away team, held together by medical knowhow and a strong will carried back to their compatriots, who unknown to them, were in just about as rough of a shape. Their team was two members lighter, their personal crafts ripped from tip to toe, and to show for it, they had a Thalaron Bomb, now inactive, ominously sat aboard the aerodrome deck of the Erudite, like the 800lb gorilla in the room, just begging the question.

He'd returned from the medical wing some hours ago, and now as he studied the monstrous machination, 'We should shoot it into the nearest star' was what came to Frank's mind as he watched the Voice come alive on the view monitor graciously provided to them. Once the Erudite had made contact with the Allegiant, Frank had begun packing, and had asked the other able members of the away team to do the same. They'd need to transfer the fighters and the drone, as well as the bomb.

His first priority of course, was the transfer of his after action report, many sacrifices had been made in orbit of Andor, even if it was just a crew of blackballed traitors, they deserved to know what happened to preserve the fragile peace in the galaxy.

It was these events that led to Frank standing in the Aerodrome, awaiting patiently the arrival of the Allegiant on the deck, hopefully piloted by Jaya Thorne, who if she could would no doubt wave to him through the front viewer as he stood and waved to the craft, hands clasped with the other members of the away team, awaiting it to touch down. He found himself strangely excited to see Jaya again, to hear her version of the events on Breen. Once they'd been able to make comms contact, Frank had comm'd in with the acting commander T'Less, following up on the Voice's comments of success to fill her in on the mission.

He'd spent the time mulling over what they could possibly need to discuss, a complication no doubt in the Breen mission, which was in of itself wrought with possible complications.

Over these same airwaves he'd offer lightly now, "Just ease her in now Ensign, nice and gentle. You're a sight for tired eyes today." Once the Allegiant had set down with a satisfying thud and click of the locking shoes onto the deck, Frank would look to his assembled team, "Alright everyone, gather your things, get them aboard the airlock, no doubt your bunks have been raided." He laughed gently, throwing his own seabag over his shoulder, to head to the airlock.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on March 15, 2021, 12:47:44 PM
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Rawley,_callsign_%22Ghost%22) | Main Vessel Bay | Aerodrome | Erudite ]
Attn: @BZ @Stegro88 @uytrereee @DaValle @RyeTanker @Fife @Number6
[Show/Hide]
Having spent the night in that medical area of the Erudite, Rawley had donned her regular uniform for Arnold's previous speech, all the while throwing a worried glance or two in Foxfire's direction. When she left, she didn't follow her, knowing she needed to recover and cope with the personal fallout of the mission. Evelyn's exosuit was already packed, so one hour later, when the Allegiant entered the Aerodrome, she had her stuff ready to be carried back inside the scoutship. The other Andorian, besides Deputy zh'Wann, was taken aboard the Erudite for medical treatment.

As it were, however, there was a situation after the Breen mission. Besides those who had died - the Trill spy and the Ops officer - Dewitt was missing, having sacrificed herself so that the rest of the away team could get away from the patrol ships. It seemed the Reman cloak was't perfect, since just like in the Azure Nebula, a ship with the cloak still disturbed gasses and particles it passed through - thus alerting the Breen. The briefing had started out immediately, since Dewitt was missing, and Rawley dumped her things to the side in the airlock and kept listening to those remaining after the accomplished mission. Most, if not all, of the two teams were gathered, and the briefing about what had happened on both ends of their split mission took place. Arnold detailed what had happened over Andor's orbit, and T'Less explained what had happened in the basement of the Federation Embassy.

Shaken, Rawley might not have known much about what a Genesis Device was, but the Devore had deduced plenty when he defused it and safely destroyed the device afterwards. Evidently the device wouldn't just have destroyed the city down there on Breen, but levelled the entire planet, perhaps even kinda... imploding the star system in the process. Some kind of fucked up terraforming shit, and evidently it had historical connotations that would pin the device on the Federation.

In the end, despite the losses, it seemed the split away team had averted pulling both the Breen and the Andorians into armed conflicts, with enough bad blood in it to keep them fighting no matter what.

"Fucking hell," was all she could say to it all, shaking her head. "All in a bloody day's work."

[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Main Vessel Bay | Aerodrome | Erudite ]
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As one of the four present Lieutenants, Ida stood next to Arnold during the group debriefing, her arms folded underneath her chest and looking towards the deck in thought. It had been a detailed account on both fronts, but the question remained.

What about Commander Dewitt?

"The Savi need time before they can do another jump to the Theurgy, time in which we both have to explore our options and act on them. T'Less," she said, and raised her eyes to look at her friend in Tactical, whom had gotten the orders to not try and rescue Dewitt and instead take the away team to safety and back to the Theurgy. "What do you think motivated Dewitt to give you the order to leave her behind? Do you think she had a motive beyond trying to save the Allegiant from being destroyed by the Breen patrol ships?"

Asking this, she looked towards the rest. "Anyone have an idea? Personally, I wonder if she wanted to try and talk the Breen out of joining the war in case that Infested woman in the Embassy had succeeded. Perhaps she thought it best to keep the away team out of it not just to protect us, but to assume sole responsibility if some kind of bomb detonated. She didn't even know what kind of device the Infested had brought here. In any case, that's no longer required, with that Genesis Device dealt with. So, what's left is the protection of this away team, with the orders to return home and leave her here. That is, unless there is some other reason she gave the specific order to not be rescued. Either way, the question remain... if we follow that order, or take it upon ourselves to bring her back. I suppose the ramifications of that depends on what Dewitt might be achieving in her captivity, and if we would be interfering. Then again, if we don't make the attempt, we will have to live with leaving her behind... potentially being tortured, killed or sold off as a slave."

The Breen kept slaves, that much was well known.

Ida looked towards the present officers, to hear what they preferred to do, before they asked the Savi for any further favours.


OOC: All right! 7 days of posting begin now for everyone, and it's a matter stating whether your character A) Push for trying to save Dewitt or B) That they shouldn't, because she said so. Looking forward to your replies! @RyeTanker , if you prefer to have Zark conscious and somehow present for this meeting in the airlock, let me know!
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on March 16, 2021, 12:14:05 AM
|LT. Vanya  |Main Vessel Bay | Aerodrome | Erudite ]
Attn: @BZ  @Stegro88  @uytrereee  @DaValle  @RyeTanker  @Fife  @Auctor Lucan
While some parts of her were happy to be amongst Starfleet officers again, others were very worried indeed.  The news that gathered them together, and it didn’t take Vanya long to pick up on the grim mood 

Vanya listened very carefully, there was so much to assimilate.    A genesis device was something that was whispered about at the Academy.  Because it was forbidden technology, virtually nothing about it was known, other than its destructive power and the fact it was originally intended as an aide to terraforming.  As such, it had become almost as mythical as Pandora’s box, or Iconian gateways.  However, what was known is that  In its own way a genesis device was just as dangerous as a Thaleron weapon 

Of more import was the missing crew member.  Dewitt.  It was a difficult thing for her to consider, on one hand, the part of the Romulan android that was pure machine could see it as an exercise in numbers, cool hard and inescapable   

“She gave an order.”  Vanya said.  “Isn’t that the point of the Kobayashi Maru, to teach Starfleet officers that there is no such thing as a no win scenario?  Sometimes as Starfleet officers we have to give up our own lives if it means that we save as many other lives as possible.  We’ve already lost so many people, here and at Andoria.    We just don’t have the resources we would if we were part of Starfleet.”     

Vanya let the thought hang in the air.  She wasn’t completely sure that she believed it.  The other side of the issue.  She didn’t know Dewitt personally, but what if it was Nat that had made that call?  Right now Vanya may well be trying to steal a auxillary craft, or take over the whole damn ship to find her again. 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on March 16, 2021, 05:12:54 PM
[ Lieutenant T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Airlock | USS Allegiant | Breen Space ]
[Show/Hide]


The Vulcan’s recount of the events of their mission, both on the Allegiant and down on the planet itself, was as factual as the tactical officer could make it. She had had discussion with everyone present to consolidate what they knew into a single report that would be clearly understood by whomever read it. T’Less had tried her best to be sympathetic to the losses they had sustained but her training told her that now was not a time for emotional breakdowns. There was too much at stake if a more desirable and positive outcome was to be achieved before the Erudite’s systems were recharged enough to allow them to jump back to the Theurgy.

ThanIda’s familiar voice broke her recollection of her report and she listened more closely as the Andorian asked her opinion about why Commander Dewitt had done what she had done by surrendering to the Breen. Her words after that, had echoed several of the Vulcan’s own thoughts in regard to the Terran’s motivations for her actions and what they were going to do now about potentially recovering her.

“I cannot speak to Commander Dewitt’s motivations, only what I believe was the intent behind her actions. She wished for the mission to be successful, and, in the moment, surmised that the highest chance of that success was with her surrendering herself to the Breen. Given time to look back on the events of the mission, I cannot disagree with her course of action,” T’Less said, her voice even and curt as she came to a decision.

“Before we can begin planning any sort of rescue, even against orders, we must know the location of Commander Dewitt and, if possible, what her status is,” T’Less declared, crossing her arms. “If the Breen have executed her, then there is no mission to perform. I will go to the bridge to contact the Savi and ask them if they could use the Erudite’s sensors to attempt to locate the Commander. I doubt that there are many other Terran females within the system now that the embassy staff have been evicted.”



T’Less had left the airlock and returned to the bridge, heedless of anyone accompanying her after her pronouncement of what needed to be done. The chain of command was still in disarray, so she used that to her advantage to set events in motion. It was the logical course to take if her belief on their time restraints was accurate.

Allegiant to Erudite, Lieutenant T’Less requesting to speak with The Voice. I need to make a request for his assistance,” T’Less said politely over the channel. When the hail was accepted and a Savi face appear on the screen, the Vulcan continued. “I respectfully request to know how long it will take for the Erudite to be ready to jump again. I also request that you use your ship’s sensors to try and ascertain the location and status of Commander Dewitt.”
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: RyeTanker on March 17, 2021, 09:37:33 PM
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Somewhere in Erudite]

Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell felt awareness come back slowly, then it seemed to stop.  Her consciousness was attempting to bring her back to the world of the living, but it was running into a solid buffer that refused to let her waken fully.  It was almost like an out of body experience, except with no vision whatsoever.  Her ears weren’t working to well either.  She could hear voices and noises, but it was like they were being filtered through a pane of glass, muffled and distorted.  Her shapely brows would have knotted if she’d had control over them, but that wasn’t the immediate problem she had.  Thoughts began to form in her head at a syrupy pace. What were they saying about me?  Where am I?

“…frankly surprised she’s still alive after all the trauma she’s taken. Her insides look like Swiss Cheese…….It’s a human food with lots of holes in it.” That voice is familiar….was it Doctor…….Hernandez?

”I see.  The comparison is apt.  My people have not seen such damage to an organism in many many of your years.  The work is crude but effective.” That voice is very strange, it sounds like a…..Savi?

”She is in critical, but not life threatening condition Doctor Hernandez.  I will begin immediately to repair the damage.  She will be whole when I am done, but in some pain from the recovery.  It will take 3 to 4 of your hours.”

“I’ll keep an eye on the biomonitor.  You hang in there Lt. Zark, we’ll have you fixed up in no time.”

Thanks Doc With anesthesia rolling into her veins, the corners of Lt. Zark’s mouth tried to pull back into a little grin as unconsciousness took her again.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: uytrereee on March 20, 2021, 05:01:43 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Airlock | USS Allegiant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Number6
[Show/Hide]

Frank had hoped that by now, back on the Allegiant, perhaps they'd get some good news. Their mission on Andoria had left him beleaguered, and the time afterwards licking their wounds, hadn't done anything to lift his spirits. Now back on the Allegiant, or at least in the airlock, things were equally as dire, Jen was not with the ship. Either missing in action, presumed dead or irretrievable. The news had almost flattened him, perhaps among the four gathered Lieutenants, Arnold and Dewitt might have had the longest relationship, and if he had to guess, certainly the most personal. The prospect of another loss today, turned his stomach.

He stood next to Ida, close but not shoulder to shoulder. These last events had hardened Frank's exterior, but for some reason he felt a previously unknown closeness to both ThanIda, and the rest of the crew that had joined him on their away mission. He wasn't bubbly, or his animations laden with chuckles, he was plain spoken. Perhaps it was fatigue, grief, Frank couldn't put a finger on why his first words after the briefing were, "We're not leaving her here" but they were.

He took a breath, and offered, "It's irrational, unreasonable, and almost foolhardy to think we'll be able to just get J...Commander Dewitt back, but I think we've all had enough of leaving friends behind for today." He gave a slow nod, "I served with Commander Dewitt during the Dominion War. She's always had a streak of pragmatism that overrode self preservation." He rolled his shoulders, and offered, "She's ordered us to leave, but she can court martial us when we get her back. I can't put together who the ranking officer is among us, but it's safe to say one of us is now. The authority to guide command decisions on this mission with information as it exists from our point of view, is ours. Has been since Commander Dewitt went missing in action."

He rolled his shoulders and took a breath, "It is my interpretation that we have an obligation to confirm Commander Dewitt's fate, and if she is alive, make every attempt to return to the Theurgy with her without extending our time here beyond the time it takes the Savi to charge their drive. We're Starfleet, Kobayashi Maru be damned, we do not fritter away our allies to achieve our aims."

Frank's mind was made up, unless one of the other officers could change it. He looked between the other three lieutenants, service jacket hanging open, revealing a grey tank top beneath it, tired eyes carrying heavy saddlebags, and the look of fierce determination as he searched each of their three pairs for a counterpoint.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on March 25, 2021, 01:40:22 PM
[ Lt. JG Evelyn Rawley, callsign "Ghost" (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Evelyn_Rawley,_callsign_%22Ghost%22) | Airlock | USS Allegiant, on the Erudite ]
Attn: @BZ @Stegro88 @uytrereee @DaValle @RyeTanker @Fife @Number6
[Show/Hide]
With the higher ranking officers having said their part respectively, Rawley felt she didn't had much to offer. For while Lieutenant Vanya took a less overt stand for liberating Dewitt, instead being more cautionary in how they had already suffered losses after their bi-font mission, and the Andorian Deputy tried to determine if they might be doing the wrong thing in doing so - possibly having in mind that the Breen weren't to be provoked further - Frank Arnold obviously wished they'd make the effort to bring the Dewitt back. In the end, T'Less took the pragmatic approach in how she went to the bridge in order to contact the Savi leader, just to explore their options.

Frowning, Rawley looked towards the deck while the briefing was wordlessly adjourned. This, in wait for T'Less to have news. She looked up, seeing Jaya Thorne there - the shuttle pilot - as well as Eun Sae Ji, whom Rawley knew well from the Fighter Assault Bay. Just like herself, neither of them seemed to have words to offer, just like the Devore engineer and the Reman. Their superior officers had spoken, and for the time being, no decision had been made. Until they heard ought else, Rawley supposed they had to sit on their hands. "Fuck I hate waiting..."

Having made that comment, she went below decks to bring her stuff to her bunk. To rest, and think of how Nix wouldn't be flying with the Lone Wolves any more. She thought of Isley too, whom she'd known since they fled Earth, and all the other Wolves she'd seen die or leave the squad. She laid there, thinking about what would become of her squad in the mission ahead, and if they would ever be a fully numbered squadron yet again.

[ Echtand qi Versant | The Quarters of the Voice | The Erudite
[Show/Hide]
"On screen," said the Voice, after one of his bridge officers transferred the transmission from the Allegiant, which had docked in the Aerodrome some time ago. Once the screen revealed a face, it wasn't Dewitt's, but that of the Vulcan tactical officer. "This is the Voice."

In quietude, Echtand qi Versant listened to the requests made, and he sighed quietly, a frown touching his pale brow. "Our reactors have already begun compensating for the last usage of our quantum slipstream drive. The normal cycle for full utilisation is twelve hours, but from what I gather, that is not what you are asking. At the cost of a longer time for subsequent maintenance, the cycle can be halted at seven hours in order to grant passage back to the Theurgy ahead of time. Klingon space is not too far away, after all."

The second question implied, perhaps, the manner in which he'd already granted the Theurgy officers that were at Andor usage of the Erudite's sensors to aid them in their mission. Slowly, he folded his arms across his chest, not liking the development in how he - again - were supposed to directly aid non-Savi. This, in violation of the Old Code, but a decision on his own part to make amends for what had befallen the Theurgy crew on his birth-ship, the Versant. Had he given them too much, making them expect this manner of direct assistance on a continual basis? As it were, given the aid already rendered, and knowing the priority the Federation officers held on saving their peers instead of considering them expendable for the greater good, Echtand... felt himself moved by the foolish empathy.

Perhaps it was contagious? A parasitic idea transferred between alien minds? Not literally, but the way beliefs make themselves manifest across cultures.

"I will look for her, and collect as much data as our sensors can. This, to assist you in any attempt at liberating her." In case the Vulcan missed the preamble of the accord, he clarified. "Consider this a personal favour, for it remains a violation of the Old Code. I will gather the intel under the pretence of Savi interest, and send it to you from here. Do not speak of this to anyone."

Then, he terminated the transmission and stepped away, questioning his choices.

By the Archive, my sympathy for these primates will be my downfall.


FIVE HOURS LATER | 1500 HRS. | JUST AFTER THE END OF THE BATTLE OF THE HOUSES IN KLINGON SPACE


[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Airlock | Erudite ]
[Show/Hide]
Over the course of the past five hours, there had been opportunity for personal time of reflection, before the Voice contacted them with a data batch of sensor readings detailing the Hall of Heroes. There was no dearth of intel in the package he sent them, for not only was the life-sign of Dewitt high-lighted as a code input for the Allegiant's sensor array, but the leader of the rebel Savi had also transferred detailed schematics of the Breen's seat of power. There was such a wealth of information about possible insertion points and landing zones for the Allegiant that it had taken the away team more than an hour to just sift through everything. Maintenance tunnels, weaknesses in internal surveillance systems, sensor nodes and guard rotations were all just the top layers of the information, but most importantly...

...it showed that Dewitt was still alive, her life-sign active yet stationary in one room. That was all they needed to make the call.

They wouldn't leave her behind.

"Attention," said Ida, whom being the combat veteran was going to spear-point the infiltration team. She was wearing her scratched and dented exosuit, with her helmet under her arm, and she rested her Accipiter against her shoulder. The survivors of the away team as a whole were gathered in the airlock once more. Even Zark, whom the Savi had patched up well enough to participate in the mission as well. Something quite welcome, given their diminishing numbers. "We are taking a great risk, all for sake of bringing back one of our own. By all indications, the Breen have not been provoked to declare war against the Federation, but we cannot know for certain what their long term ambitions are. So, by Lor'Vela, if we attempt to bring Dewitt back now, we might provoke them to do something that will cost countless lives in a war to come."

Ida angled her antennae towards them all. "In other words, I don't think I need to stress how important it is that we are not caught as we extract her. This is downright folly, in the greater context, but we have the Savi intel on our side. If anyone could successfully infiltrate this pyramid, it would be us, so while we are taking a great risk... it is a calculated one."

He looked between their individual faces, knowing that they were familiar with the plan, and it was merely a matter of completing the mission within two hours, since the Erudite would be leaving for Klingon space then - returning to the Theurgy.

"Thorne! Launch the Allegiant. T'Less, we'll be on comms, and good luck. Away team, stand ready for insertion!" she ordered, and donned her helmet, so that her voice was heard through the internal mic. "Let's bring her back. "


OOC: All right, we're off! Here is the Round-Robin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round-robin_story) plan, as discussed over Discord! :)

0) Mission Prep - @Auctor Lucan
1) Insertion - @Fife
2) Infiltration - @DaValle
3) Brief Mishap - @Number6
4) Getting To The Right Place At The Right Time - @RyeTanker
5) Dewitt Encounter - @Auctor Lucan
6) Exfiltration - @Stegro88
7) Escape - @uytrereee
8) Boarding the Erudite. Chapter Ending with QSD Jump - @BZ

Those on the Allegiant's bridge, whom will be following the development on the screens showing the feeds of helmet-cams, are T'Less, Thorne, Rawley and Nix. Ji will be in engineering. The rest are in exosuits and ready to move out. Those not qualified to use the exosuits, this being Frank and T'Kolla, are wearing bio-dampening Savi suits with accompanying helmets. Next poster is Fife, whom through Nix's POV handles the insertion into the Hall of Heroes, alluding towards the cloaked Allegiant heading down into the city once more. Remember to try and not puppeteer each other's characters overtly, but ensure progress with each post. Have fun everyone!

Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Fife on March 25, 2021, 11:20:46 PM
[ Ensign Isel “Foxfire” Nix (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Isel_Nix) | Bridge | USS Allegiant NX-80978 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @BZ @Stegro88 @uytrereee @DaValle @RyeTanker @Number6
[Show/Hide]

Isel sat at the Ops station on the bridge of the Allegiant, her gaze moving between the view of the Erudite’s bay on the viewscreen and Thorne at the CONN station to her right as the Human piloted the Manta-Class scout ship clear of the Erudite.

"We're clear of the Erudite." Thorne announced, and Isel knew that was her cue.

”Engaging cloaking device.” Isel said as she punched in the command on the Ops console. ”Cloak operational and functioning normally.” She hoped it would stay that way. She wasn’t used to operating this sort of equipment, and had only received a hasty crash-course on the cloak’s controls prior to the launch of the mission. It felt strange to the Vulpinian to be on the bridge of the Allegiant rather than the more cramped cockpit of her Valkyrie, the ship being much larger than what she was used to operating. Though with her record of crashing and nearly dying as a result of heavy damage twice over the past month or so, it might not be a bad thing that she wasn’t in the cramped confines of her fighter. Or what was left of it, at least.

Isel activated the restraints on her chair as the Allegiant gained speed, the action taken as a precaution against her being hit with another wave of dizzying imbalance rather than in anticipation of any sort of turbulence. She hoped the precaution would be unnecessary given that she had taken an extra dose of the medicinal cocktail the Savi had provided her prior to the mission’s launch The Savi had warned her against taking excess amounts of the drugs, speaking in their usual complex and incomprehensible jargon, though Isel figured these were extenuating circumstances which warranted the risks. Whatever those risks may be…

Isel glanced at the viewscreen again as Thorne piloted the Allegiant past the Erudite’s cloaking field and towards Breen, watching as the planet grew larger as they closed the distance. Forcing her eyes back to the console in front of her, Isel tapped in a series of commands and brought up a portion of the data the Savi had provided them for this mission. A schematic appeared on one of the screens before her, with three possible insertion points marked as primary, secondary and teriary respectively, as well as primary and secondary exfiltration points. If all went according to plan, then the secondary and tertiary insertion points would not be needed.

Cross your fingers… Isel thought to herself, the Vulpinian knowing it was a gesture the Humans used for luck, though she refrained from actually performing the action.

There was mostly silence one the bridge as the Allegiant continued on course, and the tension in the air being almost palpable. Isel wondered briefly if the away team gathered in the airlock was feeling the same sense of tension, though he thoughts were interrupted as Thorne spoke once again. "We're entering Breen's atmosphere. Tell the away team to get ready."

After a quick glance down at her console, Isel reached up and tapped her combadge. ”Nix to away team. We’re three minutes out from primary insertion site. Get ready.” The team alerted, Isel prepped for the transport of the team to the surface. The transport cycle would have to be completed quickly, with as narrow a beam as possible to avoid detection. Isel continued to monitor their progress, and a short time later tapped her combadge again to open the channel to the away team once more. ”Twenty seconds out. Standby.” Isel ran through the countdown in her head as the cloaked Allegiant was maneuvered closer to the Hall of Heroes, their timing on point to coincide with a gap in the Breen security patrols. ”Five seconds…” Isel could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears as her fingers hovered over the transporter controls in anticipation.

”Energizing.”

With that word, Isel initiated the transporter cycle which would quietly deposit the away team in the Hall of Heroes. ”Insertion complete. Away team successfully deployed.” Isel reported over her shoulder to the rest of the bridge.

They’re on their own now… She thought, though she chose not to speak that last part aloud.


OOC: Thorne's dialogue written with BZ's permission.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: DaValle on March 26, 2021, 01:19:39 AM
[PO2 T’Kolla (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Taa%27gur_Kolla) | Hall of Heroes | Breen]
Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @BZ  @Stegro88  @uytrereee  @RyeTanker  @Number6 @Fife
[Show/Hide]


The time passed second by second and just before the Allegiant would eventually transport them down to the surface Taa’gur took one last breath and closed his eyes. The energy field that build up around him and transported his matter from the ship down to the planet forced him to open his eyes again though. Now he was on a mission again and any performance under one hundred percent was too less. By the time he opened his eyes, he already stood on solid ground, raised his weapon and his view scanned the area where the away team just materialized in. The room was mainly filled with huge barrels filled with unknown liquid, but beside them there was nothing else, or more specifically no one else, in the room.

“Clear.” Taa’gur told the remaining team through their intercom, waiting for the other team members to conform it. As soon as they did so he lowered his rifle slightly and made his way for the first door on their way through the building. The main reason he rushed there as the first was to ensure that neither of the security officers would just go through it before he could disable the camera’s system as good as possible. He opened a smaller hatch beside the door and connected his suit with the Hall of Heroes’ intern system. It almost felt like cheating as the suit interacted with the system and offered the Devore options, he could have never archived so fast with Starfleet equipment only. After some seconds he had direct control over the cameras for almost all levels and the easiest thing to do for him, he thought, was to simply stop the live feed. None of the surveillance systems would have stopped working on the first view and it was at least partially his hope that no Breen guard would be able to tell the difference during their mission. “Surveillance systems are down.” He mentioned for the others and watched how two of them were moving through the door already. One of their security officers was the last of the group and waited for him to went through the door as the second to last. On his way out he saw Arnold in the extraction room, as it was his job to secure it till they would come back. He gave his superior a last nod before he moved behind the remaining members.

Whenever they reached a corner or heard voices on their way the tension rose significantly. Though they just had to make a rather short way to the turbo lifts it still took them almost forever as they had to evade guards multiple times. Taa’gur carefully observed the timer he has programmed in his helmet. The two hours they had were elapsing drastically fast against them. Still after all they reached their first goal, the turbolift. Now they had to get all the way down to one of the lowest levels to reach Dewitt’s location. Briefly Taa’gur overwrote the turbolift’s commands to ensure that it wouldn’t stop on it’s way for any Breen office worker. At least for one side such an encounter would have ended in a disaster and considering the sheer muscle power the away team had only from Ida and Lorad Taa’gur doubted it would have been them. The Devore checked the rifle he carried with him several times while they were standing in the lift. Not that either the fire option – stunning – nor the general status of it changed, but it calmed him down knowing that his weapon was ready. He glanced at the display in front of him. “We’re almost there. Fifteen levels left.” He said aiming his rifle back at the door in front of him. Eventually the elevator stopped. The ends of six rifles pointed at the door as it slid to its sides and offered them a view on what was behind it.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Number6 on March 28, 2021, 10:04:30 PM
[Lt. Vanya| Hall of Heroes | Breen]
Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @BZ  @Stegro88  @uytrereee  @RyeTanker  @DaValle @Fife

As they traversed the Corridor, Vanya became enamoureed with the decorations.    Set into the walls of the corridor were several items that Vanya recognised as early versions of Breen helmets.  These belonged to Thots and other agents that were clearly revered for one reason or the other.  Some were apparently heroes of the planets early conflicts.  Curiously, instead of soldiers or pilots, they were dedicated to spies and saboteurs, some with their deeds not revealed until decades after their death.  As Vanya moved down the corridor, the displays began to get more ornate.  As well as helmets that were gradually becoming more like the ones worn by contemporary Breen there were other aspects too.  Phasers, weapons, PADDS, trophies of infiltration missions.   

Then something caught her eye, something that was intimately familiar to her, yet it was something she had never seen before. 

It was a patchwork of six spherical “lobes” tied together with densely bound fibres.  She didn’t need to know Breen (although she did) to understand what the title plaque read. 

“Romulan Duotronic Brain, captured by Breen operatives.”  Her eyes caught the date on the plaque.  From Vanya’s understanding of the Breen calendar, this was five years after she escaped Romulus.  All the other android were supposedly destroyed, and her mother was presumeably killed as well. 

So where did the brain come from?   

She decided it was time to get an answer to that question.  The underground layer was in one of the most secure areas of the hall.  The objects seemed to celebrate espionage, and appeared to be momentos of ill gotten gains. 

Before any of the away team could react, she went over to the stand.  Holding out her hands, she pressed against the glass, and lifted it up.    There was a pregnant pause as Vanya expected an alarm to trigger, or a siren, or some other sign of danger. 

Instead, there was silence. 

“I knew it wasn’t linked to any alarm.” She said as she gently set the alarm to one side, and picked up the brain.  “I need to know who this was.” She said defensively as she tucked the glass to one side.  “It’s Romulan, it could be… family.” 
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: RyeTanker on March 30, 2021, 05:11:32 PM
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Hall of Heroes | Breen]

Being in less than optimal condition, she'd followed the rest of the team at the rear of the pack.  Her suit HUD occasionally flickered showing all the damage hadn't been totally repaired yet.  Her abdomen was also quite sore still, but she pushed that aside. Not really intending to get into a fight, she'd only brought a Type-II pulse pistol a few stun grenades, and a couple of extra hyposprays.  The most important items were on her back, a full out field medical kit and a collapsible hover stretcher.  It seemed almost anti-climatic the approach to the supposed location of their mission commander.  A few times her breath seemed to shallow as they had to stop and wait for some obstacle to be bypassed as if willing herself to be more invisible. Reaching the Corridor, there were clearly trophies all over the hall, items and trinkets taken with great pride in how they were acquired. A 23rd century phaser, various blades of some ancient make, most of some historical interest, but most were quite irrelevant to the mission at hand as the team continued.

Seeing Lt.Vanya suddenly peel off and head towards a display triggered a sense of consternation in the Andorian which almost turned to panic as the Romulan reached for a piece of glass that held....something and lifted it.  Lt. Zark sucked in her breath bracing for the inevitable klaxon of alarms that would be triggered.  Her eyes and antennae moved around in confusion as nothing happened. 1 breath, 2 breaths, 3 breath...nothing.  Shoving aside her anger and confusion, she touched the android's shoulder.  The answer of why Vanya had put the whole mission at risk didn't satisfy the Combat Medic. "Stay focused on the mission at hand. Zark took a moment to check that the hack T'Kolla had put in place was still active.  Thankfully it was.  "We're falling behind, let's move." the Andorian said as she gently guided the wayward Romulan Lieutenant back on the track of the rest of the team before gently closing the glass case. The entire team had halted to let the two lagging officers catch up and when they did the look on the team leader's face was even more unpleasant than normal. Uh Oh. This isn't going to figure well in the after mission debrief.  What was that delightful human phrase? Hopefully it's nothing more than an ass chewing?.  With the order to move out, the team got going at a faster pace, possibly straining the suits stealth systems.

Does Theurgy drag the absurd around with it?  Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell thought to herself, her mouth was pulled back in a brilliant smile.  To anyone that didn't know it, it looked like the Andorian had finally cracked under pressure. Her eyes gave lie to that as she was totally focused on the mission at hand.  On the face of it, the situation was absurd, she'd been shot, nearly bled out, broke several medical good practices that were going to set Starfleet Medical frothing at the mouth, engaged an nigh-unkillable alien from another dimension, and did life saving surgery on herself.  Now she was on a final do or die mission to leave no one behind having barely woken up from surgery by another species.  Her abdomen still hurt and Doctor Hernandez had warned her she was currently drugged up to the point of somewhat capable.  So, she followed behind in her patched up exo suit. She'd have to remember to thank whoever did the repairs while she was out on the surgical table.  The area where she'd been shot had a metal plate welded over it, so the colours didn't match, and the arm she'd used to jam the grenade into the infested ambassador still had dried blood all over it.  Scarred battle veteran indeed. The shrinks were probably going to want to talk to her after this was over.  She'd have to start thinking on how to dodge them later.

This delightful reverie and a relaxing of her facial muscles carried her down the Corridor of trophies to another lift system.  The team piled in and headed down quickly coming to a stop.  As the doors opened, the Lt. Zark's heart seemed to stop for the second time that day as the they entered a long hall, this time with what appeared to be cells sealed by force fields telltaled by active light frames.  Had they been spotted? It didn't appear so since nobody reacted to the door opening.  As the team moved towards Commander Dewitt's signal, nobody reacted to the intruders.  This is eerie. Zark thought to herself as the team moved forward a bit more gingerly than before. Taking in the details, there were long slabs of stone that looked curiously like benches and some surfaces that appeared to tables.  There were also some bits of decorations that didn't make any sense.  Nothing could be heard from the cells, but some of the occupants looked like they'd gone mad and their cells reflected it from the destruction of it's contents.  Others seemed to be making the best of their time and the cells looked quite well stacked with books or screens.  One occupant was even playing a musical  instrument of some sort and still no noise. A few of the cells seemed quite bare and only held chained souls lost in despair.

Lt. Zark's eyes suddenly widened in understanding and the rictus smile was back as the team arrived at Commander Dewitt's cell.  Is this a VIP zoo?
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on April 07, 2021, 12:47:00 PM
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Hall of Heroes | Breen ]
Attn: @BZ @Stegro88 @uytrereee @DaValle @RyeTanker @Fife @Number6
[Show/Hide]
Reaching the cell, Ida walked up to the forcefield, seeing Commander Dewitt inside. She took a hard look at the force field emitters, and planned to disable them somehow. It would likely call attention from the Breen, but she saw no other way of extracting the pinkskin. Frowning, she hefted her weapon and was about to take aim...

...when Dewitt was right there at the forcefield, waving her arms in a manner that was universally understood as 'cease and desist'. Ida looked away from the sights of her weapon and upon the Commander, her frown deepening. The pinkskin was trying to say something, muted as she was, and then she pointed at the control panel next to the cell. She wanted to be heard, and there had to be a way to let sound travel past the forcefield. "She wishes to speak. Can someone figure out how to let her do so?" said Ida and lowered her weapon, stepping back to let someone more technically able figure it out. The trick was to do so without triggering any alarm, but fortunately enough the Breen seemed almost arrogant with their security protocols, not expecting the Hall of Heroes to be infiltrated. When they could hear Dewitt's voice, she was talking quickly.

"Listen to me, you need to leave, immediately," she said, lips tight in urgency. "I am being moved any minute now, and if you are caught here, everything will be ruined."

"What?" said Ida, looking at the woman. "Shelat, we can bring you out of here before that." The first thing evident about Dewitt's appearance - which had completely pulled attention from the partial Breen uniform she wore - was the bruising on her face. It had signalled rough treatment... yet the discolouration seemed almost residual, as if she'd been given medical attention.

"They are preparing to house me in the upper levels of the building, as I will be advising the Domo and the Thots on the nature of the enemy," she said, and gestured towards a table inside the cell, upon which a helmet sat - looking just like the kind all the Breen wore. "I helped them catch an Infested at the Breen Council. They all saw him die when subjected to subatomic anyon particles, using the phase variance that Vael Kaeris discovered not long ago. They found the parasite fused to his insides, and they believe me."

A shiver running up her spine, Ida recalled how Nicander had said an Infested had been wearing a Breen helmet. It had to be the one through which the Doctor had seen the insides of this building, not the Ambassador.

Dewitt continued talking, even as Ida was beginning to see where she was coming from. Their conversation was being heard on the bridge of the Allegiant as well, the feed from their helmets seen on the viewscreen, and Frank Arnold would be overhearing the feed where he awaited the team on the way out.

"Do you understand? I managed to convince the Breen that the Federation isn't the enemy, and the USS Eirene is being escorted safely to the border of Federation space. This, despite the bomb, and despite how you fired into the Breen capital with the Allegiant. I pointed out how the power conduits had been the target after they found the remains of the device in the basement of the Federation Embassy. See? I have been swaying the Breen to stay out of the war, but if you are caught here, the pendulum might swing right back, and the trust I am building will be completely undermined! You need to get back to the Theurgy and leave me behind!"

Frowning, Ida cursed, looking down both ends of the hallway, as if expecting the Breen to show up any moment. "Are you sure, Commander?"

"Yes. Whenever I can, I will try to establish some means of communication with the Theurgy, but I am in a position where I can make the most difference for our mission, so I must continue on my own! They are barely trusting me, and certainly not enough for that trust to extend to all of you. My word will not save you if you are found running around these halls, so get out while you can. That's an order."

Ida took a deep breath, shouldering her weapon. "Understood. You're a brave woman. You should know, also, that we managed to save Laikan at Andor. The thalaron bomb is now aboard the Erudite."

The smile of genuine relief on Dewitt's face lit her green eyes. "Well done, all of you. Now please, go, and tell Ives I will hold the Breen at bay as best as I might, but one day..." she paused, as if unsure how much she ought to say, "the Captain might find more of hir own kind here. I would tell you more, but there is no time. Hurry now, and don't get caught!"

"You heard her, let's go," said Ida and with one final look over her shoulder at the Commander, Ida set a grim pace towards the best available escape route they'd found before they entered the building. Jennifer Dewitt stood there behind the forcefield when the team left her behind, hands clenched at her sides in a mix of worry and determination.


OOC: All right, we're off! Here is the Round-Robin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round-robin_story) plan again! :)

0) Mission Prep - @Auctor Lucan
1) Insertion - @Fife
2) Infiltration - @DaValle
3) Brief Mishap - @Number6
4) Getting To The Right Place At The Right Time - @RyeTanker
5) Dewitt Encounter - @Auctor Lucan
6) Exfiltration - @Stegro88
7) Escape - @uytrereee
8) Boarding the Erudite. Chapter Ending with QSD Jump - @BZ

Next poster is @Stegro88 !

Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Stegro88 on April 16, 2021, 01:25:54 AM
[ T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | USS Allegiant | Breen ] Attn:  @Auctor Lucan @BZ @uytrereee @DaValle @RyeTanker @Fife @Number6
[Show/Hide]

Even as she had kept a wary eye on the sensors, T’Less had listened via the ground team’s inbuilt cameras as they had reached Commander Dewitt and released her from her confinement. Only it seemed, that the situation was quite a bit different from that which they anticipated that she would be in. Somehow, the Terran had managed to expose an infested within the midst of the Breen council and was now poised to act as some sort of ambassador or envoy from the Theurgy to the Breen. Still, it didn’t sit right with the Vulcan that they were leaving her behind to an unknown fate, no matter what her present situation, and long-term potential gain, might provide.

The beep from beside her drew her attention away from the main viewer and she pursed her lips as she gazed down at what the computer had flagged.



[ Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Donna_Petterson,_callsign_%22Chance%22) | Wolf -11 | AKA Maxine ‘Max’ Gentry | Hall Of Heroes | Breen ]
[Show/Hide]

“Can we pick up the pace please?” Max hissed as they moved back to their insertion point. This was the downside, she knew, of playing a role instead of being herself. The need to do things that were against what she herself would have chosen. But if she wanted to stay in control and eventually be truly free, then, if at least for now, she would have to play the part of a loyal Starfleet officer. Or a loyal renegade one at any rate.

“If want not be seen,” Lorad said from his position at the head of the column. “Then must take time to be shadow.”

“Ground team, be advised,” came the Serious tone of Lieutenant T’Less’ voice across their coms. “Breen patrol ships have altered their patrol routes and appear to be converging on our position. I estimate that you have less than 10 minutes before extraction will be impossible. I would suggest as much haste as can be maintained.”

“Now what do you say big guy?” Max quizzed, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

“Shadows are fleeting,” the hulking Reman intoned as he moved off at a loping pace down the passageway.
Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: BZ on April 28, 2021, 02:07:55 AM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Warp Core Room and Airlock | Allegiant ] Attn: @BZ @Number6 @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Fife
[Show/Hide]

[Ens. Jaya Thorne | Fight and Flight | Punch a Face and Put it in My Pocket | Never Let it Get Away | Stellar Landing]

Today was a day of new experiences for Frank, that felt like old ones. After all, he was standing in a transporter room, where he'd started his career. He had a phaser on his hip, for a reason beyond mandatory proficiency drills, for the first time in over half a decade. He bounced from foot to foot, and paced back and forth, and just listened to the comm. He'd opened a second channel with just Jaya as well, because he knew they were both chewing the inside of their cheeks, just waiting for news on their friend.

He'd been quiet for most all of the prep work after they'd decided that they were getting Jen. He'd cleaned up after himself and Jaya, and then had gone over the Allegiant's systems twice. He'd only had enough time for cursory checks, but there'd been no reason to doubt the craft before now, he wanted to make sure that stayed the same for this mission. In a moment Foxfire was energizing, and he offered over the comm, as his fingers glided over the main power panel in the warp core room routing the necessary power from other systems in a controlled burst, "Narrow band's showing amplitudes in the picometers, holding at sub-one angstrom. Beam's as narrow as I can make it without possible field fluctuations to the cloak." It had been hairy, but they were in.

On their private channel perhaps five minutes later, he'd say to Jaya, whether she was listening or not, "This is taking forever." He grit his teeth and offered, "You think it's supposed to take this long?" It seemed like it had been a millennium since he'd finished all of the standby checks he could get done, re-powered the buffers and given Ensign Nix the all clear to send the away team onto the surface of Breen, and into the lion's den.

”I don’t know but if they don’t hurry my fist is going to get punchy.” she grumbled over the comms unit that she and Arnold had between the two of them.  She drummed her impatient nails on the arm of her chair, she was ready to punch it.  Punch Jen, punch the crew that took too damn long, and then punch the engines out of here.  But, they had to be careful and get this done right.  Any wrong move and the whole operation could go down and she wasn’t the kind that would do well in captivity.  They’d probably cut out her tongue just so she would shut up.  But she’d show them, she’d just grunt louder…

He clicked his comms after a moment or two, and offered after he switched over to the main mission channel, "Arnold to bridge, power systems have been recycled, all systems nominal, we're standing by to bring 6 plus Dewitt back from the surface. I've locked in the same subroutine as beam in, I'm heading to the secondary airlock in case manual retrieval is required." He clicked off his comm and followed on saying to only himself, "Whenever that'll be."

He trudged his way to the airlock, not dilly dallying to fix the nuisance issues that he saw along the way, eventually breaking into a jog as he got the word the team was within the designated area that Dewitt was being kept. He arrived in the nick of time, hearing T'Less say that Breen patrol ships had altered their course. He went to a wall panel, and clicked his comm over to the team-wide channel, "This is Arnold to the away team, divert to the secondary insertion point, it's a better power-efficiency for the transport. If we go with that, I can give us a nice shunt so we can be out of here quick!"

Altering the course was not something she was glad for.  She would much prefer not to have to alter anything, but that’s what happened when the people that were hell bent on rendezvous took too damn long and they were starting to call attention to themselves.  They were on a heavily limited time frame and they needed to get the hell out of here.  But, of course, Jaya could only do her best to make sure they continued to stay off the Breen radar until Jen was back in punching range.

He monitored the ground team, to see if they were moving the way that he had recommended. He cleared his throat again, "I have the away team signals strong as can be...but if I'm reading this right, we're one short." He put it out of his mind for now, and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Alright, I have them locked." He waited a moment, "Ensign Nix, you've got the power, bring them home."

Waiting was bullshit.  Jaya wasn’t much of one for cursing as a habit but there were times that it was the most apt vocabulary to use in those situations.  Right now, she just knew there was no other word that would be better to use.  Bullshit was the most apt of words right now.  ”Can’t you push the express rescue button next time, Arnold?” she teased over the personal comm unit.  The two had gotten quite close and she was eager to see how things would develop.  Both of them were pretty laid back but there was the whole unspoken ‘sharing isn’t caring’ in this situation. 

And then he waited, the resolution gap felt like it went on forever, before he heard the welcome chime of a successful transport aboard, and there the away team was, in the airlock, separated from him by a mere door. "I have them. Ensign Thorne, we've managed to get you twelve percent more thrust power from that little divert. Put it to good use."

Music, to her ears.  ”Don’t get punchy Arnold, I get first bone crunch.” she said as he told her that they were ready to go.  Of course, she had a job to do first, she had the coordinates ready and waiting, so all she had to do was throw their engines into gear.  ”Engaging engines now.” she called out to the Bridge as the engines began to fire and for a moment it seemed that the ship was just sitting there and then it launched into over drive because Jaya didn’t go slow and she certainly didn’t take things easy.  Besides she was ready to get back to the ship and get the hell out of Breen space.  She could not get out of there fast enough.

Erudite in sight.”  she informed the ship as a whole as they headed towards the Savi ship. She wasn’t a huge fan of them either, though at least she hadn’t been privy to the experiences of those that had been on the Versant she had heard enough to have a pit in her stomach the moment she saw one of the white bastards.  But right now, they were on the same side and that was all that mattered.  ”Bay doors open,” she called as the force field dropped and she slowed the ship down so she didn’t streak the Bay too badly as the ship burst into the bay, the force field springing back up behind them as she hit the breaks in style, sliding to a stop just precisely where they were meant to with a grin on her face.  ”Got to love a shit-in-your-pants kinda ride, right guys?” she grinned as she unbuckled herself from her seat and stood up.

She had a girl to punch...

Title: Re: Chapter 05: Veiled Valiance [ Day 02 | 2000 hrs. ]
Post by: Auctor Lucan on May 21, 2021, 12:01:56 PM
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Bridge | USS Allegiant ]
Attn: @BZ @Stegro88 @uytrereee @DaValle @RyeTanker @Fife @Number6
[Show/Hide]
When Ida stepped onto the bridge, the Allegiant was about to dock with the Erudite, and she looked at T'Less - seated in the command chair with an earpiece and a screen raised on her armrest. It seemed her Vulcan friend was the only one on the bridge whom had kept herself appraised on the feeds from the helmets of the away team. Ida had already told Frank in the airlock why Dewitt wasn't with them, right after they had been beamed aboard from the secondary insertion point, and she thought the pinkskin had taken it... rather well given the fact that they had some history together.

While Ensigns Thorne and Nix didn't know yet, nor Rawley where she was seated on the bridge, Ida shared a look with T'Less, knowing that they would have to tell them, and report this to Captain Ives. They had taken a great risk launching the infiltration mission into the Hall of Heroes, convinced that they were doing the right thing, but for all their efforts, they had merely confirmed that Dewitt was of sound health, and would continue the mission without them. She would be all on her own, trying to allay the fears and paranoia that would come to spread through the Breen Confederacy in regard to Starfleet Command and what would happen beyond the border to Federation space in the months to come. The Domo and the Breen Council would know what had befallen their old enemy during the Dominion War, having witnessed an Infested and about to scourge their halls with anyon emissions with little consideration for the innocent hosts they would loose in the process.

Ida has no idea if Dewitt would be able to help the Breen to spare the victims of the parasites, nor did she knew if the Domo would make it a priority now that they had the anyonic phase variance available. In any case, Dewitt would in all likelihood do what she could to spare innocent lives, but her priority was still to keep the Breen at bay at all cost.

[This is the Voice,] said Echtand over the intercom when the Allegiant had docked. [We have been awaiting your arrival. Quantum slipstream protocols engaged. We will be at the Theurgy's coordinates at 1700 hrs. local time.]

Ida ran her gloved hand through her white hair and sighed, looking at T'Less. She nodded towards the others on the bridge whom didn't know about Dewitt yet. "Shall I tell them, or do you want to do it?"

And thus, the Erudite vanished from Breen space - leaving behind the one who'd been in command of the Allegiant.

- FIN
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