Star Trek: Theurgy

Star Trek: Theurgy | Season 2 => Episode 01: Advent of War => Topic started by: Auctor Lucan on April 11, 2021, 04:26:03 AM

Title: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Auctor Lucan on April 11, 2021, 04:26:03 AM

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


STARDATE 57654.94
APRIL 18, 2381
1725 HRS.

(https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/7/79/EP01-SOLITON_WAVE.png)
>> Click For Full Resolution (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/7/79/EP01-SOLITON_WAVE.png)

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

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

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

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

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

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


ON QO'NOS | THE GREAT HALL


[ K'Tal, son of Machi, of House K'Tal (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Story_NPCs#K.27Tal_son_of_Machi_of_House_K.27Tal) | The Great Domes of Qo'noS | The First City | Qo'noS ] Attn: All
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Having lost contact with Chancellor Martok after he left the 'Freedom Sentinel', his latest message being that they were inbound on the small Federation shuttle with the Klingon transponder, K'Tal, son of Machi, was not just concerned. He was genuinely worried, because the shuttle had been shot down over the capital more than an hour ago, but none of the other Councilors knew that. Or they play oblivious....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


ON THE IKC TA'ROM


[ Captain Gorka, son of Margon, of House Mo'Kai (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Story_NPCs#Gorka_son_of_Margon_of_House_Mo.27Kai) | Bridge | IKC Ta'rom | En-Route to Qo'noS ] Attn: All
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As the Ta'rom dropped out of warp in orbit of Qo'noS, Gorka did not feel like he owned the day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/a/a7/EP01-PRAXIS.png)
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OOC: If you have a character eligible for bridge duty, post away! My suggestion is that the first round of posts in this thread should have the characters sound ideas for how to proceed given the situation presented here. Besides Swift illustrating his condition in the Klingon cell to begin with, all bridge-centred posts should be made here. Activity started from orders given in this thread should be carried out in other Supplemental threads to keep this bridge thread less cluttered :)

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

In wait for the Newsletter and more details, here are the very generalised and upcoming Story Objectives! Click:
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Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Swift on April 13, 2021, 02:57:52 AM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Fisher (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Andrew_Fisher) | Holding Cell | Deck 10 | IKS Ta’Rom ] @Brutus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



OOC: Tagged writers who's character was mentioned.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: stardust on April 13, 2021, 12:31:20 PM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Samantha_Rutherford) | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Brutus @Swift @BZ
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The smell of ash and cinder was still falling off Samantha’s shoulders like a veil of black smoke, fluttering gently in her wake, as the soft contours of her body created turbulences in the air as she passed. A crimson cut across the upper left quadrant of her hairline, spilling streaks of blood down the side of her defined skull, counterweighted by a gently purple bruise on her right cheek, all but the single most obvious heralds of the latest battle Theurgy had to fight through. But now the Klingons were gone, leaving behind only the scarcest few of their honorably fallen, littering the hallways alongside broken bulkheads and torn cables, the floors covered in dark rubble and ashen mist. The whole ship was in distress, but through it bloomed the golden flower of courage and duty, pushing them forward just like the alien technology facilitating their jumps across vast swathes of Klingon territory.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‚Issues of grievance‘ meaning: Andrew.

Yet it was so much easier to abstract him into a bargaining chip, rather than facing the reality of having to weigh a man’s live – which had started to mean so much to her – against the prosperity of the quadrant. A decision she could only make on facts, not the call of the heart.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Stegro88 on April 22, 2021, 05:31:40 PM
[ Lt. T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Secondary Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy | Breen ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife
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Blinking her eyes to clear the spots in them, T’Less was relieved to see that the main viewscreen had returned to normal operation and was displaying the Klingon homeworld in all its silent grandeur. Thea’s report about the catalogue of damage to her was concerning and the Vulcan turned back to her station to check for any minor issues that might become relevant if they went into battle. The shields were already beginning to recharge and a cursory system’s check showed nothing out of the ordinary. Confident that Thea would have reported anything of concern, T’Less turned back around as the image of K’Tal replaced Qo’noS on the viewscreen to listen to what soon become a dire communique.

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

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

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

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

Bundling the sensor results along with her initial attack strategies, she forwarded them to Commander Cross’ terminal.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Brutus on May 02, 2021, 10:09:52 PM
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: all
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The last twenty-five minutes had been some of the most nerve wracking of Natalie's life. She'd been forced to pretend that everything was all right, just fine, and that they were going to come through all of this, as the ship rocketed toward Qo'nos at speeds that aught to be impossible. Something that would have been stunning to Natalie, save that she had traveled both via borg Transwarp conduit and their very own Quantum Slipstream Drive within the past 6 weeks. And yet there was the very real possibility that, in moments, they would become a stream of matter a light year longer or more, if they failed to execute the breaking maneuvers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But if they didn't come up with something fast, Natalie was going to have to follow through on the resolve she shared with Sam Rutherford - no matter what the cost to Andrew Fisher, and her own self-conscious.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BipSpoon on May 10, 2021, 12:51:45 AM
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01| USS Theurgy ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]
Cam hadn’t left her station since they’d jumped to slipstream. Hell, she felt as if she’d hardly moved a muscle, as if she’d hardly blinked. She would have forgotten to breathe, if one were able to forget such a thing, if it relied on anything besides innate instinct and drive. Not long past, Cam would have sworn that she wasn’t a soldier, yet there she stood. She stood among the wreckage, proud, and fighting for survival. Not just her own survival, and not just that of her ship and crew. She was fighting for a cause. She was a soldier, and she knew it, standing beneath that smoking pillar, sticky hardened blood visible on her head and through her hair. Any fear that she felt about whatever else might come across the holotable before her? Was drowned out by the thunderous beating of her heart in her ears. By apprehension and the adrenaline that came with it.

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

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

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

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

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

Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BZ on May 12, 2021, 02:24:29 AM
[Ens Jaya Thorne | Bright Lights | Retinal Burn | Flying Into Danger | Why is there Always Danger?]





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

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

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

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

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

“We're in place.” she reported to the bridge crew.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Fife on May 14, 2021, 04:37:02 AM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Cross) | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @BZ @Stegro88 @BipSpoon @stardust @Swift
[Show/Hide]
Cross had kept a firm hold of his workstation as the Theurgy transitioned back to normal space, the abrupt halt in the ship’s momentum causing him to swallow hard and give his head a shake as his body fought to regain its equilibrium. Cross blinked, then glanced around the bridge and saw that many of the other officers present were experiencing the same aftereffects, but that they had nonetheless survived the Savi’s catapulting action and had arrived in one piece. Or rather, in more or less one piece, judging by the calling out of damage reports from various areas of the ship. They weren’t all dead, and the ship wasn’t tearing itself apart from the stresses of being flung such a large distance in sucha  short amount of time, so Cross decided they could chalk this one up as a win and turned his attention to his station, glancing over damage reports that might impact the Tactical department and then, after a few minutes, looking over the scan results which T’Less pushed him.

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

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

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

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


OOC: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted!
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: uytrereee on May 17, 2021, 03:20:23 AM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BZ @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @Fife @BipSpoon @Swift @Stegro88 @stardust
[Show/Hide]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He took that same moment to admire Q'onos on the viewer. For all the hatred on the surface of that world that had passed for many centuries, a planet from orbit was always a sight to behold for a space tramp, no matter how old.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Brutus on May 20, 2021, 04:29:16 AM
 [Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @stardust @BipSpoon @Nolan @Fife @uytrereee @BZ  
[Show/Hide]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



OOC: A little post to move things along abit. Folks, if you are interested in having your character on the Allegiant for the insertion mission, speak up in the Advent of War OOC thread.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: stardust on May 20, 2021, 01:58:20 PM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Rutherford (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Samantha_Rutherford) | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ] attn: @Brutus @Fife @BZ @Swift
[Show/Hide]


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In her experience it would be quite difficult to get any Theurgy craft into the atmosphere, especially with Gorka already having made planetfall. But maybe just as with her planned diplomatic decoy, K’Tal could help with other clearances too. They had a few friends too, after all, not only enemies.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: uytrereee on June 01, 2021, 11:27:04 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @BZ @Brutus @stardust @Auctor Lucan @Fife @BipSpoon
[Show/Hide]

Frank kept his eye on the status boards, each of the generated tasks, both automatic and from his intervention turning from red, to light blue, and to the other status colors that indicated the damage control teams were slowly reaching their destinations, and beginning their own unique form of triage.

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

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

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

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

((Just a brief post to establish continuity))
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Fife on June 03, 2021, 06:17:36 AM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Cross) | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @stardust @Swift @BZ @Stegro88 @BipSpoon @uytrereee
[Show/Hide]
Cross nodded his acknowledgement with an uttered ”Aye, ma’am.” as Stark ordered him to assemble an away team. The Commander added that she wanted the team ready to launch aboard the Allegiant in 15 minutes, and that he was to consider experience on the Klingon homeworld to be an asset. Cross glanced at Thea as he strode towards the Tactical station, scooping up his PADD. ”Thea, would you please send a list of away team authorized personnel to my PADD, and flag any who have previous experience on Qo’nos.”

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

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

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

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

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


OOC: Apologies for the delay in posting!
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Stegro88 on June 03, 2021, 11:56:39 AM
[ Lt. T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Secondary Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy | Breen ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife @Brutus @stardust @Swift @BZ @BipSpoon @uytrereee
[Show/Hide]

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

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

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

“I would also suggest that whoever is assigned to the Conn of the Allegiant, that they have experience in flying a shuttle in a combat situation. As a precaution.”
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Pierce on June 03, 2021, 05:02:46 PM
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lauren_Pierce) | Deck 11 | Vector 02 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @All @Brutus @Fife [Show/Hide]

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Ensign Lauren Pierce, reporting Commanders. What can I do for you sir?" Now she had to simply wait and see where the universe took her from here.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BZ on June 04, 2021, 02:46:23 PM
[Ens. Jaya Thorne | Another Away Mission | Focus First | Why Isn't There More Downtime? | Always Another Battle]
@uytrereee @Auctor Lucan @Fife et al




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

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

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!

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

Pot and kettle, Jaya...

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

Volunteering herself died on the lips of Jaya as she figured it would do good for someone else to take the lime light.  Though her lovely eyes shifted over to Arnold to give him a look that told him to be careful, be safe, and if he didn't want the Jennifer Dewitt Official Welcome Home Program when he came back he knew to keep his ass on the smart side of things.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Brutus on June 05, 2021, 04:44:54 AM
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife @Stegro88 @uytrereee @BZ @BipSpoon @stardust @Pierce 
[Show/Hide]

Keeping a running tally in her head was going to grow difficult at this point, and Nat idly wondered if Command track students got some sort of extra training on that kind of thing - she refused to call it 'crap,' even in her own mind - at the academy. One would think it would be useful for cadets of any flavor and discipline, but she didn't recall a general course on 'not forgetting all the things at once' years back. It was almost enough to make her pout. Almost.

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

If they were alive.

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

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

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

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

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

"Let's make it happen folks. I want a read out of all Klingon ship movements in the immediate vicinity. I want us in the best position to cover our people's departure."
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Auctor Lucan on June 05, 2021, 09:41:10 AM

APPROACH VECTOR: PRAXIS

(https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/thumb/0/06/EP01-PRAXISCRUCIBLE.png/1024px-EP01-PRAXISCRUCIBLE.png)
>> Click For Full Resolution (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/0/06/EP01-PRAXISCRUCIBLE.png)

[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Bridge > Transporter Room | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ]
[Show/Hide]
Though the mission was hastily scrambled, Ida realised that no more than twenty minutes had passed since the Theurgy had first arrived at Qo'noS. Of course, they had all been prepared for anything given the Yellow Alert that Acting Captain Stark had issued prior to the arrival at the Klingon home world - the soliton wave dropping them into orbit. Since then, Ida had been tasked to lead the infiltration team on the moon, and after picking a team and in wait for the arrival, she was standing on the bridge of the Allegiant. Lieutenant Lauren Pierce had set the cloaked scout ship on an approach vector to Praxis, and Ida observed with her scratched and dented exosuit on, her helmet at her hip.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


MEANWHILE | USS THEURGY BRIDGE


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


OOC: All right! Hope this makes sense for everyone involved. This Group Thread development is split into three different locations, one being the infiltration of a Klingon facility on Praxis, the second being aboard the Allegiant, and the third being on the bridge of the Theurgy. Given development here, I am hoping that the Tactical CONN officers on the Oneida can show up in Hidden Raptor (https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php/topic,3179.0.html), another thread that is underway, which follows the development with the inbound Romulan ship. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will sort out any confusion and come with suggestions on development.

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

Here is the crew on the Allegiant (Click "show/hide"):
[Show/Hide]
As for the officers present on the bridge of the Theurgy, we are keeping it pretty loose and available for those interested, but so far we have established that Natalie Stark , Thea, Jaya Thorne and Ensign Henshaw are present on the bridge. I believe the NPC Yvette Conway is at the Ops station, that Tactical is filled with NPCs as well, but we have vacancies at the Science, Engineering and Intel/Comms stations. Here (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/c/c8/CUT-AWAY-VIEW-01.png) is an image of the Main Bridge for sake of reference.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Hope on June 09, 2021, 12:16:43 PM
Lt Sabrina Lail | Main Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Oneida ] Attn: All @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

After the viewscreen had switched back to a forward view, Sabrina’s brown eyes moved to look at Captain Jackson who was standing close to the CONN. Slightly tilting her head, she looked puzzled. “What did that woman mean by ‘my’?” she asked the Captain. “She seemed quite possessive,” Lail said inquisitively. Captain Jackson didn’t have an answer for her and simply patted her right shoulder. “We’ll soon find out Sabrina.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“All stop,” Captain Jackson requested.

“Impulse engines answering all stop. We have rendezvoused with the Theurgy,” Sabrina stated.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Pierce on June 10, 2021, 04:45:29 PM
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lauren_Pierce) | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] Attn: @Fife @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle @uytrereee @Auctor Lucan [Show/Hide]

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

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

Ensign Pierce slowed the vessel to a stop once she had confirmation they'd reach the designated coordinates. "Sir, we've reached the drop point." She sat back relaxed for the moment ready for further instructions should they come. Hopefully their mission was going to go off without a hitch. The galaxy certainly owed them that much for the way the rest of the day played out already.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: jreeves1701 on June 11, 2021, 02:19:03 AM
[CPO Sithick | Atmospheric Space Above Praxis] Attn: All @Auctor Lucan @Griffinsummoner

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

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

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

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

If that was where they were heading then Sithick knew that they could enter via an outer guard complex. From there they could access the main security computer on level three and take control of the whole base.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Stegro88 on June 11, 2021, 05:50:58 PM
[ Lt. T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @uytrereee @Fife @Pierce @Sqweloookle
[Show/Hide]

While she may have felt it unwise that both Commander Cross and herself were aboard the Allegiant, leaving the Theurgy weaker from her point of view, she could also acknowledge the advantage of having both of them present. At any rate, now was not the time to make something of it as the viewscreen filled with the scarred remnants of the moon known as Praxis. Taking a moment to gaze at their destination, T’Less redirected her attention back to her screens, trying to pierce the interference that surrounded the moon. Movement at her side drew her attention and she looked up to see Ida standing there, helmet in hand.

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

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

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

“T’Less to Arnold, could you please report on the Allegiant’s status? Have you managed to stabilise the power fluctuations yet and, if not, will the cloak be affected?”
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: uytrereee on June 11, 2021, 06:03:29 PM
[ Lt. Frank Arnold | Warp Core Room | Lower Deck | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Fife @Pierce @Sqweloookle @jreeves1701 @Hope

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He looked up to his status display, and was surprised to find they were as close to the objective as they were, he having become lost in his work. He gave a shrug, and picked up his thermos, pouring himself a lukewarm cup of coffee, two sugars and no cream. 
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Fife on June 16, 2021, 12:10:46 AM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Cross) & Ensign Isel Nix (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Isel_Nix) | Bridge | USS Allegiant NX-80978 ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @uytrereee @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle @Pierce @Griffinsummoner @jreeves1701

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cross leaned back in his chair, silently hoping that Arnold would be able to keep the cloak in working order and that they wouldn’t require T’Less’ expertise on this mission. He stopped himself from letting out the sigh that had built up in his chest, instead focusing on the chair’s display as they waited to see how the mission would progress on the ground.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BipSpoon on June 16, 2021, 07:39:28 AM
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: All
[Show/Hide]
The information poured into the console, flying past her eyes almost faster than she could process it. Most of it was information that was tossed aside, to be compiled later when it was more important. Bits and pieces however, Cam were seized by Cams dainty hand as they came across the holographic projection in front of her, and set aside, ‘flagged’ in a sense as she triaged the rest for importance. The ops console had been divided into a few sections in front of her, as well as the usual main overview of their surrounding area. The other sections, she had filed pieces of information devoted to each of the other ongoing operations aboard, and further information continued to be filed as it came across her eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No contact with the Sabine still.” She brought up the last known location on a small map on her console and took a deep breath. “Buggy’s made landfall though.” She braced herself against the console and looked through some of the data. “And it looks like the Shuttle made it to the great hall. Nothing else to report.” She kept her updates together, short, and quick. They weren’t intended only for Stark, but for the other senior staff as well.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BZ on June 16, 2021, 04:10:40 PM
[Ens Jaya Thorne | Focusing on the Job | Time for Kisses Later | Get This Show on the Road]
@uytrereee




As everyone geared up to leave and head out, Jaya felt a little left out.  She probably should have volunteered for the Allegiant mission, but she had hesitated a little too long.  That was her fault, but also, she felt that it would be important that she and Arnold were not always following each other around.  She needed to make sure they were good together and apart.  Not only that, but she needed to make sure that diving into a new relationship would not hinder either of their work ethics.  Jaya was a fun girl, she thrived on a good time and laughter, but she also would not give up the controls to her favorite ship even after death.  She wanted to fly, she always wanted to fly, adrenaline was always pumping through her veins it was what fueled her life, got her out of bed in the morning, if she wasn't flying it was as though she was missing a great part of herself.

The others slowly left the Bridge only to be replaced by those that would sit in those seats for now.  Arnold was almost always in the Engineering seat, she wondered who they would send up next.  Though rumors abounded about the Chief Engineer but Jaya had not ever actually seen the woman.  Rumors were that she stayed down on Deck or was in her Quarters or with her husband.  However, there was also information floating about her husband, the First Officer, having gone down.  Jaya's experience on the Bridge meant she had worked with Ducote several times since he had come on board the ship and had nothing but good things to say about him.  But, he was gone now, and they had Stark standing temporarily in his place, though.. rumor had it, it was likely to become permanent.

At the comment behind her from said person, Jaya shifted the ship, pulling her in such an angle that there was little possibility that anyone would see the Allegiant leaving.  She was ready for some down time, but to get there they had to finish the job at hand, and Jaya hoped that this would be something that they could do quickly and completely.  Once the ship was in the proper position she looked over at Stark and gave a quick nod so that it was clear they were ready for the Allegiant to do her thing.

Jaya's console chimed in front of her, and she pulled up the message.  A warm smile crossed her face as she sat at the Helms station.  She read the message and the odd little animated emoji from her.. well.. she wasn't sure what he should be quantified as.  Should he be a boyfriend, a friend?  Something?  She wasn't really sure.  She needed to figure out what they were going to actually call it.  She had mentioned that she was only interested in seeing one person, and if he wanted to see others then he needed to be clear from the start because there was no way she was going to share.  She supposed that might shock some people but she also didn't care whether it did or didn't.  Jaya needed something real in her life and she was the kind that wanted to commit all the way.  Whatever it was, she was enjoying it in ways she had not expected to enjoy a relationship like this.

[Stay Safe out there, don't do anything I would do.] she sent back to him with a grin on her face.  It was nice to be comfortable with someone, and honestly, she felt like they got along so well.  It was almost like he was tailored for her.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Pierce on June 18, 2021, 12:10:40 AM
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lauren_Pierce) | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] Attn: @Fife @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle @uytrereee @Auctor Lucan @Griffinsummoner @jreeves1701
[Show/Hide]

Ensign Pierce sat at her controls. A slight giggle erupted from her which she quickly caught as the words of the Engineer Lt. Arnold hit her ears. The thought of actually pulling off a barrel roll was funny to her. Not that she was opposed to the idea but it hardly seemed the time for it. In an attempt to stay tuned in to Commander Cross, she perked up, with a slight turn to her head. Thankfully she'd been paying attention as she heard her name again.

"Ensign Pierce, take us up and keep us in low orbit. Keep us in a position where we can extract the away team quickly if things go sideways."

Lauren changed back to front facing the view screen and her controls. "Aye sir. Maneuvering accordingly." She paused her speech to make the necessary adjustments on the navigation. Delicate fingers brushing various locations on the touch panel. Seemingly as if in a musical orchestra. The feeling of the engines and the deckplates reverberations under her feet made her know the vessel was responding. It was something she sorely missed since coming back to Starfleet.

"Now entering low orbit. We should be still in transporter range Commander." She said in acknowledgement. Her eyes brown eyes locked onto the instrument panel to observe the flight pattern and the drop zone.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was having fun again being the CONN officer. Maybe that's why Tessa does what she does still despite the vast array of injuries. Granted, she was safer being here than a Valkyrie as it's more a small ship than a fighter of one. She felt ready in the event that she was needed for combat. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that but these were uncertain times.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BZ on June 18, 2021, 02:54:15 AM
[Zyrao Natauna & Zephyr Praise | Bridge Duty | Another Day in the Books | Girl Power on the Bridge]





The tall El-Aurian leaned against the walls of the Turbolift as it rocketed her upwards towards her destination, the Bridge.  Now that they had entered Klingon space, and even better, Qo'nos, she needed to be front and center.  Her time with Foval still a pleasant memory playing around in her mind giving her a sated feeling and it wasn't the physical nature of their relationship but the slow growing built trust and life experiences that they had only begun to tread through.  A metallic container, a deep almost navy blue color, shimmered slightly in the over head light as she brought the metal rim to her lips and took a sip of the newly brewed tea.  It seemed a luxury to have stopped off at her Quarters to brew fresh tea but if she was going to deal with the stares, unspoken questions, and glares of un-belonging in the Bridge crew for yet another rousing eight plus hours she was certainly going to need fortitude. 

The Turbolift stopped momentarily at another deck.  The doors slid open to show a curly haired young thin little thing with pale skin and kind eyes.  They weren't quite green, nor were they quite brown, they were intriguing.  Zyrao didn't move from her position as she screwed the lid back on her tea to keep it as warm as possible for as long as possible.  Luckily, in this modern day she could almost ensure indefinitely when she used this container.

Zephyr stepped onto the Turbolift, looking up from her PADD only long enough at first to notice the woman who was already in the circular tube.  There was an earthy leafy smell that greated her, and her hazel-green eyes widened slightly as she tried to pin point the smell of the clearly brewed leaves that emanated from the container in the El-Aurian's hand.  Zephyr never kept her empathy to herself, but she never invaded the thoughts of others, she was able to keep her eyes, even though she was now Full Betazoid thanks to V and all the fun DNA work that was done to her on the Versant. 

“Your tea smells wonderful.  Is that Vega Root?” she asked as she tucked her PADD away in it's little pocket on her pant leg. 

The El-Aurian rose her brow and her grey eyes shifted to the slight thing, and gave a nod.  “Excellent nose.” she stated simply. 

“Botanist, more than just nose, but yeah, I guess so.” she said warmly a bit of a smile on her face.  “You going to the Bridge?”

“Indeed, you?” Zyrao inquired.

“Yep, Science console needs someone to man it and I figured it'll at least keep me busy.  Boyfriend is out with the fighter pilots and I figure it's best that I am busy.” she chuckled. 

“Oh, dating a fly boy?”  Zyrao rose her brow again.  “Been there, done that, chose a Vulcan this time.” she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.  “Well mostly.” she chuckled knowing that Foval was also part Borg but there was no reason to go into all of that. 

“Yeah, it's been kind of a thing for a while, but then off, then on, it's complicated.”  Zephyr admitted with a sigh.

“It usually is.” Zyrao said with a nod.

The doors to the Turbolift opened and the pair stepped out, first the El-Aurian who made her way over to the Tactical station in the back where Cross usually was.  It wasn't that she worked with or for Tactical but a lot of the information she needed to be an adequate Liaison was contained here and her battle prowess could also be counted on as a consultant when it was needed so seeing the battlefield, if there was one, laid out for her was also a boon. 

“Natauna, reporting.” she stated to the Acting Captain, simply enough as she signed into her console just to the side of the main tactical table, the El-Aurian script shimmered to life allowing her to do what she did best, be the Middle man.

Zephyr followed the confident woman with her gaze for a moment as she settled herself in.  The slight woman in Science blues made her way to the Science station.  “Lt. Zephyr Praise, reporting for Science.” she stated.  It was odd to be up here, usually this was where Vael would have been.  Or they would have sent their choice up here.  But, because of Vael's recent death, there was no one to step into that role just yet.  Zeph knew that it would be her.  She would forever be marked as the Niga Creator and she doubted it would ever be easily forgotten despite all her efforts to change it, her work for the Theurgy, and Thomas' backing her up.  It didnt' matter, it was something she had done, and even if it hadn't been intentional it didn't take away the horrors that her creation had wrought.  Vael getting cut down by the Klingon boarders was nothing short of a tragedy, Zeph didn't have much experience with the Chief but Vael had mostly left her alone and let her do her thing so long as she was careful and did what she was supposed to staying out of trouble. 

Signing into her console, she was ready to rock.

=========================================
OOC:  From here on, I will probably combine Jaya, Zephyr, and Zyrao into one singular post.  Depending on what is going on.  But I will probably break them up into their own segments unless it's easier to do a joint post like this!  Lets get these ladies some love :)
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Sqweloookle on June 18, 2021, 09:36:09 AM
[ Lieutenant Elro Kobol | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] Attn: @Fife

Although his grieving Derik had yet to pass, Elro was glad to be off the Theurgy and in the thick of action so he couldn't dwell on the pain. It had threatened so many times to take over completely but his Physician mind kicked in earlier to keep the emotions at bay.

He appreciated Lieutenants Madsen and Kile for resetting his priorities as he had his duty as Chief Medical Officer to the crew. Although they had lost 70 of their family, they had to keep going as the Klingon Empire needed them to prevent the Parasites from screwing up everything. He was still filling out death certificates when he was summoned for the away mission to Praxis.

He casually made the half decision to seek counseling later, though it will be a long time before he could be okay. A part of him still had the desire to join Derik, it was sneaky and occasionally got to the forefront of his thoughts when he was distracted.

Elro had greeted each of his fellow Allegiant crew members before he approached the Vulpinian. ”Ensign, I'd like to do a quick check up of how you are recovering at your next convenience,” he said with a smile that didn't really reach his eyes. He then headed for the small sickbay just down the corridor.

He sat at the console and connected his datapads to the Allegiant's computer. They had the medical files of all the 70 crew members that died and the death certificates he was working on prior. Additionally the battle reports and sensor logs from Thea. Elro got to work on the certificates once again.

"Cross to Doctor Kobol , what's your status?" Cross' voice came over the intercom, "I know the Allegiant's Med Bay isn't as well equipped as you're used to, but make whatever preparation you can. We don't know what the away team might run into down there."

Elro half smiled at his friend's voice, he was glad that he was still with them. Suddenly the war between survivor's guilt, self loathing and desire for revenge as well as to live in Derik's honor played inside him for several moments. He clamped down on his emotions and tapped at his combadge.

”Kobol  here Commander, I managed to get just enough supplies and equipment but I hope you made it clear to the infiltration team that as well and not get into too much trouble.” He stated, ”also why isn't there a medic with them?”
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Griffinsummoner on June 28, 2021, 09:09:56 PM
[PO1 "Scruffy" LeBlanc | Rear Airlock | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] @Auctor Lucan

Here he was, his second mission in as many days.  He had been running around Theurgy trying to help with the shipwide repairs underway.  Between that and checking on Tessa’s fighter, he was exhausted.  But he had been called up again for his technical expertise.  He’d take it as a compliment to his fresh dedication, if he wasn’t half-sure they were just desperate for personnel at the moment.  Still, he checked the arm and leg guards cannibalized from a Savi infiltration suit, overlaying his Starfleet stealth suit, securing his helmet and the light collection of tools and equipment he had connected by harness.  When Ida commented on his familiarity with the suits, he responded with “Yeah, I remember how overbearing they are.”  His joking tone quickly soured, however, when she joked about leaving Fisher behind.  Her reassurances as to the rescue effort did little to reassure him, and he was annoyed by the embarrassment he felt.  He certainly wouldn’t choose to leave anyone behind.

As they arrived at the surface, Scruffy pulled himself together and moved out the airlock.  As they moved across the surface, he pulled his PADD and pulled up the mission brief and the limited scans of Praxis.  “At this stage, it could be anything.  We know there isn’t much more than trace dilithium left on the moon after the collapse, but the burst of activity means they are probably trying to get access to whatever’s left.  It would take time to refine enough for even a primitive subspace kinetic warhead, but with all the remaining factories working together, it might be reasonable, depending on how many workers they’ve got on the project.  There was too much EM interference for long-range scans to get a better idea of what is going on under the surface, but I’ll have a better idea once we’re inside.  Only thing that bothers me is they seem to have reinforced the forcefield over the open end of the moon.  Set up to prevent illegal mining from further destabilizing the moon, they probably just didn’t want anyone beaming in and trying to stop them, but it could indicate something more.”
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Brutus on June 30, 2021, 05:21:38 AM
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @BZ @BipSpoon @Hope 
[Show/Hide]

With how up and down the past 24 hours had been, hearing that there was a Starfleet starship inbound to the Qo'noS system did little to warm Natalie's heart. That this was a lone vessel was something of a small relief. No Starfleet task force about to descend upon them like a swarm of Tirellian Gnats out to strip the Theurgy and her crew to the bone. That the ship was an Iroquois-class caused her heart to flutter slightly, wondering if, by some miracle of miracles, Anya Ziegler had managed to rise up from whatever shadows she'd been hauled off to and gotten her hands back on the Cayuga. This small hope was swiftly dashed upon the rocks of reality as a channel was opened between the two vessels, and the newcomer was identified as the Oneida, under the command of Captain Jackson.

A bittersweet smile flashed across Natalie's face as the magic words were spoken. While she personally thought the code name 'Freedom Sentinel' a tad pretentious, she wasn't going to begrudge Admiral Anderson his preferences in code names. Nor was she going to turn down a verified ally. They had been few and far between and she felt a bit of a shift, as if a weight was at least partially lifted off her shoulders.

"I'm Lt. Commander Natalie Stark, currently in command of the USS Theurgy. You are a sight for sore eyes, Captain." Natalie had no issues admitting this, as Thea expressed her own thoughts on how their new friends could be of aid. Thoughts that Natalie found reasonable to say the least. "As Thea has noted," Stark gestured to the ships AI, with a fond smile flickering across her lips, "we have the warp fighters if you have the pilots. We're happy to outfit them and put them to use. And it'll be good to have Mr. Hale back."

Before she could continue, she heard the lift opening and noted the arrival of both the ships current liaison on behalf of the Empire, Zyrao Natauna, and a science officer that Nat recognized in passing, having read her file, but having not worked directly with up until this point, Lt. Zephyr Praise. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but then nodded to the two, inclining her head. "Thank you both. Please take your stations."

Returning her gaze to the viewscreen, she smoothed out a non-existent wrinkle on her jacket and moved forward to lead over the Operations console, checking visually that their channel was currently encrypted. Satisfied that it was, the Martian woman addressed the commanding officer of the Oneida. "As you can see sir, the situation is fairly fluid at the moment. I'll have Thea transfer over some of our recent logs. The long and short of it is House Mo'kai has issued something of an ultimatum and we're doing our best to...toe that line to buy time. We lost contact with the Sabine but have teams on the surface following up with both search and rescue operations and...other activities with our allies." Scrambled channel or no, there was only so much that she felt comfortable divulging.

"As noted however, our biggest concern is the potential presence of a Romulan  vessel of some form inbound to the system. We think it might be hiding somewhere out in the wreckage of Praxis, but in all honesty we're not sure. We scrambled what fighters we had, and with the pilots you've...rescued, you said?" That was a story that Natalie would want to know more about later, "That would greatly improve our odds of finding the vessel. Especially if you can offer support there."

Frowning for a moment, she hesitated to ask - seeing as the other ship had taken some obvious damage - but felt she had to press. "We were involved in a shooting match between the two primary waring parties in the Empire's current struggle a short while ago, in an effort to forestall further hostilities that would leave our allies vulnerable to outside threats." Such as Romulan's with thalaron bombs, or our infested 'friends' lurking at the edge of every shadow. There was no need to state it aloud. "Our sickbay was heavily damaged during the fire fight, and the boarding action that followed took a heavy toll. If you have them, we would appreciate any medical officers and assistance you could spare."

Taking another breath, she forced herself to add, "By that same token, if you need any assistance we're willing to spare what we can. Our scan's show you have taken some damage in getting here?"


OOC: I think I covered all the bases there, lemme know if I missed anything critical.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Auctor Lucan on July 02, 2021, 10:57:41 PM
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]
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The Oneida dropped out of warp, positioning herself parallel to the Theurgy and the House K'Tal ships. This, while Ensign Henshaw had delivered her sitrep from the different fronts of the development. Thea also followed the development on both her sensors and viewscreen alike, and while the House Mo'Kai ships - with the Ta'rom front and centre - did not stir at the new arrival, they undoubtedly noticed it. They might even have known of the role the 'Freedom Sentinel' had held in making Chancellor Martok reach Qo'noS ahead of the usurper leading their House. A vexing sight, to be sure.

After the Klingon Empire Liaison and a new Science relief officer arrived to the bridge, Stark had replied to Jackson's offer and it seemed she agreed with Thea's suggestions in regard to the inbound Romulan ship. So, in short order, the plan was underway, with Jackson dealing out the orders as needed on the viewscreen. [While the Oneida is damaged,] he said in deep thought, [this is not the time to be idle. If the Praetor has ordered to bomb the First City, we will lay in an intercept course and join the warp fighters in stopping that warbird. Operations, have the Tactical CONN officers aboard appraised and lower our shields for the Theurgy to beam them over, along with any medical officers that we can spare at the moment. Lieutenant Lail, when we have the course setting, move out on my command.]

While the Oneida's Ops officer set to action on his orders, Jackson briefly directed himself to those on the Theurgy bridge again, for while there was a lot to be said in regard to them joining forces... there was only time for so much given the circumstances. [Like I told Captain Ives when he left for Qo'noS... Thank you. If the Theurgy crew hadn't persisted these past months, this new enemy would still have kept us in the dark, tearing us apart from within. I think I speak for all my crew when I say that we are proud to join your cause, because despite the odds, we are fighting for the truth, and that is the best means to challenge the lies that now undermine us all. With the hope that we may speak further later on...]

Jackson then went to his Captain's chair, ending the hail by inclining his head. [...Oneida out.]

While she found herself smiling at hearing Captain Jackson's words, Thea noticed how Conway at Ops sent the coordinates for the inbound Romulan ship, along with the mission details, and arranged for the beaming over of the Oneida officers. So, the Oneida didn't linger in the formation facing the House Mo'Kai ships, instead joining the new warp fighters that launched from Thea's fighter bay - off to assist the Lone Wolves in on their mission farther out in the sector.

That was when something familiar pierced through the background processes of Thea's runtime.

Her eyes widened momentarily. "Captain, the Sabine..." she turned to Stark. "My sensors are picking up her warp signature, not far from where she was estimated to have been shot down over the city. That means the shuttle should be more or less intact, and the crew might have made it. Also..." The excitement faltered. [...the Ta'rom is hailing us."

Once the Klingon bridge appeared on the viewscreen, a gaunt Klingon stood there in Gorka's place - the latter undoubtedly having beamed down to the Klingon High Council. The new Commanding Officer had a sour mien. [This is Captain Aakan of the Ta'rom,] he said gravelly, fists balled at his sides. [We know you sent a shuttle to the Great Hall. So, we can only interpret this in one way; that you still wish to interfere. You were warned, were you not? I will now send the order to have the limbs of your dear officer cut off, one at the time, and this will only stop... as soon as you give the order to cease and desist. Will you comply? You have ten seconds...]

With the face of Andrew Fisher at the forefront of her memory banks, Thea ran a tactical analysis of the situation - the Klingon beginning to count down. There was plenty of time to find possible solutions, less so to actually implement them. Neither of the solutions would preserve the deterrence between the ships orbiting Qo'noS, yet be that as it may... there was an opportunity to exploit. Within milliseconds, she had sent a message to Stark's armrest as well as Thorne at the helm, Zyrao Natauna as well as the three Tactical officers on the bridge. The text flashed before their eyes on the LCARS displays.

THEY ARE BEAMING DOWN MORE MO'KAI WARRIORS
THE SHIELDS OF THE TA'ROM ARE LOWERED
THIS IS THE TARGETTING VECTOR FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS ARRAY
RECOMMENDING A SWIFT FIRING SOLUTION
I SUGGEST HOUSE K'TAL'S SHIP RECIEVE FAIR WARNING

No doubt a new battle was about to begin, but the tactical odds were better than that of the battle they fought hours earlier, and it may save Commander Fisher's life. Thea just hoped the organics around her could act in time, and that House K'Tal would be prepared when the Ta'rom undoubtedly retaliated.


MEANWHILE | PRAXIS

[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Praxis Surface ]
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"So, Sithick. Do you recognise this area, and Leblanc, do you have any theories on what the Infested might be planning here?"

With crewmen Vansen and Tucker flanking their formation, rifles raised, the Gorn and the pinkskin answered Ida's question. Apparently, the partially destroyed facility ahead of them, which filled one of the cracks of Praxis' surface, had belonged to House Duras. Ida wasn't entirely familiar with Klingon politics, but she did recall something about sisters of that old House, so she trusted that Chief Sithick had the right of it. As for the aims of the Infested, what they might be trying to do, it was rather early to tell, but Petty Officer Leblanc was likely right in that there had to be something on the remains of the moon that could be utilised, somehow. Unfortunately, the tricorder wasn't giving them any clues, so they had to get inside to learn more... though there was a shield preventing them from entering the canyon.

Yet given the state of this place, will that emitter reach every single crevice? she wondered and signalled the team to stop, frowning as she looked down a slanting ravine that might bring them below the surface, and with some luck, through a subterranean path into the ravine that held the bottom of that derelict base. "The shield emitter can't project its shield through solid matter. Let's go."

It quickly turned out they were on to a solution, since there were tracks in the gravel of the moon. Large feet. "Councilor K'Tal's operatives may have come this way as well," she said into the mouth-piece of her helmet, eyes along the sights of her weapon as the static of her voice reached the rest of the team. "Since they haven't reported back, we should be ready for anything. In fact... we might need a distraction."

Tapping the LCARS screen on her wrist, Ida opened a channel to their scout ship. "Away team to the Allegiant. We have found how K'Tal's men got through this shield over the canyon, but since they vanished without reporting back... I wonder if you can create a distraction for us? With a diversion, we hope to get inside the facility from below. We may loose the overall element of surprise... but they can't know we're at their doorstep. What say you?"

The Allegiant was in low orbit of the moon, unseen due to the cloak, but as Ida raised her eyes, she saw how more warp fighters shot past Praxis - vanishing in the same direction that the first group ha gone. Yet these new fighters weren't alone. A Federation starship, Iroquois-class, flew together with the warp fighters... all coming from the Theurgy's coordinates. By Lor'Vela, what is going on?

"Shelat, that can't bode well," she muttered, focusing on the assignment at hand. She couldn't be on top of everything, she knew, so she concentrated on leading the way down the ravine and into a tunnel. She tapped her wrist screen to light the way with her helmet and her rifle, and both Tucker and Vansen did the same with theirs.


OOC: USS Theurgy Bridge officers: So, as you can see, it's time to stop the Ta'rom from contacting the planet-side base that now hold Andrew Fisher. Thea has provided what's needed for any kind of creative solutions you may come up with on the bridge, but I suggest the K'Tal ships gets a wee bit of heads up too as the shit may hit the fan. Here (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/images/c/c8/CUT-AWAY-VIEW-01.png) is an image of the Main Bridge for sake of reference. @Hope , feel free to wrap things on the Oneida end here with Lail heading off towards the Romulan ship together with the warp fighters, and then you're bound for the thread Hidden Raptor, and Oneida joining the Lone Wolves there. Just to be clear, however, the Oneida leaves before the spectacle with the Ta'rom begins, everyone! :)

USS Allegiant crew: The infiltration team needs a distraction so that they can sneak inside the shielded facility, drawing attention away from the bottom entrance of the place. Whatever you guys come up with, the cloak might be dropped in favour of power to the weapon systems, right? It may be a Reman cloak, but there isn't enough juice for both. Of course, the facility might have defences too, right? Something appropriate? Which means that the Tellarite NPC in Ops could end up needing medical attention? In any case, here is the crew on the Allegiant (Click "show/hide") for sake of reference again:
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USS Oneida Medical Officers: Given the onset of a new, much smaller and quicker ending battle with the Ta'rom, I believe there is call for a separate onboard thread for the Theurgy, and as it happens, @Aharon writes the Theurgy's Head Nurse, and we can arrange for that with him now, starting with the Oneida medical officers being beamed into Main Sickbay, right? Doesn't matter to me whom of you write the starter, @Aharon , @Tae or @Luciain , but since there may be other places to feature aboard the Theurgy, I'd love if anyone could set up a new Group thread for that if you'd feel so inclined.

Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Stegro88 on July 03, 2021, 03:52:59 PM
[ Lt. T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Fife @Pierce
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In between watching the vid-feeds from the away team, T’Less was also monitoring the larger situation beyond Praxis. Another Starfleet vessel, an Iroquois-class starship, had dropped out of warp and taken up position alongside the Theurgy before changing course and moving off. With it were additional warp fighters and they were all heading off on the same bearing that Commander Ravon and the original Lone Wolves had taken.

“Reinforcements,” T’Less surmised as she adjusted the settings on her sensors. “But I do not see anything along that bearing. Perhaps a cloaked Klingon force?” She redirected her attention to the away team’s location and noted they were advancing cautiously.

“Commander, the situation beyond Praxis is developing but I do not have a complete enough view to be able to do more than surmise at what is occurring,” T’Less informed her superior. “The away team is also approaching the...” Her words were cut off by Ida’s own as she reported in from the surface and requested a distraction.

“Commander, I would recommend moving away beyond visual range and decloaking. We could then return in full view as if we mean to land an away team,” T’Less proposed. “If that doesn’t generate a response, then I would estimate that nothing short of opening fire will.”



OOC: I am happy to post again with T'Less to reflect the changing situation before Lucan posts again if needed.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Hope on July 04, 2021, 08:21:20 AM
Lt Sabrina Lail | Main Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Oneida ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Brutus @BipSpoon
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Not diverting her eyes from the viewscreen, Sabrina observed the subtleties of the Theurgy officers as Lieutenant Commander Natalie Stark and Captain Jackson negotiated a plan of action with the Oneida’s newfound arrival in orbital formation over Qo’noS. She wasn’t quite certain what she was looking for - after all, the Theurgy were allies and only hours earlier she had spoken to Captain Ives regarding the Qo’noS situation and the Theurgy. However, given the events of the past hour, could she be blamed for being guarded after arriving at the Sabine’s destination to a scenario she did not expect? Lail pushed all that aside when Stark and Jackson came to a quorum.

A small sense of relief came over Sabrina as Jackson agreed to pursue a potentially inbound Romulan warbird with the support of launching Theurgy warp fighters. The Iroquois-class was in no condition for a full-scale fleet engagement over Qo’noS should one break out but even with the damage and repairs thereto, the Oneida could however take on a single threat with support, Lail thought.

With the ship-to-ship communications channel closed, the Theurgy bridge being replaced by the forward view, the damaged bridge of the Oneida once more came to life as words were put into action. The shields were lowered for the transport of officers immediately aiding the Theurgy and the coordinates of the Romulan threat were received and routed to Sabrina’s station at the front of the bridge. “Captain,” Sabrina turned slightly as she entered the vector into the LCARS display, “we received the coordinates of the Romulan warbird from the Theurgy. The indicated coordinates are deeper in this sector beyond Praxis,” Lail stated.

“Lieutenant,” Captain Jackson began as he adjusted his posture in the command chair, “once our Tactical CONN officers and the requested medical staff disembark, put us in formation with the Theurgy’s warp fighters and set course for the designated coordinates.”

Sabrina nodded her head in acknowledgment of the order while turning to face directly forward. She began inputting commands into the Oneida’s computer to maneuver the vessel away from the Theurgy and into a flight formation with the newly launching warp fighters - the smaller Iroquois-class starship distancing itself from the significantly larger vessel.

“Transports complete,” the Oneida’s Operations officer stated.

“Raising shields,” Lieutenant Commander Ikthan notated.

Executing commands, the Oneida maneuvered from its original position parallel to the Theurgy to a plane above the larger vessel nearing the launching warp fighters rally point.

“Ready for warp,” Lail declared as she made final adjustments to the position of the Oneida to clear the vessel from the Theurgy and provide it a warp fighter screen.

As Sabrina maneuvered the Oneida, Ops and Tactical were busy coordinating with the warp fighters in preparation for the intercept under the mission parameters sent over by the Theurgy. With the warp fighters launched and the Oneida in position, Captain Jackson gestured to engage the intercept course. Following the warp fighters, with a press of one button by Lail, the Oneida’s three working warp engines powered up and the turquoise glow emanating from the engines illuminated the surrounding space as the starship followed the Theurgy’s fighters into warp - on course for the Romulan warbird.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: uytrereee on July 08, 2021, 06:08:54 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Warp Core Room | Lower Deck | USS Allegiant ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @Pierce
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Frank sat in the engine room. He'd put on some Jazz, because he was lonely down here. Well not really, he put the jazz on because he loved jazz. It got his rhythm thumping for the mission. He couldn't help himself, he paced around the cramped bay, from monitor to monitor. Each time he only paced for three steps, and then he was at the next console. As a result, it ended up looking like a ill-paced dance, where the only move was a long step.

Once they had entered low orbit, he'd switched his sole focus to monitoring the power situation. He took his PADD and a folding chair and sat by the main power junction. Ideally the two engineers in this bay would split the functions of monitoring and on-line adjustments. They unfortunately would not be afforded that luxury. Frank's skill with on the fly damage control, would have to see them through.  He could monitor the power from the PADD in a simplified display, and make tweaks.

He listened to his open channel with the Allegiant's bridge, trying to keep his thumb on what they were going to do next. He listened to T'Less's suggestion, and offered as an additional comment, "Engineering to bridge, I could also very likely drop the cloak in such a way, as to make it look like a power failure, rather than intentional. It might make them more likely to fall for our ruse if that's the way we want to go." He nodded, "And I can have the available power for either weapons, or propulsion. Not running the cloak opens up a world of power possibilities." He cleared his throat and followed up with, "Ensign Pierce, barrel rolls are back on the menu." His tone was jovial, and his jokes were delivered in the same manner as one would deliver a statement of fact. His humor was dry today, and the jazz in the background of his transmission was juxtaposed.

He shifted his position back to the central power control, running his fingers over the touch controls to ready the auto-macro that would make the power adjustments far faster than a human could. This would allow the 'failure' to look more real, since it would not be slowed to the coordination of a person. He shut off his music, to talk more seriously, "Arnold to Bridge, I have a sequence prepared that can drop our cloak, and make it look accidental. Or we can drop it the less deceptive way. Engineering standing by either way."

He added as a last minute note more for himself than for the bridge as he tucked his stylus behind his ear, "I'm going to hold five percent in reserve for emergency transport." He returned to quietly working, and waiting for orders, no more jazz.



Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Brutus on July 22, 2021, 05:46:15 PM
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: all on Theurgy Bridge
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The proverbial ball had started to roll. With allies now in-system - a notion that Natalie was going to have to wrap her head around swiftly - things didn't look quite as dire as they had before. Having someone of considerably higher rank, with - she presumed - years more experience in the art of command agreeing to her general plan of attack was a sort of confirmation that Nat didn't realize she'd needed - until she had it. Being thanked for what she and her crew were doing...was not something she'd thought to hear. Even her former XO, the Captain of the [i[Cayuga[/i] hadn't quite done what Cpt. Jackson did. She found it mattered, at least to her, quite a bit.

The Oneida would seek out the Romulan threat lurking in the debris of Praxis, thus alleviating Natalie of much further responsibility on that front, and allowing her to focus more on the events in orbit, and on the surface, of Qo'noS. Bolstered thus, she was able to meet, head on, the new threat that bubbled up from the house of Mo'Kai.

In truth, such actions should not have surprised her. While Natalie wanted to revel in the fact that Thea's sensor sweep had located their missing ship, there was no time for such joy. Natalie knew that they had all been living on borrowed time, operating as best they could, to skirt around the line in the sand that the devious Klingon House supporting Gorka had drawn, in an effort to curtail the threat that the Theurgy posed. Dangling the life of the ships Chief of Intelligence by a string in an effort to curb any action that Natalie might take. She liked Andrew Fisher. He was nice, and more so, reliable, a welcome addition to the ship's complement of spies and analysts. In short, he'd had the fine makings of a friend, who was now behind enemy lines.

This was the kind of challenge that the late Carrigan Trent had tried to prepare her for in some of his brutally blunt holodeck training programs. This was the kind of choices she'd watched Ranann Ducote, and even more so, Jien Ives, make time and time again. The needs of the many, she thought, the Vulcan axiom rising in her mind's eye.  She had done, and would do, everything she could to recover Andrew Fisher, including authorizing clandestine rescue attempts. But now all those efforts might very well be for naught.

Listening to Captain Aakan, Natalie could not help but be reminded of Administrator M'Kish, back on Aldea. While this man was clearly a warrior, his gaunt nature reminded her of the beardless bureaucrat, whom had presided over her first encounter with Gorka. One that had nearly cost her the head attached to her neck, an unresolved assault that still made her blood boil (when it didn't wake her up at night in a blind panic). Unfortunate for Gorka's subordinate, the association did little to hide the small look of disdain that flickered over her features, long enough to be noted. Something flashed out of the corner of her eye and she glanced down, noting the text on the panel of her arm rest.

She aught to find some way to talk this through. That's what Starfleet did. But then, Starfleet officers knew that sometimes, decisive action had to be taken regardless of any desire for peace. They'd reached the bridge head of such a moment here, and now. It came down to Natalie. Could she accept that, with her next actions, more lives might be lost.

In the end, standing down was not an option. She nodded curtly, letting Aakan take that as he wished. With her hand on the controls, she typed out a burst message and sent it toward the flagship of House K'Tal, as well as all the officers Thea had contacted . It read simply:

HOUSE MO'KAI OVER PLAYED THEIR HAND.
TA'ROM HAS ISSUED ULTIMATUM.
THEIR SHEILDS DOWN.
ENGAGING ENEMY.
GLORY TO YOU AND YOUR HOUSE.

"Fine. So be it. You authorized our landing and yet use this as an excuse to murder one of my crew. Reap that which you have sown." Even as she spoke, she felt the thrum of the Theurgy as her weapons lashed out...



OOC: Here we go here we go here we go. Sorry for the delayed response on this, works been a beast, but lets get the ball rolling. Anyone on the bridge, feel free to write your characters reactions. Please note that the tactical station is mostly helmed by NPC's, so if anyone wants to include anything from them, have at.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Auctor Lucan on July 29, 2021, 01:57:31 AM

OOC: With few replies, I will have to push events forward at this point nonetheless. Summertime can be busy, so no worries, but with the lack of writing activity I will aim to wrap the events of this thread prematurely so that the story goes on.


[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]
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With a feeling of relief permeating her runtime, Thea witnessed the rapid development in a multitude of ways. Not only in the scope of her tactical sensors, but that of her projection watching the viewscreen on the Main Bridge.

Natalie Stark had noticed the message she sent to the Command Chair, and acted on it. Not only in the manner of giving the go-ahead to Tactical a weaponry response to Captain Aakan's threat, but she even acted faster than Natauna in forewarning House K'Tal. It was an efficient method, one message going to all those Thea had contacted, and the outcome was that the Ta'rom had no chance to raise her shields in time.

After the refit that Thea had undergone at Aldea, she had a grand total of eight forward-facing torpedo launchers when in Standard Operation Mode, and the three Tactical Officers on the bridge had already kept their fingers on the proverbial trigger for any kind of sudden development. So, at the go-ahead of Stark's word, a full barrage of photon torpedoes were off and bearing down on the Negh'var-class flagship of House Mo'Kai. The majority of them struck into the unprotected hull of the Klingon ship before the shield emitters lit up again, tearing up the hull and making Thea squint against the silent detonations of ignited air and the loss of pressure of the affected decks.  The hail with Captain Aa'kan was terminated by the impacts. She could see distant specks of debris and Klingon warriors whisking through the conflagrations...

...and the reaction of the Vor'cha-class support ships.

House Mo'Kai's immediate answer.

"They are powering up disruptors, opening fire... but so is House K'Tal," she stated, and the battle began. The critically damaged Ta'rom bit back in its death throes - firing back even as it keeled over. The Vor'cha ships charged, yet as did those belonging to House K'Tal. The stand off had ended, and in orbit of Qo'noS, Thea found herself fighting on behalf of the Martok Loyalists to end the beginnings of a Klingon civil war before it tore the Empire apart.


MEANWHILE | PRAXIS


[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Cross) & Ensign Isel Nix (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Isel_Nix) | Bridge | USS Allegiant NX-80978 ] Attn: @uytrereee @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle @Pierce @Griffinsummoner @jreeves1701
The remark from his friend Kobol  had been met with a 'duly noted' and a dismissal, since it was far too late for picking up additional medical officers from the Theurgy at that point, sickbay also being filled to the deckhead with injured from the last battle and not leaving more than Kobol  available for the mission.

Then, with a request made from the Andorian leading the away team - in which a need for a distraction from the Allegiant was merited - Commander Cross listened to what T'Less suggested and what Lieutenant Arnold said they could reasonably do. They had no time for alternatives, and they knew far too little about what the Infested had planned to do from the facility on Praxis, so Cross inclined his head.

"Pierce, you heard her," he said, nodding towards T'Less. "Feign another deployment of a ground force after we decloak, but be ready for evasive manoeuvres. The Breen already did a number on this ship, and there was little time for repairs, so any enemy fire making it past the shields will be keenly felt. Let's go everyone."

Said and done, the manoeuvre was executed, and there was no mistaking the reaction from that supposedly destroyed and abandoned moon facility they'd approached. In short order, weapon signatures flared to life on he viewscreen, indicating that they were being targeted.

"Okay, make her dance, Pierce. Arnold! Any time you can restore the cloak now... T'Less fight back until then, but make sure you avoid firing against our own down there."

[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Praxis Surface ]
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With crewmen Vansen and Tucker flanking their formation, rifles raised, Ida and the others on her away team heard the reply from Commander Cross in their helmets.

[This is the Allegiant. We're drawing their eyes now. Go in, find out what they are up to and stop it. Cross, out.]

"Acknowledged, moving in," said the Deputy, and motioned towards the narrow crevice in which they'd get past the shield and to the bottom of the ravine. And while there were no sounds to accompany the display, the fallout of the Allegiant's distraction was plain above them all. Clearly, the base wasn't as destroyed as it originally appeared, or some of the defence systems had been repaired, because the cliffs around them were suddenly lit by green surface-to-air disruptor cannons. Clearly, those inside the base weren't keen on being approached. Ida could but hope the new officer at the helm of the Allegiant knew what she was doing, and that T'Less could handle it on her end.

It didn't take them long to follow in the footsteps of the House K'Tal operatives, with the narrow path leading them past the projected shield and into the ravine. There, a narrow path descended to the side of the destroyed structure, and with a short and deft climb to another plateau in the side of the ravine, they could see an airlock, likely used for small utility crafts not unlike the worker bees on a starship.

"The K'Tal operatives must have entered the same way," commented Ida quietly, eyes unblinking as she approached - leading the other four officers to the access panel. Once there, she could see that it had already been tampered with, and the manual release had been bared next to the airlock doors. She reached out, and with a firm grip on the release, she pulled it, and the doors slid open without making a sound - the lack of atmosphere not even granting them a whisper.

Inside, four Klingon bodies in spacesuits laid sprawled across the floor plating of the airlock, and the other side of the airlock was closed.

"I guess we know what happened to Concilor K'Tal's men," she said tightly, and saw how they'd been shot multiple times, likely from whomever had greeted them on the other side of that airlock. In all likelihood, the Klingons hadn't held the element of surprise, much less had the benefit of the distraction that the Allegiant was creating. Ida motioned for the away team to follow inside, and she began to look for the next manual release. She couldn't see any such thing, which had her worried.

And once they were inside... the airlock closed behind them, trapping them.

"Shelat," Ida exclaimed, raising her rifle against the door ahead, ready to meet any firing squad awaiting them. Her cobolt blood beat in her ears in rhythm with her heartbeat while the airlock was being pressurised, the hiss a loud noise around them. Only when the doors opened...

...there were no Klingons awaiting them.

Instead, a pinkskin Starfleet officer (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Alistair_Leavitt) stood there, apparently having let them inside.


OOC: USS Theurgy Bridge officers: A short and decisive space battle has ensued, with House Mo'Kai facing the Theurgy as well as three Vor'cha-class ships of House K'Tal. House Mo'Kai's flagship is almost adrift, firing back still, but Mo'Kai also have three Vor'cha-class ships on their side. Have fun illustrating the development and how the Ta'rom meets its end! Feel free to NPC the Klingons on both sides in this battle and make the most of the situation! :)

USS Allegiant crew: In the distraction manoeuvre that takes place here, please have the Tellarite NPC in Ops end up dead or needing up needing medical attention from Doctor Kobol ? Otherwise, illustrate the tactical situation and the development with the defence systems in place. @Griff , here is your cue to post with Alistair! :)

Lastly, here is the crew on the Allegiant (Click "show/hide") for sake of reference again:
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Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BipSpoon on July 29, 2021, 05:22:33 AM
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: Bridge crew, @GroundPetrel
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Cameron turned away from the overview sprawled out at her station, hands still deep in the holograms, she stared up at the viewscreen as the visage of the Iroquois’ Captain came into view. She paid little attention to the newcomers on the bridge. She quickly pulled open the scan of the friendly vessel that had been captured on approach, and gave a quick nod. Part of her was certain it was a trick of some sort, but the sane part knew that she was being paranoid. Paranoia seemed like an apt response anymore though, when so far as she knew, anyone could house a parasite. Particularly those from Starfleet.

She dropped a marker on her overview, around Praxis. It was red, and continuously spun, and had the shape of a question mark. Not knowing the location of the Romulan ship, it was simply a placeholder. Cam opened a small direct line to the operations officer aboard the Oneida, requesting information on any transfers they choose to send over, and requesting that they include any assistance they require. It was short, and to the point, designed only to help with easing the operation, when it did eventually happen.

She received another transmission, and listened closely as it played through her earpiece. Her face fell, and horror took over. She tried to relay it as it came in, “Sir.” She looked to Stark, “Tesla has made planetfall. They’re working on repairs.” She tapped a button on her console to roll it back as she pressed the earpiece in further, some static having taken the line. “Lieutenant Zark is in command, Arisaka is down. Oneida forces engaging hostiles at site of wreck.” She let out a breath that screamed nothing short of relief. “The Captain and Martok are continuing on to the Great Hall. They’re holding their ground for now, but they need some support. They want orders.” She kept her gaze locked on Stark, waiting. “Hold one, Zark.” She kept her chatter to the ground team short, and to the point. Just as she would with the pilots.

She received another transmission, and listened closely as it played through her earpiece. Her face fell, and horror took over. She tried to relay it as it came in, “Sir.” She looked to Stark, “Tesla has made planetfall. They’re working on repairs.” She tapped a button on her console to roll it back as she pressed the earpiece in further, some static having taken the line. “Lieutenant Zark is in command, Arisake is down. Oneida forces engaging hostiles at site of wreck.” She let out a breath that screamed nothing short of relief. “The Captain and Martok are continuing on to the Great Hall. They’re holding their ground for now, but they need some support. They want orders.” She kept her gaze locked on Stark, waiting. “Hold one, Zark.” She kept her chatter to the ground team short, and to the point. Just as she would with the pilots.

Hearing the news about the Sabine, she started working on her console, but stopped in her tracks, staring at the vaguely blinking Ta’rom as they hailed. Her gaze locked onto the viewscreen. Her face shifted as the Klingon spoke. Cameron was a counselor. She was understanding, compassionate, and she tried to empathize with everyone. Everyone. Her face however, shifted into a look of utter hatred. To her, it was all so petty. There was an invasion of parasitic aliens taking over, and here the Klingons stood, mindlessly killing. Her jaw tightened and she gripped the edge of the console.

As the transport came over from the Oneida, Cam took a quick look at the new biosigns aboard, trying to cross match any that were already familiar and in the database. The others, she set aside to look at later.

Reap that which you have sown. It was a phrase she wouldn't forget. She knew, at some level what the words meant but it took her a moment before the words even seemed to register. The false peace had held, and she hadn't even considered that there was likely only the one way out of the situation.

When it did finally register in the young womans mind, the phrase sent a shiver up her spine, and she braced herself against the console. She wasn’t sure who would fire first, and didn’t particularly crave another head injury. At once she looked over the spread in front of her and watched as all ships went to work. It was over in seconds. The torpedo array opened up and the Klingons had hardly been able to react. The flash caused her to squint, almost closing her eyes. Despite all they had done to the ship and her crew that day, Cameron still didn’t revel in the loss of life of the Klingons. Every life mattered anymore. She turned away and looked at her console, checking for survivors.

There was certainly nothing left of the hull sans melted, derelict pieces of twisted metal. Within moments again however, the Klingons had opened fire. Without a flagship, it seemed like little more than a half-baked reaction. K’tal had made quick work of them, and it was done. She kept her eyes dashing between the viewscreen and the hologram in front of her. When it was done, her eyes locked on the viewscreen, her body finally relaxing, but her face looked anything but relaxed.


Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Pierce on August 03, 2021, 05:13:57 PM
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lauren_Pierce) | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] Attn: @Fife @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle e@uytrereee @Auctor Lucan @Griffinsummoner @jreeves1701
[Show/Hide]

Lauren heard Arnold's retort of the barrel roll capability, her rosy lips contorted into a smirk as she acknowledged him. She continued to monitor as the situation escalated and the command was given by Lt. Cmdr. Cross to "make it dance" on the battlefield. "Acknowledged sir!"

She could hear the sounds of disruptor fire hitting near and close to the vessel. Gracefully her hands worked the touchpad as well as a musician could play a difficult song on the piano. Carefully avoiding fire but giving some appearances that damage was taken before real fire began to hit the Allegiant.

Her thoughts flashed back to the battle of the Dominion War and anxiety began to well inside her briefly before the thoughts of what recently happened to Tessa struck the cords of her heart and mind again. The Klingons were her target now. The only thing present was keeping her and her comrades alive as she leaned into her console from a hard jolt on the port side of the small vessel. "Ugh!" she yelled as the ship lurched again. The lights flickered overhead briefly before restoring. She hoped the shields would hold up in this close proximity fight.

"Barrel roll commensing! Hold tight!" She whisked her hands across the touch pad, watching for the somewhat pattern of the Klingon's disruptor fire was heading and hit a sequence into her console. The Allegiant turned briefly to the side as the ship missed some fire and the ship flipped a few times before settling in over the facility once more. "If you have cloak capabilities, now would be a perfect time!"

She waited for further instructions while she continued to dodge the incoming blasts.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Griff on August 04, 2021, 12:39:02 AM
[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Alistair_Leavitt) | Praxis Surface ]

[Show/Hide]

When the airlock doors opened, the away team were greeted by a bizarre sight; in place of the Klingons they had been expecting, they instead saw a human, a Starfleet officer. He was a perfectly ordinary man in a bizarre situation, given the extreme lengths that the away team had resorted to just to reach the facility. The human just stood there, bold as brass, his phaser holstered as if it was just another day, a padd attached to his belt.

"Hi!" he said far too jauntily, even waving, but when everyone's phasers automatically swivelled to aim at his chest, he raised his hands in panic. "Oh shit, woah, friendly, friendly! Look, it's a long story, but I'm Alistair Leavitt, I was sent here by time travellers from the future, and I'm here to stop this moon from exploding. Again. I know that's a lot to swallow, and this is a little messed up, but seriously, here to help. I know what the Infested are planning to do here, and I know how to stop them, but I need to talk to Lieutenant Commander Stark on the Theurgy right now. Uh...please. Freedom Sentinel, if that helps? That's the code in this timeline, right?"

In the confused silence that followed, Alistair grinned anxiously, painfully aware of the various armed strangers in front of him (including, Alistair was trying very hard not to notice, a Gorn who could probably bite his head off with ease). "Pretty please? We really don't have much time."
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Stegro88 on August 15, 2021, 01:24:13 PM
[ Lt. T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Ellen Fitz @Griff @Sqweloookle @Pierce @uytrereee @Griffinsummoner @jreeves1701
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The command had been given and T’Less watched and waited to see what, if any, the reaction would be. As the cloak was lowered and they moved back, the Vulcan focused on the sensors, looking for any change. She didn’t have to wait long because as soon as the Allegiant came into sight of the facility, her sensors detected the activation of weapons emplacements.

“Detecting multiple weapon emplacements coming online,” T’Less announced calmly, her mind focused on her console. “They are firing.” Cross’ orders came swiftly and soon enough, Ensign Pierce had the Allegiant evading the majority of the disruptor fire that was aimed at them. Unfortunately, she was unable to avoid all of it.

“Shields at 87%. Returning fire,” T’Less reported as her fingers danced. To avoid as much collateral damage as possible, she had chosen to use the secondary beam arrays instead of the main cannons. It would take longer to accomplish her goal of neutralising her targets, but she would be able to avoid terminal damage to the structure this way. As the Allegiant manoeuvred, T’Less utilised all four of the beam arrays to begin destroying the disruptor cannons firing at them.

“Shields at 73%,” she commentated as she fired again. “Second emplacement destroyed,” she added as the Allegiant shook from a rather violent shield impact. A console sparked and shorted from the shock of the impact, the event setting the facial hair of the Tellarite manning the console aflame. CWO Luff growled and smacked at his face as it burned before collapsing to the deck, the remains of his beard still smoldering. 

“Shields at 54%. Medical team to the Bridge!”
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: uytrereee on August 15, 2021, 04:52:19 PM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Warp Core Room | Lower Deck | USS Allegiant ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @Griff @Pierce
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They'd dropped the cloak, and all hell had broken loose. He wasn't exactly sure if his sequence had done it, or a power fluctuation, but either way he was going to take all of the credit.

He'd pried himself away from the main console now, adjustment tools in hand. As a point of note, he'd taken a grease pencil, expertly replicated some years ago, and written 'Five Percent!' on the back of his hand, to avoid allocating the emergency power needed to transport the away team back to the Allegiant in the course of a dire emergency.

As they began to cross sabers with the Klingons, or more accurately do their best to not get obliterated, Frank said firmly to the computer in the warp core room, "Computer, Arnold funky mix one." He worked better to music, that much was sure. Without further adieu, Carl Douglas's Kung Fu Fighting started, and in the same breath Frank started flitting around the bay to the music.

He heard the notion to restore the cloak, and he spoke over the comm he'd left open with the bridge, the early nineties ballad able to be heard gently playing in the background, "I'll have the cloak online in due course Commander, but there is a sequence that must be obeyed, unless you'd rather I just make the Klingons job easy!" It was said loudly, over the working machinery of the warp core room, but it was said jovial enough as the music gave way to 'Fox On The Run' by Sweet, sliding back into the dog days of humanity.

He added to the bridge, "The startup sequence will take me a few minutes, for the moment..." He started to move to make the appropriate adjustments, allocating all but the necessary startup power to the propulsion and tactical stations, "...I'm going to rob Peter to pay Paul." He cracked his knuckles and started the cloak priming sequence, while the remaining power rushed to be at the fingertips of Pierce and T'Less.

As he began to speak again, it was now LaBelle with Lady Marmalade that played in the background, as Frank adopted his best imitation of Burgess Meredith having got a bit carried away, "This guy, he don't just wanna beat-cha, he wants to murder ya!" He cleared his throat, and took a more serious tone, "Ensign Pierce, you've got an additional nineteen percent power. You're fighting Foreman in a phone booth in time square, get your dancing shoes on!" He added, "And T'Less you've got the rest, twelve percent, you can use it to cover up, or start swinging. Dealer's choice!" He cleared his throat, and offered, "But that's all you've got for now, unless you want me to start getting crazy down here."

He got off the comm, and took up station near the warp core. His recent adjustments had put them near the red-line. His five percent had become four percent, but his head math said that'd still be enough. He imagined he could hear the warp core whining, breathing hard, as he popped one of her cowlings, and took a spanner to one of the intake valves to open it for more fuel flow, even if it wasn't strictly allowed by Starfleet regulations, as he said under his breath "There there girl, a bit more air for you to breathe. Just gotta make it a bit longer." It was time to get crazy down here it seemed.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Auctor Lucan on August 22, 2021, 04:37:22 PM

MEANWHILE | PRAXIS - Joint Post by @Griff & @Auctor Lucan, with help from @BipSpoon


In the confused silence that followed, Alistair grinned anxiously, painfully aware of the various armed strangers in front of him (including, Alistair was trying very hard not to notice, a Gorn who could probably bite his head off with ease). "Pretty please? We really don't have much time."

From behind her visor, Ida had watched the Starfleet officer as he gave his cursory greeting and urged them ahead, and she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. She had no way of knowing he wasn't one of the Infested, however, so she didn't lower her rifle. She just decided against shooting him down where he stood. "How did you get inside here... unless you are one of them?"

Alistair winced. "Okay, fair point, I'll give you that," he admitted nervously, although at a realisation, he suddenly became much more serious, his face rapidly paling in the poor light of the tunnel. "No...it's not a fair point. I met one of the...uh...the Infested, not long ago. Well, not long ago in my perspective, a few years ahead of now. I've seen what they're capable of. One of those things would've killed you all by now, and there wouldn't have been anything you could do it. There wasn't anything we could do about it."

Alistair took a deep breath, remembering the ticking clock, and forced him to focus, enormously grateful for whatever miracle drug the Relativity doctor had given him so that he wasn't a whimpering mess. He concentrated on the Starfleeters and the markings on their exosuits, recognising one immediately..

"I'm going to take my PADD out, please don't shoot me, please don't shoot..." Alistair pleaded as he very carefully took the PADD off his belt, rapidly tapping it. "Lieutenant ThanIda zh'Wann. Born on Lor'vela in 2352. Enlisted in the Imperial Guard in 2361, Starfleet in 2369...okay, not helping, anyone could get that information...um...first victim of the Niga virus, first vector of the Niga virus too...damn. I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I lost friends to that thing too in the timeline I came from. Uh...still not helping, that's not secret."

Ida bared her teeth at the indignation of having her past brought up, and her patience was running low. "You're in our way."

Alistair read on quickly, and then he paled again. "Crap. I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I really am, but there are billions of people on Qo'nos who will die if you don't trust me right now, and I don't see another way to do it. The man in your...uh...how do you pronounce it...Ushaan? His name was Bhaer th'Vaesi, a friend of your father's. It says here...seriously, Lieutenant, so sorry. It says you were attracted to him, even when you were fighting him. During the duel, he was much better than you, but he never struck a fatal blow. You never knew why. Then at the end, he brushed aside your hair, and you thought it might be a romantic gesture, before you killed him."

The whites in Ida's eyes flared behind the visor. The memory of the event that started her exile was like an old wound, and as he struck it, the pain reminded itself keenly. "How... do you know about that?"

Alistair winced, forcing himself to look Ida in the eye (well, visor) despite his discomfort. "The Relativity can see alternate timelines. There's a timeline where neither of you killed the other. The duel started something there. All of this comes from an alternate future, long afterwards, from some sort of memoir. In that future, th'Vaesi said 'she kept dropping her left, her antennae telegraphed everything, but when she got up that fifth time and screamed at me, I knew that our love had been forged."

The more he spoke, the deeper Ida's frown got. A strange sense of renewed loss came over her. th'Vaesi...

Yet she realised that the man ought to be telling the truth, knowing as she did about the Relativity and its role in the current events, so she signalled for the infiltration team to fall in line, and shook of the old memories. She began to walk in the direction the Lieutenant had indicated. "As many questions that I may have, I suppose the most obvious one is why the Relativity would break their rules by sending you here. What's at stake? Talk on the way there, will you? Keep up the pace, people."

Alistair talked quickly, staying next to (and in front of) Ida, trying to clamp down on his nerves at the sheer insanity of where he was and what he was doing. "They didn't have much time to brief me, but long story short, there's a bomb up ahead, well guarded, and the Infested are planning on using it to detonate the dilithium deposits inside Praxis. We've got half an hour, at the most, before what's left of this moon explodes and destroys Qo'nos for good."

The questions Ida may have had crowded on her tongue, but given the stakes made plain by the Lieutenant, the urgency was quite real. Perhaps more so emphasised by the manner in which the base was being hit by retaliatory fire from the Allegiant - the distraction manoeuvre yet to end. "By Lor'Vela. What are we facing inside there? The Klingons in this facility can't know what's about to happen, right? That means..."

"Yeah, there's an Infested here, we're sure about that," Alistair said, as they walked, clearing his throat. The tunnel was starting to widen up ahead, and Alistair nervously moved a hand to the butt of his phaser, even knowing how useless it was against the Infested. "We don't know who they are, but there's definitely one here somewhere. They're going to sacrifice themselves to ensure the bomb goes off no matter what happens. We need to stop them."

Alistair was hardly portraying indomitable courage thus far, but when he stopped to turn and look at Ida squarely, there was surprising strength in his blue eyes. "The Theurgy can help us, so long as they're not busy fighting someone and so long their systems are in good shape. They can generate a subspace field around Praxis that can render the dilithium inert for a while, so the bomb doesn't start a chain reaction, but they need to get started right now. If they can't help us, and we have to fight one of those...uh...those monsters, to disarm the bomb," (Alistair winced reflexively), "then the odds aren't on our side. I've seen what the Infested they can do. We'd be lucky to survive more than a minute."

Hearing this, Ida nodded and didn't dally for a moment. She looked down at her wrist to access her subspace comm channels and raised Mission Ops, being the viable means to reach the Main Bridge on the Theurgy. “Lieutenant zh’Wann to Mission Ops. Do you read me? We are in urgent need of assistance at Praxis.”



[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ]
[Show/Hide]
Cam heard a muffled call in her ear and furrowed her brows, quickly clearing it up and listening again. Her face fell and she shook her head, as if the person on the other end could actually hear her.

"No can do, Lieutenant! We've got some problems of our own up here!" An audible crash and crackle of a console shorting out could be heard over the comms, "Some Klingon's decided to test their luck. Keep us updated. Henshaw out."

She ended the communication on her end, guiltily. There wasn't anything she could do though, they'd have to hold out on their own.



[ Praxis ]

"Damn it." Alistair closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath. "Shit. Okay. We're doing this. Alright, listen up. There's a large deep pit up ahead, originally dug for dilithium mining back in the 23rd century. The bomb is on the rim, and there's a tractor emitter which is supposed to shift it out there and drop it precisely onto a rich dilithium vein five kilometers down. We need to stop that happening. I might be able to disarm that bomb if I can get to it, I don't know, but there are eight Klingon guards in defensive positions near the bomb, one of whom is Infested, we don't know which."

Grimly, Ida nodded, and looked towards the team to gauge their readiness. Sithick was straggling behind, looking at the interior of the place. The Gorn had removed his helmet, breathing quickly. “Chief, what’s the matter?”

“Memoriezzz,” the former slave wheezed quietly, apparenlty not coping well with the return to the starbase they were in. He looked like a frightened animal, and Ida was relieved that the officer from the Relativity seemed to know the insides of the base, because the Gorn didn’t seem able to continue. She’d hoped that the Gorn would be an asset in the upcoming fight, but it was clear she couldn’t rely on him.

“Chief, look at me. Hey!” she said, sharply enough to get his attention. “Stay here, and cover our escape route. Hide in that alcove, weapon ready. You hear me?”

“Ayeee, azzzz you zzzzay,” Sithick answered, still looking unnerved.

“Tucker, Vansen, LeBlanc, I don’t have to tell you the stakes. We can’t let the Infested drop that bomb. Set weapons to their highest setting. The Infested won’t go down easily.” While they pressed on towards the chamber that the man from the Relativity indicated, she raised Commander Cross.

“Lieutenant zh’Wann to the Allegiant, as you heard, we have a situation on our hands,” she said, knowing that those on the bridge had overheard the conversation with Alistair and followed the progress through the helmet-feeds. “Can you see the mining shaft indicated ahead on sensors? Is there any other way to stop that bomb from reaching the dilithium in case we are too late?”


OOC: Next to post, @Ellen Fitz , but don’t worry, I will PM all those writing characters on the Allegiant with the overall plan for this ordeal with Praxis. Kudos to @Stegro88 for the brainstorming on VC that allowed for this idea to take shape, and also to @Griff for being able to whip up this JP to facilitate the new direction of the plot.

Next from me in this thread... the battle with the Ta’rom! Stay tuned!

Oh, for those interested in how Alistair could appear on Praxis, check this out (https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php/topic,3204.0.html)!
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Auctor Lucan on August 22, 2021, 11:34:25 PM
[ USS Theurgy "Thea" NX-79854 | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]
[Show/Hide]
The fact that the infiltration team down on Praxis' surface had contacted Mission Ops largely went by unnoticed on the bridge of the Theurgy, since all other stations were committed to the present battle in orbit of Qo'noS.

The Theurgy and the Ta'rom had faced each other in a stand-off for almost an hour before the fighting began, with the Vor’cha class ships at their sides joining the fray. The Theurgy had struck the first blow, preventing the Klingon Captain from giving the signal to end Commander Fisher's life wherever he was held down on Qo'noS. Stark had given the order, and the blow had been devastating to the Negh'Var flagship of House Mo'Kai. As she stood there on the shaking bridge, Thea couldn't help but feel responsible for the situation, having made the recommendation of a pre-emptive strike.

"House K'Tal has lost one ship, Captain!" called Zyrao Natauna from the screens behind Mission Ops, where she were in communication with Martok's loyal forces. "Though ETA for House Mo'Kai reinforcements is just five minutes, seven ships strong. Unless something happens in the Great Hall... this will just escalate until the Qo'noS sky is ablaze."

On the viewscreen, the three Vor'cha ships belonging to House Mo'Kai left the ship they had destroyed in their wake and went in full force against the Theurgy, having deterred the other two House K'Tal ships for the moment. Ensign Thorne, whom had proven herself capable at Thea's helm in the Azure Nebula, didn't need to be told what to do, executing an evasive manoeuvre that still allowed for those at Tactical to respond to the assault. "Heads up! Pivoting to starboard in three, two, one... Starboard phasers lined up! You'll have forward torpedo launchers in five!"

"Captain! The Ta'rom might be adrift, but its still firing! Aft shields at 60%!" called Conway from Ops, and another barrage of torpedoes was already on its way. It seemed Captain Aakan wasn't entirely pleased with how the Theurgy had cast the first stone.

"I'm getting word that Martok's Houses are rallying to our coordinates," shouted Zyrao from the back, "but they will be too late. We'll end up facing House Mo'Kai alone before then."

Thea had a question for Zyrao, not being privy to Klingon subspace channels like the Liaison was. "What of the Houses we fought before? I'm not detecting them on my sensors with an approach vector."

Zyrao shook her head. "Unknown. Could be cloaked. I am not seeing any other Houses that swore themselves to Gorka. It could be they are waiting on word from the Great Hall before they make any decision on involving themselves. I like to believe the word about Gorka's conduct has spread as well."

Glancing towards Natalie, Thea had to wonder, given the odds being in their favour at the moment, was it tactically sound to destroy all the House Mo'Kai ships before the reinforcements arrived?

"Orders, Captain?" asked the the officer at Tactical, being of similar mind.

Meanwhile, Mission Ops got new reports coming in... and Thea detected something that had to be an internal sensor malfunction due to the damages she was taking. She began to run a diagnostic...

...because how could Doctor Nicander be in two places aboard at once?


OOC: @BipSpoon , Cam would get a report from Security that the Spearhead Lounge bomber has managed to escape from his holding cell in the brig (due to the damages caused in the previous battle). Reports are mixed, stating that Blue Tiran and Chief Ji were present during the escape, and that Doctor Nicander reported a medical emergency, to which sickbay is responding. There is also mentioning of Kai Akoni, the Chief of Security, being in pursuit, but he's not cleared by medical after his incident. Reports are conflicting to say the least.

@Brutus , in your next post with Sarresh Morali down there on Qo'noS... you guessed it. Another seizure, due to someone crossing over from an alternate timeline. My suggestion for a posting order on the Bridge is that @BipSpoon posts first, followed by @Brutus , and in that latter post, I suggest Stark’s orders either put a definitive end to the battle, in which the two remaining House K’Tal ships are available for the depiction of the action as well. All NPCs on the bridge, formerly having had writers or not, are viable to use as needed.

Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Sqweloookle on August 23, 2021, 06:18:14 AM
[ Lieutenant Elro Kobol | USS Allegiant, Medbay<>Bridge | Praxis Space ]

He heard the call, though considering it was just him, wondered why they couldn't have just called him as he didn't have a team. Elro rushed through the two doors to the Bridge with his kit, medical tricorder already out and active. Upon entering the Bridge, he was immediately drawn to the sparks over at the Ops station and found CWO Luff on the floor growling in pain which Elro could feel just outside his emotional barriers.

Already kneeling next to CWO Luff, Elro scanned the burned area to assess the severity of it. It seemed to be in sections of degrees, his beard unfortunately couldn't be saved. Elro grabbed a spray. ”Luff this is going to hurt, I'm sorry.” He said, ”but you will feel better. I promise.” He started to spray the beard and the burned skin.

It was mainly to numb the pain receptors and give some relief. The more the burned area moved the more it caused pain so Elro had to get Luff to relax. ”I need you to focus on your breathing Luff.” He instructed the Operations non-com.

Elro then replaced the spray and retrieved the dermal regenerator which would hopefully fix as much as it could quickly as it had just happened. Slowly and steadily waving the regenerator over the burned area starting at the middle of it and spiralling outwards Elro kept one eye on Luff's expression. ”I'll regenerate what I can but the rest we will need to go to the medbay for.” Elro explained.

He heard some of the conversation from their ground team, a bomb was heading to the Dilithium deep in Praxis' core. Elro wasn't a tactician or engineer, he was a doctor but still an idea occurred to him. ”Commander, can we beam up the bomb and hold it in transporter suspension? Or tractor it out into space?” He offered as he kept steadily treating Luff's burns.

The Betazoid had to shift Luff onto his lap in order to keep the Tellarite from shaking with the Allegiant too much.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: BipSpoon on August 24, 2021, 06:01:18 AM
[ Ensign Cameron Henshaw | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Theurgy ]
[Show/Hide]
Cam quickly answered the call before returning her attention to the battle. Her eyes dashed across the layout in front of her, trying to find any pattern in the attacks. There was none. It was a mad-dash, final effort to deal as much damage as possible, or destroy, Theurgy . One of the Vor’cha class vessels began to fly for the port side of the ship, and Cam immediately transferred all relevant data to tactical as she announced it, “One moving to port, they’re giving us their neck. Likely gearing up for a torpedo volley.”

She watched it move down the side of the ship, flipping it’s front towards them. A quick, brutal burst of phasers, courtesy of Starfleet, punched a hold right through the shielding; it was brief but good enough. As she began to quirk a grin, she saw a flicker on her readout. There was another, and it was right on top of them. “Another one decloaking!” It had already fired. Cam saw the trajectory and immediately braced. “That’s coming right for the bridge!” She shouted, to make sure everyone in the room heard her. She held strong through the impact, almost going to a kneel but managing to catch herself. Seconds later, there was a high pitched squeal coming from the ground near science.

Her eyes went wide, and she opened her mouth as she saw various crewmembers diving out of the way. Too late, however. The EPS conduit exploded, sending crew-members flying. Two of them, hit the ceiling and fell, limp. The bodies on the ground smoking and giving off the telltale, fetid stench of seared flesh and muscle. She knew immediately there would be casualties, and sent out a call for medical assistance. She left her earpiece in and ran over towards one of the officers that had landed in the arch between tactical and science. She shouted as she moved, “Opening in their shields!” She kept one hand close to something to hang onto at all times.

Cam crouched next to the body, spotting a tattoo beneath some of the scorched clothing, through a large hole in the shoulder. The half that wasn’t twisted and malformed by plasma fire,  was beautiful. A fantastic display of purple flowers. Cam’s face fell, turning the body over to see if the victim was still alive. As soon as she saw her face, she knew she was too late. The conduit had exploded directly beneath her, sending radiant fire up against her shoulder, and into the right side of her face. The left was still intact mostly, frozen at the instant of her death. Her hair, far neater than Henshaw’s own, was brown with gentle highlights. Her skin was pale, and near perfect. The right side however, had been ransacked by flame. Her flesh was melted tight against the bones, her hair nearly burned entirely off, and still smoking. It smelled foul, and while the other side looked painful, this side was pulled into a horrified gaze, twisted by flame.

She just shook her head and grabbed a wrist to check her pulse, already knowing the answer.

There was nothing.

She grabbed the combadge, confirming her identity off of the back. “Praise, Zephyr.” She muttered to herself before she cleared her throat and decided to speak, closing her remaining eye with a gentle touch as she stood. “One casualty.” She returned to her station quickly and checked an incoming message, her face going wide with rage.

“He’s out, the bomber is out. I have...conflicting reports. Tiran and Ji were there…” She sifted through a little more and took a breath, “L-” She started but almost instantly corrected herself, “Doctor Nicander sent out a call for a medical emergency, they’re on their way. Akoni in pursuit.” She ground her teeth and looked at the battlefield, watching a torpedo from Theurgy punch straight through the Klingon to the port's neck. Debris, bodies, and fire sprayed from it, like arterial blood from someone living. The ship went dark, power gone to the fore side of the vessel. She was adrift, the aft flickering with continued failures as the front went dark. A chunk of debris flew off its side, flying at terminal speed towards the newest Klingon vessel.

The one that decloaked however, remained in its place. Even as the debris slammed into it, it maintained its assault. A tactical officer had recovered quickly however, and was firing phasers directly into the torpedo barrage, sparing the bridge the worst of it.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: jreeves1701 on August 25, 2021, 05:15:30 AM
[CPO Sithick | Praxis] Attn: All @Auctor Lucan @Griffinsummoner

For the large Gorn who spent the majority of his life aboard stations and starships, the pull of natural gravity had sparked something in the back of his reptilian brain. Like a roaring waterfall, the torrent of repressed memories came crashing to the forefront of his consciousness. In the beginning, he had tried to ignore them as he answered Lieutenant zh'Wann's queries. The best he could manage was a nod and point in various directions. Eventually, his comrades faded into the background as visions of the past enveloped them like a growing holodeck program. Damaged walls healed, dead terminals came to life, and slowly the whole station returned to life.

The final words from the present were orders to lay low and guard their escape route. As the footsteps of the team faded another sound replaced them. A low hum of electric static, the throbbing of Sithick's temples, and then the sheer agonizing pain ripping through his skull.

"Careful sister, we don't want to damage our new merchandise." The voice caused Sithick to snap his eyes open. He was no longer standing on Praxis but was strapped into a chair aboard what Sithick recognized as a Klingon Bird of Prey. He could feel two triangular devices on the sides of his head.

"Please, you think I didn't know how to properly use one of these." Came another all too familiar voice. Both Sithick would later learn belonged to the infamous Duras Sisters, Lursa and B'Etor. The two had procured him off his previous Orion owner.

"I'm sure you do sister, but the chair is old, and we don't know what effect it will have on a primitive mind. You may actually boil this lizard's brain rather than get the information we need."

"Bah!" was the response of the sister holding the remote. She then turned a dial and Sithick's mind went pop. "He will tell us all we need to know about the Syndicate's operations within the Empire, especially where we can find......" Sithick failed to catch the rest as his mind was siphoned for all its knowledge.

Back in the here and now, the Gorn was paralyzed, his eyes clouded over as the traumatic flashbacks proceeded to play out. Being subjected to a Klingon Mind-Sifter, having his memories forced from him, was only the beginning of his torment at the hands of the Duras Sisters. He had hoped to be of value on this mission but soon looked to have become a liability. When the time came to aid the team escape Praxis, would Sithick know a friend from a foe?
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Ellen Fitz on August 28, 2021, 03:35:10 PM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant | Praxis ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Griff @Sqweloookle @uytrereee @Brutus  @Stegro88  @BipSpoon  @stardust  @Swift

The knuckles of his one flesh hand were white from gripping the armrest. He had asked Ensign Pierce to make the ship dance, and she’d more than delivered. The barrel roll had been flawless, leaving Cross impressed and curious if there was a medal for such a feat. If there wasn’t, “Barrel Rolls on Battlefields” would need to be made with the Ensign in mind.

Though her skills were impeccable, those in the business of seeking their destruction were not about to be outdone entirely. Lieutenant T’Less called out the percentages of their shields after every lurch and shudder the ship made when the enemy’s weapons' fire contacted their hull. At 73%, a console burst into flames, sending CWO Luff to the ground with a seared face and smoking facial hair.

Not unsurprisingly, Ensign Pierce pleaded for the cloak to come back online without relaying the request through Cross, and he couldn’t blame her. Shit was going down, and it was going down fast. He was curious who Peter and Paul were that Lieutenant Arnold intended to rob to restore the cloak, as for as far as Cross knew, there were no individuals onboard of that name. 19% to Pierce and 12% to T’Less, compliments of Arnold and a phone booth in Times Square, whatever that meant, and the Allegiant continued on its fight for survival, both for the ship and their away team.

That was when Lieutenant zh’Wann’s report came in, adding another layer to this little ballet of chaos they were currently dancing. A half-hour. That’s it. No room for error, especially not with a bomb big enough to take out the remains of Praxis and Qo’Nos was involved. From somewhat behind him and to the side, Cross heard Doctor Kobol voice a question on the option of beaming the bomb and turned to see Kobol holding Luff protectively as he treated the Tellerite’s burns.

“Too much interference for that kind of maneuver,” Cross replied without bothering to check the sensor log for confirmation. He’d seen the sensor readouts from T’Less before, and with the present firefight added to their conundrum, it wasn’t likely anything had improved since then. “But do a sensor sweep for any updates.”

Cross glanced down at the armrest display and double-checked the newer sensor readouts. Looking to T’Less and then Pierce, he indicated the readings that had caught his attention.

“There appears to be a second mining shaft leading to the one zh’Wann indicated.” He hadn’t been in command for long, but already he had a time crunch type decision to make, and no doubt the higher-ups were not going to like the decision he was already committed to. “If we can fit, Ensign Pierce, and I mean, you may scratch the paint job type fit, I want you to take the Allegiant down there. You heard the away team, we’re up against the clock, and time waits for no one.”

“Aw shit.” A voice from Comms interrupting the flow of command had Cross turning towards the Vulpian seated there. She’d since turned away from her console and sat looking perplexed, or at least Cross assumed it was an expression of perplexity on her canine-like features.

She reached her right paw behind her back and jerked, her whole body spasming with pain, pulling her paw back in front of her, holding what looked to be a bloodied piece of jagged metal. Cross quickly glanced over towards the fried console, Doctor Kobol and CWO Luff, then tracked his eyes across, noting how bits and pieces of the console had indeed sprayed across the bridge and embedded into other consoles, chairs, the ceiling, and it seemed Ensign Nix’s back. Cross watched as the Vulpian stood awkwardly to her feet, then collapsed to all fours. The piece had been long and deeply embedded into her body, making Cross curious if there were important internal organs near that particular spot, for no doubt the shrapnel would have punctured or severed them.

The formerly pristine fur was quickly discolored with her lifeblood now that the shrapnel was free. Nix lifted her head and made eye contact with Cross, giving what seemed to be an indignant sniff at the situation before she fainted on her face. Cross was thankful Doctor Kobol was already on the bridge and ready at hand.

“See to Ensign Nix, Doctor Kobol.” He felt for her, he truly did, but now was not the time to slow down and coddle. Looking back towards Pierce, Cross nodded towards the moon. “Time for some sightseeing, Ensign Pierce. Punch it.”

Please let me know if I need to edit anything to make it more technobabble-friendly or if I missed some details. Thanks for the patience and have fun!
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Brutus on August 29, 2021, 05:09:25 AM
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark | Main Bridge | Deck 01 | Vector 1 | USS Theurgy ]Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @BipSpoon 
[Show/Hide]

A shudder rippled out across the combined vectors of the USS Theurgy, causing Natalie Stark to flex her jaw, willing herself not to flinch further than that. The Ops Officer in her was already cataloging in her mind what that might mean for the structural integrity field, the EPS conduits and the Optical Data Network. The humanitarian in her wondered if that shot meant someone had just been hurt, or more so, died. And then the Commanding Officer in her knew that she had to set all of that aside, analyze the situation, and give the next order.

Thankfully she wasn't acting in a vacuum. Well, not a metaphorical one in any case.

Feed back came at her from all directions, and a frown passed over her face as Zyrao Natauna dropped the new that their allies had lost a ship. They had done serious damage to the Ta'rom, but not without cost to those pledged to their cause. And they were hardly out of the fire yet. The situation was far from ideal. Nat let out a short sigh and squared her shoulders off. Seven ships. Great. There was nothing else for it.

Tugging on her jacket she stood up in the face of the enemy, watching, even as Ens. Henshaw narrated from behind her, the approach of the Vor'cha class cruisers. The sharp, deadly lines of ships she'd seen serving along side her own during the end of the Dominion War, and here and there on assignment since. A strikingly familiar profile from the last  month at Aldrea. Now bearing down her her. Again. But before she could give the order she knew she needed to issue, another decloaked, and unleashed a torrent of fire upon the Theurgy.

Behind her, crew were dying. In front of her, smoke billowed, and the viewscreen showed the enemy in flight. Watched as her ship broke the neck of one of the Mo'kai Vor'cha, whose name she never knew. She watched the bridge module spin away as the star drive buckled and spat plasma into the void around Qo'noS. Snarling, hauling herself up, she gripped the back of Jaya Thorne's chair, braced between her and Yvette Conway. Barely registering the news from Cam, the confirmation that her choices, her decisions, had cost someone under her command their life. No time for it now. "Helm, lay in course, directly head, pitch down ten degrees, run right under its belly, just before we would collide. All weapons. Target lead ship and fire."

An easy enough order to give. Certainly better than thinking about what Lucian Nicander was up to. To say her relationship with that man was complicated was like saying water was wet. Nothing for it. To Cam she called back, "Keep monitoring the situation, Ensign. If it escalates let me know, otherwise we have a battle to win."

Even as she spoke, the vision of the enemy craft loomed closer. Klingons, being Klingons. didn't even budge. Didn't flinch away, which was what she planned on. At the last moment they did indeed duck down, and behind her, the trio of surviving Tactical officers unleashed every blast they could from the dorsal array. She refused to look away as they bore down on each other, coming close enough that their shield bubbles nearly grazed.

There!

"Roll 180 degrees along Y axis. Tactical, fire quantum torpedoes at that buckling shield. Ops, redirect power to ventral shield array. All hands, brace."

The orders came one on top of the other in rapid succession, from the instant she saw the shield ripple away. It would require pinpoint precision, and there was a solid chance that the ship was going to be rocked by the back blast. She watched as the world spun away, but Conway - even as she readjusted power flow to reinforce the shields covering the belly of the Theurgy - managed to shift the view to ventral sensor nodes. The Vor'cha, realizing the danger, was trying to pull away, twisting in space, but not fast enough. A short, snap barrage of four, blazing blue white orbs slammed into the under belly of the Klingon war machine. It was over in seconds, even as yet again, Nat was nearly knocked off her feet.

A thunderous cacophony of noise rolled over the bridge, one shuddering boom after another. Sound did not travel in space, of course, but when the impact was felt, a noise accompanied it all the same, that much energy dissipating along the Starfleet Dreadnought made an impact. Physically, and audibly. The ventral shield array's had not suffered the same brutal assault as the dorsal shields, had not been forced to hold off a torpedo barrage. But the quantum detonations tearing the enemy ship asunder was enough to tax them, and the inertial dampeners, to their limits.

But Theurgy rose to the occasion. Ens. Thorne managed to turn the ship, using the shock wave of the detonation to propel the massive ship away from that first vanguard of House Mo'kai, like a swimmer diving backwards from a platform, in an almost lazy, beautiful arch.

The Ta'rom was not as lucky. Caught on the far side of the detonating battle cruiser, and with no engines to maneuver or evade, the shock wave hit Gorka's flagship along its broadside, from neck to flank. As the Theurgy found her feet once more, nestled now between two of House K'Tal's surviving ships, Natalie watched as hull plating was peeled away from the Neg'var behemoth. Minor explosions followed, and while the hull did not crack apart, nor did the core explode, it instead hung there in space, plasma fires burning along its battered carcass, the green vapors the only lights coming from its hulk.

"Ta'rom is adrift without power," Natalie couldn't properly place the voice of the tactical officer over the ringing in her ears, but she nodded, stepping back from her position between the two seated stations at the fore of the bridge, and sweeping her hair back out of her face. "Martok's allies are still too far out. The remainder of the Mo'kai fleet will be here in two minutes Captain."

Huffing, almost indignantly, as if what they'd just accomplished was for naught, Natalie watched the debris clouds from the battered Vor'cha. The remaining house K'Tal cruisers had managed to cordon off one of the enemy vessels and deal with it, the bulk of that ship drifting in a perpendicular direction from its starboard nacelle, which hung lifeless in the increasingly crowded void. Ironically that was what the Mo'kai vessels had attempted to do to Theurgy Was it sheer luck that had allowed the Starfleet vessel to turn the tables and leave her assailants as nothing more than crippled shells or rapidly dispersed atoms? Or was it the skill of her people that managed to overcome those odds?

Natalie didn't know, and didn't have the time to wax poetically on the subject. She couldn't run that many trains of thought in her head at once, there was too much to deal with to spare the brain power. She had to act fast, and she hated it. "Yvette, ships status. Can we enter Multi-vector assault mode?" She wasn't keen on doing so. The last battle had taxed them rather severely, and the assisted ride from the Savi had not exactly been easy on them either. She knew the engineering department had been running around the ship affecting repairs as best they could during the brief impasse between her ship and the Ta'rom, prior to the commander of the latter vessel accusing Natalie of disregarding their warnings.

"Yes Captain. We have the power and capability." Lt. Conway's voice sounded strained, and Natalie couldn't blame her. Capability yes, but was it the best option? In Nat's mind it was the only choice they had to even the odds. Letting out a long sigh, she stalked back to her chair, gesturing to Ops with a lazy flick of her wrist.

"Make it happen Lieutenant." Sinking back into the center chair, face flushed and sweaty, but otherwise composed, she punched up the ship's intercom. "All hands, prepare for multi-vector assalut mode. Helm, bring us a bout, bearing 227 mark 5. Tactical, prepare MVAM Attack pattern  Fedd-Beta-Five. Tell our friends to mind our flank."

Even as she gave the order she could hear various officers running through the break down, Thea speaking calmly, narrating the events. Natalie had not much cared for the late Lt. Sjaandin Fedd, but the man had known his way around a Multi-Vectored assault, and since Ives' had left Natalie in command of the ship earlier that day (had it been that same day? Or longer? She couldn't remember), the Martian had been reviewing anything and everything she could about battle options. She was a tinkerer, not a tactician, but she was more than willing to rob ghosts long dead of their tricks and put them to use now.

"Open a hailing frequency." She paused, as her ship split apart around her, the Helmet swerving around in tandem with the Stallion, each vector orbiting the Sword in a counter clockwise pattern along the ships spine. Ahead of her, dropping out of warp: the reinforcements had arrived. One more Vor'cha cruiser, flanked by what appeared to be a pair of retrofitted K'Tinga class battleships, and four smaller B'Rel-class Birds of Prey. Natalie shot off a silent prayer to whomever was listening up there to her please, for that small blessing. Though deadly in large numbers, and certainly so when attacking from a position of stealth, coming at her ship in such a brazen display negated much of the smaller attack ships advantages. Had they been the larger K'vort-class starships...

Well they aren't, and you've got an ultimatum to issue.

"Ships of the house Mo'Kai," she began, once again trying to channel Captain Ives as best she could, knowing she fell short. "Stand down your weapons and move into a holding orbit above Qo'noS, on vector 137 mark 2. This battle is already over, and there is no glory to be found here for you. Not today. Even now Martok is dealing with your scion's challenge, in the Great Hall. As I said during the previous battle between ourselves and your fleet, the matter at hand will, and must, be settled in the First City of the Klingon Empire. Not by your House and your smattering of remaining allies bleeding themselves dry on the receiving end of our phaser arrays. Not when your true enemies lurk in the shadows, playing you against one another, House versus house, Klingon versus Klingon.

"Spend yourselves against our swords here in orbit if you must, but know that if you do, you leave your Empire weaker for doing so. You leave all of us less than we could - then we should be - against the coming storm." She crossed one leg over the other, tucking her heel in against the support strut of the center seat, resisting the urge to tap her foot as she stared dead ahead at the fleet hanging in space before her. "Honor the rights of DevwI'. Honor your oaths to the betterment of the Empire. Do not dishonor yourselves now by fighting a pointless battle. There is glory in death, yes, but only if that death serves a worthy purpose. There is a larger battle that needs - that demands - your service and your lives, should they be spent at all. And it is not this...misinformed power grab, but something far darker. I say again - there is no Honor for you to gain here this day."

She flicked her fingers in a signal to cut the transmission, leaving the channel open for a response, her throat feeling raw and acrid. So far, the warriors of House Mo'kai had shown a stubborn loyalty to Gorka. Understandable, she supposed, if unfortunate. Playing upon the better angels of Klingon's was something of a lost cause in and of itself, she supposed. They probably slew all their angels when they killed their gods. That thought nearly set her into a titter of giggles, but she managed to restrain herself to a mere twitch of her shoulders and mildly manic grin, quickly smothered. Ahead of her, she could see the glow of the enemy weapons ports, deadly energy crackling, waiting to be released.

And then, to her shock, the glows began to fade. A rough, angry voice barked over the comm channel. "noHQapmeHwo' Qaw'lu'chughyaychavbe'lu' 'ejwo' choqmeH may' DoHlu'chughlujbe'lu'." That was it, nothing more. She could hear the channel cut, and watched, eyes growing steadily wider, as the fleet turned and pulled into the orbit she'd ordered. In a low mutter, she repeated the words in Federation standard,

"Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory, and ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat."


OOC: Klingon's have the best proverbs.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Pierce on August 31, 2021, 07:53:15 PM
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lauren_Pierce) | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] Attn: @Ellen Fitz @Stegro88 @Sqweloookle @uytrereee @Auctor Lucan @Griffinsummoner @jreeves1701
[Show/Hide]

Lauren sat back in her bridge chair aboard the Allegiant. The fresh experience of being on the bridge again of a ship, albeit a smaller one, still gave her thrills in her spirit. All of which from the tasks and the mission seemed to keep her energized with adrenaline for anything that could be thrown her way. She after all didn't want to fail the team, especially being so new to the Theurgy crew. The thoughts of what would Tessa do in this situation also amplified her level of excitement knowing that the other pilot would likely revel in this.

Her graceful movements across the navigation panel only displayed her skills further. She continued to dodge weapons fire from the surface. The shields too continued to take a rapid pounding despite her capabilities in navigating the smaller vessel. Moving into range for their own attack, the console nearby that burst into flames startled her slightly as she saw it send CWO Luff to the ground with a rather nasty burn.

She prayed silently for the cloak to come back not knowing how much more of this beating that they could take. Nevertheless, she licked her lips to moisten them again and placed all of her determination back at the task at hand. That was when the intercom came on to report the big bomb. Not something she had thought she'd hear today when she was assigned to the Allegiant.

Lauren could make out the faint sound of the doctor over the weapons peppering their shields about possibly beaming it away. She couldn't hear much else beyond that point as she laser focused back at the defenses watching as a shot was fired back destroying a planet side turret. Before Pierce could do another barrel-roll, Cross spoke up loud enough this time to be heard.

"There appears to be a second mining shaft leading to the one zh'Wann indicated. If we can fit, Ensign Pierce, and I mean, you may scratch the paint job type fit, I want you to take the Allegiant down there. You heard the away team, we're up against the clock, and time waits for no one."

She turned slightly giving a nod before verbalizing the request from the Commander. "Aye sir! I think I can make it." She chuckled loudly enough to be heard. "And I'm going to hold you to that on scratching the paint job!" Her fingers strummed the controls as she focused in on the secondary shaft, placing the coordinates for the Allegiant to move towards it.

Other elements of hurt personnel could be heard on the bridge. She heard the Vulpian officer express pain and heard her fall to the deckplates with a hard thud. A shiver shook her to her core. As concerned as she might feel for a fellow officer, if they didn't make this mission count, there'd be a lot more to worry about than those falling on the bridge. It was her hopes that they can avoid another "Dominion" war-like situation in the Klingon Empire.

Cross' voice could be heard behind her, "See to Ensign Nix, Doctor Kobol." She turned and looked at the Commander as she caught his nod towards the moon. "Time for some sightseeing, Ensign Pierce. Punch it."

"On it!" Her brown eyes twinkled as she felt more adrenaline pumping through her to the point she was jittery. She fired the thrusters at maximum to boost past the shots and into the core.

With any luck they wouldn't explode on impact. As they closed the final moments, she activated the inertial dampeners at maximum and hit the thrusters at 1/4 the speed. The edges of the outer nacelles scraped the rock faces into the cavern, pieces of the hull tearing off slightly. Silver and blue now marred with a charred black. She couldn't help but smirk that she was not only allowed to do this but that she was going to piss off the engineers with more work. Something Lauren relished in her academy days.

The distance must be closing to the internal bomb within the core. She scanned ahead and discovered they weren't as far as they thought from it. Likely near a repository of sort that appeared to be nearby it. They were still a ways from it but the distance was closed fast. "Sir! We appear to be getting close. It may take us another few minutes however." She winced as she heard the hull scraping more as they got closer. The sound of the duranium metals being put to the test with solid rock. "We may get stuck too unless this cavern opens up further at the other end."

Lauren continued to navigate further towards the target as she awaited what came next.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Sqweloookle on September 01, 2021, 05:15:19 AM
[ Lieutenant Elro Kobol | USS Allegiant, Medbay<>Bridge | Praxis Space ] Attn:

Just as Luff had begun relaxing and the dermal regenerator was healing the skin it could, from behind him came a "Aw shit". Elro glanced up and over to see the Vulpian woman jerk, then brought in front of her a piece of jagged metal with blood on one end.

Ensign Nix awkwardly stood and dropped to the floor on all fours, that's when Elro saw blood staining her fur and as she gave an indignant sniff, Elro was already laying Luff down gently. He grabbed his kit and moved to Ensign Nix's side at the same time Commander Cross ordered it so.

”Ensign,” He tried but no response, she was out. He got to work with the dermal regenerator in one hand and medical tricorder in the other. He was scanning for how deep the metal piece went and what damage it did while regenerating the skin at the impact's edges.

By reducing the size of the wound Ensign Nix's body should heal quicker but he was already spotting issues as the metal piece may have caused more damage then what he could detect. He had to move her to Medical. ”Someone help me get Nix to medbay!” He called out.

After a moment he figured the transporter may be the best way. ”Actually beam her to medbay,” Elro amended.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: uytrereee on September 04, 2021, 06:36:13 AM
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Warp Core Room | Lower Deck | USS Allegiant ] Attn: @Pierce @Brutus @Auctor Lucan @Sqweloookle @Ellen Fitz
[Show/Hide]

The ship was crossing sabers at this point. To Frank's illustration earlier, they were getting pummeled in this phone booth. It seemed, at least from the warp core room, that for every shot Ensign Pierce was dodging, there was another that they took on the chin. His PADD had long since been tossed from the console top where he had left it, and any tools that he didn't have strapped to his waist were long since scattered across the bay. If they survived he'd have a hell of a time finding them all. Right now the Warp Core Room was a magpie's nest of crossed wires hanging out of bulkheads, hoses patched and spliced, hasty micronized-weld repairs, and of course sparks and smoke.

He'd left his comm on open channel to listen to the bridge as best as he could, but between the sirens, the shudders, the sparks, and 'Frank's Funky Mix Vol. 3' he wasn't very much listening that closely. What he had gathered was, they were going to have to do some more fancy flying, more specifically Ensign Pierce was going to have to fly them down a tight tunnel, and that meant he was going to need to rob more power. The problem was, he was scraping the bottom of the barrel. If they wanted weapons, shields, propulsion, life support, and the cloak, there just wasn't enough to go around.

Frank found himself splicing conduit together when the ship shuddered for the umpteenth time. The idea dawned on him, that at this very moment, the cloak wasn't that important. If they needed to go faster, and as Frank had learned from pilots, they always needed to go faster, they could rob the startup sequence. He would wait for a pause in the cacophony of activity on the Allegiant's bridge, and then would speak. "Commander I am pausing the cloak's startup sequence. I can get Ensign Pierce more power if I do that, and I also shunt the remaining auxiliary static reserve banks back into the core, the stuff that feeds the replicators, makes sure the humidity is just right, makes sure the beers are cold, you know. That'll give us about a....you don't care what percent. In short, I'm turbocharging her."

Without waiting for permission, he sprang into action. First he slid over to the central control panel, and diverted what he had given tactical, and sent it directly over to shields, 50/50 split. This move had no merit if they hit a rock and exploded. Afterwards he would would snap one of the nearby panels off the wall, unrolled a spare temporary plasma splice conduit hose, and got to work.

He threw the total disconnect lever, and then grunted out as he started to turn the manual plasma valve, the strain evident in his voice as he spoke, "Be advised, sensor performance is going to take a hit, I can't give you an estimate, and we won't be able to run the replicators again until we can replace the circuit chips back on the Theurgy, because this is definitely going to blow them. It also might get a little balmy in the cargo bays...depending on how well the climate control systems take this. Also I'm taking back the weapons power, because I'm going to need it."  His nasty habit of conveying too much detail showed in this moment.

With the valve off and the message relayed, he affixed one end of the coupling to the access T usually used for flushing the valves during preventative maintenance, and unrolled the reinforced conduit to the other end to the exact same inlet valve on the core. By doing this he could shunt the already preheated plasma back into the reactor to milk it for every ounce of energy.

With everything affixed, Frank went back to his access panel, and threw the diverter for the flush valve, and then he threw the main disconnect. For a moment Frank's reality was brightness and white hot pain, followed by a heavy thud to the ground. Ensign Pierce's reality was a total loss of thruster power for a few milliseconds until the computer could compensate. After he wiped the soot out of his eyes, and looked up, he saw two things; The first being that in his flurry of activity he'd forgotten to clamp one side of one end of his connector hose; And the second being he'd succeeded in severely scorching his right calf and foot with errant plasma, as well as that his coverall leg was burned away and most of the toe of his boot had melted before the emergency diverter had sensed the loss in pressure and stopped the plasma flow.

Frank wanted to lay there in pain, however that wasn't an option right now and he knew it. He pried himself to his feet, and tried again, re-affixing the conduit more diligently, ignoring the swarm of fire ants eating his toes, and throwing the disconnect. He liked to imagine what happened next was like the movies, with an intensely colored jet of flame erupting from the back of the Allegiant as they rocketed down the mine shaft to save the day.

The reality was more benign; the hose he had ran across the floor would begin to glow a satisfying blue as it carried its payload back to the core, and Ensign Pierce's available power would be sharply boosted by the pre-heated plasma he'd short circuited back into the system. He got them about 14 percent, not that Frank would have a good estimate until he reviewed the logs later.

He ripped the first aid box off the wall and slumped to the ground, sitting with his back to the bulkhead as he tapped his comm and spoke, "Engineering to Bridge, you've got the nitrous, drop this old girl into sixth and let's go!" He also added, "Now I'm going to be patching up this leg, had myself a little weenie roast down here. If you could hold off on tearing up the ship for like, three minutes I'd appreciate it."

With that he got out the first aid sprays, and the bandages, and tried his best to remember Field Medicine for Engineering Emergencies 204.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Griff on September 11, 2021, 03:18:40 PM

MEANWHILE | PRAXIS MINING FACILITY


"Lieutenant zh'Wann to the Allegiant, as you heard, we have a situation on our hands," she said, knowing that those on the bridge had overheard the conversation with Alistair and followed the progress through the helmet-feeds. "Can you see the mining shaft indicated ahead on sensors? Is there any other way to stop that bomb from reaching the dilithium in case we are too late?"

Yet Ida got no response from the Allegiant, and with the battle raging over the mining facility, she reckoned Cross and the scout ship's crew were too busy to answer, or they were too deep into the factory to break through the interference caused by the dampening field that had prevented House K'Tal from making scans of the inside of the facility. Perhaps Thea's comms array was powerful enough to pick up her exosuit's transmission, while the Allegiant's wasn't. Ida had no idea. There was a reason she wielded a rifle instead of a spanner. "Shelat... Looks like it will ride on us to stop that bomb from being deployed," she said eventually when they got no answer, and picked up the pace. "Let's go."

Nothing like having the fate of the entire Klingon Empire and the outcome of a new galactic war riding on one's shoulders to inspire some motivation, right?

It wasn't a long walk to the mining pit, but it seemed to take forever. Amidst the poor lighting and the heat from the malfunctioning life support, everyone was tense, Ida and her team having to carefully sweep every turn, every doorway, every junction before proceeding on. The place was a labyrinth, the Klingon signs nearly a century old and faded into illegibility, the group guided only by their time-travelling reinforcement. The silence was thick, nobody quite trusting the human on such a dangerous mission, but forcing themselves to keep alert for Klingon traps.

As the tunnels shook faintly from sort of impact on the moon's surface from afar, Alistair, tricorder in hand, silently gestured for Ida's attention, then held the little device up for her to see the Klingon lifesigns it was detecting, approaching their position from the bomb area. From that point, it was a series of hand signals, a hastily set ambush planned without a word to deal with the approaching Klingons. Thirty seconds later, after the high-pitched screech of two phasers fired by Tucker and Vansen, the Klingons were unconscious on the ground, having never known what hit them. The team didn't spare them a second glance as they stepped over the prone bodies and continued onward, nobody saying a word.

Once they reached the accessway to the main mining operation chamber, being a gangway across a rift in the moon's surface, Ida spotted a surveillance unit up high, and she paused so that she might shoot it down. Too late. Between that and the weapons fire, it couldn't be a secret that they were on the way any more. The Infested beyond the massive double doors ahead would be expecting them.

"Lieutenant Leavitt, you stay close to me. Cover my back and tell me what needs to be done inside. LeBlanc, you dealt with the Klingon systems on the Ta'rom, so your skills may come in handy once we reach some kind of control station, so you're with us. Tucker and Vansen, you need to keep Leavitt and LeBlanc alive so that they can stop this bomb from falling, so do whatever it takes to draw attention and protect them. I will not leave their side... but I can only do so much from one vantage point. Understood?"

"Yes, Deputy," they said, almost as one, and LeBlanc cleared his throat, nodding grimly in response.

"Stay sharp, and don't hesitate. Courage is fear when it has said its prayers," she said, the last sentence hissed through her teeth. Without dropping her pace, she raised her rifle towards the doors, which were undoubtedly sealed for them. "Fire!"

With all their weapon fire brought to bear against the doors, they were torn apart - partially vaporised -  and they entered the vaulted mining chamber through a haze of smoke. Ida saw movements, and called out targets as she spotted them, firing rapid bursts with her accipiter against those she didn't. The smoke was lit by green and orange from disruptors and phasers. Nonetheless, there was no mistaking where the bomb was. It was massive, over thirty meters in width, and it floated across the air of the vaulted chamber, suspended by a massive tractor beam emitter that was rigged on a ramp across a wide chasm, the barrel extended over into the pit itself.

A half an hour had yet to pass, so their presence must have provoked the Infested, wherever it was hiding.

"Hostiles bearing 130! On the terraces!" Ida called, knowing that Tucker and Vansen would get indicators in their helmet visors, and concentrated her fire on the Klingons that were in her way. The control station was on the other side of the chamber, and they had to circle around the chasm in order to reach it...

The answering Klingon fusillade was rapid and accurate, even at a distance. Following orders, Tucker and Vansen dropped to one knee and opened fire, phaser beams lancing out across the chasm with wild abandon at the Klingons who remained in cover on the other side of the pit. Meanwhile Ida, LeBlanc and Leavitt ran for their lives. There was no real cover around the circular pit, no way to hide, nothing to do but run like hell and pray, emerald disruptor fire screaming through the air.

It was a messy run, Leavitt and LeBlanc blindly firing their phasers, trying to keep up with Ida as they sprinted around the chasm towards the tractor control station. There were screams and shouts from Tucker and Vansen, bellowed orders from Ida to them as they ran, thundering war cries from a trio of Klingons who charged them, bat'leths in one hand and disruptor pistols in the other. Leavitt and Leblanc frantically aimed their phasers mid-run, missing every shot, only for Ida's massive accipiter to roar, making a gruesome mess of all three Klingons within moments.

They reached the tractor control station, Ida shooting the lone Klingon there before she could hit them in return, the woman (an engineer, it seemed, armed with a disruptor but only wearing a green jumpsuit) crumpling to the ground instantly, her left forearm sheared off by the accipiter. LeBlanc picked up the disruptor and threw it away from the wounded Klingon while Leavitt ran for the control panel, working the controls rapidly. The emitter itself was ancient and huge, looking very much like a giant cannon, the long 'barrel' extending out two meters into the pit, the blue tractor beam emanating from it.

"She encrypted the controls!" Leavitt shouted, struggling to make himself heard over the screeches of phaser and disruptor fire that echoed in the cavernous room. He pulled his tricorder out and laid it against the display, sweating as he set it to begin decrypting. The tractor emitter was a century old, the operating system was probably obsolete even when the Klingons installed it, the encryption couldn't be strong...

The chaos continued, all screams and confusion, Leavitt crouched behind the tractor emitter controls and hanging on for dear life as he worked, only taking occasional pot shots as a quartet of Klingons charged to try and reclaim the position, Tucker and Vansen either dead or incapacitated. No time to check.

Their attention focused on the counterattack, nobody saw the Klingon engineer get back up behind them. Only blind luck had Leavitt look back at the precise right moment to see the Klingon standing again, one arm mangled, d'k'tahg in her good hand. Leavitt instinctively raised an arm to protect himself and the d'k'tahg sliced his arm, drawing a pained cry from the human.

The Klingon laughed gleefully and, before Leavitt could do anything else, she reached over him and rammed her weapon into the control panel with impossible force, sparks flying as the metal crumpled, the delicate electronics crushed. Leavitt frantically crawled away, ignoring the pain in his arm as he hurriedly raised the setting on his phaser to maximum. He rushed to his feet and fired at the Klingon, who cried out in irritation as she moved to take cover behind a large crate.

"She destroyed the panel!" Leavitt shouted, not having the faintest idea where Ida or LeBlanc were amidst the frenzied fighting, simply continuing to pepper the crate with phaser fire and keep the monster down. He glanced at the pit, seeing the sapphire blue tractor beam still moving the enormous bomb in place, the dumb machine following the last command it had been given by the now destroyed controls. His brain started to work again amidst the panic... there might still be a way...

Meanwhile, Ida tore off her helmet, since the visor and casing had been compromised by a disruptor blast. Able to see again, she turned her head when she heard the time traveller, and she saw the situation. "Shelat," she said, checking the cooling rate of her weapon before opening fire against the crate, rapid bursts shredding it to pieces. She had faced this enemy before, and wasn't about to take any chances. "Think of something!"

"The emitter up there!" shouted LeBlanc, who was desperately keeping other Klingons from coming closer with his phaser. "We could reverse the polarity of the beam, keeping it from falling!"

"Do it!" Ida cried back, and had to turn around to deal with two other Klingons for a moment, their bodies pulped by the hiss of tritanium carbide bullets. She rounded on the Klingon in the jumpsuit again, the Infested, and knew it had heard them. Thus, Ida also knew she couldn't just ask either LeBlanc or Leavitt do it on his own. The chance for success was greater if they both tried to reach the emitter. She would have to keep the Infested off their backs alone. "Both of you, run! I'll cover you!""

That was when Ida realised the sarium-krellide battery of her rifle was almost depleted, but given the stakes, and the opposition she faced, she could do naught more than be a bit conservative with her firing options. With her white hair matted against her forehead, teeth bared in defiance when the Infested ran out of her hiding place to follow the two men, Ida switched to the dry-firing concussion mode of the weapon. The blast sent the Klingon tumbling into the damaged control panel, making it topple over.

Leavitt and LeBlanc, both sweating profusely amidst the intense heat of the battle, clambered the giant gun-shaped emitter from both sides. They were panting too heavily to try talking, fear and adrenaline pumping through their veins, Leavitt gasping in pain as he forced his injured arm to work, crimson blood flowing freely and staining his uniform. LeBlanc got to the top first, straddling the emitter barrel, emerald disruptor fire flying through the air around him. Only three Klingons remained, the trio running hard for the emitter now that Tucker and Vansen were dealt with, firing their disruptor pistols as they went, desperate to stop the humans from doing their work.

LeBlanc hurriedly drew his phaser and fired it at the Klingons down below, stunning one, and he reached down to grab Leavitt's good hand and help the other man up. The scruffy engineer led the way, crawling along the barrel, the metal searing hot as powerful energies were channeled through it to sustain the shimmering blue tractor beam holding the enormous bomb over the pit. The two humans kept on going, their arms and legs wrapped around the barrel, clinging on for dear life as they moved over the rim of the pit, the Klingons trying frantically to hit them from below.

They were close to the emitter when LeBlanc turned, shouting something before he was cut off as a fusillade of disruptor fire erupted around them. Both men huddled down against the emitter, helpless to do anything else, before LeBlanc cried out in agony as a disruptor bolt hit his leg, scorching the Savi protective material but not penetrating. Another bolt slammed into the engineer's side as the Klingons found their range and LeBlanc screamed, sliding off the barrel, Leavitt trying in vain to catch him, but his fingers slipped helplessly on LeBlanc's tight infiltration suit...and he fell.

"Shitting shit fucking fuck!" Leavitt swore viciously, fumbling for his own holstered phaser as the Klingons, now close to the emitter as Ida fought the Infested on the other side of it, focused their fire on him. Leavitt's palm slipped on the butt of his phaser, his right hand covered in blood, but before he could try to draw the thing again, he heard the distinctive whine of a phaser rifle. Leavitt looked up at the other side of the pit, seeing Vansen on one knee with Tucker's body besides her, firing her rifle with pinpoint precision, distracting the last two Klingons...and giving Leavitt his chance.

Meanwhile, Ida was keeping the Infested right where it was with her rifle's concussion-mode setting, preventing the lighting-fast demon from reaching her or taking off in the direction where the two men had gone. Ida had taken a couple of disruptor bolts to her exosuit from Klingons in the distance, pulled her hand phaser to return fire, which forced her to fire the accipiter with one hand. Luckily, the firing solution had no recoil, but her aim wasn't perfect. She was exhausted, breathing at the top of her lungs, and screamed in ire as she conquered her exertion and continued fighting. The Infested was laughing at her, coming closer with each attempt to escape or attach her, but Ida wasn't going to quit.

"The home world will cease to be. All Houses will be without leaders," the possessed Klingon said as it stepped forth, its voice carrying the blood-curdling tone the Infested shared when the parasite was in full control of the host - reverberating out of some tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum. "The Klingon Empire will die this day, your allies gone... and the truth what we claim it to be."

Whilst it spoke, Ida had only a moment to catch her breath, which she'd used to switch her rifle's setting. When the Infested rushed her next, there was no concussive blast that met it, but the sustained fire of twenty five bullets per second. While the rail gun stuttered because of low power levels, the salvo tore the Klingon woman's body asunder mid-sprint. The Infested reached her still, by sheer momentum, and its strike sent Ida flying through the air. She lost all bearings, vision blackening out.

As Ida fought the monster, Leavitt, his thighs clinging to the emitter barrel for dear life, was finally up at the emitter itself. Sweat pouring down his face, the tractor beam hot and intense, static electricity sizzling the air, Leavitt drew his phaser, carefully cutting the casing open. He was half-blinded by the intensity of the unshielded glare, but Leavitt squinted, trying to work it out, trying to ignore everything else; the screams, the weapons fire, his increasingly numb right arm, the awful heat. Reverse the polarity...just grab that modulator and twist it around, surely...

Leavitt reached into the emitter itself, gasping as he grabbed the modulator, which was mercifully insulated and comparably cool. He tried to force the thing to turn, swearing under his breath, looking out at the enormous planet-killing bomb suspended over the pit by the tractor beam. Leavitt grunted in exertion as he tried to rotate the modulator, to make it pull rather than push, putting all his strength into it, and was surprised a moment later as the modulator suddenly stopped resisting and spun freely.

It spun freely because the bomb was in position, the emitter had completed its programmed task, the tractor beam had switched off...and the bomb was dropping.

"NOOOOO!" Leavitt cried out in horror, eyes wide. He frantically slammed his left hand against his combadge. "Leavitt to Allegiant, the bomb has dropped, the bomb has dropped, you have to catch it, you have to catch it! You've got-" (He did some rapid math in his head) "fifty seconds until it hits!"

Down on the ground, Ida came to when she felt a hand around the gorget of her exosuit, pressing her windpipe shut. She felt how she was picked up from the ground, feet dangling in the air. She opened her blue blood-shot eyes, and the fist thing she saw was the massive bomb falling down the chasm - causing the air and smoke of the mining area shift against her face. No...

"It... is.... over..." The Infested spoke, body barely in one piece as it held Ida by the neck. It smiled with a cleft jaw and a missing cheek, bloodied skull bared. It was missing both shoulder and arm on the other side. Perhaps that was why it hadn't killed Ida yet, but either way, even though all hope was lost...

....Ida reached down to her wrist, and activated her exosuit's thrusters.

With the Infested holding on to her still, Ida flew out over the chasm, and began to strike that mangled face for all that she was worth, screaming in rage. The thrusters weren't meant for carrying that much weight, so she was loosing altitude, but she kept destroying the head of the Klingon with her metal fist until, finally, the grip failed, and the Infested fell down the chasm.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: jreeves1701 on September 11, 2021, 07:12:06 PM
[CPO Sithick | Praxis] Attn: All @Auctor Lucan @Griffinsummoner

Sithick stood still, every muscle in his body tensed stiff. The nightmare visions continued to plague the Gorn as he remained at the post he was ordered to guard. The phantom dream of being tortured by the Duras Sisters, Lursa and B'Etor had continued to cycle through his mind. becoming more and more intense. Then a voice from the present faintly invaded the hallucinations. However, the memory did not fade.

Sithick felt vibrations through the floor of the base. It was a feeling he had learned during his time on this rock to be that of a K22B Bird of Prey landing. When the vibrations ended, Sithick swore he could hear the distinctive sound of a Klingon cloaking device disengaging. 

"We have no more use for you Gorn." the Klingon B'Etor whispered into his ear.

"But our friends on Halee are steadily in need of fresh labor." Lursor concluded by stroking Sithicks shoulder. "We will so miss these sessions of ours."

"Especially the ones in our quarters." B'Etor chimed in with a toothy grin.

"Nooooooooooooosssss" Sithick roared tearing his psyche from the phantasms his mind had created. His vision crimson with rage. Frozen no longer the Gorn charged in the direction of the source of the vibrations.

The first pair of Klingon reinforcements were quickly taken by surprise as Sithick's strong arms snapped their spines upon tackling them. The ones that followed, now alert began firing their disruptors at the berserker Gorn. The suit Sithick wore offered some protection from the disrupter hits, his rage-fueled agility assisted in avoided the remainder. His primitive brain was at the wheel of his body as he hunted this new prey.

"We have engaged the intruders. They have a Gorn! Repeat they have a Gurgh..." was all that could be relayed via comms as Sithick's clawed hand grabbed a panicked Klingon and crushed his windpipe. A predatory grin began to spread along Sithick's snout as he recalled the Klingon's favorite maxim, 'Today is a good day to die!'

"DIESSS" he hissed as he dropped the deceased Klingon body to the ground and began targeting his next kill. Today was very much a good day for Klingon's to die.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Stegro88 on September 18, 2021, 07:40:16 PM
[ Lt. T'Less (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27Less) | Tactical Station | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Pierce
[Show/Hide]

The composition of Praxis hindered the Allegiant’s sensors to such a degree that T’Less was unable to detect much of anything beyond what was ahead or behind them as Ensign Pierce navigated the winding mining tunnel. The Vulcan was barely able to discern when the next deviation in their path would occur such was the sensor occlusion. And then her scopes cleared as the Allegiant burst into the shaft and T’Less was able to see from the dilithium vein beneath them to the mining station above them. And what she saw was quickly echoed by a panicked voice through the ship’s coms.

"Leavitt to Allegiant, the bomb has dropped, the bomb has dropped, you have to catch it, you have to catch it! You've got-" there was a pause from the man’s voice. "Fifty seconds until it hits!" 

Her sensors showed the descending weapon, and her first instinct was to shoot it, but the detonation would be funnelled by the shaft and could still ignite the vein, fracturing Praxis. A glance at a second screen told her that the weapon had a transport inhibitor attached to it, preventing them from holding it within their transport buffer until it could be disposed of. Their enemy was a fast learner. The bomb would detonate, that was certain, her task would be to alter the parameters of that blast.

Bringing the phaser arrays online, T’Less began to carve sections out of the shaft walls below the Allegiant but above the Dilithium vein, causing pillars and sheets of rock to collapse into the void. Her first attempts broke but she quickly adjusted her thickness to begin to cause a stack of rubble to build up as it jammed in the shaft above the exposed vein. The bomb would detonate on that pile, hopefully preventing the blast from reaching vein. 

Her plan had one flaw though. As the seconds until detonation became even fewer due to the plug she was creating, T’Less finished carving the wall mere meters from below the Allegiant, sealing the shaft and hopefully forcing the blast to travel a different path. And those paths were back up the shaft to the base above and out through the tunnel they had used to reach here.

“Ensign Pierce, come about and escape,” T’Less ordered directly, there not being time. “We have 14 seconds until detonation. I will attempt to seal the shaft above us to protect the others somewhat. We will be exposed unfortunately.”

As the Allegiant came about, T’Less fired a quartet of micro-torpedoes back up the shaft at a reduced speed, timed to detonate at the same time as bomb. It wouldn’t be much, but it might offer some small attenuation of the blast up the shaft.

“Diverting power from weapons to aft shields.”
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Pierce on September 23, 2021, 05:39:50 PM
[ Ensign Lauren Pierce (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Lauren_Pierce) | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Approaching Praxis ] Attn: @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan
[Show/Hide]

Lauren sat back up as the tiny ship lurched forward again. The inertial dampeners had taken a beating it wouldn't soon forget. Lights flickered again as the ship's nacelle pylons and outer hull could be heard scraping the edging of the cavern. The intensity was not lost on her however as the ship's energy flow into the deck plates and speed to the core seemed to have that added oomph that she required to make a quick shot there. She could hear Arnold's comments pass by her but couldn't dwell on the specifics.

Her head and eyes moved sporadically across the panels and helped her adrenaline run wild. What a rush she thought to herself. Fingers still strummed the controls like a pianist on an orchestral concert performing one of Beethoven's famous symphonies.

There it was dead ahead. The bomb. And it wasn't stationary anymore either. It was falling at a rapid rate to the core. Below she could see the crewman fighting for their lives on the instrument panels. Little ants to be seen on the viewscreen and sensors. The sound of transmission was heard over the comm systems.

"Leavitt to Allegiant, the bomb has dropped, the bomb has dropped, you have to catch it, you have to catch it! You've got......fifty seconds until it hits!"

Panic filled her heart and lungs as she thought of all the opportunities she'd likely never see if this went off and didn't make it. Her mind snapped back to attention as she had little time to dwell on it. Lauren heard to her side the orders of escape coming from none other than T'Less.

"Ensign Pierce, come about and escape. We have 14 seconds until detonation. I will attempt to seal the shaft above us to protect the others somewhat. We will be exposed, unfortunately."

She brought the Allegiant about as she heard confirmation that T'Less had fired a quartet of micro-torpedoes back up the shaft. The final note from T'Less was on her diverting power from the weapons to the aft shields.

"On it!" the redheaded woman yelled abruptly as the ship continued its forward path towards the other end of the tunnel system. The caverns were vast and many in the mining of the once whole moon. With any luck, what's left would remain that way. Her sensors showed the phaser fire had finished its job of burying the exposed dilithium but watched on as the bomb edged closer to the micro-torpedoes. The tension on the bridge was high with the yells of various commands and attempts to beam up the away team.

"If you're looking to get the infiltration team, NOW would be a great time!" The ship cruised faster out of the radius of the bomb as it, and the torpedoes ignited into a blinding white light on the viewscreen. Luckily she had sensors to back it up but that didn't last long as the shockwaves and explosive fire from the explosion began to quickly creep up with them. Sweat dripped from the corners of her temples as she massaged the panel's instruments in hopes that she could squeeze the added power needed for a temporary boost of speed.

The wave of fire grew ever closer to the Allegiant as it began to overtake the ship, overheating the structure from the rear. Without looking, she knew the aft shields were not going to last long with the accelerated heat striking the small vessel. Fighting back tears of worry, she stifled her cries of fear as the ship edged closer to the outer rim. The light at the end of the proverbial tunnel was close but not as close as she'd hoped as the Allegiant was ultimately enveloped entirely in the remnants of the blast.

Outside the caverns of Praxis, the sight of a growing light from within could be seen by the ships around the already battered moon. There was no Allegiant but a giant fireball billowed that escaped the cavernous planetoid. Followed closely by a small Starfleet vessel, the Allegiant, as it soared further away from the fire. Scorched portions of the outer hull made it look as if someone put the ship in a giant toaster and set it to extra crispy. Gone was the pristine silver and whites, and replaced by an aesthetically unpleasing sight.

The Allegiant whipped around at breakneck speeds to avoid further damage as it spiraled back to the station above.

Lauren sat back at her console, exhaling the air she held so tight during the final moments of their escape uncertain if her efforts would bring them all out alive. What she didn't yet know was how many would make it back from the surface.

"Sir! We're back in normal space above Praxis."
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Ellen Fitz on September 28, 2021, 05:37:30 AM
[ Lt. Cmdr. Cross & Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Bridge & Engineering | Deck 01 & Lower Deck| USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan  @Brutus  @Stegro88 @Pierce  @BipSpoon @uytrereee @Sqweloookle @jreeves1701

Taking his eyes from the viewscreen just long enough to watch Elro care for the fallen Ensign Nix, Cross returned his attention in time to watch the darkened opening of the shaft engulf the ship. The sound of the ship rumbling through the shaft echoed off the close quarters of the hardened rock surrounding it, adding to the reverberating of the ship as it powered through an area most would have deemed impossible for their passage. Pierce was at her instrument conducting the choir, her movements smooth and calculated.

All on the bridge gained an added layer of tension when they heard Leavitt update them on the bomb status mere seconds before it was visible on their viewscreen, plummeting mercilessly into the chasm below. The away team was but a moment on their sensors before they blew by, T’Less using the phasers to slice out segments of the rock walls hoping to add a protective cover on the vein to weaken the blast and redirect its force. Cross nodded in agreement with her quick thinking and was already aware of the need to get the hell out of there fast, considering the physics involved with the coming explosion. He opened his mouth to order Pierce to come about, but T’Less beat him to it. Cross trusted the bridge crew to do as they were trained to do, as he’d ordered them to do, and instead turned his attention to the dilemma of the away team.

“Cross to Lieutenant Arnold, take whatever power is necessary from whatever system you deem fit while keeping us alive, but you have less than ten seconds to get their asses back on board!”

His eyes scanning over the monitors next to his chair, Cross saw the release of the micro-torpedoes only out of his peripherals and heard T’Less announce her intention to divert power to aft shields. Pierce kept her eyes on the viewscreen and panels but called over her shoulder the need for speed in retrieving the away team. Cross gritted his teeth as he, along with the rest of the crew, played the waiting game. Waiting for death, or life, to greet you at the end of the tunnel.

A mere minute into his bandaging, Frank was interrupted by blaring systems alarms, as more and more of the auxiliary systems failed, or were automatically taken offline to compensate for the now massive stress that the Allegiant was under. He'd made short work of his coveralls, cutting the legs off of the pants, which made him look ridiculous dressed in two-thirds of a jumpsuit. From the chatter on his combadge, now tossed beside him as he tore caps off of gels and sprays which were hastily applied to his ankle and calf, he'd deduced they were in need of a hasty escape. All the speed they'd gotten down the hole, and they had to turn back.

Frank pried himself to his feet, and was about to take residence in front of his main terminal, an anchor to hold onto as the ship was buffeted by cruel inertia with the partial loss of dampers. But this brief respite, a sliver of peace as the topical pain relief kicked in and intense burning was replaced with cool numbness, was interrupted.

'Cross to Lieutenant Arnold, take whatever power is necessary from whatever system you deem fit while keeping us alive, but you have less than ten seconds to get their asses back on board!'

Ten seconds. Ten seconds was nothing, eight heartbeats, three breaths. Time enough to tie a tie, or a shoelace; but to solve a problem of this magnitude, it was nothing. He grit his teeth and looked at the options in front of him. Couldn't lose shields, they'd incinerate, tactical had redirected them aft for a reason. Weapons power wasn't a good choice either, at least not all of it. If they did have obstacles in the way up front, they'd need a countermeasure.

And then he was back on the Cortez all those years ago, young and naive, fresh out of fellowship, and onto the front line. No support, help, or guidance. He just had to guess.

Except he was not a young man anymore, he had the breadth of experience required for this, and the confidence of his peers. Frank murmured softly, “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.”

He said firmly into his combadge, “Shipwide Channel, all crew, emergency restraints,” and without delay nor explanation sprung into action to fulfill Cross's order. Andoria had refreshed a few lessons in his mind: safe transport was all about power stability. Life support was first to go, then gravity, all but the most rudimentary inertial dampeners and then fresh air; they could live on reserves for just a few minutes. Anyone not strapped in would be afloat in moments. Sensors were. Next, Ensign Pierce would be left with only the most basic point and direction with which to fly, fortunately, they only needed to fly out.

With a flurry of fingers, Frank stripped it all, down to the bare minimum, lights, sound dampening, doors, and hatches. Everything he could take, he took, right down to the paint, and then he slid into the nearby chair, activating the multi-point harness that would hold him firmly against the chair back.

With the last fraction of his time, with a lock acquired, he pressed the energize button, “Energizing.”

On the bridge, they could see an orangish hue color the edges on the viewscreen, testimony to the fast traveling ball of fire behind them. Those not strapped in became weightless, and even Cross felt his body lift from the chair, suddenly thankful for the belt he’d thought to use in response to Pierce’s fierce piloting. Cross clenched his fingers into fists, taking a deep breath, as the viewscreen of Allegiant no longer displayed the end of the tunnel or the open space beyond. There was only fire. Glancing down at the display on his armrest, Cross saw all sensors were gone, and Pierce was flying on instinct.

Then, just as quickly as the fire had embraced them in its deadly arms, they were free. After turning the ship about to face the moon once more, Pierce leaned back at her console, heaving the sigh they all felt. On the viewscreen now was what was left of Praxis, the residual effects of the blast apparent. Cross was certain the Allegiant bore similar scars on her hull.

Cross nodded to Pierce before signaling Arnold. “Cross to Arnold, how many did we get?”

Once complete, Frank would slide out of his harness and answer his comm, “I think... all of them? Without internal sensors, it's impossible for me to say, Commander. I will begin bringing systems back online. You're going to have to check the old-fashioned way.”

"Noted. Cross to transporter room, how many of our away team did we get?" Cross clenched his jaw as the faces of those potentially lost flashed in his mind.

<”Transporter room to Commander Cross, sir, we have all of them.”>

Around him, Cross heard the collective sigh of relief and allowed himself a small smile as well. “Thank you, transporter room, and thank you, Lieutenant Arnold. Ensign Pierce,” his gaze sought hers momentarily, “take us back to Theurgy."

He'd almost said home, but Cross refrained from the sentiment and kept the thought to himself given the losses and the unknowns still to come.

Joint Post between Ellen Fitz and uytrereee.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: jreeves1701 on September 29, 2021, 04:46:43 AM
[CPO Sithick  | Transporter Room | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant | Praxis ] Attn: All @Auctor Lucan

One second he was rampaging through an abandoned base on Praxis, dismembering one Klingon after another and the next second he was not. A bright light engulfed the blood-soaked Gorn leading him to believe that the Klingons had finally managed to flank him for a killing disintegrating shot from their disruptors. The tingling sensation pulsing through his body indicated that that was not the case. His higher brain screamed to take control but the feral blood lust ignited by the unleashing of some unresolved past trauma would not let go of the stick.

When the light subsided, Sithick was in a new yet familiar place. "What had happened to the Klingon architecture? How did I get here?" He thought, his primal brain still clinging to the wheel.

To the transporter operator, the scene had to be terrifying, as it must have for the crew surrounding Sithick. There in the rear of the transporter pad was their reptilian crewmate, drenched in Klingon blood and guts. A half-beating heart in one talon and the severed head of some poor Klingon in the other. While each crewmember backed away from the murder lizard, toward the safety of the corridor exit, Sithick began to thrash upon the pad. With a single leap up, he stomped upon the pad, cracking and destroying the receiving plates. He smashed the decapitated Klingon head in his talon against the receiving pad walls, shattering them and snuffing out the illumination indicating their operational status. With a feral roar that humans associated with Dinosaurs of their planet's past, Sithick threw his head upwards shattering the receiving dome above the transporter pad.

To an outside observer, it would look like this Gorn posed a threat, yet an empath would sense that a great internal struggle was taking place within Sithick's mind. His higher brain was trying desperately to regain control. To soothe the feral beast unleashed on Praxis. In the end, neither would win. Sithick was too preoccupied burning through his berserker rage to notice which of his crewmates had pulled their phaser and set it to the maximum safe setting to stun him. It had to be pretty high as it burn a sizable hole in the patchwork Savi suit made special for him.

The final thoughts passing through Sithick's mind as his head collapsed upon the shattered floor of the transporter pad was, "What penal colony would the Captain sentence him to? Once more a slave."
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Griff on September 30, 2021, 09:26:04 PM
[Lieutenant Alistair Leavitt (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Alistair_Leavitt) | Tramsporter Room | USS Allegiant] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @jreeves1701, @Ellen Fitz

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The minute that Alistair spent on the emitter, holding on for dear life, stretched on forever. He looked straignt down the pit, so absorded in his anxiety that he barely even noticed Ida flying by. Alistair counted in his head, unable to look away from the bottomless darkness that the bomb had fallen into.

Would he even feel the explosion? Would he have time to even see it, or feel it vaporise his body? The impact site was five kilometers down, so he'd have...microseconds, no more. Alistair held on to the emitter even tighter, instinctively huddling himself against it...

Then Alistair saw a bright flash, heard rumbling from far below...an engine? Suddenly he felt the familiar tingle of the transporter rippling through his body, blue sparks filling his vision, and before Alistair could form another coherent thought, he was standing in a transporter room, arms at his sides. Barely believing it, Alistair looked to his sides, seeing the rest of the away team standing beside him. Tucker's collapsed to the deck immediately, either dead or unconscious, a phaser rifle rattling off the transporter pad, while LeBlanc's mangled body fell like a marionette that had its string cut. Exhausted but still running on adrenaline and instinct, Alistair instinctively moved to check on Tucker, and in the process, saw the Gorn standing behind him.

The Gorn covered in gore, his uniform torn and disheveled, a bloodied heart in one claw and a decapitated head in the other, his great chest heaving.

The Gorn who was clearly very, very pissed.

"Oh come on," Alistair protested, hurriedly backing away towards the door. He saw Vansen dragging Tucker away from the pad as the Gorn began smashing in primal rage, screaming madly and wrecking the transporter pad with sheer brute strength, kicking LeBlanc's body off the pad in the process. Too worn out to be frightened, Alistair glanced at Ida, sighed, then simply drew his phaser with his working hand, deftly increasing the power setting as high as he dared.

Without a moment's hesitation, Alistair fired, the phaser beam burning through what was left of the Gorn's uniform and sending him to the deck. At that, Alistair holstered the phaser and pulled out the tricorder with his one good hand, aiming it first at the Gorn.

"The Gorn...uh...what's his name? Stick? Shick? He'll be fine, I think, but we should get him medical attention." Alistair's shoulders drooped as he aimed the tricorder at Tucker. "I'm sorry, he's gone. His neck has been snapped." Alistair sighed, the weight of it hitting him as he scanned LeBlanc in turn, knowing that it had to be done, but hating it all the same. Alistair was so worn out, LeBlanc's body so clearly damaged, that it took a few moments for the tricorder's readings to sink in.

"What the hell? He's alive!" Alistair exclaimed in shock, baffled as he rushed closer, eyes fixed on the tricorder. "I don't know how...he fell, I saw him...an outcropping in the chasm maybe, I don't...his legs are broken...bad...a couple of broken ribs, skull fracture, few other issues...I can't tell much more, this isn't a medical tricorder. I don't think he's at immediate risk of dying, I don't see anything obvious, but he needs to get to a medical facility right now."

Alistair glanced around them, belatedly realising where they must be.

"Think they did it?" Alistair asked Ida wearily.
Title: Re: CH07: S [D03|1725] Praxis Crucible
Post by: Auctor Lucan on October 04, 2021, 12:27:46 PM
[ Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann (https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=ThanIda_zh%27Wann) | Transporter Room | USS Allegiant ]
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Having already been on her way off the transporter pad when the Gorn went berserk on it, Ida rounded on Sithick, and she'd tried to reach through to him by barking a loud order for him to stand down, but there had been no reaction. Lieutenant Leavitt had sorted out the situation, however, since he was still armed. Ida had lost her Accipiter down there on Praxis, and with the adrenaline running thick in her cobalt blood still, she had barely grasped the fact that she was still alive. They had suffered casualties, and she had expected herself to be among them.

"I don't know," she managed through her teeth in answer to the time traveller, hurting all over. She imagined her body being bruised all over underneath her hardsuit. She turned her antennae and eyes towards the door, past Doctor Kobol, whom had reported their presence to the bridge. She set her steps towards it, even if she wasn't prepared to face the aftermath of their failure. "Only one way to find out."

Earlier, she'd had a bad landing on the other side of the chasm, almost having fallen down as well but catching the far edge with her hip. She'd crawled her way up, and ended up on her back. She had seen the bomb drop, so she knew there was naught more she could do, so she'd laid there, catching her breath. She'd swallowed down the regret over failing her crew, and accepting the blessing of dying rather than living with the guilt of not having saved the lives of all whom lived their life on the Klingon home world. The next moment, even as she'd heard the bomb go off far down the chasm... she'd found herself on the transporter platform instead.

With leaden steps, Ida feared what she would see when she stepped unto the bridge, expecting to witness Praxis split and fall unto Qo'noS. Yet when she limped onto the bridge... that wasn't the case. The Allegiant was damaged, smoke and sparks shooting off the bulkheads. They were missing officers since last she'd been there, but through the viewscreen, she was merely seeing the mining facility crumble apart, as if devoured by a sinkhole. It was hardly the cataclysmic event she'd feared to see, so with wide eyes, she looked towards Commander Cross, T'Less and Pierce. Somehow, they must have made their way down the mining tunnel and out again, stopping the bomb from reaching the dilithium.

"By Lor'Vela," she whispered, voice raw after the Infested's choking grip. "We did it..."

- FIN
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