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Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

CHAPTER 03: FROM THE ASHES | DAY 04 | 1130 hrs.

“For a star to be born, there is one thing that must happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction. This is your birth.”
― Zoe Skylar

“Tactical Log, stardate 57551.35. The pursuit of Savi fighters ended late last night, and this new morning, the Stallion finds itself truly alone in the Azure Nebula. We have taken our escape into a dense part of it, where there might not be any sirilium gas, but where subspace communication is impossible. Even if we wanted to try and contact the other Vectors, despite what the Continuance Protocol says we might do, there is no such chance. The reason why we remain quiet is because the threat has been deemed the kind that might trace our communication. This is, possibly, the explanation for how the Savi and the Asurians could find us so quickly. After Captain Ives had spoken with the Asurian queen, it is likely the subspace signal that Petty Officer Dyan Cardamone had set up was traceable.

As of 1145 hours, we should be setting a course for the first rendezvous point. It is the first of three sets of coordinates and times in the protocol, and we have no way of knowing if the other two Vectors will be there. After we move out, we expect to reach the rendezvous point at 1300 hrs. and wait there for one hour, hoping the other Vectors will be there. If not, the second time we have a chance to reintegrate won't be for another day.

The Stallion is in a bad shape, since the Savi dreadnought blew a hole straight through it. Repairs have been ongoing through the night, the lack of sirillium gas the only thing that has made the repair work easier. The radiation is not much better here, however, since we still can't drop the shields and raise such that might protect us from enemy fire. As a tactical officer, I lament the current conditions if the Savi finds us. We will not be able to hold our own against them. Of the three Vectors, the one I am on is the least capable in battle. In my home country, we have a saying. Shān yǔ yù lái fēng mǎn lóu. It means 'Coming events cast their shadows before them.' Or as the westerners say, 'I have a very bad feeling about this.'”
― Lieutenant Masuda Yukimura, the Stallion, Vector 3 of the USS Theurgy

[ Lieutenant Masuda Yukimura | Battle Bridge | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]
[Show/Hide]
Seated in the Commanding Officer's chair, Masuda warily watched the sensor readings on the viewscreen. Captain Stark and First Officer Ejek were not present at the time, so he had the conn, but if he were to be entirely truthful to himself, he didn't like it one bit. He had never thought it so, but he actually did miss the peace and quiet of the Black Opal. He was not twenty any more, and things were a little bit too 'exciting' for his own taste. It didn't mean he wouldn't be doing his duty if it came down to it, but if it was up to him, he'd rather return to China and his family. He missed the life of farming, and if he could, he meant to grow a garden of his own one day.

"Lieutenant Yukimura, I... I'm picking up something faint," said Yvette Conway at Ops, and turned her head. "I think it is a distess call, sir."

Masuda frowned, not having expected that their current, slow trajectory would pick up anything so far into the nebula. "Let's hear it."

[Th-s is Cap---- --ya -ie--- of the Fede----on Star--ip -ay---. We req---t im----ate assist----, I repe--, immediate assista---. We hav- tak-- heav- dama-- and ar- withou- mai- p-wer. Pleas-, help -s, you are -ur only hop-. I repeat, this i- Captain An-- -ie--er of the Federa--on Starship...]

Masuda rose from his chair, slowly stepping up to Conway at the Ops station. "Try to clear it up, if you can. Send a message to Stark and Ejek too that their presence is requested on the bridge," he said, knowing that he couldn't make the call to answer this distress call, since they were just about to set a course for the first rendezvous point with the other Vectors.

"Aye, sir. Message sent." Then, after some adjustments, the message was repeated.

[This is Capt--- Anya Zieg--- of the Federat--- Starship Cayuga. We request immedi--- assistance, I repeat, immediate ---istance. We have --ken heavy damage and are without main power. Please, --lp us, you are our only hope. I repeat, th-- is Captain Anya Ziegler of the Federation Starship Cayuga. We request...]

OOC: This is the starter for Chapter 03: From the Ashes. Since Ziegler is Stark's former First Officer, the first and second Rendevouz with the other Vectors will be missed, since the Stallion will remain with the Cayuga and assist in her repairs as well as its own. This thread denotes the first encounter, and all Supplemental Threads that are started will either have to be set before this time of 1130 hrs. on Day 04, or afterwards. Just like in the interregnum, Supplemental threads are started at your leisure! Supplemental threads relating to the Stallion or the Cayuga should be named Chapter 03: Supplemental [ Day X | YYYY hrs. ] Insert Title, and they should extend no further than the end of Day 05.

These are the main tasks to solve, your Mission Objectives in this Chapter: [Show/Hide]
Known staff on the Stallion: [Show/Hide]
Known staff on the Cayuga: [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [Day 04 | 1130 hrs.]

Reply #1 –
[ Lieutenant J.G. Ejek | Battle Bridge | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

She knew that there would be little rest in this situation. She felt it in her bones. It was familiar, aching feeling that had come to dominate her life for the past three years. On the run, alone, frightened, and everything around you is deadly.

She had only four days to savor life without the constant threat to her life, but to bear that ache again felt like so much more than she could handle. Without an escape, it would’ve been likely that she would’ve panicked by now. There was an escape though. She was not trapped here with her fears all alone. She was no child.

Instead, she was a woman. She could be dead tomorrow, in an hour, in a minute. What purpose was there in worrying about the fate of the universe, or even the ship? She knew by now that to concern herself with anything other than the here and now was a waste of energy and brainpower that could be spent more efficiently on other tasks. She also knew that, as the temporary XO, she'd need all the wits she could gather about herself. After all, she was clever, but this wasn't her day job, and if she wanted these Federation types to learn how it's done, she'd have to set the example.

When she got the message, she had been meditating on all these thoughts, and more. Like the vulcans, she sought to control her emotions, and like the humans, she did so by feeling them. She could stand in the river, let it rush by her legs, but she did not let it sweep her away. It calmed her, eased the ache that came to settle in her very existence, so when she stood up and left to the bridge, she was herself. She had her time to process everything that had happened within the past few days. She had expelled her concerns about the future. She was here, now, and she found her center once more.

The doors of the bridge opened in silence, her steps onto the bridge were almost as silent. She had not done anything in particular with her appearance, but her usual confidence in her posture gave her a certain aura. Like she belonged in this position. She surveyed those at their stations and the view screen, and on seeing nobody in a state of immediate panic, assumed the worst anyways. Optimism was for peacetime.
“Morning Lieutenant. I won’t bother prefixing that with ‘good’ until I know what surprise you have in store for me.” She bemused as she settled into the XO’s chair. Her chair. She knew Stark would be on her way, but for right now, she was the highest ranking person in the room. She would savor the little glories while she had them.
“I don’t suppose we’re facing yet another enemy. Klingon pirates? Borg?” Her humor was as dry as fine wine.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #2 –
[Lt. Cmdr. Natalie Stark, Captain | Temporary Quarters | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy 01 ]Attn: @Griff @StarDuster @FollowTomorrow @Doc M. @Auctor Lucan @Arista @Triton (Security checkpoint)
[Show/Hide]

Five hours of sleep was not enough; it was never enough. It was, sadly, all that Natalie had managed. And it was far more than others might have allowed themselves in the given situation, were they left in charge of a starship on the run. And even as a simple Vector of a greater ship, the Stallion was a vessel in its own right. Having fled the battle with the Savi in the state they were in, dodging about to loose the Fighters that were on their trail, and with a gaping hole in the side of the ship, it had been very, very hard to resist succumbing to the desire to pick up a tool kit and head down from the battle bridge, to loose herself in the reassuring familiarity of repairs.

Instead she'd stayed in that center seat for two solid shifts, before handing over command to Lt. Masuda and hauling herself off to the temporary quarters assigned to her as part of the protocols. She'd ordered the Tactical officer to get some sleep hours before hand. Now, she was stepping out of the sonic shower, coffee in hand, padding nude across the small refresher alcove in the equally small NCO quarters she'd been given. COps had taken the mug in there with her shortly after the computer had awoken her at the designated hour. The voice, so very much like the Thea she knew, but without the spark that defined her, had called her to consciousness. It was a harsh reminder of what had happened, as was the unfamiliar quarters and the weight upon her shoulders.

She hoped that it, along with the two tablets she had immediately swallowed after replicating the drink, would do something for the headache she'd given herself, bumping her head against the top of the inset bunk that served for her bed. Hardly an auspicious start to her first full day of command.

Looking at her self over the rim of the cup, naked in the mirror, Stark could see bags under her eyes, but she felt...not dead at the very least. Worried. Tired. Scared, so very scared. And hurt. They had lost people, friends. Stolen away. Thea she thought bitterly, before she shut her eyes and set the warm mug down. Sucking in a deep, slow breath, Natalie counted backward from ten. She had not wanted command like this. A part of her hoped, begged, almost, that the rendezvous would be successful. She needed them to be successful because deep inside she was unsure if she could lead these people on their own, leaving their friends behind and spreading the word, the truth.

"But thats what I have to do," she reminded herself , looking up, pale eyes in an equally pale face, ringed by damp brunette locks of hair looking back at her from the mirror. Hardening. Determined, resolved. She stood up straight, looked herself over, and gave a small nod. Then she swept the coffee up and marched off to the rooms drawers, fishing out the standard underclothes that were provided (in her size, replicated in advanced). From there, she pulled her shirt on, zipped it up and clipped her pips to the yellow collar - one black, two gold. She was in temporary command for now - her rank and department unchanged. If things did not pan out - if they did not meet up with there rest of the Theurgy then that might be a different story.

From there she stepped into her skirt, zipped her jacket, and pulled on her boots. She had just put her hair up into a high tail atop her head, and called up a report from O'Connell (bless him, she'd be lost without his help) when the comm's chimed. She looked at the chronograph on the wall - still at least an hour before she was due back on the bridge.

"Captain Stark, Lieutenant Ejek to the bridge." The voice of Yvette Conway came over the speaker. That was it. Her frown deepened as her fingers brushed her own combadge. "Stark to bridge, I'll be there shortly." Captain Stark. Not how I wanted to hear those words. Not that I thought I ever would. Drink in hand, she tucked the report from Billy Bob under her arm and set off.

[Battle bridge | Vector 03 |  USS Theurgy]
[Show/Hide]

Less than five minutes after Ejek had arrived on the bridge, Natalie Stark stepped out of the turbolift and back onto the smaller, cramped battle bridge. Her eyes swept back, towards where Conway perched on a stool behind the ops console to her left, and over to the right, where Lt. Masuda had resumed the Tactical station. Towards the front of the bridge, near the swirl of the Azure Nebula that filled the viewscreen, Natalie could see the helm officer on duty, PO3 Lillee t'Jellaieu. Natalie had read up on the files of the Romulan, as well as all the other offices she had at her disposal and set up the duty roster accordingly, with assistance from her Carrdassian first officer. Neither of them had been familiar with the Romulan woman, but her service record showed she had some of the most experience of all the conn officers available to her.

Giving a very faint nod of approval towards the non com, whom seemed to have the ship well in hand, Natalie allowed her gaze to then sweep across the rest of the bridge, taking in the other officers on duty, getting a feel for who she had on hand, and the general temperature of the bridge. Tense, Natalie decided.

Finally, she settled in on Lt. (jg) Ejek in the left hand "XO" chair - Natalie's own seat, on the right. lay vacant. Waiting for her to sit down into it.

Her chair. Her command.

"Status report." She ordered, sipping the coffee from where she stood between the banks of stations in the rear of the bridge. For the moment, Natalie felt content to remain among her crew, before taking that center seat. She justified this with the reasoning that form here, she'd be better able to see, and judge, her crews reactions - the battle bridge shared a lot in common with the layout of an Intrepid-class starship, with many of the stations behind the command well.

And anything that kept her from turning her head nearly all the way around might be for the best just then, with the headache having yet to fade away.

Obliging her Captain, Conway turned in her stations at Ops and summarized shortly. "We've picked up a distress call, Captain. Its faint, and garbled, but its Federation." An eyebrow arched up on Natalie's face as her eyes darted to Ejek, and then to the Lieutenant at Tactical, before returning to Conway. "Go ahead and play it for me, Yvette." With her, at least, there was a familiar rapport, easy to fall back into.

As before, the static ridden comm message filled the bridge.

[This is Capt--- Anya Zieg--- of the Federat--- Starship Cayuga. We request immedi--- assistance, I repeat, immediate ---istance. We have --ken heavy damage and are without main power. Please, --lp us, you are our only hope. I repeat, th-- is Captain Anya Ziegler of the Federation Starship Cayuga. We request...]

Those that had heard it prior focused more on their duties - or their Captain - than the message itself. Stark however, frowned. Something about ...Oh. Oh shit. Recognition dawned on her face, and she felt herself grip the handle of her mug tighter. She shut her eyes, and sucked in a slow breath.

"Play it again," She ordered, listening. Yes. That was her. She remembered the voice and the name. There was little chance that it was someone else. Anya Zigler - this was bad. Very bad. And yet....she couldn't ignore it. Mission or not..... She made the decision in less than a second. Squaring her shoulders, she walked over to the secondary console that set nestled between, and behind, the command chairs and pulled up what records they had on the USS Cayuga She confirmed, in less than half a minute, that the officer in question was exactly whom she suspected. She then threw the details of the ship up on the view screen with a few deft commands.

"We have a problem, ladies and gentlemen," Natalie began as she moved her way around and down, to sit in her seat. No hesitation. Make a decision and stick to it, Trent had said. We'll I've certainly made mine. "That ship is out there somewhere in distress. I want it found, and a course laid in." That seemed to meet with approval, and she could , with a slight turn - and a bit of flare of pain in her head - see Masuda and Conway going to work.

"The issue however is that I know the officer in command of the Cayuga. I thought I recognized the name, and the voice, and the records confirmed my suspicions. Her name is Anya Zigler. She is an extremely competent officer, and quite loyal. She and her crew will be well aware of the accusations against our vessel. And given her past that could make things very complicated, considering she used to be Captain Ives' XO, when I first joined the Theurgy."

Natalie let that revelation settle for a moment, then turned to her own XO. "Ejek, I need you to be the one to hail the Cayuga." She imagined she might see surprise on the Cardassian's face, but she wasn't sure, she didn't know Ejek well enough, but she raised a hand to forestall the obvious question.  "I was only the Assistant Chief of Operations when Zigler was the XO, but we served on the bridge during Beta shift on more than one occasion. She might very well recognize my voice, and until we know where she stands and whether or not this is some kind of trap, I'd rather she didn't hear me. We'll answer, audio only. The nebula makes enough interference as is that it'll be reasonable."

Hoping to see understanding in Cardassians face, she turned and checked the Starfleet registry for a vessel, based on the last logs they had, which might be in the area. Finding a suitable ship that had been tasked with long range exploration and support, Natalie made her choice again.

"Petty Officer t'Jellaieu, lay in the course as soon as you have it from Lt. Masuda. Ensign Cir'Cie," She turned her attention to the science offier currently on duty again and was privately pleased with herself as she maintained her confident, collected demenor. "This soup we're in is doing a number on our sensors. I can only imagine that it is doing the same for the Cayuga especially if its damaged. I want you to work with Engineering and work on our power output. See if we can fake the profile of a Nebula-class starship."

She watched the vulcan's impassive response and gave an approving nod. A few quick taps of her chair console opened up a quick channel to enginnering.

"Chief O'Connell," she began. "Not sure if you've had the bandwidth to follow along, but we're recieving a distress signal from the USS Cayuga. Could be a trap, could be legitimate. Either way, we need to be ready to go investigate. Get any repair crews back inside, stat, and put a patch one anything that we can. Oh, and see if you can help Ens. Cir'Cie make us look like a completely different ship to sensors. She has the details."

Satisfied there, she turned to Ops once again. "In the mean time, Lt. Conway, open up a channel to respond to the signal. Tell them that this is the USS Jamestown responding. Lieutenant," she paused, looking at Ejek, to her left, and smiling. "This is your show. Proceed at your discretion."


Battle Bridge Blueprints: [Show/Hide]
OOC: Before anyone gets too comfortable with the belief that this is going to be a 'repairs only' kind of thread, I should point out that I've just had a lovely discussion with the GM about whats in store, and he has assured me (Rather ominously) that this is far from what is in store for all of us.

EDIT: Rehashed the last part of the post. More tags for players, tasks laid down. Any questions or concerns, feel free to pm me or Lucan.

Also! All of the Bridge images featured in this post, are renders by Daniel for the Star Trek Voyager Game Project, used with his consent, given 2017-11-15. Here is the homepage https://www.facebook.com/STVOYAGERGP/
This is to be the standard bridge layout for the battle bridges for the Stallion and the Sword.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #3 –
[ William Robert O’Connell | Holodeck 4 | Deck 21 | USS Theurgy  ] Atten: @Brutus, @FollowTomorrow, @StarDuster, @Triton.

It was uncanny.  Whatever they had shot the Theurgy with had passed through the superstructure of the Stallion and gone right out the other side.  It was like the ship had been shot with an enormous pistol or hit by an old fashioned cannon ball.  Acting Chief Engineer Master Chief Petty Officer William Robert ‘Billy Bob’ O’Connell had spent  last night patching the hull and getting the structural integrity field back to minimum safety standards  but only now was he walking through the tunnel the enemy had dug in the Stallion to take in the damage for himself.

Debris scattered all over the deck making footing treacherous.  Conduit was dangling from the gaping wounds in the walls and from the overhead where the deck above had been damaged as well.  Billy Bob O’Connell took a deep breath and absently tried to scratch his nose.  He didn’t succeed of course because he was wearing an EVA suit because most of the area that the shot had hit wasn’t airtight yet.  It wouldn’t do to waste atmosphere until all of the temporary force fields were up and working again.  Not that any member of his department trusted those force fields after losing computer function yesterday.  For right now they would be doing this old school, sealed up in EVA suits like in the olden days.

O’Connell considered it lucky that the shot had hit the part of the ship that held most of the holodecks the Theurgy carried.  A few tens of meters further aft and the shot would have hit the main deutronium tanks, and that would have caused problems the ship might not have recovered from.  All in all, the Stallion had been pretty lucky.  Now all he could do was hope that the other two stardrive vectors had fared even half as well.

As always, he was shorthanded.  Not only had Chief Petty Officer Lavar Manfredi, his senior propulsion chief and unofficial right hand been beamed away to the vector one stardrive section as part of the “Continuance Protocol”, but the attack by the Asurian boarding party had put many of his staff unlucky enough to be in Main Engineering in either sickbay or the morgue.  Thankfully his shipfitting staff that he had in the Stallion weren’t in Main Engineering or the shuttlebay when the Asurians attacked.  As a matter of fact following him and also wearing white Starfleet issue EVA suits were a dozen of them right now. 

“Ladies an’ gentlemen, we have our work cut out fur us,” he drawled offhandedly.  “I reckon it’s gonna be quite a spell afore any of us are relaxin’ on th’ holodeck.”

As if to prove his point, the boss called.

[ Stark to O’Connell. ] a feminine voice beckoned over his space suit’s communications system.

“This is O’Connell, go ahead Commander,” the master chief replied.

[ Chief O'Connell, not sure if you've had the bandwidth to follow along, but we're receiving a distress signal from the USS Cayuga. Could be a trap, could be legitimate. Either way, we need to be ready to go investigate. Get any repair crews back inside, stat, and put a patch one anything that we can. Oh, and see if you can help Ens. Cir'Cie make us look like a completely different ship to sensors. She has the details. ]

“Aye-aye Ma’am,” he sighed.  “I’ll bring them in now,”

[ Thank you O’Connell.  Stark out. ]


[ Lieutenant Junior Grade Yvette Conway | Vector 03 Battle Bridge | Deck 11 | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]  Atten: @Brutus, @FollowTomorrow, @StarDuster, @Triton.

Back on the bridge Natalie Stark wasn’t finished doling out assignments.  "In the meantime, Lt. Conway, open up a channel to respond to the signal. Tell them that this is the USS Jamestown responding." 

“Aye Commander,” Lieutenant (junior grade) Yvette Conway acknowledged.

“Lieutenant,"  Natalie Stark smiled as she glanced over at Lieutenant (junior grade) Zelosa Ejek, "This is your show. Proceed at your discretion." 

Conway hadn’t been a hundred percent certain that Ejek would be a face they would trust, but when she had time to think about it, she had to admit that no one in Starfleet would expect a band of fugitives to let a Cardassian do the talking for them.

Turning her attention back to her console, Yvette Conway opened a channel.  Clearing her throat and speaking in her calmest, most professional tone, in an almost sweet voice she said.  “Cayuga, this is the Federation Starfleet vessel USS Jamestown responding to your hail.  What is the nature of your emergency?”


OOC:  I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds there adding some telephone etiquette to Stark’s dialogue, but it always bothers me when little bits of dialogue like that which don’t require a full post aren’t there.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #4 –
[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Bridge | Deck 01 | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Masorin  @DocReno @Gadget @lisavw @Veridian @Fife @Absinthe @Brutus @Auctor Lucan @Doc M. @FollowTomorrow , Anyone else 
[Show/Hide]

It had been days since they had encountered the Borg and, while things were significantly less than ideal, a new semblance of normalcy had started to take place. On the bridge of Cayuga, Captain Anya Ziegler sat in the centre chair, raktajino warming her hands as she mindlessly watched the blue emanating from the azure nebula on the viewscreen.

She had allowed herself the small privilege of a 3-minute shower before beginning her shift and that had felt glorious. In nearly any other situation, Anya would have stayed for longer, feeling the magical rejuvenation that came with pressurised warm water against porcelain skin. The condition of the ship meant that she couldn’t justify anything more than those 3 decadent minutes. The various reports from Engineering and Operations departments told her as much.

Cayuga was still without full power, although backup and auxiliary had been restored. It wasn’t enough to get the ship underway, not with the damage to the nacelles and various decks, but it did give them that critical protection against the radiation of the nebula. At least for the time being. Repair crews were still working around the clock, many of the teams made up completely of crewmen outside of the engineering division. That department had been decimated during the attack. Slowly though, parts of the ship had returned from the dead. The recently promoted chief of security, Winter Bannin, had managed to get approximately 40% of the replicators online herself and that allowed the crew to cut back on emergency rations.

The story was the same across many of the ships systems. Holodecks and the shuttle bay were offline – the shuttles themselves have been jerry rigged by crewmen in EVA suits directly into the power conduits to provide additional battery power for the ship.  Some corridors were dark or illuminated only by flickering light panels. Elsewhere, any non-critical systems were shut down and repairs side-lined for what Anya had called ‘The Big Four’ – Environmental Support, Shields, Communications and Propulsion. She had heard reports of crewmembers having to bunk with others when they had found their quarters no longer habitable and, in the spirit of sacrifice, Ziegler had taken the decision to open her ready room as makeshift mess hall, seeming as the replicator on the bridge wasn’t one of those lucky few. If it wasn’t for the fact that she enjoyed privacy so much, Anya would keep the room as its new purpose after they were rescued.

Assuming they were rescued.

Ziegler didn’t allow herself to think such thoughts, especially not while on duty. The distress call was broadcasting almost constantly, although muted on the bridge, she didn’t want to listen to herself repeatedly. They would just need to wait and survive. Eventually it would be picked up. She wanted to be a monolith. A sign of inspiration or the crew to draw strength from, even if she had none herself. So, shift after shift and only when not asleep, Ziegler sat in the command chair waiting. She kept her back straight, her shoulders relaxed and an eye on the various readouts displays on the arms of her seat. Anya wanted to personify elegance and composure in a crisis and while she might look as if she was starting off into space, her mind worked effortlessly trying to think of shortcuts and workarounds, something they could do to get the ship back underway.

A beeping broke the silence across the bridge. Normally such a quiet tone, the electronic alert filled the command centre, causing most there to turn to look – Ziegler included.

When the operations officer announced it was an incoming hail, Anya felt a wave of relief surge through her. Part of her wanted to cry, but she would remain steadfast. Moving her cup into one hand, she pressed a few buttons to verify the reading herself before allowing herself to say the words she had waiting so long to say.

“Open a channel.”

The voice from the speakers crackled due to the interference from the nebula, but it was that of an angel.

[Cayuga, this is the Federation Starfleet vessel USS Jamestown responding to your hail.  What is the nature of your emergency?]

Crinkling her brow, Anya searched her mind for recollection of the name. Jamestown was a nebula class vessel, but she couldn’t remember who commanded it. Before she replied, Ziegler contemplated the words that Jamestown had used. Did they not receive the whole priority one broad band distress signal? Did they not understand how important they were? Silently cursing the blue mess around the two ships, Ziegler remembered the chances the distress call would have been heard at all was so insignificant that she should get over having to explain herself again, especially in front of the crew.

“Jamestown, this is Captain Ziegler of the Cayuga. We’ve come under attack and require immediate assistance.” Pausing, she took a breath. “The ship is currently adrift without main power and auxiliary is struggling to protect us against the radiation of the nebula. It is imperative that I speak with your commanding officer straightaway.” 

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #5 –
[ Chief Medical Officer T’Panu | Sickbay | USS Cayuga ]

T’Panu awoke from a long, much needed sleep. She had been pulling double shifts since the Borg attack. It felt like just yesterday they were being attacked; the cold, dark presence of the Borg being right in front of their eyes. She couldn’t believe they had survived, but feared for all those that didn’t. She hoped that whoever they had to leave behind weren’t assimilated; she knew better, after her last encounter. She feared the day when she would run into someone she used to know, hopeful it would never come to that day.

She recalled all the medical equipment she had used and signed out, thinking about what she needed to fix and replace. It had been such a hectic few days she was only beginning to figure out where to start. She knew she had to figure it out, and soon, as no one knew if the Borg would be attacking again. Everyone knew better, but was still hoping for the best.

T’Panu still felt in a daze. Did this really happen? Was there anything more that could have been done to save more of the crew? She knew better than to ask these questions, but simply couldn’t help it. She felt responsible for not being able to save more people. Would if she worked faster? What if she hadn’t wasted so much time wondering what was going on? She lay awake the last few nights lost in thought. She should have been sleeping, but who could sleep with so many unanswered questions? T’Panu was kept focused thanks to the fear that ran as cold as ice through her body.

She knew there had to be something more to do, some answer to defeating the Borg, once and for all...but what? What could a simple medical officer come up with to help? She thought about cloning tribbles...she did have one in her lab. Maybe being born pregnant would help replenish their numbers? But she knew everyone would kill her if they had a tribble problem. Truth is, she would go crazy, too. If only they could get ahold of some Borg technology, but the last thing anyone would need is a bunch of assimilated people on this ship. What about a special frequency phaser that disrupts their mechanical functions? At least long enough we could burn those son of a bitches to the ground. She made a mental reminder to write all her ideas down to get a second opinion on; but for now, they were just a simple rouse to get revenge on the Borg in her mind...for now.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #6 –
[Lt. Winter Bannin| Bridge| Deck 01 | USS Cayuga] ATTN: @Arista @Masorin @Gadget @Veridian @lisavw @Hastata-Nerada

Winter was standing at her now usual position on the bridge over where the secondary tactical station was, her rifle at the easy ready as she cast a glance over at Kyle at his own station, the younger man's dark eyes were constantly alert despite how tired that he was feeling.

The hybrid allowed herself a moment to rest her eyes on her captain which made her lips tingle as she recalled the sensation of finally being able to kiss the other woman as she unconciously started to bring her right hand up to her face before she stopped and realized what she was doing at which point she snapped the hand in question back down as her face slowly turned the same hue as her hair.

It was good however to see Anya had apparently gotten a shower in somehow as she looked a little less stressed out and more alert which brought a small, private smile to her face especially since Winter hadn't allowed herself that much of a luxery.

Suddenly the now familiar tone of an alert broke both the silence of the bridge but also her inner thoughts as the hybrid's head snapped towards the sound, fingers tightening on the grip of her weapon but when she heard what it was, her grip loosened and she felt not only the waves of relief from her fellow bridge crew members but also her own personal.

[Cayuga, this is the Federation Starfleet vessel USS Jamestown responding to your hail.  What is the nature of your emergency?]

At that moment she turned her head to look over at Anya and saw the crinkling of her brow as she too also recalled a starship called the "Jamestown" but she wondered why an older block Nebula would be sent to the nebula at the same time as a newer science ship of the line?

Once more Winter's thoughts were interrupted by an external source which was Anya explaining the current status of the Cayuga and while she was hoping for and that their ship could be recovered at which point Winter would finally allow herself time to take a shower and relax...maybe even find the time to actually talk with Anya...

But the more that she tried to focus on the positive side of things like a rescue for her crewmates, her instincts however were starting to tell her that something else was about...it gnawed on the edges of her conciousness and caused her gut to agree with her mind as she moved from her station to stand next to Anya, lending the other woman her quiet strength as they waited for an answer.

And hopes that her feelings about the situation unfolding were wrong.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #7 –
[PO1 Lillee t’Jellaieu] | NCO Quarters | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Attn: @Auctor Lucan, @@Arista, @@DocM, @Follow Tomorrow, @StarDuster

[Show/Hide]

Lillee was, on the whole, proud of her ability to adapt to rapid-changing circumstances. It was a necessary skill for a pilot, especially a combat pilot, and that skill had kept her alive through some tough fights in her career. Even so, the chaotic slaughter that had been the final battle of the Dominion War had nothing on her current circumstances. Running endless attack runs on Jem’hadar fighters and Breen frigates all while trying to stay close enough to Federation and Romulan capital ships to avoid dying? Easy. Becoming the emergency CONN officer on a vector of a renegade starship several months in the future, executing a mysterious “Continuance Protocol” that Lillee had never even heard of, all while protecting an awful “truth” that she hadn’t even really looked into yet? Mere days after being woken from medical stasis, without any time to process...anything, in a damaged vector of a starship currently facing three separate enemy forces?

That was a different story entirely.

Thus, that morning before reporting in for her shift, Lillee simply sat on her bed in her underclothes and wept silently, the tears streaming steadily down her cheeks. It was all just completely and utterly insane! The Starfleet conspiracy, the Theurgy’s bloody escape from Federation space, the Asurians that Lillee had shot to save that strange Rihannsu, her own still-healing injuries, the even freakier other aliens who had kidnapped many of the crew, the damage to the vector they were calling Stallion...it was a non-stop barrage of madness. Even stranger, in what few conversations that Lillee had had with some of the Theurgy crew, she discovered that they were all becoming accustomed to it. One of them, a young and brash Bajoran crewman, had cheerfully informed her that their current circumstances were still much better than the Niga incident. When the entire crew had become sex-crazsd slaves to galaxy-conquering plant. Because that was a thing. A real thing that happened.

And so the tears fell.

What truly ached, what really unsettled Lillee’s green blood, was that she had no idea what was going on, nor any power to do anything. Mnhei’sahe had all but deserted her. Sure, she could get in an escape pod and go home, but then what? If the Theurgy crew were telling the truth (and Lillee’s instincts were increasingly bent toward believing them), she’d likely be subjected to intense interrogation by the corrupted Starfleet then imprisoned indefinitely. Or worse, she’d simply be murdered to be safe. She’d never see her children again. On the other hand, even if the Theurgy crew were wrong...then what? No matter what the reason, she’d be running away, fleeing simply because she wanted to avoid a complicated and difficult problem. It was simple cowardice. Lillee knew truly that as much as she desperately wanted to hold her girls in her arms again and watch them get up to their antics, she would never be able to look them in the eye if she fled. Once the heart itself was stained, it became almost impossible to truly wipe away, and the stain of cowardice tended to stick more than most.

And so the tears kept falling.

In due course, having left her vest and thighs quite damp with salty tears, Lillee finally recovered enough to get to the shower and get herself cleaned. She hungered for some kind of release for her frustration, whether it be bloodshed or some simple hard sex, but neither was in the offing if she guessed correctly. Instead, in the NCO quarters that weren’t even hers with the usual occupants on one of the other vectors, she gamely got dressed and left to get to work. There was a job to be done.


[PO1 Lillee t’Jellaieu] | Battle Bridge | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ]

An hour later, manning the helm of the battered vector in the Battle Bridge, Lillee listened as the senior staff discovered the distress call of another Federation ship somewhere in the psychadelic mess that was the Azure Nebula. She didn’t know a thing about any of the officers, but they were at least acting like officers, a reassuring thing given the circumstances. Thus, as soon as the distress call came in and the acting captain arrived, Lillee quietly began plotting an approximate course to the Cayuga’s location, ready to engage the moment that she had more precise coordinates and the acting captain gave the order. There was a certain desperate improvisation to it all, as if everyone were actors playing a role, which was painfully true. Nobody on the Stallion were doing their real jobs. It was a worrying indicator of their troubles that Lillee, who hadn’t piloted anything bigger than a Steamrunner-class frigate in six years, was still the best CONN officer they could find. Still, it was just like swinging an honour blade to be at the helm of a starship once more. Or like riding a bike, as the humans called it. Softies.

Then the acting captain gave the order, and Lillee finally felt a faint sensation of relief that they would finally be doing something proactive, even if that entailed ‘rescuing’ a fellow Starfleet ship that would likely open fire the moment they identified their would-be rescuers. Still, it was something. Thus, with practiced skill (and subdued satisfaction that her skills hadn’t atrophied), Lillee plotted the course, a serpentine route that best took advantage of the Azure Nebula’s currents and eddies. Given the Stallion’s surprising sublight speed, they would get there soon enough.

“Course laid in,” the Romulan NCO duly called out to Commander Stark, her features settling into a cold, relaxed manner. It was time to get to work.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #8 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Zelosa Ejek | Battle Bridge | Vector 03 | U.S.S. Theurgy]

Her show. She would have liked the sound of that, if the situation would go her way. Her way would mean not communicating with any ships that weren't also the U.S.S. Theurgy. Some poor helpless Federation ship emitting a distress signal was the perfect cover for an ambush. Foolishly, it was Federation policy to jump to the rescue, of course, so she and everyone else here would just be walking brazenly into a box with 'trap' written on every side. Maybe, if the situation was minor enough, she'd be able to convince the captain out of this. And maybe she was made of doves.

Of course, she wasn't able to decide for herself what ship they'd be masquerading as. She had to quickly look up the U.S.S. Jamestown on the computer on her armrest. The captain was one Armstrong Williams, decidedly not a woman. The XO was...unpronouncable, but also not a woman. Fantastic, the ship was a sausage festival. Typical Feds.
"Computer, disguise my voice on all outgoing transmissions to be male, upper fourties, with a southern United States accent."She rubbed her temple with her hands, but then settled herself. Now was the time to become some human named Armstrong...
"...Parameters not recognized. Please request help with vocal alteration to hear a full list of parameters required." The computer answered back, and Ejek felt her headache grow. Why did this have to be her problem? "Right. Someone else will be doing the talking, because none of the bridge staff on the Jamestown are female. I want to know their status and what disabled their ship."

Patiently, she awaited the response. She briefly leafed over what the computer knew of the Jamestown. What in the known universe was a ship like this doing in the middle of the Azure Nebula anyways? Especially considering the Cayuga was better built all around.

Furthermore...what was out there that could distress the Cayuga so? Certainly couldn't be the task force,  could it? Perhaps the parasites had established a foothold in the ship's crew. Most likely, this was an Archeron or Savi trap.
"Captain, you know this is very likely to be a trap, right?" She had to check. She wouldn't overestimate the Federation's competence anytime soon.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #9 –
[ ENS James "Jimmy" Mariner | Battle Bridge | Vector 3 | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy
[Show/Hide]

Jimmy was rewarded with a decent night's sleep ever since his arrival to the vector after assisting in the sweep and mop-up of any Asurian intruders. After reporting for duty and being issued his temporary quarters; Jimmy grabbed dinner-- a well-earned prime rib in the arboretum lounge and stored his equipment in the security checkpoint on the main bridge deck before checking out.

The next day, the vector's acting security chief awoke himself a few minutes of exercise in his temporary quarters and some dry-run pep talk in the mirror, an excuse to brandish his voice mimicry through holonovel impersonations: You talkin' to me? You talkin to me, goat-head? I know what you're thinkin'. 'Did he leave the phaser on 'kill', or only 'stun'?' Well, to tell you the truth, In all this excitement, I lost track, myself. But being as this phaser -is- set to maximum-- the most powerful setting there is, which could blast those horns --clean-- off, You'd best ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? ...Well do you, goat?" Normally, Jimmy would have practiced this or a similar morning ritual with Sharky, but his dear pit bull was on Vector 2 somewhere and hopefully with Meony or K'ren. It was then when he had to report for duty, which he did after a light breakfast of birria beef stew.

Jimmy preferred Raktajino. ever since a decade earlier, when Pete Mariner was invited to Qo'onos to film on the Klingon homeworld for an insight into their culture, join in on hunting wild game and even tour the fabled Klingon Academy. While Jimmy himself was only a kid, and one of his father's best cameramen, he went along for the experience. The facility itself left a lasting impact on the young man to the point of him appreciating every cup of Klingon coffee ever since. Fortunately, Theurgy's replicators had done a good job in synthesizing the stuff. He sighed as he looked around the Arboretum and wished he could come to the towering bay more often, given the limited availability of holodecks at this time.

Despite Jimmy's excitement for his temporary command assignment and chance to once again hold a leadership position, it was clear Mariner wanted to take his responsibilities seriously. If anything happened to the other two vectors, it fell to the Stallion to survive and finish what the rest of the crew had started in their mission of vindication and survival. His first order of business was to set up shop in the main bridge's security checkpoint and report to the ship's XO. With that foremost in mind, he made his first personal log in a while themed after his father's documentary series, sporting Pete Mariner's thick Australian accent to boot.

Mariner's log, Stardate.... 57505.37. The continuance protocol of the USS Theurgy has me posted to its third Vector. With no other officers in my department aboard Vector three with the rank of Junior Leftenant or above, I have been advanced to acting security chief of the vector designated the "Stallion". This isn't like a strike or away team where I gotta paragraph objectives for redshirts, put on a good show in the field and buy a round for a job well done. Despite some praiseworthy heroics on the Sud Lang base recently, I've still got a good example to show, a fortress to hold down... and a father to make proud... Computer, pause." Jimmy halted in haste as a situation developed on the bridge just outside his office. 'His' office. He liked that. 

Sending logs to his father was also his way of carrying on the family torch as an adventurer-documentarian, even though he hadn't transmitted any of these logs since the Dominion War, and was barely able to send a message out to his family at Starbase 84 informing them he was still alive. That was before he was thrust into the exciting life of a fugitive. He reflected on this midway through his log from his new office on the bridge deck. He was alerted by Matsuda Yukimura that they made contact with something, and headed into the actual bridge, leaving the security office behind. He heard the distress call when he came to stand by the Secondary Console, behind the XO and CO seats.

[This is Capt--- Anya Zieg--- of the Federat--- Starship Cayuga. We request immedi--- assistance, I repeat, immediate ---istance. We have --ken heavy damage and are without main power. Please, --lp us, you are our only hope. I repeat, th-- is Captain Anya Ziegler of the Federation Starship Cayuga. We request...]

Jimmy listened with interest as he heard 'captain' Stark disclose her past with the craft they were to break radio silence from. At once, he procured a PaDD to get the dossier entry for a Nebula-class personnel manifest, which included both the Cayuga and Jamestown's respective figures. He stopped by Ejek, "'Keep a stiff upper lip, M'um. See what notes you can swap." He handed her the padd but remained around to take orders as to what Security could do. He'd ordered double shifts but permitted the use of hotbunking in order to conserve space and increase morale in his department.

Right now, however, it was all a matter of business, pertaining to seniority should there be a superior officer in Security, entity of a friend or potential foe. He hoped the Cayuga's crew didn't have the trust issues he often had with outsiders. ready for anything, Jimmy awaited orders to ready security for any intake in crew rescue.

"This is Jamestown. Bless my liberties it's good to see a friendly face out here!" Jimmy stood up to the channel and announced.  "Looks like you had a rough flight out there, Cayuga. What happened? What's your crew count and status? Might we be of assistance?" Through the crew roster, he found a name close enough to an accent he could passably impersonate.
Lt. Commander Leon "Striker" Marquez
Chief Tactical Officer, USS Theurgy
"No one left behind."

Ensign James "Jimmy" Mariner
Security Officer, USS Theurgy
"Showtime!"

Lieutenant (J.G.) Alessia "Angel" Garcia
Valravn Fighter Pilot, USS Theurgy
"You're not the only one with a gun,"

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #10 –
[ Lieutenant Masuda Yukimura | Battle Bridge | Vector 03 | USS Theurgy ] Joint-Post by Auctor Lucan & Brutus
[Show/Hide]
Standing at the Tactical station on the bridge, Masuda watched and listened in silence, having been slightly worried when the Cardassian First Officer found out that the Commanding Officer of the Jamestown was a human male. Luckily, the one who now ran Security aboard was able to step in and save the situation, impersonating the man that Captain Ziegler on the Cayuga was supposed to think she was talking to. Masuda shifted his stance and took a deep breath, thankful for Ensign Mariner's timely intervention.

So too was Natalie Stark. She'd given a short, wordless response to her XO - a silent nod of the head. Of course this could be a trap, the brunette commander thought to herself. But on the run or no, they were still Starfleet. They had a duty to respond - even if they did so cautiously. They needed to know more, and bless him, Ens. Mariner had given them an outlet to do just that.

The reply from the Cayuga came much faster than theirs had.

[Yes, we were attacked by the Borg, and we are now adrift,] said Ziegler's voice [We are in need of engineering crew and spare parts in order to restore propulsion. Most of our rations were compromised by a hull breach close to our cargo holds. We have taken heavy damage both from enemy fire and from sabotage done by boarding drones. Among our casualties are half of our original Senior Staff, and the Borg managed to assimilate fourty-seven of our crew.]

Feeling his face go numb, Masuda exchanged looks between the present bridge crew officers. They had heard the same thing. It was not in their imagination. Captain Ziegler had just said that the Borg were present in the Azure Nebula, well within Federation borders, and on the other side of the Alpha Quadrant from where they were expected to appear. All tactical reports suggested that a Borg invasion would come from the Delta Quadrant, not on the border to Klingon space.

The silence that filled the bridge in the wake of that news was deafening. As horrifying as the scourge of the parasites was, the Borg were a known horror. The battle of Wolf 359. The battle of Sector 001. The stuff of nightmares. Natalie felt her face pale, as she carefully set down her cup of coffee once again and swallowed. She had to school her features, and fast.

[This is the Cayuga, are you still there?] came Ziegler's voice again over the static of the EM band. Masuda found his mind having gone into alert at the mention of the Borg, and he was thinking very hard when Ziegler spoke again. [Yes, you heard me right. The Borg has been sighted and they have engaged us in battle. Captain Armstrong, are you there?]

It dawned on him then, how they might learn more. Masuda felt compelled to act. "If I may?" he asked politely, looking at Stark for a moment before transferring the comm link to his station. The Vector's captain again went with the silent confirmation, a short, crips nod of her head. "This is Tactical Officer Yukimura of the Jamestown, Captain Armstrong is already rallying the crew to your aid. Pardon the delay. We are already on an intercept course and we are preparing to beam over rations, medical supplies and engineering crews. We welcome any inventory lists of missing components that you need. The Captain wishes to meet you in person here on the Jamestown, along with your surviving Senior Staff. Since this is the Borg we are dealing with, we need know everything about the tactical situation as far as you may know. As soon as we have the information, we'll send shuttles and communication probes that will carry the warning. Time is of the essence, please verify transport readiness and meeting at 1200 hrs?]

There was another pause, in which Masuda turned to Stark. "Captain, I suggest we lift the settings on the shipwide hologrid in our briefing room next door, so that when we transport them aboard, they will be in a Nebula-class ship's conference lounge. Ensign Mariner can play the Captain, and we'll look up the others on the Jamestown. We can remain out of visual range from the Cayuga, which won't be hard in this nebula gas, and hope that our signature can be masked well enough by Ensign Cir'Cie and Master Chief O'Connell. From a tactical standpoint, we need to know more, and I can't see any other way. As for you, Captain, perhaps it is best you observe from the outside, until it is time to tell them who their saviours really are. If we do this, however, we'll miss the first rendezvous opportunity with the other Vectors."

There was no hesitation in Natalie's reply. As soon as she processed the suggestion she nodded. "Make it so, Mr. Yukimura, Ens. Cir'Cie." She so ordered, meeting first Mariner's gaze, and then Ejek's, searching for understanding even as the reply from the Cayuga came through.

[This is the Cayuga, thank you. My staff and I will be ready at 1200 hrs. Ziegler out.]

They could still leave the Cayuga behind... but that would not only risk the survival of that crew. A Borg invasion was a threat to the whole Federation. This was, essentially, a single-choice scenario.

"The Borg trump the need to make our first rendezvous. I know none of us like the idea of putting off our reunion with the rest of the ship," Natalie addressed the whole bridge now, knowing her orders would filter down to the rest of the crew in short order. "But this kind of threat must take priority." Ives and Trent would understand, she told herself. "Lets get to it people, the clock is ticking."


[ 1200 hrs. | Holographic Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Jamestown ]

To everyone's dismay, especially a very irritated EMH Mk II that had to make hasty cosmetic prosthetics and glue them on Ensign Mariner all-too-handsome face to look like Captain Armstrong, all the preparations for the meeting were... chaotic.

Yet in the end, after some scrambling of uniforms and quick reading to catch up on the kind of ship they were supposed to be on, there were three officers from the Stallion present in the holographic conference lounge when most of the Cayuga's Senior Staff beamed in. They appeared, eight of them, in shimmering clouds of light, and Masuda Yukimura's eyes fell on them each in turn. He was silent, if winded, while he waited for Ensign Mariner - in an approximate guise of Captain Armstrong - to take the lead of the meeting. Present from their own ship were also O'Connell and a Romulan Petty Officer they hoped could play the part of a Vulcan Science Officer. She had a black wig on her head, her rare blonde hair tied up underneath the bowl-cut. There had been no time to prepare more than the three of them, and as for himself, Masuda hoped his classified commissioning on the Black Opal would cover for him.

From the Cayuga, as they'd been told in advance, came Captain Ziegler, someone named Salem Martin from Tactical - who could be related to the CSO Vivian Martin - and the Cardassian CONN Officer Mektari Dumral, who might aid in explaining where the Borg were sighted first. Also, there was a Vulcan from their sickbay, T'Panu, who could tell them what they needed in terms of medical supplies, an enigmatic Science officer named Vanya, and a dark-skinned Operations officer with a long track record in the fleet. Ekon Okotie-Eboh was his name, Masuda believed, and the Trill Chief Engineer was present too, someone named Kaylon Jeen.

Even though he had a bad feeling about how convincing they might be, Masuda still hoped that this was the best way to address the Borg threat. That they were renegade officers of the Theurgy was secondary in that regard, he thought, and he hoped that somehow, the Captains Ziegler and Stark would be able to sort it out - charade or not.

Tā bù gǎn dòngyáo shǎizi de rén yǒngyuǎn bù huì zhí chū liù gè, he thought, or as the westeners would say, 'he that is afraid to shake the dice will never throw a six.'

OOC: We have now moved the hands of time forward to 1200 hrs. on Day 04, where the Senior Staff on the Cayuga will transport over to the Stallion for a debriefing about the Borg encounter. This is a posting notice for everyone to post within 7 days too, since at this point, it's more or less just character introduction. I have prepared suggestions for all involved in the lists below, hoping you like the setup! :) [Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #11 –
[ William Robert O’Connell | Vector Three Battle Bridge | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ] Atten: @Brutus, @FollowTomorrow, @StarDuster, @Triton.

There was no way this could work. 

That was the mantra that went through Master Chief Petty Officer William Robert “Billy Bob” O’Connell’s head like a malfunctioning hologram.  Simulating the interior of the USS Jamestown was one thing.  Disguising Ensign Mariner to resemble the Jamestown’s Captain Armstrong was another.  But fooling the Cayuga’s sensors at close range was something else again. 

He and Cir’Cie had gone through the basics:  Change the Stallion’s transponder code to match that of the Jamestown.  Modify Main Engineering’s power readings to match that of a Nebula class starship.  But how were they supposed to change their exterior appearance so the folks aboard the Cayuga would see a Nebula class on the main view screen?   Staying far enough away for the obscuring gas of the Azure Nebula to block a visual scan seemed like a long shot.  He could only hope that the Borg had done a number on the Cayuga’s sensor array.

O’Connell was manning the Engineering console on the battle bridge that was portside of the Conn.  Aside of controlling engineering functions from the bridge, there wasn't much he could do.    

Incredibly, the Cayuga’s commanding officer Captain Anna Ziegler, formerly the Theurgy’s executive officer Commander Ziegler before her promotion and reassignment, agreed to beam over. 

“We're beaming them over now,” Transporter Officer Ensign Vereyn Kiiz reported from the transporter room a deck below the battle bridge.

“They don’t have a weapons lock but they’re trying to scan us.” Lieutenant (junior grade) Yvette Conway reported as she stared at her console as if it would fly away if she took her eyes off it.

“Everybody hang onto yer butts,” Billy Bob grunted nervously.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #12 –
[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Engineering | USS Cayuga | Adrift ]

Chief Petty Officer Ekon Okotie-Eboh was tired. He had been working non-stop for the last… how long had it been? Ekon picked up his PADD and looked at the time. 40 hours. He hadn’t slept, hadn’t stopped, had hardly eaten, for the better part of two days.

If you aren’t killed or assimilated, you will live for hundreds of years, He told himself, You’ll have plenty of time to catch up on sleep later.

He tossed the PADD back on top of the console he was currently working at and raised his hands, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes in an effort to rub the fatigue away. It didn’t work. That attempt having failed, he looked up and scanned the room for Petty Officer Hoffman.

“Hoffman,” Ekon called, beckoning the PO1 over, “Keep an eye on the diagnostic readouts. Assign a team if any problems come up. We need to be sure the EPS grid will be able to handle power distribution to the rest of the ship once impulse is restored.” Once they had the full grid up and running and power restored, they could begin sealing off breached decks with containment fields and get repairs underway, as well as allocating more power to environmental and other essential systems throughout the ship. “And keep an eye on the shuttlecraft power syphons. Shuttlecraft One was showing some fluctuations earlier. We cannot afford to lose the power we are drawing from them.”

“You got it, Chief!” Hoffman nodded as she spoke, giving Ekon a tired smile. “You going to get some sleep? You look like you could use it!”

“There is no time for that. I just need to clear my head and get a hot drink before we beam over to the Jamestown.” Ekon replied as he took up the PADD again and walked out of engineering in search of a replicator that worked. As he moved down the corridor his mind once again began turning over the events of the past few days. The Borg attack had left them adrift, helpless. A large number of the crew had been assimilated or killed. They were in bad shape, but the Cayuga was still in one piece. More or less. Ekon made his way to the Chief Engineer’s office and headed for the replicator. He had foregone using the replicators since the attack in the interest of preserving energy but now, unable to remember the last time he slept and running on fumes, he needed caffeine. He ordered a double raktajino and watched as it materialized. The smell of the drink filled his nostrils as he lifted the mug, the scent of the caffeinated liquid already perking him up. He took a sip and sighed.

“How did I ever go three days without you?” Ekon muttered to the mug cupped between his hands as he  turned and left the office. He took several large mouthfuls as he made his way to the transporter room, praying the caffeine would kick in before the meeting aboard the Jamestown. They were meeting in the transporter room aboard the Cayuga so that they would all be in the same place and therefore easier for the Jamestown to get a transporter lock on. In their current state of repair they had no power to allocate to their own transporters.

As Ekon approached the transporter room he heard the familiar hiss of the doors… or door. Divided down the middle, the doors should have spread apart to open a path for him, though only one door had opened. The other remained in the closed position, blocking half of the entryway into the transporter room. Ekon stood looking at the obviously malfunctioning door for a long moment, signed, and moved through the half-door. Once inside he placed his empty mug on top of the unpowered transporter console and raised his PADD to make a note about the transporter room door, pushing it to the Ops department “pending work order” queue.

One more for the pile… Ekon thought to himself. He imagined he could hear PO Hoffman cursing violently as the new addition to the work order queue pinged on the her PADD. The thought brought a tired smile to Ekon’s face as he joined the group of officers on the transporter pad, feeling slightly out of place being the only NCO in the party. Ekon clasped his hands behind his back and waited to be transported to the Jamestown.


[ 1200 hrs. | Conference Lounge | Deck 1 | USS Jamestown ]

Chief Okotie-Eboh and the rest of the delegation from the USS Cayuga materialized in the conference lounge of the USS Jamestown. Before them stood three of the Jamestown’s officers. Two were Humans, the Jamestown’s Captain and a Lieutenant, and the third was a Vulcan science officer. The Nebula Class ship’s conference lounge seemed somewhat crowded with the 10 Starfleet personnel now occupying it. Chief Okotie-Eboh took a step towards the side of the room, opting to stand against the wall rather than sit in a chair for fear of falling asleep if he became too comfortable. The thought of sleep only reminded him of just how tired he really was.

There is not enough raktajino in the galaxy to make me feel awake right now… He thought to himself as he waited for the two Captains to begin introductions and get this debriefing started. He glanced around the conference room which was clean, intact and fully powered. It made a stark contrast to the state the Cayuga was currently in. Hopefully the crew of the Jamestown would be able to help them in that area. He turned his attention back to the three Jamestown officers before them as the meeting got underway, ready to provide any information on the state of the Cayuga’s Operations department or repair requirements that Captain Ziegler might need.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #13 –
[ Lt. Cmdr. Zelosa Ejek | Battle Bridge | Vector 03 | U.S.S. Theurgy]

“The Borg?” She did not speak, she mouthed the words to herself. The Borg. Out here? “That can’t be right,” She spoke with more confidence, “They can’t be out here without someone having noticed. There should have been reports.” Unless, of course, she’d missed the reports in her three missing years. Still, this makes no sense. That’d mean that the Borg would have had to come all the way from the Delta quadrant and not a single Federation or private ship, colony, or beacon noticed. Her mind tried to calculate a way this may have happened and failed to come up with a logical explanation, given that the Borg and Federation still operate the way they did when she left.

She had to leave the topic alone. Masuda was speaking to the Cayuga, and he had a clever idea. Ejek and Natalie were of one mind. This was the best way to eliminate her doubts. Mainly, that by suggesting the Borg attacked out here, task force Archeron forced the Theurgy into responding. Even still, she could see holes in that plot…

1200 Hours, still on the bridge...

The Cardassian had re-adjusted her sitting position only once, and spoken very little. She was pensive. There were too many missing ends. Something wasn’t adding up. She wanted to say this was a trap, but if Archeron believed them to be traitors, then why would they even bother trying to lure out the Theurgy by pulling on their Federation ideals? Perhaps they knew that the Theurgy would play the big dumb hero, but why would they choose Borg as their ‘attacker’ when there are so many other sensible enemies that actually lived way out here in the Azure nebula?

As if to seek for clues, she continually pondered over the listing of officers that came aboard. Trill, Vulcan, Human...the standard array of Federation races, with a Cardassian mixed in. Perhaps a ruse specifically engineered to pique Ejek’s interest? But the task force wouldn’t know much about Ejek, except that she was cunning. One human seemed to be related to Vivian Martin, but Martin wasn’t even  here to be piqued, so why would that be included? Was it really pure coincidence, of all ships in the world to run into, it was this one?

Again and again, she kept coming to the same conclusion. There were just too many pieces missing. Her folded hands tensed over one another, but just subtly. All she could do was watch.

If only someone could just...slip up. Tell a lie too obvious. Nervously stutter. Anything at all to help her conclude that they should leave...

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #14 –
[ Mairsa of House Hi'Jak | "Guest Quarters" | USS Cayuga ] attn: anyone on the Cayuga?
[Show/Hide]

A bead of sweat worked it’s way down Mairsa’s forehead, sliding over her ridges and down her nose. It fell off as she let out a grunt, heaving herself up toward the ceiling once more. She had removed one of the panels of the “guest quarters” ceiling and was using one of the support beams as a pull up bar. As she pulled her face up to the bar she pressed her lips against it and then lowered herself nice and slow. And then she lifted herself again, doing it slowly and purposefully.

In the past several days she had hardly ever left her “guest quarters” for any reason beyond the urge to run. Instead she had taken it upon herself to modify them to suit her needs, even if that did upset the more ridged Starfleet crew. On a Kingon ship such practices were common and their ships were built to take the abuse. The Federation built their ships with thick outer skin and such thin soft insides.

Like many things on the ship it was annoying. She had long since removed the mattress from the bunk and replaced it with nothing more than a wool blanket, the closest thing they had to a true fur pelt. She would have gone into the wilds and hunted her own just to have it, but that was well and truly not an option. And it left her beyond frustrated.

She felt like a beast in a gilded cage on this ship. Surrounded by decadence and comfort, yet in need of heat and more than a lethargic lifestyle. She had to stay active. She would not allow herself to be as sedated as the crew of this dead ship was.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #15 –
The Romulan android swore as a small tendril lashed out at her from the molten console.   While the engineering team prioritised key systems, Vanya had taken it upon herself to help with repairs to sensors and other scientific equipment, which would be equally important if there really were any Borg out there, not to mention other anomalies and threats to the crew safety   Sadly, the equipment was mostly damaged beyond even her ability to repair.  

So when her communicator chirrped, she got quite a surprise   “Bridge to Lieutenant Vanya.”

She tapped her badge, her flesh still smarting from the electrical charge.  

“Captain wants you to go over to the Jamestown.   We need to fly the flag for the Cayuga.”      

[ 1200 hrs. | Conference Lounge | Deck 1 | USS Jamestown ]

Vanya tried to ignore every negative permeation in her mind.   While it was true that she was starting to acclimatise to the crew, meeting new Starfleet officers always made her mildly nervous.   She imagined a thousand possibilities – being killed on site, being arrested and confined to quarters, being disassembled in the chief engineer’s lab.  

All of these were minor possibilities though.   Her rights in the Federation were law, and while many probably wanted to see her in some catalogue somewhere, she was an officer.   Instead she took a moment to focus on the now.  

The ship had been saved – just – and they had a chance to get home.   Vanya decided to take advantage of that and waited to see what she could contribute

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #16 –
Lt Kaylon Jeen|1150 hrs | Main Engineering| USS Cayuga

Looking down at the PADD in his hand, marking off the various supplies that they needed to replicate, what they could handle, what they couldn't, and which systems he thought a ship like the Jamestown would be able to assist with, he prepared his reports for the meeting that was taking place in just a few minutes.   There were at least two key systems that were at a critical stage in the repair work.  Looking up, he spoke to the assembled temporary team leads in his recently decimated department.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be calling in for an updated status report on the repairs, so have somebody standing by ready to respond.  Where are we on getting main sensors back online?"

"At least two days away, sir" came the reply, "possibly three, depending on how much help we can get from the Jamestown."

"Weapons?" 

"Don't ask." came a grumbled reply.

"Well I am asking." he said, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

"The main phaser coils are fused, the power grid is fried, and the photorp launchers look like a bunch of Ferengi scavengers just got finished with them.  Not surprisingly, the Borg hit us pretty hard there"

Kaylon was right, the answer was one he didn't like. 

"If the Borg come back, we'll definitely have our hands full.  I'm sure the captain will want that made a priority once we have life support stabilized and the main power grid back online..  Get a extra team down there working to try and at least to clean up the mess.  Start pulling out those fused control systems.  If you can get any of the replicators to spit out some extra parts, do it.  Now I need to get to the transporter room.  You have you assignments.  Dismissed."

The group broke and headed for their duty stations.  Kaylon picked up another pad, tucked them both under his arm and headed for the transporter room.   "I'd love to be able to beam back under our own system, instead of relying on the Jamestown, but all things being equal, I'd also love to be on Risa."




Lt. Kaylon Jeen| 1200 hrs. | Conference Lounge | Deck 1 | USS "Jamestown"

After materializing in the Conference Lounge of the USS Jamestown, Kaylon smiled easily and waited for his captain to make the introductions.  Hopefully this wouldn't last too long and he could get back to bringing the Cayuga back from the brink of death.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #17 –
[ Chief Medical Officer T'Panu | Sickbay | USS Cayuga ] @Arista

T'Panu was sitting, thinking about everything going on when she had remembered what happened earlier.

She was on break when she decided she could use some raktajino. Truthfully, she never used to like the stuff but had grown accustomed to it. Days like today, it was the only thing helping her through the double shifts. She had brought her PADD with her, planning what the next course of action would be during the next attack. She hated thinking that way, but it was inevitable. They wouldn't leave the Borg floating in the middle of the Azure Nebula unbeknownst to the rest of Starfleet without putting up a fight.

Maybe if I re-calibrate the medical tricorders they can work faster and more efficiently, so I can help more people. I can't forget to optimize the battlefield trauma kits and have them at the ready, she thought.

T'Panu grabbed her raktajino, and started heading out of the lounge. Looking down at her padd deep in thought, she hadn't realized Captain Ziegler was right in front of her, when she walked right into her! T''Panu spilled her raktajino all over both of them, almost dropped her padd, and narrowly missed tripping over herself! Startled, Anya turned around, ready to start swearing, when she realized it was T'Panu and thought how much of a mess she looked like.

When T'Panu apologized and explained she hadn't had much sleep as of late, Captain Ziegler agreed and stated that no one had. Truth was, everyone was scared of what was about to happen next.

"Is it true the USS Jamestown is coming to our aid? And why are they this far off course?" T'Panu asked.

"I have no idea why they're out here, but if it's truly them, we will find out shortly," Captain Ziegler replied.

T'Panu had so many questions, but couldn't bring any to mind to inquire about. Instead she simply stated, "I will do my best to keep this crew safe." Captain Ziegler nodded in agreement, turned, and walked back to the bridge.

T'Panu walked back to sickbay, relieved that neither of them were injured. She decided it wasn't worth another accident to obtain a second raktajino, and had to make do without one.

T'Panu was thinking about how nice it would be to have a drink in hand, laying on a beach somewhere warm. Not a care in the world, and certainly no threat from the Borg. She decided to focus all of her efforts on what they were lacking in supplies, rather than optimizing equipment at this point. She began a list of supplies that could be beamed over from the USS Jamestown.

T'Panu's List of Supreme Measures: ... she crossed that out. She didn't wish to be seen as the ships biggest weirdo in the midst of everything. T'Panu's List of ... she crossed that out again. She was trying to make light of the current situation, but instead, was potentially making herself out to be a moron.

Medical Supply List:
20 Medical Tricorders
10 Dermal Regenerators
65 Hyposprays
3 Isotropic Restraints
2 Subdermal Bioprobes
1 Tissue Mitigator
5 Neural Interfaces

T'Panu thought that was about all they needed for now, and resumed thinking about their game plan. She was worried not only about bandaging everyone back up, but also about how to stop the Borg from assimilating everyone on the crew. She had a working theory that she could separate the mechanic parts that threatened to attach to people's brains and bodies by using a Neural Interface paired with disconnecting the synapses from the Borg machinery.  This would be a tricky procedure. On one hand, she could potentially stop the Borg from assimilating her crewmates. On the other hand, if she made even the smallest mistake, she could potentially fry their brains. "Better than being assimilated," she thought. She would need to re-calibrate her neurocortical probe to  decrease the quantum fluctuations. One tiny bump, one tiny explosion on the ship, could decrease her chances of this being successful. And the chances of an explosion on the ship during a Borg invasion were pretty high. Maybe I could temporarily disrupt the assimilated crew's brains so we are able to safely transport them to safety with us? This was just a theory, and she knew she would need to do a lot of testing before it was ready.

If only they had a spare Borg part lying around to test her theory...she knew another Borg strike was inevitable, and hoped they could blow them out of the sky before it came anywhere close to that point.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #18 –
[ ENS James "Jimmy" Mariner & CAPT Armstrong Williams] | Battle Bridge | Vector 3 | Deck 11 | USS Theurgy ]
[Show/Hide]
@Auctor Lucan @Doc M. @FollowTomorrow@Masorin @Gadget @lisavw @Veridian @Fife @Absinthe @Brutus

"Glad you resisted, Cayuga. Stand by." Jimmy calmed down when the tactical officer Yukimura assumed command of the situation. Once that time purchase had been made, things were on track again. Mariner knew what he signed up for when he took the initiative, so it was only mandatory he make arrangements for security. "Sirs, regarding security," Jimmy dropped his suave american-provincial impersonation, "If I may suggest something? Would Ensign Six take my post for the time being. She might come in handy."

Later, Jimmy was seeing to a holofilter and preparing for his big debut as a Nebula-class captain. Jimmy would apologize for any deception at a later time but right now wearing the slightly-larger sized Command uniform issued to him by Lt Yukimura was a tough memory to forget: His 'first' captaincy, at this point, he hoped it wouldn't be his last.

The photonic generator was doing its bit but the uniform and captain's brass tacks were real enough. "My-fayshe hurt-zh" <My face hurts.>, Jimmy said through gritted teeth at the photonic life form tending to him. Smiles were a time-honored practice and fake ones didn't seem to feel right. Nonetheless, Jimmy's acting abilities had to be put to the test.  "Just be sure to get every detail right in that holofilter." Jimmy spoke as if he actually were a Captain, to get into character. "I'd hate to have even the slightest flaw give us away in there." Jimmy cleared his throat as he focused on his voice, "Make it so."

While Armstrong Williams had a bit of an older face, and may have been a bit different-shaped than his own but it reflected his exxagerated expressions as he tested out his array facial impersonation. Being the son of a documentarian called for just a faint sense of showmanship experience; came in handy on Earth's pubs. Oh be still my heart for days gone by. Parasites, Klingons and Borg, Oh my. Jimmy tuned out his his thoughts as Mariner before maintaining a default expression as...


["CAPT" Armstrong Williams | 1200 hrs. | "Conference Lounge" | Deck 1 | "USS Jamestown" ]
[Show/Hide]

Fortunately, the Jamestown CO got into the mind of that morning's cold run impersonating holo-novel actor Clint Eastwood to prepare for tough talk with a confident tone and just a degree of warm hospitality; any doubts he had on this hastily-enabled plan evaporated moments before his arrival in the lounge. "I'm Captain Armstrong Williams, This is my Tactical Officer Yukimora and my Science officer T'vin" he spoke with the mannerisms of Benjamin Maxwell, a Nebula captain whom Jimmy's father had interviewed years before. Armstrong came off as a welcoming mayor of an ancient west mayor or sheriff greeting a new family.

"On behalf of the officers and crew of the Jamestown, welcome aboard. The Replicator's working well enough if you need a Raktajino or Coffee." Despite his pleasant initial demeanor, The Jamestown CO didn't shake hands and listened in on their reports when Ziegler and her staff reported, taking a seat at the head of the conference table to begin the debrief. He turned into an all-business senior officer once formalities had been made, focusing on each speaker, particularly Capt Ziegler.

"I was at 0-0-1 when the Borg returned.  I tell ya, it's tough enough to take down one of those vessels down in a fleet. We're not exactly in Kansas anymore, and we lost contact with Starbase 84 days ago. But at least we've got each other. Fortunately, we've also got some of the best science, engineering and conn minds in the service, with some elite security personnel to assist you however possible. So, what's the situation here, Captain Ziegler?"
Lt. Commander Leon "Striker" Marquez
Chief Tactical Officer, USS Theurgy
"No one left behind."

Ensign James "Jimmy" Mariner
Security Officer, USS Theurgy
"Showtime!"

Lieutenant (J.G.) Alessia "Angel" Garcia
Valravn Fighter Pilot, USS Theurgy
"You're not the only one with a gun,"

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #19 –
[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Transporter room | USS Cayuga ] Attn: @Masorin @Gadget @lisavw @Veridian @alphawiz @Fife @Auctor Lucan @Triton @Brutus @FollowTomorrow  , Anyone else 
[Show/Hide]

In the cool, bright transporter room, Ziegler watched her new senior staff assemble. So many experienced hands had been lost. The officers she had chosen to promote had all managed to prove themselves in the last few days, if not before, but it still felt so fresh. In truth it was fresh, not much time had passed. Time was what Ziegler needed to heal. Time and the ability to get the ship to Risa.

“Best behaviour everyone.” She announced to break the tension. At least for herself. “Put on your nicest smile and let’s see if we can get a tow home.”

Anya wanted to check herself in the mirror one last time. She didn’t want to be a mess in front of another captain, let alone another crew. It was important to resist the urge however, otherwise they’d never leave. She had her shower this morning, which had refreshed her and put her little world in order. Obviously, she must have had some premonition in the night that today would be an important day. Today would be the day they might leave the Azure Nebula.

Captain Ziegler sighed a long breath out through her nose and squared her shoulders, clasping her hands behind her back. She stood at ease. It was time.

“Captain Ziegler to Jamestown, Eight to beam across. Energise.” She commanded.


[ Captain Anya Ziegler | Conference Lounge | Deck 01 | USS Jamestown ]
[Show/Hide]

The lounge of the nebula class vessel was slightly more dated than that of Cayuga. Not that it really mattered, but it was still something to give Anya a little pride. When the tell-tale sound of the transporter finally died down, Ziegler stood, statuesque, taking in and analysing those in front of him. Honestly, for a ship much larger than the Iroquois-class, she had expected Captain Williams to put on more of a show in terms of staffing. It seemed that the conference table was going to be very one sided.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Captain.” She said with a warm smile. “However, I will refrain until I can share fully functional replicators with my whole crew. I’m sure you understand.”

Ziegler couldn’t stand the idea that while she was indulging in tea and biscuits, across a small expanse of nebulae, her crew were still mostly forced to slum it on emergency rations. The very idea made her skin crawl. She wouldn’t however, object to those under her who chose to partake.

“May I introduce my team?” Instead of welling on the polite decline, Anya turned, bringing out a hand to indicate to various crewmembers as she next spoke. “Lieutenants Vanya and Jeen. Respective chiefs of Science and Engineering.”

“Dr T’Panu, our Chief Medical Officer. Lieutenant Martin and Ensign Dumral, acting Chief Tactical and CONN.” It was short and sharp, her introductions. Enough for Captain Williams to understand their purpose here on the Jamestown. She wished she could have bring Anders with her, but the XO needed to take command while she was away. “Finally, my Chief Counselor, Lieutenant Williams and Chief Okotie-Eboh, Operations.”

Looking across the large curved table that stretched through the middle of the room, Ziegler made her way around to the longest side and sat in the middle, this would allow her staff to sit alongside, flanking both her sides if they chose to do so. She didn’t want to tell the story. She never wanted to tell the story. Inside there was a small part of Anya that wanted to curl up into a little ball and never see light again. That part of her, Ziegler knew, was never going to get their way. The story would be told, now, and in at least one de-brief with Starfleet Command. Outwardly, Ziegler tried to maintain her cool, calm demeanour. Inside, she felt her stomach knot as she opened her mouth.

“Our mission was to explore, scan and catalogue various areas of the Azure Nebula in a further part of Starfleet Science’s mission to better understand the region.” Turning to her android officer, Anya pointed towards an idle LCARs display on the wall. “Vanya, our course if you would?”

“We were nearing the end of our second pass when they were upon us. A single Borg cube.” Ziegler paused unintendedly. She could still hear the voice echoing over the ship. “In this soup, sensors, shields, and communications aren’t worth much, so I took the decision to run. We needed to inform Starfleet. Cayuga is one of the fastest ships in the fleet and even we couldn’t outrun them.  In the end our only option was to hide. We turned face, let loose all we could before trying to find cover in a particularly dense section of the nebula.”

It wasn’t a proud tactic. Ziegler had known it at the time. It wasn’t designed for pride, it was there for survival, and that’s what it allowed.

“The damage from their attack was sufficient to allow the Borg to beam drones aboard. They began the assimilation of our crew and major subsystems. We fought back, eventually defeating them, but it came with a major price. We had lost over a third of our crew and the sabotage against our systems was critical. Somehow, we had lost the cube, but the Cayuga was set adrift. I sent out a distress call and the crew set about repairs.”

Anya paused with a quiet, haunted tone. After a few seconds she turned back to Captain Williams. She needed to stay in control. For the Cayuga. For the crew. For herself.

“That brings us to now. Lieutenant Jeen and the others in my staff will be able to give more insight into exactly what we need to get Cayuga underway.”

There was one thing that was weighing on her mind, only a little more than that the list of KIA XO West had been putting together, and as such, Ziegler chose her next words carefully.

“Captain, if I may, we were told before our mission that we were the only Starship assigned to the nebula. Not that we don’t appreciate the assist, but what is Jamestown doing out here?”

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #20 –
[Acting Chief CONN Officer Dumral|Transporter Room | USS Cayuga]
[Show/Hide]


It was all so surreal. No too long ago she was sitting at her station, calmly staring at the blue haze of the nebula, simply waiting for her shift to end so she could return to the comforts of her quarters. And now....now a devastating number of the crewmen were gone, the Cayuga adrift and most surprising of all, she was in command of the CONN. It had all happened so fast that she hadn’t had time to let it all settle in. They went from fighting the Borg straight into repairs and Mektari didn’t rest until they had a plan in place. With so few engineers, any crew member under her that was capable of even holding a hyperspanner was sent to Lieutenant Jeen to offer any help they could.

 Mektari remained on the bridge as much as she could, fixing her console and awaiting the next move. It seemed like it would never come until, seemingly out of nowhere, there as an actual response to the distress signal. She kept her emotions of pure elation under control, instead simply preparing herself mentally as she was chosen to accompany her captain to the Jamestown.

[Acting Chief CONN Officer Dumral|Conference Lounge | Deck 1 | USS Jamestown]

She wished she was looking better for her first time representing a Starfleet vessel. There had been little sleep, less food and a lot of stress in this trying time. She could feel her uniform was a bit baggy from lost weight and scales on her face and neck had darkened as they often did when she was pushing herself hard. But at least she made herself as presentable as possible and did as the captain said, a bright smile lighting her face despite the circumstances as they beamed into the conference room. Hands folded neatly behind her back as she gave a deep nod of greeting at the quick introduction.

Following suit, she didn’t partake of the replicator and instead settled into a seat to her captain’s left as the proceedings began. Even hearing the brief synopsis of their harrowing experience sent a shiver down her spine, but true to form she kept her usual ‘poker face’ until she saw a moment when Captain Ziegler called upon her crew to relay more of the issues with the ship.

“As far as propulsion goes, things are pretty grim. We have power, but we’re only at ten percent  if we’re lucky. It’s not enough to even try to trudge through the nebula and limp back to a space station, much less keep us safe from another possible Borg attack.”

Then Captain Ziegler asked about the reason the Jamestown was here. She was right, there were no other ships in this section. She personally hadn’t even thought of that, it was a good catch. She turned her attention to Captain Williams, interested to see just what his response would be.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #21 –
[ Lt JG, Salem Martin | 1200 hrs. | "Conference Lounge" | Deck 1 | "USS Jamestown" ]
[Show/Hide]

Salem yawned, he was probably on his third of fourth cup of coffee for the day. He had been prepping himself for the meeting since they had first seen the Nebula class starships he had been reading up on their classification, their strengths and usual weapons. His readings had given him the basics, the construction dates, the usual armaments though he was fully intending to ask about the Jamestown during the meeting. He didn't have too much to go off on the Jamestown it's self, but he could get the basic blue prints of a nebula class ship from the Federation archives. If they were going into battle alongside someone else then he wanted to know everything there was to the allied vessel.

He took a sip of his coffee before arriving at the meeting and looking around for his chair. Choosing the one next to  Ekon he looked at the Cheif Petty Officer for a moment, and smiled. "You should try coffee, black. It has a stronger sting to it."

In truth though he had never really gone for the Klingon coffee substitute. While the Martin's weren't exactly from earth, they were colonists raised, and for those familiar with his smarter, more talented and scientific sister the two were gender bent reflections of one another both sharing the same hair and eye color, as well as their strong jaw. Salem crinkled his brow slightly as he looked at his pad still trying to learn all he could about the Nebula class star ships.

Hearing Captain Williams talk about the attack on sector 0-0-1, he shrugged slightly. Wolf 359 was slightly before his time, and 0-0-1 was during his time as a prisoner of war in the Cardassian union.  "I had never seen a Borg Cube before, that thing was the stuff of nightmares. It's weapons capabilities are omnidirectional, it's favored tactics of using a tractor beam to hold an enemy in place while cutting it apart piece by piece. It's the kind of thing you read about, but until you see it."

He shook his head for a moment, and went back to drinking his coffee. As the captian introduced them and then went over to a different tab on his pad. Looking over the list of the needs of the Cayuga for a moment as he looked over all the fire power they had expended during the encounter with the Borg.

He knew he had to least to Durmal, but oh gods did he want to drown out that woman with anything else.

"Tactically the Cayuga is in a bit of a tight spot. After our attack we used nearly half of our complement of torpedoes, and with the limited amount of power we have it would be unwise to use any of our phaser arrays. I've managed to oversee the refit of two tri-cobolt torpedoes, but we are currently at a quarter of our possible firing power, though we did manage to clear both of our aft torpedo launchers as of this morning."

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #22 –
[Ensign Six | Forensics Lab/Six's Alcove | Deck 17 | Vector 3 | USS Theurgy] Attn: @Auctor Lucan @Triton etc.
[Show/Hide]


There it was again. Ensign Six awoke to the whispers in her head. And this time, Ensign Six realized what it was. It was so faint, it was practically a millimeter of a whisper. It probably meant they were far away. But the fact that she could hear them meant one thing:

The Borg was in the Alpha Quadrant. In fact, they may easily enough be in the Azure Nebula. Where, she did not pinpoint, and frankly, she did not want to know.

Six awoke from her regeneration cycle and studied her room from her alcove. It wasn’t so much quarters as it doubled as her forensics lab. She had done it on her first night on the Theurgy. She found an empty space on Deck 17, where all the rest of the labs on the vector are, and converted it into a forensics lab. She also set up her alcove there, and has since used it as her quarters. Ensuring her isolation meant there would be nobody around to be bothered by her being an ex-drone. She had feelings like that before back at Starbase 84, but on the Theurgy, there’s an increased likelihood, given how the crew had assumptions she, and any newcomer, would regard them still as traitors.

Six shook her head. She went to her private computer, also invaluable to her hacking skills should the occasion arise, and tried to pull up something to get her mind of those whispers in her head, and what came up was a schematic of a transmitter. She remembered what it was at once. She had designed the schematics after getting the full details of why the Theurgy was on the run. The real reason. After giving it some thought, she put two and two together; she remembered Starbase 84, and what it used to hold. Why else did the Theurgy go to all this trouble to get to a starbase with a broadcasting system?

The design of the array she made was based upon an interplexing beacon, like what the Borg used. Instead of transmitting to nearby Borg, the array she had in mind was designed to send out signals to Federation broadcast waves like Starbase 84’s whistleblower system did, and to ensure the broadcast would keep going, the warning about the parasites would be contained in a nonlethal virus from the array, designed to keep going until everybody in the Federation got the message, and with enough algorithms to keep even an experienced hacker from stopping the virus.

She called it the Revelation Array.

There were a few problems that kept these schematics from leaving the drawing board, as a human would say. First, the power source. It wouldn’t need a deflector dish to power it, but it would require a huge energy source to do it, like a warp core, and the Theurgy needed that warp core. Secondly, the materials. The Theurgy needed all the materials it could to sustain it. Needless to say, unless they came across a derelict starship with a functioning warp core, there was no way for this to become a reality.

Six had been surprised to think of it, given she was no engineer, but she knew how an interplexing beacon worked. She knew how to make one. She would, given what she used to be; every Borg drone had one. She had been intending to show the schematics to one of the Theurgy’s superiors, even Captain Ives, but the captain is gone, the ship split in three vectors, and besides, there wouldn’t be the time to discuss making this thing. Once they had time to breathe, she’d propose the schematics.

She had just had a moment to think when her combadge chirped.

“Ensign Six, report to the Battle Bridge.”

She deactivated her computer and departed. She’ll know when it’s the right time to make the proposal for the Revelation Array. For now, duty called, and duty came before ideas.

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #23 –
Lt Kaylon Jeen| 1200 hrs | Conference Room | "USS Jamestown"

Quote from: Masorin on
[ Lt JG, Salem Martin | 1200 hrs. | "Conference Lounge" | Deck 1 | "USS Jamestown" ]
[Show/Hide]

"Tactically the Cayuga is in a bit of a tight spot. After our attack we used nearly half of our complement of torpedoes, and with the limited amount of power we have it would be unwise to use any of our phaser arrays. I've managed to oversee the refit of two tri-cobolt torpedoes, but we are currently at a quarter of our possible firing power, though we did manage to clear both of our aft torpedo launchers as of this morning."

Kaylon listened to Salem from his seat on the other side of the captain. "It will be at least a day before any of the photon launchers are operational, and most of the phasers are still down as well." he said, holding up his PADD. "I've got crews working on both systems around the clock.  Our current priority in Engineering is keeping Life Support running and trying to get propulsion back online.  With our decreased manpower, we're looking at another two days before main sensors are back in operation.  Auxiliary power is being kept going by running umbilicals from the shuttles in the hangar bay.  What shields we've got are stabilized by more jury rigging than I care to admit."

Inwardly, Kaylon sighed.  In two centuries he hadn't been in any situation that seemed this hopeless.  His usual joviality, while not gone, was noticeably dampened.  The fate of the Cayuga rested on whatever help they could get from the crew of the Jamestown. 

"If the replicator in my office goes offline, I'm afraid most of the crew in Engineering will die of caffeine withdrawal."

Re: Chapter 03: From the Ashes [ Day 04 | 1130 hrs. ]

Reply #24 –
[ CPO Ekon Okotie-Eboh | Conference Lounge | Deck 1 | USS Jamestown ]

Ekon could feel himself sway from fatigue and decided to take a seat as the debriefing got underway. He glanced at Lt. JG Martin and gave him a tired smile as the acting Chief Tactical Officer recommended he switch to black coffee.

At this point it would probably take caffeine pills to make any difference… Ekon thought to himself before turning his attention to the reports that were being given. The tone of each report resonated with the same facts. They were in bad shape. They Cayuga was holding together, but only just. They needed whatever help the Jamestown could offer. Ekon wished his own report could offer a more positive outlook, but there was no way to sugar coat their present condition.

”Most of the surviving Operations staff have been assigned to help Engineering with Life Support, Shields and getting Propulsion back online. We’ve been making do with crewmen from other departments performing less critical maintenance and repairs around the ship.” Ekon reported, knowing that this report would do nothing to improve the outlook of their situation. ”The few Operations staff that aren’t assigned to Engineering have been working on ensuring the EPS grid will be fully functional when we get Propulsion back online, as well as repairing the field emitters so that once power is restored we can start sealing the breached decks to get repairs underway in those areas as well.”
 
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