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Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

CHAPTER 04: HORNS OF A DILEMMA

STARDATE: 57651.94
APRIL 17, 2381
1245 HRS.


>> Click For Full Resolution

Mission Log, stardate 57651.93. Current situation.... we're docked on the Erudite along with the Lone Wolves...

I am not sure how I should log this, but... ten minutes ago, I was able to raise the Theurgy via the Erudite's comms technology. Now, it falls upon me to inform the away team what happened last night. So many dead, and clearly a targeted sabotage not just towards Martok's campaign, but a directed effort to stop the Theurgy from aiding the High Chancellor. I... can't imagine how Commander Tiran must be feeling now, having the responsibility of the Theurgy's slipstream drive and the fate of her husband on her mind.

To make matters even worse, I don't just have to tell this small crew whom were lost, but urgency forces us to look ahead, for we stand at the horns of a dilemma that I am not sure how we can resolve. In the end, I can see no other recourse than being in two places at once, but who shall stay here behind old enemy lines... and who goes into Federation space?

- Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Dewitt, USS Allegiant NX-80978

[ Lt Cmdr. Jennifer Dewitt | Airlock | USS Allegiant ]
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Once more, Dewitt summoned all of the crew - including the four Lone Wolves - to the aft airlock of the Allegiant, and this time, she was there ahead of time and waited for all to assemble. She supposed she might radiate something of what she'd tell them all, the look on her face portending dire words from the Theurgy, and the dim light of the Aerodrome outside the airlock seemed ironically fitting. Once they were all gathered, she took a deep breath, standing there with her hands folded behind her back.

"Roughly fifteen hours ago, someone on the Theurgy detonated a bomb in the Spearhead Lounge. Security has yet to make any arrest, the bomber still at large, and sickbay couldn't save all of those caught in the blast," she said, chin raised as she delivered what she'd been informed, and she didn't mollycoddle them with the news, since they were Starfleet officers, and there was no time to wrap her words in silk. Already, however, the previous silence was broken by some in the present crew. She continued, however, since she wasn't finished... and she couldn't afford to pause and dwell on the names she carried in her memory.

"Among the casualties were Petty Officer Dyan Cardamone, whom aided in making sure the Theurgy can stay in communication with us here, something that was essential for this mission. Besides her, several Lone Wolves were seated at a table not far from the epicentre, their deaths reportedly being instantaneous. I believe their callsigns were Meerkat, and Dragon. Their RIOs were at the table as well."

"What?" came the outburst from Lieutenant Rawley, standing in the back with her flight jacket on. The shaved woman's eyes were wide, and she looked towards the other three fighter pilots. She looked like she was about to tear down the bulkheads, and her cry came out through her teeth. "Fuck!"

"Lieutenants Annika Van den Berg and Izar Bila were also lost, along with Ensign Dumral, both whom served aboard this ship during brief stints in the Azure Nebula. Izar might make a recovery, his life hanging on by a thread in a stasis chamber, but the hopes are slim. The same goes for operations officer Nator 159 and Ensign Seren. His superior officer, Counselor Ejek, died from her injuries, however, along with our Head Nurse in sickbay, Lieutenant Jovela."

There was a subtle motion from the side of the airlock, and when Dewitt glanced that way, she could see Deputy zh'Wann's mien contorted in what seemed like seething anger - jaws locked and her white brows lowered over her glare. She had slightly better news for Lieutenant Vanya, however, so she looked in the Romulan android's direction. "Commander Vivian Martin, while still alive and in stasis, was also one of the afflicted in the detonation. Yet it would seem..."

She had to take a breath, and yet she remained stoic as she listed off the names. "It would seem that the real target was our Executive Officer, Ranaan Ducote, along with our Chief of Security, Kai Akoni. They were seated together with a Lieutenant Khorin Douglas, and he was informing our First Officer about Gorka, son of Margon. Martok's rival in the contest for the Chancellery of the Klingon Empire. I have been informed that Lieutenant Douglas and Gorka are related. The small blessing is that all three at that table are in stasis... but I do not know what their chances are."

"Hardtop as well?" came from Rawley, and at this point, she screamed outright in rage and looked like she wanted to force the Savi to jump back to the Theurgy immediately. zh'Wann's concern seemed to deepen along with the frown she wore, the protection of the Thea's crew likely underscoring her initial reaction. At least the Master-at-Arms was still alive and able to lead the investigation, Dewitt supposed, after Akoni was gone.

Jennifer let them all digest what she had told them, and patiently, she gave them the time they needed, before she had to move on to something that was directly urgent for their own assignment.

"Furthermore, while we managed to deduce when the Breen Council will convene tomorrow, and have a lead on how the Infested will drag the Breen into all of this," she said quietly, before raising her green eyes to the gathered officers, "there is a second thalaron bomb set to detonate tonight. Not here... but on Andoria. It's likely the same kind as the one in Paris."

She let that linger for a moment before she continued. "That means, of course, that the Erudite might be able to get there in time, but according to Intel from Director Anderson, he has only limited resources within range, and should he show his hand - in how he gleaned the information - he would not just compromise himself, but the operatives he has on the planet. Those very operatives will instantly become targets by the Infested, and should they be deployed nonetheless, and fail to find and defuse the bomb without support from official channels, then the capital of Andoria will become just like Paris."

A rough day ahead, becoming worse on the morrow.

"The Voice has informed me that the Erudite can leave for Andoria in seven hours, but it can't return here in time for tomorrow. So, to me, the question is quite simple." She looked between the present faces, the word free. "Who stays... and who goes?"

OOC: Instead of a Story Development Poll being posted at this point, I am leaving it to you all to advocate solutions In-Character in this thread. Should more than one viable solution come forth in this thread, then we will post a poll that settles the matter. :) Indeed, this thread is the starter for Chapter 04, and @BZ , @uytrereee , @Number6 , @DaValle , @RyeTanker & @Stegro88 , you all have 7 days to post in reply to this starter to kick the discussion off, the deadline set at the 27th of August. :)

Supplemental threads on the Allegiant/Erudite set before this scene above belong to Chapter 03, with the title convention CH03: S [D01|YYYY] Insert Title. No Supplemental threads may be started set after this scene just yet. This, until after the 28th of August, when we know who stays and who goes! Oh, I have also updated the Advent of War Calendar, which shows when the Breen will convene in the Hall of Heroes. All they know about the bomb on Andoria is that it is set to detonate somewhere that evening of Day 02, in the heart of the capital.

The names of the Allegiant away team can be seen below, but more names will be added/changed when writers volunteer their characters.

CO: Captain Jennifer Dewitt
CONN: Ensign Jaya Thornee
Operations: Ens. Klara Halliwell (NPC, due KIA)
Tactical: Lt. T'Less
Science: Lt. Vanya
Comms/Advisor: Lt. Zaryn Arn (NPC, due KIA)
Engineers: Lieutenant Frank Arnold, CPO Eun Sae Ji, PO2 Taa'gur Kolla
Medical: Doctor George Hernandez (NPC) & Lt. JG XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Combat Medic)
Security: Deputy ThanIda zh'Wann, PO3 Lorad & Sogh (Lt.) Valkra

Fighter Escort 01: Lt. JG Evelyn "Ghost" Rawley
Fighter Escort 02: Ens. Isel Nix (NPC)
Fighter Escort 03: Lt. JG Donna "Chance" Petterson
Fighter Escort 04: Ens. Nathaniel Isley (NPC)

I am open to start other threads for the rest of the Allegiant crew, and if you have ideas for scenes that might involve a lot of characters, PM me. :) Next, Quantum Frontier will be updated, in hopes that a couple of stragglers manages to post there before then. Stay tuned!

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #1 –
[[Lt. Vanya | Airlock | USS Allegiant ]
Vanya’s heart fell she learned about the problems.  She watched as those around her gave into despair and anger at the news of what had happened  And yet, one thought went through her mind. 

Not Nat, Not Nat, Not Nat,

Fear fell into her heart as Dewitt looked at Vanya.  The news hit her like a brick.  Vivian had only been reasonable with Vanya, on reflection  The Cayuga had gone from being a possible bogey, to having the crew thrust upon them.  All of the new crew were a potential threat, but a Romulan android raised even more questions.  While they kept their personal relationship, Vanya and only ever found Vivian to be fair. 

The hits kept on coming as Dewitt rattled off the further casualties.  There was a small flicker of joy as Nat wasn’t on the list.  But now wasn’t the time for relief  Now was the time to get the job done.  Finally Dewitt finished speaking.  She put thoughts of Nat, of Viviian and the rest to one side  She wanted to deal with those thoughts, but the time and place would be back on Theurgy  Now there were lives to save. 

Something came over Vanya, something that hadn’t happened since her training back on Romulus.  A resolute determination.  Now it was game time. 

Already the beginings of a plan were forming. “We need a way to expose the bombs to  independent sensors.” She said aloud. “Expose the threat before its too late” 

“I don’t know.”[/green] She said, answering the unasked question  “Civilian authorities, universities, civil engineering, weather control, anyone who is likely to have access to a planetary detection grid that can raise the alarm before the bomb goes off  A careful bit of sabotage to the bomb so that the faintest trace of Thaleron is detected, independent grid is pointed towards the bomb and the threat is neutralised because of an accident as far as anyone knows."      
Inhabiting my head are:

[Lt. Vanya |Assistant Science Officer| USS Theurgy]

[Lt. J.G Foval |Assistant Diplomatic Officer |USS Theurgy]

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #2 –
[PO2 T’Kolla | Deck 1 | Airlock | USS Allegiant] @Auctor Lucan @BZ , @uytrereee , @Number6 , @RyeTanker , @Stegro88
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The Devore knew the situation the Lt. Commander was in way too good and he would definitely not want to change with her now. It has been one of the toughest task for him to find suitable words when he was in an equal situation and if he would be honest there wasn’t anything he could have said that would mitigate the pain of his soldiers during war. There was no cause that was worth seeing your friends die. They may said so, but no expression they used really stopped the pain. So now he saw all those things again, Officers who tried to hide their true emotions about it, others who couldn’t hide it and those that were just shell-shocked by the news. Taa’gur couldn’t and wouldn’t blame any of those reactions even though he showed none of them. He wasn’t shocked by the assault, just maybe surprised, he wasn’t enraged by the deaths of his comrades, at all he didn’t really know them, and though he showed none he didn’t actually hide his emotions.

What came now was the way more important part in his opinion than the bombing that already happened. A second bomb on Andoria. An interesting target at least, as he couldn’t quite tell why the infested would stage another bomb on Andoria. This would gave the Federation no obvious deficit in the war and it would probably bind the Andorians closer to the rest of the Federation than they already were. There’s nothing easier for war propaganda than a ruthless enemy that wouldn’t even be merciful towards civilians, but maybe that was actually what the Parasites wanted in the end. Maybe they just wanted to transform the Federation into an extremely militaristic government and wars tend to help in such efforts. At least that was what he could tell from his very own people, but they never had some giant worms in their arses so it was maybe a completely different intention behind the parasites actions.

Back to their current situation, one of the other Officers offered an Idea how to detect the bombs and Taa’gur actually liked the way the Officer thought. Using some easy accessible civilian systems, like the local weather sensors and try to detect the Thalaron particles was a very useful idea, but would be useless. If the Petty Officer wasn’t wrong then there would be no Thalaron particles around the, not yet charged, bomb since those particles were one of the side effects of a Thalaron detonation and also what made them so devastating. Then the Officer suggested to sabotage the bomb and the Petty Officer couldn't believe his ears.

“With all due respect, I would strictly advice you against any kind of sabotage of the bombs. I can maybe disarm any Starfleet torpedo in five minutes, but an unknown Thalaron bomb is a different level. Even if I would have some weeks to study the bomb, I could still have missed something or the builders of it would be able to hide crucial mechanics from scanners... And to remind everyone here why a wrong sabotage of a Thalaron bomb would be devastating, the radiation range is unlimited. A wrong sabotage could instead of disabling the bomb result into wiping out the entire planet.” The Devore made a brief break before he continued with his proposal. This was not the time for useless emotions. They needed a good idea and a working plan to deal with this situation. Taa'gur turned in the direction of the Lt. Commander and gave her his best idea he had and even the best idea he had was nothing more than a long shot. “Ma’am, there might be a way to deal with the Breen. It’s not why we are here but it might suit us better than the alternatives. If we’re not able to disarm the ‘Federation’ bomb inside the Breen Hall of Heroes, we may should send a not good enough hidden message to a currently unused spacestation of the Federation. We just need to mention the bomb and the place and that we, as the Startfleet, have deployed it there. Their Intelligence would probably intercept the message and, since they are hopefully not aware of the status of the Theurgy and Allegiant, they’ll probably start to search the Hall of Heroes and find the bomb before anyone dies.”
[PO2 T’Kolla]
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Oh and if there's anything fundamentally wrong with the text above, then please don't hesitate to point it out to me.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #3 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Deck 1 | Airlock | USS Allegiant] @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @BZ @DaValle @Number6 @uytrereee

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And the day started so well. Should have known it wouldn't last. Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell mentally grimaced as the news rolled in.  Anyone who could have read her thoughts would have been astounded at what appeared to be a very blasé response to the death and destruction that just been visited on what was now considered home.  If those people looked deeper they also would have been astounded at the strength of will it took just to keep the grief and pain at a manageable level.  In fact as the situation update had been occurring, it felt like a she'd been first punched in the belly and then a steadily growing lump of lead had been growing in her throat was trying to drop into the pit of her stomach.  Lt. Zark was intensely conflicted about what to do next.  The death and damage was apalling and all her instincts screamed to either return to the ship and assist in catching the bomber, heading back to Andoria to assist in searching heinous Thaloron device, and continuing the mission.

The internal tug of war continued until Lt. Vanya began speaking which mercifully gave her something else to think about.  Crossing her arms under her breasts and tilting her head and antennae to face the Android then the Devorian, she began analyzing the plan from a security perspective. I have to agree that sabotaging a complex WMD doesn't sound like a good idea. Uh Oh, I don't like message idea very much either. Nasty as this situation is, good thing we're in a skull session to sort this out.  A small grin creased Lt. Zark's face at this last thought.

"I agree with the PO that we shouldn't attempt to sabotage the device, however Lt. Vanya does have a vector in delivering a more circumspect way of letting the local authorities know there is a threat in their midst."  Lt. Zark took a moment to use couple of fingers to rub an eyebrow while she metaphorically chewed on the problem with her mouth as well before resuming. "First, I don't have the engineering background for something like this, but are there any unique elements that a Thaloron generator must have in order to function that can be screened out in a scan from the rest of the building?  Second, should it come to covertly enlisting the aid of the Breen, how about encoding an anonymous message through the civilian com net and directing it towards the local law enforcement channels?  We wouldn't need to use video, just a text based message with sufficient amount of details to make the message and threat credible?  This way we can hopefully keep Starfleet and the Federation's finger prints off the source of information.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #4 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | It's never a good surprise these days ] @Auctor Lucan @BZ @Number6 @DaValle @RyeTanker 
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Frank had come when called, he had a feeling that it wasn't good news. Generally you didn't interrupt duty shifts and down time, to gather the entire crew, to give good news. It was usually either a death on board, asking for volunteers for a suicide mission, or a declaration of war. Even at the outset of the Dominion War, he didn't remember being called together, and at the end, he remembered it just as an announcement over the shipwide comm. The party afterward, he didn't remember much of that.

He wandered in closer to last than first, he'd come from the Warp Core Room, and he resented the gathering. He'd had a nice evening with Jaya, he'd had a decent night's sleep, he'd gotten up and went to work. It was a perfect day, until now. And whatever suspicions he'd had upon coming to the gathering, the look upon Jennifer's face didn't say it was a good thing. Maybe on some of the other crew it might have been lost, not him, he'd been on the receiving end of enough of Jenny's Scowls to know a bad omen when he saw one.

It was for these reasons, he simply filed into the group, only offering a solemn nod to Jennifer, not that he expected her to really see it, or to reciprocate, but line officers didn't let other line officers stand alone.

The news was bad, and it didn't get better as she went on. A lot of the names Frank didn't know, but he knew the first officer, and it hit close to home. 'Blue'. That's all he could think at that moment. Just last night he'd been discussing her cute and close relationship with her husband. He murmured under his breath, "Poor Blue" not very loud at all, and more for himself than anyone else. His first thoughts were with his own people, with his closest peers, as was selfish.

It wasn't until Jennifer moved onto the problem at hand, that the gravity of the losses started to settle into his mind. They'd lost a lot of good officers, really fucking important officers, some of whom had family aboard, and all of whom were their brothers and sisters in Starfleet. But more than that, they'd lost time, they were losing time now as they spoke. It was going to be them, they were going to have to do both things. He offered lowly once again, "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." Those were the things they were between. Deep Blue....poor Blue. It weighed on his mind, and try as he might it was hard to shake at this very moment. They had so few friends, the Theurgy was it...and the Theurgy was wounded. His worst instincts wanted to run back to the Theurgy, but only experience made him stay quiet, and understand he had to stay put.

He listened to the other officers start to give their input on solutions, and each tailored their response to their own expertise. T'Kolla spoke like a weapons expert, Vanya spoke of sensors, and naturally Frank thought about materials. He was a metallurgist first, before anything.

He waited for a moment, and then when there was a natural pause, he raised his voice and offered, "We might not be able to detect the thalaron radiation outright, but there aren't that many materials that can shield thalaron radiation. I'm not a reactor expert, but I know shielding's always been a problem for thalaron radiation. It doesn't obey a traditional inverse square law, which means it basically keeps its potency over expansion, so it shoots through regular materials like artillery through ass-wipe. Since the Breen aren't actively desiccating, and aren't aware of the bomb's presence, and we can't find the damn thing, it stands to reason the bomb is sufficiently shielded."

He gave a slow shrug, "Neutronium plating, some osmium or duritanium based alloys might do it..." He started counting on his fingers clearly thinking as he spoke, "Maybe tetraburnium, terminium, I think that those five pretty much sum it up." He gave a nod, "If we could scan for those in concentrated amounts, much higher than natural formations or regular construction, that might give us a shot at finding what we want to find. It's another tool in our box anyway." He shrugged when he was done, figuring that there weren't many bad ideas at this point. He only forwarded, "Put me where you need me Commander."

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #5 –
[ Lieutenant T’Less, Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & PO3 Lorad | Airlock | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant ]
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None of them were strangers to the notifications of casualties suffered to their companions. They had all lost people close to them and knew that they would again. And they were all resigned to that simple fact; that what they were doing was exceedingly dangerous and that the price for their success would be measured in the blood spilled and lives lost of themselves and those around them. And that toll grew higher with each engagement. But a bomb on their own ship, none of them had thought that that would be the cause of some of their loss.

They said nothing, listening intently to what Commander Dewitt was saying to her gathered crew. Others reacted in surprise, shock or outright disbelief that something like that could occur. Someone even asked how Thea could have let it happen. The three of them understood a simple fact though; it didn’t matter how it had happened. It had, and now they had to deal with it and prevent it happening again. But that was for those on the Theurgy, not those on the Allegiant. They had a different role to play as Commander Dewitt continued her briefing, revealing the threat of a second thalaron bomb on Andoria. And they all had a similar thought train that followed that revelation.

“A founding member of the Federation. Another display of violence without doing any real military damage. The Federation would be well placed to retaliate; and the Andorians would demand it,” the Vulcan noted.

“These aren’t first strike weapons for those that want to win a war. These attacks are meant to start a war that will only grow from the ongoing fighting. And if this one doesn’t succeed, where do they strike next? Vulcan? Betazed? Risa?” the Human asked herself.

“Two missions. Both important. But which to choose? What resources do we have to conduct both operations?” the Reman considered as others began to speak their minds. Each of them had thoughts and opinions on the matter but not all of them were whole plans; rather, pieces of them. And as the voices died down after the engineer suggested an alternative search parameter, each of the three, Vulcan, Terran and Reman, began to speak, almost as one voice.

“Ideally, we would deal with the Thalaron bomb without any authorities becoming aware of it,” T’Less said neutrally, knowing that if Vulcan were threatened, her voice would be markedly different in tone. “Even the knowledge and presence of a weapon would be just as damning as an actual strike. The Andorians would consider themselves attacked all the same and call for retaliation against the Romulans for what they, and many others, would perceive as acts of war.”

“After the attack on Paris, thalaron would have been bumped to the top of every scanning system in the Federation. It would be difficult to plant a bomb at a target and leave it to detonate later. Security checks and scans for anything unusual would probably find it before it could, which as the Lieutenant as pointed out, serves the same purpose to the Infested,” Donna continued evenly. “A better idea would be to hold it close by at a safe location. Somewhere that is protected from security scans but close enough to allow a quick deployment and detonation in case of discovery. A cloaked ship perhaps, in orbit of Andoria.”

“This how Reman’s do it,” Lorad said, agreeing with the Terran pilot. “We wait, undiscovered in orbit of target until order given. Then we transport bomb and wait short time. Very effective against Romulans,” Lorad pointed out, revealing a favoured tactic of the Reman underground. 

“Reman cloaks allow you that freedom of operation,” T’Less concluded. “But unless the Romulans have acquired one somehow, they’d have to use their own, less effective, systems. And that is a risk if they were discovered.”

“Not really,” Donna countered. “A Romulan warship is discovered deep in Federation space with a thalaron weapon aboard. The threat is the same and the Infested could pin it on us and our apparent affiliation with them as to how they got so deep into Federation space. Two birds with one stone. It’s what I’d do.”

“Same problem with Breen,” Lorad added succinctly in his distinctively deep voice. “If they discover bomb, then war is possible. We must find both without revealing them.”

“I will stay with the Allegiant. It is my place,” T’Less said, knowing it was the best place for her.

“I could go to Andoria,” Donna continued. “I can try and make contact with the Admiral’s operatives and see what information they have for us.”

“I stay,” Lorad declared, his tone resolute. “Not look good find Reman on Andoria. I better here,” he explained before looking at the female Andorian that had led him the day before. “You go though. Home knowledge is asset. Not waste.”

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #6 –
[Ens. Jaya Thorne | Horrendous News | Worst Yet | What Has Become of the Universe | Volunteers Needed]
@Auctor Lucan @uytrereee




It was time again, for another rendition of How Bored Can You Be!?  It was the thrilling game show where a hot red headed woman stood at the front of a ton of educated Starfleet officers and began to drone on about unimportant matters that seemed super important to her but to the gross ship over all weren't all that big.  Jaya was torn between pretending to snore loudly while leaning against the officer nearest her, only if they were the kind that would boost her in that way, or doing something else.  Like maybe making little noises with her hands or something.  Something like that, but before she could decide on what she wanted to do the boom hammer came down and smashed all the good will out of the room.

The Spearhead lounge had exploded. 

Any playfulness left Jaya's mischevious face and the seriousness took over was that of a cold-killer.  She had no idea who was to blame and she had no idea who was going to pay but she was going to make sure that someone did and they probably had a whole ship of people to answer to.  You didn't attack the Theurgy and get away with it, you didn't get to walk away as you took away the people that mattered to others.  Jaya had no real close bonds that had passed on the ship or been attacked but that didn't matter.

Theurgy was family.

That wasn't all though, she could tell from Jen's face that there was more unsettling news to come and true to Jen fashion it came moments later despite the cries of outrage, fear, and sadness from the various crew around.  She swallowed heavily as she admitted that the infested were going to do whatever they could to infect the Breen, but even more so there was determined to be another bomb on Andora which meant that things were going to get thinner.  Someone was going to have to go there and someone was going to have to find the bomb and do the best they could there to save the planet, the people, and everything else. 

Jaya cursed, not quietly either.

Several people began to speak up as Jen finished asking for assistance and laying all the information on the table.  Jaya brushed a hand through her hangs for a moment tucking them behind her ear, the classic pony tail was tightened as she tugged on the sides to put the band a little closer to her scalp.  One man said that he thought they could do a poorly coded message that the Breen might could intercept and think that they had won over the Federation by finding the bomb before it could detonate. 

“That's not a bad idea.” said Jaya, though she was only a pilot.  “But wouldn't that still make possible retaliation a thing?”

Another officer thought the same things that she did and spoke them as well, but with an answer too.  Stating that if they could do it through police channels and without the need to put the Federations' name on the bomb it would be easier and the Breen could hunt down who ever had placed the bomb later, though she wished them luck on any of that.

“I will go where the Allegiant goes.” she stated to Jaya, there was no way anyone else was flying her baby, but more so than that, she wanted to be sure that where ever the Allegiant did go they had a pilot worth her spit that could get them in and out of hell.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #7 –
[ Lt Cmdr. Jennifer Dewitt | Airlock | USS Allegiant ]
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As she listened to them all speaking, Jennifer began to pace the mouth of the airlock, crossing her arms underneath her breasts as she did so. While she had already given the deployment to Andoria some thought, the away team as a whole brought up many things she had yet to consider in terms of how they might deal with the threat. Their words also had her reevaluate the basic line-up she had in mind, realising that she had overlooked some of the many qualities they held individually.

It stood to reason that if the Breen even learned about any bomb, they might react in any which manner - clearly an 'unknown' they couldn't afford. It might have been less so with Andoria, but with all due respect towards the two present ones, their people could be easy to agitate, clearly worsening the situation when dealing with the threat of the Infested Praetor. Any hope to stop the war might be lost, if support towards peaceful solutions dwindled. There was a chance in both regards, however, to stop the awareness of the bombs from spreading locally. The question was obvious, however, and she spoke it out loud in the end, acknowledging Jaya Thorne with a nod.

"How long dare we keep quiet, in the hope that we can deal with this on our own?" she asked quietly. "By the minute, we gamble with time that both the Breen and the people of Andor could use to evacuate their people. If we fail, we might as well be complicit in the outcome as far as I am concerned. So, I need not emphasise how we must succeed, and that at some point... we might have to abort the mission and raise our voice."

She let that sink in, the hum of the Erudite filling the silence.

"Lieutenant Arnold," she said next, turning her green eyes to the man with the greying beard, their past not a factor in her decision. "You will be Chief of Mission here aboard the Erudite, which will head to Andoria, and Doctor Hernandez will be with you as well. Lone Wolves, you are staying aboard this Savi dreadnought as well, ready to be deployed as needed, but since you lack proper cloaks, you shouldn't go out there needlessly. In fact, Junior Lieutenant Petterson, you will be part of the away-team that may have to go down to Andor."

Shifting her eyes to Ida, Dewitt continued to deal up the assignments. "Lieutenant Zh'Wann, you will be Deputy Chief of Mission here on the Erudite, and should there be need for it, you will bring Lieutenant Vanya, Sogh Valkra and Petterson with you when dealing with the thalaron bomb. Frank, I am sure you see where my thoughts are at."

She'd turned back to Arnold, and nodded towards the thing sitting on the deck outside. "If zh'Wann and her away-team goes down there, you will have to control the Tovarek-drone for planet-side transporter deployment of her team. The Savi will not go out of their way to help us, so I hope you can set up a control console here in the Aerodrome, but it's worth asking the Voice nonetheless. This is their fight too. Hell, if our Reman here is correct, it might be the team will have to be deployed unto a Romulan ship in orbit."

Dewitt then turned to the others, those she hadn't mentioned. "The rest of you remain on the Allegiant, and we launch before the Erudite leaves. Chief Petty Officer Ji, you will stand in as Chief Engineer, and Zark, you can take over the medical bay. Lieutenant Arn, as an experienced field operative, you will be leading my away-team here in Breen space. You will be Deputy Chief of Mission here as well, should I be incapacitated. You will bring Zark, Lorad and Kolla with you before the Breen Council convenes." She turned her eyes to the Devore in their midst and a small smile touched her mouth. "Petty Officer, you said you will have no problem defusing a Federation bomb, correct? Well, our best guess is that the bomb we're dealing with here is of Starfleet design, so I will leave it to you to handle that, should it come to it."

Jennifer paused, but there ought to be no questions, so she continued after a moment. "Lieutenant Arnold, have your away team get their things off the Allegiant. I hope the Savi don't take issue with you all making camp on the deck outside. In fact, they might even have an empty lab you can use." She took a deep breath, foregoing with the momentary humour, for the hours ahead were naught to make light of. "Good luck, and if you don't get any leads on the bomb in good time... make sure Andor is evacuated. That's an order. Dimissed."

SEVEN HOURS LATER | DAY 02, 2000 HRS.

Stepping out of her ready room, her thoughts on the personal conversations she'd had with the crew - about the losses on the Theurgy and the splitting up of officers - Jennifer assumed her seat on the bridge.

"Thorne, take us out," she said quietly, and folded one leg over the other. With her on the bridge - besides her friend from the Black Opal - were T'Less, Halliwell and Arn. "Engage cloak, and set a course towards Breen. After you put us in orbit, I will take the first watch here on the bridge. I want you all to sleep well, for the Council meeting begins early on the morrow, and we have until then to continue our scans, and form plan for infiltrating the Federation Embassy - should it come to that."

Outside the viewscreen, Jennifer saw how the insides of the Aerodrome moved once the Allegiant elevated from the deck. She looked at Arnold's and zh'Wann's away team, standing out there with the rest of them, and while she doubted they could see her, she raised a hand in acknowledgement and good bye where she sat. The four Valkyries and the Tovarek drone fell out of sight as well, and before long, they were moving towards the bay doors.

"Incoming hail, Captain. It's the Voice," said Halliwell.

"On screen."

[Dewitt,] said the rebel Savi leader, his black eyes staring at her, [Captain Ives has given us insight that may win an upcoming battle in the Flotilla, but the Erudite is too far away from it. So, while we will not be able to remain in contact with your vessel, we will return in twenty-six hours. This, even if the Code states we must avoid contact with the Aspect-Makers.]

"I'll hold you to that, Echtand qi Versant," she said with a lopsided smile,  "Please protect my people, and if your Code permits it, help them."

[The Code clearly states we must not...] the alien began to say with a deep frown.

"I know, it's your own kind of Prime Directive, we get it. Thank you, in any case, for the assistance you can give us," she said and stifled a sigh. She hoped she didn't sound too sarcastic. The Savi were their means to return to the Theurgy, after all.

[May forethought guide your mind,] said Echtand and inclined his head without further comment. Then, the feed was cut.

Where have I heard this 'Aspect-Maker' term before? she wondered, unsure what it implied. Outside the viewscreen, the Erudite could no longer be seen, cloaked as it were. Their sensors didn't even pick up on the moment the Savi dreadnought made its quantum slipstream entry, heading deep into Federation space.

"Let's hope Arnold and the rest aren't caught being somehow affiliated with that thalaron bomb, detonated or not, because the Infested will just have it that we were directly involved." Jennifer's brow was creased in concern as they made their way towards Breen. "I mean, it seems to be their standard modus operandi when it comes to us from the Theurgy, doesn't it?"

OOC: Here here! Next, a starter for Chapter 05 and the Andoria mission will be made, but in wait for that, @BZ , @uytrereee , @Number6 , @DaValle , @RyeTanker & @Stegro88 , you all have 7 days to post in reply here, the deadline set at the 10th of September. :)

Supplemental threads on the Allegiant/Erudite set before this scene above belong to Chapter 03 or 04, depending on which time you pick, with the title convention CH0X: S [D0Y|ZZZZ] Insert Title. If set before 1245 on Day 02, it belongs to Chapter 03. As for Chapter 04, supplemental threads may be started set a) during the 7 hours I spanned in this post for both the away teams, b) during the night leading up to the Breen Council meeting for those on the Allegiant.

The names of the split-up away teams can be seen below:

BREEN | ALLEGIANT CREW
- Chief of Mission (COM): Captain Jennifer Dewitt @Auctor Lucan
- CONN: Ensign Jaya Thorne @BZ
- Redshirt Operations: Ens. Klara Halliwell (NPC, due KIA)
- Tactical: Lt. T'Less @Stegro88
- Engineering: CPO Eun Sae Ji @BZ

BREEN | AWAY TEAM
- Redshirt Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM): Lt. Zaryn Arn (NPC, due KIA) @Auctor Lucan
- Medical Officer: Lt. JG XamotZark zh’Ptrell @RyeTanker
- Bomb Expert: PO2 Taa'gur Kolla @DaValle
- Gunnery Officer: PO3 Lorad @Stegro88

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

ANDORIA | AWAY TEAM (VIA TOVAREK DRONE BUFFER AND TRANSPORTER)
- Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM): Lt. ThanIda zh'Wann @Auctor Lucan
- Science Officer: Lt. Vanya @Number6
- Intelligence Operative: Lt. JG Donna "Chance" Petterson @Stegro88
- Redshirt Gunnery Officer: Sogh (Lt.) Valkra (NPC, due KIA)

I am open to start other threads! If you have ideas for scenes that might involve a lot of the characters above, PM me. :) Chapter 05 coming up, and I'll move the hands of time forward to the Breen Council meeting in 7 days. Stay tuned!

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #8 –
[ Lt. Vanya | Airlock | USS Allegiant ] As the plan of action presented itself, Vanya felt a mixture of relief and trepidation  Relief, because she was finally doing something.  Trepidation, because she was worried about the dangers ahead. 

Vanya  was going back to Andoria, if needed.  It was an odd thing, the android mused to return to Federation space.    As an android starting to rebel against the society in which she lived, the Federation seemed like a paradise, somewhere she could be free.    She had returned to the Federation and felt a sense of liberation, even though she had faced prejudice for her Romulan and Artificial nature.  Now, a return to one of the founder worlds represented a trip into enemy territory.  Had things changed?  Or had they returned to normal.  It was an interesting concept.
 
As reflective as Vanya was, she could only imagine how strange it was for zh'Wann.  She didn’t know the Andorian personally, particularly her history.  Even if she wasn’t a native Andorian, the world was the home of her people  She wondered how Nat was feeling about Earth, but quickly put the thoughts to one side    Now wasn’t the time to think about Nat. 

Lt. Arnold had come up with some interesting ways minerals to scan for.  She wondered if it was worth trying to hack into planetary communications to pick up signs of unusual activities.  She began to consider the possibilities  The trip on the Erudite was going to be interesting.

“Can the Erudite sensors pick up all of these materials that Lieutenant Arnold mentioned?” Vanya asked 
Inhabiting my head are:

[Lt. Vanya |Assistant Science Officer| USS Theurgy]

[Lt. J.G Foval |Assistant Diplomatic Officer |USS Theurgy]

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #9 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Deck 1 | Airlock | USS Allegiant] @Auctor Lucan @Number6 @Stegro88  @uytrereee @BZ

As Cdr. Hewitt put out her plan of action, Lt. Zark unconsciously began grinning and hugged herself a little tighter.  War with the Romulans was bad enough, but now splitting up the team to avoid war with the Breen were becoming much thinner than she liked.  The minor fact that she was now medical officer on the Breen side of this adventure wasn't calculated to make her feel any better since it had now cut the medical margin of safety by more than 50% Thinking about it, it was trending toward 100% since any sort of away mission to Breen needed people and as an exosuit combat trained medic, her services would be very useful on the planet again looking for the bomb. 

Tapping her fingers on an arm, Lt. Zark looked at ceiling while thinking of anything to add to their current predicament, but nothing came to mind and that was in itself somewhat frustrating.  I wonder how Saucer is doing. I hope he didn't get caught in the explosion.  I hope they're giving him water and food too.  He should be making friends soon, the little rascal.  With nothing else to think about, stray thoughts had the habit of ambushing her at the oddest times.  Maybe it was a coping mechanism as her smile and facial features turned almost serene at the thoughts of her cat prowling the ship and avoiding getting caught under foot of the various crew members on Theurgy.

Lt. Vanya's question pulled her from her reverie's.  It was definitley a good question and she wasn't sure what the capabilities of the Savi Dreadnought were for focusing for that level of precision.  Starfleet vessels normally were capable of making that sort of scan assuming there was nothing interfering heavily, but that needed a noticeable amount of power, possibly enough to cause their detection by Breen system security.

Another stray thought caused her logic train to temporarily come to a halt as Lt. Zark stopped tapping on her arm.  She had never before considered thanking serendipity before, but this might be a good case.  While on planet, she had conducted a short range full spectrum scan.  The scientific aspects any scan should have been built into any Starfleet system since part of the organization's mandate was one of scientific exploration.  A possible solution began forming in her head...

Dropping her arms and turning to the Lt.Vanya and Arnold, Lt.Zark began gently gesturing with her arms. Lt. Vanya.  Lt.Arnold. I conducted a full spectrum scan when we were on the the planet, so my exosuit has details of the building composition of Breen structures in it's memory.  Could we use that to refine and filter out the common material elements and power frequenceis in Breen buildings and look for anything unusual, even shielded areas of the Hall of Heroes and the Federation embassy?  Lt. Zark paused for a second as she rubbed the tip of her nose before continuing. We could also modify the tricorders on the exosuits to filter out the common elements and pick up the specific elements in a the bomb?

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #10 –
[Ens Jaya Thorne | Too Early to Worry | Andor is a Cold Bastard | Come Back Safe Everybody | We've Lost Too Many]
@Auctor Lucan




Jaya was still fairly pissed off about the whole explosion on the Theurgy part.  She didn't know anyone that had lost their lives but Theurgy was more than a ship, they were a family and once you were part of that family had had thousands of officers ready to fuck your face over and cremate your body while dancing in the dust of your ashes.  That was the kind of power that the Theurgy had over the people that it chose, and it wasn't just the fact that they were moving forward together against a greater evil it was that they were just all united, smart, people that had a common goal and a common place to live. 

When Jen turned and called out Arnold's name, Jaya's vibrant eyes scanned the crowd until she found his larger form and he stood there being told that he would be fronting the operation to head out to Andor.  Her eyes widened. 

Guess that makes sense, though I figured Jen would be itchin' in her britches to get a piece of a bomb threat.

Jaya and Arnold had a bit of fun together eating and having a bit of a meal and a get to know you session that was totally platonic but it was the kind of thing that could possibly go somewhere if they wanted it to.  Jaya wasn't sure, Arnold wasn't hard to read, he was pretty up front about what he thought about her but the man was obviously a massive flirt so Jaya hadn't sussed out if he was just flirting because that was what he did or if he actually was pursuing her. So that was something that she was going to have to figure out before she put too much time and effort into the whole situation.

Jaya headed across the deck as Jen finished giving out her orders, and she made her way to Arnold.  She looked up at him, and gave him a witty grin.  “Well here's your chance Joachim, you better soak up all the Jaya time you can before it slips through your fingers.” she said with a non-chalant grin on her face though she was truly worried about how he was going to do on the ride to Andora.  Not even the fact that he was new to command and all of that kind of thing, no she fully believed in his abilities but that he was going to be on his own all across space and she wouldn't be there.

Not that they were anything to be worried about.  They were too new.  Too .. anything really.





[CPO Eun Sae Ji | Well This is a Surprise | If Only Liam Could See Me Now | A New Role | Outside the Norm]





Ji stood with the rest of the crew.  The news had rocked her, and though she was quiet where she stood, the short asian woman mostly hidden by the larger officers around her, she had been scared.  Liam and Luca were both on that ship and she feared that the bomb might have been targeting Luca, but it might have accidentally gotten Liam.  She had no idea where he was, or what he was doing, all she knew was that he wasn't really talking to her right now and it was hard.  But, she deserved it, she knew it, and she was going to have to get over it and just wait to figure out what they were going to do.  He seemed open to continuing as though nothing had happened, but that didn't seem right either and she found herself uninterested in doing that.  She wasn't even sure what she wanted out of life at this moment.  She was so tired, so emotionally and physically tired.  She had something good and went and fucked it up.

Maybe it was an issue with her. 

She was zoned out thinking about all sorts of things, but mostly grateful that neither of them had been hurt from the bomb that when she heard her name her head shot up in surprise.  She was told that Arnold was heading off to Andora, which would leave her as the Chief Engineer.  Ji didn't think that her eyes could get any wider if she pried them open with her fingers.

Me? Chief?

She wasn't unused to being a Chief or being called one, she had just never run an actual engineering deck.  But, she knew how to keep people on their shit and how to keep them doing their jobs, and she knew how to maintain and run a deck she just wasn't so sure she was the right one if shit hit the fan.  But then, she knew a lot about power and propulsion she wasn't the chief of that without having some serious knowledge when it came to such things so who knew she could be good at it. 

At the end of the speech, Ji didn't know much of what to say so she thought about heading out to find a private spot somewhere where she could pen a couple logs to Liam and Luca just in case of the worst.





==SEVEN HOURS LATER==

[Ens Jaya Thorne | Staying Behind | Return Safe | Enough Losses]





Jaya was sitting comfortably in her seat seven hours later.  She had spent quite a bit of those hours with Arnold since they might as well.  Carpe diem or .. something.  She couldn't quite remember but the sentiment was still there.  Still, she had to enjoy the life that she could live, especially when you worked for a ship like the Theurgy it was worthwhile to make sure that you did whatever you could.  She could hear the door behind her swish open and hear the familiar boot steps of the woman that Thorne knew so very well.  Sitting there watching the thrusters and engines all warmed up and ready for a little hand job.  So when Jen sat down in her seat and assumed the Captain position telling Thorne to take them out, she was ready.

“Aye Mon Capitan.” she said with a very fake french accent

She engaged the antigrav boosters underneath the large ship so that they were off the deck plating and hovering above it for a long moment.  She retracted the gear that had held them upwards and allowed it to slide back into the ship.  The metallic thunk of the gear finding it's home in the hull before she began to navigate the ship out towards the open bay doors.  There was a force field that was holding the atmosphere in the aerodome but they would be able to slide right through it and beyond.

Unlike Jen, Jaya was not able to look down around at the people here and there watching the Allegiant head out of the Aerodome.  They approached the force field and it shimmered as they slid through it and out into open space.  As soon as they were clear of the ship, she engaged the cloak as she was asked to and slid them over towards the planet so that they could enter an orbit to keep watch on the planet while they had a chance.  Jaya was nervous, about the Erudite, about Breen, about all of it but she wouldn't show it.  If she got nervous and Jen could see it, then the young Captain would know that it was a bad situation.  No, Jaya needed to remain cool and confident like she normally did so that this was just normal operations. 

“We are in orbit, time to kick up your heals, take in an on board snack, watch the onboard movie, and enjoy the scenery as you'll notice we have a fantastic view of a planet colder than  witches tit.  However, I'm often curious why a witch's tit is so cold?  I mean.. don't they wear clothes?  Can't someone just rub on it?  I mean that'll sort into a whole slew of new problems but a cold tit is not one of them.”

Jaya in normal form; it was a treat.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #11 –
[ Lieutenant T’Less, Lt. JG Donna ‘Chance’ Petterson & PO3 Lorad | Airlock | Deck 01 | USS Allegiant ]
[Show/Hide]


“Looks like I’m back in the special ops trade,” Donna thought to herself, nodding as she listened to Commander Dewitt reveal her decisions. She had suggested it herself, knowing that it was the most prudent course of action regarding her skillset, but now that it was confirmed, brought a sense of melancholy to Donna that she hadn’t been expecting. The last time she had done ground operations had been while she had been with Starfleet Intelligence; before Donna Petterson had even existed.

Lorad’s and T’Less’s thoughts on the Commander’s distribution of personnel were less complicated. They both would be remaining aboard the Allegiant and within Breen space so their original orders and tasks stood as they were.



Sitting at her station. T’Less monitored the sensor’s as the Allegiant left the relative safety of the Erudite. With no immediate signs of a threat to them, she began to compare the changes in the system since her last scan, absently listening to the discussion between the Savi and Dewitt. Once they had completed their discourse, the channel was closed, and the Vulcan noted the complete lack of detection of the Savi dreadnought engaging its quantum drive. 

In the crew quarters, Lorad lay back on his bunk and considered what to write in the message to his sister. Especially as the last one he had meant for her had not been received so well.

“Samala, if you are......”

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #12 –
[PO2 T’Kolla | Deck 1 | Airlock | USS Allegiant] @Auctor Lucan  @Number6  @Stegro88 8  @uytrereee  @BZ  @RyeTanker
[Show/Hide]


The Captain made her decision and the Devore nodded approving as she mentioned his strategic deployment aboard the Allegiant on the Breen homeworld instead of sending him to Andoria. He would have maybe been able to help with the Thalaron bomb, but despite his experience with a lot of different weapon types, his actual knowledge of Thalaron particles was rather inexistent than superior. In the end he would have done the same Lieutenant Arnold would have done, well maybe with slightly more speed, but beside that there’s no real reason for sending him and not Arnold.

For Taa’gur the next hours would get quite interesting as he now had to refresh as much of his knowledge of Federation warheads and again he was already happy as he stood there in the crowed that the most Federation weapons were not designed only by the humans. At least from what he has learned about their species they had this certain ability to create as cruel as efficient weapons. An ability Taa’gur wasn’t really keen to meet down on the surface of this planet. Still he needed to be ready since whatever they’ll encounter down there, it’ll fall in his hand to disarm it as fast as possible and he’s definitely not come here to fail during a critical situation. But before he could start reading through some Federation weapon basics to refresh especially his knowledge of the not really used variants, Taa’gur needed to get comfortable with something less helpful in defusing a bomb. Actually the thing he was in a need to get comfortable with wasn’t really good to do more than one thing with it. Killing, or whatever this oversized huge gun would do if it’s fired upon a living being. Anyhow the Devore had to learn how to fight with this thing and since he already had the time to do so, he could also figure out if this thing would just make a clean hit or if it's just the wet dream of every gore fan. Not that he would have a real problem with the last one.


He was ready or at least he was as ready as someone in his position could be. The whole away team had probably no clue what exactly they’ll face down there. Beside some basic information they had nothing. It wasn’t even impossible that they would find some sort of biological bomb down there that could in a matter of seconds kill them all without any chance to disarm it, but it was also possible that they will just face an old Tricobalt warhead down there and will be able to go in and out in ten minutes. Who knows, it wasn’t Taa’gurs way to think about possibilities for too long.
[PO2 T’Kolla]
[Show/Hide]

Oh and if there's anything fundamentally wrong with the text above, then please don't hesitate to point it out to me.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #13 –
[ Lieutenant Frank Arnold | Sancho my Horse, my Armor! | USS Theurgy ]
[Show/Hide]

Frank was fundamentally surprised when his name was called out of the group, and for a moment he looked around, as if searching for another Frank Arnold in the group. His back struck erect, and he turned his attention to the Commander, offering a light nod, and a firm, "Yes Captain." He turned his head around the group, looking to pick out those among the gathering that would be his accompaniment, or rather, that he would be their commander. When Dewitt was done doling out assignments, Frank offered loud enough to be heard, "Gather your affects, and anything mission critical, we'll meet on the Erudite deck, one hour prior to the Allegiant's departure."

 He nodded firmly, and then his attention was directed to a debonair pilot, with a quick tongue. He smirked at her and offered far more quietly, "I think you mean you're going to have to nab up as much Arnold time as you can." He grinned gently, and turned his attention to the Tovarek Drone, it would be coming with them as well, which would be good, like as not it would be a valuable asset. Once they were dismissed, he cleared his throat to Jaya and offered lowly, "Meet me in the racks in about an hour?" He figured that would give him enough time to stow his crap.

When they were dismissed, he relaxed a little, and turned to the exit, striding off quickly to get his things together, so he could spend a few hours with Jaya.

((Just a short closure post))

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #14 –
NEXT MORNING | 0600 HRS. | ABOVE THE BREEN CAPITAL | ANSIRRANANA



Mission Log, stardate 57653.74. In one hour, the Breen Council will convene in the Hall of Heroes, and we suspect that the Infested will do something which will antagonise them enough to attack the Federation. I realise, as we descend into the atmosphere and enter the capital, that we came here at the word of a Doctor that believed 'something' will happen. Yet since then, the Theurgy made contact with the USS Relativity - an ally made before my time aboard - and even the crew of that timeship was able to confirm that this mission is merited. While Captain Ducane of the Relativity was close-lipped about what exactly will transpire here, because of some bullshit about the information having too much of an impact on the timeline, I am somewhat relieved that Doctor Nicander spoke the truth, and didn't have us sent here for nothing.

The question remains, however; What will happen?

The best lead we have is that of Lieutenant Zark, whom detected that there was actually Federation personnel in the city, and how they might have used their diplomatic bag to smuggle something into the embassy, right in time for this great council meeting between the Thots of the Breen Confederacy. We'll be deploying a team from the airlock on top of the Federation Embassy, and they will infiltrate the facility in hopes of picking something up on close range scanners. In fear that the Allegiant might be compromised, despite the cloak, we won't be able to use its sensor suite at its full capacity, but if the ground team can't find anything, it might have to be our last resort.

I remind myself that unless we find something, we might have to drop our cloak anyway, and warn the Breen in time for an evacuation of the whole city.

- Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Dewitt, USS Allegiant NX-80978

[ Lt Cmdr. Jennifer Dewitt | Bridge | USS Allegiant ]
[Show/Hide]
After finishing the log, Jennifer stepped out unto the bridge, seeing the cityscape of Ansirranana spreading out below the Allegiant's trajectory. Light snows and a cutting wind made the atmospheric flight somewhat of a challenge, Dewitt reckoned, but she had great faith in Jaya Thorne being able to land on top of the Federation Embassy with little trouble in any kind of weather.

"What's the ETA?" she asked and sat down in the centre chair on the bridge, the anticipation of the mission on hand making her sharp and alert.

"One minute at this speed, Captain," said Halliwell at Ops, the Klingon hybrid keeping her eyes on the read-outs on her screens, before contacting Chief Ji, whom was working one deck below them. "Ops to Engineering. We need more power to the cloak, otherwise we'll get detected when we land. Please advise if we have to make an aerial drop of the ground team."

Meanwhile, Dewitt turned her head to look at T'Less at the Tactical controls. "The Federation personnel will have to have come here aboard something. What Starfleet signatures can you detect out there with our sensor output this low?"

"I'm heading to the airlock," said Zaryn Arn, leaving his station whilst already wearing his full EVA suit. He gave the present women a little grin from behind his visor. "Wish us luck."

"We'll try to keep a transporter lock on you as long as we can," said Jennifer in answer and inclined her head, seeing the Trill leave the bridge to join the rest of the ground team that awaited him in the airlock of the Allegiant. Lorad would be there, whom she remembered from the first day he stepped aboard, after they had saved the Apache in the Azure Nebula. T'Kolla would be there as well, wearing the same kind of EVA suit that Arn did, and she could but hope those would protect them well enough even if those were no hardshell exosuits. Lieutenant Zark would be infiltrating the Embassy as well, and if something would happen to Arn, she'd have to take command of the team. It was somewhat reassuring, that she had medical training in case things turned sour.

"Thorne, depending on what Ji advises, deploy the ground team on top of the Embassy and then take us to the outskirts of the city, where the sensors and defence systems are more scarce. Stay within transporter lock, however, and keep your eyes on the morning traffic down here, though, because I am not sure this cloak will stay active if someone manages to scrape the paint of this ship."

Once they were approaching the Embassy, the pyramid structure of the Hall of Heroes towered over them, and Jennifer tapped her console so that she could speak to the away team in the airlock. "Once you gain access, focus on the scans, and if you see something suspicious, don't tarry. Make your way there immediately and confirm your findings. Set your weapons to stun, but don't let anything stop you. We'll remain in communication distance. Dewitt out."

After giving those final instructions, Dewitt turned her green eyes to look at the pyramid, wondering what the Breen would do if she'd be forced to advise an evacuation. Would they even heed us?

OOC: My apologies for the tardiness in launching this mission, reasons mainly being RL stuff besides the news about Steelphoenix being such a damper on everything. In any case, I am excited to have this underway, and I have some rudimentary ideas about how we can cover a lot of ground with each post. First, we have the deployment of the ground team, which @BZ can cover first. Next, I am giving full permission to NPC Zaryn Arn to you three active writers with characters inside the Embassy. So, use him to progress the story, and I will also NPC him when my time to post comes up again. So, @Stegro88 , @DaValle and @RyeTanker , with your upcoming posts, here are a few Objectives that you all can pick freely from, but the most important thing is that you all push events to the point where they detect very faint readings of protomatter somewhere in the basement of the embassy. Up until that point, here are a few ideas of mine, to add to your own if you so wish: [Show/Hide]
Supplemental threads on the Allegiant set before this scene (during the night before this mission) belong to Chapter 04 with the title convention CH04: S [D0Y|ZZZZ] Insert Title. If set before 1245 on Day 02, however, it belongs to Chapter 03, and can be set on the Erudite as well. There can be no Supplemental threads set after 0600 hrs. on Day 03, where this mission takes place.

The names of the away team can be seen below:

BREEN | ALLEGIANT CREW
- Chief of Mission (COM): Captain Jennifer Dewitt @Auctor Lucan
- CONN: Ensign Jaya Thorne @BZ
- Redshirt Operations: Ens. Klara Halliwell (NPC, due KIA)
- Tactical: Lt. T'Less @Stegro88
- Engineering: CPO Eun Sae Ji @BZ

BREEN | AWAY TEAM
- Redshirt Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM): Lt. Zaryn Arn (NPC, due KIA) @Auctor Lucan
- Medical Officer: Lt. JG XamotZark zh’Ptrell @RyeTanker
- Bomb Expert: PO2 Taa'gur Kolla @DaValle
- Gunnery Officer: PO3 Lorad @Stegro88

I am open to start supplemental threads on the Allegiant, set before this mission! If you have ideas for scenes that might involve a lot of the characters above, PM me. :)

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #15 –
[Ens. Jaya Thorne | Snow is Always Beautiful | A Walk in the Snow Sounds Nice | Ready to Get this Mission Over With]
@Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @RyeTanker @DaValle




There was always something beautiful about snow.  The way it fell like petals from the sky gracefully dancing among the wind currents and finding themselves drifting ever closer to the ground until they nestled fully against others just like yet completely different than any others.  This snow was different though, because of the hellacious wind currents, because nothing about Breen could actually be nice, she found that the snow was one of attack, the kind of painful biting kind if she was actually out in it.  Thankfully, she wasn't going to have to go out in it.  She just had to fly in it.  Pelting against the view screens, the sensors, the cameras, and the hull of the ship. While she couldn't hear it she could feel every single heavy gust that was buckling against the ship and warping around the large cloaked beauty trying to make it to the capitol so the away team could get their ninja on.

A door opened to the rear of the Bridge and there were no foot falls that sounded so resolute and yet laden with the weight of command as Dewitts.  Sure enough, the red headed's words soon crossed the Bridge as she asked for the ETA.

“One minute is rounding up.” she called out with a chuckle since she had to be herself.  IF she got all serious now than Jen would know that things were rough and Jaya didn't want that up on her shoulders.  Nope it was up to her to keep status quo going at full speed.  Someone calls out to engineering for more power to the shields. 

The fact that the response wasn't near instant meant that the short Korean woman was likely busy as crap down there trying to be an Engineer when she was normally spending her days keeping the fighter assault bay running as fast as she could.

Thorne.  “Ugh so formal, J.” she said with a shake of her head and a scrunch of her little freckled nose just to keep some light in the situation.  She was told that depending on what Ji could do for them, they were to let the away team off at the Embasy roof and then go play cloak and dagger on the outskirts inside teleporter range, outside air traffic... “Do you want fries with that?” she asked sarcastically as she worked them through the city buildings, the traffic, and the wind buffets to lower the ship down closer to the Embasy roof so that the away team could get off. 

“I have given it as much power as the damn thing can take, any more and you won't be breathing oxygen and we won't be going forward any more.” said Ji seriously.

“So we will be going backwards then?” asked Jaya playfully.

“Fuck's sa-” Ji said cutting herself off and getting back to the job at hand.

“Dang, no fun today.” Jaya sighed wishing that Arnold was around he would appreciate her wit and humor in dark moments like this.  Finally, Jaya reached over and flipped switches.  “Deploying ground team now.” she said as the hatch opened allowing the team to disembark into the cold cityscape of Breen Hell.

“Don't turn into those ice statues from Narnia folks, it's not a cute look.” she said by way of greeting through the com system.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #16 –
[ Lieutenant T’Less | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Breen Space ]  
[Show/Hide]


“Sensor range is limited due to weather and power levels, preventing a widespread search,” T’Less thought to herself as she considered how best to go about the task set for her by Commander Dewitt. “Although, being a vessel on a diplomatic mission, it would not be attempting to conceal itself and the Breen, due to their nature, would keep it in a place where it would be highly visible to everything and everyone.” Deductions made, T’Less adjusted her sensors as best she could to cover the areas in sequence. 

As Ensign Thorne moved the Allegiant into position, T’Less looked away from her screens for a moment to watch the four figures disembark. With them safely deployed, Thorne began to manoeuvre away and T’Less refocused her attention on the sensors. It took several minutes for her to find what she was looking for but it was there, and though its presence was obscured by the large amount of Breen vessels in orbit, T’Less was able to locate it.

“Ma’am, I’ve located a Starfleet vessel in orbit,” T’Less reported. “Preliminary assessment is that it is of the Intrepid-class. I’ll need more time or more power to provide more details.”


[ PO3 Lorad | Roof | Federation Embassy | Breen ]
[Show/Hide]


Snow crunched under his boot as Lorad wrenched the door open. He didn’t know, or particularly care about the reasoning behind such a low-tech entryway, instead being grateful for it. They had scanned for surveillance devices and, with none found, Lorad had stepped forward. Now he was leading the way forward as the team began its foray. He was the most expendable member of the group, so it was a smart choice. His being the biggest also provided for a potential shield against incoming fire.

His accipiter was slung across his back while his sidearm was holstered at his hip. Use of either was going to potentially alert the buildings occupants so he wanted to avoid using them if possible. He was looking to remain undetected as much as possible which meant using his hands as much as possible.

The embassy building seemed largely unused, especially on the highest two floors. He was just about to begin his descent to the next floor down, when the door ahead of him opened and a Human male appeared. The genuine look of shock and surprise on his face told Lorad he was not expecting them and the Reman took advantage of that. Using his superior strength, Lorad snatched up the man and locked him into a sleeper hold before he could react. The man struggled but his strength was futile against Lorad, nor could he scream while trying to breath. The result inevitable, Lorad dragged the now unconscious man back and laid him down in a side office.

“Lieutenant,” Lorad called over internal coms. “Sleep him,” he directed, his Standard failing him in that moment, but he hoped he got his point across.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #17 –
[PO2 T’Kolla | Federation Embassy | Breen] @Stegro88 @Auctor Lucan @BZ @RyeTanker
[Show/Hide]


The Devore followed the lead of the Reman as they made their way through the building. In every situation he was trying to keep his trigger fingers far away from the gun that laid in his hands. If he would use them, their whole operation was basically over. Though Taa’gur actual started to like those Federation phaser types, he, nonetheless, knew how loud it would get if they would use them, not even mentioning the sensors in the embassy that would probably detect them immediately.

Due to the shoulder strap of the rifle Taa’gur was able to use his left hand for more important tasks and currently the most helpful action of him would be to search for any traces of Federation weapon technology. He was anyway the one who had to disarm it, so he was probably also the one of them who could best distinguish the difference between a normal cosmic background radiation that could occur every now and then and some artificial created ones.

As the group went on, they encountered one of the embassy Officers and in a couple of moments Lorad took care of the situation. The poor fellow probably didn’t even realize what happened to him. After the man went down unconscious and was laid in another, not so obvious, place, the Reman gave some orders toward the Lieutenant. Taa’gur scanned the unconscious man again and thought for at least a couple of seconds that what he read on his sensors was definitely not right. The structural composition of his uniform was changed in a way that could only happen after contact with extreme aggressive radiation. The question now was to define which kind radiation the Officer was exposed to. Taa’gur decided to scan the man more intensive, but apparently the source of it wasn’t measurable in the whole upper embassy, so where ever the source was this Officer had to pass it before he crossed the massive arms of Lorad. “To all, that Officer there had contact with some kind of radiation. You all should look for traces of uncommon particles and radiation.” The Devore focused his sensors on such radiation and particles before went on behind Lorad.

The lower they came in the building, more traces of this radiation appeared, but still Taa’gur couldn’t tell what kind of radiation it was. Only as they reached the lowest levels of the embassy Taa’gur could find finally a solid trace of the origin of the strange radiation. Well actually he couldn’t less find a trace, than more spotting an Officer that had long enough contact with the source. The Vulcan looked out of a window and didn’t even realized that there was whole group of infiltrators behind him.  Before Lorad could take care of him though, Taa’gur tore the man at his neck till he fell down on his back, but instead of letting the man simply fall to the ground the Devore kneed down and let him fall on his thigh. As a reaction to the abrupt stop the head of the Vulcan snapped back and offered Taa’gur his throat completely unprotected. This short moment was enough for the Devore to strike one time hard on the trachea of the Vulcan. Now the man wasn’t really unconscious, but he was definitely not able to call for aid till the Andorian woman could take care of him. Taa’gur scanned the Officer again and could finally figure out what kind of radiation they’ve faced till now. The uniform showed a lot of different particles on it, a lot of them could be found on any colonized planet, but there was this one slight remains of a particle that shouldn’t be found anywhere near cities. The scanner showed the Devore that there was a measurable amount of protomatter left on the uniform of the Vulcan.

“My sensors show protomatter!” He send a couple of sensor specifications to the rest of the team. “Use this schematics for your sensors. They should be able spot any trace now.”
[PO2 T’Kolla]
[Show/Hide]

Oh and if there's anything fundamentally wrong with the text above, then please don't hesitate to point it out to me.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #18 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Federation Embassy | Breen]

@Auctor Lucan @DaValle @Stegro88 @BZ

Lt. Zark would have called the debarkation deja vu, except the snow and wind seemed much worse than the first drop.  Visually speaking it was a spectacular vista of fast moving snow and howling freezing temperatures.  If it was a more primitive time, one would wonder how anything could be spotted with the cold dampening the Allegiant's power output.  As her feet hit the snow covered roof, Lt. Zark's phaser rifle came up in a smooth motion as the away team took off at a brisk pace.  Time was definitely of the essence here, no stopping and scanning. 

The team quickly breached the upper floors and started to head into the heart of the embassy building.  Either security here is a joke or this location has some of the lowest priorities for security systems in the Federation.  That was almost too easy. It was almost eerie how unused the building was as they didn't encounter any sign of habitation in the upper two floors.  This quickly changed as as sudden eruption of violence occurred to the team's front. Lt. Zark had her rifle pointed at the disturbance, and kept her finger well on the trigger guard as the Reman used his immense strength to effectively choke the consciousness out of the human.  When the human went limp, the Reman's request to sedate the poor fellow came over.  Although it was hard to see behind the EVA suits face shield Lt. Zark's trademark stress smirk easily formed.  10 out of 10 for style, that's for sure.   She quickly made her way over and pulled out a hypospray from a pocket and slapped in a vial of anesthazine.  Normally used as an aerosol, minute amounts could be injected directly into the blood stream to get the same effect.  Making a quick adjustment to the dosage, Lt. Zark quickly found the pulse of the downed male and injected him.  With the dose he had, he should be out for a good 4 to 6 hours.  Maybe a case of overkill here, but if the mission took long enough for the sedative to wear off, they were royally in trouble anyway.

Thankfully there were no more encounters as they descended deeper into the building.  A quick change of the suits sensors to detect the radiation PO T'Kolla had detected was definitely causing concern as the concentration was increasing the deeper they went. Note to self, see if we need decontamination after we're done here.   The team's luck in not meeting anyone finally ran out when they encountered a lone Vulcan staring out the window and the Devorian seemed to rocket forward to incapacitate the Vulcan.  Lt. Zark could see the disaster unfolding before her and there was nothing she could do. T'Kolla was simply too quick.  The strike was text book, almost a work of art.  However every interesting story had it's drama and in this case, the sound of the strike was just a bit to wet and mushy to Lt. Zark's trained ear to be a good thing.  The Vulcan was down and insensate, but he was also starting to turn an alarming shade of brown and clawing at his throat as the sudden cessation of oxygen to his body took hold.

Lt. Zark quickly laid her phaser rifle aside as she closed with the prone and now thrashing Vulcan.  Quickly hitting her communicator "Lieutenant Arn, hold his arms down and still!"  Lt. Arn seemed initially as shocked by the action that had occurred but his training and discipline quickly took over as he laid his weapon aside.  Lt. Zark was aware of Lt. Arn calling the other team members to set up a perimeter while he landed on the Vulcan's pelvis and moved to pull the immensely strong arms away from the injured neck.  Lt. Arn was having a hard time of it even with the exo suits as the Vulcan's desperation fuelled strength fought the exosuit.  It took what felt like an hour, but was mere seconds to get the Vulcan under control.  Lt. Arn held a death lock grimace as he continued to keep the Vulcan from breaking free while at the same time watching his HUD's readouts for system stress and power reserves.

Lt. Zark quickly used a medical tricorder to scan the injured Vulcan and felt her ricutus smile loosen as the damage appeared to be less severe than the struggling Vulcan indicated. Making a quick adjustment on her hypospray, she jammed the hypospray to the Vulcan's neck injected him with a small amount of Anesthazine causing the Vulcan to go limp.  The Andorian medic didn't even notice this as she quickly ejected the Anesthazine vial and pulled out a vial of Tri-Ox.  Quickly slotting the new vial in, she injected the hapless Vulcan.  Lt. Zark would have much preferred a subdermal scalpel and an analgesic, to repair the damage, but this should work in the mean time for the period the Vulcan would be unconscious.

Tapping her communicator for the team frequency, Lt. Zark turned a glare on T'Kolla. "Let's get this body hidden away. We only have maybe 2-3 hours before he wakes up and starts screaming for help.  Petty Officer T'Kolla, when we get out of here, you and I are going to have a discussion on your questionable choice of incapacitation methods."

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #19 –
[ Lt Cmdr. Jennifer Dewitt | Bridge | USS Allegiant ]
[Show/Hide]
When T'Less said there was little more to learn from their current sensor input, being at a power-disadvantage as they were with the cloak, Dewitt took a deep breath as she looked at the swirling snow outside the view screen. Thorne was taking them away from the Federation Embassy, dodging Breen atmo-shuttles whilst they tried to reach an altitude with less traffic in the blizzard. Fuck it, we need more intel.

"Ascend to the Intrepid-class ship, Thorne," she said, making the call. "I want to have a closer look. Remain above Ansirranana. Halliwell, you will tell us the moment we loose comms or transporter range with the away team, understood?"

"Aye, Captain," she said, and then her console chirped. "It's Lieutenant Arn, he's transmitting from inside the Embassy. Signal is weak... In fact, looking at that city block from this altitude... it seems like the Embassy itself is far more dampened when it comes to sensor readings when compared to surrounding buildings. Perhaps that building is indeed hiding something, and not just being low-staffed."

"Patch through the Lieutenant," said Jennifer as they entered the clouds above the city. "On screen."

On the side which Thorne wasn't seated at, the helmet-feed from Arn's visor showed dimly lit corridors, and the Trill was looking at the rest of the away team. They seemed to be dragging a body into the shadows, and Arn's voice was hushed. [Arn to the Allegiant. We've made a bit of a ruckus here, but we've yet to fire our weapons, so we will go down another level now. We have a lead already.] The visor's feed turned towards the Devore in the shadows. [Petty Officer T'Kolla has detected readings of protomatter on the diplomats here, and I've just calibrated my tricorder to locate it. It's weak, but we're detecting a source below the building. We'll pick up the pace and report back when we get there.]

"Protomatter?" asked Jenifer with a frown, knowing it was an unstable substance which every ethical scientist in the Federation and the galaxy as a whole had denounced as dangerously unpredictable. She recalled that the Maquis had incorporated protomatter in an implosion device, meant to overload the impulse drive of a Cardassian ship before the Dominion War. Some species in the Delta Quadrant used it for fuel nonetheless, but according to the Voyager's reports, the results were still unreliable - almost killing one of the ship's crew. "Be careful, Lieutenant. We have no way of knowing when or how that compound will be triggered, who will do it, or even what the yield is. Halliwell says the building has some kind of dampening field on it, so no wonder the Breen haven't detected it yet. That does suggest it might be big enough to take out the Hall of Heroes where it currently sits. In the meantime, we'll take a closer look at the starship the diplomats arrived on."

[Got it,] said Arn, and while he talked, they could see on the screen how the entire away team were descending the Embassy, with the Trill in the lead. [Unless contained during the transport here, the crew aboard ought to be contaminated as well. They can't all be Infested aboard that ship, right?]

"My thought exactly. I have a half-baked plan alread-" There was a loud commotion on the view screen, which made Jennifer stop talking. She head shouting, and it seemed the away team had run into trouble. The feed was cut before anyone on the Allegiant's bridge could make out what had happened. "Lieutenant Arn? Come in!"

Silence.

"Try to re-establish communication, Halliwell," she told Ops, while they ascended through the atmosphere and came closer to the defensive grid and the fleets of ships amassed in orbit of the planet. "T'Less, what can you tell me about the Federation ship now? Who's the commanding officer, and do you think we can impersonate a Breen ship if we hail them, using audio only? We just need a scrambler from the Universal Translator. My thought is, we could bring up the protomatter and see how they react, and then go from there. What say you?"

The risk was evident, in how poking an ant's nest could expedite the intents of whomever held the trigger... but if they could find a sensible CO and a non-Infested crew, they might also get help stopping the Breen from declaring war on the Federation. She listened to what the present bridge crew thought of the idea...

...yet little did she know that atmospheric exit had stirred the interest of a Breen patrol ship, who'd seen the fluctuations in the atmosphere. Thus, they earned a shadow, which followed their trajectory blindly, yet to see through their Reman cloak.

OOC: There we go! Permission to NPC Zaryn Arn during the altercation is given to all three of three active writers with characters inside the Embassy. So, use him to progress the skirmish, and if you want to, kill him off using the aforementioned Ambassador (or not) during this round (or the next). @Stegro88 , @DaValle and @RyeTanker , with your upcoming posts, the most important thing is that you all push events to the point where they reach the basement of the embassy and the "bomb" in question. Here are a few ideas of mine, to add to your own if you so wish: [Show/Hide]
Supplemental threads on the Allegiant set before this scene (during the night before this mission) belong to Chapter 04 with the title convention CH04: S [D0Y|ZZZZ] Insert Title. If set before 1245 on Day 02, however, it belongs to Chapter 03, and can be set on the Erudite as well. There can be no Supplemental threads set after 0600 hrs. on Day 03, where this mission takes place.

The names of the away team can be seen below:

BREEN | ALLEGIANT CREW
- Chief of Mission (COM): Captain Jennifer Dewitt @Auctor Lucan
- CONN: Ensign Jaya Thorne @BZ
- Redshirt Operations: Ens. Klara Halliwell (NPC, due KIA)
- Tactical: Lt. T'Less @Stegro88
- Engineering: CPO Eun Sae Ji @BZ

BREEN | AWAY TEAM
- Redshirt Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM): Lt. Zaryn Arn (NPC, due KIA) @Auctor Lucan
- Medical Officer: Lt. JG XamotZark zh’Ptrell @RyeTanker
- Bomb Expert: PO2 Taa'gur Kolla @DaValle
- Gunnery Officer: PO3 Lorad @Stegro88

I am open to start supplemental threads on the Allegiant, set before this mission! If you have ideas for scenes that might involve a lot of the characters above, PM me. :)

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #20 –
[Ens. Jaya Thorne | New Kinks | Not the Plan | Don't go to Narnia | Ready to Rescue]
@Auctor Lucan





It was a sad day when no one could appreciate good humor.  Jaya was hilarious, even she thought so, and she was such a good judge of character that even on her worst days she was almost always right.  Still, she had to admit that the atmosphere was far too serious even for as serious a situation that they were in.  She supposed that, in a way, that must be why Jen had picked her to show up and make sure that this flying boat was the life of the party.  But, she also knew that her flying skills were trusted and she was pretty badass all around.  Still, she liked to think it was the whit and charm that had earned her many places among the elite chosen for such a mission.

Upon orders, Jaya only nodded as her affirmation before they headed up to the altitude she was told to.  Jaya loved the way that the Allegiant felt, underneath her hands, it was a beautiful ship and it moved like a dream.  She didn't often get much off time to just fly and play and enjoy herself.  She really just wanted to play.  But here she was stuck over the Breen city waiting for the ice men to finish their march into the embassy and hope that they came out alive, together, and with the bomb diffused so they could move on and the Federation wouldn't end up being an enemy.

Or well, more so than before.

Jaya twisted in her seat as the video feed of the camera on the helmet of .. someone she couldn't be bothered with names at this junction of boredom, began to transmit what was going on.  There was a body being drug off, some stairs, some whisper whiskey, tango, foxtrot, kind of stuff and then some commotion.  That's never good. she thought.  The already tense atmosphere dialed up to 11 as she waited for more orders.  Dewitt was trying to figure out what to do, and what their next step was, Jaya wanted to fly in and rescue their buddies and take them back home.  But, the mission wasn't done yet and it was too important to abort.

Right now, all she could do was wait.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #21 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Embassy | Breen]

@Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @DaValle @BZ

While the two Petty Officers hid the unconscious Vulcan away, Lt. Zark finished stowing away her medical equipment in the pouches on her exo suit.  With that task complete, she moved to cover the door while checking her HUD to see what other updates had come through.  Lt. Arn was in communication with Allegiant giving a status update when a red warning message flashed in status window, Ext Comm Lost: Jamming. Lt. Zark's eye brows shot up and she could feel her antennae attempt to do the same inside her helmet. Something had activated a dampening field and all communications had been lost with Allegiant.  This didn't stop her as she reached the door and took a quick peak outside.  Still nothing.  As she turned to face Lt. Arn, she could see him tapping the side of this helmet and punching combinations on his suit PADD.  It was obvious from the increasing speed and force that he was applying to his equipment that nothing was working.  For a moment Lt. Arn stopped working with his equipment and, frozen in motion and obviously in thought.  Lt. Zark could almost see the gears whirring inside the intelligence officer's head as he took in the implications of everything that had just happened. 

The two Petty Officers had gotten the body hidden away when Lt. Arn touched another button and Lt.Zark saw a window open on the team frequency.  "We've got a problem, I believe our intervention has been planned for by the Infested.  Given how few staff we've encountered, the ease of infiltration, and now the comm jamming all point to this.".  Lt. Zark and the others nodded their agreement, it wasn't exactly a trap, but the situation was immensely more complex than first anticipated with many more unknown variables being tossed in. "Makes sense.  Seeing how few people there are here, I would guess that our Infected infiltrator is the ambassador."   Lt.Arn made a continue motion with his hands. "With a staff this small, there's no need for an ambassador to delegate much of their duties so a lot authorizations like transferring items under diplomatic cover can be signed off by them.  The Infected also like to take over high ranking positions and the ambassador to another nation certainly counts."

Lt. Arn nodded at this and took another moment. "Speed is now of the essence, we need to find, apprehend, and interrogate the ambassador. Keep an eye on the sensors for increases in proto matter count.  That should hopefully point us in the direction of the enemy."  With that subtle change in designation a chill rush through the team.  They knew who their enemy was and they were in a race against time to hunt them down. "T'Kolla, lead off, followed my myself, Lorad, and Zark. Move out."

The hunt was on.


[Show/Hide]

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #22 –
[ PO3 Lorad | Federation Embassy | Breen ]
[Show/Hide]


Lorad was, conflicted. T’Kolla’s take down of the Vulcan had been, technically, well executed. Yet the Reman could help feel that it was much more than was necessary to immobilise the embassy official. He had seen the man ahead but while he had been waiting to see if he was alone, T’Kolla had brushed past him and attacked the Vulcan, almost killing him. They were not here to kill unless necessary and yet Weapons technician had felt the need to almost do that. If it hadn’t been for the Andorian’s efficient aid, the Vulcan would have suffocated to death.

Unsure what to say, Lorad dragged the Vulcan away and hid him behind some discarded furniture, securing his hands and feet in the process as the officers discussed what to do next. They had to find this protomatter and the ambassador. And without being in contact with the Allegiant due to a jamming field. Convenient. “Or perhaps not.”

“We should use turboshaft,” Lorad intoned after being relegated to third in line. It was a tactical mistake, in his opinion, given their situation. If there was a bomb, they would need T’Kolla to disarm it. Yet he had been placed in front, the most dangerous position. “We use suits to descend, scanning each level for life signs or this protomatter. We also avoid more people so less casualties,” Lorad explained, glancing at the place he had hidden the Vulcan, while considering his words. “Also safer if I lead. T’Kolla needed for bomb. Me, not.”


[ Lieutenant T’Less | Bridge | USS Allegiant | Breen Space ]
[Show/Hide]
 

As Ensigin Thorne brought the Allegiant up, T’Less kept her eyes focused squarely on the sensors and what they were telling her. And she didn’t have to wait long as the ship cut through the atmosphere and its disturbances to provide her a clearer picture.

“Captain, I can confirm that the Federation contact is an Intrepid-class ship. It is the USS Eirene. Records indicate that it was last commanded by a Martian-born Terran, Captain Julius Bellum,” she read off, having brought up the ship’s records about Starfleet vessels and their captains, reading Bellum’s personality profile to estimate the man’s responses to Dewitt’s plan. “I estimate that we would have a 62% chance of convincing him we were a Breen ship, based on their assuming that the hail was coming from the planet and not a ship. After that, it would depend on what, if anything, the captain knows about what is really going on.”

A warning tone sounded and T’Less looked across and her eyes rose slightly, running possible scenarios.

“Ensign Thorne, Full Stop!” her tone uncharacteristically loud and firm. Checking again, T’Less turned to Dewitt. “Apologies Captain. We have a Breen patrol ship approaching our position. I theorise that it has detected fluctuations in the atmosphere from our passage. Much like our use of particle sensors in the Azure Nebula."

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #23 –
[PO2 T’Kolla | Federation Embassy | Breen] @Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @RyeTanker @BZ
[Show/Hide]


Together with the Reman Taa’gur hid the body of the, now at least, unconscious Vulcan. It was definitely not his intention to harm the Officer that badly when he rushed towards him earlier, it was just too long ago that he trained such methods. Actually the last time he had to use non-lethal methods was before the Dominion War and considering this long break he was still astonishing fast with his moves. Maybe he just got too old for away missions, maybe he was just too enthusiastic for his first away mission after so long. Who knows, but at least from now on he’ll stop rushing in front of everyone else…

Lieutenant Arn, anyhow, had other plans for their team formation. The Trill gave him the order to lead the group and then he placed Lorad in the back rows. Not really the wisest decision... Taa’gur thought and apparently he wasn’t the only one of them who thought that way. The Reman protested already and Taa’gur joined his complain as well. “Sir, with all due respect, but it would be the most reasonable tactic to let the Officer with the biggest gun clear the way for the rest.” With a glance over to the unconscious body of the Vulcan Taa’gur continued. “Also, since the most of you have a clear problem with my methods, you should probably send someone else first. However, mister Lorad has made a good point by using the turbolifts. In normal Federation buildings those things are basically like the backbone of the building, if we want to reach any level and avoid security personal as well as equipment, they are our best chance.”

The Devore reached over to the next control panel of the turbolifts and hold his arm right next to it. After some moments of tipping on his interface the door of the lift opened and the groupe could look right down to lowest level of the shaft. “I have disabled this lift for the next hour or so. If it’s just one then they’ll maybe think it’s just a malfunction.” With the turbolift as direct way down they could move without any further incidents to the origin of the Protomatter. The scanner told them with every passed level of the empty turbolifts shaft that their target was somewhere beneath the embassy. So apparently the basement was their destination.
[PO2 T’Kolla]
[Show/Hide]

Oh and if there's anything fundamentally wrong with the text above, then please don't hesitate to point it out to me.

Re: Chapter 04: Horns of a Dilemma [ Day 02 | 1245 hrs. ]

Reply #24 –
[Lt (JG) XamotZark zh’Ptrell (Lt. Zark)  | Embassy | Breen]

@Auctor Lucan @Stegro88 @DaValle @BZ

Lt.Arn had given a subtle nod to the change that was suggested by T'Kolla.  Violence may be called for soon and having the biggest gun around was a very good idea.  "Approved. Let's try to take the ambassador alive and get any information out of them on disarming the device."

The team piled into the turbolift like those human sardines in a can.  The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife as the team descended down into the bowels of the embassy building.  It was the tightening around the eyes, the shoulders, and the back.  Lt. Zark was coiled and ready for action, her primal level senses stretched for any subtle detail that would give a warning of any threats ahead.  The subtle shift in the volume of the turbolift indicated they were slowing down and weapons were brought to as ready positions as possible while the team stacked up against the walls as much as possible to keep the door area clear in case of any ambushes.  Lt.Zark felt her smirk tighten as the sound from the turbolift cut out.

The swish of the door opening was deafening by comparison.  Lt. Zark saw Lorad give the hallway a check.  She peeked over his head keeping rifle pointed at the floor to avoid bumping him in the head. It was Federation standard, grey and well lit, and completely empty.  Lorad led the way out and the rest of the team followed keeping an eagle eye watch on the corridor ahead of them and their sensors.  Knowing they were closing in on their objective was making the tension bad enough, but the emptiness of the basement made it even worse, but they were trained combat officers, and they were outwardly calm and focused on the mission.

With the maze of corridors, it was easy to get lost.  Twice the team had to turn around when the proto matter count dropped.  The team could feel this was taking too long.  Lt. Arn called team halt and to setup a perimeter.  His head was moving as if talking to someone, which was most likely the computer as he also started working with his PADD.  He continued to punch a few more combinations into his PADD and stopping to see the results.  The communication chime activated after on the team frequency. "It looks like the auxiliary power system is up and running at full power load.  Since the primary lines also show incoming power from the city, I surmise the ambassador has activated the device using the backups.  I'm uploading the path to the backup system."  Lt.Zark saw a map come up with a blue waypoint path leading them to their destination. "Move out." Lt.Arn ordered.

With the map, the team quickly made it to room and stack up outside the door.  Lt. Zark couldn't see much of the rest of the team as she got behind Lorad on the door's left, while Lt.Arn and T'Kolla stacked on the right side.  Lorad looked like he was about to jump into the room when he stopped. What Lt.Zark didn't see was as soon as Lt. Arn had pressed the button to open the door, it had responded with the negative chime. "Door's locked, l'll need to hack it."  Lt.Zark quickly turned around to keep the back covered from any ambushes.  It took a few tense minutes for the door to be bypassed, but it responded obediently and opened.

Lorad led the way, followed by Lt.Arn. A soon as Lt Arn had taken his third step, Lt.Zark moved in behind the pair and she could hear T'Kolla following.  The room was quite large and contained a couple of columns with each what looked like 10 to 15 rows of power cell towers organized much in the way a library organized shelves of books.  There were some support columns on the outside of the room, but the item of greatest interest lay at the opposite end of the room.  A micro fusion cell generator was running at full power, emanating a harsh yellow glow. Setup in front of the generator with wires running to it was a cylindrical device.  It had lights flashing quickly in the middle of it's mass and was beginning to vent some sort of vapor.  The protomatter scanner began beaping madly in the HUDs of all the team members.  They'd found the device.

A quick scan didn't reveal any life signs, but something about the readings didn't make Lt.Arn feel any better.  Quickly assessing the situation, he came up with a plan. "Lorad sweep right, Zark sweep left, T'Kolla with me. Meet at the device. Shoot to stun.".  Lt. Zark was not sure of this approach but didn't raise her concerns.  Dividing their forces in the face of unknown adversaries was a good way for each element to be ambushed, but it would reduce the risk of catching everyone in concentrated fire.  Keeping her reservations to herself, Lt. Zark set off to her side of the room, covering the 20 feet to the wall quickly.  With that the team lined up, they began a steady advance, weapons raised down the end of the room.

Lt. Zark kept her focus on the HUD and what she could see, more alloy, and walls.  The team made it about 15 feet, around 3 sets of power cells when the lights went out and a speaker came to life emanating a sensual husky female voice.  "You are all so predictable.".  Lt. Zark had enough time to hear a bang of a ventilation grate dropping and a bright light flashing in her face.  The next thing she knew there were two loud reports that sounded like a chemical firearm.  The first shot hit her directly in the abdomen and she let out an animal scream of shock, pain, and fury as the round penetrated her exo suit front.  Alloy shards, sparks, and blood went flying in all directions, painting a gorey tribute all over the wall and floor.  She felt herself folding inward and was suddenly knocked on to her back as the second bullet glanced off her should pouldron.  Her HUD was dancing madly with red warnings from suit damage and internal damage.  Peripherally she was aware of the light moving off and a turret deploying from somewhere and spaying phaser fire in all directions, at least it sounded like pulsed phaser fire, there could have been some other communication from the rest of the team.  So much noise.

As the shock wore off, the pain hit, and intense lance of fire she'd never felt before, she wanted to cry.  She placed her hand over the wound as the pain subsided into an intense and was shocked at the amount of blood that came away from it.  "Zark is down." she managed to grit out. She knew she was bleeding out and felt her strength starting to ebb, she needed a coagulant or she'd be royally screwed.  With strength born of desperation but with the loss of control from being injured, she began looking for the right medical equipment that would save her life.

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