Bridge Refresher Part I
Posted on Fri Jun 30th, 2023 @ 12:51pm by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren & Major Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Mon Jul 3rd, 2023 @ 8:42pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 14 - The Poseidon Adventure
Location: Bridge - Deck 1 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD011 1000 hrs
It had been a while since Alyssa was in command of the bridge. Not since the Archimedes. So much had happened since then and it seemed like a lifetime ago. There were a number of senior officers who could take a turn, but since she was a department head, there was always a possibility.
She'd passed all the necessary evaluations and now she had her final "test" with the First Officer.
Frowning, Neil glanced at Alyssa and said, "Commander. Stop wool gathering. We've got a situation. You have the bridge while I go help security deal with these intruders. Hold down the fort and keep trying to raise the away teams..." Neil pulled a go bag from a floor compartment and slid into the backpack, tightening the shoulder straps and securing the waist belt. Then he reached up and pulled the armored front panel of the vest up and out of the back pouch and sealed it in place. Finally, he unfolded a phaser carbine and slid into the bridge lift-tube, calling out final orders, "Seal the bridge and follow intruder protoc..." He was cut off as the tube's power fluctuated and dropped away, as spiders chewed their way through the tube's floor and dropped onto him."
"Security!" Alyssa ordered. They turned to shoot the spiders, but the doors closed, cutting them off.
"Seal the bridge." She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping Neil was okay, then turned to ops. "We need to find a way to keep those things off the hull. Alter the energy frequency until you find something that works."
The chief nodded. "I hope this doesn't turn into a game of Russian Roulette."
"Science, see what you can find. Is there anything in the computer on these spiders?" There had to be something they couldn't eat through. "Use the science database to run calculations based on the current data available."
"Yes, ma'am. I can use the sensor data from the Klingon ship and see if I can figure something out," the science officer responded.
"Comm, contact the way team. Tell them of our situation and see if they can find anything to get rid of these spiders."
"Aye, ma'am." The comms officer had just sent a message when she got a signal from an incoming ship. "Ma'am, it's the Klingon Captain."
"Onscreen." She turned to face the viewscreen, glad she was still standing.
"USS Pioneer... You committed an act of war against the Empire. You have no honor. First you send these things to make holes in my hull. Then your Captain and command crew board my vessel to take it as a prize. Well today may just be a good day to die. Your Captain will die with me." The lumbering Klingon Captain stood in front of the command chair on the bridge as he addressed Alyssa. Pinkish blood oozed from a wound on his head however he did not seem to care. His right arm showed some sort of battle damage as well. It seemed that he was bit by something.
"You speak to me of honor without bothering to verify your facts? I expect that from a Ferengi, not a Klingon warrior." She met his gaze with scientific disdain. "We came in response to your distress call and now we are being attacked by whatever is eating away at your hull. Scan my ship and see for yourself that I speak truth. I have worked with Klingon scientists on many occasions and call them friends. I challenge you to call upon them now to verify my words. The only way either of us will survive is to work together."
"Commander," Neil's voice came over the bridge's intercom. "We've got six kinds of crap going down. More spiders are pouring in through hull breaches on deck's four six and five. If we haven't issued shelter in place orders for the entire ship, get that done. That Neg'Var looks to have been used as a hive ship. More and more are coming at us...if those away teams aren't aboard shortly, you'll need to blow it. As is, we need to distract them and get the upper hand before we lose Pioneer and they spread." The sound of phaser fire and explosions cut off anything further the marine was going to say.
She thought that had already been done. Even so, she should have checked to be sure. Alyssa turned to the comms officer and signaled for her to mute the channel, then sent a quick ship-wide message to the crew.
She still had to deal with the Klingon captain. Another signal and the channel was again open. "Captain," she said, "If you deliberately lured us here to spread these bugs, that would be considered an act of war. If you want to save your people, we will need to work together. Did you do anything to stop this infestation but fight?"
The Klingon Captain roared with anger. "You dare to accuse me of luring you here to damage your ship. I am a warrior of the Empire. If I wanted your ship I would take it in glorious combat, not use some sort of device to take it. You say that we lured you here. And yet it is you who showed up after we were attacked. Do not think that I do not notice what uniform you wear. You are no warrior you are a scientist. Well, this ship and its crew will not be your experiment any longer." The Klingon issued orders to his weapons officer in Klingon. The order translated to "Prepare for the final assault." The communications line went dead immediately after.
"Red alert. All hands, prepare for an attack." There was no more time for answers. "Ops, we need full weapons and shields now," she ordered. "Divert power if you have to. Security, target weapons and power. Don't shoot first, but once they do, respond. We need to disable them before they destroy us." She wasn't sure what their power systems were capable of at this point, but she couldn't take a chance they weren't fully operational.
Alyssa sent a message to the intel department to look for any other sightings of these spiders and if they were contained. There had to be something out there. Even with the Klingon ship about to attack, she still had to try.
"Science, any luck polarizing the hull?"
"We found a frequency that keeps them off the hull, but it does nothing for those already here," science reported.
"Do it, but keep searching. Look for a sound or light frequency that will affect them. Anything as long as it won't kill us." Self-destruction was something she had to consider, but only as a last resort. They could not risk spreading this infestation.
They needed to find out what the drew the bugs. If they could, they might be able to appease the Klingons. "Scan the Klingon ship. Are the bugs congregating in specific areas? What are they going after? We need more information."
"Ops, send all data we have on the bugs to Starfleet. Inform them of our situation." She had to keep other ships from falling prey to the same infestation that decimated the Klingon ship. She sent another ship-wide message, asking if anyone notices anything unusual or noteworthy about the bugs, to report it. She still hoped that someone would notice something about these things that would help get rid of them. She had to hope there would still be time, even while preparing to fight back.
"Ma'am," the science officer said. "We found something that stuns them for a minute or two."
"Why do I hear a but in there?" she asked.
A Joint Post By
Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Alyssa Maren
Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Major Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Commanding Officer, The Cure
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