Each of the freighters has a crew of 8-10. The Jem'Hadar have concentrated fire on the two freighters that were carrying no cargo and the Bird of Prey. The BoP's engines are damaged and the crew has suffered several injuries. Other than the ship that you were engaged with, the Jem'Hadar are mostly uninjured. As far as you can tell, the Jem'Hadar haven't shifted any cargo to their ships.
As you are scanning them, the Jem'Hadar ships break off and turn to head deeper into the Argolis cluster.
"Captain, the freighters crews vary between eight and ten. The Jem'Hadar have concentrated fire on the two freighters..." He looks up from his console at the Captain "Carrying no cargo?"
"The Bird of Prey's engines are damaged and the crew has suffered several injuries. Only the ship we engaged has taken any real damage. The Jem'Hadar haven't taken any cargo to their ships. The Jem'Hadar are breaking for the Argolis cluster. Sir I recommend we hold position and aid the Klingon ships."
Tobin nods in agreement, and says, "Let them go. But keep an eye on them, and move to yellow alert as soon as you're sure they're gone."
He looks towards Ensign Nami, and says, "Move into transporter range of the Klingon ships."
Next, he says, hoping internal communication still functions, "Bridge to Commander Hill, what's the status on communications?"
Nami nods and says, "Moving to transporter range and matching the drift of the Mupwl', Captain."
Gareb taps the console before he looks up towards the Captain. "Captain I'd like to modify a probe with Chief Engineer Hill to modify it's power systems like he has with the Bastion. The Jem'hadar will destroy it if we send it towards that anomaly but not before we get the scans I believe we need." ...he had almost forgotten to at least run it by the Captain before sending a probe to destruction in the heat of the moment. But he wasn't in command any more.
Captain Tobin Dell was logical, he'd agree he had no doubt.
Dell turns in his seat to look towards his first officer, and he does nod, and says, "Good plan. Do it."
"Bridge to sickbay, prepare teams to assist with triage on the Klingon ships."
Then, he turns back towards the viewscreen, and says, "Open a channel to the Klingon ships."
Once Jalla has confirmed, he says, "This the Bastion, what's your status? Our medical team are standing by to assist."
"Of course, Captain," Jalla nods quickly, opening communications while her mind races, What was their plan? We may have been successful against one of those fighters, but the other two would still have presented quite a threat. They left us alive, they took nothing, what were they here for...?
Hill exhales slowly as the engines' humming spins up, taking them further through space, now that combat has largely ended.
Gareb enters engineering. "Chief I need your help, I want to replicate your augmentations to the power relays on the ship as best we can on a probe. I picked up something off on the sensors."
While Dell speaks with the Klingons, Jalla surreptitiously signals Doctor Hagen to exercise caution with any wounded guests, but she awaits the close of Dell's conversation before she shares her suspicions in full.
Pegira, sporting a bandage around her midsection, will nod and glance at the phaser sitting on her desk.
zh'Qjaqir opens communications, and the Klingon captain Akul appears on screen. Blood drips from a wound on his forehead as gas vents behind him and sparks shower to his left.
"Captain Dell, it would appear that you have fared better in this engagement than the Mupwl'."
Gareb adjusts the probe with Hill's help before launching it. He immediately sets about scanning and recording the information for later review in case he misses something. [b]"I'm doing multispectral sweeps. We picked up something before. It could be a ship, space station or array but lets not rule out a natural phenomenon previously unknown to us at the heart of this.
Though he, too, is concerned about the mysteries, Dell focuses first on saving lives. He trusts his crew to be considering the possibilities in the meantime.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Captain. We're ready to assist in whatever way we can."
Akul's voice takes on a characteristic Klingon gravel as he says, "You should assist us, Captain, by pursuing our attackers. We will manage here on our own. Hunt down those that have attacked us and destroy them!"
"Captain I can tell the direction but not the exact point yet that is causing the additional disruptions. They are as we suspected not natural in origin. On a local level we could use some tri quantum waves using the nascelles to cancel them out."
"I am picking up several more ships that we didn't know about on the scan. Five more Jem'hadar fighters and a Battle Cruiser. Obviously taking them on wouldn't work in any kind of conventional encounter with just the Bastion but I've picked up various celestial phenomenon including protostars, gravimetic distortion as well as radiation bursts... it will be challenging to navigate it. I can handle the sensors and interpreting the data but we will need someone with a lot of skill at the helm."
Gareb pauses before continuing. "In my estimation the best two candidates for that challenge are yourself and Lt. Junior Grade zh'Qjaqir. If you wish to avail of the option that is Captain."
The comms chime as Hill adds, "We're going to have problems with the Engineering Systems shortly, Captain. I had to use some...unorthodox techniques to keep us up and running during that last fight. Should have it fully up and running shortly..."
"Before you make your decision, there are several anomalous decisions by both the Jem'Hadar and our allies. The Jem'Hadar seemed to focus their energy on empty freighters, tractoring them for a short time before breaking off and retreating. Most suspicious. And why were freighters heading to a war zone empty in the first place.
All is not as it seems."
Dell actually looks a tiny bit offended at the suggestion of going after revenge. "I'll take that under advisement. Bastion out."
He turns back to look around to the others, (and sort of vaguely in the air as he listens to Hill), listening to what they are saying.
First, he answers his engineer, "Understood. And good job keeping us together during the fight."
To Gareb, he says, "Good work. I'd rather not get into a fight for no purpose - I do not count vengeance as a purpose - but if the Dominion are causing these disruptions, we need to deal with them. I could take the helm as you suggest." Glancing to Jalla, he says, "No offence, Lieutenant, but I'd rather keep you at tactical in a fight."
Then, moving onto the next topic, he says, "Could they have had cargo that was hidden by a cloaking device? Something they didn't want us to see? The Jem'Hadar have proven effective at seeing through cloaks."
"It might kick the targ awake Captain but Lt. zh'Qjaqir has a point, some more invasive scans of those 'empty' transports might shed some light on the situation."
For a moment, Tobin thinks about this. The implications, and how he can deal with any diplomatic fallout.
If nobody puts in any counter suggestions in the moments he thinks, he says, "The Klingon transports did not respond to our hail after the battle. Please scan them thoroughly to assess their status."
Gareb pulls up the sensor logs from before and tries to use those to help him spot anything unusual. "I am scanning to asses their battle damage among other things."
The immediate danger over, Eliza enters the bridge, her hair a flustered tangle of red.
She approaches the captain. Captain Dell she gives a curt salute and begins talking in rapid fire bursts I'm Lt. Cunningham, reporting for duty. I'm your flight controller and...I suppose navigator in a pinch, though I'm really best behind the wheel, as it were...I'm sorry we're just now meeting. I was a last minute transfer before the Bastion left the station. The power surge trapped me in my quarters during the...uh...situation.
She approaches the empty conn control that Dell is moving toward. Permission to take the helm, sir? Unless you were going to take your hand at it, which is fine, that's your prerogative. I can try to plot us a course around these bothersome anomalies?Or fly the ship. I can fly the ship, sir, so you don't have to.
The beginnings of a headache creeps into Jalla's temples. The second I'm promoted past her we're going to have a long and detailed discussion about how a Starfleet officer should comport herself...
Gareb continues tapping away at the console but glances up. "Lt. Cunningham, take the helm and familiarize yourself with the anomalies. We'll talk about this later ...as well as the finer points of alternate methods of getting out of your quarters. We're still gathering information for the Captain to make any final decisions."
She nods to Gareb. Yes sir, Commander th’Chiaqis. She sits at the helm, her fingers dancing across the panel, reviewing the scan data. As soon as she sits down, she’s all business, her nerves and the adrenaline of the raid giving away to the familiar rhythm of conn operation.
While weighty decisions are being considered on the bridge, Chief Engineer Hill is ordering about the crew immediately under his authority, gathering up the bodies of the slain Jem'Hadar and inspecting them for anything out of the ordinary.
Per Starfleet regulations, slain enemies are to be carefully analyzed before disposal, and while it's not glamorous work, Hill takes a certain pride in the appearance of his ship, so he moves about the task with brisk efficiency.
Ensign Nami slides out of the helm to make way for Lt. Cunningham.
Dell looks up as the new home officer arrives, giving her a nod of greeting. "Lieutenant." But, that's all his attention that he spares for welcoming the new bridge officer at the moment, running through possible scenarios in his mind as he waits for the report.
Of course, Eliza doesn't mention any of this. She's too busy analyzing the readings of the anomalies so that she can plot them a course to wherever they need to go safely.
"There are high concentrations of tetryon particles which would be consistent with the use of cloaking devices. Strangely I'm picking up low leves of polaric radiation on one of the empty freighters. Traces of duranium, likely from duranium pods."
He pauses double checking his readings "The Jem'Hadar concentrated fire on the transport engines. They had the upper hand and broke of, most likely they took whatever was being transported so covertly. The question is what are their crew being so secretive about? Covertly letting these items get raided or perhaps something even now they are honoured to keep secret from their allies."
Eliza taps a few more reports, and then looks up from the console. Captain, I've completed my review of the anomaly scans. I'm prepared to chart a safe course that should circumvent any further encounters. At your orders, sir.
Chief Engineer Hill chimes in from Engineering that the ship's systems are fully operational and she can operate at near-optimum capacity whenever Dell wishes. There's a note of pride in Hill's voice as he praises the efficient work of the engineers working underneath his authority.
"Polaric energy is banned in the treaty of 2268, of which both the Federation and Klingons are signatories. It wouldn't be hard to think of ways to try to weaponize it. I could certainly imagine a few Klingon officers not being too burdened by a century old treaty for a weapon capable of destroying life on a planet."