Sorry for the delay everyone. I was out of town with limited internet. I'm back now!
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Its risky, but maybe we can leave via beam out at shuttle? They’ll have an easier chance locking on from there.
Lance bangs on the door, shouting Federation authentication codes to identify himself and the group.
Lance brings environment suits to the remaining crew in the shuttle. We need to move fast. We have a man trapped out there! Suit up, we'll grab Rorke and get to the redoubt and finish this mission the way we intended. He looks to Bhalla, shame and gratitude in equal measure. And we'll work together to do it.
Lance has some extra environmental suits in his hands, ready for transport down. Doctor...I was...too harsh to you regarding the crash. I'm sorry, and I need your help. This is a dangerous mission, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather have with me to rescue our remaining crew. Will you join me?
Lance knows that Garrett is right, but... What about the shuttlecraft? Can you lock on the shuttlecraft? We didn't get far before I...I fell. I can get back to Rorke if you beam me to the shuttlecraft.
Lance seems almost frantic We...we have to go back for him. Beam me down if you have to. We can’t leave him there. He looks to Bhalla, shame in his eyes. Ensign Rorke isn’t going to die because of my screwup. Send me back down.
I...I'm wedged in. I don't know if I can get out without tearing my suit. Lance grits his teeth and tries to carefully remove himself from where he's pinned in.
Lance takes the lead. A mile was a long way to go at full sprint, but they needed to move fast.
Normally I’d love that idea, but we’ll be running for our lives. I’ll see if the redoubt has video archives. He passes out environment suits. One for him, one for the Doctor, one for a security ensign, one for a medical ensign. We four will make the run to the redoubt. With luck they’ll have more environment suits so we can all get out safely. When everyone is ready, Kreskin leads the small group out of the shuttle.
Without looking up from the sensor screen, Lance replies curtly Are you? Are you prepared to lead a reconnaissance and rescue team? Do you know where we landed in relation to the redoubt? Or how many hostiles are patrolling outside? You nearly killed us all rushing a landing, I’ll be damned if I let you wander into a shooting gallery. I’m only going to be able to take a few people to the redoubt. Can I count on you to follow my orders, or do I have to leave you behind?
Lance sends a distress signal to Adam and gets on the scanner to try to locate the ship (or ships) that attacked them.
Do I detect the hostile ships and their position?
This is why I told the captain to stay on the ship... He looks around the shuttle. Everyone ok? We’re going to have to hike out, I think. He checks the supplies...nine crew, seven suits. Is life support holding, or is leaving people behind not an option?
Bhalla, wait, it might not be...ah hell. Prepare for a crash everyone. Soft as possible, doctor. Kreskin begins hastily scanning sensor data to find a soft landing point
Lance starts sweeping through the anomaly to guide the pilot down safely. His previous scans giving important context to the current readings.
Aye captain. Kreskin takes a shuttle pilot, four seasoned security ensigns, Dr. Bhalla and three medical personnel of the doctor’s choosing. After everyone is loaded up, he gives the order to take the shuttle down to the planet.
Lance begins compiling the information he analyzed earlier, looking for weak points in the armor.
He passes the information to our targeting systems. If this succeeds, then the vessel’s next Attack, before the end of the sensor operator’s next Turn, gains the Piercing 2 quality, ignoring two of the target’s Resistance per Effect rolled. Further, if any bonus d20s are purchased for that next attack, it inflicts +1 damage for each bonus d20 purchased.
Lance reviews the data as it streams in, looking for some indication of intent or capibities. If it’s rushing the ship, he wanted to know how to defend themselves.
1. Does the craft have any obvious offensive capibities? Things that look like gun batteries, torpedo ports, energy sources that could power a phaser, etc.
Lance complies with the orders, using the sensors to detect any signs that the cloud was once a planet.
Sir, the craft is of unknown origin. If you get us closer I can do a deep scan, but we’ll need to enact first contact procedures.
Lance does some calibration tests, checking sensor readings against objects visible in the view screen.
Lance sits at the science station, at the ready. He can run some sensor sweeps when the captain is ready.
Lance looks pained. He’d served with her for many years and he’d miss her company. Plus their work on the T’karra-Kreskin Inertial Arresters was nearly done. That technology would save lives one day. He doesn’t so much as nod. This was Adam’s moment. He needed to be as invisible as possible, so that the crew knew that the captain is the final voice. He didn’t need Lance’s approval or his support.
I’m actually not sure I buy her logic. Surely a war, even a prolonged violent one wouldn’t lead to the catastrophic loss of life caused by the utter destruction of the Klingon homeworld. It’d lead to fewer FEDERATION casualties, but it’s not a logical conclusion from a needs of the few/needs of the many standpoint.
Lance looks like he’s about to speak, hesitates and starts again. Of course, sir. I trust your judgment. You can consider this matter closed. Once dismissed, he returns to his position on the bridge. Adam wasn’t necessarily wrong, but there’d come a time soon where his absence might catch up to him.
After getting permission to speak freely, Lance sits across from the Captain. Captain Reeves, I want to preface this by saying that I’m proud to serve as your second command on this ship and whenever the situation calls for it I am ready and able to take command... He sighs. I’m a highly decorated, long serving Starfleet Officer...if I wanted to command a starship I’d be commanding a starship. If I hadn’t suggested you for the Bastion... he trails off. The point is...we’ve had two major crisises this tour and you’ve left me in charge for both. We missed intercepting that signal because I had to context shift from doing your job to doing mine. A breath, then Are you sure that YOU want to be a Captain? Because if you’re not into this you need to step down. You’re young, you’ll get another shot. But if you want this, you need to step UP. Sit in the big chair when lives are on the line, stop Kirking around on away missions. This ship needs a Captain, not just a stand-in. He finishes speaking and waits for his commander’s response, whatever it may be.
Kreskin steels himself and presses the chime for the captain’s ready room. This was going to be a difficult conversation.
Sucessful and unsuccessful, respectively. For what it’s worth, she saved your life and went to the brig without trouble. I don’t think it was her trying to wipe out the Klingons.
Relieved to be taking orders rather than giving them, Lance gingerly lowers himself into his seat and starts tracking the comm blast.
You got it, boss. Glad to have you on board. You planning on joining us on bridge soon? If I’d wanted to be captain I’d have made very different career choices. To Sam. Sorry Kerensky. I’ve got orders to pull us out. We’ll be out of transport range in a second.
T’Karra, we’re going to have very serious words when this is over. Words like “war crimes” and “genocide” but...at least until Adam is back on bridge you have my permission to save our lives. He might have other feelings on the matter. He sends a comm to Ensign Lukas, one of the guards keeping an eye on T’karra. She’s good for now, but if she steps out line, I’m ordering you to fire at will. Is there a setting between stun and kill, because that’d be the appropriate level. Set phasers to wound.
Capital idea, Thoss. You have your order.
Getting the signal from T’karra, Lance gives the order to beam the errant away team home.
Hi! Sorry! I’ve been suffering from an inability to access the site on mobile. I’ll be back to a computer later this week and I can resume playing.
We have our orders. Thoss, grab whomever you can. Otherwise, put some distance between us and the station. Can we use the planet as a shield?
Kerensky, we have T’karra. Evacuate immediately. Mr. Th’Chiaqis...fire at will but don’t put us inside that beam. We won’t survive it.
Lance listens to Kerensky’s report. This is...very bad. Damnit, Adam. Fine time to put me in charge... Under normal circumstances he’d volunteer to take technical point, but he’s responsible now. Plus, he’s a biologist, not an engineer. He’d struggle to maneuver the station. Thoss...I’m going to need some firing solutions on the station, a way to disable that beam. It wasn’t possible to transport the original science crew...but he could maybe transport his own away team to safety. He sits at the control panel and tries to get a lock on T’karra
He beams T’karra to the teleport pad, a security compartment waiting to great her.
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