From jeffj@baudelaire.princeton.edu Mon May 25 07:11:27 1998 Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 05:40:56 -0600 From: "Jeffrey J. Jenkins" To: INDIGO FLEET List Serve Subject: [INDIGO] And so it begins. Part 1 ---OFFICIAL INDIGO FLEET TRANSMISSION--- Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 07:39:12 -0400 (EDT) From: "Jeffrey J. Jenkins" Subject: [INDIGO] And so it begins. Part 1 Part 1 of 2 ----------- MD 6.1200 Location: Bridge, USS NOVA "Sir, aspect change on pursuing spacecraft," came the alarmed voice of Ensign Lunderman from tactical. "We are now reading three distinct signatures. Two appear very large one is much smaller, possibly a shuttle craft of some sort." The ensign was not happy with this situation. The tactical display looked like a muddled mess in hyperspace. It was half guesswork and half intuition to interpret what the sensors was giving him and he knew that Villiers would be very unforgiving if he should make an error. Still, the change in the signature could have been seem by a Bolian mole rat. "What if there are more shuttlecraft hidden in the shadows of the larger ships, sir?" asked Fairbourne. "This could be a boarding attempt. We have no conventional shields in hyperspace and the radiation shields offer no defense against weaponry." Because of the gravity waves of hyperspace and their tendency to play havok with gravitational fields generated by the ship, a ship in dimensional warp could not use n-space warp drives or shields. It made combat in hyperspace so deadly that the Federation had never thought to try. If these were Dalriadan warships, then perhaps they had a different experience with hyperspace. The thought flashed through Villier's mind and as he looked to his right at Commander Weston, he knew that he was not alone in this realization. Finally, Villiers broke the the ominous silence that had gripped the bridge at the prospect of being boarded. "Mister Budge," said the captain, half turning to face the aft bridge stations, "can you get any ranging data. How close is that shuttle?" Villiers knew that any shuttle should be able to easily reach on a ship of the size that Lunderman had detected. "Sir, shuttle is nearing energy weapon range. I don't know why we didn't detect it earlier. It may have just transitioned into this hyperspace level. Other vessels are at one million kilometers and closing. I make than at 0.6 c and accelerating." The science officer knew that the captain was very unhappy with the situation, but he had to give him the news in any event. "Red alert!" snapped the captain. As the claxon's sounded, he orderd, "Mister Zahar, full impulse power. Bring us to 0.8 c." Even if those ships were less powerful than NOVA, Villiers had no intention of enagaging any two starships in hyperspace without the benefit of shields. "Sir, I have a better call on the other two ships and the shuttle. It appears that the two large vessels are both in excess of 7 million metric tons. I can't be more precise with the gravitic interference. However, that is within the projected mass for a Dalridan battleship." Villiers mentally added that, since it likely massed less than NOVA, it would probably be able to accelerate better her as well. That was extremely unsettling when a Dalriadan battleship of 7 million tons was estimated to pack the same firepower of a Federation ZEUS-class ship of over 10 million tons. Budge continued, "Short range sensors are now providing more detailed information on the shuttle. It is small, likely a personnel shuttle not a boarding craft. It is now within 200,000 km and still closing. Estimate that we cannot out accelerate it." "Engineering, this is the captain." The captain almost snarled as a sharp ferral fierceness was evident in his voice. [Hensley here, captain,] replied the new engineering officer, trying to keep the trepidation from his voice. No young officer liked dealing with a captain in a foul mood and there was little doubt of the captain's mood. "Mister Hensley, I need more power. We're being followed by a Dalriadan shuttle and I want to evade it without destroying it if possible." [Sir, that's not likely. Dimensional warp shuttles are exceptionally maneuverable.] "Mister Hensley, that shuttle had to have come from one of those battleships back there and that cannot be good news for us if it contacts the ship." [I'll do what I can, but I'm not sure that it will do any good.] "See that you do. Bridge out." Villiers' voice was tense, but was becoming less harsh and more energized. One naval battle was much like any other and Villiers had fough many naval battles in his life. He was the master of the NOVA and she was a fine ship. The crew would not let him down. He'd forged them into an efficient weapon. It was not important that they liked him, only that they obeyed him without question. That was what had made a naval vessel into a sound fighting unit six centruies ago and the same was true today, even if the every useful lash was denied to Villiers in this lifetime. "Mister Borodin," said Villiers as he noted the chief tactical officer relieve Mister Lunderman, "Signal Major Sho to prepare to repel boarders. Implement the corrdinated plan that you and he worked out for co-deployment of marines and security personnel." "Aye aye, sir." Lieutenant Borodin commincated with Major Sho to relay all of the latest information to the Marine Command center. Sho, already monitoring the bridge status since the ship was at red alert, ordered his men into instant motion. Within moments, the security and marine crewmen assigned to the bridge during red alert status were reinforced by an additional marine and master at arms. They were clad in security armor and marine light combat armor, respectively, and looked menacing with their closed faceplates reflecting the red light of the battle lighting on the bridge. So that they would not need to put down their weapons should the ship lose pressure, their vacuum suits were already sealed. "Sir," said Borodin, alarm evident in his voice. "The d-warp shuttle has vanished from tactical scanners." It had been a few hundred meters away from maximum effective phaser range in hyperspace, no more than 200,000 km away, and the tactical officer had been attempting to get a positivite targetting lock in case the science officer decided that it was not a harmless personnel shuttle. Budge echoed, "She's no longer registering on short range sensors, either, sir." The science officer seemed to have his act a bit more together in a crisis situation, though Villiers. However, it did not comfort him that, as he studied the science console repeater on his command chair, that nothing changes as the science officer attempted to regain contact with the Dalriadan shuttle. Villiers' jaw was locked in anger and the muscles in his neck buldged. "Mister Borodin, get that shuttle back and when you do, blast it out of the stars," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Captain," whispered Weston in a sharp tone of unmistakable intent, but of a volume that did not carry his words beyond the two of them, "we do not even know that we are at war, yet. What if this is some sort of peace delegation." Villiers leaned over towards his executiv officer and scoffed in muted tones, "With two battleships? Not likely." The captain straightened and keyed the comlink to engineering, "Mister Hensley, where is my extra power." [Captain, we are at one hundred ten percent above recommended level on the reactors. I do not recommend going any further.] The tension in the engineer's voice was palpable. If even one of the fusion reactors overloaded, it could damage the power systems badly enough to strand NOVA in hyperspace forever, a ship without power falling endlessly down a gravity well without any hope of returning to n-space under her own power and with virtually no chance of rescue. "Mister Hensley, give me one hundred fifteen percent," ordered Villiers. [But, sir....] "Objection noted, Mister Hensley," said Villiers interrupring the chief engineer, "Do it." [Aye, sir.] "Bridge out." "Sir, intruder alert deck 3, section 9, starboard airlock. The inner seal has already been breached, security team en route," stated Borodin. Without warning, the turbolift door opened. Marine and security personnel levelled phasers at the man standing in the lift. He was human, 1.8 m tall with dark hair and eyes. Mark Weston would have recognized him anywhere. However, the uniform that he was wearing shocked the commander into silence. It was the white uniform of an officer in the Royal Dalriadan Navy. The helmet under one arm and the gloves covering his hands were clearly part of a Dalriadan vacuum suit that he must be wearing under the uniform. The man ignored the phasers pointed at him and immediately began giving orders to the crew. "Commander Weston, please get us the hell out of here. Prepare for transition down the hyperspace ladder. As soon as we reach the hyper limit of the Terebellum system, be prepared for a crash transition into n-space." Villiers was stunned, but not to stunned to react before Weston could decide his course of action. "Belay that order. Mister Borodin, arest this man on charges of treason. If he resists, kill him." "Captain Villiers, you are endangering this ship and crew, carry out my orders," insistend the man dressed in the Dalriadan white duty uniform with the insignia of a Royal Navy captain. The captain almost laughed. "Mister Brooks, you were relieved of your command and certified as medically unfit for duty. I do not need to follow your orders. Moreover, your presense on this ship in time of war wearing a the uniform of the foreign goverment with which we are engaged in hostilities with makes you a traitor. You are now a prisoner of war." Turning to the security chief, "Get him off my bridge before I kill this treasonous pig myself." "Mister Zahar transition up the hyperspace ladder to evade the pursuing ships. We'll be able to reach OMEGA more quickly in the higher band." "No!" shouted Brooks. "That is enough, Mister Brooks." To Borodin he said, "Get him off my bridge. Now!" The NOVA rose slowly through the barrier to the next level of hyperspace. The proximity alarm went off almost immediately. There was a whole fleet of ships all around her. Amoung them were 1 battleship, 6 light cruisers, 18 destroyers, and a frigate. As the marines where pushing him into the turbolidt, Brooks yelled, "Captain, I know what I am talking about. Now please listen to me. Transition back down one level and prepare for a crash transition. I don't have time to explain now, but you must trust me." Weston looked back and forth between his former captain and Villiers. He didn't know what to make of the situation, but could not believe that Robert Brooks would turn traitor. There had to be some explaination and he hoped that Villiers would reserve judgement for a little while at least. "Do it, Mister Zahar. We certainly can't stay here," growled Villiers even as NOVA bucked under the first particle cannon hits. The current captain of NOVA did not like giving into the former, but to stay in the middle of a Dalriadan fleet was sheer stupidity and George Villiers had lived too long to not understand when disgression was indeed in order. NOVA slid back down the hyperspace ladder fast enough to make the stomachs of those who already did not fair well in hyperspace mutiny against their bodies and yield up their contents onto decks and consoles all over the ship. "Two battleships are still in pusuit. The ships above us on the ladder are beginning downward translation, but appear to be taking it more slowly that we did," reported Fairbourne. What differnce did it make, the NOVA was four and a half hours from the hyperspace limit at Terebellum. Even then, this force would pose a significant threat unless the fleet was organized in a defensive formation and had a substantial portion of the fleet near where this fleet entered the system. "Captain Villiers, this is only an advance force for the main body of the fleet. They are headed for the Terebellum system. We must get their before them and warn them. I was trying to do that when they discovered that my shuttle was missing and came after me. The shuttle was damaged, so I couldn't completely outrun them." The marines and security officers had stopped trying to force the former commander of NOVA off the bridge as Chief Williams decided that Brooks deserved to be heard out. Brooks was no longer being held by the security guards and Williams had convinced the marines to let him enter the bridge. "Captain, since now this is going to be a long stern chase, may I speak with you in the ready room?" Villiers looked at him with narrowed eyes. Even for this lifetime, the captain of NOVA was more than half again as old as this young upstart. Yet, Brooks had been a decorated and a corageous officer in his few years. Could he have really turned traitor or was there another explaination. Did Villiers even have time to evaluate the situation? He studied the navigational repeater on his console. It would be several hours at least until the Dalriada could close into energy range with NOVA. Their ships had slowed to reestablish their attack formation. In so doing, they had lost ground. NOVA now had nearly a ten million kilometer lead. This translated into four hours of safety so long as the escorts held to the speed of the larger ships. Of course, it was possible that the Dalriadan fleet would not risk a hyperspace engagement with NOVA no matter how much they outnumbered and outgunned the battlecruiser. Even with her torpedoes disable in hyperspace travel, she was a formidable foe and could do substantial damage before dying, especially to ships just as unshielded as she was. "Very well, Captain Brooks." This was the first time that Villiers had so far used the other man's rank and this turned more than a few heads on the bridge as the pair entered the ready room. As the door slid closed behind them, all eyes turned to Mark Weston who just gave a vacant gaze and shrug. It wasn't a strong or reassuring gesture, but the first officer didn't know what he could do to provide encouragement to the crew at this point. It looked as if they had a mere four hours to live and the arrival of Captain J. Robert Brooks, the only captain that he and quite a few of the crew on NOVA had known before Captain Sir George Villiers, had caught him completely off guard. He wasn't sure what the reaction of the officers and crew would be, but the first officer had more than enough experience as a counselor to realize that it would not take long for the word to spread. Brooks' presense also had the potential to cause a crisis at a time when NOVA could ill afford it. With just hours until she would be fighting for her life, Weston found himself wondering what would happen if Brooks decided to attempt to take command of the ship. Who would follow him? Chief Williams had already given him preferential treatment as he attempted to move Brooks off the bridge, but he had followed Villiers' order. Would others? Would he? Mark Weston had served with Captain Brooks since USS COMRADE, his first assignment, and he considered the man both a friend and a mentor. Fairbourne and others had also come aboard NOVA on their first tour of duty under Captain Brooks. --- Meanwhile... MD 6.1230 Location: Ready Room, USS NOVA "Explain yourself and explain yourself quickly," demanded Villiers. His expression was anything but friendly. It might even be considered imperious. "Computer recognize Brooks, John Robert." Villiers frowned. All of the command codes of the NOVA's last master had been deleted in accordance with standard procedure. The computer should not even recognize Brooks as he was not on active duty in the fleet. "Voice print confirmed. Awaiting command." NOVA's captain glared at the man standing on the other side of his desk. "Computer execute protocol Omicron-Sigma-Phi-Iota-Two-Four-One-Zero. Authorization Brooks-Alpha-Omega-One-One-One." Villiers mind finally came to grips with what was happening and he was furious. Omicron - O. Sigma - S. Phi had no direct translation, but could be an F. Iota - I. OSFI. The Office of Star Fleet Intelligence. The captain read the message scrolling across his terminal screen. He fought down the angry reaction and regained control of himself before he smashed the terminal or killed the man sitting across from him. "Captain Brooks, I stand relieved. Now leave me before I change my mind." --- MD 6.1235 Location: Bridge, USS NOVA Captain John Robert Brooks, junior, stepped back onto the bridge from the ready room. He carried a PADD and handed it to Mark Weston as the NOVA's executive officer stood up from the central seat. Upon reading it, the officer was struck speachless. "Don't seem so surprised, commander. You knew that I wouldn't be gone forever. Now have someone bring me a uniform. I'll change in the briefing room so that I do not distrurb Captain Villiers." Weston just stood in the middle of the bridge staring at the PADD blankly. "The proper response would be, 'Aye aye, sir,' Mark." That snapped the first officer back to the present. "Aye aye, sir," replied the commander and then added, "Captain." Brooks sat in the central command chair and keyed the ship-wide channel. "All hands, this is Captain John Robert Brooks. By order of Star Fleet Command, I am assuming command of this vessel as of this date. That is all." --- Location: Engineering, USS NOVA Ensign Hensley looked skeptically at Brice Johnson who was standing next to him. The warrant officer grinned. He had served with a number of captains on many ships, but he knew Brooks well. "Don't worry, ensign. If there is going to be a fight, then we couldn't be in better hands." /---------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Jeffrey J. Jenkins | "Fortune is not on the | | http://baudelaire.princeton.edu/jeffj/ | side of the faint-hearted. | | mailto:jeffj@baudelaire.princeton.edu | -Sophocles, Phaedra. | \---------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Copyright 1998, Jeffrey J. Jenkins, All rights reserved. | \-------------------------------------------------------------/ ***This message sent by an official member of Indigo Fleet*** Are you also posting your message to the newsgroup?!!! ---END TRANSMISSION---