From morak@txdirect.net Wed May 27 08:31:59 1998 Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 22:21:09 -0600 From: JP To: INDIGO FLEET List Serve Subject: [INDIGO] USS PROMETHEUS : It was a good day to die, PT 3 [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] ---OFFICIAL INDIGO FLEET TRANSMISSION--- Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 23:17:23 -0000 From: "JP" Subject: [INDIGO] USS PROMETHEUS : It was a good day to die, PT 3 > <> > > ============================ > Scene Bridge, Where we left off before! > ============================ > > "Then Ensign Robinson will just have to make sure we are not here to meet > them > at that time," Sovak stated. "Ensign, as soon as you detect the AGAMEMNON > going into warp, follow her. Do not wait for my order. Is that clear?" > > "Yes, sir," she whispered in a cracked voice, barely comprehensible. But > she > did not hesitate as her fingers flew over the controls, eyes fixed on her > monitors > waiting for the tell-tale energy spikes that would warn her of the move.. > > "Six.... five.... four..." intoned Chaz grimly. > > On the screen, a slight blurring suddenly seemed to encompass the hull of > their sister ship. > > Even as Ensign Robinson reached out to follow suit, Sovak called: "Now!" > > The missiles, liked frustrated seekers, detonated anyway, several of them > making it close enough to the two vessels so that once more the deadly > x-ray lasers > seared through the fragile shields and burned into the hull, causing even > more damage and killing many crewmen, though it would be some time before > anyone realized it, intent as they all were on the attack. > > The warp "jump" only lasted a split-second, and since Faith had alertly > tied > in the navigational sensors to follow the AGAMEMNON's flight precisely and > bring them out of warp at the exact same spot, it was as if two starships > had suddenly > materialized on top of the startled Dalriadan ships. > > "Mr. Modix, fire a full spread of torpedoes at the central ship," ordered > Sovak immediately, picking out the largest available target, confident > Slick would > do the same. > > Chaz did not bother to reply, instead sending his finger stabbing down. A > stream of brightly colored lights leaped from their ship, joining a similar > stream from > the AGAMEMNON, only to fizzle out seconds later, as if extinguished by > being > immersed beneath some sort of smothering blanket. In this case, another > gravity wedge emanating from the target. > > Groans of dismay echoed over the bridge as they realized they had just > taken > their best shot, and it had amounted to precisely nothing. No one said > anything. No one had to. > > "Another hull breach, Captain," came the belated report from Chaz. "Deck 31 > this. Casualties...... " he paused for a moment as Sovak slowly turned, > then > merely added quietly. "Heavy casualties, Captain." > > "Inform Dr. Kenfald," Sovak ordered and Chaz nodded an acknowledgment. > > "Fourth wave of missiles approaching, sir," he said grimly, knowing full > well > it might just be the last report he ever made. "No shields or probes this > time > to even slow them down." Looking up, with terror on his face, he suddenly > blurted: "Sovak! It's going to hit the bridge!" > > "Sovak to crew," called the Vulcan, punching the intercom button. "Brace > for > impact." > > As they had suspected, this was the worst one of all. The ship rocked with > explosions, and the deck suddenly tilted at a thirty degree angle, throwing > everyone except the firmly anchored Chaz heavily to the floor. > > Genuine cries of pain mingled with shouts of despair and terror as the > bridge > was enveloped in darkness when even the emergency systems overloaded and > blew. The only light came from showers of sparks in a dozen places and a > fire at the > Science station, where the console had exploded, catapulting Lt Defors over > the > railing and across the room to roll up against the opposite wall in a still > heap.. > > It took several seconds for the lights to slowly come flickering back on, > and > when they did, a nightmarish scene of hanging wires and fallen girders > littered the once neat bridge of the starship, interspersed with bodies, > some > moving, some not. The ship's computer, realizing the problem, began to > right > the vessel, bringing the deck to only a slight slope as the first crewmen > started struggling back to their feet. > > "Sir, my console isn't functioning very well," called out Chaz's voice, > noting > the Vulcan was one of the first to recover and immediately looked back to > see > what his tactical officer could tell him, "but I believe the Dalriadans are > charging their ship's weapons." > > "What about the AGAMEMNON?" demanded Sovak, trying to ignore the fact that > Modix had just once again pronounced their death sentence. There could be > no > doubt about it this time, he thought. We cannot survive another volley. > > "They're in bad shape, sir," Chaz informed him. "I detect fluctuations in > their warp core, but without more complete readings...... I think a warp > core > breach may be in progress." > > Gasps of dismay sounded from all around at this staggering news from those > still able to voice them. Even knowing they were probably doomed, they > still > wished somehow that their Captain could be with them at the end. > > "Sovak!" shouted Chaz, grinning suddenly despite the desperate situation. > "Captain Slick is hailing us." > > Hope blossomed on grimy and bloody faces all over the bridge as the > remaining > crew struggled back to their shattered stations, knowing that is anyone > could > get them out of this, Slick could. > > [PROMETHEUS, this is Captain Slick. Get the hell out of here... we're > going > to blow!!] > > "Sir...." protested Sovak, but Slick refused to listen. > > [Do it!] > > Even as their Captain spoke, the massive silhouette of the AGAMEMNON, its > hull > scorched, torn and gaping open to empty space in many spots, suddenly > seemed > to fill their screen, blocking their view of the Dalriadan fleet. > > "He's cutting in front of us, Sovak!" boomed Chaz excitedly. "They're going > to > shield us....." > > "That much is quite obvious, Commander," interrupted the acting Captain, > his > eyes, like everyone else's, fixed on the noble yet sad scene, knowing that > it > not only meant the death of their Captain, but every man and woman aboard > the > AGAMEMNON as well. > > With two quick steps, Sovak reached the seat and quickly lowered himself > into > it, his fingers reaching out to activate the warp engines. The instruments > were slow to respond, and he savagely stabbed the button that should have > catapulted them into warp, realizing it was their only chance now, and if > it > failed, Captain Slick's sacrifice would be in vain. > > Nothing happened. He hit it again, knowing every second counted, but there > was > still no response. > > Tapping his comm badge, he called: "Sovak to Walker." > > There was a second's pause, and then the gravelly voice of the Scots > engineer > came back: [Walker here. Are ye quite finished shaking up me ship, Sovak?] > > Ignoring the facetious question, Sovak quickly directed: "Take us to warp > *now*, Commander, by direct order of Captain Slick. The bridge controls are > no longer responding." > > [But I can't fly the bloody ship from here, Sovak!] protested the Chief > Engineer. He was tempted to disagree, but invoking the magical name of > Captain > Slick had silenced most of his arguments. > > "Re-route helm control to the battle bridge, Commander," Sovak stated, not > having any idea whether that was even possible now, but knowing it would > not > matter anyway if they did not get out of here within the nest few seconds. > "Follow the pre-set course for OMEGA. At warp seven, if possible." > > There was another slight hesitation, but Walker knew better than anyone how > much damage the ship had taken and that any more might well prove > disastrous. Now was not the time to argue. > > [Yes, sir,] he replied. [Warp power in approximately six seconds. Walker > out.] > > Tapping his commbadge again, Sovak said: "Commander Talon, come in." > > [Talon here] came the immediate answer, provoking more than one sigh of > relief > from worried crewmen who were discovering that most of their instruments > were no > longer even vaguely functional.. > > "We will be entering warp any moment now, activated from Engineering," he > said > rapidly. "Helm control is out on the bridge. I hereby transfer authority to > you. Is Ensign Phoenix there?" > > [Yes, sir] answered Talon. [He and I were.....] > > "No time, Commander," cut in Sovak sharply. "The PROMETHEUS is now under > your command, so let him take the helm. Get us out of here and back to > OMEGA, if > possible. I will be down to join you shortly." > > [Aye, aye, sir] the Dalriadan OPS officer responded crisply. [Talon out.] > > No sooner had the last words reached Sovak's ears when the world began to > blur > as the viewscreen fizzled abruptly, then died completely in a huge shower > of > sparks, leaving it dark and dead. There was a perceptible lurch, then > Walker's voice > came drifting back. > > [Walker to Sovak.] > > "Go ahead, Commander," Sovak answered, kneeling down to get a closer look > at > the gamma shift Navigator. All over the bridge, others were engaged in the > same > task, with mixed results. > > [Warp drive seven it is, Captain. Helm control now re-routed to battle > bridge.] > > "Thank you, Commander," the Vulcan said, taking Ensign Robinson's pulse and > finding it weak and erratic. "Please refer all damage reports to Commander > Talon there. I will be heading down to the battle bridge soon. Until then, > he > is in command." > > [Acknowledged...... Captain. Walker out.] > > Sovak reached down and gently lifted the unconscious body of Ensign Faith > Robinson into his arms. > > Tapping his commbadge again, he said: "Sovak to Sickbay" > > Several seconds passed before a frantic voice replied: [Sickbay] > > "We have injuries on the bridge....." > > [No kidding!] interrupted the voice, and Sovak could tell it was on the > edge > of hysteria. [There are dead and dying all over the ship. Bring them down > here > and we'll treat them as best we can. Sickbay out.] > > "Commander Modix," Sovak called as he slowly straightened up, "get down to > the > battle bridge and assist Commander Talon." > > "Yes, sir," came the quick reply, and Chaz immediately headed out, but not > before gently lowering the crewman he had been treating back down to the > deck and > beckoning another over to continue the work he'd started. > > Kyran lifted his body from the position that he had been thrown just behind > the TAC station, despite the safety restraints on the seat. He felt his arm > throbbing, and he knew he dislocated it at the absolute least. Jaz moaned > from the other side of the bridge, and Kyran rushed to his side. > > "Can you stand?" > > "No. My anti-grav units have been damaged. I need assistance from > engineering in order to move again." > > "Okay, how are you otherwise?" > > "I think I have broken a few bones, and the extra weight of my mass is not > faring well on my internal organs." He said as he coughed up blood. > > "Dammit! Kyran to Transporter Room. We need an Emergency Medical Transport > to Sickbay, Immediately! Lock onto LCDR Jaz Krigton and energize!" > > There was no response, other than the tell-tale glow of the transporter > taking his comrade to help. Right before he grabbed another injured > crewman, he looked to the dead viewscreen. *I will not let your death be in > vain, my Captain. You died with honor.* > > He quickly grabbed those injured crew who could not walk themselves, and > ushered those that could into the next turbolift, and headed directly to > sickbay. Life as he knew it was not the same. Everything was different. > And, if Sovak was going to be in command, it might have been better had he > been on the COURAGEOUS as she left. But, no matter what happened, he would > not let Slick's memory die the way his body died. And, he would do what he > could to ensure that the enemy paid for their crime. And, if that meant > Sovak was to be removed as Captain, then so be it. Already, he was making > mental notes of people to visit and talk to about the attrocity of placing > him in command. > > --------------- > NRPG > > Again, sorry to 'borrow' most of tim's post, but, I wanted to ensure that > what I wrote fit in correctly, and well, I had a post as long as Tim's!!!! > (Granted, I 'borrowed' a bit.. :/) > > TimeLine > > FMD 6.1555 Kyran and Jaz review exercises JP > FMD 6.1655 Kyran vows to honor his captain JP > > JP Balzen, > LCDR Kyran, SEC, USS PROMETHEUS > morak@txdirect.net > jbalzen@hotmail.com ***This message sent by an official member of Indigo Fleet*** Are you also posting your message to the newsgroup?!!! ---END TRANSMISSION---