From TTy99@aol.com Wed May 27 08:08:47 1998 Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 20:08:01 -0600 From: TTy99 To: INDIGO FLEET List Serve Subject: [INDIGO] USS PROMETHEUS: The hero's legacy (3/3) ---OFFICIAL INDIGO FLEET TRANSMISSION--- Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 22:10:17 EDT From: TTy99 Subject: [INDIGO] USS PROMETHEUS: The hero's legacy (3/3) [NRPG: Part 3 of 3. Yep, the end is in sight! ] 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. Reluctantly turning to look at the Navigation console, Sovak noticed for the first time it was empty. The crumpled form of Ensign Robinson, blood covering her face, was lying on the floor next to it. 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.] Ignoring for a moment the unpleasant thoughts from the inferred promotion, as well as the respectful way the usually gruff CEO had pronounced the word, Sovak reached down and gently lifted the unconscious body of Ensign Faith Robinson into his arms. There was twinge of pain in his own side as he did so, and he realized that he had probably broken a rib or two during that final explosion. However, he was far from the only injured one aboard, and his wound was not debilitating, unlike the woman in 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.] He raised an eyebrow, making a mental note to discuss this unprofessional attitude if and when they managed to survive. However, at the moment that was a minor consideration. "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. Sovak was not far behind him, and they entered the same lift, although he intended to stop off at Sickbay first to get an idea of crew casualties, then perhaps Engineering. He had no doubt Talon could get them away from the Dalriadan fleet, who would not logically bother to chase one damaged ship when there was obviously so much more on their minds. Like Starbase OMEGA....... He could only hope that Captain Slick's and the AGAMEMNON's sacrifice would be enough to allow the NOVA and the rest of BATRON 9 to get back there in time. Or allow us to get back at all, he thought, knowing full well the entire Dalriadan fleet could rapidly overtake the PROMETHEUS is her current weakened position. And this was only the beginning, he realized as he felt a trickle of blood from the wounded woman in his arms trickle down off his hand and on to the deck. From this moment on, it would be hour to hour, day to day. War was now fully upon them, and life in INDIGO fleet would never be the same again. **************************************************** [NRPG] Where do I start? Most importantly, let me take this opportunity to say goodbye to Jeff Trock, the finest Captain it has ever been my pleasure to serve under (and I am not given to idle flattery). If I do half the job he did, I will consider myself a success. I'm sure I speak for all of us when we thank him for everything he has done for this ship, all aboard it, and wish him the best in his future career in the US Navy. Good luck, Jeff, stay low over there in the Persian Gulf, and we hope you can rejoin us someday. As you may have noticed, my post paralleled Jeff T.'s, incorporating Jeff J.'s along the way, told entirely from the viewpoint of the PROMETHEUS. That was kind of fun and challenging, and if anyone wants to write something from the POV of their characters during the same time, I encourage them to do so. These are dramatic events, and I tried to leave some room while tying everything together as best I could. I only ask that you pay attention to the sequence of events and try not to contradict something someone else has written. The war is now fully underway, as Sovak noted. The PROMETHEUS is damaged, we have casualties, and we are heading back to OMEGA, despite my earlier comments to the contrary (Josh/Dennis: Please take note!). Please limit yourself to posts during the battle and our run/repair mode, (the rest of FMD 6 for now, until I or Jeff J. declare otherwise). I am available for questions/suggestions, if you have any. Please excuse me for "borrowing" people's characters, and I hope I did okay with everyone. Thanks to Dave for reviewing the first (teeny-tiny) part of this, and to Jeff T. for giving me such a magnificent platform to build on. Thanks for your patience, and I declare open season now. If you want to involve other people's characters, make sure to consult them. Thanks in advance for paying attention to that. FMD 6.1555 Banter on the bridge Tim FMD 6.1640 The universe gone mad Tim Jeff T.: This ship will always be dedicated to living up to the ideals of Jeff Trock *and* Rick Slick. At least as long as I'm on command. I salute you, sir! Josh: You got the conn, as discussed. Get us back to OMEGA (and note, both you and Dennis, that I had to change my dialogue slightly to accommodate that change). Dave: I'm afraid that once again I took advantage of your character to make Chaz a straight man, but it made everything so much easier. Jeff T. pointed out to Jeff J. that the alpha shift would probably be on duty, despite the hour, when the exercise started, but Jeff J. had already written A'Vanya into his post, so I chose this way of taking care of that discrepancy. Besides, it was fun. Jeff J.: See notes under Dave above. Sorry to "contradict" you. Hope I played Walker okay, and Sovak may well be dropping by to chat with him about the ship's condition. Greg: I'm sure I don't need to tell you what to do. Kenfald has enough to probably keep her busy for quite awhile. Sovak will be coming by soon for a report on crew casualties, which I purposely left vague for you, and to leave Ensign Faith Robinson to the not-so-gentle ministrations of Leniah. I promised Dennis she'd be okay, so don't kill her off, okay? At least without checking with him first..... Dana: I thought about putting Tur on the bridge, but decided against it, having enough to deal with. Of course, just because I didn't mention her doesn't mean she *wasn't* there, either. Or fell free to determine where she was and what happened to her during the battle. JP/Riff: Sorry, not much for you guys to do during this battle. You may still have been dealing with the aftermath of your boarding exercises when the stuff hit the fan, so perhaps some of your men were somewhere else (the WARSPITE, who we'll see again at OMEGA, or the AGAMEMNON, with whom we were working), and contingents from other ships could have been on board the PROMETHEUS (as observers?). Your call. In the meantime, your personnel can certainly be drafted for clean-up and triage duties, assuming they weathered the attack in relatively decent shape. Again, your call. Dennis: Please read notes to Josh above. Work with him to run away (though note that Jeff has stated the Dalriadans will *not* be following us just yet). Thanks for re-writing your post yet again. Ain't ASR fun? Don't worry about Faith. She'll recover (though see notes to Greg above). Mark: Sorry to abuse Defors like that, but I needed a dramatic injury. I tried to make up for it by giving him a pat on the back too. Please feel free to make his wound as serious or as trivial as you wish, though you should at least go through the formality of reporting to Sickbay. Isn't this more fun than writing about scientific experiments? Respectfully submitted, Tim Tyson Lt Cmdr (acting Captain) Sovak USS PROMETHEUS tty99@aol.com ***This message sent by an official member of Indigo Fleet*** Are you also posting your message to the newsgroup?!!! ---END TRANSMISSION---