Mission 10: The Harvest

[Vidiian Vessel]

From their hiding spot, deep within the nebula, they scanned the Phoenix and assessed their capabilities. Scans revealed many different species aboard the vessel. This wide array of genetic variation made them the perfect target.

The captain made the order to leave the nebula and set an intercept course for the Starfleet vessel. They were going to engage the alien vessel.

(OOC: I am catching up from page 1.)
[Bridge]

Quote :

"Ensign Kejal. Alert G12 that we are approximately an hour away. And tell Commander Thompson that I expect to see some groundbreaking science." She let loose a slight chuckle. Julia was genuinely excited to see Heather and also see what breakthroughs they were making. She missed that world.

Buris sat more easily at the Ops station now, glancing up at the XO with a nod.  It was much easier than looking back at her Science station had been, after all.  After M'Rai had spoken, he responded to the hail request.  "Aye, sir.  Transmitting message verbatim."

He wondered if anyone else would give the standard 'Captain on the Bridge!'. but no one did.  It puzzled him; had Captain T'Koris always let her officers run so free, or was it a reaction to no longer having Admiral Stark nearby that the discipline went lax?  Either way, he figured it'd be his job if no one else's.  

The catwoman seemed to hesitate at being told to take the center seat.  He gave her a smile - after all, they'd not only worked side-by-side, he'd been the lifeline to the shuttle from the ship not long before.  His voice was soft. "Just relax - it's a chair.  You'll do fine."

Quote :

"Ensign Kejal, have we had any word from the science station yet?"

Before anything was even necessary - not even the general calls around the bridge - Captain T'Koris stepped back on the bridge.  Buris just had a feeling - the doors opened.  His voice was deep as it intoned the traditional call - "Captain on the Bridge!"

He glanced, seeing the reaction - lax discipline eroding in the face of Starfleet regulation.

She didn't tell them to be at ease... so he wasn't.  He was still sitting straight, as ready as he would be if she'd called Red Alert.  "Aye, Captain.  Space Station G12 reports receipt of our message between Lieutenant Relleck and Commander Thompson - and reiterates a need for supplies, but a lack of immediate emergency."

M'Rai reacted just as quickly, and responded to a hail.  Buris glanced at her, his eyes narrow, but not sure how to get across 'hey, quit stealing my lines!' without breaking protocol.

He watched the Admiral, and parched at the idea of what transwarp meant... Borg.

But his voice was calm at the Captain's orders.  "Datapak recieved, Captain.  Currently decoding.  Helm's already obviously patched into my datastream."  That was it, the glance at M'Rai... that was enough to tell the catwoman she'd overstepped; but not enough to frustrate him yet.

He looked up when Lieutenant started talking about Voyager, his eyes narrowing just faintly.  "Captain, Lieutenant, I served aboard the Bellerophon when they were shoving quads of data at us.  I was Chief of Ops there for the last three months, and assistant to the Chief Engineer as well.  I don't believe most of those designs would work - or that we could install them at space in the short time we have.  Even those shield mods required the variable warp field - and the ablative armor required bioneurals be attached at every vector point to calculate... well, ablation."

[1045 Hours]

"Scanning, sir.  Transwarp aperture located - it does not match any known Borg specs.  I repeat, Captain - this is not the Borg.  Tracing origin now."

Kejal Buris wrote:

"Scanning, sir.  Transwarp aperture located - it does not match any known Borg specs.  I repeat, Captain - this is not the Borg.  Tracing origin now."

[Bridge]

Gavin didn't have the slightest as to what the ensign was going on about - in fact, he wondered if Kejal had single-handedly untied the Gordian Knot while he'd been doing everything else. However, the last bit piqued his hearing quite a bit.

"Excuse me, Ensign," Gavin said, standing from the Sciences console after giving T'Lara a look that plainly showed what he thought of the Ops officer taking a figurative squat over the research that they'd done. "But what about it gives you the idea that this is not a Borg transwarp conduit?"

Kejal Buris wrote:

"Scanning, sir.  Transwarp aperture located - it does not match any known Borg specs.  I repeat, Captain - this is not the Borg.  Tracing origin now."

NPC wrote:

[Vidiian Vessel]

From their hiding spot, deep within the nebula, they scanned the Phoenix and assessed their capabilities. Scans revealed many different species aboard the vessel. This wide array of genetic variation made them the perfect target.

The captain made the order to leave the nebula and set an intercept course for the Starfleet vessel. They were going to engage the alien vessel.

[Bridge]

"We don't have time to be worried about the damned Borg right now," the Bajoran lieutenant commander standing at the tactical console interrupted.  "We have an unidentified vessel on an intercept course with us.  Running ship specs through identification..."

Deela glanced up at the captain, really wishing that she had better news to deliver to the bridge.  "A Vidiian ship, captain.  Reading significant numbers of life signs, difficult to get an exact number given that we're not familiar with the species.  I'm trying to get more information for you now."

Kejal Buris wrote:

"Scanning, sir. Transwarp aperture located - it does not match any known Borg specs. I repeat, Captain - this is not the Borg. Tracing origin now."

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

Gavin didn't have the slightest as to what the ensign was going on about - in fact, he wondered if Kejal had single-handedly untied the Gordian Knot while he'd been doing everything else.  However, the last bit piqued his hearing quite a bit.

"Excuse me, Ensign," Gavin said, standing from the Sciences console after giving T'Lara a look that plainly showed what he thought of the Ops officer taking a figurative squat over the research that they'd done.  "But what about it gives you the idea that this is not a Borg transwarp conduit?"

[Bridge]

Archangel had, through the use of polite requests (and orders in the case of those who didn't understand that a polite request from a superior officer was generally an order in itself), ensured that no one announced her arrival on the bridge with the statement 'Captain on the bridge'. It was unnecessary and just irritating. So, hearing those same words coming out of the mouth of one of the newer ensigns grated on her nerves. Hopefully, she would remember to take him aside and put him right before he did too much more to fuel her desire to kick his arse to sickbay. Of course, he then had to compound it with a statement that was very quickly rebuked by Lieutenant JG Van Gelder.

"Thank you, Ensign Kejal," she replied with a sigh. "There are three very talented science officers on this bridge whose job it is to tell me what it is that we've been sent to see-"

NPC wrote:

"We don't have time to be worried about the damned Borg right now," the Bajoran lieutenant commander standing at the tactical console interrupted. "We have an unidentified vessel on an intercept course with us. Running ship specs through identification..."

Deela glanced up at the captain, really wishing that she had better news to deliver to the bridge. "A Vidiian ship, captain. Reading significant numbers of life signs, difficult to get an exact number given that we're not familiar with the species. I'm trying to get more information for you now."

Thoughts of the ensign and the tanswarp conduit were very quickly shoved to the back of her mind as Archangel swore under her breath in Romulan.

"Vidiians? Are you sure?" she asked, although she immediately held her hand up to forestall the confirmation. "I know you're sure." Commander Deela was well known, both as a Resistance fighter on Bajor during the Occupation and now in Starfleet for her attention to detail. "Red alert. Open a channel to the Vidiians." And let's just hope that they're here to talk and not to take.

Julia Rellek wrote:

"Scan for Borg..." A proximity alarm went off. "...Report, is it Borg?"

T'Lara began an active scan, but before she could give a report she heard a voice from Ops.

Quote :

"Scanning, sir.  Transwarp aperture located - it does not match any known Borg specs.  I repeat, Captain - this is not the Borg.  Tracing origin now."

Quote :

"Excuse me, Ensign," Gavin said, standing from the Sciences console after giving T'Lara a look that plainly showed what he thought of the Ops officer taking a figurative squat over the research that they'd done. "But what about it gives you the idea that this is not a Borg transwarp conduit?"

T'Lara looked from her scans to Gavin, then to the Ops ensign. The readings showed that it was a transwarp conduit. She and Gavin had done significant research on the subject, and she felt she had significant evidence to back up her claim. It seemed that Van Gelder felt the same way.

Quote :

"We don't have time to be worried about the damned Borg right now," the Bajoran lieutenant commander standing at the tactical console interrupted.  "We have an unidentified vessel on an intercept course with us.  Running ship specs through identification..."

Deela glanced up at the captain, really wishing that she had better news to deliver to the bridge.  "A Vidiian ship, captain.  Reading significant numbers of life signs, difficult to get an exact number given that we're not familiar with the species.  I'm trying to get more information for you now."

At this new turn of events, all thoughts of the possibility of a Borg appearance disappeared. The threat of a Vidiian ship meant that the Phoenix would go into combat mode, and T'Lara never enjoyed the prospect of violence. She also noticed the vessel on her sensors and decided to help in any way she could.

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

"Vidiians? Are you sure?" she asked, although she immediately held her hand up to forestall the confirmation. "I know you're sure." Commander Deela was well known, both as a Resistance fighter on Bajor during the Occupation and now in Starfleet for her attention to detail. "Red alert. Open a channel to the Vidiians." And let's just hope that they're here to talk and not to take.

Although she was grateful Archangel hadn't decided to automatically fire on the Vidiian vessel, she was still apprehensive about talking to them. If the hail was answered she would conduct as many passive scans as possible without being detected. She couldn't read the Vidiians' minds, but she could at least find out what they were capable of doing.

[Bridge]

Well.  Vidiians?  And using a Borg transwarp conduit.  The Borg weren't known for their penchant for working well with others, so perhaps the Vidiians had scavenged the thing...as they tended to do with just about anything.  Unfortunately, Starfleet knew little and less about the creatures, owing to the fact that they lived in a far-distant quadrant.  However, the existence of a transwarp passageway would go a long way to explaining why they were here.

Well, now I don't have to listen to Ops and Science measuring their pissing contest, Conor thought, stepping close to the Tac console, past the Captain's chair.  Technically, his other job on the books was as Archangel T'Koris' yeoman, though the two really hadn't gotten a chance to get to know one another.  He'd half expect T'Koris to assume he was acting as a mole for his father.

"At least we don't have to worry about oscillating phase variances," he murmured.  Shooting Vidiians was just about like shooting...well, most anyone else.

[Engineering]

"Okay," Gabriel said, snapping into action as the unmistakable alarm klaxon piped across the ship, "that's a red alert. I want full fire suppression on standby, teams on the ready for manual backup to the computerized systems." The usual pang of guilt shot through him as his mind went to the girls, tucked safely (he hoped) away in their classroom. Once again, it felt like he and Archangel were playing dice with their safety by continuing to have them on board a starship.

He turned to Leela, glancing at the M/ARA. "Go ahead and put the core on full force-field lockdown. It could be nothing," he added, nodding at the sound of red alert, "but better safe than sorry."

Conor Terell wrote:

"At least we don't have to worry about oscillating phase variances," he murmured.  Shooting Vidiians was just about like shooting...well, most anyone else.

[Bridge]

Archangel was aware of the movement of the yellow-shirt with the phaser rifle as he came down to stand close to her. Although she wanted to tell him off for doing so, assuming he was taking a protective stance over her rather than the bridge at large, she held her tongue. There was probably a regulation somewhere about protecting the captain's life.

She did, however, spare a brief glance at him and recognised his face from the personnel file that had been sent through to her when he had first boarded the ship. Conor Terell, assigned to the security department, and as her yeoman. That thought required her to suppress a shudder. Since when had Command thought that she needed a yeoman? The young Romulan had, in fact, been avoiding having to meet him in the hopes that he might concentrate more on his security duties rather than the administrative. At that moment, however, it would seem that speaking to him was a necessity.

"Perhaps, but if I remember my reports, the Vidiians have quite a powerful hand weapon that we'll have to watch out for if it comes to face-to-face combat."

They hadn't missed the repeating hails but there wasn't much to discuss. They moved their vessel closer and charged their weapons. It was time for the fight to begin. The ultimate goal was to get on that ship.

The Vidiian ship opened fire on the Phoenix with the first shot a direct hit. Targeting the shield emitters they let loose a second volley.

Gabriel Arthur wrote:

[Engineering]

"Okay," Gabriel said, snapping into action as the unmistakable alarm klaxon piped across the ship, "that's a red alert.  I want full fire suppression on standby, teams on the ready for manual backup to the computerized systems."  The usual pang of guilt shot through him as his mind went to the girls, tucked safely (he hoped) away in their classroom.  Once again, it felt like he and Archangel were playing dice with their safety by continuing to have them on board a starship.  

He turned to Leela, glancing at the M/ARA.  "Go ahead and put the core on full force-field lockdown.  It could be nothing," he added, nodding at the sound of red alert, "but better safe than sorry."

[Engineering]

Leela stumbled to the side as the ship shook. It was an unmistakable sensation, phaser fire. She quickly regained her balance. "What the hell!" All of a sudden the precautions they were taking just became way more important. "Nelkar, give me a hand locking down the core."

Buris muttered under his breath, grabbing the edge of his console as the enemies fired. He glanced up at the Captain, looking for the Tactical officer to call out shield strength and the like. Meanwhile, he was already working his board, glancing over his shoulder at the Science officer who'd asked him how he'd made the snap assessment that he did. "The fact that we're being fired on by Vidiians would seem to make that a moot point, Lieutenant."

His fingers moved as he started pulling in reports from Operations teams across the ship, eyes focused on the board and not on the Captain or the main viewer. "Captain, I'm not showing severe damage and no casualties as yet. Engineering reports show that they're taking precautions against same. But if it's all the same to you, I suggest dispatching repair teams on standby to all critical and defense systems."

That was entirely within his prerogative as Ops officer; after all, when things went down the drain, the guy with all the info coming in front of his eyes was the critical point on the ship. Of course, it seemed that the Phoenix crew, now that they had their Captain back, didn't want or need an Ops officer. He wondered if the Admiral had taken leave of the Bridge a little too soon; after all, even for his first mission, he'd felt more comfortable with Stark in command than he did with T'Koris so far.

Kejal Buris wrote:

Buris muttered under his breath, grabbing the edge of his console as the enemies fired.  He glanced up at the Captain, looking for the Tactical officer to call out shield strength and the like.  Meanwhile, he was already working his board, glancing over his shoulder at the Science officer who'd asked him how he'd made the snap assessment that he did.  "The fact that we're being fired on by Vidiians would seem to make that a moot point, Lieutenant."

His fingers moved as he started pulling in reports from Operations teams across the ship, eyes focused on the board and not on the Captain or the main viewer.  "Captain, I'm not showing severe damage and no casualties as yet.  Engineering reports show that they're taking precautions against same.  But if it's all the same to you, I suggest dispatching repair teams on standby to all critical and defense systems."

That was entirely within his prerogative as Ops officer; after all, when things went down the drain, the guy with all the info coming in front of his eyes was the critical point on the ship.  Of course, it seemed that the Phoenix crew, now that they had their Captain back, didn't want or need an Ops officer.  He wondered if the Admiral had taken leave of the Bridge a little too soon; after all, even for his first mission, he'd felt more comfortable with Stark in command than he did with T'Koris so far.

[Bridge]

Julia's heart felt as if it skipped a beat when the Viddiian phaser fire struck the Phoenix. "Damn!" She uttered under the automatic alarms that began to sound throughout the bridge. She looked to T'Koris. "I guess they don't want to talk." She ran to her chair and looked to her console.

"Ensign Pardek, return fire. Target at your discretion!"

Here we go again. She felt ill at ease with all of the combat situations that they seemed continually forced in to.

She glanced to the view screen and watched as the Vidiians came about for another pass.

"Brace yourselves!"

NPC wrote:

The Vidiian ship opened fire on the Phoenix with the first shot a direct hit. Targeting the shield emitters they let loose a second volley.

Julia Rellek wrote:

Julia's heart felt as if it skipped a beat when the Viddiian phaser fire struck the Phoenix. "Damn!" She uttered under the automatic alarms that began to sound throughout the bridge. She looked to T'Koris. "I guess they don't want to talk." She ran to her chair and looked to her console.

"Ensign Pardek, return fire. Target at your discretion!"

Here we go again. She felt ill at ease with all of the combat situations that they seemed continually forced in to.

She glanced to the view screen and watched as the Vidiians came about for another pass.

"Brace yourselves!"

[Bridge]

Knowing that Julia wasn't generally at home in a combat situation, Archangel was keeping a close eye on her.  Part of being a captain was training the officers under her, and that was especially true when it came to command officers.  Young as she was, especially for a Vulcanoid, Archangel had still seen a lot, and earned her position.

As such, she was calmer than Commander Rellek as she turned to the tactical station to add on to her first officer's orders.  "Target their weapons, Ensign Pardek.  Helm, keep us well away from them.  Ensign Kejal, call down to Engineering and make sure that they're keeping on top of any damage."  She didn't have any thought that they wouldn't be, but it didn't hurt to check.

"Lieutenant Van Gelder, Petty Officer T'Lara, look through Voyager's records and see what you can find about the Vidiians."

Archangel T'Koris wrote:

[Bridge]

Knowing that Julia wasn't generally at home in a combat situation, Archangel was keeping a close eye on her.  Part of being a captain was training the officers under her, and that was especially true when it came to command officers.  Young as she was, especially for a Vulcanoid, Archangel had still seen a lot, and earned her position.

As such, she was calmer than Commander Rellek as she turned to the tactical station to add on to her first officer's orders.  "Target their weapons, Ensign Pardek.  Helm, keep us well away from them.  Ensign Kejal, call down to Engineering and make sure that they're keeping on top of any damage."  She didn't have any thought that they wouldn't be, but it didn't hurt to check.

"Lieutenant Van Gelder, Petty Officer T'Lara, look through Voyager's records and see what you can find about the Vidiians."

[Bridge - Tactical Station]

As usual, things had done to hell in a handbasket. Vidiians outside, shots firing, and the incessant screaming of the new ship's first officer. Safefta was managing to contain her displeasure to a single look of intense irritation as she hunched over her console.

"Shield capacity at 85%. Power systems rerouting to compensate," she reported in a monotone.

A few precise commands to her console had phasers armed and aimed at the nearest weapons port on the vidiian ship. "Firing," she stated, then launched a volley of phaser fire. The bright flashes lit up the viewscreen, and Safefta nodded sharply to herself. Excellent.

Safefta Pardek wrote:

As usual, things had done to hell in a handbasket. Vidiians outside, shots firing, and the incessant screaming of the new ship's first officer. Safefta was managing to contain her displeasure to a single look of intense irritation as she hunched over her console.

"Shield capacity at 85%. Power systems rerouting to compensate," she reported in a monotone.

A few precise commands to her console had phasers armed and aimed at the nearest weapons port on the vidiian ship. "Firing," she stated, then launched a volley of phaser fire. The bright flashes lit up the viewscreen, and Safefta nodded sharply to herself. Excellent.

[Bridge]

Looking over to her fellow Romulan, Archangel gave Safefta a short nod in acknowledgement. She was a good officer, and good at her job. Even though Archangel cared for her as a friend, in this instance, she valued Safefta's lack of emotional concern.

"Keep them on your targeting sensors in case we need to send them another little message," she said before addressing the bridge in general. "I need damage reports, both for us and for them!"

Quote :

Ensign Kejal, call down to Engineering and make sure that they're keeping on top of any damage." She didn't have any thought that they wouldn't be, but it didn't hurt to check.

"Lieutenant Van Gelder, Petty Officer T'Lara, look through Voyager's records and see what you can find about the Vidiians."

Quote :

"Shield capacity at 85%. Power systems rerouting to compensate," she reported in a monotone.

Quote :

"Keep them on your targeting sensors in case we need to send them another little message," she said before addressing the bridge in general. "I need damage reports, both for us and for them!"

[Bridge]

Buris tapped a button, nodding at the Captain's request. Now that this was a combat situation, everything suddenly started to make sense. Where others saw hell in a handbasket, the Bajoran just saw something he'd long been accustomed to - the flow of a ship in combat. "Ops confirms tactical report, sir. EPS transfer circuits are online, successfully rerouting power to shields from non-essential systems. No damage reported, all decks checking in; we were just shaken a bit. Sickbay reports no injuries yet."

He tapped a few more buttons, trying to see if the Vidiians were showing any sign of weakening, but nothing appeared on his screen. He called out to the back of the bridge. "Tactical & Science, crosscheck - Ops shows no significant weakening of their shields and no failing systems either."

Having to crane his neck from where he was to look at the Tactical officer, the Captain, the Science Officer, or the Engineering station made this difficult. What had the SCE been thinking when they'd built this bridge? Sure, if it was the old Helm/Navigation setup at the front of the bridge, like on Constitution class vessels and anything over 80 years old, that'd make sense. But Operations needed a lot more than that. Hell, on this Bridge, he had to pull from the Tactical datastream to get his transporter data!

He thought about the Captain's request to the Scientists, and decided to turn fully around in his chair, looking at the Captain. His voice was calm - as though looking up info in the middle of a fight from a set of half-muddy records was normal. "Captain, I have recent familiarity with the entirety of Voyager's records from my previous assignment. Permission to aid the Science team in plugging Commander Tuvok's tactical data into the computer for meaningful use."

As the Vidiian vessel made its second pass the ships tactical officer noted an opportunity to bring down their opponents defenses.

The tactical officer nodded and looked to his commanding officer. "Their shields appear to be vulnerable. A large outburst of energy from our deflector may be able to disrupt the shields long enough for us to get a shot in to destroy the shield generator."

The captain responded with a slight nod. "Do it. Bring us in close."

The Vidiian vessel moved in close to the Phoenix[/] and a bright orange light filled the ships view screen. The [I]Phoenix's shields flickered and fell.

"The shield generator! Now!" The captain quickly screamed.

With a bright explosion the shield generator on the Starfleet vessel was destroyed.

[Bridge]

Julia watched in awe, powerless to stop the drama unfolding before the crew. With a violent jolt she was shaken from her chair. She pulled her self back into the chair and glanced to her console. The lump in her throat had subsided but upon the realization that their shields were down the lump re-appeared with a vengeance. Her palms began to sweat. It became even more critical, in that moment, to set her fears aside and not put them on display for the crew. She took a deep breathe, although she was experiencing sheer panic on the inside she looked up to the captain and stated calmly.

"Our shields are down."

She didn't wait for a reply. Her voice escalated in volume as she hit her communicator. =/\="Engineering, get that shield generator back online."=/\=

Julia Rellek wrote:

[Bridge]

She didn't wait for a reply. Her voice escalated in volume as she hit her communicator. =/\="Engineering, get that shield generator back online."=/\=

Leela stepped back as the station controlling the shields exploded. Sparks seemed to rain out from the console in every direction. A crewman ran behind her this an impressive reflex and began to extinguish the sparks. Through an alternate console the Trill brought up the shield diagnostic program and her head sank.

=/\="Bridge, the shield generator is gone!" Leela shouted above the noises behind her in the Engine Room. "It will have to be rebuilt from the ground up."=/\=

Kejal Buris wrote:

"Captain, I have recent familiarity with the entirety of Voyager's records from my previous assignment. Permission to aid the Science team in plugging Commander Tuvok's tactical data into the computer for meaningful use."

Julia Rellek wrote:

Julia watched in awe, powerless to stop the drama unfolding before the crew. With a violent jolt she was shaken from her chair. She pulled her self back into the chair and glanced to her console. The lump in her throat had subsided but upon the realization that their shields were down the lump re-appeared with a vengeance. Her palms began to sweat. It became even more critical, in that moment, to set her fears aside and not put them on display for the crew. She took a deep breathe, although she was experiencing sheer panic on the inside she looked up to the captain and stated calmly.

"Our shields are down."

She didn't wait for a reply. Her voice escalated in volume as she hit her communicator. =/\="Engineering, get that shield generator back online."=/\=

Leela Kaz wrote:

=/\="Bridge, the shield generator is gone!" Leela shouted above the noises behind her in the Engine Room. "It will have to be rebuilt from the ground up."=/\=

[Bridge]

Grabbing onto a console as the ship was hit, Archangel managed to stay on her feet as it shuddered under her feet, threatening to throw her to the deck. To her right, Julia seemed to be starting to panic as she put a call in to Engineering. As much as Archangel also wanted to show panic, her expression simply hardened, taking on a faintly hostile air as she squared her shoulders. Pain flashed through one shoulder from where she had wrenched it holding onto the console, but she ignored it. She put a hand on Julia's shoulder briefly, a wordless reassurance, before folding her arms behind her back and addressing the bridge.

When she spoke, her tone was calm but precise in the orders she gave, making it clear that she didn't want any back talk from her bridge crew.

"Helm, get us as far away from them as we can. Set a course back for Starbase Athena. Ensign Kejal, I appreciate the offer, but that's just become the least of our concerns. Tactical, is there any way we can get even a minimal shield back up?"

[Bridge]

The pit in her stomach and lump in her throat continued to grow larger. The scene that was playing out before her was one that she hadn't fathom in her worst, most vivid, nightmares. The ship was defenseless and the Vidiian ship was still attacking.

Julia launched herself from her seat next to the captain and moved to the tactical station at the back of the bridge. As she glanced at the tactical console she yelled above the noise. "Confirmed sir, the shield generator... it's... it's just gone. And they are coming around again." She looked to Pardek standing next to her. "Fire!"

Julia Rellek wrote:

[Bridge]

The pit in her stomach and lump in her throat continued to grow larger. The scene that was playing out before her was one that she hadn't fathom in her worst, most vivid, nightmares. The ship was defenseless and the Vidiian ship was still attacking.

Julia launched herself from her seat next to the captain and moved to the tactical station at the back of the bridge. As she glanced at the tactical console she yelled above the noise. "Confirmed sir, the shield generator... it's... it's just gone. And they are coming around again." She looked to Pardek standing next to her. "Fire!"

[Bridge]

"Belay that order," Archangel quickly cut in after her first officer had told Safefta to fire. Antagonising the Vidiians was not going to help them in the slightest and she preferred to keep the energy for propulsion. Instead, she looked to the other Romulan and added: "Keep a weapons lock on them."

Her attention turned to the helm. "Get us back to the Athena." Finally, her dark gaze turned to Julia, although her voice addressed the bridge at large. "We're going to try to outrun them back to the starbase. They'll be able to shield us, and deploy runabouts to fight the Vidiians."

The Vidiian crew were pleased with their progress thus far. They were becoming confident. The Human vessel was beginning to take damage.

The Phoenix was trying to escape but the Captain had no intention of letting them get away easily. They had come to far to quit now.

The captain looked around at his crew. "Deploy stage two."

With a few small words the crew began to move like a machine. An arm extended from the belly of the ship and launched towards the Phoenix. The arm latched onto deck one, just outside the bridge. The mechanism inside the arm began to cut through the haul as the boarding party moved into the structure.

With a final thud the interior of the Phoenix was exposed and the boarding party, weapons drawn, moved onto the vessel. They expected heavy resistance but they were prepared to reap the reward of their hard fought battle.

Buris had been thrown out of his chair when the blast hit - and was glad for it, since his panel might have cracked his ribs. He pulled himself back up to his seat quickly, trying to get a bead on the situation. He was leaning over the panel for a moment, then eased himself back into the chair, confirming the reports from Engineering and the rest of the ship. By the time he had coherent damage reports and was ready to take action, the Vidiians had cut into the hull with a weapon. Oh, this was not good.

If there was one thing Buris hated, it was intruders. They got messy, quickly.

He didn't even turn. "Hull Breach! Intruder Alert! Captain, the enemy have breached the hull, they are here on Deck 1, forward section. Dropping emergency bulkheads, engaging fire-suppression protocols. I recommend site-to-site transport... just beam these bastards directly into space. Also, Captain, I'm sure that if we use the main transporter bank and cross-linked it to the sensor arrays, we could use the hole in their shields from that armature, and beam a couple proximity-detonation photon torpedoes into their bridge and engine room."

The lights around them changed as the ship signaled Intruder Alert. Jeffries Tube entries on Deck 1 were set to manual override and code-access entry, the turbolifts were disabled, all terminals in the areas that had been affected were shut down, and the bulkheads and fire-suppression systems would come online, to keep the enemy from getting farther into the ship; since they'd have trouble cutting through the bulkheads and the fire-suppression would drain the atmosphere entirely.

All this happened in moments as Buris continued receiving readings. To hell with being the nice, easygoing Federation - they were being attacked!