Hide and seek part 3

Posted on Fri Mar 5th, 2021 @ 3:46pm by Captain Taliserra Tigran & Ensign Daniel Franklin & Petty Officer 1st Class Saral & Lieutenant Commander Radak & Lieutenant Nilo Rodis & Lieutenant JG Amelia Barron & Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D

2,525 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: To catch a thief
Location: Deck 1- Bridge
Timeline: 3rd April 2395 1915hrs

"Slow to 1/2 impulse," Taliserra instructed, wanting to keep the illusion, but not get too far away from the asteroid that they couldn't close the distance quickly enough to catch them. "Bring us around to close on the ship. Can you tell if there are any surprises hiding in the asteroid field?"

"Sensors have a fairly good reading of most of the field between us and that large one that ship is orbiting now Captain, there are no surprises this side. There are a few larger asteroids that could hold weapons platforms and some smaller patches of disintegrating asteroids that could hold minefields on both sides through it is fairly wide gateways either way," Anthony answered.

"Good," Taliserra mused. She made one more slow loop around the bridge weighing the options. "Red Alert," she called out.


NEW:

"Helm, full impulse, take us in," Taliserra instructed.

"Aye, Sir, increasing speed." The young helmsman pointed the ship straight for the asteroid and with the engines flaring brightly against the darkness of space accelerated the ship towards it.

As the Luna Class Starship accelerated towards the asteroid and where the target vessel was currently in position, Nilo began preparing the various primary power systems for combat and also making sure that auxiliary power was on standby to be diverted if necessary if combat were to ensue.

"Captain, auxiliary power on standby, primary power flows have been diverted to the major systems. We're closing in on the target vessel," Nilo reported. Having not long been aboard the Wolff, Nilo was already prepared for combat and to make sure that he met his duties for making sure that the Wolff had all power available as and when required.

Anthony took a deep breath. As he did he transferred the sensors from investigation to ship's defense mode, which was mostly automatic as soon as the red alert was set.

Amelia strode onto the bridge eyeing the ensign that stood at the tactical station as she made her way there. The ensign moved away and Amelia looked over the display with a trained eye nodding to herself and adjusting the computers targeting as they closed on the asteroids. She also tweaked the shield's generators as they prepared to move through the gauntlet.

Radak took a position beside the captain. He kept an eye on Engineering, since it was the only position not on the bridge currently and he didn’t really have a position of his own.

"Bring the metaphasic shielding online too," Taliserra ordered, finally returning to the central chair.

Anthony was glad they had metaphasic shielding. If nothing else it gave him something else to keep an eye on while the fight comes. After a few seconds of dancing his hands across his console and said “I’m on it Captain.” As he finished the statement the Metaphasic shields came online. “And done.

"Lt. Nilo, hail that ship," Taliserra instructed.

Nilo nodded as he opened a general hailing frequency between the Wolff and the pirate vessel that they were now looking to pursue. "Channel is open, Captain," Nilo confirmed. As the other officers on the Bridge worked away, it was clear that there was history between this vessel and the pirates and that both the Captain and Lt Edwards were prepared for what could come next.

"Dead skull privateers vessel, surrender and prepare to be boarded." She told them.

Nilo checked the Ops panel before him for a response on the channel he opened, however, he saw nothing back, before a second later Nilo recognised the response that the Pirates were about to provide.

"Captain, no response to our hail in any way... hold on," he said as he re-checked the sensors. "Captain! They're charging their weapons array and raising shields, the Pirate vessel has taken hostile posture but continues to ignore our hails," Nilo confirmed, with it now clear that the Pirates intended to fight.

"Amelia, target their engines and weapons, disable that ship." The Captain began giving orders. "Anthony, scan the area with an antiproton beam, if that ship with a cloaking device is here I want it found. Everyone else, keep an eye on that asteroid."

Once the Captain had given her orders, Nilo nodded and continued monitoring the sensor data as well as the primary power systems, making sure that there wouldn't be a disruption in the energy required for a potential engagement.

Anthony said “Antiproton beam Aye Captain.” A few gentle hand movements over his console and the antiproton array sent a beam out from their ship to scan for a cloaked ship.

Amelia looked over the incoming information from the sensors and began setting the targeting priorities and reading the possibilities of getting solid hits.

"Captain, I suggest we get a little closer before engaging," Amelia said, waiting for the targeting recitals to shift to green.

"Open fire as soon as you can, Amelia. I don't want that ship getting away," Taliserra said with a hint of aggression in her voice.

As the result started coming through Anthony said disappointedly, “Noticeably there is no sign of a cloaked ship though.”

Slowly at first but gaining speed over time the mercenary ship weaved through the asteroids firing its disruptors at the Wolff every chance it got.

"Captain, Shields are holding," Nilo reported. "Despite your previous engagement with the enemy, they seem to have more power diverted to evading us than causing us damage. Whilst they are firing when they have a clear shot, the shields are holding off each barrage... so far."

Amelia nodded to herself as the recital switched from dark yellow to light yellow indicating a better targeting lock. She pressed the button to fire the forward phasers and frowned.

"Captain, the ship is small and highly maneuverable. We were only able to get glancing blows to their dorsal shields." Amelia said as she fired again and watched how the fleeing ship responded.

"Find a way to hit her Lieutenant, I want that ship."

As Amelia fired the third volley she noticed a pattern and grinned. her fingers flew over the console as she reset the torpedo's fuses from collision to proximity. Once done she began to scan the area directly in front of the pirate ship and a truly vulpine grin spread across her face. She pinpointed where she wanted the ship to be and when and sent it to navigation. She fired torpedos and phasers driving the pirate ship towards the large asteroid where her plan would unfold.

A flash message with Amelia's instructions appeared on the helm console and the helmsman quickly manoeuvred the Wolff towards the position.

Nilo looked up as the sensors suddenly raised an alert. Once he checked the information incoming, he looked over at Captain Tigran.

"Captain, new information," he began as he got her attention and the attention of the others on the Bridge. "New contact on an intercept course, it's a second pirate vessel, of similar class and design to the one that we are pursuing currently."

Checking the readings and also looking at the impulse wake that was being left by the new contact, Nilo nodded as his thoughts were confirmed. "Its course hails from inside the asteroid, it must have launched several minutes after the first one." Nilo kept an eye on the sensors after relaying out the information.

'That's two of them, where are the others?' Taliserra thought, the third corvette and their sole larger ship were nowhere to be seen. "Disable both of them if you can Amelia."

"Copy that Captain." Amelia said as she began to enact her plan.

The addition of a second ship made Amelia's grin widen almost impossibly so as she adjusted the targeting sensors. She split the weapons of the ship into four quadrants and let the computer control the phasers. She took over control of the torpedos and smirked as the first ship passed behind the large asteroid that they had been driving them towards. Amelia pressed the button that launched two volleys of torpedos spread around the edge of the asteroid and saturating the location Amelia was sure the little ship would fly through. Then she turned her attention to the second ship and began pounding it's forward shields with phasers.

Emerging from the large explosion of the detonating torpedoes the small pirate ship tumbled through space leaking plasma as chunks of its hull plates flew off and its damaged thrusters fired randomly propelling the ship deeper into the asteroid field.

Anthony watched the screen which showed the badly beaten small ship as the human eye would see it then his station beeped to say the sensor data was coming in, he looked it over and quickly planned the sensor report for Captain Tigran. As he did he smiled and said to the bridge at large, "They're running. Well sometime, under the power of their thrusters as they are and they are showing signs of a plasma leak I surmise they have no warp or impulse drive active. Either the explosions were close to the hull or the shrapnel of those explosions have caused hull breaches, as there are hull plates flying away which may be causing the misfiring thrusters. If they haven’t already I expect unless they live by the code of live by the sword die by it their Captain will be sending out a rescue message anytime now.

"Keep an eye on it, Amelia, focus fire on the second ship."

Amelia said under her breath "Nows time for the slow dance."
"Con bring us to within tractor range of the first ship please." Amelia said as she tasked the phaser on low setting to destroy the thrusters of the first ship while she prepared a volley for the second.

"Strumming my pain with his fingers." Amelia softly sang to herself "Singing my life with his words."

She launched the volley of torpedoes and retasked the aft phasers arrays to strike on wide disbursal to confuse the second ships sensors as the volley bracketed the ship and detonated together. Shaking the second ship visibly.

"Killing me softly with his song." Amelia continued as she retasked the phasers from wide beam to pinpoint and started to tear at the smaller ships hull separating the warp nacelles and moving on to target its weapons and impulse engines. "Killing me softlyyyyyy with his sonnnnng." She sang to herself as the second ship shuddered and pitched forward beginning an out of control tumble.

Several glances came Amelia's way as some of the other bridge crew heard her quietly singing as she blasted chunks out of the mercenary ship.

Taliserra watched the drifting ship for several seconds before a series of explosions onboard the small craft tore it to pieces sending debris in all directions.

"I said disable the ship Lieutenant, not blow it to pieces." Taliserra called out somewhat angrily.

"With respect Captain the second ship was disabled. I left nothing for it to do but drift. Someone must have authorized self destruct." Amelia replied smoothly as she keyed in data and compared it with the first ship.

A few seconds after Lieutenant Barron finished saying about a self-destruct being initiated an energy spike showed up on the science console and he said to Captain Tigran. "I concur with Lieutenant Barron Ma'am because I think the crew of the first ship has done so as well, There is an energy spike which I expect is a warp core Self-destruct being initiated."

"Transport anyone you can off those ships." Taliserra ordered hoping there was enough time to get at least someone off it, someone they could question.

“Transport inhibitors Captain. They went up as part of the initiation of the self-destruct. We won’t get a lock Ma’am, it is a theory I’m working on that it is a way to stop us getting information by plucking crew to safety.” Anthony said with a frown, “I’m glad Starfleet don’t have those ideals.” He said to himself.

Joining its fellow ship the first mercenary ship exploded adding even more to the cloud of metal that flew at high speed across the asteroid field, fragments from the small ships bounced against the Wolffs shields rocking the ship slightly.

"That leaves just the asteroid." Taliserra mused. "Lock weapons, helm take us into transporter range. Anthony open a channel."

"Captain that will take us very close to some of the larger asteroids." The helmsman warned. "Any one of them could do quite a lot of damage if it hits us."

"Take us in Ensign." Taliserra ordered, she knew it was risky but it was the only way.

Taking a deep breath the helmsman's fingers started to move over the helm console. "Aye sir." She said and slowly moved the ship closer to the larger asteroid constantly watching the locations of the other asteroids.

Anthony's hand flickered across his console. "Channel open Captain." He said as he pushed the last few buttons to open it without being heard to say that the channel was opening.

"There is no chance of escape, surrender and prepare to be boarded." Taliserra told them.

Watching the sensors which were mainly watching the asteroid with the supply station on it and he missed a coded message going out. As it registered he did a sweep but was too late as some of the larger more distant asteroids started to explode. As soon as Anthony was able to catch up with them he shouted "CAPTAIN WE HAVE TO GET OUT OUT OF HERE ASTEROIDS ARE EXPLODING." At this point, there was no escaping them unscathed as they were too close to the bigger ones which expectantly meant they had larger charges within them. Finally, he saw it happening "Captain that stations not going to be there much longer. We're not going to get any simple clues about those stolen sensors." At that point, he shut down the primary sensors and transferred all science power to shields.

"What!" Taliserra exclaimed completely surprised at what the mercs were resorting to. "Helm full reverse, emergency power to shields." She watched the sensor display on her chairs screen, a rumbling wave of explosions and colossal chunks of asteroid headed towards the Wolff from both sides.

"That's not good." she said to herself as she shunted power from the weapons and any other systems she could get ahold of into the shields. Her eyes went to the read out of the shield generators and assigned a rotating third to reduce power levels for a microsecond, the second third to remain at normal levels and the final third to pulse out. This she knew theoretically would reduce strain on a rotating third of shield generators to help them stay operational for a longer time.

Slowly Increasing speed the Wolff began to reverse out of the asteroid field, more explosions registered on the sensor readouts as more and more charges detonated inside the asteroids

The ship began to rumble and shake as the rolling tide of fire and debris got closer. “All hands, brace for impact.” Taliserra called out on the shipwide channel as it engulfed the ship.

TBC

 

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