"Storming The Castle" - Part 6
Posted on 241409.16 @ 6:02am by Commodore Sebastian Ascari
Mission:
Insurrection [Fleet Plot]
Location: Various locations
Timeline: Backlog
== USS Corsair, Nearby Communications Station Epsilon-12 ==
“All hands to battlestations. Red Alert”, came the order from the Corsair’s captain. Alarm klaxons wailed and emergency lighting flashed as the crew scrambled to their emergency posts.
The bridge had fallen silent as all eyes carefully watched the ominous image of the Sovereign class starship entering the area upon the Corsair’s viewscreen.
“Captain Ramius, I believe your chief engineer was correct. We should withdraw for now. While regrettable the loss of a few individuals is preferable to an engagement with an opponent we cannot best.” Director Ascari watched the USS Agincourt as he spoke.
“We haven’t lost yet”, Ramius quietly stated from behind clasped hands and a steeple of fingers.
“We cannot engage that ship”, Ascari stated. “We’re outclassed Ramius. Even you must be able to see this?”
Ramius grimaced. The intelligence director sitting at his side was becoming bothersome, but he would endure the man out of respect…for now.
“Have the seen us”, Ramius asked.
“No”, Admiral James Valtren stated from behind the captain. “The asteroid we are hiding behind should provide us with adequate cover, but if we move we are likely to be spotted.”
“If we do nothing we sacrifice the mission, valuable intelligence, and worse our comrades. If we move we will be forced to fight. Neither option is acceptable.”
“What about the Agincourt’s command codes sir. Couldn’t we use those take control of her systems”, the helm officer asked.
“The fleet at large has already changed those codes”, the admiral answered. “Those ships still loyal to the new Federation and Starfleet regimes will have taken measures to prevent rogue ships like us from exploiting that vulnerability.”
“Our only option is to withdraw”, Ascari reiterated.
“We have several options”, Ramius quickly stated with a firm tone. “Retreat is not one of them.”
“But we cannot win. You just stated our only options are not viable.”
“Victory is not always determined by strength or size alone. We have speed, cunning, daring and most of all surprise. For the moment, they do not know we are here and that is our strongest weapon. Using it properly however is the challenge before us. What is the repair estimate for the transporters?”
“Engineering estimates another fifteen to thirty minutes. They are testing repairs now.”
Ramius gazed intently at the Sovereign class ship that hovered on the screen before him quietly determining his next course of action.
=== Meanwhile, Communications Core – Station Epsilon-12 ===
Chief Engineer Kusinagi and his engineers raced into the communications core and stopped at the doorway to its main control center. The three men panted catching their breath having run from station operations.
Captain Akina turned from a nearby computer console as the engineers appeared at the doorway.
“Sai, damn I’m glad you’re here. The computers aren’t cooperating. Two of them were damaged in the…”
“Akina…we have a problem”, Kusinagi stated between labored breaths.
“What is it?”
“A Sovereign class starship just entered the system. It will be here any moment.”
The captain’s eyes widened. “Did you contact the Corsair? Our communicators won’t function in here with all this shielding.”
“The Corsair is aware of the situation. Her transporters are still offline. They can’t pull us out in time. I don’t see us sneaking away in the freighter we came in on either. Its engines and power systems are too far gone after our transporter stunt and even if they weren’t I don’t see us outrunning a Sovereign class starship.”
Akina felt his stomach muscles tighten. The foreboding he had felt earlier was only a precursor to the nightmare that had suddenly manifested itself. The mission he worried had been too easy suddenly had become far more complicated as he had feared.
“Check the computers Sai! Maybe someone aboard sent a signal to the starship? If they did there might be a log. Hurry! It might give us something we can use.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know! Maybe we can stall them or delay them? It’s all we have. Brighton, Alorr – give the chief a hand!”
== Minutes Later ==
“A message was sent”, Kusinagi shouted from the computer station. “Let’s see it” Akina answered rushing to the commander’s station.
“It was from the station commander, Captain Medax. The Agincourt is the station’s normal security. It’s the ship normally on station in this area. She was redeployed recently. It looks like Medax was inquiring about a gas cloud? There’s a reference to the Echo, our conversation with him, and wanting to verify the presence of an energetic cloud. I’m going to assume the Agincourt has detailed navigation charts since it patrols this area.”
“Looks like that captain wasn’t as gullible as we thought. He didn’t completely buy our story it seemed.”
“Well his suspicions weren’t enough to prevent us from docking. He must have sent out the message as insurance. Since he hasn’t been able to contact the Agincourt to follow up they must have altered course to check on the station.”
“We’ll have to stall them”, Akina stated.
“How”, Kusinagi answered turning in his chair to face the captain. “We might be able to buy a few minutes, but they will eventually realize something is wrong. What happens when they ask to speak to the normal duty officers?”
“We just need to keep them occupied for a few minutes. Maybe that will be enough.”
“You do the talking Captain”, Kusinagi stated as he stood from the console. “I have work to do.”
“Such as”, Akina asked as the chief gathered his tools.
“Talk is cheap or so the saying goes. If I’m going to spend the rest of my life in a prison colony or worse I prefer to at least have the satisfaction of knowing I did everything I could before being captured.”
Kusinagi took his engineers and left the core computer center.
“Captain”, one of Akina’s security team stated. Akina watched the engineers walk out.
“Let them go”, he stated solemnly. “Let them do what they feel they must. There doesn’t seem to be much time. Continue downloading the information from the computers and pay special attention to any new cyphers in use by Starfleet or Federation channels. If we can get this to the Corsair they can us it decode enemy communications.”
“Sir! The Agincourt is hailing the station!”
Akina turned to face the tiny viewscreen that displayed the image of the starship. “Looks as though we have run out of time…”
================================
Captain Sebastian Ascari
Director, Starfleet Intelligence (Deposed)
Captain Taverain Ramius
CO, USS Corsair
Admiral James Valtren
Starfleet Intelligence
Captain Zane Akina
Starfleet Intelligence
Commander Sai Kusinagi
Chief Engineer, USS Corsair
(Various NPCs)
