Fleet Log || Cpt Vokar || "Crossing the Line, Part 2."

Posted on 241403.22 @ 2:25pm by Admiral Alexander Hark

=/\= Observation Deck, Bridge Module, Deck 1, USS Pendragon =/\=

"Starfleet Command has fallen. I say again, Starfleet Command has fallen. Good luck to you all, and God Bless. Malone out."

The message finished playing and the Vulcan CO turned from his position next to the screen to look over across his assembled senior staff, he hadn't told them anything of this since he first viewed it and now the silence told him everything he needed to know, around the table were friends, old and new, people he'd been forced to put his faith in, people who trusted him as their Captain.

It was the newest member of the staff who spoke up first, the Tellarite Executive Officer cleared his throat and looked around the room, “Is this verified?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly with the shock.

“It is, noone else could have sent the message encrypted as it was, Fleet Admiral Malone and Starfleet Command have been driven from Earth,” Vokar replied as he reached over and tapped a button on the screen, “I also received this through my intelligence contact, who has since resurfaced.” he added as the screen flickered and showed Earth and its orbital facilities.

On the screen, a group of ships were heading towards the iconic silhouette of the Ticonderoga, Malone's personal flagship, the comm traffic barked of orders for them to stand down and turn over the CinC, a warning shot was fired before another five ships came up behind the initial group, ordering them to stand down before jumping to warp alongside the Ticonderoga.

“It has been determined the group assaulting the Ticonderoga were under the orders of the UFP Council,” the Vulcan added as the transmission cut out again, the screen going black before being replaced by the Starfleet Intelligence logo.

Silence once again hung over the room as the severity of the situation hung in the air, the normally vocal senior officers being hushed by the fact that their loyalties were about to be tested to the limit.

“I have already made a decision on what we are to do, I hope that many of you will follow, but those who do not wish to, will be given access to a runabout, I will not force anyone into following my decision,” the Vulcan CO announced as he moved to sit in the chair at the head of the table, “I have decided that since we cannot be 100% sure of who is in the wrong, that we remain loyal to the oaths we took as officers, we fight to protect the Federation we know and love, by any means necessary.”

“The Vanguard?!” the Tactical officer exclaimed as he recognised the rhetoric from the information he had available about them, “You cannot seriously be considering siding with those terrorists?”

“The Vanguard are not terrorists,” Vokar replied calmly, a slight smile on his face as he slid a couple of padds out of his uniform and handed them around the table, one to either side of him, “If it were not for Artur Tarasov and his forces, the Vindicator and her crew would have been lost a long time ago, under his leadership, they have expelled the rogue elements of their organisation and are fighting to protect the Federation, something that I think all of you can respect.”

“Either way, to protect the Federation we will be considered traitors, we cannot stand idly by and allow this coup to stand, Starfleet Command held the Federation together in the ruins of the siege,” the Medical Officer said as he ran a hand through his grey hair, “I for one, support any decision which leads to restoring the Federation to its rightful state.”

A chirping made them all silence again, the Vulcan CO tapped his badge quickly, “Vokar here,” he stated, waiting for the message.

“Captain, we're being approached by three ships, they're declaring themselves as UFP Security, they're ordering us to stand down.” came the message that noone wanted to hear.

“Shields up! Red Alert!” Vokar called out as he looked up at his officers, “If you're with me, to your posts, if not, get down to the shuttlebay,”

The look on the Vulcan's face said it all, his officers ran out of the observation deck and to their posts, even the tactical officer who had been somewhat critical of his plans, “They're still hailing us, ordering us to lower our shields and prepare to be boarded.”

“Open a channel,”

“Channel Open sir.”

“This is Captain Vokar of the Vanguard, we will not stand by and let the Federation burn, you will stand down weapons and turn around or we will be forced to fire on you.” the Vulcan responded, taking the centre seat on the bridge.

The screen flickered a few times and then was replaced by the face of a Human, wearing a modified Starfleet Uniform and the rank pips of Commander, “Captain Vokar, you are under arrest for treason against the state and collaboration with known terrorist Artur Tarasov, we are authorised to use any force necessary to bring you to account.”

Beside the young Commander, an officer in a dark overcoat, braided with gold and a peaked cap stood at attention, his gaze focused on the viewscreen, as if he could see through the transmission and into the bridge of the Pendragon, at his side hung a phaser, the only one visible on the bridge.

“You can try.” Vokar replied before signalling for the channel to the cut.

As soon as the channel closed, a shot was fired from the lead of the three ships, a warning shot across the bow of the Pendragon, combined, the three ships would still be no match for the Excalibur Class and they must have known it, the specification were not exactly a secret.

=/\= Bridge, USS Grant, UFP Security =/\=

“No response to the warning shot sir,” came the reply from the tactical officer on the lead ship as he looked up to the new addition to the bridge staff.

“We've got no chance of taking the Pendragon with just the three of us,” the Captain responded as he looked up at the Commissar from the newly formed Morale unit placed on his ship, the man barely ever spoke, but the young Commander had been informed of his remit, he'd also been informed of the decisions that he could make if he felt that someone was not performing in the interests of the UFP Council.

“Captain, failure is not an option, neither is retreat,” the Commissar replied as he brushed a hand across his hip, bringing his phaser into the peripheral vision of the Commander, “You will attempt to take this... terrorist into custody, or we shall have to find someone else who is capable.”

“Of course,” the Commander replied as he returned his gaze to the viewscreen, “Helm, attack pattern delta, seven, Tactical order our escorts to engage the Pendragon, fire at will.”

=/\= Bridge, USS Pendragon =/\=

Shaking slightly with the impacts, the bridge of the Pendragon was a hive of activity as the three ships opened fire, “Minimal damage to the shields sir, they're severely outmatched, shall I return fire?” the tactical officer reported.

“Helm, defensive pattern Vokar nine gamma,” the Vulcan replied as he strapped himself into the command chair and activated his console, “Fire to disable only, weapons and engines, I refuse to destroy a Federation starship.”

Banking hard, the Pendragon began to show its underside to one of the smaller ships, it's phasers lighting up and striking out at them hard, being a much heavier class of ship, the Pendragon's phasers caused the shields of the attacking craft to flare, their emitters burning out after a couple of hits from the colossal ship.

The much smaller ships were streaking around the Pendragon at close range, making targeting them difficult at best, but slowly the Excalibur Class ship began to take its toll, the incoming weapons fire lessened to the point where the huge ship could stop and pick its shots, a final volley of fire disabled all three ships in one blow, setting them adrift in space as the huge ship came to a halt before them once more.

“Hail them.” Vokar barked as he unstrapped himself and straightened his hair.

It took a few moments, but the viewscreen flickered into life and showed the dark and smoky bridge of the lead ship, consoles sparked and failed all over, crew lay injured or worse, the Captain was slumped in his chair, the Commissar on his feet next to him, his phaser leveled at the Commander's temple which still glowed from the close range shot of the weapon.

“Cowardice will not be tolerated!” the Commissar barked before turning to look at the viewscreen, “You will pay for your crimes Vokar, mark my words, we will meet again and next time, you will not evade me!”

“The Federation I know would never execute a Captain for wanting to save the lives of his crew,” the Vulcan said, his voice sober as he mourned the death of a man following orders, “Whatever the Federation is now, it is not what we pledged our loyalty to.” he added with a nod to his tactical officer, the signal to close the channel again.

“Take us into deep space Helm, two days behind the Crazy Horse along the same flightpath,” Vokar called out as he looked down to the helm console, “It would seem we're overdue to leave.”

Again, the Pendragon banked hard, facing directly away from the three stricken ships, it's nacelles began to glow bright before it streaked off at warp, away from the Federation.

(End Log.)

Captain Vokar
Commanding Officer
USS Pendragon
Vanguard Operative