"Storming The Castle" - Part 10

Posted on 241409.16 @ 6:38am by Commodore Sebastian Ascari

Mission: Insurrection [Fleet Plot]
Location: Various locations
Timeline: Backlog

== Bridge, USS Corsair ==

“Range”, the captain demanded. “Ten thousand kilometers and closing”, came the tense response from the helm. “Any indication they see us Mr. Redstone?”

“Negative sir. They are continuing to fire on the station. Subspace field intensity has fallen 30 percent. It won’t be long before they have disabled enough of the transceivers to pull clear of its disruption effects.”

“Helm…push the engines! We have to close the gap!”


=== Communications Core, Epsilon-12 ===


The deck plating vibrated gently under the feet of the assault team. “What was that”, Akina shouted.

“The Agincourt is blasting everything it can lock on to! Her targeting sensors are offline so she is destroying the asteroids the transceivers are installed on. It’s shifting the stable orbits of nearby asteroids and disrupting local gravity. That idiot captain is going to create a debris field that acts like an old Earth shotgun! It’s going to be difficult for the Corsair to get in here with all the flying debris. If the Agincourt doesn’t stop this insanity and withdraw it might inadvertently destroy itself.”

Another rumble gently shook the control room. “How many of those things are left?”

“Not enough. The field is collapsing quickly. The other transceivers either aren’t in range or cannot be positioned to align on the Agincourt. It’s down to a few minutes now…maybe less. There isn’t anything else I can do”, Kusinagi shouted in frustration at the image of the rampaging starship.

“Alright, we’re done here. Grab your gear chief. We’ve bought as much time as we can. The rest is up to Ramius now. We have to get to the extraction point. If we make it then we have our shot. If we don’t well…at least you gave it your all like you said you wanted.”

“IDIOTS”, the engineer shouted at the screen. “Where they hell are they getting captains these days? I know shuttle drivers that have more common sense! I’m setting the system to automatic. The computer will attempt to keep the Agincourt in range for as long as possible.”

“Check on your men and get ready to run.” The chief nodded and looked up at the monitors above. The Corsair was closing fast, but would she make it in time? She would be vulnerable during transport. Was there really enough time to pull this off?

Akina raced down the hallway to the core’s generator. “Get to the exit”, he shouted at his team entering the power control room. At the center of the circular room was the core’s self-contained power generator which pulsed with regular blue light. Surrounding the generator was a circular dais of controls. “Are the charges set?”

“Yes sir.”

Akina located the explosives that had been set and quickly inspected the devices. “Are they synchronized with the charges aboard the station?”

“I just finished checking the connection. Once we open the doors to this shell they should be within communications range of one another.”

“It’ll have to do. No time for testing.” Kneeling down, Akina activated the explosive control unit. “What do you say? Ten minutes sound like a good number?”

“That’s cutting it a bit close sir.”

“Well if the Corsair can’t get to us before then we’ll be exposed once we leave the shielding of the core. The Agincourt will have no trouble beaming us out of here. If for one would rather go out in a blaze of glory than with a whimper at the hands of an interrogator.”

“Ten sounds good.”

“Ten it is.” Akina entered the number into the control panel and set his wrist mounted computer to match. “Ready?”

“We’re with you boss.”

“Let’s go!” He activated the explosive as they group dashed out the door toward the exit hatch.



== Bridge, USS Corsair ==



“Cannons at 98 percent charge. Damage control teams standing by. Security reports decks two through five have been evacuated!”

“Now within firing range captain”, the helm called out.

Tension dripped like water on the bridge of the Corsair. Its officer were no stranger to adversity, but the risks they were taking to save their fellow shipmates and the rapidly closing window they had to accomplish their mission weighed upon the hearts and minds of everyone aboard the Corsair.

“Charge at 99 percent!”

“Helm, plot a course the pickup the away team.”

“There’s a lot of debris. The Agincourt is blasting the entire area into rubble!”

“We’ve come this far! I’m not going to be stopped by mere rocks. Find a way through”, the captain commanded.

“CAPTAIN! Subspace field collapsing! THEY CAN SEE US!”

Ramius quickly stood from his chair as the bridge went dead silent around him.



== Communications Station – Epsilon-12 ==


The away team dashed through the empty halls of the station emerging back into the vast hangar bay where they had begun this entire affair. Docked in its berth was the MSV Echo and inside were its crew and the crew of the station.

“THE FREIGHTER”, Kusinagi shouted. “WE FORGOT!”

Akina cursed himself glancing down at his arm. The display counted down the time indicating there was just six minutes remaining. If he had remembered the freighter he would have allowed more time for the explosives.

“Chief, come with me! Everyone else proceed to the extraction point!”

“Captain we aren’t…”

“No time for this…get to the extraction point. That’s an order!”

Racing back aboard the freighter, Akina and Kusinagi made their way to the bridge. “Chief is it possible to launch a ship in under six minutes?”

“Hell if I know. Not the sort of thing Starfleet has races for back at Starbase. Guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“If we do this you and I both know we aren’t making the rendezvous point with the others.”

“Can you live with yourself condemning over sixty innocent people to death?”

“No, no I don’t think I could.”

“Good, neither can I. I’m restarting the fusion reactors. Get the moorings retracted!”

“Forget the umbilicals. Release the docking clamps. We can tear our way out of here once we’re free. I’m headed to engineering. The engines are in a sorry state. If we’re going to do this I need to be there!”

Akina nodded. “Go. I’ll handle things up here!”

He watched the engineering leave before glancing at this arm. There didn’t seem to be enough time.

Akina reactivated the ship’s computers cursing at the antique systems and their slow response times. A few moments later the hum of lighting, lifesupport, and engines greeted his ears. He took a seat at the navigation console. Impulse power was still offline, but the thrusters still appeared to be operational.

He looked at his arm. Two and a half minutes remained.

“CHIEF”, he shouted into the intercom. “We have two minutes remaining. Whatever miracles you have left I suggest you perform them now!” Reaching up, Akina tapped the release for the docking clamps and to his horror the computer rejected his request. He frantically punched the computer as time quickly ticked away. Time they didn’t have to spare.

“COMPUTER, RELEASE THE DOCKING CLAMP!”

“Unable to comply. Docking clamp has been locked by order of Station Commander Medax.”

“MEDAX! THAT IDIOT!”

Gritting his teeth, the captain leapt out of the seat and dashed back to the airlock. Racing out of the freighter, Akina pulled the phaser rifle attached to his back as he dashed for the front of the ship and the large metal clamp that held the ship fast within the hangar. He quickly set his rifle to maximum and took aim.

Firing at maximum power the energy of the phaser streaked across the hangar and exploded against the clamp with a deafening roar. Akina looked on as a cloud of vaporized steel rose up from the partially melted clamp which was now glowing yellow. He lined up and took another shot. He looked again as liquefied metal dripped away below but still the clamp remained.

He was about to shoot again when his weapon beeped indicating its power cell was completely depleted. He had used everything in two concentrated shots. Akina let out a yell as he hurled the empty weapon at the clamp. He raced back to the airlock and back to the freighter’s bridge diving into the navigator’s seat. He didn’t dare look at his arm. He already knew time was against them. He didn’t want to see his end coming…


================================

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

Lt. Alexander Redstone
Tactical Officer, USS Corsair

(Various NPCs)