Post 18 - The Second Stringers

Posted on Fri Nov 20th, 2020 @ 6:35pm by Captain Björn Kodak & Lieutenant JG Irynya & Lieutenant JG Chaali & Ensign Tamblem Dravor

Mission: Episode 2 - The Next Phage
Location: USS-Adelphi, Main Bridge
Timeline: Moments after Post 15

[USS-Adelphi]
[Main Bridge]
[Moments after Post 15]

"Fire," had come Captain Kodak's command, which had been dutifully carried out by Ensign Dravor at Tactical.

On the viewscreen, the closest camera angle possible showed the phaser array firing on the Vidiian vessel pursuing the Adelphi. The flaring orange beam of phased energy lanced out, slicing into the restraint arm currently connecting the two ships. That, combined with the continued forward motion of the Adelphi itself, led to the arm giving way.

The mechanical tether tore itself free of its parent ship and trailed after Adelphi, still attached to the hull. But the ship, at least, was free to slip into the azure nebula ahead, a promised land of hide-and-seek safety -- a temporary harbor to effect repairs as long as the Adelphi could elude her pursuers in the sensor-dampening effects of the nebula's embrace.

"Report," the Chameloid Captain commanded as he watched the nebula swallow them whole on the viewscreen ahead.

"Well, the Vidiians certainly did us no favors with our port nacelle problem," Ensign Sheila Mulhern spoke up from the Engineering console. The glowing wireframe representing the Adelphi and its systems was positively aflame with red damage indicators. "That plasma leak was already making us highly visible to sensors. With the new damage to the nacelle, that problem is now much worse. But," she nodded slowly, "I've got teams working on it. Hopefully, the nebula will mask our signature. In the meantime," she added, "we need to do something about that restraint arm. Still attached like it is, our maneuverability will be impacted, not to mention it could still rip off a section of the hull."

The Bolian turned to concur with the Engineer, "We need to power down and run on auxiliary power. It will lessen our power signature. I'd recommend moving nonessential personnel to the inner bulkheads so we can conserve life support and heat." She tapped off her console to briefly float it to automatic. "We'll need to remove the grapple with an outside walk. The interior bulkheads are heavily compromised. Too dangerous."

Irynya's console seemed to flicker as trailing navigational data and recalculations of their trajectory, inertia, and power levels flowed across the screen. "I'm adjusting for the drag from the grapple, but it's slowing us down quite a bit. I wouldn't recommend any evasive maneuvers any time soon. For now, maintaining one half impulse straight ahead. I'll look for a place to park us so we can take the engines offline and remove the grapple."

Tamblem grimaced, sweat still trickling down his next, as he relayed the ship's dismal tactical status to the Captain, "Shields are holding at 23%. We will need some time to firm those back up." The Trill shook his head as he checked the latest sensor records, "Phasers will not function within the nebula due to the radiation and ionizing effects. They will dissipate almost instantly. Recommend we take them offline and use the power elsewhere." He sighed and looked up toward the Captain, exasperated, "On the bright side, torpedos will function normally, but we can't see anything to target."

The reports -- as expected -- were not encouraging. But in all truthfulness, the Chameloid mused, the Adelphi could be in much worse shape. There was a lot to do to put her to rights again, though. "As my father used to say," Kodak lamented, "aller anfang ist schwer. All beginnings are hard," the Captain somberly translated his native German for the others. "Might as well dive right in. Ensign Mulhern, put together a team for your spacewalk. You're in charge of the arm removal."

Sheila gulped ever so slightly at being assigned to head up the spacewalk team. This was partially because she wasn't used to commanding a team of her own. The fear she felt also stemmed from the spacewalk itself: zero G work was not exactly something she was exceedingly comfortable with. But the Captain had given an order and she was determined to follow it. "Understood, sir. We'll need to reposition the arm to hold it up and away from the ship, keeping it taught to ease removal. I recommend a worker bee, sir."

Kodak considered that for a moment and then nodded. "Precision flying will be a priority for that. Lieutenant Irynya," he looked to the Risian at the helm, "you'll fly the worker bee. Chaali, I'd like you to accompany her. You can monitor the situation on the hull and report back as needed. We'll need to--"

The Captain was interrupted by the computer, which helpfully reported the presence of Vidiian intruders. Quick scans of the Adelphi revealed no interlopers on the decks of the ship itself, though several Vidiians had apparently been waiting in the restraint arm, ready to board the Adelphi. They were currently attempting to slice into the hull from their vantage point within the wreckage of the arm. If they were given too much time to continue their work, they would make their way inside.

Kodak tapped his combadge, sounding slightly irked as he relayed orders down to the Transporter Room. "Chief Lantash, we have Vidiian intruders inside the arm attached to our hull. Perhaps you could beam them into the brig? Would rather avoid a firefight on the ship's hull if possible."

After a few long moments, a voice from below decks replied. "Wish we could, sir," Lantash said, disappointment clouding her tone. "They seem to be wearing transport inhibitors of some kind. We're unable to get a lock down here."

"Understood Chief," Kodak nodded, reaching up to close the channel via his combadge. "Mr. Dravor, it looks like you'll be accompanying the spacewalk team as well, then. Take whatever security officers you need to repel the Vidiians and keep our team safe."

"Yessir." Irynya replied on receiving the Captain's order. Her stomach knotted a moment at the thought. She hadn't flown a worker bee in some time, but remembered that the small round vessel fitted with two retractable arms for grasping was well named, requiring a soft touch unless you wanted to flip the thing onto its back. Tapping lightly at her station she alerted the back up helmsman to report to the bridge to relieve her for the mission.

The Bolian too tapped off her Ops console and prepared to turn it over to a relief officer. She glanced at the Risian with a collected calm, at least on the surface. She twitched her nose as her only tell and sidled up as a man in yellow shouldering approached. "It's all yours," she said to him.

"Uh," Dravor faltered as he rose from his chair. "I mean aye sir," He nodded to the officer that magically appeared from the turbolift to take his position and followed the Bolian and Risan toward the lift. Entering the lift, he tapped his combadge, "Dravor to Security Teams Delta and Zeta report to airlock twelve for zero-g maneuvers."

As the officers filed into the turbolift, Kodak found himself surrounded by the relief-to-the-relief officers. Third stringers, the Captain thought to himself, his mind harkening back to watching soccer -- or football, as they called it in Germany -- matches with his adopted father. It was a rare thing to have a third stringer enter the game but it was, at times, wholly necessary due to injury in ineligibility. The Chameloid just had to remind himself that, like soccer players, these even younger officers were still very capable of performing their jobs, even if they weren't the first or second choices for their positions. The Captain just hoped that the space walk mission would go smoothly and that his second stringers would return soon.


=/\= A joint post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer
USS-Adelphi

and

Lieutenant JG Irynya (t'Nai's NPC)
Flight Controller
USS-Adelphi

and

Lieutenant JG Chaali (Timmoz' NPC)
Operations Officer
USS-Adelphi

and

Ensign Tamblem Dravor (Oliveria's NPC)
Tactical Officer
USS-Adelphi

and

Ensign Mulhern (Kodak's NPC)
Engineering Officer
USS-Adelphi