Re: Chapter I - War
Commander Eugene Edison had been in enough battles to know that this was a bad one. The Jem’Hadar ships had come out of seemingly nowhere, probably using a nearby asteroid field to hide their approach. And Eagle and Agamemnon had made an inviting target. Both ships had still been undergoing repairs from the previous skirmish when the enemy attacked. Even though their main systems: shields, weapons and engines were all functioning they were not yet operating at peak efficiency. And the Jem’Hadar knew this. Their attack had been aggressive and targeted the Starfleet vessel’s most vulnerable spots. Eagle and her companion had been in a defensive struggle from the moment the fight had begun.
Edison held on to the armrests of his chair as the bridge shook violently under the incoming fire. As the first officer he was responsible for the crew and so he quickly looked around the bridge to make sure nobody had been harmed and that everyone was focused on the job at hand.
The young Trill officer Ensign Lutira Rei was currently manning the operations station. Her raven black hair had come loose of its tight bun and threatened to fall into her face. Rei had come right out of the Academy no two years ago. Edison had always liked her energy and dedication. She had been very naïve and inexperienced when she had come aboard but she had lost much of that in the last few weeks. She was not supposed to be at that station however. Edison did not know why Lieutenant Deen had not made it to the bridge yet but he had no time to investigate. He would do so as soon as the current threat had passed. If he was still alive by then.
“We’ve lost ventral thrusters. The lead vessel is coming around for another pass,” announced the un-joined Trill as she pushed some of the loose hair out of her face.
Next to her Edison spotted Lieutenant Lif Culsten hard at work trying to keep Eagle out of the firing cone of the two enemy ships that were stuck on the Starfleet vessel’s tail. His fingers raced across the console faster than those of most humans including his own he was sure. The copper-skinned Krellonian possessed a superior nervous system which allowed for increased reflexes. A trait which came in very handy when maneuvering a three million ton starship. At the moment Culsten’s reflexes were the only thing keeping Eagle in one piece but they were not enough to keep the ship from taking one big hit after another.
“They’re too slippery and we’re too sluggish,” he said frustrated. “I can’t maintain a firing position.”
Eugene stood up and turned to look at the half-Romulan tactical officer who stood at his elevated station behind him. “Torpedoes?”
The staunch officer shook his head. “Too close.”
Edison considered Lieutenant Commander So’Dan Leva one of the best tactical officers he had ever known. And Edison knew a few things about tactics himself. Leva was a fascinating man and a near unique anomaly among Federation citizens. The product of a Romulan diplomat and a human liaison officer, Edison knew that he had always been conflicted about his heritage until he had joined Starfleet. On Eagle he had become one of his most valuable officers. However the first officer could not deny his disappointment over his performance in the last few weeks. Edison was certain that he was capable of much more. This was a hell of a bad time for the tactical officer to lose his edge, he thought.
“Impulse burst.”
Eugene looked up to find that the remark had not been made by Leva but by a beast of a man. Or at least that was the impression one could have perceived by Lieutenant D’Karr. He was easily over six foot five, towering even over the lofty Romulan, and his body was pure muscle. He was a warrior, bred for war and Klingon. Courtesy of the Klingon Defense Force he was taking part in an exchange program designed to counter the increasing personnel shortage that was plaguing Starfleet. And he had proven to be a very resourceful officer since he had come aboard. If there was one thing Klingons knew well it was how to do battle. Edison was thankful the warrior was on their side and found that his integration had been much easier than he had expected.
The first officer nodded and looked towards the center seat. Captain Michael Owens sat in his chair, his body slightly leaned forward and a tense yet focused expression on his face. His eyes were firmly fixed on the view screen ahead. Edison had rarely known a better captain and a more determined leader than Owens. He was not a warrior however. He was a solider by circumstance only. His strength came from his dedication to not just his ship and his crew but to the fleet and the Federation and its ideals. He knew Owens wouldn’t hesitate to travel to hell and back if he had to in order to save the Federation. They were already halfway there.
Even though he appeared as if he had not heard a single word that had been spoken in the last few seconds he did slightly move his head to signal his agreement. “Do it,” he said without ever taking his eyes off the screen.
Edison allowed himself a quick glance back at the Klingon officer and noticed a disapproving look on Commander Leva’s face. He had not time to wonder about it. He had to act quickly. “Bridge to engineering.”
“Go ahead, Commander,” answered Lieutenant Louise Hopkins’ voice promptly.
“Stand by to initiate an impulse burst. All the power you can muster.”
“Understood.”
A small smile crept onto the first officer’s lips. Another engineer might have put up a protest at his order or at least made a discouraging remark about straining the engines too much. Not so Hopkins, Eagle’s resident engineering genius. She was with no doubt the most proficient engineer on the ship and at a surprisingly young age as well. Unfortunately her talents came at a price. She was extremely insecure and apprehensive outside her engineering room. If it wasn’t for her technical expertise, Edison was sure she would have made a poor officer. But this merely meant that the first officer had his work cut out for him. He would mold her into an exemplary Starfleet member. Sadly the war would require everyone to toughen up and learn the hard way that weaknesses had to be conquered quickly.
“Lieutenant?” the first officer took a step towards the helm.
“Ready.”
Edison glanced at Owens.
“Engage,” the captain said simply.
Eagle’s bridge shuddered slightly as the internal dampening field failed to compensate quickly enough for the sudden burst of speed. Like a jet plane’s afterburner of long forgotten wars the engines delivered one powerful forward push which catapulted the ship a few thousand kilometers away from its pursuing enemy.
Edison didn’t need to check his instruments. He knew from looking at the view screen that they had achieved the distance necessary to perform their counter attack. He whipped around to the tactical officer. “Quantum torpedoes, full spread.”
“Torpedoes away!”
The bridge crew held their collective breath as eight blue specks of lights crossed the view screen, quickly closing on their target. A bright explosion filled the viewer no three seconds later.
“We did it!” Rei shouted out with exhilaration and swiveled around in her chair. “The Jem’Hadar ship has been destroyed.”
“Contain your excitement until the end of the battle, Ensign,” Edison said more sternly then he had wanted to. He quickly regretted it when he noticed the disappointed look on the young Trill’s face but he needed her to remain focused. This was not over yet.
“Yes, sir,” she replied and quickly turned back towards her station.
“Come about to two-seven-five mark seven-five, full power to forward shields,” commanded the captain and allowed himself to relax slightly.
Edison felt his mood increase as well. The tide of the battle had finally turned, Eagle could now shift onto the offensive.
“Sir, I …” Rei didn’t continue, instead she began to frantically operate her console.
Eugene quickly stepped up next to her. “What is it, Ensign,” he said, making an effort to sound softer than he had before.
“I lost sensor contact with the second Jem’Hadar vessel.”
The first officer shot a glance at the Romulan. “Tactical?”
So’Dan Leva quickly turned to his controls. “They were there just a few seconds ago. Stand by.”
Owens stood from his chair, pure frustration written all over his face. “Come on, people find that ship. We can’t afford this now.”
“I’ve got it,” D’Karr shouted across the bridge. “Coordinates: one-seven-eight mark one-eight-one. They are using a double phased shield modulation to fool our sensors.”
Rei looked helplessly at the first officer at her side. She didn’t understand.
Edison lowered himself slightly to access her console. “They’re re-modulating their shield frequency so quickly that the sensors can’t lock on to them, it’s a dirty trick. Set your scans to a fast modulation setting,” he quickly activated a series of panels. “Here that should do it.”
Rei nodded. “Got it, thanks.”
“You’re doing fine,” he said with a reaffirming smile.
“They’re coming in hot!” Culsten shouted as soon as he had adjusted his sensors as well.
Owens could see the incoming threat from his own console inside his armrest. “Evasive, hard to starboard.”
Eugene tried to get back to his seat to brace himself. He was not fast enough.
The bridge heaved as if caught in an enormous earthquake. Most standing crew members were thrown to the floor. Two consoles exploded immediately, showering the bridge with sparks and debris. When Edison managed to get back to his feet he realized that the operations console had been one of them. The seat was empty and Lutira Rei lay sprawled out on the deck not far from him.
In the aft part of the bridge another blown console had caused no casualties but it had catapulted Leva to the floor and away from his station. The Klingon however had managed to remain on his feet. He stretched out his hand to help Leva off the deck.
“I can manage,” he grunted and returned to his station, leaving the Klingon. If he was irritated by the Romulan’s behavior he didn’t show it.
“Damage report,” Owens asked who was now sitting safely in his chair again while the first officer returned to his feet and headed to were Rei was lying.
“Shields have failed momentarily but are back to twenty percent power,” the Romulan officer replied. “We have hull breaches on deck six, nine, and fifteen. Emergency force fields are in place.”
The first officer reached the Trill ensign and checked her neck for a pulse. He found it but it was faint. Her eyes were wide open but did not move.
“Do we need medical?” Owens asked.
Edison turned to the captain, giving him an empty look. He heard the ensign cough and quickly returned his attention to her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered her eyes now drilling into the first officer.
He quickly shook his head. “You did fine,” he said reassuringly.
“I … let you down,” she said barely audible. Blood was coming out of her mouth now. Edison knew instantly that all help would come too late for the young woman. But he didn’t want to give up on her. He didn’t want her to die.
“You’ll be alright, Ensign.”
“Medical emergency on the bridge.”
Eugene Edison barely heard the captain’s voice, his complete attention directed at the dying eyes of Ensign Rei.
She nodded ever so barely.
He picked up her head. “You did just fine, Lutira.”
Edison would never know if she had heard his last words or not. He allowed himself another second before he quickly moved on. This was not the right time to mourn the dead. “Medical team, belay the last order,” he said while he took the operations console. He was certain they could do more someplace else.
“Fire at will,” ordered Owens.
Seconds later a barrage of phaser fire and torpedoes was slung towards the passing Jem’Hadar attack ship. Edison looked down at his console, relieved that more than half of the displays and panels were still operational. The instruments quickly affirmed what he had hoped for. Their assault was devastating on the enemy ship mostly thanks to the fact that Culsten had managed to maneuver Eagle quickly into an ideal firing positing and remained on their tail.
“Their shields are buckling,” Leva announced without revealing much emotion in his voice.
On the screen a bright flare signaled the demise of the enemy’s protective shields and moments later Eagle’s weapons began to pound away at their armor. It would prove no match for Eagle’s fire power. The phasers and torpedoes dug deep holes into their hull and within a few seconds the ship tumbled out of control.
“The enemy has been disabled,” D’Karr said dryly. “We can easily finish them now.”
“We are not Klingons. We don’t destroy defenseless ships,” Leva shot back.
“They are the enemy,” D’Karr cried out.
Even though Edison found himself in agreement with his tactical officer he had no time to take sides. His sensors were informing him of a quickly worsening situation. “Captain, the Agamemnon is in trouble.”
“On screen.”
Donners’ ship had fared recently well over the last minutes considering that the damaged ship had been up against two pristine Jem’Hadar attack vessel. It had managed to dispose of one but in the end it had lost the contest and was now being mercilessly pounded by the remaining pursuer. The ship was venting atmosphere through half a dozen hull breaches.
“Target their weapons,” the captain ordered right away. “Fire torpedoes.”
“Firing.”
Eagle unleashed a number of photon projectiles. Less powerful then the quantum kind but more precise and with a more controlled damage radius they would ensure that Agamemnon would not take damage from the impact.
The last remaining Jem’Hadar ship could do nothing to avoid the full brunt of the attack. Its weapons and most of its engines were destroyed instantly.
Edison had been quickly and silently relieved by Lieutenant Lance Stiller and as he got up to clear the chair he noticed Owens’ large sigh of relief which he had not been able to hide. The first officer was well aware that Captain Amaya Donners was very important to Owens. How important exactly he did not know.
“Look!”
It was Lieutenant Lif Culsten’s insistent cry who forced everybody to take a second glance at the view screen. There the bug shaped Jem’Hadar ship had managed to activate what was left of their engines only to plot a direct collision course with Agamemnon.
“Fire all weapons!”
Leva didn’t acknowledge the order but went straight to the controls to once again dip into Eagle’s arsenal.
Edison turned to helm. “Full impulse, Lieutenant. Get us over there now.”
“Aye, sir.”
Stiller slightly shook his head. He was an able officer, not as experienced and versatile as DeMara Deen perhaps but certainly the next best operations officer on the ship. And he could tell they were not doing enough. “At this rate we will not be able to stop a collision.”
“Mister Leva, hail the Agamemnon, tell them to move!”
“They’re not going to make it,” Edison realized as he watched the impending disaster on the view screen. The Jem’Hadar ship was on a suicide run and would run into the much larger ship within seconds. A tactic which would ensure both ship’s complete destruction.
D’Karr stepped up to the tactical station and began to manipulate the controls.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Leva asked, his anger quickly rising to uncharacteristic proportions.
“A well placed phaser blast might change the vessel’s trajectory.”
“A phaser beam doesn’t have nearly enough power,” the tactical officer shot back.
“That’s why we need to increase energy output … one-hundred eighty percent,” he said without interrupting his efforts.
“That will melt the arrays!”
But D’Karr continued. Leva was about to push the man away but a stern look from Edison stopped him in the tracks. The first officer wasn’t sure what the Klingon had in mind but he knew that it might be the only chance Agamemnon had.
Within moments a massive energy beam shot across space, easily four times the size of a regular phaser burst. The ship shuddered as it released more power than it had ever been designed to.
As Edison watched the energy lance on the view screen he realized that it had not been released by any of Eagle’s phaser banks. The Klingon had used the ship’s navigational deflector instead, surely crippling it in the process.
The beam found its target and pushed the Jem’Hadar vessel off its course. However the already heavily damaged vessel quickly broke apart under the immensely powerful energy discharge. Even as the main body drifted towards empty space numerous explosions caused parts of the hull to beak lose. The largest piece, the starboard warp nacelle, continued to spin towards Agamemnon. Before anybody could even think of another course of action the nacelle impacted with the Starfleet vessel’s hull.
Michael Owens watched helplessly as the front of the debris fragment crashed into the upper part of Agamemnon’s saucer section. He knew all too well which parts of the ship would take the brunt of the damage.
“I’m reading hull breaches on deck four through one,” Stiller reported.
“The bridge,” Edison said quietly and looked at the captain.
“Drop shields bring us into transporter range.”
Eugene turned back towards the screen. Fortunately the initial impact had caused the nacelle’s momentum to shift and it now drifted away from the ship. “Bridge to sickbay, prepare emergency rescue teams to be beamed onto Agamemnon immediately.”
Owens didn’t turn away from the sight of destruction. “Commander Leva,” he nearly croaked, “Hail the Agamemnon.”
For a few seconds utter silence reigned on the bridge.
“No response.”
It wasn’t difficult to spot the pain in Captain Owens’ eyes as he let himself fall into the captain’s chair.
Silence again.
“Sir, the Agamemnon is replying.”
Commander Edison’s head whipped towards the screen.
It was filled with static and it was difficult to make out anything. The signal appeared to originate on a bridge. It looked desolated.
Owens tensed up noticeably.
As the image cleared a man’s face came into view. It was blue. Edison recognized the man as a Bolian. It was his counterpart on Agamemnon. Commander Arden Texx.
“What is your status, Commander?” Owens asked, clearly fearing an answer. “Do you need assistance?”
There seemed to be a short delay in the communications link probably due to damaged receivers on the other vessel.
“We’ve sustained some moderate structural damage over here but nothing that we can’t take care of,” he said with an almost irritatingly friendly disposition. But then took on a more serious demeanor. “We’ve also lost a few people.”
Edison suddenly noticed that Texx was not actually standing on the main bridge at all. He stood on the auxiliary bridge which was nested securely in the belly of the ship.
“Fortunately we evacuated the outer areas in time or we would have had much grimmer news to contend with.”
One of the doors to the battle bridge opened and Amaya Donners stepped into the room. Her uniform was ruffled and dirty but her curled hair and her smooth dark face looked as perfect as if she had just stepped out of a sonic shower, her stride as casual as if taking a walk through the park.
“Many thanks to your quick thinking over there. We are in your debt,” she said with a smile.
Edison watched his captain carefully. He could see that it took him a moment to realize that his worst fears had not come true. He took in a deep breath and visibly relaxed and only then answered Donners’ smile in kind. “Watching out over you is what we do.”
Donners nodded. “Of course it is. You just hope that you don’t get into trouble anytime soon. I’m not so sure if we are as vigilant over here.”
“Sir,” Edison began. “Do you need any assistance? We have medical teams standing by.”
Donners glanced at Edison. He was sure she was about to berate him for using a title to address her. But she apparently decided that it was inappropriate to do so and instead just smiled. “I think we have thinks under control for now, thank you Gerald.”
The first officer nodded.
“We’ll be here if you need us,” Owens said. “Ever so vigilant.”
Donners laughed. “Agamemnon out.”
The bridge disappeared from the screen to be replaced by the heavily scarred exterior of the Akira-class starship. Surprisingly a number of crew members in EVA suits and in small work bees were already swarming around the damaged sections.
The first officer turned to face the captain. “That was close.”
Owens nodded. “Too close for comfort,” he admitted and turned to Stiller. “Lieutenant, make long range sensors your top priority and then initiate a comprehensive scan of this sector. We cannot afford another Jem’Hadar encounter today.”
“Right away, sir,” the young officer replied and went to work.
The first officer in the meanwhile watched attentively as three medics who had entered the bridge moments before were tending to the body of Ensign Rei. He had almost forgotten about the death of the young woman. He knew that some Trill carried inside them a worm-like parasite which after the host’s body died would take its memories and those of all previous hosts to a new body. However Rei had been young and had never been joined with such a parasite. Like humans and most other races her life and her memories had ended right there and then. When he turned away from the sad scene he cursed himself for not having done more to prevent her death. Of course here had been little he could have done but that fact didn’t make accepting her loss any easier.
“Lieutenant D’Karr your actions were unconventional,” Owens said and forcing the first officer’s focus back to those still alive.
The warrior stood tall and proud at the tactical station, his face a stern visage as usual. He nodded slightly at the captain’s comments. “On a Klingon ship I’m used to –“
The first officer interrupted him. “In case you hadn’t noticed yet,” he said austerely, “this isn’t a Klingon ship.”
D’Karr shot him an icy look and Edison was convinced he could recognize something akin to blood lust in his eyes.
Eugene Edison looked at the captain and noticed him smile. Edison himself could not keep one off his own face.
D’Karr seemed irritated.
“How do you think the Klingon Defense Force would react if I petitioned them for a permanent transfer?” Edison asked the warrior.
“I assume they would be surprised.”
“To say the least,” Owens said. “You showed some excellent awareness and quick thinking, Lieutenant. I’m very pleased.”
D’Karr simply nodded. He was most likely not used to receive such praise. But pride seemed to radiate from every bone in his body.
“Sir, this last unconventional tactic has seriously damaged our navigational deflector,” Commander Leva reported with a degree of malice in his tone.
The first officer took a step towards tactical. “It saved a number of lives, Commander.”
“Permission to leave the bridge for damage assessment,” he replied bluntly as if he hadn’t heard a word Edison had said.
His demand continued to hang in the air for a few moments. All eyes on the bridge had wandered into his direction.
“Permission granted,” Owens said finally.
Leva turned on his heels and headed straight for the nearest turbo-lift.
“I wonder what’s wrong with him,” Culsten whispered.
Only Stiller, sitting close to the helmsman, picked up his comment. He shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe he’s worried about his job,” he joked quietly.
Culsten answered with a sneer and then returned to his station once the Romulan officer had disappeared into the turbo-lift.
Captain Owens eyes were still fixed on the closed doors when he spoke. “Mister D’Karr, perhaps you can be as helpful with repairs.”
“Certainly,” came the quick reply and without another thought he turned away.
“Stand down from red alert.” The captain turned to his first officer. “Gerald, I want a full damage report and repair estimates within the hour.”
Edison nodded.
“I’ll be in my ready room,” Owens said and with a few large steps crossed into his private office adjacent to the bridge.
Commander Eugene Edison took a deep breath and looked around the battle torn bridge. The smell of burned material, desperation and death lingered heavy in the air. This had been a bad attack from the moment it had begun. It was merely one of many they had already seen. He wondered how many more they would be able to endure.
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Stay tuned for: Chapter II - Orders
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