TFV - Operation Vanguard (Chapter 6)
T’Ser stormed into Sickbay with Verrik close behind as the nursing staff eased the semi-conscious Sandhurst onto the examination table. The clamshell support frame locked into place over him and the imaging systems began a comprehensive scan of his physiology.
“How the hell does someone get into the captain’s cabin and assault him without so much as tripping an alarm?” T’Ser directed the acidic query to Verrik, who maintained his accustomed Vulcan dispassion in the face of her ire.
“Unknown, Commander. My investigation into this incident has only just begun.”
Sandhurst ’s eyes fluttered as he perceived Taiee’s face above him. “B- Baron,” he whispered hoarsely.
Taiee’s concerned expression tightened into a grim mask of dread. Her abrupt change in demeanor did not go unnoticed.
T’Ser looked to the nurse practitioner. “What’s that mean, Lieutenant? What or who is ‘Baron?’”
Taiee busied herself prepping a surgical protoplaser. “Uh… I’m not entirely sure, Commander.”
The XO took hold of Taiee by her upper arm and pulled her gently but insistently away from the exam table as the medic passed off the protoplaser to the LMH. “Don’t lie to me, Lieutenant,” T’Ser said in a low whisper. Her facial expression was made all the more severe by her upswept eyebrows and pronounced scowl.
Taiee sighed reluctantly. “Okay, sir, fine. The… entity the captain mentioned is highly dangerous. All the crew assigned to Gibraltar during our encounter with the Baron were sworn to secrecy and all records of the event were ultra-classified. I can’t even discuss it with you until and unless I receive orders to do so from a higher authority.”
“And who would that be?” T’Ser pressed insistently.
“Starfleet Command or Temporal Investigations, sir.”
T’Ser’s face underwent a minute transformation as she forcibly quelled her frustration and anger, realizing that neither would help her under the circumstances. “Understood,” T’Ser said evenly. “What’s the captain’s condition?”
“He’s suffering from a Class-II concussion with minor and repairable neurological damage. His left arm is broken in two places, he has two fractured ribs, one of which has punctured his left lung. Overall, his injuries are moderate, and not immediately life threatening. His prognosis is very good for complete recovery.”
“How much danger is he in from another attack?” T’Ser inquired, giving Taiee the opportunity to reveal a morsel of information without broaching her ironclad orders.
“If the entity had wanted the captain dead, he’d be dead,” Taiee said gravely. “If it wanted to destroy the ship, we’d all be dead right now. Sandhurst’s alive because it wants him alive, sir.”
The XO absorbed that in silence for a moment before releasing Taiee to her duties with a subtle nod. “Thank you, Doc.”
*****
The Taskforce Operations Center, or TOC, was a large circular compartment, twice again as large as Europa’s bridge. The center was equipped with a dozen different reconfigurable workstations arrayed in a semicircle. These faced outward towards eight large viewscreens that ringed the outer bulkhead. On each of these holo-screens was displayed various stellar-cartographic, signals-intercepts, and associated intelligence data on the territory where Task Force Vanguard was located, the species inhabiting those areas, and those species detected inbound as part of the great refugee migration.
Intelligence officers, linguistics experts, science technicians, engineers, and a host of other area experts took shifts in the TOC, pouring over reports and sensor telemetry generated by Europa and her fellow TFV vessels.
In the middle of the TOC was a circular table supporting four workstations that served as the central nexus for the most critical information distilled by the staff manning the outer ring of consoles. At present, the TOC supervising officer, Lt. Commander Pell, sat with T’Ser, Counselor Liu, and Chief Science Officer Shanthi as the ship’s sensors tracked the impending encounter of the approaching nomadic group with the Husnock vassal race crewing their former masters’ warships. Verrik stood alongside the display table, his attention focused on the two-dimensional tactical display gracing one large viewscreen.
T’Ser was still brooding over the attack on the captain, as well as Admiral Jellico’s refusal to immediately disclose the nature of the threat that potentially faced the crew of Europa. She had quietly discussed the matter with Pell, but the diplomatic officer had recounted that while she knew something deeply traumatic had happened to Sandhurst shortly before she transferred aboard Gibraltar, he’d never explicitly discussed the details with her. Pell knew the entire matter was highly classified, but nothing more.
“Five minutes to intercept,” the computer announced.
“Incoming formation is dropping to impulse speeds,” called out an operations specialist as he narrated the holographic three-dimensional plot map of merging ship formations projected above the centralized situation table.
Three Class 5 covert reconnaissance probes had been launched by Gallant to loiter near the battle zone and collect close-range sensor information on the encounter. These figures would complement the data gathered by Europa and Galaxy’s sensor arrays and whatever flotsam Gallant was able to recover after the expected battle.
As the moment approached, the technical staff began coordinating their information in hushed, professional tones.
“Detecting hull composition of inbound vessels as crystalline-infused terminium interwoven with high-density ceramics…”
“…inbound vessels have routed power to defensive systems and weapons. Reading nominal shield output of one-point-six million TeraJoules. Weapons appear to be self-propelled and independently guided missiles with fusion-primed cobalt warheads, medium range proton-pulse cannons, and low-yield point-defense disruptors…”
“Hostile intercepting local craft have been confirmed as utilizing Husnock technology. Weapons load-outs conform to those identified aboard In’Drahn station, to include high-yield jacketed-tetryon emitters and gravitic-warhead self-guided torpedoes…”
T’Ser cast a sidelong glance at Pell. “Sounds as if the former Husnock slaves have quite the edge in firepower. So why do they keep getting tossed out of the local star systems by smaller forces?”
Pell shook her head. “No idea, but it’s a very good question. Perhaps this engagement will shed some light on that mystery?”
“Vessel formations have closed to within one-million kilometers of one another. Power buildup detected in the weapons arrays of both groupings. For tracking purposes, the refugee group will be designated Threat-One, and the intercepting force will be designated Defense-One.”
And as the occupants of the TOC watched, battle was joined.
In just a matter of moments, it became obvious to the onlookers how the former vassals of the Husnock had been repelled by their stellar neighbors despite their having such advanced weaponry. The reckless maneuvers and amateurish tactics of their badly coordinated attack gave the inbound alien fleet precious time to react, an opportunity they seemed determined not to squander.
It was also apparent that the former Husnock slaves had only a limited understanding of their ships’ capabilities, as valuable power that could have been used for weapons or defense was misallocated to tertiary systems. Thus, their shields were weaker than they should have been, and their weapons packed far less punch than they would otherwise.
While the refugee fleet’s smaller picket ships maneuvered to envelope the attackers, the larger cargo-haulers and personnel transports diverted around the poorly executed blockade attempt. Though less well armed, the refugee frigates used their limited weapons to good effect, concentrating their collective fire on individual vassal ships until they’d breached their shields and crippled the vessels’ weapons arrays and engines.
“Threat-One picket ships are limiting their targets to engines and weapons emplacements,” the technician at the tactical station noted.
“That is a positive indicator,” Verrik observed. “They are exercising discretion and potentially demonstrating mercy.”
“Or they’re simply conserving energy and not wasting resources on targets that have been neutralized,” Pell countered.
Verrik inclined his head towards her, conceding the logic of her argument. “Or that…”
In just a little over ten minutes, the lopsided battle had concluded. Nine Husnock warships, previously a force that would have made entire star systems tremble, lay helpless in the wake of the advancing alien fleet.
Two of Threat-One’s picket ships had been destroyed, and two more had been so badly damaged that they were taken in tow by their fellows.
The Threat-One formation took no action to scavenge materials, foodstuffs, or prisoners from the ships they’d left adrift, and seemed only interested in reforming their flotilla and getting underway as quickly as possible.
In less than twenty minutes after the armed confrontation, one of the two damaged frigates had been sufficiently repaired to carry on with its brethren, while the other was abandoned and scuttled. The formation of ships transitioned back into warp and powered away from the otherwise unremarkable patch of space.
Pell took a few moments to peruse the information collected by Europa’s sensors, as well as from Gallant’s reconnaissance probes. She offered a grim smile. “We’ve got some excellent data on their available power curve, weapons, and defenses.”
“How about their biology, Commander?” Shanthi asked.
“That’s going to take a bit more time to collate,” Pell replied. “All our sensors were set to gather data from energetic emissions,” she explained. “I doubt we got much at all aside from basic life-signs. We’ll probably have to wait for Gallant to collect samples and take more refined bio readings of any intact fatalities in the flotsam.”
“Cheery thought,” T’Ser remarked suddenly as she stood. She appeared haggard and morose, her strength sapped despite her superior Vulcan constitution. “I’ll leave you to your work. Keep me apprised of anything significant. I’ll be on the bridge.”
Shanthi cast a glance in T’Ser’s direction as she exited the compartment. “I’ve seen that look before,” he remarked with quiet solemnity.
Pell looked up from her console to spare the science officer a curious frown. “What look?”
“The XO,” he replied distantly as his hands fluttered deftly across his display. “She’s got the same look Commander Ramirez did last ti—“ he fell suddenly silent.
“Last time… what?” Pell inquired.
“Nothing,” Shanthi said with a curt shake of his head as he fixed his attention on the data scrolling up his monitor. “Sorry… classified.”
Pell watched him a moment longer before returning to her own console. As she did so, she forced herself to take her concern for Donald Sandhurst along with her conflicted feelings about their troubled relationship and bury them down deep within her. Pell had saved a place for Donald in her mental crypt, alongside her deceased husband Soyam. Only then, with the emotional turmoil locked safely away, could she concentrate on the task ahead.
*****