Blue Wave (Part I)

Posted on Friday, 16 April 2021 - 9:35pm by Captain Barret Stillwater & Commander Soral & Lieutenant Talarn Zilth & Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley & Lieutenant Haru Hernandez & Lieutenant JG Harley

Mission: Operation: Peace or P'Jem
Location: Various
Timeline: 2394

ON:

Ensign Matthews looked up, her head shooting up fast. "SIR!" she called not, knowing if she meant Alex or Stillwater. "We have a problem. Incoming message emergency channel it's… from Commander Soral.”

From the science station, Lieutenant Kingsley turned towards the ensign. Despite her inward concern for her husband and friends, her voice was remarkably calm as she responded. “Put it through,” she ordered, suddenly reminded of Soral’s reservations about the trip.

"On main viewer, Ma'am?"

“Please,” Alex said, although her tone held a certain exasperation.

She gave a nod. "On screen, Sir."

The main viewer shimmered and stabilized into a view of Soral, T'Lanna, and Mac. The shuttle shook violently. "Mayday, we are under attack. I repeat we are under attack by Andorian battle cruisers. Any Starfleet ship in the vicinity please respond." He hoped there was someone closer then the Standing Bear. They wouldn't hold out much longer.

Mac burst in. "Shields failing, Sir. We're down to forty percent." Mac slammed his hand on the console.

Soral turned. "Evasive action, delta five." He turned back to the camera. "Any Vulcan, or Starfleet ship in the area. We are under attack, I repeat Andorian ships are attacking a Federation Shuttle craft in the vicinity of P'Jem."

The shuttle shook again. "They tried to board!" Mac said. "Shields at twenty five percent."

"On my mark drop shields and get ready to be taken, do not struggle." He told Vali and Mac. He sighed. "Drop shields." He wasn't about to stop recording.

In the background five forms shimmered and solidified into Andorians.

Captain Stillwater gave the signal to mute audio for the channel. He did not want the Andorians hearing him. "Alex, long range sensors. I want the coordinates of our shuttle."

“Yes sir,” Alex nodded, grateful for a reason to turn away from what was unfolding. “I have them, sending co-ordinates...”

T’Lanna wanted to put up a fight, but she had her orders not to struggle. She held up her hands in the age old gesture of surrender.

Back on the screen one of the Andorian's spoke. "Take the human and the female to the brig.” He turned to Soral. "You get to try our new toy from the Klingons, a mind sifter. He shot Soral with a phaser and dragged him by the hair to the back. "Destroy the shuttle once we're aboard."

The group transported away and there was a brilliant flash of light before all went dark.

Aboard the Andorian ship T’Lanna was tossed roughly into a cell, her emotions were on fire but she dare not try to remove her inhibitor for fear of a repeat of what had happened before. She didn’t want to hurt Soral or Mac for that matter. She could see Mac in a cell opposite, for now there was little she could do.

On the Standing Bear, Ensign Matthews looked over at Stillwater. "Sir... um... I picked up some chatter, I think it's the Andorian ships..."

"Out with it, Ensign Matthews," quipped Stillwater. "What is it?"

"Something about converging all ships to P'Jem. I also picked up a Vulcan ship. It seems Commander Soral's signal was received. I think it's about to get hairy, Sir,” she said.

Stillwater gave a tug on his uniform. "Lieutenant Harley, lay in a course for P'Jem. We will cut them off as the pass, engage Quantum Slipstream Drive."

“Yes, Sir! Immediately, Sir!” Harley went to work, his fingers flying over his console as he laid in the course to P’Jem. “Course plotted and Quantum Slipsteam Drive online, Captain.”

"Someone get those treacherous blue bastards off my view screen!"

“Aye, Sir,” Petty Officer Ilian replied, terminating the link.

Stillwater began to head to his Ready Room, turning sharply. "Talarn, yellow alert. Kingsley, you have the bridge."

Talarn nodded, his face grim as he tapped the yellow alert button and jump on to the comms. =/\= “This is Lieutenant Zlith, Head of Security. All stations, yellow alert! This is not a drill. I repeat. All stations, yellow alert. This is not a drill.” =/\=

As the ship went to alert, Alex took the command chair, for a moment wishing T’Lanna could unleash her talents on the Andorians. And Soral... what the hell was that thing the Andorians said? A mind sifter? Bad enough to be captured and shot - taking a deep breath she sat on her hands. She needed to focus. Soral and the others needed help. Not panic. He would be okay.

She was suddenly out of her seat and at Lieutenant Zilth’s side. They had not often spoken, but she knew he wasn’t on this bridge because of who he married. “Lieutenant, the device they mentioned,” she began, keeping her voice low. “Have you heard of it?”

Talarn shifted his gaze from his control panel to Alex. He nodded. “Although, I have to admit that I’ve never heard an Andorian use it.”

She nodded slowly before asking, “Given Soral's position... is there a wider risk to the ship if this device is used?” Soral not only had command codes, but he knew this ship inside out. She really wanted to know what the device did, but in truth she wasn’t quite willing to find out.

“Yes...” Talarn said softly and dryly. He knew what she was thinking, or at least assumed he did. “It’s not good.”

Alex paled, feeling ill. How bad did it have to be for a Cardassian ex-Borg to say something wasn't good? And the device was Klingon. Even what they considered 'fun' was inherently painful. "This isn't any enemy, the Andorian's know our systems, our tactics. And know them just as well as we do. The closest I've ever been to fighting one was a drinking contest and I don't think they'll settle to see who passes out first at the nearest bar..."

Talarn nodded. “Just keep your head,” he said softly and calmly. “It’s that knowledge of them that will serve us. We will get them back.”

She sighed. Tactical was not her strongest area, she'd be the first to admit. Stillwater and Soral were more than capable, she was a sciences girl. And right now she kept defaulting to wanting shoot every last Andorian who had taken their away team. It wasn't exactly a rational train of thought.

*****

Back in tactical Haru looked up as the yellow alert went up. A shockwave of fear coursed through him... anger... the anger was not his. "Mac!" He knew Alex would be on the bridge. He sent her a coded message. What's going on?

As her station bleeped, Alex left Talarn to work and not have her annoy the hell out of him. Reading the message she frowned. "Talarn, you need to take the bridge until I'm back," she said as she hurried towards the turbolift. This was not news she was going to pass along to Haru in a message. They had a few minutes, and she'd be back long before the fighting starting.

Talarn nodded and moved from his station to the Command chair. He transferred his station so he could continue to work.

OFF: