Snatch

Posted on Sun Feb 13th, 2011 @ 2:20pm by Commander Dietrich Reinhart & Captain Liarra Von & Lieutenant Commander Nilani Prax & Senior Chief Petty Officer Gilbert Bones [PNPC] & Lieutenant Commander Morgan Kelly

Mission: Ten Little Diplomats
Location: Main Bridge - USS Jackal
Timeline: MD03 - 1530

[ON]

Liarra looked around the tiny bridge as she moved towards her console. She gazed longingly at the center chair, still a little disappointed that she was not running the mission. On the other hand, she was relieved that someone with a little more experience was going to be in command. She would just have to do her best to be a good first officer, and try to pick up a few pointers while she was at it.

Taking a seat at the tactical station, she did a quick check of her systems. Everything seemed to be in working order, and weapons could be powered up in a matter of seconds. The ship's defenses were ready for the mission at hand, but the question was, was she?

Intelligence and Engineering were in their places to the side of the small bridge. Neither of them acknowledged the entrances of the rest of the crew, solely absorbed by the data displayed on their screen and the information tossed around in their mind since the briefing.

Nilani was one of the last to walk in, giving a smile of greeting to those who were already present on the bridge. Taking her seat, she swivelled it round to face her console, and performed the standard series of checks on the ships operations and science systems, confirming that they were all in working order. Just as she left them.

Dietrich was the last to arrive on the bridge. He took a careful look around the room, happy to see that everyone was at their stations and ready to leave. He took a seat in the center chair and turned towards his acting executive officer. "Commander, are we ready to get underway?"

"Aye, sir," Liarra responded from the tactical station. "All departments are reporting ready. We have been cleared for departure from docking control and are awaiting your orders."

"Good. Mister Royce, take us out. Thrusters only until we clear the spacedock, and then accelerate to full impulse."

Royce tapped the helm's console, disengaging the clamps and firing the port side thrusters. The Jackal drifted clear of it's berthing inside SB332's massive docking bay a few feet per second. Slow but manageable for the nearby obstructions and workbee traffic. "Activating departure course, Commander," Royce signaled. The navigational thrusters slowly accelerated the Defiant-classed escort out of SB332.

Reinhart surveyed the activity on his bridge, satisfied that everyone was ready for their mission. "Once we're clear of the Archa system, set a course for the Bellatrix system, Warp 8." He tugged at his uniform jacket and leaned back in his chair. "Engage."

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The four hour voyage went pretty quick for Liarra. The trip itself was pretty uneventful, which offered little chance to observe Reinhart in critical situations. Not that she was complaining, however. She knew as much as anyone that a quick, smooth operation was needed if they were going to complete their mission in time. Too many diplomats have been killed as it is, and the crew of the Jackal was in a race against the clock if they were going to save the rest of them.

Realistically, within 72 hours of showing up at SB332 and being thrown into a job he had no idea how to do, things were not going half badly. He was temporarily in command on the smallest warship in 11th Fleet, which could also be classified as the largest and fastest armed shuttle for what it was worth in scrap metal. The only thing that seemed to stick in Reinhart's mind, however, was that they had a pressing matter - rescue diplomats. There weren't any emergencies along the way. Engineering remained quiet the whole time, only barking orders to the crew directly maintaining the warp field integrity. Intelligence was silent. There wasn't a thing he could do but wait.

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The navigational computer gave a timed alert - 10 minutes until arrival. "Commander Reinhart," Y'Laais called, "we're ten minutes out of Bellatrix system."

On time, of course, but time was still of the essence. "Prax, Von, scanners up and running as soon as we make the jump back to sublight. Y'Laais, three-quarter impulse until we meet our target. Holding pattern upon arrival. Yellow alert."

Ensign Y'Laais had taken the place of Royce at the helm. Something about a bad replicator pack, he had said as he'd shot past him out of the Port Egress. "Bringing us to three-quarter impulse, Captain."

"I'm having trouble getting an accurate read," Nilani reported from her console, her brow furrowing as she manipulated the LCARS touch-sensitive interface. "I can't clear up the sensor fluxtuations caused by the Triangle." The Delta Triangle had always been known for causing sensor readings to fluxtuate wildly when in the area, but the more powerful sensor systems could usually punch through the worst of it.

"Commander," Liarra added from the tactical station. "There is only light traffic in the area, a few cargo ships and transports, but nothing that appears to be hostile or present a threat."

The chirrup of the communication system reverberated around the bridge. "Bones to Bridge. I've taken minimal power from the engines in order to boost your scans. Things should be quite a bit clearer for you now."

"I'm getting a better view of the system's local space station now," Nilani said, the crease in her forhead smoothing out, just as the fluxuations in the sensor readings did the same. "I can get a schematic of most of the internal layout of the station, but I can't penetrate deep into the core of it, nor can I detect any of the life-signs other than those in the very outer sections. The internal bulkheads are composed of a material that seems to hinder my scanning attempts." She stopped tapping the tactile interface screen, and turned to face Reinhart. "It definitely seems like the most likely place for our diplomats to be kept."

There weren't many options available to the crew of the Jackal. The escort could handle, with ease, any threat to itself or civilian craft in the sector. But they were not looking to blow up or disable any vessel here: they wanted to rescue the Federation Diplomats. The station was their best bet. The command issue, though, was: "how do we give up part of our skeleton crew to search and rescue operations on an away team?" Prudence dictates that they did not and relied upon scanners and probes. Prudence would not do.

"Von, Prax and Kelly. Arm up. Away team mission to the station to find and locate the diplomats," Cmdr. Reinhart ordered.

"Aye sir," Liarra replied, rising from her seat. Her relief tactical officer was not far behind. She nodded at Kelly, and led the way to the transporter room.

Nilani simply nodded, standing from her chair as a relief officer took her place. Heading towards the transporter room, she set out in her mind the series of actions she needed to complete in preparation for the mission; grab phaser, grab tricorder, download internal schematics, check the nerves at the door - the final one she knew would be helped by Prax's experience.

Kelly had been hanging around near the rear of the bridge. Without a seat at tactical, he thought he'd be as well just monitoring the master systems display. "Got it." He replied, following Prax out the Egress Hatch.

[OFF]