Running Support

Posted on Fri Oct 9, 2020 @ 1:59am by Captain Larisna Koralova

Mission: Mission 1 - Angstrom Operation

Larisna stepped off the turbolift and onto the bridge, glancing around as she did so. She crossed over to her chair and sat down, keying up the communicator.

=A=Ensign Luzon, I need you on the bridge on the double. =A= Larisna said into it, sending messages to both of them before looking back up at the viewscreen.

Ensign Jae responded as promptly as they could. "I am on my way" the young science officer responded

"Captain. We have an incoming message from one of the border posts, it's an automated notification that warp signatures have been detected crossing into Federation space. Trajectory and velocity shows they are at high warp for the Dar'Akoa system." The relief Tactical officer, a young Andorian male, said, "Not much more than that."

Larisna muttered a curse her father favored in his native Russian.

"Understood. Maintain Yellow Alert and current position." Larsina ordered. The Hornet could fight if needed, but Larisna really wanted to avoid that possibility at all. Especially because that likely could expose the Away Team to more danger.

Ensign Jae Luzon exited the lift and stepped into the bridge of the USS Hornet. "Ensign Jae Luzon, sciences reporting as ordered" the junior science officer stated announcing their arrival.

Larisna turned her chair to face the Jenaii officer and nodded. "Thank you for being prompt, Ensign. Take the science station. I would like you to maintain scans of the station and the star. An uplink should also be available with the Away Team's tricorders to better help them understand any unusual readings."

While she let the Jenaii officer work, Larisna focused on not getting up and pacing around the bridge. Inaction was a reality in this line of work, but too much was making her anxious. But she remained in her chair, focused on the displays and looking as poised as she could.

"Captain, incoming message from the Away Team." The relief Operations officer, the one a Bolian female, said. It wasn't Commander Reazat either, it was Lieutenant Malloy.

=/\= Malloy to Hornet, Captain we've been attacked, Commander Reazat is dead. I am assuming command of the away team =/\=

Now Larisna was glad she wasn't standing because she would have likely struggled to remain standing. Her XO was dead? So soon? It was the realities of Starfleet, the danger everyone faced, but that made the impact no less powerful. But she had to keep calm. Panic and fear could spread like a plague if it started at the top.

=A= Koralova here. Acknowledged, Lieutenant. =A= Larisna said, unable to muster much else. She took a breath before resuming.

=A= Lieutenant, be aware, we are tracking inbound Romulan vessels on a direct course for the Dar'Akoa system. For now, continue as normal. But in the meantime, what is going on down there? =A= She finally asked. Had there actually been a mutiny? Was it a hazard of some kind?

She glanced over at Tactical, the Ensign shook his head. He might have been a new officer, but he'd understood exactly what she wanted to know - do we know how far the Romulans are? Odds were that they were running cloaked, they'd only appear once they were in the system and ready to reveal themselves. And then she would react. So on and so on until the chess game that started played out.

=/\= Acknowledged Hornet, we are continuing with the mission, We are tracking something but it doesn't register on our tricorders. We haven't made contact yet with the crew although we were viciously attacked by some of them. Malloy out. =/\=

"Run the scans from the Away Team through the computer. I want to know just what we are dealing with." Larisna said, glancing over to the Science station.

"Captain. Solar instability is continuing at a steady pace. Estimates still show the same, the star will destabilize at this rate, we'll start suffering shield damage in six hours." The relief Ops Officer pointed out.

Larisna frowned, she was getting nothing but bad news right now. But this was the burden of command, she had to remain calm.

Several more minutes passed, though they felt like hours.

"Captain, two Romulan vessels decloaking, port and starboard. Identified as Valdore type Warbirds." The relief Tactical Officer called out. Sure enough, the two sleek Warbirds shimmered into view. They were modern designs, long sweeping wings that were a single stack rather than the double stack of a D'deridex-class.

"They have raised shields and armed disruptors."

She stood up and straightened her jacket. Now it wasn't the easy going smile or the signs of concern and worry. No, now it would be the stern calm that had directed Strategic Operations courses at the Academy, that had helped oversee operations aboard the USS Galaxy and run wargames after the end of the Dominion War.

"Red alert, bring weapon systems online. Open hailing frequencies." Larisna ordered as the Red Alert klaxon hooted.

"Hailing frequencies open, Captain." The Tactical Officer said.

"I am Commander Larisna Koralova of the Federation Starship Hornet. We are currently engaged in rescue operations and this is Federation territory. State your buisness." Larisna said. The viewscreen didn't change for almost 20 seconds before finally it flicked to the bridge of a Romulan vessel. The face that glared at her was an older male.

"I am Commander Tokov." The Romulan sneered at her, "Has Starfleet grown so bloated that it must crew its ships with children and flunkies?"

"Let's stick to the facts, shall we? State your buisness." Larisna said.

"From what I can see here, this is a weapons test by Starfleet. Curious that you have an interest in destabilizing stellar bodies. Perhaps if we pay your facility a visit, maybe it will shed some more light on how far back this research goes." Tokov said.

"The destabilized brown dwarf is the consequence of a malfunction on the facility. We are currently attempting to resolve the situation and find out what kind of malfunction would cause such a disaster." Larisna replied, "I cannot permit any additional parties to board the station at this time, the situation is unstable and I cannot guarantee the safety of any of your people should they attempt to board."

"Your concern is noted, but you're a terrible liar. I'll send a boarding party if I so choose or I will evaporate this weapon if I so choose." Tokov said in a tone that was pushing past arrogant for a Romulan.

"No, you won't. Because I will not permit any parties, and if you open fire on the facility, I will respond with force." Larisna replied, standing her ground, "You're trying to provoke an emotional outburst, and you will not get one. If you wish to remain to observe, I can permit that but I must warn you that the current rate of solar destabilization will cause shield damage in four to six hours, depending on what shields you have. But if you choose to continue down this ill-advised course of violence and arrogance, then I suppose the Romulan State can afford to lose two more Warbirds and even more face."

There was silence between the two of them. Neither flinched, neither changed their expression. At last, Tokov spoke.

"We will observe. For now. Tokov out." The screen flicked away.

Larisna turned and headed back to her chair, "Keep scans available if they attempt to scramble communications. And prepare a tachyon burst to be fired from the main deflector dish on a wide burst. If either of them cloaks, fire it and sequence torpedoes to fire a spread of torpedoes at any signals detected when you do. Enough to ring their bells, not blow them into next week."

"Should we warn the Away Team?" Relief Ops asked.

"Not yet. They likely have enough on their plates, once they are able to report in, then we can discuss it."