Terran Crucible (Part 4 of 8)

Posted on 15 Oct 2015 @ 1:42am by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm & Captain Jonathan Holliday & Commander Norvi Stace & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Lieutenant Olsam Mott & Commander Luke Wyatt & Lieutenant JG Nizan Rydit & Petty Officer 1st Class Taliesin Cynwrig & Petty Officer 3rd Class David Emerson & Crewman Ezra Koenig
Edited on on 15 Oct 2015 @ 1:53am

2,741 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Episode 09 - Empires
Location: USS Galileo - Various
Timeline: MD 06 - 2125 hrs

Previously, on Terran Crucible (Part 3)...

As the admiral addressed the newly promoted intelligence officer, Stace stemmed her own frustration at the outburst as she clenched her jaw. Perhaps Tyrion's elevation to department head was something that needed further consideration if he was so quick to question direct commands. Intelligence officers towed the line as a rule but always seemed a little above their station when it came to the chain of command. She made a mental note to bring the ensign in for a chat once they had gotten out of this predicament. If they got out of this predicament.

Over at the forward science station, Kohl kept his eyes on the down throughout Tyrion's alarming declaration and then Lirha's withering riposte. Kohl's head had bobbed up initially, but he pursed his lips and lowered his gaze to his LCARS interface. He allowed the senior-most officers to address the outburst. As soon as Kohl heard the ready room doors close behind Admiral Saalm, Kohl locked out the science station controls. He got to his feet and sprinted back to the clutch of secondary science stations along the aft of the compartment. To the science officers stationed there, Kohl said in a hurried undertone, "Before Security commandeers our entire department, I need analyses of those ships out there, and if they're a match for anything in our databases..."

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

Deck 3 - Armory

Luke, very swiftly had made his was to the armoury where a crowed of people were already waiting and all talking in a hushed voice conspiring with another and spreading rumours as to what has happened. Pushing throw the crowed he started to search for Nizan Rydit. "Rydit!?" He shouted forcibly moving people out of his path as he made his way to the front of the group.

Nizan pushed to the front of the crowd, cracking his knuckles. "This is gonna be intense!"

The doors to the armoury slid open and from inside stepped one of the Security team. Taliesin, the Master-At-Arms, had been at his station since the yellow alert sounded. "I'm going to guess by the crowd, Lieutenant Wyatt, we're opening 'er up?" he asked, pointing a thumb back over his shoulder at the locked weapons lockers.

Nodding Luke moved out of the way so he had a clear path into the armoury itself. "Let loose the dogs of war if you'd please be so kind" He joked, "Once Weapons are handed down break down into your teams and report to Engineering, the bridge, sickbay and the Science labs."

"Aye sir," Taliesin said with a grim smile. He started to unlock the racks and cabinets, quickly and efficiently handing out phasers and power packs to each person who came up through the line. The crew might not be eager for a fight, but they were brave and willing. That was what mattered. "As soon as the racks are empty, sir, I'll take a team to Engineering," Taliesin called out loudly over the sound of the crowd that had formed outside the Armoury, filling the Security Center and the corridor beyond. "Anything else?"

He shook his head as he held out his hand to take one of the rifles "Just keep on an open communication to myself, take Ezra, Abbey and another person of your choice to engineering." He pointed to three actual security officers knowing that this role was of most important "You three report to the bridge no matter what defend it until the last and anyone else who is left" he said now turning his attention to the group "I want to see groups of three and begin roaming patrols on all decks with thirty minutes check in to myself I'll relay the progress to the chief. Does everyone understand?" he asked as the flow of people slowly equipped weapons including his own daughter Abbey.

PO3 Emerson nodded his understanding of Luke's orders as he accepted his phaser rifle from the Master-at-arms. He was a scientist not a soldier but from what he'd been told, the situation was dire enough they needed every able bodied person that could be spared.

"Myself, Nizan, Daniels and Emerson will head to the Science labs to ensure any hazardous materials and projects that need saving are correctly stored and ensure that everyone in Science are armed. Take extra phaser I want the same done for Engineering, lock the doors and disable them and most importantly don't open for anyone until given the all clear from Either myself I will tell you this by using the Code phrase Goodnight Sweet Prince and I want a reply of and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest This can also be used for a method of verification." Luke at the same time was sending the same code to the Bridge so they knew it too. "Have a disruption field set up in all major locations to stop any unwanted guests beaming straight in." Luke eyed his slowly increasing army though it small and mostly lacked any real training it couldn't be not said that they had an abundance of comradery and bravery the crew have already done so much and Luke planned on seeing them through this as hey began to mutter.

Straightening himself up he stood up on a solid chair raising his body above the crowd "I don't know what you've been told but this is the slice of the pie "Out there" He pointed towards the hull "Are a fleet of Terran Empire ships, somehow during my sleep we've managed to get ourself into a shit storm and things are going to get tough, I expect every single man and woman here to deplete your phaser cell and then after that I want you to use any weapon you can get hold of to defend this here ship."

Luke took in a sharp breath before continuing "In the unlikely event of the Galileo being taken over, I want to hear rumours that renegade Galileo crewman are still fighting in the very walls of the ships itself. I want them to fear you, I want them to be so confused and so scared that they think the very Galileo, our home that same Galileo that has faced the Borg, the Klingon and countless of other enemies is trying to show them the pointy end of our stick. Fight with courage. fight with determination and most importantly fight for each other. Its going to be hard they may look like us, they may sound like us but they are not us! They are the worst of us and you may feel fear you may be feeling fear already but that is a good thing! Harness that fear turn it into courage and then with that courage and the courage of the person to the left and to the right of you quiet simply... win."

Taliesin had finished passing out weapons to the crowd that had turned up at the Security Center while Luke was speaking to them. He grabbed a backpack out of a locker, filled it with some of the Type IIs that remained, powerpacks, and tossed that bag to Lieutenant Wyatt so they'd have something to arm the scientists with. He did the same with another backpack, slung it over a shoulder, then grabbed a Type III rifle for himself. The Engineers were going to need more weapons than emergency lockers held as well. The former cop didn't know what this business about the Terran Empire was about - weren't they Terrans, humans, and since when did they have an empire and not a Federation? - and hell, he didn't even know how many they were up against. But orders were orders.

"Crewman's Wyatt, Koenig, Yates, skretezkel doubletime it to Engineering!" Taliesin called out to the little squad. He paused a moment to lock the armour doors behind him and then joined in the run for the ship's engine room.

Abbey turned away from her father but quickly turned back and surprised him with a hug, this moment could be the last time she see him alive and knowing the dangers she didn't want to not say goodbye "Stay safe!" She said before running and catching up with the rest of her team her phaser within her tight grip a her hands turned a pale white. "Lets do this."

Ezra took up rearguard of the group as they quickly made their down the corridor. It felt to him like they were running too quickly but figured perhaps their adrenaline was pumping. He performed his phaser check as they continued running, not looking overly concerned about anything.


Deck 1, Ready Room

Holliday waited for the doors to slip shut behind the trio before beginning his meeting, starting with the most important part.

"Computer seal the doors to this room. Authorisation Holliday Gamma Two Echo."

As the computer bleeped in agreement, John allowed his guard to come down as he began reviewing his options.

"So...thoughts? Analysis? I can't remember anything in the fleet handbook about being outgunned by yourself?"

Lirha brought a green finger to her lips while she paced around the room and thoughtfully pondered their situation. "In my studies of the Mirror Universe, the Terran Empire has been motivated by technological prowess and has little regard for the traditional values of the UFP." She paused and glanced at Stace, then back to Holliday. "I would assume your counterpart wishes to determine what we have on board and how they can use it to gain a tactical advantage?"

It was a best guess of sorts, but the most practical that Lirha could come up with at the moment. "It has been quite a long time since the Federation has encountered the Terran Empire but last I checked, they were still at large with the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. I would assume the conflict is still ongoing?"

"I made the same assumption." Holliday replied as he took a seat behind his desk. There was no feasible way that he could have seen the two sides settling their differences, certainly not in the few years since a vessel from their universe had last entered the Mirror Universe.

"The fact that they have access to cloaking technology so readily is more than a little concerning. There could be an entire fleet of cloaked ships out there and we wouldn't even be able to see them coming."

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume," Stace countered tentatively. "We're no longer at war with the Dominion like they might also think, providing no clandestine crossings have been made since." She paused and then pursed her lips. "This is a universe that has been hidden behind a veil of mystery since we first discovered it. The rules by which we live and die by don't exist here. And neither do our morals or priorities. Who knows what's transpired. The one thing for certain is that if we so much as move a self-sealing stembolt out of place, they can destroy us to smithereens with a curt look."

"For now I don't think we have any choice other than surrender. We don't have the room to manoeuvre and they outgun us ten to one even if we were in open space. Plus without a way home right now...there's not that many places we can run to."

John replied, dipping his head in defeat as he accepted the fact that his own counterpart had gotten the better of him.

"Commander I'd like you to work with Engineering - we need shields and warp drive as soon as possible. If we get a chance to run safely, then I want to be able to take it. Otherwise we batten down the hatches and wait to see how this progresses."

Stace waited no time and nodded to Holliday with a brisk jerk. She turned on her heel and as a respectful goodbye said, "Admiral," as she walked to the door. "Contact me if anything changes."

Lirha watched Stace depart then turned back to John and gave him a final cautionary glance. "I will be down in main engineering. Just in case." She had no desire to elaborate and hopefully Holliday understood what she meant. If the bridge was seized by the Empire, then at least the crew of Galileo would have some degree of operation control of the vessel if they could lock down the second command center.

"Very well....let's see what our new hosts have for us." John replied, tapping a few commands onto the panel in his desk to release the lockout, before taking a breath and heading to the doors.


Deck 1, Bridge

Stace strolled out of the ready room as Holliday released the lock-down and she made her way stridently to the turbolift. "Min. Beamount. You're with me," she said as the lift doors opened. She waited for both officers to follow her into the lift and as they closed she said, "Main Engineering," and the pod sunk them down to the bowels of the ship.


Deck 3, Sickbay, Chief Medical Officer Office

Allyndra had gotten the feed from the bridge. While at the Academy she had like all students learned a bit of history about the Mirror Universe but had never given it any thought. Oh there had been all that information about how the Terrans had been aggressive and conquering rather than the path that she was familiar with. She had retreated here to her office to think. If things were sort of opposite in this universe then what of her own home world. She had never thought about that even when they had the history part. What would Akkadians be like here, if they even existed. She tapped her fingers. If this was truly an opposite universe where peoples had taken opposite paths universally then speculating then that the Akkadians had not gone away from their technology. If somehow they had survived and they still existed and still embraced the A'ksu they would be very dangerous. What would her opposite, if she existed be like here?

It then struck her that if she had lost her husband and Katareth in her own universe had they survived here. Did that Allyndra have a family? Where there children? The thought of the what if was almost too much and if there was a way to find out she wanted to know, but then in a way she did not want to know.

She pushed the thoughts aside. She needed to be alert and be ready to handle emergencies. Another thought caught her and she stood quickly. The notes, the experiments on the regeneration, all that had to be locked or destroyed. She only hoped her book would be safe.

Quite suddenly, Dr. Olsam Mott looked up, searched the room with his eyes until he spotted his colleague, and then asked aloud, "Do you suppose the food will be different here? I do wonder. I do wonder..."

Allyndra looked up and shook her head. Leave it to Mott to be more worried about his stomach than anything else. At least somethings were the same no matter what universe he was in.

[OFF]

--

RADM Lirha Saalm
Mission Advisor
USS Galileo

CAPT Jonathan Holliday
Commanding Officer
USS Galileo

ENS Tyrion Faye
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Galileo

Lt JG Luke Wyatt
Asst. Chief of Secuirty
USS Galileo

Crewman Abbey Wyatt pNPC by Luke Wyatt
Scientist Mate
USS Galileo

Ensign Cyrin Xanth
Astrophysicist
USS Galileo

PO1 Taliesin Cynwrig
Master-At-Arms
USS Galileo
[PNPC Xanth]

LCmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Olsam Mott
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Commander Andreus Kohl
Chief Science Officer
USS Galileo

Lt JG Nizan Rydit
Security Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant Min Nicholas (née Zhao)
Chief Operations Officer
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Benice Gyce
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Galileo

CPO Keval Zh'Erinov
PNPC Jared Nicholas
USSGalileo

Ensign K'os Beaumont
Acting Chief Engineer
USS Galileo

Crewman Ezra Koenig
Security Crewman
PNPC K'o Beaumont
USS Galileo

Lieutenant JG Jynn
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Galileo

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