Meeting The Temperance
Posted on Thu Sep 7th, 2023 @ 8:54am by Captain Rueben Gregnol & Executive Officer Jake Ford & Delaney O'Callaghan & Chief Engineer Michael Burnstein & Chief Operations Trades & Chief Helmsman Kalahaeia t'Leiya & Liha t'Ehhelih
Mission:
Fractures
Location: Bridge and Engineering
Timeline: 4th February- 14:00
1633 words - 3.3 OF Standard Post Measure
Gregnol stood transfixed before the illuminated screen, his gaze fixated on the shifting shapes and intricate lines that formed the familiar silhouette of the USS Temperance. It had been a period that felt like decades since his eyes had last looked at the vessel, yet there it was, materializing before him in all its degraded glory.
However, time had done little to mend the vessel's appearance, and the scars of that fateful week when they first discovered it adrift remained painfully evident especially the damage to the frame around the evacuation corridor docking. The USS Temperance hung in the void of space, surrounded by a constellation of smaller Fenris ranger ships, darting like predators, launching beams of energy that viciously collided with the ship's shields. The once-proud vessel was now embroiled in a desperate struggle, fighting valiantly to ward off the onslaught and protect its guarded base.
Down in engineering, Burnie had one eye on the fight and the other on his system read outs. He smiled to see the new shield metrics, not to mention the power available to weapons. Next to him, Liha was clearly enjoying watching her old friends harry the Temperance like hawks on an owl that had trespassed their nest, but he kind of hoped there'd be something left for Rosie to blow up.
Leiddem, vigilant at his security station, broke the tense silence. "Well, that's certainly a sight for sore eyes," he quipped with a hint of irony, casting a meaningful glance at Delaney, who stood in the space with him to make sure he got the correct operational support he needed.
Having paused alongside Leiddem to scrutinise the unfolding scene, Delaney's gaze bounced between targets on the screen as she quipped, "Looks like they've got more than sore eyes to worry about."
“Not looking so good is it Burnie? Ford?” Gregnol asked the pair quietly as they both had been onboard and involved in that chaos of losing the Temperance to the Sons of Cheron.
"Good for us," Burnie replied with a chuckle. "For them... Kaboom."
At the helm, Kali grinned; the sort of way one might imagine a cat stalking a mouse might.
"Like a pack of wolves on a grizzly," Jake nodded. "Wait until they see us joining the party..."
Almost as if sensing the significance of the larger ship's arrival, the USS Temperance pivoted in the direction of the SS Mary Rose, its hull adorned with battle scars. In response to its newfound target, the ship erupted in a fury of retaliatory fire, unleashing its destructive power upon the SS Mary Rose. The impact resonated through the vessel's structure, sending tremors coursing through its framework and igniting a mesmerizing display of sparks that danced across the control panels like ethereal fireflies.
Gregnol's commanding voice pierced through the cacophony of alarms and the crackling of energy discharges. "Evasive manoeuvres! Return fire!" he barked with a steely resolve that emanated from the core of his being.
She had possibly now been operating on her own for a bit too long before this; because Kali's fingers were moving to make said manuevers before the order was even given.
"Shields holding," Jake nodded. "The Rangers didn't skimp on quality with these tactical systems."
Meanwhile, a resolute determination sparkled in Gregnol's eyes as he leaned forward, his fingers dancing across the console to open a communications channel directed towards the beleaguered USS Temperance. The ship's systems roared to life with renewed vigour, responding to his commands as if they were the heartbeat of the vessel itself. “USS Temperance this is the civilian vessel SS Mary Rose. We want a solution that does not involve you being turned to space dust.” He said firmly knowing with themselves and the Thrai joining there would be a disadvantage.
But he got no response.
Well, some of us want a solution that doesn't involve them being turned into space dust, Kali thought. Personally, seems a perfectly fine outcome to me if they are.
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Down in engineering, Burnie echoed that thought, but only briefly. He'd put Liha on Damage Control, and smiled to himself at how the woman was barking orders and direction. It took a load off to know someone who never hesitated to speak was handling that. That left him standing at the central console, watching readings and managing power. his fingers flew over the controls, shunting and rebalancing as the refit Connie took hits and returned them - with interest. Thank God for purely tactile controls...
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The battle pitched on only a few moments longer, with the Temperance attempting to drive off the Fenris Ranger craft and focus fire on the Mary Rose. Despite having taken damage from the initial wave, it was far more modern than the old Constitution-class ship and its hull was holding back the worst of things. Diving headlong into a brazen rush, the Temperance raked the Mary Rose's portside with heavy phaser fire in spite of the damage it was itself taking.
"Shields starting to buckle...I hope Captain Jaal knows what she's doing..." Jake grunted from his post.
“She normally does.” Gregnol commented in the same tone.
As if on cue, the FRS Thrai decloaked and swept in like a predator, disruptors lashing down on the Temperance, which broke sharply away, narrowly avoiding a close-range plasma torpedo volley. As it turned, however, a golden-white torpedo lanced from the stern of the Yeager-class. It arced away past the Thrai, slamming hard into the lower saucer section of the Mary Rose.
The bridge occupants sprawled as the ship bucked like a bronco. "That was a Tricobalt torpedo!" Jake gasped, surprised. "That's heavy duty weaponry they have. Where the hell did they get something like that?" he licked a tiny cut on his lower lip from the sudden lurch. Watching the Temperance limp away and finally escape to warp was a relief. But it was short-lived. "That torpedo did a number on us. Reading a power surge in the EPS grid...something in the Grotto...?"
Gregnol was forcefully propelled from his chair, landing on the floor with a muffled grunt. Determination surged through him as he swiftly scrambled back to his feet, his eyes fixated on the unfolding chaos. His gaze darted to the window, where he witnessed the unthinkable – the Temperance had abandoned its post, leaving the base vulnerable. A rush of adrenaline coursed through his veins as he watched the other Fenris Rangers capitalised on that moment of vulnerability, swooping in with ferocity. A triumphant smile played on Gregnol's lips as he realised their chance to turn the tide of battle.
"It would be something in the Grotto," he muttered to himself as Ford spoke. Without hesitation, he moved swiftly to the operations console, his fingers dancing across the controls as he accessed the data on the EPS grid.
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Liha rushed to repair a plasma relay, even as she pointed at another of sparks on the opposite side of the bay. "Jea! Lock that down!" She spared only a brief glance at Burnie after checking shields - the man might have something wrong with his head (but then that had been true on some level for as long as she'd known him) but he was rock steady working to redirect power to keep the shields at max and leave plenty for weapons. The way he was working that console reminded her of the few times she'd seen him pull out a keyboard to play some awful human 'music'.
A klaxon sounded as someone called "Brace for impact!" It was barely enough warning - the hit sent people slamming to the floor or into whatever they'd grabbed onto.
Oof! Liha grunted from the impact of rail with gut, but quickly pushed back, eyes snapping around to damage assessment. "Get to that EPS! Cami, check those thruster controls - we're going to need to maneuver! Burnie -"
She stopped cold at the sight of the CEO sprawled on the floor, clutching his head. "Fvadt! Jea! Take the power controls!" she yelled, concern for Burnie secondary to concern over losing systems (which she knew was what he'd want anyway). Then she tapped her comm. "Medical! Emergency in engineering!"
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It was not unfair to say, Delaney reasoned, that she was the least seasoned of those present. This wasn't something she ever took offense to, finding more benefit in surrounding herself with experienced veterans than worrying about her ego. It was certainly something she was infinitely grateful for in the midst of a fully-fledged gunfight that had rendered remaining on her feet almost impossible, a fact easily evidenced by her need to extend a hand upwards towards Leiddem to seek assistance in returning to her console. With the immediate danger warping out of range, there was a brief moment where adrenaline spiked as a sensation bordering on exhilaration but the redhead knew better than to appear too eager, especially with a fresh problem emerging. Having regained her balance, she accessed the security network and patched the feed from the cameras in the grotto to Leiddem's console.
Leiddem nodded at his girlfriend's forethought to bring up the feed from the Grotto. It gave only a snapshot but a snapshot was all they needed to see the strange silvery light that seemed to ebb and flowed like electricity. The light, resembling an unpredictable surge of electricity, both fascinated and alarmed him. As he whispered, "What is that?" the eerie radiance abruptly intensified, erupting first on the camera and then cascading across the console he was working on then spread across the bridge.
“What…” was the final words he said as the world around him went white and he felt everything slipping away.
