Moving In PT2
Posted on Wed Dec 15th, 2021 @ 2:01am by Lieutenant Commander Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell & Commander Finchley Kerr & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Commander Dean House & Lieutenant Commander Thriss Kla'ren & Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali & Commander Jennifer Baldric
Mission:
Gamma Quadrant
Location: Gamma Quadrant
Timeline: Current
Deep within the Ion Cloud there was an urgent discussion taking place, the 'Phobe' as they called themselves were a race of highly xenophobic beings who had survived the Dominion war by hiding, and hiding very well. Shielding technology blocked most scanning devices from detecting their planet, and a small but powerful space fleet could be mobilized for more direct threats.
"Grand Chancellor, there is a vessel, it appears to be looking for something" One of the defense platform operators announced urgently, bringing up an image of the Sunfire on the large viewscreen. "We may have been detected!" They had no way of knowing the Sunfire was actually looking for two Bajoran carriers that were in the same vicinity, the two carriers posed no threat due to their lack of advanced scanning technology or weapons.
" Mobilize the defense fleet, activate the defense platform" The Grand Chancellor decreed. It appeared the war had continued.
A plethora of small but powerful fighters rose from their hangers, taking up strategic locations around the planet in a defensive posture as the defense platform powered up, it's shielding and weapons taking time to enter their most powerful phase. They were no longer hiding, they were preparing for battle.
"Captain, approaching a dense asteroid cluster. Recommend slowing to better navigate. We could also send out scout flyers to better determine a flight path through this mess of rocks." The comm officer relayed. "That sensor echo is playing hell with navigation."
"Reduce speed to impulse and send out a squadron of scout flyers." Savar ordered with icy calm.
"I know it'll take a few more minutes, but why don't we install a sensor package on one of the flyers? It shouldn't be to taxing or difficult." Dean gave a little shrug.
Baldric's eyes were drawn towards Dean as he offered his suggestion - it was a sound tactical offering. Her own knowledge of this expanse was limited, noting that a few ships had entered this area over the course of time and had been 'lost'. Not enough though to draw the attention of Starfleet though. Most had been mercenaries, a few Cardassian warbirds and the odd Jem Hadar. The ion cloud was dense and unforgiving, few having reason to enter it.
Finchley was taking readings of the asteroid cluster. As he scanned the area straight ahead, he noted there were a number of lower frequency energy pulses. It was odd to find them, being that there was nothing on main viewer except the asteroid cluster itself. He watched the readings with interest, and after a minute or so he said "Captain, that's an excellent idea Lieutenant House has suggested. I've been scanning the asteroid belt and there's a number of low frequency pulses. They're steady, not changing or varying in any way but there's no way of knowing what they are. Perhaps one of the flyers, with a sensor package installed, being more agile than the Sunfire, could make it's way through the cluster and discover what's causing those pulses" he finished, nodding his head appreciatively towards Dean on his suggestion.
" See to it Mr. House." Savar replied to the officer.
Dean reached up and tapped his comm badge on his way to the turbolift. "Lieutenant Durnell, meet me in the main shuttle bay."
Baldric noted the crew's resourcefulness, part of her itched to join the team working on the shuttles but her role was to advise the Captain on the threats within the Gamma Quadrant.
Aurora turned her attention to what Finchley was keeping his eye on, up until now she’d been keeping her senses behind her usual mental ‘protective shield’ letting her walls down she looked towards Savar. “Commander...I don’t think we’re alone. I could be wrong but...I’m sensing something. It could just be space born lifeforms, or me losing my marbles!” She grinned playfully.
Savar regarded his wife. "I highly doubt you are losing your marbles as you put it Aurora. Can you be more specific in what you are sensing?"
Aurora paused for a moment to try and get a better sense. “It feels...as though there’s something out there. It’s on the fringes of my senses, maybe if we get closer or whatever it is gets closer to us I’ll be able to get a better sense.”
"Very good Aurora. Please let me know if you are able to get anything more definite." Savar replied before shifting his gaze to Baldric. "Have you anything to add Commander?"
" Not at this stage" Jennifer replied as she carefully watched what was going on.
Finchley had continued to watch the frequency of energy pulses as the Sunfire got nearer to the asteroid cluster. Suddenly there was a change, the pulses became more frequent, not only that but there megahertz output doubled.
"Sir, an update on the pulses we've detected" Finchley reported to Savar "they've now quickened the closer we've gotten to that asteroid cluster, further, the megahertz output has doubled. Ordinarily I wouldn't say this, but my gut instinct is that whatever is causing those pulses to get faster, and the megahertz change, is acting like it's some kind of...I don't know, possibly a rudimentary warning measure."
Aurora was getting a better sense too. “Commander!” She looked worriedly at Savar. “I’m sensing more now...we’re definitely not alone. There’s life out there...lots of it!”
"All stop." Savar ordered as he listened to both Kerr and Aurora. "Are you able to sense any emotions from the life forms you are detecting Aurora?"
Aurora focussed as best as she could. “Fear...lots of fear, and...determination?” She looked worried. “That’s not a good combination.”
"Main viewscreen on. Perhaps we can determine where these emotions are coming from." Savar aloud and not to any one particular person.
Baldric watched as the viewscreen zoomed in on one particular region of space. She was unaware of any planets in this area but there was a first time for everything.
"Are they....fighters?" She asked, rising from her chair at Savar's right hand to get closer to the viewscreen. "Zoom in on quadrant 3 Beta and magnify 200%" She ordered as her gut began to twist.
"They have ion blasters" Finchley reported "the leakage from their trail says their poorly maintained."
"Poorly maintained, or haven't been used in a while. If you hide in an ion cloud then you wouldn't need them much" Balric mused out loud.
Aurora looked towards Savar, her mind was suddenly on the safety of their son. If the ship was attacked she had to accept that their son would be cared for by the ship’s nursery staff while she and Savar did their duties. “Perhaps we should hail them? Try and open a dialogue?”
"They're on an attack vector Captain, working to a pattern by the look of it" Finchley reported.
"Shields up, weapons online but do not fire." Savar ordered. "Hail them Mr. Kerr. Let us see if they are interested in talking."
Dean tapped Red Alert while he also brought the shields up to full. Reaching to press along the console to charge weapons and load torpedoes.
Meanwhile on the planet Phobe, The Grand Chancellor was nervous - it had been some time since they had had to defend themselves. They had survived the last few wars by being very good at hiding and not having to actually engage. It appeared that time was now up.
"Fighters assuming formation, defence platforms charged and ready at your command" The defense officer announced.
" Sir... we are being hailed" They hadn't been hailed in over 100 years.
"This is the Federation vessel USS Sunfire to unidentified ships, we come in peace, stand down your weapons, we're not hostile, respond" Finchley sent.
They had been found, after all these years they had been found. The Grand Chancellor tried very hard to compose himself in front of the planetary team. " Please open the hail" His voice appeared confident despite his terror. His culture were xenophobes and were terrified of all others. "Leave us alone or we will fire!"
Aurora motioned for the channel to be muted before looking at Savar. “Commander, they are terrified! You can hear it, I’d like to suggest we leave these people alone. If we don’t they’ll fire on us without a second thought.”
"As far as I can tell, they have ion weapons only" Finchley said.
The Grand Chancellor thought about his situation, if this ship were to leave, it would tell others, then there would be more. He couldn't let that happen. " Defence platform, open fire!"
"They're firing!" Finchley called out. Seconds later, the Sunfire shook, but not violently, their shields held firmly.
"Sir, their weaponry's not that effective, that volley took less than one percent from our shields" Finchley reported to Savar.
“Commander...May I?” Aurora looked at Savar, she knew it was unusual for anyone but the CO to speak over the comms unless in charge on the bridge.
Savar listened to both Kerr's report and Aurora's observation about the aliens. He wished no confrontation with them and he too could hear the terror in the voice. He nodded to Aurora, "By all means Aurora. Please talk to them. Impress upon them we want no confrontation with them."
Aurora nodded to the officer on comms. “This is Lieutenant Vali aboard the Sunfire, your weaponry is ineffective against our ship. We mean you no harm, we have families on board this ship...children.” She paused. “I know you’re afraid, allow us to leave in peace and no one will bother you again.”
The Grand Chancellor didn't look as though he believed her "if we release you, more will come, we can't allow that to happen!"
Finchley continued to watch the readings on his screen, and just as before, there was a change in the speed of the pulses "Sir, I believe they're going to fire a second volley!"
Another volley was indeed fired, this more severe than the last. It was the illusion of weakness, to fool ships into thinking they were worthless and unable to properly defend themselves whilst they armed their main weaponry.
"That last volley was more effective than the first" Finchley reported, "but our shields are holding."
Dean headed to the lift, since they kind of needed to get this done. Regardless of the fact that they kind of have communications going now, that sensor package would still help a lot more.
TCB
