Home Front - Part I
Posted on Mon Mar 8, 2021 @ 10:33am by Captain Maritza Soran & Commander Caleb Ryan & Lieutenant Kivan Ta'Gas & Lieutenant T'Lul & Lieutenant JG Ace Cannon & Civilian T'gan
1,452 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Various, DS5
Timeline: MD04 0500
[ON]
DS5 OPS
"Sir!" Ensign Guurg entered OPS, "The captain isn't in her quarters. Just her comm badge"
"Sir!" T'vril turned from her station "I'm reading fighters launched from one of the Cardassian ships"
“She left her comm badge?” Caleb said incredulously. She was the commanding officer. He and Maritza both needed to be able to be contacted at all times. Any senior officer did, even on days off, unless on leave.
He didn’t have time to deal with that, though. He turned back to T’vril. “Have we had any success getting into contact with the CAG?” he asked. “Lock phasers onto the lead fighters. Fire a warning shot. It won’t do any damage at this distance, but let them know we won’t leave our Marines without support. If they don’t veer off, lock torpedoes and fire.” Caleb took a breath. This was it. They were committing to stepping into the shit now, whatever the odds.
“T’lul, start organizing the shuttles,” he instructed the counselor. “Whatever we have ready, get pilots inta them and send ‘em to the colony first ta get civilians out. We’ll try an’ get some fighter cover out there for ‘em. Then get whatever shuttles and craft we can ready ta go. If ya can, commandeer any civilian craft ya need. If they refuse ta fly, then remove ‘em an’ put a Starfleet pilot in their chair if ya can. This is Dunkirk.” He didn’t know if a Vulcan would get the reference to a Human historical battle, but he didn’t have time to think about that.
Without hesitation T'Lul responded, "Aye. How do you want me to reach the pilots given the comm outage? Would you like me to lead a team to Pangaea or just do the organizing?"
“Just organize, for now,” Caleb instructed. “We don’t want anyone else left on the planet. We need to get them clear skies b’fore we can land anythin’ ta get ‘em out. Security should have runners stationed on every deck or two. Use ‘em ta get in contact with the pilots. There should also be some old fashioned Morse code lines installed.”
T'Lul nodded. "I will stop on every deck and inform Security to obtain pilots. Is there anything else, sir?"
Caleb shook his head. “Go!”
Ace reported, "We have a new problem, Commander." He slammed his fist into the console, hoping that would make a difference, but knowing it would not. "Torpedo Control on Deck 592 is out. I have not seen the lower torpedo controls come on at all. It is as if someone is doing something internally. I do not think that the Cardassians could do this from range. Jamming the conn is possible from range, but affecting torpedo control... Unlikely."
Caleb cursed. “Get a security team down ta Torpoedo Control,” he ordered. “An’ tell Science it looks like we might have saboteurs on the station. We need ta do a sweep for all Cardassians an’ Xi’Cadians on the station. Identity checks, an’ round ‘em up inta one of the cargo holds if needed.
"Did you not tell the Counselor to utilize security? Where am I going to get any spare security?" Ace asked seriously and urgently. Without waiting, he said, "I'll figure out something." With that, Ace headed to the turbolift and ordered the lift to go to Deck 590.
“Grab the spare Marines then!” Caleb called after Ace as the lift doors closed.
Temporal Science
T'gan had locked down all the data she'd collected on the temporal activity and the research she'd done since arriving on DS5. She'd also hidden Haines' research, as she deemed that of special interest to the Cardassians. Now all she could do was monitor the situation and continue to gather data.
All of a sudden, the levels of tachyon and chronitorn radiation on the planet dropped to zero.
At the same time, she was again able to get data from the portal complex. All that allowed her to do was monitor the attack.
She tried to contact the command center, with no luck.
She continued to monitor and record and went to main science to report her findings to Brianthe.
Deck 57 - Upper Torpedo Control
Burra K'suro disconnected his link into the junction within the wall panel. He studied the padd in his hand for several moments to ensure that the program had begun running and was decompiling the necessary files into the computer system. The Xi'Cadian computer technician had spent a considerable amount of time studying the wreckage of the USS Accession after it was destroyed by Xi'Cadian forces. The time spent had given him further insight into Starfleet computer system designs, as well as their suite of countervirus programming. In any other time, it would be absolutely fascinating to freely explore the inner works of such a station. However, he and his team were on a time sensitive mission that was fully underway due to the attack on the planet below.
"Kh'suro to Ti'Xha. I've taken lower torpedo control offline. Has your team finished?" the Xi'Cadian soldier said quietly into his tight beam communicator. It had taken a significant amount of time to identify a channel the infiltration team could utilize that would not be detected by Starfleet sensors. Unfortunately, it required each team be within a certain proximity to one another for any kind of effectiveness. The second infiltration team was two decks above in the Primary Shield Generator chamber.
Secondary Shield Generator
"We're in position," Ti'Xha replied as he removed the dagger from the neck of the still struggling engineering officer that he had come upon undetected. The confined walkway was littered with the bodies of at least three other golden-tunic Starfleet personnel that Ti'Xha's team had dispatched as they made their way into the heart of the Upper Shield Generator.
Ti'Xha stepped over the body of a female Operations crewman and withdrew the isolinear discriminator and inserted it through the hole he had managed to drill through the outer mercassium plating for the emitter. The device scrambled typical control functions and allowed a local user to take over administrative functions as long as they remained hardwired into the particular device.
"Ti'Xha at Secondary Shield Generators - Upper," the Xi'Cadian said into his comm unit to the other small teams that had been dispatched to the sensitive areas of the station's maintenance core. "I've attached the device into the system and currently have administrative access," he reported.
"This is Subitan at Secondary Shield Generator - Lower," a female responded through her comm unit. "I've just connected the device. Let's just hope our Cardassian colleagues can keep up their end of the plan," the Xi'Cadian Guardsmen spoke to one another. It was no secret that while the Xi'Cadians had benefited greatly from the technological upgrades their Cardassian friends had provided them, there still existed a gulf of trust between the two species.
The three teams had separate, but interlinked missions. Each one depended on careful coordination with one another during the initial stages of the combined fleet's invasion of the planet, and subsequently the station.
Upper Promenade
The Xi'Cadian Guardsmen remained concealed on the upper level of the Promenade. From their viewpoint they could see several levels below and at least half a kilometer ahead.
"I'm detecting the third security team being dispatched to the Main Promenade," Elot'oX reported to his team of about a dozen Guardsmen. "They're taking up positions around the area in anticipation of station invasion." The Xi'Cadian Insertion Team will need support to keep Federation Security fighters scattered and distracted in order for them to make it to the pre-planned destinations," Elot'oX said as he pointed to the selected points on his padd.
"Kumot, you and Darvus stay here and continue to observe the movement of the Federation Security teams," Elot'oX said as he stood and began to gather his gear. "Xn'kah, you'll meet up with the other Cardassian Fire Team and secure the Science Department. That's where the research for the Portals will be located; however, they probably won't have any significant security presences there." He said. To the rest of his group he gave hand signals to follow him as they began to rappel down the pylon onto the scaffold below. From there they opened an access hatch and used it to make their way down the numerous decks towards the intended meeting point with the second Xi'Cadian team.
The targeted destination: The Dilithium Chamber
To be Continued…
Commander Caleb Ryan
Executive Officer
Xi'Cadian Home Guard
NPC Thom
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