Claim Jump

Posted on Wed Aug 3, 2016 @ 2:50am by Captain Maritza Soran & Captain Isha t'Vaurek & Commander Caden Aldrex

1,233 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Interlude - Day 2
Location: OPS
Timeline: MD02 - 1700

[ON]

Traffic control was on of the more unexciting jobs on DS5 and today was no exception, with queues of incoming traffic waiting to dock and another queue waiting for confirmation that their exit routes were clear. WO3 Ch'Ziell worked steadily at his desk, watching the outer edges of DS5's airspace, antennae flexing gently in time with his breathing as he looked for incoming and outgoing vessels, biding time to the end of the shift.

Which was why he almost missed the small ship, barely fifty meters long, slipping out of a holding stack, and turn itself towards the forbidden planet below. =^="DS5 to SS Coyote Marine, We have you on an approach to Pangaea. That is prohibited space, please return to your original approach vector."=^=

The SS Coyote Marine continued onwards towards Pangaea's outer atmosphere. the Andorian tried again, still with no response. Ch'Ziell turned in his seat, looking for a superior officer. "Sir? I've got a ship on route to Pangaea, and its not responding to hails."

Why was it that people found it so difficult to adhere to a simple instruction, Isha thought. She had taken that exact moment to leave her ready room and head for a meeting with ... well, if it made her a few minutes late for the professional paper shufflers she could live with that.

Her eyes flicked to the Andorian, "Open a channel," she said wanting to use the opportunity to test just what the power gifted by the Fae meant. As she spoke her mind dwelled on the image of a rapidly moving solar flare that would knock the ship off course when they collided - something the station could cope with but a rickety looking ship?

The Andorian touched his panel. "Channel open, ma'am."

"SS Coyote Marine, you will hear me whether or not you acknowledge this transmission," she said in a very certain tone the Fae would see to that, "This is Captain Isha Vaurek of Deep Space. You are entering forbidden territory. Alter your course immediately or I will alter it for you," she said her thoughts still on that flare.

Unsurprisingly there was no acknowledgement.

"Captain," the Officer at the science station said, "I'm picking up increased activity from the sun which seems to be generating a coronal mass ejection."

Maritza Soran stepped over to Isha. "They're out of range of the tractor beams. We can't get them back here. Or out of the way. The shock wave could overwhelm their shielding."

"Or push them away from the atmosphere to within distance of our tractor beams," Isha said, she didn't intend to harm those aboard, just make them think twice.

Maritiza turned to the duty science officer "Time to flare?" How long before they would know if the ship would be hit, and if it could survive?"

The officer flicked through the readings assimilating the complex data into a meaningful form, "It will reach full strength in five minutes ... but be poten

***** Pakled Freighter, Outside DS5 Traffic Zone *****

Cade had just finished his safety inspection. He still didn't have any good news for the captain of the vessel. "Look, sir, I'm really sorry but I can't allow you to dock at the station. It's unsafe."

"I don't understand!" the frustrated Pakled replied. "All components work! The ship goes!" His ship had been on approach to DS5 when traffic control had ordered him to come to full stop. Apparently the Starfleeter's sensors had spotted something they didn't like about his ship. "Unusual core emissions," whatever that meant. Shortly thereafter Cade Aldrex had arrived in a shuttle to conduct a safety inspection. The Pakled crew were very irate about the bureaucratic persecution. Only the Federation ever did these things to them.

Cade tried to remain patient. He had already explained this a couple of times. "Your phase inducer and antimatter relays have obviously been lifted from another ship. They're not compatible with your warp core. The whole thing is a cobbled-together mess. It's an accident waiting to happen! There's no way I can allow you to dock here. In fact, I feel it would be unethical to let you continue to operate this wreck."

The Pakled shook his head furiously. "No! This is our home! Our work! You cannot take it away!"

"Sir, I'm warning you for your own good. You could very well die with your ship in its current condition. Let us work on a solution together."

"No! No time! We have a schedule!"

The pilot of Cade's shuttle interrupted over the comm. "Commander, something's happening planetside."

Cade tapped his commbadge. "Aldrex here. What is it?"

"Looks like someone may be attempting an unauthorized landing. The captain is speaking to them on the hailing frequency."

"I'm on my way," the XO replied. "Prepare to shove off as soon as I get there." He quick-stepped his way back to where the shuttle had docked. "Maintain your position here," he said over his shoulder to the Pakleds.

The Pakled skipper was about to shout his discontent with that order but Cade was already gone.

*****

The pressure in the corona built, and a few seconds later, the Flare leapt out across space. The plasma shooting out into surrounding space. five secodns later the shockwave from the massive solar flare hit. the trailing edge caught DS5, the stability motors kicked in and the whole stationed vibrated for a moment

But the little ship took the wave full on. The SS Coyote Marine was physically shoved sideways, out of its trajectory and away from the atmosphere edge

Her eyes fixed on the screen Isha watched. She rested her hands on the edge of the console, leaning forward slightly as the breath caught in her throat and the station rumbled beneath her feet.

She exhaled when the ship was buffetted beyond the atmosphere of Pangaea, away from the danger zone unfloding just as she had imagined, "Elements," she said under her breath, "Now I can do magic."

"DS5, what's going on?" Cade asked over the hailing frequency. He was followed immediately by hails from many other ships in the traffic pattern. Some of them obviously panicked.

"We've got a problem, Commander," Isha said as ops burst into a babble of responses to the incoming hails, "Are you in a position to intercept the SS Coyote Marine?"

*****

Aldrex traded a look with his pilot, who responded with a single nod. "Yes, Captain, we can do that."

*****

"They may be a little shaken," Isha said, "We don't yet have a damage report."

"SS Coyote Marine to DS5. We've," the voice sounded a bit sheepish. "We've lost engines. We're drifting. We're going to need a tow."

"Commander Aldrex, the Coyote Marine is requesting assistance. Are you able to help?"

"Aye, Captain. We're already moving to their position. Will report momentarily."

On the traffic plot the small symbol representing the shuttle showed it was moving at best speed towards the Coyote Marine.

At least they were unharmed, Isha thought. She turned the situation over in he rmind as she watched the shuttle rendezvous with the ship.

"Commander Soran, you have the bridge," she said before retreating to her ready room. This required some serious thought.

[OFF]

Commander Maritza a Soran
2XO/ Chief of Strategic Operations
DS5

Captain Isha t'Vaurek
Commanding Officer

Commander Caden Aldrex
XO

 

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