Dancing With Danger

Posted on Sun Jun 21st, 2020 @ 4:14am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Commander Owen Nash & Cailus Griffin
Edited on on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 7:34am

Mission: New Moon Rising
Location: Bridge
Timeline: After "Debris and Debriefing"

ON:

Nycolas Temple returned to the Bridge as the time given to them to investigate the situation by the Tzenkethi was due to expire. His heart was heavy with the weight of today's events, a burden that all Captains undoubtedly feel. But this was not the time to ruminate or worry, they still had a squad of Tzenkethi cruisers not far away who would soon be seeking answers from them.

"Mr. Nash, were you able to secure the Talarian crew?" Nyx asked as he sat down in the Command Chair.

Owen nodded as he answered the Captains question. "Yes indeed sir, we were able to extract the log information and get the Talarian crew beamed over to the Pandora," he explained. "The crew are now with the Medical Department."

"Thank you, Mr. Nash," Nyx turned and gave him a smile, "I appreciate your efforts to retrieve Sevros' crew, it was the humane thing to do."

"And Mr. Griffin, how goes our surprise?" He asked the Security Chief.

"It's in place, sir," Cailus reported with his usual dry tone, having only just reached his console. "Two photon torpedoes are directly attached to the Talarian warp core, set for remote detonation at your command. Our estimated threat radius from the cruiser is 50,000 kilometers."

"Very well." Nyx replied with a nod, taking a deep breath.

As the minutes ran out, the Tzenkethi promptly turned to face the Pandora and Palatine and slowly crossed the distance towards them.

Owen looked up from his console as he checked the sensor alert that came up. His thoughts were confirmed.

"Captain, I think our time is up," he began. "The Tzenkethi are turning their ships to face us and the Palatine and it seems they are moving into a formation of some sort," he reported. To make sure that the Palatine knew of this as well, Owen sent over the same sensor data to the Vesta Class ship.

Observing the sensor data carefully at Tactical, Cailus came to a grim conclusion. "Captain, they're moving to surround us on three sides, trying to box us in. I believe they're focusing on us, sir, not the Palatine."

"Will our surprise package still be effective?" Nyx asked, giving a worried glance up to Tactical.

Hands flying over the console, Cailus considered for a moment, calculating, before meeting the captain's look across the Bridge with severe honesty. "Limited, Captain. We can knock out one of them for sure, maybe two, but not all three. The Tzenkethi are being smart about this."

"Thank you," Nyx replied, "Let's not wait for them to ring the bell, Mr Nash. Hail the lead ship."

Owen tapped in the commands on his console. "Hailing Frequencies open, sir."

Nyx stood and pulled on his jacket a little, "Captain, we have a solution for you."

The bulbous red-toned lizard, looked disapprovingly back on the large screen. His nostrils flared as he took in Temple's news.

"You have proof of the Talarian treachery?" He snarled.

"On the contrary," Nyx tried to remain calm, "As our evidence will demonstrate, the Talarians had inadvertently strayed into your territory while trying to recapture a malfunctioning piece of experimental equipment. It was not a deliberate attempt to commit espionage."

The Tzenkethi captain shuddered for a moment before letting out a gutteral laugh. Other crewmen on his bridge, though off-screen, could be clearly heard chuckling as well.

"Nonsense!" He cried, pounding his large cloven hand onto his armrest. "Utter lies."

"Nonsense you say? Allow me to provide you with some answers to your lies that are facts from our own investigation," Owen repsonded. He sent over a file to the lead Tzenkethi ship. "That file shows the deviation in the course of the Talarian ship due to a signal they located from a probe of much more advanced origin."

Adding further evidence to the file and to back up their own investigation, Owen continued. "As the Talarians are far less advanced compared to both the Federation and the Tzenkethi, They followed this course for some time until eventual contact with the probe lead to their own end," he finished.

The Tzenkethi captain tapped his stubby hand a nearby console. His head turned back and forth, nostrils flaring once more. He grunted a little before looking back to the Pandora.

"How can the Tzenkethi trust this evidence is real?" He baulked.

Owen stepped from behind his console and moved to stand behind the Captain. "Captain, we're Starfleet Explorers, not warriors, therefore there is need for us to try and deceive you," he explained. "We're out here to explore and chart new territory and as the data in our investigation proves, thats what the Talarians were doing as well...they simply wondered down the wrong road."

Owen took a beat for a moment and looked at his Captain before returning to the Ops console. Whilst he had defending the evidence of the investigation with facts, he didn't want to overstep his mark either.

"My Commander is absolutely correct, Captain," Nyx spoke, giving an appreciative smile to Mr. Nash, "We have presented to you clear and complete evidence of our findings, you can verify it on your own time but the Pandora has given you our answer."

The Tzenkethi scoffed again, "Pandora. I have not heard of your ship, you have no sway here."

"Get used to us," Nyx shot back, "We'll be calling this region home for a while."

Temple returned to his seat, "Now, if there's nothing else, we have to continue on with our journey."

There was a noticeable reduction in the Tzenkethi's glowing hue, as he realized there would be no war today. "The Tzenkethi will accept your evidence. For now."

"Captain!" Came a dissenting voice from another Tzenkethi Cruiser, "We cannot just let them go!"

"I have given my orders!' The Captain growled back.

"This is a disgrace!" Came the response.

Nyx looked apprehensively around at the Bridge, giving a nonchalant shrug.

"Perhaps we should leave them to it?" He suggested, "Mr Nash, take us out of here."

Owen's fingers flew over the console as he transferred power to both the impulse & warp engines. "Aye sir," he answered before looking over at the helm. "Ensign sh'Wryn, you have all velocities available to you, plot a course out of the combat zone please."

No sooner had the Pandora turned to make her exit from the area, one of the Tzenkethi Cruisers on the right flank appeared to break formation and moved to engage. A stream of phaser fire sliced across our port side, only narrowly missing the Pandora as it sizzled across our outer shields.

At Tactical, Griffin's report was as cool as ever, as if merely reporting oncoming rain. "Glancing hit, shields holding. The other cruisers are targeting the Palatine."

On the Palatine, Rao gave his orders to Tolaris at the Tactical Station as the ship took several glancing blows from the Tzenkethi.

"The Tzenkethi are targetting our Warp Engines, however Shields are holding," she reported.

Rao looked over his shoulder. "Re-direct Auxiliary Power to back up the Shields in that area... I suspect Captain Temple has a trick up his sleeve..." He ordered.

Nyx hadn't wanted it to come to this but they were left with no choice. With a steady resolve, he commanded, "Mr Griffin, blow out the candles."

There was no hesitation. At the tiny pressure of a finger, a barely detectable signal was sent out from the Pandora towards the stricken and now empty Talarian cruiser, sending a single, simple command to a centimeter-wide cylinder in the engine room.

The result was cataclysmic.

Expanding outward at extraordinary speed, the raw fury of the matter/antimatter explosion erupted in a white-hot flash. Two of the Tzenkethi warships next to the Talarian wreck were engulfed, their shields collapsing instantly under the onslaught, their armour glowing under the brutal assault. The shock wave expanded, weakening as it did, catching the third, already damaged warship at the rear. Their shields somehow, miraculously, held, but the warship's engines immediately failed. On-screen, the hull breach inflicted by the Pandora's weapons expanded, armour sundering under the stress as the Tzenkethi's structural integrity fields struggled to compensate.

With the energy buildup of the Talarian ship clear before it was due to explode, Rao ordered the ship to warp, wanting to clear the area as he realised what Nycolas was planning to do.

The Pandora for her part was now streaming away from the explosion, the damage had been done. After instructing the helm to navigate the ship back to the Carnwennan Corridor and towards the nearest Talarian outpost, Nyx looked over to Griffin at the Security console and gave a solemn nod.

"Efficient and effective, Lieutenant," He commented, "I hope the Tzenkethi will think twice before engaging us again."

As the Captain looked back with his congratulations a look of sourness passed the Security Chief's for a moment, there and gone in a flash, before he replaced it with a more proper, neutral look. "Yes, sir," he answered, as neutral as ever. "No sign of pursuit."

"Best news I've heard all day," The Captain replied with a sigh, finally relaxing into his chair.

OFF