Star Trek RPG - Mission #2: "Primum Nil Nocere"

Star Trek: The Yorktown Chronicles

Setup thread: http://www.mellophant.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10960
Mission #1: "On the Brink": http://www.mellophant.com/forums/sho...the-Brink-quot

It is December 3, 2269.

Capt. James T. Kirk and the starship Enterprise completed their historic, and soon to be legendary, five-year mission not long ago.

The United Federation of Planets is strong, expanding, and prosperous. Some fifty worlds are now represented in the Federation Council, united in their commitment to peace, democracy, trade and mutual protection. The Federation’s longtime rivals, the Klingons and Romulans, are now loosely allied, but to date have not mounted a major, concerted challenge to Federation interests in the quadrant.

Starfleet, the Federation’s exploratory, scientific and military arm, has grown in the past few years. Twenty Constitution-class heavy cruisers remain its backbone, but a host of other vessels – light cruisers, destroyers, scouts, couriers, tugs, research and other specialized craft – have more than tripled the size of the Fleet. Starbase 42, recently established, demonstrates Starfleet’s commitment to extending its reach to every corner of the Galaxy unclaimed by others or granted to the Federation by treaty.

It’s a good time to be a Starfleet officer, and those aboard the USS Yorktown often find themselves on the front lines of the major challenges facing the Federation.

So prepare yourself for adventure where no one has gone before….

Captain's Log, Stardate 5992.7. After an uneventful trip from Banij Prime, we're looking in on the agricultural colony of Demeter, and have taken on supplies, including some much-welcome fresh food. Our new assistant chief medical officer, Dr. T'Var, has just come aboard, and seems to be settling in well.

Captain's Log, supplemental. The Yorktown has been ordered to begin anti-piracy patrols along the fringes of the Orion sector. Two merchant ships have gone missing in recent months, and we're to see that it doesn't happen again. However, Starfleet Command has convened a board of inquiry into my intervention in the Banij fusion war, to determine if I violated the Prime Directive. All senior officers other than Lt. Cmdr. Roble have been ordered to accompany me by shuttle to Starbase 37 and offer their testimony. I have, accordingly, left Mr. Roble in command in my absence. He is an excellent officer and I have the utmost confidence in him.

Ship's Log, Stardate 5994.1, Science Officer Roble recording. Capt. Singh and the other senior officers have been gone for four days but fortunately we've had an uneventful patrol so far. All of our assistant department chiefs continue to work on their Bridge Command Duty Officer certification, and several are quite close to completing it.

You wake in your quarters on the morning of the fifth day since the Captain and her colleagues left. What would you like to do?

Jeremi heads to the Mess to meet Ben for breakfast. She really enjoys spending time with the Ensign, and feels as though their friendship is turning into a romance. Collins realizes that this may be counterproductive to her career, but she is willing to take that risk.

Pourtash will seek out Ens. Rangin to see if he'd have the time to catch up about their mutual service on board the Lexington, since he hasn't had the chance to welcome him aboard yet. Pourtash will suggest they chat at some point when they're both free.

Fujishiro goes to the mess for a light breakfast before heading to the lab. Her latest side project is trying to tune long range sensors to detect the Zheng radiation profile of ships similar to the one recently captured at Banij, without compromising the sensors' regular functions. There's got to be more than one of them out there.

She'll sit wherever there's an open seat, with an eye to find to someone she hasn't talked to lately. With the large interest in her tea classes, that is easier said then done.

Along that front, she's declined Cheverez's offer to replicate her tea, at least for now. It's rather difficult to get the natural variation of the organic volatiles exactly right. She does ask about making some kimonos; she only has her own, but others may enjoy wearing one. How good is synthsilk these days? Multiple sets of thin ceramic tableware would also help set the mood.

Lt. JG Delaney asks the other newer crewmembers about forming a study group for the bridge quals. "I know I need help with Nav especially."

Dr. T'Var enters the mess hall. She plans to eat a light breakfast. Her meditation session went very well. She is relaxed and focused. She looks forward to making friends among the crew and getting used to daily life aboard a starship once again.

T'Var notices Fujishiro and walks over to her. "May I join you?"

After spending a short time on Demeter, exploring the culture there and learning more about herbal medicines, T'Var is ready to "chase the stars" and see where they might lead.

Rangin brightens visibly when Pourtash stops him in the corridor. "Of course! It's good to see you again. Maybe we could take a walk in the Arboretum after the evening meal?"

"That sounds excellent. I'll see you then and welcome aboard!"

After Pourtash takes his leave of Rangin, he'll cross paths with Delaney. "Hm. A study group? I think that could be very helpful. Yes, I'd like to be part of that."

Delaney, "Excellent, we should try to gather the newer officers. This should be a good team building exercise too. I was a little unsure who I was working with on that ship and it was pretty dicey there for a time."

On her way to the Gym for some cardio, Collins sees Delaney down the corridor. She calls to him to get his attention, then goes to him. "So what's this I hear about a study group? I thought we left that stuff at the Academy."

"Never too old to study and I think we all probably need help with the cross-training aspects of Bridge Qual."

Lt. JG Collins probably has little to fear career-wise from a romance with Cooper (unless she starts neglecting her duties). He's not in her department or her chain of command.

Fujishiro does a little research on the Library Computer and learns that there are synthetic silks of pretty good quality which are commercially available, although not on board; cheaper than the real thing, but still not cheap for the high-end product. Thin ceramic tableware can be manufactured aboard ship, or perhaps, for even higher quality stuff, bought on some shore leave.

Lt. Cmdr. Roble, when he learns of it, encourages Delaney and the others to create a study group. "Five or six heads can definitely be better than one," he says. "I might not have first gotten my BCDO certification - longer ago than I care to remember - if it hadn't been for the friends who studied with me."

"Well, then," Collins asks Delaney, "Got room for one more?"

"Shall we figure out when we can get together for study?" Pourtash asks. "We might not all be able to meet every time as duty pulls us away, but I'm sure we can arrange it so we can usually all get together."

Delaney builds a quick Gant chart of the off-duty times for all the new officers to determine the most efficient times for 1 or 2 groups. He assumes schedules can be tweaked lightly to accommodate a good cause such as this.

"Since I already have my BCDO, just let me know when I might be able to come in to help. Obviously, it won't be necessary for me to be there too much, but I'd like to assist if you need it," Pourtash offers.

Fujishiro looks up at T'Var, smiles and says, "Yes, please, sit down! You must be our new doctor. Welcome aboard the Yorktown."

Delaney's Gantt chart includes time for study and discussion of leadership principles, Bridge operations, Command subsystems, Starfleet history, chain of command, personnel selection, as well as various simulations. Pourtash looks it over and thinks the young engineer has made a good start. He agrees that Roble will probably be flexible as to scheduling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gantt_chart

T'Var sits down with her Vulcan spice tea. "I've heard that you are preparing classes of some kind regarding tea rituals? I would enjoy participating if there is still room. I find rituals from all cultures quite interesting."

The Vulcan doctor sips her tea slowly. "If there is anything I can do to help you prepare, please let me know."

Collins finishes her workout and gets dressed for her shift.

All of that worked on, Pourtash will go on to get a quick breakfast, then prepare himself for his shift.

Lt. JG Cecilia Bennett enters the Mess Hall. She sees T'Var and Fujishiro, comes over and asks, "May I join you?" They invite her to sit and the beautiful young Englishwoman says, "Doctor, since my cabinmate has been transferred, I now have a spare bunk. It's yours if you'd like it. I could maybe pull rank and have my own quarters, but I rather prefer to have company."

Collins is ready for her watch; Vargas orders her to take inventory in the Armory and then go on foot patrol in the aft secondary hull.

Pourtash reports to the Bridge and is asked by Roble to recalibrate the Helm console's sensor display. It's a little complicated but he's up to the challenge.

Collins completes the Armory inventory and files her report. While patrolling, she grumbles to herself "this is punishment for messing up the investigation, I just know it. But he won't break me. I just hope I get a chance to redeem myself soon."

Dr. T'Var smiles. She finishes her tea. "I would appreciate the company as well," she says. "Thank you for the offer. I accept."

Pourtash settles in to work on the recalibration, welcoming the challenge. For now he'll keep his attention carefully focused on the task at hand to work it out.

Collins's foot patrol is uneventful, as such patrols almost always are. Dr. T'Var moves in with Lt. JG Bennett and the two find themselves pretty much simpatico (although Bennett is more of a night owl than T'Var). Pourtash's recalibration is completed to the Science Officer's satisfaction.

A day passes.

Ship's Log, supplemental. The official inquiry is complete; Capt. Singh and her party have left Starbase 37 and will rendezvous with the Yorktown in two days in the Theta Raled system. Our anti-piracy patrol continues.

Roble is in the big chair at the center of the Bridge. Pourtash is at the Helm, along with Delaney at the Engineering console, Fujishiro at Sciences I, Rangin at Sciences II, Collins at Security/Tactical, and Dr. T'Var at Life Sciences. Ens. Horst Leventhal is at Navigation, continuing his cross-training from his usual Helm duties, and Lt. JG Ade Soerjosoemarno, a stocky, older Indonesian man, is filling in for Thalen at Communications.

Roble signs a data tablet for an Engineering yeoman, hands it back to her, stretches and says, "I'm going belowdecks for a few minutes. You have the Bridge, Mr. Pourtash."

During the lull, Collins quietly hums theme songs from late 20th Century/early 21st Century television.

Dr. T'Var enjoys Bridge Duty. It gives her the opportunity to observe human behavior patterns, a subject she finds quite interesting.

T'Var is pleased with her new cabinmate. She is confident that they will become longtime friends. Her Starfleet friendships mean a great deal to T'Var and she works hard to maintain them.

The doctor would like to start a chess club on board if one does not already exist. T'Var loves the game in all of its many variations. She admires chess masters from Earth's 20th century -- especially the grandmasters from Russia at that time.

Delaney would be please to join a chess club. It is a great way to pass the spare moments of the day.

Rangin also harbors a great love for both flat chess and Tri-D. He'd be thrilled to join, if there's enough interest.

"Yes, sir." Pourtash feels a little lightheaded for a moment with worry, but clears his throat and settles himself in. This isn't so bad, he assures himself. No new species shooting at anyone, at least.

The Lyceum already has a chess club, which holds weekly tournaments. The reigning shipboard champion is Cmdr. Vargas, although Dr. Bucci, Lt. Devereaux and Lt. JG Gral are also quite good. The club's members tend to play tri-D chess, although there are those who prefer the original Earth game, spherical chess, and even the Vulcan and Rigellian variants.

Pourtash takes the big chair in the center of the Bridge. It is more comfortable than he expected, but he tries not to relax too much.

Keeping an eye on her panel, Jeremi daydreams about Ben.

T'Var very rarely loses a chess match of any kind. She is quite proud of this fact -- at least as proud as a Vulcan can be. T'Var is both gracious and humble in victory and in defeat. She prefers the ancient Earth form of chess for its purity, and in many ways, its simplicity compared to more modern variations of the game. She looks forward to competing against her crewmates. Chess is a stimulating activity and keeps her mind sharp.

The doctor plays out various ancient chess games in her head while keeping an eye on the panels in front of her at Life Sciences.

Delaney is also one that prefers the classic game. He is good but not great. However he has hopes to engage players in Speed Chess. A game where all moves are made in a set short time limit. He excels at this like few others. Especially games of 10 minutes or less.

Pourtash knows how to play the classic Earth form, but has never been particularly interested in Chess. Delaney's mention of Speed Chess intrigues him, though. "I'd like to see that demonstrated."

Collins perks up as Ens. Ben Cooper enters the Bridge and assumes Pourtash's just-vacated post at the Helm. As he does, he winks at her; she doesn't think anyone else noticed.

Pourtash doesn't mind as the Bridge officers chat about chess. But ten minutes pass, and then twenty. Lt. Cmdr. Roble has still not returned when Lt. JG Soerjosoemarno says to Pourtash, "Sir, I'm picking up a very faint subspace transmission on the Federation civilian frequency. I can't quite tell what it is."

Upon hearing what Soerjosoemarno just said, Collins starts adjusting frequencies on her panel to attempt to boost te signal.

Delaney does a quick search on his tech database for techniques to help boost weak or distant signals. He reports as much as he conducts the search.

Pourtash sits up a bit straighter at being told of the transmission. Vaguely interesting, but certainly not worthy of troubling anyone else with it yet. "Collins, Delaney, keep us updated on your efforts to boost the signal."

Collins and Delaney are able to help Soerjosoemarno boost the signal. The Communications officer then says, "It's a distress call, sir."

He touches a control on his console and you hear, through intermittent bursts of static, a faint voice saying, "Mayday, mayday! This is the [static] freighter Hegar's Pride. We [static] under attack by three Orion [static]. We have almost 200 people aboard and can't hold out long. They're [long burst of static] and we need immediate assistance. Mayday! Please help, anyone who hears this...!"

Soerjosoemarno shakes his head in frustration. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't make it any clearer than that."

Collins checks the sensors to attempt to pinpoint the message's coordinates of origin.


If successful, she then relays that info to the helm. "Course laid in and ready, Lt. Pourtash."
If not, she continues her scans

Dr. T'Var monitors the readouts at Life Sciences closely. She runs a checklist in her head of emergency medical procedures for situations such as this.

Delaney prepares to provide power to shield and warp engines, once ready he says. "Power is available for Warp Speed and Shields, I believe we need to contact the Captain and the senior officer on board."

If the point of origin for the message can be found, Pourtash will give a brief synopsis of the Hegar's Pride's position when he contacts the senior officer on board--Lt. Cmdr. Roble?--otherwise, he will inform him of what he can and the ship's readiness to proceed. The message wasn't perfectly clear, but it seems likely they were describing an attack by three Orion pirate ships.

The ship's Life Sciences systems are all nominal, T'Var sees.

Delaney notes the same as to the warp drive, impulse drive and deflector shields.

Soerjosoemarno is able to determine that the Mayday transmission is coming from deep space, approximately 22 minutes off the port bow at Warp 8. The Yorktown is currently on an indirect patrol course for the Theta Raled system at Warp 3.

Lt. Cmdr. Roble is indeed the ranking officer aboard at the moment. Pourtash hits the intercom button on the arm of the command chair, and says crisply, "Bridge to Science Officer. Please respond." No response. "Bridge to Lt. Cmdr. Roble, please respond." Still no answer.

Pourtash feels his palms begin to get ever so slightly sweaty.

Dr. T'Var addresses Pourtash. "With our senior officers not currently on the ship, I suggest we have Security locate Lt. Cmdr. Roble immediately."

The Vulcan doctor pauses a monent.

"I believe a distress call of this nature requires timely action on our part," she says.

Ens. Rangin will try to boost signal strength on sensors, to get a better picture of what's going on near that Mayday transmission.

Pourtash drums his fingers, very troubled by the lack of response. "Collins, locate Roble," he orders.

Jeremi pounds her panel "Collins to Security Teams. Meet me by Turbolift One on Deck 10 ASAP!" and she dashes off to the Lift.

When she gets there, she organizes the Security Specialists to begin a shipwide/deck by deck search. She takes one of the ensigns and begins on Deck Two.

Rangin's expertise is not in long-range sensors, but he begins his work.

Just as Collins prepares to leave the Bridge, a bosun's whistle sounds over the intercom. "Bridge, this is Nurse Perry. Dr. Villa asked me to inform you that Lt. Cmdr. Roble was just found on Deck 19 near a machine shop, and has been brought to Sickbay. He appears to have been stabbed in the chest and is unconscious. We're prepping him for surgery now."

A moment later, Ens. Faisal Mahmoud calls Pourtash. He has a Security team already on the scene and reports, "We've found a bloodstained knife and some bloodstains on the deck where Mr. Roble was found, and are conducting scans and a thorough search of the area now. I recommend an immediate Security Alert."

"Mr. Pourtash, I believe in the next few minutes you have to assume Cmdr. Roble is not available and command falls to you as this is an emergency. Hegar's Pride's cannot afford us to fail to respond. I also believe we need to assume we could be racing into an ambush. A wounded freighter is a classic decoy. I believe the Intrepid was baited into an ambush this way 3 years ago and suffered over a dozen casualties." Delaney proceeds to make everything ready for both Warp 8 and then combat.

"I agree with Mr. Delaney," T'Var says. "We must act promptly."

She knows that Dr. Villa has things under control in Sickbay and is sure the CMO will call for T'Var's assistance if needed.

Collins cancels the security alert and moves over to Tactical. After tapping the panel a few times, she says "Phasers and Photon Torpedoes at the ready."

Pourtash frowns deeply at this news. "Thank you for your report, Mr. Mahmoud. I agree with your recommendation. Initiate a Security Alert."

As he listens to Delaney and Dr. T'Var, he steeples his fingers and thinks for a moment. "Set a course for the Hegar's Pride at Warp 8. We have approximately twenty-two minutes to prepare for combat, either against three enemy ships or an ambush as Delaney suggested. Does the computer have any records on this freighter?"

You immediately hear the Security Alert tone on the Bridge and, a few moments later, two Security guards enter. One stands beside the turbolift doors; the other stands across the compartment from her, beside the viewscreen. Both have a phaser-2 on their hips. Under Starfleet regs, no one else may enter or leave the Bridge until the Security Alert is ended. From belowdecks, Mahmoud says, "I will continue with my investigation, sir."

Leventhal and Cooper set course for the freighter at Warp 8, and you feel the Yorktown shift beneath your feet. She seems to lean forward as she races to the rescue. The engines grow louder.

Fujishiro accesses the Library Computer, which briefly whirs and then, in its disembodied metallic female voice, says, "Working... Hegar's Pride. Caitian-flagged freighter, Class IV. Homeport: Garan III. Owner: CIT Lines. Crew: 77. Maximum passenger capacity: 320. Cargo capacity, in metric tons: 15,000. Total deadweight metric tonnage: 66,000. Maximum speed: Warp 5. Typical cruising speed: Warp 3. Commanding officer: Raewll. No special notes by Starfleet Intelligence or Security. No special notes by Federation Interstellar Commerce Authority."

T'Var is relieved that Pourtash has taken action and the ship is on its way. Twenty-two minutes isn't a lot of time to prepare. The doctor hopes the crew is ready for this. If not, that fact will present itself soon enough.

Delaney is pleased with 22 minutes, this will allow him to go through the SOP & EOSS* with ease and start looking for some edge he can give the acting Captain.

"Might I suggest we go to Red Alert and prepare Battle Station sir?"

* Terms are probably wrong but SOP was Standard Operating Procedure and EOSS was the Engineering Operations System Standards or SOP for Engineering as we had to be different for some reason.

T'Var was about to suggest the same thing. She is impressed with Delaney. He seems to have a "good head on his shoulders".

The doctor is intrigued by human slang terms and phrases.

She waits patiently for Pourtash's response to Delaney's suggestion.

If T'Var hears nothing from Sickday within the next few minutes, she'll contact Dr. Villa for an update on Roble's medical condition.

Pourtash notes the maximum capacity of the Hegar's Pride is large enough to accommodate the reported number of people aboard the freighter. If it is an ambush, the ship's description is accurate at least. He also agrees with Delaney's suggestions and implements them.

There is still a good chance the message itself was misleading, but it's their best intelligence to go on for the moment. "Collins, you last served aboard the Enterprise, correct? Were you there during the alleged suicide attack by an Orion ship on the way to the Babel conference last year? Would you have any insight?"

Soerjosoemarno nods at Pourtash's order and touches the shipwide com controls. "All hands, Red Alert! All hands to battle stations. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill." The Red Alert klaxon begins to sound throughout the Yorktown as, from stem to stern, the crew rushes to their posts.

Leventhal asks, "Shall we raise shields, sir?"

Rangin and Fujishiro work together on the long-range sensors. At this distance you scan a ship about a third the size of the Yorktown, generally fitting the Hegar's Pride's profile and warp signature, and three smaller craft. There are multiple discharges of what appear to be ship-based energy weapons. The larger ship seems to be fleeing the other three on an irregular or evasive course.

Dr. Bucci soon reports to Dr. T'Var from Sickbay, "Mr. Roble is doing well in surgery. He's in critical condition but I believe it's likely he'll pull through."

"Lieutenant, I'm detecting a ship and warp signatures that fit the profile for the Hegar's Pride, but I'm also detecting three much smaller ships and what appears to be weapon fire. Possibly a pirate attack."

"Thank you, Doctor," T'Var replies. "Please keep me informed."

T'Var continues to monitor the panels at Life Sciences.

Collins replies to Lt. Pourtash "Most of that mission, I was assigned to the brig - I doubt there's anything helpful I can add. However, I was aware of Captain Kirk's ploy to draw the enemy in - it's risky, but it works. I would hold off, however, until we are actually under attack. Meanwhile, all weapons are charged and ready. we can distract and possibly disable the smaller vessels, and allow the Hegar's Pride a chance to move off and conduct repairs."

"Yes, raise shields," Pourtash agrees, then listens to Rangin's update carefully. "Thank you, Mr. Rangin."

He nods to Collins. "Very good." It's not a great deal of information, but a ploy of Captain Kirk that was verified to work may be useful. There's still no verification that the message was accurate and they are Orion ships, but as it's their best lead so far he feels better having some knowledge on the matter.

Soerjosoemarno, listening to the intercom babble of voices from belowdecks, confirms that the entire ship has gone to Red Alert. He offers to notify Starfleet and Capt. Singh of the ship's change of course and its current mission.

As the Yorktown races closer, sensors confirm that three small Orion warships are chasing and firing phasers upon the Hegar's Pride, which Fujishiro and Rangin positively identify from both its warp signature and its transponder signal.

Fifteen minutes to intercept.

Delaney checks all systems are optimal and if so reports as much, "Sir, unless you think we are still unobserved it might be best to raise all 4 ships on comms and demand the Orions break off and explain themselves. This is in thinking it is the best chance to save lives on the Hegar's Pride more than catching the Orions."

Normally, Ens. Rangin would report to Sick Bay to help prepare for incoming casualties, but with the Security alert he's stuck here. He'll keep monitoring long-range scans.

"Thank you, Mr. Soerjosoemarno. Do so," Pourtash says.

"That's operating on the assumption that the Orions might stop their attack if we raise communications, Mr. Delaney," Pourtash points out with a small frown, debating. "Can we verify the odds that our approach has been noticed already?"

As ordered, Soerjosoemarno notifies Starfleet Command and Capt. Singh of your current situation via subspace radio. Singh, the closer of the two, will not get the message until more than two hours from now.

The Orion ships give no indication that they've noticed the swift approach of the Yorktown. Collins runs a quick tactical analysis and determines that, given what is known of Orion tactical protocol and sensor technology, it's slightly more likely than not that they've already picked up the heavy cruiser on long-range scan. With each passing minute, the likelihood of their noticing your ship's approach markedly increases.

Ten minutes to intercept.

Dr. T'Var listens carefully to her fellow officers and their ideas.

"If the Orion ships are not aware of us -- which we do not know at this point -- I would suggest stealth as the best course of action. At least for now." T'Var sighs. "If they are aware of us, it might make better sense to let them think about that fact for a while before we attempt to communicate."

"We should also consider that they are completely aware of what happened to the ship that encountered the Enterprise, and that they may have upgraded their weaponry" Collins offers.

"Valid points both, Dr. T'Var." Pourtash nods to Collins' suggestion as well. "There is that to consider, and the weapons intended for a suicide attack will also be different from ones presumably meant to return stolen goods."

He mulls the situation over, then takes a deep breath. "When we're within five minutes of interception, raise all four ships on comms."

Five minutes to intercept.

What would Pourtash like to say? Will he speak separately to the Hegar's Pride and to the Orion ships, or make one common broadcast?

Pourtash orders Soerjosoemarno to send a message directly to the Hegar's Pride, informing them that their message was received and inquiring after damages and casualties.

He will send a separate message to the Orion ships. "This is the USS Yorktown. Cease hostilities immediately and identify yourselves."

From the Hegar's Pride comes a response from Capt. Raewll. His voice sounds strained: "Yorktown, it's good to hear from you. We've [static] casualties and some damage. We're doing our best [static] evade these Orion pirates. Please hurry!"

The Orion ships don't respond, but one breaks off its chase of the freighter and heads towards the Orion border. The other two continue to pursue and fire.

Collins has a sudden intuitive feeling that something is wrong; she can't quite put her finger on it.

One minute to intercept.

Dr. T'Var contacts Sickbay to inform them that Hagar's Pride has suffered casualties. Preparations to assist the wounded should begin immediately.

The doctor tells Pourtash that Sickbay will be ready when needed.

Dr. Bucci acknowledges Dr. T'Var's message. Sickbay is fully staffed due to the Red Alert, of course, and will indeed be ready for casualties. No news on Lt. Cmdr. Roble's surgery.

Collins tells the Bridge crew "That's too weird, that one ship veering off like that." She scans the runaway ship to see if she can determine if it is crewed by other than Orions

"Acknowledged, Dr. T'Var."

Pourtash frowns at Collins' comment. "Continue investigating that ship's departure, Mr. Collins. Inform us if any reinforcements are on their way as well."

"As we approach, ready phasers to fire on the attacking ships on my command. I'm sending another message." When the comm is open, Pourtash says, "This is the USS Yorktown. We are giving a final warning. Cease your attack on the freighter."

Collins's scan indicates that the ship that left is indeed crewed by Orions - at least 20 of them, typical for a small pirate attack craft of that size. Cooper says thoughtfully, "Orion pirates will sometimes work together only as long as they choose to. It's possible all three of those ships aren't under a single commander."

"Or maybe they're just cowards," Leventhal says.

Long-range scan shows no sign of reinforcements on the way from any direction.

One of the Orion ships hits the Hegars Pride's warp drive, and the freighter immediately drops out of warp. The Orion ships also do so but, as the Yorktown arrives, they now turn towards you.

As is standard Starfleet tactical doctrine, Collins designates the Orion ships for possible targeting: O1, O2, and O3. O3 is the one that has left; it is now at Warp 5 and still accelerating towards the Orion border, which it will reach in less than six minutes on its current course. Each of the three Orion attack craft are about a sixth of the Yorktown's size but are, preliminary scans show, fast, heavily armed and well-shielded.

Delaney again ensures that shields, phasers and torps are all ready for use and looks for any abnormal readings on the ship.

Rangin will dig through Starfleet records to check the biological characteristics of Orions. Maybe there's an advantage we can discern. He'll also check the cargo manifest for the Hegar's Pride-- what is she carrying?

Delaney sees that all ship's systems are functioning perfectly.

Rangin learns that Orions are a humanoid species, typically green in skin color; their women are notoriously alluring and sexually dynamic. They are about as strong, smart, healthy and psi-sensitive, on average, as the typical Earth-normal human. The xenobiologist cannot discern any particular tactical advantage that can be gained over them because of their innate biological characteristics. Orions are not members of the Federation; they have a very weak central government and a reputation for piracy and lawlessness.

You now have visual contact with the two nearest Orion ships, and the freighter. The Orion ships have an angular, menacing appearance, and are covered in jaggedly garish markings, mostly black, green and purple. The freighter is bigger, of course, and is off-white with blue markings. It has clearly been damaged. Soerjosoemarno reports to Pourtash, "I've lost contact with the Hegar's Pride, sir. It looks like its communications array was hit."

Collins scans the freighter to determine the status of its life support system.

If it's stable, she will recommend beaming over a team of engineers to assist in system repairs.
If it's unstable, she will recommend beaming the crew of the Hegar's Pride aboard the Yorktown.

Was Rangin unable to learn what cargo the Hegar's Pride is carrying?

Dr. T'Var does some research on the Orions herself -- from a medical standpoint, of course. She learns that human males are usually unable to withstand the Orion females sensual allure. Human females tend to have a very negative reaction to them with headaches -- sometimes quite severe. Vulcans, on the other hand, have no reaction -- negative or otherwise -- to Orions.

T'Var reports her findings to Pourtash. "We must be careful regarding any close contact with the Orions," T'Var says. "If that becomes necessary, I would strongly suggest using non-human crew members."

"Well, they stopped attacking the freighter," Pourtash comments dryly. He's doubtful they're responding to his communications and assumes they are simply preparing to turn their attack on the Yorktown.

He listens to the reports he's given, then nods shortly. "Is there any existing damage on the Orion ships that may be used to our advantage? Two small, fast ships against one larger one gives them an advantage I dislike."

Collins scans for weaknesses in the two attacking ships' defenses.

The freighter's most-recently-filed manifest indicates that it's carrying 8,000 tons of refined yolisite, a caustic powder used in manufacturing on many worlds, and 200 colonists and their equipment, bound for Andel IV and Hatikvah, respectively. Collins's scan reveals that the freighter's life support system is stable, but its warp drive is showing some troubling energy fluctuations. Delaney takes a closer look and sees that there is a potential for a warp core breach.

Of the two Orion ships now approaching the Yorktown, O1 is undamaged and O2 has light damage to its starboard hull that does not appear to have affected any vital systems. O3 continues to flee. With Fujishiro's help, Collins runs a further tactical analysis that indicates that the two warships could, acting in concert, pose a definite threat to the Starfleet vessel. The odds get even worse if the third ship returns. They have no particular weaknesses other than being each smaller and less powerful than your ship. They will be in the Yorktown's weapons range in less than 30 seconds.

"I would recommend we plan on a full out barrage of Phasers & Torps on a single Orion. Go for a quick disabling to remove their advantage. I also recommend we react soon if they do not respond."

Though she is no longer a member of the V'Shar, old habits die hard. "I agree with Mr. Delaney," T'Var says. "An offensive stance would be our best course of action at this time."

Fujishiro does a quick analysis to determine if the Yorktown's tractor beam is capable of significantly affecting the course of an Orion vessel. Reducing their speed or maneuverability might be helpful. She also asks Soerjosoemarno what comm channels the Orions are using among themselves. Since the Hegar's Pride has apparently lost communications, we don't lose much by jamming and it may prevent the Orions from closely coordinating.

Pourtash smiles grimly as Delaney repeats his own thoughts. "Prepare to fire phasers and photon torpedoes on O2 on my command, targeting the starboard hull. Defensive measures against O1, but I want that second ship disabled as quickly as possible. We need to even the odds and I doubt they'll surrender over warning shots."

Collins' hands hover over the weapons panel, awaiting Pourtash's signal

Fujishiro runs a quick analysis and sees that there's no way the Yorktown's tractor beam could withstand the likely torsion and shear stress of trying to hold or even slow one of the Orion warships; it's just not strong enough for that.

Soerjosoemarno likes her suggestion of checking on Orion communications. He checks the usual pirate frequencies and does find some encrypted subspace traffic, but this close to the Orion border, he can't tell if it's coming from these particular ships. With the Yorktown's powerful subspace transmitters and comm suite, he's sure he could immediately jam the signals without any difficulty. Decoding them could take quite a bit longer.

Collins locks phasers and photon torpedoes on O2, and awaits the order to fire. Deflector shields remain up and strong.

Delaney's scan detects a sudden, brief plasma surge and a rising warp core temperature aboard the Hegar's Pride, further indications that a warp core breach may be starting. Communications with the freighter remain out.

"Sir, we are probably out of time, I am showing readings the Hegar's Pride and her crew and her 200 innocent colonist are doomed to death if we don't drive off the Orions and fast. I show a Plasma surge and rising warp core temp. I fear a breach is likely."

"Sir, we should beam the entire crew of the Hegar's Pride aboard as quickly as possible!" Collins is getting a little agitated.

Dr. T'Var contacts Sickbay that the wounded should be incoming very soon. She also inquires as to whether she will be needed in Sickbay or should remain on the Bridge at her station.

"A disabled ship requiring we lower our shields to help them, giving the Orions an opening." Pourtash sighs. "If this is an actual plan and not just luck on their part, I'm impressed."

"Mr. Delaney, how long would it take to lower the shields, transport over two hundred people, and raise the shields again? Barring that, is there anything we could do to stop the warp core breach? Anything we could transport to them or transport out into open space?"

Delaney figures it would take, at a bare minimum, at least twenty minutes for the Hegar's Pride's 77 crew and 200 passengers to be beamed over. It would take less time to beam the freighter's warp core out into space, but that would be far trickier, and could still result in casualties. There is nothing, he believes, that the Yorktown could now beam over to the stricken ship to avert a warp core breach.

Fujishiro notices escape pods beginning to spill from the freighter. One... then another two... and another two. They would be vulnerable to photon torpedo detonations in the vicinity, she knows.

In light of the Security Alert, Dr. Bucci tells Dr. T'Var to remain on the Bridge until further notice.

The Orion ships are bearing in. O1 fires its two forward phasers at the Yorktown's bow, striking a glancing blow on the forward shields, which hold steady. The ship shudders just a little. O2 is making a flanking manuever to fire on your starboard side, and O3 has now stopped, Collins notes from long-range scan.

"Return fire, sir?" Collins knows she can't do anything until the person in the big chair says so, but man, she is itching to shoot something.

Fujishiro keeps careful track of all escape pods. If any is in imminent danger, she will use a tractor beam to push or pull it out of the way. She also requests permission to begin subspace and radio jamming of all three Orion ships.

Dr. T'Var remains on the Bridge at her station, but would rather be in Sickbay. She has observed her crewmates on the Bridge and is impressed with how they've handled this demanding situation. T'Var knows that Sickbay will call upon her if needed. Still, she feels as a physician, her place is in Sickbay, not on the Bridge.

T'Var allows herself a small sigh as she continues to monitor the panels at Life Sciences.

Pourtash frowns when the ship shudders, knotting his brows together in concern, though he knows the shield is fine for the moment.

"Begin firing. Focus as much damage on O2 as possible. Mr. Cooper, begin evasive maneuvers. Lure the Orion ships away from the escape pods if we can to give us a clearer attack. Make it so, Mr. Fujishiro."

Collins lobs 3 photon torpedoes at O2 and fires the main phaser bank 2 seconds later. She also looses phaser fire at O1.

Collins hits O2 twice and the Orion warship takes modest damage; its shields are down 17%. O1 is hit once by the Yorktown's phaser fire and seems unscathed. Both ships return fire at once and jostle the heavy cruiser badly, but her shields are degraded only by 6%. On the Bridge, you are all just able to keep your seats. O1 and O2 are now moving into an envelopment pattern. Pourtash sees that one or the other will be able to fire and have you in range no matter where you go, if you stay anywhere near the Hegar's Pride.

Cooper nevertheless coordinates evasive maneuvers with Collins so that her aim is not affected.

Despite Collins's and Fujishiro's best efforts, two of the escape pods are at the edge of the blast radius of one of the photon torpedoes and are destroyed before Fujishiro can use the tractor beam to move them. She was unable to scan them in the few seconds before Collins fired to see how many people, if any, were in them. Six more escape pods are ejected moments later. Delaney sees that a warp core breach on the freighter is likely within five minutes.

O3 has reversed course and is now slowly inbound.

If O3 is within weapons range, Collins will fire on that ship as well; otherwise, she continues her barrage on O1 and O2

"Sir, we are out of time, I strongly suggest again we destroy O2 with all weapons at our disposal. Then turn on O1 and manuever while doing so near the freighter. Her Warp Core needs to be beamed out into space to minimize casualties, we can do nothing to help them while in this fight. Don't waste a shot on O1 until O2 is done."

T'Var is quite concerned for the remaining escape pods and those inside. "Mr. Delaney is correct," she tells Pourtash in a forceful tone. "We must do whatever is necessary to end this now.

"Agreed, but we also have to balance tactics with not murdering everyone we're here to rescue," Pourtash responds.

"Mr. Collins, fire five photons simultaneously on O2. I want to get their shields down as quickly as possible. Mr. Fujishiro, have you been able to jam communications between the Orion ships? If so, priority one is now keeping the escape pods safe."

"Aye, aye!" Collins exclaims as she complies.

It would be Communications Officer Soerjosoemarno's task to jam the Orion transmissions; he begins doing so immediately.

The Yorktown can fire two photon torpedoes at a time at eight-second intervals. To carry out Lt. JG Pourtash's orders, Collins quickly sets the fuses of five torpedoes to detonate simultaneously on O2, and fires two, then another two, and then one. The torpedoes race towards their target and strike home in a massive explosion. O2 is hit hard; Fujishiro's scans show its shields are down to 22%, and there are preliminary indications of severe structural damage. It returns fire, however, and momentarily breaks through the Yorktown's aft primary hull shields; a hull breach is reported on Deck 8 aft. The ship lurches and Cooper is thrown forward against his Helm console, knocking the wind out of him; Collins can hear him rasping badly. Rangin is almost thrown from his chair but manages to hang on.

O1 darts closer, trying to rake the Yorktown's starboard nacelle with phaser fire and badly weakening the deflector shield covering that arc. The ship shakes again severely, and the two Security guards are barely able to keep their footing. Delaney struggles to keep the shields up and to redistribute power as needed, but it's not easy.

Another five escape pods are jettisoned by the Hegar's Pride. All are outside the torpedoes' blast radii but one, and Fujishiro deftly uses the tractor beam to pull it clear.

O3 is still out of range but is now, Rangin sees with concern, increasing its speed as it returns to the area. It will be within weapons range in less than two minutes.

T'Var rushes to Cooper's side immediately and begins to administer whatever first aid she can from the Bridge.

Delaney works hard to reinforce aft primary hull shields. Also makes a mental note to recommend installation of 4 point safety belts to be used at least during combat. Can I reroute power from non essential systems to the shields?

Is there someone already on the bridge who can temporarily take over for Cooper while he recovers, or is Pourtash the only one? If there is no one and he isn't immediately appearing to recover, Pourtash will call for relief for the Helm. If there is any delay expected and no one else on the bridge can relieve him and relief appears necessary, Pourtash will temporarily take the Helm. Whichever is most logical to not make them sitting ducks.

"Mr. Collins, another simultaneous blast with four photons this time."

Collins already has the next barrage primed before the words even leave Pourtash's mouth. She repeats the firing sequence. Out the corner of her eye, she sees the new doctor tending to Ben, and tells herself he'll be fine.

Dr. T'Var has her medkit with her, of course, but finds that all Cooper needs at the moment is to lie down and have the chance to catch his breath.

Delaney can and does reroute power from non-essential systems to the shields.

Pourtash decides to take the Helm himself, which is the most direct solution. He is, after all, the most capable person on the Bridge at that post, with the possible exception of Leventhal, who already has his hands full at Navigation.

As ordered, Collins fires another barrage of four torpedoes at O2. Just as she does so, the Orion ship looses another phaser salvo that now knocks down the Yorktown's aft primary hull shields entirely and claws at the ship itself, opening two more large hull breaches, another on Deck 8 and one on Deck 9. The ship again shakes badly, and several overhead panels around the Bridge spit out fat, white-hot sparks that, fortunately, injure no one. Power has now been lost on both decks, and Soerjosoemarno has multiple reports of casualties.

The Yorktown's torpedoes then strike home and O2 explodes in a massive fireball that unfortunately takes two of the freighter's lifepods with it before Fujishiro can react.

O1 is not going away. It again rakes your starboard nacelle with phasers at close range and it, too, breaks through the shields this time. The Yorktown heels sharply to starboard. Delaney's warp drive status indications go bright red and he sees that the nacelle has been very badly damaged.

O3 will be in weapons range in 43 seconds, and Collins sees, on long-range scan, three other ships appear in Orion space, now at extreme range but inbound. She assumes the worst, runs a quick-and-dirty tactical analysis and sees that, just with O3's return, the odds are starting to tip dangerously against you. Withdrawal might be our best option, the thought comes unbidden into her mind, but what about the freighter's survivors?

"Rest easy, Mr. Cooper," Dr. T'Var says.

T'Var contacts Sickbay to check on the situation there and whether her status has changed. Is she needed in Sickbay now?

"Mr. Pourtash, withdrawal at this point may be necessary, though we should wait until that option is the only one. Perhaps we should send out a distress call to any Starfleet vessels who could come to our assistance."

"Sir," Collins speaks hastily to Pourtash, but loud enough for the whole bridge to hear, "before we retreat, we need to rescue as many of the Hegar's Pride's crew as possible. we've lost too many already. I will continue firing on the Orion ships within range, try to buy us some time, but with the damage we've already taken, we are no match for the advancing fleet."

Delaney is calling for casualties and damage control reports, rerouting power and all other SOP procedures for such terrible events.

"What is the ETA on the ships following O3? If we disable O1 and O3, would there be enough time to bring the others on board before the new ships arrive? We can't lower our shields to bring them on board while under attack."

"Mr. Collins, photons on O1. Keep them in rapid succession, so we don't find ourselves caught between two able-bodied ships."

"Agreed, Dr. T'Var." Pourtash orders a distress call sent out.

Nurse Perry sounds harried over the comm. She quickly tells Dr. T'Var, "We have our hands full, ma'am, but we're keeping up. Dr. Villa says you should stay there until further notice. Sickbay out."

Collins opens fire on O1, which seems to be better-piloted than O2 and avoids being hit except for two glancing blows that do no apparent damage. O3 has now come into weapons range and begins firing its phasers on the Yorktown, but misses.

Due to EM interference in the immediate vicinity from the explosion of O2, the firing thus far, and what he suspects may be Orion sensor countermeasures, Rangin cannot be sure that the other three inbound ships are actually warships, or even Orion, although it seems likely they are both. They'll arrive in just under an hour at their current speed.

Another seven escape pods tumble free of the Hegar's Pride, one after another, and Fujishiro uses the tractor beam to nudge them clear of Collins's fire. Delaney sees that the freighter's warp core breach could be just seconds away. The Yorktown is at present in no such danger, although the stability of her warp field is iffy, given the damage to the starboard nacelle.

Soerjosoemarno hesitantly asks Pourtash, "What do you wish to say in the distress call, sir? Or would you rather I just activate the automated signal?"

Is the Yorktown a safe distance from the Hegar's Pride and the warp breach? What of the escape pods?

To Soerjosoemarno, Pourtash responds, "We are under attack by two Orion warships and more may be on the way. We are on a rescue mission for the freighter Hegar's Pride. We might as well give the basic facts, should they influence the response."

Pourtash orders Collins to continue firing on O1. He'll engage in what evasive maneuvers he can without jeopardizing her shots.

Collins targets O1's communication array. "If I can only do minimal damage to that %@$&^$ing ship" she thinks to herself, "then it's enough to cut them off from the others."

The Yorktown is a safe distance from the Hegar's Pride, given Delaney's projections of its likely explosive yield. About two-thirds of the lifepods also are at a safe distance now. Several more spill out, for a total of 18 now between your ship and the stricken freighter.

A grim-faced Soerjosoemarno begins his distress call transmission, and sets it to repeat. Knowing of Starfleet dispositions in the sector, he does not expect an immediate response.

Collins lands a solid hit on O1, but cannot be sure if she hit its comm array. The wicked-looking small warship turns, fires back but strikes only a glancing blow. Your shields hold. However, O3 also fires moments later, and hits the Yorktown's already-hit starboard warp drive nacelle, damaging it a little more. Pourtash remembers that, unless the Yorktown has both nacelles functional, she will not be able to go any faster than Warp 3. This would be slower than the typical Orion pirate ship, and perhaps eliminate any chance of escaping with survivors from the freighter.

The ship rocks again as O3 lands another hit.

Collins lobs another barrage at O1, then immediately fires on O3. She's tapping panel buttons like a frustrated late twentieth century end user on a dial up connection.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Cooper?" Dr. T'Var asks. "Are you well enough to take the Helm once again?"

T'Var hopes Cooper is ready to resume his duties on the Bridge so that Pourtash can focus on Command.

Cooper, rubbing his chest, wheezes a little as he says, "Yes, thank you, Doctor. I think I can resume my post, if Mr. Pourtash would like me to." The acting commanding officer hears this.

Collins misses O1, but hits O3 squarely with a tricky shot just as the Orion pirate vessel passes aft and below the Yorktown. O3 explodes in a massive ball of charged plasma, flinging wreckage in every direction. It is close enough, unfortunately, that the tumbling debris passes through the Yorktown's shields and badly pockmarks the secondary hull, opening numerous hull breaches. Over the open comm channels at Soerjosoemarno's post, you can all hear screams, cries for help, computer warning tones and the urgent reports of damage control teams from belowdecks. Two escape pods from the freighter are also destroyed by the fast-expanding cloud of superheated debris; Rangin's scan moments earlier indicated that those pods were carrying eight and ten people, respectively.

Fujishiro sees that the long-range sensor array is now down. She has no readings for the three vessels approaching from Orion space, or indeed anything beyond about seven AUs. The tractor beam controls are offline, apparently also due to debris impact damage.

O1 fires several times at the Yorktown's starboard primary hull but can't break through the deflector shields, which Collins reports are now down to 45%.

Collins continues firing on O1, and begins firing on 4, 5, and 6's last know positions.

"Sir, we've lost long range sensors and tractor beams!" promptly states Fujishiro.

With the tractor beam and long range sensors out of commission, she concentrates on using the remaining sensors to maintain situational awareness. Tracking the Orion vessels and their weapons are the highest priority, but she keeps a careful watch of where the escape pods are going. Maybe run a few trajectory projections to find the course that minimizes the recovery time of the pods' passengers.

She hopes the transporters are still functional, it won't be easy flying a shuttle among the debris to pick up the survivors.

Delaney works on shields & sensors as priority.

"Mr. Collins! Do not fire blind on unidentified ships. Focus everything we have on O1. If we don't get it down now, it won't matter who arrives an hour from now."

Pourtash gives the Helm back to Cooper gratefully.

T'Var returns her focus to Life Sciences while keeping an eye on Cooper. Even though he seems to be recovered, she wants to make absolutely sure of that fact.

"Aye, sir." Collins resumes her barrage on O1. To herself, she thinks "so much for being proactive..."

O4, O5 and O6 (if they are ever designated as such) are still well out of range of ship's phasers, Lt. JG Collins immediately realizes.

Lt. JG Pourtash yields the Helm to Cooper and takes the command chair again. Dr. T'Var sees that Cooper seems to be OK.

Lt. JG Delaney directs damage control teams to focus on bolstering shields and restoring long-range sensors, and does what he can from the Engineering station on the Bridge. He knows it's going to take awhile.

However, the Yorktown's transporters are still functional, Lt. JG Fujishiro confirms. She tracks the 16 remaining escape pods. Delaney detects a massive energy surge aboard the Hegar's Pride just seconds before the freighter's warp core breaches in a colossal explosion. It is farther away from the Yorktown than O3 was, and the debris cloud does no damage. Ens. Rangin's last garbled scan indicated about 70 people remained aboard the freighter, either killed, wounded or trapped.

You and O1 trade shots but do no damage to each other for the moment. O1 apparently has a very skillful pilot and is quite hard to hit.

Remember, you don't need to repeat to the rest of the Bridge what your character detects or learns. It's a given that you would be reporting aloud as events unfold, just as on the show ST:TOS, unless you tell me otherwise.

Pourtash hisses softly through his teeth. There's no time for mourning or guilt for the ones who were lost, though, until some can actually be said to have been saved.

"Keep firing on O1, Mr. Collins. If nothing else it keeps them maneuvering to avoid the photons. Does anyone have any suggestions for neutralizing O1? We have the advantage in firing power, but we have to hit them first."

Delaney offers, "Play chicken, our front shields are solid, try to set a ramming course, come in as close as possible and fire all phasers and torps, then blast into warp and pull away fast. Give us 30 seconds to drop rear shields if O3 is not in position by the surprise and beam aboard as many in need of rescue as possible in the brief time we should have in the unexpected attack."

Collins continues the barrage, but wishes there was a way to put a little English on the torps. It'd be like picking up a 4-6 spare.

Pourtash considers Delaney's suggestion. With the damage to their starboard warp drive nacelle, would attaining the speed for that still be possible and safe?

T'Var sighs softly at her station. She has listened closely to the back and forth discussion of the current situation and possible solutions.

She says to Pourtash, "There are times when great risk brings great reward. We must try to rescue as many as possible -- even though this will pose quite a danger to ourselves and the ship. We cannot wait for assistance. There is no time to waste."

O1 fires a spread of four torpedoes, two of which hit the Yorktown hard on her port side. The ship heels over terribly to starboard, and you're all sent sprawling from your seats. Artificial gravity fails for just a second or two before resuming; the lights dim briefly before slowly coming back up to full intensity. Power is now out to a half-dozen decks, and casualty reports are pouring in. You each clamber back into your seats - no one was hurt on the Bridge, fortunately. Delaney now sees that all portside deflector shields have collapsed; starboard shields are holding at 31%. He runs a quick simulation of his proposal and is not too surprised to learn that it has an approximately 40% chance of ripping off the starboard nacelle entirely. Rangin and Fujishiro review his work and agree with the projection.

Collins lands just one hit on O1, but it does not seem to have caused any serious damage to the Orion pirate. Then, for a second time, she has a sudden, inexplicable intuitive flash that something about the situation in which she finds herself is just... wrong.

Soerjosoemarno, his voice strained, says to Pourtash, "Still no response to our distress call, sir. I have to disagree with the doctor. I recommend immediate withdrawal."

Leventhal says at once, "Sir, I concur. We can't be sure our own ship will survive this battle, let alone assist the freighter's survivors." Pourtash has the impression that the young German officer was waiting for someone else to recommend withdrawal before speaking up himself.

Cooper says fiercely, "I disagree. We can't leave all those people behind in the lifepods. Our lives aren't worth a damn compared to our duty to the survivors."

Another lifepod is lost to one of O1's missed torpedoes, leaving 15 still in near space.

"Sadly, I must agree, withdrawal is now our only option. The crew of the Yorktown is now in serious danger. The ship is compromised."

"What's are the maximum sustainable warp speed we can currently achieve?" asks Fujishiro. "We may not be able to escape the Orions at this point, if they choose to pursue us rather than collect pods."

After a short pause, "until we get long range sensors back up, we're at a strategic disadvantage."

And then after a longer pause, in a soft voice, directed to Pourtash: "I'll support whatever decision you make, but I believe the commanding officer's first duty is to the ship and her crew."

Delaney, after reviewing updated damage reports and hull telemetry, believes the Yorktown could reach Warp 5 with a reasonable degree of safety, but Warp 4 or even 3 would probably be more advisable. According to Starfleet Intelligence reports, Orion pirate ships of this type are easily capable of exceeding those speeds.

Artificial gravity fails again, this time for almost 20 seconds, before being restored. With your training, you all know how to stay in place and maintain your duty posts.

Pourtash sighs heavily. None of the survivors of the Hegar's Pride will be helped anyway if the Yorktown itself is destroyed, but it's still not a decision that sits well on his conscience.

"We must attempt withdrawal. Maintain at Warp 3 as we retreat. I imagine the odds of us being pursued are high, so be prepared. Continue our distress call." Is the Theta Raled system their closest possible point of finding assistance at this point?

"Sir," Collins continues firing at O1 as she addresses Lt. Pourtash, "Doesn't this situation seem odd to you? If we stay to rescue the remaining survivors of the Hegar's Pride, we risk being destroyed. If we retreat, not only are we still at risk, but we forfeit the lives of the freighter's crew and passengers. Call me crazy, but this whole thing is starting to feel like a test." She lobs more torps at O1. "Computer," when it respondes, she asks "Can yolisite be used in or as weaponry?" Collins turns back to Pourtash "because if not, why do the Orions want it so badly? Surely they have their own manufacturing protocols"

"It could also be a trap simply to make it easier for them to take down ships patrolling here," Pourtash points out. "If we were the target rather than the Hegar's Pride, it would make more sense. I do agree it seems odd."

The Theta Raled system is indeed the nearest inhabited system, and it's a week away at Warp 3. But it has only a small Federation colony of approximately 15,000 people, with some mining, farming and light manufacturing. The shuttlecraft with the Captain and the other senior officers is to meet you there, but it has no other Starfleet presence. Starbase 37 is the nearest well-defended and -equipped repair facility. It's 24 days away at Warp 3, but could send ships to your aid much sooner when and if it receives your distress call.

As earlier noted, the Hegar's Pride carried refined yolisite. The Library Computer whirs and says, "Yolisite is a caustic powder used in manufacturing on many worlds. It is not typically used in weaponry applications; there are other, more widely-available and better-suited substances."

Cooper says, "Maybe the Orions didn't know what was on the freighter until they'd already attacked, or they just wanted to capture some hostages or slaves."

O1 and the Yorktown again miss each other. Collins is starting to have problems with the targeting system.

Collins changes the setting from focused to medium wide spread. "They're going through an awful lot of trouble just for some cheap labor," she tells Cooper, "Surely they realize they're risking an out-and-out war with the Federation by destroying a Constitution-class ship." Until the targeting system fails completely, Collins will adjust the width of the spread accordingly.

Dr. T'Var says nothing. She is not in command and will support Pourtash's decision to withdraw, though she does not agree with it.

"You're right, Mr. Collins. So what could they gain by attacking us? Is there something we're carrying? Why go through this effort? With three of their ships here, they could have been plundering the freighter while the other two kept us busy."

"Captain, I mean Mr. Portash, can I suggest we build some mines really fast and scatter them behind us as we leave?"

Pourtash considers that. Is Delaney's suggestion logistically feasible at the moment?

Leventhal says, "The Orions can be pretty pugnacious, sir. By this point they could just be fighting for the sake of fighting, or to avenge their fellows on the two ships we've already destroyed."

Photon torpedoes can be set for timed or proximity detonation, and thus function as mines. Given the numerous engineering and damage control issues now facing the Yorktown, it is not feasible to build mines right now. You still have several dozen torpedoes aboard.

The ship shakes as another Orion torpedo hits home; the lights dim but come back again, slower than last time. Cooper asks, "Lieutenant Pourtash, where should I set course?"

"Set a course for Starbase 37." Pourtash isn't at all happy with any of this, but getting their message out to someone who can respond has the greatest chances of survival.

Pourtash will order some of the photon torpedoes being fired to be programmed to detonate at the approach of a ship or after two minutes of release if not set off by proximity, to hopefully cut down on the maneuverability of the other ship somewhat. Unless someone has a better suggestion for the timing?

T'Var is quite concerned about the fate of those on the escape pods. Withdrawal does seem to be the only option now. If Roble had been in command would things have been different, she muses to herself.

And what of the attack on Roble? After reading reports from the ship's last mission, T'Var is certain that there is something very wrong aboard the Yorktown.

The Yorktown moves away on impulse drive and then goes to warp. Cooper and Leventhal carefully and gradually increase the ship's speed until she is moving at Warp 3, en route for Starbase 37.

Collins programs and launches a dozen photon torpedoes as mines, as Pourtash ordered, and they soon fall behind, strewn in your wake. The Orion ship follows briefly, but then drops back after two explode near it, and returns to the wreckage zone of the lost freighter. It is unclear if O1 was damaged by the mines. Long-range sensors are by now a little improved, and Rangin's and Fujishiro's scans soon indicate that the Orion warship is using its transporters to remove survivors from the remaining lifepods.

Pourtash frowns at the announcement of the survivors being transported aboard the Orion ship, having a well educated guess on what awaits them now.

If damage control procedures haven't already been initiated in all damaged areas of the ship, he'll order them to begin. Is there any chance they'll be able to repair enough to increase speed safely before finding assistance?

Delaney starts running numbers to answer Pourtash but is already shaking his head pretty sure there is little chance to even jury rig repairs fast enough to make a difference.

Once he runs the numbers he will request relief to go work on the worst damage in person.

Collins scans to see if any of the Orion ships are in pursuit.

Damage control parties have been responding all along as the battle unfolded, and are already hard at work. Delaney confirms his suspicions that the worst of the damage to the starboard nacelle will have to wait to be repaired in spacedock. Checking the warp drive readouts, he thinks he might be able to get the ship's speed up just a few points more over Warp 3, but there is virtually no chance of reaching Warp 4 or above. He will not be able to leave the Bridge until the Security Alert is cancelled.

Collins scans and sees that O1 is not in pursuit; the other three Orion ships - if that is what they are - still remain out of sensor range.

Fujishiro has a grim look on her face.

While waiting for long range sensors to be more useful, she'll review the logs of the sensor readings of the Hegar's Pride and the Orion vessels. She's looking for anything that could be out of the ordinary with closer scrutiny. She'll pay special attention to the debris from the ships destroyed.

Dr. T'Var notices what Fujishiro is working on. She asks, "Would it be possible to maintain a scan of some kind on the Orion vessel holding escape pod survivors?"

T'Var hopes there is a way to keep tabs on the survivors until a rescue can be attempted at some point by Starfleet.

"I'll check if we have enough data to determine its unique warp signature," Fujishiro replies. "I don't know if we can maintain track under current conditions, but if we or someone else detects them later, we could know if it's the same vessel or not."

At first glance, Fujishiro sees nothing unusual in the sensor logs as to the Orion warships and the Hegar's Pride, either from before or after their destruction. A more detailed analysis will take several hours.

The Yorktown will be out of sensor range of the remaining Orion ship in about half an hour. Neither Dr. T'Var nor Lt. JG Fujishiro know of any way to keep tabs on anyone left behind, although O1's warp signature can certainly later be referred to and matched.

O1 leaves the battle site and now moves deeper into Orion territory. Although the readings are somewhat ambiguous at this distance due the damage to the Yorktown's sensor suite, there are apparently no life signs in the remaining scattered lifepods.

Collins surpresses her desire to punch out the panel, and tries to get a handle on her frustration.

Have there been any further developments regarding the attack on Roble, or did the conflict and ensuing damage make it impossible for security to continue?

Security Ens. Mahmoud reports to Pourtash, "Our scans and search of the area where Mr. Roble was found have not revealed anything useful. The only blood and DNA we found was his. My investigation continues, sir."

Dr. Bucci reports from Sickbay that Roble is out of surgery and in stable condition, but remains unconscious.

O1 has now moved beyond the range of the Yorktown's damaged sensors.

Dr. T'Var notices Collins' frustrated reaction to recent events. As a Vulcan, such emotions are well controlled, though at times like these, T'Var wishes they were not. She believes human emotion is not only cathartic, but healthy. T'Var is as frustrated as Collins. There must be some way to monitor and at some point help the survivors now held by the Orions.

T'Var is gratified to hear that Roble is stable.

"Thank you, Mr. Mahmoud. Keep us informed."

Is the Security Alert interfering with the damage control parties at all? That seems as though it could cause some difficulties. On the other hand, damage control parties not being stymied by the Security Alert could be used by Roble's attacker to hide evidence.

Damage control efforts don't seem hindered by the Security Alert, according to reports coming in from belowdecks. It's by no means a common situation to simultaneously have a Red Alert, a Security Alert and damage control teams responding to problems in various parts of the ship, though, and Pourtash realizes he might not be getting a complete picture of the situation up there on the Bridge.

The ship remains on course for Starbase 37 at Warp 3. Delaney looks over his Engineering panels and thinks he should be able to maintain that speed indefinitely.

"With your permission," Collins addresses Pourtash, "I'll join the Security Detail - see if I can't get a cleared picture of what the hell is going on."

Delaney is double checking the max speed one of the Yorktown's shuttles will achieve, hoping one is better then Warp 3.

There are times when Dr. T'Var wishes she was still a member of the V'Shar. The attack on Lt. Cmdr. Roble deeply disturbs her sense of balance aboard the Yorktown. The sooner Security can find some answers, the better.

"If I can be of any assistance to Security, I would be glad to help," T'Var tells Pourtash.

"Permission to report to Sick Bay, sir? We've got too many wounded; they'll be swamped."

Ship's Log, supplemental, Lt. JG Pourtash recording. Lt. Cmdr. Roble was stabbed by an unknown assailant. Surgery has been completed and he remains in recovery. I have placed the ship under a Security Alert while the search continues for his attacker. We responded to a request for assistance from the freighter Hegar's Pride, which was under attack by three Orion ships. Two of the Orion ships were destroyed, with three unidentified ships approaching from Orion space. The Hegar's Pride was lost to a warp core breach. Due to damage on the Yorktown and the approach of what could be assumed to be Orion reinforcements, we were forced to retreat.

Pourtash considers the requests to leave the Bridge. Are any of them allowable during the Security Alert or will they have to wait?

Assuming that a repair team is working on long-range sensors, Fujishiro feels most effective at her post on the bridge. She does what she can to look for any starships, Orion or potentially helpful. And she'll continue to review sensor logs of the engagement and resulting debris.

The Yorktown's Class-F shuttlecraft can cruise at Warp 2 and have a maximum emergency speed of Warp 4.

Lt. JG Fujishiro works with the long-range sensor arrays as best she can, and sees no sign of any other vessel.

Dr. Villa, sounding exhausted, reports from Sickbay that the ship suffered 11 dead and 40 wounded in the battle against the Orions. Triage and surgery are ongoing, but the most badly wounded are now out of danger.

Under Starfleet regs, the commanding officer can exempt anyone he or she wishes from compartmentalization of the ship and restriction of movement during a Security Alert.

Dr. T'Var digests the news from Sickbay is stoic Vulcan fashion. Under the circumstances, she thinks to herself, things could be much worse.

Delaney grimaces at the news of the dead. He pounds his console in frustration.

Pourtash keeps his feelings to himself regarding the dead and wounded. Maintaining control in command at the moment is more important than letting himself descend into the panic he really wants to wallow in.

He has Dr. T'Var, Collins, and Rangin exempted from compartmentalization so that they can fulfill their requests to provide aid.

Pourtash downgrades to a Yellow Alert, as they are no longer in imminent danger, but shields should be maintained in their weakened and limited state. Should the long-range sensors be brought fully online again, he may downgrade to Green.

Since a shuttlecraft would not be able to exceed the current speed of the ship by much and would be at significant danger due to the potential return of Orion ships, Pourtash will not release one at the moment.

Collins' first stop is Sick Bay to talk to Cmdr. Roble. She will ask him what, if anything, he can recall.

Just as Dr. T'Var, Lt. JG Collins and Ens. Rangin are preparing to leave, the Red Alert annunciator lights turn dark, the main lights on the Bridge go up and the ongoing comm chatter from belowdecks abruptly ceases. Delaney hears a muted voice through the bulkhead ahead of him say, "All right, open it up." Pourtash, to his astonishment, sees the main viewscreen directly in front of him go blank and recede several meters back into the bulkhead, then move aside.

Lt. Cmdr. Abdi Roble, Science Officer of the Yorktown, steps through the gap and onto the Bridge. He appears to be in perfect health. Behind him come Ens. Sasok, Delaney's roommate, and Ens. Trigorin, Pourtash's roommate; both Engineering officers carry data tablets on which they have apparently been taking notes.

"I knew it!" Collins shouts involuntarily.

Pourtash covers his face with a hand as he sighs with relief. All damage done is only to his career and reputation, not anyone's lives.

"A test?"

"Like the Kobayashi Maru scenario, but you don't have the benefit of knowing it's only a test. Probably more telling this way."

Dr. T'Var shakes her head. She is frowning. "A most useful training tool, I am sure," she says, though her tone sounds a bit irritated.

"Yes, gentlemen, a training tool," Roble says, "for a test which is now concluded." You follow him out and he explains, "We got a Constitution-class Bridge training simulator from the Sugihara back at Banij Prime, and Messrs. Sasok and Trigorin led the team which installed it here, under orders not to discuss it with anyone else aboard. We wanted you to come to it fresh."

Delaney immediately recognizes that you're all standing in Cargo Bay 4. The circular sim module fills about a third of the bay, ringed with hydraulic rams, pyrotechnic clusters, data feeds and variable artificial gravity nodes. Lt. Guillaume Vaudreuil grins at you from a nearby large control console; Pourtash sees that it controls the entire closed environment of the fake Bridge.

Collins realizes what had been bothering her, making her think almost from the outset that something was wrong: one of the buttons on the Security console had a small burr of plastic on its edge, just enough for her to be aware of it but not so large that she would realize it wasn't her usual panel. She mentions this to Trigorin, who grimaces. "We went over the actual Bridge with a fine-tooth comb to make sure we'd faithfully duplicated it. Thanks, ma'am. Guess we must've missed that."

"The simulator is connected directly to the ship's turbolift system," Roble continues. "When it was time for your Bridge watch to begin, we simply diverted your turbolift car here, and began the simulation. The Captain arranged for the delivery by the Sugihara; she thought this would be a useful part of your BCDO training."

"This is really impressive. It sidesteps all the problems of simulations not being taken seriously," Pourtash comments. Better to see how they react in what appears to be a life or death situation--what they truly believe to be a life or death situation--when it's safe than when the ship is in danger. He can't even be particularly upset at having his emotions played with for the simulator; he's simply too pleased by the cleverness of the scenario.

Collins could use a drink right about now...
"So, how did we do?" she knows she's not going to like the answer. "What about Cooper and the others? Were they in on it, too?"

"Indeed, how did we do?" Delaney is perturbed at falling for the deception. He promises himself to learn the lift times.

"I would also like to know how we performed under these simulated conditions," Dr. T'Var says, though she still sounds a bit irritated. "I am most impressed with the technology used for this challenging test. Most impressed."

Roble looks apologetic. "I shouldn't say any more about it. The Captain told me she wants to review the recordings of the sim before she discusses it with all of you; Cmdr. Vargas will do the same, I expect. Until we rendezvous with them tomorrow, don't discuss this with each other, or with anyone else. There are other personnel aboard who'll also go through the same or other Bridge sims, and we want them to be just as in the dark as you were. You may say whatever you like in your personal logs, though." He looks at the chrono on the simulator control console. "Hmm. It's already almost 1400 hours. Consider yourself off duty, as of now. You'll report for your regular watches in the morning. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

Pourtash lets out a breath and goes to leave, sparing a glance at the others dismissed. "Anyone up for a drink...or five?"

"Five, indeed, five sounds like a good number."

Collins looks at Cooper, "Join us?" then follows her fellow test subjects out the door.

"Oh, I'm certainly willing to have a drink or two." Rangin follows the rest out.

Cooper says, "I have some other things I have to do, but maybe I'll catch up with you later. Thanks."