"Operational Hazards"
Previous Post: "Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place"
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Stardate: 60298.1508
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Following the destruction of both the Breen and Orion ships, the Romulan/Terran hybrid was able to concentrate on the two ships that stood between them and their people on the away team. By restoring the long-range sensors to their full capabilities the CEO had permitted the COO to diligently scan each ship as they floated high above the frozen wasteland that was the surface of TOLAR IV.
The ANUBIS' sensors could barely penetrate the Venatic-Class Hirogen Long-Range Tracker thanks to its special external armor making the task of the Romulan/Terran hybrid that much more complicated. Even with the assistance of Cmdr. Rikar and the ICG staff nothing new had been discovered about the ship or its crew. Scanning the much older Galor-Class Destroyer revealed some very interesting details about the Cardassian ship and its crew.
Approaching the planet using only partial impulse power, the ANUBIS played a delicate balancing game between hurrying to reach their people and not giving away their position to the Hirogens, the CO not willing to take any chances against the hunter's and their superior tracking technology. Following the initial report from the Romulan/Terran hybrid as to the crew compliment of the Cardassian ship, Cpt. Simmons requested confirmation from his XO, "Are we certain about this?"
Working in the IGC and at the Bridge's Intel station all at the same time thanks to her holographic image, the XO confirmed what the COO had said. =/\= We've run the scans twice and each time came up with the exact same thing, either the Cardassian have found a way to shield certain sections of their ship from us or the numbers are accurate which might explain why they showed up here with such a derelict ship. =/\=
Analyzing the situation from a tactical point of view had been Lt. Seth's department and he wasted no time to voice his surprise and partial disbelief at what the COO had reported and the XO had confirmed. "Why would the Cardassians government only send a handful of troops for something that has triggered such a level of interest? It doesn't make sense."
Having studied the governments of all major powers in the quadrant and their unique ways of reaching decisions as part of her Intel training, the Romulan/Terran hybrid spoke up with the only possible explanation she could come up with. "You are assuming that the Cardassians had the time to put into action any sort of a plan after they became aware of the Mind Stone's presence. Judging by the mismatched sizes and forces that we have seen gather around this planet it is more likely that individuals more than government decided to act. With only a partial crew onboard of an ancient Galor-Class Destroyer my bet is that the Cardassian Gul in command came here of his own accord to check the legend and speculations for himself. If they were proven to be false he would not be ridiculed by others and if he was correct he would have found the means to increase his personal status amongst his people."
Agreeing with the logic of the Romulan/Terran hybrid's reasoning, the CO nodded, "Makes sense and it would also explain why the Orions sent a scout ship and the Breens a Frigate. Each one came here as fast as they could to see if what they had heard was true without committing enough resources to something that could have easily turned out to be a wild goose chase. The Ferengi came here searching for a way to increase their profit which is why they left when things got too heated."
It was the XO's turn to comment on the line of thinking that had been started by the COO,=/\=Lets not forget about the Romulan cloaking field we detected earlier on the planet, if they are here as well as the Cardassians and the Hirogens we cannot afford to assume that there are not other races interested in this artefact. =/\=
Showing his displeasure at the complexity of this mess, the CO sighed heavily before continuing. "In other words we are far from being out of the woods, so let's focus on getting our people out of there safe and sound, we can worry about the rest later."
Following the captain's orders, the crew focussed all of their work and attention to the planet and the locating of their people. With less than 10% of a standard crew the Cardassian ship would likely not become a problem and if they could locate and retrieve the away teams before the Hirogens and Romulans discovered about the ANUBIS, the problems would be solved before they started.
It was the XO that reported the first real good news from the IGC, something that the bridge officers happily received. =/\= Picking up two humanoid life signs on the planet surface moving away from the ruins. I can't tell for certain but my guess is that we have found Enaii and Nikita.=/\=
Jumping in with the obvious conclusions, Rawyvin sounded concerned, "If they are alone and out of the ruins it is likely that they have run into some sort of problem leaving them vulnerable. I doubt that Pravat would have left them go on their own. Either our Marines are in trouble or something bad happened while we were dealing with the Breen."
Realizing that the time for debate had ended, the CO set in motion the course of action that they would be following. "Helm, get us in as close as possible to the planet. Tactical, have all weapons on stand-by, if we have to fight our way in and out of this place I want to be ready. Ops, try to get a transporter lock on our people and beam them up as soon as possible. Number One, keep your eyes and ears open for anything that might help, I have had enough of surprises for today."
Responding to the change in lighting from normal to the flashing crimson that indicated that they were once again at battle stations, the CEO contacted the bridge. =/\=You know, fixing everything would be a hell of a lot easier if you stopped trying to get us killed. Should I head back to the bridge?=/\=
Wishing that he could just agree with David and leave all of this behind as if it had never happened, the CO thought back to simpler days when he had been in the position of his CEO. "Sorry for making your life more complicated than it needs to be, and as for returning to the bridge my suggestion is for you to continue with whatever you were doing. If we are lucky there won't be anything else for you to fix."
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, David gave a quick reply. =/\=If we are lucky? I think we are a long way from luck at this point but I'll keep this bucket working for as long as I can. Dawson out.=/\=
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Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Lieutenant Serenna
Chief of Operations / Second Officer
USS ANUBIS
