" Following "
(Previous Post was Tiffany's " Stormy Waters ")
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Stardate: 60298.1607
Setting: VIPER 1, Cockpit
The young woman sat in the pilot's seat, her attention entirely focussed on the small craft ahead of them. The FOOL's GOLD piloted by Xan Katsitis had managed to elude them thus far proving that the ship and pilot had been more versatile then the redheaded woman had given them both credit for. The initial salvo had disabled the escaping vessel's means to jump to faster-than-light speeds but that in no way transformed the shuttle into an easy target for the Viper-Class Interceptor and its 2 men crew.
"Looks like he's making a break for those asteroids… my guess is that he's going to try and lose us in there… sensors are not picking up anything beyond the outer edge of the field." The Ensign acting as the young woman's navigator announced, the ExO already having made the course correction to stay on their target's tail.
"I didn't knock out his warp drive, pass through an ion storm *and* avoid a pile of garbage he dumped in our path to let him get away inside an asteroid field that is emitting a natural sensor dampening field. I am bringing this guy in… even if I have to follow his sorry ass all the way to the Gamma Quadrant." The young woman forcefully announced as she reached for the throttle and pushed the dual engines even further than they had already been pushed at.
"Ummm… Cmdr. Rikar… you might not want to do that. We are already getting a red light from the cooling system of the starboard engine and pushing them over 130% is going to cause the portside engine to do the same and it won't be long before we lose all propulsion." The Ensign explained in a somewhat trembling voice further advertising to the ExO that she had been all too new to this sort of thing. That said though the experience the redheaded woman had gathered over the years would serve her little if both engines did suddenly stop functioning leaving them drifting aimlessly into a field of asteroids… a field that would most certainly become their last resting place after only a few moments.
"Then… I guess I'd better make these shots count." Rikar growled through her helmet as she ever so gently pulled on the trigger of the control stick and unleashed another fierce volley of energy bolts towards the FOOL's GOLD and its pilot.
"All shots missed… that ship is too agile for our weapons… we got lucky the first time when we disabled its warp drive, but now he knows what we are capable of." The Ensign reported from the back seat, not liking to see the energy reserves being depleted by the ExO's repeated attempts to hit the runaway ship.
"Relax… I wasn't aiming for the shuttle." The young woman pointed out, the evil smile gracing her pink lips remaining unseen by her navigator.
Not entirely understand why the young woman would have fired their weapons not wanting to hit the FOOL's GOLD, the Ensign scanned her instruments and quickly saw the result of the ExO's efforts. Instead of seeing several large asteroids in their flight path, the navigator saw a countless multitude of smaller rock debris floating about in all directions including directly towards the 2 rapidly approaching vessels. As skilful as Xan Katsitis had proven himself to be it soon became apparent that his wanting to seek refuge inside of the asteroid field would prove to be the only real mistake he had done during this entire persuit.
"He's trying to fly around the debris field you have created… but there are just too many of them… he'll never make it." The Ensign reported with a hint of glee in her voice as she watched from the backseat the FOOL's GOLD making 1 course correction after another to avoid the increasing number of varying size rocks that had appeared in its way.
"That was the idea." The young woman confirmed, the grin on her pink lips even larger than it had been as she watched Xan continue his attempts to make his way through the debris field… until it was impossible to do so any longer.
"Ouch… that one had to hurt… sensors are picking up a plasma leak from the portside engine and a structural break on that same side. The second blow took out main power and that last 1 seems to have knocked out life support systems." The Ensign reported with pride, sounding all too happy to have been a witness to this exploit.
"Initiate self repair systems while I slide ourselves near that wreckage and take a hold of it with our grappling cable." The young woman ordered as she throttled the VIPER's engines down to well below a safer margin of operation.
"Sensors have also detected a faint distress signal." The green Ensign announced, sounding a little puzzled by her own discovery.
"Coward! Who does he expect to come rescue him out here?" The ExO openly inquired having figured Xan to not be the type to admit defeat so readily and anticipating that this might have been a trick of some sort.
"It's not from the FOOL's GOLD… the signal is coming from another system… and it carries distinct Federation markings. Whoever is calling for help is one of ours." The navigator clarified to the ExO's great surprise especially when considering that as far as she knew the ANUBIS had been the only Federation vessel in this general region of space.
"Is it the ANUBIS?" The young woman quickly inquired, fearing that maybe the ship and its crew had come across some unexpected trouble.
"I doubt it… none of the ID markers are present in the short signal I intercepted. The length of the distress call was too short for us to be sure of anything other than it came from someone with knowledge of Federation protocols." The navigator offered, not able to give any more than she already had.
"Contact the ANUBIS on a secured channel and plot an intercept course with them. We're bringing this piece of trash back with us and we'll figure out what we do with the signal afterwards." The young woman ordered just as the tow cable was released and the sound of metal against metal confirmed that the FOOL's GOLD had been secured at the end of the line for the journey back to the ANUBIS.
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Sabrina Jones {sabrina_sweet@hotmail.com}
Commander Sabrina Rikar
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
As well as…
Lieutenant Kittianna
Intel Coordinator
NEW ALEXANDRIA
"We are Grey, we stand between the Candle and the Star, between the Darkness and the Light"
-Entilza Delenn, Babylon 5
