" Phase I "
(Previous Post was Tiffany's "Compulsory Volunteering")
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 60325.1245
The young woman paced the back of the bridge as she waited for everyone to be in position… once they would start there would be no second chance or turning back, so they needed to be sure that their first attempt would be their last.
"With all due respect captain… sit down!" The CEO snarled from behind the engineering station as he carefully monitored the power going into the modified phasers. All of his attention had required to be on his instruments and having the redheaded woman pacing back and forth in front of him had in no way made his job any easier. Rikar glanced up and saw the red tint of the CEO's eyes and although she had wanted to know more about the cause and where she had seen this before, the CO thought it best to wait… now was certainly not the right time for this.
"Rikar to Serenna… are you ready?" The CO inquired after having opened a comm channel by tapping her communicator. Although the act might make her seem impatient or maybe even a little nervous the young woman had preferred either one of those labels instead of having her mind drift away from the task at hand.
==========
Setting: SPHINX, Command Section
Stardate: 60325.1247
The Land Mobile Command Unit, or LMCU for those who liked to refer to things by their initials, sat firmly on the launch platform which would soon open beneath the large wheeled vehicle allowing it to make its journey towards SURIAL III. Inside of the armoured transport craft the rescue team had already strapped themselves in for the trip, one that they hoped would not end sooner than had been planned.
"Serenna here… we are going through our final check list, we will be ready to go in a few minutes." The ExO replied as she and the rest of the senior officers present in the command section of the SPHINX continued to run through the pre-launch verifications.
"External hull is sealed… reading internal pressure at nominal for space flight." Ensign Mei announced having taken the place of the science officer on this trip. The LMCU's command section could accommodate 4 officers, each one of them having very specific tasks to accomplish prior, during and after their flight, so since the Cns had been asked to join she had been put to work as this would by no means be a joy ride.
"Is everyone strapped in back there?" The half Romulan, half Human woman in charge of this mission asked, glancing back at the MCO who immediately glanced through the opening between the command and transport sections to look at his second in command. Lt. Tes'Karka, a Klingon female who appeared to be more than ready to face whatever would be waiting for them down on the planet surface, sat strapped in one of the wall-mounted seats. When she met the glance of the Enaran man, the two Marines shared a faint smile that reported on the troops' situation and readiness.
"Everyone is strapped in and ready sir." Prav informed, confirming the status of the restraints by scanning his console which had been configured to keep track of the status of the inside of the SPHINX and of the people in it.
Pleased by the answer, the ExO who sat in the command position looked to her left at the co-pilot's seat where the CMO had been told to take place. Despite the reports provided by both Ens. Mei and 1st Lt. Pravat, Ens. Summers appeared less than ready to see the ship leave the ANUBIS… and even less comfortable with the role that she had been asked to fulfil.
"I still think it would be a good idea if you found someone else to co-pilot this ship, I mean I'm a Doctor, not a Flight Officer. Surely there must be more qualified people who could and should sit where I am sitting right now. I am sure that Pravat would like nothing more than to have a window seat, or better still get David in here, he knows the ship and I am sure that he would like nothing more than to go down to the planet and even out the score with T'Preen and Zulot." The CMO said in a way that oddly sounded a lot like the CSciO, the words having been spoken in a single continuous sentence.
"Lt. Pravat needs to be able to join his men when we land, therefore he cannot take the co-pilot's position. According to your file, you took Intelligence Operations at the Academy and I know that one of the requirements of the program was to achieve a minimum of level 2 flight rating on all main shuttle models. Therefore you are qualified to fly this ship unless you found a way to graduate from that program without meeting all of the pre-requisites." The ExO countered with, obviously having given this more than enough thought and stating by her announcement that the decision to have the CMO where she had been had not been one open to discussion.
"Fine, but at least let me state for the record that if something goes wrong, it will *not* be my fault. Taking the courses at the Academy was 1 thing… flying this ship through a defence net with enough firepower to destroy a small fleet onto to landing an area that we have no knowledge of is a completely different thing." Ens. Summers offered and although the objection had been clear and precise the tone of her voice had remained perfectly respectful.
"Point and objections taken… now also for the record, if I chose you to be there it is because I have no doubts in my mind that you can and will perform well above the expectations required for this mission. That said, are we ready to go?" The ANUBIS' ExO inquired with a level of assurance that made both Mei and Pravat smile.
"All systems are reading go." The CMO amounted after having carefully checked over her console, apparently having fully accepted the role that she had been given for this mission.
"Bridge… this is the SPHINX… we are ready to go."
==========
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Stardate: 60325.1250
The young woman had returned to her seat while they waited for the final OK from the SPHINX which had just been received. With a movement of her head, the CO gave the CSciO the all clear signal to fire the modified phaser which would hopefully lead to the disabling of the orbital platforms.
With a single touch against her console the plan was put into motion… everyone on the ANUBIS knew what had been at stake and what they risked should the virus fail to accomplish its objective. The worst case scenario had been 1 that no one had wanted to think about… where the virus failed and the defence net became aware of the ANUBIS' presence and location. Everything had been calculated as best as time had permitted and now the valiant crew could only wait… and hope.
"Reading no changes in the pattern of the orbital platforms." Ens. Doratheva reported once she had confirmed that the initial shot had indeed hit the target that Lt. Dawson had identified.
"Give it a few more seconds… as lethal as the virus was made to be, it needs time to spread to the full network. To avoid any sort of problems, we built-in a verification sub-routine that will trigger the virus only when every single satellite has been infected. Since we have no idea of how often each platform communicates with the rest, we can only guess as to how long it will take before the grid is taken offline." The Shillian reported as she ever so diligently studied her instruments for any sign of the progress of the infection.
"That is *if* it works." David offered with a rather unappealing amount of realism. Despite all of the work that everyone had done, the CEO had been correct in his statement since there had been no guarantees that the virus would be able to disable the cloaked orbiting defence platforms.
"As sophisticated as these satellites may be, they are still only mechanical in design and construction. We must not give up hope as there is nothing that we have seen that can lead us to believe that we are doomed to fail." The Oltharian said, obviously not ready to give up yet, likely using his faith in life to hope for the best.
"Sensors are picking up something… one of the satellites is losing its cloak." Eva reported, not certain if this was a sign that the virus had worked or a prelude to what the weapons' platform would do net using the de-cloaking of a Romulan Warbird as comparison.
"Looks like every satellite is becoming visible." Lt. Dawson announced, the tone of his voice leaving no doubts in anyone's mind that this had been a good news.
"Bridge to VIPER 1 and SPHINX… *GO*!"
==========
Setting: VIPER 1 Cockpit
Stardate: 60325.1255
The moment the CO had given the go ahead, the ILO had engaged the engines and launched the small interceptor through the tunnel, casting the small ship into the emptiness of space within only a few seconds. Although quite rough and sudden, the launch had taken place without any problems leaving the ILO and her co-pilot ready to escort the SPHINX down to the planet's surface.
"SPHINX… this is VIPER 1... Please proceed on heading 2-1-8 mark 2-9-3. We will rendezvous with you in 6 seconds." Lt. JG Hallina Xahitio-Marris, the Immorian co-pilot for the interceptor announced over an encoded channel, this having been the only communication that would take place between the 2 ships until they reached SURIAL III or encountered some sort of problem.
As the VIPER slid next to the SPHINX, the ILO shot a quick glance at the now visible satellites who appeared either unaware of uninterested by their presence right next to them. For a brief moment Enaii actually smiled at the thought of the virus that had been used and the countless other possibilities she could see for the Shillian's creation.
"We have crossed through the orbital defence parameter… we will reach the surface in 3 minutes. So far, sensors are picking up nothing other than the planet's rocky terrain." The Immorian announced, her half mechanical voice conveying no emotions what-so-ever which only added to the feeling that the rest of the mission would likely not prove to be as easy as the Phase I.
========== 2005 post #343
Sabrina Jones {sabrina_sweet@hotmail.com}
Captain Sabrina Rikar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC-18501
