Lt. Vailani Zoyara - Rifts and Phasers
Ava Munro
(( Cockpit of the USS Acheron - Ebers System, Balancar Sector, Alpha Quadrant ))
Vailani: Defenses have a new target.
She tapped on her console to find out what they had targeted, and her stomach lurched.
K’Wara: =/\= That would be that ‘false positive’ tendency, I guess. =/\=
Vailani: They've targeted the Acheron.
Cole: ::sigh:: of course they are. ::beat:: Hold onto something.
The security officer began to navigate the shuttle to avoid the defenses of the station while Zoyara tried to find out what was going on.
Cole: Storm, can you or Vailani project their weapons area of attack and range onto the display? I’d prefer not to have to try running that mental math while flying for our lives.
Storm: On it. Here’s where the computer thinks they will likely fire.
Storm: And here’s the range of its weapons.
Storm: I suggest calling the station to see what’s going on.
K'Wara: Never hung up. ::looks up as Zurah comes back into the frame:: =/\= Zurah, have you found out how to disable the weapons? =/\=
Researcher Zurah: =/\= We’ve tried disabling the targeting computer, but our system is going haywire! We don’t know why. =/\=
Zoyara began to run scans around the perimeter.
K’Wara: Lieutenant Vailani, what’s the Rift doing?
Vailani: The rift is dilating. It's growing at an exponential rate of 0.009 millicochranes per second.
Cole: Thanks, I can keep us moving, but does anyone have any ideas why they're firing at us?
K’Wara: They’re working on it, but the rift is interfering with their computers. Is there anything we can do from out here, Alex?
Zoyara looked to the tactical officer.
Storm: I can target their weapons, but that would leave them defenseless against the rift’s debris.
Vailani: We can't do that. It could be destroyed. There's 798 souls on that station.
oO not like we can't but - Oo
Their deliberations were interrupted as an attack from the station actually clipped the exterior of the Acheron.
Cole: Either their automated defenses are getting smarter, or someone is actively targeting us. ::forcing the Acheron towards the port sharply::
K’Wara: The phasers must be adapting to our movement patterns. We need to get out of their line of fire.
Storm: Any chance we could actually land on the space station, where they couldn’t shoot us? I could grab some of the debris with the tractor beam and toss them ahead of us, so as to keep us out of their direct fire as we approach.
Zoyara waited as the Chief of Ops deliberated, they were more familiar with the mission brief. It was their call.
K’Wara: There’s phasers lined up all along the exterior rim, so giving us persistent coverage will be difficult, but not impossible.
Cole: Vailani, is airlock A9 still open?
Vailani: Still open, Lieutenant?
oO I'm not a Betazoid, I can't read minds Oo
Quickly she ran a scan.
Vailani: No, it's closed. What are you thinking, Lieutenant? Ideas would be useful right about now. :: taps the console :: Overriding station control to open Airlock 7, we have a better vantage point to that airlock. I'll need a minute.
Storm: I’m going to begin grabbing other pieces of debris and flinging it in their direction to hopefully keep them busy.
She concerned herself with the fail safes of the station, while communicating with their own operations director.
K’Wara: Natasha, mind our tail once you start our approach. I don’t want to have to explain engine failure when we get back.
Vailani: Engine failure might be the least of our worries. The station can't initiate the airlock override. I have to manually access the airlock protocols.
As the shuttle careened forward and the tactical officer began performing the manoeuvre she heard a shrill chirp from her console.
Storm: Three large pieces of debris away.
The airlock features appeared on her screen. The debris crashed ahead of the shuttle.
Vailani: Just a little more convincing.
She said a silent prayer to the Prophets. Her hand went to her ear, where the missing d’ja pagh would have been once. Before she had airlocked it, ironically enough.
Storm: Cole, as it targets the second-to-last piece of debris, we may be able to make a break for it.
Cole: It’s like you read my mind.
The Acheron was positioned behind the second closest chunk of debris, the smaller piece of debris barely covering the sizable shuttle as it was, but once it had been blown to smithereens the resulting cloud should cover their approach well enough.
K’Wara: Westmost phasers are getting a target lock.
Vailani: :: relieved :: Airlock doors are opening now.
The debris immediately in front of them exploded, rocking the Acheron, even as Natasha went to full impulse streaking through the resulting cloud in a passable imitation of a piloting showcase.
The Acheron made a maneuver around the last large piece of debris, enticing the phaser fire, and with that diversion, managed to gain the time necessary to make it to the airlock.
The shuttle didn’t slow down until they’d cleared the airlock opening, and Tamio felt more than they heard the scraping as one side of the shuttle struggled to get inside. It was clear that the airlock had never been intended to house something as big as a shuttle, and the Acheron barely fit in there, but it was covered. For now.
Vailani: :: taps :: Airlock doors are sealed.
Storm: Response
Cole: That’s one problem solved.
K’Wara: Good flying, Natasha. Take a breath. ::turns to the communications panel:: =/\= Zurah, have the phasers powered down? =/\=
Researcher Zurah: =/\= No, but they aren’t firing at anything. They keep repeating the warning messages though. =/\=
Vailani: The rift is continuing to dilate. I've cross-referenced it with the earlier scans and this isn't following the same pattern.
Storm/Cole: Response
K’Wara: It’s clear that there’s something about that rift that’s interacting with the defensive sensors in a way the engineers didn’t anticipate. Question is, how do we solve the issue? ::looks around the group:: Ideas, everyone?
Vailani: We have two problems. The rift dilation and the sensors. I'm willing to bet my entire store of latinum - which is sizable - that the two are connected.
Storm/Cole: Response
K’Wara: Mmh... Alex, what’s the risk assessment for getting closer to the Rift?
Storm: Response
She waited while Tamio deliberated some more.
K’Wara: We’re the only ones who can do it. Luxasi’s engineers can do the computer calibrations, but they aren’t outfitted to handle a close-up examination of the Rift. ::nods with conviction:: Alex, I want you to collaborate with the station engineers. See if you can work together to find a way to disrupt the phasers from the inside. Natasha, Lieutenant Vailani, we’re going to that Rift and getting as much data as we can before those fluctuations cease. Plot the safest route to the other side of that thing, get us some cover behind it.
Vailani: Great, heading to an ever expanding energy ribbon that could kill us. Just what I wanted to do today.
K'Wara Cole/Storm: Response
Vailani: Great, heading to an ever expanding energy ribbon that could kill us. Just what I wanted to do today.
K'Wara Cole/Storm: Response
Vailani: I've mapped out a course that should see us clear the perimeter of the station without activating the defense grid. With some gentle maneuvers :: looks to Cole :: Not everything needs to be explosive.
K'Wara Cole/Storm: Response
Vailani: Opening the airlock doors.
K'Wara Cole/Storm: Response
TAG/TBC
((OOC: I'm a little poorly today so apologies if this isn't great ))
Lt. Vailani Zoyara
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240004LL2