Lt Alex Storm - Give Me a Shootout Any Day
Karen Morris
(( Cockpit of the USS Acheron - Ebers System, Balancar Sector, Alpha Quadrant ))
Alex held onto her console with one hand, the fingers of her other hand playing the console as if it were a concert piano and she the maestro at the controls. The inertial dampeners couldn’t quite seem to keep up with the Cole’s slipping left, right, and then corkscrewing her way across the area. Storm slammed the heel of her hand down on the console, initiating a toss of three large pieces of debris toward the station.
Storm: Three large pieces of debris away.
Vailani: Just a little more convincing.
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.
K’Wara: Westmost phasers are getting a target lock.
Vailani: :: relieved :: Airlock doors are opening now.
Alex watched her console as the weapons targeted the rock just in front of them. The force of the explosion of the debris chunk nearly tore Alex out of her seat, but with both hands, she barely managed to hold on. But Cole was ready for it, like a sprinter at the starting line just waiting for the gun, and as it went off, she slipped out of the starting blocks and, with incredible grace, outmaneuvered the weapons and slipped into the airlock.
The fingernails of the shuttle scraped along the chalkboard of the airlock sides.
Vailani: :: taps :: Airlock doors are sealed.
Alex slouched back against her seat, wondering if anyone could see her heart beating through her uniform. oO Give me an old fashioned shoot out any day. Oo
Storm: Thank the dieties.
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: ::mostly to herself:: And it started when we were between the rift and the station.
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: And somehow we figure into all of that.
Cole: Response
K’Wara: Mmh... Alex, what’s the risk assessment for getting closer to the Rift?
Alex straightened up in her chair, and seemingly of its own accord her head swiveled to face K’Wara. If she weren’t a Betazoid, she would have bet that the Cygnian were joking, but no, she was definitely serious. The imperceptible shake of Alex’s head was accompanied by a ghost of a sigh.
Storm: Unless we have cover, our chances of making it out and back to the rift are about 20%. With cover, I’d give us even odds..
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.
The words, “I’m a Tactical Officer, not an engineer,” nearly slipped from her lips, but fortunately for her, she managed to eat them just in time - and they were bitter.
Storm: Collaborate with the station engineers. Got it. =/\= Zurah, can you connect me to the most senior engineer available.=/\=
K'Wara/Cole: Response
Vailani: Great, heading to an ever expanding energy ribbon that could kill us. Just what I wanted to do today.
K'Wara Cole: Response
Zurah: =/\= You’re connected to Chief Brigand.=/\=
oO What an unfortunate last name! Oo
Storm: =/\= Can’t you just cut the power to the phasers?=/\=
Brigand: =/\= If we cut the power, it will take thirty minutes to recalibrate them and to bring them back online. We’d be as easy pickings as a garment drying on a hanger.=/\=
Storm: So that’s off the table.
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.
Storm: But it’s more fun that way.
Feeling Vailani’s eyes on her - either metaphorically or actually, she wasn’t sure.
Storm: Well, it IS true.
K'Wara/Cole: Response
Vailani: Opening the airlock doors.
Storm: Not sure I’d do that yet. =/\= Is there any way you can regulate the power to the phasers so a direct hit wouldn’t be lethal?
Brigand: =/\=::Tapping his fingers on the console:: I might be able to do that, but it could take me at least ten minutes. =/\=
Storm: =/\= I think our OPS officer is giving you about thirty seconds.=/\=
The engineer disappeared from the video link.
K'Wara/Cole: Response
Storm: Is there any reason we can’t sit tight for five minutes?
Cole/K’Wara/Vailani: Response.
Storm: Fair point. =/\= You may want to put a rush on that. =/\= ::to Cole:: You do some more fancy flying, and I’ll buy you a drink when we get back to the Artemis. I don’t fancy meeting the Great Exchequer today - to borrow a Ferengi term.
Cole/K’Wara/Vailani: Response.
Storm: We’ve got incoming debris from the rift. This might be the time to make a run for it.
Cole/K’Wara/Vailani: Response.
~*~
Tags / TBC
~*~
Lt Alex Storm
Tactical Officer
USS Artemis
O240103SK2