[Mission end] LtCmdr Jovenan – Let’s not ever do that again, part 2
Jovenan
((Bridge, USS Artemis))
The shields struggled, but they held for the short while that it took for the ejection to pass them. It had done its mission, as the cloud of debris around the moon had vanished, rendered less threatening. Jovenan bent over a bit on her seat. She hadn’t realised how close she had been to vomiting due to her nerves.
Xaff: ::surprised:: The Orion Dreadnaught appears to be signalling us by signal light.
Jovenan raised her gaze back up. The Orion ship was lit up by flashing lights.
Cole: ::looking to Jovenan:: They could be sending us a distress call. ::Looking at what scans she could pull up:: Their weakened and in the chaos of the moon’s destruction followed by the Coronal Mass Ejection that was triggered … they might be weighing their options for a more peaceful resolution.
Well, actually… Actually, the exact terminology didn’t matter if they all understood the purpose. As many suspicions as Jovenan had harboured to the Orions after their repeat tricks, she could see how their status was genuinely distressed.
Gnai: They had better be willing to discuss things peacefully now…
Jovenan: Maybe, but let’s proceed with caution. Tactical analysis of their status, please. Can we decipher the message?
Cole: ::running scans:: Their weapon’s are fully powered down… ::reading:: And their shields are all but depleted. ::beat:: Engines appear to be incapable of generating warp.
Nodding, Jovenan considered if it could in any way be a ruse. Faking such damage was not impossible, but they were also making themselves vulnerable in the waiting. The Orions might not have believed their own provocations about the disregard of life they claimed Starfleet had, but she wasn’t willing to bet on them being so daring as to serve themselves up on a platter on the belief Jovenan would feel too righteous to execute a shipful of criminals.
Cole: I think they are ready to negotiate their surrender or an armistice.
Jovenan: Thank you. Gnai?
Gnai: This has their message! ::reading from its console:: Starfleet vessel, please help. Quartermaster speaking, Shotiri damaged. Not all aboard agreed with violent course of action, captain incapacitated, “first mate” deceased. Willing to surrender in exchange for rescue. Starfleet vessel, please help. ::looking up:: It repeats.
Well then. There was a small chance this was a trick anyway, but Jovenan couldn’t ignore the plea for help.
Tho’Bi: ::gesturing at the main viewscreen:: Look. The debris from the Dreadnaught is mixing with the lunar ice shards ::beat:: I think their orbit is decaying.
Xaff: Confirmed. ::glances to Jovenan:: the Orions can not escape the gas giant’s gravity.
Jovenan: Sounds like they really are in danger. Do we place ourselves in danger if we start a rescue operation without taking control of their ship first?
Cole: Response
Gnai: This believes they are being honest, there doesn’t seem to be any way that this could be a trap…
Jovenan nodded. They had made a last moment warp manoeuvres to escape a collision, airlocked several decks, aggravated pirates with fake signals, blown up a planet to burn a part of a moon and what ever else Jovenan had already managed to forget. Trusting another person was the least risky behaviour they had engaged in the last hours.
Tho’Bi: ::to Jovenan:: Lieutenant Commander, Aft Tractor Beam stands ready to tow the Orions clear. ::hesitates:: It will be ::tilts head one way and then other:: touch and go on our power reserves ::quiet:: but we can do it.
Tho’Bi: ::shrugs and in a simple speaking tone:: We just need to let the Orions know.
The CSO turned to the Science station.
Gnai: It wouldn't be hard to rig up a similar light-signaling system here on the bridge, but any messages would likely need to be in the same signal code that they used.
Jovenan: Very well. Try to send a message to them, telling them that we’ve accepted their surrender and that they should prepare to be tractored away from the planet for their own safety. Feel free to shorten that if needed, just try to make sure they don’t resist when we get them in tow. Tho’Bi, Cole, prepare the tractor beam.
Cole/Gnai: Response
The bridge crew worked on their individual tasks, while Jovenan sat on the central seat, trying to slow down her racing heart and her breath. There had been few missions as violent as this one – if any besides the Frontier Day – but somehow, they had survived for so far. It was not quite yet over, as they still didn’t know the status of the away teams, but then she’d be able to return to her normal duties, scanning dust, cataloguing planetary gases, kissing Vitor, having dinners with Doctor Sadar… whatever she was doing when she didn’t do anything, which never had included the Captain’s chair, ever.
Tho’Bi: ::to Jovenan:: Aft Tractor Beam is powered to optimal ::to Cole:: Ensign Cole, confirm Tractor Beam control?
Jovenan could focus on the current task again. The bridge crew had prepared while she had been talking.
Cole: Response
Tho’Bi: ::to Jovenan:: We’re ready ::beat::
Jovenan: Good. Do we have the message ready, Lieutenant?
Gnai: Response
Jovenan gave signal to start sending the message. Only partially visible from the viewscreen, a series of programmed flashes illuminated the hull of the ship. At first, there was no visible reaction from the Orions, but after the pattern was repeated, the other ship responded with what to Jovenan’s untrained eyes look not much different from what the Artemis had just sent over to them.
Gnai: Response
Jovenan: Good. Let’s proceed.
Xaff: Aye, Aye. Moving Artemis into towing position.
The Orion ship grew large on the screen as the perspective changed with the approach.
Tho’Bi: ::focused on console:: Structural Integrity Fields Engaged ::beat:: Inertial Dampeners to sixty-five percent ::looks at Jovenan with apologetic tone:: best I could do.
Jovenan: That should be enough. Adjust our speed accordingly when towing. May I assume there hasn’t been any change to the Orions’ status?
Cole/Gnai: Response
Good. Caution was rarely unreasonable, but at this point the suspicions were melting away in Jovenan’s mind. They had actually won the battle, it was over, they’d be picking up the Captain in a moment and the CSO would surrender the seat to her and let her make the decisions from here on. Hopefully the Captain would not judge Jovenan for, well, wrecking the ship. That was, of course, assuming that the Captain’s team was successful on the planet.
Xaff: ::with a glance back to Jovenan:: Towing position confirmed.
Jovenan: Engage the tractor beam.
Tho’Bi: ::to Cole:: Ensign Cole, you are good to go with Tractor Beam Control
Cole: Response
Xaff: ::on edge but focused:: Here we go.
Shimmering light emerged from the Artemis and to the destroyer’s hull. The destroyer moved as a gentle tuck pulled it together with the Starfleet vessel.
Tho’Bi: ::to Jovenan:: Integrity Fields and Inertial Dampeners are approaching capacity ::beat:: Rerouting Phaser Power to compensate.
Jovenan: Make it so. Set course to Galaris IV, best possible speed without losing the tractor beam. ::pause:: Have all departments reported their casualties yet?
Cole/Gnai/Tho’Bi: Response
The hull rumbled slightly, but it subsided as they moved ahead. The metallic groaning was joined by another sound, a rattle from the communications.
MacKenzie: =/\= MacKenzie to Artemis. =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= Artemis here, Captain. =/\=
Hearing the Captain was a relief. She hadn’t dared to consider the possibility that the Captain had perished and Jovenan would be need to take the duties as the Acting Captain until they’d be assigned a new Commanding Officer. Now there was no need for such dreadful thoughts.
MacKenzie: =/\= What’s your status, Commander? =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= We were in combat with Orion destroyers, but we’ve just now captured the enemy ship. We sustained damage but are still afloat. We’re heading back to your position. =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= Very good, Commander. Standby to beam up the away team. MacKenzie out. =/\=
The Captain severed the commlink. Jovenan looked at each of her bridge crew’s members. They had done a good job each of them, but now it seemed they had one more crucial and difficult task ahead of them.
Jovenan: Um, can we make back to the planet in time when the Captain calls a beam-in?
Cole/Gnai/Tho’Bi: Response
The communications rattled again. At first Jovenan couldn’t tell if there were words in the midst, but she called out to them in case it would clear the channel somewhat or get their attention.
Jovenan: =/\= Away team, this is the Artemis. Do you read me? =/\=
Vailani: =/\= This is Lieutenant Vailani, we read you. We're on an approach vector, bearing 298. ETA 5 minutes, 29 seconds. Permission to dock the Keystone in the shuttle bay? =/\=
A relieved sigh escaped Jovenan’s lips. Until now, she had only the scanners to verify that the away team had survived. Hearing their voices was a confirmation beyond anything she could have wished for. That said… Keystone? Where had they acquired their vessel, and who was the unknown person travelling with them? It could wait, she figured, as she had more urgent questions to ask.
Jovenan: =/\= Permission granted. What’s your status? Do you need medical attention? =/\=
Silveira/Bergmen: =/\= Response =/\=
Cole/Gnai/Tho’Bi: Response?
Jovenan: =/\= Okay. We’ll be waiting for you. Please note that our resources are somewhat limited, we’re towing an Orion Syndicate destroyer. Artemis out. =/\=
Vailani: =/\= Understood =/\=
Jovenan leaned back on her seat, tired by the adrenaline wearing off, but she found herself happy. With the ferocity of the Orion leaders, her inexperience and the bridge crew who were mostly still learning their crafts, the battle could have ended much worse. However, the bridge crew had carried themselves at a much higher level than what she could have ever hoped for. Still, she was left with a new-found appreciation for Captain MacKenzie and other Commanding Officers of the fleet: this line of duty was far from what she would want to keep on doing every single day.
((OOC: If anyone else from the Keystone team wants to sim coming aboard the Artemis in your mission ending sim, feel free to join. Similarly, those who aren’t tagged after this note, you may choose to end here. Thank you all for the mission, I hope you all had much fun!))
A few minutes later, the doors to the bridge swooshed open. Jovenan stood up from the central seat and faced the arriving people. Her smile was wider than what she would have ever expected from the Captain, especially standing in the middle of a freshly trashed bridge.
Jovenan: Welcome back to the ship, everyone. To your stations, please. Except you, Lieutenant Silveira. Your station is already occupied.
She turned to the Tactical, shooting a smile at Ensign Cole, before turning back to Vitor. Instead, she gestured the seat next to her.
Jovenan: Please come sit here with me.
Silveira: Response
Jovenan sat down again to the Captain’s chair, welcoming Vitor to the XO’s place. She would have loved to have him either at the Tactical or next to her during the battle, but having him here with her, even if for a moment, she was overjoyed. Still, she couldn’t yet shed away the fear and anxiety she had felt for everyone on the ship and in the Moonbase.
Jovenan: Are you okay? We tried to come rescue you, but then our probe hit the base on the moon, and we noticed it decompressing. For a long while, I had thought I had killed you.
Silveira: Response
Jovenan: Oh. Uh, yes, we had two Orion destroyers against us, but one of them was old and in poor condition, so that wasn’t quite as bad as the other. They were devious, but luckily the Ensigns and Gnai and everyone else overdid themselves. ::pause:: I would have loved to have you here with me.
Silveira: Response
MacKenzie: =/\= MacKenzie to Artemis. Four to beam up. =/\=
The Captain’s order came as a yet another relief to Jovenan. She sighed and looked at Vitor.
Jovenan: Sounds like my brief stint at the command is coming to an end. Thank God for that.
Silveira: Response?
----
Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11