LtJG Jovenan – Eye of a fire storm
Jovenan
((Bridge, USS Artemis))
Silveira: I have them… But…
MacKenzie: But what?
The plasma currents swirled around them, and the other vessel loomed far, but it didn’t seem to notice them. It would be uncharacteristically careless of the Berlin crew to run around blasting long range sensor radiation into the wild. A trap or not, the plasma currents didn’t wait for them, and for the safety of the Artemis – and the Berlin, in real life, too – if they were to shoot at the massive environmental hazards now or not at all.
Jovenan: Sir, the plasma currents are very fluid! If we don’t disturb them now, we need to do a new scan on them!
Silveira: I don't know… I am not sure… I…
MacKenzie: Reset the targeting array, but hurry. Our window is closing…
Kader: Turning to align with the weapons.
The Chief Tactical Officer did as the Captain told and reset the array.
Silveira: I would fire everything. At the plasma, at the contact. Let’s set the world on fire.
Uh, maybe not all of it. Leave us a small plot of the world to take cover in, please.
MacKenzie: Jovenan, Kader, we good?
Kader: In position.
Jovenan: Ready, sir!
Silveira: Ready Captain.
MacKenzie: Fire, Lieutenant.
A salvo of white-blue quantum torpedoes spread out of the Artemis, within a few seconds finding their targets and exploding in a flash of light. The light was soon out but was replaced by fiery orange plasma igniting and illuminating their entire field of vision. The view was terrifying – and a bit more intense than they had expected.
MacKenzie: Get us out of here, Ensign – best possible speed!
Kader: Full impulse!
Jovenan’s heart was racing. Playing with fire was always dangerous and despite the safety measures, people could get hurt in exercises.
MacKenzie: Good shooting, Lieutenant, but we need all power to the shields before we’re toast!
Silveira: Way ahead of you Captain, I’m strengthening them as much as I can.
MacKenzie: Any luck with that graviton beam?
Right, she wasn’t here just to observe. The graviton pulse emitters were still online, and Jovenan could release it whenever. This seemed like a good moment for that: not only would it for a cloud to shield them from Berlin’s vision, but it might also just trap some plasma chasing them.
Jovenan: Releasing… now.
A flash of light left the Artemis, surrounding it in every direction as it spread out into the space. Done that, Jovenan allocated the spare energy to the shields. If they were lucky, the pulse might actually accomplish something in a minute.
Then, the ship shook. Jovenan hold tight of her console to keep balance.
Silveira: Captain, detonation on deck 5, section 12.
Kader: What was that? The plasma?
Jovenan looked around on her screen. It was delightfully large, but that also meant she would take a moment to find just the right information on it.
Jovenan: Not plasma. The pulse managed to trap some of it, giving us time, but the shielding cloud formation failed. We’re still fully visible, Captain.
There goes her great idea. The Captain must think she’s stupid for not being able to plan and execute a simple pulse to safe them.
MacKenzie: Response
Silveira: It must be our guests. ::Vitor stood up and went to the weapons locker, taking a few hand phasers.:: That might also be a decoy so… I would like to keep this handy, for ose encounters.
Jovenan watched as Lt Silveira left his console and fetched a set of hand phasers. She tried not showing her nervousness as the Lieutenant handed out one for her and all the other bridge officers. Accepting it, she checked it was set to the exercise mode before placing it down. Hopefully, they’d not need them. Shooting a friend, a drill or not, didn’t sound too appealing to her.
Kader: Captain, permission to make a high band transmission. 5 second burst.
Jovenan: I’ve lost the Berlin. The vessel we detected earlier might have been a decoy. Multiple objects on our course.
MacKenzie: Response
Silveira: Shields holding.
MacKenzie: Response
Kader: Aye, making it 2 seconds. Transmitting.
Their speed was uncomfortably fast for the dangerous nebula, so Jovenan kept her eyes tightly in the sensor readings on the hazards on their path. The secondary sensors were outdoing themselves, but without the primary ones they might run into a deeper trouble in a matter of seconds.
Jovenan: We’re moving out of the charted areas again! We don’t want to fly right into a plasma torch.
MacKenzie/Silveira/Kader: Response
She quickly glanced at the reports on the sensor pod status. The report had been there for a quite a few minutes now without her noticing it.
Jovenan: Sir, the engineering teams are reporting the primary sensors are good enough to take in use. Shall I activate them?
MacKenzie: Response
Jovenan: Aye, sir!
MacKenzie/Silveira/Kader: Response
TAG/TBC
----
Lieutenant JG Jovenan
Science officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11