Captain Mei'konda Delano - Fading Hope... And a Sensor Glitch?
Mei'konda Delano
(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Astraeus ))
(( Five minute time skip ))
Mei’konda’s fingers danced across the broad control panel of the Mission Ops station on the starboard side of the Bridge. Given their current situation, he couldn’t say that the work of sealing off every entry and exit to Cargo Bay 5 was enjoyable, nor was the process of painstakingly establishing transporter locks on any drones he could and beaming them there. But the extra panel space certainly made the direct work easier than the armrest controls on his command chair.
Tapping the button to energize, Mei sent another half dozen of the drones to the cargo bay, then glanced up, ears perked, as his officers began reporting in. He much preferred listening to status updates now over considering how many of his people might be dying right now. Dying at the hands of their own.
Mei’konda: Engineering is clear; Lieutenant Ral and his teams should be able to retake their stations. What do you haave for me, Lael? Ensign Tasen?
Rosek-Skyfire / Tasen: Responses
Mei’konda slid his fingers over the panel in front of him, transferring Tasen’s initial analysis to the screen in front of him. He felt himself start to go pale.
Mei’konda: The fleet… the whole Home Fleet is attacking Sol Station. If that staation goes down, Earth’s planetary shields fall… Matthews, Caldwell. Do you haave an estimate for how long Sol Station can hold up under that kiind of attack?
Matthews / Caldwell: Responses
Mei’konda nodded once, tail curled tightly across his lap.
Mei’konda: Then we haave eight minutes to regain control of this ship. One to maake it to Earth. And under another eiight to evacuaate as many as we can from Sol Station. Perhaaps, on the way, we can fiind some way to reinforce Earth’s shields usiing our own power sources. Opiinions?
Mei wasn’t hopeful about their chances for success, but they had to try something, and they could at least save a few lives in the process. Sol Station was absolutely immense, and combined with the planetary shield generators on the surface, magnified Earth’s defenses a hundred fold. Without the nearly invulnerable station in place and functional, a few starships would never be able to take its place. Especially not with the whole Home Fleet presumably under Borg control.
At least now, there was no doubt as to what the Changelings’ interest in Fleet Formation mode had been.
Matthews / Caldwell: Responses
Mei’konda turned toward the two men, brief confusion crossing his feline face.
Mei’konda: The common aspect is … Their age?
Rosek-Skyfire / Matthews: Response
Caldwell / Tasen: Responses
Mei’konda rose to his feet, cupping his chin in his palm and pacing slowly across the Bridge.
Mei’konda: Then… we must fiind a way to block that signal. No matter what it takes. If we can prevent that siignal from penetraating our hull and reaching our people, can we stop it from affectiing them?
Rosek-Skyfire / Matthews: Response
Caldwell / Tasen: Responses
The Caitian nodded. Stepping up to the Master Systems Display at the rear of the Bridge, Mei’konda tapped several buttons, bringing up a diagram of the shield systems as the others gathered nearby.
Mei’konda: Clearly, it haas no trouble penetraating our hull, our structural integrity field, and our conventional energy shielding. What if we change our modulaation? Alter the frequency of our metaphasic shielding? Ensign Tasen, can your analysis be used to fiind a counter frequency?
Rosek-Skyfire / Matthews: Response
Caldwell / Tasen: Responses
The Caitian nodded slowly.
Mei’konda: It’s a staart, anyway. Other suggestions?
Rosek-Skyfire / Matthews: Response
Caldwell / Tasen: Responses
Mei’konda nodded, expression grim.
Mei’konda: Agreed, then. Lieutenant Caldwell, get us to Earth as quickly as you can.
Caldwell: Response
Mei made his way back down to the command area of the Bridge. Exhaling as slow breach, he eased himself down into his seat. Astraeus’ viewscreen showed space warping around them moments later. It would be less than a minute until their arrival. Mei wasn’t expecting the brief proximity alert that sounded from the sensor stations mere seconds after Caldwell engaged warp drive. Another ship, out this far in the Sol system, given everything that was going on?
A few taps on his armrest controls, and Mei’konda brought up a sensor image on the viewscreen. It was an overlay of the Sol system, with most areas marked out with indicators of sensor interference. But one icon was briefly clear; a registry number indicating a starship, on course for Jupiter. Mei read it out, blinked his bright blue eyes once, then leaned back in his seat.
Mei’konda: NCC-1701… D. That’s the Enterprise. Picard’s first Enterprise. What in the hell? What is she doing out here? Is that a gliitch?
Rosek-Skyfire / Matthews: Response
Caldwell / Tasen: Responses
==============================
Captain Mei’konda Delano
Commanding Officer
USS Astraeus, NCC-70652
M239002M10