Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: An Unexpected Enemy
Lael Rosek
((Bridge, USS Astraeus))
Mei’konda: We don’t know that there will be an away team yet, Ensiign. If we’re fortunaate, he’ll be in an unshielded area, and we’ll be able to siimply beam him away. But we will be prepaaring one regardless, and Commander Rosek - I’m going to allow Mr. Riley to lead the team.
Lael couldn’t say the news was disappointing. The last away team that she’d led...needless to say her ego and her leg both were still smarting from it. Somehow, Rilaw had managed to get the drop on her and incapacitate her far too easily. It was damned embarrassing.
Her gaze flickered to Riley, who seemed to be trying to apologize without words. She offered the man a smile and nodded. What Mei and the others didn’t know was how much she was questioning her judgement at the moment. The nightmares and the way Lenik’s memories seemed to pop into her mind without warning disconcerted her.
As soon as there was a break in the chaos, there was a good chance she’d find herself in a holographic church pew clutching the cross her grandfather Adric had given her when she’d graduated from the Academy. The kind of burden she was carrying, there was only one way to get proper guidance: going to God.
Rosek: ::nods:: Mr Riley is the reasonable choice, sir.
Bridge: Responses
Mei’konda: Commander Riley, I want you leadiing a team consisting of Lieutenants Hamasaki, Shin, and Doctor Solok. I’ve looked over the new transfers from Deep Space Nine, also, and I believe you miight find one of Lieutenant Commander Galven’s new junior science officers, Ensign Hathur, to be of use down there. Contact Engineering, and haave them send Ensign Sotak as well, for any unexpected circumstaances.
Her mind wandered a bit as Mei’konda made his recommendations. They were going to have their hands full up here. She had a feeling that whoever was hiding the Bajorans wasn’t going to go down without a fight. They’d gone to a lot of trouble to sequester them away where they wouldn’t be found.
Riley: Aye, sir.
Hamasaki: Aye, sir.
Hathur: Aye, sir.
Bridge: Responses
Mei’konda: Lieutenant Hamasaki, I’m sendiing you because I would prefer to haave a shuttle’s equipment and capabiilities down near the surface of the planet. We aren’t serviing on a ship that can easily maneuver in an atmosphere any longer, and giiven the unknown situation we’re going to be arriving at, I want you prepped and ready to launch the moment we enter orbit. Just in caase.
Hamasaki: Understood, sir. ::Tiria got up as her relief sat down. ::
Bridge: Response
Mei’konda: The rest of us aboard ship will contiinue to work the daata we have already, and run contiinual close raange scans of the planet to get any information that we can. Any questions?
She said nothing, her gaze going to the viewscreen in front of them, lost in her thoughts. Mei’s course of action was straightforward enough that they should be able to carry them out. This was one of those rare situations where she didn’t really have anything to add. The course of action was clear. If she was honest, she was more worried about what the away team would find when they got there.
Bridge: Response
Riley: Would you be able to spare Mr. Sirk as well, sir?
Mei’konda: Response
Riley: Understood sir.
Mei’konda: Very well, then. =/\= Bridge to Lieutenant Shin. Prep for an away mission, and report to the main shuttlebay. Lieutenant Hamasaki will have the mission profile and shuttle assignment for you. =/\=
Shin: =/\= Aye, sir, on my way. =/\=
A moment later, she heard the swish of the turbolift doors and turned in time to see Riley, Tiria, and Hathur step inside and the doors close behind them. She returned her attention to the front of the bridge where Ensign Chatva had taken Tiria’s station. Lael’s brow furrowed in thought as she settled back into the chair. The fact that they’d found the location where the prisoners were being held surprised her. Was it possible the Cardassians had gotten careless?
She shook her head. From the reports she’d read, the Cardassian people as a whole had been meticulous to avoid pissing off the Federation since the end of the Dominion War. They’d paid a heavy price and their economy had suffered for it. It very much reminded her of what she’d read about the Germans after World War II. As a German, her grandfather had been fascinated by the history and had taken every opportunity to enlighten her.
There wasn’t a lot available in the Federation database regarding reconstruction on Cardassia Prime, but she wouldn’t be surprised if rebuilding important buildings wasn’t part of what had crippled the Cardassian economy.
No. This was sloppy. Someone had slipped all right and she had the feeling that the Cardassian government had no idea that Bajoran prisoners were being held here. It suddenly made sense why they were so adamant that they didn’t have any Bajorans being held prisoner.
Three soft beeps caught her attention and she looked up, studying the environmental readings on the viewscreen, the furrow in her brow deepening. The temperature was all over the place. No atmosphere...no real light. It was an ideal place for hiding something. With the surface as inhospitable as it was, if there was a prison here, it would likely be underground and the surface conditions would keep prisoners trapped below.
Mei’konda: Commander Galven, Ensign Awatto. I want full intensiity scans on the origin point of the signal. Get me everything you can, as faast as you two can get it.
Galven: Aye, sir. ::to Awatto:: Whatever signal he’s talking about, you don’t need to mind passive scans.
Awatto: Response
Mei’konda: Analysis. I want life sign readiings, and any other fiirst impressions.
Awatto: Response
There was every indication that she’d been very wrong about the transmission from Captain Cusan coming from a ship. The Bajoran man must have found a way to hijack the communications system...not an easy feat when one was surrounded by Cardassians who detested Bajorans.
Galven: Sir, thanks to Ensign Awatto we were able to find lifesigns, but the bad news is that they’re underground.
Mei’konda: Then I guess we will do this the hard way. Commander Rosek, launch the rescue mission.
Rosek: ::nods:: Aye, sir. ::to Chatva:: Give the away team the go-ahead to launch and begin procedures.
Chatva: ::nods:: Yes, ma’am. ::hands fly over the console::
Out of the corner of her eye, Lael saw Mei standing with his arms folded over his chest, his gaze focused on the viewscreen. She had a reasonable guess as to what he was thinking, but wasn’t a mind reader...well, not with anyone who wasn’t Al-Leyan anyway. Whoever was responsible for this, odds were good that the Cardassian government wasn’t going to be happy.
Mei’konda: Contiinue gathering data about the planetoid, Mister Galven, but I’d like you using the lateral sensors to see if there’s anythiiing… off about the rest of the system. Perhaps Ensign Awatto will assist Commander Riley’s team, and you can let us know if there will be any further surprises, yes?
Galven: ::nods:: That sounds reasonable. With the state of the art equipment we have here, it shouldn’t be a problem, Captain. ::to Awatto:: You’re Ensign Hathur’s second set of eyes. What he sees on his tricorder, you’ll be able to see here on the displays.
Awatto: Response
Mei’konda: Response
Galven: Nothing new to report other than a dark matter nebula we’re appearing to move away from. It’s about 3 lightyears away.
Rosek: ::grins wryly:: Not exactly relevant to our current situation unless it can give us an advantage getting into the facility on the surface undetected.
Mei’konda: Response
Galven: ::smirks:: Full intensity scans and I used everything we had to detect anything off like you said. Take a look at the system over here on the viewscreen. I sent spatial charges into that are over there and apparently it hit some metreon particles that allowed me to detect it. How’s everything going, ensign?
Awatto: Response
Wrader: ::standing at attention:: Good afternoon, sir, ma’am. Ensign Wrader, reporting for duty.
Delri’ise: As much as I hate to sound like a broken record, Lieutenant Delri’ise reporting for duty as requested, sir. ::Melody mimicked Wrader’s posture, obviously hardly comparing to the Ensign’s height.::
Mei’konda: Response
Wrader: ::standing at ease:: It’s a pleasure to be aboard, sir.
Rosek: ::stands and smiles:: Ensign Wrader. A pleasure to see you again.
She recalled working with the Magna Roman aboard the Veritas. It was just after her promotion to Lieutenant Commander if she was recalling correctly. The two had engaged in a sparring match and, despite Lael’s years of training, the man had managed to surprise her with a combination from his homeworld that she hadn’t been expecting.
Until now, she’d never expected to have the opportunity to tell him how that combination had saved her life on a couple of occasions since he’d taught it to her.
Mei’konda: Response
Wrader: Understood. I was able to catch something of a summary on my way up here. I stand ready to assume my station.
Mei’konda: Response
Rosek: ::glances at Mei’konda then back at Wrader:: By all means, Ensign. ::smiles and gestures at the Security console::
Mei’konda: Red alert. Commander Rosek, bring us to battle stations. Tactical, arm phasers.
Rosek: ::nods:: Aye, sir.
She glanced at Wrader and nodded.
Wrader: Phasers armed, sir. Plotting firing solutions.
As the lights on the bridge dimmed, her vision sharpened. She always could see better in dim light. Part and parcel of her Al-Leyan heritage. Studying the readings on the console embedded in her armchair, she frowned. The ships didn’t look Cardassian at all. Was it possible that she’d been mistaken about Cardassians being involved?
Hamasaki: =/\= Hamasaki to the Astraeus. The facility has highly experimental weaponry, I'd expect subspace isolytic weaponry next! =/\=
Mei’konda: Tactical. Analysis of the weapons fire. Does anyone in here know who uses subspace isolytic weaponry?
Galven: I only know of one species, but they can’t be this useful.
Her eyebrows arched, an image flashing briefly in her mind. She studied the readings to confirm her hypothesis.
Wrader: The Son’a, sir? ::he hesitated for a moment before continuing :: They are the most recent group to utilize the weaponry—the only one since it’s outlawing so far as I am aware. It appears to be largely ineffective so far, sir. Perhaps a combination of superior piloting and the erratic nature of the weapons themselves.
The Son’a. She’d never encountered one of them personally. From what she understood, they had been big on raiding worlds for slave labor, particularly seeking women. The information in the Federation database had indicated that they’d ended that practice in 2375. It made sense that they would be here. Intelligence indicated that they had colonies in the outlying areas of this region.
Bridge: Responses
Mei’konda: Commander Galven, Ensign Awatto, intensify surface and system scans. Relay any information you caan down to Hamasaki. You miight find her a safer path down to the surfaace that doesn’t involve being shot at. At least, as much.
Galven: What do you think, ensign?
Awatto: Response
Galven: What would be better? Giving them enough time to escape by ejecting an antimatter pod at the point of origin and fire a torpedo causing their weapons to go offline or transmitting data to the away team for a shield inverter?
Awatto: Response
As Mei conferred with German and Awatto, Lael rose from her chair and strode toward the front of the bridge, taking the unoccupied seat next to Chatva. Her fingers slid confidently across the console, studying the readings as they came in.
Rosek: So what’s the plan, Ensign?
Chatva: ::pauses:: I don’t think the ships are a match for the Astraeus, ma’am, so we shouldn’t have to do anything too crazy.
Rosek: ::nods:: The key will be buying Commander Riley’s team some time down there. For all we know, there could be more ships waiting in the wings.
Mei’konda: And Tactical - I want pinpoint phaser fire on any of the targets that threaten the Watson. Try to disaable, not destroy.
Wrader: Yessir. ::he almost decided against saying it, but continued:: There will be some difficulty in maintaining precision fires. Our sensors are not calibrated for this kind of weaponry.
Delri’ise: Response
Mei’konda: Response
Rosek: ::turns and smiles:: Odd timing, but we can use all the hands we can get. ::points to the second tactical station:: Take your station, Lieutenant. There’ll be more time for introductions later.
Munger: =/\= Munger to Bridge =/\=
Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
Munger: =/\= I’m well aware. Is everyone alright? =/\=
Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
Munger: =/\= Of course. I’ll take care of it, sir. May I ask what's going on? =/\=
Rosek: ::slides her hands over the controls:: =/\=The short version? Commander Riley’s away team is on the surface rescuing the Bajoran prisoners and we’re up here fighting off what we believe to be Son’a ships.
Bridge: =/\= Response =/\=
Galven: Sir. Ensign Awatto has a suggestion.
Awatto: Response
Mei’konda: Response
Rosek: oO Throw her into the deep end, why don’t you? Oo
Chatva had been right. The Son’a ships really weren’t much of a match for a Galaxy class starship. But Lael imagined that the constant barrage was intended to buy time to warn whoever was in charge down there and isolate the away team. They couldn’t come back with the prisoners if the shields weren’t down for them to return.
Wrader: Response
Rosek: ::enters a series of commands into the console:: =/\=Lieutenant Hamasaki, report. How’s it going down there? =/\=
As much as she would have liked a status update from Riley, she also didn’t want to risk giving away the team’s position. Cardassians and Son’a...they weren’t people one messed around with. She was curious how a group of Cardassians had gotten roped into working with the Son’a after everything that had happened with the Dominion War. It was an unlikely pairing given the present state of things.
Hamasaki: =/\= Response =/\=
Rosek: ::nods:: =/\= Keep on it, Lieutenant. We’re working on getting you as much data as we can and we’re trying to distract the Son’a in orbit so you have a clearer path back. =/\=
Hamasaki: =/\= Response =/\=
Rosek: =/\= Let us know as soon as you have the rest of the team and the Bajoran prisoners aboard. We’ll try to shield you. =/\=
Hamasaki: =/\= Response =/\=
Rosek: =/\=Understood. Rosek out.=/\= ::turns to Galven and Awatto:: How’s it coming over there?
Galven/Awatto: Responses
Rosek: Well, the sooner we can get Lieutenant Hamasaki that information, the better.
Galven/Awatto: Responses