Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek: Decisions, Decisions
Lael Rosek
(( Bridge, Deck 3 Primary Hull, USS Chin’toka ))
Lael stepped out of the turbolift and onto the bridge, the thud of her boots hitting the deck, though not the loudest sound in the room, certainly noticeable. She crossed the deck to where Commander Serala waited for her. Tucking her hands behind her back, she snapped to attention out of habit.
Rosek: You wanted to see me, Commander?
Serala: At ease, Commander. You don’t have to come to attention every time I call you to the bridge. Now, I am sure you know Lieutenant Lephi has been assigned to one of the away teams.
Rosek: ::pauses:: I hadn’t heard, no. Something that I hope to remedy once I’ve spoken to Lieutenant Lephi.
Serala: I see. Well, she is in your department, so handle that as you see best. I trust you don’t mind not being assigned to a team?
Rosek: ::grins unamusedly:: Given my track record lately with away teams, I assure you I don’t mind in the least.
Her expression softened, a real smile turning up the corners of her lips. Though she still carried a certain amount of bitterness over what had happened with Lenik, she was determined not to let it impact her professionalism.
Rosek: Good for Lieutenant Lephi, though. She needs the experience more than I do. ::grins:: She’ll make a hell of a chief once she gets her feet under her.
Serala: I agree. I have been quite impressed with her since she came aboard. But I didn’t call you here to discuss her. Since I am going to be left in charge while the others get to have all the fun, I thought I might tap into that vast experience you have.
She arched her eyebrows. Certainly, she’d been around the fleet and had faced any number of high-risk scenarios. But she’d never thought she’d see the day where Serala openly acknowledged that. She supposed things really had changed since the “Miss Pointy Ears” days. In the time since she’d transferred to the Atlantis, she’d come to respect the woman both as an officer and as XO.
Rosek: Oh? An extra set of hands on the bridge?
Serala: Not at all. I have every confidence that if a battle breaks out, I can deal with it. But just the fact that you came to attention when I called for you tells me that I need to work on how I come across to others.
Rosek: ::smirks:: Ingrained habit. You’re not that scary, ma’am. Just trying to make a good impression.
Serala: That’s good to know. Now, there’s the ultimate issue I wanted to discuss with you. Given that hostilities appear to have begun within the VIR, it’s not inconceivable that one side or the other might try to drag us into it. We cannot let that happen, which means we need to be prepared for a fight, should it come to that.
Her little diplomatic experience told her that the worst way to keep the peace was to start blowing things up. She imagined Serala knew that. A younger, more brash Lael might not have cared. But she’d learned any number of things from the Lenik situation, the first of which was to not let her mouth write checks that her fists couldn’t cash. A level head was best. There was something to be said for listening over action in moments like this.
Rosek: Yes. We should definitely be careful about fighting back. A Terran religious figure once said, “But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also”. It’s critical that we remain the neutral party here.
Serala: No, I agree. Combat is to be avoided at all costs. But I have been caught with my proverbial pants down too many times. I want to be prepared.
Rosek: ::nods:: Understandable. I know it’s a fine line. oO From experience. Oo
She opened her mouth to add something, but was interrupted by a beeping from Serala’s console. Lael strode across the bridge to relieve the crewman at the Engineering station, then entered a series of commands to pull up the sensor readings. It didn’t take much doing to bypass the measures that linked the console to Engineering and open the readings Serala was receiving on her console.
Her brow furrowed as she studied them, recognizing a structure of some kind and she wondered why they hadn’t detected it when they’d first entered orbit. Further digging revealed that it was quite heavily shielded. Had they just gotten lucky? Why wasn’t the shielding protecting the source building now?
Serala: Mister Callahan, Mister Tal’Aura, what do you two make of this?
Her brow furrowed as she studied the readings.
Rosek: I don’t understand. What kind of power output are we looking at here?
Tal’Aura: I am estimating at least three million TeraJoules from my calculations.
Callahan: Nothing here, either. But the energy readings are unusually high.
She shook her head. Three million terajoules. That was enough to power the average home on Earth for six decades. It was more than a little alarming that something on an alien world was putting off that kind of power.
Tal’Aura: Our sensors cannot penetrate the protective shield, Commander. I can try modulating frequencies but that will surely alert anybody down there that we are looking.
Rosek: ::arches an eyebrow:: Interesting. Is there anything you can think of that might need that kind of power?
Callahan: That’s some serious defensive power. What are they trying to protect?
Serala: That is the question of the hour. My instincts would say military. Research facility, possibly a weapons depot. But those are just guesses at this point.
A wry, unamused grin crossed her lips. She’d been thinking the same thing. Maybe she’d truly been out in the black too long if her instinct was some kind of weapon. But then, she’d seen more active combat and intense situations than most officers her age. That experience made her more cautious and thoughtful. Reading between the lines, she had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be a typical mission by any means.
Tal’Aura: Beyond the shield itself the only thing that comes to mind that requires that much power on the surface is a weapons platform… or a cloaking generator.
Callahan: It could literally be anything. But I would also agree it has to be a high value target for them to be expending that kind of power.
She glanced at the first officer, her expression hesitant. They’d been invited here for a diplomatic feast, but she had the feeling that something else was going on. Despite her suspicions, she knew that they needed more information before they could make an educated guess about the facility’s purpose.
Rosek: Keep at it, you two. See if you can find anything in our database that might explain those readings.
Tal’Aura: Yes, Commander. I will run a query through the databas--wait. Fvadt. I am detecting an energy surge from within the facility.
Lael’s brow furrowed and she opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Tal’Aura.
Tal’Aura: ...Readings returning to normal. No new data available.
Callahan: Commanders, obviously we can’t be sure just yet, but the power spike was consistent with some form of propulsion engine. Possibly a new warp drive?
Rosek: ::turns to Serala:: Well. I think our impromptu visit to Tibro just got a little more interesting.
Callahan: Commander Serala! Sensors just detected an explosion at the Grand Admiral’s headquarters!
Callahan’s voice cut into the tense silence filling the bridge, amplifying the adrenaline of those present. Her lips thinned for a moment as she raised her mental shields to compensate for the sudden surge of emotion in the room. After a couple of quiet, slow breaths, she returned her attention to the readouts on the Engineering console.
Serala: Ensign Tal’Aura. Open a channel to the away team. Get me Captain Mei’konda.
Mei’konda: =/\= Mei’konda to Chin’toka! The Headquaarters down here is under attack. Can you beam everyone in this room baack to the ship? =/\=
Her fingers glided effortlessly across the console, a soft curse slipping past her lips as she attempted to compensate for the interference the explosion had caused.
Rosek: I can’t get their signal, Commander. The remnants of the explosion are causing too much interference.
Serala: =/\= Negative, Captain. I am detecting a localized energy field that is inhibiting transporter ability. You will need to get clear first. =/\=
Mei’konda: =/\= Very well. We’ll fiind a way out of this. Keep an eye on things, and relaay any information we can use, Commander. Mei’konda out. =/\=
Serala: =/\= Acknowledged, Captain.=/\=
She didn’t like that one bit. The away team was stranded down there with no way to get them out. They were on their own. She’d never been fond of a Captain leading away teams for this reason. They never knew what was going to happen. A scowl crossed her lips, leaving her wondering if Grand Admiral Dels’an had any suspicions or foreknowledge of such an attack. She couldn’t help but feel angry thinking that the Grand Admiral had willingly put their people in danger.
McKnight: =/\= Chin'toka, McKnight, requesting a shuttle with the rest of SORT and fighters for cover. =/\=
Her brow furrowed. Was the situation down there really so desperate? She could understand wanting a few more pairs of feet on the ground, but the fighters? What good would they do unless there were aerial targets?
As she was about the reply, the proximity alert sounded.
Tal’Aura: Response
Serala: I see it, Ensign. ::opens a shipwide channel:: =/\= Red Alert. All hands to battlestations. =/\= Ensign Tal’Aura. Raise shields, and arm all weapons. Lock on target but do not fire. Commander Rosek, I want as much power to the shields and weapons as you can give me. Their ships tend to pack a punch.
Tal’Aura: Response
Rosek: Yes, ma’am!
Practiced hands flew over the controls, inputting several commands without much thought needed. It was instinct by now. When she’d transferred as much power as she could from the auxiliary systems, she looked at anything they could borrow from without leaving critical areas of the ship exposed.
Serala: Ensign Callahan, stay put for now, but be ready to implement evasive maneuvers on my command.
Callahan: Aye, Commander.
She entered the command that would open a channel to Engineering.
Rosek: =/\= Rosek to Engineering. We’re looking at an armed Valcarian ship. Things might get dicey.=/\=
Ravesa: =/\= Got it, boss. Everyone’s streaming in. We should have a full house in the next couple of minutes. =/\=
Rosek: =/\= Understood. Rosek out. =/\= ::studies her console for a moment then looks up:: Auxiliary power transferred to shields and weapons, ma’am. We’re ready for them.
McKnight: =/\= Chin'toka, McKnight, requesting a shuttle with the rest of SORT and fighters for cover. =/\=
Serala: =/\= Negative, Lieutenant. We have a bit of a problem up here, ourselves. We can’t risk lowering the shields at this time. Besides, all but one member of the SORT is already planetside. =/\=
McKnight: =/\= Chin'toka, McKnight. Again, requesting shuttles and air support. We do not know if we can hold this position. =/\=
Serala: =/\= Negative, Lieutenant. Unable to launch air support. They are being placed on standby alert, however. =/\=
She scowled. Hadn’t he heard the Commander the first time? She shook her head. When an order was given, it was final, whether they agreed with it or not. Her gaze flickered to Serala as the woman ordered the fighters put on standby alert. It was a reasonable response, but the stubborn side of her would have made that decision grudgingly in Serala’s place because she didn’t like anyone questioning it once she’d given an order. The decision was made and second guessing would get more people killed than following through.
Tal’Aura: Response
Leix: =/\= Leix here. What’s going on up there?=/\=
Serala: =/\= Lieutenant Commander. Place all flight crews on standby alert. If we get a chance to drop shields, I want a fighter cover. I am also going to need a flight to offer air support to the away team. =/\=
Leix: ::pauses:: =/\= Understood, ma’am. Leix out.=/\=
McKnight: =/\= Chin'toka, this is the away team, we are under heavy fire. Requesting back up =/\=
It took everything she had not to throw her arms up in exasperation. She simply shook her head, refocusing her attention back on the task at hand.
Serala: =/\= Standby, Lieutenant. =/\= Report. Are we clear enough to drop shields?
Tal’Aura: Response
The deck shuddered beneath her feet and she had to grasp the console to remain standing. She sighed in relief when the volley of fire barely made a dent in their shields. A percent or two, but no more. However, she had the feeling that had been a warning shot.
Tal’Aura: Response
Rosek: Power is holding steady, ma’am.
Serala: Response
Rosek: ::shakes her head:: From what I’m getting, the fighters really wouldn’t do much good planetside. Most of what they’re dealing with is ground attacks. ::to Tal’Aura:: But this is your area of expertise, Ensign. What do you think?
Tal’Aura: Response
Another volley shook the ship, this time nearly sending her sideways. Her gaze flickered to Serala and Tal’Aura in turn.
Rosek: Is it just me, or are they getting more aggressive?
Serala / Tal’Aura: Responses
