Lieutenant Amelia Semara - Manuevers

[Max]

(( Bridge, Deck 1, USS Khitomer ))

Bringing the plan to the Captain felt ludicrous.  It was cockamamie at best, but it was the best they had right now: Get Alliance attention, save as much of the nebula as possible, and cover the Velithari for their move.  If the Alliance had any sense, they'd get the message that this was someone's home, and it was much too well-defended to bother with.

Semara: =/\= We think we can navigate the nebula safely if we transmit the same sleepy harmonics through the hull, and let the filaments lodged there transmit it to their friends.  I'd like permission to test that theory first. =/\=

Naxell: =/\= Don’t think, Lieutenant! Experiment. Cue the Kenny G. =/\=

Kenny who?

Amelia's brows dug down between her eyes for a moment, then she huffed, mentally filing that one away.  The Captain gave the answer of a man who was a scientist at heart, and a surprisingly easy-going one, despite her first impression of him.

Semara: =/\= Then there's the last bit.  We got a Leviathan-class out there.  We'll need the Jorogumo to make an appearance - the more dramatic and frightenin' the better.  Any luck, they'll turn tail when they see our's is bigger.  If not, we only got one shot, maybe two from the SDA to cover any attack the Velithari make. =/\=

It was an even more conservative estimate than Connor gave her, but Amelia wasn't prepared to meet a second as-yet unborn daughter.  One was enough.

The best situation is if they never used it at all, but the Alliance was nothing if violently tenacious.

Naxell: =/\= Warm up the band, Mister Semara, I’ll talk to Captain Rana.=/\=

She looked at the officers around her as they listened in, letting her breath slow as she cracked a smile.  It was hard to not be full-to-bursting with pride.

Semara: =/\= Aye, sir.  I'll be in touch. =/\=

She closed the commlink.  First things first...

Semara: Alright, let's test our theory out.  Zerva, engage the hull harmonics program, then keep an eye on the sensors.  I wanna know if the Alliance sees us movin' around, or if the nebula takes issue with us.  Counselor, kindly take the left seat and watch damage control especially - we shut it down the moment there's a sign it ain't workin' right.

It made sense to put the counselor there.  That's where the counselor sat.  Left of the captain's chair.  But that meant...

Amelia stared at it a moment, eyes narrowing to a glare before she caught the empathic brew of three other officers staring at her...

Her lips pursed girlishly at Morda's much-too-overt sweep of the eyes.

Zerva / th'Vrosa: Response

Oh, heavens.  Fine.

Amelia sat in the center seat.

Semara: Alright, Ensign Morda, thrusters gently, please...  Ready to stop on a moment's notice.

Morda: Aye, sir. Starting at half-a-meter per second … now.

Zerva / th'Vrosa: Response

The texture of the pink nebula started to slip over the ship in the main viewer.  If Amelia didn't know any better, it might have given the impression of a giant painted screen rolling by.

An audible chime came from her left.  Her eyes swept to the counselor.

Semara: Report.

Morda / Zerva / th'Vrosa: Response

She nodded thoughtfully.

Semara: That ain't too bad. :: Beat :: Zerva, let's up the doppler correction factor for our harmonics, that oughta help as we get goin' quicker...  Morda, go to one-quarter impulse.  Warmin' up the engines a little oughta help reduce vibrations and make life easier down in engineerin'.  :: Beat :: Start bringin' us around to the edge of the nebula, but keep it graceful.  I want a better look at our visitors.

Morda / Zerva / th'Vrosa: Response

As the crew responded, Amelia wrestled with memory of the last time she sat in an extra-padded center chair.  It was only a simulator - and an old one at that - but back then she imagined actually taking command was a far-fetched idea.  It had just been a game, and one she'd failed spectacularly at.

It all came back to her, and suddenly she had a bizarre flashback of wearing monster maroons because she'd insisted on being period-accurate to the pre-holodeck bridge simulator.  What was the name of that ridiculous freighter she was supposed to rescue?  The Frodo Icecube?  The Francis Iguana?  Fried Ignominy?  That last one might have even fit, given the terrible end it had met.  Hobart would have been horrified to see her sitting where she was now.

Amelia smirked at thin air.  Oh well.

As the Khitomer maneuvered towards the edge of the nebula, the viewscreen slowly cleared up.  A less-snowy image showed the Alliance strike group with the Alliance Leviathan flanked by a cruiser and two smaller support vessels in crisper detail.  The Leviathan charged its main Sencha emitter, and flung its bombardment at a distant bit of nebula.  The pink of the nebula darkened and withered where it landed.  A sourly brackish note of empathic backwash lapped at the edge of her telepathic awareness, as if subspace itself was groaning in anguish at the abuses of science.

One thing the simulator hadn't prepared her for was the empathic weight of the whole ship under her.  Every crew member.  She understood now a little better why Connor looked so stressed putting on the red uniform.  Part of her wished he was up here instead of her.  Another part of her knew it was time to own it.

She curled into the chair cat-like, bringing her knees up into the comfortably over-sized chair, leaning left towards the Andorian counselor.  Her eyes narrowed at the screen for a moment, pondering.

oO Why are they here?  ...Again? Oo

Semara: Alright, cap'n said to warm up the band.  Let's get to know the players.  :: Beat, turning to the counselor. :: 'Fore we engage, full tactical report and behavioral assessment.

It was hard to say if it was a delay that would cost her like the delay in that simulator, but she knew the moment they fired a torpedo, their options lessened.  There would never be more opportunity for a different action than right now.

That, and it bothered her that she couldn't figure out what they wanted from this nebula in particular so badly that they were venturing so many ships and lives.

Morda / Zerva / th'Vrosa: Response

Tag / TBC...

---------- ●● ----------

Lieutenant Amelia Magnolia Semara

Intelligence Officer

USS Khitomer - NCC-62400

A239710MA0