LCDR Nolen Hobart — Off We Go, Almost
Nolen Hobart
((Flashback, Bridge, Deck 1, USS Khitomer, high orbit of Alpha Trionus II))
The order to evacuate had been given by Captain Shayne, and Hobart had sent Lieutenant JG Michaels below with orders to facilitate it. And while there was sure to be a flurry of activity far below his feet, Lt. Commander Hobart was on the verge of tapping them out of boredom. There were no grand theatrics or exciting updates from the engineering teams tasked with securely beaming out the unwilling inhabitants of “the Crack,” and their would-be rescuers hadn't budged from their hidey-hole in the Kokopelli Cloud. So Nolen was, of course, quite pleased when LTJG Michaels’s dulcet voice slipped into his ears from the internal comm.
Michaels: =/\= LtJg Lera Michaels to Commander Hobart. The transporters and buffers are ready. Remember that we can only store fifty-six profiles before the transporters will be functionally disabled. We can make those all prisoners if we transport all the ship personnel and equipment first. =/\=
Hobart: =/\= That’s why we’re wiring into the core partition. Going to have to get creative, Lieutenant. =/\=
Michaels / Morda: =/\= Response =/\=
He empathized. They were asking something of the engineering and security teams something that was highly unorthodox, and maybe slightly impossible. But ask they must.
Hobart: =/\= We’re beginning our descent, now, and we’re not leaving anyone behind to be blown up. =/\=
Michaels / Morda: =/\= Response =/\=
Hobart: =/\= Use PADDs if you have to, Michaels. Hobart out. =/\=
((Present, Bridge, Deck 1, USS Khitomer, low orbit of Alpha Trionus II))
It was owing to the defense perimeter—a series of heavily armed, unmanned satellites distributed throughout the system in a formation of intertwined, orbiting rings—that their unscheduled arrival forced the ship to approach Alpha Trionus II at a relative crawl. With the prison beneath them destroyed, they would be left out there like some vestigial remnant. For a moment, he imagined a distant future, not quite unlike what Admiral Lacy had foretold, where the only sign of the Federation and Starfleet were abandoned facilities like these. What would people think of them, looking back? What would be the impression they got?
Shayne: Thoughts?
Hobart: Leaving them in place would be inconsistent with an ambush, but it sure would make it harder for them to get here.
Shayne: What if we kept the platforms online, but reduced their power output? Find that sweet spot so that it wards off their suspicion, but doesn’t require them to withdraw? If we get it right, we could rendezvous with the platforms, as if we’re counting on them for supporting fire, and then lure the fleet closer to the prison once the platforms have been destroyed.
Stros: Response
Half a smile snuck onto Hobart's face as he examined the blinking lights that indicated set explosives.
Hobart: You know, sir, it was my first mission under your command that the Arrow blew up a prison, too.
Shayne: We’re making a habit of this, I see. Well, I never like detention anyw-
A piercing trill of an alarm squealed from the Tactical station behind them. Nolen winced. There were only a few possibilities for what it signaled, and he had a decent guess of specifically which it portended. He didn't need Stros’s report or the Captain's clap to know that the Sheliak and Tholians were on the move..
Stros / Bridge: Response
Shayne: Get anyone still in the facility back on board. Red alert! Mr. Stros, signal battlestations. Stow breakables and secure the radish officers. Helmsman, take us to the defense perimeter.
Stros / Bridge: Response
Root vegetables aside, at least the Captain was in a good mood. He tapped his combadge. The evacuations had begun. They still had a few personnel on the surface to ensure security, and some untold number of prisoners left to retrieve.
Hobart: =/\= Hobart to Michaels. Party guests are on their way. How many more to go? =/\=
Michaels / Morda: =/\= Response =/\=
From the edge of his peripheral vision, Lt. Commander Hobart caught fresh motion. A flash of black and yellow uniform somewhere off to the side that couldn't break his attention.
Shayne / Stros / Kendrick / Bridge: Response
Hobart: =/\= Acknowledged. If you can speed it up, do so. =/\=
Michaels / Morda: =/\= Response =/\=
Shayne / Stros / Kendrick / Bridge: Response
The XO stood sharply out of his seat and looked toward the new arrival, in conversation with Captain Shayne.
Hobart: Operations, I heard? ::Smile:: Got a job for you. Get on the comms and tell Lieutenant Torado she's got 15 minutes to get her marines—and whoever else is still down there—out.
Shayne / Stros / Kendrick / Bridge: Response
TBC
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Lt. Commander Nolen Hobart
Executive Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
A240001NH3