[sb118-ops] LT. JG S'zurak - Two Tactical Hypotheticals
Alex Leatherman
((Deck 4 Shuttlebay, USS Aurora-A))
S’zurak and Box had chosen the shuttlebay on Deck 4 as their hypothetical point of entry, slipping aboard an equally hypothetical Romulan shuttle while Haukea and Evan pursued their own approach. The split gave S’zurak a chance to spend some time, however brief, with the newest Tactical Officer.
McRoberts: I assume we'd be equipped with more sophisticated weapons if we were Romulans. I'd say that we head towards the bridge, since it's bottlenecked. Maybe take out the quarters along the way.
S’zurak felt odd about pretending to take out the quarters on the way. His quarters. But Romulans wouldn’t think twice.
Szurak: Yesss, we’d likely have Romulan disssruptor rifles.
S’zurak thought for a moment. It was good to pick a recent graduate’s brain. The Academy would have put Box through tactical scenarios far more recently than S’zurak had experienced anything similar. He was curious what the younger officer thought.
S’zurak: Do you think taking the bridge would be bessst?
McRoberts: It is true that taking the bridge would also leave us vulnerable, maybe we split up?
Szurak: Risssky, but would maximize the opportunity for damage. Turbolifts and transssporters would be our greatest threat. They would easily mobilize security if we are detected.
McRoberts: Agreed. Disabling the turbolifts and transporters would also be a priority, I imagine.
Szurak: On sssecond thought, we should ssstick together. Splitting our numbersss only gives Security an opportunity to isolate usss.
McRoberts: ?
S’zurak: Right. Now… We jussst snuck aboard via shuttle.
He slowed as the thought settled into place. They had entered through the shuttlebay on Deck 4 without anyone noticing. In their hypothetical scenario, at least. That meant they had something far more useful than superior weapons. They had time.
S’zurak: We should not waste our firssst moments aboard announcing ourselves. Shooting our way toward the bridge only tells Security exactly where we are.
McRoberts: ?
S’zurak nodded. His eyes moved briefly toward the nearest wall display, calling up the layout of the deck. Sickbay. Laboratories. Junior officers’ quarters. None were insignificant, but none would help two Romulan infiltrators maintain their advantage.
Then his attention settled on something that did. The computer core.
Or, more accurately, the lowest portion of it. The core itself stretched from Deck 2 all the way down to Deck 4.
S’zurak: There.
He indicated the section on the display.
S’zurak: The main computer core extendsss down to this deck.
McRoberts: ?
They did not need to seize complete control of the Aurora from here. In fact, trying to do so would probably be ambitious for two intruders with no idea how long their presence would remain unnoticed. But a Romulan boarding party did not necessarily need control. Sometimes damage was enough.
S’zurak: We do not need to hack the entire ship. Damage the right processorsss, power feeds, or data pathways and we could make half the ship unreliable before anyone knowsss why.
McRoberts: ?
S’zurak considered the possibilities as they started toward the section containing the core. Turbolifts that failed to answer. Doors that refused to open. Sensor information that arrived late or not at all. Internal communications interrupted at exactly the wrong moment.
Even if redundant systems compensated, Starfleet personnel would have to determine what had failed, isolate the damage, and reroute around it. Every officer doing that was an officer not hunting the intruders.
S’zurak: We create problemsss. They spend their time solving them.
McRoberts: ?
A pleased expression crossed S’zurak’s face.
S’zurak: Very Romulan.
His hand rose as he imagined his claw a disruptor.
S’zurak: Bzzzt. Computer relay. ::shifting his aim:: Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
Yes, he made those sounds with his mouth.
He looked toward Box.
McRoberts: ?
((OOC I was planning to regroup back with Ross and Willow shortly so we can discuss how to best defend the Aurora-A)
Lieutenant JG S'zurak
Tactical Officer
Starbase 118 Ops
O240205S13