Lt. (jj.g.) Ian O'Connor - Fade to Black

[rob mahardy]

 

((Main Bridge, Deck 3, USS Ronin))

 

O’Connor: Aye, sir. Hold onto your lunch everyone.

Beck: Thanks for the warning this time.

The ship lurched as they arched back towards the station, there was a hail of fire from fighters who drew a bead on the Ronin, was immediate and aggressive, with no resistance they sensed an opportunity. The ship rocked to starboard, and the ship started to come down around their ears, EPS conduits bursting, and the console to the Captain’s left exploded in a fury of flame and broken shards from the console.

Ian held to his position despite the chaos surrounding.

Tucker: ::grimacing:: I’ve got so much damage that my alarms have alarms. Shields down to thirty-five percent and falling rapidly. We’ve lost containment of the hull breach on deck seven, we’re evac-ing now. 

 

Morgan: =/\= Morgon to Chief Tucker =/\=

 

Tucker: Tucker here go ahead Lieutenant.

 

Morgan: =/\= Besides being shaken around like a shaken martini, also, who’s flying this bucket, Stevie Wonder? =/\=

 

Ian was about to retort but let it go.Hopefully they’d survive all this and he’d get some digs back at Morgan later.

 

Tucker: Stow it, Morgan, whats the sitrep?

 

Morgan: The bleeding is stopped for now, but we take a couple more hits like we did and it could fail. There’s about a sixty percent chance.

 

Tucker: ::wincing:: I don’t like that, but it’ll have to do. Tucker out.

 

O'Connor: We’ve still got some maneuverability left. Although I don’t want to be be putting too much stress, well pretty much on anything.

Carpenter: RESPONSE

Beck: We can do it here, or I can let you stay at your station under protest. The wounds aren't severe enough I'll relieve you, but I am concerned about getting them treated as quickly as possible.

Niac:  Chief Tucker, pull power from the phasers and route it to the deflector.  If our pulse isn't strong enough none of this is going to matter.  

 

O'Connor: Take as much as you need from propulsion, we’ll need to hold steady to pull this off anyway. I just want it back if we survive this.


Carpenter/Tucker: Response

 

Beck: ::muttering:: Should I just keep my mouth shut until one of you is bleeding out?

Dismissing the grumbling as Commander Carpenter gingerly got back to her station Karrod watched the Khitomer pulling alongside.  The swarm of small vessels surrounding both ships took a final firing pass but broke off, dashing away from them in every direction except directly ahead or astern.  The warning from the science station a moment later simply confirmed what Karrod already knew.  

The Alliance was about to fire.  Ian didn’t realize that he was holding his breath as he stared ahead. Every instinct was screaming at him to get the hell out of the way but he fought the feelings back.

Beck: Uh, the energy level looks like its starting to level out… I think it's going to fire soon. Like eminently. And I don't think you wanna know what the s-wave levels are showing.

Karrod could feel everyone on the bridge looking in his direction as he looked towards the viewscreen and the hateful looming in the midst of the Lattice Alliance fleet.  Every one of their major vessels had moved in close and their smaller vessels were scattering, well out of the way of the torrent of energy that weapon was about to release.  Only the Ronin and the Khitomer stood between it and the station.  

At that moment, Karrod wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.  

Niac:  Standby on deflector pulse.  Emergency power to forward shields.  Keep us close, helm.

 

O'Connor: No where else to go. We are angled lined up with Kitty correctly:: a blip appeared on his screen:: Another ship has just dropped in between us and Kitty. Small Caitian vessel. oO We don’t have time for thisOo I’m signaling it away.now.

Carpenter/Tucker: RESPONSE

 

O’Connor: It’s small, It won’t take much. Engaging tractor

 

Carpenter/Tucker: RESPONSE

 

The tactor beam let out an odd groan reverberating another odd sound through the hull, but it did its job flinging the smaller craft back and toward DS33.

Beck: If we're going to get the Kitty to work with us, we'd better do it now.

Across Karrod's spots he could feel that strange itch he'd only ever experienced in the presence of Sencha Waves.  The bridge had grown quiet as the final moments ticked down.  

Niac:  Signal the Khitomer to synch their deflector with ours and prepare to fire.

Without taking his view off the rippling energy waves building within the Alliance weapon, Karrod spoke plainly and clearly.  

Niac:  It has been the honor of my life to serve with each of you.  

 

O”Connor: One helluva ride, Cap.

Beck/Tucker/ Carpenter:  Response

The next few seconds happened in slow mootion with Ian feeling powerless to do much one way or the other. The Lattice Alliance super-weapon discharged and space buckled all around it, filling with a crackling lightning storm that moved in unnatural, impossible ways.  A heartbeat passed and the Ronin answered, a blinding cascade of energy stabbing outwards like a vast glowing column of purest silver.  The Khitomer's beam lanced forward and joined theirs, intensifying and amplifying the beam until it pulsed and writhed.  The S-Wave collided with their counter-wave a heartbeat later and there was a moment of stunning collapse, the sum total of the energy collapsing upon itself in an instant and reduced to a rippling ball of lighting that seemed at war with itself.  

The detonation that followed a moment later was unlike anything they’d ever seen.  As it stretched its tendrils towards them Ian grabbed the sides of his consol.

Niac: =/\= All hands brace for i...=/\=  

The leading edge of the shockwave hit the shields and the bridge crew was thrown as if they weighed nothing, the entire ship bucking from a titanic uppercut.  Ian went airborne backwards slamming over the command stations behind him and into the corner science alcove. The bridge filled with explosions and showers of sparks, atmospheric gas leaking from ruptured conduits even the emergency lighting failed.  Ian started to stand grabbing the chair at the station to prop himself up. Something held him back.  The whole ship shook and howled and moaned around them, systems overloading and exploding all around them....and then it was still.  As fast as it had come the shockwave passed.

 

Ian wiped away whatever liquid was running into his eyes. It may have been blood or sweat but it didn’t matter ‘cause now that he could see, his eyes locked on the jagged piece of what used to be part of the railing that impaled him though the midsection. His vision tunneled in and he heard something in the distance.  Each word getting farther off.

Niac:  Sound......sound off...  Damage...report.  

Beck/Tucker/Carpenter/Niac:  Response

Tags/End Act 2 for Ian!  

 

Lieutenant (j.g.) Ian O’Connor

HCO

USS Ronin NCC-34523

R240009IO4