Lieutenant Marty Tucker - Minutes To Midnight
Martin Tucker
((Deck 3, Main Bridge, USS Ronin))
Carpenter: What about evasive? Do we have a "speed limit" now, do y'all think?
Sims: I would suggest minimal use of impulse power, sir, and only if absolutely necessary. We’re barely holding together as it is – if we put any more strain on the ship’s hull, I’m worried she might break apart at the seams or the microfractures in the warp core will expand and blow the entire ship apart.
Tuck’s hands flew over his console, consolidating power and rerouting it to the structural integrity field, which would help with the stress on the hull. There wasn’t much power he could spare, but he begged, borrowed, and stole from subsystems and tertiary backups. The result made the corner of his mouth start to curl in the form of a smile.
Tucker: I’ve raised the structural integrity field to seventy-five percent. And I can give you a fifteen-second burst of the impulse engines before the generators turn molten slag.
Marty looked at the view screen. The weapons ship, which looked in worse shape than the Ronin, sprung to life as a regular weapons system that had come online.
oO We cannot catch a break Oo.
Carpenter: So it DOES have normal guns...S'like seein'a teacher outside of school. Total letdown.
Sims: If the teacher had a plasma rifle aimed at our head and a full suit of body armor, maybe.
Karrod chuckled and tossed a look back to their newest Engineer.
Niac: I've got some questions about where you went to school, Mr. Sims.
Tucker: Is there something you’re not telling us, Ensign?
Carpenter: I think we can take a few shots, but we need to get movin' sooner rather than later. Can anybody drive a stick?
Sims: I think we might be able to get a little more juice to the shields if we deactivate all the emergency force fields, life support, and environmental controls on the abandoned decks. It wouldn’t be a lot, but it would give us a little more power to the shields. Maybe give us a little more time before…
Nodding as the course plot finally lined up, Karrod keyed the impulse ignition sequence into the helm console and felt the whole ship rattled violently around them.
Niac: Do it Ensign. And then I want you to accompany the rest of the senior staff to the nearest escape pod.
Tucker: You want to do what skipper?
Carpenter: Response
Sims snapped back to reality as he realized he was being stared at – one of the other officers had spoken to him, and he had completely missed it.
Sims: Sir?
Niac: You heard me, Ensign. Commander Carpenter, I'm putting you in charge of the evacuation. Get as many people off the ship in the next five minutes as you can. Try to make your way to the station...failing that, get as far from the combat area as possible and deeper into Federation territory. The beating the Alliance has taken today will slow them down...you should be able to get to safety.
Beck: =/\= Doctor Beck to Bridge. =/\=
Tucker: =/\= Hey doc, not a good time… =/\=
He let out a heavy sigh despite the fact the comm sounded remarkably distant and weak.
Beck: =/\= Ian and I are stuck between decks in the turbolift pod we took from the Bridge. We just got back power but I had to MacGuyver a way to reach out to you guys. Could we get a little help here? =/\=
Tucker: =/\= You’re what now ? =/\=
Beck: =/\= . . . did you just say abandon ship??? What the hell are you doing up there? =/\=
Tucker: =/\= You heard right, buddy, I’m working on trying to get your turbolift going again. And to answer your question, I'm not sure what’s on the Captain's mind. =/\=
Marty worked his LCARS, trying to get the turbolift that Beck and O’Conner were in, going so they could make it to the near escape pods. A couple of happy beeps later, he saw that the turbolift was up and running, He programmed the lift to take them to Deck 11, it still had atmosphere.
Karrod put a hand up to forestall any additional dissent.
Niac: I respect your bravery and your commitment, but you've already sacrificed enough...now I want you to live. Abandon ship...that's an order. I'm going to stay a few minutes and make sure the Alliance receives our...parting gift.
The words spoken aloud triggered an automatic response from the computer, and the functioning ship lights turned a deep, thrumming blue as the computer announced the call for evacuation.
Tucker: ::assertive::I hate to disobey a direct order, but I’m not going anywhere, sir.
Carpenter/Sims: Response
Niac: The automatic helm controls are fried and besides...I don't want...::The short range sensors began shrieking and Karrod turned in surprise.:: Looks like the Alliance called in reinforcements...I guess we should be flattered.
The distortion-filled viewscreen refocused on an empty point in space, and Karrod waited to see what new horror would appear, only to stand in shock when the image was resolved.
Niac: It's the Excalibur!
The Vesta Class starship darted between the Ronin and the Weapons ship, still powering its conventional weapons. If the Excalibur could draw fire away from the Ronin, it would allow them some breathing room.
Tucker: The Excalibur is getting between us and the Alliance ship!
Marty let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Maybe they wouldn’t have to abandon the ship. His hands flew over his console, rerouting this, rerouting that. He was trying to get them more than fifteen seconds of impulse power but went too fast, too quick, and those microfractures could end up in a warp core breach, and then they’d be up the creek without a paddle and mostly spread over the Alpha Isles.
Niac/Carpenter/Sims: Response
With the Excalibur in the mix, the enemy fleet, such as it was - was in motion. They mostly turned their attention to the new kid on the block. That’s when Marty’s console started yelling at him. His hands moved deftly across the console and superimposed the feed in the corner of the view screen.
Tucker: Enemy frigate breaking off, bearing three-three-one mark four-seven. And from the readings I’m getting, she’s all kinds of angry.
Niac/Carpenter/Sims: Response
The Sheliak frigate was coming in hot, and Tuck wasn’t sure how much more of a beating the old gal would take again; shake it up too much, and boom! Warp core breach. He was running out of things to reroute to squeeze as much power out of the war horse; she was being pushed to her limits.
Tucker: Sir, that ship is picking up speed!
The ship rocked as phaser fire rocked the shields, and torpedoes exploded against the shields as well. Marty grabbed onto the side of his console to keep his feet. He rotated the shields to correspond with where the Alliance ship was firing.
Niac/Carpenter/Sims: Response
TAGS/TBC
