Lieutenant Luxa Lorana - No More Counting the Deaths
Luxa Lorana
((Stellar Cartography, Science Lab Complex, Decks 10-11, USS Ronin, Outside the J-0922A System))
In the short while since they had engaged with the LA forces, they'd established that the individual vessels had been installed with S-Wave weaponry, and indeed generators of some kind.
The science was unclear, the astrophysicist in her wanted to get her paws on it and uncover its secrets. Of course without losing her head like Sencha Niac.
What's more the area, once blind to them due to the cloaking devices the LA used to prevent prying eyes seeing what was happening beyond their borderlines. And now, a short distance from the foreboding station was an area covered by a cloak.
Lorana: Why would they cloak this grid?
Alieth: Maybe because the first one is a decoy.
oO A decoy?! Oo
Luxa almost contorted her entire neck as she spun to look at the Vulcan. A decoy? What would be the purpose … unless they anticipated this very attack…
Raedai: Fortunately, we do the surprise attack. :: Alidar allowed himself a joke. :: That bubble does correspond in size to a ship.
Alieth: We need to send probes to survey that area, can you divide the ones you have in the primary search field, Lieutenant Raedai? Do we have others on standby?
Raedai: Yes, but it is easier if we lose one of the probes to lose coverage with one or both bubbles, at least until we enter the main one.
Luxa nodded her agreement.
Alieth: Do it sirs
Raedai: I'm working on it, Commander.
Luxa focused her energy on the shielding modulations that had previously been discussed, working closely with the operations and engineer teams around the Ronin.
Lorana: The operations team are working on the shielding, along with the phase variance to prepare us for any subsequent attacks.
Within the holotank the probe's information began to stream through, albeit only providing the area, with the feedback being distorted. It gave them an idea of the size, which appeared to be half the volume of the station.
Alieth: I detect an irregular SR fluctuation coming from the second field. The pattern covers areas of the spectrum we have not encountered before. Miss Lorana, compare it to what we found in Olindra super structures and in Grus Beta 3 vessels. Lieutenant Raedai, attempt to enter the field with one of the probes, but exercise extreme caution, I suspect it will be disabled on the threshold.
Lorana: Yes, sir.
Luxa refocused her energy to the task, until she noted the upper section door open and a young Trill officer approach the Vulcan chief who didn't appear to welcome the interruption.
Syrex: ::Holding hypo spray with purpose:: Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for your inoculations.
Luxa had to admit she welcomed the precaution. Her last encounter with the radiation had ended with a stay in Sickbay … which was also the same moment she'd met Quentin for the first time.
Alieth: Proceed ensign, but be quick.
Syrex: Lt Commander Alieth, as you are more susceptible, you should go first.
Alieth: Proceed
As the young doctor performed her task, Luxa was distracted by the Romulan ops officer.
Raedai: I have data from the second field... I was wrong, it's not a ship.
The image was hazy, static interference interrupted the view and Luxa tried to extrapolate the missing data. Despite this it was clear it was a weapons platform of some description.
Lorana: :: to Raedai :: It's perfect for a full assault launch … except …
Syrex: Response
Raedai: I detect no life signs. Maybe that's why Sencha radiation is different... they don't have to protect their crew.
Lorana: No … it's emptied.
Alieth/Syrex: response
Raedai: It's going to fire, the emitter is huge, it can affect both ships.
Lorana: I think it's a false …
Before Luxa was able to finish her sentence, the Captain broke through on the Comms.
Niac: =/\= Bridge to Stellar Cartography. Lt. Cmdr. Alieth, break off your observations on the target system and launch a new series of probes aft...are there any ion trails or other signs of vessels departing the system in the last day? =/\=
oO departing?! Oo
They'd been deceived yet again, another trap they'd walked into. Luxa's hair begun to raise as the tension of the last few months surfaced so suddenly.
Alieth: =/\= Response =/\=
Niac: =/\= Can you project their course? =/\=
Again, on the backfoot.
Alieth: =/\= Response =/\=
Niac: =/\= Understood, Commander. Refine your projections as much as you can, try to give us an approximate force composition based on the size of the signature. Bridge out. =/\=
Luxa felt a snap inside of her. All of the events that led to this moment; The superstructure, the events of Grus Beta Three, and worst of all the death of Clara.
Lorana: Commander … we can't just leave … :: looks to the holotank :: This might be our only opportunity to learn more about what the alliance have done with Sencha Niac's research and how they got it in the first place?
The young doctor had made her way to the lower section, Luxa was too focused on her argument and the case she wanted to put forward to Alieth … who she wasn't entirely sure would want to listen to her.
Alieth/Syrex/Raedai: Responses
Lorana: This whole time we've done exactly what they expect Commander! And I know that you agree with me … somewhere.
Luxa hadn't intended to raise her voice, her tail swayed above her head. The stress mounted and all the years she'd spent in Starfleet fell away.
At this moment she was Luxa as she was before even a thought of Starfleet.
She was done with always having to react, having to back off and just accept defeat while Starfleet and the Federation leave them here to survive and count the dead.
She was finished with counting the deaths of her crewmates.
Lorana: We can stay behind. I'll stay behind myself if that's what it takes!
Alieth/Syrex/Raedai: Responses
Luxa allowed the doctor to inoculate her as she listened to the others. A small part of her felt bad for the doctor, and the Caitian attempted to calm herself down.
Lorana: :: more focused :: I suggest we take the Rhine, and investigate that platform, we can use the subspace eddies created by the S-Wave radiation to mask our presence.
Inside she felt the swelling of frustration and knew that her words were almost insubordination but in that same moment she was also ready to take the Rhine by herself and go off and get them the answers to tip the balance of this war in their favour.
Alieth/Syrex/Raedai: Responses
Tags/TBC
((OOC - just thinking maybe the science peoples can have something fun to do and discover that may help the bigger battle - happy for Luxa to be put back in her kitty box as well?))
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Lieutenant Luxa Lorana
Science Officer (Astrometrics, Meteorology, Xenology)
USS Ronin
A240004LL2