Cpt. Karrod Niac - The Parting Gift
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Karrod Niac
Sep 7, 2024, 7:12:45 PM9/7/24
to USS Ronin – StarBase 118 Star Trek PBEM RPG
((Bridge, Deck 3, U.S.S. Ronin, Approximately Twenty Minutes After the Explosion))
Niac: Good of you to join us, Ensign Sims. I regret your first visit to the bridge is...less than auspicious. I'm sure Chief Tucker is waiting for your damage report. He's the Lieutenant over there who looks like his uniform might be smoldering. And that slightly overcooked tactical officer is Lt. Cmdr. Carpenter but you may want to give her some space, she's angry enough to climb onto the hull with a hand phaser at this point. Not that I blame her. What's the situation below?
Karrod didn't imagine himself as looking especially Captain'ie at the moment, what with the variety of injuries and the absolute ramshackle state of his beard...but if their newest officer was put off by his appearance or that of the bridge he made a good show of not displaying it.
Sims: Damage to deck six is worse than originally thought, sir. Main power just went down a few moments ago following a power surge, and It’s going to take quite a bit of time to make repairs with all the debris that will need to be cleared out first. Both evacuation transporter rooms and one of the force field generators went down along with the power to that deck.
It was in line with what he expected but it still hurt to hear and Karrod could feel his shoulders dipping slightly. They may have prevented the Alliance's superweapon from wiping them all out but, even in failure, it still did more than enough damage to cripple them. The fact they hadn't heard from the station or the Khitomer only confirmed that they couldn't be in much better shape.
Tucker: ::half grinning at Sims:: I’ll add that to the long list of things. How’s the damage control center doing? I heard it had taken it all pretty hard.
Carpenter: We felt it too, I think.
Sims: Damage to the damage control center is a bit more substantial unfortunately. An EPS panel blew and started a plasma fire. The room was sealed off, and the fire should be contained, but no one can assess the damage to the room itself with the levels of plasma radiation in there.
Tucker: Good work, Ensign. Can you reroute Commander Carpenter's console over to Tactical Two? We’ll have to replace her console completely. ::pointing to the one console behind the XO’s chair::
Heading for the empty helm station and sitting heavily in O'Connor's vacated chair, Karrod began tapping at the consoles, trying to see if any of the flight controls were responsive. The panels flickered in and out, barely functional, but some basic diagnostics began to function, the ships computer attempting to reroute critical functions around all the damaged systems. As the computer chirped and blatted away, Karrod turned towards the rear of the bridge.
Niac: Give them some space to work, Kirsty, or I'm going to give more weight to that 'eva suit & hand phaser' idea.
Carpenter: How long?
Sims: It’s going to take a little bit longer than originally anticipated, sir – the ODN line leading from the main computer has been disconnected. It’s going to take me a few extra minutes to bypass them and reconnect the console to the main computer.
Tucker: ::to Kirsty:: It should only take a couple of minutes to reconfigure tactical two. And you’ll be up and running. ::head down again, looking at his console:: Deck eight reports microfractures in the bulkheads, which probably happened when the structural integrity field dipped. And I suspect those aren’t the only ones; we took one hell of a hit.
Nodding in sad agreement, Karrod gestured around the shattered bridge with a certain amount of resignation.
Niac: Better us then the station, Chief. We gave Commander Raga's team a fighting chance and wrecked the Alliance's big new toy, along with most of the strikeforce they brought here. If you and Mr. Sims there can get us weapons control I intend to keep...discouraging the Alliance as best we can from our current position.
Carpenter: And we'll take more if we keep sittin' here. And has ANYbody heard from Beck and Ian? They should be back by now.
Sims: I don’t remember seeing either of them on the lower decks or on my way to the bridge sir.
People hunched over their half functional stations or pulled away damaged components, trying to get at the mechanisms underneath but Karrod could see Kirsty struggling and he sympathized. She was a warrior without a weapon, facing a powerful enemy she could no longer fight against. All measure of control over her situation had been taken from her and between her injuries and those to the ship, her psyche had been wounded. Karrod gestured towards the helm console and brushed off some broken plexi to make a seat for her.
Niac: Take five, Commander, that's an order. ::He pitched his voice down as she drew closer:: You feeling post combat fatigue or is there something else?
Carpenter: I'm good, Captain. Just...Beck's kinda my good luck charm. ::she gives a smirk:: He goes on, sure, but he's damn useful. Mister O'Connor too. You always play better from a full deck, right?
Chuckling at the descriptions of their colorful medical officer and brilliant helmsman Karrod felt their absence all the more keenly.
Niac: Of course. For the moment though, everyone is where they need to be. Besides, I can feel the grooves in this seat from Mr. O'Connor's posterior - probably good the young man got a chance to get up and stretch his legs.
Their small moment of shared levity was interrupted by a call from the rear of the bridge.
Sims: Tactical Console 2 is online and ready for use, commander.
A comm chripting through the Bridge caught their attentions, but it was Tucker who was to answer the call.
Tucker: Go for Tucker.
Morgan: =/\= Sir, I’ve played all the hits and dipped into the B sides and deep cuts, but I can’t get the warp core back online. One problem is the microfractures in the Antimatter injection bay…=/\=
Tucker: Got it, Rach. Tucker out. ::to Niac:: Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the warp core is toast, microfractures to the antimatter injection bay. We even look at the warp core funny and could have a breach.
Karrod pressed his hand against the helm console and passed along a sympathetic prayer for their mortally wounded vessel. They'd managed something impossible today but it seems like they'd used up the very last bit of their luck doing it. They were down to just the battery and what a few of the impulse reactors could put out. It wasn't enough power for much more than a single...final act of defiance.
Sims: Between a rock and a hard place. Keep the core here, and the first jostle to main engineering will blow us to bits. Eject it, and we can’t get out of the blast radius and are likely blown to bits.
Karrod nodded and turned back to the helm console. The diagnostics that could run had finished and, to his profound astonishment, he had basic attitude control. He began laying in a course towards the nearest of the enemy leviathans which had, according to sensors, finally gotten themselves reorganized and were beginning to move towards the station again.
Niac: Understood Chief. I wouldn't eject it even if we could...the Khitomer is somewhere nearby and the station isn't far behind...I don't want to add to the damage they've already sustained. No...I think the only reasonable thing to do is share what's left of the core with the Alliance. A five hundred thousand isoton parting gift.
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.
Tucker: Response
The blackened hulk of the weapons ship Karrod had thought dead crackled to life, firing ports retracting as conventional weapons systems came online.
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: Response
Carpenter: I think we can take a few shots, but we need to get movin' sooner rather than later. Can anybody drive 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 of the ship rattle 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.
Carpenter/Tucker: 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?
Karrod could see the looks of shock and pain playing out on the faces of officers who had become far more than subordinates or crewmates over the last year. He felt a pride in that moment that filled him with a renewed vigor and a surprising sense of calm. His decision made, his fate certain, all he had left to do was make certain as many of the crew survived as possible.
It was the last thing he could do for them.
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.
Tucker/Carpenter/Sims: Response
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/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 resolved.
Niac: It's the Excalibur!
Tucker/Carpenter/Sims: Response
[Tags/TBC!]
================================
Captain Karrod Niac
Commanding Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
V239509GT0
Niac: Good of you to join us, Ensign Sims. I regret your first visit to the bridge is...less than auspicious. I'm sure Chief Tucker is waiting for your damage report. He's the Lieutenant over there who looks like his uniform might be smoldering. And that slightly overcooked tactical officer is Lt. Cmdr. Carpenter but you may want to give her some space, she's angry enough to climb onto the hull with a hand phaser at this point. Not that I blame her. What's the situation below?
Karrod didn't imagine himself as looking especially Captain'ie at the moment, what with the variety of injuries and the absolute ramshackle state of his beard...but if their newest officer was put off by his appearance or that of the bridge he made a good show of not displaying it.
Sims: Damage to deck six is worse than originally thought, sir. Main power just went down a few moments ago following a power surge, and It’s going to take quite a bit of time to make repairs with all the debris that will need to be cleared out first. Both evacuation transporter rooms and one of the force field generators went down along with the power to that deck.
It was in line with what he expected but it still hurt to hear and Karrod could feel his shoulders dipping slightly. They may have prevented the Alliance's superweapon from wiping them all out but, even in failure, it still did more than enough damage to cripple them. The fact they hadn't heard from the station or the Khitomer only confirmed that they couldn't be in much better shape.
Tucker: ::half grinning at Sims:: I’ll add that to the long list of things. How’s the damage control center doing? I heard it had taken it all pretty hard.
Carpenter: We felt it too, I think.
Sims: Damage to the damage control center is a bit more substantial unfortunately. An EPS panel blew and started a plasma fire. The room was sealed off, and the fire should be contained, but no one can assess the damage to the room itself with the levels of plasma radiation in there.
Tucker: Good work, Ensign. Can you reroute Commander Carpenter's console over to Tactical Two? We’ll have to replace her console completely. ::pointing to the one console behind the XO’s chair::
Heading for the empty helm station and sitting heavily in O'Connor's vacated chair, Karrod began tapping at the consoles, trying to see if any of the flight controls were responsive. The panels flickered in and out, barely functional, but some basic diagnostics began to function, the ships computer attempting to reroute critical functions around all the damaged systems. As the computer chirped and blatted away, Karrod turned towards the rear of the bridge.
Niac: Give them some space to work, Kirsty, or I'm going to give more weight to that 'eva suit & hand phaser' idea.
Carpenter: How long?
Sims: It’s going to take a little bit longer than originally anticipated, sir – the ODN line leading from the main computer has been disconnected. It’s going to take me a few extra minutes to bypass them and reconnect the console to the main computer.
Tucker: ::to Kirsty:: It should only take a couple of minutes to reconfigure tactical two. And you’ll be up and running. ::head down again, looking at his console:: Deck eight reports microfractures in the bulkheads, which probably happened when the structural integrity field dipped. And I suspect those aren’t the only ones; we took one hell of a hit.
Nodding in sad agreement, Karrod gestured around the shattered bridge with a certain amount of resignation.
Niac: Better us then the station, Chief. We gave Commander Raga's team a fighting chance and wrecked the Alliance's big new toy, along with most of the strikeforce they brought here. If you and Mr. Sims there can get us weapons control I intend to keep...discouraging the Alliance as best we can from our current position.
Carpenter: And we'll take more if we keep sittin' here. And has ANYbody heard from Beck and Ian? They should be back by now.
Sims: I don’t remember seeing either of them on the lower decks or on my way to the bridge sir.
People hunched over their half functional stations or pulled away damaged components, trying to get at the mechanisms underneath but Karrod could see Kirsty struggling and he sympathized. She was a warrior without a weapon, facing a powerful enemy she could no longer fight against. All measure of control over her situation had been taken from her and between her injuries and those to the ship, her psyche had been wounded. Karrod gestured towards the helm console and brushed off some broken plexi to make a seat for her.
Niac: Take five, Commander, that's an order. ::He pitched his voice down as she drew closer:: You feeling post combat fatigue or is there something else?
Carpenter: I'm good, Captain. Just...Beck's kinda my good luck charm. ::she gives a smirk:: He goes on, sure, but he's damn useful. Mister O'Connor too. You always play better from a full deck, right?
Chuckling at the descriptions of their colorful medical officer and brilliant helmsman Karrod felt their absence all the more keenly.
Niac: Of course. For the moment though, everyone is where they need to be. Besides, I can feel the grooves in this seat from Mr. O'Connor's posterior - probably good the young man got a chance to get up and stretch his legs.
Their small moment of shared levity was interrupted by a call from the rear of the bridge.
Sims: Tactical Console 2 is online and ready for use, commander.
A comm chripting through the Bridge caught their attentions, but it was Tucker who was to answer the call.
Tucker: Go for Tucker.
Morgan: =/\= Sir, I’ve played all the hits and dipped into the B sides and deep cuts, but I can’t get the warp core back online. One problem is the microfractures in the Antimatter injection bay…=/\=
Tucker: Got it, Rach. Tucker out. ::to Niac:: Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the warp core is toast, microfractures to the antimatter injection bay. We even look at the warp core funny and could have a breach.
Karrod pressed his hand against the helm console and passed along a sympathetic prayer for their mortally wounded vessel. They'd managed something impossible today but it seems like they'd used up the very last bit of their luck doing it. They were down to just the battery and what a few of the impulse reactors could put out. It wasn't enough power for much more than a single...final act of defiance.
Sims: Between a rock and a hard place. Keep the core here, and the first jostle to main engineering will blow us to bits. Eject it, and we can’t get out of the blast radius and are likely blown to bits.
Karrod nodded and turned back to the helm console. The diagnostics that could run had finished and, to his profound astonishment, he had basic attitude control. He began laying in a course towards the nearest of the enemy leviathans which had, according to sensors, finally gotten themselves reorganized and were beginning to move towards the station again.
Niac: Understood Chief. I wouldn't eject it even if we could...the Khitomer is somewhere nearby and the station isn't far behind...I don't want to add to the damage they've already sustained. No...I think the only reasonable thing to do is share what's left of the core with the Alliance. A five hundred thousand isoton parting gift.
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.
Tucker: Response
The blackened hulk of the weapons ship Karrod had thought dead crackled to life, firing ports retracting as conventional weapons systems came online.
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: Response
Carpenter: I think we can take a few shots, but we need to get movin' sooner rather than later. Can anybody drive 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 of the ship rattle 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.
Carpenter/Tucker: 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?
Karrod could see the looks of shock and pain playing out on the faces of officers who had become far more than subordinates or crewmates over the last year. He felt a pride in that moment that filled him with a renewed vigor and a surprising sense of calm. His decision made, his fate certain, all he had left to do was make certain as many of the crew survived as possible.
It was the last thing he could do for them.
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.
Tucker/Carpenter/Sims: Response
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/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 resolved.
Niac: It's the Excalibur!
Tucker/Carpenter/Sims: Response
[Tags/TBC!]
================================
Captain Karrod Niac
Commanding Officer
USS Ronin - NCC-34523
V239509GT0
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