Lt JG Quentin Beck - In his house at R'lyeh... [Part 1]
Quentin Beck
((Bridge, Deck 3, USS Ronin, Outside the J-0922A System))
Beck: Inoculations are underway as we speak. We've split the medical team into groups and they're going deck by deck to get everyone.
Niac nodded and leaned toward the viewscreen with a finger extended, not for the first time displaying his capacity to multitask in one swift movement. Being a neurospecialist, Quentin found himself suddenly curious if that was just how Karrod's mind worked or if it was some combination of him and the layered minds of the slug in his stomach that allowed him to shift his focus so intensely and immediately.
Niac: Well done Doctor. Advise your people to work fast, I'm certain the Alliance has more to throw at us. Mr. O'Connor, while Commander Carpenter picks off the stragglers from that fighter wing I want you to bring us into formation with the Khitomer and standby to make a highspeed run into the system. Chief Tucker, we need those aft shields re-enforced or we could end getting the ships aft shot off…
The Doctor turned to make his way over to the Tactical console so he could give Kirsty her inoculation, though he paused on the way when the console on the Big Chair sounded an alert.
Niac: Belay that...looks like Lt. Alieth's team has a little present for us. Take a look at the shield modulations she's sending up and get them implemented as soon as you can. I'll take any measure of protection against another s-wave attack that I can get. Commander Carpenter, any luck raising the Khitomer?
O’Connor: Holding on course adjustment.
Tucker: ::looking to Carpenter:: I’m rerouting some power from none essential systems. This should give you a bit of the boost in trying to get the Khitomer on the horn.
That was one of the most interesting things Quentin had seen after joining Starfleet - reading old mission reports, it wasn't really possible to get a feel for how quickly things could change in the moment. It was one of the reasons he felt like he would excel the longer he stuck it out; he had a talent for thinking on his feet. So long as he didn't make a stupid decision that got himself killed, anyway.
He finished crossing to Carpenter as she made her report, frowning a little at the static emitting from her console as she tried to narrow down whatever beam she was using.
Carpenter: Thanks, Marty, but it looks like the s-wave is still fuzzin' through our point-to-point communications. I'll keep ahead on.
Niac: Keep trying. If you can get a data channel open to them send across the modifications Lt. Cmdr. Alieth's team has come up with. The Khitomer is going to need that protection.
Slipping one last vial from the bandolier, Quentin pressed it into the hypo and offered Kirsty as reassuring a smile as he could muster, considering the situation. Pressing the nozzle to her left shoulder, he murmured under his breath.
Beck: Deep breath. You've got the tools you need to figure this out. You've got this. Your head should start clearing up a little now, too.
O’Connor: They know we’re behind them at least. We’re able to stay in relative synch.
Tucker: We get any closer to them, and we will have to invite them to dinner.
Quentin suppressed his snicker enough so that only Kirsty could hear. He happened to be looking in her direction when she had her epiphany, practically watching her neurons firing as she connected the dots. He watched over her shoulder as he stowed the hypospray, curious to see what she was doing. Her hands were moving fast.
Carpenter: Mighta found a workaround for Comms, boss. Hang'a sec...
Quentin looked up from her console as the sensor readings shifted, updating in almost real-time as the signal from the probes reached the Ronin. He'd been so focused on prepping for the inoculations he hadn't been following what the Science team had been up to in Stellar Cartography, but it seemed there was neither hide nor hair of the Lattice Alliance, despite all of the intel they'd gotten ahead of time. Silence reigned.
He voiced an answer to what everyone was thinking, filling in the latter half of the old interaction.
Beck: Yeah, a little too quiet.
Niac: Where the hell are they? They've had months to reinforce this system and their defenses are nothing compared to what we saw in the Olidra system.
O’Connor: Does seem pretty unusual and a touch eerie. If they aren’t here. Where the hell are they?
Tucker: ::muttering:: I’ve got a bad feeling about this…
Carpenter: INTEL said this was to be the staging area. Commander McKenna over on the Kitty even verified with her own sources outside The Black Tower. They all said they were movin' and here's where they were gonna do it from.
Beck: ::quietly:: Know what they say is the key to comedy?
The Captain moved towards the helm, leaning forward against it and staring into the Main Viewer's gullet, as if trying to will whatever ships might be out there out of hiding. Quentin's gut suggested all Niac was going to do was go cross-eyed, the way he was staring.
Niac: No capital ships. Not a single dreadnought or leviathan. Even if we caught them by surprise we should see larger vessels mobilizing by now, trying to respond to us. Unless....
Niac seemed to reach the same conclusion as Quentin at once - hell, everyone on the Bridge seemed to come to that conclusion at the same moment.
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? =/\=
There was a pause and the readouts from Stellar Cartography updated just before the 2O's voice filtered back through the comm.
Alieth: =/\= Confirmed, there are ion trails suggesting that at least a dozen large spacecraft departed the system approximately twenty hours ago. The trails are quite degraded, so I cannot be sure of the presence or not of smaller ships in the group. =/\=
Niac: =/\= Can you project their course? =/\=
Alieth: =/\= There is a 78.578% chance that the Flotilla is heading towards sector Alpha 113. =/\=
Quentin muttered softly, finishing his thought from earlier.
Beck: Timing.
20 hours.
Despite that it wasn't all that long ago, that was a helluva head start; even running at maximum warp and pushing the engines past their safeties, he wasn't so sure they could catch up before the Alliance made their attack on DS33.
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. =/\=
Quentin sympathized with Niac as he mopped his brow. Things had just gotten infinitely more complicated and there wasn't an easy solution. The Ronin had already been running ragged since the initial launch and the Doctor was frankly amazed that Karrod had made it this far without cracking. Even more amazing that he seemed to make up his mind, despite it all.
Niac: Mr. O'Connor, break off from the system and set a course for DS33. Commander Carpenter, I don't care if you have to shine a flashlight out a viewport, I need communications with Captain Shayne right now. Chief Tucker, have your teams prepare to conduct emergency repairs while the ship is at warp.
O'Connor: Laid in. Just need to break away from behind Khitomer and angle off before we go to warp.
The Ronin started to curve off the rear of Khitomer.
Tucker: ::he hit the ship wide comm button:: =/\=Attention all repair teams, prepare to perform repairs at warp.=/\=
Quentin had double-majored in Engineering and Medical; he knew just how difficult and dangerous making repairs at high warp could be. Lips forming a thin line, he glanced over at the turbolift - likely he'd need to get back down to Sickbay sooner than later, or else they'd be overrun by new patients in no time. He couldn't help wanting to stick around, though - usually he only found out what was going on through the grapevine and rarely had the opportunity to see things playing out as they happened.
Carpenter: Captain Shayne, sir. Bringing him on screen.
The viewscreen crackled into life as a channel was finally punched through the interference and the Khitomer's CO stared back at him.
Niac: =/\= Captain Shayne...I believe we've been suckered. =/\=
Shayne: =/\= I know it! We need to get the hell outta here. =/\=
There was a pause as the Captain looked to the Engineering station and Quentin glanced over, too; Marty was busy doling out orders, and he knew Kirsty would be soon enough, too. Times of stress, everyone stepped up. He appreciated that about his colleagues, his crew… his friends.
Niac: =/\= We're moving away from the system at maximum impulse but warp will be a few minutes, that detonation blew out half the ventral EPS grid. If you can, go, we'll catch up. =/\=
Shayne: =/\= They already have a lead on us; but if we push our engines too hard we might damage subspace more. =/\=
There was a deep intensity in Niac's response that Quentin hadn't seen up to now, and it was incredibly intimidating.
Niac: =/\= At this point I don't give a damn about subspace. I'd rip it apart with my bare hands if it would get us back to the station any faster. =/\=
The familiar voice of Chief Dewitt joined the channel and much like the Ronin's Chief Engineer, the man sounded stressed and very very busy.
Dewitt: =/\= Our warp core suffered major damage. I suspect the Sencha waves. We won’t have Quantum slipstream. I’m trying to get a hold of the situation. =/\=
Niac: =/\= Understood. Soon as we can we'll be jumping to warp. I'll provide updates on our overall status once we're underway. I'm also sending over some shield modifications our science team came up with...they'll give us minimal protection from another s-wave detonation. =/\=
Shayne: =/\= Response =/\=
Dewitt: =/\= ::nodding:: Let’s keep this channel open! =/\=
Lieutenant JG Quentin Beck
Acting Chief Medical Officer
USS Ronin NCC-34523
A238810SA0