Lieutenant Marty Tucker - Dead Space
Martin Tucker
((Deck 3, Main Bridge, USS Ronin, Outside the J-0922 System))
Niac: Very well, Mr. O'Connor, but you're on the hook to send the Khitomer flowers and chocolates tomorrow. Maneuver at your discretion. Chief Tucker, use the cover we get from the Khitomer to redeploy your repair teams. Commander Carpenter load torpedo bays and set for proximity detonation, fire across the fighter's flight path. If we shake them up badly enough, you should be able to score a hit with the phasers.
O’Connor: Roses and bonbons it is, sir.
While Ian maneuvered the Ronin in behind Khitomer, Marty set to work deploying the repair crews. The aft shields were the focus, and they’d have to do as much as possible inside the Ronin. He wasn’t about to endanger anyone by making them space walk. Now was not the time.
Tucker: ::looking down at his console and then back up at the captain:: Teams deployed, I’ll get you an estimated time as soon as I get one. They’re assessing the rear shields as we speak.
Carpenter: RESPONSE
Things started to wane, and it showed on the Captain's face. Everyone on the bridge had a moment to collect their breaths. The Captain turned to the bridge crew.
Niac: Doctor Beck, what's the status of our people?
Doctor Beck turned and tucked away their tricorder as he glanced around the bridge.
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.
The Captain, now leaning forward towards the view screen, sticks out a finger, which is pointed at the defense forces splayed out against them. Marty couldn’t imagine being in the Captain’s shoes, now or ever, really. It made him question whether he wanted to command a ship of his own. He was a fresh lieutenant, so command was still off in the future, but Marty couldn’t help but think about it.
Niac: Well done Doctor. Advise your people to work fast, I'm confident 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...
Something beeped, and it sounded like it was coming from the captain's chair.
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,
Carpenter/Beck: RESPONSE
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.
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.
Carpenter/Beck: RESPONSE
Captain Niac nodded as the readings from the team in Stellar Cartography, it was starting to piece together what was lying just beyond J-0922A. It wasn’t the full picture, but even Tuck could formulate some sort of plan with the information provided.
The Trill Captain didn’t look like he was taking a moment to catch his breath. His mind was going a mile a minute, something that Marty would’ve liked to see if that were possible. Is the slug running on a treadmill? So many questions, and no real time.
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/Beck: RESPONSE
The captain was honestly perplexed. Nothing, nowhere. Marty was sure the system and outlying areas would be crawling with Alliance ships. It was so quiet Marty was sure he saw a tumbleweed drift through the main viewscreen,
The captain’s voice filled the pregnant pause.
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...
Again, Marty could see the wheels turning in Niac’s head. Marty’s stomach dropped, something was very very wrong, and the captain was coming to the same realization as Marty.
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 as Ian contemplated his previous question.
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? =/\=
Again, there was only a slight pause before the Commander’s voice replied.
Alieth: =/\= There is a 78.578% chance that the Flotilla is heading towards sector Alpha 113. =/\=
Not much more needed to be said. Sector Alpha 113 contained a large portion of empty space within the lsles, with a penchant for minor stardust events produced by a scattering nebula. A handful of young, uninhabitable or primitive star systems.... and in the heart of it all, waltzing along the invisible tension of the different gravitational forces that surrounded it, Deep Space 33.
oO Crap! Crap, crap, crap.Oo
Ian immediately began plotting a course.
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. =/\=
Marty noticed the color draining from the Trill’s face, and his spots really stuck out. They were headed towards Deep Space Thirty-Three, and they had a 20-hour head start.
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.=/\=
oO Hoo boy, they’re going to love that Oo
Carpenter/Beck: RESPONSE
The main viewscreen buzzed and showed static, much like the old TV sets of the 20th century. After what seemed like some fine-tuning by Commander Carpenter. As the screen started to gain focus, an image of what Marty was pretty sure was the Khitomers CO, Captain Shayne,
Niac: =/\= Captain Shayne...I believe we've been suckered. =/\=
Shayne: =/\= Response =/\=
While the two were talking when the ship's pint-size Chief Science officer came over the bridge comms.
Alieth: =/\= Alieth to Captain Niac. I have a proposition to make before the Ronin leaves the system. =/\=
oO A plan? Let me guess, take the Rhine? Oo
Niac: =/\= Response =/\=
Alieth: =/\= Leave me and my team behind, with a small runabout. The Rhine for example can fly undetected for longer than any larger vessel and will allow us to gather enough intel to learn more about Alliance technology, the science behind their weapons and how to combat them. The rest of our department can collaborate with the Khitomer science team to design a diffuser for Sencha weapons with what we have already shared with them, so our presence will only be of advantage to this mission. =/\=
oO I knew it! Oo
The last thing Marty wanted was to send the fully refitted Rhine out where it could possibly be shot at. It might as well be brand new, and due to the science upgrades, they had minimal weapons. Though Marty was no Air Boss, the Rhine needed a fighter escort.
Niac: =/\= Response =/\=
Alieth: =/\= Ensign Syrex, in fact, volunteered herself. That will cover any problems that might arise. =/\= :: Without letting the captain retort:: =/\= We will be able to relay the information to the Ronin before you reach Deep Space Thirty-Three and then hide until it becomes safe to return. =/\=
All eyes were on the captain.
He was either going to give his blessing or fight with the tiny Vulcan until she got her way, which was a pretty good amount of time. Marty shivered at the thought of pissing off either one. Niac could beat you down with hundreds of years of memories, and Marty had heard the scuttlebutt about her beating the Captain, so much so, that his arm was in a sling for a few days. So staying in her good graces was the best thing for Marty, just so he could remain using both limbs.
Niac: =/\= Response =/\=
Tucker: I swear, if they so much as put a scratch on that ship, they’ll be the ones doing the repairing. I mean she’s all but brand new for Cripe's sake.
Niac/Carpenter/ Beck: RESPONSE
Tucker’s attention was removed from the conversation as his console started beeping and whistling—not all happy beeps. His fingers flew over the LCARS display as damage repair reports began. He figured he’d better inform the captain.
Tucker: Repair teams are underway, and they’re still having problems with the aft shields, has to do with the generator in the mission pod; my crews are spread pretty thin as it is. But I’ve redirected specialist repair groups to the mission pod. So the inertial dampers might be a bit iffy, as I pulled them off that project. There was a phase fluctuation in the dampers I was trying to stamp out before it became an issue; we’ll just be tossed around a bit if it gets dicey.
Niac/Carpenter/ Beck: RESPONSE
TAGS/TBC!!!
