Ensign Lyanna Avery, "Two Steps Forward, One Step Back" (Tags Herrera, T'Mihn, Pavlova)

[Simming Kristen]

Avery: Sir ... those cloaking devices ... they're almost certainly Klingon.

::From the Captain's expression, she could tell this possibly a political nightmare.   She wondered what this crew encountered before she arrived mere hours before.:: 

Herrera: Almost certainly?

T'Mihn: The tetryon density does match Klingon cloaking technology.  But they generally do not share.

::Klingons would never share with their traditional enemy.  For that to happened it had to have been a fringe group or someone had stolen Klingon technology.  Either of those was bad.:: 

Pavlova: Heavy damage to Andorian’s port side, but second ship is coming in.

Herrera: Lay down cover fire. See if you can draw their attention away from the ventral section.

::The political discussion was still raging on, too.::

T'Mihn: It is purely conjecture, but it is  possible these  Andorians are fringe  group working outside the Andorian Military? The Klingon High command won't officially  sell their technology, but maybe small house wanting to make a name for themselves would. There has been unrest in Klingon Empire.

::That unrest wasn't going away.   The House of Duras wanted one their own in the Chancellor's seat.  It wasn't going to be done by fair vote, no one in the empire saw they had no honor, so House of Duras sought other means.   Subterfuge, and force.  If they succeeded, relations with the Federation would degrade rapidly.:: 

Herrera: You could be right, T'Mihn. That sounds likely, but we can't know for sure until we do some more investigating. I'll be passing this further up the chain, for sure, and I have a feeling Admiral Jaxx's voice will be heard on this too.

Avery: I know it's a long-shot, but I'm sure if we were able to get a look even part of the emitter, just a few components, I'm certain we could analyze the origin of the technology.  :: She paused, wondering how likely it was they would actually be able to evaluate the enemy vessels ... then it struck her. ::  Captain ... that may why we just witnessed a ship self-destruct ...

oO Assuming it did self-destruct ... we still have no idea really, do we? Oo

Herrerra: Response

Pavlova: Incoming transmission from the Romulan station.

:: Avery couldn't help but raise an eyebrow just a touch ... weren't communications an absolute nightmare just minutes ago? ::

Herrera: On speakers. =/\= Research station, this is the Vigilant. =/\=

To'Rul: =/\= Captain, requesting permission to evacuate our wounded to your ship.  The station is on self destruct mode. =/\=

Herrera: =/\= Acknowledged, Senator. Forward us the co-ordinates of your muster points and we'll do everything we can. =/\=

Rulak: =/\=Senator, if I could…=/\=

To'Rul: =/\= Station out. =/\=

oO Sounds like the political problems aren't just going to be ours ... the Romulans even have internal problems. Oo

Pavlova: I’ll have to drop shields to get them.

::If they needed to do that then they'd just have to get creative again. There were people who needed to be rescued.::

T'Mihn: I can work the transporter. I have been thinking how to extract the most in one go the fastest.

Avery: I can align the biometric sensors with transporter control ... it should make it easier to lock on to the Romulan lifesigns.

::Avery caught what appeared to be nod and smile from T'Mihn. She couldn't even put into words how much easier the demands of the battle had been with a veteran presence helping guide these complex procedures. ::

Herrera: Great. Make it happen.

T'Mihn: We can send the transporter beam along the tachyon beam. It should cut down on interference. If I can tie all the transporters on this ship portion to one set of controls it can cut down on error.

Avery: Sensors are aligned and deflector control is now tied into transporter control. If I can do anything else to help, say the word.

T'Mihn:  Excellent, I think this will really work. 

Herrera: Let's dock with the ventral section, then I want you to reroute power from the ventral shield to the dorsal shields. Helm, keep or back to the Andorians and our belly to the station.

Avery: Understood Captain ... systems check shows the docking protocol is functioning normally.

Pavlova: Response

T'Mihn: Either way, Sir. I'm going to pull as many out as possible.

Herrera: Once we've docked with the ventral section, beam them to cargo bay 2 and have security and medical details meet them there.

T'Mihn: Understood.  ::looking at the console.:: The interference is abating, sir. 

::That just raised the odds of success. ::

Pavlova: Security dispatched.  Ventral section in position, channel open

Herrera: On screen.

::The ventral bridge looked a little beaten up, as did Udas, who was at the helm.::

Herrera: =/\= Gentlemen, how's everything holding together? =/\=

Jaxx/Eerie/Udas: =/\= Response =/\=

::There wasn't a huge amount of time for talking, so Diego got cracking with issuing orders.::

Herrera: =/\= We're about to start evacuating Romulans from the station. They just engaged their self destruct over there and I assume they've been boarded. I want to reconnect the dorsal and ventral sections. Udas, are you up to it? =/\=

Udas: =/\= Response =/\=

::Udas looked a little banged up but still chipper.  How does he do it?::

Eerie/Jaxx: =/\= Response =/\=

Herrera: =/\= We need to start the docking process right now. We're matching your course and speed. As soon as you're done, head up to the main bridge. =/\=

Eerie/Jaxx/Udas: =/\= Response =/\=

::The comm closed. The computer would assist them with the docking process; each section of the ship was fitted with microtractors that would assist with getting the ship sections perfectly aligned. Doing it manually would have been a nightmare.::

Rulak:=/\= Commander Rulak to Federation starship Vigilant. =/\=

::Not only was the interference greatly diminished, but people were certainly taking advantage of the renewed ability to communicate. If Rulak was contacting the ship then it had to be important.::

Herrera: =/\= This is Fleet Captain Herrera. Go ahead, Rulak. =/\=

Rulak: =/\=Stand by, Captain. =/\=

:: The sound of the Vigilant's section re-combining, metalic thuds and magnetic couplings, echoed softly over the noises of the bridge.  A quick glance at her console, and Avery was able to tell that both sections of the vessel had performed as designed. ::

Avery: Dorsal and Ventral sections are docked, all systems linked and functional.

oO Good thing, too ... I don't have the slightest idea how we would have overcome a malfunction there. Oo

Herrera: Alright, reroute power to the dorsal shields. Helm, keep our belly to the station. T'Mihn, stand by transporters.

Avery: Copy Sir, shields re-routed to compensate ... :: She checked the readouts for any abnormalities, then happily reported ::  Power grid functioning with only nominal drain.

T'Mihn: On other. 

::Commander Rulak's voice came back onto the comm while the officers were preparing the evacuation.::

Rulak=/\= Please beam aboard a small token of appreciation from me. It is quite old, but I don’t need it any more. =/\=

Herrera: Oot, take care of it.

::The Ensign at mission ops nodded and turned back to his console to execute his orders.::

Oot: It looks like it's a bottle of Romulan ale, Sir.

:: The answer was not what Avery was expecting, though she assumed it must have had significance ... a Romulan was not likely to waste time with a practical joke. ::

Herrera: =/\= Thank you, Commander. We'll hold off the Andorians for as long as we can, but you should get yourself out of here. =/\=

Rulak: =/\=Thank you Captain for everything. My report will reflect your service, to the Romulan empire. if anyone cares to read it. =/\=

:: Going down with his ship, so to speak ... Avery couldn't help but be immediately saddened and impressed, despite her lack of knowledge of the circumstances. ::

Herrera: =/\= Jolan tru, Commander. Herrera out. =/\=

Herrera: Irina, keep up the barrage. Let's make those ships think twice about coming too close.

Pavlova: Captain, torpedoes almost depleted, can’t keep this up much longer.

Herrera: Avery, T'Mihn, let's get this evacuation underway, shall we? Helm, keep a close eye on the station's power core. The minute it looks like it's going to go critical, get us away from it.

:: There was little for Avery to do except mind the systems and prepare to triage any abnormalities ... the hard work now belonged to Lieutenant T'Mihn.  Something told Avery there probably weren't many better options for performing under this kind of pressure. ::

::Nodding, the scientist set to work on the transporter controls that were transferred to the bridge.  Rh'hannsu life signs glittered all over the board.. many if not all were in motion.  The still ones weren't alive.  She caught one that didn't quite look like a Romulan. She tagged it. ::

T'Mihn: I have the station's crew targeted . They are in motion,it will be tricky to get them. Ensign Avery, could you expand the confinement beam just a bit, please.  

:: Avery quickly leaned into the controls, her heart pounding through her ears as she tried not to focus on the consequences and only on the work. ::

Avery: Absolutely ... I've added some auxiliary power to the coils and expanded the beam.

T'Mihn: Thanks.

:: T'Mihn's cool demeanor as she worked was tough for the new Ensign to process ... her skyrocketing heart-rate had so much blood rushing to her own head she worried she might just black out. ::

Herrera: Response

Pavlova: Second Andorian ship disabled, and we’re all out of torpedoes.  Recommend we beam as many Andorians aboard as possible before they destruct this one as well.

T'Mihn: Lieutenant Commander Pavlova, drop shields. Now!  Energizing. 

:: Avery shook her head slightly and forced her self to buckle down.  Now was when she needed to be prepared ... a power loss mid-transport could be disastrous. ::

Pavlova/Herrera: Response

::Slender fingers danced across the board,landing on he triple slider activating the transporter. Vigilant bucked and jerked making the task harder.:: 

::Icons winked off the board by the dozens.  She had to reintegrate and transport in microsecond states else the buffer would over load.:: 

T'Mihn: Hhsss.  :: quiet mutter::  C'Mon,stay still.  

:: With shields down and lives in the balance, Avery decided it was time to take what little action she could.  Her fingers gave a few quick swipes to the console. ::

Avery: I've re-routed power from non-essential systems to the energizing coils and the sensor array ... hopefully it helps to compensate at least a tiny bit.

Pavlova /Herrera: Response 

T'Mihn: Half of of them are aboard, I need another ten seconds. 

oO Ten seconds has never felt so long! Oo

::Vigilant was not cooperating.:: 

T'Mihn: I have them all. Dispatching to medical to cargo bay two.

:: Avery gave a soft sigh and slumped a little in her seat.  The stress was largely lifted from her as she worked back through the Vigilant's systems, resetting power levels and energy distribution back to normal. ::

Herrera /Pavlova: Response 

T'Mihn: Thank you Ensign Avery.  I could not have done this alone. 

:: The compliment was somewhat unexpected to Avery, but she was thrilled to receive it from an officer whose abilities she had been admiring the last few minutes.  She beamed a genuine smile toward T'Mihn before answering. ::

Avery: Of course ... I'm glad I was able to assist.

:: Before there was time to enjoy the moment, a quiet alarm went off on Avery's console.  She looked down to discover the alert was tied to her sensors ... ::

Avery: Reading a massive power shift in the Andorian vessel ... It looks like they're taking every system they have offline ...

Herrera / T'Mihn : Response

Avery: If I had to guess, they're probably going to re-route it to a system that Commander Pavlova disabled.  Possibly warp or ... :: Then it hit her, hard.  Commander Pavlova ... she had already told them exactly what was happening!:: Sir, good chance Commander Pavlova already said it ... they might be re-routing power to utilize some type of self-destruct mechanism!

Herrera: Response

Pavlova / T'Mihn: Response

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Ensign Lyanna Avery

Engineering Officer

USS Vigilant

NCC-75515-A