Disagreement With The Natives

Posted on Wed Sep 21st, 2016 @ 8:00pm by Captain James Warrington & Commander Worth Maxwell VIII & Lieutenant Oswald Goodshire & Lieutenant JG Mallow Darby & Ensign Aria Natinde

Mission: Beyond The Wormhole
Location: Devore Space

* USS Ptolemy *

"Scan complete," The officer at the sensor station reported. "They are in pursuit and....Captain! They are powering up weapons! Photon torpedo incoming!"

Moments later, the ship shuddered slightly as the Devore torpedo made impact.

"Incoming transmission," the comm officer reported. "Putting it on main viewer."

The screen changed and once more, the face of General Coran appeared. "You were warned, Captain Warrington. Trying to run, especially with your damage, is useless and has been taken as an act of aggression. You chose not to comply with our order so you will face the consequences." In an instant, the screen went dark.

Well, the comment about damage was right on, but Darby was doing everything that he could from the engineering console to assign resources in order to get this ship repaired. He attended to his work silently, figuring that it would make more sense to hush up for the time being and simply get the job done.

James frowned visibly irritated. "Why can't people just leave things alone and always have to shoot. Ensign Natinde keep us moving. Lieutenant Goodshire find a way too block their sensors. Markov have the fighters keey a screen between us and them in the debris field and fire back. Disabling shots to weapons only."

The comm beeped and Worth's voice came through it from his place down in the hold. "We have a way through this field that will block them." He paused only briefly. "That is, if you trust the word of our prisoner."

"Well I'm open to options. Let's hear it," the Captain replied.

"Very well, I am transmitting the coordinates to the conn now," Worth replied. "Aria, he said to be careful two hundred meters in, there's going to be some turbulence."

"Yes sir," Aria replied before going back to being silent as she concentrated on manoeuvring the ship and prepared for the anticipated turbulence.

"According to our guest, once we get through that area, we'll enter what he called a swamp, for lack of a better term. It will hinder their sensors and buy us some time. I'll be on the bridge shortly. Maxwell out."

"A nebula most likely then. Anton damage report?" James asked.

Markov flicked through the reports on both the Ptolemy and the sensor data on the Devore fleet. "Our shields are holding with no damage as of yet. Three Devore patrol vessels weapons have been disabled but the remainder of the fleet are continue to fire." As if by way of confirmation the Ptolemy gave a gentle shudder as several most weapons blast impacted the powerful shield.

The bridge doors opened and Worth hurried in, grabbing onto a railing as the ship shuddered. "How close are we to that swamp?" he asked. "Tell me he's not leading us into a worse situation."

"We have cleared the debris field and will reach the 'Swamp' in approximately 75 seconds," Anton reported. "Fighters taking shelter behind us Sir's but the Devore are moving to block our course and we no longer have the field to protect us from their weapons fire."

Worth looked at the screen by his chair and tapped the controls to pull up a chart of the area. "Ensign Natinde, adjust course to heading 847 mark 210. Tactical, when they are in your sights below us, fire." He turned back to Aria them. "Engage."

"Aye Sir," Aria said with a nod of her head as she adjusted the co-ordinates and then engaged them once the new ones were entered.

As the ship rolled over, the barrage of fire from the Devore intensified the audible rumble of weapons fire against the shields constant. Anton let out a salvo of torpedoes from the ventral launchers alongside sweeping phaser barrages. "Ventral shielding down to 53 percent Sir. Many of the Devore ships are taking damage but are persisting. If we continue to fire we risk destroying them."

The Captain thought for a moment before giving instruction. "Continue firing Major. Kill shots will hopefully make their surviving ships back off but go easy."

"Aye Sir," Anton replied unleashing several more critical shots. Very quickly a Devore escort was destroyed with two others crippled forcing their crews to abandon them. Being only minor ships, the Devore answered with renewed volleys. "Ventral shields failing. Bringing on the secondary grid... secondary grid established. Primary shields offline and in recharge. Shields back to 100 percent."

"The swamp is 50 thousand meters straight ahead," Worth informed them. "Cover us enough to get there and floor it Ensign Natinde. We should reach the border in thirty seconds."

Unleashing full barrages from her ventral phaser banks and torpedo turrets the Ptolemy races towards the 'marsh' ahead. With 25km to go Anton ceased firing since there was little need to inflict anymore damage on the already battered Devore fleet with them now having escaped. As the Ptolemy crossed into the threshold the ship was grabbed, like it had entered a powerful current, and her 1400m body was forced down the passage.

************
Commander Worth Maxwell VIII

Captain James Warrington

Ensign Aria Natinde

Lieutenant JG Mallow Darby