Approaching Gamma Crateris

Posted on Fri Jun 14th, 2013 @ 8:43pm by Commander Jonathan Roebuck IV & Lieutenant K`Wor & Commodore Leon `Lee` Pike & Commander Jonathan Coleman & Lieutenant Saith i-Ki Baratan & Ensign David Brody & Commodore Alexandra Harrison

1,476 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 83 - Recovery
Location: Romulan Shuttle
Timeline: Following 'Boarding the Shuttle (Lexington)'

ON:

With everyone aboard the Romulan Shuttle, K'Temoc took the co-pilot's seat, then looked to Matthews. "Let's go."

Coleman took one of the aft seats and put in some of the commands to make sure the ship was nice and warm and ready to go. He wanted this mission to go as quickly and smoothly as humanly possible.

Ensign Brody attempted to take a seat but was surprised at how rigid his Romulan uniform had become. He opted to stand and hold fast to a hanging strap. He looked around the shuttle, nodding confidently to his fellow away team members.

Alex nodded back. She was trying to stay in character as a Romulan while feeling a bit claustrophobic. She couldn't understand how the Romulan women could stand it.

Lee stood behind Alex and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Slade leaned back and spoke in perfect Romulan, "Computer, engage cloaking device and set course for Gamma Crateris construction facility at maximum warp."

After the shuttle went to warp, he leaned forward and double checked the ETA, "79 minutes at current speed."

Lee stood there mentally getting himself ready for this huge mission. He knew things wheren't going to be easy and he planned on being ready for just about everything.

K’Wor looked around, but not at the people, he was looking the Romulan craft over. He made mental notes of the vessel’s tactical systems, which were about on par with a Danube class runabout’s with at weapon’s pod mounted.

Roebuck stood in the back, he’d already lost sight of Commander Lokran. He shook his head a moment and smirked, then started to gaze in the corners, and in a small shadow he saw the Tralazar’s eyes looking back at him, but only for a brief second.

He nodded to R’nard, “Commander.”

K’Temoc watched the sensors, suddenly several ‘blips’ started to appear. It was Gamma Crateris itself, the R&D facility, construction yard, half a dozen shuttles, a Valdor type Warbird, and a ship nearing construction. The vessel was very, very similar to a Valdor type Warbird but with additional shielding, modified engines, and additional housing under the wings for the thalaron weapon. He knew the Lexington’s sensors would be picking up the same thing…and that didn’t take into account any cloaked vessels in the area too.

Ensign Brody observed Captain K'Temoc as he reacted to the sensor readings. A glance at the display showed what the away teams were up against. There was still the matter of what was in store planet side. "Oh, this should be easy," Brody said without trying to hide his sarcasm.

Slade saw K'Temoc looking intently at the sensor results and said, "The sensors are showing you any cloaked Romulan ships as well as anything that isn't cloaked." He paused as he took a closer look at the readout, "That Valdore is cloaked right now." A pause, "Most likely, they'll have two more ships assigned permanent attached duty to this location. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say 2 Mogai class destroyers."

Coleman leaned over and asked, "Why only a Valdore class and two Mogai Class destroyers? Wouldn't you think that something like this would get more attention and more defense from the Romulan Government?"

Brody looked over at Commander Coleman, considering the logic in his question. He considered the secretive nature of the Romulans. "Perhaps, Commander, attention is exactly what they're trying to avoid. Who knows what machinations are in play within the Romulan government?"

Coleman raised an eyebrow before saying, "I guess that's true, especially with the Hobius Incident a few years ago. They don't want anyone to come charging in because of a buildup of Romulan Starships. It would give us more of a reasons to be suspicious, more than we already are."

Saith had said nothing up to this point, she was comfortable and simply standing where she had beamed in. She was, however, watching Slade Matthews. She didn’t trust him, and emotionally she was coiled like a tightly wound spring.

She nodded at the proffered answer by Brody to the question from Coleman, “That would be precisely why. If they act as if nothing important is going on here, no one else would have any reason to think there was. There have always been major splits in the Empire, we don’t actually know which faction is working this project nor whom they support, or perhaps more importantly who supports them.”

She glanced at the readings she could see. “Jolan’tru, Gamma Crateris.” She said quietly, studying them. “The facility looks like a normal R&D facility,” she nodded in Brody’s direction, “the rendering I drew may help us after all.”

"I'll be certain to keep it close," Brody said giving the map another once over.

K’Temoc nodded to Saith, “Good, make sure everyone has a copy on their tricorders.”

K’Wor looked down at the bulky Romulan tricorder, but said nothing, he didn’t want to anger Baratan anymore than he already had.

A few moments passed as the Romulan shuttle neared the planet, then K’Temoc’s panel beeped again. “I’m defiantly reading something in the tertiary EM band, it’s Thalaron. I’m also picking up an active Quantum Slipstream Drive aboard. It’s also armed with twelve type-7 plasma torpedo launchers and seventeen type-18 disruptor banks, wait….something else…that ship is also armed with Son’a Isolytic charges!”

“Subspace weapons?” K’Wor said aloud.

“It’s not the predator a Scimitar is, but she’s faster, and poses a major threat with the isolytic charges, not to mention it’s other weapons and the thalaron weapon.” K’Temoc replied. “Matthews, take us in.”

Slade turned around, "Everyone must remain calm, this must seem as though it is nothing out of the ordinary." He entered a command on the console that dropped the shuttle out of its cloak, standard procedure and opened a second later, they were hailed. Matthews activate the comm and the face of a very stern looking Subcommander was on the center of the screen.

"I am Subcommander Erevek and you have neared a restricted facaility, identify yourself."

Slade put on an indignant tone and responded in Romulan, "I am Commander Tr'Salek of Imperial Intelligence." A pause as he entered some commands on the console in front of him. "You are receiving my credentials right now. I suggest you look at them before continuing."

Commands could be heard being entered into his console and then his face took on a more relaxed expression, "Commander. Welcome to our facility. If I may ask, since this station is highly classified and restricted, why are you here?"

"Some of my staff are specialists in engineering and tactical systems and one has a focus in Quantum Field modulations, which is something that has been causing you some problems, if I am not mistaken."

The man nodded, "Yes, it is. Shuttle bay 2 is prepared to receive your shuttle, Commander."

Slade nodded, "Acknowledged, Subcommander." He moved the shuttle to the bay and docked, looked at K'Temoc and said, "Well, time to get the show on the road, I suppose."

Coleman got the command codes ready to put into the new ship's computer. He wanted to make sure that if all else were to fail, that ship wouldn't be able to reach its destination and would end up coming out of Quantum Slipstream without any suspicion beside a glitch in the computer systems. Coleman said, "Ready on my end."

K'Temoc glanced at the codes one more time, and seeing his changed were still there, he looked back at the view as the shuttle started to touch down.

Brody conducted a final head count. He knew exactly how many we're involved in the mission, but it helped to keep him focused. "This goes without saying, but be safe everyone."

"Aye Sir!" K'Wor said aloud with a smirk.

Once the shuttle was secured, the door started to open, K'Temoc gave one last reminder. "Thirty minutes, in and out. Security, get to the Remans, be ready to beam aboard the shuttle, don't try to move them through the corridors. Remember, you'll have a friend in the shadows." He glanced at Lokran. "SpecOps. Coleman, Engineering, get the code uploaded and get back here. Lee, Alex, the Bridge. Get any intel you can...the ship's targets, who's in command, anything you can, then get back here. Matthews, you know your job. Let's go."

Matthews lead the way out, followed by K'Temoc, then everyone else. The SpecOps team headed for the Romulan attack ship while Roebuck, Baratan, Brody, K'Wor, and Lokran...who was in the shadows and unseen...headed to the R&D area to find the Reman Scientist, Erurax, and his small staff.

OFF: TBC

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