[Blaster]

USS Ares
Deck 1 - Bridge.

Tess was unsure what to do. She didn't know whether to follow the Captain, or do something else. She chose to go down to her quarters.

She entered the turbolift.

USS Ares
Tess's Quarters.

Tess entered and looked around. Her eyes went to a PADD lying on her table.

She turned the PADD on, and saw it was from her parents.

"Dammit. I didn't have the time......." she muttered to herself.

Then she read the last bit of the text.

"Oh no...... this isn't good...." she said.

Then she heard the sound of someone hitting their fist on the door.

"Enter" Tess called out.

A crewman entered.

"Ma'am, I am specialist Bekos. Lieutenant Commander Biiq's congratulates you on the mission, but he needs you in CIC, for the rescue mission." He said.

"Sure. Lead the way." Tess said.

They walked down the corridor to the turbolift.

USS Ares
Deck 15 - CIC.

Tess walked in, while the specialist went off, she walked over to the Lt Commander and asked, "What do you need sir?"

[LogicalLeopard]

Dorvan V

Deck 15 - CIC.

Tess walked in, while the specialist went off, she walked over to the Lt Commander and asked, "What do you need sir?"

USS Ares

Deck 15 - Combat Information Center




“Ah, Lieutenant Tess, thank you for coming. How did everything go planetside?”


((Tag: Blaster))


“I’m sorry to hear you weren’t able to rescue the stranded crew, but it appears they’re alive, at any rate. Did the Captain or Commander R’Turan mention any rescue plans?

((Tag: Blaster))


“Hmm. I will confer with them. Our forces are stretched, with guarding the settlement and the operations currently underway, and the kelbonite makes things difficult. Hopefully we can resolve some of our other issues quickly. Which brings me to why you're here. I want to move forward with the assault on the mountain stronghold. We have a small team in the cavern system, and if we move quickly, we can maintain the advantage of surprise. What we need is a diversion. If you can take a three vessel wing of fighters to cause a diversion, my people can ambush the few guards within the caves and draw the hostages further into the system for protection. The plan is to have your fighters circle the barracks for a short time, and take a few ranging shots with the phasers, as if the kelbonite was interfering with your targeting equipment. We're going to land a runabout nearby as well, so that the Nausicaans will expect a frontal assault after you've softened up the barracks. This will hopefully give us enough of a distraction to move those hostages out. It is still night on that side of the planet, and I'd like to begin the operation within the hour." He added with a smile, "I know you just returned, but are you and your best people up for the task?"

((Tag: Blaster))

[Blaster]

USS Ares
Deck 15 - CIC.

"The mission went well, we got a prisoner atleast. But we were unable to find the crew of the shuttle." Tess said.

"The Captain and Commander mentioned the plans being moved forward, but thats all I remember." She replied

"I believe the pilots should be ready when needed sir" She said. "If thats all, may I be dismissed?"

((TAG: Biiqs ))

[LogicalLeopard]

Dorvan V
Deck 15 - CIC.

"The mission went well, we got a prisoner atleast. But we were unable to find the crew of the shuttle." Tess said.

"The Captain and Commander mentioned the plans being moved forward, but thats all I remember." She replied

"I believe the pilots should be ready when needed sir" She said. "If thats all, may I be dismissed?"

((TAG: Biiqs ))

"Yes, of course. No doubt you have a lot to prepare for. I will contact you shortly."

[Asteropax]

USS Ares
Deck 19

“So, Max is working on a dispersion system for the anesthetic gas in here?” Captain Teriir asked as he and Commander R’Turan approached Cargo Bay 3.

“Yes, sir,” R’Turan replied as he opened the door, “He felt a cargo bay would be the best area to test the system as it’s spacious and separated from the ship. In case something goes wrong.”

Teriir nodded back, “Very good.”

- I was wondering when you guys would show up. We're almost ready to test the system.

“Almost was several hours ago,” R’Turan sternly answered.

-I am sorry that I couldn't get this done sooner. Damned cargo bay was packed full of random crap. It felt like a friggin' junk drawer!!

“Lieutenant,” the Captain shot him a quick look and moved towards the equipment set up in the center of the hold, “Don’t blame the crew who placed everything in here as requested by the Engineers for the problems with your homemade lab. You have your organizational system, they have theirs.”

-Yeah, I completely understand. I'll try to do better.

Eyeballing the equipment, Teriir took note of its simplicity. Nothing fancy, just what was needed to hold and disperse an anesthetic gas through a series of hoses. He blinked as Max shouted out to everyone.

- EVERYONE, CLEAR OUT! I'M GOING TO RUN AN ACTIVE TEST OF THE SYSTEM!

“An active test of the system?” he asked in confusion, “This does work, right? And the anesthetic isn’t a new formula?”

He was cut off from further questioning by a wave of Max’s hand.

- Who better to run the system on than me?

Shrugging, Teriir stepped back, “I suppose it needs a test before deploying. Still; do you need to be in here when working that equipment?”

Max walked over to a small crate & pulled out a foam pad, an a rather fluffy pillow.
- I know what I'm doing.....sometimes.

He gave the captain a joking wink.

The Captain closed his eyes and whipped his hand around to signal everyone in the cargo hold to hurry along, “Very well, just don’t start passing this along as a way for officers to fall asleep on duty.”

With that he joined the other officers and crew members outside the cargo hold. Shifting his stance, he could feel an energy in the air from the junior officers. He thought back to his own feelings when he first worked alongside a Captain and the excitement he felt. There wasn’t time to dwell on those memories as there were too many events shifting through his mind. The realization of a traitor on board, the conversation he held with Gul Enok, stepping on board the Lakota, and now the recent capture of the Orion -

“The Orion,” he murmured as a thought jumped into his head. Where as Nausicaans were gruff and brutish who wouldn’t know diplomacy if it struck them in the face, Orions were a different story altogether. They were excellent at deception, more than capable of giving a Romulan a run for their money, but were much more reasonable. Perhaps it was time they tried something else to figure out the source of their recent problems.

“What?” R’Turan grunted next to him.

“I’ve got an idea. Finish up here with Lieutenant Storm,” he instructed his First Officer. He quickly looked over to the junior officers and made eye contact with a young woman with black irises. He took a step towards her and commented quietly but orderly, “Have you had much practice with your telepathic abilities, Crewman?”

“Kala Ivaar. Yes, I have, Captain,” she answered as she fell into line with him, “What do you need me to do?”

“I’ll explain once we're where we need to be,” he informed her as they approached the turbolift.

USS Ares
Deck 4 - Security Complex

As Teriir finished explaining his plan, Nurse Mell White burst out laughing. He looked in her direction and raised an eyebrow, “What’s so funny?”

“Ahem, sorry,” she snickered and straightened herself out, “I just think it’s nuts that you’re going in with an Orion woman for a one on one conversation . . . bringing in snacks, a drink, a comb, and a mirror.”

“I too agree,” Val’iir, a Vulcan Ensign who stepped over to be on guard duty stated, “Your plan calls for us to watch and observe. Although having a telepath around to detect and alert us if she’s using her pheromones is logical, there is a 12.6% chance we won’t detect a change within an acceptable amount of time. Even with the presence of someone immune to the pheromones to stop her from taking control of you for awhile.”

“There is still a high chance of success!” Crewman Ivaar pointed out.

“Not high enough to merit risking exposing the Captain to her influence,” the Ensign responded.

“It’s a risk we’re going to have to take. She's going to be cautious just knowing a ship's Captain is speaking to her anyway and we can use that to our advantage,” Teriir sighed and stepped over to the shaded window. The Orion woman couldn’t see out, but they could see in, “Something isn’t right about all of this. For starters, Orions leave the fighting to their men while the women stay in safe locations to help direct their people’s efforts or infiltrate targets with their natural charm. I know it’s stereotypical, but I have fought the Syndicate on two dozen different occasions on the ground and don’t recall ever facing an Orion woman on solid ground. Why would she be on the ‘front lines’ in a combat zone?”

“Second is your medical report, Mell. Beyond the leg wound she was brought in with, she’s sustained numerous other injuries which were all caused within the past several weeks. It’s good that you treated them, although I wish we knew what caused them. I have a hunch the Nausicaans had something to do with your findings.”

“Okay, let’s say you’re right,” Mell commented as she joined him at the window, “Why would the Nausicaans hurt her? It wouldn’t do their business with the Orions much good.”

“Perhaps my conversation with her will be enlightening to all of this,” he replied. Taking a breath he moved over to the nearby replicator to synthesize what he was needing, “Like it or not, we have too many questions that need answers and right now she’s our best bet. I’m going to just hope that the presence of someone with authority and some comforts are enough to persuade her to start talking. Besides, I have a few trick cards up my sleeve. I just need all of you to watch my back.”

“I can see your mind has been made,” she shook her head in acceptance, “But I still don’t like it.”

((TAG: R’Turan, Storm))

[Blaster]

USS Ares
Deck 15 - CIC.

"I'll be going, then" Tess said with a salute before leaving.

USS Ares
Hangar Bay.

"A'pel." Tess said.

"Yes Ma'am?" The Vulcan CPO replied.

"Is Ensign Jake around?" She asked.

"No Ma'am, he left a few minutes ago." She said.

"Well, get work on Fighters 1, 2 and 3 to make them flight ready. " Tess said.

"Yes Ma'am. We'll get right on it." A'Pel said before hurrying off.

Tess decided to go interrogate the Orion, see what she could get. She went back to the turbolift.

USS Ares
Deck 4 - Security Complex

Tess walked in, and walked over to the Orion's cell. Only to see the Captain and a few junior Officers there.

"Hello Captain... your going to interrogate the Orion?" Tess said.

((TAG: Asteropax ))

[Asteropax]

USS Ares
Deck 4 - Security Complex

"Hello Captain... your going to interrogate the Orion?" Tess said.

“Hello, Lieutenant. I’m going to start in a moment,” Captain Teriir had just finished setting up the small tray he was intending on taking in with him when the Pilot entered and he turned to acknowledge her presence. He noticed the curious expression on her face at the tray with a variety of fruit, “Consider it a peace offering. I heard Orion women have large appetites.”

With that he stepped inside. The Orion looked up at him as he appeared with eyes burning with an angry stubbornness. Unfazed, he stepped over to the table she was seated at and sat opposite her before sliding the tray her way. She looked at it suspiciously, clearly caught off guard by the gesture. He tilted his head her way to tell her to go ahead, “I’m guessing you haven’t eaten in a while. You must be hungry.”

“Don’t think for a minute I don’t know what you’re after,” she huffed at him while eyeing a small bowl of orange slices, “Men always think about the same thing.”

“I’m spoken for already,” he grinned, knowing exactly what she was referring to. He briefly thought about the first time he’d seen an Orion woman and how he’d been taken aback by the rather scant clothing. He eventually accepted it as their way and was able to keep himself focused whenever he encountered them. Teriir turned his gaze from the room and to the room, directing her attention to the ship, “She’s quite impressive isn’t she?”

“I heard Federation Captains were rumored to fall in love with their ships,” the Orion shook her head in amusement when she realized where his comment was directed. After choosing an apple, she flipped her hair back and gave him a sultry smile, “It’s almost a shame to hear it’s true; you don’t know what you’re missing.”

“I’m guessing you know who I am already,” he stated, ignoring the statement.

“And all business too,” she grinned, “Very well. I’ll . . . amuse you. I overheard from some of the Nausicaan Troops that you’re Captain Teriir. My name is Therta.”

“Therta,” he repeated, “A pleasure. I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.”

“Why should I answer them?” she responded upon finishing the apple, moving on to a pear.

“Because I think you would really like to avoid unpleasantries,” he replied matter-of-factly.

Therta burst out laughing at his statement, “Unpleasantries? I’ve been putting up with a whole troop of Nausicaans for several weeks now. I can handle anything you throw at me.”

“That would explain the injuries my medical staff found you’d received,” he grunted, “Let me guess; you didn’t dance long enough for them?”

“Nope,” she shook her head with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

“How about a different question,” he commented slowly as he leaned back, thinking about something more to the point, “Why are your people here? Or how about, how many Nausicaans were in the base you were sent from when we captured you?”

“Oh, millions,” she answered while starting up on the orange slices, “We’re really enjoying helping them out down there!”

“I see,” he said softly as he leaned forward, “Playing hard to get?”

She leaned in close enough for him to feel her breath on his face, “Maybe you should wind down a little?”

“I think not,” Teriir sat up straight and observed as she grabbed another piece of fruit, “How is everything?”

“Oh, great!” Therta responded with a broad smile, “If there’s anything going for the Federation, it’s that you at least know how to provide excellent hospitality!”

Now it was his turn to smile, “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. However, you won’t be staying with us for too long. Our relationship with the Cardassians means that anyone we capture during missions has their fate decided by them. Those who commit acts of piracy on their colonies are taken into Federation custody and sentenced to one of our facilities. On planets that are independent, like Dorvan V, but lay within their territory, have their fate decided by the Cardassian people. This means you’ll eventually get transferred to a Cardassian facility when we’re done here.”

He paused when he noticed the look of horror that came across her face as soon as he finished his last sentence. He nodded nonchalantly, knowing he had her full, undivided attention, “Yes, you’re currently in Federation custody, but you are actually a prisoner of the Cardassian Union.”

She swallowed her current mouthful of food nervously, “Y-You mean . . . the Federation . . .”

“All we’re doing here is the police work,” he explained, “Everything else, the judge and jury, is done by them.”

“No . . .” she whispered fearfully, "Judge, jury, and executioner.

“Don’t be afraid. The Cardassians aren’t the same people they were ten years ago; They’ll treat you fairly,” he waved his hand reassuringly as he got up to leave, “Enjoy your meal.”

“Wait!” she shouted at him, her voice brimming with panic, “Please! I spent a whole year during the War in one of their prisons while I was a teenager! Don’t take me to one of their prisons!”

He replied gently, “I’ve witnessed firsthand what they once did to prisoners. Although conditions are much better now, they’re barely able to feed their own people, let alone inmates. The Federation and Starfleet are trying our best to assist them until they can get back on their feet, but have had countless run ins with pirates, like your people, preventing us from doing so. If you help us by providing intelligence on the Nausicaans and your people here, I may be persuaded to send you to a Federation facility with mention of your cooperation.”

Therta remained silent but nodded several times to indicate her acceptance of his offer. She nudged the tray away from her place at the table, a sign she'd lost her appetite, and made eye contact with him. When Teriir sat back down, she spoke up again, “What do you want to know?”

((TAG: Tess))

[Blaster]

[color="#99CCFF"]USS Ares/color]
Deck 4 - Security Complex

Tess stood there, listening to the Captain and Orion speak, intrigued, with one eyebrow raised.

"This is illogical. The last thing we need is the Captain under Orion control" Tess said.

Crewman Ivaar looked at her oddly.

"Its quite clearly working LT. I don't see what the issue is." She said.

"For now, but what if the Orion decides it wants to escape. What then? If she got the captain under control without us realising, she could blow the ship up" Tess said.

"Thats why I'm here. To make sure it doesn't happen." The crewman responded.

Tess was intrigued. And went back to listening to the Captain and Orion.

[Asteropax]

USS Ares
Deck 4 - Security Complex

Captain Teriir pondered the situation before asking anything. There were plenty of questions he could ask Therta but he needed to make sure he didn’t press too hard on any one topic, otherwise, she may become uncooperative. He looked over to where she sat and could tell she was now very wary of him. He took a small breath so he could think straight, “You were found near the remains of one of our shuttles. We know they were shot down but I want to know where your unit came from.”

“We were dispatched from the mountains,” she responded shakily, “We got word of a shuttle moving away from the main village so the Nausicaans’ leader sent us to, um . . .”

“Shoot them down,” he finished when she stalled, “Hopefully to take on some Starfleet Officers as prisoners to make us withdraw.”

“Something like that,” Therta nodded, rubbing her arm as she spoke. She looked ashamed of her action, as though she were regretting what happened, “I was on the second team to investigate the crash site; the first team was killed when it exploded. One of them got back a report and said . . . one of yours was . . . the pilot didn’t survive the crash and the others weren’t there.”

Teriir’s shoulders sagged at the news. From the members he’d been informed were among the now missing officers, he knew only Specialist Amita Patel was a qualified pilot. He clenched one hand together then released. He didn’t have time to worry about the news as he needed to stay focused on what he was doing in the here and now, “Why were you on the second search team?”

“It’s a long story,” she muttered, “But I’ll try to keep it brief. When we first got word that Starfleet was sending a ship here with industrial replicators, my leaders felt they were ours for the taking. I told them they were insane for considering taking on a Sovereign class starship and got sold to the Nausicaans for my trouble. They informed the Nausicaans that I was problematic and to treat me like a new recruit. I . . . I practically became an outcast.”

“Instead of the more respected position of a slave girl, you were a soldier,” he clarified Therta’s statement to himself and the officers who were behind the shaded window, “Separated from your fellow Orions and disdained by the Nausicaans.”

“Yes, and all because I was right,” she agreed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if your ship is the one that destroyed ours. My leaders gave me to the Nausicaans so they could get a couple of shuttles and leave the system before you got here. They took a few weapons with them and left me along with fifteen others behind. I was the only one who actually had access to anything before getting sold; the others willingly joined in before everything happened to serve as their entertainment.”

“That’s quite a few Orions all serving one group,” he commented, “A lot more than I would’ve expected for about a couple dozen Nausicaans who would be on - what’s so funny?”

Therta started snickering when he brought up the troop count of the Nausicaans, letting him ask about the weapons before answering, “Oh, there’s more like three hundred Nausicaans down on the surface.”

“What?” he let his alarm slip into his voice as his mind slipped into overdrive. The Nausicaan he’d talked to earlier said there were only a few dozen troops under his leader’s command, “Go on, please.”

“Ah uh,” she lifted a finger, signaling she had something to say unrelated to the Nausicaans, “Seeing that I know something you want, I say we make a deal.”

“I already made a deal with you not to turn you over to the Cardassians,” he reminded her firmly.

“Well . . .” she leaned her head to one side playfully and paused long enough for him to fear she was going to tell him it wasn’t enough. She reached down and grabbed the comb and mirror, beginning to neaten her hair, “Okay, but only because you brought me some presents.”

“There are 3 War Party Leaders in total; Grakan, Xaagz, and Naechk, with the latter being the one in charge. Grakan is a bit of a strategist, which is rather odd for a Nausicaan. He’s the one who I was gifted to and the one who shot down your shuttle. Xaagz is the watchdog of Naechk and will do anything he is ordered. Naechk himself has become a very powerful leader, one who is ambitious and intimidating. His crew found the remains of a Dominion battleship in the mountains, close to where the Stronghold is located. He’s in the process of retrofitting a Destroyer he managed to land on the surface with its technology.”

Teriir listened quietly as she told him all of this. The Raiders the Ares fought off earlier must’ve been waiting their turn to receive a similar upgrade, with the ground troops being denied Dominion weaponry to keep everything a secret. The hostages had likely been taken to mine raw resources to either trade with the Syndicate for tools or construct into materials needed for the retrofit. Rising to his feet, he nodded in gratitude to Therta, “Thank you for your cooperation.”

“You’re welcome,” Therta smiled back as he moved to the door, “Feel free to send some of your crew my way if they’d like some R&R!”

Ignoring the suggestion, he exited the room and looked over to Lieutenant Tess, “I want you and Commander Biiqs to get ready to start the rescue mission as planned but await a signal from the Ares. We need to locate and disable the Destroyer so you aren’t facing off with a ship when trying to create a diversion for the base itself. I don’t know how they managed to hide an entire ship from our sensors but we’ll piece it together as fast as we can.”

“CREWMAN IVAR!!!” a loud shout made him and the other officers turn around. Ensign Barron was shouting at the crewmember, “You’re overdue in Cargo Bay 2 for an inspection of the containers by 2 hours!”

“S-S-Sorry, sir!” Kala Ivar stammered with a nervous glance to Teriir, “I-I was called away by our -”

“You realize you face disciplinary action for your inaction!” Barron cut her off, “Now get down there . . . oh.”

Captain Teriir stepped forward and stood over the Ensign, “Find someone else to assist you. She was helping Lieutenant Storm in Cargo Bay 3 earlier and now with me here.”

“Aye, sir,” the Ensign grunted as he walked out.

“Okay, that was plain rude,” Nurse Mell remarked angrily after Barron left.

“Permission to speak freely, Captain?” Kala requested, looking up at him.

He dipped his head and said gently, “Granted.”

“Ensign Barron behaves like that all the time around those of us who’ve been in Cargo Bay 2. He pretty much bullies anyone who has a lower rank than him into doing their assignments, as you saw there. I’m no Morale Officer, but none of us who’ve worked with him want anything to do with him because of how . . . heartless he is.”

“I understand,” Teriir answered, “Go ahead and take some time in your quarters for a while. I’ll have a word with Ensign Barron about his actions after we’ve completed the rescue mission.”

“Thank you!” Kala breathed with relief as she departed.

“Ensign Val’iir, please take Therta back to her cell,” the Captain addressed the Vulcan officer and then turned to the Nurse, “You’d better get to sickbay and help get ready to receive the hostages; there’s no telling exactly when we’ll begin.”

“Understood,” Mell replied as she left. Teriir walked out a moment later and began hurrying over to the bridge as there was much to do and no time.

(( TAG: Tess, Biiqs ))

[Blaster]

USS Ares
Deck 4 - Security Complex

Tess was fascinated. She had never seen an Ensign treat his fellow officers with such disrespect.... she wondered what was going on. She decided to have a look at Cargo Bay 2 for herself, having been there on only one occasion.

She moved towards the turbolift.

USS Ares
Cargo Bay Two

Tess entered the Cargo Bay and saw no Ensign Barron, which was probably a good thing.

She walked over to a Crewman.

"What sort of items are stored here?" She asked.

"W-well... W-we have replicators, medical supplies, tools, equipment. T-things like that." They replied.

"How does the Ensign treat you?" Tess asked, intrigued.

"He shouts at us all the time for minor mistakes, and never lets anyone else near the replicators" They said.

"Fascinating" Tess said, walking away.

Tess took out her tricorder and scanned the replicators. Normal enough, but logic told her the Ensign was hiding something.

Tess had her suspicions, but needed more evidence then a few replicators. Tess decided to go and see the Orion.

Dorvan V
Nausicaan Weapon Platform

Grakan wasn't in a good mood. In fact that was an understatement, he was furious.

He had lost FIVE teams to the Federation. To make matters worse since the pilot died they hadn't killed a single Federation Officer.

The thing he was even madder at was the fact that his Orion soldier had been taken. Grakan respected courage, and anyone that could stand up to the Syndicates leaders would be useful.

"LIEUTENANT!" Grakan shouted.

"Yes sir?" the Lt replied.

"How many Fighter squadrons do we have left?" Grakan said.

"Five sir," The Lt replied.

"Send out three of those squads and attack that ship from all sides. I don't care if you have to get to the brig room by room, just get that Orion back and destroy that SHIP!" He said.

"And the other two sir?" The Lt asked.

"Keep them in reserve, the Contact told us the Federation was planning something. We will crush them!" Grakan said.

The Lt hurried away. Grakan looked out to see 15 fighters heading to the Sovereign Class Starships location.

[LogicalLeopard]

USS Ares
Deck 15 - Combat Information Center





"Thats the first welcome news we've had in a while, Lieutenant," remarked Biiqs. Word of the captain's orders helped to bleed some of the strain from his face, which gave way to a smile. "Those two fire teams may have a chance of catching up to the advance party if we delay the rescue mission."

Biiqs pointed at a map on a display panel. Icons displaying the reinforcements were steadily making their way through the forest. They were traveling on foot as not to alert the Nausicaans.

Although they had the advantage of surprise, and great cover provided by the mining equipment, Biiqs was reluctant to send Ensign Malin and his small party in against the Nausicaans alone. There were dozens of things that could go wrong. He trusted Chief Tran implicitly, but Brag Malin, as competent as he was technically, was an unknown quantity. Nothing in his file suggested that he had been exposed to similar operations.


"They're making good time, according to the projections," replied Lt. Azure King. "At that rate, they will be able to not only cover their retreat, but initiate the rescue shortly after nightfall."


"Good...I'll send a message to Brag to let him know that help is on th--"

"Fighters incoming, sir," bleated a voice from the other side of the CIC. Biiqs turned to the Saurian sensor operator in puzzlement.

"What do you mean? All our fighters are aboard, aren't they?"

"Not ours, sir. Nausicaan fighters. "I'm showing twelve, no, fifteen inbound." As he spoke, crimson lights began to strobe and the alert klaxons sounded.

Biiqs ran for the nearest turbolift to the bridge.

(((Tag: Blaster, Teriir)))

[Asteropax]

USS Ares
Bridge

"I have no clue how we missed that," Lieutenant Kenny told Captain Teriir as she began running scans of the planet's surface near the mountain base.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant," he answered as he watched her work. As soon as he got to the bridge, he informed the officers up their new situation. Everyone was surprised by the news of the crashed Dominion Battleship and that there was a Nausicaan Destroyer getting refitted with its remains. Looking to the viewscreen, which now displayed the mountains, he explained further, "We had no idea what we were looking for and would likely have dismissed the ship as a metal deposit just below the surface."

"Aye," the Helmsman, a Benzite named Jedur, commented from his station, "If it helps, I heard it was possible to conceal ships with cloaking devices on a planet's surface. It isn't very effective though as there is a visual disturbance in the nearby terrain."

"I haven't heard of anyone trying that before," Teriir remarked out of curiosity.

Jedur turned around in his chair to converse better, "My previous posting aboard the Farragut included a hunt for a missing cloaking device from a Bird of Prey. We found it later when we noticed a large mirage on the ground of the planet we were visiting. Some Ferengi thought it was a great way to conceal their operations in the sector."

"And I've got some trees covering up a metal deposit that's somewhat shaped like a half-moon here," Kenny stated triumphantly as the viewscreen zoomed in on a section of the planet. She was right. A bunch of trees were crossing over and through each other, not moving at all in the wind, "I'm betting it's a hologram to prevent us from seeing anything underneath it."

"Can you confirm it by cross referencing the database for known Nausicaan ship designs to the metal deposit you're seeing?" Lt. Junior Grade Eleutherio suggested from nearby.

"Let's see," the Tactical Officer commented with a frown. Several Nausicaan ships images began overlapping the spot they were checking. The instant a Destroyer came up, she stopped, "Bingo!"

"Alright," Teriir smiled as he walked over to his chair and activated the communications section, "All pilots to your stations, all pilots to your stations. We're about to commence the rescue mission."

"What's the plan with the Destroyer, Sir?" Kenny asked excitedly.

"Get ready to fire phasers in a precision strike," he answered, "We'll disable the ship before it can take off and interfere with the -"

"Captain, there are fighters out there already," Lieutenant Nagi called over to him in confusion.

"That's impossible, our fighters are still on board," Eleutherio stated from the science station. He paused in realization, "Unless."

"Nausican fighters!" Kenny finished, "Fifteen ships, on an intercept course from the direction of the Island Base. Tactical analysis suggests they're all equipped with polaron weapons!"

"All hands to battlestations!" Captain Teriir ordered, the red alert klaxons blaring a moment later.

"The fighters are now holding position," the Tactical Officer stated, "Although they're in an attack formation, they aren't advancing."

"Why would they do that?" Nagi wondered from his Ops station, "They had us by surprise, why would they wait for us to make the first move."

"The three Nausicaan War Party Leaders must be having an argument about how to proceed," Teriir grinned, "Who knows? One of them may have ordered this attack without telling the others. Regardless, we need to be ready."

The turbolifts opened and Commander Biiqs stepped out. Lieutenant Kenny moved over to the secondary Tactical station so the Senior Officer could take his post. Teriir nodded a quick greeting but turned when he heard Lieutenant Eleuthiro speak.

"We're outnumbered 2 to 1 here and those polaron weapons will do a fair amount of damage. I don't know how long our shields will hold out against that type of firepower or the numbers, with our without our own fighters. Not to mention the chance we may have a Destroyer and other fighters join the fight too."

"Don't forget," Teriir said reassuringly, "We've had years to study Dominion weaponry and advance our shields to counter them. They're no more effective now than any other weapon. Also, the fighters were never designed to carry such heavy weaponry into battle, thus they won't be anywhere near as effective as they could be. My previous posting was aboard an Akira Class starship, thus I know a few things about fighter tactics."

"Oh?" the Lieutenant asked curiously.

"Such as; how to disperse an entire formation of incoming fighters," he stated as he looked over to Commander Biiqs, "Get ready to fire a spread of torpedoes with proximity detonators. They don't need to hit, we just need the Nausicaans to scatter at the incoming volley of 'flack torpedoes' so our fighters can outmaneuver them and our phasers to pick them off."

(( TAG: Biiqs ))

Teiir entered into the communications again, "All hands, we're about to come under attack from a formation of Nausicaan fighters. Standby to engage the enemy!"

(( TAG: Everyone ))

[Blaster]

USS Ares
Cargo Bay 2

Tess entered the turbolift just as the alarms sounded.

She sighed to herself, knowing the Orion would have to wait.

She pressed her commbadge.

"A'pel?" Tess said.

"Yes Ma'am?" Came the reply.

"Can you get all the fighters ready as quickly as possible. We may need them" She said.

"Copy that Ma'am." Said A'pel

Tess decided to head to the bridge.

USS Ares
Deck 1 - bridge

Tess entered the bridge and moved over to the Captains chair.

"Nausicaans?" Tess said.

((TAG: Asteropax))

Nausicaan Fighter
Nausicaan Fighter Squad One - Leader

Lieutenant Gakala was not in a good mood. Commander Grakan had ordered an attack on the ship, and now he had two of the War Leaders yelling at him to ask what the hell he was doing.

Grakan and the other leaders had been arguing for several minutes now, before they even had a chance to take the ship by surprise.

Then they got the orders.

"This is Grakan, all fighters, spread out your formation, attack from the front, port and starboard sides. Make as many passes as needed, but try to stay out of range of tractor beams and avoid torpedoes. DO NOT break formation.

"Copy that sir. All fighters! BEGIN ATTACK!" Yelled the Lt.

[LogicalLeopard]

USS Ares
Bridge

"Such as; how to disperse an entire formation of incoming fighters," he stated as he looked over to Commander Biiqs, "Get ready to fire a spread of torpedoes with proximity detonators. They don't need to hit, we just need the Nausicaans to scatter at the incoming volley of 'flack torpedoes' so our fighters can outmaneuver them and our phasers to pick them off."

(( TAG: Biiqs ))

Teiir entered into the communications again, "All hands, we're about to come under attack from a formation of Nausicaan fighters. Standby to engage the enemy!"

(( TAG: Everyone ))

USS Ares
Deck 1 - Bridge





Biiqs strode quickly to his station, returning the captain's nod and flashing a quick smile across the Bridge to Lt. Kenney. Examining the instruments, he saw that Kenney had left everything well prepared. "Aye, sir, " he said evenly, responding to the captain. A few more commands set the proximity fuses on the torpedoes.

"Shields at full strength, and torpedoes ready to fire on your mark, sir..." As if talking to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear, he added, "Nausicaans with phased polaron weapons, hidden destroyers....what's the next surprise, Pakleds with bat'leths?"

As he spoke, he pulled up a display to monitor the communications traffic within the Nausicaan "formation," looking to see if he could identify where the raid leader or leaders were, in order to aim the heart of the spread in that direction for maximum confusion
(((Tag: Teriir, Everyone)))

[Asteropax]

USS Ares
Bridge

"Shields at full strength, and torpedoes ready to fire on your mark, sir..." As if talking to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear, he added, "Nausicaans with phased polaron weapons, hidden destroyers....what's the next surprise, Pakleds with bat'leths?"

"How about a Romulan offering hugs?" Lieutenant Kenny teased from her station.

Captain Teriir grinned as he heard someone trying to stifle a laugh. Although they were in a serious situation, he was pleased morale was high enough for them to share friendly banter. Hearing the turbolift open, he looked over to see R'Turan and Storm join them. His eyes widdened as Lieutenant Tess also stepping off a turbolift.

Tess entered the bridge and moved over to the Captains chair.

"Nausicaans?" Tess said.

"Nausicaans. Fifteen fighters all holding position nearby," he stated, hiding his surprise she wasn't racing over to join her squadron in during the emergency, "We better get you over to your squadron. Initiate a site to site transport directly to the fighter bay. After launching, stay close to the Ares so we can shield you from their initial attack."

(( TAG: Blaster ))

With this done, Teriir focused on the tactical analysis now being shown on the small screen on his chair. The enemy fighters had assumed a trio of wall formations; five fighters each in staggered lines above and below a common center. They weren't lined up next to each other in a long row and were instead stacked up. Two of the formations were slightly ahead of the third to resemble a reversed V formation. As much as he wished to move on with his life as an explorer, he couldn't deny how much his experience in combat taught him. It was his duty to pass the knowledge on to the others as he knew exactly what options the Nausicaans were considering.

"The Nausicaans are divided into three squadrons of five, with the formation in the rear being the lead squadron. Based on how they're positioned, they have no clue we have fighters and are considering two methods of attack. The first one is that they remain in their current formation, as it is set up to allow all of their ships to fire in a single direction all at once to maximize the damage they can deal to a single section of our shields. The other is that they'll do the worst thing possible and split off into squadrons to make attack runs on our bow, port, and starboard sides in an attempt to overwhelm us with their numbers. We need to be ready for both."

Turning to the tactical stations, he continued, "If they attack us in their current formation, we'll need additional salvos of torpedoes with proximity detonation fuses on both our forward and aft torpedo launchers. The enemy fighters may not break off from their attack formation straight away due to the offense it provides them and fly past us to attack our rear. We can transfer shields forward to tank their attack and our fighters can engage them when they expose their rear after the attack run. If they split up and try to attack our sides, we can fire off the torpedoes to encourage them to break. Once the squadrons move to attack, we can fire full broadsides with our phasers against the fighters attacking our flanks while our fighters attack the squadron attempting to take us head-on in an eight on five engagement."

(( TAG: Biiqs ))

With everything ready, Teriir focused his attention on the viewscreen and the fifteen fighters holding position before them. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees before resting his hands on his chin, awaiting the Nausicaans' next move.



Dorvan V
Mountain Base - Nausicaan Destroyer

Naechk sat down in his massive throne in the center of his Destroyer's bridge. He growled to his solders, "Begin launch preparations."

"Yes sir," one of his Lieutenants answered as the ship began humming to life.

The War Leader, no Warlord, looked around his bridge. His engineers had finished making the modifications to his ship and it was now brimming with both polaron beam arrays and cannons. The torpedo launchers were fully reconfigured to be able to launch the torpedoes they'd recovered from the wreckage. The shields were now more powerful than he thought was possible. He turned to Xaagz, who stood beside him, "I think it's time we tested our ship in battle."

"Attack the Federation ship in orbit," Xaagz grunted with a grin, "Destroy it and make a statement across the sector."

"Yes," he turned his attention to the viewscreen which was displaying their fighters as they prepared to attack the Federation ship. Grakan hadn't given the order to attack just yet but would soon. Merely thinking of him made Naechk bristle, "We never should have allowed Grakan to carry on as he has for the past few weeks. We lost all of our Raiders in his blockade and dozens of troops on the ground with his 'capture officers' agenda."

"Then let us take him down a step further," Xaagz suggested, "He called the attack on the Federation ship; Let him fail. We will take the other 2 fighter squadrons up and destroy that ship ourselves."

"An excellent thought, my friend," he grinned broadly, "Carry it out. We won't launch just yet."

The two Nausicaans observed the screen, waiting for the battle to begin.

(( TAG: Everyone ))