The Price of Latinum (Part 1 of 3)

Posted on 18 Aug 2022 @ 4:55pm by Commander Morgan Tarin & Lieutenant Aria Rice & Ensign Mimi & Chief Warrant Officer 2 Oliver Sylver & Petty Officer 1st Class T'Lin & Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeysa Zeror

3,803 words; about a 19 minute read

Mission: Episode 18 - Cold Station 31
Location: Alcyone Sector, USS Galileo-A
Timeline: MD 10, 1311 hrs

Previously, on Marauder (Part 3)...

"Forward shields are down to 30%, Captain," Aria announced, her fingers itching to do something. To get the order that really would allow her to do something.

Groaning slightly Mimi gripped the Ops console tightly for a moment as the ship shuddered under the Ferengi's fire. She checked the console as the first damage reports began to come in, noticing how damaged the shields were from the first volley she looked around for a little more power she could reroute.

"Return fire! Full torpedo spread!" Tarin yelled back to her XO as she assessed the best escape route for their ship. "Helm, get us out of here, evasive pattern Delta-Five!"

...

As tactical and damage reports were relayed and engineering confirmed their warp readiness, Tarin secretly admired the Nova-class' resilience. The older Oberth-class predecessors would never have been able to withstand this initial barrage. Starfleet's modern technology gave the new commander a semblance of confidence in an otherwise difficult situation. "Transfer shield power to our aft quarters. Target their weapon ports and fire, full phasers." Tarin knew their best hope was to escape from the larger, faster and more heavily armed adversary. If Galileo could put enough separation between their two vessels to establish a warp bubble... "Divert all remaining auxiliary power to impulse. Get us out of here and standby for warp!"

...

"We're losing impulse power!" Sylver called out, shaking his head as he let out a breath. They'd be dead in the water soon, unless something changed.

Goldie watched damage reports and power levels scroll across her screen. This was not looking good. "Warp core and starboard nacelle are offline," she reported. She was running out of ways to work around the damage.

Mimi was also watching the reports of damage across the ship flooding into her console, the warp core being off line was the hardest blow, without that their chances weren't good. "We have hull breaches, starboard nacelle and....." She hesitated for a moment. "Deck 5 near engineering."

"Captain, ship is closing and by indications preparing a tractor beam." T'Lin was gripping the panel so hard that she was putting small dents in the metal.

We're slow, damaged, and being overrun. The grim assessment consumed Commander Tarin's thoughts for several seconds. As if looking to be proven wrong by those who knew best, she glanced down at the command console to her left which showed real-time information of all Galileo's primary and secondary systems. Instead of displaying its usual green and blue hues, it was inundated with flashing red warnings and priority alerts. There was no way they were going to escape their current predicament.

"Helm, bring us about and keep our shields between them befor--"

Five yellow transporter beams suddenly manifested on the bridge. They shimmered with circular motions before fading away and depositing a Ferengi boarding party in their wake. Short in stature, the wrinkled-lobed adversaries donned traditional gray garments with black tactical belts holstering specialized energy whips. They quickly took in their new surroundings and scanned from side to side before hissing and aiming their disruptors at Galileo's bridge crew.

"This vessel belongs to us now!" declared one of them, who then aimed and fired a warning shot just above Tarin's head and into the rear engineering console.

...

"Commander Tarin!" T'Lin bellowed. "We need to escape and regroup!"

And Now, the Continuation...

[ON]

A multi-colored and spotted blurry image manifested in Captain Tarin's eyes. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open as she regained consciousness. The five senses she'd been graced with since birth were slowly coming online but her grogginess made it difficult to immediately discern what was happening around her. Faint sounds of distress and battle cries started to grow louder and louder in her ears while the scent of exposed electrical conduits tickled her nose. She finally opened her eyes fully then squinted to observe a horrible sight -- her crew in hand-to-hand combat with multiple Ferengi within Galileo's bridge. Memories of the past several minutes instantly flooded back to her brain, and she reached up to grab a hold of her chair. She almost grinded her teeth out from the searing pain she suddenly felt in her shoulder.

"...Status report...!" the captain managed to yell from the center of the bridge. Tarin's gaze lingered on the incapacitated conn officer next to the helm station. The situation already appeared dire, then a new wave of Ferengi transporter signatures materialized within the bridge and deposited more intruders. Using her good arm, she reached to her waist and unholstered her hand phaser then fired a short burst into the chest of one running towards her. He flew backwards from the impact, stunned and unconscious, but she was quickly overwhelmed by two more who tackled her to the ground and pushed a small dermal device into the back of her neck.

"Rice...!!" were Morgan's last words before she shimmered from existence in Galileo's bridge in a transporter beam, accompanied by her two other captors.

Mimi heard the whine of a transporter as Tarin disappeared and more Ferengi arrived. She gave one last tug on the Ferengi she had pinned and heard a satisfying crunch and a scream as she fractured his arm and torn muscle from bone, she then slammed the heel of one powerful foot into his eye socket. With one busted arm and one busted eye he wasn't going to be much of a threat, releasing her grip she rolled off him and up to her feet and went after a new target.

Rice swore when Morgan was taken, her eyes dark. It meant she was in command. Damn. Damn it to the deepest circles of Hell. She jumped, both her feet connecting with the head of a Ferengi, before she pulled her phaser, firing at the one closest to her. Seeing him drop, she moved again, to attack another. "Keep fighting!" she shouted, an order. They couldn't help the away teams, or their Captain, if they were taken prisoner.

Having previously being frozen with inactivity; this being her first ever firefight Jeysa finally broke herself free as she saw Tarin disappear in a transporter beam. She ran for the bridge's weapons locker to get a phaser, grabbing it she took aim at a Ferengi. "Come on Jeysa, you can do it." A few moments later she fired hitting her target in the shoulder.

A fresh wave of Ferengi appeared within the bridge and throughout Galileo, their incoming presence punctuated by their distinctive gold transporter beams. They quickly moved to ambush the Starfleet officers who were still busy attempting to fight off the remnants of the previous Ferengi teams. The cacophony of hand-to-hand combat and weapons fire drowned out the ship's computer chirps, specifically a critical one now emanating from the science alcove. On one of the yellow and blue LCARS sensor screens, the image of a blurry ship outline started to materialize and solidify its shape within the immediate local battlespace.

Against the backdrop of Cold Station 31's asteroid field and directly aft of the Ferengi marauder, a section of distant stars started to bend and shift with wave-like distortions. A large vessel began to de-cloak. Its forest green secondary hull, crimson Bussard collectors and ventral-hanging warp nacelles became visible. The forward command hull then appeared and was bulbous, connected by a skinny spire to rest of the starship. With its full totality now revealed, its distinctive and menacing visual profile was unmistakable. One of a Klingon battlecruiser.

Executing an aggressive flank against the Ferengi heavy cruiser, the Klingon warship unleashed a full assault from the depths of Gre'thor. Rapid-fire neon green disruptor pulses slammed into the marauder's rear shields accompanied by emerald disruptor beams and a final complimentary volley of photon torpedoes. The impacts created large explosions within the D'Kora-class' engine compartments while several secondary eruptions burst out of its nacelle housings. The Ferengi vessel's power signature fluctuated and the marauder started to list. The tractor beam it held Galileo with fluctuated then cut out, setting the Nova-class free.

Aria looked at the viewscreen for a split second, just enough time to think well, at least the Klingons are sort of allies, so fingers crossed these are the nice ones, before driving her elbow firmly into the eye of one of the Ferengi with a cry of frustration and anger.

Still near the ops console Mimi had pounced another Ferengi to the floor and was in the middle of choking him out with a leg wrapped tightly around his neck when over the din of the combat she heard the ops console chirp the distinct chirp that meant someone was hailing the ship. "We are being hailed, will someone get that, I am busy." she called out.

Aria swore, grabbing the Ferengi and throwing him, landing hard on his throat. She pushed up, reaching the Captain's chair, her fingers opening the hail. "This is the USS Galileo, thanks for the assist," she said, even as she pulled her phaser, ready for the next Ferengi.

T'Lin thought she should have hugged the captain but things had happened quickly. That being the case she turned her attention to the rest of the fight on the bridge. The whips slashed at her but as an enraged Vulcan she shook that off and Ferengi went down not to move again but twitch in their death throes.

"Lieutenant Rice!" T'Lin shouted. "We should attempt to flee. I would not trust Klingons and this ship is badly damaged."

Aria shot a look at T'Lin, her hand making a small movement of warning. She wasn't an expect, but the ship was in no state to flee. She cut the outgoing audio, so that the Klingon's wouldn't hear. "T'Lin, I don't think we are in a position to flee at the moment. We don't even know the status of the ship," she took a breath, looking at the bridge...and the carnage. But the Ferengi that had been on the bridge were now...lying on the deck in various states. As were some of her own crew members. But they all looked to be breathing, and it was all about priorities. Options. They couldn't just flee, they needed to get Tarin back, and any other crew that might have been taken. And if they just fled, they would be abandoning the away teams. "I want you to get a status report. Mimi, I want you to check our systems, see how bad the damage is. I'll talk to the Klingons, try and stall if we are in a position to flee. Understood?"

"I will route what I can through my panel and see. It is unknown how the intruders are being dealt with on the other decks." T'Lin moved toward the science panel. She did not sit but only touched the thing quickly.

Giving the Ferengi she'd choked into unconsciousness a kick in the head for good measure after she got up, Mimi headed back for the ops station. "Aye Sir." She stayed standing as the looked at the console, reports of damage and of casualties filled the screen and she quickly set about categorising them into priority for repairs.

The audio comms channel resumed with a pointed chirp. Intermittent static and background yelling began to echo throughout Galileo's bridge. "Federation starship, I am Captain KehG...commander of the battlecruiser Praxis!" he proudly declared. "We are here to offer assistance and apprehend this Ferengi baktog!" The sounds of additional untranslated Klingon words from multiple individuals filled the background noise. "Stand by for reinforcements!" The transmission terminated with no opportunity for mutual conversation.

Eight crimson transporter beams suddenly appeared within the Nova-class' bridge and deposited a strike team of exceedingly large and robust Klingon warriors. Each one was donned in traditional grey Klingon armor accented by red trim along their shoulder pads. Their long and dark curly hair was worn in a variety of styles, with several sporting traditional free-flowing locks across their shoulders and others with their locks tied back into low ponytails. Most donned classic Fu Manchu facial beards but a select few were clean shaven. All were the apex of humanoid physical fitness.

Even though she knew they were coming and appeared friendly Mimi still tensed up; her claws slowly coming out and her muscles getting ready for more activity as the Klingons beamed in.

T'Lin turned as the new intruders appeared. She was still trying to exert her control over her emotions. It was not going as well as she had hoped.

Aria took in what was happening, watching with an odd calm. Reinforcements. And it was with a sense of relief, to see them there. To finally have something go their way.

As the Klingons quickly took in their new surroundings, they pulled bat'leths from their backs and charged at the remaining Ferengi. One of them - the largest and most visually decorated - stabbed one of the large-lobed intruders through the back of his chest. One half of his bat'leth burst through the Ferengi's torso then cut upwards, spraying blood across the bridge consoles and Rice's face. The warrior lifted the squealing marauder into the air then flung him viciously to the side into one of the nearby Operations consoles. He grinned with satisfaction then looked down at the new acting CO, his dark eyes viscous.

"I am Commander Kuran. Where is the captain of this vessel?!" he demanded from her. He glanced around the compact science vessel's bridge to observe his personnel either capturing or killing the remaining Ferengi alongside the other Federation combatants.

Aria looked at the Klingon, squaring her shoulders. She had been unflinching in the bloodbath, and did not even seem to notice the blood on her own skin. "She was taken by the Ferengi," she said, looking at the Klingon as she calmly put her phaser away. "I am in command of the Galileo, as is my right. I am Lieutenant Aria Rice."

A new hail interrupted the security chief. One of the assault team's tall warriors quickly walked to the mission operations console and tapped the transmission button, physically pushing Brown out of the way in the process. The channel squelched open. "Kuran, what is your status? We are still engaging the Ferengi and need that science vessel's support!"

Kuran spoke loudly to his captain with confidence. "We have taken the bridge and are securing the lower decks. We will engage momentarily." The channel was cut then he gave a hand signal to half of his team to proceed to the turbolift and secure the lower decks.

The Klingon commander looked around the red-strobed bridge again, viewing the different Starfleet officers and their uniform colors and rank pips. "No. I am in command now," he proclaimed to Rice with pointed authority. "Your captain is not here and you are barely able to control your vessel." The pleading and begging of a nearby Ferengi being apprehended went unacknowledged. Kuran glanced at the vacant forward helm station where an incapacitated red-collared Starfleet man lay nearby. "Take your place at the tactical console and do your duty." He turned to the nearest disposable crew member, settling his sights on a blue-collared science officer. "You, Vulcan," he pointed to T'Lin. "Take the conn. Prepare to execute my commands on my mark." He confidently walked down into the command well then sat down into the captain's chair. The feeling of the seat's luxurious padding and comfort took him off guard, but he stifled his disdain. "Open a channel to the crew!"

"Belay that," Aria ordered the Galileo bridge crew, her voice firm. Anger raged inside of her, a cold and alive thing she had not felt before. Something dangerous. She stepped forward, a hand on her hip, close to her phaser. "This is a Starfleet Ship, with a Starfleet crew," she said, holding his eyes. "And you are in my chair, Kuran. I am the Captain here now, until we have retrieved Commander Tarin. If dead, this ship remains mine. If alive, I step down to XO, under her, not you. That is the way of Starfleet. That is the way on this ship."

Mimi hissed, claws ready, if the Klingons wanted to take over the ship she was going to make a fight of it.

Staring at Rice begrudgingly, Kuran watching her posture and looked deep into her eyes to determine what sort of warrior - if any - she was. What he saw surprised him. The Human woman had fight in her and claimed authority. It was rare to see from their species and sufficient for him to reluctantly accept her conditions. Casting a reluctant scowl at her, he stood from the command station then looked down at the petite Starfleet lieutenant-turned-CO. "Very well. Show me your battle prowess!" His head turned back to the conn. "I will take the helm," he declared, this time walking forward to grab Sylver's unconscious body by the back of his uniform and haul him into the vacant XO's chair. "Your crewman requires medical attention," he plainly remarked before returning and taking his seat at the very fore of the bridge. "Now, contact my vessel! I must speak with my captain."

Aria took the Captain's chair with a determination and grace she didn't realise she possessed, taking a slow breath as she sat down in it. She would need to know the status of every department, casualty lists, damages...but right now, she had just wrestled authority back from a Klingon. And with that came some different priorities. "Ensign Mimi, open a hailing frequency to Commander Kuran's ship. T'Lin, get someone from medical up here." She paused, looking at Kuran before she gave a small nod. "Once you have finished, Commander Kuran, I will open a ship-wide communication to address the crew of our change of circumstance." She was telling him out of curtesy, nothing more. Same as she was allowing him to speak to his Captain first.

It took several moments before Mimi decided to withdraw her claws and relax slightly, she didn't want to trust the Klingons but followed Aria's orders, she sat down at the ops station. "Hailing the Klingons."

"Bridge to sickbay! If anyone hears this we have wounded that need attending to!" The worlds came out with emotion in them. T'Lin had not recovered her composure.

The forward viewscreen flashed then changed its display to project a large, up-close image of Praxis' captain. For the first time, the Federation bridge crew was able to see the decorated warrior for themselves. Several scars of battle adorned KehG's rough features, accented by his long braided goatee and traditional flowing locks. His gaze was intimidating. Menacing and savage -- that of a man who'd most certainly earned his place within the Imperial Fleet through his exploits rather than his family's name.

Kuran reported the developing situation to his commanding officer but not without a disgruntled look over his shoulder to the yellow-collared security officer sitting in the captain's chair. His chair. "This ship's captain has been taken aboard the Ferengi warship...and this lieutenant declares she outranks me and is the 'acting' captain. She will not relinquish her position. I have assumed the helm station and we stand by for your orders."

Captain KehG grunted with dissatisfaction then leaned forward as incoming Ferengi weapons fire slightly jolted his battlecruiser's bridge. His eyes peered into those of Rice while noting her blood-stained face and uniform. "We are engaged offensive," he spoke to her matter-of-factly yet forcefully. "I intend to disable and capture this vessel along with its crew. Then...we will retrieve your captain and return her to you. Fight with us for your honor and those of your crew!" he demanded.

Aria found herself smiling, giving a nod. "We will. Our ship has been damaged, we will lend what help we can. And when you board the vessel, our crew will fight shoulder by shoulder with you," she said firmly.

"Hah!" A throaty chuckle came from the Klingon captain, slightly impressed. "Establish a tactical datalink with our vessel..." he looked down to one of his consoles while another volley of fire impacted the shields of his warship, "frequency 271.5. Kuran, prepare to execute attack maneuver Nimbus-Seven!" The channel closed without the chance for reply.

At the fore of Galileo's bridge, the Klingon commander received his order then entered customized maneuvering patterns into the helm. Starfleet LCARS interfaces were crude and unnecessarily complicated for even the simplest of tasks, but his training and experience allowed him to quickly navigate the foreign console.

Aria had to make a quick decision based on who she had on the bridge. "T'Lin, go to tactical. Zeror, you take the science position and keep an eye out on the scanners, in case we get other visitors," she ordered, figuring that the Klingon as a bridge officer would be able to handle the controls well. Zeror was reliable too, but as a yeoman Aria wasn't sure she would be as quick at the tactical station. Usually for tactical, her choice would be Mimi, but with the ship in the state it was she needed her Operations officer where she was. "T'Lin, establish the tactical data link at frequency 271.5, and prepare to engage." She paused before she opened the ship-wide communication. "This is Lieutenant Rice, we are engaging the Ferengi ship alongside the Praxis'. All hands, secure the Ferengi onboard and go to battle stations." She stopped the broadcast, taking a slow, deep breath. There was no time saying Tarin wasn't in command at the moment, she would cross that bridge later.

"Aye Lieutenant!" T'Lin moved to the different area. "Frequency established captain." T'Lin replied.

'The science station' Jeysa thought as she pocketed the phaser she'd taken and headed for the console. She wasn't really trained in any of the bridge stations but figured she could work it enough to notice if anything happened.

To Be Continued...

[OFF]

--

CMDR Morgan Tarin
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Saalm]

Commander Kuran
First Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

Captain KehG
Commanding Officer
IKS Praxis
[PNPC Saalm]

Lieutenant Aria Rice
Acting XO/Acting CO/Chief Security Officer
USS Galileo-A

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Oliver Sylver
Conn Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Rice]

Ensign Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

PO3 Jeysa Zeror
Captain's Yeoman
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Mimi]

PO1 T'Lin
Science Officer
USS Galileo-A
[PNPC Warraquim]

RSS Feed