"GO, Commander," Parry-Jones said, clinging to her command chair as the ship cycled through a flat spin.

A few taps from Nipay on her console.  "You're on!" she said... as the torpedo homed in...

OOC: Meanwhile, Mr. Decker can make an Intuition + Science check, assisted by the ship's Sensors + Science, for his scan of the cloaked vessel behind them.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:07, Fri 09 Aug 2019.

"It's the only thing I can think of that can get warp drive online in less than 30 minutes," the young officer explained her desperate move to the Chief.

In reply to LCDR Gullak JavKer (msg # 247):

Stirling frowned at JavKer's slight at human honor.  "Don't worry, Commander," he said. "I understand keeping your word.  Wouldn't mistreat a prisoner regardless.  Much.  Come on, you," he said, grabbing the young man by the arm and lugging him out of the maintenance bay.

Mcreeg's shot came as the ship spun helplessly, presenting her dorsal side to the incoming toredo.  Compensating for the ship's momentum, power fluctuations and the torpedo's trajectory, he took a shot, golden phaser fire spitting up into space from one of the saucer's dorsal turrets.  The shot rasped out into the either... just a moment too late.

The phasers detonated the torpedo at point-blank range, causing the blossoming blast to cascade along the flat surface of the saucer, washing across the shields in a blinding flash that heralded doom.

The ship jerked like a tennis ball hit by a racket, a thunderous impact as everyone went flying.  The shields flared... but somehow held.  Sparks cascaded from consoles.  ch'Pertha could see the shields were now at 50%.

And then there was a shriek of metal as a support pylon collapsed, smashing downwards directly onto the captain's chair.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:21, Fri 09 Aug 2019.

T’Lara tried her best to compose herself, but her nervousness was all too apparent once she started in a meek tone of voice.
”This is Lieutenant Commander T’Lara of the USS independence, begging you to hold your fire”

She took a deep breath, and without waiting for confirmation, carried on, her voice picking up:

“Our ship is carrying a cure to the highly contagious d’kar fever.  If this outbreak is not treated, and quickly, it will soon find its way to other worlds.  In time, beyond Federation borders as well.  It’s a potential threat to both our people.  We’re willing to share a sample, and our research notes, in the spirit of friendship”

Because she realized that the Klingons aren’t very keen on making friends, she proceeded to present it in a manner that might be more palatable to them:

”Please do consider it; there’s neither honor nor glory with preying upon the weak and disabled”  she stopped short of outright making the accusation that three armed battle cruisers opening fire on a severely damaged science vessel, not capable of fighting back, would be an act of cowardice.  That would have taken it too far, injured their pride.  She just put it out there as a general statement, letting them draw their own conclusion whether the shoe fits or not

”You must not heedlessly pass on an opportunity to stop a potential threat to your Empire.  You have ample time to consider it.  As you can see – we’re not going anywhere soon”


T'Lara really did hope they could come to some arrangement with the Klingons.  The Federation was not at war with the Empire, after all, and this might be a genuine opportunity to foster good relations between the two powers.  But even if not, at the very least she could buy some time as the Klingons deliberated between themselves on what to do, or took it up with their superiors.

After making sure that the comm was off she turned to face the Captain to explain all of that.  She didn’t get very far with it though, as this time she WAS flung off her feet as the ship shook from the impact.  And as she was lying there on the floor, her fingers touching her swollen, bloody lip, she was helpless to do anything other than let out a shriek as the heavy metallic beam knocked loose from the blast crashed right on top of her Captain…

I will roll three dice (one for "Testing a Theory") in addition to the Ship's die:

21:38, Today: LCDR Christopher Decker rolled 41 using 4d20 with rolls of 6,18,8,9.  Attempting to refine and interpret scan of cloaked ship (3 @ 15 + 1 @ 12).

I re-roll the 18 (Technical Expertise):

21:40, Today: LCDR Christopher Decker rolled 20 using 1d20 with rolls of 20.  Re-roll of the 18 using the Technical Expertise talent (target 15).

Oops.

The result is three successes and a complication.

Assuming that succeeds, I get a free bonus momentum to spend on Obtain Information and I get to ask two questions:

1. Which race's technology best matches the engine/power emissions of the ship?
2. See question #1.

In reply to LCDR Christopher Decker (msg # 259):

(While we wait for other responses...PM)

ch'Pertha cursed in Andorian, and turned to his Ltn, "Keep the shields up", he said to E'Detra.

Then quickly grabbing a Med-kit from the overhead compartment, he made his way to the Captains chair.
The fallen pylon, smashing downward directly onto the captain's chair, wasn't a sign of anything good.  ch'Pertha knew enough about critical situations and trauma response to know that, if Captain Parry-Jones had survived that, she would likely be needing immediate trauma wound attention.
Thankfully, such was a specialty of his security training, and his years in the field.

He hears more than sees what happens, but the crunch of bone and flesh is unmistakable, and he hopes the Captain will be alright, but there are others that his job is to try to save the ship and the crew, a song in his head from his home planet, one that keeps him calm, keeps him focused even as his fingers dance over his controls, indicators and lights flashing, telling him as story he's trying to change..

The sudden bucking of the ship hit. Javker clutched the console to maintain his balance.

'Do what ever you need.'

Decker gave a small grunt of satisfaction as, working together, he and the computer finally collated enough of the sparse and fuzzy data visible through the cloaking field to make two solid matches in the database. His focus on the task had almost been enough to make him forget about the incoming peril, but as he turned to report his findings reality stepped back in.

*WHAM*

He found himself on the deck, unharmed but stunned, gaping at the site of the wreckage that had dropped on top of the Captain's position. After several seconds he scrambled to his feet and hurried over to assist, joining the XO.

In reply to LCDR T'Lara (msg # 258):

Even as the ship reeled from the impact of the torpedo blast... detonated within a ship's length of the hull... Klingon signals came through T'Lara's earpiece receiver.

"petaQ! SoQ bach qul ghIq!"

"qaH wIlo'bogh! bach toDSaH!" came the response on TBS (Talk Between Ships).

This was followed by a cacophony of conflict in the Battle Language, overtalking each other.  But T'Lara's missive seems to have held off any further torpedo shots...

In reply to LCDR Naryss ch'Pertha (msg # 261):

Both the Andorian XO and the human CSO reached the captain's chair almost simultaneously.  Captain Parry-Jones had tried to turn to one side, but the beam had smashed down, pinning her.  Blood ran from her brow.  It didn't look good.

ch'Pertha may make a Reason + Medicine check, or a Daring + Medicine check, depending on his approach. His first aid Focus will apply.  (roll 2 dice)

He may be assisted by Decker's Reason + Medicine check. (Decker rolls 1 die).

In reply to LT JG Xanatos Mcreeg (msg # 262):

Mcreeg can make a Daring + Conn check to get the ship back under control.  Roll 2 dice; target # is 15, and his focus of Helm Operations will apply, so rolls of 4 or less count as 2 successes.

He also rolls a third, separate die for the ship's Engine + Conn, with a target # of 13; 3 or less counts as 2 successes.

Difficulty is 3.

In reply to LCDR Gullak JavKer (msg # 263):

Harada's eyes widened in amazement and horror.  "Me?" she said, shocked.  "But... but it's just a theory!"

Seeing the reaction in JavKer's face, she swallows and says, "Aye sir, I'll do my best!"

Even as the chaos unfolded, the trio of K'tinga-class battlecruisers slowed their advance, braking with impulse engines...

In reply to Starfleet Command (msg # 267):

14:42, Today: LT JG Xanatos Mcreeg rolled 13 using 1d20 with rolls of 13.  Engine + Conn, with a target # of 13; 3 or less counts as 2 successes.

14:41, Today: LT JG Xanatos Mcreeg rolled 16 using 2d20 with rolls of 12,4.  daring (11) + Conn (4)=15 target is 15 focus of Helm operations applies  difficulty is 3.

16:08, Today: LCDR Christopher Decker rolled 9 using 1d20 with rolls of 9.  Assisting ch'Pertha in performing FA on Captain (Reason 12 + Medicine 4).
Go go teamwork!

Upon reaching the Captain's chair, ch'Pertha moved with deft experience.
He'd studied trauma wound response, and all forms of First Aid, extensively in his career ... and had used these skills regularly in combat and crisis situations.
The first goal in any such situation, was to keeping the patient alive until professional medical aid arrived, or the patient could be transported to such.

Most of ch'Pertha's response now was swift and automatic ... his muscle memory and mind working together to keep Captain Parry-Jones alive until she could be delivered into the care of the Medical Department.
          - rolled 6,12.  Daring (11) + Medicine (4) ... for two successes
He was surprised at the swift, obvious training, that Decker brought to the situation ... and was glad to have a competent hand, as Decker began performing tasks that ch'Pertha might otherwise have had to direct another to do.

Decker, being a very methodical person, had carefully studied the available records of his fellow senior officers, and was well aware of LCDR ch'Pertha's training and experience trauma medicine. Despite his own medical training and experience he therefore let ch'Pertha take the lead and did his best to assist in evaluating the Captain's condition.

T’Lara tried to concentrate in lieu of listening to the harsh Klingon playing in her ear.  That proved to be a tad too difficult, so she decided to focus on the most immediate concern -   Captain Parry-Jones.  Not wanting to consider the possibility of the woman being dead, she decided to think of how best she could help her, if only for the sole purpose of distracting her mind.

The first thing they needed to do, she reasoned, was get the pylon off her.  It easily weighted a few metric tons -heavy enough to crush every bone in her body, if it didn’t already.
But how?

"Lift it up? "
"-Don’t be dense; it’s way too heavy"    she answered herself
"Cut it down with phasers?"                  she tried again
"-That’d take too long, plus we run the risk of scorching the woman trapped underneath"

What about…

'Commander, we need to beam her to sickbay' she peeped softly behind ch'Pertha
'We can’t really help her until we clear the weight on top of her body"

Fairly confident the human female could execute the task. Jav'ker acivated Comms.

'Bridge? Our damage control console is offline. Where do we need to be?'

(OOC: OK gang, with three new players waiting in the wings, and our former CO gone, I'm going to sum up this adventure so we can move on to the next.  All the "important bits" were done, I just don't want it to drag on.  I'll give some time for reactions and such, and then we'll launch Episode 2! ;) )

Mcreeg's reactions were nothing short of exemplary as he turned the Indy IN to the spin, fired the thrusters in the right sequence, and then keyed the impulse drive at maximum power.  The ship rumbled and shook as weakened inertial dampners struggled to keep up, but the Miranda-class light cruiser whipped out of her spin and shot forward towards one of the ionized clouds of space dust at full Impulse.

Desperately working together, ch'Pertha and Decker struggle to save Captain Parry-Jones.  She's been at least partially crushed, blood is streaming from a cracked skull, and there are likely spinal injuries in addition to organ damage.  The two men, although not doctors by trade, have between them plenty of medical experience.  And it shows, as they stabilize the Captain... just barely.

T'Lara's suggestion was to beam her to sick bay.  But, with power fluctuations, the transporters weren't 100%... and intra-ship beaming (in this era) was already considered risky.

But the pair determined she would certainly die if they didn't.

And so, with much holding of breath, they called upon transporter chief CPO Elliot Carter to beam her away.  To everyone's relief, the transport was a success.

That led LCDR JavKer to assist with the restoration of the warp drive, as LT Harada tried her desperate maneuver.  With the dust cloud screening them from Klingon fire... although the Klingons no longer seemed so inclined... they were able to get the warp drive online... and the Independence streaked away, surfing the crest of a multicolored starbow as she went supra-luminal.

(So, to do the wrap up... actions, questions, priorities?  Post here, and we'll put a bow on this one.)

Dourap IV, near the Klingon border.

Velkath, the Tellarite colony there, has had an outbreak of d’kar fever, a highly contagious viral infection. The disease is still in its early phases, and no fatalities have been reported. The Independence has been tasked by Starbase 24 to transport an emergency medical team and their supplies to the colony, and provide any assistance they might need.

Unfortunately, fate took another turn.

After the terrible malfunction that cost the life of the ship's CMO, Dr, Marius de Montaine, a saboteur was found aboard... a civilian medical orderly named Kyle Hunsley.  A young Terran of limited ambition, he was apparently recruited for some kind of sabotage, as his record indicates no known criminal affiliation beyond the misdemeanor level.  Dr. Evangel Stoorer, a Dutch woman, the civilian lead doctor, hadn't known the young man before this mission.

In addition to the loss of the CMO, over half the serum for Dourap IV had been destroyed in the incident.

And as the ship hurtled out of control towards the Klingon border, the Klingons - led by an aggressive, ambitious young officer named Kalen'shal, had interceded.

From there, things had gone from bad to worse, as an intercepted warning shot had caused an impact that had nearly killed Captain Parry-Jones.

But Mcreeg had gotten the ship behind cover in time for JavKer to restore warp power with the help of LT Harada, and the ship had escaped, with Hunsley a prisoner.  Decker had identified the trailing cloaked ship as an Orion, using an older Romulan cloaking device...


This message was last edited by the GM at 23:08, Mon 19 Aug 2019.

SCENE:

The Independence orbits the pastoral colony of Velkath at Dourap IV, her hull marred by a few blackened scars.

Dr. de Montaine lies in the ship's morgue, crushed by falling shelves and cases of the very serum he'd been tasked to deliver.

Captain Parry-Jones was in sickbay, fighting for her life as Dr. Stoorer tried to save her as best she could. But her focus was split as she tried to reproduce as much of the destroyed serum as she could, to treat the civilians suffering from the plague below. Decker is invaluable in assisting this endeavor.

JavKer and his team continued damage control efforts throughout the ship.

The prisoner, Kyle Hunsley, a medical orderly, had not survived interrogation.  Undetected, he had a poisoned tooth.  Even as he bit down on it, he believed it was some form of transponder to beam him out of there.  His last words were an Orion name... Zazz'rit. The man who'd put him to this task, which he'd had no idea of the ramifications.

The Orion that had been tailing them had disappeared after they'd gone to warp.  No sign since.

And so, the Independence carried about its mission of mercy as best it could after the ordeal it had been through.

Actions?  Questions?  Moving things along...
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:07, Mon 19 Aug 2019.