All Great Things To Come
Episode Name: All Great Things To Come
Written By: Shaft
Cast: Blair, Churas, Cristobal, Gr'laH, Nevaren, O'Carroll, Poole, Spider,
Stewart, T'Lyna and Turtledove.
Produced By: Starfleet
Directed By: Spider
Aired On: Sat Aug 02 05:09:13 2003
Stardate: 53404.8
Time: Sat Aug 02 01:17:37 2003
Stardate: 53404.4
Gr'laH eyes Poole for a moment before speaking more calmly, "Commander." He begins the briefing once the Commander and the rest of the Officers have settled in. While he himself is a towering monstrosity of meat, muscle and bone, his words are somewhat plain. Lacking the bold declarations Klingons tend to use in speaking of battles won or lost. "Together, we have often faced battles that seemed hopeless. When Betazed fell, we wondered how we would recover it. But we did. At Fimdari, we asked the same question. Some of you present were on the ground when the Dominion struck. Some of you were in the skies with me the day of its liberation, as you were at Betazed. This, too, seemed hopeless. After we lost at Chintoka and the Breen entered the war, we were /certain/ that all was hopeless. But... somehow. Somehow, against all reason, we won. Damar revolted. The Wormhole was secured. Thousands of Dominion craft were kept out of the Alpha Quadrant. What appeared hopeless... was not." Gr'laH glances up from his PADD at this point, eyeing the officers. "If I learned one thing from that war it is that hope preserves us. My General is now my Chancellor. My House is now strong, the Federation recovers, the Romulans are our allies, Cardassia rebuilds itself under a new ruler. Perhaps with Honor this time. And this gives me hope. Great... hope." Gr'laH inhales deeply and continues on. "What I ask of you who have no desire to stand with me this day is to stand against me. Take the side of odds I have never faced with success, assume the face of an enemy nearly twenty times my power, and this, after I destroyed it. I command a fleet of eleven vessels. The whole of my starships. The rest of you will command seven flights of B'rel. Twenty-one fast attack Birds of Prey. You will have the advantage of numbers, of surprise, and... it would seem... of bodies. I do not hope to win today. I hope to learn. I hope to learn how to face such numbers... and win. You will teach me. Commander Poole has agreed to be the brain behind my education. If you have any questions, speak them now."
Spider goes home.
Spider has left.
Nevaren crosses his arms, regarding the Klingon's impassioned speech with an open mind. This could be fun. A slow smile spreads across his scarred face and the albino drops his arms to his sides and straightens his bearing. "No questions from me, sir." he says, confidently. Yes, this could be fun indeed. And rewarding.
GAME: Stewart spends a courage point.
Poole shakes her head, no questions from her. She steps up by the klingon and looks to her crew, waiting for them to answer.
Stewart speaks up, "We have six versus four right now. How about I step over and even this up, so it's not quite so weighted?"
T'Lyna arches a brow as she listens to the Klingon, glancing toward Poole. "Is it safe to assume we will be operating control panels with configurations which we are accustomed to, Commander? I do not believe that -now- would be the appropriate time for me to begin my education in deciphering Klingon glyphs in order to man a station upon a Klingon vessel."
Poole shakes her head to T'Lyna and motions to the Ambassador, "I don't have the answer to that question, Ensign."
Churas crosses her arms between her breasts and her belly, rumbling crankily for a moment and nodding to Poole as she steps up to her father's other side. She glances aside to Cristobal, then over to Stewart with an eyebrow raised slightly; her expression turns briefly inscrutable.
. o O Churas thinks "That is the Ensign who picked a fight with my father, is it not? What a strange turn of events."
Turtledove smiles affably from the back. "Six vs. four isn't so bad." She gives Stewart a quick grin, then looks to Gr'laH. "However. Ensign Stewart would be a fine addition to the crew, Ambassador. I can vouch for his worth in battle."
T'Lyna inclines her head slightly. "My apologies, Ambassador, I meant no disrespect," she responds, turning slightly more towards the Klingon and offering him a polite half-bow.
Cristobal shrugs in response to Churas, murmuring to her. He says in Klingon, "I'll be fine either way." At Stewart's defection, Nathan grins.
"The controls can be made standard to your experiences, though the systems overall will be those of the B'rel Bird of Prey Fast Attack Scout as struck by the shipyards of Balduk. I believe whatever complications your engineers face will reflect the relative difference in competency between Engineers of Houses of the Empire and the Officers of Starfleet." Gr'laH then glances to Stewart, eyeing his uniform for a moment. "I require an Engineer. You are... If I recall. Security. That said, the more Warriors the better. I would be Honored."
O'Carroll remains silent, her hands clasped behind her back. No questions from the Irish this evening. A fun task she has before her.. and one that she'll more than likely learn something from.
T'Lyna nods once in response to the Klingon's answer, her expression pensive. "Understood, sir. Thank you."
Nevaren straightens his uniform again with a quick tug at the tapered waistline. He takes a few steps foreward, coming up to stand at Poole's side opposite of Gr'lah. "So.. I get shotgun, right?" he asks her, grinning mischeviously.. then he becomes a tad more serious and adds, "Sir?"
"Aye, you do." Poole answers her husband, her smile undiminished. "I believe now that the crews are of equal number... we are ready to begin, Ambassador." Is she eager? Why yes.
Stewart folds his arms across his chest, moving over to stand with the Klingon group, and notes, "I'm a competent Engineer as well, even if I am not familiar with the specific vagaries of a Klingon bridge. I'd be honoured to take the post. Or whatever the proper form of that statement would be, if I were culturally sensitive."
"Indeed. I will see some of you on my bridge. The rest of you, if Kahless's blood is true in me, I will see with astonished faces in the wake of my victory. This, however, I doubt." Gr'laH chuckles softly and turns towards Holodeck one, "I have reserved us accomodations..."
Gr'laH steps into holodeck 1, the doors sliding shut behind him.
Gr'laH has left.
Turtledove steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Turtledove has arrived.
Cristobal steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Cristobal has arrived.
Stewart steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Stewart has arrived.
Churas steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Churas has arrived.
Nevaren steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Nevaren has arrived.
Poole steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Poole has arrived.
T'Lyna steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
T'Lyna has arrived.
O'Carroll steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
O'Carroll has arrived.
Blair steps into holodeck 1 from the Dream Factory.
Blair has arrived.
T'Lyna staples poole to the net.
The two crews board their respective holographic bridges and settle in, each given time to acclimate and prepare in whatever way the see fit. The Ambush is not to begin until at least five minutes have passed. After that? It's fair game.
Gr'laH takes his seat upon his command chair, offering his team the oppotunity to get settled as they like. "Churas, Tactical. Tera, Helm. Stewart, Engineering. Nathan, Operations. As this is a simulation of a predicted contingency... Helm. I want for you to prepare a .02 Second warp burst. Tactical, I wish you to automate our sensors to tie into the helm and initiate that warp jump at the first sign of decloaking vessels. Operations? Contact the Cho'daQ and the Churas, inform their Squadron Captains to relay my orders. Engineering..."
"We will need more power to shields."
GAME: Churas spends a courage point.
GAME: Turtledove spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Turtledove (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Churas (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Sensors) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
GAME: Cristobal spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Cristobal (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Communications) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Stewart contests his Shipboard Systems (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Fails!
GAME: Gr'laH spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Gr'laH (claiming advantage) contests his Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!
Churas grunts as she drops herself into her chair at tactical, tugging at her tunic in irritation as it tightens over her stomach -- picky females -- and bringing the holoterminal to life. She says in Klingon, "Automated sensors configured to detect the tachyon dispersal of a decloaking B'rel flight." Meaty hands move with potentially surprising adroitness across the console. Then again, Klingon consoles are made for larger hands.
Cristobal nods. He says in Klingon, "Aye Captain." Hey, it /is/ a Klingon ship. Of course they'd be speaking Klingon. After a moment of tapping away at his console, he looks up. He says in Klingon, "I have the Cho'daQ. On screen?"
"I said relay my orders, Nathan, not enter into discourse on it! No. Forward my instructions to my Squadron Captains. They will carry them out." Gr'laH shifts his gaze back to the viewscreen, bouncing his fist from the arm of his chair.
Stewart fiddles with his controls, speaking Fed Standard and hoping this is understood. "Dropping lights to eighty-seven percent. Shutting off refrigeration of cargo holds. Shutting down food service replicators. Transferring power to shields." After a moment he says, "Or... to something. Give me a second, I'm not sure where I just sent it."
Turtledove looks around the bridge. Having spent a brief period aboard the Gharas a few weeks ago, she is reasonably prepared to find the helm, and so she heads that way, eyes wide and bright as they curiously take to the unfamiliar system. She looks up from the helm to flash a rah-rah grin at Stewart, a grin that sobers-up into a respectably firm chin-raising nod for the Klingon contingent (including Cristobal), as she turns back to the console, focused, and starts to key in that .02 second... warp... burst, and tie it into the ship's sensors. After a few moments, she looks up from her console, and responds pleasantly. "Warp burst is engaged and tied into the ship's sensors."
"Stewart, I hope it was something useful." Gr'laH smiles faintly, balling his fist. "Find it. While we wait upon the Commander." He does not reply to the reports from the other stations. Their reports were sufficient, it seems.
<CONTEST> Poole contests her Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs Gr'laH's Starship Tactics (Naval) skill and Fails!
<CONTEST> Gr'laH contests his Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs Poole's Starship Tactics (Naval) skill and Succeeds!
Poole -isn't- comfortable in her Klingony Command Chair. It hurts her butt. And thusly, when handing orders out to her ambushing ships, she is a bit careless. "I want four flights to attack their B'rel's... with the three other flights flying harrassment against the remaining ships.... I'll lead the harrassment of the Vor'cha personally.... Helm, begin powering up impulse engines... Bring us to bear on the Vorcha class vessel, I want an under and around, keep us tight and fast. Engineering, brace for damage... Ensign T'Lyna, I want you on top of our energy management once that cloak drops..." And thusly did the B'rel ambush begin.
GAME: Poole spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Poole contests her Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Blair contests his Shipboard Systems (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!
Nevaren likes klingon ships. They have a certain.. Oh, he doesn't know.. Je ne Sais Quoi? He sits at the seat nearest the captains, being th XO after all. Since Gwen is tactical, Blair the Actual Engineer and O'carrol the helm (presumably) he is left with most of the secondary coordinating of everything else at this time. He has screens upon screens running. He isn't needed.. yet. so he waits.
<CONTEST> O'Carroll contests her Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill vs Turtledove's Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill (given advantage) and Fails!
O'Carroll finds herself on a Klingon vessel.. yet again. If she wanted to fly Klingon ships, she would have had plastic surgery. "Engines coming online, sir." she replies from her awkward helm console, "I'll get us under 'er belly." or try.
T'Lyna's face is a study in concentration as she focuses on her console. The layout is familiar... but even with that to aid her, the configurations of the data is still pretty foreign to her. She's never been on a ship with a cloak, before! Still, she does not allow this to daunt her. She merely nods once as she recieves her orders, resolving to reason things out logically and do the best that she can. "Aye, sir. Monitoring energy management."
Blair says, "Aye, sir," Blair says briefly, turning to his console and quickly...er...attempting to put in a series of commands. Unfortunately, the young Engineer's experiences don't include work on Klingon vessels, and so it's a moment before Blair is able to bring up the proper screens, grumbling a bit. Fortunately engineering systems aren't too different between ships. Warp core, shields, array status -- aha! "Damage control systems primed and on standby.""
Precisely to plan, and by some miracle, Gr'laH's fleet enters warp at nearly the same moment and reappears a fair distance away a split second later. The weapons fire from the sweeping fleet of Poole's attack craft passes through the light-memory of Gr'laH's fleet before they stretch away and disappear entirely. Success, as the Klingons say. Death avoided for the moment, but hardly averted.
"Nathan," Gr'laH notes in studying their attack patterns, "inform our B'rel to turn back and engage on their left flank. It looks as though they have dedicated twelve B'rel to our own. Have the Churas and Cho'daQ follow us about to their right. Order them to make a single pass and join our B'rel. We will split their lines. Confuse them. Continue on our present course. They will want us, I imagine, and lose their flank to our contentrated attack in order to have us. To that end, shields full to front. Weapons lock on their lead craft."
Gr'laH leans forward in his seat with a grin, "Make them dead, Churas."
<CONTEST> Gr'laH (claiming advantage) contests his Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Gr'laH contests his Command (Starship) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Fails!
GAME: Churas spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Churas (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Tactical) skill vs O'Carroll's Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill (given advantage) and Succeeds!
GAME: Stewart spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Stewart (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Engineering) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
A low growl is the only verbal response from Churas, who looks, for the record, more content at this moment than all but one person present has seen her in quite some time. Her hands move over the console, firing off the Gharas' first salvo of the confrontation. Leaned forward, she looks up briefly, just in time to watch for the results, a feral grin splitting her face in twain.
Cristobal makes a note of the fact that eight word answers are apparently far too verbose for this situation. Not for the first time does it occur to him that if he actually /were/ under Gr'laH's command, one of them would likely kill the other. Cristobal pauses, momentarily puzzled. He thought that was...no wait, he referred to '/the/ Churas'...meaning the ship. His face reddens lightly and he gets the Churas on the channel as well. And just in time. In quiet but firm Klingon, Nathan passes on Gr'laH's orders to the two K'vorts, knowing the officers there will relay them on down the chain of command.
<CONTEST> Cristobal (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Communications) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!
Turtledove remains quietly engrossed in the workings of her console, her eyes still bright with the thrill of having out-maneuvered the 'enemy' ship. She stays on top of things with a reckless abandon. There is much veering.
Stewart prods the keys, a frown on his face. And then a little indicator light blinks on, which Stewart stares at for a half-second before his expression shifts to one of self-amused understanding. "Found that power for you. Went through to waste reclamation. And we're all stocked up on the common organics, now. Full power to forward shields on my mark. And... mark."
According to orders, the Fleet of Gr'laH sweeps away in two directions, the B'rel moving to engage the better half of Poole's four flights dedicated to their destructions, the two K'vort and Vor'cha that are the Churas, Cho'daQ, and Gharas sweeping back to engage the other three flights led by Poole. The two K'vort succeed in blasting away one of the two wingmen of Poole's own flight and another from a flight that follows her. The Gharas itself unleashes a blast of Disruptor fire that kisses the shields of Poole's vessel. As the ships begin to pass, the K'vort break away for the Battle of B'rel on Poole's left flank, where the majority of the Gr'laH fleet has succeeded in blasting three of the enemy from the tactical consoles. According to orders, five vessels from Poole's own attack flight break to pursue, and the main thrust of the battle seems to be forming into a broil away from Poole's two B'rel and the Gr'laH's Vor'cha.
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Command (Starship) skill vs a difficulty of Impossible and Fails!
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
T'Lyna goes home.
T'Lyna has left.
What else can she do? The manky gits that make up her fleet are doing what they feel. Poole shrugs visibly and starts handing out orders, "Helm, bring us aft of the Vorcha..." Even as she hands out the order she is busy doing her targeting thing. "Engineering, keep us in one piece... and, Nevaren... here is the tricky part, if we manage to get their shields down at any time, I want you to transport one of our torpedos, set to detonate... or perhaps some of our plasma, their way."
Nevaren realizes they are in some real pretty crap now. He also realizes that, while being XO he isn't the best suited for the ops communications and sensors position. With O'carrol at the helm and Gwen on tactical.. Well, teh best suited for this position would fall on Blair. It may be a little late in the 'game' so to speak to be changing his secondary position, but if they want a better chance at fighting this he has no choice, XO's perogative. "Blair!" he calls out, tapping at his screens, "I'm shunting Sensors and Comm over to you and taking over transporters and engineering." It's isn't a request, it's a order. Screens flicker and change, showing things he is way more familiar with. Nev sighs in releif just as Gwen gives her his order. "Aye captain. I'll have a torpedo set aside and prepared." he taps at his console.
Blair blinks. "You're what?" Blair has only a second to prepare for his display change, but when it comes up it's at least a display he's not unfamiliar with. One sigh of relief is all he allows himself as his fingers brush over the controls, comm channel crackling to life at his display as the sounds of the other B'rels sound quietly out of his panel's speakers. Blair, meanwhile, brings the sensors to life, trying to provide Nevaren with adequate tracking of the Gharas' hindquarters in case they're lucky enough to get a clear opening.
O'Carroll mumbles to herself quietly. Shoddy Klingon technology. Must be all the gagh aboard. "Aft of the Vorcha, aye." she responds, changing tactics to match her new instructions.
GAME: O'Carroll spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> O'Carroll (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill vs Turtledove's Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill (given advantage) and Fails!
GAME: Poole spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Tactical) skill vs Turtledove's Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill (given advantage) and Succeeds!
GAME: Nevaren spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Nevaren (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Transporters) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Dramatically Fails!
Poole howls in a most unladylike manner as she fires the B'rel's weapons. As they lash out and do their work in dimpling those shields, she looks to Nevaren, "-Now-!"
<CONTEST> Gr'laH contests his Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs Poole's Starship Tactics (Naval) skill and Fails!
Nevaren nods an eye and, struggling with the damned klingon controls he /thout/ he down pat targets and dematerializes his torpedo.. and even as it is away he realizes there was a fatal error made. "DAMNIT!" he screams.. "Evasive Maneuver.. It's off target,, in the path of our WINGMAN!"
<CONTEST> Poole contests her Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs Gr'laH's Starship Tactics (Naval) skill and Succeeds!
The battle started admirably for Gr'laH's fleet, certainly. Five of the twenty-one enemy craft destroyed in the first exchanges. Gr'laH's plot succeeded in splitting away the commander from her fleet, and Nevaren's own lack of luck -- perhaps due to a Hologlitch, perhaps due to the simulated damage incurred from the Gharas' pass -- succeeds in doing the work of the Gharas for her. The B'rel on Poole's wing explodes in the face of the quantum torpedo placed in its path.
The battle has begun turning, however. The B'rel of Gr'laH, outnumbered now only marginally, take losses they cannot afford. A full flight is caught in a scissors between two pursuing flights and is blown into the void in the crossfire. The surviving five break to offer cover fire for the approaching K'vort, but the more agile B'rel dodge in and out of the aft volleys offered. And while they do not /destroy/ either of the K'vort outright, the Chu'daQ is struck in its port nacelle and begins lurching back, no doubt to be swallowed by the B'rel in pursuit in short order. Gr'laH's fleet meets in force in the middle, only five ships strong and in fighting order, the Gharas still making time to draw the commander further from the fray.
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Command (Starship) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
. o O Churas thinks "We are outnumbered and closed in now. We must be very skillful, or today /will/ be a good day to die."
"It's okay Nev..." Poole is sure to say, hell it's a simulation after all. She leans forward, giving her tush a break from her chair as she quick-peruses the situation. Grinning, she says, "That-a boys..." Looking to Blair, she says, "Send out orders to destroy the K'vorts first. I want a wingman to break off from one of the squadrons to join us out here against the Gharas." Then, looking between O'Carroll and Nevaren, she says, "Once more unto the breach... If we don't hit them now, we never will, helm keep us on them, if you can, manuever to give me better aim at that rear shield. Nev, if you have another idea for sending them something nasty with their shields down, this is the time, I'm beginning an attack run." And here comes the little gnat of a B'rel for that Vorcha's tender rear end.
Nevaren grumbles, still not beleiving he screwed up so badly. "I can't think of anything nastier then a torpedo in their asses, captain." he says, quickly preparing a second.. and third.. torpedo for transport. "I suggest we stutter transport two torpedoes this time One on each end of the ship.. catch them in the colliding of two explosive wavefronts." He begins his targetting..
<CONTEST> Blair contests his Shipboard Systems (Communications) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> O'Carroll (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!
Blair's fingers twitch at the end of his console once, bringing open his communications line. Bringing up a tactical map of the situation, Blair picks an unengaged B'rel and quickly snaps off the orders to break off and join the smaller conflict in the distance. A faint echo comes from his console as the UT converts it to Klingon, and he turns around. "We have the Kurak en route, sir."
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Tactical) skill vs Turtledove's Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill (given advantage) and Fails!
<CONTEST> Nevaren (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Transporter) skill vs a difficulty of Difficult and Fails!
<CONTEST> Nevaren (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Transporter) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Fails!
Behind is good. O'Carroll can do behind. "Aye, aye. I'll get ye a nice clear shot, seh." she replies, hands flying over the console. This definately isn't an Akira, but she's getting the hang of it. Slowly.
Well well well.. Once again Nevaren has done it. At least he didn't take out his own wingman. He loses the far-aimed torp outright as its signal dissipated into the Gharas's shields. He recovers the near torp briefly, but can't drop it off their shields in time to at least damage them. They're out of the way by then. He's Shooting 20-20 today, people. He looks like he wants to rip his console out of a wall and have a private one-on-one 'councelling' session with it.. using a pliers and a plasma torch.
Poole can't manage to land the repeated strikes needed to dimple those rear shields again, making her scrunch up her nose a bit. That's about it from her though. Now they have to see if they live to take another shot at the beast of a vorcha known as the Gharas.
The battle between Vor'cha and B'rel seems to be shaping up to the fortunes of House Gr'laH, but elsewhere the fleet is in peril. The B'rel attempt to buy the K'vort cover and sacrifice themselves in the doing of it. Another pair of B'rel are cleared away by the harassing of Poole's fleet, leaving only three of the original eight. The Cho'daQ's sheilds take a massive pounding from strafing after strafing and finally drop entirely until the passing B'rel begin to rake massive gouges in its outer hull. The Churas, guarded now only by a single flight of B'rel, turns to make a stand without orders to do so.
Fifteen B'rel circle the remaining five craft -- one nearly destroyed -- closing an ever narrowing net of destruction.
On the bridge of the virtual Gharas, Gr'laH is roaring his understandable frustrations. His crew is performing beyond well and the battle has nonetheless turned against him. Meaning the fault of it is only his. Slamming his fist onto his chair, Gr'laH lurches from his seat.
"Order the Cho'daQ's crew to abandon ship. Via boarding parties. And tell the Gharas not to /FIGHT AT THOSE ODDS/! Retreat that squadron to us! We die /here/!" With that, Gr'laH barks at Churas, "All weapons on that B'rel! Helm, Engineering! You are our boarding party. I will handle your transport from here. Do not worry. If I fail, your deaths shall be sung by holographic Klingons." Lurching back about, Gr'laH eyes the viewscreen and shakes his head in dismay. "There /must/ be a way!"
GAME: Gr'laH spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Gr'laH (claiming advantage) contests his Command (Starship) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Gr'laH (claiming advantage) contests his Starship Tactics (Naval) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Churas (claiming advantage) contests her Shipboard Systems (Tactical) skill vs O'Carroll's Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) skill (given advantage) and Succeeds!
GAME: Gr'laH spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Cristobal (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Communications) skill vs Blair's Shipboard Systems (Communications) skill (given advantage) and Fails!
<CONTEST> Gr'laH (claiming advantage) contests his Shipboard Systems (Transporter) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!
Churas /snarls/ and brings her weapons to bear on the B'rel that closes behind them, eyes flickering between displays as she does so. Another volley of fire is let fly from the Gharas, and she growls in unconcealed delight as her fire finds its mark, impacting with the B'rel's shields once more.
<CONTEST> Cristobal contests his Shipboard Systems (Communications) skill vs a difficulty of Routine and Succeeds!
Cristobal finds himself a bit...well...unoccupied. The battle's going on around him. He can see it plainly on sensors. But he's never manned the operations post in battle before. Just what does one /do/ in this position, besides relaying Gr'laH's orders. Stare at sensors? Glancing at his comm system, he gets an idea. After sending the information to the captains of the Cho'daQ and the Churas, he tries something else. Doubting Poole's bunch went through high security protocols to scramble their comm signals, Cristobal isolates the frequency the Poole/Sta'TORuk ships are using, and attempts to jam it. He scowls at that, but tries again. He will do something useful, dammit!
Gr'laH lumbers to the arm of his chair and pokes at it, waiting for Churas' window. Without further ado, Turtledove and Stewart disappear from the bridge, reappearing on the bridge of Poole's B'rel. Weapons at the ready, no less. "Die well," Gr'laH comments. Knowing they won't do much more than that.
Turtledove looks up from the helm briefly, apparently moved by the passionate bridge mien of the Fleet Captain. Her success in evading Poole's rear-seeking torpedos remains with her, sparkling like miniature blood-lust in her normally mellow brown eyes, such that, as Churas' fire strikes hard, she let's out a Terran cheer. "Yeah!" Okay, she's not a cheerleader. Go team Go'lah! And then she disappears from the bridge. And... stands ready to do battle!
Stewart stands up from his chair, transferring control over, and gets into a position ready for transport. "Imaginary people will sing of this day through the generations," he replies in full-on deadpan before fading out in twinkling light.
GAME: Poole spends a courage point.
GAME: Nevaren spends a courage point.
GAME: Turtledove spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Turtledove (claiming advantage) contests her Planetary Tactics (Guerilla Tactics) skill vs Poole's Planetary Tactics (Guerilla Warfare) skill (given advantage) and Fails!
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Planetary Tactics (Guerilla Warfare) skill vs Turtledove's Planetary Tactics (Guerilla Warfare) skill (given advantage) and Fails!
<CONTEST> Stewart (claiming advantage) contests his Planetary Tactics (Guerilla Warfare) skill vs Nevaren's Intellect (Perception) skill and Fails!
<CONTEST> Nevaren (claiming advantage) contests his Intellect (Perception) skill vs Stewart's Planetary Tactics (Guerilla Warfare) skill and Fails!
GAME: Stewart spends a courage point.
GAME: Nevaren spends a courage point.
<PROVE> Turtledove has the merit of Weapon Master at 2.
GAME: Poole spends a courage point.
GAME: Poole spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Turtledove (claiming advantage) contests her Primitive Weaponry (Knife) skill vs Poole's Dodge skill (given advantage) and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Poole (claiming advantage) contests her Energy Weapon (Phaser) skill vs Turtledove's Dodge skill (given advantage) and Succeeds!
GAME: Stewart spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Stewart (claiming advantage) contests his Energy Weapon (Phaser) skill vs Nevaren's Dodge skill (given advantage) and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Stewart contests his Energy Weapon (Phaser) skill vs Nevaren's Dodge skill (given advantage) and Succeeds!
<CONTEST> Nevaren contests his Unarmed Combat (Mok'bara) skill vs Stewart's Dodge skill (given advantage) and Fails!
GAME: O'Carroll spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> O'Carroll (claiming advantage) contests her Energy Weapon (Phaser) skill vs Stewart's Dodge skill (given advantage) and Fails!
. o O Cristobal thinks "Wait, if Tera's gone. Do I have to fly the ship? Oh great..."
<CONTEST> O'Carroll (claiming advantage) contests her Energy Weapon (Phaser) skill vs Stewart's Dodge skill and Fails!
GAME: Blair spends a courage point.
<CONTEST> Blair (claiming advantage) contests his Energy Weapon (Phaser) skill vs Stewart's Dodge skill (given disadvantage) and Succeeds!
Nevaren catches the wine of a transporter behind him.. Oh no.. Not this.. He quickly turns around and without even thinking hurls himelf at the epanding columns of light. But he is JUST barely not fast enough and a lance of phaser fire from Stewart drops him like a sack of potatos.
Stewart appears in a column of light, quickly dropping into firing position as he looks for his target. Who is already heading for him at speed. He fires quickly, connecting with Nevaren to drop him to the ground. And then he looks over at the other two for a split-second before sprinting towards a panel for cover. Only a short distance away, but it might as well be back on the Gharas for all the good it does him.
Turtledove strikes like a viper. A viper with a wrist. A wrist that flicks shiny, thick, deadly, sharp metal at Poole. And hits! Well, at least the Captain's dead. This, possibly, is her last thought before she is, summarily, hit by the blast of her victim's phaser. Set to kill. Today was a good day to die.
Poole manages to not be caught completely unawares and tugs out her phaser, thumbing the firing stud at Turtledove just as the knife expertly thrown by the woman buries itself in her chest. Heart, ventrical, death. She goes limp.
Nevaren goes Out of Character.
Nevaren has left.
O'Carroll turns around in her seat quickly, phaser drawn at the sound of transporters. She watches helplessly as the two officers closest to them drop, and fires off a blast at the last intruder that seems to be standing, Stewart, and trying to hide. It deflects off a nearby panel, evoking a rather stern grumble.
Turtledove goes home.
Turtledove has left.
Blair looks up at the transporter whine, missing the first fired phaser but whirling around in time to see Stewart dive away and Poole and Turtledove go snicker-snack and blam-blam, respectively. Well, there goes the neighborhood. Stewart's diving away is not lost on Blair, but he's not fast enough to catch the moving soldier, whipping his phaser out as Stewart makes it behind the panel. Pausing for a second, he glances over the panel, then raises his phaser, thumbing it to the maximum the ship's security will let him.
The resulting shot sends the top of the panel crashing into the wall and a shower of sparks out from the other side of the panel as Stewart, probably for the first time, falls victim to the famed Redshirt Syndrome.
Back on board the Gharas, Gr'laH observes the uniform drift of the enemy B'rel, even as he moves to rejoin with the last of his fleet. When Poole's ship recovers course and pursues, however, Gr'laH growls his frustration and beats his fist against his chair, spinning it about several times before he falls into it. The Cho'daQ's boarding does manage to secure an enemy B'rel -- one -- before it is blown apart in a spinning field of debris. A single squadron of Gr'laH vessels form up, surrounded now by fourteen of the enemy. Shots shake the bridge, rattling the old Klingon in his chair, though his head only shakes. He knows, for all of that, he's still lost.
"Torpedoes. Wide spread. Target their lead flights. Inform the Churas and her remaining B'rel to press the attack on the left flank." He taps at his controls, his helm officer 'dead' aboard an enemy B'rel, and flies the last of his fleet straight into the jaws of the enemy.
"There is a way," he assures the pair, "we stop them at Balduk, or not at all. There is a way, or there is no hope at all. And there is always hope. So if there is a way, we will find it." A pause as he raises his gaze to the catch the destruction of his fleet, preceeding the wave of eight B'rel heading straight their way, weapons blazing. "Just no today."
Unimpressed by her father's assertion that today will not be the day, Churas rumbles through gritted teeth, "Then it is a good day to die." She has not, by the look on her face, given up for one moment on the idea of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Succeeding versus impossible odds is, after all, her specialty, and so the swarthy female taps her fingers across the tactical console, Klingon glyphs flying across her displays as she sends torpedoes in a wide spread that targets the enemy's lead flights, as ordered.
Cristobal relays the orders to the Churas. He then pauses. Uncharacteristically for a Klingon officer in the heat of battle, but quite characteristically for Nathan Cristobal on the holodeck, he questions Gr'laH, "You expect to fight this battle." Well ok, it's not /technically/ a question...until a question occurs to him. "Just how soon are you expecting to fight it?" There's some rather more pointed questions that go along with that, but he does not at this time give voice to them.
"It is always a good day to die, Churas." Gr'laH then glances aside at Nathan as the volleys slam into the now downed shields of the Gharas. "Soon enough to save my grandchild and the Empire, Nathan. The only question remaining now is... can we do it?" Gr'laH's gaze shifts back to the viewscreen as the bridge explodes around them, ending the simulation in victory for the Starfleet crew of the Sta'TORuk B'rel.
Spider has arrived.
GAME: Spider is joining this location.
