AQ/D01 - Bridge

[Daniel Brooks]

==SEE WIKI PAGE FOR BRIDGE LAYOUT==

[Daniel Brooks]

==TIMELINE ON DOCKING==

As the Aquila came into space dock it seemed like a long time since they were here last and was a welcoming sight.

At the helm was Lieutenant Junior Grade Timothy Southwell, he joined the Aquila when the crews were merged and had come across as a very competent officer. Even through he mainly kept himself to himself and served mostly on the late shift in the crew rotas which wasn't under heard of that these officers didn't really socialize as much as day officers.

Daniel went and took the center chair but he wasn't really doing much just watching as the crew expertly place the Aquila into her dock, the docking clamps went on and the ship powered down.

"How we doing this evening Lieutenant Southwell? he inquired in a friendly tone.

"Good thank you Captain, I didn't expect to see you this evening."

Daniel nodded, "You are very correct on that Mr Southwell. Sometimes it is good just to come and watch the procedure and make sure everything is done correctly which in this case it has."

In the back of the Captains mind Southwell did deserve a promotion but for some reason he had rejected it twice.

"Southwell, may I ask you a question, why won't you become a full Lieutenant?"

The officer turned in his chair, "To be honest Sir, I am happy where I am, I don't want the extra workload or what ever else may come with the promotion, I prefer to do what I do and do it well." he replied.

Brooks nodded in agreement, some officers had indeed stepped into roles and could see they were struggling and wish they hadn't.

"That is very commendable and man needs to know his limitations and what he does best." replied Brooks with a smile,

"But one day... you might just accept it." he sat forward in the center chair for a moment,

"Recently I been feeling reflective on my career and who's come and gone, how life goes on without them, sometimes it can be difficult and other times like today we will be getting a new Middy joining us which is fantastic and I'm looking forward to seeing how their career goes within the fleet. I know mine never went where I expected it to go."

Southwell nodded and replied, "Yes, experiences do change you and that is one thing that can't be helped."

Dan sat back in the chair and said, "Yes they certainly do."

==Tag anyone, inc Diaz to report in==

[Beno Velaul]

Quickly making it to the bridge there was only one place for her to be, at the Captain’s right. As she entered the turbo lift Beno made sure her uniform was on and correct. There had been a few things that happened since the end of the last mission, one that warranted a talk with the Captain. It’s a personal thing that she had no intention of hiding, especially from him. 

As they were getting closer to the station, Beno gave a nod to Daniel before claiming her seat. For some reason it felt different today than before in more than one way. Beno quickly dismissed it as just state of mind. The mission took a lot out of her, it also gave her an insight to politics. Perhaps one day she could go toe to toe with the best of them, but for now she will take it as it came. 

==Tag Docking timeline==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex stepped off the turbolift only a few seconds after Beno had. He grinned at the fact that the senior officers all appeared to have the same habit. When leaving or arriving at a station or a major rendezvous on a mission, you tried to be there, just in case. Most of the time it was nothing, but in those rare instances when something unexpected happened, you wanted your top people on hand to help deal with it. Alex felt it was just a good professional habit, and it made him feel good that the CO and FO also felt that way, even though none of them had said anything to the others.

He logged in to his station as they dropped out of warp and while they were under impulse power, coming in past the outer markers, he stole a glance at Beno, seated in her customary position next to the Captain. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something different about how she was sitting there today. He had barely started to think about it when he detected an open thought from her that explained it enough. A hint of a grin threatened to betray his own thoughts, so he looked away and pretended to be interested in his console while he composed himself once more.

Alex realized that life on the ship would never be the same for him again...and he was good with that.

== Tag Docking timeline ==

[Cologero Coppola]

==Docking timeline ==

Getting on the Bridge Cologero noticed he was the fourth person there, the space station was insight on the viewer. Cologero wax happy to see it, he left the place as a green Officer returning as Chief of his station. Advancement of any kind was good, it will be a while before he would get another.

Cologero went to the center of the room infront of CO and FO. "Acting Chief of  Tactical reporting in." Cologero knew he didn't need to report like that again, he just thought it would be nice. He was a new Department head making it it his first day again, reporting in seemed to be appropriate.

After being acknowledged by the Commanding Officer Cologero took his place at weapons control. There were new options available to him now that were not before, the power cells of phasers were fully charged as all Torpedoes were accounted for. They had a few areas that required attention due to maintenance scheduling, it was best to keep ahead of these things. All systems were green making the lock down process easier, they were docking soon making it essential the weapons were locked down. When Ethan got there the helm was his, Cologero couldn't wait to see him report in.

==Tag==

[Ethan Diaz]

== Docking Timeline ==


Ethan had barely slept the night before. This was it. Primary Operating Duty Shift. The first of many watches. This wasn't a theoretical exercise, a sim session, or an apprentice cruise. Today, it was the real thing--and with primary watch standers on the bridge, no less. The Man himself would be looking over his shoulder at some point. He was, to borrow a phrase from the Embarkation Officer, "in for it".

Speaking of which, he wasn't the only junior officer up on the lists today. Nearly every midshipman that had come aboard alongside Ethan on the transfer run was either a few days into their new job or going on duty for the first time this evening. Whether they were a software technician, astrophysicist's assistant, or just a jarhead walking the lower decks with a hand phaser, they all had the jitters. Every junior officer had the same singular goal of proving themselves, and the same unthinkable fear of dropping the ball in front of their superiors. It gave them something to talk about, at least.

Heading into a shift with only two or three hours of sleep under your belt was never advisable, but Ethan had made sure to compensate with a large meal of steak and eggs drowned in gravy and about a gallon of orange juice. The officers' mess was full of new arrivals sitting together at their designated end of table (where the lieutenants could keep a close eye on them). It was a fairly common occurrence during the first few weeks, from what Ethan understood. Open crew lounges were far less formal and were far more suited to the kind of socializing that came after serving with the same people for a few years. In that way, he supposed being in Starfleet wasn't too different from his first days of high school. All you had to do was find your people.

No one mentioned it, of course, but Ethan could practically feel the raw nerves of his shipmates seated around him. However well-trained and capable officers may be, they were all still very, very anxious at this stage. "Watch your back, man. The ensigns can smell fear," a woman across from Ethan had warned. It reminded him of an old joke that was told to every new class at Starfleet Academy. The story went that on one occasion, an admiral was inspecting a ship's crew on duty, and when he came to the quarterdeck, he happened upon a recruit and a midshipman, both fresh out of training. Naturally, upon sighting the admiral, both came to the position of attention. The admiral looked to the recruit first and asked "Am I making you nervous, son?", to which the young man replied, "Yes, sir." The admiral addressed the midshipman next, and was displeased to find them trembling in apparent fear.

"Am I making you nervous, midshipman?" Asked the admiral.

"Very much so, admiral," answered the young officer.

"Now, that won't do at all. This young recruit here is standing perfectly still. So why are you, a commissioned officer, shaking like a leaf?"

Without missing a beat, the midshipman replied: "Sir, if I wasn't shaking, you wouldn't be able to tell us apart."

It always got a laugh, but there was some truth to it. Ethan just hoped it wouldn't be true in his case. After finishing his meal, he began his first, fateful journey up to Deck 1. The pair of turbolifts that led the main bridge could only be directly accessed by a handful of individuals on the ship. Bridge Crew Clearance was a sacred thing, and the bridge of a starship was hallowed ground. Starfleet was the furnace, and the bridge was the mold. Being a fully-certified watch stander wasn't an easy milestone to reach, and it earned you a little more respect than the average officer.

In other words, Ethan would have to be exceedingly careful. He was an officer, yes--but to the people up here, he was just a below-average graduate with a ring and a dream.

He stepped inside, listened to the door hiss shut, and shot upward toward the next thirty years of his life. Here goes nothing.

Twenty seconds later, the door hissed open, and Ethan emerged into a spacious, mostly empty room with dark flooring. He'd never set foot in here before, but after having studied a dozen different versions of this same layout, he recognized the place well enough. All was exactly where it usually was--including the helmsman's chair. 

Right away, his eyes found the Captain and First Officer seated in the center of the room. Two thirds of the brass, in the flesh. He recognized Lieutenant Coppola at the main TC station as well. Looking over to his right, Ethan then saw what he presumed was the ship's science officer already at work. One or two more people would probably be joining them soon, but in the meantime. . . 

Ethan made his way smartly over to the command station, stopping on the left side, assuming the position of attention, and turning sharply on his right heel to face Captain Brooks. "Good evening, sir. Midshipman Diaz, reporting as ordered."


== Open Tag. Sorry for the delay everyone. ==

[Daniel Brooks]

Brooks was busy checking his terminal on the command chair as he eyes came up to see a young Midshipman arriving to attention.

"Good evening, sir. Midshipman Diaz, reporting as ordered." said the officer at attention.

"Good evening Midshipman Diaz, I have been expecting you." he replied with a smile,

"I'm Captain Brooks... Daniel Brooks and this is my First Officer Commander Velaul. Welcome aboard the Aquila Mr Diaz."

Brooks then added, "You can relax now Diaz." indicating with his hand to relax out of being stood to attention.

"I'm sure Mr Coppola will have something for you to do while we finish our docking manovers ."

==Tag Diaz and everyone else==

[Ethan Diaz]

Ethan relaxed and gave the pair of them a nod. "Thank you, sir." Should he say something else? No, better not make things awkward. This was just another day at the office for the rest of the bridge crew. Just behave normally and focus on your work, Ethan told himself. He knew from his divisional briefing packet that the ship would be docking today, possibly to take on supplies or additional crew. That meant standard operations up here--nothing he hadn't been trained to handle. The pause would also give him time to go over the specifics of his control interface too. 

"I'm sure Mr. Coppola will have something for you to do while we finish our docking maneuvers," the Captain added. 

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Ethan answered. His mouth was dry, and he'd left his stomach at the bottom of the turbolift, but once he turned to look out at the glittering void filling up the main viewscreen, he could feel some of his anxiety ebb away. He'd finally made it. That was a win. He just needed an hour or two to settle in, and then he'd be fine. 

Ethan only needed a second to gather himself before stepping smartly over to his station and sitting down. Yes--he'd been through all this. Different systems, different scenarios, but the processes were the same. He scanned the helm control panel, taking note of his current system readouts. 

Standard Approach Guidance locked, one-quarter impulse. Output control settings are pretty fluid, but those can always be adjusted. Easy tie-ins to Engineering and Maneuvering subsystems management. We're all good, he thought to himself. 

The navigational mainframe was running a closed autopilot function; that was normal when docking a ship this size. Basically all you had to do was set the ship's computer to receive a bundled IFF/Exterior Scan signal from the station, and then its Space Traffic Control algorithm did the rest. Manual docking was also an option of course, but such maneuvers were typically performed at the Commanding Officer's discretion. For now, all Ethan had to do was sit back, relax, and wait for orders.



== Open Tag ==

[Cologero Coppola]

Happy to see Ethan report in was like how he did for the first time, he was nervous to go through it for the first time. Cologero was almost done locking his station he was watching the ship dock. It really put the last mission behind them with the next one coming, what that was going to be was a mystery. 

Going up to the helm Cologero took a knee beside Ethan. "Welcome to the Bridge." Cologero started. "I have entered information into the system that can help, what we can do before structure failure and how to shore up sections to prevent it from happening." He had entered a lot into the system with more to come, all in an effort to prevent the ship from falling apart.

"We should go over a few things later, when it hits the fan we really need to flow together." It was something they needed to work on before it hits the fan, if they did their job right Tactical would be the shielding umbrella.  "If you wasn't we can talk about these things in a few hours?" They can do the meeting in quarters later, right now was about enjoying the moment. "Anything you want to go over now?" He was new so there could be a lot.

==Tag==

[Alexander Talion]

Fortunately, there was little needed for Science to do as they docked. Talion's presence on the Bridge was purely formality and something he simply tried to do as part of his professional habits. He was composed once again and the moment was close to boring and routine until his gaze fell upon the FO again.

Alex's heart nearly skipped a beat and he actually had to make a deliberate effort to break his train of thought. He had worked closely with his first wife, but it had not been as distracting as this felt. He could now understand the precautions that were often taken to avoid such situations. He took a deep breath and used one of the mental disciplines he had been taught long ago. It helped him to clear his mind, though part of him didn't want to. A grin slid onto his face at the inner conflict. It was a good thing to have to wrestle with. Of all the things that could task a man to keep his mind on work, the affections of a beautiful woman had to be one of the better ones to pick. He would simply have to take strong precautions as then moved forward. It would not be acceptable for him to compromise either of their positions regarding their obligations and professional duties.

== Just staying in the loop ==

[Kalli Thorn]

It was a rare moment that Kalli came onto the Bridge these days. Her duties kept her busy with the rest of the ship, but like the rest, she often liked to be there for the docking. She preferred being in Engineering for launches, most of the time, just in case, but Docking allowed her to get in a last minute word with the CO, knowing he would be there and a captive audience.

She quietly walked over near the Captain and gave the CO and FO both a look and a nod, "Captain...Commander..." Then addressed the CO, "Sir, I've not seen anything come across my desk about anything requiring their dock crews to be on our ship, but it never hurts to ask. Is there anything I should be aware of that might have them sneaking in and trying to get in some updates or anything? I really hate those kind of surprises and our scheduled maintenance roster is looking very good right now."

== Tag Bridge Crew ==

[Ethan Diaz]

Try as he might, Ethan couldn't bring himself to just ride the autopilot all the way to the dock, so he leaned forward and went over his panel again, delving back into his memories of the Basic Flight and Navigation Course. Now that he was actually on the bridge of a real starship, most of the lessons were coming back to him pretty quickly. Being a new exploratory platform, the Ross-class brought a few changes to certain interface systems, but for the most part, the EMCs resembled those of most ships that had been built over the past 15 years or so. Ethan was so lost in all of it that he almost didn't notice Lieutenant Coppola rise from his seat to approach him.

"Welcome to the Bridge," he said, dropping down to one knee. "I have entered information into the system that can help, what we can do before structure failure and how to shore up sections to prevent it from happening."

"Thank you sir, I appreciate that," Ethan replied. The corner of his mouth curled upward in a nervous smile as he tried to find his next words. "I saw those direct input links for the emergency seals and damage control subroutines and whatnot. I'm guessing that was you. It's a good setup."

"We should go over a few things later, when it hits the fan we really need to flow together," Coppola continued.

"I'm with you there, sir."

"If you wasn't we can talk about these things in a few hours?"

Ethan considered it for a moment before nodding slowly. "I'm always open to instruction sir. Just let me know the time and place and I'll work it in to my schedule."

The offer made sense. Even though it was his first day on the job, it was important for a ship's Conning Team (the Officer of the Deck, the helmsman, and the navigator) to establish a solid rapport so they could anticipate and react to each other within seconds. The three of them would set the pace for the entire bridge crew, and when they all worked together and did everything by the book, they would operate like a well-oiled machine.

"Anything you want to go over now?" The Lieutenant added.

"Nothing comes to mind at the moment, sir. The system seems pretty intuitive. I should be ready to open up manual control once we're on the outbound run."



== Open Tag ==

[Cologero Coppola]

Nodding in agreement about the changes he made, Ethan picked up on them right away. There were patterns that were meant for a last stand situation. If these manuvers were used it wax a desperate situation, they were designed to change will die to might. 

"Yes there is one manuver I would love to talk about." Cologero pulled up a small display of the manuver. "This one I call drop the acher where the back end swings out like a drift, depending on the situation we might engage the warp drive to get out of the situation." If this manuver was done correctly they can make a quick exit.

"When you had a chance to be better situated I would love to go over how we can work in sync, we will only have verbal communication at times. Shorthand talk might be preferred, fractions of seconds count." Cologero wanted to know him better too for a better understanding, they need something that was only theirs. Eventually they would get to the point both will be able to detect what the other is doing without talking, that would be a solid dynamic.

==Tag==

[Daniel Brooks]

==Docking timeline==

Commander Velaul took her seat next to him to his right but they only really exchanged a few words as the ship came into dock, on the travel back, Brooks had mainly been held up in his Ready Room or his quarters trying to sort out all the political complications from their last mission even through Command were contemplating sending a full on envoy over to see if they could assist in ways only Brooks dared to think.

In fact it all had been a lot of mental dealings and it taken it toll a bit. It would be nice to get on a little relax and then maybe head out into another mission a lot less complicated then the last one. He kind of admired Velaul in how she handled herself, it was then his mind went onto something else, about what ever was going on between her and Commander Talion, he knew there would be a moment when Beno would want to explain things to him but now wasn't the time.

Lieutenant Thorn arrived on the Bridge and took his mind off the stuff that he didn't really need to be thinking about right now,

Captain...Commander..." Then addressed the CO, "Sir, I've not seen anything come across my desk about anything requiring their dock crews to be on our ship, but it never hurts to ask. Is there anything I should be aware of that might have them sneaking in and trying to get in some updates or anything? I really hate those kind of surprises and our scheduled maintenance roster is looking very good right now."

Brooks nodded, "I haven't heard anything either in anything coming from Command, just do your usual checks with a skeleton crew as always, I know they said there was a couple of upgrades to be done but we can do them, nothing that exciting this time." he replied with a smile.

"You might be able to enjoy your time off this shore leave and make the most of it Lieutenant." he added

Turning to Beno he said, "I believe my usual medical is due, if you can see if anyone else is up for their annual review it would be good and try get the Doc to book them in just as we leave base rather then disturbing their break as I think everyone deserves one."

==Tag Thorn & Velaul==

[Beno Velaul]

One of the best views Beno had was the ship docking, it always felt like a bit of a release. She also agreed that it was time for her physical as well, there would need to parts of the test that needs to be omitted. Beno could feel something different with Velaul, it wasn't dangerous to her at all. 

"Under the circumstances I believe it's time." The atmosphere of the planet could have come with unintended side effects, much like a bug bite. To her it could mean the difference between life, and being a memory for the next host. Soon Beno heard Cologero talk about a meeting with his Midshipman, it wasn't a bad idea.

"That sounds like a great idea Lieutenant I would like a meeting with you as well, just so we can sync up as well." Beno enjoyed a close relationship with his predecessor, it would take some time to develop that kind of relationship. Eventually she was going to have a one on one with all department heads, then one more with them all. 

==Tag==

[Cologero Coppola]

Hearing the First Officer expressing an interest in a meeting Cologero had a small panic attack, until he realized her purpose was the same as his. "Just tell me the where and when, I will be there Commander. There are a few things I want to talk to you about as well, if we are going to work closer together." She knew the rest of it so he didn't have to get into it.

Cologero wanted to make sure they were going to make a great team, he had heard stories about her. The fact she was well balanced out, both professional and personal. Even in the rare times she needed to discipline it wax in order to build them up. Cologero never believed in tearing people down, neither did she.

==Tag==

[Beno Velaul]

Beno got a little laugh in from his response, it was also a reminder that she needed the big meeting first. There were a few things she needed to say, one of them more important than the other. “Captain.” Her voice was trying to get back to normal. “There are a couple sensitive items we should talk about soon, one I am aware that has already come to your attention.” Beno was sure that even the barber knew about it too. 

“Daniel.” Beno has never used his first name like that before, it meant that something personal. “Anytime at your leisure.” Beno had no way of knowing if he had important business to attend to, the upside was the same as the downside. More time to think about what to say, these were three things she never seen herself talking about with anyone. 

==Tag==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex felt the shift in Beno's approach with the CO, though it didn't take a telepath to notice that. The change in her voice, the use of the first name only and then there was her body language as well. She was still preparing to talk to him. Alex wasn't sure if he would be there for the conversation or not, but was prepared to pivot either direction with it. He had to let her handle this in her own way, respecting her enough to trust in her ability to handle it all appropriately. It was a new experience for him, having someone that he felt so much more of an equal with.

For the moment, Alex would continue to stand at his station and observe them coming in. The docking process was certainly nothing very exciting, but he valued routine at times like this. There were some things that he liked to be predictable and almost boring. It gave a feeling of security in the foundational practices they often tried so hard to teach the crew.

The turn of events had permanently altered how he viewed Beno. He had worried about Reyna and how they would get along, but it turned out he needn't have worried at all. Not only was Reyna not clashing with this new woman in his life, but they had bonded unlike anything he could have anticipated. Beno turned out to be quite a maternal sort at heart and had a way with Reyna that was quite disarming. It was no secret that his daughter was far smarter than she should be, but Beno simply sidestepped that and focused on the emotional and personal aspects, thus instantly leveling the field and showing a wisdom he envied. He supposed it had something to do with Velaul's previous experiences combined with her own, but it could not be denied that it worked very well.

Not wanting to give too much away, he resisted giving her a wink, but couldn't resist just a little more hint of a grin than his usual stoic self.

== Tag ==

[Daniel Brooks]

“Captain.” said the FO as her voice was trying to get back to normal. “There are a couple sensitive items we should talk about soon, one I am aware that has already come to your attention.”

Daniel looked at her and raised an eyebrow,

“Daniel.” Beno has never used his first name like that before, it meant that something personal. “Anytime at your leisure.”

Dan gave a small nod, "We can do once we are in dock, have a chat in the Ready Room?" he replied knowing that sometimes ship gossip could be wrong or get something out of context so it would be far better hearing it from the person involved.

Life went on regardless of the latest gossip and Daniel knew that these things could be difficult to come and talk to the Captain about as he had it himself in the past but he liked the way him and Beno's friendship had grown, along with how she had grown since the first time he met her when he was on another ship. Whatever she was going to confirmed to him it wouldn't really change his view point of her.

==Tag Velaul==

[Ethan Diaz]

"When you had a chance to be better situated, I would love to go over how we can work in sync, we will only have verbal communication at times. Shorthand talk might be preferred, fractions of seconds count." 

"No problem, sir," Ethan assured his superior. "As I said, I'm always open to instruction." 

He turned back to his console, watching the thrust levels on the impulse engines start to drop as the autopilot slowed the ship for final approach. A docking clearance ping came through, and the guidance lock kicked in. He kept one ear open as the brass spoke behind him. The entire bridge crew was present now. Once the Aquila was safely docked, the rest of the hands would likely be standing down for a more relaxed work schedule, unless the captain had something different in mind. He'd heard rumors about a new mission coming up soon, new orders from Fleet Expeditionary Command and whatnot, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. People were always jawing about the next mission. Of course, being on the bridge, one tended to have much more accurate information, being so close to the captain and all. It was one of the many advantages of working up here.

One thing at a time, Ethan reminded himself. Even if there was another job right around the corner, a ship like this couldn't go rushing off half-cocked. 




== Tag ==

[Cologero Coppola]

Going back to his station Cologero had a part to do as well, the docking clamps were almost aligned before they were engaged. The rest of the procedure was straight forward, the ship was safe and secure. "Captain the docking procedure has been completed." There was a small shift in the ship suggesting the docking clamps were engaged.

"Everything is secure now we should be able to walk off the ship shortly." It was nice to lock down his station again, now they were free to move about. It seemed like there were going to be a few meetings going on. Cologero thought it was a really good idea to do, from the tone of the First Officer combined with the briefest of glances of the Chief Science Officer. Cologero could guess it involved him, if true he was happy for them both.

"Midshipman good job the final task is to lock your station." The final thing to wait for was an official dismissal,it was just good policy.

==Tag==

[Ethan Diaz]

The whole docking process took maybe five minutes. Ethan sat back and watched as the Aquila continued to glide serenely along her preset course. The station loomed larger and larger on the viewscreen, the sides of the docking slip aligned perfectly with the approaching vessel. Every tiny variation that was required to keep her level was handled by the computer. The docking clamps were opened, then there was the last-second burst from the maneuvering thrusters to slow them down for final approach. At about 100 meters or so, the impulse engines were shut off completely, and inertia did the rest. A heavy metallic creak that echoed throughout the superstructure signaled that the docking clamps had been engaged. Finally, a system alert appeared on the main helm interface: "ALL STOP - SECURE FROM DOCKING CYCLE".

At this point, it was safe for Ethan to leave his station. The only way the ship could come lose now was with a "shove-off" safety lock signal that could only be sent one-way from STC and had to be confirmed on the Captain's panel. Technically, the proper procedure was to wait until the Captain dismissed them, but on most ships that was just a formality. Ethan turned to look over his shoulder and saw that some of the senior officers were already on their way out. Then, with perfect timing, Lieutenant Coppola told him to lock his station. The midshipman nodded and did so with practiced ease. "Aye, sir."

While he waited for Captain Brooks to address them, Ethan wondered how he ought to spend his first couple hours of off-time. Some of the other new officers he'd been dining with in the wardroom had arranged to do some stuff on the holodeck, which was tempting, but perhaps it would be better to squeeze in some last-minute coursework. Cross-training with Maneuvering Section down in Engineering was always an option too, assuming he wasn't assigned to a Non-Duty Watch up here. Or maybe he'd just get some more sleep.

In any event, Ethan was relieved there'd been nothing for him to screw up. For his first shift, things had been perfectly uneventful.



== Tag ==

[GM-Braggins]

==At some point following the Aquila's previous mission==

While docked, a skeleton crew manned the Bridge, mostly junior officers or enlisted not quite on the fast track to command, but considered capable enough to be left to their own devices.

It was during one such shift that an emergency message was delivered, priority one. The signal came from a Supply Ship, the USS Lowry, and was as succinct as it was alarming.

[FROM: Commanding Officer, USS Lowry
TO: Any Federation Starship in range
Starbase 214 blockaded by Cardassian escort squadron. Cardassian invasion fleet crossing border. Fleet comprises three Escorts, three Battlecruisers, one Dreadnought. Lowry withdrawing. USS Yeager remains on-station. Current status, unknown. Immediate reinforcement requested.]

With trembling hands, the duty officer downloaded the message to a PADD, requested relief from the next senior officer available, and bolted to get the Captain.

[Daniel Brooks]

==Temp NPC Lieutenant Junior Grade Timothy Southwell Tactical==

Timothy had been with the Aquila since it's launch but had very little ambition to go any higher in the ranks. He had found his niches and he didn't really get along with people, he liked to keep himself to himself, within this he usually volunteered to be on the skeleton crew.

This was until a priority one message came over, he downloaded it to the PADD as he knew the Captain would be in his quarters.

Turning to Ensign Barry Keaton from Science who was on the Bridge helping with the Science sections upgrade he said,

"I'm going to the Captain, I leave you in charge of the Bridge." Timothy said as he rushed to the aft turbolift.

Barry didn't have chance to respond and felt kind of perplexed by it all.

>>>CO Quarters>>>

[Daniel Brooks]

<<<CO Quarters<<<

The turbolift ride was quiet between Brooks and Southwell, as the doors opened onto the Bridge, Brooks stepped out and headed straight down to the command centre.

Pressing a button on the command chair he said, "Aquila to all crew, urgent recall, recall to all stations within twenty minutes. Brooks out."

Closing the channel, Brooks then sat down in the centre chair, he hated the waiting but it had to be done to get everyone back on board. It also made him feel sightly nervous as this will be the first time the Aquila could be tested in a combat situation.

==Tag all==

[Beno Velaul]

<<<<FO Quarters.<<<

There was a little more time to enjoy some Family time together, it was nice to unwind for a little longer than expected leaving Beno with an unusual glow. Beno felt happier than she has in a long time, when the call came for a crew recall. Beno was quick to get dressed heading to the Bridge, Beno had no way of knowing what to expect just that it was urgent.

Beno was the second to arrive on the Bridge recognizing the Captain was the first. "Exciting isn't it Captain?" Beno had some enthusiasm in her voice. "I never know what to expect when sent out, just that we are needed." Beno was waiting on the rest of the Bridge crew to come shortly, she wanted to see their new department heads in action.

==Tag==

[Daniel Brooks]

His First Officer was the first to arrive after the call, "Exciting, isn't it Captain?" she said before adding,

"I never know what to expect when sent out, just that we are needed."

Daniel face didn't show any ethusiasm as Beno had in fact it remained poker face, to Brooks this was going to test the ship and the crew and in any rate he didn't really know what they will be flying into.

"Yes, well Number One, take a seat." he said, once she had he said,

"I need to know once all stations are green as we need a very quick departure."

Turning over to the officer sat at comms,

"Contact the station and let them know we expect a quick undocking sequence as we are responsing to a priority one call." he said before tapping a few commands into the centre chair.

"Number one, I will brief everyone once we have left space dock and today isn't the day to be too excited."

==Tag Velual and anyone else who wants to arrive==

[Cologero Coppola]

Cologero was the next to arrive on the Bridge, seeing how the call wasn't that long ago it made him happy to be the first three people there. He went directly to his station starting to unlock the systems before running a full systems diagnostics, it was standard procedure before leaving the Space station. "Captain." He said as a friendly greeting. "Commander." He wasn't sure if they were going to do a ship wide announcement, or was this going to be a senior staff meeting. 

"Tactical systems are ready for action." The weapons and navigation were both offline still, it was just a glimpse into the systems. It was then that he noticed something different about both the Captain and the First Officer, or it could even be just him seeing them with rested eyes. It was a good leave getting to know people on a more personable basis, truly a double edged sword, when their presences is felt it is celebrated with great delight, when they are gone it is greatly missed or worse grieved.

For Science he wasn't sure who was going to be there, just happy to see either of them. Security he looked forward to seeing Jez again, he would have no issue following her lead again. 

==tag Captain and or Commander==

[Beno Velaul]

Knowing exactly what Daniel was speaking of Beno did try to curve her enthusiasm, she enjoyed her down time a lot now it was time to do her duties. It was a little difficult to do for her, Daniel knew exactly why and this was her first chance to keep to her promise. 

"I will keep it in mind Captain, I ill make sure to maintain an appropriate level." She was waiting for the rest of the crew to get there, the next was their new Chief Tactical. He went right to business as expected, he gave a nice greeting and report about the readiness of Tactical. 

She was looking forward to hearing what they were about to do, Daniel had these things well in hand. She just hoped that he had a chance to relax as well, do something he enjoys. 

"Thank you for your report Lieutenant." He looked a little more relaxed as well, Beno was equally happy for him and Carley all the same. 

==Tags==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex finally appeared on the Bridge. He wasn't the type to snap to attention, but had a certain casual professionalism to him that was still respectful. "Captain, Science is all accounted for and all facilities and experiments have been secured for launch." He then shifted his gaze to Beno and grinned, "Commander..."

Alex's expression turned more serious as he then returned his attention to the Captain, "That look on your face tells me that whatever this is, you don't like it, so that can't be a good thing. Any special instructions on the way out of the barn, or are you going to save it all for the briefing?"

== Tags to the Bridge Crew ==

[Daniel Brooks]

Brooks responded to Coppola's greeting with a nod, he watched as the new acting Chief Tactical went about his business as Velaul said,

"I will keep it in mind Captain, I ill make sure to maintain an appropriate level."

Daniel looked at Beno for a moment, "Don't worry, I'm just a bit more concerned with what we are going thats all, I shouldn't have dampened your spirit."

"Tactical systems are ready for action." said Coppola,

"Thank you for your report Lieutenant." replied Beno as then the Chief Science Officer appeared, they still not had their 'talk' about what was going on between the FO and the CSO but Dan gleened alot from other areas.

"Captain, Science is all accounted for and all facilities and experiments have been secured for launch." Talion then shifted his gaze to Beno and grinned, "Commander..."

Alex's expression turned more serious as he then returned his attention to the Captain, "That look on your face tells me that whatever this is, you don't like it, so that can't be a good thing. Any special instructions on the way out of the barn, or are you going to save it all for the briefing?"

Daniel rested his head in his left hand as he said, "All information will be given in due course, my main prority right now is getting us out of dock and on way."

He turned towards Coppola,

"Mr Coppola, as soon as all departments report in, I want us to be moving off, no delay. This is an urgent request of assistance and can't we afford to be slow. I am sending you the cordinates now." Brooks tapped a few commands into the arm rest.

As he did so the other departments across the ship started to report in,

"Comms, tell space dock we want to leave."

"Aye sir." said the officer at comms before adding, "we have a green light Sir."

"Mr Coppola, bring us back on aft thrusters and then bank us out and to starboard." he said before looking at Velaul,

"We going to see what our ship can do." he said to her as he opened a channel to all over the ship.

"Crew this is your Captain, we have been requested at urgency to go and assist the USS Lowry and USS Yeager on the Cardassian boarder. Information at this time is starbase 214 is being blockaded by Cardassian escort squadron. Cardassian invasion fleet crossing border. Fleet comprises three Escorts, three Battlecruisers, one Dreadnought. Lowry withdrawing. USS Yeager remains on-station. Current status, unknown and need immediate assistance. We being fairly close and able have accepted this task, I'm sure I can trust each one of you to perform to your best ablities under this high pressure. Captain Brooks out."

He closed the channel then said,

"Mr Coppola, let me know when we are free of space dock and able to engage warp."

Turning to Talion he said,

"I want you to assist in finding any weakness in that dreadnought class ship we can use or any of the others, I want to be able to fly in there and surprise the hell out of them."

==Tag All==

[Alexander Talion]

Without hesitation, Alex responded to the CO, "Of course sir. I have to ask though, if we're going into combat, do you want to evacuate the civilians?"

Talion also turned to Tactical, "Tactical, I'll start trying to dig up anything extra I can find on that ship. Let me know if you need any specialized scans for your analysis and assisting in target acquisitions. I'll also have a crew begin prepping a couple of stealth probes for reconfiguration, just in case."

== Tags to Bridge Crew ==

[Daniel Brooks]

Daniel looked back at Talion, being the first ship he had served on with having families aboard he hadn't really taken it all in that they might need evacuting before hand.

"Yes Commander Talion, let me know how long that will take, we need them off as soon as we can, find out what ever way to help speed them to get off."

He then said,

"Mr Coppola, how long will it take to get to the destination of where the Lowry and the Yeager are at warp nine?"

==Tag Talion and Coppola in addition to the tag above==

[Alexander Talion]

After quick consideration, the CO gave his order to have the civilians evacuated.

"Aye, sir. I'll initiate the evacuation order immediately. Our drills have done it in roughly ten minutes, but I'll estimate 15, just to be sure we've also completed an internal sweep to get the last of them off the ship and onto the station."

Alex moved to his console and within seconds there was an announcement by the computer broadcast across the entire ship:
[Attention...Attention...Attention...This is not a drill...All civilian and non-essential personnel are to evacuate immediately. If you are not an active duty member of the crew, you are to report to an evacuation point immediately. Please follow the flashing arrows and proceed in an orderly manner. If you require assistance, simply say in a clear voice that assistance is required and the computer will direct crew to assist you in evacuating. This is not a drill.] The message repeated a couple of times, but the sound of it was not as loud on the Bridge.

Alex approached Beno and simply said, "Excuse me, but I have to ask...Beno, do you want Jason to go with Reyna? He will be quite safe either way, but I have plans in place for such things for Reyna." He hesitated before adding, "They would be picked up from the station by the Valkyrie and taken to a safe location."

== Tag Beno ==

[Cologero Coppola]

"Mr Coppola, as soon as all departments report in, I want us to be moving off, no delay. This is an urgent request of assistance and can't we afford to be slow. I am sending you the cordinates now." Brooks tapped a few commands into the arm rest.

Waiting for word that all departments checked in Cologero seen that they were coming in. "Captain all departments report ready." 

"Comms, tell space dock we want to leave."

"Aye sir." said the officer at comms before adding, "we have a green light Sir."

"Mr Coppola, bring us back on aft thrusters and then bank us out and to starboard." Getting the ship out of space dock Cologero had a smile, rest was nice plus the activities made it better. Now it was time to do what he was really here for. The motions of the ship were smooth as silk,

"We going to see what our ship can do." he said to her as he opened a channel to all over the ship.

"Crew this is your Captain, we have been requested at urgency to go and assist the USS Lowry and USS Yeager on the Cardassian boarder. Information at this time is starbase 214 is being blockaded by Cardassian escort squadron. Cardassian invasion fleet crossing border. Fleet comprises three Escorts, three Battlecruisers, one Dreadnought. Lowry withdrawing. USS Yeager remains on-station. Current status, unknown and need immediate assistance. We being fairly close and able have accepted this task, I'm sure I can trust each one of you to perform to your best ablities under this high pressure. Captain Brooks out."

He closed the channel then said. At this point Cologero didn't know how to feel he just kept a smile all the same, they were going to assist another ship that could mean they would need some extraordinary plays for their book. One that could go between the Cardassian invader with the Federation ship, people were going to be lost along the way there was no stopping that. 

"Mr Coppola, let me know when we are free of space dock and able to engage warp." Clearing of the space dock didn't take a long time at all, soon the hum of the warp engines filled the bridge before warp was achieved. Cologero started off with warp seven, a fast enough pace to get there really fast without taxing the engins too much.

"I want you to assist in finding any weakness in that dreadnought class ship we can use or any of the others, I want to be able to fly in there and surprise the hell out of them." With every force out there their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness, Cardassians were also known to be highly arrogant meaning they have no respect for their enemy. It is in this disrespect they never prepare for what the other is capable of, bottom line it could be the battle of the ego. 

"Mr Coppola, how long will it take to get to the destination of where the Lowry and the Yeager are at warp nine?" Changing the speed part way in, Cologero entered the information how far they were going at that speed. 

"Checking for you Captain." He wasn't sure off the top of his head, he was good with numbers just not that good.

==Tag GM input how long would it take?==

[Beno Velaul]

Beno understood where Daniel was coming from, it was just one of those things that come with the chair. She just didn't want to give him anymore grief than he already had. "Don't worry Captain I understand." She was happy to see Alex join them on the Bridge, they exchanged glances. Beno had a smile while greeting him back. "Commander." It wasn't a smile any different than she would have for the rest of the crew.

Both Alex and her knew Daniel enough to know when he was under pressure, both didn't want to add to the pressure. His briefing for the crew really did put it into perspective for her. They were going into a battle situation meaning Jason was going to have to leave the ship, it was a risk both were well aware of. "Alex I believe both of us would feel better if both were together, it would give all of us peace in mind knowing they are looking out for each other." It was unusual for Beno to talk about anything personal on the Bridge, this one was the most understandable. Reyna would be able to help Jason understand these things, she had been through it before where Jason hasn't. Jason would also have the natural instinct to stick close to Reyna, just for the sake of making sure she was ok.

Even if there was a couple of ways that Beno would need to form an away mission, Beno knew the top two names that were going to be needed was Mala and Thorn. They might have to go onto another ship for some kind of rescue, or evacuation. In her mind it was just a few plans of action ready to put into action, it was when they get there she will know what one to put into place. Sickbay was going to have to be ready for high amounts of traffic, Beno was going to make sure they had the level of help they needed. The only true upside right now was the fact they had a lot of time to prepare, Beno had plans not to waste a single minute of it.

==Tags==
==PS I hope to have previous post deleted, I have no idea why it posted.==

[Alexander Talion]

Talion had reported that all civilians were evacuated and they were clear for launch. It had gone smoothly and there had barely been any delay at all.

Beno got a message from Reyna. She knew she couldn't bother her with a voice message at a time like this, but did send a text message to her:
[Mom, Jason and I are fine. We'll be in a safe place and I'll take good care of him. You and dad focus on what you need to do and come back to us. Thank you so much for everything. We love you. Reyna.]

Beno briefly questioned how Reyna was able to get a direct message to her on her official system, but then remembered the family she was part of now.

Alex was at his console, reviewing the latest intelligence data on the Cardassian ships. There were some cross references to which ships were suspected to be in the fleet they were going to encounter. For the first time in a long while, he was nervous as they headed toward what was very likely to be a shooting match. He was glad the kids were safe, but he couldn't help but worry about Beno now. In his head, he knew that he shouldn't think differently about her, but his heart still never forgave him for letting Kristina go on her last mission. He knew then and he still let her go. It was a foolish thing to beat himself up over, but it was a flaw he lived with. He was drawn to women who were strong and professional. Beno was that and then some. There was no turning away from this and he knew that the best thing he could do to keep them both alive was to contribute in every way possible to give the crew good information to work with.

== Tag Beno and Bridge Crew ==

[Jez Mala]

Once Jez made sure that all non-essential personnel had been evacuated, she made her way to the Bridge. When she entered, it was buzzing with activity. Clearly, something was brewing.

“Sorry, I’m late. I had to finish the evacuation of the civilians. A little girl lost her kitten,” Jez announced.

“However, Captain, all non-essential personnel have been safely evacuated,” said Jez.

The mood on the Bridge was tense. You could feel the tension in the air, but it wasn’t the kind of tension born from fear. It was more of a “let’s get this mission underway and do what must be done” type of tension.

Jez quickly took her station and began running the pre-flight security checks. She spotted Commander Talion and Commander Velaul talking, but thanks to Jez being half-Vulcan, she had excellent hearing. She heard Commander Velaul say, “Alex, I believe both of us would feel better if they were together. It would give all of us peace of mind knowing they are looking out for each other.”

Jez knew Beno had to be talking about Talion’s adorable but precocious little Reyna, and Jez assumed Beno was talking about  her son Jason. Yes, Alex had his holographic maidens, but she wasn’t sure if they were allowed to operate off the Aquila.

Jez secured her station briefly and made her way within earshot of Alex and Beno. She considered them more than friends because Alex was more than a friend, and she really liked and admired Commander Velaul, especially after Beno had praised Jez’s performance during the recent holodeck evaluations.

“Excuse me. I couldn’t help but overhear your concerns,” said Jez, pushing her hair back over her ears, as if to say, " Yeah, I’m half-Vulcan. Not much gets by me. “If you want, I can ask Ted... I mean, Mike, to keep an eye on Reyna and Jason, if you wish. I’m sure he will be happy to offer any assistance you require, especially after all the wonderful things you two have done for me,” stated Jez, her tone friendly and respectful.

Jez couldn’t help but get the feeling that Alex didn’t like Mike very much, maybe because the two were both stubborn as Targs and saw their own worst qualities in each other. But Jez saw two men who were gallant and noble, handsome and intelligent, and fiercely loyal—like two Cane Corsos from Earth. Jez knew that breed of men and dogs very well.

The more Jez thought about it, the more perfect sense it made. Both Alex and Mike had an unmistakable presence about them. They were protective and watchful by nature, the kind of men who instinctively kept an eye on the people they loved and took their responsibility for family and home very seriously. They carried themselves with confidence and a certain assertiveness that could sometimes come across as dominant or even intimidating, especially when they felt challenged.

Yet with the people they considered their own, that tough exterior could disappear almost completely. They could be deeply affectionate, surprisingly gentle, and almost “Velcro-like,” always wanting to be close to the people they trusted. They were intelligent men who learned quickly, read a room exceptionally well, and needed something to challenge their minds. Without purpose or stimulation, that considerable energy could become restless. Around strangers, however, they tended to be reserved and observant rather than immediately friendly, carefully sizing people up before deciding whether they were worthy of their trust.

That explains a lot, Jez thought. Alex and Mike—fierce guardians without a doubt.

Jez knew that in men who possessed these Cane Corso-like qualities particularly strongly, there was often an even greater sense of physical and social dominance. They tended to occupy space without trying, their size, confidence, and presence making them difficult to overlook. They could be more territorial about the people and places they considered theirs, and they might instinctively test boundaries to determine who was actually in charge. That didn’t necessarily make them aggressive; rather, it meant they required a strong sense of direction, clear boundaries, and someone they respected enough to follow. Beneath all that muscle, confidence, and intimidating presence, though, could be an incredibly loyal and affectionate man who simply wanted to know that his people were safe. Once he had decided that you were one of his people, he might stay remarkably close to you, watching over you with the quiet devotion of a very large, very powerful dog who had decided you belonged to him.

Jez stood waiting for the commanders to reply to her offer. She couldn’t help but smile as she looked at Alex.

Great, Jez. You have two hyper-protective alpha males in your life; what more could a girl ask for?

Jez could just picture Alex and Mike destroying Devyyn, but she could also picture both of them rocking a baby to sleep and making goofy noises, saying things like, “Who’s a widdle baby? Yes you are! Yes you are!” Or, “Goo-goo, ga-ga! Who’s my handsome little baby?”

Devyyn Ukinix will get his, thought Jez, but for now, you have a mission to focus on.

As she waited, Jez couldn’t help but wonder what this new mission was. It certainly must be dangerous if all the civilians had to be removed, unless it was a rescue mission and they needed room for refugees. Jez tried to recall if there were any Security Bulletins about political hotspots that might have erupted into an aggressive situation.





== Tag Talion & Velaul. ==

[Daniel Brooks]

It wasn't long before every civilian had been evacuated but still it was enough to put Brooks on edge, every minute wasted here could mean diaster for the Yeager and the Lowry even through the latter had retreated to a safe position,

"Mr Coppola, locate the Lowry and put us on course and heading towards her location. Warp nine, Engage." he said

"Number one, I want you and tactical to look at any recent intelegence recieved from Cardassian boarder and find out if there is any possible way we can surprise them if the Yeager is under attack." he ordered

"Commander Talion work with engineering to see if we can produce anything that will be capable of cribbling the dreadnought when we come across it, if not at least we can possibly stop a few of the ships with it."

"Mala, I want secuirty teams ready to go if we need to send teams aboard these Cardassian ships."

Brooks was trying to think of every possible scenerio they maybe coming across in the next few hours and how to be ready for it, all they knew was the Yeager was facing down a Cardassian blockade on its own.

==Tag All==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex turned to Jez, his expression softening a bit, "Hey Jez!" He took a deep breath and let it out, clearing his mind a bit as he cleared his lungs. "I appreciate the offer, but we have a set plan in place for such moments. In this case, my plans include Thor escorting and piloting them, if needed, and linking up with the Valkyries. Once in their hands, the kids will be in the safest place they could possibly be. I hadn't figured Mike into the equation. Sorry about that. Mike seemed like a good guy. He cares a great deal about you."

The Captain began giving orders to the Bridge Crew and Alex said to Jez, "I need to go. Duty calls. Be careful Jez, this could get sticky."

Alex then returned his attention to Beno, "I'll send over the material I was already going over from Intel about force strength, ship names and crew speculations. I have my people working on possible reconfigurations for stealth probes, but will get with Engineering to see if we can give us an edge in possible engagements. I'll send someone up here to cover Bridge."

Just then, Carley Young showed up on the Bridge. "Ah, perfect timing. Take over the Science station. I need to talk with Engineering."

They exchanged a nod and got to work. Alex headed for the Turbolift.

>>> Main Engineering >>>

[Ethan Diaz]

<<< Wardroom 3, Officers' Quarters <<<




Luckily for Ethan, the passageways of the upper decks were still mostly empty; much of the crew was disembarked and would now be rushing to get back. The only ones still aboard were those assigned to Port Watch Duty and anyone that didn't feel like spending their off hours on the station. It took Ethan less than five minutes to make it back to his quarters. While he raced to change into his uniform, his comm badge pinged with another all-hands call, but this time, it went out over the ship's PA system.

[Crew this is your Captain, we have been requested at urgency to go and assist the USS Lowry and USS Yeager on the Cardassian border. Information at this time is Starbase 214 is being blockaded by Cardassian escort squadron. Cardassian invasion fleet crossing border. Fleet comprises three escorts, three battle cruisers, one dreadnought. Lowry withdrawing. USS Yeager remains on-station. Current status, unknown and need immediate assistance. We being fairly close and able have accepted this task, I'm sure I can trust each one of you to perform to your best abilities under this high pressure. Captain Brooks out.]

There were many kinds of 1MC calls that could make your blood run cold. This was definitely one of them. Ethan swore profusely under his breath as he pulled on his Class B jacket, and felt an ominous chill crawl up his spine. This was no emergency. An incursion like this represented something else entirely--billions upon billions upon billions of lives, balanced on the edge of a knife. As Ethan had been taught time and again at the academy, the number of those bold enough and brutal enough to challenge the might of the Federation was low, but never zero. The Cardassians were among those few. All at once, memories of his uncle Jason came rushing back. Hospital visits, quiet evenings on the back porch, shaking hands at the Veterans' Center.

Ethan had just turned 12 when his uncle told him about the accident. Decades ago, he'd found himself in precisely the same position: Cardassian ships crossing the border, nothing but a small Starfleet flotilla standing between them and the target-rich environments beyond, with fear and panic threatening to take hold. Uncle Jason's ship took some bad hits--hull breaches, fires, the works. Unable to reach his station, he helped to rescue the wounded, and an exploding bulkhead nearly destroyed him.

Apparently the aftermath of the surgeries had been quite painful. According to Ethan's mother, the doctors said that Jason Doheny never should have survived past the battle. Third-degree burns, bones shattered into dust. Near-total facial reconstruction. The Federation had ultimately won that day, but not without price. Uncle Jason was just one of 18 Purple Heart recipients aboard his ship, with dozens more issued to other crews in the following days, not to mention a handful of posthumous Medals of Honor. Such things had happened before, Ethan's professors had warned, and they would happen again. He'd been too young to hate the Cardassians then. He wasn't even certain he hated them now. What Ethan Diaz did know for certain is this: if it came to war, the taking of Cardassian lives would not affect him. Invasion invites retaliation. When dealing with Cardassians, the more quickly you retaliated, the better.

Ethan ran as hard as he could for the bridge. Every second counted. Lives were now officially on the line, and adrenaline was the only thing keeping him from freezing up.

His thoughts were interrupted by the computer's Automated Warning Cycle kicking in. It's calm, emotionless delivery, usually calming, now somehow came across as eerie.

[Attention. . . attention. . . attention. This is not a drill. All civilian and non-essential personnel are to evacuate immediately. If you are not an active-duty member of the crew, you are to report to an evacuation point immediately. Please follow the flashing arrows and proceed in an orderly manner. If you require assistance, simply say in a clear voice that assistance is required and the computer will direct crew to assist you in evacuating. This is not a drill.]

[Attention. . . attention. . . attention. . .]

Ethan kept running. The message would probably continue broadcasting right up until cast-off. The wall panels on either side of the passageway lit up with emergency routing lights. More crew members were beginning to arrive. He dodged a pair of security guards rushing by and finally reached the turbolift.

"Bridge," he gasped. "Crew Clearance: Diaz, Ethan K., Tactical Two, confirm voiceprint."

"Voiceprint confirmed," the computer answered, and the turbolift instantly shot upward.

The ride up to Deck 1 seemed to take far longer than it should, but at least it gave him time to catch his breath. When the doors opened again, Ethan was met with a scene of controlled chaos. Right away, he saw that Lieutenant Coppola had taken the helmsman's chair. It made sense in this scenario. Ethan had barely any flight experience compared to him, let alone combat experience. He would be much more useful as navigator. He rushed down past Captain Brooks and Commander Velaul, flung himself down into his seat started bringing the navigational systems online.

"Mr. Coppola, as soon as all departments report in, I want us to be moving off, no delay," he heard Captain Brooks say. "This is an urgent request of assistance and we can't afford to be slow. I am sending you the coordinates now. Comms, tell space dock we want to leave."

"Aye sir. We have a green light sir."

"Comms, confirm STC emergency cast-off clearance," Ethan called over his shoulder.

"Confirmed. STC reports the lane is clear."

Captain Brooks spoke up again. "Mr. Coppola, bring us back on aft thrusters and then bank us out to starboard. We're going to see what our ship can do."

Ethan heard a creaking throughout the superstructure as the docking clamps released and felt the familiar faint vibrations beneath his feet as the ship's engines came to life. When he finished activating his panel, he turned to address the skipper.

"Captain, Tac 2 is Green. Navigational mainframe is good to go. Standing by for coordinates, sir."




== Tag Captain Brooks ==

[Jez Mala]

Jez smiled at Alex when he said, "I appreciate the offer, but we have a set plan in place for such moments. In this case, my plans include Thor escorting and piloting them, if needed, and linking up with the Valkyries. Once in their hands, the kids will be in the safest place they could possibly be. I hadn't figured Mike into the equation. Sorry about that. Mike seemed like a good guy. He cares a great deal about you."

Jez was relieved that Alex said that he thought that Mike seemed like a good guy; he didn’t say Mike was a lazy bum, or that he had reservations about Mike.  Jez was convinced that if Mike and Alex spent some time together, they would become fast friends

“Oh, no, I wasn’t expecting you to include Mike. I’m pretty sure he is probably on the Star Base's Holodeck running the Battle of Brunanburh, or playing Blackjack in the Casino." Said Jez. 

The Captain began giving orders to the Bridge Crew, and Alex said to Jez, "I need to go. Duty calls. Be careful Jez; this could get sticky."

Jez could hear something in the Captain’s voice. She couldn't place, it was just different somehow. "Mala, I want security teams ready to go if we need to send teams aboard these Cardassian ships."

“Aye, Captain, right away.” Replied Jez.

Jez was a bit surprised by the Captain's mood. No, that wasn’t it; it wasn’t his mood, it was his boat language. He seemed rigid, as opposed to his more casual presence, at least to Jez, but Jez knew that the Captain was the epitome of British stoicism. The British military officers were known for hiding strong emotions and staying calm during hard times. Keeping a stiff upper lip and all that. No, this was something else.

Maybe the Captain had a nasty run-in with the Cardassians at some point. Maybe he is facing demons from his past?

Jez grabbed Alex by the arm and said, “You be careful as well. I'll hold you to buying me a drink when this is all over.” Smiled Jez.

Jez knew how dangerous the Cardassians could be; anyone who had dealt with them knew they could be arrogant, Authoritarian, Manipulative, and controlling. Militaristic, Nationalistic, Xenophobic, Suspicious, Paranoid, Ruthless, vengeful, and the list was endless.

Jez quickly searched the computer and told it to  create a Psychological profile of the Cardassians; within moments, the information flashed on her screen

[ Security Psychological Brief: Cardassian Behavioral Profile

Classification: Security Personnel Use
Species: Cardassian
Subject: General Psychological and Behavioral Assessment
Purpose: Threat Assessment and Security Planning

Executive Assessment

Cardassians should not be considered inherently hostile. However, personnel interacting with Cardassian individuals should be aware of cultural and psychological characteristics that may affect threat assessment, interrogation, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

Cardassian behavior is frequently influenced by pride, hierarchy, loyalty, control, suspicion, and sensitivity to perceived disrespect. These characteristics can make Cardassian subjects difficult to read and potentially dangerous when they believe their authority, reputation, family, or national interests are threatened.

Primary Security Concerns

Authoritarian Behavior:
Cardassians accustomed to hierarchical institutions may expect obedience and respond negatively when their authority is challenged. Attempts to establish control over a situation should be anticipated.

Suspicion and Paranoia:
Cardassians may assume that unfamiliar individuals have concealed motives. Security personnel should expect questioning, observation, and attempts to determine their intentions before cooperation is offered.

Manipulation:
Cardassians may use conversation, negotiation, favors, threats, or carefully controlled information to influence personnel. Officers should avoid providing unnecessary information during interviews or negotiations.

Pride and Sensitivity to Humiliation:
Public embarrassment can significantly escalate a Cardassian confrontation. Personnel should avoid unnecessary insults, ridicule, or challenges to personal competence.

Vindictiveness:
Some Cardassians may retain grievances for extended periods. A subject who appears to have accepted a resolution may nevertheless continue to regard the incident as unresolved.

Nationalism:
Cardassian subjects may place national or institutional interests above individual concerns. Appeals based solely on personal welfare may therefore have limited effectiveness.

Emotional Repression:
Visible emotional responses may not accurately indicate the subject's internal state. A calm Cardassian should not automatically be considered a cooperative or non-threatening Cardassian.

Resistance to Admitting Failure:
When questioned about misconduct or mistakes, some Cardassians may deny responsibility, redirect blame, or construct alternative explanations rather than acknowledge failure.

Control-Seeking:
Cardassians may attempt to control the physical environment, flow of information, conversation, or chain of command. Loss of control may increase hostility or defensive behavior.

Political Opportunism:
Cardassian subjects may rapidly reassess their position when circumstances change. Apparent loyalty should therefore be evaluated through demonstrated behavior rather than verbal assurances.

Security Indicators

Personnel should pay particular attention when a Cardassian:

Becomes unusually quiet following an insult or challenge.
Begins asking detailed questions about security procedures.
Attempts to identify personnel with decision-making authority.
Requests information unrelated to the stated purpose of an encounter.
Repeatedly references personal, family, or national honor.
Attempts to establish a superior-subordinate relationship.
Becomes increasingly concerned with controlling the conversation.
Avoids directly answering questions while providing extensive explanations.
Displays excessive interest in security personnel, facilities, or procedures.
Suddenly changes from confrontational behavior to excessive politeness.
Attempts to exploit disagreements between members of a security team.
Demonstrates unusual interest in an officer's personal weaknesses or relationships.
Recommended Security Protocol

When dealing with a potentially hostile Cardassian, personnel should:

Remain professional and emotionally controlled.
Avoid unnecessary humiliation or personal insults.
Maintain clear authority and chain of command.
Provide only information necessary for the situation.
Verify claims independently whenever possible.
Avoid allowing the subject to isolate individual security personnel.
Monitor behavioral changes rather than relying solely on verbal statements.
Document threats, grievances, and stated motivations.
Do not assume apparent cooperation indicates genuine compliance.
Use de-escalation whenever possible, while maintaining appropriate security precautions.
Threat Assessment

Baseline Threat: Moderate
Potential Threat When Provoked: High
Primary Risk: Manipulation, political coercion, retaliation, intelligence gathering, and escalation following perceived humiliation or loss of authority.

Final Assessment

The principal security concern presented by Cardassian psychology is not uncontrolled aggression but calculated behavior combined with intense emotional investment in authority, reputation, and loyalty.

A Cardassian may remain outwardly calm while reassessing the situation, identifying vulnerabilities, and determining the most advantageous response.

Security personnel should therefore remember:

Do not confuse composure with cooperation, politeness with trust, or silence with acceptance.

Cardassian subjects should be treated with respect, monitored carefully, and assessed according to demonstrated behavior rather than cultural stereotypes alone.]

Jez forwarded the information to her Officers in the Security Complex, with orders that everyone review it immediately.

[ Sovak: The Captain wants security teams ready to go if we need to send teams aboard the Cardassian ships. I want Security to read the above Data immediately.] Jez hit Send.

Jez turned her attention to Commander Velaul. “Commander, might I suggest everyone review the information I have retrieved on the Cardassians? I have ordered my Officers to review the information I have prepared, as a just in case. I could broadcast it over the communications system while we are en route?” Suggest Jez.



== Tag Talion, Brooks and Velaul.==

[Beno Velaul]

Beno did take extra comfort knowing they were together Jason would put on a brave front while Reyna guided him, both would give each other company. Now that she had that established they had to go to the back of her mind, her focus couldn't be anywhere around them at this time. The invasion fleet was after something, her question now would be what that was? The Yeager was already there giving her some nostalgia, she heard Peter Jensen was her successor as First Officer,  they are in very good hands with him and Jennifer. 

This time when the ship was leaving the station Beno felt differently then the ones previous, she couldn't be certain if it was because of present company or past. Either way she was happy to help them out, Cardassians could be brutal in their tactics when they don't hire others to do it for them. 

Beno had a number of scenarios in her head until she heard orders. "Number one, I want you and tactical to look at any recent intelligence received from Cardassian boarder and find out if there is any possible way we can surprise them if the Yeager is under attack." he ordered.

"Aye Sir." Beno said while thinking about previous encounters, its been a while since Cardassia invaded anywhere now they were on their door step. She went to the tactical station where they both were.

"Gentlemen." Beno received the information reading it carefully, it made sense to have this information reviewed by all. The more you know about the problem, the closer you are to having a solution. "Good idea Lieutenant we should all take this under advisement, the more we know about the problem the better we can plan." Beno thought it was a great idea to review this, Mala had her full support.

"Gentlemen lets look into every avenue we have in intelligence, starting with anything we have about why this might have started. What is it that drove them out of brumation?" Was there a driving force behind it? or was this something of their own? The last question Beno could think of at this time, was what did they want on the Federation side that they can't get anywhere else.

"I think the odds are slim they are doing this to remind us of their presence, now they are out there flexing their muscle our focus should be on that." At this time any theory was good as any, until its proven or not. What was in the ships database about the Cardassian fleet? "Anyone have any tricks that might catch them off guard?" Beno asked while the computer was looking up information she requested.

==GM input any information about what started this? any information about the fleet?==

[Daniel Brooks]

Brooks watched as the crew went into action as Ensign Diaz asked him about coordinates,

"They should be already with you Ensign." he replied before turning to comms,

"Try and raise the Lowry, I want to know anything more they may have."

==GM Input: Can we make contact with the Lowry and get more information on what has been going on?==

[Cologero Coppola]

Happy to see Ethan on the Bridge, Cologero was making the adjustments on the helm. He made the most efficient rout possible, it just didn't show him how long it would take for an answer. For right now Cologero was reading the new information coming in from their Chief of Security, the part he loved the most gave him the biggest idea of all. Brumation was the perfect word to describe the situation, while others in the animal kingdom hibernate snakes don't. Snakes are semi alert during this time allowing time to eat and drink, for Cardassians it was a time to develop new technologies.

"Commander  Dreadnought ships are known in three areas, they have bigger guns, better armor and faster engines. This means it needs one heck of a system for recoil dampening system, if we were to disable this they could in theory shake their ship apart. The places I would target include internal and external dampening systems. If they can't keep their weapons steady they cant aim, it also has the potential to shake their ship apart." If you watch old battle ships at sea when they fire their massive weapons, the guns recoil make the ship tilt in the opposite direction of the shells they fire. The bigger the shell the more the ship will shift, the water helps with some of the recoil but not all of it. In space the same ship would spin like a wheel, there was no ocean to handle the extra recoil action. 

Cologero wanted to present more than one option for consideration, they might need all of them all. "Their engines are going to generate a lot of heat, eventually the heat will make it fail if we take care of proper ventilation. They will over heat and fail, after this Cardassians will loose their heat. They function well in the heat while in the cold." Cologero made a face." There was one more thing that Cologero wanted to point out.

He was about to talk to Commander Talion when he exited the Bridge, but Carley was in his place. They could give him a better idea of the harmonics needed, if they were to do it enough the ship could fall apart while making the crew uncomfortable. Shifting the yield of the torpedoes one way or another would heighten the odds of success, there was another idea that he had. "Commander one other idea I have includes using their own ego against them, the more they underestimate us the better." There were ways to do it they just needed to make it believable, how they could achieve this was going to be another matter.

"Diaz I would love to hear any ideas you might have." He could have an idea that takes them in a different direction, or it could go with the one that Cologero was looking into. Two heads were better than one, that meant technically they had four working with them, Velaul would be the fourth some memory filed somewhere might give them the final touch.

==Tags - Same GM input plus any information about this Dreadnought.==

[Alexander Talion]

<<< Main Engineering <<<

After several minutes, Alex stepped off the turbolift and back onto the Bridge. They were well underway and he strode with purpose to face the CO once more.

"Sir, we might have something to offer that is...unconventional. Do you want me to brief you here, or would you prefer to take this into a Staff Meeting? Tactical is going to need to be in on this in either case."

== Tag CO ==

[Carley Young]

Carley entered the Bridge going directly to her station, Alex was there already until work took him into another direction. Looking in the direction of the Command section, Carley had the friendly smile. "Commander and Captain." It was a different greeting but that was just how she did things, it was also a small comfort that non essential people were taken off the ship, didn't need to risk their lives either.

She received the information that was sent be Tactical, she was happy to see Cologero even in the professional setting. She was going to have to keep it that way herself, at this point she would love the opportunity to work with K'Vada. She had a brilliant mind that helped fill in the blanks before, now they were going into this situation Carley could really use the help.

Carley used the science computers to run all scenarios, what kind of payload, detonation, spread and every other thing that could cause the desired effect. Alex came back and Carley wasn't clear about how long had gone by, but he had something in the works. By the sounds of of his plan being unconventional made it even better, this crew specialized in unconventional.

==GM input on theoretical yields needed to do the job==

[Daniel Brooks]

There had been a little while in their journey when Commander Tailon re-entered the Bridge and walked over to where he was with purpose.

"Sir, we might have something to offer that is...unconventional. Do you want me to brief you here, or would you prefer to take this into a Staff Meeting? Tactical is going to need to be in on this in either case."

Daniel nodded,

"Let's have a meeting rather than on the Bridge if it is unconventional, Velaul, Coppola and Mala, all to the obs lounge, Mr Diaz you have the Bridge but don't get too comfortable."

Brooks stood up and headed to the door that lead to the Observation Lounge.

==Tag==
>>>Observation Lounge>>>

[Beno Velaul]

The ideas they were working on had promise, it just needed something. This would have to be one part of the bigger plan for it to work, whatever the over all plan was it had to be crazy. The plan would have to be something crazy, the crazier the better. Beno had to think of something then have the team work on it together, soon Beno heard that perfect word... Unconventional. 

Soon Beno was being summoned to the Observation Lounge, Cologero was also summoned giving her a lot more interest. As a Science Officer Beno believed they had one thing in common, they were one lab accident away from being a super villain. "Enjoy the chair while you can." Beno said to Diaz.

"Coppola this should be interesting." Beno went to the Observation lounge more curios than ever before, Beno has been noted for her off the cuff thinking. This had promise because Beno knew exactly where the plan came from, she has a brilliant mind. 

>>>Observation Lounge>>>>

[Alexander Talion]

Alex smiled and gave a nod, following the CO into the Observation Lounge. He whispered to Beno, "There is also an idea that has been used before, but I would really rather not have to use it. Such drastic measures have been used in the past, but I fear that such measures go too far. We can talk about that privately, but it relates to our first real conversation, back when you gave me that kiss on the cheek. What I'm going to discuss now is hopefully a special arrow in our quiver is all."

Then they were in the meeting...

>>> Observation Lounge >>>

[Jez Mala]

Jez wasn’t sure what the Cardassians had planned here. Jez had checked the Federation Diplomatic database in an attempt to figure out what the Cardassians' plans might be regarding blockading Starbase 214, 

Starbase 214 wasn’t anything spectacular; it was a Federation Starbase in the Alpha Quadrant. Its most noted distinction was in 2368, when the Enterprise-D arrested and brought a so-called "time traveler" there, after it was revealed the man was a scam artist.

Jez typed: The database query returned a single subject:

[ Cardassian Union.

Jez ignored the rest of the information on the screen and opened the Cardassian diplomatic profile. Unlike a simple list of treaties and agreements, the database organized the Union's relationships according to their current strategic classification.

The first entry was the United Federation of Planets.

[ Relationship: HOSTILE.

Hmmm, not unusual there, they are still licking their wounds from the Dominion War, no doubt. Thought Jez.

Jez paused briefly before moving on. Whatever diplomatic channels remained open between the Federation and Cardassian Union, the database made it clear that the two powers were not considered friendly powers.

The Romulan Free State was different.

Relationship: NEUTRAL.

Jez made a mental note. Despite their own complicated histories, the Cardassians and Romulans were not presently classified as enemies.

The Klingon Empire was another matter.

Relationship: HOSTILE.

Jez continued down the list.

The Patriarchy was classified as UNKNOWN. There was insufficient intelligence to establish a reliable assessment of the relationship between the two powers.

The Gorn Confederation was listed as HOSTILE.

The Tzenkethi Coalition was likewise HOSTILE.

The Tholian Assembly was HOSTILE.

The Breen Confederacy was also HOSTILE.

The Ferengi Alliance was the exception.

Relationship: NEUTRAL.

Jez stopped there for a moment. Of all the major powers in the database, the Ferengi were among the few with whom the Cardassians maintained a neutral relationship.

Then came the Dominion.

The classification was unexpected.

Relationship: UNKNOWN.

Jez frowned at the screen. Given the Dominion's importance and the potential strategic implications of any Cardassian-Dominion relationship, an unknown classification was almost as concerning as an openly hostile one.

Finally, the analyst opened the last entry.

Borg Contingency.

The classification appeared immediately.

HOSTILE.

Jez leaned back and studied the completed profile.

Of the major powers tracked by the database, the Cardassian Union maintained neutral relations with only two: the Romulan Free State and the Ferengi Alliance. Its relationship with the Patriarchy remained uncertain, as did its relationship with the Dominion.

Everyone else was classified as hostile.

Federation.

Klingon.

Gorn.

Tzenkethi.

Tholian.

Breen.

Borg.

Jez stared at the list for several seconds.

The Cardassian Union was not merely surrounded by potential adversaries.

It appeared to be operating in a political environment where hostility had become the norm and neutrality the exception.

Jez saw one final note in the database:

Strategic Assessment: Cardassian Union maintains hostile relations with the majority of surveyed major powers. Diplomatic isolation is significant. Neutral relations with the Romulan Free State and Ferengi Alliance represent the Union's principal stable external relationships. Unknown status regarding the Patriarchy and Dominion requires continued intelligence monitoring. The Borg relationship remains explicitly hostile.

Jez saved the report. She noticed that someone had entered a note, almost as an afterthought; they added one final line:

Conclusion: The Cardassian Union has very few friends.]

Jez stared at the report; nothing the Cardassians were doing seemed to make sense, unless there was someone else working in concert with Cardassians, but clearly it wasn’t any of the Galaxy’s major powers. There was the possibility that there was a new player in town, or the Cardassians had rekindled their relationship with the Dominion, but Jez was under the impression that the Founders were at peace, that the former Chief of Security of Deep Space Nine,  a Changeling named Odo, had merged or infused with the other Founders in the Gamma Quadrant. The official story was that the Dominion remained in the Gamma Quadrant, the Federation remained in the Alpha Quadrant, and neither side had an interest in restarting the war, but who's to say that there wasn’t a rogue element within the Dominion, or the Cardassian Union, that didn’t want to restart the war, get payback.

Jez sent an encrypted message to the Chief of Security at Deep Space Nine:

[ To: Security Chief, DS9
From: Chief of Security, USS Aquila
Subject: Worm Hole Traffic.

Chief,

Requesting information  on Cardassian Ships entering the Worm Hole, as well as any Dominion ships exiting the worm hole.

Thank You]

Jez knew that the chances were remote that it would reveal anything useful, but one never knew, but if they could find out the reason behind the Cardassians aggressive moves, maybe, just maybe they could end it.

The Captain ordered the Department Heads into the observation lounge. Jez secured her station and made her way into the observation lounge. 



== GM Input: Does Jez get an answer from the Security Chief of DS9 that would indicate any increased traffic, that might suggest a renewed Dominion Cardassian relationship/ Alliance? ==



>> Observation lounge.>>

[Cologero Coppola]

They didn't have time to work out much for detail, just they needed a meeting. From the sounds of things he was going to have a lot to think about, whatever it was Science came up with could work together with. Cologero didn't waste time with much chat, he just got up and followed Beno to the Observation lounge. 

"Lead the way Commander." He followed close behind wondering what he was walking into.

>>Observation Lounge.>>

[GM-CD]

==Brooks==

The Lowry was not responding to hails. Either it had returned to silent running following the message, or it had been run down and destroyed by the Cardassian fleet.

==Coppola==

The Tactical information of known Cardassian Dreadnoughts scrolled up his screen. The data was a good decade or so old, as Cardassian Dreadnoughts rarely, if ever left the core Cardassian systems.

[Hutet-class Dreadnought
Crew: 2,500
Velocity: Warp 6 (Cruise), Warp 8.5 (Flank)
Weapons: 2 Sextuple Spiral Wave Disruptor Batteries, 14x Heavy Spiral Wave Disruptor Arrays, 18x Heavy Torpedo Launchers
Payload: 2,000 Photon, 1,000 Plasma, 150 Gravimetric Torpedoes
Shielding: Primary and Secondary Regenerative Shields
Secondary Craft: 6 Hideki-class Escorts, 30x Assault Shuttles]

==Young==

Against a Dreadnought, the yields required would be far beyond what the Aquila herself could generate. A fleet would be required, and even then, raw firepower would likely decide the outcome before cleverness.

==Mala==

There was no increase in traffic indicated by the communications from Deep Space Nine.

[Kalli Thorn]

Kalli stepped onto the Bridge and looked around with a puzzled look on her face. They had a new guy manning the Bridge and no brass in sight. She gave a sigh and without a word headed to the Observation Lounge.

>>> Observation Lounge >>>

[Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar]

<< Other Locations <<

A small blip travelling at warp velocities registered on the sensors of the Aquila, and it was quickly recognized as a Federation aeroshuttle. Its transponder identified it as the "Glamorous Glennis", the USS Yeager's auxiliary craft. Within moments, it had opened hailing frequencies. A steady baritone, mostly succeeding in maintaining a calm, professional voice came through the speakers.

[USS Aquila, this is Mid-, Ensign Qab'ataar on board the shuttle Glennis, en route to you from the USS Yeager. Captain Braggins ordered us to depart with non-mission critical personnel, and to bring you information on the Cardassian forces present. Request permission to rendezvous and dock.]

== Tag Bridge ==

[Alexander Talion]

<<< Observation Lounge <<<

As Alex stepped back onto the Bridge, he heard an incoming transmission. "Thank you, Mister Diaz. I have the Conn."

Looking over to Ops, he said, "Open the channel." After being given the signal that the channel was open he said in his calm but commanding tone, "Ensign Qab'ataar, this is Commander Talion, of the USS Aquila. Permission is granted. Please give us a moment to accommodate your arrival. Stand by for docking coordination. Once you've arrived, please report directly to the Bridge. Talion, out."

"Helm, drop us out of warp and notify the Shuttle Bay that we're about to receive a shuttle. Once that bird is in the barn, I want us back on course and at speed again." By now, Diaz had vacated the Center Chair and Talion sat down, "Do we have anything on sensors? I want to know if there is anyone in pursuit of that shuttle? I hate surprises."

== Tag to Ens Qab'ataar and the Bridge Crew ==
== GM Input: Is there anything other than the shuttle coming our way? ==

[Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar]

The same voice, perhaps minimally steadier, promptly responded.

[Understood, Commander. Awaiting docking coordination. Qab'ataar out.]

== Tag Bridge ==

[Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar]

<< Main Shuttlebay <<

Perhaps thirty minutes had passed since he had requested docking clearance. Between the maneuvering of the small vessel, the deck crew securing it, dispositioning all twenty of the occupants, including himself, Ris had only just now been able to proceed with the reason he was here. The subtle, comforting "hum" of the turbolift car both soothed him, physically, yet also allowed his brain to finally divert its attention to the events of the past few hours.

Why were we sent off the ship? Is it because we're useless, or perhaps worse than useless? We know just enough to get in the way or get into some sort of predicament that would require experience personnel to divert time and other resources to help? Engaging in a breathing exercise he had learned from T'rohhna, he allowed himself to disengage the worry center of his brain, and his antennae tips slowly drifted towards their respective closest temple. His heartbeat, which had started to climb, did a slow, but effective, "about face", matching his breathing's descent.

He knew nothing about this ship or its crew, aside from the fact that Captain Daniel Brooks is the current CO, and that the Ross class is significantly larger than the Pathfinder class he had only recently joined and even more recently departed expeditiously.

His musings were brought to a halt by the turbolift reaching its destination: the Aquila's bridge. As the door's "shushed" open, Ris did his best to ignore the self-consciousness that was attempting to slither its way into the forefront of his attention.

I don't have time for this. Get yourself squared away, Ris'maerriffa! He practically heard it in the caring, yet stern voice of his father, Eckk'eronnis, as was occasionally warranted during the years prior to his leaving for the Academy. Squaring his shoulders slightly, his antennae very slightly scanning side to side as he entered the familiar-in-style, yet unfamiliar-in-memory bridge of the Aquila. Walking with a calm, steady purpose that mostly did its job of concealing his emotional state, Ris approached the command center of the bridge, stopping just starboard of the crewman's station there. The only real telltale of the emotions brewing under the surface was the slight dilation of his jade green eyes.

Facing the Captain's chair, he came to attention.

"Ensign Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar reporting as directed by Captain Braggins. I bring nineteen personnel aside from myself that she directed evacuated, and more importantly, this PADD with all of the information regarding the Cardassian forces present in the vicinity of Starbase 214."

Extending his right arm, he offered the PADD.

== Tag Bridge ==

[Alexander Talion]

Talion stood to greet the Andorian Ensign. He listened to the brief report and accepted the PADD from him. The Ensign was a few inches taller than Alex, but thinner, as was more typical of Andorians. Alex did not appear typical for a Betazoid and was built heavier than people expected from a Scientist. His leadership style also didn't tend to focus on rank, but on responsibility. This Andorian might only be an Ensign, but had been entrusted with the evacuation of some people from a very dangerous situation and that was no small thing.

Giving the PADD a brief look over, he gave a nod and said, "I'll make certain the Captain is able to review this momentarily, but first, do you or any of your people require medical attention?"

== Tag Ens Qab'ataar ==
== GM Input: Is there anything we need to know about the others that were evacuated? Is there data that stands out on the PADD or do we need to wait for the CO to review it? Talion is able to read sensor data as it is scrolling in real time on a console, so he would be able to speed read the PADD unless it has an enormous amount of data on it. Most relevant highlights will move us along and we can get the details later perhaps. ==

[Jez Mala]

<< Observation Lounge.<<


Jez left the Observation Lounge and relieved the crewman at her station.

“Midshipman Kantu, return to the Security Complex and resume your normal duties,” instructed Jez.

“Yes, Chief,” replied Kantu.

Kantu turned to leave, but Jez watched him for a moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her security crewmen. She did. But there was a difference between trusting someone and putting them into a situation where they didn’t yet have enough experience to be useful.

The Bridge was not the place to learn how to stand around and look busy.

Still, she could almost hear Mike’s voice in her head.

Never waste a teaching moment.

Jez sighed quietly.

“Kantu, wait. Resume the Security Station.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Kantu looked slightly confused as he returned to his position.

Jez turned toward him.

“Kantu, when you get assigned to the Bridge, it’s important to observe everyone on the Bridge. Not just the Tactical station. Not just the doors. Everyone.”

Kantu listened carefully.

“Especially the Captain—or whoever is sitting in the big chair. Take Commander Talion, for example. Yes, he’s the epitome of a glacier. He looks calm, controlled, and almost completely unaffected by whatever is happening around him. But don’t mistake that for inactivity.”

Jez glanced toward Talion.

“Commander Talion is brilliant. With that mind of his, he’s probably running a million scenarios at once. What we know. What we don’t know. What the Cardassians might know. What they might do next. What we’ll do if our first plan fails, and what we’ll do if our second plan fails.”

Kantu looked toward Commander Talion. Outwardly, he appeared perfectly calm, but Kantu knew—and everyone else knew—that Commander Talion was an extraordinary intellect.

“Commander Talion is probably already formulating at least three plans, just in case the Cardassians figure out our initial plan. That’s what a good commander does. He thinks ahead.”

She paused.

“But here’s the part I want you to understand. A good Bridge officer doesn’t just watch the viewscreen. They watch the people.”

Kantu frowned slightly.

“People?”

“People,” Jez confirmed. “Watch their body language. Listen to their voices. Learn what they look like when they’re calm, when they’re worried, and when they’re overwhelmed. You spend enough time around someone, you start noticing the little things. A hand tightening around a console. Someone rereading the same sensor report three times. A voice becoming just a little too quiet. Someone staring at a display without actually seeing it.”

She pointed toward the various stations around the Bridge.

“Those things matter.”

Kantu nodded slowly.

“But,” Jez added, “there’s something else you need to understand. Being aware of what’s happening around you does not mean you stop doing your job.”

Kantu looked at her.

“If you’re assigned to Security, your primary responsibility is Security. You watch your station. You monitor your sensors. You know who is coming onto the Bridge and who is leaving. You keep track of your surroundings and you stay focused on your assigned duties.”

She tapped the Security console lightly.

“You don’t abandon your responsibilities because you’re watching someone at Science having a problem. You don’t start monitoring Navigation so closely that you miss someone trying to access a restricted system. Situational awareness means knowing what’s happening around you without losing focus on what you’re responsible for.”

Kantu nodded.

“Think of it like looking through a window,” Jez continued. “Your job is what’s directly in front of you, but you should still notice what’s happening in the reflection. You don’t stare at the reflection and forget to watch the window.”

Kantu seemed to consider that analogy.

“Your attention should move, but your priorities shouldn’t.”

Jez gave him a small nod.

“That’s the difference between being distracted and being aware.”

She continued.

“Because if you notice someone struggling, you step in. You don’t wait for someone to ask for help. You don’t assume somebody else will notice. And you don’t think, That’s not my station, so it’s not my problem.”

Jez’s expression became more serious.

“The Captain can’t be distracted by everything happening around him. Neither can the senior officers. Their job is to make the decisions that affect the entire ship. Sometimes the best thing you can do for them is solve a small problem before it becomes big enough to reach their attention.”

She paused for a moment.

“Think of it this way. If the Captain has to start worrying about a malfunctioning console, a confused crewman, or some other minor problem that someone else could handle, then his attention is being pulled away from where it matters most. That’s what the rest of us are here for. We handle the smaller problems so the Captain can concentrate on the big ones.”

Kantu considered that.

“So we’re supposed to anticipate problems?”

“Exactly.”

Jez smiled.

“Security isn’t just about responding to threats. The best security officers prevent problems from becoming threats in the first place. Sometimes that means watching a door. Sometimes it means watching a person. And sometimes it means noticing that someone on the Bridge hasn’t eaten in twelve hours and is about to make a stupid decision because they’re exhausted.”

Kantu gave her a puzzled look.

Jez shrugged.

“Trust me. It happens.”

Kantu nodded as if he understood, although Jez could tell he was still putting the pieces together.

“But Chief, why is it our responsibility to watch everyone else? Don’t we have enough to worry about?”

Jez smiled.

“Because safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

She looked around the Bridge.

“These people aren’t just our fellow crew members, Kantu. They’re our family. You don’t protect your family because it’s written in a duty roster. You protect them because they’re yours.”

Kantu remained quiet.

“That’s also why I want you to learn more than just Security. Even though you’re a Midshipman, you should have a basic familiarity with every Bridge station. You don’t need to become an engineer, scientist, navigator, or doctor. But you should understand enough about what they do to recognize when something isn’t right.”

She gestured toward Tactical.

“You should know enough about Tactical to understand what the officer there is looking at. Enough Science to know what they’re telling the Captain. Enough about Navigation to recognize when the ship isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Enough Engineering to understand when someone tells you there’s a problem with the ship.”

Jez paused, then added with a faint smile.

“And I would even take an Advanced Medical class.”

“Medical?”

“Absolutely. Imagine you’re the only person standing next to someone when they collapse. You don’t need to be a doctor. But knowing what to do for the first thirty seconds could mean the difference between someone surviving long enough for the medical team to arrive—or not.”

She looked directly at Kantu.

“That’s the thing about being Starfleet. You never really know what you’ll be asked to do. One day you’re standing Security on the Bridge. The next, you’re the most experienced person in the room when something goes wrong.”

Kantu looked around the Bridge again, this time with a noticeably different expression.

Jez noticed.

“That’s why you observe, Kantu. Not because you’re looking for mistakes. You’re looking for opportunities to help.”

She gave him a small nod.

“Anyone can follow an order. A good officer understands why the order matters. A great officer understands what needs to happen before anyone has to give the order.”

Kantu stood a little straighter.

“Yes, Chief.”

Jez smiled.

“Now you’re learning.”

"Run an internal scan of the weapons systems." Ordered Jez.

"Aye." Replied Kantu.




== GM Input: Are there any problems with the ship's weapons systems that may affect our current mission?==

[Cologero Coppola]

<<< Observation Lounge<<<

Coming back to the Bridge Cologero seen the shifting in the seats, Commander Talion had the Bridge now. They made some progress in the meeting, they have a plan that will be put in action. Ethan was going to need to be filled in, there were a lot of things to consider. The  information that Tactical received confirmed what Velaul said, it was never going to work.

"Diaz." Cologero wanted to gain his attention before proceeding. "Yeah this plan clearly isn't going to work, so its scrapped." Cologero wasn't too discouraged. "We have a plan in place that is being developed right now, I would like to think about how to give it the best chance of success while we go over some tactics." Pulling up the information about the ship entered into the computer, all the dimensions with everything needed to make sure the ship wouldn't fall apart.

"This ship is great to be in but its size makes times like this a little more difficult, we need to make sure to try and give them a smaller target at any given times." Additionally there was information about the shields. Three areas were clearly marked. "These areas of the ships we should be mindful of how much they are exposed for targeting, if the shields fail in these areas that cascade effect can collapse the whole thing. Do you have some ideas for Tactical maneuvers?" Cologero wanted to give him a chance to shine, he might have an idea Cologero never considered. 

==Tag==

[Ethan Diaz]

For obvious reasons, Ethan made sure not to get within ten feet of the conn. Any midshipman with an ounce of intelligence wouldn't dare approach the captain's chair under normal circumstances, let alone in a situation like this. Instead, he stood awkwardly in between the forward control stations with his hands clasped behind his back in what was probably a pathetic attempt to appear calm. It occurred to him that the relief officers would probably be annoyed to have a junior officer looking over their shoulders like this, but what else could he do? He wasn't about to start pacing the room like he was in charge. 

Ethan could practically feel the rest of the bridge crew staring at him. What was the skipper playing at? Everyone else had heard him give the order, but--there had to be some kind of rule against it. This was a GQ-1 scenario with an active Red Alert, not to mention the ship was barreling through space at Warp Nine into a what could soon be an active combat zone. So why did Captain Brooks just give the deck to a green hand? Surely, the computer's command lockouts would've prevented that kind of decision. Ethan had studied shipboard computer executive protocols as part of his Command and Control curriculum. He knew as well as anyone else that each time command of the ship was transferred to another duty officer, it was entered under an official notation in the log. Something like, ordering an O1 to take the conn, for instance, would've registered as an unauthorized command.

He's the CO though. He can probably just override the computer, he reminded himself. If that was the case, then the question was less a matter of "How?" and more a matter of "Why?". Why was he being told to fill in when a major emergency was starting to unfold, and why did most of the senior staff seem completely unbothered by the arrangement? Commander Velaul had actually told him "Enjoy the chair while you can". Like it was a joke. 

Or was it a test? That wouldn't be unreasonable, but to do it now? With the enemy at the gates? None of it made sense. All the other officers seemed impossibly calm. Despite his best efforts, Ethan couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He was in no way qualified to be acting as an Officer of the Deck, and yet he could hardly refuse when the Old Man had instructed him to do so. Everyone else on the bridge knew it too. No one would ever question the captain's orders, but they had all kinds of reasons to question a midshipman like him. They could probably hear his heart pounding from where they sat. 

Thankfully, it only took about five minutes for the brass to reappear. Commander Talion was the first to emerge from the Observation Lounge, followed by Lieutenants Mala and Coppola. 

"Thank you, Mister Diaz. I have the Conn," said the commander. Like the others, he sounded perfectly casual, as though this was just another shift change, but at that point, Ethan was just relieved to have a senior duty officer present again. 

"You have the conn, sir," he replied automatically. He went straight back to Navigation and switched out with the relief officer just in time to get a comm ping from below. "Maneuvering, Bridge, confirm output readings for FTL Systems B, check relays five through eight."

"Uh. . ." Ethan's hands flew across the control board, double-checking the engine monitoring interface. "Bridge, Maneuvering, we are green across the board. Systems B, five through eight read normal--nacelle emissions are registering at top range. We're holding steady at Warp Nine."

"Affirmative, Bridge. Emissions at top range, holding at Warp Nine. FTL Transit is locked. Stand by." 

Ethan forced himself to breathe slowly. "Bridge, Maneuvering, copy that. FTL locked, standing by for deceleration order." 

_____

He glanced over to his left at Cologero; he was quite certain the lieutenant was following along, but it didn't hurt to check. Right now, he'd be occupied performing manual adjustments to the engine and helm while the ship was at warp speed. It required a delicate hand, and in such cases, Maneuvering sometimes piped their comm traffic through to the navigator's station to make things a littler easier. Once they reached their destination, the OD would give the order, and Cologero would slow them down. 

The moment arrived barely a minute later, when a shuttle bearing personnel from the Yeager hailed them and requested permission to dock. A little while after that, Cologero expertly brought the Aquila down to sublight speed, and an Andorian ensign appeared on the bridge to speak with Commander Talion. 

"Commander, Maneuvering reports all engine outputs are stable. Sublight velocity is steady, and we're on-course for direct intercept with the USS Yeager, heading 105, mark 232," Ethan told him, briefly turning around. 

_____

Just then, Cologero got his attention. "Diaz, this plan clearly isn't going to work, so it's scrapped. We have a plan in place that is being developed right now, I would like to think about how to give it the best chance of success while we go over some tactics. This ship is great to be in but its size makes times like this a little more difficult, we need to make sure to try and give them a smaller target." 

He indicated his own display, and Ethan leaned over to get a better look. 

"These areas of the ships we should be more mindful of how much they are exposed for targeting, if the shields fail in these areas that cascade effect can collapse the whole thing," the lieutenant continued. "Do you have some ideas for tactical maneuvers?"

Ethan hesitated. It was a pretty big question, and right now the only answer that came to mind was calling every ship within two hours of the Yeager's position and telling them to get there on the double so as to convince the Cardassians their unplanned visit wasn't worth the trouble. Captain Brooks had most likely already considered that though, so he wracked his brain for a more helpful train of thought. 

"I say we try to go for a broadside, sir. They've got the numbers on their side, and they know the first thing we'll try is to harass their escorts. They'll probably make a straight run at us and just use their formations like a sledgehammer. If we can go light on the stick, we can coordinate with the Yeager and outmaneuver them. Once we work our way out to the flanks, we can target their midship weapon arrays and try to knock out their external shield equipment. While they're busy with the hammer, we can stick a knife in their side."



== Tag Cdr. Talion and Lt. [JG] Coppola. ==

[Cologero Coppola]

Ethan was on to something with his plan, there was still room for improvement just like any other plan. His idea was pretty good it would force them to play their games, with that comes control over the battle field. Naturally that would be if the plan works, they would also have to come up with something incase it didn't work. In early warfare things like that did work where the main prize was glory, but the reality was all they got was failure. 

"I think you are onto something." Cologero said encouraging. "It needs something though." Cologero was thinking about it a little more, Diaz was showing great strengths. Working together with the Yeager would be the ultimate goal of every ship in the fleet, Now they had to come up with something. "If we were going to do this." Cologero picked a side at random. "We would need to shore up the side we want them to attack, while chumming the waters with another." Chumming the waters was an old fisherman tactic to bring the sharks closer to them, it was also used by researchers who only wanted to shoot them with camera and tracking devices.

"If we were to present this to the Commander because I think this could be the answer to the delivery system problem, how would you present it?" Cologero knew exactly how he would present this but that wasn't the purpose, this was about Diaz developing his skills will go a long way. Looking back at Commander Talion Cologero couldn't help but to think that is the reason this was going to work, it wasn't about telling people what to do because they could. It made him feel good that they were all about building people up, in the Observation Lounge it would have been easy to tear him down but no one did. 

He glimpsed over at the doors of the Observation Lounge for a second, then to the Science station where his look gave away his feelings. The glance wasn't long as this wasn't the place for it, possibly in space dock with absolutely nothing going on. 

==Tag Diaz==

[GM-CD]

==Talion==

There was no sign of pursuit, the Glennis appeared to have either gotten away without being detected, or outrun her pursuers. Reports from the Shuttlebay crew implied that the engines had been run hard, close enough to the redline that they would need a full overhaul before being considered warp-worthy again.

There were no crew of note aboard the small auxiliary craft. In fact, the unifying elements of the different service jackets indicated they were all either freshly out of the Academy or Technical School, and none had any specific skills that would make them an asset in combat. Neither did they have the reprimands or "colorful" personalities commonly assosciated with members of the Yeager's crew

==Mala==

There was no issue with the weapons systems, beyond that they had not been actively fired in several years. Any simulations would come through as within optimal efficiency, but only combat use would determine how effective they would actually be.

[Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar]

Ris passively noted the differences between Commander Talion's physicality and his own, though he didn't assign it any importance. It was part of his immediate environment. An environment that was unfamiliar to him. That he felt very much a stranger in. Although his time on the Yeager hadn't been a lengthy one, thusfar, it was still far more familiar to him than the one he currently found himself in.

There were conversations in the background in voices he didn't know, and that he wasn't privy to. The weight of all that had just happened finally landed on him after such a long delay.

"I'll make certain the Captain is able to review this momentarily, but first, do you or any of your people require medical attention?"

Talion's question snapped his attention back to the moment and provided an anchor, even if only for a moment.

"I don't know of any emergent medical issues, though we were operating in Gray Mode for an extended period under stressful circumstances. Probably best if your medical crew check them over." Ris briefly paused. "We're all fairly new to Starfleet, so, it wouldn't surprise me if there's some cases of shock. I coordinated with your personnel after arriving about getting them billeted." Allowing himself a deep, calming breath, he pressed on. "Is there any place I can be of use?"

== Tag Talion, Bridge ==

[Carley Young]

The information was conclusive it wasn't going to work on its own, they would need the fleet to pull that off. Still it was something to work with, the strategy they talked about in the room might be it. There was also something more that could be out there, something hidden out in open space. They would need to find what it was, or it could be created with battle conditions. 

The doors opened with a new man stepping in that was Andorian, Carley had only met the one before and he had been close with Beno. Right now he was talking with Commander Talion so Carley didn't want to be rude, then he asked where he could be of use. "There is currently an open space here next to me." Now Carley realized she might have spoken out of turn. "Commander." Carley was re-evaluating what she was about to say.

"Commander is there anything I should be aware of?" Carley had a hint of apprehension, it was a bit of a nervous habit around new people. "I haven't got much to go on here a new set of eyes could help give me a new vantage point on the issue." Right now there wasn't much of anything she knew about him, the information she knew about his people was also limited to the one person. 

For the meantime Carley was looking for any signs there might be something hidden, not quite a black hole or anything but something that could be of use. She heard the term Grey mode before but it wasn't used very often, it made her concerned for the Yeager Crew. She wanted to send something to them that might help, it was just what could they send that would go undetected? 

==Tag and GM input on the off chance that there might be something==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex perked up at Carley stepping in. He nodded, glancing between her and the Andorian. His relaxed a little and grinned at her. He liked her and she was a good Science Officer. She was good friends with the FO and that carried a great deal of weight with him.

"Lieutenant Young, this Ensign has just come from the Yeager, bringing some people with him. Perhaps the two of you could have an informal debrief and see what useful information you might be able to gather from observations he made while there. At the very least, he could be another hand on the Bridge and help us to prepare for when we drop out of warp at our destination."

Turning his attention back to the Ensign, "Mister Qab'ataar, stick with Lieutenant Young for now and she'll get you settled in. The Captain might have some questions for you once he is out of his meeting."

He then said to Carley, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Alex returned to the Center Chair and tapped his Comm Badge, "Talion to Brooks: FYI, we have taken aboard a shuttle from the Yeager with 20 people. An Ensign delivered a PADD from their CO. We're back on course and speed for now."

== Tag Carley, Qab'ataar and crew ==

[Carley Young]

Under the circumstances Carley was concerned about the Yeager, happy they were still alive with hopes they were going to stay that way. Carley wanted to make sure when they did arrive, they would be ready for anything. The young Science Officer could help answer some questions, like how to help because he knows the current situation better than anyone.

"Mister Qab'ataar, stick with Lieutenant Young for now and she'll get you settled in. The Captain might have some questions for you once he is out of his meeting."

Carley was happy to meet the young man mostly because he was another Science Officer, they could have some interesting conversations about what happened. " Mister Qab'ataar it is a pleasure to meet you, under the circumstances I hope your journey was pleasant." From what she could imagine it really wasn't a pleasure cruse. She wanted to give him time to really acclimate to the crew so overwhelming him with questions wasn't the way to go. Hopefullly he would say something about the area that could help, something on the way between ships could shed light on a possible solution.

==Tag==

[Daniel Brooks]

<<<Bridge<<<

Captain Brooks re-entered the Bridge to see Commander Talion with a new science officer judging by the uniform and was a bit taller than himself, noticing also the man was an Andorian he reminded him of Commander ch'Alev who had since departed the Aquila for a short while on another mission for Star Fleet Command.

Brooks walked over to where Talion was stood,

"Have medical been informed?" he asked the Commander as his icy blue eyes studied the Andorian for a moment.

"Ensign, what's your name? how was the Yeager when you left her? and is there anything vital you can inform us of?" he asked the Andorian as he held his hand out for the PADD from Commander Talion.

==Tags Talion and Qab'ataa, along with anyone else==

[Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar]

Barely had his question to Commander Talion escaped his lips when a woman, likely human, Science Lieutenant stepped up to join them. In response to his own question of where he might be of service, she responded, "There is currently an open space here next to me." In his slightly mind-fogged status, he wasn't sure, but, she seemed to second-guess inserting herself into the situation, and tactfully added on "Commander" at the end.

Ris registered Talion's response to her - Lieutenant Young - including a brief recap of the circumstances that brought him to this vessel. As the Commander finished, he faced Ris again.

"Mister Qab'ataar, stick with Lieutenant Young for now and she'll get you settled in. The Captain might have some questions for you once he is out of his meeting."

Slightly nodding his head, he didn't get a chance to verbally acknowledge the command when Captain Brooks entered the Bridge from the Observation Lounge. He felt himself scrutinized by the man he knew to be Captain Brooks only because he had looked that information up on the journey here. It helps to know who to report to.

Then came a few rapid-fire questions. Direct and to business. I can respect that.

"Ensign, what's your name? how was the Yeager when you left her? and is there anything vital you can inform us of?"

Fighting off the fatigue that had started to creep in after the stress bled off, Ris stood a bit straighter and assumed the position of attention.

"Ensign Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar, sir, from the USS Yeager." He mentally chided himself. He knows you're from the Yeager, slush-brain! "Captain Braggins dispatched me to find the closest friendly vessel possible and deliver the intel on that PADD. The ship was still intact and in Gray Mode when we left, with the Cardassian flotilla getting closer by the moment.  As best as could be determined, they hadn't been detected - but, the ship seemed to be gearing up to leave Gray Mode. I wasn't privy to the Captain's plans beyond that, sir. The PADD contains the sensor logs up until we left the ship. The flotilla consisted of a Hutet-class Dreadnought, three Keldon-class cruisers, and three Hideki-class escorts. I do recall there was a plan involving mines made from altered probes." His mind locked on perhaps the most important detail. "Federation One is at the Starbase in that system."

His antennae were locked forward now, as he focused his thoughts on what information may be of significance or worth passing on, and he waited to see how all those on the Bridge responded to the information he'd just shared. His voice wasn't loud, but, it was a steady baritone that carried without much effort. His jade green eyes met the Captain's icy blue ones, not in challenge, but, out of respect.

== Tag Brooks, Talion, Young, Bridge ==

[Beno Velaul]

<< Observation lounge<<

Getting back on the Bridge there was a man she didn't recognize, he was a science Officer giving Beno a good feeling. It also occurred to her that Daniel wasn't aware of his transfer either, or was he a transfer or just a messenger that really should stay for a while? She listened to the mans report and it confirmed her thoughts, Command was Braggins and Jennings both of them were great officers she served with.

Beno took her chair wondering what news that he brought for them, thankfully it wasn't too bad of news. She would have loved it if the news was different, like they had all gone home but it was a pipe dream at most. They had a lot of time before they got there, but now they would have something to work with. Beno knew that between the two of them, they could accomplish anything. "Glad to have you with us Ensign Qab'ataar." She said simply while waiting to hear what they were dealing with in more detail.

==Tag==

[Kalli Thorn]

<<< Observation Lounge <<<

Kalli had exited from the meeting and took a moment to check in at the Bridge station. All indicators were still green across the board, but at a time like this, she knew not to take chances. Her biggest worry was that if they went into combat, the Damage Control teams were going to have a rough time of it. This was a big ship, that meant they were hard to miss. Even when shields held, they couldn't absorb everything. The big Dreadnought had weapons that would hit hard and still do structural damage. It also carried thousands of torpedoes and eventually they would win if something significant didn't change those odds.

While she was there, a tall Andorian came onto the Bridge. He was reporting in from the Yeager. She caught a little of what was said, but was more interested in that sensor data that was said to be on the PADD.  It would be rude to interrupt, so Kalli simply waited to see what the Captain said before she did anything. It was her experience that patience often paid off.

[Jez Mala]

Jez stood at the Security station, reviewing the latest weapons-system scan. At first glance, nothing seemed concerning. The diagnostic systems were reporting everything within acceptable parameters, with no identifiable faults in the weapons systems.

The problem was what the diagnostics couldn't tell them.

The weapons hadn't been fired in several years.

Jez leaned back slightly as she reviewed the report again.

Everything says they're fine. That doesn't mean we actually know they're fine.

She opened the simulation results and studied them carefully. Every weapons simulation had returned results within optimal efficiency.

That was reassuring, but only to a point.

[Weapons simulations indicate all systems operating within optimal efficiency.]

Jez frowned slightly.

"Simulations aren't combat."

[Correct.]

She sighed quietly.

"Of course they aren't."

The computer was technically correct. A simulation could test targeting, power distribution, firing sequences, and system response. It could confirm that every component responded exactly as designed.

What it couldn't do was reproduce the unpredictability of an actual combat situation.

A weapons system could perform perfectly in a simulation and still behave differently when subjected to sustained combat conditions, unexpected power fluctuations, rapid targeting changes, or repeated firing.

Jez entered another note into the report.

[Weapons systems: No identified faults. Simulations: Within optimal efficiency. Actual combat effectiveness: Unverified due to extended period without live-fire use.]

She considered the wording for another moment before adding one final recommendation.

[Recommend controlled live-fire testing when operationally appropriate.]

Jez looked at the completed report.

"Well, that's reassuring."

She paused.

"Mostly."

We know the weapons work. We just don't know how well they work when someone is actually shooting back.

Jez closed the report.

She certainly wasn't going to recommend starting a fight simply to test the phasers.

That would be taking the phrase "live-fire exercise" a little too literally.

[Daniel Brooks]

The Andorian responded,

"Ensign Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar, sir, from the USS Yeager. Captain Braggins dispatched me to find the closest friendly vessel possible and deliver the intel on that PADD. The ship was still intact and in Gray Mode when we left, with the Cardassian flotilla getting closer by the moment. As best as could be determined, they hadn't been detected - but, the ship seemed to be gearing up to leave Gray Mode. I wasn't privy to the Captain's plans beyond that, sir. The PADD contains the sensor logs up until we left the ship. The flotilla consisted of a Hutet-class Dreadnought, three Keldon-class cruisers, and three Hideki-class escorts. I do recall there was a plan involving mines made from altered probes." His mind locked on perhaps the most important detail. "Federation One is at the Starbase in that system."

Brooks nodded, "Thank you Ensign, you can help with our Science department for now, I'm sure Commander Talion will have no objections."

Moving around to take the command chair Brooks said,

"Yellow alert."

Then he passed the PADD to Commander Velaul, "Get to work on this and see what information can be found."

"Helm once we are in closer range let us know, I want to try and hail the Yeager or the Lowry to let them know of our impending presences."

==Tag Ris'maeriiffa, Talion, Velaul and Tactical==

[Beno Velaul]

In all of her years in Star Fleet this was the first time Federation One was ever mentioned, this made the mission that much more important. The use of probes as a landmine sort of speaking, it would help them balance the battle field. Hopefully the safety feature, the feature would eliminate Federation Ships as potential targets. 

Beno had a lot of work ahead of her, she was going to need a little more information. They could also make a few mines of their own, for this she could rely on Jez who might be able to give them that extra layer of security. "Aye Captain." She said while going over the information on the Padd, the Yeager was in Gray Mode again something that Beno hasn't really come across. She was aware of what it meant, but never really heard of it being used.

She was going to have to arrange quarters for the man for his stay but that wasn't going to take much, there were more than a few available. "You are in good hands with Lieutenant Young and Commander Talion." She had a lot of confidence they would do everything to make him feel welcome on the ship, she wasn't aware at this time how long it would be. Right now her concentration was on the Yeager. Beno wanted to talk to him about her former crew, she always hoped that they were alright. Currently that was going to have to wait.

Beno got up to talk to Lieutenant Mala for a second, it might be interesting to see what she had to say about it. It didn't take Beno long to figure out what she was already busy doing. "Amazing how its been a few years since we needed to fire these things, a shame it has to come to an end. Its a good thing maintenance reports state they are functional, when we need to fire they will work." Beno didn't like firing these things as much as a hand phaser, at times it was going to be needed. "Lieutenant what are your thoughts about making some mines of our own?" It wasn't much to go on, but it would be something. 

Considering who was going to be there Beno knew there would extra security measures taken, it was a high profile situation that just got bigger. Even just closing a high profile mission that was almost like this one, Beno had a better idea about glory. Their top priority became even more clear, stop this menace while protecting Federation as a whole.

==Tag ==

[GM-CD]

As the Aquila approached the system, it was joined by the USS Inaieu, an older mark of Sovereign-class Explorer. The Inaeiu was commanded by the recently-promoted Rear Admiral zh'Ollan, an Andorian with a reputation as an aggressive combat officer who relied on brute force more than finesse to see him through a battle. The orders received were brief, simple, and totally in keeping with the man's reputation - follow the Inaieu in and shoot anything without a Starfleet transponder.

The two ships dropped from warp right on top of a blossoming firefight. The Yeager, ramshackle as she may have seemed, was throwing torpedoes at the Dreadnought as fast as her launchers could while engaging in evasive maneuvers and eluding any return fire directed her way. The Keldons and their escorting Hidekis had turned to pursue the smaller Starfleet vessel.

[Concentrate fire on that Dreadnought. Their entire strategy will rest on that one ship.]

The Inaieu dove straight for the gargantuan vessel, spitting both Quantum and Photon Torpedoes from its bow launchers. The Hutet's shields wavered, briefly flickered, and returned at full strength as power was shunted to face the new arrival. 

Then it was the Inaieu's turn to suffer. 

Heavy plasma torpedoes erupted from the Dreadnought's flank weapons bays, followed by slashing beams of energy from the heavy disruptor emitters studding the hull. Of the same design as those mounted on automated weapon platforms, they were decades-old technology, but brute force more than made up for technological crudity. Impacts that had shredded an Akira-class Cruiser, or even a D'Deridex-class Warbird in seconds thirty years earlier took almost half a minute to collapse Inaieu's shields and pierced the hull. 

There was a blinding flash as the venerable ship blew up right in front of the Aquila.

The Aquila herself was spared a similar fate as the Dreadnought began to veer off its current course, and the three Keldons placed themselves between the two capital ships while the Hidekis chased down the evading Yeager.

[Jez Mala]

ez had been listening quietly as Beno discussed the possibility of producing mines of their own. The idea wasn't exactly new to her. In fact, she'd already been thinking along those lines.

"I might already have an idea, Captain."

Jez pulled up a few specifications on her PADD, bringing up a rough concept she'd been working through.

"Something small. Very small, actually. But powerful enough to make a Cardassian ship reconsider its career choices."

There was a hint of amusement in her expression.

"The trick would be the guidance system. Instead of relying on a proximity trigger, we could have the mine passively monitor for specific Cardassian warp signatures or transponder characteristics. If it identifies a matching signal, it locks onto it."

She looked toward Beno.

"That would give us a degree of selectivity. Federation vessels shouldn't trigger it, provided we build in the appropriate recognition safeguards."

Jez tapped the PADD again.

"I'd also want the system to verify the target through more than one characteristic before committing. Warp signature, transponder identification, and probably a couple of additional checks. If something doesn't match, the mine stays dormant."

She hesitated for a moment before adding:

"And before anyone asks, yes, I actually know how to build something like this."

Jez gave a small shrug.

"My parents were archaeologists. Controlled explosives were occasionally part of their work. When I was a teenager, I went through what Mike called my 'demolition phase.'"

A faint smile appeared.

"Mike taught me quite a bit about explosives. Mostly because he decided that if I was going to be interested in them, I was going to learn how to handle them properly."

She glanced down at the PADD.

"Looking back, that was probably the responsible decision."

Her expression became more serious as she considered the larger problem.

"I'd also like to coordinate with the Yeager's Chief of Security. If we're going to deploy these around both ships, we need our security procedures and identification systems working together. Their Chief may have information about Cardassian signatures or tactics that could improve the targeting parameters."

Jez paused, then added another thought.

"And we have extra Security personnel aboard. If Lieutenant Thorn's Damage Control teams are going to be working throughout the ship, I could have some of my people supplement them."

She looked toward Beno.

"Not as engineers, obviously. But as additional security during the repairs. Especially in areas where access needs to be controlled or where we're dealing with systems that could become vulnerable while the ship is being worked on."

Jez looked back at the preliminary mine specifications.

"That would let us divide the workload. I can have my people coordinate with Lieutenant Thorn's teams while I work with the Yeager's Security Chief and start developing the mine concept."

A small smile returned.

"It might also keep my people from wondering why their Chief is spending her time playing with explosives again."

She gave a slight shrug.

"Although, technically, this time it's for work."



== Tag Velaul and Thorn.==

[Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar]

Captain Brooks had responded with a simple and to the point, "Thank you Ensign, you can help with our Science department for now, I'm sure Commander Talion will have no objections."

Ris gave a brief, professional nod, and moved to the station Lieutenant Young had indicated a few moments ago. Moving with a purpose and focus, he settled in at the station, deftly configuring the LCARS layout how he preferred, even taking a moment to save the configuration in the database for easy reference later. As he was going through that process he turned his head slightly in the direction of Lieutenant Young.

"I appreciate your warm welcome, Lieutenant. I don't know that I would classify the journey here as 'pleasant', but, it was necessary. I'm just glad Captain Braggins entrusted me with it, although it's not like she had a lot of young, superfluous officers fresh out of the Academy to choose from." He tried his best to not sound bitter about it. Logically, it completely made sense. A slow inhale helped him re-center his emotional state, even as he murmured a Vulcan meditation mantra under his breath.

"If there's any information that can be of assistance to you or the crew, I'm happy to share it. There's no point in being miserly with information."

His attention was drawn away mere seconds later when the hail from the USS Inaieu came through. Very few Andorians that served in Starfleet didn't know of Rear Admiral zh'Ollan. To call discussions about his style of command "lively" would be a gross understatement. The odds of the participants in said discussion requiring some degree of medical attention afterwards was always non-zero.

As soon as the order was given to follow the Admiral's ship in, Ris reconfigured his console for a more tactical scientific function. Whether that would be scanning of weak points, keeping an eye out for anomalies that could be helpful or harmful - there were many possibilities. Though he had seen the monster of a vessel before, this was the first time Ris witnessed it unleash its torrent of firepower.

This was like facing a huge gap in the glaciers back home on Andoria, and knowing you couldn't go back, yet forward was also certainly death. His antennae stood nearly vertical in alarm as he watched the Admiral's ship get reduced to its component atoms.

You arrogant fool...

== Tag Young, Bridge ==

[Kalli Thorn]

Kalli listened to Jez discuss the idea of the mines as if it were a class project. When she was done, Kalli replied politely, "Lieutenant Mala, the time for ideas has passed. We're out of time. You'll be lucky if you have the time to take warheads and arm them with relay proximity fuses that you can toss out the ship as we are on the move. When we drop out of warp, life is going to move faster than a shootout in a dark alley with us outnumbered and outgunned. I appreciate the offer of help, but your people aren't outfitted with the kind of gear they would need. We're talking hull breeches and open radiation leaks. The ship we're about to face is not common. I don't think you grasp the kind of weapons we're dealing with here. This thing destroys planets and enjoys it."

She had kept her tone mild and did her best not to sound adversarial, but even then, her words said what was on her mind. She had seen ships torn to shreds. Her colony was destroyed by a relatively small ship. The power of the fleet they were approaching was not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, she had taken what little time they had left in talking and wouldn't get to clarify her point further. They dropped out of warp in time to witness the catastrophic end of a ship their own size. It only took seconds.

Kalli closed out her console and was already up and heading to the turbolift saying, "I've got to go. It's game time and I have to suit up."

With that, she vanished behind the sliding doors...

[Daniel Brooks]

As the Aquila approached the system, it was joined by the USS Inaieu, an older mark of Sovereign-class Explorer. The Inaeiu was commanded by the recently-promoted Rear Admiral zh'Ollan, an Andorian with a reputation as an aggressive combat officer who relied on brute force more than finesse to see him through a battle. The orders received were brief, simple, and totally in keeping with the man's reputation - follow the Inaieu in and shoot anything without a Starfleet transponder.

The two ships dropped from warp right on top of a blossoming firefight.

"RED ALERT." shouted Brooks as the Aquila quickly banked to avoid phaser fire.

The Yeager, ramshackle as she may have seemed, was throwing torpedoes at the Dreadnought as fast as her launchers could while engaging in evasive maneuvers and eluding any return fire directed her way. The Keldons and their escorting Hidekis had turned to pursue the smaller Starfleet vessel.

[Concentrate fire on that Dreadnought. Their entire strategy will rest on that one ship.] came the command from the Admiral.

"Understood Admiral."

The Inaieu dove straight for the gargantuan vessel, spitting both Quantum and Photon Torpedoes from its bow launchers. The Hutet's shields wavered, briefly flickered, and returned at full strength as power was shunted to face the new arrival.

Then it was the Inaieu's turn to suffer.

Heavy plasma torpedoes erupted from the Dreadnought's flank weapons bays, followed by slashing beams of energy from the heavy disruptor emitters studding the hull. Of the same design as those mounted on automated weapon platforms, they were decades-old technology, but brute force more than made up for technological crudity. Impacts that had shredded an Akira-class Cruiser, or even a D'Deridex-class Warbird in seconds thirty years earlier took almost half a minute to collapse Inaieu's shields and pierced the hull.

There was a blinding flash as the venerable ship blew up right in front of the Aquila.

The Aquila herself was spared a similar fate as the Dreadnought began to veer off its current course, and the three Keldons placed themselves between the two capital ships while the Hidekis chased down the evading Yeager.

"Helm take us into attack pattern delta 3, lock on and full spread of torpedos and phasers."

"Commander Talion shall we attempt your way of disabling the dreadnought." said Brooks holding onto the command chairs armrests.

"Helm bring us about and keep us out the way of that dreadnoughts fire, if at all possible try to cover the Yeager."

==Tag ALL==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex heard Capt Brooks say, "Commander Talion shall we attempt your way of disabling the dreadnought."

He instantly responded, "There are stealth probes designated as Class A in the inventory specifically for this purpose, sir. They are prepped and ready for firing. All Tactical has to do is load them, designate the specific target area and fire. The probe and its contents will do the rest. If they target the shielding, it will attempt to cause a short in that area. If they target a component behind the shields, it will move through the shields and begin affecting that target. I might suggest their sensors, since they can't shoot what they can't see. On the other hand, without shields, they become a pretty easy target. I'm Science, so I helped make the weapon, I leave it to Tactical to decide how to use it in battle."

[Cologero Coppola]

"RED ALERT." shouted Brooks as the Aquila quickly banked to avoid phaser fire. Cologero went to weapons control activating them for the first time, that also turned out to be the first for this Command as well. As Red Alert sounded Cologero could feel his Nonno watching, there wasn't much of a difference between what they went through.

The Yeager, ramshackle as she may have seemed, was throwing torpedoes at the Dreadnought as fast as her launchers could while engaging in evasive maneuvers and eluding any return fire directed her way. The Keldons and their escorting Hidekis had turned to pursue the smaller Starfleet vessel.

[Concentrate fire on that Dreadnought. Their entire strategy will rest on that one ship.] came the command from the Admiral.

"Understood Admiral."

The Inaieu dove straight for the gargantuan vessel, spitting both Quantum and Photon Torpedoes from its bow launchers. The Hutet's shields wavered, briefly flickered, and returned at full strength as power was shunted to face the new arrival.

Then it was the Inaieu's turn to suffer.

Heavy plasma torpedoes erupted from the Dreadnought's flank weapons bays, followed by slashing beams of energy from the heavy disruptor emitters studding the hull. Of the same design as those mounted on automated weapon platforms, they were decades-old technology, but brute force more than made up for technological crudity. Impacts that had shredded an Akira-class Cruiser, or even a D'Deridex-class Warbird in seconds thirty years earlier took almost half a minute to collapse Inaieu's shields and pierced the hull. While this was going on Cologero took some readings of the energy requirements to fire such a weapon, it might be their only chance to do so. There had to be a few components to make this work, the Battleship was meant to take a pounding so brute force alone wasn't going to cut it. Also looking to see if anyone survived the blast, with how quick it happened Cologero didn't have much for hope. 

There was a blinding flash as the venerable ship blew up right in front of the Aquila. Looks like that ship was meant to be called the HMS Hood, but they were the reason the Bismarck was defeated. No matter what history would say about this Cologero took no joy in this, loss of life was nothing to celebrate. 

The Aquila herself was spared a similar fate as the Dreadnought began to veer off its current course, and the three Keldons placed themselves between the two capital ships while the Hidekis chased down the evading Yeager.

"Helm take us into attack pattern delta 3, lock on and full spread of torpedos and phasers." As the Captain ordered Cologero fired the weapons full spread with torpedoes and phasers,  the idea was to hit the same places as the first ship or really close to it. The compound damage of the attacks should go further, this was going to be a marathon and not a quick mad dash. The price of Glory and fame, a quick death going down in flames. Cologero thought without a hint of joy, just a look of concern. 

"Commander Talion shall we attempt your way of disabling the dreadnought." said Brooks holding onto the command chairs armrests. Cologero heard the order knowing it was time for Talion to release his solution, with no real experience with it Cologero had a prayer in his head, mostly in hopes it would work. 

"Helm bring us about and keep us out the way of that dreadnoughts fire, if at all possible try to cover the Yeager." 

His answer didn't take too long. "There are stealth probes designated as Class A in the inventory specifically for this purpose, sir. They are prepped and ready for firing. All Tactical has to do is load them, designate the specific target area and fire. The probe and its contents will do the rest. If they target the shielding, it will attempt to cause a short in that area. If they target a component behind the shields, it will move through the shields and begin affecting that target. I might suggest their sensors, since they can't shoot what they can't see. On the other hand, without shields, they become a pretty easy target. I'm Science, so I helped make the weapon, I leave it to Tactical to decide how to use it in battle."

Cologero knew the Captain wanted to launch these probes, the intent was clear, Cologero loaded three of these probes. Targeting the Bow, Stern and Aft should in theory create a blanket effect, if all of them make it to their target and works. "Firing probes Captain." Every second of this battle was going to be the difference between life and death, Cologero knew that at any time they could be next. If this was going to be the case he wanted to do the most damage to that ship possible, they had more of these probes Cologero wasn't exactly sure how many. I guess this is what its like to be where the mettle meets the meat. First mission as Chief Tactical Officer Cologero was front and center in the biggest campaign in years, Cologero kept his training in mind while he was keeping his cool as much as possible. He could worry about anything else later, now wasn't the time.

==GM input about any information gathered from the "Bismarck" dreadnought, and the damage both ships could have caused followed by if Commander Talions probes hit their mark and work. Finally if anyone did survive from the  Inaieu Tag Captain ==

[Ethan Diaz]

Ethan could see Cologero was considering his suggestion, turning it over in his mind. "I think you are on to something," the lieutenant told him after a brief pause. "It needs something though. If we were going to do this, we would need to shore up the side we want them to atta, while chumming the waters with another."

Ethan nodded slowly. "That is an option sir, yes. But if we're quick enough, we won't be presenting a decent target to them for very long. We'll have to get clever with the automatic power adjustments, but our engines should be able to handle one or two quick cuts. I was thinking we go wide, opposite of the Yeager, gun it to their outside flank, come around hard and go straight at their sides, that way we have a smaller target profile. If we take them by surprise, we can probably get a few bursts off from the forward phaser array before turning out. At the right speed, our side will only be exposed for a few seconds. Tactical can modulate our shield emitters to up the field volume on that side until we complete the turn. Once we find that firing lane, we'll haul out and do it again at a different spot, keep them off-balance."

"If we were to present this to the Commander, because I think this could be the answer to the delivery system problem, how would you present it?" Cologero asked. Ethan noticed him glance back at towards one of the science stations, where Commander Talion was speaking with Lieutenant Young. The rest of the staff appeared to be pretty busy as well. The Captain and XO had also returned from the Observation Lounge and were now talking to the new arrival from the Yeager. Lieutenant Thorn and Lieutenant Mala were busy at their own stations, and of course, a number of relief officers were present coordinating other preparations throughout the rest of the ship. 

Unfortunately, the two TOs never got a chance to share their ideas, because at that moment, the Aquila broke from warp speed with a brilliant burst of light and emerged into a firestorm. Dead ahead was the Cardassian formation, only they were surprisingly spread out, as the Yeager and another ship appeared to be giving them some trouble. Glittering beams from phasers and disruptors lit up the void, and the Yeager was spitting out a fierce stream of photon torpedoes rapid-fire, as if she couldn't care less that she was outnumbered seven to two. 

"RED ALERT!" Roared Captain Brooks

The Aquila banked just in time to avoid a disruptor beam. Make that three, Ethan thought to himself. The Cardassians evidently wanted a fight, and he was more than happy to give them one.

Three of the escort ships had broken off in pursuit of the Yeager, which was pulling some pretty impressive maneuvers at flank speed. The other three were barreling straight for the Aquila and the third Federation ship. They were obviously screening for the dreadnought so she'd have a chance to use all of her weapons from a distance. 

The ship was in Cologero's hands now. Ethan was just along for the ride, but he could make the Lieutenant's job easier by getting a sensor lock on the enemy ships and tying in to Tac One and Fire Control to synchronize the targeting software for both stations. 

Suddenly, an enormous flash of light filled the main viewscreen with a blinding glare. Before he opened his eyes again, Ethan already knew what happened. An entire Federation crew, reduced to atoms. His stomach dropped, his face went pale, and had he merely been observing the battle, Ethan would have frozen. Somewhere out there, light years away, there was a kid just like him that was never going to see their mother or father again. 

"Helm, take us into attack pattern Delta 3, lock on and full spread of torpedoes and phasers," the Captain ordered. 

"Tac Two, I've got full-band sensor bearings on their escorts!" Ethan called out. "Activating defensive imaging, initializing sight picture."

His fingers worked his control board furiously, feeding all data from the forward sensors to the main tactical station. 

They were dead. That entire crew was gone. Just a day or so from now, there'd be a few more kids heading straight for their local recruiter's office, driven by rage and single-minded determination. 

There wasn't time to think about that now. There wasn't time to wonder if he'd ever get a chance to speak to his parents again. This was real, and if this battle didn't go their way, he'd be finishing out the day as a name and a serial number on a very long casualty list.

"Scopes are up and tracking. I'm sending coordinates through for targeting," Ethan said over his shoulder, hoping Lieutenant Mala heard him.

"Helm, bring us about and keep us out of the way of that dreadnought's fire, if at all possible try to cover the Yeager," said Captain Brooks. 




== GM Input: Am I able to feed any additional visual/locational data from the sensors to the main tactical station to help get a target lock on any of the smaller ships? ==

== Tag Lt. [JG] Coppola and Lt. Mala ==

[Beno Velaul]

Mala had some great idea about these mines, however the time for this had come to a close. Thorn quickly pointed this out, but there was still hope. It seemed like everyone sprung into action without delay, it made her proud. Science and Tactical working together in a way she never seen before, Beno had hope that these probes would work. Right now there was no plans for an away team to go anywhere, it was simply too dangerous and nowhere to go. 

Between everyone on the ship they had their hands full, Security could have the most to do later. The thing was what to do before hand, the hardest thing for them to do was not to watch the kettle boiling. "I am sorry Lieutenant we did run out of time." Beno watched as her Captain gave the orders while everyone else was following them. 

"Lieutenant Mala I know you have your people on high alert right now." Beno knew that Mala was a professional, so telling her how to do the job wasn't Benoes intent. They didn't have time to develop the plan as a whole, Beno waited to see what happened before thinking of something else. At this time Beno started to understand how Daniel felt while she was away, it gave her a true glimpse in Command. 

Witnessing the Inaieu getting destroyed first would be permanently burned into her memory, she wasn't sure if all hands were lost but now wasn't the time to think of it. Beno knew exactly where she needed to be at this time, and was about to go there. "Mala you know what to do I will leave it to you." Beno went and took her place right next to the Captain. There was a lot to lose with little to gain at this time, if anything could be gained at this time. What happened to the Inaieu should serve as a warning, the search for more glory really took its toll.

==Tags==

[Jez Mala]

Jez had been watching the tactical display when the *Aquila* dropped from warp.

The system was already alive with weapons fire.

Cardassian ships were scattered across the battlespace, their formation unexpectedly spread out. The *Yeager* was in the middle of it, firing photon torpedoes in rapid succession while throwing herself through evasive maneuvers at flank speed.

Jez's eyes moved across the display, tracking the various vessels and their movements.

As Chief of Security, her attention went beyond the weapons fire. She checked the internal security network, bringing up transporter activity, hull integrity reports, and the status of the security teams throughout the ship.

All section teams were reporting in.

No transporter activity.

No hull breaches.

For the moment.

Then the Aquila banked hard.

"RED ALERT!" roared Captain Brooks.

A disruptor beam flashed across the viewscreen, narrowly missing the ship.

Jez caught herself against her console and immediately checked the internal security display again.

"Security, confirm all section teams are in position," she ordered. "I want transporter activity monitored continuously. Report any hull breach immediately."

Acknowledgments came back from the security teams.

Jez returned her attention to the tactical display.

Three of the Cardassian escorts had broken off in pursuit of the *Yeager*. The remaining three were moving toward the Aquila and the other Federation vessel.

Jez tracked their course.

"They're screening the Dreadnought."

She marked the three vessels on her display.

"They're keeping themselves between us and the Dreadnought."

Ethan could see Cologero was considering his suggestion.

"I think you are on to something," the lieutenant told him after a brief pause. "It needs something, though. If we were going to do this, we would need to shore up the side we want them to attack, while chumming the waters with another."

Ethan nodded slowly.

"That is an option, sir, yes. But if we're quick enough, we won't be presenting a decent target to them for very long. We'll have to get clever with the automatic power adjustments, but our engines should be able to handle one or two quick cuts."

He brought up the tactical display.

"I was thinking we go wide, opposite of the Yeager, gun it to their outside flank, come around hard and go straight at their sides. That way we have a smaller target profile. If we take them by surprise, we can probably get a few bursts off from the forward phaser array before turning out. At the right speed, our side will only be exposed for a few seconds."

He indicated the shield display.

"Tactical can modulate our shield emitters to up the field volume on that side until we complete the turn. Once we find that firing lane, we'll haul out and do it again at a different spot. Keep them off-balance."

"If we were to present this to the Commander, because I think this could be the answer to the delivery system problem, how would you present it?" Cologero asked.

There wasn't time for Ethan to answer.

The Aquila was already committed to the engagement.

The Yeager, ramshackle as she might have seemed, was throwing torpedoes at the Dreadnought as fast as her launchers could fire while continuing her evasive maneuvers.

Then the Admiral's command came across the bridge.

[Concentrate fire on that Dreadnought. Their entire strategy will rest on that one ship.]

"Understood, Admiral."

The Inaieu dove straight toward the gargantuan vessel, spitting both Quantum and Photon Torpedoes from her forward launchers.

Jez watched the exchange from her station.

The Dreadnought's shields wavered.

Flickered.

Then returned to full strength.

Power was being shunted toward the incoming attack.

The Inaieu was struck almost immediately afterward.

Heavy plasma torpedoes erupted from the Dreadnought's flank weapons bays, followed by slashing beams of energy from the heavy disruptor emitters studding its hull.

Jez watched the Sovereign-class ship's shields collapse.

The hull began breaking apart.

Then the ship vanished in a blinding flash.

Jez immediately checked the security display.

No survivors were registering.

She checked the sensor returns again.

Nothing.

"Sirs, there doesn't appear to be any survivors." Announced Jez.

She switched back to the tactical display.

The Dreadnought began veering away as the three Keldons moved between it and the Aquila. The Hidekis continued pursuing the Yeager.

Jez tracked the movement of the escorts.

"Three escorts are screening the Dreadnought. The others are still pursuing the Yeager."

Cologero was already at weapons control.

The weapons systems were being brought online under his control.

As Red Alert continued sounding, the tactical display began filling with additional information as Cologero gathered readings on the Dreadnought's weapons systems.

Jez could see the energy figures scrolling across the shared tactical display.

The Dreadnought was generating enormous power to fire its weapons.

Cologero also brought up the debris field from the Inaieu and searched for life signs.

None appeared.

The tactical display remained empty.

Captain Brooks gave the next order.

"Helm, take us into attack pattern Delta 3, lock on and full spread of torpedoes and phasers."

Cologero moved immediately.

"Firing."

The Aquila unleashed a full spread of torpedoes and phaser fire.

Jez watched the weapons impacts register across the Dreadnought's hull.

Cologero had concentrated the fire around the areas previously struck by the Inaieu.

The weapons continued hammering the same sections.

Jez monitored the internal security network while the engagement continued.

"Security teams are standing by. No transporter activity detected aboard the ship."

"Commander Talion, shall we attempt your way of disabling the Dreadnought?" Brooks asked, holding onto the command chair's armrests.

Talion responded.

"There are stealth probes designated as Class A in the inventory specifically for this purpose, sir. They are prepped and ready for firing. All Tactical has to do is load them, designate the specific target area and fire. The probe and its contents will do the rest."

Talion continued.

"If they target the shielding, it will attempt to cause a short in that area. If they target a component behind the shields, it will move through the shields and begin affecting that target. I might suggest their sensors, since they can't shoot what they can't see."

He paused.

"On the other hand, without shields, they become a pretty easy target. I'm Science, so I helped make the weapon. I leave it to Tactical to decide how to use it in battle."

Cologero accessed the inventory and began loading the Class A probes.

Three probes appeared on the tactical display.

Their target assignments were entered.

Bow.

Stern.

Aft.

Jez watched the probe indicators move away from the Aquila.

"Security teams, stay alert. If the Dreadnought loses shields, be prepared for transporter activity or a boarding attempt."

She returned her attention to the tactical display.

The probes continued toward their targets.

Jez kept the internal security network open beside the tactical display.

No transporter activity.

No hull breaches.

No boarding attempts.

For now, that was enough.

Her attention remained divided between the battle outside the ship and everything that could come through the hull from inside it.

The Aquila was still in the fight.

So was her crew.

And Jez had a job to do, but she could feel her anger building. She had just witnessed an entire Federation starship crew get destroyed. She wanted Talion's plan to work; she wanted the Cardassians to pay.



== Tag All. ==

[Alexander Talion]

When the Sovereign-class Explorer detonated, Alex instinctively did the calculations in his mind. a warp core failure at that range had only temporarily disrupted the shields of that massive ship. Even if there were crew that had not been consumed in the reaction with the release of all of that antimatter, the shockwave would have vaporized anyone and anything. The simple physics of entropy would allow some small fragments of ship debris to survive, but no life form could survive it. The radiation and shearing g-forces would have torn most things apart and burned them beyond any hope. So many lives lost in an instant.

For just a moment, Alex wanted to make the Cardassians pay. He was tempted to fire one of the probes himself, with his own instructions, but he held back. He struggled to not turn into the kind of monster he wanted to destroy. Taking another deep breath, he approached the Captain and asked, "Sir, how far do we go in trying to disable their ship? We can't fight them conventionally. There's just too much firepower? We'll know in a moment how effective the bots are against their shielding. If they can penetrate the shields, do I launch a probe to disable them? The probes don't impact the shields, they release the payload and the momentum carries the bots to the target. If any of the bots are able to get through, we can infiltrate their ship mechanically."

He glanced at Beno and she felt his struggle. He was worried about what might happen if they didn't try, but he almost fear their success even more. If they were successful, then this tactic would likely be repeated against them in the future. This risked an escalation of a new kind of arms race for the future. If it failed, then there was no risk, but if it worked, then the enemy would adapt to it to take advantage of the effectiveness of it. He was holding something back though. He knew something that the enemy couldn't duplicate in his design. It was something beyond what Kalli Thorn had in mind for her designs. Alex knew how to make a swarm of them to function like a living thing and how to perform highly technical tasks and problem solving. His infiltration would be a thinking hive with the capability of surgical precision. The key was if they could penetrate the shields or not. Deflectors were a problem, but shields were different and the bots should be able to get past, just no fast. This was about the long game though, not a fast checkmate.

== Tag CO, FO and any who might hear. ==
== GM Input request: What happens to the bots released at the three target areas of the dreadnaught? Do any manage to get through? ==

[Daniel Brooks]

Commander Talion approached the Captain and asked, "Sir, how far do we go in trying to disable their ship? We can't fight them conventionally. There's just too much firepower? We'll know in a moment how effective the bots are against their shielding. If they can penetrate the shields, do I launch a probe to disable them? The probes don't impact the shields, they release the payload and the momentum carries the bots to the target. If any of the bots are able to get through, we can infiltrate their ship mechanically."

Brooks looked at Talion,

"Disable them enough so we can stop hopefully make them stop and think for a few moments, it could give us and the Yeager a break to be able to target them enough to bring there fire power down, ideally to target there life support, that why they will have to give in."

==Tag Talion and everyone else==

[Carley Young]

Carley watched as the Captain was asking questions, this was the first time that Carley seen anything like this. It didn't take too long before he joined her, she wasn't really sure how he would handle the transition. Getting climitized to the first crew was hard, the second crew could be even harder.  

"I appreciate your warm welcome, Lieutenant. I don't know that I would classify the journey here as 'pleasant', but, it was necessary. I'm just glad Captain Braggins entrusted me with it, although it's not like she had a lot of young, superfluous officers fresh out of the Academy to choose from." He tried his best to not sound bitter about it. Logically, it completely made sense. A slow inhale helped him re-center his emotional state, even as he murmured a Vulcan meditation mantra under his breath.

"If there's any information that can be of assistance to you or the crew, I'm happy to share it. There's no point in being miserly with information."

There was a lot of things that Carley wanted to talk about, some of them were mission related so she was going to limit her inquires to just that. There could be something that he was working on before leaving, it might be helpful. Then came the what turned out to be a tragic turn of events, the ship was destroyed before anything could even get started. Following orders to follow them in, Carley could see how lucky they were. If they turned their sights on the Aquila they wouldn't stand a chance, the weapon was that powerful. Carley thought there had to be someway to stop them, the question was how to turn their strength to weakness. 

Carley seen him go to work coming up with the answer to that question. "Do you have something in mind to turn the tide? Or was there something you were working on that you can continue here?" Carley asked knowing there could be several answers to the same question.

==Tag==

[Jez Mala]

Jez had been listening carefully, her attention fixed on the tactical implications rather than the emotional weight of what had just happened. As Chief of Security, she had to consider both. The destruction of the Zephyr-class vessel had demonstrated just how much firepower the Cardassians possessed, and Jez had no intention of committing the Aquila to a battle it could not win.

She studied the tactical display for several seconds.

"If the bots can penetrate their shields, then we don't necessarily need to defeat the ship," Jez said. "We only need to create an opening large enough for them to get inside."

She looked toward the tactical display, considering the weapons available to them.

Jez spoke up, her tone loud but respectful, "What happens if we increase the yield of a photon torpedo, but use it strictly as a shield-disruption weapon? Not enough to destroy the vessel. Just enough to overload a section of their shields for a few seconds. Just enough to allow the bots to slip in undetected."

Jez paused.

She then turned to The Captain and Alex, "The timing would have to be precise. We hit the shields, and the moment they fluctuate, we launch the probe, or we load the Bots into the torpedo. The torpedo gives the bots the opening they need, and the bots do the rest."

Her expression remained serious.

"And if the Cardassians have redundant shield systems, we don't keep hammering away at the same location. We look for the weakest point and exploit it."

Jez glanced toward the tactical display again.

"We're not trying to win a firefight. We're trying to make their defenses fail for just long enough to get something through them."

She folded her arms, thinking through the security implications.

"If the bots can get aboard, their mission should remain limited. Disable weapons. Disrupt propulsion if possible. Compromise their sensors and communications. Anything that prevents them from continuing to engage us."

A moment passed before she added, more cautiously,

"And if they encounter personnel, the bots should avoid lethal force unless there is no other option. We don't need to turn this into a boarding action."

Jez looked back toward the others.

"Commander Talion is right about one thing. This is the long game. The Cardassians will learn from whatever we do here."

She allowed herself a faint, humorless smile.

"So let's make sure the first lesson they learn is that we don't have to destroy their ship to make it harmless."



== Tag All. ==

[Alexander Talion]

Talion listened to what Mala was saying, but he didn't respond. The Captain seemed to want t target the life support systems of the Hutet Class. That was perhaps the best option. It wouldn't be catastrophic, but it would be life threatening. They might have to abandon ship if they couldn't get it working again. They certainly wouldn't want the Federation to be able to board it, so in a worst case scenario, they might scuttle it instead of risk it being captured. That could be a long time though. There was quite a bit of room in a ship that size and they could stay alive for a while without life support.

It wouldn't matter though, if the bots turned out to be unable to penetrate the shields. A plan was beginning to form in Alex's mind. This wasn't quite chess, but it might as well be. The use of brute force was out. They had to be able to sneak past the defences. Once they did, how to best render them helpless? Even a draw was a win here.

As the battle raged around him, he moved to his console and looked up how many bots had been produced yet that he could use. The date soon showed him that there were quite a large number. Even if only a portion of them made it to the target and were able to get through, he could make use of them, but if too few did, then it might be useless...unless...the controller had to be capable. That part of the program needed to be able to adapt to fewer bots, if needed. There would also be redundant life support that would have to be taken out.

Alex turned back to the view of the battle and was very calm. He couldn't do anything other than tell his people to load the bots into more probes. He knew what to do, but it didn't matter if the three they had fired failed. If the Aquila got shot and destroyed, it was over. If the bots were of no use, it was likely over. He needed more data from the ones on their way to the target and they were about to make contact. He had lost track of the time, they might have already been released. There had been 10,000 bots in each probe. He looked to see if the numbers changed...and he waited...

== Tag for GM Input: What happens with the released bot payloads from the probes? Do they make it to the ship? Are they able to penetrate the shields? The ones released were aimed at the shields, so they would only be trying to cause a feedback issue between the shields and the structural integrity, causing each to damage the other and shorting each. If one was turned off, then it would only do half as much damage the the one remaining on, but it would prove that they could penetrate the shields. ==

[Beno Velaul]

Hearing what Jez had to say in the matter Beno was in no doubt, there were only two ways that this could go. It will work or it wont, there was something that Beno hasn't felt so pronounced before. She could feel that Alex was worried it would and wouldn't work at the same time. She wasn't sure of the details of what he was worried about, they didn't achieve that kind of communication yet. 

"Thank you for your insights Lieutenant." Beno was wondering if this was going to work as well, if it did how it was going to, if not why? They just made an attack with another ship, what happened to their ship after the attack. "Lieutenant I am wondering do you have Security posted in places like Sickbay, or other high priority areas." If someone did come on the ship uninvited, it would be nice to keep ahead of things.

She was happy to see the new Science Officer blend in so well, between Alex and Carley they would receive him well. Beno knew first hand how switching over to another ship can be hard, she was just happy to have people for him to make the transition easier. 

==Tag==

[GM-CD]

==Apologies for the delay, everyone. This post was meant to go up on Wednesday, but life life-d.==

==Diaz==

The three smaller craft had ceased pursuing the Yeager, and turned instead to close on the USS Zephyr, a Steamrunner-class Escort that appeared to have materialised out of nowhere. Unfortunately the Zephyr was currently between the Aquila and the Escorts, blocking their line of fire.

==Coppola==

There were no survivors from the Inaeiu. A slow-motion replay of the ship's destruction would show that the Cardassian torpedoes had breached the Quantum Torpedo magazine, and secondary explosions had rippled down the hull, leading to a critical and catastrophic reactor breach. Everyone in the primary hull had probably been dead before the torpedo magazine finished exploding, and the crew on the secondary hull would have been cooked alive, blown into space, or torn asunder before the antimatter feeds ruptured.

==Talion==

Even with sufficient levels of overkill, shooting through a debris field virtually guaranteed that not every attempt would be successful. Of the three groups of nanobots deployed, two failed to register as having contacted the Hutet. The third group contacted the shields, but was showing only 33% deployment, and not all attacking the systems specified - in fact, many of them seemed to be dispersing at random. Far from the technical infestation or infection planned, the plan had now created something more akin to a "gremlin" from old Earth superstition.

==All==

The three Keldon-class Battlecruisers were now in weapons range, and the Aquila rocked as heavy disruptor beams slammed into her shields. The Aquila wasn't currently in their torpedo arcs, but outnumbered three-to-one, it was only a matter of time before the Aquila started taking a serious beating. Fortunately the Hutet seemed to now be focusing its attention on the Zephyr, who had also attracted the attention of the Hidekis, leaving the Yeager free to engage at will.
There was no immediate effect on the Hutet, yet. The bots who had decided to go rogue would need time to infiltrate systems and do whatever they were programmed to do.

[Jez Mala]

Jez gave Beno a reassuring nod.

"Sickbay is already secured, Commander, along with every other critical area aboard the Aquila. Main Engineering, the transporter rooms, computer facilities, and the other high-priority locations all have Security coverage."

Her attention remained on the tactical display. There was no point discussing deployment theory in the middle of a battle.

"If you want additional coverage in Sickbay, I can double it. I can make that adjustment without compromising our response teams."

Jez glanced briefly toward Beno.

"Otherwise, the existing deployment is holding. Security is covering the critical areas while keeping enough personnel mobile to respond wherever they're needed."

Her expression hardened slightly as another tactical update came across the display.

"Right now, my priority is making sure nothing gets past us. If that changes, I'll adjust accordingly."

A faint smile touched her expression.

"And if someone did manage to come aboard uninvited, Commander, they're going to have a very unpleasant introduction to Aquila Security."



== Tag Velaul ==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex was having a hard time getting readings from the bots they deployed. When he did get a signal from a group of them, they were degraded, but functioning. He couldn't get enough from them though to determine if they did more than penetrate the shields. They did manage to get that far though, so there was a chance.

He had loaded a probe with as many bots as would fit, along with a small drone to act as a focal point at short range for the bots to stay close together. The program he loaded to it would pilot the probe, then when it reached the position he wanted, it would fire the bot package ballistically from a ventral angle of attack. The Probe would then resume a trajectory in front of the Hutet, acting as a comm relay, which would actually simply make it a decoy target, but would actually help with comms if they didn't shoot it. The package would continue until it could reach the Hutet's rear ventral shields. It would use the small gas jets to maneuver and then use the bots to create a minimal opening in the shield for it to get as many of the bots and the fist size drone through as possible. This would not use the default programing though. He was going to load a minimized version of Skye's program into it. It didn't need her entire system, but it needed some of her database and memories of engineering. It was pre-evolution, but able to use advanced decision making for target selection, evasion and combat protocols. It was a one way mission, but each time it succeeded in an objective, it would give a single small ping on an encrypted channel that used one of those old Bajoran frequencies the kids were talking about. The difference was that it would rotate to a different frequency each time. The first ws to get past the shields. The second was to access the ship through one of the ports used for umbilical connection to a base or supply source. They might have to select an alternate route through the sensor pallet and use the weak points where it fed through the hull.

The drone wasn't required for it to work, but it would help maintain better control until it got to the ship initially. The rest of the program could be distributed, but it was ideal if the drone could remain as a focal point, as it would be able to enhance processing a great deal. Skye had been a great asset to the team and was a very good engineer. He hated having to trim her program down to the essentials, but she would understand...if it were the original program anyway. This kind of situation was exactly why he kept copies of the old programs around. It still might not work, or might take too long to be of use, but he had to try it. They were not going to beat these guys standing toe to toe with them, that was obvious.

It only took a few seconds to instruct the system to load the program and the probe was ready for launch in under a minute. If they wanted to try anything more, they would have to make more bots and perhaps figure out different tactics, but Alex would take it one step at a time.

He called out, "Sir, I'm loading another probe into the aft launcher." He verified that it was currently clear of direct fire and then fired it. "Probe away..."

The probe popped out magnetically and then zipped off to begin doing as it had been instructed, piloting itself as it went. The stealth would hopefully minimize the signature until it reached the point where it would deliberately act as a decoy.

Turning to look at the CO, Alex said, "I can only say that some of the bots managed to make it to the target, but they were a proof of concept in that some survived the shields. I don't know that they will do much else, but they might at least distract the enemy for a bit. My second package is a little more ambitious, but I won't bother explaining it unless it survives contact. Consider it a guided attack this time."

He then glanced over to Beno and she could feel that he was reluctant about what he had done, but also hopeful that it would remain capable enough to adhere to protocols the program was familiar with. He wasn't trying to destroy the ship or have it go on a murder rampage, just attack the key systems in surgical and systematic ways to degrade the ability of the ship to keep people functioning in it. It would try to disable life support, shut down gravity, remove safety fields and open air locks, and many other mechanical systems that were often overlooked and would cause confusion. Eventually, it would get to shutting down power by eliminating various relays to try and create voids in the power grid that fed shields and containment fields. Redundancies would be tripped, but eventually it would cause failsafes to begin shutting down systems one at a time.

The only way it could hide, was by creating a limited area of holographic illusion near itself, if the drone was still functional. It might make it look like an access area was empty while it continued working, or mask itself as a device that looked like it belonged there. With enough bots, it could appear as a small maintenance drone.

Alex was nervous about attempting such a thing though. It would set a bad precedent and could lead to unintended consequences if the program became too degraded. Skye wasn't one of his original programs. She had actually been sentient and he had to alter the original program to make if safe by Star Fleet standards. There was a small risk that it theoretically could revert to a degree...and Skye may have been a great Engineer, but had a very bad temper under the right conditions.

== Tag Bridge Crew ==

== GM Input: I've tried to simplify the functions, but there is a very broad range of possible outcome (including complete failure) I am hopeful, but not going to presume. Please contact me if you need more context and to fill in any holes (as per previous conversations). ==

[Ris'maeriiffa Qab'ataar]

Lieutenant Young asked him directly, "Do you have something in mind to turn the tide? Or was there something you were working on that you can continue here?"

"To answer your last question first, no, I hadn't had any time to work on anything fully, just some idea about utilizing probes to interfere with sensors. Given what we've just witnessed and the way things are unfolding-" Ris was actively engaging various icons on his console as he responded, "-we can possibly combine that with throwing out a large barrage of EM noise. It's not sophisticated, and definitely not cutting edge tech, but, sometimes the old stuff fades from knowledge long enough to be effective again."

He finished manipulating the display on his console and directed her attention to it.

"Single source barrage jamming isn't likely to be effective, and even if it is, it wouldn't be for long. I suggest we spew out a bunch of Class I probes, all designed to broadcast random EM junk in a completely random pattern. It will likely, to borrow a bit of slang from a classmate at the Academy, 'banjax' sensors for all in the immediate area, but, I think that helps us more than hinders us."

He sent the plan to Talion's console for approval, knowing they had no time for second-guessing or refinements.

== GM Input: how quickly can this plan be implemented, including the rudimentary programming of the EM broadcasting cycling? ==

== Tag Talion, Young, Bridge Crew ==

[Alexander Talion]

Talions reply to Ens Qab'ataar came almost immediately. He indicated a jamming subroutine that was often used, but was easily configured to a desired spectrum with the touch of a button. They could program the probes in seconds, including how many they wanted to program. His message also indicated that his plans for the probes were already in motion and beyond the ship, so they could use the remaining probes in any way that helped keep them alive.

== Tag Ens Qab'ataar and LtJG Young ==
== GM Input on our stock of probes...or if it matters... ==
== We're an Explorer, so we should have quite a number of probes, but I can find no reference to how many of what class probes we would have started out with or are now limited to, but you have a green light unless the GM says otherwise. ==

[Carley Young]

Carley really enjoyed what Qab'ataar had to say, it had a lot of merit. The report that they received from Alex was really helpful, it gave them an idea about what was going on with how many probes that they had left to use. "I like your idea, lets see how we can make it happen." Carley didn't want to take over his plan, she wanted to know how he thought this through.

"Lets go to work on this, you have the lead this is your idea." If it worked great if not, then they would have to do a rethink. Being new to any ship can be hard on a person, something that was double as hard in this situation. Right now they were safe, but that could change in a heart beat. "I will help you in any way I can." Hopefully someone else came up with a similar idea, if they did it would increase the network creating a bigger confusion for the enemy. 

==Tag==

[Cologero Coppola]

It was a shame that not every probe landed on their target, the fact one made it was a small miracle. It was sad to see there were no survivors, the only hope Cologero had was they didn't suffer. "Captain there were no survivors from the Inaieu, the losses were total." Cologero was keeping a close eye on what happened, if they were going to destroy the Dreadnought. 

Cologero was happy with how Diaz handled the ship, he was going to need to do some fancy flying in the near future. He was tempted to fire more probes the enhance the chances of success, records have indicated that more have already been fired. Turning to see Commander Talion, reports stated the order was given from his station. Science had the same abilities to launch probes as he did, hopefully they hit their mark. 

"Good job so far Diaz, we can use some of that fancy flying." They had a lot riding on it, if they didn't want to end up like the other ship. It was going to take a lot more than fire power, it was going to take finesse and leadership too. Cologero used his station to get a damage report, if there was something Cologero wanted to know about it.

==GM input was there any damage in the Dreadnought?==

[Jez Mala]

Jez was still processing the destruction of the Inaieu. Her emotions were churning: anger, frustration, sadness, and revenge, all flooding her mind. She was starting to understand what Mike had meant when he said, “Never fight angry.”

She knew that the Aquila had a job to do. Jez double-checked her sensors, making sure that her people were ready for anything.

“Mala to Sovak, I want Security updates every ten minutes. Send anyone not assigned to a specific post to Medical to assist. Mala out.”

Jez didn’t know what the Cardassians were doing here. None of it made sense. Her Vulcan side couldn’t process the logic behind this invasion; what did they have to gain by the invasion? But her Betazoid side couldn’t help but think that the Cardassians were doing this to prove to the galaxy that they were still relevant, a power to be feared and respected.

She knew that the Dominion War had really hurt the Cardassians in a major way. She also knew Cardassian history very well, due to the fact that her Parents often excavated Archeological sites near Cardassian Space, so Jez would read up on the Cardassians.

The history of the Cardassian Union was defined by five major low points, shifting from a peaceful culture to a resource-starved military junta and ultimately facing near-extinction.

The Hebitian Collapse: Overpopulation and extreme resource scarcity destroyed Cardassia’s early, peaceful civilization. Starvation forced citizens to plunder their ancestors’ tombs just to survive.

The Rise of Fascism: Out of the famine, the Cardassian Central Command took total control. They solved the resource crisis by stripping away civil liberties and building a predatory, militarized police state.

The Occupation of Bajor (2319–2369): Driven by desperation, Cardassia enslaved Bajor and stripped its resources. The fifty-year occupation severely drained Cardassian forces, ruined their stellar reputation, and ended in a humiliating retreat.

The Fall of the Obsidian Order (2371): Cardassians feared intelligence agency was lured into a Dominion trap at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula. The entire fleet was annihilated, leaving the empire vulnerable to invasion.

The Dominion War Genocide (2373–2375): In a failed bid for power, Cardassia allied with the Dominion, only to become a puppet state. When the Cardassians finally revolted, the Dominion retaliated by slaughtering 800 million civilians and leaving Cardassia Prime in ruins.

After the Dominion War, Cardassia underwent a brutal, decades-long rebuilding process that fundamentally reshaped its society. Stripped of its empire by the Treaty of Bajor, the devastated world relied heavily on external aid and internal reform.

Allied Humanitarian Relief: The United Federation of Planets took the lead in reconstruction. Starfleet deployed engineering teams and industrial replicators to rebuild basic global infrastructure while sending massive shipments of food, medicine, and clean water to alleviate widespread famine.

Democratic Stabilization: With the fascist military junta completely discredited and the Obsidian Order wiped out, Cardassia restored the civilian Detapa Council. Former exile Elim Garak and other democratic reformists stepped up to guide the new provisional government away from xenophobia and toward a peaceful civilian society.

Complete Demilitarization: To guarantee interstellar safety, the Treaty of Bajor forced Cardassia to dismantle its aggressive space navy. The military was downsized into the Cardassian Self-Defense Force, a scaled-back security fleet restricted entirely to domestic policing and home-space protection.

War Crimes Tribunals: Part of the political rebuilding involved accountability. Cardassia was forced to cooperate with allied courts to hunt down and prosecute high-ranking military and Obsidian Order officials responsible for atrocities committed during the Dominion War and the occupation of Bajor.

So why would, after almost fifty years of peace why would the Cardassians suddenly launch an invasion into Federation Space? This sector wasn’t valuable as far as resources go; it had no real strategic value. Starbase 214 was little more than a communications hub, a waystation for travelers to make repairs and resupply. So why did the Cardassians bring so much firepower?

To the casual observer, the Cardassians were flexing, showing the Galaxy that they were still relevant, that they still mattered, but surely there were better ways to do that. Jez knew that if Cardassia wanted to improve its reputation, it had spent decades trying to prove that it was no longer the same power that had occupied Bajor or allied itself with the Dominion.

Cardassia had acknowledged its past, cooperated with war-crimes tribunals, returned stolen cultural artifacts, and worked with the Federation and other powers to rebuild after the Dominion War. Its government had been restructured, its military reduced to a defensive force, and its engineers and scientists had become increasingly involved in humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.

The Cardassians could continue rebuilding their reputation through transparency, accountability, humanitarian aid, cultural restitution, and peaceful diplomatic relations. More importantly, they could demonstrate through their actions that Cardassia no longer sought conquest or domination.

That was what made the current situation so difficult for Jez to understand.

Why would Cardassia risk everything it had spent decades rebuilding?

Whatever the Cardassians were doing here had to be important enough to risk destroying the reputation they had worked so hard to restore.

[GM-CD]

==Talion==

The probes sent confirmation that they had arrived and were beginning their infiltration of the Dreadnought's systems. It would be a waiting game, however, to see how quickly they bypassed enough redundancies to affect the Cardassian systems.

The Aquila had plenty of probes to play with, but limited methods of deploying them in a combat situation.

==Qab==

Theoretically the probes would be easily configured, minutes per probe at most, depending on type and its current payload. The broad-spectrum jamming would affect everyone's sensors, not just those of the Cardassians, and would make it very difficult to avoid a friendly fire incident or a collision.

==Coppola==

The Dreadnought showed minor hull damage to its bow, courtesy of the "sucker punch" minefield laid by the Yeager and the follow-up of almost their entire complement of Quantum Torpedoes and the Inaieu's attack. The Cardassians had, however, quickly rerouted power and activated secondary shield generators, giving the Dreadnought a double-layer of shields which were more than capable of shrugging off anything thrown at it.