JDL | "The Chase" | CO, XO, CSEC, CCIO, CIO, CSO

Posted on Sun Jul 21st, 2013 @ 2:01am by Captain Landon Neyes & Lieutenant Commander Hayden Williams & 2nd Lieutenant Jasmine Garza & Lieutenant JG Saia Roswell

1,809 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Secret Meetings
Location: The Bridge
Timeline: Immediately following "A Tangled Web"

=/\= Bridge =/\=

Tripae was in TiC helping keep an eye on all the Marine teams throughout the ship. The Marines decided to help with securing the ship and they were gonna be doing it there way with more fire power than they needed mainly to deter any kind of action against them and it also allowed them to be ready. She was also keeping an eye on the CAPs that had been going on ever since the CO went unconscious, the new XO and her party showed up with the wreckage of the Runabout.

There were very few things on a starship Landon handn't learned how to feel out. Each type of tremor and quake had its own type of flavor, if he could manage to call it so. Weapons fire was quick and rough, engine trouble was more drawn out and turbulent, collisions often threw people to the floor... but violent decompression, or interior explosions were something different altogether. The subtle, quick, but deep rumble of something that disturbing was never forgotten.

For the first time in quite a while, Neyes felt that same rumble. A red alert automatically sounded on the ship, and he had been called to the bridge immediately afterward. It had been convenient coincidence his earlier nap had not allowing him the pleasure of a normal sleep schedule, and Landon was therefore already mulling about in his ready room when the tremor shook the deck.

"Report!" He called, taking the strides from the readyroom to the Captain's chair. Watching as the senior staff quickly made their way onto the bridge one by one.

A young ensign called back from across the room, "A runabout has breached the shuttlebay doors Alpha and Beta, and is powering up it's warp drive."

Neyes glared at his console, "Who's on board. How the hell did they get past Flight Ops security."

"Give me a........" One of the tactical officers said from his console as he ran a scan, "Maybe one or two people......there's something not right with the sensors."

"Not now!" Saia hissed and then blinked realizing she hadn't noticed the turbolift doors open. Brushing it off, she moved quickly to the Science station where she was informed about the sensors. She nodded and started tapping at the console, "Diagno..." She was cutoff, but just pursed her lips and continued working.

"Captain I've got Keggle and a flight on CAP they can intercept that runabout." Tripae said over the TiC comm.

"I've got reports of casualties on the Hangar deck." The medical officer said from across the bridge.

Landon tapped his readout console, "Launch the alert fighters, tell them to prepare for warp combat. Have Keggle block him in."

The alert fighters were quickly loaded into the tubes set for warp combat and quickly launched. While Keggle got his flight to box in the runabout which was harder than you would think even one that was banged up.

"We could also use the tractor emitters to stop them in their tracks. Even if they manage to avoid getting caught I'm fairly certain I could use them to corral them into a trajectory that we want so that the Marine pilots can swoop in and put some pressure on those aboard." Hayden said voicing a less explosive option.

"Helm set an intercept course. When they jump to warp I want to be hot on their tail." The young Trill leaned forward in the chair, staring out at the small craft on the viewer. The Runabout's engines flared as it fled. By all interpretations the runabout was just that, small. One man on board, a single runabout a sliver of a fraction the size of the Vindicator. They could obliterate him in one shot, without sparing the craft or the torpedo. He didn't want it to come to that, Landon had too many questions.

"Damn he's got piloting skills." Keggle muttered getting his fighter ready for warp combat as well. He wasn't be as useful as green flight but red flight would still be effective.

"I think I have the sensors working..." Saia's brows furrowed as she still was unsure how they were malfunctioning in the first place.

"Prepare the tractor beam," Neyes ordered a calm washing over his face as they rapidly closed on the small escapee.

The Vindicator closed in on the runabout, its titanic shadow cloaking the tiny vessel. Moments before the tractor beam was fired, however, the runabout flipped past two fighters in their attempt to cut it off, and quickly jumped into warp.

No one needed sensors to realize what had happened. Saia looked up and blinked, "What the...," she muttered as she went back to tapping at the console.

"Red 3 and red 4 jump to warp and follow that runabout." Keggle said keeping himself behind to get updated orders from the CO, "Red 1 to Vindicator Actual need orders."

"Follow him," Landon's voice sharpened. "Where is he taking us?"

Keggle smirked and the rest of red flight jumped to warp with yellow flight right behind them.

"I'll get astrometrics to look at the initial trajectory..." Saia nodded to the young man behind her to bring up the star system on the screen against the wall.

As the Vindicator jumped into warp after their target, the young man at the helm called back, "Looks like we're back on our original course, sir." The helmsman said, slightly confused. "We'll cross the neutral zone and into the Romulan border... just inside the rendezvous coordinates, shy of five minutes at this speed."

Saia furrowed her brows again and looked behind her and there was a confirming nod as she looked at the screen showing predicted courses of the runabout. She muttered to him, "Help me make sure the sensors are back to par. At least."

"Captain, if we can't slow down that craft before it hits the Neutral Zone; a tractor lock will more than likely tear it apart. Not to mention the fact that we will be violating about a dozen regs if we cross the boarder without provocation." Hayden voiced his concern. Tactically speaking once they cross the Neutral Zone, his job just got a lot harder.

Neyes looked up to Hayden as he gave the damning report. Even though they were technically scheduled to meet with a Romulan delegation, charging in chasing a rogue agent was unlikely to illicit a fine start to any peace talks.

"Roswell, can we detabilize their warp field somehow?" Neyes tapped his own panel as he ran some projections. "And find out what's ahead of us. I'll be damned if he just tows us along like some fish on a hook."

"Aye." Saia looked over the console and muttered to herself as she furrowed her brow, calculating in her mind. "Sentinal Pulse?" she asked herself as she peaked behind her to see that the officer behind her pulled up the scans. "Whoa," she breathed as her fellow scientist looked at her.

The young man asked, "Could the sensors still be mucked up?"

Saia looked at the readings and then at her console again, shaking her head, "No." She looked up toward the captain, "Sir, we have a lot of energy signatures ahead. As for their warp fields, I can try to contrive a Sentinal Pulse."

Neyes shook his head, they were right, a tractor beam was too dangerous at this speed. "Flight leader, this is Vindicator actual, sit-rep. Tell me you can take care of this, Marine Captain."

"He's holding steady.......but a low enough EMP pulse could disrupt his warp field and the fighter's deflector dish is more than ample for that." Keggle said.

"Do it." Neyes said. "Roswell fire your pulse in conjuction with the fighters. We'll tag-team him."

After hearing the confirmation order Keggle ordered Red 3 to fire a low but highly concentrated EMP pulse. While Red 4 would keep weapons hot ready to fire if needed upon dropping out of warp. Than Keggle and Red 2 would drop out of warp just a couple of seconds later to remain ahead of the runabout while yellow flight would drop out with Red 3 and 4.

"Prepare to drop out of warp, all ships assume pattern Sierra-4. Security prepare to recieve a prison in transporter room seven." Landon wanted to feel secure in his knowledge they were about to successfully recapture the intelligence operative who'd been playing him for a fool for the last

A ripple appeared to shoot out from the small deflector aboard a number of the Vindicator's fighters as they sped to encircle the craft. A bright yellow charge of energy lanced from the massive deflector of the Vindicator as well. Blue light encompassing the warp field, and a flicker of sputtering engines signalled that his warp bubble was collapsing. After a moment of attempting to stabilize, it bucked forward and dropped out of warp, the Vindicator hot on its heels.

For just a moment, a rise in satisfaction swelled in Neyes, like a predator about to make the kill. The stars stilled back into dots as they dropped to sublight speeds, and Neyes waited for the report his target had been taken back into custody. His eyes darted across the main viewer as he looked for the overlay report. Only his attention was immediately drawn to glistening green sheen of metal hangind in space. Warbirds. As Neyes looked closer, he could see a small fleet of Romulan ships facing their position, as if waiting for them.

"Romulans... He wanted us here. He led us right to their doorstep." Neyes scowled. "I don't know all that much about them, but since when do Romulans bring a small fleet in to welcome peace talks.

Fire team A from first squad of alpha platoon led by Sergeant Evan Cross arrived at the transporter room with their Mk 1 carbines drawn and facing the transport pads.

Lieutenant Anderson walked into the transporter room with four more security officers. "Glad to have the back up." He said to cross. "Security can handle the prisoner from here."

Apparently the way they handled that Marine spy had gotten around and the Marines were no longer allowed to deal with prisoners, "fine with me it just means less paper work." Cross said grinning.

"We aim to please." Anderson replied mirroring the grin. "Paper work, that seems to be 90% of my day. I envy you." He was dreading the number of reports he would have to file given today's little escapade.

"Captain, They are hailing us." Hayden said.

"Onscreen."

"Red 1 to Vindicator Actual I need orders." Elar said sweating now but keeping his calm and collected hiding the fact that he was scared shitless. This was the first time he's ever seen a small Romulan fleet and small was understating the fact.

Williams nodded and patched the communication through to the main view screen. "Channel open sir."

=/\= To Be Continued... =/\=

 

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