Rescued p.3

Posted on Mon 13th Jan, 2025 @ 10:30am by Alidade (Computer) & Commodore H'tek

1,486 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: 4 LY from SB109, inside Romulan Remnant

Continuing...

{Ticonderoga Bridge}

“Thunderchild is secured, I’m using two mounts to make it extra cozy for our new friend out there…” Sepp Agandar stopped mid sentence. Power was restored, systems which had been largely thanks to demand issue had been fed. Among them, long range sensors, a powerful set of ten scanners able to pick apart a ganglianoic nerve fiber at 4000 light years. What stopped the Second in command was ice cold in his spine.

“Captain! Red Alert!”

Izwyx had only just allowed herself a moment to compose her uniform and straighten her hair. The omnipresent smudge of a captain who gets dirty was her badge of honor so it remained. The boar at her right hand never sounded so shrill as he did just now, the alarm was genuinely terrifying to him.

“Sepp? Report.”

The bridge of the Ticonderoga had been tossed as well, the command dais was a pool table with bar stools and all around them the array of panels and people circled. She fought to get to her spot, but immediately understood his panic.

"Captain, Sixteen vessels inbound, just under two hours away! Two Zakdorn Command Cruisers, four B'rel, six Raptors and four unidentified vessels, mid size."

H’tek had regrouped, gotten the fleet together it seems and was dead set on taking this prize. The Xon Halliar had already eclipsed their bay doors, if H’tek wanted them, He’d had to peel the turtle shell dome off their whole mobile Star Cradle.

She didnt see a report from the fleet yet, “Is the ThunderChild crew safe?”

Fouran at sciences replied, “The fleet rescue is still underway, it must be done at impulse, reporting isolytic subspace weapons used on scene. Jessica’s thinks a mine exploded, but I’m in consult now, I feel the explosion was far too early for a mine, or possibly defective.”

“Where did this fleet come from? She was breathing steadily as a cadence to stay alert and not panic. The bastard played dirty. That was the lesson to learn here.

He pounced at opportune times, used tactics, deceit.

She pointed to Anjo at Comms, “Open internship, do not include Thunderchild….”

There wasn’t time for a grand speech, there just wasn’t time at all for anything. With experience she knew hey had to get on the same page to win so this was a harmonization of their collective wills. Today had been hard but they had taken their claims back.

“We are not out of trouble yet. Thanks to a timely interference from our ally the Thunderchild,” she phrased so as to make it easy for the crew to follow, ”… we have had a moment to restore our systems. This regrouping has also allowed our pirate friends to do the same, and we have detected what is at current count sixteen vessels coming our way. We can make it to Starbase 109 in..."

She looked at her warp charts and power supply and did the math in her head, "...eight hours, but it means staying ahead of the pack. Thunderchild is not under our control but is under our care, and her crew had to abandon ship. We need new crew for the Thunderchild, and we need to repair her so she can escort us all the way. We will keep them in repair as they fight a fleet We can match their firepwoer with our defensive profile. The wolves may nip at our heels but so long as we keep to it we will make it and 109 will lay em flat if they dare to follow. We play to our strengths, and we are a mobile refit, refuel, repair station, and we've got a wounded warrior ready to deal the hurt. Coordinate with section leaders, site to site authorized, man the ThunderChild and restore her systems to full, I’ll be there myself to conduct the operations. Command is being transferred to Sepp Agandar, I am assuming Command of the Thunderchild. Good luck everybody, get moving.”

A flurry of activity sounded, and Izzy closed the internship, “Open a secured Channel to Thunderchild” she spoke plainly, dreading what was necessary, what duty compelled.

“Thunderchild, this is Captain Izwyx. I respect you have become a part of the starship we use in our livelihoods, so I need to ask you for permission first. But know this is a duty requirement for me. I’d like to take command of your onboard systems via the command interface protocols and mechanism on the bridge. Starfleet does not allow its starships to be controlled by a single entity, even my rank does not allow me total control over the ship or crew. If we work together, I can bring the best of what a crew can be, and you can help me by becoming an integral part of that crew. We will get you home, to where you come from, but for now you must stay alive. Can we work together? Can I command you as your captain.”

The entity thought, in silence, briefly. She called into memory the destroyed phase cannon, another that had burned out, the subspace radiation scarring along the hull, and even all the loose objects contained within the ship to include the captain's chair among all the other chairs aboard the bridge and ship that had torn themselves from their places and were smashed against the back walls.

"Yes," her voice came over the comms. "I do apologize for the state of the ship. I did review the regulation guidebook for commanding officers and I understand and accept that I, or any one entity, cannot and should not be in full control..." and after a second's stretch of silence, "for obvious reasons. I, therefore, surrender myself to your command and submit myself as an enlistee in this ship's..." she sought a suitable position, "operations department."

Izzy felt giddy, it wasn’t every day you made first contact, and in the heat of battle no less. They were learning about each other quickly, the next lessons had to come fast.

“I’ll backdate your academy enrollment, for now... just trust that I want all of us, even the enemy coming our way to live long lives and see what’s out there with eager eyes. That's my goal. Every order I give is towards that goal, do you understand? I will command, you will obey, and trust I am doing what I am good at, achieving my goals. Then you will apply your talents and we work together as more than the sum of our parts. If you can agree to take the Officers oath and abide by it, we can be allies and win this fight coming our way.”

"The Officer's Oath," the voice repeated. "What...is...the...Officer's...Oath?" she asked the Thunderchild's knowledge base. There came a pause. "I see. I can work within those parameters. I will follow and obey your lead."

Izzy clapped, as did the bridge crew at her prompting. “Welcome to Starfleet Cadet-Ensign… Computer… We will work on a name, but for now but that’s how we know you. Now, your first orders are to turn over primary systems to my command when I give the command codes. From that point on you can relax, and learn, but learn fast, absorb the full spectrum of ships operations, read the footnotes, Zephram Cohranes autobiagrpahy even, it'll take you ten second. Then observe and learn. When you can control yourself and not damage the ship we can turn it back over, but to repair it, we gotta control it. In just under two hours you’ll have your first test.”

"I...do not understand what a test is. And...I do not know what an hour is. Much less two of them. I do see a sense of urgency in the situation and will trust you regardless. Please do what you need."

Fouran answered, the sceinces officer taking interest as well, “A test is something living beings must occasionally endure, to measure their skill against a problem. An hour is the distance along the 4th dimensional axis that occurs as we move towards the final state of all things."

Izzz winked, "Thanks for volunteering, you're coming with me. Ticonderoga command, link protocol to Thunderchild command. As ranking officer I invoke Starfleet protocol 19C, and take command of this Starship. Authorization Izwyx- Aloha, Cherub, Granite 99.”

The entity felt a new sensation, something akin to withdrawing so to speak. Certain automation protocols started clicking on and, though the entity was able to fully see what was going on and was also able to force herself forth to retake control, she remained withdrawn and went along with the experience.

Captain Izwyx turned to her second in command, Sepp Agandar, “You’ve got the Pool table now. See you on the other side. Initiate site to site Izwyx to Thunderchild, Bridge.”

-End-

 

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