Kr’togr meets Quinton Beck p.2

Posted on Sat 18th Jan, 2025 @ 5:07pm by Captain Kr'torg

1,699 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: Triangle

-TBC-


{Scene of Pirate Raid, Triangle adjacent near Delavi Expanse}

The Calliopa fell from warp again, this time was its last. Tpfelia had tried everything she could, but the day was done. She proferred the lives of the crew for open access to cargo, but now, the sounds of rampaging Klingons ripping open crew doors told them there was no truce, that surrender had only bought them time to be enslaved.

The captured crew huddled in the cargo bay, thirty souls alive from the forty one who had called this ship home. Tpfelia was desperate not to lose another. She cursed fate, asking “Why was there no answer!?”

Little did she know…

Emerging from warp, an Excelsior class starship bored through space and time at full speed. To keep the surprise, they had fired a probe ahead to scatter sensors, the Klingons in battle never noticed how bad their long range sensors had become. Nobody from the scene expected this to happen, and the refit starship was meant for battle against the Dominion. And now, fulfilling its creed yet again, had taken on new life from the crew who built it into their home.

{Bridge- Second Star}

Judah was in holographic avatar sitting at the conn, and Quinton knew better than to talk at the image of a boy who was really built into the ship but his biology demanded it. Judah had learned how to operate the ship in true native capacity, no pilot ever had so much love as one for their own warp capable body.

Quinton spoke firmly, knowing they could all hear, “Continue evasive, target the Zakdorn Cruiser designated ZK1, with the Bouncing Bruce, come about at mark 188, release warp plasma, even if they aren’t in pursuit, deviate to meridian point between them. We will likely get hit by a few shots, fortify based on their positions.”

The bouncing Bruce was a repair bot which malfunctioned long ago, it would remove hull plates with efficiency. It had to be stored inert, if powered it simply wouldn't stop gripping the plates and bouncing up and down to rip them off like a ball on a string attached to a paddle board. It was a fine distraction tactic which always worked. He saw the probe fire, a pseudo torpedo with a custom payload, and watched the progress of his other orders.

A quick turnabout saw the plasma trail lay down, and Kr’togr crossed it in his cloaked vessel attempting to flank. The hull profile flared onto their tactical panel and Kas turned to Simon at tactical, “target engines, then weapons, fire at will.”

Simon Starr, security chief of this stately merchant vessel took the order as a professional, showing no glee. “Aye aye, firing.”

Though it was stripped of Starfleet grade weapons when they took it over, the markets offered fair alternatives. A Galaxy Class starship mounted type X-or XII phasers usually, and in that comparison they had upgraded their solar strip array to an equivalent level. To supplement the other portions of their ship the saucer array couldn’t cover, smaller strips easier to power and dotted all over, would fire pulses.

Like fireworks, the Second Star erupted into colorful pulses and bursts, and its main tree trunk beam canon slammed into Kr’togr sheering the port nacelle entirely. The pulse fire directed to the encircling Raptors, who began learning like a dog does when meeting a porcupine not to go face first.

Quinton observed the board, only one Zakdorn Cruiser remained in operation, the other one was absolutely struggling with a mad robot flaying them.

“Do we have another burst fire in us?” Quinton asked Simon, knowing they had expended a good bit of their firepower in a dazzling show.

“Aye sir, I did those at half power, focusing on the… Khlothas… since it was the threat.”

Quinton internally cheered at a great decision. He hired Simon for a reason, a veteran of Starfleet knew how to do it without being told.

“Let’s focus on ZK2, and hail the Calliopa make sure they aren’t in trouble on board.”

“Calliopa reports no boarders.” Kas was on the ball, already looking ahead of the question.

“Take us to ZK2 full impulse.” Judah responded with a chime on the board, and the Second Star leapt to full speed. The Zakdorn Cruiser didnt flee at Warp but matched speed in a game of elliptical chase around the theater. It’s shots glacéd off of Second Star who called their targeting well in advance and fortified shields.

Thirty seconds from their target Simon called again, “That portal… Khlothas is being towed, Calliopa is being towed… by unknown vessels, they must have been cloaked…or our own scattering field obscured them.”

Quinton had to decide fast, press their advantage before their enemy regrouped into an organized unit again, or break off this attack to engage the Klingon Cruiser to prevent its escape with the freighter. what was on the other side of that portal was unknown, but it wasn’t safe to follow. The combined might of what was here could overwhelm them, shock and awe was carrying them with momentum alone. ZK1 was disabled, and the poor ship was really taking a beating from Bruce. If he turned from ZK2 he left a fully functional undamaged enemy to his flank.

Kas helped him, “We aren’t supposed to be Starfleet, just save the freighter.”

It was true, sage advice even though it was sour to the taste. The crew of this ship agreed to save lives, not engage in anti-piracy combat.

“Break off ZK2, fortify aft shields, reverse course to Extend shield perimeter around Calliopa and initiate tractor lock. Let them flee if they choose, or they can come try their luck.”

At the imminent return of the Second Star, the towing of the Calliopa ceased, those vessels instead pulling the Klingon cruiser faster. Calliopa managed to even power on thrusters to change course from the portal on their own. The resilience of merchant freighters was unreal, something Quinton always took pride in.

“Zakdorn Cruiser has gone to Warp, ZK1 is disabled and venting atmosphere. Pirate fleet is crossing threshold into portal.”

“Get scans on that other side now!” Quinton ordered as soon as the thought came to him.

Simon and Othor poured over their boards, Othor shouted out, “Delta Quadrant, the harmonic resonance of the galactic core is evident, recording telemetry for Astro metrics…”

The portal closed, and the Calliopa slowly extinguished its fires with help from the Second Star. Quinton finally had the time to speak, “Raise Captain Tpff…Tpfella, Elia, e-lee-a…. Please.”

The grateful young Orion greeted them, “My thanks to you captain, I had lost hope when nobody answered.”

Quinton half bowed, “We’d expect someone to come to our aid if we called for help, some this is just paying the piper in advance.”

She blinked, “Yes you should pay your pipe fitters. But on to the matter of our current predicament, I have precious cargo much needed at its destination. I dont know what we can compensate you but it would be a substantial amount to help get it there?”

Quinton almost laughed, “Take a moment to make sure you are ok first, your cargo will get where it’s going. You need a shipyard to reattach-“

“Captain we are being hailed by the Zakdorn cruiser!”

Quinton held up a finger to Tpfelia, “One moment the pirates are calling…”

He signaled to Simon, “ok ready.”

A Klingon appeared on the screen, much harried and unkempt. The sound of demolition was very loud in the feed. The irate Klingon roared, “Call off your machine, what foul invention is this!”

Quinton kept a straight face, “oh its a scrappy little bot, but how bad-“

The Klingon cut him off, “It wont shut down, we have shot it, tried to nullify its power core, how do you stop it, just stop it, we will die if it reaches the warp systems!”

Quinton whistled and shook his head, “I know man, we tried to shut it down when it went nuts on us, just couldn’t do it. Y’all cant just…” He made finger guns and went “pew pew.”

The Klingon Captain raged on, “You know good and damn well if we shoot it, the fusion battery detonates!”

Quinton nodded, as if empathizing, “We did find it would chase warp coils, if it loves ripping hull plates, then it’s married to unspooling warp coils. Try to get it to run its battery out, that’s what we did. Second Star out.”

Letting himself laugh he told Kas, “When Bruce gets sleepy beam him back or they'll tear him to shreds. Signal Starfleet their location and prepare all of our records for them. And let’s get the Calliopa to the nearest Starbase… 109 looks like. huh…. Again with them…. We can drop them off and finish their run hopefully get a good payout.”

Simon simply replied, “Aye sir, Starbase 109 in 2 days five hours.”

“Open the channel back up for Calliopa”

Tpfelia greeted him again with a smile. She seemed much better, the fear of imminent death could affect you like that.

“Thank you Captain Beck, and your whole crew.”

“We are glad to have helped. Does anyone on your side need care, we have a decent infirmary.”

She batted eyes, or did he imagine? Tpfelia answered, “We dont have main power restored yet. But we weren’t boarded, minor injuries at worst. It’s just the worry and the after shocks now.”

“I’ll make sure we help with anything, you just call. We can get you back to Starbase 109 in a couple of days ok, no worries.”

She definitely batted her eyes, but his lack of self confidence told him it wasn’t anything, again. When she cut off the feed the bridge was silent.

Quinton took that as a sign he could turn it back over to the night crew, “Great, send me updates via text.”

He left the bridge, stepping onto the turbolift, wondering if Tpfelia would be upset if he asked for a meal together.

-End-

 

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