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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Mar 13, 2018 12:52:55 GMT -5
Note: The events of this story may take place slightly out of synch with fleet events, but are intended to take place in the hours leading up to and during the events of the battle of Bajor.
The bridge of the Orlando was alive with activity as the large ship tore through space at superluminal speeds. Some were monitoring the situation at the destination and the sector abroad, the rest continued preparing for battle. At the center of the action was the petite form of the ship's captain, Erys Murai. Like the calm eye of the storm, she stood near the center of the bridge, listening to reports and issuing orders where needed. The crew was focused, with a single goal in mind to protect their assigned planet from a possible Tzenkethi attack.
The entire taskforce was spread thinly across the sector, with most systems only allotted one or two ships at the moment. Additional ships were being rerouted from all over Federation space, and slipstream-capable ships were being pulled from assignments outside the Federation as mission parameters allowed. The current plan was to stop as many ships as possible until reinforcements could arrive, but current estimates placed those ships arriving far too late to save all of the planets. Each ship would fall back in a staged series as it succeeded or failed in defending a planet, culminating in a final defense of whatever system the Tzenkethi attacked in force. Intelligence reports on their intended target were varied, but most pointed to Bajor being a likely target.
Erys was contemplating all of this as the ship dropped out of warp. They had arrived at their target coordinates, and the scene in front of them was surprisingly peaceful. It was a situation that could change in a moment's notice. Erys took the short walk from her command chair to stand between the helm and operations consoles. Her gaze remained on the screen as she began issuing orders. "Helm, move us to our defensive position. Maintain red alert, and keep the cloak online for now. Scan for incoming Tzenkethi ships, and alter course to intercept the moment you spot them."
Acknowledgements all around, and the Galaxy Class Dreadnought swooped gracefully and invisibly into its intended patrol route. With weapons charged and ready behind the relative safety of its cloak, the ship was ready for a fight. Across the sector, other ships were doing the same, and all of them were prepared for war.
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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Mar 17, 2018 11:09:34 GMT -5
The Bridge was oddly quiet, with only the occasional beeps from consoles and the distant thrum of the warp core indicating that sound continued to travel. All eyes were glued to consoles or the viewscreen, and the entire bridge crew waited in anticipation. Erys sat at the center of this, trying to project calm despite her own anxiousness. The tactical officers words shot through the silence without warning. "Captain, we're picking up several ships approaching."
Erys turned to look up at the tactical station. "Tzenkethi?"
"They're still too far away to positively identify, but their heading does place them approaching from Tzenkethi space."
Nodding, she turned to face the viewscreen once more. "Keep an eye on them. Let me know as soon as you have positive identification."
"Aye sir."
The consuming silence filled the bridge again, and the crew resumed their vigil as they waited for the inevitable.
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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Mar 24, 2018 22:31:15 GMT -5
It felt like hours had passed, but the clock only showed a couple minutes since the initial report had been called out. The same tactical officer called out once again with his update, "Positive ID, sir. They're Tzenkethi, and I'm reading protomatter weapons on board. Time to arrival at their current speed is ten minutes."
Erys took a deep breath to calm herself before she responded. She leaned forward, studying the starscape in front of them. "Signal all fighters to launch immediately. Move us between the Tzenkethi ships and the planet. Once they arrive, target priority is any protomatter weapons. Aside from that, disable if you can and destroy if they force our hand."
The tactical officer nodded his understanding. "Flight deck reports they'll be ready to launch in two minutes."
"Give me ship-wide."
With the tactical officer's nod of confirmation, Erys spoke, and the echo of her voice could be heard throughout the Orlando. "All hands, this is the Captain. We will be engaging multiple Tzenkethi ships within the next few minutes. As you may have heard, the Tzenkethi have been rumored to be testing protomatter weapons. We have detected that signature on board their ship, and we will do everything we can to keep them from deploying those weapons. You all have done your duty over the last year, and I know that you will continue to fight no matter the cost to our ship or our lives. Just remember that we are doing this to save the lives on this planet and other planets throughout this sector. That is all."
The tactical officer nodded again, signalling that he had turned the PA system off. Erys leaned back in her chair once more, waiting those tortuously long minutes until the Tzenkethi arrived.
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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Mar 24, 2018 22:52:34 GMT -5
The ship shook violently as all three remaining Tzenkethi ships - a cruiser and two frigates - concentrated their fire on the Orlando. The viewscreen showed stars sliding wildly as the large ship maneuvered in an attempt to bring its large heavy phaser cannon to bear once more, but the two frigates were too fast. Luckily for the Orlando, the ship was designed with a variety of weapon systems, and the dreadnought continued its onslaught without mercy. Erys still sat in the center command chair with a tight grip on the armrests.
"Concentrate on getting another shot on the cruiser. Leave the frigates to the fighters. Ramirez, make sure the crew is prepared for saucer separation if we need it."
A chorus of "Aye sir" answered her commands, and the viewscreen showed the stars continuing their wild trek as the ship continued its struggle for dominance. The ship shook again, and the tactical officer called out a clipped "Shields at sixty percent!" On the screen, one of the frigates flashed passed, followed by a trio of fighters as they pounded away on its shields. Another alarm beeped from the tactical console, one that was now familiar to the bridge crew. "Another torpedo launched. Bravo is moving to intercept."
"Helm, maneuver us toward the torpedo and give us a little distance from the cruiser. If we can get a shot on it, take it out, then swing around for the cruiser again."
"Aye sir, bringing us around."
The screen swerved around to show another trio of fighters as they raced after the torpedo. The Orlando rushed forward in a burst of speed, its rear phasers still stabbing at the Tzenkethi ships even as it moved farther away. Just as they pulled away, the view swung back around toward the ships just in time to see one of the frigates crack apart like an egg and implode. The cruiser swung wide in an attempt to escape the blast, but the maneuver placed it squarely in the Orlando's sights. With a whoop of triump, the tactical officer fired his favorite weapon, and a beam of phaser energy stabbed out and impaled the Tzenkethi ship. Even after the beam stopped, the ship seemed to drift for a few seconds, as if nothing had happened. All at once, the hull seemed to disintegrate from within as the ship's core imploded. The remaining frigate had fared little better, and was drifting in space with no apparent power.
"Status of that last torpedo?"
"Bravo took care of it. Only one ship left, and I'm not reading any power or life signs."
Erys nodded and took only a moment to consider their options. "Recall the fighters. Helm, lay in a course for Bajor, maximum warp. Anything on sensors before we leave?"
"No, sir. Nothing headed in our direction."
"Then as soon as our fighters are on board, engage the cloak and our course."
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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Mar 25, 2018 13:26:44 GMT -5
At high warp, it took only minutes to travel from their assigned system, a mostly uninhabited world without a name, to the fallback point at Bajor. While no less than five ships of varying size had attacked the Orlando's position, the bulk of the Tzenkethi force was focused on tackling the Federation member world, and they had clearly prepared for a fight. Even as the Orlando and the rest of the Amalthea Battle Group converged on Bajor, sensors were pinging with hundreds of Tzenkethi ships on long-range sensors. Starfleet had done its best to prepare for this, of course, and had already assembled an impressive fleet of their own. Even allies had joined in the form of both Klingon and Romulan ships, but the fight would still be intense.
"Helm, take us to our assigned sector. Hail the Amalthea and request updated orders, then get me an update on damage control."
"Aye sir. Amalthea has no new orders for us. All ships are here and accounted for, but the Marfa reports they took some damage in the first encounter. They'll be hanging back along with the Siana."
"Acknowledged. What about our own damage? Casualties?"
"Engineering reports that the starboard nacelle is still at 87% effectiveness. They can't do any better until we get into a drydock, but the phaser emitters are back online at least. Sickbay reports we have twenty three wounded, three seriously. No fatalities."
"None? Good. What's our torpedo reserve at?"
"We've got sixty five quantums and forty three transphasics left."
"What about the fighters?"
"They're in the same boat. They've got enough to restock for this fight, but once they're out, they're out."
"Good enough. Engage the cloak, and keep weapons on standby until the Tzenkethi are in range."
Now they would wait once more. As before, a tense silence fell over the bridge as the entire crew waited in anticipation. All around them, other ships took up a defensive formation as the fleet aligned itself between the Tzenkethi fleet and Bajor. Confidence was high, but none were so bold that they thought they were unbeatable, except maybe the Klingons. Still, they were ready to fight. It would be a fierce battle, but most of these crews had survived fighting the Iconians. The Tzenkethi were just one more variation on the age old condition that was war.
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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Mar 27, 2018 12:49:42 GMT -5
The first ships of the Tzenkethi fleet dropped out of warp on all sides. Every Alliance ship in the system moved to engage immediately, and those first few ships were destroyed in a matter of seconds. The second wave contained almost twice as many ships, and they fared somewhat better than the first. The Alliance began to take losses as well, including two Klingon birds of prey and a Romulan Mogai. The third wave was where the real action began, and the battle began in earnest. The Orlando, Ramsey, and Marfa were all on the same side of DS9, with the rest of the fleet either on the opposite side or out in front engaging the bulk of the Tzenkethi fleet.
On the bridge of the Orlando, the situation seemed to have an odd calmness about it even as the ship lunged into battle for the fourth time today. The tactical officer called out numbers every so often, but the bridge was otherwise silent save for the alarms and the occasional order from its captain. The large ship sailed through the battle with weapons blazing, the effort of dodging debris and simultaneously trying to line up the heavy weapons proving to be a challenge even for the skilled pilot at the helm. For every ship they destroyed, it seemed like two more had dropped out of warp to replace it.
In a sudden change of attitude, the tactical officer yelled out with a hint of panic, "Captain, large mass detected on long-range sensors!"
Erys responded without turning, "Can you identify it?"
"There's a lot of interference, but it's definitely Tzenkethi. I estimate it's at least ten kilometers in diameter."
"Keep an eye on it, but maintain targeting the ships on our flank."
"Aye, sir."
The bridge fell silent once more, for a few seconds at least. The tactical officer called out once more. "Sir, the Marfa just lost its port nacelle, and the Fordring has been destroyed. Discovery is calling for backup."
"Helm, divert us to take up the Fordring's position, and see if we can't drag a few of these guys with us. Are there any escape pods from the Fordring?"
"Checking... there's a lot of debris, but I think there are a few pods."
"See if we can pick them up along the way, but maintain focus on the Tzenkethi."
"Aye sir. Shields are at 57 percent and holding."
As the Orlando moved toward its new position, three of the Tzenkethi ships followed. Four more broke off from the main task force in an obvious attempt to intercept. Unfortunately for them, two of those four lined up perfectly in front of the Orlando, and the phaser lance quickly reduced both ships into a rapidly expanding cloud of dust. The remaining ships scattered and came at the dreadnought from all sides.
"Good work, keep it up! Helm, bring us around. Let's see if we can clear these lizards out!"
At that moment, the massive Tzenkethi station dropped out of warp. Three Alliance ships were directly in its path as it slowed to a stop, and all three disappeared in a flash against its shields. The harried voice of the Admiral aboard the Amalthea crackled in the comm. "All ships within immediate range, target that station!" The Orlando, only a dozen kilometers from the station, immediately moved to engage even with three ships still pounding away at its dwindling shields.
"Captain, shields are at forty-two percent and falling. We're down to twenty-five torpedoes, and all fighters are reporting their stores are depleted."
"Understood. Keep firing with everything we've got, including the lance."
"Aye sir. The lance is still recharging, but it'll be ready in twenty seconds."
The battlestation proved to be deserving of the name as it effortlessly swatted away at the Alliance ships. To an untrained eye, it would have appeared as if the station's shields remained impenetrable, but the Orlando's sensors showed that the shields were dropping at a steady rate. Even so, the Alliance was losing ships far too quickly now. A Vor'cha flew past the Orlando's viewscreen, just in time to be severed almost in half by a powerful blast from the station. The pieces continued along their original path out away from Bajor.
The harried voice of the Admiral called out once more. "All units, fall back to secondary coordinates. Orlando, Discovery, and Myrto, cover their retreat." The three ships redoubled their attack, with the former launching its remaining torpedoes in a blatant attempt to force attention away from the retreating ships. As the massive weapons turned onto those three ships, the Myrto flashed by as it split into its three sections, only now engaging its multivector assault mode. All three sections swerved around the Tzenkethi battlestation in a spectacular display as both the Orlando and the Odyssey-class Discovery began their own retreats.
The station's weapons seemed to have trouble locking on, but one lucky shot caught the Myrto's tertiary section and sheered off the rear half the the ship, nacelles and all. The entire section tumbled into the station, erupting in a large explosion. The other two sections lasted several more seconds before they too were destroyed. Silence reigned for several seconds as the Orlando crew stared in shock. The remaining Tzenkethi ships continued swarming around the Orlando and the other ships, pounding away at their shields and hulls. Just as the situation began to seem hopeless, the tactical officer called out once more.
Shields at twenty-three... sir! multiple slipstream signals!"
"Who are they?"
"It's the Twenty-second, sir. They're finally here!"
"About time. Get rid of these Tzenkethi ships, will you?'
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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Apr 1, 2018 17:22:55 GMT -5
Despite having taken the brunt of the initial invasion, the remaining ships of the Amalthea Carrier Battlegroup rallied at the arrival of the 22nd's most famous ships. The sight of all of these ships was rare, especially the presence of lesser-known ships like the Lipumira. There was little time to consider the sight, however, as the Tzenkethi had not decided to surrender immediately. As the 22nd's ships scattered and began their own attacks on the two largest targets, the Orlando shook again as two cruisers slid into weapons range.
"Captain, shields are at fifteen percent, and we've got hull breaches on decks eight and fifteen!"
"Seal off those sections, and get rid of these cruisers already. Engineering, now would be a great time for one of those miracles!"
The comm crackled slightly with static as the chief engineer responded. "We're doing what we can, but I'd really like a few minutes without getting shot."
"You get us through this battle, and you can have as many minutes as you want. Helm, try to get us behind them. Contact the Maverick and see if they can distract them long enough for us to get a shot in."
"Sir, the Maverick is already engaged with three frigates, along with the Stalwart. We're on our own for the moment."
"Then let's make these lizards pay for what they were trying to do!"
A short battlecry erupted on the bridge, underscored by the dull thrum of phasers firing. There were no torpedoes, since the Orlando and her fighters had depleted their stock several minutes ago. The battle would be a fierce one, to say the least. All around the area, Alliance and Tzenkethi ships fought for dominance and destruction, both sides losing ships by the second. It was a fierce battle that seemed to be heading straight for mutual annihilation. Then, without warning, every ship in the Tzenkethi fleet suddenly veered away and stopped firing. Simultaneously, a fleet-wide comm signaled from General Martok. "All ships, cease fire. The Tzenkethi have surrendered."
The bridge crew breathed a collective sigh of relief, but it was only momentary. The tactical officer jumped in surprise as his console began beeping, and he groaned out loud as he saw what the display showed. "Sir, I'm reading hundreds, no thousands of ships rising from the surface of Bajor."
"Identify them."
"They don't match any record in our database, but they remind me of those Hur'q ruins the Enterprise found in the 2360's."
"Move us back into formation with the Amalthea. Engineering, you've got two minutes to do whatever you can. We just found out why the Tzenkethi were here."
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Post by Captain Erys Murai on Apr 1, 2018 22:22:19 GMT -5
The swarm was relentless. The Amalthea and her escorts fired nonstop, and even as each shot destroyed one or more of the Hur'q ships, more took their place. Within seconds, every ship was surrounded and battered by the small, agile ships. The Discovery, already wounded from combat with the Tzenkethi, was unable to maneuver its large mass against such nimble adversaries, and they latched onto its rear, lightly-armed aft section. It took only a few minutes before Discovery's shields failed completely, and the massive ship all but crumbled beneath the onslaught. The detonation of the Odyssey class warp core took out more than a hundred Hur'q ships, but still they kept coming.
On board the Orlando, the situation was quickly dissolving from triumph into near-panic. Like Discovery, the ship was already damaged from the long combat. Their fighter complement was quickly overrun, the more nimble fighters unable to handle the overwhelming force of the swarm. Within minutes, the Orlando's shields had also failed, but Erys was determined that they would take as many as they could. Unlike Disocvery, Orlando was equipped with ablative armor, and thus was able to stay in the fight for another couple minutes. Even so, the petite captain knew that the ship was doomed.
"All hands, this is the Captain. Abandon ship. I repeat, abandon ship. Once in your escape pods, set course for Bajor. Do not attempt to engage any hostile ships or rondevous with the fleet. I repeat, abandon ship and set course for Bajor only." She cut the comm and looked around the bridge. "That includes all of you, and don't give me any crap about loyalty. Just leave one pod for me, and get the hell out of here."
"Sir, I think I spea---"
"I said go, or I swear I'll kill you all myself!"
The crew continued to hesitate or outright ignore their captain's orders, until she drew her sidearm and fired into an area of the deck she knew contained no vital circuitry. At that point, they finally relented and filed off the bridge. Erys slid under the tactical railing and used what remained of the ship's weapons to carve a path for the escape pods. The path wouldn't last long, but with any luck the Hur'q would focus on ships actively attacking them.
"Computer, target all Hur'q ships in the area, and fire continuously until all ships are destroyed. Identify any lifesigns still aboard the Orlando."
"One lifesign, Captain Erys Murai."
"Good. Initiate command lockout, Authorization Erys-Bravo-Six-Four." With that, she looked around the bridge one more time before jogging the short distance to the escape pods. Two pods remained, and she jumped into the closest one. Closing the hatch, she triggered the escape sequence. Explosive bolts fired, followed by the crushing acceleration of the pod being jettisoned. Erys quickly selected Bajor as the landing target, then looked through the tiny viewport at the battle that continued all around them.
Even in its death throes, the Orlando continued to fire at Hur'q ships left and right. The ship had already suffered catastrophic damage, with all three nacelles crushed or missing entirely, and gaping holes across the primary hull. Without warning, the ship imploded, taking a hundred or so Hur'q along with it. The escape pods, for their part, seemed to be ignored outright as they sailed toward Bajor. The battle raged on, but for the crew of the Orlando, the fight was over.
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