Search Patrol

Posted on Thu Jan 12th, 2012 @ 10:06pm by Captain Vorn Krace & Lieutenant JG Emily Hamson & Commander Jordan Gunning

Mission: The Fate of the Swiftsure
Location: Drekasta System, Numerous Shuttlecraft
Timeline: MD09 0920hrs

Natalie craned forwards to look out of the shuttles small view ports as she zipped underneath another asteroid, three times as large as the small craft she was in. How they were ever going to find their missing away team in this mess, and in only shuttlecraft, she didn't know, but they had all set off from the Iapetus in a sweeping arc, heading in the direction the pirate vessel had left in and spreading out in case they had diverted course after leaving the larger ship's sensor range. The pirates had apparently disabled the probes Lieutenant Drex had sent out into the asteroid - or at least done something to the systems controlling them onboard the ship - since none of them were transmitting any sensor readings back to the Starfleet vessels.

"Nothing new in grid G-12," she reported into the com. unit, as she progressed on to her next search grid, her sensors overlapping a little less with the shuttles on her left and right as they all moved apart just a little more.

Emily was sat in her shuttle carefully analysing the sensor readings but nothing appeared.

The sensor console in front of Natalie bleeped a triple-tone warning as the sensors detected something amongst the asteroids. "Ensign Kurtzman to all shuttles! I think I have something!" she called out over the open comm. channel. She worked to refine the sensor resolution; it would be a lot easier if she had a co-pilot who could share this duty with the constant course corrections needed to keep safe in the asteroid field.

"It's the pirate ship that the Iapetus captured earlier," she said, as she interpreted the readings. "Along with a larger ship. Sensor readings indicate it may have significant armaments."

They all knew what Captain Krace's standing orders were now. Retrieve Commanders Gunning and Archer by the most expedient means. Natalie sent off a burst transmission back to the Iapetus. They likely couldn't move to their aid in their present state yet, but she knew that the Captain would rather know what was going on than not.

As the closest ship, she knew that the standing orders dictated that she try and make audio contact with the captors to attempt to negotiate the release of the hostages. Opening an all-frequencies hail, she tried to gulp down her anxiety before speaking.

"Pirate vessels, this is Ensign Kurtzman of the USS Iapetus. You are have three hostages, including two of our crew members. Return them to me now, and we will negotiate leniency for your previous attack against our ship."

She waited patiently for a few minutes, with no response over the comm. channel. Then the shuttle shoot as it was hit with a phaser beam. "Dammit!" she cried out to herself, as she began initiating evasive manoeuvres. "Why did I know that wasn't going to work? Kurtzman to all shuttles, under fire, need assistance!"

As the group of 7 shuttles came together and all began an attack against the two ships, they appeared as gnats buzzing around the head of a much larger beast. Though their bites were strong for their size, the smaller craft had to rely more on not being in the same place when their opponents hit their fire button when the beam lashed out towards them.

As for a few short minutes one of the shield generators on the second, unidentified vessel went offline, Natalie's console suddenly bleeped at her, having located the three life signs she had set it to continually search for. "Computer! Energise!" she shouted, barely able to take her concentration off the piloting to issue the order. "Kurtzman to all shuttles! I have them, but we're taking a beating."

"I'm on my way!" Emily announced over the intercom and moved to intercept. "Computer, arm all phasers and fire all torpedos!" she ordered and aimed at all enemy ships but there were too many. She had to protect the shuttle with the casulties. As she moved through the army of ships she jerked forwards and her console bleep. "Computer, Identify!" she ordered.

"Leak in starboard nacelle." the computer replied.

"Computer, set auto pilot." Emily ordered and stood up from her chair and grabbed her emergency repair kit. She moved to the main engine and began to repair the leak when her shuttle jerked again and a console exploded.

"Ah!" she gasped in pain and fell over backwards, the console had caused sparks to fly in all directions and some burnt her face. She pulled herself up, "Computer, shield status!"

"Shields are down to 10%." the computer replied.

"This is Lieutenant Hamson to Iapetus and all shuttles. My shields are nearly down and i'm leaking plasma, I require assistance!"

Just as the shuttles looked to be almost overwhelmed, a phaser beam much too powerful to come from one of the smaller craft lashed out and struck the larger of the two pirate vessels. Another strike came from the ventral hull of the Iapetus as the ship swung round, trying to draw the attention of the larger ship's phaser attacks.

Cathcart's hands fell time and again, reassigning the targetting scanners onto different points of the Pirate vessel. It was important to make sure that their limited phaser arcs inflicted the maximum amount of damage with every sweep: if they didn't, they might be ignored. "They're turning on us, Captain!" She called out triumphantly. "The larger vessel is turning to fire on us!"

On the bridge of the Luna class ship, Captain Krace gripped tightly at the arms of his chair, fighting the shaking as one of the pirate's return rounds hit home, and the inertial dampeners fought to keep on top of the ship's rapid changes of movement from the hit. "I hope these makeshift repairs of yours are going to hold up long enough, Mister Drex!" he called out across the bridge.

Knowing that transporters and tractor beams were out of the question to retrieve those shuttlecraft too badly damaged to move under their own power, Krace pressed the comm. control button on his chair. "Krace to all shuttles! Lock tractor beams on ships too damaged to move under their own power, and return to the shuttlebay at best speed! We can't hang around for long."

"As soon as those shuttles are aboard, Commander," he continued, looking to Acle who was seated at the helm controls. "Get us the hell out of here."

---------------
Captain Vorn Krace
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Allison Cathcart (NPC)
Asst. Chief of Security

Lieutenant JG Emily Hamson
Chief Science Officer

&

Ensign Natalie Kurtzman (NPC)
Shuttle Pilot
USS Iapetus