[Wildstrike's Oria...]
About 20 siuren-a before The Wildstrike's insertion teams cause mischief, Aemhig t`Shibae, Political Officer to the Wildstrike, slips the com gear over her ear.
"The Ra`Kalen is replying Leih...but has na given its registration and security ident." she looks over at Rhagarokk.
"Tell them if they're there to help us to activate it's shroud with a
Klingon cruiser holomatrix and attack... and THEN demand to know who they are." the Leih answers, "Com, signal the Hydra, Gonaiih, we're going in for the first attack run."
Aemhig pauses, her nose raised slightly in implied defiance,
"Compliance..." she sends the message. After a slight pause, she announces, "They agree."
[Kalen's Oria...]
The Kalen Oira is a zoo -- operators are all over the place punching in
commands and lining the ship up for assault runs on the KDF and the Time ship.... Kath is in the command chair, Sylah at gunnery, Yaleg at the com, Llyriah at the helm, and in the middle of all the madness is poor Science officer Erket, wading through unclear data.
"They want us to shroud as a Klingon cruiser..." Yaleg announces with a
slightly raised brow, "And join with them against the target, rekkhai."
tr`Kath frowns, but doesn't want to know what the Vaih`ed has sent them into this time. "Very well...Tactical, shroud the ship as they have said, Ekret, get me some clear readings on that vessel."
Ekret shakes his head, still trying to make sense of what his station's
registering, "Very difficult. It's wrapped in some sort of time distortion field that's messing up all my readings."
Immediately on the heels of this Yaleg says, "They're still demanding our id's....ingore?" as he sends a compliance of shrouding.
"Ragarok told us that they were na clear to know who we are." tr`Kath
replies calmly, "Send them nothing. While I am na io to entirely trust the ravings of our mad erie`Riov, he is right, the Viah`ed must remain anonymous."
"Ie rekkhai..." Yaleg nods, ignoring their demands for id's. Receiving
targeting information, he punches the configuration data into Sylah's
display, while the Farien busily uploads one of the Arrain's holo masks. Lhoell, still waiting for the go-ahead from the Arrain, quietly watches as the Klingon ships attack the target.
[On the Wildstrike]
The Wildstrike, along with it's holofleet, swoop in to fire at the Weapon. The first volley (the one that's real) doesn't appear to have any effect. The distortion around the weapon warps noticeably as a visible wave streaks out from the weapon towards the Wildstrike, missing it entirely. From his command throne Rhaggarokk orders, "Signal the team that our weapons are having no effect and to disable the distortion."
[Kalen's Oira]
On the Kalen, tr`Kath looked intently at the trapezoid viewscreen as he
watched the drama unfold. "Tactical? Are we ready to join the.." he winces, "Klinghavam?"
From her station, Sylah kind of does a half-nod and turns back to her
console, putting a nappy dread between her teeth, and a target in her scopes.
tr`Kath starts issuing orders, "Engage, pilot." Immediately Lhoell pushes the sticks forward, bringing the Kalen into position to strafe the the Time Weapon as tr`Kath continues issuing his orders, "Conserve our weapons Tactical...they do na seem to have any effect. Science, I need solutions here."
"Working, rekkhai..." Erket answers, "The weapon, probably as a side effect of whatever it does, is apparently in a state of odd temporal flux."
"Can we hit it?" tr`Kath asks, "Is there any way to force it back into
reality-- just long enough to get a team on board to disable its systems?"
"Ie and na." Ekret replies, still busily working with all the data around him, "I do na think I can force it into reality, but I think I have a way to get the team onboard."
Kath has no questions as to the method, "Do it." he hits his com, "tr`Alon, report ninte security team to the transporter bay, and await insertion." Sylah looks back at the Leih over her shoulder, tr`Kath doesn't return this look, but replies quietly, "Go -- Yaleg, slave Tactical to ninte controls."
Sylah runs out of the room, taking the lift down to the insertion team's transporter room as Yaleg busies himself with slaving Tactical to his console.
[Wildstrike's Oria...]
Having little success with the time reaver, the Imperial gunners switch to more conventional weapons, and lob salvo after salvo of plasma torpedos at the 'Klingons'. The Imperial gunners narrow their lines of fire. Having a massive advantage in scale of fire, and rate of fire, they slowly begin to pick off the Holo decoys.
From the Tactical station, Rhagarokk hears, "They've discovered our ruse, rekkhai....their odd weapon has 'hit' some of our holograms."
"Fvadt! Keep them up so they don't know which io is us and keep dodging until the team can do it's job....Aemhig, get me that Ra`Kalen - without our holomask - and plug us in to the Hydra as well!"
Aemhi plugs in before Rhagarokk had completed his sentence, "Com open,
Leih."
Rhagarokk nods, at hearing Aemhig's reply, "This is Erie`Riov tr`Rhagarokk of the SRR Morrhae'Vnu, please identify ninte-self and ninte mission."
[On the Kalen]
Yaleg sees the incoming and announces to the rest of the Oira, "They're firing torps, rekkhai!"
Kath knew that he didn't need to tell Lhoell to evade - indeed she had
already begun to pull the sticks side to side, dancing over the incoming, before the sticks pulled back and to the right, sweeping the Ra`Kalen up and away from the torps that followed the first batch. As the ship streaks away from the torps, Yaleg calls out, "Message coming in, rekkhai..."
Kath frowns, but decides to play his bluff, "Put them through..." Yaleg brings the message up on the viewscreen. Knowing that the Oira viewer is still rigged for holo-masking, Kath begins, "This is Arrain Hfu'fre Keirh of the SRR Karina, on mission for the Ta`Pakrsh."
"Ah, now we're getting somewhere..." Rhagarokk nods, "What is ninte purpose here?"
Kath mutes the com, "Pilot, bring us away from those volleys...this is
doing us na good."
"Ie, rekkhai..." Lhoell answers absently, pulling the Kalen away again as instructed.
"Erket..." tr`Kath warns, "au have five suien-a to get me a solution."
"Already got it," Erket comes back, "I can send in io team. Where do au want them?"
Without answering Erket, and not wanting to know why Ragarok is on another ship wearing a Galae uniform, tr`Kath reactivates the com, "The purpose of the Ta`Parksh is no buisness of ninte-a. We are Republican. We are at an Imperial target. That is all au need to know." Muting the com between his comments, tr`Kath thinks out loud, "I do na know what is going on...but if the erie`Riov is up to something, we must play his game."
From the Science console, Erket's confused voice asks, "Rhagarokk...?"
From the view screen, Rhagarokk explains, "I have orders from the commander in chief to destroy this vessel. I hope ninte mission is the same, because I could use the help. I have two teams on the vessel attempting to disable the shields. If au send a team in, beware the fake Klingons."
"That's na the erie'riov..." Erket begins, then hurriedly explains, "Well, it's AN erie'riov, but not ours... umm, they're related."
Lhoell, still piloting the Kalen, moving it into another position, takes a moment to look at the face on the Viewscreen and nods, "Erket's right. That's the Senator...na our Science Daise."
Shaking his head, not caring at the moment, tr`Kath waves their comments off, and reactivates the com, "My insertion team will be making fall shortly." Having no idea what the erie`Riov means about fake Klingons, he decides to relay it to tr`Alon anyway. "Take us in, pilot... Erket, whatever it is, do it."
The Kalen swoops in -- diving through the insane number of bolts, and
deposits tr`Alon's team in the thick of things on the Time ships upper
weapon's loading area.
[On the Wildstrike]
The Hydra has stayed strangely inactive most of the fight, taking more a posture for observation than anything else. Gehan tr'Tahn, seeing the Kalen suddenly swoop itself closer, pulls the Wildstrike back, letting the better equipped Ra'Kalen to do the up close dirty work. Shortly after the Kalen has delivered their own package, the Time Weapon shimmers into existence.
Rhagarokk says grinning, "Tell the team mission accomplished and to gather for extraction as soon as we can! Deactivate all holograms and put all available power into disruptors and singularity torpedo targeting! Gonaiih! Take us in for another pass...."
[On the Kalen]
Similar orders were being issued by Arrain tr`Kath, "Tell Drakon to finish up damaging their weapons and get ready for extraction." he grits his teeth, "Ready all weapons, we're going back in."
Just when the two warships are about to make an assault run, the Hydra sends out a com demanding they drop back. The unidentified Leih demands both ships return to formation, and simply disable the craft.
Yaleg throws a bewildered look to tr`Kath, "The other vessel is telling us to pull back rekkhai. We're na to attack the target.
Kath pauses in thought a moment, "Send to tr`Alon, do as much damage as he can and, unless he has immediate need for extraction, move on to other weapon systems. If it's a trophy they want, we'll give it to them. Pilot..." he nods to the questioning face of the erie`Arrain who had turned to look at him, "Back us off to a safe weapons distance from the Time Ship." Llyriah turns to face forward again, grumbling angrily to herself as they were supposed to destroy the weapon... but does as the Arrain had ordered her to do.
[On the Wildstrike]
The Hydra's orders weren't being taken so well on the Wildstrike.
Rhagarokk stands up from his command throne, "WHAT?"
Aemhig raises an eyebrow, "Thats what he said sir..."
Rhagarokk looks over at the political officer, "Can they really
contradict a mission order from tr`Ronga himself like that?"
Aemhig shrugs, not moving her torso, "He probably has our command codes, Leih. There is little we can do." As Rhagarokk stands quietly for a second, weighing the situation very carefully, Aemhig is about to
continue but then her eyes bug out slightly to see something on the long range sensors, "And another Republican warship has just dropped cloak and is approaching.... it looks like a D`Sedrin class."
Rhagarokk starts quietly, "My orders from the EnRiov were to destroy...." he pauses as this new bit of information hits his ears, "D`Sedrin? What now?" Motioning to cut the com, he says "Tell the team we might be a little bit...and to do any damage they can."
Aemhig takes note of the new ship's ID, and runs a few quick looks over her own files, "SRR Khaa`Mae. If I remember correctly, she is under the command of some major....I think it was.. tr`Rain.. tr`Raith.. tr`Rahh? Io of the Agency's military operation's commanders."
"tr'Raith?" Rhagarokk repeats with a raise of an eyebrow, unsure of
which of many things to say, the one popping first to mind being 'didn't he die?'and the second being 'which one?'
Aemhig shrugs and leans back, "Regardless, it looks like the Time Ship's weapons and engines are offline. It poses na threat to us at present."
Growing steadily confused at the situation, Rhagarokk looks over at Aemhig, "I could use a little political advice right now..."
Aemhig swizzles her chair around, and mutes the com, "Oh? What exactly would au like to know?"
Rhagarokk tries to keep his composure....but fails, "WHAT IN THE
AREINNYE IS GOING ON?!"
"It would appear that, from what I can tell, we are in the middle of an
agency operation." Aehmig explains, "They obviously want the weapon for their own use --or study. Regardless, we haven't the power to stop a Ra`Kalen -- let alone a D`Sedrin class. I can offer au no advice on the morality of this operation, as they are my own people. . . the only
alternative is to try and destroy the Time Ship before they can capture its crew and steal it for themselves. And as certain as ale burns, they have our command codes, and can shut us down before we can move."
Rhagarokk cocks his head, "That's probably the most useful thing au've said to me in our entire time working together. Now, answer me this... let's assume the two options. Io, we let them take it. Will we be punished for not completing our mission, even if due to Agency influence? Two, we try to blow the thing, but then would they destroy us?"
Aemhig pauses a moment before answering, "I would say that we would not be blamed for failing a mission...not if the agency dictated alternative orders." She swizzles back to her panel, "As for the alternative...I think death would be a more pleasant retaliation than what the agency could do for disobedience."
The Leih scratches his head, thinking that over. "Well... taking that into advisement... I say we leave this to fate. Stand down, but tell the team to do some damage while we get ready to extract them... and tell them to be 'liberal'."
Aemhig doesn't reply, but opens a channel to the teams. To the three ships around them, she simply sends a 'compliance' message. Rhagarokk sits back down in his command throne, and throws his head back with a large sigh..
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