Hounds to the hunted

[tomcat]

Grahm answered his captain, "Sir, if all goes well with the re-boot, and based on what I've seen of how Ramos has it ordered, I should have weapons back in about an hour and a half."

The two B'rels had changed course.

There was an energy emission out there, and though it was faint, they were going to search for it. They had been told by the governor of this sector that the Romulan/Federation mock-up was to be rampaging through this area of space. But where was it? Did a battle take place here?

The Klingon commander of the forward B'rel, named Temoc, was concerned. Two of his comrades and their starships had disappeared several hours ago, and then no sign of the Romulans. And now, he had been unable to establish any communication with the sector government.

He was a member of the Chak-ruth clan and had been one of the few who was privy to the plans that had been dreamt up by Commander Qwarl. The coup was going to be a magnificent pinnacle in the history of the Chak-ruth... but now, all was silent. Even his fellow captain whose ship was off his starboard side knew nothing of the plans; only that the Federation had threatened Klingon space.

As of yet, they had found no evidence of this.

"There it is again commander, very faint!"

Temoc turned to his helmsman, "Use the sensor readings to guide us."

[sdrotar]

Darkan nodded at the grim news but felt marginally better about the situation.  "Let Ramos know that if he needs more bodies to assist, he is free to requisition all he needs.  You mentioned the phasers, what about torpedoes?  Any progress on the backup plan, Mr. Stonn?"

OOC: Backup meaning the shuttle on standby to escape back to Federation territory if need be.

OOC: Tomcat confirmed that Starfleet didn't have warp-capable shuttles in this time frame, so we may want to scratch that part... unless I'm misunderstanding the request, which is entirely possible.

[GandalfOfBorg]

OOC:  Ok, ignore the "warp-capable" remark but Darkan still thinks that not all hands should go down with the ship if it can be prevented.

[tomcat]

[OOC:] I am going to rescind my prior statement of no warp-capable shuttles. I looked at the Miranda schematics again and the details list two embarked warp-capable shuttles... the Galileo and the Alladin. Not sure what is canon here, but I really like these schematics I bought, so it looks official enough for me. 



The three officers talked a few more minutes but then turned to the sound of Stonn's sensor/science station coming online.

The Vulcan excused himself from Grahm and Darkan and went to where he worked. They could finally get a 'look' around.

[GandalfOfBorg]

Without a word, Darkan and Grahm follow behind to hear the XO's assessment.

[sdrotar]

Sys Ops (Sensors) roll
Skill w/modifiers = +11
Roll(2d6)+11: 4,3,+11 Total:18

***

"Scanning", came the reply from the science station, as Stonn did not turn away from his sensor hood.

[tomcat]

Stonn noticed his console showed a crimson alert. The warning was regarding the multiple sensor arrays that the Columbia had available for scanning.

Sensors:

• SW-49/6J "Epsilon" Main array
• QIK-14Kp Passive/Active array (port)
• QIK-14Ks Passive/Active array (starboard)
• QIK-14Ka Passive/Active array (aft)
• ALQ-111E "Prowler" ECM/ECCM jamming pod
• XJL-II "Arc Bow II" Passive array

The Columbia's experimental hardware was showing completely inactive. Pushkin had reported that the sensor palettes that lined the ship's hull had shown visible damage. It was evident that the Arc Bow were the ones that the helmsman had seen.

It was not that the Columbia no longer had passive or active arrays, it was just that now they were limited by half in their passive detection. In their current position behind enemy lines, that alter the percentages of survivability.

Stonn tapped the console to 'res up', a slang he had picked up from his time on Earth, the available passive arrays and the ship's computer began to test and compare all detected emissions that the sensors detected. In moments, the Vulcan had a pretty clear picture of space around them, but he detected no close-in threats - at least passively.

They needed more information; especially with the thought that two potential threats were out there. Before the explosion, he had two inbound warp signatures of Klingon B'rel-class scout vessel; ships widely used by the Chak-ruth house. Stonn tapped the commands for a ten second active scan.

Again the computer began its translation of collected data.

[sdrotar]

[OOC:] Hey Shawn, just an addendum here - the Columbia can passively scan, it is just that the ship has lost the highly sensitive array and so range and detail has been greatly reduced on all passive scans.

This of course affects the stealth benefit of the prairie masker system. Now you guys can become a hole in space, but do not have as sensitive 'eyes' to look around while you hide.

OOC: Oh. OK. Please strike my last post, then, and replace it with this one:

"Captain, I am picking up increased tachyon emissions, which can indicate the presence of a cloaked vessel. I can attempt another scan in an effort to determine course and speed, but doing so would increase our chances of detection. Of course, it is possible that we have already been detected, as well. Should I begin another scan?"

[tomcat]

Time breakdown since the Episode started:

A hour* -1	crew slowly revive and begin initial work to find out what has happened
A hour* -.25	Darkan starts his 30 minute tests to come back to his senses
A hour* -0	Klingon B'rels arrive and move in opposite direction
A hour* +.5	Ramos begins computer reboot; Pushkin starts shuttle launch
A hour* +.75	Grahm blows pods and extinquishes fire
A hour* +1	Pushkin circuits the Columbia; Ramos programs the patch
A hour* +1.25	Pushkin discovers the Gr'Toth; Ramos wires the tricorder
A hour* +1.5	Ramos initializes the CPU
A hour* +2	Life support comes online; Telek and Torrence complete repairs on hull breaches and secondary system failures
A hour* +2.25	Sensors come online
A hour* +2.5	Helm and Nav come online [Propulsion]
A hour* +3	Shields come online
A hour* +3.5	Weapons come online
A hour* +3.75	Misc minor systems come online [Operations]

* A hour is the arrival hour of the two B'rels; bullets in light red have already passed

Understand that the Columbia is not invisible, and the Prairie masker is not active - it is just that many of the ship's systems that would give off some form of radiation are on stand-by at the moment. As things come online, the ship will become more at risk. For the moment though, it is just a random piece of metal out there in space that would need to have a dedicated scan to acquire more info (i.e. biosigns).



Grahm listened to Stonn's warning and then quickly turned towards the engineering consoles. A view panel was glowing brightly over one junior engineer's head, flashing the danger that the Columbia was in once more.

The Tactical officer looked to the time chronometer on the helm station, worriedly glancing at the empty seats as well.

"Captain..." he said. "We have approximately one hour and fifteen minutes until we can fight this ship again, based on the computer re-boot. At most, we can run from here in about fifteen minutes."

Grahm knew that the Klingon's would never give them the opportunity to escape if the Columbia were discovered.

On his bridge, Temoc listened to his sensor operator.

"Sir, I am picking up a concentrated field of debris before us. I think it could be a ship, although I am getting no emission readings... just minor radiation." Suddenly the sensor screen flared with light as the Columbia's short burst sensor scan bathed over the B'rel. "What was that?!" the sensor operator excitedly asked. He knew what it was, but the burst was to short for him to get an accurate location. "Captain, it would seem that the ship we approach is either still operational, or there is another out there somewhere."

The captain replied, "Do we have visual yet?"

"Yes sir," was the reply and the B'rel's forward viewscreen lit up with the image of the broken Gr'Toth centered upn it. The bridge crew knew that there was no way that that ship was still alive. They would have to broaden their search.

[GandalfOfBorg]

"Manage our emissions as best you can.  Power down or put on standby any non-essential systems.  Tell our away team that they have 15 minutes to get back to the ship; the ship has less than that to be prepared to get the hell out of Dodge."

[sdrotar]

"Manage our emissions as best you can.  Power down or put on standby any non-essential systems.  Tell our away team that they have 15 minutes to get back to the ship; the ship has less than that to be prepared to get the hell out of Dodge."

"Understood," came Stonn's reply. "Commencing active scan."

[tomcat]

"Galileo to Columbia, we have detected some life signs aboard the Klingon ship. We are moving to provide assistance. Pushkin out."

The helmsman's transmission came over the bridge speakers and Grahm cringed - open channel broadcasts were dangerous if there really were enemy ships out there. "They'll have less than 15 minutes to do anything," he thought to himself. "Not enough time!"

Suddenly another idea came into the tactical officer's mind. He turned to his captain, "Sir, the Columbia will be able to maneuver in about ten more minutes. Defensive systems are next on the line up, but of no use in the immediate future if we are attacked. But our ship has embarked two fighter wings. What if we use them to stand-off any potential threats?"



[OOC:] What is Stonn scanning for Shawn - to confirm the B'rels' presence? Get a fix on their locations? Let me know...

[sdrotar]

[OOC:] What is Stonn scanning for Shawn - to confirm the B'rels' presence? Get a fix on their locations? Let me know...

OOC: Sorry. He's primarily scanning for the tachyon trail to determine course and heading. Naturally, if it seems as if they're close, he'll try to scan for them more directly.

[tomcat]

[OOC:] LOL! I guess I should have included in my request a skill test roll - your TN is 16.

[tomcat]

Time breakdown since the Episode started:

A hour* -1	crew slowly revive and begin initial work to find out what has happened
A hour* -.25	Darkan starts his 30 minute tests to come back to his senses
A hour* -0	Klingon B'rels arrive and move in opposite direction
A hour* +.5	Ramos begins computer reboot; Pushkin starts shuttle launch
A hour* +.75	Grahm blows pods and extinquishes fire
A hour* +1	Pushkin circuits the Columbia; Ramos programs the patch
A hour* +1.25	Pushkin discovers the Gr'Toth; Ramos wires the tricorder
A hour* +1.5	Ramos initializes the CPU
A hour* +2	Life support comes online; Telek and Torrence complete repairs on hull breaches and secondary system failures
A hour* +2.25	Sensors come online
A hour* +2.5	Helm and Nav come online [Propulsion]
A hour* +3	Shields come online
A hour* +3.5	Weapons come online
A hour* +3.75	Misc minor systems come online [Operations]

* A hour is the arrival hour of the two B'rels; bullets in light red have already passed

[OOC:] Okay, I am still waiting on a test from Stonn if he is going to initiate a full scan, and Grahm is standing there looking at Darkan wondering if he should order the preparation of the fighter wing.



Time passed on the bridge as the Galileo crewmen carefully made their way through the ruined Gr'Toth. The engineering panel chimed its announcement of the return of propulsion control. Immediately both the helm and navigation posts were manned by junior officers trained in the skill of flying the ship.

Grahm looked to Darkan, "Captain? What are our orders? We have potential threats in close proximity and few means of defense. We can run, but would have to leave two crewmen behind. There is a small planetoid out there... we could hide our ship there in its shadow while we finish repairs, but we need to evade these potential threats. What do you want us to do?"

Darkan's choice was fast approaching irrelevancy. The pair of B'rels did a slow orbit of the broken Gr'Toth and both came to the same conclusion - it was a dying ship of the house of Bor-Klah. Temoc's orders were to eliminate any ship, from any house, that interfered in his superiors' plans. It was apparent that nothing more need done here.

From his left, his sensor operator spoke, "Sir, sensors are picking up another large contact at Z767 chronars. It could be the second starship we have been expecting." He paused a moment, "Sir! Power readings are coming up on the contact! It is not a Klingon ship, sir!"

Temoc gripped the arms of his command chair, "Helm, close on the contact. Weapons, energize all batteries."

The B'rel commander had been included in the knowledge of the coup d'etat, and had willingly, even excitedly, volunteered his assistance. He knew the Romulans were invading their space with a vessel that would lay blame on the Federation. He had orders to destroy the Romulan ship along with any interlopers from any house. Temoc didn't care who he hunted - they were all his enemy.

"Communications, transmit to our companion our readings and intent to engage."

The Birds of Prey swooped over the broken boom of the Gr'Toth on a course to intercept the still wounded Columbia nearly a million killometers away.