While Stonn and Pushkin continued their efforts on the bridge and the other ship officers tended to their own tasks, not far away two B'rel scout craft dropped from warp very near the spot where the Romulan vessel had blown apart. The lead vessel immediately commenced scanning the local area of space around it, while its comrade ship took up a position of overwatch, its weapons charged.
"Picking up high levels of radiation, sir," said the sensor operator. "I am also reading large fragments of varied elements moving away from a calculated epicenter approximately 50,000 km away. Thus far no power readings, transmissions, or any other signs of an active ship."
The B'rel's captain shook his head. "Krup noll!" he said.
The two Klingon vessels began to shimmer and then fade from sight - their cloaking devices activated.
With orders given, the flight deck crew had pulled the Galileo shuttle out onto the launch pad. The doors would be manually sealed and then the large hydraulic bay doors would be released and the hangar opened to space, allowing the shuttle to launch. It would be somewhat tricky with no computer assistance to guide the vessel, or tractors to keep it on a proper path.
It didn't matter... as of yet, they had heard of no pilot that was given orders to launch. Still, the crewmen were ready for if and when the order came down from the commander.
[OOC:] Darkan can give me a Stamina test TN 12 that will allow him to begin to clear his brain of the pain-killers. His arm has been set by the med staff, and secured via sling, so the level of meds have been lowered.
If he fails this test, he may try again immediately (adding a +2 to the TN) or he can wait a half hour which will actually reduce the TN by 2 (incrementally for each half hour).
OOC: In the previous thread, I just had Stonn all but order Pushkin to commandeer the shuttle if the helmsman felt up to it.
TN 12 Stamina - (2+1)+3 = 6 FAILED
TN 14 Stamina - (2+2)+3 = 7 FAILED
OOC: it'll be another 30 min in the purple haze
OOC: I was just waited for permission. :) Now, he is running down the central staircase for the shuttle! :D
The Columbia and her crew did not yet know their good fortune as the two birds of prey took up a course opposite of the Federation vessel.
Also unknown was how long that good fortune would last.
Stonn heard his communicator beep and he slid from under the communication console to grab it. Flipping it open he heard Billy Anderson's voice and the navigator began a full report of what the Galileo crew had thus far seen.
"Commencing scans now of the Gr'Toth, sir... not looking good though."
At the same moment, a ship-wide page went out over all hand-held communicators. It was from Mr. Ramos in engineering, "Ship's main computer core is prepared for re-initialization. We are going to be starting the re-boot in a moment, at which time all automated ship functions will cease, including environment. We will have no gravity or life support for at least an hour, so be prepared for weightlessness. The re-boot patch has Life support/environment cued as the first programs to initiate... unfortunately the initiation build will take about 45 minutes. Hang tight... engineering out."
Bored and annoyed with the throbbing from his wound, Darkan calls out over his comm to Stonn for an update.
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Jan 12, 2008, 04:13 AM
Bored and annoyed with the throbbing from his wound, Darkan calls out over his comm to Stonn for an update.
"Repairs are proceeding as well as can be expected, Captain. Mr. Grahm has extinguished all fires by venting sections of the ship, and Chief Engineer Ramos and his team have devised a way to get all ship's computer systems functional through a full system reset, which will temporarily shut gravity and life-support down. While this is not an ideal solution, it stands an excellent chance of success. Lt. Pushkin has taken a shuttlecraft outside the Columbia to assess the situation, and I am awaiting his report. I shall keep you apprised of the situation as it changes, sir."
"Thank you, Stonn. I have two requests that you highly consider. We aren't in enemy territory per se, but it is still hostile. Have a warp-capable shuttles standing by to launch in the event that we come under attack again or are captured. We might be trying to save our ship, but our high-value technology should be readily-able to be destroyed lest it fall into undesirable hands."
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Jan 13, 2008, 07:54 AM
"Thank you, Stonn. I have two requests that you highly consider. We aren't in enemy territory per se, but it is still hostile. Have a warp-capable shuttles standing by to launch in the event that we come under attack again or are captured. We might be trying to save our ship, but our high-value technology should be readily-able to be destroyed lest it fall into undesirable hands."
OOC: Do we have warp-capable shuttles at this stage of Trek history? I know the Vulcans had one (it delivered Spock to the Enterprise in ST:TMP), but I don't recall any other shuttle appearances save
Star Trek 5 - which used a rather tiny one... I'll just assume we do unless Tomcat says otherwise. :)
"Understood," replied the Vulcan, with no touch of emotion.
OOC: I'm taking this from the Galileo thread:
Pushkin frowns at Anderson's answer. He pauses before tapping the controls, flying the shuttle in closer. "Check it again." He says before clicking on his communicator. "Galileo to Columbia. We are seeing extensive damage. There is a hull breach in the dorsal side of the ship. There is a extensive damage to a series of "sensitive sensor pallets." He says, not wanting to say Arc Bow over an open comm. "Ventral Side of the ship is also showing some major hull breaches including a large crack where the life pods are located." He pauses before looking to Anderson. "We have located the Gr'Toth. We are showing...minimal power. There are no life signs. We will continue our searches. Galileo out.""Captain, it appears that the
Gr'Toth has been destroyed with all hands." Stonn knew what that meant - and he knew the captain did as well - they had no one to back up their claims. If they were encountered, it might very well look like the
Columbia and a Constitution-class vessel destroyed the
Gr'toth and the two previous family-controlled B'rels they encountered earlier in a unprovoked sneak attack.
The Romulans might still have their victory, he mused.
Fascinating.
The lights and consoles went dark on the bridge. If not for the few battery lamps that had been turned on, the room would have been immersed in black. Darkan did not float off the table in his Ready Room, for he had been strapped down, but he did feel his body lose its weight.
Holding the rail to keep himself in place, Stonn relaxed his body and mind. The Vulcan knew sudden movements in weightlessness could send a person crashing about, and so he meditated until the ship completed its re-boot.
Time passed.
With a beep, panels on the bridge came back to life as the LCARS operating system began to function. Stonn shouted out a warning to prepare for the gravity to return, all the while he maneuvered his body so that when it commenced, he would land on his feet.
In another five minutes, the bridge was back to normal. Crewmen milled about, working and waiting for their particular system to come back online.
"Commendations are the least I could do for those brave souls," mused Darkan.
The weightlessness eased the pain of his wounds a bit and for the duration of the experience, he did what he could to remain over the couch on which he was laying lest the abrupt fall that was soon to come further exacerbate his condition.
Darkan smiled as the lights came back on but it lasted only for a fraction of a second as he landed. Done with the invalid-thing, he hauled himself from the couch in his ready room and stumbled to the door to rejoin his crew on the bridge. The least he could do was sit in the command chair to bring an air of confidence back to the crew.
Once the door parted, he continued his labored progress to the coveted chair, waiving off any offers of assistance. "Stonn... two things: how bad still is it and what do the sensors say outside now?"
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Jan 18, 2008, 03:32 PM
"Commendations are the least I could do for those brave souls," mused Darkan.
The weightlessness eased the pain of his wounds a bit and for the duration of the experience, he did what he could to remain over the couch on which he was laying lest the abrupt fall that was soon to come further exacerbate his condition.
Darkan smiled as the lights came back on but it lasted only for a fraction of a second as he landed. Done with the invalid-thing, he hauled himself from the couch in his ready room and stumbled to the door to rejoin his crew on the bridge. The least he could do was sit in the command chair to bring an air of confidence back to the crew.
Once the door parted, he continued his labored progress to the coveted chair, waiving off any offers of assistance. "Stonn... two things: how bad still is it and what do the sensors say outside now?"
"As for 'how bad' it is, sir - the ship has regained computer control and life support, but sensors are not yet operational. Mr. Pushkin has indicated that the Columbia has sustained severe structural damage, including potentially catastrophic damage to the Arc Bow array."
The Vulcan's expression was dour.
"We are nowhere near ready to get underway, sir. Chief Engineer Ramos and his team have done a remarkable job keeping Columbia operational at all, given the circumstances."
The turbolift doors opened with a whoosh and Grahm stepped out onto the bridge. He saw that things were functional on the bridge and was immediately relieved.
The tactical officer walked over to where his captain, now up and about, and his XO stood. "Sirs, just wanted to report that the fires on Deck's 7 and 8 are out. We have some pretty nasty damage to the life support and power room, but the forward ventral phaser array was not damaged. I did have to pop some of the escape pods and put a couple holes in the bulkheads, but Ramos' teams are already starting on the patches. They are a busy group."
John looked around to see if Jess were anywhere in sight, and was concerned to see she was not. The med staff must have taken her away... he hoped that she was okay. He made a mental note to get to sickbay to see her as soon as he could find even an available second.
The three officer's went over to the now working ship's status board and could see where the efficient chief engineer had highlighted ongoing repairs and who was leading them up.
Level five diagnostic
- Structural integrity is at 28% - pending [6 left of 21 structure points]
- Small hull breaches both dorsal and ventral; secondary security systems (breach force fields) active - Lt. Torrence
- Weapons, life support and operations hit, but superficial - Lt. Com. Ramos
- Cargo hold atmospherics and doors/Replicator network have been damaged and are currently inoperable - Lt. Telek
[OOC:]Tests Needed:
- Structure and breaches will need to be remedied by an extended Engineering (Structural) test TN 300; I will give a +12 to each test that is from a rotation of crewmen in EVA suits working along with a worker bee shuttle team; each test will take one day [Estimated repair time = 15 days]
- Weapons repairs require a Repair or Engineering (System) test TN 15 to restore the box [Estimated repair time = 1.5 hours]
- Life Support repairs require a Repair or Engineering (System) test TN 15 to restore the box [Estimated repair time = 1.5 hours]
- Operations repairs require a Repair or Engineering (System) test TN 15 to restore the box [Estimated repair time = 1.5 hours]
These tasks can be delegated to any of the 7 on board Engineering Officers (Zantz's is dead) but Ramos or Telek cannot be working on more than one job at the same time, so you may want to prioritize; NPC's will have one half of Ramos' skill levels and I will grant a +5 bonus (except the Structural work) to all tests to account for the assistance of fellow crewmen and ship's technology.
Here is a 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
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.
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."
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Jan 19, 2008, 01:00 PM
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. ;)
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.
[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.
Without a word, Darkan and Grahm follow behind to hear the XO's assessment.
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.
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.
Quote from: tomcat on Feb 01, 2008, 08:34 AM
[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?"
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 passedUnderstand 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.
"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."
Quote from: GandalfOfBorg on Feb 04, 2008, 06:38 PM
"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."
"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...
Quote from: tomcat on Feb 05, 2008, 07:40 AM
[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.
[OOC:] LOL! I guess I should have included in my request a skill test roll - your TN is 16.
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.
Quote from: tomcat on Feb 05, 2008, 07:59 AM
[OOC:] LOL! I guess I should have included in my request a skill test roll - your TN is 16.
OOC: I could have sworn I posted this... must've goofed it up somehow. Sorry for the delay.
Sys Ops (Sensors) roll (TN 16)
Skill w/modifiers = +11
Roll(2d6)+11:3,6,+11 Total:20
OOC: I apologize, I didn't realize my last msg didn't get saved.
"Put the fighters on standby launch alert; I don't want to give away more about us until absolutely necessary. Send a tight-beam transmission to the Away Team that their time is up and to get back to the ship. If they can't make it back, tell them to stay put. If they don't hear from us in a reasonable amount of time, they are to do what they need to do." Darkan takes another deep breath. "If we need to run, the fighters will launch; they will provide a screen and hopefully a distraction to keep the Klingons off us until we reach the planetoid. Helm, keep the wreckage between us and the Klingons. Once they lose sight of us, their orders are hide amoung the wreckage and power down, waiting for the Klingons to leave."
[OOC:] Seeing as Matt's post didn't show up, I am going to say he gave Grahm the green light while the B'rels were still searching out the ruind Gr'Toth - so when propulsion/helm came online, the fighters will be ready 5 minutes later.
Grahm moved quickly to his station in response to his captain's order. He pushed the intraship comm button for the shuttle bay, "Bridge to shuttlebay."
"Shuttlebay," was the response.
"This is Lt. Commander Grahm - orders are given to prepare both wings of fighter craft. Launch orders to follow."
"Aye, aye, sir."
On the flight deck, bays were opened revealing the four attack craft in each of the Columbia's two fighter wings. Using hover-sleds, the craft were drawn out to pre-determined launch positions, in bays 1 and 2, where they were then wired to leads coming out of the flight deck that energized their systems. Cockpits were opened and control buttons were activated bringing internal panels online.
All in all, it would take twenty minutes to ready the small ships.
The doors of the now functional turbolift opened and Ario stepped once more onto the bridge. The sight that greeted him was much more ordered than the chaos he had seen earlier. It was amazing how quickly the Columbia's crew were getting things back to some normalcy - proving again that Starfleet's training regimen was the best in the galaxy.
Ario saw the captain standing near the science station and the XO. Grahm, who was working at his own station, was the only other senior officer that the halfling recognized, all others being filled by subordinates.
Stonn turned from his science station, but his even-toned voice made the news he was about to deliver seem no less concerning.
"Sensors indicate the likely presence of two cloaked ships in proximity to the wreckage of the Gr'toth. They appear to be changing course towards Columbia."
"Go to Yellow Alert but keep the ship at current level of emissions; no need to tip of the Klingons. Helm, prepare to execute evasive maneuvers even without my order if fired upon. Notify the launch bays that their assistance may be needed sooner than expected."
Ario smoothed down his uniform, knowing that it was dirty and most likely torn; but the rest of the crew were in the same state- he need not be worried at his first real interation with the Captain. He crossed the bridge to the Science Station and cleared his throat carefully.
"Captain, Ensign Ario T'Pek; Ship's Psychologist, and Antrhopological specialist. I thought that my training and skills might be more useful on the bridge advising you on any contact with the Klingons. While it is certainly not tactical expertise, I do know something of their cultural practices." He said, slightly unsure of whether this had been the best plan, though even if he knowledge was limited, he was an Empath, perhaps that would be useful?
Darkan was taken aback at the appearance of the ensign. This was certainly not the time nor the time, he started to think, but since they were little more than sitting ducks, some help is better than none. "Find a seat somewhere, Ensign, and keep an ear out for what's going on. If a situation doesn't warrant an opportunity to speak directly to me, relay any info you might think is helpful through Mr. Stonn and he'll pass it on."