Hostile detours (Part III)

Posted on Thu Jul 1st, 2021 @ 6:13am by Lieutenant Commander Amber Quinn & Lieutenant JG Ronen Kym & Captain Ka'Tock & Lieutenant Azusa Nakano & Lieutenant Remy Boudreau & Lieutenant Zuub & Lieutenant JG Paris Deville
Edited on on Wed Jul 7th, 2021 @ 11:55am

1,420 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Caverns of the mind

[PREVIOUSLY]

"Which is why I said we should keep the Aurora out of sight and get information with a small shuttle or two." Paris replied towards the Captain before adding. "Plus, just because there are no casualties, it doesn't mean they wont become aggressive if we show signs of trying to stop them. They may be determined to get this job done and could consider us enemies for trying to stop them." He shrugged slightly before concluding. "Then again, this could easily be resolved with a simple phone call. Opening a channel. Asking their intentions. Laying out an option to allow us to relocate the colony if they are resolute in getting this planet for a reason that's important to them."

[CONTINUED]


"Paris makes several good points," Amber said. "We need information first. Ask the colonists what's going on and how they're being affected as well as scan the planet. A shuttle would be more maneuverable and might not get as much attention as the ship itself. At least for the initial look. Then try to talk to that alien ship. Maybe this is all a misunderstanding." She really wasn't sure what the motives were, but it was always a possibility that they could simply talk this out.

Resisting a quirk of his lips into a half-smile, Boudreau thought it was unsurprising of Quinn to support Deville. 'It's logical right? Me, Lieutenant Deville and Doctor Zuub are collectively less of a loss to Starfleet than the entirety of the Aurora. Pile us into a shuttle and let us loose I say.'

The moment that Boudreau made that statement, Zuub's antennae flattened back against the back of her head. Anyone who knew Adorians knew that this was a sign of great anger and offense. It would not take but a moment more before weapons would be drawn and Boudreau gutted.

"That is not correct," Amber said, wondering what brought him to that conclusion. "Every member of this crew is important. Especially you and the doctor. And good pilots are essential as well." If it came down to it, she was more redundant than anyone.

"No one is expendable." Ka'Tock interjected.

Deliberately, Zuub looked over at Amber. Slightly mollified, her antennae no longer touched the back of her head but they were not rising greatly, either.

Kym looked at Boudreau, not sure why he made the comment. He was a great science officer, and Zuub was a great doctor. She couldn't say much about Deville because she didn't know the man, but the other two were important.

"Erm..." Azusa said holding a hand up to get attention. It wasn't often she spoke up in briefings unless needed. "I'm no Science Officer or anything. But if you want to get close to the ship without disturbing it. Why not hold the Aurora over one of the planet's poles. The magnetic disturbances caused by the gravity of the planet should hide us from sensors" she explained.

"Another option is to fly the ship in the upper thermosphere where we could 'hide' amongst any weather patterns" the young engineer suggested. The Nova class was capable of atmospheric flight much like the Intrepid class vessels; however that ability was often overlooked.

"That is also a good idea, but you're neglecting the fact we don't know what this ship can and cannot see." Paris replied, looking over to the Engineer. "There is no way of telling if that ship will see us coming in or not. Plus, you add the extra devices that's on the planet already, which could act as an extension of the ships sensors. Kinda of like we use probes and starfighters. Hanging back and sending an advance team is still a better idea, in my opinion." He quickly looked to Boudreau and added. "And, for the record, I am not expendable. I've flown out of tighter situations than this one and still remain to tell the tales, so if you're going to insist someone onboard is less of a loss to the ship, than that speaks to how much value you have for yourself as well as the others you put in that sentence. While I get why you thought that I am still highly insulted."

Zuub, still incredibly angry and staring down Boudreau replied in a softer voice than her normal soft voice, "Can we get any of those scans now?" She turned her head towards Boudreau and thought, Before I gut you? Thankfully, her telepathic abilities were not strong and those thoughts would not be heard by anyone.

"Lieutenant De'Ville..." Ka'Tock had a sly grin. "with your experience and expertise could you bring us in from an oblique angle using the stationary orbit of the planetary orbit to keep the planet's shadow as a cover for out approach and Orbital insertion?" asking with some confidence. "Plotting the angle of approach to give us maximum cover since the object is in tight orbit and there has to be some way to sneak close and then launch the shuttles over the curvature of the planet to get visual scans?"

Paris looked over to Ka'Tock, for a moment, before staring at the projected image of the planet from the holographic display the Captain used to show the ship. He seemed to be deep in thought, as his mind processed various moves and maneuvers he could utilize in the Aurora that would give Ka'Tock what he was looking for. After some serious thought be looked back to the Captain and replied. "In theory." He began, pointing to the moon projected orbiting the planet. "If warp into the system, timing it with that moons orbit, we could use it as cover to mask our entry. From there, if we timed it properly, we could theoretically buy a small window to impulse our way pass closer, while the vessel is beginning a rotation in its orbit, easing our way in. So..." He stood up from his chair and began gesturing, using the projection as visual aid. "Let's say, when the not Borg ship is here." He pointed to the location before slowly moving his finger around the planet slowly in a clockwise manner. "And it begins its rotation we could come out from around the moon and just as it gets to about here." Paris stopped moving his finger at a location that was partially obscured by the planet and out of sight of the moon. "The Aurora could use that as a window to get into a parallel orbit so that we will always be opposite of the not Borg ship."

He sat back down, looking around, before stopping at the Captain. "However, its going to take precise calculations and timing. Knowing how long to use warp. Timing it so that we warp in exactly where we need. Too soon, or too far, and we risk being detected. Not to mention making sure the warp is precise. We don't want to warp out and slam into the moon." He looked around the table. "For those following at home, that would be a bad scenario." Paris looking back to the Captain. "I have confidence we can pull it off, but if you are looking for options, sending out a shuttle is still my preferred method. A small team in a shuttle could scan and observe, gather intel on the ship, and establish a more direct contact with the colony in order to get an idea of their status while also getting their observations on this ship. Maybe, planet wise, they might have seen something we haven't. Whatever info we gather, will transmit immediately to the Aurora which should give the brains onboard enough time to work something out and learn more from what we get. Plus, as you said, we would want to avoid getting into a fire fight because the ship does seem to out class us." He than stopped, shrugged his shoulders, before adding. "However, should you decide to go with your idea, It can be done. Timing is crucial and we can't leave any room for error. Whatever you decide, my piloting skills wont let you down."

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Zuub
Chief Medical Officer
USS Aurora

Captain Ka'Tock
Commanding Officer
USS Aurora

Lieutenant Rembrandt "Remy" Boudreau
Chief Science Officer
USS Aurora

Lieutenant JG Paris Deville
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Aurora

Lieutenant Commander Amber Quinn
Executive Officer
USS Aurora

Lieutenant Azusa Nakano
Chief Engineer
USS Aurora

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