USS PATRIOT: Corridor -> Hanger Bay 3 * USS COUNTERSTRIKE: Bridge ("Into the Hornet's Nest")

From: V. Rahul Chandra (vrccan_at_gmail.com)
Date: Fri Apr 20 2007 - 21:50:04 PDT


==========

“Into the Hornet’s Nest”

Con’t from Taylor’s “76”

==========

Location: USS PATRIOT

Stardate: 2422 [2.7] 0421.0016

Scene: Corridor -> Hanger Bay 3

 

Daniel was walking down the corridor when his comm. badge chirped and his
boss’ voice came through loud and clear.  [[Maverick to Clarkson, report to
Hanger 3, you are taking command of the Strike for this mission.]]

 

Clarkson was a bit surprised at that, having already resigned himself to
having to sit around doing nothing but helping to co-ordinate efforts and
rather eagerly tapped his comm. badge.  “Yes sir!” he said smartly, before
turning around on his heels and running back down the corridor he’d just
walked up.

 

As luck would have it at the moment Mav’s communication had come through
Daniel was on the same deck as the hanger bay and so was able to find it in
due time.  He entered to see Dirak exiting the runabout as he entered and
nodded a greeting to the experienced marine.

 

“The COUNTERSTRIKE is ready for departure sir,” Dirak replied with a slight
inclination of his head.

 

“Alright,” Daniel said with a nod.  “We need to have some marines on board
to form a boarding party in case we run across either the pirate ship,” he
took a sharp breath before continuing, “or our missing runabout.  What would
you suggest for the boarding party numbers?”

 

Dirak considered this for a moment before issuing his reply.  “Considering
the pirate ship can’t be that large,” he said.  “One can reasonably assume
that the people staffing it are under-trained and probably low on morale.
Two squads should be able to do the trick.  As for the runabout, we can just
send a couple of bridge crew members to retrieve our missing crew.”

 

“That’s what I was thinking,” Daniel said with a nod, consciously moving the
thought of the state Ben and Catherine might be in by the time they got
there out of his mind.  “So just to be on the safe side we’ll bring three
along.  MCA rifles for all three squads as well as environmental suits in
case the environment on the pirate ship turns out to be weird.”

 

“Yes sir,” Dirak said with a smart nod.  “B, C and D squads?”

 

“Absolutely,” Daniel said.  “What do you estimate our time to take off will
be?”

 

“You’ve kept the squads pretty tight on alert up to this point, so
mobilizing them won’t take long,” Dirak answered.  “Say fifteen to twenty
minutes.”

 

“Sounds good,” Daniel replied.

 

==========

Time Index: 12 minutes later

Location: USS COUNTERSTRIKE

Scene: Deck 1, Bridge

 

Dirak and the other four members of A squad had gotten everything together
in record time and three minutes before the lower half of Dirak’s estimated
time frame was reached the COUNTERSTRIKE was fully staffed and just about
ready for departure.

 

“All personnel report in,” Daniel said, switching on the ship wide
communications option he had from his command chair.

 

[[B squad all here and accounted for sir,]] came the voice of B team leader
Jacob Crunk.  The sentiment was quickly repeated by both Peter James and
Susan Richards; the leaders of C and D teams respectively.  The members of
the three squads were located down on the lower deck of the COUNTERSTRIKE,
which served as a multifunction hold.  Currently it was housing the members
of the boarding parties and if the COUNTERSTRIKE managed to bump into either
of their two targets there was a good chance that they would definitely see
action.

 

“Bridge crew report,” Daniel ordered, switching off the ship wide
communicator.

 

“Engine status nominal,” came the report from Brian Dirak at the helm.

 

“Sensors are working as well as they’ll be,” Justin Logue reported from the
operations console.

 

“Offensive and defensive systems are up and running,” Trish Michaels chimed
in from the tactical station.

 

“Everything’s hunky dory,” Kassandra Duncan reported from the medical
station.  Daniel looked over at Apu Nrak, who was manning the engineering
console and the experienced marine campaigner nodded his head that
everything was okay.

 

“Open a channel to the PATRIOT,” Daniel ordered.  Justin Logue quickly
honoured this request before informing the Major that the channel was open.

 

“COUNTERSTRIKE to PATRIOT,” Daniel said.  “All pre-flight checks report in
normal.  Requesting permission to depart.”

 

[[Permission granted COUNTERSTRIKE, safe trip.]] came the reply.  Daniel
nodded at Dirak who quite smoothly opened the doors to the hanger bay and
took the COUNTERSTRIKE out into the colourful murkiness of the nebula that
PATRIOT was currently in.

 

Less than a minute after the runabout had been in space another
communication came through for them.

 

<From Taylor’s Post>

 

[[Patriot to Search teams. This is the layout. Patriot will hold station
here, Counterstrike and Star Rider will flank to the left and right
respectively, the shuttles will position themselves at the end of your
sensor ranges, forming a diamond formation. The five fighters will keep
locators locked on the Strike, shuttles and Star rider, while they visually
search for any sign of the Runabout. We don’t want anyone to get lost, or
separated, so keep sharp.

Patriot out.]] 

 

Daniel looked down at the helm "Take us into position, signal the ship when
completed."

 

<Back to Mine>

 

“We’re in position now sir,” Dirak replied.  “The ship has been notified.”

 

Daniel nodded.  “Hold position and keep a sharp lookout,” he said.  “This is
the part of the show where we either find something, or we get further
instructions from the ship.”

 

“Aye sir,” Dirak said.

 

A few moments passed before Justin Logue commented, “Does anyone else think
the only way we’re finding anything out here is through blind dumb luck, or
is it just me?”  A few moments of silence passed before he got a number of
quiet and reluctant expressions of agreement.

 

“Just keep scanning Mr. Logue,” Daniel added after a few moments, his voice
a bit more tense than he would’ve liked.  Thinking about the low possibility
of finding his wife was not a thought he needed in his head right now and he
did the best he could in order to push that thought as far away from his
conscious mind as possible, focusing his vision and thoughts instead on the
shimmering folds of nebula that were in constant motion around the runabout.

 

========

NRPG: The pace we’re going at is awesome, keep it up everybody!

 

========

 

 
==========
V. Rahul Chandra <vrccan_at_gmail.com>
 
Playing...
 
Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Gorman, MD
Chief Medical Officer/2nd Officer
GATEWAY STATION, GS-2
 
&
 
Major Daniel Clarkson, MD
Executive Officer - Marine Contingent
USS PATRIOT, NCC 5781-A
 
&
 
Lieutenant Sevlock
Junior ACT Instructor
Starfleet Academy, EARTH
 

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