Desperate Crew

Posted on Tue Nov 26th, 2013 @ 10:27pm by Lieutenant Ciaran McIntyre & Captain Benjamin Byrne & Commander Gaius Ra-Xialii & Lieutenant Horatio Hawke

Mission: Remnant Part 2
Location: USS Endeavour - Observation Lounge

[ON]

McIntyre seethed in the corner as the image of Kessel, decked out in tubules and cables continued to pervade any logical thought. "We're no match for them. If we go in to try and bring them out we'll be ripped to shreds. If we don't get ourselves assimilated first."

Hawke was staring out the Observation Lounge windows at infinity and trying to make sense of the situation, racking his brain to come up with some way, some solution. But the full horror of the situation was making it difficult. McIntyre was right, attacking that thing would be suicide. What if that was all that was left for them?

"There's got to be another way," Hawke grumbled. "Can we call in reinforcements?" he asked, maybe sounding a little desperate.

Gaius had taken the seat at the head of the table, and was clearly annoyed. Not at what had transpired, just at the fact that he was powerless to do anything. All the Commander wanted to do was get revenge on those cold bastards, and the chance to carve a few up with his ushaan-tor wouldnt be an issue for him. His vengeful thoughts were interupted by Hawke's question.

"The Scimitar, Balmung and Gallant are en route, but won't arrive before the Cube moves out of sensor range, we are on our own for now," Gaius looked out of the window, "I need options people."

"I'm not sure we have many, Commander." McIntyre muttered. "You saw what they managed to do with just a couple of arcs. With the damage we've sustained, I don't see us making significant impact on them. Especially not enough to disable them."

"I agree," Ensign Amkreth said, sitting in on the briefing in place of Kessel. "The ship has sustained significant damage to all systems. I predict a ninety five percent chance that the ship will be destroyed if we engage in another direct assault."

"Is five percent enough of a chance to risk?" Ra-Xialli said, noting some numbers on his PADD. It was his decision to make, "Any thing else?"

McIntyre mused quietly for a moment before realising that everyone was staring at him. "The other option is to use the Endeavour as a distraction. If the Gallant and friends aren't going to arrive, they might reach our signal in time to retrieve the ship."

"I believe it would be a mistake to sacrifice this vessel without any guarantee that the survivors will be recovered by another starship before rations and power supplies are depleted," the Vulcan engineer said. "It would also be illogical to decide to sacrifice the ship as a distraction without a plan of how it would assist our goals."

"I agree, with such small chances of success, there is a possibility that we would not prevent the ship from warping off. Leaving nothing but a Sovereign class shaped debris field in its wake," The Commander noted, a sigh finishing off his sentence.

"Hell, if we can pull it off without the Endeavour taking significant damage then I'm all for it but I don't see another way." He pulled up a display of the Borg cube on his PADD. "If we're able to get a shuttle into the Cube, we might be able to get Ethan and the Captain aboard and off the cube before they really know we've hit them. It's a hundred-to-one shot but if we hit it just right, we might all come out of this alive."

"Perhaps we could request assistance from the Klingons?" Amkreth suggested. "Their craft are afterall equipped with cloaking devices, and are more likely to be able to reach us before any aid from the Federation."

"Relations with the Klingons arent the most amicable at the moment, no matter how up for a fight they are. And unfortunately, I feel the clandestine nature of the research facility would attribute to the Borg knowing the emmissions of a cloaking device," Ra-Xialli said, taking a deep breath.

"I know this isn't going to sit well with you all, but I want non-essential personnel to evacuate the ship, making best speed to the incoming task force. I want a volunteer only skeleton crew to remain behind, with 2 shuttles to use as escape vehicles if needed. McIntyre, obviously you are my acting XO, add a hollow pip to your collar, same for you Amkreth. Tell Ensign Reilly he is in charge of the evacuees," Gaius spoke with a determined tone, "If you have issue with my orders, I want you to speak now, they will be noted in the ship's log and sent with the evacuees."

Hawke was reluctant to admit it, but the Commander was right. He knew it deep down from the moment that Borg ship slipped away. But still, it hit him deep in his stomach like a kick. He looked around the table at his fellow officers as the silence lingered above them.

McIntyre finally broke the silence, he was resigned to do what he had to do to stop the Borg. If they couldn't, it wouldn't just be the Endeavour that would be lost. It would be the Scimitar, the Balmung and the Gallant. It would be Starbase 332, it would be Cestus III. It would be Earth.

"No objections, Sir."

"Commander;" the newly-minted lieutenant said, shifting forward ever so slightly. "May I ask what our plan is for completing the Captain's mission? I still believe that we must complete his task of destroying the cube and the technology it now holds."

McIntyre rolled the thought around in his head. "I don't have anything else planned for today, suppose I might as well die."

Internally, Hawke was raging against the situation. Dammit! It wasn't fair! This ship, this crew didn't deserve to have this over them. Nobody should have to make this gut wrenching decision. But it had to be made. There was no other way. The commander was right, it had to stop here. He drew a deep breath and looked at McIntyre, seeing the weight of the situation grinding him down more than the rest.

"I have no intention of dying today," the helmsman said. "We can sacrifice the ship, and that's the only option I see that we have, but we don't need to sacrifice the crew, even the skeleton crew that stay behind." He turned and looked at the Acting Captain. "Sir, can I suggest that we launch those two shuttles we keep behind before we get too close to the Borg ship. They can then stay right at the edge of transporter range, ready to beam us out of here at the last possible second. We'd also give the shuttles a forty thousand kilometre head start to get away from what will be one hell of a blast."

Hawke sat back and shrugged. "It's not guaranteed to work, but it gives us a better than even chance." He turned back to McIntyre. "You're not getting out of buying the next round by dying today, Ciaran."

"And here was me thinking I'd get out of clearing my bar tab." McIntyre grunted his response from behind a wry smile, the unorthodox pep-talk having done its job.

Gaius shook his head, "I dont want to risk the transporters over such a distance, the shuttles will remain in the upper shuttlebay, we will use site to site, then jump to warp when we are clear," he continued, regretting what was to come next, "If we cannot disable or destroy the ship, we will use the Endeavour to destroy it. Rig for a 2 second warp jump on a collision vector, that should do enough to destroy the ship."

"If there was nothing else," Gaius said, moving to stand, "Then we shall make ready."

[OFF]

Commander Gaius Ra'Xialii
Acting Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Horatio Hawke
Chief Flight Control Officer

Lieutenant Ciaran McIntyre
Chief of Security

Ensign Amkreth[NPC: Capt. Byrne]
Acting Chief Engineer