Showing Her Claws

Posted on Wed Jul 11, 2018 @ 8:36pm by Commodore Michael Aravan & Valasa Caenala & Lieutenant Martha Cusack

Mission: Falling Star
Location: Bridge
Timeline: MD 34 || 1145 Hours

The red alert klaxon went off as the gravity wave generators attached to the ship picked up presence of a cloaked ship nearby. The Commodore came out of his ready room at a run and headed for the center chair. "Report!" he told Lieutenant Cusack.

Martha confirmed her scans of the cloaked vessel before swivelling around in her chair to face the Commodore.

"Sensors have detected a cloaked ship in a close proximity to the Triumphant Commodore" Martha reported.

"Shields up," the Commodore ordered. "Are they armed?"

Off the port bow, a Valdore class Romulan warbird decloaked about thirty thousand kilometers away from the Triumphant.

Martha raised the shields before giving her response to the Commodore after re-checking her initial scan of the cloaked Romulan craft.

"Shields up...I can confirm the vessel - a Valdore-class warbird - is not armed" Martha replied.

"Hail them," Michael ordered. "Keep weapons powered down for now, but be ready."

Martha nodded and ensured she was ready to bring the weapons online at a moment's notice. She then opened the channel to the cloaked ship.

"Channel open Commodore" Martha reported.

"This is Commodore Michael Aravan of the Federation Starship Triumphant," he said. "Identify yourselves and your purpose here."

Silence met them and Michael looked at Cusack. "Are they receiving?"

Martha double checked to see if the channel was open. As it was Martha assumed the Romulans weren't very keen on talking to them.

"The channel is open sir. No response" Martha reported.

Suddenly, the channel opened and Ambassador Caenala stood on the bridge of the Valdore. "Good of you to try to reach out to me, Commodore," she said. "Unfortunately, it won't be good for long." The screen closed off and the warbird powered up its weapon systems.

Martha had been scanning the warbird as the Ambassador gave her brief response to the Triumphant's hail. Just as the channel closed and the screen went blank a reading from the warbird gave Martha extreme cause for concern.

"She's targeting the planet's capital city Commodore" Martha reported.

"Target her weapons," Michael ordered. "Helm, bring us about and put us between her and the planet."

The Helmsman immediately brought the massive Federation ship in a graceful arc and moved into the ordered position.

"Aye" Martha replied.

Martha targeted the Valdore-class warbird's disruptor and torpedo bays with the phasers - with her finger hovering just above her console in preparation for the order to fire.

"Ready to fire on your command" Martha reported.

"Fire," Michael ordered as the first hit from the Ambassador's ship rocked the Triumphant.

Martha fired as instructed with a highly charged barrage of phaser fire. Once the barrage ceased Martha did a quick scan of any damage before reporting this to Michael.

"Their shields are down to 92% with minor damage to their disruptors" Martha reported.

"Give them a full spread of torpedoes to their shields and then fire phasers," the Commodore ordered as the ship shook again. "What's our shield status?"

Martha checked the shield status whilst preparing and subsequently firing the phasers and torpedoes at the enemy vessel.

Martha replied. "Our shields are currently at 89%...I have emergency power for the shields on standby if needed"

The Tactical Officer then checked the status of the enemy vessel.

"Their shields have dropped to 80% and their primary disruptors have failed" Martha concluded.

"Open a channel," Michael said.

Martha opened a channel to the warbird.

"Channel open" Martha said.

"This is your last chance to give up, Ambassador," the Commodore said. "You don't have to do this." He waited a minute and nothing was forthcoming from the Romulan ship that continued to try to maneuver around the Triumphant.

"Fire again, Lieutenant," he said. "Target their engines."

Upon receiving her next set of orders Martha targeted the warbird's engines with the phasers - charging them up to their maximum setting before unleashing a barrage of phaser fire on her selected target.

"Direct hit - their engines are offline. They're not going anywhere" Martha reported.

The open comm channel came to life and Caenala. She looked cold and remorseless as she stared at the Federation Commodore. "You've gotten all out of me that you've gotten, Commodore. Tell your pet Intel agent that he needs better lessons in how to be a telepath. You may have stopped me, but you haven't stopped the ones already in place. Romulan Republic forever!" she shouted before the comm ended and was replaced by the Valdore class ship shrinking and collapsing in on itself as the micro singularity replacing their engineering section imploded.

Michael stared the screen in horror as the Romulan warbird self destructed. "I need to talk to Captain Weisz immediately," he said. "You have the bridge, Lieutenant." He got up from his chair and headed for his ready room, his face pale.

Martha nodded. "Aye Commodore"

An Andorian officer relieved Martha at the Tactical station as she stood away from it to take the centre seat. Once she sat down Martha took a moment to take in the new view. It was the first time she'd ever taken the command chair since joining the Triumphant and the view was very different.