Under the Gun

Posted on Tue Jul 20th, 2021 @ 10:43am by Captain Henry Crow & Commander Brielle Jayde & Lieutenant Commander Constance Stewart & Lieutenant Michael Harris & Warrant Officer Michael Joustra

Mission: Knock Knock
Location: Conference Room

Henry waited for the last to be seated before he laid out the situation they were in.

"We have twenty-two minutes. Thoughts?"

"It is a singularity devoid of all life. There are two options as I see them. One, we could leave it in the hands of my lesser reputable people and let them deal with it. It could be something like poetic justice. However, it would probably be best to try to let me talk to their Science Officer. I can show them the readings I took and they may be willing to work together." Edruj said as she took her seat.

Brielle looked at the others. "Do we really think they will listen? I mean...I don't know if I trust them. We might not have a choice, but whatever we do, we have to do it fast."

He had a quick look at the tactical situation. He looked around Conference Room. Then hunching forward his eyes on his padd.

"They won't listen. Right now they think they have tactical advantage." Joustra said not looking up and going through his padd. "So the question is how do you take away that advantage,imagined or real, and use that advantage to your benefit?"

Patricia nodded in agreement. "Add to that this asshole has a vendetta against us, well, you for showing him up at that dinner. He thinks he's got something to hold over us but we know something he doesn't. In about eight hours they're screwed."

Henry sighed. "That doesn't help us when he expects a surrender in..." he checked, "seventen minutes."

Edruj knew that everyone had the right of it. If honor was at stake her people would not listen to science. They would deem it a Federation trick. Then it came to her like a bolt of lightening. "Sir, if honor is what brought him here then allow honor to finish it. Challenge him to honor combat with the fate of both crews at stake. We will make sure that you win, and that should put an end to this once and for all."

Looking to Edruj, Brie raised an eyebrow. "They'd figure out if there was any outside assistance at play. I think we need to be blunt with them, tell them what the hell is going on."

Edruj nodded in agreement as she spoke. "All things being equal I would agree with your Commander. However, things are not equal. Those Klingons out there are out for honor. If you try to tell them honestly what is going on they will not believe you. They will deem it a trick."

Henry leaned back in the chair. "I'll do it."

Patricia shook her head. "Isn't there a regulation such and such that says you're not allowed."

Henry stood. "If I'm alive Starfleet can fire me. Dismissed." He walked back out onto the Bridge but turned to Brie. "I'm going to challenge him to some kind of combat down on the planet's surface. As soon as you can manage warp power I want you to get the hell out of here for two reasons. First if I lose who knows what they'll do to the rest of you. Second, who knows what that thing is going to do in their hands. Got me?"

Brie listened to what was said to her and frowned. "You really think we're leaving you behind?" She knew this was an order and finally let out a heavy sigh. "Understood. But if we can get you safely out of there, we will."

Constance "was quiet the entire meeting listening to everyone else talk. Knowing and trusting her Captain well. She knew this was the only way. She didn't like the idea of the Captain takeing the Klingons on all by himself. Expecting us to just leave him the planet's surface.

Edruj stood on the bridge just outside of the conference room. She knew that she could not let the Captain go alone, what was more was that the warrior within her would not let her Captain go into combat abandoned. "Sir I will go with you and serve as your cha'DIch. It would be expected for you to have one, and I know the traditions, traditions they would follow." Edruj spoke with as much respect as she could but a tone that told she meant business.

Joustra entered the bridge and looked around, cracked his knuckles. Moving his arms and rolling his neck. He removed his hollow pip and fumbled in his pocket finding the four pips and placed them on his collar.

"Regulation 12, paragraph 4, cap'n. Blablabla a Captain of a starship is not allowed to place himself in danger blablalba otherwise regulation 3 paragraph 12, justifiable means to save the crew. As a ranking officer and not really part of your chain of command. I'll be going for whatever medal they haven't given to me yet and the bloody honor and name on a plaque, yada yada. " Joustra said it loud enough for the whole bridge crew to hear.

"Now we need you in Engineering to start up the intermix protocol labeled Omega 4, which needs a captain's clearance because anybody below captain is not allowed to know about it. This basically cuts short the whole start up sequence of the akira class warpdrive from 30 minutes to 5 minutes flat. Will blow out sickbay, flightdeck, holodeck and a few non-essential systems. So you need somebody on power control, also need to keep warp speed below warpfactor 5 otherwise you might get slung into yesterday and nobody wants temporal affairs on their ass. I'll beam down to fight the klingon if the ship is ready, fire a full photon spread on my location and warp the fuck out. Now go order around the little people I'll grab a phaser and shoot the fucker." Joustra looked at Crow with a small grin.

Henry looked from Edruj to Joustra and back again. "Lieutenant, we need you here to monitor the anomoly over there, they have no idea what they're dealing with." He turned back to Joustra. He didn't need to ask the other man if he was serious. "Same deal. If we can get you out we will."

Brielle looked between Henry and Joustra. "What the hell...anyone care to explain what is going on here?"

Henry looked to Brie. "The Warrent Off....Captain....him, is going to throw our Klingon friend out there a curveball and give us a slight better chance to get out of here." He motioned to the com. "Open channel." When it was active Henry stepped forward. "K'tlah, I offer a counter proposal."

K'tlah sneered on the screen. "I want no counter, I want your surrender."

"Yes, but I offer you the chance to win it, in combat, warrior to warrior. Surely the men behind you would appreciate seeing their brave leader in action instead of picking the bones like as scavnger."

There were murmurs behind K'tlah and by his expression he felt his hand was being forced. "Fine. There will be battle, and when you are dead by my hand your ship and your crew will suffer the same fate."

"Agreed. We have a little over five minutes left on the original time, shall we go down there now?"

K'tlah smiled with very sharp teeth. "In a hurry to die....I like it."

The screen went black and Henry turned. "I'm going to engineering. Joustra to the transporter room as soon as we scrounge enough power we'll send you down. Edruj, keep monitoring them. Finally he turned to Brie. "Don't wait for me to make it back up here if this works. Fire on the surface and get us out of here as soon as we can."

Edruj hated everything about this plan. It stunk of deceit and dishonor. She knew her people would not leave this alone. Even if the Captain was successful. However, she also knew that orders were indeed orders and she had a job to do. She took her station. "Aye sir. For the moment the anomaly seems stable. I believe they will leave it alone while the combat proceeds."

Brielle would have to have a conversation with Henry later about what the hell was going on with now apparently two captains. But at the moment, she knew this was the only option. "We'll be ready up here." Her eyes turned to Joustra. "I promised the captain we'd get him out if we could, same goes for you...even if I honestly don't like you."








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K'tlah turned to his communications officer. "Tell the Gorn to meet me on the surface."

The officer seemed a little taken aback. "Is that honorable?"

"That dog deserves no honor." As he made his way towards his lift his science officer stopped him. "What shall we do with the prize?"

K'tlah thought for a moment. "Put it inside the dilithium chamber. I want to see what it does to our weapons power when I come back." He entered the lift and headed down for his destiny.