The Way Out

Posted on Sat Mar 23rd, 2024 @ 5:48pm by Commander Michael Murphy & Captain Jackson Adams & Lieutenant Steve Ryan & Lieutenant Kestra Ral & Lieutenant JG Aubrie Fox & Lieutenant Stuart Mann
Edited on on Sat Mar 23rd, 2024 @ 5:49pm

Mission: Home Sweet home.
Location: Chaltok IV / USS Montana

(Mission Sabotage)

Kestra, Ryan, and Murphy had arrived at the hangar.
Kestra frowned, "This is far more active then I had hoped for" Kestra frowned as she touched her forehead again it hadn't been 4 hours yet but it was still Romulan.

Steve scanned the area looking to gather more information.
"Do you have the ship's plan?" he asked to the colleagues.

Kestra nodded and handed him her PADD of the ship's blueprints. " I translated most of it to federation standard." She whispered. Well, anything to do with power. If they had more time she would have translated it all. Kestra narrowed her eyes "The ship in the 2nd hangar fits the description."

Murphy glanced at the PADD over Steve's shoulder for a moment. He trusted his officers, but another set of eyes never hurt. He didn't see anything that they had missed. "So we just need to be able to get to the hanger, board the ship, get to Engineering, cause an overload, and then get out and off this planet before an explosion." No big deal, he thought. He began analyzing the movements of the locals, looking for patterns.


Kestra nodded "and all without being seen and caught. Reminds of the days I had to sneak past my parents to go out." She watched as the guard came around again "3.5 minutes to get in... they just pushed the door open so I think its not locked. We could do it. Since I still look Romulan, I am thinking I should try first. If I can't get in, I'll make some excuse for being here."

Steve studied the vessel's blueprint. Getting to engineering wouldn't be much of a problem, but all depended on how many Romulans they would encounter. He nodded silently and gave the PaDD back to Kestra.
"Sounds good. Once you're there just give us a signal and I'll be next".

Kestra nodded then slowly moved out from where they were hiding, It was an odd old style door for a place building ship. She guessed the Romulans put everything into the ship. The door opened and Kestra stepped in as the guard came around again. She closed the door then waited for him to move out of view before waving the all clear.

Turning around Kestra looked up at ship.

Lt. Ryan quickly strolled towards the vessel to then jump into the airlock before the guard made its appearance once again in his routine sweep. While studying the ship's interior, trying to figure out a way towards engineering, he waited for Murphy to join them inside.

Looking at the blueprints "It says engineering " Kestra told him "I am not sensing anyone in this area. With the hunger I sensed as the last workers left. I would guess this is dinner time." Kestra moved quietly forward reading the symbols. "This says power relay. what should I be looking for?" She had no idea how to blow up a ship unless she was standing in the science lab.

Murphy made his way over and joined the other two. He glanced at the blueprints, but didn't know enough about Engineering himself. He kept a lookout for trouble while Kestra and Steve worked.

The black haired lieutenant smiled "Oh well, generally speaking blowing up stuff is easier than making them work" he told her grinning.

"I think the neatest thing is to locate the coolant system and compromise it so that the M/A reactor overheats and sets off to an explosion" he explained.

"Perfect," Murphy said. "How long will that give us before it blows up?"

"Coolant system is over here" Kestra add "but will this make them stop their testing? Should we do some to the power relay and the mixer?"

Steve reached his phaser from the belt holder. He shrugged at Kestra's words. "The ship should explode the moment in which they power it up if the coolant system doesn't kick in when the M/A reactor reaches critical level. I'll use the phaser to weaken a few spots of the coolant deployment tubes so that it seems all fine but when it's put into work, it fails. We can sabotage other thigs as well, if you think it's safer" he added.

Kestra nodded "Ok" she whispered, "Still not sensing anyone around of course that could change at any moment." She also wondered if any repair crew would catch sabotage before it could go off. If all worked right the explosion would be seen from space.

"How bad will the explosion be amplified from the polaris ion energy?" Murphy asked.

Kestra did some calculations in her head " Most of the colony should be destroyed. I don't want to be on this planet when it goes."

Lt. Ryan took his phaser and aimed at one not so visible area of the plumbing o the cooling system. He shot a long and concentrated energy beam right on a junction, weakening the spot at which he aimed to. He repeated the activity a few more times in different spots to ensure more failure points.
"Wonder what Deb would think of this" he muttered between himself while finishing the sabotage work and putting his phaser back on its hoister.

"So?" he asked locking eyes on Kestra, waiting to see whether she wanted to endure extra damage to the vessel.

Kestra nodded. "That should do it. if I am reading this right, it's already heating up. " She went to the console and hid that the temperature was changing. So if someone looked at the console, it read normal. "I would suggest we leave now." She started to walk out of the room and head to the ship hatch.

"I love it when a plan comes together" said Steve grinning as he tailed Kestra sneaking out of the vessel.

Murphy stayed with them, satisfied at a job well done by the two of them. He knew commendations would be in order once this was all over.

Kestra reached up to her forehead. The ridge was still there . It had to have been longer than 4 hours by now. Maybe since she wasn't Reman, it wasn't going to be less time but longer she would have them. She reached out with her mind but didn't feel anyone around, so she opened the door to the hanger and looked out. They should probably wait for the guard to pass before leaving, but time wasn't on their side. "I don't sense anyone, and it looks clear."
She stepped out and made her way to the place they hid before.


(In the Shuttle)

Lt. Mann started to enter the atmosphere of the planet as he opened Comminication, "Lt. Mann to the landing party, please come in..."

As Steve crouched his communicator chirped and a distorted buzzing voice came out of it.

"Montana, this is Lt. Ryan of the landing party." he returned the call.

Lt. Mann responded, "Ahh, it is good to hear you. We have, shall we say, problems, in orbit. The ship has left the standard parking orbit of the planet. I will be in your area in about 10 minutes, but I cannot land where you are. You will have to get to me. I will be about a five minute 'run' from your current location."

"Do we run to meet the shuttle or to the cave to get the rest of the team?" Kestra asked.

"You two get to the shuttle, I'll get to the cave," Murphy answered. "The worst case scenario is that you transport the rest of us out once the Montana is back."

Kestra nodded then moved to the shuttle using her comm device "Lt. Kestra Ral to Lt. Mann be aware I am in Romulan disguise." She moved as quickly and quietly as she could.

Ryan nodded to the commander and tailed Kestra towards the rendevouz with the shuttle.

They were waved into the shuttle. Kestra stepped in and took a seat. She was feeling relieved and told herself not to be. To many things could still go wrong. Hearing a voice in her head, she bit her lip. ~ Are you safe~ the male voice asked her.

~ Yes, did you get your people to safety?~ Kestra thought back to him. ~Yes~ was his response. She waited to see if he would send anything else but relaxed when she heard no more.

Steve jumped into the shuttlecraft and strapped into one of its seat, waiting for the rest of the away team to join them.


(In the cave)

It had been several hours without Commander Murphy, Lieutenant Ryan, and Lieutenant Kestra Ral, but Murphy was finally back.

"Lieutenant Mann is here with a shuttle for us," he told them. "Follow me!" He began leading them out of the cave. They made their way towards the shuttle.


(On the Montana)

Captain Adams remained on the ship's bridge.

Lt. Mann was off in the shuttle, on his way to pick up the away team.

The Captain looked at the NE Helm officer, "Put this ship between us and that shuttle. If those Romulans even 'act' like they will fire on it, I want us to fire on them."

The ship was still at yellow alert when he decided, as he sat back on his Captain's Chair, "Battle Stations."

As the Romulan Ship took a stance and the shuttlecraft drew closer to the planet, the NE at the weapons station got ready.

Captain Adams motioned to the weapons station, "Arm Phasers."

Suddenly, the ship started to move. "Captain, they are moving towards the planet. "Lt., fire a shot across their port bow and scratch their paint. I want to let them know we mean business."

"Yes Sir, Fireing a warning shot...Plotting course...Fireing...Now" On screen a simple torpdeo shot right over the Romulan ships hull, Close, But it sure as heck gave the meaning of let them know we mean business. Aubrie then read her panel. It seemed they weren't stopping.

"Captain, Appreantly the wake up call didn't work. Captain Shall I send a torpdeo even closer to their hull, Or are we going to have to start the hard way?" Aubrie didn't really want the hardway. Romulans when It came to battles, Well, Ask the Humans when they first fought them.

"Okay, if that is the way they want to play it... Lt. Fox, take out that ships shields. Let's see if that get's there attention" replied the Captain.

"Yes Sir, Locking on their Sheild Generator....Locking....Weapons Ready...Fireing." On Screen 4 Phaser beams shot out and 2 Torpdeos shot towards the Romulans ships. Then a small explosion was seen as its sheilds generator was destroyed. "Captain, Sheilds are down....They are now turning towards us."

"Very well, please be ready to fire again if they should even look like they will fire back. In the meantime, get that shuttle back, now..." ordered the Captain.

-------------------------------------------------------
Captain Jackson Adams,
Commanding Officer, USS Montana

Commander Michael Murphy
Executive Officer, USS Montana

Lt. Stuart Mann,
Navigation

Lt Steve Ryan
Chief Communication Officer
USS Montana

Lt. Kestra Ral
Chief Science officer
USS Montana

Lieutenant JG Aubrie Fox
Assistant Chief Security Officer
USS Montana